Scented Musings

🥀 St. Fabian (The most beautiful rose accord, two ambers (one dry and golden, one sweet/vanilla), a bit of incense smoke)

Preliminary notes: I've been wanting to pick this up for years, but I've missed the day it's available every single time. I'm so glad I'm finally going to be able to try it this year!

In bottle: "Most beautiful rose accord" is right. This is VERY rose-heavy, and the rose accord is extremely realistic. I get a smidge of vanilla as well, but it's like 99% rose in the bottle. It's not a fruity rose like in The Velvet Riding Habit, which I appreciate. Fruity roses are not my favorite.

On skin: This is absolutely beautiful. The rose accord is married seamlessly with the vanilla and incense, and the amber provides a warm base for it all. The rose accord still doesn't threaten to go fruity, which I very much appreciate. This could very well be a new holy grail rose scent for me. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and the whole thing feels very reverent and romantic.

Verdict: 5 curls of incense smoke enveloping a rose out of 5.


🍇 Bacchante (Concord grape wine, smooth patchouli, labdanum, a bit of red musk, a slight amount of a "bright" musk)

Preliminary notes: Grape can be hit or miss in general, but I'm a huuuge fan of Bacchus in mythology, and this sounds very slinky and sexy.

In bottle: Immediately upon opening the bottle, the first thought I had was "BPAL!" The wine/red musk combo is in a lot of my favorite BPAL scents, so I guess that's not far off. The wine accord here has quite a bite to it, and it smells like real grapes as opposed to like, grape flavoring. I quite like this already. It's sultry.

On skin: Once this is on the skin, it becomes quite dark and deep. The musks take over a bit, though the grape is still very much there. It's a very sexual and seductive scent. I love it. As it wears, it melds into this delightful woody incense scent.

Verdict: 5 wine-stained seductresses out of 5.


🔥 Joan of Arc (Churchy incense, smoke from a campfire, a bit of wood)

Preliminary notes: Incense and smoke? Enough said. I'm sold.

In bottle: Hmm.. something in here smells like a combination of baby powder and baby wipes. Hoping that doesn't translate to the skin. I don't get any smoke or wood.

On skin: Up close, it does smell like wood and smoke/incense. From afar, it smells very.. odd, and I'm not sure why that is. This is a very strange scent, and I'm not sure what to think of it. Can't say I'm a fan.

Verdict: 2.75 confused censers of incense out of 5.


🎀 Candybox Pretty (Sweet white flowers combined with a "champagne musk", lemon, candlewax, gardenia, tuberose)

Preliminary notes: This kind of sounds like a more floral Madame X, which I have and love. I'm a big tuberose and gardenia fan, so I'm imagining this could be a flirtier, pink sister to Madame X.

In bottle: This is quite light, and very pretty, so it's aptly named. The lemon note is very soft and fresh, and the whole thing smells very ethereal. Woodland faeries would smell like this during the springtime.

On skin: Veeery floral. I definitely smell the tuberose, lemon, and wax. It reminds me of something, but I'm not sure what. It smells very white-pink and is quite a flirty fragrance. It'd be great for the springtime. It's a bit too light/clean for me, but it's a nice scent.

Verdict: 3.5 flirty flowers out of 5.


💀 Jael (Cream, cardamom, clove, pear, lemon, Balm of Gilead)

Preliminary notes: I don't normally vibe with pear notes, but someone on the Possets forum described this as evoking imagery of an ancient feast, and that was enough for me. Something about the note lineup sounds medieval to me, so that checks out.

In bottle: This is VERY warm, and it smells like molten gold. The pear smells almost baked, and it's not a shampoo-y pear note, thank god. I kept pulling off the cap and smelling this repeatedly after the first sniff, so that's always a good sign. It's intoxicating.

On skin: Not much difference from the bottle, minus the potency. This has very decent throw. Everything melds together pretty seamlessly, but the cream and almost-baked pear are the strongest. I love this.

Verdict: 5 ancient feasts out of 5.


✨ Stewart (Black agarwood, light leather, sandalwood, buffed mahogany)

Preliminary notes: I'm not gonna lie, most of the motivation for getting this one was that it sounded like something my charlatan warlock character in D&D might wear or smell like (or, alternatively, what Gale's tower in Baldur's Gate 3 might smell like). I am but a simple woman. 😂

In bottle: This is masculine-leaning for sure and almost smells a bit soapy, like extremely expensive aftershave. The mahogany is the strongest note in the bottle for me. I quite like this.

On skin: There's something quite green-smelling in here, but I'm not sure what that could be, given the notes. Still very masculine, still smells like expensive aftershave, but I like it. I feel like there have been men in my life who have smelled almost identical to this before. It's quite intoxicating, I must say, and I passed this off to DH to enjoy instead, as it's a bit too masculine-leaning for me.

Verdict: 3.75 refined gentlemen out of 5.

Pink Moon 2023 (Phlox, pink freesia, stargazer lily, tulip, daffodil, pink columbine, delphinium, pink carnation, peony, muscari, pink sugar, honey, bourbon vanilla, a touch of the first strawberries of the season)

Preliminary notes: Pink Moon had been on my wishlist for a few years, but it didn't come back until last year.

In bottle: Very pink, very floral. The fruity aspect of this almost smells like vitamins, and there's a fine undercurrent of laundry detergent in there.

On skin: The vitamin/laundry detergent vibe goes away completely once it hits the skin. It smells almost bubblegum-y or cotton candy-like. I can't actually make out any of the individual notes. It just smells like a bright pink, sweet, cheery floral. Something about it also reminds me of the 90s.

Verdict: 4.75 exclusively pink gardens out of 5.

These were in Ajevie's NAVA Leftovers listing, and they both sounded like divine spring/early summer scents. I don't have any experience with NAVA's florals.

💐 Iris Toffee Honey Bee (Orange blossom honey, iris flower, caramel custard accord, rum, maple essence, toffee accord, brown sugar, white musk absolute)

Preliminary notes: This just sounds really intriguing to me. Toffee and caramel-y notes with iris?

In bottle: Surprisingly not gourmand at all, despite the foody notes. The iris in this is beautiful and not powdery, and I can only really smell the musk and honey along with it.

On skin: The toffee/caramel-esque notes are very, very quiet. The iris is definitely the star of the show here. It smells very soft and stately.

Verdict: 5 meticulously-kept iris gardens out of 5.


🍑 Apricot Créme Honey Musk Bee (Créme of apricot accord, apricot kernel essence, orange blossom honey accord, créme brulée accord, sugar, vanilla bean créme accord, papaya essence, Bastet's Musk)

Preliminary notes: That surprise papaya note toward the end of the description definitely piqued my interest. I wonder how everything's going to meld together here.

In bottle: Yup, that's apricot. I'm surprised there isn't a citrus note listed, because I'm getting a bit of a citrus fruit zing from something.

On skin: So it's the papaya that smelled like citrus initially, because it morphed from citrus to tropical fruitiness once it hit my skin. I can also smell the creme brulee peeking out behind the fruits and honey. This is delicious. I don't usually go for fruity scents, but this is fantastic.

Verdict: 5 tropical apricot desserts out of 5.


Overall, I'm a big fan of both of these. I'm very interested in trying out more Bees next year. I will note, though, that they both have very low throw.

🥀 Memoriam (Heirloom roses, woodsmoke, a scattering of ashes)

Preliminary notes: The first time I ordered Memoriam was 5 years ago. My bottle got a bit funky over time, and I ended up tossing it even though it was one of my favorite Alkemia offerings. When Alkemia put up their last chance updates a while back and Memoriam was in there, I decided I was going to pick it up again, since I might not get the chance in the future. I loved the scent itself, so.

In bottle: Just how I remember; spicy, resinous, burning rose bushes on a background of embers.

On skin: Exactly the same as the bottle, with the smoky notes deepening a bit. I adored this years ago, and I adore it just as much now. It still very much reminds me of Type O Negative, too.

Verdict: 5 burning rose bushes out of 5.


🏖️ Sea Girl (Beachy ozone, warm skin musk, wild jasmine, sugarcane, double pearl tuberose, hibiscus tea, coconut water, key lime, mandarin, white rum, clean white patchouli)

Preliminary notes: I've had my eye on this for a while now, and I finally took the plunge (no pun intended). It sounds light and airy but also slightly sultry.

In bottle: This smells very odd in the bottle. I get something very green and fresh right off the bat, along with something watery, and lastly, something salty.

On skin: This really shines once it actually goes on. The tuberose is nice and bubblegum-y, and everything blends together really well as opposed to how it was in the bottle. It smells like an elegant, Old Hollywood lady sitting on the beach with oversized sunglasses and a huge brimmed hat on. It also reminds me of Sea Goddess a bit, so if you like that one, you'll probably like this as well.

Verdict: 4.75 Old Hollywood ladies sitting on beaches out of 5.


🌊 Voice of the Sea (Salinaceous sea breezes, sun-bleached driftwood, crushed seashells, a twist of Meyer lemon peel, barnacles, mineralistic sand, seasoaked timbers)

Preliminary notes: Much like Sea Girl, Voice of the Sea has been on my radar for a while. I love a good beachy atmospheric, and I'm very curious to see how the lemon note plays with everything else.

In bottle: "A twist" of lemon peel is very, very modest. It's mostly lemon with some woods and sea air in the background.

On skin: Something in this is pulling almost cinnamon-esque on me, and I have no idea what it is. Unfortunately, it starts going kind of soapy, which is disappointing. Then after the soapy phase, it goes quite mossy, which is interesting. I can definitely see the imagery of lemon trees on a beach on an overcast/rainy day.

Verdict: 3.75 lemon trees on a beach out of 5.


🍵 Tea Garden Alchemy (An elegant springtime tea party of green tea leaves, jasmine white tea, cascading cherry blossoms, delicate Japanese garden florals)

Preliminary notes: I love tea scents, and I love Alkemia's tea notes in particular, so I was delighted when my order qualified for this gift. I'm hoping the florals don't veer into soapy territory.

In bottle: I definitely get the teas and florals. I'm picking up on either lily or some other kind of white floral.

On skin: My nose really doesn't know what to make of this. I do like it, but that indole is intense. I'm hoping some aging evens it out a bit. I do really love the tea notes in this one.

Verdict: 3.5 tea gardens out of 5.

Silken Tent (Candied angelica, chrysanthemum, tuberose, clove flowers, jasmine-scented rice pudding, blonde caramel, golden amber)

Preliminary notes: This review is for the ultime version. My bottle is just shy of 3 years old.

In bottle: I mean this in the best way possible: this smells incredibly mainstream. If you're used to mainstream scents and want to get into indies, Silken Tent is a great gateway scent for that. I get something spicy, the caramel and rice pudding, and some nondescript floral notes.

On skin: Honestly, it's really difficult to tease apart the notes for this one. It's definitely a flormand, and it has the tiniest bit of a spicy edge. It's sweet and creamy without being cloying. I mentally refer to this as one of my fancy perfumes, because it is very elegant and put together. I do get more of the rice pudding now than I did when I purchased it, which is interesting. It's leaned more gourmand as its aged.

Verdict: 4.75 fancy rice puddings out of 5.

Barmbrack (Sweetened bread, dried fruit, fresh butter)

Preliminary notes: Yet again (there seems to be a theme here with these Vault scents), my bottle is 3 years old and hasn't really changed since I bought it.

In bottle: Warm, toasty, fresh white bread. This is the most photorealistic bread scent I've tried.

On skin: That bread note is just.. pure bliss. The butter is definitely there as well, and the dried fruits are baaarely, barely in the background. It's 95% fresh buttered bread with a tiny bit of fruit behind it for depth. I know Fyrinnae has released several other bread scents since I picked this one up, and I'm going to have to try those eventually.

Verdict: 5 freshly baked loaves of the most delicious bread you've ever had out of 5.

Welcome to a new series! From the Vault will explore perfumes that have been in my collection for years that I haven't reviewed yet.

Silfra (Ocean water accord, brine)

Preliminary notes: My bottle is just shy of 3 years old, but it smells the exact same now as it did when I bought it 3 years ago.

In bottle: This has always reminded me of the way sea grass looks underneath the water. Swirls of green and yellow waving gently with the currents. There's a distinct plant note of some sort in here (grassy), and the brine isn't salty or pickle-y. It smells like wet grass and lake water.

On skin: Pretty much identical. It's one of my favorite summer scents. It's light and aquatic, and a touch grassy as well, which makes it really refreshing.

Verdict: 5 bunches of sea grass swaying in the water out of 5.

Hello! Yet another Possets review. They had a 23% off New Year's sale, and I had a few things on my list that I wanted to pick up, so what better timing. I then placed a second order a few days later and asked that the orders be combined into one shipment, so this post is a combination of two orders. Special thanks to the Possets crew for allowing me to essentially place a custom order after the Halloween scents were taken down. Their customer service is honestly the best I've ever come across in my 15+ years of online shopping.

(I got sick shortly after the package arrived, and then we started the process of buying a house, so these reviews were very delayed.)


Air on a G-String (Cranberries through smoke)

Preliminary notes: As I mentioned in my Yule reviews, I love cranberry notes and wish I saw them more often. Cranberries and smoke sounds like a divine combination.

In bottle: Incense-y, almost wine-like cranberries. This is lovely and decadently dark.

On skin: Surprisingly earthy! It smells a bit like dragon's blood, but obviously fruity, and also a tiny bit salty. It has a very dark, vegetal feel to it. The cranberry note doesn't explicitly smell like cranberry; it's not sharp, it's not "red," and it's not tart. The whole thing really just smells like wine-scented incense, which is absolutely my thing. For a scent that only has two listed notes, Air on a G-String is very complex.

Verdict: 4.5 sticks of wine incense out of 5.


Moonbux (True Arabica cuppa mocha, freshly ground coffee, a large amount of cream, a shot of vanilla)

Preliminary notes: I adore the smell of coffee, despite the fact that I can't drink it. This is toted as "the ultimate coffee scent," so hopefully it lives up to that.

In bottle: It does indeed smell like a fancy cup of coffee, but there's something almost baked underneath it. I'm not sure if it's the vanilla/cream or part of the coffee accords, but it smells delicious.

On skin: Yeah, Possets wasn't kidding. This is the mother of all coffee scents. Super strong coffee note, a bit sweet, and a tiny bit nutty. It has pretty decent throw as well. I'm pretty picky about my coffee scents (a lot of the time, coffee notes get overshadowed by other things or just aren't strong enough for me), but I love this and would gladly swim in it. The balance of the notes here is masterful, and it's a phenomenal scent overall. Definitely an immediate favorite from this house.

DH said "Holy chocolate!" when he smelled it on me, and it does have a fairly strong, dry chocolate note in there, but I get more coffee than anything else personally.

Verdict: 5 swimming pools full of the fanciest coffee you've ever had out of 5.


Spook (Candied apples, popcorn, candy corn)

Preliminary notes: Somehow, this is only the second Fall/Halloween scent I bought this year (You can see I didn't keep to that). I love autumnal gourmands, and I love seeing candy corn as a note. This should be great.

In bottle: Veeeery slightly soapy, sweet red apples. I don't get anything else.

On skin: The apples are still the main note here, and they lose their soapiness on the skin. The popcorn is just beneath them, which is very slightly buttered and quite salty. I don't get any candy corn until later in the drydown, which just adds a sweet warmth to everything. It's very fun and delicious, and it reminds me of what a Halloween-themed carnival would smell like.

Verdict: 4.5 Halloween carnivals out of 5.


Xmas in New Orleans (Creamy, thick white florals)

Preliminary notes: I started missing spring toward the end of December and decided I needed to figure out a way to summon it. This was an attempt at that.

In bottle: White florals for sure. A bit on the powdery side, but I'm hoping that goes away on the skin. (After resting this for a week, the powderiness is gone and has been replaced by a lemony tinge, which I'm assuming is probably from a magnolia note.) Overall, it kind of reminds me of a floral version of Madame X.

On skin: This is.. not what I was expecting. White florals, yes, but it's very powdery and just kind of smells old? It smells like household cleaner instead of actual flowers. I get the tiniest bit of something akin to coffee underneath that, which is just a bizarre combination. I'm not a fan at all.

Verdict: 0 sad Christmases out of 5.


Pre-Raphaelite Seductress (Carnation, chocolate, incense, white musk)

Preliminary notes: I love pre-Raphaelite anything, so this is a winner thematically. I'm not the biggest chocolate note fan, but I do love incense and carnation, so we'll see.

In bottle: This smells almost boozy, like clove-laced rum or something. The carnation is very spicy, and the incense deepens everything. I don't get chocolate as an outright note.

On skin: Unfortunately, on the skin, this goes slightly soapy. Carnation is still the strongest note, followed by the musk and a tiny bit of incense. It's VERY perfumey, and the soapiness only gets stronger as it dries. It's a pass for me.

Verdict: 1.5 disappointed Pre-Raphaelites out of 5.


Rougarou (Candy corn, coriander, toasted sugar, sweet musk)

Preliminary notes: More candy corn scents, please! I'm curious to see how strong that note actually is here.

In bottle: This smells similar to Iowa to me, but a bit lighter and with a different kind of bite.

On skin: Strangely herbal! Mostly toasted sugar and sweetness, but there is a bit of an herbal edge to it from the coriander. It still has some resemblance to Atropos' Slip, in that it smells like sugar cookies. There's something about this scent underneath the sugary sweetness that smells ethereal. It brings to mind imagery of a witch's cottage and is very interesting.

Verdict: 4 ethereal sugar cookies out of 5.


Atropos' Slip (Delicious yellow candies dripping in butter (like homemade candy corn), combined with a cookie treat the likes of which you have only tasted once)

Preliminary notes: This sounds simply scrumptious. Candy corn and cookies? Yes, please.

In bottle: Something akin to sugar cookies, and a ton of syrupy sugar on top of that. Slightly similar to Rougarou. The candy corn is definitely detectable here.

On skin: So it definitely smells like there's a bit of cinnamon in this. It smells like spiced raw cookie dough in the best way possible. I don't get candy corn itself, but I do get a bit of creamed butter. Overall, it very much smells like cookies.

Verdict: 4 spiced cookies out of 5. I wish the candy corn was stronger, but I still really like this.


Danse Macabre (Strong black tea, leather, a hint of black musk, lemon zest)

Preliminary notes: Danse Macabre has been my favorite classical composition since I was a kid, and I love Possets' tea notes, so this was a no-brainer.

In bottle: Dark, dark, dark. The leather is strong, as is the tea. It smells very foreboding and commanding (which is absolutely my kind of vibe).

On skin: Something about this goes very piney on the skin, almost camphorous. The lemon is very sour as well. It starts mellowing into a very dark, brooding tea scent with a heavy leather backdrop. It's one of the weirdest scents I've ever smelled, which I mean in the best way possible. I couldn't stop sniffing my wrist while writing this.

Verdict: 3.75 tea-stained pages of sheet music out of 5. I think I need to give this time to mellow and grow on me. It's a very unique scent.


Sloe Byrne (Rum, butter, sugar, caramel)

Preliminary notes: I've wanted to try Sloe Byrne for a couple of years now, but every time I go to look for it, it's not available (because I didn't realize it was in a specific retour collection). It sounds a little simplistic compared to a lot of the other Possets stuff I've tried, but I love all of the notes.

In bottle: Fruity and dusty, which is a problem I've had with other The Girls Love scents (I'm assuming the Les Girls collection is an offshoot of that one). Disappointing, but it might be better on the skin. Past the dusty fruit, it smells like butterscotch Lifesavers.

On skin: VERY dusty. I don't get any of the listed notes. Just sweet, slightly fruity dust (which again, is a known issue with my skin chemistry and Possets' honey scents). Not a fan at all, and a second and final lesson that I need to stay away from Possets' honey scents. As it dries down, it takes on a Play-Doh quality, so this is a huge bust on me. Womp womp.

Verdict: 0 sheets of dust-covered sugar out of 5. I've had an extremely high hit rate with Possets over the last year, so an eventual miss was bound to happen. Take this with a grain of salt, as everyone's skin chemistry and sense of smell is different. What smells like sugary dust on me could smell amazing on you!


Halloween (Incensy, spicy, manages to capture the width of a dimming blue October sky)

Preliminary notes: A very vague description, indeed. Various people on the Possets forum said this one was smoky or smelled like leaves, so that's enough for me.

In bottle: Smoky, charred wood with maybe a hint of vanilla and dried leaves. Fans of Alkemia's Smoke & Mirrors or NAVA's Bonfire would probably like this.

On skin: SUPER incense-y, somewhere on the dragon's blood spectrum. It's smoky, a bit spicy, and very fall-appropriate. There's a bit of a candle wax/candle smoke edge to it, which is fascinating and very much fits the witchy vibe it already has going. This reminds me of my late teens/early 20s when I used to burn Vampire Blood incense constantly, and also reminds me of the goblet my sister used to burn her incense sticks in when I was a kid, which was surrounded by books on witchcraft. This is absolutely perfect for fall and Halloween, or for when you want to feel extra witchy.

Verdict: 5 goblets holding sticks of burning incense out of 5.


Illusion (Falsifiers) (Black tea, brown sugar edge, a wollop of frankincense, a beautiful but unexpected pumpkin)

Preliminary notes: This has been on my list for a while. Pumpkin and tea sounds lovely.

(Also, the original description says "blown sugar edge," but virtually every review of this one I've read says it smells like brown sugar, so I'm assuming it might be a typo)

In bottle: Everything is here and accounted for on first sniff, and I can't really explain just what it smells like. It's a bit fall candle-y, which isn't something that bothers me, but it also smells elegant and refined on top of that.

On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle. The tea takes an almost cinnamon edge on the skin, and the pumpkin becomes incredibly buttery. As I'm writing this, the cinnamon is amping into Red Hots territory, which is a very common thing for me, so take that with a grain of salt. Overall, it kind of smells like having a cup of tea while eating a slice of spiced pumpkin pie.

Verdict: 4 spicy pumpkin pies with tea out of 5. I wish I didn't amp cinnamon as much as I do, but other than that, it's a lovely scent.

Hullo, and happy holidays! I had originally planned on picking up a couple of things from other shops for Christmas, but 'tis the season for FOMO, so a lot of what I'd had my eye on sold out by the time I had the opportunity to place an order. I reached out to Possets in November and asked if they were having any upcoming sales, and they said yes. A 25% off Thanksgiving sale was too good of a deal to pass up, so here we are. A lot of these had been on my wishlist for a year or more.


🕯️ Luminaria (A similarity to butter cremes, a real nod to candles, a shot of cold, cold outdoor air)

Preliminary notes: I was looking for something candy cane-ish, and this is one of the closest things I could find in the Possets catalogue. I do enjoy buttermints as well, so I have high hopes for this one.

In bottle: Very faint in the bottle, but I do get a slightly boozy buttermint thing going on.

On skin: Still very faint and buttermint-y. There is something akin to candle wax going on as well. I read reports of there being a chocolate note on the forum, but I don't get any cocoa or chocolate from this at all. I wish this wasn't so faint!

Verdict: 2.5 pillowy buttermints out of 5. This disappeared from my skin after not even 30 minutes, so it's definitely not for me. Oh well.


🍪 The Lullaby (The very gingerbread house from the famous scene, filled with cream and red currants)

Preliminary notes: I got bitten by the gingerbread bug while looking at the Yules and had to get a few gingerbread scents to appease it. I'm not super into fruity scents, but I'm hoping the currants are fairly subdued.

In bottle: Very fruity! The currants are tart, and the cream is sweet. The gingerbread smells a bit more savory than sweet and is quite subtle in the bottle.

On skin: Very herbal, spicy currants. I don't get any cream or gingerbread, unfortunately. The red currant overpowers everything else.

Verdict: 2.5 houses made out of red currants out of 5. I'm going to try aging this to see if it balances things out a bit better.


🥧 Cranberry Pie (Spice, cranberry, caramelized juices, pie crust)

Preliminary notes: I LOVE cranberry in perfumery, and I wish it was a note that was used more often.

In bottle: I know this is supposed to be a pie scent, but to me, this smells just like cranberry cookies. The cranberry note in this is sublime, and it does smell a bit caramelized.

On skin: This is just delightful. Caramelized cranberries and pastry notes, with a gentle hit of spice. It's very soft and smells like a cranberry baked good that just came out of the oven. There's something slightly vanilla-y in there as well, so it smells like a warm cranberry dessert with a scoop of ice cream on the side, or whipped cream. Very Christmas-y and cheery.

Verdict: 5 warm-from-the-oven cranberry desserts out of 5.


🥛 Yule Posset (Cream with velvety vanilla and a bit of a rummy character)

Preliminary notes: I adore eggnog *so* much, and the full description for this heavily hints at it. I have not come across an eggnog scent that's realistic yet, so hopefully this one breaks the chain.

In bottle: Oh my god. An eggnog scent that ACTUALLY smells like eggnog. It's a miracle! There's something soft and almost cashmere-like in there as well, along with the rum. Delicious.

On skin: Still eggnog-y but very perfumey once it hits the skin. It's still the most realistic eggnog scent I've tried, so I'm very happy with it. The rum is warm and slightly spiced as well.

Verdict: 5 glasses of rum-spiked eggnog out of 5.


🍌 Banana Cream Pie (Banana, sweet cream reduced to custard, cane sugar, spices, golden lacy crust)

Preliminary notes: I remember this one being in my cart last winter, but I never actually bought it. Bananas are probably my favorite fruit, and DH and I were obsessed with a local restaurant's banana pudding when I first moved in with him. I've had banana cream pie scents from other houses that just kind of fell flat, so hopefully this one doesn't do that.

In bottle: Exactly what it sounds like. The bananas smell like they've been caramelized, poured into a pie crust with custard, and smothered in whipped cream.

On skin: This is sublime. It's a perfect banana cream pie/custard scent. I'm in love. This is a very straightforward scent, but it's SO good. Banana lovers, keep an eye out for this one!

Verdict: 5 banana cream pies smothered in whipped cream out of 5.


🧈 Buttermilk Pie (Buttermilk, butter, sugar, pie crust)

Preliminary notes: I don't have much to say about this one beyond, "It sounds tasty."

In bottle: This is quite faint in the bottle and smells pretty powdery, which I wasn't expecting.

On skin: The weird powderiness goes away once it hits the skin, fortunately. This is a fairly straightforward buttermilk dessert scent, and it's lovely. It's very soft and veers on the edge of being a skin scent. This makes a really lovely sleep scent and is quite comforting.

Verdict: 4 soft buttermilk pies out of 5.


❤️ Lovechild - Cranbaby (Tart cranberry dances merrily with a smooth dulce le leche)

Preliminary notes: More cranberry! This sounds like a really interesting pairing.

In bottle: Straight up cranberry juice. I don't get any dulce le leche at all (which is fine). So tart!

On skin: Very much still cranberry juice, and it is TART. I love it. There's something warm beneath that, which could be the dulce le leche, but it's very hard to actually make out.

Verdict: 5 towering mountains of cranberries out of 5.


🥃 Damned Souls (Hot buttered rum, a huge bag of marshmallows )

Preliminary notes: This one was kind of a last minute cart addition compared to the rest. I've loved hot buttered rum in other scents I've tried it in, and while I'm not keen on eating marshmallows, they'd probably add a nice soft sweetness here.

In bottle: This smells almost cookie-like. There's a distinct baked good smell coming from somewhere in here. Maybe the marshmallows are toasted?

On skin: Yeah, I'm putting all of my eggs in the toasted marshmallow basket, because this smells very baked, if that makes sense. It almost smells like caramel corn, which I'm also a fan of. This is mouthwatering.

Verdict: 5 popcorn balls out of 5.


🍬 The Gluttons' Delight (Artisanal jams, elegant truffles, endless buttered salted toffees, rivers of cream)

Preliminary notes: Ah, the only scent in this review that isn't a Yule scent. This was from the Halloween Retour, and it sounds too damned good not to try. Again, I don't love fruity notes, and chocolate isn't my favorite thing in perfumery either, but it all sounds delicious.

In bottle: I don't know what I'm smelling here, but it's none of the notes listed. It's almost pine-y? Hm.

On skin: The jam notes are definitely the strongest, with a bit of cream in the background. I don't get any chocolate or much toffee, to my dismay. It does smell like fancy desserts though.

Verdict: 3.5 jars of jam out of 5. I hope aging does this some good and the chocolate and toffee notes come out more.


🎄 The Ghost of Christmas Present (Balsam pine, tangerines, a roaring fire in the fireplace)

Preliminary notes: Ever since I smelled Deep Midnight's White Christmas, I've been chasing a very specific fir/pine/citrus combo. I'm not looking for a dupe at all, but the combination of fir and orange in White Christmas is intensely nostalgic to me, so I'm hoping for the same feeling here.

In bottle: In the bottle, this is absolutely in the same vein as White Christmas, but a bit deeper. The tangerine is very bright, and the whole thing is very warm and cozy.

On skin: As it says on the tin, this is a beautiful pine, citrus, and smoke scent. The smoke note is fairly subtle but is definitely there, the citrus smells warmed, and the pine is stunning. Possets' evergreen notes are dreamy.

Verdict: 4.5 citruses by the fire out of 5.


🍫 Bird's Nest in the Cowl (Bitter chocolate, bread pudding, Bavarian cream sauce, European gingerbread)

Preliminary notes: Kind of another last minute addition. More gingerbread, but also, more chocolate? What are you thinking, Femmenstein? (My justification is, "Yes, but bread pudding and cream sauce!")

In bottle: Now THIS is a gingerbread scent. It's very dry, but it's classic gingerbread and very realistic.

On skin: Still very gingerbread-heavy, but the bread pudding also makes itself known. This is one of the driest gourmands I've tried, but it's fantastic. I adore the gingerbread note in this.

Verdict: 5 sheets of gingerbread cookies out of 5.

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.