Scented Musings

Alkemia had a 50% off sale on some of their Arcanum Experiments from 2022-2024, and there were a few from 2023 (and one from 2024) that I had my eye on during their initial release but didn't pick up at the time. I also picked up a few other things before starting a no-buy for a while. Onward!


🌼 Arcanum Experiments 2023: 6 (Soft white florals, juicy pears, spring violets, clover honey, white patchouli)

Preliminary notes: I don't usually vibe wtih pear notes, as they have a tendency to smell like hair products to me, but pear + honey + florals is a great combo, so I couldn't resist my curiosity. It also sounds very delicate and fairy-like.

In bottle: I was expecting this to be a punch in the face of violets, since violet tends to be a pretty overpowering note, but it's not at all. Everything is delicately balanced.

On skin: I can't pick out exactly what the white florals are, but the violets are definitely present here. The pear is fairly subtle and doesn't smell like a hair product like pear notes tend to, thankfully. The honey is stunning in this scent. Overally, it does indeed smell delicate and fairy-like, so I'm glad this one worked out. This is a very pretty, feminine springtime scent.

Verdict: 4.5 pots of fairy honey out of 5.


🍨 Arcanum Experiments 2023: 7 (Jasmine-infused white amber, sugarcane, black currant, French vanilla ice cream, fresh pumpkin, lavender pastilles)

Preliminary notes: I'm not gonna lie, I had to look up what pastilles are, because I thought they were a baked good of some sort. I've had mixed luck with Alkemia's sugarcane note, but pumpkin-lavender-vanilla ice cream is a note lineup that I wanted to try.

In bottle: That ice cream note is sublime and makes up most of the scent in the bottle. There's a candied sweetness underneath it, but it's mostly a very creamy, cool vanilla. Probably the most realistic ice cream note I've smelled.

On skin: This is delicious and fairly complex. The ice cream, blackcurrant, pumpkin, and white amber are readily detectable, but everything else blends in with them. There's something almost peppery in there as well, which could either be an aspect of the jasmine or maybe the lavender. It's cozy, tasty, and warm.

Verdict: 5 bowls of ice cream piled high with toppings out of 5.


🍊 Arcanum Experiments 2023: 14 (A burst of sunny citruses, orange blossoms, musk melon, ginger sorbet, clary sage)

Preliminary notes: Ya gorl is still craving citrus scents. I'm hoping the orange blossoms and clary sage don't overwhelm everything else in here.

In bottle: Waxy orange blossoms and a bit of an herbal edge. It's fairly linear in the bottle.

On skin: Largely the same, but there's something a bit sweet and slightly creamy on the skin, which I think is the melon coming through. This is a really pretty, herbal citrus scent that fortunately doesn't go soapy. I could see some spa associations with this, but it's not overwhelmingly clean. It reminds me a little bit of a more herbal Blue Moon Eclipse, actually.

Verdict: 4 citrus slices sprinkled with fresh herbs out of 5.


🌲 Arcanum Experiments 2023: 15 (Balsam pine boughs, wet moss, forest loam, bay rum, orchard fruits, cannabis flower)

Preliminary notes: This one was kind of a last minute addition. I adore Alkemia's pine and moss notes, so it was a no-brainer. I just hope the bay rum isn't too masc-skewing, and I hope the fruit notes aren't super strong.

In bottle: Definitely not too masc-skewing for me. The strongest note is the cannabis, followed by the moss and pine. I get zero fruit from this, which is fine by me.

On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle, though there is some sweetness from the fruit on the skin. Outdoorsy cannabis is the overall vibe this one gives me, which is lovely. It's bit camphorous as well, but not overwhelmingly so.

Verdict: 4 bowls packed in a forest out of 5.


🍃 Arcanum Experiments 2024: 9: Getting Lit (Egyptian santal musk, oakmoss, Siberian pine, Hinoki cypress, dragon's blood, vetiver root, burgundy pitch, dammar, charred oakwood barrel staves, plumwood, Ponderosa pine, nutmeg, myrrh resin, cocobolo accord, copper distilled patchouli, tabac)

Preliminary notes: What a lineup, eh? This sounds delightfully woodsy and a bit dark.

In bottle: This is complex as hell and very hard to pick apart. It's definitely deep, resinous, and woody.

On skin: The musk and various woods in this are so beautiful. It's very resinous and almost sappy, along with being deep and dark. I can't really pick out anything specific, but this is a really lovely scent. Forest goth if there ever was such a thing.

Verdict: 4 slightly smoky forests out of 5.


💧 Ambre Aquae (Rare blue amber infused with flowering lotus, waterlily, heliotrope, cyclamen, awapuhi, aloe, vanilla grass, rain musk, soft heartwoods)

Preliminary notes: I've wanted to try this for ages. I love aquatic scents, and this sounds beautiful. I read a review a while ago that cited this as smelling like light blue water from an anime, and if I hadn't already been interested in this scent, that would have sold me. That's such an evocative statement.

In bottle: This smells a bit ambergris-y, but with a bit of grass. The anime water comparison is definitely accurate.

On skin: The florals and some greenery come out more on the skin. It takes on an almost masculine-leaning tone, but it doesn't smell like cologne per se. "Anime water" is absolutely apt for this, and it's what I refer to this scent as when I wear it. It's going to be stellar during the summertime.

Verdict: 4.5 unbelievably blue lakes in animes out of 5.


🥂 Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (Cashmere perfumed with rare Japanese boudoir incenses, luxurious caramel pralines, vanilla orchids, bergamot, orris root, candied lemon peel, a splash of champagne)

Preliminary notes: So funny story, I've had this before and disliked it. However, in my defense, it was during my early days as a perfume hobbyist, and my palate has grown quite a bit since then. All of the notes sound like they should work together to create something sultry and lovely, so we'll see how this goes.

In bottle: I don't know what in the hell my nose was smelling years ago with this, but it smells absolutely divine. There's an overarcing Iso E Super thing going on, with a bit of sweetness from the vanilla orchid and pralines. Definitely not acrid like I remember it being.

On skin: Yeah, I sincerely don't know why I hated this when I was younger, because it's absolutely delightful. It's rich, decadent, and gooey. The caramel pralines and orchids really stand out here, backed up by the warm cashmere and citrus. The incense and champagne are farther back, but they're still detectable. I honestly love this, and I'm really glad I tried it again. It seems to be really difficult to find a good caramel perfume, and this one is probably the sultriest caramel scent I've tried.

Verdict: 4.75 pinups covered in caramel out of 5.


🌾 A Roll in the Hay (Dried hay, fresh green grass, early summer wildflower honey, vanilla grass, vanilla leaf, wild poppy)

Preliminary notes: I've had this one before as well and liked it a lot. It's a cottagecore dream, or used to be.

In bottle: Still very much a cottagecore dream, and it's a sunshine-y day in a bottle. The honey note in this scent is phenomenal, and it blends with the grass and hay so well.

On skin: Ah, yes. Minty hay, my beloved. I don't know which note in this pulls almost mentholated, but it adds an interesting coolness to the scent. The honey note used here is exquisite, as always, but it's warmer than other honey notes from Alkemia. This is herbal without being overbearingly so, and it's very fresh. As I said in my prelim and bottle notes, this is cottagecore as fuck.

Verdict: 5 cottagecore dreams out of 5.


💐 Tulips & Chimneys (Rainy aldehydes, wet asphalt, industrial steam engines, farmer's market bouquets of fresh tulips, Toulouse violets, mint pastels, a warm touch of clove viburnum)

Preliminary notes: My first thought when I saw this was Sophie's flower shop from Howl's Moving Castle, and then I promptly remembered that it was a hat shop and not a flower shop at all. The association still remains though, as it's a little shop with bright colors tucked into a bustling city.

In bottle: Something in here reminds me of my beloved Wilde, despite not sharing any notes with it. The tulip note is beautiful, and it really does smell rainy. There's something almost macaron-adjacent underneath the florals and rain for me, and I'm not sure what that is or if it's supposed to smell like macarons. I don't get any of the industrial notes, but that's alright. It does very much smell like a setting out of a Studio Ghibli movie.

On skin: The florals in this are absolutely beautiful, especially the tulip. There's quite a lot of violet as well. The industrial notes and asphalt are definitely present on the skin, which tempers the sweet florals and makes them feel more urban. The macaron-adjacent note is still there, but not as much. This still very much reminds me of Studio Ghibli movies, which is such a treat. It's a perfect springtime floral with a bit of an edge.

Verdict: 4.75 Studio Ghibli scenes out of 5.


📚 Novella (Delicately spiced Lavender de Provence, steaming Earl Grey tea, tattered old paperback books)

Preliminary notes: Y'all know I don't love lavender, but what I do love is Earl Grey tea and book scents, so I'm willing to give this a spin.

*As a sidenote, I wore this during a period of strong nighttime anxiety once before I did a proper wear test of it, and I can say that it serves as a great calm-me-down scent. The spices and tea are a tad bit stimulating, but mostly, it helped me reset my focus and chill out a bit.

In bottle: Spice, spice, spice, and then lavender-scented paper and a cup of tea on the side. I was expecting this to be more lavender-heavy, but I'm kind of glad it's not. It's well balanced.

On skin: As in the bottle, everything is well-balanced and melds together beautifully on the skin. It's warm, cozy, and comforting. I'm so glad the lavender used here isn't overwhelming or super herbal, and it's mostly about the tea and spice. I don't get much of the bookish notes, but that's alright.

Verdict: 5 comforting mugs of spiced tea out of 5. This is a comfort staple for me.


💖 Caliph's Beloved (Carnation, almond blossom, ambergris, skin musk, cardamom, coriander, Madagascar vanilla, botanical pheromones)

Preliminary notes: As some of you may remember, I mentioned a few years ago that I felt like my eventual to-be wedding scent would have a heavy carnation presence. I received a sample of this a year or two ago, but by the time I got around to testing it, the full size was taken down. I asked Alkemia if they had any left, and they offered to put a bottle aside for me in lieu of something else in my next order. I know what this smells like already, and it absolutely is the scent I want to wear when I get married (within the next few years, potentially).

In bottle: Creamy carnation and soft, off-white florals, with vanilla and gentle spice underneath. This smells a bit different than my sample, but I'm still all about it.

On skin: Honestly, this kind of smells like a bar of white, creamy soap, but in a good way. It's soft and romantic without being overbearing. Way cleaner than I'm used to, but there is a decent amount of spice in there to temper it. It has an almost bubblegum-y quality to it as well.

Verdict: 4 bars of bubblegum soap out of 5. I prefer the batch my sample was from, but this is still nice. Probably not a contender for a wedding scent, though.


💖 Candybox Alchemy (Candied quince, lemon drops, pink cotton candy, Duchess pears in sugar syrup, strawberry bonbons, honeysuckle-infused white amber)

Preliminary notes: This was included with my last order. Thanks, Alkemia team!

In bottle: This bears a striking resemblance to Lush's Snow Fairy in the bottle, but amped up to a thousand. This is a very sweet and sugary, fruity scent. The name and picture in the listing are definitely accurate.

On skin: I managed to spill some of this down my arm and on my desk when testing, so that's a good sign.

It still reminds me of Snow Fairy a bit, but a bit more complex and more citrusy. It's very sweet and pink, almost saccharine and veering on cloying. I do like this, but I have to be in the mood for it since it's so incredibly candy-like and sweet (which isn't surprising, given the name and note composition).

Verdict: 3.75 candies swimming in sugary syrup out of 5.