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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2018'.
Found 97 results
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Peach blossom and amber with almond cream and sweet musk. Sniff from the bottle: sweet musk veeeery much forward with generic floral undertone; smells ominously like nail polish remover. Please, don't let me amp that musk... Wet: The nail-polishy scent warms into a more pleasant white floral; I have never smelled a peach blossom, but I get the fruity undertone of peach blended with a bright springlike floral. The musk drifts above it definitely Up Front and Here To Be Counted. I can't tell if it's the amber swamping the almond, or the almond blurring the amber, but it has kind of a generically non-foody-but-sweet quality on me. There's nothing offensive here, but it's kind of a jangle to my nose. Drydown: Better. As the musk burns off, the light floral is still present over a golden creaminess. I think I might cellar this one for a while in the hopes of mellowing out that sweet musk, see if it plays more nicely with its friends. I think on someone who doesn't amp musk, it would be a lovely soft skin scent, but with the amber AND the almond AND the musk, on me it doesn't reach its full potential. Verdict: more pros than cons. Age and test again.
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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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Rice milk, white ginger, oakmoss, ti leaf, and cardamom pod. My label says vivid enjoyment of the memory of rapture which is a different thing entirely and slightly disappointing considering the art. But no matter, on to the scent. This is very chai tea on my skin, heavy on the green juicy ginger and cardamom. But it doesnt feel terribly edible to me. More like this is a morning shower scented by someone inspired by their ginger heavy chai tea with rice milk. Its incredibly bright and energizing but there are no citrus notes so doesnt do that bitter pithy thing that bright energizing scents usually do on my skin. Back in the day I had a ginger-heavy tea scented body spray that I loved, and this is definitely the closest Ive come to matching it. Delighted to have a bottle.
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Crystalline azure musk, orange blossom, water lily, hinoki wood, Texas cedar, and night-blooming jasmine. Was super interested in this melange of scents all together. I have no idea what to expect. Wet and in bottle, it's a weird mix of orange blossom and... maybe the sweetness of blue musk? Applied to the skin, it's a very strong thrwoosh of something very similar to fabric softener? Maybe it's the orange blossom. As it has a bit more time to settle down on the skin... I'm getting the two florals mixing together - orange blossom and water lily. Definitely getting a very beachy aquatic floral vibe. The jasmine is adding a little bit of ferocity in the background, a bit of depth, however the floral stays a... um, Mediterranean floral? Crisp/clear, and high. The blue musk kind of evens everything out and it's a little sugary. Hinoki and cedar really aren't too apparent. There may be a little 'sandiness' or 'woodsiness' at the base, but it's definitely not cedar-shavings/pencil cedar. Very subtle. It keeps this from being purely a floral scent. I'd say this is one of the more surprisingly 'beachy' scents. Light, airy, and somehow a little 'salty' without having the salt note (which on me turns into tortillas). I like this one a lot!
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Green tea, plum blossom, white musk, jasmine blossom honey, and lemon peel. This was probably the Shunga I was most excited about. It has all the notes I was craving for from Shungas - teas, fruit, and florals. Something light, fresh, crisp, and springy. I was a TEENY worried about the lemon peel because I tend to amp lemon even in scents it's not listed as a note in and turn everything to lemon Pledge. That's DEFINITELY not the case with this one, thank god! I was in love at first sniff. It's giving me a bit of Embalming Fluid mixed with RPG Good. You know, know that I look, this contains all the notes of Embalming Fluid minus aloe. The musk is the same sugary sweet musk from RPG Good, which I love. It's definitely more floral than Embalming Fluid - the plum blossom and jasmine aren't distinctly detectable to my nose, but they give the scent an overall richness and fullness that isn't present in EF. I really like this fragrance, unfortunately the throw and wear length aren't the best. Maybe I'll turn it into a perfume spray.
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A sea salt chypre with a hint of cucumber. This is so soothing. The salty note starts of a bit bracing but quickly is smoothed over by the cucumber. It is salty, but not in an intensely masculine cologne way and there is no sharp ozone. I'm having a really hard time describing this chypre. It's definitely soft aquatic, like a saltwater version of The Forgettable God with a touch of cucumber. It's like getting a waft of sea breeze while having your nose in a glass of cucumber water.
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Black fig and orange blossom with tonka, black vanilla, and a gust of spiced sandalwood incense. This is a gorgeous, light sandalwood blend. I'm hoping next use I pick up more of the fig and vanilla...but for now, upon first application, it's very light with just a hint of sandalwood. Perfect for work or when you'd like a lighter scent. So good!! <3
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THE PERFUMED GARDEN Under her neck my right hand Has served her for a cushion, And to draw her to me I have sent out my left hand, Which bore her up as a bed. The Perfumed Garden for the Soul's Recreation. This scent is based on a venerable Tunisian perfume that was used to excite the senses, inspire sensuality and inflame passion. Myrrh and Moroccan jasmine with apple peel, Indian sandalwood, myrtle, quince, citron, and thyme poured over soft musk. Sniffing from the bottle: The apple peel jumps out at me right away...which just about thrills me right out of my seat. Upon application: Sweet tart fruits (mostly apple!) with just the slightest hint of jasmine. Juicy and lovely. After a few minutes: The jasmine starts to peek out more, as does the myrhh. Usually I'm not a fan of myrhh, but this myrhh is SO soft and sweet and gentle that it's really just a nice complement to the fruity jasmine. It just smooths it out. A few minutes after that: Interestingly the jasmine just about disappears. I'm used to jasmine being an overpowering note, but it's not in this blend. I would say that the two dominant notes (on me) are apple and myrhh....although I can tell that they're wrapped up in a soft musk hug. Conclusion: Sweet and soft like a cloud. Surprisingly innocent. Romantic and lovely.
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Black leather accord, Australian sandalwood, ambrette seed, incense ash, and tobacco absolute. This is very masculine. It started out very sandalwood heavy but then mellowed out with more of the tobacco absolute. On me this ends up smelling like a cleaner, more well to do Iago, with none of his dirty tricks. Everything blends together very seamlessly and it's hard to pick out one note from the extremely attractive scent wafting from my wrist. I cant wait to smell it on my partner, and this will work wonderfully on the days I need a little confidence booster! My only sadness is that I have to shove my face into my wrist to really smell it. I am hoping the throw will improve with age, as will the wear length.
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NIGHT THOUGHTS Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Stars, you are unfortunate, I pity you, Beautiful as you are, shining in your glory, Who guide seafaring men through stress and peril And have no recompense from gods or mortals, Love you do not, nor do you know what love is. Hours that are aeons urgently conducting Your figures in a dance through the vast heaven, What journey have you ended in this moment, Since lingering in the arms of my beloved I lost all memory of you and midnight. Lilac, blue musk, dianthus, cedar, neroli, ozone, and luminous Eastern herbs. So exited that this is my first review! I waited a few days to see if anyone had gotten this scent since I'm not great at describing, but I'll make an attempt. When I first opened the bottle I got a mysterious, sexy scent (similar to what would be a combination between red and black moon). The ozone make itself known (and I had no idea I would like it so much), there's a hint of herbs or maybe the neroli and sweetness from the lilacs and flowers. When applied the scent instantly reminded me of the shivering boy. Its sweet and lovely and a bit cold but in a good way. However where boy is herbal, NT is sweeter, but not sickly so. As it dries down, the scent is not similar to "boy" as it was when wet. Its a femenine scent, creamy, reminds me a bit of hints of coconut (even though it has none) and sexy. I must also add, this is not a "happy or cheery" scent. Its a mysterious, nightly, passionate scent (and I really hope that makes sense to some of you). The scent is divine! I am officially in love with Night Thoughts
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Red currant and rice milk with almond blossom and white tea. In the bottle Juicy, tart red currant with the almond blossom note to keep it from getting overly fruity. We're off to a really good start. The tea isn't obvious but it's there. Wet on skin This softens almost immediately and is less tart, but more lush. I can actually smell something a bit like rice, which is delightful mixed in with the currant and almond blossom. Again, the tea is there but it takes a back seat. Dry on skin after 30 minutes This morphs from fruity to subtly floral as it dries, and the tea note becomes more prominent. I can detect each note, but the sum of them is so much more than their parts. Thoughts This is stunning. Will be ordering another nottle. The throw is average, so it won't overpower but it won't fade into the background either. Definitely a win if you like currant and tea!
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White tea, honeycomb, vanilla orchid, and a drop of soft sandalwood. I was not fortunate enough to try the Vanilla Orchid Single Note, but from reading the reviews, I can tell it's the vanilla orchid that dominates this scent while wet. It's heady and fragrant with a touch of green: perfect for balmy spring evenings. The dominance of the orchid eventually settles down into something much creamier due to the chewy, waxy honeycomb. While I never get any woodsiness from the sandalwood, it's creaminess plus the soft vanilla are now able to shine through all of the floral power and stop it from it's soapy tendencies. I think this is what most people wanted Vanilla Orchid SN to be. Creamy (have I said that enough?) comforting, and evocative of twilight walks around my late spring garden. I'm wrapped in a sweater warmed by my body heat and enjoying the return of the spring. I adore it!
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Poppy smoke, velvet jasmine, sweet three-year aged patchouli, and black plum. Remember how Blood Countess was all opium smoke and plum and some florals? Yeah. This is like that. Smoky. Plummy. Florals to make it smell like perfume instead of a beverage. I was hoping for a bit more patchouli, since this could be a little dirtier and Id be a little happier. I dont like the scent of plums after theyve been on my skin 8 hours, they smell like crumbled dusty jolly ranchers. But its ok because I verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry much that smoky poppy top note and Ill just wash it or whatever at the four hour mark. Chosen by my friend and stolen by me because it smelled much too clean on her skin chemistry.
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Lovers at the Entrance to a House of Pleasure Spied on by a Kamuro Through the Hanging Curtain
mmcfa2 posted a topic in Lupercalia
White gardenia, oakmoss, champaca blossom, magnolia leaf, vanilla orchid, and tobacco absolute. This is really wonderful! The oakmoss, magnolia, and gardenia give a sophisticated lift to a base of creamy and sweet perfume. The tobacco makes it slightly golden and carries through the whole wearing. The champaca binds the florals together in a swirl. This is probably my very favorite of the whole luper series, and I can wear this for work, on a date, as a comfort scent. It is really really wonderful. My only sadness is that it does not linger into the next morning If you like white hothouse florals, but want to bring them to a more sophisticated level, this is your scent. all of the notes are identifiable, but blend well also. The oakmoss really makes it sparkle, lending substance to the florals that they do not have on their own. Second bottle ordered already of this and Snakes Kiss. Even if you are not generally a fan of florals, this is worth a try! -
A tumble of cherry blossoms falling into a pool of white musk and crushed strawberries. Ooh- this one is pretty! Very PINK, very GIRLY, but manages to walk that line and not be too twee. Its a dance with the notes holding each other in check- fresh, jammy strawberries, soft, floral cherry blossoms and a grounding, light musk. The strawberries are not too kool aid, the cherry blossoms are not too soapy. Just balanced enough to make this very wearable. I think you could do daytime office with this one if you wanted, brunch with friends, or even better, a spring picnic! This is like a more sophisticated version of something youd get at Victorias Secret or bath and body works. It would be a good entry scent for someone new to BPAL ETA: this is a bit younger or something than my usual deal but while I probably wont get a backup I am glad I bought a bottle
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Yellowing parchment and lampblack, a drop of lilac, a smear of labdanum, and a splash of white musk. if the lab didn't already have a scent for good omens' aziraphale (which I haven't ever tried so please don't mistake this comment as implying any sort of death match or informed comparison), I'd nominate this as a solid contender. smells smart, distinguished, pedigreed, a little bit bright (lilac!), a little bookish, unisex in the way that angels are supposedly not quite one gender nor the other. dashing but slightly asexual. the drydown reminds me of a less-sweet, no-tea dorian ancestor. modest throw that lasted all through a 14+ hour workday.
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Red orchid, dragon’s blood resin, blood orange, black lily, honey amber, and cacao. In The Bottle: This, in this stage, is honestly *way* more subdued than I anticipated. The honey is there, the blood orange is there and just a rind of the dragon's blood. It's very delicate. Wet On Skin: This is sort of a classic Lupercalia scent in that it's got the promise of an early spring as noted by the faint lily, and it's still very alluring, as the red orchid comes to the fore. Dry Down: This reminds me a bit of a Body Shop scent I wore AGES ago called Juba- it's delicately sweet and bright with both floral and citrus notes. It's a bit more "perfume-y" than I normally wear, but it's so lovely that I will gladly make an exception! Also, a side note: I admit I don't always see the direct connection between the chosen notes and the accompanying Shunga. With Cock Stamen, I *absolutely* see it in spades!
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Crushed grass, dandelion sap, green oakmoss, lettuce leaf, and white pepper. Opening the bottle, greeted immediately with a splorty wet blade of grass, and definitely a little bit of that milkiness of dandelion sap. I love Beth's grassy scents, so I'm very excited that there's so much GREEN in the description. Applied to the skin, it's definitely like wow, like more mushed crushed grass leaves, and as it continues to dry down, it gets rounder. I really like the Blade of Grass Halloweenie that appears on occasion, but that is more of a 'cold wet grass,' whereas as this sits on the skin, I can get a tiny prickle of heat, the vegetable note is more than just 'park grass,' I think it gets a bit more fullness from the addition of the lettuce. I kind of smells like when you chew on an unseasoned leaf of lettuce. Wet, cool, crisp. With more time, this doesn't evaporate as fast as Blade of Grass does on me. That's a very brief-lived, environmental scent. Tennis Match seems to have a bit more staying power, and a bit more 'dirtiness' (oakmoss?) My verdict: slightly different, more wet/full-leafy Blade of Grass, without dried leaf note, and with a little spicy mossy base, but still reads forward as grassy.
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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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No jokes here: who wouldn’t love a heart-shaped hot tub? A bubbling vat of red musk, sweet red wine, benzoin, red oudh, and lush magnolia. This is JUICY in the best way. Benzoin gives it the crackling pop of fizziness you might expect from a hot tub (though I always think soda when I think benzoin), and the red musk and magnolia blend together to make it velvety smooth with a hint of trailing smoke from the oudh. Ultimately, this is a candied (red wine note), fizzy musk, and I loves it, my precious.
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Cherry blossoms cascading onto a snowdrift, white wisteria buds, and ume petals. In the bottle: Pine and cherry blossoms Wet: A blast of minty pine sweetened by cherry blossoms Dry: As it dries, it becomes sweeter and creamier, the pine goes away. I don't get any wisteria, and I think the ume petals are adding to the sweetness. It eventually dries to a sweet, slightly vanilla cherry blossom scent. This scent seems to have a lot going on, but it dries to such a lovely scent. If you like Bpal's cherry blossom note you should give this a try. And if you're like me and don't like the Snow White snow note, this is the minty, piney snow note.
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Rice milk, warm myrrh, red currant, red amber cream, and a trickle of vetiver. Oh dear, I'm first! Well, this one I'm nervous about because it was a whim of a blind bottle. I'm gonna admit now I usually don't seek out vetiver, and I often outright avoid it. It can be a scent-hog and often drowns out the rest. But here I go! Fresh-from-the-mail testing: In the bottle: I am pleasantly surprised. This smells like an expensive, sophisticated unisex perfume/cologne to me in the bottle. I think the vetiver gives it a little push towards cologne but I also get a small sniff of the red currant too. Wet: I'm getting a cacophony of scent! I can't tell what I'm smelling but so far, so good...! My husband has tried to help me but is shaking his head no. He said it he smells powder, I think that's the amber. Dry down: I'm still having a hard time sniffing the individual notes. I can't really suss anything out other than I think the most dominant scent is myrrh and amber. I am getting the powdery scent too now and something a little creamy which is either the rice milk or amber cream. However, when I huff this for science ...I'm starting to get a little headachey... I can't find the red currants and I got it for that + rice milk. Honestly, there must only be a trickle of vetiver, because i can't find it's earthy astringent self anywhere on my skin. 3.1 RE-TEST: Okay, what a difference a few days make. The headache-inducing high-pitched note is calm, and it's a creamy, red-fruited myrrh scent on me...and now I love it. I need to stop testing fresh!
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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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Mushroom, tomato leaf, brown oakmoss, and pink pepper. If anyone was wondering, this does not smell like matsutake at all, (I am very familiar with the smell, as I mushroom pick them), or even anything resembling a fungus. I'm getting something like a green, vegetal herbal smell, with maybe a touch of dirt. It smells airy and clean. Great for spring. BUT IT DOES NOT SMELL LIKE MATSUTAKE!
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It’s not quite as fun when you lose the key. Pink cotton candy, candied rose, and vanilla sugar. I was expecting super duper sweet with these notes but it is really more rose foreward. I don't smell any cotton candy but the sugared rose paired with vanilla reminds me a lot of De Vos' Unicorn (which is one of my most favorite perfumes). There was a moment that it was a bit chemically, but that seems to have passed. Wish I got more of the sugary, cotton candyish notes from this but its not bad by any means. If you like De Vos' Unicorn then you will probably adore this.
