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Jenesis

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Blog Entries posted by Jenesis

  1. Jenesis
    Snake Oil with vetiver, black coconut, vanilla, and opoponax.
     
    Bottle: Snake Oil with a whole coconut dumped in.
     
    Wet: An odd, dark, slightly bitter coconut. Coconut amps to ungodly proportions on me so we'll see how that pans out!
     
    Drydown (first): It reminds me quite a bit of Brown Jenkins, with the coconut bittered by other notes. I can just about smell the vanilla struggling to get out, but it's mainly slightly bitter coconut.
     
    Drydown (later): Wow, what a morpher! This has gone very sweet now, with what I think (and hope!) is the murky opopanax in the background.
     
    Dry: The scent has balanced. On me it's a murky, slightly dark vanilla blend with a dollop of slightly bitter coconut balancing on the top. There is a little dark opopanax underneath. I can't detect any amber or spices (in other words, no Snake Oil) or vetiver in this at all.
     
    Dry (later): It hasn't changed much from the earlier drydown. It's murky and sexy while still being sweet - very "me" in other words A clear winner here, Beth! This has replaced Saw-Scaled Viper in my Top 10, because it doesn't blow my sinuses inside out for the first five minutes of wear.
  2. Jenesis

    Delousing Powder

    By Jenesis,

    I was frimped this by the awesomeness of shelldoo in my Death Adder order. Woohoo!
     
    Quoted verbatim from the review thread:
     
    Attendees at the June 30, 2007 Thunder Moon Will Calls on the East and West coasts were offered "an extra-speshul themed package" if they donated an item of clothing at the door to help women in local shelters.
     
    To match the "Privilege and Pruno" theme of the events, the package was a plastic baggie with standard prison-issue toothbrush, comb, plastic razor, soap (samples of Macha's new line of Silk Road Trading Company soaps to be exact) and an imp of Delousing Powder! There was no description - only a frosty glare from the warden as she confiscated your clothes. - Numenon
     
    Like others, I got a very strong lemon/citrus vibe out of this. Usually, lemon sends me running for the hills and smells like dishwasher soap. Not so with Delousing Powder! It does smell a little like Fairy Citrus, but it has a lovely sweet sherbert vibe about it too. It smells more like one of those frothy, citrusy, sweet cocktails you get on mainland Europe in August than soap. It also reminds me of lemon Callippos (ice lollies).
     
    All in all, a pleasant scent, perfect for hot summer days - which means I won't be wearing it any time soon *looks out gloomily at the rainy and flooded country*
  3. Jenesis
    The left hand of God, or shelldoo as everyone else knows her, responded to my ISO! A bottle of the Adder will be winging its way to me tomorrow. I'm very excited about this one actually.
     
    I didn't like Snake Oil when I first tried it, because it was just so bland on me. It was slightly sour vanilla, not unpleasant, but very bland, and too strong - I got a headache from sniffing my wrist too hard! (But then I get scent headaches very easily.)
     
    Lately, after finding that I actually quite like vanilla (helloooo, Dorian!), I have considered giving the Snake another try. However, I'm (obviously) not willing to make a Lab order for one Imp, and I don't want to buy a bottle, have to wait a month, pay $13 shipping and find it doesn't work. Same logic for the Swaps forum, I know how awkward it can get when people only buy single Imps! I also forgot to add an Imp of SO to my 13 order. D'oh...
     
    My solution? After trying and (mostly) liking Saw-Scaled Viper, I started investigating the Snake Pit more closely. You know how when you first get into BPAL and have tried your first few scents you go through the catalogue and think "That will never work on me"? I did that with the Snake Pit at first. I thought that since SO was bland, any scent based on it would too. Thankfully, I got SSV as a frimp in a swap because it was late (aww!), and found a new love for the vanilla of SO! So I looked through the Pit and checked out the notes. I'm terrified of florals as 99% of floral blends turn to rank old-lady-soap on me, but the one that got my attention was Death Adder: Snake Oil with vetiver, black coconut, vanilla, and opoponax.
     
    The key attention-grabbing note there was opopanax. I LOVE opopanax. Before I got into BPAL I wore Dior Poison, in which the base note was opopanar, and my favourite BPAL ever is Geek, which has opopanax listed as a main note. I love the sultry, sexy, musky smell of it, and it smells faaaaaaabulous on moi! The fact that the Adder has vanilla and coconut only (literally) sweetened the deal. I was a little worried about the vetiver, which is a rather finicky note on me; it can be lovely and tangily refreshing, or it can smell like fag ash, but then it occurred to me that without it, the blend would be so sweet that even I wouldn't be able to wear it. And I have a sweet tooth the size of China.
     
    I really hope that after all that I like it!
  4. Jenesis
    As I said in my Sale Post, I'm selling off one of my bottles of Saw-Scaled Viper. I do love it, but the first ten minutes of wearing it is almost unbearable - my sinuses practically turn inside out. So while I love the drydown and dry stages (and the vanilla underneath at the end), I won't be wearing it enough to warrant having two bottles. So I'm selling one of them.
     
    The deal? You can decide which one I sell! I have a full one, brand new from the Lab two weeks ago, which I haven't even opened, and I have my older one which is full to just above the label. See my Sale thread for prices so I don't seem like I'm trying to sell outside the Swaps forum (this is an FYI post!). The older one is cheaper, but the new one is obviously fuller and unused, and thus a little higher in price. I personally don't mind which one I sell, as there is no difference in smell that I can detect.
     
    Take your pick, ladies!
  5. Jenesis

    Friday 13th Update

    By 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*
  6. Jenesis

    IGMO!

    By Jenesis,

    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!
  7. Jenesis

    World of Warcraft

    By Jenesis,

    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!
  8. Jenesis
    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.
  9. Jenesis
    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
  10. Jenesis

    Alton Towers!

    By Jenesis,

    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!
  11. Jenesis

    IGMO!

    By Jenesis,

    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!
  12. Jenesis
    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
  13. Jenesis
    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
  14. Jenesis
    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
  15. Jenesis
    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..?
  16. Jenesis
    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.
  17. Jenesis
    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
  18. Jenesis
    Lilith’s monstrous dragon steed: dragon’s blood resin, patchouli, pomegranate, myrrh, mimosa, cassia, blood musk and smoke.
     
    Bottle: Sweet myrrh, and the slight soapiness of dragon's blood.
     
    Wet: Dragon's blood - sadly very soapy on me!
     
    Drydown: The smoke comes into play along with the patchouli, but no spices or fruits. Still soapy DB overwhelming everything.
     
    Dry: I think it's time to admit that DB doesn't work on me. A strong soap smell with a little smoky undertone.
     
    Verdict: Floral soap with myrrh and smoke.
     
    Rating: 1/5
     
    Review
  19. Jenesis
    The King of the White Cloth, King of the Orishas, the First Among Equals. He is the King of Power, and his weapon is wisdom. He is the essence of honored maturity, wisdom through age and experience, purity of intention, virtue, humility, tolerance, judicious use of power, the knowledge of what is truly right and wrong, the moral code, and the obligation to do what is right. Obatala is the Creator God, who first fashioned mankind from clay; thus, he is also the first sculptor and potter. The human head itself is Obatala’s creation, and it is through it that he grants us the ability to discern genuine morality as opposed to oppressive, mistaken and arrogant self-righteousness. His is not the falsehood of societal boundaries, His Truth is the understanding of one’s own character and the obligations that we all have to our world, our Gods, and one another. He is the Benevolent Judge, calm and lucid, and he governs rational deliberation. His color is white, as His spirit is free from any soil or stain, and His energy radiates sanctified purity, great wisdom, happiness and internal peace. He is associated with cloth, as that was one of His gifts to mankind. The aspects of Obatala are symbolized by the chameleon, boa constrictor, elephant, gorilla, and snail. Obatala is the Lord of Laughter, for it is through wisdom that one may see the joy in life, and through laughter we are able to see the follies of mankind not with cynicism and derision, but with humor, compassion and understanding. Obatala’s Laughter helps soothe the pain of life’s rigors, and takes the sting out of the harshest of life’s lessons.
     
    Obatala’s ofrenda is soft, white and pure: milk, coconut meat, shea butter and cool, refreshing water.
     
    Bottle: Liquidised coconut!
     
    Wet: SWEET. Very, very, very sweet. Smells like that Lush soap 'I Should Coco'. Rather Brown Jenkins-esque (another coconut scent) on me. The coconut is still very strong, although it is much lighter and less warming than Jenkins, and much better for summer!
     
    Drydown: A sweet, soft scent, light and "fluffy" for summer. I can smell a buttery smoothness under the coconut, evidently the shea butter.
     
    Dry: Oh no, where did that come from? The butter has gone rancid. It's not overpowering, but it's still rather unpleasant.
     
    Dry (20 mins): Well, it's gone. My skin ate this completely. I'd have loved this blend if it has stayed the same as in the drydown stage, however I think butter doesn't work on me (odd for a foodie eh )
     
    Verdict: Lovely when first applied, but goes rancid and then disappears. Booo
     
    Rating: 3/5 (It will make an excellent room scent for me!)
     
    Review
  20. Jenesis
    Wet: Like Imp's younger sister; darker and muskier, but not as complex.
     
    Drydown: No strawberries that others seem to be getting Just straight-up musk.
     
    Dry: For some reason, I'm just not getting on with this. No idea why, it has notes I like - strawberry and white musk - it just doesn't leap out and go "SMELL ME!". It doesn't smell *bad*, but it's like a less complex and interesting version of my all-time favourite, Imp. So I'll keep my little implet of Mania, but it won't go in my top ten.
     
    Verdict: Like Imp's younger sister, who wears her clothes and tries her makeup, but doesn't manage to get her mood and complexity.
     
    Rating: 3/5
     
    Review
  21. Jenesis
    I'm really sorry to any potential swappers, but I have to make my Sales post a true sales post and make it Sale Only. I am getting in some serious financial difficulties and I really need to make some money back - thank the almighty that I have room and board provided free, is all I can say!
     
    To anyone who is CURRENTLY swapping with me (i.e. has started a dialogue via PM), our agreements will of course be honoured I'm posting the last of my swap packages today, but after today I am not swapping. Thank you for reading!
  22. Jenesis
    Evocative of the sea's unplumbed mysteries. Gentle and lovely, but menacing and profound. Coconut, Florentine iris, hazelnut and opalescent white musk.
     
    Bottle: Chanel No. 5. And not in a good way.
     
    Wet: I actually recoiled from my wrist when I smelt this. Strong, sickly, rotting flowers and sickeningly sweet coconut.
     
    Drydown: Doesn't change much from wet - still awfully strong coconut. I usually like coconut, but this is just too much.
     
    Dry: Smells *exactly* like the old lady next to you on the bus who must bathe in her cheap, shop-bought perfume.
     
    Final Verdict: I'm sorry, Lab, this one is actually nauseating on me. It would be lovely on the right person though
     
    Rating: 1/5
     
    Review
  23. Jenesis
    I am completely at a loss For those who've missed it, there's a new LE update to help "celebrate" Paris Hilton's jail term for drunk driving. Just because her family has money, she thinks she can get away with anything, and this little prison sentence will hopefully grow her up a little. But I digress.
     
    ------------------------
     
    Privilege
     
    Polished party-girl sleaze. This is a shameless scent, devoid of caution, regret, or introspection. This perfume reeks of tabloid glamour, and has no substance whatsoever. Armoise, tuberose, white citrus, rose absolute, oakmoss, tiare, tuberose, vanilla, linden, and lemon tree blossom.
     
    Although this scent originated with fine plants and the pure essences, the final result is a grotesque, eerily empty caricature of a debauched, narcissistic would-be débutante.
     
    Pruno
     
    Jailhouse hooch. Distilled in toilets, this vintage is comprised of chow line droppings, including oranges, apples, ketchup, and sugar.
     
    ------------------------
     
    Now, I think we all know Privilege would hate me (rose absolute, linden and citrus?? Aaargh!) but Pruno is a little more interesting. According to Beth's comment in the Update discussion thread, the scent smells a little nicer than the drink thankfully! I'd really like to try this one, but unfortunately I really can't justify $40 on BPAL at the moment - and that's for *just* the Pruno and shipping. It'd be a little more worth it if I had another 5ml or two and some Imps, but at the moment I'm working my way through my smellies box! Hopefully the spoiled brat will stay in jail long enough for me to decide
  24. Jenesis

    My Precious

    By Jenesis,

    My Bottles
     
    LE/Discon.
     
    Black Lace
    Candy Phoenix
    Enraged Groundhog Musk
    Frederic
    Geek
    The Perilous Parlor
    Rose Red 2008
    Samhain 07
    Snake Charmer Resurrected
     
    GC/Salon/Carnaval Diabolique
     
    Black Opal
    Eat Me
    March Hare
    Schrodinger's Cat
    Snake Oil
  25. Jenesis
    I got this as a frimp (THANK YOU!) from someone I bought a decant from. Snake Oil was alright on me, nothing special though, so I hope this will be a good addition/mix on me.
     
    Bottle: A whoof of ginger and cinnamon clears out my sinuses.
     
    Wet: Pure, strong ginger.
     
    Drydown: For some reason I'm getting toast out of this! Little slices of toast with cinnamon and ginger sprinkled on top.
     
    Dry: A mixture of cinnamon, ginger and something smooth (presumably the Snake Oil) underneath. Delicious!
     
    Dry (30 minutes): Must. Get. A bottle. Sweet vanilla topped off with cinnamon and ginger. I can't stop inhaling! Gooooorgeous.
     
    Throw: Strong! Lasts a very long time too. Use sparingly, or the Viper will bite your nose off!
     
    Final Verdict: It's Snake Oil - but darker, spicier, more sinful and infinitely sexier.
     
    Rating: 5/5
     
    Review
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