NAVA Halloween '22 Reviews
Dec. 11th, 2022 12:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
femmenstein posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
cathedralofrosesTo 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.
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.
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