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By Silvertree February 7, 2012

Please be aware that we do not permit swap-related content on profiles or in blogs. Please post this content only in the For Sale, Swaps, and Wanted forums, or in the Wishlists topic. ~from Swapping 101 Thanks!
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2022 Wish List

WISH LIST 2022 (Updated 8/23/2022) BPAL Can never have too much of these: Gypsy (from the butterfly collection) Clockwork Couture: Male Scherezade Sugar Skulls Midway Storyville Antique Lace (original) BPAL I’d like to try: Horses Hay Moon 2020 Eastern Comma Lights, Camera Something The Empress and Their Heckhound 8th Grade Resistance Morphine Hay Moon 2020 Harlow’s Lace Silver Lace Dark Lace Pumpkin Spice Dragon’s Milk Snake Oil with peanut butter? Or did I dream this? Cozy Pumpkin Sweater Popcorn Ball Snake Oil Apple Sugar Drunk Uncle Brown Butter Bourbon Cookie Fearful Pleasure Lola Lee Loo After the Winter Every Day You Play with the Light of the Universe We Wear the Mask Shelter Beeswax, Lavender, and Acacia Honey Perfume Oil Caramel, Smoked Chilis, and Black Vanilla Perfume Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood, and Vanilla Absolute The Pearl in the Volcano Eve (OLLA) Streets of Detroit (OLLA) Sugared Lace Champagne Lace Other perfumes to TRY Midnight Gypsy: The Owl Moon Arcana: Murder Ballad Blues, Wild Jack for a Lover, Black Sand, Fire, Yellow Cake, Haint variants (I have and love Haint, a gift from my very first Switch Witch long ago) Haus of Gloi: In the Ballpark, Marshmallow Woodsmoke, Rendezvous Nocturne Alchemy: Many of their foody scents More Kyse perfumes! Other perfumes I’ve tried that I want more of Kyse: Cocoat Tiare, Delizia di Marshmallow, Fumee Vanille, Oui Plus! Arcana: Bonfires at Dusk Pineward Perfumes: Velvetine
Nocturne Alchemy: Anubis Black Pumpkin (this is an oldie but one I particularly love); Gray Bunny Other scented things: I'm a sucker for candles, incense, body scrubs, lotions, etc. I particularly like fall and wintery scents: pumpkin, apple, spices marshmallow, coffee, booze, smoke, vanilla, caramel, etc. Other: I have a really long "want to read" list on Goodreads. I'm fine with used books or e-books (I have a Kindle) or Audible books. I also have a really long Amazon wish list under wendyb1063 here.

wendyb1063

January 14, 2022

Windbourne's Scent-A-Day

January

Picking it up fresh for the new year. I *just* put on my perfume for the next several hours, so I'll update with greater detail later, but here we go~ The following scents are all from Arcana Wildcraft or Arcana Craves or just Arcana Soaps, which is what she called the company before deciding to split the themes. I'll include the notes for all of these since they won't be easily searchable on the forum. It's worth noting that they close on the regular to catch up on orders & stock, so ordering from them can be a little difficult at times, but please trust me when I say it's easier now than it used to be when they were available at a number of etailers at random times, and more straightforward than when it was an ebay-based business. 😂 January 1: Scàiltìn -- A festive Gaelic beverage which was first introduced hundreds of years ago. Fresh milk and silky cream are heated and gently whipped with confectionary sugar, warmly spiced honey, Réunion Island vanilla beans, sweet tonka, Irish wh!skey, grated nutmeg, and a bit of butter. -- This is new and currently available in the Winter collection. In the bottle, it's quite boozy & the whiskey is very prominent. Once on the skin, it's a creamy sweet bliss. The honey is definitely present, as is the nutmeg and the vanilla-y/hay-like tonka. ....I'm strongly tempted to look up a recipe for this, holy cats. I love milk punch and hot cocktails, and this sounds like (and if it's anything like the perfume, smells like) something I would love to drink. As it dries, it becomes a sweet honeyed milk and the spices and whiskey completely drop away. I don't always get along with Julia's milk notes, but here, it's lovely. This is overall a very cozy and friendly scent for me, and I'm glad I picked up a full bottle of it. It has almost no throw, though it may develop more of one as it ages, it's quite new, but it's still going strong at six and a half hours later. (the ! in the notes is present on the AW website; I copy-pasted the description directly, in case you were wondering. XD) January 2: Rapunzel -- Imprisonment, innocence and ceaseless faith. Damascus rose and rose geranium are delicately stroked with vanilla, milk, sugar and a hint of soft white flowers. -- This one is one of my oldest Arcana bottles, from ~2008, and has been discontinued for around a decade. It's mostly a very lovely rose and rose geranium, lightly sweetened and a touch milky, but only a touch. It was beautiful fresh and is still beautiful aged and wears like a dream of flowing dresses, tall towers, and impossibly long hair. I have a second bottle from 2011 as well, one of the last ones she had available. It makes me think of milk baths with rose petals and Waterhouse paintings of girls with pale skin and rosy cheeks. It doesn't have a large throw, though I can smell it from a few inches away, so it's definitely got some, and it lasts for a few hours at strength then tapers off until it's gone ~hour 6 or so. (As an aside, I had a beverage the other night that was mostly rose geranium & black currant leaves and it was like drinking very delicious perfume because I'm so used to smelling that as a perfume note. I enjoyed it quite a bit.) January 3: Wolfling -- An innocently feral opening of sweet marzipan and wild cherry leads to a heart of warm cardamom, sugared vanilla beans, soft wolfing fur, Cashmeran, and gentle gourmand musk. -- Another newer one, originally a GWP, but went live as part of the 2021 Halloween collection later. This smells much stronger of cherry in the bottle than it does at any point on my skin, mostly it's like the first two notes disappear completely in favor of cardamon, vanilla, furry musk, and a particular odd note that I know is the cashmeran but also smells a bit like amber and play-doh (this may partly be the cherry/almond attempting to stage a comeback without really standing out). It's pretty good, but I find it reminds me a lot of a very old perfume from a very long-defunct company, Good Judy, Kemonomimi. The notes for that are: Vanilla bean, rum, chocolate covered cherries, black figs, amber, cardamom, coriander, so perhaps you can see how they might feel a bit similar. Wolfling is muskier and Kemonomimi is a bit sweeter with a pretty decent chocolate note, but the vanilla bean, cherry, cardamom, and amber combo brings them to similar places on my skin, at least until the late drydown of Wolfling, where the Cashmeran and cardamom are all that's left. It's got pretty good lasting power and an interestingly variable throw depending on how warm my skin is. I feel like I might wear this more as a layering perfume with something much sweeter, maybe Scàltìn, or something with a nice sandalwood note if I wanted it to lean that way. Possibly a fir or pine note would be nice, as well. Hm. January 4: Honey Craves Moonlit Paths -- All the scents of night-hiking in a deciduous forest with only the moon to light your way. Beeswax absolute, forest floor, damp, decaying leaves, fragrant mosses, wild honey, sleeping trees, and a whiff of feral fur. -- This was originally released a while back, I'm not entirely sure how long since I haven't tracked Craves as well as I have her Wildcraft line, but it came to me this year. I swapped for a sample and loved it, so when Craves reopened, I jumped on it. For me, this is heavy on the beeswax, which for Arcana is a very dense, sticky note that has a fairly massive throw and lingers. It's made one scent unwearable for me (Alhambra, the pomegranate/patchouli/rosemary/beeswax combo remains one of the worst things I've ever put on my skin, and the beeswax made it cling) and made a few absolute hits. This one's definitely my favorite of those. It's mostly beeswax and tree notes, though I'm not sure if it's the same as her Trees layering note or her Forest Floor layering note. Maybe it's both. Either way, it's a little damp, a little dirty, and entirely gorgeous. I don't get any honey at all, just wax. It doesn't smell so much like hiking to me, more like the way that a sleepaway camp cabin being used for larping does, with beeswax candles lit instead of electric lights. Brings back some memories from my late teens/early twenties. Lasts forever, throws like a monster, but mostly wax. (This one is, unfortunately, in her discontinued list, which probably means that there's a component she can't currently source. Things have been known to be resurrected before, however.) January 5: Her Faefolk -- The scent of the elves, fairies, nisser, and other supernatural beings who accompany The Great Herd. A soft bed of young green clover is sparked with bright raspberries, sugared coconut husks, and fuzzy peach skin. -- Another Winter 2021 release, purchased at the same time as Scàltìn. This is mostly sweet, soft peach with a bit of tart raspberry and a tiny bit of coconut on me. The clover is present in the bottle sniff, but doesn't really do much on my skin. It's a nice, pleasantly fruity little scent, but I would be lying if I said that at this point in the aging process it really felt evocative of the inspiration for me. However. Julia's scents often age into much greater depth and presence, so I'm keeping this around in hopes that it develops further in time. Currently it sticks extremely close to the skin and is completely gone after about four hours. January 6: Eleanor of Aquitaine -- The scent of vivacity, beauty, royalty, wisdom, and an absolute, unfaltering strength. Precious attar of roses, rare chandan wood, cinnamon leaf, cream accord, aged vetiver, and a hint of thorny green stems hidden under fragrant velvet petals. -- (Chandan appears to be another name for sandalwood) Another very old bottle, from 2011, and predictably long discontinued. This is one of my very favorite woods-and-rose scents that I own, and has been for a long time. It's very regal, rich, and deep, with a strong vetiver presence and very big, very dark, red rose notes assisted by the sandalwood and cinnamon. I've never actually gotten any cream from this, but it's probably there keeping the sharper notes in check. Interestingly, there's a similarity to a few BPAL scents with a thorn accord that I hadn't really noticed before, but I really took note of that one last year, so it stands out a bit more to me now. It lasts forever and has an extremely strong throw and I love it and will treasure this bottle as long as it lasts. : ) January 7: Blue Amber layering note -- Fresh white amber, crystal blue aquatic notes, sea air, and a bit of Egyptian blue chamomile. -- I'd contemplated this one on the site for a while, then a decanter whose circle I joined had this on their sale list, so I bought it. : ) The oil itself is blue, as is the case with most (all?) oils containing blue chamomile (or blue tansy, since apparently 'true' blue chamomile is German chamomile, and blue tansy is also known as Moroccan chamomile -- I swear to all the gods I don't believe in that the peculiarities of naming of essences, extracts, oils, and derivatives of various plants is one of the most fun and also incredibly annoying things about this hobby! There's always another ten sites/books/articles to look at, and half of them disagree with each other or are some variation of, yeah, they're almost the same, but actually derived from different plants in the same species, or the only difference is how they're processed. ANYWAY.) The strongest note is white amber, but there's a distinctive hay-like note (chamomile) and mostly in the throw, a hint of salt and ozone. It's very fresh, almost laundry-like, and the white amber is interestingly unsweet. I'm kind of torn on whether I really like it or not, but I am tempted to use it for layering sometime, if I can think of anything that needs a hint of ...this. Hm. Throw is powerful, lasts for ~four-five hours then completely vanishes without any fade. Overall: odd duck. Jan 8: Got my booster yesterday evening and could barely move all day. 😢 Jan 9: Still feeling bad, and my sense of smell is weirdly heightened? ...Idk, I'm just really uncomfortable right now. Feeling a little better today, so on with it. : ) January 10: Glittering Milk -- Sweet, chilled milk with our Glittering White (an opening of cold peppermint settles into a heart of sugar cookies, marshmallows, white chocolate, and vanilla musk). -- This is another new one from the 2021 Winter collection, and will probably be available once she reopens. I have and have enjoyed other scents in the Glittering Collection, but this one's not really my jam. The milk is a bit sour and it ends up not really adding much to the base scent, imo. It does give me a very particular scent memory, of some gluten-free cookies one of my former coworkers made and the extremely weird but oddly tasty icing that, one year, they added a bit of mint extract to. ...Yeah, it really reminds me of those cookies. I'm glad I went for a sample size of this one instead of a full bottle, but I'm also very glad I tried it. No throw in particular, doesn't last that long, but will probably increase in strength over time. January 11: Glittering Lavender -- Smooth, sweet, buttery French lavender absolute with our Glittering White (an opening of cold peppermint settles into a heart of sugar cookies, marshmallows, white chocolate, and vanilla musk). -- I have a few of the Glittering blends. I bought this one last year, but it was resurrected for this year as well. It's very mellow, the lavender is very soft and mild. Maybe a little too mild; after about fifteen minutes, all I can smell is the Glittering base and the barest hint of a lavender bud in the distance. This one is fine, I like it a bit more than Milk, and after a year of aging it has a bit of throw and lasts quite a while, but I'm not super-duper in love with it. January 12: Glittering Ginger -- Ginger cookies, gingerbread, and fresh gingerroot are blended with our Glittering White (an opening of cold peppermint settles into a heart of sugar cookies, marshmallows, white chocolate, and vanilla musk). -- Another new one. It's got a lovely sharp and spicy ginger bite at first, but it doesn't last terribly long. I'm hoping that with a bit of age the ginger will deepen up and get some longevity, because otherwise, it's just a bottle of Glittering White with some top notes. That's not necessarily a bad thing, and I do really enjoy the ginger as well as the base, but in buying multiple bottles of scents with a similar base, you do generally hope they feel more distinct. Fairly low throw & longevity in general, but it's only a few weeks old at this point. January 13: Glittering Green -- The scent of eating mint-laced white chocolates in a huge old growth forest. Jammy fir balsam, a bit of black spruce, and our Glittering White (an opening of cold peppermint settles into a heart of sugar cookies, marshmallows, white chocolate, and vanilla musk). -- I bought this last year as well, and it's also back again. This is my favorite of all the Glittering scents I have, the evergreen notes plus the sweeter notes is *chef's kiss* just gorgeous and both aspects stay balanced through the entire wearlength, which is about average, maybe 4-6 hours. January 14: Glittering Cherry -- Candied maraschino cherries with our Glittering White (an opening of cold peppermint settles into a heart of sugar cookies, marshmallows, white chocolate, and vanilla musk). -- Second-to-last one, and probably my least favorite. I'm not averse to cherry perfumes, but I really prefer it to be darker, fruitier cherry, not the sticky candied maraschino note in this perfume. It reminds me a bit of chapstick or cough syrup, that kind of shiny red "cherry" note. Fortunately (?) the cherry doesn't last very long, and then it's just Glittering White for the next while. It's still pretty fresh and compared to some of my slightly older iterations, has little throw or longevity. This was a sample-sized GWP from the 2021 Winter release, though it may appear in a future update. I wouldn't have bought it on its own. January 15: Glittering Pink -- A sugary sweet melange of pink pistachio candy, pink peppermint ice cream, pink musk, and our Glittering White (an opening of cold peppermint settles into a heart of sugar cookies, marshmallows, white chocolate, and vanilla musk). -- Last one! I got this in a swap earlier this year, a decant in a small jar-style vial. I think it was on offer last year, but did not return for this year. The pink notes here really complement the base, the mint is stronger than in any of the other iterations I have, and the candy is very nougat-y on my skin. If it weren't for the doll-like pink musk, this would be extremely edible, but the musk pushes it past that almost into the realm of scented toys. Okay, maybe actually into it. 😂 It's giving me flashbacks to a peppermint-scented My Little Pony I had as a kid. Like Green, the balance stays pretty true through most of the wear time. Unlike any of the others, it fades into the pink notes instead of the base, which is a neat trick. I like this pretty well, but it's not actually that fantastic on my skin, since it leans just a bit towards the plastic. Whew, halfway through the month already? How is this possible? January 16: Cherry Blossom single/layering note -- Julia was running special request LNs last spring, and I picked this up then. She's since stopped doing them, and this isn't a note that shows up with great frequency in her catalogue, but I love it. BPAL's cherry blossom is very dry and clean on me, often leaning towards the dryer sheets side of the scent spectrum. This one is a little bit as well, but much damper and with a stronger cherry aspect. It's pinker in tone as well, and is the second most accurate to being in the PNW in March/April and standing in a grove of slightly damp sakura trees. The first one that made me !!!!! 🌸!!! when I sniffed it was Olympic Orchids Sakura. I've done hanami with friends for most of the last couple of decades and it just nailed it. This is very close, but a little heavier and more perfume-like, while Sakura is lighter. It has that pale and ethereal yet slightly fleshy aspect of the petals themselves. IDK if you've ever had anything made with sakura blossoms before, particularly pickled ones, but that's the sort of thing this reminds me of. Fairly low throw unless I really pour it on, low longevity, which I'd somewhat expect with nothing to tether it down -- it drifts off gracefully after maybe an hour or two. January 17: Pushpadhanva -- Our tribute to Pushpadhanva, Kamadeva, Manmatha, Ragavrinta: god of love, stalk of passion, shooter of arrows, churner of hearts. Scented with sweet, sharp ginger, mango juice, black tea, baked crumpets and a hint of milk. -- Another very, very old one, I bought this in 2008 and it was originally part of a Valentine's release. It's still very lovely, fruity and cake-like. Well. Not exactly, it actually does smell more like crumpets than cake, but even more than that -- there's a crumpet shop near where I worked for a long time and they make a scone that is more cake-like than the standard coffeeshop scone. It's baked in a round and not quite sweet and that, almost exactly, is what that note reminds me of. If I put ginger-mango jam on that scone and a little clotted cream and drank their house blend tea, that would perfectly represent this perfume. I have no particular connection to the specific inspiration, but it does feel like a really good midwinter perfume, a little golden brightness in the darker months. It's got a bit of throw, but impressive longevity. I can still smell it on me after work if I put it on in the morning. (I also bought this as a soap and loved it. ❤️ Good stuff.) January 18: Twirling the Pearl -- Rich, golden honey, marshmallow, lavender milk, soft musk, and a tiny hint of green galbanum. -- An older one, but one that's come back a few times. This was originally a Valentine's scent. I have both a very aged decant and a newer full (2 years-ish) bottle of it. There's more than a hint of galbanum here, that's the note that dominates on my skin for the first few minutes. It settles down to a background hum after that, but it never fully goes away. I love that note, so this is great for me. The honey is probably the next loudest note, followed by the lavender. The musk, marshmallow, and milk aspects mostly serve to settle it into a soft slightly-more-than-skin scent after it dries without being especially distinct. It's really nice, just on the lightly honeyed green side of my-skin-but-better for me. Throw varies a lot over the life of the scent, but ends up pretty mild after drydown, but that drydown lasts and lasts. January 19: White Bear -- Bourbon vanilla ice cream, coconut husks, coconut creme, and foraged wild blackberries. -- This came to me secondhand last year, but it looks like it was originally released in 2017. It's ...fine. I persist in having difficulty with blackberry notes, no matter how much I want them to work. But the blackberry here adds a very necessary tartness to an otherwise very sweet perfume. It's very creamy and I can't help but think it might be boosted a bit by adding a little sandalwood or possibly furry musk, because I don't usually think 'ice cream shop' when I think 'white bear' or even of the fairy tale that it was inspired by (East of the Sun, West of the Moon), so I may find a light scent with one of those aspects to try layering with it. Oddly, despite being full of coconut notes, it doesn't read as that coconutty on my skin. It's definitely present, but not forward. It reminds me a bit of ice cream made with coconut milk -- if you know you're eating coconut milk ice cream, even if it's chocolate or whatever, you can kind of tell, but if you didn't know, you might not think to say oh, yes, this tastes like coconut. This is vanilla-blackberry ice cream, and if I sniff very deeply and think coconut thoughts, I can tell there's some coconut in there as well. This is a lot of words for a perfume that is just okay on me. No throw, moderate longevity. As an aside, this came to me with a reducer cap. I don't know if it originally came with one, but none of my other Arcana scents have ever had them. I hate them and have a weird feeling (with zero evidence) that they may alter scents a little, so ngl, if this ever gets re-released, I'd probably buy a fresh one direct. Just, you know, to see. 😂 I love my perfume superstitions. 😂 January 20: Peaches Crave Haint -- The gossamer sweetness of delicate white peaches with Arcana Wildcraft's Haint (white musk, vanilla musk, Madagascar vanilla, sugarcane, and a faint trail of white pepper). -- This has been around a while, but I picked it up during the most recent Craves opening. I like this more than regular Haint, tbqh. The original scent is very lovely, but adding peach to it gives it a lot more interest for me and again, a bit of fruity tartness that I really enjoy. The peach lingers through the entire weartime, which considering how strong the musks and pepper are. It's a deceptively light scent at first, but the longer it's on my skin, the brighter and more intense it smells. Throw goes from meh to whoa over the course of about an hour, then tapers off again over the next hour or so, but the scent remains present for several hours. I really like this one. January 21: Snow Witch: Familiar -- The scent of a witch and her animal companions snuggling on a quiet, snow-muffled day. Cafe au lait, vanilla-infused cheesecake, a soft woolen blanket, and warm fur. -- I picked this up last winter and, honestly, I'm still pretty lukewarm on it. It's primarily a milky coffee scent with a hint of tang from the cheesecake note. There's a bit of furriness that comes out after it dries, but it remains mostly milky coffee. Which, I mean, it's nice, but it's not very interesting on my skin, and I like the idea of it more than I like the actual fragrance. Light but persistent throw, moderate longevity. My cat thinks it's interesting but stinky, in that she'll come up and sniff my hands when I wear it and then wince away with that 'eww!!' face that she normally reserves for citrus and mint. 😂 January 22: Dia de los Muertos -- Though Spanish conquistadores tried to put the kibosh on this Aztec ritual for the dead, the holiday not only endured but retained its flamingly pagan core. Celebrate, honor, and even laugh at death with our fusion of spices, honey, tobacco and dark chocolate. -- Another ancient bottle, though this scent has come back a few times since I bought it in '08. It is one of those scents that does exactly and precisely what it says it does on the tin. It is a spicy, chocolatey honey-with-tobacco scent. The spices are mostly cinnamon and maybe a little clove. There might be a tiny bit of nutmeg as well. It's so smoothly blended it almost feels like a layering note, but it's so huffable and delicious that I don't mind the relative simplicity. Medium throw that I can sort of taste in the back of my throat, very good longevity, 7+ hours. January 23: Tart -- Sweet lemon cakes, fluffy coconut frosting, and a dash of bergamot. -- I picked this up, if I recall correctly, winter/valentines of 2020 because I'd just gotten a lotion from another company that was lemon and coconut and was obsessed with it, and this had recently gotten a re-release and I wanted it. At first it was wayyyyy too lemony, but in the time since, it's mellowed a lot and become something I really enjoy. The bergamot threatens to go a little soapy for a few moments, but it never really materializes or gains any strength and that aspect eventually dissipates. It's not overly strong and doesn't have a lot of throw, but it lingers and smells like an amazing dessert, if you like lemony desserts. I enjoy this one a lot, and cheerfully layer it with the lotion, which I have since repurchased. January 24: Egyptian Musk single/layering note -- An exotic, sensual, honeyed, smooth Egyptian musk. -- I got this as part of a decant circle many years ago, but it's still available, or will be whenever Craves reopens. It's one of my favorite musks, very smooth and deep without being at all overpowering or too, er, musky, as it were. It resembles a skin musk and sits very close to the skin, but isn't quite a my-skin-but-better-scent on me. It doesn't smell of honey at all, if you're worried about that; I don't think that's a component, or if it is, it's not the usual Arcana honey note, but it is sweeter than many musks are. It's just a gorgeous pure musk. 10/10, would buy again once this very low partial runs out. When I see Egyptian musk as a note in another perfume, I will always give it a second look, unless it also has several notes I absolutely know I hate.

windbourne

January 1, 2022

Eldritchhobbit's Blog

<p>I’m delighted to talk Star Trek at an event ...

I’m delighted to talk Star Trek at an event by Licking County Library on Jan. 18, 2022 at 7pm Eastern. This event is live, online, and free to everyone. My presentation: “Empowered Minds: How Star Trek Changed the World and Why It Still Matters” Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Empowered Minds: How Star Trek Changed the World and Why It Still Matters. After registering, yo
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eldritchhobbit

December 31, 2021

Ghost Turtles in the Sky

BPAL Nail Polishes I've Tried

Last updated January 1, 2023 American Gods Mr. World The Intangibles Crimson Peak Crimson Clay Skull White Temptation

skyturtles

December 13, 2021

Eldritchhobbit's Blog

Mythgard Movie Club: Dune - Mythgard Institute

Mythgard Movie Club: Dune - Mythgard Institute: I’ll be a part of this conversation on Friday. Everyone is invited, and registration is free.
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eldritchhobbit

December 7, 2021

Eldritchhobbit's Blog

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Mood.
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eldritchhobbit

December 5, 2021

Windbourne's Scent-A-Day

December

🐰🐰 Last month of 2021. It's been a pretty wild ride, but it's been nice having this daily touchstone to look back on. Also, it's been great to really dig into my BPAL collection and find a few things to downsize, a few things to upsize, and a lovely reminder of the many beautiful things that I haven't touched in a while. I may take a bit of a break in January -- not from wearing perfume, but from keeping myself to a BPAL-only agenda. 😂 I've definitely worn things from other companies (Arcana's featured pretty heavily in the background, for example) but aside from a couple of blips, I haven't really talked about them. I definitely want to keep exploring my (ridiculous) collection, but ...like, BPAL's not the only company I collect, just the biggest one. I may also actually go back and retest a few things that I've said I would! But first, December. I'm wearing Phoenixes until my Weenies get here, which could be anywhere from 2-7 days. December 1: Pink Phoenix -- So sweet and sticky, but somehow not cloying on my skin, which surprised me a LOT the first time I tried it, because otherwise, after a brief burst of more distinct pear and honey and hint of sweet pea, this dries down to the odor you get when you open a fresh container of Dubble Bubble mixed flavor (original pink, watermelon, grape, green apple) bubble gum. Not the gum itself, but the lightly plasticky BLAST of fruity sugar that occurs when you peel back the seal. I actually really enjoy it. 😂 It is indeed a very silly, lighthearted scent, good for very fluffy days and when you feel kind of pooky. Pretty big throw, but it doesn't actually last that long on me, maybe 2-3 hours before all I can smell is the merest hint of sugar. December 2: Copper Phoenix -- This needed a bit of rolling to reblend it. The first application it was much softer and powdery, but after rolling and reapplying, more of the orange and pink pepper and apricot popped up. As it dries, it still does become a bit powdery, which I am generally attributing to the amber. Later, it becomes much more woody, and yes, very smooth. At one point I liked this enough to own two bottles, but I think I sold one at some point, and that's not a bad thing. I still like it, it's still very lovely, but when it was younger, it was a lot brighter and shinier. Now it wears like copper with a bit of a patina. I'm still pretty into it, but it isn't quite as lively a scent anymore. December 3: No. 93 Engine -- I'm pretty sure this is a repeat, but I really just wanted soothing, familiar, and comforting today. It's such a beautiful scent, golden and lightly waxy and a little woody -- and it lasts forever (at least eight hours and still going) with just enough throw to smell nice but not overwhelm people around you. It's perfect for most occasions, can smell both classy and just plain pleasant, (at least on me) and ....man, IDK, this has been a favorite of mine since I got a decant right after it was released. It's just that good. If I were forced to choose a signature scent, this would be in the running. December 4: Pothôn Mêtêr -- Also a repeat. I've been at a comic convention all weekend and really needed mellow & familiar to counteract the stress of so much public time. 😅 This is another one that's been a favorite for years. It's so lovely, with a really beautiful rose note punched up by pink pepper and accented by a wonderful balsam note. It's not really fruity, though it has a fruity quality, it's not exactly spicy, though it is a bit peppery, it is floral, but not a Big Floral, just a super-smooth rose. This is another that would be a strong contender for signature scent status, if I were ever to actually make that kind of choice. It's a little bit on the pink side, but in a way that I find appealing. Moderate throw, though I could smell it through my mask, and I can still smell it clearly after almost nine hours of wear. December 5: Purple Phoenix -- Still gloriously purple after all this time. This is possibly one of two or three grape/wine scents that I actively enjoy wearing? Halloween: Las Vegas and Saint Foutin de Varailles are the only other two I can think of off the top of my head. But this is cool and mellow and grape-y without ever verging into Dimetapp territory. It's a little sweet but not cloying as fig and plum can be on me, and never dusty despite having both violet and orris. It's funny -- if I were to look at this one now, with a firmer idea of my tastes, I'd probably skip it. But I'm really happy I own this, and it gives me such happy nostalgia when I look at it, since I got it quite soon after I started.
December 6: Leather Phoenix -- Man, this one's intense, but also, has aged into something unbelievably good, provided you're into oudh, narcissus, and lightly smoky leather, among other things. I generally am not a big fan of most of these things (indeed, I was not a big fan of this when it was fresh), and the oudh is very indolic indeed, but somehow after the initial extreme whiffiness this manages to soften into matcha-rose-oudh glory once it's been on my skin for a while. People who don't like oudh should probably avoid this, since the one used is, if the description is accurate, 33 years old at this point, and very powerful. But if you like deep, intense scents that shift on your skin, this might be your jam. Good luck in locating a bottle. And that was exactly as many Phoenixes as I pulled out for this run. I have a lot more, but I also got my Weenie decants in today. So I'll be starting on those tomorrow. December 7: A Skull, A Music Book, A Snuffed-Out Candle -- First, tulips, very strong and a little damp and overblown. Next, a bit of very soft leather and sandalwood, followed immediately by a very bright burst of beeswax. I really like this, actually. I don't think I'll buy a full bottle of it, because I have a few other woody beeswax scents and I'm not really a huge fan of the tulip note, but it's very pleasant overall. Throw is mild and mostly wax, and the lasting power currently isn't great, but it's also very fresh and will almost certainly age into something much stronger. (Lol, bought Ajevie's leftover partial bottle. I couldn't stop contemplating it over the last few days and took it as a sign that it hadn't sold yet.) December 8: Chibi Skull with Last Will and Testament -- Starts as sweet red patchouli, ends as straight red patchouli. Not bad, and I like the way it smells from application to about two hours in, but I have the Sumatran Red Patchouli SN, and it's pretty great, but also not substantially different from the way this dries down. It does bear some resemblance to Départ Pour Le Sabbat, which someone mentioned in the review thread, but that one has greater depth & overall complexity, imo. I'd definitely rec this to patchouli-lovers who might like a hint of gourmand. Decent throw, lasts quite a while, but I sort of tuned it out after ~4 hours. I'll keep the decant to see what it does in a few months. (eta: gave it to a friend on whom it smelled incredible instead of just okay)
December 9: Pandemic Vanitas -- What a goddamn strange scent. 😂 I got pure fries at first, hot oily potato GEH wafting off my wrists. It was really gross. That did fade, shifting slowly past fries into potato chips, and continuing into a slightly bready scent with a hint of cotton, but it eventually landed dead on in chocolate chip cookie dough, and that is where it stayed for the next few hours and I wanted to inhale my wrists. The last phase reminded me a bit of Trader Joe's chocolate chip pain au lait, which I love. So, to recap, it went from mildly nauseating to captivating. Which.... is not really common for me. 😂 I don't think I can handle the fries enough to want a bottle, but I'm really happy I tried it and will keep the decant for when I feel like making that journey and if anything else pops up with the raw cookie dough note listed, I will definitely be giving it a try. December 10: Pyramid of Skulls -- HOLY mice. So this is a very glorious scent that is just slightly more than the sum of its parts. On me it's quite heavy at first, deep, incense-y sandalwood that shifts as I wear it. I'm pretty sure there's at least red sandalwood, white sandalwood, and something like the golden sandalwood from Little Wooden Doll. As it dries, it gets both thicker and drier, as well as a little smoky, as the tobacco slowly takes over. It ends up a very woody, warm tobacco close to the skin with a very solid, mostly sandalwood throw. I'm not sure I need a bottle, since I have an All-Time Favorite Chonky Sandalwood perfume in the form of Madhat Under the Shade of Santal (though that also has rose, cinnamon, & lime, among other things) but I am strongly tempted. December 11: Pinched with Four Pumpkins -- I tested a decant of the original version of this back in January. It's a scent I like but I've never been desperate to get more of, in part because of the usual price it goes for and in part because it's nice, but not like, obsession-inducing for me. I was pretty curious to see how this fresh + pumpkin version would wear, and it turns out that it's fairly similar to the original (lightly coffee-scented woody cinnamon), but with that particular sweetened pumpkin note that I've gotten accustomed to in many Weenies. Aaaand I'm still pretty over pumpkin. 😂 I might buy a bottle of this to wear when I'm done being done with wearing pumpkin, but ...I might not. It's nice, but not obsession-inducing. 😉 Light throw that will probably strengthen with age, decent but not overwhelming longevity. December 12: Mystery Powder Fizzy Candy -- This is mostly whatever they use for their effervescent notes as in their soda/champagne scents + sugar. It's ...fine, I guess? I don't hate it but I don't love it, and it was surprisingly strong and lasted quite a long time, which was not super-great since I also am in the midst of a migraine developing. I thought it might be a little easier to handle than Pumpkinville but I was a little bit wrong. I'll definitely give this one a second sniff later. December 13: Migraine, so perfume was a no go. ~_~; December 14: Pumpkinville -- Finally felt better, so I threw this one on. I haven't tried Storyville. I've had the opportunity to get small amounts at reasonable prices and avoided it every time because it didn't sound like something I would like or wear and because the particular culture of overpricing certain scents makes my teeth itch a little, even if it's somewhat understandable at times. Still, it's hardly the only perfume that was released once over a brief time and will never be remade. That said, I disliked this for about thirty seconds while it pretended to be mostly made of fairly intense jasmine or oudh, and then immediately went for maximum huffing as soon as it dried enough to do so. The pumpkin isn't overwhelmingly sticky or vegetal, and it gets mostly buried under the wall of red musk and spices. It is sultry and it is sweet, and I do like it, but I also felt just a tinge annoyed by it. Very powerful throw & longevity. December 15: Innocent Souls Turned Carrion Birds -- Soft and grey and also just a bit soapy on my skin. I kind of like it, but I'm also a bit underwhelmed. I've enjoyed quite a few of the Lab's grey scents, but this one winds up feeling a lot more like a somewhat classic aftershave on me. I do like labdanum & sandalwood, but I think the grey musk is a bit much for me. It's okay, I don't hate it, but it doesn't inspire me to either buy a full bottle or wax especially poetic about it. Throw is moderate and inoffensive, doesn't shift much, nor does it overstay its welcome. I may try it again in a few months, just to see if a bit of age shifts it at all. It did make me want to pull out The Grey Columns again, though, so kudos for that. December 16: Her Mouth is Sinister and Red -- I tossed this into my order mostly on the strength of the idea of mugwort & roses, but on my skin it's all about the orchid and white musk and a whiffy bit of lilac-adjacent dragon's blood (daemonorops). Kind of laundry-fresh on my skin, with a hint of almost oily sweetness underneath. I expected this to be a much more intense and red scent than it is, but instead it's quite pale with the redder notes barely tinting the edges. The rose is extremely faint, and the mugwort doesn't really have much prominence late-late drydown, though it does lend a peculiar hint of mustiness that I kind of enjoy to some of the earlier stages. Overall, this is fine, but not something I'm likely to wear. Mildly soapy throw, unexceptional longevity. Might get better with a bit of aging, but it might not. ...The white musk is really strong here. >_>; That's the last of my Weenie decants. I think I'll fill up the rest of the month with seasonally-appropriate Yules and a last couple of Lilith & Weenies I ordered direct from the Lab. That order should get to me in a few days. December 17: A Breathless Chuckle -- ...Huh, this is actually a BPTP scent that managed to escape being put in with the rest of its fellows. It's still a Yule, though, so it counts. This is a foodie bomb of a scent, though my skin gives it a quasi-floral, almost rose-like quality while it's wet that is mildly baffling. I don't get a lot of chocolate from this, it's primarily marshmallow and a bit of background buttery shortbread. Later on it does give a sort of rice krispy treat-like impression, cereal qualities with sweet marshmallow and some vanilla. There might be a single chocolate chip in there somewhere. It's really soft, I have to sniff pretty deeply to even smell it on my wrists, and it vanished completely after a couple of sweetly pleasant hours. (full bottle) December 18: Whoop -- I managed to poison myself with potatoes today, so I spent the largest portion of the day passed out on Benadryl. =_=; Having woken up a bit, finally, I'm putting on perfume. I've got a low partial of this oldie from 2010, and since I did a Scrooge scent yesterday, why not one today? Wet, this is aggressively seasonal, like so very HOLIDAY -- pines and both cranberries and bayberry and a bit of ozone and amber, plus just a far-off hint of pie. As it dries, the pine steps back and the amber, honey, and pie step forward. It isn't exactly foodie, but it's not ...not foodie? I'm one of the people for whom this scent yells CHRISTMAS, but not a Christmas I ever particularly took part of, like, that far-off idealized Victorian Christmas in a manor house with an enormous tree, garlands of berries and popcorn and way too much gold decor, snow falling outside and the promise of a sleigh ride. I actually really like it, which is why I have this partial instead of just a decant. It's incredibly strong at first, but fades relatively quickly, with a moderate throw that is mostly sweet pine and good longevity. I swear it's gotten stronger over the years. ...Kind of wish I'd saved it for the 24th, tbh, though there's nothing stopping me from wearing it again then. :3 (low partial bottle) December 19: Sleipnir -- When I tested Plague-o-Ween I thought that Gunpowder was the only scent I had (I think, lurking in my decants drawers) that also had a carrot note, but I was wrong, this one does too, and it stands out much more. ...Honestly, this reminds me of the carrot cake cookies a local deli makes if someone kindly used elderberries and bilberries (a European blueberry relative, I've only ever had them in jam) instead of raisins for a tarter flavor. It has no particular spices, and as it dries the cookie-like aspect fades to honeyed berries and the hay comes out a bit more. Late drydown is honey & hay which, while not the most beautiful scent I've ever had softly wafting off my wrists, is still not bad. Low but present throw, moderate longevity. (~60% full bottle) My Black Friday order made it to me today, so I'm putting Yules on hold to give commentary on the six new-to-me scents from that, three bottles and the BF frimps. ...Well, except for the 25th. *caveat for the following few scents: these are fresh from the mailbox and will almost certainly shift over time. I may come back to them in a few months. December 20: Still Life with Dooting Skull -- My only Weenie from this order, and the only one I went for without a decant first. I was extremely gratified to poke the review thread and see that multiple people got smoke from this because that's what it smells like, both in the bottle and initially on my skin. Smoke and a hint of sharp medicinal licorice. I like the licorice, but this isn't quite like any of the other licorice (or anise, or fennel) scents I own. People aren't wrong in saying that it smells a bit like root beer, either. There's one I like a lot, Virgil's, that contains both anise and nutmeg, as well as bourbon vanilla and clove, among other herbs and spices. I don't know if that's quite what Beth was aiming for here, but that's pretty close to how it smells after the smoke fades, a matter of perhaps ten minutes. After about an hour most of that fades and I'm left with a rather thick honey, similar to the one in several scents in the Lupercalia release, and a bit of rooty licorice. I never do get much in the way of coconut except perhaps adding a hint of creaminess in the background. I'm not disappointed in this, but it did surprise me a bit. I'm pretty sure the smoke effect is at least partly from the honey, since I got some similar (albeit lighter) aspects of that from some of the Honey Pot scents I tried. I keep wanting to think I dislike it, but then I huff and get more licorice and feel very satisfied. 😂 I really love licorice scents, and there hasn't been one that felt strong enough for my tastes in a while (Black Licorice Smut was too much Smut and not enough licorice). This one might be it, after a bit of aging to see if the honey calms down. Throw is a little bit weak but will probably improve over time, longevity so far is pretty good, I'm at about five hours and it's still pretty strong. Something I might pull out to contrast with it: Paduan Killer Swarm. December 21: Tiramisu Funnel Cake -- Yuck. 😂 If it were just tiramisu, I'd be fine here, but I cannot stand the funnel cake note. It smells greasy and oily on me in the worst ways. So it's cocoa, coffee, a hint of booze, some cinnamon, and the oil used to deep-fry some dough. I put it on wishfully and washed it off immediately. Throw was pretty strong, but longevity is a mystery to me. 😂 December 22: Philopannyx -- Really beautiful enormous purple roses that I recognize from Flickering Lantern, champaca, and sweet, lightly powdery violets lead this one. The darker notes are currently just a low background hum, though I can tell they're there -- especially the black musk & myrrh -- because of the light sneeziness in the throw. The lavender starts showing up in later drydown a bit, but is never very prominent. The whole scent is very heady and velvety on my skin, very much something I could wear to the goth club. I'm pretty happy I jumped straight to a full bottle; it falls in a similar category for me as Flickering Lantern or Raptures and Roses of Vice -- big, sexy roses with deeper notes backing them up. It's not either smoky like FL or as aggressive as R&RoV, it's definitely (currently, anyway) more chill and a bit sweeter. This is exactly what I was hoping for -- a lovely, dark purple scent somewhere in the same realm as Purple Phoenix, but without the wine/grape notes or fig. Also, I really love those purple roses. I can't think of many things that's shown up in, and it is a very distinct note compared to the red, pink, or white ones. Throw is pretty strong, even for a fresh-from-the-mailbox scent, and it lasts a very long time. December 23: Urban Undine -- Salty! As it dries, salty + lavender! After it dries, ambergris! ...because that's what ambergris does on me almost every time. 😂 I really like this, though really only the lavender sets it apart from my fairly large collection of oceanic aquatic perfumes at this point. It does fill a niche, though, in that it's a bit brighter and more refreshing, without going into beachy vibes (for me, anyway). It settles comfortably about where I'd expect it to -- kayaking in summer -- and stays there. Lasts several hours, throw was pretty big for something as fresh as this is. December 24: Iced Apple Dumplings Plopped Into A Sweet Potato Pie -- Whew, a whole mouthful for one tiny imp. 😂 It's nice enough, but I like the bright spicy apple throw more than I like the up-close pastry-and-sweet potato scent. I'm not sure about the iced aspect, nothing here seems to reflect that. It's just warm apples, sweet potato, spice and pastry all the way down. As it dries, it develops a kind of raw dough effect that I find almost stomach-turning. Overall, this is fine but not something I'd have purchased on its own. Throw is massive and strongly reminiscent of apple pie filling, but the scent as a whole it doesn't last more than a few hours. December 25: Père Noël (2015) -- Sweet oranges that fade to quasi-milky lavender & anise candies. Pleasant, mild, and nice to wear to a small dinner party. Minimal throw, relatively short wearlength. (bottle, Lab purchase, personally decanted from) December 26: Cafè de Olla Fried Ice Cream Jammed into a Coconut Cream Pie -- ...There's that fried note again. >_>;; Plus sweet vanilla and a frosty note that almost comes across as fizzy. ....So, uh, this smells a bit like a cream soda float with a sidecar of fried dough for a while. The coconut shows up a bit later, and it's a very light, sweet coconut, almost floral in tone -- I haven't seen this one in a while, but it reminds me of the coconut in Tiki Princess? That phase is better for me, but the fried note never completely goes away and I really am not a fan. :))))))) Throw was weak, and I'm not sure about longevity because I stopped even trying to sniff it after about an hour, and then took a shower. December 27: Pumpkin I (2007) -- I know, this seems a bit odd to have in here, but it was a frottle with my most recent order. ....Despite being grape, pumpkin, and jasmine (tea), plus pear. .. . . . I'm digging this. The pumpkin is pretty laid back and the grapes are fresh and not overly wine-y, while the jasmine tea adds a light breath of floral to the otherwise very sweet & fruity scent. The pear's very nice, maybe a little more cooked than I usually like my pear, but not so much that it feels sticky. I do think I'd really love it without the pumpkin, but even with, this is pretty great. The pumpkin does stand out a bit more after it dries, but it sort of comes and goes, playing hide and seek with the fruity notes. It doesn't have a lot of throw, nor did it last an especially long time, but I enjoyed the ride & will probably keep the bottle, at least for a while. December 28: Mother Shub's Spiced Lait de Chèvre -- Thick, creamy eggnog with a faint hint of coffee and some spice (mostly nutmeg) that blooms up after a few minutes on the skin. Slightly plasticky at first, which is not uncommon for me with the goat milk note, but it fades. I wish it had a little more oomph overall, but it's a pleasant, if uncomplicated scent. Low throw, doesn't last more than a few hours. ...I wish I had some eggnog in the house now. (partial bottle) December 29: The Shivering Boy (2012) -- This is a big blast of the ozonic version of the Lab's frost/cold note at first, with some of the stone note (pleh) and a bit of distant greenery. As it dries it warms up some and the stone fades out, but it still maintains a slightly nose-tingling hint of ozone and something like eucalyptus leaves. There's a fruity note that pops up later, but it's never very strong on me, and some of whatever the Lab uses for thorny vines. It's ... fine, I guess. I can't imagine really wanting to wear this over some of my other snowy scents, but it's not offending my nose or making me want to wash it off. This was a frottle from the Lab with an order last March and I haven't dug it out until now, though I might consider trying this out during warm weather as a cooling scent. Hm. Only a little throw, lasts several hours before fading into oblivion.
December 29 bonus: Arcana Köstlich (GWP Winter 2021) -- So, for the last week or so, once I've finished testing whatever bottle I've been testing, I've been wearing this. The notes are: roasted coffee beans, ginger cakes fresh from a warm oven, tobacco-gilded German amber, sweet vanilla, chai spices, and black Ostfriesentee. (I had to look that last one up, and it's apparently a particular blend of very strong black tea from Northwestern Germany, usually drunk with a rather large chunk of sugar and a dash of heavy cream, and emphatically not stirred.) It's somehow one of the best things I've ever smelled, at least to my nose right now. All of my Arcana Winter scents were winners, but this one beat them all by a large margin. It's somehow exactly what it says it is, all the notes in approximately the order listed, strong but not too strong, with a good throw and excellent longevity. I love it, and I hope it comes up for general purchase sometime so I can recommend it to people! December 30: Budding Realization -- This is a scent I got recently from the Rosebud Tarot Kickstarter. It's quite fresh still, but absolutely lovely. The rose is, predictably, the strongest note, but it's tempered by the clove and sandalwood, plus a rather great shock of pink pepper. As it dries, it warms up and the amber bumps up a bit. The atmosphere here is welcoming and open, even a bit calming, but not in a sleepy way. Later on, it becomes a beautifully woody rose-amber scent, though it's interesting, but because of what clove does on my skin, it ends up smelling a lot like carnation & reminds me a bit of both the BPTP Red Rose from the Unity set and, from what I recall of the last time I dug it out, Hod. I really like this, and I'm super-happy I went for the Kickstarter. Solid, very rosy throw, and good longevity for the relative age of the perfume. I fully expect this to become an extremely gorgeous, even more full-bodied rose scent as it ages. December 31: Exalted Sol: Confidence (Sphere & Sundry) -- My midnight perfume tonight is Eleutheria, because calm, soothing road opening is exactly the vibe I'm hoping for in the next year, but I put on this one before work this morning to give me the oomph I needed to face the day. It ...probably worked? I was able to successfully work through a migraine while I waited for my meds to kick in and then while they borked my equilibrium as they worked. I'll give it a real road test later on, but oh my GOD it smells so good. Beautiful wax and a very sturdy frankincense backed up by some sweetness, a hint of citrus, and later on a gorgeous hit of Balm of Gilead. Most TAL & related creations of Beth's I don't tend to judge very much on how they smell, but this one is a stack of my favorite notes blended into a golden aura. It's also got quite a lot of plant matter floating in it. I wasn't paying attention past the point I put on my mask except for a brief bit while I was at lunch, so I can't comment on throw or longevity (though it was certainly there after ~2 hours of wearing it while I worked, and gone after 8 hours) but ..man, I'll wear this again, for sure. ....And that's a wrap on 2021. I could go count up all the missed days and doubled days and the few repeats, but let's just say I think I wore at least 365 unique perfumes this year (including some OCYL perfumes I didn't talk about), sometimes two or three different ones each day. It got me to really dig into my collection in ways I haven't before this. I posted a few reviews in the relevant forums, though not many (but all the OLLAs!) and helped me choose a few to eliminate as well as added a few scents to my personal wishlist. It also gave me an even deeper insight into what I actually like to wear and let me know that, yeah, actually my sense of my own taste is pretty accurate. Also, it was really fun. In ten minutes from this writing, it'll be a new year, and a whole new set of perfumes to dig into. As I've commented, I could probably fill another two (maybe three??) years with the rest of my BPAL collection, including decants and Lab imps, but ...I do love other companies, so January will feature them, probably starting with Arcana, because I really love Julia's blends and have quite a few. Thanks for reading!

windbourne

December 1, 2021

Miss Twilight's Blog

2021 12 Days of Christmas Q&A

Is there anything you forgot to put on your Qs you wish you had? Ermmmm a winning lottery ticket!   If you were down with knitted or crocheted items:
do you prefer a wearable or amigarumi? If wearable, is there something you’d really like? If amigarumi anything you love? I definitely prefer amigurumi, afghans/blocks, mandalas, doilies, etc. if crocheted unless tunisian crochet. I don't have a need for anything knitted since I'm too hot 99.9999999% of the time and wear t-shirts/camis/capri pants/open toe sandals pretty much all year but there are quite a few knitted amigurumi on my "make for me" list on Ravelry. I'm 100% a yarn snob though and prefer merino or merino/silk. Silk and silk/linen are ok too. Tencel is good. I'm not a fan of MCN or cashmere in general because of the pilling; same goes for single stranded yarn in general. Plied is my friend. No variegated yarn on wearables. Pretty much any yarn is ok for amigurumi though. Teeturtle is having one of their megasales - any tshirts, or whatever, that strike your fancy? Size/fit? I'm a Women's 2x at Teeturtle and I LOVE their shirts but unless they've dramatically sped up, their shipping may be too slow for this swap? Unless you have it shipped direct. Ummm I Lovecrafting would be great. I'll look more tomorrow; I might have a bunch on my Amazon wearables wishlist (I use the universal wishlist button so they go directly to teeturtle.) What is the best book you've read recently? I'm not good at rating books or "recently".. (time is such an illusion for me!) Right now I'm reading "A Chorus of Dragons" by Jen Lyons and need to start book three (but I keep getting interrupted by library books becoming available.) Just finished "The Other Side of the Sky" by Amie Kaufman. Last night I started "Child of Light" by Terry Brooks. My favorite books off the top of my head are The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, The Locked Tomb (however many, no longer a trilogy) by Tamsyn Muir, and all of the Fitz & Fool books by Robin Hobb. And the Naomi Novik Scholomance books. Oh, and the Murderbot books.   What are some examples of decorations you would enjoy? I have ornaments on my amazon holiday wishlist and on my etsy wishlists (especially the ones under Krampus.) NMBC ornaments FTW! (links to my wishlists are in my Signature under SW help.) Skeletal unicorns, bats, krampus, .... Is there any kind of accessory or product you'd want for your hair? I could use more stretchy cotton headbands. There is some hair color I'd love under my bath/beauty wishlist on Amazon. What is your jewelry style? I only wear silver colored and I'm allergic to most metals, so I don't actually wear much jewelry. I would like to get my ears pierced again someday, this time with a bit of a larger gauge. I can wear sterling silver and surgical steel. Are you interested in fandom themed items based on the movies/shows you're into? Nightmare before Christmas, yes yes yes.   Are you interested in spicy sauces/jams etc? yes! I love pepper jelly and jalapeno level spicy things. Are you interested in Thai snacks? e.g. Thai brand crisps, wafer roll type things, savoury small crackers I buy the coconut rolls in bulk at costco so I'm good there. I'm picky about organic and stuff and I'm trying to cut back on cracker type things.   I make light-weight yarn-and-silk-ribbon hair falls. Would you be interested in getting some? Maybe? black and purple forever! What are your favorite animals or mythical creatures? Bats, ferrets, corvids, pit bull type dogs, narwhals, dolphins, whales of all types, rats, my sweet piggies/goats/sheep. oh, duh, horses. Especially Friesians. Hippocampus, fantasy equines of all kinds (kelpies, unicorns, pegasus, any type of mythical water horse or mythical creature with horse form.) Gargoyles/grotesques of all sorts.   I actively support Defenders of Wildlife and am curious if any of these would be of interest?
I love everyone! All the ones I looked at were $$$$$ though. I'm candying citrus peel this year. Oranges, mostly. Is that something you would like? Chocolate dipped? What about homemade caramel sauce?
OMG YES. YES. And more YES. to everything. Do you like adult coloring books at all and if so do any of the ones from this store strike your fancy?
Not a coloring person, sorry. how do you feel about solid perfumes? Not a fan. Honestly most perfume right now isn't working for me because of my respiratory issues and my skin breaking out with contact.   Is there anything in particular you'd want from the UK? Bird & Blend tea! Whittards tea! Chocolate! LUSH! Future Primitive! Anything else I need to try! (Jaffa cakes?) Pudding steamer! Sticky toffee pudding recipes! Christmas crackers (do yours have better gifts inside than ours? ours suck most of the time.) good wine gums! alllll the things! Are you ok with paper books at all? It depends on the book. I'm ok with coffee table books, cook books, knitting pattern books, etc. (I can take a photo or scan the pages I want to use and then use them digitally in the event of cook/pattern books) but I have a really hard time reading paperback novels because of my eyes. I don't have any reading glasses and I'm constantly fighting with my prescriptions at the doctor because I feel blind all the time. Either they give me a too strong prescription so I can't see *anything* close up at all or too weak and I can't see the TV or road signs. Do you already have expansion packs for your fave card games? I pretty much only have two card games - Exploding Kittens NSFW version (no expansions) and Unstable Unicorns - the control box and the chaos box both from the kickstarter (no other expansions, no main game.) My son has Cards against Humanity and Joking Hazard but I don't know which expansions he has or needs. I'd love CAH because I do have "special" cards for it (I joined their "Holiday Bullshit" every year they had they ran it!) Are you interested in perfume samples/decants, or only full sizes? I'm really not a fan of decants or samples, they usually go to live in a box and are never seen again. Unless it's something I *REALLY* want to try or really love and can't get. Yep, there's that duality. But any imps that are from the lab and aren't special ones, I've probably already tried (except for the new RPG's.) I don't mind receiving them; I'll just give them away with sales / swaps though. Are you interested in oracle decks? I like oracle decks! I just received one from a kickstarter; The Knitters Oracle (Alex Tinsley.) How about wax melts? I love all scented things (even if my lungs don't) and I do have multiple wax burners. how do you feel about fruit infused sugar/syrup? I have epic amounts of both, due to my candying this year. I have lemon, citron, orange and cherry. YES PLEASE. Either sugar or syrup or both. All the flavors sound good. how do you feel about candied quince? Sure!

twilighteyes

November 20, 2021

Miss Twilight's Blog

2021 Krampusnachnt Q&A

Haus of Gloi yule update: Would love Snow Wolf in the exfoliant*, scrub, whipped soap*, and/or room spray. Any of the butterbombs sound amazing (except for white chocolate/peppermint) but especially the Holly & Oak. Plum lip balm! PBSW's Yule Update: Comfort & Joy, Snowbird, In Dulci Jubilo - A sacred blaze of beeswax & bayberry candles casting smoking shadows in chapel corners on Christmas Eve this one also sounds amazing. Sugar Spider: Body Scrub -- Suikerspin, Chantilly Creme, Blond Sugar, Blue Marshmello. Or Buttercream in there too. (ALL THE VANILLA) if SLS / paraben / phthalate free. (I couldn't find anything on the site about this and I haven't asked Brooke because I haven't been able to afford any since she opened Sugar Spider. lol.) Solstice Scents: I would love Estate Vanilla or Estate Amber EDP samples. Whipped soap or bath salts would be welcome if SLS / paraben / phthalate free. Any interest in any of the following in a krampus theme? + Tee (sizing?) I do already have two Krampus t-shirts (both are red, one from BPAL) but ALL THE KRAMPUS SHIRTS are welcome. A black one would be nice. I prefer women's cut, 2X or larger. Would really love a super light weight zip up hoodie with Krampus on the back, black or dark grey. I couldn't find any to add to my wishlist. I'm too hot 99.9999% of the time (thyroid + weight gain) but I'm on a weight loss regimen right now (have lost over 15lbs since taking out my IUD, TMI sorry - that thing made me gain so much weight!) so I'm hoping when I get down to a reasonable size again that my temperature will even back out. Then I'll love oversized sweat shirts / sweaters again! + mask I would LOVE a Krampus mask but I really need ties (the ear loops don't work for me) and I like really big masks. I was thinking I might attempt to make one with my leftover Spoonflower krampus fabric. Would definitely welcome awesome Krampus fabric. I should go see if there is any new stuff at Spoonflower since I haven't looked in a couple of years. + jewelry (necklace? Earrings? ) My ears (and other multiple body parts) are no longer pierced (sniff) and I haven't been wearing any jewelry so it would just look pretty in my jewelry box. +socks I wouldn't say no but I honestly only wear socks like 2-3 times a year these days like if I absolutely have to go walk in the snow for some reason. Open toed slip on wedge sandals forever!!! (usually I can make it to the car without having to walk in the snow.) also I have size 11/12 feets and need men's socks. What is something you can't get where you live that you wish some nice person who lives somewhere else would send you? Usually I make a friend in Arizona go buy Canon's Sweet Hots and ship them to me by the HUGE box but I still have a few jars left right now. I can't find any Toom locally and I'm too cheap to order it; I've tried to find other brands of garlic dip / garlic sauce, like Teta, but nothing available around here. (Like grocery stores here even carry Yellow Bird. But garlic sauce? no.) Next time I go to Seattle I can probably find some if I remember to look. Ummmm I can't really think of anything else right now. edit: oh! If you're on the East Coast, I'd love to try chocolate from L.A. Burdick, especially the chocolate mice and truffles. Most things I can get ... unless we're talking stuff from outside of the USA or restaurants or from the past. (dang, I super have The Morbs right now.) Please send a really good Indian restaurant with a little grocery store that has paneer. And an Ethiopian food grocery store. And minions to make me food. And Japanese kit kats. kthx. However, I do love to try your favorite things that are local to you --- coffee (whole bean or k cup), tea, chocolate, truffles, bath stuff, things from farmer's markets or little indie shops, local raw HONEY (ALL THE HONEY), whatever. Do you have a particular Krampus favorite? Does one type seem most Krampus to you? I love Cat Krampus too, so cute!!! (That humanoid Krampus has the right feet though; I guess Krampus has one cloven hoof and one human foot according to some lore that I read. shrug.) But yeah, I love the "cuter" Krampus' and less the vintage humanoid. Silhouette is good too. Abigail Larson and Iren Horrors both have Krampus things on their society6 page (stickers, mugs, prints, phone skins, everything) and Abigail also illustrated a Krampus book in case people are fans of their art. (you can snoop my ALL THINGS KRAMPUS amazon list if you want to look) Abigail has done some BPAL bottle artwork. This one is super cute too, although very whimsical for a Krampus (and too expensive for the swap, lol.) Also I'm totally in love with this Cat Krampus cookie cutter: https://www.etsy.com/listing/838606658/cute-krampus-cookie-cutter-half-goat? WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PERFECT KRAMPUS SCENT, SWAP VICTIMS? I'm thinking evergreens, vanilla, and tiny bit of alpine snow. If you got earrings, could you live with them having little jingle bells? Or would that drive you MAD. They are the ball type, not actual bells. Just one bell each. No earrings for me. (I do have a pair of Yule Converse High Tops that are red and green plaid and have bells on the little tag that comes out of the back so I jingle constantly as I walk.) (just like these ones! So bells in general aren't out.) Homemade fruitcake with fruit soaked in booze for weeks- naughty or nice? Homemade could be ok depending on fruit and booze? 😈 I super love this recipe I have for cherry almond fruitcake (soaked in amaretto) that is nom. I totally soak the fruit in the amaretto and then use WAY MORE amaretto than it calls for to soak the cake. I'm going to go with NICE. Store bought is naughty. Cellar Door released a Krampus soap and candle today, in case someone is looking for a leathery Krampus scent for their person. ooooh I would love to try the cellar door soap and candle. Bad Santa sounds amazing too. (I hope they start doing other bath products in the future, their scents sound so awesome!) I'd be down for soap ends too, like Black #1, Holiday Hearth, White Pine Wonderland, Tobacco & Oakmoss, Patchouli Haze, SEX MACHINE (sounds amazing.) I KNOW ... I DON'T WANT BAR SOAP... UNTIL I DO If I were to send fudge from my ETSY shop, what would you like, my pretties? ALL OF IT. THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH PENUCHE. (and maybe Forest Fruit this time? Chocolate peanut butter?) And Christmas Pudding. And your special homemade brandy to put on Christmas Pudding.

twilighteyes

November 19, 2021

foxwrapped's blog

2021 12 Days of Christmas

If you were down with knitted or crocheted items: do you prefer a wearable or amigarumi? If wearable, is there something you’d really like? If amigarumi anything you love? ooo maybe a penguin or an alpaca Is there anything you forgot to put on your Qs you wish you had? hmmm not that I can think of! Teeturtle is having one of their megasales - any tshirts, or whatever, that strike your fancy? Size/fit? One of the reading themed ones, ha! Unisex small

What are some examples of decorations you would enjoy? Hmmm... stuff for a dinner party might be nice and useful. Fancy drinkware and plates, serving utensils, christmas crackers. I love candles esp. during this time
Is there any kind of accessory or product you'd want for your hair? Silky scrunchies. I sometimes put my hair up in a bun, something for that?
What is your jewelry style? I like big rings (size 5.5 to 6.5) and dangling necklaces! Love gothy pendants and 80s style stuff.
Are you interested in fandom themed items based on the movies/shows you're into? OMG yes. I am obsessed with Hannibal (as you may know), but I also really like Midsommar. I love handmade fanart and fan crafts
Are you interested in spicy sauces/jams etc? YES. Love spicy and can definitely use some more hot sauces! I'm running low
Are you interested in Thai snacks? e.g. Thai brand crisps, wafer roll type things, savoury small crackers? YES, that sounds amazing. The crisps in particular

I make light-weight yarn-and-silk-ribbon hair falls. Would you be interested in getting some? OooO I think I have an idea for where I will wear these! I'll try to go to Wasteland Weekend next year so I would LOVE something for that! UPDATE: also, I would love to go to another event of the organizers, https://www.neotropolis.com/ which is Cyberpunk themed so some hairfalls (i looooove neon green/yellow) would be PERFECT OMG What is the best book you've read recently? ha i missed this question! I recently read My Sister the Serial Killer and loooooved it! I like tight writing with vivid characters that's on the darker side. I also really loved The Ladder to the Sky, about a self-centered but psychologically empty writer who gets more and more twisted in his search for stories and fame. I actively support Defenders of Wildlife and am curious if any of these would be of interest? https://gifts.defenders.org/wildlife-adoptions?price=20-30 OMG the penguin 100%. For my Husband Paul What are your favorite animals or mythical creatures? Hmmm I just got a Betta fish so a betta? I also love vampires ha Do you like adult coloring books at all and if so do any of the ones from this store strike your fancy? those look so cool but I don't do coloring books sorry! how do you feel about solid perfumes? Sure, I'll try! Is there anything in particular you'd want from the UK? I love almost anything UK! Ooo some of those ah, royal wedding souvenirs (like a teacup or a tea tin) of Harry and Megan? The tackier the better, haaaa Are you ok with paper books at all? yes, I prefer it! my ereading is erotic fanfiction hahaaaaaa Do you already have expansion packs for your fave card games? hmm... for cards against humanity i've got a LOT of expansion packs but! one of the things i've been searching for are expansions to Joking Hazard (I have none). Are you interested in perfume samples/decants, or only full sizes? i prefer full sizes (I love the art on them), but i looooove to smell everything! Are you interested in oracle decks? oh yes! How about wax melts? no, I don't have a warmer and I'm not that interested! i love the flame bwahahaha catnip? I've got no cats, sorry!

foxwrapped

November 18, 2021

yowahoshihime's Blog

Swap Questions Masterlist

Yule Cat 2022 12 Days of Christmas 2021 2020 13 Nights of Halloween 2021 2020 2019 2018 Switch Witch 2020 2019 2018 Summer Swap Sprite 2022 This is Halloween 2022

yowahoshihime

November 16, 2021

yowahoshihime's Blog

12 Days of Christmas Questions 2021

Is there anything you forgot to put on your Qs you wish you had? Not that I can think of. If you were down with knitted or crocheted items: do you prefer a wearable or amigarumi? If wearable, is there something you’d really like? If amigarumi anything you love? Wearables. I'd really love a shawl or cowl. Fingerless gloves are great top because I'd rather freeze as I completely loose all tactile ability in fingered gloves OTL I'd also be thrilled with fox related amigarumis. Teeturtle is having one of their megasales - any tshirts, or whatever, that strike your fancy? Size/fit? Any of the non-gaming fox/kitsune shirts or pins (except fire kitsune which I own) Shirts are a men's 3X What are some examples of decorations you would enjoy? Anything related to foxes lol. Or chihuahuas. Tiny little figurines I can put on bookcases. Small frames for artwork. Hanging wall art that isn't too large. Small means I can fit more lol.
Is there any kind of accessory or product you'd want for your hair? My hair is currently pixie cut short. I am growing it out but even as fast as my hair grows it'll be a while before I can do much with it. I do like wide headbands though and haven't had any for some time. They need to not be the type that really curve in at the bottom though as I have a large head and they can cause a headache. (so nothing kid sized! I tried to wear them because they were cuter and I was into decora style a number of years back but gave up due to pain. Now I want more mature gothy stuff)
What is your jewelry style? BONES. I have a couple of real bone earrings (coyote rib and tanuki fang) that I adore and I'd love more bone pieces. For necklaces I hate fabric cords. I prefer a chain. I wear both silver and gold jewelry. One of my favorite brands for reference is Martha Rotten Jewelry. They're semi-local and is at a lot of the craft fairs in the area. (I have the crow feet heart necklace and the antler bracelet)
Are you interested in fandom themed items based on the movies/shows you're into? Only Tamamo stuff. I try to keep my merch collecting limited as I'm a completionist and will quickly find myself in debt if I try to collect too many things OTL
Are you interested in spicy sauces/jams etc? No thanks, I'm not big on spice.

Are you interested in Thai snacks? e.g. Thai brand crisps, wafer roll type things, savoury small crackers Sure! I make light-weight yarn-and-silk-ribbon hair falls. Would you be interested in getting some? No thanks, my hair is too short to wear something like that. What are your favorite animals or mythical creatures? FOXES!! Kitsune on the mythical side. I also love horses and birds. Junkos are a particular favorite. My mom and I would always compete to spot them first as it meant winter was coming. I actively support Defenders of Wildlife and am curious if any of these would be of interest? https://gifts.defenders.org/wildlife-adoptions?price=20-30 As a lover of foxes you can 100% do an arctic fox adoption kit in my name I'm candying citrus peel this year. Oranges, mostly. Is that something you would like? Chocolate dipped? What about homemade caramel sauce? Omg yes please. They would make great cocktail garnishes. Also yes to the caramel sauce. how do you feel about solid perfumes? Not really into them Is there anything in particular you'd want from the UK? JELLY BABIES!!!!! My dad and I are hooked on them and they're so hard to find in the US. Are you ok with paper books at all? Yes!
Do you already have expansion packs for your fave card games? I don't really play any card games
Are you interested in perfume samples/decants, or only full sizes? Only if they're in bottle. I tend to forget I have stuff if it's in decant vials. (ironic coming from the decanter lmao)
Are you interested in oracle decks?
Yes!
How about wax melts? Love them!

yowahoshihime

November 16, 2021

Psuke's Blog

12 Days 2021

What is the best book you've read recently? Um...recently I haven't read anything at all. I've been struggling to read, although historically I am a voracious reader. I really loved the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch (sp?). I also really liked Ursula Vernon's (as T Kingfisher) Hollow Places. I am mostly burnt out on fantasy and murder mysteries and dystopic anything. I wouldn't mind a copy of Space Opera by Catherynne Valente. Or classic fantasy, Johanna Russ/Tanith Lee/Katherine Kurtz stuff. Scour the used bookstore kind of stuff. What are some examples of decorations you would enjoy? The Scary Soltice of The Lovecraft Historical Society, although I own that already. Tatty Victoriana. Sparkly glass/crystal type stuff. Or old fashioned Country Christmas. Is there any kind of accessory or product you'd want for your hair? Unfortunately, accessories fall out of my hair. It's super fine and slick, and takes so much product to keep styled it's just not worth the time for me. What is your jewelry style? Victorian/steampunk/gothic. I like big earrings, short or choker necklaces. I love rings and bracelets, but they don't work for work so I don't really wear them anymore. Are you interested in fandom themed items based on the movies/shows you're into? Sure...NBC, of course, particularly Jack. Invader Zim. I may have mentioned something else in my questionnaire. Are you interested in spicy sauces/jams etc? Not really. Are you interested in Thai snacks? e.g. Thai brand crisps, wafer roll type things, savoury small crackers Sure! I make light-weight yarn-and-silk-ribbon hair falls. Would you be interested in getting some? They sound lovely, but I would likely never wear them. What are your favorite animals or mythical creatures? I don't really have a favorite as such. I actively support Defenders of Wildlife and am curious if any of these would be of interest? https://gifts.defenders.org/wildlife-adoptions?price=20-30 I'm down with a donation in my name and a crafted critter. An actual adoption kit isn't really my thing.

Psuke

November 16, 2021

Llamadolly's blogs

12 Nights of Christmas 2021

Is there anything you forgot to put on your Qs you wish you had? I think I forgot to mention what I collect. I like llamas, camels, otters, and teeny tiny things I can put on my letterbox drawer shelves. If you were down with knitted or crocheted items: do you prefer a wearable or amigarumi? If wearable, is there something you’d really like? If amigarumi anything you love? Amigarumi are the best! Especially really strange ones. I've got a couple of platypuses that friends have made for me (it's a running joke that I don't really believe in them...) and would find it very funny to get more. Teeturtle is having one of their megasales - any tshirts, or whatever, that strike your fancy? Size/fit? Socks are always good but I have way too many t-shirts. What is the best book you've read recently? I read so many books and tend to like all of them! I just read Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller and really liked it. I've been in the dredges of horror lately (it's spooky season!) with some Justina Ireland and Alma Katsu. Caitlin Doughty's books are always favorites of mine but I have all of them. Just discovered Stephen Graham Jones and I'm obsessed! What are some examples of decorations you would enjoy? Twinkly lights, woodland animals, garlands. Is there any kind of accessory or product you'd want for your hair? I use barrettes and hair ties and big poofy scrunchies and hair sticks. What is your jewelry style? Delicate, nature-y, very Art Nouveau. Or ridiculous animals. Are you interested in fandom themed items based on the movies/shows you're into? Definitely! Are you interested in spicy sauces/jams etc? Oh yes absolutely in fact this is exactly the sort of thing I like to receive! Are you interested in Thai snacks? e.g. Thai brand crisps, wafer roll type things, savoury small crackers Sure! I make light-weight yarn-and-silk-ribbon hair falls. Would you be interested in getting some? I probably wouldn't wear a big one but I have a mermaid/siren renaissance festival outfit that could use some accessories in subdued ocean colors (nothing too bright!). What are your favorite animals or mythical creatures? I love all animals. Really. The running joke is that I think platypuses are mythical beasts so my friends give me platypus things. I love otters and other mustelids (badgers, weasels, skunks), all ocean creatures (particularly manta rays, leafy sea dragons, mimic octopuses, sharks, manatees), llamas and camels, and cheetahs and rhinos. I also love mermaids. I actively support Defenders of Wildlife and am curious if any of these would be of interest? https://gifts.defenders.org/wildlife-adoptions?price=20-30 There are many animals on there that I love!! I'm candying citrus peel this year. Oranges, mostly. Is that something you would like? Chocolate dipped? What about homemade caramel sauce? I'm not fond of fruit plus chocolate so no on the chocolate dipped, but I will DEVOUR plain candied citrus peel. Also a resounding yes to caramel sauce. Do you like adult coloring books at all and if so do any of the ones from this store strike your fancy? https://70eastbooks.com/collections/coloring-book-1?page=1 I am not really a coloring book person, I'm afraid. how do you feel about solid perfumes? I'm a fan! Is there anything in particular you'd want from the UK? Dog-themed UK things are always funny here because my dog Amelia is an English setter and very proud of her heritage. Are you ok with paper books at all? Personally I prefer them. Do you already have expansion packs for your fave card games? I don't think I listed my favorite card games but we own and are big fans of Coup (and we have the Reformation expansion) and Love Letter. Are you interested in perfume samples/decants, or only full sizes? Either! Are you interested in oracle decks? Maybe? If they had really pretty artwork or some kind of interesting mechanism to them, but they aren't really something I use normally. That said, I've been known to draw tarot cards for writing inspiration so I'm not ruling it out. How about wax melts? Sure! are you interested in a muscle rub that is similar to icy hot but is homemade by us? Yes! CBD is kind of wasted on me (it doesn't seem to affect me at all) so save yourself the expense and send me the non-CBD version lol How about some home grown organic cat nip? My cats would love this! How do you feel about fruit infused sugar/syrup? Oh they'd absolutely get used How do you feel about candied quince? Yes!

llamadolly

November 16, 2021

Maps and Legends

12 Days of Christmas 2021!

Updated 11-24-21 am Is there anything you forgot to put on your Qs you wish you had? I cannot think of anything, but will be sure to note in the thread if I do! ACTUALLY, did I note that I love marzipan? Well, I do love marzipan. If you were down with knitted or crocheted items: do you prefer a wearable or amigarumi? If wearable, is there something you’d really like? If amigarumi anything you love? I am good with both - I would probably most love either handwarmers or a shawl in terms of wearables or washable socks. I love amigarumi - especially little critters in creepy animals (Skyelyric sent me an adorable little raven for the Halloween swap). Kitties, bats, spiders, snakes, gargoyles, owls, dragons would all be awesome. Or wee fictional Star Wars or Marvel characters would be cool. Teeturtle is having one of their megasales - any tshirts, or whatever, that strike your fancy? Size/fit? Stealing my answer from the Halloween swap - It might be easier to list what I don't want from tee turtle, but I'll try to narrow it down - for tees, I'm a Womens XL and I really like Spellbound, My Cat is a Flerken, The Headless Unicornsman Socks, Don't Make Me Hex You, Spooky Kitty In terms of others, I love Statler and Waldorf & Look Santa off the top of my head. (I have the holiday porgs setting fire to things and the candy cane dragon already along with a bunch of others). I kind of have a tee turtle problem. What is the best book you've read recently? I'm honestly having a hard time answering my own question because I have been reading a lot of really escapist mysteries and fantasy lately, none of which has been particularly good, but has been cheaply entertaining. I have so much bookish info available, though that maybe this isn't really vital or me to answer? What are some examples of decorations you would enjoy? I'm always down for ornaments and fairy lights, dish towels, little animal figures in santa hats. Is there any kind of accessory or product you'd want for your hair? Not really. My hair is super short and I don't really use accessories or products other than volumizing gel that I like. What is your jewelry style? Generally go big or go home. Honestly, that's kind of my style generally. If I'm going to put any effort in, I don't really see the point in subtlety. Are you interested in fandom themed items based on the movies/shows you're into? For sure - useful items, like mugs or waterbottles or clothing are particularly great. Or lego type kits. Are you interested in spicy sauces/jams etc? Absolutely! Are you interested in Thai snacks? e.g. Thai brand crisps, wafer roll type things, savoury small crackers Sure! I make light-weight yarn-and-silk-ribbon hair falls. Would you be interested in getting some? Possibly? If they can work with super short bright burgundy hair. What are your favorite animals or mythical creatures? Kitties, bats, spiders, snakes, gargoyles, owls, dragons I actively support Defenders of Wildlife and am curious if any of these would be of interest? https://gifts.defenders.org/wildlife-adoptions?price=20-30 Sure! I love penguins, owls, otters and sea turtles especially. Honestly, I'd be more down with a donation and a crafty critter or drawing. Unless there's some mechanism to track "my" adoptee, I don't need a certificate and photo and would just as soon everything go to the animals. I'm candying citrus peel this year. Oranges, mostly. Is that something you would like? Chocolate dipped? What about homemade caramel sauce?
Enthusiasticly on board with candied citrus in all forms. Caramel sauce would not go amiss, but probably be used less. Do you like adult coloring books at all and if so do any of the ones from this store strike your fancy? I want to say yes, but should say no, as I have a bunch already. Including for my fandoms. how do you feel about solid perfumes? I'm almost exclusively a BPAL wearer, so unless you're making your own,, it's probably not my thing. When I've tried them,, I can never figure out how to apply them effectively. Is there anything in particular you'd want from the UK? All the sweets? Clotted cream isn't going to ship well. Mince pies. Are you ok with paper books at all? Sure, especially if it means you can send gently used copies or graphic novels. Do you already have expansion packs for your fave card games? Not sure I have favorite card games listed. I'd love CAH kids edition tho. Are you interested in perfume samples/decants, or only full sizes? For BPAL, either. Are you interested in oracle decks? I'm not opposed. How about wax melts? No thanks. Reindeer, are you interested in a muscle rub that is similar to icy hot but is homemade by us (cayenne pepper, menthol, wintergreen, beeswax, olive oil, herbs, etc.) ? If so, CBD version or no CBD version? I said no to the CBD version in another thread, but this might be a good chance to try that? How about some home grown organic cat nip? sure! How do you feel about fruit infused sugar/syrup? I have epic amounts of both, due to my candying this year. I have lemon, citron, orange and cherry. yes please! All sound lovely, especially cherry! How do you feel about candied quince? intrigued

Em-

November 16, 2021

Exclusive-paper

Biological Psychology

The topic of biopsychology concerns a sphere, in which the mentality-body relations are researched via the scientific investigation and clinical practices. Biological psychology studies the biological foundation of the human intellection, feelings, and conducts. The current paper analyzes the biological psychology, which is a major discipline in studying the gender-related differences, especially the gender-related cognitive and behavioral differences. The Topic of Biological Psychology Biological psychology is a study of the physiologic grounds of human conduct. This branch of psychology initially considered the connection between the psychological operations and incumbent physiological occasions (Garrett, 2014, p. 3). It concerns the functioning of the brain and the nervous system in general and in various operations, including intellection, education, sensation, feelings, and apprehension, which are considered the major features of the human brain. Biological psychology has been repeatedly incorporated in researching the physical ground of the inner and outer incentives of the nervous system, especially the optical and aural systems (Garrett, 2014, p. 7). The Origin of Biological Psychology The origin of biological psychology can be traced back to Avicenna, a Persian physician. He considered physiological psychology (the second name for biological psychology) a therapy in the treatment of the illnesses associated with emotions. The scientist developed a system for explaining the alterations in the cardiac rate with the internal emotions (Garrett, 2014, p. 17). Avicenna also developed psychological definitions for the particular somatic diseases. In addition, he used to associate the physical and psychological diseases in general. He asserted that the so-called humidity in the head could cause various mood disorders; the scientist asserted that it developed when the breathing rate altered. In such a manner, felicity elevated the breathing, which caused the raised humidity in the brain. However, in the case the humidity further increased, the brain might lose control over its rationalism and develop certain mental disorders (Garrett, 2014, p. 18). Biological psychology as a scientific branch and discipline had developed from a plenty of scientific and philosophical doctrines of the 18th and 19th centuries (M?ntyl?, 2013, p. 514). The Concept of Human Behavior in Biological Psychology Human behavior is an extremely important concept in biological psychology. Therefore, according to biological psychology, behavior is indissolubly related to somatic or physiological practices, which are produced as a result of the brain’s exposition to susceptible impacts (Garrett, 2014, p. 4). Therefore, biological psychology assumes that the mentality and body have a natural connection; this assertion is supported by the susceptible apprehensions provided by physiology. Recently, many investigations have been conducted in order to cure such conditions as Parkinson’s disease, clinical depression, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, and drug abuse, which all help to stabilize the psychology as such (Garrett, 2014, p. 17). Psychologists of the biological approach conclude that the behavior and practice are determined by the operation of the nervous system. The concepts, which the human beings cognize and sensate, invent and perform are provoked by the electrochemical occasions appearing in and between the neurons, which create the nervous system, especially the neurons in the brain. Many biopsychologists assert that, due to the fact that the evolvement of the brain is defined by the genes an individual intercepts, the conduct may be impacted by genetic agents (Garrett, 2014, p. 12). The Impact of Biological Psychology on the Human Health, Well-Being, and Lifestyle Biological psychology observes the feasible psychological reasons responsible for the health issues, including deficiency of self-discipline, emotional splutter, and negative speculations. When these health issues are solved, a person can improve the overall health and well-being (M?ntyl?, 2013, p. 514). In fact, various biopsychological influences can provoke a biological reaction by inducing the person to hazardous effects. For instance, the doldrums by itself usually do not cause any liver issues. Nevertheless, a depressed individual may develop certain alcohol problems, which, in turn, will affect the liver. Therefore, there might be an increased likelihood of the problems and complications in the future. Biological psychology allows changing the overall lifestyle, which will eliminate the potential difficulties of the mood and behavior disorders (M?ntyl?, 2013, p. 514). Gender-Related Cognitive and Behavioral Differences One of the most important topics in biological psychology is gender differences, particularly, gender-related cognitive and behavioral peculiarities. It is a well-known fact that males and females intermingle, ratiocinate, sensate, apprehend, repute, and love in a different way, due to the fact that they figuratively talk in different languages. Therefore, it is important to understand how distinctive the males and females are. Berninger et al. (2008) conducted a research to investigate the gender differences in terms of the writing and reading disabilities, as these issues are usually caused by the cognitive and behavioral differences. On the other hand, Howell, Davis, and Williams (2008) researched the concept of infant talking peculiarities, which might be also explained by the gender differences. The girls reach the talking stage earlier than the boys do; therefore, they have more practice, knowledge, and confidence in the sphere. Finally, M?ntyl? (2013) researched the gender differences from the perspective of dimensional and spatial ability, as it is considered that males surpass females in this sphere. The question of gender difference cannot be lightly responded not because of the fact that there is a shortage of investigation on the topic, but because the results of the investigations are frequently obscure and conflicting. One cause is provoked by the fact that distinctive investigators approach the same peculiarity in different ways (Garrett, 2014, p. 221). Modern parents endeavor to bring up their children evenly; however, the parents who declare to act this way have been discovered to behave in a different manner and play other games with an infant-girl and an infant-boy. Distinguishes in upbringing could definitely have the responsibility for notable contrast in conduct, character, and self-perspectives (Garrett, 2014, p. 222). There are three major divergences in the social conduct and cognitive operation. Firstly, females have better verbal stirring than males do. Secondly, males surpass females in the visual-dimensional skills (M?ntyl?, 2013, p. 515). Thirdly, males are usually better in mathematics. Finally, males are more bellicose than females. However, it is crucial to affix two additional points. Firstly, there is a notable overextend between males and females in these references. Secondly, the divergences are rather characteristic. For example, it is known that women surpass men in the verbal evenness and writing activity but not in reading perceptivity or lexicon while men’s dimensional performance surpasses the women’s one more in the duties necessary for the mental circumvolution of the three-dimensional target and less in other dimensional problems (Garrett, 2014, p. 224). That is the best argument that the three cognitive divergences mentioned above are impacted by practice; in fact, they have reduced with time due to the fact that the gender functions and roles have altered. In fact, investigation of 7 million students demonstrated that the gender divergence in the ordinary mathematical operation has vanished away in the US, despite the fact that males are of a disproportionally large number at both the lower and the higher poles (Garrett, 2014, p. 225). Similar tendencies were investigated in a research of 89 states. The data received suggest that the advance is caused by the growing gender evenness (Garrett, 2014, p. 225). Furthermore, the effective delirium in the murder scale in various states presupposes that there is a serious cultural impact on the bellicosity, as well (Garrett, 2014, p. 226). Although the environmental impacts perform a crucial function, gender differences in cognition and conduct also oblige a deal to biology. Most frequently, the investigators associate divergences with estrogen and testosterone, especially in the organizational evolvement of the brain during pregnancy. Such an opinion receives backing by the fact that the gender divergences in distinctive brain locations depend on the concentration of sex hormone receptors in these locations (Garrett, 2014, p. 227). The influence of the sex hormones on the brain evolvement is most apparent in people, who have unusual sexual development. In such a manner, males who experience a deficiency of testosterone during puberty are disabled afterwards in dimensional capacity, and testosterone substitution in older male enhances their dimensional operation (M?ntyl?, 2013, p. 515). Male who take estrogens as they consider themselves females (transsexual males) enhances their results in the verbal evenness while their dimensional operation decreases. On the other hand, transsexual females taking testosterone lose verbal excellence but improve dimensional operation (Garrett, 2014, p. 226). Bellicosity in men is partially patrimonial; genetic influences stand for approximately half the divergence in bellicosity, Aggression, in turn, is reasonably consistent in the identical twins even if they are brought up apart (Garrett, 2014, p. 227). According to Howell et al. (2008), an average 20-month old girl has twice as large lexicon as an average 20-month old boy does. This phenomenon is caused by the fact that preschooler females reach the talking stage earlier than boys do; thus, they have more experience. Such an early speaking is practically considered a stereotype concerning the fact that most girls have more advanced verbal capacities (Howell et al., 2008, p. 675). It is very significant for boys to be engaged in the communication with parents and other family members. Girls are eventually willing to speak while boys usually require being stimulated (Garrett, 2014, p. 221). Men are more likely to detect the response and progress (Howell et al., 2008, p. 675). There are a number of characteristics, which prove the fact that the boys usually experience problems with the reading activity; however, the recent data demonstrate that the issue can be easily manages with the reading aloud practice (Berninger et al., 2008, p. 169). Conclusion In fact, the paper demonstrated that biological psychology is a crucial branch of psychology as it investigates the human conduct. The paper showed that there are three major differences in the social conduct and cognitive operation. As a rule, these differences are caused by the parental upbringing and biological issues. In fact, it means that the parental upbringing together with the testosterone and estrogen levels influence the gender-related cognition and conduct patterns from the early childhood. This article is written by Scott Allen who is an editor at https://exclusive-paper.net/

Gundzilla

November 16, 2021

Eldritchhobbit's Blog

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eldritchhobbit

November 11, 2021

Ghost Turtles in the Sky

BPAL Scents I've Tried, Sorted

Latest Update: April 4, 2024 A Picnic in Arkham Arkham Azathoth Activism Abolish ICE No Coward Soul Is Mine American Gods Shadow The Small Brown Cat Ars Amatoria Bathsheba Bien Loin D'Ici Debauchery Defututa Harlot Hunger La Petite Mort Le Lèthè Le Serpent Qui Danse Lolita Maiden Spellbound Vixen Ars Moriendi Deep In Earth Jazz Funeral The Ghost Twilight Zombi Bewitching Brews Anne Bonny Bewitched Black Forest Black Pearl Bliss Blood Blood Kiss Blood Pearl Chimera Come To Me Dee Highwayman Jack Jolly Roger Juke Joint Kubla Khan Lampades Ouija Plunder Rakshasa Scherezade Schrodinger's Cat The Coiled Serpent The Forest Reverie The Jersey Devil The Raven Yggdrasil Zephyr BITCH PLANET Non-Compliant The Catholic Carnaval Diabolique The Chapel Conjure Bag Love Me Van Van Wolf's Heart Diabolus Baobhan Sith Bloodlust Dracul Fenris Wolf Goblin Hell's Belle Kitsune-Tsuki Marie Nephilim Phobos Wicked Discontinued Scents Baghdad Eris Danube Niflheim Slobbering Pine The Music of Erich Zahn Umbra Doc Constantine's Pharmacopoeia Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener Event Exclusive Chaotic v3 Surly Dragon Excolo Al-Shairan Alecto Baron Samedi Coyote Czernobog Gaueko Hades Hecate Kurukulla Nyx Pele Persephone Shango Sjöfn Thanatos Xiuhtecuhtli Gifts with Donation or Purchase Marshmallow Chick Sanguinem Menstruum (2019) Pumpkin Pie Musk Good Omens Madame Tracy (2007) Halloweenie All Souls (2006) Bobbing for Blood Kisses (2022) In Night When Colors All Are Black To Cast (2020) October (2023) Please Scream Inside Your Pumpkin Patch (2020) Pumpkin Booze (2020) Pumpkin Spice Absinthe (2021) Pumpkin Spice Perversion (2017) Pumpkin Spice Snake Latte (2021) Pumpkinville (2021) Samhain (2021) The Necromancer (2022) Voluptuous Wantonness (2019) Illyria Iago Katharina Lady MacBeth Othello Robin Goodfellow The Apothecary Titania Inspiration Bram Stoker Liliths A Demon and Her Unholy Basketball (2020) Cerberus'ish (2021) Cruor (2021) Étienne De Boray Oak (2020) Limited Editions Black Swallowtail Champagne and Blood Every Day You Play With The Light Of The Universe Irish Coffee Buttercream Jareth Luke 10:25-37 On Imagination The Divine Scientist The Hierophant's Benediction The Woman at the Edge of the Woods Woman As Dragon Lupercalia Blissful Domesticity (2021) Box of Chocolates (2011) Coy Mermaid with a Vulva-Shaped Head (Shunga 2021) Famous Kabuki Actors in Imagined Scenes of Lovemaking (Shunga 2021) Right Atrium (2019) Mad Tea Party Alice's Evidence Cheshire Cat High-Strung Daisies The Dodo The Queen of Hearts White Rabbit Marchen Baba Yaga The Grave-Pig The Sea Foams Blood The White Rider Only Lovers Left Alive Blood Popsicle Café Mille et Une Nuits Diamond Star Hal In Templum Dei July 23, 1868 This Is Your Wilderness Phoenix Steamworks & Research Facility Galvanic Goggles The Antikythera Mechanism The Obsidian Widow The Robotic Scarab Rappaccini's Garden Belladonna Black Lily Black Lotus Black Rose Blood Rose Deadly Nightshade Honey Strangler Fig Retail Exclusive Descent (Haute Macabre) RPG Bard Cleric Drider Crossing Guard Dwarven Ale Elf Evil Fighter Lawful Monk Neutral Rogue Tiefling Therapist Vial of Holy Water Sin & Salvation Death On A Pale Horse Envy Greed Lust Oblivion Parapatman Roadhouse Rose Cross The Bow & Crown of Conquest Vice The Last Unicorn Schmendrick The Vampire Tarot The Pope Twilight Alchemy Lab New Beginnings (2020) Vampires Don't Sleep Alone Misericordia Sanctus Silenti Transeo Wanderlust Cairo Eden El Dorado Hollywood Babylon Paris Port Royal Shanghai Tenochtitlan Windward Passage Yules Gingerbread Witch (2020) Gingerbread Snek (2023) Hard Luck Lollipop (2023) In Splendoribus Sanctorum (2019) Midnight Mass (2023)

skyturtles

November 9, 2021

Maps and Legends

Krampusnacht Swap Questions

Updated 11/4/21 Haus of Gloi yule update: I'd love to try Mama’s Porridge, Spruce Tip Shortbread and Winter Divinity in bubbling scrub, whipped soap or pumpkin butter; all of the lip balms also look good PBSW's Yule Update: I LOVE Christmas Morning Riot (would get the most use out of hot process soap), Comfort and Joy, Poinsettia, The Golden Orb (sorbetto or soap sample sizes) Sugar Spider: I have a big stockpile from last year's Candy Cluster, so I'm good. Solstice Scents: Not really my bag Any interest in any of the following in a krampus theme? + Tee (sizing?) Absolutely, women's XL (Relaxed fit if that's an option) + mask - YES PLEASE!!! + jewelry (necklace? Earrings? ) - Sure - earrings, necklace or a charm bracelet would all be fun +socks - definitely! Love fun socks, prefer calf length or knee highs Krampus style - Stocking color - really dark, almost black green and red Style - cat, cute, demonic in that order What is something you can't get where you live that you wish some nice person who lives somewhere else would send you? Trying to think of anything - generally speaking, I love any kind of regional sweets, Asia specific Tokidoki? Perfect Krampus Scent - Smoldering red musk, fir tree switches, and dark chocolate "coal" Jingle bells on earrings - please no, that sounds like a sensory nightmare right next to my ears. Bells in other places are fine. Fruitcake - I LOVE trying other people's fruitcake, but homemade only, please. Fudge - I love Holly's penuche with pecans, I'd love to try the chocolate mint. The forest fruits is super good too. Cellar Door - I might like the Krampus Nacht in a candle, but not so much a soap. Holiday Hearth and White Pine Wonderland would also be fabulous. I would enjoy soaps in Bad Santa, Frost Bite, Frozen Lakeshore, Gumdrop Forest, Jingle Juice, Merry Michigan, Snowy Morning, and Your Nutty Family - maybe some soap ends?

Em-

November 2, 2021

Renazuki's Blog

Tired.. very... very tired

Meh - so very tired today. Pretty sure its from staying up way, way too late last night. Trying to wake up but it's really not working well. I have class in 30 minutes or so and I'm really hoping I can stay awake for it. Hmmm looking at my desk, I feel a sidetrack coming on. I really need to clean it and get ride of some of the junk on here. Put earrings where they need to go and just a general clean up. I would love to have space for a second monitor but that's not happening in this current desk configuration. ah well back to pondering awakeness.

Renazuki

November 1, 2021

Windbourne's Scent-A-Day

November

🐇🐇 New month, time to test all the decants I accumulated during October. Maybe I'll make November All Decants All The Time. I certainly have enough of them! November 1: Jiaolong -- Surprisingly smooth! The Lab's coffee notes can go kind of funky on me, but this one starts with a warm cup of very good coffee with three or four sugars and then blooms into an exquisite black musk. Black musk often smells a little citrus-like to me, and this is no exception, but it melds beautifully with the sugar (which also can smell a touch lemony) and the coffee bean. As it dries I lose most of the coffee, and it simplifies into a sweet black musk, still warm and almost a touch sweaty. I feel like this would make a really good layering scent to deepen and add some sweetness. Oddly, despite liking this one, I'm not sure if I'll buy a bottle. It's not quite my aesthetic, though I have some friends I think it might smell amazing on, and I have a few other coffee scents that stay more coffee, if that's what I'm after. But I might end up deathmatching one of my LE coffees; this one is really nice. 🤔 Hmm. November 2: The Grindhouse -- On paper, this should be a great love for me. I like or love nearly all the notes and there's nothing in here that is solidly awful for me. On my skin, though it's really not my style. It's very mature, sexy and blossomy in a way I can't quite pull off. It has aspects in common with some other scents I do love -- Mme. Moriarty, Blood Pearl -- and others I'm not so fond of -- Smut, Hell's Belle -- but mashes them together in a way that mostly makes me feel very neutral about the entire experience. The florals are strong and fleshy except for the rose, which chills at the very back of this scent, but the iris and red musk are the strongest notes by far. It has a pretty solid throw for a while, but poor longevity, which is really odd for something with red musk at this strength. I'm used to that note hanging out forever. Hm, yeah. Glad I tried it, but not one I'll buy more of. November 3: Jaawi -- Interesting. This is a pretty nice scent in the abstract, but really not suited to my skin and something in it is making my eyes itch to the point where I'm not sure I can really give it a fair review, tbh. I'm guessing it's the bay leaf? There's nothing else in there that I haven't worn in some other scent in the recent past that I can think of, and, of course, it might be some other environmental or internal factor, but oof. Anyway, before my eyes started itching it seemed like a pleasantly woody/champaca scent with an undertone of dark coconut husk and a very gentle waft of lavender wayyyyy in the back. It's a little ....raspy? It's not a smooth scent, it's rougher to my nose. Anyway, I'm going to go wash my hands and face and put this in the 'test again later' box. November 4: Vanilla Cream & Pear -- If I didn't have The Vine, I'd be all over this, but I do and The Vine blows it out of the water completely in terms of how I want pear to smell on me. It's a soft, sweet, creamy pear, very simple, very basic, no surprises on me at all. The cream note isn't super distinct, but backs up the pear in a pleasant way, thankfully. Very poor longevity and throw, completely gone in less than an hour. It's fine, but also a bit boring. November 5: Elderberry Flower & Sandhill Plum -- This is a no from me as well. It smells like expensive soap. I feel like I just washed my hands in a very fancy hotel. This plum is definitely a bit different from other plum notes, thinner and sharper, and I'm not really enjoying the way it smells on my skin. Throw is moderate, longevity is pretty good, but overall not to my tastes. Definitely passing this one along. November 6: The Best Lies (American Gods) -- Another simple scent, but this one I like. 😂 Sweet pink roses with a waft of almost-citrus-like sugar and something that, on me, reads more as honey dust than liquid honey. A few of the reviews mention a makeup-like scent, and I get that too briefly, like the scent of some classic rose-scented face lotion or scented body powder or something like that. Urban Decay had a honey-scented body powder many years ago, and if that had a hint of rose, it'd be a bit like this. Eventually the powder fades and it becomes a lovely candied rose scent. I have quite a few of these kinds of scents, so I probably won't buy a bottle, but if you are lacking in that sort of thing, this is a wonderful example of it. Good longevity and moderate throw. November 7: Today's a migraine day. I kind of looked at my decants and winced, so I'm not even going to try. >_>; Hopefully it'll be done by tomorrow; I got things to do. x_x;;;; November 8: Yeaaaaah, no. v_v;;;;;;; November 9: The Small Brown Cat (American Gods) -- Huh, I probably could have handled this one yesterday, it's extremely mellow. Cedar isn't a big favorite of mine, as it tends to go pencil shavings on my skin, but this has a very lovely fluffy fur musk (similar to those in deer-related scents like Ivanushka or Buck Moon prior to 2021) and cardamom-scented vanilla to smooth the cedar out to the point where it really is just a touch, and a nice, more live cedar tree touch rather than processed and shredded wood. I don't necessarily get 'cat' out of this scent, but it's very laid-back and calming. I like it quite a bit! I don't know that I'll need more than this full decant, but I'm happy I went for it. Very low throw, it stays close to my skin, but solid staying power. I can still smell it on my wrist several hours later, at which point it's a soft furry vanilla. I'm also a bit curious about how this is going to age. It's maybe a month or two old at this point, but I'm betting it'll be either gorgeous in a year or two, or the cedar will take over and it will be less to my tastes. Definitely going to keep it and find out! November 10: The Silver Dollar (American Gods) -- First: wow, iris!! Followed rapidly by gently tart and slightly bitter white tea, a very clean and laundry-like white musk, and a faint hint of actual citrus from the bergamot. The benzoin primarily makes it a little smoother than it might otherwise be, though that does make it an essential part of the blend because whoooof this would probably be screechy without it. I like it, mostly? There was a particular phase of my collecting experience where I would have been all over this, but the fact is that I don't like wearing most tea scents very much. White tea in particular smells real funky on my skin, and not a lot like tea at all. The iris is very big here, giving it a lot more throw than I might have expected, but it starts fading out after maybe three hours. Six hours later, it's just a dusting of slightly tart iris. Very interesting. I'll keep the decant for now, but I don't think I'll buy more. November 11: Bast (AG) -- For me this starts with a powerful hit of myrrh and some of the dry desert note that I love in the oldest bottles of The Ifrit. I haven't bought or sniffed a new one in years, but there were *definitely* batch variations for that one, and, I suspect, for this one, based on the variance in reviews. There's a very perfumey aspect to it, mostly from the amber, but the cardamom is playing assist there, too. As it dries it gets sweeter, though, and the honey/cacao combo gives it a kind of weird undertone on me, one that I'm not sure I entirely like. Eventually it all blends together into a warm, sweetly resinous fragrance that hovers over my skin and just smells lovely. This is another I feel is probably going to age well, but possibly into something I don't like. I'm definitely holding onto this one, because I love that desert note and there's not much that has it. November 12: The Forgettable God (AG) -- I'm having a bit of an allergy problem at the moment, so perhaps a scent that is described as being faint and light both in reviews and in the actual description was not a good choice for today. But here I am, wearing it anyway! It is indeed aquatic, a lot fresher than I normally prefer, but also I'm pretty sure contains some of what composes their glass accord (as in House of Mirrors) ... actually, having pulled out House of Mirrors (description: Antique amber frames a series of distorted, eternally warping clear crystal and glass notes), this remarkably similar. HoM is a little sweeter from the amber component, while this has an almost vegetal note that I suspect may get stronger over time. Interesting. I'm definitely going to test this again when my sniffer is back in complete working order. Others I might test this against: Sea of Glass, maybe some of the misty scents, though it doesn't have the pear-like quality, it does have the slight citrus tang that some of them do. November 13: Coin Trick (AG) -- Wore this yesterday and then forgot to write it up. ^^; This sits somewhere between Media and The Forgettable God for me -- it does smell like something you might pick up at a department store, but it's also got some distinctive BPAL flair that Media worked hard to cover up. It's got moderate throw, though not overwhelming at the amount I typically use, and is very clean and bright, but there's a bit of the metal note and a touch of citrus, possibly grapefruit or bergamot rather than orange or lemon. Longevity is lacking, though. Overall, it's fine, but I probably won't keep it. It's just not really to my tastes. November 14: Zorya Polunochnaya (AG) -- I was really expecting to love this, and I somehow don't. A few people in the review thread mention that it goes powdery or play-doh-like on their skin, and I am unfortunately in that group. The white amber ("pale amber" ...yeah, it's white amber.) is very strong and doesn't mesh well with the other notes on my skin. I can tell this would be lovely on someone else, pale and hypnotic and wispy, but unfortunately, on me it's pretty much just loud white amber with a fragrant floral background. Even the ambergris, which normally takes over on me, can't compete in this one, at least until almost ten hours on. Throw is potent, longevity is good. (See also: The Girl, to which it bears some similarity.) November 15: Kind of a loss, I've been sneezing all day because I was cleaning and there was a lot of dust, so my nose is laughing gently at the idea of being able to wear anything and have it smell like ...anything, really. I put on The Carousel (AG) but it's a kind of greenish-ambery muddle to me right now. Time for a nasal rinse, then trying again tomorrow, probably the same thing, since I'm determined to get through these American Gods decants and this is the last one. As of right now, it kind of reminds me of The Apothecary, but I'm 90% sure there's some subtleties I'm missing because I am full of ooze. I'm expecting it to remind me a bit of Eve, and right now it doesn't. ^^; November 16: The Carousel (AG) -- Yeah, that's better. It really does remind me of Eve (OLLA), with less rose, a gentle hit of cinnamon, and more ozone in amongst the mishmash of green and earthy and resinous notes. I don't really get much in the way of the blood note, but it's got a bit of sweetness that brings dragon's blood to mind. Overall, this isn't bad. I do already have two bottles of Eve and they're definitely different scents, but similar enough in overall effect, as well as the feeling of age and mystery that I probably don't need to buy more. I'm keeping this for sure, though, I have *got* to see what this does as it ages. November 17: Calligraphy Practise ('12) -- This was a 1/2 decant the decanter kindly included with my AG requests, but I feel somewhat certain that I've got one somewhere lurking in my Lupers drawer, or at least, the notes seem mostly like the sort of thing I'd want to try. Under any circumstances, this is primarily a woody/resinous herbal scent on me; the beeswax surprises me by being extremely tame and sitting wayyyy at the back under the sandalwood, oud, and sage. As it wears, it develops into a very incense-like scent, completely with a hint of smokiness. Overall, it's ...nice. I didn't really have a strong reaction to it, either positive or negative. I don't hate it, it's pleasant, but man, I have at this point smelled so many variously similar scents that I'm just like, yeah, pleasant, shrug? A bit of throw, lasted for a few hours before my nose tuned it out, but if I sniffed deeply ~six hours in, traces of lightly waxy wood were still pretty clear on my wrist. November 18: Eleutheria (TAL) -- This isn't really a perfume, by my lights. It's bright and herbal and feels ...thoughtful. It doesn't smell like something I'd want to wear to smell nice, it smells like something I'd use to dress a candle or put in a diffuser to bring a particular energy to the table. I've got Road Opener and a couple of other inspiration and rebirth types of TALs (including Libertas, which feels a bit like a rougher, more active and brilliant sister-scent to this), but this one really does feel gentle, milder than the others, even though the scent itself is somewhat pungent. ...I might actually want to buy a bottle of this one, actually, for various reasons, I feel like it might be a really useful thing to have around next year. Hm. November 19: Apparently this month is a two migraine month. =_= I feel pretty awful, so no perfume today. November 20: Geek.Goth -- All-decant November continues with some event exclusives I haven't touched in a while, and some I completely forgot I owned. This is, by the description, intended to evoke Mtn. Dew or Surge or similar, but what I get from it at first is lime-scented champagne. It doesn't quite smell sugary enough to be a soda pop, and on my skin it's just a bit dry. Curiously, what that note does after a short time (and this is almost certainly the same carbonation note that gave most of the fizzy Tiki & Champagne and... scents their oomph, as well as the same effect) is turn into something that reminds me of a particular incense. This isn't weird aging, this is just what that accord smells like on my skin and to my nose. So this turns into a peculiar limey incense on me and ...it's okay? No throw, doesn't last too long, but it's interesting, at least, even if it doesn't exactly say 'geeky goth' to me. November 21: Loli.Goth -- The throw on this smells like a particular strawberry shampoo I used for about a month in or slightly before high school. The up-close sniff smells like gummy candy, but really good gummy candy, not like gummy worms or gummy bears, plus some very light woodsy notes and a soft hint of iris. I don't actually like this very much but it's not awful, I guess? It does seem like it would be nice to wear if you happened to be into that style of clothing, particularly if it were a high-end dress with real soft cotton lace and maybe a print of a tea set with strawberries on it. Definite throw, lasts an acceptable few hours before fading into a wisp of pink. November 22: ....Honestly, I was too wiped to wear perfume today, much less talk about it. Don't work retail during the holidays with nebulous exhaustion-related body problems, kids. It really doesn't feel very good. November 23: A Noiseless Patient Spider -- My Lilith decants arrived! Time to test 'em! Some of them will definitely fall under the category 'needs rest before final judgement' but mailbox sniffing is a time-honored tradition in my house. This one is very interesting, at least at first, mostly lavender and sandalwood. If it had a fruitier aspect, it would remind me a lot of Drow Yoga Instructor. The rest of the notes are pretty mild at this point, but after a while the lavender starts fading out and it becomes surprisingly sweet. Late drydown is mellow woods & resins and very gentle hints of cardamom and iris. It didn't have much throw, but it's also quite fresh, relatively speaking. I deeply suspect this one will age into something very lovely. I'm at about four and a half hours of wear and I can still smell it clearly. Pretty good! November 24: A Place of Seeing -- Definitely needs some time to meld, right now it's pretty but a little bit too disparate, the notes aren't quite harmonizing. This isn't as sweet as I was expecting, the sandalwood and amber are much stronger than the marshmallow and vanilla bean notes, and the bergamot clashes a bit with the rest of it on my skin. It often reads as soapy to me, and it, probably combined with the lavender, lends the whole scent a really weird, almost medicinal tone that I'm not very into. I don't get any rose at all. I'm definitely going to let this sit in a box for a while, but I suspect this is not a bottle scent for me. Throw is pretty mild, but will probably get a bit stronger over time. I've been wearing it for about two hours now, and it's still going strong, so based on my general experiences, I expect this will have good longevity. ETA: it lasted ~6 hours, so ....yep, decent. November 24 pt 2: Cerberus'ish -- Days at home means testing two perfumes in one day. >D Gotta do a little catch up somewhere, and I'd like to get at least 6/12 tested before the end of the BF frimps. I love looking at reviews and marveling at the way the same perfume can smell so different on different people. This, for me, is solidly and distinctly extremely buttery buttercream when wet. The spices are very background. As it dries, the buttercream melts away and it becomes first warm, then slightly burned honey. The marshmallow and stick are both mild, but complement the other notes. Endgame is smoky honey, which was not what I expected, but is pretty nice! As with all of these so far, it is very fresh and has little throw. This one didn't stick around very long, it was fading quick at ~2 12 hours and gone by four. November 25: The Empress and Their Heckhound -- I really liked this, mostly. It's pleasantly nutty, with a gentle lavender and cozy cardamom. Somehow over time it becomes sharper and sharper on my skin, and honestly I'm not sure what outside of the lavender might be causing that. It's not something I'd generally attribute to any of the listed notes. Perhaps there's a hidden white musk in there or something. It'll probably mellow out over time, and the first hour or so was perfect, but ....idk. This is one I'm sitting on to retest in a week or so. November 26: Lights, Camera, Something -- Look, more lavender, vanilla, and cardamom! 🤔 Actually, I loved this. I'm going to test it again to be certain about it, but this will probably be joining my to-be-bottled list. Very simple, but really nice, calming and mellow. No hidden soapiness or mystery sharp notes. It lasted for hours and ended in a mild waft of sweetened lavender. I could probably wear this as a sleep scent (if I didn't have Sopor which I love) but I'd miss the journey and huffing my wrist. Throw was moderate, I could smell it as I typed, but it didn't leave a trail. November 26 pt 2: Lavender Lightning -- I....huh. This was way sweeter than I expected it to be from the notes. On me this is a very floral, almost honey-like lavender, brilliant and intense ozone (similar to the one in Becoming Thunder, which I love), and a hint of feathery greenery. Absolutely fascinating and kind of hypnotic. I'm pretty sure I don't own anything exactly like this, but I think I want to. 💜 Humorously, this was already in my wishlist because I forgot I'd gotten a decant, so it'll just stay there and when I do my add-all-to-cart in a day or so, I'll get a bottle. I might think about it a little harder, but I'm pretty sure I need more of this in my life, if not now, then before the Liliths go down. It is indeed a pretty loud scent, with very solid lasting power, and it remains pretty true through the whole weartime. November 27: O Hushed October Morning Mild -- Intriguing. On me, at its current level of aging (not very) this is a warm, bright, very green scent with just a hint of garden-fresh dirt. I'm having a hard time deciding if I like it or not, though. I like the green, I like the wisps of thyme and fig, especially, but I'm not a very big fan of grass or dirt scents. There's something about it that's reminding me of some old Lush scent, as well, though I can't think of which one. I don't think it's Grass, but it might be. The lavender and coffee notes weave beautifully with the rest, never really coming to the front, but noticeable in the throw. ...Yeah, I think this one is not for me, but my SO might like it very much. If it had a deeper green, galbanum or something like that, I think I'd like it more. November 27 pt 2: Painted Scars -- This is just kid's grape Dimetapp on me. I can tell there's some other, more perfume-like notes underneath the thick syrupy wine accord, but the way the plum & blackberry meld on my skin is ...yeah. grape cough syrup, for almost an hour. After that it destickies a bit and the sandalwood comes up a bit more but this is a no from me. Of course it has good throw and lasts probably well-past the three hour mark at which I was tired of smelling it wafting around the room and washed it off. I've said before that I have trouble with blackberry, and it's still definitely a thing. It is a very purple scent, which makes me a bit sad that I don't like it more, but at least I have Purple Phoenix already. (I should do a few of my anniversary bottles after I'm done with Liliths! It's right about that time of year. :D) November 28: Plague-O-Ween -- Fruity! It makes me think a bit of a much less buttery Jack. I never get a specific carroty note (though I should dig out Gunpowder, which I think might be the only other scent I have with that note, to cross-ref), but the cranberries, pumpkin, and orange blossom are all quite distinct at first, then meld into a bright, tart orangey (the color, not the fruit) scent on my wrist. It didn't have a lot of throw, and didn't last very long, and I am still so very pumpkin'd out, but I might keep this for a bit and see where it lands after six months or so. November 28 pt. 2 -- Ring of Light -- Can I get a hell yes? This is a gorgeous, warm, absolutely brilliant scent, very pale and glowy with a nice hit of that aldehyde pop. The artemisia (mugwort) sits underneath, giving it a pleasantly green undertone, and the fragrance as a whole really reflects the appearance of a ring light. The lavender here is much milder than the purple lavenders in most of the other scents I've tried this year. I'm a little surprised this isn't sharper, but it's quite mellow on my skin, scintillating, even. I'm definitely buying a bottle. I want to compare this to White Phoenix, which also manages to pull off a bunch of white or pale notes while remaining very wearable for me. I don't think that they'll be that similar, largely because of the strong magnolia & florals in White Phoenix, but they have a similar warmth and bright aura. Good throw, mediocre longevity that I bet will improve with time. November 29: Rite of Passage -- ...........It smells like a diet version of Pumpkin Latte. 😕 Hits all the same notes on me, but with 30% less density and a weird aspartame-like tang (the vanilla powder? the whipped cream?). I don't like it much. I didn't wash it off, as it faded very quickly, and it wasn't bad, but I really prefer the darker, deeper, spicier Pumpkin Latte. November 29 pt. 2 -- Thirteen: LVB -- What a glorious muddle. A lot of the Thirteens are a bit like that, and this lives in the same space as them without actually being similar to any of them. As most of the folks in the review thread commented, this shifts around pretty wildly, with different notes being stronger, then receding, then returning. For me, on first wear, it started with a fruity blue note, like Blue Raspberry flavored slushies, then evolved into lavender chocolate chip cookies, strawberry ice cream, and a little bouquet of honey-doused carnations. Things only got more jumbled from there. It was a pretty fun ride, but not actually the sort of thing I'm likely to wear often. I do enjoy sweet scents, but mostly simpler ones that are a bit more distinct. No throw, moderate lasting power. ...And that's it for my Lilith decants this year. I ordered five total bottles -- Urban Undine, Philopannyx, Ring of Light (which I am wearing again), Lights, Camera, Something, and Lavender Lightning. Feels like a pretty decent year for me. November 30: White Phoenix -- ...Have I just not touched my Anniversaries at all so far? How startling! I have quite a few. I did just get notification that my Weenie decants are on their way, which is nice, but still. Phoenixes! I got this one at a meet'n'sniff fairly early on in my collecting days. The person who had it had a few bottles up for grabs and I sniffed this, then sniffed deeper, and asked if I could snag it. I really love this perfume, both for the memory of generosity and kindness (which I have passed on more than a few times since. ) and because it's just a beautiful scent. You would think, with all the white florals involved, that I would dislike it, but no. It doesn't smell like a classic Big White Floral, it smells soft and clean and feathery and a little woody and a little sweet and a little musky and just so good. I did pop a bit of Ring of Light on the backs of my wrists to compare, and indeed, they don't smell much alike, and they do give off similar auras -- but Ring of Light is like a neon halo, and White Phoenix is like an actual halo. Big, beautiful, but somehow mellow throw, lasts a very long time, fades very gracefully. This was the perfume that said, hey, you like magnolia, and it was right.

windbourne

November 1, 2021

Eldritchhobbit's Blog

31 Days of Dark Academia: Halloween 2021

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! October 31: Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley (1818) Quote 1: My heart was fashioned to be susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without torture such as you cannot even imagine. Quote 2: But it is even so; the fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone.

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eldritchhobbit

October 31, 2021

Eldritchhobbit's Blog

31 Days of Dark Academia: Halloween 2021

October 30: The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky (2021)
Quote 1: And when you’re truly scared, there’s nowhere to hide - no private school, no popularity, no trust fund. It’s just you and your most base emotion. Fear is where the truth lies.
Quote 2: But there was something wrong with me. It clawed at my insides, desperate to get out.
Quote 3: If you want this to be over, just make sure she screams.
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eldritchhobbit

October 30, 2021

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