The Tastes of the Duke Were Peculiar

[SophieCedar]

But, in spite of these things, it was a gay and magnificent revel. The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not. It was necessary to hear and see and touch him to be sure that he was not.

The swirl of a thousand glittering vices: absinthe and laudanum, opium poppy and neroli, star anise and black currant, whip leather and iron shackles, gilded vanilla flower and King mandarin.

This scent is WHOA in a great way. Complex, sophisticated, sweet oriental. So deep that it sucks you in. The whip leather is what ties all notes together. Fans of Loviatar should try this. I can't stop smelling it. Its all the opposites: clean, sweet, dirty, leathery, oriental resinous, feminine and masculine, every color under the rainbow... I'm impressed and forever intrigued.

[zankoku_zen]

Absinthe, spices, and leather with notes of vanilla.

 

Okay, so I'm not a fan of leather. And yet, this one is a powerful female blend. Its got some fruity vanilla spice which soften everything, and the leather is soft and in the background. Strange, charming, and very seductive.

 

Medium throw and wear length.

[VetchVesper]

Hmmm.... it would seem that The Duke has a taste for.... gummy candies??  O_o  My friends specified "sour gummy candies." 

 

This smells bright, sweet, and citrusy on me at first, with the mandarin front and center backed by an odd melange of I'm not sure what.  I don't really get laudanum, opium, leather, or absinthe from this, which is what I bought this one for.  I might get a hint of coolness from the star anise in the dry down backed by a tinge of dustiness.  This one doesn't last very long on me.  Two hours tops.  

 

For me this is a miss, but given how many notes it has, and how those are likely to play with different chemistries, I'm curious to see other reviews.  It might be more to my liking with a bit of age.  We shall see....   

[Roogna]

I was hoping for leather (I'm a fan)

but no

 

a very nice mandarin orange, some floral, turns a bit bubble gum later. Low throw that fades after a couple/few hours

[annemathematics]

ahhhh, I love the lab's use of absinthe over dark notes. it's bright without being cloying or shrill.  I agree with SophieCedar's take above. this is a smattering of opposites coming together in a most intriguing way.  I would love to smell it on different chemistries, as I imagine it would compliment different folks in differently fabulous ways.   this would be great on the dastardly rival of the wearer of shelley, byron and keats.

[Lucchesa]

The Tastes of the Duke Were Peculiar.  And somewhat effeminate.  Honestly, I had a hard time picking out any of the notes here except for the mandarin.  This goes on as a bright, citrusy blend, with a lot going on in the background.  I don't get any leather or anise, which were notes I was particularly interested in.  The absinthe and laudanum notes are not minty here, as they usually are on me (not minty is a plus in my book) and the opium reads as a floaty floral.  It would be interesting to age this one and see how it develops, but it belongs in the general category of "too much going on" which is only occasionally a win for me.

[Velvet Lilly]

Exactly what Sophie Cedar said.

I couldn't stop huffing this before I bought it. 

The glitter is softly glimmering, it's not fizzy or bubbly, but in that same champagne note vein.
The leather is the base note. I wouldn't have found it, if I didn't know to look for it in there. 

I love how Fluidly masculine/ feminine this is..... The Duke is  a switch <3 
The spices make the king mandarin stay true and resonant throughout the notes in a luscious gorgeous way.
The florals just dance around the party, flirting but never staying in place for long as the glitter spirits them away.

I love it. 

[mistressfizz]

The Tastes of the Duke were really well blended. I find this kind of hard to describe, but somehow I really like it too. All the notes mingle and complement each other, in a complex scent that's really growing on me. It comes off a little sweet and spicy, no obvious leather note, but you get a sense of worn skin and earth and dark things. There are floral hints, but it's balanced with a fruity tang and never gets heady. The opium and laudanum are sweet but also a tad acrid. Overall, this doesn't smell like any single one of its components, but a really satisfying gothic celebration.