Venus Erycina

[LiberAmoris]

VENUS ERYCINA

Venus of the Prostitutes

Honeysuckle absolute with white gardenia, red patchouli, red amber, and crushed diamond accord.

The Lab's honeysuckle note smells just like the real thing to me. It's really pretty, but it's a sweet flower and I have to be in the right mood for it. This morning I was! Wet, Venus Erycina is primarily honeysuckle on me with gardenia making it even richer and sweeter. I can smell the red patchouli and red amber bringing the florals a bit to heel, and there's something slightly sparkly or effervescent that I imagine to be the crushed diamond accord. Dry, this remains a heady, broadcasting floral with a 'red bottom' and a diamond crown. I can see myself wearing this in the summer, and it pairs beautifully with Chorion hair gloss.

[AmyO'Shields]

At first, this smelled like baby powder and it made me sad (like the commercial: "Fiber makes me sad", lol!).

It must have been the amber sorting itself after arguing with the honeysuckle (and winning, since i cannot smell any honeysuckle) and after about 15 minutes it doesn't smell like baby powder at all and i cannot believe it started out that way.

This shimmers. I think i smell mostly amber, probably the crushed diamond accord and a touch of patchouli.

Dry, the gardenia is present (in a beautifully understated way!) with the amber. Still shimmering. Definitely unique and quite beautiful.

[zankoku_zen]

Gardenia, amber, patchouli and a blush of honeysuckle. This one is a deep amber/patch blend with sweet white florals. It sort of glitters, and is intensely sophisticated. I can see this appealing to people that loved classic floral perfumes, and it sort of reminds me to Chanel No 5 in vibe, and perhaps a little in smell in that yes, it is floral but there's that deeper resin preventing it from being all floral, all the time. Average throw and wearlength.

 

Deep, womanly, classic.

[karykeion]

I'm SO curious about "crushed diamond accord".

 

In the decant: Mostly gardenia and patchouli with a little honeysuckle. I'm not getting a whole lot of amber and I can't say I've ever sniffed a diamond.

 

On me, wet: Very floral with a little bit of patchouli! I like this, but I feel like it's a little more normal high end perfume than most. I get more amber as it starts to dry down, and it's a little powdery, but the honeysuckle is starting to come out more, and that's what I bought the blend for, so I have high hopes!

 

On me, dry: Wow, this dries down really fast. I'm getting mostly amber and some gardenia and not a whole lot else. It's pretty, but really understated, and I'm not really sure when I'd want to wear it.

 

I think I'm going to give this one full run, but it's not really grabbing me like I thought it would.

[Haltija]

This is really beautiful.

 

I adore honeysuckle and this doesn't disappoint with the amount of it. It is the sweeter flower that I know and love with a nice dose of a effervescent vibe. It does indeed smell a little "shimmery" and very classic. The gardenia in this isn't sharp or unpleasant in the least bit, it smells quite subtle on me and I actually am not getting any of the red patchouli, but I am getting red amber on the full dry down. I agree with zankoku in the fact that It smells womanly in a perfume-y way but I actually like that about it. I feel I would wear this when I got really dressed up or put myself in a full Victorian outfit.

 

I must point out that this smells like a more perfume-y version of Delicate Ambrosial Dews of Heavenly Nectar, at least to my nose. Amazing!

Edited March 10, 2015 by Haltija

[izile]

I knew this was risky, because of the amber and patchouli, but I thought they were "red" so I would try them, because I love honeysuckle and gardenia and I was curious about diamond accord.

 

Wet: Smells musky and heady, sweet and floral. There's something sexy and dark underneath, but not too dark, really complex and interesting.

 

Dry: the amber has won - it smells like slightly floral, but mostly baby powder... apparently doesn't matter what color the amber is, it is baby powder of doom color.

 

le sigh. Smelled gorgeous wet.

[ellebelle]

I love all of these notes, but somehow they are swirling together to smell like ... opium? Is that possible? I think this is not for me, and my nose is broken. I think the "opium"-ness is a powdery edge from the amber, which surprises me because amber is usually one of my best notes. Boo.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Sweet, sweet honeysuckle. There's a bare hint of the gardenia and patchouli keeping it from going too sweet.

 

Wet on skin: Still almost pure honeysuckle.

 

Dried down: The gardenia comes out more once it dries down.

 

Throw: Almost none on me.

 

Verdict: *** Nice, but no cigar.

[somacat]

The amber kind of escalate the florals and pitches them into my headache zone. There is something rather sparkling peach effervescence which may be the diamond, but on me it smells somewhat commercial, often the way alcohol will pitch a blend. I can only pick out the blend but it doesn't read very gardenia or honeysuckle to me, just rather perfumey

[Maelle]

My first review!

 

Well let me say first that I blind ordered this bottle based solely on the notes listed. I love all things honeysuckle and hate wanting for decants... I felt like taking a risk, and I really paid off.

 

I was most worried about the patchouli overpowering this blend..., but really it doesn't show up on me at all. The "crush diamond accord" also intrigued me..., what does that even smell like? I must know!

 

Wet: I get pure honeysuckle. Glorious! This is exactly what I hoped it would be. This almost smells like pure honeysuckle single note on me while wet. Clean, fresh, florals. My boyfriend says it smells "yummy and fresh", he really likes it.

 

Dry: The honeysuckle starts to take a backseat and the gardenia peaks out. I get a sense of something else that smells fresh, clean and almost mysterious, this might be the "crush diamond accord". There is also something dark in the background, maybe the amber peeking out? Still no patchouli, thank goodness.

 

Overall thoughts: I love it! This was my only Lupercalia bottle purchase and I am thrilled. Clean, fresh floral with a lot of depth, I think the amber and diamond accord keep it grounded and interesting. This perfume oil feels very feminine and I feel comfortable wearing it to school and work, day or night. I think it will be great for Spring and Summer. I may need a second bottle!!!

 

My other scent recommendations: You might like this if you like... Litha, Whip, Euphrosyne

[unxolve]

Um. This is amazing. Orgasmic. Auuuugh, first putting it on its bright and fresh and beautiful, like a floral tea. Gorgeous and soooo sexy. Honeysuckle, if this is you, yes please. I'm not even a feminine scents or florals kind of person, but this is like having my nose pleasured.

 

After a while amber comes around, and it's an amber tempered by a mild juicy warm orange-peach. Doesn't lose hints of the delicious gorgeousness of the wet phase either. I could wear this all day, and then to bed. I don't know what crushed diamonds are but they're worth every drop. Wow. Bottle. 10 bottles.

 

Edit: Full trial run today! Was great! The dry down (which lasts most of the day) is a little similar to Tamora (amber/peach), but it's everything that I wished Tamora was.

Edited April 5, 2015 by unxolve

[astraelly]

Holy shit, this is strong. This isn't the summer-day-in-a-green-garden breed of floral that you'll find in something like Alkemia's Desiderata. This is a full bouquet of rich, heady flowers you'd find in the boudoir of an aging, but expensive courtesan. Maybe my nose is just immature, but this doesn't smell like any gardenia or honeysuckle I've smelled before. I get a lot of powder (of the velvety amber variety, not baby powder). This is definitely a mature floral and smells a lot like a classic perfume. Sophisticated, but not me.

[theseagrows]

whoa honeysuckle and amber! definitely the strongest notes at the beginning. i get a bit of gardenia and a hint of patchouli after a few minutes. this reminds me of a bold 80s perfume in a way. there is definitely a glittering feel to this, thanks to the crushed diamond accord. i'm not sure what it is though, note-wise. after awhile this is a blend of gardenia, amber and honeysuckle. it is nice scent for spring or summer. i really love this scent the most after it's in the drydown, after being on the skin for about an hour. at this point it's mostly amber and gardenia, but the florals are less loud. so pretty.

Edited April 21, 2015 by theseagrows

[vanilla323]

This scent wet is beautiful...it's honeysuckle sweet and heavy gardenia scented. But as it dries down the powder takes over!! I'm guessing its the amber turning and maybe diamond accord. I don't know what diamond accord smells like but powder is what I get. The honeysuckle is lovely but fades away and so does the gardenia after about 20 minutes. It's not a bad scent just more powdery then I thought it would be. I also never get any patchouli maybe with age it will come out. Love the Luper labels though they are so playful and sexy.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Slightly spicy honeysuckle, with only a faint whiff of the gardenia.

 

Wet: I'm getting a bit more of the gardenia now, and the patch is obvious. There's a faint coolness -- I wonder if that's from the crushed diamond accord, whatever that may be.

 

The dry-down: The notes are starting to meld together in a sort of spicy floral. There's still that faint coolness. The gardenia is not heady like a blooming gardenia bush would be; I suspect that it's being held in check by all the other notes. I like this but not enough to upgrade to a bottle.

Edited June 28, 2015 by thekittenkat

[milo]

I'm getting a lotus vibe at first. A fresh, slightly fruity floral. Dries quite differently, powdery, like orris. A bit soapy. Lasted all day, even after a shower. Not getting honeysuckle at all.

[marilyn eyre]

This smells chintzy in the best way possible. The Lab's honeysuckle note smells like the real deal, and I can almost taste the juicy drops of nectar. It does have a lovely amber base that grounds it to my skin, but it has this glittery element to it that I enjoy. So fresh and sparkly, it's incredible.

[dementia_divine]

I neglected to post my review of this back in 2015.

 

In the decant: Honeysuckle and a bright, effervescent note that must be the crushed diamond accord with the red amber and patchouli in the background.

 

Wet: The honeysuckle and crushed diamond accord notes are still the most prominent to my nose. The gardenia note is present as well, but it isn't as strong as the two aforementioned notes. The red amber is lingering in the background, but I am not getting much patchouli on my skin (thankfully).

 

Dry: The honeysuckle and crushed diamond accord continue to reign, but the gardenia is getting stronger, giving it a classic perfume feel.

 

Dry after a few hours: The gardenia is more prominent once it has been dry for a while. The amber and patchouli are stronger after a few hours of wear. At this point, the honeysuckle is pretty much gone, and while the crushed diamond accord is still present, it isn't as strong as it was during the wet phase.

 

Verdict: I enjoyed the prominence of the honeysuckle during the wet phase, but overall, the scent is too perfume-y for me.