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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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captain diana's log
 

this machine imp pack!

TUM Wet: Grape candy! There's a bit of a dry herbal note to it as well. Drydown: the grape smells like bubblegum. The herbal note, whatever it could have been, has almost gone, but there's a tinge of it left that's keeping the grape note from being too overwhelming. It's almost got a wine-like quality to it at this point, but it's subdued. This is an odd blend! It's not sweet, but it's not purely herbal either. I'm just confused. This is one I'd get if I were to use it with ritual connotations rather than to wear as perfume.   AGLAEA Wet: Fruity fruit fruit. Very candy-like pear. Drydown: This is still very sweet. The wine/pear & floral notes are almost penicillin-tangy on me, but not too tart and not too sickly, sticky sweet. As it dries, more of the floral notes come in and make it even more tolerable, which is odd since floral blends usually turn me off. It's just so cute! Not something I could see wearing, but totally something I'd pass off to my 15 year-old neice.   SLOTH Wet: Super heavy, thick vetiver Drydown: the myrrh appears, and brings with it a bit of a spicy punch. the myrrh is also intensely heavy, and adds a slightly bitter quality to the blend. This is heavy & dark, definitely embodies the qualities of sloth. It does soften quite a bit as it dries, and isn't as toxic smelling as you'd think (for those anti-vetiver people in the crowd). It's nice if you like darker, resin-based blends.   BLUEBEARD Wet: Violet, just a hint of vetiver and a tiny wisp of lavender Drydown: surprisingly, the vetiver has been overpowered by the violet! I love violet so much, but it tends to not stand out so much against heavier notes, so this is a nice surprise! It's much softer & prettier than I thought it would be. It is much sweeter than you'd expect for a scent named after a mean jerkyface. If you like Ultraviolet or The Raven, you'll really love this one too.   GAUEKO Wet: funky, damp lavender. Drydown: whoa! the lavender is still there, but it's blended into a smokey, hazy aura of wonderful aroma that I just want to get lost in (sorry for ending a sentence with a preposition; Gaueko made me do it!). I guess it's the nag champa that's the main note that I'm picking out, and the lavender adds a curious sweetness to it, which I am in total love with. I think I may need a bottle of this!   HELLFIRE Wet: Sweet, gooey pipe tobacco Dry: The tobacco note becomes sweeter & nicer & a bit drier as it sits on the skin. There's also just a faint aroma of hot, sweet leather, which I totally love in almost every blend. It's a total guy smell, but I think that's part of the appeal. I just want to snuggle with it.   UTRENNYAYA Wet: soft pretty floral mixed with mint Drydown: the mint loses most of its power pretty quickly, but the floral notes are there to pick up the slack. there's just a touch of rose, which isn't overwhelming, and an overall soft, pretty, and cool & glittering. Very nice.   REGAN Wet: soft, floral vanilla Drydown: soft, rich, vanilla with just a bare hint of a floral note. It's not necessarily a foody vanilla, more of a true vanilla scent overlaid with a light, sweet floral. already own 5mL   KYOTO Wet: sweet, soft anise Drydown: the cherry blossom is pretty faint, and is overall it's like a softer version of Kabuki, which is a blend I love to wear. The combination of the anise + cherry blossom produces a soft pink, but slightly metallic smelling combination. It's really pretty, but I prefer the heavier in-your-face cherry note in Kabuki.   BAYOU Wet: wet, heavy, sweet floral notes... magnolia? a bit ozoney/aquatic Drydown: the floral notes fade away, and this starts to smell more and more aquatic as it dries. Not a category I favor; it smells a little too artificially "fresh" to me, and a bit sharp. It's not bad if you like ozone-fresh-aquatic blends, but I typically can't wear them, and this is no exception.     Winners of this batch: Gaueko & Bluebeard!
Diana

Diana

0
Is Anybody Out There?
 

Anxiety

I don't know why, but my anxiety is all wonky right now. Like, really badly. And there's sort of not a whole lot of reason for it to be especially high.   On the upside, I'm hoping that the BPAL birthday package my mom ordered me will be arriving within a week or two. (I'm trying to be generous with the time!) I think I will positively love Manhattan! I already know I love Katharina. I'm really excited to find out what my chaos theory smells like, and I think she got me a CD. Xanthe, maybe? Or Gennivre? I know it wasn't the Organ Grinder, because I had some amount of panic about that, and then found a decant of it available. The cool thing about a CD bottle in my hands is that if I love one of my decants more than it, I'll probably be able to swap for whichever bottle I love more.   Is it silly that I get so freakin' excited about frimpage, too? There's usually 2 per bottle, so I could end up with De Sade, Severin, the Jersey Devil, Ladon, Cockaigne, Phobos, Tintagel, and Euphrosyne! Yeah, I know, the middle three probably won't happen, but they might! Really, I'd prefer Les Bijoux over the Jersey Devil.   It's amazing to me that prattling on about BPAL allows me to forget about anxiety. Heh.   How long does it take an inept knitter to knit a scarf? Or 15 scarves?
smallvoice

smallvoice

0
Gone Batty
 

Bitching and Moaning

Several things have been bugging me lately that are driving me nuts about the LJ communities on my friends list.   1. People using 'big' or 'advanced' words incorrectly or even inanely. This is a sentence from a post that appeared today: "I just love purveying things that are hand made" She's talking about buying things at craft fairs. Mmm, okay. I'm not even going to give her the benefit of the doubt by suggesting that it was meant to be 'purchasing'. It's probably a case of someone using a word that they think means something else. Maybe I'm just weird but any time I'm uncertain of a definition I look it up. Even for words that I use frequently just to make sure I'm not confused. At least she spelled it correctly which brings me to #2   2. Bad spelling - argh! Again, any time I'm not sure of the proper spelling I look it up. A learning disability is one thing but pure laziness (or apathy which I think may also be part of the problem) is another. And something else I don't understand is how someone can't see that they spell things wrong. My biggest example is the tattoo LJs. I can't even say how many times I see someone misspell the word tattoo which is used so often that if you played a drinking game you'd be drunk after reading one or two posts!   3. People posting questions that could be easily answered by using a search engine - is it that hard to look up something? Asking for opinons is one thing but wanting someone else to work for you? Lazy.   4. alot - haaaaate!! And what's even worse is that if it's not in the dicitonary now it will be soon and people will assume then that joining 'a' and 'lot' is correct. Much like many people think irregardless is a real word.   Now I freely admit that my grammar and punctuation is crap. The last lesson I had was in 7th grade and, to be honest, I can't remember a thing. Where to put commas and semi-colons, what splitting an infinitive means, why you're not supposed to end a sentence in a prepostion, what a preposition is anyway...dangling participles...all terms and rules that march through my brain with no tangible sense of how to apply them. I suppose everyone has their Achilles heel. Am I a hypocrite for berating anonymous people about one thing when I'm so weak in another? And that I have no frame of reference for why they post the way they do? I don't know. It's food for thought.
miss apple

miss apple

3
Denise's Cool Blog
 

Freefalling = FRIGHTENING!

I felt too much like a BPAL Whore today when I realized the newest post in my blog was just my "keeping track" post. SO, I figured I would make a new entry today, so that everyone would not be greeted by that if they decided to look into my little world a bit. LOL.   We were on vacation last week, and were able to totally lose our minds and go skydiving! Here are some crazy unflattering, yet hilarious pictures:   http://www.boomspeed.com/evltemptress/pictures/skydiving/     Midway is my "flavor of the day"... and I am still getting whiffs of it now (2pm) from having put it on at 7am. Gotta love that! Funny that I would love that scent anyway, when back in April (when I was bitten by that BPAL bug) I was totally turned off by every foody scent I sniffed.   YUMMY!!! I love smelling like a 10 year old with candy all over their fingers.
eviltemptressdq

eviltemptressdq

1
Diplomatka
 

Oh, hell no.

Alright, Government of Afghanistan: I have turned a blind eye when you allowed one of my co-workers to be kidnapped, let it slide when you stood by as rioters looted my house and burned down my office, but the provision that has recently gone into effect is where I draw the line.   Yeah, I know about it. I found out when I spent 35 minutes in a hot car riding down the IED-prone Jalalabad Road to the PX to pick up some beer. The security guy at the door looked at my passport and pointed out the sign     Effective August 16, 2006, by decree of the Ministry of the Interior, only individuals with ISAF (International Security Assistance Force, aka Coalition), UN or diplomatic identification will be allowed to purchase alcohol.   You thought you had me, right? I know you've got something to prove: regular Afghan shops selling beer and the resurrection of Vice and Virtue Office mean that you have to cut back and show you have power. Plus, your new Minister of the Interior was a runner-up--the Parliament rejected him from the Supreme Court because he is a conservative whack job. Well listen up: nothing keeps me from my Pino Grigio, not a decree from the Ministry nor some South Asian cashier at the PX.   I bought my beer and liquor in open defiance of your decree (with a little flirting with a guy with an ISAF badge) and I will not be deterred. There are few things I am willing to fight for, and my dear friend Ron Bacardi is one of them. It's ON.
Confection

Confection

3
Goth Hobbit's Blog
 

What I should be doing, versus what I am doing

I really ought to be doing constructive things right now, like sorting laundry and making a packing list. Instead, I'm hanging out on the 'net, eating cookies, and generally goofing off.   And trying to put together some first impressions of various BPAL blends, because I doubt that I'll have time to do much serious reviewing over the next couple of weeks.   I ought to be at the workbench getting things ready for the push when I get back, as I have two shows scheduled for the weekend after Labor Day. I should be making an order for the silver and stones I'll need, too. I should also wait on getting more stones until the September gem show, but it seems like it's been a hit-or-miss proposition lately; if I need it, none of my regular suppliers will have it.   I ought to see if I can find my good leather bodice (and if it still fits around my post-second-pubescent cleavage), just in case Minnesota RenFaire is in the works for this weekend. Of course, with the way the house is right now, I'd be better off spelunking for needles in haystacks, and I'll probably just try and find a couple of coin scarves there to make me feel somewhat garbed. The company will be more important than the costuming, anyway (and I never thought I'd see the day when I'd say that about going to Faire. I was 12 when I went to my first one, and I didn't feel "dressed" until I bought a flower garland.)   I ought to put the new cartridge in the printer and print my e-ticket, but that can wait until tomorrow. (For the record, no matter how late I stay up, it's not officially tomorrow until either I've had some sleep, or the clock hits noon.) Once that's done, it'll be a fight to avoid further procrastination by booting up Photoshop and printing out a couple of pictures from the last trip up north.   Of course, the ultimate "what I should be doing" is getting my arse to bed so that I have a fighting chance of accomplishing my list of things to do tomorrow, but I'm too antsy to sleep. Too much stuff in my head, clamoring for my undivided attention. Too many "ifs" and "whens" and "maybes", and too little internal silence.   All hail Insomnia, Goddess of Sleep Deprivation. Her supplicants are recognized by yawns; Her sigil is the sacred Coffee Cup.
goth_hobbit

goth_hobbit

0
Fishnets and Frankincense
 

Waxing and trimming!

The other day I received catalogs/advertising mailings from Victoria's Secret, High Country Gardens and Advance Auto Parts. They were not addressed to "Resident," they were addressed to me. I rather liked the diversity. It made me picture a woman in her VSC "Pink" brand shorts and a bra top, waxing and detailing her car next to her xeriscaped garden. (Did you think I was going into a discussion of bikini waxing and "bush trimming" and such? For shame! Although the way I normally carry on, I can hardly blame you.) But you know, that really could be me, except I'd wear a sports bra and not some fussy VSC number that would be easily mussed by car wax. I would also be more inclined to be seen in oversized cargo shorts. Yesterday I went to the men's department and got a pair of cargo shorts made out of camo material. They were on sale. As indarkmoon would say, man oh manpants, what a deal! And in the car detailing category, Zymol car wax is really good; it's my favorite. You pay more but it's worth it. It makes the vehicles shine like nobody's business. Detailing cars is rather fun; I'm not obsessive like some men can be about such things, but there is something rather soothing about fussing around with your car on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I even drink a beer when I'm doing it, although I eschew listening to baseball or football games; I usually have my car CD player going with my music of choice on.   And xeriscaped gardens are low water-use gardens, and I'm all about that. Yeah, the colors may not be as brilliant and the blooms not as showy, but I'm all about preserving the ground and surface water supply. I love resilient plants and flowers, I do not understand why people on the prairie insist on planting annuals that are meant to grown in subtropical areas. Purple coneflowers and sedums and hardy sage and native grasses and herbs rock my world. I like to plant Mexican sunflowers, and by this time of year, the Monarch butterflies are worth it. Having Monarchs fluttering through my garden in late August is so worth not having extreme color in June and July.   So, last thing tonight... does that Lab turnaround time on orders simply rock your world? I was thinking it would be a while before my next order arrived, and looking at the CnS status, it may be sooner than I imagined! I love the Lab. So much so, that I have three outstanding orders. I always tell people that if I sell something on my sales thread, I return it to the Lab. Actually, I usually order twice as much. Three outstanding orders is proof of that fact, which is a thinly-disguised excuse for my compulsive behavior. 'Cause when I'm wearing the lingerie and watering the garden as I take a break from waxing the car, I always smell good.
valentina

valentina

0
This Old Snark
 

Wagons East

The Mister's maternal grandmother passed away yesterday. She had been slowly leaving this world for the past two years, but this weekend was her final exit. By all accounts she most likely died in her sleep after they unhooked her from life support.   The Mister had already said good bye to her long before all this. The Snarks went to see her when they visited Back East last fall, but she was hardly the woman they knew even from just six months before their last visit.   They already remember her from a more vibrant time. They are going back not so much to conjure up those memories, but to provide support to the MIL and The Mister's uncle.   They are also going to see their third niece for the first time.   The Snarks knew this was an inevitability (the MIL has been preparing them for this for the last five years) but still can't help but feel a little taken by surprise. This also completely negates any plans they might have had to visit around Christmastime as they have already booked up the rest of their time off with the DarkityFam in mid-September (the vacation AKA Hurricanes Ahoy! 2006).   Snarky will most likely be incommunicado from tomorrow through Sunday when she returns. They will have two days to prepare the house for the week-long visit of her parents starting next Wednesday.   And before they go, Snarky has a second interview at one of her Dream Companies tomorrow. Plenty of things to keep them from getting morbid/morose.
darkitysnark

darkitysnark

7
Review Round-up!
 

King of Hearts

In the imp: Cherry and lavender.   On wet: Cherry, lavender, and I'm pretty sure that the smoothness underneath the two of 'em is the white musk.   Drydown: The cherry faded almost immediately, leaving the barest hint of lavender wafting up from my skin. If I mash my nose against my wrist, I can smell the soft sweetness of the white musk.   Overall: I failed to detect any trace of rosewood, red musk, or red rose in KoH - and to be completely honest, I rather liked it that way! The white musk's powdery softness proved the perfect grounding for the sharpness of the lavender, pinning both notes firmly in place against my skin, where they lingered quite happily for several hours. A lovely blend! 4/5
furygrrl

furygrrl

0
Do you have a flag?
 

Entire GC Swap Reviews - SevenSins Package #1

This is the Sephiroth package: Binah, Chokmah, Chesed, Geburah, Kether, Hod, Malkuth, Netzach, Tipareth, Yesod. The first package disappeared after it was sent to Mistress Tera. So we had to put together a new one... these are all my imps I'm donating, so I'm reviewing them before sending them off.   Binah. This is the only imp of the set that I don't have. I tried it several months ago and didn't like it. I swapped it away. My only comments in my spreadsheet were that it was "kind of sharp." Other reviews describe it as resiny and floral, and I don't usually like either of those. That's probably why I swapped it.   Chesed. Hmmm. A slight pencil-box sort of scent to this one at first. Kind of like sweet resin, maybe some incense. I can't actually tell what all is in this, but it is definitely woody. After a while it develops kind of a fruity scent, like maybe peach or apricot. Interesting.   Chokmah. [Reviewed on 5/3/2006.] Dark brown oils are usually good ones for me -- so as soon as I saw Chokmah in the imp I wanted to try it right away. At first I smelled something like a pine/juniper scent, which I didn't like. But after about 30 minutes it smells and awful lot like Snake Oil. It has that same powdery vanilla quality with some yummy spice. On my skin, Chokmah is Snake Oil without the heavy powdery note. It has more bite, too. I didn't expect to get sexy out of a blend called Chokmah, but that's definitely what I got. (And you won't hear me complaining about that at all.) Need a bottle of this one...   Geburah. Smells like a very clean man. Leather for sure, and maybe a little bit of salt. I agree with some previous reviewers that it smells like soap. Leather and soap. Kind of a odd combination. But that soap scent goes away and it ends up being all leather. Black, sleek, clean leather. I like this one.   Hod. [Reviewed on 6/4/2006.] Powdery and sweet, which makes me think there's amber in this. There's also a slightly bitter floral note in it, which could be carnation. I think it smells golden, creamy and spicy.   Kether. [Reviewed on 6/13/2006.] Almond powder. That's what it smells like on me at first. And then it smells like hair-styling products. I smell this and all I can think of is an old lady with her hair in those pink rollers and a hairnet, standing there in a housecoat and fuzzy slippers. So, um, no. This will go to the swap pile.   Malkuth. [Reviewed on 6/4/2006.] Spicy, earthy, masculine. Quite fitting for Malkuth, I think. Not light and fleeting at all, it's solid and strong. Sweet, too. I don't usually like cinnamon very much, but I like this.   Netzach. [Reviewed on 6/13/2006.] Mostly rose. Kind of an herby, woody, rose. To be honest I think this smells really nice. It's pretty and light. I don't usually wear rose blends as a personal fragrance... but maybe I should. Beth's rose notes smell so good and very true on me, even if the rose scent itself isn't my own fave. My skin seems to like it a lot.   Tiphareth. Woody and sweet. A little smoky. Also it's really faint. I like the scent a lot, but I guess my skin sucks up this oil... it nearly disappeared entirely after about 5 minutes.   Yesod. Stinging. Strong. It has that strong biting floral scent that I really don't like about florals. It's gotta be jasmine, but there's something else in it that makes the blend particularly nostril-curling for me. (Jasmine really doesn't work on me in the best of circumstances, so I'm not surprised that this one didn't work for me.)
filigree_shadow

filigree_shadow

0
Is Anybody Out There?
 

Who's an asshole?

I was going to post this in the title thread on the forum, but it's a little too involved to clog up the board with.   Okay. So, we've got a houseguest living here, because he fell apart. He's here on the condition that he gets help and works it out. We want to see him get healthy. So we go the route of trying to get him hospitalized. The hospital says that they can't even put him on the waiting list until he goes to see someone at the crisis response center and have an evaluation there, and then files for medical coupons with the department of social and health services-- and the waiting list is about two years. So we do all that, and try to get him outpatient treatment at the hospital, which they won't do until he gets evaluated by a specific ARNP in the area and gets a different medical coupon. At this point, they won't even evaluate him if he pays out of pocket. So we go to the specific ARNP, and I ranted about him before, because he told me to shut my mouth when I went to ask him to clarify his plan for my housemate's medication. Which still pisses me off, but also keeps me quiet (and that makes me even more mad, because I hate feeling cowed). He's a freak, and he isn't paying attention to what the housemate, S, is saying. He's condescending and just... rude. I don't like him. S missed an appointment with him, and when he went back, ARNP wouldn't let him in without a fee for missing the prior appointment, which S doesn't have. So ARNP told him to leave. The LDS church comes to our aid, and we go see a psychologist who is very nice and very patient, but eventually he insists that we go back to ARNP.   So we go to see the guy, and he's being a prima donna. Seriously harrassing S for never coming back (ARNP didn't offer to reschedule when he sent him away.), and treating him like shit, basically. This man is everything I hate about the mental health professional community. Let me count the ways:   1. He says that hospitalization is an option if S really can't do what he needs to do, so S explains what all we've done to try and get hospitalization. ARNP takes this story and goes, "They didn't tell you that you have the wrong medical coupon. They told you you're not sick enough for hospitalization." Uhh. He goes on to imply that S is faking his condition and that my husband and I will soon have no choice but to throw him out on the street.   2. He tries to put the fear of God into S about what hospitalization is like. Every horror story that ever went through my mind when I thought I'd have to be put away, he brought up. Gee, that's helpful.   3. He says that LDS-guy doesn't know what to do with him anymore, and that's why he sent him back. He says that everybody is frustrated because he's not helping himself, and that he won't put up with it. He tells S that he needs to pull himself together, and that eventually, he's going to look back on this and realize what a dick he is.   4. He reiterates that S is not sick and is using everyone. Then he brings up medication. He prattles on about how S won't notice any changes from any of these medicines, and that's fine- it's perfectly normal. He might notice a slight elevation in his moods at higher doses, but these won't really do anything for him at all. Great motivation to take the little bastards, then.   5. ARNP asks, "So, what do you want to do?" In my mind, I calmly reply, "I'd like to punch you in the face." S asks for clarification, and he snaps, "About the medication!" S is like, "Uh, take it?" So he talks some more about the medication, and I think some more about punching his face, and as he's sending us out, he's all, "It's a good thing I'm not your therapist, huh? You wouldn't like me very much. I'd just tell you to get off your ass." Nice. So then he makes another appointment, and is all, "If you don't make this appointment, then Godspeed. I wish you well. But find somebody else. You won't be coming back here." And I so desperately wanted to say, "There is nobody else, you fucktard! If there were, we wouldn't be here! We would never have come back, ever! But DSHS says that you're the only asshole in the area, so we're stuck with you. Isn't that nice?" But I didn't want to hand him that kind of power, so I just nodded and left. While shaking profusely.   Fucker. Thanks for helping not at all.
smallvoice

smallvoice

0
Review Round-up!
 

Persephone

In the imp: SWEET! Like, scary sweet, with a dash of something fruity.   On wet: Pure roses - of the cheap bathroom spray variety - and nothing else.   Drydown: Still nothing but super sweet, bubblegum pink, granny bathroom ROSES. There isn't even a *hint* of that initial whiff of fruit I got from the imp - the fruit that I was counting on for balance.   Overall: I can only wear a select handful of rose blends, and sadly, this is not one of them.
furygrrl

furygrrl

0
Review Round-up!
 

Sybaris

In the imp: Sugared violets.   On wet: Violets gone wild - candy sweet and incredibly bright. There's the faintest hint of earthiness peeping out from beneath that swirly floral haze, but it's too soft to tell if it's the incense or the cloves.   Drydown: Mmm...something smooth and warm has risen up and bitch-slapped those wee purple flowers into submission - I'm guessing the tonka. This new, lightly spiced, almost creamy undertone is what transforms this blend into something totally wearable.   Overall: Not a huge fan of violets - or florals in general, but the spicy edge that eventually emerges takes this fragrance to a whole other level. Don't know if I'll be wearing it very often, but I'll definitely be hanging on to my imp.   A comfortable 3/5.
furygrrl

furygrrl

0
Review Round-up!
 

Herr Drosselmeyer

In the bottle: Like herbal...paint?   On wet: A sharp yet decidedly warm scent combination - I'm getting leather, spice, and something burning. Definitely keeping true to the description!   Drydown: Pretty much the same as above - woodsmoke (which has morphed into the dominant note), leather, and I want to attribute that soft, spicy undertone to a liberal dash of either clove or nutmeg, though I'm probably way off. Could I somehow be misinterpreting the tobacco? As a former - though longtime smoker, how lame would that be?   Overall: A slightly smokier, drier, less sweet version of Dee, like some of the past reviewers have mentioned. A good fragrance for when it's cold n' snowy outside, you're inside, bundled into a squishy sweater or blanket, curled up on the couch with a good book, drinking something cidery, chocolatey, or otherwise winterlicious. Very evocative of the season it was created for. 3.5/5
furygrrl

furygrrl

0
Review Round-up!
 

Harvest Moon 06

Originally reviewed: Aug 08 06   In the bottle: Apples! Gorgeous, golden apples!   On wet: Mmm...more apples!   Drydown: The apples are still there, providing this positively *gorgeous* yellow sweetness - a perfect counterpoint to the dry, slightly spicy undertone that's starting to emerge. It's almost a clean, woody/peppery scent that I'm starting to get now, if that makes any sense.   Overall: Pure Autumn-in-a-Bottle, y'all. I've got a touch of early October smeared on my wrists! This is like a daylight version of my beloved midnight-esque Samhain - THIS is what I'd hoped last year's HM would smell like on me, like I'm sitting in a hay field on the edge of a sun-warmed apple orchard, clear blue skies stretching out above my head, a clean, cool breeze stirring the rust-gold-scarlet leaves... Serious love and a hugely deserved 5/5. Well done, Beth!
furygrrl

furygrrl

0
Review Round-up!
 

Chaos Theory III - DCLXI 661

Originally reviewed: Aug 12 06   In the bottle: Wow, it's an olfactory cacophony - talk about a mish-mash of notes! I think I'm getting...tea? Definitely something sweet or fruity, maybe a touch of ginger?   On wet: Pretty much the same impression as above - like a bunch of crazy notes are battling it out on my skin. Kinda smells...strange. That initial hint of tea is gone (maybe it never existed), and now I'm mostly getting what I think is ginger and something sweet.   Drydown: Spicy sweetness, now underscored by a drier, peppery smokiness similar to something that I smelled in Laudanum - maybe the nutmeg? I think the tea might be back, too, though it's so soft I could be imagining it...again.   Overall: Started out as something appropriately chaotic, and dried down into this spicy, somewhat smoky, strangely sweet scent that I would definitely classify as an upscale Oriental blend. It's a wonderfully warm skin scent for the colder months, and a beautiful and unique addition to my collection.
furygrrl

furygrrl

0
Sourball Ho!
 

Plant pics!

Antimony and darkitysnark have motivated me to post pictures of my favorite plants around the homestead. I take no credit for these, this is all DH's hard work.   Here's the front of the house with a couple of Silverado Sage bushes. This big picture is from last summer; unfortunately we've had a very hot and dry one this year and our grass in front is brown. These bushes are popular here because they're very drought-tolerant:     They seem to love the heat, in fact! This week has been over 100 every day and they're blooming these cute purple flowers like crazy:     My other favorite plant is in the back next to the driveway: a pomegranate tree! It must like the heat too because it has a bunch of small pomegranates:     Here's another good one, it's huge:  
dawndie

dawndie

4
Review Round-up!
 

Chaos Theory III - CLIV 154

Originally reviewed: July 28 06   In the bottle: I smell something...sweet, woodsy, maybe a dark floral or two, with just a hint of dryer sheet.   On wet: Wow, what a jumble of notes - everything that was mentioned above, only much more intense. No dominant scent to go by, either. I have no idea what I'm smelling.   Drydown: I *still* can't tell what's in this blend. The possibilities that spring to mind are jasmine, myrrh, and/or ylang ylang, and maybe a touch of something resinous? It's a darkly golden, sweet, perfume-y, and somewhat dry kind of scent.   Overall: An elegant, expensive-smelling blend - not quite my taste, but lovely nonetheless.
furygrrl

furygrrl

0
Review Round-up!
 

The Hierophant

Originally reviewed: July 23 06   In the imp: Dry, herbal, vaguely sweet and woody.   On wet: If there's cinnamon in this blend - like so many before me have mentioned smelling - then it's very well hidden. All I'm getting is something sweet and resinous.   Drydown: Still a very sweet, yet somewhat dusty and subdued wood-sap type of scent. I think I'm picking up on cedar and myrrh...and if frankincense is what's driving that incensey undernote, then I may have to reconsider my completely random anti-frank policy (he kinda scares me...).   Overall: This blend has totally surprised me - it's not like anything I'd normally wear, but I can't stop sniffing myself! It's warm and sweet and spicy (though if it's cinnamon, it's still too well-blended for me to distinguish it), and definitely lovely. Reminds me of La Petite Mort, Eclipse and, to a lesser degree, Black Phoenix. Maybe if they were layered together... Either way, a very yummy, skin-licious scent, and an easy 4/5.
furygrrl

furygrrl

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Review Round-up!
 

Cheshire Cat

Originally reviewed: July 01 06   In the imp: Faint lavender, something herbal.   On wet: A jumble of notes swirl up - currants and grapefruit in the foreground, herbs and musk underneath.   Drydown: Mmm... Soft, sweet, candyliciousness. I seriously smell edible. It's like the currants and grapefruit have merged into some kind of pink Super Fruit, all glowing and gorgeous and glazed with sugar. The lavender, chamomile, and musk are bundled together just underneath - like a softly fragrant, herbal serving platter for all that yummy fruit.   Overall: Lovely and light, sweet without being overpowering, a beautiful, interesting skin scent, and yet another addition to my bottle wishlist. A strong 4.5/5
furygrrl

furygrrl

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Review Round-up!
 

Phobos

Originally reviewed: July 01 06   In the imp: Extra lemony lemon!   On wet: Sharp lemon, a sliver of what I'm thinking is grapefruit, and the barest whisper of white musk lurking underneath.   Drydown: The musk has risen up to form a partnership with those incredibly bright, yet slightly tamer citrus notes. It's become a sweeter, faintly powdery scent, reminiscent of those hard lemon drops you'd get in a tin, all dusted with icing sugar. Very straightforward, but also very yummy.   Overall: I'm a huge white musk fan, so this blend was destined to please. It's uncomplicated, fresh, and lasted for *hours*! Especially gorgeous in this disgustingly humid weather. A strong 4/5.
furygrrl

furygrrl

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Review Round-up!
 

Frumious Bandersnatch

Originally reviewed: April 26 06   In the imp: Smells kinda like fruity paint.   On wet: A sweet splash of non-descript fruit that darkens into rich, syrupy, spiced plum-goodness after only a few seconds.   Drydown: Mmmm... Warm, spicy plums... Underscored by the barest hint of creamy carnations... Sooooo goooood....   Overall: This is a seriously delicious combination of notes - not really candle-esque to me, but I can understand how the scent of spiced fruit might smell like such to other noses. Likewise, to *this* grrl's nose, FB's warm, sweet darkness seems better suited to late summer/autumn/winter or as an evening fragrance, not so much for spring. No doubt this blend will be a bottle purchase, to be slathered with abandon come fall.   4.5 out of 5.
furygrrl

furygrrl

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