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forspecial_plate

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  1. forspecial_plate
    I have over a week off work coming up soon. That makes me happy but I also want to make the most of it! I'd like to maybe make a list of things to do. Just fun things, hopefully cheap or free things, too.
     
    I can go to the zoo, of course, but I can do that any time. I live right next to the zoo and I have a yearly pass so it's always free, and I just walk there. This is one thing I'll definitely be doing.
     
    I can go to Newport On The Levee, which has lots of things to do. AMC Movie theater, for one thing, which isn't free or cheap, but is a nice splurge. Also the Newport Aquarium is there. I have a yearly pass for that too, so that is a free option. What would be best is if I could convince someone to go with me instead of going by myself for once!
     
    I really should start walking every day, not just for exercise, but for my mental well-being also. There are more benefits to this, besides just burning calories, but I need that, too.
     
    Thanksgiving falls at the end of the week so I want to find a good recipe, something to make and bring to my mom's. I have a couple ideas but I want to atually try it out first, earlier in the week, so I know for sure I'm making something good. I have so many cookbooks and don't use them enough! I really need to go grocery shopping. My refrigerator and cupboard are bare!
     
    So.....that's all I got right now. I need more things to do!
     
    Thrift shopping
    Thrift donating
    Sell some stuff on ebay?
    Get my camera working again
    Visit Kevin and Charlie in Columbus....not free but could be cheap
    Visit Sally
    Get together with Alan
    Get together with Luke
    Visit David Pack
    Cross-stitch
    Go to Ikea (but don't spend a whole lot of money?)
    Organize closets
    Go out with Jen
     
    Okay.....that's enough for a start. I'll have homework and laundry to do but I was mainly trying to list fun stuff. I mean, it is a vacation, and I can't really go anywhere (mainly because of school and lack of spending money), but I want it to be worth it. And I've had this thing lately where I want to get rid of a lot of this material stuff I've accumulated. I feel like it's encumbering me, if that's the right use of that word. I feel a bit stifled, spiritually. I need room to breathe. I have a fantasy of getting rid of everything and roaming the country. Wouldn't that be awesome? I might do it if I had unlimited funds for travelling and accomodations. I guess I could get really creative and find ways to do it anyway. Something to think about.
  2. forspecial_plate

    bleh.

    By forspecial_plate,

    I have been feeling like crap for the last few days. I don't know what's wrong with me but it reminds me of the way I used to feel when I drank a lot. I've felt kind of spaced out a lot of the time, achey, irritable, about to cry at the drop of a hat, and......just not myself. It really sucks and I don't know if it's the full moon, or if I'm fighting a cold or something, or just allergies, but I don't like this. Do not like this. It's almost like when I had mono, so maybe that is flaring up again. I've read that it can come back after being dormant for a long time (would be years in my case).
     
    Anyway, I apologize for my behavior to anyone who happens to read this.
  3. forspecial_plate

    Yule breakdown!

    By forspecial_plate,

    BPAL Yule breakdown 2010......”interest scale” of 1-5
     
    Edited after more thought, 10/23 (bold means decant ordered)
     
    Klara....”Honey dusting powder, mandarin, iris, ylang ylang, tea rose, and carnation”
    Pass. 1/5
     
    Herr Drosselmeyer 2010....”Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen”
    Pass. Never was very interested in this one. 2/5
     
    Harlequin And Columbine.....”French vanilla, red currant, sage, balsam, rosewood, mandarin, lemon peel, pomegranate, and cedar”
    Probably pass, maybe a decant. 3/5
     
    The Soldier.....”Red musk, vanilla cream, black tea, black pepper, leather, and pie”
    Has potential but I don’t like black pepper in perfume. Makes me think of Lawn Gnome? I think I'll have to try this, so I guess I need to look for a decant. 4/5
     
    Grobvater Tanz.....”rice porridge, candied fruits, heavy cream, powdered clove, and Lebkuchen”
    Have to find out what Lebkuchen is. This might be good, I have been wanting a candied fruit scent lately. 4/5
     
    The Nutcracker.....”frankincense, black mission fig, and galbanum”
    Oooh, this sounds good....I’m not always crazy about galbanum but it can be okay in the right proportions. Love the simplicity. This is possibly a bottle unsniffed. Thinking about it today. 5/5
     
    The Clock Strikes Midnight.....black currant, frankincense, blue musk, mugwort, and wisteria”
    Awww....I love the name and concept! Too bad the notes don’t appeal. Might be worth a sniff. 2/5
     
    The Rat King 2010.....”Dust, wood and feral musk with a fang-sharp undertone”
    Never was really interested in this one. Might be worth a sniff. 2/5
     
    The Waltz Of The Snowflakes.....”vanilla-laced snow, graceful and sweet, with fir needle and black pine bark”
    I’m all over the pine! Very interesed! 4/5
     
    Ebenezer Scrooge....”neglected leather, oakmoss, tonka bean, black pepper, cumin, and vetiver”
    Potential.....but again, black pepper. Hmmm. 3/5
     
    Christmas Eve In The Counting House.....”Creaky wood, thick fog, and dying embers”
    Hmmm, maybe an ozone scent? Love the concept, I’m interested. 4/5
     
    A World Of Fools......”Figgy pudding with a stake of holly through its heart”
    Yes! I must smell this. 5/5
     
    Marley’s Ghost.....”grave-cold phantasmal iron links”
    Well, the metal scents are a little harsh sometimes....too cologne-like....but this does have some potential. Worth a sniff. 3/5
     
    Incessant Torture Of Remorse.....”opopponax, lavender, blackberry, patchouli, olive leaf, myrtle, and white cognac”
    No clue. There is potential here. 3/5
     
    The Chained Phantoms.....”ice-limned white wine grape, balsam of peru, and chamomile”
    This sounds good, but it sounds like The Shivering Boy and I already have that, and don’t wear it enough. Possible decant though, pending reviews. 3/5
     
    The First Of The Three Spirits.....”Shimmering white amber, voluminous vanilla, white musk, zdravetz, and summer flowers”
    Sounds pretty but not really for me. Might still be worth a sniff! 3/5
     
    A Cold, Clear Winter Day.....”Winter tuberoses bending gently in a crisp, cold breeze”
    I think I can pass on this one. 2/5
     
    The School.....”In the corner of a desolate, dismal schoolhouse, all lonely stone walls, beeswax, and dusty wooden writing desks, stirs the scent of gold coins hidden in forest outside Baghdad, waves crashing against the hull of a Salé pirate ship, the lofty halls of Pépin le Bossu’s court, and a wild child’s home in the woods”
    Ooooo.....this has a lot of potential.....definitely worth a try. This could be a good 'work' scent, and possible bottle. 4/5
     
    Mr. Fezziwig’s Ball......”Mince pie, dark beer, a well-loved spruce wood fiddle, and bow resin”
    Sounds really good if the beer is not too strong. 4/5
     
    A Golden Idol.....”antiqued amber, English lavender, vetiver, and tea rose”
    This would have potential except for the tea rose. No thank you. 2/5
     
    The Second Of The Three Spirits.....”Pine boughs, plum pudding, spiced pears, sugared chestnuts, punch floated with oranges, boughs of holly, and myrica berries”
    Wow, that sounds awesome. Kind of like Knecht Ruprecht, which I love, but maybe even better? 4/5
     
    Bob Cratchit’s Hearth.....”Glowing firewood and sherry-cobbler”
    Hmmmm....not even sure what sherry-cobbler is. Is this a boozy scent? Could have a lot of potential if it’s not too boozy. Edit: sherry-cobbler is sherry with orange. Still think this might be good. Reminds me of Philosopher's Meditation. 4/5
     
    Christmas Eve On The Moor.......”Windswept moor grass, grey moss, mud, and stone warmed by a small, comfortable fire”
    Think I can pass on this one. 2/5
     
    Ignorance And Want.....”Bog myrtle, wormwood accord, carrot seed, lovage, Roman chamomile, orris root, myrrh, and patchouli”
    I want to try this. Could be another 'work' scent. 4/5
     
    A Game Called Yes & No.....”Mulled wine and marzipan”
    I think I can pass on this one. It might be nice enough but the mazipan could be a little candy-dusty. 3/5
     
    The Last Of The Spirits.....”Blackcurrant, myrrh, and vetiver”
    Maybe. Just maybe. 4/5
     
    An Altar To Cold, Rigid, Dreadful Death....”Black cedar, frankincense, and dust”
    Has potential, might be kind of harsh. 3/5
     
    Shadows Of What May Be.....”A deserted, dismal grave: upturned earth, overgrown grass, and dead weeds”
    I think I can safely pass on this one. 2/5
     
    Changing The Shadows.....”vanilla, orange blossom, white sandalwood, mate, red tea, and carnation”
    Sounds very pretty! Maybe a little girlie. Edit: I think this will be one of the more popular, maybe sought-after scents. I will keep an eye on reviews, in case it becomes hard to find some day. Wouldn't want to miss out. 3/5
     
    Whoop.....”crisp winter air, shimmering amber, sweet honey, with a touch of pumpkin pie, pine cone, cranberry, and bayberry”
    Oooooooh, I want to try this. Sounds totally yum! 5/5
     
    Autumn And Winter.....”Bitter currant and dry leaves. Winter wind at dusk”
    Might be good......I like leafy scents. Worth a try. Decant first. 4/5
     
    Chanukkiyah 2010.....”Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig”
    I never tried the previous one. I’d like to try this. 4/5
     
    Egg Nog 2010.....”Sweet brandy, dark rum, heavy cream, sugar, and a dash of nutmeg”
    The previous Egg Nog that I tried disappeared instantly on my skin leaving behind almost no scent at all. Those notes sound good, but I probably will pass on this. 2/5
     
    Gelt 2010.....”Dry cocoa and golden amber!”
    I’m not a fan of cocoa scents. My friend really likes this so I know I can always sniff hers if I feel a burning desire to. 2/5
     
    Gingerbread Poppet 2010.....”Warm, cozy gingerbread spiced with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon”
    The last version of this was just a little harsh for me, a little too scorched. I still have my decant of that and I’ve barely worn it at all. I think I can pass this year. 2/5
     
    Haloa 2010.....”Wine grapes, pomegranate, myrrh, frankincense and olive leaf, and the warm scent of offertory cakes”
    I love Haloa! Yet another scent that I don’t wear and appreciate often enough. I only have a decant from way back when. Could be time for a bottle? 4/5
     
    Jacob’s Ladder 2010.....”golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka”
    I tried this waaay back in 2006, and I remember that it went straight to powder. Now, I have come to appreciate powdery scents a little more. Still, with so many other wonderful things in this update, I think I can pass for now. 2/5
     
    Jolasveinar 2010.....I have enough Jolasveinar. It’s one of my favorite scents and I don’t wear it enough! 1/5 just because I have more than 5ml already.
     
    Lick It Vigorously......”This is a candy cane perfume, minty, sweet and sugared”
    Never was really drawn to these, although I love the name! 2/5
     
    Midnight Mass 2010.....Possible bottle, one of my favorites. Never bought a bottle before but I have 2 older decants. 4/5
     
    Noche Buena 2010.....still have some of this from before, don’t wear it very often. The lily comes close to being soapy but I still like it. Pass this time around. 2/5
     
    Peacock Queen, Rose Red, and Snow White 2010......have decants already, don’t need more. I do like Snow White an awful lot but I don’t wear it enough get a botte.
     
    Winter-time.....”Sweet, soft snow”
    Interesting! I would like to sniff this. 3/5
     
    Woods In Winter.....”Wild hemlock and juniper berries scattered in the snow beneath leafless trees bedecked with glittering icicles”
    I am all about woods! Hope it’s not too much like November. Maybe another 'work' scent. 4/5
     
    Yule 2010.....tried an older one, didn’t like it so much. 2/5
     
    The Last Unicorn......I can skip this whole section. Never read this story so it doesn’t carry any associations for me, and none of the scents sound all that appealing to me.
  4. forspecial_plate
    I just have to narrow these down a little. Of course this will probably change when I get my decants. But for now, here's what I'm speculating......
     
    The Nutcracker
    Midnight Mass
    The Phoenix In Autumn
    The Arabian Dance
    The Russian Dance
     
    BPTP
    Frankincense & Myrrh bath oil
    Victorian Virgin With Cherubs bath oil
    Vespers atmo spray
     
    For gifts:
    Peacock Queen soap
    Snow White soap
     
    So, all in all, not too bad or scary. 5 bottles, 2 bath oils, 1 atmo spray, and maybe 2 soaps. Of course, I may be adding more to that list after trying decants and reading reviews. We shall see.
  5. forspecial_plate

    Chene, revisited

    By forspecial_plate,

    You just never know, sometimes I end up loving the ones I didn't like at first. I'm talking about Serge Lutens Chene. I wore it a few more times and pretty quickly fell in love, and now I have a full bottle on the way. Way to splurge! No more big perfume purchases for me for a while! (yeah, right....)
  6. forspecial_plate
    Notes: bergamot, grapefruit, cocoa bean, tobacco, incense, Russian leather, tonka bean, grey amber
     
    I better review this now because this is the 2nd time I've worn it and probably won't try it again.
     
    It's not terrible, just not for me. Basically it reminds me of Miller Vs. California. It has a very similar mix of leather and fruits, and there is even something papery, maybe the grey amber, or something about the incense notes. Sometimes incensey blends smell sort of papery to me (Heavenly Love And Earthly Love). Not a lot of cocoa bean or grapefruit that I can detect, and the bergamot is more of a suggestion of fruit than a specific citrussy note. Anyway, this is actually a nice scent. I think I just don't like leather scents all that much, with a couple of exceptions.
  7. forspecial_plate
    Notes: "Chinese citron, Haitian vetiver, Antilles sandalwood, amber".
     
    Given the notes listed (and the price tag), I was expecting to be really impressed.....and I'm not. Don't get me wrong, this smells good. Nothing offensive about it. It's so smoothly blended that I can't pick out one single note, except maybe amber, but only because I know it's there. But this really didn't 'wow' me and I wouldn't go hunting down a big bottle. I would put it at the masculine end of the spectrum, clean smelling, but not hyper dude-fume. I wouldn't be surprised if there are women who enjoy this. I'll enjoy the rest of my sample!
  8. forspecial_plate

    Possets Halloween

    By forspecial_plate,

    Mini-breakdown.....
     
    $10,00....."A dry masculine and memorable scent featuring a smooth yellow amber, bay, bay wood, a drop of tobacco flower, a very tiny amount of lavender". Sounds good but just doesn't grab me. I dunno, Possets are so inexpensive it might be worth a try. I do like dude-fumes, and I like bay. We'll see.
     
    301...."a multiplicity of my favorite musks and cashmeran". Not much to go on there. Could be good, I looked up cashmeran and all I could find is that it's a synthetic musk. Moving on for now....
     
    Black Hole...."Vetiver and black pepper, lavender and earth, a "black" patchouli, a slight slight slight bit of tarragon". Again, sounds okay but not shouting out "buy me, buy me!". I'll watch reviews and keep it on my list for consideration. The more I think about it, this could be a good one, but I do have a few scents like that already. I never even wear Void Moon or Winter Solstice, which I should because they're both really great scents.
     
    Dank...."sweetbriar makes an appearance lending it's zest to the whole, while root oils hold the bottom half down, particularly vetiver and ginger. There is a splash of booze and a few autumn plums in the mix to give it an air of being a luxurious rest rather than drippy". This sounds good too, unless it has that galbanum-like note that Fabienne has been using lately. I don't like it and it could be one of the 'root oils' mentioned. I'll have to sniff this before risking a whole bottle.
     
    Dark...."A thick and perfumy blend with a heavy dose of Frankincense to start off, black musk and fig. No greenery with it but a good layer of an almost burnt sugar and an animalic undercurrent which somehow becomes very light and sweet when breathed out". This sounds appealing....yet again.....could have that green rooty note that I don't like. Maybe I should just ask her what it is?
     
    Phantome...."A very light and transparent scent with a subtle amber as a base, Sicilian lemon zest, a drop of cognac, and the tiniest amount of menthol (you really would not notice it if you were not looking)". Okay....getting more and more promising....this sounds pretty good. Sounds kind of sophisticated and ethereal. We'll see.
     
    Specter...."Amber and fennel, put together in a thoroughly unexpected way". Now we're cooking with gas....this sounds really interesting, and it's high up on my list of what to seek out and at least sniff first.
     
    Spirit....."A strong dark chypre with a lot of incense and resin to it. Frankincense, myrrh, copal, fir resin, and labdenum. Yet this is a certified Western European chypre. It is lovely, dry and captivating. Neither warm nor cold, like a spirit with a 10,000 mile stare". Oooooh, this sounds really great. This has the most potential for an unsniffed purchase. I could always use another good fir scent. The only thing holding me back is if this were major dude-fume, which can be a turn-off. I like butch but there's such a thing as too butch. Possible bottle?
     
    That's all I got for now. I skipped the kitties because they will be at the Possets/OAR party at Fabienne's studio, and I'll be able to test first. I'll report back on those.
  9. forspecial_plate
    Notes: saffron, mandarin, cardamom, lychee, aromatic woods, immortelle (or everlasting flower), patchouli, oak moss, amber, incense
     
    This smells good, but it's kind of a hyper-dude-fume to me. I admit that it softens somewhat after it's been on the skin for a little while. I love this kind of scent, but this particular one is just not for me. It smells good but it's way too butch for my liking. It's warm and woodsy, a little spicy, just a little powdery amber, and something almost like leather which might be saffron playing tricks on my nose.
     
    Frank Los Angeles 2 is my go-to scent for woods and spices, and luckily I have a full bottle of that, so I don't need more of this.
     
    Edit: This does sweeten up considerably after a few hours, and I think what I'm smelling now is mostly the immortelle and incense. It's much nicer now but takes a long time to get there.
  10. forspecial_plate

    Serge Lutens Chene

    By forspecial_plate,

    Notes: cedar crystals, wood sap, black thyme, oak, immortelle, beeswax, silver birch, rum absolute and tonka bean
     
    I'm getting mostly sharp woods, verging on sour like patchouli sometimes does to me. I can sense thyme, just a little. I like woody scents but lately I've been more in the mood for something a little sweet and spicy. Maybe because it's almost fall? I like Chene but won't be hunting down more. I'll keep my sample in case my scent moods change again back to more intense woods.
  11. forspecial_plate

    Speculation

    By forspecial_plate,

    My unofficial speculation for the anniversary update.....
     
    I still think the periodic table scents might be the Phoenix scents. I know someone said those were for the upcoming local alchemist section, but I still have this nagging hunch. I counted and it seems there were 7 periodic prototypes at the will-calls, which is close to the number of Phoenix scents we are expecting. And it just seems to fit the themes from the past Phoenixes. Or, it seems like a natural progression.
     
    As for resurrected scents, I'm going to make some guesses. Someone recently posted that they got frimps of Mantis and Neo-Tokyo in their order, which I thought was unusual since those were both discontinued a few years ago. So I'm guessing we might see one or both of those resurrected. As for LE, I'm just going to make some wild guesses: Underpants, Pinched, or Glowing Vulva. Those are because Beth seems to like to bring back popular and longed-for scents in the past (Midway, Snake Charmer, Hod).
     
    It also crossed my mind that we could see Pumpkin King or Noir. Now I know that the recipe for Pumpkin King was lost, but I'm a firm believer that anything is possible and I would love to see Pumpkin King available some day. Same deal with Noir. That is another scent that lots of people would love to see come back.
     
    I can hardly wait to find out!
  12. forspecial_plate
    Well, here's what I think....
     
    I first came to bpal.org to read reviews and shipping updates. What I have found has been much, much more. I've made friends here from my own city as well as around the world, as well as finding a 'hobby' if that's what you want to call our collections. The people here and the oils we collect have enriched my life and opened my mind, and I've been through several big life-changes since coming around here. I can always find advice or just a shoulder to cry on when I'm here, and I know it goes even deeper for others in this community....some have mentioned that their sanity and their lives have been saved by their friends here, and I believe that is not an exaggeration.
     
    I do not blame anyone who is still friends with fairnymph, or who decides to sell to her when (if) all this is resolved. Let's face it....she's going to get the perfumes that she wants. She will find a way. Her posts that I've read strike me as coming from someone who is.....maybe the ultimate control freak? Self will run riot? I don't know, this probably isn't the place for it. My point is that she will find ways to get the oils that she wants and nobody here should lose sleep if she finds ways around the things we do to block her. She kind of reminds me of a little kid who wants all the toys for herself and then finds herself all alone with her toys because nobody wants to play with her any more. In a way that's sad because she's brought her own punishment on herself, worse than anything we can do by blocking her from buying stuff. She's cut herself off from a lot of potential friends and rich opportunities, and she did it to herself. I bet there are people around here who still would forgive her, and give her a chance, and be friends with her, and I don't find anything wrong with that at all.
     
    *sigh*......I don't even know where I was going with this or what my point is.....I think I'll just leave it at that.
  13. forspecial_plate
    JOYFUL MOON
    White musk, French vanilla, ambrette seed, frankgipani, angelica root, white rose, orris, and honeysuckle.
    No white rose for me, especially with orris. Powdery soapy city.
     
    LIBERTY
    Liberty was created for the CBLDF, inspired by Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People: frankincense, beeswax, olive blossom, chamomile, sampaguita, magnolia, apple blossom, gunpowder, and smoke.
    Nope.....not really in a floral mood, and beeswax might be honeyish.
     
    Rappaccini's Apiary:
     
    No honey for me! Thanks anyway!
     
    MOONSHINE AND MIST
    Ethereal, otherworldly, delicate: ambergris, white musk, water violet, ylang ylang, magnolia, and white sandalwood.
    Ehh.....somewhat on the floral, papery/powdery side? I mean, I like white musk sometimes, it's not my favorite, but I can wear it. But white sandalwood is usually papery to me, and all these things together.....just don't call out to me.
     
    OLD DEMONS OF THE FIRST CLASS
    Siberian musk, black clove, opoponax, tonka, black pepper, and neroli.
    Definitely want to try this! I have often coveted the Siberian Musk single note, never got to try it, and besides that the rest of those notes sound great too. Sometimes black pepper turns on me.....well, so does clove, sometimes, for that matter......but this is very much worth a try.
     
    THE DEATH-HORSE
    Lily of the Valley and opopponax.
    I generally stay away from most lilies, because they turn into sharp soap of the apocolypse. I don't know, though, the simplicity appeals to me, and I think I do like opopponax. Could be worth a sniff but I'm not going far out of my way to find it.
     
    THE GRAVE-PIG
    Fig, oakmoss, mushroom caps, and patchouli.
    This doesn't call out to me, despite being potentially dude-fume, which I usually do seek out. But I'm not a fan of mushrooms in any form (scent or taste), and oakmoss can be overwhelming at times. Could be worth a try.
     
    BEER FROM THE MARSH WOMAN'S BREWERY
    A beer flavored with marsh arrow grass, yew berries, purple foxglove, and giant hogweed.
    Hmph. Another scent that is not calling to me, but who knows....it could be worth a try. Herbs and beer? Wow. Just can't picture it.
     
    THE NIGHT-RAVEN
    Indigo musk, wild plum, rose geranium, benzoin, night-blooming jasmine, and patchouli.
    Even though I'm intrigued by indigo musk, I'm probably going to let this one pass by. I just don't like rose geranium. I do already have a dark purple-y Chaos Theory that I really like, so I'll just stick with that.
     
    THE OLD GOBLIN
    A crown of hardened ice and polished fir-cones.
    Pine in any form gets my attention, so I really do want to try this. Snowball Fracas had some kind of sharp ammonia-like note, so that would be the only potential problem here, if this scent has it too.
     
    CAT ALLINGHAM
    Distilled shadows, a bleak desert landscape at midnight: Myroswelia balsam, gaïac wood, obsidian musk, green cumin, patchouli, myrrh, Siamese benzoin, frankincense, champaca, and sand.
    Oh, crud. This one, sadly, does call out to me, and I'm unlikely to get to try it. It sounds good....kind of like a fancy schmancy relative of Oblivion.
  14. forspecial_plate
    Absolutely nothing going on here at work.....very boring.
     
    I want to make another Lab order this week. I really can't afford it, but I want more Chaos Theories before they go away (at least one). But, do I want amber or frankincense? Or another Tilt-A-Whirl? I really don't know. I should just get one of each and be done with it.
     
    I ordered 4 of the Tilt-A-Whirl already......
     
    One is straight-up powdery floral. I guessed poppy and carnation, with possibly a little rose too, like tea rose. This is already living with moonarcana now because it is so much more her kind of thing than mine!
     
    Another one is almost exactly like Cathedral. Seriously, you have to smell them side by side to tell the difference. The Chaos is a little stronger on the woods. It has a cedary note that is almost pungent, but truthfully, it's almost exactly like Cathedral.
     
    One is weird and herbal with sassafras, I think. It's like sassafras without any sweetness. It reminds me of some kind of herbal hair product. It's herbal, but not pretty herbal, or spring-like, or anything like that. If anything, it's almost brackish, but not really aquatic, if that makes any sense at all. Brackish. I'm not even sure what that means but it seems like a good word. Swamp-like?
     
    And finally, one of them is really, really pretty. Glowing reddish orange, florals, slightly fruity, with something warm like resin or maybe amber. It's really great but not quite something that I would wear. I described it as a tropical sunset and that's still pretty much the image I get. Lotus and amber, and more? I'll have to try this one again and really think about whether I want to keep it.
  15. forspecial_plate
    Not that I'll likely ever get a custom scent, but I've been thinking about one in the last few days. It's kind of like a song I can't get out of my head.
     
    It would be like a more masculine version of Snow White. I'm imagining a pure white mixture of rice cream (is there such a thing?) and coconut milk, infused with ginger, with a dash of nutmeg and cardamom on top, possibly a hint of clove. It's in a wooden bowl with a scattering of pine boughs around it. All of this is outside on a blustery, snowy day. Snow, rice cream, coconut, almond, ginger, spices, turbinado sugar, balsam fir. Maybe some woodsmoke, or frankincense, just a hint of something to give it a bit of a rugged edge. Ooh, maybe some cherry too? Just a little bit, not enough to stand out a whole lot. It's possible some kind of floral would be good, but I don't know florals well enough to say which one.
     
    It would be something between Snow White, Jolasveinar, and Cloister Graveyard In The Snow.
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    I can't seem to resist making outrageous bids on ebay, for bpal scents that I've been wanting for a while. I guess I shouldn't feel guilty.....some of these things I've really wanted for a long time, and they never seem to come up in swaps around here. Of course, it doesn't matter in the end, when I'm outbid less than 12 hours after I place my starting bid (this was for the Holly King proto)! And the winning bid is more than twice what I was willing to pay. I was kind of surprised at that one, I guess I'm not the only one who wanted it badly!
     
    But now I have another auction that I placed a bid on, and we'll see how high that goes. I'm not going to raise my highest bid, because I've already bid more than I really should spend. So, we'll see. It's actually a scent that I already have half a bottle of, and this would be a back-up bottle (something nearly unheard of in my collection, except for Snake Oil which is for aging).
     
    In other news........I'm in the middle of my long stretch of work, interrupted only by being off Tuesday night, until the weekend. I'm looking forward to Tuesday and really looking forward to the weekend, although it's pretty far off. I bought an annual pass to the Newport Aquarium, because I miss the Zoo's aquarium, which was made into the manitee exhibit. The manatees are pretty cool, but the aquarium was always my favorite part of the Zoo. And the Newport Aquarium is not even that great.....there are some cool parts, though. I only have to go once more to make up for the cost of my annual pass (and I'm pretty sure I'll go more than once more in the next year).
     
    Anyway, yeah.....spending lots of money when I should be concentrating on credit card debt. Oh well, gotta have fun somehow, right??
     
    Oh and speaking of spending money, I made an order with Nature's Gift. I bought their Sacred emotional synergy for a room scent. I wanted something for a sort of peaceful meditation blend, although I already have their Meditation blend....and it's pretty awesome.....but I wanted another spiritual blend, too. I also bought some jojoba oil and something for my occasional dermatitis/eczema.....now I can't even remember which oil, LOL.....oh yeah, calendula oil for skin care. And I asked for some samples of their fir/pine essential oils. Can't wait to see what they send me! They're always really nice about sending free samples when I ask for them.
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    My exams went really well, what a relief! Moving on.......
     
    I wanted to do my own breakdown of some recent updates. I'm at work and it's busy, so we'll see how far I get. Starting with the Black Helicopter scents.........
     
    The Aurora Spaceship Takes A Dive...."Texas thistle, bluebell, red corn poppy, magnolia, sunflower, cedar sage, and smashed, flaming windmill". A little on the floral side for me, and I've learned that I'm not a big fan of poppy. But still, I could end up liking this. I may track down a decant.
     
    The Committee Of 300: Meeting Minutes......"An ominous round table for the quintessential Round Table Group: polished wood, tobacco smoke, faded cologne, and neon discharge". Sounds discordant, with wood and smoke, but also cologne and neon discharge? I just don't know about this one, it could go either way. I suppose I'll have to try a decant sooner or later.
     
    Illuminati Cotillion......"Ceremonial incense, pipe tobacco, temple roses, and shittim wood". If not for the roses, I would really want to try this. As it stands, I might want to try it anyway. I'm always attracted to incense scents, and even some of the ones with rose end up being nice.
     
    Menacing Ionospheric Research Instrument......"Electrically charged white amber, violet, sage, mint, and neroli flanked by dazzling metals and shining wires". I usually stay away from violet, and I'm not a big fan of neroli, but yet again, this could go either way. I'm just not sure! Decant, somewhere down the line.
     
    The Montauk Project....."Breathtaking native flora concealing a bastion of covert government experiments: shagbark hickory, sassafras, black gum, bald cypress, pine, dogwood, wild comfrey, swamp sunflower, and trumpet creeper". Bottle already ordered! The florals scare me a little, but I'm very attracted by the sassafras and pine. I love taking a chance with a scent and being pleasantly surprised. I'm not completely sure I'll like this but I can hardly wait to find out.
     
    .....more later.....
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    I don't think I trust the internet enough to really write about some of the things going on right now. I certainly wouldn't post on facebook, and not really on livejournal either, which is dying a slow death anyway (unless I just need to update my friends list a little bit, which is possible).
     
    Anyway, change is in the air, and I'm kind of excited. I seem to have gotten stuck in a loop of insanity, repeating really stupid behaviors, and I'm finally feeling like I might be breaking free. One thing I know for sure is I can't keep doing the same things over and over, and expect things to somehow magically become better.....without changing what I'm doing. I don't want to be too cryptic but again, it's not really stuff that I want to post on the internet....even on a 'private' forum.
     
    My point (and I do have one) is that I'm really lucky right now. I have 2 real paper journals that are only partially filled, with plenty of room left in them. Also, I bought a membership to our zoo, which is right next door to my apartment building. It is so, so easy to just walk a block, show my card, and walk right in.....skipping the whole line for tickets. And as long as it's not too crowded, it is a great place to walk for some exercise, and sit and relax, while writing in my journal. I'm off work tomorrow night so I think I'm going to take a little trip to the zoo and say hi to my animal friends. The cat house makes me a little sad, though, because I feel like the cats would be happier outdoors, with lots more room to roam around. I guess they don't know what they're missing? I hope not. They look kind of sad all confined as they are.
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    These are worth a try......
     
    Bijoux Y'Ha-Nthlei......."A strangely proportioned, opulent, lustrous scent: neroli, Hawaiian ginger, white musk, tarragon, beeswax, heliotrope, yellow rose, oud, coriander, amber, and lime peel"......worth a decant
     
    Inganok Jewelers....."Gleaming stone and silver"......might be cologney but worth a decant.
     
    The Steeple....."Otherworldly fungus, Provençal herbs, and dark, shadowy woods".....fungus might contain a dirt note, which doesn't always work......worth a try, though.
     
    Signior Dildo....."A scent of pearls and ivory: orris, violet leaf, narcissus, and Madagascar vanilla".....can't remember if I mentioned this in my first breakdown....might be too perfumey but I'd like to try it.
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    For my own selfish reasons, because I have to sort out which ones I want, for now I'm only including wants or might-wants.
     
    First the Shungas......
     
    Konseishin The Penis God......"Apple blossom, champaca, fir needle, cistus, myrrh, Peru balsam, and Tan Xiang".....I think Tan Xiang is sandalwood, and I don't see much about this scent that I don't like!
     
    Okayaki....."Olive blossom, cardamom pod, amber, morning star lily, bergamot, and a well-aimed snowball".....will be watching reviews.
     
    Penis Admiration....."Lilac, ho wood, smoky vanilla, galbanum, and tonka".....not sure about a couple notes here, lilac and galbanum, but I'll be watching reviews with interest.
     
    Prosperity Of A Country....."Frankincense, orris root, asuhi, leather, and ginger-infused cream accord"......I think asuhi is hiba wood. I'm really interested in this scent. Could be my "take-a-chance" scent.
     
    Ronin......"White sandalwood, rice flower, honey, black pepper, and oakmoss".....sometimes don't like white sandalwood, or black pepper, and usually don't like honey, but I like the art of this one and will watch reviews.
     
    Now Ode To Ares......
     
    Andreiphontes......"Tonka, benzoin, black sandalwood, and nutmeg".....has potential.
     
    Enkhespalos......."Elder wood, leather, blonde tobacco, and cognac"......has potential.
     
    Enyalios......"Patchouli, frankincense, olibanum, thyme, cocoa absolute, Peru balsam, oakmoss, and juniper".......this could be too much dood-fume, or it could be really fantastic.
     
    Khalkokorustes......"Champaca, pear, cedar, black pepper, jasmine, and red sandalwood".....this sounds like some fabulous love-child between Quincey Morris and Dr. John Seward. I need to try this one.
     
    That is about it for now. I'll be reading others' breakdowns and thinking some more but really, those are the most interesting right now.
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    The Adoration Of The Mi-Go....."Luminous, otherworldly wet and piquant odors mingling with black incense, the pitch-stench of Yuggoth, and fungal lichens". Will watch reviews. 2/5
     
    Mother Shub's Spiced Lait De Chevre....."Goat's milk egg nog with coffee liqueur and spices imported from the Crimson Desert!" I should be more interested, but this just isn't calling to me for some reason. 2/5
     
    Mother Shub's Pfancy Pfeffernuesse......"Sugar-sprinkled pepper nuts with a bit of cinnamon, a bit of clove, a little cardamom, and a hint of nutmeg". LOL, it's all spice, all the time! I may end up trying this but I don't like pepper in my perfume. 2/5
     
    Mother Shub's Toothsome Banketstaaf....."Tubular pastries oozing with spijs, glazed with apricot jam, and dotted with glace cherries". Um, what's spijs? I don't get very excited about most fruity scents, so I'll probably pass on this one. 2/5
     
    Mason And Jenkin's Port Jelly....."Red and sticky!" Well, not so much for me. 1/5
     
    Old Man Ackerman's Instructional Toys......I'll be watching reviews for this one. 2/5
     
    The Smilin' Servitors' Hyperdimensional Holiday Hits....."A discordant scent, silvery and strange like a lunatic's tinsel garland: freesia, eucalyptus, and yuzu, with sicilian lemon, massoia, opoponax, night-blooming jasmine, white bergamot, and copaiba oleoresin". Will watch reviews. 2/5
     
    Pet Magah Bird....."A prism of scent, an explosion of multi-colored feathers: blood orange, black plum, sugar cane, guava, frangipani, coconut, pimento berry, violet, caramel, and pear". A prism of scent sounds very pretty, but with all that fruit, I'm going to pass. 1/5
     
    The Black Temple Burlesque Troupe......"Cacao, black musk, and tobacco absolute". Sounds kind of good except for cacao. Once again, I'll be watching reviews, but I bet this will be popular. 2/5
     
    ....okay, I am at work and I should actually do some work. I'll finish the breakdown later!
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    Gacela Of The Dark Death....."Terebinth pine, pitch, and clove". After reading the poem, I'm wondering if there will be a sneaky note of apple that wasn't listed? Anyway, clove is the only thing I'm not really sure of here. Sometimes it smells sour to me. Probable decant. 3/5
     
    Hypothermia....."Bone-chilling, heart-stopping cold". Hmm, could this be like Archangel Winter, or something totally different? I do like the cold scents. Probable decant. 3/5
     
    In Winter In My Room....."Pink, lank, and warm: grapefruit, yuzu, tuberose, peony, violet leaf, pikaki, Indian frankincense, and tonka". I don't really get the poem, and the notes aren't really calling to me either. Possible sniff somewhere down the road....unless the reviews catch my eye. 2/5
     
    Joulumuori....."Old Lady Christmas, the sweet, smiling wife of Finland's Joulupukki. Her scent invokes the comforts of Christmastime and the warmth of love and cheerful companionship: a glowing hearth, luumukiisseli, riisipuuro, and sima". So apparently this has prunes soaked in sugar, rice pudding, and a certain mead made with lemons and raisins (in addition to the glowing hearth). Could be a nice warm and cozy scent. Possible decant. 2/5
     
    Lick It Til It's Sticky.....another one I can safely pass on. : ) 1/5
     
    Midnight Mass 2009.....I don't need a bottle, but a decant might be nice. I already have 2 or 3 decants from the past Yules, and I don't really wear this scent, but I always feel drawn to it. Go figure. 2/5
     
    Nes Gadol Haya Sham....one scent in four parts?? I'm so confused! The notes all sound nice enough, but if they're all together in one scent, it will be complex indeed. I'll be watching with interest for reviews and clarification. 2/5
     
    Now Winter Nights Enlarge....."Shorten those tedious nights with a surge of body heat: vanilla-infused red musk, champaca, petitgrain, ylang ylang, patchouli, nutmeg, honey, galbanum, and traces of caramel". This just isn't calling to me all that much.....and there's the dreaded honey, too. I'll be watching reviews. 2/5
     
    On Darkness 2009...."An embrace: black poppy, lavender, thick black incense, black amber, rose geranium, Brazilian rosewood, and benzoin". At first I liked my decant from last year, but after a while I decided it was a little too rich. I might still want some more of this, but I'm just not sure. 2/5
     
    The Peacock Queen.....thanks but not for me. I still have an older decant that I never wear. 1/5
     
    Pink Snowballs...."A lighthearted winter scent: chilly vanilla rose snowballs! Dainty, soft, and certainly unfit for flinging!" Hee hee, I kind of want a decant just because it would be funny for a guy to wear this. What's that perfume you're wearing? Oh, this is Pink Snowballs. So butch!! It does actually sound pretty. 2/5
     
    The Season Of Ghosts....."A scent created to burn away sorrow: bergamot, frankincense, rose geranium, ginger, lemongrass, and blood orange". Lots of citrus, but where's the fire? This could be something nice. 2/5
     
    The Shivering Boy 2009......I probably don't need more of this one. Probably. 2/5
     
    Sleipnir...."Confections spun of hazelnuts, honey, elderberries, and bilberries with a dusting of hay and a bit of carrot". Well......not so much. I just don't like honey (in perfume, that is). 1/5
     
    Snow-Flakes 2009......"The radiance and desolation of winter". I used to have a decant of the older one, and I gave it to my sister. I can barely remember what it smelled like. I might end up wanting a decant this year. 3/5
     
    The Snow Maiden......?? I have a blank spot in my memory for this scent. Are their older versions? No notes? I'll have to look up reviews, but I have a feeling I can pass. 2/5
     
    Snow White 2009.....I'm happy with my decant from '07. 1/5
     
    Snowball Fracas....."Muddy dirt and frost-covered moss from the trenches rubbed into winter clothes and snow impact overspray". Not sure, possible decant. 3/5
     
    Sol Invictus 2009.....never had much of a hankering for this one. I think I actually tried it one time, and it turned to powder. 1/5
     
    When The Winter Chrysanthemums Go....."A gentle flurry of snow dusting the season's last chrysanthemums, illuminated by pale rays of winter's amber-tinted sunlight". Yes, please......possible bottle. 4/5
     
    Yule Cat....."Malevolent musk, a drop of infernal civet, vetiver, club moss, birch, goosefoot, and rowan". No civet for me, thank you! 1/5
     
    ......to be continued.
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    Rated on a scale of 1-5, as being relevant to my interest.
     
    But Men Loved Darkness Rather Than Light...."The world will love its darkness: cistus labdanum, ginger, East Indian patchouli, pimento berry, oakmoss, saffron, smoky vanilla, sage, myrrh, and bitter blove". Sounds like Schwarzer Mond. With both patchouli and clove, this could turn out to be sour. Or it could be great. Decant. 3/5
     
    Ded Moroz....."Light, darkness, kindness, and malice: golden amber, white amber, redwood, teak, bois du rose, sage, tree moss, and snow". I've sniffed the prototype....it was pretty nice. From the notes, it looks like it could be a touch powdery. I'm interested, though. Decant, or bottle? 3/5
     
    Diable En Boite...."There are few things more disturbing than a Jack in the Box. A strangely sinister, unnerving holiday scent: redwood, bitter clove, tonka, hemp accord, and tobacco with peach blossom, black currant, and red musk". I can't really imagine what this will smell like. Possible decant? 2/5
     
    El Dia De Los Reyes.....didn't like it last time, I can safely skip this one. 1/5
     
    Evening Cicadas And Red Peppers...."Frost-limned, ice-bejeweled branches, scattered blood-red maple leaves, a few camellia petals, red peppers, and nacreous, multi-colored musks that shimmer like gently-beating cicada wings". This sounds freakin' awesome. I suppose something could go wrong in those notes, but I am feeling a bottle purchase on this one. Possibly. 4/5
     
    Faunalia...."The scent of a thick, starlit, unspoiled forest, with a burst of wild musk, opobalsamum, black bryony, mandragora, and hemlock". The forest part catches my interest. What in holy heck is opobalsamum? Is that a typo? I'd like a decant of this one, I think. 3/5
     
    The First Soft Snow....."Heavy drifts of snow blanketing winter's narcissus". I don't know what narcissus smells like! I'll have to do a little research. Possible decant. 3/5
     
    The Fruit Of Paradise 2009.....still have my decant from '07 I think, and never wear it.....another one I can skip. 1/5
     
    .......to be continued.
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    Finally got a bottle of this, one of my favorites! Gave myself a pretty intensive application today to get the full experience, as before I only had a 2.5 ml sample.
     
    Well, what to say, how to describe this. It's a very 'me' scent, woody, spicy, kind of sweet, also deep, dark and....almost smoldering. Not really an incense, but it has a quality of incense about it. The notes listed are "pine needles, vetiver, incense, fruit, spices, fir balsam, amber". So yeah.....there is a feeling of pine but in no way sharp or cleanser-like. Add to it sugary fruits, but not candy-like....more of a sweetened boozy fruitcake with pine and resins, maybe frankincense? I dunno it just smells damn good.
     
    I applied pretty heavily and this seems to be a scent that stays close to the skin. There aren't any "high pitched" notes. According to the box it is eau de parfum strength and in my experience, the stronger concentration of scents seem to stay closer to the skin. That's what my Bois des Iles does, anyway. It's somewhat closer to the way perfume oil behaves on the skin and in the air around me. I love this so much and it just hums in a quiet way....I can't imagine ever feeling like I put on too much. I don't think I'd fill up a whole room with this one, sillage-wise.
     
    Anyway, so glad to finally have a bottle! Just in time for late summer going into fall. Beautiful.
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    Phantom Time Hypothesis....."A traditional Medieval perfume that never existed: balm, benzoin, damask rose, gumdragon, lignum aloes, orange water, ambergris, and vegetal musk". Hmm, sounds interesting, except for the rose! I can probably pass on this one, honestly. I'm kind of intrigued by vegetal musk, though.
     
    Reptoid Dominion....."Malevolent superintelligent para-dimensional shapeshifting reptoid musk". I don't like all musks, but I'd love to try this one! It could be really great.
     
    Skytyping With Chemtrails....."Incapacitating poofiness: spun sugar, white amber, white musk, citron, and lemongrass masking a sinister, almost chemical undernote of elemi, zdravetz, and ravintsara". Well, not so interested in this one....reminds me of a few other scents that I've already tried. I could end up liking it but I'm still trying to track down that bottle of Metal Phoenix. I may try this some day, though.
     
    Staged Moon Landing....."Prop moon rocks: muguet, orris, white sandalwood, galbanum, cistus, and dusty vanilla". I am generally not fond of papery, dusty scents, with a few notable exceptions, so this one isn't really tripping my radar. White sandalwood can be papery on me, it's probably my least favorite kind of sandalwood.
     
    Teatime In Roswell....."Aliens at high tea: Earl Grey, biscuits, Battenberg cake, and strangely-glowing cucumber sandwiches". I'm curious....or is that just the hype getting to me? : ) I would like to try this, though. I'm not totally against the occasional cakey scent.
     
    Traipsing Through The Crop Circles....."Miles and miles of flattened wheat, barley, and maize". Not sure about this one. Just from the description, I can't really imagine what it would smell like. I didn't really fall for Bezoar or Hay Moon, and corn doesn't sound all that appealing, but again, this could be another one that surprises me and ends up smelling great. I just can't tell sometimes.
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