Bethany
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Posts posted by Bethany
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Urk. When I've ordered in the past, I've clicked on the shopping cart links, and it goes through CCnow... but then, it asks for me to choose a payment type - and I pick PayPal. It happily bounces me to the paypal site, and I pay there. The window closes, and I"m back at CCNow, and I print my order receipt.
Does that mean that lab is getting charged percentage fees by BOTH CCNow AND Paypal?!?!?!
-bethany
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Seraglio has a scent that goes almost pure almond on me, anyway... Might be worth a try...
- bethany
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In long-ago Arabia, harem girls rubbed an herbal poultice formed from a blend of sensual, luxuriant herbs and oils onto their bodies to prepare themselves for the Sultan’s pleasure. This lush, indulgent perfume is based on that ancient formula. Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel.
Here’s my review of Seraglio; I hope the format isn't too strange. It's what came to mind when I smelled it on my wrist.Candlelight flickered on either side of my mirror as I applied khol to my eyes and carmine to my lips. The dancing light made my reflection seem to shimmer in the polished metal of the mirror, my eyes staring back at me like terrified pools of blackness. Shaking hands made a disaster of my attempts at beautification, and lest the Kapi Agha be displeased at my efforts and beat me, I made quick repair. Tonight would be the first night that I served the sultan, here within the lush cage that is the Topkapı Sarayı.A small bottle carved of precious lapis, inlaid with mother of pearl and silver, held Süleyman’s favorite perfume -- one so precious that it was the form of taxes he demanded be supplied by a certain distant alchemist. Removing the stopper, I was overcome by a complex scent. I closed my eyes and breathed it in, a single tear streaking down my cheek as the overwhelming first note of almond caressed my senses. It was sweet, like the first pressing of oil from the groves in my native Jordan, and blended with the same spices and incense that the winds carried from the markets beyond the palace walls into my gilded prison. I applied the golden liquid to my wrists and the tender spot behind my knees. I knew that if I applied it to all of the places suggested in the Kama Sutra, that I would be punished for waste, but did not want to displease the Sultan by not applying enough.The intensity of the almonds faded into soft sweetness upon my flesh, and a second fragrance, that of lush roses came to the fore; deep, heavy crimson blossoms, like those in the gardens that surround my new home. It called to mind a scene I had glimpsed from the window: the clear, cloudless skies of Constantinople illuminated by a fiery golden moon, its light dappling upon the flowers below. It looked like something out of a dream, warm breezes made hazy with the smoke of the insense burners at each corner of the enclosure, and laden with complexities of scent like the colors of a Bedouin tapestry.It was too easy to lose myself in such a decadent expression of the senses, and ignore my surroundings. Such distractions could prove my undoing, however, so I steeled myself and donned the silk garments provided for me. I could not help but muse that their texture was much like the scents upon my wrists; complex and lovely, with a soft weight that made me feel somehow more feminine.I nervously ran one hand through my hair, and my dark locks hungrily absorbed the perfumed oil. I allowed the strands and their scent to surround me like a cloud, rather than pin them back. Perhaps it would provide an escape from the duties that lay ahead of me…Head bowed, I allowed the Kapi Agha to lead me down the stone passageway that led out of the seraglio, and into the sultan’s chambers beyond…
-bethany
Crypt Queen
in Black Phoenix Trading Post
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There's a story behind my bottle of Crypt Queen.
My elderly kitty was very ill. He was crying on the floor, not moving voluntarily, hobbling when he did move. We rushed him to the vet, to find out he had an obstructed bowel. Two vet trips and several hundred dollars later, he was ok.... but that completely blew my chance to order anything from the last update.
I posted a note on the update anticipation thread about it, and received an extraordinarily sweet PM from Emu Nymph. She offered to send me a decant of the Crypt Queen, and some of the Halloween soaps. I was completely shocked and surprised at such generosity from a total stranger - we've never chatted or Pm'd or traded before, so this was utterly out of the blue.
So when I got home last friday after a really really rough week recovering from my own 'trip to the vet' - a minor surgury - and was feeling all waaah sorry for myself, there was a box on the doorstep from the Post.
"That can't be right," I thought. "I didn't order anything."
Inside - along with some outrageously generous Trading Post frimpage - was a note from Puddin Himself. "This is a gift from the lovely Emu Nymph." Inside was a large box with the Alchemists Local sticker on it. I opened the inner box, and it was the Crypt Queen in her Crypt in full glory!
I was befuddled. I quickly sent off a note to the Post, asking if perhaps I'd gotten Emu's order in error. I tried to PM her, but the forum was down. Then I was out of town for two days. Sunday night, I got a Pm from Emu: no mistake, she'd simply bought me the Queen, because other people had been sweet to her, and she thought she'd pass along the karma.
So this review is for Emu Nymph, for such incredible generosity and kindness. I am beyond amazed and grateful.
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The Crypt Queen: I open her coffin and she is nestled inside, cradled by midtoned gray grasses. The lable shows a skeletal figure, curled on its side, hands clasped as if in repose by her face.
I open the bottle. A very rich, dark, earthy scent wafts upward. It smells *DARK*... like the deepest color of a pansy or the tint of an emperor's imperial velvet cloak laying in shadows. There's something slightly medicinal that makes it seem cold, and distant. Perhaps the patchouli and the pepper? There's no flowers here, no prettiness. Just a midnight, wicked darkness. I'm almost afraid to try it on, as it's nothing like the more rich florals I'm generally drawn to. But I touch it to my wrist, and something magical happens. The rose blooms, just enough to evoke the imagery of an abandoned graveyard garden at the stroke of twelve. There's depth and sensuality to it. My husband catches up my wrist and smells, and proclaims it his favorite of any of Mme Moriarty's creations.
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Thank you again, to Emu Nymph, for allowing me to experience this, and to - just maybe - have found that One Scent that finally convinces my beloved that Bpal might just maybe be ok...
-bethany