Deep Midnight: Chloe's Grove

[femmenstein]

Chloe's Grove (Magnolia Blossoms, Lily of the Valley, Olive Leaves, Spanish Moss, fifteen year aged Dark Patchouli, and a little touch of the Spirit Accord.)

In the bottle: I have been on the hunt for a good magnolia fragrance for years, but I'm also particular about it. While I've never been to the South, I've always been enamored by how Southern plant life looks in pictures and film, and my ideal magnolia fragrance has to embody that.

On skin: I was indifferent toward this at first. It's a very moss-heavy, earthy floral, and it was pretty "meh" when it was wet. After it dried down a bit though, the blend really came together. Wearing this makes me feel like a swamp witch, and I'm 100% okay with that. It captures the feel of what I imagine certain parts of the South smell like, which is exactly what I was hoping for. It's also got a warm, almost woody bite to it.

Longevity: This calms down pretty significantly after about an hour, which is a bit of a bummer. The floral notes are more or less gone, so it's just warm and mossy, which is still nice.

Solstice Scents Reviews, Pt. IV

[femmenstein]

Blackburn Farmstead (Blackberry Jam, Boysenberry Preserves, Vanilla Bean, Creamy Vanilla & a Touch of Vanilla Musk.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Lots of berry and ice cream-y vanilla. Smells a little bit grape-y and very 90s.

On skin: Man, this thing has a huge throw straight after application. It's like a cloud. There's some sort of vague green note among the berries and vanilla, which gives the impression of the greenery of a berry bush, which is cool. There's something about this that reminds me of the scent of plastic/rubber Halloween witch noses from the 90s, which is something I've said in several reviews before as well. It reminds me of berry Lip Smackers a bit as well, along with 5 cent berry gummies, and it's very nostalgic smelling. It's kind of like various happy parts of my childhood in scent form. I love this so much.

Longevity: I took a 3-hour nap after wearing this for about 5ish hours and it was mostly gone by the time I woke up, so somewhere between 5 and 6 hours. The scent that's left after the nap reminds me of Foxcroft Fairgrounds.

Mountain Vanilla (Sweet Clover, Coumarin, Vanilla Musk, Fresh Green Accord, Poplar Buds, Morning Dew.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Wow, this is green. I don't know what green clover and poplar smell like, but this is super fresh and vine-y. Something about it reads almost vegetal too, but it's on the cusp. The dew note is beautiful as well.

On skin: This has a very strong wet hay note (coumarin, I'm assuming) that kind of dominates everything else. It smells like wet hay, wet grass, and a very fresh, non-foody vanilla. Probably one of the greenest scents I've ever smelled. I appreciate the composition and how well this is blended, but I'm not sure if I like it or not. The coumarin is a tad overwhelming for me.

Longevity: Unfortunately, this is really astringent and sharp on my skin, and it gets into laundry detergent territory after about an hour. It lasted for over 6 hours.

Russian Caravan (Amber, smoked black tea, leather, pine resin, Earth, smoke, black currant, black pepper.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Uh oh.. this has the same weird pickly note that Loggia had. Great.

On skin: Annnd that note translated onto the skin, with an added bonus of smelling like melting plastic. Absolutely not for me, and was a scrubber. Major bummer, because I was really looking forward to this. It smells almost identical to Loggia on me, which I also really didn't like. Womp womp.

Sea of Gray (Vanilla rain, saltwater, seaweed, ambergris (vegan), white amber, roasted seashells, white sandalwood, frangipani.) Full description here.

In the bottle: The seaweed almost reads like Solstice's dirt note, which I'm incredibly fond of. It's basically just dirt/seaweed and a bit of vanilla in the bottle. I don't get any sort of aquatic notes or anything else mentioned in the description.

On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle, but the vanilla comes through a lot more, and the ambergris becomes detectable. It really does conjure up imagery of a little ice cream shop on the beach, and it's amazing. It's sweet, aquatic, a bit dirty, a bit salty, and a bit somber. This is going to get a lot of use during the warmer months.

Longevity: As the scent wears, it becomes a bit warmer. It morphs a bit, and the salty notes take center stage for a while, then the vanilla cycles through, followed by the seaweed note. This is phenomenal. Lasted over 6 hours.

Smoky Mountain Mallow (Wood Smoke, Fossilized Amber Resin, Lapsang Souchong CO2, Guaiacwood, Labdanum, Nutmeg EO, Marshmallow.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Before I let this rest, it smelled like suntan lotion, somehow? After a few days' rest, it reminds me of those mini marshmallows people use in ambrosia. Not nearly as smoky as I'd expected.

On skin: Charred wood (really nice charred wood) and untoasted marshmallow. I've had the same experience with SMM that I had with Gunnerson's Pumpkin Patch, in which I didn't like it much at first and borderline hated it, but then it grew on me. The marshmallow kind of goes between toasted and untoasted. I have a complicated relationship with this one. Sometimes I love it, and other times I'm indifferent toward it.

Longevity: After about an hour, the marshmallow mellows out a bit and everything actually takes on a smoky tone. It's still mostly charred wood, but I'm not opposed to that.

BPAL Reviews, Pt. I

[femmenstein]

Fairy Wine (An ethereal vintage, steeped with dandelion, honey, and red currants.)

In bottle: If sparkling ginger wine is a thing, it would smell exactly like this. Ginger isn't in the notes though, so I'm not sure where that's coming from.

On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle. It's effervescent, light, and pleasant. It does feel pretty magical, so the name is apt.

Nosferatu (Desiccated herbs and gritty earth brought to life with a swell of robust and sanguineous red wines.)

In bottle: Suuuper wine-centric. If cinnamon wine is a thing, this is what it'd smell like. Cinnamon wine and dirt. It also kind of smells like dirt-flavored jelly beans?

On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle. Lots of cinnamon and almost greasy-smelling dirt, with very strong wine notes. I usually love wine scents, but this is totally overbearing and off-putting to me.

Scholar's Tower (Gleaming amber spheres, polished cedar and mahogany, sweet parchment, inks of frankincense ash, and soft plumes of incense.)

In bottle: The same peanut buttery note I get from Mouse Circus, with a lot of powder and a touch of resins. I don't do well with powder, so that's dismaying.

On skin: Baby powder. So much baby powder. There's something leathery in there with the parchment, which is great, but the powder overshadows everything. Total pass for me.

The Lights of Men's Lives (The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles.)

In bottle: Beeswax! Lots of beeswax. A tiny bit of smoke as well.

On skin: The beeswax is pretty strong, which is exactly what I was hoping for. There's also some sort of general waxy scent in there along with it. The smoke is very light and gauzy, as opposed to something like bonfire smoke. The beeswax takes on a slightly powdery tone as time goes on, but never goes full powder (thank god). An all-around win on the everlasting hunt for beeswax scents.

Strange Fire & Fumery Reviews

[femmenstein]

XIII (Dragon's blood, oak barrel-aged Kentucky bourbon, Tahitian vanilla)

In bottle: So I detest Tahitian vanilla usually. It's super cloying and just.. no. But, fortunately, it's not that way in XIII. The dragon's blood is almost floral, and the bourbon note is exquisite. Everything blends together really well.

On skin: The bourbon note burned off pretty quick, and now it's just dragon's blood and vanilla. The vanilla is starting to go down the cloying route, which is disappointing (that's completely due to my preference and is no fault of the scent itself). It's not cloying yet, but it's on the cusp. If it stays tempered enough like this, it'll be fine.

One Sunday Morning (Benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, antique lace, mahogany, blue musk)

In bottle: Clean and almost cologne-y? Definitely leans a bit masculine (which is fine). Warm-but-aquatic is what I’m getting from this.

On skin: Largely the same, but the resins come out a bit more, along with something slightly fruity. Ultimately, I was hoping for more spooky church vibes and not aquatic cologne, but it’s still nice.

Black Mass (Frankincense, myrrh, red wine)

In bottle: Fuck me uuup with that red wine note. It’s the strongest note here, and it’s glorious. I hate wine “in real life,” but I want to drink this.

On skin: This has some goddamned throw, holy shit. I couldn’t smell anything else I was testing from afar except this one. I get a very small amount of myrrh, but it’s mostly a red wine parade. Definitely a fan.

Absinthe (Star anise, wormwood, herbs, warm sugar)

In bottle: Upon first sniff, this has an almost nutty, dirty quality to it. After that, it smells as I’d imagine absinthe should smell (I’ve never had the real thing).

On skin: The nutty vibe goes away, and it just smells like absinthe with a bit of an extra herbal kick. I usually hate anything with anise in it, but this is fabulous.

Hand of Glory (Ambergris, blood red musk, ceremonial santalum)

In bottle: So I’m not gonna lie, something in this reminds me of old newspapers or plastic. It’s a bit musty. I can’t distinguish the notes beyond sandalwood, so basically, musty (and slightly powdery) sandalwood.

On skin: The mustiness goes away, but the powderiness doesn’t. This is a pass for me, I think. I’ll probably give it a retest or two, but I don’t think this works with my chemistry or sense of smell.

The Commandant (Rosewood, bourbon, old chair leather, rich sweet tobacco)

In bottle: Yesss, bathe me in this. Everything is here and accounted for. The rosewood note is beautiful.

On skin: There’s something sweet in here that was slightly detectable in the bottle (the tobacco, I’m assuming), and it’s gorgeous. I knew I was going to like this one, but I didn’t expect to like it quite this much.

Absinthium Noir (Black oak, musk, star anise, warm sugar, black amber, herbs)

In bottle: So this is like, 80% Absinthe and maybe 20% Black Goat, but it’s lovely. Smells a bit peppery as well.

On skin: Pretty much the same as in the bottle. Mostly Absinthe with a bit of Black Goat. Delicious. Since I have both Black Goat and Absinthe, I don’t need this. I prefer each of them on their own anyway, but if you don’t have either, this is definitely worth trying.

Rook (Wet leaves, musky black feathers, vetiver, a stiff branch, the slow death-creep of autumn, a fussy Underworld messenger)

In bottle: Definitely getting vetiver and leaves, and some sort of licorice-like note (anise, I’d wager). There also seems to be something similar to orange blossom lurking in there.

On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle. I can’t decide if I really like this or if it’s just “okay” to me, so I think I’m gonna have to retest this one in a few weeks.

Black Goat (Ancient oak forest, decadent black amber, musk)

Preamble: This was included as a gift with my order, since it was relatively large, and I had asked about when it was going to be restocked shortly after the order was placed. It was very generous of the company to include it, and I’m still blown away.

In bottle: I am so glad Jinx included this. It’s perfect. It smells like a big ol’ sexy, spooky forest, and I’m totally into it.

On skin: There’s something that smells a bit spicy or tea-like in here when it hits the skin and mellows for a while. Maybe a tiny bit of cinnamon and vanilla? Either way, it still smells sexy and expensive. Very glad to have this.