last-minute hodgepodge
First off, I'm going down to Georgia (much like the devil! only kinda not) Saturday and will be visiting with soultoad for the week. Yay! :) Not sure if I'll be able to keep up with LJ while there, but I should be able to check my email regularly. So if you need to get in touch with me, that's the way to go.
Other stuff:
Liked it!
Good title. Is that an elbow nudge to that show that airs opposite them... the one that's part of a franchise that has used up nearly every Who song for their theme songs?
Kids were CREEPY. (Almost Burton-esque with the look, dontcha think?)
Dean and Sam were hot/sexy/funny/badass/Dean&Sam.
Nifty continuation of the Winchester family mythology.
Nice twisty-twist with Ruby that I didn't see coming.
Also? Everyone knows SAM is Gumby. Duh, Dean.
All right, I really need to be cut off for a while. Either that, or give BPAL direct access to my bank account. They so own my ass.
Anyway, I fell in love with Pumpkin #2 so hard I decided I needed another bottle ('cause... it's limited edition... *nods until it makes sense*). And I couldn't leave it at that, so I got bottles of two other L.E.'s as well: Pumpkin #5 and Samhain. Pumpkin scents? Also own my ass.
Pumpkin #5 (Halloween 2007)
BPAL description: Pumpkin with benzoin, bourbon vanilla, lemon peel, neroli, blood orange, and red ginger.
My notes: Very much as you'd expect, it's spicy, tangy pumpkin. There's the pumpkin and ginger to start. Then the pumpkin pulls back, letting the bourbon vanilla come in along with the neroli and lemon peel. This isn't as warm or as foody as Pumpkin #2, but still warm... a little prettier, brighter. It smells like Indian Summer: seasons colliding. Or... what pumpkin juice in the Harry Potter world might smell like.
Samhain (Halloween 2007)
BPAL description: Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.
My notes: YUM. Apple pie-ish. The apple is not crisp and fresh like in the Hesperides, but soft, spiced, baked apple slices rolling around on your tongue. So, obviously it's foody, but with a solid undertone of earthy wood scents. I don't know if it's the definitive scent of autumn, but it's very close (much closer than Hunter Moon). Comforting yet with a hint of danger.
Bonus: both of those have fabulous throw and longevity. Total win.
And the frimps:
Clio (Excolo - Muses)
BPAL description: The Proclaimer is the Muse of Historic and Heroic Poetry. Clio holds a scroll or set of tablets in her hands, and is surrounded by a veritable wall of books. She is credited with introducing the Phonecian alphabet to the Greeks. As a consequence of her teasing, barbed sense of humor, she was cursed by Aphrodite: she fell in love with a mortal, Pierus, the King of Macedonia. Clio bore two sons, one by Bacchus and one by Pierus: Hymenaeus, the God of Marriage Ceremonies and Wedding Feasts, and the doomed Hyacinth. She is the patron of historians, epic poets, biographers and all those who wish for fame, reknown, and celebrity status. Her scent is the warm, dry parchment of scrolls, lavender for critical thought and analysis, the solidity of heavy woods, ornery patchouli and glib benzoin, and superstar-splashed orange and amber.
My notes: Green. Pale green. I get the sense of cut greens, but more than that, crushed herbs. Perhaps the lavender? When I breathe this in, it tickles the back of my throat. Light, clean, almost fruity, with the woods being much more faint than heavy on me. Initially, it reminds me a little of Shanghai, which makes me wonder if there's some unlisted green or white tea in there. Orange and amber come out strongest toward the end. Okay, but not a favorite.
Medea (Diabolus)
BPAL description: Granddaughter of Helios, Hecate's chosen: Medea was one of the greatest sorceresses of the ancient world. She is the embodiment of ruthless power, indomitable will and furious vengeance. Night-blooming cereus, black orchid, black currant and myrtle leaf enshrouded in the incense of Hecate's cypress and myrrh, and the dark rage of magickal labdanum and intoxicating poppy.
My notes: Sharp, pungent floral-almost jasmine-esque (possibly the cereus? I'm not really good at identifying florals). This gets a little gentler with time, but it's still too harsh for me.
Midnight Kiss (Shojo Beat)
BPAL description: Eternal desire, unquenchable passion: red musk, cocoa absolute, Nepalese amber, red sandalwood, aged patchouli, nicotiana, and blood wine.
My notes: Red, red, red. Sweet yet dark. A little musky. Everything hits at once: I can pick out almost every note. But the wine and cocoa come out strongest with a quiet incense base. This is hedonism. Or maybe more accurately: impulse. Overindulging on sweets and booze and smokes. It smells very teenaged. A little sister scent to Wanda.
Port Royal (Wanderlust)
BPAL description: The Sodom of the New World! -- touted as the richest and wickedest city in all creation! Port Royal was the center of 17th century Caribbean commerce, a notorious safe harbor for pirates, and the site of our third flagship store, which was, sadly, destroyed in the earthquake of 1692. Spiced rum and ship’s wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute’s perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down.
My notes: In the bottle and wet on my skin, it's COLOGNE. Not an auspicious start. But within seconds, spices overtake the cologne smell until it's nonexistent. I get more spice than spiced rum. No booziness whatsoever. There's a faint hint of wood which, with the spice, smells plain exotic. Sometimes, I have trouble with spices and was worried about this, but it's less candle shop, headache-causing spices, and more like gingersnaps or spice cakes (though less foody than that sounds. Warm... definitely ginger and clove, possibly cardamom. It takes a while for the saltiness to come in. But when it does? The docks, you're right there on the docks. It gets better the longer I wear it. I imagine it's what Captain Sparrow's neck would taste like if I licked it. Err, minus the inevitable sweat and dirt. ;) Reviewers at bpal.org call this an aquatic, but for me it's really not. Top layer is spices, followed by wood, followed by sea air. Much more grounded and less salty than Jolly Roger, though it might be interesting to try them together.
The Red Queen (Mad Tea Party)
BPAL description: Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant.
My notes: Very cherry on impact. Not quite lozenge-like, but almost. Cherry cordial perhaps. Wood starts in the background and creeps into the foreground until... well, until this smells like furniture. Yep, cherry wood. This scent is kinda where masculine and feminine meet. More of a curiosity than a wearable.
Sheol (Ars Moriendi)
BPAL description: The Hebrew Underworld, the Abode of the Dead, the Pit. It is as forbidding as the grave itself: a joyless and dolorous cave deep with the bowels of Earth that every man, saint or sinner, must travel to upon death, where his soul finds rest in the silence and dust.... The final burst of the soul’s light and joy before passing into the depths of the earth, and into the cords of Sheol; Sheol, who is never satisfied, and who makes wide her soul to all. Vibrant gladiola, graceful stargazer lily, triumphant iris and bright heliotrope flare, and is finally made somber by heavy copal, a drop of labdanum, and tonka.
My notes: Strange. Slightly medicinal to start. I can sense the tonka, but with all of the florals, it's doing weird things here... not warm or cozy per usual. Spiced floral... vague wateriness... resinous. Picks up a subtle saltiness. This one morphs. Overall a rather complex scent. It makes me think of Victorian Gothic novels: in this case, one that begins set in a dark, claustrophobic London then moves to a desolate seaside location... probably with cliffs, where the heroine dies. *g*
Tweedledee (Mad Tea Party)
BPAL description: Ridiculous! Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom.
My notes: Whoa. Citrus candy. Starbursts and orange slices, and maybe even some Juicy Fruit gum. It's very SWEET candy for a while, and too toothachey, too babyish. I can barely detect the white pepper, though it's there enough to give the scent some edge. Vague light floral there, too. After a few minutes, the white tea saves this. Reminds me of Fuze's white tea drink. The problem is, by the time this gets really nice, it has faded A LOT. The last phase is light orange blossom, and sticks around for hours, but has no throw at all.
You know, BPAL should do a line of Supernatural-based scents. They already have ones called Crossroads, Djinn and Scarecrow, so all they need are a few more monsters-of-the-week and they've got a collection. I'm thinking there could be a Metallicar scent: leather and metal mainly, faint notes of oil and gunpowder and stale soda and crumpled fast food wrappers. (Er, considering the gag reel, other scents come to mind, but uhh, that doesn't need to be bottled.) And of course there would need to be a Winchester scent. Which. Would smell like sex. Come to think of it... Metallicar? Would also smell like sex.
Finally! New HP items from the Noble Collection. Most importantly, they will be selling a Marauders Map. I've been waiting for someone to make one of those! I suppose magic not included though? Even if I solemnly swear that I am up to no good?
That's all. Take care and be good while I'm away.
♥
Other stuff:
Liked it!
Good title. Is that an elbow nudge to that show that airs opposite them... the one that's part of a franchise that has used up nearly every Who song for their theme songs?
Kids were CREEPY. (Almost Burton-esque with the look, dontcha think?)
Dean and Sam were hot/sexy/funny/badass/Dean&Sam.
Nifty continuation of the Winchester family mythology.
Nice twisty-twist with Ruby that I didn't see coming.
Also? Everyone knows SAM is Gumby. Duh, Dean.
All right, I really need to be cut off for a while. Either that, or give BPAL direct access to my bank account. They so own my ass.
Anyway, I fell in love with Pumpkin #2 so hard I decided I needed another bottle ('cause... it's limited edition... *nods until it makes sense*). And I couldn't leave it at that, so I got bottles of two other L.E.'s as well: Pumpkin #5 and Samhain. Pumpkin scents? Also own my ass.
Pumpkin #5 (Halloween 2007)
BPAL description: Pumpkin with benzoin, bourbon vanilla, lemon peel, neroli, blood orange, and red ginger.
My notes: Very much as you'd expect, it's spicy, tangy pumpkin. There's the pumpkin and ginger to start. Then the pumpkin pulls back, letting the bourbon vanilla come in along with the neroli and lemon peel. This isn't as warm or as foody as Pumpkin #2, but still warm... a little prettier, brighter. It smells like Indian Summer: seasons colliding. Or... what pumpkin juice in the Harry Potter world might smell like.
Samhain (Halloween 2007)
BPAL description: Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.
My notes: YUM. Apple pie-ish. The apple is not crisp and fresh like in the Hesperides, but soft, spiced, baked apple slices rolling around on your tongue. So, obviously it's foody, but with a solid undertone of earthy wood scents. I don't know if it's the definitive scent of autumn, but it's very close (much closer than Hunter Moon). Comforting yet with a hint of danger.
Bonus: both of those have fabulous throw and longevity. Total win.
And the frimps:
Clio (Excolo - Muses)
BPAL description: The Proclaimer is the Muse of Historic and Heroic Poetry. Clio holds a scroll or set of tablets in her hands, and is surrounded by a veritable wall of books. She is credited with introducing the Phonecian alphabet to the Greeks. As a consequence of her teasing, barbed sense of humor, she was cursed by Aphrodite: she fell in love with a mortal, Pierus, the King of Macedonia. Clio bore two sons, one by Bacchus and one by Pierus: Hymenaeus, the God of Marriage Ceremonies and Wedding Feasts, and the doomed Hyacinth. She is the patron of historians, epic poets, biographers and all those who wish for fame, reknown, and celebrity status. Her scent is the warm, dry parchment of scrolls, lavender for critical thought and analysis, the solidity of heavy woods, ornery patchouli and glib benzoin, and superstar-splashed orange and amber.
My notes: Green. Pale green. I get the sense of cut greens, but more than that, crushed herbs. Perhaps the lavender? When I breathe this in, it tickles the back of my throat. Light, clean, almost fruity, with the woods being much more faint than heavy on me. Initially, it reminds me a little of Shanghai, which makes me wonder if there's some unlisted green or white tea in there. Orange and amber come out strongest toward the end. Okay, but not a favorite.
Medea (Diabolus)
BPAL description: Granddaughter of Helios, Hecate's chosen: Medea was one of the greatest sorceresses of the ancient world. She is the embodiment of ruthless power, indomitable will and furious vengeance. Night-blooming cereus, black orchid, black currant and myrtle leaf enshrouded in the incense of Hecate's cypress and myrrh, and the dark rage of magickal labdanum and intoxicating poppy.
My notes: Sharp, pungent floral-almost jasmine-esque (possibly the cereus? I'm not really good at identifying florals). This gets a little gentler with time, but it's still too harsh for me.
Midnight Kiss (Shojo Beat)
BPAL description: Eternal desire, unquenchable passion: red musk, cocoa absolute, Nepalese amber, red sandalwood, aged patchouli, nicotiana, and blood wine.
My notes: Red, red, red. Sweet yet dark. A little musky. Everything hits at once: I can pick out almost every note. But the wine and cocoa come out strongest with a quiet incense base. This is hedonism. Or maybe more accurately: impulse. Overindulging on sweets and booze and smokes. It smells very teenaged. A little sister scent to Wanda.
Port Royal (Wanderlust)
BPAL description: The Sodom of the New World! -- touted as the richest and wickedest city in all creation! Port Royal was the center of 17th century Caribbean commerce, a notorious safe harbor for pirates, and the site of our third flagship store, which was, sadly, destroyed in the earthquake of 1692. Spiced rum and ship’s wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute’s perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down.
My notes: In the bottle and wet on my skin, it's COLOGNE. Not an auspicious start. But within seconds, spices overtake the cologne smell until it's nonexistent. I get more spice than spiced rum. No booziness whatsoever. There's a faint hint of wood which, with the spice, smells plain exotic. Sometimes, I have trouble with spices and was worried about this, but it's less candle shop, headache-causing spices, and more like gingersnaps or spice cakes (though less foody than that sounds. Warm... definitely ginger and clove, possibly cardamom. It takes a while for the saltiness to come in. But when it does? The docks, you're right there on the docks. It gets better the longer I wear it. I imagine it's what Captain Sparrow's neck would taste like if I licked it. Err, minus the inevitable sweat and dirt. ;) Reviewers at bpal.org call this an aquatic, but for me it's really not. Top layer is spices, followed by wood, followed by sea air. Much more grounded and less salty than Jolly Roger, though it might be interesting to try them together.
The Red Queen (Mad Tea Party)
BPAL description: Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant.
My notes: Very cherry on impact. Not quite lozenge-like, but almost. Cherry cordial perhaps. Wood starts in the background and creeps into the foreground until... well, until this smells like furniture. Yep, cherry wood. This scent is kinda where masculine and feminine meet. More of a curiosity than a wearable.
Sheol (Ars Moriendi)
BPAL description: The Hebrew Underworld, the Abode of the Dead, the Pit. It is as forbidding as the grave itself: a joyless and dolorous cave deep with the bowels of Earth that every man, saint or sinner, must travel to upon death, where his soul finds rest in the silence and dust.... The final burst of the soul’s light and joy before passing into the depths of the earth, and into the cords of Sheol; Sheol, who is never satisfied, and who makes wide her soul to all. Vibrant gladiola, graceful stargazer lily, triumphant iris and bright heliotrope flare, and is finally made somber by heavy copal, a drop of labdanum, and tonka.
My notes: Strange. Slightly medicinal to start. I can sense the tonka, but with all of the florals, it's doing weird things here... not warm or cozy per usual. Spiced floral... vague wateriness... resinous. Picks up a subtle saltiness. This one morphs. Overall a rather complex scent. It makes me think of Victorian Gothic novels: in this case, one that begins set in a dark, claustrophobic London then moves to a desolate seaside location... probably with cliffs, where the heroine dies. *g*
Tweedledee (Mad Tea Party)
BPAL description: Ridiculous! Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom.
My notes: Whoa. Citrus candy. Starbursts and orange slices, and maybe even some Juicy Fruit gum. It's very SWEET candy for a while, and too toothachey, too babyish. I can barely detect the white pepper, though it's there enough to give the scent some edge. Vague light floral there, too. After a few minutes, the white tea saves this. Reminds me of Fuze's white tea drink. The problem is, by the time this gets really nice, it has faded A LOT. The last phase is light orange blossom, and sticks around for hours, but has no throw at all.
You know, BPAL should do a line of Supernatural-based scents. They already have ones called Crossroads, Djinn and Scarecrow, so all they need are a few more monsters-of-the-week and they've got a collection. I'm thinking there could be a Metallicar scent: leather and metal mainly, faint notes of oil and gunpowder and stale soda and crumpled fast food wrappers. (Er, considering the gag reel, other scents come to mind, but uhh, that doesn't need to be bottled.) And of course there would need to be a Winchester scent. Which. Would smell like sex. Come to think of it... Metallicar? Would also smell like sex.
Finally! New HP items from the Noble Collection. Most importantly, they will be selling a Marauders Map. I've been waiting for someone to make one of those! I suppose magic not included though? Even if I solemnly swear that I am up to no good?
That's all. Take care and be good while I'm away.
♥