Anactoria

[kakiphony]

The scent of the throes of violent passion: entangled limbs, teeth on flesh, furiously grasping hands, the taste of blood and sweat. Golden amber, white honey, red currant, daemonorops, kush, and Arabian musk.

In the imp: Amber and musk. The musk is predominant, and it's a dry, harsh musk to my nose. I'm not getting any of the sweet notes. I wonder if that has to do with age or a decanting batching issue?

Wet on skin: Musk is still predominant, but now I'm catching something a bit sweet and thick against the back of my palate as I sniff. This may be the honey, but there is a sharp spiciness to it rather than the rich honey of some other bpal scents. This is very middle eastern to my nose at this stage, filled with spice and dry musk.

Early dry down (10 minutes): Hmm. This is definitely a strong one on me. The musk is more aggressive than I expected, and I can't help but think that musk smells WAY more like dirty hippie than patchouli does on me. This reminds me of an old college friend from India who wore some super strong Indian perfume that seemed to draw men to her like flies, but which always made other women behave like mean cats. The amber is definitely there and is trying its best to tame the musk, but none of the other sweet notes seem to be doing much.

Late dry down (30 minutes): Some of the sweet notes have finally come out to play with the musk. On my left wrist this is still a FIERCE scent, with musk and something vaguely woody and peppery under the musk. I'm calling the left wrist my "dirty hippy girl wrist". The right wrist is a much milder, but also more complex scent. The powdery amber is predominant, and there is a syrupy almost tart sweetness underneath it that reminds me of Swank -- I'm guessing that's the red currant.

Verdict: It's not a wash-off horror story experience, but I'm quite glad that I only swapped for a decant of this. It's too aggressively musky for my taste for everyday wear, and I know J's reaction will be a nose wrinkle. (My husband loves patchouli, but hates musk. I've trained him well.) I wish the amber were a bit stronger in this and the musk a bit milder. If both wrists smelled like the right, I'd be more apt to wear it. As it stands, I think this may get reswapped.

[Pepperminx]

I get a slightly floral sweetness from this wet. It then dries down to a golden amber/honey scent that stays close to the skin. The musk comes out stronger the longer the scent is on, which admittedly isn't too long at all.

 

Count me in as an Anactoria fan! Definitely my favorite of the Lupercalia scents I tried.

[BrightRedScream]

In the bottle: Honey and amber...very sweet, for some reason almost floral?

 

Wet on skin: Mostly amber, honey and the musk....wow..this is beautiful so far! It's very...sensual and it makes my head spin a little...I am loving it.

 

Dry down: A sweet, musky amber....It's a very powerful scent, with tons of throw..

I must say that I'm a fan of this and I'm glad I purchased it.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – An oddly cold citrusy blend, presumably the kush

 

Wet on me – Soft and sweet skin scent, with again that citrus in the background

 

Dry on me – Warm and sensual villa and musk, sitting just on top of the skin, like a much more adult Antique Lace

 

Overall – I was dubious at first, but the dry down is gorgeous and whist it remains fairly strong it’s unobtrusive, so you could wear it all day long and only those who got really close would be aware of it.

[Lamia]

This is lovely. It's bubbly and charming, flirty and bright. It's Pierce Brosnan's James Bond offering Jinx a mojito. It's Tuesday of a week-long resort holiday around 4pm when you know you've got days and nights ahead of you, and someone new and fascinating to spend them with. It's mildly floral, and then woody, with bubbles, with the florals changing to lightly musky woods.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is honey, amber and a touch of musk. It's soft, sweet, powdery and creamy. When first on this is sharp, bitter honey- almost like pine. The bitterness fades within seconds leaving soft honey with a creamy feel to it. After about half an hour, the musk comes out making this a soft, creamy, close to the skin scent. This doesn't change much more on me. This is really lovely! It reminds me a bit of Svadhinaopatika.

[dronzeka]

This starts out as the most amazing honey-amber scent - what I'd have wished for O to be (and isn't on me, because it turns to baby powder). As it dries down, however, something comes to the fore - I think it's the Arabian musk. Musk tends to go "men's cologne" on me, and the same thing happens here; it deepens the scent and reduces its sweetness. It almost smells a tiny bit like leather to me. Anyway, once it's fully dry I think it would be an amazing scent on a man, but it's a little too masculine for me. (It's strong, though - I tried a dab this morning BEFORE I showered, and I can still smell it!)

[Dark Alice]

This is one of my all time favorite LE's and it only took me 4 months to review it! At first it starts out with honey and amber wet on the skin and then as it dries down.....I am carried away to a scene out of Arabian Nights. I imagine that the storyteller is spinning her tales surrounded by torches under a starry sky with arabian musk gently wafting in the breeze while noshing on black currants dribbled in white honey!!!

 

Every note from this particular scent falls into place like words on the page of your favorite book!

 

This is the first perfume from the lab that has completely enraptured me! I am so glad that I bought a back up bottle!

[tinyvulture]

i really thought there was red musk in this. maybe arabian musk is similar? it’s a warm, red, sexy scent, but it’s also surprisingly light and mild. not much throw. besides the musk, i can smell the dragon’s blood and fruity red currant. i’m not picking up the amber or honey, and i’m not sure what kush smells like. as musky blends go, i like it, but it’s not one of my favorites. maybe if it were a little stronger.

[sadtomato]

i have to admit, i was hoping for something stronger, dirtier and sexier after reading the description of this one.

it's a lovely scent and i do like it, but to me, it doesn't fit its description.

on me this scent is a very light, sweet musk.

it goes on light and it stays light the whole time.

after having it on a couple of hours i have to put my nose to my skin to smell it.

very pretty and feminine, sweet without being sickeningly so.

quite lovely, but just not what i was hoping for from this scent's description...anactoria doesn't strike me as lustful or sexual at all, but more warm and cuddly...like kittens.

[TPOD]

When it was fresh, I did not like this. It had an unpleasant, sharply chemical smell. Now aged, it has mellowed into perfect soft musky amber.

 

It has average duration and throw. There's a brief, odd period where it smells like a terrific carmelized cotton candy, but mostly it is musk and amber with a bit o honey.

 

Mmmm. Nice. Surprisingly delicate.

[marared]

I can smell the currant straight off on fresh application, but it disappears pretty quickly into a nice warm amber musk over a meadow. I have to ask, though, what the difference is between dragon's blood and daemonorops? The only other blend I have with it is Ladon, so I'm not familiar enough with the scent to pick it up.

 

It's not nearly as sexual/passionate as the description and the bottle image imply, but it's really nice. I just wish it had a little more throw.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Not at all as expected: sharp and herby.

 

Wet: Amber and musk, with something still very sharp and herby No fruit or floral at all!

 

Twenty minutes: This one is very strange. I can sense an aura of honey or something else sweetly floral, but on myself I don't smell it at all. Instead there's something very sharp, pungent, and bitter, almost like good gin with bitters and lemon peel. And leather. It's making me just the faintest bit dizzy.

 

Hour and a half: Still very sharp and pungent, much more so even than myrrh. Yet the sweet aura persists! Where does that come from? It smells more like honey/amber now, and with a bit of tartness. This is a very odd one, not at all like what I expected.

 

Two and a half hours: I went outdoors, and the sweet aura of honey/amber was all around me. But the wrists are still bitter. This is the first time I've actively elaborated on the name of a BPAL scent, but I can't resist it in this case. This one is cruel. It gives a sweet impression but when you get in close to it, the pain begins. I think I would have used a different quotation from the poem to illustrate this one:

 

"Ah, ah, thy beauty! like a beast it bites,

Stings like an adder, like an arrow smites."

 

Four hours: Delicious, honey sweet amber now. Apparently wearing it to bed is the way to take the sting out of it. How appropriate!

 

Six hours: Still sweetened amber. I feel so at home with this scent! I didn't know until I Googled it that "daemonorops" is dragon's blood, which is a type of rattan. And "kush" is apparently marijuana. Heh.

[mhickle]

I really like this once it dries down! In the imp and at first dab, it's very heavy, and I thought I was going to be on the headache express. It's rather sticky at first, too, I noticed. Not crazy sticky, but none of the other oils I've tried have been, so I thought that was unusual.

 

Anyway, as I said, very heavy at first. But it loses the overpowering force and mellows into a sweet, delicious, musky honey. Very soft and sexy. Not a whole lot of throw, but that's okay for this one, because it seems to invite nuzzling. Very sensual!

[purplegirl]

When I first put Anactoria on, I thought it was going to be an almost single-note Arabian Musk, which would've been fine by me since I love musks.... it was almost entirely Arabian Musk. I didn't get anything else at all, no red currant, no honey, nothing.....but as she started settling on my skin, the amber and honey started to really jump out as well as a smoky quality (I guess it's the kush?) and then it starts to get really..... dirty. Not in a bad way, but in a blush-from-head-to-toe sort of way. This is the scent of torrid sexy-times, flushed cheeks and is just amazing, I didn't expect this to be soooo... well, sexy This is a wear-at-your-own-risk-around-your-lover scent, and I'll enjoy doing so!

[Coldfire]

Bottle: sweet but not sugar sweet. Catching the red currant first.

Wet on Me: Red Currant and the musk/amber in the background

Drying Down: The creaminess of the honey comes in but does not over power the currant’s sweetness.

Dry: Creamy Currant Amber without smelling like powder. The musk adds nice subtle touches as well. So glad I got a bottle

[NeuroticaGirl]

I read that Daemonorops is actually the plant that gives us Dragon's Blood resin. That explains a lot. In the bottle i can smell the fruity current and what i assume is the Daemonorops. This has an "old perfume" scent to it without being dusty like so many others. The amber is present but the honey seems to hide from me. I really like this scent.

[modillian]

In bottle: I received a half-imp as a frimp from a generous seller. Mmm yum, surprisingly astringent and yet delicious!

 

Wet on skin: Yes, that musk-dragon's blood's "blood" note (yes, daemonorops, I recognize you sneaking into my bpal box!) is similar to the one in Valentine of Rome. It's not as metallic here. I like it. The sweet note of honey-current is on top.

 

Dry on skin: I expected to totally dislike this. Why on earth would I like musk on top of dragon's blood(another musk! and a bloody one!) and too-sweet HONEY? I mean, currant and kush are always delicious, but the other ones are tooooo smelly, right?

 

Wrong. This is freaking awesome. The smells melt and mute, growing more delicious by the hour. The first incitive bite is bloody musk, followed by a softer waft of amberhoney mimicing a floral. I think I'm liking oils that have a preliminary hard bite (acidic fruit, singed smoke, bitter metal) and then softer notes under it (orris, buttery resins, florals, currant, amber). I have so much perfume by now I don't know how I would fit this into my repetoir, but I think I'll try. I may have to hunt down a bottle of Anactoria, because it's so very awesome.

[femmefatale]

This is very...interesting. It starts off rather sharp, but as it dries and sweetens and smooths a bit. It seems to change a bt each time I smell it. Sometimes it's heavier on the musk, other times the honey comes out more, and sometimes it the amber. Underneath it all there is a faint spiciness to it with just a hint of a resinous quality.

I would say this is more sensual than straight up sexy. It's complex in the way woman are complex; strong, sweet, sometimes a bit sharp, sometimes smooth, sensual, subdued, grounded...just beautiful.

I really like this. I don't think I would wear this daily, but it's definitely something I would wear when I want to feel classic and beautiful and confident.

[crebbsgirl]

This did start out a little sharp/harsh smelling when I first applied. I got a rush of PERFUME when it hit my skin. As it dries though it mellows into a softer smelling musk. I think on me this smells like a non-vanillic O. I had to try it twice, as the first time I didn't really get any impressions. The second wearing however, this blend is really growing on me. The honey and amber are sweet and resinous and the musk adds a wonderful depth here. This is a subtle scent once it dries, and it smells much like a me but better scent. The red currant isn't very prevalent here at all I should note.

[mgrazulis]

In the vial: sweet honey, musk

 

Wet on the skin: the spices bloom with an undertone of currant; very perfumey; there is a tobacco-like note, too--not offensive, though

 

Dry: No daemon drops--odd, this gets very arid, ashy and dry--the amber goes powdery on me. This decant will go to someone else whose chemistry can handle more amber than I can.

 

[rayvn1]

Drat! While musk and amber are some of my favorite notes, sometimes they go horribly wrong Such was my long sought Anactoria. Rats! Dark, smelly and aggressively bitter.

[hepkitten]

I'm not sure why this one is such epic fail on me, and I'm extremely bitter about it after reading the descriptions. Anactoria is a sweet, high-pitched scent on me that becomes hairspray all too quickly. Granted, it's the world's best-smelling hairspray, but it's hairspray. I'm guessing it's a collision between the amber and the musk.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

I like this, but I don't get the scent of violent passion...more like crisp linen, honey, a touch of something fresh and almost minty, perhaps a dribble of musk. It reminds me of Dream of the Fisherman's Wife minus the aquatics and the seaweed...which I guess just leaves the sexy parts, but also with the addition of freshly laundered linens. So I guess that in the end what this amounts to is sexy time on newly dry-cleaned high thread-count sheets...Dream of the Dry Cleaner's Wife! It's nice, but I was hoping for something a bit more...erm, I dunno, dirty, I s'pose!

[Gin]

Anactoria 2008

 

I don't think I ever get more than musk and amber and maybe honey, but this is gooood. It goes on *strong* but mellows into a fantastic amber-musk with a touch of sweetness.