mllelaurel

I got to meet

shadesong! And she's every bit as shiny in real life as she is on lj - one of those people with insane charisma, combined with the ability to put you completely at ease. I'm full of squee now.

For those of you who've never been to the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown, I highly recommend it. Their sweet potato pancakes are to die for! I'd be currently munching on the leftovers, but my parents stole 'em.

I finally got the story behind Shayara, and now I cannot wait for the comic to go live. I really shouldn't be falling this hard for the characters, since a) I haven't met them yet, per se, and b) there are no survival guarantees for any of them, but the love seems to be happening anyway, from listening to 'song talk about them. Darnit.

As for the original reason for our meetup... *drumroll*

Al-Shairan
The enemy of God, also named Iblis, He Who Despaired of the Mercy of God. Al-Shairan is the leader of the Jinn, a tempter who whispers false suggestions to men enticing them into evil and perfidious acts, and is the sworn enemy of all of Adam’s children. His scent is fiery, bright and thick with sweet sinfulness: clove, peach and orange with cinnamon, patchouli and dark incense notes.

Imp: Smoky and sharp

On me (wet): I'm mostly getting the cinnamon and cloves. No peach or orange at all. It's funny - if I'm not mistaken, 'song got this scent for the notes that are showing up on me, and I got it for the notes that were showing up on *her*. Oh the irony.

On me (dry): Oh, crud. The spot on my hand where I put the oil has turned red. I've heard of other people having this reaction to BPAL's cinnamon note; I just hoped I wouldn't be one of them.

Verdict: It's not itching or anything, so I could theoretically just use the scent sparingly and hope for the best. On the other hand, I'm not in mad love with it. Between that and the allergy, however slight, I'm afraid it's going into Trades.

Love-Lies-Bleeding
The velvet flower. A lush, thick, luxuriant bloom, bold and red.

Imp: Slight whiff of dark chocolate, then...hospital! I don't even know what it is, but hospital smell! Does not want!

On me (wet): Oh, the sacrifices I make for science. I'm getting less hospital, but only slightly. The sweetness underneath feels sick and poisoned - appropriate for a scent found in the Rappaccini's Garden category, but that doesn't mean I want to smell like it.

On me (dry): No real change. Mom thinks the hospital scent is camphor. Did anyone else get camphor, or is this just weird Benderskaya genes at work? I'm going to go wash my hand now.

Verdict: Lily doesn't like it when her perfume gives her traumatic flasbacks, thanks. Trade!

Skuld
Ylang ylang, honey, Egyptian and Arabian musks and labdanum.

Imp: Sweet, tangy and delicious. I'm definitely getting the honey, tapered with something else. Would that be the ylang-ylang?

On me (wet): Tangy honey...tangy honey...dude, where's my honey? My skin ate it all up, leaving me with nothing but a very light floral!

On me (dry): Some of the honey came back, but not enough. The ylang-ylang reigns supreme, and while I don't find it unpleasant, it does nothing for me on its own.

Verdict: *plaintive* But why is all the honey gone? Another one for the Trades.

No luck with the BPALs today, but meeting 'song made it so worth it.