Jenesis

I'll be honest, when I got up this morning and realised it's Friday the 13th, my first thought was "Oh no! I'm seeing Jon today! I hope we don't have bad luck!" Yep, I completely forgot about the Lab's 13 formulations! Thankfully it came as a nice surprise, therefore, when I got home and saw the update. And what an update! A base of cocoa absolute and white chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including vanilla bean, white ginger, orchid, golden peach, massoia bark, clove, honey, and starfruit. Chocolate... AND vanilla? AND peach? AND ginger? AND bark? BPAL, you read my mind Holy shamoly this sounds good! Chocolate I love, peach is my favourite note ever, and vanilla and ginger run a close second. I also love woods so hopefully the bark will give me that. The only thing that slightly concerns me is the orchid, but as Beth said the chocolate is a strong note I'm not too worried about it. Yep, it is ordered! Along with a bottle of Eat Me which I've been planning to order for ages. I can only afford two bottles plus shipping at the moment, so it might as well be these two! *Sends strength and speed thoughts to Labbies, the USPS and Royal Mail for the coming month*

5mls of Saw-Scaled Viper and March Hare, and frimps of Baku, Himerus, Coyote and Intrigue. I have to admit, I'm suffering a tiny bit of buyer's remorse about the Viper. While I love it, I don't wear it nearly as much as I used to (back when I ordered this second bottle), purely because the first ten minutes of wearing it is so hard. The cassia nearly blows my sinuses inside out. The drydown and dry phases are gorgeous, but it's just not going to be used enough to have two bottles of it. Oh well. I may put my older, slightly less full bottle up for sale in the future. On the other hand, March Hare and I were meant to be! I found myself using my partial bottle for scenting my clothing, bedding and in my oil burner, not to mention a lovely if short-lived perfume. So definitely not regretting bottle #2 of that. As for the frimps, I'm sure Intrigue is following me around. In the last three Lab orders I've made, they all have a frimp of Intrigue. And I still haven't tried it yet! I'll be putting it on tomorrow or tonight to test it out. Oh, and I also got my eBay UK purchase - my long-sought bottle of Geek. Yum yum, opopanax, woods and leather - rawr!

Just noticed that, Sholl! Great idea definitely useful!

Just in case any forumites are also WoW players and fancy having a lil' virtual chat some time! Realm: Aggramar (EU) Character: Jenesis, Warlock, level 80 (Gnome), Jenyria, Death Knight, level 60 (Gnome), Namaron, Druid, level 60 (Night Elf) My guild is Magisters, I enjoy raiding and solo questing/levelling, but I hate PVP - both battlegrounds and world combat. I'm just not cut out for it!

I feel oddly happy and peaceful today. I shouldn't be; I'm at home for the summer, bored, unemployed, nothing to do, and the boyfriend has gone away for the week to NY. I think that's one of the reasons I'm happy: He's even worse at being idle than I am, he was getting really edgy and angry from being at home all the time with nothing to do. I'm so glad he's going away for the week with his family, he'll have a great time and come back refreshed and happy. (...Also he's staying at mine next week. My parents will be away. ) I also think it's my pills. I started taking the birth control pill Cerazette 3.5 months ago, and I have been miserable and hormonal for those three months. I kept taking them because the other side effects (such as no periods and better skin) are so good, and now I'm very glad that I seem to be adapting to the hormones too. I'm still not quite as bouncy (or as, erm, horny ) as I used to be, but oh well. Like I said, the benefits far outweigh the minor downsides.

You know that bottle of Geek that was up on eBay UK? I won it! I can't wait for it to get here. It's all paid for and is being sent First Class, but there was no indication of when it would actually be posted. I've bought a bottle off the seller before (waaaaaaay back in 2006) and that was fine. I also got my CnS for my last (and for once, only pending) Lab order! March Hare and Saw-Scaled Viper, both second bottles - March Hare because I just love it so much, and SSV because it fades fast so needs lots of reapplications. I didn't order Pruno in the end, I couldn't justify the cost of three bottles + shipping

I have two imps of Imp, and one of them is deep red while the other is pale pink. The red one smells more musky, but I have no idea which one is newer.

My boy is off to New York next week. Lucky him. Yes I am jealous! We've been talking about going to Alton Towers (a Six Flags type theme park) for a while, and we decided to go this week so we can go before the schools break up and it's full of kids. We're going tomorrow! And not only that, but I get to stay at his place tonight (he's closer than I am to it) and go with him tomorrow. Yay! So I get to act like I'm 12 again. I love rollercoasters, and I used to go to the various theme parks all the time with my Dad when I was younger, but I haven't been for years. I'm so glad I'll get the chance again - and I'm so glad that I have a man who understands wanting to feel 12 again!

I have Sugar Skull 06. All I got out of this was burnt sugar, crème brulee style. No fruit or even subtlety - just pure, burnt, crispy sugar. Such a shame.

Imp: Urk. Cheap shower gel. Wet/Drydown: This really doesn't change on me much - sickly fruit and heady champagne. Dry: I don't know how it did it, but this smells exactly like some cheap, sickly, pink Barbie bubble bath I had when I was a little girl. It wasn't nice then, and it's not nice now. Ick. Verdict: Instead of the sweet fruit and bubbly champagne, all I get is cheap shower gel or bubble bath. Rating: An icky 1/5

Yay! I actually picked this up and hugged the package when it arrived. Cough. European Order! 5ml Imp5ml Brown Jenkins Imp of The Red Queen Frimps: Phobos, Water of Notre Dame, Tezcatlipoca, Regan I FINALLY have bottles of two of my absolute favourites now! It struck me the other day that my five favourites (this week ) are Imp, March Hare, Dorian, Brown Jenkins and Geek. Four of those are GC. Perfect!

Really ridiculous, insanely inappropriate, and staggeringly silly! Cranky groundhog musk sweetened up by chocolate-covered black cherries, cardamom, French vanilla, and caramel. Bottle: Bitter cocoa and cardamom. Wet: Dark cherries with a lashing of chocolate. Drydown: The vanilla appears, rounding off the slightly bitter cherries nicely. Dry: The foodie in me loves this! I'm having trouble picking out individual notes, but it's a warm, sweet scent, but not as sweet as, say, Carnivale. Yummity yum yum! Dry (20 mins): Obviously my skin thinks this tastes as good as it smells, and has eaten it! Oh well. It leaves behind a very light musky scent, so would be great for a job interview or something - pleasant, but with little throw and no permeating qualities. Verdict: While it lasts, a sweet, musky foody. Warm and cuddly with 50% Extra Added Cute. Rating: 4/5 Review

Bottle: Bitter cocoa and cardamom. Wet: Dark cherries with a lashing of chocolate. Drydown: The vanilla appears, rounding off the slightly bitter cherries nicely. Dry: The foodie in me loves this! I'm having trouble picking out individual notes, but it's a warm, sweet scent, but not as sweet as, say, Carnivale. Yummity yum yum! Dry (20 mins): Obviously my skin thinks this tastes as good as it smells, and has eaten it! Oh well. It leaves behind a very light musky scent, so would be great for a job interview or something - pleasant, but with little throw and no permeating qualities. Verdict: While it lasts, a sweet, musky foody. Warm and cuddly with 50% Extra Added Cute. Rating: 4/5

I'm afraid that, for me, "sharp and biting" was very accurate. It was sharp, searing and biting to the point where I had to go and wash it off, and the fumes wafting from the Imp reminded me of little more than the bleach my Mum uses to clear the drains under the sink. Sorry Lab

I'm having some trouble picking individual notes out here, so I'll go for impressions instead. In the vial, this smells "perfumey" and very penetrating. On skin, it thankfully loses that penetrative quality and goes to a light, fresh scent with very little throw. I can't smell the vanilla at all - if anything, this is like a less fruity version of Xanthe. That must be the white pepper. I can smell the linen too. The overall impression is of a guest room: clean and fresh, but with little personality and no frills. As a scent goes, it's not really me, but it would be nice as a fresh room scent.

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. Bottle: Light cologne. Wet: Sweet vanilla with a slight "kick" from the citrus. Amazingly, the lemon hasn't amped to washing-up-liquid proportions yet! Drydown: Sweet vanilla tea, just like the description. Dry: There's sometime else in here that I don't recognise (probably the fougere, I haven't a clue what that is!). It's a sweet, bright, vanilla tea with the remnants of a slice of lemon in it, and this other, slightly musky scent underneath it. I love white musk so this is lurvely! Verdict: Mr Darcy, holding a cup of sweet vanilla tea, out of which he has just fished a slice of lemon. I knew I would love this as soon as I read the description, and I'm so glad I bought it unsniffed! Rating: 4.5/5 Review

Bottle: Light cologne. Wet: Sweet vanilla with a slight "kick" from the citrus. Amazingly, the lemon hasn't amped to washing-up-liquid proportions yet! Drydown: Sweet vanilla tea, just like the description. Dry: There's sometime else in here that I don't recognise (probably the fougere, I haven't a clue what that is!). It's a sweet, bright, vanilla tea with the remnants of a slice of lemon in it, and this other, slightly musky scent underneath it. I love white musk so this is lurvely! Verdict: Mr Darcy holding a cup of sweet vanilla tea out of which he has just fished a slice of lemon. Rating: 4.5/5

Bottle: Pure apricot. Like a jar of apricot jam. Wet: Slightly spicy apricots, reminiscent of one of those pastries with apricots and cinnamon/spices on top. Drydown: Sweet, slightly less in-your-face apricot now, lightly spiced. Dry: Now this is LOVE. Gorgeous, smooth, sweet apricot grounded by a hint of clove and spice in the background. Absolutely delectable. And so glad it's GC! Verdict: An apricot pudding with spices drizzled over the top. Sexy, smooth and sensual. Seriously, I can't find the words to describe just how delectable (sorry, used that word already!) this scent really is. Definitely one of my top five! It's also great as a room scent (hence my pending second bottle!) Rating: 5/5 Review

Bottle: Pure apricot. Like a jar of apricot jam. Wet: Slightly spicy apricots, reminiscent of one of those pastries with apricots and cinnamon/spices on top. Drydown: Sweet, slightly less in-your-face apricot now, lightly spiced. Dry: Now this is LOVE. Gorgeous, smooth, sweet apricot grounded by a hint of clove and spice in the background. Absolutely delectable. And so glad it's GC! Verdict: An apricot pudding with spices drizzled over the top. Sexy, smooth and sensual. Rating: 5/5 ETA: This is BRILLIANT as a room scent. Try it in an oil burner.

I really need to get my thoughts in order about this. I met the boy at the beginning of last year, as he's in my Physics class. We started going out in February. In about March (while we were still at Uni), his mum emailed him about his grandfather's 80th birthday event thing, which is today. She also invited me, in a "Does Jenny want to come too?" sense. I turned down the offer, for these reasons: - I hadn't even met his family yet, let alone got to know them. - I didn't want to intrude on a family event. - It's very selfish I know, but I didn't want to be the "outsider", where I wouldn't know anybody and everyone would be laughing at in-jokes and talking about people I don't know and whatnot. So I politely declined, saying that I didn't want to intrude. However, apparently all the other girlfriends/boyfriends/partners of the family are going. And I'm the only one who hasn't. So I seem like the unsociable scrooge who isn't interested in his family. What if they hate me forever because of this? I should also say that, having met them last month, I would definitely go to a family event if invited now. One of the cousins is getting married soon, and I'm hoping to be invited to that so I can meet some more of his family (if they're as lovely as his parents, I can't wait!), and also hopefully patch up this little boo boo. But anyway, I guess I'm confused. I felt justified in my decision not to go at the time, but I'm not so sure now. And it's too late anyway. So I'm beating myself up about it, because I'm worried that his parents won't like me any more, and they're such nice people that I don't want to upset them (and as I'm hoping they'll become my in-laws in the future, I definitely want to start on the right foot!). Any thoughts/advice..?

I'm afraid the party has been and gone - it was this morning/afternoon, by UK time. And by the time I had changed my mind about going, last week, I thought it was too late - I thought they wouldn't appreciate a) another guest so suddenly, and b ) another person to fit in the car! I may send a card to his parents myself, saying how sorry I was not to be there and wishing the granddad a happy birthday, maybe...

I'm sorry, Lab, but this one just stank of cheap shampoo on me. No heather, no berries, just "urgh".

I really hate having to do this, but my finances are taking a nosedive. I'm therefore putting my 5mls of Creepy and Spooky on eBay. Creepy was nice but pure butterscotch on me, which was alright but rather cloying and heavy, and certainly not something I would wear. Spooky was very nice, but it went to almost pure vanilla - which I can get from other, cheaper oils. So: Creepy and Spooky on eBay UK. International (USA and EU) bidders are welcome. Shipping is expensive because I will send by recorded delivery.

Bottle: Holy shamoly! That's a lotta caramel. Wet: Pure, liquid caramel and butterscotch. Drydown: A slight boozy note underlies the caramel. Dry: Still strongly butterscotch and caramel, with booze underneath, but I can smell the sweet coconut coming out. Rather nice actually! Dry (20 mins): Still tooth-achingly sweet and indulgent, but the apple comes out as just a tiny whiff to stop it being too cloying. Not a summer scent, but will be great by October! Verdict: Slices of apple in a bowl of caramel and coconut rum. Rating: 4/5

So anyway, after reading a few threads about birth control and pregnancy, I thought I'd share my (hopefully not too TMI ) experiences. I'm on a birth control pill called Cerazette. It's a mini-pill, so proestrogen-only rather than the combined pill that they normally give. Since I started this I have not had a single proper period. Not one. In the first two months I got light spotting irregularly, but after that? Nothing. Nada. Zip. The "freedom" of not having a bleed is brilliant, in that I can go see my boy and do anything I want at any time of the month, I don't have to worry about carrying towels or a mooncup about, and I don't have to worry about it starting at inconvenient times and places. However, as you can imagine, the lack of a monthly bleed is slightly disconcerting from a pregnancy point of view. I am in no way attacking mothers or families here, but I really do not want children right now. Becoming pregnant would be a nightmare, what with the physical changes and the urgency of an abortion (again, not attacking anyone, that's just what I, personally, would do if I became pregnant now), all tied into my University course. My solution? It was actually suggested by the boy after I admitted to being worried, because I was gaining weight (a result of too many kebabs, actually ), and of course I had no bleeding. He suggested that I give myself a pregnancy test every three months or so, just to make sure. Why didn't I think of that myself! Of course all the tests (all two of them ) have turned out negative, but it is a very good peace-of-mind method. Plus, the boy gets peace of mind too. He wants to be a father, but not at 20 ETA: I know the chances of me becoming pregnant while on this pill (which has a 99.5% success rate) are slim to none, as it works by actually stopping ovulation, "most of the time" according to the leaflet. But better safe than sorry eh