BPAL: Shadow, Torture King, the Ides of March, and Lightning

[oyceter]

I have discovered that I haven't been writing up a lot of BPAL stuff, mostly because I'm too lazy to take assiduous notes on the five bazillion different stages of the smell. But I'm still curious enough to write up impressions, especially when they're weird ones. Anything that turns to powder will probably just be skipped over, because those are really boring.

Shadow: A subtly menacing blend of lemon verbena, white sandalwood and cedar, dimmed by droplets of the darkest patchouli. (Gender neutral)

I can't smell the lemon at all! This disappoints me a great deal. It starts out very woodsy and incense-y, and then I start smelling like a plank of cedar. Not cedar stuff to make your closet smell good. Oh no, not me. I smell like an actual plank of wood, fresh cut from the tree. I'm sure it's very interesting, and I'm glad to find stuff that doesn't turn straight to powder on me, but it is extremely disconcerting to smell like lumber.

The rats, for once, didn't do the sniff like crazy lunge and bite routine that they usually do. I wonder if they think it just smells like litter, given that their cage is covered with dried corn cob stuff. Huh. I can't really smell it on them, because their fur mostly smells of corn now.

Torture King LE: The King of Pain, the Famed Fakir. Frankincense and sweet clove, mandarin and bourbon, lemon peel and leather, grasses and smoke, lime and vetiver, ambergris and deep musk. (Gender neutral)

Obviously gotten for the citrus! Alas, I cannot smell the citrus at all. Something like the frankincense or sweet clove dominates, and I start smelling very like incense. It's not a bad smell per se... Okay, actually, it is if it's on me for too long. And then it gets sort of sweet, probably because of the grass or something. I may keep it around for a bit just to see if I grow to like it. Alas, no rat report on this.

The Ides of March LE: The Ides marked an auspicious time in the Roman calendar. Depending on the month in question, the Ides fell on the thirteenth or fifteenth, and usually marked the Full Moon. As we all know, it was not an auspicious day for Julius Caesar, nor was it fortuitous for H.P. Lovecraft, who also met his maker on this infamous day. Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi! A mixture of springtime greenery and classical Roman cologne: rosemary, bergamot, lemon rind and vervain with costus, benzoin, gray amber, cardamom, white narcissus and iris. (Gender neutral)

Wow! A scent that isn't overtly citrus-y that I like! This one is a little thicker than the citrus scents, probably because of the amber stuff and flowers or whatnot, but luckily narcissus and iris don't seem to turn to powder on me, like every other floral in the world. It starts out really pine-y, and then dries down to a sort of soap-y scent. Not the sharp, tingly soap scent that loligo seems to hate, but a nice, mellow soap. I think this is as close to sexy-smelling as I get.

Thanks for this, yhlee!

Lightning: Lightning slashing the midnight skies over the endless reaches of the ocean. The electric tang of ozone, marine notes, and a drop of sharp rain. (Gender neutral)

Huh. Wow. This is a strange smell. It's ozone, and it doesn't smell at all like perfume. I can faintly smell the marine and the rain, but the ozone mostly dominates. Again, I'm glad to actually be able to smell things that don't just turn to powder, but this is a little too clean smelling, even for me. I think it's the slight metallic smell of the ozone. I wish the rain or the ocean were just a wee bit warmer smelling. Oh well. sophia_helix, I suspect you'd like this one?

The rats were extremely interested, as in they were following my wrist around and standing on their hind legs and begging, just like they do for food! It was really funny! And then I thought they had gotten kind of sick of it, so I just let my guard down. Of course, that meant Fitz-rat snuck up on me while I was typing and lunged, all ferocious attack rat style, at my wrist!

Oh the dramas of my life.

Comments

[yhlee.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'm glad Ides of March worked out on you. It turned into soap on me, but the usual (alas) Ivory soap kind of thing, which I do not find attractive to wear all day. ^_^

I'm currently slathering on a strong fruity scent (probably Lady Macbeth again--although I need to order some Red Queen, because that's also assertive) to try to kill the myrrh that took over the latest trial. God, I hate myrrh. I should just give up on scents that contain myrrh, period. I don't think I've encountered a single myrrh scent that's worked, as opposed to the occasional very light floral prevented from powdering by the other notes. Anyway, I ramble. I am halfway through the color filter pass on Illyria!vid but must sleep now! :-)

(Darn. Now I need an Illyria icon. Aieeee!)

[oracne.livejournal.com]

If you don't want Shadow, I do!

At the moment I'm down to Thanatopsis for trades, until my next batch arrives....

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Can I try on your BPAL when I'm over there?

Also, you, I, and Angela (if she likes) have a date for dinner with telophase when she's out for Yaoi-Con. Perhaps my 32nd birthday (October 29) would be a good time for that.

[oyceter]

Huh, I can't tell at all now what will work on me! I suspect I will detest myrrh, given that I seem to sort of dislike overtly frankincensey things, but then again, impossible to tell.

And am anticipating next pass on Illyria!vid!

[oyceter]

Sure thing! Ooo, I think you also wanted Regan from last time too, but I have been horrible about mailing stuff out lately. Still want?

[oyceter]

Yes, of course!!! We shall have a party! And you can watch Fitz-rat turn into the Amazing Attacking Rat.

Will ask Angela about dinner, although I'm pretty sure she's up for it. And we should do something! There's fondue places and Brazilian barbecue and all sorts of food.

[yhlee.livejournal.com]

Myrrh turns into bitter nauseating smoke on me. Every time. I just tried Hecate, which smells like I AM THE GODDESS QUEEN OF ALMONDS BOW BEFORE ME in the vial, and five minutes later, on my skin? MYRRH MYRRH MYRRH gack gack gack get it off me. It's, um, very distinct on me.

Dude, I finished the color/filter pass on Illyria!vid this afternoon. I'm going to render it tonight. Although the changes are minor, and the filters are mostly to brighten things to the point where I can see what the hell is going on in the clips and to make Illyria VERY BLUE (well, within reason). If you have any last-minute beta notes on things that need to be fixed, speak up now or you have to wait until maybe the next run. I am trying to get this vid out of my life. Then I get to *headdesk* over the two incarnations of Puppet!vid. ;-)

I luff my beta! *hugs and gratitude*

Re: HPLovecraft

[oyceter]

Huh, no clue, never read Lovecraft before.

Re: HPLovecraft

[qiihoskeh]

Yeah, my question was silly in this context. My mind wasn't working. I first wrote "you" then realized you were quoting the BPAL people and changed it to "they". I should have just canceled the comment. Apparently you'd already replied by the time I deleted it.

BTW I asked that question because I thought HPL had died on Mar 18 (my birthday).

I won't feel offended if you screen or delete this.

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Sure. I'll put Thanatopsis in the mail sometime this week. Or weekend, depending.

If Regan was one with cedar, then yes.

[oyceter]

Sounds good!

[oracne.livejournal.com]

I mailed it this morning--looks like about half the vial is left.

[oyceter]

Doh, I just realized I don't have your address, which is a slight obstacle to mailing things out. Could you email it to me?

[oracne.livejournal.com]

Done.