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

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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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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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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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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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..

I feel like the worst, most useless human being in the world. I am a drain on society. My boyfriend could do so, SO much better than me if he took the time. I can't do anything right. I drop things. I break things. I managed to slice my hand open with a screwdriver while adding a case fan to my PC, how the hell does someone who isn't utterly stupid manage that?   I want to crawl into a hole and seal it behind me and cry forever in the lonely darkness.
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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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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Frederic: Geek-esque Manliness

For some ridiculous reason, to which, however, I’ve no desire to be disloyal,
Some person in authority, I don’t know who, very likely the Astronomer Royal,
Has decided that, although for such a beastly month as February, twenty-eight days as
a rule are plenty,
One year in every four his days shall be reckoned as nine and twenty.
Through some singular coincidence – I shouldn’t be surprised if it were owing to the
agency of an ill-natured fairy –
You are the victim of this clumsy arrangement, having been born in leap-year, on the
twenty-ninth of February;
And so, by a simple arithmetical process, you’ll easily discover,
That though you’ve lived twenty-one years, yet, if we go by birthdays,you’re only five
and a little bit over!

Alas, poor Frederic the Leapling! -- bound to the merry Pirates of Penzance until his twenty-first birthday.

As his birthday comes around only every four years, so does his scent!

Victorian whimsy and piratical romance: a reluctant seaman’s chypre sloshed with a mix of bay rum, patchouli, amber musk, dark woods, tea rose, and red currant.

The whole thing just screams manliness and sophistication. It is indeed quite dry, with woods and spices, and thankfully completely free of the sickening "Lynx effect" sweetness that so many masculine scents unfortunately have.

Although it is manly, it retains a touch of femininity with the spices and the hint of rose (I normally hate rose, so don't worry, fellow haters, the rose is not prominent at all!). In general it evokes the same feeling as Geek - although the scents are completely dissimilar apart from the woods, it has that same "manly but feminine" feel. I love Geek too, so this is right up my alley!

Looking at the notes, I can't smell any rum at all and I have no idea what chypre is, but the musk, woods and patchouli all make themselves known. The rose and currant show up after the drydown as quirky extras, stopping this from smelling too much like aftershave.

I absolutely adore this blend. I have the one bottle, and I may have to find another as this is just too nice to only get one of, and I bet it'll age fabulously!
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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Dorian: Mr Darcy's Cup of Tea

Inspired by and created for my beloved Tedwin: my eternal, beautiful, wicked Dorian Gray. Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air. This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea. Bottle: Light cologne.   Wet: Sweet vanilla with a slight "kick" from the citrus. Amazingly, the lemon hasn't amped to washing-up-liquid proportions yet!   Drydown: Sweet vanilla tea, just like the description.   Dry: There's sometime else in here that I don't recognise (probably the fougere, I haven't a clue what that is!). It's a sweet, bright, vanilla tea with the remnants of a slice of lemon in it, and this other, slightly musky scent underneath it. I love white musk so this is lurvely!   Verdict: Mr Darcy, holding a cup of sweet vanilla tea, out of which he has just fished a slice of lemon. I knew I would love this as soon as I read the description, and I'm so glad I bought it unsniffed!   Rating: 4.5/5   Review
Jenesis

Jenesis

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..

Oh for gods' sake. Why doesn't he just admit he wants to be with her instead of me. It's blindingly obvious he enjoys her company more than mine.
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Assortment: New Lab order, life in general

So here I am back at University for my second year. The work isn't too bad, although the lecturers seem bent on giving us assignments that have to all be handed in at once. My house is... interesting. Suffice to say I am never living with some of these people ever again. Leaving milk out on the counter for two weeks doesn't exactly put them in my good books.   Anyway, happy stuff: I made my birthday Lab order! I thought "Oh, screw it" and pretty much ordered my entire wishlist. Here goes:   What a great box that will be to open! I was going to go for Saggitarius, but the Chamomile was a deal-breaker for me - the scent of that just reminds me of pond water. I'm really excited about Samhain and Gingerbread Poppet especially, and I look forward to trying Iago and De Sade (leather... mmm!).   Luckily my birthday isn't until December 14th, and hopefully it will be delivered before then! I know the Lab will be very busy over the next few weeks, what with the wedding and everything, and I just hope they get round to my order in time.
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Layering Thoughts

This isn't turning into a blog so much as an extension of my BPAL database. Oh well!   Layering   Vice & Velvet/Candy Butcher   I recently started experimenting with layering my BPAL. It started with Vice - I liked it, but it didn't really wow me, just a simple (if a little plasticy) cherry scent. After receiving Velvet and finding the same thing only with chocolate, I had the bright idea of layering them. The result? Sweet cherries rounded off by chocolate. The resultant blend can be a little too sweet sometimes, so I swap in The Candy Butcher (a slightly more bitter cocoa) for Velvet when that happens. With the Butcher and Vice I smell like a box of those hellishly expensive dark chocolate cherry liqueur chocolates. Yum yum!   I'm also going to try it with Bloody Mary when I get home on the 26th. As that's a cherry scent too this could work quite well! I will post how that goes.   Shub-Niggurath & Xanthe   This one's a bit more tricky to pull off. While in theory the scents work very well together, the sweet fruit of Xanthe drawn to Earth by the herbal ginger of Shub, the two scents have such radically different strengths and throws that it took me a whole day of experimenting, and I'm still nervous about doing it! My basic finding was that ginger AMPS on me. A LOT. The people in the opposite block of flats could smell me when I wore Shub. So, I apply a tiny, tiny bit of Shub first - using an Imp wand or a toothpick or something - and rub that in. I let it sit for about 30 minutes or so, and then I apply Xanthe as liberally as I do when I wear just that. That's a dab from the cap on one wrist, rub wrists together, re-soak cap, a small dab on each side of the neck, and rub wrists on neck. Quite a lot for some scents, but just the right amount for the shy clown.   After the Xanthe enters the drydown stage, the ginger of Shub comes back into play, and wowee! A gorgeous, fruity blend with spicy ginger in the background. The sweet sexiness of Xanthe with the uniqueness and individual spice of Shub. Just like me really   As an aside, I have an Imp of Shub coming from the Lab in the Bloody Mary order. I might (since I have two bottles of Xanthe) try putting a custom Imp together of 1/4 Shub, 3/4 Xanthe and see what happens. Just a thought
Jenesis

Jenesis

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13 (July 2007)

A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including vanilla bean, white ginger, orchid, golden peach, massoia bark, clove, honey, and starfruit.

Wet: Strangely, I can smell no chocolate at all. Although it is making my stomach rumble. May be subconscious?

Drydown: This smells very "department store perfume".

Dry: Yum! I smell edible! (I love foodies...) The chocolate has come out, but it's thankfully not overpowering (a la Candy Butcher) like I thought it would. The whole scent is rich and smooth - sweet cocoa over the rich fruit and vanilla. The scent reminds me of those special edition hot chocolate flavours that Cadburys released a few months back.

Dry (10 mins): It is official: My skin eats white chocolate. This reminds me quite a bit of Xanthe, with the bright fruits and slight "perfumey" tang. Perhaps a slightly less liberal application is called for. 13 isn't a top three scent for me, but it is a top ten! (Seeing as I only have thirteen bottles...)

Verdict: Slightly "perfumey", but a nice smooth fruit blend with something rich and creamy underneath.

Rating: 4/5

Review
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Aziraphale: Intelligent, Light and Heavenly

Ethereal musk, blonde woods, and dusty Bible accord.

Bottle: Aaack. Alcoholic cologne.

Wet: Still alcoholic cologne.

Drydown: Weird, dusty, woody cologne.

Dry (10 mins): Slightly more interesting. I can smell cedar, sandalwood (I think) and other light, as it says, blonde woods. No "dust" as yet. I think the "cologne" scent must be the musk.

Dry (20 mins): Glad I left this, it's lovely now! Sweet, light musks and bright woods. Very sophisticated and fitting of the character. If I ever have a spare $25 I'll grab a bottle of this!

Verdict: Leave this to mellow! Smart, sophisticated and uplifting. Sit there with your gold-rimmed spectacles and browse your old books.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review
Jenesis

Jenesis

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...Third order. Heh.

Err. Whoops. I couldn't resist Samhain's siren call! I NEED a second bottle! So I ordered it, along with a bottle of Plunder to keep it company. Yay!  
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Eat Me: Seriously Edible!

Three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants.

Bottle: Nothing in particular, quite strong.

Wet: Fruity, tart berries.

Dry & Drydown: Smells similar - warm, sweet cake with slightly bitter undertones of berry. Sorry I can't be more specific - this is one of those mellow, all-purpose, warm, comforting scents, and on my chemistry, it smells divine!

Throw: Everyone I asked "Do you like this smell?" loved it. It lasted about 8 hours before vanishing.

Verdict: Warm, sweet and foody. A 6-part chord of notes rather than an octave.

Rating: A delectable 5/5!

Review
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Brown Jenkins: Less than Scary

A small, furry, sharp-toothed scent that will nuzzle you curiously in the black hours before dawn: dusty white sandalwood and orris root, dry coconut husk, creeping musk, and the residue of ceremonial incense.   Wet: Smells like paint. Oh dear.   Drydown: Smells like cheap shampoo. Equally, oh dear.   Dry: Oh, thank goodness for that! The musk (always good on me) and the coconut come out to play. The sweet coconut balances the dryness of the woods, and the mellow musk and spicy incense add complexity to the blend. Not an everyday scent, but definitely one for when I feel particularly engimatic!   Final Verdict: Once it dries, it's a sweet, musky blend complicated by spices and woods. Gorgeous and sexy, although not an everyday scent.   Rating: 4.5/5   Review
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Delousing Powder

I was frimped this by the awesomeness of shelldoo in my Death Adder order. Woohoo!   Quoted verbatim from the review thread:   Attendees at the June 30, 2007 Thunder Moon Will Calls on the East and West coasts were offered "an extra-speshul themed package" if they donated an item of clothing at the door to help women in local shelters.   To match the "Privilege and Pruno" theme of the events, the package was a plastic baggie with standard prison-issue toothbrush, comb, plastic razor, soap (samples of Macha's new line of Silk Road Trading Company soaps to be exact) and an imp of Delousing Powder! There was no description - only a frosty glare from the warden as she confiscated your clothes. - Numenon   Like others, I got a very strong lemon/citrus vibe out of this. Usually, lemon sends me running for the hills and smells like dishwasher soap. Not so with Delousing Powder! It does smell a little like Fairy Citrus, but it has a lovely sweet sherbert vibe about it too. It smells more like one of those frothy, citrusy, sweet cocktails you get on mainland Europe in August than soap. It also reminds me of lemon Callippos (ice lollies).   All in all, a pleasant scent, perfect for hot summer days - which means I won't be wearing it any time soon *looks out gloomily at the rainy and flooded country*
Jenesis

Jenesis

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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

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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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Happy... for the first time for months

I feel oddly happy and peaceful today. I shouldn't be; I'm at home for the summer, bored, unemployed, nothing to do, and the boyfriend has gone away for the week to NY. I think that's one of the reasons I'm happy: He's even worse at being idle than I am, he was getting really edgy and angry from being at home all the time with nothing to do. I'm so glad he's going away for the week with his family, he'll have a great time and come back refreshed and happy. (...Also he's staying at mine next week. My parents will be away. )   I also think it's my pills. I started taking the birth control pill Cerazette 3.5 months ago, and I have been miserable and hormonal for those three months. I kept taking them because the other side effects (such as no periods and better skin) are so good, and now I'm very glad that I seem to be adapting to the hormones too. I'm still not quite as bouncy (or as, erm, horny ) as I used to be, but oh well. Like I said, the benefits far outweigh the minor downsides.
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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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

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IGMO!

5mls of Saw-Scaled Viper and March Hare, and frimps of Baku, Himerus, Coyote and Intrigue.   I have to admit, I'm suffering a tiny bit of buyer's remorse about the Viper. While I love it, I don't wear it nearly as much as I used to (back when I ordered this second bottle), purely because the first ten minutes of wearing it is so hard. The cassia nearly blows my sinuses inside out. The drydown and dry phases are gorgeous, but it's just not going to be used enough to have two bottles of it. Oh well. I may put my older, slightly less full bottle up for sale in the future.   On the other hand, March Hare and I were meant to be! I found myself using my partial bottle for scenting my clothing, bedding and in my oil burner, not to mention a lovely if short-lived perfume. So definitely not regretting bottle #2 of that.   As for the frimps, I'm sure Intrigue is following me around. In the last three Lab orders I've made, they all have a frimp of Intrigue. And I still haven't tried it yet! I'll be putting it on tomorrow or tonight to test it out.   Oh, and I also got my eBay UK purchase - my long-sought bottle of Geek. Yum yum, opopanax, woods and leather - rawr!
Jenesis

Jenesis

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