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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

 

..

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

..

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Crowley: Don't mess with THE MAN.

Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk.

Imp: Sharp-ish, musky cologne.

Wet: Patchouli. Loooots of patchouli.

Drydown: Oh no! Sharp, alcoholic cologne, the kind that made you gag when it came in clouds out of the boys' locker room at High School.

Dry (First): Phew! Still cologne, but much creamier. Still very, very manly though.

Dry (10 mins): Crowley just screams manliness from every pore. Not something that warrants big bottle attention, but nice nonetheless.

Verdict: Don your sunglasses and drive your burning Bentley screaming through the black night.

Rating: 4/5. Would have gotten 5 if it was a little less testosterone-fuelled.

Review

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Anybody want Saw-Scaled Viper?

As I said in my Sale Post, I'm selling off one of my bottles of Saw-Scaled Viper. I do love it, but the first ten minutes of wearing it is almost unbearable - my sinuses practically turn inside out. So while I love the drydown and dry stages (and the vanilla underneath at the end), I won't be wearing it enough to warrant having two bottles. So I'm selling one of them.   The deal? You can decide which one I sell! I have a full one, brand new from the Lab two weeks ago, which I haven't even opened, and I have my older one which is full to just above the label. See my Sale thread for prices so I don't seem like I'm trying to sell outside the Swaps forum (this is an FYI post!). The older one is cheaper, but the new one is obviously fuller and unused, and thus a little higher in price. I personally don't mind which one I sell, as there is no difference in smell that I can detect.   Take your pick, ladies!

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

Enraged Groundhog Musk: The Perfect Foody

Really ridiculous, insanely inappropriate, and staggeringly silly! Cranky groundhog musk sweetened up by chocolate-covered black cherries, cardamom, French vanilla, and caramel. Bottle: Bitter cocoa and cardamom.   Wet: Dark cherries with a lashing of chocolate.   Drydown: The vanilla appears, rounding off the slightly bitter cherries nicely.   Dry: The foodie in me loves this! I'm having trouble picking out individual notes, but it's a warm, sweet scent, but not as sweet as, say, Carnivale. Yummity yum yum!   Dry (20 mins): Obviously my skin thinks this tastes as good as it smells, and has eaten it! Oh well. It leaves behind a very light musky scent, so would be great for a job interview or something - pleasant, but with little throw and no permeating qualities.   Verdict: While it lasts, a sweet, musky foody. Warm and cuddly with 50% Extra Added Cute.   Rating: 4/5   Review

Jenesis

Jenesis

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

IGMO, Tenochtitlan & PC Bits

I Got My Order!   W00t, my 29th April order came! My Mum, rather bemused by the sudden avalanche of boxes, parcels and packets for me, called me and told me. I asked her to open it and put the Bloody Mary upright somewhere dark. I can't remember what she said the frimps were (although her pronunciation of Shub-Niggurath was amusing), but I'm pretty sure one of them was Phantom (maybe Phantasm). The Imps that I ordered were: 2 x Brown Jenkins, 2 x Vice, Imp and Shub-Niggurath.   Can't wait to get home on Saturday now   Tenochtitlan   Wow, I can finally spell that right!   In my package with the 5ml of Ventriloquist Dummy (see previous post for the tragedy of that one ), lorajc kindly included a frimp of Tenochtitlan. My review of it is here. To sum up, it's not unpleasant, it just doesn't quite work on me. Oh well .   New PC Components   I really shouldn't start squeeing about this until I get home, but oh well   I got a call from my Mum earlier today: All my computer bits have arrived at home! I'll be building it next Sunday, after I go and get a monitor (I already have an AWESOME keyboard - the Logitech G15 Gamer - and a great Razer Diamondback mouse). My poor Mum sounded very bemused when she said "There are four large boxes here for you - one says 'X-Cruiser Chassis' on it. Are you building a car?"  

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

 

...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

 

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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