HULK SMASH
Nov. 29th, 2005 05:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gogmagogWow, this is the first day where even I, with my Kansas City winter upbringing, went "Goddamn but it is cold today!" I guess we'll see whether I can handle the bitter Iowa winter, though I'll actually be in KC for most of next month and so hopefully won't have to deal with the worst of it.
I finally picked up my first official BPAL order from the post office today. (And let me tell you, slogging through the snow to do so was no treat.) So, yay! I ordered imps of Saint-Germain, Zephyr, Dorian, Endymion, Villain (which I've already tried and love), White Rabbit, Machu Picchu, Tenochtitlan, Whitechapel, Dragon's Milk, Centzon Totochtin, and Tezcatlipoca. And the lab threw in free imps of Hades and Black Rose! So, without further ado...
(Oh, and a disclaimer: I'm still slightly stopped up, so the ol' sniffer might not be working at 100%.)
TEZCATLIPOCA
Lord of the Smoking Mirror, god of sorcery, nighttime, darkness, beauty, war, heroic men, beautiful women, and all material concerns. Tezcatlipoca is the Master Magician, a trickster god and shapeshifter, governing all worldly matters, and is also the Great Tempter, seducing men into evil acts and subsequently punishing them for their transgressions. Deep cocoa laced with patchouli, leather armor, ritual incense, and a touch of Xochiquetzal’s flowers.
In the bottle: Kind of like dark, rich musky cocoa.
Wet: Well, there's that nasty cigarette-smoke "leather" note (though it does smell a bit more like real leather in this scent), basically drowning everything else out except for a slightly nutty background scent. Let's hope it goes away.
...it does eventually sweeten up a bit, which I think is the flowers and a slightly vanilla-y incense, and the kind of sharp fresh green flower scent cuts through the "leather" a bit.
Dry: The smoky scent has mostly vanished, to be replaced by an incense note. (And not the vanilla-y incense I was talking about, but like incense incense.) Which is nice and all, but where's the cocoa the description promised me? That's like 50% of the reason I got it right there! (The other 50% was probably the name, because I like Tezcatlipoca...I'm actually rereading Mercedes Lackey's Burning Water right now, which features him as the villain.) So basically it's now plants and incense.
Verdict: Well, the leather note that goes completely evil on my skin did vanish pretty quickly. On the other hand, it ends up being basically an incense scent, which I'm not huge on. I kind of wish that the cocoa had kicked in, because that would have made it nice - otherwise it seems kind of unexceptional, incense and a bit of floral/grass. I may try it again another time and hope that the cocoa comes out then. :(
DORIAN
The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself. Inspired by and created for my beloved Tedwin: my eternal, beautiful, wicked Dorian Gray. Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air. This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.
In the bottle: Sugary vanilla with a hint of tea.
Wet: I was kind of worried because I had high expectations for this, much like Tezcatlipoca, and was afraid of being disappointed again. Then I put it on.
...Oh my God, this is SO NICE. It's kind of like Villain, but much more subtle and warm, and where Villain has sharp lime and lavender this has the mellow vanilla and tea. It's sweet and almost a bit fruity, even though I know there's no fruit note in it.
Dry: It's still pretty much the same as it is wet. It also has pretty decent throw, which is good. It all blends together so well - it's not like I can't pick the notes apart if I try, but really I'm content to just sit there with the back of my hand held up to my nose and sigh happily. After a couple of hours the musk comes out a bit more, but it doesn't make it smell any less heavenly.
Verdict: HELL YES. This is totally what I think the world should smell like - there should be airplanes constantly flying overhead sprinkling Dorian, then the world would be a better place. (Or at least a better-smelling place.) I was going to place an order today anyway, so I'll just add on a bottle of Dorian to that. :D
ENDYMION
Selune, the Moon Goddess, fell in love with a beautiful shepherd named Endymion. She appealed to Zeus, asking him to cast Endymion into everlasting slumber so that she could be with him for all eternity. Her wish was granted, and every night the Goddess visited her love as he slept. A sweet, wistful blend of d'Anjou pear, Lily of the Valley, bois du rose and white musk.
In the bottle: Kinda fruity.
Wet: Flowers and pears. It's actually nice - the pear (and possibly the musk) keeps it from being too flowery and girly, so it does end up kind of gender-neutral. Still, it is kind of wistful and young for everyday wear - it seems kind of like it should be worn by astonishingly good-looking teenagers with their first crushes as they stare at each other and sigh. It's very Romeo and Juliet-esque.
Dry: Still smelling like pear and flowers, but now the florals have gone a bit more, I dunno, stereotypically perfumey? It's not bad, but it's gotten a bit girlier. Not that a guy couldn't wear it, but it seems like he'd have to be, well, kinda wispy and girly-looking, or at least the prettyboy type, in order to wear it convincingly. (Like Endymion in the myth, one assumes.)
Verdict: I like it, but it's not particularly me. (I, needless to say, am not a prettyboy.) Maybe it would be nice as a room scent in the summer, though, or to scent clothes with.
Er, and a meme from various people on the flist:
What was your initial impression of my online persona? Did you think I was young or old, boy or girl, weird or funny? I am curious. And how did that impression change?
Let's Positive Linking!
- For you Persona 2 fans, there's now a "Xibalba is for Lovers" T-shirt. (Brought to you by the makers of "Republicans for Voldemort," a.k.a. the good folks at the funny webcomic Goats.)
- OMG BEST SMACKDOWN EVAR. (From![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
enkiae.) We need to institute this for all jackassy customers, and (as Enki has suggested) possibly get Mr. T into the act too. XD
- Child's Play has added Children's Mercy in KC to their list. For those of you unfamiliar with Child's Play, it's a charitable project (this is their third or fourth year, I think?) put together by Penny Arcade in order to give toys to children in hospitals. I figure I'll get something on the Children's Mercy wish list for them once my paycheck comes in on Thursday.
- When urban legends get deadly. Even though we as Americans are used to thinking that we hold the patent on racism, it can get kinda deadly in England - the (black) son of one of my stepdad's friends was killed in England about ten years ago or so in a hate crime. :(
- Link to a seminar on Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Sadly, even though I have plenty of literary analysis I SHOULD be reading I want to read this instead. x_x
I finally picked up my first official BPAL order from the post office today. (And let me tell you, slogging through the snow to do so was no treat.) So, yay! I ordered imps of Saint-Germain, Zephyr, Dorian, Endymion, Villain (which I've already tried and love), White Rabbit, Machu Picchu, Tenochtitlan, Whitechapel, Dragon's Milk, Centzon Totochtin, and Tezcatlipoca. And the lab threw in free imps of Hades and Black Rose! So, without further ado...
(Oh, and a disclaimer: I'm still slightly stopped up, so the ol' sniffer might not be working at 100%.)
TEZCATLIPOCA
Lord of the Smoking Mirror, god of sorcery, nighttime, darkness, beauty, war, heroic men, beautiful women, and all material concerns. Tezcatlipoca is the Master Magician, a trickster god and shapeshifter, governing all worldly matters, and is also the Great Tempter, seducing men into evil acts and subsequently punishing them for their transgressions. Deep cocoa laced with patchouli, leather armor, ritual incense, and a touch of Xochiquetzal’s flowers.
In the bottle: Kind of like dark, rich musky cocoa.
Wet: Well, there's that nasty cigarette-smoke "leather" note (though it does smell a bit more like real leather in this scent), basically drowning everything else out except for a slightly nutty background scent. Let's hope it goes away.
...it does eventually sweeten up a bit, which I think is the flowers and a slightly vanilla-y incense, and the kind of sharp fresh green flower scent cuts through the "leather" a bit.
Dry: The smoky scent has mostly vanished, to be replaced by an incense note. (And not the vanilla-y incense I was talking about, but like incense incense.) Which is nice and all, but where's the cocoa the description promised me? That's like 50% of the reason I got it right there! (The other 50% was probably the name, because I like Tezcatlipoca...I'm actually rereading Mercedes Lackey's Burning Water right now, which features him as the villain.) So basically it's now plants and incense.
Verdict: Well, the leather note that goes completely evil on my skin did vanish pretty quickly. On the other hand, it ends up being basically an incense scent, which I'm not huge on. I kind of wish that the cocoa had kicked in, because that would have made it nice - otherwise it seems kind of unexceptional, incense and a bit of floral/grass. I may try it again another time and hope that the cocoa comes out then. :(
DORIAN
The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself. Inspired by and created for my beloved Tedwin: my eternal, beautiful, wicked Dorian Gray. Refined, elegant, and lovely, with a noble bearing and seemingly gentle air. This blend is an artful deception: a sweet gilded blossom lying over a twisted and corrupted core. A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.
In the bottle: Sugary vanilla with a hint of tea.
Wet: I was kind of worried because I had high expectations for this, much like Tezcatlipoca, and was afraid of being disappointed again. Then I put it on.
...Oh my God, this is SO NICE. It's kind of like Villain, but much more subtle and warm, and where Villain has sharp lime and lavender this has the mellow vanilla and tea. It's sweet and almost a bit fruity, even though I know there's no fruit note in it.
Dry: It's still pretty much the same as it is wet. It also has pretty decent throw, which is good. It all blends together so well - it's not like I can't pick the notes apart if I try, but really I'm content to just sit there with the back of my hand held up to my nose and sigh happily. After a couple of hours the musk comes out a bit more, but it doesn't make it smell any less heavenly.
Verdict: HELL YES. This is totally what I think the world should smell like - there should be airplanes constantly flying overhead sprinkling Dorian, then the world would be a better place. (Or at least a better-smelling place.) I was going to place an order today anyway, so I'll just add on a bottle of Dorian to that. :D
ENDYMION
Selune, the Moon Goddess, fell in love with a beautiful shepherd named Endymion. She appealed to Zeus, asking him to cast Endymion into everlasting slumber so that she could be with him for all eternity. Her wish was granted, and every night the Goddess visited her love as he slept. A sweet, wistful blend of d'Anjou pear, Lily of the Valley, bois du rose and white musk.
In the bottle: Kinda fruity.
Wet: Flowers and pears. It's actually nice - the pear (and possibly the musk) keeps it from being too flowery and girly, so it does end up kind of gender-neutral. Still, it is kind of wistful and young for everyday wear - it seems kind of like it should be worn by astonishingly good-looking teenagers with their first crushes as they stare at each other and sigh. It's very Romeo and Juliet-esque.
Dry: Still smelling like pear and flowers, but now the florals have gone a bit more, I dunno, stereotypically perfumey? It's not bad, but it's gotten a bit girlier. Not that a guy couldn't wear it, but it seems like he'd have to be, well, kinda wispy and girly-looking, or at least the prettyboy type, in order to wear it convincingly. (Like Endymion in the myth, one assumes.)
Verdict: I like it, but it's not particularly me. (I, needless to say, am not a prettyboy.) Maybe it would be nice as a room scent in the summer, though, or to scent clothes with.
Er, and a meme from various people on the flist:
What was your initial impression of my online persona? Did you think I was young or old, boy or girl, weird or funny? I am curious. And how did that impression change?
Let's Positive Linking!
- For you Persona 2 fans, there's now a "Xibalba is for Lovers" T-shirt. (Brought to you by the makers of "Republicans for Voldemort," a.k.a. the good folks at the funny webcomic Goats.)
- OMG BEST SMACKDOWN EVAR. (From
enkiae.) We need to institute this for all jackassy customers, and (as Enki has suggested) possibly get Mr. T into the act too. XD- Child's Play has added Children's Mercy in KC to their list. For those of you unfamiliar with Child's Play, it's a charitable project (this is their third or fourth year, I think?) put together by Penny Arcade in order to give toys to children in hospitals. I figure I'll get something on the Children's Mercy wish list for them once my paycheck comes in on Thursday.
- When urban legends get deadly. Even though we as Americans are used to thinking that we hold the patent on racism, it can get kinda deadly in England - the (black) son of one of my stepdad's friends was killed in England about ten years ago or so in a hate crime. :(
- Link to a seminar on Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Sadly, even though I have plenty of literary analysis I SHOULD be reading I want to read this instead. x_x
