Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Artist Spotlight : BookPourri

I'm really enjoying this new theme for my writing. It's actually a lot of fun to try new perfume scents. This week we're going to be looking at another etsy shop called BookPourri.



I ordered two different sample styles from BookPourri. I'm going to be telling you about both today. Each one has its benefits, and each has a unique look.

The first style of sample I ordered from the shop came in a lovely silver packet. You get your choice of 6 scents to test this way. These are ideal for travel use, and I believe they are small enough they could be stored in travel luggage easily. In the photo below you can see an example of one of my packets on the left. What I hadn't thought through when ordering the foil samples, was that they're a single use sample. Which for one person testing it for a day is good, but I've been trying to make sure I can share some of my testing experience with my friends, so this just wasn't enough.

The scents I selected in my first order were: Fairy Godmother, Loki, Time Lord, Poisoned Apple, Siren's Song, and Mr Darcy. By joining their VIP club, I also received a sample of Elizabeth Bennet. As you can tell each sample is based on a character or part of a story. They each are unique, and while some may share a scent note or two, they're very diverse.

I will admit to having selected Fairy Godmother based on the name rather than the note list. A choice I may not repeat in the future. Mainly because it ended up being way too floral for me. But I wanted to try it regardless because it would have been a humorous conversation to have with someone. Loki did turn out to be a bit more masculine than I expected, but the tonka bean note sold it for me.

So the positive with this sample size, is that it is ideal for travel. It is also a good idea for using as a gift for a shower or a special event if you find a scent that you like. It makes it so your attendees won't have to commit to the scent, and the labels are absolutely charming. Also great for keeping in your purse for a fresh start if you're not sure about carrying a larger bottle.


Now the example on the right, is the perfume oil imp. These impressed me immensely because they arrived individually packaged like miniature works of art. I enjoyed getting to see each one in this presentation style. Imps are easier to test with multiple people, because there is more of the scent inside, and it also enables you to test it on multiple days, or to wear it a few times to see how it agrees with you. I was also impressed that each imp I received has a different colored top. Which is a new experience for me.

These were my second order, in which I ordered some of the same scents, but a different one as well. You get 5 samples at this level, and I have to say I'm tempted to order some in this style to put into gift baskets for the bazaar at my moms church. I ordered Loki, Butterbeer, Poisoned Apple, Siren's Song, and Alice in Wonderland in this format. Impressed with the packaging I've already squirreled away Loki to hide in my boyfriends holiday stocking.

All in all I've had a positive experience with my purchases from this shop. Everything shipped in a swift manner, and arrived packaged in a manner appropriate for the contents. I'm looking forward to future purchases, because they're developing a breakfast scent that I'm already hoping to get. Yeah... I really like food scents. You'll probably notice that as these perfume testing posts continue into the future.

This shop even has a perfume sample club! You can sign up to receive a free perfume sample in the mail. www.tinyurl.com/bookpourriclub This is a good way to get into their email update list, because there is always something new. Hand lotions are one of the newest additions, and I am quite excited about them. They're also developing some new scents based on the Lord of the Rings books, I'm excited about those.

Monday, September 17, 2018

Music Monday : W

We've almost finished the alphabet! And If I stay on track, I may even get to do a special post for Halloween! Though, I could do one anyway and just... push back whatever letters I have neglected by then. But hey, who knows right?

Todays music selections are brought to you by the letter W, and the word wyrd. Please see the definition below.

wyrd : the personification of fate or destiny

An example of wyrd, would be the three fates. They often tell destinies or various futures, giving warnings or encouragement. This gets them referred to as the Wyrd Sisters in some stories.

There ya go, your word of the week, and how about our five song choices. I got to include one of my personal favorites this week, can you guess which one that is?

Willa Ford - Haunted Heart

The Wreckers - Crazy People

Wild Orchid - Our Lips Are Sealed

The Wallflowers - God Don't Make Lonely Girls

Within Temptation - Stand My Ground

Friday, September 14, 2018

Artist Spotlight : Skin Like Butter

So I've been trying some new things. Specifically I've become curious about different oil perfumes. I have been slow to gain traction as far as purchases, but not too long ago, I did a mass purchase or samples from a variety of shops, and since I haven't been writing about much, I thought I would do a spotlight or two based on my purchases.

So the first purchase I want to share was from an etsy shop called Skin Like Butter. In fact most of the purchases I will be sharing in the near future come from etsy. Skin Like Butter offers both retail and wholesale bath and body products. These include (but are not limited to) a variety of body lotions, scrubs, body washes, bath salts, and various perfume oils.

I'm not really very good at girl stuff, but a good friend of mine introduced me to the concept of perfume imps. They are smaller testing tubes of perfumes or perfume oils that enable you to try something without being committed to a whole bottle. Some perfume oils get very expensive fast. But the pricing in this shop is reasonable in my opinion. A bottle of oil perfume goes a very long way easily. But I went with a sample set.

So first things first, when a shop has 138 different scents (and probably more in the near future) to pick from, it can seem very daunting to pick a small number to order samples of. So, with that in mind I selected their pick 25 option. This allowed me to pick around 1/5th of their library to test, which has been a daunting task.

I will be honest I haven't even gotten half way through the scents I selected, but I am so far enjoying the process of wearing different ones to find some that I like enough to get in a full size. You can find the list of scents I selected at the bottom of this post in a list, with a few notes next to the scents I have thoughts on already.


Each imp is labeled individually, making it easy to know what scent you're looking at. It also helps to give you an idea what the perfume in the tester may smell like. But yeah, I've been having some fun testing perfumes and looking for a scent that I can add to my daily life that people will be able to relate to me. But I know that it's a process. My Grandmother liked rose perfume, while my Aunt wore White Diamonds. It's all a matter of preference, but a scent can leave behind memories so, there's that.

I may or may not update the scent list below with reactions to others as I try them, but for now these are the scents I'm currently testing from Skin Like Butter. I have a couple so far that I'm thinking to order larger bottles of, hopefully before they leave the collection.

Have you ordered from them before? Do you have a favorite scent? Let me know, because this is a fun learning experience.

Honey
White Pumpkin- absolutely adore this scent. This was the first one from the batch I tested for a day. 
Peppermint
Caramel Apple - very sweet, but not in a bad way.
Passion Fruit
Waffle Cone - this one got a great reaction from others. Again, a sweet scent.
Raspberry Vanilla
Milk
Watermelon
Marshmallow
Tobacco
Grapefruit Sorbet- this one turned out to not be one for me. But I know someone that may like it.
Lemon Cupcake
Chocolate Mint
Pina Colada
Pumpkin
Peppercorn & Port
Black Currant Cassis
Red Currant
Banana Walnut Cake
Lime Sorbet
Sugar
Orange Vannila
Acai Berry
Suede

Monday, September 10, 2018

Music Monday : V

Today is another Monday, and we have almost reached the end of the alphabet challenge. I know that there were a few silent weeks where I didn't write at all, and I am sorry about that, but... I have had a lot going on I am hoping to have better solutions than dead air in the near future. But it all depends on what the doctors tell me. Yeah I know i sound like a broken record, but my health has finally been put on a...front burner so to speak. And I would really like to be feeling better sooner rather than later.

The letter of the week is V! It's an odd letter and was a little harder to find artists in my personal library that started with V. But I did manage it, and the word of the week is also a V. Of course.

Venery : pursuit of sexual gratification; hunting; pursuit of game

Well that is an odd word I suppose. But I thought it may be something of interest as with fall coming many people will be starting to go out hunting. Deer will be in season soon enough, and we'll have to watch for them on the road.

Here's hoping you have a great week and that there is something wonderful waiting for you at the end of it.

The Veronicas - Take Me On The Floor

Vanessa Hudgins - Sneakernight

Van Stephenson - Modern Day Delilah

Verticle Horizon - Best I've Ever Had

Vanessa Carlton - Ordinary Day

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

What's on Screen?: The 10th Kingdom

We all have movies that we watch multiple times for a variety of reasons. Like comfort food they become familiar, letting us enjoy them on various levels. The 10th kingdom is like that for me.



This isn't a short movie. It was originally aired as a multi part miniseries on television. Which may lead some of you to think it would be a bit cheesy. Some parts are. But it is still something that I enjoy watching. I've seen it enough that I don't have to watch the screen to enjoy it. I have happy memories of watching it.

They go through a variety of fairy tale and nursery rhyme themed areas, that will bring happiness and laughter even to children based on the types of scenarios presented. And while some things seem a little dated now, it is still highly enjoyable.

Anyway, ja... not a lot to say. Just... wanted you to know I am trying. Still trying. Things are going back to normal soon...Maybe? I have another doctors appointment soon. So... I'll let you know.


Monday, September 3, 2018

Music Monday : U

I'm so excited because the kids go back to school in our district this week. I'm so happy about this. It may not mean anything for most people, and technically because I personally don't have a child, it may seem weird. But it will be nice to go back to the evening schedule.

today's music choices are brought to you by the letter U. Which also means we need a word of he day that is fun and something that might be interesting to tell a child about.

So we have chosen a funny sounding word, uranoscopy.

uranoscopy : star-watching

I don't think I've met anyone who can say they don't enjoy star watching and gazing every now and then. After all the nights will be getting longer here in the northern hemisphere soon, so we will have crisp fall air, and hopefully clear skies to enjoy the stars.

Anyway here's some music choices to help you enjoy your week, brought to you by the letter U.

Uncle Kracker - Smile

U2 - With or Without You

Uriah Heep - Sympathy

Unwoman - Billie Jean

Unwritten Rulz - Broken Hero