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[noscentsatall]

Smoked Tea and Rose Petals

Oh, geez. They were not kidding about the name of this one, huh?

Wow, so. Right away, that’s a gorgeous rose. Like… it smells like an actual rose, which is not something I usually get from perfumes that are supposed to smell like rose. Whew!!! It is already going powdery, but… you know, I think at this point, I might just have to accept that that’s more about my nose than anything else. I think I just interpret rose as powder once it’s not that dewy, fresh rose. That’s fine. It’s fine. Whatever.

The rose petals are definitely stronger than the smoked tea, but I have a black tea with rose petals that is one of my all-time favorites, and… this does smell like that. So… it’s not totally off. 

I do get the smoked part though. There’s an almost woodsmoke-y scent (I almost said flavor, which… not wrong!) that is really interesting with the rose, to be honest. And… yeah, the rose is weaving back and forth between rose petals and straight up baby powder for me at this point. I guess baby powder… maybe baby powder smells like roses? Is it supposed to? 

Here’s what Nocturne Alchemy says about it:

Tea accord, Black Tea, Tea Rose, Turkish Rose Petals, Peony petals and Wood Ember accord

Okay, so… I’m gonna go ahead and say it: yeah, nailed it. I mean… it’s what it says on the tin. It’s not trying to do too many things, and I respect that. This is a smoky rose petal-y tea-y scent. 

Now… would I wear this? Probably not, but that’s mostly because of my feelings about Smelling Like Baby Powder. Do I like this? Yes! Would I enjoy this on someone else? I guess that depends on whether or not it smells like baby powder on them. I am admittedly curious to see if it’s my skin or my nose that turns rose to baby powder. Or both.

3/5

[noscentsatall]

The Library, Burning Down With Us

Okay, so… I caught a whiff of this in the bottle and my very first thought was, “yes.” So we’re off to a good start. 

Wet on skin, there is a weird tension of like… sweetness and… sour butteriness, but not in a bad way? Is that supposed to be gasoline? It doesn’t smell like gasoline. It’s a confusing smell, whatever it is.

The thing that’s the weirdest here is that… it feels both sharp and very, very smooth. Almost creamy, kind of? Almost vanilla-y? But calling it sweet doesn’t feel quite right. I don’t know.

What I can say at this point, is that this is not a perfume that I personally want to wear. But it’s very interesting, and I think it would smell excellent on someone else. For whatever reason, it’s just not what I personally want from a fragrance for my own wear. The butteriness is a little too much for me.

Here’s what Death + Floral says about it:

Burnt edges of books, the overpowering scent of gasoline wafting around the wooden banister, wax candles melting on a desk.

So… okay, that’s… not a lot to work with. I personally do not think this smells like any of those things, except perhaps wax candles melting on a desk. I could get that. Full honesty, though, I got this perfume for the gasoline and I am simply not getting it. I’m also not really getting much in the way of fire or burnt edges of books. 

There is something very captivating about this scent. It’s confusing in the way that a lot of Death + Floral scents are for me (ugh, I need to get around to finishing some of my old WIP reviews...). As it dries down, that butteriness is fading, and it’s really just a very, very light airy sweet… something. It’s not a second skin scent, but it is… something very, very interesting and pleasant. 

Honestly, it’s very lovely dry. It’s not a simple or one-note scent by any means, but I wouldn’t say it dries down to anything particularly complex. It’s very nice, but it’s not a scent I’d pick out for myself, so it’s gonna go in my “to gift” pile. 3/5.

[noscentsatall]

Laudanum

Okay, so… did I buy this because of my interests in cholera and Oregon Trail II by the Learning Company? Yes. Moving on.

This is an earthy scent, but it’s also very light and fresh and airy in a lot of ways. It… I am reminded of some… it was like, novelty soap that kind of looked like a tide pod, but it was bath soap. And I think it dissolved and maybe there were fun little things in it. I think I was given this as a gift as a child. Oh my god, I love olfactory memory, I haven’t thought about this in at least a decade. Why do I feel like I put it in my mouth? Forbidden fruit…

Anyway, this reminds me of that, whatever that was. I need to have Emma smell this when she’s here in June.

There’s something about it that like… makes me feel like, were I to lick this, it would taste salty. Like, chemical-y, too. But also… salty? I’m going insane thinking about this childhood bath tide pod.

Here’s what Hexennacht says about it:

Opium, saffron, ambergris accord, black currant, plum, bergamot, nutmeg, vanilla, black oak, cedar, smoked patchouli, amber, amyris, black pepper, vetiver, white musk.

Okay, on one hand, this gives me NOTHING because... that’s a million things. How can I possibly track down any of those to this childhood scent I’m trying to place. On the other hand, okay go off I guess?

I’m genuinely shocked that the patchouli isn’t turning me off from this. I... do not like patchouli. But I think it works here in a way that doesn’t... overpower everything.

There is definitely something... soapy about it, but not in a bad way. It smells like a nice body wash. It smells very clean. I... honestly don’t think I would wear this as a perfume because of that, but also... never say never? It sits really close to the skin, which is great for me. The longer I wear it, the less it smells like a nostalgic bubble bath tide pod. It’s a little more Nice Shaving Cream now. There is something decidedly chemical about it, but not in bad way. More in a “I know we designed this to look like you should eat it, but if you smell it, you will clearly understand that you shouldn’t.”

I think there was a little dolphin in the soap pod... like this was the same era as the fish on the straws in Softsoap bottles.

I am definitely going to hold onto it at least long enough to make Emma smell it and tell me what she thinks, and after that, I might try to gift it to someone. We shall see. In any case, not bad, and I got to unlock a random childhood memory. I’d give that a solid 3/5.

[noscentsatall]

Hyrule Castle

Okay, so... I have conflicted feelings about Hyrule Castle.

On one hand, it kind of slaps. I do not like gourmands but something about the almond biscuity scent and the jammy citrus is making me a little obsessed with it. The problem is… it’s so strong. Which kind of works in its favor in some ways; I ended up trying it on after opening my box of Perfumes I Need to Test and being like, “damn, what is that really good smelling one?” and tracking it down to Hyrule Castle, because I guess… I dunno, I guess it’s just that strong compared to the rest of them. However, I… do not like a strong perfume. So… you can see my problem. 

I almost wonder if I should mix this with some unscented lotion or something to dilute it? Because I do really like all the notes… they’re just… oof. It’s too much.

Hyrule Castle very much feels like a daytime scent. The sun is going down here and I already feel a little weird about it. This is a scent to wear in the sun, you know? This is not a scent for the nighttime. 

I just sneezed, so do with that what you will. I’m not sniffing my wrist. I’m keeping my wrist at a very reasonable distance. And I can still smell it. Which is to say, this perfume is… oh, this is good time to actually learn the terms. Sillage? Throw? Which do we think it is… throw? Okay, I looked it up and… perhaps they’re the same thing? Anyway, this is probably not That intense of sillage/throw all things considered, but for me… for me, it is. I simply do not want to smell the thing unless I am actively making an effort to do so. I am aware that this makes me a slightly odd perfume customer in Some Ways.

There’s some sharpness that I honestly thought would fade during the drydown, but… it’s not? Which is interesting.

Here’s what Hexennacht says about it:

Double bergamot earl grey tea, almond-orange tea cakes.

I can theoretically understand that the earl grey is probably coming through somewhere in here, but like... is it? Because the almond-orange tea cakes are kind of all I can comprehend.

Also, I don’t think my cat likes this. So… noted.

Honestly, I just wish this smelled the way it made my box of perfume smell. Alas. Perhaps someone who is into stronger fragrances and/or gourmands would be more interested in this? 3/5.

[noscentsatall]

Lace Draped Spectre

When I ordered this, it was one of the scents I was most excited to try from Solstice Scents. So, naturally, I waited over a year to actually get around to testing it.

It's such a soft, sweet scent. Floral vanilla. Carnation is one of those flowers that I just have always thought I would like to smell like, perhaps because I just inherently enjoy the concept of a spicy floral? Also, I’m a bitch for the Carnation Lily Lily Rose painting.

This feels like the sort of scent that would be too sweet in a warm season, but feels like it would be very cozy and pleasant in winter. It's definitely a sweeter scent than I would usually go for, but that's not saying much because I do not tend to wear super sweet scents. It's very comforting. I think it might be even nicer layered with something a little spicier.

As it dries down, some of the sweetness (almost gourmand but not gourmand, I am guessing vanilla?) fades a bit and it does feel more wholeheartedly floral. Luckily for me, it's not going powdery, although it does feel like it's right on that edge.

This is the kind of perfume that I think my mom would say she doesn't like if I asked her to smell it on my wrist, but she'd like if she caught a whiff of it while hugging me. It seems to sit close to the skin, which is what I want from a fragrance.

Here’s what Solstice Scents says about it:

A hauntingly feminine blend of vanilla musk, spicy carnation and a hint of pink pepper essential oil, rose and white musk. The scent of an elegantly perfumed ivory lace shroud adorning the fleeting image of a mysterious visitor. Spicy vanilla accentuated with ethereal florals. Lace Draped Spectre is sweet, spicy, lightly musky and airy. The rose is very restrained and primarily detected as a top note. The focus on the perfume is the clove-scented pink carnations and a vanilla medley. Contains traces of a lovely Indian jasmine ruh.

In all fairness, I haven’t reviewed any perfumes in a hot minute, so maybe I’m just a little rusty... but also, I feel like I read this and smell it and just go, “yeah, sure.” Like, yeah that sounds right to me, I guess! I still don’t really know what white musk is supposed to smell like, let alone vanilla musk but yeah, there’s definitely vanilla and rose and carnation happening here. I would have liked a bit more of the spice, but I’m not mad about its absence, especially because I could layer more spice on if I really wanted to.

I don’t think I would necessarily full-size this, but I do really, really like it. Am I still doing numerical reviews? If so, I guess 4/5? Because 5/5 implies I’d full-size? Yeah, I guess 4/5.

[noscentsatall]

Dendrophilia

I got this as a sample with my full-size order of Virtuous, which arrived REALLY quickly. 

Here’s what Nui Cobalt says about it:

The love of Trees. Moss-covered deadfall, birchwood and pine, lingering resins and sunlight through the leaves, a trace of woodsmoke, the memory of vetiver and cedar. Wear this evocative blend to commune with the spirits of nature and reconnect with your primal wisdom.

Wet on skin, it’s sort of soapy? But in a nostalgic way, like... it reminds me of a clear soap I used when I was little, maybe? 

As it dries, it gets less soapy and more... Nearly powdery? But not actually powdery. Keaton described it as "like cinnamon without the spice" and I think that kind of captures it. I’m admittedly not very good at picking out woodsy notes from each other, but I think it might be the cedar? 

It's a very cool scent, like walking in nature on a dewy morning. I told Keaton it smells like "fantasy moss." I have zero experience to back this up, but it kind of reminds me of men's fragrances that might have been popular in an earlier decade. It reminds me a little bit of something my grandfather used to wear, I think? But I couldn't tell you why.

Keaton thought it was very weak, but I think it was just a close to the skin scent and maybe I wasn't waving my wrist close enough to their face. It stuck around faintly after washing it off with an oil cleanser.

Overall, it's a nice scent, but not one that I would wear. I actually think I'd prefer this scent as a candle or something, and Nui Cobalt actually does sell it as a candle so I’m clearly not the only one who feels that way!

Rating: 3/5

[noscentsatall]

Virtuous

This was the Nui Cobalt scent I was most excited for because I just want to smell like basmati rice. 

As described by Nui Cobalt:

A restorative scent to strengthen and nourish every aspect of Self. Steamed basmati rice, nutmeg, peach skin, neroli, sun dried teakwood, parchment, and porcelain musk. Wear to support and maintain holistic well-being.

I have great news. IT SMELLS LIKE RICE!!!

It's like, this lovely, soft, bright, sweet steamed rice smell. It's uhhhh.... amazing.

Right away, I feel like I've found my perfect springtime scent. Is my hunt over?

The collection that this is a part of is being retired in the next week or so, and...I kind of want to buy a full size? Is that a wild thing to say when I've only been wearing this for like five minutes? It's just... exactly what I've been wanting from a light, sweet perfume.

It's warm without being heavy. It's soft without being too ethereal. It's bright and sweet without being saccharine. It's... really just very, very good.

I've basically committed to buying the full size of this, but I'm going to force myself to wait an hour before I do.

I lied. I bought the full size and it has only been like twenty minutes. It's just... perfect.

As it dries down, it really becomes the definition of a "my skin but better" scent for me. Like, it's super soft and close to the skin as far as I can tell, and it's just this amazing, lovely scent. I'm kind of obsessed.

5/5. Full-sized within the hour.

[noscentsatall]

Home Sweet Hive

When I was checking out the Nui Cobalt bee collection, I took a risk on this one (which the reviews described as being kind of heavy and maple-y) because I loved the idea of the combination of notes:

A comforting blend for calm contentment. Bulgarian lavender, oatstraw, honey-roasted chestnuts, maple sugar and a scant pinch of lemon zest. Wear for grounding, centering, and to carry sacred space wherever you go.

When my Nui Cobalt perfumes arrived yesterday, I was watching Chicago (2002) and this was the only one that felt “dark” enough to fit the vibe.

The reviewers weren't kidding about the maple. It’s VERY GOURMAND right away. Reminds me of When the Field Mice Move In but not as intense. It has the same kind of french toast vibe.

I didn't notice much of a scent progression over the course of the time I wore it, although it did soften it. I really wish the lavender had come through a little more.

Overall, certainly a nice scent but a bit too gourmand for me. I might see if I can send this to a friend who liked the notes. :-)

Rating: 3/5

[noscentsatall]

Almost Single by Confessions of a Rebel

This is the first perfume I received through a gifted 3-month subscription to Scentbird.

I tried it on right after it arrived, and all I wrote down was, “like Endymion but with a different ratio of notes.” I decided to try it again this month.

Wet on skin, it’s pretty spicy. My color impression of it is orange and dark gray.

Citrus and pepper right away, with a sort of shaving cream scent smoothing it out. Despite not having a ton of shared notes with Endymion, it reminds me of it just as much now as when I tried it last month.

Here’s what Confessions of a Rebel says about it:

You’re living every day like it’s your last - and why not? There’s a spicy recklessness to this fragrance, fueled by cardamom and black pepper. It’s all heat and kinda hazy, as rosemary and violet leaf rise to the surface, followed by smooth balsam and sandalwood. Key notes: Black Pepper, Cardamon, Iris, Clary Sage, Rosemary, Sandalwood

It didn't change a lot as it dried down. Faded within a few hours (although I did kind of miss my arm when I sprayed) and was generally unmemorable for me both times I tried it.

3/5. A nice enough fragrance but I have other perfumes that do this better.

[noscentsatall]

Wish You Were Here by Memoire Archives

A friend gifted me a 3-month subscription to Scentbird for the holidays, and this is the second of the perfumes that I received from them. 

Wet, there's a hefty note of... wet coffee grounds, as well as a very perfumey fresh note. It's not really petrichor, but it is a perfumey interpretation of rain. Very fresh and wet and... in my head, green. 

As it dries down, the coffee ground smell fades really quickly and settles into just a sort of vague coffee-ish undertone that’s floating around but hard to pick out.

Here’s what Memoire Archives says about it:

The coffee is running through a grinder, warm biscotti are placed on the cafe’s counter, a low melody plays on the patio speakers, while warm rain trickles down the striped umbrella you sit under looking out onto the cobblestone streets. Distance is no measure for love that makes us feel alive. Notes of summer rain/ petrichor, toasted almonds, and fresh ground coffee let your love feel closer.

...that description doesn’t really capture what I’m smelling. To my nose, this is more of a warm/woodsy/spicy rain fragrance. Also, I’m not getting any almond notes from this at all. They’re probably really blended with the coffee note? 

This has the potential to be something I’d like a lot, but I think the balance between sharp and soft is flipped from what I’d like it to be. I would have preferred a softer base note with the sharp fresh rain fading away over time. I know Memoire Archives designed this with the concept of ordering your coffee inside the cafe and then going outside to drink it in the rain (because you are melancholy and romantic), and I think that comes through, but… I don’t know, I would have preferred it flipped, I guess! Like, coming in from the rain to get your coffee, sitting indoors while you watch the rainy streets through the window. But that’s just me!

It's a surprisingly masculine-leaning unisex for a mainstream women's fragrance, and with the description, I wonder if they were aiming for a sort of "long-distance relationship, wearing your boyfriend's sweater while you study abroad" sort of vibe. 

Up close, it’s pretty strong and sharp. I’m not sure what kind of throw it has, but I’m the kind of person who likes to sniff my wrist to get a whiff of a close-sitting fragrance, rather than having it radiate off of me, so the intensity was a bit off-putting for me. I washed it off with just soap and water before bed (rather than a oil cleanser, which is what I usually do), and the fresh rain fragrance was still there in the morning, although much softer. A few hours into the day, however, it has turned into... hairspray smell? I keep thinking I’m catching a whiff of hairspray and then I realize it’s my wrist.

All in all, a nice scent, but not a keeper for me. When it comes to cool-spicy coffee based scents, Endymion can't be beat, and when it comes to rain and petrichor, Demeter's Thunderstorm and Dirt both provide less perfumey interpretations that are a bit more up my alley.

I would give this 3/5 stars based on a 5-star rating scale* I came up with yesterday while organizing my perfume spreadsheet.  

I would recommend this perfume to people who prefer more conventional fragrances, but want something kind of edgy and unisex within that market. 

*the scale:

1/5: something went wrong

2/5: not my cup of tea, but a good blend 

3/5: nice enough, but...

4/5: I like it, but I wouldn't get it in a larger size

5/5: I love it and I would theoretically get it in larger size/buy it again

[noscentsatall]

Witch’s Cottage

This was the free random sample I got for telling them it was my first time purchasing from Solstice Scents.

My very first thought after applying it, not even consciously, was "god, I want a glass of warm milk now." And when I say it wasn't conscious, I mean that I literally went to the kitchen and started heating up water to make super milky herbal tea without understanding why until I was filling the kettle. So.

Already, I like this scent a lot, but I can also tell that I already have some other scents that fit this specific spot in my perfume collection. Specifically, I think Hellebore is a bit more what I want from a super autumnal spice-dominant scent, although this is certainly a lot sweeter.

It’s hard for me to pick out individual notes here, which is probably a combination of me being tired and it being a well-blended perfume. Also, I only applied like three very tiny dots to my wrist because I already had a headache. 

Here’s what Solstice Scents says about it:

Upon entering the Witch's Cottage you are greeted with fresh and dried herbs, chamomile flowers, rosemary sprigs, Sweet Annie, Davana and a hint of crisp apples. A warm undercurrent of luscious baked goods, sweet buns and candied pralines emerges and is followed by mild fragrant woods and sweet hearth smoke. Witch's Cottage fragrance is a true journey with loads of atmosphere. On initial application the herbs emerge with the sweet baked goods hovering just below. The apple and herbal top notes (namely the chamomile and Sweet Annie) retreat within a few minutes to make way for brown sugar and caramel heavy baked goods. The sweet note is a collection of a variety of different sugary treats but the overall scent is not cloying - rather a vague, well blended impression of baked goods that adds a rich warmth to the blend. Further journeying into the cottage will take you to the warmest, most fragrant and exotic soft woods touched by a wisp of divine incense and sweet hearth smoke. The long term dry down is that of the woods and sweet smoke and is a very warm, comforting and alluring fragrance. A definite morpher that is also very interesting, unique and complex scent. It wears close to the skin and encourages snuggling into the couch in front of a blazing fire with a great book and a mug of hot cider!

Ohhh my god I wish I had cider now. :(

I’m going to admit that I still only really smell... sweet spicy... yeah, I guess baked goods? I do think it’s getting much more woodsy and incensey as time passes. 

All in all, it’s a very nice scent that makes me thirsty? I think I’ll probably hang onto it a bit longer, but I think I prefer some other spicy autumnal perfumes more than this one.

[noscentsatall]

Manor

I feel like I've smelled this before. Not sure if I keep getting similar scents or what. Getting a vanilla-y, smoky (incense-y?), woodsy scent on application.

Here’s what Solstice Scents says about it:

Manor is the scent of a once grand estate, now disheveled, forgotten and left exposed to the elements. The faint scent of previous owners and their esteemed guests - exquisitely perfumed ladies mingling with the intense rich and musky scent of smartly dressed gentlemen - meets rich wood floors and heavy wooden doors long since opened, decaying beadboard and Wainscot topped off with a thin layer of dust. It is very sophisticated and absolutely intoxicating. Manor is a blend of woody-vanilla musk coupled with an incredible vanilla and exquisite oud.  The scent is sweet and rich due to the vanillas, woody and incensey from the oud blend and a touch of sandalwood.  On initial application and coldsniff, the aloeswood is a little stronger than it is on the dry down. Manor settles down wonderfully. After hours on the skin it does smell much sweeter due to the vanillas, though the woody/incense element is still detectable. Unisex.

After reading the notes, I'm wondering if it's sandalwood or musk that is making me go, "oh, I've smelled this before." Genuinely I'm not sure because I don't remember what anything smells like anymore.

The description says that this scent gets SWEETER after a few hours, but it's already SO sweet on me. Do I amp vanilla, or do I just have different standards for what's considered sweet?

It's a nice scent but it's a little heavy. It has something kind of like that syrup-on-ice-cream scent I was getting from Parlor Trick. Maybe that’s just vanilla? [UPDATE: turns out Parlor Trick uses Manor as a base, so that would probably explain it.]

It’s definitely a cold weather scent. I can’t imagine wearing this in the spring or summer. In fact, maybe if I were bundled up and going for a nice walk in the snow, it would be nice to be wearing something like this to feel like I’m warming myself up. As is, I’m currently under a bunch of blankets and pretty toasty, so the heaviness of Manor is just a little... much. It also tickles my nose a little the more it dries down. Sandalwood?? I don’t know.

All in all, there's nothing truly stand out about this one to me. It’s nice, but I don’t think it’s a keeper for me. 

[noscentsatall]

Jasmine Chocolate Cheesecake

This was a free sample that came with my order from Astrid Perfume. 

Here’s what Astrid Perfume says about it:

Jasmine Chocolate Cheesecake single note.

I am really not a fan of gourmand scents, but I figured I had to try it anyway. In the bottle, it smells sickly sweet and syrupy, but it luckily becomes very nice on skin. It smells like a delicious, rich and buttery cheesecake with melting chocolate and floral notes. I can’t say I would have picked it out as jasmine because I’m not used to jasmine in this context, but... there was definitely a floral in there.

Despite the fact that it was not my Thing, this is a very well-blended perfume that I’m sure anyone who likes gourmands would enjoy! I’m just not that person. 

[noscentsatall]

Six Hexennacht Scents

Wuthering Heights 

Lavender, vanilla, spectral musks, vetiver, tonka, jasmine, tea leaves, oakmoss.

This one was kind of sweet and dark, with a mysterious and earthy quality to it. With my nose pressed right up against the skin, it seemed like there was something off about one of the notes, which I think must have been the musk, but it blended in better as it dried down. All in all, nice, but probably not a keeper.

London Fog

Sweetened earl grey tea, steamed milk, vanilla syrup.

I was a little worried going in with this one, because I’d seen some people online say that it smelled like rubber on them. To my surprise, it smelled like... nail polish remover on me? Keaton didn’t smell it, but I couldn’t get past it and eventually had to wash it off. I don’t know if it was the milk, which is apparently a tricky scent on many people, or one of the other things, but I was pretty bummed out because I love a good London Fog.

Thé Noir

Hex-blend solinote of black tea.

Speaking of disappointments! I was excited for this one because, again, I love black tea! A solinote of black tea sounded like it would be great for layering, or on its own because I’m usually a coward when it comes to the reality of that. Unfortunately, this didn’t smell even slightly like black tea on me. Keaton agreed. It smelled kind of like pepper and powder. Actually, it smelled exactly like a loose powder foundation I used to have back in high school or college. But it didn’t smell like black tea, not even slightly. I caught a whiff of tea leaves once and then it was gone forever.

Poivre Vanille

Vanilla, pink peppercorn, black pepper, amber, cedar, conifers, clove.

This one was nice, but I wished the pepper and clove came through a bit more. I think they came through enough to round out the vanilla and amber into something a little less sweet, but not enough to push through, which is a pity. I can’t really say I was getting a lot of woodsy notes either, but I was also kind of hung up on the lack of pepper and clove, so who knows. I think I’ll hold onto this one a bit longer and see if I come back to it at any point, but I’m not like, head over heels for it.

Bisou

Smeared lipstick and warm, flushed skin: vanilla, orris root, violet, sugar, cetalox, skin musk, and safralein.

Okay, this one is weird. I told MK it smelled like ballerinas making out in the dressing room, but Keaton said it wasn’t powdery enough for that and that’s also right. It really smells a lot like unscented lipstick, or maybe just whatever scent they gave lipsticks in the 90s, idk. It’s extremely subtle on me, a really light, rounded out floral. It’s also got a little bit of an almost artificial smell to it, something nearly waxy or leathery, and I am guessing that’s safralein?? I’m probably going to keep this one just because I’ve never really smelled anything like it and I’m fascinated.

Ambre Blanc

White amber.

To finish this bulk review off, here’s one more French name. This one is just a white amber, but you have to remember that I don’t really know what white amber smells like. My first and last white amber before this was Ghost Fire, and I remembering finding that one nice but kind of eh, and I will say that this is better than I remember that one being. It’s very sweet and summery, like wearing all white and drinking a fruity cocktail in the sun. Something in it reminds me of BPAL’s Dirty. Which means it’s time to let Simple and Clean play us out again.

[noscentsatall]

Embers

This was a free sample that came with my order from Astrid Perfume. 

It’s very gourmand on application. Kinda has that buttery sweet scent that When the Field Mice Move In had. Kind of French toast-y, kind of brown sugar-y. Keaton says it smells like a home decor store, which is not wholy inaccurate.

Drying down, there's like... a honeydew note that’s coming out? Like drinking too-sweet honeydew bubble tea while smelling an autumnal candle.

Here’s what Astrid Perfume says about it:

Glowing pumpkin, whispers of incense, white ginger, amber, turmeric, sandalwood, and nagarmotha.

Okay, so I can only assume that the ginger is the thing I’m smelling that my nose is interpretting as honeydew. The overly sweet, decor store smell is kinda fading in favor of... whatever the melon-y note is.

I’m not a fan of this one, tbh, and it’s Halloween so I really don’t want to waste this holiday smelling unpleasant, so I’m going to wash it off. A very confusing scent that doesn’t really resemble its name at all. 

[noscentsatall]

Gibbon's Boarding School

Wet on skin, it's just SWEET in a very warm, smoky way. Like... kind of leather and sweet spice.

There's some wood notes going on too, but I'm not knowledgable enough to distinguish which ones. It’s nice! A lot more subtle than some of the other perfumes I’ve tried recently.  

Here’s what Solstice Scents says about it:

Gibbon's Boarding School is the scent of a refined institution of higher learning. Feel the crunch of scattered dried leaves underneath your feet before crossing the threshold. Inhale whiffs of embers smoldering in the fireplace at the entryway, begging to be stoked and tended. Walk down well-traversed hallways and trace your fingers along extensive woodwork over a century old before coming to a pause before the grand library which contains many original works from when the school first opened. Vacant leather chairs await tenants at strategically placed tables lit by green glass banker's lamps. Breathe in the faint scent of autumn air permeating throughout the building from open classroom windows. Dappled sunlight illuminates crisp paper sitting atop dusty wooden desks. A pencil case contains a carefully sealed tobacco pouch hidden within. Steal away to the boiler room during lunch for a secret smoke.

Thirty-two notes were selected to evoke the atmosphere of the sprawling brick school. Gibbon's is composed of a variety of woods, leathers, smoke notes, light spices, ambers and vanillas with tobacco, dirt, leaves, black musk, frankincense, moss and hint of apple.

Okay, so... that’s a lot of notes and I guess they are just coming together in a nice, blended way because it’s very tough to pick anything out individually. 

It’s largely faded after a few hours, to the point where I have to have my nose directly on my wrist to smell it, but as I’ve said many times before, this is preferable for me over something lingering for a very long time. 

I gotta go to sleep because it got LATE, but I’m definitely keeping this one.

[noscentsatall]

Fires in the Night

Upon smelling this wet on my skin, I literally said, "OOOH" out loud. It's got this SUPER interesting spicy scent initially. I did just brush my teeth (dumbass move!) and I feel like that's limiting my ability to actually identify any smells. Oops.

Okay, the bad news is that there IS a powdery scent somewhere in here. The good news is that it's not a bad powdery scent. It's almost incense-y but... not quite?

Here’s what Solstice Scents says about it:

Burning desire, feral passion and an edge of mystery churn together in this stirring fragrance. Warm ginger, bright orange, clove, cinnamon, smooth sandalwood, amber, sweet tendrils of wood smoke and a touch of aged patchouli stretch luxuriously over a foundation of our Edge of the Night fragrance. Fires in the Night features a melange of warm spices caressed with wood smoke and paired with a large dose of delicate sandalwood. Additional amber and a few drops of aged patchouli add body while the glowing orange top note compliments the ginger and clove and adds a sultry presence to the final composition. This scent contains so many glorious layers that work harmoniously together to produce an amazing sweet, smoky, smoothly-spicy and rich fragrance that warms the heart and senses. The dry down features warm woody and smoky notes that convey the fires aspect of the scent. The notes in the Edge of the Night base for this fragrance include: amber, oakmoss, aged patchouli, bergamot, black vanilla, red musk, buddha wood, organic clove EO, star anise EO, cinnamon and a nominal amount of lavender absolute and agarwood.

Okay, I can kind of pick out the citrus if I know what to smell for. It’s spicy-fruity in that mulled wine sort of way? Or like that sticking cloves into an orange as a DIY diffuser sort of way? 

I do like this scent, but it doesn’t feel like something I’d just... throw on. This feels like something you’d wear to a bonfire, where there’s already going to be a lot of other rich smoky scents around to compete with it. It’s just a little too rich for daily use, I guess?

Still nice, though!