yellowrose

This imp is circulating as part of the General Catalogue circular swap. One scent I'm looking forward to trying because of the bergamot. In the bottle: whoa citrus! Very masculine clean and all over my keyboard. (Leaky imp.) Sure this isn't Follow Me Boy? Because if he were wearing this, I would! Very much bergamot and lavender with inexplicable clean citrus. Wow! After the experience with the wild Wilde, it would be a minute before I'd follow someone. It's a pretty pungent and lasting scent. Not a bad thing, but too much of a good thing.

This imp is circulating as part of the General Catalogue Swap. Preconceptions: I loves me some pear. Booze ... eh. Not typically a winner. Wet: heavy on the plumeria, which settles down quickly. Innocent and sweet. Drying: it has that booze note that reminds me of Spencer's Gifts. Where's the pear?

This imp is circulating as part of the General Catalogue circular swap. In the bottle: not much to smell. Hmmm. That's odd. Wet: incredibly light rather than deep. Light roses and a hint of fall floral. Drying. OK. Now I get the deep, but it's also light. The vetiver gives that jaw-clenching oompf to this. I really like this but am afraid it would fade too much to be something I would want to wear and constantly reapply. And yet, it seems to bloom to a more assertive scent while drying. This becomes even more assertive and more masculine (has to be the vetiver) as the minutes and hours pass. I might get my own imp to try, but it has gotten more pronounced and is causing a real headache.

This imp is circulating as part of the General Catalogue Swap. Patchouli and something in both the wet and dry stages. Dragon's Blood perhaps? Musky and heady. Lots of staying power. A fave with the shoulder sniffers.

This is imp is circulating as part of the General Catalogue Circular Swap. Dana O'Shee is the magical morphing scent. In the bottle: vanilla. Wet: vanilla and honey with a touch of almonds and something else. Drying: Dreaded plastic diapers. Ack! Changes AGAIN. Goes to baby powder. Much later, this is almond-y, then changes completely within 30 minutes to -- no? yes! -- Snow White's younger sister. It's Snow White without the pungent lily musk! If I can hang with the morphing, this might be a scent for me, but only once I've run through the hoarded Snow White.

Finally ... after all the squee-ege and hype, I finally try Antique Lace thanks to syrenemyst. Expectation: vanilla heaven. In summary: Well, drats. I wanted and expected to like this, but it has that annoying and bewildering plastic note on me that just saddens and nauseates me. Not sure what it is about some vanilla notes that do this when others do not. It's immediately and persistently plastic, requiring a good scrub. Off to swaps.

Another scent I could have sworn I'd reviewed. Zephyr is lemon to the nth degree in the bottle and while wet. The scent is more sharp citrus than Pledge. Neroli and sandalwood come through nicely with a shot of bergamot in the background as it's drying, just as described by the Lab. Not getting the typical lemon oil reaction -- welts. Disappears relatively fast to a soft, clean citrus blossom scent. In this scent category Queen of Diamonds is my femme citrus. I would make the distinction that Zephyr is a younger citrus rather than a mature citrus. As such there may easily be room for both in your scent wardrobe. This imp is going traveling. Safe journeys!

This is an older imp from a swap faerie package that somehow never got reviewed and why I have no idea. I'm in love. This is a very masculine scent from the very outset. Wet and while drying, very much like a bold chai smell. More like the chai that my friend prepares using whole spices rather than the standard coffeehouse fare. It's bold with lots of cardamom and black pepper. Exceedingly masculine and peppery-spicy. WOW. The cedar and sage notes assert themselves while drying. The cedar brings Tombstone to mind, but this is a rough hewn cedar plank with splinters by comparison. Not a bit of white grapefruit -- one of my favorite notes -- nor is there any violet on me. Lots of throw. For those who can't wear a lot of spicy blends because of contact allergies associated with cinnamon and/or cassia, this is for you. My stars, but this is brilliant!

Anathema is a creamy, floral sledgehammer. Brash, bold, and almost all opium and honeysuckle on me and destined to induce headaches. This is not subtle. It announces its wearer. Being passed along for others to sample, and, hopefully the right person will enjoy it emphatically.

Could have sworn I'd reviewed Glasgow. Wet: Is it bad that I don't smell anything? What's there is extremely light and young. Breezy scent that vanished within minutes of applying. Oh well. edited for typing erorrs.

Earth sorceress and mother of Mordred, she is, in essence, the harbinger of King Arthur's doom and the downfall of Camelot. She is a sister, or sister-self, to Morgan Le Fay. A bouquet of five night-blooming flowers deepened by dusky violet, purple fruits and the barest breath of medieval incenses. No preconceptions. Morgause was a generous frimp. Wet: Jasmine and suffocating floral with a touch of violet. Drying: Floral POW! Far too cloying to be pleasant for me. Not for me. Overnight, it seems the imp leaked in the office. The scent is EVERYWHERE and creating breathing problems for me. Probably the jasmine, but there's just something unpleasant about spilling something, anything with an odor and not being able to escape it immediately. It's being passed along as part of a massive circular swap effort.

Preconceptions: none. Wet: confusing! Not sweet. Sort of reminiscent of going into Spencer's Gifts. I think that must be the strawberry note. Drying: Not liking it. Dry: too sweet and playfully youthful. Not for me. I guess I am reaching my scent saturation point because I'm very satisfied with the scents I have and like so much so that everything else seems lagniappe, like it or not.

Coulda sworn I'd already reviewed this. Didn't read / remember the reviews, so going in with the only preconception being that I must love it since it is the Lab's signature scent. Wet: cherries?! Reminds me a lot of some other scent. Drying: Incensy. Really reminds me of medicine. Sorry. Not for me. Later that same day ... But wait? I really am liking the incense-cream stage as it mellows and continues to dry. Hmmm. Interesting. I like it the longer it sticks around. It reminds me of these solid amber crystals I've loved. If it can speed past the cherry medicinal stage, you betcha I'll be wanting more. Alas, this vial is promised to quikslvr.

No love for the woody-est sweet wood? Tombstone? It's wonderful! Also Dragon's Bone is a must-have for the woody fans. Keep your eyes peeled for the next re-issue of 13. She'd prolly like that. Everyone should like it.

Wow. That's a wide gulf of funk. I wish for you that she would realize doing the practice would help. It's all about growing new neurons -- or so a teacher explained to me. When you do something new, the reason you have to keep doing it is to grow the pathways that help reinforce the skill -- how to play an instrument or learn a language. There's a lot of complexity in that. The repetition needed to achieve proficiency isn't always fun, but needed. I'm guessing that (and I'm not a scientist or medical professional mind you) if those pathways to the language center were damaged, new routes -- a detour if you will -- has to be constructed. You could always set up a computer and install a couple of web cams : ) You are welcome. Although I don't walk in your shoes, I've been in a similar place and it's tough. It's times like this we feel either so alone and alien from the world or else overwhelmed by family and isolated from the world (except maybe the medical profession!) by those ties ... and it helps to have some support. Take care of you! Sounds like a fabu set of weekends! So envious of the microwave popcorn. (Such is life without a microwave.) Do treat yourself. Not only do you deserve it, you can't take care of your mother if you can't take care of yourself.

I'll bet I can guess why your Mom doesn't want to go back and participate (and you sorta gave the clue). She is proud and doesn't think she's as bad off as those OTHER people in the program. If she goes, she'll be admitting or acknowledging that she is LIKE THEM. This has happened with a couple of family members. "I don't want to go to group rehab. There are a bunch of crippled old ladies in there." Or "I won't go to dinner in the common area. I can't stand to hear those people eating." Why? "I AM NOT SICK AND OLD!" The hell of it is that this attitude can also be a prelude to the death of them. The alternatives (no exercise, not eating where you can be seen to be eating and thus not getting enough calories) are not good. But you might want to see if there is a group your Mom used to attend that she would be willing to attend now. Sometime being with familiar people is helpful in recovery. Or it can be doing an activity with so-called regular people that may boost her spirits and make her feel like she is still herself. Heck, even going to coffee with friends for a chat would help augment the speech therapy you say she needs. A brief story: the local yarn shop has drop in help and there was an older woman who for weeks always came in the company of her daughter. She was working on what seemed to be her first hat or a particularly difficult hat for her. (I'm about to start crying now.) One day, they came in and were talking to the owner who always helped her. She had finished the hat and was showing it to the owner. "That's beautiful. You did a great job," said the owner, and she gave the woman a hug. The woman began sobbing. Not just crying. Sobbing. As it turned out, this was the first item she had finished since her stroke. She had been an expert caliber knitter and had really struggled to make this hat because the mind and messages to her fingers weren't working as they used to. Finishing was a triumph. Honestly. Even if you try to tell your Mom the arrangement is NOT permanent, she may have doubts. I sure can't tell you how to work with that, especially when I had issues of stubbornness with my own family member. What I can say is it sounds like you and the remainder of the family have done a great job of formulating a workable care plan. That sounds great because no one person is doing everything. It gives you each time to rest and indulge in some self care. Be well! xo, yr

I hope that whatever transition you've planned will go smoothly and that by vacation time, you are ready to RELAX. It can be hard to let go. My last vacation? I called home everyday with the handy USPS calling card (too remote for cellular reception ... that should have been a clue!). Thinking good thoughts!

It's been a tough couple of years for a lot of us forumites who have been dealing with family health issues. Caring for an ill family member is exceedingly stressful. If you need to vent beyond your blog, feel free to PM any time. Sometimes that in-box of mine gets too full, so you can e-mail, too. I think we're too remote from each other for flares to work, however. Be well! xoxo, yr

A frimp from the lab. Thanks! Violets and roses are promising. Let's see. In the bottle: roses. Wet: rose, but a soft, one dimensional rose. Drying: Softens to Parlement of Foules type of rose. Violet never makes an appearance. I'm beginning to wonder what's going on with my skin chemistry, because it seems lately that a lot of notes in any given blend get amped to the exclusion of others. And no violet? A nice rose, but there are plenty of other roses in my collection (Black Cat, LitA, Moon Rose, Parlement of Foules) that I enjoy. This frimp should find a good home.

A frimp from the lab. Thanks! This is a scent I've been wanting to try for the citrus, amber and orris. The jasmine makes it iffy. My skin typically amps jasmine and allows no other notes through. In the bottle: floral melange Wet: jasmine and a touch of amber. Within minutes, as usual, jasmine trumps everything else. Drying: Not a hint of citrus or orris. And the jasmine gets cloying and artificial. Bah! What is it with my skin chemistry??!

Preconcieved notions: With the promise of tonka, mandarin, benzoin, wild plum and tobacco -- some of which are in the much-loved and wonderful Queen of Spades -- , this hooked me, however, the reviewers' comparisons to cinnamon worried me. In the bottle: spicy potpourri. Wet: cinammon and more cinnamon. Drying; Ah, patchouli and cassia. After 30 minutes... Uh ... hello? Where are the other notes? Musk ... tonka ... where are you? Benzoin, wild plum and tobacco are also MIA. Welts? There you are. I've been wondering whether you'd show up and there you are. Gets softer after 3+ hours. Still smells of only cassia and very light patchouli. Much like potpourri. What's going on with my skin chemistry that all the lovely anticipated notes are missing? I still have Queen of Spades. Not for me.

A play of geological darkness and jagged brilliance. Soft and luminescent with flashes of black fire. A thoughtful gimp from a trade with a forumite. Preconcieved notions: oh yeah! Wet: bland and yet very reminiscent of Numb. Odd! It's barely there. Drying: What's this? There's a very astringent note that is turning to plastic amid a lovely vanilla-coconut concoction. The sharp, plastic smell lasts for at least two to three hours, after which it tones down to vanilla-coconut with a hint of ... no, really?!?! -- violet!!?! As in Numb. Very strange. Further testing needed!

Haven't been able to smell properly, so I've been putting off testing. Preconcieved notions: vanilla, blood orange, amber and roses!?!?! Sure to be a winner! In the bottle: confusing mix of florals and spice with a hint of orange. Wet: gardenia. Drying: spicy gardenia and nothing more. No vanilla. No blood orange. No lovely amber. No rose. Seeing as expectations didn't match reality and my body chemistry, I got upset and impatient. Although lightly tested on both wrists, I said "t' heck with this" after an hour of sniffing and wishing and washed it off. Grossly disappointed. I could layer Parlement of Foules, 13 and Kunstkammer and see how that works.

Don't be afraid of LEs. Really. Some of us will see one we think is "us" and order two bottles. Those can be readily swapped for more of what you find that you DO love. Why would you not want to experience the loveliness that is 13? And when I spilled some Queen of Spades, there were still people with bottles and imps willing to swap. Besides, swapping is fun! So try the monkey musk!

I keep thinking Numb for some reason and I can't find my detailed notes on it. Please remember that Yemaya is a TAL oil and not one of the regular BPAL scents.