Various Festive Possets Reviews
Dec. 26th, 2022 02:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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.
🕯️ 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.
🍪 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.
🥛 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.
🍌 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.
❤️ 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.
🥃 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.
🍬 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.
🎄 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.
🍫 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.
🕯️ 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.
🍪 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.
🥛 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.
🍌 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.
❤️ 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.
🥃 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.
🍬 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.
🎄 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.
🍫 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.