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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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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Skuld

Skuld is a frimp from the Lab. Thanks guys!!!   I would never have ordered this on my own,because I don't get along well with ylang-ylang and I did not have good luck with Urd (I know that shouldn't matter . . . but).   In the imp it is quite floral and honied. I've had recent success with O, so I decide to give it a shot. After a few moments of worrying ylang-ylang, things settle down to a sweet verging on cloying scent that reminds me of fermenting fruit or maybe mead. Once the ylang-ylang dissipates, I am left with a gorgeous honey with light resins.   After it passed the home test, I put a drop in my hair and wore it to work. One of the guys at work followed me around all day flirting with me. He said "there's something different about you today. . ." I don't know, maybe it was the Skuld. I did smell pretty good.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Snake Oil

**pouts**   I put off ordering Snake Oil, because the description was just too vague, but since everyone loves it, I decided to give it a chance.   In the bottle SO smells of nice spicy vanilla. mmmm. As soon as it touches my skin, it turns to a gigantic pile of clean disposable diapers. Since diapers aren't really that sexy IMO I'm going to age it for a year, and it if doesn't shape up, SO will be up for adoption.   It actually reminded me quite a bit of Titus Andronicus, only a bit more feminine. Like pink diapers instead of blue. I have a mostly unfounded and untested suspicion that benzoin is the culprit in my diaper/play-doh/band-aid problems and that aging really smooths it out and 'cures' it. We'll see.   ETA: Fast Forward to June 19 2008 - OMG! Snake Oil from the Cellar has absolutely done wonderful delicious things during its banishment. Luckily, I am too lazy to swap or sell things. I wore it today and NOW I see what all the fuss is about. No diapers, it's just deliciously spiced sugary vanilla. I hope my other cellared oils turn out this good! I want to age it forever, but I'm afraid I'll use it all up so I can see I'll have to order some more. F
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Fruitcake

Fruitcake is lovely. Boozy, fruity, nutty creaminess. It's quite delicious from start to finish with average duration and throw.   It smells quite a bit like a softer, sweeter version of Hellcat on me. I'd buy a bottle if I ran out of Hellcat.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Peitho

Peitho was one of the very first imps that I ordered because I liked the name and I didn't know that I can't wear florals. So, I tried it 4 months ago, deemed it too old-lady-ish and sadly put it away.   Recently I have come back to it because I'm having terrible luck with florals and I need something more spring/summery (hey, it's coming eventually). In my initial notes I had remarked that it didn't turn to sour dead plants on me unlike practically every other floral and I am tired of being told that I smell "like incense" every freakin' day no matter what I wear.   Well, I have to say that I do like this. I think this is about as light and floral as I am going to be able to go, and it is very pretty. Normally, I amp jasmine to a sickening degree but it is actually present and yet polite in this blend. The throw is mostly jasmine and lily and girly and pretty. Next to my skin is a lovely light vanilla musk.   I'm so happy I can smell like a girl when I want to. (that's me in the bow). I'm getting a 5ml.   UPDATE: Peitho is still one of the very few florals in my collection. I don't turn to it very often because I gravitate to resins and woods and foody scents. Nearly two years later I pulled it out on a whim and wore it today. I am in utter lust with this blend. It has sweetened and mellowed. The vanilla did that magical thing and the jasmine is a positive delight. This went from being a solid 3.5 to a five star blend. O Beth! How I love you!   I'm ordering another bottle for cellaring!   PS if you like this, you might like Eos
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Desire

sexy as hell. So, naturally I ordered a bottle.   Trouble is, the bottle doesn't really smell much like what I had in the imp. There is something really too sharply sour and nasty that just kind of overtakes everything.   I am going to try this later and hope for different chemistry. I suspect it needs to be aged to get that sharpness out and mellow into the smooth, rounded scent that it should be.   ETA: 5 months later and I pulled it out of the cellar and tried it. Things are much, much better. It's no longer sharp, but it hasn't yet reached it's full potential. I could and will wear it now, so I can watch the progress a bit more closely.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Titus Andronicus

According to the description, and in the imp, Titus smells like something I am sure to love. Mmmm. Spicy resins and lovely bergamot!!.   So, I put some on, and immediately a big pile of clean fresh diapers looms into view. Uh oh. I adore amber and I thought I could do it in any form, but not here!!   After a bit, I get a sour, spoiled scent that makes me a bit nauseous. I have to wash it off. WTH? I was really looking forward to this scent.   I'm going to try it again in a couple months and see what develops.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Velvet

This was the first imp I tried out of my last order, because it just smelled so terrific in the imp. I'm happy to say that it worked very well for me - of course food scents and woods and resins like me. I'm not sure exactly what myrrh smells like, but I could detect a spiciness with the cocoa and the sandalwood that I'm pretty sure was myrrh. It didn't really transform itself as so many other BPAL scents do, it stayed nicely balanced.   I had to reapply at mid-day and the throw was light to moderate. I could smell it, but nobody told me I smelled like any thing in particular today. (So far in my BPAL journey, I have been told I smell like: a bookstore, incense, cherry ice cream, a hippie, an old lady, vanilla, a candle and a "stench" )   You guys are not going to believe this, but I've never smelled Snake Oil because the description just never really tripped my trigger and I'm just not a huge vanilla fan. Today I kept thinking maybe Velvet is like a chocolatey version of Snake Oil??? Perhaps I will try it.   I'm currently working my way through several cocoa scents, I hope they're all this nice.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Midnight Kiss

The lab sent me TWO frimps of this with my last order and it's a darned good thing. I've already ordered a bottle and I should've ordered more. Please, please don't run out of this before I can get more!!!!   BTW, this breaks my rule of not ordering imps of limited editions. I don't didn't want to get all addicted to something that I might not be able to get. See how the fates conspire against me. I also would not have ordered this because of the wine note and a bad experience with cocoa. In general, the lab is doing a better job of picking winners for me than I am. I think my next sample order will just say "you choose for me please".   Anyway, on to the review. This is everything I had hoped Boomslang would be and just wasn't (it was plastic chocolate band-aid). However, Midnight Kiss is yummy chocolate (more milk than dark) when wet. As it dries I get a lovely floral fruitiness (uh, fruit?) that is grounded by a smoky woody wine. I'm in love.   This has patchouli in it, and I'm going to have to quit saying I hate patchouli, because Beth is proving me oh so wrong.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Black Pearl

First try with much anticipation because the description sounds so perfect and divine: how odd, this is so . . . salty, that's clever, like the ocean, but wait. . . the saltiness reminds me of something else. . . OMG it is PLAY-DOH!!!! This smells exactly like play-doh on my skin. It even reminds me of a time when I was 5 or 6 and my best friend got the play-doh barbershop and we played that thing to death. This is too strange.   Second try: I can't give up on this!!! Sadly, it is still play-doh. I get no lovely coconut or hazelnut. Maybe the faint hint of the iris. It's just salty play-doh. I am sad.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Lysander

The first time I tried a bit of this it was changing so quickly it was hard to keep up. At first sniff, I got an intensely foody smell, that i couldn't specifically pinpoint. My brain just knew it was food. On, it was a bit like cologne, a brief, weird chemical smell that makes my nose feel all prickly and funny. Finally, it settled down to a nice floral violets or lilac I presume with a bit of lime. Overall it was very intriguing.   The next day, I confidently dolloped on quite a bit and went out to do errands. Unfortunately the entire time, I was enveloped in a cloud of weird chemical tangy-ness that I just didn't care for. No floral, no lime, no food. I think it's the benzoin that is doing this to me. This is the first real encounter I've had with it and I don't think it works for me. I'm sad, because I love resins and the description of this sounded so perfect for me.   If you get along with benzoin, I think you should try this. I think it has the potential to be truly fabulous on either gender.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Boomslang (The Snake Pit)

I was so excited about Boomslang! I nearly ordered a bottle merely based on the description, but ended up buying an imp from a forumite.   Sadly, boomslang on me is not the wonderfulness that I expected (and that everyone else seems to enjoy). Upon hitting my skin, it immediately turns into a big ol' chocolate bandaid. It literally smells like some cheap scratch'n'sniff similacrum of chocolate. I could just . There is some nice stuff lurking in there, but I just can't get past the bandaids.   ----Waddles off to get a scent locket with fingers crossed.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Ravenous

Is there really civet in this????   Anyway, I'm surprised at how much I like this. I ordered an imp, purely because I liked the name and then realized, uh oh, it has patchouli! I smelled it in the imp and thought "No Way" and put it aside for awhile.   Turns out, it actually worked quite well for me, I'm not getting any sweaty socks patchouli, just a warm creamy orange. There is something dark there though, it is reminiscent of chocolate for me, which some other people have mentioned. Actually, it is uncannily like dark chocolate & raspberry.   This oil is incredibly strong. I put on a normal amount and over 4 hours later I am still radiating great clouds of scent. The cashier at the grocery store said she liked it, but I feel way too 'smelly'. I also noted that it kind of burned or tingled. Hmmm. I will apply less next time.   I'm curious to see if my mother can detect the patchouli. She loathes it and can smell it a mile away. If not, then red patchouli may be possible for me.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Casanova

I must second dirtytrip's review. I love lavender and bergamot and they really do this scent justice. I wore this to bed last night and I find it very invigorating. I had no problem waking up this am and it was still evident on my skin (I had slathered though).   I don't care for anise or patchouli and thankfully, I can't detect them at all. I also can't specifically detect amber or tonka, but I can tell that something is rounding out this scent I think the tonka is smoothing things out and the leather seems to really last on my skin. My first experience with BPAL's leather note and I think I need more.   Normally I end up with smoky/resinous scents and can't get along with florals, but here the citrus and lavender give me a much brighter scent to work with. It's definitely not girly, but I think I'll be able to wear this and i think it will be lovely for autumn, winter and spring.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

Hellcat

Hellcat is wonderful!! Smelling it in the imp it seems like the perfect shot, sweet, delicious and ready to knock you on your butt.   I'm not sure such a food/alcohol smell is a good idea but, WTH I slather it on and wear it to work. By the time I get to work, I can smell a wonderful spicy warm, toasted caramel. It stays pretty much like that all day, after about 6 hours, I can still smell a little, but I'm loving it so much that I reapply a little. Mmmm.   I smell like the world's largest hazelnut candle, but I don't care, I'm in love and I can't believe that nobody says how great I smell. Oh well, if they don't like it, that's tough because I'm going to wearing a lot of this all winter long.
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Hoyden's BPALog
 

I Died For Beauty

I got this as a frimp. Thanks!   Too bad I can't give a positive review. Wet: An overpowering floral that I think is the ylang-ylang. YY is not something I'm familiar with though.   Dry: Oddly this seems to come and go on me. After a short time, I think it is almost entirely gone, and then I get a few moments of very pleasant, soft, violets. So lovely. They fade away too quickly and then I'm left with really strong paint thinner or turpentine smell. This is strongly evocative to me of my grandmother's china painting studio. The only other thing that has (so far) reminded me of that was a single note of Red Mandarin - though only when wet.   I have trouble with florals in general. sigh.
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Lemonlife's Blog
 

Sturgeon moon will call

It's always so fun to go to the will calls! Chatting with people who get the madness & sniffing all the pretty scents. I made a new friend, Stephanie. We split A Hope/Faith set. I got Dyan Moon & Long Night Moon baby doll shirts... and a 5ml of Saturnalia (can you tell i like violet?).   I loved Sturgeon moon. Aquatic, but fresh. It smells almost tasty!   Penumbra had a note of sweat in the purpley goodness, so I didn't even apply it.   Crawdad started off with sugary fruity goodness. But, it faded fairly quickly down to blueberry on me.   I ended up sniffing & testing the grindhouse & snake pit. I have come to the conclusion that snake oil dislikes me, with the exception of boomslang. This is disappointing. But, I guess it's best for my wallet. Only one of the grindhouse gals smelled nicely on me. I, sadly, cannot remember which. It was sugary/desserty though. So, there's only a couple it could have been   Anyway, I believe i'll be ordering chaos theory & sturgeon moon. I love the idea of chaos theory!
quigza

quigza

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Cam's Blog
 

Oberon

Another review from my 7/9 order.   OberonOrchid, white musk, and bergamot wafting over juniper berries, with a gentle touch of soft, earthy patchouli. In the bottle, this smells so nice. Musky, yet fresh and green; it's pretty sexy. Unfortunately, neither I nor my hubby can wear it. On both of us, it smells too soapy and too powdery. A shame.
cam

cam

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Lemonlife's Blog
 

DRAGON Cave

Original descriptions: Skydancer - She was rather moody growing up. But, she has come into her own since maturing. Though still a tad insecure, she has a powerful voice that has been known to soothe drough stricken lands, and level entire forests. Yet, she also has a sense of humour. She assures me that she has nothing to do with the static electricity being so bad today   Wajah - Wajah is a special dragon. She sits in a burrowed hole and comments loudly at the world. But, unlike Oscar the Grouch, she is cheering the world on. She always has a smile and a friendly holler for you. We don't know why she cheers. But, she does so with a solid determination. Rock on, Wajah. Rock on.   Sunriser - Sunriser is our little ball of energy. She literally is up with the sun every single morning. I've been trying to channel her energy into something productive, but she won't focus! I thought she'd grow out of this by now. Oh, no... she just took off with the twins!!! Sunriser!!!! They're eggs, not toys!   Shy Violet - What is there to say about Violet? She loves her namesake. For her BPALs, she switches between Faith & Saturnalia. She is quiet, demure, perhaps a little fussy at times. She's the one responsible for the lace curtains and aromatic diffusers in the cave. Her scales are perfectly ordered, and any egg or hatchling in her path is thoroughly clean.   ------------- Updates:   Skydancer: Skydancer disavows any knowledge of humidity & flash flood warnings. She also has pointed out that she's a girl and has taken up wearing Violet Ray. I suspect Shy Violet's influence.   Wajah: Wajah loves you. Wajah says you smell pretty. Wajah smells of my missing bottle of Bliss.   Sunriser: Sunriser has a new hobby. I'm not sure what it is, beyong it involving yarn. But, it keeps her occupied and out of trouble. So, as far as I'm concerned, she's knitting.   Shy Violet: Shy Violet's circle of tidiness has expanded. She is wearing Saturnalia today. She and Patty are attempting to go vegan.   Nite Sprite: Has developed an avid interest in UFC. His favorite fighter has a broken nose & twisted shuolder right now, but still fights. Nite Sprite informs me this means the man is strong. For Nite's sake I won't state my opinion on the matter. Nite tends to go out at nights for his own fights. Does anyone know what a "triangle" is?   Lala Orange: Lala is a quiet, studious sort. I have no idea where she gets those musty old books from, but, she reads them as avidly as I read scifi & fantasy novels. So, there must be something to them. We both are Guppies fans (Go Guppies!). So, we have something to bond over. Lala seems to like TAL more than BPAL. She says she's wearing White Light right now. Something about Sunriser swiping a red thread & her needing to recenter herself.   Patty O'Green: She's quietly persuing a life of compassion. She's vegan. She cares for the hatchlings. She raises money for charities. (She even has me doing a walk for lupus! Walk for Lupus) She may be small, but she's going to make a difference!   The twins Red Butler: Red is wearing Brimstone. Or did he just start a fire? I' need to keep an eye on that one...   The Dark Princess: Princess likes to shop. She has a new Louis Vutton bag. I'm not sure exactly how she got it. She's way to big to fit in a shop. But, she's a very successful shopper. She got me these gorgeous red shoes with multiple straps that trace like a ladder to right above the ankles... Oh, her BPAL? Well, she claims to only wear Creed. But, she smells an awful lot like The Hanging Gardens.     The nursery The eggs and hatchlings are spotless (see Shy Violet). The little dino seems to think The Dark Princess is its mommy. She doesn't seem to have noticed. The little white and Patty get along wonderfully. Patty curls up next to the little one to keep it warm.     Edit to add: The little white has gendered! He's a boy!! Welcome, Twink.
quigza

quigza

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Forspecial Plate's Blog
 

Oh, and also.....

Continuing my previous posts.....how could I overlook the Snake Pit? I bought the whole thing when it first came out, swapped out a couple of those bottles (Asp Viper, Banded Sea Snake, Green Tree Viper, Australian Copperhead....okay, more than a couple), and I still want to get rid of Saw-Scaled Viper, eventually. But with the ones that I've kept, I doubt that I will need any kind of Snake Oil-related scent again, ever.......especially since I have 2 bottles of Snake Oil itself 'cellared' (and it's hard to believe one of them will be 2 years old in November!). Oh and I swapped that imp of Anaconda for Doc Buzzard, a worthy trade in my opinion.   So unless Snake Charmer is re-released, I am good on Snakey scents for a long, long time. At the rate I wear oils, I may never use them up completely.
forspecial_plate

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Forspecial Plate's Blog
 

(previous entry continued.....)

Inez and Aeronwen are both bottle worthy. And Wild Men of Jezirat Al Tennyn. Have to re-try all of those, and again, make some decisions. Carnaval Diabolique is totally worth a bottle, so I have that one to consider as well. And I haven't even tried Isaac yet!! : /   On the plus side, I have a nice, completely full, well-aged bottle of Mme. Moriarty that I love. Ditto Midnight On The Midway and Antonino.   The big problem is Chaos Theory. I've been wanting a new round of CT for a long, long time......and I really want at least 6 or 7 bottles, possibly more. There is no way I can get all of this stuff, I just can't swing it. I think I'm actually pushing aside CD in favor of CT. CD will be around longer (and we still have more acts), and CT will only be around for a few weeks. And Chaos Theory is just so.......special! It's like my own little bottle of uniqueness, and a complete surprise, and just fun, fun, fun.   So there ya go, I guess my decision is made. Buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a Chaotic ride!!
forspecial_plate

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Forspecial Plate's Blog
 

Oh, the indecision!

As we all know, the Carnaval is leaving town very soon. I have a pretty decent selection of CD scents that I like, even a few bottles. Now is the time to get off the fence and decide on a couple that I've been waffling over.   I had a decant of Wulric the Wolfman, and I did like it a lot. For some reason I swapped it or gave it away, I can't remember....probably because I thought I would end up getting a bottle. Well, I still haven't, and time is running out.   I have a bottle of Doc Constantine, but it's only half full, and I'm wondering if I should get more or just leave it at that.   .......actually now it's getting busy here at work, more later.
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Abstract Associations
 

Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht

Amber, cream accord, white honey, apple blossom, skin musk, caramel, and teak.   Reviewed 07/21/2008   In the bottle: Honey and apples. Mmm.   Wet: Caramel apples and soft amber. So far so good, the teak hasn't come out to play.   Drydown: The skin musk comes out and makes this much less foody. The apple and caramel fades out almost completely, but the honey lingers as a very soft sweetness. I get a hint of the teak at the very end of the wear, and it does give me a bit of the sawdust that most wood notes do on my skin. This fades out quickly, but has a good throw while it lasts.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Abstract Associations
 

Treat #2

A fine confection for discriminating trick or treaters: a fig meat, coconut, and buttercream bonbon rolled in orange rind, mint leaf, cardamom, clove and ginger, dipped in milk chocolate.   Reviewed 07/21/2008   In the bottle: Orange, chocolate, a hint of ginger.   Wet: Lots of orange, with a strong coconut note and a bit of chocolate.   Dry: There's still quite a bit of orange on top. I'm not getting any mint or spices, and the ginger note that was hinted at in the bottle has disappeared. Most of this is wonderful, but the coconut is a bit too strong for my tastes and I probably won't wear it often. Medium to light throw and medium weartime, if I were inclined to wear this for a whole day it would likely be a slatherer.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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