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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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Tanin'iver: Why am I surprised that this doesn't work?

Lilith’s monstrous dragon steed: dragon’s blood resin, patchouli, pomegranate, myrrh, mimosa, cassia, blood musk and smoke.   Bottle: Sweet myrrh, and the slight soapiness of dragon's blood.   Wet: Dragon's blood - sadly very soapy on me!   Drydown: The smoke comes into play along with the patchouli, but no spices or fruits. Still soapy DB overwhelming everything.   Dry: I think it's time to admit that DB doesn't work on me. A strong soap smell with a little smoky undertone.   Verdict: Floral soap with myrrh and smoke.   Rating: 1/5   Review

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

Obatala: A Passing Fling

The King of the White Cloth, King of the Orishas, the First Among Equals. He is the King of Power, and his weapon is wisdom. He is the essence of honored maturity, wisdom through age and experience, purity of intention, virtue, humility, tolerance, judicious use of power, the knowledge of what is truly right and wrong, the moral code, and the obligation to do what is right. Obatala is the Creator God, who first fashioned mankind from clay; thus, he is also the first sculptor and potter. The human head itself is Obatala’s creation, and it is through it that he grants us the ability to discern genuine morality as opposed to oppressive, mistaken and arrogant self-righteousness. His is not the falsehood of societal boundaries, His Truth is the understanding of one’s own character and the obligations that we all have to our world, our Gods, and one another. He is the Benevolent Judge, calm and lucid, and he governs rational deliberation. His color is white, as His spirit is free from any soil or stain, and His energy radiates sanctified purity, great wisdom, happiness and internal peace. He is associated with cloth, as that was one of His gifts to mankind. The aspects of Obatala are symbolized by the chameleon, boa constrictor, elephant, gorilla, and snail. Obatala is the Lord of Laughter, for it is through wisdom that one may see the joy in life, and through laughter we are able to see the follies of mankind not with cynicism and derision, but with humor, compassion and understanding. Obatala’s Laughter helps soothe the pain of life’s rigors, and takes the sting out of the harshest of life’s lessons.   Obatala’s ofrenda is soft, white and pure: milk, coconut meat, shea butter and cool, refreshing water.   Bottle: Liquidised coconut!   Wet: SWEET. Very, very, very sweet. Smells like that Lush soap 'I Should Coco'. Rather Brown Jenkins-esque (another coconut scent) on me. The coconut is still very strong, although it is much lighter and less warming than Jenkins, and much better for summer!   Drydown: A sweet, soft scent, light and "fluffy" for summer. I can smell a buttery smoothness under the coconut, evidently the shea butter.   Dry: Oh no, where did that come from? The butter has gone rancid. It's not overpowering, but it's still rather unpleasant.   Dry (20 mins): Well, it's gone. My skin ate this completely. I'd have loved this blend if it has stayed the same as in the drydown stage, however I think butter doesn't work on me (odd for a foodie eh )   Verdict: Lovely when first applied, but goes rancid and then disappears. Booo   Rating: 3/5 (It will make an excellent room scent for me!)   Review

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

Mania: Imp's Younger Sister

Wet: Like Imp's younger sister; darker and muskier, but not as complex.   Drydown: No strawberries that others seem to be getting Just straight-up musk.   Dry: For some reason, I'm just not getting on with this. No idea why, it has notes I like - strawberry and white musk - it just doesn't leap out and go "SMELL ME!". It doesn't smell *bad*, but it's like a less complex and interesting version of my all-time favourite, Imp. So I'll keep my little implet of Mania, but it won't go in my top ten.   Verdict: Like Imp's younger sister, who wears her clothes and tries her makeup, but doesn't manage to get her mood and complexity.   Rating: 3/5   Review

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

My Sale: Now a Sale Only

I'm really sorry to any potential swappers, but I have to make my Sales post a true sales post and make it Sale Only. I am getting in some serious financial difficulties and I really need to make some money back - thank the almighty that I have room and board provided free, is all I can say!   To anyone who is CURRENTLY swapping with me (i.e. has started a dialogue via PM), our agreements will of course be honoured I'm posting the last of my swap packages today, but after today I am not swapping. Thank you for reading!

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

Pruno and Privilege

I love the message behind the Pruno and Privilege update, but I also understand where people are coming from who think it's cruel to stomp on someone when they're down, no matter who they are. Paris - for all her privilege, beauty and relatively middling wealth - has had been treated horribly by the public.   First, a con artist stole all the data from her ubiquitous cell phone, posted it on the internet, and then crowed about how he pulled it off. Then her ex-boyfriend sold one of their sex tapes. Then salvagers bought the contents of her storage locker and posted everything they found - from her Social Security card to deeply personal medical records - online.   People won't let her get away with being famous-just-for-being-famous. Whether she likes it or not people are determined to make her entertain them - however cruelly - in exhange for her fame.   But then there's Paris herself. When the sex tape came out, she tried to smother it by telling Page Six that Rick Solomon had raped her. And her drunk driving charge and suspended license arrest afterwards is truly the height of arrogance - from the way she tarted up her courtroom outfits for the benefit of the cameras outside to the fact that she more than almost anyone on the planet can arrange alternate means of transportation. She just chose to drive like it's the role of everyone else on the street to jump out of her way.   And she never seems to let anyone forget that she is a bigot.

noumenon

noumenon

 

Black Pearl: Rot, Decay and Damp

Evocative of the sea's unplumbed mysteries. Gentle and lovely, but menacing and profound. Coconut, Florentine iris, hazelnut and opalescent white musk.   Bottle: Chanel No. 5. And not in a good way.   Wet: I actually recoiled from my wrist when I smelt this. Strong, sickly, rotting flowers and sickeningly sweet coconut.   Drydown: Doesn't change much from wet - still awfully strong coconut. I usually like coconut, but this is just too much.   Dry: Smells *exactly* like the old lady next to you on the bus who must bathe in her cheap, shop-bought perfume.   Final Verdict: I'm sorry, Lab, this one is actually nauseating on me. It would be lovely on the right person though   Rating: 1/5   Review

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

Paris Update: To Buy or Not to Buy?

I am completely at a loss For those who've missed it, there's a new LE update to help "celebrate" Paris Hilton's jail term for drunk driving. Just because her family has money, she thinks she can get away with anything, and this little prison sentence will hopefully grow her up a little. But I digress.   ------------------------   Privilege   Polished party-girl sleaze. This is a shameless scent, devoid of caution, regret, or introspection. This perfume reeks of tabloid glamour, and has no substance whatsoever. Armoise, tuberose, white citrus, rose absolute, oakmoss, tiare, tuberose, vanilla, linden, and lemon tree blossom.   Although this scent originated with fine plants and the pure essences, the final result is a grotesque, eerily empty caricature of a debauched, narcissistic would-be débutante.   Pruno   Jailhouse hooch. Distilled in toilets, this vintage is comprised of chow line droppings, including oranges, apples, ketchup, and sugar.   ------------------------   Now, I think we all know Privilege would hate me (rose absolute, linden and citrus?? Aaargh!) but Pruno is a little more interesting. According to Beth's comment in the Update discussion thread, the scent smells a little nicer than the drink thankfully! I'd really like to try this one, but unfortunately I really can't justify $40 on BPAL at the moment - and that's for *just* the Pruno and shipping. It'd be a little more worth it if I had another 5ml or two and some Imps, but at the moment I'm working my way through my smellies box! Hopefully the spoiled brat will stay in jail long enough for me to decide

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

My Precious

My Bottles   LE/Discon.   Black Lace Candy Phoenix Enraged Groundhog Musk Frederic Geek The Perilous Parlor Rose Red 2008 Samhain 07 Snake Charmer Resurrected   GC/Salon/Carnaval Diabolique   Black Opal Eat Me March Hare Schrodinger's Cat Snake Oil

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

Bastille Day comes early!

I completely forgot that Paris was being banged up until I saw today's wonderfully unexpected update. I think it is fantastic, myself. I love the way that Beth is doing something new with fragrance...parody by perfume, satire by scent. I've always admired the way Beth can excel with both her serious and intellectual fragrances, and her light-hearted, sillier scents. I also love the way that Beth appears to be taking the piss out of the whole 'celebrity perfume' thing as well (among other things-most notably, the farce that is Paris herself). I've never been into celebrity scents and I just get fed up when every tabloid-hogger and reality TV star releases their own brand of cat piss perfume with a pretentious name and a stinky scent. I think Privilege is the closest I'll ever get to owning a 'celebrity scent'. It's got a pretty name too which I don't need to associate with that vacuous attention seeking airheaded twit when I wear it (despite this being the scent description). And it's got some winning notes-tiare, rose, lemon blossoms, armoise, linden and vanilla? I think it will smell perfumey, but in the best way possible. Pruno on the other hand...with a description of 'toilets', 'droppings' and 'ketchup', I honestly thought that wasn't a real scent for sale! But it is...and I'm getting a decant just to see how Beth turns that into a wearable scent! I'm wondering if it will be a joke scent with a foul fragrance or if it will be wearable...from Beth's comments it may be the latter. And of course, Beth's an alchemist, it seems she's highly able to turn any smell that should smell like crap into gold But I do have a viable skin-chem reason not to get it: scents that are much too dominant on the apple turn bizarre on me, and it sounds almost Punkie Night-ish, wasn't keen on PN.   But major kudos for Beth updating with these hilarious scents and donating the money to a good cause. I had to order some Paris to go with it-I've been meaning to buy a bottle of Paris, now I have an excuse

yeahbutnobut

yeahbutnobut

 

I drank what?

And I'm finally having some of the bagged Assam that I picked up at the Portland Stash store. Either I kept the teabag in for too long or this is only one step above Lipton.

byrdie

byrdie

 

More like Midlife-crisis Guard.

I attended the end of a local kinky group meeting that I hadn't been to in years. They've been hosting it in my neighborhood, a bit north-easterly of me as it turns out, so I finally and beleatedly decided to see if I could find the place in question. I did, the facilitator remembered me, and I even got the reinforcement of someone fanning themselves as I described some of the stuff that Daddy and I had been up to. heh.   It was weird, to attend this sort of meeting again, but not really as a n00b. But I live in easy walking distance of the place, so I have no excuse.

byrdie

byrdie

 

Saw-Scaled Viper: Sexy, Warm and Venomous

I got this as a frimp (THANK YOU!) from someone I bought a decant from. Snake Oil was alright on me, nothing special though, so I hope this will be a good addition/mix on me.   Bottle: A whoof of ginger and cinnamon clears out my sinuses.   Wet: Pure, strong ginger.   Drydown: For some reason I'm getting toast out of this! Little slices of toast with cinnamon and ginger sprinkled on top.   Dry: A mixture of cinnamon, ginger and something smooth (presumably the Snake Oil) underneath. Delicious!   Dry (30 minutes): Must. Get. A bottle. Sweet vanilla topped off with cinnamon and ginger. I can't stop inhaling! Gooooorgeous.   Throw: Strong! Lasts a very long time too. Use sparingly, or the Viper will bite your nose off!   Final Verdict: It's Snake Oil - but darker, spicier, more sinful and infinitely sexier.   Rating: 5/5   Review

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

I feel horrible

Couldn't sleep until 2AM last night, worrying and feeling crappy. Woke up at 6:30 instead of 5:30 because of it. Woke up feeling horrible.   Worst weekend, aside from the weekend my Uncle Jim died, in my memory. I'm just clinging to the hope that somehow this will all be over soon.

myoubi

myoubi

 

Crashing Convergence

Friday, May 25th was kind of a manic day to begin with. I was going to leave for the Folklife festival in Seattle that evening, and I wasn't packed yet, and I had a dozen things to do first, and I really should have spent more time at work that day. But I had doublechecked and the Convergence vendors' hall WAS open to the public, starting about noon on Friday, and by golly I was gonna go or my future self would never forgive me for missing the one time BPAL comes to visit my town.   As I walked down to the hotel that was hosting the convention, I could tell I was getting close by the increasing number of goth-types on the street. It was in the Hilton, and the swanky lobby contained a number of people dressed in black, standing around talking quietly with luggage beside them. I played it cool, strolled on in as though I had any clue what was going on... found a staircase, wandered down, followed signs to a ballroom, and bingo: Vendors' Hall.   I don't normally do this kind of thing, wander into someone else's party without even trying to blend in, so at this point I was buzzed on a blend of mad glee and mild terror. Not many customers in the Vendors' Hall yet, I noted (still trying to act casual), but it was lined with booths selling fancy black clothing, stripey socks, skull jewelry and other gothy paraphernalia.   And then I saw it. The BPAL booth. (There are some photos of it near the end of this post.) I went straight over and gaped at the rows and rows of bottles. They were arranged in alphabetical order and I started getting dizzy just looking at them. So many to choose from! And I've never bought a bottle before. How can I pick just one or two based on a momentary sniff? Do I buy something I already know and love (and have an imp of), or go for something entirely new?   I recall that there were some blends mixed up exclusively for this event. The last rack isn't alphabetical and seems to be made up of the more expensive, limited edition stuff, so I go over to that end to look for them. There's a guy standing in front of it, making small talk with the girl on the other side of the table. He's asking about the Convergence exclusive blends, and she points them out to him. So I sidle up to sniff them and then test them on my arms. Well, two of them. The third one is a white floral, which I'm not interested in. It's called Lydia and is named after a local ghost (I've never heard of her). The other two are Shanghai Tunnel and The Unheavenly City. So we've got a "Portland's Seedy History" theme going on here. Nice. Shanghai Tunnel is really bitter and murky, and Unheavenly City is complicated but definitely has some coffee in it, which is cool. (Later on it turned extremely jasmine, though, which is not cool.)   So I'm sniffing and sniffing and deciding I don't really want either of these, despite their rarity and resale value, when the chatty guy leaves and the girl starts talking to me. She's wearing a red dress that matches the color of her dreadlocked hair, and she's really friendly and funny, and after we've talked for a couple minutes she sticks out her hand and says, "I'm Beth." And my head explodes.   So that's how I got to have a conversation with the nose and creative genius behind BPAL. After her attention turned to some other customers and friends, I went back to scanning the labels and trying to decide what to buy. And sniffing. Lots of sniffing. I noticed that many of the oils seemed to share a sort of bitter edge to them that I didn't like. Hours later, I realized what I was smelling was the Shanghai Tunnel I had foolishly dabbed on my left wrist, just below my bottle-sniffing hand. Oh, duh.   Seeing that it was taking me 5000 years to decide, Beth asked what my favorite scents were so she could recommend some to me. I told her I love Jabberwocky most, and Delphi second-most, and she looked puzzled: "Seriously? Nobody says that. I mean, I like Jabberwocky, but it's just not that popular." I was sort of stunned by this, and someone else demanded her attention just then, so I never got to find out what scents she would have recommmended based on those two, or why it seemed so strange that those were my favorites.   Eventually I decided on Snake Oil, because it will age well, and given the amount I typically apply, a bottle of anything will last me the rest of my life. I also bought one of the aromatherapy (Panacea) blends called TKO that's supposed to help you sleep. I've had insomnia lately, but even as hyped up as I was right then, when I opened that bottle it was like a big Hand of Calm reached out of it and went "sshhhh." Panacea oils are pricey at $25 a bottle, but I figured if I got even 25 nights of sleep out of it, it would be a great investment. And that bottle contains a heck of a lot more than 25 doses.   So I gave them my money and took my bag o'fumes and went off to run some other errands, leaving the bag in the car. I didn't look into it because it had a cute BPAL sticker sealing it shut, and also I was in a hurry and had a lot of other things on my mind. It did occur to me, as I was congratulating myself on getting BPAL products with no shipping charges, that one down side of not getting your oils through the mail was that you don't get the bonus imps, which is one of the funnest parts of buying BPAL. (The Lab people had notified us in advance that there would be no imps for sale at the booth because "they cause havoc on the plane.") Still, I was very happy with my purchase, and ecstatic about the whole experience.   So I'm racing against the clock to get a bunch of things done, and I finally get home and bring my goodies inside. The bag has started to emit a pretty strong odor, and I'm afraid my bottle of TKO is leaking because that sure as heck doesn't smell like Snake Oil. But I'm distracted from this because the Tea Swap box has arrived and is sitting on my doorstep! If you haven't heard about the Tea Swap, the box arrives filled with different kinds of tea, and you take out as much as you like and put something different back in, and send it on to the next person. So here it is, just in time to take to Folklife with me and share with my host C.   I'm really, really excited about the box of tea, but I set it aside to open once I get to C's. I finally look in the BPAL bag, and discover THERE ARE FOUR IMPS IN THERE WITH MY BOTTLES. (One of the imps had leaked a little, which accounted for the smell.)   Then, and only then, did I start running around in circles going EEEEEEEE!!!

elbow

elbow

 

Da Bunny

Well, I'm going to be an aunt (as I think I've previously mentioned)... and somehow became really motivated and decided that i really had to make this for my future niece:     And it was well received at the baby shower this past Sunday! I was really scared, but apparently it was a hit. LOL!

eviltemptressdq

eviltemptressdq

 

Spooky: Good Enough to Eat

Spooky 05: A maddeningly festive blend of warm, buttery rum, cocoa, coconut, vanilla and a jolt of peppermint. It’s a sweet, decadent, slightly silly scent, reminiscent of rum-laced holiday cookies.   Bottle: ARGH! A blast of pure "perfume" smell.   Wet: A strong pepperminty smell with a sticky sweetness (maybe the rum?) behind it.   Drydown: Still very minty, but not unpleasantly so. Refreshing and "light" in a scent way - but definitely not in a throw way! This is very strong on me.   Dry (Immediate): Sticky peppermint. Nice but nothing to write home about.   Dry (60 mins): I'm so happy! After about an hour, this turns into sweet vanilla with hints of coconut, splashed over with mint rum. Definitely a foody, and going into my top ten. The only reason it doesn't get 5/5 from me is the "waiting" period before it turns gorgeous.   Last: This is the other downer about Spooky! After it's mellowed, it lasts about an hour, tops. And that's with slathering. So two hours total after slathering. I'm going to get through my bottle so fast My skin obviously thinks this is as tasty as it smells, because it eats it!   Throw: Again, after it's mellowed, there's hardly any throw at all. Definitely a skin scent, and a very pleasant one, but someone sitting near me on a train probably wouldn't be able to smell it.   Final Verdict: Vanilla ice cream, topped with sprinkles of coconut and a drizzle of mint rum. Not much throw or lasting power, though.   Rating: 4/5   Review

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

Dummy off eBay

Right, I've taken the Dummy off eBay and put it up in my Sales Post. The reason, you ask? I'm in search of one or two particular bottles, so I thought I'd have more luck swapping it than selling it   I also have an ISO Post up asking for a 5ml, full or partial, of Monster Bait: Underpants. I know it's a long shot, since it's popular and rare, but if anyone has any Underpants that they would sell to me (or better, swap for my Ventriloquist's Dummy!) please PM me!

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

Back on track.

I am so glad my exams are over! No more revision to burden me, I can now do things like read lots of non-study books, get back to doing arty things like drawing, sketching, and maybe even painting. I have plans to get boxes on Ebay for my BPAL (my collection has got to the stage where shoeboxes-yes, shoeboxes-are being used to store bottles) and to paint them.   The Thunder Moon update was the first in a long time where almost every scent had 'big dealbreaker notes', ie ones that could turn the blends nasty on me. Things like ozone, sea notes, sweet pea, thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening. First time that I've not ordered directly from the Lab for the full moon. I have a feeling the next moon will be much better, and maybe will bring lots more scents-CD and Gaiman stuff? It's funny how Cancer brought about lots of aquatic scents, lots of water and rain and dewy floral notes. Just like how Taurus had cow/bull themed scents (Minotaur and Milk Moon). Hmm. Maybe Leo will bring fiery, spicy, regal and sunny scents, maybe cat-themed scents (I want KITTIES!!!), which are much more up my alley. Maybe a therianthrope which is feline, or African, or Egyptian? (Sekhmet would rock, but the therianthrope scents tend to not to be deities.) I have no Leo in my chart but I have a gut feeling it will be wonderful-I wonder if Leo will be packed with amber? (thinking of the Lion here) and I wonder what the next moon will be?   I'm going to the uni's summer do tonight. I've been having a dilemma over which BPAL to wear...Blue Moon, Midnight on the Midway, or Snake Charmer? I chose those three because 1) it's the full moon 2) there's a funfair at the summer ball which will be open all night, so it really will be 'midnight on the midway' and 3) Snake Charmer is my all purpose special occasion/empowering/on-the-pull/sexy/exotic scent. I chose Snake Charmer in the end. For the first time in ages, I'm in the mood to pull! And it may sound silly but my choice of perfume does affect my mood and SC is one of those scents which makes me less introverted. I'm in the mood to have some fun, let my hair down, party hard. So hopefully Snake Charmer will work like a charm.

yeahbutnobut

yeahbutnobut

 

Ventriloquist's Dummy on eBay!

As the Dummy goes really psycho on me, I'm selling both bottles. One is in my Sales page (Gone!), the other is on eBay.   My eBay Stuff   Anyone who missed getting the first bottle from my sales post can bid Oh, and if a forumite wins, send me a PM and I'll include some freebies!

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

The New Rig

My new rig is built and working! Running Windows Vista Ultimate, this thing has a 2.6 GHz Athlon Dual Core processor, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a lovely MSI K9N Diamond motherboard, 500GB SATAII hard drive, a 6600GT graphics card, two DVD-RW drives, a card reader, a floppy drive and one of the coolest cases on the market. In case you're wondering why a new gaming rig has an old 6600 GFX card, suffice to say I'm saving up for an 8800GTS!   The Case     My Desk   The rig with 19" monitor, Razer Diamondback mouse, Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard and speakers.  

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

New Sales Post

Just a bit of pimpage for my Sales post   Some highlights:   - 5ml of Ventriloquist Dummy (He hates me) - 5ml of Xanthe (My backup that I won't use, never opened) - 5ml The Red Queen (Bloody Mary and I get on much better!) - 5ml Velvet (Can't compete with Candy Butcher)   - Decants of: Mama-Ji, Mr Jaquel, Carnival Diabolique and Harvest Moon - Loads of GC Imps such as Brown Jenkins, Eris, Delphi, Sin, Wrath...

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

Um. Yay?

So I saw this on someone else's blog here and though it's not actually a meme, I'm bored and I like to think about these things. And of course, I love talking about myself.   Stuff I'd buy if I was disgustingly rich.   A car for me. Probably a Mercedes or a Volvo.   A new SUV/van type thing for my dad   A new car for my sister. (We have lots of barely standing cars.)   College. (Tuition.)   An imp of every scent evar.   A present for one particular friend who totally deserves one.   A good viola for me. Because that's actually important.   A trip to Europe to party with the cool people. And there, I'd go to an Apocalyptica concert since they don't go to any part of the U.S. but the Northeast. places that aren't here. (Thanks for bringing that to my attention, elbow.) Darn them. (Oh, and maybe I'd be crazy-rich-like and go find that little Italian place in Budapest and get more pizza. Mmmm.)   An iPod, since I just lost mine.   MUSIC. Lots of music and CDs and stuff.   Clothes from Anthropologie. Because I could finally afford them.   Give money to 1. Girl Scouts, specifically the barns. 2. Music stuff. 3. Church   STAMPS, since I never seem to keep up with them.   And that's all I can think of.

Mordia

Mordia

 

Stuffs for the Witch...should you be interested.

I've just been think of things that would make my day and aren't really things you buy... If you feel so inclined.   -Mail. I loooove mail. Be it postcards or letters or whatever. Whenever it's got my name on it (with no bill inside) my day gets better!   -Recipes. I don't cook right now (Ramen doesn't count), but I'll have a full kitchen in college (these dorms rock my world) and I'd like to be able to use it. I like to make brownies and baking type stuff, but our oven is broken at present. But if you have any yummy, easyish recipes hanging around...   -And I had more but I've forgotten them. Oh, well. Life Advice. College advice. Whatever advice. I pretty much could always use it.

Mordia

Mordia

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