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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2019'.
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A plucking of the heartstrings: blood musk, radiant golden amber, gilded carnation, orange blossom, and red cognac. Straight from the mail, no time to settle -- but I'm reviewing anyway this afternoon, so I'm letting my Lupers cut in line. Will always amend and edit after the perfume has time to get used to its new home. Edit 3/2/19 -- Additions and/or revisions after the bottle has had a week to settle. Also, I promised y'all some Luper Goat reviews. In the bottle: Red musk and some notes that are gently sweetening it. After some time to settle, I get some very identifiable orange blossom in the bottle as well. On my skin: Wet, it's red musk and amber. This time, the wet-on-skin scent almost has a true orange quality to it, rather than just orange blossom. I know it's not a listed note; I'm just saying what I smell. As it dries, I can detect the orange blossom gracing the top of the blend, adding a bit of lightness to the musk's grounding. This time as it dries, it's the blood musk that actually starts to develop more on my skin, since that's what hasn't been as prominent. (The blood musk does still seem to function as red musk on my skin.) Whatever I detected as actually "orangey" is fading now, so I'm not sure I'll be able to pick out exactly what's going on there. Also, at this point, while the orange blossom is giving the scent a lot of throw, what I'm actually smelling in the throw is blood musk. Given additional time to develop, the orange blossom becomes more prominent -- but mostly in lending an airiness and waft to the blend, not so much for strength of scent -- and the cognac becomes barely detectable, adding a trace of sweet thickness to the blend. Red musk/blood musk (it's coming across as red musk on my skin, but could well be a distinct note) is still the most prominent note at this phase. Huh. Now it's almost the reverse of my initial test. Well, the blood musk is still the most prominent scent, but it and not the orange blossom is the one gaining prominence as I give it more time to develop on my skin. It's slightly sweet and resinous from the amber (and maybe the cognac?) and airy with orange blossom, but this is blood musk's time to shine. Once it settles completely, about an hour after application, the orange blossom does have the most waft to it while the musk continues to be at the forefront of the skin scent. And the musk and cognac keep even the wafted scent a little heavier than other orange-blossom blends I own (I'm thinking mostly of Khyrsee, which has both amber and orange blossom). About an hour after application, the cognac starts to make an identifiable appearance, lending a heavy, sweet potency to the blend. Several hours later, it fades to a red musk softly sweetened by amber and cognac. Right now, it's a very unusual blend in that it has two pretty distinct manifestations on me -- one featuring the blood musk, the other featuring the orange blossom. But both scent profiles are like reflections of one another, in that the background notes are always detectable and influencing the featured note. (Except carnation, which disappears for the moment. But that's a Known Thing with new carnation and my skin.) Also, both scent profiles are complex and gorgeous. Settling has allowed this Chordae Tendineae to be more consistently blood musk on me, though the notes of its background moods still change -- first orange blossom, then the amber and cognac. I still wish I got some distinct carnation, but right now, I think that might be overshadowed by the cognac note. Not sure if further aging will bring it out more, though it couldn't hurt. I feel comfortable characterizing this as a red musk blend for me, but with the amount of morphing this does on me, I definitely don't know that this is what's going to happen for others. If Chordae Tendineae were a Luper Goat, it would be a goat you always need to keep half an eye on because she's always investigating new ways to get into trouble. Digging under the fence. Nuzzling open the bolt on the gate. Nosing up to your plate to see if you've got anything interesting to eat there. Stealing underwear off the line. Always something new with this one! Medium throw.
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Amber cream, white tea, lemon peel, and lotus root. In The Bottle: Lemon, cream and a touch of lotus. Wet On Skin: A bit of the white tea is coming round now, making this smell like a tea party with lemon cake! Dry Down: Tea leans a bit toward the lemony side of things anyway on me, and this scent therefore has both a "high" and "low" lemon note in that the low is more of a foodie, lemon curd variety and the high is that clean, bright lemony tea. It's a lovely combination. The amber cream seems to be way more cream than amber, which is not a bad thing, though I'm curious to see how it'll age. The lotus can be a bit iffy on me, and I was worried it would turn soapy but so far it's behaving itself, if juuuuust barely In all, I think this will be a fine scent as we move out of late winter and into spring. It's a very bright and sunny daytime scent and if you're a gourmand fan, you should definitely give this a try.
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Beeswax, sandalwood incense, ti leaf, roasted nuts, and bamboo. In The Bottle: Sweet, creamy beeswax (YUM) and a hint of the roasted nuts. NOMNOMNOM. Wet On Skin: The beeswax is definitely in the lead here, with the nuts adding a bit of salt. I'm not getting the greenery of bamboo or ti leaf, and I don't detect anysandawood at this stage, either. Dry Down: One of those scents that really stays true from bottle to dry down, this oil has a low throw, stays close to the skin (as many Shungas tend to do in my experience) and is quietly delectable. Beeswax from the lab tends to age extraordinarily well, and I'm excited to see where this goes, because it's already eminently wearable straight out of the mailbox!😋
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Mandarin, carnation, and clove bud. Fresh from the mail, no time to settle -- but I was already getting ready to review other BPAL when this arrived. I couldn't wait; I let it cut in line. Will definitely update after it's had time to get used to its new home. Edit 3/3/19 -- Text in blue is my review now that the scent has had time to settle. In the bottle: Mandarin and clove. It's beautiful spicy orange (the scent, not necessarily the color). Mostly mandarin in the bottle. The clove is detectable, but it's not as much as I remember there being a week ago. On my skin: Wet, it's largely mandarin with a touch of clove. It almost has an orange candy -- the old-fashioned stick candies -- quality to it. (The oil color, by the way, is clear or nearly so.) Yup. Still has that mandarin-dominant, orange spice candy thing going on. The initial drydown is much the same, though the clove has some impressive throw on it -- but since it's just a grace note on the blend for the moment, it's not overpowering. I don't get any detectable carnation as of yet -- though I can't tell if that's still yet to develop on my skin, if it's being overshadowed by the clove, if it's due to the freshness of the oil, or some combination of factors. I'd tell you that settled, the initial drydown is even more mandarin on me. The clove hasn't really started to assert itself yet. (And no, still no carnation.) Given another twenty or so minutes to develop on my skin, and the carnation does make a subtle appearance. It's a supporting note, toning down the super brightness of the mandarin and adding a more delicate nuance of spiciness to the clove. I want to say it's starting to add some sophistication to the blend. (I say "starting to" because it's still very much a background player at this stage, but I can see that as its role as the blend unfolds.) Aaand this is where Twelve Tastes in the Classification of Passion leaves off on me, at least for the time being. Luper and Shunga and evocative title notwithstanding, this is a warm, cheerful, inviting blend on me. The mandarin is bright, the clove warm and happily spicy, and the carnation works to add some unity and balance to the blend. The scent itself would be at home in a variety of venues, including for work or everyday wear (at least as it manifests on me). At this point, a couple of hours after the initial application (which is mandarin and clove on me), the carnation comes out, and it is elegant and sexy as hell. It does take a while to get there on me, but the cheerful warmth of the mandarin and clove is also pretty great, so I can't complain. The throw is on the stronger side of average on me, and we'll see about the wear length -- Mandarin disappears on me notoriously quickly, but clove and carnation can hang around forever... If this perfume were a Luper Goat, it would be a social butterfly Luper Goat with excellent people manners. I can imagine it making the rounds in any given room, nuzzling up to people as a way to ask for treats and pets (which I suppose is a nicer way of saying food and attention). While Twelve Tastes (the Goat!) might push her head underneath someone's unsuspecting hand and while you of course want to be mindful of your fingers when proffering any treat, this is not a goat that's going to knock someone over or chomp any hands off. She has manners -- but also Charm and Game, as well as the confidence to rely upon them.
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A perfume to prevent backflow of blood into your heart: husky aged patchouli, scorched oppoponax, agarwood, olibanum, black oakmoss, and chaparral. In The Bottle: There's something immediately incense-y about this scent. I'm guessing it's the oppoponax and maybe the oakmoss. It's certainly all I can think about at first sniff. Wet On Skin: Much the same, but I think the oakmoss is pushing forward a bit more, which I see as a positive, because in the bottle I was worried it was going to be a bit more "head shop"-ish than I would like. The oakmoss pulls it away from that, takes it someplace a bit more spicy and sweet. Dry Down: Welp, it's shifted back again. Incense 70s headshop affair. 😕 I'm not suuuuuper excited about it, bit there's enough promise that I'm absolutely willing to let it age and see what happens next month!
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The largest vein in the human body: a torrent of sweet oudh, patchouli, blackwood, red labdanum, and vegetal musk. In The Bottle: Vegetal musk, which is slightly acrid, and what I'm assuming is the blackwood, which is sort of a dark musky scent. Wet On Skin: The labdanum is coming out a bit as the oil warms on my skin, and it's adding a sweetness to the mix that's making the scent more palatable, less sinister and unrelenting. Dry Down: The sweet oudh and labdamun come front and center, making this a sweet, rich deep affair. I'm not getting a ton of patchouli, which I'm *slightly* sad about, but the rest makes up for that slight loss. This is definitely one of those scents that's bound to get better with aging, but I've been craving some dark, moody scents lately, and this is a nice one!
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I die of love for him, perfect in every way, Lost in the strains of wafting music. My eyes are fixed upon his delightful body And I do not wonder at his beauty. His waist is a sapling, his face a moon, And loveliness rolls off his rosy cheek I die of love for you, but keep this secret: The tie that binds us is an unbreakable rope. How much time did your creation take, O angel? So what! All I want is to sing your praises. – Abu Nuwas Balsam-dusted leather, crushed lilac, bay rum, soft black musk, cubeb berry, and smoke. Soft, soft, a hint of leather. Close to the skin, lingering. Did you want to wear it, Lola? Don't just leave it for Edward. Prise it from his hand to yours, a delicate extraction. The afternoon slant of day echoes in a lilac haze, dust motes sputtering into universes par fume. Come to bed, come to bed.
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Green almond, orange blossom, white sage, and a sharp slash of eucalyptus. This post is merely a placeholder for future reviews. Whoever is first to review, please report this post using the report button below, so a mod can merge it with yours. Thanks!
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And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid, But even so, honoured still more That he should seek my hospitality From out the dark door of the secret earth. Snake Oil with sugar, honeycomb, and thick vanilla cream. This was the scent I was hands-down most excited about, so I have very high hopes indeed! In The Bottle: I get the clean, crisp, almost-lemony scent of the Lab's sugar note right out of the gate. This is the same sugar that was in Sugar Moon from...2008, I think? It still stands out, because I like the almost-citrus aspect of the note, which is a delightful surprise. There's also a touch of the honeycomb bringing up the rear. Not a heavy honey like "O", this is lighter- certainly more "comb" than not. Wet On Skin: THERE'S the vanilla cream! Hello there! The Snake Oil is emerging as well, making this scent a true delight. Dry Down: I am *smitten*. I had frankly been hoping for something similar to my beloved Kwamie Cotton, and here it is! If you missed out on Kwamie or adore its sweet comfort, this is for you. An, knowing how well SO ages, I am certain this is going to go from "smitten" to "passionate love affair"- it's merely a matter of time. Hoard-worthy!!!
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For he seemed to me again like a king, Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld, Now due to be crowned again. A sinuous leather variant of BPALs Snake Oil. Only side-by-side with Snake Oil can I tell the difference between these in the bottle. It really was appropriate to name this after the snake's skin -- the leather wraps around the familiar blend like a sheath. And it's a grower, constricting slowly until it just might become the thing someone notices about the scent if they just happened to catch it in passing. It also nicely amps the woods in Snake Oil, which probably don't get enough love. If you have a man in your life who loves Snake Oil but it's too sweet for him to wear, he will probably be unstoppable with this.
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Quintessential BPAL filth. Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. Comparing this to my 2015 vintage smut, you can really tell the difference. Both are fantastic, but the hair gloss is brighter and more sugar than musk. I can only assume that this is due to the former aging. There is less of an in your face quality to this hair gloss and its one that I am more than willing to wear to work or out. If you are a fan of musks you are going to need this. If you are a fan of smut oil? You're going to love this too.
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METRO I beg you, don’t lie, dear Coritto: Who was the Man who stitched for you this bright red dildo? CORITTO I don’t know if Cerdon is from Chios or Erythrae; bald, small – you’d call him a right ‘Mr. Tradesman’. You’ll think you’re seeing the handiwork of Athena herself not Cerdon’s. I – for he arrived bringing two, Metro – at the sight of them – well my eyes bulged; men can’t make their rods as rigid as this – we are alone and can be frank – and not only that, these are as soft as sleep; and the little leather straps are as soft as wool, not like leather straps at all. A kinder cobbler to a woman you’ll not find – even by putting-out. METRO Why then did you not take the other one as well? CORITTO What didn’t I do, Metro? What sort of means of persuasion did I not apply him? Kissing him, stroking his bald head, pouring out a sweet drink for him, calling him by a pet name, giving him all by my body to enjoy. METRO If he asked even that you ought to have given him it. Red leather and honey. I'm having one of those this is really complex for a scent with two notes moments This starts out as prominent leather. it's a new leather and has a sharp quality. There is also something Red about this ,but at first, I wasn't quite sure why. It didn't seem to be coming from the leather itself. As it morphs, the leather starts to smell musky and takes on a worn aspect. The honey starts to come out. Its there but minds its manners; for which I'm thankful. It's not until the drydown that I realize what's going on. There's red musk. Yep, red musk and I'm over the moon. I also believe that I'm smelling some other musk, a darker musk. I have this impression because the scent has a red quality to it but also something darker, murkier. It all comes together in a musky, raw, sweet, sexy scent. Absolutely love this!
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Body, remember not only how much you were loved, not only the beds on which you lay, but also those desires for you that glowed plainly in the eyes, and trembled in the voiceand some chance obstacle made futile. Now that all of them belong to the past, it almost seems as if you had yielded to those desireshow they glowed, remember, in the eyes gazing at you; how they trembled in the voice, for you, remember, body. - Constantine Cavafy translated by Rae Dalven Profoundly sensual. The echo of caresses: raw black coconut, ambergris accord, ambrette seed, champaca flower, and sugar cane. Profoundly sensual indeed. This is my favorite of the Lupers so far. Body, Remember starts out sweet and earthy, then suddenly it becomes heavy on the coconut, followed by a rush of champaca. After several minutes, everything settles into a perfect musky balance that stays close to my skin with no single dominating note. It's stunning.
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WOMB FURIE In the middle of the flanks of women lies the womb, a female viscus, closely resembling an animal; for it is moved of itself hither and thither in the flanks, also upwards in a direct line to below the cartilage of the thorax and also obliquely to the right or to the left, either to the liver or spleen; and it likewise is subject to falling downwards, and, in a word, it is altogether erratic. It delights, also, in fragrant smells, and advances towards them; and it has an aversion to fetid smells, and flees from them; and on the whole the womb is like an animal within an animal. -- Aretaeus the Cappadocian Oh, that wily womb! Hippocrates and his followers considered the womb a mobile creature, causing mayhem as it writhed its way through a woman's body. Sometimes this ornery organ, due to lack of sexual activity, would create conflicts within a woman's system or would become blocked itself, causing anxiety, nervousness, water retention, and sleeplessness. With the assistance of doctors, nursemaids, hand tools, or, occasionally, self-manipulation, this vexing condition could be alleviated through hysterical paroxysms. Or, as we call it nowadays: orgasm. An itch that needs to be scratched: Snake Oil and three types of honey. To be honest, and snake oil have a less than great record. Straight up snake oil makes me deal with two hours of annoying spice before it gives me the soft vanilla, and none of the Snake pit were a success. This however, has PROMISE!!! The honey cuts out the harshness that the indonesian oils do when they're on my skin, and they're not taking over. I can still tell i'm wearing snake oil, but it's got some honey underneath. The honey and the vanilla also last for a long time, so i'm definetly not getting the disappearing act that I usually associate with snake oil blends. I highly recommend giving it a try!!
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LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY Percy Bysshe Shelley The fountains mingle with the river, And the rivers with the ocean; The winds of heaven mix forever, With a sweet emotion; Nothing in the world is single; All things by a law divine In one another's being mingle; -- Why not I with thine? See! the mountains kiss high heaven, And the waves clasp one another; No sister flower would be forgiven, If it disdained it's brother; And the sunlight clasps the earth, And the moonbeams kiss the sea; -- What are all these kissings worth, If thou kiss not me? Vanilla, saffron, and cream. In the bottle: Creamy vanilla. I can tell this is going to be really nice. Wet: A face full of creamy vanilla. There is a hint of Black Lace here. I think it's the same vanilla. The cream is also very apparent. Saffron is just a breath. Dry: This is more or less what I wished Underpants had been. Underpants had a really high-pitched, hairspray kind of note to it that just killed the blend for me. The blend is fairly simple and straightforward. From the notes, I feel like it should be a seriously foody blend, but while that gourmand element is there, this is not a foody like, say, Día de los reyes. I am a vanilla lover, and this is a great vanilla. Saffron is always a winner, too. Cream, though, is hit or miss (though when it hits, it hits BIG). I am pleased to say that the cream in this blend is just gorgeous. No sour milk or buttery weirdness whatsoever. I predict that this blend will be wildly popular.
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What a great freakin' word. BPAL LOVES TEH SMUT! Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. BPAL loves teh smut! I know Beth warned us about this one, that it'd smell a bit aggressive in the bottle but is positively wonderful once on. I haven't smelt Sed Non Satiata yet, which is the scent Beth said this is a lot like, so I have no basis for comparison there. Sorry, guys? In the bottle, yes, it's definitely aggressive. It almost smells like Robitussin cough syrup - that same boozy, quasi-fruity medicinal quality. It has the potential to be sexy, though, I can definitely see/smell that. Smut immediately sweetens when it hits my skin. It's pretty much musky sugar sweetness after a few drinks, precisely what the description says. There's no more medicinal smell to be had, but it's definitely warmer - do I smell vanilla? Very sophisticated and womanly, almost reminiscent of Jean-Paul Gaultier, only without the headache J-P gives me. A seductive, sophisticated, heady, little-black-dress-and-stilettos, 'take me now' scent. I love teh smut. If you haven't already, GET SOME. 9/10. P.S. Throw is amazingly good.
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Piss off, Saint Valentine! Lupercalia is an ancient Roman celebration, held on February 15th, that kicked in the advent of Spring with a very, very festive purification, fertility and sexuality ritual. The ritual began near the cave of Lupercal on the Palatine, an area sacred to Faunus, as well as Ruminia, Romulus and Remus. During Lupercalia, Vestal Virgins first made offerings of sacred cakes to the fig tree under which the she-wolf suckled the Sacred Twins. A dog and two goats were then offered in sacrifice to Faunus. The blood of the sacrifice was smeared onto two naked patrician youths, who were assisted by the Virgins, and the blood was wiped clean with sacred wool dipped in milk. The youths donned the skins of the sacrificial goats, wielding whips made from the goat skins, and then led the priests and the Virgins around the pomarium, and around the base hills of Rome. This was a ceremony of great happiness and merriment, and was of particular interest to young women: being touched by the goat-whips young men that led the procession ensured their fertility in the coming year. It is believed that, after the initial rite, male participants would draw the name of an available maiden, with whom he spent the rest of the night. This scent is for the Luperci, the Chosen of Faunus, the Brothers of the Wolf: raw, down and dirty patchouli, Gurjam balsam, and essence of Sampson Root sweetened with the heightened sexuality of beeswax, virile juniper, oakmoss, ambrette seed over honey and East African musk. ... am I really the first? Oh dear! Stage fright. In the bottle: Patchouli, smacking me in the nose! Beeswax, moss, earthy, dirty, powerful. The husband likes this. Wet on skin: Patchouli and juniper, with a honey-sweet undertone, but the sharp woody note is on top. Dry on skin: Patchouli and a heavy, sweet musk. Juniper's still there, but the musk is overpowering it. Over time: Woody and sweet and musky. This is a heavy, woody, honey-sweet scent; patchouli likes me, as usual, and is sticking around as the strongest note. The juniper has receded almost entirely, leaving me with only a quiet sharpness in the woody scent to remind me of its presence. Overall: I expected to like this, and I'm not disappointed. It's a very earthy, sexy kind of scent, not a pretty or delicate scent; this is precisely what I wanted and expected out of it. Elf still likes it, too. Bonus. I used to wear patchouli straight, but I like this more; it's more complex and appealing. 4.5/5 - not hoarding like I do with Geek, but I'm glad I got a bottle, so it will last me a nice long time.
