Scented Musings

I had an issue with the first shipment of some of these getting sent back before they went through customs, which wasn't BPAL's fault, and then Canada Post went on strike in November, so these took longer to get here than I had anticipated. Then, I ended up moving a few days after the parcel finally showed up, so this post is very late. My apologies!

A little Halloween in early winter action never hurt anyone, so let's Nightmare Before Christmas this place up!

(Some of these aren't technically Weenies, but they either came out around the same time or otherwise fit the theme of Halloween/fall)

🍬 Sweet Tooth (Scorched candy corn and melted toffees)

Preliminary notes: Honestly, if it wasn't for this scent, I probably would have bypassed the Weenies this year. I can't resist candy corn or toffee notes on their own, and I've never seen them together. The scorched aspect of this really interests me as well, so I'm curious as to whether this will just be a goopy sugarbomb, or if there'll be a bit of a smoky edge to it.

In bottle: Oh my goddd, this is SO toffee-heavy, which is exactly what I wanted from it. The candy corn melds into it as well, so it's very sweet and sugary. I get a tiiiny, tiny hint of smoke beneath that.

On skin: Be still my heart! This has the same toffee note as Drink Me, which is one of my very favorite BPAL scents. There's also something in here that reminds me of plastic witch noses from the 90s, and by that, I don't mean this smells like plastic (because it doesn't at all). The specific noses I'm thinking of had a sweet, almost fruity, almost melted candle wax smell, and I loved it.

This definitely has the same melted wax quality to it, and I love it. Sweet, melted wax and toffee with maybe a teeny tiny hint of a wispy smoke note, but it's barely there. I don't get anything scorched, but melty is definitely a good descriptor for this one. Delicious, melty, caramel-y goodness.

Verdict: 5 melty chunks of toffee out of 5.


🍂 The Autumn Folk (Hay-dusted oak, honey mead, pumpkin rind, vetiver root, corn husk, maple leaves)

Preliminary notes: Corn husks always remind me of our local pumpkin patch, and the rest of the note lineup here kind of fits that theme as well. It sounds like a delightful, dry autumnal atmospheric.

In bottle: Oh, wow. Warm and cozy right off the bat, which I wasn't expecting for some reason. The mead, corn husk (such a beautiful note), and oak are the strongest notes. I smell something a bit buttery as well, which is probably the pumpkin. The vetiver isn't acrid at all.

On skin: This is quite pretty! The mead is reading as almost citrusy to me, and everything else melds with it so well. There's a butteriness from the pumpkin, an earthiness from the oak, vetiver, and corn husk, and a bit of sweetness from the maple leaves and mead. It's delightfully autumnal, and a sunnier scent than the description would have one believe. To me, this is an early autumn scent, and it encapsulates the imagery of sunlight peeking through branches in an orange and gold copse of trees. Love it.

Verdict: 5 golden autumn days out of 5.


🎃 Vintage Pumpkin Blow Mold (White musk, sweet orange, crystalline amber, pumpkin rind)

Preliminary notes: I bought Vintage Ghost Blow Mold last year and LOVED it, so this was kind of a no-brainer. I'm also a fan of sweet orange notes.

In bottle: Oh, this is pretty. Weirdly enough, it kind of reminds me of eggnog (or maybe white chocolate), but if it was flavored with orange (which sounds kind of gross, but I promise, it smells better than it would taste). I'm curious to see if the eggnog vibe translates onto the skin.

On skin: First off, I love the orange note in this and might have to keep an eye out for it in the future. The eggnog vibe that was in the bottle is completely gone on the skin. It's all about the orange and white musk, which go together beautifully. Something about this smells sparkling and upscale, like an elegant person in white furs standing underneath a crystal chandelier. It's gorgeous and refined. Despite the (spiced) pumpkin and orange, I wouldn't categorize this as a gourmand at all. Vintage Ghost Blow Mold is absolutely a milky gourmand, but Vintage Pumpkin Blow Mold is just a really pretty, citrusy mood scent.

Verdict: 4.75 glittering pumpkins out of 5.


🎃 Jolly (Pumpkin cream, caramel-coated marshmallow, crushed candy corn, lemon peel, belladonna honey)

Preliminary notes: Pumpkin, caramel, AND candy corn? Yes, please.

In bottle: Surprisingly biting/herbal in the bottle! Once again, there's something in here that reminds me of holiday foods, and I'm not sure what it is. I don't get the pumpkin outright, but I do get a very thick, caramelized cream note. This has a sinister edge to it as well, like being presented a picturesque dessert that's been poisoned.

On skin: This reminds me of something I've smelled before, but I have no idea what it is. Something in here is reading as slightly vegetal, and I'm not sure if it's the pumpkin cream or honey. It has an almost.. dare I say, aquatic or saline quality to it, and I have no idea where that's coming from. I definitely get all of the sweet candy goods, a tiny glimpse of the lemon peel, and the honey note, which is clear and thin. This is still very much an inviting but sinister scent, and I think that's a really fascinating dichotomy to be able to capture in scent format.

Verdict: 4 sinister desserts out of 5.


🎃 Pumpkin Sugar (Crystallized glittering shards of lightly spiced pumpkin sugar)

Preliminary notes: This was kind of a last minute addition to the order. It was a toss up between this and the Candied Apple single note, but I'm very picky about apple notes, so I figured this would be a safer bet.

In bottle: I mean, it's exactly what it says on the tin: pumpkin spices and sugar. There's something a bit dusty and a tiny bit vegetal in there as well, which I would wager is a pumpkin note.

On skin: Delicious, sweet pumpkin spice and sugar. There's a little bit of a buttery pumpkin note in there, but my skin amps cinnamon, so it's mostly cinnamon and sugar on me. Actually, this reminds me of Possets' Sticky Buns a bit, but this is less intense/syrupy. Pumpkin Sugar is linear but really pleasant, and it'd be perfect for layering with other scents that need a bit of a sweet, spicy kick, or with gourmands (layering this with a black tea scent would be delightful, I feel). This is a perfect seasonal transition scent between fall and winter, as the cinnamon gives it a bit of a holiday vibe.

Verdict: 4.5 sugar and spice mixtures out of 5.


🎃 Knave of Pumpkins (Crushed roses, red currant, pumpkin tarts)

Preliminary notes: I had a free sample of Knave of Hearts and really liked it, so a pumpkin variant of that caught my attention immediately. This has red currant, however, and Knave of Hearts has blackcurrant, so it'll be interesting to see how that compares.

In bottle: Knave of Hearts but sweeter, is basically what this is giving me. Once again, I don't get any pumpkin outright, but the tart note in this compared to OG Knave is very custard-y.

On skin: This is similar but also quite different to OG Knave. The use of red currant instead of blackcurrant really stands out, and it meshes with the rose note really well and gives the blend a more candylike, playful vibe. My boyfriend clocked the pumpkin tarts right away, but I couldn't smell them for a while. I smelled the pastry note from the tarts and something creamy/custard-y, but not the pumpkin itself until maybe 10-15 minutes into the drydown. The pumpkin is interwoven with the custard and is very subtle, at least to my nose. Either way, I like OG Knave a lot, but I think I like this even better. My boyfriend loves it too.

Verdict: 5 heart-shaped tarts dripping in red currant juice out of 5.


🎃 Dead Leaves, Burnt Marshmallows, Clove Cream, and Whiskey (Dead leaves, burnt marshmallows, clove cream, whiskey)

Preliminary notes: I've only tried two Dead Leaves blends prior (Dead Leaves on Fire and Dead Leaves, White Sandalwood, and White Moss), but I loved them both. I am a sucker for a good burnt/toasted marshmallow note, but I've never actually encountered a realistic one. I'm hoping it's realistic here. I also love clove and whiskey notes, so this one was a no-brainer.

In bottle: The first sniff of this was.. bizarre. I don't have words to describe it. After that, the Dead Leaves note is the strongest, followed by a gorgeous clove. This smells more "natural" and realistic than Dead Leaves on Fire to me.

On skin: The clove cream definitely packs a punch. You also get the classic, vegetal Dead Leaves note, a bit of the whiskey, and miraculously, the burnt marshmallow note makes an appearance as well (though the marshmallow smells toasted as opposed to truly charred).

The whole thing has a very toasty, almost holiday pudding vibe to it, which I think is great for the transitional period between fall and winter. I wasn't sure about this in the bottle, but on the skin, it's absolutely lovely. Spicy, toasty, and warm. This is very clove-heavy, so if you're not a fan of clove, definitely skip this one.

Verdict: 5 clove-y holiday puddings decorated with fall leaves out of 5.


🎃 Bourbon-Soaked Pumpkin Peanut Butter Fudge (Bourbon, pumpkin, peanut butter fudge)

Preliminary notes: I have a pumpkin and peanut butter candle that I burned off and on during the fall and loved it, so if this is even remotely similar, I'll be over the moon about it.

In bottle: Spiced bourbon and caramel, oddly enough. The peanut butter is very subtle.

On skin: This is quite strong upon initial application. There's a giant, cinnamon-spiced, boooozy bourbon cloud that blooms up from the skin. Underneath that, there's a tiny bit of a vegetal pumpkin, but it's mostly bourbon and spice. I don't get any peanut butter, and the sweetness of the fudge is fairly subtle. This is very rich and spicy, despite not being overly sweet. Huge sillage on this one.

Verdict: 4.25 spiced bourbons out of 5.


🎃 Pumpkin Bliss (Honey-dusted milk chocolate pumpkin bites)

Preliminary notes: The original Bliss, to me, smells like warm chocolate chips. As if you just took a pan of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies out of the oven, but there's no smell from the cookies themselves, and it's just the scent of baked chocolate. I'm curious as to how a pumpkin note is going to meld with that.

In bottle: This definitely has cinnamon in it, or at least that's how it smells in the bottle. I don't get much of the original Bliss DNA in this.

On skin: Honeyed cinnamon bark with a tiny bit of chocolate underneath. Whyyy, skin chemistry. That's quite disappointing. No baked chocolate, no cookie-like note, just sweet cinnamon. That's 100% a result of my skin amping it and not a fault with the scent itself, as I have this issue fairly often. I didn't expect this to have cinnamon in it at all, so that's a bummer. If I had known that, I would have just gotten a bottle of OG Bliss. Oh well.

Verdict: 2 cinnamon-scented disappointments out of 5. Again, not a fault of the scent itself, but a huge bummer.


🎃 Pumpkin Latte (Espresso, pumpkin syrup, smoky vanilla bean, milk, raw sugar, a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg)

Preliminary notes: As mentioned in other review posts, I can't drink coffee, but I sure do love the smell of it. I've never had a PSL, but this sounds divine.

In bottle: Yup, that smells like a spiced latte. I don't get any pumpkin outright, but the rest of the notes are there. When I first got this, it smelled like stewed tomatoes in the bottle, which is an experience I've had with coffee scents before, for whatever reason.

On skin: Oh look, our friends Stewed Tomatoes are back. I think it's the cinnamon mixing with something else that's causing that, but I'm not sure. I don't get any coffee or pumpkin, just spicy stewed, syrupy tomatoes. Not into it.

Verdict: 0 cans of stewed tomatoes out of 5. I offered this to Fox, and it smells much better on him, so take this review with a grain of salt. It just doesn't mesh well with my skin chemistry at all but smells lovely on other people.


🎃 Apple Cider Donuts (Apple cider, donuts)

Preliminary notes: As soon as I saw this in the Virtualcon announcement email, I knew I had to get it. I haven't had stellar luck with BPAL's pastry/baked good notes in the past (they tend to not be as full-bodied or realistic as I'd like), but this also includes apple cider. Even if the donut note isn't realistic, I'll still like it if the cider note is good.

In bottle: Well, this is slightly disappointing. No baked good notes to speak of at all, but a very nice apple note.

On skin: Ahhh, there it is. Rather than a donut though, I get an almost fritter-y note beneath the apple, and even then, it's still 95% apple. A tiny bit of spice as well, but not to the point where my skin is amping it, thankfully. The apple note in this is very fresh and almost cooling, which is my preferred kind of apple note.

As this wears, the fritter-like note becomes a bit stronger, but the apple is the star of the show. I definitely wouldn't call this a strong gourmand or baked good scent, but I also tend to be slightly disappointed with BPAL's gourmands in general. They aren't quite foody enough for me most of the time. Regardless, I do like this a lot, even though it's nowhere near smelling like a donut.

Verdict: 4.25 fresh apples out of 5.


🎃 Hot Buttered Apple Cider (Hot apple cider, melted buttery swirl)

Preliminary notes: Hot apple cider is one of my favorite things during the fall and winter, so this sounds perfect since we're quickly approaching colder weather as I'm writing this.

In bottle: Rather than apple cider and melted butter, I'd say this smells like apple cider buttercream. There's a very distinct frosting-like quality to this.

On skin: Still very much apple cider buttercream. I almost wonder if there was some sort of labeling issue and this is actually Apple Cider Donuts, but then a strong butter note comes out, and it's very clearly not mislabeled. This is like a hot apple dessert with a fat pat of butter on top and is decidedly more gourmand than Apple Cider Donuts. If you don't like butter, I'd recommend avoiding this, since the butter note is very realistic and rich. I love this.

Verdict: 5 pats of butter on a warm apple dessert out of 5.


🎃 Pumpkin Gingerbread Creme Brulee Pie (Scorched pumpkin creme brulee in a gingerbread crust)

Preliminary notes: This has been on my radar for quite some time now, and I figured I might as well get it with the other pumpkin scents I picked up. Not technically a fall/Halloween scent, but.

In bottle: More or less exactly what it says on the tin. The pumpkin note here is the most realistic one I've come across from BPAL, and it smells like straight up pumpkin puree.

On skin: This is delicious. Slightly overcooked pumpkin puree, spicy gingerbread, and a bit of thick cream. This is probably the most realistic gourmand I've tried from BPAL, and it's one of their best for sure. Absolutely perfect pumpkin dessert scent.

Verdict: 5 gingerbread-y pumpkin pies out of 5.


🎃 Chocolat Viennois (A warm mug of dark chocolate and cream with a dribble of blood)

Preliminary notes: I don't usually vibe with chocolate notes, but after trying the original Bliss, I'm a fan of BPAL's at least. I've also been craving a hot chocolate kind of scent lately.

In bottle: Rich, dark chocolate for sure, with a bit of cream and either cherry or dragon's blood (or both) underneath.

On skin: Virtually the same, but richer and less creamy. The chocolate is very dark, and the cherry-dragon's blood combo is holding strong beneath that. There's something almost floral in there as well, which could just be the dragon's blood being extra punchy. After a while, something a bit vegetal and metallic comes to the surface, which smells almost mushroom-y. I liked this before the metallic/mushroom note popped up, but once that happens, it makes me a bit nauseous.

Verdict: 4 mugs of hot cocoa out of 5 before the metallic note pops up, 2 chocolate-covered mushrooms out of 5 afterward. I don't think I'm going to be able to wear this.


🎃 Snakes in the Berry Sonker (Snake Oil, baked blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, warm pastry crust, vanilla ice cream, molasses)

Preliminary notes: The only Snake Oil variant I've tried is Snakes Basking in the First Sunbeams of Spring, which I didn't like. The orange blossom was way too sharp for me, and it just wasn't my thing. I've sampled regular Snake Oil and like it, but not enough to buy it on its own. Mostly, I was thinking about blueberry scents and this one just happened to get released around the same time, so I was willing to take a gamble on it.

In bottle: Definitely Snake Oil, with a ton of berries dumped on top.

On skin: Snake Oil, but make it baked. The pastry crust and ice cream are the strongest underneath the Snake Oil, though the berry notes are very close behind. There's something salty and almost astringent in here, and that's a problem I had with Snakes Basking as well (which leads me to believe that Snake Oil variants just aren't for me). I don't dislike this, but I'm not over the moon about it either. I think I've finally accepted that I need to stop buying Snake Oil flankers.

Verdict: 3 baked berries out of 5.


🍯 Dead Leaves and Honeycomb (Dead leaves, honeycomb)

Preliminary notes: The honeycomb got me, y'all. I haven't tried many BPAL scents with honeycomb notes (Elf and Strawberries & Honeycomb specifically), but I am familiar with the Dead Leaves note. I'm curious to see how the two interact. I'm hoping for kind of a wild beehive in the middle of a fall forest vibe.

In bottle: Strictly just the Dead Leaves accord. I don't get any honeycomb at all.

On skin: Mostly the Dead Leaves accord (which smells fresher than in other DL variants I've tried), and lovely, warm, golden honeycomb beneath that. There's something almost lemony (or maybe mandarin-y. Definitely a citrus of some sort) in here, which further adds to the golden feel, like an autumn afternoon in a forest, with rays of sun breaking through a copse (I know I said something very similar about The Autumn Folk, but it's true in both cases). The leaves in this one smell like a yellowing green as opposed to truly dead, which I think is really interesting in contrast with the other DL scents I've experienced. This will be a lovely late-summer-into-early-autumn transitional scent, and a lovely autumnal scent in general. The more it wears, the more I like it. This is a beautiful and evocative entry into the Dead Leaves series.

Verdict: 4.75 wisps of yellowing leaves swirling around a beehive in a forest out of 5.


🎃 Moroccan Pumpkin (Pumpkin spices, warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood, cassia)

Preliminary notes: Ah, the last of my chosen Pumpkin Patch scents for this year. I was curious about this one but wasn't overly interested in it until I started seeing reviews of it, most of which cited a hidden buttery pumpkin note. I've been craving a good carnation-y gourmand lately as well, so.

In bottle: Hm.. I don't know about this. There's something in here that's a bit cloying to me, but I don't know what it is. Maybe the sandalwood? It's very warm and spice-heavy, which is nice.

On skin: I think I figured out why this is so offputting for me. Something in it smells vegetal and very similar to celery, which is one of my least favorite scents on the planet. It's like, spicy celery with a touch of cayenne on top, which is.. to be quite honest, it's atrocious. If you like spicy, heavy sandalwood notes, this might be a holy grail for you, but it makes me feel a bit ill.

Verdict: 0 stalks of spicy celery out of 5.


🕯️ Guttering Candle (Beeswax, a blackened wick, a shuddering gust of smoke)

Preliminary notes: Y'all know me and my beeswax/candle scents. As of writing this prelim (in late October), the only review I've seen of this was in a BPAL livestream from a bit ago, which didn't paint as much of a picture of this scent as I'd hoped.

In bottle: Much deeper and darker than The Lights of Men's Lives, which is what I expected this to smell like.

On skin: Oh, man, this is good. The beeswax is definitely the same as in The Lights of Men's Lives, but the smoke in this is exquisite. It really does smell like a still-warm candle that was just blown out, which isn't an easy thing to replicate in scent form. The Lab's description of "rivulets of beeswax" is definitely apt, as this smells thick and melty. There's a very tiny hint of sweetness in here, but it's largely smoke and beeswax. I almost passed this up, because how many smoky candle scents does one really need, but I'm very glad I bought this. This scent has a very odd cozy-but-unsettling vibe to it as well, which I find fascinating.

Verdict: 5 melty, freshly blown out candles out of 5.

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.

📖 Dee (Soft English leather, rosewood, tonka, a hint of incense, parchment, soft woods)

Preliminary notes: I've wanted to try this since I first stumbled across BPAL but.. never did, for some reason? I love readerly/writerly scents, as you may know, so this is right up my alley. I love bookish scents that include incense notes as well.

I've also been playing a lot of Baldur's Gate 3 recently, and y'all cannot tell me that this doesn't sound exactly like how Gale would smell.

In bottle: Fairly masculine-leaning in the bottle. It's woody and incense-y, with a bit of an herbal note peeking out. It also smells slightly honeyed.

On skin: The parchment comes out a LOT more on the skin, which I love. I get the leather as well, which is soft and maybe tan or brown. It does smell like an astute, well-read wizard, and I adore it. The parchment note reminds me a little bit of Quintessence of Dust, which is a favorite of mine. This is like Quintessence of Dust's refined, more mysterious cousin who arrives with a procession of ravens. My whole spiel about this smelling like Gale from Baldur's Gate 3 is very accurate, though maybe more the scent of his tower than Gale himself.

Verdict: 5 dark, refined wizards out of 5.


🥀 Cicuta (Dry, dusty rose petals, candle smoke, frankincense, saffron)

Preliminary notes: This has been on my to-try list for as long as I've been purchasing from BPAL, but I just.. never bought it until now, for whatever reason. The posts on the BPAL forum dress Cicuta up with all sorts of gothic-romantic imagery: cobwebs, candelabras, dusty attics, velvet, old castles and catacombs, you name it. I'd wager that given my blog's name, it's fairly obvious that I'm very drawn to that kind of vibe.

In bottle: Exactly what it says on the tin. Dry roses, candles, frankincense, and saffron. It smells very romantic , and there's something very slightly fruity in there.

On skin: Okay, so I completely get where the people on the forum were coming from when they said this has a "forlorn vampire in an old castle" vibe. It smells almost wet as well somehow. The rose, candles (including gauzy, thin smoke), resins, and saffron are all accounted for. This is absolutely gorgeous, and any darkly-inclined people who are fans of rose notes will love this. I adore this so much, and it's easily earned a spot among my favorite BPAL scents. It smells incredibly romantic in an almost tragic way. A+.

Verdict: 5 tragically beautiful vampire romances in castles out of 5.


🕯️ The Lights of Men's Lives (The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death’s shadowy cave: some tall, straight, and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering)

Preliminary notes: I reviewed this just shy of 3 years ago, but my formatting was very different, and I don't think it quite got the write-up it deserved. So, it's time for a revisit review! I previously described this scent as a whole lot of beeswax, a bit powdery, and a gauzy, light smoke note.

In bottle: As I remember. A ton of beeswax and a bit of smoke. This is in a similar vein to Arcana's Snug, which is largely why I repurchased it. I don't have any Arcana oils in my collection anymore and needed to replace Snug.

On skin: This definitely smells a bit different than the bottle I used to have. The candle smoke note is a lot stronger, and the beeswax smells more like regular candle wax. There's something almost floral about it as well, which is odd. The floral note burns off after about 5-10ish minutes, and it becomes smokier. It kind of melds into a vanillic, waxy skin scent. As it dries more, it does start to resemble Snug/the original version I had of this scent. It might just need to age a bit.

Verdict: 3.75 smoky candles out of 5.


🌹 A-Rovin' (Sultry red musk, heady jasmine, tobacco leaf, red sandalwood, hay sugar, golden honey, sweet carnations, warm leather)

Preliminary notes: I've wanted to try this since its release a few years ago. It sounds like a bombshell of a scent, and I love a lot of the notes in it.

In bottle: Definitely get the red musk, tobacco, honey, and something else I can't quite pin. It smells very purple-red.

On skin: This is incredible and indescribably sexy, which makes sense given its inspiration. The red musk, tobacco, honey, and now carnation are at the forefront. I get a bit of the jasmine, which isn't stinky or strong (note: after having it for a couple of months, the jasmine definitely leans into stank territory but never gets super overwhelming). There's something of an almost wine-like quality to this as well. Overall, it paints a picture of a very strong, take-no-shit woman who knows exactly what kind of effect she has on people. It's seductive, it's commanding, it's perfect. I adore this so much.

Verdict: 5 seductive, strong ladies out of 5.


🔮 The Witch Queen (Wild plum, red musk, tuberose, calla lily, heliotrope, pimento, ylang-ylang, beeswax, sinister purple-hued incense smoke)

Preliminary notes: This is another one that I had previously destashed and don't know why, because I was obsessed with this scent. It reminded me heavily of Dior's Poison (which shares the plum, tuberose, incense, heliotrope, and musk notes), but less chemical smelling.

In bottle: This smells more floral than I remember and doesn't bear any similarity to Poison in the bottle. Interesting.

On skin: Ah, yes. There she is. Deep purple, slightly fruity, dark florals. Still bears a striking resemblance to Poison but isn't as heavy. The plum note in this is exquisite, and the whole scent is very mysterious and beautiful. A power scent, to be sure.

Verdict: 5 witch queens surrounded by purple smoke out of 5.


🧁 The Picture of Dorian Sufganiyot (A deep-fried fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea)

Preliminary notes: I hadn't initially planned on buying any more oils for a while, but after trying 2023's version of Dorian and loving it, I really wanted to grab a bottle of this before it's taken down.

In bottle: Dorian 2023, but with some added bakery cream. A bit lighter as well.

On skin: This smells like a delicious, expensive lemon-tea cream-filled donut. It's unmistakably Dorian, but it's fluffier and less corrupt-smelling than the OG version.

Verdict: 5 corruption-filled donuts out of 5.

Comparison to Dorian (2023): Dorian Suf is a bit heavier on the citrus, while Dorian 2023 is heavier on the tea. There's a very distinct cream note in Dorian Suf that Dorian 2023 lacks. Ultimately, they are remarkably similar, so if you have one, you probably don't need the other unless you're someone who really enjoys Dorian, like myself.


🌷 Portrait of Princess Marthe Bibesco (Toffee-touched vanilla bourbon filigree, antiqued white rose petals, auburn musk, honey dust, white silk)

Preliminary notes: I'm a sucker for toffee and honey notes, and I really wanted to pick this up before it was taken down.

In bottle: Toffeetoffeetoffee, a tiny bit of rose, and a bit of booze. Reminds me a tiny bit of Asses Plus Long, Qu'un Siecle Platonique, but it's not soapy or laundry-like at all.

On skin: On skin, it's a very sweet, toffee-heavy rose scent with a bit of musk and booze. Smelling it from afar, it smells like butterscotch pudding, which is really interesting. It's not completely gourmand but leans heavily in that direction. The rose note is very fresh and realistic, as most of BPAL's rose notes are, in my experience. This is what I wanted Asses Plus Long to be: a toffee-heavy, fresh rose scent.

Verdict: 5 toffee-encased roses out of 5.


🃏 Stańczyk (Scarlet silk, spiced rose petals, well-worn red leather, Oman frankincense, labdanum, dried cherries, blackberry wine)

Preliminary notes: Wasn't initially going to get anything from the April release, but Jan Matejko's Stańczyk is one of my favorite paintings, and the notes are too good to pass up. It sounds like a relative of Nimue, the Blood Queen, which is an old favorite that I regretfully don't have anymore.

In bottle: The dried cherries and blackberry wine are the strongest notes in the bottle. There's a background of something sultry and delicately spiced as well.

On skin: I'm not usually a fruity scent person, but this is exquisite. The leather and rose also come out once it starts drying down a bit. This is a delicious, vampiric dream, and it's absolutely in the same vein as Nimue, except I think I like this even more. There's something very seductive about it as well. I am in love. If I was someone who didn't take literal years to go through one 5ml bottle of perfume, I'd definitely buy a backup bottle of this.

Verdict: 5 seductive vampires out of 5.


🎶 Concert (Black velvet, ancient climbing roses, champaca magnolia, deep, resonant strings of amber)

Preliminary notes: I knew as soon as I saw the release notes for this that I needed to try it. All of the notes in here are favorites of mine, and it sounds delightfully dark and feminine.

In bottle: This is very similar to In Night When All Colors to Black Are Cast to my nose, minus the plum. There aren't any smoky notes noted in the description, but it has a very resinous, smoky quality to it. Very dark and deep.

On skin: Largely the same as in the bottle, though the champaca leans a bit more floral on the skin. The rose is incredibly dark and melds with everything beautifully. This is witchy as fuck.

Verdict: 5 coils of witchy incense out of 5.


🌙 Fierce Midnights and Famishing Morrows (Black plum, wild lily, tobacco)

Preliminary notes: I don't have any preliminary notes for these next four beyond the fact that thematically, the Our Lady of Pain collection really speaks to me. These were all add-ons to a very large combined order instead of having the shipping overages credited to my account.

In bottle: Delicious, plummy tobacco with a bit of a cool, green backdrop from the lily. This is exquisite.

On skin: On skin, it's very hard to tease the notes apart individually, but they're all there. The lily is green and fresh, the plum is deep, and the tobacco is rich and warm. I really, really love this.

Verdict: 5 debaucherous gardens out of 5.


🕂 The Shrine Where Sin is a Prayer (Deep purple Syrah, calamus, myrrh smoke, hyssop, opoponax, bitter clove, burgundy pitch, opium poppy, violet leaf)

Preliminary notes: None.

In bottle: So. Incredibly. Purple. The only note I can make out completely is the wine, which is delicious. The scent overall smells very commanding, foreboding, and decadent.

On skin: Still very purple. The wine note is decadent and rich, and it's unlike any wine note I've smelled before. I can't make out any of the other notes specifically, but it's still incredibly purple. I love this.

Verdict:5 deeply purple glasses of wine out of 5.


🍯 Hair Loosened and Soiled in Mid Orgies (White honey, warm musk, ambrette seed)

Preliminary notes: None.

In bottle: This smells almost like cinnamon sugar toast in the bottle at times, and other times, it just smells like slightly spiced honey.

On skin: The honey note is sweet but not overly so. This smells very woody to me. It's definitely sensual and warm. It's a pretty linear scent overall. I don't have much to say about it, honestly.

Verdict: 4 woody pots of honey out of 5.


🔥 House of Unquenchable Fire (Glittering amber, frankincense, neroli, vanilla silk, champaca)

Preliminary notes: None.

In bottle: Straight neroli. I can't smell anything else.

On skin: Still mostly neroli, but the vanilla and champaca come through a bit as well. It's very elegant and pretty, and it smells shimmery. It's a bit calming and cheery as well. It's a very lovely soft, golden scent.

Verdict: 4 pools of glittering liquid gold out of 5.

Ahoy! I didn't expect to be doing another review this soon, but my in-laws very kindly gave me some fun money for Christmas, and perfume oils are more or less the only "fun" things I buy these days. Bird's Nest in the Cowl got me hooked on Possets' gingerbread note, so I wanted to try more of their gingerbread scents, which was the main driving factor behind this order. Onward!


Gingerbread Jailhouse (Sweet, silky, and spicy gingerbread amped up with more ginger, smoothed out with a thick coat of light lemony sour cream frosting)

Preliminary notes: This sounds kind of thematically similar to Nui Cobalt's Gingerbread Sanctuary, which also had gingerbread and lemon icing notes (though that one also had a slew of other notes, including lavender, which this doesn't have). Bird's Nest in the Cowl is a fantastic gingerbread scent, but it doesn't have any sort of frosting notes. I'm hoping this leans a bit more gingerbread cookie-like than Bird's Nest, even though I adore that one.

In bottle: That classic Possets gingerbread note with lots of icing! It actually does smell like sour cream icing, which is delicious. I don't get any overt lemon, but I'm okay with that.

On skin: So this actually kind of is similar to Gingerbread Sanctuary, sans the lavender. It's sweet but not overly, and the lemon comes out when it's actually on the skin. I like it! It's a nice, bright, festive gourmand.

Verdict: 4.5 lemon-infused gingerbread cookies out of 5.


Gingerbread Whorehouse (European gingerbread, ginger, black pepper, clove, cinnamon, coriander, a kiss of pink pepper)

Preliminary notes: The name alone is hilarious, and I delighted in telling DH what it was called. I love spice notes, so this sounds fab. I'm hoping the clove in particular is relatively strong.

In bottle: This smells very similar to Jailhouse (they very obviously have the same gingerbread base), but it's much spicier and has bite to it. I can't make out any of the spices specifically in the bottle, but it's strong and a bit dark.

On skin: This reminds me of a mainstream perfume I used to have from L'Artisan Parfumeur called Tea for Two, oddly enough. They only really share the spice and gingerbread notes, so I'm not sure how that's possible, but it is! Tea for Two has a tobacco note that leans a bit ashtray-esque, and obviously, Gingerbread Whorehouse doesn't have tobacco in it, so it's a bit smoother and easier to wear. It has a sweet, creamy, frosting-like quality to it as well and is just really sexy. I love this.

Verdict: 5 festive cookie bordellos out of 5.


Pumpkin Pie (Pumpkin pie, spices that complement rather than cover up what it is, special crust made more like cake than an ordinary pie crust)

Preliminary notes: This has been on my wishlist for the last 2 years, and I finally bought it. I couldn't find any reviews of it, which is a bit of a bummer since I amp spice notes and wanted to know how strong they are here. I love Possets' pie scents and have 4 or 5 of them, so I'd imagine even if I end up amping the spices, it'll still be great.

In bottle: Much to my disappointment, this smells like 90% cinnamon in the bottle and a bit of butter/pastry. I get very little pumpkin, which I hope changes once it's on the skin.

On skin: It starts to smell more like pumpkin pie on the skin, but it's still very heavily spiced. The pastry notes do indeed smell more like cake than pie, which is really nice. The effect here ends up being a spice cake rather than a pie. I'm hoping the pumpkin note will come out more with age. DH immediately identified it as pumpkin pie and had no issue smelling the pumpkin note, so that could just be me.

(It's also worth noting that I amp cinnamon, but Pumpkin Pie smelled cinnamon-heavy before I put it on as well)

Verdict: 3 heavily-spiced pies out of 5.


Orion (Oud, rare and unexpected woods, smoked vanilla)

Preliminary notes: This was an upsize from a free sample. I was initially scared to open the sample vial, because oud can either be really good or really bad, but I finally ended up doing it.

In bottle: VERY woody in the best way possible. I can't actually smell the oud at all. Either that, or this particular oud just doesn't smell like other ouds I've smelled. It's a very dry, woody scent.

On skin: I suppose you could call this masculine, but it reads as more unisex to me. The woods are dry and strong, and there's a bit of a sweet, smoky, peppery tinge to them. The vanilla doesn't read as outright vanilla to me and serves as a means to sweeten the blend up a bit so it's not so austere. This is a perfect fall/winter scent, and I adore it. It smells like a haunted forest. It's foreboding and mysterious.

Verdict: 5 fog-laden, haunted forests out of 5.

Lovechild - Lovebaby (Peach shortbread and sweet fruit sauce cascading over the lovely confection)

Preliminary notes: This was an unexpected addition to the package these arrived in. I had ordered Lovebaby in part of my first Yule order, but it arrived with a broken cap (the likes of which I have never seen before in my life. The middle of the cap was somehow completely separated from the band, and it was unfortunately unusable), which I contacted them about immediately, and they refunded the price of the bottle. I saw a note on the invoice saying they'd changed suppliers for their caps and then looked down and saw a mysterious 5th bottle in my package. Lo' and behold, it was a replacement bottle of Lovebaby, which I had no idea about until I opened it.

Possets' customer service is the best I've ever experienced, and I will never stop happy-yelling about it.

In bottle: Veeery fruity. Weirdly enough, my nose isn't registering it as peach. It smells like some sort of sweet berry or maybe another stone fruit.

On skin: Something about this is a tiny bit soapy, which isn't what I was looking for. I don't get any shortbread, either. Just lots of very sweet fruit.

Verdict: 3 cups of fruit sauce out of 5. I'm going to retest this at a later date, but as of right now, it's way too syrupy-smelling. DH said, "You should smell like that all the time. It smells good!"

Chocolate Incense (free sample) (Sandalwood, amber, frankincense, chocolate)

Preliminary notes: I typically stay away from chocolate notes, so I wouldn't have chosen this myself.

In vial: I mean, it smells like what it says it'll smell like. Resinous chocolate. I don't hate it.

On skin: Something about this smells a little bit salty and odd. The chocolate note veers into Sharpie territory on me, which is definitely not my thing.

Verdict: 1 chocolate-scented Sharpie out of 5. Not for me at all.

Thank you for reading! I do have another Possets review in the works, but I very inconveniently got sick the day after the package showed up, so I need to recover from that first. Stay tuned!

Hello! Moonalisa had been recommended to me over the last few years numerous times, but I never bothered to place an order since I don't like the FOMO aspect that their shop seems to have. I couldn't resist the Halloween offerings this year though, so we'll see how they are! A friend of mine told me that Moona herself used to be a pastry chef, so I'm very eager to try her gourmand creations. I think that's a really interesting background to have when you're making oils that smell like desserts or other food. I'm hoping they're relatively realistic!

The TAT was listed as 3 weeks, but these shipped out about 10 days after ordering and arrived right on Halloween! This package was the best I've ever received in terms of how well and securely it was put together. All of the oils were wrapped in tissue paper, put into little boxes, and then wrapped again, so there was no way they could move around and leak. There was also a glitter spray included as a gift, along with some brand art and Halloween confetti.

Cauldron Cakes (Cauldron cakes oozing with melted butter, cinnamon, maple and vanilla glaze, crushed nut topping, piping hot cappuccino, a tiny touch of witching mischief)

Preliminary notes: If memory serves, cauldron cakes are a Harry Potter thing (I think). I was a big fan of HP as a kid but haven't really been into it since then. Regardless, this sounds delicious.

In bottle: I get the cake and butter notes right off the bat, followed by the nuts and a bit of the coffee. Something smells vaguely plasticky in there, but it could be the nut note (*see below).

On skin: There's something slightly fruity and powdery in there, and I'm not sure where it's coming from. I get a bit of the cappuccino, maple, and butter but not much else for the first while. I can smell the cappuccino more in the scent cloud around me than directly on my wrist, if that makes sense. I can smell the cinnamon, nuts, and more of the cappuccino the longer it wears.

Verdict: 3.75 ghosts of cappuccinos out of 5. This is very faint on me, and the way it works with my skin chemistry is just bizarre. I like what I can smell, but I think this one might need to age a bit.

Broom Brittle (Smoldering woods blended into a toasted coconut and pumpkin pie crumble, magically transformed into a rich buttery toffee brittle)

Preliminary notes: Smoky/woody gourmands are fantastic, and I LOVE toffee notes.

In bottle: I'm getting woods for sure, and some cinnamon and what smells like a tiny bit of citrus. No coconut, pumpkin, or toffee.

On skin: Definitely has cinnamon in it, as I'm amping it to hell and back. It's a dry cinnamon, like a cinnamon stick, and not candy-like at all. I'm also getting something nutty, but it's not the coconut. I don't get any pumpkin pie, toffee, or anything buttery when it's wet. It's just a dry, spicy cinnamon explosion. If I try really hard, I can kind of smell a bit of pumpkin pie and coconut about an hour in, but still no toffee. I don't get any smoldering woods either.

Verdict: 3.75 cinnamon factories out of 5. I like cinnamon, but I was hoping for more than a cinnamon single-note with this. Skin chemistry/scent perception sucks sometimes, and it's not a fault of the actual product.

Caramel Apple (Rich gooey buttery caramel and slightly spiced baked warm apples)

Preliminary notes: I didn't think I wanted to smell like caramel apples until I tried Fyrinnae's Autumn in Avalon, and now that it's discontinued (to my knowledge), I'd like to have a somewhat suitable replacement. I'm not looking for a dupe, but just something in the same vein.

In bottle: What it says on the tin, really. The apple note smells more like a Granny Smith than a red apple, which is gently spiced and baked. The caramel is fairly faint, but it's definitely there.

On skin: This is definitely a baked scent, as opposed to a cooled down caramel apple. The apple is nice and bright, the spices are subtle, and the caramel is very warm. It leans a smidge Christmas-y, but I'm okay with that. It kind of smells like there's some sort of crumble topping on it, which is really interesting.

Verdict: 4.5 apple desserts covered in caramel out of 5.

Pumpkin Batter (Toasty bread, pumpkin puree, warm Autumn spices, vanilla frosting, creamy caramel, juicy raisins)

Preliminary notes: So I realized after the fact, going off of the description, that this is more of a pumpkin bread scent than a pumpkin puree scent, but that's okay.

In bottle: Oh, that bread note is amazing. I get the spices and raisins as well, and something slightly plasticky again (*see below). I can smell the frosting as well, which smells photorealistic and delicious.

On skin: I mean, it smells like pumpkin bread with raisins in it. It's pretty straightforward, but it's delicious. The spices don't amp, fortunately. I get a bit of the frosting note, but it's mostly about the pumpkin bread.

Verdict: 5 loaves of pumpkin bread out of 5.

Twisted Carnival #2 (Buttery toffee crusted marshmallows and strawberry jam topped funnel cakes)

Preliminary notes: You know me and my affinity for carnival scents. The jam note gives me a bit of pause, but the rest sounds delightful.

In bottle: This is so well blended that my nose is having a hard time deciphering everything. I can for sure smell the strawberry jam, which does indeed smell like jam and not fresh strawberries (which is fine by me, as I don't really like fruity scents), and I can definitely smell the toffee. The funnel cake note is a bit shy here, but then again, the toffee and jam are STRONG, so I'm not surprised. Something about this kind of smells like apple pie or apple crumble.

On skin: Cinnamon. Nothing but cinnamon, which is 100% my skin chemistry, since I amp it. I get a slight doughy note underneath that, but the toffee, marshmallow, and jam are hidden by a very strong cinnamon sugar note. It does smell relatively carnival-y, like cinnamon sugar mini donuts, so I'm not mad about it. Once it's on the skin for 1-2 hours, the cinnamon backs off a bit, and the toffee finally has a chance to come out. This one goes through several interesting phases.

Verdict: 4 buckets of cinnamon sugar donuts out of 5.

Wicked Apple (Buttery toffee apple crunch with a wicked bend of amber)

Preliminary notes: Shocker, another caramel-adjacent apple scent. I didn't realize that most of these had butter or buttery notes until after I started drafting this review. I might like gourmands just a little bit.

In bottle: That apple note is potent, but it's fantastic. It does indeed smell like toffee apples. Very warm, very gooey.

*I realized while smelling this one that the weird plasticky undertone I was getting from some of these was actually the labels! They smell like plain candle wax, and I guess I was getting cross-scents from that.

On skin: The same apple note from Caramel Apple, but not baked this time. It's like 95% apple with a tiny bit of toffee and amber underneath it initially. It eventually calms down a bit, and more of the supporting notes come out. This is very heavy on the apple itself, which is a very crisp, tart apple note. Not quite a caramel apple scent, but close.

Verdict: 4 baskets full of apples out of 5. I was hoping for more toffee, but it does come out more once it dries down a bit. This will be fantastic during autumn next year.

Sleepy Hallow (Smoldering seasoned oakwood fires, warmed leather, roasted spiced pumpkin flesh, smoldering marshmallows)

Preliminary notes: I'm a huge fan of Deep Midnight's oakwood fire note, and while no two house's notes are the same, it gives me great hope for this one. I'm also a sucker for a good toasted marshmallow note.

In bottle: Oh, god yes. The oakwood fire note is perfection, and all of the other notes marry beautifully with it. The marshmallows actually smell toasted! Toasted marshmallow notes never smell toasted to me, so I'm counting that as a miracle. The leather is fairly soft and doesn't smell like a jacket or the interior of a car.

On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle, but warmer. It's just skirting the line of being a gourmand but never fully gets there. It's atmospheric for sure, and very appropriate for fall/Halloween. The wood note goes almost oud-y on me, which I'm not a fan of, but the marshmallow and pumpkin notes are fantastic. I also smell a bit of cinnamon in there.

Verdict: 4 fiery jack o'lanterns being thrown down a covered bridge out of 5.

Coconut Pumpkin Latte (Steamy, roasted coffee with creamy coconut milk, topped with sweet whipping cream, sprinkled with a touch of spice)

Preliminary notes: The note lineup kind of reminds me of Balefire Apothecary's Midnight Cackle, but I'm hoping this one is balanced a bit better.

In bottle: Okay, so Moona's coffee note is excellent. I get a bit of the coconut milk, whipped cream, and spices. I don't think there's an actual pumpkin note in this, so I'm assuming the spices are pumpkin pie spices. It's creamy, a bit spicy, and very coffee-heavy. DH is going to love this one.

On skin: A coffee scent that actually smells like coffee! This smells like a cup of dark roast coffee with a touch of coconut milk and some gentle spices. No pumpkin, but then again, pumpkin isn't listed as a note. This is delicious and cozy. Good throw and longevity. DH loves this one.

Verdict: 5 steaming cups of coconut-flavored coffee out of 5.

Where's My Pie (Pie crust, cinnamon, pumpkin, carrot, caramel, clove, nutmeg, pecan)

Preliminary notes: Carrot isn't a note I see a lot, so that's interesting. This kind of sounds like Thanksgiving.

In bottle: This is very interesting. On first sniff, I get the carrot, caramel, and something that smells like apples. I get a bit of the pecan and pumpkin if I try a bit harder, and something akin to lemon zest peeks out from underneath. I did not expect the carrot and pecan to be the strongest notes in this, but I'm not complaining. It smells delicious.

On skin: I still get that hidden apple note in there. This is delicious. Lots of spice, but also lots of pie fillings of all different varieties, and a bit of a buttery pastry note. It's very warm and cozy. Later in the drydown, this smells uncannily like pumpkin cookies smothered in cream cheese icing.

Verdict: 5 towering piles of pies out of 5.

Swirly Pop (Sweet orange EO, caramel, vanilla, spun sugar)

Preliminary notes: So my partner and I were watching DreamWorks Spooky Stories for the first time in mid-October, and one of the episodes featured a special candy called a Swirly Pop. I messaged Moona about it and asked if that was the inspiration for the scent, thinking it was a shot in the dark, but it turns out that assumption was correct. She had said she created the scent after watching that episode for the first time with her son years ago, which is really sweet. It made me that much more excited to have it arrive in the mail. I had no idea about that association until after I'd already ordered it.

In bottle: Orange candy. A LOT of orange candy, which makes perfect sense given the inspiration for the scent. It smells pretty much exactly how I'd assume a swirly pop from Spooky Stories would smell. I don't usually like fruity scents, but something about this one is very nostalgic. Orange suckers were my favorite kind growing up, and this is a dead ringer for them.

On skin: This was the first one in this batch that I tried on the skin, since they arrived on Halloween and it just seemed appropriate. First off, WOW, these pack a punch. The texture of the oil is very thin, and it absorbed almost instantly instead of taking a few minutes to soak in. When I was moving everything into the bedroom after the initial in-bottle impressions, I could smell this in a cloud around me.

In regard to the scent itself, it's virtually the same as in the bottle but the orange calms down a tiny bit and gives the other notes a chance to play. I can smell the caramel and spun sugar now, and they play off of the sweet orange in a very nostalgic, cheery way. I think I might have to wear this on days where I'm not feeling great mentally, because it instantly made me happy when I smelled it for the first time.

Verdict: 5 bags full of nostalgic orange candy out of 5. For someone who doesn't like fruity scents, I adore this so much. I'm so glad I tried it.

No Witches on a Crackling Fire! (A berry rich type of smoldering wood. A very realistic outdoor camping fire with that kind of sweet wet smolder in the damp morning woods)

Preliminary notes: I'm not super crazy about berry notes (save for blackberry), but smoky outdoorsy scents always get me. I'm hoping the berry note is fairly dark and not a raspberry or strawberry.

In bottle: "Realistic outdoor camping fire" is right. This is one of the most realistic campfire scents I've smelled. I don't get any fruity notes in the bottle. It's all burning wood, smoke, and a bit of damp air.

On skin: This leans a bit into BBQ territory, but I personally like intense smoke notes, so I'm not bothered by it. The berry note comes out a very small amount on the skin, but it's mostly smoke.

Verdict: 4 campfires out of 5.

Maple Kettle Corn (Vermont maple dousing freshly popped corn ending with a sugar crunch finish)

Preliminary notes: I mean.. do I even really need to say anything about this one?

In bottle: Yesss. All of the notes are present in the bottle, and there's a very slight fruitiness in there as well. It could just be part of the sugar crunch accord though, since it doesn't smell like any fruit in particular.

On skin: This is a weird one on my for the first minute or two. It smells almost minty, but the mintiness goes away fairly quickly. The maple is very strong, but I can smell the popcorn behind it, which is warm and heavenly. As it dries down, it smells like hot caramel corn, and the popcorn note strongly reminds me of the one from Alkemia's County Fair, which is one of my favorite carnival gourmands. It has very low throw compared to the other ones I'd skin tested at this point.

Verdict: 4 popcorn balls dripping in maple syrup out of 5.

Ghoul School Cupcakes (Moist caramelized vanilla cake, sweet coffee buttercream frosting, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, a touch of tonka and maple)

Preliminary notes: I have yet to try a vanilla cake note that actually smells like cake, so we'll see how this goes.

In bottle: The coffee buttercream comes off as almost savory upon first sniff, but everything gets sweeter the more I smell it. This is a pretty heavily-spiced cake scent.

On skin: I get the coffee buttercream for sure, and of course because there's cinnamon in this, I'm amping it and everything else disappears. After the cinnamon calms down, I get some of the maple and cake, which does smell relatively realistic. Later on, it's a caramelized cake scent with a tiny bit of maple. This is a very buttery, slightly spicy gourmand.

Verdict: 4.25 Halloween cakes smothered in coffee buttercream frosting out of 5.

Crone's Cottage (Smoking embers, delicious cakes and breads baking, hanging bushels of botanicals and herbs)

Preliminary notes: I've tried a few "witch's cottage" type scents over the years, but they've all been either too herbal or not foody enough for me. There's a very fine line between too much and too little for this concept, but I'm still tryin'.

In bottle: Ooo, okay. Right off the bat, this is already my favorite "witch's cottage" type of scent. Similarly-themed scents from other houses that I've tried have missed the mark for me, but this nails it on the head. The smoking embers smell like oakwood, and there's some savory baked goods dusted with soft herbs.

On skin: Pumpkin! Lots and lots of pumpkin puree. I smell something that almost smells like frankincense beneath that, which I'm assuming is some kind of lemony herb since there aren't any resins listed. I smell some cinnamon trying to eclipse everything, which it soon does for a brief moment. More of the herbs come out after a few minutes, and that lovely pumpkin puree note comes back. I don't get any bread or cake notes, but I am in love with that pumpkin note, so I'm not even mad at it. For me, this smells like lightly spiced pumpkin puree (aside from the cinnamon amping, which is just my skin), frankincense, and gentle herbs. I don't get any smoke or burning wood either.

Verdict: 4.5 jumbo cans of pumpkin puree out of 5. I could do without the cinnamon bonanza, but such is my general experience with it. After that calms down, this is lovely and delectable.

Haunted Home (Woods, herbs, resins, a touch of spice)

Preliminary notes: A scent that's inspired by the Haunted Mansion ride? Yes, please. I've never been to a Disney park, but I've always been fascinated by the Haunted Mansion.

In bottle: This is interesting. I get something lemony, which I'd wager is probably frankincense, given the description, followed by what smells like old wood (in a good way), and a bit of non-offensive lavender. It smells cold, and appropriately enough, haunting.

On skin: There is definitely, definitely lavender in this. It's not astringent or soapy though, so it's not bad. There's something that smells like pine needles or menthol (something camphorous) as well. It smells like a forest after a good snowfall shortly after application, which is not at all what I was expecting. There's something very slightly sweet underneath that, but I have no idea what it is, as the camphorous quality of whatever notes are in here overshadows it. I get something that smells similar to gingerbread briefly, and then more of the non-camphorous woods come out. I get a little bit of the resins after that stage, and then it just kind of disappears altogether.

Verdict: 3.75 wintry woodlands out of 5. I like this scent, but the longevity leaves a lot to be desired, which could just be my skin. Take that with a grain of salt.

Carnival of Illustrious Hearts (ultime) (French sugarcreams, candied orange blossom, raspberry cotton candy, rosewater torte filling, bourbon vanilla amber)

Preliminary notes: DH picked this out from a deathmatch list of potential wedding scents and said it sounded lovely. I've had my eye on it since it was first released, because it sounds like a cousin of County Fair, minus the fried food and apple notes.

In bottle: Rosy cotton candy with a bit of a citrus bite. This reminds me of something else, but I can't pin what it is. It's one of Alkemia's more mainstream-adjacent scents. It doesn't smell overly gourmand in the bottle.

On skin: This basically smells like All the Sins with the addition of citrus and jammy rose. That's pretty much it. Pink, very candy-like, and sweet.

Verdict: 3.75 candy overloads out of 5. I already have All the Sins (and County Fair, which it's also sort of similar to), so I don't know if I'm going to keep this. It's VERY girly as well, which isn't really my thing.

Auguries of Innocence (ultime) (White ambergris, fresh peaches, sweet clematis accord, orange jessamine, Mexican orange blossom, night-flowering jasmine, pale cashmere)

Preliminary notes: I've heard this described as "elegant peach ring candies," which I'm not super into, but I'm hoping the florals and other notes temper it enough that it's not just straight up candy.

In bottle: Spiced peaches! I don't know where the spice is coming from, but it's there. There are a lot of orange florals in there as well, but I can't pick any of them out specifically. This has an almost jammy quality to it.

On skin: Hm.. the spice is gone on the skin and replaced by soapiness. It's turned into peach-scented floral soap, which I'm not terribly fond of. The peach is also very artificial-smelling on the skin and smells kind of juvenile, like a peach-scented toy you'd give to a young child. Not really into this.

Verdict: 2 peach-shaped soaps out of 5. I had high hopes for this one, but I should know better than to go after fruity florals. They rarely work for me. Off to the destash box it goes.

Femme Sauvage (ultime) (Wild blackberries, voluptuous musk, randy dark patchouli, the warmth of come-hither ambers)

Preliminary notes: This was an upsize from a free sample from ages ago. I already know I love it. The extrait version lasted ages on my skin, so I can only imagine that the ultime is going to last well into a second day.

In bottle: The patchouli is very strong in the ultime version, at least in the bottle. This scent smells similar to several BPALs I've tried before, but I prefer Alkemia's fruit notes.

On skin: Very berry forward but also woodier than the extrait, in my experience. Still very sexy and witchy. I don't actually get any of the patchouli on the skin.

Verdict: 5 witches eating blackberries out of 5.

Amber Witch (Aged dark Arabian amber, honey musk, creamy bourbon caramels, spiced rum)

Preliminary notes: It's been a while since I've bought a rum scent! Mixing rum with caramel and honey just sounds so decadent and delicious.

In bottle: It's surprising to me that there isn't a patchouli note listed, because I swear it's there waaay in the background. Largely though, it's all about the honey musk and caramel. Maybe a tiny bit of rum.

On skin: Still shocked about there not being a patchouli note. I get something kind of bright on the skin, which I'm assuming is a combination of the honey and rum. It reminds me a bit of Caveau des Innocents mixed with Sweet Sorcery. Amber Witch is primarily slightly spiced caramel and a bit of a boozy edge (and hidden patchouli). It's very dry and a bit sweet. There's something a bit fennel-y peeking out from behind everything else as well.

As it dries, it smells remarkably like Caveau but a bit sweeter.

Verdict: 4.25 witches eating spiced caramels spiked with rum out of 5.

Dia de los Muertos (Spiced white cacao, vanilla orchids, confectionary sugar skulls, vetiver root, chrysanthemum, mandarin peel, ziricote wood)

Preliminary notes: Yesss. I have been waiting for Alkemia to either re-release or release a new Dia de los Muertos scent for years, and they finally did it. I'm very, very excited about this one.

In bottle: Another one that reminds me of something else that I can't pinpoint. Wait, no. It reminds me of Deep Midnight's Sweet Calavera, which I guess makes sense. This smells very fresh and airy in the bottle. I get the spiced white cacao, the vetiver, presumably the chrysanthemum, and something green. I quite like this.

On skin: I get the white cacao, some sort of floral note (at this point, I can't tell if it's the orchids, the chrysanthemums, or both since it's very well blended), and something cool and green. I do get sweetness as well, which I'm assuming is the sugar skull note. I don't get any of the mandarin peel, vetiver, or wood. The mandarin peel comes out a tiiiny bit a few hours in, but it's very faint. It still reminds me of Deep Midnight's Sweet Calavera, but this is drier and not quite as sweet.

Verdict: 4.5 skulls wearing flower crowns out of 5.

Kitten and the Falling Leaves (Soft, sleek fur romping through dried oak, beech, and maple leaves on a crisp autumn day)

Preliminary notes: So this scent has two descriptions: the original one above, and a more vague description that just mentions warm fur and leaves. I opted for the more descriptive one, because I'd like to actually know which kind of leaves are in there (not that I know what beech leaves smell like anyway, but still).

In bottle: Definitely woodland-y, and also slightly aquatic? I have no idea where that's coming from. I don't get fur or anything animalic from this at all. Instead, it smells like a culmination of forest tree leaves and maybe a bit of water. This, yet again, reminds me of something.

On skin: I think the aquatic aspect is coming from white amber, which might be part of the fur accord. It's got some sweetness to it. The leaves become ever so slightly camphorous upon close sniff, but mostly, it's just a really nice, slightly sweet autumnal leaf scent. It's elegant and refined, and brings to mind images of an elven queen wearing a white gown/robe, wandering through woodlands dotted with trees that have turned orange and yellow and are just about to shed their leaves. Not the kind of mental imagery I was expecting, but definitely not one that I'd complain about, either.

Verdict: 4.25 autumnal elf queens out of 5.

Cidre d'Automne (Freshly pressed varietal fall apples delicately blended with subtle autumnal spices)

Preliminary notes: Ah, yes. I've been wanting an apple cider scent for years and haven't found one that suits the mood yet.

In bottle: Yup, that's apple cider alright. The apple is nice and fresh and not overly artificial.

On skin: Largely the same, though there's a very slight waxy quality to it on the skin. I don't think this is my perfect apple cider scent (nothing has beaten SS's Riverside Hayride yet), but it is quite nice and spicy. "Subtle spices" is kind of inaccurate, at least on my skin. The spices are quite present.

Verdict: 2.75 spicy, slightly plasticky hot apple ciders out of 5. That weird waxy note stays throughout and kind of ruins this for me, unfortunately. I received a sample of Pi in the Sky in one of my orders this month (review coming soon), and I much prefer that for a spicy apple scent that doesn't go waxy/plasticky.

Dusk in Autumn (Amberwood, Lapsang Souchong tea, salted cream caramel, spiced teacakes)

Preliminary notes: This one has been on my radar since it came out, much like others in this review. I love tea notes, I love caramel notes, and I love bakery notes. This should be a hit.

In bottle: This is fairly faint in the bottle. I get something that smells a bit like apple spice and maybe a bit of cake.

On skin: This one is bizarre. I don't know what was going on, but I was borderline anosmic to it as soon as it hit the skin. Once it sat for a while, I could actually smell it. I get smoky, spicy caramel and maybe a tiny bit of tea as it melds with my skin. I will say, this probably has the most true-to-life caramel note out of all the Alkemia scents I've tried with caramel notes in them. It's delicious. It smells like eating soft, gently spiced cakes topped with a heavy caramel drizzle with small cups of tea on the side. The tea comes out more as the oil wears, so it becomes almost like a cup of tea with a spoonful of caramel in it.

Verdict: 4.75 autumnal tea parties out of 5. I'm hoping that weird pseudo-anosmia thing goes away once it ages a bit. Other than that, I adore this. It's a lovely, caramel-heavy autumnal gourmand.

Autumnalis (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, a touch of vetiver root)

Preliminary notes: My first review of Autumnalis was in 2018, and all I remember about it was that it was pretty soapy. I remember liking it a lot, though. I needed something to fill out the 3 for $45 extrait deal, and I figured I'd try this again and see how it fits my tastes now.

In bottle: Not nearly as soapy as I remember! It really is an olfactive picture of an autumn day in a forest clearing.

On skin: So while this is soapy, it's not the kind of soapy that I usually hate. It really does smell like sunbeams pouring through the trees in a forest during autumn. I don't get the fungi note, but I get just about everything else. It's lovely and comforting. If you like Feuillemort, you might like this if you can handle the soapy quality.

Verdict: 5 autumnal forests dappled with sunlight (and a few soap bubbles) out of 5. I loved this years ago, and I love it now. Sometimes smelling like soap isn't such a bad thing.

Smoke & Mirrors (Burning wood, Madagascar vanilla, tonka)

Preliminary notes: I already know I love this. This was just a repurchase of a very old bottle that's now past its prime, but I realized I'd never properly reviewed it before.

In bottle: I mean, what you see is what you get with this one. It's burning wood, smoke, and vanilla/tonka. It's fairly simple, but very effective and evocative of real bonfires.

On skin: Smoky, vanillic goodness. The last bottle of this that I had was more smoke-heavy, but it had also aged a few years, so I'm hoping the same happens with this. This new bottle is more woody, but the smokiness is still there.

Verdict: 5 vanilla-scented bonfires out of 5.

Calaveras de Azucar (Hauntingly sweet sugar skulls nestled against a backdrop of sugared white ambers)

Preliminary notes: This was a no-brainer. I love things centering around Dia de los Muertos, I love sweet scents, and I love Alkemia's white amber note.

In bottle: White amber, white amber, and more white amber. There's a dry sweetness underneath it, and maybe a tiiiiny bit of a smoky tinge.

On skin: The same white amber from Ghost Fire and The Magpie's Rhyme but with added sweetness and something that's a tiny bit sharp. The sharpness smells almost green, despite there not being any green notes listed. There's a very faint, almost spicy note in there as well.

Verdict: 4 sugar skulls out of 5. I'm curious to see how this one ages in regard to the surprise spice/green notes in there.

Trick or Treat (Black licorice, mandarin orange peel, caramelized brown sugar, bourbon vanilla, candied ginger, tonka bean, blonde patchouli, cedar tips, oakmoss, sandalwood)

Preliminary notes: So this was part of Alkemia's Halloween gift bag, and in looking at past notes, I apparently disliked it. I have no recollection of smelling it, so we'll see how my tastes have changed.

In bottle: Well, I can say right away that I don't understand why I didn't like this years ago (though I received my initial sample in a swap, and it was very obviously old, so it may have gone bad by that point). I get the patchouli and mandarin peel right off the bat, and maybe a touch of oakmoss. No licorice or anything sweet.

On skin: Okay, so. I either had a bad sample years ago, or my tastes have changed astronomically, because this is lovely. It's still mostly mandarin and patchouli, but I get some of the licorice and caramelized brown sugar as well. Something about it smells relatively mainstream, which isn't surprising for an Alkemia scent (which isn't a bad thing). The orange gives it a bit of a Christmas feel as well, which is something that DH had mentioned when he smelled it too. I'm not super into wearing citrus scents, but the mandarin peel note blends so well into the patchouli that it's actually kind of magical. Before I'm finished with the orange, it morphs into patchouli, which then morphs into something else. This is a very well-blended scent. It's a delightful, earthy, unisex fall-into-winter scent. I may have to get the ultime version in the future.

Verdict: 4.75 trick or treating excursions out of 5.

All Hallow's Eve Alchemy (Freshly toasted vanilla marshmallows, black licorice, candied fennel seeds, smoky caramel amber, brown sugar pralines, tonka, benzoin resin, copper distilled patchouli)

Preliminary notes: I have two of the previous All Hallow's Eve scents (2020 and 2021. I had 2019 at one point as well), and I'm curious to how this compares.

In bottle: This smells.. boozy? I don't get any sweet or smoky notes from this at all in the bottle, and I have no idea what smells like booze in here. I get a bit of the licorice/fennel if I try really hard, but mostly booze.

On skin: This is relatively heavy on the patchouli and licorice/fennel. I can make out a bit of the amber and maybe a tiny bit of the marshmallows, but this is in no way a marshmallow-forward scent. It's more similar to AHE 2021 than it is to 2020 but they're still very different. This one is smokier and spooky. Weirdly enough, this also kind of reminds me of Caveau des Innocents a little bit.

Verdict: 4 foreboding Halloween nights out of 5.

Comparison to All Hallow's Eve 2020 and 2021: 2020 is heavy on the bonfire and smoke notes for me. There's a bit of sweetness, but it's mostly a bonfire scent. 2021 is more about the sugary notes (specifically marshmallow) but still relatively smoky.

Holly and Ivy (Tonka, cashmere, balsam pine needles, sugarplums, clove-studded citrus pomanders, roasted apples and black figs, winter roses, anisette, burning bayberry candles, gentleman's pipe tobacco, soft suede)

Preliminary notes: I asked for this instead of September's monthly alchemy, since I don't like pear or quince notes.

In bottle: You know what I'm gonna say. This reminds me of something else, again. I think it's Woods on a Snowy Evening this time, which was my first ever Alkemia scent and is still one of my favorites. The pine needles are very aromatic, and I can't smell anything beneath them at all in the bottle, so it's basically Woods on a Snowy Evening Part 2 in there.

On skin: Basically Woods on a Snowy Evening Part 2 still. I get a very small amount of apple or some other fruit on the end of the inhale, but it's very pine-heavy, which I don't have a problem with. As it dries down, the pine backs off a bit, and some of the fruit notes come forward. I don't get any of the heavier notes, but the tobacco comes out a tiny, tiny bit once it's fully dried down. It also goes through a phase where it smells like berry-scented candles (which makes sense, though I don't know what bayberry smells like). This scent is quite a morpher.

Verdict: 4.25 Christmas trees out of 5. This is a really interesting scent, and I'm sure it'll get a lot of use during the holiday season.

No witty pre-review banter this time. It's too early.

As usual, favorites are denoted with an asterisk. Solstice Scents’ storefront can be found here. They also stock with Femme Fatale in Australia and Pretty Indulgent in Canada. Both stockists ship internationally, as does Solstice Scents. I've also linked every scent's Indie Scent Library page for the full descriptions.

Witch’s Cottage** (Warm Baked Goods, Dried Herbs, Sweet Annie, Soft Woods & Fragrant Hearth Smoke.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Sweet herbs, caramel, and woods. Not as sickeningly sweet as I was expecting.

On skin: The herbs become pretty cool and spa-like compared to how they are in the bottle, and the baked goods back off a little bit. This reminds me of something, but I’m not sure what it is, as is pretty customary with Solstice Scents. There’s something anise-like in there, which I’m assuming might be the Sweet Annie (I’ve never smelled it before, so I have no idea). More than anything else, the baked goods just add some sweetness to temper everything. They aren't really individually distinguishable.

Longevity: After a few hours, what I’m assuming is supposed to be woodsmoke comes out and gives the blend a bit of a burning plastic smell, which is pretty disappointing. It goes away within about an hour, but it’s tough to get through. Starts fading after about 4 hours, but lasted for over 8 hours.

Conjure Dark (Amber, Frankincense, Sweet Incense Smoke, Dried Rose Petals, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Woods, Oud, Vanilla.) Full description here.

In the bottle: This is strong. The frankincense, sandalwood, oud, and rose are the most prevalent, and it smells really natural. Definitely very witchy and a bit mysterious. It smells very similar to Alkemia’s Ambre Extrait to me.

On skin: Sandalwood and cough syrup. My skin chemistry ruined it. Damn. A scrubber, unfortunately.

Library*** (Leather Bound Books, A Carved Rosewood Mantle, Dying Fireplace Embers, Wood Wainscoting, Cedar Shelving and Aged Paper.) Full description here.

In the bottle: I hadn’t planned on ordering this since I had already purchased Gibbon’s Boarding School, plus I have Alkemia’s Book of Shadows, so I didn’t think I needed yet another bookish library scent. But, I had been watching The King’s Speech with my partner after fawning over Library for a while, and I thought it would kind of encapsulate what I would assume Logue’s office would smell like, so I promptly ordered it. In the bottle, the leather, cedar, and paper are the strongest players. I don’t smell anything smouldering or particularly dark, and there’s no incense, so it does differ from Book of Shadows and Gibbon’s Boarding School enough that it warrants having all of them. I get some lemony rosewood as well. This is beautiful and just what I was hoping for. It does remind me of Book of Shadows a little bit, but they’re by no means the same scent.

On skin: Lots and lots of leather, wood polish, a bit of paper, and a smouldering fireplace. This also completely changes on the skin, and no longer resembles Book of Shadows at all. It’s very woody and burnt smelling, but in a good way.

Longevity: After a few hours, everything settles into a kind of spiced wood scent, which is really nice. Lasted over 8 hours, and was still detectable after 10 hours.

Lace Draped Spectre*** (Vanilla Musk, Spicy Pink Carnation, Pink Pepper, Rose, White Musk.) Full description here.

In the bottle: I’m going to start off by saying I’m not a particularly feminine person. Most of my t-shirts have the sleeves cut off, I prefer Docs to high heels, and I really detest anything pink and frilly. Lace Draped Spectre sounded pretty girly to me, so I was a bit leery of it. I really love how carnations smell though, so I wanted to at least try it. While it’s definitely feminine, it’s also spooky and haunting, which is my jam, and one of the few contexts in which I like “girly” things. The combination of notes is to die for. It’s floral, slightly spicy, vanillic, and a bit musky. If the ghost of a Victorian lady haunting a ballroom had a scent, this is it. I like this a lot more than I expected to.

On skin: The carnation and rose come out more on the skin, so the whole blend becomes even more floral than it was in the bottle. I still really love this. Lace Draped Spectre is probably the most realistic carnation scent I’ve tried. Everything else has been heavily spice-laden or really synthetic smelling, but this is just like smelling fresh carnations with some vanilla and other soft notes along with it. Beautiful.

Longevity: Fades pretty significantly after about 6 or 7 hours, but lasted for over 10 hours.

Outpost* (Sugar Crystals, Spruce, Fir, Patchouli, Soft Woods, Bayberry, Mistletoe, Amber.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Oh, man. Sugared spruce scents are the best, and this is no exception. Frozen fir and spruce dusted with sugar crystals, a bit of wood, and mistletoe. I’m a huge pine/fir/spruce fiend, and I’m very excited to see how this performs on the skin. I have high hopes.

On skin: Warm woods, fir, spruce, sugar, and other festive holiday notes. It’s definitely warmer on the skin than it is in the bottle. It reminds me of something, but I’m not sure what.

Longevity: Faded pretty significantly after about 4-5 hours, and was barely detectable after 6 hours.

Manor** (Woody-Vanilla Musk, Vanilla & Agarwood.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Definitely woody, and definitely vanillic. The oud is there, but is very well blended with the other wood notes. This is what I expected Loggia to smell like. Overall, this is a pretty simple but effective blend.

On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle. Warm, vanillic woods. There really isn’t much to say about this one. I do suspect that there’s some guaiac wood in here as well, as I get a bit of that tarry, dry scent that guaiac wood has. Basically, it kind of smells like vanilla and dry firewood, which is really nice. I can definitely see why this is a fan favorite.

Longevity: This stayed the same pretty much the entire time I was wearing it. It lasted for over 8 hours.

Camp Willow (Campfire, Fir Balsam, Spruce, Pine Needles, Black Coffee, Vanilla Pipe Tobacco, Marshmallow & Bourbon.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Toasted marshmallows, campfire, a bit of coffee, tobacco, and booze. I get no pine notes at all in the bottle. It’s all just warm, smoky campfire-after-dark notes with a very slight gourmand edge.

On skin: Virtually the same as in the bottle. There’s an undercurrent of burning plastic as well, which isn’t my favorite. I don’t know what I was expecting from this, but it missed the mark for me.

Longevity: Started fading pretty significantly after 5-6 hours and was gone after about 7 hours.

First Solstice Scents review, ahoy! Somehow, literally everything I tried in this batch was a massive hit for me, which very seldom happens. Witchcraft!

As usual, favorites are denoted with an asterisk. Solstice Scents’ storefront can be found here. They also stock with Femme Fatale in Australia and Pretty Indulgent in Canada. Both stockists ship internationally, as does Solstice Scents. I've also linked every scent's Indie Scent Library page for the full descriptions.

Smokewood Apiary***(Smoked Honey, Creamed Honey, Beeswax, Amber, Wooden Frames, Ginger & Vanilla.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Lots of honey, beeswax (yay!), and a tiny bit of amber and ginger.

On skin: Dripping honey, chewy beeswax, a little bit of wood, and a little bit of spice. I don’t get much smoke, if any, until an hour or two after application. I wanted to try this in hopes that it’d be super beeswax heavy, and it definitely is! Overall, it’s a pretty soft scent.

Longevity: Still detectable after 6-7 hours.

During the Rain*** (Petrichor, soaked Earth, limestone, loam, clay and wet concrete.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Wet dirt and stone. Reminds me of earthworms, which is really nice.

On skin: Largely the same, but the stone is sweetened a little bit by something else. I don’t know if this reminds me of petrichor and rain as much as it reminds me of cemeteries. Actually, this kind of smells like a cemetery after it’s rained, which is perfect.

Longevity: Lasted for 7-8 hours.

Halloween Night*** (Sweet Candy Corn, Chocolate Candy Wrappers, Melty Gooey Marshmallows, Sticky Caramels & Black Jelly Beans.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Licorice, candy corn, caramel, and chocolate. Definitely evocative of Halloween candy.

On skin: Virtually the same. The licorice candy is definitely the star of the show here. It’s worth noting that I’m not a fan of licorice at all, regarding both the taste and the scent. I’ve had scents featuring licorice that I’ve liked before, however, and Halloween Night definitely falls into that category as well. I’m also heavily biased, because anything that involves Halloween, especially Halloween-related nostalgia, sends my heart aflutter. This kind of reminds me of bulk candy bins more than Halloween, but I really enjoy it regardless.

Longevity: After an hour or so, the licorice mellows out a little bit and it becomes predominantly caramel, marshmallow, chocolate, and candy corn. This part is definitely more evocative of Halloween than the initial scent upon application. In the drydown after the licorice disappears, it reminds me of Alkemia’s Sweet Sorcery a little bit, which is one of my favorite autumnal gourmands. They’re both like bottled childhood Halloween nostalgia. Had about 6 hours of good wear, but was still detectable after 9 hours.

Foxcroft Fairgrounds*** (Cotton Candy, Cream Soda, Vanilla Taffy, Gridling’s Funnel Cakes, Powdered Sugar, Crisp Fall Air, Woodsmoke & a Tendril of Incense.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Something sweet and berry-like, incense, and something a bit dirty.

On skin: Virtually the same, if not a bit dirtier. I’m assuming the berry-like note I’m getting is a combination of the cotton candy, cream soda, and taffy. I don’t get the funnel cakes or powdered sugar at all, so my initial thought that this may be like Alkemia’s County Fair was quickly put to rest. This is sweet, woody, smoky, dirty, a little spooky, and definitely atmospheric, which is exactly what I was hoping for. Love this.

Longevity: Becomes very close to the skin after about an hour, which is also when the funnel cake note comes out. By the 3-hour mark, it’s very faint. I was kind of expecting this one to be longer lived, but it’s possible that it needs more rest. Throughout the whole thing, and especially during the sweet smoke and incense phase of the drydown, I’m still getting some sort of berry note. Lasted about 3-4 hours total, but was still very, very faintly detectable after 9 hours.

Jack & the Devil*** (A blend of sugared golden pumpkin, spices, oakmoss, sweet vanilla, aged patchouli essential oil and dried brown tobacco leaf.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Spiced pumpkin, patchouli, vanilla, and a bit of tobacco. Very warm.

On skin: The spiced pumpkin and vanilla are definitely the strongest on the skin. I get very little patchouli or anything else. It’s kind of like a grown up, creamy, dark pumpkin gourmand, which is what I was hoping for. The pumpkin is nice and spicy, but it’s not a pumpkin spice scent, if that makes any sense. This will be perfect for autumn, though I tend to wear autumnal scents year round regardless. This scent is really well-blended.

Longevity: This was probably most potent during the first 6 hours, but I can still smell it pretty strongly after 9 hours. It’s mellowed, of course, but it’s still there. I could also smell it after 10 hours, a hand wash, and through unscented moisturizer.

Inquisitor*** (A Dark Resinous Blend of Leather, Labdanum, Beeswax, Frankincense, Benzoin, Palo Santo, Vetiver & Fire.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Resinous, a bit sharp, and very foreboding. Reminds me of churches a bit.

On skin: The leather, resins, and something slightly sweet are very strong upon initial application. I wasn’t expecting this to be quite as spooky and intimidating as it is, and I love it. I had read various reviews about getting a root beer note in there, but I don’t get that at all. It’s mostly just leather and burning resins/wood. It’s very commanding and smoky. It reminds me of something, but I can’t put my finger on what it is.

Longevity: After about half an hour, the leather calms down a bit, and there’s a very faint impression of beeswax. It’s still got that burning feel from the resins and wood. After about two hours, the beeswax and amber come out a bit more and soften everything. The blend takes on a more “perfume-y” tone at this point. After about 5-6 hours, Inquisitor becomes a little dusty and sweeter. Lasted for 8-9 hours.

Winslow’s*** (Rows of Christmas Trees, Clove Studded Oranges, Bayberry Tapers, Handcrafted Wreaths & Mistletoe.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Looots of pine, clove, a bit of orange, and holiday greenery. I love this.

On skin: Largely the same, though the clove and orange are a bit stronger than the pine upon application. This is like the Christmas season in a bottle. As usual, this scent is very well-blended.

Longevity: Becomes pretty subtle after about 2 hours, unfortunately. Still detectable after 8 hours, but very faint. Mostly clove, orange, and a bit of pine at this point.

Foxcroft*** (Decaying Leaves, Rich Black Soil, Dry Leaves, Fall Air, Woods, Chimney Smoke.) Full description here.

In the bottle: Just what it says on the tin. It’s really remarkable that SS managed to somehow capture the essence of autumn and bottle it. All of the notes are detectable in the bottle.

On skin: Primarily leaves and dirt, and something that resembles fungi a little bit. There’s also something sweet and fresh in there. Very reminiscent of an autumn forest. This actually smells a lot like our local pumpkin patch does in October.

Longevity: As time wears on, the sweetness that was there on initial application tends to get amplified a little bit, but not in a gourmand way or anything. Still very much autumn personified. It gets a little bit soapy after 5-6 hours, and then changes to a tree and dirt scent after 7 hours. I don’t think I’ve ever had a fragrance that morphs this much, especially in the later phases. It’s fascinating. Lasted for over 9 hours.

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.