Testing bpals...
My Lupercalia decants arrived yesterday, so now I have to snif and test and decide which ones (if any) I want bottles of, and before next Monday, too. I'm going to start with the most likely candidates in the Ode to Aphrodite series and add the others in as I get to them. So here goes...
ANTHEIA... grandiflorum jasmine, damask rose, ylang ylang, gardenia, sweetbriar and apple blossom dusted by golden amber.
I usually love jasmine-rose blends but the ylang ylang kills the rose in this one, and there's only a hint of gardenia. The apple blossom has fled for the hillls and the amber drifts aimlessly about in the drydown and it becomes clear to me once more that grandiflorum is my least favourite jasmine. Overall a big floral that's heady in all the wrong ways.
APATOUROS... black fig, green tea, opoponax, ciste absolute, myrrh, carnation, nutmeg & Brazilian vetiver.
This starts off all fig and green tea underlain with smoky spicy carnation. The fig doesn't stick around long on my skin, but the tea does (WIN! as far as I'm concerned) the myrrh adds sweet depth to everything on the drydown. A dark, mysterious scent, but it's not cloying at all. It didn't last long on my skin (unusual with resins) but its lovely and I don't really have anything quite like it. Possible bottle contender.
KYPRIS... peru balsam, vanilla bean, Rainier cherry, bitter almond, golden honey, rose water, lemon peel, sugar cane & benzoin.
This could have been overly sweet, even candy-like, but the benzoin and balsam hold the sweetness in check while the vanilla warms up. Once dry on the skin the sweet is nicely balanced by hints of tart lemon and sharper almond, but the vanilla remains prevalent and I only pick up the faintest touch of rose water in the mix. A light, creamy skin scent.
ANTHEIA... grandiflorum jasmine, damask rose, ylang ylang, gardenia, sweetbriar and apple blossom dusted by golden amber.
I usually love jasmine-rose blends but the ylang ylang kills the rose in this one, and there's only a hint of gardenia. The apple blossom has fled for the hillls and the amber drifts aimlessly about in the drydown and it becomes clear to me once more that grandiflorum is my least favourite jasmine. Overall a big floral that's heady in all the wrong ways.
APATOUROS... black fig, green tea, opoponax, ciste absolute, myrrh, carnation, nutmeg & Brazilian vetiver.
This starts off all fig and green tea underlain with smoky spicy carnation. The fig doesn't stick around long on my skin, but the tea does (WIN! as far as I'm concerned) the myrrh adds sweet depth to everything on the drydown. A dark, mysterious scent, but it's not cloying at all. It didn't last long on my skin (unusual with resins) but its lovely and I don't really have anything quite like it. Possible bottle contender.
KYPRIS... peru balsam, vanilla bean, Rainier cherry, bitter almond, golden honey, rose water, lemon peel, sugar cane & benzoin.
This could have been overly sweet, even candy-like, but the benzoin and balsam hold the sweetness in check while the vanilla warms up. Once dry on the skin the sweet is nicely balanced by hints of tart lemon and sharper almond, but the vanilla remains prevalent and I only pick up the faintest touch of rose water in the mix. A light, creamy skin scent.