smallvoice

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged! O was on my original wish list of scents when I first discovered BPAL. It was worth the wait. From bottle to skin, this is absolute sex in liquid form. It is musky and sweet and has a hint of innocence defiled... or maybe it's just my view of the scent. It is also very potent on my skin. My skin amps everything good about O, and it's almost overwhelming. I'm with the rave reviewers on this one. It did not disappoint on me. I'm on the lookout for another imp before I decide to buy a bottle.

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged! Wicked does not strike me as particularly wicked in the imp, per se. It doesn't change my mind once it's on my skin, either. This has a gorgeous rose in it, and even though it's a little too floral for my taste, I'm really glad I was able to test it. I'm wondering if I'm not keen on myrrh- I'll have to watch for that note. I don't seem to be allergic to anything, it's just too floral for me. Really well blended, though.

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged! I can smell the honey and spices in the imp. On my skin, the honey is well-behaved and lovely. The clove is hanging out, too, and it's this pretty, sweet scent. I'm not smelling any fig, and that's sad. I was hoping for a stronger fig. Then, out tromps the patchouli, and it hates my skin. Everything goes horribly wrong and it never mellows out, it's just awful and bitter and unpleasant. Woah. My skin amped the hell out of that patchouli, and in an oh-so-wrong way. Sad!

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged! In the imp, Khephra was a soft, soothing floral. Immediately upon boarding my skin, it turned really sour. Eventually it mellows into a woodsy scent that just isn't doing anything for me at all. The sour undertone is there and... yeah, I don't know. It just isn't working for me. I wish I knew the notes in this. It's very evocative, and I can see it being extremely lovely on the right person.

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged! In the imp, Coyote is masculine, green and fresh. On my skin, it's suddenly really floral. Uh, what? Where's all this coming from? There's a hint of spice and it's verging on masculine, but the intensity of the floral just sort of chokes everything else out. Is there rose in this? I think I'm allergic to one of the flowers, and rose is the most likely suspect. Oddly enough, I think I need a retest on this one. I'll be on the lookout for an imp.

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged! In the imp, this is woods and... more woods. No sweetness. On my skin it becomes a fresh pine scent that I associate with men's fragrances, rather than cleaning solution. It's got a really rich wood note behind the freshness of the pine needles that's just gorgeous. It is decidedly masculine on me. It's more complex than it sounds from this description, but I don't know how else to describe it. It has a sort of energizing effect on me- really nice and fresh. The drydown is a dull, musty scent that most woods tend to take on after a while on my skin. Then it just sort of turns powdery and fades away. Not my cup of tea. I wish I'd gotten some of the sweetness.

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged! This reads as a very warm scent to my nose. I love the warmth. It's pretty without being floral, and I'm loving the opium. The musk isn't overbearing or causing any allergy issues, and it's just a lovely blend overall. I need to try this again- I'll be on the lookout for an imp.

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged! In the imp Danse Macabre has this rush of a sinus clearing woodsy scent. It's not minty in the least. Huh. On my skin it's more of the same, and it's all sort of generic. Something in it is giving me a slight headache. It's pretty, but not for me.

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged! In the imp, Villain is soapy and fresh. On my skin... uh, so... it's distinctly a bathroom cleaner. As it has a chance to drydown, the florals sort of detangle themselves and smooth out, but it's still really complex and has this almost metallic note to it. It's a lot softer than I would've expected, and I really like it. Is there lemon in this? I'm getting some citrus. This is really pretty! EDIT: 1/26/08: Dunno if my nose has changed or my chemistry, but it doesn't smell like this to me anymore. Let's do a new review! It's got lilac, lime and a fougure(sp?) in it, all of which are elements of my beloved Whitechapel, but this is not Whitechapel 2.0- they're in the same family, appropriately enough. I seem to be allergic to BPAL's lavender note in most scents, but this one doesn't bother me. It really is smooth, and I can kind of see where I got the metallic note from, but it's not in any way distinctly metallic. I love citrus, especially when it's not sharp, and this is all win. It smells, to me, like what my ideal villian would wear. By ideal, I mean my favourite to read about/watch in movies. The most chilling of all- sociopaths. There is something sexy about someone who knows how to manipulate all situations and will go to any lengths to get what he/she wants. Sexy in a scary, please-don't-ever-come-near-me-again sort of way, but still sexy. Does that make any sense? It doesn't smell raunchy or rough, like the villian archtype. It is subtle and intoxicating and deceptive.

O is very, very sexy. You should definitely try it. You also might want to try Delphi. The honey was fairly prominent on me, though it might not be exactly what you're looking for. Hetairae is the only other honey scent I can think of that I've tried, but it has patchouli in it.

I found Dublin to be really clean and fresh. Numb (a limited edition) is violet-y fresh, if you like that. It didn't work out for me. If you're interested in minty and Envy sounds too sharp, I'd suggest trying your luck with Hamadryad (some people get mint; some get cinnamon... ) and a fresh imp of Shattered (mint and grapefruit! It's really pretty.) I'd also add Katharina- fresh and fruity. If you're interested in tea scents, I'd suggest Dorian, Alice, White Rabbit and Embalming Fluid. I can't get by without recommending Alice, lately. Heh. The rose is just SO pretty and light. (I am not into florals, generally speaking.) Hungry Ghost Moon is a limited edition and it is very light and lovely, to my nose.

I know a lot of people like to layer scents, if they find the right notes seperately. But I do think you'll love Snake Oil.

Odd little project: I'd like to try scents that don't have a lot of reviews, so I'm going to list some here. (But this is not my wishlist, this is just for my own reference.) Anathema Death on a Pale Horse Les Infortunes de la Vertu Loralei Nero The Black Tower The Bow and Crown of Conquest

Is Chinese musk the same as white musk? I've seen it used several times and wasn't sure. So these are white musks, golden musks, and musks of indeterminate color. Dragon's Musk (with 5, one is bound to be white!) Aeval (I didn't like this one the first time, but white musk warrants a re-try) Black Pearl Fae Lampades (sensual musk could be white) Lurid Ode on Melancholy Zephyr Death on a Pale Horse The Bow and Crown of Conquest The Great Sword of War (Yeah, it's red musk, but it sounds so perfect.) Bluebeard (I'm pretty sure I tried and disliked this one) Imp (not white musk, but golden musk sounds so lovely!) Kitsune-tsuki Kuang Shi Villain (citrus musk) Grandmother of Ghosts Pietho (warm musk probably isn't white, but it sounds pretty) Queen Mab (Chinese musk) Thanatopsis (pine, juniper and musk... yeah, those first two scare me. This is way low on my list.) Cordelia (Chinese musk- this has all my favourite things in it.) Juliet Oberon (orchid too!) Endymion (tried once already) Psyche Vicomte de Valmont Berenice (if I can find some!) Usher (as above) Mantis (golden again, but sounds lovely) Fallen (golden musk) Aglaea (musk type isn't specified [except 'bright'], but sounds like it could be white) Euterpe Urania Zorya Bengal (skin musk) I think that's all, for now!

I think I just figured out a note I love! Finally! I mean, I know there are blends that work well on me, but I've never been able to really truly single out a note... and that note is white musk. I tested Katharina just now, and it was a little sharp going on, but then I noticed that it has white musk in it, and so does Whitechapel, so I figured that maybe it would dry down differently on me- and half an hour later, it smells fantastic. It's the same musk- I can actually pick it out. That is freaking awesome. I need to lose weight. This is not an epiphany, obviously (the white musk thing was the epiphany). It's just... incredibly important to me. I was explaining this to one of my bridesmaids earlier this week. I want to go out with my husband, and have people look at us and think: "What is that girl doing with that guy?" Here's why: I think he deserves that. I want to make people sit up and take notice of him. Please don't take that to mean I'm putting down his appearance; I'm very attracted to him. I just know that he doesn't have the physical appearance to match his heart- and trust me, if his phsyical appearance really did correspond to his heart, angels would weep and traffic would stop and there would be no more war and he'd be able to turn tap water into Shub Niggurath (the BPAL blend, not the Lovecraftian critter, because that would be seriously freaky- can you imagine? He'd have to get special glasses or something, because otherwise he'd unleash this terror onto the world... but yeah, getting off the subject here...) with a piercing glance and.... yeah. All that stuff. He's that special. He deserves someone fantastic.

The only reason I didn't suggest it is that I always think of it as being very light, but it does tend to last and last. So, yes! If you have any inclination at all towards Whitechapel, please do try it. Much love for that one.

Here we are!

Thanks, guys.

Thank you- I may do that.

When I first found BPAL and was going through the mass of scents to see what I wanted on my wishlist, I found the description for Shattered, and was so very sad when I discovered that it was discontinued. All the notes sounded so gorgeous and the premise of the scent itself... pretty much stunning. By the time the grapefruit scents were re-released, I was eager to try Shattered still, but I'd found so many others that kept popping up, demanding to be sniffed. I was recently, twice in rapid succession, frimp'ed Shattered, to my great joy! Here's the breakdown: I love this scent. It is everything I hoped it would be, and more. The mint is lovely and chilling- definitely the dominant note for me- the aquatics are very... um, like crystal clear water (I found Sea of Glass to be really floral, so this was a relief- this is the aquatic scent I was hoping for with Sea of Glass), and everything else comes together beautifully. I love that the champagne note is so true- it's not boozy at all. This was not the case with the first imp of Shattered. There was something sort of... sour, maybe? I'm wondering if it's an old one, rather than a recent one. I further think that mint may not age as well as some ingredients do, which makes me want to give Envy another try. So, yeah. Much love for Shattered! When I do get around to getting a bottle (which may not be until next Spring, at this rate!) I'll have to be sure and use it up. I don't think that'll be a problem!

Not so much that I'm thinking about cotton candy as the level of substance to the thoughts... I was thinking about my name. I just signed a PM "Gracie", even though I've been using "Grace" predominantly. I have also written out a few return labels using the full Gracelyn. It's inevitable that I'll use one more than the others, right? I never shortened my given name, despite it having a very popular nickname (which my mother hated), so I don't know how these things work. It's like having three seperate names! It's almost like playing "pretend" again.

George Burns wrote a book about his wife, called "Gracie" and it is AMAZING. I remember being enthralled by it even in grade-school. And my husband has to do the "Say Goodnight, Gracie" Me: "G'night, Gracie." all the time. I need to find that book again; it's been years since I read it last. I'll work on getting a picture up today! Plus my haircut photos, whenever that happens.

Hope you're feeling better soon! If you need to talk, drop me a line. Somehow, this one strikes me as most appropriate.

Soporose and lenitive: opium-laced golden lotus with rich amber, pine resin, and rose otto. Hee. I love how everyone talks about the "bubble-gum problem" with lotus, like it's a horrible curse (Which I'm sure it is, for some people). That is part of why I seek lotus blends out, to be honest. I was thrilled when I heard this one might have that sweetness. The rose otto and pine worried me, but I really wanted to try this one. I was lucky enough to land a bottle in a swap- and boy was I lucky! The label is so, so pretty. Bright and happy and perfect for the scent that emerges, somehow. I don't smell bubble-gum/sweet lotus; not even in the bottle. I can smell the pine right away, but the notes in this just... wow. They meld together to form this Axis of Awesomeness- the pine adds depth and spice to the brilliant golden scent the rest of the notes form. Seriously, I know I'm not usually really good at reviews, and this one is sub-par, but I really can't even explain how lovely this smells. I am SO grateful to have this blend. It is soothing and uplifting.

Woah. I am so not upset about the contest not being as successful as I might've imagined. It was late, and I was tired and cranky and felt sort of silly and awkward having devised this intricate event with the two entertaining guesses and the two entertaining non-guesses. (I really did love all the responses.) I realize it isn't All About Me- non-cc paypal only is a limitation, and everybody's saving up for the update, and I'm sure some people feel like it's too much of a gamble and I'm equally sure there are many people who are simply not interested. But, hey, if you guess now, you're pretty much guaranteed a pack. Unless five people pop up and want to play. Heh. Anyway, I'm more relaxed about it. Really.