CiCi

Uncontrollable passion and insatiable sexual desire: red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang and myrrh, surrounded by smoky cinnamon-dusted cacao. In the bottle:subtle patchouli and delicious cacao. On my skin:beautiful red musk (my favorite) light myrrh, cacao, some spice and the patchouli takes a back seat. The notes blend effortlessly together into a very smooth delicious scent. This has everything in it to make it a fabulous oil. It has everything anyone could ask for, musk, spice, the beautiful custard-y note of ylang ylang. It's hard to decide which note is predominate here, the patchouli or the cacao. They are so intricately intertwined that they keep swirling around until they meld together. This is really an outstanding blend that if you like even one note in here, you must give it a try!

Linen, tobacco flower, white sandalwood, and dragon's blood resin. I love Beth's dragon blood blends and that's one of the reasons why I was so interested in this and purchased it unsniffed. For those of you who like dragon's blood-you will be happy, for those of you who don't-you will be happy too. This is dragon's blood resin which is much, much lighter and very wearable. It is almost an ambery, musky scent and when combined with the sandalwood gives off a remarkably gorgeous woody note. The linen and floral are light on me but do combine to tone down the dragon's blood. This is heavier than some of the other Lupercalia's I have reviewed this year but still with trying. Not at all too heavy or cloying.

Out of the mid-wood's twilight Into the meadow's dawn, Ivory limbed and brown-eyed, Flashes my Faun! He skips through the copses singing, And his shadow dances along, And I know not which I should follow, Shadow or song! O Hunter, snare me his shadow! O Nightingale, catch me his strain! Else moonstruck with music and madness I track him in vain! - Oscar Wilde A wild, passion-inflamed skin musk with black pine pitch, brown leather, black clove, copal, white sage, oakmoss, patchouli, and saffron. In The Forest is a deep, dark, resinous, mysterious scent. It borders on the extremely masculine side. My first reaction was that the pine pitch was over powering. Next was that the brown leather smelled like new shoe leather. Strong and gaining power even when the sage and oakmoss make their very meek appearance. The patchouli and clove only adds more strength and spice to this already potent mix. All in all, this is just too masculine for me. I love all the notes but I am afraid that this combination will only get stronger with age. I will pass this one to my son who will no doubt love it.

Polished ebony, ho wood, apricot peel, patchouli-infused vanilla husk, Lebanese cedar, and vetiver. I love all the notes in this so bought a bottle unsniffed. I particularly love apricot and was hoping that since it was the peel, it would really stand out. When I opened the bottle, I was blasted with was PATCHOULI. All of you patchouli lovers can rejoice and just buy multiple bottles right away-you will be happy. Everyone else that is hoping that this is a subtle patchouli, no such luck here! This is a very heavy scent with strong woody notes, strong patchouli, no apricot anything including no sweetness, no vanilla that I can detect, and a trace of vetiver. Don't get me wrong, I am a lover of patchouli so I will keep this bottle, but I will not slather this, little goes a long way.

Blood red lilies, white frankincense, black pepper, and tuberose. In the bottle: creamy lilies and a bit of pepper with an afterthought of the tuberose. On my skin the first scent is the light resiny goodness of the frankincense and the subdued red lilies mixed with the tuberose. These two flowers are paired well with each other. They are both, on their own, a strong scent but brought together they meld well. This is not a strong overpowering scent but a lingering scent that seems to waft on the breeze. The black pepper adds only a touch of needed spice to round out what would be a too floral scent without it. I expected it to be strong and bold but it is a neither a very light scent not cloying scent. It is more a scent that leaves someone asking for another whiff of you.

Wormwood essence, light mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, and the barest hint of lemon embraced by white chocolate. I almost didn't purchase this because of the mint, mint doesn't like me at all. But I love wormwood and everything else listed and when it said " light mint", I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. It has the lightest mint, just a touch, both in the bottle and on my skin. It is very refreshing. All the notes listed are very light so after applying I can detect light spice, light anise, very light floral, no lemon at all on me, and hardly any white chocolate. The dry down was pretty much the same but a little bit lighter with just the mint standing out a little more. I do like this scent and think it perfect for hot summer days. I did notice that I sensed a cooling affect (not burning) on my skin where I applied it so it would be perfect when it hits the 90 degree mark or higher.

Caraway is an herb whose usage as a culinary spice, a digestive aid, and ritual herb traces back to the Stone Age. In modern aromatherapy, it is used to banish mental fatigue, relieve emotional strain, and soothe frazzled nerves. Caraway inflames love and preserves fidelity, protects valuables from theft, and is used in gris gris bags to safeguard children. In the bottle this is very herbal and smells sharp and almost like dill. I have preserved my own pickles before and this reminds me somewhat of the juice or brine of that but not quite as strong. Upon dry down I can detect a light floral, perhaps white, but the sharpness still seems to want to take over and drown out everything. After half an hour or so there is a light spice or peppery vibe that I can detect and warms up the herbal base. This isn't a bottle I would reach for on an everyday use but it is interesting. The description says it helps with mental fatigue and emotional strain so I might try this in a tea lamp instead during bath time.

Yew berry infused honey. In the bottle this smells very bitter, but once I applied it on my skin it really changed into something beautiful. I get a little bit of evergreen (not much) and a touch of sweetness and a spiciness that I love in my oils. It does constantly change over time and mellows and I do find myself sniffing my arm time and time again. The honey/sweetness and evergreen fades completely on me and I am left with a simple light, gorgeous spicy scent. LOVE

Himalayan cedar, rum absolute, bay leaf, teakwood, orange peel, wooly thyme, and tobacco absolute. The opening on Kagema is stunning and everything I had hoped for: deep wood notes from the teakwood, and the gorgeous scent of tobacco absolute. There is also a very faint underlying spicy note that I find extremely appealing. The Himalayan cedar is thankfully light and not overpowering since that note alone would have killed this for me. I amp cedar above all other notes. The scrumptious rum absolute swirls around to mix together with the orange peel and doesn't disappoint to conjure up romantic visions of naked bodies and sweaty nights. This is a wonderfully deep, dark, sexy scent that will age spectacularly. A must try for all.

It's funny what different body chemistry does to perfume oils. I applied this today for the first time and thought how absolutely lovely it was. This is probably the creamiest and most authentic coconut I have ever worn. It isn't plastic smelling or nauseating to me at all. After 30 minutes or so a little of the lemongrass becomes apparent for just a brief moment and then disappears completely. The creamy coconut then reappears with light vanilla orchid and maybe a touch of mimosa fizziness. I did not detect any anise at all. All in all, my favorite Shuna so far this year!

I was a little worried about the mint but loved all the other notes so purchased this unsniffed and am so glad I did. I love Beth's wood note blends and this is no exception. No one single note jumps out, they work together amazingly well and I get a smooth, light, woody, sweet scent with a slight spicy undertone. I think this can be worn any season.

Wet on the skin: lush, sweet, apricots. Dry: still sweet but a little apricot and cayenne are starting to come through. I was excited to try this and purchased this unsniffed. All three ingredients are favorites for me and if apricot is in one of Beth' s creations, I will buy it. This really a very light, soft, blend and can be worn anytime or place. The longer I wore it, the more defined the different scents became but at the same time blending together beautifully. Personally, I would have liked it to be a touch more spicy, but that's just me. Lasts hours!

I was worried that this would be too chocolatety but it is really is not too sweet or chocolatety. I was excited to try this because of the wormwood which I like. I am not disappointed in this at all. It is not overpoweringly chocolate, it is light and subdued, with a light woody aroma, and even a slight tart from the lemon verbena. Add a sprinkle of sweet at the end and you have a well rounded scent for use day or night. A very pleasant surprise!

This was the first bottle that jumped into my cart, all the notes in it seemed to be calling out my name. Smelling the bottle I get a very sharp greenish garden odor that is more like the geranium stem than the flower. Not quite what I was expecting at all. After applying though that green calms down and the red musk and the patchouli come out along with the cedar note that always changes everything on my skin. I was hoping that it would be more of a minor player here but even after an hour the cedar is more of a dominate note on me. This is also slightly spicy and I think that this is one that will really age well. For now I think that it is one bottle that I will put to the back of the closet and see if perhaps some aging and time will be more to my liking.

I just tried this today and it is really amazing. The caramel and tobacco blend together so flawlessly and smoothly and it reminds me of my childhood sitting around watching TV while my dad smoked his pipe. It is not overpowering or heavy, but light and deliciously fragrant with only a slight touch of vanilla making this a perfect scent for me. This is going to age beautifully and I am so glad that I purchased two bottles!

I have had my bottle a month now and it just keeps getting better and better. The first time I tried it on it was good but not the deep, resinous oil I was expecting. I knew from Beth' s description at it would only get better with age, plus it was right out of the box. I tried it about a week later and it was a deeper, richer, more developed oil than the week before. It was sweeter and smoother. Now a good month later, I love it. It lasts all day, it is deep and spicy and everything I had hoped it would be. It really warms up as I wear it and I have gotten compliments every time I have worn it. It is just hauntingly beautiful and will age wonderfully.

On first applying I get rum and vanilla, heavy on the rum. After a few hours, I still can smell the vanilla very faintly and the yummy rum which I like but was hoping was stronger. I think this is going to age nicely and in a few months is going to be very gorgeous! The rum and vanilla combo will really warm up and mix together and be beautiful- can't wait!

I was very pleasantly surprised when I first smelled this in the bottle. It is not not foodie to me but has a lovely sweet ginger spice scent. I am a big fan of ginger scents in general and this is soft and very wearable. The honey note combined with the ginger and spices make this very crisp and compelling and leaves me wanting more. It stops short of being powdery and the scent lingers for hours. It is very enticing and I am happy I purchased a bottle of this without testing it first.

I really wanted to love this but unfortunately all I got from this is heavy floral and mostly rose. I do amp rose so if there is any rosé at all in a blend, my chemistry will find it. I had to wash this off immediately.

Άξιον εστίν ως αληθώς μακαρίζειν σε την Θεοτόκον, την αειμακάριστον και παναμώμητον και μητέρα του Θεού ημών. Την τιμιωτέραν των Χερουβείμ και ενδοξοτέραν ασυγκρίτως των Σεραφείμ την αδιαφθόρως Θεόν Λόγον τεκούσαν, την όντως Θεοτόκον, Σε μεγαλύνομεν. It is truly meet and right to bless you, O Theotokos, Ever-blessed and most-pure mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim, And beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, Who without corruption gave birth to God the Word, True Theotokos: we magnify you. Calla lily, Egyptian amber, frankincense, chrysanthemum, daphne, and red roses. When I received this is the mail, my first thought was, "What was I thinking?" I didn't like the smell AT ALL! I am happy to say that I am glad that I let it sit for two days and recover from traveling. I purchased it for several reasons. First, my Grandfather had a beautiful garden and had several different colors of Calla Lilies, and I remember going to his house and 'helping' him with them. Secondly, I have a tattoo of three Calla Lilies on my forearm (one for each of my children). Thirdly, I love each of the components listed so it was a 'must buy' for me. The opening is beautiful with the calla lily actually behaving itself. Sometimes calla lily can be really strong, like stems that have sit in water too long. But this is beguiling with the chrysanthemum and and Egyptian amber wafting softly together. The frankincense is extremely light, barely noticeable and the rose is a light red rose. I amp rose and tend to stay away from them but in this blend it is wearable. Daphne is more of a shrub plant and I do notice a light green note mixed in. All in all, I am happy with Theotokos and am glad I went with it unsniffed.

Fig, pink grapefruit, Egyptian white musk, ambergris accord, muguet, ylang ylang, Hawaiian white ginger, jonquil, and khus. My first thought when I first applied and smelled this on my wrist was how light and fresh it was. It opens up with light citrus followed up with skin musk and light floral. It is fresh and tangy, perhaps the ginger is lending it the lightness it needs here. It seems like there are many ingredients listed so it would be a heavy scent, but it isn't. There is a juicy sweetness from the fig but there is not heavy here, just the presence of it. The spiciness is minimal with the ginger giving it the initial burst of mild peppery sweetness and then becoming mild and light, but not overly sweet. Drydown is gingery and golden pale spice but very light in an understated way. It is so perfect for Spring and Summer.

Strings in the earth and air Make music sweet; Strings by the river where The willows meet. There's music along the river For Love wanders there, Pale flowers on his mantle, Dark leaves on his hair. All softly playing, With head to the music bent, And fingers straying Upon an instrument. - James Joyce White sage, white musk, honey myrtle, galbanum, lilac, and everlasting flower. In the bottle and when first applied I can smell citrus. This is from the honey myrtle. Is is light, fresh and soft, surrounded by an equally soft ethereal musk. I can smell more sage and musk with the honey myrtle than I can smell lilac (which is normally very fragrant) although it could be my skin chemistry. I have been wearing it for an hour now and it is still as strong as when I first tried it. Everlasting flower (according to wiki) is any number of flowers that can be used in dried bouquets. But again, I smell a fresh, crisp citrus with sweet, warm honey and musk, not powdery in the least. I am not disappointed in the least. I am not big on florals so this is a wonderful addition to my Spring and Summer collection.

Jerusalem cherry infused honey. I was expecting a sweet soft cherry scent with this oil. No cherry, no honey, just straight green viney scent on me. I was really surprised in my research to learn that Jerusalem Cherry is closely related to the cherry tomato and that was after I applied it.! I thought it would morph into a sweet scent like the Yew Oil did, no such luck. When I was younger I spent the summer trying to earn extra money by picking tomatoes from a local rancher. My hands, nails and arms smelled exactly like this for weeks! This is this exact smell of the rich green tomato vines. I don't know if it is because I have bad memories of my picking days that I can't get past because this is the first time I have ever had to wash off an oil. If you are a gardener you will probably love this.

Black tea, mango blossom, wolfberry, oakmoss, and star anise. This opens up wet with strong black tea and little else on me. After half an hour it starts to mellow out and some of the other notes start blending together and making themselves known a little more. Wolfberry is another name for goji berry and adds a little minor spice to this this as does the star anise, but not licorice per se. An Omen of Good Fortune is very light, not cloying at all and the drydown is woody, fresh, slightly sweet and soft.

Today is the first Valentine's Day since I was 17 that I haven't been with my husband. He loved Glowing Vulva on me, so in his memory that is what I am wearing.