any_old_actress

i know i won't be getting my LE's in time for halloween 'cause i'm in canada so i'll probably be wearing either velvet or giving harvest moon another go. i find there's something mysterious about velvet so that'll be a good choice.

FIRST SNIFF: citrus, patchouli, tobacco

WEARING IT: this is a really sweet and heavy blend. it would be perfect for a man. it's sophisticated and unusual, very regal. i still smell tobacco, and perhaps some type of vanilla mixed in with the patchouli. in a way it's almost outdoorsy - perhaps there is a hint of pine thrown in as well.

VERDICT: will definitely get kevin to try this on

FIRST SNIFF: steamy green notes

WEARING IT: when first applied this really smells like a hot greenhouse. after wearing it awhile the fruits come out and make the scent a little sweeter and rounded.

VERDICT: this is probably a scent i wouldn't wear, i'm not entirely fond of really green scents.

FIRST SNIFF: i have no idea...

WEARING IT: no scent comes to the foreground on me, the background is a hint of apple, ivy, wine, smoke and for some reason something that smells like heather and myrrh? it's not as foody as i had hoped it would be and i don't think it's a sniff that particularly works on me either.

VERDICT: i'm disappointed that it didn't seem to work on me, but i'm gunna try it a few more times before i decide to swap it.

FIRST SNIFF: wine and cider

WEARING IT: the apple cider really stands out for me, there's also a hint of decaying fruits and something a little more sturdy, perhaps the sage or oak.

VERDICT: i'm unsure about this scent, as much as i thought i liked spicy apple cider it just doesn't work very well with my skin i don't think. i'm going to give it another chance though.

FIRST SNIFF: candy canes

WEARING IT: candy canes still...mellowing into a medicinal minty scent. as it wears it turns into a lightly sweet mint/herb sniff which is actually quite nice and not as overpowering as when you first put it on.

VERDICT: too minty, but i'll keep the imp

velvet to me is very old fashioned - it really is SO lovely

my chill out blends are snake oil, old athens & velvet. i find the heavier, non floral scents really comforting so they give me a big boost when i need one during those really bad days

i usually throw on scents that match rainy days or dreary days but on sunny days etc anything goes for some reason. i think i prefer dreary autumn days to beautiful sunny ones, so i try to capture that feeling more often.

i had a question for nella about the international ordering & shipping process at bpal and she answered it so great i though i'd post it for other international customers who may not know what the lab goes through when shipping out our mounds of orders.

FROM NELLA:

"We do process all of the orders as they are received, regardless of

whether they are domestic or international. The orders, at this time,

are going out in two week clusters: it is the only way that we can keep

things organized in the face of the difficulties we encounter with CcNow

and PayPal. Domestic orders go out a little quicker, simply because of

the way the United States postal system works. We can purchase postage

and print labels from the Lab for domestic USPS Priority, and the boxes

are picked up on the postal worker's route. When we ship a package out

of the country, there is a much more complicated and involved process

with all the hand-written paperwork; this, thanks to 9/11 and customs,

both in the US and the destination country. Occasionally international

packages come back to us, which is costly for us and frustrating for our

customers, so we have to ensure that this mountain of paperwork is

carried out correctly, and we have to walk in every single one of them,

stand in line, and physically hand the packages to a postal employee

within the confines of a postal office. We can only devote one day to

this per week to get an international order "cluster" out, since it

takes the whole day to do so. It's a day in which nothing else gets

done, to be honest. I wish we had the manpower to be able to send out

internationals every single day, but until we have the revenue to grow,

have a second computer in the Lab, and find a different shipping

company, we're going to have to keep posting them out only once per

week. As you know, we're still very small, and growing pains are oft

times hard to work out!"

thanks nella for your timely email and answering my question so wonderfully!

I'd be neat to capture the scent of sunshine on skin.

zephyr IS warm sunshine on skin

FIRST SNIFF: slithering herbals...

WEARING IT: a faint crushed herbal scent followed by dried roses and....dill? every few sniffs i hint upon the spiciness that tygher mentioned but mostly i smell a light floral/dill scent...why, oh why do i smell this!

VERDICT: too bad this scent doesn't really appeal to me, i was really looking forward to having some joy brought back into my life! if it were just the nice floral i could handle it but for some reason the nice smell is followed by a lingering dill scent...which just isn't my thing.

FIRST SNIFF: dry sandalwood, dragon's blood

WEARING IT: this is a very dusty, dry scent that mingles so well with the juicy dragon's blood resin. the sandalwood definitely has a beautiful calming effect on the scent as a whole.

VERDICT: really nice, might be in the running for a bigger bottle!

FIRST SNIFF: dragon's blood, slightly floral

WEARING IT: dragon's blood is the primary note for me ending with watery florals and a pinch of salty air at the very end, which is almost undetectable. as it wears i get a whiff of lilies.

VERDICT: i liked it better in the bottle. as a side note, it's a very beautiful cherry colour

i'd go with tarot: the sun good luck!

i'd give zombi a try, it's extremely mossy and earthy. but any of the choices you already mentioned sound like they'd work well.

FIRST SNIFF: cool, crisp, autumn

WEARING IT: the cucumber and aloes are what i smell mostly, they are so cooling and crisp smelling. you'd think they'd make me think of summer, but this is totally a fall scent on me and i'm loving it!!! it's windy, strong without being loud and insanely gorgeous!

VERDICT: my only complaint is that i didn't get 10 x 10mls of this! if anyone is looking to get rid of theirs, please think of me! it's such a great scent.

FIRST SNIFF: evergreen trees...

WEARING IT: i definitely can smell the dried leaves and it IS a heavily wooded scent. there is a faint sweetness to it dancing in the background somewhere and i'm pretty sure it ISN'T the lilies, but i can't put my finger on it. i'm with shollin in that it reminds me of camping, or walking through the woods after the first fresh snow fall.

VERDICT: too woodsy for me i think, i'll give it a couple more tries though.

FIRST SNIFF: tea!

WEARING IT: this smells similar to h20+'s green tea perfume, which i love. it has wonderfully sweet, light herb sniffs mixed in with it, but it's mostly the lovely tea scents that emerge as the top notes. sweet & light and perfect for everyday.

VERDICT: i'd love to get a larger bottle of this.

FIRST SNIFF: fruity....

WEARING IT: juicy & fruity with dry, sharp notes way in the background. i don't smell anything that reminds me of autumn breezes but i can definitely smell pomegranate, rose and what i think is the myrtle. as it dries the rose comes to the front of the scent and it becomes less fruity.

VERDICT: pretty, but not something i see myself wearing.

FIRST SNIFF: spicy carnations...

WEARING IT: the scent becomes more sweet due to the honey, with the spice of the carnation in the background. it's a very girly sniff and as it dries it blends together quite well making it hard to determine a singe note from the rest.

VERDICT: it's in the "perhaps 5ml quality" pile. pretty, but i'm not sure it's me yet.

KWEKU ANANSI:

I'll spare you one of my Anasi tales. Besides, I haven't decided which one to use on His scent description! Vetiver, dusty pepper, nutmeg, thyme and grass over a deep, mossy wooden core.

FIRST SNIFF: the darkest pepper

WEARING IT: this is a very thick smelling scent, there is nothing light and airy about it. i find it to be very dark and foreboding. it reminds me of opening the door to a really scary, creepy house and being totally unaware of what may lie in wait for you. vetiver and what i think is thyme make up the background, while the heart and soul of this dark scent is made up of pepper and dampened, dark woods.

VERDICT: a heavy scent, that's a little too dark for me! would make for a lovely scent on a guy.

FIRST SNIFF: ripe spicey plums

WEARING IT: the plum is still strong to my nose but the grapefruit definitely plays a role around the edges. there's a sweet warmth to it in the middle, almost like the scent is glowing - which i think is the black amber. a very sweet and timeless scent.

FINAL VERDICT: i didn't have plans on liking this scent and got it as a freebie, but i'll be buying a larger bottle i think, it's sophisticated and pretty.

FIRST SNIFF: green and yellow smelling...

WEARING IT: i can smell the bamboo up front and there's a definite sense of frosty air. it's very light and airy and delicate. there's a sweetness deep in the background that i can't really detect and as it dries a hint of fruitiness appears.

FINAL VERDICT: very pretty, but not a scent i loved.

OLD KATHMANDU:

FIRST SNIFF: cedar...

WEARING IT: at first, this scent is pure cedar with sweet spices emerging in the background. it almost has a vicks vapo-rub quality to it. i can't detect any sandalwood, but as it dries the incense becomes more apparent. it reminds me of walking in the mountains, surrounded by evergreens and crisp, cool air and smelling smoke from a fire in the distance.

VERDICT: not a scent i'd normally wear, but am glad to have tried it.