izile

I tried the 2016 version. In the decant is was bright eucalyptus and cold mint in a lovely sinus-opening frozen blend. Maybe a little grapefruit? But not much else. On the skin - where'd it go? I did a good test, but as soon as it gets on me, it vanishes. I know my skin eats mint, but I thought maybe the eucalyptus would at least hang around.

I was curious about this one, and it ended up being one of my surprise winners. In the bottle, the lemon zest is sharp, and I worried about the dreaded "lemon pledge effect" but wet, this is a power-bomb of lemony goodness, and as it dries, it's just sharp, bright, citrusy and clean (in a non-cleaning-product-way).

I love plum and lavender, and thought the other notes might play well. I'm going to have to reconsider lily as a note, as this is the second one that's gone really weird on me. I got no plum, very little lavender, and almost nothing but dryer sheets. It smelled the same in the vial, wet on the skin, and after a good dry down, I got no variation, which is really weird for me.

Hand soap. Floral, slightly cool-smelling, hand soap. I've had good success with the lab's cherry blossom and wisteria notes, so I don't know if it's the "frozen" component or the lily part, but 100% hand soap.

I'm beginning to think I might amp sandalwood. Fresh, it was all sandalwood and some blackcurrant trying to fight through, maybe some violet leaf in the background, maybe, and nothing "wintery" feeling. By the time it dried down, no violet, still no winter, very dubious about any blackcurrant (which I love) and ALL THE SANDALWOOD. I will have to make a note about that, I was really hopeful about this scent, but I don't need that much sandalwood, straight up on me.

[No additional description given.] Tested at NYCC (note: Tested on the sith, so male skin chemistry) In the bottle: I actually had a hard time smelling this one in the bottle, might have been nose overload or con-air. Was trying to hit the coffee shakers between sniffs to clean the palate. Wet: the patchouli was fairly soft, a little sweet from the honey, and there was a lot more "leaf" going on right off the top than with a lot of the other ones. This was the leafiest one to me. Dry down: the honeyed patchouli and champaca blossoms don't really stand out from the dead leaves, but blend in. This is the most homogeneous smelling of the blends, I think, but if the dead leaf base note is your favorite, this might be right up your alley.

[No additional description given.] Tested at NYCC: I just had to! In the bottle: oh hello tomato plants! I know that smell well! Wet: tomato leaves, tomato leaves, maybe some dead leaves blowing around in the garden, more tomato leaves, Dry: TOMATO. Maybe old tomato plants at the end of the season, maybe a little spice from the black pepper, but definitely mostly TOMATO.

In the bottle: floral, bright, soft, hopeful wet on the skin: not really getting what I think of as gardenia, but very floral, a little soapy, but not powdery dry 10 minutes later: so much floral soap - I mean, like I smell dish soap bubbles. *weeps*

Tested at NYCC (fair warning, I tested it on the sith, not me, so different male skin chemistry in play) In the bottle: dead leaves in the background, I mostly smell that kind of wet leather smell that is kind of sharp, almost like it's aquatic, like the leather in whip when it's still in the bottle. Wet: The leather is still mostly dominant with dead leaves in the background, I'm getting no vanilla or clove yet. Dry down: There comes the clove! Not too dominant, but it's definitely there now, helps balance the leather which is less sharp now, and the dead leaves are balancing nicely - still not getting any vanilla, though.

Tested at NYCC: In the bottle: Oh, this definitely reminds me a LOT of Suck it! The cherry is dark, rich, sweet in very much the same way, maybe just not so boozy. Wet: super syrupy black cherry - I know it says cream, but to me it's more like the old brandy than anything that seems "creamy" at all. Dry: were there blackberries? I never found them. The black cherry ran away with the show, stayed strong, sticky and syrupy through drydown. Reminds me a LOT of Suck It!

Tested at NYCC (so sad it was sold out!) In the bottle: Dead leaves, somewhere in the background, but mostly super-sweet candy blackberry Wet on skin: The blackberry is less candy and more syrupy, but the dead leaves are still waaay back in the background Dry down: This is LOVELY! The dead leaves have stepped up to balance the blackberry, and the blackberry has calmed down from candy, to syrup, to fruity and sweet but not too sweet. It's lovely and very well balanced. My favorite of all the dead leaves!

I thought this one was going to be a perfume version of the Honeyed Apple bath oil (which I love), and while this is just as good, it isn't a clone, it is it's own blend. The apple is very much prominent and realistic, like a big, fresh, crisp, red apple. The honey adds a bit of sweetness, but it's lighter and not as heavy as some honey blends are, very well balanced!

I only smelled the bottle at the table, but it was really lovely! It was very sweet, and a bit candy-ish. More jammy. The same peach that was in the sugared peaches and honeyed peaches blends in earlier D*Con versions, but swirled with big blobs of sweet, sticky strawberry jam. If you liked Fruitbat Fruitbath, this would be right up there.

I sniffed but did not test this at the NYCC booth. It is a lovely vanilla-sweetened lavender, soft and round and not astringent like lavender can be at times. I think the musk softens the edges just a bit; and I'm not sure what sweet hops would smell like, only familiar with the bitter variety. Overall, if you like lavender, this is a lovely one!

I love gardenia, and had high hopes for the white tea and lavender being added in. Iris I am indifferent to, and white musk, since this isn't going on my skin, shouldn't have been a problem. I got very little, if any gardenia at all. The lavender, likewise, seems to have fallen off the back of the scent and been lost. The white tea is faint and adds only a little bit of sharpness to what ends up being a heavily powdery, lightly floral, vaguely sweet-ish scent. Goes directly onto the swap pile.

This was an automatic favorite! In the bottle: juicy peach is dominant with a bit of something sharp First spray: peach is heavy, and the red currant is a bit sour and clean, with the black tea falling in the background After settling into the hair: the perfect glass of sweet iced peach tea with a twist of tartness from the red currant which is a little reminiscent of a slice of lemon. Tends to be close in throw, but when I pull my ponytail around to give it a sniff, I can smell it still the next day.

In the bottle: it seemed fairly flat, faint, hard to pick out (though sometimes smelling at con events, something about the canned air tends to dampen my sniffer - things tend to come more alive once I'm outside, oddly) Wet on the skin: kind of sharp woody, a bit astringent Dry down (5 minutes): I'm still not getting any black tea scent, but the sandalwood is starting to mellow and soften Dry down (1-4 hours later): This has gotten remarkably sweet. It's still sandalwood, and I still don't think of anything that smells like "black tea" to me; but there is something very sweet, not quite foodie, it's not at all a milky tea, or a honeyed tea, but I can't think of any other sandalwood blend that is this sweet and warm.

I sometimes think that con halls mess with my nose a bit, certain things seem flatter inside, and then more vibrant once I'm outside. Who knows. Just a kind of disclaimer before starting. In the bottle: Mostly carnation, with a bit of extra sweetness Wet: so much carnation! spicy sweet carnation! Is there fruit? I don't really get it, nothing I can identify. I'm starting to wonder if I amp carnation (good thing I love carnation) Dry down (5 minutes): Heavy spicy carnation with a bit of extra sweetness that's not readily definable as honey. Not really any fruit. Dry down 1-8 hours later: I am sitting in a warm cloud of spicy, sweet, carnation with a touch of something that feels like it's probably the dried fruits. It's so lovely, and it faded in and out of my awareness all day, so real staying power. It blended beautifully in the end, so it became less CARNATION and more sweet-spicy-warm hug of a smell.

Red roses, saffron, honey, and frankincense. I had really thought this one might rival Dawn: Maiden for my attention, but the frankincense pushed it out of the running. In the bottle, it was a rich, complex rose, the honey was definitely deeper and more distinct in this blend. Wet, the thing I noticed most was it was very sharp, piercing, it bordered on acrid, but I do have a skin chemistry problem with almost all resins, so that could be my skin making the frankincense go rancid. Dry, it was much less "rosey" than Maiden, more robust, more developed in a kind of "mature" way that's probably appropriate. But it stayed very sharp and, sorry, the only word that ever came to mind was "acrid." Was never aware of the saffron. The boy sniffer was definitely unimpressed by the wet and dry versions of this one on me.

Never an easy task! Thankfully, this spray will eliminate the scent of even the most sulphrous dragon dooky residue: lemon and lemongrass with lavender, sweet orange, pink grapefruit, pimento, and a drop of rosemary. This is just what I was hoping for! Super clean, sharp, not too sweet with a little herbaceous edge. It's not as strong or overpowering as I was worried it might be, but a couple of test squirts were pleasantly light. this is very heavy on the citrus, at first lemon peel, then later a bit of sweet orange, and grapefruit rolls through last. I'm not sure what pimento smells like, but I don't really pick up anything undefinable. I think the rosemary and lavender are very light, and I'm not really sure where the lemon/orange/grapefruit zest smells end and lemongrass might begin. But overall, very nice, very clean, super-citrus with just a little subtle edge of herbs.

2.29.16 Etsy Favorites: https://www.etsy.com/people/Izile/favorites?ref=si_fav (I'm making a Switch Witch board, which is especially less expensive items, feel free to look at the main board as an idea of my style, but didn't want to make it look like I was expecting anyone to spend that kind of money on me!! 0.o nope nope!) - needs a lil more work Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/izile/ - progress... Amazon Wishlist - http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/7KANCDM0KO7J/ref=cm_wl_sortbar_o_page_1 - updated Sockdreams wishlist - http://www.sockdreams.com/_users/wishlists/edc0bc670665758 - updated BPAL Website wishlist: best to work with my forum one. http://www.bpal.org/topic/127-wishlist/page-61?p=1239783&do=findComment&comment=1239783 - updated I'll be updating all these wishlist soon - they all need it!! Do you like colouring? I've been really curious, but haven't bought a book yet - when I was really sick and couldn't leave the house for so long earlier this winter, but was starting to feel good enough to not be in bed all the time, I took to printing out coloring pages, and I really enjoyed it. So if there were some small books with those really detailed intricate designs like I see, that would be cool. I don't need pencils, though, I've got a 120 prismacolor pencil set - so I'm good. (though maybe a nice pencil sharpener could be handy if you go this way) If you like Lush, are there any UK-only things you're desperate to get? I'm not that familiar with what's UK only, I'm a rather casual Lush user - but looking at the UK website and seeing what doesn't look familiar: Ladybird Bubble Bar, Dreamtime Bath Oil, Milky Bath, Lover Lamp Bomb, Frozen Bomb, Coconut Scrubby Roulade, Cherry on Top scrub bar, curious about the "showders" don't think we have those in the US?? Crochet goodies yes or no? If yes, what kind of goodies? I do not do this craft myself, but I appreciate this craft, and like things like arm warmers, and leg warmers and cute things like that. Do you have any allergies to animals/smoke/food etc? Dear Witch, please check ingredients carefully! I cannot have carrageenan (the worst of the worst) or guar gum, I try and avoid anything with tara gum, locust bean gum, or any of the others, just because there are sooo many and I haven't had the chance/inclination to individually test each and every one to see if they hurt my guts or not. Gelatin is totally OK. I'm also allergic to cigarette smoke, but that's never come up before - just don't send me anything that came from a smoking home and we should be fine. Graphic novels: love! Lil picky - don't know if any are currently on my Amazon wishlist. Just read Sandman Overture, but also enjoyed Maus and Pretty Deadly, and others... Nail Polish? I've been teeter-tottering between 3 different pink nail polishes from BPTP, but am waiting on swatches... I seem to have a lot right now, I've been buying more than usual... but no specific brands. Crafty? Used to make jewelry, in theory I still would, just time... I also like sculpy, but same time issue, same with painting/drawing or making just about anything else... (miss it!) BPTP Products? I do like them, have a whole section about BPTP in my BPAL wishlist (sig) - I am also a huge fan of samples, so 1oz samples are frequently perfect for me. Nail Wraps?? I just got into them in January, and it took me a few tries to get them to last more than 3-4 days - but now that I've figured it out and gotten the right top coat, I'm really interested - especially in Espionage Cosmetics nail wraps - I totally lust after the discontinued last unicorn ones, especially the ones where the unicorns are all coming out of the sea on the crest of the waves - but I'm not expecting my Witch to be a miracle worker - the perfectly normally priced in-stock tentacles, or baker street, or mermaid scales, or sheet music, or most ardently - any of those would be amazeballs awesome! Teas/Spices/Spice Rubs/Specialty Ingredients from a local tea & spice shop? I'm becoming a bit of a tea fiend, even blend my own through adagio sometimes. - As for loose vs. bags - I mostly keep loose, though I do occasionally use bags for convenience, especially if it's at home and not at work. As for spice blends, I get so overwhelmed in those shops - I want EVERYTHING. I've got a fairly good basic spice pantry, but there's always these custom blends unique to each shop which are always so tempting... just, easy on the heat - I'm a mild/low-tolerance person when it comes to heat! Speaking of spices - where's your spicy/heat threshold? (scale of 1 - 10 - 1 being nothing more than black pepper, 10 being ghost pepper+) I'm about 2-ish. Preferred book format? Physical, PDF, Kindle, etc? normally physical, but there are some books I'd take as Kindle. Would you be interested in any handmade critters? Stuffed animals, knit or crochet beasties, or anything remotely similar? If so, please give an example or five - like amigarumi stuff? I've seen a rare couple that I thought were neat, but I can't think of them, and mostly the answer is no. Since this is the Spring Fools' round, is there anything that goes with the theme of April Fool's Day or spring that might be fun to add to your package? Flowers (seeds, real, or handmade) prank-related items, a court jester's cap? Feel free to be creative and crazy with this one! no so much april fools, but I'm getting psyched for garden stuff. Geek paraphernalia! Almost everyone here has SOME sort of geek-love, whether it is Harry potter, Horror movies, graphic novels, science, etc. So would you be interested in any kind of items related to your geek-ish interests? I have a few nerdy interests, but few geek-out fixations. Science-y stuff probably tops the list. Though things like the lab set bar ware take up an awful lot of space - but stuff like that, or periodic table themes or like that artist who spells things in molecules . Any yarn, plastic, metal, or fabric sensitivities? I remember having some cheap jewelry as a kid that turned me green, but nothing since, otherwise, no sensitivities, though I do try and avoid poly/rayon/synthetics as much as possible. Any places you would like gift cards from? Amazon is always useful, or etsy, or sephora - all good! (oh, and Home Depot, for the garden stuff - see below) Do you wear make-up? Any brands you like? Color preferences? I do, I don't have any particular brand loyalty - right now I'm using E.L.F. CC cream for my daily foundation, and I have Kat Von D's foundation for special occasions or all-day events with lots of photography like cons and such. I'm super pale, but also very pink, which makes finding the right skin-tone a PitA - it's like they don't think people can be really pale without being really yellow - I am not yellow-tone, my skin is transparent and I am full of blood, therefore, pink. I am an absolute lippie fiend. I have 5 Lipstick Queen lipsticks (probably close as a "favorite brand" as I get - and all over the place, Medieval, Ice Queen, Hello Sailor, Saint Red, Saint Wine), and am always grabbing a new tinted lip balm or new lipstick or lip liner - coral/orange/beige/browns are the only colors I steer far far away from in lippie-land. I'm working on eye-makeup, have several stacks of estee international's pure mica mineral powders, and a few pencils, eyeliners and mini-mascaras - but would be very interested in fun colors. I like to play! Junk food and candy? no thank you - it's just not my thing. It's taken me over a year to get through last year's Christmas candy. Nice dark chocolate bars are fun, and homemade treats are nice, but I'm just never drawn to candy - if anything, my one occasional junk food splurge is chips, like cheetos and doritos - terrible stuff, I know, and don't even eat them every year, but that's also because I can eat an entire large bag in one sitting if I do give in - hurk... Witchee, regarding your fave TV shows, would you be interested in the associated DVDs? Fan books? probably not. Do you need any items for your kitchen (linens, gadgets, cooking supplies, etc.)? The state of my oven mitts is a disgrace, seriously. I'm always up for fun kitchen stuff, though I just don't have a lot of space for gizmos and gadgets. Tiiiiiiiny NYC kitchen (I've seen boat gallies bigger). I'd like nicer hand towels, but it's also pointless, because my sister takes every single one I hang on the oven and moves it over to the couch to use as a napkin - seriously, I have hung 3 new kitchen towels on the oven door, and all 3 will be stuffed into the couch like a squirrel put them there by the end of the day - ALL THREE - it's insane, and she just won't stop. *sighs* - so, skip that. That's also how I feel about nice tea cups and good china - I would LOVE to have some nice plates or cute English tea cups - but they will be destroyed, if not by Shiva (sister), then by 1984 (clueless bro-dude, time-stuck roommate). I spend so much time wandering through the aisles of Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Fish's Eddy, Whisk... and just look at all the things I'd love to have but know my roommates will absolutely destroy. (some things I've started hording in my room - but then they never get used - and what's the point if they're just going to sit in a box on a shelf or under my bed? - this is obviously a big point of serious angst, dear witch, and I apologize for the novel here, but I do want you to understand. Gardens/plants: I am dreaming of spring, dear witch: Do you like plants? Do you have any? Indoor potted plants? A balcony bed? A yard? Do you want/need anything? (I've marked some gardening books on amazon, and one of those hanging pouch planter things, was looking through etsy for cute things, and in the aforementioned gift card question, Home Depot would also be an option) If I were to make you something based on one or more interests mentioned in your Q'aire/blog, would you prefer something you could wear, something that hangs on a wall, or something that sits on a shelf (or couch or wherever)? Probably wall hanging, though I'm running out of wall space, honestly, but my shelves are also getting crowded... what is a thing that could sit on a couch? like a pillow? Living room is pretty set for those... Are you in need of BPAL storage? Not raw boxes, but I've been wanting some kind of imp-holding lattice thing to go in a box - like the ammo shell cases whatever that people talk about. Do you like candles? Incense? Wax melts? candles, yes, but I'm pretty good on candles right now. BAGS! Do you like/want/need any kind of bags? I'm getting to a point where I need to start thinking about a couple of needs in this department.. yes... What style of bag from here (if any) would you like? You can easily narrow down the choices on the side menu - but I only want to know the style, not the pattern! not really into any of the shapes they showed, they all seem very flat/square - which I get is good to show off the patterns, but normally not the shapes I go for in bags. I prefer things that have long straps that can either go over a shoulder like a backpack or a cross-body sling - I don't want to have to hold anything in my hand all the time. And my wallet/keys is a freakin' brick, so it doesn't tend to fit in slim-line or envelope style purses; so I normally go for mini-backpack style purses, or might go for what pinterest is calling a "bucket" style... (speaking of, Witch, just in case, I should try and updated my Pinterest "Crave" board to try and give visual aids, just in case) Here's a question. I make handmade journals/albums/smashbooks/junk journals. Would you be interested in anything like that? Yes! If you like Harry Potter stuff, what house do you belong in? If you like Game of Thrones, what family? I'm a mild Potter fan - but enough so that I know I'm a Ravenclaw and think some Ravenclaw stuff might be cute! I'm much more into GoT and I am totally Dornish! Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken, baby! What's your favorite animal/totem? Would you be interested in a small figurine of said animal from this etsy user? Favorite animal is a horse, though unicorn/pegasus/dragon are also huge if we include fantasy animals. Totem is a ladybug, and I have an undefined connection to foxes. and yes, I think that etsy seller's creatures are adorable!! Anything exciting to you in PBSW's Spring Collection? Oh yes! I have plenty of bar soap, but I am getting low on lotions, and especially sample sizes of things, like sugar scrubs, are always welcome! The Sky Blue Sky sounds interesting, Bramble and Apple sounds really good!, and so does the April Fools one, too! If you won a gift certificate for $100 (Or similar amount in your country) that could be used ANYWHERE what would you get? Oh, hard to say - right now, I might want to go on a spending spree at Home Depot to get all the things for the garden! I'm kind of fixated right now, and $100 could go a long way towards cement blocks, potting soil, fertilizers and some new hanging baskets and such... Something that you look forward to each spring, or that when you see it (hear it/smell it/taste it, etc) you think "Yes! Spring is here!" or something along those lines! The first day I don't need to wear thermal underwear? LOL. Back home it was always Mom's row of daffodils popping up - lilac trees are a bit more common up here, them and the cherry blossoms - yeah, the first flowering trees in spring just make everything "spring-y" to me. Witchee, how do you feel about this type of garment? What color & size would you like? (keep in-mind it does say it runs one size big!) no thank you. Are there any mythical creatures that you're really into and that you would enjoy gifts relating to? All of them! No really, I'm obsessed with all types of mythology, have been since I was a kid. Unicorns are a favorite, followed quickly by dragons, and then fairies - I self-identify as "elfy" so while I like elven/elvish-items, I'm not much on statuary or art of elves themselves, and fairies/mermaids are about on the same footing - mer-other-things (like hypocampus or seahorses/seadragons, probably trump mermaids a bit), but I also have a special place for phoenixes of all cultures, (not as much on Asian unicorns/dragons, prefer western - but for phoenix it doesn't matter) Do you have a green thumb, my Witchee? Would you be interested in bulbs, seeds or other gardening paraphernalia? Do you have a favorite flower? Somewhat? My thumb is green compared to most people I know in my generation, but nothing like the thumbs of my mother, or her friends. I am interested in garden stuff! And dear Witch, and can get *explicit* with details about my garden if you need to know specifics! I haven't done bulbs before, not sure how well they'd I mostly grow vegetables and herbs, things that have kitchen uses, though I would be interested in any small annual flowers that have pest-repellent properties (I usually plant low marigolds), but if there are other things like that, I'd love that! I don't get a lot of full-sun space, though, so that's something to keep in mind. Gardening paraphenalia - yes! I have a soil tester that tests for moisture and pH, but I'd love a soil tester or a kit to test other factors - I'm pretty sure my soil needs some serious nitrogen fixing at this point. Also, would love some beneficial insects, ladybugs bugger off pretty quickly, and obviously it's too early for aphids here, but have been thinking about a mantis pod! Would love predatory mites (after having spider mite problems), but they tend to be expensive. Some pretty little yard art could also be cute! Oh, and there's those clay pots they're doing now where you fill them with water and bury them, and they leech water slowly into the soil? Been curious about those, especially if I'm building above-ground beds... and also been interested in those hanging planter things, they look like shoe organizers like you hang on a door, but you hang them on a wall outside and they have little pockets for strawberries or lettuces... and my favorite flower is probably a rose - can't really grow them in my yard, I tried a mini once, it only lasted two years... :-( - I also love lilacs, and they do well up here, but again, I don't have the space - I have thought about foxglove now and again, I do love them, they tolerate shade OK, and they're only biannuals. Dear witch, seriously, could go on forever. (Things from 2015 Blog that have NOT Changed) Pumpkin: I don't like pumpkin or pumpkin-spice flavored/scented things, but I like things made with real pumpkin, like pumpkin bread! (YUM) - Oddly, I liked the pumpkin stuff in Japan, not pumpkin-spice, more like pumpkin-custard. Alcohol: YES!! But I am a little picky in each area. I am the office lush, I am a big cocktail fan (of GOOD cocktails), my sister works for a local distillery and has her WSET-4 certificate. I love wine, beer, ciders, meads, spirits - LOVE ALL the big categories! Wine: I prefer whites and roses over most reds, don't like heavy tanins, and do not like chardonnay! California wine is probably my least favorite area - like South American, and of course, French/Italian/Spanish. I don't tend to like sweet wine unless it's a dessert wine. Beer: Would love to try homemade beer! I'm not a huge hop fan, don't do IPAs, but I love hefeweissens, porters, stouts, dubbles, triples, quads, barley wines, sours, lambics, and almost everything else! Just nothing tooo hoppy Cider: LOVE ciders! I especially like dry sparkling ciders like the Foggy Ridge Serious Cider, lots of great ciders around NY! However, I am not a fan of ciders like Angry Orchard, Ace, and the overly sweet low ABV ones. Mead: I get a little obsessive, even driving out of state to go on mead hunts, to host mead tasting parties (and write mead reviews on my blog sometimes) - again, I prefer the drier more complex modern meads, not so much the sticky sweet ren faire meads (I detest Carrol's and Chaucer's - so far I think HoneyMaker is my favorite meadery, but they're out of Maine and hard to track down sometimes! - but always looking for new ones!) Spirits: sis works for a local craft distillery, and has really taught me a lot about the craft spirits movement, so I really get excited by new local spirits I've never heard of before, or don't get sold in my area. Vodka is my least favorite spirits, with Bourbon being my most favorite. I also love local cordials and liqueurs, and have a little obsession with running around trying to find good fruit eau de vie. Sense of humor: weird? dry? british? lil dark? I'm not a fan of puns, but clever word play can be cute. My favorite comedians are Dylan Moran, Bill Bailey, Eddie Izzard... see, british... I like wacky (Monty Python) and somewhat surreal sometimes (Mighty Boosh), but it can go too far (Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy Hour). Board Games: I do love games, but don't always have enough folks to play with. Currently most folks seem obsessed with the sith's bigger blacker box of Cards Against Humanity, and the new Exploding Kittens game. Wise & Otherwise is one of my favorite board games I never get to play (really need 5+ people to make it really fun! It's in the Balderdash family) Is there anything that you specifically do NOT want to receive? Gloves, with my Reynaud's I have to have very particular gloves. Also bar soap - I can only use bar soap as hand soap, it's very harsh/drying on my skin. Plain or fun socks? Fun socks! I have an extensive Sockdreams collection and wishlist - so I'm not hurting for socks in any way, but I'm kinda hooked on fun new socks. Name one (or as many as you would like) thing you would like to learn more about? I'm interested in learning more about all sorts of new things, DIY books, like silver clay books, is something I've always wanted to play with, but never took the leap. Or a better guide to polymer clay sculpting, or with resins.... I also love general sciencey lay-person books like "Stuff Matters" (great read) and Michio Kaku's just about everything (halfway through his brain book) loved Dr. Oliver Sach's Musicophila book, and I am fascinated by neuroscience. I'm also always up for learning more about stuff I've got a good foundation in, like specialty cookbooks, or gardening books (lots of this is on my Amazon wish list, though). What one thing would you like to do more of? I miss arting and crafting as much as I used to before the full-time day job. What are some things that fascinate you? Or, What would you like to know more about? - I'm really all over the place, right now I'm fascinated by tiny houses, space saving tricks, and also doing a lot of reading on agricultural history and heirloom varietals Would you like any cookie butter (just to be clear, store-bought, not home-made, and does contain wheat since it's, y'know, cookie butter)? No thank you, not my thing. Is there any particular piece (or pieces) of art (painting, photograph, etc) that speaks to you in some way? I have a lot of aesthetic feels. I love Stephanie Pui-Mu Law (have her tarot deck, and some art), but classically I like impressionism and romanticism, but I can also get sucked in by modern art or the old masters. I also love really bizarre things, like Edward Gorey, S. Fischer Williams, etc. Keep Putting Off: Sometimes buying small things in NYC is a pain in the butt, because you have to go to a specialty shop for anything, almost. I have a UtopiaArmory chainmail bikini top, and I somehow lost one of the black grosgrain ribbons that ties it together in the back (about an inch wide) - and I know it's a simple thing, but I just never get around to going and getting a new ribbon for my bikini top. Also, just got a new corset, and it's laces are basically just super long shoe laces, would love something nicer, like a black satin ribbon, strong enough for coresting, maybe 1/2" to 1" wide, and it doesn't have to be super crazy long because it's only a little cincher, but obviously long enough, and I do own scissors, so I can cut ribbon down) - but things like this, I never go to the fabric district, and they're such small things... ugh! That'd be great if my witch lives in a place with a Jo-Ann's or a Hancock Fabric, and could just run in and buy me a couple of yards or good ribbon. Handmade vs store-bought: for me it really depends on the thing. Though I'd rather have homemade edibles than store-bought; but I don't know anyone who can make cool thigh-hi tights, or who makes their own tea bags - so things like that, obviously store-bought is perfectly OK. Other Companies: for perfume oils, I'm pretty much just BPAL, though I do like my bottle of CB: I Hate Perfume, Just Breathe. Their stuff is pretty distinctive, and no itching/sneezing. I do love the gloss sprays and sugar scrubs and lip balms from Haunt, and I've only had a lip balm from Haus of Gloi, but it was great! Miss that one (used it alll up!) It seems a lot of my other favorite indie bath/body companies have shut down (Sideshow Soaps went to grad school, Latherati never got back up and running) - oh, and I am very curious about Villainess stuff, since I've liked what I've tried through BPTP, but I've only tried their BPTP stuff.. so.. unsure. Digital/Analog: Both. I mean, I circle around the steampunk theme, though I don't belong to any groups, so I like that aesthetic and old stuff like that. However, I also have a zune for my mp3s, and I do like some podcasts, and would like to listen to more, have a kindle app on my ASUS tablet - though I tend to prefer paper books, some books are better as digital, especially if they're going to be train reading (or if they only come in digital download with no paper version available). Kitchen Wants/Needs: I have a tiny kitchen so I don't have room for all the things I'd love to have. There's not a bare wall, or a place to even hang anything (very sad face), and also almost nil counter space (super duper sad face). And I think I've got a pretty comprehensive spice cabinet already. Affinity for specific animals: lots of them, I have a ladybug totem, I have a very touching story about my grandmother that connects me to goldfinches, I have always been a horse-obsessed girl, and thus also unicorns and pegasi (to a slightly lesser extent) but fantasy also takes me into dragons, love love dragons, too - though in all these things, I tend not to like silly/cutesy/cartoony versions. (the last unicorn cartoon is a rare exception to the that, but so pretty!!) - I also have an inexplicable draw towards foxes, and I love cats. And phoenixes, forgot to mention phoenixes - bit of a personal symbol. Scary Movie: I like the occasional scary movie when I'm in the mood, but it's nothing I get fan-girlish about, or can even really remember. If you count them, I guess the Evil Dead movies would be favorites, because they're one of the few movies I can watch repeatedly. I did really enjoy Crimson Peak - though it's not traditional horror, that's more my style of "horror" than say, Nightmare on Elmstreet. Blu-Ray or DVD: DVD, would have to go to the sith's house to watch a blu-ray Game Systems: we have a Wii (classic, not updated), and sis uses it mostly - me, rarely. Sith has an Xbox 360 and Xbox One, but both live with him and I barely ever touch them. Talk to me about bags, what kinds do you like? Sizes and styles? I'm also picky about purses. Half the time, I run around with an old beaten up black leather backpack that can and has take a beating. The other times are mostly split between two purses, one is a black leather mini backpack with lots of pockets, though the lining is shredding all through it, so it might not be long for this world ( :-( - ), it's a good daily purse, plain, external and internal pockets, big enough to hold my brick of a wallet and keys, and my tablet fits in it, except it peeks out the top a bit. I also have a dark red leather mini-backpack (a bit flatter where the black one is a proper satchel, just in miniature), but I don't use it that much, I do love it, just holds less than the black one, so I've been beating the hell out of it, instead of the red one. Oh, and an olive green mini backpack (I sense a theme) with brown leather straps that tends to be my con bag - it's really mini, holds my wallet and small things, but tablet won't fit, doesn't have many pockets, and just doesn't have much volume (I can fit amazing amounts of stuff in old blackie, as I have suddenly named it. Tablet, no problem. Bottle of wine? watch this! I'm going to miss it when it dies. . . . otherwise, I have a tiny vintage (40s?) beaded velvet hand clutch from the sith's Mom I've never used (my keys don't even fit), and a silvery-grey eel skin vintage envelope purse from my Mom (close as I have to a "nice" purse) - I think, sometimes, I should get a small, cute purse that would look nicer for nights out than just dragging old blackie everywhere, no matter how rough it's starting to look. Fandoms: I have many fandoms, but I'm not especially fannish - I don't really collect much from any of my fandoms - I have a couple of pieces of Dark Tower art I love, and a small shelf dedicated to a tiny delegation of plastic ponies that represent the horde that lives at my parents house (3 breyers, 3 G1 MLP, 1 MLP FiM mini set + 1 found loosie + 1 gifted tiny sparkling Rarity ('cause she's my pony if I have to go FiM, though I honestly prefer G1) and 5 tokidoki unicorns. - I really should make a TokiDoki list or something, there are a couple I would LOVE to have, but not so much that I'll risk that many blind boxes, or pay the ebay prices. (mostly: I always wanted Fumo (to represent my sith), Sakura, Bambu, or Choccinella). Tchotchkies in general, smaller is better, and maybe some should live at the office with me... I do also have Welcome to Nightvale stuff, but I think I have everything I want that they make (girl scout badges, the weird at last poster, a couple of t-shirts. ..) and for the record, star wars is the sith's thing (thus his nickname), I'm a medium level fan (I have a custom lightsabre, but it was a gift, and I've dressed up as a night sister, but only to match him) Colors: blues, greens, purples, reds, all sorts of shades and saturations. I don't like beige, beige is death, and don't like grey - NYC is grey enough. I only do brown occasionally when it's a very dark rich chocolate brown. Mall: Not a mall person, generally - I tend to only go these days when I need new bras/panties, and I need an Aerie. Here the Sephoras are stand alone, I go in them all the time. Subscription Boxes: I am curious about these, I only get Birchbox, and the sith gets Lootcrate (but I get first dibs on anything fun, but haven't seen anything interesting in the last 2-3). There was a crowdsourcing page I can't remember where/which one anymore, but it was trying to start up a new goth box service, the DIY goth and Steampunk goth boxes looked cute, and you could get a one off... IKEA: I live near one, so don't need anything. The questionnaire asked about gold & silver jewelry, but how do you feel about copper jewelry? Do you like colorful jewelry, or do you prefer to keep it neutral? If it were something especially interesting, I think copper could be pretty - I do like rose gold colors, and they can sometimes be the same, and I love my copper rosebud hair sticks. I do prefer more colorful jewelry! We asked about decorating style, but are you interested in receiving decorations for your home? Are you interested in things that go on the wall or things that go on shelves? Size is a big issue, because of the tiny apartment and space, I have limited shelf space, and limited wall space. But, things that are especially awesome, I make room for. Office supplies hound? Pens, pencils, journals, any preference, or favorites? I already have an office supply hook-up, so I don't need anything in this department. I live near a huuuuge candy store. What kind of candy do you like? Gummies? Caramel? Chocolate? Sour? Sugar-free? I'm not a big candy store fan in general. How do you feel about animal products? Not so much animal toys or food, but more like furs, paws, bones, etc. I'm totally cool with just about everything, as long as it's legal, clean, and not super gross (not that I expect my witch to spend that kind of money on me... - however, if my witch is in a wooded, rural area, and just happens to find a shed antler, that is VERY AWESOME. I have a nice sheepskin I picked up from a green market in RI last summer, adore it, and I'm always looking in the leathers and pelts stall at the ren faire. restaurant.com gift cards: never used it. Isn't it like g/cs for chains, though? I try not to eat at chain restaurants, so probably not. Opentable.com on the other hand... "toys" like stuffed animals: I do like them, but I'm pretty much at capacity for stuffed animals - the sith is fond of squishables, and I keep getting more (thankfully just the minis) than I have room for. Fanfic: no thanks Height: I am 5'8" (don't know my arm span, but shouldn't it be just a bit shy of your height, if you go wrist to wrist? I only have a wooden ruler at my desk, but it seems like 24" from wrist to shoulder (if you count a high shoulder, like almost to the neck, like a ragland sleeve) ) How do you feel about the 4 elements? Or are you more of an Asian 5 elements person? Do you feel strongly about any of the elements, like a connection or a preference? Personally, I jive more with the Western 4, and I'm more earth, with a big side of storm, then regular air, then fire, and water's last at the bottom. How do you feel about online classes? Like, say, craftsy or creativebug? Or even lynda.com? I love them in concept, and would like to do more, but I am unsure if I have the free-time/personal discipline to use them adequately. How do you feel about bento boxes? Is it something you would use if you were to get one? like the Japanese lunch boxes? I probably wouldn't use it. Scarves, shawls or cowls? Mittens, gloves, fingerless mitts or wristlets? I could dig a cowl.. I mostly have scarves (shawls? I have a couple of pashminas?) - and I tend towards gloves, but with the Reynaud's I'm very particular, I tend not to go for mittens, unless they're the kind that flip back to reveal fingers. I love arm warmers, and have wanted some long gloves, never a great way to cover up the wrists in the brutal NYC winter! If I were to make you some art, would you prefer a frame that hangs or one that sits? And what color/style would you prefer? I prefer hanging frames, and frames, I'm all over the place, I have a huge ornate reclaimed frame I repainted in a Night Circus theme, to simple white, black, and copper metal frames. Whatever jives with the art, I guess. How do you feel about gourmet marshmallows? I'm generally not a marshmallow person, but homemade marshmallows are so good! I've occasionally made marshmallows with booze as flavoring, and they are sooo good in hot cocoa once the winter turns! If the gourmet ones were fresh (not stale in the store for months, like regular ones) I'd love some! Are you a slatherer or a dabber? depends on mood and oil - some oils I love to slather, but I'm more often a dabber. Talk to me, dear witchies, about tea. I know we've covered this a little, but I really need the nitty gritty here- not just companies you like and don't like (Teavana? Adagio? David's? Some tiny place?) but I also want to know the other stuff: top 3 flavors, loose or bagged, the kinds of tea accessories you use- or have always wanted. Be specific. Provide links if necessary. I'm not fond of David's, they put a lot of artificial flavors and sweeteners in some of their flavored blends, and I try and avoid those. I try and avoid artificial flavors in general, but a I ABSOLUTELY avoid artificial sweeteners, because the sith is allergic, and if tea is going to be in the house, he's going to drink it - also, I just dislike the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners. Teavana is fine, Adagio is my go-to out of the big corps, and I like DryadTea on etsy. Top 3 flavors are chocolate mint (green or black), and like that in teabags, and l prefer tea bags for my cold brew iced tea, but normally do loose leaf for my hot brewed iced tea. I also do loose leaf a lot for my morning black teas, which I like a variety of somewhat flavored, have been drinking a lot of pomegranate/raspberry vanilla rose black tea - could use a bit of a mix up there - getting colder, would like a ginger tea - always wondered if there was a ginger/coconut black tea, sounds good to me... I also try and drink really light refreshing green teas in the afternoon, and sometimes fruity bright white teas. Sometimes I do red tea, but normally not straight, something with more flavors, and vanilla goes well with a lot of red tea. I have all the tea equipment I really need/want. ThinkGeek: I used to like them, but they've left a bad taste in my mouth after a few too many blatant etsy rip-offs, and sometimes less than stellar responses addressing getting caught red handed. Are there any flowers you especially like? Yes! Roses, especially. My Mother's nickname for me is her rose, and when I was in China, the school children named me Mei Gui. If you could have a plant totem, mine would be rose. I also just really like lilacs, childhood obsession. Would you be interested in any cozies or cases (yarn o fabric, not hard cases) for tech stuff (phone, laptop' etc) or for cups/mugs/bottles or anything else similar. I don't need anything in that department. Duct tape crafts? I'm not especially sure about this, but dear witch, if that is your thing, I'd be interested to see your craft-fu in that area. Are there witchees who would like book related gifts like a booklight, bookmark, bookseat or something for your reading gadget,like a cover or a light for example. a book light might be interesting, as long as it didn't need a plug-in. And I always need more bookmarks. I make handmade journals, mini albums and similar items. Would my witchee be interested in something like that? Yea, verily, yea! Are you interested in leg warmers at all? no so much in the traditional sense, but the kind that are meant to stick out the top of tall boots look cute. Portal board game: pass The Martian movie: pass Honey or beeswax products? Discuss. Oh yes, please! The sith consumes amazing amounts of honey - actually slightly worrisome - but I'm also a fan, especially of regional varietals (there's a man at the union sq market who sells 5-6 seasonal flavors of honey, depending on where his bees were parked - goldenrod has been one of my favorites the past few years, but when I first found him, he had raspberry rose honey! Yum! And the old man with the blackberry farm back home sold blackberry honey from his bees that he used to pollinate his huge fields. I also love beeswax products - beeswax candles are a favorite (rolled tapers and votives, mostly, though I also like some of the molded ones - like my last witch got me this lovely beeswax candle that looked like a bottle with a floral motif, it smells great, even though I haven't burned it because it's so pretty! So definitely yes to beeswax, too! Phobias: spiders Marmite: no thank you Used nail polish: I wouldn't object to a BPTP bottle that had already been tried - as long as the texture hasn't started going off, and that it wasn't an obviously almost empty/half-empty bottle - but one you tried and didn't like? Totally fine with that. Are there any DISCONTINUED (not LE) BPAL oils that you wish you had, or had a little more of? Prunella. I loved that one.

First spritz - I agree you get very strong cherry up front that is dancing on the edge of cough syrup/medicinal, but dials back quickly. The carnation is very much up front, and I was hoping that "spicy florals" meant carnation. The cherry does soften up as it dries (tested on dry hair), and the snow, I never get a good impression of. It's like it's almost there when it's fresh, but it disappears quickly. I would have liked a bit more balance so the snow showed up better - but overall it's a gorgeous light cherry but more floral carnation hair gloss - which is right up my alley!

Upon first squirt, the sugarplum is definitely the most prominent smell. Rose is quick to follow, but doesn't linger long for me. The red patchouli marches in and dominates the whole lot in very short order. I think it's nicer than a lot of patchoulis, with the sweetness of the sugarplum, a hint of fruit and a light floral note around the edges, but this is way too patchouli heavy for me. And when it dries down, I almost get nothing but patchouli. Will be passing this one on.

went out of my comfort zone on this one. In the vial: kinda musky patchouli with black currant sour-fruity in the background. wet: patchouli, not too strong, but nothing else is coming out to play with it at all. :-( maybe maybe a little vanilla if I sniff real hard. dry: and the red musk killed it. It smells like a slightly patchouli scented old woman's panty drawer. Powdery, the word "skanky" keeps coming to mind, but not like THAT, like, literally, you had to go find something in grandma's underwear drawer and the dusty, musty, old smell, maybe there's a patchouli sachet in there, but it's old and not strong enough, bit of a sour funk in the background... pass.

2015 version: in the vial: patchouli, spicy and some dark fruits wet: hellow black cherry! is that cinnamon? It smells a lot more like cinnamon than cardamom, no verbena, and the cassis seems to have blended into the black cherry, definite patchouli. dry: spice up front, fruity in the back now. I still smell cinnamon, which is weird. The verbena is hanging out way in the background, but is there if you look for it. Black cherry and cassis seem to be blended, but still slightly distinctive. Fairly sweet, but not overly so, and the patchouli has calmed down nicely. I'll keep my decant, but that's enough for me.