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femmensteinMore reviews ahoy! This is the last batch until the next shipment shows up. As usual, favorites are denoted with an asterisk. You can find Alkemia’s shop page here.
Dustsceawung* (The scent of forbidden explorations and an olfactory meditation on dust… attic air, the inside of old trunks, abandoned haylofts, library stacks, and abandoned buildings.)
In the bottle: Dusty, but light and fresh. A little sweet.
On skin: Takes on a more musty tone, but is still light in nature. There are some nice soft woods at play here, and this is kind of dreamy. To me, this smells more like old books than Book of Shadows.
Longevity: Became close to skin after 2 hours, and faded into something soapy and reminiscent of seawater after about 5 hours. It stuck around for a few hours after that.
Miel de Sauvage et Tabac*** (Sweet, spicy pipe tobacco flecked with wild honey, freshly crushed honeycomb, the pollen of forest blossoms, and smoked black amber.)
In the bottle: Mostly warm honey and a little bit of tobacco.
On skin: The tobacco blooms, but the honey keeps it in check. There’s something minty underneath all of that, which adds a really interesting edge. There’s something in here that reminds me of Lush (in the best way), and I think it might be the waxy honeycomb. This is lovely and comforting, and not overwhelming or smothering. It reads primarily as waxy honey on me, and I adore it.
Longevity: Still strong after 6 hours. Lasted well over 12. I could still smell it faintly under other oils after 15-16 hours.
Memoriam** (An olfactory ode to love and loss. Heirloom roses, memories wrapped in woodsmoke, a scattering of ashes.)
In the bottle: Burning roses, without a doubt.
On skin: The woodsmoke calms down a little bit, so now we’ve got smoldering roses with some spiciness underneath. I was a little scared of how smoky it was in the bottle, but it’s sublime on the skin. Definitely something that would suit darker aesthetics and tendencies such as my own. If Black No. 1 or Love You to Death had a scent, this would be it.
Longevity: Faded around the 5-hour mark, dropped a lot of the smokiness, and morphed into a spicy rose, which is gorgeous. Lasted about 6 or 7 hours total.
Book of Shadows** (A biblichor of eldritch books – heavy parchment paper, ancient iron oak gall ink, crumbling leather bindings, and wafts of rare incenses.)
In the bottle: Warm leather, incense, and spices.
On skin: This is beautiful. There’s a citrus twang (frankincense, maybe) among the parchment and incenses, and the leather is nice and soft, not overbearing. This reads as old library more than old books for me, but it’s still very interesting.
Longevity: Started fading after about 5 hours but stuck around for over 7 hours.
Vert Sur Le Vert*** (Green, green, green, and more freshly smooshed sweet greens – new grasses, new leaves, welcome new spring!” Listing also includes tomato leaf.)
In the bottle: Looots of greenery and grasses, and a little sweetness.
On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, with a little bit of the tomato leaf that I was hoping for poking through. It’s a refreshing blend of new growth greens as opposed to full grown greens, if that makes sense. Something about this is magical. I love me some green scents, so this is excellent. Definitely something that’ll be nice to wear when welcoming spring after a long winter.
Longevity: Still strong after 4 hours. Lasted a good 5 or 6 before fading.
Pear Alchemy 2018 (Spiced Bartlett pears, white amber, green cardamon, and more.)
In the bottle: I didn’t think I’d ever regard pears as a sexy fruit, but they definitely are in this concoction! Pears, something caramelized, a bit of spice, and a touch of magic.
On skin: This lightens up on the skin a little bit and has a bit of a mentholated feel in the background initially. I’m not sure what it is. It’s really lovely and light though, and it makes me nostalgic. It takes on a kind of cosmetic-scented tone as it dries down, which I’m not particularly fond of.
Longevity: Still strong after 4 hours.
Additional notes: This was a gift with purchase and is not available on its own.
Yule Alchemy 2018*** (Yule Alchemy’s elements include boozy fruitcake, crushed pine needles, biscotti, and spiced amber.)
In the bottle: Baked goods, and a little bit of pine. A classic Christmas scent.
On skin: God, this is amazing. Everything mentioned is readily detectable, and the pine is actually there! Bit spicy, bit gourmand, and all fantastic. Love this. I ended up wearing this for Christmas this year, and it was perfect.
Longevity: Still strong after 4 hours. It became more pine-centric as time went on, which I love.
Additional notes: This was a gift with purchase and is not available on its own.
Dustsceawung* (The scent of forbidden explorations and an olfactory meditation on dust… attic air, the inside of old trunks, abandoned haylofts, library stacks, and abandoned buildings.)
In the bottle: Dusty, but light and fresh. A little sweet.
On skin: Takes on a more musty tone, but is still light in nature. There are some nice soft woods at play here, and this is kind of dreamy. To me, this smells more like old books than Book of Shadows.
Longevity: Became close to skin after 2 hours, and faded into something soapy and reminiscent of seawater after about 5 hours. It stuck around for a few hours after that.
Miel de Sauvage et Tabac*** (Sweet, spicy pipe tobacco flecked with wild honey, freshly crushed honeycomb, the pollen of forest blossoms, and smoked black amber.)
In the bottle: Mostly warm honey and a little bit of tobacco.
On skin: The tobacco blooms, but the honey keeps it in check. There’s something minty underneath all of that, which adds a really interesting edge. There’s something in here that reminds me of Lush (in the best way), and I think it might be the waxy honeycomb. This is lovely and comforting, and not overwhelming or smothering. It reads primarily as waxy honey on me, and I adore it.
Longevity: Still strong after 6 hours. Lasted well over 12. I could still smell it faintly under other oils after 15-16 hours.
Memoriam** (An olfactory ode to love and loss. Heirloom roses, memories wrapped in woodsmoke, a scattering of ashes.)
In the bottle: Burning roses, without a doubt.
On skin: The woodsmoke calms down a little bit, so now we’ve got smoldering roses with some spiciness underneath. I was a little scared of how smoky it was in the bottle, but it’s sublime on the skin. Definitely something that would suit darker aesthetics and tendencies such as my own. If Black No. 1 or Love You to Death had a scent, this would be it.
Longevity: Faded around the 5-hour mark, dropped a lot of the smokiness, and morphed into a spicy rose, which is gorgeous. Lasted about 6 or 7 hours total.
Book of Shadows** (A biblichor of eldritch books – heavy parchment paper, ancient iron oak gall ink, crumbling leather bindings, and wafts of rare incenses.)
In the bottle: Warm leather, incense, and spices.
On skin: This is beautiful. There’s a citrus twang (frankincense, maybe) among the parchment and incenses, and the leather is nice and soft, not overbearing. This reads as old library more than old books for me, but it’s still very interesting.
Longevity: Started fading after about 5 hours but stuck around for over 7 hours.
Vert Sur Le Vert*** (Green, green, green, and more freshly smooshed sweet greens – new grasses, new leaves, welcome new spring!” Listing also includes tomato leaf.)
In the bottle: Looots of greenery and grasses, and a little sweetness.
On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, with a little bit of the tomato leaf that I was hoping for poking through. It’s a refreshing blend of new growth greens as opposed to full grown greens, if that makes sense. Something about this is magical. I love me some green scents, so this is excellent. Definitely something that’ll be nice to wear when welcoming spring after a long winter.
Longevity: Still strong after 4 hours. Lasted a good 5 or 6 before fading.
Pear Alchemy 2018 (Spiced Bartlett pears, white amber, green cardamon, and more.)
In the bottle: I didn’t think I’d ever regard pears as a sexy fruit, but they definitely are in this concoction! Pears, something caramelized, a bit of spice, and a touch of magic.
On skin: This lightens up on the skin a little bit and has a bit of a mentholated feel in the background initially. I’m not sure what it is. It’s really lovely and light though, and it makes me nostalgic. It takes on a kind of cosmetic-scented tone as it dries down, which I’m not particularly fond of.
Longevity: Still strong after 4 hours.
Additional notes: This was a gift with purchase and is not available on its own.
Yule Alchemy 2018*** (Yule Alchemy’s elements include boozy fruitcake, crushed pine needles, biscotti, and spiced amber.)
In the bottle: Baked goods, and a little bit of pine. A classic Christmas scent.
On skin: God, this is amazing. Everything mentioned is readily detectable, and the pine is actually there! Bit spicy, bit gourmand, and all fantastic. Love this. I ended up wearing this for Christmas this year, and it was perfect.
Longevity: Still strong after 4 hours. It became more pine-centric as time went on, which I love.
Additional notes: This was a gift with purchase and is not available on its own.
