Lucretia

[CrazyPretzel]

Iris, black amber, sage, Kashmir wood, vanilla musk, mandarin and violet.

In the decant: tart and clean...hard to pin down.

Wet on me: Juicy-herby (mandarin and sage?) and something very smooth that almost reminds me of sunblock. Sorry, but it does. I can smell vanilla musk quite clearly too after having spent the past half hour sniffing Morocco on my other wrist.

After a few minutes: Still mostly mandarin and vanilla musk on a background of amber. It's a dark, brooding, strange scent, and fits the picture well.

Drydown: I'm really not sure if I can do this one justice or not. I can't think of anything that it smells like other than a mix of all different sorts of beauty products - aftershave, powder, hairspray, etc. There is definitely a woodsy-musk base to it which is a little masculine, and some dark powdery flowers which are a little feminine, and on the whole it smells rather *expensive*, but beyond that...who knows.

This one leaves me totally confused! I might have to edit this review later.

ETA: Well into the drydown and something has happened: either the scent has morphed pleasingly or it's just finally clicked with my brain, but I kept sniffing and it kept right on being weird and then suddenly, BAM! It actually smells like perfume now. (Kinda.) I'm getting sort of dark violet musk that's brightened with mandarin and sweetened with vanilla, and there are smooth woods underlying it all. Rather medieval. Edited September 24, 2007 by Shollin

[Styx]

Lucretia (orange brown oil)

 

Imp: wood and florals, a hint perfumy. I also smell a trance of mandarin.

 

Skin: All the notes mix up into a complex, sweet woody blend! Very polished and mature. The wood is strongest, but I could smell a floral sweetness touched with vanilla lingering at its core. I couldn't smell any mandarin despite what I got from the imp, maybe my skin drank it up?

This dries down into a soft, musky wood floral.

Makes me imagine a rich, exotic woman that looks younger than her age. Heavy weight, room temperature, long lasting. Autumn and winter blend.

 

Try Lucretia if you like scents like Thanatos and Ouija.

[bulletslc]

VIOLETS! (good thing violets like me).

 

I was hoping the iris would come out more, but mostly this is violet with the powdery warmth of amber and vanilla musk and a dry titch of something woody in the background.

 

Don't get me wrong,.....I love this scent. I'm still looking for a good iris scent though.....

 

*Edit.....and dry....hello more wood and amber!...the amber note in this is very sweet and deep....makes me think I need to find more scents with black amber in them.....

Edited October 2, 2007 by Bulletslc

[DaphneRose]

In bottle – crystalline & powdery

 

Wet – Powdery, yet musky & warm woods. The crystalline smell disappeared the moment it hit my skin.

 

Dry – This scent smells nothing like it did in the bottle! This is an incredibly complex mix of musk, amber, & wood, with a bit of floral to make it feminine.

 

In all, this is a very sophisticated & multi-layered mix. It has great staying power & smells great hours later. I like this.

[hkhm]

imp: i'm getting iris and woods on the first sniff.

 

wet: the violet warms up instantly along with the most sour part of the mandarin. this smells very sharp and poisonous.

 

dry: this is a strong violet with a touch of amber and woods.

[mhickle]

I adore Lucretia. I'm finding it has become my oil for when I need to feel beautiful and sophisticated. When I wear it, I feel confident. On me, the violets really pop, but in such a way that they are a perfect blend with the musk and vanilla - not too flowery sweet, but definitely absolutely violet. The wood and amber are there, giving foundation to the flowers. It's just a gorgeous, perfectly blended oil. While I don't get a great deal of throw, Lucretia does last a good amount of time on me, which makes me happy!

[maribouquet]

Super soapy on me - I think from the violet.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Sweet, spicy floral.

 

Wet: Dry musky amber and wood. The sage and florals linger in the background. Something is going powdery. I'm not getting any mandarin.

 

Dry: Powdery amber. At least the iris never really appeared distinctly, as it tends to do awful things on my skin. Powerful strong throw!

 

Summary: Far too powdery and dry for me.

[lady_pandora]

Got this as a decanted imp from an awesome LJ friend.

 

I shall have to do my best to forget that the corresponding painting is about suicide, because this oil is sex in a bottle. Not overtly and in-your-face, though--Lucretia is a classy floral on the surface and the sex is kind of an undercurrent. The violet and iris make it ladylike, while the amber and the vanilla musk combine to make me want to lick my wrist. And yet I can't really say it's foody. It's more...a floral that smells good enough to eat despite not being foody.

 

Lucretia is Aeval's earthier sister, and I think she's related to Brides of Dracula too. And there's something about her that reminds me of Regan, though I can't put my finger on why. It's a mood thing.

 

This oil is sneaky--it stops having much in the way of throw after about an hour, and then just when I forget I'm wearing it, I get the most sublime waft of scent out of the blue.

 

Should have known I'd like this. Leaving aside the knife in the woman's torso, she looks a lot like me.

[inurbanus]

Lucretia was the first Salon blend I tried, when I was beginning to get into BPAL, so I have a special place in my heart for this one. I remembered it being extremely opulent and old-fashioned, but there was something about it that I couldn't get enough of. Well, I tried it again today, and it's different. It has the same luxurious feel, and it's definitely got a vintage vibe, but there's a powdery quality that I don't remember it having, putting it in the same company as Three Brides and Inez from Carnaval Diabolique. I can smell the vanilla and the woods, with a little bit of violet in the background. This is a very melancholy smell -- when I say it smells vintage, I'm thinking of old-school commercial perfumes. But actually, this seems to go even further back, it makes me think of a Victorian woman in mourning. I can't decide if this is bottle-worthy, since it's just so "not me." But for some reason, I keep thinking about it.

 

4/5

[greenranger]

Interesting. Musk and mandarin and WOOD and flowers.

 

 

The wood stays strong, and the mandarin vanishes way too soon. Now, it is unfortunately smelling a bit...soapy. That doesn't happen do often to me, and I wonder which note is doing that?

 

 

~edit~I'd put this in my swap pile, but, had never gotten around to doing anything about it. Tonight I tried it again. No soap. Amber, musk, and a slightly tart sweetness. Actually quite nice.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Aerinha

[taramarie]

On me, Lucretia is just violet and iris. It's nice but not what I'm looking for, so I'll pass it on.

[crebbsgirl]

Wet, this was predominantly black amber and violets. As it dries, the iris come out a little more. I don't get any mandarin here at all. Dry, this seems to take on a powdery tone, and the violets are still very pronounced. The amber adds a nice depth, but unfortunately this just doesn't last on my skin. It completely faded within 3 hours.

[rayvn1]

Good stuff! Almost a citrus hint to it, but that may be because it smells so clean. I'm liking the slight muskiness mixed with the amber. Sweet and complex.

 

edit: well, mandarin would certainly give it a citrus smell Maybe I'll read the description closer next time...

Edited March 27, 2009 by rayvn1

[stellans]

On first sniff, it's all lovely violets with a darker undernote of iris, which is exactly what I was hoping for! I love violet, especially the Lab's not-commercially-oversweet version, and iris has long been a favorite. I was worried about the amber, which has a tendency to go either plastic or powder on me. Luckily, Lucretia does neither but stays true to the violet and iris for the whole time I have it on. The vanilla musk is really not so much in evidence, though the wood note does begin to come through upon drydown, I get no citrus at all, and only the slightest whisper of sage. I like this blend, and wish I had more than 3 decants collected in a rollerball bottle.

Edited March 13, 2011 by stellans

[sunshinedaisybliss]

This would have been stunning if it weren't for the violet.. damnit, my skin is just amping the violet over everything else. I was really hoping that wouldn't happen, but alas it did and so Lucretia will need to find another home

 

[voodoocatwoman]

This is positively the most potent Violet I have ever smelled!!! It reminds me of the Violet candy I used to love to sniff but hated to eat (because it tasted like soap and I don't care what anyone says- IT DID!!!). I have just smeared Violet candy on my arm with application of Lucretia.

 

This is just lovely. If you are a serious fan of violet (the flower, NOT the candy... bleccch), this is the scent for you. Pure. Violet.

[SophieCedar]

Strange..

 

In imp: lily's there, wood is there, vanilla musk is there.

 

Wet: fig? where's that coming from? My skin is doing strange things to this.. Can smell geranium for a split moment then POOF gone.

 

Drydown: a little violet, more vanilla, and kashmir wood. I still smell geranium faintly however I think this is the violet mixed with the mandarin.

 

Eh. I mean it's nice but I wouldn't run out and buy a bottle. Just not for me I guess...

[Siberia]

I'd been wanting to try this for ages, based on the awesome-sounding notes. Alas, this smells like very expensive baby powder.

[ObliqueRed]

Eh. It wasn't horrible on me but the floral was too violetty. Old-lady perfume, kinda.

[milo]

Very perfumey at first, a bit of powder after a bit. I wish the amber and vanilla musk made an appearance, but as it is, this just smells like soap to me.

[SmilesSunshine]

What a sophisticated and complicated scent. From bottle sniff to complete dry down, I've been taunted and shooed.

Started black Amber, dark violet, powdery w a sound of sage wet.

Warming on skin: the vanilla musk & hint of warm woods peeked. VERY POWDERY

Drying down: amber, dark violet, hint of sage, pleasant warm undertones. Musk weaving in and out w wood.

 

Overall, Lucretia has aged incredible. A nostalgic perfume for a aristocratic era.

 

It reminds me slightly of V from Clive Christian.