girasol

Question: What exactly is the critter swap?

It is a mystery match swap whereby you hand craft a critter (using any craft of your choice) and receive one made by somebody else in return. Here are the previous round's discussion thread and IGI (I got it!) threads if you want to see what it's all about.

Since there seems to be at least some interest, I will probably try to get a new round posted up in the next couple of days

Just as the last critter swap round was closing out, there were a few folks either new to the forum or who missed the sign ups who posted that they were eager for a chance to participate next time.

I'm just looking to gauge interest if I were to open up a round in the next couple of weeks? The round would most likely commence early January and give a 6 - 8 week lead time for crafting and sending. Since most forumites are in the northern hemisphere and in the middle of winter, I figure this is prime crafting time.

Also wondering how people feel about theming the swap? Previous rounds have been open to make anything that takes your fancy, so I wonder whether the idea of a theme (e.g. woodland creatures, fantasy beings, under the sea, creatures from fairytales, the thing from outer space) would help focus inspiration or just be too restrictive.

On the topic of a spring break swap, would someone be willing to help me run it? I've never run a circular swap before, and I think everyone would benefit if I had a mentor helping me!

I don't know if you'd be planning to make it international or just US, but either way I'd be happy to help run it though not necessarily participate myself. The critter swap is wrapping up soon, so no reason I couldn't spare the time

Double post, whoopsie.

Wet: Sweet to start with! The vanilla is attention-whoring, the woody notes are lurking shyly in the background but hinting at depth. I have no idea what benzoin smells like, presumably it's along for the ride but I really wouldn't know.

Dry: Somehow, this smells kind of coconutty to me now, even though there is obviously no coconut note. It has a lingering sweetness, and the wood notes are very soft. It's a fuzzy kind of scent.

I cannot figure out what it is in the top note of this that makes me go Blergh! Stinky! if anyone can enlighten me? I almost think it's the ginger.

I would lay money on vetiver. If you have imps of them in your collection, try Bluebeard or Djinn for confirmation that's what you're smelling - those are both very vetiver heavy on me too.

So, I had this on for about .72 of a second before I had to scrub it off. Disappointing, but at least I now have confirmation that I cannot wear vetiver blends. Ever never. Not even if it's a minor note.

Wet: Very much getting the 'perfume counter' fragrance other reviewers have spoken of. I could definitely believe this was a commercial perfume, but for the absence of alcohol overtones.

Drydown: Yup, still getting that mishmash of commercial scents that you encounter while cruising through the cosmetics floor of a department store. Can't pick out particular notes, but I'm rubbish at that anyway. I assume its the magnolia and bergamot that are front and centre, because it reads very florally on me.

It's inoffensive, but nothing that I'm excited enough about to need a bottle.

Alas, I really do get 'cleaning product' from this. Not just because lemon and lavender are common scents for cleaning products, but it also has that slightly acrid, throat-scratchy character I associate with cleaning chemicals. This one is not for me.

Would anybody be interested in a resurrected Critter Swap, for handmade sock animals / plushies / sculpted beasties / whathaveyou? It's been quite awhile now since the last one.

It's not easy to find as it was a past forum-only and incredibly popular, but Cake Smash would be a good choice. It's supposed to be red velvet cupcakes, but given it's a cake + cream cheese frosting combo, it could easily pass for carrot cake. It's actually uncanny how perfectly this scent replicates cream cheese frosting.

Sounds great! I would maybe think about downgrading the number of squares each person makes though. It would be nice to get 10 and have nearly enough for a whole blanket if people can manage it, but when we did the afghan square swap, most of us got overwhelmed by the need to knit/crochet and send so many squares - the swap went overtime by months and some participants ended up flaking completely after only sending a handful of squares. Of course patchwork/applique may be less onerous and therefore easier to manage, but it's just something to consider.

This smelled okay in the decant, awesome wet, and then very quickly turned to something unpleasantly familiar. It took me awhile to work it out, but... bug spray. This scent turned to bug spray on my skin. Sigh.

Wet: Feck! You're right, yeahbutnobut, it's popcorn. More specifically, buttered popcorn flavoured Jelly Belly jelly beans. In smell form. Weird.

Drydown Spices coming through, but still with the popcorn.

Dry Better now. Clove often goes batsh*t crazy on my skin, but this is not too bad. And the ginger is nice and sharp - BPAL ginger notes often don't actually smell gingery to me, but this one does. Yay!

I love the idea of this thread. Since I'm still new at this whole perfumery business, maybe this'll help me pick stuff out!

 

I'm 20 years old and study horticulture and arboriculture, as well as landscaping. I'm a total nature freak, but in a bit of a twist I'm afraid of most animals - pretty much everything except insects, rodents, crustaceans, reptiles, and flying creatures of all types. I'm also afraid of loud noises, which is probably related. Or not. I don't really know.

 

Anyway, on the whole I'm pretty shy - I try to be a "behind the scenes" kind of person, although I tend to get dragged into the public. I'm really submissive so I get suckered into things like theater groups and clubs. People call me a workaholic but I consider myself to be really lazy. It's true, though, that I tend to try to keep myself busy constantly. Otherwise I get bored and doze off. Among my roommates, I'm known for a few things: falling asleep at weird times/in the middle of doing stuff, being crazy-prepared or anything and everything, taking very long walks, having a tea-based remedy for anything you could possibly imagine, owning a bunch of poisonous plants, and spouting obscenities the few times I actually do talk. Despite that last thing, I'm known for being very gentle and meticulous. Often during my walks I'll pick up interesting bugs that I see and watch them hang out on my hand for a while.

 

As a friend once put it, I'm "the least sexual person on the planet." I have absolutely 0 interest in sex and romance. Sometimes this makes me feel defective, but lately I've been coming to terms with the fact that I'd rather spend my time among trees and flowers than with some kind of lover. I consider it my goal in life to constantly surround myself and others with perfect, beautiful things.

 

Like I said up top, I've only just started doing some soul searching for "me" scents and would appreciate all the help I can get.

The first one that came to mind was The Little Sparrow - a good scent for shy, gentle creature who belongs in nature but fears bigger animals. Mouse's Long and Sad Tale could be good too - gentle and warm. TKO for the doziness, it's such a snuggly scent! It seems like you also really appreciate the spiritual aspects of nature, and that brought Kathmandu to mind - to me, it smells like ancient trees, mountain air and temple incense, a fitting scent for worshipping nature's majesty. For the horticulturalist in you, Titania is a lovely garden scent - it's like being surrounded by night-blooming flowers on a warm evening.

Of course, I have no idea of your preferred notes - these are just the ones that came to mind from your description!

I really wish I'd bought more of this.

In the bottle: Slightly herbal with a bit of citrus sparkle. Fresh, but gentle.

Wet: The citrusy note really came to the fore at first. It has a very grapefruit-like character, but I'm assuming it's the tartness of the pomegranate.

Dry: The citrus has dropped back and everything is nicely blended. Frankincense has been known to really amp on me, but it's behaving itself nicely here. This one sticks close to the skin, but in a good way - like a secret you're not ready to share. A slightly powdery finish, but not in an overpowering granny-talc way.

Verdict: Lotus Moon is really not what I was expecting from the notes - I thought it would be a bit deeper and spicier. There is a slight spiciness in the background, but as a whole this blend actually feels quite herbal to me. All the same, this a gorgeous scent. Soft and calming and feminine. It would be perfect for when you're in a dreamy, contemplative mood.

Has anyone noticed if Oberon changes significantly as it ages? I got an imp and loved it - for me, the smell was a lot like a sudsy bubble bath (I'm possibly the only person in the world who wants to smell like that, but there was just something about the scent I found happy and comforting). I bought a bottle off the forum but it smells quite different - kind of powdery and less fresh and soapy. It's not nasty or anything, just not the scent that I fell in love with from the imp.

The bottle is the amber glass, but looked like it might have been a year or two old - the label has kind of a matte finish instead of the slightly glossy labels I've mostly seen, and the lid is a bit different to my other bottles. So I'm figuring maybe it could be an age thing. Also, the bottle had leaked quite a lot in transit even though it was well taped, which made me think perhaps the lid doesn't fit very well and the scent has changed due to oxidation. Any thoughts from more experienced BPALers?

Mmm... so good. Rich, sweet, softly spicy and just a faint hint of smoke - this quite the sexy carnival! It's sugary, but somehow not really in a foody way - just a sweetess behind the florals and the incense. I love this.

Judging from the rest of the reviews, I think my skin is doing something unusual with this. It goes on quite sweet and almost floral, but I very quickly get a strong incensy note (you know that dryish, slightly pine-y, faintly camphor-smelling stuff they use in churches? That kind of vibe). It reminds me a bit of the temple incense smell of Kathmandu, though not as strong. Is this the nicotiana? I don't know. It's not an unpleasant smell, but I don't love it enough for a bottle. Definitely not getting the honey-chamomile fest others have mentioned.

I think the 80s smelled like hairspray and Revlon's Charlie... I don't know if there's a BPAL equivalent, but I kind of hope not

I was expecting something creamy and delicious with a nice gingery bite, and it was... but a quick fader, unfortunately. Three hours later, even if I put my nose right up to my wrist there is just the faintest hint of ginger. Aside from the fast fade, lovely.

I really love Pele! It's a stronger floral than I usually like, and the first hour is a bit intense, but after that it's so soft and breezy and feminine - just beautiful. Definitely reminiscent of lush tropical forests and warm sea breezes. I will definitely be getting a bottle of this, and I can see it being the perfect go-to scent for a summery day.

I was surprised by this - I was expecting it to be quite heavy on the spice and resiny notes, kind of like Scherezade. Instead, this is really floral on me. Exotic and pretty, but not all all what I imagined. I do like it, but if I smelled it not knowing it was called Morocco it would certainly not have conjured up that image in my head. Could be just my chemistry I suppose.

Wonderful! This is one I ordered unsniffed because I was confident I'd like it... I've been doing that a lot lately In this instance, it paid off - and then some. This is the loveliest scent... sweet beeswax candles, bottled comfort. It reminds me of the kind of shop you wander into by chance in a small town, the sort of place that sells natural, locally-produced things and makes you feel instantly at home.

I don't really get any smoke from this, save a very faint whiff of that slightly acrid smell you get when you've just blown a candle out. Mostly it's just creamy beeswax. A wonderful scent for Autumn or Winter to make you feel cosy and comforted.

Lemon gelati! Electric lemonade! Sugary and zingy and wonderful

So, yes. I bought two bottles of this unsniffed, because I just had a feeling I would love it. I was right! It's just such an awake, happy scent. I may even need more bottles, because I know I will be gutted if I ever run out of this.

This is citrus done perfectly, without the 'air freshener' horror I get from some of the other citrus blends. Also... I think if I layer this with a bit of Obatala, I will have a good substitute for The Star. Which is great, because all I have of that little gem are a couple of imps, and I think the coconut will help offset a little of the zinginess and make it a softer, summery scent.

So good. So very, very good.

Mad Tea Party is now officially my favourite BPAL scent collection - so much win in this series!

How Doth the Little Crocodile, while foody, is more complex than just that. It's warm and and faintly spicy, and the chocolate ain't no Hershey's - it's the real deal 70% cocoa stuff, dark and rich. The mint and vanilla are quite soft, so you don't end up smelling like a choc-mint ice cream cone gone wrong. I really like this scent, it's both delicious and comforting and I need a bottle!