Roses, Pearls, and Rubies

[Jenjin]

Rose petal incense, twinkling white musk, sensuous labdanum, rhubarb, dried strawberries, and red amber.

[VioletChaos]

Full disclosure, as soon as I saw that rhubarb was in the mix, this bottle fell directly into my shopping cart, but I also was definitely worried in equal measure about rose being a dominant force in this blend, as roses and I have an a tumultuous relationship over the long years. so now you know. Onward!

In the bottle, I am immediately surprised, pleasantly, with the dominance of the red amber and labdanum. At this stage its not overpowering as labdanum can sometimes be. Instead it's sweet in a non-sugary way, and resinous but not overly intense.

Once warmed up and dried down on the skin, the scent becomes more of a melange: the labdanum is still the front, but even less aggressively than before. The rose peeks out, but it's the incense aspect that is actually more present than the floral here. I get little whiffs that indicate the dried strawberries here, the tang of the rhubarb there. (Side note: not mad about the subtlety of the rhubarb here, partly because the slivers of tartness feel appropriate in this blend overall and partly because I picked up a bottle of the Rhubarb Custard Muffins which are GLORIOUSLY and INTENSELY an ode to rhubarb and flaky pastry, so I feel both ends of the rhubarb scent spectrum have been thoroughly satisfied with this Luper update  ).

Once the scent had fully and completely settled into my skin, the scents has morphed a bit further, becoming, in the end, a spicy sexy scent that has a low-medium throw that allows, with careful wear, to use during the day, like a smexy chastity belt secreted away under a corporate suit but, worn with a touch more reckless abandon, transforms easily into nighttime debauchery at the drop of a hat...or any other clothing item your devious heart desires  

 

[samanare]

Red labdanum. The labdanum is the by far the strongest on me. I can just pick out the rose incense, and it is more of a rosy resin than floral. I think the red amber is being absorbed into and boosting the labdanum, though overall the scent does have a noticeable red quality. I cannot pick out the rhubarb or the strawberry, but there is a slight sweetness to the scent. Overall a labdanum scent that's decidedly red, with a touch of rosy incense and sweetness to mellow it out.

[Tamarinda]

In the decant: Kinda fruity, kinda rosey, kinda red. I don't know what rhubarb smells like but I'm guessing it smells fruity?

 

Wet: Roses and a hint of strawberries. Just a tad smokey but not quite incense to my nose.

 

Dry: The roses stay and the strawberry fades to the background to make room for the red amber, which smells musky to me. This is so lovely for about an hour and then it fades away. I really wish it had lasting power, it's such a fun take on roses. The projection was not quite moderate on me, but I wouldn't say it has low throw. Maybe two clicks above a skin scent.

[theredkilt]

This reminds me of the Chicken-Legged Hut GC probably due to the labdanum. The rose is so faint i can barely sniff it out. Everything is well blended to the point that no note stands out particularly.

[Little Bird]

I love this and love what a unique incense scent it is (while still smelling so familiar).  It's incense, but done with a fun, playful, youthful twist.

For me, this is dead-on the scent memory of finding incense sticks in the local mall when I was in high school.  Nag champa, powdery amber, and strawberry candy scented sticks that dry down after a half hour to all of that plus a soft, romantic, powdery rose with a hint of tart rhubarb.  It's a mishmash of those sweet, powdery, so artificial smelling incense sticks, but I really enjoy it.  It's nostalgic and fun to me. 

I remember being in high school and my friends and I were always searching out the incense sticks and sitting and smelling all of them with each other (along with everything in Sephora and Bath & Body Works).  I remember how excited we were when one of us found 'fizzy pop' incense sticks and we marvelled over how something dry and smoky could also smell bubbly and wet like Sprite.  Roses, Pearls, & Rubies conjured up those memories for me.  It's a fun fragrance for the nostalgia and also because it feels kind of goth, but also kind of rainbows and sunshine.

I have a partial bottle and think I'll full size it before Lupers disappear.