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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2010'.
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THE STEEPLE Aylesbury, MA Specializing in mycological delights and housed in a converted church that was once dedicated to Saint Anthony the Abbot, this charming hideaway sits high atop Zaman's Hill and boasts a lovely view of the abandoned village below. Otherworldly fungus, Provençal herbs, and dark, shadowy woods. In bottle: It does smell like woods, fungus, and herb garden. It’s dark green crushed vegetation and surprisingly perky herbs. Wet: Gentler and a touch chalky on the skin with the fungus rising to more prominence. The scent of crushed vegetation holds it’s own within the new balance. Dry: It’s generally softer as the more volitile bits burn off. It ends up mostly powdery fungus, random herbs , and one sharp ivy note. Not bad, but not as interesting as it was.
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TWO LOVES I dreamed I stood upon a little hill, And at my feet there lay a ground, that seemed Like a waste garden, flowering at its will With buds and blossoms. There were pools that dreamed Black and unruffled; there were white lilies A few, and crocuses, and violets Purple or pale, snake-like fritillaries Scarce seen for the rank grass, and through green nets Blue eyes of shy peryenche winked in the sun. And there were curious flowers, before unknown, Flowers that were stained with moonlight, or with shades Of Nature's willful moods; and here a one That had drunk in the transitory tone Of one brief moment in a sunset; blades Of grass that in an hundred springs had been Slowly but exquisitely nurtured by the stars, And watered with the scented dew long cupped In lilies, that for rays of sun had seen Only God's glory, for never a sunrise mars The luminous air of Heaven. Beyond, abrupt, A grey stone wall. o'ergrown with velvet moss Uprose; and gazing I stood long, all mazed To see a place so strange, so sweet, so fair. And as I stood and marvelled, lo! across The garden came a youth; one hand he raised To shield him from the sun, his wind-tossed hair Was twined with flowers, and in his hand he bore A purple bunch of bursting grapes, his eyes Were clear as crystal, naked all was he, White as the snow on pathless mountains frore, Red were his lips as red wine-spilith that dyes A marble floor, his brow chalcedony. And he came near me, with his lips uncurled And kind, and caught my hand and kissed my mouth, And gave me grapes to eat, and said, 'Sweet friend, Come I will show thee shadows of the world And images of life. See from the South Comes the pale pageant that hath never an end.' And lo! within the garden of my dream I saw two walking on a shining plain Of golden light. The one did joyous seem And fair and blooming, and a sweet refrain Came from his lips; he sang of pretty maids And joyous love of comely girl and boy, His eyes were bright, and 'mid the dancing blades Of golden grass his feet did trip for joy; And in his hand he held an ivory lute With strings of gold that were as maidens' hair, And sang with voice as tuneful as a flute, And round his neck three chains of roses were. But he that was his comrade walked aside; He was full sad and sweet, and his large eyes Were strange with wondrous brightness, staring wide With gazing; and he sighed with many sighs That moved me, and his cheeks were wan and white Like pallid lilies, and his lips were red Like poppies, and his hands he clenched tight, And yet again unclenched, and his head Was wreathed with moon-flowers pale as lips of death. A purple robe he wore, o'erwrought in gold With the device of a great snake, whose breath Was fiery flame: which when I did behold I fell a-weeping, and I cried, 'Sweet youth, Tell me why, sad and sighing, thou dost rove These pleasent realms? I pray thee speak me sooth What is thy name?' He said, 'My name is Love.' Then straight the first did turn himself to me And cried, 'He lieth, for his name is Shame, But I am Love, and I was wont to be Alone in this fair garden, till he came Unasked by night; I am true Love, I fill The hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame.' Then sighing, said the other, 'Have thy will, I am the love that dare not speak its name.' Love beyond reach: sunset tones of amber, red musk, and blood orange with three chains of roses, velvet moss, white lilies, crocuses, violets, poppies, blue musk, neroli, angel's trumpet, frankincense, benzoin, and night-blooming flowers. Two Loves - With the exception of angel's trumpet, which I've never smelled, and possibly the white lilies, everything in this list of ingredients should have been a total and complete WIN!!! for me. Sadly, this scent was a huge, giant F.A.I.L. from beginning to end. It went on floral and soapy, and then the blue musk and violets and rose tried really, really hard to come out, but the soapiness won and in the end, for several hours, it was nothing but icky old lady floral soap on my skin. So sad, because it had so much potential!
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THE GILMAN HOUSE HOTEL Innsmouth, MA The quintessential Valley vacation destination! With its distinctive bulging cupola pushing into the Massachusetts skyline, surrounded by gorgeous views of the majestic Manuxet River on the south and captivating swampland on the west, the Gilman House Hotel is an Innsmouth landmark. Built in 1750, this hotel is rich in Miskatonic Valley history, and is heralded as one of the Valley's most romantic getaways. By day, sail with the croaking, baying entities that lurk in the wharves, then come back to your room and bask in the many amenities that the hotel has to offer. Rest under the watchful eye of the Sleeping God, stroll through the boggy, vaporous central gardens, or unwind with your partner at the Gilman's House's renowned 4-star spa, famous for its sea salt scrubs and unique tentacle massage. The Gilman House's central location puts it easy reach of Innsmouth's open confluence of streets, its bustling downtown area, and the wharves, and it is a hop, skip, and jump from the Innsmouth Colony for the Insane. Banquet, convention, and ritual space available! Musty, dilapidated furnishings, peeling paint, swamp gas, and decay. Goodness me, first review! The whole last week I've been prowling the review boards hoping someone would write a review already, because I was waiting for my bottle to come in the mail, and wanted some inkling of what was awaiting me - but no. Oh well - then I'll do this service for any others out there who feel the same way I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this bottle. I am a huge Lovecraft nut and came to BPAL through a Lovecraft community where there was talk of the Picnic in Arkham line. Disappointingly, of the entire line, only Herbert West really worked on me, Azathoth only barely, and The Deep Ones only barely now that I've aged the imp three months. Everything else failed. I wanted a musty, dark, foreboding scent, and I like to hope that this is finally going to be it. I do love Beth for making the Lovecraft Valentine's line though, because I can't get enough of Lovecraft-inspired oils and I love fun twists on Lovecraft's stories And the bottle designs are wonderful! Anyway, enough of my rambling! Onto the review. In the bottle - doesn't smell that awful, actually. A tad sour and there's some wetness to it, and I think I can smell a hint of the paint. On wet - lighter than I thought it would be. It's hard to nail definite notes. Still wet, still a hint of the paintwork. There's dust, and the swamp gas is definitely there as well. Being one of the few lucky (or unfortunate, depending on your opinion) people to have smelled actual swamp gas, this is a good representation - misty, organic, wet and gloomy. Drydown - I find it really curious that it's becoming more and more difficult to really pick out notes - it's so beautifully blended it's almost impossible. A hint of the sour note remains, but mostly it goes dusty - there might be some musk and amber there - and smells like taking a whiff of an old armchair at an antique store. Some of the paint smell remains behind as well, and it remains organic and green. I really like it, but I can see how some might not. Hours later, the sour edge has dissipated and the wood notes are playing up. Very nice.
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Milk chocolate and matcha green tea ganache truffle. I love green tea, both the Lab's and as a cup of tea. I'm not familiar with matcha green tea, but I'm always up for trying something new. This starts off with a lot of the tea and not much chocolate. The tea is a bit sharper than the green tea I'm familiar with (such as in Shanghai or Embalming Fluid) - its stronger and a bit leafy smelling. As it dries, the tea mellows out and becomes a bit citrus-y. Its very nice so far and I'm hoping that once this settles, I'll get more chocolate with the green tea.
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Milk Chocolate, Coconut, Cardamom, Rum, and Ginger Truffle
TheIceMaiden posted a topic in Lupercalia
Milk chocolate, coconut, cardamom, rum, and ginger truffle. This is total yum. The strongest note is the ginger, which is like fresh-ground ginger root. The chocolate, rum, and coconut are there, but are very much in the background until the drydown, when the cardamon comes in. ETA: Now that this has had a week to settle, I re-tested it. Now its almost all cardamon with barely anything else. Such a shame, because the ginger note was amazing. -
Rice powder, osmanthus, rose geranium, magnolia, khus, and chestnut. bottle: a light, sweet soft nut scent. wet: i get no rose geranium or magnolia strangely. what i do get is a warm, sweet nut scent with a teesny touch of osmanthus. dry: this fades to something soft and sweet, almost powdery sweet, and dry. not exactly nutty any longer, it is still warm and rich.
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Apple blossom, champaca, fir needle, cistus, myrrh, Peru balsam, and Tan Xiang. bottle: mostly champaca with a touch of myrrh and a bit of sweet apple blossom. wet: there is a rich, creamy woody/piney note with the champaca now, the apple blossom has vanished though. dry: the apple blossom has resurfaced! this has a rich woody feel with the sweet softness of light flowers. this is a beautiful early spring scent.
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SAINT FOUTIN DE VARAILLES Echoing the worship of ancient fertility gods, some early Christians attributed the power to grant blessings of reproductive fruitfulness to Christian saints through accidents of folk-etymology. A syncretic saint of questionable origin, he is possibly the result of a merging of the deity Priapus, or Mutinus Mutunus, and the sainted, semi-mythical first bishop of Lyons, Ponthius, often pronounced Fontin by the common folk of France where his veneration was concentrated. Saint Foutin's name is an amalgamation of Pothinus and the verb foutre, which means "to fuck", effectively granting this saint the prerogatives and powers of his predecessor, Priapus. Saint Foutin was said to cure venereal diseases and other genital maladies, grant fruitfulness to women, and restore potency to men. Scrapings of stone from the groin of one of the saint's statues in France was said to cure all sexual ailments. At other shrines, offerings of wine were poured onto the saint's penis, and worshippers molded ex votos in wax shaped to represent their afflicted body parts to leave in his care, either at the foot of his statue or hanging from the roof of his shrine. Beeswax, frankincense, dried rose petals, and a dribble of wine. So far, this is my 2nd favorite from the update. It's GORGEOUS. On me, it's predominantly a dark, tea-rose type scent that's bolstered by the smooth and sweet beeswax, the dark, resinous frankincense, and the tiniest hint of sweet, boozy, dark red wine. It's very feminine in a heavy, dark, and Victorian-gothic-romance type way. The throw is amazing for the first couple of hours, but at around the 2 hour point, it starts to fade quickly, leaving behind a weird after-scent on my skin that's kind of flat and powdery. But that's entirely beside the point because when it reaches that stage, I can just reapply a teeny tiny bit (since a little goes a very long way). This is really beautiful and I can't wait to dress up and wear it on a night out.
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Oolong tea, lilac, sheer musk, crushed ginger, wisteria, delphinium, and lavender. it smells like wet, spring flowers, the freesia and musk mixing together to make an almost light honey scent. I can't smell the ginger at all, nor much of the tea. Lilac, wisteria and light musk are def the stars here. Lilac normally hates my skin, but its quite lovely in this blend. Needlework isnt the lovely lavender i had hoped for, but I think it'll get alot of use for those spring days I am feeling girly and wearing a dress.
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OLISBOS As for old flames and lovers-they're none left. And since Milesians went against us, I've not seen a decent eight-fingered dildo. Yes, it's just leather, but it helps us out. The ancient Greeks sure weren't shy about taking care of business. The port city of Miletus was once famed throughout the Mediterranean as a source of excellent stone, wood, and padded leather dildos. This scent is the celebration of an age-old pastime: polished wood, well-loved leather, and olive oil. Old leather (!!!!!), aka Dead Man's Hand style leather, some sort of delicious fruity-tart-citrusy note, and a deep wood note - oak, or mahogany, or maybe a sandalwood, or a mixture? Definitely smells polished. But instead of olive oil, I'm getting some sort of delicious fruit. Not that I'm complaining! Ohhhhh myyy godddddd I missed you so, old delicious worn leather. *rolls around like a cat with catnip* Still that delicious citrusy note, though it's somewhat smothered by the leather which is first and foremost - I think it's got to be sweet orange. Yes. This is like Dead Man's Hand layered over Gaiman's Orange with an extra jolt of fresh squeezed OJ. Which may sound strange but it is DELICIOUS. The wood is much lighter on my skin, and sort of musky, so I'm guessing it's either sandalwood or oak, as those are the nicest, sexiest woods on my skin. Still no olive oil, unless it's super fruity oiive oil! Not much morphing here - maybe a little fading of the OJ, but otherwise not much. This has fantastic throw (much like Dead Man's Hand) and I'm really surprised by how faint (and thus unidentifiable) the wood is. I'm leaning towards white sandalwood because it's so light and because this has a musky sort of feel to me, as white sandalwood often does. I completely took a random chance on this bottle and it was a brilliant risk. I am huffing my arm here! Yeah, this is really not a morpher. After a couple hours it's Dead Man's Hand with hints of orange juice and musky sandalwood. All which I adore so it's pretty much a slightly feminized, even more delicious DMH. I am over the moon! Great throw, but it does fade fairly quickly. I have now tried 6 Lupers, and all but one have been fabulous.
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Blackberry, white gardenia, burnt mandarin rind, Indian musk, khus, and white musk. Dark, intense, a little smoky, masculine. Not what I was expecting! This is all about the musk and the khus (vetiver), though it's a nice light vetiver, not gritty or overwhelming. I definitely get the burnt mandarin rind, though it's light, and a bit of a 'cologne' feel which is probably due to the white musk. Some very light, fresh, and not at all sharp or sour gardenia. It makes me think on the whole of expensive financier's cologne, maybe one who does a lot of business in Japan. No blackberry. Wayyyyyy more mandarin, mandarin galore! As well as some definite lime. Lots of tart, juicy, delicious citrus. Only a lingering hint of smoke. The musk is immediately more apparent, and I also get some sort of a tea note - black or green, it's both herbal and a little citrusy. I get the very faintest hint of unripe blackberries, the kind that make your mouth pucker, that are still hard. And the gardenia remains light, and while bright is not at all piercing but well-behaved. It's sort of a masculine Tis the Voice of the Lobster, but with way more citrus and must less jammy-sweet fruit, and more...suave refinement. Hmmmm. I suspect a sake note in here as well as the tea, because this reminds me a fair bit of The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa, except much more delicious. And definitely black tea. I am getting both more of the vetiver and the white musk, so this is going quite manly, but everything's well balanced, no one note is dominating. Other than the fruit - the lime and mandarin and unripe tart blackberries continue to just blast on my skin - amazing! My skin NEVER holds citrus! Btw, if it's not obvious, this is not a blackberry note I've ever smelled before, and I don't know I'd even peg it as blackberry if I hadn't read the notes. The musk does remind me of Black Lace's, in that it's sexy, sophisticated, and incredibly smooth. It has depth but also subtlety. Some of the citrus/fruit - well, the tarter, juicier aspects - is burning off, but a lovely bittersweet mandarin peel note remains, and the sake has burned off, leaving the mandarin peel, some light cologne-y vetiver, very faint unripe blackberries, and amped black tea (same note from Lantern Ghost, Severin, Famine etc to my nose), over that subtle, masculine Indian musk. I'm surprised because I usually amp musk but this musk, while definitely present, stays close to my skin. The white musk is brighter and more like cologne, and blends with the vetiver note to my nose. Strongly brewed black tea, fainty smoky mandarin rind (and yes, eventually the peel turns to rind, a dried peel note), smooth Indian musk and clean, bright but light white musk-vetiver man-cologne with a whisper of tart, unripe blackberries. I'm not sure I can pull this off - and I like many a manly scent - but I put this in the James Bond category of uber sexy manfume. But more cerebral, much more sly. Another fabulous winner amongst this year's Shunga! Vetiver, blackberry, and white musk fearers - fear not. This blend WORKS and is, like all I've tested in the line so far except for Pink Mood, incredibly well-balanced, seamlessly blended, and complex. Brava, Beth!
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Ambergris accord, water lily, freesia, sea spray, molluscan seashell accord, and driftwood. Very light and fresh - almost foamy sea water, a fresh blue-green-white floral note that I assume is the water lily (it's almost aquatic, very clean and cool), and a little bit of fruity-fresh freesia. This has a much lighter and greener feel than I expected. It's cool, gentle, tranquil. I don't get wood, but this has a faint cologne aspect. Still extremely light on my skin - it's just a very demure sort of scent - and what must be water lily really shines. It's a bit brighter and headier, 'whiter' in feel, but still cool and aquatic with an almost cucumbery, grassy aspect. This scent on the whole reminds me a bit of Anais Anais (which I love), but more delicate and innocent. It's only very barely oceanic - it's definitely aquatic, but it's only lightly salty - this isn't ocean water, it's ocean MIST. A bit of ambergris comes out on my skin, adding some musky depth, and a little more freesia, which is very lightly soapy-clean (in a good way) - still no driftwood. Slow to dry, but becoming more floral and definitively feminine as it does so. I *know* this water lily note from somewhere...I think the Black Swan? The grassy note has amped; this is greener, stemmier, and almost a little spicy, while still being cucumbery-fresh. The freesia has gone a bit more soapy, but still within tolerable limits. While I'm not sure what seashell accord is meant to smell like, there IS a sort of chalky, crushed-stone note that reminds me of the note in Julia Stone, or in Sarah (both scents I love), a sort of smooth stony whiteness. And this still smells a little cologney. This remains subdued, and while for a brief period there's a bit of turbulence as notes emerge and submerge, everything settles down quickly into a beautiful harmonious blend. The almost-troublesome soapiness dissipates as does the nearly-sharp greenness of the water lily, while the smooth white stony note amps, and the ambergris softens into a gentle but rather sexy musk. This is not a scary BAM ambergris note - it's a backup player, not a diva as it was in say, Lilith vs the Giant Crab. If there's wood here, it never emerges on my skin distinctly. My only qualm with this scent - which is more beautiful than I'd hoped, so it's a very minor qualm - is that it's only so very faintly salty. I'd love a really BRISKLY salty scent without a lot of overpowering notes, and I've yet to find such a scent in BPAL. As I said earlier, this is sea mist, not ocean water. It's not a strongly aquatic scent by any means. I'd describe it more as clean, soft, green-white feminine floral and smooth polished stone with a bit of salty musk. Sutble and lovely, but with good throw and excellent longevity. Another winner!
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Cranberry, thyme, teakwood, mint, cedar, tobacco flower, and red currant. Fresh! Tart red fruits and bright green herbs, with some warm exotic depths. It's absolutely unlike anything else in BPAL and I want to keep sniffing it addictively. The red currant, thyme, mint and cranberry all pop out, roughly in that order but all strongly and yet in harmony. Then comes the tobacco flower, which adds a feminine floral richness - without overpowering, and the teak and lastly and mostly faintly cedar linger warmly below. A fascinating and delicious mishmash. This is sooooo delicious, so refreshing and bright. I'm getting some geranium here, and some sake, and the mint is most definitely spearmint. I get cranberry more strongly than I've ever gotten it in a bpal, in fact on my skin it's almost as strong as the juicy-tart red currant. The sake acts as salt does to food - it brightens and enhances these almost-sparkling notes. The tobacco flower, despite being a heady, rather intense floral in general, stays below these fresh red & green top notes, and the woods too remain distant, though they still add warmth, continuing that interesting juxtaposition of the fresh/bright and warm/dry. Cedar and teak are notes that scare me, but they are behaving beautifully as supporting cast here. There is a very faint cologney soapiness, possibly from the mint (I'm reminded vaguely of Usher), but it's not too soapy - just clean, and another aspect of this very complex and intriguing blend. I am so amazed by how well those bright top notes are holding - they are so persistent, and so utterly addictive - I haven't glued my nose to my wrist like this in ages. Invigorating. The woods have decided to emerge more while the tobacco flower amps a little, and the top notes are losing a bit of their dominance, though they are by no means faint. It's more that the scent is gaining depth and power; oomph. Recall again that I am not generally a fan of either teak or cedar, but they work SO well here - warm, exotic, almost spicy - they add tremendous sophistication to what would otherwise be delicious, but ephemeral and rather simplistic.The mint has faded more than the other top notes, and thyme has held on the best, while both tart red fruits have faded only slightly. Several hours later most of the fruits wear off leaving bright green herbs and rich feminine tobacco flower over warm exotic woods. This scent just blends into itself more and more seamlessly over time; it's totally unique, sort of paradoxical, and yet so incredibly well-blended and wonderfully complex. I love that it's both 'fresh' and sophisticated - scent categories that I find rarely overlap for me. A smashing success far beyond my expectations! Also, great throw and longevity.
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Vanilla, star anise, cherry blossom, peony, violet leaf, and neroli. Interesting! The first wave is vanilla-licorice (the star anise is almost exactly like black licorice), followed closely by fluffly pink florals, the cherry blossom and peony, really tactile. Then it finishes sharply with the neroli, and a bit of an herbal edge which I'd guess is the violet leaf. It has a pink floral-licorice candy feel. My skin absorbs this instantly despite repeated re-slathering, so there's no wet stage. The star anise is still front and centre, but it's more complex, a little more spicy-woody instead of straight black licorice, though it's still much more like regular anise - I wouldn't peg this as star anise blind. The vanilla's creamy and sweet but not too heavy or cloying, but it's overwhelmed by the anise, as are the flowers. Cherry blossom manages to sort-of assert itself, but the peony is struggling. I also get a distinct black tea note, even though none is listed. Definitely an asiatic feel. And sadly, the neroli is still sharp, and on my skin, as usual, a little plastic. ANISE ANISE ANISE! I do not believe this is star anise. I am getting pure ANISE/LICORICE, which is not a note I find wearable in perfume. Especially not when it beats all the other beautiful notes in the blend into a bloody pulp. I can't find a trace of the peony, and the cherry blossom is faint. The vanilla still sweetens the blend, but doesn't really stand out individually. But tea, I get intensely brewed black tea strongly, and the almost leathery sharpness of the neroli, though it's lighter than it was earlier. Maybe I'm confusing violet leaf with tea...otherwise, I'm not getting violet leaf, either. This reminds me a lot of Humbug, somewhat of l'Heure Verte, and a little of Manhattan. But it does still have a pink feel unlike any of those. Unfortunately it's developing the 'rotting floral' note that I associate with a particular iris, though it could be jasmine. The floral vibe is not dissimilar from Jingu, and this also reminds me of Hua Mulan - oh damn, I don't know which, but it reminds me of one of those. With huge walloping dose of LICORICE. Mostly sweet, anise-y LICORICE over rotting pink-white florals with a little sharp neroli and strong black tea. The anise was too strong even in the bottle, but this scent just gets worse and worse over time on my skin. I really think it has the same jasmine note as Jingu which took a similarly distressing turn on my skin. This is not at all what I expected, and I've never had star anise behave this way on my skin, so I maintain some other true anise is in here amping to high heaven. Where are my lovely pink blossoms? Good throw and longevity.
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THE ZADOK ALLEN VINYARD Innsmouth, MA Ut Sementem Feceris Ita Metes. Founded by the Esoteric Order of Dagon, and named after the man encased within the foundation of the winery, this fertile bastion of haphazard viticulture has been providing superb wines to the Miskatonic Valley since 1927. The site of the vineyard has been used for hundreds of years as an abattoir, and this environment lends a peculiar and exceptional terroir to all their wines and liquors. Visitors are welcome to observe Fishmen priests engaged in pigeage once a month. Please contact the vineyard for information on this as well as their scheduled wine tasting events. A deep velvety Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of plum, black cherry, rose petals, coffee bean, and smoky oak. Barrel and bottle aged, with a smooth and spicy hit mid-palate. Hints of Dagon's tarry black incense and clotted blood complete this well-rounded, robust indulgence. I've never been first at a review... The Zadok Allen Vineyard was a Luper I new I had to purchase unsniffed because it has three of my favorite things in it- red wine, coffee and black cherries. I had no idea how they would work together as a scent though. In the bottle: Right away, wow, that's wine! Then I get hit with another smell- blood. Wet on skin: Oh, this reminds me a lot of Blood Kiss. I adore Blood Kiss. While it dries I check to see the notes in both, and they share cherries, blood and wine. Drydown: The smoky oak has come out and sat right down next to the cherries. I'm not getting any coffee at all. I think my skin eats coffee anyway. This is a really nice stage of sweet, fruity smokiness. Couple hours later: This has an average throw and right now it's starting to fade. The sweetness stayed, there's a hint of smokiness. The rose finally came out but it behaved well- just light around the edges. I don't really get a true wine smell anymore, but it's like I went to the Gallery Walk night and was around red wine all night and may or may not have spilled/drooled red wine and had to buy a new shirt. Overall: Yes. This is a pretty scent, dark without the cloying. I like that it goes on drunk (fun!) and then sobers up as nice company as an adult scent with depth. I know that the bottles sometimes take a few days after shipping to "calm down," if I notice any change I'll come back and edit. Buy this if you are a Blood Kiss fan, a red wine fan or you love the complex/smoky woods.
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Skin musk, white amber, ambergris, orange blossom, ylang ylang, and coconut milk. As incredibly pumped as I am for this year's Shungas (my absolute favorite favorite favorite thing and I am SO happy they came back for another year), my ability to go nutz and write for pages on end likening scents to boy band boys and unicorns is at an all-time low. So this review may actually have to be somewhat substantive. I tried for a while to think of what this smelled like to me. What I want to say is powdered skin, but that sounds much more boring than this actually is. It's extremely expansive powdered skin - the beanfolk are not so much in the vaginal vicinity as they are elsewhere, preparing. The scent is very evocative of clean upper thigh skin. I can't say I've ever noticed the smell of upper thigh skin and thought "I want to smell like this," to be honest, but like many BPALs this is how it OUGHT to smell, even if it doesn't in practice generally smell this nice. I really like that this is suggestive without being SUGGESTIVE. I loved Giant Vulva last year, and this is about as opposite of that as you can get in mood, though it actually smells a little bit similar to it. This is softer and gentler. It's really beautiful and I actually will probably end up wearing it a lot more often than Giant Vulva, considering that it is more, shall we say, subtle, and there are many times when you really don't want to smell like a giant vulva. Edited to add: two seconds after hitting post, I just realized what this reminds me of, that I couldn't quite put my finger on - snow white. It's a springier, slightly skankier snow white. Snow white's upper thigh, perhaps? I also realized that, despite my best intentions, this still wasn't all that substantive. But hey, comparisons to snow white and giant vulva - it's exciting at least, if not specific!
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SIGNIOR DILDO With thanks to Sir John Wilmot. This signior is sound, safe, ready, and dumb As ever was candle, carrot, or thumb; Then away with these nasty devices, and show How you rate the just merit of Signior Dildo. Count Cazzo, who carries his nose very high, In passion he swore his rival should die; Then shut himself up to let the world know Flesh and blood could not bear it from Signior Dildo. A rabble of pricks who were welcome before, Now finding the porter denied them the door, Maliciously waited his coming below And inhumanly fell on Signior Dildo. Nigh wearied out, the poor stranger did fly, And along the Pall Mall they followed full cry; The women concerned from every window Cried, 'For heaven's sake, save Signior Dildo.' The good Lady Sandys burst into a laughter To see how the ballocks came wobbling after, And had not their weight retarded the foe, Indeed't had gone hard with Signior Dildo. A scent of pearls and ivory: orris, violet leaf, narcissus, and Madagascar vanilla. This is a soft gorgeous violet scent. The orris root is not too dry as a matter of fact it keeps the violet from becoming too sweet and too floral. By no means is this a comparison to faith-sugared violets. I don't smell any narcissus either. This is straight up Madagascar vanilla, with hints of orris and violet. Just lovely. If you love vanilla and violet...this one is for you.
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White Chocolate, Black Raspberry, and Apricot Cordial Truffle
thekittenkat posted a topic in Lupercalia
White chocolate, black raspberry, and apricot cordial truffle. Another Chocolate Box winner for me. Again, this is pretty much as advertised. However, the white chocolate and the apricot take a back seat to the black raspberry, from first sniff of the bottle to a long-time dry-down. If you wanted to like Berry Moon and didn't care for the musk that was the base note, you might like WC,BP&ACT. Btw, if the cordial was indicating a boozy note, I didn't pick that up, for which I'm grateful. -
INGANOK JEWELERS Arkham, MA Are you looking for the perfect ring to express your everlasting love? How about an amulet representing your sweetheart's devotion to Zo-Kalar, Hargag Ryonis, Tamash, or Nyarlathotep? Inganok Jewelers carries a vast selection of onyx jewelry, mined in Inganok, designed by the natives of Y'Pawfrm e'din Leng, and crafted by the skilled artisans of Celephaïs! Each piece is as unique as your last psychotic break! Gleaming stone and silver. The scent notes say it all: silvery stone. I am reminded a little bit of Silver Phoenix, Shanghai Tunnel, and The Ghosts of the Arroyo Seco Bridge, and yet none of those are really anything near this. It's a unique blend, indeed, that I like but would only be trotted out for special occasions.
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Red bush tea, vanilla, white peach, golden amber, mandarin, lotus root, and myrrh. I can't believe I am the first to review this. This is just absolutely beautiful. All of the notes blend together to make a soft, slightly fruit scent. The white peach and golden amber blend gently with the red bush tea leaving you with a soft red fruity tea scent. The Lotus root gives this a slight perfumey quality that keeps wafting in and out with the peach and amber. The mandarin is barely there. The myrrh keeps everything in check and as I said before...keeps it soft. Not powdery....just soft at least on my skin. I now see why this is called unveiled. It invokes the image of a woman running a soft, silky scarf across her face. This scent is truly a winner and I am glad to have a bottle.
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Pink rose, red musk, red sandalwood, oakmoss, vetiver, nectarine, black tea, ambrette, jasmine, and blackcurrant bud. First of all... i would like to say the wear length on this is phenomenal. This sort of reminds me of ponthia meter from last year, except on a tea and musk back ground. Not that they are super alike or anything, just the rose note used between the two of them that shows up at first is similar. At first its very sandalwood, rose and a touch of the yummy type of vetiver (okay... i am a freak and admit i have some EO of it I smell whenever i want to chillax). The combo almost makes me think of a warmer, slightly more sophisticated rakasha. Then as it dries down, the tea and musk become more prominate, mixing with the sandalwood and vetiver to make a very yummy subtle black tea scent. Its both sophisticated and natural at the same time. For those of you scared of red musk... even fresh it isnt very prominent or rough, its alot softer and less there than most of the red musk blends, but still works its magic. For those of you scared of vetiver... it might just be my skin, but you might wanna watch out a little more. Its not prominent, in fact its very well blended and a supporting note, but at least on my skin it sticks around the whole journey. The fruit shows up just a little, not to make it fruity, but to lend a slight sweetness. Like a fruit tea, being sipped in a pagan brothel as a lady unwinds from a night of passion. Its not overwhelmingly sexy that one could not wear it on a normal day, the earthiness and sexiness and sophistication are all very well blended, just like the notes, to make it pretty much appropriate for whenever. Today the rose is sticking around a little more and its more like smokey black rose tea. I am guessing as it sits a few days the musks and rose might get a lil more prominent over the woods.
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Lilac, ho wood, smoky vanilla, galbanum, and tonka. This one is a morpher on me. First on I get sweet, almost caramel for some reason. Then HELLO lilac with something a bit sinister in the back (galbanum?). The dry down is much more ethereal and complex though, the lilac is barely there and the smoky vanilla and ho wood come out. On me it's definitely in the same family as Fairy Market. Really happy with this one finally!
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White sandalwood, rice flower, honey, black pepper, and oakmoss. This was kind of like incense-flavored mochi ice cream on me - largely a sweet, honey-rice affair with just a hint of earthiness. It is quite light, which is fine, but I was hoping for the oakmoss to be a little more prominent, or for the sandalwood to do more than just contribute to the overall sweetness of the blend. In short, I was hoping for a little more body to this blend, so I'll pass it to someone who can better appreciate its lighthearted nature (appropriate to the artwork I suppose)!
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Frankincense, orris root, asuhi, leather, and ginger-infused cream accord. This actually makes me think of a masculine glowing vulva... the cream almost comes across as a very mild coconut, but is at the same time milky. Neither of leather or ginger is over powering... tho together with the cream make up the dominate notes of this scent. It doesn't strike me so much as a 'pretty' scent as a raw animalistic scent. Its soft enough to be worn by a woman, but rugged enough to be worn by a manly man. But like glowing vulva, the scent blends together to a warm coming off the skin glow. I am not sure how self conscious I would be wearing this to class ect... because I don't know how well it would be received as its more along the lines of an true earthy scent, but its perfect for cuddling up with a book.
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Olive blossom, cardamom pod, amber, morning star lily, bergamot, and a well-aimed snowball. Wow, I can't believe I'm the first to review. in the bottle: A very light floral fragrance. I get the same gentle floral from Tabella (the olive blossom, I assume) a bit of bergamot, and a faint whiff of snow. wet: VERY much like the bottle scent. Light floral, bergamot and (because I know what I'm looking for) the snow note. The snow is really manifested as an extremely light mint-ish note at the end. It is but a far distant cousin of Snow, Glass, Apples or the various Yule snow scents. dry down: On the dry down, this becomes a more well rounded scent. There is a little powdery-ness, which I assume is the amber. The bergamot backs off a bit. Cardamom pod must be a different smell than cardamom, because I never get a particularly spicy scent from this. The lily is never particularly noticeable for me - I think it's blending in with the bergamot and snow rather than being a brighter stand out like it can be in some scents. verdict?: We shall see. For now, it's a keeper. It's definitely in the same scent family as Aizen-Myoo. If you like that, this scent is probably worth a try. eta: I am liking this more and more. It is different from the other scents in my collection in a good way. It doesn't feel like a duplicate of anything.
