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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!
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April Fool 2008

The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. - Mark Twain   The Fool is many things, but rarely is he foolish. He is the inscrutable zero, he is innocence perfected, and he is the nothing from which all things are created. It is the Fool that reveals truth and brings wisdom to King Lear, and it is the Fool that finally finds the Holy Grail.   Huckleberry, white rose, tangerine, nicotiana, lemon blossom, and Fool's Parsley.   Reviewed 04/27/2008   Wet: Wow, that's a sharp herbal. Yikes.   Drydown: I'm getting the rose now, a hint of citrus, and a sweetness I'm guessing is the huckleberry. It's still grounded by a green herbal I'm assuming is the parsley, but it's lost that knife-sharp edge that I was getting before. This is definitely not what I was expecting, but it's very pretty and it lasts a really long time.

Rovylern

Rovylern

 

Will call april 20

Darn site issues wiped my last entry & updates.       I went to the willcall for BPAL with J. The Theme was Miskatonic Valley Baseball.   My nose broke a few times from too many fragrances. I had to go outside more than a few times. It was nice to have an objective nose there with me. J talked me out of Violet Ray (turned too "baby powder." Must be the lilac in it, as violets work nicely on me) & April Fool (turned to soap). I would have bought them for their in bottle scent & then not been able to wear them. We also discovered we have completely different body chemistry. Some things were strong on one- faded to nothing on the other. Also, she interprets musk as dirty. I interpret the lighter musks as sexy & the darker as sweat. Oh, and J smelled my boobs, as I couldn't get close enough to smell them. Teehee!   Anyway, I bought Swank for J (it is magic on her skin). I got Moana (a surprise like! It smells gorgeous on me after drydown) & MVJBA (the guppies shirt & pennant as well). And I got a box of Cracker Jack!   I renewed my love for Mock Turtle & Bruised Violet Compound. I also reevaluated my dislike for Eat Me & Drink Me. I remain confused about Drink Me, as it turns to kettle corn on me. But Eat Me turned to chocolate. And I like the name for rude reasons. So, I have new options for later orders.   I have learned I *must* have an objective nose & test for drydown before buying from now on. I'm going to go through my current supply of precious & weed out stuff that doesn't work after drydown & offends the noses of others.

quigza

quigza

 

whee

I'm about to update my list. I got a bunch of imps in swap. One of which is Alice. I had formerly thought Alice smelled "off." But, as I got it in a swap. I figured I ought to try it. It smells light & lovely on me. Very much like the tea I used to drink as a kid. Both floral & food. Yum!   I'm currently wear a bit of the Seraglio imp I got. I'm not sure on this one. It doesn't smell bad. It just is a neutral "perfumey" scent on me. No notes really stand out after it reaches dry down. Kinda sad, as it smells nifty in the imp.   To try: Lady Macbeth Ophelia Veil Endymion   Funny note: My boyfriend (now ex) has my imps of Eos & Fenris Wolf (not ex for the theft! ). I don't mind the fenris being gone. But the Eos? He calls it his "sleepytime" perfume vial. I guess it helps him sleep. LOL

quigza

quigza

 

Will Call

I went to the will call as soon as i got out of overtime at work. I made it at about 9:30. The people there were sooo nice in helping me & not laughing at my sniffing my arms & asking for help with the TAL oils (to help get through work issues).   I tried: March Hare (It smelled so sweet & spicey at first. But then it turned to pure clove, which I haven't been able to stand since I stopped smoking cloves) Bruised violet compound (a prototype, I love this scent. It's violets, but not powdery or extremely girlie... If violet took off the lace gloves, put on wraps, and went to krav maga) Persephone (I can't stand it in the bottle. But I tried it on. It gets better & better as it dries down on me. fruity & rosey in just the right balance) Yvaine (it's so awesome wet. Then it turns to plain ol' magnolia- which I don't like. Then it turns to soap) Tiki queen (this turned into Malibu rum on me after 15 minutes) Screeching Parrot (this hit me like a brick of tropical fruit & nauseated me) Sugar Moon (sweet & light & lovely) Lunar Eclipse (this smelled like dust... then faded to nothing)   I bought: Sugar Moon (one for me, one for Mom) Persephone White Light (TAL) Fiery Wall of Protection (TAL)   Sooner or later I'll start writing reviews. But, for now, the above works.

quigza

quigza

 

Sunrise With Sea-Monsters

Sunrise With Sea-Monsters: Ocean mist, kelp, ambergris, amber, white pear, osmanthus, freesia, and seafoam accord.     In the imp: Lots of delicious ocean mist, a bit of kelp, and the seafoam. Not detecting any freesia, pear, or amber in this.   On me: I definitely feel the humor in this, I can visualize funny looking sea-monsters splashing around. This is wonderfully blended, as I can't pick out any notes in particular. It definitely reminds me of the ocean.

meeow712

meeow712

 

Faith

Faith: Sugared Violets   In the imp: A very sweet sharp violet softened by delicious sugar   On me: True to the imp, smells much like it did in the imp. Soft and sweet, yet still sharp and deliciously violet. I definitely need to get Hope & Faith bottles!

meeow712

meeow712

 

Phoenix Steamworks

Glowing liquid passes through the fogged retorts of ancient alembics, sparks fly from behind a massive workbench, and a cloud of thick incense smoke hangs low, all casting strange and surreal flashes of light and shadow on tall bolted-steel walls. The chug and hum of gargantuan machines echo through the chamber.   Burnished gold and oiled bronze notes with Abramelin incense and sage.   Reviewed 04/21/2008   I can't remember exactly what I wrote last night, since it got lost in the forum burp. But I do remember that this smelled exactly like a perfume I had as a child called Topaz. It came in a bottle shaped like a lamb, and I'm not sure who made it. I probably won't ever wear this, but I'll sniff it every once in a while to go back to that innocent time in my life.

Rovylern

Rovylern

 

Spring Training 2008

Since 1928, Mother Shub and her brood have been providing the snack shacks of the Miskatonic Valley with a bevy of otherworldly sweets and baked treats. This year, Mother Shub has created a promotional perfume oil that embodies the scent of her famous Peanut Brittle Caramel Popcorn. Iä! Shub-Niggurath! Thank you for an eon of community support!   Reviewed 4/22/2008   In the bottle: Hot, dripping-with-butter popcorn.   Wet: Buttery popcorn, and a hint of sweetness coming out.   Drydown: The popcorn settles down and sweet caramel comes forward. I'm not getting anything peanut-y at all. The caramel note is amazingly real, and combined with the lingering butter it reminds me of fresh, homemade caramels being pressed into a buttered pan. Fairly low throw, but decent wear length; I couldn't wait to get home and slathered some on right there in the post office after I picked up the package. That was about three hours ago, and it hasn't faded much at all despite the fact that my skin drinks oils for breakfast. I can't wait to try this in my scent locket tomorrow!

Rovylern

Rovylern

 

Goodness!

Two things:   One: Blood Kiss was just tainted by the Loviatar under it - it does NOT turn to baby powder! YAY! Mmmm.   Two: Random post told me to put it on my collar bone, and jawline, and now I'm feeling sooooo good.   I LOVE YOU GUYS.   and BPAL.   and this place.   and everything but the snow outside. grr.

lacyjae

lacyjae

 

The Flower Song

The Flower Song: Pomegranate wine, lotus root, river reeds, hyssop, and barley.   In the bottle: Not floral, as the title would suggest. I get sweet pomegranite and lotus, with something else I can't identify (I don't know what hyssop and barley smell like).   On me: Oh this scent was made for me! The predominant notes are pomegranate and plum (no plum listed, but it smells like plum to me), with deliciously sweet lotus root and river reeds right behind them. I'm sure the hyssop and barley are there, I just don't know how to find them. This is exquisitely blended, and works wonderfully on me. This was a last minute, unsniffed add on a whim even though most of the Lupercalias didn't do much for me. I'm so glad this fell into my shopping cart!

meeow712

meeow712

 

Dragon Moon update - thoughts

THE BUGGRE ALLE THIS BIBLE: Crumbling paper and ancient cracked leather with a touch of tobacco leaf and incense. As much as I love the concept (and that part of GO), this isn't gonna work for me.   JASMINE COTTAGE: Camellia, jasmine, heather, orange blossom, osmanthus, wisteria, thyme, angelica, freesia, granny’s nightcap, and English wildflowers. Floral death. Nope.   NANNY ASHTORETH: Middle Eastern flowers, amber, honey, blood red-berries, whip leather, and polished paddle wood. Torn. 4/6 notes are great, but flowers are iffy, and leather has yet to work for me.   PEPPER: Wild English roses, French gardenia, vanilla, honey, golden ginger, blood orange, tuberose, bergamot, and geranium. I tried a prototype of this at ECWC at Thanksgiving, and I really liked it. I have no idea what the relation between that and this is; the notes list is frighteningly floral.   WENSLEYDALE: An immaculately clean scent: well-scrubbed soapy skin and fresh cotton. I also tried a prototype of this. I thought it was horribly floral.   ++ AMERICAN GODS   THE IFRIT: Desert sand, red musk, blackened ginger, dragon’s blood resin, black pepper, cinnamon, and tobacco. I want to like this. Tobacco is not my friend, however. If the good notes overwhelm the tobacco, it could be awesome.   THE NORNS’ FARMHOUSE: Dusty, ancient wood, horehound, and sage, with viper’s bugloss, mugwort, chamomile, nettle, apple blossom, chervil, and ashes. Dust? Ashes? Pass.   ++ STARDUST   THE EAST: The scent of the winds beyond the wall: bluebonnet, passion flower, freesia, jasmine tea, mint, thyme, and redcurrant. Too much floral.   THE STORMHOLD: Creeping moss, slick granite, murky vetiver, lightning-charged ozone, and icy rain. Tried a prototype of this, too. Ick. It gets all those images from the passage, but ... so very not for me.   ++ DOC CONSTANTINE'S PHARMACOPOEIA   BRUISED VIOLET COMPOUND: Crushed violets, red currant, patchouli root, and Spanish moss. Violets = no. Moss isn't very good for me, either.   NOSTRUM REMEDIUM: Black tea leaf, invigorating wasabi extract, sweetened by honey. Intriguing. This could be a tea scent that smells like tea on me...   SLIPPERY POPPY TINCTURE: Poppy flowers, acai berry, and honey. Pass? No idea what poppy flowers smell like.   STIMULATING SASSAFRAS STRENGTHENER: Sassafras, vanilla extract, oak leaf, CO2 butter extract, and onycha. Sniffed a prototype of this. Liked. Would try again.   ++ PHOENIX STEAMWORKS AND RESEARCH FACILITY   PHOENIX STEAMWORKS: Burnished gold and oiled bronze notes with Abramelin incense and sage. Not a big fan of metallic scents, and I've got Philosopher in Meditation for my Abramelin needs.   AELOPILE: Glowing amber and citrus, labdanum, verbena, cedar, and oud. ? I like amber, citrus, verbena, and cedar, not sure for labdanum & oud.   THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM: Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco. Again with the tobacco...   THE COIL: Ozone, eucalyptus and mint with purple orchid, passionflower, white ginger, and purple lotus. No - ozone, mint.   ETHER: Translucent blooms, ethereal white resins, and davana. Doubtful. Sounds like a headache in a bottle.   GALVANIC GOGGLES: Metallic notes with Indian musk, tobacco flower, and African balsam. Tobacco flower is different than tobacco, but metallic? Meh.   NO. 93 ENGINE: Balm of Gilead, benzoin, frankincense, balsam of peru, beeswax, saffron, galbanum, calamus, hyssop, mastic, lemon balm, and white sage. Balm of Gilead might be eucalyptus. Frankincense is iffy. Benzoin is nice. Hard to say...   THE OBSIDIAN WIDOW: Pinot noir, dark myrrh, red sandalwood, black patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and attar of rose. Jasmine + rose = hell no.   THE ROBOTIC SCARAB: Polished metallic notes, glossy leather, frankincense, star anise, and thin lubricating oils. Again with the metals...   SMOKESTACK: Creosote, coal, and industrial waste. I'm sure there's someone who finds this idea appealing, but that person is not me.   VIOLET RAY: White mint, purple musk, violet, lilac, ylang ylang, lavender moss, and sandalwood. Intriguing, but no.

akiko

akiko

 

Beltane 08

Beltane 08: Mugwort, French rose, Lily of the Valley, broom, frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, foxglove, woodruff, rowan wood, ivy, sandalwood, spring mint, thyme, iris, copal, and night blooming jasmine.   In the bottle: Green!! This is a deliciously green Spring scent. I definitely get mint, but it blends in really well with the herbs and greens I'm smellling. I don't get any flowers out of this, but I'm sure they're hiding there somewhere.   On me: It was deliciously minty for about 10 seconds, and then the mint lost its sweetness and turned bitter. And then I began smelling like some sort of scented cleaning product. NOT good. No mint, no herbs, no flowers, only cleaning product. Hours later, it faded into a very faint floral but that's it.   Unfortunately, this totally bombed on me. And it smelled soooo good in the bottle.

meeow712

meeow712

 

Wow but this sucks

We had some bad news at work today. It makes us sound like dogs...oooh boy we get to be retrained. Nothing is final yet and it sounds like everything is up in the air because they haven't made any decisions, but it sounds like most of our 'redeployment' options are going to be customer-facing jobs. I don't want to do customer-facing. It isn't my cup of tea when it comes to the banking industry. Yeah, let's get a job where we have to push credit cards and accounts at customers. Um, no. I don't do selling.   My Western Diamondback got a work out today. It's my #1 comfort scent and one of 3 roller imps I've got at work. We had the announcement. I took a short break and slathered WDB when I got back to my desk around 11. I refreshed it around 2 and again when we got home tonight.   Yeah, no BPALz for us at this point. No, I'm not out of a job like some of the unfortunate people at other companies who were told today their jobs were going overseas. But it's possibly the same thing if the alternatives are things I don't want to do. I already can't stand my job. This is going to make getting a new one harder, especially since I'd considered changing over to another area which is one of the areas that is affected.   I had already wanted to cut back BPAL (and other) spending because I want to work harder at getting a house and with about $1500 in savings far from enough to be a down for a house. Then I'd really like to get some medical stuff taken care of. I found out one of 2 things I want/need done costs approx $12kNZ. I have no idea on the 2nd thing but I'm guessing it's going to be at least the same, if not more. And beyond the 2 there is another major thing which would probably cost about $50kNZ.   I have a lot of scents I enjoy. So does my wife. I'll sit back and read the updates, do some swaps and maybe order the odd bottle for each of us. But no more big orders.  

vultureguy

vultureguy

 

Boo.

So, I've been into this thing for.. well, long enough to amass something like 50 imps with far too many more on the way. It's taking time to get through them all but I love smelling them to pick one to wear, and seeing how they smell.   In any case, I'm finding that no matter what, my body chemistry changes everything to baby powder, or possibly soap, during "that time of the month." Grrrr. It's tough!   I haven't tried enough, but so far only Blood Kiss is any good on me at this time of the month.     The search goes on! I keep noting which ones aren't, at least.

lacyjae

lacyjae

 

Tiresias, the Androgyne

Tiresias, the Androgyne: Dark, moody, and bittersweet: black currant, patchouli, tobacco, cinnamon leaf, caramel, muguet, and red sandalwood.   In the imp: It smells totally foody, I get A LOT of sweet caramel. No sign of patchouli, tobacco, cinnamon, or sandalwood. Maybe a bit of currant.   On me: OMG it is heavenly!! And it morphs. The throw smells all foody and caramelly. When I put my nose up to my wrist to sniff (which I've been doing very frequently), it's a completely different scent. I get a caramel sweetened black currant with a fair amount of red sandalwood to balance it out and make it non-foody. I LOVE THIS!!! It has very good throw and medium wear time. I wish I would have brought some with me to work to reapply. A bottle of this is definitely needed.

meeow712

meeow712

 

Zarita, the Doll Girl

Zarita, the Doll Girl: Soft, yet sociopathic: white carnation, iris, orange blossom, and sugared cream.   In the imp: A floral-ish cream? Yum!!   On me: a nice sweetened floral blend, but I think I need to wear this again before deciding on whether or not I need a bottle.

meeow712

meeow712

 

Lucretia

Lucretia, Albrecht Dürer: Iris, black amber, sage, Kashmir wood, vanilla musk, mandarin and violet.   In the bottle: There was something funky in here that my nose didn't like, it might have been the Kashmir wood but I'm not sure.   On me: This totally transformed into a delicious spiked violet/sage with a little amber in the background scent. Wow! I sniffed at the test site all night, really enjoying this one. What a change from bottle to skin. This may very well be on its way to becoming a favorite.   Violets: I didn't think violets were my thing, but I think I've been converted into a violet lover between Lucretia and Faith.

meeow712

meeow712

 

Valentine of Rome

Valentine of Rome: Ecclesiastical incense, Roman flora, and the fruits of martyrdom: cypress, olive blossom, frankincense, myrrh, and blood accord.   In the bottle: I got incense, but with something harsh in there. Maybe it was vetiver, even though it's not listed? Vetiver and I have a love/hate relationship, but it usually ends up being hate.   On me: The vetiver-ish note toned down some, but there was something ash-like that I really wasn't enjoying. There was incese too, but not enough to overpower the vetiver/ash thing going on.

meeow712

meeow712

 

Chokmah

Chokmah: The Primordial Point of Creation, Mazloth, Being Out of Nothingness, the Origin of Thought and the source of the 32 Ways of Wisdom.   In the bottle: It smelled a bit medicinal, maybe like iodine?   On me: Firstly, it stained my skin just like iodine. And then it deifnitely smelled like iodine on me. After about an hour it softened up a bit to a kind of incensey iodine? Not good.

meeow712

meeow712

 

Bigger Critter

Bigger Critter: A deceptively sweet scent; just like the Critters themselves, the perfume is fluffy, poofy, soft, snuggly, and googly! Five vanillas with Moroccan jasmine, white gardenia, and pink grapefruit. The bottles that accompany the Critters have a grr-specially kyoot label, designed by Jennifer Williamson.   In the bottle: I want to eat this!!! It's vanilla grapefruity yuminess.   On me: It smells like VOMIT. I tried the teeniest swatch on me, and smelling it was making me nauseous. And no matter how hard I scrubbed I couldn't get the scent off. Very very gross.

meeow712

meeow712

 

Kataniya, the Clockwork Woman

Kataniya, the Clockwork Woman: Gentle flowers over hot metal, shocked to life with electricity.   In the imp: a nice, non-overpowering floral.   On me: a sharp almost-metallic floral. Unfortunately it didn't have much throw or wear time. As it faded it lost the sharp metallic smell and became a soft floral. But it did smell VERY good on me while it lasted!

meeow712

meeow712

 

Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo

Category: Bewitching Blends -- The Conjure Bag   In the imp, it had an almost licorice-like quality to it, with lemondrops mixed in.   Wet, it smelled like bubblegum -- fresh, pink, juicy sugary gum.   Oddly enough, as it dried, there was a sort of...flowery note to it...or perhaps an herbal one...rather powdery and faint and intriguing, after that straight-up sacchirine candy goodness...almost as if Aunt Caroline is revealing her true talents behind that candy-coated mask! Unfortunately, as time went on, it turned plasticky. Very disappointing...   Had it stayed in the candy stages, I probably would have liked it a lot more. It does have a soothing quality to it, but quite frankly, *all* the BPAL scents do that for me. If I encounter a bad smell or am having a bad moment, I'll sniff at my wrists and feel better for a bit.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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