childoftime
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Posts posted by childoftime
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Yeah, every time I've used CCNow it's done something weird like that, so I just use PayPal all the time now.
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In the imp, this smelled just like Hawaiian Punch. Memories of school lunches came flooding back.
Once on my skin, it smells like spiced punch, no booze. Owlgoddess pronounced it Yankee Candle-ish.
Then the spices amped, and for about half an hour all I could smell was cinnamon, but fortunately I didn't have any kind of reaction, skin-wise.
Now it definitely smells like an autumn spice candle. And I had such high hopes for this.
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TOUCHED TWICE
It was long that the unicorn stood by Prince Lír before she touched him with her horn. For all that her quest had ended joyously, there was weariness in the way she held herself, and a sadness in her beauty that Molly had never seen. It suddenly seemed to her that the unicorn’s sorrow was not for Lír but for the lost girl who could not be brought back; for the Lady Amalthea, who might have lived happily ever after with the prince. The unicorn bowed her head, and her horn glanced across Lír’s chin as clumsily as a first kiss.
He sat up blinking, smiling at something long ago. “Father,” he said in a quick, wondering voice. “Father, I had a dream.” Then he saw the unicorn, and he rose to his feet as the blood on his face began to shine and move again. He said, “I was dead.”
The unicorn touched him a second time, over the heart, letting her horn rest there for a little space. They were both trembling. Prince Lír put his hands out to her like words. She said, “I remember you. I remember.”
As delicate as life, as gentle as death, and as powerful as love: sheer, luminescent vanilla musk with frangipani, red sandalwood, frankincense, champaca flower, coconut, rose absolute, white cyclamen, Himalayan mogra, angelica, and white oud.
In the bottle, I smell rose and some soft sweetness. Once I put it on, the rose absolute really blooms, if you can forgive the choice of word. While this is wet, all I get is ROSE ABSOLUTE! ALL ROSES HERE. Now that it's starting to dry, I can smell some coconut and frankincense starting to peek out. If you love rose scents, this is right up your alley. If you're not a big rose fan like me and you were hoping that it wasn't going to dominate, maybe you have different skin chemistry and will thus be luckier, but this is definitely a rosy one. I'm thinking of things I could blend this with to cut some of its rosiness, because it is really pretty, I just wish the other notes could compete with that rose absolute. -
Elf is a very light oil, and definitely has a woodsy smell to it that you won't get from neutral. It sounds like your imp is mislabeled. Oops!
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Maybe I got a weird bottle of this, but in the bottle and on my skin this is a creamy, subtle, light but deep rose with a hint of dark spice and the barest wisp of leather (which I can't always smell).
Rose-dominant blends have historically hated me--I can't wear Rose Red, Whip, or London (heartbreaking, as it's my favourite city in the world) at all. I usually only do well with blends like Queen of Clubs or the Post roses (white rose, red rose) where there's a bit of rose but it's not the star of the show. Shockingly, this is lovely on me. The rose I get is deep, but very light. This is not a strong scent on me at all, just enough to smell if you hug me, or I reach over you, or turn my head. If I didn't know there was leather in there, I would never have known it was there at all. Just creamy roses with a dark spice underneath adding enough depth to keep this from being too simple a blend. I can't wait until my Lab order comes in the mail, I would love to layer this with Neutral. I can imagine adding skin musk to this would be mind-blowing.
Definitely looking forward to seeing how this ages!
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This is nothing short of amazing. In the bottle it's creamy vanilla amber, but once it hits my skin the mandarin and the spices bloom and it's completely beautiful. It reminds me of Love's Philosophy, with the creamy vanilla spice, but as it dries, the blast of mandarin dies down a bit and the gardenia floats out around the edges. Such a relief, I was terrified that the flowers were going to ruin this for me, but it's lovely! It does remind me of Glowing Vulva. Maybe the love child of Glowing Vulva and Love's Philosophy, if that makes any sense. The glowing creamy amber of GV mixed with the vanilla spice of LP, with juicy mandarin and a bare hint of flowers.
Emoticon verdict:
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When I first sniffed from the bottle, I was sure this was related to XCDL13 (sharp in the bottle) and Elf v4 (hello creamy vanilla), and once it hit skin, any doubt was removed. This is very reminiscent of Elf v4, but with a hint of something almost-masculine-but-not-really that reminds me of Dorian. I didn't get sassafrass, but tonka seems likely, and I agree that there's a very soft musk floating just at the edges. This didn't end up powdery at all on me, or on Ow1goddess, so ymmv on the powdery issue.
Whatever it is that's reminding me of Dorian is keeping this from being too sweet or girly (thankfully) without making it really masculine. I think that this would be dangerously good on a man, while it's certainly lovely on Ow1goddess and I.
Emoticon verdict:
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I'm not sure I could stop myself from wearing Nymphia if Ow1goddess and I decided to go up to D.C. and make it legal (at least in some states!). Ow1goddess and I are both classicists, and the name is just too perfect to pass up.
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I have a bottle of this that came from a trunk show, and I have to say, it's absolutely stunning. I hadn't reviewed it earlier because I'm having an extremely hard time picking out notes for this and describing it, but I happened to put it on the day after I tested XCDL13, and they smell incredibly similar on me. My wife thought I was wearing XCDL13 again when I asked her to smell it! So the best way I know to describe it is XCDL13 with a wispy orange note.
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Bringer of victory
Black currant, patchouli, blood orange, oakmoss, galbanum, benzoin, and white mint.
When I first opened the bottle I was a bit worried about this scent, as the oakmoss was VERY strong. When I put it on, however, Nikephoros became an instant love. This is exactly the scent I'd been digging through my collection looking for and not finding. The oakmoss and patchouli ground the scent, and they are very well balanced by the orange and blackcurrant. The balance keeps this from being too sweet or too earthy/dry. The white mint isn't really detectable, but makes this scent is cold like the end of winter meeting early spring. This is a complex scent that is mostly cool and dry with a hint of warm and juicy. -
A GAME CALLED YES & NO
“Here is a new game,” said Scrooge. “One half hour, Spirit, only one!”
It was a Game called Yes and No, where Scrooge’s nephew had to think of something, and the rest must find out what; he only answering to their questions yes or no, as the case was. The brisk fire of questioning to which he was exposed, elicited from him that he was thinking of an animal, a live animal, rather a disagreeable animal, a savage animal, an animal that growled and grunted sometimes, and talked sometimes, and lived in London, and walked about the streets, and wasn’t made a show of, and wasn’t led by anybody, and didn’t live in a menagerie, and was never killed in a market, and was not a horse, or an ass, or a cow, or a bull, or a tiger, or a dog, or a pig, or a cat, or a bear. At every fresh question that was put to him, this nephew burst into a fresh roar of laughter; and was so inexpressibly tickled, that he was obliged to get up off the sofa and stamp. At last the plump sister, falling into a similar state, cried out:
“I have found it out! I know what it is, Fred! I know what it is!”
“What is it?” cried Fred.
“It’s your Uncle Scro-o-o-o-oge!”
Which it certainly was. Admiration was the universal sentiment, though some objected that the reply to “Is it a bear?” ought to have been “Yes;” inasmuch as an answer in the negative was sufficient to have diverted their thoughts from Mr. Scrooge, supposing they had ever had any tendency that way.
“He has given us plenty of merriment, I am sure,” said Fred, “and it would be ungrateful not to drink his health. Here is a glass of mulled wine ready to our hand at the moment; and I say, ‘Uncle Scrooge!’ ”
“Well! Uncle Scrooge!” they cried.
“A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the old man, whatever he is!” said Scrooge’s nephew. “He wouldn’t take it from me, but may he have it, nevertheless. Uncle Scrooge!”
Mulled wine and marzipan.
In the bottle this is sweet and boozy and just a little bit spicy, with the sugary almond lying thickly underneath.
The oil is perfectly clear, and once it's on my skin, it's warm and light, with the spices keeping the marzipan from making this overly sweet or foody. This is a great holiday scent! Wet, the fruitiness of the wine and sweetness of the marzipan come forward, but as it dries, the spices assert themselves, and the mulled wine is a little bit stronger than the marzipan.
I had to get out my Gluhwein to compare, and I'd say that if you liked Gluhwein, this is going to be a win for you. The mulled wine is very similar, but the marzipan makes A Game Called Yes & No feel a little more seasonal, if that makes sense. They're both delicious mulled wine, but if you sniff them side by side, Gluhwein is winter-warm and AGCY&N is more holiday warm.
Verdict: I'm in love, and a rare (for me) second bottle may be necessary! -
I would LOVE to get my hands on one of the non-red-musk bottles! Mine is like red musk SN, and I wish I got the other stuff.
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NYCC exclusives:
:reviews: Please!There are reviews in the BPAL@ Conventions thread starting here!
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I didn't think I would like this at all as I'm not big on pumpkin, but it says blackberry and sugar in the notes, and my beloved has a decant, so I couldn't not test it out at least once...
I put it on my skin, all ready to hate it. But you know what? I love this one! Completely unexpected
from nowhere! At first it's buttery-pumpkiny-sugary, then as it dries it goes through a brief stage where it smells of red hots before hitting buttery blackberry spun sugar with a hint of pumpkiny spice in the background. Damn. I may need a whole bottle of this. -
Boozy cherry almond in the imp, almond takes over once it's wet on my skin, but as soon as it starts to dry...BABY POWDER, that's all.
I'm going to have to go scrub this off.
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Oh my goodness, this is fantastic!
I believe my partial bottle is very nicely aged, and it smells like heaven! I've tried cocoa scents before, and have had some problems with them going to powder on me, which is heartbreaking. This, on the other hand, even after I waited through the whole drydown, never does hit powdery.
Boy, is this stuff THICK, though! When I rubbed my wrists together and then brought it to my neck, it was like trying to rub honey into my skin. I knew it was thick from the way it moved in the bottle, but wow! This stuff is divinely cocoaed Snake Oil, with just hints of the other notes peeking out. Absolutely marvelous!
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THE BYRONIC ANTIHERO
He stood --- some dread was on his face,
Soon Hatred settled in its place:
It rose not with the reddening flush
Of transient Anger's hasty blush,
But pale as marble o'er the tomb,
Whose ghastly whiteness aids its gloom.
His brow was bent, his eye was glazed;
He raised his arm, and fiercely raised,
And sternly shook his hand on high,
As doubting to return or fly;
Impatient of his flight delay'd,
Here loud his raven charger neigh'd ---
Down glanced that hand, and grasp'd his blade;
That sound had burst his waking dream,
As Slumber starts at owlet's scream,
The spur hath lanced his courser's sides;
Away, away, for life he rides:
Swift as the hurl'd on high jerreed
Springs to the touch his startled steed:
The rock is doubled, and the shore
Shakes with the clattering tramp no more:
The crag is won, no more is seen
His Christian crest and haughty mien.
'T was but an instant he restrain'd
That fiery barb so sternly rein'd;
'T was but a moment that he stood,
Then sped as if by death pursued;
But in that instant o'er his soul
Winters of Memory seem'd to roll,
And gather in that drop of time
A life of pain, an age of crime.
O'er him who loves, or hates, or fears,
Such moment pours the grief of years:
What felt he then, at once opprest
By all that most distracts the breast?
That pause, which ponder'd o'er his fate,
Oh, who its dreary length shall date !
Though in Time's record nearly nought,
It was Eternity to Thought !
For infinite as boundless space
The thought that Conscience must embrace,
Which in itself can comprehend
Woe without name, or hope, or end.
—The Giaour, Lord Byron
An aristocratic cologne of titanic passions, moody and brooding. This scent is dark with disillusionment and cynicism: a Victorian fougère and a dashing carnation boutonnière tainted by a cloud of khus, yew, and patchouli.I had to have this for the name alone, even if it didn't sound like a dark and brooding Dorian!
In bottle: Sharp vetiver and yew, a whiff of earthy patchouli, and the faint sweetness of flowers deep underneath.
Wet, on skin: Lavender pops right out here, with the vetiver and yew underneath.
Drydown: The carnation joins the lavender, with vetiver and yew hovering around, and patchouli forming a solid, grounding base for the scent. I was worried this was going to be too masculine for me to pull off, but it's turning into a fantastically unisex scent. It sort of reminds me of Samhainophobia meets Dorian. I love this one in a big way.
Dry: This is one of the only scents that smells exactly like the description on me, which I thought from the florals might be a bad thing, since florals just never work on me, but this one is amazing. It's like wearing a victorian gentleman's coat in a graveyard on a chilly night. -
Warning: do not slather this the first time you try it! This stuff is STRONG!
As others before me have said, this one comes out Red Musk SN all the way, and it takes about an hour and a half to calm down.
However, once it does, it turns into the most beautiful creamy, honeyed red musk I could ever desire.
If you're a lover of red musk, this is a must-buy!
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This may be my shortest review ever.
From start to finish, this is just like wearing a cold pina colada. I love it! Such a lovely scent for summer, and it blends in perfectly with the Atomic Luau Lounge launch. As a bonus, it lasts a really long time.
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I'm not the best at picking out notes, but here goes!
In the bottle: I don't really smell honey here, just freshly cut/crushed greenery, dripping with plant juices. I'm pretty sure eucalyptus is a player here.
Wet on my arm: Plant juice! Ooh, and just a hint of dirt. I'm still not getting much honey. This is the smell of someone's hands after they've been working in the garden, doing the pruning.
Drydown: The medicinal smell that was so prominent at first seems to be fading and the honey is really coming out to play. This is warming up into something gorgeous! Still very green and herbal, but now warm and sweet. This is turning into something I'd actually want to smell like instead of being such an aggressive herbal.
Dry: Warm lavender honey with just a hint of herb in the background. Beautiful.
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I. Love. This!
In the bottle: Sweet cocoa with berries! Promising, indeed. This cocoa looks like the same dark, thick oil that separates out in Hellhound and others. Definitely roll the bottle before you put it on!
Wet, on skin: Spicy, fruity in a way I can't pin down at all, and just that hint of cocoa and honey. Oh, my--this is gorgeous!
Drydown: This is a big-time morpher, as you can probably tell by now from all the varying descriptions just on the first page. The chocolate and fruity honey is still there, but the pimento and pink pepper are warming it up, and the champaca and tobacco are keeping it from being too sweet. The bergamot and paprika aren't really popping out at me, though.
Dry: This scent is amazingly well-blended. It just smells sweet and spicy--almost smoky, and it does it without being too sweet or super spicy. Just beautiful.
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I am infamous in my family for playing with yew berries as a small child (no, I never ate them, but I did scare the pants off of my mother, and was fed ipecac at least once), so as soon as I saw this blend was available I had to get some!
Yew is an evergreen bush, and that is readily apparent when this oil first hits my skin. The sweetness of honey mixes with the spicy green scent of crushed yew berries and smells fresh, clean without any hint of soapiness, and feels sun-warm. The longer this scent stays on, the more the honey comes out, and by the time this is dry, it's a really lovely honey with hints of evergreen and I can definitely see where Invidiana is getting lime, albeit very faintly. It reminds me of summer days spent in the backyard surrounded by growing things and dappled sun patches.
The verdict? I bought it more as a sentimental scent, but I'm surprised at how really lovely it is. It's the perfect honey scent for me. Not too sweet, not foody at all, and not too herbal! I'm going to have to get my hands on another bottle before it disappears. I can definitely see this one getting a lot of use during the warmer months, and oddly enough, especially in the fall.
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I was worried that the narcissus would amp on me, or that narcissus and violet leaf plus the dustiness of orris would combine to turn this into soap, but so far my fears were unfounded. Okay, maybe it does smell like soap, but it's definitely not cheap soap!
This started out as violet and vanilla with a hint of flowers and smoke/dust/something similar, but has calmed down into vanilla violet powder. Hopefully the powderiness will leave soon, since powdery scents remind me too much of my failed attempts at wearing amber and my OH GOD GET IT OFF NOW reflex kicks in.
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This smells almost creamy on my skin. The saffron and the cedar balance each other out and each keeps the other from getting too strong, and blend together very well into a lovely warm spiciness. The black currant was easy to find in the bottle, but once it's on it's only detectable as a fruitiness blending in with the warmth and spice of the scent.
Ronin
in Lupercalia
Posted · Report reply
This has aged into a gorgeous rice flower honey scent with hints of sandalwood and pepper. The oakmoss grounds it without being strong at all. I'm definitely going to be wearing this more often!