Bringing Party Favors to Hell

I stayed up too late last night reading (3 am, damn you, matociquala and Scardown made me CRY!) and got woken up too early by the cat, therefore I am tired. Probably the cocktail I threw together of vodka, tonic, and Naked Juice Pomegranate Passion is not helping any. Maybe I should call this a Persephone, as it seems to want to send me to the underworld for 6 months... :-)

(Gakked from st_crispins)I don't write much SF these days, but if I did, I'd be honored by this result:

I am: Isaac Asimov One of the most prolific writers in history, on any imaginable subject. Cared little for art but created lasting and memorable tales.

Which science fiction writer are you?

I taped the first installment of "Empire" last week and finally got around to watching it. As far as historical accuracy goes, there's a lot to quibble with, but I have to say I am very impressed with the costuming and sets. Someone FINALLY did their research for a historical drama. Visually, this rivals "I Claudius" (I said visually, not in any other way!) However, the fact that Vincent Regan is playing Marc Antony thrills me. I thought he was pretty much the only redeeming factor in Troy (in which he played Achilles' right-hand man, Eudoras). He reminds me a lot of Oliver Reed in his prime. Yum. And the guy playing Octavian (Santiago Cabrera) reminds me eerily of Tom Welling. Someone should cast them as brothers or something. Plotwise they seem to be cribbing several pages from "Gladiator" but doing a much better job of looking historically accurate. I can't say they are being any more historically accurate, though.

BPAL Report: I tested out 3 more of the imps. These descriptions are short becase I didn't think to write them down as I tested them so I am going by memory.

#9) BLOOD: Essence of dragon's blood resin, thickened with myrrh and cherry, with a trickle of clove.
Initial impression: I have dipped myself in Essence of Luden's Cough Drops. It took a couple of hours to be able to smell anything but cherry. The dragon's blood is completely overwhlemed. Finally after a while the myrrh and clove tempered the the cherry. Verdict: Not for me.

#10) SYBARIS: Bright violet with sweet clove, Mediterranean incense notes and tonka bean.
One of the lighter scents I have tried this time out. The violet really is bright, and the incense and clove are subtle, the tonka bean gives it a nice vanilla-y finish. This is a good perfume for a day that needs brightening up.

#11) HUNGER: Black narcissus, orange blossoms, and vanilla.
Predominately orange-blossom and black narcissus, the vanilla fades into unrecognizability. However, that said, this is a really lush, sensual scent and I liked it quite a bit. It stood up fairly well to a trip to the Farmer's Market and all the sweating thus involved.

More BPAL perfume sampler reportage:

BASTET: Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus.
I put on Bastet yesterday but got busy sewing and forgot to take notes so all I can tell you is that I liked it quite a lot. It was a long-lasting, very sensual blend, not overly sweet (probably the myrrh bittering it up), so well balanced that no single scent really stuck out.

SERAGLIO: Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel.
Vial: ALMOND!
Wet: very strong almond. After a few moments, the rose starts to emerge as well. It's a very unusual rose, not as sweet or cloying as most roses. It has a deep, rich scent. I still don't really smell the neroli, orange peel and spices.
Drydown: Rose-almond with a hint of orange.
Dry: The orange and neroli have finally emerged, along with the sandalwood. It's a luscious blend. I can't really pick out the spices individually but I am fairly sure they are what is keeping the scent from being too cloyingly sweet.
This is a very womanly perfume, with just a hint of mystery. And one that really, really lasts. Even 14 hours later I can still smell a faint, lingering trace -- mostly sandalwood, clove, orange and rose.

I love this one. Though for some reason it makes me feel like I should be wearing Stevie Nicks' wardrobe and reading tarot by flickering candlelight inside of a gypsy caravan. :)

Today I tried out BPAL's "Golden Priapus."

The site description: vanilla and amber with juniper, rosewood and white pine.

I really liked the scent both wet and dry. The woodsy and piney notes are most noticeable when the perfume is first applied but they fade rapidly, leaving only the vanilla/amber blend behind. Unfortunately after four hours I could barely tell I had ever put any on. After six, I couldn't smell it at all.

The verdict: like most things priapal, it doesn't last long anywhere near long enough, but it was nice while it lasted. :)

Also, gakked from noelql

Which Stargate Atlantis guy is yours? (more Atlantis guys!) by sg_crazy
name/username
age
Your Atlantis guy is...	Dr. Zelenka
Because...	He makes you laugh
Quiz created with MemeGen!

Hey! For once one of these quizzes is RIGHT!

I'm a sucker for good perfumes... not the cloying alcoholic things they sell in department stores but subtle, interesting blends that evoke other places and states of mind. Today the evil matociquala posted about such things in association with the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab which I'd never heard of before. (Actually I think maybe I had, but I'd forgotten about it.) So I had to go look, and I found that you can get 6 'sample-size' vials of their scent oils for $16 (look under "Imps Ears" if you're interested) and of course I ended up getting a bunch. I could have gotten a lot more but I really had to rein myself in. Just in case you're curious, here's what I ordered:( Read more... )

Yes, I do like citrus, spices, vanilla, almond, and resins (frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, etc.), why do you ask?