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Showing results for tags 'Motherhood 2016'.
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I love this kid. Oh lord, Lilith, you are my joy. You are silly and sagacious, loud and lovely, ridiculous, theatrical, and serene. You possess one of the kindest souls I have every known, and I am blessed by your compassion and your wisdom. Snake Oil, lavender, bubblegum, and gummi bears. I debated long and hard about this one. The notes called to me, strongly. But having struggled with infertility for many years, and eventually giving up, I worried it might make me sad. However, I realized how much joy and love children can bring parents. I see it in my brother, my sisters-in-law, my friends, my coworkers. In Beth!!! And I realized that motherhood, even if I can't experience it myself, is something I cherish and revere. So I ordered it!!! I'm a sucker for Snake Oil flankers. This one is very nice. It seems like a blend of SO with something like Hellion, or Hollywood Babylon, or Jailbait. It's actually more like those scents, with a dollop of SO and a very light dusting of lavender. I'm glad I got this!!!
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Every instrument she touches, she adores. If she had the money and the space, her bedroom would look like a basement storeroom at the philharmonic. I played violin as a child, so when I saw her waving that bow for the first time, my heart grew ten sizes. Of course, she prefers the drums. Bow rosin and bubblegum. I was (am?) a violinist, so this spoke to me. I also love bubblegum scents, but have been hard pressed to find anything that surpasses Lilith's Bubblegum and Roses. Immediately wet, this is a very similar scent in terms of the type of bubble gum - very pink, very fruity, very chewy. I'm not getting much other than the sweet fruit and even the powdery covering of the bubble gum (think... Bubble Tape... original. I can even taste it!) I'm searching for the rosin, but not really finding it... I'm sure it's probably there. I can detect something kind of sweet, syrupy, a little amber-y, tickling around at the edges. It's remarkable how this reminds me of the smell of unchewed gum with the cornstarch powder sitting on top of it... surreal... Even after a good ten to fifteen minutes I'm not getting a big change from the super realistic bubblegum scent. I think the rosin, sweet as it may be, complements the scent so well it's pretty seamless. If you love Jailbait, Courtney, any of those types of scents, Pop!, Lil's BG and R... this is a very good cousin, pretty straightforward, but awesome.
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Daughter of ægis-bearing Jove, divine, Propitious to thy votaries’ prayer incline; From thy great father’s fount supremely bright, Like fire resounding, leaping into light. Shield-bearing goddess, hear, to whom belong A manly mind, and power to tame the strong! Oh, sprung from matchless might, with joyful mind Accept this hymn; benevolent and kind! Lilith making an offering at the Temple of Sulis-Minerva in Bath, asking the goddess to take care of her family. I love you and your huge heart, Lilith. Mulberry and honey myrtle with flax and rosemary. I'm the first to post a review! I received a decant of Caldarium last night. The oil has, I believe, had sufficient time to settle. From the vial, this stuff smells like a pack of Fruitstripe gum and the strawberry-flavored Amoxicillin I used to take for my ear infections when I was a kid, which was disgusting. On my wrist, it quickly loses the medicinal smell. It now smells like Fruitstripe gum after it's kinda lost its flavor. Meh.
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Last year, we spent a little time running around ghost towns in California. There was one that wasnt quite a ghost town, but was it was an Old West movie set that was abandoned. A ghost town of a ghost town? It was so peculiar, and so very California. The three of us made mini movies together in that odd ghost town until it got too cold to hold a camera. This photo isnt from that trip, but it reminds me so strongly of our silly little films. This one is for my little bandit: sarsaparilla, leather, and vanilla cream. Outlaw is made of some of my very favorite notes and lives up to all my expectations of it. In the bottle I get a strong burst of mouth watering sarsaparilla/root beer. The leather note is secondary. Wet on skin: Blast of sarsaparilla with smooth leather underneath it. Vanilla cream in the background keeping it sweet. Drydown: Leather comes forward more. It's a pretty leather note, not overpowering. The sarsaparilla fizzles in the background now, the vanilla cream starts to peak out more. The sarsaparilla and vanilla cream seem to be merging into one. Ultimate drydown: Vanilla cream with leather. I'm actually getting a Love's Philosophy vibe with leather and it's BEAUTIFUL. Definite winner for me and worthy of back ups.
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Passing the time tossing tarot while mom and dad make dinner. Tomato leaf and frankincense. This is almost all frankincense, with a wee hint of tomato leaf as a sweetener. And tomato leaf isn't all that sweet. Not being a huge frankincense girl, but a Tarotgirl, I only bought this for its name. Silly of me.
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I was supposed to be representing Death for our June Gloom Victorian Mourning event, but the Little Grim Reaper kept stealing my scythe. Lilith says this perfume should smell like pretty meat bones, and her translation of that is a musky vanilla sandalwood. In the bottle: MUSK. Sandalwood, maybe. Warm on skin: There's the vanilla! It's still white, musky sandalwood, but the vanilla is stronger. After a while: Cool, dry sandalwood with light musk and white, not-sweet, not-warm vanilla. This is probably the least sweet vanilla I've ever smelled from the lab.
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In June, Lilith was cast as the Mad Hatter in her theater school’s production of Alice in Wonderland. Typecast much? Lilith says that the Mad Hatter should smell like tea (“EARL GREY!”) with honey and cream and lots and lots of cookies. In The Bottle: Cream and cookies! Very light cream and cookies! Wet On Skin: The cookies are showing up a bit more now, they seem to be butter cookies, like the kinds that come in those big blue tins. Nomnomnom! Dry Down: Sadly, I get no tea from this, certainly not Earl Grey, which I'd been hoping for. On the other hand, having a light scent that makes me smell like butter cookies and also cream is NOT a problem in my universe. In All: very low throw- prepare to slather! A light, lovely scent good for blustery fall days and, yes, thinking ahead, I can see wearing this on Christmas morning as presents are being opened. Just a sweet, joyous scent. Love!
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This winter, Lilith tried her hand at embalming, thanks to the British Museum. Lilith says this should smell like blood and guts, but also strawberries. We came to a compromise through a combination of Dragon’s blood resin, myrrh, and smushed strawberries with a little bit of lavender. She sprays lavender essential oil on her plushies every night before bed, so she thinks plush innards should get the same treatment. My first review! In the bottle- Lavender and Strawberry Wet on skin- Lavender! Strawberry, and a hint of dragon's blood peeking out. It's very sweet and a little perfumey. Dry- The resins come out to play, and the perfumey-ness is toned down a little. It's still sweet, tempered by the resins, and it's beautiful! I don't think my half bottle will be enough. A suprise hit for me. Love it!
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O to make the most jubilant poem! Even to set off these, and merge with these, the carols of Death. O full of music! full of manhood, womanhood, infancy! Full of common employments! full of grain and trees. O for the voices of animals! O for the swiftness and balance of fishes! O for the dropping of rain-drops in a poem! O for the sunshine, and motion of waves in a poem. O the joy of my spirit! it is uncaged! it darts like lightning! It is not enough to have this globe, or a certain time—I will have thousands of globes, and all time. Do I take this exact photo of you every year, Lilith? Always on a see-saw, always laughing with all your heart. You are the joy of my spirit, you are my most jubilant poem. Crooked hazelnut and tonka with a touch of cacao and black pine. Wet, this smells almost a little marzipan-y, but definitely nutty. Hazelnut, yes. Like when you're biting into a toasted one and that top crusty toasty aroma. On the skin, whoa, whoa, egads, that nuttiness gets a little cloying, but then it burns off that first topnote and settles towards a more gentle, warm hazelnut aroma. The tonka lends this a sweetness or sugariness which is excellent. Oh. Now the pine comes back a little bit... kind of like the sort in Golden Priapus, so this is not completely and utterly foody. Ah, there's the cocoa, thrumming in the background. This is pretty gourmand, except for the pine, which steers it away from being BPAL Nutella SN. (... yes please). I like this, it's primarily forward as a chocolate hazelnut, sparkling with sugar but a little botanically unique with the pine. Like, chocolate dipped hazelnut crusted pine trees. Over time, the pine fades, and you're left with a pretty tasty desserty fragrance. Mmm. Nutella.
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Damn everything but the circus! A scent for Tom and for Lilith, the Empress and the Hierophant at the carnival: rose, gardenia, styrax, and frankincense splattered with cotton candy and the white glop in the middle of Oreos. In the bottle: Roses and cocoa and Oreo creme. Seriously. On the skin: This shouldn't work, but it really, really does. For ease, I should say that the Oreo creme here really serves to give a vanilla creaminess to the florals. The cotton candy never really comes out to play. The rose takes the lead with the gardenia coming out to play in the drydown. The frankincense gives a very very vaguely incense-y blur (almost not enough to make it worth mentioning) and the Oreo creme sugars out the flowers perfectly. The chocolate is there, but not like Oreo cookie chocolate, more like cocoa powder chocolate. Again, usually not my thing, but this is so interesting and unique that I can't help but like it.
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When Lilith started becoming scared of monsters under the bed and shadows in the closet, wed talk. Id tell her that yes, there are monsters in the closet, but theyre there to watch over you. And yes, there are monsters under the bed, but theyre there to make sure youre safe while you sleep. The stories grew and expanded, and at night, wed say goodnight to the ghosts in the attic, the werewolves in the backyard, and the vampires in the basement. Sometimes, Id forget our zombie friends, and Lilith would take offense on their behalf. We say good night to the bats in the trees, and we say goodnight to the ghost rats in the walls, and we tell stories about what they do during the day when shes at school and Im at work. So, at night, shes snug in her bed, safe with all her monster friends. But then shed have nightmares about rattlesnakes or volcanoes, and while I try to comfort her when she calls out, I know that there will always be something hiding for her, for all of us in darkened corners. All we can do sometimes is reach out to one another and hold hands in the dark. Lilith, theres so much in the world thats gloomy and thick with shadows. I cant protect you from all of it, but the gods know I will try. I will do whatever I can to help you navigate the darkness, and I will be there holding whatever torches I can muster. You are brave and you are strong: you are the wolf, my werewolf, and I know with all my heart that you will always conquer your rattlesnakes. this opens in a fun musky/furry jumble and when it dries down I get a hint of...fruity lollipops? what? yes I do smell of candy now, underneath the nice dark complexity of whatever else is happening.. this reminds me of a lighter cousin to the 2013 yule krampuslaufen.
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My little witch, my little lilt of laughter: this scent is for the sorceress you are and the sorceress you will grow to be. 7-year aged patchouli, red musk, and bourbon vanilla with sweet oudh, hazelnut, amber chypre, leather. In The Bottle: Leather, oudh and a touch of the hazelnut. This is heady, rich. Wet On Skin: The patchouli comes into the room, but not in the dominant way one might expect. In fact, so far, NONE of the powerful notes are dominating. It's really unusual! Dry Down: I cannot believe how well-blended this is already, without needing to sit and age. Normally leather can be a deal-breaker, but the other notes were all so compelling, I decided to take a chance. And I'm glad I did, because this is really quite beautiful. There's an ease between the heavier notes, like the patch and the leather, and they are balanced by the hazelnut and the musk and the vanilla. I can catch glimmers of all those elements, but they blend so seamlessly, that this is really it's own little dream. Beautiful, haunting, and perfect as we go into Autumn.
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Lilith expressing herself at the V&A: cardamom-dusted cupcakes. In the bottle: It's the lab's yellow cake note. That's aaaaaaaaaaaalllllllll I can smell. Warm on skin: Yellow cake and the tiniest bit of cardamom. After a while: Foody, buttery yellow cake and dry, sweet-ish cardamom.
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GOOD FRIEND FOR JESUS SAKE FOREBEAR, TO DIGG THE DVST ENCLOSED HERE. BLESTE BE YE MAN YT SPARES THESE STONES, AND CURSED BE HE YT MOVES MY BONES. For years now, whenever Lilith is in a cemetery, she has felt compelled to leave little presents… flowers, beads, toys… graveside, especially at the graves of long-gone children. This moment was captured at the Collegiate Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon, the site of Shakespeare’s baptism and burial. Soft riverbank soil, winter daffodils, fog-damp grass, curled pondweed, and frankincense. I grew up in Missouri and this reminds me of all of the ponds and forest pools scattered throughout our property. It's cool, chilly water with ice just starting to form, hints of dying greenery and soft, vanilla-sweetened earthiness (like in Death Cap). Holy Trinity goes a little soapy around the edges, and I normally can't stand soapy, but I'm loving this. This really smells like all of its listed notes, and maybe the warm frankincense is giving me that sweet, resinous vanilla impression. Fans of blends like Death Cap and Bayou should enjoy this, but this is more complex, smooth and easy to wear than those blends are to me. This smells very much like fall to me, even though the sweet, airy daffodil should be making me think of spring. I'll be getting a full bottle of this in my next order.
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This spirit shall return to Him Who gave its heavenly spark; Yet think not, Sun, it shall be dim When thou thyself art dark! No! it shall live again, and shine In bliss unknown to beams of thine, By Him recall’d to breath, Who captive led Captivity, Who robb’d the grave of Victory,— And took the sting from Death! Lilith at Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey – one of my favorite places in the entirety of this earth. Piety and intrigue, succor and terror… stone walls and painted glass panels bearing witness to generations of poetry, pride, conquest, and despair: the echoes of the incense smoke of hundreds upon hundreds of years curling around roses and oak branches. In The Bottle: This is...wow. It's got a rose in there, but it's honestly not like any I think I've smelled before. It's dark and dusky and the oak is certainly grounding it, even in the bottle. It's beautiful and somber and makes me want to walk in cemeteries on cloudy days- AND THIS IS ALL IN THE BOTTLE. Wet On Skin: The oak makes its presence more known and the rose takes a little more of a back seat. I'm less familiar with oak notes in the Lab's cannon, but this one reminds me of autumnal days and, yes, crunching through leaves. Unusual for me, but no complaints Dry Down: The rose is in the distant background, and this has become an oak incense - it's crunchy leaves mixed with an incense base. It waxes and wanes, strangely- one moment it's quite strong and the next it fades back. And it's got something I can't quite place...something that reminds me of childhood, though the scent isn't 'childish' in the least. It's dusty and powdery and incense-y and fallen-leafy and slightly musty. I honestly can't decide how I feel about it just now, but it's intriguing enough that I'm going to let it age and check back in later to see what's happening.
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A scent for my bed-headed September 2nd Virgos: lavender for Lilith and amber for Brian. Wet: The lavender that Lilith Loves so much is prominent and I love it too. Dry: Lavender and commercial amber. I don't know if I like this one as much as I like the serpentine. Still on the fence about selling it. *sigh*
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Lilith is already better at knitting than I am. A few weeks ago, we went to a knitting clinic together just to brush up a bit on our skills. Everything the instructor showed her she took to immediately. I, on the other hand, had a bit more trouble. Actually, a lot more trouble. Arachne, I am not. Going to that class with her was amazingly fun, and watching her create brings me unbelievable amounts of delight. This scent is inspired by the colors of the yarns she chose that day: raspberry pink, cherry red, sky blue, and lime green, all swirled with frankincense, black oudh, mallow root, and sweet wooly vanilla husk. In the bottle: This is incredibly fruity in the bottle, sweet and sugary, almost like Skittles (not unlike Bitches Love Unicorns in that way). The mallow root gives a bit of creaminess while the frankincense and oudh. On the skin: The frankincense, oudh and vanilla husk are at the forefront here. It gives the fruit a sharpness, but not an overwhelming one. That original candy sweetness disappears pretty much right away and becomes a spicy, vaguely warmer blend, in a way. However, it does reappear shortly after. It really does make me think of wet yarn and wooden spinning wheels. Very peaceful scent.
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Lilith loves Krampus. Shes loved Krampus ever since she was a wee tiny thing, and every Christmas Eve, she leaves chocolate and beef jerky (long story!) for him alongside the cookies and milk she leaves out for Santa. Last December, Lilith attended her first Krampuslauf at ArtWalk in Downtown Los Angeles. She was overjoyed; she absolutely loves Krampus, and being surrounded by so much excitement (and the strange joy of so many scowling bestial faces, swishing switches, and baskets awaiting unruly children) literally swept her off of her feet. She loved the parade, she loved the costumes, and she believed with all her heart even just for a moment, but maybe forever in her heart that all of these hairy horned beasts were real. Her favorite Krampus one she has known since she was a toddler gave her a card that proclaimed that she was naughty and destined for the basket. Of course, she treasures it. Dark chocolate and a hint of woodsmoke. Krampuslauf came~ It needed a good shaking and likes to separate. At first from a distance I smell like cozy hot chocolate and a nice fire but no, come closer and it's like a dusty bakery got caught in an inferno. After the inferno goes out I now smell like bitter chocolate and smoke. It's fun and if you like bonfire night and the more sweet gorobble, then this is for you. It's sweet and menacing all in one.
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Lilith at the window, waiting for her father. Raindrops and asphalt, lavender, pale musk, and white oudh. In the bottle: Lavender-touched rain. This is VERY subtle and you have to get close and take a big old sniff to really get a sense of the fragrance. On the skin: This turns exquisite pretty quickly. Lavender-touched rain is still accurate, but you can almost feel the rain on the asphalt on a warm day. The lavender extends a sort of wistfulness to the blend, while the musk softens the rain out so gently that it sort of breaks your heart. Imagine rain falling on hot pavement scattered with lavender petals. That's kind of it, but better.
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I believe that its important to commemorate important, pivotal moments in a childs life, and 17 October 2015 marks the first time Lilith really experienced Doctor Who. The episode was the Girl Who Died, and we watched it in a hotel room in Seattle. Lilith has given many other Doctors a spin since that day, but by far her favorite is the Twelfth. This is the scent of room service vanilla ice cream and leftover cake with a little bit of banana. When you sniff the bottle it's delicious sweet banana. On the skin I get banana pudding with vanilla ice cream! It's sooooo good! In the throw there's definitely cake too! I love this! It's so yummy!!
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Several years ago, I went to Stonehenge for the very first time. Walking through the center of the stones was transformative, and watching the sun set behind the stones stole my breath like a cold dagger of joy plunged into my heart. Teddy and I wanted to share that moment – the feel of the place, the enigmatic majesty of the stones, the mist-shrouded history – with Lilith, so we took her there last March. I cannot put into words what it felt like to watch her run and laugh through the standing stones, to watch her skip and laugh and dance through the shadows and sunsets of thousands upon thousands of years. Wiltshire’s burnt-tip orchids, a scattering of dandelions, crushed grass, wild daffodil, and chips of fog-wet bluestone. Smells like wet grass in the bottle. Oh, and then on, there's the dandelion sap, milky, blending with the grass to lend the immediacy of FIELD: VERSION SPRING, WET. Wow, this is like, catch a football, have terrible grass-stains, realistic. The florals are probably quietly present lending a hint of sweetness to the leafiness. This is not like, heady orchid floral, but just a subtle background mellow kiss of something light and pollen-y. The stone is not terribly potent, so not like mineral 'Black Opal' strength, but likely present lending a bit of stoic base to the overall scent. This is like a more leaf/grass-forward 'Summoning Stone Play Structure.' Excellent if you love grass and field and natural notes. So very green! I'd whip this one out in early summer to run around with.
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Let’s be real: I just wanted an excuse to make a scent inspired by this photo. Lilith and I have incredibly similar senses of humor, full of fart jokes and gross outs and vulgarity. I love her belly laugh, I love how weird and surreal she is. I love that her jokes fall in a strange void somewhere between Harpo Marx, Deadpool, and Andy Kaufman with a huge helping of knock knock jokes that make no sense at all. I love that she and I laugh at so many of the same things, and I love that she and I sometimes laugh together until we’re crying and cramping. This scent is a ridiculous mélange of blue cotton candy, strawberry marshmallows, and whipped cream with sprinkles. This scent was mostly a sweet strawberry candy scent on me. In the dry down a little of the marshmallow came out and I definitely get whiffs of cotton candy too. No sprinkles really. It had light throw and not much staying power.
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An odd mix of salted popcorn, butter, clove, and a few drops of stage blood. In The Bottle: Salty, buttery popcorn! Seriously, it's like being in a movie theater lobby! Wet On Skin: The stage blood is peeking out now, smelling a wee bit like candy syrup of some kind (no surprise there!) but the buttery popcorn is still dominant. Dry Down: This. Is. So. Delicious! I'm a long-time fan of the Lab's popcorn note, as I hoard Shill. This is more subtle than Shill, though. The corn is still very present, but it's mixed with the blood and the clove to make something that is surprisingly subtle, very close to the skin, and foodie but without being over the top. In All: Low throw, a yummy subtle skin scent, it's got a 'warm, cozy' vibe, slightly similar to Hod, but with a homey character all its own. I love it!
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Mod Note: This topic name will remain 'San Cristóbal de la Habana', despite the post-release provisional name change on BPAL.com to 'A Perfume That Tells a Story About My Daughter But Had a Name That Made Our Payment Processors All Feisty and Stuff So Now We Have To Change It and This is the New Name Yay'. Cubas white ginger blossoms, guava pulp, and mango with a touch of white tobacco and sea salt. Wet, this is warm, white, sweet ginger lilies. I have some 10% diluted white ginger lily essential oil, and that is a glorious top note. I have come to realize that the current sea salt version that is being used in some of the more recent aquatic/oceanic scents, reads to me as 'warm tortilla chips and salt,' which may just be the unfortunate behavior of my skin. After the oil is on my skin the ginger lily note recedes and gives way to the more interesting warm saltiness. This is significantly less fruity than I expected it to be, as I'm looking for the mango and the guava, and mostly getting a gentle, spicy tropical 'pulpy' note, without the abject ferociousness of artificial mango/guava 'fragrance,' This is good, but I'm surprised that what I thought would be a fruit-heavy scent is more a close to the skin, spicy, warm tropical 'haze' or 'aura.' The white tobacco is not terribly potent but I've only had experience with the darker tobaccos, I'm terrible at identifying the white version (was it in... some Moth?). All in all, definitely not fruity. A warm scent, close to the skin. Somewhat salty, tropical, with the sea salt note that sometimes does a little tortilla moment, but in the end lends a salt-kissed skin type of scent. Fruits in the background, present to give a bit more tropical feel. This is walking down a boulevard with all the commingled scents of a city, the ocean, the markets, all around.
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In life, she was Amelia Goyri de Adot. She was promised into a loveless betrothal, but through patience, guile, and the strength of her devotion, she was able to repeatedly postpone the marriage until the death of her father, upon which she was free to marry the man she truly loved. Tragically, her joy was short-lived: on May 3rd, 1903, both Amelia and her son died during childbirth, and she was laid to rest in the Havanas sprawling necropolis with her son resting at her feet. Day after day, year after year, Amelias heartbroken husband visited their grave. He would knock three times, screaming, Wake, Amelia! Wake! In his grief, he could not bear to turn away from her, so when he was forced to leave by exhaustion or circumstance, he would walk backwards until he left the cemetery, always keeping his eyes on the grave of his wife and son. For seventeen years, he came to the grave daily, his heart wracked with anguish. Many years later, Amelias remains were exhumed, and witnesses saw that not only were the bodies perfectly preserved, but the infant child now rested in his mothers arms: a miraculous symbol of eternal love. To this day, pilgrims visit La Milagrosa to pray for her intercession, asking that she watch over, bless, and protect children and loving couples. Lilith paying her respects at the tomb of La Milagrosa, Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón: clusters of mariposa and mahoe, sprays of black orchid, loves red roses, and a thin drift of cigar smoke. bold bright syrupy floral. LM conveys both a sense of fun but also something elegant and regal. Big throw. The cigar smoke is light, delicate. the flowers remind me a little of heirophant and empress--rose + POW-- without the herbs and resins. the smoke is similar to that in dia de los meurtos: ethereal, wispy, a part of the offering, adding grace and depth (this ain't the big tobacco of In Time of Plague). as someone who doesn't like breathing real tobacco smoke, while this evokes said smoke, it isn't unpleasant at all. this feels like a monumental floral ofrenda. Intriguing. I like it, but don't know if it's really my style.
