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Showing results for tags 'Lupercalia 2017'.
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WOMB FURIE In the middle of the flanks of women lies the womb, a female viscus, closely resembling an animal; for it is moved of itself hither and thither in the flanks, also upwards in a direct line to below the cartilage of the thorax and also obliquely to the right or to the left, either to the liver or spleen; and it likewise is subject to falling downwards, and, in a word, it is altogether erratic. It delights, also, in fragrant smells, and advances towards them; and it has an aversion to fetid smells, and flees from them; and on the whole the womb is like an animal within an animal. -- Aretaeus the Cappadocian Oh, that wily womb! Hippocrates and his followers considered the womb a mobile creature, causing mayhem as it writhed its way through a woman's body. Sometimes this ornery organ, due to lack of sexual activity, would create conflicts within a woman's system or would become blocked itself, causing anxiety, nervousness, water retention, and sleeplessness. With the assistance of doctors, nursemaids, hand tools, or, occasionally, self-manipulation, this vexing condition could be alleviated through hysterical paroxysms. Or, as we call it nowadays: orgasm. An itch that needs to be scratched: Snake Oil and three types of honey. To be honest, and snake oil have a less than great record. Straight up snake oil makes me deal with two hours of annoying spice before it gives me the soft vanilla, and none of the Snake pit were a success. This however, has PROMISE!!! The honey cuts out the harshness that the indonesian oils do when they're on my skin, and they're not taking over. I can still tell i'm wearing snake oil, but it's got some honey underneath. The honey and the vanilla also last for a long time, so i'm definetly not getting the disappearing act that I usually associate with snake oil blends. I highly recommend giving it a try!!
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A sweet disorder in the dress: crimson musk and wild cherry. In the bottle: Red musk - oh yeah! It's surprisingly not too sweet - almost more of a dry feeling to this red musk. Wet on skin: Red musk with a background of a lighter patch? Still not very sweet, or cherry smelling either. Dry down: A dry, "grown up" red musk. This isn't juicy or fruity at all. In fact, my bottle of Smut (2017) smells fruitier and sweeter than this one. All in all, it's a nice scent for those who like red musk. I don't know if it's just my skin chemistry on this one - but there isn't a cherry in sight so far.
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For he seemed to me again like a king, Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld, Now due to be crowned again. A sinuous leather variant of BPALs Snake Oil. Only side-by-side with Snake Oil can I tell the difference between these in the bottle. It really was appropriate to name this after the snake's skin -- the leather wraps around the familiar blend like a sheath. And it's a grower, constricting slowly until it just might become the thing someone notices about the scent if they just happened to catch it in passing. It also nicely amps the woods in Snake Oil, which probably don't get enough love. If you have a man in your life who loves Snake Oil but it's too sweet for him to wear, he will probably be unstoppable with this.
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Golden amber and gilded vanilla with patchouli, white cedar, and caramelized sandalwood. Warm and golden, this flickers very much like sunshine on a cool, spring day in a wooded garden with perfect, nectar dripping blossoms all around. I get the amber upfront along with the shining sandalwood and dry cedar. The woody notes aren't overpowering and settle down into a soft, balancing basenote. The patch is in the background, but comes out as it dries, adding a very light spice. Okay, so now i'm going to gush a little bit. The vanilla is GORGEOUS in the background. Delicately sweet, all the notes together make the whole blend enchanting and I can't stop spraying it! It's a definite mood lifter and makes all my stuff smell like a warm, wooded tree-lined flower patch on a floating cloud day. UPDATE: I had to get a back-up bottle of this one!
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Sweet red vetiver, 13-year aged patchouli, mahogany oudh, and shadow musk. In The Bottle: Strong, dirty patchouli, sweet and smoky vetiver, rich oudh. Wet On Skin: The smokiness of the vetiver is front and center now, though the richness of the oudh is coming in close behind. The patch seems to have moved waaaay into the background at this stage. Dry Down: The smoky aspect of the vetiver has tones down, though the vetiver is still very present. The shadow musk has come out of hiding to create something that is dark, dense and lush. This reads as extremely powerful to me, something that I'll likely wear when I want others to leave me the hell alone. Yet, the vetiver adds its own sinister sexiness- I could definitely see wearing this out to a club, either alone if I just want to hang with my friends or layered with a clove-rich scent to give a message of "Come closer if you like, but I just might be a black widow in disguise, chump." In All: A strong scent for those that know themselves. <3
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Tuberose, white peach, orange blossom, lemon peel, and caramelized vanilla. Upon first application, Humanite is a gorgeous, literally mouthwatering (!) fruity-floral fragrance, grounded by the sweet caramelized vanilla lurking in the background. I can detect each note, yet none stands our more than any of the others. The white peach and lemon peel leave the party after a while, leaving a trace of their fruitiness in their wake. The tuberose, orange blossom, and caramelized vanilla are more prominent now. As it fades a bit more it becomes a sweet, pretty, soft scent. The tuberose is never overwhelming, and the citrus keeps the whole thing from ever being cloying. Despite the rather eerie image on the bottle, this is a very lovely and happy scent, evocative of spring and fresh young things.
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Black amber, leather, and myrrh. In the bottle this smells like LEATHER. Black, shiny, intense leather. I was a little scared to dab it on, I like leather but this was overwhelming. It absolutely blooms on the skin and the black amber marries perfectly with a much toned down leather and it shines. I don't know if I really smell myrrh.
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Piss off, Saint Valentine! Lupercalia is an ancient Roman celebration, held on February 15th, that kicked in the advent of Spring with a very, very festive purification, fertility and sexuality ritual. The ritual began near the cave of Lupercal on the Palatine, an area sacred to Faunus, as well as Ruminia, Romulus and Remus. During Lupercalia, Vestal Virgins first made offerings of sacred cakes to the fig tree under which the she-wolf suckled the Sacred Twins. A dog and two goats were then offered in sacrifice to Faunus. The blood of the sacrifice was smeared onto two naked patrician youths, who were assisted by the Virgins, and the blood was wiped clean with sacred wool dipped in milk. The youths donned the skins of the sacrificial goats, wielding whips made from the goat skins, and then led the priests and the Virgins around the pomarium, and around the base hills of Rome. This was a ceremony of great happiness and merriment, and was of particular interest to young women: being touched by the goat-whips young men that led the procession ensured their fertility in the coming year. It is believed that, after the initial rite, male participants would draw the name of an available maiden, with whom he spent the rest of the night. This scent is for the Luperci, the Chosen of Faunus, the Brothers of the Wolf: raw, down and dirty patchouli, Gurjam balsam, and essence of Sampson Root sweetened with the heightened sexuality of beeswax, virile juniper, oakmoss, ambrette seed over honey and East African musk. ... am I really the first? Oh dear! Stage fright. In the bottle: Patchouli, smacking me in the nose! Beeswax, moss, earthy, dirty, powerful. The husband likes this. Wet on skin: Patchouli and juniper, with a honey-sweet undertone, but the sharp woody note is on top. Dry on skin: Patchouli and a heavy, sweet musk. Juniper's still there, but the musk is overpowering it. Over time: Woody and sweet and musky. This is a heavy, woody, honey-sweet scent; patchouli likes me, as usual, and is sticking around as the strongest note. The juniper has receded almost entirely, leaving me with only a quiet sharpness in the woody scent to remind me of its presence. Overall: I expected to like this, and I'm not disappointed. It's a very earthy, sexy kind of scent, not a pretty or delicate scent; this is precisely what I wanted and expected out of it. Elf still likes it, too. Bonus. I used to wear patchouli straight, but I like this more; it's more complex and appealing. 4.5/5 - not hoarding like I do with Geek, but I'm glad I got a bottle, so it will last me a nice long time.
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Bourbon vanilla and suede leather, tonka and patchouli, pale amber and blackened tea leaf, coconut husk and cashmere. This is a gorgeous vanilla and coconut blend. It is very light and dries even more so, but it is lovely. I amped the coconut, vanilla and leather, such that the blend was reminiscent of a lighter, leather version of Wolf Spider. This is not a strong/dominant leather, but rather a softly worn leather that makes it a truly comforting blend. This was one of my favorites that I tested at our lunacy event!
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What a great freakin' word. BPAL LOVES TEH SMUT! Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. BPAL loves teh smut! I know Beth warned us about this one, that it'd smell a bit aggressive in the bottle but is positively wonderful once on. I haven't smelt Sed Non Satiata yet, which is the scent Beth said this is a lot like, so I have no basis for comparison there. Sorry, guys? In the bottle, yes, it's definitely aggressive. It almost smells like Robitussin cough syrup - that same boozy, quasi-fruity medicinal quality. It has the potential to be sexy, though, I can definitely see/smell that. Smut immediately sweetens when it hits my skin. It's pretty much musky sugar sweetness after a few drinks, precisely what the description says. There's no more medicinal smell to be had, but it's definitely warmer - do I smell vanilla? Very sophisticated and womanly, almost reminiscent of Jean-Paul Gaultier, only without the headache J-P gives me. A seductive, sophisticated, heady, little-black-dress-and-stilettos, 'take me now' scent. I love teh smut. If you haven't already, GET SOME. 9/10. P.S. Throw is amazingly good.
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Pink rose petals, rose water, sugared carnation, and white cognac. Let me start by saying that I typically do not love Rose scents. That being said, Die Begierde is beyond lovely. I love carnation and it gives a sight spice to the blend. On me, this is a creamy (pink) spicy and milld (I think the cognac is softening the rose) rose scent. When I tried it, I thought it too rosey, but my husband kept asking to sniff my arm again. Then I caught a whiff of a lovely spiced floral and realized it was this oil. It does amp very differently on different people (very Rose heavy on some others) and I am grateful to amp the carnation and cognac while still getting a hint of Rose. This was my top choice of the night at our lunacy event and is simply beautifully blended and unique!
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White coconut and Italian bergamot. This has a fun tropical feel from the coconut, the bergamot is VERY light and gives it the slightest kiss of citrus squirt. The coconut is dry and not heavy at all and a perfect foundation scent for layering other notes on top of. I'm so happy to have a beautiful, fresh coconut dreamsicle for the warm months ahead. Poem Pillow turns my bath into a relaxing and dreamy oasis.
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With a hint of French chalk to ensure your catsuit goes on without a hitch. Woooo this single note is INTERESTING. I put it in my cart immediately, hoping that it would be the warm, yet harsh, chemically, rubbery, almost spicy smell one would encounter in a high-end fetish boutique. In the bottle, Latex is kind of like getting stabbed in the nose with eucalyptus rubber. It's *very* strong, and kind of reminded me of the initial "demonic Windex" of To Kindle A Flame in Our Frozen Veins. On the skin it calmed down juuuust a little, but spent around a half an hour continuing to stab me in the nose. Then I started to get more of the rubber, less of the eucalyptus, and the scent of inexpensive disposable latex gloves dominated. This wasn't quite what I was expecting, and not really what I wanted, so I rubbed my wrists together in the hope that it would chill the heck out. And, success!, the scent changed again into a latex-y, almost musty, "I just pulled off my catsuit" kind of smell. The smell of latex on skin, as it were, not latex alone. I had my partner sniff it wet, and they said that it smells like latex polish. (Which would explain the sharp, almost industrial chemically scent that I wasn't expecting.) With patience, and rubbing, I'd call this a smashing success at capturing latex. I'm definitely going to hang onto it and see how it ages!
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Blueberry musk, lotus, and green tea. Granted, my bottle just came in the mailbox today - so take this review with the grain of salt. In the bottle: It's a sweet, musky blueberry! I don't think I have ever smelled "blueberry" perfume before - but there you have it - it's right there in this bottle. On skin: The blueberry musk is straight forward and in front. Then the lotus comes forward more with the green tea in the background. After a bit of time: The green tea and lotus become more prominent, while the blueberry seems to have worn off. It becomes more of a light, creamy green tea scent. It's nice, but I was hoping the blueberry would stick around longer. I'll let this one sit for a few weeks and re-test then. Hopefully then, she'll retain that wonderful blueberry muskiness that I'm craving.
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Proceeds from this blend will be donated to Planned Parenthood. Golden sandalwood, soft leather, champaca resin, and coconut. I love skin scents that are soft, deep, and incensey for Spring. Keichu really does this for me. The mild acidity of the leather gives this scent lift, and it's not at all overpowering because it blends so well with the tang of the wood. The champaca is light, like a floral tea. Coconut plays a subtle but unifying role, beautifully rounding out and sweetening the blend. It has a similar feel to Hippie Ghost, another favorite of mine, in that it is both earthy and airy.
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Rice milk, white musk, and pear. I was intrigued by this one, but pear can sometimes be too sweet for me. In this case, it was. The pear and creamy rice milk amped on me, with the musk not quite emerging (I was hoping it would smooth/mellow out the pear). It is a lovely blend for those that enjoy sweet creamy fruit blends.
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Sweet cream vanilla, white sugar, jasmine blossom, and a drop of star anise. Wow. Opens up with a beautifully strong jasmine note, but the jasmine is tempered by vanilla and cream. An almost bubblegum like sweetness. It's really airy. The anise is creeping up from the bottom. It's sugary as well! Every note is displayed evenly here. For jasmine despisers, it is strong with this blend, but it's as if the petals are dipped in a sugary vanilla cream. This is Monsterbait: BiggerCritters without the grapefruit and with the lightest touch of sugary star anise instead. It's pretty and heady.
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*crack* This is my favorite leather scent hands down. I just put in an order for 4 more bottles because i can't let it get away from me. It smells *exactly* like a crop (or a really well made cat o' 9 tails). While smelling it on me i looked at my husband and went "YOU CAN SMELL THE KNOTS!". If you love leather, you need this. It could also blend well with vanilla heavy/foodie blends. I wore it with "eat me" and i wanted to violate my own personal space.
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Honey oudh and bourbon vanilla. In The Bottle: Wow. It's the honey we all love from numerous Lab blends, but it's being tempered with something that's surprisingly green and fresh. I guess it's the oudh, but it's not like any oudh I've encountered before. Huh. Wet On Skin: The "green" grows in intensity while the honey recedes. The vanilla is still nowhere to be seen. Dry Down: This green, fresh oudh aspect is the dominant for sure. The honey has morphed into a lighter honey dust upon dry down and alas, the vanilla remains MIA. In All: I'll keep this around for a bit to see how it ages. I'm not certain yet if this is a keeper for me, but I think it's a lovely scent for spring and anyone into leafy, greenie scents should absolutely get some ASAP.
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White oud and white sandalwood, iris pallida, blonde woods, and pink pepper. Oh, Karikkotsu, you gorgeous elegant, bony nightmare you! This is special. This is unlike any of the Shungas or lupers in the (huge) collection. This is high end chic. This..... is elegant, dry wood with a whisper of what seems to be Bay Rum and a touch of pepper. As if a perfectly dressed gent has arrived at the bar for drinks before dinner..... but it's so unique it's ungendered. Everyone who smelled it, even bpal folks themselves seemed surprised at and enthralled with it. Wearing this I feel.....grand....put together...impossibly chic yet laid back and comfortable. I think the iris is the key that blends all these notes together in a magical way that creates a soft, amazing, sleek yet relaxed scent. I. Love. This. ...Bottle bought.
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Honeyed leather and tonka with clove, champaca musk, and opium tar. Let me start off by saying that Le Rideau Cramoisi is not my style of scent and I knew that going in. I thought I would try something different and it DID NOT work out well for me. When first applied the clove and what I'm guessing is the opium tar (very smokey) are the most dominant. As it dries there is a noticable leather and there is a strong perfumey musk bringing it all together. It's all well blended but it's a very "bad girl" scent and I'm a good girl lol. Literally smells like I spent the night at a bar with a bunch of bikers smoking clove cigarettes in our leather jackets. I had to wash it off. It was just too much for me!
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Daffodil petals and lavender tulips, blonde woods, freesia, and a touch of pale honey. The honey note here is so light and airy, it's downright ethereal. And the florals? So dewy and bright you can see the condensation gathering on their petals. I love a good spring floral, but this? This blows all of them out of the water. I don't know how Beth is able to continually improve upon a seemingly simple scent family, but man, this is worth hoarding.
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I too beneath your moon, almighty Sex, Go forth at nightfall crying like a cat, Leaving the lofty tower I laboured at For birds to foul and boys and girls to vex Edna St. Vincent Millay Vanilla cream, white patchouli, French lavender, bergamot, and apple. This is a lovely morphing scent!! When I first put the blend on, it was very tart/apple heavy. As it dried, it softened into a lovely vanilla and lavender with the apple taking a firm backseat. The bergamot was not something that I detected individually, but I think that too is softening and sweetening the blend. None of the notes end up as dominant, but all ended up in a sweet, comforting "me" smell. Literally, a comfort smell that smells like what I would like my base scent, but better, to be. This was my second favorite from our Lunacy event and came home with me! I can't wait to try it with Lilith's Hair Gloss!!
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White sandalwood, sweet incense, cypress, ambrette seed, champaca, and lotus pods. This is a close to the skin scent. The star of the show is the Lotus and every component adds to it. Very feminine and soft perfume. If you like soft floral scents then this is for you.
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Hinoki wood, grave moss, vetiver, and cypress. lately I'm drawn to scents that evoke forests and wilderness, and this starts out like a fairy tale woods at dusk, with inky, goth, velvety moss-and-cypress branches casting spiky black lace shadows. there's a trace of grit from the vetiver. this wet phase is stunning, gorgeous. dry, this morphs into something soft and gentle, like pale worn suede. throw is gentle and my skin noms this within two hours. eta: it's been over a week and this beauty has upped significantly in throw and wear-length. it's also morphing and shifting in the most welcomed and delicious ways. currently: dark, gritty woodsy open, leaning more unisex aka cologne-like in the dry-down.
