parrot_suspect

In the general catalog, Cathedral is probably your best bet. There was also a Yule limited edition scent called Midnight Mass that many people felt captured the scent of incense at a Catholic Church. You might be able to find this on eBay or the swaps board.

There are a few BPAL blends that have sage (not necessarily clary sage) in them. Aeval and the discontinued Morella come to mind. You may also want to try Bewitched and Lear. Or try blends that have a green/herbal/forest vibe to them, such as Black Forest, the Apothecary, Yggdrasil, Black Annis and Nocnitsa.

To me, Arabian Nights smells somewhat like Baghdad. Anthelion and Lionheart smelled a bit like Faustus on me (I think it's the frankincense). Peace and Quietude are similar-smelling. Meditation and Tushnamatay are similar. Nocturne is a bit like Somnus. I can't find any GC smell-alikes for: Amor, LaFlamme, Queen of the Nile and White Light.

I don't care for white florals either. If I were getting married in late May (actually, I did -- to my first husband -- and I wore Jessica McClintock, blech! -- but I digress), I'd choose one of the following: -French Love -Morocco (has sandalwood) -Antique Lace -Aeval -Amor (TAL) -Dragon's Claw (has sandalwood) -Xiu-however-you-spell-it (because it smells so festive and cheerful) -Scherezade (because it's sexy)

If you can find it: Chrysanthemum Moon. It's heady and "perfumey" like Spellbound. From the GC, your friend may like Vechernyaya.

Here's an an entire thread about vetiver, which may prove useful. http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=2435

Try Mr. Ibis (from the Neil Gaiman scents) or Coyote.

IMO, not very strong at all. I couldn't even pick out carnation as a note in those blends...they just registered as "floral" to my nose. Two scents that are VERY carnation-y are Hod (GC, Sephiroth range) and Chrysanthemum Moon (a recent LE, not too hard to find in swaps).

If you can find it, since it was a recent LE, I think you'd love Bakeneko. I don't think it has Dragon's Blood but it has the other notes. And do give the "usual suspects" a try -- O, Bastet, the Lion. They are all warm and lovely.

Hanae Mori was a sweet vanilla scent on me, but YMMV. Similar BPAL scents might include: Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, Eat Me, Antique Lace, Dragon's Milk, Regan.

Since I'm a Snake Oil addict, bath items in this fragrance are like a dream come true for me. And this soap is no exception. The soap is large, well-formed, and wrapped nicely. You can smell the scent even through the wrapper. I used the soap this morning with my scrubby, and it lathered well; the suds felt smooth and silky and smelled lovely. Some cold-process soaps can be drying, or can leave a film on your skin, but this one does not. It rinses clean. Definitely a high quality soap, and I'll definitely order another one. Now all I need is a Snake Oil body lotion or cream, and my Snake Oil layering fantasy will be complete!

Try Habu from the Snake Pit. It's green and wet, with some woods and incense to keep things interesting.

You're sitting in a treehouse in the middle of a jungle. The treehouse is made of teak wood and bamboo. It rained last night, so everything is wet and there is a fresh, clean, green (but not sharp) scent all around you. You're sipping a cup of green tea and catching a whiff of incense every now and then. That's Habu.

Yum! Hope you don't mind if I covet your chocolates. Sounds like you got some great gifts. UGH on having to move in May. Moving is such a pain. I hope something opens up for you.

Em, ITA. Here's a blogger who offers a similar perspective: http://triticumturgidum.blogspot.com/2007/...f-illinois.html

At long last, things seem to be looking up. DH and I had a nice evening out to celebrate Valentine's Day. On Saturday, we hired a baby-sitter and made reservations for dinner at the Melting Pot. I don't know about you, but I looove fondue. I think it's a fun dining experience, and there really is no yummier way to end a meal than dipping fruit and cake into melted chocolate. Fondue meals take a long time -- we were at the restaurant for about 2.5 hours -- so that gave us plenty of time for conversation. Sometimes during the week we're so busy with the kids, we don't really have time or energy to connect with each other. It's good to feel that we're back on the same page, that we want the same things and we have goals to strive for. I posted a while ago about DH being out of work. Yes, my Kevin Federline-ish spouse has been unemployed since November 2005. He's done some freelance work in the interim, but it definitely doesn't pay the bills; I've had to make a huge dent in our savings. It appears his ship has finally arrived -- he has two job offers. The only problem is, they're both out of state. There is a local company interested in him; they've interviewed him twice and had him in to do freelance work. If he gets an offer from this company, we can stay where we are, which is our preference. Please send all your positive vibes and thoughts for him to get an offer from the local company. I'm still employed at the newspaper, still part-time (they wouldn't let me switch to full-time work) but taking on more responsibility. It's not the most dazzling career but I'm realizing how fortunate I am to be employed in the field of my choice, especially given how many publishing companies are laying people off right now. There are a few situations in my life that still need improvement: 1. I'm a lousy wife. I am not good at cooking and cleaning. I cook maybe one or two nights a week; the rest of the time, it's fast food or Lean Cuisine. I realize this is bad, but I'm just too freakin' tired to cook after working all day, taking care of the kids after work (it's amazing how draining it is to pick up young children from daycare and do the whole dinner, bath, bedtime routine every night -- I just collapse afterwards!), and trying to keep the house somewhat tidy. But despite my efforts, the house always seems to be cluttered or in need of a clean-up; it's a Sisyphean task. 2. I tend not to pay my bills on time, which isn't a good thing. It's not that I don't have the money. I'm just too lazy to sit down and pay them. I've asked DH to take over this task but he's even worse at it than I am. 3. My mom's been dead for nearly a year, but I still miss her so much. So often, a thought crosses my mind that I want to share with her ... then I remember, "Oh, can't call her. She's dead." And it's like a punch in the gut. Nobody ever told me it would be this painful to lose a parent. I've still got this tremendous emptiness in my life where she used to be, and there doesn't seem to be a way to resolve it. 4. I'm spending too much money on "stuff," probably to try to fill this weird emptiness I have. I'm buying books, skincare, magazines, haircare, tea, and all kinds of crap. Never mind that I've been wearing the same four bras for the past 10 years, or that I don't have a pair of decent winter boots -- I'm buying stuff I don't really need, like trial kits of skincare, makeup, etc. I find those purchases more fun than clothing or shoes. 5. I'm eating too much candy and other sugary stuff. I've gained seven pounds in one month. True, I'm pregnant. But there's no reason for me to be eating sour gummy worms like a crazy woman at 11:30 p.m. every night, or scarfing Dunkin Donuts every weekend. 6. I need to be a better friend. I haven't been returning calls or sending birthday cards. It's not that I don't care about these people, who are an important part of my life; I just feel too lazy and lethargic to make calls, set up plans, etc. I'd like to even add some new friends to my life, so why am I doing such a lousy job with the ones I have? This is what life is all about, though -- there are always problems, always things that need improvement. I'm not going to stress over these things; I'm going to work on being grateful for what I have and making positive changes. Spring seems like a good time of year for this.

I'm not much of a blog/LJ type of person. Never have been. It always seemed so narcissistic and (dare I say it?) juvenile -- the notion that anyone would be interested in the little details of my life, my thoughts, my complaints, what have you. But there's something different about this community. It has an open, welcoming vibe I haven't found elsewhere. And I admit to being somewhat of a voyeur -- I enjoy reading other people's blogs and getting a peek into their personalities and lives. I'm interested in what makes other people tick. So, why not start a blog of my own, even if I'm the only one who will ever read it? Right now I'm struggling with a few issues. The first and foremost, all-encompassing thing in my life is my mother's death. I can't seem to stop thinking about it and I don't know if I'll ever get over it. She died April 7. She died that day because it was the day I chose for her to die. I'm an only child and my parents are divorced -- she was in the hospital, being kept alive by a machine, and I alone issued the order to pull the plug. More on that cheerful topic later. The other thought running through my head is this. When did I become an old has-been? My mother-in-law came to town this week to help out, provide moral support in the aftermath of my bereavement, and along with that offered to watch the kids Friday night so DH and I could go out for dinner. We had a nice meal at P.F. Chang's, then I felt an urge to go to a bar. Ten years ago (I'm 38 now), my social life seemed to center around bars. Meeting friends for drinks, seeing bands play, etc. Life was sort of fun and carefree. But somewhere along the line, that all changed. We walked through the door and instantly I could tell -- everything was different. DH and I were surrounded by twentysomethings who were laughing, drinking, flirting, dancing, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. That's just not my life anymore. I wish it were, because it was fun while it lasted. I wish I could be young again. The whole experience had a depressing "This WAS your life" quality, and after two quick beers, we were out of there. Maybe what it is, is that I'm just afraid of growing old and dying. Like my mother.

I miss living in the city. When I lived in Chicago, in Rogers Park, it seemed like I was only a short walk, bus or el ride from fun and good times. Even on nights I chose to stay in my apartment, I had the knowledge that I could be out the door and into a bar, coffeeshop, or other public place within minutes, if I so chose. Maybe my problem is that I can't accept the reality of my life. I'm a 39-year-old mother of two (with a third on the way). I live in the suburbs; I have a mortgage, a job, and a host of responsibilities. I'll never live that young, carefree, urban lifestyle again. And I find this depressing. Is everything "fun" over? Or do I just have to get used to a new idea of fun? Is the "fun" of my life supposed to center around being a parent and doing family things, instead of hanging out with friends? If so, how do I adjust my perceptions to find that these family activities are "fun" and not just a lot of work?

Cariad, I know the type of tea you're referring too -- I've had it as well, and I agree it smells awesome. The closest BPAL scent I can think of, that's most similar to cherry-rose sencha, is Dragon Moon. It's not available anymore, but you might be able to find it in a swap or on eBay. In the general catalog, you could try Kabuki, Aizen-Myoo, Bewitched, the Hanging Gardens or Neo-Tokyo.

This is sweet and almondy, but grounded by the base notes of Snake Oil. It's like taking Bastet and adding Snake Oil. I really like it; it's warm and comforting without being too "foody." My skin seems to really eat this oil up, so I'm going to try layering it over regular Snake Oil and seeing how that works.

It's beautiful, Korshka...and sounds like a very romantic proposal as well. Congratulations!

Agreed. What ever happened to common courtesy, tact, and consideration for the feelings of others? I'm often put off by the belligerent, rude stance some people take, particularly on the Internet. I think there are, unfortunately, a lot of people who enjoy arguing just for the sake of arguing; and by "arguing" I don't mean intelligent debate. I'm all for expressing opinions in a civil way, sharing ideas and different points of view. Some people seem as though they just want to stir things up or call attention to themselves, and I have very little tolerance for that.

I'm very glad I ordered LaFlamme. I had received a sample of it from another forumite, and was immediately drawn by its rich, mysterious, sexy scent. Now that I have a bottle and can slather myself in its orangey-red goodness, I'm getting the full effect, and I love it. On me, LaFlamme is a deep, dark, rich, musky, resinous scent with a hint of spice. As it dries down, it becomes truly sublime and creates a powdery aura that sort of wafts all around me. And by powdery, I don't mean baby powder, but something far sexier. It's hard to pick out individual notes in this one, because they blend together so seamlessly. As far as the effect it has on other people: I can't say if it's going to do anything for my husband, because he has no sense of smell at the moment. However, I'm wearing this at work, and everyone is being amazingly friendly and pleasant to me today. But LaFlamme smells so good, I'd wear it for the scent alone, regardless of its effect on others.

Given your preferences, I'd suggest Western Diamondback (it's woodsy, mellow and resinous), Temple Viper or maybe Boomslang. Boomslang is very chocolatey at first then dries down to a regular Snake Oil scent. Temple Viper is soft and resinous but very sweet. You may also want to give King Cobra a try. Habu is also nice. Saw Scaled Viper is, as the name would imply, a sharp scent. Death Adder would be perfect if it didn't have so much vetiver -- all the vetiver gives it, to my taste, a too-masculine scent.

Archaic -- I haven't found anything in the BPAL catalog that matches the scent of GAP Om. Have you tried GAP outlet stores? They still stock Om, last time I checked.