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stardust-swan · 1 year

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The complete masterpost on how to smell like a Princess 💐🧴🌸

ARMPITS

🌸 Long armpit hair traps sweat and the smell can be quite noticeable. Wax or nair off the hair (instead of shaving, which causes dark discolouration), or if you don't want to have completely hairless armpits, trim the hair down short with a small pair of scissors.

🌸 Know the difference between deodorant and antiperspirant. Deodorant: stops the smell. Antiperspirant: stops the sweat. Some products may do one but not the other, although most do both.

🌸 Use a men's deodorant instead of women's deodorant. The antiperspirant is much stronger than in women's deodorant. Old Spice makes nice ones that don't smell particularly masculine despite the brand being associated with men. Old Spice Deep Sea smells like sea salt, Old Spice Fiji smells like coconuts, Old Spice Oasis is sweet and slightly vanilla scented, Old Spice Wolfthorn is sweet citrus, and Old Spice Timber smells like sandalwood.

🌸 Apply deodorant after you shower instead of waiting a while.

🌸 Apply antiperspirant at night instead of morning so that it has all night to get absorbed

🌸 Vanilla extract can be used as a natural deodorant. Because it's alcohol based, it kills bacteria and the vanilla scent stays all day.

🌸 Use deodorant as a preventative measure, not a fix for an already-stinky armpit or a replacement for washing.

🌸 Use salicylic acid toner on the armpits. This lowers the pH of your armpits to be inhospitable to odour-causing bacteria

🌸 Hand sanitiser can be used in a pinch (not regularly though as it's bad if you use it too often)

🌸 Washing your armpits with Head & Shoulders shampoo and letting it sit for a bit before rinsing off is really good for getting rid of bad odour due to the zinc in it

🌸 Exfoliate your underarms in the shower to slough off dead skin and deodorant build-up that could be making any products you use under your arms less effective. You can use the same exfoliator you use on your face or body on your armpits.

🌸 To dry your armpits completely, use a hairdryer, apply deodorant, then dry them again. It will make such a difference, as it gets your armpits completely dry, whereas as towel drying alone can often leave some moisture, which is more likely to make you smell.

🌸 If you suffer from excessive underarm sweating, go see your doctor. They can prescribe you an industrial strength antiperspirant which may solve your issue.

CLOTHES

🌸 Don't leave your clothes in the washing machine for too long after they've finished washing, this makes them develop a bad smell. Put them to dry as soon as possible after washing.

🌸 If possible, use the tumble dryer instead of leaving your clothes to air-dry in winter. If clothes are left for hours and hours and not really drying because it's too cold, they develop a bad mildewy smell.

🌸 Dry your clothes outside in the sun whenever possible

🌸 Use scented dryer sheets (but make sure the scent isn't one that clashes with your perfume).

🌸 An old-fashioned tip is to keep cut up soap and lavender in the same drawer as your clothes. You can just stick a scented soap or sachets with potpourri in the closet with your clothes to make them smell nice.

🌸 In hardware stores, you can buy cedar blocks to put in your closet, which as well as making your clothes smell nice, also keep spiders, moths, and centipedes away

🌸 Add a capful of white vinegar to the washing machine when you're washing your clothes (no, this won't make your clothes smell like vinegar. It kills unwanted scents and helps remove stains).

🌸 Add a few drops of essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, tea tree, or eucalyptus to your laundry detergent (you can add some to your dryer sheets as well). Make sure they're clear, light, essential oils, and not dark resiny ones, as that will stain your clothes. You can put a few drops of essential oils on the bottom of your drawer, right on the wooden part too.

🌸 You can buy special laundry perfumes to put in the fabric softener department. The scent lasts for ages

🌸 Avoid harsh or heavy scented laundry detergent and washing powders. Stick to neutral, light-scented ones

🌸 Wear breathable fabrics like cotton, hemp, linen, and silk. This will make more air circulate around your body. Avoid nylon and polyester.

🌸 Wash your bathrobe once a week

🌸 Spray Febreeze or perfume on the clothes in your closet once a week

🌸 Wash any clothes you haven't worn in a while, even if you're not planning on wearing them soon, to prevent a stale smell. It will make your whole wardrobe smell much better

FEET

🌸 Wear clean cotton socks. Don't reuse worn socks days in a row

🌸 Always wear socks. Not wearing them makes it much more likely for your feet to start smelling bad

🌸 Don't wear the same pair of shoes every day, as this can make odour-causing bacteria grow because they don't get a chance to dry out.

🌸 If you're staying somewhere overnight, remember to bring a 2nd pair of shoes to change into instead of wearing the same pair twice in a row

🌸 Put baby powder on your feet before putting socks on

🌸 Always dry your feet thoroughly after washing, including between each toe. This prevents the development of foot fungus

🌸 Use foot spray or shoe spray

🌸 Scent rises, so spray a little perfume in your shoes or on your ankles

🌸 Pat some glycolic acid on the soles of your feet with a cotton pad each morning

HAIR

🌸 Spray some perfume on your hairbrush before brushing. Grace Kelly swore by this

🌸 Apply dry shampoo the night before instead of the morning of so that your hair has time to absorb it

🌸 Hair absorbs scent a lot, so wash it regularly

🌸 Add a tiny drop of perfume oil into a few drops of hair oil and apply to your hair

🌸 It's obvious, but using a shampoo and conditioner that smells good will make your hair smell good

🌸 Consider using a hairspray or hair mist

HOME

🌸 Change pillowcases and bedding regularly. Oils, sweat and dead skin cells will accumulate if you go too long using the same sheets.

🌸 Open the windows regularly and leave your bed to air before making it once a week. No airflow means your environment will be more warm and sweaty, making it more likely to develop bacteria that makes you smell bad

🌸 Light a scented candle or incense regularly so that your home always smells lovely

🌸 Have multiple towels so you can use a new one each time you shower. Once a towel is wet, germs start growing, which can make you smell. Clean your towels regularly

🌸 Above all, make sure your house is clean. It doesn't matter how many of these tips you follow, if your home smells bad, you'll smell like it. Plus if you bring someone home and your house smells, no matter how good you personally smell, that's the impression they'll have of you. Clean regularly.

MOUTH

🌸 Floss after eating. Food particles trapped in between the teeth can make your breath smell bad. Even if you don't notice it, others will.

🌸 Use mouthwash after eating or drinking. Avoid mouthwashes with alcohol, as they can dry out your mouth, and your mouth should be moist if you want to reduce bad breath.

🌸 Brush your tongue or use a tongue scraper. This gets rid of bacteria that can build up and make your breath smell bad.

🌸 Keep a pack of mints or gum in your bag for after you eat or drink out (avoid chewing gum if you grind your teeth or clench your jaw though - it's not good for overworked muscles that need to relax).

🌸 Brush your teeth morning and night. Make sure to brush the hard to reach places, like the back molars. And brush for at least two minutes.

🌸 Bad smelling bacteria builds up in your mouth if it's dry and saliva isn't being produced, so drink water consistently throughout the day and eat every few hours, even if it's just a small snack

🌸 Take probiotics for mouth health to replace bad smelly bacteria with good bacteria

🌸 It's not too important, but if you're talking at close range with someone, you'll be able to smell if they have a scented lip product on, so if you want, put on a scented lipgloss, lipstick, or lip balm. My personal favourites are Glossier Birthday Cake lip balm and Fresh Rose Lip Treatment.

🌸 Chew a sprig of rosemary or mint after eating, it makes your breath smell clean and herbaceous.

🌸 A Princessy mouthwash recipe you can try is putting 60g of dried rose petals in 240ml of rosewater and heating gently for 2 hours, then straining and adding 180ml of liquid honey. As well as making your breath smell beautiful, it also helps to soothe a sore throat.

🌸 An underrated tip is to gargle with hot salt water to kill bacteria. This is good when you're somewhere without access to mouthwash.

🌸 If you take good care of your mouth hygiene but bad breath persists, you may have tonsil stones. You can extract them by rubbing a Qtip on your tonsil.

SIGNATURE SCENT

🌸 Learn your body chemistry. Get a variety of sample perfumes and see what they smell like after 30 minutes, 2 hours, a day. Scent profiles develop and change over time, and a perfume that smells good at first might not after a few hours. See what smells good consistently.

🌸 Apply Vaseline or a light unscented lotion to the area where you'll be spraying the perfume to make it last longer

🌸 Buy a rollerball of your favourite perfume so you can reapply when you're out and about if the scent of your perfume fades

🌸 If possible, spend money on a high end Eau de Parfum. 1 or 2 sprays will suffice, and the scent lasts all day. Sprays from Bath and Body and Victoria's Secret smell nice and all, but fade quickly.

🌸 Keep in mind that some perfumes may only be suitable for certain seasons. A light citrusy scent may be fine in summer, but confusing in winter

🌸 Scent rises, so rub scented lotion on your legs. If you want you can spray some scent inside your shoes or on your ankles.

🌸 Hot skin areas close to your veins like behind the knees, behind the ears, the back of the neck, and on the wrists are good areas to apply perfume. Currently, it's popular in the perfume community to spray on the stomach and forearms too.

🌸 If you're sensitive to perfumes, a perfume oil could be a good substitute (in former Ottoman countries, perfume oil is more popular than spray perfume).

🌸 Less is more with perfume. Never overspray. It's better for the scent to subtly creep up on people than to overwhelm them. Perfume should be intimate, a beautiful association people make with being close to you (isn't it a lovely idea that nobody will know that your hair smells like rose hair mist until your lover buries their face in it, or that your neck smells like Hypnotic Poison until your lover leans in to kiss it?)

🌸 Be aware that people may have sensitivities or allergies to perfume if you're going to be in an enclosed space, for example on an airplane, a cinema, or an office cubicle. It's okay just to smell clean rather than of perfume (Kate Middleton and Megan Markle don't wear any perfume at official state events for that reason).

🌸 Don't be afraid to ask other people about their opinions on your perfume. Of course, it's important that you like your perfume, but everyone else around you will have to smell it too. Some perfumes have associations that you may not necessarily want to portray. For example, Victoria's Secret perfumes are often associated with teenagers, and Chanel No.5 is often associated with grandmas. If you love them, you do you, but just keep this in mind if you're wary of creating certain associations with yourself.

🌸 Choose moisturising and hygiene products that go well with your signature scent. For example, vanilla or cocoa butter moisturiser with a perfume in the gourmand family of fragrances.

🌸 In the same vein as above, you can also choose moisturisers that add dimension to your signature scent, like making a floral perfume smell more summery by using a coconut moisturiser, or making a vanilla scent smell more Christmassy by using a peppermint body wash and lotion.

🌸 Don't mix scents that don't go well together. It will smell confusing if you use a warm vanilla sugar lotion with a musky perfume.

🌸 Don't overload on too many strongly scented products, it's overwhelming. If your perfume is very strong, use a lightly scented or unscented lotion.

🌸 It's okay to have more than one signature scent. The perfume you wear at the office doesn't have to be the same perfume you wear at parties, which doesn't have to be the perfume you wear relaxing at home.

🌸 It's also okay to have no signature scent, and just pick a perfume that fits your mood on a given day

🌸 Try and find a perfume that matches your lifestyle. If you're a minimalist, pick a fresh, light scent, such as Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue. If you love to bake and adore the smell of vanilla, sugar and buttercream, try a gourmand perfume, like Dior's Hypnotic Poison or Ariana Grande's Cloud. If you live an outdoorsy lifestyle, try a woody scent like Santal 33 by Le Labo. Your scent should match your vibe, if you're not naturally a party girl or a chic lady, don't try to fake it with perfume, it will just be confusing.

🌸 Don't pick a perfume you don't personally like just because someone else recommends it, like wearing a scent you find grandma-like just because someone said it will make you smell Old Money. You're the one who has to smell it all day

🌸 Spray a little perfume on your hair and wrists before going to sleep to feel soft, pretty, and luxurious, like a Princess or an Old Hollywood star

🌸 A tip from exotic dancers is to spray perfume right after showering, moisturise, then spray the perfume again to really lock in the scent

🌸 Read books like The Secret of Scent by Luca Turin, Fragrance and Wellbeing by Jennifer Peace Rhind, and Scent and Subversion by Barbara Herman to understand the science of scent and what smells great from the point of view of a perfume expert.

🌸 If you want free samples, try e-mailing a perfume house saying you've seen a promo of their perfume and would be interested in a complimentary sample (send your address too). Usually they read lots of complaints, so they'll be glad if they can make someone happy (this may not always work with every perfume house though). You can also go to a quiet counter at a boutique and ask for samples of a perfume you want, even tell them that you're young and can't afford much and they'll give away lots.

🌸 Science has shown that women are much more sensitive to musk scents than men, so lesbian/bi ladies may want to consider trying a musk scent while on a date. And as for men, they prefer lily of the valley, as well as gourmand scents like vanilla, cinnamon, and oddly, pumpkin and lavender together. [Source]

YONI

🌸 Take probiotics

🌸 Wear cotton underwear. Avoid tight underwear and underwear with dye if possible.

🌸 Sleep without underwear. Letting your yoni breathe is great for achieving an attractive smell

🌸 Don't clean your yoni with regular soap. It can throw off your pH, which can cause yeast infections and a bad smell. It's generally okay to use soaps specifically formulated for your vulva, or gentle soaps like Johnson's baby soap or Dove sensitive.

🌸 Drink natural 100% pineapple juice and cranberry juice, or buy pills with those respective ingredients in the health store. Even if you don't want to drink it all the time, drinking cranberry/pineapple juice an hour before intimacy will make you taste sweeter.

🌸 Instead of using scented feminine hygiene products (which are bad for you), change your pad or tampon regularly. Switch to menstrual cups if possible, as there will be no smell at all (whereas the pads and tampons themselves will start smelling bad if left for too long).

🌸 Rub some roll-on deodorant in the crevice where your inner thigh meets your vulva. It develops its own B.O smell (like a leg pit). Deodorant improves the smell immensely.

🌸 Make sure your partner has clean hands/a clean mouth before touching you sensually. Also, use a condom if possible, as ejaculate inside of you can mess up your pH balance

🌸 Use Dripsticks for post-sex clean-up

🌸 Boric acid suppositories after your period help rebalance microbial flora

🌸 Use a little water to rinse after you pee. You can buy a peri bottle for postpartum to make it easier

🌸 Make sure to only wash your vulva, not inside the vagina. The inside is a self-cleaning oven, and douching or even just inserting a finger with soap is bad for it. Avoid the inner, pink parts of the labia too.

🌸 Make sure there's no discharge build-up in your pubic hair

🌸 Clean well in-between the folds and under the clitoral hood so that sebum doesn't get trapped

🌸 Make sure not to scrub too hard, as it can make soap get somewhere it shouldn't or irritate a sensitive area

🌸 Use a hairdryer to dry after showering if you don't have the time to towel off till you're completely dry. It will stop you from feeling swampy and sweaty down there.

UNCATEGORISED

🌸 Keep feminine hygiene wipes, hand sanitiser, mini deodorant, mini dry shampoo, mini mouthwash, rollerball of perfume, scented hand cream, etc in your bag to freshen up during the day

🌸 It's obvious, but shower at least once a day. If you're having unusually hot weather or live in a warm climate, take a couple of quick showers throughout the day.

🌸 Use a very strong soap on your yoni, armpits, and feet, and scrub your armpits/feet very well as they retain scents.

🌸 If you sweat a lot during the night, take a light shower in the morning to get rid of the smell of stale sweat

🌸 Before your regular shower gel, use an antibacterial soap. It will kill bacteria that can make you smell bad.

🌸 Useful websites: Fragrantica, R/Perfumes, R/Fragrance, Parfumo, R/FemFragLab

🌸 Take parsley pills. It's like an internal deodorant. And fenugreek pills make you smell sweet like maple syrup

🌸 As well as on your armpits, put deodorant under your breasts as well, and anywhere else you may sweat a lot from (if you're spraying in the crease between your thighs and abdomen, make sure you have underwear on).

🌸 If you tend to sweat under your breasts a lot, you can buy cotton breast liners that absorb sweat on Amazon

🌸 If you're doing all that you can to prevent body odour but it persists, talk to your GP or dermatologist. You may need an antiperspirant stronger than what you can buy in shops, a PanOxyl wash, or even botox injections in your armpits

🌸 A tip from Marie Antoinette is to wear perfumed gloves

🌸 Don't eat too much onions, garlic, eggs, dairy, alcohol, processed foods, red meat, fast food, or vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli. The smell will seep through your skin (a little is fine, of course). And eat plenty of leafy greens.

🌸 Eat more fruit 🍎🍇🍍🍒🍓

🌸 Drink mint tea in the morning

🌸 An obvious tip, but hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drinking more water will help you sweat less. Plus fragrance doesn't last as long on dry skin

🌸 Avoid drinking too much alcohol or smoking cigarettes

🌸 Take chlorophyll supplements

🌸 If you tend to suffer from a sweaty face, wear a waterproof mascara and keep a setting powder on you

🌸 Most important tip of all: Stay hygienic! You need a good base for any of these tips to work. Spraying perfume and applying scented lotion on an unclean body is like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound.

🌸 And of course you don't have to use all of these tips (if anything, you'll probably end up creating a toxic fume cloud instead of a beautiful scent). Just find a few that work for you and incorporate into your routine.

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gilverrwrites · 5 months

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Supernatural Taste and Smell Headcanons

I included a lot of characters (I think 24?), but if your fave didn't make the cut, just send me an ask!

Dean

Smell: Leather, cinnamon, and the kind of musk that only comes from an axe body spray, cause you know what man only buys whatever is quick and easy at the gas station. He’d also smell like gasoline.

Taste: Malty like beer, but sweet in the way bbq sauce is sweet.

Sam

Smell: I just feel like (when he’d not hunting) he smells clean, ya know? Citrusy and woody, kind of like D&G light blue, with undertones of like a ‘fresh’ scented fabric softener.

Taste: Kind of fruity but tart, like a berry smoothie. Also just a little bit of like garlic, or mustard.

John

Smell: That man is a smoker, and you can’t tell me otherwise – at least later in life, way after the marines, and losing Mary. He always has a stale smoke smell on his clothes and lips. I recon he uses old spice or similar as an aftershave, so also like cloves/sage.

Taste: Again smoky, ashy, but also oaky and malty like bourbon.

Mary

Smell: Citrusy like Sam but darker, smokier (joke not intended) with hints of like jasmine, bergamot, and a little bit of vanilla. 100% the kind of smell that wraps you up if you come in for a hug.

Taste: Chocolate, specifically the kinds with nuts and caramel, woman has a sweet tooth.

Castiel

Smell: I feel like all angels smell at least a little like parma violets, or some kind of sweet and subtle floral smell, be especially Cas. On top of that, he’d have like other earthy scentes, like honey, patchouli, maybe a bit of amber.

Taste: Coffee, always coffee. When human/when he eats; grape jelly, and honey.

Jack

Smell: Like Cas he has the sort of clean, floral scent to him. I also think he would smell of peppermint and like a yankee candle version of warm vanilla. He just has a cosy, familiar smell to him.

Taste: Again I think minty, additionally like white chocolate and rose/flora flavours.

Bobby

Smell: Like old books, burnt candle wicks, motor oils, and nose hair singing whisky.

Taste: More than anyone else on this list (including Crowley) Bobby tastes like whisky. Not the good stiff though, that’s only for special occasions. He taste like Jim Beam and Jack Daniels.

Crowley

Smell: Like a bonfire!!! Smokey, warm, woody, with a hint of burnt sugar.

Taste: 100% Whisky, and dark chocolate.

Charlie

Smell: Charlie smells like she just stepped out of a fantasy book, like wildflowers, and peppercorn. Like strawberry and blackcurrant wine.

Taste: Like a vegan alternative to Nutella, creamy, chocolatey, nutty.

Meg

Smell: Surprisingly soft and clean. Milky, with almond and peach. Just a hint of leather and cedarwood underneath.

Taste: Salty and sweet, anise: like a strawberry liquorice.

Ruby

Smell: Like cedarwood, ginger, and pink pepper. Pleasant but sharp, and strong. Like it pulls you in from across the room.

Taste: Bold and sweet like cabernet sauvignon, starkly contrasted by pepperoni and cheesy pasta.

Lucifer

Smell: Similar to Jack, in that he smells clean and minty. However, his is sharper, harsher. There is lime, and moss, and mahogany.

Taste: Like pure Moroccan mint, with that like sweet sourness you get on things like a tangfastics or a sourpatch kid. Like if you’re not expecting it, or you taste it for to long it will make you squirm.

Gabriel

Smell: Like walking into the kitchen of a bakery just before opening and they’re prepping everything. Mocha, malted sugar, rich caramel, creamy vanilla.

Taste: All of the above again! Just so sweet and creamy. Like a spoonful of sugar.

Raphael

Smell: Very similar to Cas, floral, but less earthy, and more sterile. Like aloe vera and antiseptic.

Taste: Again, very clean. He has a flavour the way cucumber has flavour? Refreshing, clean, but not notable.

Michael/Adam 😍

Smell: Kind of like the ocean, meets the forrest. Musk, white lilies, salt, collided with pine, sandalwood, and cedar. Cold, but familiar, ya know?

Taste: Hear me out: Fruit loops, and Dr Pepper. Like Michael has little say over what they eat, that’s all on Adam. And after the initial, ‘I haven’t eaten in 1200 years, I’m gonna eat everything I craved’ has worn off. He’s just like, a normal guy (who does not need to eat because he shares his body with an immortal angel). So, I can see him mostly reaching for snacks that make him feel good, that remind him of his mum, or his childhood, something comforting; like sugary cereals and fizzy drinks. I love them, I will take no criticism.

Rowena

Smell: Like an apothecary. Rich and indulgent. Very aromatic with lots of deep woody tones, sweet cherry, dark rose and other florally scents.

Taste: Like a bottle of mataro, or Nebbiolo wine. Spice, cherry, plum, smoke. She both smells and tastes intoxicatingly expensive.

Chuck

Smell: Kind of musky, cottony, leafy. I don’t really imagine him smelling too strongly of anything.

Taste: Summary and tart, like a sea breeze cocktail. (Grapefruit, cranberry, lime – an acquired taste)

Amara

Smell: Similar to Chuck, I sort of envision an absence of smell. Maybe just hints of amber, sandalwood, and a musky citrusy scent.

Taste: Like a white dessert whine, like Riesling. Dry but sweet. Honey, and pears.

Billie

Smell: Bergamot, rose, silk, and cocoa. Inviting and pleasant, but with an undertone of darkness.

Taste: Very similar to scent, sweet and warm but with an aftertaste of something bitter; blackcurrant and dark chocolate

Benny

Smell: Robust (Copper, ginger, tobacco,) but enticing (amber, cardamom, cinnamon).

Taste: I mean, I have tried really had to not add blood to any of the previous entries, but Benny undeniably tastes like blood.

Kevin

Smell: Not good. Pre-prophethood, not so much; I imagine like mint, green tea, jasmine, the kind of smell you would expects from a reasonably priced aftershave. During prophethood, the aftershave is long forgotten; its more fried chicken, old paper, and forgetting to shower for 9 days.

Taste: Like redbull, chexmix, and mouthwash.

Eileen

Smell: Like peaches, and roses, rich chocolate, and strong coffee.

Taste: Chocolate and coffee again, but hints of sparkly summer fruits.

Ketch

Smell: Like high end British aftershaves only the royal family know off, something with notes of fig, and oud, and other pretentious smells. The small of cigar smoke, and leather follow him around too.

Taste: Like earl grey tea, and dry gin.

Balthazar

Smell: Kind of like ketch, some high end and expensive (if he actually had to pay for it). But woodsier, and fresh. He would also have that hidden undertone of violet.

Taste: Creamy and hazelnutty, but there’s a constant aftertastes alcohol, and something metallic to him, no matter what comes first.

#supernatural #spn #supernatural headcanon #supernatural headcanons #spn headcanon #dean winchester #sam winchester #supernatural angels #supernatural archangels #supernatural demons #gilverrwrites

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ofsappho · 1 year

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Hey i was wondering if you can do a head cannon of the team meeting either Price’s or Ghost’s wife who is a herbs and crystal loving hippie?

Like she will leave crystals in his bag for good luck or will burn essential oils to help relax them.

Bonus if they were childhood sweethearts and the team is like, “How did you two end up being so different growing up together?”

Thank you for all the amazing work you create and there’s no real rush to do this.

Hi!!! Omg I love this this is such a cute concept. I’m going to do Price x crystal loving hippie reader, as I haven’t done anything for Price yet in general.

(Note: as I am American, I tend to write American readers)

You and Price met as teenagers when his family was on vacation to america

You were working the counter of a crystal shop as your summer job, Price’s mom dragged her husband and son in because she loved the wire wrapped sun catchers

Turns out you make them when you’re not in class

She buys 5, you and John strike up a friendship

You spend his entire vacation hanging out, you show him your favorite pond where the two of you count tadpoles, even a secret hiking trail where everything is peaceful and the trees are covered in moss

(You also have your first kiss with Price here)

John stays in contact with you after he goes back home and after some years of dating long distance, you guys get married and you move to the UK to be with him when he’s not deployed

The house always smells like your favorite sandalwood incense and flowers, because you dry every bouquet he gives you

You make your own tea blends from various dried herbs, some for calm, some for sleep, some for energy. Price would never admit it, but he thinks the tea you make is superior to any tea he could buy at the store.

The team bothers him about why his tea smells so good and he just ignores them because he’s not sharing

You give him little charms for luck and protection that he keeps either on his keychain or in the pocket closest to his heart

Price always looks for a new crystal you don’t have as (one of many gifts) that he brings back from deployment

He’s always getting sunburned in the field because he forgets to wear sunscreen so you mix up some homemade salve with beeswax and rose hip oil that helps to heal his skin

Bonus: it smells like you, like herbs and something sweetly floral, and Price lowkey uses more of it than he has to when he misses you

Thank you for sending in this ask! I hope this is okay. Please send in more COD asks if you like 🫶🫶🫶

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bullet-prooflove · 5 months

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TornApart!Series Part Four: Real Talk - Jubal Valentine x Reader (feat: Stuart Scola)

Tagging: @darqchilddaydreamz @crazy4chickennuggets @kmc1989 @oureternalbond @trublu2u @greenies-green @proceduralpassion @burningpeachpuppy @evee87 @delightfulheroshoeflap @iworldlywriter @helsinkibaby @penguin876 @justamadgirlinabox @a-noni-love @brownskinbaby22

Torn!Apart Series:

Part One: Nothing To Tell - Rina forces Jubal to make a choice.

Part Two: Pause - Jubal breaks your heart.

Part Three: One Sip - Jubal knows all it takes is one sip.

Scola hasn’t been home; Jubal knows that because he’s still wearing the same suit that he was yesterday and there are bags under his eyes. The other man moves stiffly as he flicks on the kettle and waits for it to boil. If Jubal were to guess he’d say the other man had spent the night at your place. He can tell because the scent of lavender and sandalwood from the shower oil you use, clings to Scola’s skin.

“The two of us should talk.” Scola says removing Jubal’s mug from the draining board and setting it down alongside his. He uses a French press and beans that cost over thirty dollars a bag to make the two of them coffee.

“You were with her last night.” Jubal states, his hands wrapping around the mug.

“I stayed over.” Scola informs him taking a sip from his cup. “I took the couch like a gentleman and took a shower this morning. This thing between the two of you, it has her all messed up.”

Jubal bows his head, staring into the depths of the coffee.

“Yea, she’s not the only one.” Jubal says, his thumb chasing up along the side of his mug.

“She says it’s because of Rina.” Scola tells him, ducking his head so he can meet Jubal’s gaze. “That you still have feelings for her? I have seen you when that woman walks into the JOC, and you look like you would rather face a firing squad.”

“That would be true…” Jubal admits.

“So…” Scola implores.

Jubal sighs because this weight he’s been carrying, it’s too fucking much. He’s tried, he really has but the truth is he’s drowning. It feels like he’s stranded in the middle of the ocean, wave after wave washing over his head.

“Rina, she’s…” He purses his lips together grimly before he meets Scola’s gaze. “She threatened to send Stefani back to Undercover Operations if I didn’t break it off.”

For the first time in Scola’s life, he’s speechless, his eyebrows furrow into a frown as he considers the implications. If that happens, it would be catastrophic. He remembers how closed off you were when the two of you had met. The time it had taken to build trust. He knows about all the shitty things that happened to you whilst you were under, how they affected you.

“I couldn’t let that happen.” Jubal says quietly. “After everything she went through…”

Silence falls between them as they consider your secrets, the ones you’ve disclosed to each of them. They both love you in their own ways. Both will do whatever it takes to make sure your protected.

“We need a plan.” Scola says, clasping his hands together. “There’s nothing stopping her from putting through the transfer the next time you do something to piss her off.”

“I don’t know what to do.” Jubal tells him, rubbing his hands over his face. “I’ve been going over it in my head, and I can’t see a way out of this.”

“We need to bring in Isobel and the others.” Scola says.

“I don’t think…”

“Jubal, the reason this is eating you up inside is because you’ve been trying to deal with it alone.” Scola tells him forcefully. “Lean on us, lean on the team, it’s what we’re here for.”

“And Stefani?” Jubal says, his palm rubbing across his goatee. “What do I do about her?”

“Tell her the truth.” Scola recommends. “Right now, she thinks you’re in love with someone else and it’s killing her.”

“Yea.” Jubal says, pulling out his phone as it chirps to life. “Yea, I’ll reach out.”

Love Jubal? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

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#jubal valentine #jeremy sisto #fbi #jubal valentine x you #jubal valentine x reader

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greypetrel · 6 months

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OC Questionnaire 2

Tagged (again) by @spainkitty, thank you! Following with the Hawkes and my newly found Shepard (which got formed super quickly).

Part 1 here

Tagging: @dungeons-and-dragon-age @daggerbean @sapphireangelbunny @n7viper @pinayelf and YOU!

NAME: Raina Elizabeth Hawke

NICKNAME: Hawke. Trash Raccoon. Beanpole. Varric calls her Elizabeth when he's irritated with her. "Crazy Hawke" by Sera.

GENDER: Non-binary (goes with she/her no problem, but is extremely ill at ease if she has to present herself as overtly feminine. Won't wear skirts or grow her hair out anymore. Ok with makeup and -very occasionally- higher heels.)

STAR SIGN: Sagittarius

HEIGHT: 6'1" (187 cm)

ORIENTATION: Bisexual, Poly

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Fereldan, baby.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Tomato (it's a fruit). Cherries and raspberries.

FAVORITE SEASON: Late summer/early autumn, hot days and chill nights.

FAVORITE FLOWER: Sea daffodil

FAVORITE SCENT: Sea salt, freshly clean cotton, the smell of a stew on the fire. Won't wear perfume herself.

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Tea. No sugar. The teabag/infuser is the last thing that leaves the cup.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: 3-9, either she sleeps very little, or she oversleeps.

DOGS OR CATS: Dogs.

DREAM TRIP: Wherever Merrill points her finger, she's not picky.

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: 1 heavy

RANDOM FACT: She was so pissed with Meredith for threatening her, that once the Knight-Commander called her to the Gallows, she showed up with a bag full of glittery yarn, poured the content on her desk, and started to knit. "I'm sorry, I am very behind with First Day gifts. It also helps me concentrate, so I will be extra focused on all the most important things you have to say. You want me concentrated, right Knight-Commander? :) ". Cullen kept finding glitter around and on the damn desk and in the drawers until he left for Haven.

NAME: Garrett Tiberius Hawke

NICKNAME: Gee. Pumpkin by Varric (he calls Fenris "pumpkin", yes it brings some confusion). "Buff Hawke" by Sera.

GENDER: Male, won't be mad if you mispronoun him, who cares.

STAR SIGN: Gemini

HEIGHT: 6'3" (191 cm)

ORIENTATION: Bisexual

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Fereldan country boy dreaming of a veggie garden.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Chestnuts

FAVORITE SEASON: Autumn

FAVORITE FLOWER: Yarrows

FAVORITE SCENT: Cinnamon, ginger. Pumpkin spices.

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Hot chocolate.

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: 8

DOGS OR CATS: DragonsDogs

DREAM TRIP: Antiva. Or the vineyards in Orlais to learn how to grow them.

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: 3

RANDOM FACT: After Corypheus will be defeated, he'll retire to the countryside with Fenris. Buy a farm with enough space for them to survive. He'll become extremely competitive in country fairs and competitions for the biggest pumpkin. So much so that demons will try to tempt him by offering him the biggest pumpkin ever. Nothing will work, because he'll candidly answer that he can't understand what's the point if he doesn't grow him himself, maybe you should think about your life better mr Demon do you want to talk about it? *psychoanalizes the Demon enough to convince him to go in the fields and take some weeds away*

NAME: Maxine Shepard

NICKNAME: Max. She has Max on her documents, hates "Maxine" to guts, says it's a dog name.

GENDER: Genderfluid.

STAR SIGN: Aries

HEIGHT: 5'7" (175 cm)

ORIENTATION: Pan. Whatever, man.

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Italian, with Moroccan descent. Her paternal grandpa was American.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Figs

FAVORITE SEASON: Summer

FAVORITE FLOWER: Oleander

FAVORITE SCENT: Sea-salt, sandalwood, amber, motor oil.

COFFEE, TEA, OR HOT CHOCOLATE: Fizzy drinks. Her grandparents, and the grandma she grew up with, were from Livorno, so spuma is her favourite

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: 6/7

DOGS OR CATS: Space Hamster.

DREAM TRIP: Every time something gets wrong, she sighs and proposes to get back to Virmire with cocktails, or on Tuchanka.

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: 3

RANDOM FACT: When Anderson recruited her on Akuze, fearing he would have left her there because she was an engineer and he was looking for a soldier, she told him she had a driving license. She had one. For boats. It results in her being neat in driving ships, both on water and in space, and totally, absolutely inept on land vehicles on wheels. In spite of that, she will refuse to let anyone else drive (save Garrus but on occasions), saying that "I have a degree in mechanical engineering, if I can repair it I can also drive it". (she really can't.)

#oc questionnaire #tag game #hawke #dragon age #mass effect #raina hawke #garrett hawke #max shepard #raina elizabeth hawke had to be - it started as a joke but it was too good not to be true #sorry my poor raccoon

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tiredwitchplant · 10 months

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Everything You Need to Know About Herbs : Wormwood

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)

*Poisonous *Medical Herb *Masculine

Folk Names: Absinthe, Old Woman, Crown For The King, Madderwort, Wormot

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Deities: Iris, Diana, Artemis

Abilities: Amplification of Psychic Powers, Protection, Banishment, Love, and Calling Spirits

Why Poisonous?: Thujone - A chemical compound in wormwood that excites the nervous system. Causes seizures, hallucinations and other adverse reactions.

*Do not exceed 1/2 grams of the dried herb in a tea two to three times a day.

Characteristics: Pleasant yet musty aroma with a bitter taste. Has deep roots, silver hairy leaves and yellow flowers when it blows. Can grow up to 18 inches.

History: The earliest reference to wormwood was as far as 2800 B.C. by the legendary Chinese emperor, Shen-Nung. Medicinal usage of this plant could date back to the 1840s where French Foreign Legion troops were given absinthe to prevent fever. Was also referenced by Dr. George Ebers in 1873. Is Native to Europe and is also seen in North America. There is even reference to wormwood in the Holy Bible and Egyptian papyri as it was used to repel certain insects and animals from specific areas. Its botanical name absinthium comes from the Roman word absinthial which means bitter.

Growing Wormwood:

Easy to Grow? Yes

Rating: Beginner Friendly

Are the seeds accessible? No

How to Plant Wormwood.

Video Reference

Where to Buy Seeds

Magical Usage:

Can be burned to develop or amplify psychic powers

If burned with sandalwood can summon spirits of the undead, especially if burned in a graveyard

Can be carried on one's person to protect from bewitchment and sea serpents

Can be planted as a boundary ward against evil, snakes and pests

Was used to counteract the effects of hemlock and toadstools (I wouldn't recommend it)

Can be hung in a rear view mirror to protect vehicles from accidents in bad roadways

Can be used in love potions with absinthe

If immersed in olive, grapeseed and avocado oil for three full moons (3 months) can be a powerful anointing oil

Medical Usage:

Fever

Digestion Problems

Liver Disease

Depression

Loss of Appetite

Muscle Pains

Memory Loss

Crohn's Disease

Insect Bites (While In Salve Form)

Sources

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brightgnosis · 5 months

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Very upset that I just spent the last 20 or so minutes compounding this absolutely lovely powdered devotional incense for Tu B'Shvat- only to turn around and find out that I have no more Charcoal Disks to actually burn it on. Which is a big problem, because there is nowhere around here to get Charcoal Disks, either 😭

Mind you, it's not a loss by any means. There's still options to burn it, so it's not like I wasted anything. But all of them are going to require waiting (waiting for it to dry if I decide to turn it into Cones; waiting on Charcoal to be shipped if I just buy myself some Charcoal. Etc). All of which kinda defeats the purpose of wanting to use it today for the holiday, sadly. Ah well.

The smell is incredible, though, at least; a lot more than necessary went into formulating it, but it was worth it- and the issue of not being able to use it immediately aside, I'm very proud of this one regardless. It's very bright, uplifting, and clearing. I'm absolutely loving the scent of it.

1.5 tbsp Makko Powder, 3 drops Olive Oil, 1 tbsp Rosemary Needles, 3 drops Rosemary EO, 1 tbsp Hyssop Leaf, 3 Pieces (locally harvested) Austrian Pine Resin, 3 pieces (imported) unknown Pine Resin, 6 drops Pine Needle EO, 3 pieces Frankincense Resin, 3 drops Frankincense EO, 3 pieces Myrrh Resin, 3 drops Myrrh EO, 3 drops Sandalwood EO, 3 drops Wild Orange EO, 3 drops Sweet Orange EO, 3 drops Tangerine EO, 3 drops Cypress EO, 6 drops Cedarwood EO, 3 drops Laurel EO, 3 drops Juniper EO.

No idea how it'll actually burn, however, because this is my first time trying a completely powdered formulation using mainly EO's in a Makko base. But it was a lovely idea, at least!

This account is run by a Dual Faith «(Converting) Masorti Jew + Traditional NeoWiccan» & «Ancestral Folk Magic Practitioner» with 20+ years of experience as a practicing Pagan and Witch. If that bothers you, don't interact.

#Personal #2024 #Calendar Nonsense #A Direct Look At My Practice #Scent & Senses #Herbalism #Religion & Magic #Wiccablr #Witchblr #Paganblr

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brokoala-soup · 9 months

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I think my aesthetic might be something along the lines of cottagecore and light academia with a tinge of Studio Ghibli and bits and pieces of chaotic academia. So this includes:

classical music blaring out of cheap speakers, homemade food served in reused takeout containers, half dying houseplants in everything but traditional flower pots, the fragrance of jasmine and mint, mirrors reflecting sunlight on to disorganised bookshelves with the most random collection of books, soups in glassware, gel pen doodles all over my notes, herbal teas in whiskey glasses, locally sourced incense sticks, handmade woolen blankets over commercially sold quilts, baking granola bars on a lazy sunday afternoon, adding chocolate to literally everything, mid day naps when the weather is cloudy yet humid, ribbon ties instead of stapler pins, making my own spice powders, scented oil lamps, being obsessed with cloves, sleeping on a bed full of pillows only to find over half of them on the floor next morning, missing alarms because closing my eyes for two more seconds won't make me fall asleep again, picking flowers and herbs from the garden, sleepy afternoons, careful skincare but with the most day to day products, eucalyptus oil, use and throw inhalers to deal with my anxiety because the smell of menthol calms me down, short nails and neutral manicure, smelling like flowers one day and like the sea the other, getting excited whenever I spot the moon, absolutely in awe and in love with the clouds because they're amazing and so creative, puppies, calligraphy using ball pens, homemade mocha latte using soya milk, my grandma's childhood earrings that I wear all the time, newspapers, organic vegetables sold by retired social workers, tote bags, reusable metal water bottles, hot showers and cold rinses, using my grandmother's favorite brand of soap because I love smelling like her, herbal hair oil, smelling like sandalwood, cooking pasta with the family, reading secondhand books, collecting fused light bulbs, pencil underlines, postcards, 1 am poetry, pop instrumentals and pensive journaling, benzene rings on page margins, berry flavoured cough syrup, baking bread, long walks, loud conversations, thrifting, e-books, chocolate wrappers hidden between dictionary pages, colourful periodic table prints, plushies, honey, fleece blankets, sleeping cats, signet ring, dried rose I'd bought for myself and carried around like a trophy travelling back home with it in the public bus, twinning perfumes coincidentally with my best friend, vintage looking brand new ink pen and expired ink, sticky notes with motivational quotes covering my wall, never buying perfumes and only using the ones I'm gifted, random words that remind me of niche incidents or memories written along the corners of my study material, pearl jewelry set that my dad gifted my mom but it's me who wears it now, combat boots bought at ¼th it's price at a discount clearance sale, all my jackets being bought from different countries by my dad and thus each serving as a token of memory, lipstick shades that match only extremely specific vibes and look off and odd at other times, cherry lip balm stick that I've used only twice, daily calendar sheets reused as a notepad, birthday candles from my 16th birthday sitting on my work table, the lingering smell of multiple beverages in my room because I seldom wash the cups I drank them from and now they're cluttered all over the room, hand me down luxury watches older than me, chipped nailpolish, reminders written down on tissue papers, bus tickets all over my bag, sugar-free chewing gum, deodorant that never washes off my clothes, wearing clothes purchased 5 years ago and getting compliments simply because it's not trendy but is unique, mini origami cranes, rose sprays, lychee scented sanitizer, baking bread at home on weekends, homemade hair masks, turning up late because i was busy enjoying life walking through the eucalyptus grove on the way to class, running to the station yet missing the train, all my everyday ornaments having a deeper meaning to me.

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itlivesproject · 1 year

Note

What are the signature scents of the LI's, Connor, and Noah? What shampoos, conditioners, lotions, colognes, and perfumes do they use?

Abel

Abel usually smells like cinnamon and coffee, because he loves cinnamon cookies and drinks way way way too much coffee. His preferred scents are more citrus and fresh scents. Things that smell clean and bright, like fresh laundry and oranges. His favorite products are his hair products, which are many and varied. He loves his shampoo the best, though. He spent years finding the right kind that wouldn’t damage his hair. He takes a lot of pride in it, and it smells like olives.

Amalia

Amalia likes ocean and tropical scents. Usually her products smell like coconut, banana, kelp, things like that. She has a particular fondness for things that smell more natural and less chemically, so she doesn’t usually buy cheap products. Her hair care routine is extensive, and she doesn’t skimp on what she likes. She likes her products to smell good, but also to do their damn job. She also has a favorite perfume she uses almost daily that smells like the beach.

Connor

Connor usually smells like motor oil or woodsmoke, but that’s not what his soap smells like. His soap is very much cedar/pine/timber, all kinds of woodsy smells. The Westchester woods have not been kind to him, but he loves the outdoors. He works with his hands, with metal and cars and fire, and he likes to be outside when he does it, so he likes to smell like the outdoors too. His favorite product is his amber and cedar cologne, which ends up on all his clothes so they always smell like him.

Lincoln

Lincoln is a very clean guy, the kind of guy who never goes to bed without a shower and brushed teeth, likes fresh clothes, and who loves getting a bed with clean sheets. He doesn't skimp on the products he uses and has very particular hair and skin care routines. So he usually smells like his soaps, which he prefers warm, fresh, woody scents for, like sandalwood, pine, and cedar. He also frequently smells like disinfectant, due to frequent use and close proximity at his tattoo shops, and ink, because when not tattooing he enjoys doodling with pens.

Jocelyn

Her scents are a mixture of the products she uses as well as the smell of the outdoors. While she goes with pretty basic products, she prefers warm, floral scents, particularly that derive from plants of Chinese origin, like lotus and lilies. She likes the smell, and it makes her feel close to her heritage. In addition to the scents of her soaps, shampoo, and perfumes, she doesn't have a car, so she walks everywhere and she enjoys going on long runs outside. Because of that, she also smells like the trees of the Westchester woods and sunlight.

Noah

Noah is a smoker, so probably the most identifying scent of his is cigarette smoke. The products he uses are also pretty basic. He doesn't think too hard about the products he uses for his hair or bodywash. Probably uses head and shoulders, honestly, primarily odorless products, and then uses a woody-scented old spice deodorant.

Matthias

He smells like money and betrayal babyyyy. Just kidding. I'm just tired. He's very clean and pristine with always freshly pressed clothes. He smells fresh and crisp, with a spicier type of aroma like mint.

#ask #anon #ilw lis #abel flint #amalia de león #lincoln mcquoid #lincoln aquino #jocelyn wu #connor green #noah marshall #matthias mcquoid

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cleolinda · 1 year

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What is Egyptian musk?

I'll say this up top: I would love to hear if you have any experience with Egyptian musk oils before 1980 (e.g., "My grandmother wore it in the 1950s") or if you've seen any documentation on Egyptian musk blends after "Ancient Egypt" (e.g., "In my reading, I've seen formulas going back to the 1800s"). I ran into a distinct historical gap here, within the scope of, you know, a tumblr post.

For the sake of clarity, let's capitalize Egyptian Musk, the fragrance blend, to differentiate it from "any musk (often civet) originating in Egypt," which you can also get.

A long while back, I had started trying to read up on what different musks were supposed to smell like. Siberian musk and China musk and white musk and black musk and red musk and blue musk and, and, and. Being neurodivergent, I get further into the weeds than most people might, and so you got a 1200-word deep-dive on modern synthetic musk. But along the way, I discovered that Egyptian Musk is not a single musk note; it's a distinct blend unto itself, and pretty much botanical. And I love that. I love the idea of a fragrance that's just an alchemy of plants suggesting the shape of musk, an olfactory sleight of hand.

The one I tried

After comparing some reviews a few months back, I decided that I would probably like Kuumba Made's. If I had known I would end up writing about this, I would have gotten a sample of Nemat's as well, which is supposedly more of a "typical Egyptian Musk" with its patchouli note. (I've heard that Auric Blends' popular Egyptian Goddess [1993] is actually an Egyptian Musk as well.) I don't smell patchouli at all in the Kuumba Made—rather, it has "notes of fresh water [?] and sanctifying sandalwood.”

On me, it's the softest, snuggliest sort-of-rose scent. I love roses in person, but the scent usually doesn't work very well on my skin—and yet this Egyptian Musk does, and in fact, it's so well-blended that I'm not even sure exactly what's in it. The balance shifts every time I wear it: sometimes I get sandalwood, sometimes vetiver, but rarely both at the same time. But it's always lovely. The only reason it's not my ~Signature Scent~ is because I am, in fact, a basic vanilla bitch, but it's very soothing, and it is in my top five Frequently Worn Fragrances. I'm curious, though—what are those "fresh water" notes, what's in this? Here’s the Fragrantica note pyramid for the Kuumba Made Egyptian Musk:

Ingredients:

Egypt

Musk

You see this a lot on Fragrantica note listings when Egyptian Musk is involved, like we're supposed to know what this is shorthand for—or maybe we're supposed to understand that it's a trade secret. Various sellers tend say theirs is a little different from everyone else's; user reviews will say, "I like this one more than that one; this one smells more like a traditional Egyptian Musk to me." What's our baseline here, though?

The ingredients of Egyptian Musk™

Amir Oud: A Brief History of Egyptian Musk Oils and Perfumes:

The typical Egyptian musk can be made from essential oils from home such as Frankincense, Myrrh, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber, Rose Petal, and Ambrette seed oil. This will give you sort of an idea of the actual fragrance of the Egyptian musk.

You may remember ambrette/musk mallow/annual hibiscus as the natural source of ambrettolide, a major synthetic musk; thus, ambrette is the most literal "musk" component of a modern Egyptian Musk. That said, most of the literal Musk From Egypt I've seen on offer has been civet, synthetic or otherwise.

But in addition to those notes, more than one seller offers (word for word, capital for capital), "Musky Vetiver and Myrrh, blended with sensual Patchouli and a hint of Rose," leaving out many of the other components. I'm not sure what's going on with the copypasta there (it's possible they're buying from a wholesale supplier who uses that description). But I'm 99% certain vetiver is in the Kuumba Made too, so let's consider that a typical ingredient as well.

The most complex formula I saw agrees with Amir Oud's, but this Zindoki.com version adds jasmine, "one drop of camphor," labdanum (you remember labdanum from amber accords), and "a deer musk or civet"—our Musk From Egypt. The Zindoki page also has the simplest characterization I saw: patchouli, rose, ambrette.

The various formulas I saw also had different proportions—some heavier on the rose and patchouli, some heavier on the frankincense and myrrh—and so, you can imagine how different one blend might smell from another. And that's before you start adding citrus top notes to fill out the pyramid, as some brands do. Nonetheless! A certain personality is taking shape.

And a number of articles and sellers claim that this personality is "Cleopatra." Allegedly, this was her favorite perfume. Which... I'm going to argue, no. Arguing literally, in a separate post that I am writing: the soft, subtle profile we're talking about here just does not match the pungent, spicy fragrances that historians and archaelogists are uncovering. In fact, Elena Vosnaki, who has written more about musk than I ever have or ever will in her multi-part musk series (NSFW photography), says,

Simply put, Egyptian musk does not originate in Egypt, but is simply a variant of a musk blend in which the clean, scrubbed-skin nuance is the dominant part.

And this is where I have to turn around and argue in the other direction. I get the general idea—Egyptian Musk belongs in a "soft and clean" category of scents, I'll agree with that. But it has a more specific character than just "a variant" of white dryer-sheet musk ("The laundry day feel is there"). I also think a blend with this cohesive a character, this widely used, had to come from somewhere, at some time. I'm just not sure when or where.

Where in spacetime does Egyptian Musk come from?

Short answer: As a traditional blend somewhere between today and Ancient Egypt? I don't know.

Long answer: As you would buy it today? New York in the 1980s.

Back to the Musk Series:

Famous examples in [modern] use include the perennial Narciso For Her, where the fractialised patchouli (keeping the cleaner aspects) and the synthetic white flowers are highlighted by the clean muskiness of the base and smoothed out by a recent amber molecule, Amberlyn, and a hint of honey. The Cuban born designer was inspired by an Egyptian musk oil he used to buy in New York City along his friend and muse Caroline Bessette-Kennedy. (It turns out it was Abdul Kareem's Egyptian Musk).

Now we're getting somewhere:

"I used to buy the stuff from head shops or sidewalk vendors in Harvard Square. About seven-odd years ago, I found a variation (by Abdul Kareem, which, the internet tells me, is an ’80s NYC-born scented-oil brand)"

According to Makeup Alley users, as of three years ago, you could buy the genuine article from an ebay seller (look at the Olfactoria review), but I don't see a Charlotte Vale now. There's only one listing at all, in fact, and Etsy searches don't seem to yield genuine Abdul Kareem results. That said, you might still be able to buy it in person; a number of users on Fragrantica and Makeup Alley mention buying Egyptian musk oils from shops and sidewalk vendors like the ones Fiorella Valdesolo mentions in the article—years ago, but you never know.

Now, what's interesting about the 1980s part is this:

Bargz: A Guide To Egyptian Musk And Egyptian Musk Products:

In the 1880s, scientist Albert Bauer discovered synthetic-derived fragrances that resemble musk ingredients. This synthetic approach gave way to laws in 1979 that protected musk deer and other animals from being hunted.

I don't know who came up with what first, and what tradition may or may not have existed before 1980s NYC. But my guess is that Egyptian Musk shifted from Musk From Egypt With Additional Notes, Maybe, to our muskless frankincense-myrrh-patchouli-rose-ambrette sleight of hand today because of that ban, specifically. I don't know if Abdul Kareem was the first or simply the most popular, but that brand seems to have become the standard, the way that Coty's Chypre gave a name to an entire family of bergamot-labdanum-oakmoss fragrances.

Perfumes inspired by Egyptian Musk

And, much the way that Mitsouko was a peach-infused riff on Coty's Chypre, other fragrances have built off Abdul Kareem's Egyptian Musk in particular. Let's go back to that mention of Narciso Rodriguez. Apparently both Narciso Rodriguez For Her (creators: Christine Nagel and Francis Kurkdjian) (yes, that Francis Kurkdijan) and Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely (Clement Gavarry and Laurent Le Guernec) are inspired by Egyptian Musk. I actually have samples of both of these—the NR For Her is a fresh decant, and the Lovely is, uh, from my random mall sample box. Hope it aged well!

This post is certainly long enough already, so I'll update on those later. But I can say, I've worn the Narciso Rodriguez twice and I do get a similarity.

(Perfume discussion masterpost)

#perfume #perfume discussion #perfume: musk #long post

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