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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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Abstract Associations
 

Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos CXXXIV (134)

Reviewed 07/28/2008   CXXXIV (134)   In the bottle: Very light, something green and a hint of vanilla.   Wet: Green and a light floral that reminds me of moonflower.   Dry: Light and springy, the floral note is being tempered by the softness of vanilla and possibly a skin musk. Very light.   Verdict: There's so little throw that it would be perfect for an office with scent-sensitive people. It's cool and light, like a spring day. Very nice.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Abstract Associations
 

Chaos Theory IV: Edge of Chaos CXXXIII (133)

Reviewed 07/28/2008   CXXXIII (133)   In the bottle: Chocolate maple syrup.   Wet: I smell like pancakes!   Dry: Pancakes and syrup, sprinkled with cocoa; not the burnt-sugar note of Sugar Skull. Light throw.   Verdict: Ultra-foody and yummy, but it's definitely a cool-weather scent.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Birdsongs
 

A teeny lightbulb

I remember all the reasons I don't want Jason back anymore, and they're good ones. But when I told him I made a personals ad, he suddenly broke up with his girlfriend & spent hours on the phone begging me to take him back. WTF?! It's been a year and a half!   Another e-mail at lunch today was trying to wriggle past my defenses & make me think, what if? He was saying he's changed, and realizes what a terrible mistake he made, and he never wants to be without me, etc etc.   I think, even though I dislike all the drama he carries around with him, that e-mail got to me because I'm a quiet person with domestic ambitions & a pragmatic soul. I'm not a believer in the doomed epic love, with artistic angst & drugs & alcohol & whatever. Part of me is amazed at the idea that anyone would write that about me.   But still, he's a grown-up & makes his own decisions, and I make mine. My brain still feels solidly in control, and I'm looking forward to my new dating adventures. Except for that one voice in the corner that isn't getting with the program ...
spanishviolet

spanishviolet

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Cam's Blog
 

July 2008 LE's (and some frimps)

I ordered the July LE's, and they arrived Saturday. In addition to Chaos Theory IV, Sturgeon Moon and Penumbra, the labbies sent frimps of The Lion, Ouija, The Bow and Crown of Conquest, Alecto, Succubus and Twilight. Here are reviews of a few of those, plus Salome, which I recently got from an eBay order.   CHAOS THEORY IV: THE EDGE OF CHAOSEach 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. In the bottle, this one smells very strong. Clove, and maybe a bit of menthol smell. Pepper. It's very complex. On me, it's pretty harsh at first, but softens once it's dry. Again, complex and hard to describe, but it seems a bit masculine for me. Going to try it out on the hubby.   STURGEON MOONA month of bounty, when the fish are plentiful and the corn grows high. This is the scent of breezes passing over the Great Lakes, mingling gently with traditional lunar herbs.   Sandy shores and sweet fresh water, lichen, green algae, and whitestem pondweed, with benzoin, cyclamen, moonlit musk, cucumber, blue poppy, and agave. In the bottle, I get some very interesting citrus. Starfruit? It's not quite grapefruit. Cucumber, agave and a tiny bit of light musk. On, it's very citrusy. The cucumber and agave are much more subtle, but the underlying musk does come through. This one is pretty nice. It's lighter and fresher than my usual style, but it's really nice for summer.   PENUMBRAThe observer's space within a partial eclipse.   Rich purple musk, moonflower, red sandalwood, black amber, oakmoss, copal, lavender, neroli, tobacco, and pomegranate. In the bottle, very pretty. Definitely get the purple musk and.... maybe lilac? Must be the moonflower. On, the musk softens and it smells fruity and sweeter. I think that's the pomegranate. It reminds me of Bordello, only muskier and less boldly fruity (definitely no bubblegum here). The tobacco comes through subtly, too. Very nice. I like it.   THE LIONThe dry, glorious warmth of the Savannah. A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious. This was on my wish list, and I was so excited when I saw the frimp. In the bottle, it smells wonderful. Warm vanilla and exotic spices. As the lab description says, it just smells warm and golden. On wet, even spicier, with that wonderful vanilla under it. Sexy! Ten minutes later: NOOOOOOO! Baby powder. Sigh.   OUIJALush parlor rooms draped in thick velvets and gilded in gold, unearthly whispering in the distance, fleeting flashes of wraithlike figures rushing just outside your vision, the chill of a phantom presence brushing by your cheek, the inscrutable knowledge that disembodied eyes are peering at you from darkened corners… this is the essence of Victorian-era spiritualism: rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus. In the bottle, this one seems interesting. Exotic and a little dark, although a bit floral for my taste. On, it smells exactly like Mrs. Meyers Clean Day geranium-scented cleaning products. These are great for cleaning my bathroom and kitchen, but I don't want to smell like them.   SALOMÉAnd when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.   And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.   A scent that is both coquettish and sinister. Exotic and lush, brimming with grace and viciousness: almond with star jasmine, oakmoss, red sandalwood and Egyptian musk. In the bottle, this smells very true to the description. I get plenty of almond, layered with lovely jasmine and musk. It smells wonderful. Unfortunately, on me, it smells just awful. The almond disappears, and the jasmine becomes overpowering and harsh, with a sort of herbal scent like sage. Definitely not for me. Off to the swap list.
cam

cam

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meeow712's Blog
 

Marianne

Marianne: Red musk, bergamot, black currant, mimosa, orchid, patchouli, and lotus root.   In the imp: Fruity sweet musk! A dark scent, just like I like them.   On me: (I picked it this morning without checking out the notes - after sniffing and HAVING to look them up I she was made for me). These notes blend so beautifully on me. Lotus root is the base, giving the blend a delicious lotus sweetness that is absolutely heavenly. The orchid, black currant, and bergamot blend into a delicious sweet fruity gorgeousness and the musk brings everything together to make it drop dead lusty. Wow.
meeow712

meeow712

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meeow712's Blog
 

Gwyneth

Gwyneth: Rose otto, tonka, orchid, Calla lily, skin musk, coconut, and Spanish sage.   In the imp: A delicious blend of sweet orchid, tonka, and a bit of musk.   On me: Oh dear. Rose! A sweet rose (not as sweet as Hope) and not much else. A few hours later a bit of orchid and musk started peeking out, and maybe a bit of sage but barely. Unfortunately this is way too rosey for me. I will stick with Hope for a sweet rose.
meeow712

meeow712

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Cam's Blog
 

Vampire Tears, Bitch & Nocturne

VAMPIRE TEARSRegret born from ceaseless longing: wisteria, white grapefruit, neroli, green tea, jasmine, white ginger, honeysuckle, iris, and tonka. I love Midnight Kiss (another eBay find), so I decided to try Vampire Tears as well. This is very different, but also great. It's a very pretty scent. On me, you can definitely smell the jasmine, wisteria and honeysuckle, with just a bit of the tonka. Very nice, and it lasts pretty well for me too.   ELIXIR VIII: BITCHSnappy-quick PMS relief. Not having PMS at the moment, I can't testify to its effects in that regard. However, it smells great, and I could see how it would work. In the bottle, I get a refreshing herbal scent -- dill and mint, mostly -- that is very relaxing. On my skin, wow! So herby-spicy. I smell like Thai food (which I love, actually, so that's not a complaint). Neat. I like this one.   NOCTURNEAn olfactory serenede. A somber, contemplative scent -- dreamy and subdued. Deepest violet touched with lilac and tuberose. This is beautiful. Very feminine and pretty. I don't usually like too much floral, but this is very nice. Not heavy or sticky-sweet. A keeper.
cam

cam

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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Anactoria

When it was fresh, I did not like this. It had an unpleasant, sharply chemical smell. Now aged, it has mellowed into perfect soft musky amber.   It has average duration and throw. There's a brief, odd period where it smells like a terrific carmelized cotton candy, but mostly it is musk and amber with a bit o honey.   Mmmm. Nice. Surprisingly delicate.
TPOD

TPOD

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Cam's Blog
 

A few more reviews

Last few scent reviews from my 7/9 order from the lab.   The High Priest Not To Be Described...and there... sat a lumpish figure robed in yellow silk with red and having a yellow silken mask over its face. To this being the slant-eyed man made certain signs with his hands, and the lurker in the dark replied by raising a disgustingly carven flute of ivory in silk covered paws and blowing certain loathesome sounds from beneath its flowing silken mask.   Monastic incense, blood musk, black leather, cypress, pimento, white pepper, and Roman chamomile. In the bottle, this has a complex, musky aroma. You can definitely smell the white pepper, and a sharp herbal scent from the chamomile. On wet, it's definitely very sharp and loud. Once it's dried for a few minutes, it's MUCH softer. You definitely get more of the musk and incense, and the pepper's nowhere near as strong. The chamomile also comes through, which is interesting and light with all the heavier scents. I really like this one a lot.   NephilimDark children conceived from the union of Fallen Angels and the Daughters of Men. According to lore, the angel Shemhazai led a group of his angels to earth to instruct mankind in the ways of piety and righteousness. After a time, the angels became prey to earthly desires and began to lust after the daughters of man, and thus they fell. They instructed their mortal mates in the arts of conjuration, summoning, necromancy and other magickal arts. The fruits of their union are the Nephilim: possessed of superhuman strength, cunning, and infinite capacity, and hunger for, sin. Venerated as heroes by some, vilified by most, the Nephilim eventually annihilated one another in a cataclysmic civil war instigated by the angel Gabriel as punishment for their transgressions. Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress. Out of the bottle, I get a strong aroma of bitter chocolate, fig and a bit of cardamom. I definitely get the "earthiness" on this one. On my skin, the chocolate aroma softens (but isn't gone), and the fig is a bit stronger. I also get the cardamom and tamarind, and maybe a tiny hint of rosemary. This is one is very complex. It's interesting and I like it.   LanguorAn opiate torpor, soporific, trancelike, and sublimely languid. A poet's morphine dream, a listless journey into a gentle dream and the precipice of intoxicated madness. Paperwhite and black narcissus, three lilies, black poppy and tuberose and a hint of hypnotic opium den haze. In the bottle, this one smells very sweet and floral. I definitely get the narcissus and lilies. On, it gets very heavy. Way too floral and perfume-y for my taste. Oh well, it was a frimp.   Tomorrow (or sometime or the next few days): reviews from an eBay order I got today. Vampire Tears, Bitch, Nocturne and Salome.
cam

cam

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Red Lantern '07

Category: Limited Editions -- Lupercalia 2007 I received this as a decant from my Switch Witch.   This...is sex and decadence in a bottle. The earthy pleasures of opium, tobacco leaf, and liquor -- yes, liquor! I'm wanting to say bourbon -- are all I can detect, and it is AWESOME. It's as if someone had captured the essence of a long night in a bawdy bar, sans the less alluring scents of, say, sweat and actual tobacco *smoke*, and put it in a bottle.   If you want to smell like you've been out all night partying, with the smug satisfaction of not having a hangover, then wear this. And don't be afraid to slather it.   YUM.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Megaera

Category: Excolo   I definitely get lots of grapefruit from this one; the plum gives it a sweet, rounded edge after the initial bite of the citrus. To be quite honest, it reminds me of Cheshire Cat, only without that creamy, ultra-sugary note to it; while Cheshire Cat hunkers down and grins at you, Meg is higher up, sulking jealously. If you thought that CC was too sweet or thick somehow, you may want to try this, instead. Also, I feel it's a perfect sort of perfume for the height of the summer months.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Lust

Category: Sin and Salvation   Normally, I greatly enjoy florals, and this should have been a really great combination: lovely ylang ylang, earthy patchouli, and sultry, amping musk. And I think that if it had just been the patchouli and musk, it might have been fine...but today it's the floral note that kills it. It's like a menage a trois gone horribly, horribly wrong; the primadonna floral sweeps in, greedily hooks into the musk, and gets selfishly, insatiably busy with it while patchouli cries in the corner, wondering what the hell just happened.   When you are wincing every time you lift your wrist anywhere near your nose, it's a bad sign.   So, nope, no Lust for me, thanks.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Himerus

Category: Excolo   This is lovely.   The juniper adds a very nice, grounding effect for the other woods, because for some reason sandalwood seems to do odd things on me that are not always pleasant. Together, the woods form a nice base, and there is a bit of spiciness from the juniper, I think, that creeps up every now and then, as well as bergamot. The florals lurk in the background; I can detect just a hint of lilac, just enough to make it especially sweet and pretty.   A very pleasant, romantic scent, in my opinion.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Eris

Category: Excolo   Oh...oh yum. Sweet luscious fruity YUM.   Could be apple in there...could be pear...could also be some melon...definitely very moist, juicy scents, incredibly wet and tempting, with just a hint of florals -- is it sakura blossom that continues to make it so sweet? In any case, hot damn.   I don't get any spiciness from it at all...just lots of seductive sugary sweetness. I know now how hummingbirds feel.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Eisheth Zenunim

This scent took awhile for me to grasp. It comes across as a fruity, juicy floral. It has excellent duration and throw. I've been wearing it without knowing what's in it and I can't say that I can identify any one note. I think the ambergris really makes things blend together.   Right after application DH says "What is that smell????" and not in a good way. Then he says it smells like really strong soap.   Several hours later, a co-worker tells me I smell like "old-school patchouli". I'm not sure that's a compliment.   And yet, I really like it. It's summery and fresh and it makes me happy. I think it will only improve with age, so this is a keeper and I'm glad I bought it.
TPOD

TPOD

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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Green Tree Viper

This scent is a gorgeous contrast between the warm sugar of Snake Oil and cool mint. Culinarily speaking, I'm not a big mint fan, but this scent is everything I wish mint could be.   Like others have remarked, it almost has a chocolate vibe. With aging, the mint smoothes out, but is still perfectly obvious. The mint lasts longer in my scent locket than it does on my skin - so I wear it in the locket and on the skin simultaneously.   I mourn the eventual demise of the Snake Pit, there's really nothing else quite like my favorite snakes.
TPOD

TPOD

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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Coral Snake

I'm in love with this blend. If I concentrate, I can tell it is apples, but honestly it registers as midway between some lucious berry and a peach for me. Plus, it doesn't have the cloying quality of Snake Oil. I can slather this and still be in the same room with myself. Other people think of it as autumnal, but to me it seems like the ripest, juiciest laziest late summer afternoon ever. Sigh.   And, it's aging quite well. I think it's better now at 2 months old than it was fresh.   It makes me sad that the Snake Pit is going to slither off to oblivion. I really wish the Pit could become GC.
TPOD

TPOD

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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Aelopile

Aelopile smells like expensive furniture polish used for generations on priceless antiques --> exotic woods and lemon oil. It positively glows.   Good throw and duration. Morphs into a sweet woody resinous lemon lime with a slightly smoky base. Incredibly lovely and I wish my house smelled of this.   There is something different than the normal woods, ambers and citrus notes that I'm familiar with. This is, to my knowledge, my first encounter with oud. If it is the oud making this so great I think I need more.   Normally I amp cedar so much that it's unwearable on me, but in this blend it is restrained and lovely.   I will buy a bottle of this and happily wear it, but I think it would be a stunning room scent and most people would perceive it more as a room scent than as a perfume.   My rating: 5/5
TPOD

TPOD

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Hoyden's BPALog
 

13: June 2008

This is my first 13 and it reminds me of Willy Wonka's experimental gum that tasted of all the courses of a complete meal in sequence.   Instead of experiencing the top notes that then give way to base notes, I keep getting discrete bits of them all in random rotation. A breath of honeysuckle, a puff of apple, a medicinal little waft of nutmeg and slathers of gorgeous dark melted chocolate. There is also a smoky woodiness that is very lovely and very autumnal. I was surprised to not see more wood in this blend.   Thirteen fades on me at mid-day, but I wouldn't mind reapplying this gorgeous scent. And I have a feeling I'm going to need more of this come autumn.
TPOD

TPOD

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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Manhattan

Manhattan was a frimp from the lovely labbies.   This is a wonderfully light and clean scent. It is lemony and minty with a touch of tea wafting about.   It smells like a very expensive spa in a good way. For all this clean smelling goodness, it does not smell of soap or cleanser.   Unfortunately, Manhattan is all top notes on me and fades quickly. I get no leather, teak or kush. I'm left with a faint amber-lemon on the skin and no throw at all.   It's so lovely that I'm going to order a bottle for those times when I really want to wear a scent, but shouldn't (on an airplane etc).
TPOD

TPOD

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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Mania

Mania is one of my favorite scents and I can't believe I haven't reviewed it - but then I'm a lazy reviewer.   To my nose Mania is a very juicy, summery scent. It evokes a pale strawberry red tinged with green. I do well with red musk and fruits and that's precisely what I get with Mania although it leans far more towards the fruit end. For me, there's no grapefruit and it seems practically like single note strawberry grounded by red musk. I can't recall that I've ever smelled a strawberry leaf, so I can't speak to the subtle distinction that may exist between leaf and fruit . . .   Mania has quite a bit of throw and duration. Two drops in my hair serum is all I need for 12+ hours of fruity loveliness.
TPOD

TPOD

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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Juke Joint

Bourbon is my very favorite spirit, so I was excited about Juke Joint.   It's weird, I almost wonder if my imp is labeled incorrectly. I can't smell any bourbon or mint or sugar. To me, it just smells like a wood scent and then it quickly disappears.   Actually, Delirium1009's description of a gritty dirt scent is quite apt.   My skin eats this up and it's completely gone in 20 minutes. I am
TPOD

TPOD

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