Scented Musings

Hullo! I don't have any interesting preamble for these, so we'll just get right into it.

Gideon (Apricot, golden amber, a saucerful of cream)

Preliminary notes: So I'm not gonna lie, there were two driving factors in getting this. One, the scent is inspired by an orange cat, and my little hellion back home is an orange tabby. Two, Gideon is on our list of eventual baby names to use, so it's sentimental on both counts.

In bottle: I can smell Arcana's classic cream note, apricot, and I'm assuming the amber, which is reading as very witchy to me.

On skin: It's honestly shocking to me that there are only three notes in this, because it's very complex and interesting. The apricot comes out more and gets sweeter on the skin, but the amber keeps everything in check and stops it from smelling like a fruit and cream candy.

Verdict: 4.5 witchy apricots out of 5.

Estella (White amber, vanilla bean, a kiss of cognac)

Preliminary notes: These next 3 were part of my potential wedding scent hunt when we were still throwing the idea of a spring wedding around. We've since decided to do a fall wedding instead, which renders these kind of irrelevant, but I'm still a sucker for cozy scents, so I'm not bothered.

In bottle: This reminds me of the base of Pumpkins Crave Pointe Shoes, which is Two Finger Ballet. I haven't tried OG Two Finger Ballet, so I can't compare it directly, but this is basically the base of PCPS with booze. It smells elegant and refined with a bit of a rebellious edge.

On skin: More or less the same as in the bottle, but the booze calms down a bit. I love this.

Verdict: 5 rebellious Victorian ladies out of 5. I'd bathe in this if I could.

Frigg (Black tonka bean, raw cashmere wool, French bakery vanilla, soft warm skin, confectionary sugar, sweet almond)

Preliminary notes: I'm not a fan of almond notes, but in my head, I was like, "Well, it sounds like a wedding scent so I'm just gonna pretend they're Jordan almonds," since those are a thing at weddings in my family.

In bottle: Okay, this is nowhere near as sweet as I was expecting. There's some sort of note in there that's reading almost like oud, which I'm assuming can only be the cashmere. It smells cozy and a tiny bit peppery. I don't get any almond whatsoever in the bottle.

On skin: Whatever's going on with that oud-like note kind of ruins this scent for me. It overtakes everything, and it's all I can smell. I wanted to like this, but I can't stand it.

Verdict: 0 surprising, overwhelming woody notes out of 5. When the other notes actually have a chance to come through, it's not a bad scent, but I can't stand whatever that woody note is. It's sharp and overpowering.

Ganesh (Coconut cake, honey, vanilla, Indonesian clove, green coconut, a warm blend of spices)

Preliminary notes: None.

In bottle: The only notes I'm getting straight out of the bottle are Arcana's honey note and maybe a bit of vanilla. I get no cake, spices, or coconut.

On skin: This kind of just smells like Arcana's other honey-heavy bakery scents (Honey Craves Coffee Shops and Marshmallows Bite! specifically). I don't hate it, but it's not something I haven't smelled before from the same company.

Verdict: 3.5 honey-sweetened cakes out of 5. It's not a bad scent, but it's not particularly unique either.

Vatican Archives (Honey from the Papal apiaries, Roman figs, Atlas cedarwood, smoky frankincense and myrrh, crimson musk, black musk, smudgy parchment musk)

Preliminary notes: I had no idea this scent existed until I was browsing the website for Hel, but it sounds right up my alley. Bookish, spooky, and powerful? Yes, please.

In bottle: I get the honey, myrrh, and parchment right away. It's very spooky and foreboding, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

On skin: The red musk in this overtakes most of the notes fairly quickly, which is usually what happens with red musk notes. There's something a bit salty going on as well. The honey completely disappears, and it becomes The Red Musk Show for a while, which is a bummer.

Verdict: 4 foreboding libraries out of 5. Despite the red musk overpowering everything once it hits the skin, it's a nice bookish scent with a creepy edge and fits quite nicely into my collection.

Hel (Candle soot, honey-smeared ho wood, aged vetiver, black coconut, ash frozen in ice, scorched beeswax)

Preliminary notes: This sounds SO Halloween-y. I'm hoping the ice note doesn't come off as mint.

In bottle: Arcana's beeswax note is immediately recognizable, followed by the vetiver and something very slightly fruity. It's dark, but it's also not quite as heavy as I'd anticipated.

On skin: This really does smell cold (without being minty) and burnt. It's kind of like the goth version of Snug, which I love.

Verdict: 3 underworld queens out of 5. I do like this quite a lot when it initially hits the skin, but there's something in it that goes a little household cleaner on me. There's some kind of lemony nuance in there, and it throws the whole thing off. I'll probably retest this in the future, but it's going in my destash box for now.

Nott (free sample) (Amber accord (holy labdanum resin, midnight Madagascar vanilla, and sweet benzoin), rich black cardamom, a shot of vintage patchouli, a dark trail of incense)

Preliminary notes: So funnily enough, I had been eyeing this and *almost* bought it when I got Vatican Archives and Hel but passed on it.

In bottle: In the sample bottle, it smells very inky-dark and a bit sweet. Very resinous, unsurprisingly, and a little bit camphorous. Maybe a touch cola-y as well. I already wish I'd ordered this instead of Hel.

On skin: More or less the same as in the bottle. It's very strong and intimidating, which I like. It's quite sharp, but there's a weird, otherworldly glowing quality about it. It's very unique and mysterious.

Verdict: 4.5 obsidian bowls full of chewy, caramelized resins out of 5. I definitely have to upsize this at some point.

B-Endorphins (Chocolate milk, salty popcorn, cold vanilla ice cream, peanut brittle, a drizzle of caramel sauce)

Preliminary notes: I'd been wanting to try this one for a while, but I'm always apprehensive of chocolate notes, since they aren't my favorite.

In bottle: I kind of expected this to smell like a Reese's Cup, but luckily, it doesn't. I can smell pretty much all of the notes in the bottle except the peanut brittle.

On skin: On the skin, Arcana's milk note is definitely present, along with the chocolate, popcorn, ice cream, and caramel. I've noticed that Arcana's milk note is allllmost fruity/laundry like, which is a bit noticeable but it doesn't go full laundry or fruit on me. I'm not really sure if I like this or not though. The dairy notes are behaving a bit strangely, and it's throwing the rest of the notes off a bit. It's not a bad scent at all, it's just very.. perfumey, I guess? It smells a bit stale as well.

DH thought it smelled like old coffee grounds and hazelnuts, so not a win from him either.

Verdict: 1.5 very weird desserts out of 5. Neither of us liked this one much, and it got destashed. I usually like Arcana's dairy notes, but they didn't work for me at all here.

*Keep in mind, everyone's skin chemistry and sense of smell are different. Just because it smells a certain way to/on me doesn't mean it'll smell that way to everyone.*

More reviews ahoy! This is the last batch until the next shipment shows up. As usual, favorites are denoted with an asterisk. You can find Alkemia’s shop page here.

Dustsceawung* (The scent of forbidden explorations and an olfactory meditation on dust… attic air, the inside of old trunks, abandoned haylofts, library stacks, and abandoned buildings.)

In the bottle: Dusty, but light and fresh. A little sweet.

On skin: Takes on a more musty tone, but is still light in nature. There are some nice soft woods at play here, and this is kind of dreamy. To me, this smells more like old books than Book of Shadows.

Longevity: Became close to skin after 2 hours, and faded into something soapy and reminiscent of seawater after about 5 hours. It stuck around for a few hours after that.

Miel de Sauvage et Tabac*** (Sweet, spicy pipe tobacco flecked with wild honey, freshly crushed honeycomb, the pollen of forest blossoms, and smoked black amber.)

In the bottle: Mostly warm honey and a little bit of tobacco.

On skin: The tobacco blooms, but the honey keeps it in check. There’s something minty underneath all of that, which adds a really interesting edge. There’s something in here that reminds me of Lush (in the best way), and I think it might be the waxy honeycomb. This is lovely and comforting, and not overwhelming or smothering. It reads primarily as waxy honey on me, and I adore it.

Longevity: Still strong after 6 hours. Lasted well over 12. I could still smell it faintly under other oils after 15-16 hours.

Memoriam** (An olfactory ode to love and loss. Heirloom roses, memories wrapped in woodsmoke, a scattering of ashes.)

In the bottle: Burning roses, without a doubt.

On skin: The woodsmoke calms down a little bit, so now we’ve got smoldering roses with some spiciness underneath. I was a little scared of how smoky it was in the bottle, but it’s sublime on the skin. Definitely something that would suit darker aesthetics and tendencies such as my own. If Black No. 1 or Love You to Death had a scent, this would be it.

Longevity: Faded around the 5-hour mark, dropped a lot of the smokiness, and morphed into a spicy rose, which is gorgeous. Lasted about 6 or 7 hours total.

Book of Shadows** (A biblichor of eldritch books – heavy parchment paper, ancient iron oak gall ink, crumbling leather bindings, and wafts of rare incenses.)

In the bottle: Warm leather, incense, and spices.

On skin: This is beautiful. There’s a citrus twang (frankincense, maybe) among the parchment and incenses, and the leather is nice and soft, not overbearing. This reads as old library more than old books for me, but it’s still very interesting.

Longevity: Started fading after about 5 hours but stuck around for over 7 hours.

Vert Sur Le Vert*** (Green, green, green, and more freshly smooshed sweet greens – new grasses, new leaves, welcome new spring!” Listing also includes tomato leaf.)

In the bottle: Looots of greenery and grasses, and a little sweetness.

On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, with a little bit of the tomato leaf that I was hoping for poking through. It’s a refreshing blend of new growth greens as opposed to full grown greens, if that makes sense. Something about this is magical. I love me some green scents, so this is excellent. Definitely something that’ll be nice to wear when welcoming spring after a long winter.

Longevity: Still strong after 4 hours. Lasted a good 5 or 6 before fading.

Pear Alchemy 2018 (Spiced Bartlett pears, white amber, green cardamon, and more.)

In the bottle: I didn’t think I’d ever regard pears as a sexy fruit, but they definitely are in this concoction! Pears, something caramelized, a bit of spice, and a touch of magic.

On skin: This lightens up on the skin a little bit and has a bit of a mentholated feel in the background initially. I’m not sure what it is. It’s really lovely and light though, and it makes me nostalgic. It takes on a kind of cosmetic-scented tone as it dries down, which I’m not particularly fond of.

Longevity: Still strong after 4 hours.

Additional notes: This was a gift with purchase and is not available on its own.

Yule Alchemy 2018*** (Yule Alchemy’s elements include boozy fruitcake, crushed pine needles, biscotti, and spiced amber.)

In the bottle: Baked goods, and a little bit of pine. A classic Christmas scent.

On skin: God, this is amazing. Everything mentioned is readily detectable, and the pine is actually there! Bit spicy, bit gourmand, and all fantastic. Love this. I ended up wearing this for Christmas this year, and it was perfect.

Longevity: Still strong after 4 hours. It became more pine-centric as time went on, which I love.

Additional notes: This was a gift with purchase and is not available on its own.