For Each Ecstatic Instant

[DiesMali]

FOR EACH ECSTATIC INSTANT

For each ecstatic instant
We must an anguish pay
In keen and quivering ratio
To the ecstasy.

For each beloved hour
Sharp pittances of years,
Bitter contested farthings
And coffers heaped with tears.

– Emily Dickinson

Equal parts joy and grief, lust and regret, pain and pleasure: velvet-red roses and sensual aged patchouli with night-blooming jasmine, caramelized bourbon vanilla, labdanum, black amber, and oudh.

In the imp: Wet, slightly incensed rose petals.

Wet on my skin: Much the same as in the imp, but more incense and less rose. It's slightly boozy, as well.

Dry: This is the first scent I've tried that has called to mind the word "sexy." This scent is lush, deep red, and velvety. It's the deepest red rose, darkened further by resins and incense, and topped off by a hint of rummy vanilla. The patchouli and oudh combine to soften it in an almost musky sort of manner. The rose is not overpowering at all as rose can sometimes be, instead blending beautifully with the rest of the notes. The jasmine is also starting to come out as my skin warms the scent, which rounds the scent from lush red into deep burgundy. It may sound odd to describe a scent in terms of colour, but in my mind, it looks like this:

[AmyO'Shields]

Jasmine, amber, rose, patchouli...in that order.

As it dries, everything dances a dark, velvet dance and i can no longer tell the flowers apart. It has a regal smell...i'm not sure how to explain - beautiful.

[LiberAmoris]

For Each Ecstatic Instant is so good. This is an incensy patchouli-jasmine-rose blend on me, and I'm so excited to have two new jasmine loves from this year's Lupercalia release (Venus Genetrix is the other, and shares notes of jasmine, black amber, and bourbon vanilla).

 

Amongst the other lovely Lupers in my order, this one offers the most unabashed, unrestrained, no-holds-barred trip to sexytown. It's well-blended, but I can definitely pick out the red rose, jasmine, and patch—the other notes act as a kind of scrim, blurring any sharp lines like a scarf thrown over a lampshade. The jasmine here is gorgeous. What I love about jasmine is that it straddles the line between floral and feral...as if a blossom could smell both at its prime and about to turn and start decomposing all at once. It's like a flower fulcrum, and there's something lovely about being right at that point (a point that is usually so fleeting). In combination with the other notes, it's a stunning incense to have at the end of a wrist (or other parts).

 

Really wonderful, and definitely being worn on my next date night.

[stellamaris]

This is a beautiful well blended perfume. I am not picking out anything in particular here, could be the stormy weather dulling my senses. Again.

That said this is lush and Velvet-y (referencing the perfume Velvet, it has that same dark plush vibe), and the jasmine is lovely, but it's not that sharp sort of jasmine. I think those who fear the jasmine might be fine with this one. It marries with the bourbon vanilla, amber and laudanum into something very smooth and nice.

[Ethaisa]

I find this is incredibly well balanced; none of the notes overwhelm or overpower the others - as both rose and jasmine easily can do, and neither do they fight it out. Jasmine, rose, patchouli, oudh… these all play so well together. Gorgeous, sensual blend. So glad I just went ahead and ordered a bottle.

[zankoku_zen]

Red roses, patchouli and amber. This is a deep, dark rose/patch blend. This makes me think in vibe of black velvet - deeply sensual, deeply dark. Average throw, average wear length.

 

Roses, patchouli, dark.

[rinster]

This is primarily jasmine on me, with a little rose backing it up. I'd love to get the darker elements other folks are reporting (patch and oude), but that's not happening right now. It's very plush and sensual, but a little similar to other scents I have. I'm hoping some age will bring out its dark side.

Edited March 18, 2015 by rinster

[theseagrows]

ok the only thing i was really iffy about is if the patchouli or jasmine is too strong in this. right off the bat i get strong night blooming jasmine (which i tend to amp) the roses then come out more, and i hope that the jasmine settles down a bit. it's not a very stinky jasmine on me, thankfully, it's just very strong. this is very very floral at first but i sense the amber, patchouli and oudh in there. after awhile the labdanum and oudh become more present and i love that element of the scent, almost woody and leathery, however, the jasmine is still so strong it gives me a headache. after awhile on the skin it becomes mostly a jasmine-patchouli with oudh. there is no rose and no vanilla here, unfortunately the jasmine is amping to 11.

[milo]

Heady jasmine at first. STRONG!! After a bit, jasmine soap. And its a strong soap, with just a touch of jasmine now. I like the labs night blooming jasmine, but this one is just too strong and ventures into cat pee territory.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: The flowers are sweet and spicy.

 

Wet: Now it's like the heady roses are drenched with the vanilla and sprinkled with some patch.

 

The dry-down: Alas, the amber has appeared to stomp all over this lovely scent. Why does amber have to turn to powder on my skin and ruin so many scents?

Edited June 28, 2015 by thekittenkat

[Ishtar]

Strong jasmine and a hint of rose, with thick, almost chewy amber in the very background. Given all its deeper base notes, I expected this one would be a morpher, but other than becoming slightly darker after drydown, it pretty much stays the same throughout. The resins and other richer notes never get a chance to shine, and I have to sniff my arm really closely to even detect the presence of patchouli. Too bad, as I would have loved to get the full olfactory experience all these lovely notes had to offer.

[Lucchesa]

Wow, I had a different experience from everyone else. Wet, For Each Ecstatic Instant was almost a single-note patchouli on me. Patch, patch, and more patch, with a little jasmine and maybe rose hiding in the next room, weeping. After at least an hour it settled into more of a balance, with patchouli still dominant but jasmine and rose finally perceptible and a soft boozy vanilla whispering in the background. But given the length of time it took to get to something I enjoyed, this one is now in search of a new owner whose skin will like it better from the get-go.

[dementia_divine]

In the decant: I can't remember if I tried this when it came out without properly reviewing it, or if I just never got around to testing this before the 2015 Lupers came down. This is really strong on the resins, rose, and the jasmine.

 

Wet: It's the same on my skin. The dark resins dominate, along with the rose and jasmine. The patchouli has also made an appearance, but I haven't detected any vanilla yet.

 

Dry: It's the same, only somewhat softer. The resins continue to reign, followed by the jasmine, patchouli, and rose. There's just a touch of the bourbon vanilla, but I have to press my nose to my arm in order to smell it.

 

After a while, the patchouli note ends up becoming a lot stronger, so that I'm mostly getting the resins, patchouli, and jasmine.

 

Verdict: Resins and florals together aren't really my cup of tea, and the vanilla isn't strong enough to add enough sweetness for me.

Edited November 19, 2017 by dementia_divine