Tim Hickel, ECS news.

Reporting live! Deep behind enemy lines… The Sounders Shock and Awe campaign has begun this morning. Clusters of sleeper cells have begun to emerge all over Portland this morning. Even from my hotel, now we can feel the ground shaking from the sheer volume of ECS supporters decending upon Portland. officials made no comment but locals all over Portland have been caught completely unaware. All of lower Portland bars and from the river to the stadium have been completely drained of alcohol. Officials fear Portland Timbers supporters throughout the ravaged city will not have anything to cry into tonight as the lament their impending loss to the Sounders this afternoon.

More as it comes. Tim Hickel ECS news

The scent isn’t as “eclectic or edgy” as the marketing copy suggests. However, it does have a sweet fruity-floral note thanks to the tangerine, red berries, apple, Jasmin and honeysuckle top notes combines with some coconut water and woodsy element. It’s youthful, but not innocent or overly cloying - a tad more Nantucket then Upper East Side.

My perennial scent obsession seems to be cherry blossom. It started years ago with Lush’s Sakura bath bomb, Cherry tree lane soap, and continued with an imp (sample) of BPAL’s (Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs) Kyoto fragrance circa 2007.

Other scents I love include: citrus, ocean/rain, rose, coffee, sandalwood, almond, lavender, and leather. I broke down and placed my first order a while back . It appears that they threw in some extra imps. I ordered a full bottle of Kyoto – cherry blossom, white sandalwood, star anise; a great summer scent for me.

First impressions of the BPAL samples I ordered:

• Shanghai – clean, like Marc Jacob’s grass scent; green tea, lemon verbena, honeysuckle; after trying it on me, I determined that it’s unassuming and a good spring scent for work
• Kabuki - seems like a much sweeter, intense cherry version of Kyoto. I prefer to wear it more in the autumn months
• Aizen-Myoo - cherry blossom, Japanese citrus fruits, black tea; smells good enough to eat, not especially feminine, but I tend to do well with these kinds of scents
• Kumiho – white tea, ginger; very crisp and perfect for hot weather
• Kitsune-Tsuki – more floral than I would normally purchase, but the Asian plum gives it a fruity note; I make concessions for rose-scented items… perhaps an evening scent
• Bastet – Spicy notes on initial test and I can definitely smell the almond; another after-dark perfume for me, without being overwhelming
• Cthulhu – I got it for the name, and I like the smell of the ocean; initial test reminds me of a cleaning product… hint of lime with soap; wasn’t not 100% sold on this one, but mellowed out into a masculine, clean scent
• Miskatonic University – love the scent in the bottle; Irish coffee… almost toffee/caramel; I was curious to try it on, but waited until it’s cooler weather. It’s a good holiday scent.
• Whitechapel – very lime, hint of floral (lilac); not loving it upon first sniff… once I tested it on my skin, it turned into a really interesting and herbal fragrance that evoked summer or Provence.

On to the freebies…

• Sacred Whore of Babylon – very gardenia/floral scented, then seemed to catch a buttery/vanilla note; I’d have to be in one of my rare moods to wear this heavy of a floral
• Tushnamatay – nothing jumps out of the bottle, slightly herbal, slightly spicy; reminds me of Lush’s Dream Cream
• Perversion – decadent blend of tobacco, rum, leather and… chardonnay (which is my least favorite white wine, yet it seems to work in this scent) which makes me want to put this on some evening; if I were creating Pirates of the Caribbean… the fragrance, this would be it
• The Caterpillar – floral, floral, and more floral… with patchouli; a bit overwhelming in the bottle and I’m hesitant to actually try it on

What do you look for in a fragrance? What are your favorite scents and why?

I went dressed in a black civil war skirt and black & white striped bustle with a more casual afternoon jacket.

The apothecary is where you go for medication, even the stuff most of us in The States can get at the grocery store is distributed by a type of pharmacist.

This is what they gave me for a cold.

Some portions of the city gate still remains.

Currywurst is a mild braut, sliced up and served with a sweet barbeque style sauce and sprinkled curry powder on top. A serving of pommes (fries) with a generous dose of mayo wasn’t a vile as I’d anticipated. In fact, it tastes nothing like what you find in an American grocery store.

A replica of the Gutenburg Press.

Kristen was friendly, approachable and demonstrated significant product knowledge about the products I currently used at home and suitable alternatives for travel. We sampled a few different options until we found the perfect kits for an extended vacation. She saved me from a world of cheap, plastic unmarked bottles and the potential of mixing up hair cream with moisturizer.

Broady was fun and informative as he helped me come up with the perfect intense red and purple variations of a goth or smokey eye look as well as the proper primer, brushes and remover. He also pointed me to the Harajuku Lovers makeup bag and found something perfect for all of my new shiny products.

Killian’s title should be renamed to to “Beauty VIP Concierge” because she made certain my shopping experience was positive and a little extra special – included some free samples and information about current Beauty Insider promotions.

Thanks to all of the staff at the Westlake Center Sephora, I never experience anything but a wonderful makeup adventure!

–Melinda

Thanks,
Melinda J. Smith
(via mobile device)

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Thanks,
Melinda J. Smith
(via mobile device)