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juushikaPRURIENCE (GC, Ars Amatoria)
This scent smoulders with a lust that singes the edge of your nerves and leaves your soul chilled: red amber and scorched musk with voluptuous carnation, charred vetiver, sensuous tonka, and orris.
In the vial: Warm, dark, faint, with something slightly plant-like—orris, I think.
On me: A momentary spike of vetiver calms down to—oh goodness, I think I love it. Between the musk and vetiver there's definitely a charred harshness which waxes (sometimes too much) and wanes (more and more over time) but never fades entirely. Beneath it is vanillic amber barely touched by carnation—not unlike by beloved Inez, it's creamy and rich and slightly heady. The vetiver is more distinct on the skin, the amber and tonka in the throw. Musk adds a touch of warmth, powder, and spice; on the skin I get nothing of the orris. Scent-color is smoke-dimmed saffron. Throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: Despite my intital swoon for the amber and tonka, Prurience isn't perfect. The carnation doesn't quite rise to meet the strength of the vetiver, and so the scent is a imbalanced towards dry smoke instead of universal heat and fire. That's too bad, because with more carnation this could be lovely. However, I like it enough to hold on to my imp—we'll see how much I wear it, and how it ages over time.
ETA: Five months after ordering it, and that bit of aging has already done wonders for this scent. The vetiver has calmed and tamed significantly, losing its harshness and becoming smoother smoke. There's still not a lot of spice, but a touch more overall warmth. The carnation isn't as overt as I prefer, but it's more distinct now that the vetiver has calmed. All over the scent is warmer, redder, less harsh. This has become much closer to what it's intended to be: warm, smoldering, but not yet scorched. And it is oh so beautiful. Aging can only improve this blend.
KHRYSEÊ (LE, Lupercalia 2009: Ode to Aphrodite)
Vanilla amber and orange blossom.
In the vial: Amber, sweetened by vanilla, glowing golden-warm. This is like sunlight on skin, a golden fleshy scent.
On me: The underlying scent doesn't change, although it blossoms and warms. At its heart this is amber—not powdery, but rich and smooth and fleshy, almost malleable (think: Jacob's Ladder). The vanilla is part and parcel with the amber, a barest touch of smooth sweetness but not discernible on its own. The orange blossom is less orange and more a gentle glow, like warm sunrays, that brings life and warmth to the scent. The scent is incredibly smooth; the fleshy amber combined with the way that the scent radiates from the skin makes it more skin-but-better than a perfume. Scent-color is glowing amber. Throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: I was expecting the orange blossom to be more distinct, and yet I completely adore Khryseê for everything that she is. If you like amber, you must try this—because amber is the heart and soul of this blend, and the other components provide nuance and warmth. The result is like sun-warmed skin, sensuous and glowing and smooth and simply so beautiful. I get none of the comparisons to Snake Oil; rather, this is like Jacob's Ladder with a soft citrus glow. I am glad to have a bottle, though it shall be interesting to see how this ages (since amber ages so well, but citrus often breaks down). All in all, thank goodness I bought this.
SNOW, GLASS, APPLES (LE)
In Neil's words, 'It smells like green apples and like sex and vampires, all at the same time. (Actually, it smells like sexy vampire apples.)'
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sisterite. Thank you!
In the vial: Crisp green apple, but darker than I expected; just a touch of ozone or snow, something cool and unwelcoming.
On me: This is green apple, certainly, but it's not crisp or cool. Instead, the apple is swathed in something dark which might be musk, grounding the scent—grounding it very deep, until it's shadowed and dark and rich. There's just a touch of snow, enough to make the scent distant but not enough to make it cold. These are green apples, heady, nearing overripe, shadowed by dense darkness which makes them rich and deep. The scent never quite reaches sexy or evil, though it approaches both. Scent color is yellow-green muddied by dark brown. Throw is high drying down to medium-low.
Verdict: This is not at all what I was expecting (which was something more along the lines of a tart, crisp green apple), but it's a pleasant surprise. I have Verdandi for crisp green apple; Snow, Glass, Apples is a deeper, darker, almost threatening take on green apple, and I quite like it. I'm not sure how often I wear it, but I suppose I'll find out—I'm certainly keeping my decant.
ETA: Later on in wear time, the scent became heady, nearing cloying, and made me feel a bit nauseous. Perhaps the throw increased, or maybe the ozone/snow returned with a vengeance. I'll have to wear it more to see if it happens again, but the late cloying stage may make this unwearable.
GREED (GC, Sin & Salvation)
Base and earthy, yet glittering with golden notes: patchouli, heliotrope, copal and oakmoss.
In the vial: Earthy and ... fruity? Honestly I have no idea.
On me: Copal and patchouli, a thick and physical, almost fleshy, scent covered with brown dirt. But there's something more to it which I can't quite pin down—I presume heliotrope, since it's the only note I've never tried before. Rather than glittering, it dulls out the scent. Like playdoh or baby powder, it's flat and slightly gritty and just plain odd. In fact, I get no golden notes at all. This is playdoh and resin and dirt, a distinct and somewhat odd combination which is fleshy and dirty and brown. Throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: Resin and dirt are fine together, and may be lovely gilded as well, but Greed's off note, the heliotrope or whatever it is that reminds me of playdoh, isn't to my liking. While quite distinctive and not entirely unpleasant, this is just plain odd—and so, not something I want to wear or plan to keep.
VOYEURS AMONG THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS (LE, Lupercalia 2009: Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements II)
Soft moss, vanilla musk, and cherry blossom.
In the vial: Very perfumey, but my lack of familiarity with notes like that makes it difficult to say how. It's a slightly sweet, herbal floral—cherry blossom with a touch of moss and vanilla. Not quite commercial, but it wouldn't surprise me to smell this in a department store.
On me: Interesting, very interesting. As it dries down, the scent oses the element which I read as evaporating alcohol and associate with traditional perfume. The notes are still feminine and perfumey, but much more pleasantly so. Cherry blossom is the heart of the scent, floral, slightly fruity, pink hinting at red, a feminine note but not coy. The vanilla is more sweetness than musk, but it may provide the redish body that I sense in the cherry blossom. The moss has died down significantly, and only hints a touch of dry, light earthiness from the background; this may be the reason for the ended impression of commercial/alcohol-based perfume. This a sweet, light cherry blossom scent with just a touch of body and depth. Scent color is translucent, pale dark pink; scent-texture is airy on top and thicker and slightly fuzzy below. Throw is low.
Verdict: As with many of the Lupercalia releases: I'm not quite sure what I think. It's more pleasant than I expected from the vial scent—the drydown does wonders for making it less department store and more, well, BPAL. The airy cherry blossom is lovely with the sweetness and slight body of the vanilla musk. Yet the scent doesn't capture me. Perhaps spring florals aren't to my taste, no matter how well done; perhaps the scent lacks a little character. In the end I have no strong opinions either way, and may trade away my decant just because I don't think I'll wear it much.
This scent smoulders with a lust that singes the edge of your nerves and leaves your soul chilled: red amber and scorched musk with voluptuous carnation, charred vetiver, sensuous tonka, and orris.
In the vial: Warm, dark, faint, with something slightly plant-like—orris, I think.
On me: A momentary spike of vetiver calms down to—oh goodness, I think I love it. Between the musk and vetiver there's definitely a charred harshness which waxes (sometimes too much) and wanes (more and more over time) but never fades entirely. Beneath it is vanillic amber barely touched by carnation—not unlike by beloved Inez, it's creamy and rich and slightly heady. The vetiver is more distinct on the skin, the amber and tonka in the throw. Musk adds a touch of warmth, powder, and spice; on the skin I get nothing of the orris. Scent-color is smoke-dimmed saffron. Throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: Despite my intital swoon for the amber and tonka, Prurience isn't perfect. The carnation doesn't quite rise to meet the strength of the vetiver, and so the scent is a imbalanced towards dry smoke instead of universal heat and fire. That's too bad, because with more carnation this could be lovely. However, I like it enough to hold on to my imp—we'll see how much I wear it, and how it ages over time.
ETA: Five months after ordering it, and that bit of aging has already done wonders for this scent. The vetiver has calmed and tamed significantly, losing its harshness and becoming smoother smoke. There's still not a lot of spice, but a touch more overall warmth. The carnation isn't as overt as I prefer, but it's more distinct now that the vetiver has calmed. All over the scent is warmer, redder, less harsh. This has become much closer to what it's intended to be: warm, smoldering, but not yet scorched. And it is oh so beautiful. Aging can only improve this blend.
KHRYSEÊ (LE, Lupercalia 2009: Ode to Aphrodite)
Vanilla amber and orange blossom.
In the vial: Amber, sweetened by vanilla, glowing golden-warm. This is like sunlight on skin, a golden fleshy scent.
On me: The underlying scent doesn't change, although it blossoms and warms. At its heart this is amber—not powdery, but rich and smooth and fleshy, almost malleable (think: Jacob's Ladder). The vanilla is part and parcel with the amber, a barest touch of smooth sweetness but not discernible on its own. The orange blossom is less orange and more a gentle glow, like warm sunrays, that brings life and warmth to the scent. The scent is incredibly smooth; the fleshy amber combined with the way that the scent radiates from the skin makes it more skin-but-better than a perfume. Scent-color is glowing amber. Throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: I was expecting the orange blossom to be more distinct, and yet I completely adore Khryseê for everything that she is. If you like amber, you must try this—because amber is the heart and soul of this blend, and the other components provide nuance and warmth. The result is like sun-warmed skin, sensuous and glowing and smooth and simply so beautiful. I get none of the comparisons to Snake Oil; rather, this is like Jacob's Ladder with a soft citrus glow. I am glad to have a bottle, though it shall be interesting to see how this ages (since amber ages so well, but citrus often breaks down). All in all, thank goodness I bought this.
SNOW, GLASS, APPLES (LE)
In Neil's words, 'It smells like green apples and like sex and vampires, all at the same time. (Actually, it smells like sexy vampire apples.)'
From
sisterite. Thank you!In the vial: Crisp green apple, but darker than I expected; just a touch of ozone or snow, something cool and unwelcoming.
On me: This is green apple, certainly, but it's not crisp or cool. Instead, the apple is swathed in something dark which might be musk, grounding the scent—grounding it very deep, until it's shadowed and dark and rich. There's just a touch of snow, enough to make the scent distant but not enough to make it cold. These are green apples, heady, nearing overripe, shadowed by dense darkness which makes them rich and deep. The scent never quite reaches sexy or evil, though it approaches both. Scent color is yellow-green muddied by dark brown. Throw is high drying down to medium-low.
Verdict: This is not at all what I was expecting (which was something more along the lines of a tart, crisp green apple), but it's a pleasant surprise. I have Verdandi for crisp green apple; Snow, Glass, Apples is a deeper, darker, almost threatening take on green apple, and I quite like it. I'm not sure how often I wear it, but I suppose I'll find out—I'm certainly keeping my decant.
ETA: Later on in wear time, the scent became heady, nearing cloying, and made me feel a bit nauseous. Perhaps the throw increased, or maybe the ozone/snow returned with a vengeance. I'll have to wear it more to see if it happens again, but the late cloying stage may make this unwearable.
GREED (GC, Sin & Salvation)
Base and earthy, yet glittering with golden notes: patchouli, heliotrope, copal and oakmoss.
In the vial: Earthy and ... fruity? Honestly I have no idea.
On me: Copal and patchouli, a thick and physical, almost fleshy, scent covered with brown dirt. But there's something more to it which I can't quite pin down—I presume heliotrope, since it's the only note I've never tried before. Rather than glittering, it dulls out the scent. Like playdoh or baby powder, it's flat and slightly gritty and just plain odd. In fact, I get no golden notes at all. This is playdoh and resin and dirt, a distinct and somewhat odd combination which is fleshy and dirty and brown. Throw is moderate to low.
Verdict: Resin and dirt are fine together, and may be lovely gilded as well, but Greed's off note, the heliotrope or whatever it is that reminds me of playdoh, isn't to my liking. While quite distinctive and not entirely unpleasant, this is just plain odd—and so, not something I want to wear or plan to keep.
VOYEURS AMONG THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS (LE, Lupercalia 2009: Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements II)
Soft moss, vanilla musk, and cherry blossom.
In the vial: Very perfumey, but my lack of familiarity with notes like that makes it difficult to say how. It's a slightly sweet, herbal floral—cherry blossom with a touch of moss and vanilla. Not quite commercial, but it wouldn't surprise me to smell this in a department store.
On me: Interesting, very interesting. As it dries down, the scent oses the element which I read as evaporating alcohol and associate with traditional perfume. The notes are still feminine and perfumey, but much more pleasantly so. Cherry blossom is the heart of the scent, floral, slightly fruity, pink hinting at red, a feminine note but not coy. The vanilla is more sweetness than musk, but it may provide the redish body that I sense in the cherry blossom. The moss has died down significantly, and only hints a touch of dry, light earthiness from the background; this may be the reason for the ended impression of commercial/alcohol-based perfume. This a sweet, light cherry blossom scent with just a touch of body and depth. Scent color is translucent, pale dark pink; scent-texture is airy on top and thicker and slightly fuzzy below. Throw is low.
Verdict: As with many of the Lupercalia releases: I'm not quite sure what I think. It's more pleasant than I expected from the vial scent—the drydown does wonders for making it less department store and more, well, BPAL. The airy cherry blossom is lovely with the sweetness and slight body of the vanilla musk. Yet the scent doesn't capture me. Perhaps spring florals aren't to my taste, no matter how well done; perhaps the scent lacks a little character. In the end I have no strong opinions either way, and may trade away my decant just because I don't think I'll wear it much.
