Scented Musings

Greetings! As it says on the tin, most of these were upsized from samples. I had a very.. interesting experience with Au Lait, which you'll see later in the post.

Pi in the Sky (Warm apple pies rising heavenward on effervescent billows of spiced aldehydes)

Preliminary notes: This was an upsize of a previous free sample. I never would have chosen this as a sample for myself, given that I hate aldehydic notes, but once I tried it, I upsized it shortly after.

In bottle: Yup, that's apple pie and spices, alright. I don't get the weird fizzy/soapy thing that aldehydes typically give me, which is good.

On skin: This is a cinnamon BOMB. I do get some apples here and there, which are a bit syrupy, but it's primarily cinnamon. DH referred to it as an apple pie with a ton of cinnamon hearts or Red Hots in the filling, which I can agree with. It reads as Christmas-y to DH and I, which is comforting and nostalgic. I don't get the aldehydes at all really (which I'm not complaining about).

Verdict: 5 cinnamon heart apple pies out of 5. Even though this is borderline a cinnamon single note in various phases of wear, I love it. It's festive and warm, and something about it is cozy. Kudos to Alkemia for including this in a previous order, because as I had previously stated, I never would have tried this (and upsized it) otherwise.

Les Mysteres (Aged frankincense, black figs, labdanum, dark amber, Russian tea)

Preliminary notes: This was an upsize of a previous free sample. I had requested this as a free sample in a previous order along with Aelfscyne (which I probably won't review on its own, but it's a sweet, white-green floral with a bit of a weird undertone). I've been buying from Alkemia for 4 years and had somehow skimmed over this one numerous times. I love Alkemia's frankincense and tea notes, so I couldn't tell you why. Either way, had the sample and loved it.

In bottle: Alkemia's frankincense note is immediately at the forefront, but there's also something mellow and almost herbal.

On skin: I adooore this. The frankincense isn't super loud on the skin, and the tea and figs come out and dance together beautifully. DH thought he could smell basil in it, but I think it's the tea note, which does smell very fresh and.. well, leafy. This is very witchy and would make a great fall-to-winter transition scent.

Verdict: 5 transitions from autumn to winter out of 5.

Veneficium (Wild ginger, purple hyacinths, datura accord, green ivy, nightshade leaf, wet oakmoss, tonka, freshly turned earth, dark galbanum)

Preliminary notes: This was an upsize of a previous free sample. The funny thing about this scent is that I had requested a sample of it earlier in the year, didn't like it, and then ended up with a random free sample of it later in the year and loved it. It's literally the exact same scent, but apparently there was something weird going on with my nose the first time.

In bottle: Very green and purple, and a bit tart.

On skin: This reminds me of an old Sixteen92 oil that I used to love called Aconitum. It's not a dead ringer for it, but it's a purple-green scent with an odd floral edge. I can't tease apart a lot of the notes since it's so well blended, but I can make out the ivy, nightshade leaf (which reads as tomato leaf), some of the oakmoss, purple florals, and the freshly turned earth. It smells like a witch's herb and flower garden after a light rain.

Verdict: 5 witchy gardens out of 5.

Au Lait (Rich, creamy milk, tonka, wild honey, caramelized brown sugar)

Preliminary notes: Ah, this scent. It seems to be very polarizing. People either love it or hate it. I've had good experiences with Comptoir Sud Pacifique's Matin Calin and Chabaud's Lait Concentré, which both have similar reputations for either smelling great or smelling like baby vomit/curdled milk, so I have hope. Lactonic notes don't usually go bad on me. I'm still very anxious to open the bottle though.

In bottle: I'm so scared to open this. Okay, I did it. It largely smells like very buttery sweetened condensed milk. It's a bit tart, but not sour. Very curious and worried to see what this does on the skin.

On skin: Unfortunately, this went straight to cheddar cheese the second it hit my skin. God damnit. No sweetness, no caramelized goodness, just cheese.

Verdict: 0 blocks of cheddar cheese in milk carton costumes out of 5.

Hygge Alchemy (Applewood, green pumpkin, fallen oak leaves, candied ginger, autumn spicecakes, golden amber, dark patchouli, vetiver root, tobacco leaf)

Preliminary notes: I placed this order in October and asked them not to send the monthly alchemy for that month, since I already had it, and they included this instead!

In bottle: I get the applewood, ginger, and maybe a bit of patchouli but not much else that's discernible. It does smell fairly cozy and autumnal.

On skin: I mean this in the best way possible: this smells like autumn potpourri. It's very perfumey but smells elegant and upscale at the same time. The ginger is STRONG in this one, which I'm not a huge fan of, but the other notes ground it enough that it's not overwhelming. It's a nice autumn-to-winter transition scent.

Verdict: 4 ginger-scented autumn seasons out of 5.