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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2019'.
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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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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.
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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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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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He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do, And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do, And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused a moment, And stooped and drank a little more… Snake Oil with caramelized tobacco, davana, black amber, bourbon vanilla absolute, ambergris accord, oakmoss, and CO2 extract of oak wood. This one is so very quiet. In the bottle, all I can detect is some distant, indistinct resins. On my skin, the familiar Snake Oil base comes out. The other notes sort of peep through, then recede quickly. It's mostly a dark, extra-resinous, rich Snake Oil right now, with the oak, tobacco, etc. stepping in and out-- they're present, but elusive. I am thinking this needs a couple of weeks to settle into itself.
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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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Nor should you wonder at all these things which are natural to women, and are particularly expected of the condition of virgins; because of retention of the sexual fluid, the heart and surrounding areas are enveloped in a morbid and moist exudation: this is especially true of the more lascivious females, inclined to venery, passionate women who are most eager to experience physical pleasure; if she is of this type she cannot ever be relieved by any aid except that of her parents who are advised to find her a husband. Having done so the man’s strong and vigorous intercourse alleviated the frenzy. She married an energetic young man, who, having discharged his marital responsibilities with vigor, she took to this with enthusiasm; under this appropriate treatment she flourished, revived, bloomed with the rosy shade of well-being, and was entirely restored to health. – Zacutus Lusitanus, Praxis Medica Admiranda, 1637 Lascivious females! Are you suffering from morbid, moist exudations? Restore your health and the rosy glow of well-being! Heady peach musk aglow with sugared amber. Moist exudations, indeed. This scent is somehow very humid. The peach musk is both peach flesh and the skin. There is no trace of the overly sweet peach gummy candy, here. I can detect the amber, but it is very much in the background. I think it will come forth more as it ages. This scent wears close to the skin, but isn't faint. I'm glad I went for the blind bottle.
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In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob-tree I came down the steps with my pitcher And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me. Snake Oil, black oudh, labdanum, vetiver, and 10-year aged patchouli. In The Bottle: Labdanum and oudh. Wet On Skin: The oudh is strong with this one. It's really so far out front that as it warms on my skin, I can get nothing else from it. Help us Snake Oil, you're our only hope! Dry Down: no vetiver, no patch that I can detect. The oudh is still definitely at the front, but traces of Snake Oil are, in fact, coming through, as is the sweetness of the labdanum. I'm going to let this settle for at least a month before retest, I am one of the masses for whom,e fresh Snake Oil does not generally cooperate. I choose to hold out hope, and if not, I've got some very fine aged SO that I can layer with this bad boy to get the party started
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Fig milk, honeyed vanilla, black tea, and hay absolute. Passionate meetings with impactful boons. Wet: Smooth fig and vanilla spring forth in this scent. Like something you can just slip into without pause. The black tea gives this a sort of bitter tranquility that is hard to not savor. There is a sensation of sinking in the black tea while fig laced vanilla is poured into the cup. The throw is wide and of delightful quality. Dry: The hay absolute makes this become sweeter than before. It doesn’t take on a different sweet quality but rather the fig’s sweetness becomes amplified a bit more. This is where the black tea becomes important. The black tea prevents this effect from becoming too overwhelming in the given notes. The vanilla takes a slight back step while everything else is rounded out. The throw remains consistent in this from the wet stage. Final thoughts: So creamy, lush, and savory. I find myself enjoying the sensation of being wrapped up in this fragrance. This is my first journey into fig scents and this will ensure it will not be my last. I do not find this to be a foodie scent in the slightest. It’s just a well rounded and intoxicating fragrance. I feel like I will run out of this too soon for how often I am tempted to wear it. Yeah. I think I’ll just order another bottle while it’s still available. Update:: After several hours of wear I’m left with a light honey scent with fig. The almond and black tea is barely looming in the background. It’s like a nice cool down or reprieve at the end of the day. This really is a good scent with a lot of throw.
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Receiving and holding deoxygenated blood: luminous amber and white tea, cherry blossom and cashmere wood. White tea, cherry blossom, and amber. This is a very white tea blend, well blended, pretty and very delicate. Good throw and wear length.
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The membrane enclosing the heart: white sandalwood and rice milk shimmering with sheer vanilla, white amber resin, frankincense, and a drop of sweet clove. This smells very smooth in the bottle, sweet woods. On, this immediately brings to mind Liz but without the pepperyness or the smoldering smoke. I'm getting more of the vanilla and amber, and less of the milk and smoky frankincense. The clove, if present, truly is just a little drop since I'm not getting a very strong spicy vibe. This stays very close to the skin, and does have light throw, but it's silken smooth, and remains a non-foody vanilla floating over a dry, medium weight sandalwood. I'll have to give it more wear time.
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Vanilla bourbon, fossilized amber resin, bitter almond, labdanum, and tobacco absolute. In The Bottle: DAY-um! Almond, an edge of resin-y labdanum and vanilla bourbon. I am allllllll about this! Wet On Skin: The amber resin is starting to come to the front as the oil warms on my skin. it's a great addition to the party. The almond is starting to hang back a little. I hope it doesn't disappear completely, it's a really good note in here. Dry Down: The amber resin is acting slightly weird, shifting between being itself and becoming a wee bit pine-ish. The labdanum keeps it from becoming more than a hint though, and that's good, I don't do pine notes generally. I suspect the pine might *also* be the tobacco poking in at the end, and the two devilish notes combine to keep the amber and vanilla from reading as gourmand. The almond, alas, has left the building. My hope is that with age it'll return for a longer stint, but I can also layer it with Fortune Cookie to add a dollop of almond if need be. I predict this is going to be sought-after later on.
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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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Patchouli and green apple with pink pepper, matcha tea, blackcurrant, lemon peel, and cacao. I bought this out of sheer curiosity. I was like wtf is that gonna smell like. So many things going on. 2.5/5 for me, but based personal opinion. Wet: Kinda gross to be honest. Very strong witch hazel smell. Dry: Matcha and Cacao come out. I don't get any Green Apple. No Lemon Peel or Blackcurrant. And maybe a little bit of Pink Pepper but not spicy. 1 hour dry down: A light white musk. Not much there. Dies very quickly on me. 2 hour: Spicy matcha Pink pepper. I was sitting at my computer smelling some then realized it was the bpal. ~Daddy
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Frankincense, rose resin, white patchouli, rockrose, and stone. The stone note is very true in this, and cool and lovely. More than anything, it smells like if you lit a thread of frankincense on an ancient stone altar that someone had rubbed down with rose petals the night before. Very atmospheric and evocative, with the patchouli and rockrose not distinct, but rather adding to the air of something serene and sacred. It has a relatively short lifespan on me, perhaps four hours, but it's so lovely and unique that I can easily forgive having to reapply.
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Red musk and sweet golden amber with red agarwood, leather, labdanum, black tea, orris, and lavender. Wow! Well, this is definitely very, very leather-forward. It's the cool leather note, and when first spritzed, I swear it's almost a sprayable harness, hah hah! In all seriousness, there's a hint of the lavender present when you're smelling the top of the sprayer. When dispersed into the air, yes, leather is very apparent, but behind it is a very well blended warmth, although it's a bit of a stand-offish warmth, if that makes sense. The amber, musk and labdanum give a bit of support, but in no means do I get resinous from this at all. It's very sensuous, but also callous, in only the best way.
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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 additional description provided.] This one is coming out different than the imagined. On the wand, I get golden honey over a hay-and-greenery vibe. I wonder if this greenery impression is from the hay being an absolute. On my skin, the greenery wins. It steps forward as green, a little sour, and a little tart. Somehow it smells like a mix of recently cut and dried grasses or shrub leaves. Yup, this is pretty much greenery and I don't know where the honey and amber went. Ah, there's the honey amber, peeking out in early drydown. The tart greenery settles. Later, this is just a super soft honey amber, with a scarce hay hint. I'm going to chalk most of this up to my skin.
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Terebinth resin, jasmine absolute, and snow magnolia. Magnolia, jasmine, and a whiff of pine resin. Okay, hold up. This is the first time a magnolia and jasmine blend didn't just HULK OUT into some horrible monster of a blend and death match my nose into submission by smelling of wet wool and cat pee. This smells like creamy magnolias (yes, I know what they smell like, my MIL has a magnolia tree in her backyard), whiffs of delicate jasmine bloom, and underneath this pine resin. It's more of a skin scent, I'd say medium throw and wear length. But hell and damnation, first magnolia-jasmine blend not to turn into a monster. BRAVO.
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White tea, Mysore sandalwood, orris concrete, rice absolute, hinoki wood, and amber. TIL the junk of a pegasus is glorious. Creamy rice, orris, and amber lead on my skin, with hints of white tea and wood. The creamy rice is really the Empress of this domain. For the other notes, the orris seems to contribute to the creaminess, and does not go powdery on me. I pick up a bit more of the tea on the wand than on my skin in this case; the tea and wood are part of the background. This is so smooth, creamy, and cultured. This could be a sister or cousin to Alabaster Vulva (white amber, sheer vanilla, orris butter, Italian bergamot, narcissus); they're of similar moods and I'd put them in the same family. The rice and wood give Pegasus Junk more of a Shunga feel; it seems that the pegasus is the spirit creature of Heian-era Japanese aristocracy.
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Pink grapefruit, yuzu, pink pepper, ambergris, and seafoam. Not sure how I feel about this one. It's grapefruit and ambergris with a bit of something briney in the background. I'm grateful that the seafoam didn't go in the direction most aquatic notes go, meaning it usually smells like rot/decay on my skin. The seafoam note actually smelled like distant sea water. I didn't detect any pink pepper which is disappointing because I feel the pink pepper would've kicked the scent up a notch. I think I need to retest after a little while and see if the pink pepper comes out and how it changes the scent. Right now the scent is nice but a bit dull.
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Silken red musk, black leather accord, patchouli, Malaysian oudh, cardamom, and vetiver. Clean black leather, musk, touches of oudh. This one has a very clean woody smell laced throughout, and on the drydown I get a shot of cardamom. It's a very refined black leather. Medium throw and wear length.
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Come slowly—Eden Lips unused to Thee— Bashful—sip thy Jessamines As the fainting Bee— Reaching late his flower, Round her chamber hums— Counts his nectars— Enters—and is lost in Balms. – Emily Dickinson Yellow jessamine gilded with amber, copoiba balsam, apple peel, beeswax, wild fig, sage honey, and champa. This is a really well blended blend in that I get beeswax, fig, honey, hints of jasmine and champa, but it ends up as a sexy musky blend. In fact, my two words used to describe this blend are "sexy musk". It's got a medium throw, and good wear length. But yeah, this is your skin on sex.
