angelfish323

***9/1*** Do you have phobias? Not really. I don't love spiders or bats and centipedes are just . . . *shudder* But I'm not sure I'd call any of them phobias. How do you like your mix CDs? Random? Stuff you know you'll like? I like 'em however the one making them wants 'em! Would you rather get food or jewellery? Do I have to pick? Because I love both. I suppose, since I should theoretically be eating healthier, jewelry. But, really, food is totally welcome. Do you like children's toys, such as jacks, those little things you tilt around to get the ball in the right hold (wtf are those called?), the aforementioned caplet dinosaurs, cap guns, etc?: Sure! I don't embrace my inner child nearly enough. And, if it's Hello Kitty related, I'll love it. English candy/tea/marmite or other stuff that you love and can't easily get outside of England? No marmite, please. But English tea and candy? Hell yes. I LOVE European candy, even if I've never had it. The novelty and newness of it makes me irrationally giddy. Fanfic as a gift* - yay or nay? Your fandom? Slash preferences?*well, a virtual gift obviously. You know what I mean. Sure! Well, hm . . . I'm not that involved in any fandom, but if I had to pick I'd probably go with Harry Potter or Battlestar Galactica. Snape paired with nearly anyone, but I have to confess I am one of those who enjoys a good Snape/Harry fic. As for BSG? Adama and Roslin & Lee and Kara are my favorite pairings. Oh! Buffy and Angel would work too. Spike and Buffy? Yum. Buffy and Angel? Yum. Any beaders here? Need beading supplies? Not a beader . . . Do you like making up your SW packages around a theme, or prefer to mix it all up? I always think about doing it, but I just don't have the creativity for it, I guess. Band-aids: do you like the fun and funky ones? Yes! What's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you? Probably getting Bell's Palsy at age 16. Never heard of it until then. One day, over the course of about 8 hours, half of my face froze. Literally - no muscle movement. Noticed something a little bit strange in the morning, but by night, when I tried to smile, only half of my face moved. It's a possible symptom of Lyme disease, which is what they eventually diagnosed me with. Bell's Palsy can last for a few weeks, a few months, or can have permanent effects. For an insecure 16 year old, that possibility was pretty terrifying. (Okay, so no real life threatening things, but still.) ***8/31*** What is everyone's favorite Halloween song?! The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack! Especially "This is Halloween." How many of mah fellow witchies play video games? Platform? Do you like used games? I have a Nintendo DS, which I love. And I've been known to play PC games on occasion. I've recently dug out my King's Question Collection and started playing them again. Love the Sims games. Used games are fabulous! What kind of music (genres, please) do you like? Have any of you ever received a book from a Witchy and loved it so much you ended up buying a copy for a later Witchee? Hm, not yet. But . . . I haven't received that many books. What kinds of eye shadows do we all like? I don't really wear eyeshadow. Do you like lip balm? If so, do you like tinted, glossy, sparkly, pearly or just plain lip balm? Love lip balm! And I love it all! (Although sparkly in the sense of glitter, not so much. But shimmery is fabulous. Just don't like the bigger pieces of glitter in my balm.) What are some of the SW gifts/finds from past rounds (or you can just name a gift in general that you found for someone if this is your first round!) that you are the most proud of in terms of your sleuthing skills? In the last round, I sleuthed jesvet like a mad woman. She mentioned once in a previous round loving this children's story book series from the 1930s but having trouble finding any of them. I managed to find two in good condition on ebay. I was quite proud of those. And, secondly, what is something you've been searching for but just can't find? ***8/30*** Do you knit/crochet? Do you need any supplies? I actually just taught myself how to knit! And I'm loving it. Which means, I could certainly use supplies. I currently have one crochet hook (G), two sets of knitting needles (sizes 8 and 10), Stitch n Bitch (the book), and a handful of things of yarn. Who here has an etsy shop? No etsy shop for me. What are your two favorite etsy shops? Yikes. Only two? Hm . . . I love charliemotel's stationary so very, very much. And . . . Flameworks. Absolutely adore her deoderant, lip balms, and body butters. Are you active on any other boards/forums? If so please specify where and your username there. I'm relatively active on the Nocturne Alchemy forum. I'm angelfish323 over there as well. ***8/29*** What would you tell yourself 6 months in the past about 2008 so far? Hang on, it's going to be a very, very bumpy road. And I probably would have told myself to stock up on feel good things - tea, books, movies. Oh, and beer. If you had one minute of fame, what would you do/say in the spotlight? Robots versus zombies: who wins? Gotta go with the robots. I mean, seriously. A zombie up against a cylon? Clearly the cylon wins. What would zombie say? Brrraaaaiiiiinnnns. Of course. Where are a few of your favorite places? Out of curiosity, all the fall babies who are celebrating their birthdays during the round - who are you, and when is your bday? I'm a spring baby. What is one (only one) object that you collect, that totally goes against your personality or beliefs? Are you a soap addict? Anything you like to avoid in soaps (goat's milk, lye, dyes, etc...) or any particular scents you like or brands you want to try? I love soap! Lye is icky . . . Do you like kilts and would you wear one? I like them on boys, but would probably not wear one myself. What's your favorite book? Goodness people. Only one? The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, if I had to pick only one . . . What size socks do you wear? How about hat size? Well, my shoe size is a size 6. Mmm. I love socks. Hat size? Hrm. I have no idea. How does one figure that out? Do you read comics? Which ones do you love and which can't you stand? Um. Yes. A lot of them. Strangers in Paradise started it all. I'm currently reading Echo, The Walking Dead, Sword, Locke & Key . . . recently finished Y: The Last Man, Sisterhood . . . fallen behind but still reading DMZ, Ex Machina . . . there are a lot. Lots and lots and lots. I'm not really into the traditional superhero comics, though I do love the occasional Batman graphic novel. Arkham Asylum, for example, is outstanding. Symbols that are meaningful to me? By nature are you a morning lark or a night owl? Night owl. I hate mornings. What's your favorite type of music to hear live, rather than recorded? What is your favorite autumnal-seasonal drink? Pumpkin Ale. I just had my first at the Elysian yesterday. ***8/28*** Crossword puzzles? Other pencil puzzles? Love them, even though I'm rather terrible at crossword puzzles. Favorite artist? Mark Ryden and half of Kandinsky Favorite poet? I'm not much of a poetry reader. Much of what I love has some connection to music that I love. For example, I adore Ani Difranco's and Mike Doughty's poetry. Halloween. Do you like it kooky or creepy? A little bit of both! Reserved or Raunchy? I'm probably more reserved than I'd care to be, but I can certainly be raunchy when the situation calls for it. Earth, Wind, Fire or Water? Earth. Tea or Coffee in the morning? Coffee. Fruity snacks or chocolate? Chocolate. Would you accept art? Very, very happily! Antiques or Brand New? Antiques are awesome. Though I'm horrible at hunting for them. What keywords do you use when searching for items for yourself on Etsy? Are there any of y'all who are allergic/sensitive to having natural fibers on your skin? Nope. Although, not a fan of angora. I find it itchy and it sheds everywhere. I have two long haired cats. Enough shedding going on around these parts . . . What was your favorite ghost/scary/campfire story growing up? Probably Bloody Mary. And there's a particular book that's on the edge of my skull, but I can't for the life of me think of the title or the author. I just remember it was a popular one to bring out at sleepovers . . . Bugs? Do you like 'em or not? Butterflies and dragonflies. Cliche, yes. The rest . . . I can leave. i haz no imp storage. do you? I have some. A handful of ammo boxes and a cherished box from syrenemyst for my very special decants. Always happy for more storage. ***8/27*** If you have a garden/planter box, what do you grow? Brown thumb. What incense scents do you prefer? I don't normally burn incense, but I'd be happy to start! Do you decorate for Halloween? What sort of decorations? Dress up for Halloween? Bats, cats, skeletons, monsters, vampires, witches or what other ghoulies do you prefer? Cats and Vamps! Do you like horror flicks? I love cheesy horror flicks. Especially of the horribly cheesy science-fiction variety. You know, the type where a man turns into a giant fly due to some sort of medical mistake and terrorizes a community? WIN! Who here prefers stylus and ink to ballpoint? Anyone invested time and effort into calligraphy or proper Victorian writing? No calligraphy for me. What about stationery? Need some? What styles do you like? I love stationary! Cards, cardstock, individual sheets, notepads, whatever. ***8/26*** What is one item that you've wanted forever, could have afforded, but have never gotten and why (haven't you gotten it!)? What Halloween scent are you most looking forward to? I don't know how to pick just one . . . Probably Fearful Pleasure and Sticky Pillowcase! Tattoos! Do you have em? Do you want em? Whatcha got or getting? I have two. I have an abstract outline of a butterfly on my lower right back in red henna. (Well, it's a real tattoo, but it's that color.) And then I have stars on both of my hips. Reduce - REUSE - recycle. Do others feel the same? Yes! What is your favorite crafting supply? At the moment? Probably yarn, since I'm just learning how to knit. But I love markers, stickers, scrapbooking type stuff. Weigh in...Are you right or left-handed? Definitely right handed. Any period of time that you love? Hm . . . I've always had a random love for WWII era America. ***8/25*** What's your favorite part about Fall? I miss Fall in upstate NY. Seattle doesn't have the same sort of beautiful changing of the seasons. I miss the beautiful oranges and golds that the trees turn in NY. Do you like office/school supplies? If so, what is your favorites? YES! Probably pens. I love pens. More than I should. What's your favorite Halloween candy? Oh boy. Um, all of it? I confess I'm one of those odd people that loves candy corn. And miniature anything is fun. Will you be participating NaNoWriMo? If so, is there anything you'd like to have for that? Not for me. ***8/22*** Where does everyone like shop for witching goodness? What is your favorite pumpkin goodness? I have never met a pumpkin anything that I didn't love. I look desperately forward to Pumpkin Ale every year. Pumpkin cookies, brownies, pumpkin curry, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice lattes . . . pumpkin EVERYTHING!

For some reason, Spider immediately came to mind. I think that's my "dead sexy man" scent.

Papaya, blueberry, lemongrass, and gin. Ooh! Right after application, this is a really fizzy scent. I immediately get effervescence - like I stuck my nose in a glass of sparkling water. (How does Beth do that? Seriously?!) It's a fruity, fizzy beverage, without being overly sweet. Blueberry is the dominant of the two fruit notes, which is lovely. I adore blueberry, but can't think of many (any?) other scents with it as a note. Smooth papaya remains in the background, if it's there at all. This is a gin and tonic (one of my standards ) with a splash of blueberry juice. Very unique. Very refreshing. It's quite yummy! Stays quite close to my skin, and if I huff too hard or too close, it's that same sensation that tingles your nose if you did the same to a glass of soda water! I do wish the blueberry was more prominant, but still a fun blend! ETA: Actually, I think this has a bit more throw than I originally gave it credit! I'm working at my computer while testing, and every once in awhile I get a whiff of scent, as if I actually had a fruity, fizzy beverage next to me. (Which, very sadly, I do not.) And, my brain is mush, but is there lemongrass in here? I think I remember seeing that as a note. It's coming out more, alongside the blueberry. This is growing on me. ETA the second: Scratch that. 90 or so minutes later and it's stale gin and tonic on me. No fruit. Just . . . blech. Ah well. Silly chemistry.

I second this. Alice is one of the very few BPAL blends with rose in it that works on me and that I love. Carnation and honey/milk are the dominant notes on me. I get almost no rose.

I don't think this is me, but that's not necessarily a badness. It's very woodsy, very spicey. The cardamom and balsam combo is beautiful and rich. Warm, but dry. Smokey. Very woodsy. Polished, smooth, wood. The very few times I've been in a place where wood is being worked with, it's that sort of fresh smell that lingers after a piece has been carved or sanded. Hm. Interesting. Camp fire? Camp fire. A smell I actually love. And a touch of cardamom. Very unique. Those before me who have said they've never smelled anything like this . . . well, I'm inclined to agree with them. I can see this being popular. Not a way I particularly want to smell, but a very interesting scent.

Alright, I took a chance. Sure, I saw the rose water at the end there, but . . . it's water, right? I mean, rose water, but . . . diluted rose? Maybe? I thought - mmm, sugared absinth. Sounds lovely. Rose. All I'm really getting is ROSE. And, well . . . that is not a good thing for me. Because most BPAL rose, on me, goes to powdery play-dough. So, mothglitter, I envy your inability to get rose out of this blend.

*sigh* I had high hopes for Inez. I loves me some spicey carnation. But . . . Well, at first she's pretty. But instead of going "oh my god LOVE" I'm kind of "meh" about her. So I wait. And she morphs a bit. But . . . she becomes woodsy and myrrh or something? I'm failing to remember the other notes. If I inhale too deeply, Inez is almost sharp. She kinda hurts. And, while I can tell my beautiful carnation is still there, she's buried under too much not-for-me goods . . .

What a beautiful blend! It starts out fairly herbal, a green lilac. But very soon it morphs into something so much more. Coconut, hints of vanilla tea, the slightest undertone of musk, and rounded out with the lilac. Just enough floral, without being too much so. I had no idea how the coconut and vanilla tea notes would work with lilac (my favorite flower), but - well - it works! And beautifully so. Stays relatively close to my skin. I could see it working both for everyday wear and for its sex appeal. ETA: 10-15 minutes later . . . I just sniffed my wrist and my first thought was - SOAP. Very pretty, feminine soap that I wouldn't mind sniffing AS SOAP, but . . . but, but, but . . . I don't generally like to smell like soap. I can still smell most of the notes, but I guess it's morphed a bit more or something. Beautiful soap. But still, soap . . . I iz a very, very sad girl right now.

Reading this resulted in my mentally kicking myself for not ordering a bottle of Hod when I had the chance. I did. I remember seriously considering it and deciding not to.

Honey, ambergris, neroli, white peach, patchouli, and cocoa absolute. How . . . strange? But not in a bad way. Immediately I get peach. But dark peach. Naughty peach? This really beautiful floral, honeyed peach grounded with . . . cocoa? Seems like such a bizarre combination, and yet . . . I'm really liking it. Blend is still wet, however. Something slightly acquatic after a moment, but still gorgeous peach in the front. Oh no. No, no, no. There's the patchouli. There, in the background. Hiding under the beautiful peaches, waiting until I fell in like, hard, to come out. "A-ha! Thought you were going to love Eisheth, didn't you? Think again! Bwahahah." Sad face. It's a sharp, unpleasant patchouli. The sweet peach is still there, but it's not enough to make up for it. *sigh*

This is the first of the handful of the new acts in CD that I may be adding to my bottle purchase list. Right away, Dionysia is rich and juicy - bursting with plum and pomegranate notes, with a touch of raspberry. Just delicious. Not cloying or too sweet, just true deep red and purple fruits. As she dries, a really subtle woodsy note sneaks into the background. A touch of something earthy. Whatever those other notes are, they ground Dionysia so she's adult, provocative, actually quite sexy. All the while allowing the plum and other fruits to stay in thr foreground. She reminds me a bit of Lady MacBeth, actually, but richer. So far, I'm in love . . .

Oooo . . . This is a beautiful foody, yet sexy and not really all too foody, blend. It's crisp from apples, sweet from the caramel and honey, warm and musky from the amber, and has a woodsy bite to it in the background. Still wet, as I just applied it a minute ago. We'll see how it does on the drydown. So far, a winner! ETA: The association with Red Lantern is spot on. Red Lantern's younger, more innocent, sister on me. This is lighter, less incensy, and sweeter on me than Red Lantern is.

Ahh, love the new Gaiman labels.

Oh my. I love, love, LOVE all those labels. Especially those Atomic Lua bottles. Fun, fun, fun! I hope I fall in love with some of them, so I have an excuse to purchase several of the bottles.

Incredible. Another BPAL blend with rose in it that works for me! The dominant note in this is the carnation. Spicey pink carnations. It reminds me an awful lot of Alice, for obvious reasons. This is a less creamy, less sweet, brighter scent, however. I love the white tea - it's crisp, without being biting. It adds a fresh brightness to Maiden. And the rose blends beautifully in the background. This is the rose from Khajuraho - which is just so, so pretty. I probably don't need a bottle, but I'll definitely hang on to the imp.

All the glory, warmth and majesty of the sun – darkened. A delicious blend of bitter almond, vanilla, frankincense and heliotrope, with a drop of cinnamon. I can't believe I have waited so long to try this . . . First applied, this is marzipan. Delicious, sweet, sugary, almond paste. Yum, yum, and . . . yum. As it dries, the vanilla and cinnamon come out to play. So far, I am very glad that the frankincense is hiding, as I'm not usually a fan. The cinnamon avoids overpowering the other notes, which is greatly appreciated. This becomes a very pleasant bakery type scent on me - almond, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mellow and warm, definitely not overwhelming. A comforting foody blend. Not too sweet at all. The initial sweet and sugary almond paste has subsided. Makes me think of snickerdoodle cookies. Subtle and unassuming, but yummy just the same. ETA: It acquires a not unpleasant powdery flour note after awhile. Which only makes the bakery association stronger . . .

Wow. So far, this hasn't turned to playdough on me, and it has roses in it! At first, it's a really juicy red plum and berries scent on me. I can barely detect the lilac in the background, which makes for an interesting mix. As it dries and my skin chemistry gets to work on it, the lilac note calms down and the opium warms up. But never becomes overpowering, just balances the plum and berry notes, which lose some of their sweetness. I'm 10 minutes in and it's turned into a wonderfully spicey red floral blend.

I am finally trying to be more consistent with sniffing GCs . . . Wet, this starts off as a woodsy vanilla with a touch of golden amber. As it dries, the sweet pea comes out, adding a beautiful sweet floral note to the mix. It's creamy and much lighter than I expected. Fragile, almost, with light throw. All of the notes stay through drydown, which is nice. And they blend beautifully. Something wistful about this blend . . . pretty and not overwhelming.

If I could, I would give GRR a hug and buy her a beer (or her drink of choice ) for doing a Will-Call pick up of this bottle for me. This is beautiful and everything I hoped it would be. It's a sweet and beautiful floral on me. Wet, I get vanilla, carnation, lilies, honeysuckle . . . the Oval Portrait is girly floral, without going overboard. Without making me go WHOAH!, it settles in quite beautifully and as it dries, all of the notes just blend, blend, blend so that I can no longer pick out a single one. In some ways, it reminds me of a mellow combination of Pink Moon 2007 and Tamamo-No-Mae (I suspect it's the carnation and rice flower doing lovely things together) - which is a very good association and combination as I adore both of those blends. I am SO glad I have a bottle of this. Floral's aren't really my thing in the winter, but I can't wait to pull this out in the warmer months. I suspect it will be a new favorite once the sun comes back . . .

I had to be patient with Mad Kate. My first instinct was to hurry up and find an alcohol wipe. OH MY GOD GARDENIA! That's what she did on my skin. And it made me feel a bit nauseous. But once she's dry, she's gorgeous. Not usually my kind of scent, but oh so pretty. This is the perfect slightly sweet white floral. Blooming gardenia and freesia, with very light notes of honey and vanilla in the back. No currant on me, however. Wish I did, as I love currant. Don't need a bottle, but I'll keep the decant around for awhile. ETA: Now that she's hung around on my skin for an hour or so, she's grown on me! I could definitely see reaching for this in the warmer months. She's just not a winter type scent for me, but I'll keep her around until the sun returns!

Holy CHRISTMAS TREE! Upon first application, this is pure, strong, Christmas Tree. Christmas in an imp. Sharp, almost too sharp, evergreen pine. Gorgeous, but not something I personally want to smell like. Perfect as a room scent, I suspect. But I waited, and 15-20 minutes later, it's mellowed a lot. It gets sweeter and lighter, more like something I'd wear. It's more gentle, prettier, less pungent. I'm starting to overdue it on the pine scent collection, so not sure I'd need a bottle of it. Particularly since it could be rough getting through that first stage - I'd want to make sure to apply 20 minutes before leaving the apartment!

I'm so glad someone nudged me and said "hey, angelfish, dummy, Christmas Rose isn't rose, it's what they call hellebore . . . " Oh, really? Because otherwise, I wouldn't have tried it! It's probably not something I need a bottle of, but it is quite pretty. I have no idea what hellebore should smell like, but this is cold a green, a bit herbal, a musky floral. Mossy. I definitely get that effervescent note some people are mentioning - it has a bit of that effect champagne sometimes has on my nose. it's not strong in terms of throw, necessarily, but there is something strong, and pleasantly pungent. It reminds me a bit of ginger ale, which is an odd association, but it comes to mind. Not a bad association, by any means, as I love the stuff! It's also making me think of another BPAL blend, I swear . . . but I totally can't think of what it is. Hm. Ooh . . . that pungent quality fades on me after a few minutes, which makes this even nicer.

This is SO pretty. It's red, ripe, juicy, slightly-but-not-too sweet, a tad tart, red fruits. If you love pomegranate, you need to try this. Gorgeous. And like alicia mentioned, it's different from the pom note in something like Swank, which is very bright. This is deeper, darker red (let's pretend we can smell red for a moment! ), with something grounding it. It's not candy, girly red fruits. But the slightly more mature, grown up version. It's only been a few moments since I put it on, but I love this so far. ETA: Power of suggestion? I started reading up and noticed steffanina noticed a pine note. I sniffed my wrist again and . . . sure enough, could that be pine underneathe all that juicy pom? I'm very susceptible to suggestion, so you may or may not trust me . . . Not overbearing at all as it dries. Fades a bit, but it's so pretty. Did I mention how pretty it is? I definitely need a bottle.

It's incredible how dead on this is on me. (2007 version) It's spicey and only very slightly sweet gingerbread. Foody, but not too much. Definitely spicey - cinnamon, nutmeg. More spicey than sweet. And so good. Now I have a craving for some gingersnaps.

This is delicious. It's reminding me of something that I can't quite put my finger on . . . but chewy chocolate cookie comes to mind. There's definitely coffee in there too, which I love. A hint of cinnamon. Oh! I thought of it. One of my favorite Mexican restaurants back home brews their coffee with cinnamon in it. (Mix cinnamon and coffee grinds, then brew. Delicious.) This smells like that with a chocolate cookie on the side. Which is a very, very good association. It warms up a bit over time, and then reminds me of thick and rich Mexican drinking chocolate, minus the chili powder. You know, that delicious stuff with seriously high viscosity you drink out of 1 oz cups because any more than that would be serious overkill? Yeah, that stuff. Regardless of which yummy thing comes to mind when I sniff, it's all fabulous.