Silvertree

I like Silk Road (A panoply of cultural treasures, spanning the herbs, flowers, oils and balms of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Mediterranean, the Levant, Northern China, Eastern Europe, Iran, the Bulgar-Kypchak, Mesopotamia, the Crimean Peninsula, Anatolia, Antioch, and North Africa) for an exotic scent with just the right amount of florals. I also think that Sri Lanka (Indian sandalwood and cedar, and the dry incense smoke of olibanum, gum mastic, patchouli and myrrh), in addition to being one of my favorite BPAL scents, is also a great belly dance scent. It's warm, resinous, spicy, and definitely enticing. If the fabric won't stain, you could scent your veil/skirt/etc. so that the fragrance really wafts when you move! One last idea: Sin (Thouroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon) is a wonderful resin/spice blend. It doesn't have quite the same belly dance feel to it that Sri Lanka does, but I bet if you like it you'd have no trouble making it work for you. ETA: If you can get a decant of And There was a Great Cry in Egypt, that might work well as long as the musk isn't too strong.

Thanks so much, Gypsy! (Or GRR! if you prefer!) I think my favorite is the Litha label, but the Hungry Ghost definite has a look of the starving urchin about it!

Let me be the first to say- "YES, please!" I love seeing new labels!

Hmm... I really like Laurel's idea for an Underpants label. My thought was that the *monster* would be the one wearing the underpants- maybe festooned with pairs all over its body. Kinda like the sock gremlins who live in the driers and are responsible for me wearing one black and one pink sock today.

Try the "How do I store my BPAL?" thread! http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=1035 And from a personal standpoint, I would say wrap the bottles individually in bubble wrap and put them in boxes (empty cigar boxes, or maybe cosmetics cases). Then put those boxes on the floor of the passenger seat (depending on how full your car/van is), making sure nothing can fall on them. Or have them sit in the lap of the trusted friend riding shotgun.

As am I! And I was in costume Saturday night, and will be again tonight- the boy and I do a pretty good Young Gomez and Morticia. He wears Dracul and I wear Loviatar.

This is more of a technical "how do you photograph the bottle/label?" question. I don't know how I managed to get legible pictures of the bottles I posted in this thread- dumb luck, probably. I'm going to be putting some things on eBay in the foreseeable future, and I'd like to post pictures, but every time I try to take a photo of the label, it comes out super-blurry. Advice? I'm using an HP Photosmart R707 digital camera, if that helps. And it's the same thing I used to take photographs last time, so I can't determine why everything's out of focus. Thanks!

I can't believe I never reviewed any of the scents from the Tarot Circular Swap! I just found my notebook with the descriptions and my thoughts, so I'll start in the middle with the scent that affected me in a very profound way- The World. The World is very earthy and comforting to me. In fact, it reminds me so much of my own mother. It's a very nostalgic fragrance for me- when you're really little your mom usually *is* your world (figuratively, as well as literally for the first 9 months of your existence!). A great deal of that nostalgia also stems from the simple fact that my mom was my guide and teacher to the natural world. Whenever I hike, canoe, garden, or simply spend time outdoors, I think of her. Wearing The World is like being 4 years old again, holding my mom's hand and going for a walk in the woods, listening to her talk about the trees and pointing out all the wild plants and animals. My mom is a huge influence in my life, and I admire her so much. At the the same time, she's so knowledgable and capable that I get a bit of an inferiority complex! I'm not incredibly talented at picking out notes, but here are a few of the impressions I was left with from The World: oakmoss, cinnamon, sandalwood, and maybe a soft evergreen (not necessarily pine, maybe spruce or fir, something not quite as sharp as your usual evergreen). On me, it's very balanced between soft, spiced woods/resins and a green herbal, but the herbal part is slightly more grassy than medicinal. It doesn't smell like grass, though. More like cooking spices (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme?). It's clean and fresh, at times a tiny bit peppery; at times it reminds me a little of eucalyptus, but there's none of the menthol-whiff or coldness that I associate with that plant. It's a warm green, like walking through the forest on a sunny spring day- but there are fresh breezes in the forest to keep it from being stuffy. There might be some amber in there, or patchouli, as I keep getting whiffs of something very familiar, but I'm not quite sure. It's earthy and grounded without being heavy- it's actually rather airy and light, but also strong and comforting. There might be some florals in there, very subtly, as it gets a bit sweeter as it dries down, but it stays green and spicy, not powdery. It reminds me of Hamadryad and Yggdrasil, but isn't either. Basically, it doesn't smell like pine or dirt, or even the woods, per se. It really just is The World, how it was supposed to smell and how it was meant to feel. I'm aware that I'm not explaining myself very well, but this is such a strong reaction and the feelings I'm having are so personal that it's difficult to translate them into language someone outside my own head might be able to understand.

Curiously enough, my skin didn't exude any spices, ambers, woods, or resins with Scorpio. Instead, I have a fresh and almost minty scent emanating from my testing wrist. Reviewing the Celestials (both the planetary and the zodiac lines) has made me wish I was more aware of the connotations and characteristics of the various symbols. I'd like to know why "this makes sense!" as so many people have said. I can get a feeling for the energy and intent behind the blends, but I'd love have a little concrete information to tell me why it feels right, instead of just saying that it does. Beth's oils are always an education for me! I've researched Norse legends and Romantic poetry, Sephirot and Tarot meanings, and I'm not done yet. I can't think of the last time I used my nose and my brain in conjunction- better yet, I can't think of a single instance where another beauty product inspired me to go running to my bookshelves and my library to better understand its background. I am completely in awe of these beautiful oils and the thought and effort that their creator puts into them.

Courtesy of the Celestials circular swap! I don't get rose or rose geranium- what I *do* get is a lovely fresh, white floral that straddles the line between sweet and soapy without being either. The sandalwood and apple held keep it bright and juicy, yet grounded. This fragrance expresses balance extremely well!

Courtesy of the Celestials circular swap! I think I've identified one of my no-go notes: heliotrope. I get a bit of a vanilla-y/ozone scent from Leo, but what I *really* get is a headache.

Courtesy of the Celestials circular swap! This reminds me of a friend of mine, who happens to be an Aries. It's alluring, a bit difficult on occasion, but ultimately worth the trouble. The frankincense, ginger, pepper, and cloves? sandalwood? cedar? squabble for a little while, all trying to assert their dominance, but eventually agree on a blend that suits all the parties. Especially me!

Pisces is the oil that would convince me to buy a scent locket. I enjoy the aquatic florals quite a bit- it's very different from my usual spicy/woodsy/green staples, but I enjoy it all the more for that. Unfortunately, something in the oil (heliotrope, perhaps?) combines with my skin to produce a tacky, gummy scent that makes me wrinkle my nose and wash my wrist.

Courtesy of the Celestials circular swap! A lovely earth scent (I won't go so far as to say THE Quintessential Eart Scent... but it's close!), the oil of my Sun sign is warm, glowing resins, bright cedar, and a little crunchy patchouli to round it out. I'm very sorry to have missed the chance to buy a bottle of this scent, but grateful that I had a chance to try it.

Courtesy of the Celestials circular swap! While sweet and classically "perfumey" in the vial, Pluto is green and fresh once it's on my skin. It's greener than green, a dark, wild green that's sweet and fresh and growing, not cold or bitter. It could be the scent of some fantastic intergalactic forest that's flourishing many, many light-years away from our civilization and its concept of life. I love it!

Courtesy of the Celestials circular swap! Soft and musky, Neptune is a sweet aquatic that wafts both fruity and floral fragrances at me. Neptune's water is warm, languid waves lapping a green shore where orange trees blossom.

Courtesy of the Celestials circular swap! Is this a Cinnamon Single Note? No? Well, then, it's the closest thing to it, at least on my skin! Fresh, sweet, spicy cinnamon, but not too hot or sharp. Droooool.

Courtesy of the Celestials circular swap! Woody and dark, Saturn is stern and uncompromising. I started to like it, but I don't think that it appreciated my accelerated smell-as-many-as-possibly, hurry-hurry-hurry approach to the Celestials, as it gave me a headache after a while. I'd like to have more time to spend getting to know this oil.

Courtesy of the Celestial Swap! Jupiter is a rich, powerful wood scent. It's strong and forceful, without being malevolent or overpowering. Just used to getting its way. It stays and stays, too; this is a fragrance with a real sense of self and purpose. I love it!

Where Sol is hot, Mars is warm. It's the planet closest to Earth in a lot of ways, I believe- and I feel completely at home here! In the imp, it's warm, dry, and a little medicinal. At first reminiscent of the heated florals I got from The Living Flame. And then, from out of nowhere, in comes the cinnamon! And it brought with it... more cinnamon! And some cloves, and some resin, and a cavalry of cloves. Per its description, I definitely feel energetic and enthusiastic, as well as capable of daring deeds. I just may want to wait until it's cooler and less humid outside, so that I have the energy to move beyond my air-conditioned bubble to carry them out.

From the Celestial Swap.... From reading through the reviews, I was expecting pink and green, roses and grasses, sheer utter femininity. What I got was a fresh, white scent that is mostly sweet fruit with perhaps a hint of sage and lemongrass. There's something lemonny-herbal in here- not a citrus lemon, but the fresh, juicy scent you get from chopping up green herbs. I think there's something about my body chemistry that emphasizes herbs and spices... not that I'm complaining! I like this quite a lot (although it starts to go a bit soapy after a bit); it just wasn't what I was expecting!

From the Celestial Swap! In the imp, Mercury is fresh, fresh lavender. On my skin, it's a peppery herbal lavender- very energizing, very peppy, not the usual "lie there and snooze" lavender that puts me down for the count. As it dries, I can smell more herbs and spices coming out, as well as a slight citrusy tinge around the edges. No burning, not even on my sensitive skin, but I've always suspected that I'm part cinnamon anyway. Yum!

Three cheers for the Celestial Swap! Luna is a soft, slightly musky floral in the bottle. It could be jasmine, there might be some violet, but it's too soon to tell.... From the moment the oil hits my wrist, Luna becomes a light, elusive second-skin scent. I can detect some juicy berries and fruits wafting through the flowers, but the overall fragrance is so subtle and well-blended it's hard to tease anything out.

I never posted my reviews from the Celestial Swap- so here goes! Sol is a bright, fiery, powerfully spicy scent. It's fierce and hot, with a quality that I wouldn't hesitate to call blinding. It's a brash blend of citrus and spices. Used sparingly, it's warming and pleasant, but I imagine that it could be overpowering in larger doses. On the whole, I quite enjoy it, as hot spicy scents are my forte.

Rhododendron and bellflower petals swirl through deep, cool, dark aquatic notes. I first smelled this at the home of my friend (and BPAL enabler) linaerys. It was gorgeous in the bottle, so I'm hoping that it will like me back.... In the vial, Danube is cool and refreshing, with little tiny blossoms just barely peeking out. As many have noted before, it's the perfect scent for a muggy summer day. After applying the oil to my skin, the most incredible things start to happen. My headache slowly melts away, I feel calm, cool, and collected, and even relaxed enough to put my head down on my desk and take a nap. I would love to put this on before going to bed, as I haven't felt this at peace in quite some time. Regarding the fragrance: I couldn't be happier. I see that many people were assaulted by the evil grapefruit of R'lyeh travelling through the waterways to wreak havoc upon the unwary; my Danube experience remains unsullied by The Great Old Citrus. Not that I don't love grapefruit, for I do enjoy it, but there is simply no citrus to be found in this river today. What I do smell is lovely, sweet, fresh water. If you've ever read C.S. Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader, perhaps you'll recall Reepicheep's quest to find the Utter East- a place in his world where the sea is sweet. Danube is that place. It is cool, refreshing, and sweet enough to be delightful without turning thick or cloying. The florals are light and breezy- not perfumey or heady, just barely scenting the air with their nectar. It puts me in mind of slowly gliding down a gentle, lazy river- your craft hugs the banks in order to stay out of the sun, and you find yourself being lulled to sleep in the cool shade. For something so light and pleasant it seems to be clinging to my skin remarkably well- I've even washed my hands several times today without dislodging the scent. It's utterly, amazingly gorgeous. I'm going to wear it all summer, and even on cold, crisp winter days! Even my hands and wrists are noticeably cooler than the spots that are Danube-less, and I'm going to enjoy staying cool and smelling great for many weeks to come.