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Nibble Nibble Gnaw (Candied apple, pancakes, sugared nuts, crushed candies, hot gusts of chocolate, cakes, pastries, sweet breads, sugar)

Preliminary notes: These next few aren't actually Weenies, but I didn't want to make a whole separate post for them. I've wanted to try this since I first discovered BPAL, but it was out of stock for a very long time until recently.

In bottle: Okay, so this has a lot of layers. I definitely get chocolate, pancakes, nuts, and a lot of baked good/pastry notes. If I try really hard, I can just make out the candied apple as well.

On skin: On skin, this is very different. The (green) apple comes out, but it smells baked instead of candied, almost smelling like a baked pear, which I think might be the chocolate mixing with the apple. I get a powdered sugar kind of note, and the baked goods and pastry notes are looming beneath that. The chocolate fades into a cocoa powder-esque note as well. The nuts smell roasted and almost caramelized. This is such a complex, multifaceted gourmand.

After a few minutes, a creamy vanilla permeates the scent (could be part of the cake/pastry notes). This is definitely a morpher, and I think that fits the theme of the scent really well. It's sweet and inviting but also a bit mysterious. I don't think I've ever worn a scent that morphs as much as this one does. Every time I sniff my wrist, I get something different.

Verdict: 4 ever-morphing, swirling clouds of candy and baked goods out of 5.


Halfling (Porridge, kukui nuts, pastry crumbs)

Preliminary notes: Another one that I wanted to try for years but was out of stock until recently. I love a good porridge scent.

In bottle: Delicious porridge with cream, honey, maybe a tiny bit of citrus, and a cream-stuffed pastry on the side. Decidedly hobbit-y and absolutely scrumptious. This makes me want to try other BPAL oat/porridge offerings.

On skin: A combination of B&BW's Warm Vanilla Sugar (my favorite B&BW scent) and Danish butter cookies, with a bit of almond. I don't get porridge outright, but it's very warm and dessert-y. This is probably one of the coziest BPAL scents I've smelled, and I love it. I'm not usually a fan of almond notes either, but it works really well here.

Verdict: 5 cozy almonds out of 5.


Bengal (Skin musk, honey, peppers, clove, cinnamon bark, ginger)

Preliminary notes: I received a free sample of this in one of my orders last year and loved it. It's about time I finally upsized it.

In bottle: Honeyed, woody cinnamon, skin musk, and a bit of heat from the peppers. Delicious.

On skin: The cinnamon bark note in this is absolutely beautiful. It's very dry and woody (shocking, I know). The honey, peppers, and skin musk are also all present and at the forefront, and the whole thing is very warm and spicy overall. If you're after something a bit risque and sexy in your cinnamon perfumes, this is your gal. Love this.

Verdict: 5 pieces of cinnamon bark dripping in honey out of 5.


Alisz (Spun sugar, frankincense, white rose, mallow root, red currant, vanilla mint)

Preliminary notes: After trying Psionicist, I've been kind of wanting something with a vanilla-y mint note, and this seemed like it would fit the bill. It was a close call between this and Lady Amalthea, but the latter sounded a bit too floral for what I'm looking for.

In bottle: The vanilla mint is at the forefront, followed by the spun sugar and maybe a bit of the mallow root. I don't get any of the other notes in the bottle, which I'm okay with.

On skin: The vanilla mint in this is beautiful. It's creamy and minty without smelling like toothpaste. The frankincense and currant come out a bit and give it a tiny bit of an earthy kick, but it's mostly about the vanilla mint. I don't smell the rose at all on the skin either, which is fine. This is a really pretty, sparkling wintry scent. It reminds me of fresh snowfall.

Verdict: 4.5 sparkling snowfalls out of 5.


Cats and Sparrows (Vanilla cream, tonka absolute, caramelized cedarwood, sepia-washed amber resinoid)

Preliminary notes: I somehow haven't tried any of the Felis Silvestris Catus scents as of writing this, but this sounds absolutely delightful.

In bottle: This smells golden-brown in the best way, and it's very cozy. I can't pick out any of the notes specifically, and there's a tiny bit of an almost fruity tinge in there.

On skin: The cedar takes center stage on the skin, mixed with the amber resinoid. The combination of the two very heavily reminds me of Alkemia's Ambre Extrait, which is one of my favorite woody scents. The vanilla is very subtle and reads to me as vanilla orchid as opposed to a gourmand vanilla, with the tonka being slightly stronger. I expected this to be all about the vanilla cream and amber, but having it be about the cedar and amber is definitely welcome. This is a dreamy, cozy, glowing woody scent with a tiny touch of sweetness.

Verdict: 4.75 glowing pieces of cedarwood out of 5.


Woman Putting On Her Stocking (Skin musk, silk, tonka, coffee bean, russet amber)

Preliminary notes: At the time of drafting this review (late October), I'd been craving a lot of cozy, my-skin-but-better kind of scents, and this sounded really nice.

In bottle: It's allll about the coffee bean and musk, which is a fantastic combination. It's sultry and beckoning.

On skin: Glorious warm, deep coffee bean, soft musk, and tonka. The coffee bean note in here is beautiful and doesn't give me the stewed tomatoes experience like a lot of coffee scents from BPAL have in the past. This is very sultry and cozy. There's something a tiny bit rubbery about this, but it's not offputting at all. If this was a color, it would be a rich, dark brown.

Verdict: 4 giant coffee beans out of 5.


Every Sweet Thing (Honey-dripping plakous, rose petals, caramelized hazelnut, goat's milk)

Preliminary notes: Ah, this scent. It had been on my wishlist for a long time, and I finally did something about it. The caramelized hazelnut is the biggest draw for me, but I like all of the other notes as well (aside from plakous, since that's not a note I've ever seen in other BPAL scents).

In bottle: An explosion of rose petals, followed by a bit of raw hazelnut.

On skin: What I'm assuming is the plakous comes out a lot more on the skin, and the rose takes a backseat. The hazelnut and goat's milk are more pronounced as well, with the latter reading more as heavy cream than a true goat's milk note. This scent overall is very rich and feels celebratory and antique. It's a beautiful warm, rosy flormand.

Verdict: 4.5 rosy desserts out of 5.


b>The Large Cat (Myrrh, sweet almond, spiced rum, brown sugar, honeyed dates, golden amber, scorched marshmallow, toasted vanilla musk)

Preliminary notes: This came up in the search results when I looked for "toasted" on BPAL's website, and it sounds really interesting. I love dates but haven't tried many scents with date notes.

In bottle: As someone who usually doesn't like almond notes, I'm surprised I went for this, and I'm even more surprised that I like it. The almond, rum, and dates are the strongest notes in the bottle.

On skin: Spicy, dry almonds and dates! It certainly does have a toasted quality to it, and it kind of reminds me of a bulk food store (in a good way). Something about it reminds me of Aladdin as well, weirdly enough.

Verdict: 4.5 spicy almond cats out of 5.


Cat Churning Butter (Butter, cream, a thump of frankincense)

Preliminary notes: I asked for this to be added to the order in lieu of a store credit for shipping overages.

In bottle: Shockingly, it smells like butter, cream, and frankincense. The cream has an almost toasted quality to it.

On skin: Mostly the same as in the bottle, though on my skin, it goes a bit soapy for a short while. After the soapiness goes away, it goes back to smelling toasted and almost resinous (which makes sense, given the frankincense). The soapy vibe comes and goes, and I'm really not a fan of that. Not sure how to feel about this one.

Verdict: 3 confusing cats out of 5.


KPX130 (prototype) (No notes given)

Preliminary notes: This was included as a frottle in my last order.

In bottle: Lemon, lemon, lemon, more lemon, and finally, lemongrass.

On skin: A blast of lemon hard candy, but with something green underneath. I'm not sure if it's grass or maybe green tea, but it's not straight lemon. There may be a tiny bit of a light musk in there as well. Ultimately, this is very refreshing and citrus-heavy, which will be nice during the warmer months. Its resemblance to lemon hard candies is unreal, so if that's your thing, tracking this down in a swap might be worthwhile.

Verdict: 4 giant-sized lemon hard candies out of 5.
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[personal profile] femmenstein
I had an issue with the first shipment of some of these getting sent back before they went through customs, which wasn't BPAL's fault, and then Canada Post went on strike in November, so these took longer to get here than I had anticipated. Then, I ended up moving a few days after the parcel finally showed up, so this post is very late. My apologies!

A little Halloween in early winter action never hurt anyone, so let's Nightmare Before Christmas this place up!

(Some of these aren't technically Weenies, but they either came out around the same time or otherwise fit the theme of Halloween/fall)

šŸ¬ Sweet Tooth (Scorched candy corn and melted toffees)

Preliminary notes: Honestly, if it wasn't for this scent, I probably would have bypassed the Weenies this year. I can't resist candy corn or toffee notes on their own, and I've never seen them together. The scorched aspect of this really interests me as well, so I'm curious as to whether this will just be a goopy sugarbomb, or if there'll be a bit of a smoky edge to it.

In bottle: Oh my goddd, this is SO toffee-heavy, which is exactly what I wanted from it. The candy corn melds into it as well, so it's very sweet and sugary. I get a tiiiny, tiny hint of smoke beneath that.

On skin: Be still my heart! This has the same toffee note as Drink Me, which is one of my very favorite BPAL scents. There's also something in here that reminds me of plastic witch noses from the 90s, and by that, I don't mean this smells like plastic (because it doesn't at all). The specific noses I'm thinking of had a sweet, almost fruity, almost melted candle wax smell, and I loved it.

This definitely has the same melted wax quality to it, and I love it. Sweet, melted wax and toffee with maybe a teeny tiny hint of a wispy smoke note, but it's barely there. I don't get anything scorched, but melty is definitely a good descriptor for this one. Delicious, melty, caramel-y goodness.

Verdict: 5 melty chunks of toffee out of 5.


šŸ‚ The Autumn Folk (Hay-dusted oak, honey mead, pumpkin rind, vetiver root, corn husk, maple leaves)

Preliminary notes: Corn husks always remind me of our local pumpkin patch, and the rest of the note lineup here kind of fits that theme as well. It sounds like a delightful, dry autumnal atmospheric.

In bottle: Oh, wow. Warm and cozy right off the bat, which I wasn't expecting for some reason. The mead, corn husk (such a beautiful note), and oak are the strongest notes. I smell something a bit buttery as well, which is probably the pumpkin. The vetiver isn't acrid at all.

On skin: This is quite pretty! The mead is reading as almost citrusy to me, and everything else melds with it so well. There's a butteriness from the pumpkin, an earthiness from the oak, vetiver, and corn husk, and a bit of sweetness from the maple leaves and mead. It's delightfully autumnal, and a sunnier scent than the description would have one believe. To me, this is an early autumn scent, and it encapsulates the imagery of sunlight peeking through branches in an orange and gold copse of trees. Love it.

Verdict: 5 golden autumn days out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Vintage Pumpkin Blow Mold (White musk, sweet orange, crystalline amber, pumpkin rind)

Preliminary notes: I bought Vintage Ghost Blow Mold last year and LOVED it, so this was kind of a no-brainer. I'm also a fan of sweet orange notes.

In bottle: Oh, this is pretty. Weirdly enough, it kind of reminds me of eggnog (or maybe white chocolate), but if it was flavored with orange (which sounds kind of gross, but I promise, it smells better than it would taste). I'm curious to see if the eggnog vibe translates onto the skin.

On skin: First off, I love the orange note in this and might have to keep an eye out for it in the future. The eggnog vibe that was in the bottle is completely gone on the skin. It's all about the orange and white musk, which go together beautifully. Something about this smells sparkling and upscale, like an elegant person in white furs standing underneath a crystal chandelier. It's gorgeous and refined. Despite the (spiced) pumpkin and orange, I wouldn't categorize this as a gourmand at all. Vintage Ghost Blow Mold is absolutely a milky gourmand, but Vintage Pumpkin Blow Mold is just a really pretty, citrusy mood scent.

Verdict: 4.75 glittering pumpkins out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Jolly (Pumpkin cream, caramel-coated marshmallow, crushed candy corn, lemon peel, belladonna honey)

Preliminary notes: Pumpkin, caramel, AND candy corn? Yes, please.

In bottle: Surprisingly biting/herbal in the bottle! Once again, there's something in here that reminds me of holiday foods, and I'm not sure what it is. I don't get the pumpkin outright, but I do get a very thick, caramelized cream note. This has a sinister edge to it as well, like being presented a picturesque dessert that's been poisoned.

On skin: This reminds me of something I've smelled before, but I have no idea what it is. Something in here is reading as slightly vegetal, and I'm not sure if it's the pumpkin cream or honey. It has an almost.. dare I say, aquatic or saline quality to it, and I have no idea where that's coming from. I definitely get all of the sweet candy goods, a tiny glimpse of the lemon peel, and the honey note, which is clear and thin. This is still very much an inviting but sinister scent, and I think that's a really fascinating dichotomy to be able to capture in scent format.

Verdict: 4 sinister desserts out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Pumpkin Sugar (Crystallized glittering shards of lightly spiced pumpkin sugar)

Preliminary notes: This was kind of a last minute addition to the order. It was a toss up between this and the Candied Apple single note, but I'm very picky about apple notes, so I figured this would be a safer bet.

In bottle: I mean, it's exactly what it says on the tin: pumpkin spices and sugar. There's something a bit dusty and a tiny bit vegetal in there as well, which I would wager is a pumpkin note.

On skin: Delicious, sweet pumpkin spice and sugar. There's a little bit of a buttery pumpkin note in there, but my skin amps cinnamon, so it's mostly cinnamon and sugar on me. Actually, this reminds me of Possets' Sticky Buns a bit, but this is less intense/syrupy. Pumpkin Sugar is linear but really pleasant, and it'd be perfect for layering with other scents that need a bit of a sweet, spicy kick, or with gourmands (layering this with a black tea scent would be delightful, I feel). This is a perfect seasonal transition scent between fall and winter, as the cinnamon gives it a bit of a holiday vibe.

Verdict: 4.5 sugar and spice mixtures out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Knave of Pumpkins (Crushed roses, red currant, pumpkin tarts)

Preliminary notes: I had a free sample of Knave of Hearts and really liked it, so a pumpkin variant of that caught my attention immediately. This has red currant, however, and Knave of Hearts has blackcurrant, so it'll be interesting to see how that compares.

In bottle: Knave of Hearts but sweeter, is basically what this is giving me. Once again, I don't get any pumpkin outright, but the tart note in this compared to OG Knave is very custard-y.

On skin: This is similar but also quite different to OG Knave. The use of red currant instead of blackcurrant really stands out, and it meshes with the rose note really well and gives the blend a more candylike, playful vibe. My boyfriend clocked the pumpkin tarts right away, but I couldn't smell them for a while. I smelled the pastry note from the tarts and something creamy/custard-y, but not the pumpkin itself until maybe 10-15 minutes into the drydown. The pumpkin is interwoven with the custard and is very subtle, at least to my nose. Either way, I like OG Knave a lot, but I think I like this even better. My boyfriend loves it too.

Verdict: 5 heart-shaped tarts dripping in red currant juice out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Dead Leaves, Burnt Marshmallows, Clove Cream, and Whiskey (Dead leaves, burnt marshmallows, clove cream, whiskey)

Preliminary notes: I've only tried two Dead Leaves blends prior (Dead Leaves on Fire and Dead Leaves, White Sandalwood, and White Moss), but I loved them both. I am a sucker for a good burnt/toasted marshmallow note, but I've never actually encountered a realistic one. I'm hoping it's realistic here. I also love clove and whiskey notes, so this one was a no-brainer.

In bottle: The first sniff of this was.. bizarre. I don't have words to describe it. After that, the Dead Leaves note is the strongest, followed by a gorgeous clove. This smells more "natural" and realistic than Dead Leaves on Fire to me.

On skin: The clove cream definitely packs a punch. You also get the classic, vegetal Dead Leaves note, a bit of the whiskey, and miraculously, the burnt marshmallow note makes an appearance as well (though the marshmallow smells toasted as opposed to truly charred).

The whole thing has a very toasty, almost holiday pudding vibe to it, which I think is great for the transitional period between fall and winter. I wasn't sure about this in the bottle, but on the skin, it's absolutely lovely. Spicy, toasty, and warm. This is very clove-heavy, so if you're not a fan of clove, definitely skip this one.

Verdict: 5 clove-y holiday puddings decorated with fall leaves out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Bourbon-Soaked Pumpkin Peanut Butter Fudge (Bourbon, pumpkin, peanut butter fudge)

Preliminary notes: I have a pumpkin and peanut butter candle that I burned off and on during the fall and loved it, so if this is even remotely similar, I'll be over the moon about it.

In bottle: Spiced bourbon and caramel, oddly enough. The peanut butter is very subtle.

On skin: This is quite strong upon initial application. There's a giant, cinnamon-spiced, boooozy bourbon cloud that blooms up from the skin. Underneath that, there's a tiny bit of a vegetal pumpkin, but it's mostly bourbon and spice. I don't get any peanut butter, and the sweetness of the fudge is fairly subtle. This is very rich and spicy, despite not being overly sweet. Huge sillage on this one.

Verdict: 4.25 spiced bourbons out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Pumpkin Bliss (Honey-dusted milk chocolate pumpkin bites)

Preliminary notes: The original Bliss, to me, smells like warm chocolate chips. As if you just took a pan of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies out of the oven, but there's no smell from the cookies themselves, and it's just the scent of baked chocolate. I'm curious as to how a pumpkin note is going to meld with that.

In bottle: This definitely has cinnamon in it, or at least that's how it smells in the bottle. I don't get much of the original Bliss DNA in this.

On skin: Honeyed cinnamon bark with a tiny bit of chocolate underneath. Whyyy, skin chemistry. That's quite disappointing. No baked chocolate, no cookie-like note, just sweet cinnamon. That's 100% a result of my skin amping it and not a fault with the scent itself, as I have this issue fairly often. I didn't expect this to have cinnamon in it at all, so that's a bummer. If I had known that, I would have just gotten a bottle of OG Bliss. Oh well.

Verdict: 2 cinnamon-scented disappointments out of 5. Again, not a fault of the scent itself, but a huge bummer.


šŸŽƒ Pumpkin Latte (Espresso, pumpkin syrup, smoky vanilla bean, milk, raw sugar, a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg)

Preliminary notes: As mentioned in other review posts, I can't drink coffee, but I sure do love the smell of it. I've never had a PSL, but this sounds divine.

In bottle: Yup, that smells like a spiced latte. I don't get any pumpkin outright, but the rest of the notes are there. When I first got this, it smelled like stewed tomatoes in the bottle, which is an experience I've had with coffee scents before, for whatever reason.

On skin: Oh look, our friends Stewed Tomatoes are back. I think it's the cinnamon mixing with something else that's causing that, but I'm not sure. I don't get any coffee or pumpkin, just spicy stewed, syrupy tomatoes. Not into it.

Verdict: 0 cans of stewed tomatoes out of 5. I offered this to Fox, and it smells much better on him, so take this review with a grain of salt. It just doesn't mesh well with my skin chemistry at all but smells lovely on other people.


šŸŽƒ Apple Cider Donuts (Apple cider, donuts)

Preliminary notes: As soon as I saw this in the Virtualcon announcement email, I knew I had to get it. I haven't had stellar luck with BPAL's pastry/baked good notes in the past (they tend to not be as full-bodied or realistic as I'd like), but this also includes apple cider. Even if the donut note isn't realistic, I'll still like it if the cider note is good.

In bottle: Well, this is slightly disappointing. No baked good notes to speak of at all, but a very nice apple note.

On skin: Ahhh, there it is. Rather than a donut though, I get an almost fritter-y note beneath the apple, and even then, it's still 95% apple. A tiny bit of spice as well, but not to the point where my skin is amping it, thankfully. The apple note in this is very fresh and almost cooling, which is my preferred kind of apple note.

As this wears, the fritter-like note becomes a bit stronger, but the apple is the star of the show. I definitely wouldn't call this a strong gourmand or baked good scent, but I also tend to be slightly disappointed with BPAL's gourmands in general. They aren't quite foody enough for me most of the time. Regardless, I do like this a lot, even though it's nowhere near smelling like a donut.

Verdict: 4.25 fresh apples out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Hot Buttered Apple Cider (Hot apple cider, melted buttery swirl)

Preliminary notes: Hot apple cider is one of my favorite things during the fall and winter, so this sounds perfect since we're quickly approaching colder weather as I'm writing this.

In bottle: Rather than apple cider and melted butter, I'd say this smells like apple cider buttercream. There's a very distinct frosting-like quality to this.

On skin: Still very much apple cider buttercream. I almost wonder if there was some sort of labeling issue and this is actually Apple Cider Donuts, but then a strong butter note comes out, and it's very clearly not mislabeled. This is like a hot apple dessert with a fat pat of butter on top and is decidedly more gourmand than Apple Cider Donuts. If you don't like butter, I'd recommend avoiding this, since the butter note is very realistic and rich. I love this.

Verdict: 5 pats of butter on a warm apple dessert out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Pumpkin Gingerbread Creme Brulee Pie (Scorched pumpkin creme brulee in a gingerbread crust)

Preliminary notes: This has been on my radar for quite some time now, and I figured I might as well get it with the other pumpkin scents I picked up. Not technically a fall/Halloween scent, but.

In bottle: More or less exactly what it says on the tin. The pumpkin note here is the most realistic one I've come across from BPAL, and it smells like straight up pumpkin puree.

On skin: This is delicious. Slightly overcooked pumpkin puree, spicy gingerbread, and a bit of thick cream. This is probably the most realistic gourmand I've tried from BPAL, and it's one of their best for sure. Absolutely perfect pumpkin dessert scent.

Verdict: 5 gingerbread-y pumpkin pies out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Chocolat Viennois (A warm mug of dark chocolate and cream with a dribble of blood)

Preliminary notes: I don't usually vibe with chocolate notes, but after trying the original Bliss, I'm a fan of BPAL's at least. I've also been craving a hot chocolate kind of scent lately.

In bottle: Rich, dark chocolate for sure, with a bit of cream and either cherry or dragon's blood (or both) underneath.

On skin: Virtually the same, but richer and less creamy. The chocolate is very dark, and the cherry-dragon's blood combo is holding strong beneath that. There's something almost floral in there as well, which could just be the dragon's blood being extra punchy. After a while, something a bit vegetal and metallic comes to the surface, which smells almost mushroom-y. I liked this before the metallic/mushroom note popped up, but once that happens, it makes me a bit nauseous.

Verdict: 4 mugs of hot cocoa out of 5 before the metallic note pops up, 2 chocolate-covered mushrooms out of 5 afterward. I don't think I'm going to be able to wear this.


šŸŽƒ Snakes in the Berry Sonker (Snake Oil, baked blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, warm pastry crust, vanilla ice cream, molasses)

Preliminary notes: The only Snake Oil variant I've tried is Snakes Basking in the First Sunbeams of Spring, which I didn't like. The orange blossom was way too sharp for me, and it just wasn't my thing. I've sampled regular Snake Oil and like it, but not enough to buy it on its own. Mostly, I was thinking about blueberry scents and this one just happened to get released around the same time, so I was willing to take a gamble on it.

In bottle: Definitely Snake Oil, with a ton of berries dumped on top.

On skin: Snake Oil, but make it baked. The pastry crust and ice cream are the strongest underneath the Snake Oil, though the berry notes are very close behind. There's something salty and almost astringent in here, and that's a problem I had with Snakes Basking as well (which leads me to believe that Snake Oil variants just aren't for me). I don't dislike this, but I'm not over the moon about it either. I think I've finally accepted that I need to stop buying Snake Oil flankers.

Verdict: 3 baked berries out of 5.


šŸÆ Dead Leaves and Honeycomb (Dead leaves, honeycomb)

Preliminary notes: The honeycomb got me, y'all. I haven't tried many BPAL scents with honeycomb notes (Elf and Strawberries & Honeycomb specifically), but I am familiar with the Dead Leaves note. I'm curious to see how the two interact. I'm hoping for kind of a wild beehive in the middle of a fall forest vibe.

In bottle: Strictly just the Dead Leaves accord. I don't get any honeycomb at all.

On skin: Mostly the Dead Leaves accord (which smells fresher than in other DL variants I've tried), and lovely, warm, golden honeycomb beneath that. There's something almost lemony (or maybe mandarin-y. Definitely a citrus of some sort) in here, which further adds to the golden feel, like an autumn afternoon in a forest, with rays of sun breaking through a copse (I know I said something very similar about The Autumn Folk, but it's true in both cases). The leaves in this one smell like a yellowing green as opposed to truly dead, which I think is really interesting in contrast with the other DL scents I've experienced. This will be a lovely late-summer-into-early-autumn transitional scent, and a lovely autumnal scent in general. The more it wears, the more I like it. This is a beautiful and evocative entry into the Dead Leaves series.

Verdict: 4.75 wisps of yellowing leaves swirling around a beehive in a forest out of 5.


šŸŽƒ Moroccan Pumpkin (Pumpkin spices, warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood, cassia)

Preliminary notes: Ah, the last of my chosen Pumpkin Patch scents for this year. I was curious about this one but wasn't overly interested in it until I started seeing reviews of it, most of which cited a hidden buttery pumpkin note. I've been craving a good carnation-y gourmand lately as well, so.

In bottle: Hm.. I don't know about this. There's something in here that's a bit cloying to me, but I don't know what it is. Maybe the sandalwood? It's very warm and spice-heavy, which is nice.

On skin: I think I figured out why this is so offputting for me. Something in it smells vegetal and very similar to celery, which is one of my least favorite scents on the planet. It's like, spicy celery with a touch of cayenne on top, which is.. to be quite honest, it's atrocious. If you like spicy, heavy sandalwood notes, this might be a holy grail for you, but it makes me feel a bit ill.

Verdict: 0 stalks of spicy celery out of 5.


šŸ•Æļø Guttering Candle (Beeswax, a blackened wick, a shuddering gust of smoke)

Preliminary notes: Y'all know me and my beeswax/candle scents. As of writing this prelim (in late October), the only review I've seen of this was in a BPAL livestream from a bit ago, which didn't paint as much of a picture of this scent as I'd hoped.

In bottle: Much deeper and darker than The Lights of Men's Lives, which is what I expected this to smell like.

On skin: Oh, man, this is good. The beeswax is definitely the same as in The Lights of Men's Lives, but the smoke in this is exquisite. It really does smell like a still-warm candle that was just blown out, which isn't an easy thing to replicate in scent form. The Lab's description of "rivulets of beeswax" is definitely apt, as this smells thick and melty. There's a very tiny hint of sweetness in here, but it's largely smoke and beeswax. I almost passed this up, because how many smoky candle scents does one really need, but I'm very glad I bought this. This scent has a very odd cozy-but-unsettling vibe to it as well, which I find fascinating.

Verdict: 5 melty, freshly blown out candles out of 5.
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[personal profile] femmenstein
šŸ’€ A Melancholy of Goths (Clove smoke, champaca incense, plum velvet, hairspray)

Preliminary notes: This sounds a bit reminiscent of my beloved In Night When All Colors to Black Are Cast, which is also a BPAL scent. The hairspray note gives me slight pause, but the rest of it sounds absolutely lovely.

In bottle: This is veeery earthy, which I wasn't expecting. It smells like cold dirt, similar to BPAL's Nosferatu sans wine notes. The plum note very slightly reminds me of In Night When All Colors to Black Are Cast, but this scent is definitely different.

On skin: First off, this has quite the throw on it. Wet, I get the clove from afar, but up close, it's all plum and hairspray. The hairspray note reminds me a little bit of a shampoo I used as a kid, but I can't recall the name. There's something very slightly medicinal in here, which could be the clove and hairspray combination. After it's dried for a bit, the medicinal vibe goes away, and the clove, plum, and champaca incense take center stage (which leads me to believe it's something in the hairspray note). The clove note from a distance smells very chewy, and I know I've smelled it in other scents before but I can't remember which. I'd still say this is a cousin scent of In Night When All Colors to Black Are Cast, but it's not as dark and decadent. A Melancholy of Goths is moodier and more atmospheric, I think. Definitely more perfumey as well.

Verdict: 4.25 gaggles of goths out of 5.


šŸ“š Lightning Strikes Literature (A lightning storm stirred with beeswax candle smoke, yellowing notebooks, pools of India ink)

Preliminary notes: Iiit's yet another book scent! Surprise, surprise. I've tried a couple of bookish scents from BPAL before, and I've seldom been disappointed. Quintessence of Dust is one of my favorites, but that one is pretty leather-heavy. Curious to see how they compare.

In bottle: This is almost strictly aquatic in the bottle with a hint of something citrusy and a tiny bit of beeswax. I get no paper or ink.

On skin: The ink and paper do come out a bit more on the skin. This is a very clean, aquatic scent overall though. I wasn't sure how this was going to go, given that I've never tried BPAL's ozone notes, but I quite like it. Lightning Strikes Literature kind of reminds me of Quintessence of Dust a little bit, but if Quintessence of Dust was backed by heavy rain. Despite me being very not into clean scents typically, the ink and paper ground it enough that it doesn't go into dryer sheet or laundry detergent territory.

The beeswax comes out after a few minutes, which is recognizable as the same beeswax from The Lights of Men's Lives. The aquatic overtone starts to take a bit of a backseat, and then it becomes a beeswaxy, readerly dream. I love this. I have tried so many book-centric scents at this point, but the ozonic/aquatic opening makes this one different. It eventually settles into a slightly vanillic beeswax scent with a hint of paper.

Verdict: 5 writers penning stories under candlelight while a storm brews outside out of 5.


šŸ¬ Bonfire Toffee (Treacle toffee soaked in rich, dark bourbon)

Preliminary notes: I am a HUGE sucker for toffee notes, and I also love boozy notes, so this sounds like a no-brainer.

In bottle: Toffee with an almost medicinal, woody background. Makes sense, I suppose.

On skin: This is delicious. It's almost spiced, dark, slightly woody toffee. There's something in here that reminds me of coffee without actually being coffee. The best way I can describe it is the smell of a fresh batch of toffee displayed on a wooden tray with a glass of bourbon nearby. I quite like it, and it's not so sweet that it leans super feminine. It's perfectly unisex.

Verdict: 4 piles of toffee on wooden trays out of 5.


šŸ’ Batty Lace (A leathered up, musky interpretation of BPAL’s Antique Lace: dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes with well-worn leather and caramel musk)

Preliminary notes: I haven't tried OG Antique Lace, but I love leather and caramel scents, so I'm excited to try this.

In bottle: The leather is definitely one I've smelled in other BPAL scents, but it's subtle. I also get the caramel musk and an overall perfumey vibe.

On skin: Largely a perfume-y floral with a bit of a clean vibe and a bit of caramel-y musk. I don't get any leather whatsoever. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this. It's a really nice scent, but I didn't expect it to be this clean. I do really like the musk though. As it wears, it becomes more vanillic and a bit dusty, but not in a bad way. I definitely like the late drydown better than the wet stage. I think I need to re-test this once it's aged a bit.

Verdict: 3.75 caramel-covered flowers out of 5.


šŸµ Tiefling Therapist (White and red sandalwood, champaca attar, frankincense, brimstone)

Preliminary notes: I don't know if I've mentioned this much in previous reviews, but I looove a good champaca note. There's something sexy and mysterious about it. This was a no-brainer for me, since I love incense-y scents, and my current DND character is a sultry tiefling, so.

In bottle: This is, unshockingly, very incense-heavy. The brimstone note kind of smells like charcoal discs. I'm also getting something that smells like neroli, which could maybe be the frankincense, since champaca isn't citrusy.

On skin: BPAL's champaca notes are beautiful, and the one in Tiefling Therapist is no exception. The sandalwood notes meld really well with it, and I don't smell any of the frankincense. The brimstone still smells like a charcoal disc but also smells a bit vegetal. Overall, this smells like really expensive incense, and I'm here for it. There's a very, very slight (almost imperceptible) soapiness to this, which I think is the sandalwood/champaca combo, but it doesn't detract from the scent at all, since it doesn't lend a "THIS IS SOAP" vibe to the scent overall. It's just a tiiiiny, tiny clean edge.

After a few minutes, the slight soapiness disappears as well, and the frankincense makes itself known. This is mostly sandalwood and champaca backed by the Lab's brimstone note, so if you're into any of that, this is for you!

Verdict: 4.5 sticks of very expensive incense out of 5.


šŸ—”ļø Rogue (Soft, well-worn black leather, hemp, rosin)

Preliminary notes: I've had this before, and to be honest, I don't remember why I destashed it. I remember really enjoying it, and that it had an odd, almost honey-like sweetness to it.

In bottle: Just as I remember. Sweet, honeyed leather and a bit of hemp. I adore this stuff.

On skin: Very similar to in the bottle. There's a very, very slight herbal edge on the skin, but it's all about the honeyed leather and hemp. It's fairly light as well. Definitely glad to have a bottle of this again.

Verdict: 5 leather-clad rogues dripping in honey out of 5.


šŸ•·ļø Drow Yoga Instructor (Wild plum, indigo lavender, a tranquil tendril of sandalwood incense)

Preliminary notes: I don't love lavender, but I've read several reviews that say the plum and incense notes in this are fantastic, sooo here we are.

In bottle: Thankfully, the lavender isn't the herbal, screechy variety. All of the notes are accounted for, and it's a very contemplative, subtle scent.

On skin: This is really pretty. The vegetal note I got from Tiefling Therapist is in here too, so I'm guessing it's the sandalwood. There's something in here that almost registers as a soft spice. The lavender smells very dusky and soft and isn't medicinal at all. The plum is a great grounding note as well. I could absolutely see something like this being used in meditation or yoga.

Verdict: 4 purple-hued clouds of incense out of 5.


šŸ¦‡ Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rosewood, beeswax, labdanum absolute, blackened tea leaf, dark fuzzy musk)

Preliminary notes: Managed to nab this from the Lab's Etsy storefront. I've never tried any of the bat scents before, and this one happened to have beeswax and tea in it. The rest is history.

In bottle: Largely just rosewood and tea. It smells almost like furniture polish, which isn't a bad thing in my books. Almost anise-y as well.

On skin: The rosewood in this is absolutely stunning. There's a bit of a polished furniture vibe to it, but not in a bad way. The tea leaf and musk are present as well. I don't get the beeswax as an obvious note until late in the drydown, in which it smells like beeswax candles that have just been blown out. This one's a bit of a morpher for sure. It brings to mind imagery of elegant, studious wizards.

Verdict: 4.5 fancy wizards out of 5.


šŸ‘» Ghost Milk (Goat’s milk, marshmallow, vanilla cashmere, honey dust, white chocolate)

Preliminary notes: Yet another scent that I destashed a couple of years ago without any real basis (I think I was just overwhelmed by the sheer amount of oils I had at the time and wanted to downsize, so I ended up getting rid of things I liked, too). I didn't have Ghost Milk for very long, but I remember it being a sweet, gauzy, creamy scent. I have "cereal" stuck in my head regarding this scent as well, so maybe it smelled like cereal milk to me? We'll find out.

In bottle: Yup, cereal milk, in the best way possible. There's a very, very slight almost gingerbread-y note in there as well. The goat's milk note has never smelled like actual goat's milk to me. There's nothing animalic about this scent in the slightest.

On skin: On skin, something a bit lemony comes out, and I'm not sure where that's coming from. Maybe the honey dust mixing with the chocolate and goat's milk. The underlying spice is still there as well. Overall, it's very cozy and sweet, but not cloyingly so.

Verdict: 4.5 cozy ghosts out of 5.


šŸ’€ Dia de los Muertos (2004) (Dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods, and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom, desert cereus)

Preliminary notes: I purchased this from the Lab's Etsy. I can't say I've ever bought a 20-year-old perfume oil before, but here we are. The note description sounds delicious, and I had seen multiple reviews citing it as smelling like Dior's Poison, so that was enough for me. I'm a little scared to open it, honestly, but I'm confident in BPAL's use of materials, so I'm sure it's fine.

In bottle: Jasmine. A lot of jasmine.

On skin: Oof.. so this goes incredibly fecal on my skin, which is a very hard pass. No thank you. I had high hopes, but this is absolutely vile on me.

Verdict: 0 stanky jasmines out of 5.


šŸ§› Vampire Milk (Clove bud and goat's milk)

Preliminary notes: These last two were unplanned purchases, but they'd both been stuck in my head for quite some time, so I wanted to grab them before the Weenies were taken down in May.

I love clove, and several reviews I'd read cited the milk note as being caramel-y, which sounds lovely.

In bottle: Clove and something that smells almost like caramel or sweetened condensed milk. Definitely doesn't smell like traditional goat's milk, but it's delicious.

On skin: This is SO clove-heavy, and I love it. The goat's milk reads more as warmed sweetened condensed milk, and it has an almost holiday vibe to it. I've been on the hunt for a clove perfume that's actually clove-heavy for years, but every single time I find one, the clove is barely there. This, though, is a clove bomb, and I am overjoyed with it. This is a holy grail clove scent for me.

Verdict: 5 creamy clove drinks out of 5.


šŸ‘» Vintage Ghost Blow Mold (Milky-white plastic, candy corn, 40 watts of glowing amber)

Preliminary notes: I am a huge sucker for anything vintage-Halloween, and also a sucker for candy corn notes, which I don't think I've experienced in a BPAL scent before.

In bottle: Super promiment candy corn and white amber. It smells very clean. I don't get any sort of plastic note at all.

On skin: Okay, so, the first lesson this scent is telling me is that I need to hunt for BPAL's candy corn note in the future, because it's beautiful. My brain is connecting the "plastic" note to pumpkin pails, but again, it doesn't smell like actual plastic. It's like an artistic rendition of the concept of plastic, if that makes any sense at all. This is such a lovely, sweet scent and definitely evokes imagery of childhood Halloweens. It truly does smell glowy, and it mellows out into a delightful milky, marshmallow-y white amber scent as it wears. This is the candy corn scent I've always wanted, and I'm so glad I picked this up before it was taken down. I love this so, so much.

Verdict: 5 ghosts carrying pumpkin pails full of candy corn out of 5.
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[personal profile] femmenstein
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!

šŸµ 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.


šŸ‚ 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.


šŸ° 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.


šŸ”® 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.


šŸ­ 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.


šŸ 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.


šŸ•Æļø 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.


🄄 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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[personal profile] femmenstein
Hello, hello! We've finally reached the end of the year (suspend your disbelief and just pretend that it's still nearing the end of 2023). This year has been full of ups and downs, and quite frankly, I'm glad to be rid of it. šŸ˜‚

The end of the year also heralds a new set of perfume reviews, since DH always offers to buy me some as a Christmas gift (it's a very easy, reliable gift idea, since there are always perfumes out there that I'd like to try). Possets was having their usual 25% off Thanksgiving sale in late November, so we ordered these a month before Christmas since A, it's a good sale, and B, I live in Canada and always get paranoid about perfume bottles cracking in the mail during December because of the low temperatures. Plus December is a horrible time for mail in general up here, so it's easier to just avoid that altogether.

These are mostly Yules, with one Halloween scent thrown in for good measure. Without further ado, onward to the reviews!

šŸŽ„ Boughs (Balsam, spruce, cypress, holly, and whatever is decking the halls)

Preliminary notes: I'm gonna spare you from reading "This has been on my radar for 1-3 years" in every single one of the prelim note sections and just say that all of them, except for Treat, have been scents I've looked into numerous times over the last few years.

This one in particular, since I LOVE balsam and spruce notes. I'm a huge sucker for holiday greenery scents. Some reviews on the Possets forum mention underlying fruity notes in this scent, so we'll see if I can pick up on those.

In bottle: This is.. not quite what I was expecting. It smells like mulled wine, apples, and evergreens underneath. It's very fruity in the bottle, which I'm a bit unsure about. It smells like the imagery of a Victorian Christmas though, so I'm not mad about it. It's charming.

On skin: The evergreen notes come out a LOT more on the skin, and the fruitiness takes a major backseat. I'm pretty sure there's a bit of orange in this as well, and evergreens mixed with orange is one of my favorite scent combinations. I quite like it! The apple/mulled wine vibe comes back as it dries, and it's very festive.

Verdict: 4 evergreen boughs studded with fruit slices out of 5.


✨ Liquid Tinsel (Fir, heaps of sugar, a hint of peppermint)

Preliminary notes: I believe it was last year, I emailed the Possets team about very specific scent recommendations involving snow, A Christmas Story, and other holiday-related things. I apparently lost that email (still salty about that), but I do remember Liquid Tinsel being one of their recommendations. Again, big evergreen/holiday greenery fan, so I can't see myself *not* liking this.

In bottle: Again, kind of fruity (at this point, I'm assuming Possets' fir notes lean on the jammy side). The sugar and peppermint are definitely there as well. The mint veers into toothpaste territory a bit, and I'm REALLY hoping that goes away on the skin. It almost smells a bit cough syrup-y in the bottle.

On skin: On skin, I literally cannot distinguish the mint from the fir. They both blend together and create a very cooling effect. It goes between candy canes and frozen trees, which is really interesting. "Liquid Tinsel" is a very apt name for it.

Verdict: 4 candy cane forests out of 5.


šŸ© Sticky Buns (A great cinnamon and sugar concoction)

Preliminary notes: (I know the emoji is a donut, but cinnamon bun emojis apparently don't exist, shh šŸ˜‚)

As is probably well-known on this blog by now, I amp cinnamon. Always. This scent was on my "Yeeeah, probably" list until I read it to DH and he said he really liked how it sounded, sooo, in the cart it went. I don't even dislike cinnamon, really. I just don't always want cinnamon to make me smell like a Red Hots factory. Either way, I do really love the smell of cinnamon buns, so I'm hoping this is fairly realistic.

I read a Reddit review that mentioned Sticky Buns smelled like cinnamon sugar toast to the reviewer, so that's promising.

In bottle: Literally just smells like cinnamon sugar, which.. duh. There's a teeeeny tiny bit of something cake-y underneath that, but it's 95% cinnamon, 4% sugar, and 1% cake.

On skin: Wow, okay. So just going off of the aura of the scent before I actually smell my wrist, this smells uncannily like actual cinnamon buns, minus the icing. Up close, it's all cinnamon, which I'm not shocked by since my skin amps it. DH was very insistent that I pick this one up, which I was a bit apprehensive about because of my skin's tendency to make cinnamon notes ridiculously potent, but I'm glad I got this. It's a really lovely, sugary, foody cinnamon scent, and it fills a gap in my collection that I didn't know I had. If you're a cinnamon lover (or cinnamon sugar lover), definitely give this one a go!

As a sidenote, this smells even better if you're outside in cooler temperatures. Phenomenal.

Verdict: 5 sugary cinnamon buns out of 5.


šŸ® Calorie Neutralizer (Light cloves, heavy sugar, a great sheet of the most buttery of toffee)

Preliminary notes: I love cloves, I love sugary scents, and I love toffee. The only thing I'm hoping for here is that it doesn't go fruity on me like Reason did. I've found a grand total of 2 reviews for this scent (both on the Possets forum), and both of them said it smelled like custard, so I'm hoping that's accurate.

In bottle: So I get none of the listed notes and instead get a fruity, almost floral cream scent. Reason was very fruity to me as well, but thankfully, this one isn't nearly as rich in that way.

On skin: Still fruity. It does have a custard-esque character, but I don't get any toffee or clove. Just fruity (specifically some kind of red berry) custard, which in itself isn't bad, just not what I was expecting. Calorie Neutralizer smells like a cousin to The Glutton's Delight, so the fruity note might be raspberry. It does smell decidedly festive though. I'm not sure how I feel about it, so I'll probably re-test it in the future.

Verdict: 3 unexpectedly fruity custards out of 5.


šŸ¬ Treat (Sugar, caramel, chocolate, candy corn, marshmallow, popcorn, peanut butter, spice?)

Preliminary notes: So we have to talk about this one. I'm sure you've noticed the question mark at the end of the note description, and that's because the original description of this scent is basically just "a bunch of sweet, candy-like things." I made my own note list going off of what was said in reviews on the Possets forum, since the notes above were cited more than anything else was, so I'd wager I'll at least be able to smell a few of them.

In bottle: Holy crap, this was B O O Z Y upon first sniff. I don't know if it's the chocolate or what, but I said "WHOA" out loud. I can absolutely see the parallels between this and Spook, but Treat is MUCH richer and more dense. Spook is a lighter cousin, and definitely not a sibling.

On skin: Chocolate, jelly beans, and popcorn! Getting a bit of caramel and candy corn as well. Treat basically smells like a loaded candy bag at the end of Halloween night, and once it's on the skin, it definitely smells more like a sister scent of Spook than a cousin. I really enjoy it. As it dries, it goes kind of dusty, and then a peanut buttery note comes out. It's a morpher.

Verdict: 4 Halloween candy bags out of 5.
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[personal profile] femmenstein
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.
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[personal profile] femmenstein
Ahoy! I didn't expect to be doing another review this soon, but my in-laws very kindly gave me some fun money for Christmas, and perfume oils are more or less the only "fun" things I buy these days. Bird's Nest in the Cowl got me hooked on Possets' gingerbread note, so I wanted to try more of their gingerbread scents, which was the main driving factor behind this order. Onward!


Gingerbread Jailhouse (Sweet, silky, and spicy gingerbread amped up with more ginger, smoothed out with a thick coat of light lemony sour cream frosting)

Preliminary notes: This sounds kind of thematically similar to Nui Cobalt's Gingerbread Sanctuary, which also had gingerbread and lemon icing notes (though that one also had a slew of other notes, including lavender, which this doesn't have). Bird's Nest in the Cowl is a fantastic gingerbread scent, but it doesn't have any sort of frosting notes. I'm hoping this leans a bit more gingerbread cookie-like than Bird's Nest, even though I adore that one.

In bottle: That classic Possets gingerbread note with lots of icing! It actually does smell like sour cream icing, which is delicious. I don't get any overt lemon, but I'm okay with that.

On skin: So this actually kind of is similar to Gingerbread Sanctuary, sans the lavender. It's sweet but not overly, and the lemon comes out when it's actually on the skin. I like it! It's a nice, bright, festive gourmand.

Verdict: 4.5 lemon-infused gingerbread cookies out of 5.


Gingerbread Whorehouse (European gingerbread, ginger, black pepper, clove, cinnamon, coriander, a kiss of pink pepper)

Preliminary notes: The name alone is hilarious, and I delighted in telling DH what it was called. I love spice notes, so this sounds fab. I'm hoping the clove in particular is relatively strong.

In bottle: This smells very similar to Jailhouse (they very obviously have the same gingerbread base), but it's much spicier and has bite to it. I can't make out any of the spices specifically in the bottle, but it's strong and a bit dark.

On skin: This reminds me of a mainstream perfume I used to have from L'Artisan Parfumeur called Tea for Two, oddly enough. They only really share the spice and gingerbread notes, so I'm not sure how that's possible, but it is! Tea for Two has a tobacco note that leans a bit ashtray-esque, and obviously, Gingerbread Whorehouse doesn't have tobacco in it, so it's a bit smoother and easier to wear. It has a sweet, creamy, frosting-like quality to it as well and is just really sexy. I love this.

Verdict: 5 festive cookie bordellos out of 5.


Pumpkin Pie (Pumpkin pie, spices that complement rather than cover up what it is, special crust made more like cake than an ordinary pie crust)

Preliminary notes: This has been on my wishlist for the last 2 years, and I finally bought it. I couldn't find any reviews of it, which is a bit of a bummer since I amp spice notes and wanted to know how strong they are here. I love Possets' pie scents and have 4 or 5 of them, so I'd imagine even if I end up amping the spices, it'll still be great.

In bottle: Much to my disappointment, this smells like 90% cinnamon in the bottle and a bit of butter/pastry. I get very little pumpkin, which I hope changes once it's on the skin.

On skin: It starts to smell more like pumpkin pie on the skin, but it's still very heavily spiced. The pastry notes do indeed smell more like cake than pie, which is really nice. The effect here ends up being a spice cake rather than a pie. I'm hoping the pumpkin note will come out more with age. DH immediately identified it as pumpkin pie and had no issue smelling the pumpkin note, so that could just be me.

(It's also worth noting that I amp cinnamon, but Pumpkin Pie smelled cinnamon-heavy before I put it on as well)

Verdict: 3 heavily-spiced pies out of 5.


Orion (Oud, rare and unexpected woods, smoked vanilla)

Preliminary notes: This was an upsize from a free sample. I was initially scared to open the sample vial, because oud can either be really good or really bad, but I finally ended up doing it.

In bottle: VERY woody in the best way possible. I can't actually smell the oud at all. Either that, or this particular oud just doesn't smell like other ouds I've smelled. It's a very dry, woody scent.

On skin: I suppose you could call this masculine, but it reads as more unisex to me. The woods are dry and strong, and there's a bit of a sweet, smoky, peppery tinge to them. The vanilla doesn't read as outright vanilla to me and serves as a means to sweeten the blend up a bit so it's not so austere. This is a perfect fall/winter scent, and I adore it. It smells like a haunted forest. It's foreboding and mysterious.

Verdict: 5 fog-laden, haunted forests out of 5.

Lovechild - Lovebaby (Peach shortbread and sweet fruit sauce cascading over the lovely confection)

Preliminary notes: This was an unexpected addition to the package these arrived in. I had ordered Lovebaby in part of my first Yule order, but it arrived with a broken cap (the likes of which I have never seen before in my life. The middle of the cap was somehow completely separated from the band, and it was unfortunately unusable), which I contacted them about immediately, and they refunded the price of the bottle. I saw a note on the invoice saying they'd changed suppliers for their caps and then looked down and saw a mysterious 5th bottle in my package. Lo' and behold, it was a replacement bottle of Lovebaby, which I had no idea about until I opened it.

Possets' customer service is the best I've ever experienced, and I will never stop happy-yelling about it.

In bottle: Veeery fruity. Weirdly enough, my nose isn't registering it as peach. It smells like some sort of sweet berry or maybe another stone fruit.

On skin: Something about this is a tiny bit soapy, which isn't what I was looking for. I don't get any shortbread, either. Just lots of very sweet fruit.

Verdict: 3 cups of fruit sauce out of 5. I'm going to retest this at a later date, but as of right now, it's way too syrupy-smelling. DH said, "You should smell like that all the time. It smells good!"

Chocolate Incense (free sample) (Sandalwood, amber, frankincense, chocolate)

Preliminary notes: I typically stay away from chocolate notes, so I wouldn't have chosen this myself.

In vial: I mean, it smells like what it says it'll smell like. Resinous chocolate. I don't hate it.

On skin: Something about this smells a little bit salty and odd. The chocolate note veers into Sharpie territory on me, which is definitely not my thing.

Verdict: 1 chocolate-scented Sharpie out of 5. Not for me at all.

Thank you for reading! I do have another Possets review in the works, but I very inconveniently got sick the day after the package showed up, so I need to recover from that first. Stay tuned!
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[personal profile] femmenstein
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.


šŸ•Æļø 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.


šŸŖ 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.


šŸ„› 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.


šŸŒ 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.


ā¤ļø 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.


🄃 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.


šŸ¬ 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.


šŸŽ„ 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.


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

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

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

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

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

Verdict: 3.5 boozy candy canes out of 5.

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

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

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

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

Verdict: 3.5 jars of apricot jam out of 5.

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

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

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

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

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

Verdict: 5 snow-laden forests out of 5.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Verdict: 4.5 holiday baking bonanzas out of 5. I wish the eggnog was a stronger note, but it's still delicious.
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[personal profile] femmenstein
To be completely honest, NAVA's been a brand I've largely avoided for the most part. For one, they don't ship to Canada anymore (these were ordered through Ajevie) so I have to go through decanters, and the idea of having an "absolute" of an accord doesn't make any sense to me. Having to go digging to find out what's actually in said accords is also a bit of a pain.

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

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

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

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

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

Verdict: 5 vanillic bonfires out of 5.

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

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

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

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

Verdict: 4.5 Halloweens out of 5.

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

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

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

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

Verdict: 4 werewolves eating buttery candy in a patchouli forest out of 5. I like this more the longer I wear it. I wish the candy corn was stronger though.
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[personal profile] femmenstein
Long time, no post! These reviews are from some time ago, but better late than never, I suppose.

Love (Vanilla accord, fresh cream, sugarcane, soft musk, a pinch of tea leaves)

Preliminary notes: I'm really glad this came back this year. I've been wanting to try it for a long while. Cream and tea is one of my favorite note combinations.

In bottle: This reminds me of Possets' tea and cream blends, which I love. This is much fresher, a bit sweeter, and more vanillic though. This is cottagecore as fuck.

On skin: Still very reminiscent of Possets' cream-tea blends, still cottagecore as fuck. The tea and cream notes are beautiful. The vanilla and a bit of sweetness come out after about 5 minutes, which takes this into having more of its own character. I really like this.

Verdict: 5 silky, creamy teas out of 5. This was a no-brainer and was unsurprisingly a big hit. Love that cream note.

ScƔiltƭn (Fresh milk and silky cream are heated and gently whipped with confectionary sugar, warmly spiced honey, RƩunion Island vanilla beans, sweet tonka, Irish whiskey, grated nutmeg, a bit of butter)

Preliminary notes: Another one I've wanted to try for a while. This sounds delectable.

In bottle: Oh, this is lovely. My nose recognized Arcana's honey note immediately, which was quickly followed by lots of booze and some milk.

On skin: This reminds me of Marshmallows Bite! a little bit, but this is creamier and brighter. The milk and cream are very strong here, followed by the honey and whiskey. This is delicious.

Verdict: 5 creamy, boozy beverages out of 5. I'm not shocked that I like this, and I'm glad I picked it up before the Winter stuff went down.

Philtre: Embrace (Three ambers, French vanilla, Bourbon custard, golden musk, sweet coconut milk, a soft whiff of skin musk)

Preliminary notes: The custard and coconut milk were the biggest draws for me on this one. Yes, please.

In bottle: Despite the semi-gourmand dairy notes, this is all about the musks and ambers in the bottle. It's a bit slinky and sexy.

On skin: Upon applying this, DH said "Mmm.. that smells scrumptious. I don't know if it's something I'm supposed to eat, but I'll give it a shot." (He didn't actually ingest it). It's still very much about the musks and ambers, but the custard and a tiny bit of the coconut milk peek through as well. This is seduction in a bottle.

Verdict: 5 sexy custards out of 5. This smells like the most decadent, opulent dessert served in a solid gold dish. If you ever wanna feel like a million bucks, wear this (or just sniff it).

Rose Petal Blunt (Dewy red rose petals, fresh green stems, soft tuberose, Silver Haze accord)

Preliminary notes: The only sample I've ever ordered from Arcana. I love cannabis scents, and this one sounds very pretty and feminine.

In bottle: Exactly what it sounds like. Weed and rose. I regret not just getting a full bottle of this, but I'll most likely upsize it in the future if it behaves well on my skin.

On skin: Deeefinitely full-sizing this in the future. The weed note is green, crisp, and very slightly smoky. The rose is realistic and not overbearing, so what you're left with is the smell of a vase of fresh roses in a slightly hazy room where weed was being smoked. Lovely.

Verdict: 5 toke sessions in a rose garden out of 5.

The Cunning Folk (The scent of an unread magical grimoire smudged with tobacco, surrounded by offerings of chocolate and golden amber)

Preliminary notes: I could smell cocoa or chocolate as soon as I opened the package these were all in and was initially confused, since none of them contained chocolate notes. Upon unwrapping everything, I saw this mixed in with it, which was incredibly generous of Arcana. Many thanks, if you happen to read this!

In bottle: So despite my aversion to chocolate notes, this is actually really nice. The tobacco is dry, the chocolate smells more like cocoa, and there's something a bit leathery/parchment-y hanging out beneath that as well. This smells very Halloween-esque. (I looked it up afterward, and this is apparently part of the Halloween collection. Go, brain!)

On skin: The tobacco gets a bit smoky (yum), and the chocolate calms down to a light dusting. The bookish notes are still pronounced as well. I'm kind of shocked that patchouli isn't listed as a note, because I swear I can smell a tiny bit of it in there somewhere. This smells like eating chocolate-covered toffee or Halloween candy in an old library or study.

DH thought this smelled like toffee, specifically Toffifee.

Verdict: 5 giant platters of chocolate-covered toffee in an old library, on Halloween, out of 5. This was a surprise hit! I usually stay very far away from chocolate notes, but I love this. The ambers and other notes subdue it enough that it doesn't smell like i just dumped a bunch of cocoa powder on myself or like I sat on a chocolate bar. This is the essence of Halloween and is also a perfect dark academia/gourmand crossover scent.
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[personal profile] femmenstein
Atmospherics, ahoy! Just like the first part of my SS reviews, most of these were hits.

As usual, favorites are denoted with an asterisk. Solstice Scents’ storefront can be found here. They also stock with Femme Fatale in Australia and Pretty Indulgent in Canada. Both stockists ship internationally, as does Solstice Scents. I've also linked every scent's Indie Scent Library page for the full descriptions.

Maine Moon*** (Crisp Fall Air, Wood Smoke, Leather Seats & Concessions of Root Beer, Popcorn & Chocolate Covered Caramels.) Full description here.

In the bottle: I fell in love with the description for this scent, especially since it conjured up mental images of a B-horror movie being played at a drive-in, and I love how it smells in the bottle too. Root beer, popcorn, and dirt are the main notes I’m getting.

On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, but the leather, chocolate, and caramel come out more. There’s also something slightly minty hanging out in the background as well. If you’re familiar with Foxcroft Fairgrounds, this is kind of in the same vein. They both have an incense-y, dirty, foody, autumnal atmospheric feel. The mint definitely caught me off guard, but I still love this. Something about this reminds me of Halloween as well, which is always a bonus.

Longevity: After about 4-5 hours, it settles down into primarily chocolate, caramel, and a bit of leather. It went through a phase after the first couple of hours where the popcorn was incredibly strong compared to everything else as well. Was still faintly detectable after 8 hours, and had about 6 hours of good wear.

Loggia (A Blend of Mahogany, Amber, Musk, Vanilla Bean, Allspice, Cardamom, Black Pepper, Cognac & Sandalwood.) Full description here.

In the bottle: There’s something in here that reminds me of.. pickles. It’s sharp and slightly briny, but I’m not sure what it is. For the most part, it’s incense-y and woody, but also sweet.

On skin: So we’ve gone from being reminiscent of pickles to being reminiscent of rum-soaked moth balls. This is so strange. I was really hoping I’d love this one, especially given its previous description when it was called Monster Mash, but this is not going well. The vanilla and spices are nice, as is the boozy kick, but there’s something in here that really doesn’t agree with my nose or skin. It smells old and not as woody as I’d hoped. I have Manor as well, which I’ve only smelled from the bottle as of writing this, and it smells more like how I expected Loggia to smell. I’m a bit disappointed. This was a scrubber, unfortunately.

Gibbon’s Boarding School** (Dusty Wooden Desks, Paper, Carefully Hidden Tobacco Pouch, Dying Fire, Dried Leaves, Leather Chairs, Autumn Breeze.) Full description here.

In the bottle: SUPER dusty wood, leather, fireplace embers, and a bit of tobacco. I expected this to be more.. I dunno, subtle, I guess? I’m definitely not complaining. It smells really interesting and atmospheric.

On skin: I really don’t even know how to describe this. It’s everything that was detectable in the bottle, but kind of warmed up and more complex. There’s a slight hint of apple, but it’s not the hair product apple I’m used to. It’s kind of like apple cider. There’s also a pretty heavy stone note in there somewhere, which I love. It’s definitely very bookish and evokes imagery of a sprawling brick school.

Longevity: After a few hours, something kind of vanillic comes out and warms everything up a bit. Lasted over 8 hours, but was still detectable after 10 hours.

Gunnerson’s Pumpkin Patch*** (Leaves, Vines, Autumn Air, Pumpkin Flesh, Lavender, Moss, Balsam, Tonka, Hay, Caramel, Dirt, Patchouli, Mushroom.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Truth be told, the first time I smelled my sample of this, I hated it. The lavender is very strong, and being that I’m not a fan of lavender at all really, it was a problem. The coumarin, or at least what I’m assuming is coumarin, is also very strong. But once it’s on the skin, it turns into this caramelized, dirty, herbal, autumnal atmospheric that’s really unique. It doesn’t really remind me of pumpkin patches as much as Foxcroft does, but I grew to love it after actually wearing it for a while. The dirt, caramel, and patchouli are detectable in the bottle, and it has sort of a warming quality when it hits your nose, which is fascinating.

On skin: As stated, the lavender and coumarin are very strong once on the skin. There’s a bit of viney greenery as well. I was a bit disappointed that there isn’t any mushroom detectable.

Longevity: Lasted for over 8 hours.

Thornwood Thicket** (Sugared Blackberries, Amber, Oud, Guaiacwood, Oakmoss.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Oh, boy. Very strong guaiacwood and oud, and a bit of blackberry. Guaiacwood has kind of a tarry scent, and I really don’t like it most of the time. I’m curious to see how this turns out once it’s on the skin. I’m hoping that the blackberry and woods kind of meld together and become something a bit more seamless than what’s first smelled in the bottle.

On skin: Fortunately, the guaiacwood blends in with everything else once it hits the skin, so it’s not just blackberries and tar. On the skin, it takes on a more berry incense vibe, which is really nice. I’ve read various reviews describing this as a berry version of Manor, which is pretty apt. The woods are softer here than they are in Manor, but they are very similar.

Longevity: Much like the full description, it did mellow out into a berry incense scent after a few hours. It lasted about 8 hours total.

Riverside Hayride*** (Moist Dirt, White Carnations, Fallen Leaves, Bare Branches, Hay & a Hint of Pressed Apples Carried on the Breeze from Corvin’s Apple Orchard.) Full description here.

In the bottle: I was worried about trying this, since apple tends to go into conditioner/shampoo territory on me, but after having several recommendations for it, I had to take the plunge. In the bottle, it smells like dirty apple cider, which sounds kind of gross, but it’s amazing. The carnations are very slightly in the background, and there is a hint of woods in there as well. I expected this to be sort of light and ethereal, but it’s very warm and festive smelling. Where I live, there’s a bonfire on Halloween every year, and they used to give out free hot apple cider to everyone who attended. This reminds me a lot of that, and it makes me so nostalgic. Assuming this performs similarly on the skin, this is going to be a huge hit for me. As I’ve mentioned several times in various reviews, Halloween nostalgia is a huge thing for me.

On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle. If someone spilled hot apple cider in a bunch of dirt, this is what it would smell like, and I love it. As I mentioned, it reminds me a lot of the local Halloween bonfire, so it’s a definite win in my book. After the first hour, the apple mellows out a little and the carnation comes out more.

Longevity: Unfortunately, this became pretty faint after about 5 or 6 hours. It probably had about 5 hours of good wear, and was virtually gone after 7 hours.
femmenstein: (Default)
[personal profile] femmenstein
First Solstice Scents review, ahoy! Somehow, literally everything I tried in this batch was a massive hit for me, which very seldom happens. Witchcraft!

As usual, favorites are denoted with an asterisk. Solstice Scents’ storefront can be found here. They also stock with Femme Fatale in Australia and Pretty Indulgent in Canada. Both stockists ship internationally, as does Solstice Scents. I've also linked every scent's Indie Scent Library page for the full descriptions.

Smokewood Apiary***(Smoked Honey, Creamed Honey, Beeswax, Amber, Wooden Frames, Ginger & Vanilla.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Lots of honey, beeswax (yay!), and a tiny bit of amber and ginger.

On skin: Dripping honey, chewy beeswax, a little bit of wood, and a little bit of spice. I don’t get much smoke, if any, until an hour or two after application. I wanted to try this in hopes that it’d be super beeswax heavy, and it definitely is! Overall, it’s a pretty soft scent.

Longevity: Still detectable after 6-7 hours.

During the Rain*** (Petrichor, soaked Earth, limestone, loam, clay and wet concrete.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Wet dirt and stone. Reminds me of earthworms, which is really nice.

On skin: Largely the same, but the stone is sweetened a little bit by something else. I don’t know if this reminds me of petrichor and rain as much as it reminds me of cemeteries. Actually, this kind of smells like a cemetery after it’s rained, which is perfect.

Longevity: Lasted for 7-8 hours.

Halloween Night*** (Sweet Candy Corn, Chocolate Candy Wrappers, Melty Gooey Marshmallows, Sticky Caramels & Black Jelly Beans.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Licorice, candy corn, caramel, and chocolate. Definitely evocative of Halloween candy.

On skin: Virtually the same. The licorice candy is definitely the star of the show here. It’s worth noting that I’m not a fan of licorice at all, regarding both the taste and the scent. I’ve had scents featuring licorice that I’ve liked before, however, and Halloween Night definitely falls into that category as well. I’m also heavily biased, because anything that involves Halloween, especially Halloween-related nostalgia, sends my heart aflutter. This kind of reminds me of bulk candy bins more than Halloween, but I really enjoy it regardless.

Longevity: After an hour or so, the licorice mellows out a little bit and it becomes predominantly caramel, marshmallow, chocolate, and candy corn. This part is definitely more evocative of Halloween than the initial scent upon application. In the drydown after the licorice disappears, it reminds me of Alkemia’s Sweet Sorcery a little bit, which is one of my favorite autumnal gourmands. They’re both like bottled childhood Halloween nostalgia. Had about 6 hours of good wear, but was still detectable after 9 hours.

Foxcroft Fairgrounds*** (Cotton Candy, Cream Soda, Vanilla Taffy, Gridling’s Funnel Cakes, Powdered Sugar, Crisp Fall Air, Woodsmoke & a Tendril of Incense.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Something sweet and berry-like, incense, and something a bit dirty.

On skin: Virtually the same, if not a bit dirtier. I’m assuming the berry-like note I’m getting is a combination of the cotton candy, cream soda, and taffy. I don’t get the funnel cakes or powdered sugar at all, so my initial thought that this may be like Alkemia’s County Fair was quickly put to rest. This is sweet, woody, smoky, dirty, a little spooky, and definitely atmospheric, which is exactly what I was hoping for. Love this.

Longevity: Becomes very close to the skin after about an hour, which is also when the funnel cake note comes out. By the 3-hour mark, it’s very faint. I was kind of expecting this one to be longer lived, but it’s possible that it needs more rest. Throughout the whole thing, and especially during the sweet smoke and incense phase of the drydown, I’m still getting some sort of berry note. Lasted about 3-4 hours total, but was still very, very faintly detectable after 9 hours.

Jack & the Devil*** (A blend of sugared golden pumpkin, spices, oakmoss, sweet vanilla, aged patchouli essential oil and dried brown tobacco leaf.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Spiced pumpkin, patchouli, vanilla, and a bit of tobacco. Very warm.

On skin: The spiced pumpkin and vanilla are definitely the strongest on the skin. I get very little patchouli or anything else. It’s kind of like a grown up, creamy, dark pumpkin gourmand, which is what I was hoping for. The pumpkin is nice and spicy, but it’s not a pumpkin spice scent, if that makes any sense. This will be perfect for autumn, though I tend to wear autumnal scents year round regardless. This scent is really well-blended.

Longevity: This was probably most potent during the first 6 hours, but I can still smell it pretty strongly after 9 hours. It’s mellowed, of course, but it’s still there. I could also smell it after 10 hours, a hand wash, and through unscented moisturizer.

Inquisitor*** (A Dark Resinous Blend of Leather, Labdanum, Beeswax, Frankincense, Benzoin, Palo Santo, Vetiver & Fire.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Resinous, a bit sharp, and very foreboding. Reminds me of churches a bit.

On skin: The leather, resins, and something slightly sweet are very strong upon initial application. I wasn’t expecting this to be quite as spooky and intimidating as it is, and I love it. I had read various reviews about getting a root beer note in there, but I don’t get that at all. It’s mostly just leather and burning resins/wood. It’s very commanding and smoky. It reminds me of something, but I can’t put my finger on what it is.

Longevity: After about half an hour, the leather calms down a bit, and there’s a very faint impression of beeswax. It’s still got that burning feel from the resins and wood. After about two hours, the beeswax and amber come out a bit more and soften everything. The blend takes on a more ā€œperfume-yā€ tone at this point. After about 5-6 hours, Inquisitor becomes a little dusty and sweeter. Lasted for 8-9 hours.

Winslow’s*** (Rows of Christmas Trees, Clove Studded Oranges, Bayberry Tapers, Handcrafted Wreaths & Mistletoe.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Looots of pine, clove, a bit of orange, and holiday greenery. I love this.

On skin: Largely the same, though the clove and orange are a bit stronger than the pine upon application. This is like the Christmas season in a bottle. As usual, this scent is very well-blended.

Longevity: Becomes pretty subtle after about 2 hours, unfortunately. Still detectable after 8 hours, but very faint. Mostly clove, orange, and a bit of pine at this point.

Foxcroft*** (Decaying Leaves, Rich Black Soil, Dry Leaves, Fall Air, Woods, Chimney Smoke.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Just what it says on the tin. It’s really remarkable that SS managed to somehow capture the essence of autumn and bottle it. All of the notes are detectable in the bottle.

On skin: Primarily leaves and dirt, and something that resembles fungi a little bit. There’s also something sweet and fresh in there. Very reminiscent of an autumn forest. This actually smells a lot like our local pumpkin patch does in October.

Longevity: As time wears on, the sweetness that was there on initial application tends to get amplified a little bit, but not in a gourmand way or anything. Still very much autumn personified. It gets a little bit soapy after 5-6 hours, and then changes to a tree and dirt scent after 7 hours. I don’t think I’ve ever had a fragrance that morphs this much, especially in the later phases. It’s fascinating. Lasted for over 9 hours.

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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

šŸ„€ Alkemia šŸ„€

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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