emzebel

I will just respond to myself to note that we are collecting nominations for Round 16 - Comfort Books! If you'd like to join us, wander over here for a gander: http://www.bpal.org/topic/93324-bpal-book-club-round-16-comfort-books/?do=findComment&comment=2738063

After a long hiatus, another round of the BPAL Book Club is on deck. This round, for no particular reason whatsoever, we are taking nominations for your favorite post-apocalyptic and/or dystopian novels.

 

More info here: http://www.bpal.org/topic/91088-bpal-book-club-round-15-fk-armageddon-this-is-hell/

Good morning!

 

Just a quick reminder for everyone that the report button is one of the best friends your mod team has for knowing what's going down around this very large and active forum.

 

If you see something that you think would benefit from mod action, whether it be a thread careening wildly off topic, a total duplicate of that other thread you just read yesterday, or someone behaving in a way that is less than charitable to their fellow forumites, the best thing to do is to use the report button at the bottom of the post in question. Particularly, if people are name-calling or otherwise being inappropriate, that is the primary way to call it to our attention in a way that does not risk perpetuating any drama or inappropriateness.

 

Reporting a post or a thread does not have any negative consequences for the person reporting and is incredibly helpful for those of us charged with maintaining order and civility in our limited free time.

 

Thanks! Sniff on, y'all.

Blood Kiss makes me jump to Perversion, but that might be because I fell in love with both around the same time. I see Urd has been recommened, and I second that one. Also, maybe Skuld.

Same deal applies in RAOK - if you want your PIF thread to stay open, bump it up!

Hello hello! If you haven't stopped by Book Club recently, we are currently brainstorming entrants for the first ever March Madness style bracket here at BPAL.org. But we're choosing sports teams, or even favorite Lab product (although that has a definitely ring to it). Instead, we are brainstorming as many books from which the Lab has chosen inspiration for a group read showdown!

 

Sound like fun? Then stop on over here and see if you can think of any I missed - of particular interest are specific works by Poe, Lovecraft, Clive Barker and specific Sherlock Holmes books, as well as poetry and other works from the General Catalog.

 

We need around 20 more titles to make for a full bracket of 64 and ideas on how to break things up are welcome as well. Nominations are open through January and then I will be on the hunt for a bracket generator.

 

Come join us!

Please use this topic for Circular Swap swaplifts as well!

Hey everyone, I'd like to get the group read concept back off the ground for spring - if you like to read and want to join us pop on over to the Book Club thread and suggest some books. Nominations on the topic "spring" are open through February 14, with voting starting soon after.

I think what you're going to find is that depending on chemistry, it could be almost anything in these. Personally, I wear red musk like it's going out of style, but orchid and resins are really iffy on me. Given the number of nexi here, it really could be almost anything.

 

I will tell you, it has taken me years of thinking I love mossy blends (because I think of them as "green") to realize that actually, no, oakmoss as a note has killed a multitude of blends that I thought I would love because rather than smelling green and herbal, they actually smell dank and rotting on my skin.

 

So, keep getting things that you think you'll love and keep thinking about what works and what doesn't. Getting GC Imp packs and taking advantage of when people offer good deals on lots of Imps or decants on the forum is a great way to amass testers of things that you're iffy on too. And welcome!

My brain immediately went to Milk Moon or Chaste Moon, particularly the 2005 versions, mostly because MM05 is my ultimate comfort scent.

 

In terms of GC scents, Sudah Segara is a great suggestion. Also, maybe Yemaya or Kali for their great mother/protector connetations or Santa Muerte for motherly comfort.

Just a quick reminder that we do not automatically ban folks from swapping on the basis of a single fault or negative feeback report. Generally speaking, we look for multiple events before taking Mod action. We leave feedback and swaplift reports open to the membership so that people can individually access the level of risk they are willing to take on.

 

This means that it is important not only to check the feedback for anyone you're swapping with, but also to write a report for negative experiences. Note that leaving feedback is separate from completing an unresolved swaps report (links go to forms). Therefore, if you are swaplifted, or have an otherwise unresolved swap, you need to complete both forms. It is also helpful to pm the swaps mods (currently maewitch and Silvertree, or emzebel for Circular Swaps) so that we know that a report has been filed, as it is not an automated system. Using these systems are the only way we have of tracking a concerted pattern of negative swaps behavior on the part of any individual.

 

Thanks!

Based on some of the things you really seem to like (Mme. Moriarty, for example), I wonder if checking out the red and black musk threads might be helpful, as it seems like there's some crossover (I may be biased by the fact that I tend to amp the sweetness of both of these musks ;-).

 

It also might be worth trying Dia De Los Muertos, Samhain and Third Charm from the Raven Moon update. I haven't tried the last one, as it is new this year, but SSLM and Samhain might have the feel that you're going for. And are amazing regardless.

Kali and Dilawi both jump to mind.

Hi! I think this is the right place to post my frustration.

 

I've got a decant labeled "Danube" but it smells nothing like the description. I've also checked the reviews and read pages of thoughts over Danube, but none was similar to what I was getting. I'm thinking of a mislabeling.

 

Here is what I smell: It is like tobacco.. and leather or black musk I guess. I may be wrong, since I'm a newbie to identifying single notes succesfully. But I can easily say that it smells something in between Dracul and Hellfire (and a bit of Dee). And it is definitely a masculine scent. Nothing like "floral, watery or sweet" as described in Danube review thread. Can somebody help me out?

 

TIA!

 

Honestly, it may be impossible to know for sure what you have. The problem with decants, especially as they age, is that the oil integrity may have been compromised - the person who decanted it may have mislabeled it, or they may have decanted Danube with hands covered with Dracul, or they may have reused a vial that wasn't properly cleaned, or the oil may have gotten cross contaminated by a previous owner testing it in the same place as a stronger oil.

 

If you know who you got it from, you could always check with them, especially if it was part of what you were swapping/purchasing as opposed to a freebie.

And for Candles Moon I have "This sounded awesome, but ended up smelling very cologne-y on me."

I agree about Candles Moon. It ended up being very milky berry-ish but with a kind of cologne-y feel! I swapped my bottle.

 

I'll third that. It was very milky and berryish on me. And soapy, too, somehow.

 

Skin chemistry is such a funny thing - I am wearing Candles Moon today and while I can see how it could turn cologne-y, it is very light honey-beeswax on me and not much else.

You could may be find Hanerot Halalu. It is my favorite beeswax blend. Really just lovely. Also if you like leather, Hand of Glory is the ultimate beeswax/leather blend!!!!

 

Seconding Hanerot Halalu - it is a beautiful, very simple beeswax candle scented blend.

 

Also, Candles Moon may seem obvious, but if you're specifically looking for candles...

I can't believe we have a thread about sage and no one has mentioned Corazon! I don't know how much is floating around these days, as it was a 2005 Oblation oil, but the description is: Glorious red musk and a halo of golden amber with a touch of wet mango, lavender, and purple sage. I think milage may vary greatly on this one, but it's almost all sage on me for the first hour or so, and then mellows out into red musk + everything else.

We've got a couple of new rounds of the BPAL Book Club going on at the moment.

 

First - Right now, as in right this very minute, we're reading The Last Unicorn. We're just getting started (many of us still don't even have the book in hand), so please, come join us as we discover the inspiration behind the amazing new scents!

 

Second - What should we read next? This week we're nominating and voting on themes for round 10. Want to read about food? How about witches? Or the holidays? Come help us decide on a theme for the next round and what we'll be reading in December!

 

(Both topics are pinned at the top of the Book Club forum.)

 

Happy reading!

Back in the far corner of the Pomegranate Grove is a single tree. The corner is a little dark and a little spooky, which tends to make the fruits of this tree a little dark and a little spooky. This oil comes from the fruits of this tree.

I was a little dubious about this Pom. I like the ocassional spot of vetiver, but anything with the terms "pitch" or "tar" tend to be DAAAAAAAAARK on me, and opium almost never works. So, imagine my surprise when I tried this first of the Grove, decided I liked it, and then read the notes.

The vetiver is just enough to give it a little hint of musk. The opium tar gives it a hint of smoke. And the rest of the notes give this secluded corner of the Pomegranate some dead sexiness that is still somehow homey. More than anything, this blend evokes the scents of an early autumn night - when there's a hint of smoke and leaves in the air and a touch of a bite of frost that's not quite ready yet and the grass and other greenery are still fresh. It's safe and comforting, with the tiny sliver of danger. Because it's still a dark and slightly spooky place.

Note that the same applies to Circular Swaps, which now have to be approved (per the new rules).

 

If you'd like to start up a new circular swap and have not already heard from either Jessica or me about it, please shoot us a PM after making your initial post.

Thanks!

The results are in and we're reading Vampires Don't Sleep Alone. Check the topic in Book Club for details!

Just a quick reminder, in case folks forgot in the dust of our renovations, that we are currently voting for the next book for the forum Book Club group read!

 

We've got some great choices this round, ranging from classics to soon-to-be-classics (Vampires Don't Sleep Alone, anyone?)

 

For folks that nominated or otherwise endorsed books, rememeber that for your vote to count, you need to vote in the poll itself, not just indicated your approval in the thread.

Ho-leee-crap. This is good.

 

Seriously good.

Like, enough to make me do my first review in prolly a year or so good.

 

I only got an imp of this, even though Beth's plum blends tend to make me want to do naughty things to myself, because I was a little afraid of the prune and sometimes rum can go a little syrupy on me. I was also thinking, "Self, you have an awful lot of plum blends that you love but forget to wear. Do you really need another one?"

 

In retrospect, the answer is OH MY FUCKING GOD YES.

 

Serously.

 

Although, oddly, if you had asked me last night when I tried this for the first time what was in it, the spices are about the only thing I would have gotten right. I would have guessed carnation and honey and cinnamon and nutmeg. Basically, these smells to me like warm spiced mead, like my husband and I used to get from this gigantic wine store out in western Mass. I retrospect, I can see how I read the sweetness of the plum and the rum (oh, hai alcohol) as honey, and the spices as, well, spices, but also the slight spicy floral of carnation. Really, it makes sense to me in my head.

 

And really, who the hell cares. If you like any of the notes, run, do not walk, to add this to your next order. Seriously. SRSLY.

biz4brent, another thing I thought of is are the bottle labels the same? I would guess that the ones from the LE and GC would be different, at least saying 'Springtime' or 'Picnic' even if there are pictures that are the same.

 

Yeah, the labels are the same - I'll have to check next time I'm at will call which one is out. I really do prefer the golden one more, it's a little softer and more Storyville like than the red variety. They really are different scents!

 

If you're thinking of something that is out at will call as a tester than I'd be virtually certain that it is the catalog "Picnic" variety, since "Springtime" was only sold for about two months in the spring of 2005.

Yeah, I wasn't trying to be difficult about it or anything.. I wonder if the lab has used synthetics after sales of their synthetic line prototypes? Things like cotton candy, booze notes, fruits, butter, etc, etc... all of those would indicate to me some sort of synthetic or EO/synth/aromachemical blend. Granted, you might be able to sketch out a less than convincing replica of blueberry or green apple with pure EOs, but like the Bush's Baked Beans commercial goes.. only one person here knows the secret, and she's not saying a word I respect that.. and as I said earlier, I'm not bringing up synthetics as though they are a bad thing. I think synthetics are a very effective and powerful tool for a perfumer and will never understand those who frown on synthetics in perfumery. If the lab isn't using synthetics I can only hope that someday they will.

 

Given that the synthetic line protos date from 2006 and Beth has - in the posts quoted above - repetedly stated as recently as August 2008 that those are the *only* blends that have ever included synthetics, I'm going to go with no as the answer to your question there. It is hardly a secret, given that Beth herself has weighed in on it fairly recently. The Lab uses naturally derived bouquets for those scents that are either animal derived (other than honey notes) or not otherwise naturally available.

 

Whether that is a good, bad or completely irrelevant fact is, of course, in the eye (or nose) of the beholder.