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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2018'.
Found 97 results
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Soft auburn musk, clove bud, honeyed patchouli, oakmoss absolute, cashmere labdanum, cedar, and mimosa blossom. In the Bottle: Musk, cedar and honey. Smells sweet and rich On the Skin: Not as sweet on the skin. The musk is warm and I get the auburn aspect as it's not dark and not white. The honey and patchouli simmer along but gain some strength On the Drydown: Gorgeous, light honey, musk and the characteristic patchouli scent. The clove makes its presence known but doesn't take over, just adding a smoky spiciness. The mimosa isn't evident. Nice but fleeting on my skin
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Results not guaranteed. Ginseng root, crushed ginger, damiana essence, cubeb berries, and horny goat weed accord. in the bottle: tart WTF is THAT green cut root. On application: Ginger? Ginseng root? Definitely a woody, freshly-cut root scent, sharp and somewhat unpleasant. The finish is much better, as something more citrussy, like ginger root — and it's clearly the fresh root, not powdered and not the spice. I feel like I'm slicing up ginger in my kitchen for a recipe. This dries as practically a ginger root single note. Beth is just amazing. Her skill repeatedly astonishes me. She does such an incredible job of creating these scents!
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White rose, gilded carnation, brown oakmoss, and velvet oudh. This is gender neutral and divided into three equal parts woods, oakmoss, and rose, with carnation enhancing both the heaviness of the rose and the spiciness of the oudh, but never playing a major part. This doesn't read as specifically "masculine" to my nose, but it has a definite Renaissance gentleman's vibe; it's a rose scent that reminds you why men wore rosewater as cologne for much of history. It smells smooth and brown; I don't know that I would specifically pick "rose" out of the notes after a few minutes of wear, but my skin test was iffy so I have to go with sniffing. Looking forward to seeing some actual wear test reviews! (I didn't decant this perfume, so I can't compare the formulations.)
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Yellowing parchment and lampblack, a drop of lilac, a smear of labdanum, and a splash of white musk. if the lab didn't already have a scent for good omens' aziraphale (which I haven't ever tried so please don't mistake this comment as implying any sort of death match or informed comparison), I'd nominate this as a solid contender. smells smart, distinguished, pedigreed, a little bit bright (lilac!), a little bookish, unisex in the way that angels are supposedly not quite one gender nor the other. dashing but slightly asexual. the drydown reminds me of a less-sweet, no-tea dorian ancestor. modest throw that lasted all through a 14+ hour workday.
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Honeysuckle, white tuberose, gardenia petals, and wet green leaves. Wet, this is both tuberose and honeysuckle swirling together in a higher pitched sworl, with a hint of wet greenery. On, whoa, whoa, HONEYSUCKLE'D. And a bit of leafy greens. And then it gets a little waxiness from the tuberose. In a way, it's like the high, clarion honeysuckle dips into the thrummy medium tones of tuberose. And then... back towards elevation with waxy gardenia. It's vacillating between a very interesting Southern floral with a hint of exotic Asiatic florals. As I keep smelling it, the floral trills between gold-yellow and wax-white. This is exquisitely tropical as it calms down, and on me at least it heads towards tuberose... but however still with glittering honeysuckle plorps on occasion. It calms into a slightly citric-high tropical floral that's like a fusion tuberose-honeysuckle. Not much residual grassiness or leafiness.
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Crystalline azure musk, orange blossom, water lily, hinoki wood, Texas cedar, and night-blooming jasmine. Was super interested in this melange of scents all together. I have no idea what to expect. Wet and in bottle, it's a weird mix of orange blossom and... maybe the sweetness of blue musk? Applied to the skin, it's a very strong thrwoosh of something very similar to fabric softener? Maybe it's the orange blossom. As it has a bit more time to settle down on the skin... I'm getting the two florals mixing together - orange blossom and water lily. Definitely getting a very beachy aquatic floral vibe. The jasmine is adding a little bit of ferocity in the background, a bit of depth, however the floral stays a... um, Mediterranean floral? Crisp/clear, and high. The blue musk kind of evens everything out and it's a little sugary. Hinoki and cedar really aren't too apparent. There may be a little 'sandiness' or 'woodsiness' at the base, but it's definitely not cedar-shavings/pencil cedar. Very subtle. It keeps this from being purely a floral scent. I'd say this is one of the more surprisingly 'beachy' scents. Light, airy, and somehow a little 'salty' without having the salt note (which on me turns into tortillas). I like this one a lot!
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THE PERFUMED GARDEN Under her neck my right hand Has served her for a cushion, And to draw her to me I have sent out my left hand, Which bore her up as a bed. The Perfumed Garden for the Soul's Recreation. This scent is based on a venerable Tunisian perfume that was used to excite the senses, inspire sensuality and inflame passion. Myrrh and Moroccan jasmine with apple peel, Indian sandalwood, myrtle, quince, citron, and thyme poured over soft musk. Sniffing from the bottle: The apple peel jumps out at me right away...which just about thrills me right out of my seat. Upon application: Sweet tart fruits (mostly apple!) with just the slightest hint of jasmine. Juicy and lovely. After a few minutes: The jasmine starts to peek out more, as does the myrhh. Usually I'm not a fan of myrhh, but this myrhh is SO soft and sweet and gentle that it's really just a nice complement to the fruity jasmine. It just smooths it out. A few minutes after that: Interestingly the jasmine just about disappears. I'm used to jasmine being an overpowering note, but it's not in this blend. I would say that the two dominant notes (on me) are apple and myrhh....although I can tell that they're wrapped up in a soft musk hug. Conclusion: Sweet and soft like a cloud. Surprisingly innocent. Romantic and lovely.
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Kadu leaf, white lavender, plum and ume blossom, a drop of pale cedar and crystal musk. first applied there is a strong note of chemical but this burns off quickly, leaving a bright and elegant, classic-in-feel perfume that then holds true for the rest of the drydown. plum/ume fruit focused, with the lavender and kadu keeping it close in kin to fancy dept store perfume. although there is a touch of sweetness, this is a far cry from fruit syrup. I amp cedar always and forever, but not in this blend. the cedar grounds the scent without standing out. strong throw and lasts overnight and into the next day. I picked this scent as a random extra decant to try. I was curious about the kadu, wary of the cedar and a fan of the other notes. there was speculation in the luper thread about what the heck kadu would smell like. folks/google suggested a range of things from almond to bitter herb to squash blossom. I don't get almond, nor do I get anything forwardly foodie as pumpkin/squash. there is a hint of leafy bitterness that anchors the fruit that is completely removed from the dead leaves notes and the herbal notes (mugwort, sage, thyme, etc). this is a sophisticated beauty and one of my 2018 luper favorites.
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NIGHT THOUGHTS Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Stars, you are unfortunate, I pity you, Beautiful as you are, shining in your glory, Who guide seafaring men through stress and peril And have no recompense from gods or mortals, Love you do not, nor do you know what love is. Hours that are aeons urgently conducting Your figures in a dance through the vast heaven, What journey have you ended in this moment, Since lingering in the arms of my beloved I lost all memory of you and midnight. Lilac, blue musk, dianthus, cedar, neroli, ozone, and luminous Eastern herbs. So exited that this is my first review! I waited a few days to see if anyone had gotten this scent since I'm not great at describing, but I'll make an attempt. When I first opened the bottle I got a mysterious, sexy scent (similar to what would be a combination between red and black moon). The ozone make itself known (and I had no idea I would like it so much), there's a hint of herbs or maybe the neroli and sweetness from the lilacs and flowers. When applied the scent instantly reminded me of the shivering boy. Its sweet and lovely and a bit cold but in a good way. However where boy is herbal, NT is sweeter, but not sickly so. As it dries down, the scent is not similar to "boy" as it was when wet. Its a femenine scent, creamy, reminds me a bit of hints of coconut (even though it has none) and sexy. I must also add, this is not a "happy or cheery" scent. Its a mysterious, nightly, passionate scent (and I really hope that makes sense to some of you). The scent is divine! I am officially in love with Night Thoughts
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Blue lilac, white sage, orris root, sweet pea, a smear of crushed blueberry, and tobacco leaf. Very lilac when wet. A beautiful, light and sweet lilac. There's a hint of fruitiness. This reminds me of Blue Flasher, with its slightly berry floral. The blueberry is not terribly potent, though. A hint of squishy blue juice! There's a streak of brown-gray smoke, the tobacco adding a little darkness and depth. I can also smell a bit of a powdery sparkle, clay-like, but lighter. Must be the sage and orris! I think there are kisses of sweet pea dancing about as well. This is very complicated. Lilac lovers should try this. And if you liked Blue Flasher, you should definitely give this bolster a whirl.
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Body, remember not only how much you were loved, not only the beds on which you lay, but also those desires for you that glowed plainly in the eyes, and trembled in the voiceand some chance obstacle made futile. Now that all of them belong to the past, it almost seems as if you had yielded to those desireshow they glowed, remember, in the eyes gazing at you; how they trembled in the voice, for you, remember, body. - Constantine Cavafy translated by Rae Dalven Profoundly sensual. The echo of caresses: raw black coconut, ambergris accord, ambrette seed, champaca flower, and sugar cane. Profoundly sensual indeed. This is my favorite of the Lupers so far. Body, Remember starts out sweet and earthy, then suddenly it becomes heavy on the coconut, followed by a rush of champaca. After several minutes, everything settles into a perfect musky balance that stays close to my skin with no single dominating note. It's stunning.
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White rose, orris root, and ambergris accord. There are very few roses that dont go sour rose potpourri on my skin, but it doesnt stop me from trying, because for whatever reason a good rose scent just smells S-E-X to me. And being that I am a passionate fan of the labs ambergris note (yes I went through an entire bottle of the SN in six weeks) this one seemed worth the risk. Yes indeed this is teh bomb. Giant damp rose petals sweetened with Orris and dirtied with ambergris. Very similar rose to Roses Pearls Diamonds, but with the salty naughty ambergris instead of coconut. Did. It.
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When you need a change of pace from Strip Twister: lemon candies, orange suckers, and strawberry sugar. Super tart citrus candies. In the decant, the lemon has a little bit of a lemon-cleaner aspect that concerns me, but that fortunately disappears when I put it on my skin. This reminds me a lot of Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat, crossed with Bitches Love Unicorns. Immediately, it's sticky tart lemon candy with some other candy flavors. I'm not sure I'd say orange or strawberry, but it's definitely not just straight-up lemon. It has a very melting-hard-candies sort of feel, with the sharp tartness that lemon candies have despite being very sugary. It's a little too similar to Sticky Bat (which I have a bottle of) for me to want more of it, but it's more of a sharper, mixed-flavor candy scent. Sticky Bat has sort of a powdery-sugared aspect that this scent doesn't, although it does soften as it dries and the strawberry candy gets a little stronger. It has pretty good lasting power for a citrus scent and decent throw. In the long drydown, it's almost indistinguishable from Sticky Bat on my skin, as the other candy flavors stay mostly in the background.
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Terebinth, hemp, and champaca resin. Yum, champaca. The Emerald Kaya atmo is champaca-heavy, with the terebinth and hemp rounding this out. On this balance this smells like champaca (white-yellow sweet-spicy flowers) with an earthy streak, and it is glorious. I need at least one moar bottle of this one.
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A citrus chypre with French lavender, yellow bergamot, and clove bud. My bottle has only settled from shipping overnight, but I was impatient. I'm a poet and I've wanted a poetry-inspired BPAL scent for a while now, so I've been hoping that Scraps of Poetry would be something I could love. When I opened the bottle yesterday, all I could smell was a zingy citrus chypre and yellow bergamot. In the 22 or so hours since then, it's softened up but those are still the two notes that dominate in the bottle and on my wrists. There's the tiniest hint of lavender. I'm not sure how clove bud differs from the usual clove note, but I don't get anything that I recognize as clove. Citrus and bergamot seem to dominate every time I wear them so your mileage may vary. For me, this is more Elizabeth Barrett Browning than any other poet that comes to mind. It's a soft, golden-pink, almost powdery type of floral that would be nice for wearing at a wedding. Many of the sharper, heady florals are a problem for me, but none of those notes are in this one and it isn't setting off any headache alarm bells. It doesn't have a ton of throw, so it's the kind of floral that shouldn't bother the people around you as long as you don't slather. I'm sure it's going to change somewhat, but Scraps of Poetry doesn't strike me as the kind of fragrance that's going to age into something dramatically different. I don't think this is very "me," but I'll keep it and see how it changes once it settles.
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Black oudh and carnation. I love the Lab's simpler blends. Give me a scent with just two notes that I happen to love. This is no exception. Of the Lupers I've tried this one is my favorite. The Black Oudh in this reminds me of a lighter version of the Motor Oil note in Streets of Detroit. Combine that with a spicy carnation that's present but not overpowering and you have an awesome combo that smells like a gritty, dark, spicy carnation.
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Feathery brown musk and hay absolute with orris and leather. In the bottle, it smells like Irish cream. Outside of it, the leather and musk and the creamy orris combine to make a smooth, sleek scent - like Infernal Lover, which was basically all red musk IIRC - with something feathery and dusty as a very subtle undertone, reminding me a little bit of my much-beloved Fledgling Raptor Moon. If someone told me this was just "leather and the Lab's red musk" I might have believed them, though. I love the scent as it is, but I think the feathery-brown part might come out better when aging. As it is it sort of comes and goes when worn. I've tried a few fragrances with the lab's leather note in them and it always seemed a bit plasticky or some such to me. Not so here, it's used very well and is wonderful to smell.
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A russet chypre slathered in vintage patchouli and black tea with golden amber, hiba wood, and iris root. This one feels like an instant classic, sophisticated and gorgeous. I first smell the tannin-heavy black tea, the mossy chypre and the strong wood - an earthy but somehow sparkling combination. The patchouli then comes into play, and it reminds me of rich fragrances my grandmother's generation wore before hippie patchouli existed. The amber is sweet and has almost a citrus quality, which plays back and forth with the soft dryness of the iris root. The resulting combination is an assertive, long-lasting dress-up kind of perfume. It's definitely a nose-glued-to-the-wrist one for me.
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Black leather accord, Australian sandalwood, ambrette seed, incense ash, and tobacco absolute. This is very masculine. It started out very sandalwood heavy but then mellowed out with more of the tobacco absolute. On me this ends up smelling like a cleaner, more well to do Iago, with none of his dirty tricks. Everything blends together very seamlessly and it's hard to pick out one note from the extremely attractive scent wafting from my wrist. I cant wait to smell it on my partner, and this will work wonderfully on the days I need a little confidence booster! My only sadness is that I have to shove my face into my wrist to really smell it. I am hoping the throw will improve with age, as will the wear length.
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Salt-splashed silk, spiced cedar, hinoki wood, sea musk, a strand of kelp and a squeeze of lime. It starts out just as you are dreading it will, corn chips and dryer sheets. And its the DRYERSHEETS shrieky type scent that some aquatics are just determined to morph into. And then an hour later its all delightful warm salt soaked dried silk and you wonder why you were ever worried about the thing. My friend asked when I ordered it what silk smelled like and I said, I dont know except that it smells like silk. Which this does. Exactly and evocatively. I love it, and its even worth the pain of corn chips and dryer sheets to get there.
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The Cacophony of Madness Pink pepper, black pepper, clove, myrrh, dark chocolate, labdanum, and Daemonorops draco. Spicy chocolate with myrrh, like a sophisticated Mexican hot chocolate. It's dry and incensey and rich, with a sandalwood kind of smoothness to it. I really like this one, and my only complaint is it isn't especially strong. Hoping that improves with age!
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Blue lilac, pink pepper, birch tar, juniper berry, and lemon peel. I couldn't resist another lilac blend after Cave of Treasures last year In the bottle: A similar vibe to Cave of Treasures with that round lilac note. A touch of juniper in the back On the Skin: Lilac and juniper making an unusual but nice combo, lush but almost candyish. On the Drydown: The lemon peel peeks out to add slight bitterness to tame the sweetness of the lilac. The birch tar is not forefront but adds a smokiness and the juniper adds a freshness and slight fruitiness. This is actually quite the morpher within a narrow scent band. A tiny bit of spicy kick from the pink pepper. I think, like Cave of Treasures, this will come into it's own after a brief period of aging.
