forspecial_plate

Well, indecisive as usual.... Wolf Moon '11....."Winter air, Terebinth pine, black spruce, long-dead maple leaves, juniper berry, dusty orris, deep amber, white sandalwood, brown musk, blue cedar, ambrette seed, benzoin, and tonka". I like Wolf Moon '04, and I love Wolf Moon '07, so I pretty much have to get this! It's possible I won't like it as much, or that the brown musk or something else will ruin it for me, but I just have to find out. Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse...."A voluptuous and brittle blend of lunar oils and white chypre shimmering with darkly glowing red musk, golden amber, black currant, patchouli, rose peppercorn, blackberry, ylang ylang, and daemonorops astride Yuletide’s holly berry, white pine, winter rose, and myrrh". Well, this is quite a mixture of notes, which sound kind of hit and miss for me, and I'm especially concerned about ylang ylang and winter rose. Really have to think about this one. I like the idea of white chypre. I just don't know! WILF....."Warm fur coupled with red and black musk, vanilla bean, patchouli, champaca flower, juniper berry, chocolate peppermint, frangipani, browned sandalwood, ferntop ash resin, and massoia bark". I typically don't like "fur" scents, or most things with chocolate, or "browned" anything, especially after the failure the was Howl In The Darkness when it touched my skin. But.....but.....it's forum-only! Inspired by Lycanthrope! Will I be able to resist? I don't know! So that's one pretty definite 'Yes', and two 'I don't know's. Looks like I have some thinking to do!

There are potential problem notes here but they work together like magic. Galbanum is green and rooty. On its own it is overpowering and not pleasant, but here it is tempered by the sweet fig. Fig also has an earthiness that compliments the galbanum. Fig can be too sweet and sometimes reminds me of bananas (thinking of Lucifer which was unfortunate), but here it is balanced by the resins. I like frankincense but it can sometimes be too heavy. It has a way of taking over the entire fragrance. In this scent I have a hard time even picking it out, but I know it's helping to hold together the other two notes. Overall impressions: I applied heavily and the galbanum did stand out, but like I said it struck a balance with the other two notes. Sometimes the most simple scents are the best ones. Oddly after a while this scent seemed to fade away to nothing but I think maybe my nose just got used to it. The Nutcracker is everything I was hoping for. There is a Christmas candle aspect....just a little bit.....but it's a quality I enjoy. This is a winner!

This was disappointing.....I really wanted to like it and it just doesn't work for me. The verbena seems to be the strongest note, or maybe the cistus is contributing to that herbal/citrus aspect. The mint is pretty strong and long-lasting, and I am getting the feel of the brown musk too. I already knew I don't really like brown musk or brown anything really, but I had to try this because the woods and herbs sounded nice (especially pine, a favorite note). But what happens is the scent smells like there are one or two notes too many, and it just never settles into something I like. It's not offensive, and really with all the verbena and stuff behind that, it reminds me of Nyarlathotep, which I like a lot more. I will keep wearing that and Wolf Moon '07 (I really wanted Howl In The Darkness to be like a deluxe Wolf Moon that I would fall in love with).

List of notes: "Bergamot, candied ginger, honey, patchouli, pepper, and dark cocoa" Well, this is quite a warm, cozy scent, very yummy, as could be expected just from reading the notes. But....it's not really a straight-up foody blend, and it's not quite as sweet as you might expect either. It's spicy but it's also very smooth and wearable, on the male side of unisex in my opinion, and just completely blended, with no notes standing out very much except maybe the ginger. I can't smell dark cocoa but I can tell it's there supporting. Overall I really like this and I'd love a larger bottle if it weren't so dang expensive. As it is, I'll keep wearing my little sample and maybe some day get a larger amount. Edit: I got busy here at work, so I didn't really finish what I was writing. This scent has a small component of the whole that adds some kind of strange salty or doughy part of the scent. It's just an interesting little twist that kind of reaches out from the scent from time to time.

I've had this little decant in my "to be swapped eventually" pile for months, and just decided on a whim to try it again. I can't remember what I didn't like about it, but now I really like it. It's odd because I think of orange and tangerine as top notes, and vetiver as more of a heart or base note. But in Velvet Tiger, those roles are flip-flopped. When first applied, I smell this herbal, slightly ashy vetiver, with almost zero orange. But as the scent dries, this warm, glowing, spicy citrus comes out and it strikes me as wonderful and delicious, round, but still kept dry with the spice. Later I can smell black licorice, too, but not very strongly. The throw seems to be about medium. I do like vetiver, and the vetiver in Velvet Tiger reminds me of that in Baron Samedi (one of my favorite GC scents). So it's no surprise to me that this is kind of a love-it-or-hate it scent, based on a few other reviews that I read. I'm really glad I gave it another chance and I might even hunt down a partial bottle. It's in the same family as Baron Samedi and Mad Meg, so I may not need more than the decant that I have, but I do enjoy it.

Spices and woods always get my attention, and this is one of my favorite spice scents from the lab. My imp is 2 or 3 years old and for me, everything is balanced just perfectly. I think it was a little more sharp when it was new. Clove and cassia can both be tricky but they are very well behaved here. I do think of this as a simple scent, just spices and little else, but that's all it needs to be for me to love it. I don't pick up much tea or sandalwood, so I think of them as supporting notes. I know I can always wear this when I can't decide what to wear. I love this scent and I have a bottle coming from the lab. : )

Champaca, black tea, tonka bean, and sassafras. I was hoping this would not be sassafras single note, even though I like that note, I wanted to smell all of these things in the scent. When I first tried this, it was indeed a very light and sweetish sassafras single note, with a little bit of smokey tea in the background. It seemed to disappear almost completely on my skin. I put it away for a while (a few weeks). I tried it again tonight, and applied a lot, probably too much. It's stronger now, and it's still sassafras, with tea and tonka, and I think the champaca is adding to the sweetness of the scent, but I can't really pick it out as a note. Overall this is really great, one of my favorite scents from Halloween or maybe the whole year. The sassafras is the same as in Laudanum, but this is sweeter and there is a kind of buttery, almost coconutty quality. I still think the tea adds a little smokey quality. Love it!

Plunder this morning, and I haven't decided yet for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm thinking about Minotaur, or Pinched W/Four Aces. Can't decide!

I love this, a very well balanced fir and vanilla, just like the description says. I was right to go straight for a full bottle. Love it! Sometimes vanilla turns on me, and I can smell that slightly dusty plasticky quality threatening to come out in this scent, but it’s held in check by the wonderful pine and fir. There is a minty, slightly menthol quality going on here, and sometimes it reminds me a bit of some kind of therapeutic muscle ointment (in a good way). It’s a very light scent on me so I’ll be applying a little more heavily than I normally do. I’d be perfectly happy to walk around all day smelling like a Christmas tree, but that’s not what this smells like to me. The fir is actually subtle compared to something like Stranger In Camp. The vanilla reminds me a little bit of coconut, and more than once I’ve thought of suntan lotion, especially after the drying down of the scent. Overall, this is a winner!

I just have to narrow these down a little. Of course this will probably change when I get my decants. But for now, here's what I'm speculating...... The Nutcracker Midnight Mass The Phoenix In Autumn The Arabian Dance The Russian Dance BPTP Frankincense & Myrrh bath oil Victorian Virgin With Cherubs bath oil Vespers atmo spray For gifts: Peacock Queen soap Snow White soap So, all in all, not too bad or scary. 5 bottles, 2 bath oils, 1 atmo spray, and maybe 2 soaps. Of course, I may be adding more to that list after trying decants and reading reviews. We shall see.

My unofficial speculation for the anniversary update..... I still think the periodic table scents might be the Phoenix scents. I know someone said those were for the upcoming local alchemist section, but I still have this nagging hunch. I counted and it seems there were 7 periodic prototypes at the will-calls, which is close to the number of Phoenix scents we are expecting. And it just seems to fit the themes from the past Phoenixes. Or, it seems like a natural progression. As for resurrected scents, I'm going to make some guesses. Someone recently posted that they got frimps of Mantis and Neo-Tokyo in their order, which I thought was unusual since those were both discontinued a few years ago. So I'm guessing we might see one or both of those resurrected. As for LE, I'm just going to make some wild guesses: Underpants, Pinched, or Glowing Vulva. Those are because Beth seems to like to bring back popular and longed-for scents in the past (Midway, Snake Charmer, Hod). It also crossed my mind that we could see Pumpkin King or Noir. Now I know that the recipe for Pumpkin King was lost, but I'm a firm believer that anything is possible and I would love to see Pumpkin King available some day. Same deal with Noir. That is another scent that lots of people would love to see come back. I can hardly wait to find out!

I have over a week off work coming up soon. That makes me happy but I also want to make the most of it! I'd like to maybe make a list of things to do. Just fun things, hopefully cheap or free things, too. I can go to the zoo, of course, but I can do that any time. I live right next to the zoo and I have a yearly pass so it's always free, and I just walk there. This is one thing I'll definitely be doing. I can go to Newport On The Levee, which has lots of things to do. AMC Movie theater, for one thing, which isn't free or cheap, but is a nice splurge. Also the Newport Aquarium is there. I have a yearly pass for that too, so that is a free option. What would be best is if I could convince someone to go with me instead of going by myself for once! I really should start walking every day, not just for exercise, but for my mental well-being also. There are more benefits to this, besides just burning calories, but I need that, too. Thanksgiving falls at the end of the week so I want to find a good recipe, something to make and bring to my mom's. I have a couple ideas but I want to atually try it out first, earlier in the week, so I know for sure I'm making something good. I have so many cookbooks and don't use them enough! I really need to go grocery shopping. My refrigerator and cupboard are bare! So.....that's all I got right now. I need more things to do! Thrift shopping Thrift donating Sell some stuff on ebay? Get my camera working again Visit Kevin and Charlie in Columbus....not free but could be cheap Visit Sally Get together with Alan Get together with Luke Visit David Pack Cross-stitch Go to Ikea (but don't spend a whole lot of money?) Organize closets Go out with Jen Okay.....that's enough for a start. I'll have homework and laundry to do but I was mainly trying to list fun stuff. I mean, it is a vacation, and I can't really go anywhere (mainly because of school and lack of spending money), but I want it to be worth it. And I've had this thing lately where I want to get rid of a lot of this material stuff I've accumulated. I feel like it's encumbering me, if that's the right use of that word. I feel a bit stifled, spiritually. I need room to breathe. I have a fantasy of getting rid of everything and roaming the country. Wouldn't that be awesome? I might do it if I had unlimited funds for travelling and accomodations. I guess I could get really creative and find ways to do it anyway. Something to think about.

I'm pretty sure Baron Samedi has vetiver even though it's not listed. It took me a long time to recognize it, but for me it comes out in the dry-down. If you like spicey almond and/or bay you might want to try it.

For the Cie, and this is totally just a guess, maybe she could try Sunflower from the Salon. Notes are: "Sunflower bouquet, black amber, creeping black moss, wilted greenery, and scorched, dry stems". When I wear it, the flowers are the strongest note, followed by the moss, and there's little if anything scorched that I can detect. I don't wear florals much but I thought it could be worth a shot if you happened across a sample.

I am finally done with early fall term, and I think I got some good grades. I know I passed CPT coding, which I was really worried about for a while. I was worried because I just wasn't getting it and I bombed a test and a couple quizzes, but I finally got the hang of it more or less, and ended up doing okay. So I am on a short break until late fall term starts (a week from today, I think), and just enjoying that even though I'm at work right now. I placed an order with the lab and I'm impatient for that to arrive, but it won't be here for a couple more weeks. It's just a relief to be done with those 3 classes. For the last 2 or 3 weeks I've been really stressed out and was having trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Reviews for Defututa started in Jan '08, so if the new labels came out in '09, that narrows it down to either '08 or '09.

I can wear these notes separately, or combined with other notes. But together, they are just too powdery and wind up reminding me of household cleanser. It's not quite the soapiness that I get from lily, but almost as bad. Come to think of it, I'm not sure there's anything with ylang ylang that I actually enjoy wearing, so maybe that's the culprit. I like opium and poppy notes, and I like dragon's blood in some blends. I think I just need to go wash this off now. : (

151 Bottle purchased from another forum member. This is basically a dual-note scent, clove and frankincense. Or, I should say, CLOVE and frankincense. The clove is very strong and the frankincense is kind of an afterthought. It's possible there is also some vetiver in this, but really, it's all about the clove! Which I like a lot. It's almost too harsh, but I think this will work well for layering purposes. I already tried it with Slaugh and it works really well, although it does nearly overpower Slaugh. So, for layering, this bottle could last me forever if I just want to add a little clove to what I'm wearing, because it would only take a teeny little bit. But I also like it just on its own. It reminds me of both Smiling Spider and Egg Moon, a little bit. Anyway, I'm happy with my frankincense Chaos Theory. I like the simplicity and I am a spice lover, so this fits me.

Here's what I've ordered from the Yule update, so far. Decants: Großvater Tanz, The Nutcracker, A World Of Fools, The School, Mr. Fezziwig's Ball, The Second Of The Three Spirits, Bob Cratchit's Hearth, Ignorance And Want, The Last Of The Spirits, Whoop Autumn & Winter, Haloa, Woods In Winter, Herr Drosselmeyer, Rat King, Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas Eve In The Counting House, Marley's Ghost, Incessant Torture Of Remorse, Chained Phantoms, Christmas Eve On The Moor, Altar To Cold Rigid Dreadful Death Bottles: The Waltz Of The Snowflakes (along with The Infernal Lover)

Cake and incense, yes, but this is pretty far from All Souls. The beer obviously makes a difference. It makes a kind of husky or gritty backdrop....grainy, I guess? Hard to describe. I wore this to work which might not have been the best idea. I hope everyone didn't think I smelled like beer! But I find this to be a comfy, cozy, happy kind of scent. Almost like a bonfire or fireplace scent, maybe because of the incense. And whoa, this stuff lasts and lasts. I'm going on nearly 8 hours and it's still going strong. Yet another neglected scent I should wear more often!

I was in a hurry and couldn't find Samhain (despite the fact that I have 2 bottles and 2 decants.....), so I grabbed Feeding The Dead as I was getting ready for work tonight. As it turns out, I made the right choice! I haven't worn this in a while.

Wad Of Chewed Up Bubblegum smells exactly like bubblegum when wet. Fresh bubblegum that hasn't had all the flavor chewed out of it. Then when it dries it smells the same, but turns a little dusty. Dusty, not powdery. Maybe this chewing gum was thrown on the floor to gather dust. It's a cute scent! Something I'll never have a desire to wear, though.

Smells like Mr. Hyde drooled on my arm while he was furtively trying to dry-hump me in a crowded subway. Not a keeper for me.

I have been feeling like crap for the last few days. I don't know what's wrong with me but it reminds me of the way I used to feel when I drank a lot. I've felt kind of spaced out a lot of the time, achey, irritable, about to cry at the drop of a hat, and......just not myself. It really sucks and I don't know if it's the full moon, or if I'm fighting a cold or something, or just allergies, but I don't like this. Do not like this. It's almost like when I had mono, so maybe that is flaring up again. I've read that it can come back after being dormant for a long time (would be years in my case). Anyway, I apologize for my behavior to anyone who happens to read this.

Reducer caps? That's a good idea with the cotton swabs. I've been using toothpicks lately, even though I know the wood is absorbing some of the oil. Usually I just use the little bump inside the cap and I'm very, very careful that I'm applying on clean skin (with no oil already on it, or any other skin product).