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Alkemia Reviews, Pt. IV
Jan. 11th, 2019 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
femmensteinAs usual, favorites are denoted with an asterisk. You can find Alkemia's storefront here.
A Roll in the Hay (A delightful romp through dried hay, fresh green grass, early summer wildflower honey, vanilla grass, vanilla leaf, and wild poppy.)
In the bottle: Hay, vanilla, greenery, and something very minty.
On skin: Hay, grass, a bit of vanilla, and something slightly herbal. It’s nice and fresh, and will be really nice for summer/early autumn.
Longevity: Became significantly close to the skin after 2 hours, and the herbal undertone took a backseat. More of the vanilla came out, and it got slightly warmer. I'll have to try this with Alkemia's perfume fixative to see how much longer it lasts. Lasted about 2.5 to 3 hours.
Misdeeds After Midnight (A hedonistic adventure of late night coffee liqueur, white rum, and a splash of creme de bergamot; Black Forest raspberries dipped in salted caramel; and Arabian rosewater infused with vetiver root tumbling wantonly together into a seductive bed of vanilla musk and golden amber.)
In the bottle: Strong raspberry, something chocolatey, and a bit of booze. Reminds me of something from my childhood, but I can’t pin what.
On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, but there’s something floral and sweet underneath it. I don’t think this one is staying with me, but it’s not bad. I don’t like raspberry in fragrance, so I’m not sure why I opted for this in the first place, but.
Longevity: The raspberry calmed down after a few hours, and the coffee came out more. Lasted about 4 hours.
Gaea** (Forest loam under warm spring sunshine, new ferns poking up through decaying leaves, maple sap flowing over lichens, mosses and wet stones at the edge of a vernal pool.)
In the bottle: Predominantly wet soil and stone, with a bit of wet greenery. This is really calming.
On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, but maybe with a bit more moss and wet greens. This is really beautiful and magical.
Longevity: Started fading after about 3 hours, but was still noticeable. When this fades, it fades very abruptly. Once it reaches the end of its lifespan on the skin, it disappears very suddenly.
La Belle Sorciére (A smouldering mystery of bakhoor incense, wild berries, narcotic champa flower, white moss, sweet agarwood, orange blossom honey, spiced wine, oppononax, and Egyptian kyphi.)
In the bottle: I was initially kind of scared by the champa note, since I usually hate nag champa, but this is lovely. It’s like a combination of Magus and Sorciére Rouge, but a bit deeper and smokier.
On skin: Still smells like a combination of Magus and Sorciére Rouge, but it’s more.. feminine, I guess? The champa is definitely there, but it’s not the cheap, choking champa I’m used to. Unfortunately, champa reminds me of babies, and this is no different, but I’m trying to like it. It’s primarily incense and lighter elements, and it reminds me of vintage perfume a little bit.
Longevity: Became more incense-focused after about 3 hours. Lasted about 4 hours.
Additional notes: In the last chance section.
Update (11/01/2019): I've worn this properly a few times since reviewing, and it's quickly become one of my favorite Alkemia offerings. It's the perfect sweet, feminine incense fragrance, and I adore it. It seems to have about double the longevity it had in testing, which is a little confusing, but I'm not complaining!
Honeycakes for Harvest Moon*** (Freshly baked honeycakes, autumn beeswax, gleanings from ripened grainfields, and newly harvested fruits lightly spiced with nutmeg, ginger, and golden cloves.)
In the bottle: Ooo, this is what I wanted from this. Bright fruits tempered with spices and grains, and a little bit of sweetness. I’m hoping the beeswax comes out more on the skin.
On skin: God, this is beautiful. Autumnal spices, grains, and a bit of fruit. It’s primarily spices on me, and it’s incredibly autumnal. Love this.
Longevity: Took on a strange burnt undertone after about 3.5 hours. Lasted about 4 hours.
Additional notes: Seasonal, in the last chance section.
Desiderata (The exquisitely simple beauty of an evening stroll on a warm June evening. Fresh honeysuckle blooming under a rising full moon, ivy vines, dew dampened grass, riverbed clay, old barnwood, and earthy vetivert root.)
In the bottle: Primarily honeysuckle and greenery, with a bit of vetiver. This is really nice.
On skin: Earthy notes and ivy are definitely the stars of this on my skin. I don’t get honeysuckle at all. It’s very, very soapy and screechy-green (which I didn't think was possible, being that I love green notes) on me, to the point of being overwhelming. It’s kind of a bizarre scent, and it’s hard to explain. This was a scrubber for me, which very rarely happens.
A Roll in the Hay (A delightful romp through dried hay, fresh green grass, early summer wildflower honey, vanilla grass, vanilla leaf, and wild poppy.)
In the bottle: Hay, vanilla, greenery, and something very minty.
On skin: Hay, grass, a bit of vanilla, and something slightly herbal. It’s nice and fresh, and will be really nice for summer/early autumn.
Longevity: Became significantly close to the skin after 2 hours, and the herbal undertone took a backseat. More of the vanilla came out, and it got slightly warmer. I'll have to try this with Alkemia's perfume fixative to see how much longer it lasts. Lasted about 2.5 to 3 hours.
Misdeeds After Midnight (A hedonistic adventure of late night coffee liqueur, white rum, and a splash of creme de bergamot; Black Forest raspberries dipped in salted caramel; and Arabian rosewater infused with vetiver root tumbling wantonly together into a seductive bed of vanilla musk and golden amber.)
In the bottle: Strong raspberry, something chocolatey, and a bit of booze. Reminds me of something from my childhood, but I can’t pin what.
On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, but there’s something floral and sweet underneath it. I don’t think this one is staying with me, but it’s not bad. I don’t like raspberry in fragrance, so I’m not sure why I opted for this in the first place, but.
Longevity: The raspberry calmed down after a few hours, and the coffee came out more. Lasted about 4 hours.
Gaea** (Forest loam under warm spring sunshine, new ferns poking up through decaying leaves, maple sap flowing over lichens, mosses and wet stones at the edge of a vernal pool.)
In the bottle: Predominantly wet soil and stone, with a bit of wet greenery. This is really calming.
On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, but maybe with a bit more moss and wet greens. This is really beautiful and magical.
Longevity: Started fading after about 3 hours, but was still noticeable. When this fades, it fades very abruptly. Once it reaches the end of its lifespan on the skin, it disappears very suddenly.
La Belle Sorciére (A smouldering mystery of bakhoor incense, wild berries, narcotic champa flower, white moss, sweet agarwood, orange blossom honey, spiced wine, oppononax, and Egyptian kyphi.)
In the bottle: I was initially kind of scared by the champa note, since I usually hate nag champa, but this is lovely. It’s like a combination of Magus and Sorciére Rouge, but a bit deeper and smokier.
On skin: Still smells like a combination of Magus and Sorciére Rouge, but it’s more.. feminine, I guess? The champa is definitely there, but it’s not the cheap, choking champa I’m used to. Unfortunately, champa reminds me of babies, and this is no different, but I’m trying to like it. It’s primarily incense and lighter elements, and it reminds me of vintage perfume a little bit.
Longevity: Became more incense-focused after about 3 hours. Lasted about 4 hours.
Additional notes: In the last chance section.
Update (11/01/2019): I've worn this properly a few times since reviewing, and it's quickly become one of my favorite Alkemia offerings. It's the perfect sweet, feminine incense fragrance, and I adore it. It seems to have about double the longevity it had in testing, which is a little confusing, but I'm not complaining!
Honeycakes for Harvest Moon*** (Freshly baked honeycakes, autumn beeswax, gleanings from ripened grainfields, and newly harvested fruits lightly spiced with nutmeg, ginger, and golden cloves.)
In the bottle: Ooo, this is what I wanted from this. Bright fruits tempered with spices and grains, and a little bit of sweetness. I’m hoping the beeswax comes out more on the skin.
On skin: God, this is beautiful. Autumnal spices, grains, and a bit of fruit. It’s primarily spices on me, and it’s incredibly autumnal. Love this.
Longevity: Took on a strange burnt undertone after about 3.5 hours. Lasted about 4 hours.
Additional notes: Seasonal, in the last chance section.
Desiderata (The exquisitely simple beauty of an evening stroll on a warm June evening. Fresh honeysuckle blooming under a rising full moon, ivy vines, dew dampened grass, riverbed clay, old barnwood, and earthy vetivert root.)
In the bottle: Primarily honeysuckle and greenery, with a bit of vetiver. This is really nice.
On skin: Earthy notes and ivy are definitely the stars of this on my skin. I don’t get honeysuckle at all. It’s very, very soapy and screechy-green (which I didn't think was possible, being that I love green notes) on me, to the point of being overwhelming. It’s kind of a bizarre scent, and it’s hard to explain. This was a scrubber for me, which very rarely happens.
Tags:
- amber,
- baked goods,
- barnwood,
- beeswax,
- bergamot,
- berries,
- cake,
- caramel,
- champaca,
- clay,
- clove,
- coffee,
- fern,
- ginger,
- grain,
- grass,
- hay,
- honey,
- honeysuckle,
- house: alkemia,
- incense,
- ivy,
- kyphi,
- leaves,
- lichen,
- loam,
- maple,
- moss,
- musk: vanilla,
- nutmeg,
- opoponax,
- orange blossom,
- oud,
- poppy,
- raspberry,
- rosewater,
- rum,
- stone,
- vanilla,
- vanilla leaf,
- vetiver,
- wildflowers,
- wine
