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- Today
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Em- changed their profile photo
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From the Winter Solstice Swaps: 1) What are your favorite colors to wear, or for warm blankets, socks, etc ? Generally I prefer dark gothy colors - black, gray, burgundy, and jewel tones - emerald, purples, etc. I also like blue, but I want it to look like blue or into peacock, not dark navy. If I am going that direction, I'll just wear black. No pastels or orange, brown, or yellow please. 2) What sizes do you prefer for upper body and lower body clothing, feet, etc? I'm basically a L these days - can do M on my upper body if it's really stretchy. I'm bog standard US sock sizing, US W8 in for shoes. 3) Are there types of fibers you have trouble with against your skin? I don't like anything super scratchy, but don't have particular sensitivities. 4) Wishlist links for, BPAL, Amazon, Etsy, Whichever book tracker you may use (Goodreads/LibraryThing/StoryGraph) Etc.? I have a meta blog post with all of these here: It is also linked in my sig. My goodreads should be particularly helpful, as it has everything I've read since 2007 with quite a bit from before. 5) Would you like a small handmade faux wreath made out of thrifted floral stems? If so what colors would you enjoy? Sure. I'd prefer something sort of dark and elegant or over the top flamboyant if that helps. 6) Would you like a hand painted kitty ornament? If so is there a particular kitty you would like it modeled after? Please attach a photo. Absolutely. Here are a few photos of our 3: https://www.flickr.com/gp/144099887@N08/gg2E2b758A Alex is the elder torti girl. The younger two are littermates - the fluffy gal is Miku and the spotty boy is Potato. 7) Also would you appreciate some organic cocoa butter? Sure! I don't use it a lot, but I definitely appreciate cocoa butter in the deep winter dryness.
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As everyone else has said, this is mainly about the peonies and lychees; this reminds me of Japanese shampoo / body wash. It loses some of the fresh juiciness as it dries down, and I can kind of see the jelly air freshener comparison. It's pleasant and inoffensive.
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I was so fortunate to find a bottle of this. It's become a real favorite for me at bedtime. I find myself reaching for it again and again rather than my lavender based sleep blends. The combination of hay and wool is perfectly snuggly in a dry, outdoorsy kind of way. The hay in this is a little less sweet than the Timothy hay I feed my rabbit, but for me that's a good thing. This is the perfect scent to wear on a cool autumn night while sipping a fresh mug of chamomile tea. Natural, simple, beautiful, and very true to its inspiration. If this were ever released as a bath oil & lotion, I'd be thrilled to bits.
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This is much lighter and brighter than I thought it would be. It’s almost … fruity? I think I need to give this time to rest. It seems confused. the consistency of the lotion is really nice - not heavy or greasy, but substantial enough that it soothes my skin. I have pretty dry and dehydrated hands. The dispenser is fine too. I’ll probably need to do some surgery at some point when it starts to get empty but that’s pretty normal for lotion in a bottle.
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(forgot to review this one before i destashed it whoopsies) but as others have said it's recognizably milk chocolate and almonds. there was also the stickiness of nougat brittle that sticks to your teeth and you try and pry loose with your tongue. it's a fun scent, but it's very ephemeral on me. the sweetness only lasted at most, like half an hour? before it leaves behind the just almond. i didn't like the sharp turn into a sad, deflated candy bar the day after halloween, and neither did my brother when i asked for his thoughts on it.
- Yesterday
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I definitely smell black licorice, and the black pepper is not at all as strong as I feared it'd be, it kind of tames the black licorice's sweetness and adds just the tiniest kick to it. I don't know what grey amber is supposed to smell like to be honest. But this scent does smell GRAY somehow.. smells like what grey licorice would smell like if that was a thing? Or you know what... I think it's reminding me of the black pepper flavored jellybean that my friends had me try, from one of those "beanboozled" jelly belly packs lol. I had my dad sniff my arm and asked him what it smelled like and he said black licorice really fast! So it's very identifiable as a black licorice scent. This is wacky and fun, and I honestly think it's a perfect interpretation of a plastic rat!
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2025 Version 🖤 This smells like a melange of slick, slippery smooth and polished dark resins, like a beautifully inky oil spill puddle or the drippings of inkcap mushrooms. Myrrh, opoponax, nagarmotha, and labdanum all swirling in dark iridescence together. This mixture is tinted purple and sweetened by the plum honey. It's lovely. Even though there's no oudh listed here, I feel like I am smelling a luxurious dark and syrupy honeyed oudh. Black inky resins, made syrupy with the tangy-sweet purple plum honey. Sooo good, I think I need a bottle!! Plus it's got great throw and it lasted all night on my skin!
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Oooo, this is pretty. The musk has a sparkle. The pachouli gives it a slight incensey quality, but not in an overwhelming or bad way. I don't like things to be toooo woody, and this is still in the safe zone. The throw isn't far, so this would be good for office wear. I'm kind of sad that I bought this as a gift for a friend! I hope it is loved, because it deserves it.
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Wet on my skin this is very sharp, paperwhite-like narcissus; as it dries, orange starts to come through; on me it feels bitter and like the fruit or rind, not the flower; the narcissus remains very much dominant. I get a very thin vanilla undercurrent, but definitely subtle by comparison with the narcissus and orange. It's interesting that the description for this one describes it as warm, sensual, and lustful - for me the sharpness and bitterness of the notes evokes the name in a different kind of way; a grasping, envious kind of hunger. This is vivid and fascinating, in an unsettling kind of way; I appreciate the intensity of it, but it nearly turns my stomach, and I don't find it very wearable. I'm going to keep my imp around for a little while in the hopes of making sense of the strangeness of my reaction to it, but I don't think it's one for any kind of regular wear on me.
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2025 version. Alas, this was all acrid dead leaves on me, with no florals or vanilla! I was so disappointed. It's beautiful balanced on my partner, with a gorgeous rose note, so clearly a skin chemistry problem for me. I'll try not to be too bitter about it.
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2025 version A marigold soliflore! I was very tempted to blind bottle this, more than anything else in this year's Halloween collection, but I was reasonable and put it in my decant circle order. Having had some time with it now, of course I am predictably going to buy a bottle of it. I had a vase of fresh marigolds at home when I got my decant of this, so I got to compare - the match is not quite precise, but that's mostly because with fresh marigolds you get a distinct greenness from the leaves/stems, and more intense earthiness. It's recognizably marigold for me, golden and smooth and herbal and just a little spicy. The true essence of an autumn flower, separated from its environment and purely bright and cheerful. This doesn't have much throw, but lasts pretty well on me even without much resting time. This makes me very happy, and feels just perfect for autumn; I'm so happy to have such a lovely marigold fragrance in my collection.
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Not as sugared as I hoped for, but it's a nice light airy pink floral with some sweetness underneath it all. Not candy-like or cloying. I don't pick up on the vanilla? but ymmv.
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This starts out as very citrusy on me, and I couldn't figure out what it was - chamomile? figs? I'm still not sure. It takes a couple of hours of wear until I can start to pick out notes, at which point I definitely get a lot of beeswax and chamomile, some hay, and an earthy sweetness which might be fig or saffron. It's pretty, definitely in an autumnal overripe sort of way, but not objectionably so; I would agree with other reviewers that it's pretty approachable within a more unsettling collection. I'd like to try pairing it with some honey-based scents, especially Against Idleness and Mischief which also has the chamomile. The aggressively citrus top notes on me make this one a little challenging for me, despite the pretty drydown, and it doesn't quite feel like me - I imagine this one on someome who wears a large hat and gardens and keeps bees. I'll keep and wear my decant, but I don't think I'll be getting a bottle. This starts out as very citrusy on me, and I couldn't figure out what it was - chamomile? figs? I'm still not sure. It takes a couple of hours of wear until I can start to pick out notes, at which point I definitely get a lot of beeswax and chamomile, some hay, and an earthy sweetness which might be fig or saffron. It's pretty, definitely in an autumnal overripe sort of way, but not objectionably so; I would agree with other reviewers that it's pretty approachable within a more unsettling collection. I'd like to try pairing it with some honey-based scents, especially Against Idleness and Mischief which also has the chamomile. The aggressively citrus top notes on me make this one a little challenging for me, despite the pretty drydown, and it doesn't quite feel like me - I imagine this one on someome who wears a large hat and gardens and keeps bees. I'll keep and wear my decant, but I don't think I'll be getting a bottle.
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In the bottle I get mostly the nice, buttery pumpkin that shows up here and there in the autumnal / Weenie profile. Once on my skin, the scent warms and opens, revealing a delicate blend of those beloved fall spices. "Delicate" being the operative word here. I agree with doomsday about this being a good option for those looking for a pumpkin spice scent that's not heavily spiced. It's also just a lovely, fairly fresh, pumpkin scent. I was surprised because I have the Peach Brandy of yesteryear, which has its boozy moments, and I was anticipating a similar outcome here, but that doesn't materialize for me. I'm not mad about it, because this really is a lovely, imminently wearable autumnal scent. Low throw, delicate, but definitely of the season.
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I mean, it's all right there in the name This is EXACTLY what I was hoping for- a straight-up rootbeer float. The rootbeer / sarsaparilla note does NOT disappoint, and the ice cream makes it soft and creamy and yummy, and keeps the rootbeer from being sharp or acrid. Eventually a bit of pumpkin *does* reveal itself, but I wouldn't call this a "pumpkin scent". I agree with the above assessment that this is a great scent for sliding from late summer into early fall, but I will also definitely be wearing this over the winter when I want a sweet and warming daytime scent to cuddle into. 🎃
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I'm...just not sure about this one. at least, not yet. I love Dorian. I love Snake Oil. And I love love LOVE Graveyard Dirt. But. I guess this moss note is throwing a big ol' monkey wrench into the proceedings and I don't know what to make of it. I am not one of the folks that tested or used the atmosphere iteration of this scent last year, so this is a brand new experience to me. Because I have such love for three of the four listed elements, this seemed like an obvious choice for me, but the moss here seems to be doing this thing where it's amping a black musk bit that is...not amazing with my skin chemistry. It's also possible that the moss and the Snake itself are having some complications for me, as I am definitely one of those people for whom there is no such thing as "too aged" when it comes to Snake Oil. The fresher, the sadder it is for me, and that's just how it is. (I am currently slowly working my way through a gloriously aged 10mL bottle dating back to 2006, with several from 2010 aging softly in the wings, so that should give you an idea concerning the gravity of what I'm speaking about here). There's something here, baffling, that also reminds me of the disquiet that I both love and feel repelled by in the American Gods scent, Laura. Write it off on some weird undertone from the dirt note if you wish, but I could slather myself in Graveyard Dirt all day and never get the strange bit that's marking both of these blends. In all, I will absolutely keep this scent- I know my chemistry well enough to figure the Snake just needs an extra long rest, if nothing else, to make this wearable for me. Hopefully, in the process, the rest will sort itself out.
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wickedcookie changed their profile photo
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The bottle sniff was all dead leaves. On, the first note to hit was warm wooly sweater. I agree with the wool blanket mention, this is more of a coarse utilitarian wool. Then the tea and cream slide in, warm and subtle. About 30 minutes in I get just subtle warm sweet cream. I did apply it judiciously, as the dead leaves note was throwing me off. I will try again tomorrow!
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In the bottle, the wet greenery is the only thing present. Normally, "wetness" can be an issue for me- water notes tend to register as heavy cologne to my nose. But here, at this stage, it really smells like being outside after a rain, breathing in the damp grass and leafy trees. How lovely! Wet on skin: as it warms up on me, the honeysuckle comes into the mix, lending a delicate-but-unmissed floral touch. The honeysuckle was one of the reasons I was eager to try this scent, so I'm glad to see it showing up now. Dry down: finally, the blackberry joins the party! I'm relieved, as this note was the OTHER reason I was so interested in trying this scent. The grass and green are still present but the honeysuckle, if it's here at all, is so far in the background as to be just part of the atmosphere, but nothing that could be picked out of a lineup as a contributor. It's a very interesting and deeply unsettling scent, reminding me of that part of autumn when the weather has turned but tendrils of late summer continue to hang around (leaves starting to mulch, and yes, the last of the blackberries juuuust starting to turn on the bramble). The story on which this scent was based is a long-time favorite of mine and I think this scent beautifully captures the specificity of a gilded cage: there can be beauty, sure, but don't ever, ever forget the sinister undertow.
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My favorite BPAL of... so far. This is warm, sophisticated, slightly dry, and dreamy. It draws you in, and I'm pretty sure it at least partially helped someone fall in love with me. If anyone has any amount they'd like to pass along, please DM me! Apparently, the painting was based on this Victor Hugo (1802 –1885) poem: I like the last two stanzas, they remind me the most of the painting (though they talk about Ruth, and the painting is either of Boaz or Hugo: Boaz Asleep All slept, all, from Ur to Bethlehem. The stars enameled the deep black of the sky. A narrow crescent in the low dark of the west shone, while Ruth wondered, lying still now, eyes half opened, under twinging of their lids, what god of the eternal summer passing dropped his golden scythe there in that field of stars. Here's the whole thing:
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Wearing this was an absolutely wild experience. I was sort of fascinated by the tug-of-war between revulsion and fascination--it smells gross, but it is fascinating! On my first sniff there was a moment before I noticed the mildew lurking right underneath the smell of oranges, but as soon as I did I kind of wanted to jerk away from it, then I immediately wanted to go back and smell it again. I adore the way this invites us (the reader? the viewer? the sniffer???) to engage with the revolting, the creepy, the unclean: Committing Every Artistic Sin is a faithful olfactory translation of the horror genre. It smells primarily of overripe fruit just beginning to mold, like sniffing a bowl of oranges and noticing their bright, inviting citrus smell at first, only to get a whiff of rot a moment later. It smells like I just grabbed a fistful of food-waste trash and now I need a shower. It's bitter and acrid and reminds me ineffably of something I swear I've smelled in my childhood, but I honestly could not tell you what. (Possibly just trash, but it really did evoke some scent-memory for me that I still can't place.) About an hour in, I started to notice a note I would describe as fresh, more orangey/citrusy, or possibly marigold? It began to remind me more of the smell of an old bouquet of flowers thrown in the trash, that fresh vegetal, still-pleasant but far-too-strong-because-on-edge-of-rot smell. (...Sorry, gardeners, I just revealed how hopeless I am at keeping even cut flowers alive.) I couldn't tell you what linseed oil smells like, but after some googling apparently it can smell a bit like cod liver oil. This was definitely not fishy (I think if it had smelled like fish that would have tipped the line from fascination to pure revulsion for me), but there was something a little fatty to it. Turmeric is supposed to be a little earthy, bitter, peppery, a little lemony or orangey, and it was fascinating to see those aspects used to bring out acridity and bitterness instead of a pleasant spice or warmth. This has a mercifully low throw, I really needed to stick my nose close to my skin to get a whiff, which I think is pretty perfect for what this is. If Committing Every Artistic Sin had been all-enveloping, that too would've tipped the line over into pure revulsion for me. It gets much fainter but lasts all day, like lingering damp in the walls. I was sort of obsessed with the experience of wearing it, but I would maybe skip wearing this one to work or to a party, unless it's a party you are trying to leave quickly.
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I accidentally ordered 2 bottles of the same oil, so I asked for a surprise swap, and this was it. This is what I wish "Evening Reading" from November ('23?) would be like. Dee notes: soft English leather, rosewood, and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment, and soft woods. Evening reading notes: Soft leather and aged paper, linen sheets, lamp oil, lavender sachets, a splash of rosewater, and a faint tendril of fading hearthsmoke. Evening reading is all leather and smoke to me, and quite strong. Dee is much softer and despite lacking a floral note, it does something very faintly floral on me that I wish ER did. The incense is a bit more than a hint, but not so much that it feels like sitting next to a campfire. The leather reads as book binding not a saddle. I'm very happy to have discovered my "sleepy book" scent, and that it's a General Catalogue item too! This is a scent that any gender can pull off, but it leans masculine. It's quite serious and studious.
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mr. krabs voice: That smell. A kind of yellow smell. A yellow smell that smells... yellow-y. Beeswax hits my nose first, a sweet light golden beeswax. Then it is made fresh and a bit fruity with the calming aspect of chamomile and the squishy, overripe fig. Golden amber and hay/saffron drenched in globs of pale, sweet floral honey. This has got to be the prettiest of the Yellow Wallpaper scents, to me it doesn't smell creepy or offputting at all! It makes me think of sunshine, bumblebees, the deep yellow florets of a daisy, and nectar of the greek gods.
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1) What are your favorite colors to wear, or for warm blankets, socks, etc ? Blue-green, dark orange, purple, green, red; socks can be anything; blankets, I like blues, greens, yellow, orange, purple, and plant patterns. 2) What sizes do you prefer for upper body and lower body clothing, feet, etc? I would prefer to be my old sizes, since I finally had clothes that fit right. Barring that, I am currently in the range of 10/12 ladies. However, anything fitted in the chest should be bigger-- unless it is stretchy. I think the sizing, in inches, currently stands at 42-34-45. I like baggy winter clothes, though, and I have the ability to take things in-- either by hand or with the cooperation of a sewing machine. My hands and head are considered medium, I think. My feet are size 10. I am 5'7" and a bit? 3) Are there types of fibers you have trouble with against your skin? Polyester that wants you to think it's cotton. Polyester knitwear, absolutely okay; polyester t-shirts, underthings, or sleepwear, no please. It needs to have airholes or be with natural fibers, or it tries to kill me by asphyxiation of the dermis. Also, this is random, but I will-- occasionally-- have textural issues with things. It even happens with some of my favorite cardigans and shirts. I can deal with it-- like I said, it's occasional. But, if you happen to be at Thrift Palace (or wherever, but 'Thrift Palace' is a cool name) trying to choose between two things, it might be good to err on the side of whichever one does not have tags or hard seams-- specifically on the wrists, forearms, or back of the neck. Yes, I am (more than) a bit of a freak. But I am okay with this, and I would rather be upfront than have to lie about enjoying something. Not particularly fond of lying, absolutely suck at poker. 4) Wishlist links for, BPAL, Amazon, Etsy, Whichever book tracker you may use (Goodreads/LibraryThing/StoryGraph) Etc.? There are to my BPAL, and to a blog with other wishlist links in my sig.. Etsy list has not been updated in a *while*; but it is still a good link for inspiration and aesthetic. 5) Would you like a small handmade faux wreath made out of thrifted floral stems? If so what colors would you enjoy? No, thank you. 6) Would you like a hand painted kitty ornament? If so is there a particular kitty you would like it modeled after? Please attach a photo. That sounds cute. Just generic kitty/kitties is fine. 7) Also would you appreciate some organic cocoa butter? I have a massive block (hydration FTW!), so I don't really need any, but thank you for asking.
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1) What are your favorite colors to wear, or for warm blankets, socks, etc ? 2) What sizes do you prefer for upper body and lower body clothing, feet, etc? 3) Are there types of fibers you have trouble with against your skin? 4) Wishlist links for, BPAL, Amazon, Etsy, Whichever book tracker you may use (Goodreads/LibraryThing/StoryGraph) Etc.? 5) Would you like a small handmade faux wreath made out of thrifted floral stems? If so what colors would you enjoy? 6) Would you like a hand painted kitty ornament? If so is there a particular kitty you would like it modeled after? Please attach a photo. 7) Also would you appreciate some organic cocoa butter?
- Last week
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Deer Moon: Blackberry and Wild Lilac
carrioncupid replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
(i got this as an empty sniffie) it's what it says on the tin, BPAL's lovely lilac and blackberry. it's a 50/50 mix to my nose. the blackberry is not fruity and in your face, it's not summery. i guess it's more like an autumnal blackberry? if that makes sense? (it's exactly like what vexelite said) i'd love to get my hands on a partial but it's not a high priority to me.
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