Beckiemort

Shub is the most like ginger cookies in my experience

Mass Effect!!!!! YAY!!!!!

My Shepard is also a paragon biotic, she's a red head and a bit fiery.

I feel like Liz would be a good choice - smoky leather, and a hint of florals.

Western Diamonback is another choice, vanilla-y snake oil goodness, with a hint of dominance with the leather and sage.

Garrus (my romantic interest) would be R'yleh - is a nice masculine like with a hint of aquatic. For some reason it strikes me as a Garrus scent.

Liara - I want to suggest something floral, but with book undertones. Maybe something like Vassilisa?

This is fabulous! It might smell a little bit sweeter than the perfume, but that may be that it tends to last longer on my skin leaving a sweetish smell behind.

I love the perfume version as it really helps me to calm down and prepare myself for sleep. I find that when I wear this I tend to cut down on the time that my mind races. The massage oil seems to help truly knock me out. I had knee surgery this past Thursday and hate sleeping on my back which is a necessity while it is healing. However, I've been slathering this on my arms before sleeping and it certainly seems to help put me to sleep and when I wake up, if I have any pain, I usually am relaxed by the scent and can fall back asleep when I never used to be able to do so. It may be a placebo effect, but I don't care. As long as I think that it is helping and I end up getting more, and a deeper sleep I will continue to use it. Plus it smells amazing

This is absolutely amazing!!!! First off it smells like Vicks vapor rub mixed with orange - so instead of being a sharp medicinal scent it is a warm, cuddly, you are going to feel better medicinal type scent. It soaks in very well and does not make my sensitive skin break out.

Best of all though - the arnica is truly helping with some bruising. I had knee surgery this Past Thursday and this left me with an approximately three inch square bruise on my hand where they failed to find a vein for the IV. The bruise hurt a little, but mostly just looked horrible. I bruise really easily and even after the pain is gone the bruises tend to stick around. I've applied ugh to the bruise a couple times a day for the past few days as it is much less painful and starting to green, which is much faster than usual. I'm not sure it's that different from regular arnica cream/ointment that I normally use, except that it smells so much better and soaks in faster, without leaving a sticky/greasy residue. I will now turn to UGH anytime I'm dealing with pain or bruising.

I also suspect it will work nicely as a chest rub for dealing with colds.

I have kind of a survey question about small craft swaps:

 

For smaller craft swaps (ie ATC, create-a-card, mini shrines, etc.) is four weeks-- from receiving your person to mailing deadline-- a reasonable time frame? Or do you like more time? less?

 

And, in the vein of suggesting swaps, I really liked Sunshinedaisybliss's idea of the build-a-beauty-box swap, with everyone filling out a questionnaire, and then creating a sample box for your person, including 5-7 samples(one of which would be full size?) and some "lifestyle" extras like tea, snack cakes, perfume, etc..

You'd end up with a box of about ten things tailored to your questionnaire answers, and it would be fairly inexpensive because most of it was travel/sample sized. If you get sample boxes, shop Sephora, get GwP stuff, you might even be able to do all but the super sample without buying anything.

Any interest?

 

Also, how about a White Day swap?

I love the idea about the beauty box!

I haven't done this in awhile either, and I feel that my personality has shifted since I did it last.

 

Sign-wise I'm an aries with my moon in gemini and cancer rising. I still have a strong drive towards social science, though it's been years since I finished my masters-though I find my interests drifting towards the 'darker'. I plan on getting my PhD in death studies if I ever go that far. I'm a knitter and a horror blogger.

 

I've been told that I have a fairly dualistic personality-the first impression is that I run on the aggressive/dominant side but I have a healer/comforter streak that's almost as dominant. I'm actually much more tuned into people's emotions than I think people are aware and I'm working on acknowledging that more often. That said I do tend to run towards talkative and impatient. I'm fairly introverted and people keep aligning me with water- I'm very 'autumn' in terms of coloration and I do best at dusk time-wise. I'm most active between 3 pm and midnight.

 

I am fairly nerdy but as I mentioned before most of my fandoms run to dark/horror. I cook, almost obsessively, and I'm a canner. I'm much harder on myself than what people think I am, and I place a lot of weight on earning what you get out of life.

I instantly thought of dance of death - A gloriously elegant representation of Lady Death. Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh.

Also philogious - from the VILF line combines the intelligence with horror.

Horror Sympathique - The perfume of a hellbound soul, gleefully lost to iniquity: blood musk, golden honey, thick black wine, champagne grapes, tobacco flower, plum blossom, tonka bean, oakmoss, carnation, benzoin, opoponax, and sugar cane. Something about the description of the scent feels like a combo of the emotional softer side of your nature with the dominant and obviously the horror aspect as well.

Haunted - A mournful, poignant scent, thick with foreboding. Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk. So,shying abou the way this scent wears on me reminds me of the description between the contrast of healer and aggressive. It is somehow snugly and controlling at the same time

Also thank you Balame for your recommendations. I haven't tried any of those and some sound absolutely amazing!

I love this. I completely understand the comparisons to TKO in atmosphere format but I can pick up the melon and a touch of jasmine. Usually I abhor jasmine but here it just adds a little floral roundness to the scent. It's quite lovely and paired with TKO (massage oil or perfume) helps provide a comforting place to help foster a deep sleep.

Scent = snake oil goodness. There isn't much to describe here except it smells like awesome would smell and the scent does last in the hair at least through sleeping and competing with other smelly things like massage oils and bath oils.

Just to add my feelings on the hair gloss to the mix for anyone who may still be debating. I've currently got BSL length red (partially bottle, partially natural), straight (between a 1b and 1c), fine, silky hair but I have a huge amount of it so it is really thick. I've always been told that I have very nice hair - however my scalp is a completely different story. I gets super dry and irritated with pretty much everything and leaving it alone doesn't really make a difference either it's mostly weather and stress related I think. Anyway, often new products will do either one of two things make my scalp feel great and my hair look awful due to its fineness or make my scalp feel horrible and my hair awesome (even though I due not try to put new product on my scalp it will inevitably migrate there).

BPTP is amazing. Not only do I now have a product that smells amazing! But I now have something that doesn't irritate my scalp and makes my hair look and feel amazing. I put two sprays on after getting out of the shower by spraying my hands and then finger combing through my hair concentrating on the ends first and then gradually moving up the hair. However, it's been really dry here lately compared with the regular humidity so I found that the two sprays when damp just weren't quite enough for my hair. When it was about 85-90% dry I added two more sprays the way I did earlier. Now that I've slept on my hair I can certainly tell you it is fantastic! My hair has completely behaved (although that is fairly normal) it looks nice and shiny but not greasy and usually new products that react with my scalp cause it to look greasy. There are also no knots in sight! My hair doesn't tangle that easily but with the dryness it tends to tangle and this gloss makes me so happy!!!!

Scent: brighter than I thought it would be. It's very fruity on my skin especially fresh out of the bottle. As it sits on the skin the red musk appears and it feels more vice like. The vanilla emerges as well and the fruits receed to the background. The scent is very beautiful in all phases but I particularly like it a few hours after I have used it when it is a sweetened vanilla red musk with a whisper of dark fruits.

Keep in mind I have only used this straight out of the bath as a moisturizer so I don't know if it would react differently if used as a bath oil, but it smells awesome. As for moisturizing it certainly does a great job! My scaly if left unmoisturized legs are super smooth and not itchy at all and my hands feel great. It soaks in super quick but leaves the skin happy but not greasy - I was on the iPad within a couple of minutes after application and it didn't make the screen gross.

I will add my voice to the calls for this to become permanent. It is absolutely gorgeous!

Definitely very leather heavy, the sharp leather of a new couch or shoes. It's a very rich and refined leather with the tobacco just adding to the refined feeling. The sharpness is tempered by the bourbon vanilla which follows the leather taming it just a little bit. I've got to admit I'm not picking up the patchouli as a note but it seems like it is blending with the oak moss to give the scent a slightly greenery feel, like those boots just came in from outside after riding a horse through the woods. It is such a heavenly scent that I want everything to smell like it.

I sprayed it on my blanket that I keep in the living room and I will occasionally get whiffs if I move a bit more than 4 hours later.

I did this a couple of years ago and feel that I have changed enough that the recommendations may change (although I have been introduced to some nice scents that way)

At 22, I'm still a double major (actually doing a double honours, because I guess I love school so mucho don't really want to leave) in dance and communications. I'm writing my thesis on censorship laws surrounding music on the radio in Canada and now am really interested in policy, particularly arts policy. Once I'm finished my degree (August providing no major setbacks) I am debating about whether or not to go to law or grad school right now with the amount that I am enjoying my thesis I am leaning towards a really interesting interdisciplinary program that combines communications and the arts which fits perfectly into my new found passion for policy.

In addition to the school 'stuff' which is a very important part of my life, I'm still a longish haired red head, very pale and generally hates sitting out in the sun due to burning. I'm an extrovert in that I like to talk a lot and tend to process thoughts through speech, but I prefer to interact with smaller groups of people rather than large ones. I love reading, primarily dystopia, like brave new world and animal farm. I'm also an avid gamer and will play anything from mass effect to harvest moon and many things in between. I'm also a mega nerd! I love Firefly, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who and many other things.

I wear a lot of simple things but like a little bit extra to make an outfit special. Usually I prefer textures to patterns, like a great bit of lace detailing instead of zebra print. I also tend to stick with darker colours, jewel tones mostly but I have been branching out lately. I love all colours, I just don't usually wear them.

Personality specific I tend to take things quite seriously especially if it is a task that needs to be done. I'm quick witted and sarcastic some times as a form of armour for insecurity, but I truly love bantering with others. I'm an odd contradiction that I hold myself to much higher standards than I hold anyone else. I try to help others forgive themselves, but don't forgive myself. I wear my heart on my sleeve and am a terrible lier as my emotions always show.

That was a lot more detailed than last time I did this. Sorry for the long ramble and hopefully someone made it through and can give some recommendations.

That sounds awesome!

I have been contemplating doing something like a ritual items swap, possibly focused around the New Year since 1, that's my major ritual of the year anyway, and 2, it really seems like lots of people have had a not-great year in 2012. I think it would be great to send someone 'good fortune, packaged' - items chosen to fit into their traditions, gifted along with your best wishes for a good 2013. I was thinking of maybe stipulating items representing purification, light, luck, and harmony, with a fifth 'wildcard' item based on the recipient's dearest wish (so, if my recipient really wanted to graduate college next year, I might send them some TAL Concentration). Would be inclusive of any and all religious orientations!

 

IDK, would anyone else be interested?

 

i would love something like this.

Very cool - I'd be interested if you include internationals

This is fantastic!!!! It's everything I wanted Jack and Blue Pumpkin Floss to smell like on me! I get a nice pumpkin-y scent with cinnamon, and the vanilla lends a creaminess that reminds me slightly of an uncooked pumpkin pie because the pumpkin is still so fresh.

Jack smelled mostly of peach on my skin, all of the other notes seemed to drown out the pumpkin (it's a beautiful scent, but not very pumpkin-y on me) and Blue Pumpkin Floss - smelled like popcorn (at least according to my best friend). The latter definitely had a very butter-y pumpkin like it had been roasted, rather than the fresh pumpkin I'm getting from V.

Finally a pumpkin that works!!!!!

I totally want in on another circular swap!!!! I've already had so much fun with the switch witch round!!! I'd love to do another thing like it

Jack layered with Snake Oil - pumpkin snake oil!!!! YUM!!!

Eat Me is for today's birthday!!! Cake-y goodness!!!

I'd suggest retesting them once they've settled as right out of the mailbox they often smell different. Honey smells baby powder like on my skin and iirc both alice and elf are honey based.

ETA: I wouldn't give up - I was lucky I liked two scents from my first order of imps to purchase bottles. You do learn what types of scents your skin likes and then sometimes you'll get a frimp that blows your mind because you don't think it should work on you but it totally does.

Velvet was a powdery chocolate on me personally, but it smells differently on my best friend so it really is just a matter of trying some.

I got this as a frimp. It's very interesting because it is aquatic or ozonic, but also rich and spicy. Those two styles are usually not found together. The oil itself is dark brown in color; it is the darkest of the oils I have.

In the imp I just smell the watery scent, but when it's on my skin, the rich herbal/spicy scent comes out. I do not get grapefruit at all. After a few minutes the two are blended together.

I think this scent would work better for a man than for a woman.

I agree with everything above (except that it would work better for a man...but maybe I'm biased because this becomes a very sweet,spice with hints of salty aquatic on my skin). It doesn't feel evil, but rather soft and comforting like a giant duvet on a cold winter's day. I'm so surprised that I like this scent so much - it came in my last order as a frimp and it was the one that caught my nose at first and I finally gave it a full wear today and have just fallen for it.

My work is being renovated and we are giving away free coffee and pastries but cannot make handcrafted beverages because we have no place or machines to do so. I was worried because often customers will yell and get angry about little things and I thought that the fact that they couldn't get their latte/americano/whatever hand crafted beverage that there would be some serious screaming. So before heading to work at 5:00 am I put some Lionheart over my heart in an X going from down to up three times while focusing on how Lionheart would help protect me from negativity and give me the courage to not let rude people bring me down. I also hoped that it would calm people and cheer them up as well around me. Well I had the most amazing shift. Everyone was so nice and understanding about the renovations and there was only one rude-ish customer that the next customer even commented on how her behaviour wasn't necessary. Why I really feel that Lionheart worked though was I was delegated to go to another store to brew coffee and while I was gone, there were so many rude and annoyed customers (the attitude that I was worried about earlier). I really feel that Lionheart, gave me the courage and positivity to get through what could have been an awful shift. Because it helped to put me at ease, I think I was better able to deal with customers and make everyone (well almost everyone) happy and cheerful for the rest of their day

for the tl:dr My first experience with Lionheart was AWESOME!!!!

I've continued to use this for stressful situations (especially work related) and I feel that it continues to work externally. I might not feel the best on the inside (so it doesn't change my feelings/attitudes) but rather feels like a suit of armour that I am wearing to protect me from negativity from the outside world. I would definitely consider this an external oil. If that makes any sense.

Also just a note about the scent - I feel like it is very jasmine-y/dragon's blood like which I normally despise, but here it amps like crazy (so I only need the tiniest bit still in a cross over my heart) and makes me feel powerful and protected.

I hadn't realized how much I actually felt that Radiance of Ra actually helps until this morning. I've been lighting candles anointed with it for sending healing vibes to all the people (on the forum, that I know of) who need them (there's no way to test its 'effectiveness' that way though) and it isn't necessarily helping to actually heal my knee injury, but I wasn't really expecting it to, but I was anointing a note that I was leaving for my boss yesterday (focusing on unveiling lies and deception while protecting myself from negative energies and attitudes) when I spilled a bit on my chair. Instead of wasting it I rubbed in on my hands, my knee (I figured it couldn't hurt), my hair and my uniform. I actually love the sugary, pez like scent. Everyone at work commented on how lovely it smelled and we were all way happier than normal even working in a small trailer (our store is being renovated). The day before I was in a fairly bad mood and was dreading working last night, but I had the most fun, positive experience in a long time. I felt like I was radiating sunshine almost, which considering my negative and overwhelmed feeling I had earlier in the day was a miracle and something I have to attribute to Radiance of Ra.

I feel like Radiance of Ra is an internal working oil - it sneaks up on me as the wearer making me feel better from the inside out instead of a protective armour I am 'wearing' on the outside if that makes sense. It helped to work in the same way that laughter does - once I was happy, my energy helped with everyone else like it was contagious (in a good way). It is definitely an oil I will continue to use at work to see if when I'm closer to customers an internal happiness will extend to them.

In addition I've read that many people find that with certain oils their energy is depleted the next day. I felt as though I had extra energy and then had a great night's sleep which even though it wasn't very long I woke up from feeling rested and ready to face the day.

Bumping this, as I'm in the same boat as stellamaris: dark musk lover here! I LOVE powdery scents - there, I said it, and now I'm going to be shunned by three quarters of the forum!

 

My favourite pairing for black musk is amber - Haunted and Bakeneko are two perennial Top 10 scents, and I'd love to find others. Vanilla, spice, woods, resins, and most florals are all notes with which my skin gets along great.

 

So, for those of you who can stomach darker musks, what would you recommend as a must-try? It sounds like I'll definitely have to track down some Playful Wooden Mallets, that sounds amazing!

Raven moon 2012 is definitely a cold dark musk. It's quite nice. Black musk doesn't usually go powdery on me but there is still a hint of powder in the background. I smell the powdery part more in the bottle.

Raven Moon strikes me as a very sexy incensey scent - the chili adds a little bit of coolness to the scent. It feels a little aloof, almost an unattainable sexy.

I got this in a swap and I it.

In the bottle - it smells like a stronger patchouli-ish, more incensed, and more masculine version of Snake Oil

On - I definitely get the Snake Oil references, but at first I get some of the juniper. It's a sharp pine-y note right on top, which is soured a bit by a plum like smell. But it's a good sour like IMO perfectly ripe fruit has the hint of sour and some sweet as well.

Dry down - the juniper and possibly mint I was smelling before fade out and I get a very strong sense that it is Snake Oil + plum + chocolate + tiny bit more incense. A few hours later there is no trace of the sourness from the plum, but rather a soft fruityness and cocoa note with Snake Oil.

Verdict - this may have just leapt onto my top ten list.

In the imp: Sharp leather, tempered by a sweet vanilla like scent with the floral in the background.

Wet on skin: My decant starts off as a very strong hit of florals with sharp leather in the background. It smells almost powdery and a little headache-y.

Dry down: The vanilla starts to peek out helping the leather to bash the floral notes into submission. Eventually the smoke comes out to play mingling with the vanilla that was becoming borderline too sweet to stay vanilla-ish rather than sugary.

My description above may seem like I dislike this blend, which for the first couple of minutes or so I do until my skin does wonderful things with the vanilla, smoke and leather to create a very sexy, sultry, sweet but not foody scent with the hint of white floral in the background to make the perfume have a traditionally feminine feel. It's now definitely in my top 10 and the hint of floral makes it very different from the resinous, leathery, vanilla, patchouli blends that I reach for all the time. I can certainly see this getting as much wear as Snake Oil or Dorian and I'm thrilled that my nose doesn't completely reject the floral notes in this blend as they usually make me sneeze, no sneezing except for my typical allergies here.