Scented Musings

Madam X (Bergamot, mandarin, dark violet, Italian iris, black orchid, Japanese incense, orris root, sueded musk, white sandalwood, Tahitian vanilla, pale patchouli)

Preliminary notes: I've sampled this so many times and had a bottle of it at one point, but it was a bit too mature for me at the time. The last time I received a sample of it, I fell in love with it all over again but still didn't repurchase it. After the July sale, I finally remembered it existed and got one. It has such a beautiful, classic silent film vamp vibe to it (moreso than Alkemia's Vamp, ironically enough), and being in my 30s now, it doesn't come off as too mature or too classic for me, though I can see how it still would for some. This review is for the ultime format.

In bottle: Super dark florals (violet and orchid especially), and sensual musk. Just as it used to be.

On skin: The florals are a bit stronger here than they are in the extrait version, but not by much. The citrus notes also seem to be a bit stronger, the mandarin especially. It still smells like a silent film vamp, and is absolutely exquisite. I can see how this would be too much for some people, but I think it's very decadently gothic and sultry. The ultime version, because of the amped citrus, is a bit brighter and not as heavy.

Verdict: 5 silent film vampires out of 5.


Une Nuit de Cleopatre (Egyptian kyphi incense, amber, warm caramel, tonka bean, vegan civet musk, spiced Sahlab tea, Satyrion orchid root, white honey, narcissus, jasmine, ylang ylang, honeysuckle)

Preliminary notes: This has been on my to-try list since its release. It sounds delightful. I'm not sure how the civet is going to behave, but other than that, it sounds right up my alley.

In bottle: Slightly biting florals, caramel, and tea primarily. very perfumey.

On skin: This is probably one of the warmest scents I've ever smelled. The honey, incense, caramel, and tea are still the strongest players, but the florals underneath those are gorgeous. It does conjure to mind the imagery of a dry desert landscape. It's very sensual and commanding, and I'm glad I finally tried it. Love this.

Verdict: 5 cups of tea swirled with caramel in a desert out of 5.


Drakon (Dragon's blood incense, coriander, vetiver root, ambergris, green cardamom, bergamot leaves, Talamanca del Caribe peppercorns, spice viburnum, freshly steeped Darjeeling tea)

Preliminary notes: Another one that's been on my list since it was released. Alkemia's Darjeeling note is fantastic, and there's nothing in here that gives me pause.

In bottle: So funnily enough, the peppercorn note is the strongest in the bottle, followed by the dragon's blood. I can smell the cardamom as well but not much else.

On skin: The various spice notes are definitely the strongest part of this. There is a bit of tea underneath that, but it's primarily peppercorns, coriander, and cardamom on my skin. The dragon's blood incense is very gauzy and light, and the whole thing brings to mind a scene of a spice tent with smoke swirling around it. It's a very exotic scent. The coriander can be a bit overbearing sometimes, but overall, I quite enjoy this.

Verdict: 4 spice tents out of 5.


This Summer Night (Tropical fruits, plumeria, pua kenikeni, cherimoya, coconut water, lychee blossoms, rhubarb, tonka, sweet alyssum, mock orangeflower, night-blooming jasmine, white florals, warm summer musk)

Preliminary notes: I never would have chosen this for myself, as I avoid fruit scents (especially tropical fruit scents) like the plague. They come off as either cloying or juvenile to me most of the time. I received this as a free sample in one of my July orders and fell in love with it.

In bottle: A tropical fruit explosion backed by a warm, gourmand-y vanilla.

On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle. Lots of luscious tropical fruits, a tiny bit of a humid floral vibe, and creamy vanilla. I don't usually go for tropical scents at all, fruity or not, so the fact that I like this is quite shocking to me. It's a perfect sweet (but not cloying) summer fruit fragrance.

Verdict: 5 baskets of tropical fruit out of 5.


Fairy Floss Alchemy (Cotton candy, white heliotrope, night-blooming jasmine, mandarin orange, vanilla orchid, ethereal musks)

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

In bottle: Cotton candy on a backdrop of very clean florals and a bit of a tartness from the mandarin.

On skin: The vanilla orchid is definitely obvious on the skin, as are the cotton candy and mandarin. It's creamy and sweet but not juvenile. Actually, it kind of reminds me of All the Sins, but not as intense. This is kind of what I wanted Calliope smell like. It's a beautiful pink-white scent.

Verdict: 4 clouds of cotton candy out of 5.


Afterglow (Golden musk, Madagascar vanilla beans, woodsmoked black amber, chai tea, spiced rum, incense woods)

Preliminary notes: I have wanted to try this since it was first released, but never have for whatever reason. All of the notes sound lovely.

In bottle: I get the musk, rum, and woods but not much else. No tea or vanilla in the bottle.

On skin: The musk and amber combo in this scent reminds me of something else from Alkemia, but I can't pin what it is (La Flamme, maybe). The tea finally comes out on the skin, and the whole thing does have a very golden feel to it. It's very clean, which I wasn't really expecting, given the rum and woodsmoke notes. The vanilla veeery slightly teeters on the edge of being gourmand but never fully goes there. This reminds me a bit of Breath and Shadow from the 2024 fall release, but this isn't as heavy on the smoke note. It's a bit soapy, and I think pairing this with something lactonic (The Magpie's Rhyme maybe, or one of the Monster Milk scents from BPAL) might be worth trying.

Verdict: 3.75 soapy musks out of 5.

As usual, favorites are denoted with an asterisk. You can find Alkemia's storefront here.

These took a little longer to get done than expected, but here they are! Reviews should be pretty steady (i.e. once a week or so) for the next while. I currently have 21 other Alkemia reviews in my queue, plus one Solstice Scents review and a few S92 reviews. After that, there's a few Strange South reviews and another Solstice Scents review, so that should keep posts going into April, probably. Anyway, onto the reviews!

Sweet Sorcery** (A sexy enchantment of candy corn, caramel creams, candyfloss, brown sugar toffees, and marshmallow nougat.)

In the bottle: Sugar, sugar, and more sugar. The toffee was the first note I detected, followed by caramel and something a bit citrusy or fruity.

On skin: The candyfloss definitely adds a fruity tone to this, which I wasn’t sure I was totally into at first. The whole blend overall definitely smells like candy, so if that’s something you’re into, you’ll love this. It does remind me of Halloweens from my childhood (like a combination of Halloween candy and those plastic/rubber witch noses from the 90s that kind of smelled like fruity vanilla), which I’m all about, so I’m eager to take this for a spin in October. I definitely didn’t expect this to be as nostalgic as it is.

Longevity: Started calming down a little after about 3 hours, with about 4 hours of solid wear.

Club des Hashischins*** (A dark intoxication of African Bronze Honey, caramelized charred black oud, blackberry pipe tobacco, leathered labdanum blended with hashish coffee and dawamesk from an original 1844 Club des Hashischins recipe that includes orange peel, cinnamon, clove, cardamon, nutmeg, musk, and kola nuts.)

In the bottle: Oh my god, this is exactly what I was hoping this would be. The oud is very prominent, as is the coffee. There’s a bit of fruit in there as well.

On skin: Man alive, this is amazing. Lots of oud, lots of coffee, and lots of dark tobacco. Very dark and heavy, which is my jam. I’m so glad that this remained very close to the scent in the bottle, because I fell in love with it right away. Easily one of my favorite Alkemia fragrances. This has a hell of a throw to it, also.

Longevity: Still very strong after 4 hours, and started settling down a bit after 4.5 hours. Lasted 6+ hours and was still lightly detectable after 18+ hours.

Additional notes: Limited, special reserve.

Exotique*** (Revani cake soaked in pure syrup, black Turkish coffee, hookah tobacco, and aged Somalian frankincense.)

In the bottle: Strong coffee (huzzah!), a bit of tobacco, and a bit of frankincense. Not getting any cake notes at all.

On skin: About the same as in the bottle. I think the cake acts as more of a sweetener than it does as a gourmand note, because this is definitely mostly coffee and tobacco on me, which is exactly what I wanted. Love this.

Longevity: Still strong after 3 hours. The tobacco calmed down after about 4 hours, and it became a softer warm coffee scent. Lasted 6+ hours and was still lightly detectable after 18+ hours.

Additional notes: In the last chance section.

Lilacs Along the Winding Drive*** (An olfactory portrait of a May evening.... lilac bushes heavy and purple with blooms, a gentle breeze after light spring rain, a dusty pebbled driveway, a slightly rusty porch swing, and a small handful of late blooming violets.)

In the bottle: True-to-life lilacs, violets, a bit of dusty earth, and aquatic rain notes. I hope it stays this way on the skin as well, because this is dreamy and perfect.

On skin: The violet dominates the lilac a bit, but the lilac is still there. There’s also a smidge of a dusty quality to it. Dusty, but not powdery. The florals are fresh as opposed to old lady-ish, at least on me. The rain note is also in the background, which lends a garden-after-the-rain quality to this. This is really pretty, and exactly what I’d hoped for. Throughout the whole wear time, I never got any metallic or rusty notes.

Longevity: About 4 hours.

Additional notes: Custom ordered.

Vespertilia (Tart quince, Asian pear, and wild apple infused with black and jasmine teas in an autumnal unfolding of marigolds, Golden Ray lilies, palo santo, oakmoss, bamboo, and golden amberwood.)

In the bottle: Not gonna lie, this smells a little like hair conditioner. The apple and pear are probably the strongest notes, and the rest kind of hangs in the background. This reads more spring/summer than it does autumnal to me. I’m hoping it’s not as soapy on the skin as it is in the bottle.

On skin: Still conditioner-y, but it’s nice. The fruit, lily, and tea are the most prominent to me, and it’s very soft and bright. Not something I usually go for, but it’s pretty. I don’t think it’s staying in my collection, however.

Longevity: I stopped smelling this on my skin for the most part after half an hour, which leads me to believe this one might need a bit more rest than the recommended two days. Became very faint after 3 hours and was mostly a ghost of apple and pear by 4 hours.

Ambre Gris*** (A rare blend of proprietary perfumery ingredients carefully oxidized by sunlight, sand, air, sea salt, water, and ocean minerals. The result is as changeable and morphing as the ocean... earthy, sweet, musky, saline.)

In the bottle: This is a perfect ambergris scent. The description is incredibly apt. It’s very marine, sweet, salty, and musky. It reminds me of Hermes’ Eau des Merveilles a little bit.

On skin: This both warms up and takes on a more aquatic scent once actually on the skin. There’s something vaguely spicy in there as well. Still a perfect ambergris scent.

Longevity: Still fairly detectable after 4-5 hours.

Additional notes: This one requires a bit of a shake, as there's a bit of sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

Bealtaine (Wild quince fruits, wild pears, apple blossoms, heliotrope, hawthorn accord, rowan berries, gorse flowers, vanilla musk, and white amber.)

In the bottle: Lots of fruits, vanilla, and light florals. Beautiful.

On skin: The fruit notes are all fresh and pretty realistic, which is nice. There’s a little bit of a floral undercurrent as well. Apple and pear always tend to read as hair conditioner on me though, so I’m not sure how this is going to go.

Longevity: Lasted about 4 hours.

The Lover Tells of the Rose (Rambling wild roses, a touch of lemon verbena, white pearl tea leaves, delicate white patchouli, and a springtime rebirth of new greens and wet mosses.)

In the bottle: Ugh, god. This is like early spring in a bottle. The rose and greenery are definitely there, as is a bit of patchouli, tea, and verbena. This is another one that reminds me of my aunt and uncle’s house growing up, which makes me incredibly sentimental.

On skin: This greens up a lot more on the skin. The patchouli, tea, and greens/moss take center stage, and the rose is kind of in the background. Unfortunately, it loses its nostalgic and sentimental air completely on the skin, and turns into luxe soap on me.

Longevity: Turned very soapy after about an hour and a half, sadly. Lasted about 4 hours.

Vixen (A captivatingly shapeshifting blend of sexy white amber and luminous late summer night blooming florals awakened by warm caresses of autumnal spice, golden musk, varietal apple peel, sugar pumpkin, jasmine tea, and a whisper of woodland mosses.)

In the bottle: This is a bit lighter than I was expecting. Everything blends together nicely, and the only note I can really distinguish is the pumpkin. A nice, tangy, light floral with a bit of a gourmand edge.

On skin: This is very, very light on my skin. The pumpkin and spices are pretty strong (which is good), and everything else kind of helps keep it in check and steers it away from being straight up pumpkin pie spice. The apple peel is very lightly present in the background.

Longevity: Started fading after about 2 hours. Lasted about 4 hours.