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These were all purchased during the first day of Alkemia's annual July sale. I'm very grateful that I was able to get everything I had planned on!

🍵 Arcanum Experiments 2024: 8: We Spilled the Teas (Green tea, mint tea, vanilla-infused white tea leaves, twig tea, ginger tea, Christmas tea)

Preliminary notes: I mean, it's tea. It's ALL tea. This is a no-brainer.

In bottle: I get the green and white teas and a bit of subtle spice right off the bat. Already a big fan.

On skin: This is so beautiful. So many different levels and varieties of tea, all very fresh and delicious. It smells somewhat festive as well. There's not much to say about this one, as it's very self-explanatory, but I adore it.

Verdict: 5 giant vats of tea out of 5.


🍂 Arcanum Experiments 2024: 7: Sweater Weather (Spiced apple cider, late season blackberries, cherrywood, warm pumpkin pie, woodsmoked vanilla beans, sandalwood, autumn leaves, clover hay, cashmere wool, anise, benzoin, golden amber, caramel coffee, toasted coconut, blue juniper, moss, bitter orange)

Preliminary notes: This sounds ambitious as hell, and I can kind of understand why it ended up as an Arcanum Experiment. Those are a LOT of notes to fit into one scent. It sounds like an autumnal, atmospheric dream nonetheless.

In bottle: Largely the cider, blackberry, and deep, dark fruit notes.

On skin: The autumn leaf note in this really comes alive on the skin, and I'm pretty sure it's the same one from Autumnalis and Feuillemort. It's very difficult to discern the notes apart from each other beyond the leaves and cider, but this is a dusky autumn evening in a bottle. It's atmospheric in all the right ways while also being grounded. I adore this, and I'm so glad I managed to get a bottle.

This is a morpher, too. It's initially very heavy on the leaves and cider, then it goes through a toasted coconut and coffee phase with some fruit notes in the background, and then it gets a bit smoky later in the drydown.

Verdict: 5 autumn evenings out of 5.


🍰 Arcanum Experiments 2024: 10: Mallow Drama (Pink frosted birthday cake, marshmallow ambrosia, strawberry rhubarb pie, blue cotton candy, kettle corn, almond macarons, chocolate fig squares, dulce le leche, fondant, gingersnaps, whipped cream)

Preliminary notes: This sounds like a very complex, gourmand dream. The strawberry rhubarb pie and kettle corn notes sold me.

In bottle: If candy corn was pink, this is what it would smell like. Very vanillic and sweet.

On skin: To be honest, this is such a complex scent that it's hard to make anything out individually. It's primarily a vanillic, sugary sweet marshmallow scent with a tiny dash of fruity sweetness. Very pink, very saccharine but in a good way. It feels like a younger sister to All the Sins. As it dries, the chocolate note comes out a bit, as do the other baked goods.

Verdict: 4 tables overflowing with sweets out of 5.


🌻 Jonquil Alchemy (Creamy white jonquils, grandiflora narcissi, Poet's daffodil, snowdrops, green daffodil stems, new grasses, late witch hazel blooms, a whisper of vanilla musk)

Preliminary notes: One of my favorite Alkemia scents that I no longer have is Musc de Jonquille, and this is the closest thing I've seen to it. The world needs more daffodil scents.

In bottle: Beautiful springtime white florals. From what I remember of it, I'd say this is Musc de Jonquille-adjacent, so I'm happy. Very green as well.

On skin: This initially reminds me of something I've smelled from BPAL before (Jasmine Cottage or The Queen of May, maybe). After a couple of minutes, it becomes a unique, stunning white floral with a snap of green stems, and a tiny bit of vanilla to temper it. This is such a pretty, elegant scent. Perfect for spring, but cool enough for summer or early fall as well. Something about it smells a bit funerary to me (which is a huge compliment).

Verdict: 5 elegant white florals out of 5.


🔮 Sorciere Rouge (Bakhoor incense, Tibetan agarwood, dragon's blood, rock rose, dark amber)

Preliminary notes: I had a bottle of this way back in the day and can't remember what it smelled like, other than being heavy on the dragon's blood note.

In bottle: A dragon's blood dream. There's a bit of a dampness to this one as well.

On skin: Damp incense, a bit of smoke, and a ton of dragon's blood. Just as I remember it. This is very witchy and mysterious. I don't have a ton to say about this one since it's pretty linear, but it's lovely.

Verdict: 4 tremendous plumes of dragon's blood-scented incense smoke out of 5.


🍭 All the Sins (Candy floss, candy corn, pink taffy, bullseye caramels, red licorice, benzoin, creamy vanilla musk)

Preliminary notes: Another scent I used to have. I already know what this one smells like. It's a pink gourmand dream.

In bottle: Just as I remember. Very pink, very sugary, very delicious.

On skin: Primarily candy floss, taffy, red licorice, and the vanilla musk. It's extremely sugary, so those who don't like sweet or gourmand scents would do best to avoid this one. I personally love it for its pink, frilly nature, and it reminds me a bit of Halloween candy. Very happy to have this again.

Verdict: 4.5 pink bags of candy out of 5.


🍁 Autumn (Sun-warmed fallen leaves, golden sunlit amber, light wool warmed with skin musk)

Preliminary notes: This is a scent I've wanted to get from Alkemia for yeeears. It seems to come back almost every time the July sale happens, and I finally snagged a bottle this time. I've tried (and loved) Autumnalis and Feuillemort, which sound to be in similar veins.

In bottle: Yeah, this is definitely in a similar vein to Autumnalis and Feuillemort. If Autumnalis was deeper and less soapy, it'd smell very akin to this.

On skin: This is such a dreamy olfactory portrait of a sunlit glade during autumn. The leaves, amber, and skin musk are all stunning, and it's very cheerful and relaxing. A perfect cozy sibling of Autumnalis and Feuillemort. I adore this so much.

Verdict: 5 autumnal glades out of 5.


🕯️ Offering (A forested glade, ritual incenses, offertory fruits, honeycakes, spiced ale, glowing beeswax candles)

Preliminary notes: I didn't get to try Offering when it was originally available many years ago, but I did try Honeycakes for Harvest Moon, which seemed to be its spiritual successor.

In bottle: I recognize the honeycake note, but this is mostly dark fruits and incense in the bottle.

On skin: This. Is. Stunning. The "forested glade" is a beautiful pine/fir note that sits in the background underneath the incense and honeycakes, and the ale comes out a bit as well. This is such a gorgeous celebratory blend, and I can't get enough of it. I would bathe in this if I could. It's a delightfully witchy gourmand with a woody edge.

Verdict: 5 rituals in the forest out of 5.


🌺 La Sirena (Oceanic aquatics, saline seaweeds, garlands of fresh Tiare flowers offered to the sea)

Preliminary notes: I was torn between this and Siren's Spell, but I wanted something with a bit more bite (plus this is discontinued and Siren's Spell isn't yet), and I'm hoping the seaweed notes deliver here.

In bottle: Beautiful aquatic notes, salt and seaweed. Cannot wait to skin test this.

On skin: This very, very strongly reminds me of Comptoir Sud Pacifique's Aqua Motu but floral and heavier on the saline notes. I was a bit worried this was going to be soapy, but it's not. It's a beautiful, picturesque marine scent with a floral overtone.

Verdict: 4.5 garlands of flowers floating on calm ocean waters out of 5.


🥥 Coconut Alchemy (Fresh white coconut, sugarcane, baby bananas, tuberose, ginger flower)

Preliminary notes: This was July's free alchemy scent.

In bottle: This is a classic, beachy, almost sunscreen-like scent.

On skin: The prettiest pina colada that ever did exist. This is a beautiful take on a tropical coconut scent. It smells like the image of a gauzy sundress blowing in the breeze on a white sand beach. I'm typically pretty apathetic toward coconut notes, but I really like this.

Verdict: 4 pina coladas on a beach out of 5.
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🖋️ Writer's Blood (The primal angst of artistic passion - iron-tinged blood, a manuscript soaked in spilled black coffee, and an overturned tin of rolling tobacco), a bit of incense smoke)

Preliminary notes: That description is just.. fantastic. Very evocative. I love bookish scents, odd conceptual scents, and tobacco and coffee notes, so this sounds like a dream (or nightmare, perhaps).

In bottle: Oh, this is dark. The coffee and tobacco are seamlessly blended together, and there's something slightly camphorous in the background. It's very rich and has an almost cola-like tinge to it without actually smelling like cola, if that makes any sense. There's a touch of parchment in there as well. This is better than I was hoping for, so I'm looking forward to how it wears.

On skin: More or less the same as in the bottle. This stuff is potent. I'm starting to think the bit of camphor and cola might be part of the iron/blood accord. The parchment note in this is glorious as well. This is probably the darkest, broodiest book/writerly scent I've ever smelled, and I love it so much. It smells like the depths of unfathomable horror and anguish, and it's the picture of dark academia in scent form (with an eldritch edge).

Writer's Blood smells like exploring the minds of Crowley, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, and Poe simultaneously, and being struck by fear and astonishment at all of the inconceivable terrors within. I. Fucking. Love. This.

Verdict: 5 deep, dark pits of despair out of 5.


💐 Apsara (Dark purple hyacinth flowers and Darjeeling tea)

Preliminary notes: I had Apsara yeeears ago, but my previous bottle's roller was a bit problematic, so she unfortunately got destashed. When I found out that Alkemia re-released this scent last year during their July workshop sale, I was *so* excited but couldn't place an order at the time. I'm so excited to have this again, and to see if it's changed at all from the original version. I can't directly compare them, but I remember the OG scent very well.

In bottle: Just as I remember, though the tea note might be slightly stronger in this version. The bottle I ordered is also incredibly full (almost right up to the rim), so this will last me a very long time.

On skin: The tea is definitely stronger in the re-release version than the OG version, which I'm totally okay with. It's a nice, spicy tea, and it compliments the hyacinth note really well. Love this, just as I loved the older version. This is also VERY potent compared to the OG scent. Way more throw and power.

Verdict: 5 spicy floral teas out of 5.


📚 Book of Shadows (Heavy parchment paper, ancient iron oak gall ink, crumbling leather bindings, wafts of rare incenses)

Preliminary notes: So this scent has a funny and sad story behind it. I had a bottle of this for years, but when I introduced it to DH for the first time, he said it smelled like urinals and burnt wires, so I was like, "Well damn, now I have to destash this," so I did. Instant regret. I kept meaning to repurchase it because I missed it, but I kept forgetting to do so until now. I very highly doubt anything about this scent has changed (my original bottle was from 2018), which is totally fine by me. I remember it being a really beautiful, realistic library scent with a heavy ink note.

In bottle: Ahh, yes. Just as I remember. Sweet incense, ink, a bit of worn leather, and parchment. Nothing's changed.

On skin: I'll start this off by saying that this was the first time I've spilled an oil. I guess I didn't have it close enough to my wrist and ended up spilling some on a blanket, but at least it wasn't much.

It smells warmer and a bit softer than I remember. The ink is almost vegetal, and the leather is worn and smooth. The parchment lingers in the background, with tendrils of incense smoke curling around it. I have always loved this scent, and I always will. It's a perfect old book scent with a bit of an edge.

Verdict: 5 ancient, eldritch tomes out of 5.


🍊 Arcanum Experiments 2023: 8 (Orange dreamsicles, banana taffy, pink lotus, white amber)

Preliminary notes: Alkemia's orange dreamsicle note is.. well, dreamy. I had two previous monthly alchemies that featured it, and as you can probably guess, I destashed them and regretted it later. This sounds a lot more up my alley though, as I also love banana notes.

In bottle: All of the notes are present and accounted for. It's a very pink, girly, summery scent. I really like this.

On skin: That orange dreamsicle note is the same one that's been in the aforementioned alchemies that I destashed, and I'm very glad to have a scent with that note at the forefront again. It's a pretty seamless blend of all of the notes, and it gets a lot creamier once it hits the skin. This is a fun, light summery scent.

Verdict: 5 of the tastiest dreamsicles you've ever had out of 5.


🔥 Arcanum Experiments 2023: 10 (Black musk, opium, galbanum, woodsmoke, vegan civet, black amber)

Preliminary notes: This sounds so delightfully dark that I couldn't resist. I don't know if I like civet notes or not, but everything else is something I know I like.

In bottle: Oh boy.. something fairly stanky with an undercurrent of baby wipes. I'm kind of scared to put this on my skin.

On skin: Lemon house cleaner? What on earth. I don't know about this one. Ultimately, it's too stanky and lemony for my tastes. Not a fan.

Verdict: 1 pool of stank covered up with lemon house cleaner out of 5.
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Honey Craves Coffee Shops (Roasting coffee beans, honey-drizzled cake, freshly baked vanilla cookies, soft, overstuffed chairs, a hint of steamed milk)

Preliminary notes: As previously stated in several reviews, I am a coffee scent fiend despite not being able to drink coffee IRL. This kind of sounds like Marshmallows Bite! + coffee almost, so if that's the case, I'm not gonna be mad at it.

In bottle: In the bottle, this smells almost identical to Marshmallows Bite! I don't get any coffee whatsoever, which is a bummer.

On skin: Theeere's the coffee. It's still fairly subdued, but it's at least noticeable now. The baked goods are a bit more golden than they are in Marshmallows Bite!, but the scent overall is still very similar to it. The honey note in this is very pronounced and realistic, and "honey-drizzled cake" is very apt.

Verdict: 4 bakeries that also double as coffee shops out of 5. I like this but am a bit disappointed by how subtle the coffee note is and how similar it is to Marshmallows Bite! Oh well.

Pumpkins Crave Pointe Shoes (Creamy pumpkin and Korintje cinnamon with Arcana Wildcraft's Two Finger Ballet (French vanilla créme, white amber, sugared vanilla beans, caramel, and the smallest dab of opium))

Preliminary notes: I haven't tried OG Two Finger Ballet, but I do have Strawberries Crave Indulgence, which I love. A pumpkin version of that sounds delicious.

In bottle: Oh, that is lovely. It's very creamy, spicy, and dark with a bit of an edge.

On skin: This is sublime. Pumpkin and caramel on a spicy, slightly resinous backdrop. The cinnamon is pretty dry and doesn't veer into Red Hots territory. As an added bonus, I accidentally touched my wrist to my mouth while reviewing this, and I can confirm that it does not taste nearly as nice as it smells. Do not ingest oils, kids.

Verdict: 5 caramel-y pumpkin desserts out of 5. I adore this.

Pumpkins Crave Quietude (Soft vanilla, white amber, white musk, Mysore sandalwood, sweet pumpkin, a tiny pinch of white pepper)

Preliminary notes: From what I understand, this is basically Haint + pumpkin, which sounds lovely. I haven't tried OG Haint, so I won't be able to compare to that.

In bottle: Much like my experience with Peaches Crave Haint, this smells cool-toned. The white pepper is more pronounced here, and the pumpkin smells like a pumpkin pie as opposed to fresh pumpkin puree or something.

On skin: Peppery, spicy pumpkin. I'm actually shocked there isn't cinnamon in this, because it definitely smells like it. It almost smells like unlit pumpkin incense as well.

Verdict: 4.75 sticks of spiced pumpkin incense out of 5.

Vanilla Craves Enchanted Cottages (Banana flambé, vanilla créme anglaise, a rose garden sanctuary covered in morning dew, rose geranium, ylang-ylang, bananas dipped in brown sugar, sweet cacao, sheer almond, gnarled pine branches from the deep woods)

Preliminary notes: Whether or not this actually belongs in the autumnal review post is debatable, but I figured enchanted cottages and witchy things were close enough. At any rate, I love banana notes, and this sounds amazing.

In bottle: Bananaaaas. Lots of bananas. This isn't like candy-banana though. It does smell sweet but it's almost buttery. This is a lot more complex than just banana as well. The rose-banana combo is interesting, because they have very similar scent qualities. I liiike.

On skin: On skin, the banana recedes quite a bit, and the florals bloom pretty intensely. I can't make any of them out in particular, but the whole thing smells slightly spooky. There's something in here I don't care for, and I can't tell if it's one of the florals or the almond.

Verdict: 3 bananas frolicking in a forest out of 5. The florals are pretty overwhelming once it hits skin, and there's a very distinct burnt smell going on as well. There's a little bit too much going on in this one for me.

Honeys Crave Smoldering Cauldrons (Buckwheat honey, dark earth, long tendrils of cauldron smoke reaching up to the sky, damp, decaying leaves, wild chanterelles, blackened lavender stems, dried tea leaves, wildflowers)

Preliminary notes: Lavender isn't my favorite note, but look at that note lineup! How can you resist that if you're darkly-inclined and into witchy things? I've seen a lot of fungi notes, but never chanterelles specifically. This sounds very complex and interesting.

In bottle: Oh! I love this already. I can't make anything out specifically, other than the cool dirt and a bit of tea, but it smells amazing. It has an almost aquatic quality to it. Something about it reminds me of one of the beaches near our place, though it doesn't smell beachy at all (I'm in western Canada, so beaches here are lakes with a lot of trees and grassy patches).

On skin: This is a dead ringer for interior BC lakes/beaches. It's uncanny, which makes no sense since none of the notes are indicative of that. It's incredibly evocative and nostalgic for me, and despite the heavy notes, it's a perfect summer scent.

Verdict: 5 hometown lakes out of 5.

Pumpkins Crave Nog (Pumpkin flesh with rich eggnog, sugar cookies, Tahitian vanilla, cinnamon, and a spike of Arcana Wildcraft's Holy Terror (burning frankincense, sandalwood, deep myrrh, and dusty beeswax candles))

Preliminary notes: This sounds decadent as fuck, like a pumpkin trifle.

In bottle: To be completely honest, I don't know what I'm smelling here. I get a bit of the cinnamon, but there's some sort of savory note in there, and something boozy.

On skin: I don't get any eggnog whatsoever, but it does kind of smell like pumpkin pie ice cream. The cinnamon note is really nice and dry. The mystery savory note disappeared as well, so what's left is a warm, very slightly smoky pumpkin pie scent with a bit of a creamy note with it.

Verdict: 5 bowls of pumpkin pie ice cream out of 5.
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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.
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I hadn't originally planned on picking anything up from the April Fools' release, but I am hopeless when it comes to resisting gourmands. Most of these have been on my wishlist for a couple of years. I was shocked; Malarkey was on its own, but the others were in an order together and shipped within 20 minutes of the order being placed. Nui Cobalt's TAT is phenomenal and wrought with sorcery. Speaking of sorcery, let's see what kind of delicious witchery Forest has concocted with these.

As a quick preamble as well, I love the concept behind Nui Cobalt's April Fools' collection in terms of, "April Fools' is a garbage holiday, and I don't like gourmands, so I'm gonna combine the two and make some really awesome perfumes." I think it's a great way to channel something you don't like into something productive, and given my previous experiences with NCD's gourmands, I'm very excited for these. Forest may not like gourmands, but she's very skilled at making them.


🍞Malarkey: Bread and Butter Pudding (Twice-baked slices of soft white bread, salted butter, rich vanilla custard, nutmeg, cinnamon)

Preliminary notes: I'm super excited to try this, finally. It's been the GBBO scent I've eyed the most. I've gotten really into gourmands over the last year and a bit, especially those involving custard.

In bottle: Oh, fuck yeah. Toasty, buttered bread and very rich custard. I love this already and want to eat it. The butter note is very melty and realistic (probably too realistic for some).

On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle. The custard and butter are at the forefront, followed by delicious bread and spices. I think this is one of my favorite GBBO scents.

Verdict: 5 creamy, bready custards out of 5. This is excellent.

🍌Bluffing: Bananas Foster (Perfectly ripe bananas sautéed in molten brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and Caribbean rum, served over vanilla ice cream)

Preliminary notes: Bananaaa. I love a good banana note, and going off of Ochosi and Bollocks, I know NCD has a great one. I've never had Bananas Foster IRL, but I have sautéed bananas in sugar before, and that shit is delicious.

In bottle: That sautéed banana note is amazing. Much like most (if not all) of the GBBO scents, its incredibly realistic. I don't get any of the rum or ice cream in the bottle, just gooey, fried banana goodness.

On skin: You know what, I thought it was the berry notes in Preposterous! and Horsefeathers that went plasticky, but I think it's the ice cream/whipped cream, because it's happening here too. I get caramelized bananas and rum immediately followed by a ton of plastic. God damnit, skin chemistry.

Verdict: 2.5 Disappointments Foster out of 5. I hate that my skin chemistry ruined this, I really do.

🥥Fibbing: Coconut Cream Pie (Tender coconut baked in rich vanilla custard with a toasted almond crust)

Preliminary notes: I have a kind of complicated relationship with coconut. Sometimes I love it, and sometimes I hate it. I do usually like coconut cream pie though, despite the on-and-off disdain for coconut things.

In bottle: Well, that's surprising. I get zero coconut from this, and not really any custard either. It's all toasted almond crust. Hm.

On skin: Still not getting any coconut from this whatsoever, but the custard comes out a lot more on skin. This ends up smelling like vanilla cream pie instead of coconut cream pie, which I'm not mad about. There's maybe a veeery tiny bit of something similar to coconut husk if I try really hard to sniff it out, but again, it's barely there.

Verdict: 3 pies with a single shred of coconut on top out of 5. This isn't a bad scent, but there is zero coconut present, which is really disappointing.

🍵Hoodwink: Thai Iced Tea (A tall glass of Thai iced tea sweetened with Tupelo honey and swirled with vanilla rice milk)

Preliminary notes: I know what you're thinking. "ANOTHER tea scent, Femmenstein?" Yes. I am very predictable and do not have the willpower to turn down a tea scent. Plus look! There's honey and rice milk! Yum.

In bottle: Oh, this is interesting. It smells somewhere between herbal and woody, almost. I get the honey with that, but not much else.

On skin: Definitely smells like a milky sort of tea with an herbal edge. None of the notes really stick out to me.

Verdict: 3 nondescript drinks out of 5. I go somewhat anosmic to this shortly after I apply it, and to be completely frank, I have more interesting tea scents that I prefer over this.

🍰Preposterous!: Strawberry Shortcake (Sun-ripened strawberries, soft vanilla cake, topped with a scant teaspoon of whipped cream)

Preliminary notes: Okay, this one I remember almost ordering last year. I kind of forgot how much I love strawberry-based cakes until DH and I bought a strawberry cream cake from Walmart a while ago annnd I devoured most of it myself. If Preposterous! smells anything like that, or like the strawberry shortcakes from Safeway (which are amazing for storebought cakes), I'll be happy. (DH said the description sounds exactly like the strawberry cakes we buy, so that was spot on)

In bottle: Yup, that's strawberry shortcake, alright. The strawberries smell more pink than red, if that makes any sense. Slightly syrupy but not artificial (yay). Veeery sugary.

On skin: The strawberry note goes almost citrusy, and the whipped cream goes straight to plastic, so the whole thing ends up smelling like scented dolls from the 80s. Not my thing at all. After about 5-10 minutes, it calms down a bit and the cake note comes out, which is beautiful, but it gets way overshadowed by the plastic and citrus-like berry. It reads as very juvenile to me.

Verdict: 2.5 strawberry cakes out of 5. The cake note itself is one of the best I've smelled, but the plasticky overtone of this is very off-putting. Not for me.

🍍Humbuggery: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (Caramelized pineapple, coconut cream, toasted hazelnut crust, baked brown sugar)

Preliminary notes: Gimme all the pineapple scents, please. Also, let me just say that I'm so glad this doesn't have a Maraschino cherry note. I kind of hate actual pineapple upside-down cake (canned pineapple is repulsive, and I hate candied cherries), but this.. quite honestly sounds nothing like it. I've never had or seen a pineapple upside-down cake with a crust or involving coconut. I am not complaining though; far from it. Fuck actual pineapple upside-down cakes (I am very passionate about how awful those things are, sorry/not sorry).

In bottle: This wins for one of the most realistic pineapple notes I've come across. It's a bit buried beneath the coconut and hazelnut, but it's there, and it's very juicy. Does not smell anything like actual pineapple upside-down cake, thank god.

On skin: The pineapple disappears, and what's left is a sweet, slightly floral cake. I don't hate it, but I wish the pineapple stayed longer.

Verdict: 3 pineapple-scented cakes out of 5. I was hoping for more pineapple from this, which just didn't happen, unfortunately.

🍮Kazzate: Tiramisu (Golden vanilla ladyfingers infused with espresso and Marsala wine, layered with sweet mascarpone, finished with a fine dusting of cocoa)

Preliminary notes: Ah, yes, cazzate. The Italian word for bullshit and one of the best names for a scent I've come across. "Oh, you smell nice! What is that?" "Bullshit, but make it Italian." My cultural heritage is happy. Tiramisu is DH's favorite dessert, so I had to take this for a spin and see if he likes it. He's a gourmand fiend too.

DH's preliminary notes: I'll say this much about it. This sounds like something my dad would make. Wait a minute. Is this tiramisu? IT IS TIRAMISU. AHHH!

In bottle: Well. I don't know what I was expecting, but this is a very photorealistic tiramisu scent, and it's delicious. All of the notes sing in perfect harmony together, with only the cocoa being slightly more prominent than anything else.

On skin: Much like in the bottle, everything is perfectly balanced and really does smell like tiramisu. I don't hate the cocoa note, which is a damned miracle. I like chocolate IRL but hate chocolate notes in perfumes.

DH's thoughts: Mmm, that's really comforting. Like cozying up around the fire and eating baked goods at Grandma's house.(I suggested that I should slather myself in this before giving him a hug when he has a bad day, and he enthusiastically agreed.)

Verdict: 5 gigantic plates of tiramisu out of 5. DH loves this, I love this, and I'm looking forward to dousing myself in it the next time he has a bad day in attempt to cheer him up.

🔵Hokum: Blueberry Cobbler (Garden-grown blueberries baked under oatmeal cinnamon streusel)

Preliminary notes: After being sorely disappointed by Grey Cat, I wanted to try something else from NCD with a blueberry note but without the lavender. I only have one other blueberry scent (Arcana's Blueberries Crave Home), and wanted to expand my horizons a bit, even though they're both gourmands.

In bottle: Theeere's that beautiful blueberry note. I also get something distinctly vanillic, which might be part of the oatmeal accord, and of course, cinnamon.

On skin: Oh god, this smells like Ye Olde Village Tavern on me for some reason, and my skin chem hated that scent. Way too much cinnamon, veering on dirty stables. Why.

Verdict: 0 sad skin chemistries out of 5. This was entirely disappointing.

❤️Horsefeathers: Raspberry Arctic Roll (2021) (Vanilla bean ice cream wrapped in a blanket of yellow sponge cake and a layer of vibrant red raspberry jam)

Preliminary notes: I'll start off by saying that raspberry is probably my least favorite berry note and least favorite berry in general, excluding raspberry jam. However, I've been pleasantly surprised by the GBBO scents so far, so I wanted to try this at the very least. I do love good ice cream and cake notes.

In bottle: So funnily enough, the raspberry isn't reading as raspberry at all to me. It's mostly the (very realistic) ice cream and yellow cake with a small bit of berry on the end of the sniff.

On skin: H'oookay, I might have misspoke. The second this hit my skin, a huge cloud of raspberry blossomed off of my arm. It's still primarily ice cream and cake, but the raspberry is definitely more pronounced on the skin. It doesn't smell like jam to me though, maybe closer to liqueur. It's fairly artificial-smelling, which makes me a bit sad. I had the same experience with Preposterous! almost down to a T. NCD's berry notes and I are not friends, apparently.

Verdict: 2.5 bowls of raspberry ripple ice cream out of 5. The cake and ice cream notes are good, but I really do not like the raspberry note in this at all. It's artificial and loud.

🌾Wool Over Your Eyes: Rice Pudding (Fluffy jasmine rice, precious saffron, vanilla-infused sugar, almond milk, nutmeg, cardamom, a scant sprinkle of cinnamon)

Preliminary notes: So I've never actually had rice pudding, but I've had a fair amount of scents that feature it as a note. This sounds delectable. I'm also a sucker for alternative lactonic notes, i.e. coconut milk, almond milk, etc.

In bottle: Oh, god yes. The rice note in this is similar to Silver Fox, which is my favorite cozy NCD scent. It's very creamy and warm.

On skin: This is basically the rice milk portion of Silver Fox turned up to a thousand, and I love it. This is so deliciously creamy, and the spices are perfectly balanced.

Verdict: 5 creamy rice dreams out of 5. I adore this so much.

🍋Sophistry: Sparkling Elderflower Lemonade (Chilled sparkling lemonade infused with elderflower blossoms, thinly sliced cucumber, and a pinch of grated ginger root)

Preliminary notes: I am a huge sucker for a good cucumber note, and cucumber lemon water is my go-to beverage during the summer. This sounds lovely and refreshing. I am curious about how the lemonade note is going to work in this, since the pink lemonade note in Flying South was.. bizarre, to say the least.

In bottle: This is a cucumber and ginger bomb, but not remotely in a bad way. The cucumber note smells like an actual cucumber, green skin and all. I don't get any lemon whatsoever in the bottle, but this is a refreshing herbal scent.

On skin: Still really not getting any lemon from this. It's all cucumber and ginger. Oh, wait. Give it about 5-10 minutes, and the lemonade note peeks its head out a tiny bit. Unfortunately, the whole things ends up smelling pretty soapy. Alas, this is not the lemonade scent for me.

Verdict: 3.5 large cucumber wedges in a small glass of lemonade out of 5. If you like cucumber, you'll probably love this. I was hoping for a 50/50 lemonade to cucumber note split, but instead, it's largely cucumber and ginger. I would have liked this a lot more without the ginger note, I think. I'll try aging it for a few months and see how it is by the time summer starts.

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DISCLAIMER

*All products mentioned were purchased by me unless otherwise stated.

*All photos and graphics used are my own unless otherwise stated.

c. Jan 2, 2019.

*Update 06/01/2025:* Given the tumultuous situation between the US and Canada right now including tariffs, reviews after the ones listed below are on hold indefinitely. It doesn't feel safe to purchase oils from the States anymore without the anxiety of potentially getting slammed with extra fees, so I won't be purchasing any for a while. I may explore Canadian companies at some point, but for now, I'm on an indefinite hiatus (minus the reviews below, which are all ready to post. I just have to stop being lazy about it).

UPCOMING REVIEWS

🥀 Alkemia 🥀

Angel's Kitchen
Hexenhausen
Rosa Alchemica
Foxfire
Viridis Arcanum
Surcie
Slice of Heaven Alchemy
Vanille Single Note
Winter Forest Alchemy
Taste of Rain
Attar al Oud
Bibliotheca
Baccante
Green Carnation
Sadzi
Moon Lust
Affaire de Coeur
Carmen 7
Silver Sky
Luminae (2025 revisit review)
Rose Rouge Layering Note
Gilded Alchemy
Deus Ex Machina
Haunted & Bewitched
Love Flight of a Candy Heart
Earthlight
Ecstasies of Light
Honored Ghosts
Come to Me
Ambre Gris (2025 revisit review)
Vert sur le Vert (2025 revisit review)
Lilacs Along the Winding Drive (2025 revisit review)
Siren's Spell
The Lady's Yes
The Lover Tells of the Rose (2025 revisit review)
Love Among the Ruins
Rose Musk
Persian Tea Room (2025 revisit review)
Pheromone P28
Arcanum Experiments 2023: 6, 7, 14, and 15
Ambre Aquae
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure
Arcanum Experiments 2024: 9: Getting Lit
A Roll in the Hay (2025 revisit review)
Tulips & Chimneys
Novella
Caliph's Beloved
Candybox Alchemy


(Also attempting to review everything in my collection that hasn't been reviewed yet, so stay tuned for From the Vault posts)

CREDITS

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