1) Well, thank goodness for the temperature change in the water, or whatever gave Katrina that bump to the side.

Weird thought that's been with me all day: Almost exactly a year ago, I was in New Orleans joking with locals about how Ivan had passed by the day before, leaving behind only cleaner streets than normal. That tension of This Is It was still there, though, even then.


2) zombiethon. Go. Sign up. Think of things to gnaw on.


3) Yes, more BPAL. For the record, it's not deliberate that they're both Ts. But wheeee! Two for two, on this one.



Tempest
A crisp ozone-tinged breeze. The scent of the first gentle rain before the storm. (Bewitching Brews)

In the bottle: The description nails it. A lot like Cathode, which I loved in the bottle.

Wet: Oh, that's gorgeous. Bright and...green without being grassy or flowery.

Drydown: I'm afraid to say anything, but about a half hour in it's still gorgeous with amazing throw for one little dab of something so light. ::crosses fingers::

Two hours in, it's faded a little, but it's still the same, practically unchanged from when it was in the bottle. Oooh, I think I've finally found my bright scent. YAY.

Note: It was still going strong the next morning. And it was still around if I sniffed my wrist 24 hours later. Wow.


Tamora
Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean. (Illyria)

In the bottle: Mmmm. Um. The first hit is...sweet and fresh, but I have no clue what it is, because I don't think any of those notes above smell like this. Anyway, I like it. And then the darker scent of the vanilla, and maybe the sandalwood, comes through.

Wet: Instantly, the vanilla is there. I think maybe some of the peach blossom, too.

Drydown: It's surprisingly light. Not "not there" kind of light, but not thick. Mostly the vanilla, which I'm loving, but there's still this sweet bright note that I really can't identify, and it stays that way for hours. Not super-duper throw, but I don't need to hold my wrist up to my nose to get different parts of the scent.

After about three hours, more of what I think is the amber comes out, heading toward that icky patchouli place. It stops way short of becoming icky or headache-inducing; it's just somehow a little tiny bit of roughness in the overall light vanilla with hints of sweetness.

This, I think, is what I was hoping Dorian would lead to. Yummy.



The person who I got these from also had a bunch of freebies that you could pick and choose from -- soaps, lotions, that kind of thing. I snagged decant imps of Aveda's Absolute Vanilla and Tangerine single notes, and a mix of the Vanilla, the Tangerine and the Cinnamon Bark-in-Clove.

And oh, wow.

The Tangerine sweetens a bit on my skin, but it's still bright citrus. It only lasts about an hour, and has practically no throw with just a dab. When I give each wrist a swipe, though, it sticks around better.

The Absolute Vanilla is also light, and still doesn't have tons of throw, but it lasts for several hours and is just yummy.

The mix...oooooh. Again, lighter than anything BPAL. The cinnamon is definitely the strongest note, but the vanilla and tangerine sweeten it, too. Final verdict: Oooooh. Love.



4) I was looking for something else, but pulled up the link for Gods and Other Beings instead, and...huh. Forgot I'd written that. It certainly wasn't consciously in my mind when I was writing this post on the Ori. Good of my brain to at least keep me consistent.


5) The bunny will come after you if you don't join that community. Don't make him pull out the ninja priate suit.