NAVA Halloween '22 Reviews

[femmenstein]

To be completely honest, NAVA's been a brand I've largely avoided for the most part. For one, they don't ship to Canada anymore (these were ordered through Ajevie) so I have to go through decanters, and the idea of having an "absolute" of an accord doesn't make any sense to me. Having to go digging to find out what's actually in said accords is also a bit of a pain.

That being said, I've always wanted to try their stuff since I've heard such rave reviews. When Ajevie put up the Halloween leftovers on their site, I figured it was time.

Bonfire (Cardamom essence, Bastet's Ice Cream absolute, burning embers accord, toasted vanilla marshmallows, Studio Limited Crystalline Vanilla absolute, Bastet's Musk)

Preliminary notes: I am a huge sucker for a well done toasted marshmallow note, and I love smoky scents, so I'm hoping this is the best of both worlds.

In bottle: This smells very similar to Alkemia's Smoke & Mirrors, but a bit less smoky. I'm a fan so far!

On skin: Still very similar to Smoke & Mirrors (which is fine by me, since it's one of my favorite bonfire scents). The cardamom is present, and the blend overall is sweeter than Smoke & Mirrors. The marshmallow note is barely there but does smell toasted. I love this.

Verdict: 5 vanillic bonfires out of 5.

Vintage Dracula (Caramel accord, warm caramel sugar glazed candy, sea salted caramel accord, cinnamon, chocolate candy, sweetened condensed coconut milk)

Preliminary notes: It's no secret that I love caramel. I love foods that contain it, I love the way it looks, and I especially love the smell. For whatever reason (me being super picky, probably), I haven't come across too many realistic caramel notes in indie scents. Alkemia's Dusk in Autumn has a brilliant one, but I haven't come across too many others. This sounds amazing, and the label is fantastic as well.

In bottle: Very caramel-heavy, unshockingly enough. There's a very light citrus tinge to it, as well as a tiny bit of chocolate. It does smell pretty Halloween-esque.

On skin: Shockingly, it still smells like caramel. It actually reminds me of Solstice Scents' Halloween Night a little bit, despite not having a licorice note listed. It's very Halloween-appropriate.

Verdict: 4.5 Halloweens out of 5.

Vintage Werewolf (Candy corn accord, vanilla, wax accord, black patchouli, lycan musk accord, French vanilla, buttered almond, skin musk)

Preliminary notes: More candy corn scents, pleeease. I'd imagine it's going to be a fairly subtle note in there, but still. All the candy corn scents.

In bottle: This is very patchouli-forward, which I wasn't really expecting. It's nice patchouli, and not the headshoppy, dirty kind. I can't smell much beyond the patchouli in the bottle.

On skin: I'm 99% sure the "lycan musk" accord has some sort of evergreen in it, because that's what I'm getting mixed with the patchouli. I get a bit of buttery sweetness on top of that, but no specific notes. Definitely isn't what I was expecting, but it's still a really nice patchouli-forward fall scent.

Verdict: 4 werewolves eating buttery candy in a patchouli forest out of 5. I like this more the longer I wear it. I wish the candy corn was stronger though.

Pulp Fragrance (Mostly) Holiday Reviews

[femmenstein]

Ahoy! I've never tried Pulp before, but when DH offered to buy me some oils as an anniversary/Christmas gift, I figured I might as well try them since Ajevie had some holiday scents left over, and not many other houses had their holiday stuff out yet at that time.

When What to My Wondering Eyes (Peppermint candy stick swirled into a rich dark chocolate mocha, a festive splash of Irish cream)

Preliminary notes: I don't usually vibe with chocolate notes, but given that there's peppermint and coffee in it, it should be okay. I do really love peppermint hot chocolate.

In bottle: Peppermint-flavored Irish cream! I don't get any of the mocha in the bottle.

On skin: Creamy peppermint and nothing else. I can make out the chocolate if I basically shove my nose against my wrist, but it's very faint in comparison to the mint.

Verdict: 3.5 boozy candy canes out of 5.

Embrace (Pumpkin shortbread with butter, apricot preserves, brown sugar)

Preliminary notes: The description for this reminds me a lot of Solstice Scents' Kitchen, but a bit simpler.

In bottle: I don't get any pumpkin or shortbread, but I do get a looot of apricot, which borders on floral here. It smells like something a high society woman in her 40s would wear, and I mean that in the best way possible. It reminds me of my aunt, who is one of the most elegant women I've ever met.

On skin: The apricot note is very loud, but it's a nice apricot at least. I get a small bit of pumpkin on the skin, but the shortbread note takes quite a while to actually come out. It's not a bad scent at all, but it's VERY fruity, which isn't really my style.

Verdict: 3.5 jars of apricot jam out of 5.

Update: Rest has done this wonders, and the apricot is now a supporting player instead of the star of the show. I can actually smell the pumpkin shortbread now! I'm bumping the score up to 4.5.

Cathedral of Trees (Crisp cold air, cedar tips, pine boughs, towering fir and spruce, snow-strewn forest floor, frankincense, myrrh)

Preliminary notes: In re-reading the notes, this sounds very similar to Alkemia's Falling Stars on Winter Solstice, which is one of my favorite winter scents. Not surprised at all that I gravitated toward this.

In bottle: It is indeed similar to Falling Stars on Winter Solstice, but it's got a very distinct dirt note, and it's not as smoky. I like it!

On skin: Still very similar to Falling Stars on Winter Solstice, but there's a very distinct sweetness in this one. It smells a bit more tart than Falling Stars as well, and it's missing the smoke note. I'm definitely okay with having both.

Verdict: 5 snow-laden forests out of 5.

Apres-ski (Hot buttered rum by the fireplace, golden amber, blonde wood, the warm glow of gemütlichkeit)

Preliminary notes: This just sounds cozy as hell, really. I love a good buttered rum note for winter.

In bottle: I get something buttery (not rum), and something fruity and floral? A bit of soap as well. Definitely not what I was expecting from this.

On skin: Wood-scented laundry detergent. Damnit. I don't know if it's the amber or the glowy note that's doing it, but that's really unfortunate.

Verdict: 1 bottle of woody laundry detergent out of 5.

And to All a Good Night (Sugary and gently-spiced holiday cookies fresh from the oven and drizzled with caramel, creamy eggnog spiked with coffee liquer and sprinkled with a dash of nutmeg and cardamom, the smooth, pale aged wood of a well-loved rolling pin)

Preliminary notes: Allll the holiday baking, please. I love eggnog and would love to see more scents utilizing it as a note.

In bottle: I get a very obvious cookie scent (sugar cookies, to be precise), and a bit of smoke. No eggnog or coffee in the bottle. There is a touch of wood in there too.

On skin: The cookie note is STRONG in this one, which is exactly what I wanted. The caramel finally reveals itself once it's on the skin, but it's still very subdued. I can get some of the coffee liquer if I try really hard, but no eggnog. Damn. This is still a knockout of a holiday gourmand, so I can't even be mad at it.

Verdict: 4.5 holiday baking bonanzas out of 5. I wish the eggnog was a stronger note, but it's still delicious.

Two Alkemia Winter '22 Reviews

[femmenstein]

Ammil (Wet snow, melting ice, velvety skin warmth)

Preliminary notes: I've wanted to get my hands on this one since it was released. It sounds like it'd have a similar vibe to Woods on a Snowy Evening, which is one of my favorite Alkemia offerings.

In bottle: Slightly boozy and minty, almost eggnog-y? Definitely not what I expected, but I like it.

On skin: Definitely minty/camphorous, but not overwhelmingly so. The eggnog and booze vibe goes away as soon as it hits the skin. This is kind of like a sister or cousin scent to Woods on a Snowy Evening, but it's also very different and lacks forest notes. There's a phase of this that almost smells like Sharpies from a distance, which is kind of jarring. Aside from that, Alkemia's ice/snow notes are very distinctive, and I can smell them here. They do smell wet, and very slightly lemony. It definitely needs to rest for a while.

Verdict: 3.75 puddles of melted snow out of 5. I like this, but I think it has some maturing to do before it reaches its full potential. It does morph around quite a bit throughout its wear. It goes through the Sharpie phase, a lemony phase, an herbal phase, and a soft snow phase to name a few. A very interesting scent. I can't wait to see how this does with a few months' rest.


For Love of Winter (Luminous white amber, cool snow musk, candy canes, white chocolate pearls)

Preliminary notes: I love everything in this. Alkemia's white amber is sublime, I love their snow notes, and I love candy canes and white chocolate.

In bottle: Ugh, yesss. Smooth, sweet candy canes without being a mint explosion. This is lovely.

On skin: This is sublime. By far the best candy cane note I've come across. It's distinguishable as candy canes and not just peppermint, and it's not in your face. It smells like elegant candy cane bark, and I'm totally here for it.

Verdict: 5 massive slabs of candy cane bark out of 5. I knew I'd love this, and I do. I wouldn't change a thing about it.