Lucchesa

I'm a big fan of Event Horizon when I want to go dark and femme:  Black opium, labdanum, opoponax, black orchid, and benzoin. Imps (sample vials) are the way to go when you're first figuring out what you like.  Some of the things I thought I would like (jasmine) were terrible on me while other things I thought I hated (patchouli) are now huge favorites.  I have extra decants of Event Horizon and Bastet if you'd like me to send them your direction.  PM me!

Haunt is not quite what I was hoping for. I wanted the dead leaves to temper the sweetness of the Snake Oil, but instead I get them sequentially: first DL, then SO. Instead of Dorian, I get what smells on my skin like Snake Oil with a dab of TKO. No smoke at all. I think I was wanting something more like the love child of SO and DL on Fire. I’ll have to try that!

On 2/23/2023 at 3:57 PM, Codename Swap Ringleaders said:

Getting ready for our March birthday!!

 

Please mail your cards by March 13th so they will arrive on time!! 

Somehow I don’t have addresses yet. I should, right? My email was weird for the gnome swap too…

Raven Moon 2022 is pretty similar to how I remember the 2012 version smelling. Lots of myth and black musk, with a soft vanillaed patch in the background and the spices barely discernible. It’s nice but not a standout on me. 

Lovely! Warm and snuggly, with good wear length. I’m getting lots of tonka and oak and a soft sandalwood all sweetened by a little beeswax. No discernible vetiver, which is a shame, but it’s still lovely. 

Leather, leather, leather.  I want there to be beeswax.  And balsam and tobacco and smoked vanilla, all among my favorite notes.  Nope.  Just leather.  Nice leather, but leather.  I'll hang onto this decant and see if any of the secondary notes develop with time.

Received as a frimp in a decant circle (thank you, @VetchVesper!) a couple years ago.  I quite like this one!  A sprightly citrus with evergreen and ozone.  Not my usual thing but effervescent and mood lifting. 

I purchased The Orgy buy one, get one free with a backup of a bottle I really wanted.  This was the free one.  I wanted to try it because I love Hogarth and it's one of my favorite of his images, but I was worried about the rose and even more about the lead.  And sure enough, the opening is rough.  It's pretty much bandaids and alcohol. A wound, in other words.  Sadly, it doesn't get a whole lot better on me.  The alcohol dissipates, but instead of leather and port I get sweet rosy bandaids.  I'll have to pass this one on. 

I’ve never reviewed Haunted? It’s one of my favorites. So simple, so evocative. Bright amber and dusky musk, with that lemony tinge black musk often has. Like many amber-based scents, it feels old fashioned to me (in a good way) and lasts well. 

I only got a decant of The Haunted Mill when it came out because I am avoiding oud, but it’s very much in the background here, not problematic at all. The other notes are all favorites, and it’s a lovely blend, kind of a cross between a weenie and a Yule. The patchouli also stays in the background, and it’s primarily soft leather and opium tar on me, with woody base notes. Much more comforting than forbidding!

Voodoo Lily starts out with that citrus that threatens to go all lemon pledge on me. It pulls back from full cleanser mode though the citrus remains prominent, backed with a heady lily and a hint of spice.  Fruity lily is not for me. 

On 1/23/2023 at 9:00 PM, bookworm said:

    I'm the world's biggest procrastinator, so I've been going back and forth with myself as to whether I could actually get cards out on time, but told myself that they don't necessarily have to be elaborate handmade creations - a store-bought birthday card is still a birthday card, and the more birthday cards the better!    So I've sent in my email and I'm really excited to do this!  Thanks for setting this up, Twi!

I am a huge procrastinator too, and I have no problem with belated birthday wishes!

I’m all about the licorice blends, so I was puzzled to find I’d only bought an Ajevie slink of this one until I read the notes. Licorice oud sounded an awful lot like black oud, and black oud is not my friend. My caution was misplaced, though. There is nothing fecal here. It’s black salt water taffy with an earthiness provided by the oud and patchouli, and the oud gives it some early throw as well.  My only disappointment here is that it is not particularly long lasting on me, but it’s pure delight while it lasts. 

Die Pest is very much a cologne on me as well, which I didn’t expect but am not upset by, as I prefer unisex scents and leaning masculine is fine for me. It’s difficult for me to pick out individual notes like myrrh or fig here. Kind of a birch tar cologne with hints of patchouli and peppercorn, slightly softened by the vanilla. If you’re looking for something femme or in the sweet patchouli family, this is not your animal. 

I love this idea!!! Thank you, Twi!!!

Obsequies is quite a bit better on me than I had expected. Usually when there’s a longish note list and I think, “I hope it’s not all rose,” it’s all rose. Here I barely notice the rose. The initial standout notes were myrrh, pale honey, saffron, and what I thought was balsam but is obviously terebinth pine. The patch isn’t appreciable until much later.  But this is really about the whole, not the parts. It’s a warm, dry scent, subtly spicy and woody, kind of a cousin to Bastet. It’s got good throw and wear length, both of which are rare on me. I tested Cherry Red on the other wrist and the combination was surprisingly wonderful. 

Lots of maraschino cherry right off the bat. This lasts for an hour tops as the bing cherry edges its way in. Gorgeous rich dark red cherry. And then that melds seamlessly with a fruity red musk as if it were a cherry musk. This note usually takes over on me, but the cherry pins it down nicely, while the musk gives it some throw and staying power. I love this — I am sure to reach for it during cherry season!

22 hours ago, doomsday_disco said:

Is anyone hosting a Valentine's swap?

I think a Valentine card swap would be pretty fun.  

I could do a card swap! 

Lots of spiced vanilla pumpkin and not much mouse. Hardly any sandalwood, sweet pea or amber. I agree with z_z’ assessment that it’s quite like a vanilla pumpkin spice latte. I’m going to try this again next fall and see what it’s settled into.  

Soft, green, fruity and dewy. Grape never works on me, and it didn’t occur to me that there might be grapes on the vine. Actually, the fruit sensation is more like melon on my skin. Like Missanneshirleyofgg I wanted the autumnal notes — vines, soil, coffee, thyme — and got an innocent springtime meadow scent instead. Definitely pretty, but not what I was hoping for. 

Skeleton Hands starts out as a sweet, nutty sandalwood on me and gradually softens into a warm boozy not-quite-gourmand. This is my sweet spot with foodie blends — I prefer them combined with woods or resins, here both. I don’t get the smokiness or tattoo ink, and at one point the bourbon cream threatened to curdle as all cream notes are doing on my skin lately, but it only flirted with spoiled milk. Mostly it’s a solid comfort scent, perfect for fall. 

The Season of Forgiveness is interesting in that I love all the listed notes, and after seven years in the decant, they have become so mellowed and unified that I can hardly pick out a single one. Bare hints of clove/spicy carnation, a backdrop of warm pine similar to that in Golden Priapus, and a lot of warm glowy atmosphere that makes me think there’s an unlisted amber note in here. I love this but not for the reason I thought I would, i.e. the expression of the particular notes, but rather for the overall warmth and beauty that subsumes the components. 

Unfortunately I amp the rose resin in Its Own Sweet Will, and that’s all I get here. Rose and galbanum. No fig or, sigh, chestnut; no spices. I’ll try letting it rest a couple weeks to see if it balances out at all. If not, I’ll avoid rose resin in future!

Strawberry is not my usual jam, but every other note here is a winner, and I was curious. A Portrait is a really fun, sweet, upbeat scent. It was all strawberry at first, and then the sugared patch emerged, reminding me of Bears of Berlin. I get some syrupy labdanum but really couldn’t make out much in the way of carnation. So lots of sweet burstingly ripe strawberry with sweet patch, and it lasts a long time on me. I can’t imagine wanting to wear this innocent a scent often, but I ought to — it feels like a good counterweight to nihilism. 

Winter card swap is awaiting mod approval!