Oh, that reminds me I've also forgotten to post about lovely things that came in the mail a while back, which is BPAL and Postcrossing. We bought a few scents from aichaku, who was so very kind to put in a whole ton of other scents – including bottles, goodness – to create a sumptuous, happy BPAL horde in an envelope. Thank you so much again Shorwei~! The delights that we hadn't reviewed before:

Halloween: Pumpkin Patch I and II 2006, Yuletide: Lick It Again, Monster Bait: Underpants and Bloody Mary, Zodiac: Taurus 2007, Carnaval Diabolique: Gennivre, L'Artiste du Diable,

( Yay! Happy BPALies from Shorwei~ )

And the other bit, Postcrossing~

( Somewhat recently received: 3 official, 2 gifts )

I've actually got one postcard I sent out that I'm hopping to show, really – it's my first scrapped card [or do you call it collage? I've no idea, really] and I did all I could to ensure it would reach it's destination safe and sound – but not in an envelope. Needless to say, it's been so reinforced [particularly since Singapore just fortuitously imported Mod-Podge] that you could whack someone unconscious with it. That would be an exaggeration, but I did hear it fall into the post box with a large, strong, ponk.

Oooh, happy mail. There's some BPAL coming along soon, and the casual mode of sending postcards has ensured me one happy postcard a week. Now all we need for this week is for bottles of BPAL to come sliding into the box to finish it up. :D

These two days I've taken off to do clip-making and graphic-doing work for one of Djinn's Transformers presentations. One of the things that resulted is this :

( Megs in an ushanka! )
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In other - old - news: I've finally joined flickr. This sordid tale of my joining flickr starts with one major cause –

Postcrossing. I joined it because Postcrossing's gallery of postcards is a pool on flickr.

I suppose for posterity's sake, I should talk a little about Postcrossing. I found it very-not-long-ago from shinsaber's innocent little entry about what to send to a Japanese lady in return. Upon prodding at the site and reading what it was about, I got inanely excited by the proposition. I suppose it's due to : 1. I like sending mail to people. 2. Postcards are awesome! 3. Making my own postcards is also awesome. 4. Taking photos for people's postcard preferences is rly interesting. I spent a couple of days going back and forth debating joining, until I bit the bullet and did it. On that same day, I set up my flickr account and along with it being used for Postcrossing purposes, I decided to plonk my greatest hits into it.

So re: Postcrossing, this is my Postcrossing profile. I've settled into a comfortable schedule of requesting two addresses a week [request on Friday, take appropriate action – i.e. photos, etc to their preferences, and send out latest Monday]. It's been a couple of weekends since I've joined, so yup, that means I've sent out 4 postcards. Today, joyfully, the first postcard was received, and now my profile page look a little happier. :] I hope the second one reaches the lady in one piece and soon. My flickr tag for sent postcards are here [information travels faster] - at the current moment you can only see that one which has been sent, the rest are waiting to be received and subsequently filed under public view.

And thus re: flicker, this is my flickr profile. So far there isn't anything spanking new [except for the latest photo I took for a lady in Estonia's postcard, which I am actually really raring to make public but I can't XD], but like said, they're my greatest hits collection. To my surprise, I've got a couple of comments, so I thought before I added some pictures to BJD-related pools as I was asked to, I'd post about it so you know I'm not shying away from you folks on flickr. XD;; I'll hopefully have something more to add soon.

Ooh, talking about postcards, that reminds me that we test-drived a BJD postcard of ours through Singaporean mail, and it came back safely after a day. XDDDD Just because I'm ridiculous, here's how it looks now!

( Sei from us to us. )
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Otherwise, I've decided to brave CGing my art again due to a little project that Djinn and I would like to embark on, and so with on-off periods have produced a couple of gurl peectures [which are both pretty huge] :

( Oops, I left this poor drow guy out, traditional media [i.e. copics]. )

( HERE are the CGed gurlies. This one's pinuppy, and you know pin-ups are not actually childsafe… )

( …it's sad to recognise that anything with roses and thorns looks Anna Sui. D: )
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And also, lovely lovely BPAL that kyashieru was so kind to send us in a fun gift package with chocolate even though she's rushing for Japan! Thank you so much again Cassiel. ♥

- Forum Exclusives : Enraged Groundhog Musk [2008], Monster Bait: Ventriloquist's Dummy, Sins and Salvation : Vice.
( BPAL~ )
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I suppose that's basically my tl;dr post for this time, and after gluing this flag together it'll be back to sewing the der fremde now…

Before I forget. I forgot her the last time I posted, so here's two head-shots of Stella, which was used to test-run different skin shading [I've since settled with the spectrum in the Pocky shot, which I really like, and that Djinn inexplicably really likes too! That fills me with joy.]

( Oh Stella )
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I've been meaning to post for a while, but was largely motivated by my forage out into the Wild World today [ie. to Chinatown Square Center and back to Kovan to do much grocery-shopping] to do so because of a sight I have to record.

My dad was handily in the same area photocopying stuff, so he picked me up after grocery shopping [very conveniently, since I had a big grocery bag and three other bags of stuff that couldn't be fit into the grocery bag – I would've trudged home by MRT and foot]. As he drove out of the winding carpark, my eye caught…

A car that was modeled exactly like Binaltech Smokescreen.
And then I looked up and saw the little 'Taxi' sign, and realized that some geeky taxi driver decided to dress his atrocious blue taxi up as Smokescreen.
I was slightly bemused at first because Smokescreen's BT design has 'SUBARU' emblazoned across the front, and I didn't think that taxi was a Subaru; until I saw another taxi of the same model and realized that it was a Subaru. So evereh bodeh geeky in Singapore, man, watch out for that Smokescreen taxi and try to get a photo because I didn't manage to! TAT
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So after recording that anecdote, I know it's somewhat late of me, but I'm not into hoo-haing anything about school, so here it goes.

( academic issues so forth etc. [no actual record of my results, so don't bother about lording it over me.] )
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Happy note : Transformers! Our Masterpiece Megatron was tragically impotent when we de-MISBed him, and the guys at U-Toys were all too nice to be willing to replace him. I went to collect TakaraTomy repaints of Classics Starscream and Megatron too, of which are painted lovely. I think they're finally getting used to the fact that we're actually collecting Transformers for ourselves.

Also, I still can't believe Botcon themselves basically created Screamer and Skyfire's kid. Duuuude. Man, everytime I see it my brain busts, and I like these guys!

That reminds me also that we actually have a lot more Transformers than we appear to have, and our dad has been nice enough to approve our collection of Giant Robots and has suggested - while looking at them on his own accord - that we should get a glass cabinet for them. Frankly, I think we get our collectors' genes from him, the man who has a ton of pretty-women-playing-chinese-orchestra-instruments figures, and other figures he finds beautiful, of which there are horses and oddly, sheep. Toy collection? HIS FAULT. XD
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Happy note too! BPAL.
For the Lupercalia update : Smut 2008 | Love Poems: La Vita Nuova | Love Poems: Love's Philosophy | Love Poems: The Presence of Love | Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements: The Spell of Amorous Love | CNY: Earth Rat [2008]

- and some imps/frimps we got from a few purchases :
Bewitching Brews: Schrödinger's Cat,
Sin and Salvation: Sea of Glass,
Ars Amatoria: Bordello,
Excolo: The Muses: Thaleia, The Muses: Erato, [both discontinued]
Celestials: Mars.

( This...is....BPAL!!!111 )

And we got a wonderful little parcel to extend this BPAL happy from Cassiel [kyashieru, whom I hope has received my truck-load of squee on MSN. XD
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I've got a little bit more news but I'm going to wait for a bit first, and otherwise I am sewing as fast as my fingers will let me.

BEEEEEPAL UPDATE. IT IS BIG.
Now just imagine some elevator music/bossanova playing in the background.

Bonjour!
We hath rrrrreorganised ze BPAL stashé. [Yeah, pronounce it like that. I've been playing too much Sam & Max.]
Here's ze list for today :

BPAL Anniversary:
5th: Green Phoenix [2007] | 5th: Mechanical Phoenix [2007] | 5th: White Phoenix [2007] | 5th: Resurrected: Midway [2007]

Black Phoenix Trading Post:
Trick or Treat Inquisition: Marshmallow Poof [2007]

Forum Exclusive:
Hony Mone [2007] | The Phoenix [2007]

Miscellaneous:
Shoujo Beat: Midnight Kiss [2007]

UNIMPABLES
Stardust:
Fairy Wine | Lady Una

GENERAL CATALOGUE
Bewitching Brews:
Antique Lace | Black Opal | Black Pearl | Dana O'shee | Delirium | Highwayman | Swank | The Conjure Bag: Dove's Heart
Love Potions/Ars Amatoria:
O | Sed Non Satiata | Severin
Diabolus:
Baobhan Sith | Hellcat
Mad Tea Party:
Drink Me | Eat Me | The Knave of Hearts | Mad Hatter | Tiger Lily
Illyria:
Juliet | Lady Macbeth
Wanderlust:
Niflheim | Yerevan
Rapaccini's Garden:
Dian's Bud | Shadow Witch Orchid
Excolo:
The Kindly Ones: Tisiphone

( BPAL Anniversary )

( BPTP )

( Forum Exclusives )

( Misc )

( Stardust )

( GC: Bewitching Brews )

( GC: Love Potions/Ars Amatoria )

( GC: Diabolus )

( GC: Mad Tea Party )

( GC: Illyria )

( GC: Wanderlust )

( GC: Rapaccini's Garden )

( GC: Excolo )

If you're excited by the 'OUTBOX' signs, I'm sorry I can't swap/sell them yet. XD; Give us a while and we'll create a proper want/swap list, then the mad BPAL-passing can begin. ::eyes BPAL-ers meaningfully::

Aw reservior!

Before I start, just a note : Djinn does all the jewelry on Tangled/Endless. There, so I don't get miscredited! The only one I ever did was Joey's 13 | Cross to Bear. The lovely ribbony stuff are all by Djinn.

Other than that, I've got some really backdated news. Firstly, aimeekitty, look!



We got your book in Singapore, Kinokuniya really really long ago! XD;;;; We actually went to try to get it as soon as it was in the Kinokuniya bookweb, but had to come back a week later because the stock was still in the storeroom then. On the other hand, a week later we went and found only one on the shelf - I hope lots more other people bought copies! We really enjoyed it, it's adorable and wonderfully drawn. :D
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The other piece of outdated news is that of Christmas, whereupon Djinn [silencestation] and my dad got me a Wii. But really, it's a family Wii. XD Here it is -


This is Prowl! Now all we need is a PS3 called Jazz. >D


And these are our Wii-motes!

( Wii Talk )
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Also, since the potential buyer for Der Fremde has been delaying the sale a bit, I took it out for a few unofficial promo photos on Si Ye and put it back right after. 'ave a lookie! If not, I have nowhere else to put the pics anyway. XD

( der fremde on Si Ye )
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And finally, something I've been raring to post - it may be helpful for those who're considering an order from BPAL before the Yule scents are taken off. Here we go, BPAL's Yuletide scents for 2007.

By the way, Djinn has helpfully reorganised our reviews and we just sorted our ton of BPAL out, so there're a few additions to the usual format I post in. After I finish up all the scents we got, we'll prolly post up a swap/sale list. ::nod::

Archangel Winter [2007]
Christmas Rose [2007]
Egg Nog 2007
El Dia De Reyes [2007]
The Fruit of Paradise [2007]
Lick It One More Time [2007]
Midwinter's Eve [2007]
November [2007]
Mirror Mirror: Rose Red 2007
Mirror Mirror: Snow White 2007

( Yule before it's too late! )
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I'm sure I'll think of something else soon enough.

As mentioned in this entry, the latest parcel from lovely scrunge had a bumpercrop of BPAL, and I mean bumpercrop. Here's the list :

1. AZIRAPHALE
2. CROWLEY
3. AEAEA
4. PERILOUS PARLOR
5. PUMPKIN PATCH I
6. PUMPKIN PATCH III
7. OCTOBER
8. SAMHAIN 2007
9. BEAVER MOON 2007

Frimps :
10. YEW TREES
11. PELE
12. EDEN
13. SANTA EULARIA DES RIU

All of these turned out obscenely good [except for one on me].
Disclaimer.

( 13 goodies. )

Brought to you by people huffing BPAL while studying.

The aforementioned BPAL scents in waiting have arrived, hurrah! So that means yes, reviews acoming. But before that, I've promised people photos of the imps and so on, and Djinn had finished up our storage boxes for BPAL a while back on a productive night.

So here be some photos of our BPAL storage, and the BPAL items [bottles, imps] themselves. Fellow BPAL collectors, how do you store your BPAL? We'd love to see!



( Lots more BPALly photos under the cut! )

Okay! The picture bits are over, the reviews for this round's scents are here :

1. ALICE
2. BLISS
3. SHANGHAI
4. TITANIA
5. TAMORA
6. THE SPIRIT OF THE KOMACHI CHERRY TREE
7. SNAKE PIT : GREEN TREE VIPER
8. 13 2007 JULY

Frimps :
7. ZEPHYR
8. SALOME
9. CAIRO

Diiisclaimer.

( Reviews ahoy. )

There we go. Hopefully today's review was a little more exciting than usual. :D

Actually, that's a damn lie; none of the scents I have here are actually evergreeny. [Bewitched comes closest, but that's berries.] Ayup, another BPAL post - of the scents that we managed to nab from aichaku and the frimps she generously sent along, as well as a sniffie sent along from a prior purchase, Maiden. All of today's are food, food, food. :D Oh, and a few flowers.

1. ZARITA THE DOLL GIRL
2. THE CANDY BUTCHER
3. SUGAR COOKIE 2005
4. SUGAR SKULL 2006

Frimps :
5. BEWITCHED
6. CROQUET

Sniffie :
MAIDEN

Usual disclaimer.

( Yummy scents. )

We are waiting on a few imps due to the Halloween update and a few GCs from sinandsalvation and are muchly satisfied on the scent scene atm. I think I'll wear some Croquet tomorrow, if only to make myself feel better for the two exams. XD;;

So a while back, Djinn and I got some BPAL off some lovely ladies in sinandsalvation and the BPAL forums; some of which being decanted limiteds that we were always interested in and some of which were catalogue scents we meant to get anyway at a cheaper price. Here's what we're looking at today -

1. BON VIVANT
2. GRAND GUIGNOL
3. LONDON
4. THE MOCK TURTLE'S LESSONS
5. MONSTER BAIT: TOKYO STOMP
6. MILK MOON 2007
7. F5

Disclaimer

( Limiteds and GCs )

WHAT I HAVE LEARNT TODAY
IN GENERAL nothing much. These scents aren't like our usual, and they have had quite interesting results. The ones with notes we're familiar with were relatively predictable; this batch will help very much with the next order from BPAL, whenever that is. @_@
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THE ONE-WEEK BPAL TEST II
[23/7/07 – 27/7/07]

So, armed with New Devices, I decided to conduct another One-Week BPAL Test. Since my classmates are hopelessly familiar with me and my wild schticks, they've since gotten smart and either asked me what the notes were ahead of evaluation/sniffing or given simple yes/no answers. XD Also, after the experiments the last time, I've realised who has an awful sense of smell that can't be trusted : Jase and Lydia. Jase is really bad at picking notes. Lydia, on the other hand, thinks everything smells like marshmallow. XDDD But still, I value their opinion from instinctive reaction, so they will remain in my survey pool.

DAY 1 : MILK MOON 2007
Sweet milk, golden honey, fig fruit, pomegranate, dates, and white grape.

( Results and Evaluation )

DAY 2 : BON VIVANT
An effervescent blend of crystalline champagne notes and sweet strawberry.

( Results and Evaluation )

DAY 3 : TOKYO STOMP
A sweet and crisp vanilla mint!

( Results and Evaluation )

DAY 4 : F5
Aloe, white musk, lime peel, fresh mint, seaspray, verbena and green tea.

( Results and Evaluation )

DAY 5 : LONDON
Venerable Victorian Tea Rose… twisted, blackened and emboldened with wickedness

( Results and Evaluation )
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So, there goes the massive BPAL catch-up entry. Back to my History SBQ.

BULLS***. I am an a**h***, because you thought you were free from the B***. Not so! Not so! A lil' sumthin' sumthin' that we covertly got sent to an American friend [that's you, FC, that's you] to tide us over the wait for B*** ended up at our place a few weeks after 'cause we be masters of MAXIMUM SATISFACTION. An' then when'er Djinn's allergies stopped actin' up we popped out them little decanted vials of limited, shamefully limited B***, and you know what we doggone did?

You know what we doggone did?
We reviewed 'em.
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1. SILENCE
2. SATAN AND DEATH WITH SIN INTERVENING
3. THE FOX-WOMAN KUZUNOHA LEAVING HER CHILD
4. USHER
5. CREEPY
6. MAIDEN [sniffie]

Disclaimer!

( Reviews for these Gloriously Naughtily Decanted BPAL Limiteds )

WHAT I HAVE LEARNT TODAY
Mae amps mints. VERY GOOD.
IN GENERAL things are getting well predictable as we get used to what our skin will bring out and what it won't, so it's all very fascinating and somewhat safer purchase-wise. Best thing is how opposite we are – as fictionally contiguous as that might seem from our personalities – so each scent on us is really interesting.
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Okay, so my brain is obviously fried and I obviously did the reviews and the conclusion before I started typing the post, so it ended extremely normal. Bah. I'd better press that 'post' button while I'm still unconcious.

THE ONE-WEEK BPAL TEST
[21/5/07 – 25/5/07]

With great curiousity, my mind wondered about the possibilities of wearing BPAL to school. Of course it's prohibited in some manner, but that hasn't stopped girls from dousing on their Paris Hilton and all that [they do, by the way] and smelling up a very commercial storm. As an indie trooper and with the interestingly un-perfumey scents that BPAL does the majority of the school population would probably just look around in bewilderment and wonder where the smell is coming from. Also, Jess [arrghigiveup] was insistent on sniffing me – so I wore it on the first day, until I realized that the woman and the other woman [wispen] were going to be away for the entire week for Pre-U sem. So bully for them, I continued the experiment throughout the week…

Thank you to my classmates in general, and in particular those who have been giving in to my demands to sniff my wrist – Jase [greatbalderdash], Ed [vacuities], Greg, MJ, Chris(tine – yes, I do have female friends XD), Saff, Yien, Lydia, Joti and the two women Jess and Joyce for their cameos on BK day. XD

DAY 1 : BLOOD KISS
Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk.

( Results and Evaluation )

DAY 2 : MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY
The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.

( Results and Evaluation )

DAY 3 : ULTRAVIOLET
Lush violet and neroli spiked hard with eucalyptus and a sliver of mint.

( Results and Evaluation )

DAY 4 : GLUTTONY
Dark chocolate, vanilla, buttercream, and hops with pralines, hazelnut, toffee and caramel.

( Results and Evaluation )

DAY 5 : FREE CHOICE [no, that's not a scent.]

Nothing new for tomorrow, since there's nothing else that works on me except Saint-Germain and I can't imagine how thrilled they'd be with men's cologne wafting off me. Since they have to bear with me, I got them to vote for what they'd like me to wear on Friday :

Blood Kiss/Gluttony | Saff, Yien
Miskatonic University | MJ
Ultraviolet | Jase, Chris, Lydia, Joti

So Ultraviolet it shall be. I'm surprised that Lydia opted for it, but okay. :]
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Probably as I get more BPALy goodness [whenever that may happen] my poor classmates will be guinea pigs once more. I find this all too fascinating, particularly since I can tie some of the preferences back to ethnicity and upbringing. 'till then, my classmates shall cower in fear and terrified anticipation of when I pop up in school and shove my wrist in their face.

That is also probably all the BPAL insanity I have for now, so I assure you my el-jay will soon return to normal. :D

I'm sure all - well, some of you have been awaiting this with avid curiousity; wait no more! These are the rest of the BPAL scents that we got, including two frimps that BPAL very sweetly gave. [That means, translated from BPAL code, free imps.] So here we go!

1. COCKAIGNE
2. WHITE RABBIT
3. SAINT-GERMAIN
4. SHATTERED
5. ULTRAVIOLET
6. OPHELIA

1. GLUTTONY
2. MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY
3. BLOOD KISS
4. MOON ROSE
5. SZEPASSZONY
6. LA BELLE AU BOIS DORMANT

Frimps :
1. RAGE
2. PERSEPHONE

Follow the disclaimers I had, please. :D

( BPAL reviews for April/May, Part 2. )

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT TODAY.
Mae amps roses. COULD BE GOOD, COULD BE BAD.
IN GENERAL Djinn takes floral scents pretty accurately, except she sweetens them a bit. So nice. She's been really good with these, I think it's because her skin is drier.

I must mention, before I end off, that all the scents are amazingly differenciated. I say this because I have a multitude of floral scents on my wrists and arms and I can actually recognise them by pure smell alone. Wow, BPAL, wow.

Also, this is not the end of the BPAL. I'm conducting interesting social experiments with them in school so you can expect an interesting report of these scents in the field by the end of this week, which is the last week of school. WE SHALL SEE.

Before I begin on a spiel of reviews about BPAL scents [like a certain aichaku XD] I think we require a little self-defense explanation about why I'm defying my stereotype and submitting wholly and fully to the charms of BPAL.

( MAE? USING PERFUME (essential oils, actually…)? THE HORROR OF HORRORS! )

Case in point, I am a monkey's uncle.
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Here's the list of our first direct order of two sets of imps from BPAL, which we waited a good while for and were hoping would arrive on my birthday. No such luck, but it arrived on the 18th, which is not half bad! The ones that I've reviewed today are bolded in the list.

1. COCKAIGNE
2. WHITE RABBIT
3. SAINT-GERMAIN
4. SHATTERED
5. ULTRAVIOLET
6. OPHELIA

1. GLUTTONY
2. MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY
3. BLOOD KISS
4. MOON ROSE
5. SZEPASSZONY
6. LA BELLE AU BOIS DORMANT

GENERAL THINGS TO TAKE NOTE :
My distaste for some things might be well-explained with the knowledge that I don't like smells like spices [cloves, ginger, so forth] and florals like jasmine. So you might like those smells, even though I don't. That's why I've stated the description of the oils as objectively as I can and put my personal feelings in the last bit, because they don't apply to everyone. I hope it helps you.

( As promised, full BPAL reviews. )

WHAT HAVE I LEARNT TODAY.
Mae amps vanilla. GOOD!
Mae amps heavy wine notes. NOT GOOD.
Mae amps sharp-smelling flowers. NOT GOOD.
Mae amps heavy notes like cologne and coffee. WEIRD. BUT NOT NECESSARILY BAD.
IN GENERAL Mae amps sharp smells and heavy notes. Oh, and vanilla.
IN GENERAL Djinn is edible and smells exactly like the types of scents Mae likes. At least someone will smell good around here!

I will probably review more of the rest of the scents when I can muster myself up to another day, Djinn accidentally spilled a bit of Blood Kiss since the cap was so tight and it gives me a bit of an aurally-induced headache.