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Showing results for tags 'Yule 2017'.
Found 137 results
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Dark soil upturned by raking claws, a shiver of pine needles, glints of white frankincense, and a gleaming black rustle of lavender, cade, and opoponax. This is a blend of things I never would have thought to put together, and it really, really works. The pine and lavender are not a combination I would have guessed I wanted, but it's beautiful! The pine is strong at first, but the the lavender amps to balance it perfectly. Anyone who likes the lavender in Mari Lwyd, The Air and the Ether, Hidden Purpose, etc. will like this. It's not too herbal or too floral. The frankincense and opoponax are soft and stick to the background, but they warm up the scent and keep it from feeling too icy, which is a problem I sometimes have with pine. This is truly a standout from the Yules I've tried, and I'll probably end up getting backups.
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When haughty expectations prostrate lie, And grandeur crouches like a guilty thing, Oft shall the lowly weak, till nature bring Mature release, in fair society Survive, and Fortune’s utmost anger try; Like these frail snow-drops that together cling, And nod their helmets smitten by the wing Of many a furious whirlblast sweeping by. Observe the faithful flowers! if small to great May lead the thoughts, thus struggling used to stand The Emathian phalanx, nobly obstinate; And so the bright immortal Theban band, Whom onset, fiercely urged at Jove’s command, Might overwhelm, but could not separate! - William Wordsworth Observe the faithful flowers: snowdrop and sweet pea, wintersweet, winter-flowering honeysuckle, and deep purple honeywort. On Seeing a Tuft of Snowdrops in a Storm is a really pretty winter-into-spring floral. Wordsworth's sonnet* about the noble snowdrops, underdogs of winter, is a lovely inspiration for this snowdrop-strong blend. Appropriately, snowdrop is the strongest note on me, with sweet pea and pale honeysuckle right behind. Dry, it's a waxy, lightly buttery, pale white and yellow floral with a salty, almost marine flume. *Arguably, the grand tension/conflict in Wordsworth's poetry is Nature versus God, which we see in high relief in this particular work. I highly recommend reading The Prelude (the 1805 version, not the 1850 version!), if you haven't already.
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Wynter wakeneth al my care, Nou this leves waxeth bare; Ofte I sike ant mourne sare When hit cometh in my thoght Of this worldes joie, hou hit goth al to noht. Nou hit is, and nou hit nys, Also hit ner nere, ywys; That moni mon seith, soth hit ys: Al goth bote Godes wille: Alle we shule deye, thah us like ylle. Al that gren me graueth grene, Nou hit faleweth al by dene: Jesu, help that hit be sene Ant shild us from helle! For y not whider y shal, ne hou longe her duelle. May we be saved and save ourselves from these hard, cruel times, and may we find strength together, for we know not where we go, nor how long we will dwell here. A warming, uplifting, strengthening scent: patchouli and sweet amber with champaca, bourbon vanilla, and frankincense. This is just beautiful. All of the notes are evident, with the frankincense and bourbon vanilla initially prominent. In time, the champaca and patchouli become more dominant. It's not overly sweet. It's not a churchy incense scent nor a dirty hippy scent, but somewhere in a happy middle place. It reminds me of something which is escaping me at the moment.
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Sweet pea and sugar cane. I blind bottled this as soon as I saw the sweet pea and sugar because I'm still suffering from the Great Reflected Vulva Heartbreak of 2014. After painfully doling out a teensy drop from what's left of my decant to compare, I can say that at least to me it's very close. Even though Princess doesn't have the cream note, it still smells soft and creamy to me. This is so sweet and girlish and precious that it should come with a free tiara, and yet it's not overwhelming and cloying. It's absolutely lovely and now I can finally stop pining for the Luper that got away. You're damn right I'm a motherfucking princess and now I smell like one too.
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Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree Luminous golden amber, lemon peel, and royal agarwood, tonka bean and bone-white orris, and a splash of blood. In the bottle - Definitely got that "bone white" feel going on. Dry. Wet - Instantly juicy. These bones are fresh, with lemon zest and amber. Amber is dominating. Drydown - A lot more wood now. Damn, I rather like this. It's a vibrant amber-wood blend with a hint of juiciness. There isn't a lot of throw, so I don't have much more to report. The amber does go a little powdery as it wears on. I'm sneezing a lot. (Potentially unrelated since I've been breathing wildfire smoke for the last week, but thought you should know.) Verdict - For the most part, I like it. I'm going to have to give this a couple more tries, though. I haven't quite figured it out.
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The pure, gentle dreams of the innocent: French lavender, white pear, white sandalwood, and Italian bergamot. Origin: Straight from the Post Initial Thoughts: I like lavender, sandalwood, and pear. Bergamot is okay. There is nothing to fear in this and potentially plenty of good for another lavender-based gloss once my Lilith's runs out. In the Bottle: Lavender and bergamot, with a hint of sandalwood. On Wet Hair: Lavender, sandalwood, and a hint of pear. After Blowdrying: Mostly lavender, but the other notes make it soft and sweet without really presenting themselves. Verdict: A quiet and pretty scent, good for the workplace.
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No additional description provided. Scent description for Blood Amber is here.] Creamy Snow White and amber. It's a very creamy almond snow with amber, and a touch of dragon's blood which sweetens it up. Medium throw and wear length.
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and a Partridge in a Pear Tree Pulsating globs of red musk, viscera-thick black vegetal musk and opoponax, with white pepper, tuberose, white lavender, orris butter, and ambergris accord. Wow, yes, this is a red musk-heavy scent. Everything else flows in around the red musk. The most prominent sub-notes on me are the vegetal black musk and opoponax, followed by lavender and orris. The tuberose, white pepper, and ambergris round this out but don't assert themselves. It's one of those scents that's so well-blended that everything sort of melds. This is a musky fun mix, in the vein of Smut. I love red musk, so this is going to get a lot of wear from me!
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It freezes - all across a soundless sky The birds go home. The governing dark's begun: The steadfast dark that waits not for a sun; The ultimate dark wherein the race shall die. Death, with his evil finger to his lip, Leers in at human windows, turning spy To learn the country where his rule shall lie When he assumes perpetual generalship. The undefeated enemy, the chill That shall benumb the voiceful earth at last, Is master of our moment, and has bound The viewless wind it-self. There is no sound. It freezes. Every friendly stream is fast. It freezes; and the graven twigs are still. - Hilaire Belloc The steadfast dark that waits not for a sun: opoponax and myrrh, gum Arabic and frankincense, blackened juniper and bitter agarwood. In the Bottle: Juniper, resins and a tinge of agarwood On the Skin: The juniper is forward but pleasant. Eventally the frank and opoponax come forward to merge with the juniper and tame it somewhat On the Drydown: The agarwood adds a rich resinous woodiness. This dries down to a golden resin with a juniper overlay. If juniper isn't your jam you might want to reconsider purchasing this one but I quite like it and some age would benefit
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A tribute to Lajos Pap, a spiritualist medium whose specialty was apporting snakes, lizards, rats, and frogs – live and dead – during séance. A pattering of night-creatures: indigo musk and patchouli croaking with oakmoss and a skittering of gleaming black olibanum. In the Bottle: Inky and dry in the bottle. Very intriguing. The oakmoss is apparent On the Skin: That indigo musk is stunning - slinky and velvety dark. Quite resinous, initially but the musk adds a gorgeous elegance. I like the use of the word "skittering" in the description because this is slick, dark and dry reminiscent of an insect carapace. On the Drydown: I almost get a dark purple (indigo?) floral from this. It is truly magnificent and dark as night.
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Laotian oudh, labdanum, bourbon vanilla, red benzoin, and myrrh. In the Bottle: Beautiful oudh and a slight red musk vibe (red musk not a listed component) On the Skin: The oudh is immediately tamed by the other components, especially the bourbon vanilla. It's a gently spicy oudh forward resin blend. The labdunum lends a softness as it dries down a bit more. On the Drydown: In the end, a very nice spiced oudh/resin blend. I like a lot
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My most remarkable experience has been with Dr. H. Slade of New York, for whom I have formed a high regard. I first met him at his residence last November, when, without announcing my name, in three consecutive sittings, at eleven o’clock in the morning, seated at a small, bare table in the centre of a light room, there written on the under side of a slate placed on the table, several communications addressed to me, purporting to come from my deceased friends. I pass over the other manifestations – such as the movement of heavy articles of furniture in plain view, without visible contact – and confine myself to the writing on the slate, which I regarded with most interest… – Thos. W. Waterman, Binghamton, NY, July 14, 1873 The result of a physical law which is not yet understood, and the existence of which has hitherto scarcely been suspected: beeswax candles, chalk, and dust. In the Bottle: Rich beewax and a little bit of a dusty background On the Skin: The beautiful lab beeswax note, rich and sweet. The dry chalky note and dust emerges quite quickly to dry out the blend and tone down the sweetness of the beeswax. I am loving the chalkiness. On the Drydown: Stays fairly consistent through the drydown as a dusty beeswax but the beeswax amps up every now and then. I love it.
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Fear of Riding in Cars Encased in a roaring tomb of vinyl siding, strangled by nylon bindings, arms bruised and battered by writhing bodies punching and pummeling—punctuated by wild cries of SLUG BUG and CALL BOX—and endless discordant choruses of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. Motor oil, a burst of exhaust, a faded tree-shaped air freshener, and crushed gas station chocolates. Based on description alone, this is less an everyday scent and more of a marvel, not the most wearable but certainly impressive in terms of accuracy. That said, this is a very nostalgic scent for me. My father is what some might call a 'gearhead', and as such I was made familiar with the smells of everything automotive from a young age. This reminds me of all the times I was dragged into the garage to unwillingly assist with some project, and the smell that clung to my clothes thereafter. All the fumes without the headache; the smell of a busy garage or mechanic's shop. The exhaust note is strongest at first but the air freshener (pine, like the little tree-shaped ones) is apparent too. I also get a whiff of what smells like tires, and perhaps antifreeze as well. This is not a casual scent by any means! I'd likely wear this to a racetrack, rock concert, or out drinking.
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No additional description provided. Scent description for Sin is here.] I got mainly Snow White plus cinnamon and a dash of sandalwood. It was very chilly snowy but with cinnamon. Good throw and wear length.
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Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree Fear not: the hens triumph in the end. Feathery bourbon vanilla, Siamese red benzoin, petitgrain, vengeful red currant, and a drop of vetiver. Wet: Whoa! Hello, vetiver! Definitely more than “a drop”! Was not expecting that. Hoping that the other notes(ANY other notes) come through on the dry down. Dry: Nope, nope, nopity nope, I said nope nope nopity nope. Still all vetiver, all the time. What’s going on with my skin! Where are all those other amazing notes?! Disappointing. I’m really hoping the other notes come out with age, otherwise this will be off to my sales page. edit: retested this, and the vetiver has definitely calmed down some.
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Seven Swans-A-Swimming Six Geese-A-Laying Five Golden Rings Four Calling Birds Three French Hens Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree Chestnut milk with honey and hay. Oh. My. Goddess. I knew, from description alone, that this was a must-have. Even though I don't use glosses that often, even though I literally have ten other bottles already languishing. I knew. I *KNEW*. And I was RIGHT! There is the light and sweet hay note from Surreal Crawdad, which I was hoping for, and yes, the honey is in there, sweetening the pot a bit more. But that chestnut milk. That's the money shot right there. If there was a scent, a single note, of ONLY chestnut milk, I'd be forced to buy multiple bottles. This note is so gloriously creamy, so beautifully...earthy? at the same time- it's just...glorious. Let me put it this way- chances are excellent that I will be using this on my skin, whether or not my hair is in need of a spritz!
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A heart beating with anxiety and longing: rose musk, benzoin, and red sandalwood. In The Bottle: The reaction I got just from sniffing the bottle is a visceral stab to the heart, a rose of holidays passed, worn by my grandmother and her sisters in a by-gone era. Not "old lady" perfume, but rather the stuff that women of a different era favored considerably. Wet On Skin: It's weird, there's no myrrh listed in the notes, but the rose comes across as powdery, just as if myrrh were in the mix. Very perplexing! Dry Down: The musk is mellowing upon dry down, and a sweet, creamy aspect has emerged, reminding me of cold cream from the 40's. In All: a sweet and lovely rose scent. Not sure it's for me, but floral lovers will be very, very happy!
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The discomforts of royalty: a pearl as large as a spinning wheel. Golden rose oudh and saffron swirling over opalescent orris root and a twinkle of translucent petals. In the Bottle: the dusty rose of the oudh and the sweet-spice of the saffron come through quite strongly! Wet On Skin: The rose gains in intensity, but I get a faint dust from the orris root in the background. Dry Down: A lush dried rose incense. I don't do many florals, but this is pretty compelling. And the oudh has given it a lovely incense quality that just might win me over
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Perfectly warming, spiked with a splash of spiced rum. I was nervous about buying this. It sounded beautiful, but I was worried it would become overwhelming as time wore on. Luckily, that doesn't happen. This is heavier on the gingerbread than eggnog, and it works perfectly. It smells like your kitchen on a winter afternoon when you're baking for a holiday party. Rich and cozy without being too sweet. And it lingers beautifully - the following day I could still smell it. Really glad I got this.
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On my arrival (June 5) all appeared fair enough. I found the mediums established on the second floor of a small house in Ninth Street near Arch. There were but two rooms on the floor, a front parlor and a bedroom; the lower floor under both rooms being occupied as a shop for the sale of musical instruments. In a back corner of the parlor was a walnut cabinet, seven feet wide and eight feet high, with a door that opened into the parlor, and two apertures, five and six feet high respectively, both curtained with black cloth. We had lamp-light, shaded but sufficient to enable us to recognize faces and to see everything that passed in the room. After we had examined the cabinet, the medium entered it, closing the door. Soon at one of the apertures appeared a fair, thoughtful young face, a girl of eighteen apparently, by whom I was cordially welcomed in a low, pleasant voice. She returned and spoke to us several times. At the close of the sitting she twice appeared, robed in white, just within the cabinet door; not coming out, however, into the room: the first time (so I was told) that she had ever shown herself in full form. It was evidently a living, moving, thinking being. Yet I suspended judgment. One of the mediums was out of our sight. Then there was a door locked, padlocked, and otherwise effectually secured, it seemed, but yet a door from the cabinet into the bedroom adjoining. The possibility of a confederate suggested itself. Forty memorable sittings followed. Gradually test conditions were perfected, and every imaginable ground for suspecting deception was removed; and then, instead of failure, all the phenomena came out in greater perfection than before. I select the more remarkable; to copy my notes in full would involve tedious repetition. June 7. Katie allowed Dr. Child to feel her pulse; its beats were distinct, about seventy-two a minute. A lady offered her a gold ring, and asked me to put it on her finger. I did so. The hand, beautifully formed, was like that of a mortal woman, nearly of the same temperature as my own, and slightly moist. At the close of the sitting she advanced into the room, dropped a finger on my head, and touched several other persons. June 9. I gave her a long chain, composed of Violets hair, a present to myself more than forty-five years ago: hoping, as I told Katie, thereby to attract Violet herself in accordance with her promise. I observed that Katie wore the gold ring. But when, at the close of the sitting, examined with a light every nook and corner in the cabinet, neither ring nor chain was to be found. June 10. Katie called me up to the aperture, handed me back the hair chain, and said: Violet wishes you to keep this, in memory of her, until you are called to meet her in her spirit-home. Touching Visitants From a Higher Life, Robert Dale Owen In memory of her: green cognac, rose water, and Italian bergamot. In the bottle, its a beautiful, sweet green scent. The first few hours, it is a well-balanced blend of the bergamot and the cognac, with just the faintest bit of rose to keep it from being foody or boozy. It has a slightly sparkling feel to it, and it is really wonderful... I feel like is almost more like something you could get at a store, except that it isnt artificial-smelling or overpowering. I cant think of how to describe it exactly? Its just gentle and sweet but still unique. As time passed, the rose came out more... and the balance shifted to be more rose-bergamot with the cognac sweetness but no distinct cognac-ness. At the end it was just rose, which turned a little powdery. Overall I really like this one a lot and really recommend it. Its also the type of scent that I think would make a nice gift because I feel like a lot of people would enjoy it.
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This has occurred in my presence on four occasions in darkness. The test conditions under which they took place were quite satisfactory, so far as the judgment was concerned; but ocular demonstration of such a fact is so necessary to disturb our pre-formed opinions as to the naturally possible and impossible, that I will here only mention cases in which the deductions of reason were confirmed by the sense of sight. On one occasion I witnessed a chair, with a lady sitting on it, rise several inches from the ground. On another occasion, to avoid the suspicion of this being in some way performed by herself, the lady knelt on the chair in such a manner that its four feet were visible to us. It then rose about three inches, remained suspended for about ten seconds, and then slowly descended. At another time two children, on separate occasions, rose from the floor with their chairs, in full daylight, under (to me) most satisfactory conditions; for I was kneeling and keeping close watch upon the feet of the chair, and observing that no one might touch them. The most striking cases of levitation which I have witnessed have been with Mr. Home, on three separate occasions have I seen him raised completely from the floor of the room. Once sitting in an easy chair, once kneeling on his chair, and once standing up. On each occasion I had full opportunity of watching the occurrence as it was taking place. There are at least a hundred recorded instances of Mr. Homes rising from the ground, in the presence of as many separate persons, and I have heard from the lips of the three witnesses to the most striking occurrence of this kind the Earl of Dunraven, Lord Lindsay, and Captain C. Wynne their own most minute accounts of what took place. To reject the recorded evidence on this subject is to reject all human testimony whatever; for no fact in sacred or profane history is supported by a stronger array of proofs. The accumulated testimony establishing Mr. Homes levitations is overwhelming. It is greatly to be desired that some person, whose evidence would be accepted as conclusive by the scientific world if indeed there lives a person whose testimony in favour of such phenomena would be taken would seriously and patiently examine the alleged facts. Most of the eyewitnesses to these levitations are now living, and would, doubtless, be willing to give their evidence. But, in a few years, such direct evidence will be difficult, if not impossible, to be obtained. Notes of an Enquiry into the Phenomena called Spiritual during the years 1870-1873, William Crookes Well-worn leather, bay rum, vetiver, cigar smoke, and amber oudh. The tobacco note here is the same as the one in Gaueko, because in the bottle they both read to me as a slightly chemical caramel flavour. That doesn't happen on my skin, thankfully, just a weirdness in vitro (love me a Gaueko). The leather is soft and not at all shiny or "new-smelling", receding into the background as the tobacco and bay rum form the foreground. Amber bridges the two and I can't tell where exactly the vetiver is lurking, but it's not prominent. It could be my skin doing strange things, but on me this was very sweet, and not as masculine as you'd think from the notes. I loved the image of 19th century Mulder types in a gentlemen's club talking about ghosts and such, so I was actually hoping for a bit more dudeliness, but I'd say this is just a spicy, warm unisex scent.
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Sword aloft, eternally resting beside Andromeda, Algol flickering in the gorgon's head. Greek sage and iris, leather, and ambergris, with a dark gleam of patchouli-soaked blackcurrant. The sage dominates in this muted, close-wearing blend. I expected the leather and ambergris to be prominent, but even after several days of testing I can't pick it up on my skin. The patchouli has the very faintest hint of fruity purpleness to it, and stays in the background. I love this because the sage note is truly beautiful, soft-edged and grey-green, cozy rather than harshly herbal. Sage is one of my favourite notes and there aren't enough BPALs that bust it out. But I wish there was more throw or lasting power, and in fact I'm puzzled that there isn't, given the notes. Aging might bring out some more depth.
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Sweet oudh, Bulgarian rose, chamomile, and frankincense. Fresh from the mailbox, this is like a slightly less loud Baghdad. It's a scent for nighttime, to be worn sparingly. About five hours ago I dabbed a small amount on one wrist, rubbed my wrists together, and still have a waft of slightly heady, resinous, spicy rose that is plenty potent for me. One bottle of this will last me forever. I bought this because I like Baghdad, and because I have an ancestor named Melchior. It's not the sort of thing that I will wear most of the time, but if I want something sophisticated with a lot of presence, this should be excellent.
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But on what could an impression be left? An impression of such a nature becomes a material thing and implies a material nexus, however subtle. So far as we know there are only two things there, the air and the ether. The air is a mobile thing and could not carry a permanent impression. But is the ether a mobile thing? It is pictured as a most delicate medium with vibrating currents flowing in it, but it seems to me that a most tenuous jelly with quivers and thrills would be a closer analogy. We could conceive the whole material universe embedded in and interpenetrated by this subtle material, which would not necessarily change its position since it is too fine for wind or any coarser material to influence it. I feel that I am rushing in where even Lodges fear to tread, but if it should prove to be as I suggest then we should have that permanent screen on which shadows are thrown. The block of ether upon the stairs is the same that it always was, and so conveys the impression from the past. the Edge of the Unknown, Arthur Conan Doyle Gentle, almost imperceptible, permeating all things: pale amber vibrating with ambergris and a thread of lavender. This is one of the purest, most beautiful lavenders I've ever smelled. It's up there with Hidden Purpose bath oil! It's the perfect balance between floral and herbal lavender, with just a hint of salty, spicy ambergris enhancing it. The ambergris gets more prominent as it dries down, with more of a 50/50 balance between that soft ocean scent and the lavender. It's amazingly, and yes, a little ethereal. I'm probably going to need more bottles.
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The new discovery of “Table Moving,” by means of an unseen power from the human hand, has only been introduced into England within the last few weeks; but it would be difficult to dingle out any scientific subject which has with such rapidity, taken so extensive a hold of the popular mind. If we travel by railway carriage, steamboat, or omnibus, this is the universal topic of conversation. From the aristocratic saloons of Belgravia to the “Parlours” of Whitechapel – the Green Park to the Cat and Mutton Fields, “table moving” is all the rage. From the Royal Institution, where the secretary pokes his head through a forest of electrical apparatus, to inform the audience that the facts are established, down to the humblest Mechanics’ Institute, all are full of it, and the tables, to quote the words of the old song – “are all a moving, move, move, moving,” – Every evening party must of course have its experiments; accordingly, gentlemen come provided with very elegant chapeaux for the occasion, and many an innocent flirtation occurs consequent on the proper arrangement of the little fingers of some of the fair operators. As “sweet eighteen,” with her blue eyes and golden locks, gracefully links her little finger with Charles’s, in a retired corner, what wonder if the hat should tremble? And Charles, being of course fond of poetry (his very name is a guarantee for that), cannot resist softly breathing into Lucy’s ear, that exquisite line from Waller, on his fair one’s harp – “Touched by that hand – who would not tremble too?” And after a little more conversation of a strictly scientific character, they feel quite satisfied with the success of the experiment. Mamma, who has been watching the progress of the magnetic influence at a distance, “has no patience with such nonsense, and wonders young men and young women cannot find something better to do.” She forgets that there was a magnetic influence at work about twenty years since, and what little trifles served as conductors then. – Table Moving, its causes and phenomena: with directions how to experiment A spirit-touched courtship: sweet orange blossom, white honey, jasmine tea, white sandalwood, green apple, and lily of the valley. In the bottle - Very buoyant, happy greenery. Wet - Warm. I get lots of honey. Sweet green springtime scent. Drydown - I'm smelling honey, but thinking nectar. It actually reminds me of the Nectar hair gloss, and I'm picturing a miniature butterfly garden. Tickles my nose a bit. I'd have to re-sniff my decant, but my mind is drawing parallels between this and Venus Verticordia, which I also liked. This has more going on, though. Less grass, more tea. It gets less heavy as it wears. By the end of the day, this was a spectral memory of spring. Verdict - Just lovely. I can't see anyone being offended by this. Might even be a good work scent, since it doesn't have much throw.
