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Adventures in BPAL: I wore Casanova today and lord almighty but it nearly killed me. Casanova (A rakish blend of leather, anise, lavender, bergamot and amber with tonka, lemon peel and lusty patchouli) was a frimp from my last lab order. It's one of their more masculine scents, but the forums mention layering it with Antique Lace (A soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes, a fairly sweet, white scent) to help bring out the feminine qualities. So I think: perfect, sounds great. In the bottle, Casanova was knock your socks of strong, so I dotted it on (literally: poke with end of the application stick). Let try, layered with my usual double swipe of Antique Lace.
All was well. Wait five minutes.
Downstairs, working on my desktop, and all the sudden it's hard to breathe. Spices--anise in particular--so strong they were billowing around me, making my throat burn. I'd never had a BPAL scent ... "blossom" so hugely before. It was like a swarming mass. I thought I was going to die. I'd heard of this phenomenon, but never have I wanted to scrub off a scent quite so desperately.
Breathe shallowly and infrequently. Watch the clock. Consider scrubbing. Wait five minutes.
The good news? After it had some time to heat, develop, and then even out—really just the five minutes, I swear, but it felt like longer—the scent was wearable. More than that, it was quite lovely. The solid sweetness of the antique lace on top had a lovely underscent of spices and shadows that gave it a great depth. Was perfect for what I wanted to wear today, actually. And about twelve hours later, both the Casanova and Antique Lace are present. I can smell them without even sniffing my wrist, and they're pleasantly combined. But, for the future, now I know: Casanova is one strong, spicy bugger, and the drydown period is not for the faint of heart.
In other news: I'm considering the title The Twilight Prophecies for the book. I don't know yet even if I'll use it as a working title, much less if it'll stick to the end, but I do know that I like it so far, for both sound and themes/reference to text. The catch for me is that I'm not a huge fan of "The ____" titles, and this is certainly one of those. Anyway. Feel free to let me know how you like the sound (and, better: would it make you pick up the book off of a shelf at your neighborhood bookstore?) and I'll sleep on it a bit more and then see if I like it enough to use it in place of "the novel," as I've so fondly been referring to it.
Speaking of sleep: it is about time for me to try just that.
Wordcount: 76,608 typed (306 pages), +400 handwritten.
Previous Accomplishments: Research on court roles and etiquette; brainstorming on title, current events, and the (possible) end of the book.
Upcoming Challenges: Filling in the gaps between the parts I've already written; bringing the prince back out from the shadows.
Currently Reading: The Call of Cthulhu & Other Weird Stories, H.P. Lovecraft; oh, I have to pick a new book—will probably be Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides.
All was well. Wait five minutes.
Downstairs, working on my desktop, and all the sudden it's hard to breathe. Spices--anise in particular--so strong they were billowing around me, making my throat burn. I'd never had a BPAL scent ... "blossom" so hugely before. It was like a swarming mass. I thought I was going to die. I'd heard of this phenomenon, but never have I wanted to scrub off a scent quite so desperately.
Breathe shallowly and infrequently. Watch the clock. Consider scrubbing. Wait five minutes.
The good news? After it had some time to heat, develop, and then even out—really just the five minutes, I swear, but it felt like longer—the scent was wearable. More than that, it was quite lovely. The solid sweetness of the antique lace on top had a lovely underscent of spices and shadows that gave it a great depth. Was perfect for what I wanted to wear today, actually. And about twelve hours later, both the Casanova and Antique Lace are present. I can smell them without even sniffing my wrist, and they're pleasantly combined. But, for the future, now I know: Casanova is one strong, spicy bugger, and the drydown period is not for the faint of heart.
In other news: I'm considering the title The Twilight Prophecies for the book. I don't know yet even if I'll use it as a working title, much less if it'll stick to the end, but I do know that I like it so far, for both sound and themes/reference to text. The catch for me is that I'm not a huge fan of "The ____" titles, and this is certainly one of those. Anyway. Feel free to let me know how you like the sound (and, better: would it make you pick up the book off of a shelf at your neighborhood bookstore?) and I'll sleep on it a bit more and then see if I like it enough to use it in place of "the novel," as I've so fondly been referring to it.
Speaking of sleep: it is about time for me to try just that.
Wordcount: 76,608 typed (306 pages), +400 handwritten.
Previous Accomplishments: Research on court roles and etiquette; brainstorming on title, current events, and the (possible) end of the book.
Upcoming Challenges: Filling in the gaps between the parts I've already written; bringing the prince back out from the shadows.
Currently Reading: The Call of Cthulhu & Other Weird Stories, H.P. Lovecraft; oh, I have to pick a new book—will probably be Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides.
