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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2012'.
Found 57 results
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Deceptively sweet: bourbon vanilla oleoresin and benzoin resinoid. I tested this one out in the shower, and I'm in LOVE! In the bottle, It didn't seem very strong, almost like I could barely smell it. In the shower, I poured a little in my hand to rub in on my skin, and I could smell the sweet rich vanilla! It's not a buttery vanilla, it's a gourmand, grown up vanilla. On my skin, (not sure if this is just my skin chemistry) but there is almost the slightest undertone of sassafrass! It's absolutely DIVINE!
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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.
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L'ESSENCE DE LA PASSION Red musk, carnation, myrrh, and honey. In the Bottle: Myrrh & red musk - with a touch of carnations. On my Skin, Wet: The Myrrh blossoms with a center of red musk. There is also a prominent honey note in this stage...like carnation infused honey. On my Skin, Dry: A very nice balance of red musk & Myrrh. The carnation infused honey adds a touch of flirtyness to this sensual blend Verdict: this is a lovely blend indeed. very well balanced and with just the right amount of youthful girly-ness to an otherwise womanly scent.
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L'ESSENCE DE L'ARDEUR Centifolia rose absolute, tea rose, bourbon vanilla, bittersweet chocolate, champaca resinoid, myrrh, nutmeg, pomegranate, and benzoin. In the bottle: dark chocolate, rich vanilla, rose, and nutmeg are what I smell. Once this hits my skin I pick up the benzoin and champaca and a zingy pomegranate! This is one of those oils where every note listed makes an appearance at some point...it's incredibly rich and heady, but not overwhelming at all. The drydown is primarily pomegranate and nutmeg and myrrh...really nice, although I wish that gorgeous chocolate note had lingered a little more. There's still a little rose floating on top of it all. This is *really* gorgeous and decadent--I'm glad I took a chance on this one.
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Honey, leather, tobacco, and myrrh. This is a nicely balanced mix of all the notes listed. At first I get more honey and leather/tobacco. Then the myrrh comes in and veils it all in spice. Still, after 30 minutes I can pick out the other notes. The tobacco note is well behaved in this, at least on me. I'll have to wear it a few times to see if it's a keeper. I think it might age really well.
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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.
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L'essence du Cœur Libéré des Ténèbres Extrait Sweet vanilla orchid, red sandalwood, and ylang ylang emerging from a dark shroud of fossilized amber, East Indian black patchouli, black pomegranate, guaiac wood, Peru balsam, and oudh. This is my first time testing an extrait. The first spray was a shock because I smelled a blast of alcohol. It burned off after a couple seconds and left the scent of fresh woods, balsam, and ylang ylang. Further drying revealed sweet orchid and fleeting pomegranate. As it dried completely, the sandalwood, amber and patchouli base notes shine through. The end result is a sweet, woody patchouli on my skin. This is exquisite!
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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.
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L'ESSENCE DU CHAGRIN White chypre, French lavender, rose geranium, opopponax, Peru balsam, bois de rose, lime, and vanilla absolute. This is the one of the five that I was least sure about, but the note combination intrigued me enough to take a chance- let's see how it is! In the Bottle: The lavender is of the 19th Century Men's Cologne variety. Very dapper. In the bottle, this is the dominant note. So much so, that I don't smell anything else. Wet On Skin: the Rose Geranium is starting to show itself now. It's interesting- this is shaping up to be *very* floral, but it definitely reads to my nose as masculine. I'm curious to see what shifts happen next! Dry Down: This is *really* interesting. I feel like this scent has two levels going on, neither of which have ANY thing to do with the other. On the top more obvious level, there's the gentlemen's floral- here is where the lavender, geranium, bois de rose and chypre reside. But then there's this *under* current, and it's the rich sweet balsam, vanilla and opopponax live, and that under current creates the experience- I kid you not - of standing in an English garden with the smell of pancakes wafting in from the neighbor's kitchen. In All: Low to moderate throw, too light for the end of winter, but I anticipate it being a nice daytime scent for early to mid spring. I also plan on having my bf wear this scent, as I have a feeling I'll like it more on him than on myself. A nice counter point to the rest of the series.
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All things uncomely and broken, all things worn-out and old, The cry of a child by the roadway, the creak of a lumbering cart, The heavy steps of the ploughman, splashing the wintry mould, Are wronging your image that blossoms a rose in the deeps of my heart. The wrong of unshapely things is a wrong too great to be told; I hunger to build them anew and sit on a green knoll apart, With the earth and the sky and the water, remade, like a casket of gold For my dreams of your image that blossoms a rose in the deeps of my heart. - William Butler Yeats Golden amber, red rose, frankincense, Egyptian musk, galbanum, and immortelle. The Rose in the Deeps of his Heart is the clear winner among the bottles I ordered unsniffed from the Lupers. In the bottle, it's rose, and ... planty--the sort of sharp, dark and vegetal scent that I tend to associate with vetiver, and which almost always turns very unpleasant on me. It must, I think, be the galbanum, green, and bitter. But, oh! In the dry down, the rose comes out. For a bit, it smells predominately rose, a bit like the rose in Rose Red, but lighter. More than anything, it reminds me of rosewater: it's somehow quieter, more unassuming. It settles, eventually, to a a lovely balance of the rose and warm, clean skin--amber, I think, and perhaps the musk. There's something a bit creamy and a touch sweet about it. I've often found that I amp musk, but in this case, it stays a background player, and I have to put my nose to my wrist to really pick up much of it.
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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.
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An exercise is unabashed sensuality: cacao absolute and a hint of oude. Just tested this in the bath! In the bottle, it smells like rich dark chocolate In the bath once diluted a bit, it smells like straight up Brownie Batter! I want to eat it! I also rubbed a bit on my skin before getting out of the bath, and it smells on the skin, like a creamier chocolate...this is SO GOOD. All three bath oils I bought from the lupers were a complete WIN!
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Milk Chocolate with Macadamia Nut, Coconut, Buttom Mushroom, and Marshmallow
Lethran posted a topic in Lupercalia
MILK CHOCOLATE WITH MACADAMIA NUT, COCONUT, BUTTOM MUSHROOM, AND MARSHMALLOW In bottle: Coconut dominant with strong chocolate and marshmallow support. The mushroom is a sharp, strong, slightly acrid, and savory counterpoint to the sweetness. The nuts are understated but pleasant. Wet: More chocolate on the skin. Chocolate dominant with strong coconut and marshmallow support, with the coconut stronger than the marshmallow. The mushroom stays strong and honestly a bit disturbing. The nuts are still soft, but a bit stronger on the skin and supporting the sweeter elements. I’m not sure I like this as the mushrooms are a bit finger nails on chalk board for me, though as the scent wears, they settle down and start playing with the other elements instead of fighting them. Dry: Mostly coconut, with some marshmallow and the mushroom threaded through. The milk chocolate haunts the scent. It really is pretty, but I’d have liked it better without mushroom. -
Deceptively sweet: bourbon vanilla oleoresin and benzoin resinoid. This is a gorgeous bourbon vanilla, with, like the bath oil, has some sort of sarsaparilla, but not wintergreen at all, smell to it - it must be the other notes I am not familiar with in this base. Either way, it's not sickeningly sweet or uber vanilla, but a pleasant almost earthy vanilla (?) Very different and very pretty. Way to go lab.ETA:I hope this can resurface one of these days? It's all gone and I miss it!
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King mandarin, tuberose, white sandalwood, white moss, yerba mate, tangerine, and styrax. I get strong mandarin and tuberose from this. It's very reminiscent of Night Gaunt, but the citrus definitely has that mandarin "edge," which reads to my nose like a hint of lime. It's greener and sharper than the citrus in Night Gaunt, and it lasts longer. Unlike so many ephemeral citrus blends, this does seem to hold on to that tang for an hour or more, with the tuberose coming forward and holding down the fort. Usually I amp wood like crazy, but I can't detect any sandalwood in this. I think I get a hint of the resinous styrax (benzoin), and the moss supports that green edge to the mandarin. This is very pretty, and could be a good option if you like citrus and want it to stick around a bit, as long as you like tuberose too. Sadly for me, something in it gives me a sore throat, so I think I'm going to have to give this one up, and live with re-applying my Night Gaunt and Phantasm.
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L'EAU DE L'ENGOUEMENT Pink strawberries, sugar cane, and candy floss. This smelled very high end the moment it hit the tub - I've never smelled Jo Malone bath oils, but I know they are pricey, and if you put this in a Jo Malone bottle, I'd believe it was theirs, just from what I have read about them. This is just....luxurious. It's sweet strawberry candy scent with an expensive underlying perfume essence to it, and best of all, it lingers on the skin, which many softer scents don't do on me. This is not a generic cotton candy smell or synthetic strawberry - this is upscale, baby. Love! ETA: I have almost used this all up. I have never used up a whole bottle of bath oil, or even made a dent in one like I did with this. Off to DISOs I go! Love this bath oil!!!!!!!!!! I have been mixing it with Moonalisa's Snow Ice bath brew and it's an awesome cocktail.
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L'EAU DE L'ARDEUR French vanilla, tea rose, champaca flower, and white chocolate. Got this today! and OH. MY. GOD is this gorgeous. This smells exactly like how I imagined (hoped) it would smell! In the bottle, it smells like creamy white chocolate covered roses...I almost wanted to eat it! as it diluted in the bath, this still smelled creamy, and like roses, but not overbearing roses...gentle, very subtle roses. and every now and again, a whiff of creamy white chocolate. The image this evokes in my mind is soaking in a large Victorian bathroom, with cherub statues all around - it truly is the essence of Love! I think I need a gallon of this!!!
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Egyptian musk, Ceylon cinnamon, cassia, and bourbon vanilla. I hadn't bought an atmo spray in a while so I figured I was due one. This smells great! The cinnamon is of the foody/bake style variety to my nose, not candle store smelling, it's strong but good, and I am not the biggest cinnamon fan. Spraying this makes me think of snickerdoodle cookies. In fact I am dying for one now. The musk is very behind the scenes in this, for those who may be wondering, at least in my bottle.
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Dark Chocolate with Sun-Dried Tomato, Pink Peppercorn, Thyme and Comfrey
Lethran posted a topic in Lupercalia
DARK CHOCOLATE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO, PINK PEPPERCORN, THYME, AND COMFREY In bottle: Sweet dark chocolate dominant. Comfrey turns out to go beautifully with chocolate. The sun dried tomato gives a soft, unexpected tang to the chocolate. The pepper gives it a hint of edge. Thyme is extremely understated. Really, this seems to be about giving more support and complexity to the chocolate than showing off the other notes. Wet: The comfrey is stronger on the skin, almost coequal with the rich dark chocolate. It’s a lovely effect. The peppercorn and thyme separate out a little, but play well with the dominant scents. The thyme brings a little more of the tomato out as it emerges, making it a touch more savory on the skin than in the bottle. The result is quite lovely and unusual. I love the way the sweet and savory work together, and can only marvel at the cleverness of the brain who thought to combine these scents, not usually associated. Dry: The dark chocolate fades to a ghost haunting the comfrey. The thyme fades back to just present, and I can’t find the tomato at all. Comfrey turns out to make a nice enough scent by itself, but this is not as exciting as it was wet. -
L'EAU DU CHAGRIN French Lavender, rose geranium, white rose, vanilla orchid, benzoin, and carrot seed. You know... I never keep a bath oil when I order inquisitions....but with this stuff this I think I will be making an exception. Lavender and rose geranium are the two strongest notes. The vanilla orchid barely makes an appearance but it does briefly waft in and out. This is so relaxing and calming. I think I will keep this and use this as a sleep aid b/c the lavender and geranium smell completely amazing. It's also soft without being harsh and intrusive. This truly is an amazing scent.
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L'EAU DE LA PASSION Carnation, orange blossom honey, myrrh, and neroli. Huh. I expected this to be a honeyed carnation with myrrh, but it's like a really dirty-beeswaxy & sour floral. I'm not really used to neroli, so maybe that's what's going wrong here? I keep smelling it and I want to like it, but I can't. Something is just really not working on my skin at all and I'm thinking it's the neroli and I hate to give bad reviews but this is making me nauseated. Sorry. eta...I tried layering it with the perfume oil like OctoberGwen did, and it's slightly better. I noticed the funky flower kept fighting to get out still...
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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.
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Rum, frankincense, leather accord, bourbon vanilla, champaca flower, and ambrette seed. This is an interesting scent. In the bottle, and first on the skin, I would have sworn that this had some manner of white floral in it, reminiscent of magnolia or gardenia or something. Those are florals that don't generally work on my skin, and I was a bit apprehensive. Perhaps this is what champaca flower smells like? I sort of imagined something a bit...grittier, I suppose. After an hour or two, however, it settles into a musky sort of scent--a hint of the vanilla, a hint, still, of the floral, and the leather and frankincense. It's soft, and a bit sexy, but with a bit of sweetness from that floral still hovering around. Now, hours after first application, it has settled into something more of a second-skin sort of scent; I can barely detect it when I put my nose to my wrist, though it had a fair bit of throw earlier, so that I caught whiffs of it from my wrist as the afternoon went on. In the end...I like this, the dry-down is lovely. But the initial hit of floral scent in the wet phase might be a bit much for me, I fear.
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DARK CHOCOLATE WITH TULSI, TUMERIC, AND WHITE GINGER In bottle: The dominant dark chocolate note works beautifully with the ginger and tumeric. Tumeric is a fairly gentle scent on it’s own, and here it works as a support and to aid blending just as the spice does in cooking. Tulsi is a strong counterpoint to the chocolate, giving a savory touch to a sweet blend. Wet: The basil scent of the tulsi really comes out on the skin, strong, fresh, green, delicious. It’s still chocolate dominant, but the tulsi is almost as strong as the ginger, assertive and unusual. I’m loving the way the sweet and savory blend and the creativity it took to even think of this combination blows me away. Dry: Mostly ginger and tulsi, with the chocolate and tumeric haunting it. I’d call the ginger dominent. It turns out ginger and tulsi is lovely. Who knew?
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Kudzu vine, raw honey, ginger cream, and gingergrass. At first, Entangled is all sharp kudzu with the occasional hint of sweetness that I assume is the honey. After a few minutes, the spicy ginger comes through and neutralizes the kudzu a bit. It dries down into a very fresh, cool scent, with very little of the initial greenness. I don't get much more of the honey, but think it's there as a subtle grounding note. At first I didn't care for it, but I can't seem to stop sniffing my wrist now. The longer I have Entangled on, the more I like it. I'd like to see how it smells on my boyfriend as well.
