Amoraexcena
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Everything posted by Amoraexcena
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I'm on a bit of a lavender kick, and I'm really glad I got this one. A gently herbal-floral lavender paired with the old cool-toned Dorian with a bit of extra vanilla. This really makes me miss the Lilith updates. Just gorgeous and perfect as a sleep scent. Goodnight?
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I'm also getting more of a strawberry hard candy or strawberry syrup vibe from this, and only a smidge of milk or marshmallow - but, it layers really well with Stekk for a proper strawberry milkshake scent! So I'm quite happy. A sweet, youthful, cheerful strawberry milkshake. I won't need more than one bottle, but it's a fun occasional pick-me-up scent, maybe for when I'm hanging out with my neices/nephews.
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Pink Moon: Marshmallow and Candyfloss Hair Gloss
Amoraexcena replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Hair
I've been around for long enough that I generally know which BPAL notes work on me and which don't, so it's rare nowadays for me not to like something that I blind-bought (especially with HGs, I can't recall any HG I disliked). Unfortunately, this is one of those rare occurances. I was hoping for a lovely, floofy sweet puff of a scent like Stekk, but what I got was a similar experience to doomsday_disco - sickly-sweet and powdery children's vitamins in a chemical-y pink, vaguely cherries/berries flavour. I don't get much marshmallow at all except for maybe a barely-there vanillic undertone, this is really all about that artificial-flavouring pink sugar. I tried layering it with Pink Moon, but it's still definitely not my thing - the chemical-fruit-sweetness just becomes amplified. Definitely a bit bummed about this one. I'll let it sit and age for a bit, but likely will end up going to a new home. -
This scent is a lightning bolt of memory for me. It smells like the Church of Santiago Tlatelolco in Mexico City. My partner at the time brought me to the Tlatelolco Archaeological Site with some friends, knowing my adoration for all things ruins and history and archaeology. I wasn't expecting the horrifying, sacreligious chimera of a Church - it was clearly made from stolen materials of the temples of the conquered indigenous people. I could practically hear the echoes of the wrath of the old gods and the screams of their worshippers. It was a stark, shocking reminder of the blasphemous destruction wrought by Spanish colonialist evangelism. It gave me chills, in the middle of a hot Mexican summer. When I cautiously entered the Church after exploring the rest of the ruins, I was struck with discordance - the imposing, supposed-to-inspire-awe, ostentacious high ceilings and detailed oil paintings and gold filigree of Catholic tastes, juxtaposed to the rather calming scent of frankincense and cracked stone and dust. I left the accursed place burning with rage, mad at myself for liking the scent of it, trying not to show my turmoil of emotions to my friends or partner, who I appreciated very much for bringing me there. I needed to see it. This is the scent of heavy church resins and colonial gold, failing to completely mask the desecrated dust of precious ancient relics.
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Exactly as advertised! It's a sweet, gently spiced marron creme dessert with vanilla whip and caramel drizzle. Very pleasant and comforting, though I feel it suits an autumn or winter vibe more than spring. I want cool weather, a nice warm mug of black tea, a cozy throw blanket, a good book, and a candle with this. With raindrops pattering against the windowsill. In the far drydown, the cashmere part peeks through a bit more, making it a little less foody and a little more gourmand. It's raining and quite cool today in Vancouver so it's perfect.
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Surprisingly, this is quite floral on my skin - I wonder if this memorial garland has some unlisted flowers in it? I echo the similarity with Paper Phoenix (though I do like that one better, it's sweeter, with that lovely relaxing lavendar and fun pink pepper) and Tea Leaves, Vanilla Bean, and Incense Smoke. My partner thought I had a rose scent on. I don't get rose from this, but if I was smelling this without a note list, I'd guess lily of the valley or something along those lines. Cat at the Table is also somewhat similar, but that one reads a little more citrus-fruity to me. I'm not sure where I'm getting that impression (that one has no listed fruit notes), but anyway - they're all scent-cousins. The cool-toned tea blend family. In the late drydown I get a bit more vanillic/benzoin sweetness, which I enjoy. I'm not getting any of the smokiness I was worried about from the lapsang souchong, which is a relief. I'm going to let this one age a bit and see where it goes!
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Skin chemistry is so interesting! I get basically the opposite experience of Little Bird - it opens as spicy, sugary clove with a sweet golden amber that leans musky. On my skin, this smooths out as it dries, becoming a golden-brown haze of clove-infused syrup - no powder here! I love sweet amber, so I'm layering it with the recent IBT perfume and it's really pretty together. I like clove, but I'm finding I like it in small doses, and Constellation is almost sweet clove single note on me. Between this and Vampire Milk, I think I've satisfied the clove quota in my collection. While this isn't what I thought Constellations smell like, it's very nice. I would expect a green witch's kitchen to be scented like this!
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It's so hard to follow up to ghoulnextdoor's beautiful, evocative reviews, but I'll do my best! On my skin, this scent is in the same family as the floral-dark incense blends I love so much, like Sugared Lace, Black Lace, and Midnight on the Midway - but a mature, dignified, powerful witch-queen version. It's less sweet than the others, more resin-forward, and the frankincense gives it a stateliness. This is the scent for the silver-crowned, midnight-robed witch-queen that not only has her own ritual altar, but many altars dedicated to her. This is going to age beautifully, just as the witch-queen does.
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My experience with this one is quite different from other reviewers. On me, there is very little effervescence or sparkle - it's full-throated oak-barrel-aged cognac with a bit of sweet and tangy fruit notes and thick, sticky tobacco, with a hint of vanilla seeping through in the late drydown. Of course, this bottle is aged now, but I don't remember it ever having much fizzle on my skin. I'd say this is the most "gentlemen's salon" type of scent I own. It's quite lovely, but not really "me." Debating whether to keep my bottle or not... It's interesting, but I could count the number of times I've reached for this over the years, on one hand. I feel like I should let it free and go to someone who loves it, considering its rarity nowadays. OTOH, I'm a hoarder AND I have a soft spot for Laces... it's hard letting them go. Maybe I'll keep it for another ten years and see how I feel then ?
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I really love Banshee Beat, and this chewy, approachable patchouli is definitely reminiscent of it. However...the honey is the kind that amps on my skin. BPAL's quintessential honey note: an infernal honey with heat, made from hot pepper flowers grown in Purgatory, cared for by fire imps. It's got attitude, power, and adds a distinct edge to the scent, dangerously sweet, and quite sexy. It's wiping out any trace of vanilla for me. I'm a bigger fan of the more gentle honey dust or white honey notes - this one is a little too intimidating for me to get a full bottle of. BB stays as my favourite patch/vanilla, but I'm glad I finally got to try this one! I can see it work really well for folks who like that powerful honey note + patchouli.
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It's the scent of a promising young courtesan, about to make her big debut. She whispers and teases and lightly brushes your face with elegant fingers, leaving a trace of her scent on you. You can't help but fall for her. Your skin but better, lightly sweet, pink bokeh sparkles. You know Twilight vampires? Like their shimmery skin, during a golden-pink sunset. Creamy, gently sweet floral, and grounded with a hint of teak. It's a soft scent, very slather-able. Good thing I got 4 bottles!
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Tea Leaves, Vanilla Bean, and Incense Smoke
Amoraexcena replied to Seajewel's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Definitely reminiscent of my beloved Paper Phoenix, without the lavender. At first it's very much a sweet tea-and-lemon scent, with a bit of vanilla bean and incense smoke in the drydown. My favourite ménage à trois is Vanilla Bean, Marshmallow & Benzoin, and this is a close second. Super glad I got it. I think vanilla bean is overtaking bourbon vanilla as my top vanilla variety lately. It's just the perfect amount of non-cloying sweetness and blends seamlessly with other notes. -
Upon first application, the palo santo wood dominates, swirled with incense smoke. The woodsmoke dissipates within ~30 min or so, the ash blown gently away, revealing sweet, golden resin treasures embraced with a soft patchouli (not dirty on my hair/to my nose). This drydown stage is to die for. I think it can layer well with pretty much anything at this point, but I especially like this with other sweet smoky scents like Liz, or golden-resin scents like Haloes, L'Estate, IBT, Flickering Lights, Tattered Lace, and Hesoid's Phoenix.
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In contrast to the black and white label art, this scent is warm, sepia-toned. This is an old-fashioned sweetbread soaked with lemon sugar and topped with creme fraiche, next to a cup of tea. I can't detect much musk, maybe a hint of it farther in the drydown, but something's keeping it from going full-on-foody. It's a really, really pleasant, wearable gourmand perfume from start to finish. This is what I want to wear to a high tea with some fancy friends. I'm comparing it side by side with original Dorian - my bottle's an early 2010s vintage I believe - and the latter is quite a bit more cool-toned, not as sweet, and more musky. Both are gorgeous. This is another Yule that I want to get another bottle of before it comes down...
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In bottle and wet, it's bitter, somewhat herbaceous neroli single note, which was a bit of a surprise. I'm not a huge fan of neroli on its own. But as all the other reviews mention, thankfully on my skin as well, the other notes bloom beautifully. The champaca is similar to the champaca incense note in Sugared Lace, plus the gossamer-light vanilla makes it a cousin of that holy grail. For the first while these are all I can detect, but eventually the sparkling ambers peek out too. I really love sweet ambers, and I've started layering this with Implacable Beautiful Tyrant for more of that golden sweetness. I was scared by that initial sniff, but I needn't have worried. I think you'd love this if you like lightly-sweet-floral-incense scents like Midnight on the Midway and Sugared Lace (like me!) Another winner from the epic Lupercalia 2024 collection.
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Lovely sweet golden amber, bright airy ginger, and grounding oudh. This is the IBT I've known and loved ever since it came out 10 years ago. I wear this in hair gloss form all the time. It does have less immediate throw than the hair gloss, but my theory on this is that our hair has TONS of surface area - which means the scent molecules are flying off your hair and into your face all the time. Once skin-warmed, the perfume version does have some throw too, though it's rather subtle. I'm reminded of Failmingo's funny review of Glowing Vulva - I'd call this a golden bokeh sparkle scent, where Glowing Vulva is all pale pink bokeh sparkle scent. I'm very glad I got two bottles, because I'll be slathering this one. I'll also be layering it a lot as I do with IBT HG (Zorya P+IBT HG has long been my "go-to" combo).
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Good night, and may you have the softest of dreams ?☁️ I like to wear a drop of TKO, layered with lots of Vanilla Bean/Marshmallow/Benzoin to bed. I've been rotating this combo with Paper Phoenix. GSCW is also definitely joining my sleep rotation. The lavender in this scent has a lot more camphorous coolness than TKO. It doesn't smell like mint, just reminds you of the cool feel of spearmint. The osmanthus and angelica is a great support too - I find that I like lavender better when paired with another flower like tobacco flower (like in Wreath of Snow) or here. There's also a soft creaminess from mallow and orris, and a touch of vanillic sweetness. I used to not like lavender too much but Beth's blends have long since converted me.
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Exquisite - and expensive - incense hits your nose as you enter the salon. The ladies stare at you, silent and inscrutable behind their perfumed silk lace fans. There is no sound except the soft swish of plush velvet as the most noble lady of the realm crosses her legs and deigns to look at you. You bow deeply to the Queen (Elizabeth). This is such a gorgeous blend. The oil is just slightly cloudy in the bottle, and what hits my nose first and foremost is the ambre noir, which I believe is black amber. It's got attitude, an edge, almost bordering on sharp - but still somehow subdued and refined. The patchouli here is absolutely not the dirty variety, and it's a grounding, supporting note to everything else. I get little dash of something floral - the silk note, I'm guessing. The vanilla is also not foody in the slightest, though it offers complexity and a little sweetness to the blend. I also get a hint of something salty, almost like ambergris. This is a very powerful one - a tiny dab is enough for me. Divine, complex, luxurious incense, 13/10. I need another bottle before it goes down.
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This one is sickly-sweet in the bottle and I admit I was really intimidated at first and wavered on putting it on my skin. On my skin, I get a little more grounding from the patchouli to balance out the sweetness, which is a relief. This has some resemblance to Banshee Beat to me, due to the prominence of sweet vanilla and smooth patch combo (this isn't the rooty-earthy patch of Occupy, it's more similar to the one in BB - I really like this patch!). But it's definitely a different beast. It's creamy and a bit funky around the edges. "Cream mousse" is so apt - it smells like a very sweet dessert that's been infiltrated by tendrils of lovely patchouli. I'm not sure I'll reach for it enough to justify keeping the bottle, but I'm really glad I got to try it!
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+1 to similarities to Kamisuki! It's a tad sweeter than that Hair Gloss, more emphasis on juicy sweet candied strawberry. Delectable, with the cherry blossom keeping fresh. The white musk is definitely not the sharp kind, it's sheer and gentle - it's almost undetectable here. Great for a sunny day during sakura season! I'm going to bring out my cute red and pink sakura-patterned yukata and wear this with it, it's perfect.
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This is surprisingly foody on my skin. I'm getting a pillow-y soft French pastry filled with vanilla cream and dusted with lots of powdered sugar. It reminds me a bit of a simplified Midway. The frankincense is truly quite sheer and I wouldn't know that it's a note if it wasn't listed. I think I'll try this layered with Hope and Fear Set Free or Mummies of Mexico City - something very resin-forward and not as sugary, to balance it them out a bit and bring this into more gourmand territory rather than foody. I like this a lot for its layering possibilities! It's also gentle and approachable and pleasant alone - something I might wear when I hang out with little kids, perhaps (I need to compensate for my resting-serious-face somehow). I feel like my young nephews/nieces would like smelling this.
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On me, this is a pretty potent, spicy clove, sweetened around the edges with creamy caramel milk. It's much more foody than what I usually wear (I like "perfumey" scents usually) but it's very enjoyable, surprisingly not cloying at all. I don't have any clove-forward scents in my collection, so this will fit in nicely. It strikes me as a winter scent - something to wear while curled up in front of a fire (well, a fireplace stream on YT ?) with a mug of hot tea and a good book.
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With the early cherry blossoms in Vancouver being absolutely battered by hail and torrential rain (?), I'm wearing Cherry Blossom Vulva in a prayer that the weather stop being so jealous. Let us enjoy the ephemeral sakura please!!! CB Vulva is a sweet, creamy, pale-pink floral. The gardenia doesn't go sharp on my skin, thankfully. It's a fresh, airy, pretty spring scent. The kind of scent you'd wear on the first day that it's warm enough to wear a cute floral dress instead of the layers of fleece and waterproof gear you've been sporting for a little too long. It's gaining momentum in my perfume rotation lately, at least, certainly until the many bottles of Glowing Vulva I bought arrive at my doorstep ?
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Cake, cookies, donuts, baked goods, even Cinnabon
Amoraexcena replied to imaginepageant's topic in Recommendations
I feel like we need a Vanilla Sugar-dusted Cinnamon Sufganiyot just for you, vanilla323 ? (I would buy that too) -
This is another scent that I had hoped would get a little more smooth and sweet with age, but it's mostly wood-powder frankincense on my skin. A previous reviewer called it birthday cake baked by trees, and I think that's pretty spot-on, though my skin seems to be eating up all but a smidge of sweetness. The Lab's frank note is often very dry and woodsy on me, and I usually prefer their golden amber, grey amber, and labdanum for resins, I think (La Lugubre Gondola being my favourite). I really have to be in the mood for a woodsy scent to wear this. Maybe it's a good hiking scent for the summer. I also think I prefer Mummies of Mexico CIty - that one, though I think it's also frankincense-based, has something that does the opposite of Hope and Fear and gets sweeter on my skin (it smells really austere-church-y in the bottle). They're all enjoyable still, but I'm still on the hunt for another sweet, syrupy resin scent like my beloved LLG.