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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2010'.
Found 47 results
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Milk chocolate and matcha green tea ganache truffle. I love green tea, both the Lab's and as a cup of tea. I'm not familiar with matcha green tea, but I'm always up for trying something new. This starts off with a lot of the tea and not much chocolate. The tea is a bit sharper than the green tea I'm familiar with (such as in Shanghai or Embalming Fluid) - its stronger and a bit leafy smelling. As it dries, the tea mellows out and becomes a bit citrus-y. Its very nice so far and I'm hoping that once this settles, I'll get more chocolate with the green tea.
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Milk Chocolate, Coconut, Cardamom, Rum, and Ginger Truffle
TheIceMaiden posted a topic in Lupercalia
Milk chocolate, coconut, cardamom, rum, and ginger truffle. This is total yum. The strongest note is the ginger, which is like fresh-ground ginger root. The chocolate, rum, and coconut are there, but are very much in the background until the drydown, when the cardamon comes in. ETA: Now that this has had a week to settle, I re-tested it. Now its almost all cardamon with barely anything else. Such a shame, because the ginger note was amazing. -
Cranberry, thyme, teakwood, mint, cedar, tobacco flower, and red currant. Fresh! Tart red fruits and bright green herbs, with some warm exotic depths. It's absolutely unlike anything else in BPAL and I want to keep sniffing it addictively. The red currant, thyme, mint and cranberry all pop out, roughly in that order but all strongly and yet in harmony. Then comes the tobacco flower, which adds a feminine floral richness - without overpowering, and the teak and lastly and mostly faintly cedar linger warmly below. A fascinating and delicious mishmash. This is sooooo delicious, so refreshing and bright. I'm getting some geranium here, and some sake, and the mint is most definitely spearmint. I get cranberry more strongly than I've ever gotten it in a bpal, in fact on my skin it's almost as strong as the juicy-tart red currant. The sake acts as salt does to food - it brightens and enhances these almost-sparkling notes. The tobacco flower, despite being a heady, rather intense floral in general, stays below these fresh red & green top notes, and the woods too remain distant, though they still add warmth, continuing that interesting juxtaposition of the fresh/bright and warm/dry. Cedar and teak are notes that scare me, but they are behaving beautifully as supporting cast here. There is a very faint cologney soapiness, possibly from the mint (I'm reminded vaguely of Usher), but it's not too soapy - just clean, and another aspect of this very complex and intriguing blend. I am so amazed by how well those bright top notes are holding - they are so persistent, and so utterly addictive - I haven't glued my nose to my wrist like this in ages. Invigorating. The woods have decided to emerge more while the tobacco flower amps a little, and the top notes are losing a bit of their dominance, though they are by no means faint. It's more that the scent is gaining depth and power; oomph. Recall again that I am not generally a fan of either teak or cedar, but they work SO well here - warm, exotic, almost spicy - they add tremendous sophistication to what would otherwise be delicious, but ephemeral and rather simplistic.The mint has faded more than the other top notes, and thyme has held on the best, while both tart red fruits have faded only slightly. Several hours later most of the fruits wear off leaving bright green herbs and rich feminine tobacco flower over warm exotic woods. This scent just blends into itself more and more seamlessly over time; it's totally unique, sort of paradoxical, and yet so incredibly well-blended and wonderfully complex. I love that it's both 'fresh' and sophisticated - scent categories that I find rarely overlap for me. A smashing success far beyond my expectations! Also, great throw and longevity.
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Ambergris accord, water lily, freesia, sea spray, molluscan seashell accord, and driftwood. Very light and fresh - almost foamy sea water, a fresh blue-green-white floral note that I assume is the water lily (it's almost aquatic, very clean and cool), and a little bit of fruity-fresh freesia. This has a much lighter and greener feel than I expected. It's cool, gentle, tranquil. I don't get wood, but this has a faint cologne aspect. Still extremely light on my skin - it's just a very demure sort of scent - and what must be water lily really shines. It's a bit brighter and headier, 'whiter' in feel, but still cool and aquatic with an almost cucumbery, grassy aspect. This scent on the whole reminds me a bit of Anais Anais (which I love), but more delicate and innocent. It's only very barely oceanic - it's definitely aquatic, but it's only lightly salty - this isn't ocean water, it's ocean MIST. A bit of ambergris comes out on my skin, adding some musky depth, and a little more freesia, which is very lightly soapy-clean (in a good way) - still no driftwood. Slow to dry, but becoming more floral and definitively feminine as it does so. I *know* this water lily note from somewhere...I think the Black Swan? The grassy note has amped; this is greener, stemmier, and almost a little spicy, while still being cucumbery-fresh. The freesia has gone a bit more soapy, but still within tolerable limits. While I'm not sure what seashell accord is meant to smell like, there IS a sort of chalky, crushed-stone note that reminds me of the note in Julia Stone, or in Sarah (both scents I love), a sort of smooth stony whiteness. And this still smells a little cologney. This remains subdued, and while for a brief period there's a bit of turbulence as notes emerge and submerge, everything settles down quickly into a beautiful harmonious blend. The almost-troublesome soapiness dissipates as does the nearly-sharp greenness of the water lily, while the smooth white stony note amps, and the ambergris softens into a gentle but rather sexy musk. This is not a scary BAM ambergris note - it's a backup player, not a diva as it was in say, Lilith vs the Giant Crab. If there's wood here, it never emerges on my skin distinctly. My only qualm with this scent - which is more beautiful than I'd hoped, so it's a very minor qualm - is that it's only so very faintly salty. I'd love a really BRISKLY salty scent without a lot of overpowering notes, and I've yet to find such a scent in BPAL. As I said earlier, this is sea mist, not ocean water. It's not a strongly aquatic scent by any means. I'd describe it more as clean, soft, green-white feminine floral and smooth polished stone with a bit of salty musk. Sutble and lovely, but with good throw and excellent longevity. Another winner!
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Red bush tea, vanilla, white peach, golden amber, mandarin, lotus root, and myrrh. I can't believe I am the first to review this. This is just absolutely beautiful. All of the notes blend together to make a soft, slightly fruit scent. The white peach and golden amber blend gently with the red bush tea leaving you with a soft red fruity tea scent. The Lotus root gives this a slight perfumey quality that keeps wafting in and out with the peach and amber. The mandarin is barely there. The myrrh keeps everything in check and as I said before...keeps it soft. Not powdery....just soft at least on my skin. I now see why this is called unveiled. It invokes the image of a woman running a soft, silky scarf across her face. This scent is truly a winner and I am glad to have a bottle.
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White Chocolate, Black Raspberry, and Apricot Cordial Truffle
thekittenkat posted a topic in Lupercalia
White chocolate, black raspberry, and apricot cordial truffle. Another Chocolate Box winner for me. Again, this is pretty much as advertised. However, the white chocolate and the apricot take a back seat to the black raspberry, from first sniff of the bottle to a long-time dry-down. If you wanted to like Berry Moon and didn't care for the musk that was the base note, you might like WC,BP&ACT. Btw, if the cordial was indicating a boozy note, I didn't pick that up, for which I'm grateful. -
Oolong tea, lilac, sheer musk, crushed ginger, wisteria, delphinium, and lavender. it smells like wet, spring flowers, the freesia and musk mixing together to make an almost light honey scent. I can't smell the ginger at all, nor much of the tea. Lilac, wisteria and light musk are def the stars here. Lilac normally hates my skin, but its quite lovely in this blend. Needlework isnt the lovely lavender i had hoped for, but I think it'll get alot of use for those spring days I am feeling girly and wearing a dress.
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KHRYSOPÊLÊX Helmed in Gold Caraway, amber, saffron, bergamot, and neroli. Here's another that I was dubious of trying. Only the neroli is a good note on me under usual circumstances. Amber is a love, but sometimes turns to powder, and bergamot can become sharpish. Now that I've gone over the failings of my skin chemistry, no surprise here, this really didn't work on me. As expected the neroli sweetened the blend up, but the caraway was very very present, with its usual anise-like scent. (One that I don't like nor does it like me.) As this dried down, the amber became powdery. A ote seemingly missing was the bergamot, so that was surprising. I will say that this has a golden quality to it, because of the saffron, but I would not compare it to, say, Gold Phoenix. If the amber and the neroli had been more dominant, this could have been very nice. Anything like a little anise on me goes a long way.
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Olive blossom, cardamom pod, amber, morning star lily, bergamot, and a well-aimed snowball. Wow, I can't believe I'm the first to review. in the bottle: A very light floral fragrance. I get the same gentle floral from Tabella (the olive blossom, I assume) a bit of bergamot, and a faint whiff of snow. wet: VERY much like the bottle scent. Light floral, bergamot and (because I know what I'm looking for) the snow note. The snow is really manifested as an extremely light mint-ish note at the end. It is but a far distant cousin of Snow, Glass, Apples or the various Yule snow scents. dry down: On the dry down, this becomes a more well rounded scent. There is a little powdery-ness, which I assume is the amber. The bergamot backs off a bit. Cardamom pod must be a different smell than cardamom, because I never get a particularly spicy scent from this. The lily is never particularly noticeable for me - I think it's blending in with the bergamot and snow rather than being a brighter stand out like it can be in some scents. verdict?: We shall see. For now, it's a keeper. It's definitely in the same scent family as Aizen-Myoo. If you like that, this scent is probably worth a try. eta: I am liking this more and more. It is different from the other scents in my collection in a good way. It doesn't feel like a duplicate of anything.
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INGANOK JEWELERS Arkham, MA Are you looking for the perfect ring to express your everlasting love? How about an amulet representing your sweetheart's devotion to Zo-Kalar, Hargag Ryonis, Tamash, or Nyarlathotep? Inganok Jewelers carries a vast selection of onyx jewelry, mined in Inganok, designed by the natives of Y'Pawfrm e'din Leng, and crafted by the skilled artisans of Celephaïs! Each piece is as unique as your last psychotic break! Gleaming stone and silver. The scent notes say it all: silvery stone. I am reminded a little bit of Silver Phoenix, Shanghai Tunnel, and The Ghosts of the Arroyo Seco Bridge, and yet none of those are really anything near this. It's a unique blend, indeed, that I like but would only be trotted out for special occasions.
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Apple blossom, champaca, fir needle, cistus, myrrh, Peru balsam, and Tan Xiang. bottle: mostly champaca with a touch of myrrh and a bit of sweet apple blossom. wet: there is a rich, creamy woody/piney note with the champaca now, the apple blossom has vanished though. dry: the apple blossom has resurfaced! this has a rich woody feel with the sweet softness of light flowers. this is a beautiful early spring scent.
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THE ZADOK ALLEN VINYARD Innsmouth, MA Ut Sementem Feceris Ita Metes. Founded by the Esoteric Order of Dagon, and named after the man encased within the foundation of the winery, this fertile bastion of haphazard viticulture has been providing superb wines to the Miskatonic Valley since 1927. The site of the vineyard has been used for hundreds of years as an abattoir, and this environment lends a peculiar and exceptional terroir to all their wines and liquors. Visitors are welcome to observe Fishmen priests engaged in pigeage once a month. Please contact the vineyard for information on this as well as their scheduled wine tasting events. A deep velvety Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of plum, black cherry, rose petals, coffee bean, and smoky oak. Barrel and bottle aged, with a smooth and spicy hit mid-palate. Hints of Dagon's tarry black incense and clotted blood complete this well-rounded, robust indulgence. I've never been first at a review... The Zadok Allen Vineyard was a Luper I new I had to purchase unsniffed because it has three of my favorite things in it- red wine, coffee and black cherries. I had no idea how they would work together as a scent though. In the bottle: Right away, wow, that's wine! Then I get hit with another smell- blood. Wet on skin: Oh, this reminds me a lot of Blood Kiss. I adore Blood Kiss. While it dries I check to see the notes in both, and they share cherries, blood and wine. Drydown: The smoky oak has come out and sat right down next to the cherries. I'm not getting any coffee at all. I think my skin eats coffee anyway. This is a really nice stage of sweet, fruity smokiness. Couple hours later: This has an average throw and right now it's starting to fade. The sweetness stayed, there's a hint of smokiness. The rose finally came out but it behaved well- just light around the edges. I don't really get a true wine smell anymore, but it's like I went to the Gallery Walk night and was around red wine all night and may or may not have spilled/drooled red wine and had to buy a new shirt. Overall: Yes. This is a pretty scent, dark without the cloying. I like that it goes on drunk (fun!) and then sobers up as nice company as an adult scent with depth. I know that the bottles sometimes take a few days after shipping to "calm down," if I notice any change I'll come back and edit. Buy this if you are a Blood Kiss fan, a red wine fan or you love the complex/smoky woods.
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THOUROS Furious Rose otto, lychee, and cistus absolute. First. let me say that this is lovely, from first sniff to dry-down. Cistus, according to the wiki, is also known as rockrose, although it shares that common name with several other flowers. Its leaves produce labdanum, btw. The rose otto is very prominent in the bottle and on my wrist, even hours later. For some reason, I think that this may be the damask rose, which I have smelt before. The lychee fruit adds a touch of sweetness, and is probably, in my case, keeping the rose in check. (I sometimes amp rose.) The rose is soft, maybe like a dusty pink rose. It's not light like a white rose or a tea rose, but it's not the dark rose of The Peacock Queen, but somewhere in-between. (Also added value: no green stems in cold water that I get with Red Rose.) Thouros reminds me a little of The Rose, from the Marchen, but it's lusher and deeper than that rose. This doesn't seem to be a rose newly blooming in a garden, but at its fullness, just before it is cut. And then someone dipped it in sugar syrup so they could feed it to their pony. (Note: there's no aquatic notes here.)
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Dark chocolate, whiskey, and cognac truffle. This is pretty much what you'd expect from the description. Foodie, but with a certain refinement. The dark chocolate is full of rich, deep, velvety cocoa. The whiskey darkens it further, while the cognac offers a higher, ever-so-slightly sweeter note. The booze is very forthright. This is exactly what I wanted
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White sandalwood, rice flower, honey, black pepper, and oakmoss. This was kind of like incense-flavored mochi ice cream on me - largely a sweet, honey-rice affair with just a hint of earthiness. It is quite light, which is fine, but I was hoping for the oakmoss to be a little more prominent, or for the sandalwood to do more than just contribute to the overall sweetness of the blend. In short, I was hoping for a little more body to this blend, so I'll pass it to someone who can better appreciate its lighthearted nature (appropriate to the artwork I suppose)!
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Frankincense, orris root, asuhi, leather, and ginger-infused cream accord. This actually makes me think of a masculine glowing vulva... the cream almost comes across as a very mild coconut, but is at the same time milky. Neither of leather or ginger is over powering... tho together with the cream make up the dominate notes of this scent. It doesn't strike me so much as a 'pretty' scent as a raw animalistic scent. Its soft enough to be worn by a woman, but rugged enough to be worn by a manly man. But like glowing vulva, the scent blends together to a warm coming off the skin glow. I am not sure how self conscious I would be wearing this to class ect... because I don't know how well it would be received as its more along the lines of an true earthy scent, but its perfect for cuddling up with a book.
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THE STEEPLE Aylesbury, MA Specializing in mycological delights and housed in a converted church that was once dedicated to Saint Anthony the Abbot, this charming hideaway sits high atop Zaman's Hill and boasts a lovely view of the abandoned village below. Otherworldly fungus, Provençal herbs, and dark, shadowy woods. In bottle: It does smell like woods, fungus, and herb garden. It’s dark green crushed vegetation and surprisingly perky herbs. Wet: Gentler and a touch chalky on the skin with the fungus rising to more prominence. The scent of crushed vegetation holds it’s own within the new balance. Dry: It’s generally softer as the more volitile bits burn off. It ends up mostly powdery fungus, random herbs , and one sharp ivy note. Not bad, but not as interesting as it was.
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MIAIPHONOS Blood-Stained Clove, anise, mandarin, and cumin. What this reminds me of is a cloved orange. It's a Yule tradition in some places. You basically core little holes into the fresh ripe orange in a spiral path, and then place whole cloves in those cuts. Then you wrap a pretty ribbon around the orange, along the path in-between the cloves, leaving a long loop at the top, and hang it on a hook. Lovely smell throughout the holidays. Seriously, I didn't pick up a lot of cumin or anise when this was wet. In the much later stage of the dry-down, they are more present, as though the cloved orange had been hanging in your kitchen for a while, and was starting to dry out, and had picked up some spices. It's a mild perfume oil, and could make a lovely Yuletide scent, especially in an oil burner. The mandarin orange is the dominant note, but it's not overwhelming as citrus can be sometimes. The clove and orange work together to make a lovely scent.
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THOOS Swift Tangerine, cypress, and white musk. When I first opened the bottle, and took a sniff, the tangerine was the only note present. It's a wonderful note, and I'm always glad to see it in a BPAL oil. It smells just like a freshly unzipped tangerine, only condensed into a little amber bottle. Once applied to the skin, the musk and cypress come out to play from where-ever they were hiding. They keep the citrus in check, so that one doesn't smell just like they just finished eating a tangerine. As this dries down, the fruit note is not so dominant any more; in fact, all three notes blend well together, with the result being greater than the sum of its parts. (I noticed the same fading away and blending of the tangerine note in Lilith vs. the Giant Crab, even though that was a tangerine cream.) Right now, I'm getting a little more cypress out of the blend than anything else. If you liked Lilith vs. the Giant Crab, but wanted something lighter and not so sweet, do give Thoos a try.
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AATOS POLEMOIO Insatiate of War Cedar, black currant, and saffron. I'm so impressed by how many of these Ode to Ares oils are so well blended, and Aatos Polemoio is no exception. It may be seemingly a simple scent with three notes, but it is gorgeous. It's exactly as advertised, with aromatic cedar wood, a rich currant (very much like in one of the Motley trio), and the saffron just rounding the other two notes out. This strikes me as an autumnal scent, just right for when the leaves start their change in colors.
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BROTOLOIGOS Murderous Tobacco, wenge, rose geranium, and myrrh. This one lives up to its subtitle of murderous, well, at least on my somewhat acidic skin. The geranium was quite sharp, as expected, and the wenge (a wood) was rather obvious. I had entertained hopes that the lovely tobacco and myrrh would appear and soothe the other two into some sort of calmness, but it was not to be. I really don't want to think about what happened to the tobacco and the myrrh. If you're into sharp, woody scents, Brotoloigos might be worth trying, though. It's not a fresh green wood note, but very dark.
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KHALKOKORUSTÊS Armed With Bronze Champaca, pear, cedar, black pepper, jasmine, and red sandalwood. I love pear, and I haven't tried many blends with it as a note, so I was anxious to try Khalkokorustes. Mostly what I got out of this was the pear, the cedar (lovely aroma), and the red sandalwood. There was a hint of pepper, and that was what was probably keeping this oil from being too (not the best word, but I can't think of anything better at the moment) sweet (not foodie sweet) and maybe the champaca as well, so that everything seem to be blended beautifully in the bottle, and stayed that way throughout. I did not detect jasmine, so those of you who amp jasmine might try testing this. For me, I think this will be bottle-worthy.
