LiberAmoris

The Queen of Love smells like a classic BPAL, like Persephone or Spellbound, something unified through the prism of red rose. Red rose is the dominant note on me, closely followed by benzoin. The honey myrtle adds both a honeyed and a honeyed floral note, and the ambrette throws a musky blur over everything. It's a resiny (incensey), red rose, musky, honeyed blend, managing to be sexy, comforting, and nostalgic in equal measures. So glad I picked this up, it definitely telegraphs Venus but also love in so many dimensions.

 

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Dalliances by Candlelight is a satisfyingly simple and affecting blend of white patch, beeswax, and honey. White patchouli smells to me like patchouli stripped back to something nearly translucent, like the idea of patchouli without overt earthiness. It has a nutty edge to it that's pleasant and nearly gourmand on my skin. Blended with the beeswax and honey, it becomes sweeter and more foody, like Platonic caramel. Candle wax, the sweetness of skin, the gentle tang of patchouli—definitely a sexy blend.

I'm loving all the releases with champaca this year. Lovers at the Entrance to a House of Pleasure Spied on by a Kamuro Through the Hanging Curtain gives a mouthy flower like champaca a run for its money by adding another big-personality flower, gardenia. These two heavy-lidded beauts make this a consummate summer floral on my skin, with the oakmoss and tobacco anchoring the base. Vanilla orchid is less prominent but adds a creamy, waxy note that helps to smooth things out. Champaca remains the strongest note after drydown, much to my delight.

Cat Chasing Butterflies is a pretty, musky floral—light as a butterfly. Peach blossom smells sweet (almost like the floral note contains a drop of honey), slightly waxy, and slightly powdery to me. It blends with the amber and musk to make a delightful skin scent. The almond cream is used very lightly here, and I don't know if I'd be able to pick out the almond at all after drydown. Would be a great 'gateway BPAL' for the uninitiated who like florals, and it layers wonderfully with Snake Oil.

Mmmm, L’Intention Fait Valoir les Bagatelles really is like a lavender spin on Earl Grey. I love the Lab's black tea note, which does have a slight anise or licorice edge to it, and it's used nicely here. It's not a strong blend on me, but rather a hazy, gentle tea blend with a plush, resiny base of benzoin.

Fortuna Felix is my favorite of the Fortunas. Probably because I adore the champaca note, which is nicely featured here. The blood orange is juicy and bright, and the champaca and osmanthus make for an incensey white-yellow floral that strikes me as very summery. The tobacco, clove, and vanilla help anchor everything and round it out. I can absolutely see the similarities to Lush's Karma...I love Karma, and this is like a more complex and beautiful version of that scent on me. Definitely makes me feel happy, just as described.

Oh, the orrisssss. Alabaster Vulva is a 'white' blend, with layers of sheerness building to a semi-opaque floral. Narcissus is a quintessential white floral, really tough to describe, but to me smells powdery, papery, green, earthy and gently indolic. Orris butter smells like iris plus roots plus something creamy, almost buttery. The combo is a scent that pulls notes from below the ground and above the ground: stirred soil, a bit of bitter root, the stem, and the flower. White amber and vanilla warm the blend up, and bergamot gives it definition.

 

This would be the perfect perfume for a Hitchcock Blonde, an austere, untouchable floral with a subtly animalic center.

Uff da, this is gorgeous. Blauer Mond 2018 was nice when first uncapped, but then I set it aside for a few months to settle—and now it's stunning. Blue musk and amber are front and center, but the myrrh, opoponax, terebinth, and tobacco make this resiny, incensey, and beautifully muddy in the best way. The oudh is very light on me; I'm not even sure I would guess it was in here if it wasn't listed. Like pine/tobacco incense dipped in Titian blue on the drydown. Love this and only wish I'd been prescient enough to pick up a backup bottle.

 

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Oh my dear gods, Apple Marshmallow HG is even better than I hoped it would be. Poofy, soft, powdered marshmallows collide with tart, ripe apple for a scent that reminds me of autumn and autumn treats. As it mellows in my hair, the apple recedes and takes on a floral characteristic as it falls back—the marshmallow stays pretty true, but the vanilla seems to get stronger. Delicious.

Lilith's HG is definitely reminiscent of TKO, but is even softer and more pillowy, less herbal. I get primarily lavender and vanilla, with the white musk and hops in the background making it a little 'fluffier' and 'chewier' than lavender and vanilla would be on their own. The result is a downy lavender cloud of hair gloss that's comforting and pretty.

Slay is amazing and intense. The black patch, red musk, and tobacco start off as a triad of balanced players, with the oudh, amber, and cacao following closely behind. The oudh is definitely present, but at least on me, stays in check due to the strength and saturation of the other notes. This is not for the faint of heart—there would be no blending into the woodwork with this on. The amber comes forward on the drydown and makes this even more wearable. Musky and sexy. Not an everyday scent for me, but so good!