alicia_stardust

THE FRUIT OF PARADISE WET: Juicy pomegranate and a touch of berry spice. DRY: This is a deep and complex pomegranate scent. While this is a predominantly red, juicy, tart, and vibrant pomegranate scent, it is still very different from other pomegranate blends such as Swank or Persephone. I find those to be bright and candy-like, but Fruit of Paradise is a much deeper and darker red. It is more grounded. It is layered with something I cannot pinpoint that lends it a dark and otherwordly feel and evokes images of the Underworld. As the scent starts to fade, I detect an almost-sharp sort of floral that is mingling with the pomegranate and other notes. Narcissus? I have always been deeply intrigued by the Eleusinian Mysteries and the symbolic aspects hidden in the myth of Persephone. I am so in love with this blend!! Strong throw, average wear-length.

THE SNOW STORM - This is a-freaking-mazing! There are hundreds of scents I love, but only certain ones stop me dead in my tracks within minutes of the first application. WET: I smell the balsam fir and a cold, slushy quality. DRY: This is an amazing winter snow storm scent. It has a movement and energy to it that calls to mind flurries of snowflakes as they whip and dance about the wintry night. It has the perfect mix of earthy cedar leaf and balsam fir; they are very present in the blend and yet they have a soft sweetness to them that keeps this from smelling too strong, piney, or masculine. That particular softness is reminiscent of the quality that Snow Moon and Skadi have, though this is less floral-sweet. Together the cedar leaf and balsam fir mix with a cold, slushy, snowy scent that I suppose can only be the white mint. It mingles so closely with the other notes that it does not present as white mint to my nose. The best part of this blend is the sudden, soft, nectar-like scent that bursts forth amidst receding sheets of icy snow and frozen pine. It is bright, sweet, almost winterberry-like. I am unfamiliar with eranthis but maybe it's the winter aconite blooms that I am smelling. Whatever it is, it's gorgeous! This phase of the scent lasts through the duration and it just completely takes my breath away!

PLUNDER This is tea with cinnamon first and foremost, but beyond that I get a creamy sort of nutmeg scent. The background remains a lovely medley of spices, clove, cassia, and a touch of wood. This brings to mind piles of fine-ground spices in fancy tins and bottles that litter a bumboat. I love all of these spices, and they are not "hot" like cinnamon and cassia tend to be. There's also a creaminess that reminds me of tonka and, possibly, this is a tad reminiscent of an aged bottle of Three Witches.

SCORPIO Wet: Musks, herbs, and a deep "red" scent. Dry: The musks and opoponax hit first, and they are so soft and deep and dark; layered, sultry, sexy, passionate. This is the strongest part of Scorpio. Beyond that, there is a nice sharp bite that is the typical dragon's blood resin "tingle". For a short time I can smell a hint of basil and... something that reminds me of very light, sweet anise. Whether that's a trick of the nose or something related to the wormwood, I do not know. All I know is that the overall "red" mood of this blend is amazing! The velvety musks, the resins, EVERYTHING about this is passionate, soft, and sexy!

VAMPIRE TEARS Wet: Jasmine and tonka. Dry: On my skin this starts out very bright and candy-like. Strangely enough, I think the grapefruit, neroli, and jasmine combine to make this smell like lemon verbena for the first while. As the scent settles further into my skin, I can smell a swirl of wisteria and grapefruit, the tea and ginger, and then the honeysuckle and jasmine. Mmm, the tonka is ever present but not dominant. Overall this has a sweet, bright quality with a sharp pang of sadness to it that is expressed perfectly by the bite from the grapefruit, ginger, and neroli. The honeysuckle, jasmine, and wisteria add hauntingly sweet tone to this. This is different than I expected, yet I love it. I will definitely keep this on hand. Medium throw, average wear-length.

PIRATE MOON Wet: Red musk and a touch of something herbal that is highly bitter and green. Dry: This starts out almost perfumey and with a strong, bitter green note. I think it might be the coconut palm and/or balsam. After less than five minutes, though, the red musk appears and serves as the base for the rest of the scent. The bitterness is still there but it's less overwhelming and more complementary. The leather works so well with the red musk. Beyond that, I am not able to individually pinpoint other notes, not even the lime. Instead this becomes a deeply complex scent that is gender neutral, sexy, adventurous, reminiscent of ships and sea air, and very, very fitting for a commemorative pirate wedding scent. Average throw and wear-length. I have a soft spot for red musk as it is, but this is very unique and gorgeous. It's hard to describe it, but I know this much: I am so glad I bought more than one bottle!

DELERIUM I get a strong synesthetic response from Delerium. While I can separate out the rose, apple, and lemon, what I really get is a wild medley of pink, orange, salmon, yellow, and red from this. They sort of swirl about for the duration of the scent and make feel a little, well... the name of the scent is so fitting! =) Scent-wise, the rose and apple sit the strongest with the lemon as an almost candy-like top note. This is fun, loud, and bright!

SWAN MAIDEN Wet: Gardenias. Lovely, intoxicating. Dry: This dries into a lovely, heady gardenia scent. It smells cool and white-blue in color. There is an almost aquatic tone to the florals, not in a standard aquatic way but more like all the white petals are smattered with dew. I can smell the iris and lily just behind the gardenia and I'm sure the other flowers are there but I can't pinpoint them directly. The sandalwood only becomes apparent to me after the scent has settled into my skin for an hour or more. It's a lovely finale to this heady, soft, intoxicating, sweet floral scent. It is hauntingly beautiful. Edit: This really reminds me of Dreamland.

BEAVER MOON 2007 Wet: In the bottle this smells a bit like cheesecake with swirls of red and a pile of juicy red fruit on top. Dry: On my skin this turns into a very "pink" smelling, playful scent! It smells just like blended strawberry ice cream with a lacing of strawberries and cherries. This starts out creamy, turns more fruity, then ends with a little zing of cherry incense as it fades off. I LOVE this so much and the cheeky concept behind it makes it even more appealing. I really wish I had bought more because it's one that I am going to enjoy wearing often. If you like this version of Beaver Moon, other similar scents on me are Pink Phoenix, Strawberry Moon, and Chaos Theory III: CCLXXV.

THE PHOENIX Wet: In the bottle I smell mostly gunpowder, fresh sea air, and a hint of lime. Dry: On my skin this starts out as a strong but beautiful kick of sea air. It is fresh and aquatic with a lot of that characteristic salty brine scent of the ocean. After that, there is about 10 minutes where the gunpowder is very strong. It's acrid and I can practically taste it. Just as I am about to be overwhelmed by it, the gunpowder softens up and I can again smell the salty sea air, this time with lime. At this point I get a strong and stabilizing base of wood, the zing of a red resin or musk (blood), and the barest hint of Snake Oil. My skin seems to take this scent through many stages and by the end of it, I have been taken on a fantastic scent voyage. To me, this scent is complex, beautiful, and gender neutral. Strong throw, average wear length. The sea air sits as the strongest note, but the others all hold their own as part of this commemorative scent.

PRAGUE I am not familiar with the individual scent of crocus or snowdrops, but this is a gorgeous scent. It is light and cool, almost fruity. I smell apples and lilies, and this brings to mind a cold, silent morning in late winter when shoots of green and early spring flowers have found their way up through the snow.

SNOW WHITE (2005 version) Snow White has a dreamy, cold, white quality to it. It smells like flurries of snow, coconut, ice cream, a bit of milk and honey, and cold slush. It's comforting and brings to mind a still, silent forest that's covered in a blanket of snow. The florals in this are understated and no single one jumps out at me. Overall, this is simply stunning. It's truly a work of art.

GREEN TREE VIPER This is very minty. It has a very clean, cool, and fresh smell to it. The mint is very dominant but it's softened by the Snake Oil. It comes across as a very "green" mint rather than icy or sinus-clearing. Underneath the mint I can detect the tea and the vanilla and musks from the Snake Oil. I like this one a lot more than I expected to!

SIREN This is heady, intoxicating, and very very sexy. I picked out the apricot right away but as time passes the ginger and jasmine really come to the forefront. This is an alluring sort of scent, full of spice and sweet nectar. Even though there are no notes listed that could explain this, there is a sort of earthy, patchouli-like presence there. Siren has an above average throw and a long wear length on my skin. It's very captivating.

GEEK Wet: Leather, soft pine, and a touch of cinnamon. Dry: I get mostly leather and opoponax. It's strong and hot, very sexy, and the patchouli adds a nice backdrop to the other notes. I love the spice of the cinnamon bark. This is an amazingly sexy scent and while it's a bit too strong for me, my husband LOVES it and I love it on him.

LIBRA 2007 Wet: In the bottle I smell a hint of rose, something candy-like, and lots of cherry. This isn't your average cherry. This is thick, juicy, tangy cherry. Dry: This completely morphs on my skin. It smells nothing like it does when wet. I smell rose and honey, and possibly a touch of fig and carnation. The plum in this gives it a regal, almost perfumey cast and for of that part alone it reminds me of The Queen's Salon and Queen of Spades. I don't like the way my skin chemistry messes with this scent, but I adore how it smells while wet. I plan to keep mine for use in a scent locket. Also? It makes a divine room scent that smells like rose, plum, and honey! Try it.

My personal taste in terms of scent is already in the sultry/sexy/musky category as it is. Luckily the husband loves them on me. I reserve Snake Charmer for special occasions even though I have more than enough of it. Snake Charmer Snake Oil O Perversion Red Musk anything However, a couple of scents have taken me by surprise. They are ones I like but didn't necessarily think of as sexy/smutty/provacative until my husband basically let it be known that I was under orders to wear as much as I could, as often as I could. I couldn't help but laugh at these two, even if they did have a good effect. Dreamland ("a low cut black dress with a neckline that shows your belly button") WTF LOL. Black Opal ("wet bikini, in a good way") OMGWTFBBQ I had to laugh. A lot.

KUBLA KHAN Wet: I smell champaca and a light, bright, almost fruity floral. Dry: This took me by complete surprise. I did not check the scent description before trying this on, and after about five minutes I got a whiff of it and thought, "Damn, what smells so good?" It was me. This starts out as a strong yet eloquent rose/lily scent. It's sweet and feminine. The opium, champaca, and tobacco fall into place shortly after that, and I get hints of ginger and leather. It is not until 30 or more minutes have passed that I can smell hints of vanilla. The final stages of this scent are all jasmine and yet even hours after the jasmine has faded I smell opium. This is incredibly complex and very pretty. It's a must for anyone who likes those soft aromatic floral blooms, opium, vanilla, or champaca.

SCHRODINGER'S CAT Wet: I smell lavender and a touch of chocolate mint. Dry: Paradox indeed! On my skin it is pure, bright grapefruit followed by tangerine and lime. The sugared aspect comes through and as time passes I get a hint of oakmoss and a touch of something woody-herbal. This is an uplifting and bubbly sweet scent that I just adore. It took less than five minutes on my skin for me to determine that I want to buy a bottle of this. It is so unique and yet it fits so well with other loves of mine: Cheshire Cat, Baobhan Sith, and Ecstasy of Infatuation.

MARY READ Wet: Salty air, mist, and patchouli. Dry: Beth has done Mary Read proud. This scent is a work of art! It's the right amount of feminine and masculine and it is my favorite pirate scent to date. I love the way the higher-pitched ocean air, salt, and mist mingle with the lower, darker notes of patchouli, leather, and rum. The gunpowder and rum remain subtle in this. The aged patchouli is perfect and I can practically taste the salty air. I am just blown away by how amazing this scent is!!

EVENT HORIZON Wet: I get a nice strong shot of opium. Dry on Skin: This starts out as a strong opium scent much like Sleepy Moon and Lotus Moon. However, it doesn't take long for those resins to come out. I love labdanum and opoponax, and especially benzoin. They lend a dark, dense, slightly sweet incense-like mood to this. The orchid seems deep and dusky and works well with the opium and resins. Dare I say it? It's quite sexy and mysterious. This is gorgeous, and one that I am definitely keeping!

HI'IAKA Wet: In the bottle it smells like warm tropical air and a smattering of flowers. Dry on Skin: As this settles into my skin, it turns into a dusky and complex tropical floral scent. It's warm and inviting. The orchids are heady and I love the ginger; it is softer and blends in with the florals but it smells just like a candle from Illuminations called Hawaiian Ginger. As time passes, Hi'Iaka gets a touch aquatic but keeps the medley of tropical blooms. This has a longer than average staying power and a strong throw. It's very pretty and it brings to mind the color of velvety yellow flower petals and Pacific islands.

GOBLIN Wet: Strong patchouli. Dry on Skin: I have to start out by saying that I like the scent of patchouli but that I can only wear it if it's not "swarthy" or a strong part of a blend. Goblin is an exception. This is definitely strong and swarthy patchouli but the black coconut pairs so well with it. It's just... amazing! I can't quit sniffing my wrist. The benzoin adds a sweet touch to the patchouli. I think it's the benzoin and coconut together that act as a counterbalance to the strength of the patchouli. It perfects the scent! Mischievous and fun!

I walked into an art store yesterday and was surprised to find that there are still package designs of mine on the shelves: a number of drawing and sketch pad covers, some watercolor tablets, boxes for pastels and oil pastels, and packaging for canvases. I'm sure there was more but I didn't explore the whole store in search of my work. It's hard to quantify my response to seeing my work in a random art store two years later in a different city and state than where I worked on all of it. In some ways it is bittersweet to see it. Even though that company was really bad for me in terms of stress and psychology, I was doing big things. I had an inventory of 50,000 items where it was only a matter of time before I would have had them all at my desk for a package redesign. They were distributing those items to thousands of art stores in the US. They are all nationally recognizable art brands like Canson, Pentalic, Connoisseur, Strathmore, Rembrandt, you name it. Yet when I see my work in art stores I sometimes wonder at my uneasy, dark response to it. I see the "what-if" part of everything. It was good, but it was also bad. That company was part of my downfall when it came to my health problems and stress levels. Tom had very real anger management issues. They had management and deadline problems and supervisors that would lie about what they had told you if it meant saving their ass from Tom's anger. It also bothered me the way they nosed around my health problems when I was too sick to walk on my own let alone work their insane deadlines. I am such a different person than I was back then. I was on this huge career path and it was all I truly wanted. I have different priorities now and a different sort of wisdom about what is truly important in life. Believing you may die really knocks some perspective into a person. Right now all I know is that I want to maintain my health, I love to do art, and I'm still interested in design though not on a level where I'm willing to whore myself out just to get picked to create a logo design for someone who's rude because they don't want to pay for your skills yet can't do it themselves. Right now I find myself at a crossroads where I must figure out what I want to do with my abilities and what opportunities to search for or create. It's not the career I had, and yet I don't know what it is that I do want. I feel like it's just out of my line of sight right now. I guess... I guess seeing that stuff in the art store is sort of like seeing a ghost. I can look back and see an entirely different path and life and it would have led me to such a different place than I am right now. For the most part, I do not want anything to do with where that other path would have led me. But sometimes it's hard to still the voice in my head that wonders if I have lost the one big career opportunity of my lifetime. Is my potential lost? Will I find a new path? Will it be something I love? Do I already have that now?

Inspired by and created for my beloved Tedwin: my eternal, beautiful, wicked Dorian Gray. Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air. This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea. I tried Dorian almost two years ago, but even though I liked it in the bottle I could not wear it. My skin chemistry made the scent go far too candy sweet tea. HOWEVER... I recently read The Picture of Dorian Grey and after reading it I was tempted to retest the perfume. Though it still smells a little off with my skin chemistry, it is PERFECT on my husband. It is the most gentlemanly, sweet vanilla tea scent. And yet behind that facade is a dark and salacious undercurrent. The two contrast in a way that just sends shivers of excitement up my spine. It's an incredibly sexy scent on my consort. Of all the BPAL he wears, Dorian is in the top three.