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BPAL Madness!
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About this blog

Astrophysics, Lovecraft, BPAL, computers. If that 'aint a weird mix I don't know what is.

Entries in this blog

 

World of Warcraft

Just in case any forumites are also WoW players and fancy having a lil' virtual chat some time!   Realm: Aggramar (EU) Character: Jenesis, Warlock, level 80 (Gnome), Jenyria, Death Knight, level 60 (Gnome), Namaron, Druid, level 60 (Night Elf)   My guild is Magisters, I enjoy raiding and solo questing/levelling, but I hate PVP - both battlegrounds and world combat. I'm just not cut out for it!
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Wishlist Pimpage

Just pimping my Wishlist   Wishlist Highlights:   Fire Pig Enraged Groundhog Musk Cheshire Cat Eat Me March Hare
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Why...?

Why can't she see she has a problem? Screaming at someone because they used the wrong roasting tin is not normal behaviour. She is my mother and I hate to see someone turn into a raging screaming maniac for something trivial happening. When pressed she shrugs it off and says "I've always had a bad temper." Hum, yes, an ordinary, everyday short fuse that turns her into a homicidal maniac I'm terrified to be around.   I've had enough. I've done my best, I've tried to make her see a doctor, I've tried to remain calm while she's throwing things at me, and I can't take it anymore. I can't even make her get help, as I'd have to go with her, and she would kill me. (Only a very slight exaggeration there. When she goes into a rage I fear for my, and her, safety, she has thrown things at me and struck me before now, and she has severely hurt herself more than once.)
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Why is he being an ass...?

So my boyfriend went out with his mates last night. Without telling me. After I had planned a cosy evening in.   I don't mind him going out with them (I don't like them very much, but who am I to tell him who to be friends with..?), what I do mind is not knowing about it. Is it wrong to want to know where your loved one is?   Upon further questioning this morning, as far as he could answer questions in his hungover state, it turns out "Tim was around and I haven't seen him for ages". Alright, fine, he wanted to see his friend. That's fine, I'd like to see my friends if they came to visit too. What is NOT FINE is how he managed to stretch "just a pint down at Scholars" into "out for six hours, get paralytically drunk, then come home at 2am and expect me to be there to go to bed with". Um, NO WAY.   What's so sad is that when he's with just me or with our mutual friends, he is fine and nice and polite and normal. It's just when he's with his group of friends that he gets swept up in their macho, sexist philosophies.   I don't know what to do.
Jenesis

Jenesis

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What Amounts to 2 CnS in 2 Days!

You know that bottle of Geek that was up on eBay UK? I won it! I can't wait for it to get here. It's all paid for and is being sent First Class, but there was no indication of when it would actually be posted. I've bought a bottle off the seller before (waaaaaaay back in 2006) and that was fine.   I also got my CnS for my last (and for once, only pending) Lab order! March Hare and Saw-Scaled Viper, both second bottles - March Hare because I just love it so much, and SSV because it fades fast so needs lots of reapplications. I didn't order Pruno in the end, I couldn't justify the cost of three bottles + shipping
Jenesis

Jenesis

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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

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Ventriloquist Dummy: As Evil as the Namesake

Well, in good accordance with Murphy's Law, the missing bottle of Ventriloquist Dummy was waiting on my doorstep for me this morning! So I'm happy about that (annoyed at Royal Mail though!).   The problem came when I first wore the Dummy.   I don't usually go for hyperbole, but this is just: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!   The Dummy really hates me most woods and things go lovely on me but with this one all I can smell is dust, decay, rot and a pile of ancient, rotting potpourri. And the worst part is, I'll have two bottles, as I ordered another one thinking the first one was lost. So now I'll have to sell or swap them both, which always makes me feel guilty, as I put other people to effort packing and sending them to me, and then I'm just getting rid of them. I always stay well under the price caps in the swap forum, though.   Whyyyyy   ETA: Oh no! I have a decant on the way as well! I'll feel soooo guilty about putting 2 bottles and a decant up for sale at once, it looks like I'm trying to profit, but at the same time I don't want to hang on to them for six months then sell them, for the same reason
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Venom: Halp, sweaty feet!

Darkly seductive and lethally compelling: sinuous opponax, galbanum, dark wild berries, a drop of lush jasmine and a sliver of lime.
As we all know, Venom is one of the oldest and most sought-after BPALs. It was discontinued in 2005. With that in mind...

I was frimped a sniffie of this, and I must admit that I'm glad I don't like it. All I get out of it is "feet covered in hair dye". Don't ask me where I get that from, but to me I can smell sweaty-feet-stink with the pervading chemical tang of ammonia-based hair dye. Oh well!
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Tristran: Ehh.

Tristran put down his wooden cup of tea, and stood up, offended.

"What," he asked, in what he was certain were lofty and scornful tones, "would possibly make you imagine that my lady-love would have sent me on some foolish errand?"

The little man stared up at him with eyes like beads of jet. "Because that's the only reason a lad like you would be stupid enough to cross the border into Faerie. The only ones who ever come here from your lands are the minstrels, and the lovers, and the mad. And you don't look like much of a minstrel, and you're - pardon me saying so, lad, but it's true - ordinary as cheese-crumbs. So it's love, if you ask me."

"Because," announces Tristran, "every lover is in his heart a madman, and in his head a minstrel."

Dust on your trousers, mud on your boots, and stars in your eyes: redwood, tonka bean, white sandalwood, lemon peel, patchouli, rosewood, coriander, and crushed mint.

Although nice, this scent is "meh" for me. I love woody scents and I was hoping this could be a new Geek, but it doesn't have the complexity.

Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely scent, but on me it's just straight "wood", with no mint, lemon or anything else to spice it up. It fades quickly. I really can't pick apart the various woods.

If this was a regular price GC I'd go for it, but at $25 a bottle it's a little pricey when there are nicer woody blends for the same price tag (The Smiling Spider).
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Three Witches: Nom Nom Nom

Warm cinnamon, husky clove and white pepper.

I was lucky enough to acquire a bottle of the Resurrected incarnation.

In the vial and wet, this is all CINNAMON. Spicy spicy spice with no sign of the clove or pepper - it's like I upended a pot of cinnamon onto my wrist. As nice as cinnamon is, it's very strong.

On the drydown, the overwhelming cinnamon thankfully fades a little. I can detect a whiff of the clove, and the smooth pepper is coming out to play.

Dry, this is a stunning scent. The cinnamon and clove are still there, over the smooth sweetness of white pepper. So glad I managed to get a bottle!
Jenesis

Jenesis

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The Snake Pit: Death Adder

Snake Oil with vetiver, black coconut, vanilla, and opoponax.   Bottle: Snake Oil with a whole coconut dumped in.   Wet: An odd, dark, slightly bitter coconut. Coconut amps to ungodly proportions on me so we'll see how that pans out!   Drydown (first): It reminds me quite a bit of Brown Jenkins, with the coconut bittered by other notes. I can just about smell the vanilla struggling to get out, but it's mainly slightly bitter coconut.   Drydown (later): Wow, what a morpher! This has gone very sweet now, with what I think (and hope!) is the murky opopanax in the background.   Dry: The scent has balanced. On me it's a murky, slightly dark vanilla blend with a dollop of slightly bitter coconut balancing on the top. There is a little dark opopanax underneath. I can't detect any amber or spices (in other words, no Snake Oil) or vetiver in this at all.   Dry (later): It hasn't changed much from the earlier drydown. It's murky and sexy while still being sweet - very "me" in other words A clear winner here, Beth! This has replaced Saw-Scaled Viper in my Top 10, because it doesn't blow my sinuses inside out for the first five minutes of wear.
Jenesis

Jenesis

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The Red Queen: Too Big a Tart

Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant.   Wet: Rather nice cherries, not very sweet, more "real" cherries than those glace ones drenched in syrup.   Drydown: A weird mix of sour, tart currants and cherries.   Dry: Sadly, it was not meant to be. It's not an "Eugh!" scent, but it's nowhere near as nice as, say, Bloody Mary. The cherries remain, but there is no sign of the rich woods, and the currants smell like they could use a few more spoonfuls of sugar on top.   Final Verdict: Fruity, slightly tart pie with no sugar.   Rating: 3/5   Review
Jenesis

Jenesis

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The Poor Lost Dummy

ETA: SEE MORE RECENT POST!   I think I may have to bite the bullet and admit that, for the first time in all my BPAL buying, selling and swapping, the Royal Mail has lost one of my parcels.     I had a bottle of Monsterbait: Ventriloquist Dummy on the way from lorajc. She shipped it on the 8th of May - nearly 2 weeks ago - and it still hasn't shown up. Every other purchase I made from the 7th - 10th of May has turned up apart from that one. That is in no way her fault or my fault, just the stupid Post Office losing packages   I haven't had a problem before, but as I've bought literally hundreds of things off the Internet in the past few years, statistics indicate that at least one or two of them would be lost. Why oh why did it have to be a bottle of BPAL though especially a discontinued LE!   I'm going to go and cry have a big cup of hot chocolate now
Jenesis

Jenesis

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The Pill and Pregnancy

So anyway, after reading a few threads about birth control and pregnancy, I thought I'd share my (hopefully not too TMI ) experiences.   I'm on a birth control pill called Cerazette. It's a mini-pill, so proestrogen-only rather than the combined pill that they normally give. Since I started this I have not had a single proper period. Not one. In the first two months I got light spotting irregularly, but after that? Nothing. Nada. Zip. The "freedom" of not having a bleed is brilliant, in that I can go see my boy and do anything I want at any time of the month, I don't have to worry about carrying towels or a mooncup about, and I don't have to worry about it starting at inconvenient times and places.   However, as you can imagine, the lack of a monthly bleed is slightly disconcerting from a pregnancy point of view. I am in no way attacking mothers or families here, but I really do not want children right now. Becoming pregnant would be a nightmare, what with the physical changes and the urgency of an abortion (again, not attacking anyone, that's just what I, personally, would do if I became pregnant now), all tied into my University course. My solution? It was actually suggested by the boy after I admitted to being worried, because I was gaining weight (a result of too many kebabs, actually ), and of course I had no bleeding. He suggested that I give myself a pregnancy test every three months or so, just to make sure. Why didn't I think of that myself! Of course all the tests (all two of them ) have turned out negative, but it is a very good peace-of-mind method. Plus, the boy gets peace of mind too. He wants to be a father, but not at 20   ETA: I know the chances of me becoming pregnant while on this pill (which has a 99.5% success rate) are slim to none, as it works by actually stopping ovulation, "most of the time" according to the leaflet. But better safe than sorry eh
Jenesis

Jenesis

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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

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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

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Sterilisation for a 21-year-old

I don't want children. I don't ever want to be pregnant, to give birth, to take care of a baby. The idea of being pregnant and labour and looking after a baby is terrifying to me.   I've felt like this ever since I started my periods at 11. When I first started, I asked my mother if I could have my ovaries removed. That was 10 years ago, and my view hasn't changed at all.   However, I understand there are people who do want, and deserve, children and can't have them for whatever reason. I wish I could give my fully-functioning ovaries to them. I know there are egg donation programmes, I wish there was an ovary donation one!   I can't give my uterus, as although it's in fairly healthy shape I suffered from Oligomenorrhea (highly irregular periods), although I don't think suffered is the right word as it didn't cause me any problems. Apart from wanting to stop ovulating and stop bleeding altogether, of course.   I don't hate my own body. I just wish I had more control over it, and perhaps more relevantly, I wish that the NHS wasn't so closed-minded. They actually believe that every woman wants children. No exceptions. They won't even give me a consultation to have my tubes tied because I am OBVIOUSLY too young to understand the implications and I will DEFINITELY change my mind and start a family. I won't, of course, but all that matters to them is that I am young and without children. Therefore, their logic is that I will certainly regret it. Hah...
Jenesis

Jenesis

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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

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Second Order in a Week.

Heh.   I realised I would probably like some of the more woody scents as well, so I ordered:     Not a bad one, eh?
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Schrodinger's Cat: A Pretty Kitty!

One can even set up quite ridiculous cases. A cat is penned up in a steel chamber, along with the following diabolical device (which must be secured against direct interference by the cat): in a Geiger counter there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small that perhaps in the course of one hour one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none; if it happens, the counter tube discharges and through a relay releases a hammer which shatters a small flask of hydrocyanic acid. If one has left this entire system to itself for an hour, one would say that the cat still lives if meanwhile no atom has decayed. The first atomic decay would have poisoned it. The Psi function for the entire system would express this by having in it the living and the dead cat (pardon the expression) mixed or smeared out in equal parts. It is typical of these cases that an indeterminacy originally restricted to the atomic domain becomes transformed into macroscopic indeterminacy, which can then be resolved by direct observation. That prevents us from so naively accepting as valid a "blurred model" for representing reality. In itself it would not embody anything unclear or contradictory. There is a difference between a shaky or out-of-focus photograph and a snapshot of clouds and fog banks.

A paradoxical scent experiment! - tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint.

No cats were mistreated during the formulation of this paradox, or in the process of creating this perfume.

First off, let me say I am a cat person. Very much a cat person. I've already named the three cats I'll have in my home when I move out.

I got this from the Lab when it was new, and I didn't like it much then (too sharp and lemony). However, I broke it out again today for my Quantum Mechanics exam, and I was delighted to find that it has aged wonderfully in the few months I've had it!

The main thing I can smell is sherbert lemons. I can only assume this is the sugared fruits coming in to play. For the first half-hour of wear, the Kitty is very nice and light and bright (never fear, citrus-haters, it's very sweet). After that, the bright, citrus top notes disappear leaving a sweet, but not tooth-achingly so, musky undertone. I can't get any lavender out of it at any stage. I guess the musky drydown is the oakmoss and chocolate.
Jenesis

Jenesis

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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

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Red Lantern - Heady, Smooth, Sticky

A tribute to the opium den cum bawdyhouses of Shanghai in the 1930's. Golden amber, blonde tobacco, Sudanese black coconut, rich caramel, black currant, white opium and delphinium laced with a sensual blend of Asian spice.

I have no idea whether this is the 06 or 07 version. I think it may be the 06 as the label isn't "shiny" and it looks a little weathered.

In the bottle, this is incredibly sweet - think along the lines of the overpowering caramel of Creepy.

First on my skin, it retains this caramel-sweet whoosh, but I can detect the coconut in there too.

Drying, I get a slight "burnt sugar" smell. I hope this doesn't last.

Drying after a few minutes, the sugar has faded to the background, leaving a smooth amber-coconut scent. Very strong, so use sparingly, but going well so far!

Dry (10 mins): I'm not getting any opium, spice or delphinium out of this. It's just a smooth, slightly "sticky"-smelling scent. Definitely pleasant!
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Pending Orders

Pending Orders   -------------------------------------   None   ------------------------------------- Past Orders   -------------------------------------   8th May 2009   5ml Strawberry Moon 5ml Velvet Nudie   CnS: 15th May Received: 22nd May   18th November 2008   5ml Candy Phoenix 5ml Snake Charmer   CnS: None (Was sent during USPS weirdness period) Received: Dec 20th   24th October 2008 (Trading Post)   Clockwork Scent Locket Samhain Room Spray   CnS: 4th November Received: 10th November   3rd September 2008   5ml Lilith Victoria 5ml Graveyard Dirt Resurrected 5ml Pumpkin II 5ml Pumpkin IV   CnS: 20th September Received: 26th September   29th July 2008 (Trading Post)   Explorer's Society Tee Imp Case: Witches Dancing on the Sabbath 2 Notepads Keychain: Triple Dagger Goblin Squirt: Dungeon   CnS: August 13th Received: August 19th   29th July 2008   5ml Schwarzer Mond 5ml Inez 5ml Doc Constantine   Imp Pack:   1 Antique Lace 2 Fae 3 Tweedledee 4 Nostrum Remedium 5 Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener 6 Eden   CnS: 2nd August Received: 9th August   18th May 2008   5ml Hand of Glory 5ml The Illustrated Woman 5ml Pickled Imp   CnS: 10th June Received: 17th June   22nd May 2008 (Lab eBay Auction)   5ml Geek   CnS: May 24th Received: May 30th   22nd April 2008   5ml Rangoon Riptide 5ml The Antikythera Mechanism CnS: May 7th Received: May 13th   18th April 2008 (Trading Post)   Dragon Moon tee Phoenix Steamworks tee Hell's Belle Claw Polish   CnS: May 17th Received: May 22nd     17th April 2008   5ml Te Po 5ml Theodesius, the Ledgerman CnS: April 25th Received: May 1st   25th March 2008   5ml Tiki King 5ml Upa Upa 5ml March Hare CnS: April 20th Received: April 28th   15th February 2008   5ml Love's Philosophy 5ml Ebisu Making Love as Two Octopuses Look on 5ml Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller 5ml Severin CnS: March Received: March   19th January 2008   5ml Khajuraho 08 5ml Luperci 08 5ml Smut 08 CnS: February Received: February   7th November 2007   5ml Samhain 2007 5ml Plunder CnS: November 30th Received: December 14th   25th October 2007   5ml Ivanushka 5ml Samhain 2007 5ml The Perilous Parlor 5ml Gingerbread Poppet 2007 5ml El Dia de Reyes 5ml Vampire Tears 5ml March Hare   Imp pack #1 1. Schrodinger's Cat 2. Katharina 3. Event Horizon 4. Embalming Fluid 5. Iago 6. Sudha Segara   Imp pack #2 1. Bastet 2. De Sade 3. Fire of Love 4. Goblin 5. Whip 6. Incubus CnS: November 14th Received: November 20th   30th October 2007   5ml Black Forest 5ml The Lurid Library 5ml The Snow Storm CnS: November 14th Received: November 19th   13th July 2007   5ml 13 5ml Eat Me   CnS: July 28th Received: August 4th     11th June 2007   5ml March Hare 5ml Saw-Scaled Viper   CnS: June 25th Received: July 3rd     10th May 2007   5ml Imp 5ml Brown Jenkins   Imp: The Red Queen   CnS: June 6th Received: June 13th     29th April 2007   5ml Monsterbait: Bloody Mary   Imp Pack: 2 x Brown Jenkins 2 x Vice Imp Shub-Niggurath   CnS: May 11th Received: May 21st -------------------------------------
Jenesis

Jenesis

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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

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