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VENUS CAELESTIS

Celestial Venus

Blue lotus absolute, grey amber, white myrrh, frankincense, and sugared lemon peel.

Venus Caelestis is skillfully blended. I can pick out each note but the overall effect as a whole is so well balanced. Very very lovely scent that evokes a feminine softness, a silvery blue color and a coolness coupled with a tinge of warmth.

This does not morph from the bottle to my skin, the throw is fairly light on me, but I didn't slather.

The first thing I notice is the blue lotus absolute. I love lotus notes and this one has a cool sophisticated aura to it, it's not overly sweet or bubble gummy to my nose. The amber and myrrh intertwine to give this blend its warm softness without going powdery which plays nicely off of the cool lotus. This is so pretty! The frankincense lends a subtle sweetness that pairs with the sugared lemon peel. The sugared lemon peel is the only note that I have to search out, but it is there - shining in the background.

Overall, this is beautiful and womanly. I imagine I will want to wear this a lot in the spring and summer because it's more cool than warm. It's got a cool aquatic vibe from the blue lotus but the resins keep it grounded and rich. It's unlike anything else in my collection, I'm not sure how I would classify it - a resiny aquatic floral with a touch of sugared fruitiness? Maybe I'll just stick to simple and classify it under GORGEOUS. :)

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This was a serious gamble. And for once it paid off! The frankincense and lemon peel are prominent with hints of lotus. There is a very small amount of sugar in this....but that's okay. I love this. I see this as a summer scent. It's so warm and inviting. :D

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in the bottle: wow...wasn't sure about this one. The gray amber is definitely most prominent in the bottle.

 

wet, on skin: No good. With my skin chemistry it smells like women's deodorant worn down by an intense workout. (B.O.)

 

dry, on skin: mellowing out and softening. the sugared lemon peel is coming forward and making this much more bearable.

 

LATER-----I was swapping this off, had just made the deal when I sniffed again and wanted to cry.

It's truly incredible after about 45 mins-an hour. Soft and round a glowy just like a moon. It's got a softened crystalline lemon with

frankincense resting atop it...the gray amber has really receded. It's so beautiful and soft and poignant. I really wish I hadn't traded

it off and probably have to buy another bottle. Damn!

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Frankincense, myrrh, amber and again with the silvery-blue aquaticness of lotus and a dollop of sugared lemon. Despite sharing similar notes with this year's Shunga Minamoto and the Lotus Flower, this Venus seems to work a little better on my skin. I think the addition of myrrh makes the frankincense richer and much more resinous, and you get the lotus and sugared lemon as an after-taste, like after a mouthful of wine. Low throw, low wear length. If I were to pick a color for this blend, it makes me think of pale yellow.

 

Resinous, myrrh, lemon sugar.

Edited by zankoku_zen

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Venus Caelestis is really pretty. In my mind it's like a pale blue-grey sky dotted with stars. The blue lotus is watery and contemplative and wide. It pushes up like a vaulted sky. The amber, myrrh, and frankincense are like a dropped anchor for the blend, bringing everything down to earth and letting the top and bottom notes create a wide space between them, giving the impression of airiness and distance. The lemon is both sugar and peel, so the sweetness and bitterness are in balance. The citrus brings everything to a point, or many small points, that cut through the floral and resins like light...something clear and bright. Overall, this wears as an ambered, slightly incensy blue lotus on me with a lemon twist.

 

The lotus is handled beautifully here, but I think this will smell even better on me after some aging, which should intensify those bottom notes.

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I wouldn't normally buy anything with lemon, after having experienced what Lolita and Whitechapel did on me, but the rest of this sounded so lovely that I ended up just getting one of everything from my decanter. And boy am I glad I did.

 

In the imp: aquatic florals and a touch of sweet lemon

 

Wet: sweet, still very aquatic (and now I know for sure what lotus does on me; I've only ever had it in busy blends and have never been able to discern it amongst the other notes) with a sugary top note. It's almost, but not quite, like a bathroom product. Almost.

 

Dry: colours, more than scents, are what I get from this in the end. Or maybe that's just my synesthesia talking. In any case, it's definitely a blue scent to start, turning to steely grey through the dry down. If I didn't know better, I'd assume there was musk here - I'm guessing what my nose registers as musk is the combination of sugar and amber. Thankfully I get no lemon whatsoever from this, and the final touch of ozone on the top note is a beautiful homage to the namesake.

 

Life: good, 8+ hours

Throw: medium to strong

Stars: ★★★★

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My first thought when sniffing the decant was: White Light light.

 

Caelestis is less stable and dense, leaving more room for morphing and in between its aquatic top note and the warmer resin base, but she must share some notes with WL. I'm guessing, blue lotus and franincense for sure, maybe more.

 

The second thing Caelestis makes me think of is some old-fashioned kind of fabric softener or something. I'm sure I know or knew people whose washing smelled like this, or maybe even my mom used something like this. It's that kind of fluffy-clean scent that seems just made for sheets, that makes you think your sheets have been air-drying on a string on a meadow with the fresh air breezing through them and a day's sunshine getting soaked into the fabric.

 

I totally agree on the color association of blue-grey turning into more of a steel grey as the blend dries down. The longer the oil is on my skin, the more the lotus seems to melt into the warmer resin base, and in the end the cool colours have almost faded. A hint of freshness, of that 'clean' scent, remains, but it is very fluffy and natural-smelling for an aquatic. Soft, warm, even a bit sweet. My skin turns many things sweet, though, so that might just be me.

 

I find this blend really intriguing/interesting and am having a bit of a hard time making up my mind if I need more of it, me not being an aquatic person at all, and all that. I'll have to test-wear this to work to see if I feel comfortable with it when out of the house. But I do like it. I really think, it is quite beautiful. <3

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In the imp: Ooh, pretty. Sweet but subdued.

 

Wet on skin: Mmmm..... baby sweet. I am getting a baby powder scent off of this now. Not that I mind that, but I know some people don't like that so much.

 

Dried down: Same as before. I've got an idea of what's doing what here, but I don't really pick out any distinct notes. This is just a pretty, balanced, well-blended scent.

 

Throw: This has very mild throw on me. But I've only got it on one wrist (and I want to keep sniffing it)

 

Verdict: ***** I don't actually see myself wearing this that often, but I want to have it around for those time that I do. Bottle, please!

Edited by Magycmyste

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Musky and fruity at first, like a fresh orange/lemon drink. After a bit, the musk recedes a bit, thank goodness, it was really dept store there for awhile. Ends up being a fresh slightly citrus and spicy blend. I'm thinking the lotus is making this blend kind of fruity. I really dislike the first phase, it is too loud. Not surprising, as white musk is not good on me. Oh well.

 

eta: I just assumed there was white musk! Must be the grey amber or white myrhh that is not playing nice with me.

Edited by milo

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I got a decant of this back in 2015 and never reviewed it. It’s time to remedy that, since it is the only Luper decant from that year that I have kept!

 

In the decant: Sugared lemon backed by light resins. The sugared lemon note is amazing!

 

Wet: I get the blue lotus absolute, sugared lemon, and then the resins. It may seem like a curious combo of notes, but they work really well together. The blue lotus lends an airy vibe to the scent, while the sugared lemon provides a candy quality to it. The frankincense stands out to me, but it isn’t a heavy frankincense, if that makes sense.

 

Dry: The resins are playing a greater role now, but I can still smell the blue lotus and the sugared lemon.

 

Verdict: This is so lovely. I wish I had gotten a bottle of this back in 2015. It’s a unique, light resin scent, and I love the sugared lemon in this. This scent would be wonderful to wear in the spring and summer months, and I will cherish the little that remains of my decant and pair it with Pa-Pow hair gloss.

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