Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Lilith 2018'.
Found 39 results
-
When Lilith was three months old, she came with me to the voting booth for the first time. She wore a Little Democrat onesie and a Babies For Obama button, and it was one of the most emotional nights of my life. I know Ive told this story before, but as the election results rolled in, I wept with relief because Lilith was going to grow up safe. Decency won the day, and my heart was alight with the belief that we were on an upwards trajectory as a nation, and that compassion and hope were leading us to a renewal. November 8, 2016 was another emotional night for very, very different reasons. Since that day, the world has gotten darker, but the darkness creates strength and fosters empathy. Lilith is now learning what social justice truly means. She has participated in protests, demonstrations, volunteer campaigns, and walk-outs. She has made protest signs with her own two hands, and has marched against the cruelty, oppression, and tyranny of this current administration. Shes beginning to grasp both civic responsibility and civil disobedience, and shes learning how much power her voice really has. This is a scent of renewing hope, determination, fortitude, and compassion: palo santo, white sandalwood, sweet labdanum, and cedar. On me, Suffragium is this lovely spicy (the palo santo?), slightly sweetly resinous, woody incense. There isn't a lot of change between wet and dry down on me. Very airy if that makes sense. It has quite good throw, and lasts well on me. Later, as it fades, the scent lightens but maintains the same scent, becoming more skin like.
-
Lilith has been flying since she was a little over a year old. Her first plane trip was to New Orleans, and since then, she has been all over the world. She has slept on the floor at the airport in Mexico City and Minneapolis, she has eaten airport junk in New York, Frankfurt, and Chicago. It feels like she knows LAX and Heathrow almost as well as she knows her own house. Sometimes I think she’s happier about flying itself than she is about exploring a city! This photo was taken at the airport on one of our trips. I love this outfit… Rolling Stones concert tee, stripy tights, boots with fuzzy balls on it. Lilith might not think this photo is good because her hair is a bit messy, but I love looks of happiness that a hot dog and a giant pretzel bring to her face. It took a bit of persuasion to get her to share it, but dad has his ways. The first time I saw her wear this tee, I told her that I went to that concert and I that I think that I had the same t-shirt back in ‘76. She looked at me and asked, “1876?” It’s probably not the best idea to make a hot dog scent, even though Beth keeps making jokes about hot dog water, so we made a Airport Garbage Snacks scent with coffee, airplane nuts, and squished Backpack Chocolate Residue. This one is CRAZY. I had a great Aunt Rose. She’d get on the bus to come visit us, she’d arrive, all 4 feet 6 of her, carrying two bags. One was full of knitting the other had a black banana and her homemade anise cookies. This scent is exactly what the room would smell like when she’d empty the contents of the bags on our kitchen table.
-
Senator Barrial in debate class, advocating for the mandatory conversion to electric cars by 2040. When she’s Senator, she’ll make sure everyone has red velvet sprinkle cupcakes with extra buttercream frosting. I thought this was going to be like Cake Smash. But it's a dead ringer for Milk Moon of old. This is soooooo reminiscent of the old school Lunacy days. Milk moon served with a side of cookies. Yeah, this is good. I want to age it out.
-
Of the runes of the gods and the giants race The truth indeed can I tell, (For to every world have I won;) To nine worlds came I, to Niflhel beneath, The home where pink bunny Peeps dwell. This one shocked me! I was expecting pink sugared marshmallows--this is FRUITY sugar! [see my edit below if this scares you.] It smells like pixi stix and fun dip! VERY sweet! It reminds me of a bunch of different flavors of pixi sticks dumped out in a pile and snorted, Tony Montana-style. I put some more on to get a better idea of what I was smelling, and I think I've figured out what fruit this reminds me of- it reminds me of the fruit note in Blue Pumpkin Floss, but without any sourness. And no pumpkin or spice and wayyyyy more sugar. On the skin, the scent doesn't really morph, but gets lighter. It's IN YOUR FACE in the bottle, but not on the dry-down. Hours later, this is a very pretty sugar scent. Not really fruity at all anymore. I don't know if I'd wear it wet to the office, unless I want to smell like I've rolled in that color-changing Fun Dip, but when it's dried down, it's light and nice. But SUGARY still. EDIT: Trying this again a couple days later, after it's gotten a chance to rest from the transport for over 24h. I'm getting more marshmallow and less fruitiness now. It reminds me a bit of the Aquolina Pink Sugar scent but without musk or sandalwood or caramel--it's all the pink sugar top note (though I still detect that blue-raspberry note when it's wet). Once it's dried down for a few hours, it's all pink sugared cotton candy.
-
Lilith loves RuPaul’s Drag Race, and she thought it would be fun to dress up for Drag Con 2018 as Lil Poundcake. I made a promise to her when she was tiny that I would carry her on my shoulders for as long as she wanted me to, and I am pretty positive that I will carry her down the aisle for her wedding. As I carried her around Drag Con, and I would hear people whisper, “oh my god, it’s Lil poundcake.” Some people would yell “Lil Poundcake!” and she would happily flip them off in character. When people would stop us and ask to take a photo, I would set Lilith down, give her the boa, and she would pose for the photo. Then she’d hop back on my shoulders and we’d continue on our way. Ah, the life of a dad. I wouldn’t give it up for anything. Dorian smushed into a cherry lollipop. In the bottle - It reminds me a little of cherry cough drops. Uh oh. Wet - Turns more into a sticky cherry lollipop scent, thank goodness. A hint of mintiness behind the cherry, which is unexpected but not unpleasant. Drydown - The cherry has mostly disappeared, and now it smells like Frostbitten Dorian with some sugar on top. Very curious. Getting harder to detect as it wears. Verdict - Dorian makes everything better. Some people are really into the Snake Oil variants (and deservedly so; they're awesome) ... but me? I'm all about the Dorians. This one didn't topple Dorian in the Pumpkin Patch from my top spot -- but then again it's 80 degrees outside and I snatched it straight out of the mailbox. I'm going to let it settle and try again.
-
Listening to music, blowing bubbles. A handful of honey sticks, yesterday’s patchouli, and a dusting of cinnamon sugar. I'm not sure what kind of honey this is, but in the bottle it's a little funky and combines with the patchouli in a slightly sour way. I think the "sticks" are actually a note in this, not just straight up honey. As is usually the case, the way it smells in the bottle isn't how it smells on the skin. When I apply it on the back of my wrist it reminds me of what Feed Me and Fill Me with Pleasure smelled like when it was fresh. On the inside of my wrist there's nothing I can compare it to, but the cinnamon is much more present. It's the most well-balanced combination of notes when applied on my throat, more like Feed Me. This is not the gnarly black patchouli, but more of the woody red kind. I might find it safe to wear around people who don't like patchouli. It's not loud at all, but I'm sure it's going to deepen with age.
-
Sometimes, I see a photo of Lilith and just want to add it to the Fatherhood update. I have tried and tried to write something about this photo but I have not found the right words. Maybe I will just say that I love Lilith and I think she is beautiful here. Lime hard candy, bubblegum lollipops and sugar plums. A lime blow pop!
-
One of the biggest joys of my life is holding hands and walking with Lilith. My lovely wife is always walking behind us taking these photos, and I love how you can see Lilith growing up over the years. Lilith, please never stop holding my hand. Dorian holding hands with Slime Queen, with Snake Oil happily trailing behind. In the bottle - Daaaaamn. I can smell it all. This is gonna be a doozy. Wet - Aw shit. The SECOND I put this on, it transforms into something glorious. Slime Queen, is that you? It feels vibrant and young and carefree. There's a tinge of Snake Oil watching over the mix, making sure things don't get too out of control. Drydown - Hot DAMN I love this. It's like listening to a mashup of the classic BPAL hits with a fresh new twist. It's still there after a couple hours, and every time I catch a waft of it there's a slightly different angle of the scent showing. Not content with being a lovely blend, this is also interesting AF. Verdict - Folks are going to be hoarding this. I might be one of them.
-
This past February, Lilith competed in her first debate tournament. She was asked to come in “business casual”, and this is the best we could do. A scent for child orators: pleather and chalk dust with a handful of chewy fruit candies. (We can’t say “Skittles”, even though that’s all she ate throughout the entire tournament! Don’t sue us, Skittles! Lilith just loves Skittles!) Skittles. This smells like sugary fruit candy, and then on the drydown you get a whiff of the chalk dust. But hey, you want Skittles, here's a non-branded Skittles perfume. Medium throw and wear length.
-
Back in 2016, we had made plans, a bit premature as it turned out, to travel to Washington D.C. to see the first woman sworn in as president of the United States of America. It was not to be, but we Barrials are nothing if not flexible. Along with some our best friends, we decided to travel to the Capitol to protest the vile man that is ruining our great country. A year later, she rode my shoulders again at the first anniversary of the Womens’ March in Los Angeles. With my beautiful daughter on my shoulders, we marched, we shouted, we made our voices heard again. Truth will prevail. A scent of power and courage for my daughter: sweet milk and cardamom with vanilla pod and nutmeg. Warm, spiced milk. Very soothing, ultra-comforting. This would make a perfect bath oil for bedtime.
-
We believe that the American dream is big enough for everyone, for people of all races and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people and for people with disabilities. For everyone. Lilith at the Women’s March DTLA, 2018. Nasty Woman? Nah, Nasty Tween: honeyed fig and sugar-dusted patchouli, sweet amber oud, a drop of red currant, and vanilla cream. I always blind-buy at least one Lilith each year. This year I immediately purchased "The dream is big enough for everyone" because I love the sentiment behind the scent (and the notes sounded gorgeous). It's fresh out of the mailbox, but I couldn't resist a quick test. I'll try to add to this review later. Wet: I can detect most of the notes except the vanilla cream. I mostly get honeyed fig with a tiny bit of patchouli. It's not particularly sweet, and fruitier than I expected. It's very pretty and quite powerful. As it dries, I get even more fruitiness with a bit more sweetness. It's making my mouth water!
-
“I am Hel,” she said simply. “The dead come to me, and they do not return to the lands above. Why should I let Balder go?” – Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman Lilith loves cosplaying, and while she has done many characters, none has suited her quite as well as Hela has. She debuted this look at C2E2 this year, complete with tiny plush Fenris. Tiny mistress of the underworld: gleaming black leather, luminescent green amber, and gargantuan hellhound musk. This smells like soft brown leather, tinges of amber and musk. But yeah, soft feminine leather like in Heroine. Medium throw and wear length.
-
We love googly eyes almost as much as we love Christmas morning at Casa Barrial, and last year, we were able to merge both of them together. I love watching Lilith’s face and she races downstairs to see what Krampus and Santa might have left under our pink Christmas tree and what kind of candy La Bafana left in our shoes. The scent of a Googly Eye Christmas Tree: pink cotton candy, silver tinsel, cinnamon cookies, and white chocolate snow. Cinnamon and chocolate straight up. I’m sad that I didn’t get any Yule vibes from this. The cotton candy, the tinsel and the tree itself was gobbled up by the greedy cinnamon.
-
Every New Year’s Eve for the past several years, Lilith and her soul sister Novi have rung out the old year at a kids’ dance party. This year, they spent a little time doing Zombie Improv before the party started. Pink grapefruit brains, honeyed cerebral fluid, and a splash of sparkling apple cider. This is aaaaaaaaal about the grapefruit in the bottle. Once I put it on however the apple cider comes out to play, along with a stunningly gorgeous floral I can't quite identify. It's reading like a white floral, but not at all soapy or sharp, just lush and beautiful and a tad spicy. Plumeria maybe? I'm not getting a ton of honey from this yet, but I think it's contributing to smoothing out that grapefruit so it doesn't go sharp. Perfectly balanced; perfectly stunning. Definitely back up bottle worthy, and may even topple Baobhan Sith from her spot as my favorite grapefruit scent.
-
My baby, please never stop singing whatever goddamn song you want to sing, and never stop singing it at the top of your lungs. Never stop doing silly dances, never stop making jokes. Never stop talking about unicorns, never stop howling like a werewolf, never stop making wishes on dandelions. Never stop playing, never stop laughing. Dont ever let anyone tell you that youre too old to be joyful, or that the things you love are foolish or childish. Lilith, never stop blowing bubbles. Dandelion sap and blackcurrant bud with opalescent, shimmering white musk. In the bottle - This is beautiful. It's somewhere between Fairy Market and Butterflies, Flowers & Jewels Attending. Wet - LOVE how this smells on me! It was almost grassy in the bottle, but it morphed quickly on my skin into crystalline musk and juicy blackcurrant. (I know the description says blackcurrant bud, but I swear these berries have some flesh on them.) Drydown - Magical berries and milky dandelion sap. I had to huff pretty closely by the time it was completely dry. There's a sort of nectar aspect to it -- not quite spicy, but still tickles the nose. Sometimes currants go tangy on me, and that's not happening. Verdict - My skin chemistry sucked all the crystalline qualities out of this blend so it's now an incredibly well-blended perfume of soft, milky blackcurrants -- like an ethereal, non-pastry version of Eat Me. It ended up as a very cozy close-to-the-skin scent, perfect for the coming fall months. It kind of reminds me of a commercial perfume that I can't quite put my finger on. I'll update if I manage to narrow it down.
-
Back in the good ol’ days, I was a singer in quite a few bands. Being up on stage was an amazing feeling, but it doesn’t hold a candle to watching my baby singing and seeing the way she lights up when she’s on stage. I love to listen to her sing and I think she has a lovely voice, but nothing makes me prouder that having someone comment about how beautiful her voice is. This photo is just before she played with her band, and I love how she is so comfortable and happy to be in front of an audience. A rockstar scent for a tween: leather, vanilla bean, honey sticks, and sugar. Unfortunately for me, the leather was all up in my face. Why such a bully? No vanilla, no honey, no sugar for me. I got the barest whiff of lemon, which was odd.
-
I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. Oscar Wilde Lilith has loved the theater since we first took her to see Matilda when she was five. She loves musicals, she loves plays, she loves Shakespeare and Sondheim. She loves huge productions and local improv, she loves Hamlet and drag revues. She loves the pageantry and the intimacy, and loves performing in shows and attending shows equally. This is the scent of the pile of junk food that accompanies us to almost every performance: chocolate chip cookies, pretzels, caramel corn, and a little slurp of soda. Chocolate chip cookies, sugar and a whiff of pretzels. Pretty much this smells like chocolate chip cookies. Medium throw and wear length.
-
If there is one thing that my loving daughter has learned from me, it is to always be humble in victory. The scent of shameless gloating: sparkling honey and a hint of salty biscuit. I may go back for this one, too. It’s the smell of a clean baby chewing on a teething biscuit. Just precious!
-
I took this photo of Lilith a few days ago. I told her that it looks like her and Pickle are reenacting Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, and I show her a pic. She asks what’s going on in it, so I explain the image, and she says… “Well, that’s friggin sexist. It’s stupid to say that boys were created first and to make a whole painting about it. Plus there’s no girls in the photo, and not everyone has boy or girl parts. It’s sexist, and I hate it.” That was a much, much stronger reaction than I expected, but good on you, kid. Burn the patriarchy down. And Elohim created Adam in His Image, in the Image of God He created him; male and female He created them. The first woman, created with Adam, in all her darkness and all her light: sweet black pomegranate, French lavender, oakmoss, ti leaf, bakhoor oudh incense, and black fig. Lavender, oakmoss, and oudh incense. This smells sort of aquatic incensey. Good throw and wear length.
-
We were made for each other. Snake Oil and bubblegum. When I open the bottle, a waft of pink bubblegum jumps up into my nose to make me smile. On my skin, the bubblegum is at the forefront until it dries, when it becomes a sugary version of Snake Oil. If you love the original Snake Oil, then I think you'll want this, too. I'm thinking of buying another bottle before they come down. I've never met the Barrials, but I can really tell there's a lot of love and happiness between mother and daughter in this scent.
-
Lilith has always loved music – especially singing – but this year, she started to get serious about it. This photo was taken this past April, while she rehearsed her slow, haunting cover of Riptide. A scent that smells to me the way Lilith’s voice sounds when she sings that song in her deep, thoughtful, sweet voice: wild plum, shadow oudh, osmanthus, and patchouli. I know I'm going to love it when Beth throws wild plum into a bottle a resins. I've had the pleasure of spending a little time with Lilith at the past two DragonCons. Her voice has a unique quality, and Beth nailed it with this scent. High and low, airy, yet purposeful.
-
Lilith has several blankies that mean the world to her, and this is one of them. She’s had it since she was a baby, and she still sleeps with it every night. This blankie has been all over the US, has been to innumerable conventions, and has visited Paris, London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Salzburg, and Berlin. This blankie has been a comfort in sorrow and a companion in joy. It has been clutched in laughter and has been succor in illness. This blanket has seen thousands upon thousands of dreams. May it always keep you warm, safe, and happy, Lilith. French lavender, skin musk, and a drop of rose water. I retrieved this from the mailbox around 1 PM and am testing it 9 hours later. I normally give a scent at least an entire day to settle before testing it, if not more, so I will amend my review if my experience is different when I try this tomorrow. In the bottle, Blue Blankie is a blast of strong French lavender. I can smell the rose water in the background, and then the skin musk. I bought this to use as a sleep scent, and just from the bottle, I have to say that I can’t imagine using it for another purpose. This is no daytime lavender. Wet: The French lavender dominates, but I am getting a lot more of the rose water and skin musk on my skin than I did from the bottle. The rose water is fresh and tart and makes me think of pink roses. It’s becoming stronger as it sits on my skin. It’s like Lilith’s lavender + TAL Nocturne, only not as strong on the rose. Dry: I was worried that the rose water would take over at one point (it definitely feels like more than a drop on me), but this ends up being pretty even on the lavender and rose water once dry. The skin musk comes out more over time, so that after a few hours, it ends up being a skin musk infused with rose water and what remains of the lavender. It’s cozy and comforting. Verdict: I leapt for a bottle of this one because I adore lavender and thought it would make a nice sleep scent. I will be keeping my bottle and using it for that purpose, but I don’t think that a back-up bottle will be necessary.
-
Ever since Lilith was five or so, she and I have meditated together. We do Headspace, we do breathing exercises, we just sit and share space together in silence. Sometimes we do it in the morning to start our day, sometimes we meditate at night to unwind. Our meditation space smells like vanilla-laced frankincense, Florida Water, sandalwood incense, salt crystals, candle wax, and white rose petals. Meditation Buddy to me smells like Florida water, vanilla, incense, and a whiff of white roses. It's complex, mellow, and very calming. I am actually digging this alot. Medium throw and wear length.
-
Whenever I’m sick, tired, or just run down, Lilith always tries to help out. She’s always helpful, but when someone is feeling poorly, she’s an absolute angel. This year, now that she’s a little bit older, she’s taken to cooking a bit here and there. Here, she’s stealing my Evil Dead shirt and making kitchari for me. I was feeling under the weather, and she wanted to take care of me. Oh my GOD, I love this kid. (She’s taken to wearing protective goggles that Brian gave her every time she cooks.) A bundle of Ayurvedic spices warmed in cream, with a little bit of dried fig and sweet dates. Cream in the bottle. Goes on with a clean but lightly spicy note — somehow it feels like antiseptic? But in a good way? I don't know what Beth intends "Ayurvedic" to mean; on me this is a bright, comforting, yet take-charge scent. This is the spice blend of the nurse who is going to make you feel better. I don't know how else to describe it. As it dries, it's very clean, like linen or "free and clear detergent." This continues back to the clean spices. It snuggles close to the skin without a lot of throw. I could see this working really well for people in the medical field. I would be bolstered if my medical practioners smelled like this.
-
Life imposes so many restrictions on us as we climb through the years: responsibilities, challenges, hardship. Lilith, my baby, may you soar through it with exuberance and grace. Never lose your joy and your sense of self, the triumph of daily pleasures, and the freedom of your soul. May the sorrows of the world never calcify around you; may the sorrows of the world never dim your light or silence your song. A prayer for my daughter: frankincense, rose, and white lilies. In the bottle: the pungence of frankincense, softened by the flower notes slightly. Perhaps a hint of anise? Very attractive. Wet on the skin: Lillies rise to prominence and is fighting it out with the fragrance. A little softer than in the bottle -- still good. I like it so far. Not my favorite frankincense, and lillies are not always my friend. But I am liking it so far.
