tomsawyerv

I have lost no weight. I'm trying not to let it discourage me, because are there several contributing factors. My period is coming up, I wasn't very active, and while I was estimating calories a day, I was not keeping strict track. I'm going to start doing that this week. Everything that goes in my mouth is going to be accounted for. I'm also considering walking home from work every day. My boyfriend and I work a few blocks away (Las Vegas blocks, which are pretty lengthy, but it's not too bad) and I'd like to start bringing my athletic shoes and just walking home. Overall, I think I could stand to lose an even 100 pounds. 160 for my height is on the higher side of the healthy BMI range, and I've always liked even numbers. I think I'm going to break it up into mini-goals of 10 lbs each. So 250, here I come!

I've struggled with weight ever since I hit puberty. I grew four inches and innumerable pounds in the span of one summer, going from a skinny twig to pleasantly plump so quick I don't think it quite struck me until it was too late. I kept eating in the manner of a teenager with their first real job, lots of fast food and gallons of soda, which pretty much set me into my habits for the rest of my life. I've been 200+ since high school when I actually really started paying attention to my weight, and struggled with my will power and habits, as well as fad diets. I've done Atkins (terrible idea), the "Don't Eat Past 2 PM" diet (even worse idea), vegetarian (which might have worked if I'd done it right), and many others. The thing that I found truly worked was getting a job at Goodwill (Walking laps around a floor for 7 hours a day, fixing hangers and organizing clothes), watching my calories, and eating three small meals with snacks in between, along with generous portions of fruit, veggies and water. I moved to Colorado in 2009 following my divorce, weighing around 220. I worked really hard and by the time I moved to Las Vegas nine months later, I was around 195 lbs. The first time I'd ever been under 200 since I started noticing my weight. There I started seeing my boyfriend, bad habits crept back in (not to mention amazing Las Vegas retaurants) and now I have blown past the 220 mark (my previous heaviest) and all the way up to 260. I am mortified with myself for allowing this to happen. I am getting back on track TODAY. I know I can lose weight, and I know I can eat healthily. I am going to do this, and I am going to change my life.

I've noticed certain trends among my BPAL, and this is my page to chronicle that. These are the main impressions I get from certain scents. Keepers are in bold. Bottle-worthy scents are *starred. ROSE SCENTS: *Spellbound - My first impression was Ren Faire! Roses and incense! The rose scent definitely fades a lot as this dries down, but remains detectable. *Lucy's Kiss - Similar impression as Spellbound, but with something sweeter. The rose smell remains very apparent in this one. Zombi - The wet earth smell behind the roses keeps this from being "just another" rose scent. London - A very rosy scent, didn't catch much of anything else. Blood Rose - Seems like the middle ground between Spellbound and Lucy's Kiss, a little bit of sweet, a little bit of incense. SHAMPOO/SOAPY SCENTS: Shoggoth - Definitely dries down into something a little more tart, a hint of citrus. Fades super quick on me. Envy - Very soapy/shampooey smell, with an undertone of flowers. Pleasant enough. Fades quickly. Lord Teishin with a Demon Behind a Screen - Had high hopes for this one. It almost seemed like it would pull it out, then started smelling like generic shampoo. Vasakasajja - Like I just took a bath, and there's that faint scent of bar soap still on my skin. CITRUS/FRUIT SCENTS: *Serpents with Glittering Eyes and Forky Tongues - Not too sweet, offset perfectly with the musk, a wonderful throw and staying power. My favorite. <3 Ether - First impression is a sweet, tart, fruity smell, though once it dries down, it's more of a clean/soap smell to me. Fades super quick on me. Poisoned Apple - This is almost an oceany scent to me. That crisp, almost 'salty' scent lends itself to images of the sea. Ushi - Sweet and tart mango goodness. Tweedledum - Sweet, fruity smell. Very subtle. *Lurid - A deep berry scent underscored with a sexy musk that seems to strengthen the longer it stays on Embalming Fluid - Bright and lemony, very fresh scent. *Maenad - So many hearts for this one. It's a deep, sweet smell with just enough undercurrant of darkness to keep it from being too childlike. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat - So melony sweet and sparkly, but fades very quickly. Candy Corn Coated Candy Apple - I was pleasantly surprised! A lot like Poisoned Apple, that same crispness, but sweeter! The Hamptons - Wonderful, fizzy lemon soda. Imp - Delicious, sweet peach with a bit of musk to keep it from being too sweet. Phantasm - Lemony goodness, with a hint of sweet floral. Vixen - The first impression is 'sultry'! I like it, sexy without being too overwhelming, the citrusy notes sweeten it perfectly. Bewitched - A pretty, but not overwhelming berry smell. Seems to fade pretty quickly on my skin. Namaste* - Delicious, juicy orange with spice and incense underneath. <3 OCEANY SCENTS: The Sea Foams Blood - Ogygia - Like fresh salty water and flowers. The flower scent is too much for me. SPICY SCENTS: Spicebush Swallowtail - Definite sweet clove/allspicey scent. Not at strong as Port-au-Prince. Fades really quickly on me. Port-au-Prince - CLOVE. LOTS AND LOTS OF CLOVE. Blood - Something in this just clashes... the clove doesn't sync with the sweet, I think. FLOWERY SCENTS: High-Strung Daisies - Sugar-coated flowers, but the sweetness fades quickly. Veil - Sweet, summery flowers. Something familiar, can't put my finger on it. #20 Love Oil - Much too much flowery old lady, with a sharp, weird note of metallics. Against Idleness and Mischief - Almost overpoweringly flowery, too much for me. Oleander Honey - Way, way too flowery for me. Almost dizzying. Rapture - I think it might be jasmine that turns into a pee-like smell on my skin. This fell victim to that. Dance of the Mirlitons - Not sure what I'm catching, but there's a not-so-pleasant sharp flowery scent. L'Ecole Des Filles - A sweet, floral scent. Very sensual. Fire Pig - A really sharp, almost metallic floral scent. The Ghost - Reminds me of that pee-like smell from Rapture. Dyan Moon - Pleasant, sweet flowery smell. Forbidden Fruit - Something just clashes in this. There's a strong flowery smell just warring with the sweetness. Juliet - I was hoping the pear would even out the flowers. Unfortunately not on me. All I get the host of floral. Too soft and girly for me. Definitely embodies the idea of 'Juliet'! Amsterdam - Clean, light flowers. Seraphim - Reminds me of a 'drier' version of some of the rose smells, with a bit of other florals mixed in. Arachne of Lydia* - The perfect clove smell. Soft, not overpowering, and with great staying power. OZONE SCENTS: *Lightning - Amazing. Sweet and ozoney, in a way which is absolutely lovely. The Phantom Wooer - Wonderfully lovely, like a rainstorm. Stormclouds on the Midway - Like flowers in the rain. I don't get any of the incense, which makes me sad. INCENSE SCENTS: *The High Priest Not to Be Described - Nag champa incense. So delicious, and stays on me forever. Dragon's Blood - Delicious dragon's blood scent, nailed it. Dragon's Hide - *Dragon's Milk - A sweeter version of Dragon's Blood. Dragon's Musk - Dragon's Tears - Two Monsters - Musky, almost masculine, resiny scent. Similar to High Priest, but less sweet. The Great Sword of War - Very soft, sweet incense smell. And There Was a Great Cry in Egypt - Up close it's lovely, but the throw softens and muddles to something too powdery. I kept catching whiffs of diapers. *Paramatman - Incensey, with a "purpley" throw that's gorgeous. Serpent's Kiss - All I get is a sharper Dragon's Blood. Penitence - A soft, clean incense scent. Almost soapy. FOODIE SCENTS: Bread-and-Butterfly - Just... too buttery weird for me. White Rabbit - Has an underlying scent that just goes wrong, like a buttery sour milk. Anne Beany - Butterscotch yumminess! Miskatonic University - A pleasant coffee/mocha scent. The only chocolately scent I've found that I like. Bedbug - Get the same 'ugh' weird butter smell from Bread-and-Butterfly. Just not for me. Inez - For some reason, I get raw chocolate powder out of this. Reindeer Poop - Smells like cookies to me. Perfectly pleasant, just not for me. Bones Trombone - A sickly sweet smell of pies. CANDY SCENTS: *Hideous Heart - Wonderfully sweet and spicy, like cinnamon hearts! Blue Fire - Not as bad as I was expecting. Smells like grape soda on the skin. A lot less "fizzy" after a couple hours, fading into a pleasant sweet. Gelt - Chocolate, but a little off somehow. How Doth the Little Crocodile - Reminds me of chocolate dinner mints. Pleasant, but not for me. The Kingdom of Sweets - Soda pop sweet and bubbly. Velvet Unicorn - Like those boxes Strawberry Rolls mixed with taffy. Fades very quickly on me. SWEET/VANILLA SCENTS: Anne Beany - Lots of butterscotch yummy. The Antikythera Mechanism - The black vanilla doesn't hate my skin as much as regular vanilla! Sweet but still somewhat masculine and utterly dreamy. Grog - Almost exactly like Anne Beany to me... just a bunch of butterscotch. Blood Kiss - Ugh. Goes molasses on me, like most vanilla scents. Mouse's Long and Sad Tale - OMG! A vanilla smell that doesn't go bad on me! It does, however, disappear very quickly. Rangoon Riptide - Gorgeous! The pineapple and rum is delicious together. Pahoehoe - Delicious tropical sweet smell. Rosy Maple - I think I've found that sweet pea evens out that molasses yuck of vanilla on my skin! Like with ML&ST, this one in lovely and sweet! Knockout Drops - Reminds me of a sweeter version of Absinthe. Dracul - Starts out as an herby smell, then just muddles into non-descript sweet smell. The Dodo - Wasn't sure where to put this. It has a weird, flat smell. Like old, papery red soda. *Absinthe - Gorgeous, sharp and sweet with that hint of wicked 'wormwood' impression. GREEN/PLANT SCENTS: Whoop - Sweet and softly spicy, almost like a cider of some kind to begin, then dries into a pine scent. Squirting Cucumber - Hairy Toad Lily - Chuparosa - Very green smell, like wet, fresh plants. Phoenix Steamworks - I get a bunch of pine that fades into nothing. EARTHY SCENTS: Death Cap - Dirt. Dirt, dirt, dirt. Rumpelstilzchen - All I get is dusty patchouli. Ra - All I get from this is a sharp, dirty smell at first. maybe 30-45 mins. Then finally it fades into a non-descript sweet smell. Aureus - A lovely cedary scent. I love the smell of cedar, just not on me. Thunder and Blazes - Has the wet earth smell with a hint of leather underneath. Malediction - Charcoal with the tiniest hint of sweet. Almost like mesquite. MASCULINE SCENTS: Vicomte de Valmont - Very spicy men's cologne-y. Galvanic Goggles - Very sexy male scent. Screeching Parrot - Not sure what I'm catching in this (maybe the rum and the ginger?) but it seems spicy and almost masculine on me. NOT SURE: Love Me - Metallic... sickly... I just don't know.

I absolutely adore this scent. It smells, on me at least, almost like a dead-ringer for nag champa incense. I love that smell, and it's wonderful to be able to harness it without sitting in a smoky room for hours.

I don't claim to have the most sophisticated nose, but Sed Non Satiata smells A LOT like Glowing Vulva to me. I visited my friend in Florida and she and her house smelled like GV the whole weekend. Last night I tried Sed Non Satiata and it was super reminiscent of GV to me.

Yeah I'm not sure how that happened! I blame it on being my first post ever.

Thanks for all the help! ^.^ You guys rock.

Hi everyone. My friend got me into BPAL a few months ago and I've been snagging imps here and there when I can, from the online store with a few lots on eBay. I've been trying to sort through all of them (I got a bit giddy and started hoarding more quickly than I could test them out >.<) and I came across this today: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/suprnaturl/oblivion.jpg Is that just a sign of age? I was surprised because the colors are so different. One is very obviously dark green, whereas the other is a golden amber color. They smell similar enough I suppose, but I don't have the most discerning nose in the world, so I'm not sure! Edit: They are both labelled with the BPAL Oblivion label!