hadaverde

According to this page, Mictecacihuatl is pronounced "meek tay kah SEE wahtl".

<-- BPAL enthusiasts <-- PayPal, sometime soon, if they know what's good for them! I ended up including in the "notes field" only a list of the quantity, Product ID, and cost of each item I wanted to order (for example: "1 ONEFISHTWOFISH 17.50") and a line that said "please see my email to follow", then sent an email to the customer service address containing the full text of what my orders normally look like, along with the PayPal transaction ID, amount, etc. What a pain.

In an email exchange regarding an international shipping cost request about an order I placed recently, Bill the Customer Service Deity advised me that if I was not sure about whether or not an order would exceed the item limit, it is indeed permissible to place the order with the base $13 international shipping amount included, in addition to sending a customer service email to ask about actual shipping cost, especially if items included in the order are LEs that will be taken down in short order (i.e., Lunacy blends or any other LEs that are nearing their availability end-date). That way, the order gets submitted before the availability deadline passes, and if additional shipping costs are required, you can send them along in a supplementary payment after the Lab has gotten back to you about postage specifics. The direct quote from my email exchange with Bill is as follows: With regard to carrying out that suggestion, I have a couple thoughts -- mind you, the next two suggestions included in this post are my own, not the Lab's, but seem to be a good exercise in common sense: 1. Include the particulars of your order (PayPal transaction ID, etc.) in your shipping cost request message to customer service. 2. Include some sort of brief note with your payment/order, indicating that you understand shipping costs may exceed the amount you've included in your payment, and that you've sent a request to the CS email address for further info -- not necessarily anything fancy, something along the lines of "I've emailed for a shipping cost quote, please contact me if additional funds are necessary". I've managed to avoid the whole headache of attempting to determine an accurate item total by simply listing out the entire contents of my intended order in the email wherein I request the shipping quote. That way, the Lab has a more specific idea of what will be going into the box, and if I happened to miscount, it's no big deal.

Once upon a time, all BPALs came in cobalt bottles. Back in early July 2004, there was an announcement made that, due to problems with a batch of cobalt bottles, they were going to begin filling orders using amber bottles instead. The issue with the bottles appears to have been leakiness with a batch the Lab had received from a particular supplier, based on this post made in late May 2004, and the Lab had fallen way behind in fulfilling orders while they obtained new bottles from another source...I assume the switch was made to amber because that was what was readily available in the required quantity at the time. I don't recall if it was ever stated outright, but judging from another announcement at the end of July 2004, I believe that after that, the Lab began getting all their bottles from a new supplier. Since that time, I've seen the occasional new oil arrive in a cobalt bottle, so I'm sure the long-ago quality issue is no longer a going concern. The new oils bottled in cobalt which I've personally received from the Lab have all been LEs -- the dozen or so GCs I've ordered in the past six months (from a variety of categories) have all been bottled in amber. I imagine the cobalt bottles get used for GCs now and then, though, at least in cases where the cobalt bottles happen to be what's on hand when an order needs to be shipped out. I don't know that the "presented in a cobalt/amber bottle" statement at the top of each category's page on the website is necessarily a hard and fast rule. As some people have pointed out, it may just be that the text didn't get updated on all the pages of the site when the Lab initially switched bottle colors, and I imagine that blends from every category would go into whichever bottle color is in stock in the event that the Lab runs out of one color or the other while awaiting the next shipment from their bottle supplier. I'm certain the color of the bottle isn't an indicator of anything unusual about its contents...if it were, I'm sure Beth or someone else at the Lab would have mentioned it at some point.

My international move is finally complete! The moving company delivered our household goods three days ago, and I am pleased to say that my entire BPAL collection came through the ordeal in perfect condition -- not a break or a leak anywhere in the bunch. I was originally very reluctant to hand my BPAL over to the movers, but I had too many bottles to pack them in the luggage I brought with me on my flight (I knew I would be without the rest of my wardrobe for a good month, so I opted to squeeze as much clothing as possible into my two small suitcases). I figured airline baggage handling and the postal system would be just as risky a proposition as the moving company, not to mention that sending the collection via post would have been far more expensive, so in the end I pulled out my three single-note bottles and a handful of my and my husband's everyday favorites to pack in my checked luggage, and packed the rest for the movers as follows: I bought as many of these cases as Abundant Health had (their stock was very limited and apparently their supplier no longer had them available - I ran them out, eep!), and several of these smaller cases, as well. Between the two types of cases, I ended up with enough to house my embarrassingly large number of bottles. (Incidentally, the folks at Abundant Health are absolutely brilliant to deal with, I highly recommend them.) Next, I tightened down and plumber's-taped the tops of all the bottles and tucked them into the cases. (This took a lot of time, and I had a nasty blister on my thumb and probably the beginnings of carpal tunnel syndrome by the time I was finished, but it was well worth the effort!) Once the cases were filled up and zipped shut, I set up "small" (1.5 cubic-foot) U-Haul packing boxes to pack the cases into. I put folded blankets or sweaters at the bottom of each box, and packed three layers of cases centered in each box, filling in the empty space around all four sides of the cases with additional blankets/sweaters, as well as putting padding in between each level of cases. Then I taped the boxes firmly shut, labeled them "Fragile" with a big black Sharpie, drew additional "this side up" arrows on all sides of the boxes, and they were ready to go. My imps normally live in plastic ammo cases, so I packed the ammo cases into another packing box of the same size, with layers of clothing in between, in the same manner I packed the cased bottles. The movers who came to pick up my stuff asked what was in the boxes so they could note it on the manifest (they did this with all the boxes, not just the ones labeled "fragile") -- so I told them the boxes contained collectible glass bottles. (Hey, it's true, it's just not quite the *entire* truth...) On the topic of airline travel with imps and bottles: I packed the 10-12 bottles I had kept out, into my checked luggage, with their tops plumber's-taped shut...I wrapped each bottle in a small amount of bubble wrap (like they arrive from the Lab), then put them all into a ziploc bag and made sure they were packed between plenty of soft clothing. I also carried a handful of imps in my carry-on, they were in one of the metal Trading Post imp cases, which was in turn placed into the ziploc bag with my toothbrush, toothpaste, and a little bottle of hand lotion (I hate dry airplane air, ugh). I had to pass through two different security checkpoints on my trip due to the two legs of my trip being booked on different airlines, and no one at either checkpoint gave my imps a second glance. (For the record, the two airports where I had to go through security were Orlando [MCO] and New York's JFK.) I don't have any information or advice about bringing imps or bottles through customs, as I had nothing to declare when I arrived in Vienna, so no one from customs even talked to me, let alone looked through any of my bags. Edited to add: I also traveled between Orlando and Seattle twice during the latter half of last year, and on both trips I packed several bottles in my checked luggage, and imps in either a Trading Post imp case or an Altoids tin in my carry-on, with no difficulties at all. I hope this is helpful to those of you who still have moves to make, or upcoming travel plans!

Well, my question has been answered -- I arrived at the net cafe today to find that I had an email reply from customer service.

Wow, this moving to a new country is making me feel like a BPAL newbie all over again! Here is my question: In the Lab FAQ, it states that international customers should email the Lab for a shipping quote, which I did several days ago. (My order is larger than the 12-item amount for which rates are mentioned in the FAQ.) I was just wondering if anyone knows how long it usually takes to get a shipping quote reply, as I haven't seen any response yet...

OK, here's an interesting dilemma... It is nearly guaranteed that I will be moving overseas sometime toward the end of this year, and I need to figure out a way to transport my monstrously large collection of BPAL from the US to central Europe. When I moved from Seattle to Pennsylvania, and again when I moved from Pennsylvania to Florida, I made the journey in a car, so I just packed everything really well in bubble wrap inside a box and kept it flat on the floor in the rear of the vehicle, but since we'll obviously be traveling by air for this move, that isn't an option. I'm looking at cases like this one (thanks to a link I found earlier in this thread!) as a possibility, but I would need 6 of them, and at $50 a pop, that's a lot of money. I definitely don't want to entrust them to the shipping company that will be transporting our household goods, I would much rather have them traveling with me. Obviously, they're not going to be able to go in a carry-on bag, and I don't really know how well they'd be treated if I were to them with the airline along with my suitcases. Unfortunately, I also don't really know anyone in this area well enough to feel comfortable asking them to ship them to me after I get there. Any suggestions? Has anyone used cases like the one I linked to, above, and if so, how was it -- did it work out well?

Ask and ye shall receive: http://pics.livejournal.com/hadaverde/pic/00190b3e.jpg And, holy crap! Until I took that picture, I totally missed the fact that the image on those labels is Preservation Hall in New Orleans: http://pics.livejournal.com/hadaverde/pic/001922qt.jpg

In the vial, this is a nose-tickling floral with a dark subtext. Upon application, the lilac is at the forefront, but the amber and myrrh become somewhat more apparent as well, tempering a bit of the "ticklish" quality of the blend. The lilac remains prominent, unfortunately in a rather powdery incarnation. The backdrop of amber and myrrh makes it tolerable, but I have a feeling lilac may be headed toward my personal "notes to avoid" list. Finally, after a fairly lengthy stretch of time, the amber overpowers the lilac -- this is a sweet, golden-orange sort of scent, which would probably work a bit better on someone whose chemistry is on friendlier terms with the lilac note.

In the vial, the juniper and cedar are most prominent. Upon application, the woody notes remain most apparent, though a touch of civet comes through. This blend evokes memories of playing in the damp woods of the Pacific Northwest as a child. It strikes me as very comforting. After some time, the civet note moves ahead of the juniper and cedar. The woody notes remain, but they are overshadowed by a warm, orangey-brown scent like that of fallen leaves beginning to meld with the forest floor.

In the vial, this blend is fairly light and herbal. When it comes into contact with my skin, the lemongrass and citron bloom into a prominent but soft lemony combination. The citrus notes fade over time to the background, leaving a gorgeously warm, dry, soothing dark-green herbal scent, dominated by sage and lavender. This scent strikes me as being truly gender-neutral, and it is quite lovely. I'm looking forward to seeing how it behaves on my husband.

In the vial, this blend is rich, sweet, and slightly earthy. Upon contact with the skin, the sweetness is tempered by a deepening of the musk. There is still a faint floral note, but the musky aspect is by far the most prominent. The floral whispers fade away to practically nothing, leaving a deep, sensual, red musk behind. It doesn't seem to have much throw, but it is still very much there, making it seem like an ideal choice for an intimate encounter.

In the imp, Aeval is soft and golden with a touch of floral sweetness. On the skin, the musk and tonka combine warmly, with an overlying blanket of sweetness provided by the sweet pea. Soon, though, the sweet floral lessens, slightly, allowing the musk and tonka combination to take the lead. As it dries down, the sweet floral all but disappears, leaving behind a warm, mellow musky scent with a hint of tonka. This stage has a lot of staying power.

In the vial, this blend is a wet, musky peach. Wet on the skin, it is pure peach wine! Sweet, golden, very fruity, and mildly alcoholic. After a few moments, the peach note is still the most prominent, though it is deepened under the influence of the musk and amber. As drydown occurs, it remains predominately peach, again with a musky subtext. Once the blend has dried down completely and worn for a couple hours, it settles into a deeper state -- a gorgeous, golden-brown musky amber, with just the tiniest touch of fruit.

In the imp, it is warm and herbal, somewhat sharp with a slightly peppery hint somewhere deep below the surface. On the skin, it is still mildly peppery, but not quite as sharp as in the vial. There is definitely a musky or resinous note of some sort in here, and perhaps a touch of vetiver as well. As drydown commences, it remains warm, and a bouquet of spices begins to unfold, reminiscent in ways to the spice notes of both Morocco and Kathmandu. The final incarnation of this blend hints at amber and a faint echo of spices, but unfortunately, it seems to fade very quickly on me, and has no throw at all once it dries.

In the imp, the vetiver stands out most of all, followed by the astringent note of raspberry leaf, and the cedar makes a fair showing as well. Upon application, it continues as mostly vetiver and cedar. The raspberry leaf loses its sharpness almost immediately, and takes on a more herbal quality, with just a hint of the sweetness of their fruit. As it dries, there remains a sharp, pungent note here, but the cedar has faded, becoming nearly undetectable. Completion of drydown leaves the same sharp, almost-murky vetiver note over a green herbal backdrop.

In the imp, Light Myrrh is softly spicy and mysterious. When applied to the skin, it smells warm, mildly woody, very rich and deep. As it dries, it settles into a very organic and almost-sweet scent, reminiscent of a gently decomposing cedar log. Despite how that sounds, it really isn't at all unpleasant. A very good scent for those who like natural, woody fragrances.

In the bottle, Spooky is similar to a cup of peppermint-flavored cocoa, with just a slight hint of coconut...but there is something "off" about it, as though the coconut accentuates an artificial plastic-ness in the chocolate and peppermint notes. I don't get any rum or vanilla from the bottle at all. Upon application, it turns even more plastic-y. The coconut doesn't really stand out any longer, but the cocoa and peppermint are still somewhat identifiable, though in a very sharp, stale, and unappetizing sort of fashion. I'm still not getting any vanilla or rum from this blend at all. Eventually, the tiniest hint of vanilla creeps forth, but the main focus remains a sharp, plastic-y, artificial-chocolate-mint scent that reminds me of nothing so much as the cheap scented novelty erasers that were all the rage for awhile during my elementary school years. This blend is obviously completely incompatible with my skin chemistry.

Yep, there's derfinitely something screwy going on with my ISP, because Sara sent me a reply earlier, but I never received it until she resent it to my gmail account. If there's anyone else out there using Speakeasy email, and awaiting a reply from the lab, you might want to resend from gmail or hotmail or something.

I just resent my message from my gmail account...hopefully the third time's the charm...

This isn't exactly a "who do I email" question, but it seemed closely enough related to this existing thread that I didn't want to start a new topic. I'm curious whether anyone has any idea what kind of turnaround time there is right now for receiving replies to customer service emails? I've never had to wait more than three days for a response before, but I sent one message ten days ago, then a follow-up message three days ago, and haven't heard a peep in response to either, yet. I am concerned there might be something screwy going on with my email that's causing it not to be received.

Ask and ye shall receive: Click here! (I tried taking one even closer, but it ended up out of focus.)

Corazon, maybe? It had a colored label with an image of the Sacred Heart on it... It is on the far right in this picture, which someone else posted waaaaaay back toward the beginning of this thread.

Here you go. Unfortunately, the flash washed it out, so it isn't the best quality photo, but...you get the idea, anyway.