Beatrice and Dante

[doomsday_disco]

Courtly love that becomes cosmology, a spiritual ascent, a ladder to heaven. In The Divine Comedy, Beatrice is not simply muse or lover, but a guide. She is radiant Sophia, living wisdom, the luminous intelligence that draws the soul upward through ever-widening spheres of divine light. Beatrice’s eyes are mirrors that reflect the radiance of Heaven itself, “with eyes of light more bright than any star.” Her gaze does not return to the pilgrim but lifts him upward, directing his sight beyond her to the splendor of the Eternal. “Then to the eyes of beauty my eyes turned,” Dante says, and the beauty he sees there is “far more beautiful than the vast universe beneath his feet.”

The beloved is not held but beheld, and in that gaze the soul is altered. Though she is one of the Lovers, she also rises above them, not to inflame desire but to purify it. Through her presence, longing is refined from appetite into ascent. The earthly self, heavy with burdens, is gradually transmuted.

 

L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle. In these Lovers exists adoration that moves the sun and stars. Longing clarifies, burns, and rises, and the anima lifts the earthly self toward its red perfection, where desire is no longer hunger but illumination. Love that is hope, love that is divine, love that reflects the radiance of the highest heavens.

 

White rose and scarlet iris, beeswax smoke and frankincense tears, vellum and sacred myrrh, and a thread of red saffron steeped in luminous amber.

[wilhelmscream]

In the bottle, super lush floral and rich, heady incenses!

 

On the skin, a lot of rose and frankincense.

 

A few minutes later, I can detect the iris, red saffron and warm, glowing amber. A bit of the beeswax. Oh, there's the myrrh!

 

This is such a dramatic fragrance! High throw and guaranteed to turn heads.

[OxfordComma]

Wow this is pretty! Velvety rose petals scattered over resins and softly glowing amber. The iris adds a cool edge to this, while the beeswax softens the edges. Really really pretty. Reminds me of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Incredible throw on this one! Barely applied and my whole living room is a rose temple. 

 

I actually have a rose petal rosary I bought at Our Lady of Guadalupe some 20 years ago and it still has a faint scent and this is spot on for it! That rosary smelled fantastic for a solid decade and I was sad when it started to fade, so very happy to have a wearable version. 

Edited May 6 by OxfordComma

[leptonpyr]

Beatrice and Dante is BEAUTIFUL on me, just gorgeous. As a lover of rose who is cursed with skin chemistry that sometimes rejects it, I'm very happy to report that not only is this a rose that works for me, but on me it's a very beautiful rose-dominant blend. It's an absolutely lovely, soft, enveloping sort of rose; I would agree with @OxfordComma that it feels plush and velvety. The note is described as "white rose", but to me this feels like a very soft, pale pink smell. Beeswax comes into play, adding golden warmth and a smooth, rounded texture that complements the rose beautifully. On initial drydown, if I sniff close to my skin I can detect a trace of peppery frankincense peeking out from under the rose and beeswax; then maybe fifteen minutes in, there's a shy touch of powdery orris that reminds me (in a good way) of old-fashioned beauty products, like when orris butter was put in lipsticks or face cream.  

 

This feels very lush, soft, and warm---it sort of gives the impression of slipping into a warm bath, scented with rose petals. The warmth in this blend is palpable, with a touch of spice and incense. It's quite pretty and sophisticated. 

 

A few hours in, it stays warm and pretty in a lovely musky sort of way. The top-heart-base note progression actually reminds me a good bit of The Moth Fairy; they share a similar structure with a floral opening, beeswax/orris/resin heart, and an amber base. I think this might be the same amber as in Moth Fairy, actually; it really does somehow feel sort of light and luminous. 

 

I reapplied about 3-4 hours in, and when I did, interestingly enough I started to get a bit of a sharper, spicier rose, as the myrrh came into play (might also be the saffron? not sure I know how to pick out BPAL's saffron note yet). Myrrh and amber are the last notes on my skin, but to my delight they remained quite rosy! 

 

Average throw, surprisingly good longevity on me! It lasted all day, and the rose stayed as a throughline the whole time. This is such a beautiful, complex, sophisticated floral, and it will absolutely be a bottle purchase for me.