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BPAL Madness!

blackrayne

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Everything posted by blackrayne

  1. blackrayne

    Turn around time

    Right now all orders, regardless of whether they are catalog only or LE take the same length of time. The lab is working as hard as they possibly can to get the turnaround shortened, but it's not going to be easy considering the constant influx of new customers.
  2. blackrayne

    Mabon 2004

    ... Blackberry wine and apple cider with hops, apple blossom, English ivy, hazel, sage, oak bark and myrrh. Wet, and in the bottle... I too am getting the cherry cough drop type of impression. It's actually becoming more prominent as it drys down on my wrist than when it was wet. The woodsy notes are starting to come out from hiding, and it's got a sweet berry wine afterscent to it now, which, while being very intriguing, I don't think it will fully dry down to a good scent for my skin. And... the cherry cough drop scent just came back. It keeps fighting the wine, they are duking it out to see which it will smell more like, but it appears that the sweet juicy wine has been overthrown for good now. It's a lovely scent, just not one I'll be able to enjoy.
  3. blackrayne

    Lughnasadh

    Wet, and in the bottle, this is very sweet cherry with a touch of cinnamony goodness. I have had this bottle since it's release, and never worn it due to the cinnamon in it (though I have decanted two imps from it at one point, so I have smelled it quite a bit in the past). Since my skin seems to have recently stopped hating some of Beth's cinnamon blends, I decided to get my bottle out of the box and try it. Once this starts to dry down on my skin, the bright sweet cherry/berry scent fades a bit and the cinnamon comes out stronger than it appeared in the bottle. It's now more cinnamon and less fruity on me, to the point where the cherry I first caught has all but disappeared. My arm's not too sure about this one yet, it's got a bit of a tingly feeling where I applied it, though no redness to speak of at the moment (unlike what most cinnamon sccents create on my skin). After close to 30 minutes this is all cinnamon with a hint of powder on me. And it's still got that tingly burny thing going on with my wrist... so apparently not all cinnamons agree with me.
  4. blackrayne

    Indexes of some popular FAQ topics

    Due to an overwhelming amount of topics about bottles, we present this post as a guide to bottle chatter. I may have inadvertently missed one or two, but this is a general guide of frequently discussed bottle topics. 5ml bottles - how long do they last? How to get open a stuck bottle What do bottles & labels (catalog & LE) look like? Bottle Label Issues Bottle caps, reducers, polyseals, droppers, oh my! How do you apply from the big bottles What do you do with empty imps & bottles?, giving them a second life Does the Lab Recycle Imp Vials and Bottles? What do you have Big Bottles of?, (and what do you *want* big bottles of?) Bottles, Containers, supplies galore, decanting imps, roll-ons, sprays & more
  5. blackrayne

    Moxie

    I put a wee bit of this on since I was decanting an imp of it. Wet... very citrus with a spicy ginger smell mixed in. Dry... the citrus is definitely orange, and there's most certainly ginger in there. It's very uplifting, but it's also making me a bit nauseous because of the ginger (go figure... the root that calms most people's stomachs makes mine wretch). Still keeping my bottle for now as one of the other family members might be able to use this... I won't be using it again, though. Especially since it's making my wrists red and itchy. Eep. Time to get it off.
  6. blackrayne

    Astrology Recommendations

    I am very much a fire and earth sign (Sun and Moon in Leo, rising's Capricorn), and find it very interesting that for the most part I fare best with lighter fruitier and slightly floral scents. I've recently discovered a love for cinnamon scents, though (including a few that don't burn my skin... either my skin chemistry's changed and the cinnamon blends I once couldn't wear I will have to try again, or there's just been some new ones that Beth's put out that don't bother me too much). All in all, though, I've never found myself to act like the typical Leo (in my youth, maybe... but I became very introverted at one point in my life and have pretty much stayed that way for the rest of it, even if I don't seem that way on the forums)... what does this mean for me and my taste in scents? I've got no idea.
  7. blackrayne

    How long do bottles & imps last?

    Samhain's first appearance was in 2003. I have a bottle from then too... I wonder if it's still ok or if mine too has turned. I hope it's still ok... I haven't yet used all of it (or my 2004 bottle either).
  8. blackrayne

    What scent can I mix with patchouli...

    I'll second the rose suggestion, as well as vanilla... and some lavender too. I find it unfortunate that so many people associate patchouli with dirty hippies, it's really is a beautiful scent once you get over that association.
  9. blackrayne

    Pronouncing "BPAL" and scent names!

    I'm strange... in my head I pronounce it that way, but if I am talking to someone about it, they are either "Black Phoenix" or "the lab". I don't call it BPAL out loud. See... I told you I'm strange.
  10. blackrayne

    Pumpkin King

    Holy squee of squees!!! I recently got an imp of this from one of the other mods, and I am very glad I did... it turns out that my one mystery bottle that I could have sworn was Gingerbread Poppet (although having never tried GP, this was solely a guess based on notes I detected in the bottle I have) is indeed Pumpkin King! *SQUEE* On me, its all apples and spice and amazingly the cinnamon isn't bothering me (how very rare is an blend with cinnamon that doesn't produce insane redness on my skin). It's a very Autumnal scent, perfect for those chilly days with leaves fluttering through the air and the wood stove burning for the first time. Why did I take this long to identify this scent? I *love* it and will be wearing it constantly this upcoming fall.
  11. blackrayne

    What do bottles and labels look like?

    There's a huge thread about LE bottle labels here... and here is the Mi-Go specific post.
  12. blackrayne

    Quietude

    I'm not getting the lavender scent that everyone else has... mind you, it is reminiscent of lavender, but it's totally different too. It has a slight lemony scent (though it too doesn't smell exactly of lemon... it just has that similar zesty citrus scent), with an undercurrent of delicate rose. I currently have a horrid headache, I am hoping this will help get rid of it and allow me to sleep well tonight. I will report back tomorrow with the effects it has on my sleep. edited to add the following... I just got out of the shower... just trying to wash off the Quietude wouldn't have done it, I needed a full rub-down with MeadowSweet and Honey Oatmeal Almoond soaps to get the Quietude off. I was fine at first, but when it fully dried on me, it subtly reminded me of something, not entirely sure what since I never did figure out the culprit, from years ago, that the smell of always makes me really, really nauseous. I can still smell it a bit, possibly I got some on my keyboard tray or my mousepad (fortunately, I have to replace it soon anyway), and I just feel.. ick. My headache's worse than before, and I am now sitting here sniffing some Dragon's Milk hoping it will calm my belly a bit. I'm about to take some Tylenol Sinus and hopefully get some sleep... and I really hope tomorrow I can't still smell it, because it just totally did not work for me. As a side note, this has nothing personally to do with the blend, because I imagine it will work great for a lot of people (and I liked the smell wet even)... it's just that one bad scent memory association that kicked in when it dried and totally killed this blend for me.
  13. blackrayne

    Lustration

    Lemony, but totally not in a lemon Pledge way... in a happy, uplifting, yet soothing like warm honey lemon tea when you are sick way. Just sniffing this makes me feel much more mentally focused.
  14. blackrayne

    What do bottles and labels look like?

    They do only come in 5mLs. I guess Beth just thought Andra needed some extra Moxie these days or something. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hahahahahahahaha!
  15. blackrayne

    Midway

    Cotton candy. Candy apples. Funnel cakes. French fries doused with malt vinegar. Toss in a hot summer night, laughter everywhere, rides lighting up the night sky, and you've got Midway. Beth once again has outdone herself.
  16. blackrayne

    New Orleans

    I put this on about two hours ago, and forgot entirely about reviewing it right then. It, on me, is amazing. Lightly floral, with the jasmine a bit stronger than the honeysuckle, and a very faint hint of spice... to the point where it's barely noticable. I feel like I should be exploring an ancient cemetery, in the sweltering heat and humidity of the summer, just as the sun is setting.
  17. blackrayne

    Silk Road

    This reminds me a lot of a Russian Spice tea we get occasionally. I smell cinnamon in it, though I don't feel it (I almost always instantly get a rash from anything with cinnamon in it - could this one be the exception?). Warm spices, strong teas, light incense, dusty bolts of silk fabrics, and a fresh sweetness that mingles so perfectly with the rest. It is an amazing scent... not one I'll wear often, but something I could see myself wearing while trekking through Chinatown on a hot summer evening.
  18. blackrayne

    What do bottles and labels look like?

    I was so disappointed - was hoping for playing cards! (Gosh, Ace, wonder why.) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Nope... it's got the same label as Spooky and most others, though all black - no colored symbols, etc. It would have been very cool if it had an aces and eights logo on it.
  19. blackrayne

    What do bottles and labels look like?

    Ooh... the Corazon label is pretty!
  20. blackrayne

    Honey

    Very rich, true honey scent in thie amazing single note. I expected it to be a lot sweeter than it is, but I actually think it would be too sweet if it were like I was expecting. It's positively perfect just the way it is.
  21. blackrayne

    Vanilla Bean

    Very smooth and rich and creamy, Beth's single note Vanilla Bean is pure decadence in a bottle (or imp , as the case may be ). I love it by itself, and I am sure it would be great layered with some other scents as well.
  22. blackrayne

    Mata Hari

    In the bottle - rose dipped in coffee, with the jasmine, vanilla, fig tonka bean and mahogany lightly mixed in. On my skin... everything but the rose disappears on me. Mind you, it's a rather distinct rose smell, but it's just not something I'll wear. It rather depresses me too, as I thought I'd really like this one.
  23. blackrayne

    Ultraviolet

    Wow. I ordered only an imp of this, because I just wasn't sure if it would like me, but I'm definitely getting a 5ml soon! Very crisp, with the perfect amount of crushed violet flowers mixed in. It reminds me of a cross between Peppermint Altiods and Choward's Violet mints.
  24. blackrayne

    Spooky

    Wet / first applied... crisp, cool mint with a hint of buttery rum mixed in. I may have over applied slightly (ok, I squeed when I opened the bottle and lots control of my BPAL applying abilities), so it's currently VERY strong, but the scents I am getting out of it right now, from strongest to weakest... mint, coconut, buttery rum, cocoa... anything else still gets lost by the mint Due to having put too much on, I have a slight tingly sensation on my wrists, which is definitely from the mint... but it feels tingly in a good way. I just had Chris smell me and he said I smell like a "chocolate-covered SweeTart" Fortunately, he said that was a good smell. (And he's insanely sleep-deprived due to having to get up at 4AM to go to work, and having only gotten about 4 hours of sleep before that). Spooky has dried down a lot and mellowed out, and now I keept smelling chocolate covered mints and I've been trying to figure out where the scent was coming from... apparently, it's me!
  25. blackrayne

    Aunt Caroline's Money Draw

    I originally wrote this on January 11, but am finally posting it since everything's fallen into place now. Anyway, I present my review... As I am not one to mix magickal oils with scent oils, this is up in my altar room, and I've no idea what it smells like. This review is based solely on the oil's purpose, which is as it probably should be, being that it is a magickal blend created for ritual use. That being said... hot fucking damn! Things haven't been the best for us financially here as of late, and the other day I went up to the attic (where the altar room is), and did a little work using this oil (yeah, it was started before the new moon, but as it's a 7-day candle, it's still working). Today we hit rock bottom financially... and when it looked like there wasn't going to be any chance in hell that we'd get through this, there it was. Like a light in the dead of night, a beacon of hope shimmered upon us and sent forth the help we so desperately needed. Suffice to say... I am a very happy little witchy. Mind you, I don't give 100% of the credit here to the oil alone, but of all the money drawing and prosperity type oils I have used (and believe me, there have been many), this is by far the BEST.
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