glcastil

13 is significant, whether you consider it lucky, unlucky or just plain odd. Many believe it to be unfortunate because there were 13 present at the Last Supper. Loki crashed a party of 12 at Valhalla, which ended in Baldurs death. Oinomaos killed 13 of Hippodamias suitors before Pelops finally, in his own shady way, defeated the jealous king. In ancient Rome, Hecates witches gathered in groups of 12, the Goddess herself being the 13th in the coven. Concern over the number thirteen echoes back beyond the Christian era. Line 13 was omitted form the Code of Hammurabi. The shivers over Friday the 13th also have some interesting origins: Christ was allegedly crucified on Friday the 13th. On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrests of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and sixty of his senior knights. In British custom, hangings were held on Fridays, and there were 13 steps on the gallows leading to the noose. To combat the superstition, Robert Ingersoll and the Thirteen Club held thirteen-men dinners during the 19th Century. Successful? Hardly. The number still invokes trepidation to this day. A recent whimsical little serial killer study showed that the following murderers all have names that total thirteen letters: Theodore Bundy Jeffrey Dahmer Albert De Salvo John Wayne Gacy And, with a little stretch of the imagination, you can also fit Jack the Ripper and Charles Manson into that equation. More current-era paranoia: modern schoolchildren stop their memorization of the multiplication tables at 12. There were 13 Plutonium slugs in the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki. Apollo 13 wasnt exactly the most successful space mission. All of these are things that modern triskaidekaphobes point to when justifying their fears. For some, 13 is an extremely fortuitous and auspicious number In Jewish tradition, God has 13 Attributes of Mercy. Also, there were 13 tribes of Israel, 13 principles of Jewish faith, and 13 is considered the age of maturity. The ancient Egyptians believed that there were 12 stages of spiritual achievement in this lifetime, and a 13th beyond death. The word for thirteen, in Chinese, sounds much like the word which means must be alive. Thirteen, whether you love it or loathe it, is a pretty cool number all around. In some theories of relativity, there are 13 dimensions. It is a prime number, lucky number, star number, Wilson Prime, and Fibonacci number. There are 13 Archimedean solids. AND There were 13 original colonies when the United States were founded. Says a lot about the US, doesnt it? Its been a tough year all around, so this take on 13 utilizes scents geared towards an influx of joy. While we may not always possess good fortune, may we always hold onto the laughter that will bouy us through the tough times. Smoky cacao, with thirteen jubilant, uplifting companions: white carnation, pimento, whiskey, Madagascar vanilla cream, sugar cane, almond, coffee bean, perigord truffle, tea leaf, nutmeg, cardamom, orris butter, and coconut. I couldn't wait. The bottle came in and I think I let this settle for about 20 minutes before diving in In the bottle, I get the Mother Shub fudge note from the Nov 13 a while back--I'll have to compare the drydown on this to that one when I have a moment. EDIT Aug 05 '18--Now that I can compare side-by-side, the fudge note in the Nov 13 is extremely similar, but the notes obviously lift it different ways. Their bases make them feel related. Wet, it is very smoky on me. This isn't surprising because I have found that I tend to amp smoke notes, and it balances the chocolate out nicely, which does not keep much of its fudge-ness on my skin, yay. As it dries, I get a bit...more, but what, I can't say. Everything feels well-blended, but it also could be the fact that this bottle is so fresh. I do get a hint of a sweet creaminess, which could be carnation and sugar cane, or the vanilla cream, but honestly my nose can't detect any of the other notes (yet, I hope). EDIT Aug 05 '18--The carnation is definitely out now, and it is creamy and spicy. I can also make out the cardamom, which makes it brighter. I'm hoping the other notes will come out as it ages, but for now these prominent notes (cacao, smoke, carnation and cardamom) are wonderful. All in all, the impression is a smoky yet happy scent--it makes me feel cozy, safe, and cheerful, even though I'm wearing it in the middle of summer and in 90° weather --maybe like how happy most people get walking into a chocolate shop, even in summer. I can't stop sniffing my elbow crook! This scent also wears fairly close to my skin, and if i do catch a whiff while walking, it has that fudge-y vibe, like it does in the bottle. I really like this.

I bought my bottle based on the assumption the almond would be like in Bite Me, and also the fact that I've always liked Snake Oil but have never been able to wear it. The almond is wonderful in here just like in Bite Me, but its interaction with Snake Oil, cotton blossom and the milky bit gives off a cookie/bakery vibe. I definitely understand the connection with Dana O'Shee, which personally, I don't like because it's so...fuzzy. I don't know how to describe it. For me, Snake Oil and Dana O'Shee have the same 'fuzziness'. So TLDR this is fuzzy, like Snake Oil, but bareable. The almond comes right back in and keeps it sharp for the majority, and by the time it settles hours later it's quite rounded out and mellow. It wears very close to the skin on me with little wafts of almond/Snake Oil whenever I move. I really wish I got more of the Snow White in here; I can only hope it'll come out as it all ages. I don't experience any soapyness, but I also tend to amp any sweet--namely vanilla, honey, chocolate (basically RICH) scents, so that could be why.

I wore this today and kept getting wafts of it, putting a smile on face. I really thought I had put a review of this up before, but nope! Lawn Gnome is always gives me a metallic vibe at first--I think it's the cream and the moss mixing on me. It opens very sweet, very loud--thats from the molasses and red currant, no doubt. I've had cream go bad on me before (like Love's Philosophy) but the moss keeps it from doing so here. On the one hand, it gets metallic-y if I'm not paying attention. On the other hand, I welcome that much more than the doughy, plasticky note from Love's Philosophy. Whenever I catch a bit of it while walking I'm very aware that there is a green note that keeps it from being too much. It's a very well-blended fragrance, and I only get patchouli if I huff at it on my skin. It's there, lurking at the bottom, keeping the cream and fruit and sugar from being sickly. It's my favorite kind of scent: gourmand without being too one-dimensionally sweet.

I took my 30ish bottle collection overseas, and I used plumber's tape and bubble wrap to make sure the 20+ hr journey was going to be okay. Since you don't have time, technicallly, packing everything in securely with foam or something should be okay, but I would definitely recommend taping up any bottles whose oil you'd miss. If I recall, the plumber's tape was an easy find at Wal*Mart. Take care travelling!

This is my first review in a looooong while, apologies in adavnce, but hopefully it's like riding a bike! I honestly have no idea why I never bought this sooner, especially since people have been comparing it to Gucci Rush, my one and only, for at least 10 years now. It opens with fresh, green orange--so sharp and clean! The bitterness and the zest are wonderfully surprising. It takes a bit to round out; on me, that's about 40 minutes. It slowly warms up into this gorgeous heady fragrance of plumeria (gentle, not at all loud like b&bw) and (I'm guessing) Copal. The fresh bit from the orange keeps it from going too floral, but the copal confuses my nose and makes me think I'm smelling something gourmand. If I keep inhaling like an addict, I almost get a popcorn vibe? Like, all buttery in the back of my throat. I read in one of the very early reviews that someone got chocolate from this, and I can definitely understand that--it's so warm. I don't get much smoke from this, and I can't tell if it's because I've only just opened my lab-fresh bottle or if that's just me--I've never really worn a scent with smoke in it. It wears close to the skin on me, but sometimes when I turn my head I get a nice waft and it's sooooo comforting. A slatherer would definitely be noticed if they chose this scent. I can't stop huffing my arm--it's exactly the same reactrion I had with Rush. I know people have said it before, but oh man--if you love heady but soft, big/loud/bright fragrances, this is definitely for you. I could roll in this forever.

STORY TIME AT DARK DELICACIES Heavy oak shelving, cracked leather bindings, incense-soaked parchment, ancient inks, baneful aromatic herbs, and crumbs of spilled sugar-glazed lemon butter cookies that have been accidentally dragged from the kiddie section of the store. This scent confuses me; I really can't tell if I love it from the intrigue or if I just want to love it. Wet, I get a blast of oak, Misk. U style. This is heavy, smoky wood, which basically predominates the entire time. Up close, it's a little suffocating, but whenever I move my arm, I can get a sweet, smoky waft of oak. Mmmm. This next part's a little strange. Something in here--maybe the ink + herbs?--gives off a metallic, bitter note, but that's only if I breathe it in deeply, and it's still buried under all the oak and incense. In general, I get a tobacco-y, almost bitter cocoa feel, but there's something soft and golden, like butter, that warms it up. It makes me confused, because I think it's going to be delicious, so I inhale, but every time I inhale I'm left with a bitter taste in my mouth--literally and figuratively. Finally, much longer into the wear, it turns into cupcakes! They're faint, lemony, and sweet, but there's a kiss of a bakery note in here, riding right on top of the oak/bitter coca vibe I'm getting, which makes it a dusty cake. Damn those cookie crumbs, Beth really did it. When I greedily try to inhale right from my skin, I get the incense-y wood. Still so confusingly delicious. Like the time you find obviously stale sugar cookies or brownies, and you want so badly to eat them, because they still give off that sugary-sweet vibe, but you know you shouldn't because you're just going to make your tongue and teeth really, really sad because it's just going to be hard and flavorless. It's just like that with my nose: wafting up to my nose, I get a cookie vibe, except when I turn my attention to it, it disappears, and all I'm left with is the sweet, smokey, faintly buttery oak. Story Time is so odd. I think I might be in love with this because it's so damn tricky. I actually have given myself a headache trying to huff the cookie scent, and only getting oak in return. Either way, I'm keeping it because i want to see how this thing is going to age. UPDATE: Okay, an hour later this is exactly what I was hoping for: sweet, buttery, lightly baked goodness with a hint of spice from the incense and wood. It almost feels like it glows, that's how warm and creamy it is right now. Also, there's a bit of a dry bit in here--this could either be the herbs or the parchment, but it has a "dusty stack of paper" vibe. *Edited because late nights make me forget verbs and articles.*

CHEWING LITTLE BITS OF STRING The Chief Defect of Henry King Was chewing little bits of String. At last he swallowed some which tied Itself in ugly Knots inside. Physicians of the Utmost Fame Were called at once; but when they came They answered, as they took their Fees, "There is no Cure for this Disease. "Henry will very soon be dead." His Parents stood about his Bed Lamenting his Untimely Death, When Henry, with his Latest Breath, Cried, "Oh, my Friends, be warned by me, That Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, and Tea Are all the Human Frame requires . . ." With that, the Wretched Child expires. Marshmallows, a bit of limp lettuce, and wads of soggy cotton soaking in a stew of tea (with lemon and honey!). When I first sniffed this at the last trunk show, I was worried, since I could distinctly smell the limp lettuce note. Thankfully, my bottle is well blended, well balanced, and all around wonderful. The marshmallow lingers in the background, warming up the tea/lemon note, which, if I may add, impressed me. This is the tea/lemon I noticed from the BRAII proto--it's distinct and reminds me of a cold glass of iced tea, unsweetened. The lettuce shows itself on the start of the drydown, giving it a clean, cool blast. It's green, and mixes this scent up a little, but it doesn't last long. In the end, I get the scent of unsweetened iced tea with a hint of warm, faintly sugared goodness. I knew I would like this, but I didn't know I would love this. Oh, and I should add--I don't get any cotton, but then it may be too faint for my nose to pick up.

While wearing Lawn Gnome today I decided I needed a little more masculinity to the scent and opened my bottle of Olisbos. After two and a half months of sitting in my bottle box, the olive oil has blossomed into some amazing orangy citrus, completely balancing out the heavy leather and lightening the wood. While it dries down into some dry, warm leather (I want to say the it would be white leather, not black or brown), the overall feeling is warm and supple, and the wood and orange in here are amazing and completely unlike any other scent I've experienced with bpal (or any other scent, for that matter.) The orange is perfectly bright and juicy, giving life to the wood/leather combo, which is both masculine and gentle at the same time. It's perfect for when I need to butch up a light fruity scent or darken a sweet foody scent. I am in love with its overall smoothness (huzzah to dildo inspirations!) and I'm so glad my waiting has given me such awesome results.

Dana O'Shee went all wheaty dust on me, The Hesperides was too chemical, and March Hare too tarty strong. However, Egg Nog 07, Bread and Butterfly, Bite Me, Boo!, White Chocolate and Strawberry, and July 07's 13 are all amazing on me. Also, if you like Caramely-Coffeeish scents, try the Salon's Homage to the Sabbath. It is a little more sweet where Misk U isn't, but I think they're in the same scent family. Also, if you can get your hands on some Dorian V3, give it a go---it's Dorian's tea with coconut.

So I moved my 25 bottle collection from California to Russia about three months ago, and at first, I was super paranoid that a) my bottles would break and/or b ) my suitcase would be lost. The lost suitcase situation was out of my hands, but I did try my best to make sure nothing could leak or break: I wrapped each bottle in thin packing foam/plumber's tape, then put it in my bottle box. Then, I wrapped my box in the packing foam, and nestled the box against an edge in my suitcase, with a layer of shirts to protect it. I kept three of my favorite oils with me, wrapped in tape and foam and tucked in a ziplock. All of my bottles made the journey, and last week, I went back to CA to visit the fam. I had ten bottles waiting for me, and this time, I didn't have all of the proper packaging with me, so I took a small usps box and wrapped my bottles in tissue paper--no tape, just paper, and when I closed the box I made sure nothing could move. This was definitely a more lax, cavalier way of doing things, but it got the job done, and my bottles were fine again. So really, it's up to you. I didn't even consider temperature because either way, it would be on the plane with me and planes are usually cold, be it in the cabin or in the cargo area. Hope my success stories help!

I've spent this entire time trying to age my bottle, since I was sort of iffy when I first tested it oh so long ago--everything was so sharp and bitter then. That said, I am SO GLAD I kept my bottle. This is amazing! It starts out fudgy and dark...there's no mistaking what kind of chocolate this is. It's rich and dark, and with the incense and slight boozyness, it's wonderfully heady and delicious. Then, as it dries down, the raw vanilla appears. With the darkness from the fudge and herbs, it's reminiscent of XCDL13, but only just a little. I can't stop sniffing myself. The fudge definitely takes a backseat after the wet stage, which is awesome, because as much as I love wearing the chocolate note, sometimes I don't want to smell like a melted candy bar. haha. God, this is amazing. There's enough fruit and sweetness in here to keep it light and not musty, but the herbs/vanilla/incense combo keeps it amazingly perfumy and sexy. If I sniff too much at too close a distance, the herbal part of it makes me want to sneeze, but I just won't do that. Time has definitely helped out the herbs here, as they're much tamer now. And the fudge on the back burner just smoothes it all out. It's perfection!

There's actually a thread here: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=50003 that's made specifically to find scents! Dragon Pecker was a proto released during one of the trunk shows last year. You can find it under the event exclusive scents, I believe. Update: Oh, also, since it was a proto, there aren't any official note listings, but the reviews say there's dragon's blood resin with some woodsy sweetness to it. http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=62884&hl=Dragon

you should be able to find the information you're looking for here: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=63964 You can place an order for pick up, however, if you have a friend going for you, she's going to have to place the order herself, since they don't allow third party pick ups. There's a paypal address specifically for will call, listed in the link, and the deadline for those orders is the 29th. I'm not entirely sure if there's a limit, as I've never been to a WC before, so hopefully someone else can help with that. hope this all helps!

Oh, rereading this, I think I misunderstood. Nevermind!

Wet, this smells like a cherry tootsie pop--sweet, almost too sweet, but something else lurking underneath. In tootsie pops, it's the chocolate tootsie roll, but with Hearth, it's the leather. As it dries, the leather becomes more prominent on me-I'm definitely getting strong, new, tough leather, rather than soft worn leather. However, with the cherry sweetness, it works wonderfully. Wow, this is good. Had it just been the cherry scent itself, I (a foodie and sugar lover) would have found it too cloying, but with the leather note, this is fantastic. There's a hint of the smoke here, just to connect the cherry and leather, and overall, it works very well; I can't stop sniffing myself, because the morphing is awesome! Sweet candy cherry hits the nose, warming to smoke and leather. Complex and intriguing. A definite love.

I never would have thought I'd like this one, because it seemed too rich for my liking. However, the almond silk is exactly that: light as silk. Barely a kiss, and it mixes with the caramel amazingly. On my skin, this is mostly almond and caramel, and if there's a pastry that's supposed to be in here, it's just a hint. There's a tang of sweetness I can't put my finger on, and I don't want to attribute it to the caramel because it doesn't seem to be anything that belongs to it, but who knows. It's delicious, just barely foody-rich and just shy of being sickly, cloyingly sweet. It works, and I love this.

I knew this was going to be a keeper! I'm not a fan of red scents, as they tend to not love my skin chemistry, so this was sort of a gamble. However, I couldn't pass up on something with chocolate and ginger, so I bought the bottle. My nose can't really make out any of the scents individually, but I don't even care. The Countess overall is an intriguing, sexy, fun scent. I would definitely describe it as a red wine color. The wet stage reminds me of Dragon's Milk, but all the best parts about it--deep without being too metallic, sweet/creamy without being foody. I don't know what's making it so close to the dragon's blood resin, but unlike Dragon's Milk, I love it here. Even in the wet stage, you can get a whiff of the candied fruits, which i think is fantastic. They're juicy and sweet, and makes that resinous aspect lighter, making it much for wearable while the sun's out. It pretty much stays the same for me drying down, with the musks becoming a little more powdery while the fruits get a little juicier, but I'm not complaining, because this is the first time red musk is behaving on me. I think the ginger and chocolate are here, because now there's something that's opening up the scent and thinning out the musky quality. Wonderful.

Oh, I want to love you ladies so, so much. Crib Girls starts out as sweet, rich honey, bright with a lemony note. I love it. Then the pepper starts creeping in. Every time I sniff, my sinuses clamp up, and I want to sneeze. Like the way chile pepper complements mango slices or lemon/lime flavors, the cubeb makes the honeys stand out in a very interesting way. But I don't think I want to keep huffing this, because my nose is seriously about to cry a little from the sneaky spice. Oh, wait. the spice is fading; this could be awesome. I guess this is the cardamom, because it's giving the honeys some definition, but my nose isn't getting hurt. In fact, the bitterness from it keeps the scent from being too light and floating away. I'm also getting something that is definitely reminiscent of Froot Loops, but a tea version of it (which I guess makes sense, with the honeys and cardamom components--my tea craving is kicking in). Can't tell if I love this, but it's definitely interesting and something I've never experienced from bpal before.

When I first applied this from the imp, I got a slap of almond. It reminds me of the cloying hazelnut scent in bpals, which doesn't make for a good first impression. Oh wow. The pumpkin is starting to come out; its tang is a nice complement to the earthy, rich musk and almond. As of right now, I can't detect any honey, but honey is a weird note on me. And by weird, I mean it has a tendency to not smell like honey at all, but just sweet on my skin. Foody, but surprisingly light from the pumpkin. There's a touch of sweetness, probably from the honey. It reminds me a spice cake scented candle, except I want to wear the scent. Now that it's drying, I think I might love this!

Crazy! I'm getting XCDL13 from this on the drydown. So weird...this was a scent I as least expecting. Dark Chocolate initially, sort of dusty, but delicious, and then...XCDL13. There's something else that makes it...odd; maybe it's the cream, I don't know, but it isn't all boozy vanilla. But I'm definitely not getting chocolate anymore.

This is so weird. I put Spare Change on and I really don't get anything like what the reviewers above me have gotten. As a preface, I should note that my notes from my four stocking stuffer imps aren't exactly matching anyone elses'...so who knows? Maybe I got messed up imps for all four. I applied Spare Change and got a blast of cologne. Aquatic, manly cologne. I can compare this to Festival of Anuket; Spare Change is very clean, and very metallic. There's no powder finish for me, as the throw from the cologne part of this is basically overpowering all else, but it's still really fresh on my skin. There could be mint, since this is extremely refreshing, but I don't really get leather, just metallics. Also, soft would not be the first to come to mind--more like sharp, or harsh. I get an image of spare change found in the pocket of a pair of jeans on the floor, or retrieved from the cold corner inside the living room couch. UPDATE: After refusing to believe my oil could be mislabeled or something of the sort, I tried it again this morning, but used The Black Rider as comparison, since that's my only other leather note. I'm happy to say I do get some leather, definitely an hour into wearing it. The note, combined with the hard metallic, has made it soften a bit and gives a much warmer vibe than what I got last night. While it's still clean, it's definitely not as harsh as I found initially...could it even be morphing to something more delicate?!?

Of my four stocking stuffer imps, this one's scent notes kind of match the notes of the reviewers above me. However, I'm still going to preface this and say that my notes from my stocking stuffer imps aren't exactly matching anyone elses'...so who knows? Maybe I got messed up imps for all four. UPDATE: Yeah, my nose is basically broken...After retesting, the oils are fine. Anyway, this starts off like ginger on me--spicysweet, but it quickly morphs into a deeper, incensey spice. It's very dry, which is why the first thought upon the drydown, I thought it was cedar, but the more I sniff now, the more I can kind of believe it to be orange clove; however, it's not particularly sweet, but bitter. Bitter and spicy.

So, I should preface this to say that my notes from my four stocking stuffer imps aren't exactly matching anyone elses'...so who knows? Maybe I got messed up imps for all four. Here we go: In retrospect/comparing the scent again to the reviews above, I can kind of get a cherry cola scent from this, albeit faintly, but honestly, this smells like teak and spice on me. Woody, creamy, warm and gently sweet, this is a beautiful and delicious scent. There's nothing medicinal or syrupy about this one on me. Weiiiiird. UPDATE: After refusing to believe my oil could be mislabeled or something of the sort, I tried it again this morning, but used dark Chocolate and Cherry as a comparison, as that's my only other cherry note. I found the cherry note. While it's still woodsy, it's definitely cherry, though maybe not as syrupy sweet as others are saying. I retried this and Spare Change and by using other scents to compare, it seems like my nose just sucked at doing its job last night.

Um, what? I did not get Vick's from this at all. In fact, what I got was wine. Sweet, syrupy wine. I thought I was going to get a hangover from it, honestly. If I had to compare this wine note, it would be to Soothing System, but more juicy than sharp, and Cockaigne, but more alcoholic. Also, I should note that my notes from my four stocking stuffer imps aren't exactly matching anyone elses'...so who knows? Maybe I got messed up imps for all four. UPDATE: So, I retested this because I refuse to believe I had a weird batch...turns out Tcotchkie comes off very wine-like when you slather it on. Still, it's very spicy and very rich. I get the gingerbread vibe plus something else...maybe that berry people are talking about, which would explain the juicy aspect in it. While I'm glad I managed to fix my nose, it's still not for me.

Here's one of each: Sorry for the grainy shot.