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BPAL Madness!

surlygurl

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    2,352
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About surlygurl

  • Rank
    obsessive precious hoarder
  • Birthday 02/07/1968

Location

  • Location
    California
  • Country
    United States

Contact Methods

  • Livejournal handle
    marshmadling
  • Yahoo
    surly_gurl
  • Website URL
    http://

BPAL

  • BPAL of the Day
    Mr. Jacquel
  • Favorite Scents
    Fave scents: VOODOO, Khandita, Port Royal, Scales of Deprivation, Smoky Moon '09, Khalkokorustes, Ivanushka. All the musks except red work well on me. Incense & resin are my idea of heaven (Oh! That rhymed!) Oriental spices are YUM. Coconut, shea, etc. = very good. Licorice/anise is good. Champaca *swoon*! Dislikes: Roses are iffy on me, esp. when mixed with wine (moscow). Red musk = warm corn tortillas w/lemon. But I still try.... Anything buttery (inc. butterscotch) takes over the whole show :-( Honey goes sour in lighter blends. (Gennivre, I really wanted to love you....) "Purple" blends smell like sour candy on me. And I'm one of those freaks who doesn't do chocolate/cacao well AT ALL. (Freaks Unite!) In fact, foody doesn't seem to be my thing. Much :)

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Female
  • Interests
    Ok. Um..... organic gardening, mosaics, masks, working with my hands, cooking, exercise, bicycling for transportation, "alternative" medicine, old movies, solar energy, ...... (to be continued)
  • Mood
    achey

Astrology

  • Chinese Zodiac Sign
    Monkey
  • Western Zodiac Sign
    Aquarius
  1. surlygurl

    Kari

    When this first came in the mail it was pear first, then overwhelming champaca. Now that it's recovered a bit, it's entirely different. Pear is there snuggling with champaca, and the dandelion lightens it and gives it a milky, sappy shadow. It's really well blended. Strangely, it smells familiar and I can't figure it out. The pear/champaca combo reminds me of khalkokorustes, but this has a more head-shoppy vibe at first, then turns slightly soapy. I'll have to do a side by side comparison later.
  2. surlygurl

    De Sade - Resurrected

    I bought an imp of this after rediscovering my old original imp, and was surprised that they smell similar - perhaps even the same. On my skin it vibes as a soft grey scent, foggy and cold. Earthy. It doesn't scream 'jacket' or anything else. It's the same leather that's in Violens. Excellent layering scent.
  3. surlygurl

    Incantation

    I remember having an imp long ago and not liking it, but taste change. When an imp of it arrived recently, I decided to take a chance. In the vial: not bad, kind of pretty. On my skin: not baa... NO. Just *no*. Smokeless burnt earthy things. And teenage boy body spray. Forever. I can't pick out individual notes or nuances; its just bad. Why can't it be beautiful like the very first whiff? Even a locket wouldn't save it now. :-(
  4. surlygurl

    504 Gateway Time-out

    I've heard of batch variations, but geez...The scent I get is mint, champagne/ginger ale, and the lab's snow note - in that order. Then they mingle and play. Very refreshing and pretty. If I could buy a bottle of this, I would.
  5. surlygurl

    Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements

    The first couple times I tried this it was a creamy soft vanilla wood with a vague bit of fruit. This last time I tried this it was polished woody vanilla, but the "vague fruit" was now a very soft violet scent. It lasted and lasted, although the throw was subtle. *Very* pretty. I wonder what it'll be next time I try it....
  6. surlygurl

    2011: Pottery Phoenix

    This scent is familiar, somehow. Resiny, browns with greens and a bit of purple. Kind of cozy but also cool and distant, tho not terribly complex. It reminds me of the Stations of the Sun scents from way back. Olfactory flashback for sure!
  7. surlygurl

    Surly Dragon

    In the bottle and freshly applied, I get straight up Orange Julius. Being thrust back to shopping malls of my teen years is disconcerting, so I'm glad when the black pepper comes out to play. The sour-sweet orange is still loud, but pepper tones it down and adds that musty vibe. As the sweet-sour mellows, rum/neroli blend in and tempers the whole thing. It fades quickly from this point on, but doesn't disappear. Every now and then I'll get a faint whiff of...something. Something lightly citrus, but prettier.
  8. surlygurl

    Leda

    A red musk scent that works on my skin? Will wonders ever cease? I'm in agreement with the above posters: regal Indian incense. This one is a stunner. The throw is amazing - little wafts are an olfactory treat!
  9. surlygurl

    Four Grave Robbers Awaken a Ghost

    A golden woody scent with some resin. No dragons blood or deep spices that I can smell. It reminds me of Tushnamatay quite a bit. If it last longer, I just might get a bottle.
  10. surlygurl

    Visions of Autumn III

    I was hoping this would be banshee beat meets haute macabre. Instead, I get a big mess of sour honey. Maaaaybe a tiny bit of those other things at the beginning - just enough to keep me from washing it off in the hopes that it'll warm up and turn beautiful. Blargh.
  11. surlygurl

    Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

    First, let me say how adorable the label is. Lilith sitting in mediation, serene as could be. This scent is lovely. At first it's all green and resinous, much like the SN Olibanum. Slowly the frankincense smell I know and love comes out accompanied by shy woods and rose. Whatever clary sage is in here is used as a middle note -something to connect the woods/resin with the rose. To me, this scent is Binah junior, the way Mlle Lilith is Mme Moriarty lite. After all its permutations, it becomes a barely there skin scent. The word that popped in to my head? *Tender*
  12. surlygurl

    Visions of Autumn I

    In the decant, is white cedar all the time. On me? White cedar followed by something almost ethereal. I can't identify bay or amber. The oud must be what is bringing it to the verge of sour. It opens up as it dries, becoming slightly powdery but with a clarity about it. Dry, it goes to a peppery powder with a sour edge. Slightly woody and cool. Unisex and rather standoffish. I like this, but not enough to hunt down a bottle.
  13. surlygurl

    Red-Spotted Purple

    This one was a surprise! First I get red-purple candies, which isn't really my thing (candies.... I like red-purple scents just fine). Then what must be the thyme comes out. I was thinking menthol, but a bracing herbal it was. It reminded me of a a plum candy I got at a Japanese store - "ume" was the only english on the package, but it had some strong herb in there, too. This is that scent. As it dried, the scent became thick. Close up it was still that weird candy-herb combo, but the throw? Oh. My. God. I kept thinking "what smells so good? Someone in this movie theater smells really good!" Must be the woods pulling it all together. Very classy. Like a classy lady who's also really nice.
  14. surlygurl

    Phaon Crescent

    I generally like bpal's jasmine note as well as their lemon/ lemon peel note. But together? No no no no no. GC's with that combo have never worked on me. I picked up a tested pack of decants and figured all the other notes would break up the dastardly duo, but no dice. There was one part, just before it disappeared, when it smelled pleasant. This is why tester packs exist.
  15. surlygurl

    Black Swallowtail

    This is the one I was looking forward to the most because of the heady jungle florals. Licorice is also a fave, so I couldn't wait to try it. Fresh on, I get a mix of the 2 major components. Individual florals are non-existent. As it dries it is less of a mix and more floral with a powdery sweetness. Maybe I simply don't know what freesias or elemi smell like, but it is a high pitched smell with the licorice bark toning it all down. Until it doesn't. But that's ok, because it is a somewhat sharp but very pretty blend. Just not for me.
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