elbow

Yesterday I wore Frumious Bandersnatch to work. When it was still fresh on my skin, it smelled really spicy and good up close -- I bet that was the carnation. It had a weird throw though, kind of an odd dry smell (chrysanthemum?). Overall, it was really mild and faded quickly. By the end of the day, the plum note had mixed with my sweat and smelled kind of tomatoey. I'm not so sure about that. I definitely want to try more carnation scents now, though. In the evening I went to see my cousin's band play a May Day show. I decided to give Aglaea a try. I couldn't remember what was in it, but I knew I liked the description -- "splendor" and something to do with fruit and alcohol, which sounded May Day appropriate. Whew, sex-ay. I love it! I was way off on the notes though -- I guessed pear and vanilla and a flower of some sort, but it was "Three golden ambers, bright musk, peach wine and myrtle." I'm glad to find an amber scent that I like, as I haven't had much luck with it in the past. I just tried on Hearth, a limited edition from 2005 (not to be confused with the Hearth from 2004, which was apparently COMPLETELY DIFFERENT). I like it. It smells sweet and nutty. There are supposed to be more notes there -- cedar smoke and pine -- and I'm not getting either of those, which disappoints me a little. But it's still a good smell to have on your arms. Written 5/2/07.

Today I tried an old Chanel scent (19) -- it was the last of the sample vials that I wanted to try one last time before getting rid of them. I wish I knew how much of the weird alcohol scent is due to the original composition of the perfume and how much is due to its age. But it definitely smelled weird to me. I liked some of the notes, but I can't get over that sickly alcohol-y scent -- not like alcohol you'd drink, the other kind. The only Chanel perfume I have that I really like is Gardenia, which still doesn't have that tang for some reason. Yesterday I tried on a Chaos Theory scent (CT II, CLVI). "Each bottle of Chaos Theory is truly unique, a fragrant fractal, and exercise in the joy of chance and uncertainty! Each is a one-of-a-kind, utterly random combination of scents, the composition of which is based on whim, mood and gut instinct." Which is a cool idea, but the downside of it is that there's no way to confirm what I'm smelling, and I am still too ignorant to guess. With a list of notes, I can say, oh, obviously that's musk and eucalyptus and, I dunno, burnt toast. Without one, I'm just making stabs in the dark -- and I want to LEARN from what I'm wearing! My stab in the dark for this one is that it's spicy and musky. A little strong for me. Written 4/30/07.

Yesterday I got to wear baggy jeans and a t-shirt and Tevas to work. I had to move hundreds of videotapes from a storage area in the basement of a dorm into the library (2nd story, no elevator). Also, the storage area was full of horrible black mold. It was the day after finals so I felt sort of free, that end-of-the-semester who-cares glee... caught from the students, I think. So I was ready to get my hands dirty and not care what anybody else thought. Anyway I decided to wear Delphi, even though it smells like alcohol (i.e. mead). It seemed right for the day -- I don't know how I knew this at 9 a.m., but it was. This is the first time I've worn it since I got it, so I wasn't quite sure what I was in for, just remembered that I liked it at first whiff. It's so good. I think it's my new second-favorite (after Jabberwocky). It smells like greenery and mead -- the sweet, smooth kind, not the kind that tastes like pickles! I felt like Michaelangelo's Delphica (http://www.verbeat.org/blogs/miltonribeiro/Delphica.jpg), beautiful and muscular and wise and slightly mad. I loved it so much I put on more, instead of a different scent, before I went out that evening. This isn't a sissy-girl perfume, and it's not formal. It's MIGHTY. And today (commencement) was a Glasgow day. Glasgow is my go-to scent for social occasions when I'm on my best behavior. It's so friendly and sweet. I haven't had the chance to try any of the new imps yet, though, and it's really getting to me! Written 4/28/07.

Oh no. Oh yes. I got a second package of smellies today... Miskatonic University (completing the three-scent gift for the friend I mentioned), and five others that sounded interesting and were a buck or two apiece. About these, you will hear more soon. Wore Vinland (one I've had for months) to work today. Just needed something that smelled nice but wouldn't affect my mood in any particular way. Vinland is almost disappointingly low-key (used to have a harsh chemical note, which disappeared as it "aged" into a mild fruity floral) but it doesn't have a lot of "throw", so it's good for a day when you don't want your perfume bugging your nose every minute. I just put on Siren (from the last order): "Bewitching, tantalizing and dangerously seductive. A thrilling, exotic blend -- deceptively sweet, but spiked with malice. White ginger, jasmine, and a touch of vanilla." On me, it is GROSS. Smells like mothballs. I'm serious. Just BAD. I've smelled other BPAL scents that I hated, but in a "somebody else should wear this" kind of way. This smells like something nobody should wear. BUT. Your chemistry is supposed to be "off" right before you start your period, so I will give it another chance some other week. Whew. I keep sniffing my arms out of sheer incredulity that it could smell so bad. Written 4/25/07.

Forgot to put on perfume before work again. Wore Green Tree Viper to [evening work-related] banquet. Mmm, snakey. Actually I didn't love it tonight. My opinion changed from moment to moment. Sometimes I think it smells too much like my mom's going-out perfume. From an e-mail written 4/24/07.

Today I was totally going to wear Green Tree Viper to work, but then I got distracted by food and forgot. When I got home I tried R'lyeh, "A hellishly dark aquatic scent, evocative of fathomless oceanic deeps, the mysteries of madness buried under crushing black waters, and the brooding eternal evil that lies beneath the waves." It smelled brown and green to me, like spicy incense and something vegetable in nature. If celery had a sexy, wicked older sister, that might be the second smell. After reading some reviews, I think the "green" part was actually grapefruit rind. Interesting. It could possibly grow on me, but I got it for a friend, so I don't really have to decide whether I want to wear it or not. Written 4/23/07.

Today I tried to wear Sea of Glass (an older order) again. I mean I succeeded in wearing it... but not in liking it. It's not a heavy floral, but it's still too floral for me. The funny thing is that on me it starts out smelling like a clean white floral, but ends up smelling a little bit cologne-y (i.e. masculine) -- spanning the gender gap. Wish I knew enough to say what both smells are. The description only says, "A scent of inimitable purity, crystalline grace, and limitless light." WHAT EVER Anyway it's nice, just not me. And tonight I put on a dab of "Theodosius, the Legerdemain" from a sniffy vial. It's definitely masculine, but in elegant ways. I smelled two main notes when I put it on, a sweet note and a cologney note. The first smell reminded me of something I smelled at a meet-and-sniff, and I was guessing it as tobacco. The second note, a little aftershave-y, I thought might be musk or patchouli but I had temporarily forgotten what either smelled like, exactly. So it turned out that the sweet note was vanilla (duh!) and the harsher one was musk. Also possibly something called fougere, though I haven't yet found out quite what that means. Anyway, nice, though not a scent I desire to own and wear. Written 4/22/07.

I liked Hungry Ghost Moon only when I first put it on and when it was almost gone. It was another one that lasted overnight. Yesterday I went to a conference. So I didn't want to wear anything weird. Jabberwocky was a safe bet -- zingy but friendly. I love pine so much. Today I'm in my hometown and my sister's birthday party is tonight! I brought some imps that I already know and love. I'm not sure if I'll put anything on until I'm out of the house though. Mom's sniffer is so sensitive. Written 4/21/07.

So today I wore Tweedledum, which turned out to be a fruity, sweet patchouli. I liked it, but it was really faint -- have to try more on next time. It had some crustiness on the edge, so I wonder if it might have got diluted somehow. Tonight I'm wearing Hungry Ghost Moon, another discontinued "sniffie." It's a bit strong for me. Smoky musky sandalwoody. I feel like it should be worn by someone with a stronger personality. Or maybe just different skin chemistry. It really makes a difference when a friend smells something on me and said, "mm, I like that." I mean a difference in how I perceive the smell. So in order to give everything a proper chance, I'm trying to pretend somebody whose opinion I respect just told me they really like it on me. It's not working for Hungry Ghost, though. Written 4/19/07.

Tonight's scent is Sugar Cookie -- a limited edition scent that I got an empty-but-damp vial of as a sampler. It smells to me like sugary vanilla (for sure) and almond (maybe) and makes me want to eat dessert. I put it on my forearms and did the dishes in a cloud of sweetness... it's aptly nicknamed "the devil's bake sale." But it does me no good because it's been discontinued for the past two years. Kumiho, the white tea/ginger scent I wore to work, was okay, but I didn't love it. It was so reminiscent of the kind of thing you'd buy in a mall shop. It's similar to another one I've got that also has white tea and ginger [baobhan Sith], so at least I can confirm what is what and what I don't really care for in those scents. Half the fun in all this is educating my nose. When I got up this morning, the Viper I put on last night was gone. After sniffing and sniffing I caught the faintest ghost of a tea smell, but I might have been imagining it. Calico Jack was still going strong, though. Dude's got stamina. It's the musk, I think, that stays forever on my skin. (Or if there's ambergris in it, maybe that. It doesn't say if there is, but it seems like the kind of thing you'd put in a perfume named after a sea-dog.) From an e-mail sent 4/18/07.

My first BPAL order from another customer/forum member came today. It was from Canada, so it took a while to get here. This one cost me $10 total for 4 imps I ordered. I would say I got my money's worth and then some.... I ordered Green Tree Viper, and in order to make it worth the trouble to ship, I also bought three other imps that sounded mildly interesting. The sender threw in three bonus partly-used imps (including two I've really been wanting to try!) and three "sniffies," or empty vials with just enough left in them to get an idea of what they smell like. She also included a sliver of scented soap from a different company, and Easter-themed confetti! Whee! I don't want to try them on all at once and get all confused. I put Green Tree Viper on my right wrist and Calico Jack on my left. So I'm sniffing one wrist, then the other, then the first one again. They are so opposite. The Viper has lost most of its mintiness and just smells like Snake Oil to me. It has a lot of "throw" and I envision a little cloud of it around my right arm. Calico Jack packs a punch up close, though. It's a little cologne-y, and I can smell notes of salt, leather, musk, and woods. Left wrist -- pirate. Right wrist -- seductress. I think my arms are gonna make out with each other. Tomorrow, maybe I will wear Kumiho (one of the freebies) to work -- it's white tea and ginger, which sounds like a good combination for me. An e-mail sent to a friend 4/17/07.

The Lion had joined them while this was going on: he looked very tired and sleepy, and his eyes were half shut. `What's this!' he said, blinking lazily at Alice, and speaking in a deep hollow tone that sounded like the tolling of a great bell. The Lion is very mild on me, pleasant and a little odd. I can smell the amber with a bit of faint spiciness, and after a while the sandalwood comes out, as does the "medicinal" effect others have mentioned. After some head-scratching, I finally figured out what it reminds me of: A&D Ointment. It brings back memories of Mom taking care of my baby sisters in the early '80s, which is not a bad thing... but as I said, a little odd.

Then I believe this is what you want. I've not ordered any yet, but having just read through the entire topic, I can warn you of this and also this. So it might be a good idea to look around for other sellers (try froogle for starters). Edit: Whoops, just realized the age of the post I was replying to... oh well, maybe this will be a convenient summary for some.