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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2015'.
Found 76 results
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LENUS MARS Mars the Healer Roman chamomile, white musk, and ambergris. Lenus Mars scared me at first. During the wet phase it smelled like herbal cough drops. Not to worry because once this dries down its a really nice balance of all three notes. The Chamomile has such a soothing feel to it and gives the Musk a powdery vibe. Then there is the Ambergris which is present but not too strong. Simple, beautiful, unisex with a medium throw.
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STARTLED TOAD Golden amber and coconut with frankincense, frothy vanilla, carnation, sweet aged patchouli, and lemongrass. I looooooooove this. Startled Toad is like a who's who of notes I adore: coconut, lemongrass, amber, patchouli...I get all of those (and they blend together beautifully), along with just a touch of frankincense's bite and maybe a hint of vanilla. The carnation is just adding some spicy sweetness. This is really lovely, not too sweet, and smells like classic Shunga to me. I am so glad I bought a bottle.
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THE ONNAGATA AND THE PILLOW ROLL White musk and Himalayan cedar with bergamot, rose absolute, white patchouli, pink peppercorn, and hay absolute. The cedarwood, oh the cedarwood! It was all i could smell two nights ago, and it is still very heavy. (I think this is a softer handed use of the cedar used in Our Hearts Condemn Us?) Dry, the white patchouli, hay and white musk are starting to peak through. This is beautiful but i want to smell the pink pepper...i am hoping some age will allow it to surface. As of right now, the rose, bergamot and pepper are mia. Eta 01 March 2024 Wow, I was the first reviewer for this one, too?! Anyhow. I'm wearing this today and it is just so beautiful. The cedar is very prominent but the hay is what I'm smelling most with a bit of the white patchouli. Still no rose, bergamot or pink pepper for me and this is a different bottle from my original review, so it must just wear this way on me since folks after me got those notes. Almost a decade later, this is still so lovely. The hay absolute really shines here.
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SERVING TEA AFTER COITUS Green tea, heady honey, white plum, ambergris accord, and vanilla flower. Fresh out of the mailbox! I tried this lovely oil first because I love the image so much. This is a very light and delicate perfume that evokes a satisfied sigh and sunlight coming through sheer curtains in early spring. The scent hugs the skin and reminds me of honeyed vanilla green tea. Very lovely!
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VENUS MURCIA Venus of the Myrtle Crushed grass, honey myrtle, and dew-touched green musk. I love, love, LOVE this. To me, it is a combination of The Laughter of Loki and Pale Without Name or Number. The green musk takes the lead in this one, for sure. There is a grassy, herbal quality which adds a complexity that goes above and beyond the listed notes.
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VENUS GENETRIX Venus the Progenitor Black amber and jasmine tea with 7-year aged vanilla bourbon absolute. Beautiful. I smell the same jasmine tea note from The Mysterious Warning, and a similar vanilla to the one from Signior Dildo...i don't get much amber yet but would assume it will become more prominent with aging. No throw but a beautiful skin scent. I am glad i bought a bottle, it is lovely. ETA: i put this on early this morning and it has changed a bit...the amber reminds me of the amber from Hesiod's Phoenix but not sweet at all. The jasmine tea gives the amber a slightly bitter/astringent sweetness. No vanilla this morning. I cannot wait to smell this when it is settled in at the end of Spring...very nice blend. Funny, i don't get the licorice from BPAL's black tea note so i am thinking this is more of a Darjeeling? Quite nice. :-)
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HAUNTED BONBON Dark chocolate with thick golden amber and murky black musk. This was the only bonbon from this year's bonbon box that I picked up—I can't resist Haunted. I have a 10ml from 2004 or early 2005 that I'm still working on, and it's only gotten better with time. There's just something about the combo of the amber and black musk that's so straightforward and yet so...haunting? Wet, Haunted Bonbon is chocolate-forward, with the amber and black musk in the background and a very faint, almost citrusy tang. As it dries, the chocolate recedes until what's left on me is a richer Haunted—a little darker, a little more bready, with a slight molasses-y note adding complexity. A half hour after applying, the chocolate is almost gone but I can smell it informing the other notes, and I mostly get a marriage of dark, rich supermusk and golden amber.
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PLEASANT EMBRACE Lemon-silvered musk and white pear. In the bottle: Whoa PEAR! Wet: Still pear... The words that came to mind were "glittering pear." Something is coming off as almost "sharp" like glass. I'm not digging this right now. The sharpness and pear are kind of harsh. It's like the pear is a big bully and musk is trying to stand up for itself by turning into shards of glass. Dry down: Just when I was about to give up on this, magic happened. The white musk and pear decided they really were meant to be friends. The musk starts to deepen and calm the pear. My nose interprets this as "spiced" pear. I know there aren't any spices, but that stunning musk really gives me the vibe of an autumnal pear. I get no lemon in this this. This is going to be stunning in the fall when I want fruit but not bright fruit. This might be good for those who feel most fruits give a "too young" vibe but really like the actual scents.
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Champa resinoid, frankincense, red wine kyphi, and myrrh. This reminds me a lot of Frankincense, Myrrh, and Rose Petal Beads bath oil. It smells more hard incensy (like Midnight Mass) in the bottle, but the champa develops on and combines with the red wine to make it significantly fruity. I love it, but I also bought 2-3 bottle of that bath oil, so YMMV. 8/10
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Unhallowed passion. Weirdly, in the bottle this smelled salty! But in the air all I get from it is frankincense. Luckily, I like frankincense. 6/10
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With the faintest hint of opium smoke. This smells like Winchesters, for those in the Supernatural fandom. The musk makes it sweeter than you might expect, but it is definitely a saloon-esque scent. I keep expecting leather to be in there, but it's more the idea of it. I sort of love this one a whole lot and I'm very glad I bought a bottle unsniffed! 10/10
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MARS ULTOR Mars the Avenger Black amber and smoky vanilla with cistus, benzoin, caramelized tobacco, and blackened nutmeg. For those that are curious: the label art shows his torso. The text covers the lower half of his body. In the bottle: When this first arrived, I was mostly getting all the blackened things! Now that I have let it settle for a few days, I can say that the tobacco is quite prominent, and though I still get the black amber and blackened nutmeg, the nutmeg is not as prominent in the bottle as it was a few days ago. I can smell more of the benzoin now, the cistus, and a bit of smoky vanilla. This mainly smells like smoky resins to me. Wet: Benzoin and black amber dominate. I am also getting the rockrose (cistus) and nutmeg. I can smell the tobacco, but it isn't as strong as it was in the bottle. If I inhale really deeply, I can smell the smoky vanilla note, but it is in the background. After sitting on my skin for a while, the rockrose note has become more prominent, and the smoky vanilla note is helping to sweeten the scent a bit. However, I would still describe this as a smoky resin blend. Dry: Mostly soft benzoin sweetened by the smoky vanilla and caramelized tobacco. Verdict: I like this, but I don't love it. That said, I am going to hold onto my bottle, because I think this one will age well.
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VENUS CAELESTIS Celestial Venus Blue lotus absolute, grey amber, white myrrh, frankincense, and sugared lemon peel. Venus Caelestis is skillfully blended. I can pick out each note but the overall effect as a whole is so well balanced. Very very lovely scent that evokes a feminine softness, a silvery blue color and a coolness coupled with a tinge of warmth. This does not morph from the bottle to my skin, the throw is fairly light on me, but I didn't slather. The first thing I notice is the blue lotus absolute. I love lotus notes and this one has a cool sophisticated aura to it, it's not overly sweet or bubble gummy to my nose. The amber and myrrh intertwine to give this blend its warm softness without going powdery which plays nicely off of the cool lotus. This is so pretty! The frankincense lends a subtle sweetness that pairs with the sugared lemon peel. The sugared lemon peel is the only note that I have to search out, but it is there - shining in the background. Overall, this is beautiful and womanly. I imagine I will want to wear this a lot in the spring and summer because it's more cool than warm. It's got a cool aquatic vibe from the blue lotus but the resins keep it grounded and rich. It's unlike anything else in my collection, I'm not sure how I would classify it - a resiny aquatic floral with a touch of sugared fruitiness? Maybe I'll just stick to simple and classify it under GORGEOUS.
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Sapphire-blue musk alight with a white fire of chamomile, styrax, iced honey, saffron, and castoreum accord. Starts off smelling a little bit of a sweet, sugary musk, with a small hint of something almost a bit caramelized. This turns out to be somewhat darker around the edges as the castoreum accord brings in a little grittiness. It's overall a sweet, slightly honey scent (!) with only a touch of shadow from the castoreum.
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PROSPEROUS FLOWERS OF THE ELEGANT TWELVE SEASONS Patchouli and honeyed saffron with labdanum, leather accord, and wood vanilla. In Vitro A very rich honey and resin kind of scent. I should mention that I have not checked the notes list recently and all I remembered going into the test was patchouli, honey, and saffron. Wet The oil is light orange-brown. Freshly applied it was slightly less intense but gained and almost creamy sweetness. This subsided after a minute or two and and the overall scent was more spicy. Drying It became less sweet and hinted at a woody or even musty quality, but was not at all unpleasant. ETA: Two hours after application, the leather is prominent but not harsh, with underlying sweetness. This is both lovely and sexy.
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Honey streaked with red musk and saffron. Utterly perfect. The hair gloss really has some shine and scent power to back itself up. This is what I wish the Sin Hair Gloss had been more like in its usage of red musk and throw. This one has an amazingly strong scent for me, even in this cold weather. The red musk is very smooth, enhanced with the usage of honey to it. The saffron adds a warming quality, but also something unexpected. It makes it almost have a dry woody vibe like I find in Shiny Furball. Despite that particular Halloween HG being a cedar wood note. It really utilizes what I love about those other hair glosses quite well. I may have to get a back-up as I may use this practically daily.
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Thick raw honey with a touch of Russian sage and hyssop. While it's in the bottle this is the richest, thickest honey ever and it's gorgeous. Once in the bath it is far more subtle - a gentle hint of honey and a fresh, slightly medicinal quality from the herbs. It doesn't linger though and feels rather ephemeral. I suspect if I used my bath oil as a moisturiser then the scent would stick around much longer.
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FOR EACH ECSTATIC INSTANT For each ecstatic instant We must an anguish pay In keen and quivering ratio To the ecstasy. For each beloved hour Sharp pittances of years, Bitter contested farthings And coffers heaped with tears. – Emily Dickinson Equal parts joy and grief, lust and regret, pain and pleasure: velvet-red roses and sensual aged patchouli with night-blooming jasmine, caramelized bourbon vanilla, labdanum, black amber, and oudh. In the imp: Wet, slightly incensed rose petals. Wet on my skin: Much the same as in the imp, but more incense and less rose. It's slightly boozy, as well. Dry: This is the first scent I've tried that has called to mind the word "sexy." This scent is lush, deep red, and velvety. It's the deepest red rose, darkened further by resins and incense, and topped off by a hint of rummy vanilla. The patchouli and oudh combine to soften it in an almost musky sort of manner. The rose is not overpowering at all as rose can sometimes be, instead blending beautifully with the rest of the notes. The jasmine is also starting to come out as my skin warms the scent, which rounds the scent from lush red into deep burgundy. It may sound odd to describe a scent in terms of colour, but in my mind, it looks like this:
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White coconut, thick wildflower honey, and threads of saffron. this starts off with something a bit rubbery and sweet smelling, then out comes the coconut and honey. the saffron is sweet bordering on fruity. it smells like a pina colada to me. the honey seems to be just hanging in the background adding richness. this scent is very, very sweet on me, but i tend to amp sweet/fruity notes, so maybe that's why. it takes awhile but after about maybe 45 minutes the sweetness is tempered some and it's getting a little more honeyish, which improves the scent on my skin. it smells very tropical, honestly. not really what i was expecting, but my skin chemistry does strange things sometimes.
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SEATED COUPLE LEANING ON HIPS Sake, skin musk, and ambrette seed. I love this! In the bottle it's a super strong blast of sake, it's insanely boozy and way more upfront than other sake blends from the lab. Wet on the skin the sake stays dominant but it's now supported by gorgeous musk that almost goes along the lines of floral. It has a tiny tiny second of smelling a little soapy but it fades the more it dries and when it begins to completely dry it is a lovely softened floral musk with a touch of sweetness. I think this would be great for a hot Summer day and I am very glad to have a bottle of it.
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Honey and daemonorops draco with rum absolute, tobacco, and vetiver. It is no secret that I adore vetiver in all forms. So when I saw this I knew I had to try it! In the imp it was a big burst of vetiver and honey so it was seeming to be very promising. Wet on the skin the vetiver took center stage and the honey was there as well but it was in the background. To my nose it's smelling like the honey note in O and I like it. When it began to dry the dragon's blood made it's appearances and brought a soft powdery quality to the entire blend and made everything soften, even the harshness of the vetiver. Fully dry it's a sexy blend of vetiver, dragon's blood and a tiny hint of tobacco. I can detect the honey if I inhale deep enough and it's melting into the skin so nicely. I never got any rum which saddens me a little because I would of liked to see how it changed the overall feel of the blend. All in all though I like this and I will enjoy my decant for a night out or when I want to feel just warm and cozy at home.
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MARS COROTIACUS Mars of the Cavalry A dark leather chypre with white sage and juniper berry. I'm finding I really love the Lab's chypre and fougère blends. This is a perfectly clean, and yet a cool green scent! Imagine a dashing cavalryman wearing this on his days off. I found this to be a perfect conglomeration of what I love in the two fragrances of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Henry Jekyll. Now I visualize these characters crossing over literature; and meeting at the Diogenes Club to talk about puzzling matters (no Hyde or hair to be seen). There is that clean, refined leather note I get in Holmes. Then it goes a bit to the greenery side with the juniper (and possibly bergamot) I get in Jekyll's blend. Unlike Jekyll though it doesn't go powdery or sharp in its dry down, as I think that may occur from the use of cumin or basil there. Luckily, there is no cumin or basil noted here. On application, this lasted pretty consistently for me at work for around 6-7 hours (though longer in a scent locket).
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VENUS VERTICORDIA Venus the Changer of Hearts Fickle dandelion florets dancing through honey-drenched wildflowers. I love the Lab's Wild Dandelion single note like whoa. It's one of my 'happy' scents. I associate the scent with hope and innocent days gone by. I also adore sugary floral scents. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint. In the bottle: It smells exactly like the description. The green dandelion note is the strongest, followed by the honeyed wildflowers. Wet: On my skin, the honey note is stronger than it was in the bottle, but the florals still reign (with the dandelion note being the most prominent). I can't identify which flowers comprise the wildflower note, but I will say that this really does make me think of being in a meadow in the spring, and smelling it brought tears to my eyes. Dry: Sweet dandelions and wildflowers. Verdict: I am so happy that I have a bottle of this. I will need a second bottle of this one before it goes away.
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MARS LOUCETIUS Mars of the Thunderstorm A white tea chypre with rockrose, white sandalwood, and champaca flower. Partial to the pretty muscular guy, and there's... a very interesting scent here! It's very sharply cologney and masculine initially, although once it hits the skin, it starts to go immediately towards a very nice white tea, kind of like The Unsteady Governess, and then it goes more towards a slightly sweet costus (rockrose), with a little bit of dryness from the sandalwood. The Champaca is subtle but makes this not completely an absolute chypre, it adds a nice unisexuality to this scent. This is a refined tea. With a little bit of resin. Drying down on me the champaca adds a dryness, and once the tea settles, it's a little bit of a gritty (yet light, or white, if that makes sense) scent.
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Honeyed Golden Musk, Rosewater, and Red Sandalwood Atmosphere Spray
theseagrows posted a topic in Atmosphere
A haze of skin, silk, and taffeta. this is one of those thick and rich honeyed rose scents. it starts off with something kind of nutty. the nuttiness dissipates quickly and then it's deep red rose and as it settles the honey, musk and sandalwood come out. it's one of the more potent atmosphere sprays and a little goes a long way. it gives me a bid of a headache if i spray too much. i really like this one, but am not a fan of that nutty scent in it (not sure what it could be) but luckily it's pretty subtle and does fade. this scent is very warm and romantic, and i think the rose and honey are the dominant notes that tend to last.
