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auraysu
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Everything posted by auraysu
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Hm, maybe I was too quick to judge this? There was something that veered sharp when I received this in May. I tested it a few times over a couple months, then I let it sit in perfume jail until now. I'm happy to say that whatever was being iffy has smoothened out, and I can see the vision. It really does match the painting. Beauty with Pink Veil is an unapologetically pink scent, soft and gauzy. There's a hint of tartness from the strawberries, softened by the vanilla cream and marshmallow. I agree with VioletChaos, this is a pale pink strawberry flavored confection. The lychee and lotus petals are faint but peeks out as the perfume dries down. Something in this vaguely reminds me of... makeup? Like the faintest hint of lipstick? I'm glad I gave this another chance.
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It takes me forever to get through a bottle so I mainly collect partials, but this is one of the few bottles in my collection where I genuinely think the full 5ml is worth it. Since it's called "Mysterious Garden", I was surprised to find that it's plum-forward, with florals supporting it in the background. It's slightly tart and piques the nose. The soft florals are well-blended, but I can pinpoint the lilacs if I squint. I personally get some of the lavender in the bottle, but none on my skin. The incense floats in the background, clean and hazy. Overall: a soft, pastel haze of pink and purple. While I find it plummy, it's restrained and colors the scent, rather than being bright and juicy.
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I immediately get the fallen needles in the snow and a soft, gentle aquatic- I'm not getting the lab's minty slush or snow notes here, this doesn't smell "cold" beyond a light coolness. After it completely dried down, a dry and lightly powdery incense wafts, soft and comforting. A contemplative, gentle scent as you take in the grey skies, old stone walls, and snow-covered terrain. It does somehow smell 'dry'- like you're looking over the landscape from the stone enclosures of the monastery after coming in from the snow. Your clothes have long since dried, and the incense gently wafts around you.
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Seconding Doomsday- I swear there is some orange zest in this, and it's a nice little contrast to the buttery shortbread cookie! The 'shadow' part (dark malt, molasses, and cocoa) lurks underneath and gives the cookie some support. I want to eat my bottle.
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Cynocephalic Fool with Bladder Stick Giving Jesus a Hard Time
auraysu replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Limited Editions
When I first tried it, it was a bright cherry bordering Kool-Aid, with the marzipan peeking out in the drydown. After revisiting a month later, the cherry is smoother and gets along with the marzipan and frankincense. The cherry is less bombastic and it's more of a sweet red tinge to the other notes. Surprisingly pleasant. While I don't reach for it, it's a fun experience whenever I give it a chance. -
When first applied, there's a woodiness that makes me think more of the shell than the chestnut meat, with something a little sweet and fresh that piques the nose. I think its the cardamom that's reading as camphorous? It adds a really nice freshness to the other cozy, warm notes without being distracting. A reviewer above said something about pine trees and I can see it. As it dries down, it becomes smoother and creamier, and the chestnut meat steps forward as the woodiness fades out. After it fully dries down, it's a gentle and subtle blend of chestnut, cardamom, and vanilla. A comforting autumn / winter scent that I am looking forward to wearing as the weather gets cooler.
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I'm a bit wary of chocolate notes but the milk chocolate here is pleasant (and very recognizably milk chocolate) with almonds! The almonds became more pronounced on skin and veered almost into cherry territory before it sunk back under the milk chocolate. I agree with wolf_truffles- I swear there's just a light dash of cinnamon here! It conjured up childhood memories of adding cinnamon to my hot chocolate mix. It's not super spicy or anything, it's more like the cinnamon sugar on churros than straight ground cinnamon in a jar. It dried down to a 60-40 almond nougat + milk chocolate on my skin. Fun!
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I adore this. It's a really beautiful, astringent cup of tea, freshly brewed. Creamy white petals float above the amber liquor- IMO the tabac flower is not very similar to the one in Wreath of Snow, but I suspect that some of its nuances melded with the other notes. The briskness of the tea melts away as time goes on, and what's left is a well-balanced floral tea fougere. It's something I'd imagine a put-together stranger would wear.
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In the bottle, the lychee is waaay more bombastic. On skin, it's softer without being too bright or juicy, surprisingly well balanced with florals. It's soft, sweet, and lightly fruity. I'm picking up peonies the most from the florals, and I second the Asian pears vibe- there's something mildly sweet and fruity like 배 juice, with a dusting of pink peppercorns. This dries down to a pretty light scent. It might just be my skin eating it, but I'm left with just a whisper 30 minutes later. It's gorgeous. I wouldn't mind a FS, but I'm content with my sample.
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When I received it, it was strong in the bottle so I'm coming around to it a week-ish later. When wet, the florals threaten to be high-pitched, but the musk and almond cream reins it in. As it dries down, it's soft florals with a clean, 'fuzzy' musk. I can detect the almond cream if I look for it -it's hidden underneath the florals and musk- and if I sniff it too deeply it tickles my nose. Honestly, the way everything mixes together makes me think of fancy baby powder.
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When wet, this is a juiced up Rose Red. It's veeeery green and gives off the impression of sniffing the broken stems from a rose. As it dries down, a slight sweetness comes to lighten the vivacity of the broken stems and rose sap- a little imaginative, but it lends a bit of a mountain air / forest-y vibe. There's something fresh and arboreal about it without being cold, like inhaling deeply in the forest green. If I squint, I can detect a bit of the orris. Very pretty! A testament to how a perfume evolves from the wet to dry stage.
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I get a lot of the cherry juice in the bottle and when wet, but it dries down to a softer cherry than one might expect- it's not a candy-like, juicy cherry, but just present enough to tinge the scent red. The florals and white tea peek out more as the cherry juice calms down, making this a nicely balanced scent. The beeswax is present and recognizable- if you enjoyed the floral beeswax blend of Eusapia, you might like this!
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This ghost is friendly! Clean white cotton with the softest marshmallows and a hint of lemon-y frankincense. Everything mixes together to create this wonderfully soft, clean scent with a touch of sweetness. If you're worried about laundry scents that are too strong or soapy, never fear! This is light and comforting. Kind of a windows open with a breeze vibe. (If you tried Lavender Apron, it's the same cotton! Alas, LA did not work for me because something in it veers sharp, so I'm glad that this does!)
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I'm really enjoying this. I'm recognizing the blue musk from Roses, Pearls, and Sapphires; Blue Silk Rose is the less bombastic cousin, as RPS packs a punch with the blueberries and dry coconut husk. BSR is soft and languid- smooth blue musk and lightly sweet rose petals. There somehow really is a silk flower vibe, not sure how they did it, but I've learned not to question BPAL's magic.
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This smells like soap, detergent, and/or laundry in the best way possible. Alas, I haven't been able to smell just plain ambergris before so I cannot isolate it from the perfume, but it's a clean aquatic, softer than most. I found Die Wunderblume to also be rather detergent-y (which, again, isn't a bad thing to me!), but Naiad's is a lot softer than Wunderblume. There's a little bit of citrus, as others have said, and I feel as if it serves to brighten the aquatics. Fancy ocean themed soap is apt. Vibes: toweling off and feeling all worn out and happy after playing at the beach, leaving in the noon while it's still sunny out.
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Ok, wow! Convivial is super pretty- it's a delicate and sweet pale pink scent with a light creaminess, with the slightest touch of a juicy tartness to the strawberry. I think this is my favorite of the 2025 Shungas. It's quite similar to Beauty with Pink Veil to the point I don't think you'd need both, but if I had to choose, I'd pick Convivial. I found Beauty with Pink Veil to be a little more tart and astringent.
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Discarded Weapons is weirdly satisfying to me. I think I'm getting a feel for BPAL's toasted rice note and it's slightly savory and comforting. I'm mainly getting the toasted rice and almond cream, but there's this slightly fruity (in the way that fig goes) undertone that adds a nice sweetness and rounds out the toasty notes from being too toasty, if that makes sense. I like it, but unfortunately this does veer a little into headache territory for me so I'm happy with my partial!
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This was the one I was most excited about from Summerween, and I like it! There really is an aspect of melted ice cream- I get ice cream soup vibes with the three flavors blending together- but instead of being 'cold' from the ice cream or 'hot' from the clove, it stays 'lukewarm' because they balance each other out. The clove is a tiny bit spicy, but it's lowkey enough that it complements the ice cream. As it dries down, it settles into a dim, gothy aura with a soft, melty tinge.
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Idle Moon: Jasmine Rice and White Musk
auraysu replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
This was the winner of my Idle Moon order. It's a little sweeter than I expected and reminds me a bit of a calmer Ceres if it was rice instead of corn puffs- it has a similar starchy, milky aura to it. It'll be great for layering to add a lightly sweet and creamy glow. -
A cup of bubbles- rosemary tonic water with a citrus twist (I swear I can smell the peel, it's right there!). I don't smell anything booze-y, this really just reads as tonic water to my nose. While crisp, it's a more relaxed refresher compared to something cold or sharp that would shock the senses. This would be perfect for a hot day.
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UNF reminds me of Rocket Fizz (the candy store) in the best way? UNF smells of red tropical fruit and reminds me more of soda syrup (sans bubbles) than sweethearts or another chalky candy, like how soda syrups are packed with flavor. The pink pepper gives it pizzazz instead of overtaking it. Just a happy fun scent, and I desperately want a tropical soda now.
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I tried this because I couldn't resist the novelty! This is recognizably strawberry hard candy- there is that slightly artificial strawberry flavoring, slightly tart and sour with a good dose of hard candy grit. I agree with the above commentor that it does convey the hard candy aspect v well. As always, I admire the artistry- I think I prefer softer strawberries, but this is a good scent for those who like candy perfumes!
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It reminds me of a smell during my childhood, like going through my aunt's huge bathroom and smelling all the bottles- the bottle sniff makes me think of a nice shampoo or a lotion? In the best way possible, of course. On skin, it opens up more and the sugar, violets, and lilacs are the most noticeable to me, in that order: it becomes sweeter with the violets as the main lead, and the distinct lilac powderiness is supporting it. I'm actually not picking up on any lavender at all, which is surprising. There is a softer, vague floral in the background which might be the lavender and the climbing roses- I must admit I have no idea what climbing roses are supposed to smell like. This isn't a salty smell, but it does come off as clean or 'fresh', but not overtly. Less clean laundry, more quality skin cream. I prefer the bottle sniff, but it's still pretty pleasant on skin!
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This is so, so pretty. It's a dainty, light purple floral supported by some powderiness. I think some white florals go grape-y to me and while this threatens to veer into that territory, it only has the faintest hint of it, and I get to bask in the full glory of these beautiful blooms. I feel like that description could apply to lilacs (and I have tried the WL and Moss HG as well- also a stunner), but Wisteria comes off as a more mature, cool beauty than the WL HG, which is powderier and more youthful. Out of the two, I prefer Wisteria, but I cannot stress enough how pretty both of these HGs are!
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The Woman Clothed with the Sun and the War in Heaven
auraysu replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Limited Editions
(Testing from a feltie sample) Ok wow, I like this! I'm getting a feel for BPAL's pomegranate because I recognize it from the one in The Fruit of Paradise, but of course, portrayed differently so there isn't the same tantalizing sweet juicy tang that FoP has (FoP is pale, sweetened pom juice to me). It was mainly pom when I opened the feltie bag and when wet, but the pom steps back as it dries down and the resins help ground and round out the pom so the overall scent is soft, warm, and lightly powdery. The singed frankincense isn't smokey at all. This one is a pretty calm scent with a dim garnet glow that doesn't break the peace.