spanishviolet

The Great He-Goat, Francisco Goya. Haitian vetiver, Egyptian amber, carnation, black musk, pomegranate, patchouli, and smoked ginger. I've been looking forward to this one with great anticipation since someone in the Speculation thread wondered if it might be kind of like He-Shub. I love all things ginger, and in general approve of smokiness, so smoked ginger sounded like a winner. The only ingredient that tempered my enthusiasm was the black musk, which generally goes powdery on me. But I ordered it anyway. It was of course the first part of my order I tried ... It's a very earthy scent - almost like Gnome, if the eucalyptus were swapped with ginger. But lighter. The ginger, vetiver, & patchouli all swirl together in a wonderfully rich way, and the amber is underneath them all. I don't really smell the pomegranate on its own ... The black musk, happily, doesn't go to baby powder here. All in all, a winner! If you liked Gnome or Samhainophobia, I think you'll love this. It seemed a bit masculine, so I dabbed some on my guy, but he dubbed it only okay on him. Much better on me! I love the earthy, confident feeling this gives me. It's my first definite Salon love, so I'm extra-happy I went straight for it instead of waiting for somebody else to sell off a decant.

If it's a muggy sort of rain, I tend to reach for orchids like Bat-Woman or Black Moon. If it's chillier, then something that feels a little crisper like Old Scratch or Bess. Overall I'd say Bess is my ultimate rainy-day scent, it would feel wrong to wear it on a sunny day for some reason!

In sharp contrast to the stark sterility of Hunger Moon, we present a carnivorous chaotic charmer: the bakeneko. The Monster Cat is a shapeshifter, and is empowered to take the form of a beautiful woman (to entice lonely gentlemen) or a winsome young maiden (to the peril of childless couples). Though some bakeneko are benevolent, and only wish to find someone to care for them, or to show gratitude to a mortal that has done them a great service, others are furry balls of malevolent mayhem. Their mischief ranges from simply destructive -- knocking over lamps and destroying property, tossing ghostly, freezing fireballs from their hands -- to horrifying acts of carnage. Warm amber musk, Satsuma tangerine, black tea leaf, cardamom, cherry blossom and cinnamon. I've been waiting with bated breath for this one - very curious about the black tea leaf. In the bottle: a light, slightly warm, spiced orange musk. Yum. On: Gorgeous. The musk is warm but not heavy. I can smell the tea leaf, and it's tea-like without being astringent at all. The tea & tangerine combine & cherry blossom are all swirled together without being perfumey, in a warm subdued way. Over it all hangs the cardamom - always present, never overwhelming. The cinnamon is just enough to spice it up without taking over. Not much throw - it's sticking pretty close. I think I'll put it in my scent locket & give people lots of spicy tea hugs.

Ask nothing more of me, sweet, All I can give you I give Heart of my heart, were it more, More would be laid at your feet: Love that should help you to live, Song that should spur you to soar. All things were nothing to give Once to have sense of you more, Touch you and taste of you, sweet, Think you and breathe you and live, Swept of your wings as they soar, Trodden by chance of your feet. I that have love and no more Give you but love of you, sweet; He that hath more, let him give; He that hath wings, let him soar; Mine is the heart at your feet Here, that must love you to live. A stirring blend of dianthus, French lavender, blackberry, and white honey. All the components excited me, although I didn't know what dianthus was when I ordered (a type of carnation). I knew we were meant to be together ... In the bottle: a cool floral, classically perfumey. I recognize the blackberry from Bitter Moon ... On me: there's the honey! It stayed a bit perfumey for a couple of minutes, then warmed up & is suddenly intoxicating & not perfumey anymore. The blackberry & lavender seem sophisticated to me, but the honey & mild carnation (not the spicy kind) seem old-fashioned & warm. A soft, beautiful scent which will be perfect for spring. And a goodly amount of throw for me too ... Wow, do I smell good!

I bought a bottle unsniffed because I loved all the notes except the cumin, so all the reviews I saw before it arrived were worrying me. I was spared by the perfume gods, though - it just smells like resiny honey goodness on me. No Mexican food, no blast of cumin. Just spicy earthy honey. The tobacco didn't go harsh on my skin as it sometimes does, which was my other concern. I tried it on my guy and on him it smelled more feminine than it did on me, so it's all mine. Definitely smells better on my skin than in the bottle. I'm looking forward to getting to know it better, and glad I was spared the cumin-blast that everyone else seems to be getting, because I'm not a big cumin fan.

Adding my agreement to this - Mother Ginger to my nose is very cookie-ish. I enjoy it, but it doesn't really provide that fresh-cut ginger fix for me. I've tried many ginger scents on my BPAL journey. Sudha Segara comes closest to that raw ginger tingle for me, though the creams softens it, and the whole thing refuses to last on my skin. I can't do Vixen because orange blossom hates me. Shub-Niggurath was one of my first gingery loves (somehow in the middle between fresh spice and cookies) and still one of the best. Gingerbread Poppet is good, but slightly too bakery-smelling; Saw-Scaled Viper was a big cassia-dominated disappointment; I don't really get ginger from He-Goat but love it all the same because vetiver is so good on me. Ginger Skulls was too much fruit, not enough ginger (so disappointing). Prosperity of a Country was promising, but leather's not great for me generally and I decided I was good with just an imp. Young Pine Saplings was delicious, but isn't really a raw ginger, more dried, and leans toward the cream & clove IMO.

Historically speaking, I hate coconut. But BPAL has enabled me to find it tolerable, almost pleasant at times. This is one of those coconuts. It's smooth, not too chokingly-sweet or stomach-churningly rich. (I think I ordered this because I really like anise.) The hazelnut reminds me of Black Pearl minus the heavenly iris; the anise echoes Paduan Killer Swarm, but more subdued & less sweet. Pleasant, not long-lasting; a decant will do.

At first sniff, I thought this might be The One True Scent, it was so beautiful. All my favorite spices over a wonderful soft cream — not too foody, just spicy goodness! But the throw is fairly close, and it doesn't last very long. It's worth slathering & repeating though, and heaven in a scent locket.

The only jasmines that bother me these days are the high sharp types, where it goes straight to the top of my nose and has no warm, sultry body underneath it. This is not that type of jasmine, at least not on me. Honestly, I was more concerned about the pomegranate, which sometimes turns sour on my skin. My first test swipe of this got a bit sour, but that phase faded quickly and can be avoided, I think, if I apply a bit less oil than my normal slather. Overall, this was for me a beautiful, more or less even mix of warm blooming jasmine on a balmy evening and pomegranate juice, with just a hint of vanilla-y smoothness from the benzoin underneath. And it's fantastic in my scent locket!

I missed out on last year's gingery Inquisition scent, but this year I had the funds so snapped this up right away. I was hoping it would be heavy on the ginger candy, with a bit of fruit on the side. As the Will-Call reviews warned me, though, it turned out pretty much the opposite. Lots of pear mixed with reddish-toned quince, and a bit of spice on the side. I like the fruits involved when they're not keeping me from my ginger, so I'll put this aside and come back to it when the disappointment has faded. (Crystallized ginger is my favorite candy of all! Sigh ...)

AquaNet hairspray, judging by the cloud my sister left in our shared bathroom every morning ... Love's Baby Soft or Debbie Gibson's Electric Youth perfume - googling that says it was a citrus scent (I couldn't recall, it's been a while!), so maybe something citrusy, sweet, and with a lot of throw? Citrus seems to go with the loud colors & geometric prints of the period.

I remember all the reasons I don't want Jason back anymore, and they're good ones. But when I told him I made a personals ad, he suddenly broke up with his girlfriend & spent hours on the phone begging me to take him back. WTF?! It's been a year and a half! Another e-mail at lunch today was trying to wriggle past my defenses & make me think, what if? He was saying he's changed, and realizes what a terrible mistake he made, and he never wants to be without me, etc etc. I think, even though I dislike all the drama he carries around with him, that e-mail got to me because I'm a quiet person with domestic ambitions & a pragmatic soul. I'm not a believer in the doomed epic love, with artistic angst & drugs & alcohol & whatever. Part of me is amazed at the idea that anyone would write that about me. But still, he's a grown-up & makes his own decisions, and I make mine. My brain still feels solidly in control, and I'm looking forward to my new dating adventures. Except for that one voice in the corner that isn't getting with the program ...

Whippoorwill, most definitely, for an hour after application, then it gets a really nice light spiciness. But it's an older LE & will likely be hard to find. Thunder Moon had a little of that feel for me, though it warms up later.

The only question is, why didn't I just buy a bottle in the first place instead of going for the frugal imp option??? It does smell a lot like Tombstone, but without the cedar that one day decided to go all wrong on me. It recaptures the early days when I was able to wear Tombstone without cedar stomping all over it, and loved it. A deliciously dry root beer, no scary butter scent on me, that dries down to a faintly spicy cream scent. I want to roll around in this & exude it in waves - but I only have an imp, so my coworkers are safe. For now. Also, I don't find it particularly foody - foody's kind of a turnoff for me, and I love this.

I almost wish I'd ordered Aeaea just for the label now!

It's funny how different this scent is on different people. When I wore it, my friend told me I smelled like lemon cookies! Which led to much puzzled wrist-sniffing on my part. I think the anise had biscotti associations for her, maybe ... Perhaps cookies in a cave. I smelled cool rocks & a light sweetness. Vetiver seems to love me, and I like licorice ... the only question for me here was the civet, which apparently doesn't act up too much.

These ingredients all sounded great, especially the almond flower. But something went terribly wrong. I wish it resembled Jacob's Ladder or Luperci for me, because I love those scents. The cedar went sour on me, though, and I had to wash it off, which is very rare for me. The scent was actually making me angry ... Weird, because I love the smell of cedar boxes, & it's worked in certain other bpals. Something about the combination of cedar & spicy flower just struck me wrong, I guess ...

I have never before enjoyed an ozone-based scent of any kind. But the amber, grasses, & wood in this convinced me to give it a try anyway. And I'm glad they did! I can see where people are getting "sporty" from this, I guess, but on me that's just a tiny element of something much better. It really does smell like a summer thunderstorm, damp and invigorating ... The amber gives it lasting power, and together with the grasses & hints of woody florals, really warms it up. I love it! This fills a gap in my Bpal arsenal, and will probably be the only ozone I'll ever need.

I've packed up some DVDs and a whole passel of imps - that means I can go back online for a little while now, right? (This is why my packing progress has been so slow ... but on the plus side, I remembered to read all the Heroes online graphic novels the other day before the speedy computer & superspeedy fiber internet goes away ...) I found my long-lost Townes van Zandt cd in Jason's bathroom under some incense! Yay! Moving isn't entirely evil maybe. I have discovered that Vanilla Coke Zero is a much better packing motivator than beer. Why I needed to discover this through experience instead of just realizing it through thinking, I don't know. If Chrissy managed to get all her stuff except the flower pots on the patio out in one day while everyone else was at work, then I should be able to get a decent amount of stuff packed up for the movers to transport for me by Saturday morning, right? Seems logical ... The other night I couldn't go to sleep, so I went downstairs to try to pack & instead ended up looking at old photos. (See above re: slow progress ...) In my head all my college friends all still look the same - there's some weird mental overlay between my eyes and my perception. I showed some pictures to Jason & he didn't believe me that they were the same people he'd met at first. And that wasn't even the album from my freshman year, it was all the way up in 1999. So, a bunch of stuff-related realizations (why do I have so much junk? What is the best way to pack action figures without smushing them & their accessories? Why have I twice moved two boxes full of magazines that I'll never read again? Whywhywhy?) and dust and torment and cleaning and by July 1st, I'll be free! Just me and the dog - no more roommate stress!!! Freeeeeeeee .....

First on, I get a burst of apricot, and then it mixes with the rest of the scent & becomes like I'm sniffing a really good-smelling wooden box. Very cedary - I love that smell! Previous cedar Bpals have gone wrong on me for one reason or another, but this does not. As it dries, I can smell spice & patchouli mixing with the dry woods. It's spicy, sweet woods on me, and I'm really liking it. Most bpal woods are just too woody on me, but this is just foody-influenced enough to be great. I'd say more brown sugar than caramel, which is good for me, since most caramel notes are too thick for my tastes. My review seems to be wandering all over the place, but basically, the things other people don't like about this scent are what I'm really liking about it. It's halfway between two categories (woody and foody) that are often lesser scents on me, and somehow takes the best of both of them. I'd agree with cordia in her review - it doesn't seem as foody or cakey as the other Monster Baits. But the only other MB I've liked enough to keep a bottle of is Underpants, so that's fine by me!

So I have done it. I turned in my two-week notice at Borders yesterday. In two weeks I will begin my new job at a bankruptcy firm, assembling packets of some kind. Goodbye $0.17 raise, hello more dollars! I feel guilty about leaving the store when the cafe is already critically short-staffed, but I won't miss spending all my time in the cafe (I like the books!), and I definitely won't miss the part where Seattle's Best grades you on making conversation with the customers. (Can't I just be distantly friendly & make their coffee quickly?) And I'll never have to train anyone on Borders procedure again. Still ... even after only two months at the new store, there are a couple of people I will miss a lot. And of course my discount ... perhaps at some point I can work part-time on weekends. But for now, Borders will very soon be me-less, which is disorienting after so long (six and 2/3 years!). But I am adaptable, and I will prevail. I find it deeply ironic that after listening to Jason complain so much about my unpredictable retail schedule & never having weekends off & my not making enough money & etc etc, I am leaving the retail world when it is too late to help out that relationship & will in fact now have to spend all those free evenings & weekends finding ways to stay away from the house while he & Jamie are in it. But moving time is very soon now, & then I'll be free. And my new officey hours will benefit me because I'll never have to worry about how late the last bus goes by again. And on holidays, I'll do ... whatever non-retail people do on holidays ...

Thanks! I hadn't thought of that, but I bet it will be a very useful wake-up call. Hopefully in time to do some good - I'm kind of oblivious myself, but trying to do better. So this will provide not only more money, but also financial-sensibleness-motivation ...

I had high hopes for Dove's Heart, but found the sharp jasmineyness of it distractingly unpleasant. The TAL oils Lionheart & Anthelion gave me an occasional boost. As for BPAL oils, I also found Dragon's Milk soothing. I don't know how many recent LEs you have, but some of the scents I turned to most often were White Moon (a white floral I wouldn't usually like, but which seemed to fit my mournful mood), Vipralabda (creamy herbs on me, which were very soothing), and Dreamland (musky cool florals - perfect for somber rainy days, although older & probably harder to find). Some of the other recs in here sound good too - I'll have to seek them out. I was very interested when I saw your post, because this subject has been a lot on my mind lately too. I hope you find something that helps you feel better soon!

My Grandpa Jesse died this morning, and I just found out (yes, I will answer my phone more regularly in the future so as to avoid voice mail news ...) He was 95. I think I met him twice. His children never had a good word to say about him. We never had an actual conversation (he didn't seem to like children much). But he must have had friends, and his second family probably was fond of him. I'll bet he did interesting things when he was younger, & had stories to tell. Perhaps he had mellowed with age ... Here's to you, Grandpa Jesse.

I didn't get a decant of this because it sounded "too herbal." Then at the last moment I ordered a bottle because the description fit my state of mind at the time. Thank goodness for the last minute save! It is herbal - I get a lot of chamomile - but it's not harsh the way chamomile can sometimes be. Instead it's cool & creamy - must be the benzoin, I guess. It doesn't bring on feelings of bitterness & betrayal, it soothes them & leads to feelings of calm contentedness & repeated wrist-sniffing. Herbal with a hint of resiny richness underneath, I guess.