CiCi

Ü A mélange of balsams, leathers, and raw vanilla designed to evoke images of unearthed secrets and dusty, ancient libraries. The Label is Black with a White border with skeleton heads all around it. It has Mutter Museum at the top and a giant U in the middle. Very Nice. The oil itself is very light with soft leather and very light vanilla. I can smell the balsam which smells faintly of paper but so very lightly that it is almost imagined. I really thought it would be heavy, perhaps have a dusty note in it but it doesn't at all. I guess that's why Beth said in the description that is was designed to evoke images of unearthed secrets and dusty, ancient libraries. Even after an hour it still smells really nice and strong. The leather is still the dominant note and the vanilla is there but very much in the background. At this time I don't smell any balsam note at all, just the deep, comforting notes of leather. This is going to age very well and only get better.

Up the airy mountain Down the rushy glen, We dare n't go a-hunting, For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather. Down along the rocky shore Some make their home, They live on crispy pancakes Of yellow tide-foam; Some in the reeds Of the black mountain-lake, With frogs for their watch-dogs, All night awake. High on the hill-top The old King sits; He is now so old and gray He's nigh lost his wits. With a bridge of white mist Columbkill he crosses, On his stately journeys From Slieveleague to Rosses; Or going up with music, On cold starry nights, To sup with the Queen, Of the gay Northern Lights. They stole little Bridget For seven years long; When she came down again Her friends were all gone. They took her lightly back Between the night and morrow; They thought she was fast asleep, But she was dead with sorrow. They have kept her ever since Deep within the lake, On a bed of flag leaves, Watching till she wake. By the craggy hill-side, Through the mosses bare, They have planted thorn trees For pleasure here and there. Is any man so daring As dig them up in spite? He shall find the thornies set In his bed at night. Up the airy mountain Down the rushy glen, We dare n't go a-hunting, For fear of little men; Wee folk, good folk, Trooping all together; Green jacket, red cap, And white owl's feather. - William Allingham Supping with the Queen of the Fae: apple blossom, white clover, huckleberry wine, dandelion sap, milkweed, primrose, thyme, pink moss, thorny thistles, and opium pod. Wet, this is a very soft scent floral, with a touch of sweet, fragrant apple blossom. It isn't cloying but is is very close to the skin. I like how the light floral mingles gently with the thyme, thistles, and moss. You know it's there but not one scent overpowers and takes over, everything blends perfectly with each other. After wearing it for an hour or so the resiny musk really starts to blend beautifully with the sweetness of all the other components and turns this into a glorious mixture.

The Queen who creates and cultivates all that sustains us on this plane: ripe red pomegranate and bakhoor oudh, honeyed incense, fig and ambrette seed, sandalwood and carnation. The Robes of Pomegranates-I bought this blind, and I’m glad I did. Oude is sometimes iffy on me and I have always wanted to get a Lab pomegranate that I truly love. All the only notes are notes of win. I received my bottle yesterday and let it rest until today. This is really great, and everything I was hoping it would be. The pomegranate is deep and rich and the sandalwood and honey pair very well together but is not too sweet. I do smell the carnation after thirty minutes or so with perhaps some stem too. All around a perfect scent for me!

Nightshade accord-infused summer honey encased in dark chocolate. This is a creamy, soft honey, softly herbal blend with a touch of cocoa. The herbal note fades quickly, and leaves a lovely sweet floral with little wisps of the chocolate swirling around. This is not a complicated scent but it does have lasting power, I can still smell it's unique scent three hours later. For such a soft scent I think that's pretty good. One bottle is enough for me though.

Francois Boucher A burst of apricot silk, blood orange musk, French lavender, and red benzoin chypre in a gilded sledge of amber. This is absolutely gorgeous, very soft and lingering on the skin. The first thing I smelled in the bottle was light apricot, almost like an orange cremecicle. After applying, the apricot and orange musk with the underlying red benzoin,mingle together and I can almost smell vanilla although it isn't listed as an ingredient. After twenty minutes or so, I can finally detect the French Lavender, it is soft and so beguiling and understated. The Amber is there, very refined, elegant and coming in at the end. This is my favorite of the Yules and definitely multiple bottle worthy!

Vanilla orchid, black amber, coffee bean, labdanum, champaca, and oudh. In the bottle: a soft creamy floral followed by a resiny light coffee note-yum. On my skin, I first smell a light creamy, resiny cafe mocha like scent mixed with a woody note. Surprisingly, I get no orchid here at all. I thought that this would be a heavier scent on me but it is predominantly a light creamy, lightly resinous, slightly sweet, scent. When it completely dries down I am left with the essence of the cafe mocha scent with a touch of the vanilla orchid ( more very light vanilla really)finally making an appearance and blending with the woody goodness of a simplistic Oudh. I can't believe that with all of what seems like dark notes, this can be such a light and airy scent on me. Another beautiful scent!

Chinese peach, bergamot, cranberry, red vegetal musk, carnation, white coconut, and Nepalese amber. I purchased this because I wanted a carnation scent. Unfortunately, I can't detect the carnation in here at all. The fruits are all one jumble like a fruit drink, not unpleasant at all, but indistinguishable from each other. The musk and bergamot comes in waves which is nice and the amber finally kicks in after half an hour or so. I don't know what the red vegetal musk is made up of but it works. There is an earthiness to this blend that is warm and pleasant. The drydown is very lovely and there is a soft spiciness that finally appears that is worth waiting for. I believe this is one that will be better with some aging.

Sake and matcha tea with amber incense, golden sandalwood, and yōkan. Straight out of the bottle is a light boozy scent (sake) followed by a sweet amber scent. On my skin, it is beautiful. The sweet light boozy scent fades somewhat but the amber lingers and the lovely sandalwood comes into play and mixes with the yokan, which I found out to be a jellied dessert made out of red bean paste, agar and and sugar. This scent seems almost slightly creamy, and I can almost detect a bit of citrus although no citrus is listed. This is a light, breathtakingly ethereal scent. If you are on the fence about this at all, but it, you won't be disappointed. This is absolutely stunning and I'm thrilled to have it.

The face of all the world is changed, I think, Since first I heard the footsteps of thy soul Move still, oh, still, beside me, as they stole Betwixt me and the dreadful outer brink Of obvious death, where I, who thought to sink, Was caught up into love, and taught the whole Of life in a new rhythm. The cup of dole God gave for baptism, I am fain to drink, And praise its sweetness, Sweet, with thee anear. The names of country, heaven, are changed away For where thou art or shalt be, there or here; And this …this lute and song…loved yesterday, (The singing angels know) are only dear Because thy name moves right in what they say. - Elizabeth Barrett Browning Absinthe accord, opoponax, green cardamom, olibanum, honey, prickly juniper, and rockrose. This scent is gorgeous and has a presence to it. It is a strong scent but it is not heavy at all. I smell a woodiness and sweetness to it that goes well with my skin chemistry. The wood is mild and not overly masculine. I was somewhat leery of this fragrance because of the Absinthe but it only adds to the brightness of this blend and prevents it from being to much of a skin scent. The honey is beautiful, and is not powdery, and adds some golden sweetness. There is a very mild spiciness and the dry down is beautiful and smooth. I didn't expect this to smell as wonderful as it does, especially as there is a floral in here. But this really stands out to me as something really unique that I could wear often.

White sandalwood, Italian bergamot, Siamese benzoin, tobacco flower, and caramelized honey. In the bottle this smells so familiar to me but I just can't place it. It is warm and inviting, tantalizing with an underlying subtle sweetness probably from the caramelized honey. After wearing it I find that it is very light and not as heavy as I expected it to be after smelling it in the bottle. There is a light (very light) spice, some gentle whiff of citrus that is really soft and pretty. The warm sandalwood combined with the other notes makes this a beautiful fragrance that wears almost like a high end perfume. This is light and airy and delightful!

Haitian vetiver, licorice root, wild plum, immortelle, and white sandalwood. Noctule Bat has a strong vetiver vibe first wet in the bottle and wet on the skin, but it fades very quickly. Licorice root and soft florals were next with Sandalwood coming in strong on me. After half an hour the dry down is much different and it is so much lighter and sweeter than the opening. All the scents flow together nicely with the vetiver and sandalwood having equal strength with neither one taking over the other. Everything melds together nicely and I look forward to this blend aging. At first this was a pretty strong scent and I was a little worried that I would smell too masculine but the drydown is gorgeous and I am very glad I purchased this bottle. I love Beth's vetiver scents and much to my happiness, this one is terrific.

A soft raiment of woven sighs: gossamer orris root and silken white magnolia over a sheer dove-grey musk. I purchased this mainly for the musk, I love musk anything. So I wasn't disappointed when I smelled the bottle and it was...musk! On my skin I smell what I believe to be violets-soft, dewy, just budding violets. Then the violets intertwine among the baby soft magnolia and then heavens opened up and skies rain gently down droplets of dove grey musk upon these baby flowers. That's what this scent is like, the gentlest of floral scents. The magnolia and orris root (violets) and musk together are soft, gentle, subtle, delicate, graceful, truly an elegant scent.

Green tea, tobacco absolute, and agarwood. In the bottle this smells very rich and tobacco like. On my skin, it lightens up and it is warm, woody, a bit resinous and earthy. The green tea gives it the lightness and airiness it needs to make this a great Spring and Summer fragrance. The touch of warm tobacco and rich agarwood (Oud) gives it richness and depth. This is a gorgeous scent and will get better with age. I might need a second bottle of this.

When thou art hidden fears throng into my heart: I am as one who has found a treasure of gold Whom the stars watch And the winds threaten And swords wait in the dark. Or can the dream break, Curithir, into the cold dawn? Do not even the angels tremble gazing on us? For only within God's Dún such joy can live. Come let us dream, love, that we sail to the west And in enchanted islands are free of the sun And the cold blind eyes of the years that pass unheeding sorrow. O by the sweetness of love and joy like the piercing of spears I have known the vain life that dies beaten back to the sod, And the moan of all impotent things cries in my heart; For that which can wither the budding trees can wither love. O Curithir hast thou bidden the birds to sing of thee? They have awoken me to the grey sweet skies And the out-breathed light stealing over the stars. There is no bird whose song is not of thy love No laughter of sudden dawn winds whose joy thou art not – O that the world could know thou lovest me, Curithir! - Moireen Fox An hour of love, all-too-fleeting, set against the tumble and crash of the somber seaside: honeysuckle, ivy, white moss, and salty spray. When wet, this is so pretty-soft honeysuckle with really crisp greens, like I just broke a sprig of ivy right off the ground. The green was so sharp and had almost a sweetish sap smell to it. It was quite lovely mixed with the honeysuckle. Imagine being out in your garden early in the morning and picking a bouquet of honeysuckles and greenery for the table. You arrange them in the vase but before you wash up you notice an enticing fragrance-it's coming from you! Unfortunately, my skin ate this one right up and after an hour I couldn't smell anything. I really love this too. Is it worth carrying it around with me and reapplying? You betcha!

Peach blossoms and cherry blossoms with red musk, Oaxacan amber, copal, lilac, and white sandalwood. In the bottle: lovely soft peach and amber, yum. On my skin: soft peach mixed with soft cherry with my favorite red musk. The red musk is not screaming here but rather playing nicely with the peach and cherry blossoms. So far everything is going very well. The amber is also light and so is the copal (resin) and the sandalwood. Only at the very end do I smell lilac at all and that swirls in and out. This reminds me of walking through the tea gardens in San Francisco, a very calming and peaceful blend. Not only would I wear this during the day, I would wear this to bed to help me sleep. It it soft and comforting.

Opium poppy, smoke, and tar with green cognac, brittle white vanilla pod, white sandalwood, and clove bud. If I would have smelled this at WC I may not have tried it at all, the notes smell raw in the bottle. But once I tried it on and let it rest for a half hour it really started to warm to my skin and it really made a difference. The smokey sandalwood is the first note that comes to me tinged with vanilla. I really am enjoying this since I like a little vanilla but not overpowering vanilla. This is perfect so far. Next up is a fleeting whiff of the clove, just enough to let you know that it is there but not enough to take over everything. I can also detect a sweet, light fruity scent, not much, but it's there and I believe that it is from the green cognac. Overall, a nice, lightly sweet, woody scent, that will age well and be appropriate for day time or night time wear.

White frankincense, ho wood, Himalayan cedar, sweet myrrh, beeswax, and bamboo. In the bottle this smells very woody and sweet. I love ho wood scents so this really interested me and I was anxious to try it. I am not disappointed at all. It is warm and sweet on, with the predominate notes being the ho wood, sweet myrrh and beeswax. I amp cedar like crazy so I was a little leery of that note but I am happy to report that it is almost non existent on me. There is a soft, rich, earthy spiciness that makes this one of my favorites of this year Lupers the and I will definitely be getting a second bottle.

This is so so good that my son tried to take my bottle. It is going to age beautifully so I immediately ordered a backup bottle and a bottle for my son. It starts out with a whiff of barely there chocolate and spice with just a beautifully soft tobacco that anyone can wear. The chocolate fades immediately and I get left with a gorgeous lingering spicy tobacco scent. Really, one of my favorite of the SN's.

Rosewood, silk, kōki wood, smoked bamboo, and bone. Shamisen is a beautiful, light scent that can be worn anytime. I was surprised by the shear lightness of the scent. This is a little sweet with just a little bit of spice in it. It took a good half hour to warm up on my skin but when it did, it was really fantastic! I could also detect a very faint touch of smoked woodiness coming through, not overpowering at all just blending in and adding to the overall appeal. Towards the end of the drying down period, the dryness of the bone came out. It rounded out the scent quite nicely. Overall, an exceptional scent that should appeal to everyone. To those who are not aware of it, rosewood is not a rose scent.

Rosewood, beeswax, labdanum absolute, blackened tea leaf, and dark fuzzy musk. Greater Horseshoe Bat starts out very strong which I believe to be the rosewood. On me it smells like freshly cut wood almost like cedar, but not quite. This scent stays for quite some time before it changes and the incensy, resiny, muskiness scent appears. Just be patient and wait for it and it will come. Very nice scent!

White sandalwood, beeswax, clary sage, olibanum, opoponax, violet leaf, and oudh. Wet on my skin, it smells like light clean sandalwood with an underlying floral. It is very uplifting and almost pure smelling. This has a lot of balance because it doesn't veer towards too much wood or too much floral. There is a very light hint of sweetness and almost a very vague creamy base which I suspect is from the beeswax. This doesn't feel too clingy rather it's like a EDT. It wafts hints of something, simple and pretty, every time I move my arm. As it dries down, I notice more of the wood in that it has more depth and softness. Even with these deeper wood notes showing up now, it still remains very fresh in some way, like you could see through it. This is a good anyday scent. I can imagine wearing this during an interview or around a friend who hates scents. Overall, a beautifully optimistic well rounded scent.

South Indian sandalwood, amber-encrusted wood, white grains, massoia bark, and hops. This smells so delicious, almost familiar, foody even. It is the grains and hops that is making it seem foody but not bread like. The sandalwood and amber-encrusted wood blend effortlessly together with the deep massoia bark and turn this into deep, rich, almost sweet scent. It almost smells familiar, but I just can't place it, like honey crackers, or caramel corn. The drydown is not heavy at all, but light sweet sandalwood. This lasts a long time and people who like foody scents will really enjoy it.

Champaca flower gilded with golden amber, Madagascar vanilla, Roman chamomile, and black nutmeg. In the bottle: sweet floral On my skin it changes and the light sweet ambery vanilla is more predominant than the floral was in the bottle. After warming up more, a more fragrant floral comes out, not overpowering by any means, but it's presence is there. This is more of a golden-y vanilla amber scent that's not too sweet or thick. I smell a glint of smokiness perhaps from the nutmeg, it's not spicy, but there is a certain edge to it that makes this a unique scent and very wearable. If you like amber and light vanilla then you will probably love this scent,

BLACKBEAR MOON The bear puts both arms around the tree above her And draws it down as if it were a lover And its chokecherries lips to kiss good-by, Then lets it snap back upright in the sky. Her next step rocks a boulder on the wall (She's making her cross-country in the fall). Her great weight creaks the barbed wire in its staples As she flings over and off down through the maples, Leaving on one wire tooth a lock of hair. Such is the uncaged progress of the bear. The world has room to make a bear feel free; The universe seems cramped to you and me. In February, black bears give birth to their cubs, nurturing and protecting them as the snow melts, the days grow warmer, and winter gives way to spring. Hazelnuts, acorns, black cherries, wild winter berries, and warm black fur dusted by moonlight, honey, and pine needles. I received my bottle of Blackbear Moon yesterday. I love Hazelnut and honey and that is the reason why I was so excited about this blend. When I first applied it all I could smell was the hazelnut but as it dried down (half hour) it morphed into a very soft, dreamy scent. I could not detect any honey at all just a lovely sweetness so if you aren't able to wear honey, I would still give this a try with a decant-it is worth it! I didn't ever detect cherries or pine, perhaps the sweetness I got was the berries? A friend can't wear hazelnut at all and she tried this and after the initial dry down loved it and is going to order a bottle of her own. Even after hours of wear I could still smell the soft, musky smell. Blackbear Moon is deep, rich and will age wonderfully! I wish I had ordered another bottle when I placed my Lupercalia order-it is that good!

My sweetest Lesbia, let us live and love, And though the sager sort our deeds reprove, Let us not weigh them. Heaven’s great lamps do dive Into their west, and straight again revive. But, soon as once set our little light, Then must we sleep one ever-during night. If all would lead their lives in love like me, Then bloody swords and armor should not be; No drum or trumpet peaceful sleeps should move, Unless alarm came from the camp of Love: But fools do live and waste their little light, And seek with pain their ever-during night. When timely death my life and fortune ends, Let not my hearse be vext with mourning friends, But let all lovers rich in triumph come And with sweet pastimes grace my happy tomb: And, Lesbia, close up thou my little light, And crown with love my ever-during night. - Caius Valerius Catullus Osmanthus, hay absolute, ambergris accord, catnip, and Egyptian musk. This is a beautifully soft subtle fragrance that is light and refreshing. It is not heavy or overpowering in the least. Osmanthus is a white flower originally from China and is a traditional symbol of Love and Romance, True Love and Faithfulness. This is a pure fragrance with light musk and a soft woody note ( from the ambergris accord) that floats and swirls and grounds the sweetness of the Osmanthus. On the drydown I do get a little whiff of grassy tones, but it is way in the background on me. It is like that gorgeous smell in a meadow after a soft rain. My Sweet Lesbia is beguiling and one of those scents that people will stop you and ask what you are wearing.