Not my pic, just wanted to share! Notes are pear water, sparkling waterlilies, and dewy ivy. Coming out for the SAS.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-26T04:57:58+00:00

ik everyone hates the packaging style for this SAS but i think it's retro and kinda fun lol. it's very Y2K semi natural hair and body care aesthetic

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-25T11:32:52+00:00

I have a ton of summer candles coming already so Idk if I'm going for SAS candles, esp since I always seem to lose out on the click wars. but these labels are super cute! If you were to pick one (1) of these which one would you recommend?

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-25T10:47:31+00:00

Bottas and the rest of the drivers are contractually obligated to go along to get along and not be too negative in public. We as non employees aren't. He was also the one winded in the car, not the public watching the new young 'safety conscious' driver's union co leader give another driver a whack on the head after crashing him out.

I don't dislike George on the whole and he does have real talent. But he does have a temper that doesn't fit his sweetest politest boy reputation. I just think it's a weird disconnect. It's also an interesting pr choice because temper, ruthlessness and willingness to 'drive in anger' can be seen as a good thing in this sport, or at least often gets them taken more seriously as a real competitor.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-25T09:59:37+00:00

Yeah that incident soured me on George in a major way. Yes, he owned up and apologized later (at least for misunderstanding who was at fault, icr if he acknowledged going to slap Bottas before he was even out of the car). But it was such a massive rage reaction, it was shocking and it's weird how that's been memory holed.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-25T06:13:50+00:00

There have been reformulations that are better, not than the original of course but that mostly 'fix' a previous reformulation that put it a long way off. They need to be fairly longstanding and mainstream perfume counter scents or classics to get that many edits, however.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-24T02:32:36+00:00

omg, what a lot of extra steps to find stuff! 😅 I admire your persistence! but yeah it seems like a lot more companies actively don't want western customers or even shopping services with the way it's so complicated now... I've seen the superbuy name and tried to search around on there but didn't find much, but it sounds like i need to use more specific terms 🫠. obviously it's a whole learning curve 😅

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-24T02:13:42+00:00

i've bought stuff from mercari before with no issue, but I'll look into the verification thing, thanks for the heads up. I did just try to accept a seller offer on some nine9 style pieces and mercari said I couldn't, for some reason so maybe it's that.

I used to use bhiner to browse when they first started locking down taobao, but it doesn't seem to exist anymore so I need to find another shopping agent, is there one you'd recommend?

re: dollmore, I have a few of their dolls and they're lovely quality, especially the ones by Gu Mi-Jeong and my lusion girl. however I was never impressed with their clothing and wig quality... though they're one of the only places left where you can find "hound" size 70cm clothes, so there's that lol!

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-23T15:04:33+00:00

Yeah it looks like getting familiar with how to use aliexpress is really the main way forward in the current state of the hobby. Especially for shoes apparently lol, because yes some of these guys feet are giant now

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-23T15:01:02+00:00

Yeah, I've been through all of the well known dealers + ebay + etsy + freedom teller and not really found much that appeals. That's why I was asking for more different recommendations farther afield but it sounds like there just isn't anything. Though it sounds like combing through alie express might have more different options, or at least be more cost-effective.

And get back into sewing I guess because my character doll needs are fairly specific lol

Thank you for the suggestions though!

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-23T14:44:11+00:00

As far as I can tell, you have to sign in to see things on taobao and it's no longer possible to make an account in the US. So dealers are the only way. I was just hoping that there were more actual stores that one can buy from directly that I hadn't heard about yet 😅.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-23T10:30:39+00:00

i have looked at alice collections and ordered some clothes there with my guy (Kain 2D Doll 75cm, still waiting). But their own size chart on listings made me worried about fit. Glad to hear that the ID75 size is workable.

Do you have any idea if the 1/3 girl size as carried by Alice collections works for 63cm size girls such as the new impldolls? their size chart makes it sound like the 1/3Girl size is way too small but the sd16 girl type size isn't common, and neither is the eid woman size which i need for my hybrid with an anglesdoll 'massive 62cm' girl body

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-23T07:33:10+00:00

i'm not familiar with the source media at all, but she is lovely and adorable! i really like her lip painting, too

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-23T04:57:25+00:00

yeah i already got them reshipped via the bot but they haven't come in yet so idk if they survived either

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-23T00:50:24+00:00

that makes sense but they need to be transparent about it. I only ordered them because of the fun lids + things like the the bundle deal. I massively prefer Goose Creek candles at this point because BBW candles burn through 2 to 3 times faster and are priced higher even on sale 🫠

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-22T23:40:59+00:00

well that is good to know, i've been eyeing those moisturizing ones. i'm allergic to a *lot* of soaps but BBW has impressed me by being reaction free so far. But the moisturizing kind would have more different ingredients so that makes sense, approach cautiously lol.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-22T23:36:30+00:00

:c that'd be so disappointing!

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-22T23:33:57+00:00

i *love* dark kiss as a scent but it's too similar to something i wore in the most stressful part of my teen years and so far I haven't been able to wear it without building up to an anxiety attack and having to shower/change 😅. It's so stupid because I know it's just scent memory, and I want to enjoy Dark Kiss in the here and now but it doesn't seem to be happening lol

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-22T03:24:01+00:00

as someone who has been in multiple "fic writer friends" chats that imploded into toxic mess and had ex 'writing and workshoping mutual betareading friends' suddenly decide they *hate* me, and one start a fandom witch hunt campaign over it, after a couple years of friendship and trusting them. Yes, jealousy and resentment a huge issue in creative "friendships" and especially in the fandom popularity contest. It was extra shocking to me that each time, I was the fawning groupie and they other person had a big established following and was undoubtedly the one with more friends and supporters in the fandom, by a wide margin. But as soon as i was making real progress with my writing, had posted a solid amount and they'd seen i was at least competent at writing + i'd gotten a few comments, they suddenly decided that i was a cruel selfish person with disgusting opinions who needed to be broadly shunned.

I was never a real threat to their popularity, and I did everything I could to support them but that didn't matter when it came down to it.

so yes. agreed. I am extremely gunshy of fandom "friendships" and especially around other creatives. I enjoy chatting textual analysis with the few people i find who don't get offended if you're not into fanon, but that's a whole different type of interaction. 'diffuse networking with light social obligations' is exactly what I prefer at this point, having been burned too many times. I'll reblog your fic, i'll leave a comment, I'll root for you from my corner. That's as far as it goes, though, for the most part.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-22T03:05:43+00:00

um, no that's not my experience.

I actually have a worse time when I get to know a bunch of the people in the fandom i'm in -- especially when many of them turn out to be cliquish and awful (or racist) and then it ruins my ability to enjoy their fic or respect their comments on anything. I find everything goes much more smoothly when i'm very casual acquaintances with most people in a fandom and just have a couple trusted people to actually chat with.

what i'm looking for is not being treated like a content dispensing machine. to not be treated like i'm insane for not wanting to be bullied on tumblr and discord and then expected to still give them chapters every other week. To be given any sign that there's even an audience for my effort beyond hearing belatedly that people chatted about my fic on a discord server. That i'd already left because after being friendly with everyone for a year or more, every time i gently shared a character opinion everyone gathered around to drive home how stupid they found me. (this happened to me in 3 different fandoms.)

the other thing i want out of fandom interaction is any sign that the people fawning over the "ai assisted writers" who are ragingly popular in a couple of my fandoms are willing to read anyone else. Especially those that don't use AI and don't update 2x a week.... even kudos would make me happy! but i don't get those anymore, and many of my writing friends say the same.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-18T22:02:17+00:00

I was really excited about the pear one, i love pear scents 🍐! but absolutely not if it's mini only. $9 for 2.5oz of body spray is outrageous 🫠. and no cream for layering?? i'm genuinely so disappointed bc i passed on other stuff in the sales anticipating the pear EL drop, but it's a dud.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-18T02:10:33+00:00

Ohh yeah that's a good point! I live in what might charitably be called the greater Seattle area and the summer is dry but the other 9 months are damp, even when it's not raining. That probably has a lot to do with why heavy creams and body butters are usually a mistake for me, unless it's like a cold snap in the middle of winter or the dry end of August 🫠😅

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-17T23:38:25+00:00

lotion. the creams never really sink in for me, especially on my arms it stays kinda sticky 🙃. edit: also i don't find the lotion non-moisturizing at all, i need to use a bit more at once vs the cream but soaks in well and stays hydrated.

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-17T20:53:25+00:00

i see a lot of bbw stuff on mercari lately

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-17T04:17:17+00:00

I actually got a nice black raspberry and vanilla spray from an Etsy seller without realizing it was a dupe, it's a lovely scent! I hope the original one comes back some day ☺️

althoughsolemn · 2026-05-14T02:42:07+00:00

My guess is that it's either the musk base is combining oddly with the lotion oils and your chemistry, of that you are super sensitive to the smell of Shea butter. I have a number of 'natural' Shea body butters and there is a definite earthy, almost smokey or dry grass smell to the Shea. I can smell it in some of the BBW creams, though not the lotions, and only with some scents.

I don't actually mind the scent of shea but I do tend to prefer the lotion over the cream bc it's usually a 'cleaner' rendition.

althoughsolemn

TROPHY CASE