Another custom perfume review, courtesy of inspiration from the Rotten Raccoons discord server. So, here's a rollerball of a perfume based on Cirrus from Obscura. If you don't know who he is, I will say a little in the Inspiration section below.
Inspiration: Cirrus, from the visual novel Obscura. This guy is the priest of the lunar temple and also a major freak (semi-affectionate). The devs have stated that this man smells like incense, candlewax, and clean cotton, so checked those off the list. I also added what seems to be a favorite flower/herb of his: lavender. The moonflower nectar is something to represent the lunar temple along with his penchant for poison-making, the leather is for his interest in BDSM, and the tonka bean and cocobolo wood are to add a pleasant woodsiness in there. I kind of wanted to make it something that fits the charming front he puts on for his congregation while also matching up with details of him.
Cursory Sniff: Sweet, like honeyed flowers. I'm pretty sure I'm catching a combo of the beeswax, lavender, and moonflower nectar notes. I'm intrigued on how this will go.
Wearing: I don't entirely know how to describe it, since the notes are blending together fairly well. It's like honey and flowers, but I can smell those other notes beneath it- especially the leather and rosewood (definitely the cocobolo). Maybe a smidge of the cotton? I think it's very pretty and I'm glad it's not too sweet, since I didn't know what to expect from moonflower nectar (other than it being sweeter than the flower itself).
About an Hour Later: I think it's shifted more into the frankincense and myrrh (not as familiar with myrrh, admittedly). Think I'm still getting the beeswax, leather, and more woodsy notes; it's just a bit less floral now. It's pretty good, particularly if you don't mind a church aesthetic.
To go with the announcement for more beta testers for the demo of Online Obsession, I thought I should post the custom perfume I ordered from Lovesick Witchery that I based on Adisorn Moore. It smells pretty good (testing it today, though I had just gotten it yesterday).
There are tons of interesting notes to choose from, but I ended up settling on strawberry and cream for his choice to main Strawberry Paws in Star Blitz, pandan leaves for his heritage, sweater accord for the coziness, tobacco for his smoking habit (I'm sorry, but I refuse to go full cigarette smoke), night air and snow musk for the winter season and snow themes, and steel... just because. >:3c
Here's the other character-based custom for the moment. This one is My Sweet Housemate, based on Seung-Min from My Sweet! Housemate by @sourmiiiilk
As with the previous review, the notes and such will be below the cut and this one also uses fractionated coconut oil for the carrier oil.
My Sweet Housemate: Fabric softener, carrot, lettuce, rice milk, tonka, black linen, cashmere woods, and copper.
Inspiration: This is another character-based one and said character is from a comedic indie visual novel called My Sweet! Housemate (which is where the name came from). His name is Seung-Min and he's a cannibal, so this one is Quirky. According to the dev of the game, he has a tendency of smelling like fabric softener from regular clothing laundering to get those pesky blood stains out (hence the fabric softener, black linen, and copper). Since the game has a small cooking minigame, I also wanted some carrot, lettuce, and rice milk. The tonka and cashmere woods are a fun little extra, in a woodsy fragrance sort of way.
Cursory Sniff: Very clean with a little earthiness from the veggies. It's really pleasant and it's something unique, as far as fragrances I've tried.
Wearing: Yup. It's clean laundry and earthy veggies. I think I also smell some of the woodsiness of the tonka and cashmere woods in the background. That earthiness is very different from what I usually wear, but it's pleasant when mixed in with the cleaner notes. I don't really parse the copper, but I don't find that to be a bad thing, since I would prefer that note to be light.
About an hour later, the whole thing has gotten much softer. It's mostly a little whiff of fabric softener and probably also the black linen. The whole thing is soft, musky laundry with a hint of woods and vegetables. I'm interested to see how this one will change over time.
I received the custom Lovesick Witchery perfume based on Martyr by @quieteeks a bit earlier than expected and, typically, I would wait a day before trying it but I got a little too excited (and I had a custom body mist and freebie in there as well, though nothing character-based). You guys might recall that this was the winning character of a poll on which custom to get, so I definitely want to give some thoughts on it to you guys.
As usual, I also want to point out that Lovesick Witchery has several carrier oil options for the oil rollerball version for their customs, so I went with fractionated coconut oil, since that's one I'm especially used to. The default for the general catalogue perfumes is sweet almond oil, which is also nice. Anyway, I have the review under the Read More divide down there.
The Martyr: Red currant, merlot, tonka bean, gilded amber, white musk, and incense accord.
Cursory Sniff: It's been cold outside, so I think that may be affecting how much throw that the rollerball has at the moment. That being said, I smell something fruity (the red currant and wine, definitely) and something soft and powdery. Not getting too much at the moment, but what I do detect is nice.
Wearing: WHOA! That is a blast of incense, alright. Still not sure what sort of incense, exactly. Something about it reminds me of tomato leaf, but that's not what it is. I think what I'm mostly smelling is an element that gives it the sort of smell that incense would have while burning. As I'm typing down notes, I smell the red currant and merlot projecting, along with some smokiness from that incense. The tonka and amber seem to be kind of a soft and warm vibe on there. It's pretty and mysterious as it settles a bit.
About an Hour Later: Still haven't puzzled out the incense, but I really like this one. I feel like someone a bit more acquainted with really discerning perfumes would probably be able to crack into all this a bit better than me, but the whole wine and incense thing going on is really interesting. Occasionally, it shifts over from the fruity notes over to the warmer ones, so maybe it's a bit of a morpher. I'm very curious on how it will smell after settling for a while.
Here's the Touchstarved-inspired perfume reviews! These were the two most popular ones in the poll (Demon Renegade for Ais and Heroic Mage for Leander) in body mist form.
Demon Renegade: Cinnamon leaf, whiskey, saltwater, dried flowers, leather, mahogany, red musk, and smoke.
Inspiration: Ais from Touchstarved. Since not all of the Touchstarved characters have flowers associated with them that have notes available, I decided to give them all some sort of alcohol to keep a theme of some sort. For Ais, I wanted a fireball whiskey vibe. The saltwater, dried flowers, and mahogany are for his home at the Seaspring while the leather and smoke were things I recall him being described as smelling like. The red musk is for the Aesthetic. Also, the dried flowers note is described as dried pressed camellias, daisies, lilies, iris, and sandalwood.
Cursory Sniff: This one smells very different to me! I feel like the saltwater and dried flowers are the notes that stick out the most to my nose. The other notes are there as well, but those two were the ones I detected first.
Wearing: This smells like what I think the Seaspring would smell like. Saltwater, smoke, dried flowers, and all that other stuff. This is the most atmospheric so far, I think. Kind of peculiar, but definitely not bad. It leans a bit masculine in terms of notes, but it's not in your face or otherwise too strong.
About an Hour Later: I feel like the mahogany is coming out a bit more. Overall, this smells like having some whiskey with Ais at the Seaspring to me. It's not my usual style, but I find it interesting and think I'd wear it more in the fall and winter seasons.
Heroic Mage: Fizz, lily, green apple, smoked cognac, rosewater rice pudding, juniper berry, and musk.
Inspiration: Leander from Touchstarved. There's fizz, lily, and green apple for the fun little conjuration Leander did while meeting him (along with lilies being his flower in general). I thought smoked cognac and juniper berries would be a fancy little choice for him, since he does have a connection to the Senobium and Hightown culture, even if he somewhat distances himself from all that. The rosewater rice pudding is for the nice little treat he mentions and the musk is a reference to him being the first character able to safely touch our hands in the story.
Cursory Sniff: Fizzy green apple with a hint of lily, along with those juniper berries and rosewater rice pudding! The smoked cognac and musk seem like they lurk a bit, but they're just more grounding than being a big showcase.
Wearing: I feel the notes are translating to a delicious fizzy, fruity drink paired with that rosewater rice pudding. If you like something foodie and don't mind these notes, it seems very promising.
About an Hour Later: The fizz has faded off, but the other notes are still pretty easy to catch. I like this one and I'm glad the lily didn't amp. I think I also smell the smoked cognac just a little more.
Since I've amassed some custom perfumes from Lovesick Witchery, particularly character-based ones, I'm going to make a post about that to consolidate info.
Anyone can re-order a custom that already exists as long as they know the name of it. I also want to disclose that the only person profiting is the perfumer, since none of this stuff is licensed and I don't make any money from orders. I'm just making info available because I like to share my brainrot.
To re-order a custom perfume, you just go to the re-order listing under Bespoke Items, choose your format (oil rollerball, perfume spray, or body mist; it also doesn't have to be the same format as the original order), and type in the name of the perfume you're making the re-order for. If you order an oil rollerball and don't want fractionated coconut oil, then you should probably also specify that. There's a list of available carrier oils over in the Bespoke Perfume Notes list. Also, international orders can't include a body mist, since those are alcohol-based, but the perfume spray can and will be swapped to a sweet almond oil base so that one can be shipped.
Anyway, I have a list of all of the custom perfumes I've managed to order so far under the Read More. Everything's categorized, so hopefully it's comprehensive. Basically, I have everything ordered by fandom in alphabetical order (aside from my OCs and some personal, non-character scents below those) and will update if there are any future orders.
A Seat at the Table:
Name: The Martyr
Inspiration: Martyr from A Seat at the Table. @quieteeks already had a pretty solid idea of what he smells like, so I mostly went with that.
Notes: Red currant, merlot, tonka bean, gilded amber, white musk, and incense accord.
How does it smell? A bit tart from the currant and wine. The incense accord gives it a little bit of a smoky vibe in there and I think maybe some frankincense or something. I feel like the other notes are coming out a bit more over time, since I feel like I smell more of the white musk in particular now.
Criminally Yours:
Name: Beloved Enemy
Inspiration: Nikolaos/Chronos from Criminally Yours. I wanted this man to smell fancy, romantic, and maybe with a little dark tinge in there. It's fun to have this delusional supervillain with a taste for jazz as a love interest, so I really wanted to express his vibe. As far as canon is concerned, I recall it being mentioned that Nik smells like spices, leather, and campfires, so I combined that with some woodsiness and florals. Black violet is especially unique to me and is described as dark and romantic, so you can see how the little hamster wheel in my head got moving on this one.
Notes: Baking spice, black violet, night blooming jasmine, orris root, leather, cashmeran, bonfire smoke, and sandalwood.
How does it smell? On me? It mostly leans on the spices and bonfire. I think I can catch some of the other notes, but those are definitely the predominant ones when I wear it.
My Sweet! Housemate:
Name: My Sweet Housemate
Inspiration: Seung-Min Kim from My Sweet! Housemate. @sourmiiiilk has said that he smells like clean laundry from having to wash off blood all the time, so I leaned into that along with adding vegetables and rice milk for his love of cooking. A couple of the other notes are to keep things in a clean and woodsy direction under that fabric softener. I'm sure you guys can guess what the copper is for.
Notes: Fabric softener, carrot, lettuce, rice milk, tonka, black linen, cashmere woods, and copper.
How does it smell? Smells like clean laundry and earthy vegetables. I don't really catch the copper, but I'd rather that be light anyway. This one is pretty good for being such a quirky concept.
Obscura:
Name: Humble Priest
Inspiration: Cirrus from Obscura. It's been pointed out by the dev team that he smells like incense, candlewax, and clean cotton, so that's where the frankincense, myrrh, beeswax, and clean cotton note choices came from. The other notes are inspired by his position presiding over the lunar temple and, in the case of the leather, his BDSM interests. I feel like the moonflower nectar has overlap as both a lunar thing and a reference to his poison-making hobby.
How does it smell? Very churchy, honestly. It starts off sweet and floral when I wear it and later shifts into the more incense-y and woodsy notes (cocobolo is a type of rosewood, if that helps). Part of me is kind of surprised that it took me so long to make a custom that includes beeswax, since I like that sort of note when I've tried it from other perfumers.
Online Obsession:
Name: Adisorn
Inspiration: Adisorn Moore from Online Obsession. The strawberry and cream is for his choice to be a Strawberry Paws main in Star Blitz, the pandan leaves are for his Thai heritage, and most of the other stuff is atmospheric (I want to believe that man smells like a hug in the cold weather). The steel is for other reasons.
Notes: Strawberry, cream, pandan leaves, sweater accord, tobacco, night air, snow musk, and steel.
How does it smell? This one smells sweet and a bit foodie to me. I feel like the strawberry is becoming a bit stronger over time, but not overpoweringly. It smells very comforting.
The Eye's Embrace:
Name: Not a Bride
Inspiration: Dexter Jones from The Eye's Embrace. For now, my info on him is a bit more limited, but what I do have is that he's stuck as a vampiric "bride" to a pretentious vampire that's also a cult leader. Clearly, Dex chafes at the situation he's in, hence the name of the perfume. I ended up wanting something pretty and herbal, with some masculine notes in there for him. Specifically, I chose moonflower for a vampire vibe without the more stereotypical choices that Bram (said pretentious vampire and cult leader) would probably choose and hemlock for something green and poisonous.
Notes: Moonflower, lavender, hemlock, oakmoss, cedarwood, leather, spiced patchouli, and black vanilla.
How does it smell? It indeed smells herbal and has a masculine edge to it. Pretty man vibes, for sure. Justice for Dex!
Touchstarved:
Name: Demon Renegade
Inspiration: Ais from Touchstarved. Since not all of the Touchstarved characters have flowers associated with them that have notes available, I decided to give them all some sort of alcohol to keep a theme of some sort. For Ais, I wanted a fireball whiskey vibe. The saltwater, dried flowers, and mahogany are for his home at the Seaspring while the leather and smoke were things I recall him being described as smelling like. The red musk is for the Aesthetic. Also, the dried flowers note is described as dried pressed camellias, daisies, lilies, iris, and sandalwood.
Notes: Cinnamon leaf, whiskey, saltwater, dried flowers, leather, mahogany, red musk, and smoke.
How does it smell? The way I like to describe it is that it smells like having some whiskey with Ais at the Seaspring. That was kind of the intention, so I consider it a success and it's pretty good.
Name: Heroic Mage
Inspiration: Leander from Touchstarved. There's fizz, lily, and green apple for the fun little conjuration Leander did while meeting him (along with lilies being his flower in general). I thought smoked cognac and juniper would be a fancy little choice for him, since he does have a connection to the Senobium and Hightown culture, even if he somewhat distances himself from all that. The rosewater rice pudding is for the nice little treat he mentions and the musk is a reference to him being the first character able to touch our hands in the story.
Notes: Fizz, lily, green apple, smoked cognac, rosewater rice pudding, juniper berry, and musk.
How does it smell? Like a delicious fizzy, fruity drink with rosewater rice pudding. I'm pretty fond of this one so far.
My OCs:
Name: Oberon
Inspiration: Oberon Shaw, one of my original characters. His environment has major cyberpunk vibes: futuristic, advanced prosthetics and enhancements, unscrupulous techno-corporations (not so futuristic, but a staple), plus a certain degree of commercial space travel. I actually named him after one of Uranus' moons, since that's something significant (and so is my choice of hydrangea, since he has a tattoo design that incorporates those specific flowers). I don't want to give away everything about him so far, but I will say that I wanted something to reflect his playful nature, along with his difficult grip on his own stability.
Notes: Caramel cider, hydrangea, leather, motor oil, tonka, oud, thunderstorm, benzoin, and black musk.
How does it smell? I think this may be potentially the most peculiar custom I have because of that motor oil note, but I actually do like it. It's one of those sorts of perfumes where I find picking out the individual notes to be difficult (though I am less familiar with certain notes), but I feel like the caramel cider and hydrangea sometimes stick out to me. Overall, I like the vibe. There's some sweetness there while it's also a bit dark.
Name: Sacrificial Blade
Inspiration: This character has been shifting and morphing for years, but I think maybe I'm getting a handle on him and his name might be Rhys. Decided to focus on things that I feel go for him at this moment, though I'm still figuring him out.
Notes: Plum, black tea, belladonna, vanilla suede, white musk, coumarin, sandalwood, and a flash of icy metal.
How does it smell? Pastoral is the way I described it before and I think that does kind of work. The plum and belladonna seem most apparent to my nose, but I think it generally has a cozy vibe to me regardless of the subtle metal for that blade in the title.
Miscellaneous:
Name: Honey Bunny
Inspiration: This one was based on my feeling of betrayal when trying Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato (it's not bad, but it's also not what I wanted). Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought that and also made a custom based on Yum, but this post isn't about that. Basically, for my version, I replaced some notes that I thought weren't really working.
How does it smell? Not as sweet as you might think, but I went more for cozy than candy (and occasionally will give my pajama shirt a little spray with it). The pistachio has a little saltiness to it and there's warmth from the rum, cardamom, tonka, and oatmeal notes in particular. If I want this sweeter, then I spray it over Sweet Cream (listed farther down), since I bought this one as a body mist.
Name: Seascape
Inspiration: This one is partially based on Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa '62, but a bit more beachy and I swapped out the pistachio in it for pear gelato.
Notes: Pear gelato, french vanilla, sea salt caramels, heliotrope, plumeria, seashore accord, driftwood, and sandalwood.
How does it smell? So good! It's like sweet summer in a rollerball and I'm not even a summer person, or even really a beach person. Still, this turned out great. Think of what I wrote in the inspiration section and that's what this smells like.
Name: Sweet Cream
Inspiration: This one isn't a custom of mine, since it was something that the perfumer mixed up with some leftovers as a freebie. It is available for re-orders, though. Since I occasionally use it in conjunction with Honey Bunny when I want that to be particularly sweet and it's not a listing in the general catalogue, I felt that it was worth mentioning in my list.
Notes: Cold heavy cream, vanilla, smoked vanilla, powdered sugar, and tonka bean.
How does it smell? Like dessert, and I notice that I can always pick out the powdered sugar in particular (powdered sugar has a very distinct smell). I feel like Sweet Cream helps to amp up the vanilla ice-cream note in Honey Bunny.
Finally putting up the other custom perfume reviews. First is a body mist based on Nikolaos/Chronos from Criminally Yours by @criminallyyoursvn and you should totally check that game out if you haven't yet. Next post will be for the Touchstarved characters (Ais and Leander).
Beloved Enemy: Baking spice, black violet, night blooming jasmine, orris root, leather, cashmeran, bonfire smoke, and sandalwood.
Inspiration: Nikolaos/Chronos from Criminally Yours. I wanted this man to smell fancy, romantic, and maybe with a little dark tinge in there. It's fun to have this delusional supervillain with a taste for jazz as a love interest, so I really wanted to express his vibe. As far as canon is concerned, I recall it being mentioned that Nik smells like spices, leather, and campfires, so I combined that with some woodsiness and florals. Black violet is especially unique to me and is described as dark and romantic, so you can see how the little hamster wheel in my head got moving on this one.
Cursory Sniff: I'm picking up the baking spice and bonfire in particular. There's some sweetness from the florals, but thankfully nothing cloying. It's really nice.
Wearing: I feel like I smell more bonfire on my skin. Maybe also the orris root with the spices? Kind of has a powdery vibe. I think I also detect some leather.
About an Hour Later: The spices and bonfire are still the star players when I wear this. I feel like the florals and cashmeran are playing in the back a bit more noticeably now. It's a combo I'm really liking and I feel like it's very unisex.
