Blogs

Meskhenet, The Vulture Maiden

Meskhenet, The Vulture Maiden: Frankincense, hyssop, hibiscus, river reeds, orris root, palm frond, and olibanum. In the imp: A sweet floral - definitely liking this! On me: A deliciously sharp hibiscus with a little something sweet and something else I can't place as I don't know what most of these notes smell like. But this totally works and smells absolutely delicious on me. I definitely need a bottle!

April 10, 2008

Isaac, The Living Skeleton

Isaac, The Living Skeleton: Bourbon, tobacco, dry bone, bay rum aftershave, and sleazy cologne. In the imp: a blend of aftershave and cologne, definitely masculine. On me: I was scared of the tobacco, but thankfully I got NO tobacco at all. I got a touch of bourbon when I first applied it, but that faded away very quickly. And I ended up smelling like masculine incense, which isn't a bad thing. But I smell no bourbon, tobacco, aftershave, OR cologne. Weird. My skin seems to like turning perfume into incense. I would have liked to smell like the imp smelled. Oh well.

April 9, 2008

Juliet

In the imp: Sweet, sweet pear, and some kind of glaringly bright, almost chemical floral. On wet: Icky sweet pea (which, for whatever reason, hates me), and something that reminds me of my beloved Sleepy Moon! Unexpected and interesting! Drydown: There's something powdery in here - it's doing the same itchy-dusty thing to my nose that most orchid scents do. Aside from that...this is a really hard scent for me to pin down! I'm still getting the sickly sweet pea (if a flower could go "off" the way food does, that would be how I'd describe my nose's interpretation of that note), and I think the lilies and honeysuckle have banded together with it to form this gang of icky, overwhelming floral-ness. Can't tell if the heliotrope has jumped into the mix - my nose is being pummeled and robbed as I speak...er, type. I can tell you what I'm *not* smelling, though - white musk and pear! The two notes I was *hoping* to get a good dose of. Ain't that always the way? Overall: Another "not a good scent for me" blend. The florals are too sharp, too cloying, and none of them seem to like me very much. I was kinda hoping for the lilies, pear, and musk to dominate, but that simply was not to be. I'm not particularly surprised, though - sweet pea is one of my absolute ick notes, and honeysuckle isn't far behind, so I had reservations from the get-go - but the white musk fan in me had to at least give this scent a shot. Which I now have. 2/5

April 9, 2008

Epitaph

In the imp: Sharp, almost bitter perfume - the kind you'd expect little old church ladies to wear. On wet: It's sweetened up slightly - I can smell the lilies and the lightest brush of rose...but there's still a sour/bitter edge running underneath. Drydown: Wow, this is *definitely* not my cup of tea - it reminds me of scented garbage bags. There's this weird burnt-plasticky scent clinging to my skin, and a layer of sharp, generic floral perfume sitting on top of it - the overall result is so sharp, it's almost acrid. Overall: Traditional, intensely floral blends don't seem to work very well for me, and this one is, unfortunately, no exception. It started out unpleasant, and didn't morph much beyond a cloying floral sheet pulled over hot erasers. Aside from that tiny glimpse of roses and lilies in the wet stage, I wasn't able to pick out distinct flowers at any point. Not a good scent for my chemistry. 2/5

April 9, 2008

The Parliament of Monsters

The Parliament of Monsters: Dust, incense, wet tobacco, and a curl of opium smoke. I decided to wear it today for the first time, sniffed and wore it without looking at the notes. This makes the review a bit more amusing. In the imp: Delicious sweet incense with a touch of opium. Totally a Mia scent. On me: Wet, I got sweet opium incense. As it started drying though, another note became very prominent. It was familiar but I couldn't figure it out, other than it smelled kind of boozey. As I was driving to work I figured it probably wasn't good that I was going to show up smelling like booze, but it was already too late. The first thing I did when I got in was check the notes - tobacco! I've been smelling tobacco! By this time, I smell like tobacco and that's it: no dust, definitely no incense, no opium. It's a sweet wet tobacco thankfully, and not tobacco smoke....so it doesn't smell bad, but its definitely not something I want to smell like. Especially not when I'm a 3 hour meeting with people who were probably very confused at my scent..... Several hours later the tobacco has thankfully faded away and I now smell incense and opium again. This is definitely not a scent for me.

What ever happened to Generation X?

April 8, 2008

Two years

Two years ago today, my mother died. I guess I'm getting used to her not being here. But I don't know how, or if, I'll ever get over the pain of knowing I can never talk to her again. Even though our relationship was, at times, bumpy and dysfunctional, she was my mother. She loved me. I will never have another mother. It is a feeling of grief without any cure, without any remedy.

parrot_suspect

April 8, 2008

Arachnina, the Spider Girl

Arachnina, the Spider Girl: A swirling, hypnotic perfume of black currant, poppy, red and black musk, lilies, nicotiana, and patchouli. In the bottle: Black currand and poppy sweetness. Nice!! On me: This one is toying with me, big time. At first it smelled like a very nice blend of incense, which I do not mind at all as I loooove incense. Though I don't think I need any more incensey BPAL as I've got lots. And then....about 20 minutes later or so, it changes for the worse. I smell ash mixed with incense, cigarette ashes. Yuck! And I was already in the car heading to work so I couldn't shower it off. About 30 minutes later I got to work and sniffed again, thankfully the ash has toned down and now I get incense with a little ash mixed in. This one is definitely a negative.

April 7, 2008

Eshe, A Vision of Life-In-Death

Eshe, A Vision of Life-In-Death: The perfume of life-in-death: embalming herbs, black myrrh, white sandalwood, black orchid, paperwhites, tomb dust, and Moroccan jasmine. In the bottle: A sweet deep floral. On me: This is a very elegant, dress-up kind of scent. It's almost too perfumey, but the sandalwood seems to balance it out. The black orchid and jasmine stand out the most on me, and there is mutual love between us. The sandalwood seems to round out the scent so that it isn't floral overkill. This has amazing throw and lasts all day, always good. Plus the boy loved it, which says a lot because he is usually neutral about my perfume. This is definitely something to wear when you're dressed up. I felt very mismatched wearing it with my Wicked baseball t-shirt.

April 7, 2008

Argentwolf's Blog

All Night Long

Category: Bewitching Brews -- The Conjure Bag In the imp, it smelled warm and spicy, like cinnamon and other spices, with a sugary hint to it...as if someone sexy were baking something sweet in my kitchen! (Hey, one of the many ways to my heart is through my stomach...) If only it had remained like that. As it went on, it immediately smelled like red-hots, or Big Red gum. Not really my idea of sexy, now. An hour later, it's gone. Not even a remote trace of it left to sniff. So, no...not for me.

Argentwolf

April 6, 2008

Hope

Hope: Hope is sugared rose I'll start off with: I don't like rose. I have never liked rose-scented anything. It always always smelled like cheap $2 perfume to me. No rose in creams, sprays, anything scented. So, yes, I avoid rose. But, I gave this a shot and got a decant. In the bottle: I like rose? What? It was very sweet, which changed what I don't like about the rose smell into something yummy. I could like it! On me: I am so very confused. It's still rose, but that sweet rose that was awesome in the imp. It's much sweeter than regular rose, which makes me like it. I'm trying to tell my brain that not all rose is bad, and that this is good. Because it is good. But right now the nose and brain are at odds. I might have to wear this a few times before deciding on a bottle. But I really really liked Faith in the imp so if it's good on me..... ETA: I've since worn this several times and it is a beautiful rose scent that I *do* enjoy! I have to be in the mood for it, but when I am it is lovely. Bottle - oh yes.

April 4, 2008

Oya

Oya: Oya’s ofrenda is a Nigerian potion of love and war, sweetened by darkest plum. Oya winiwini! In the bottle: Sweet plum and a little woodsy undertone? On me: Wet it was a sweet plummy incense. When it began to dry down a bit it lost its sweetness and turned into a very dry woody scent that I couldn't place, which was disappointing. Then 10-15 minutes later the plummy sweetness came back to mix with the woody scent and I have a very sweet incense. I am loving the plum in this. And the way it morphs on my skin, which is loving it. This is a very purple scent (I'll have to resesarch Oya and see if purple is one of her colors).

April 3, 2008

Fae

Fae: A brilliant, ethereal scent: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss. In the imp: sweet and peachy. On me: The white musk and peach have blended beautifully on my skin!! In the background I smell a floral green, which I think is the heliotrope and oakmoss. It smells very meadowy and I can almost see the fairies. On me, it reminds me of Ebisu Making Love as Two Octopuses Look on. This is a great thing because I opted not to buy it, and instead got Dream of the Fisherman's Wife. Now that there's a GC scent that smells like it, I'm going to be all over it!! And it's $15 vs $27.50 - pretty big difference.

April 3, 2008

Snake Oil

Snake Oil: By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla. In the bottle: It smelled weird. A funky bitter spice, no vanilla at all. I sniffed it at different times thinking it was me, the moment, etc. Nope, still weird. Knowing all the rave about it and loooooving the entire Snake Pit, I decided to still give it a shot. On me: At first it was the same weird smell. And then it dried down to a lovely spicy vanilla. The spice toned down a bit, which took the bitter edge off while still leaving a lot of spice. And it blended really well with the vanilla to make it a very warm spicy scent. As the day goes by it's smelling different, I can't pinpoint it though. I think I want to buy a bottle and age it, since apparently it is better aged.

April 3, 2008

Bordello

Bordello: A decadent, deep perfume, lusty and luxuriant. The scent evokes images of velvet-lined Old West cathouses, tightly laced corsets, rustling petticoats and coquettish snarls of pleasure. Bawdy plum with amaretto, burgundy wine and black currant. In the bottle: A delicious fruity blend of plums and currants, plum dominating. I didn't get much amaretto except for a bit of sweet almond. And no wine either, but that's ok. On me: The plum deepened and the currant came out more. I got more amaretto, not too much, and a hint of the burgundy. It smelled very sensual on me, and it is definitely a "Mia" scent.

April 3, 2008

Blood Amber

Blood Amber: Slivers of warm, pulsating blood forever crystallized in golden amber resin. In the bottle: a very sweet amber. As an amber fan I'm in heaven. On me: A very toned down version of what's in the imp. It doesn't smell much like amber, and really smells like a commercial perfume. It also doesn't have much throw. Nothing spectacular.

April 3, 2008

Pisces

Pisces: Mutable water: the essence of faith. Hemp, opium poppy, sarsaparilla, grains of paradise, passion flower, wisteria, Irish moss, and gentian. In the bottle, a sharp green/white scent. I can't pick up any specific notes in this blend, but it is a very fresh green scent with a tiny bit of florals to warm it up some. It is very March. It lost a touch of its sharpness on me, but is still a bit sharp. I am liking this. I don't have any other BPALs that are even close to this one, so it's good for variety.

April 3, 2008

vultureguy's Blog

Wow.

It has been an intense and stressful day. Again. I didn't sleep well last night. I can't, won't, go into whys. That's personal. So I've put in an order for TKO and The Deep Ones. That is odd. Only putting in an order for *2* bottles is odd. I usually get in touch with the people I've enabled or the Hamilton BPALer to see if anyone wants to tack something on. Not this time, I really feel I need to get this order in ASAP so I can get TKO sooner, not later. I've got other bottles I want, especially GCs. I decided to hold off for now. It's been a Western Diamondback day. I put it on this am knowing it was going to be a busy day and that I had an appt after work that I needed some comfort for. Going to go put some more WDB on, chuck some more Baku on my pillow & see if I can sleep better tonight.

vultureguy

April 2, 2008

Loviatar

In the imp: Sweet powder and myrrh. On wet: Sweet powder and myrrh - maybe a touch of wood. Drydown: Leather and woodsmoke for a good while, then...smoked powder. Bleh. The red musk never showed, either. Overall: Evil powder scent = not for me. Amber never fails to disappoint on my skin, and myrrh's becoming more and more troublesome for some reason. This blend pulls a 2/5, thanks to my wannabe Dominatrix chemistry.

April 1, 2008

Yerevan

In the imp: Sweet, sweet apricot - almost fake fruity-sweet, like gum or candy. On wet: Yummy! Deep, rich apricot - the blindingly ripe, perfectly fuzzy kind - with just a hint of musky perfume underneath. Drydown: This is such a wonderful mix of musk and fruit. The apricot has melded with the plum (not getting any hint of the pom, but it could be in there, too), and the musk is sweet and heady and feminine. If there are any roses in here, they're well-blended, 'cause I can't smell 'em at all. Overall: Really lovely scent - and versatile, too. The sweet n' fruity angle covers everyday wear or fun/casual events, while the perfume-y side makes it appropriate for work or an evening out. It's a *titch* too heady for me, personally, but I'll definitely be keeping - and using - my imp. 4/5

April 1, 2008

BPAL Log

Thus Far . . .

I have been a fan of BPAL for years, however due to financial hardship and general madness, I can only recently really afford to splurge on their wonderful oils. I have ordered very lightly here and there throughout the years, which is easy to do since the oils last much longer than a bottle of perfume, and a little goes a long way, even on my fragrance-soaking skin. Now that I am in a better place, I intend to start collecting more seriously, at least more often, hence my account and blog here. The reason I started with BPAL was simply curiosity; I was intrigued by the artwork, poetry, and names of scents on their website (found through the Chateau Bizarre blog). As a lover of aesthetics (visual, sensual, anything) and fragrance, I decided to give them a try. The oils blew me away, and I've been a fan ever since, if not a big spender, sadly. I have tried, whether in imp or 5ml, 13 scents (ha, nice number). I own four 5ml bottles: De Sade, Snake Oil, and today I received Pool of Tears and Khandita. The rest are imps I still have in varying levels of fullness, and those would be: Haunted, Twilight, Cathedral, Katharina, Anne Bonny, Jester, Iago, and Bordello. There is one mysterious scent whose label fell off and I am currently tearing my room apart looking for, which is a pretty floral, heavier than my other scents. I am terrible at identifying notes, which leaves me in a bad spot trying to distinguish it enough to seek it out. I'm not an expert or artisan, simply a lover of a beautiful, pleasant atmosphere, and I find BPAL to greatly enhance any place it is worn to. Especially perfect for times outside the home, where you can't light a scented candle or burn up some incense!

lionheart

April 1, 2008

vultureguy's Blog

Tattoist/Piercer in Trouble!

I wonder if there would be a way to let Beth know about this, see if she'd be willing to consider doing a small donation like she does for the comic book fund? Or are they too stretched on donations already, with the ones they have? I'd buy a bottle just to be able to donate. Would it be too forward to drop an email to the Lab and mention it to them? I have a feeling this kind of injustice would be as close to Beth's heart as it is mine. I've got 3 (had 4) tats, got piercings too. (**Edited: I couldn't go to bed without emailing the Lab about it. I feel really silly doing that but I don't think it should have waited while I wrestled with my shyness). Here is the long version Linkie Thingie Here is a recent update Short version: a tattooist/piercer in UT is being harrassed because she refused to tattoo an under-age minor without a parent present. She even refused to sell the supplies so they couldn't pierce themselves. The minor has complained to the cops in this tiny po-dunk town saying that she and friends were able to view the shop's genital piercing book. Never mind that the "witness" story has changed several times. This book isn't left out for people to just view. Regardless, the cops have raided the parlor, taken a bunch of flash (come on, semi-nude fairies???) as well as the book. Unfortunate for the parlor, a couple of 17 year olds snuck in and got a tat. The receptionist didn't notice, the guys signed paperwork swearing they were over 18. The parents didn't really mind but did their 'civic duty' (this is UT remember) and reported it to the cops. This has been brought up in the recent charges against the tattooist. She has a 2 year old. Please spread the word. If you are able to, donate $1 or more to the legal defence fund. I've donated $15.00. It isn't much but hopefully every dollar will help.

vultureguy

March 30, 2008

Shoggoth

In the imp: Sweet candy, lemon, and coconut - yum! On wet: Lime and coconut, a titch of floral goodness - mostly the iris, which I love. Drydown: The lemongrass has emerged. It's very distinct from the lime (which is still very present), and they're both sitting on top of the iris and coconut. There's something dusty or powdery hanging around, too - I'm thinking it's one of the florals I'm not very familiar with (snowdrop, wisteria), possibly the amber, which doesn't tend to like me. I don't normally care for even the slightess bit of dust/powder, but it doesn't seem to last very long, and all the other notes are pleasantly distracting. Overall: Definitely a wild - but lovely - scent! It's bright and warm, sweet and sharp, saved from being too fruity or foody because of the florals, and not too floral thanks to the coconut and citrus! A gorgeous summer or party blend, suitable for a wide range of ages, too. I feel like I'm wearing a rainbow on my wrist! 4.5/5 edit: Needed to upgrade my overall score from 3.5 to 4.5 - I haven't been able to stop sniffing myself all day! I smell freaking *awesome* - like lemon-lime, sweet-tart, glittery coconut musk. LOVE!