verbminx | (no subject)

I have been planning for the last couple of weeks to write a post to the effect: many of you have a Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab obsession, which I both envy (cos I can't afford it) and don't really understand (because the site is so not-really-user-friendly in several ways and I can't really work out spending even $3 on a perfume you don't get to smell until after you've paid for it). If anyone has any Alice, Kali, Persephone, Tamora, ? they want to donate... I'm interested. But I think that's about the only way I'm ever going to sample this stuff, and maybe it's better that I don't, given how obsessed so many people are.

I really should be in bed, but I'm up and anxious because I am worried that there won't BE a New Orleans tomorrow. I went there in 1999 and kind of thought it was a pit, albeit a pit with some charming crust on the edges. Still, I would have liked the OPTION to go back at some point. And I'm concerned in a nebulous way about all the people there. It's just weird to think of any place, one you've visited or at least heard of in detail, being gone.

I have waited out a few hurricanes in my life, living on the east coast of Florida. None was stronger than a Category 3. Damage was mostly several days without power, debris on the ground, turbines gone from the roof of the house, lots and lots of businesses losing their roadside signs, some flooding in neighboring areas. This happened several times and for us the greatest discomfort was always the lost power: no way to cook, no hot water, no a/c, a refrigerator full of spoiled food. We worked out ways to evacuate with our pets, because we couldn't stand the idea of leaving them at home to ride out the storm and possibly be lost or killed (most shelters won't accept them). Hurricanes are one thing we were very grateful to leave behind when we moved.

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The thing about BPAL is if you have 15 bucks (+ shipping), get six imps that sound *really* good to you, and then cut yourself off for 6 months. Those imps will last that long if you're only a dot-per-wrist type of person, so it's not that expensive when spread out over time like that.

If you don't have the 15 bucks, start finding people in your area who have bpal. Go to "meet and sniff" parties. Find out which scents you can't live without at those "meet and sniff" parties and *then* order, either some imps or a bottle.

If it's a matter of being afraid of getting sucked in, then I highly recommend staying as far away from it as you can. :) It's like trading cards, only, scented.

Yeah, I think that sounds like a plan. I really don't have the $15 - I'm tapped out until the end of the year (still raising money to buy a birthday present for my mom), then I have to pay for my part of the wedding and then, with whatever's left over, I need to start getting out of debt. My financial situation is so bad as to be embarrassing. I basically only buy magazines, which I ask my mom for permission to buy; sometimes I buy clothes, but only work clothes, nothing fun. & my bf doesn't really buy me stuff - sometimes a snack or a movie ticket, but not, like, dresses/jewelry/perfume/books/cds. This will be better when I go back to work, but not MUCH better - even that money is earmarked.

I worry that if I do scrounge up the $16 I won't end up liking the ones I pick! But I think I might be able to mitigate that with the forums. The perfumes I wear are Angel (bf's fave), Baby Doll, and Fiorucci Loves You (my fave); I like fruity vanillas, fruity-florals, and some rose-based things (I used to love the old Victoria's Secret signature perfume, "Victoria"); some musks are also OK. I wouldn't see a point in buying direct replicas of the things I already wear, but I know what I can't wear: gardenia, some peppers, a few other things. The perfume that makes me the most ill is probably Opium.

And yeah, it's totally that I can't afford to get sucked in at all. I can't do the "jump on a limited edition" thing. I have kind of obsessive tendencies and should not get involved in anything I might feel compelled to "collect," especially at a time when I can't afford to do so. (I mean, one of the ways I got so far into debt was collecting Custo Barcelona on ebay.) & like I said, I worry about not liking all 6 imps, if I ever have the opportunity to order them. But I think your suggestion about sniffing parties is a good one & might look into that.

Thanks for the nice reply! :)