Scented Musings

🌼 Kashish (White gardenias, tuberose, night-blooming jasmine, vanilla orchid)

Preliminary notes: This has been on my list for a while, since it sounds very similar to one of my old Alkemia favorites, Midnight Garden (Tuberose, lily, honeysuckle, gardenia, and moonflower). Kashish sounds creamier and slinkier, like Midnight Garden's slightly risque (but still elegant) cousin.

*This review is for the ultime version

In bottle: Wow, that is quite fruity and heavily honeyed. Not at all what I was expecting. It almost smells like fruit punch.

On skin: The fruit punch aspect goes away fully once it's on the skin. This is a very sultry, velvety, narcotic white floral scent. It's a powerhouse. All of the florals are present and accounted for, and are represented beautifully. There's a very, very slight peppery tinge in there as well. I love this and can't stop huffing my wrist.

Verdict: 5 heady, narcotic white floral bouquets out of 5.


💘 Cupid's Arrow (Sugar cubes effervescing in sparkling champagne, pink orchids, white tuberoses, vanilla toffees, Buddha's Hand citrus)

Preliminary notes: For a long time, I blamed my dislike for Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure on the champagne note, but having now had champagne for the first time IRL*, it definitely wasn't that (I'm now convinced it's cashmere that I'm not a fan of). This sounds delicious, romantic, and fun, so we'll see if it's the champagne note that goes funny.

*Apparently what I had was actually a sparkling wine that happens to be in the champagne section. 😂 If champagne tastes anything like that, though, I don't think champagne notes are my issue.

In bottle: Quite earthy, which I wasn't expecting. The champagne isn't burning my nose off, so I stand by my cashmere statement. I can pick out the florals and a bit of the citrus, but everything's blended together so well that it's hard to break it down.

On skin: That tuberose note is the same one from Kashish, which is dreamy and green. I get the champagne and citrus, a bit of the toffee, and the orchids. It's a lovely, bright, romantic scent that's perfect for spring and possibly summer as well.

Verdict: 5 cheery florals out of 5.


🎠 Calliope (Clementine, orange blossoms, white orchid, sugared currants, tonka, vanilla musk, cotton candy floss, saltwater taffy)

Preliminary notes: I'm slightly obsessed with carnival/circus scents, and this is no different. It sounds like a sweeter, more feminine sister of County Fair without all of the food notes.

*This review is for the ultime version

In bottle: It's all clementine in the bottle. There's literally nothing else there.

On skin: I want to like this so bad, but on me, it smells like floral baby wipes. What a fucking bummer.

Verdict: 0 floral baby wipes out of 5.

🍯 Miel de Sauvage et Tabac (Pipe tobacco flecked with wild honey, beeswax, freshly crushed honeycomb, the pollen of forest blossoms, smoked black amber)

Preliminary notes: I've had this scent a couple of times, and I sincerely don't know why I keep getting rid of it. It's the closest thing I've found to a genuine beeswax scent.

In bottle: Just as I remember. Very warm beeswax and honeycomb, with tobacco floating on top. It reminds me of beehives in a forest.

On skin: Beautiful, warm, golden beeswax/honeycomb and tobacco dripping in honey. I get more of the smoked amber than I did in the original version I had years ago, which is really nice. I don't think I've ever been able to pick up on the forest blossom pollen, though that could be part of the beeswax/honeycomb combo. Love this.

Verdict: 5 beehives dripping in honey out of 5.


🌴 Paradise (Fresh young coconut, Madagascar vanilla, hints of Monoi tiaré)

Preliminary notes: I had asked for something else to be swapped out of a previous order and replaced with this, but it didn't make it in time. The folks over at Alkemia offered to throw in a bottle in my next order (this one) as an extra freebie, which was incredibly kind. I asked for it to be upgraded to the ultime version in lieu of having the monthly alchemy included, since I'd already received that.

*This review is for the ultime version

In bottle: Pretty much straight coconut in the bottle, but very realistic coconut.

On skin: Still mostly dry coconut, maybe a tiny bit of vanilla. It smells very damp, actually. It's not quite as sweet as I was expecting, but it's great for a straightforward coconut scent. The vanilla and a bit of the tiaré come out more after the first hour or so. I've heard this one performs the best in hot weather, so I'll have to test it during the middle of the summer and see how it does.

Verdict: 4 vanillic, damp coconuts out of 5.

Freebies! These were requested samples.

❄️ Aurora (Soft cashmeran, orris root, cardamom-infused coconut milk, white amber, white musk, white violet, white ginger, lotus flower, a touch of honeyed cream)

Preliminary notes: I wanted to try this for its similarity to Luminae that I've seen cited in reviews. I liked Luminae, but it was a bit lacklustre for me.

In vial: Very similar to Luminae, but brighter and with more depth. I can't decipher any of the notes specifically. It smells soft and creamy-white.

On skin: So cashmere notes tend to pull almost like acrid, burning wood on me, and Aurora is trying really hard to go in that direction. I can still smell the soft sweetness of the overall scent, but the cashmeran is going haywire on my skin and kind of ruins it for a while. After it burns off, it becomes the white amber show with some soft florals in the background. White amber tends to smell very green and watery to me.

I tested this again the day after writing the initial review, and I get zero cashmeran now somehow. It's still remarkably similar to Luminae, but it's sweeter, has more depth, and is more floral. I love it.

Verdict: 5 creamy white blankets out of 5. Upsizing in the future.


💧 Love Unforeseen (White musk, Persian chandelier lily accord, night blooming jasmine, laleh, honeysuckle, tonka bean, bergamot, white pepper, white amber, china clay, the silvery aquatics of melting snow)

Preliminary notes: I love a good lily fragrance, and this has a few notes in common with Madam Pearl, which is one of my favorite Alkemia scents.

In vial: A very deep, creamy white floral with a bit of a sweet undertone. I really like this.

On skin: I really love the lily in this scent. It smells very true to life and lovely. I get a tiny bit of the white amber and musk, but it's mostly about the lily. Very close to a holy grail lily fragrance for me.

Verdict: 4.5 grand, white lilies out of 5. Definitely upsizing in the future.

Ahoy! I've never tried Pulp before, but when DH offered to buy me some oils as an anniversary/Christmas gift, I figured I might as well try them since Ajevie had some holiday scents left over, and not many other houses had their holiday stuff out yet at that time.

When What to My Wondering Eyes (Peppermint candy stick swirled into a rich dark chocolate mocha, a festive splash of Irish cream)

Preliminary notes: I don't usually vibe with chocolate notes, but given that there's peppermint and coffee in it, it should be okay. I do really love peppermint hot chocolate.

In bottle: Peppermint-flavored Irish cream! I don't get any of the mocha in the bottle.

On skin: Creamy peppermint and nothing else. I can make out the chocolate if I basically shove my nose against my wrist, but it's very faint in comparison to the mint.

Verdict: 3.5 boozy candy canes out of 5.

Embrace (Pumpkin shortbread with butter, apricot preserves, brown sugar)

Preliminary notes: The description for this reminds me a lot of Solstice Scents' Kitchen, but a bit simpler.

In bottle: I don't get any pumpkin or shortbread, but I do get a looot of apricot, which borders on floral here. It smells like something a high society woman in her 40s would wear, and I mean that in the best way possible. It reminds me of my aunt, who is one of the most elegant women I've ever met.

On skin: The apricot note is very loud, but it's a nice apricot at least. I get a small bit of pumpkin on the skin, but the shortbread note takes quite a while to actually come out. It's not a bad scent at all, but it's VERY fruity, which isn't really my style.

Verdict: 3.5 jars of apricot jam out of 5.

Update: Rest has done this wonders, and the apricot is now a supporting player instead of the star of the show. I can actually smell the pumpkin shortbread now! I'm bumping the score up to 4.5.

Cathedral of Trees (Crisp cold air, cedar tips, pine boughs, towering fir and spruce, snow-strewn forest floor, frankincense, myrrh)

Preliminary notes: In re-reading the notes, this sounds very similar to Alkemia's Falling Stars on Winter Solstice, which is one of my favorite winter scents. Not surprised at all that I gravitated toward this.

In bottle: It is indeed similar to Falling Stars on Winter Solstice, but it's got a very distinct dirt note, and it's not as smoky. I like it!

On skin: Still very similar to Falling Stars on Winter Solstice, but there's a very distinct sweetness in this one. It smells a bit more tart than Falling Stars as well, and it's missing the smoke note. I'm definitely okay with having both.

Verdict: 5 snow-laden forests out of 5.

Apres-ski (Hot buttered rum by the fireplace, golden amber, blonde wood, the warm glow of gemütlichkeit)

Preliminary notes: This just sounds cozy as hell, really. I love a good buttered rum note for winter.

In bottle: I get something buttery (not rum), and something fruity and floral? A bit of soap as well. Definitely not what I was expecting from this.

On skin: Wood-scented laundry detergent. Damnit. I don't know if it's the amber or the glowy note that's doing it, but that's really unfortunate.

Verdict: 1 bottle of woody laundry detergent out of 5.

And to All a Good Night (Sugary and gently-spiced holiday cookies fresh from the oven and drizzled with caramel, creamy eggnog spiked with coffee liquer and sprinkled with a dash of nutmeg and cardamom, the smooth, pale aged wood of a well-loved rolling pin)

Preliminary notes: Allll the holiday baking, please. I love eggnog and would love to see more scents utilizing it as a note.

In bottle: I get a very obvious cookie scent (sugar cookies, to be precise), and a bit of smoke. No eggnog or coffee in the bottle. There is a touch of wood in there too.

On skin: The cookie note is STRONG in this one, which is exactly what I wanted. The caramel finally reveals itself once it's on the skin, but it's still very subdued. I can get some of the coffee liquer if I try really hard, but no eggnog. Damn. This is still a knockout of a holiday gourmand, so I can't even be mad at it.

Verdict: 4.5 holiday baking bonanzas out of 5. I wish the eggnog was a stronger note, but it's still delicious.

First proper post, ahoy! I placed (many) blind, full bottle orders with Alkemia over the last few weeks, and so far, one shipment has arrived. Their customer service is stellar, and their blends are exquisite. I could not be happier with my experience. There’s not much else to say about that, so onward to the reviews! Favorites are denoted with an asterisk, and I’ll be posting more reviews as more shipments show up.

As is the case with fragrance of any kind, your mileage may vary. You may hate something I love, or something that doesn’t work on my skin might be amazing on yours. Don’t be afraid to try things out!

Woods on a Snowy Evening*** (The chilly beauty of New England in the winter – freshly fallen powder snow, juniper berries, hemlock pine, white needle balsam pine, flat cedar, camphorous evergreens, and icy aquatic elements.)

In the bottle: Fresh, icy evergreens. Light and ethereal.

On skin: Be still my heart. I have a strong soft spot for pine scents, and this is a beautiful one. Lots of fresh evergreens under a blanket of snow. I also detect some blue spruce, though it’s not listed. There’s something slightly sweet in there, but not in a cloying way at all. It makes me nostalgic for something, but I’m not sure what. This is a masterpiece, and I’m so glad that I have a bottle. Completely in love. I’ve been on the hunt for my perfect pine scent for years, and I think this is it.

Longevity: Faded significantly after about 3 hours and started to warm up a bit. It stuck around for a very long time as a skin scent, but had about 4 hours of good wear.

Additional notes: Limited edition and seasonal. Currently sold out.

Gothique* (The scent of midnight mass in a medieval cathedral. A Byzantine monastic incense recipe of Somalian frankincense, styrax benzoin, Arabian myrrh, cassia, spikenard, canella, Liquidambar orientalis, labdanum, Atlas cedar, and vetiver.)

In the bottle: Bright, resinous incense. Reminds me of CdG’s Avignon.

On skin: Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The frankincense is nice and lemony, and the blend is overall a lot more cheerful than I had expected. Still reminds me of Avignon, but is much less overbearing. I think I actually prefer this to Avignon, which has been my baby since I discovered it, so that’s really saying something. Definitely fits the medieval cathedral vibe.

Longevity: Started fading a bit after about 4 hours, and was significantly faded after 7 hours.

Update (01/01/2019): For some reason, a little over a week later, this just reads as overwhelming lemony candy with incense undertones on my skin now. Very bizarre.

Sorcière Rouge* (An olfactory veil of mystery and enchantment. Bakhoor incense from a 13th century recipe, Tibetan agar-wood, and Dragon’s Blood infused with Rock Rose and dark amber.)

In the bottle: Virtually the same as on the skin, but a little more floral. Not quite as spicy, maybe.

On skin: Oh, this is lovely. Nice, spicy dragon’s blood at the forefront, with a little bit of floral sweetness to temper. Definitely a “red” scent. I adore this.

Longevity: Became very close to the skin and faint after about 4 hours.

Season of the Witch** (An otherworldly mystery of black pine pitch, dark myrrh, aged black amber, and ritual Samhain incense blended with Black Cavendish and Perique tobaccos, protective tsuga, divinatory bay leaves, and intuition enhancing black cardamon.)

In the bottle: Warm. Mostly caramel-y tobacco. Very intriguing.

On skin: What a strange scent (in a good way)! The caramel overtone is still there, but there’s an added spicy tone as well. The incense also comes through with full force, and the name is very apt. Not as pine-y as I was hoping, but I’ll be damned if I don’t adore this regardless. Wow.

Longevity: Still strong after 8 hours.

Magus* (Rare black Ethiopian frankincense and High John the Conqueror root blended with the sensual musk of ambrette seed and the evocative mystery of labdanum and opoponax swirled with a smokey touch of vetivert root, Cambodian oud, and Somalian incense.)

In the bottle: This smells like a witch shop, straight up. Really lovely incense-centric resinous blend. I used to have something similar to this, which I miss dearly, but this is so much better. Spooky, warm, and haunting. Love, love, love.

On skin: Identical to how it smells in the bottle.

Longevity: Faded around the 6-hour mark, but was still detectable after 8+ hours and through unscented moisturizer.

Ýdalir (A scent as ancient and compelling as Megalithic ancestral memory. 35 million year old fossilized amber resin, oakmoss absolute, Siberian Black Pine, smoked Juniper tar, and balsam pine needles.)

In the bottle: Veeery smoky, dark, and a little.. herbal? I don’t know how to explain it. I was a bit intimidated by this at first, but it’s very intriguing.

On skin: Still very smoky and dark, but calmed down a little. It very much smells like walking through a burnt forest, or sitting around a campfire in a forest of pines. Probably not something I’ll reach for super often, but it is absolutely perfect for winter.

Longevity: Over 8 hours.

Additional notes: Limited edition, 100% natural. Left a brown stain on the skin until it dried.

Darkness Burning (Spiced incense, brown sugar, Bourbon vanilla, benzoin, guaiacwood, cinnamon bark, clove, charred oak, and ginger musk.)

In the bottle: Spicy, a little powdery. This worried me a little, because I really detest powdery notes.

On skin: There’s something in here that doesn’t quite agree with me. It’s reminiscent of powder, which is one of my least favorite notes, unfortunately. This isn’t quite the spice bomb I was hoping for, and is actually pretty subtle on me.

Addendum: As time goes on, the spices start to come out more and more, and as even more time goes on, it takes on a little bit of a dusty tone. I’m still not sure that this is for me, but it’s nice.

Longevity: On me, this started out subtle to begin with. It became even more subtle after about 4 hours. Still detectable after 8 hours.

Additional notes: Limited edition, seasonal.

Update: I have no idea what was going on with my chemistry when I initially tested this, but it’s not powdery at all today, and is much spicier. It’s mostly incense and spices now, and is quite lovely. I still don’t know if it’s my thing, but resting it helped a lot.

Feuillemort** (A meditative rumination of dying leaves, smoked autumnal spices, dried grasses and fungi, Tibetan incense, cedarwood, rum soaked agarwood, and borneol.)

In the bottle: Almost identical to how it smells on the skin, maybe a little fruitier?

On skin: Spicy, slightly boozy, bright autumnal blend. Reminds me of a woodstove burning in late autumn, even though it’s not smoky at all. Sits pretty close to the skin compared to others. This is definitely going to be one of my go-to autumn fragrances (and year-round). It embodies the spirit of the season perfectly.

Longevity: Became very close to the skin after about 2 hours, but was still detectable after 4+ hours.

Autumnalis** (A wandering through woods in early autumn… sunlight warmed autumn leaves; maple wood; wild morel fungi; silver birch tar; slightly soapy wood musk; crushed hayscent ferns; autumn crocus saffron; dry golden amber; dried oakmosses; and a touch of vetiver root.)

In the bottle: Initially requested as a sample. Light, slightly sweet scent evocative of a sunny autumn day walking through a forest or meadow. Smells like autumn in a bottle.

On skin: Autumnal spices, leaves, and a lot of soap. At first I thought it was too soapy for me, but I find it really comforting and calming. My only complaint with it is that it’s quite fleeting. It became very close to the skin after about an hour, but I grew to love it so much during that time. I ended up ordering a full bottle.

Longevity: Became very close to the skin after the first hour. Lasted for around 4 hours total.

Wilde*** (A salacious yet aristocratically complex paradox of flowering basil, Irish linen, spilled absinthe, rare high altitude lavender, precious Japanese incense woods, dried lilies, fine cognac, a small provocation of leather, sandalwood, oakmoss, guaiacwood, ambergris, smoked vanilla beans, a risqué hint of opium, a whiff of pipe tobacco, patchouli, clove, and musk.)

In the bottle: Initially requested as a sample. In the vial, I didn’t think much of this. It kind of just smelled like an herbal cologne. Nothing special or particularly interesting.

On skin: All of the emotions and nostalgia. This is exactly how my aunt and uncle’s property smelled when I was growing up. It captures the scent of their attached wooden greenhouse, which was often humid and full of herbs and flowers, it captures the scent of various plants growing all over the yard, and it captures the scent of certain rooms in the actual house. I have many fond memories there, and while my aunt and uncle moved out of that house a long time ago, I still remember it vividly. Smelling Wilde on my skin made me tear up a little bit. The whole experience with it was intense and very personal. I messaged Sharra about having a bottle made very soon after testing it. Definitely a very surprising and unforgettable scent experience.

Longevity: Over 8 hours.

Additional notes: Discontinued.

Mist Becoming Rain (Rainwater, mist drenched hazel wood, meadow grasses, sage blooms, orris root, ozone, grey amber. Deep, dark, cool and mysterious.)

In the vial: Requested sample. Wet earth, slightly floral.

On skin: For some reason, this turned into the scent of house paint on my skin, which then later morphed into the scent of dryer sheets or laundry detergent. Definitely not something I’m going to order a full size of, but I wish it had worked better with my chemistry.