dawndie

Hey! What's happening? I feel elderly as I have never blogged. So I'm testing! I guess I'm pretty happy in general, as opposed to my blog title. Matt Groening (pre-Simpsons) used to have a little comic in LA Weekly called "Life in Hell" (maybe he still does? I haven't checked) and there were a few collections that were published in the '80s with such titles as "Love Is Hell" and "Work Is Hell." One of his strips was the 9 types of couples, and DH and I fit the mold of Sourballs vs. the World, i.e. "can you believe the crap that is on TV?" Hence the title of my blog and DH's website. We started dating in January 1991, when I was 20 and he was 25. I know! That sounds like I was a baby, but of course I didn't feel like a baby because I was so effing mature. Heh. We got our own place in July '91, and my parents were pretty accepting considering their 20-year-old was moving out with some guy she knew for a year. But here we are, 15 years later. Things turned out fine, Mom.

Madrid! Not dead-on clove cigarettes, more like sitting outside at a cafe drinking wine while smoking a clove cigarette.

The label says "BPAL.org Forum" on it! Cool! In bottle: smoky musk, but not as animalistic scary as others get. On skin: clean and fresh, like "dark, aggressive, furious" detergent. It feels stick on the wrist. I get woodsy (without pine or juniper) which must be the rainforest plants. Half-hour later: almost gone! Where'd it go? Two hours later: it's back and smells like men's cologne. A little too masculine for me. In conclusion: I'm trying this on DH, and glad I got to try it myself!

I had the same problem on my laptop. DH fixed it by going through the firewall and unchecking the box, "Block 3rd Party Cookies." I guess if CCNow is considered a third party, it needs to place cookies to remember if you've carted something previously. In my security program it's under Privacy Controls, Custom and you uncheck the box, but every program is different. Hope that helps!

Out of all the Poe scents, this one was jumping up and down and screaming, "Buy me!" In bottle: Lots of juicy orange. I'm leery of the citrus scents, not because they're not great but because they disappear on me. On skin: Blast of orange, but almost immediately followed by a soft creamy YUM. I'm leery of the "creamy" scents too, because they sometimes go sour (Milk Moon, grr), but the citrus keeps it from doing so. Half-hour later: Dead ringer for Alice, creamy roses, with an added teeny bit of orange. Alice is one of my all-time favorites, it's a great comfort scent that I'll put on at any time. I can't say enough nice things about this; it's a creamy soft floral, it lasts forever, it's calming and peaceful. In conclusion: Lovely and wonderful

I love these new graphics on all the bottles! I liked the labels before, gothic and austere, but these are wackier and have more of a sense of humor. In bottle: creamy butterscotch, yum! On skin: instead of white wedding cake or pink cupcakes, I get more of a darker spiced cake. Half-hour later: there's more cinnamon, but just a touch. It's not toothache sweet, and it's not too waxy or fake. In conclusion: I didn't necessarily want to walk around smelling like a giant cupcake, but this acts like a variation on a foody scent -- not dead-on food, but reminds me of food (if that makes any sense ). I'm glad to have a bottle!

In bottle: more Jack-like bread. I know, I'm weird. On skin: wow, another serious morpher. Like PP#1 and 3, it smells nothing like in the bottle. Greeny green green, but not "forest" with pine or juniper (which end up as men's cologne on me). Clean, but no detergent/soapy smell. I really like what must be the English ivy, it's a nice change over the more common grass or leaves or moss scents. Half-hour later: this has barely changed. This is the least "foody" of the 5 on me, as I get no "baking bread," just more greenery. In conclusion: I was really surprised by this one, it doesn't seem to fit in with the other 4.

In bottle: more Jack-type buttered bread, but a little more smoky. On skin: lots of woods, but not incensey like I hoped. Half-hour later: the "bread" note is peeking out more, but not overpowering. In conclusion: As you can see from the bare-bones review, this was the hardest for me to pin down. I just couldn't put my finger (nose?) down on anything specific. It wasn't a standout for me; more of a generic "woody" scent with a little bit of baking bread in the background. I wish I got what other people were getting with this one; this would be #5 favorite out of the 5.

In bottle: more foody Jack-like bread. I must be crazy, but when I got an imp of Jack, I wrote down "buttered rum bread." I know that doesn't exist, but that's all I think of with these pumpkin scents. Why does it come out like bread on me? On skin: Yum! Totally different, really tart fruity fruit fruit. The "buttered rum bread" is lurking in the background, but only to keep it from veering into Froot Loops territory. Half-hour later: not much morph, still tart fruit over bread, like jelly on toast. Of the 5, this one is my favorite.

PP#2 was the one I was most looking forward to. In bottle: yep, there's the cocoa. PP#1 was very buttery and Jack-like in the bottle, and this is nothing like it. On skin: hey! Where'd the cocoa go? It's a weird chemical smell. I am a huge fan of Centzon Totochtin and Dia de los Muertos, both of which have a nice dry unprocessed chocolate/cocoa tinge. This isn't here, and neither is the hazelnut and walnut. Half-hour later: oh goody, there's the cocoa I like. No nuts though, that I can tell. This definitely mellowed out to a very nice blend; not so much "chocolate" or "foody" but very sweet and pretty. This one is the longest-lasting of the 5 too; hours later it's still close to the skin and nice. In conclusion: PP#2 is #2 of the five, especially the way it ends up.

I was looking forward to PP#1, as I luuuuv appley cider. In bottle: strong butter. This is kinda what Jack smells like on me, which I'm not a huge fan of. Wet on skin: WOW! Totally different from the bottle -- strong apple cider. Half-hour later: it's matured to less-sweet mulling spices. The foody bread-like undertone from the bottle has reappeared, but is a step away from Jack. In conclusion: very interesting and complicated. A great autumn blend!

I discovered the BPAL site in September '04, placed an order, and right after that Carnivale and a bunch of other scents were discontinued. So upon re-release, I ordered a bottle for the novelty and I liked the name, description, and now-ex-HBO show (RIP, weird show! I'll miss you!). In bottle: sweet Bubble Yum gum. On skin: sweet and spicy! I'm such a foodie. The spiciness might be the carnation, as other more attuned reviewers have pointed out. Half-hour later: more cinnamon, like a fruitier Yuletide (which was Big Red gum on me). Like my feelings for Yuletide, I don't know if I want to smell like gum. It's not very strong, though, and disappears quickly so I end up missing it anyway. In conclusion: not a bottle I'm grabbing every day, but more of a "jolt" of carnie weirdness in combination with whatever else I'm wearing. Plus it'll be very nice in a linen spray or the oil burner.

Numb arrived at the perfect time, as we are having one last blast of hairdryer-in-your-face heat here; it's been 100 every day this week. Why won't autumn come? In bottle: very sharp tingly astringent. No florals or mint, or anything resembling icy coolness; it's more like a toner to wash your face. Phoo! On skin: WOW! This smells nothing like in the bottle. It's a sugary floral, sweet and sparkly. I do not consider myself a florals gal (Marie's rosey violets gave me a splitting headache) but this is very pretty. Half-hour later: this has stayed true, barely morphing into a non-soapy, slightly fluffy powder. I like the powdery drydown in general though, so fine with me! In conclusion: yet another fun surprise! I won't be grabbing this to wear every day, but hopefully it'll turn into a nice linen spray too.

I was realizing, after many Lunacy blends, I still don't have any idea what "lunar oils" are. I have several favorites (Wolf, Chaste, Honey) and they all smell different from each other and I can't catch any similarities. Anyway... In bottle: sparkly, like Storm Moon. Storm went all laundry detergent on me, so we'll see about this. Wet on skin: still sparkly and tingly, but instead of detergent there's a complexity, like Wolf Moon. It must be the "forest herbs." I don't think this is the musk, which I picture as very masculine and heavy. This is light, clean and refreshing. Half-hour later: no morphing into anything else, which is more unusual for my skin. Sometimes the blends are morphing all over the place, annoying the cats. But this is still very crisp and clean with no accompanying soap. In conclusion: I took a chance on ordering this, which I feared would be too masculine, but butter my butt and call me a biscuit! I'm glad for the bottle.

Tamora is very similar to Corazon on me! They both have amber and juicy fruit (Tamora is peach, Corazon is mango). They sound pretty different otherwise from the descriptions, but I had to start sniffing bottles and imps to jar my memory -- "What does this smell like? Argh!"

I went to SoCal in June to "see my family," but the real, nefarious reason was to go to Black Broom! My sister lives just a few blocks from there. My plan worked perfectly! Mwahaha! Anyway, I brought a list of things to sniff and at the top of the list was ELEGBA! I was so disappointed when they were out, so the next Moon update included a full bottle. In the bottle: swoony buttery rum! I just drooled on myself a bit. On my skin: more of the swoony rum, with the tang of tobacco. The coconut is slight and a bit chemical. I'm kind of disappointed, but my ideal coconut scent is tanning oil, so what do I know? Half-hour later: oh, this is nice! It's like Perversion without the fruity winey aspect. I'm sniffing my wrist over and over. In conclusion: Welcome, Senor Elegba, to my humble home! I'm happy I bought a bottle unsniffed.

I got this in a swap with friendthegirl. Thanks babe! In the bottle: sharp astringent that tingles in my nose. Something sweet and soft in the background, very faint berries. Initially on skin: it's a dark brown/red oil. There's a medicinal smell, almost plastic. The sweetness comes to the foreground, and it's so hard to place -- fruit? floral? It must be a combination, I get berries and maybe lilies. Half-hour later: ah, this is better. It's like Hollywood Babylon with some dusty resin mixed in. I think this would be more of a ritual oil than a perfume oil, it seems to have something foreboding lurking in the background, looming and dark. Very unusual and interesting!

CCLXXI (271) In the bottle: green melon Initially on skin: watermelon, very watery and juicy. Reminds me a lot of Mi-Go, but instead of Jolly Rancher watermelon, it's almost-not-quite-ripe and not as sugary sweet. Half-hour later: woodsy, green, Wolf Moon-ish. I am thinking deep thoughts about this one. I like the watermelon stage, and I like the woodsy green stage (especially when it doesn't turn into men's cologne on me -- Juniper, I'm looking at you). But I have bottles of Mi-Go and Wolf Moon already. I am definitely giving this another whirl or two before making up my mind. In conclusion: an amazing morphing blend. Two, two, two bottles in one!

I bought a bottle off eBay, which I'm hereby resolving not to do anymore. I have so many bottles and imps, I really need to calm down and wear what I currently own and love. I of course will continue to place new orders to the Lab. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, back to the review. Yuletide is an almost-clear oil! Which really surprised me, as I assumed it would be darker if not red. Wet, it's cinnamon. I am not a cinnamon fan, but this is a slightly sweet Big Red gum version. Dry, an hour later, it mellows to a woodsy berry. Nice! In summation: I was afraid I wouldn't want to wear this until October, but this can definitely be worn year-round.

I ordered a bottle simply for the name and description, as my maternal grandmother grew up on a farm near Deadwood. We took a trip with her years ago, and the fondest memories were traveling through the Black Hills, going to the nature preserves and watching the buffalo. The leather smell is very clean and refreshing -- DH came into the room after I put some on, and he thought it smelled like "water from outside." Like when he's watering the lawn. This isn't a bottle I'll be grabbing to wear every day, just when I want something simple and natural. Or when I want to smell like hose water.

In the bottle: watermelon, like Jolly Ranchers. Yum! On me: pineapple, with lots of tropical fruits hovering nearby. I luuuuuv the fruity fruit fruit, but unfortunately they don't last on my skin. Half-hour later: yep, no more fruits. But it's a very nice tropical floral, like the Comptoir Sud Pacifique samples I like requesting with Sephora orders. I would much rather have one of the Lab's tropical florals than a $50 mass-made alcohol concoction. In summation: a great blend for summer!

I ordered a bottle with my Beltane/Hexennacht order. Corazon starts out VERY fruity fruit fruit, yum! It seems like my wrists would be sticky, the fruit is so strong. A half-hour later: it's a distinctive herb, which must be the sage. Kind of spicy. The fruit is almost completely gone, and I'm not getting any musk. It's turned very vague, and I can barely smell it. Shoot. I love the first fruity part, and the sage part is nice, but I wish it was stronger and would hang around more in general. Maybe it's just shy. I'm glad I bought a bottle before it disappeared.

... This perfume is the scent of the witches’ revel: German fir and forest herbs, incense and bonfire smoke, and the wet, glimmering scent of skin warmed by dance. Me at work on Saturday, calling DH: Do we have extra CD-RWs at home? DH: Yup. Oh, you got a package from that place. Me: YAY! Is it from Black Phoenix? DH: I guess, whatever your cult is. Me: YAY! NEW SMELLIES! DH: ... Hexennacht was the first one I grabbed, and add my review to the Samhain echoes. Since Samhain is one of my all-time favorites, I'm thrilled to have a similar scent. While Samhain starts out with an apple cider punch in the face, Hexennacht goes on smoky and warm, incensey without the "BPAL Incense" smell I get from many other smoky scents, like Hellfire. Also unlike Samhain, Hexennacht doesn't morph into anything else on my skin -- I put it on about 7:30 p.m. and when we got home 5 hours later it still swooningly-smelled exactly the same. Even DH liked it: I did my usual shove-wrist-under-his-nose and he said, "That smells really good!" More enthusiastic than his normal nodding-head and "that smells nice." I'll take what I can get.

A sultry, exotic scent that inspires devious plotting and clandestine affairs. It is a scent painted in artifice, veiled in deceit, and slithering with whispered secrets. Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes. Intrigue was one of those "try ME!" imps that kept recurring. I somehow ended up with 3 imps, 2 freebies from the Lab and a freebie from an eBay purchase. I felt bombarded by them! Like in Poltergeist, where Diane's in the unfinished swimming pool and bodies are popping up all around her. Hmm, that's probably a bit overdramatic. Intrigue starts out as dusky cocoa. It reminds me a lot of Centzon Totochtin -- unsweetened and dark. Wood peeks out occasionally, and it's a very unique scent. My skin must love it, because it totally disappears; I must have used 1/3 of an imp, and a couple hours later I can barely smell it. Boo. All in all, the imp is worth slathering.

I've tried a couple of imps recently that hollered "SUMMER!" Cathode - sparkly mint, then light floral Titania - sparkly white fruit (smelled like pear on me), that didn't morph at all into powder or floral I know the summer in Dallas is going to be bad, we're in the 80s today already. It's not even May! Boo!