Queen Venus with a Hood Striped Gold and Black

[Lycanthrope]

Rose oudh with fossilized amber, benzoin, blackened labdanum, golden myrrh, and dark musk.

Ah, pressure's on!

Wet, this is the dark musks with a hint of red rose. There's mostly the sweet resins and amber, all a deep, thrummy, spicy melange that provides a nice base for the subtle rose in this scent. I am mostly getting a rich, chewy, deep and delicious amber/myrrh base. The rose is just a gentle hint, but it provides a touch of lighter floral in this resinous choir. Worth a try!

ETA: This reminds me of the rose in Elizabeth of Bohemia, but more resins. Also, strangely, the rose amps MORE over time, so different from my first impression.

[LiberAmoris]

One of the hits from my Lupercalia order, Queen Venus with a Hood Striped Gold and Black is resins and rose, resins and rose. Like a snake chasing its tail, they blend together so beautifully that it seems more like some heady single note—like if a rose tree bled golden sap in a storybook. It reminds me a little of my beloved Rose Red...but older, wiser, with more at stake but less to lose.

 

After an hour or so, this is a beautiful rosy amber on me. Definitely a keeper.

[JazzieCazzie]

Decanted an imp from my own bottle bought during Luper update.

 

IN THE IMP: Heavy rose with an oddly fruity note ... maybe the oudh? Is that a fruity wood? It reminds me of a hair tonic my dad used to use.

 

Dabbed on wrist.

 

WET: Rose and hair tonic (this isn't a bad thing, I liked his hair tonic, but I just can't identify the note). I think the musk may have something to do with it as well. Then there is a sweetness which I believe is the myrrh which can go powdery on me on my wrist. And something else medicinal. I like this much more on me than I did in the imp.

 

DRYDOWN: I know it's not listed anywhere in the notes or description and there aren't enough other reviews to confirm or deny but I swear there is fruit in here somewhere. My thought is fig. The more it dries, the more darkly fruity it gets on me.

 

OVERALL: I like this a lot. Despite the fact that I generally don't like fruity blends (and my nose may be totally off base but I swear this is fruity to me), it's very cool and unusual ... it reminds me a lot of Nemesis and Nephilim.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 4.3

[Dark Alice]

Such a pretty rose scent. Too bad the rose (I think this is a tea rose) kills all of the other notes. I can barely smell any of the other notes.

 

Off to the swaps with ye!

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Mmmm.........This is light and sweet off the bat

 

Wet on skin: This is like pure dawn sunlight, with a cool breeze. Beautiful! The oil is dark, but the scent is pale gold. I'm only getting the barest hint of rose.

 

Dried down: As it dries, the rose comes out more and more, blending with the gold.

 

Throw: I'm not getting a lot of throw off of this right now, but it's the fourth scent I'm testing right now, and at least one of the others might be overpowering it. I do keep sniffing my wrist, though.

 

Verdict: **** 1/* This scent is pure rose gold, which I love. It reminds me a little of Copper Phoenix..... but rosier. I really want a bottle.

[OctoberGwen]

Ye Gods, this is absolutely magnificent. I've finally figured out that I really love resins and roses together, and this is a swoon-worthy example of that type of scent. What I am really happy about here is the lack of fruit (I've tried several things in the above mentioned scent family that have plum in them, and that just ruins the whole thing for me.) I'm also glad there is no honey here, which can often turn things cloying.

 

Now that I've covered what isn't here....

 

The resins in this are deep and complex, and not too sweet. Something about the labdanum's "darkened" quality is completely preventing the usual sharpness I get with that, which makes me super happy. The amber and myrrh (two of my favorites) are so delicious, and the musk gives everything a sexy, grounded quality without really declaring itself or taking over. Then we have the rose, which reminds me a lot of the rose in the TAL oil called Love Oil 7...it's just gorgeous. The rose is pretty prominent when Queen Venus is first applied, but it never overwhelms the rich beauty of the resins and it never becomes dewy or green. The far dry down sees the rose snuggling in and becoming much less obvious. This scent lasts a really long time on me, which is a bonus.

 

I really, really love this one. I've ordered a bottle, and may get another before the Lupers come down.

Edited March 21, 2014 by OctoberGwen

[tinyvulture]

A deep orange oil...not a bad note in the bunch...what will it smell like?

 

It's a light, soft rose. In comparison, The Sick Rose is a much bolder, deeper rose note. Queen Venus' rose mingles gently with glowing warm amber, musk, and delicate resins. A subtle blend that stays close to the skin, yet it's a thing of beauty.

[zankoku_zen]

On me, this is deeply resinous with a touch of almost boozy red wine/borgoña on the drydown with a swirl of red rose over it. The red rose note is the apple/green stem red rose note from the Yule Red Rose blends.

 

In alot of ways, this is Behind the Scenes as a perfume - minus the jasmine, and amping up the resins.

 

I'm actually surprised at how much I am enjoy this blend, as neither roses, red wine, nor resins are particular favorites of mine. This is really delicious, and compelling.

 

This one is dark, heady, and mysteriously sensual. This is definitely the siren call of femme fatale (one that likes to drink dark red wine), with her nail polish this deep, velvety burgundy color.

[theseagrows]

this is one of the lupercalias i've been most looking forward to. at first it starts out all amber, oudh and labdanum (i think), just kind of resiny, but not quite as warm as some ambers i have smelled in the past. after a minute or two, the rose seems to peek out, but it's not a velvety rose, but more of a green one. uh oh, something in this is turning quite sour on me probably the oudh or labdanum, or maybe just the rose. rose seems to work very well on me and not so well, but it often depends on what it is blended with, almost as if certain notes sour it up more, and this is what is happening with this scent.

 

after it's been on for about 15-20 minutes, it smells better. the sourness has toned down, and the musk is coming out more, but the oudh is still making the rose smell a bit wonky on me.

 

eta: ok, 30-40 minutes later and this smells really good on me! the rose oudh has softened and it's like a beautiful musky rose, what i was hoping for! i'm just not sure i can make it through that first phase every time, but i really like this now.

Edited March 25, 2014 by theseagrows

[cinnamonster]

It smells like rose but bright and metallic at the same time, the gold part? Not a keeper for me.

[bellumed]

Much as I enjoy the sultry resinous musk going on here... then there's rose. There are very few rose blends I really enjoy (just enough to keep me coming back, of course); it creates an effect that is really more "perfumey" than I like. Oh well.

[MCS4096]

I think this is what I wanted Little Pythia to smell like, but it was too rosey. This is a perfect blend of well behaved rose and resin and musk and a hint of something sweet, almost fruity.

[lucycat]

In the imp: Rose and amber. I can barely detect the myrrh.

 

Wet and for at least the first hour, this is all rose, all the time. Fresh-cut and very bright-smelling. I had hoped for more of a rosy amber than a pure rose, but rose is what I smell.

 

On the second test, about a week after the first, there was a very brief phase when this was wet that I got a woodsy and almost mushroomy note. It wasn’t foody, but smelled like just-picked mushrooms. The woodsiness I can see from the oudh, but I have no idea what combination of notes is giving me mushrooms.

 

After about an hour, the resins come forward, though the rose is still very much present.

 

The final drydown is sweet, creamy benzoin and amber, very close to the skin.

[milo]

Rose and black musk. The rose is kind of sour, but I love black musk and it is very prominent here. Wishing the amber would come out to play, but I don't even get a whiff of it. This is probably one of those blends that age magnificently. If it weren't for the rose, I may have sprung for a bottle. Now I'm trying to think if the lab makes or made a blend with black musk and amber...

[annemathematics]

a beautiful soft rose with musky resins. has a low throw but unlike many rose scents this one last and lasts for hours on me. beautiful!

[Atrous]

Wet: Well hello there Rose! This rose isn't fresh but it's more complex than dried roses.

 

Dry: Rose, Oudh, and Amber are the stars with well blended resins and musk supporting the blend.

Resiny, Rose Musk is how I would describe Queen Venus

Rose is a note that can go a variety of ways on me. This rose has depth and beauty due to the symphony of notes surrounding it.

Surprise hit for me.

[filigree_shadow]

I got this one because I thought it would be awesome resiny musk, but it’s not working for me, sadly. The rose is a lot stronger than I was hoping for, and it smells a little dusty and powdery. I’m glad I tried it, but it’s not for me.

[bulletslc]

This is rose/resin heaven. At some points in the month the rose is too sharp, but otherwise it is blended well into the amber/musk/patchouli. If you love resins and you love rose this is your ultimate scent.

[VetchVesper]

This is very rosey on me, more so than I would like.  I was hoping for a bit more balance between the rose and the resins.  This is also the type of rose that tends to turn sour on my skin, though this one's not behaving TOO badly.  I get a bit of myrrh and the tickle of dusty amber in the background of this, darkening and adding depth to the rose, and I wonder if there's a touch of red musk in this.  It definitely smells very "red" to me.  I prefer the balance in Crucifixion though, where the rose is present, but the resins take center stage.  This is the opposite.  This also reminds me of Importune Me No More with it's very red, full-bodied, floral feel.  Not my thing, but if you love rose, I could see how you'd be a fan.

 

 

[Lucchesa]

Testing blind, I got gentle rose with amber and myrrh.  Think rose plus the amber of Haunted and the myrrh of Sloth.  But even though it's a soft rose, it's really at least half the scent -- the rose, and the resins -- not a sixth of the scent (I know it never works that way, but I was hoping for more resins/musk than rose).  I'm really not getting appreciable oudh, which is iffy on me, or black musk, which I love.  The rose stays true on me, without going sour.  If you love the rose/resin combination, with an emphasis on the rose, this is a must try.