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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2013'.
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This is a traditional Sumerian perfume, composed of juniper, tamarisk, almond, lavender honey, sesame, myrrh, olive oil, cedar, and rose. In the decant I am getting mostly juniper and cedar with a touch of lavender and olive oil. Wet on my skin there is still a lot of cedar but the tamarisk ( I think) and almond are definitely making their way to the fore front. As it dries I am also detecting the sesame, myrrh, and a faint floral which must be the rose. Gradually the rose is pushing it's way through the rest of the scents and the almond, sesame, and tamarisk have taken up a supporting role with their nutty fragrances. There is a touch of cedar and juniper behind that and the honey lends a unifying though gentle sweetness that blends it all together beautifully. Overall this has a nutty-woodsy aroma drizzled with honey and a scattering of rose petals. I am definitely going to need to get a bottle of this
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Three brown musks, galbnum, saffron, golden honey, myrrh, cumin, and patchouli. Funny mental association with this one. You know magazine ads where you can tell some hoity toity photographer wanted to do an "edgy" photoshoot, and so there are all these "muddy" supermodels in varying states of disarray despite their chic dresses and suits? Their perfectly coiffed hair is just so slightly out of place and they have "dirt" smeared on their faces? Yeah. This is like that. It's an eye roll and a, "There's no way these high class people were sweating or uncomfortable in the slightest." This is definitely heavy on the musk. I imagine a lot of people will think of cologne because of that. But, behind it, there's a zap of green from the galbanum, a full sweetness from the honey and bite of woods from the patch. The combo of honey and woodsiness almost makes me think of chocolate, in fact... and this comes out more and more as the musk calms down. This is in your face, but simultaneously "fancy." Like a spoiled rich boy trying to be intimidating but failing miserably because there's not a thread out of place on his tailored suit. You kind of just want to pinch his cheeks. I like it.
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FORGIVE US OUR VIRTUES, FORGIVE US Who has known all the evil before us, Or the tyrannous secrets of time? Though we match not the dead men that bore us At a song, at a kiss, at a crime-- Though the heathen outface and outlive us, And our lives and our longings are twain-- Ah, forgive us our virtues, forgive us, Our Lady of Pain. Pale frankincense, styrax, East African black patchouli, cinnamon leaf, rosewood, and palisander. This is the same frankincense from Midnight Mass, I am actually able, thanks to BPAL, to distinguish between the different ones. This is not the heavy handed frankincense of Penitence, or the rich one in All Souls, but an elegant Midnight Mass one. This is heaven. Frankincense lovers, buy this right now, it's beautiful.
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Coconut, balsam, lemongrass, anise, vanilla orchid, mimosa. In bottles: This is really different. The coconut and balsam combine worth the lemongrass to create an effect I’m having trouble describing. It’s sort of tart and warm and toasty at the same time. The orchids and mimosa form a second strong faction, which goes really well with the balsam, which ties the factions together. The anise is soft and fun with the lemongrass. Wet: Lemongrass is now strongest, as my skin amps it. It is too strong really, though the coconut, balsam, and anise, try hard to hold firm. The flowers fade into a soft fuzzy background. It’s not bad even still, but there’s just too much lemongrass with my chemistry. Dry: Very pretty on the dry down. The lemongrass stays strongest, but calms down. Balsam is a strong second, with a touch of coconut and a kiss of florals.
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Mayan Chocolate with Annatto Seed, Anaheim Pepper, Cinnamon, and Vanilla Bean
DJ Sin posted a topic in Lupercalia
First scent in the bottle: Holy cow this is chocolate! Wet on the skin: still very much chocolate with the annatto seed coming out Dry: the vanilla bean comes out and marries with the chocolate. I get a slight swiff of the cinnamon and anaheim pepper. Its very strong and I posted this on my fb tonight "I smell like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory! I think I want to age this one a bit and I think it will layer nicely with Snake Oil. I shall call the marriage of the two Mayan Snake Bite! -
IN HIS HANDS ALL THY CRUELTIES THRIVE Thou shalt blind his bright eyes though he wrestle, Thou shalt chain his light limbs though he strive; In his lips all thy serpents shall nestle, In his hands all thy cruelties thrive. In the daytime thy voice shall go through him, In his dreams he shall feel thee and ache; Thou shalt kindle by night and subdue him Asleep and awake. Gleaming black vetiver, bay laurel, opoponax, hiba wood, Spanish moss, clove, and leather accord. My bottle arrived today . I usually don't do reviews of scents until they've had a day or two to settle , but I couldn't wait to try this so here goes . And this will be a short simple review . CLOVE ! And not a whole lot else . At least , not at this time . So , I will be back to see if this changes in the near future . I certainly hope it does , cause this'll be a huge disappointment if it doesn't . And I'm back to slightly change my opinion . I do now get something more than clove , thank god . I now get some leather and definitely some smoke . Have to agree with others about the clove cigarette match . Maybe not as sweet as those though . I think if I really work my nose on this I might get a slight whiff of the wood and moss . But I may be imagining / wanting it to be there and am just hoping I'm actually getting those .
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IMPLACABLE BEAUTIFUL TYRANT When, with flame all around him aspirant, Stood flushed, as a harp-player stands, The implacable beautiful tyrant, Rose-crowned, having death in his hands; And a sound as the sound of loud water Smote far through the flight of the fires, And mixed with the lightning of slaughter A thunder of lyres. Golden amber, frankincense, white ginger, and oudh. In honor of apparently being the first review, I unscrewed my bottle to sniff the hair gloss (which I've never done before). It smells almost like a very sweet patchouli in the bottle. It definitely sent me back to the notes saying, "is there patch in there?". I wanted this as an alternate (less sexy) hair gloss to wear to work and patch is definitely not my-office-friendly. In my hair, it's sweet but with an almost watery quality to it. The oudh is very strong at first and there is a smokey note that I was hoping would stick around (it didn't). The ginger is definitely what's contributing to the "almost watery" quality I'm getting. Now that my hair is drying, it's got a watery/earthy/peaty sweet quality. The biggest standout notes for me are white ginger and oudh. The frankincense is calling in support from way back in the back (it's a note that tends to disappear on me) and the amber lays out a nice sweetness to pull everything together. It feels like a very feminine gloss, definitely more work friendly than Snake Oil (my current go-to gloss). And definitely very spring/summery -- almost floral or tropical in its sweetness. Also, work appropriate! Yay!
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What a great freakin' word. BPAL LOVES TEH SMUT! Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. BPAL loves teh smut! I know Beth warned us about this one, that it'd smell a bit aggressive in the bottle but is positively wonderful once on. I haven't smelt Sed Non Satiata yet, which is the scent Beth said this is a lot like, so I have no basis for comparison there. Sorry, guys? In the bottle, yes, it's definitely aggressive. It almost smells like Robitussin cough syrup - that same boozy, quasi-fruity medicinal quality. It has the potential to be sexy, though, I can definitely see/smell that. Smut immediately sweetens when it hits my skin. It's pretty much musky sugar sweetness after a few drinks, precisely what the description says. There's no more medicinal smell to be had, but it's definitely warmer - do I smell vanilla? Very sophisticated and womanly, almost reminiscent of Jean-Paul Gaultier, only without the headache J-P gives me. A seductive, sophisticated, heady, little-black-dress-and-stilettos, 'take me now' scent. I love teh smut. If you haven't already, GET SOME. 9/10. P.S. Throw is amazingly good.
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Mandarin, lime, red currant, black tea, ginger. Pretty and fruity in the bottle. Bland and fruity on my skin...almost like shampoo. Rats! I'm sure this will be really nice on the right person.
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Sweet honey, white apricot, and a touch of cayenne pepper. Thoughts before testing: This was an instant unsniffed bottle purchase. I absolutely adore each of the three notes listed, but I am slightly concerned that the "touch" of cayenne won't be enough to cut the super sweetness of honey and apricot. Wet: Oh my god. This is fabulous. It's very much like March Hare, minus the sweet clove and plus the spiciness of cayenne. March Hare is one of my all-time top 10 blends, but at first sniff, I like this better. The cayenne pepper is more interesting than the sweet clove, and I think the addition of the honey is making this more unique. The honey and apricot aren't cloyingly sweet, and they're balanced nicely by the spice of the pepper. Dry down: The sweetness has backed off considerably and now it's a nice spicy/sweet scent. It's harder to pick out each individual note, but this is really beautiful. Dry: The beautiful spicy and sweet melding has stayed consistent from the dry down to several hours into the wear time. Final thoughts: So. Much. LOVE. Seriously. This wore for about 5 hours before I needed to really try and smell it. The throw is decent, but definitely not overpowering. I just don't even have enough words for how much I love this blend. I love that it's not a typical "fruity" perfume; it smells much more sophisticated and interesting to my nose, and I can't recommend it highly enough! Verdict: Hoarding
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Pound well together sandal-wood, Kunku, costus, Krishnaguru, Suvasika-puspha, white vala and the bark of the Deodaru pine; and, after reducing them to fine powder, mix it with honey and thoroughly dry. It is now known as Chintamani-Dhupa, the "thought-mastering incense". If a little of this be used according to the ceremonies prescribed, he who employs it will make all the world submissive to him. A fumigation for fascination! A strangely sensual blend, exotic, compelling, and commanding, adapted from an incense recipe found in the venerable sex manual, the Ananga Ranga. The softest, sweet, pale dusty sandalwood, sprinkled with flower petals and warmed with honey. Powdered incense at first, but it grows in strength in minutes as soon as it hits my skin. For a little while it reminds me of Lotus Moon without the lotus -- in other words, that faintly sweet dry woody pine and amber with a touch of a sandalwoody rose. But then the powdered honey note kicks in and sends this into the stratosphere. It becomes a gorgeous, pale woody honey incense, shot through with a hint of incensy floral. Very pure, quiet and calming -- I would think soft incense was burning in the room if I walked past someone wearing this. I don't know what the individual notes are, from reading the description, but I imagine pale and fragrant woods, with sandalwood taking the center stage, and maybe a touch of resin (I thought I smelled something like frankincense for a moment). With just a few minutes' wear I can already see this heading for my favorites list! eta: Drydown hours later, sandalwood and resins seem to be lingering beautifully...I would swear one of my favorite resins is in there, maybe frankincense but a little lighter. I keep getting wafts of it and it just keeps getting better!
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THE RAPTURES AND ROSES OF VICE Red roses, heady Moroccan musk, cinnamon, lobelia, coconut flesh, magnolia blossoms, and tobacco tar. Creamy, dewy, fleshy rose in the bottle, swirling rapidly towards a smooth, exuberant and beautiful musk - definitely has some hint of Morocco, the scent, however, there's a very deep, thrummy, almost resinous / churchlike element to this. I can lightly detect the tobacco in the background adding a hint of grit. The coconut and magnolia together add a butter-yellow creamy tone to the overall scent. The cinnamon and tobacco meld great with the rose... this is a beautiful, non-amping rose. It's breaking up my usual rose amp fail This reminds me a bit of White Rose (the BPTP) scent, but less rose and more spices and rose unguent. Yes. Like... a lot.
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Amber, bergamot, champaca flower, centifolia rose absolute, tolu balsam. I am not very good with the notes and I haven't really spent today trying to tease out the wet, dry, deep dry down that I do when I plan on reviewing but I cannot resist starting Gorgeous. I put it on and I felt that it was a bit sharp to begin. Honestly I was a wee bit underwhelmed. The bergamot was really strong I guess and there was something oddly plastic about it BUT THEN and isn't there almost always a But Then? I am sitting there minding my own business and my daughter says mom you smell really really good. To which I respond hmmm still trying to decide if I like it which causes an I'll take it. uhhhhh Shunga Then the Husband comments about how pretty and feminine it is and how much he likes it. So .. I bring my wrist up to huff and I get a very feminine slightly spicy scent but no clear rose, amber, champaca or bergamot. VERY well blended to present a delicate lushness~ does that sound contrary? Well it is gentle and sensual and warm and rich and creamy and all those other things I look for. I tend not to smell a lot of stuff after I wear them for a while cus they blend in with me but judging on comments it has decent throw. I think I need another bottle crossposting this to ravelry
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FEED ME AND FILL ME WITH PLEASURE For my heart too springs up at the pressure, Mine eyelids too moisten and burn; Ah, feed me and fill me with pleasure, Ere pain come in turn. Black patchouli, honey, and thick vanilla amber. Oh gosh, first review! No pressure here! I received this in the mail today, along with a plethora of other bottles, and had to test it immediately. Out of the bottle it's hard to pick up notes. It's been a little chilly, and the bottle was definitely *cold*, so I couldn't pick out any notes. I'll admit I was a little afraid: most of this year's Lupers (my first Lupercalia) have been a miss for me, so I took a chance ordering a bottle of this unsniffed. I'm so glad I did. Applied & drying it's still very light. I get something that reminds me vaguely of the Antikythera Mechanism, and instantly think "tobacco" ... except I know there's no tobacco in this. Looking over the scent notes, I suspect it's the vanilla amber / black vanilla. After an hour or so, I can't stop sniffing my wrist. It's a mix of woodsy, earthy resin with the sweet of the vanilla. The vanilla definitely warms up, perhaps sweetened by the honey. It's a very sexy, yet very soothing scent. I'm definitely going to have to get at least a second bottle. ETA: Seriously, if this wrist-sniffing keeps up, I'm going to have to have my wrist surgically removed from my nostrils.
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TIME DOES NOT BRING RELIEF Time does not bring relief; you all have lied Who told me time would ease me of my pain! I miss him in the weeping of the rain; I want him at the shrinking of the tide; The old snows melt from every mountain-side, And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane; But last year's bitter loving must remain Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide. There are a hundred places where I fear To go - so with his memory they brim. And entering with relief some quiet place Where never fell his foot or shone his face I say, 'There is no memory of him here!' And so stand stricken, so remembering him. (Edna St Vincent Millay) Remembrance: Parma violet and leather accord with beeswax, Egyptian musk, orange blossom, white tea, lavender, myrrh, and copal. I find this one a very complex scent. It starts out as fresh white tea, Parma violets, lavender, orange blossom (which keeps threatening to amp but thankfully stays soft) with a backdrop of Egyptian Musk and beeswax. The other notes are also there, but remain well-blended and don't stick out on me but give it more complexity. I was hoping for more leather but I'm hardly getting any. Once dry, the Egyptian Musk starts amping, and the violets turn slightly powdery and vanillaic (similar to violet pastilles), the tea gets a little sharp (this usually happens with tea-blends on my skin),I get a bit more lavender and orange blossom and now I get hint of leather but it's still very soft.
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HAIR LOOSENED AND SOILED IN MID ORGIES All shrines that were Vestal are flameless, But the flame has not fallen from this; Though obscure be the god, and though nameless The eyes and the hair that we kiss; Low fires that love sits by and forges Fresh heads for his arrows and thine; Hair loosened and soiled in mid orgies With kisses and wine. White honey, warm musk, and ambrette seed. :wub2: This is seriously amazing. Ah-may-zing! I put on way too much, because I couldn't tell how much was coming out at first. There's nothing wet or greasy about the gloss as you put it on. I've got pretty long hair and I put on about 6 squirts, which is WAY too much. I can't regret it, though, since I'm totally in love. I definitely smell the honey and it's a sweeter, lighter honey than I've gotten from other blends. And the ambrette adds a little bite to the blend. But the musk ties it all together and really makes it pop. The honey is the dominant note for me, but I definitely get the other two ingredients. And it lasts forever! I was distracted all day at work, because I smelled so good. It was still there when I went to sleep. Though a bit of caution for people who get powder from honey or amber blends... One of my co-workers said it smelled like baby powder. I don't get that at all, but... Other people may get that. Sorry!
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Bourbon vanilla, custard accord, white rose, cocoa absolute, oudh, lemon blossom, and skin musk. Head's up, everyone! Delight & Consternation is one of those BPAL oils with chocolate sludge, so be sure to mix and roll well! The sludge is not a huge percentage of the blend (like Boomslang), just a couple of millimeters at the bottom of the bottle. But it will smell different if you don't mix properly. So... I love this. Immediately. The chocolate note is dry bittersweet cocoa powder with a hint of aged woodiness, maybe from the oudh. The balmy lemon blossom (very subtle-- creamy and fresh, but not strongly citrusy) blends well with the custard to make a kind of faint, mellow lemon curd impression. It reminds me a little of the custard/orange/floral thing going on in Huesos de Santo, though more gentle. But this is all clean and distinct from the cocoa somehow: they don't clash at all. The white rose takes several minutes to make an appearance, and it's a soft, almost honeyed rose. The skin musk and vanilla are both very lacy and delicate and stay in the background. It's an unexpected combination of notes, but they are incredibly complementary. Delight & Consternation stays pretty close to the skin. It's not exactly foody or even overly sweet despite having several gourmand notes. The oudh and musk keep it grounded and give it a hint of sexiness. It's very unique, and I'm so glad I bought a bottle! ETA: Okay, I see the cocoa sludge is not universal! Mine is very noticeable. When I overturn the bottle, it cascades down the sides, leaving streaks and globules floating around like a lava lamp. When I roll the bottle for awhile to mix it, it gets cloudy enough that light doesn't shine through. It will be interesting to see how everyone's individual bottles vary.
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THE PASSIONATE SHEPHERD TO HIS LOVE Christopher Marlowe Come live with me and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove, That valleys, groves, hills and fields, Woods or steepy mountains yields. And we will sit upon the rocks, Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks By shallow rivers, to whose falls Melodious birds sing madrigals. And I will make thee beds of roses, And a thousand fragrant posies, A cap of flowers and a kirtle Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle; A gown made of the finest wool, Which from our pretty lambs we pull; Fair-lined slippers for the cold, With buckles of the purest gold; A belt of straw and ivy buds, With coral clasps and amber studs; And if these pleasures may thee move, Come live with me and be my love. The shepherd swains shall dance and sing For thy delight each May morning; If these delights thy mind may move, Then live with me and be my love. Heather, clover, Irish moss, English ivy, tea rose, and carnation. So often I start reviews with "this is not how I was expecting this to smell", but in the case of The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, it smells *exactly* as I was expecting (and hoping for) it to smell like. Sniffing from the bottle the first thing that hits me is green grass - the scent of standing in a field. It must be the clover, it smells exactly like standing in a clover field. I almost feel like my allergies are going to start acting up. I always think of heather as smelling ever-so-slightly-like-curry on me, in a floral way. And I like it, but only in very small doses or it can be overwhelming. This is staying pretty true on me - after a bit I can start to sense a very light rose if I think about it hard enough, but not enough rose for the scent to go soapy. Overwhelmingly it's the scent of nature and spring - green and pastoral with just a hint of floral to balance it out. Just perfect.
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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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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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Piss off, Saint Valentine! Lupercalia is an ancient Roman celebration, held on February 15th, that kicked in the advent of Spring with a very, very festive purification, fertility and sexuality ritual. The ritual began near the cave of Lupercal on the Palatine, an area sacred to Faunus, as well as Ruminia, Romulus and Remus. During Lupercalia, Vestal Virgins first made offerings of sacred cakes to the fig tree under which the she-wolf suckled the Sacred Twins. A dog and two goats were then offered in sacrifice to Faunus. The blood of the sacrifice was smeared onto two naked patrician youths, who were assisted by the Virgins, and the blood was wiped clean with sacred wool dipped in milk. The youths donned the skins of the sacrificial goats, wielding whips made from the goat skins, and then led the priests and the Virgins around the pomarium, and around the base hills of Rome. This was a ceremony of great happiness and merriment, and was of particular interest to young women: being touched by the goat-whips young men that led the procession ensured their fertility in the coming year. It is believed that, after the initial rite, male participants would draw the name of an available maiden, with whom he spent the rest of the night. This scent is for the Luperci, the Chosen of Faunus, the Brothers of the Wolf: raw, down and dirty patchouli, Gurjam balsam, and essence of Sampson Root sweetened with the heightened sexuality of beeswax, virile juniper, oakmoss, ambrette seed over honey and East African musk. ... am I really the first? Oh dear! Stage fright. In the bottle: Patchouli, smacking me in the nose! Beeswax, moss, earthy, dirty, powerful. The husband likes this. Wet on skin: Patchouli and juniper, with a honey-sweet undertone, but the sharp woody note is on top. Dry on skin: Patchouli and a heavy, sweet musk. Juniper's still there, but the musk is overpowering it. Over time: Woody and sweet and musky. This is a heavy, woody, honey-sweet scent; patchouli likes me, as usual, and is sticking around as the strongest note. The juniper has receded almost entirely, leaving me with only a quiet sharpness in the woody scent to remind me of its presence. Overall: I expected to like this, and I'm not disappointed. It's a very earthy, sexy kind of scent, not a pretty or delicate scent; this is precisely what I wanted and expected out of it. Elf still likes it, too. Bonus. I used to wear patchouli straight, but I like this more; it's more complex and appealing. 4.5/5 - not hoarding like I do with Geek, but I'm glad I got a bottle, so it will last me a nice long time.
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Orris root, rice paper, red chypre, Siamese benzoin, Moroccan jasmine. Wet, Intercourse Through Folding Screen starts with a creamy vanilla from the Siamese benzoin (yum!), but this is short-lived as the dry chypre notes push through. Orris is non-existent, which is fine since it has dominated other blends I've tried (I'm looking at you, Roses Pearls and Diamonds). As it dries the rice paper wraps itself around the blend with a soft-and-subtle powdery dryness that I often find in asian scents, accentuated the whole time with jasmine. Eventually the chypre fades into the background and I'm left with soft vanilla-tinged jasmine powder. Overall it's a clean powdery scent, but not baby powdery in the least bit...more like some expensive body powder you'd pick up in Kyoto made of crushed pearls. Since I know a lot of forumites are jasmine-averse, I'd categorize the jasmine in this as the sharper, greener, "cleaner" type--I recognize this note from Salome. Unfortunately it's not my favorite type of jasmine, as I like my jasmine borderline poopy ( ). We'll see what the blend's like in a couple of months, but as of now it's a scent I'd rather dust on me as a powder than wear as a skin oil. EDIT: After a few more weeks of aging the powdery elements have softened and deepened significantly. There's still powder, as Intercourse Through Folding Screen has the dry elements coming from the chypre and rice paper, but it the benzoin is much more prominent now and gives the blend a creamier feel. It's definitely more like a high-end body powder that just melts against your body heat, and the crushed pearls description I gave before is much more apt. I get hints of jasmine here and there but all sharpness is GONE. It's so well blended with the rest of the elements now that it doesn't particularly stand out but you know it's there. The blend stays pretty true wet through (long now!) drydown, and I even got a "mmm, you smell nice" from Mr. Elf. I'll be keeping my bottle, and definitely recommend at least trying this even if you're jasmine-averse.
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LIPS FULL OF LUST AND LAUGHTER O lips full of lust and of laughter, Curled snakes that are fed from my breast, Bite hard, lest remembrance come after And press with new lips where you pressed. Red musk, wildflower honey, elemi, tangerine, and mint. I ordered a bottle of this unsniffed, based on the red musk/ honey/ elemi combo which works so well for me in Third Charm. I wish I could afford the entire Our Lady of Pain update. I am not really picking out all the individual notes but I'm imagining that the underlying juiciness is from the tangerine and the lift, the subtle brightness is from the mint - there is nothing fruity or minty per se here, though. It's sweet and musky and just lovely. The red musk is not the usual RED MUSK, because it is blending so lovingly with the honey. I adore this one and I think it represents this part of the poem perfectly. It is...quite exquisite. I have a feeling that every scent in this update is going to be stellar. True to form, his one has aged absolutely magnificently. It's sweet and musky and bright and beautiful and I adore it.
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Infinite kisses: white honey, red currant, sugar cane, and ginger. In the bottle: Red currants and sweet (not spicy) ginger. Uh-oh. I really wanted the honey to dominate this. Wet: Oh, that's different! Something tree-sap like takes the forefront, probably a mix of the sugar cane and ginger. It smells like vines to me, green and leafy and sappy. The honey is just barely there right now, and I don't get any currant at all. Dry: Once it settles in, it blooms gorgeously on my skin. The ginger takes a back seat to the honey and currants. The sugar cane is definitely present, but there's also a mild waxiness from the honey -- not as waxy as the usual beeswax note, but definitely there. This is a subtle scent but it wafts around me gently. It fades pretty quickly, but I find a lot of scents do when they're brand new. If this is like other honey scents I have, it'll have a lot more lasting power once it's aged a month or so. Summary: Not as fruity as I thought it would be when I sniffed it in the bottle. The final scent is a soft, fruity-floral honey with just a tang of green sap to it. If it were a color, it would be the translucent green-champagne-pink of ripening pink currants. It's gorgeous!
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HOUSE OF UNQUENCHABLE FIRE O garment not golden but gilded, O garden where all men may dwell, O tower not of ivory, but builded By hands that reach heaven from hell; O mystical rose of the mire, O house not of gold but of gain, O house of unquenchable fire, Our Lady of Pain! Glittering amber, frankincense, neroli, vanilla silk, and champaca. WOWEEEE! This stuff is GORGEOUS! MINE MINE MINE. ALL MINE. Ok, I will share....Nothing in here screams *smell me and only me*, just blended so well. Not sure how they did it but the amber certainly feels like it is glittering! Frankincense/amber/champaca is what I get out of the bottle, but it's all very soft. Then it all sweetens up a bit from the vanilla/neroli. The scent certainly lingers but not in an obnoxious way. Comforting and happy to me, like a soft fuzzy sweater on that first NYC spring day when the temp finally gets above 55! Another bottle (or two) is in my future. Puddin' and the labbies, you guys are amazing!
