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Everything posted by Lucchesa
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Queen reminds me a little of Against Idleness and Mischief -- honey and herbs, a little sharp at first but they settle down quickly. There is also definitely something floral as well, maybe a pale musk. There may be pepper but that's often a note I can't smell or that doesn't emerge on me. This is nice enough, but it's not a goddess or major power scent for me. I'll keep one imp around and give away the other.
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Hi, @clockworkcrypt! I’ve flown with both imps and bottles in checked luggage and in the liquids ziplock of my carry on (and since getting TSA precheck, just randomly in my toiletries and even in my purse) and I have never had any problem. I usually travel with only GC imps because I’d hate to lose something irreplaceable, but recently I’ve been more adventurous. It’s fun to plan perfume for where you’re going and what you’re doing. Bon voyage!
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Been a decade since my last purchase: what should I get now?
Lucchesa replied to thesibylqueen's topic in Recommendations
Welcome back!!! You’re right, it is overwhelming! As someone to whom the cause has a personal relevance, I want to highlight the two “On Children” scents with proceeds going to support trans kids in Texas. And Though They Are With You is a perfect vanilla sandalwood, simple but gorgeous, wearable in any situation. I’m a patchouli hound so I love You May House Their Bodies even more. It seems like there have been some magnificent forest scents released recently but my brain isn’t letting me call them up this morning. And there are wonderful bargains to be had in the GC. I love Elf, Lizardfolk Park Ranger, Golden Priapus, Black Rider, Bard, No. 93 Engine, just off the top of my head. -
I'm finding lately that I absolutely need to avoid any scent with "cream" in the description. My skin will curdle it. This one starts off lovely, a nutty coffee with cardamom and baking spices. But as soon as the cream note starts to make itself felt, it's game over. Spicy coffee and sour milk. It's not a new phenomenon; Young Pine Saplings was a disaster on me. But some cream notes used to work on me, and more recently the percentage is tiny.
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Lizardfolk Park Ranger went sideways on me. Wet, I had the same experience as some other reviewers, a very sharp pine note with a mentho-lyptus vibe. This calmed down pretty quickly and for a time I got the daylight in the woods vibe -- no blackcurrant or hazelnut, though. And then? Nag champa. My skin chemistry turned this into hippie incense. Strong, too, and long-lasting. Not sure what's up with that.
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Drider Crossing Guard is a whole lot of plum on me. I thought from the description that it would trend dry and earthy, but it's all juicy fruit. I'm not getting pepper (not unusual) or nutmeg or tea, and only a little bit of fig that emerges gradually. It's pretty much the plum show. Fortunately, it's an enjoyable, wearable plum.
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Drow Yoga Instructor has massive throw on me and lasts ages, which is unusual for me. There’s a lavender incense at first, similar to what I remember Cathedrale de Notre Dame smelling like, which morphs into a sweet sandalwood incense with a hint of plum. Lovely and relaxing.
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Holding Hands is all about the apricot cream on me. I love apricot -- Depraved and Grand Guignol are GC favorites. This is much more delicate than either of those, with the clary sage and white tea keeping it from going too sweet. I am not getting much in the way of coconut and no tobacco at all, and it was really the creamy apricot and tobacco combo I was eager for. But it's a lovely soft springtime blend even if it's not exactly what I expected. No throw (pretty normal with my chemistry) and average wear length.
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- Lupercalia 2022
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I definitely have the Friendship annemathematics gave the Lab description for. It was received in a decant circle of TAL house blends. I love Friendship, which is a spicy honeyed carnation on me. I can't comment much on its efficacy; I'm using it mainly in an attempt to recharge the friendship component of my marriage, though I may wear it to visit my 94-year-old friends tomorrow. But carnation is my favorite floral note, especially with the one-two punch of carnation and clove, and this is definitely one of the lighter honeys I wear well, and I find it delightfully uplifting.
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This is gorgeous in the bottle, but perhaps predictably, on my skin I get red musk. It's accompanied by yummy cola labdanum at the beginning and a slight charred note, not identifiable on me as vanilla, but once it's dry, it's basically the red musk show with a hint of smoke. I'm hanging onto my decant to see if time will balance the notes out somewhat and allow the vanilla some play, but given red musk's history with my skin chemistry, I'm not hopeful.
- 11 replies
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- Ménage à Trois
- march 2022
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I blind bottled Sunyashniki, which doesn't always go well for me, mainly because I wanted one of the Ukraine scents and this seemed the most "Ukrainey" and the one I had the best chance of wearing often. It was surprisingly successful. It's more floral than I expected or usually wear -- definitely a sunny warm yellow in tone. All the notes here that could be sharp are instead mellow and cooperative: lemon, neroli, frank, cedar. In fact it's challenging to pick out individual notes, they meld together so seamlessly. I'm not getting much in the way of musk, and I hope that note develops a little more, but even if it doesn't, this is a wonderfully optimistic sundress blend, and it's going to get a lot of wear this summer.
- 16 replies
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- Fundraiser for Ukraine
- 2022
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Necrobump! I’m wearing Winter Night. Figure on a Bridge from the Lex Brumalis Yules of a couple years ago, a stunning dark broody lilac. And the newish Vigil for the Harvest Suitors has an absolutely gorgeous lilac note. Lilacs are blooming here in the northwest — anyone else have lilac in heavy rotation right now?
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I love this Winter Night. I’m wearing it because the lilacs are in bloom, which is pretty much the only time I wear the note. But this is a sultry nighttime lilac I can wear year round. The snow note doesn’t last past the opening on me; this is all about deep dark lilac in an opium den, with hints of plum. It reminds me of a lilac Event Horizon though I think opium is the only shared note. (I always misremember Event Horizon as having plum.) Dark and sexy, with better than average throw and wear length on me.
- 17 replies
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- Winter 2020
- Lux Brumalis
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I'm not sure I even ever skin tested Chaotic before putting her with the rest of my RPG decants, probably because I've had skin reactions with the wasabi note before. But I just got frimped another one, and I'm trying it now, ready to scrub any moment if my skin starts tingling. Fresh Chaotic on me is a very grapey red musk with a zing of wasabi. There may be other notes in here, but did I mention the very grapey red musk? Red and grapey? The exact red musk that never lets any other note get a word in edgewise? And there it is, heat and tingling. Time to wash this baby off.
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I don’t think I’ve ever eaten chocolate fruitcake. This is delicious! Chocolate, cherry, maybe some fig. Chocolate and dried fruits soaked in brandy. Ultimately justa quiet fruity chocolate. Medium wear length and no throw on me, but that’s pretty normal with my skin. I’m so glad I finally got to try this!
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Envy captures the terrific SWS brilliantly. Dusty orris and dry sandalwood stand in for marble, and the faintly oceanic smell of ambergris reinforces the feeling of tears. (Poor carrot seed, always doleful.) I get only the lightest breath of rose, as if Galatea is still barely human. This is dryer and dustier than my tastes run, but a beautiful picture in scent.
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Aside from a couple of weeks each spring, I don't really wear florals, and they have to be dirty florals to interest me. Wisteria Blossoms interests me. It's built around the wisteria and lilac notes, but there's a lot else going on. Bamboo can be high-pitched on me, but this smoked variety is calmer and darker. There's a fruitiness that may be the red musk along with hints of darker musk and some earthiness from moss and indigo. As VetchVesper says, it's floral and purple without being old ladyish. In fact it's kind of floral, sexy and mysterious. I'm hanging onto my decant.
- 10 replies
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- Shunga 2022
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It took all my will not to scrub off Masked Vulvas as soon as I applied it. Mandarin and pear combined to form that awful industrial faux-citrus deodorizer. Urinal cake, in other words. I know pear can go fake on me, but this was ridiculous. I went for a walk, still not good. Then I went to my desk to prep for and give a lecture, and when I was done, roughly four and a half hours after application, it has devolved into a barely-there light fruity incense. I’ll be passing this one on.
- 6 replies
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Prairie Witch is a very classic Weenie-type scent, a little heavier on the apple than my usual autumn tastes, but undeniably lovely. It's got the BPAL buttery pumpkin note with a boozy spiced cider and a little vetiver for that whiff of bonfire. When I tested it I was seeing out of town relatives who commented on how good I smelled; one even came in for a second hug so he could get another sniff. So people like it! and that was a few hours after application.
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I'm pretty sure Lucy's Kiss is tea rose because tea rose is generally a disaster on my skin. If rose works for you, I imagine this is delightful.
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I love love love the BPAL beeswax note, and Shouutsushi Aioi Genji delivers. I was worried that bubblegummy lotus would take this into cloying territory, but this is almost entirely a beeswax and amber scent on me, with the lotus contributing a creamy sweetness that doesn't overwhelm. Unlike other reviewers, I get almost no smoke from this and I'm hoping that note will develop with a little more aging. Definitely in the family of V'al Hanissim, Lights of Men's Lives and Endless Corridors. In other words, lovely.
- 11 replies
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- 2022
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The Red Ribbon is an extremely wearable red musk blend, sweetened and softened by the vanilla and amber. The wood notes are secondary; it's a subtle not a gnarly patchouli if that's keeping any red musk lovers from trying this. The goat milk might as well be oat milk on me, creamy but with none of that barnyard twang. Yes, the red musk dominates, giving this good throw and wear length, but it lets the other notes sing as well. Just lovely!
- 15 replies
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Cake, cookies, donuts, baked goods, even Cinnabon
Lucchesa replied to imaginepageant's topic in Recommendations
No, but my dear friend Teamama loves it! -
You May House Their Bodies But Not Their Souls
Lucchesa replied to Seajewel's topic in Limited Editions
These notes couldn’t go wrong on me, but they go so right. You Can House Their Bodies has vaulted right into my pantheon of top BPAL patch scents. It’s a big round patchouli softened and sweetened by a non-foodie vanilla, with warm amber and just a trace of musk around the edges. Beautiful warm embrace of a scent. There is nowhere and no season I wouldn’t wear this. I cannot wait to pair it with Hedonism bath oil when it returns to stock. It lasted four or five hours, not all day, but that’s quite good for my skin chemistry. I will need more than one bottle. -
Cake, cookies, donuts, baked goods, even Cinnabon
Lucchesa replied to imaginepageant's topic in Recommendations
Several of the scents in support of Ukraine are based on baked goods, if not exactly cake. I’m particularly looking forward to Chocolate Babke. There’s Hildegard’s Cakes of Joy and Mari Lwyd from the most recent winter line and Amor To Show That He Was Pleased from the current Lupers. The Lilith scents usually include a full on cake with frosting but they’re not currently available. Good luck! It sounds like so much fun!