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  • Silvertree

    Mod post: No wishlist posts in blogs

    By Silvertree

    Please be aware that we do not permit swap-related content on profiles or in blogs. Please post this content only in the For Sale, Swaps, and Wanted forums, or in the Wishlists topic. ~from Swapping 101  Thanks!
    • 5 comments
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Excited

I am so excited about Bioshock 2! I hope it doesn't suck. I pre-ordered the special edition, which has some nifty extras like a soundtrack CD, and also the orchestral soundtrack from the first game on vinyl. My turntable currently needs a new stylus but that's neither here nor there. It also has an art book of some sort. Kind of an impulsive purchase but there ya go. Now the only bad part is, it will take a few days for it to be delivered, and meanwhile other people will be playing the game already......   But....I've waited this long, I can wait a while longer.

forspecial_plate

forspecial_plate

 

Switch Witch - Shotgun Valentine 2010

Hi, my witch!   This is the place where I will post answers to Q&A and any other helpful info that I think up.   Thank you soooo much for witching me!   <3 Cam   If you like tea, what are your favorite kinds? Fruity, sweet, chai, plain, black, green, red, white? I like them all, really. Tea is awesome.   How do you feel about handmade stuffed animals? That would be awesome.   What are your favorite animals? Cats of any size, wolves, otters, owls, foxes, red pandas.   Is there anything you've had to give up that you really miss or want back? Maybe something a witch could help out with? To echo others, I do miss my cloves, but it's best I don't have them. Although I am one of those rare people who can take cigarettes or leave them, my hubby is most definitely not. And he has asthma. So I have banned tobacco products from the house.   If you were a student at Hogwarts, what house would you be in? Probably Ravenclaw.   Pretty!   How do you feel about home-canned goods, like pickles, jelly, preserves, stuff like that. Yum.   What's your favourite flower? Stargazer lilies   Are you opposed to vegan baked goods? Or baked goods in general? No indeed. I am quite a fan of baked goods. And anything coming from a switch witch is magically rendered calorie-free in transit. No lie.   For those that have dogs, if I were to knit them a sweater, what colour would you like it to be? That is super kind and thoughtful, but Koto is not too enthused about the sweater idea, I'm afraid. And he'd probably eat it.   Lip balm: Yay or nay? If yay, what are your favorite kinds (brands, consistency, whatever)? To answer my own question, I have a deep and profound addiction to lip balm, as I fight a near-constant battle against chapped lips, especially in winter. I tend to like balms more than glosses (and by "gloss," I'm specifically talking about the kind that come in a tube with a little stick inside and applicator on the end), because I find the latter tend to feel sticky to me. I love the flavored kind.   Do you like guessing who your witch is, or would you prefer to know? Do you mind knowing? I never manage to guess correctly. I'm perfectly fine with not knowing until the end (tho I like a reveal so I can say thank you), but don't mind knowing before either. Whichever works best for my witch (and makes things the most fun for him/her too).   If it's going to be obvious who your witch is, would you rather she played the ninja and sent one big box at the end, or smaller packages along the way? Again, whichever works best for my witch is a-ok with me.   What color are your eyes? Hazel/greenish.   If you had to choose a color for a nightie to sleep in what color would it be? Ahem. I, um, do not sleep in nighties . However, I do like cute, comfy stuff to lounge about in on weekends or after work, usually just in black.   Keys? I love cool old (or just old-looking) keys, and often use a key motif in jewelry-making.   Since everyone is spending the same amount of money on this swap, would you be interested in seeing the cost breakdown of each item in your package? Nah, that's not necessary.   I custom mix nail polish, a process called 'frankening'. If you were my witch, would you enjoy a custom 'franken', based on whatever colors/theme you chose? Wow, that would be very neat!   How are we feeling about Burlesque? I love it! I would love to take a Burlesque class or something like that.   Would you like or accept an energetically-charged item or gift? Something that had power poured into it? If so, do you have a particular purpose that you'd prefer? (Love, protection, money, etc.) That would be very much welcome. Right now, something for business success/money would be super helpful.   Villainess update? Torchsong is pretty. Right now I'm most interested in trying the Shanghaied and Silk & Cyanide facial smooches, tho. (And in general, for my witch's info, I am a sucker for scrubs, either for face or body. I lurves them.)   Anyone like steampunk? Very much. I make steampunk jewelry.   Sock Dreams? Oh hells yes (you dirty, dirty enablers. Yes, I'm talking to practically everyone in this thread.)   Do you like alcoholic beverages? If so, what is your preference (beer, wine, liquor...)? And finally, is it legal to ship alcohol to your state? To answer my own question, yes. I'm a huge wine nerd. I love love love wine (both red and white) and am always eager to try something new. I also love hard cider and beer. Alcohol can be shipped to me at my office in VA.   Would you like soaps? Especially from Paintbox? And ESPECIALLY the Valentines Special Edition Soaps?? Holy crap, YES!   Do you prefer coffee, tea, or hot chocolate? What flavors? I love all of them.   Would you like some of my favourite recipes? Definitely.   Posters, pictures, art? That would be great.   Bacon chocolate? Zomg, Vosges bacon chocolate stuff is to die for!   Would you use a natural sea sponge? Yes!   What about UNTOUCHED make-up samples or any other type of girly-sample thing? Yes please!   So, what is this unobtainable miracle your Witch found? Monster Bait: Underpants   Would you like new nail polish? If so, what colors are you craving? Ooh, yes! I am currently craving some of the new BPTP polishes - Smokestack, Malediction & Robotic Scarab.   Boxes? Yes please! I'm once again on the verge of running out of storage space on the little "photo ledge" type shelves I bought awhile ago.   Plush microbes? I LOVE them, and have given them as gifts to several people, but don't have any myself.   WoW? My main character is a Forsaken Warlock named Deadcam, but I haven't been playing much lately. Have been enjoying some games on PS3 instead.   What's your favourite candy? Chocolate, of course. These two local chocolatiers (Earth and Sky and Chocolate Fetish) and Vosges are my favorites.   First five songs on the "Top 25 Most Played" list on iPod The top 25 aren't particularly illuminating, since they're from a playlist I made for working out. It's all very heavy, tough guy type stuff that helps motivate me, and it's not the best representation of my tastes, which are wide and varied.   Interested in receiving gifts representative of Witch's country or culture? Totally! That would be awesome. I'm really into exploring local culture/foods/art/etc. wherever I happen to be (huge locavore, food-wise), so I would love to receive gifts representative of where my witch lives, his/her culture, etc., wherever that happens to be.   Would anyone like receiving naughty/sexy things? Sure, that might be fun. I love the Kama Sutra brand stuff.   Who on the thread likes attending Ren Faires, SciFi/Comic Cons & the like? And do you dress up for them? OH HELLS YES! Love them, love dressing up.   Do you need any accessories for your phone, computer, mp3 player, etc.? I am always open to that sort of thing, as I have a freaking ton of gadgets. 17" MacBook Pro (and do ya know how hard it is to find laptop bags to fit a 17"?? hard), Motorola Droid, Kindle 2, iPod Classic, iPod nano (purple), PSP. Cute little sleeves for any of these would be awesome.   Gently Used CDs/DVDs? That would be great!   For those of you with pets, would you like pet things? Toys, treats, etc? The furbabies would love that. Kitties will not eat treats tho (go figure). They love catnip, of course, and jingly/rattle-y toys.   Would something hand knit be nice? Ooooh, YES! I love warm & snuggly things anyway, but it has also been an especially cold winter here. So this year I am in extra need of such things.   What is everyone's take on Valentine's Day? Valentine's Day is my second favorite holiday. I've always loved it. Commercialized though it may be, I like the idea of a holiday devoted to love & snuggliness. In my family, we always gave each other cards and flowers and little presents, so even if I was unattached romantically, it's always been a special day. I even love the color scheme.   Do you like traditional Valentine's Day colors (red, pink, white, more?)? I love them! I am especially fond of deep reds, and I like just about any variety of pink. I also really love the pink/chocolate color combination.   What's everyone's favorite semi-obscure animal? Fishing Cats FTW! Fishing Cats on Google Image Search Baby fishing cats   What is your favorite sign that spring is coming? Dogwoods in bloom   Favorite love poem?   The Hardness Scale by Joyce Peseroff Diamonds are forever so I gave you quartz which is #7 on the hardness scale and it's hard enough to get to know anybody these days if only to scratch the surface and quartz will scratch six other mineral surfaces: it will scratch glass it will scratch gold it will even scratch your eyes out one morning -- you can't be too careful. Diamonds are industrial so I bought a ring of topaz which is #8 on the hardness scale I wear it on my right hand, the way it was supposed to be, right? No tears and fewer regrets for reasons as smooth and clear as glass. Topaz will scratch glass, it will scratch your quartz, and all your radio crystals. You'll have to be silent the rest of your days not to mention your nights. Not to mention the night you ran away very drunk very very drunk and you tried to cross the border but couldn't make it across the lake. Stirring up geysers with the oars you drove the red canoe in circles, tried to pole it out but your left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing. You fell asleep and let everyone know it when you woke up. In a gin-soaked morning (hair of the dog) you went hunting for geese, shot three lake trout in violation of the game laws, told me to clean them and that my eyes were bright as sapphires which is #9 on the hardness scale. A sapphire will cut a pearl it will cut stainless steel it will cut vinyl and mylar and will probably cut a record this fall to be released on an obscure label known only to aficionados. I will buy a copy. I may buy you a copy depending on how your tastes have changed. I will buy copies for my friends we'll get a new needle, a diamond needle, which is #10 on the hardness scale and will cut anything. It will cut wood and mortar, plaster and iron, it will cut the sapphires in my eyes and I will bleed blind as 4 a.m. in the subways when even degenerates are dreaming, blind as the time you shot up the room with a new hunting rifle blind drunk as you were. You were #11 on the hardness scale later that night apologetic as you worked your way up slowly from the knees and you worked your way down from the open-throated blouse. Diamonds are forever so I give you softer things.

cam

cam

 

My Imp Collection

GC Imps - I want bottles of these   Antique Lace Ehecatl L'Examen de Minuit   GC Imps - I do not want bottles of these   51 Aeval Against Idleness and Mischief All Night Long Aperotos Eros Baba Yaga - decant Bayou Belle Vinu Bess Bewitched - decant Black Pearl x2 Black Phoenix Black Rose Bliss Blood Pearl Blood Rose Blood Rose Blood Rose Bread-and-Butterfly Bread-and-Butterfly - decant Brusque Violet Caliban Centzon Totochtin The Chicken-Legged Hut Chimera Come to Me Defututa Defututa Delirium Delousing Powder - discontinued Desire Desire Devil's Claw Dian's Bud Dirty Dragon's Bone Dragon's Heart Dragon's Musk Dragon's Reverie Dragon's Reverie El Dorado El Dorado Elegba Event Horizon Fascinum Fenris Wolf Goblin Grandmother of Ghosts Grandmother of Ghosts Grandmother of Ghosts The Great Sword of War Haunted Hi'iaka Himerus Ile de la Tortue Jack Juliet Kitsune-Tsuki The Knave of Hearts La Petit Mort Languor Libertine Loviatar - discontinued Lurid Lurid Mary Read Masquerade Meliai Miskatonic University Moon Rose Nocnitsa Ogygia - decant Old Scratch Pele Pele Perversion - decant The Phantom Wooer Psyche Regan Regan - decant The Rose Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds Scherezade Schrodinger's Cat Sea of Glass Severin - discontinued Snap-Dragon-Fly - decant Snap-Dragon-Fly Snooty Rose Tamora - decant The Temptation Tushnamatay Velvet Veritas Villain Whip - decant from a 10ml cobalt The Witch's Repast Zombi   LE/CD/Panacea/Salon/Unimpables - I want bottles of these   Doll's Eye Infused Honey Jerusalem Cherry Infused Honey La Fee Verte Mitzvah Monsterbait: Underpants Oof Pyramus Thisbe TKO Velvet Unicorn   LE/CD/Panacea/Salon/Unimpables - I do not want bottles of these   Anactoria 2008 Anactoria 2010 Andreiphontes Anesthesia The Aurora Spaceship Takes a Dive Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand Bah! Banded Sea Snake Candle Moon Crumpet Rebellion Deadly Nightshade Honey Detestable Putrescence Dionysia Doc Constantine Dream of the Fisherman's Wife Durian Infused Honey with Brandy Glowing Vulva Gluhwein Gypsy Queen Helios Hellion Isaac the Living Skeleton ITASÔ KANSEI NENKAN JORÔ NO FÛZOKU Jasmine Cottage Kaidan Kataniya, the Clockwork Woman The Lady on the Grey Lick it Again Lola Montez Bath Oil proto The Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanicus Melisande the Puppet Mistress Midnight Kiss Mircalla, Countess Karnstein Narkissos Needle in a Haystack x2 Peacock Queen '05 Playing with Dangerous Toys Pumpkin Cheesecake Saint Foutin de Varailles Season of the Inundation Sunbird Thoos Tin Foil Hat Tin Foil Hat Tristran U Ugh Velvet Panther Victoriana.Goth The Volstead Act War Western Diamondback The Witch Queen Yew Berry Infused Honey Yurei   Non-BPAL Imps - I want bottles of these   Conjure Oils: Blood Rush 2009 Conjure Oils: Blood Rush 2009 Conjure Oils: Punkin Head 2009 Haunt: Blood Orange Cacao Haunt: Winter House Violette Market: Hawaii   Non-BPAL Imps - I do not want bottles of these   Ann Taylor: Possibilities Arcana: Chocolate Arcana: Dia de los Muertos Arcana: Pumpkin Arcana: Quim Arcana: Stretched On Your Grave Arcana: Sturm und Drang Arcana: Tart Pink Grapefruit Arcana: Winternight Arcana: Yellow Cake Blooddrop: L'Shana Tova Blooddrop: Yes! He Was My Boyfriend Casmir Conjure Oils: Astarte Conjure Oils: Blood Type AB Conjure Oils: Pink Moon Croatian Lavender Four Season Fragrances: Sultry Summer - August Good Judy: Bonobo Haunt: Gloaming HAEE: Christmas Bread Pudding HAEE: Innocence HAEE: Tropicale Exotica L'Artisan: Mure et Musc L'Artisan: Mure et Musc Extreme Midsummer Muse: Nymphs of the North Miss Dior: Cherie Possets: Limoncello - La Dolce Vita Possets: Sloe Byrne Possets: Sweet New England Vermon Possets: Tootie Possets: Ultramarine TAL: Peace Villainess: Neisthai Violette Market: Bora Bora Violette Market: Chocolate Pink Fairy Floss Violette Market: Diablo Skull Violette Market: Guinevere Violette Market: Hesperian Apples Violette Market: Hestia Violette Market: Miss Scarlet Foster Violette Market: Mexico City Violette Market: Monk's Delight Violette Market: Oahu Violette Market: Pumpkin Chai Violette Market: The Queen's Courtesans Violette Market: The White Swan   Backup BPAL imps and decants   Banshee Beat Blackberry Jam and Scones Boomslang Butterflies and Plovers The Candy Butcher Clytie Dark Chocolate, Whiskey, and Cognac Truffle Eat Me The Empress Eve v5 Flowering Chrysanthemums Freak Show Giant Vulva Grr! House of Mirrors Kiss Amongst Discarded Tissues Lucy, Kissed Morocco Morocco The Parliament of Monsters Pumpkin I '09 Pumpkin III '09 Pumpkin Queen Snake Charmer Snake Charmer Snake Charmer White Chocolate, Black Raspberry, and Apricot Cordial Truffle White Chocolate, Strawberry, and White Pepper Truffle   Backup Non-BPAL imps and decants   Arcana: Caramelized Coconut Arcana: Ooomph Arcana: Solstice Sugar Arcana: Straitjacket Haunt: Oubliette Possets: Infinite Sky Montana Possets: Lavender Corset Possets: Napoleon and Josephine Possets: Pauline Possets: Scent of Angels Violette Market: Calaveras Chocolate Violette Market: Chocolate Toppled Layer Cake

swansong

swansong

 

My Collection

My ScentBase Profile   I update my profile regularly as I add to the collection.   There are approximately 118 something scents I've tried so far, mostly imps.

Ishianti

Ishianti

 

Wishlist

Things I'm looking for and might swap.   Bottles: Whitechapel Calliope Ichabod Crane Antique Lace Flowering Moon Dragon Moon Nuclear Winter Mouse's Long and Sad Tale   Looking for any of: Shivering Boy Khrysee Snow White Pink Snowballs Monster Bait: Bloody Mary Punkie Night Swank White Rabbit Antique Lace The Velvet Unicorn Sugar Skull Lick It Till It's Sticky Lambs Wool Tissue The Torture Queen Bite Me Strawberry Moon Ogun Snow White Osun

Ishianti

Ishianti

 

Good Judy: Shameful Secret

Shameful Secret Category: American Gothic Quantity: sample   Description: SHAMEFUL SECRET We all come with a past. Certainly, some have more to hide than others. What we do with our lives is of no concern to them. Nobody need know your secret. Hide your shame. Stand tall and proud as it turns your stomach sour. Sweet milk, raspberry cream, absinthe, cassia   Review:   In the bottle: I smell cream, cassia, raspberry, and absinthe, in that order. It’s an interesting mix.   Wet: It’s a little bit bitter, but very herbal, from the absinthe; yet very sweet from the milk and cassia. So far, the raspberry is still very far in the background.   Dry: It turned sweeter, more fruity and juicy, but still with a tiny bit of bitterness/sourness underneath, but it’s really whispered like a secret.   Verdict: Oh, I love this one! It fits me so perfectly, how could I give it a bad review?

RedRoseMaze

RedRoseMaze

 

Good Judy: Mephitic Vapors

Mephitic Vapors Category: Curio Shop Quantity: sample   Description: MEPHITIC VAPORS Careful with that! The contents can be quite dangerous. That bottle has been passed around for generations and nobody is quite sure of how much is left inside. You see, it looks empty. That’s the danger. Bottled hundreds of years ago by an infamous resurrectionist, one whiff of the Mephitic Vapors captured in that bottle would surely bring instant death. You’ll want to make sure you purchase the Good Judy souvenir version. The real one can’t be opened anyway. The lid’s glued on. Accidents do happen though. Authentic Mephitic Vapors: A miasma of graveyard putrescence. Not for sale! Souvenir Version: Black oak, peat moss, graveyard loam, headstones, and damp air. Plenty for everyone!   Review:   In the bottle: It’s very masculine... I do smell the oak and moss very well.   Wet: Yeah, that’s the old-fashioned graveyard caretaker’s favourite cologne. It’s a bit strong, and just so strange on me.   Dry: Ok, I had to wash it off. It was just so absurd on me, even the dog started crying after she smelled me. Enough said.   Verdict: I guess I’ll have to give this one... I don’t doubt this would smell good on a man, and preferably someone fairly older than me, because there really is something old-fashioned about it. It has also a dark/gothic feeling, like taking a walk in a graveyard in late fall, with a coroner passionately telling you all about his most fascinating cases... Well, you get the picture.

RedRoseMaze

RedRoseMaze

 

Breaking it down further......

These are worth a try......   Bijoux Y'Ha-Nthlei......."A strangely proportioned, opulent, lustrous scent: neroli, Hawaiian ginger, white musk, tarragon, beeswax, heliotrope, yellow rose, oud, coriander, amber, and lime peel"......worth a decant   Inganok Jewelers....."Gleaming stone and silver"......might be cologney but worth a decant.   The Steeple....."Otherworldly fungus, Provençal herbs, and dark, shadowy woods".....fungus might contain a dirt note, which doesn't always work......worth a try, though.   Signior Dildo....."A scent of pearls and ivory: orris, violet leaf, narcissus, and Madagascar vanilla".....can't remember if I mentioned this in my first breakdown....might be too perfumey but I'd like to try it.

forspecial_plate

forspecial_plate

 

Jan 2010 Lupercalia breakdown

For my own selfish reasons, because I have to sort out which ones I want, for now I'm only including wants or might-wants.   First the Shungas......   Konseishin The Penis God......"Apple blossom, champaca, fir needle, cistus, myrrh, Peru balsam, and Tan Xiang".....I think Tan Xiang is sandalwood, and I don't see much about this scent that I don't like!   Okayaki....."Olive blossom, cardamom pod, amber, morning star lily, bergamot, and a well-aimed snowball".....will be watching reviews.   Penis Admiration....."Lilac, ho wood, smoky vanilla, galbanum, and tonka".....not sure about a couple notes here, lilac and galbanum, but I'll be watching reviews with interest.   Prosperity Of A Country....."Frankincense, orris root, asuhi, leather, and ginger-infused cream accord"......I think asuhi is hiba wood. I'm really interested in this scent. Could be my "take-a-chance" scent.   Ronin......"White sandalwood, rice flower, honey, black pepper, and oakmoss".....sometimes don't like white sandalwood, or black pepper, and usually don't like honey, but I like the art of this one and will watch reviews.   Now Ode To Ares......   Andreiphontes......"Tonka, benzoin, black sandalwood, and nutmeg".....has potential.   Enkhespalos......."Elder wood, leather, blonde tobacco, and cognac"......has potential.   Enyalios......"Patchouli, frankincense, olibanum, thyme, cocoa absolute, Peru balsam, oakmoss, and juniper".......this could be too much dood-fume, or it could be really fantastic.   Khalkokorustes......"Champaca, pear, cedar, black pepper, jasmine, and red sandalwood".....this sounds like some fabulous love-child between Quincey Morris and Dr. John Seward. I need to try this one.   That is about it for now. I'll be reading others' breakdowns and thinking some more but really, those are the most interesting right now.

forspecial_plate

forspecial_plate

 

Crib Girls

On my initial application, I got nothing. Zip, zada, nada. Like I'd just bought a 5ml of water.   My nose must've been on hiatus, because I tried it a couple of days later and now I'm suffused with lemon candy happiness. I'm fond of sweet, citrus, fruit scents and I do like the lab's honey - so I bought this unsniffed and I'm happy I did so. It's not a very complicated scent, just light, sweet and clean. I don't really get the sex scent of the more notorious honey blends. It reminds me quite a bit of Aelopile, which is darker and heavier, but still lemony. This is a more feminine, playful version of Aelopile.   I'm going to get good use out of this in the spring and summer and I'm curious to see how it ages. I might need a backup bottle!

TPOD

TPOD

 

imp list and wishlist- 1/19 updated 2/1

This will be an ongoing and updated list! Bolded entries are what I'm willing to swap away immediately- bad, bad skin chemistry issues. Italics are ones that I am not interested in swapping/selling at this time.   absinthe aelophile akuma Arcana baku bordello chaos theory v clxxxi chimera crib girls crossroad-needs to be relabeled, using as a ritual oil danse macabre ded moroz dee 2x dioble en bote Dragon's Heart dragon's hide farewell to false love hecate incubus J Horror king of hearts ladon Laudanum Le Père Fouettard lump of coal mason and jenkins port jelly mother shub's toothsome banketstaaf nemesis nephilim 2x perversion P Horror plunder prurience (sniff) riding the goat Santa Eularia Des Riu sapphics sleipnir (spelling?) snow maiden spooky res st. john's eve suck it sugar skull tavern of hell 2x the coil- partial the coiled serpent the great sword of war 2x the music of erich zahn tisiphone torture king the ides of march[/b tushnamatay vice yew trees   tea party- new, sale only NOT FOR TRADE (wedding favors) queen of hearts high strung daisies     wishlist:   German Expressionist Horror A Bachelor's Dog The Grand Inquisitor's Heretic's Fork -any of the four lick its -any weenies AEVAL Anne Bonny Aperotos Eros Archangel Winter BARON SAMEDI belladonna BELLE ÉPOQUE Bengal BLACK FOREST Block Buster Bonfire Night Brimstone Calico Jack chimera clemence Crowley CZERNOBOG de sade (but only in a sniffie) Death of Autumn dee Devil's Night Djinn Doc Constantine, Act II: Fiat Nox Faunalia fenris wolf GRANDMOTHER OF GHOSTS hades Hellfire Hexxenacht HIGHWAYMAN Himerus holly king Jabberwocky Kali LAMPADES Loup Garou Love and Pain Mama Ji mata hari oak king oberon On Darkness Pais de la Canela Priala Red Devil red lantern Rumpelstilzchen Samhainophobia Sin skadi smut snow moon Strangler Fig THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM THE BLACK RIDER THE BLACK TOWER the catapillar the dodo the Goblin Ride The Great He Goat THE JERSEY DEVIL THE LIGHTS OF MEN'S LIVES the music of erich zahn THE OBSIDIAN WIDOW Tintagel Titus Andronicus torture king Ulalume Van Van White Light wraith YEMAYA

starfish327

starfish327

 

Libra 2007

Category: Limited Editions   Sort of funny...I got an imp of this in a swap from one person, and then a bottle in another swap, and for a while I thought I might have been lucky enough to have both versions of Libra, since they smelled so different!   In the bottle, it's a very sweet scent...fruit scents dominate, with florals sitting very humbly in the background. For a while I thought it was very sweet apple I might be smelling, but research revealed that the bottle is the 2007 version. So, I get to smell the sweet cherry and currant and plum, and it's suuuuuper nice there.   On my skin (and in the imp), however, things switch places. The fruit quickly retreats, and rose shoulders its way forward, with carnation acting as its adoring sidekick.   Thankfully, this version of rose isn't the kind that turns into MUA HA HA DIE on me, but it's still Rose Liek Whoa. It comes juuuust short of getting crazy a lot of the time...which, come to think of it, describes me rather well, too.   While not the sweet light fruity blend that I think I would have adored, this is still a pretty scent...not one for every day wear, but definitely one worth hanging onto and breaking out when I feel like basking in the wonderfulness that is Libra. (And we are quite wonderful, yes. *preen*)

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Jezirat Al Tannyn

Category: Wanderlust -- The Phantom Isles   Hmm, this is interesting. It smells like hot, smooth, black stones, with a hint of smokey charcoal (like that found in Brimstone)...and yet there's also an aquatic side to it as well, as if those stones make up the beach on a lonely island, or perhaps they're part of some natural jungle hot-springs spa. Some nice imagery there, if not as vivid as many others enjoy through this scent. This scent sticks close to the skin, and wears off after a few hours.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Alien Invasion

A retail exclusive from Dark Delicacies   Definitely very fruity...it doesn't *quite* speak grapefruit to me...there's a spicy sort of side to it, like ginger, and a definite ultra-sweet syrupy gooeyness to it, too. It's a weird scent. It's also rather 'young' smelling, like the sort of perfume that would permeate some kind of glittery lip gloss geared toward teens. But, it was appropriate that this was released as part of a summer blockbuster series, because its light, sweet absurdity is perfect for hot, bright, sunny weather...or evoking that sort of atmosphere, should one need it.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Bruised Violet Compound

Category: Doc Constantine's Pharmacopeia   I don't really get a 'dirty' vibe from this (when I was initially reading reviews, people were all (OMG it smells like dirt and mud and violets!)...it's more of a *sweet* violet, perhaps one that has been squished to make, well, bruised violet compound. It's a pretty straightforward violet scent, IMHO. Has a wee bit of throw once it dries (and it is especially lovely once it does), and has good staying power.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Bohun Upas

Category: Rappacini's Garden   As with a lot of the Garden scents, I get a lot of 'green' from this -- bark, roots, even a little bit of dirt. There is a bit of sweetness there, as well, as if the deadly tree has bait to lure victims in to sleep forever at its base. It has a nice amount of throw and lasted most of the day.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Block Buster

Category: Bewitching Brews -- The Conjure Bag   As many others have said, this is very cinnamon-fruity, like a liberally-spiced apple treat. It works better than, say, All Night Long on me, and is very similar to Alice's Evidence. In spite of its aromatic components, it tends to have very light throw, and dissipates after a few hours.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Aperotos Eros

Category: Ars Amatoria   This is a beautiful blend that manages to be sweet without been cloying, and a bit on the resinous side. It's a dark-brown sort of scent, melancholy and brooding, and subtly creeps up on you to gently fill your senses with its sweet air of loss. It has decent staying power and throw. Very, very lovely.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

All In The Golden Afternoon

Category: Mad Tea Party   Now that I am re-visiting it for the review, this smells a lot better than it had initially. I remember it being rather shrill and awful; now it's more muted, more like a watercolor painting done in pastel colors than the garish melange of FRUT! FLOWERS! INSANITY! that I remember.   Even so, something -- possibly the pineapple -- is just not working for me. This one needs to go to a loving home.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Alice's Evidence

Category: Mad Tea Party   This smells like sweet, sticky, golden fruit preserves, seasoned with lots of ginger and perhaps a bit of cinnamon as well. Quite lovely! I think it lasted quite a while, as well.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Against Idleness And Mischief

Category: Mad Tea Party   On first application, it's Honey Liek Whoa. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for the tonka and perhaps the chamomile to calm it down and make it into more of a smooth, creamy scent. Once it dries, it tends to hug close to the skin, and seemed to wear off pretty quickly.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Books For 2010

Books read/started/finished/etc. in 2010.   Read Entirely in 2010 1. Frostbitten - Kelly Armstrong (S) (V) 2. Heart's Blood - Juliet Marillier (F) 3. Sandman: Fables and Reflections - Neil Gaiman (S)(R )(GN) (F) 4. Cybele's Secret - Juliet Marillier (S)(YA)(F) 5. The Man with the Golden Torc - Simon R. Green (F)(S)(SF) 6. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon (S)(F) 7. The Well of Shades - Juliet Marillier (F)(S) 8. Sandman: Brief Lives - Neil Gaiman (R )(S)(GN)(F) 9. The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden - Catherine M. Valente (F)(S) 10. Mercy Thompson: Homecoming - Patricia Briggs (V)(GN)(S) 11. The Orphan's Tales: Cities of Coin and Spice - Catherine M. Valente (F)(S) 12. Once Dead, Twice Shy - Kim Harrison (V)(YA) 13. Grave Sight - Charlaine Harris (S)(V) 14. Flirt - Laurel K. Hamilton (S)(V) 15. Paladan of Souls - Lois McMaster Bujold (F) (S) 16. Dragonfly in Amber - Diana Gabaldon (F)(S) 17. City of Glass - Cassandra Claire (YA)(S)(F)(V) 18. Devine Misdemeaners - Laurel K. Hamilton (S)(V) 19. Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species (NF)(GN) 20. The Summoning - Kelly Armstrong (S)(YA)(V) 21. Men of the Otherworld - Kelly Armstrong (S)(V) (SW) 22. Sandman: World's End - Neil Gaiman (R )(S)(GN)(F) 23. Touch of Dead - Charlaine Harris (S) (SW)(V) 24. Lord Sunday - Garth Nix (S)(YA)(F) 25. Personal Demon - Kelly Armstrong (S)(V) 26. Living With the Dead - Kelly Armstrong (S)(V) 27. Sandman: The Kindly Ones - Neil Gaiman (R )(S)(GN)(F) 28. Fables: War and Pieces - Bill Willingham (S)(GN)(F) 29. Black Magic Sanction - Kim Harrison (S)(V) 30. Child of Fire - Harry Connelly (S)(V) 31. Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape - Bill Willingham (S)(GN)(F) 32. Fables: The Dark Ages - Bill Willingham (S)(GN)(F) 33. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman (R )(F) 34. Fables: The Great Fables Crossover - Bill Willingham (S)(GN)(F) 35. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - JK Rowling (R )(S)(F)(YA) 36. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - JK Rowling (R )(S)(F)(YA) 37. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling (R )(S)(F)(YA) 38. Sandman: The Wake - Neil Gaiman (R )(S)(GN)(F) 39. Voyager - Diana Gabaldon (F)(S) 40. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - JK Rowling (R )(S)(F)(YA) 41. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - JK Rowling (R )(S)(F)(YA) 42. Imago - Octavia Butler (S) (AOC)(SF) 43. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - JK Rowling (R )(S)(F)(YA) 44. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - JK Rowling (R )(S)(F)(YA) 45. Alex and the Ironic Gentleman - Adrienne Kress (YA) 46. Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut (SF) 47. Drums of Autumn - Diana Gabaldon (F)(S) 48. A Door in the Hedge - Robyn McKinley (F)(SW)(YA) 49. Tales of the Otherworld - Kelly Armstrong (S)(V) (SW) 50. The Firey Cross - Diana Gabaldon (F)(S) 51. Silver Borne - Patricia Briggs (S)(V) 52. Lord John and the Private Matter - Diana Gabaldon (F)(S) 53. The Homecoming - Ray Bradbury & Dave McKeon (SW)(GN)(R for story) 54. Pictures that Tick - Dave McKeon (SW)(GN) 55. Alibi Man - Tami Hoag (S) (M) 56. House of Mystery - Bill Willingham (GN) (S)(f) 57. Namaah's Curse - Jacqueline Carey (S) 58. Identity Crisis - Brad Meltzer & Rags Morales (GN) 59. Vampires Don't Sleep Alone - Elizabeth Barrial and DH Altair (V) 60. Peter and Max - Bill Willingham (S)(F) 61. World's End - Mark Chadbourn (S)(SF) 62. Exit Wounds - Rutu Modon (GN) 63. Darkest Hour - Mark Chadbourn (S)(SF) 64. The Gates - John Connolly (F) 65. A Breath of Snow and Ashes - Diana Gabaldon (F)(S) 66. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade - Diana Gabaldon (F)(S) 67. Always Forever - Mark Chadbourn (S)(SF) 68. Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris (S) (V) 69. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown (S)(M) 70. Exile - Diana Gabaldon (F)(S)(GN) 71. Echo in the Bone - Diana Gabaldon (F)(S) 72. Now and Forever - Ray Bradbury (SF) 73. The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Begle (F) 74. Unseen Academicals - Terry Pratchett (SF) (S) 75. The Fall of Atlantis - Maron Zimmer Bradley (F) 76. A Christmas Carol and other Stories - Charles Dickens (R ) 77. Storm Prey - John Sanford (S)(M) 78. Angels and Other Strangers - Katherine Patterson (R ) (SW) 79. The Runaway Dragon - Kate Combs (YA) (F) 80. Steven Colbert's Tek Janson - (GN)(SF) 81. The Anarchist Convention and Other Stories - John Sayles (SW) 82. Sandman: The Dream Hunters - Neil Gaiman & P. Craig Russel (F) (GN) (R for story)     Chapter books read with Son 1. Odd and the Frost Giants - Neil Gaiman 2. D'Aulaire's Norse Gods & Giants - Ingri D'Aulaire 3. Fire and Wings: Dragon Tales from East and West - Marianne Carus 4. Favorite Norse Myths - Mary Pope Osborne 5. A Ring of Tricksters - Virginia Hamilton 6. The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient China - Leonard Everett Fisher 7. The Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Maya - Leonard Everett Fisher 8. Children of the Dragon - Sherry Garland 9. Spellbound - Anna Dale 10. Kenny and the Dragon... 11. Magic Tree House 44 12. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 13. The Daring Adventures of Penhaligon Brush - S. Jones Rogan (in progress as of 12-29) 14-37. The A-to-Z Mysteries - Ron Roy (Letters: A-L, N-U, W-Y, Special 1) 38. The Calendar Mysteries - Ron Roy (January) 39-50. The Boxcar Children Mysteries - Gertrude Changler Warner (1, 3-6, 8, 11, 14, 25, 51, 65, Special 11)   Started in 2009 or before, finished in 2010 Lover Avenged - J.R. Ward (2009) (S)(V) Jambalaya - L. Tisch (2007) (AOC) (NF)   In progress (if not started in 2010, starting year in parens) Ulysses - James Joyce (2005) Who Let the Dogs In - Molly Ivins (2008) (SW) (NF) Everything You Know About God is Wrong - Russ Kick (NF) (SW)   Island of the Could Not Finish 13 1/2 - Nevada Barr (2009) (M) Curse of Challion - Lois McMaster Bujold (F) (S) Lover Mine - JR Ward Bullet - Laurel K. Hamilton   Some coding:(AOC) = Author of Color(F) = Fantasy(GN) = Graphic Novel(M) = Mystery(NF) = Non-fiction(R ) = Reread(S) = Series(SF) = Science Fiction(SW) = Short Works(V) = Vampires, werewolves, and witches, oh my!(YA) = Young Adult

emzebel

emzebel

 

2009 Reading Analysis

Wow, so, definitely met the standing 100+ books goal with 120 unique books last year. In addition, there were 2 books that I started prior to this year and finished, one that’s part of a mystery series, another non-fiction history of Haitian voodoo. I gave up on 5 books entirely. Of these, 3 were by authors I’ve read before and enjoyed, including one adaptation from a book I enjoyed originally and one sequel. As of Jan. 1, I had 5 books still in progress (note that of the 2 started in 2009, 1 I’ve given up on and 1 is completed, but that’s for a year from now). The 3 remaining are from previous years. Maybe this will be the year I actually plow through Ulysses.   I got pretty haphazard about tracking reading with the boy this year. Ultimately, I just started noting books that I would/have read on my own as well. I’m just not up for keeping track of 40 Scooby Doo chapter books.   As for the rest of the analysis: • 15 of these were rereads, and that doesn’t count that I read 1 book twice. • 83 were books in series of various kinds. • In terms of genre, 39 were fantasy (as defined personally), 37 were YA, 19 sci-fi, 22 involved vampires, werewolves or other staples of urban fantasy (I categorized these differently, because Anita Blake just feels different to me than, say, Mists of Avalon), 11 were mysteries • In terms of form, 5 were short works (usually short stories), 17 were graphic novels and 4 were non-fiction (and 1 of those was a graphic novel) • Looking at authors, only 8 books were written by authors identified as non-white, 26 total were new to me (accounting for roughly 38 books read) and approximately 58 distinct authors represented overall.   Every year I tend to beat myself up for the fact that I read a lot of genre fiction and not a lot of “classics” or books that are generally heralded as books of substance. But screw that. I read for entertainment and what entertains me are stories about vampires and fictional societies where magic exists in some form and dystopic alien worlds and mysteries where I can lose myself for a while. I could whip out my hairshirt about the fact that I don’t really enjoy biographies and non-fiction much outside of humorous pop-cult essays, but really, why bother. I still read more than probably 90% of the population and I’m teaching my kid to value reading for its own sake and am continuing to discover new sub-genres and authors that I thoroughly enjoy. So, go me. Or something like that.

emzebel

emzebel

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