Miss Lupescu

[Tramp]

"Bod," said Silas. "This is Miss Lupescu."

Miss Lupescu was not pretty. Her face was pinched and her expression was disapproving. Her hair was grey, although her face seemed too young for grey hair. Her front teeth were slightly crooked. She wore a bulky mackintosh, and a man's tie around her neck.

"How do you do, Miss Lupescu?" said Bod.

Miss Lupescu said nothing. She sniffed. Then she looked at Silas and said, "So. This is the boy." She got up from her seat and walked all around Bod, nostrils flared, as if she were sniffing him. When she had made a complete circuit, she said, "You will report to me on waking, and before you go to sleep. I have rented a room in a house over there." She pointed to a roof just visible from where they stood. "However, I shall spend my time in this graveyard. I am here as a historian, researching the history of old graves. You understand, boy? Da?"

"Bod," said Bod. "It's Bod. Not boy."

"Short for Nobody," she said. "A foolish name. Also, Bod is a pet name. A nickname. I do not approve. I will call you 'boy'. You will call me 'Miss Lupescu'."

Bod looked up at Silas, pleadingly, but there was no sympathy on Silas's face. He picked up his bag and said, "You will be in good hands with Miss Lupescu, Bod. I am sure that the two of you will get on."

"We won't!" said Bod. "She's horrible!"

"That," said Silas, "Was a very rude thing to say. I think you should apologise, don't you?"

Bod didn't, but Silas was looking at him and he was carrying his black bag, and about to leave for no-one knew how long, so he said, "I'm sorry Miss Lupescu."

At first she said nothing in reply. She merely sniffed. Then she said, "I have come a long way to look after you, boy. I hope you are worth it."

Animalic musk, with amber, patchouli, ho wood, cypress, almond blossom, golden sandalwood, and strange spices.

First Impression - musk and sandalwood with a hint of sweet wood.

There is something sharp to the musk on my skin, almost metalic, but that note fades after about 10 minutes. Or maybe that is some of the strange spices. lol. The spices are super mellow and laid back. Nothing in your face about them. If I sniff really hard I imagine I can get a whiff of cinnamon somewhere in there. Not sure about almond blossom but there is an almost almond like hint of sweetness to it. The sandalwood makes it all very easy to on the nose. And maybe it is the amber but I get a bookish dusty note. It's sort of like if Ivanuska was a librairian (which is a good thing!) Edited November 24, 2008 by Shollin

[blacklacestatic]

In the bottle: I can smell a musky liquid amber. Amber in bottles and imps smells very golden and a little more harsh to me, but amber on my skin smells a little softer and sweeter. I get the harsher golden smell here. It's a bit woodsy and resiny too.

 

Wet on skin: There is no trace of musk or amber here. I just get strong, sweet, gorgeous almond! I have never sniffed or worn a Bpal almond like this. It's sweet and sugary like an almond cream pastry filling. Delicious!

 

Drydown: What a morpher! This phase is good but a little sad too. This now smells like a younger sister to Black Lace and Lilith Victoria, which is wonderful! It's got the same feel despite not having similar notes. There is a sense of a dark, sultry vanilla here, it's very creamy. Strong on the musk here too, which makes it very sexy, not what I was expecting. The overall scent is soft and faint though. I would reccommend this to anyone who has missed out on Black Lace or Lilith Victoria. However, this phase is very temporary, as this particular oil does not have the strength, throw, or staying power of the other two. It makes my heart soar, then dissapears and leaves me longing for it to return.

 

Overall: Beautiful, I will be wearing this frequently. I definitely love it!

Edited November 30, 2008 by BlackLace

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is an almond cookie loaded with spice!!

 

once applied this is golden amber and almond...

i don't get the slightest hint of patchouli or wood....

 

this doesn't morph at all...all almond and amber...

[tuesdaynexxt]

Mmmm....I get amber and almond, sweet and almost powdery, but gorgeous. The dry down goes to something deeply sweet and spicy under the amber/almond. I'm thinking those "strange spices"? And it lasts a good 6 hours on me.

 

Love it, love it, love it!! Already sent for a bottle!

[dixiehellcat]

I got lots of almond too, with whiffs of amber, spice, and a breath of musk that reminded me of Ivanushka. Very nice! I ordered 3 GYB decants, with this one the one I suspected I wouldn't like...and it was the only one I DID like. lol.

[inurbanus]

On a map showing the similarities between BPAL scents, I think Miss Lupescu would be close to Snake Oil. It has that same blast of smoky resin that I get when I open my bottle of SO, and the overall vibe of Miss Lupescu has the same dark sensuality I get with scents in the Snake Oil family. However, Miss Lupescu is definitely lighter. There's a delicate quality in Miss Lupescu that's very interesting - I think it must be a combination of spice and almond that makes this almost foody. I would love to know how this is going to age, but until I can get my mitts on a big bottle, I'll be content with my decant.

 

3.5/5

[bookandbroom]

Oh, HOT. This is a dirty, smoky Amor, at first, in a way, though not in all ways, and I simply have too much of it on. It has that almondy-sweetness, but it's musky and slinky, too. It is a smell for knowing things in a physical way. The patchouli is smutting things up, I think, but this is still subtle, sneaky, sly. It makes your mouth water when you don't think there's any reason for that to be happening. Something smells like orange peels even though there aren't any nearby. Something smells like a secret. The woods come out, or creep up on you, all dark and slightly dominating, and you wish that ex-boyfriend had smelled like this, even though you kind of want to smell like it. But only sometimes. It's too much for all the time. It knows too much about you.

[Coldfire]

Decant: spicy. But spicy leaning on the sweetish side

Wet on Me: oh man..that almond blossom. That overly sweetish

cherry scent of almond. Over patchouli

Drying Down: oh thank the gods the almond is receeding quickly.

Leaving a scent that is a blend of musk and patchouli with hints of the sandalwood.

Dry: well the Amber showed up and I amped it to baby powder. Oh well.

[rayvn1]

This is sex in a bottle for me. Golden amber and musk with a rich, sweet, fruity(?) thrust that must be the almond blossom. Very strange, because I usually amp the almond note like there's no tomorrow and can't stand it. This is amazing, though! So glad I have a decant, because c'mon...who doesn't need sex in a bottle once in awhile

[blu°]

Oops, I think I can officially announce that I amp cinnamon to no degree now. (That's probably why it doesn't really smell of lovely cinnamon anymore in blends that have a lot of it).

 

Miss Lupescu right after application and during all stages that followed on me smelled mostly like a more refined Chimera. Less sweet and creamy than that one, but with more of the wood, patchouli and soft flowery almond blossom. However, what I mostly smell and what throws around me, is Chimera's cinnamon note.

 

The musk underneath - thankfully - is not black or red, nor civet - as far as I can tell. It reminds me a little of the Smut musks - slightly creamy, almost vanilla like. The amber possibly helps with that outcome. It's a sweet, skin type amber.

 

The wood and patchouli seem to keep Miss Lupescu from being a too in-the-face animalic sex-blend, adding some dry woodsiness for self-control and reason, and incensey mystery, too.

 

I can't really make out the almond blossom as a note, but I can imagine how it adds to the sweetness in Miss Lupescu, and to the feeling of lightness that remains despite all those heavy base notes.

 

So far I really like this blend, better than I like Chimera, as that one goes a bit over-the-top sweet after drydown.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Warm musk with touches of cola-like almond.

 

Immediately on skin: This scent has some nice furry musk going on with a nice warmth to it. I get soft touches of almond and spice, as well as a woody forest feel in the background.

 

After a little while: This loses a bit of the almond as it dries. Now it’s mainly a warm, fuzzy musk blend with a bit of dry woods and just a touch of sandalwood and almond. It’s dry and musky with a slight golden tone creeping in.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a really lovely warm, dry musk scent. It’s not overly animalistic, but it does feel warm, furry, and dry. The almond and spices are a nice addition, but both fade a bit upon drying. I’d say this is unisex, and it reminds me a lot of Ivanushka, only with some wood, almond and spices going on around it.

[motdakasha]

In the bottle:

Rating: 5

Notes: almond blossom, ho wood

Comment: Very sweet, light, musky wood.

Wet on skin:

Rating: 5

Notes: ho wood, animalic musk, patchouli

Comment: Very musky and woody, yet lightened by almond blossom, and perhaps cypress? I think I smell some star anise or cardamom as part of the "strange spices."

Dry on skin:

Rating: 4

Notes: ho wood, patchouli

Scent Intensity: 4

Comment: Overall very wood-smelling, with other notes coming and going.

Misc:

Duration:

Keyword(s): wood

Color: Mahogany

Smells like: dank redwood forest

[Iceblink]

Miss Lupescu is serious almond straight out of the decant. The musks and patchouli then appear--it's musky almond for a bit, and then the almond starts to fade away, leaving a sweet, musky amber/patchouli. The musk in here must be one of the ones found in Smut, too, because there's a faint hint of rubber way under the surface here. Probably needs some aging, but it's ok the way it is now too. Slightly spicy and quite sexy.

[Saya]

In the Imp

Well hello, almond. There’s a bit of amber and spice in the background peeking around the corner at me, but it’s very faint.

 

On My Skin

On first sniff this is spicy almond. But when I concentrate on it I can smell the wood and something that’s a bit dusty. Very interesting, so far I’m enjoying it.

 

After a Bit

Three hours later and this scent is still alive and kicking. The almond has calmed down a bit and allowed the spices to come to the front. This is a unisex scent that could very easily work for a man. It reminds me of a BPAL I’ve tried before but for the life of me I can’t recall.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being best)

Scent - 2.9 Throw - 3 Longevity - 3.5

Overall (not an average) - 3

 

Final Thoughts

This is a warm and spicy blend which would work equally well for men and women. It’s a great scent but not something I think I’d reach for very often. Maybe on cool days when I’m craving a warm blend, but not something I’d wear with any regularity.

[dreadpiraterustypants2]

bottle- O WOW! This reminds me so strongly of Ivanushka's musky furr scent! Perhaps a bit more sweet and spicy~

 

wet- mm mmm mm! So very much the same, a beast with a sweet center. Perhaps the almond smell folks are sniffing is similar to the furr, although there is that almond blossom.They meld so well! And while Ivanushka is a soft warm scent among the cold, this has a glowing warmth to it. Very lovely~ And so nice to have a similar Ivanushka scent GC~

the future- WER-LIBRARIAN I shall track down a bottle with my dying breath!

Edited January 13, 2009 by dreadpiraterustypants2

[northatlantic]

The almond and amber are at the forefront of Miss Lupescu for me and it starts out similar to Bastet, but then the musk comes out and it's the same one that ruined Bakeneko and Ivanushka it goes all plastic. I'll stick to Bastet for my sweet warm golden furry scent.

 

Elliott, however, LOVES Miss Lupescu. He was trying to drink it out of the imp. So animalic it must be

[zankoku_zen]

This one was a dirty, spicy sort of musk. Kindalike Roux ga Roux but more feminine. As it has dried, I get more of the almond and now it smells like an almond musky cookie.

 

I can see the similarity to Bastet - with the almond and amber. But this one is... well, slightly more feral.

[voodoocatwoman]

This is so pretty! I get musk and amber mostly (and amber is one of my favorite notes). I am not picking up the almond but I do think I detect a bit of sandalwood. The scent has the potential to be overpowering, though, so I don't think this is a slathering fragrance. Definitely a dabber.

[cuervosueno]

Oh! I so wanted to try this, and was so kindly frimped with it during a swap....

 

It is lovely! I really like BPAL's almond scents, but can't wear them as they turn very wierd on me. This has the sweet almond, but it is softer (almond blossom rather than the heavier note?) and it doesn't go wierd on me. I get golden amber with it, and a soft musk (and not red, thankfully, as someone else noted). A golden wood grounds it.

 

I don't get much spice. And the amber veers toward powdery very quickly. It reminds me a lot of Hunter Moon, and like that scent it is very faint and fleeting on me.

 

I think I like it, but just minutes after I put it on, it is very hard to smell That's kind of a deal breaker for me, so while I like it, I don't think it is bottle-worthy.

 

 

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, I can smell the comparisons to the musk that's in Ivanushka. It's mostly musk and dark, sweet amber with a hint of spiciness. I can smell almond too, but it smells like hyper-sweet maraschino cherries to me.

 

On my skin, this is mostly a soft, powdery musk with sweet, cherry-esque almond and sharp, perfumey spice. In the drydown, this starts to smell weird and goes to burnt plastic on me.

 

Miss Lupescu goes all wonky on my skin. I won't be keeping this one.

[milo]

Mmm, I so love this! Miss Lupescu has an ethereal quality, whispy, soft, kind of like The Lady on the Grey, but different in it's own way. This blend is sweet, slightly musky with a touch of what I think is cinnamon. This is a close-to-the-skin scent, fading quite quickly, but still there. This adds to the "ghostly" quality. Love it, and will probably spring for a bottle eventually.

[crebbsgirl]

Wet, this is musk and sandalwood. I can smell the woods beneath the blend, very faintly. As it dries, the musk and sandalwood round out together and form a more cohesive blend. The woods smooth out, and the patchouli makes an appearance, adding an earthy vibe. The blend is still predominantly musk, but with more depth now. The spices add an interesting dimension. I quite like this more than I thought that I would. I think I will have to try it a few more times to determine whether or not it's bottle-worthy.

[Skirt]

I bought this as a half-imp, purely based on loving Gaiman scents in general as I thought the woods would hate me, and.. ooh, I am so glad I tried it. It's definitely bottle-worthy for me. The musk, wood, and almond all dance nicely together and the dreaded sandalwood doesn't amp or make me itch.

 

It carries quite well without being assaulting, which is amazing.. Now, if I can keep myself from bathing in this, I'll be okay.

Edited March 4, 2009 by Skirt

[ephemera]

The notes for Miss Lupescu made me really hopeful for this blend, and in the imp it smelled like I might be right. After about 20 minutes though, this turned into a faintly powdery musky scent without much definition.

[jewelbug]

A lovely frimp from GreenSpine--thank you!

 

Imp: A sweet musk/amber with a fruity citrus tone--like a bright ginger?

 

Wet: There's a sweet resinous feel to this, but also the feel of cookies. It still has a bright citrusy-toned spice to it, and I'm thinking ginger, and a bit of that "cola" note that I get from some other blends (like voodoo, etc). This isn't at all what I expected, but its gentle and nuzzly and feral all at the same time--cool!

 

Drying: A lightly powdery, ever so slightly dirty (dusty?) musk (in a good way), with that gingery spiciness and hints of creamy vanillic/cookie sweetness.

 

Dry: Leather? I feel like there is a bit of sweet leather in here, along with the fuzzy musk, all sweetened by a vanilla/almond creaminess, and topped with a fruity ginger (think hungry ghost moon's fruit-loopy ginger) and even a hint of clove. The clove takes over the ginger by the end of the drydown, and it settles into a clove-leather-animal musk that is sweet and creamy/cookie-ish at the same time. Lasts 6ish hours.

 

Overall: This isn't what I expected at all. She's sophistocated and a little feral and overtly sexy and demure all at once. Love it! I think this is an unsung blend, and more people need to try it!

Edited April 22, 2009 by jewelbug