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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2018'.
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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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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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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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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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Algernon Charles Swinburne All the night sleep came not upon my eyelids, Shed not dew, nor shook nor unclosed a feather, Yet with lips shut close and with eyes of iron Stood and beheld me. Then to me so lying awake a vision Came without sleep over the seas and touched me, Softly touched mine eyelids and lips; and I too, Full of the vision, Saw the white implacable Aphrodite, Saw the hair unbound and the feet unsandalled Shine as fire of sunset on western waters; Saw the reluctant Feet, the straining plumes of the doves that drew her, Looking always, looking with necks reverted, Back to Lesbos, back to the hills whereunder Shone Mitylene; Heard the flying feet of the Loves behind her Make a sudden thunder upon the waters, As the thunder flung from the strong unclosing Wings of a great wind. So the goddess fled from her place, with awful Sound of feet and thunder of wings around her; While behind a clamour of singing women Severed the twilight. Ah the singing, ah the delight, the passion! All the Loves wept, listening; sick with anguish, Stood the crowned nine Muses about Apollo; Fear was upon them, While the tenth sang wonderful things they knew not. Ah the tenth, the Lesbian! the nine were silent, None endured the sound of her song for weeping; Laurel by laurel, Faded all their crowns; but about her forehead, Round her woven tresses and ashen temples White as dead snow, paler than grass in summer, Ravaged with kisses, Shone a light of fire as a crown for ever. Yea, almost the implacable Aphrodite Paused, and almost wept; such a song was that song. Yea, by her name too Called her, saying, "Turn to me, O my Sappho;" Yet she turned her face from the Loves, she saw not Tears for laughter darken immortal eyelids, Heard not about her Fearful fitful wings of the doves departing, Saw not how the bosom of Aphrodite Shook with weeping, saw not her shaken raiment, Saw not her hands wrung; Saw the Lesbians kissing across their smitten Lutes with lips more sweet than the sound of lute-strings, Mouth to mouth and hand upon hand, her chosen, Fairer than all men; Only saw the beautiful lips and fingers, Full of songs and kisses and little whispers, Full of music; only beheld among them Soar, as a bird soars Newly fledged, her visible song, a marvel, Made of perfect sound and exceeding passion, Sweetly shapen, terrible, full of thunders, Clothed with the wind's wings. Then rejoiced she, laughing with love, and scattered Roses, awful roses of holy blossom; Then the Loves thronged sadly with hidden faces Round Aphrodite, Then the Muses, stricken at heart, were silent; Yea, the gods waxed pale; such a song was that song. All reluctant, all with a fresh repulsion, Fled from before her. All withdrew long since, and the land was barren, Full of fruitless women and music only. Now perchance, when winds are assuaged at sunset, Lulled at the dewfall, By the grey sea-side, unassuaged, unheard of, Unbeloved, unseen in the ebb of twilight, Ghosts of outcast women return lamenting, Purged not in Lethe, Clothed about with flame and with tears, and singing Songs that move the heart of the shaken heaven, Songs that break the heart of the earth with pity, Hearing, to hear them. Tonka, oakmoss, tolu balsam, grey amber, myrrh, and muguet. In bottle: sweet and sensual. Amber, tanka, and myrrh on top. I looked up muguet, which seems to be French for lily of the valley, if so, I am guessing it’s responsible for the very faint floral tinge to this. I’d not encountered I am guessing that beautiful new resin overlay is the tolu balsam. In any case, in the bottle, I’m getting a gloriously unique resin blend. Wet: Heaven. If you like amber based resin scents, this may very well be the queen of them. Dry: Very gentle and somehow familiar, though I’m not able to put my finger on why. It is more feminine than anything I generally wear except Dia De Les Muertos, but I will likely where it anyway because it is that good.
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Snap! Snap! Sugar crystals and tart candies with a splash of red musk. [DO NOT EAT] This is a candied cherry/strawberry sugary sweetness. Loud, strong, fruity and long wearing. Reminds me of the gummy smell in Lil's Motherhood. The musky redness only comes into play in the dry down. All in all playful and super fruity. Major throw. One bottle will go a long way.
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Leather, cognac, fig, ripe berry, and cream, stuffed into a plain brown paper bag. I read these notes and thought to myself, well, i'm a foody, I'll probably get the berries and cream as the dominant notes, and get fig and cognac and leather underneath. I put it on at the lab, and then drove home, and sniffed my arm an hour later. And I get leather, from this, very sexy dirty leather. The cognac and fig are underneath it, and it's really really nice. This is a seducers scent, and wow it is delectable. It's one of those dig your nose into your arm and can't drag it away scents.
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Sweet amber and rosewood, wet oak beams, smoky vanilla husk, ambrette seed, and hinoki wood. I'm in heaven....this is (so far) simply a lovely rosewood amber with a slight bit of complex backdrop of the other notes. In the first few seconds it smells very much like baby-oil but that is very short. After that it just kind of smolders sweetly on my skin for hours. I'm not getting a lot of wood which is surprising. Nothing more to say, this just works for me!
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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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Black oudh and carnation. I love the Lab's simpler blends. Give me a scent with just two notes that I happen to love. This is no exception. Of the Lupers I've tried this one is my favorite. The Black Oudh in this reminds me of a lighter version of the Motor Oil note in Streets of Detroit. Combine that with a spicy carnation that's present but not overpowering and you have an awesome combo that smells like a gritty, dark, spicy carnation.
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Spiked for your pleasure: protrusions of pomegranate and pink peppercorn. This is absolutely beautiful! At first it is just juicy, dark pomegranate that is just a little bit tart. As it dries it gets sweeter, almost syrupy (in a very good way) and more sultry. It reminds me a lot of the Black Pomegranate SN. I get a halo of the fresh, floral qualities of the pink pepper, though it is very well blended with the pomegranate.
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Blue lilac, peach blossom, plumeria, pink rose, and ylang ylang. First sniff in the decant, PEACH, I got more peach (and like fruit more than flower) on first sniff than anything else, but there was a kind of pinky-purple light floral scent behind it that came next. Fresh application: Beautiful, light, floral halo. The peach blossom is definitely blossom now, and the lilac has taken center stage. The rose is playing second fiddle quite happily in the background, and (for me) the dreaded ylang ylang is no where to be smelt. Hour or so later: It's soft, light, not much throw. The flowers have all largely blended together now and give me the feeling of being in a fresh spring garden. I love this!
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Intoxication of the First Kiss French vanilla, pink candies, strawberry sugar, and orange blossom. OK I suck at reviews. But since there still aren't any posted for this I feel that SOMEONE has to do it. This one is GORGEOUS. Dark pink strawberry candy, with just enough vanilla to calm it down some. The orange blossom is just the glue between the other notes. I had such high hopes for enveloped in silk, but I was in the minority and was let down. THIS is what I had hoped for. Even the man thing adores this and he's not easily impressed with my smellies. Will be getting a backup after my decants arrive and I decide on other full size purchases. This was one of two full size blind buys.
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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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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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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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Demonic black musk, inky myrrh, black coconut, champaca blossom, and smoky clove bud. Whoaheee! This is demonic for sure. Smoky, black, inky. Yup. Its all of that. Wet phase is a huge black musk and myrrh burn off. Like tire smoke. Whoa. Drydown is sweeter, more earthy, with the coconut finally appearing. Fans of Streets of Detroit and Black Temple Burlesque Troupe, Brown Jenkin..or anything black musk, should try this.
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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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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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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
