Camp Willow is from the Winter 2018 collection. I picked this up along with a 5ml of Riverside Sleighride, which I will also review soon.
Notes: Campfire, Fir Balsam, Spruce, Pine Needles, Black Coffee, Vanilla Pipe Tobacco, Marshmallow & Bourbon
In the bottle: Distant smoke with a whiff of pine.
Wet: I get campfire smoke, but a distant campfire as though you're a ways off. This is accompanied by a bit of an acerbic pine there. I get the impression of dry needles under foot. The coffee here gives this an earthy, grounded smell.
Dry down: This stays fairly linear for a while. Bacony campfire smoke, but that becomes less harsh and the sweetness of the tobacco mingles with the marshmallow. Another hour or two beyond that, and there is the faintest memory of pine and fir balsam, over the base of marshmallow.
Sillage/Longevity: Depending on the level of slathering, this is medium/high on skin. The campfire note lasts for an hour or so, eventually burning off into the heart of vanilla and marshmallow. This has lasted three or four hours strong so far.
Verdict: Very nice. This is more like a fall scent, sliding into winter for me. Quite lovely though and evocative. Despite the smoke note going a bit bacony in the beginning, the rest of the perfume overpowers this and makes me want to wear it more.
Of course, you might have guessed that autumn is one of my favorite times of year, especially in terms of indie perfume. It was really the first season I participated in, and was successful in finding some really amazing scents that I love. I still look forward to autumn releases, every year, and one of the first that I couldn't wait for was Arcana, as I've come to love a lot of her scents. This was also the first time that many scents were released first through Nui Cobalt Designs, which is a Magickally-inclined website selling talismans, candles, fragrance, etc.
So! Onto the perfume…
I picked up five new bottles and received the 3.7ml free gift for purchasing at least three. What follows are my first impressions and first skin test of these, because I'm impatient. I will definitely revisit all of these in a few weeks' time, but for now, here are my initial thoughts.
Hedge Witch
A delicate, otherworldly blend of labdanum, organic Haitian vetiver, jasmine sambac, the finest Omani frankincense, and essence of wild orange. When I open this scent, I'm not sure what I'm smelling, but I am fairly certain it's the vetiver plus the orange together. It creates kind of a tart/bitter scent. Whatever's causing the bitterness starts to bleed away, and what replaces it is a memory of the orange plus I think some frankincense. It's a bit deep and rich. Over time this starts to actually become a little more tart again. It is interesting how this is developing as my skin heats the oil.
Garden Witch
Her scent is the essence of nibbling on ensorcelled lavender shortbread while standing in an herb garden in the rain. French and Bulgarian lavender absolutes, cool water, cucumber, basil, cilantro, dill, and drenched green leaves. I get a lot of cucumber with dill, as well as the cool water essence from a sniff. It is very green and fresh. On skin, this is suprisingly less herbaceous and is more just a lovely watery green. It's a tiny bit sweet with the cucumber becoming more present as the blend warms. This is much lovelier than I initially thought.
Forest Witch
Blood cedarwood, wildcrafted fir needles, organic black spruce, cypress, pine, juniper berry, and the soft sweetness of tonka bean absolute. In the bottle, this smells very toothpastey to me. A small dab on skin still smells very oddly minty. Perhaps it's the juniper? I don't get forest out of this so much as … minty cinnamon, oddly enough.
Sea Witch
Delicate aquamarine scales and fins mingle with ribbons of seaweed, blueberries, brine, fresh rain, and gently sweet amber resin. First sniff is a briney, almost off-putting blueberry. Honestly, I've gotten tolerant of the brine thanks to Solstice Scents' Sea of Gray, which bursts into your senses first with a heavy seaweedy/brine. This is reminiscent of that though. On skin, it's blueberry with a bit of salt that balances the sweetness. Late in the game, the amber and rain creep in as well. It's interesting, and I can't say I have anything else like it in my collection right now.
Bloom
This is actually a resurrection. Its notes are Madagascar vanilla, tuberose, monoi, starfruit, and vintage patchouli. In the bottle I get the tuberose and starfruit, with the vanilla giving it a wispy feeling. This is pleasantly fruity and vanilla on skin. No patch on the initial application. And the more I think about it, the more I think I like this because of how it reminds me of an incense I used to burn when I thought I was really cool as a teenager, alone in my room. Anyway, the vanilla and tuberose create this fruity and slightly floral cloud. It gets very strong and heady over time. It would make a good summer scent.
The Free With Purchase scent is The Cunning Folk. Its notes are ...The scent of an unread magical grimoire smudged with tobacco and surrounded by offerings of chocolate and golden amber. In the bottle though, it's just straight chocolate to me. Once it's on skin, it's more of a milky chocolate, with tobacco rounding it out, the amber definitely warming it up.
In December 2015, I posted a collection shot of my Solstice Scents rollers, which is below:
From left to right, they are: Buttered Rum Mallow, Snowmint Mallow, Snowshoe Pass, Cafe Mallowmel, Cameo, and Gingerbread & Vanilla Cream. Soon after this picture was taken, I destashed Buttered Rum Mallow, Snowmint Mallow, and Gingerbread & Vanilla Cream. I have kept the rest, and they are among some of my favorites.
Also, my collection has grown into something (almost) embarrassingly large just in terms of Solstice Scents alone. This was in April:
Since this was taken in April, there have been two releases: Spring and then Summer. In Spring, I purchased Gin Flower, After the Rain, Devil’s Millhopper, and Mountain Vanilla in 5ml sizes. For the summer release, the only full sizes I snagged were Cliffside Bonfire and Sea of Gray.
My love for Solstice Scents has obviously only grown; I love the aesthetic of the company and the newer scents that Angela produces continue to impress me. I have found something (or many things) from each release to enjoy, from beautiful and unique atmospherics to tasty gourmands.
It’s probably about time I review some of these, right?
Pumpkin Musk
Notes: Red musk made orange with pumpkin spice, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cake, pumpkin butter, pumpkin custard, pumpkin porridge, and given a golden sheen with amber. This is an entirely different blend from Pumpkin Musk 2015.
In the bottle: Red musk and pumpkin spice.
Wet: The same as in the bottle--pumpkiny red musk
Dry down: This becomes very light; the amber comes through along with the pumpkin, but the red musk is much lighter than it normally would be on my skin (I tend to amp red musk). After about twenty minutes, the pumpkin spice begins to amp, the red musk nearly gone. As usual, I smell cinnamon. This stays really strong for about an hour, and then the red musk starts to creep back in.
Sillage/Longevity: Low/medium. Although it seems to get stronger after the initial dry down.
Verdict: This is okay for a pumpkin scent, but given the stage of cinnamon amping that I have to go through to get to the pleasant pumpkin dry down part, I can pass this on.
For Boris Karloff
Notes: A shifting blend of Egyptian musk, wood moss, copal incense, nighttime air, forest accord, and a gentleman’s chypre.
In the bottle: Woody forest, mostly.
Wet: Forest.
Dry down: This is something almost acerbic in the forest smell. It's probably the chypre, but it smells fresh to me. Underneath of it all is a very nice musk. After about ten minutes, the forest scent is gone, leaving the copal incense
Sillage/Longevity: This is low. It also seems to fade faster than the others I tried in this group; in about one hour, it's gone.
Verdict: This is pleasant, but not for me.
Rat Musk
Notes: Warm musk, sandalwood, pecan sandies, graham cracker cookies because these little jerks keep stealing them in my pantry dammit!
In the bottle: To me, it smells like almond extract.
Wet: Very light on my skin. I can't really smell much except something similar to brown sugar.
Dry down: As this dries, it gets stronger. I smell something more like vanilla sweetened with caramel. This is very sweet, starting to be cloying.
Sillage/Longevity: Medium, although it amps as time goes on. This lasts about three hours.
Verdict: This is extremely sweet. It's definitely gourmand--pecan cookies, but it's pretty linear. This will be a destash.
This was part of the spring release. I was, of course, excited to try new Solstice Scents as I think Angela does atmospherics really well. It was also nice to see her introducing things other than gourmands. I could muse about the direction it seems like she's going, but I'll save that for another post.
Notes: Sweet Clover, Coumarin, Vanilla Musk, Fresh Green Accord, Poplar Buds, Morning Dew in organic cane sugar alcohol
In the bottle: Greenish vanilla.
Wet: This is in alcohol, so of course there's the whiff of that as it goes on. Underneath though is a light vanilla.
Dry down: Immediately after the alcohol has evaporated, I get a very green, polleny vanilla. The green is something I actually have never smelled before, as it is sweetened by the vanilla musk, but it is a poetic interpretation of standing in a meadow in the early morning, dew on the leaves and grass, in a lovely and open field, as though in a dream. Over time, my skin starts to amp the vanilla. I have to say, it's not really a gourmand vanilla, but it's not simple, either. It teeters on being delicious and very green at the same time, if that makes sense. And therein is where this blend turns a bit for me; the green vanilla musk becomes so strong that I can almost taste it in the back of my throat.
Sillage/Longevity: Medium/high for me. This also lasts for about 6 hours, and even after that I still get faint whiffs.
Verdict: Nice and very unique to my collection, but not for me. I think the green vanilla amps way too much and leaves a sort of cottony feel in my mouth when I sniff this. It's visceral, but too much so for me.
Nag Champa Seahorse and Nag Champa Sandalwood Seahorse by NAVA
I have to preface these reviews. I generally dislike nag champa, and I generally really dislike dragon's blood. To my unsophisticated nose, they smell straight up like hippy headshop, and while it's not really a bad smell, I don't really enjoy smelling like it. The association is too strong, and I think that's the way it is for others, too. So folks were raving about these two scents from NAVA for ages. Finally, I gave into the hype and tried samples of them from Ajevie.
Nag Champa Seahorse
Notes: Nag Champa patchouli, sandalwood and dragon's blood swirled into Crystalline vanilla.
In the bottle: The dragon's blood is blended pretty smoothly into the nag champa.
Wet: Nag champa; not so much dragon's blood. The patchouli is there grounding it, and the Crystalline has sweetened the whole blend.
Dry down: This isn't nearly as in-your-face dragons blood as I thought; it is very muted on me today. The nag champa is there, though, softened the smallest bit by Crystalline. Within about 30 minutes, the Crystalline has taken over, mellowing the dragon's blood and nag champa. It's actually quite nice now and not so hippy as it was.
Sillage/Longevity: Medium/high. This stays fairly linear on me, and lasts for a very long time. I went to sleep with it on, and 7 hours later, could still smell it on my skin.
Verdict: I found myself suddenly craving this one day and put it on. It is very strong nag champa/dragon's blood after a time. If you like these scents blended together, this is wonderful. The strength of this, I think, would prevent me from getting a full size of this.
Nag Champa Sandalwood Seahorse
Notes: Nag Champa patchouli, a blend of Indian Sandalwood, Santalum and Australian Sandalwood blended into dragon's blood and swirled into Crystalline vanilla.
In the bottle: Strangely, a much softer smelling version of Nag Champa Seahorse.
Wet: I'm having trouble smelling this wet on my skin. There is a base of vanilla sandalwood, but that's about all I can smell right now.
Dry down: This scent is very muted compared to Nag Champa Seahorse; the sandalwood balances the Nag Champa on my skin quite a bit. There's fluffy crystalline which elevates everything. There's something cozy about this, which is amazing considering I generally associate nag champa with hippies and don't really enjoy smelling like it--this however, I've been craving for the last few days.
Sillage/Longevity: Low/medium. This lasts around three hours, but becomes lighter and softer as time goes on.
Verdict: Ok. This is very nice. The nag champa is really muted thanks to the sandalwood. It's sweet and airy…a nag champa for folks who are put off by super strong nag champa. Just gorgeous.
You’ll have to forgive me; I pulled some of my remaining Cocoa Pink samples from my box to review and photographed them before realizing that a) I’d already reviewed Dracula and b) didn’t intend to review Marshmallow quite yet! So they appear in the image, but are not covered here.
Come Hither
Notes: Such a sexy scent of intoxicating vanillas with a hint of myrrh. This is not a foody vanilla. This vanilla is all grown up and will demand attention on anyone who wears it.
In the bottle: Vanilla…of a slightly generic quality. Sort of like grocery store candles.
Wet: A nice, rich vanilla. I suppose that's the myrrh. It's generic, yes, but the 'grocery store' vibe is sort of gone and I can appreciate it for what it is.
Dry down: This is a vanilla that is a little deep thanks to the myrrh. It's comforting and a bit spicy and not foody at all. It stays fairly similar throughout its dry down. It's really just a lovely, growly vanilla.
Sillage/Longevity: This is medium, staying rather close to the skin. When I put my nose up to it and sniff though, it's deep and strong.
Verdict: I like this a lot more than I thought I would. It's really nice! Rich vanilla.
Naughty Pumpkin
Notes: Coco aPink is the best at “sexy foodie scents”. This pumpkin blend demonstrates exactly why. Naughty begins with two of our bestselling fragrance oils specially formulated just for CocoaPink: Spiritueuse Double Vanilla and our exclusive triple amber blend that we call “CP Black”. We then added some of our “Sweet Pumpkin” for a blend that raises the bar for foodie scents to new heights.
In the bottle: Pumpkins and vanilla. Very foody.
Wet: Lovely spicy pumpkin…It's delicious to me but not overpowering.
Dry down: This stays fairly linear. It's just very nice, familiar, pumpkin spice. I don't get cheap candle from it, which is a plus. By the end of several hours, it's ever so slight cinnamon/cardamom with a whiff of pumpkin on skin.
Sillage/Longevity: This is medium on skin even as it warms. It lasts about two hours until it fades to something nearly undetectable.
Verdict: A nice pumpkin scent; worth keeping the sample.
Orb Weaver
Notes: Dried black tea leaves seeped in searing hot water, infused with chilled milk and sweet amber drops of tupelo honey.
In the bottle: Very strong black tea and cloyingly sweet honey.
Wet: I smell the honey, which makes my mouth pucker instantly. I will say that Sixteen92's honey note does the same thing. On first application, the honey is overwhelming.
Dry down: After a few minutes, the honey starts to quiet a little bit, with the black tea coming up strongly. I don't smell any chilled milk. The honey continues to slowly quiet, but overall the blend is extremely tart. It doesn't get any better, either. The honey is too tart, and the green tea seems to have faded completely.
Sillage/Longevity: Medium to medium-high. This also lasts forever, 4+ hours on me.
Verdict: Destash. I don't think Tupelo honey is for me; there are other blends from other brands with Tupelo honey that go this cloyingly sweet on me. This is just really strong and it's way too sweet.
Tokyo Market
Notes: Children grasp wispy paper cones overfilled with warm fluffy spun strawberry sugar as the sweet aromas of Japanese plum, blood orange, white cake and black vanilla bean infused buttercream icing dance through the streets.
In the bottle: Cotton candy strawberry.
Wet: Strawberry with a little bit of blood orange. There is also a sugary hint of cake.
Dry down: This is all strawberry cotton candy and cake. After about half an hour, the plum and blood orange play more prominently. This has become more a red, sweet candy intermingling with a white cake scent. It reminds me of the dessert--white sponge cake with fruit on top.
Sillage/Longevity: This is medium/high on my skin, and lasts for four+ hours on my skin, very noticeable.
Verdict: This is a decent strawberry candy scent, and very strong. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this one; it makes me curious to try in lotion form, if I'm being honest. Keep.
A Day at the Beach
Notes: White sand castles lace the shoreline, black eyed Susan daisies scatter gingerly among thin blades of dune grass, hints of expensive warmed tanning oil with lashings of creamy coconut milk flow through gentle breezes and the indulgent aroma of smooth Madagascar vanilla beans complete this absolutely perfect day at the beach.
In the bottle: Coconut and a little bit of sunblock.
Wet: The sunblock is very strong, with a small whiff of coconut in there.
Dry down: The sunblock sticks around but it's muted. Mostly, it becomes a coconut/vanilla scent that's very lovely. It's also fairly strong on me.
Sillage/Longevity: This is medium/high sillage on me, and lasts about three hours before becoming just a nice vanilla on my skin.
Verdict: This is decent. I'll keep the sample but don't need it in a full size.
Cherry Cola Float
I got this one because I asked my partner what notes he'd like to smell on me, and he said 'Cherry Coke.' So this one seemed perfect, and I thought it would be nice to have. This was a purchase that was extremely early in my adventure into indie perfumes.
Notes: A frosted glass filled with ice cold cherry cola with waves of sliced wild black cherries and vanilla bean ice cream.
In the bottle: Cherry coke!
Wet: A little more Coke/soda than cherry Coke, but it's still pretty dead on. It even smells a little fizzy!
Dry down: This stays very linear for about an hour and then abruptly fades down into something like a cherry vanilla.
Sillage/Longevity: This remains for an hour and then fades. I can hardly smell it after an hour.
Verdict: Meh. It's nice and mostly realistic to me, but not a keeper.
I’ve been collecting BPAL samples for the last few months thanks to the generosity of swappers and various orders from the BPAL lab. It’s been a while since I went through them and my BPAL box is overflowing. So here are a few reviews of some imps.
Machu Picchu
Notes: Sweet tropical fruits burst through deep, wet rainforest boughs, enormous steamy blossoms, over thin mountaintop breezes, mingled with the soft, rich golden scent of Peruvian amber.
In the bottle: Slightly floral amber with a tinge of I suppose what could be fruit. Reminds me a little of…lollipops. Like a generic candyish smell.
Wet: This is a little more aquatic on me. It's sort of pale, greenish amber.
Dry down: A fruity floral sneaks in. I suppose this does smell very "damp". Really, to me that means it’s a bit heavy. A little musky to me, too. I am not sure I get Peruvian amber. After a while, the greenish impression I got goes away and this definitely turns more golden. After about fifteen minutes, this starts to become powdery. The amber ramps up a bit too, and the fruit and blossoms phase out behind it. After about an hour, there is very little left.
Sillage/Longevity: Medium/low at first. This fades pretty fast for a BPAL scent, and within an hour is mostly gone.
Verdict: Eh, this is ok. Disappears too fast though. My skin ends up smelling freshly washed. Despite this, destash.
Aglaea
Notes: Three golden ambers, bright musk, peach wine and myrtle.
In the bottle: Peach wine that makes my mouth pucker with something a little dark that keeps it from being too light and sweet.
Wet: It's surprisingly amberish on first sniff, but the peach wine takes over completely after a moment.
Dry down: This starts to get more perfumey after a time. The peach wine mellows a bit, fading into the amber.
Sillage/Longevity: Medium/low. This does last a while on me, although it fades to a very low skin scent after the first hour.
Verdict: Nice, but destash. It's a heady peach wine on my skin and while nice, isn't something I'd reach for.
Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo
This is an imp that I see people enjoy quite a lot, but I'd never really gone for it myself.
Notes: No real notes given, but this is the description - Bottled happiness. Helps reverse misfortune, brings light and laughter to even the most troubled and discordant place, and aids in alleviating the stress and discontent that accompanies so many of life's daily trials.
In the bottle: I get something grapey with a slight floral tinge.
Wet: This has gone very sweet, almost like cotton candy or cream soda.
Dry down: The cotton candy/cream soda fades into something a little marshmallow-ish (or plastic…) for me. It's very hard to detect though. Whatever the notes are, they are light and very feminine smelling.
Sillage/Longevity: Low. This only lasts about a two hours on me, fading into nothing.
Verdict: Nice but doesn't stick around long. Will destash.
Aureus
Notes: True, perfect golden light, refined into an incomparably glorious scent.
In the bottle: Something woody/sharp. It's that tang that screams 'BPAL' to me. I could probably pick it out if I closed my eyes and was presented with a variety of scents.
Wet: Sharp at first, and then this settles a little. This is still a little sour on me, but something goes a little indolic on me.
Dry down: Powdery amber, after the bitter edge wears off. It's pleasant enough after about twenty minutes, but very light. After an hour, this was warmed even more, turning into a golden amber. Very sweet, almost foodie.
Sillage/Longevity: Low. This seems to fade very fast, too. It does warm back up around the hour mark, but stays at low sillage. This would not fill up a room but I suppose it could be made stronger if I put it on pulse points.
Verdict: This turns out ok, but I don't like having to slog through the initial bitterness.
Maenad
Notes: Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus.
Wet: I get BPAL's strawberry note darkened with something (orange blossom, maybe).
Dry down: This is BPAL's strawberry note with its sweetness tempered by a touch of orange blossom. The carnation is there too, making this a little more powdery. After about ten minutes, the strawberry evaporates and the orange blossom starts to leak in, along with a stronger carnation note.
Sillage/Longevity: Low/medium. Surprisingly, this evaporates rather fast. Lasts no more than an hour.
Verdict: Orange Blossom is a BPAL death note on me, but it is surprisingly ok here. This is sort of a perfumey strawberry. Rather nice, but again, not something I could really see reaching for. Destash.
This was part of the spring release, and so naturally I scooped up all of the new perfumes. I already had or have experienced most of the other spring releases (Blossom Jam Tea Cakes, Chiffon, and Chantilly Cream, for instance). After the Rain caught my eye because it sounded beautiful and with the weather lately, it is totally appropriate.
Notes: Lilac, Wisteria, Blue Lotus, Rain, Green Accord, Wild Violets, Earth.
In the bottle: Wisteria and something a little heavy--probably the green accord. Damp florals.
Wet: There is that alcohol whiff because this is in sugar cane alcohol. However, as soon as the alcohol evaporates, the lilac and wisteria for me come through the dampness.
Dry down: As this settles, the green/rain scents keep the floral on the damp side. This is very light with lilac after a time. The green continues to come through, with the wisteria and lilac weaving in and out. After about twenty minutes, the lotus and violet come out on me but they're very light. The lilac does waft in and out as well.
Sillage/Longevity: This is incredibly light. Very low sillage. While this does sort of start to get a little stronger around hour two (surprising, given that it's alcohol based), it does fade after that.
Verdict: This is a really lovely, light blue floral. In the beginning, there's definitely the feeling that it's been raining. Through the dampness, though, comes the lilac and wisteria, with a light tinge of violet and lotus. This is sweet but not overly so, and subtle in a wonderful way.
Ok, this was part of an April Fool's release -- Prank-- from this year. It came out along with Lab Rat and a few others. This one intrigued me because of the notes, so I blind bought a full size.
Notes: Fancy salted Snake Oil with a hint of mixed nuts.
In the bottle: I will be honest. At first, this was strong baby diapers. It had some kind of weird… musk (for lack of a better term) that turned me off. I think it triggered a memory from my childhood that instantly made this smell awful to me. Now that it's spent several months settling, I get much less of that diaper-y smell. I can identify the Snake Oil, but there's something almond-y in the background too.
Wet: It's much the same as in the bottle. I guess I can see how people get this as 'salty mixed nuts' with the Snake Oil sliding around in the background. But it still has a bit of baby diaper smell to me and that gross association with my past.
Dry down: The baby diaper smell fades a bit and turns into a less spicy version of Snake Oil. I think the nuttiness mellows it a bit on me. The result is an oddly nutty, brown smell that I'm not crazy about. After an hour or more, there is no real hint of Snake Oil at all and this is mostly just nuttiness and some salt.
Sillage/Longevity: This is medium/strong on me, and lasts for at least six hours, although it does become softer as time goes on.
Verdict: This will be a destashed bottle; I can't shake the negative association. Someone else may like this more, but it's one of the Snake Oil blends that just doesn't work for me.
The Manuscript
Sorry--I packaged this up before I had a chance to take a picture. But this is from the Crimson Peak line, and I picked it up rather cheaply a while ago and then just let it sit.
Notes: A leather-bound manuscript, ink barely dry. A Gothic ghost tale, personified. The pages are permeated with a preternatural, otherworldly quality – but only slightly, as the ghost is a counterpoint; leather and paper and splotches of ink, with a hint of ghostly chill.
Wet: Leather with a slight tinge of ink in the beginning.
Dry down: Like I said above, leather with a tinge of ink. It quickly dries down to a leather, but a soft one. Perhaps like a saddle leather. It faded too quickly for my taste though, and I wished this had more of a paper note to me.
Sillage/Longevity: This didn't last very long on me…perhaps two or three hours. It was medium/low sillage, not projecting very much, either.
Verdict: I decided to destash this because it didn't strike me as something amazing. As far as leather goes, it's nice, but ultimately I think there are less difficult to find and less expensive scents from BPAL and other vendors that could take this one's place.
Julia
Notes: A lighthearted but surprisingly sophisticated blend of white tea, pink cake, bubblegum, tonka bean absolute, pearl musk, blackcurrant, and sugarcane.
In the bottle: I get cake with a little pink something, probably the black currant.
Wet: Pink cake with a bit of bubblegum that gives it a sickly sweet tinge for me. I think that's also the white tea making this go wonky. Reminds me a bit of cotton candy.
Dry down: Pink. Very pink cake. But the cotton candy scent for me remains true; this is a gourmand but it's a sweet, pink vanilla. Frankly, this is similar to other Arcana gourmands/vanillas that I have, but the tea and bubblegum sort of put a deeper, pinkish tinge in this that I do not find particularly desirable for me.
Sillage/Longevity: This on me is a medium at first. It never projects across a room and rounds out a bit as it dries down. It lasted quite a while on me--about five hours.
Verdict: Meh. It's not for me. I have other gourmands by Arcana that I like more. I think in this I was looking for purely cake and pinkishness but ultimately it was too cloying for my tastes.
Swan Musk is a bottle I picked up a while back from someone on the BPAL forums, I believe. It was roughly around the same time I purchased Cloud Musk, Bumblebee Musk, and Paris Musk, and before I really started trolling full time for Bookstore Musk.
Notes: White musk, White amber, Coconut milk, Vanilla, Gardenia, Sugar, Berries, Peach, Violet leaf
In the bottle: White amber/musk with something fruity and a little sweet.
Wet: Pink sugar and violet, tinged with gardenia.
Dry down: This stays all berry/slight floral for a few minutes, and then the coconut milk begins to emerge a bit. Both that and the white amber and musk balance out any sweetness that could be cloying; this is very nice and creamy now. After about 20 minutes, the coconut milk fades again, and I'm left with berry sugar again. The gardenia is in the background as well. The amber and musk make this fluffy, not heavy. For an hour or two, it then oscillates between pink/berry and lovely white, creamy musk. It finally becomes a musky amber vanilla after five or six hours.
Sillage/Longevity: This is very low to the skin when it is first put on. This wafts around for the first few hours and ultimately fades. It lasted about six hours on my skin.
Verdict: This is actually very nice. It's definitely a slightly floral berry musk, but the amber and coconut milk give it a creaminess that works really well.
Mini Reviews - BPAL’s American Gods Waves I and II
So far, there have been two waves of American Gods-inspired scents from BPAL. I've been reading the book and got very excited for the show and perfumes coming out. I jumped on both waves of the release, going in with a friend on the scents. Ajevie, of course, decanted these, and most (except Believe, which was backordered) arrived at my door about three and a half weeks later.
They've had about two weeks to settle, and so here are my early impressions of these. My friend took a few of them off my hands before I could really swatch them, but I've swatched most of them:
America's New Gods - Scorched wires, silicone, tar, chlorine, wax, rubber, and exhaust. I was freaked out by these notes. It’s very … chloriney on first sniff. Mostly, this smells like cleaner.
Becoming Thunder - Skin musk and 20-year aged frankincense, a sprig of asphodel, a spalsh of soma, a lightning streak of sharp ozone, and a stream of ambrosia. This is another scent my friend took from me; it was musky and a little (but not overly) sweet.
Believe - The heart of the land: roots plunging ever deeper into thrumming black soil through the graves of faith, disillusion, and skepticism. This hasn't come yet, as it was backordered. It should be arriving to me sometime this week.
The Best Lies - Sugar-swept honey and rose. Ah yes.. .BPAL honey and rose. Since I amp honey, the honey is overwhelming the rose here :(
Bilquis - Honey, myrrh, lily of the valley, rose otto, fig leaf, almond, ambrette, red apple, and warm musk. This was one my friend wanted. I did not skin swatch this, but it was a warm, honey/rose blend that smelled fairly spicy and sweet to me.
Black Hats - Gunpowder residue, patent leather, pomade, and aftershave. I smell some leather and gunpowder/gray musk. It's not unpleasant. On skin, it's a bit smoky with a sweet undertone very reminiscent of aftershave. After about fifteen minutes, it's strongly gunpowder/leather, which is too strong for me.
The Buffalo Man - Warm dark brown musk, woodsmoke, and deep pools of labdanum. Very dark 'brown' smell, very woody and harsh. On skin this becomes a little lighter, warmed by the labdanum.
Cigarettes and Offerings - Cigarette smoke overlapping with the resonance of long-forgotten incense. There's that smoke note again. It's not really cigarette so much as the unpleasant bacon-ish smoke note I dislike. But it's quieter on skin, with a sweet edge from the incense. After twenty minutes when this warms, it is amping the cigarette smoke now. It's overtaken any hint of incense.
Coin Trick - Glittering gold and silver, rolling over knuckles--concealed in palms--and pulled from the moon and the stars. This is a very bright scent. Without knowing the notes, I might have said it's amber with a citrus element. Honestly, it smells like a man's cologne almost, in the best way (to me). On skin it's bright but musky, if that makes any sense. This definitely has a warm but gold impression to the scent.
Eostre of the Dawn - Jasmine and honeysuckle, sweet milk and female skin. Lightly floral honeysuckle with a milky, sweet musk. This reminds me of nice/high end shampoo or lotion. I will say it leans a little baby powderish at points as it dries down.The jasmine comes out stronger on skin. The throw is pretty strong here as it warms. Now it's more an even jasmine/honeysuckle. Very floral and nice.
For the Joy of It - Whiskey, mead, honey, gold, sweat, and blood. Rather pungent, sweetish. I'm smelling the honey very strongly, and (most oddly), this reminds me of bubblegum and/or bananas. Very odd, and I feel like my nose might be broken except my friend said the same thing as we sniffed this. On skin, I don't smell any of the notes actually in it, but it has a weirdly sweet yet slightly woody scent underneath it. After twenty or thirty minutes, this is oddly spicy--I think the honey tempers the whiskey. I don't really get any 'blood' or 'sweat.
Glass Eye - The depths of Mimisbrunnr: mugwort and frankincense, grey amber, and ash. Bleh. Something really strong up front that smells like cleaner/medicine. On skin it becomes even more unpleasant to me, smelling like a cough drop. I wonder if it's the mugwort. The weird cleaner/medicinal quality to this stays.
The Ifrit - Desert sand, red musk, blackened ginger, dragon's blood resin, black pepper, cinnamon, and tobacco. Very red/sweet in the vial. Reminds me of red gummy candy. I don't really get dragon's blood here though. Finally after an hour or so, the gummy quality/sweetness dies down and I get a red musk.
The Jeweled Spider - Cigarillo smoke, spatters of ice cream sundae, a supersized mug of coffee, a pile of fruit, and a little bit of curried goat. This is weirdly sweet ice cream/coffee. I think… there is probably some curried goat in there which gives this a grounded scent instead of being just pure sugar. It's very odd because this smells like nothing I've smelled before but it's undeniably foody somehow. My nose/stomach is very confused.
Laura - Violets, upturned earth, mothballs, formaldehyde (mixed with glycerin and lanolin, and the memory of the taste of strawberry daiquiris suspended in twilight. A sniff of this is all strawberries with…something… underneath of it. Sniffing closer on skin, there's definitely something underneath of the strawberry, although the strawberry itself is very pure (not sugary at all). After a few minutes on skin, this is sort of medicinal/mothball-y, I think. In about half an hour, this is an oddly biting but light floral.
Low Key Lyesmith - Black clove and cassia flung onto glowing cinders and mingled with slow dripping poisons. I get mostly cinders that burn my throat a little bit. This is bitter and dark. I think this is supposed to be clove, but on my skin it's just extremely bitter/burning ash. After about five minutes, this burn dies off and I can smell the clove a little bit. Then it's just clove clove clove. It's kind of bitter on me.
Mad Sweeney - Barrel-aged whiskey and oak. Weirdly sweet…something. I think that's supposed to be whiskey without the alcoholy tinge. On skin this definitely is more whiskey/oak.
Mama-Ji - Spices, cardamom, nutmeg, and flowers. I didn't skin test this, but I remember it just being very warm and spicy. This is one my friend ordered.
Media - A news anchor's cologne, a soap star's perfume: perfect, pixelated, and glamorous; aglow with cathodes and anodes, coated with phosphor. This actually smells very mainstream, florally and clean, like good shampoo/conditioner. I very much like it, but I feel like I've had many mainstream scents like this before. I see why they describe it as having a phosphorous/glowing quality, because it's very warm and bright.
Mister Wednesday - Sleek cologne, the memory of a Nine Herbs Charm, gallows wood, and a splash of Whiskey. I don't really know with this one. It smells like something bright and crisp to me. On skin it's cologne with a little bit of wood. Overall, this is so soft with very little throw, like the memory of a man's cologne.
Mr. Czernobog - Unfiltered cigarettes, the leather and metal of sledge hammers, aortal blood slowly drying, and black incense. Another one my friend ended up grabbing; I remember this as a pleasant, masculine cologne with a bit of a smoky/incensey edge.
Mr. Ibis - Papyrus, vanilla flower, Egyptian musk, African musk, aloe ferox, white sandalwood. Very light and clean in the vial. On skin, I get a sweet, slight floral with a little musk and aloe. It is beautiful.
Mr. Jacquel - Golden amber, hyssop, North African patchouli, and embalming spices. This is one my friend took. Sorry, but I don't remember it other than it was rather 'brown' and sour smelling to me.
The Norn's Farmhouse - Dusty, ancient wood, horehound and sage with viper's bugloos, mugwort, chamomile, nettle, apple blossom, chervil, and ashes. Apple with a really spicy herb. It reminds me of something I've used in cooking… almost like a pickling herb. I don’t enjoy this, as it's almost … tart and lingers in my nostrils after sniffing. The unpleasantness dies away after thirty or so minutes, leaving something reminiscent of a food cellar.
Search Engine - Dark metal and sour grapefruit creeping over a field of bones. I don't actually have this one in my inventory; I'll have to see if it's somewhere in my bag or if my friend ended up taking it. I remember not liking it though as it was strange citrus over a gray musk (metal).
Shadow - Grey oudh and bay rum luminous with amber. Amazing amber. If Mr. Wednesday is the memory of an older man's cologne, then Shadow is the memory of a new boyfriend's cologne on a cozy flannel. I want to wrap myself in this forever. I actually am ordering a bottle for my SO to wear. It's that good.
Take the Moon - Silvered musk and lemon peel, white fir needle, frosted apple blossom, and mugwort. Lemony, almost in a medicinal way. On skin it's more tart lemon with a very slight apple. Over time, this amps to a pleasant citrusy lemon, very bright. I don't get other notes here.
Technical Boy - Vape smoke and burning electrical parts. It's just what it says it is. Electronics with a smokey edge. This reminds me of Alkemia's Deus ex Machina. Very reminiscent of plastic. The plasticky/electrical parts scent loses its potency within an hour though, and is a little bit of smokey musk.
Zorya Polunochnaya - Pale amber and ambergris, gossamer vanilla, moonflower, and white tobacco petals. Light vanilla. It's beautiful. Hours later, this is pale amber and tobacco against light vanilla.
Zorya Utrennyaya - Sweet black coffee and a touch of ambrette seed. It is sweet coffee without any cream. I don't get any ambrette seed. It's not bad for a coffee scent, but it's nothing unique in my collection. This may have to do with where I skin tested, but this doesn't last very long at all (less than an hour).
Zorya Vechernyaya - Red musk and wild plum, orange blossom and jasmine, juniper berries, sweet incense, and vetiver-laced sandalwood. Sorry, but orange blossom is a BPAL death note of mine and I could smell it from outside the vial. My friend took this blend and I made her open it well away from me.
Bee’s Knees, Phoebus, and Breakfast in Hollywood by Arcana
A couple of posts for you today.
Bee’s Knees
I've been reviewing my winter purchases from Arcana elsewhere, but I can "officially" start with this one. Julia posted the notes description for Bee's Knees on Facebook, and it's what basically drove me to take advantage of her offer to get Vanilla Craves Snow Fairies for free.
Notes: Peach nectar, eggnogg, whipped cream, and sweet rum.
I was particularly excited about the peach nectar note, since roughly that note is what I love about my favorite Arcana scent, Little Man in the Boat.
In the bottle: I get egg nog a whiff of rum.
Wet: Peachy egg nog with spiced rum.
Dry down: This is very strongly peach, and as it dries off, the rum comes through as well as any of the spice in the egg nog. While there's no spice explicitly listed, my skin is amping something akin to cinnamon (probably more like nutmeg, if it's egg nog). In about twenty minutes, this is quite strongly peach nectar. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Possets' Spider Juice, without the darker backdrop of brown sugar.
Sillage/Longevity: This is medium on skin. It goes strong for at least two hours, which is less strong than the Possets scent I have, but still significant.
Verdict: This is nice, but I will probably destash it. I just have two bottles of Spider Juice and this is too similar to justify keeping. I could probably swap this with someone for a different Arcana though!
Phoebus
Phoebus was another Arcana scent that I had ticked off to try. I was attracted by the smoked vanilla and marshmallow, as well as the woodsmoke. So I grabbed this up when I saw a bottle at a reasonable price. Normally, I'd buy straight from Arcana's ebay shop, but sometimes the shipping price (at least $5.50 or so for me) is a turn off if I want just one bottle. The seller I purchased from had this and Holy Terror for a dollar cheaper than the eBay shop, with only $2.50 shipping and so I couldn't turn it down.
Notes: The ancient Greek personification of the sun. Smoked vanilla, sweet resins, red musk, marshmallow, and fiery woodsmoke. A Soap Box Company exclusive scent!
In the bottle: Mostly creamy red musk with some resin underneath of it.
Wet: Musk. Red musk. I think the marshmallow gives this a slightly sweet tinge, and I get a little bit of resin in there too.
Dry down: The red musk softens a bit as this starts to dry. For me, the resin also intermingles with the red musk… this is what headshops and gypsy/hippie shops often smell like to me though (minus the patchouli). I don't smell much woodsmoke or vanilla, sadly. Several hours in, this has developed into a much creamier, marshmallow red musk. I very much like it now.
Sillage/Longevity: This is pretty strong on me, and stays for about five or six hours.
Verdict: Interesting, but I don't think I like 'red musk' notes. It's sort of headshoppy to me, which is something I don't really want to smell like. The end is wonderful but I don't think I want to wait through several hours of dry down/morphing to get there. Will probably destash.
Breakfast in Hollywood
This is another scent that I see many people love. For a while it was out of stock or floating around in sample form only. Eventually, during the winter BOGO sale for Arcana, I picked it up on Julia's eBay site. Why not?
Notes: Juicy pink grapefruit shimmies up against a bevy of California citrus fruits, sparkling champagne, and ripe strawberries. The indulgent essence of breakfast with a screen goddess.
In the bottle: Orange juice. A breakfasty, fresh, fruity glass of orange juice.
Wet: This is now a bit bitter/citrus on skin, more like grapefruit than orange. It has a sparkly tinge to it. I don't get any strawberries.
Dry down: In about ten minutes, this is a bit more creamy than on first application. I think I even detect something musky that perhaps acts as the base of this. In another twenty minutes or so on my cold, clammy skin, the oil has finally absorbed in and started to warm, giving this a darker, but stronger quality. The citrus is pleasantly mouth-watering but no longer quite as bitter.
Sillage/Longevity: This is low on skin for me, but (I think) as citrus is usually found in top notes, that explains why it's so light and effervescent. As this warms on the skin though, it becomes stronger. It's faded within about three hours though.
Verdict: This is nice, but ultimately I don't reach for citrus scents, and it's not a scent where I'm floored enough to keep it around. Maybe someone else will appreciate it more.
Unfortunately, no image for this because I forgot to take a picture before bundling this up and sending it off to someone in the IMAM world!
Clickbait by Arcana was a scent with notes that sounded lovely, and so I ordered it during the winter update in order to get the GWP (Vanilla Craves Snow Fairies).
Notes: An unfortunate fact of modern life. Arcana's Yellow Cake accord with freshly popped popcorn, dramatic red raspberry, sweet strawberry, cream soda, pamplemousse, a hint of oudh, and plenty of hyperbole.
In the bottle: Popcorn and raspberries swirled into cake. It smells delicious and sweet.
Wet: This goes a bit bitter. It's popcorn that fades almost immediately and raspberry on my skin in kind of a juicy way. There isn't much cake here though.
Dry down: After the initial bitterness, the fruit softens a bit and this becomes something very sweet like a strawberry shortcake. This still leans mostly raspberry though still. I'm disappointed that there isn't much popcorn here, which seems to have just evaporated immediately. Instead, there's a fluffy, fruitiness that's darkened by the oudh, which gives it a sort of sourness too. Eventually, this is just sort of creamy raspberry/strawberry, with a slight tinge of cake there somewhere.
Sillage/Longevity: This is medium on my skin. It stays medium and becomes a little fruitier. It lasts about four hours on me and then fades.
Verdict: Nice, but ultimately, I wish this had more popcorn. I'm not really overly fond of simple florals, and this turns into just sweet raspberry and strawberry. It's not very complex on me and goes sour at some points. Finally, it ends slightly desserty. I just won't reach for it much, and so I've already decided to swap it for Smoked Vanilla.
I was doing pretty well for a while, until I pushed my threshold for an “expensive” bottle.
I broke and bought it.
That particular bottle was the one I posted about earlier--Stekkjarstaur by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. Initially regretting the purchase at the time for the sheer luxury of it ($55 for a damn 3/4 bottle of perfume oil? Ridiculous), my guilt actually began to erode as I wore the scent quite often after getting it. It’s lovely.
Since then, I’ve shamelessly hauled quite a few things. They include (just the full sizes/significant ones, for my sanity):
BPAL
Diligent Instruction for the Bridal Night
De Vos’ Unicorn
Blood Kiss
Kitsune-Tsuki
Antique Lace
Decants of all of the current American Gods scents (yes, all of them).
Solstice Scents
Gin Flower
Mountain Vanilla
After the Rain
Devil’s Millhopper
Chiffon (glace)
Shoikan Grove
Blooddrop
Lantern
Arcana
Ghost Pumpkin
Love Her, Love Her, Love Her
Strawberries Crave Waterfalls
NAVA
Ghost Velvet
Honestly, there are probably more, but these are the ones that come to mind immediately. There are quite a large number of samples there as well, especially from Solstice Scents.
In particular, I’m excited about Antique Lace, which is a scent that many other diehard BPAL fans go absolutely bonkers over. This scent, while not going as high as I’ve seen some others, is currently on Ebay for $69. The notes are Nostalgia encapsulated. A soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes. Most all of the reviews on bpal.org are positive, citing this as a vanilla floral. Well, we’ll see! Because I snagged one of the 500 re-releases of this from yesterday.
After this, it’ll be back to the grindstone. My wallet is crying. It really is. Luckily, I’m not really the biggest fan of summer releases. So I’ll hopefully quietly bide my time until the fall releases, and in the mean time, smell amazing.
It's been quite a few weeks since I received my Spring 2017 Sixteen92 perfumes. I just ordered a full set of samples and then set them aside to age, as work got very busy for me.
So here are reviews of the five new spring 2017 scents.
Le demi-monde
Notes: Gardenia petal, Mailette lavender, oakmoss, soft suede opera gloves, chilled champagne
In the bottle: Mostly suede, but also something slightly airy, which might be a champagne note.
Wet: Suede and gardenia and oakmoss. I don't get much champagne here.
Dry down: In about half an hour, this is lovely gardenia and a bit of suede sweetened by the champagne. I didn't expect it to morph like this. I find it rather sophisticated and not at all how it was in the vial. An hour in, and I'm smelling faded gardenia tempered with a tiny bit of suede.
Sillage/longevity: This is strong, very strong, for the first hour or so. After the first hour, this is much softer, although still detectable about five or six inches from the skin.
Verdict: I like this one the best out of all the spring scents. It is different from most things I own and is a non-offensive floral. I think it is a leg up above the others because it reminds me of something that someone in my family used to wear.
Les fleurs du mal
Notes: Jonquil, night orchid, turned earth, cold stone, wild musk
In the bottle: Orchid and a little bit of soil and stone. This is a little 'cold' for a perfume, especially when compared with the warmth of le demi-monde.
Wet: This smells very green on me as it touches my skin, almost like salad, if I take a long sniff. Somewhere in the middle is the orchid and jonquil.
Dry down: After about twenty or thirty minutes, this is soft orchid and jonquil. The earth note and stone isn't detectable anymore, or if it's there, it's given a chill to the rest of the notes.
Sillage/longevity: This is very muted on me, and close to the skin. Within an hour, it's not detectable any longer. I tested this one in the middle of my arm, as I tested others, and forgot I had applied the oil.
Verdict: This starts off okay, but ultimately fades so fast. Because of that, it will be destashed.
In the bottle: Sweet honey, apricot, and the honeysuckle. It makes my mouth pucker a little bit with the sweetness; it's almost like taking a mouthful of plain honey
Wet: Sweet, sweet honey and apricot, almost like it's fermented. This brings saliva to the back of my throat and makes my mouth pucker a little.
Dry down: I was expecting this one to morph, but this stays a very steady, sharp apricot/honey scent that is actually a bit acrid to me. It's not bad, per se, but a bit linear on my skin, even two hours in.
Sillage/Longevity: Medium/high. On me, I believe I amp the honey note, and it gets stronger as it heats with my skin. This stays fairly linear for at least five hours.
Verdict: Linear. Very sweet honey/apricot. Doesn't change much…so in that respect, it's a bit one dimensional on my skin. And I don't love the honey note, so I will destash this.
Monmarte
Notes: Feathered fans, sugared absinthe, silk stockings, faded perfume, new lipstick, warm skin, the smoky haze of hot stage lights.
In the bottle: Waxy lipstick and the merest tinge of faded perfume.
Wet: …Nothing much. Oh. After about 10 seconds of warming on skin, there's the wax scent. But other than that, nothing.
Dry down: The waxiness is odd here. After drying a little, this is the softest old perfume, and only towards the end of my inhale (and very close to the skin) do I smell anything; and then it's the waxiness that hits the back of my throat. Fifteen minutes in, and the odd waxiness has gone away, replaced by that waft of generic perfume. There is a suggestion of something powdery in the background, too, but I'm not sure which note that would be. A couple of hours in, and oddly, it just smells like something I've come to refer to in my head as 'the Sixteen92 scent'. I suppose it's the base used in many of these scents, but I really couldn't tell you what it is.
Sillage/Longevity: Medium/low at first when applied. The lipstick scent sticks around for about fifteen or twenty minutes, then recedes into faint, generic perfume.
Verdict: This is just faint perfume for about three or four hours. It's weird, but I was expecting more atmosphere. All I really get is waxy lipstick, like the cheap kind I used to buy as a teenager when I didn't know that lipsticks could actually smell okay and not just like crayon wax. The faint perfume is all right but ultimately very generic. I do not see myself wearing this.
Dry down: The pepper quickly fades off the top, replaced by what's probably the ferns and a tinge of fresh rose. In about ten minutes, the rose is much clearer and true, as though it's dewey and fresh on a late spring morning.
Sillage/Longevity: This was very close to the skin and was actually gone within an hour.
Verdict: Interesting, and definitely the greenest of the spring fragrances, but didn't last on me long enough to warrant a full size.
Bonfires at Dusk by Arcana is another well-loved scent that I ended up grabbing during a buy-three-get-one-free sale.
Notes: Woodsmoke, sweet beeswax, Oregon lavender, sandalwood, charred juniper, and the scent of swiftly appearing stars.
In the bottle: I get mostly smoky lavender and juniper.
Wet: On my skin, this is lavender and juniper with a touch of beeswax.
Dry down: Within a few minutes, this dries to a pleasant, woody lavender that is definitely reminiscent of being outdoors. Where I've camped, lavender and juniper doesn't usually permeate the campground, but it's not a far stretch to imagine laying out next to a fire in a lovely field of this foliage. The juniper amps for me, tempered a bit by the beeswax. The lavender keeps it from smelling like Christmas, and so all I get throughout the day is a clean, slightly smoky herbal scent.
Sillage/Longevity: This is medium/high. I wouldn't say it would fill up a room, but you can certainly smell it on skin without wafting it around. One me, this is also a scent that lasts nearly all day, still detectable about 8 hours later.
Verdict: This scent doesn't disappoint. It's lovely, clean, and rather deep. I have nothing else in my collection quite like it. While I do wish it leaned a little more smoky (because I love the smell of campfire), that's easily remedied with a layering note. Otherwise, the balance of lavender and juniper on me makes me want to be outside in nature! I will definitely be buying another bottle once I get through my first one.
