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The Lantern Bearers, Maxfield Parrish

Radiant orbs of luminous lemon amber illuminating a backdrop of black orchid and ivy-twined, plum-touched cerulean musk.

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Much like Maxfield Parrish’s luminous artwork itself, this scent is both a lively nocturne and a study in incandescent joy. You can’t smell this and be sad. Or rather, you could also be sad because we’re capable of holding space for all of these things in ourselves, but within these haloed spheres of citrus and smoky resin, like the molten gold bellies of constellations of fireflies, there's a glowing lemony defiance to sadness.  This ember of citrine warmth doesn't banish the night or deny its mystery– that plummy promise of the dark that still hangs heavy like velvet curtains. It simply illuminates it, freckling the musky orchid of the twilit sky with zest and glee. This is a scent that knows the ache of longing, but it also knows the unyielding spark of wonder --and is a reminder that joy and sorrow are not so much opposites but partners in the grand existential clown show of being human.  

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I could have sworn this had lavender in it. I don't get the amber or lemon. I think the ivy and cerulean musk, with a touch of plum, are combining to make this wet, almost lavender smell. Slightly musky, barely floral, but definitely purple and plant like. 

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The Lantern Bearers is giving me some serious indole attitude in the wet phase, but I love the payoff, and honestly I kinda like the funk too. It feels like maybe an odd alignment of lemon-plum-orchid, like one of the puzzle pieces is not quite in the right place, but then it clicks, and it's gorgeous. I'm such a sucker for an orchid like this one, and it never lasts very long on me but I don't care, especially alongside this dreamy lemon amber. It gives me maybe a half day of wear, or it could be an evening going out scent, if I was still an evening going out person.

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I got this entirely because of the cerulean musk, as I've become fairly obsessed with blue musks in the past year or so, AND, It definitely does NOT disappoint in this regard! 

In the bottle and when freshly applied, the orchid dominates- the flower is almost...juicy...somehow in its depth. I was a little worried about that floral before ordering but I find in application that I'm intrigued more than anything. It settles back pretty quickly and the amber, plum and musk all move into the foreground together. I definitely feel this to be the same plum note as appears in Mme Moriarty but the vibe here is *completely* different, so no worries of overlap or repetition for sure. The ivy isn't out front but I get the sense (scents!) she's keeping everything from heading into hippy-girl-incense territory and instead elevates the whole party to a sweetly sexy affair instead. 

I am *supremely* delighted to have gotten this and can't wait to see how it ages!

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A rare time I've been compelled to wash one off. This smells very much like screechy lemon cleaner on my skin while wet, and dries down to a sort of screechy lemon musk. It's just too much screechy lemon for me, even with the muskiness that eventually arrives. Something else, like the orchid, might be adding to my unpleasant experience, since amber is usually one of my favorites.

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