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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2016'.
Found 94 results
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Blue musk, white frankincense, wisteria blossoms, and lemon peel. This one smells like the most delightful spring night! The wisteria is blooming and there is a faint balmy breeze. It's soft but potent at the same time. I'm getting a bit of the lemon peel at first, but after a while it is gone, leaving only breaths of fresh dewy night air and clusters of beautiful wisteria blossoms. So lovely!
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Come, Madam, come, all rest my powers defy, Until I labour, I in labour lie. The foe oft-times having the foe in sight, Is tird with standing though he never fight. Off with that girdle, like heavens Zone glistering, But a far fairer world encompassing. Unpin that spangled breastplate which you wear, That theyes of busy fools may be stopped there. Unlace yourself, for that harmonious chime, Tells me from you, that now it is bed time. Off with that happy busk, which I envy, That still can be, and still can stand so nigh. Your gown going off, such beauteous state reveals, As when from flowery meads thhills shadow steals. Off with that wiry Coronet and shew The hairy Diadem which on you doth grow: Now off with those shoes, and then safely tread In this loves hallowd temple, this soft bed. In such white robes, heavens Angels used to be Received by men; Thou Angel bringst with thee A heaven like Mahomets Paradise; and though Ill spirits walk in white, we easily know, By this these Angels from an evil sprite, Those set our hairs, but these our flesh upright. Licence my roving hands, and let them go, Before, behind, between, above, below. O my America! my new-found-land, My kingdom, safeliest when with one man mannd, My Mine of precious stones, My Empirie, How blest am I in this discovering thee! To enter in these bonds, is to be free; Then where my hand is set, my seal shall be. Full nakedness! All joys are due to thee, As souls unbodied, bodies unclothd must be, To taste whole joys. Gems which you women use Are like Atlantas balls, cast in mens views, That when a fools eye lighteth on a Gem, His earthly soul may covet theirs, not them. Like pictures, or like books gay coverings made For lay-men, are all women thus arrayd; Themselves are mystic books, which only we (Whom their imputed grace will dignify) Must see reveald. Then since that I may know; As liberally, as to a Midwife, shew Thy self: cast all, yea, this white linen hence, There is no penance due to innocence. To teach thee, I am naked first; why then What needst thou have more covering than a man. John Donne Licence my roving hands, and let them go, Before, behind, between, above, below. Skin like silk: bourbon vanilla, caramelized patchouli, Siamese red benzoin, and fig. Oh the pressures of being first to review. I will do my best. I absolutely adore this one simply for the fact it reminds me of A Measurement of the Soul from the 2014 Yules. I immediately recognize the same fig note and it does smell almost like a fig pudding, but not foodie per say. The bourbon vanilla is a note I barely smell here and I honestly do not mind either. The patchouli on the other hand is very present and very much caramelized. Honestly, people who fear patchouli might even want to give this a try because it's not too woody nor is it too smoky.... It's just there giving a backbone to the scent. But the fig is the star here, on me at least. I will very much enjoy my bottle.
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White sandalwood and white leather, bourbon vanilla and bourbon vetiver. Am I first? (apologies to the mods if I get the protocol wrong) In the bottle: Sinister vanilla. Wet on skin: The vanilla and vetiver predominate - I was curious about this combination, but I LOVE IT. The vetiver is more smoky than green/murky as it can sometimes be (maybe this is the difference with 'bourbon vetiver?) 15 minutes in: The sandalwood is coming out a little more; the leather is still sort of lurking in the background. The sandalwood is giving the scent a dry, powdery (not baby powder!) character now. I will update if it changes significantly with further wear. I'm hoping it doesn't go *too* powdery, because so far it's very sexy. I'm surprised I'm the first to review it! Update: It did not go any more powdery, I'm happy to report. It was interesting, because after several (10?) hours The Mark was quite faint if I deliberately tried to sniff my wrist, but it was still mysteriously hovering around me. This scent is not as in-your-face as one might expect with a leather/vetiver combo - very wearable and not 'too sexy for work'. It will be interesting to see how this one ages. I like it a lot!
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White peony and Florentine iris butter gilded by white ambrette, rice powder, grey amber, pale vegetal musk, and white chocolate. This perfume is very much fresh, melty chocolate as a top note from the bottle. It's definitely not a very dark chocolate, but I'm getting the milk/white or cocoa butter vibe from the initial blast. This reminds me very much of the No One Heard Her But the Sparrows atmosphere spray and this shouldn't be a surprise as it contains similar notes of white chocolate, iris, and grey amber! I'm actually not getting too much peony, which is sad. This reads to me, as a slightly dusty, foody chocolate-floral blend, very much like the atmosphere spray. This is wonderful, as it's a very nice spray, and now I can smell like it!
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Dark chocolate and clove bud with smoked amber, bourbon vanilla tar, and black and pink peppers. Whoa. This is a little weird from the bottle, definitely spicy, and peppery. I definitely get a potent black pepper vibe, like black pepper essential oil. The chocolate is a dusky, dusty dark cocoa thing, definitely not sugary sweet! On my skin the pepper and cloves bloom immediately into a cloud of potent heat, with the cocoa riding along. After a few minutes, the immediate spiciness recedes, leaving a very sexy gourmand, cocoa-kissed incensy resin. I'm still getting a good deal of clove, kissed with depth with the amber and vanilla, which are not front and center. The cocoa always remains a slight foody twang on an otherwise beautifully sensual spice blend. Over a bit more time, this actually is veering towards Gelt (but like, sexier?) Grandma's handing out fake coin candies but watch out! She's dangerous (and in lingerie). I like this! I'll have to give it a few wears, but I do have my single bottle now lol. #blindbottlelifeyolo
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White tea, neroli, and slivered ginger. In the bottle: I'm immediately reminded of Kumiho. Wet on skin: Yes, it's in the same family as Kumiho but this is definitely different. The neroli adds a pretty punch of floral brightness here! The white tea is crisp and the ginger is sharp but not overly so. This is refreshing! Dry down: This is sparkly. It's crisp, clean, bright, just as I imagined it would be. This will wear well for me in hotter temps. If you like Kumiho, you should give this a try! The neroli sets it apart and adds a very pretty dimension to the tea and ginger. I love this!!
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Jasmine tea, mate, and yellow bergamot. The Teapot is pretty and refreshing! On my skin it is fresh and bright. The Jasmine is soft and pretty, the bergamot sunny and yellow. I'm not too familiar with mate so I can't say for sure if I'm picking up on it. It's a well blended scent. Overall, this is a very pretty tea scent with lovely soft but sunny floral tones. I imagine I'll enjoy wearing this a lot in the spring and summer.
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Brown leather, tonka, vanilla bourbon tar, and a thin whiff of rose. This is the Luper I was looking most forward to try, because I have been raving about a book+rose scent for ages I love it! The rose is dewy and quite prominent, while the leather and tonka takes a backseat, so rather than a pressed-rose-petal-between-pages-of-an-old-book this is like reading an old book with a vase of fresh roses on the side table. The rose feels reminiscent of the one from The Bear Prince, actually. I can see this morphing a lot with age as well, so I definitely look forward to seeing what has happened in a year from now
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White sandalwood, ti leaf, osmanthus, pink pepper, and white vanilla bark. This is heavy on the tea and pink pepper! I don't get a lot of osmanthus. The sandalwood sits in the background and makes the scent a little more soft and dusty, although I wouldn't characterize this as powdery at all. It is a very spring-like and fresh scent with a little kick from the pepper, and it would also work very well for summer, I think.
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Iris blossom, violet leaf, grey amber, soft white leather, a drop of coconut and a sliver of angelica seed. Something about this combination isn't working with my skin chemistry. I get a sense of what the light-colored amber/coconut/leather should smell like, and it's beautiful, but on me there is also a very strong, almost chemical smell happening that is overpowering the scent. I think I'm coming to the conclusion that the only type of coconut that works on me is the black variety, and the only leather I can wear is brown, since both black and white go chemical-y.
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Pendulous blue wisteria, white peonies, ho wood, magnolia petals, plum juice, and red benzoin. This is a very strong, very 'present' floral with perhaps an undertone of benzoin. I don't smell the plum juice at all. There's a slightly spicy quality here as well as something that almost tips into sour territory, but not quite. Floral aficionados will probably enjoy this very much, as wisteria and peony are very distinctive. I prefer my florals with some musk or a resin that has a bit more presence than the benzoin has here. I will say that the drydown is very pretty, when my beloved magnolia makes more of an appearance. I will reach for this when in the mood for a distinctive non-rose floral, perhaps.
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Tuberose absolute, red carnation, white gardenia, jasmine sambac, Siamese benzoin, and sweet oudh. Origin: Straight from the Lab Initial Thoughts: Tuberose - sometimes. Red carnation - absolutely! White gardenia - yes! jasmine sambac - usually. Siamese benzoin - well, it doesn't seem to amp like crazy compared to other resiny/incense things. Oudh - well, it's sweet. In the Bottle: White floral. Strong enough to be that almost astringent level. I think I'm getting lots of jasmine and some gardenia with a trace of benzoin or oudh in the background. Wet: GARDENIA! An explosion of sweet gardenia. Since I love gardenia, I have no issues at this point. Drydown: The jasmine comes back, but this time it's that airy white-floral jasmine rather than the sharp jasmine from the bottle. But I'm getting very little carnation and very little benzoin or oudh. This is staying a very gentle, light and white spring floral on me. Verdict: If you are a jasmine lover or gardenia lover, definitely try this. If you are hoping for more of the spicy/incense notes, it may depend on your skin chemistry.
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White gardenia, frangipani, rose peony, plumeria, and vanilla orchid. On first whiff, straight from the bottle, this was VERY perfumey, in an "Avon fragrance" way. I think it's the peony and plumeria, combined with gardenia that gives it a very feminine, floral edge. Almost old fashioned, and a bit unexpected for BPAL--almost a commercial, traditional fragrance, although with most fashion houses today going to either very aquatic stuff or gourmand fantasies, this harkens back to an earlier age, like that of Elizabeth Arden or Estee Lauder fragrances. Very feminine and dainty. Dry down is a creamy, refined white floral. Overall, a nice scent, but not one I'm blown away by. A solid 3 out of 5.
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Vanilla saffron, carnation absolute, bois de rose, myrrh, and sandalwood incense. right off i get sandalwood incense, and then myrrh and bois de rose after a minute or two on the skin. i get a bit of spiciness from the carnation later on, but can't really detect the vanilla strongly on my skin. this is a very pretty incense scent, it's not nag-champa like at all, more like a soft japenese incense.
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Golden amber and bourbon vanilla with sweet oak, blue lotus, and tea blossom. This ended up being very heavy on the blue lotus for me-the overall scent reminded me of Poor Monkey from the recent Yules (which sadly didn't work on me)-I know Poor Monkey had a different lotus in it and I was really hoping the blue lotus here would play nicer but for me, it ended up taking over this otherwise soft and pretty scent. I smell a little bit of the tea blossom as well and for me, it seems like the amber and vanilla just kind of helped blend it all together (I don't get a lot of amber or vanilla is what I'm trying to say here).
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French lavender, red patchouli, saffron, dried wildflowers, agarwood, and oudh. First, there's a big blast of lavender, grounded by oudh. The patchouli lays close to the skin and I can only tell that it is there by huffing my skin. Wildflowers are not noticeable but hang out with the patch. As this dries, The Dream reminds me of The First Love Fades, Too, but that is only because of the lavender and oudh (or agarwood). It's not as sweet as First Love (because I had to test them side by side; my scent memory had these similar, but not really).. The patch, only for a moment, leans towards earthy, but is them absorbed into the whole. There must be a little vanilla (bourbon vanilla? tonka?) as it sweetens up, reminding me of Lush's Twilight or A Moment in Time. Lavender and oudh on the drydown, wafting downy softness, like snuggling in bed with big pillows and fluffy blankets to chase the cold away, and drifting off to sleep on a lilac-colored cloud.
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Sweet brown leather, cacao absolute, coffee bean absolute, and teakwood. Blind tested on my right wrist, and accidentally slathered instead of dabbed. In Vitro Pleasant but not strong. Wet Immediate deep sniffing: sweet and spicy. An earthy note joined in a few minutes later for a very nice scent overall. Unfortunately it faded significantly by the twenty minute mark despite the relatively large amount still gleaming on my skin. Drying Again with the plastic note. It's now one hour and twenty five minutes since application and what remains is vague and sweet with a faint whiff of plastic. Despite the disappointing drydown I have high hopes for this on my hair and/or clothing, and I will edit to reflect further tests. Even on my wretched skin, the wet phase started out beautifully.
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Leather and black tea with champa blossom, incense, ambrette seed, and black truffle accord. Blind tested on my left wrist. In Vitro Rich and resinous, and somehow reminiscent of Destructive Vagina of the Fox Spirit despite lacking the cola/incense note. Wet Still resinous, but joined by a floral note that came to predominate over the next six minutes. Drying Aw, crud. Plastic, although thankfully faint. After a half hour I was getting some sweetness again, but it's now an hour and fifteen minutes after application and what remains is unremarkable sweetness with a hint of plastic. I refuse to be discouraged because my other Shungas aren't at their best on my skin (nothing is!) and I have yet to test this on clothing or hair.
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Red musk and almond husk with sweet fig, Bulgarian rose absolute, blood orange rind, and green cognac. Oh, this is lovely, and it reminds me of another BPAL blend but I can't put my finger on it. If I think of it, I'll come back and edit. I happen to looooove red musk, and it loves me, but if you are afraid of it then Daruma Doll is one you may want to try. The red musk is subdued and blends quite beautifully with the fig (normally a note I dislike), almond husk, and Bulgarian rose (one of my favorite roses.) The blood orange rind is just a whisper, lifting things up a little bit, and right now I'm not getting the cognac but this bottle is only a day out of the mailbox and I expect it to show up with a bit of settling. I love this blend and will almost certainly put it into regular rotation.
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Blush amber, wild carnation, French lavender, hay absolute, strawberry candyfloss, and vanilla cream. In the bottle, this didn't seem like anything I'd like. On my wrist it was a 180 - I loved this and it's my favorite Luper so far. These notes are blended together so expertly it's hard to pick them apart. However, lavender is eventually what predominates, graced with an underlying note of amber. I get no strawberry or vanilla at all for the first half hour and then slowly the vanilla comes out. It's a very light, feminine scent, more of a traditional perfume than one of the Lab's more experimental blends. Highly recommended.
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Tahitian vanilla and strawberry with tonka bean absolute, Italian bergamot, ylang ylang, and Haitian vetiver. In the bottle: Candied strawberries all the way. Wet on skin: Strawberries and more strawberries, with a bit of a citrus underpinning. Drydown: Aw, this disappeared on me! It is extremely close to the skin, so if you prefer not to let everyone in a 5 mile radius know what you're wearing this might be good for you (I tend to like obnoxiously in-your-face throw). I'm getting very light strawberry and vanilla, with the vetiver keeping it from being overly sweet. Kind of reminds me of a much lighter version of Beaver Moon 2012, but that always seemed more like strawberry cheesecake than apple cheesecake on me. I picked this up with the hope that it'd be a good scent for hot days when I don't want anything too overbearing, so I think this will probably work for that usage. I'm hoping it might gain a bit of oomph with some aging, though. And, to be fair, I tested this straight out of the mail box.
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Blood red rose, indigo musk, opponax, and tobacco tar. In the bottle: Smells very much like some sort of hard liquor? Maybe whiskey? No idea where I'm getting that from, but there you have it. Wet on skin: Totally different from in the bottle. Smells almost exactly like nag champa incense, but with something a little citrus-y in the background. Drydown: This is a very incense-y scent on me and I love it. It's REALLY similar to nag champa incense, with the rose hanging out in the background. I'm not a huge fan of roses, but this is an incense-y rose and it's so nice. Slightly powdery, but in a really good way, and definitely not in the in-your-face way at all. Just a little softness is all. Reminds me of a fancy lady's rose-scented soap. This bottle is going off to a friend, but I am almost 100% certain I will be getting another for myself. I love the incense scent family, and this is substantial with decent throw without being overwhelming. This would be an excellent hot weather option for my fellow incense lovers.
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Lemon peel and white incense. Sometimes the simpler blends can be really stunning, and I've been hoping for a lemon-based one because citrus notes always improve my mood. This is very, very pretty; especially when first applied. The lemon peel lifts and brightens while the incense note gives it depth - I'm not sure how Beth achieved the "white" quality with this incense but that is most definitely what it is. And it's not "lemon Pledge" at all, nor is it juicy, fleshy lemon; it's a bright hint of lemon zest. There is a point about midway through the drydown when it threatens to go funky on my skin, but that hint of funk quickly dissipates and it's back to being light and pretty. The far drydown is a slightly spicy lemon peel. Really nice. A very early-Springtime type of fragrance.
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Vanilla chiffon, honey musk, and pale magnolia. This is the one Luper that I was sure I would love, and therefore my only blind bottle purchase. The Bride is absolutely stunning! At first I get the same honey musk that is in Lady Una, but then it is joined by the magnolia, which is beautiful, lush, and realistic. I have been searching and searching for a magnolia perfume with no luck, and this one is just heavenly. I don't distinctly smell the vanilla chiffon, but I feel like it's sweetening (and making more realistic) the magnolia note. This is like sticking my face in a magnolia blossom--gently sweet, musky, and heady. Thank you, Beth, for such a beautiful scent!
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Pink strawberry, gardenia, blackberry wine, vanilla frankincense, and champaca absolute. Finally, I get to check off a strawberry scent from my list, and this could not be more perfect. Oddly (given the label and the spirit of smut that inspires the Shunga collection), I get a strong sense of nostalgia from this scent for childhood summers at my grandmother's house, which is exactly what I was looking for. The overall impression is not just strawberry; the blackberry wine and the vanilla frankincense bring it a sweet, slightly creamy berry scent. Gardenia and champaca are definitely there as well, but more in the background on me, like sitting in a garden and catching the scent of flowers on the odd breeze. They play more in the drydown but overall the blend stays pretty steady all day. This is definitely candy-like, and playful (fitting to the image, although what the hell are they doing), and may be too unsophisticated for some, but I often wear scents to evoke a mood and wow...this is perfect. Hubby review: "you smell like fake fruit" so...not the same scent for everyone Edited for readability
