LushNatty

This sounds kind of weird, but at first sniff this reminded me exactly of some kind of sunblock or other skin product that I used when I was a kid, but that’s not a bad thing—I always looooooved the smell of that stuff. Anyway, it is like this incredible, summery-sweet smell that I really can’t pin down. Maybe part of the reason I can’t pin it down is because I don’t really smell the component parts of the blend (like, “oh—dragon’s blood; oh—blackcurrant; oh—musk”). It’s just all blended together in the most beautiful way. As it develops, the overriding smell is still that mystery product from my youth, but I can smell some kind of floral scent in here, and it is getting sweeter. I just can’t explain it, but it is absolutely lovely and totally unusual. I will definitely be buying a big bottle. Perfect throw—strong enough to be very noticeable but not strong enough to be overwhelming. Overall: an incredibly pleasant surprise, because this was a frimp, and was not on the top of my wish list. Thank you, lab, for throwing this in my last order! On a scale of 1 to 5: 5!

In the bottle: I would say the first thing that pops out is citrus, then something kind of sharp underneath it (like, thorny) and then you detect a rose in the background. Application: Mmmmm. Blossomed into a lovely tea rose. Very nice—hasn’t started cloying yet like most roses so far have done on me. It’s a light throw, though—it’s definitely not something that would be noticeable from afar even though I put on the normal amount. I’m kind of disappointed, however, that the citrus disappeared because I was in the mood for something citrusy today and that’s why I decided to test this imp. As the minutes go by, I’m starting to get a drift of something that smells like "Grandma" (that’s the only way I can describe it!) from my cleavage. Weird. The rose is starting to be cloying, definitely. Damn. Very, very close to the skin I can smell the violet, which is too bad because I love violet and wouldn’t mind that jumping to the fore. Only 15 minutes after application, this is starting to totally disappear. It was kind of like the life-cycle of a rose, in fast motion. An hour later: there is a VERY faint cloud of rose around me, but the complexity is totally gone unless I bury my nose in my wrist. (And my applications are not skimpy!) Bottom line: a pretty, delicate scent, but not great on me. The biggest problem (resulting in the loss of a point) is that it is much too short-lasting; it fades to almost nothing before I feel like I have even had a chance to experience it-- and the only thing left is the cloying, faint cloud of rose. On a scale of 1 to 5: 2.

It's possible. I have an actual depression disorder, so I've had to work really hard to learn how to deal with it. Lately things have been rocky...I was actually happy to see that you had posted this because I need the advice too! So, you're not the only one, if that helps at all. So, from a person who understands-- hang in there. All things pass eventually and there will eventually be experiences that make you happy you endured all the crapola. Also, make sure that you are taking care of yourself. If it starts interfering with your ability to handle your daily schedule, get some help before it gets worse. Again, I have been there--trust me, it gets exponentially more difficult to handle stuff if it's not taken seriously at the beginning. It's like going on a diet when you've only gained 10 pounds, as opposed to waiting until you've gained 50. Just that much easier to handle. And I got my Samhain today, and I was having a really bad day before I put that on, and now I feel better... so if you can get your hands on some of that, try it and see. For you, (And for me, time to get back to work.)

Good point--I found the answer, but you couldn't have asked the question anyway because the forum is locked for new topics. Read this thread in BPAL FAQs: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=12215. Should help clear things up for ya.

Legal? Annoyingly, the entire legal profession is very stuffy. So don't rock the boat until you have the power to do so. That's about all the advice I can offer. At my law school, the mantra of Career Services on this issue is don't wear any fragrance whatsoever-- which is actually not a bad point because people can have sensitivities to the most surprising scents. A friend of mine started sneezing and snuffling like crazy the other night after I put on a *dab* of Bastet, and I couldn't even smell it at all. It was bothering her even after my first hand-washing. She does the same thing when confronted with cucumber smells, which normally a person would think would be extremely inoffensive. Smell clean, that's all.

You gotta wonder how much dangerous contraband they actually catch in these packages. Why don't they just keep drug-sniffing dogs at every post office? Would probably be more efficient in the long run-- just the cost of dog food and poop baggies. Meanwhile, we can't get our sniffies. *pout*

True, but there may be a customs hitch to worry about. I am currently trying to get some imps from a Canadian swapper, and she is having a LOT of trouble getting them to me because Canada Post is claiming that they are a "dangerous good". If BPAL is in the business of shipping internationally and already knows how to sidestep this administrative landmine, placing the American and Canadian orders seperately would make a lot of sense.

Hey Bagfish-- Just a comment related to the customs issue: I am currently waiting for an imp swap with someone from Canada and they will not ship it to the U.S. I have never had a problem with it before this transaction, and I have no idea why they are suddenly flipping out about this, but they are, evidently. I suppose the lab will find out if this starts happening very often.

Just my two c. as a newbie: 1. I think Electra was the first to mention it, but several other people have echoed that the tautology is "don't wear perfume to a job interview" and frankly, there are really good reasons for that. Like a lot of other people have pointed out, some people really hate perfume. (Hard to imagine, I know, but... ) I, for instance, thought I hated "perfume" until I started getting into Lush and, most recently, BPAL. What I hate are department-store perfumey fake scents, with very few exceptions. I guess my point is that, if I hate "perfume" but love BPAL/essential oils/Lush, most other people feel the opposite. A lot of my friends shrink away from the strength of my Lush stuff (when in the package, not in the strength it lingers on my skin), and BPAL oils are even stronger in concentration. And someone is out there buying all those $100 an ounce crap perfumes from the department stores. You just never know what is going to make your interviewer feel like she can't breathe or like she needs to throw up. For me, it would be an interviewee coming in reeking of any mass-market men's cologne or (for women) most department store perfumes, espcially Moschino Cheap and Chic. Even a little bit of that stuff jumps out at me and reminds me of my grandmother's penchant for using Aqua Net in hot cars in the summer. 2. My suggestion? Here's what I do: I am a law student starting to go through the process of dealing with professional-level interviews for the first time in my life, and although I always used to be good at interviewing before, I am now a nervous wreck during the interviewing process. What I do is take a scent that has a powerful relaxing influence on me (for me, Flying Fox Temple Balm from Lush is like taking a muscle relaxant) and I dab just a wee bit right on the dimple under my nose. It's right where I can smell it in such low concentrations that it really doesn't travel to others well, but it's there in the concentration I need to relax me. Sounds weird, but it works. The only thing I smell of to the interviewer is a very mild soap (smelling clean is about the only thing they should smell.) Sorry this was so long, but I got into the subject-- this has been a really interesting thread!! Good luck to all of you fellow interviewees. ETA: One more thought: you also never know what is going to get your interviewer sexually aroused, and that's probably not a good strategy in the long run.