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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2015'.
Found 76 results
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MARS COROTIACUS Mars of the Cavalry A dark leather chypre with white sage and juniper berry. I'm finding I really love the Lab's chypre and fougère blends. This is a perfectly clean, and yet a cool green scent! Imagine a dashing cavalryman wearing this on his days off. I found this to be a perfect conglomeration of what I love in the two fragrances of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Henry Jekyll. Now I visualize these characters crossing over literature; and meeting at the Diogenes Club to talk about puzzling matters (no Hyde or hair to be seen). There is that clean, refined leather note I get in Holmes. Then it goes a bit to the greenery side with the juniper (and possibly bergamot) I get in Jekyll's blend. Unlike Jekyll though it doesn't go powdery or sharp in its dry down, as I think that may occur from the use of cumin or basil there. Luckily, there is no cumin or basil noted here. On application, this lasted pretty consistently for me at work for around 6-7 hours (though longer in a scent locket).
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ALMA VENUS Mother Venus Amber-infused blood orange with Italian neroli, ambergris, orange flower absolute, French beeswax, tuberose, Himalayan cedar, and honey. In The Bottle: The blood orange, sweetly tart, comes out first, proving itself to be everything I hoped for. Hot on the tail of that comes equal measures of neroli and beeswax. *Fingers crossed* This might be perfection. Wet On Skin: The beeswax is coming to the fore and now the orange has mellowed considerably. I don't detect the neroli at this stage, but tuberose has entered the picture and it mixing well with the wax. Dry Down: The neroli has returned, and, with the beeswax, is the dominant note. The tuberose is following close behind and the blood orange is there but is now way in the background. In All: A lovely food-and-floral scent without actually being either. This scent reminds me of descriptions of old Italian perfumes, like from the Renaissance period. Low throw this scent stays close and soft to the skin, almost the way a musk would. It's like an update of a traditional floral water recipe. I'm rather picky about floral, but this one is gentle enough that I could see wearing this on a hot summer night and it being just lovely. ETA: I detect NO cedar, which is usually a death note for me. So if you're worried, don't be!
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MARS LOUCETIUS Mars of the Thunderstorm A white tea chypre with rockrose, white sandalwood, and champaca flower. Partial to the pretty muscular guy, and there's... a very interesting scent here! It's very sharply cologney and masculine initially, although once it hits the skin, it starts to go immediately towards a very nice white tea, kind of like The Unsteady Governess, and then it goes more towards a slightly sweet costus (rockrose), with a little bit of dryness from the sandalwood. The Champaca is subtle but makes this not completely an absolute chypre, it adds a nice unisexuality to this scent. This is a refined tea. With a little bit of resin. Drying down on me the champaca adds a dryness, and once the tea settles, it's a little bit of a gritty (yet light, or white, if that makes sense) scent.
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White apple, benzoin, and oudh. Slightly sweet apple, benzoin makes it much sweeter and the oude dries it out to keep it incensey on my skin this is truly one of the best apple scents I have ever had. This will get a lot of use and I may just need a back up before it goes away.
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White coconut, thick wildflower honey, and threads of saffron. this starts off with something a bit rubbery and sweet smelling, then out comes the coconut and honey. the saffron is sweet bordering on fruity. it smells like a pina colada to me. the honey seems to be just hanging in the background adding richness. this scent is very, very sweet on me, but i tend to amp sweet/fruity notes, so maybe that's why. it takes awhile but after about maybe 45 minutes the sweetness is tempered some and it's getting a little more honeyish, which improves the scent on my skin. it smells very tropical, honestly. not really what i was expecting, but my skin chemistry does strange things sometimes.
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EMBALMING FLUID BONBON Chocolate and embalming fluid: perhaps an acquired taste? This reminds me very much of a Chaos I have, and treasure. Pretty much what it says on the tin--chocolate embalming fluid. The chocolate is rich and fudgey, like a very rich chocolate brownie. Combined with embalming fluid, it reminds me of candied citrus dipped in chocolate. The chocolate is quite strong at first, fading into the background as it dries. Throw is medium to light. Very much a winner in my book, I can't stop huffing my wrists!
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A feral beauty. I saw some requests for reviews of this one, so I will give it a shot. I'm not really familiar with red patchouli, but it seems to be the kind of patch that reminds me that it's in the mint family. Not that it's minty, but it's definitely not "hippy/headshop" patch. Not that I have anything against that sort, I like it. I'm not getting a lot of fig, but I think what I am getting is green fig, not really ripe. OK, overall impression is that it's fizzy somehow. Not quite cola, but similar Effervescent and a little spicy. A little bit earthy and less fizzy after a while. "Feral" is not the first adjective that comes to my mind. I'm liking it. It's not that strong but I have dry hair and there is pretty much no humidity in the atmosphere here right now so no surprise. YMMV.
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Poppy leaves, tobacco leaves, mandrake root, and dried ivy. Always hard to be first....I will do my best since I really don't know what poppy leaves or mandrake really smell like! In decant: Sniffing this....I detect the ivy, which is a little sharp, but not eye watering. There is also that leaf smell. It is pleasant and herbal. In damp hair: At first, I almost got a hint of some floral....it was almost "old lady" smelling (if that makes sense?) but then it softened up quickly (good thing!). It turned into an almost sweet herbal leafy type scent. I do not get any tobacco anything out of this. After a few: It ended up being real nice! Kept the sweetness (maybe the poppy?) and a pleasant herbal-ness to it. I am one to not like green type scents but I really like this one. It surprisingly has a low throw and the scent seems to fade pretty quick, but this is nice for those who might have to work close with people and don't want to offend anyone! Also perfect for Spring/Summer!
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BLOODLUST BONBON Smoked cacao with dragon’s blood resin, red musk, red patchouli and vetiver with a drop of cinnamon. In The Bottle: Smoky vetiver and a little cinnamon. YUM. Wet On Skin: The dragon's blood has just shown up. It's mixing nicely with the smoky aspect, adding a little sweetness to it. The cinnamon has faded off, and has become closer to cassia, like in MB Underbed. Dry Down: This hasn't morphed much from bottle to dry down. The smoke remains, with the dragon's blood contributing well. But I get no cacao at all, no red musk and the cinnamon is only a presence in the most remote capacity. In All: Low throw- I think you'd have to wear quite a bit to get this to move off the skin- and the smoke has the nice aspect of being leathery without actually smelling like leather- a find for a person like me that amps leather notes to sickening levels. It reminds me a bit of Time's Infliction Of Eternity. If you loved that one, give this a try- it won't disappoint.
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Bulgarian rose, dark musk, orange blossoms, white fig, and honey. first i smell leafy greenery and then roses. though maybe that greenery is really orange blossom? I think it is. after it settles down the fig, musk and honey come out more, softening the rose and orange blossom and adding some sweetness, wherein it becomes a figgy rose with a touch of honey. i am really into the honeyed-roses and this one works better for me than honeyed golden musk, rosewater and red sandalwood did, though i feel it could kind of be a cousin scent to that one. it's lighter and less nutty, which i like because i tend to not like nuttiness in a scent unless it's almond. definitely keeping my decant, though a big bottle is not necessary, as i've been going crazy with all the rose atmo. sprays!
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DESIRE BONBON Belgian chocolate with neroli, black patchouli and black musk, gilded by apple, bergamot, blood red rose, teak, and vanilla. Oh man, I get orange chocolate (hi neroli!) with musky black patch, and hints of rose and vanilla. I got a whiff of apple on wet, but that was short lived. This one again puts me in mind o f the Lurid Bonbon. Somehow, all of the elements are oddly discordant to me. It sort of smells like the crime scene for a Valentine's day murder. Strewn chocolates, charred Vday cards, and a woman's perfume all over a bedroom.
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Blackened vanilla, white sandalwood, crushed lavender, and oudh. oh wow, this is so beautiful. it does have a TKO sort of thing going on in the very beginning, which is nice, as TKO is one of my favorites, but the white sandalwood and oudh add this lovely soft musky-woodiness that makes this less sweet and gourmand than TKO. i get lavender, then vanilla, the the oudh, which adds a gorgeous depth, then they sort of blend together, and i swear i am getting something kind of like white musk from this, but maybe that's the white sandalwood, which i have tried in scents, but i admit, am not too great at picking it out. whatever it is, it's heavenly, but very soft. this scent smells very luxurious to me and it is relaxing due to the lavender. the woods/oudh add a sexy depth to this that i really love. i find it to be one of the more subtle room sprays, and it's a very "me" scent so i think this will be getting a lot of everyday use from me. i would love this in a perfume. all in all, i think it's primarily lavender and oudh backed up by white sandalwood with just hint of vanilla.
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LAUDANUM BONBON Nicely narcotic: bittersweet chocolate with nutmeg, sassafras, black poppy and myrrh. So, I am sure I probably smelled the GC of this, but don't remember if I liked it. But here goes with this one.... In imp: I don't smell any chocolate....just a harsh blast of sassafras and a hint of myrrh. On Skin: Pretty much stays the same. Sadly, I get zero chocolate from this. I think the other notes are just too powerful and drowns it out. Dry down: Gets a bit sharp....maybe that is the poppy?? Not sure, but to me, since I get no choco out of this, it is just the GC bottle scent.
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LENUS MARS Mars the Healer Roman chamomile, white musk, and ambergris. Lenus Mars scared me at first. During the wet phase it smelled like herbal cough drops. Not to worry because once this dries down its a really nice balance of all three notes. The Chamomile has such a soothing feel to it and gives the Musk a powdery vibe. Then there is the Ambergris which is present but not too strong. Simple, beautiful, unisex with a medium throw.
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THE ONNAGATA AND THE PILLOW ROLL White musk and Himalayan cedar with bergamot, rose absolute, white patchouli, pink peppercorn, and hay absolute. The cedarwood, oh the cedarwood! It was all i could smell two nights ago, and it is still very heavy. (I think this is a softer handed use of the cedar used in Our Hearts Condemn Us?) Dry, the white patchouli, hay and white musk are starting to peak through. This is beautiful but i want to smell the pink pepper...i am hoping some age will allow it to surface. As of right now, the rose, bergamot and pepper are mia.
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MARS ALATOR Mars the Huntsman Sweet fig and vetiver. This one is interesting for sure, but is definitely more masculine in my opinion and not wearable for me. The vetiver is very pungent and is the first thing I smell. The fig is barely there, and it's having a very strange effect on the vetiver. I am smelling smoke, woods, figgy wine and roasted meat? I know, that sounds very strange, and it may just be my skin chemistry. My verdict is that I'm interested to see how well it plays with others, but because of the strong vetiver and the roasted meat effect, this guy is going to swaps.
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VENUS CALLIPYGE Venus With the Pretty Bottom Iris root, carnation, and grandiflorum jasmine with violet leaf, muguet, and peach blossom. Iris, carnation and jasmine. This smells like powdery iris, spicy carnation, and a whiff of jasmine and violet leaf. This smells like a grand dame of grandmother perfumes. And I mean this in the best way possible. This is Lady Violet Crawley of Downtown Abbey. Unapologetically floral, grand, and you can just feel it rooted in tradition. A force unto herself. The other analogy I have to offer is that this is the floral perfume of a crone. Think of Grandma Hempstock in Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane. Old, female, powerful. If my grandmother was still alive, I'd get her a bottle of this. It would be the type of scent she appreciates wearing for herself.
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Honey and daemonorops draco with rum absolute, tobacco, and vetiver. It is no secret that I adore vetiver in all forms. So when I saw this I knew I had to try it! In the imp it was a big burst of vetiver and honey so it was seeming to be very promising. Wet on the skin the vetiver took center stage and the honey was there as well but it was in the background. To my nose it's smelling like the honey note in O and I like it. When it began to dry the dragon's blood made it's appearances and brought a soft powdery quality to the entire blend and made everything soften, even the harshness of the vetiver. Fully dry it's a sexy blend of vetiver, dragon's blood and a tiny hint of tobacco. I can detect the honey if I inhale deep enough and it's melting into the skin so nicely. I never got any rum which saddens me a little because I would of liked to see how it changed the overall feel of the blend. All in all though I like this and I will enjoy my decant for a night out or when I want to feel just warm and cozy at home.
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Vibrant red and white rose petals, thorny boughs, and gnarled roots. Dried rich rose petals with woody stems and leaves. The rose scent is the focus with the roots and leaves supporting it adding a bit of earthiness. Love this! Average throw/wear length.
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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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Sensual, robust, and silken: voluptuous red rose bursting with lascivious red wine and sultry dragons blood resin. In the bottle this smells almost exactly like the GC Blood Rose...there is more wine here. I will update this review as soon as i can skin test. It smells beautiful so far! ETA: i slathered this all over and, while i love it, my guy hates it. I guess there is no middle ground here! Deliciously wicked roses and wine. Love it.
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Sapphire-blue musk alight with a white fire of chamomile, styrax, iced honey, saffron, and castoreum accord. Starts off smelling a little bit of a sweet, sugary musk, with a small hint of something almost a bit caramelized. This turns out to be somewhat darker around the edges as the castoreum accord brings in a little grittiness. It's overall a sweet, slightly honey scent (!) with only a touch of shadow from the castoreum.
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MINAMOTO NO YORIMASA AND THE LOTUS FLOWER Lotus root, lotus petals, and blue lotus absolute with frankincense, black amber, and blackcurrant. I love me some Lotus so a scent with the first three notes listed as Lotus was a no-brainer. Doesn't really morph from wet to dry but there were a few moments where this scent threatened to go in the direction of Lotus scented soap. Thankfully, it pulled away from going in that direction. So, yes, the star is Lotus. Quiet, serene Lotus with a very, very light dose of Frank and Amber supporting it. Currant is my favorite of the Lab's fruit notes and it's perfect in Minamoto. It lends some fruity sweetness. It's not fruit candy but candy-ish in the sense that I smell the fruit and the candy aspects together. Also, this scent oscillates between powdery and slightly creamy. Light, close to the skin, feminine.
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Orange blossom and vanilla orchid with frankincense, rockrose, golden sandalwood, gilded cedar, and yellow lily. Short review of first impressions: in bottle: orange blossom and cedar on skin: cedar. Maybe a hint of sandalwood and frankincense Dry on skin: cedar, lily, sandalwood and frankincense, orange blossom in that order from strongest to lightest. I love cedar but i think this blend would have been perfect without it...seems to be out of place and needily screaming for attention. :-/ i am hoping it will age out a bit...will do a full after shower moisturizer test tomorrow. :-) ETA: this is beautiful as a moisturizer and about as spring-like as it gets! The cedar is a bit more subdued now...its all about the lily, sandalwood and orange blossom. I layered Black Lily over this two days ago and it was beautiful. Honestly i am surprised there isn't more love!
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Honeyed Golden Musk, Rosewater, and Red Sandalwood Atmosphere Spray
theseagrows posted a topic in Atmosphere
A haze of skin, silk, and taffeta. this is one of those thick and rich honeyed rose scents. it starts off with something kind of nutty. the nuttiness dissipates quickly and then it's deep red rose and as it settles the honey, musk and sandalwood come out. it's one of the more potent atmosphere sprays and a little goes a long way. it gives me a bid of a headache if i spray too much. i really like this one, but am not a fan of that nutty scent in it (not sure what it could be) but luckily it's pretty subtle and does fade. this scent is very warm and romantic, and i think the rose and honey are the dominant notes that tend to last.