flyby

If the 'value of goods' section on the customs form states it's over £15 (goods) or £36 (gift) we will have to pay to receive the package, and the fee will be at least £11.

This is a small guide for people from outside the EU on how to complete customs forms for packages to the UK, and how to avoid landing your recipient with an excessive customs fee. Not applicable to packages sent from within the EU as there are no forms or fees (lucky you). How UK customs works Every package that comes in is scanned at the point of entry to ensure that there are no prohibited goods like live animals or nail varnish, and that there is no obvious discrepancy between the contents and what is declared on the customs form. If there is a suspicion of prohibited goods, or an obvious discrepancy (like the customs form says 'soft toys' and the xray shows lots of electronics), the package will be opened and inspected. If there are in fact prohibited items, they will be confiscated and destroyed, and the package may be returned to sender or may be sent on to the recipient less the prohibited items. If there's a major discrepancy between the declared contents and actual contents, the actual value will be assessed. Note: If there's a discrepancy in the customs form itself, for example if it's marked as a gift but the sender's name is obviously commercial (like, say, Black Phoenix Trading Post) this will also be flagged up. The package will be assessed as goods rather than a gift, and if it happens more than once the sender will get a strongly worded letter and basically told not to do it again. This is why Puddin' cannot mark Trading Post goodies as gifts. At this point, all packages that haven't been returned are assessed for taxable value. Unless there's a major discrepancy that's required re-valuation, which requires something big and obvious (like a laptop in a package that's labelled as books), this is done solely on the basis of the declared value on the customs form. What and how much tax is payable depends on whether the package is goods or a gift. Goods Import VAT is payable on goods valued over £15 (~US$23), and is 20% of the declared value plus the postage cost. Customs Duty is also payable if the value is over £135. Gifts Import VAT is payable on gifts valued over £36 (~US$56), and is 20% of the declared value plus the postage cost. Once Customs has calculated the tax, Royal Mail adds a processing charge of £8 ($12.50) and sends a horrible grey card to the recipient telling them they have to pay the total (which will be a minimum of £11/$17) either online or in person at their local delivery office, in order to get their parcel. There is no means of questioning or appealing the charge; you can't even see the parcel to find out what was on the customs form until you've paid. The options are pay the charge or refuse the package and return it to sender. (As a side note, stuff that comes in by courier rather than normal post goes through the exact same process, but the processing charges from the courier companies are generally much higher.) So! With this in mind, how should you best fill out the customs form? Goods? Gift? Commercial samples? Whatever you're comfortable with. Unless you put down a business name or are sending hundreds of packages to the UK per month, Customs are not going to check into a swap, sale, or decant circle package marked as a gift. How should I declare the contents? Be as accurate as possible, but generally go by what your local post office is happiest with. 'Perfume' is prohibited, but the kind of perfume they mean is the commercial alcohol/atomiser kind, which BPAL is not. 'Essential oils (non-flammable)' and 'Bath oils (non-flammable)' won't raise any eyebrows because they match the contents perfectly. 'Cosmetic samples' also come through fine if your post office lets you put that. What value should I declare? Whatever you're comfortable with! I refer you to the above notes on Import VAT thresholds for Goods and Gift packages. I certainly wouldn't want you to be dishonest, but Customs don't actually check unless there's an obvious mismatch between the declared value and the size/weight/declared contents. Important note on Paypal and other automatically generated customs forms If you use Paypal or some other service that automatically generates a customs form, make VERY SURE that the shipping cost is NOT included as part of the value of contents. Either it should be a separate line, or preferably not on the customs form at all. The reason for this is that Customs take the value of contents and the shipping cost (from the postage label or stamp) and calculate the tax based on both. If the shipping cost isn't separately itemised it gets included twice and the recipient pays extra tax. Example: Forumite X bought some decants from you and sent you $30 as a lump sum for $20 of decants and $10 of shipping, with a Goods and Services payment type for both of your protection. If you print a combined shipping and customs form direct from Paypal it will put the value of contents down as $30 and type as Goods, because that's all it knows. When Customs look at the package they will see $30 value and $10 shipping, and Forumite X will receive a lovely demand for £13.33 (nearly $20) in order to get the package. If you separate out the shipping (via Paypal or, if necessary, doing it by hand) then Customs will see $20 value and $10 shipping/handling, and if you've marked the package as Goods Forumite X will only be charged on what they actually paid. And hey, if the package is marked as Gift, it's under the threshold and there will be no charge.

Collating all my SQ question answers here for ease of witching Um, rather than adding 'gluten free' as a caveat to everthing I'm sticking it up here at the top. Also for Witch! WISHLISTS: all of which can also be approached as 'inspiration for stuff flyby likes' rather than 'flyby wants this specific thing', I would like to point out. Also STILL IN PROCESS OF UPDATING I will try and finish that this weekend maybe? Amazon (ngl, this is mostly comics right now and I keep forgetting to add stuff) Etsy Sockdreams I think my bpal one is still in my sig, oh god I can't remember but I think I updated it fairly recently? 1. I wonder what a potential witchee would think about being bombarded with PUMPKINS in various formats. Because my current obsession just may last long enough to be of use in spoiling.....but I know wouldn't be appreciated by everyone. Would you appreciate it?!? I think I just fundamentally don't get the American pumpkin obsession. To me pumpkin is a vegetable and I don't really like the texture of most squashes, so I only ever eat it in soup. I would be willing to *try* US-style pumpkin (or 'pumpkin spice' which I think doesn't necessarily contain actual pumpkin?) goodies, but probably not in huge amounts, or anything you'd be disappointed if I didn't like. 2. I currently have a CSA and my significant other is perpetually out of town for work, so I've been doing a lot of canning and baking with my vegetables. How do people feel about canned good (pickles, salsa, etc) and vegetal baked goods (squash bread, zucchini bread). I have never liked pickle (by which, being English, I mean Branston's) or pickled onions, or pickled gherkins. I would be willing to try vegetably baked goods (see caveat) but to be honest it's not something I'd envisage myself liking. 3. Trading Post wants? MID ORGIES HAIR GLOSS. ahem. Yeah no I really want a big bottle of this; I have a decant I've hoarded since they came out, and I haven't been in a position to splurge on the shipping since they came back as GC. I go through atmos at a glacial pace, and same with bath oils since I don't have a bath, but hair gloss is an every day thing. 4. What direct sellers do you not like and would prefer not to get things from? And also feel free to list any retail brands you really don't like. I haven't really tried any much. I don't wear makeup, though, and while I wear the hell out of nail polish (constantly) it's prohibited to mail into or out of the UK (they x-rau for it and destroy packages, I have had this happen). I'm mostly addicted to Max Factor nail polish anyway. I don't like Barry M brand nail polish because it really damaged my nails when I tried it, and no longer will I be seduced into cheap polish by pretty colours. I wear my polish for a week at a time so it needs to be non-damaging. 5. How about y'alls coffee and tea preferences? Tea is blech, I hate the stuff. I am the worst English person. I love coffee, though I don't have a machine and generally speaking I am way too lazy to actually use my cafetiere, so I basically only ever use instant. Nice instant? I also like Starbucks way more than indie places, which makes me a bad Bristolian and a bad socialist, but they are guaranteed to have soymilk and sugar-free vanilla, and I just like their coffee. 6. Do you cook? Would kitchen accessories make you happy? Kitchen accessories would make me ecstatic - with the proviso that I do noooot have a lot of space for them. Anything that wants to sit on a counter is probably out. That said I have a very basic set of utensils (like, I don't even have a whisk or tongs or measuring spoons) and extra silicone spatulas or wooden spoons (or knives, though these may be harder to mail) are love. 7. How do people feel about creative endeavours? Would you like to receive one? Or supplies to make your own? What do you like? Drawings, stories, poems? Anything, srsly. I've sent someone a story in a swap before; fortunately it was appreciated. I know how much effort goes into that sort of thing and always appreciate it so much. 8. What culture or country (doesn’t have to be modern) do you feel an innate connection with? What about it makes it special to you? I... okay. I have some interest in Japanese history and culture, but I don't want to claim any connection with it because wow, cultural appropriation. I know that this can be a different thing in the States due to many people being descended from colonists and immigrants from other places (or from enslaved people, which is a whole other kind of different), but I am an English person of English descent. My ancestors claimed entitlement to a whole lot of things in the world; I don't have the right to perpetuate that wrong. 9. Is there any sort of art commission you would like: cartoony, pin-up, fantasy, realistic, etc? If so, what subject would you like drawn (a picture of you, a character, a loved one or pet)? fkds;ghfjdklgfb okay, I am an inveterate fangeek and a fanart commission would make my YEAR. Possibly my life. I just finally got round to making a Tumblr so I can reblog a bunch of fanart. Subjects? From Marvel MCU, the Winter Soldier or Black Widow; from Kingdom Hearts, Kairi or the Destiny Trio, Shadow Heartless, or Hollow Bastion (KH1 version). Or Aeris from Final Fantasy 7. 10. What do you find yourself doing for fun in your free time? What are your main hobbies and interests? Did I mention I'm a fangeek? I mentioned that, right? I read a LOT of fanfiction, I used to write a lot and am trying to get back into that, and I sing in a choir which is SO MUCH FUN. You haven't lived until you've sung Wrecking Ball a capella. (Or Bring Me To Life) 11. Table-top gaming? If yes, what kind, edition, etc? Gaming accessories you long for? Surprisingly, no. I was never introduced to it as a kid/teen and the idea makes me kind of anxious, tbh. 12. DVD movies or games that you wish would magically appear in your hands? Can they be used, through Amazon? Mostly at the moment what I'm wishing would appear in my hands are my Cowboy Bebop box set and my Advent Children dvd. I think (hope) they're in my parents' attic. Uh. Things I haven't actually seen and are Relevant To My Interests right now include either of the Amazing Spiderman movies and the second Hobbit. Games, IDK. If there are any good action RPGs (hack and slash) you think I'd like! I only have a 360 and a PS2 at the moment; I know I'm going to have to get a PS4 (because Kingdom Hearts 3) but probably not for a while yet lol #broke 13. What kind of snacks or candy from other countries/states would you like to try? I heard about caramel apple Milky Ways last year and would really like to try that! 14. Do you have a favorite internet meme, character or pop culture fandom? Oh boy. I think I covered the nerd thing. More specifically, I tend to be a serial fandom monogamist - when I'm into something I am really intensely into it, for some indeterminate period until it cools off and something else comes along. My current fandom obsession is Marvel (Cinematic Universe and some comics too) and favourite character there is Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier. My forever love is Kingdom Hearts. 15. Do you have a Facebook profile (or other social media) that you are comfortable linking to aid your witch in stalking? Please note whether you are willing to add BPALers as friends. I am not on the book of face. I have a dreamwidth I never use, and a twitter (for feminist outrage, and complaining about random stuff) and tumblr (new, for mostly fandom stuff) linked in my sig. I am also on AO3, which is easy to find if you really want to. *cough* I don't mind being added/followed but may not reciprocate depending on content? None of my stuff is locked, though. 16. Anybody interested in something from RCCC, whether it's con-exclusive merch or from a particularexhibitor or artist? Iiiii am just going to refer you to previous answers regarding my fandom loves and current character crush on the Winter Soldier. I feel like I am banging on about this too much and my poor Witch may be some baffled/bored non-geeky person. 17.As regards levels of contact, Witch darling, I am perfectly fine with ninja and low contact (really), and probably with medium contact too? My worry about higher contact levels is that I have a tendency to withdraw and avoid if I feel overwhelmed or pressured to respond a lot? I'm sure it would actually be fine, even, it's just my social anxiety giving me grief, sigh. I would love an end-of-round reveal, though, so I could thank you. 18. Do you like puzzles/riddles/treasure hunts and that sort of thing? It kind of depends? I actively like things that challenge me to figure stuff out, but I can get frustrated easily and my mind seems to work along different lines than a lot of stuff seems designed for. I don't really like sudoku and things, but riddles and clues to work out can be fun, if I'm free to work it out in my own time so I can put it aside and come back to it later. 19. If you were to receive music, would you want a physical CD or digital versions? Either is cool! 20. What’s a current problem/annoyance you have that could be remedied but you haven’t had time to address it? This is less 'don't have time' than 'haven't been bothered' but damn I need to fix the hoover. (It doesn't hoov. Pretty sure it has a blockage.) 21. How do you feel about having some sort of trinket to carry around for good luck/wishes? i.e. a small figurine, symbol, card, coin… I'm not really a carrier of things, and I am wary of good luck charms/spells etc. (see more info below). Something that's a traditional good luck symbol that has no magical/spiritual/whatever working would be fine with me, though. 22. Are you superstitious about anything? Any things you can't have in your house for that reason--bad associations? I have no particular superstitions that I can think of. 23. For the vegetarians and vegans: How do you feel about things (say, marshmallows or gummy candy) made with vegan gelatin or other typically-animal-derived-but-not-in-this-instance products? Not veggie and cool either way. 24. Ok, so we've covered pumpkin. How do you feel about the other fall classic – apples? Okay. I have spent the last two weeks failing at apple puddings. Apple crumble version 1 had too much butter in the topping and not enough apples. Apple crumble version 2 had no ground almonds which was a mistake, and the apples were cooked too long and all caramelised onto the tin. Apple pudding version 1 went into the bin uncooked due to an Incident with an egg which was too gross to mention here, but I was cross because it had real vanilla and my last bag of ground almonds in. Apple pudding version 2 had very nice topping but I had the oven too high when I precooked the apples, which turned them into mush and made the bottom of the topping all soggy. Cake made out of ground almonds isn't great when soggy. Next try, at some point, will involve pre-caramelising the apple slices in a frying pan with butter and sugar, I think. All of which is to say, I love apples - eating apples, cooking with apples, dried apple slices, and apple crisps are all A++ - but I'm very hit-and-miss with apple notes in perfume. Most apple notes tend to go very sharp and crisp and cold where I would prefer them be warm. My favourite appley scent is Beaver Moon 2012, mostly because it's an 'apple compote' kind of note and it sits mostly behind the vanilla-y cheesecake. 25. Do you have any fabric or skin-contact aversions? This is a really difficult one. Anything that could feel itchy or rough is probably a no - I have this skin condition (which basically means I'm allergic to myself) and if I don't stay on my antihistamines I start... to... get... very... itchy... from pretty much any kind of contact. And I do mean any; it starts up between my fingers when I've gone over 36 hours without a dose, just from the skin contact. Smooth or soft fabrics are fine, though. 26. How do you feel about Christmas/Yule ornaments? Hmm. I don't know yet if I will decorate here - I live in a tiny place and will be at my parents' for the season, but since I have no ornaments or decorations of my own at all I wouldn't mind receiving one to start a collection? I can tell you my taste in decorations is non-religious and understated/tastefully minimalist (the family arguments about the giant florid fuchsia metallic ceiling garland? Oh god). 27. How do you feel about Hello Kitty, and Hello Kitty accessories (including mugs, cups, etc)? I don't hate it, but I'm not really into it. 28. If you had a week free where you could learn anything, with no financial restrictions, what would you want to study? SQL and VBA coding, properly rather than picking bits up as I discover I need to do something. Or actual proper voice lessons. 29. Do you enjoy poetry? Who are your favorite poets and what type of subject matter do you like? I'm not a huge poetry reader, really. I do love Neruda, though. 30. Would you enjoy receiving something related to a favorite Disney character? Insofar as Kingdom Hearts is technically Disney, well... In terms of 'proper' Disney, Maleficent is cool and I like The Princess and the Frog a lot. 31. How do you feel about cute things as decorations or accessories? (Example: Would you enjoy this stationery - or do you prefer elegant/creepy/neutral stuff?) I... am not really into cutesy stuff, or stuff that people call 'girly'. I like elegant and stylised stuff (and cherry blossom motifs) in general. 32. What is something you'd really like to recieve from your witch? Please be as specific as possible - no, "Oh whatever she thinks is fine!" This is a REALLY HARD QUESTION because I am the worst at asking for things. I have a psychological block to the point that I have problems asking for things I actively need. It's a thing. I guess I'd really like something I could share with my Witch, like something zie's read/listened to/watched/played/whatever and thinks I would also like? 33. Go to your music source of choice - on random or shuffle setting if possible - & share with us the 10 most recent songs/artists. Witch, I have to share this: I was like 'why are these all Fall Out Boy songs, what is wrong with this shuffle?' before I remembered I was listening to a specific album. From my biggest lots-of-different-stuff playlist: Michiyuki - Hikida Kaori (this is a sad soft kind of depressing song) Keepsake - The Gaslight Anthem (also kind of depressing, but the chorus is good to belt out) Break In - Halestorm (kind of a love-hate thing with this one, I don't really agree with the tropes re: consent and also it's too high for me to sing, but it's pretty) A Hymn For All I've Lost - Young Guns (also sad soft and depressing. what is this shuffle.) Fake Wings - .hack/SIGN OST Zero - Smashing Pumpkins Get Lucky - Halestorm (aaaaaaah this is the BEST COVER EVER )Hell and Back - Tonight Alive The Only Hope For Me Is You - MCR (Killjoys <3) Planetarium - bump of chicken (mmmm perfect example of golden bump sound) bonus track of 'has been stuck in my head all day and then we sang it tonight yay': Bring Me To Life, tenor part 34. Tarot cards, rune stones and/or other divination tools yay or nay? This is one thing I would like to say an active 'no, please' to. I am one hell of a sceptic - impossible to hypnotise, etc - and at best agnostic. I would prefer not to use or have any magical or spiritual items belonging to the traditions of others, as I don't wish to either disrespect them or open myself to unintended consequences or effects. 35. Do you have a Celeb crush? or someone who you just can't get enough of....other than your SO I'm ace and unpartnered. I don't really do celebrity crushes. 36. Glitter? are you okay with it, or hate it like the plague? I don't hate it. I don't love it - and I don't love cleaning it up - but I am the person who used copper glitter to make designs on my BPAL boxes, so. 37. If there was another time period other than now that described your style/aesthetics, what would it be? Drawing a blank on this one (I have aesthetics?). 38. If you had to pick one or two quotes to live by, what would it be and why? " : Number one, don't be an asshole. Number two, if somebody falls down, you pick 'em up. And number three, have a great fuckin' time." I mean, there are other more meaningful and beautiful quotes that are important to me, but as creeds to live by go, not being an asshole is pretty much top of my list. 39. Do you prefer physical books? CD books? eBooks? If eBooks do you have preferred format, kindle/nook/kobo/PDF/ePub/ect? eAudio? KINDLE although my kindle is of the now old-fashioned keyboard/monochrome kind. Or paper! 40. Smut! Yes or no? If yes, what kink, er, kind? Ahaha. I have no problem with smut and in fact have written my share thereof. That said, I don't seek out smut/erotica for its own sake and am not particularly into PWP; I like there to be some character or relationship development, and for the sex scenes to be there to show something rather than to titillate, if that makes sense? I am also a complete sucker for the slow burn, which is to say long plotty-ish stories that develop relationships slowly (I love to be rooting for the characters to just get together already!) with the eventual sex scenes as the payoff. And honestly, with that kind of story, it doesn't matter me whether it actually gets explicit or fades to black after the kissing. Any or all gender-pairings are fine, though in fandom most of my favourite pairings have been m/m for reasons that aren't particularly relevant. I don't really like heteronormativity in fictional sex or romance, regardless of the genders of the characters, and I have a gigantic humiliation squick and really hate the kind of derogatory/rape-culture-y 'dirty talk' that sounds like gross porn. I'm not hugely into kink or BDSM but I will read it if well written and characterised. The above relates mostly to writing; I'm not at all into explicit/pornographic images in art/visual stuff. I can talk more about the fannish pairings I am obsessed with like (at least one ought to be obvious from my tumblr right now *cough*) but I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND that some people are weirded out by this stuff and/or just don't 'get' it. That's cool with me too. 41. Ebooks! Yes or no? See above re: kindle :) 42. If you were to get a custom bottle from House of Gloi made for you what notes would create your perfect blend? God I don't know. Looking at their notes I would like the beeswax/honey, red musk, and sweet cream, but how they would work together I doooon't know, hehe 43. If your witch were to take a photograph (or paint or whatever) of something just for you, what would it be? Landscape? Flower? Critter? Something to illustrate a favorite quote? Beautiful landscapes and woodscapes <3 44. What is your favorite Halloween animal or other symbol/decoration? Bats probably? 45. Makeup, especially of the indie variety. Nail polish, nail wraps, eyeshadow, lipstick/gloss, etc. Y/N? Specific preferences (color, finish, product, brand, etc.)? I'm very little into facial makeup and only wear it for formal things or special occasions. Nail polish, however, is an everyday; I'm never without AT LEAST Hard As Nails. I mostly like Max Factor mini polishes because they have interesting colours, their glitter isn't abrasive, and it dries quickly and lasts well. My absolute fave nails is MF Fantasy Fire layered over a black base; dark iridescence that turns to sexy vampire in low warm light. I would at least in theory love other good quality polishes (I don't do wraps) especially in berry shades, or I'd love a coppery colour/glitter, but while it's possible to ship nail polish within the UK it can't be airmailed. Customs have trashed my packages and stolen the nail polish in the past. :| 46. How do you feel about profanity and off-color humor? I swear all the fuckin' time. As regards humour, I'm fine with anything so long as it punches up rather than down and doesn't re-victimise anyone or perpetuate harm. 47. I make hairsticks...would you like/use them? Hair's too short 48. Does anyone here LARP? If so, what kind of LARP? And what kind of character do you play? I do not. 49. Would you completely freak out if I sent you a chocolate covered scorpion or some other food oddity? This includes things like 'bacon powder' from thinkgeek.com. I wouldn't freak out, but I'm kinda bugs-averse and not so into the 'weird foodstuffs' trope. 50. This has kind of been covered, but, are you ok with receiving canned jam (from a veteran jammer!) and if so, what flavors would you like and not like? A++ fine, strawberry is best and raspberry is blech, interesting combos loved. 51. Let's talk nail polish. What colors do you love? Hate? Which brands are you dying to try? Have you ever used indies? Do you like glitter? Any textures to avoid (glitter, sand, etc)? See above. More stuff: large or abrasive glitter/sand is not so great (I don't need more nail damage), but I do love a glitter. Actually one thing I would love to find is a black-on-black glitter polish. Think of the look of a black sequin fabric - lots of glittery black in a black polish. 52. How do you feel about getting a special Halloween plushie? Cute, but not something I omgneed? 53. I'm in Japan, anything specific you might want from the land of the rising sun? Oh god. I would love another folding fan (mine was from an ex and got tossed in a move); also cute stupid fannish keychain/charm type stuff I guess? (Fullmetal Alchemist, Vocaloid, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy) 54. Are there any GC scents that you know you love, but for whatever reason, keep putting off buying bottles of? I can't think of any... think I'm up to date on GC bottles. 55. I know not everyone likes Lush products, but if you do, which Lush items would you like to get from your Witch? I've more or less sworn off Lush due to allergy reactions. except soap. Love soap. ALL THE SOAP. 56. Is there anywhere (in the US) that you are dying to get away to? Also when would you be able to get away. Would this even be something you were interested in? If so, go look at the Southwest sale for routes and dates and times. n/a 57. If you are ok with receiving t-shirts, what size are you, do you prefer tissue tees, normal crew tees, babydoll etc? A++! Men's shirts (since women's shirt sizes are wayyy smaller wtf) in 3x or 2x if they don't run small. 58. THINKGEEK! Who loves it - do you have a wishlist on there?? What are some things you are jonesing for on there for under $20? Surprisingly I'm not massively into it; there's nothing i specifically want from there (that I know about) right now. 59. Zombies, yes or no? not really? 60. Would you like arm warmers/fingerless gloves? If so, what length? just beyond the wrist, almost to the elbow, full sleeves? I probably would not - I have some already that I don't really wear; I tend to run hot. 61. Do you feel a particular affinity for a specific animal/s? Not really. I am all about PUPPIES though. 62. Anyone have any Paintbox Soapworks loves? Nothing specific, but I am always in favour of more soap. 63. How would you feel if your witch or a minion of your witch showed up in person at your house with goodies? Thrilled? Annoyed? Completely creeped out? Freaked out, the place is a tip. 64. Do you have a ravelry account? Tell me about your yarn obsessions. Let it be known: I am a non yarny person. 65. Sock Dreams, yay or nay? Yay yay yay see wishlist above 66. Knitted items like scarves, shawls, dishclothes....yay or nay? Favorite fibers? Favorite colors? I don't really wear scarves unless i absolutely have to (they make my neck itch and I hate feeling strangled). Dishcloths I feel like are a waste of good knitting! Shawls in theory yes, I don't know enough about fibres though to tell what would bring the Dreaded Itch - almost anything remotely fuzzy is liable to do it if I'm stupid and forget to take my medicine. 67. Is your Amazon WL up-to-date? Insofar as there's nothing I want right now that I haven't put on it. If I find something I want or decide to want something else it may or may not go on there; I don't generally keep up with it well. 68. If you were to receive handmade caramels, would it matter if they were made with raw cream (unpasteurized)? It so would not! Enough heat to melt sugar is enough heat to pasteurise cream, lol 69. Would you enjoy getting a sampling of quality incense taken from various sources? Are there types of incense you know you don't like? Would you want a burner for loose incense and a few charcoals to get you started with that, or would you rather stick to simpler types? I have done burner-and-charcoal incense before but right now I am in a studio flat with two smoke alarms and I am too terrified of setting them off to light so much as a candle. No incense pls, sorry. 70. I know we already had a question about needed kitchen accessories, but what about spices? Okay. In the same vein as I have only basic kitchen tools, my spices complement currently consists of a jar of mixed herbs, a jar of paprika, a jar of mild chilli powder, a jar of 'Moroccan' style spice mix, a packet of ground cinnamon, approximately one third of a vanilla bean, and past-their-best basil and thyme plants. Oh and like two jars of wheat-free Japanese curry spice. Other stuff would be totally cool! 71. Would you like handmade stationary or cards? How about a quill pen? <3 IDK about quill pens; I used to find dip-pens very annoying in middle school art. 72. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being "gimme that ghost pepper!" and 1 being "oh, that's a bit too much black pepper for me" Where is your heat tolerance? Uh, somewhere between 3 and 5 depending. I prefer flavour to heat, but my mother is a great fan of chillies and I still have a tongue! 73. What is your favorite type of Halloween candy? I DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION (see: English) BUT I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT. Okay no I had candy corms last year and they were okay, kind of like fudge I guess? 74. Do you need or want any cosy footwear, like fluffy slippers, or slipper socks etc? I have a full complement of wearing-around-the-house tabi and slipper socks thank you~ And this one is out of order but it made me go oh! What gadgets do you use in your everyday life and would you life a cool case for them - with your favourite fandom or artwork or saying? I have a Galaxy S3 Mini phone that's on contract until at least May next year, and my cool custom case I got is broken. It's one of those hard snap cases that just go over the back and edges, and I got it custom printed with the Danger Days album cover, and one corner has snapped off. It's still usable, but 'new custom phone case' is on my list of 'things I need to get that keep getting shoved down the list'. 75. What do you most look forward to each Fall? Less hotness. Blargh summer no. 77. Are there any beauty accessories you need or would like? For example make-up brushes, facial brushes or eyelash curlers. Not really 78. Would you be disappointed to get one big box, or would you prefer a bunch of little ones? And would you be disappointed if your witch actually had it together early and sent it to you sooner than later? Whichever way is fine! If I got a 'big box' early I might save it until the end of the round to open though? or as long as I could resist, anyways... 79. Stores are putting out their halloween PJs and undies! Would you be happy to get any in a package? And if so, what size? For PJ pants, do you like cotton or flannel? Wouldn't fit me 80. Do you like M&Ms? Not specially? 81. How about wax melts? I have never used them and am slightly leery d/t aforementioned burning stuff issues 82. Would you like a subscription for Spotify? I don't use streaming sites on account of bandwidth limitations at my current place :/ 83. What scents from the Lillith update would you like to try? Mini Magdalene, Amicitia, Avunculus, Lily Witch and Venustas - but I kind of waffled on decants and since I don't even have my butterfly decants yet I'll probably end up waiting for reviews and using the gift certificate work got me for my birthday (my colleagues got me a bpal gift certificate! I have the BEST JOB) to get some blind bottles. Avunculus is probably the most likely to work for me. 84. Would you be interested in receiving a box of sugar cube skulls? Probably not sorry 85. Skin care routine? Fave cleanser? Toner? Moisturizer? What about body lotions? Any particular brand or scent? Lip balms? Yay or nay? I use Simple toner and Lush exfoliating soap and that's kiiiind of it. Oh and vaseline cocoa butter spray moisturiser (infrequently) or Trading Post bath oils. Lip balms - okay, if anyone can find the old style of Palmer's peppermint cocoa butter that came in a little squeezy tube, I would love you forever. It's in a stick now and isn't the SAME. 86. Is there anything you would like from Salem MA (mugs, keychains, postcards, etc.or witchy supplies like incense, candles, books)? Not really my thing sorry 87. Would you be interested in any of the items in LisaNut's etsy shop? See previous answers re: fibre stuff and skin issues :/ 88. Spiders (as in cute knit kind) yes or no? Nooooo we are not at home to Mr. Spider. 89. Pillows (the mostly decorative type)? I have an owl pillow. Now that I think of it what I really need are new pillow pillows - they're so old and flat that two piled together still feels practically flat. Have to ask my mum where she got her puffy ones. 90. Any kind of bags - big, small, medium, purse, grocery, etc? Bags~ I could do with a smart-ish mini-messenger kind of style for keys/wallet/phone etc when I don't have pockets. I tend to prefer manbag/messenger/satchel styles, or cool shopping totes. 91. Is there anything special coming up in your life? *draws a blank* Lots of stress as my manager drops down to 1 day a week with a deadline coming up, my fixed-term job comes to an end and I have to reapply if I want to keep it (spoiler: I do!) except HR are being completely opaque about WTF is going on with it, and the dreaded season of christmas shopping approaches.

First off, if amber normally goes powdery or sour on you, this may be worth testing anyway. I don't get much of the vanilla specifically, I think it's more just smoothing the blend out, but the amber and oud blend amazingly. I agree with posters who compared this to Implacable Beautiful Tyrant hair gloss, and I will add another comparison to House of Unquenchable Fire atmo, because on my (weird) skin it's almost a dead ringer.

It may be that the vanilla in combination with certain other notes is causing your reaction? I have a similar thing; mine is with patchouli or other herbal notes, which smell medicinal and gross to me, and in combination with sweet vanillas they become nearly nausea-inducing. It's the combination of 'sickly sweet' and 'medicinal/funky' that gets me. I experience this with Snake Oil definitely (sweet vanilla and patchouli is the culprit there), and IIRC Samhain definitely has the patch and herbal thing going on, though I don't know about sweet notes. Since you say Red Rose and possibly Obatala worked for you, you might try and see what your experiences are with ruling out vanilla/foody notes for the moment and trying more floral and aquatic blends, maybe with resins/incense, non-sweet fruits/nuts*, and possibly woods and paler musks? *Obatala has coconut and milk but in a more 'fresh' way than foody, and definitely not sweet. Off the top of my head, some GCs that might be worth trying (or at least, they're light-years away from the sickly-gross thing for me) if you've not already: Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat - very fresh juicy melon Aizen-Myoo - fresh citrus and florals with a hint of tea Forbidden Fruit - flowers and fresh fruit Generally speaking, though, you certainly aren't alone, and skin and nose chemistry can be simultaneously the bane of your life and the best thing ever, when you find a note that does amazing things on you. The sale and swap sections here are excellent places to pick up cheap lots of imps, or exchange stuff you know you don't like for better options.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, Detestable Putrescence (ice cream!), and SB4 which smells exactly like a glass of limoncello and lemonade over ice.

I got a decant of this because of the ginger, even though accepted wisdom is that flybys amp honey to single-note proportions. Accepted wisdom is over there, flying out the window. Wet, I get a very 'white' honey-sugar scent that starts spreading itself all over the place like a slow, languorous strip-tease. Ginger and redcurrant start out trying to do drunken high-kicks but very quickly stumble into the background and collapse in a giggling heap. Meanwhile, the honey and sugar cane are gettin' it on. Hoo boy. It gets deeper and dirtier, for a 'fuck yeah do me' value of dirty that has the honey and sugar cane rolling around on silk sheets, creating a thick, sweet muskiness that's safely on the sexy side of BO. Just before it dries, the ginger sobers up enough to pitch a little scandalised fit, but the tide of Sheer Fucking Hot is too much for her. In conclusion, holy shit I am loving what this does on my skin. And I am going to have to revisit a whole swathe of honey scents.

Does anyone have pics of the Our Lady series?

OMG. Wine Gums. Do want. ETA: 2012 version

...I'm kind of thinking Gingerbread Poppet for tomorrow, possibly layered with Haloes or Halloween: Las Vegas.

I got a decant of this because previous Beaver Moons haven't been win on me - and now I need to track down a bottle. In the vial it's very cheesecake - with my eyes shut I would think I was sniffing at a plate of the stuff, seriously. As it goes on, the apple starts to come out, warm and spicy, and the cheesecakiness dials back a bit so it's just a creamy background. And it stays like that - for a while. Because once I stop noticing it, something magical happens. After an hour or so on my skin it turns into THE most amazing warm, sweet, creamy, slightly foody vanilla. There's still a hint of apple close to the skin, but I'm typing at my desk right now with this on my wrists and the throw I'm getting is pure vanilla yum. I want to cry; so rarely do I find a vanilla that's <i>actually</i> vanilla on me.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat is a very fresh (and not too sweet) melon scent on me.

If any of the Lilith blends work well on you, I think they'd be ideal as a lot of motherly love went into creating them.

Huh. This is a bit of a strange one; wet in the vial, my initial impression was sour milk and a hint of fruit, which wasn't promising. Ditto wet on skin; the fruitiness comes out a bit more, and so do the spices, but even as it's drying down, if I hold my hand up to my nose I get spoiled spiced milk with a little sweet fruit. The strange part comes on the dry stage, because I'm getting whiffs of coffee (or latte, anyway - you know what a Starbucks smells like right after they've made a bunch of rush orders and maybe scalded some milk a little? Yeah, that) from out of nowhere while I'm sitting here typing, but if I lift my wrist to my nose I don't get that latte smell at all, just the same spoiled milk. Definitely not a keeper for me, but it's interesting!

2012 vintage Wet, I get red apple with a tiny hint of mulling spices*. Wet on skin, the spices start to bloom, followed by the apples, and the cranberry is doing what it always does on me and turning to Refreshers (fizzy) candy, which... actually adds a nice rounded depth to it. Drying down, much the same; it's a faintly spicy apple blend lightened by candy-y cranberry. My main point of comparison is Autumn Cider, and this is definitely a lighter/paler apple blend with less of the warmth I associate with AC. *An American might say 'cider spices'. I am English and from the West Country, and I do not think that word means what you think it means. Mulling is for wine; my cider is sharp and cool and most definitely alcoholic. My cider will kick your teeth in and walk off with your wallet.