Scent ramblings

So, I've been thinking...(I know, dangerous, right?)  I'm already getting comments like, "But how much perfume can one person wear?"  and "Do you really wear all that much perfume?" and I was starting to feel bad, especially when I realized...
The perfume thing really never ends, does it? I was thinking that once I got the rest of the BPAL GC's (General Catalog scents, those that are available all the time, barring component issue discontinuations), I want (and there really aren't that many) I'd be "done" except for seasonal updates. Riiiight. Add in seasonal updates from about six other companies and it becomes never-ending. I give, I give, you've got me for life!

Well and there's still GC's from some of the companies too, like Blooddrop, who has a few GC's I want, and the people over in the "Other Perfumes you Love" thread keep trying to talk me into trying Nocturne Alchemy (they have some foodie scents that sound divine), and if something happens with Conjure Oils so the TAT will be reasonable,  there will be a bunch of those I want. And of course there's my never ending attraction to Villainess. And Haus of Gloi, and Haunt, and Moxie Nouveau, and Arcana, and Midnight Gypsy.   Except for Villainess and Conjure Oils, each company only has a few I want, but multiply that between numerous companies and it starts to add up!

I am seriously going to have to save up for that perfume chest, I guess... I wonder just how long perfume oils last if kept dark and cool? I know Snake Oil is good for at LEAST seven years.

You know, though - I'd feel bad if I didn't WEAR them, but I wear everything I have except the bottle of Purple Swallowtail that's up for swap. If I don't love it, I don't keep it. I rotate - usually wear something different every day. And it's now to the point that I don't feel "dressed" without perfume on. Actually no, it's worse than that. Even on days I don't get out of pajamas, I will put on perfume.

I guess when student loans start coming due I'll have to budget differently, but I'm pretty sure I can manage at least one bottle per paycheck.

After discussing the whole issue with Chris, and he is saying that he isn't seeing the problem, I guess I can stop worrying about it. 

Perfume bottle and cap primer

After my last post, it occurred to me, that I may have lost a few people who aren't "into" the perfume oil world, so I thought I'd put together a post about what sorts of alternatives are out there for both closing perfume oil bottles, and applying said oil.

As I mentioned in the last post, Chris nagged me into buying wand caps.  Okay, so what's a wand cap?  Well, pretty much what it sounds like... it's a cap with a glass wand attached.  The glass wand dips down into the oil, and makes it easy to apply without getting too much, or contaminating the oil with your fingers.  There's still a limited amount of skin contact that goes on when using wand caps, but it's a lot less than dipping your fingers in there every time!  This is a wand cap:

Wand caps are great to have (and I got my order today, so now all my bottles except for three are wandcapped).  But there's all sorts of alternatives.  I was using swizzle sticks.  These are actually maybe even better for not contaminating your oils,  because you can throw them away after using them to apply an oil.  If you've got a bottle of oil that you're not sure you want to keep, use a disposable method when testing it, so as to avoid skin contamination for the next person.  Here's the swizzle sticks I was using that Chris threw a fit over - and I guess it would be kind of odd if you didn't know what they were for, to see a package of cocktail swizzle sticks on the dresser of someone who doesn't drink....

Now, what about those three bottles I just said don't have wand caps?  Why don't they?  Well, Conjure Oils packages their bottles a little differently.  They include an insert, called a reducer, with their bottles that keeps the oil from coming out all at once should it get turned over without a lid on.  These are my two Conjure Oils bottles with reducer caps:

The third bottle that doesn't have a wandcap is one of the smaller ones from Arcana.  The 3.7 ml vials have a smaller bottle circumference, so a wand cap won't fit, they're too big.  However, I was thrilled to find that a wand cap fit on my bigger bottle of Pomona from Midnight Gypsy, which is 7.5 ml.

After wandcapping all my bottles today, I have six wand caps left over; but I also have three more bottles of perfume on the way.  So that will leave me three wand caps left over before I need to order another batch.  I'll probably order more when I place my next BPAL order, which won't be too long, because I need a bottle of this year's Pumpkin V, and if I'm already paying shipping, wand caps might as well come along for the ride.

And last but not least, here's the current bottle stash.  This will be increased by three bottles when the rest of my orders get here over the next two weeks.  Currently I am waiting on my Blooddrop order for Smoldering, and my Haunt order for Fates and Palmist.  I have a shipping notice for Blooddrop, which  means I should see it by Monday at the latest,  and according to Haunt's Facebook page, she's shipping orders placed around the same time I placed mine this weekend.

The astute reader will probably have noticed that I had a bottle riding along with the wand caps.  Eat Me v. 6 arrived safely, and I'll get a review up for it (along with the frimps), in a few days.

Midnight Gypsy reviews: Wicked Jack and Hesperides

In a probably futile effort to narrow down this year's perfume buying to just ONE pumpkin scent,  I'm testing the sample of Wicked  Jack that Tina of Midnight Gypsy was so kind as to include with my order of the big bottle of Pomona (which is absolutely amazing and an all time favorite scent of mine). 

On the left wrist this time I have Wicked Jack, and on the right wrist, Midnight Gypsy's version of Hesperides. (I am differentiating here because BPAL also has a discontinued blend called The Hesperides).

Wicked Jack's description, from Midnight Gypsy's website is: "Lavender absolute blended with pumpkin, fragrant ginger, cinnamon, & cloves - underscored by vanilla, cream, & caramelized sugar - and just a titch of molasses. A whisper of sweet hay & the faintest breath of rich & complex beeswax absolutes round it out. Haitian sandalwood & dark patchouli come together to anchor it all, and the addition of blood orange gives it a distinct orange spice tea scent straight out of the bottle. It dries down to a lovely spicy scent on the skin, which is where the gorgeous note of spiced honey laced with traces of wildflower & sweet grass really shines - that's the beeswax absolute making itself known."

On me, Wicked Jack is indeed, wicked, and he is certainly not shy!  Wow!  I probably should have been a bit more cautious in my expectations for this, given that both lavender and patchouli tend not to like me.  This is NOT your typical spiced-pumpkin autumn scent!  I can see a LOT of people really loving this because of that.  It is very well-blended, and I get quite a bit of spice, and I can definitely tell that there is patchouli in the base notes.  Once it dries down a bit and stops punching me in the nose,  it's mainly patchouli and warm spices.  Not for me, but as I said, I know a lot of people who will adore this blend.

The site description of Hesperides says, "Honeysuckle, sweet pea, and apple enveloped in a rich base of amber, vanilla, and cedar. I've rounded it out with subtle nuances of sandalwood and champa, and then anchored it with a deep animalic musk - but just a whisper!  This blend, on the skin, truly IS the embodiment of a decadent, golden nectar - golden apples, indeed! It dries down with a rich, creamy, almost powdery note with plenty of tenacity."

Now this....this is nice! Wet, I got a blast of apple wine, but as soon as it started drying the wine note disappeared and I got a rush of sweet, juicy, apple.  Beautiful.  As it dries down, the honeysuckle and sweet pea come out a bit.  This is a very pretty, light, scent.   It reminds me a little bit of a cross between Silver Apples of the Moon and Glittering Apples of the Stars from last year's BPAL 'Weenies collection.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on your point of view), it seems as if this is one of those blends that my skin is just going to eat.  Which means I might have to have a bottle...I really like this!

And again, the obligatory disclosure.  I purchased these perfumes of my own accord, and I was not compensated in any way, shape, or form for these reviews. 

Midnight Gypsy reviews: Cakes & Ale and Hearth

And here are the long-promised reviews for some more of the Midnight Gypsy scents.   This time I chose to review Hearth and Cakes & Ale, because for some reason, even though it was 90 degrees outside today, I'm in an autumn state of mind.  Probably because that's all anyone at BPAL Madness is talking about.  And several shops have come out with their autumn updates, so again I am feeling steeped in perfume.

I have Hearth on the left wrist and Cakes & Ale on the right wrist.

Hearth's description: Hearth... The word conjures, for me, the image of abundance. A large wooden table covered in food, mugs of ale, & sweet treats with family & friends gathered close while a hearty fire roars in the fireplace nearby. This scent seems to epitomize that for me... chestnuts roasted over the fire, caramelized sugar & butter, a bit of rum, & a dash of sweet vanilla cream. This scent is delish... when I wear it I absolutely want to lick my wrists! Definitely a rich, decadent, buttery gourmand scent! 

In a word: YUM!!   On my skin, this is exactly what it promises: buttery gourmand goodness.  It smells like a delicious buttery pastry.  This may very well be my next big bottle purchase.  I am in foodie nirvana right now.  This is simply delicious!   Also, this makes me feel a lot better about missing out on Violette Market's State Fair Fried Funnel Cakes, because this is exactly what I wanted that to smell like.  I think I may have just found my Holy Grail pastry scent.

Cakes & Ale's description:  Sweet, sugared pumpkin cakes with heavy cream and hot buttered rum. Crushed ginger & clove warm this blend up a bit, but the spice notes take quite a backseat to the cream, pumpkin flesh & rum. This is a decadent, buttery gourmand scent with a healthy splash of rum that will make your mouth water.

Pumpkin scents are everywhere right now.  Most autumn updates include at least one pumpkin based scent, if not a whole line of variations on the pumpkin theme.  How many pumpkin perfumes does one person need?  Well, at the moment, this happens to be the only one I have, so I guess the way it behaves on me will help to answer that question! 


Oh boy.  Now I'm wondering if I amp spices as well as honey?   Because I got one whiff of delicious pumpkin in the wet stage and after that it's all spices. Maybe a hint of cake, but the pumpkin has gone away, away.   Let me be clear here - this is by no means a fail on the part of Midnight Gypsy.  Skin chemistry plays a HUGE part in how artisan perfume oils smell on the individual.  

So I guess the answer to  my above question about how many pumpkin scents does one person need is at least one more than what I have...which luckily for me will be remedied on Friday, when my bottle of Pomona gets here along with a requested sample of Wicked Jack!