ethaisa

 And here's the last three of the Ode to Aphrodite scents:

KATASKOPIA... tuberose, mandarin, jonquil, black sandalwood, green musk, styrax, hyacinth and violet musk.
HEELLLLOOO tuberose!  This is a big floral, sharp and green. And oddly watery, which I wasn't expecting. The florals mellow and the mandarin begins to hold its own but the best part of this scent is woody resin base (the sandalwood is strong in this one, young jedi).  Too much floral and it goes powdery. Not for me. 

KYTHERIAN... black narcissus, purple orchid, neroli, white sandalwood, ambergris, plum musk, jonquil, thyme, oakmoss & grapefruit.
This is one of those scents I wanted to try just to see how everything worked together. The fruits are the most prominent when wet (and I include the plum musk in this), followed by the orchid. I don't really pick up the thyme or sandalwood. Fruit with attitude, and cold. Just the barest hint of oakmoss on drydown to start to warm it up. Strong throw, and overall a very 'purple' scent and something in here is putting the Soap in soapiness (daffodil, is that you?)

NIKEPHOROS... black currant, patchouli, blood orange, oakmoss, galbanum, benzoin and white mint.
Oakmoss and galbanum may be waltzing in the center of the dance floor but patchouli and blood orange are the prom royalty of this blend. Benzoin lurks near the band, white mint plays the wallflower. Black currant shows up late and spikes the punch. I thought this would be too fruity for me but it grows more earthy in the later dry down and I find myself sniffing my wrist over and over. Quite undecided about this one.

 The Venustas series, A Tribute to William Etty and the Elegance of the Human Form.


FEMALE NUDE, THREE QUARTERS LENGTH, BESIDE HER LEFT AN APPLE TREE... mahogany, rosewood, red apple.
A very well blended scent: the mahogany is glorious beneath a drift of apple. It's surprisingly delicate with hints of rose developing as it warms up. There's a freshness here that plays well with the overall woodiness of the scent. Lovely but not enough that I'd reach for it before something else.

MALE NUDE, ARMS UPSTRETCHED... dark musk, linen and red chypre.
I was ready to like this before I opened the decants, and wow, do I!  A layered musk blend (I'm betting it's red musk holding the base of the chypre). The linen note gives the spice and wood a clean edge and plays nicely with the top citrus of the chypre (I'm thinking bergamot). Decent throw, incredibly drydown and despite the fact I'm brimming with red musk scents already, I have a soft spot for chypres too, so I'm sorely tempted to get a bottle of this one.

MANILUS HURLED FROM THE ROCK... frankincense, leather accord, sandalwood, Himalayan cedar, nutmeg & violet leaf.
Another scent that's right up my alley. Sharp - almost overpowering - leather over warm resins. Then the leather softens into something well worn and brown, and the woods warm up, making this drier and dustier with the spice of the nutmeg at the center of it all. The cedar grows a bit more prevalent on further drydown, with the violet leaf adding a hint of sweetness and the frankincense keeping it bright. This will age amazingly well. Definitely getting a bottle of this one.

NUDE WOMAN RECLINING... calla lily, honeysuckle, Turkish jasmine, ambrette, galbanum, iris and bourbon vanilla.
Loud, heady floral, opening with a blast of lily and honeysuckle, so much so that I almost didn't skin test this. But the other notes had promise, and it does grow creamier and smoother on dry down. The vanilla is remarkably subdued and I get only faint hints of the jasmine. This is a morpher and the final stage is sweet and creamy with dreamy floral hints, but its a long journey to get there and way too floral for me until then.