alyelle

In the bottle: Dusty fig-tree roots. Wet: Sweet vanilla, pulpy fig flesh, and milky sap. Dry: Gloriously figgy, like the proverbial pudding, with a soft wash of vanilla. I'd guess this is a fairly long-lived scent (I had to shower at the 8 and a half hour mark), with a solid medium throw. I love it as a fig-heavy fragrance, although I would probably reach just a little more quickly for Strangler Fig - an all time fave - or Love and Sleep. Stars: ★★★★½

In the bottle: Sugary peach, amber, and apricot. Wet: Amber amping, as always! The sugar in the bottle is sharp; on my skin it rounds out to a more gentle sweetness, with a backbone of soft oudh and frankincense. Dry: This ends up fruity without being foodie, a perfectly blended peach and apricot-lathered oudh. Surprisingly, there's not a trace of rose, which almost always run strong on me, but it's lovely even without it. Very long lived, over 12 hours, and with a sustained throw. Stars: ★★★★½

In the imp: Cocoa-covered incense sticks. Wet: Nag champa and freshly brewed tea. Dry: The best blended of any of the Menage a Trois scents I've tried so far! This actually doesn't have any one discernible note by the drydown. It's a beautiful, comforting blend of all three - smells like a hug and conjures up a mental image of a rich warm caramel colour. Delightful. Life seems shorter, after 5-6 hours it was already very faint (and then I got rained on, which washed it off completely); throw is pretty mild. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Orange peel, orange blossom, and honey; an oddly biscuity khus, and a faint hint of patchouli which is almost drowned out by everything else that's happening. Wet: Patchouli's time to shine! There's still a very weird whiff of shortbread hanging around, slathered in honey and beeswax. Top notes of orange blossom, soft and effervescent, none of the bitterness of the pith and peel. Dry: This doesn't morph at all in the drydown, it just fades in intensity. At this point, I'm keen to research the difference between khus and the various other types of vetiver the lab use (Haitian? Sweet? Just plain vetiver?) because "vetiver" behaves a particular way on my skin - soft, smoky, earthy, generally delicious - and anything I've tried so far with "khus" listed in the description does not at all. (Most of the time, it smells like weed; I have no idea why this one went to biscuits! It's not bad, just a bit odd set against the rest of the notes interacting here.) Life is the standard 6-8 hours, medium throw. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: Condensed milk, honey, fig, and a bready sweetness - like sniffing a warm bread and butter pudding. Wet: Fig and cedar, with a deep hint of olive and date. A slightly leafier, drier, Strangler Fig. Dry: Primarily fig with a base of wood, and ongoing leafy top notes. I accidentally showered it off, but by the time I did, it was fairly faded so I don't think impacted its lifespan too much. Lasts around 6-8 hours with a medium throw. Stars: ★★★★★

In the imp: More bourbon vanilla than anything else, which I did not expect after reading the reviews. The sage and sandalwood are detectable, but vanilla definitely dominates. Wet: Almost the vanilla note from Dorian, sans tea, and tempered by an earthy sage note. The faintest kiss of sandalwood if you sniff for it. Dry: The final stage is the strangest of all - a slightly powdery sandalwood (finally!), with strong herbal notes, and not a trace left of the bourbon or vanilla. Very long-lived (could still smell it with ease a full 12 hours later), with a strong throw. Stars: ★★★★½

In the imp: Strongly gardenia, with the slightest astringent hint of tobacco leaf. Wet: Gardenia in full and glorious bloom, nary a whisper of the other two. Heady, old-fashioned, and feminine - this reminds me of my great-nan, or a Gibson Girl. Dry: Primarily gardenia, although less overpowering on the drydown than when first applied. No oakmoss ever emerges, and the tobacco leaf - when I can find it at all - is the vaguest trace. 6-8 hours wear time, after which point it had faded to being almost undetectable; a medium-tending-mild throw. Stars: ★★★★½ , I'm a sucker for gardenia and this will go into rotation with Venus Cloacina.

Decanted by my usual supplier; received and tested mid-lockdown, where it created a brief but perfect sense of harmony. In the imp: rose and lavender with the faintest hint of magnolia; no herbal notes at all, surprisingly. Wet: new, barely white, petals covered in dew; a waft of soap from the magnolia; sweet green grassy undertones. Dry: this one fades on me more or less instantly, which is a shame, as it's lovely! If I sniff for it, I can get traces of lavender/rose, but it's more like the memory of a garden than the garden itself. Even freshly applied, the throw is faint, if not imperceptible. Stars: ★★★★

2020 version. Imp: peach cough syrup Wet: more pleasantly, caramelised peaches and amber! Thanking all my lucky stars that the sugar here didn't do what Sugar Cookie, Sugar Moon, and other sugary foodie scents did - for a few years, sugar consistently turned to melting plastic on my skin, which was rather less than ideal as I'm sure you can imagine. Dry: Lupers 2020 are going off so far - this was a delicious, cashmere-like soft amber peach, with a tiny hint of sugar. Weirdly, I couldn't describe it as anything even approaching food - more like a blossom, and the fuzz on a slightly unripe fruit. Another mid-to-heavy throw with 10+ hour lifespan, and another instant favourite. Stars: ★★★★★

2020 version, via my decanter, and with a good 3 week quarantine/bottle rest on each side of our borders - no bottle shock here! Imp: pure rose, with nary a trace of oudh about Wet: lush red roses and green woody stems; what even is oudh anyway? (Disclaimer: I know exactly what oudh is. :P) Dry: this went accidentally all over my fingertips during application, and gave off a very strange inky petrol undertone. Thankfully that was short-lived. By the 15 minute drydown, and until I showered before bed, this was an exact replica of one of my favourite commercial perfumes, Penhaligon's Elisabethan Rose. (That's great to know, because when this runs, I can go back to Penhaligon until the next time it comes up in Lupers). And like Penhaligon's, it lasts forever, so RIP to my office and colleagues if they don't appreciate the rose garden walking among them. Heavy throw, still powerful at the 10 hour wear mark. Stars: ★★★★★

Mostly empty sniffie with barely enough oil remaining for one application. I resisted testing this for three years after I was given it because I dislike almost all of the Blood scents, and can't wear cinnamon without welting. Bottle: powdery, with hints of musk, chocolate, and teak. Wet: very woody DBR, overlaid by musk and cocoa. Dry: mostly resin and cocoa, with vague throws of patchouli and smoke. Interestingly, I had no reaction to the cinnamon; first time ever. I found myself very surprised to actually enjoy this, and wonder how much of it working is due to the vetiver, which has never yet let me down. Aged well, I could see myself wearing it again, though I'm probably not going to rush out and search for it. Stars: ★★★½

2014 version. Bottle: Narcissus and frankincense with a top note of wisteria. Wet: very pale and sweet florals; mostly narcissus with a hint of wisteria and a gently spiced base. The amber slowly creeps out, and this particular amber is very similar to the one from Mouse's Long and Sad Tale. Dry: I'm not a fan of narcissus but this is quite pleasant by the end, surprisingly. There's more amber than white florals, and the wisteria starts to dominate. I'll keep it for now and see how often I reach for it. It's certainly a value for money proposition - very long lived at 12+ hours, with a good throw. Stars: ★★★★

Half bottle gift dated to 2016, tested for the first time out of storage Bottle: very foody; licquorice (okay, nose...) and butter. Zero florals. Wet: the synthetic plastic caramel note I got from Sugar Moon and Sugar Cookie, with an undercurrentof florals - a hint of gardenia, and the Oolong note from Lazy Daisy. Dry: I don't like foody scents at all, and am very hesitant to apply this in any great quantity, as Sugar Moon was an unmitigated disaster on my skin. However. It starts as butter shortbread, sitting on a cotton tablecloth, with a gentle breeze of gardenia blowing through an open window. It gradually becomes a gentle gardenia floral with shortbread crumbs left on empty china plates as a backdrop. The weirdo licquorice note never resurfaces on my skin, and the tea vanishes all but instantly. I'm not sure I love it, but I'll give it a couple more wears. Life is middling (6ish hours) as is the throw, and thankfully the tuberose never amps up over the gardenia. Stars: ★★★½

A partial bottle I was given by a friend a few years ago, which I have recently unearthed after two moves and deep storage in our basement. Age has done it a service. In the bottle: rose, violet, lemon myrtle, and what I assume must be styrax, because it doesn't smell like anything else listed or that I recognise. It's very strong. Wet: weirdly, the myrtle dominates, with a touch of gardenia and a whole lot of lemon - my migraine trigger scent, disaster looms! Hints of violet, absolutely zero rose. Dry: thankfully this is muuch more rose heavy on the drydown, so I opted to dab a bit more on. In the end it's a soft rose/frankincense blend with no lemon (phew) or other florals to be seen. I would probably never have bought it blind, but I do quite like what it settles into, and can see a few occasions where I'd opt for it over my other rose-heavy scents. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: honey, mallow, sandalwood and vanilla. Wet: sugar and mallow dominant, with a backing of orris, vanilla, and sandalwood as always - I amp that boy in the best way. Dry: strong on honey, like the old Rappaccini's Apiary blends (which I adored), with a sweet base of white sandalwood and a splash of sugar cane. Long-lived (in excess of 12 hours) and with a hefty throw. A beautiful little gift I am most thankful for! Stars: ★★★★½

I'm surprised there aren't more reviews here! In the imp: rose and sweet musk, like musk stick lollies; basically Eve without the moss notes. Wet: amber, musk, a hint of rose, and the starry note from Yvaine. Dry: musk and blue-star sparkles, with a sweet undercurrent of rose. Gorgeous on its own; would also layer beautifully. Overall a stunning blend, with a medium to strong throw, which lasted for about 8 hours on my skin. Definitely one I will invest in a bottle of, I love it. Stars: ★★★★★

In the imp: the exact champa of every new age store I went to in 1995. Wet: sweet myrrh (which I can never spell properly, if my journal is anything to go by), and a slight gasoline-flower note. Little to none of the classic champa scent I got before I put it on my skin. Dry: on me, this dries off to basically sing note myrrh, which is possibly something I ought to be grateful for. Medium throw with a 6-8 hour lifespan. Stars: ★★★

2019 version, decanted by Ajevie. I do love the guessing games that abstract scent descriptions cause, and this one was particularly fun/annoying - there was a note in here that tormented me all day, which I finally placed 12 hours later as lotus blossom. In the imp: soft pines and wet fern, sweet berries, and a hint of menthol or eucalypt - every time I try and decide which, I change my mind. I see some folk on here mentioned wintergreen, it could well be that too. Wet: I'm tipping a base of white sandalwood or pale amber, though as it dries down, I'm less convinced of either. Around 15 minutes in I settled on blue eucalypt, touched with ozone; there's also very moist green florals, quite like the Spanish moss blends, some lotus (with that heady bubblegum note), and a good helping of white florals - lily or orchid, possibly both. Dry: this lasts and lasts, so if I have to pick a base, I'd go with amber, and weirdly, I got wafts of hay absolute as it settled. The eucalypt/mint/menthol takes a backseat to the florals; I'm dead sure there's lotus, pretty sure there's lily, and wondering about orris. On the whole, I like this a lot - and I'm not usually a fan of the lotus/aquatic blends. It lasts forever, and has a pretty hefty throw. On me, it is ALL floral with a hint of mint, no lunar oils, no herbs, hardly any fern by the end. The early stages threw pine, but I doubt there's any real pine, cypress or spruce here because I amp those like crazy. It reminds me of one of the Yules I tried a few years back, and despite it being the middle of summer where I am, worked beautifully against the muggy, overcast weather we had today. Stars: ★★★★½

Given that I reviewed this jetlagged, I am actually VERY willing to believe I messed up my 13's Removing that original review until I can retest to avoid confusion.

Actually 13 for September 2019 this time. (Original review moved to the previous release of 13 where it belongs.) Imp: lemony litsea, chamomile, ylang-ylang and patchouli. There's a whole lot happening in this 13 too. Wet: a warm, snuggle base of chamomile and lavender, touched with tansy and sandalwood, with an airy citrus at the top. Dry: a sweet and smoky blend of frankincense, sandalwood, and chamomile that reminds me of midnight mass (the event, not the fragrance); rich and comforting with citrus-floral overtones. This one is not made for summer days in Australia; it's better under overcast, grey skies, worn with an angora sweater. It's sweet but not cloying, thick but not sticky, and it lasts for ages. Very calming, and (most thankfully for my sake) the ylang-ylang stays real quiet amongst the other notes - the dominant players are the resins and herbs. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: blackcurrant, spice, and red fruit, topped with wine Wet: balsam and cypress, a hint of fig, sage and saffron. White grapes and white musk. It's complex but very harmonious. Dry: this reminds me of a non-BPAL blend I once ended up with, but far superior. Smokey festival smells of rum cake and sweets, mulled wine, and cold forest air. It is rich, delicious, and lasts forever - still going strong at 12 hours with a hefty throw. Stars: ★★★★½

In the imp: leather and skanky musk, rotting roses and talc. Wet: I will confess to being not keen to apply this. But - I must trust that vetiver will be kind to me. Baby sick, smoke and talc at first (wtf is brimstone even made of?), and a sincere wish that the drydown blows my mind. Dry: ... it eventually improved. Unfortunately, I threw half the bottle all over my phone. Screw you, Crowley. A strong-tending-medium throw, and a mid-to-long life. Not convinced I like it, or that I'll wear it again, though the later stages are quite pleasant. Stars: ★★★½ , very mixed feels

In the imp: tea and pot pourri on a coffee table, during a heavy rainstorm, watching as the sole inhabitant of the house snuggles deep into a cracked and worn leather armchair, smothering themselves in blankets Wet: cotton, cashmere, and chamomile; lemon shortbreads; furniture polish Dry: soft and comforting, like a whiff of chaos on a stupendously boring day. Just wonderful! Surprisingly short-lived, at just under 6 hours, but with a medium throw. I'd lather next time. Instant favourite. Stars: ★★★★★

In the imp: pine and moss, and sparkling mountain air. Wet: bergamot, layered over a forest of pine, blanketed in lavender clouds Dry: the lavender really billows in the drydown, alongside a little hit of sugar from Dorian. However, the predominant scent is fresh pine, lifted by the tang from the bergamot. The scent proper lasts around 6-8 hours, but the lemony and pine after-notes linger on a bit further. The throw is medium, provided you apply liberally; the effect is very similar to most of the pine-base blends. Stars: ★★★★

In the imp: mostly Snake Oil, with a wee hint of honey, and maybe sugared lavender if you really try sniffing for it. Wet: a little more lavender now, and a weirdly chocolate herbal tone, layered over vanilla and patchouli. Dry: this may have given me a slight irritation, although I'm not sure why; Snake Oil never has and neither has Dorian or anything with lavender. It sure seemed itchy though. Ultimately this is Snake Oil 2.0, with a lot less of the other notes, and not quite what I wanted from the description. It is long lived, pushing upwards of 10 hours, but surprisingly mild in throw. 2021 retest: Very similar to the original wear, with a slightly stronger lavender in the early stages. Very dirty patchouli, and no irritation this time; ultimately, still Snake Oil 2.0 so it will not be resurrected from my swaps pile. Stars: ★★★