BPAL (backdated entry)
I got my decants yesterday (March 17th) - I think that my order never came in, so I had to message the decanter for a new set, and they have arrived! However, these are Limited Edition scents and they've just gone down, so hopefully I don't like any of them too much that I have to hunt down someone else's bottle :x
Once again, this entry is backdated, to minimize BPAL annoyance.
The Decants:
Dark Chocolate and Pepper-Smoked Caramel
Milk Chocolate Buttercream
Dark Chocolate and Cherry
Dia
Makhanitis
Eustephanos
Glukuprikos
Pothon Meter
Pontia
(All the Odes to Aphrodite scents and associated pictures can be found here.
Dark Chocolate and Pepper-Smoked Caramel (Box of Chocolates, Lupercalia 2009)
Review: This is so tasty! However, I think the decant leaked or something, 'cause there's naught but chocolate remnants left in the vial. And there's a tiny, delicious-smelling pool of oil left on my bathtub edge, so my bathroom smells awesome now. What little I was able to get on my skin smelled really nice too. It is extremely reminiscent of Mad Sweeney, only more chocolate. Odd! But no complaints.
Milk Chocolate Buttercream (Box of Chocolates, Lupercalia 2009)
Review: Buttercream chocolates are my number one favourite chocolates to eat, so of course I had to get this. It's a smoother, sweeter chocolate than the dark chocolate blends, and it started almost plastic-y, which was a bit uh-oh, but then that disappeared and deliciousness remained. I have a bottle of this along with the Pepper-Smoked on the way :x
Dark Chocolate and Cherry (Box of Chocolates, Lupcarlia 2009)
Review: I was very impressed with this one. I don't have a desire to find a bottle of my own, but I really like how it smells. It's definitely chocolate and cherry, but it's not the usual almond-type cherry that you can get in other BPAL blends; it's much darker, thicker and more smooth.
Dia (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
White amber, coconut, white musk, oakmoss, and tobacco flower.
Review: So lovely, clean and warm. The coconut stands out most for me, but it blends nicely with the other notes. This is what I wish Snow White would've turned out like, minus the cold.
Makhanitis (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Black plum, burgundy wine, sandalwood, and champaca.
Review: Oh my, this one is strong, clearly meant to be used in small doses. But it's dark and purple and really nice. I get the plum and wine most; despite the prevalence of sandalwood in perfumes I still have no idea what it smells like, so I can't pick it out. I can understand the comparisons of this to Snake Charmer, but I already have that one, and I have my ideal wine blend in Head of Holofernes.
Eustephanos (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Antiqued amber, frankincense, pomegranate, myrrh, rose absolute, and bois de rose.
Review: Ooh, this is quite the lovely one. Sort of a dusty rose blend, made a touch sweeter by the pomegranate. A few minutes later, the amber and frankincense come out more, making it stronger than when I'd first applied. Overall, quite nice, and more reminiscent of a typical perfume (without the associated alcohol smell).
Glukuprikos (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Ambergris, pale musk, peru balsam, golden amber, cedar, lavender, spikenard, narcissus, vanilla caramel, white sandalwood, and woodmoss.
Review: Kind of interesting; woodsy and warm. But it seems kind of soapy on me. Oh well, just not for my skin.
Pothon Meter (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Rose absolute, caramel, ripe red berries, pink pepper, Balsam of Peru, cognac, and benzoin.
Review: Wow, this is unique, and definitely peppery. I got more rose at first, but it fades a lot on the drydown. There's an undercurrent of something sweet, but I couldn't tell you which other note it was.. maybe the caramel? It's not my thing, but I like it. The pink pepper does mellow more as I wear it.
Pontia (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Bergamot and French lavender.
Review: Huh. Not what I expected? It's slightly more green and citrus-y than I'd thought. The lavender definitely shines through. It seems like it would work well as a pick-me-up scent, which is odd, considering lavender's usage as a sleeping/relaxing aid. I'm unlikely to reach for this one again, though.
Once again, this entry is backdated, to minimize BPAL annoyance.
The Decants:
Dark Chocolate and Pepper-Smoked Caramel
Milk Chocolate Buttercream
Dark Chocolate and Cherry
Dia
Makhanitis
Eustephanos
Glukuprikos
Pothon Meter
Pontia
(All the Odes to Aphrodite scents and associated pictures can be found here.
Dark Chocolate and Pepper-Smoked Caramel (Box of Chocolates, Lupercalia 2009)
Review: This is so tasty! However, I think the decant leaked or something, 'cause there's naught but chocolate remnants left in the vial. And there's a tiny, delicious-smelling pool of oil left on my bathtub edge, so my bathroom smells awesome now. What little I was able to get on my skin smelled really nice too. It is extremely reminiscent of Mad Sweeney, only more chocolate. Odd! But no complaints.
Milk Chocolate Buttercream (Box of Chocolates, Lupercalia 2009)
Review: Buttercream chocolates are my number one favourite chocolates to eat, so of course I had to get this. It's a smoother, sweeter chocolate than the dark chocolate blends, and it started almost plastic-y, which was a bit uh-oh, but then that disappeared and deliciousness remained. I have a bottle of this along with the Pepper-Smoked on the way :x
Dark Chocolate and Cherry (Box of Chocolates, Lupcarlia 2009)
Review: I was very impressed with this one. I don't have a desire to find a bottle of my own, but I really like how it smells. It's definitely chocolate and cherry, but it's not the usual almond-type cherry that you can get in other BPAL blends; it's much darker, thicker and more smooth.
Dia (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
White amber, coconut, white musk, oakmoss, and tobacco flower.
Review: So lovely, clean and warm. The coconut stands out most for me, but it blends nicely with the other notes. This is what I wish Snow White would've turned out like, minus the cold.
Makhanitis (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Black plum, burgundy wine, sandalwood, and champaca.
Review: Oh my, this one is strong, clearly meant to be used in small doses. But it's dark and purple and really nice. I get the plum and wine most; despite the prevalence of sandalwood in perfumes I still have no idea what it smells like, so I can't pick it out. I can understand the comparisons of this to Snake Charmer, but I already have that one, and I have my ideal wine blend in Head of Holofernes.
Eustephanos (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Antiqued amber, frankincense, pomegranate, myrrh, rose absolute, and bois de rose.
Review: Ooh, this is quite the lovely one. Sort of a dusty rose blend, made a touch sweeter by the pomegranate. A few minutes later, the amber and frankincense come out more, making it stronger than when I'd first applied. Overall, quite nice, and more reminiscent of a typical perfume (without the associated alcohol smell).
Glukuprikos (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Ambergris, pale musk, peru balsam, golden amber, cedar, lavender, spikenard, narcissus, vanilla caramel, white sandalwood, and woodmoss.
Review: Kind of interesting; woodsy and warm. But it seems kind of soapy on me. Oh well, just not for my skin.
Pothon Meter (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Rose absolute, caramel, ripe red berries, pink pepper, Balsam of Peru, cognac, and benzoin.
Review: Wow, this is unique, and definitely peppery. I got more rose at first, but it fades a lot on the drydown. There's an undercurrent of something sweet, but I couldn't tell you which other note it was.. maybe the caramel? It's not my thing, but I like it. The pink pepper does mellow more as I wear it.
Pontia (Ode to Aphrodite, Lupercalia 2009)
Bergamot and French lavender.
Review: Huh. Not what I expected? It's slightly more green and citrus-y than I'd thought. The lavender definitely shines through. It seems like it would work well as a pick-me-up scent, which is odd, considering lavender's usage as a sleeping/relaxing aid. I'm unlikely to reach for this one again, though.