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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2008'.
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Many legends surround St. Valentine, and history has yet to show, conclusively, which ones are true and which are fiction. One tale claims that Valentine was a 3rd century Christian priest. When Emperor Claudius II declared that his soldiers were never to marry - the emperor believed that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and children - Valentine continued to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. When the emperor learned of Valentine's disobedience, he imprisoned the priest. The emperor chose to interrogate the priest himself, and despite his fury at his orders being flagrantly disobeyed, he was impressed with the priest's intelligence, wisdom, and passion. He attempted to convert the priest to the Roman faith, and was furious when he failed. While incarcerated, Valentine fell in love with his jailor's blind daughter. Through God's grace and the power of Valentine's pure and true love for this woman, he was able to cure her blindness with a touch. Before he was beaten and beheaded, he sent her a letter expressing his feelings for her, signed 'From Your Valentine'. Ecclesiastical incense, Roman flora, and the fruits of martyrdom: cypress, olive blossom, frankincense, myrrh, and blood accord. Wow, looks like I'm the first one on this? I searched and couldn't find it so here goes! Wet in the bottle, I got worried. It has a sharp, astringent, green quality that reminds me strongly of Ides of March 2007. I almost liked Ides but it went on and stayed sharp and was itchy in the sinuses. NO! Please behave, Roman flora! Wet on skin -- what's this? Almost as soon as it hits my skin the smell warms. It must be the incense, I smell what is almost cinnamon but can't be cinnamon because BPAL's cinnamon note makes me welt and burn. HOORAY! This is getting really good, very round-smelling, savory is a good word for it. Like compelling in a way that sweet usually is, but yet not sweet. For a minute, there is what oddly smells like a flash of minty?? But only for a moment then it blends back in. Not unpleasant, just startling. On drydown: Total love. I took a huge chance with this one unsniffed, without reviews, based on the notes because I am a resin nut and an incense fiend. I am so so glad! The cypress doesn't get woody, it only grounds it some, the herbal aspect goes from sharp smelling to sort of 'fresh', and I just want to curl up and huff my wrist. I smell amazingly good, as rich as when I am wearing Gypsy Queen even but with a cleaner feel, not so bump-and-grind, more soothing. Oh lord. Now all I need is to hit the Lotto so I can get five more bottles of this stuff before Lupercalia comes down!
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Cream accord, amber, teak, and lotus blossom. This velvety golden floral gives the feel of a warm, lazy day in some exotic Paradise, where the air smells of promised love. Soft, creamy and delecate, it evokes like the languid peace of afterglow. Should anyoneask, however, I'll tell them that it's simply called "Glowing."
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LA VITA NUOVA Dante Alighieri In that book which is My memory... On the first page That is the chapter when I first met you Appear the words... Here begins a new life Apple blossom, white rose, lemon balm, and champagne grape. This is a bubbly, fruity scent with bite: Not too floral or citrussy, not too warm or too cold. A perfect springtime scent, very fresh and clean and unobtrusive.
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THE PASSIONATE SHEPHERD TO HIS LOVE Christopher Marlowe Come live with me and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove, That valleys, groves, hills and fields, Woods or steepy mountains yields. And we will sit upon the rocks, Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks By shallow rivers, to whose falls Melodious birds sing madrigals. And I will make thee beds of roses, And a thousand fragrant posies, A cap of flowers and a kirtle Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle; A gown made of the finest wool, Which from our pretty lambs we pull; Fair-lined slippers for the cold, With buckles of the purest gold; A belt of straw and ivy buds, With coral clasps and amber studs; And if these pleasures may thee move, Come live with me and be my love. The shepherd swains shall dance and sing For thy delight each May morning; If these delights thy mind may move, Then live with me and be my love. Heather, clover, Irish moss, English ivy, tea rose, and carnation. So often I start reviews with "this is not how I was expecting this to smell", but in the case of The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, it smells *exactly* as I was expecting (and hoping for) it to smell like. Sniffing from the bottle the first thing that hits me is green grass - the scent of standing in a field. It must be the clover, it smells exactly like standing in a clover field. I almost feel like my allergies are going to start acting up. I always think of heather as smelling ever-so-slightly-like-curry on me, in a floral way. And I like it, but only in very small doses or it can be overwhelming. This is staying pretty true on me - after a bit I can start to sense a very light rose if I think about it hard enough, but not enough rose for the scent to go soapy. Overwhelmingly it's the scent of nature and spring - green and pastoral with just a hint of floral to balance it out. Just perfect.
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THE CLOD AND THE PEBBLE William Blake Love seeketh not Itself to please, Nor for itself hath any care; But for another gives its ease, And builds a Heaven in Hells despair. So sang a little Clod of Clay, Trodden with the cattle's feet; But a Pebble of the brook, Warbled out these metres meet. Love seeketh only Self to please, To bind another to Its delight: Joys in anothers loss of ease, And builds a Hell in Heavens despite. Rose otto, clove, patchouli, Indian sandalwood, nutmeg, and cedar. In the bottle I get a mish mosh of many different notes, but the only note that is distinguishable is cedar. Once applied, the cedar is prominent, but I know from other blends that it will eventually take a back seat... and it does! Now it's Rose and sandalwood with a touch of cedar, and the spiciness of nutmeg. I wish that the clove would make its presence known, I mean... its clove!! Cloves usually overpower all! This is a very gender neutral scent. It's nice and I'd give it a 3 out of 5
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HER VOICE Oscar Wilde The wild bee reels from bough to bough With his furry coat and his gauzy wing. Now in a lily-cup, and now Setting a jacinth bell a-swing, In his wandering; Sit closer love: it was here I trow I made that vow, Swore that two lives should be like one As long as the sea-gull loved the sea, As long as the sunflower sought the sun -- It shall be, I said, for eternity 'Twixt you and me! Dear friend, those times are over and done, Love's web is spun. Look upward where the poplar trees Sway and sway in the summer air, Here in the valley never a breeze Scatters the thistledowns, but there Great winds blow fair From the mighty murmuring mystical seas, And the wave-lashed leas. Look upward where the white gull screams What does it see that we do not see? Is that a star? or the lamp that gleams On some outward voyaging argosy, -- Ah! can it be We have lived our lives in land of dreams! How sad it seems. Sweet, there is nothing left to say But this, that love is never lost. Keen winter stabs the breasts of May Whose crimson roses burst his frost, Ships tempest-tossed Will find a harbour in some bay, And so we may. And there is nothing left to do But to kiss once again, and part, Nay, there is nothing we should rue, I have my beauty, -- you your Art. Nay, do not start, One world was not enough for two Like me and you. Hyacinth, beeswax, wild roses, vanilla amber, lily of the valley, tiger lily, honeysuckle, carnation, and heliotrope. Ahh, Her Voice, and my first lead review. In the bottle and wet on my skin, there's something positively...reedy or stemmy about this one, slightly green. I would imagine that's the beeswax and/or the influence of the lilies. Along with that I get the spicy sweetness of the vanilla amber with carnation and heliotrope right behind. As it dries, it becomes less stem-like and moves into a fresh floral stage which is dominated by roses and the vanilla amber with lily influences. I suppose the hyacinth is hanging about somewhere! This gets better as time goes on and it has a light throw. A charming scent, an olfactory picture of laughter on spring breezes and innocent seduction (despite the sadness of the poem).
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Algernon Charles Swinburne All the night sleep came not upon my eyelids, Shed not dew, nor shook nor unclosed a feather, Yet with lips shut close and with eyes of iron Stood and beheld me. Then to me so lying awake a vision Came without sleep over the seas and touched me, Softly touched mine eyelids and lips; and I too, Full of the vision, Saw the white implacable Aphrodite, Saw the hair unbound and the feet unsandalled Shine as fire of sunset on western waters; Saw the reluctant Feet, the straining plumes of the doves that drew her, Looking always, looking with necks reverted, Back to Lesbos, back to the hills whereunder Shone Mitylene; Heard the flying feet of the Loves behind her Make a sudden thunder upon the waters, As the thunder flung from the strong unclosing Wings of a great wind. So the goddess fled from her place, with awful Sound of feet and thunder of wings around her; While behind a clamour of singing women Severed the twilight. Ah the singing, ah the delight, the passion! All the Loves wept, listening; sick with anguish, Stood the crowned nine Muses about Apollo; Fear was upon them, While the tenth sang wonderful things they knew not. Ah the tenth, the Lesbian! the nine were silent, None endured the sound of her song for weeping; Laurel by laurel, Faded all their crowns; but about her forehead, Round her woven tresses and ashen temples White as dead snow, paler than grass in summer, Ravaged with kisses, Shone a light of fire as a crown for ever. Yea, almost the implacable Aphrodite Paused, and almost wept; such a song was that song. Yea, by her name too Called her, saying, "Turn to me, O my Sappho;" Yet she turned her face from the Loves, she saw not Tears for laughter darken immortal eyelids, Heard not about her Fearful fitful wings of the doves departing, Saw not how the bosom of Aphrodite Shook with weeping, saw not her shaken raiment, Saw not her hands wrung; Saw the Lesbians kissing across their smitten Lutes with lips more sweet than the sound of lute-strings, Mouth to mouth and hand upon hand, her chosen, Fairer than all men; Only saw the beautiful lips and fingers, Full of songs and kisses and little whispers, Full of music; only beheld among them Soar, as a bird soars Newly fledged, her visible song, a marvel, Made of perfect sound and exceeding passion, Sweetly shapen, terrible, full of thunders, Clothed with the wind's wings. Then rejoiced she, laughing with love, and scattered Roses, awful roses of holy blossom; Then the Loves thronged sadly with hidden faces Round Aphrodite, Then the Muses, stricken at heart, were silent; Yea, the gods waxed pale; such a song was that song. All reluctant, all with a fresh repulsion, Fled from before her. All withdrew long since, and the land was barren, Full of fruitless women and music only. Now perchance, when winds are assuaged at sunset, Lulled at the dewfall, By the grey sea-side, unassuaged, unheard of, Unbeloved, unseen in the ebb of twilight, Ghosts of outcast women return lamenting, Purged not in Lethe, Clothed about with flame and with tears, and singing Songs that move the heart of the shaken heaven, Songs that break the heart of the earth with pity, Hearing, to hear them. Tonka, oakmoss, tolu balsam, grey amber, myrrh, and muguet. In bottle: sweet and sensual. Amber, tanka, and myrrh on top. I looked up muguet, which seems to be French for lily of the valley, if so, I am guessing it’s responsible for the very faint floral tinge to this. I’d not encountered I am guessing that beautiful new resin overlay is the tolu balsam. In any case, in the bottle, I’m getting a gloriously unique resin blend. Wet: Heaven. If you like amber based resin scents, this may very well be the queen of them. Dry: Very gentle and somehow familiar, though I’m not able to put my finger on why. It is more feminine than anything I generally wear except Dia De Les Muertos, but I will likely where it anyway because it is that good.
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I feel thy blood against my blood; my pain Pains thee, and lips bruise lips, and vein stings vein. Let fruit be crushed on fruit, let flower on flower Breast kindle breast, and either burn one hour. Why wilt thou follow lesser loves? are thine Too weak to bear these hands and lips of mine? The scent of the throes of violent passion: entangled limbs, teeth on flesh, furiously grasping hands, the taste of blood and sweat. Golden amber, white honey, red currant, daemonorops, kush, and Arabian musk. OMG, am I the first to review a scent? Awesome! This has to be my favorite so far of the new Lupercalias! It's actually not as heavy as I imagined it, but is a rather light, golden scent. This reminds me more of the afterglow of violent passion than the actual act itself. On the skin, the most prominent note is the golden amber, which smells very much like the amber in Aglaea. The currant isn't evident at all (unfortunately) while the honey only lends a tiny bit of sweetness to the blend. While the kush doesn't dominate the blend on my skin, it does lend a heady air to the scent. At drydown, this threatens to go a bit powdery on my skin, and now I can also detect the daemonorops in the background; however, the amber and musk remain the primary notes... which suits me just fine, because it's delicious. I think this will age very well, and hopefully the currant will come forward with time. This is going to warrant multiple bottles to put away to age, and I hope it becomes a returning favorite! ETA: After having aged for 8 months, I think I can safely say I was right about what a little age has done for this one -- it's amazing. The musk has (sadly) toned down a bit, but luckily so has the kush which was taking over during drydown. It's mellowed and rounded out, the honey's made it a tad sweeter... guh.
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EBISU MAKING LOVE AS TWO OCTOPUSES LOOK ON Oakmoss, skin musk, and nectarine. Well, unfortunately this scent was a pretty big disappointment for me. I was hoping for something both a little earthy and sweetened up by the nectarine. Well, the nectarine definitely adds a great deal of sweetness to this blend, but the oakmoss smells almost aquatic rather than adding any sort of earthiness. These two notes fight with one another rather than blending together, which results in an odd combination that's almost nauseating. I might put this away for a bit of aging to see if the scent melds together with time, but right now it's not looking so good with my chemistry.
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Osmanthus, honey, golden musk, vanilla flower, and ginger. In the bottle: Musk and osmanthus. Very flower/musk. Hmmm. Not a huge floral fan, so this isn't promising. Wet: Flowery flowers. Dammit. It's all osmanthus at this point. Damn its apricotty fruity flowery self. I was hoping for a honey-musk-vanilla-spice kind of thing. But this is all floral, all the time. I think that osmanthus just does not appeal to me. It seems to overtake a blend, unless there are a lot of other bold notes (like Dark Delicacies). I can tell now that it's why I didn't care for Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku and Shoggoth. Dry: Fruity, floral. There is some honey here. The osmanthus is finally mellowing and I like the blend a whole lot more. It ends up smelling like a very mild apricot/peach blend with a bare hint of gold musk. I don't dislike it the way I did wet, but I don't think I will hold onto it.
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A FAREWELL TO FALSE LOVE Sir Walter Raleigh Farewell, false love, the oracle of lies, A mortal foe and enemy to rest, An envious boy, from whom all cares arise, A bastard vile, a beast with rage possessed, A way of error, a temple full of treason, In all effects contrary unto reason. A poisoned serpent covered all with flowers, Mother of sighs, and murderer of repose, A sea of sorrows whence are drawn such showers As moisture lend to every grief that grows; A school of guile, a net of deep deceit, A gilded hook that holds a poisoned bait. A fortress foiled, which reason did defend, A siren song, a fever of the mind, A maze wherein affection finds no end, A raging cloud that runs before the wind, A substance like the shadow of the sun, A goal of grief for which the wisest run. A quenchless fire, a nurse of trembling fear, A path that leads to peril and mishap, A true retreat of sorrow and despair, An idle boy that sleeps in pleasure's lap, A deep mistrust of that which certain seems, A hope of that which reason doubtful deems. Sith then thy trains my younger years betrayed, And for my faith ingratitude I find; And sith repentance hath my wrongs bewrayed, Whose course was ever contrary to kind: False love, desire, and beauty frail, adieu. Dead is the root whence all these fancies grew. Pale lavender, sweet violet, balsam of Peru, and paperwhite narcissus. Sniffing from the bottle: it's hard for any note to stand up to lavender, and when I sniff this from the bottle, that's pretty much all I smell. On first application, it's pure lavender, as well - though a very wearable lavender, not medicinal at all. Slowly I start to sense a gentle sweetness start to glow through, and I assume it's the balsam of peru. Which, to be honest, I knew was sweet, but I didn't really think was going to be this sweet. Of course, the description says "sweet violet" as well, so although I'm not really getting Violet out of the scent, perhaps that's lending to the sweetness. It's interesting...after half an hour or so when I put my nose to my wrist I still smell strong lavender, but the scent cloud floating around me is almost like purple candy. Paperwhite is not one of my favorite florals, and so I'm very pleased that it doesn't seem to make much of an appearance on me. I think this is a very adult, smoothing, elegant scent, but not particularly mournful. And now that I'm concluding the review, I'm just noticing that I'm starting to get whiffs of violet. It's an elegant purple, this scent. Maybe not for everyday, but really lovely.
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NIGHT THOUGHTS Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Stars, you are unfortunate, I pity you, Beautiful as you are, shining in your glory, Who guide seafaring men through stress and peril And have no recompense from gods or mortals, Love you do not, nor do you know what love is. Hours that are aeons urgently conducting Your figures in a dance through the vast heaven, What journey have you ended in this moment, Since lingering in the arms of my beloved I lost all memory of you and midnight. Lilac, blue musk, dianthus, cedar, neroli, ozone, and luminous Eastern herbs. So exited that this is my first review! I waited a few days to see if anyone had gotten this scent since I'm not great at describing, but I'll make an attempt. When I first opened the bottle I got a mysterious, sexy scent (similar to what would be a combination between red and black moon). The ozone make itself known (and I had no idea I would like it so much), there's a hint of herbs or maybe the neroli and sweetness from the lilacs and flowers. When applied the scent instantly reminded me of the shivering boy. Its sweet and lovely and a bit cold but in a good way. However where boy is herbal, NT is sweeter, but not sickly so. As it dries down, the scent is not similar to "boy" as it was when wet. Its a femenine scent, creamy, reminds me a bit of hints of coconut (even though it has none) and sexy. I must also add, this is not a "happy or cheery" scent. Its a mysterious, nightly, passionate scent (and I really hope that makes sense to some of you). The scent is divine! I am officially in love with Night Thoughts
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LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY Percy Bysshe Shelley The fountains mingle with the river, And the rivers with the ocean; The winds of heaven mix forever, With a sweet emotion; Nothing in the world is single; All things by a law divine In one another's being mingle; -- Why not I with thine? See! the mountains kiss high heaven, And the waves clasp one another; No sister flower would be forgiven, If it disdained it's brother; And the sunlight clasps the earth, And the moonbeams kiss the sea; -- What are all these kissings worth, If thou kiss not me? Vanilla, saffron, and cream. In the bottle: Creamy vanilla. I can tell this is going to be really nice. Wet: A face full of creamy vanilla. There is a hint of Black Lace here. I think it's the same vanilla. The cream is also very apparent. Saffron is just a breath. Dry: This is more or less what I wished Underpants had been. Underpants had a really high-pitched, hairspray kind of note to it that just killed the blend for me. The blend is fairly simple and straightforward. From the notes, I feel like it should be a seriously foody blend, but while that gourmand element is there, this is not a foody like, say, Día de los reyes. I am a vanilla lover, and this is a great vanilla. Saffron is always a winner, too. Cream, though, is hit or miss (though when it hits, it hits BIG). I am pleased to say that the cream in this blend is just gorgeous. No sour milk or buttery weirdness whatsoever. I predict that this blend will be wildly popular.
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Green sandalwood, rice wine, black tea, tonka, and moss. In bottle: yum. Tea, moss and green sandalwood with the other elements present, but softer. I was not previously familiar with green sandalwood, but it is enough like the regular to pick out, just. It does indeed smell green and woody and gentler than normal sandal wood. The black tea and tonka sweeten it, the moss adds to the feel of it. I am imagining a monastery garden with moss covered wood. I am thinking of tea ceremony in a garden glistening from recent rain. It is not floral at all. I am thinking of plants though, and wood and rain, and a sense of mono no aware. This is beautifully blended stuff. Wet: I am definitely in love. This is slyly sexual, rather like the naughty monks of the concept. This stuff is amazing on my skin. I just keep sniffing it. Dry: vaguely citrusey, but not in a bad way. Since it's not actual citrus, my skin doesn't amplify it, but there is a pleasant tang as the scent evolves. If I've somehow missed someone else starting this thread or have messed up the format, I apologize. I've never started a review thread before.
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THE FLOWER SONG Unknown, Written during Egypt's New Kingdom To hear your voice is pomegranate wine to me: I draw life from hearing it. Could I see you with every glance, It would be better for me Than to eat or to drink. Pomegranate wine, lotus root, river reeds, hyssop, and barley. In the bottle: where is it, there's something in there? Once on a river of scent flows out. Herbal, fruity, boozy. Lotus Root can go bubblegum but I can't find it here. Barley... I drink barley tea all the time. Can't find it here. River reeds? This has a rejuvenating effect on me. But then, pomegranate, wine and hyssop make for a happy Heavenlyrabbit.
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LONGING Matthew Arnold Come to me in my dreams, and then By day I shall be well again. For then the night will more than pay The hopeless longing of the day. Come, as thou cam'st a thousand times, A messenger from radiant climes, And smile on thy new world, and be As kind to others as to me. Or, as thou never cam'st in sooth, Come now, and let me dream it truth. And part my hair, and kiss my brow, And say My love! why sufferest thou? Come to me in my dreams, and then By day I shall be well again. For then the night will more than pay The hopeless longing of the day. Rose geranium, frankincense, Ceylon cinnamon, golden musk, bay rum, and bois du rose. My initial impression is that this is a dark, spicy scent. It also strikes me as complex, with opposing qualities manifested together. It's a little bit green and sharp, but also soft and sweetly smoky--this aspect reminds me a lot of Priala. The cinnamon in this is wonderful, and nothing like red hots or cinnamon gum. I really like the fuzzy undertones of this scent, but the top prickly layer is somewhat offputting to me. I'm still not sure if rose geranium or bay rum work that well on me. I'd recommend this to fans of spicy dark green/brown scents like Priala, King of Clubs, Mad Meg, Death of Autumn, or Troll.
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Blood orange, King mandarin, nectarine, patchouli, violet, ylang ylang, and amber. I searched for a topic and didn't find one so I appologize and please move if I've buggered this and it's in the wrong place! Wet--wow, very citrus in the bottle but with a hint of something else. Not super sweet, more like the fresh oils from the rinds of the fruits. Just on--The citrus mellows quickly and the other notes start to blossom on my skin. The floral is very understated for me and meshes well with the citrus. I'm not smelling any patchouli. Dry--Okay, there is the patchouli. Just a hint. It's grounding the other notes so this becomes a much more sultry blend than I expected. Very nice, definitely more of a summer scent for me though.
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For the Valentine's Day purists. For this was on seynt Volantynys day Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his mate. Medieval romance and courtly love. White rose and soft resins. As a medievalist and a girl who likes roses, I was especially excited for this one, and am so glad and honoured (!) that I get to be the first to review. I'm doing this really fast for those of you who want to put in a last-minute order, so forgive me if this seems a bit rushed, but I'll edit it later. In the bottle, heavenly roses warmed by resins. It's exactly what's in the description ... and yet, so much more than that. White roses, I guess, are lighter than those of any other colour, less rich and opulently scented, but softer and more innocent, and yet a bit sharper. (Macha, wonderful label art on this one. I love it!) Oh, that white rose is sharp! This scent isn't too floral because of the resins keeping it in check, and it positively blooms on my skin. This is traditional courtship in an English rose garden at the height of rose season with a feudal manor in the distance. Parlement of Foules dries down to a warm, soft rose, unobtrusive, not overly floral, and positively beautiful. This is courtly love at its best, immortalised in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower, and now this small amber bottle sitting on my desk. I love this. I'm so glad I've got another bottle of this on its way to me. I guess this means I'm in love with love. 10/10.
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THE SPELL OF AMOROUS LOVE Red currant, plum flowers, sake, green tea, and cherry blossom. Fruity-floral fans, take notice! This is a very pretty blend, much softer and less aggressive than the uber-peachy La Vague (which I love, but not everyone's a fan of wearing peaches). Like La Vague, I can see this being an excellent spring/summer blend. The currants and plum flower are the most prominent notes right out of the bottle -- it smells very fruity at this stage, perhaps just a little boozy. As this begins to dry, the cherry blossom dominates for a bit. Between the flowers and the sake this gets to be so sharp as to become eye-watering, but this stage doesn't last long on me. The cherry settles back after a bit and it gets much softer, and when it's dry all I can smell is the currant and green tea with a hint of plum blossoms in the background. It's so lovely at this stage, but it's such a soft scent to begin with and it fades pretty quicky. I think this scent is a good candidate for dilution (in a carrier oil or alcohol) or for a scent locket.
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TO HELEN Edgar Allan Poe I saw thee once - once only - years ago: I must not say how many - but not many. It was a July midnight; and from out A full-orbed moon, that, like thine own soul, soaring, Sought a precipitate pathway up through heaven, There fell a silvery-silken veil of light, With quietude, and sultriness, and slumber, Upon the upturned faces of a thousand Roses that grew in an enchanted garden, Where no wind dared to stir, unless on tiptoe Fell on the upturn'd faces of these roses That gave out, in return for the love-light, Their odorous souls in an ecstatic death Fell on the upturn'd faces of these roses That smiled and died in this parterre, enchanted By thee, and by the poetry of thy presence. Clad all in white, upon a violet bank I saw thee half reclining; while the moon Fell on the upturn'd faces of the roses, And on thine own, upturn'd - alas, in sorrow! Was it not Fate, that, on this July midnight Was it not Fate, (whose name is also Sorrow,) That bade me pause before that garden-gate, To breathe the incense of those slumbering roses? No footstep stirred: the hated world an slept, Save only thee and me. (Oh, Heaven! oh, God! How my heart beats in coupling those two words!) Save only thee and me. I paused - I looked And in an instant all things disappeared. (Ah, bear in mind this garden was enchanted!) The pearly lustre of the moon went out: The mossy banks and the meandering paths, The happy flowers and the repining trees, Were seen no more: the very roses' odors Died in the arms of the adoring airs. All - all expired save thee - save less than thou: Save only the divine light in thine eyes Save but the soul in thine uplifted eyes. I saw but them - they were the world to me! I saw but them - saw only them for hours, Saw only them until the moon went down. What wild heart-histories seemed to he enwritten Upon those crystalline, celestial spheres! How dark a woe, yet how sublime a hope! How silently serene a sea of pride! How daring an ambition; yet how deep How fathomless a capacity for love! But now, at length, dear Dian sank from sight, Into a western couch of thunder-cloud; And thou, a ghost, amid the entombing trees Didst glide away. Only thine eyes remained; They would not go - they never yet have gone; Lighting my lonely pathway home that night, They have not left me (as my hopes have) since; They follow me - they lead me through the years. They are my ministers - yet I their slave. Their office is to illumine and enkindle My duty, to be saved by their bright light, And purified in their electric fire, And sanctified in their elysian fire. They fill my soul with Beauty (which is Hope), And are far up in Heaven - the stars I kneel to In the sad, silent watches of my night; While even in the meridian glare of day I see them still - two sweetly scintillant Venuses, unextinguished by the sun! Electric ozone, opaline notes, moonflower, white amber, beeswax, and three roses. I'm shocked that there's not a thread for this already, but I've looked every which way for one in vain, so here it goes. This does not smell like I expected it at all. I thought there would be some similarities to Her Voice, but these are very different. Her Voice is fresh, dewy flowers, while To Helen is deep and sweet with just a hint of the roses. What I smell over everything else is a little bit of ozone mixed with what have to be the "opaline notes" in the scent description. I had no idea what those would smell like when I ordered this one, but they turned out to be smooth and radiant. This one is very clingy and oddly seductive. I'm surprised by To Helen, but not disappointed. 4/5 ETA: Lab description
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THE RAGGED WOOD William Butler Yeats O, hurry, where by water, among the trees, The delicate-stepping stag and his lady sigh, When they have looked upon their images Would none had ever loved but you and I! Or have you heard that sliding silver-shoed Pale silver-proud queen-woman of the sky, When the sun looked out of his golden hood? O, that none ever loved but you and I! O hurry to the ragged wood, for there I will drive all those lovers out and cry O, my share of the world, O, yellow hair! No one has ever loved but you and I. Lily of the Valley, star jasmine, benzoin, vanilla, plumeria, bergamot, Terebinth pine, juniper berry, and tea rose. I picked this up because I love all the florals + benzoin & vanilla. In the bottle, I smell bits of plumeria, bergamot, and something slightly foresty. On my skin, it is more foresty than floral, but after awhile it all settles (thank god!) into a well blended & smooth close to the skin floral scent. It reminds me of a wedding bouquet (and all the floral arrangements) + an outdoorsy wedding if that makes any sense. It echoes the poem perfectly! :clap:
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Tangerine, pikaki, tonka, ti leaf, jasmine, opoponax, and benzoin. I just kind of jumped on this scent without thinking much about how it would smell. I don't know why, it just made me go "grabby hands!" Wet, it's quite strong on the tangerine and jasmine. Pikaki appears to be some kind of jasmine as well, so combined with the tonka, at first, this smells a lot like biggerCritters. Once dry, the tangerine and jasmine calm down and are much better balanced by the resins and ti leaf. The resins are soft and smooth, and the ti leaf lends a light, green quality. The tangerine isn't as noticeable, but it doesn't seem to completely go away. In the end, it's a slightly fruity jasmine blend with a soft resin base. A little sweet, but not gourmand. Where biggerCritters is cute and floofy, this is elegant and classic. Very nice, if you like jasmine.
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Seaweed, honey, white mint, and ambergris. First I have to say, this is the one Novel Ideas blend that I had to order right away, pre-sniff. So, so very excited. I adore aquatics, mint is good in anything, ambergris is not used often enough and I have a personal affinity for seaweed. How's that for expectations? So I let out a huge "aaaaaah!" when I opened the cap to discover a deep, deep blue wash of dirty sea love. This is full-bodied, and dark. The honey comes out once it's on my skin; now, I definitely am not thrilled about honey, so I hold my breath and pray that it doesn't go mucking up this good thing. And it doesn't. In fact, it makes this a sexual blend. Maybe not necessarily sexy, but sexual. Like the act itself. It's barely musty, and actually, kind of like a masculine companion to an aquatic like Thalassa. I know that "aquatic note" is not actually listed, and I think that's a good thing. The ambergris/seaweed combo is enough to paint the picture, so to say. If I had to say one tiny negative thing about this, just one, it's be: where's the mint? Beautiful, evocative, spot-on. Plus this stuff lasts and is unwavering. I think I'm in love. ETA: After a few more days consideration, to see if the honeymoon fades, and a full day spent wearing this... I love it more. Love. Love. LOVE IT. I can't get enough of this. This might be surpassing Snow Flakes as my favorite limited edition, ever. It is the perfect aquatic.
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THE PRESENCE OF LOVE Samuel Taylor Coleridge And in Life's noisiest hour, There whispers still the ceaseless Love of Thee, The heart's Self-solace and soliloquy. ______________________ You mould my Hopes, you fashion me within; And to the leading Love-throb in the Heart Thro' all my Being, thro' my pulses beat; You lie in all my many Thoughts, like Light, Like the fair light of Dawn, or summer Eve On rippling Stream, or cloud-reflecting Lake. And looking to the Heaven, that bends above you, How oft ! I bless the Lot, that made me love you. White musk, rose-swirled amber, pink grapefruit, and jasmine. This is the Love Poem I was most looking forward to, and it does not disappoint. Sniffing from the bottle I get pure grapefruit and jasmine. I know there are a lot of jasmine haters out there, but I have to say I don't get it. To me it's just the prettiest floral scent in all of perfumery. And there's a lot of it in The Presence of Love. Jasmine & piquant pink grapefruit. After a while, the citrus fades, and I start to get a whiff of rose. After a while I start to sniff some musk, but it's not the white musk I'm generally familiar with (from say, Fae or Zephyr) - it's more like the musk in scents like 51. This is a *very* traditional floral perfume, perfect for the traditional romantic poem it is supposed to represent. Luckily I'm a fan of traditional floral perfumes, so I like this very much.
