Castrensis

Geeked for this scent- In the imp: Dust, leather & resins. Wet: I feel like I'm opening an ancient book - the cracked leather blooms into a burst of air from dusty, crumbling pages. Drydown: The dust's settled, now the tobacco and incense shine through (faintly, though, as if the scent was accumulated over many years of exposure, long ago). After a day's wear: Fades to incense & leather after several hours. Adding a bottle onto my next order!

Gah! I need a spreadsheet to remember what threads I've replied to! I find myself posting & then forgetting to check back for replies. A late thanks for the useful info, folks. Unfortunately, I still haven't had a spare moment to sit down & actually figure out how to work that fandangled tiddlywiki contraption.

Thanks, Morrighana! Sorry for my late response. I solved the problem by cancelling the order & will henceforth avoid CCNow.

Thanks for this info! After reading this I went to CCNow & cancelled my 05/17 order. I'll just reorder those bottles with my update order via PayPal rather than have the Lab suffer outrageous fees. Does the Lab have anything on the website stating that they prefer PayPal over CCNow? I, for one, would have soundly avoided CCNow from the outset.

I placed an order with the lab via CCNow & had the charge post to my account, then two days later it completely disappeared. Anyone have an idea what's gone on?

Is anyone able to access the TiddlyWiki file at sophiaviolet's website? I'm dying to get to work on this, but get an error every time I try to download or import the file. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

In the imp: Holy pennyroyal! I don't get any of the mint that others have described, I think pennyroyal shares the sparkling quality of mint but smells markedly different. I'm slightly worried because the lilac-citron in Whitechapel went all wonky on me resulting in a scent reminiscent of the big mints they toss in urinals. Wet: Pennyroyal, pennyroyal, pennyroyal. Dry: Oooh...I like this. The notes have blended splendidly, all four are detectable but none takes precedence over the other. This scent succeeds in being simultaneously soft/creamy & pungent/penetrating. One hour of maturation: The scent changed not at all & hasn't provoked a reaction from my skin. I'll repeat that: No rash. None. Nada. I BPAL. Me Judice: *tears off his shirt, throws it to the side, happily slathers his torso & leans back to enjoy the AMAZING smell of Mad Hatter* I am sooo happy I have a bottle of this coming.

In the imp: Dark moist earth with a veil of cedar. Moderately astringent. On the skin: Vanilla almond cedar cookies. Extremely astringent. Me judice: The astringent component I perceive is more a sensation than a scent - it's something akin to the sensation produced when you sniff an alcohol pad. It's exceedingly odd, and perhaps more a reaction of the scent with my nose than an innate quality of the scent. That alone makes it physically uncomfortable to sniff.

In the imp: Lemon & Grapefruit rise to the forefront, sparkling mint suffuses the two and an undercurrent of amber softens & sweetens the lot. On the skin: Surprising floral initially then suddenly soapy. All citrus has fled, no mint remains, amber amps a bit then disappears. I can detect no leather, tea or teakwood. Skin reaction: This took more time than most to turn my skin against me, but alas, a defense was mounted & I was forced to put down the rebellion. Me judice: A feminine fragrance that smells like a cheap scented candle on me. edit:sp.

I've coped with eczema & skin allergies since birth, to the point where I have to use unscented detergent & dryer sheets, unscented deodorant, & skin creams that are unscented and free of sodium laureth sulfate (far too drying). Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap is the only soap that doesn't turn my skin into an angry red plain. Every perfume oil I've used (even "perfume", i.e. water/alcohol/oil solutions, can only be sprayed on the outside of my clothes) caused significant reactions within minutes of application so I've developed many adaptive techniques to make scent wearable. These may have already been mentioned, but I like hearing myself talk (...or is that reading myself type?). I generally use scent lockets to enjoy fragrances but as a result I miss out of the experience of the scent morphing with my skin chemistry. The scent in the bottle is generally the scent I get from the locket. I'm not terribly disappointed because most of what I've dared to sample on my skin morphs into a scent similar to those utilized in baby products. My other favourite delivery of fragrance is to make solid perfume using the fragrance oil of my choice. I then apply the solid perfume to my hair and the heat from my skull releases a delightful scent all day long - & it conditions at the same time! What I do when an oil makes my skin look all leprous. Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so this is an account of what I have done to manage my chronic skin conditions and maintain healthy, beautiful skin despite my maternal genetic betrayal. Use OTC products cautiously, read all information that is provided with the product(s) and always consult your primary care physician &/or ask the pharmacist! (I'm serious about the pharmacist bit, they're a goldmine of information and can help you safely choose an appropriate product and instruct you in its use.) I keep a big bottle of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap in my bathroom, it's unscented, all-natural, and ultra-gentle. It's made from plant oils and as a result is excellent for your skin. I use this to wash off substances that cause a reaction. Next essential: a tube of Cortizone-10 to deal with allergic reactions as soon as they happen. Steroid liniments like Cortizone-10 are only appropriate for small, localized reactions. You don't want to use these products over large body surfaces because you absorb a small amount of the steroids transdermally - an infinitesimal amount when used on a small area, but absorption can be significant if you slather yourself with it. The earlier you can cut off the inflammatory response the better. Oral Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is useful for reactions over large portions of my body surface, for example, when the cumulative stress of a soap or lotion results in a reaction. Be aware that Benadryl may sedate you into oblivion (it's the medication in most PM brands, e.g. Tylenol PM, &c.). As said in the preceding paragraph, don't use cortizone ointment to treat large areas. The best you can do is to wash thoroughly with tepid water & a gentle, non-drying soap, pat yourself dry - don't rub - and immediately apply a non-petroleum based lotion to your skin. Petroleum products don't tend to absorb well into my skin but rather conspire to form a greasy protective shield to help retain moisture. Natural products containing plants oils & various waxes actually penetrate into my skin to replace moisture & help heal the damage.

Purple fizzy lifting drink. Turns to a rancid powdery scent on my skin, but it gives me a rash right quick like most fragrances. Maintains the most excellent bottle-scent when worn in a scent locket & (psychosomatic, I say!) I had the most amazing day at work, possibly my best day ever. As a human of the male variety I wasn't certain I could pull it off, but (jesus christ on a cracker!) this stuff just smells good. This has officially been added to my bottle purchase list.