A bunch of quick reviews, because I'm too busy to be my normal verbose self (at least, for some of these scents!). This week's focus is indie fragrance oils, with a couple rose-focused niche perfumes thrown in for good measure.
Solstice Scents Manor* perfume oil (woody-vanilla musk, vanilla, oud x2): Delicious vanilla-woods-oud, impressive longevity, gorgeous scent, I adore. I have a sizable order planned from Solstice Scents for next month! (I'm hoping to be able to take the last couple weeks of this month reacquainting myself with my [frighteningly large] sample collection.)
Amouage Epic Woman (Oriental Floral: caraway, pink pepper, cinnamon, rose, geranium, jasmine, tea, amber, vanilla, incense, orris root, patchouli, oud): The last Amouage female scent available at Aedes I had left to try! This is a rose oud, and a very opulent one at that. I'm pretty terrible at describing Amouage scents, because they always have so much going on, but basically, it starts out being quite rose-heavy, but it's the sharp kind of rose I don't get along with well. Then it segues into a rose-oud balance, which is quite nice and reminds me of By Kilian Rose Oud, L'Artisan Safran Troublant, and the like, before becoming pretty much pure oud, with that slight acridity that oud sometimes has. I've only worn it the one time, and that only dabbed, so we'll see how I feel when it's sprayed, but at this point I prefer Amouage's other rose-centric perfume, Lyric, not to mention Rose Oud/Safran Troublant. Memoir Woman is the only Amouage that I really, really like, but I (sadly? or happily, given how expensive they are?) don't think I love any of them at this point. Yet more evidence that I am not a true perfumista! *sob*
Solstice Scents Amber Rose Petals* perfume oil (discontinued, it seems):
Notes from first wearing: Rose! Softened by amber, but still very present, with a bit of citrus bite. I prefer Safran Troublant/Lyric/Rose Oud, but this is far cheaper and definitely better than rose soliflores on me, which still smell off to me. It also becomes more oriental over time, and therefore I like it more and more.
Notes from second wearing: Okay, still get the oriental rose, but I'm also smelling something...plastic? Rubber? I don't know, but it's jarring. (ETA: I suspect my nose may have had something wonky going on with it, because Annick Goutal Songes and Sonoma Scent Champagne de Bois both had similarly unsettling undertones, which hasn't been the case before.)
Sweet Anthem Margaret* solid perfume (discontinued): Rose and green floral. I like it more than I expected to, since green florals are not my thing, but this one's very nicely constructed and balanced, with the rose and green powderiness complementing each other well. It had really impressive longevity, too! Will need to place a Sweet Anthem order at some point, too––though at $5/sample, it's almost as much as Tauer perfumes!
Haus of Gloi Twice is Nice* perfume oil (sugar cookie, coconut, almond): Coconut macaroon! Including slightly burnt nutty flavor.
Annick Goutal Songes (Oriental Floral: frangipani, jasmine, tiare, vanilla, ylang-ylang): Jasmine, which to me smells extremely similar to tuberose and I'm honestly not sure I could tell them apart, and vanilla/amber/sandalwood. It's a really nice oriental floral, but it had the weird plasticky-ness to it which I did not enjoy. Fingers crossed that it's better the next time I wear it!
Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs Tamora* perfume oil (Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom, vanilla bean): FRUIT. BERRIES. I don't care if they're not listed in the notes, THEY ARE THERE. But I like it after a couple hours, once the super fruitiness has faded some. Must wear again!
Comme des Garçons 3 (Chypre Floral: basil, mandarin, blackcurrant, magnolia, everlasting flower, angelica, cedar, birch, sandalwood): Basil, supposedly, which becomes more evident with time. Initially (like, the first 4 hours) it smelled mostly fresh green herby to me, which is certainly not a bad thing, but it didn't smell like basil, which has a bit of sweetness and complexity that 3 was lacking (also, why the heck is it classified as a chypre floral?!). In the drydown it smelled more like basil, though unfortunately not a vivid real basil. I would like to wear again, sprayed this time, so I'll let y'all know how that goes.
Diptyque L'Ombre dans L'Eau (Floral: blackcurrant leaf, rose, blackcurrant, bergamot, mandarin orange, musk, ambergris): GRAPEFRUIT. Is not one of the notes, but that is what the opening smells like to me. Grapefruit and green. It's very appealing! I'm sure it's actually the blackcurrant leaf, but as I've never smelled blackcurrant leaf, my brain is interpreting it as somehow being grapefruit. Can't complain! That gradually fades and the rose becomes more evident, but it's very much a soft, muted rose––not powdery, not citrusy, just pale. It's really, really pretty. This one gets definite approval from me!
Serge Lutens Bois de Violette (Woody Floral Musk: violet, violet leaf, cedar): Sprayed this one one night before bed. Confirms that, while I like woody scents, I prefer woods besides cedar. It's pretty, and the candied violet nature is interesting (though a bit sweet for my taste, surprise), but I find cedar to just not quite fit me, at least when it's a fragrance's focal point.
Kate Walsh Boyfriend (Floral Woody Musk: myrrh, amber, woods, musk, plum, jasmine): L really likes this scent, and it smells lovely on her, but I found it to be a bit too sweet on me. It's a decent vanilla oriental, though, and it's not nearly as sweet or screechy as most on the market. Feminine Things did a really interesting critique of the marketing of Boyfriend, which has definitely influenced my opinion of the scent. (I'm very inspired by Diana and her analytical posts, but I've not yet written one of my own I feel is non-ranty enough to post. Someday, though! I'll be sure to include a disclaimer, in case any of you don't want to read feminist rambles.)
I apparently got Sonoma Scent Forest Walk on my sheets at some point this week, too, because I happened to be laying in the right place last night and bathed in the olfactory happiness of that scent. Now I kind of just want to spray my sheets with perfume all the time! And also buy a travel atomizer of Forest Walk, because sure, I have a bajillion perfumes, but I love love love Forest Walk.
And that's pretty much it for this week. Though I would be remiss to end this post without noting that
Today, the rain started.
Let us all take a moment of silence in remembrance of sunshine, and weep for the loss of sun-doused swatches. Time to bring out the rain jacket, put away the holos, and remind ourselves that even though the sun is gone, it is not forgotten. (Okay, I'm being a little melodramatic, but guys, I don't want the rain!)
Solstice Scents Manor* perfume oil (woody-vanilla musk, vanilla, oud x2): Delicious vanilla-woods-oud, impressive longevity, gorgeous scent, I adore. I have a sizable order planned from Solstice Scents for next month! (I'm hoping to be able to take the last couple weeks of this month reacquainting myself with my [frighteningly large] sample collection.)
Amouage Epic Woman (Oriental Floral: caraway, pink pepper, cinnamon, rose, geranium, jasmine, tea, amber, vanilla, incense, orris root, patchouli, oud): The last Amouage female scent available at Aedes I had left to try! This is a rose oud, and a very opulent one at that. I'm pretty terrible at describing Amouage scents, because they always have so much going on, but basically, it starts out being quite rose-heavy, but it's the sharp kind of rose I don't get along with well. Then it segues into a rose-oud balance, which is quite nice and reminds me of By Kilian Rose Oud, L'Artisan Safran Troublant, and the like, before becoming pretty much pure oud, with that slight acridity that oud sometimes has. I've only worn it the one time, and that only dabbed, so we'll see how I feel when it's sprayed, but at this point I prefer Amouage's other rose-centric perfume, Lyric, not to mention Rose Oud/Safran Troublant. Memoir Woman is the only Amouage that I really, really like, but I (sadly? or happily, given how expensive they are?) don't think I love any of them at this point. Yet more evidence that I am not a true perfumista! *sob*
Solstice Scents Amber Rose Petals* perfume oil (discontinued, it seems):
Notes from first wearing: Rose! Softened by amber, but still very present, with a bit of citrus bite. I prefer Safran Troublant/Lyric/Rose Oud, but this is far cheaper and definitely better than rose soliflores on me, which still smell off to me. It also becomes more oriental over time, and therefore I like it more and more.
Notes from second wearing: Okay, still get the oriental rose, but I'm also smelling something...plastic? Rubber? I don't know, but it's jarring. (ETA: I suspect my nose may have had something wonky going on with it, because Annick Goutal Songes and Sonoma Scent Champagne de Bois both had similarly unsettling undertones, which hasn't been the case before.)
Sweet Anthem Margaret* solid perfume (discontinued): Rose and green floral. I like it more than I expected to, since green florals are not my thing, but this one's very nicely constructed and balanced, with the rose and green powderiness complementing each other well. It had really impressive longevity, too! Will need to place a Sweet Anthem order at some point, too––though at $5/sample, it's almost as much as Tauer perfumes!
Haus of Gloi Twice is Nice* perfume oil (sugar cookie, coconut, almond): Coconut macaroon! Including slightly burnt nutty flavor.
Annick Goutal Songes (Oriental Floral: frangipani, jasmine, tiare, vanilla, ylang-ylang): Jasmine, which to me smells extremely similar to tuberose and I'm honestly not sure I could tell them apart, and vanilla/amber/sandalwood. It's a really nice oriental floral, but it had the weird plasticky-ness to it which I did not enjoy. Fingers crossed that it's better the next time I wear it!
Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs Tamora* perfume oil (Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom, vanilla bean): FRUIT. BERRIES. I don't care if they're not listed in the notes, THEY ARE THERE. But I like it after a couple hours, once the super fruitiness has faded some. Must wear again!
Comme des Garçons 3 (Chypre Floral: basil, mandarin, blackcurrant, magnolia, everlasting flower, angelica, cedar, birch, sandalwood): Basil, supposedly, which becomes more evident with time. Initially (like, the first 4 hours) it smelled mostly fresh green herby to me, which is certainly not a bad thing, but it didn't smell like basil, which has a bit of sweetness and complexity that 3 was lacking (also, why the heck is it classified as a chypre floral?!). In the drydown it smelled more like basil, though unfortunately not a vivid real basil. I would like to wear again, sprayed this time, so I'll let y'all know how that goes.
Diptyque L'Ombre dans L'Eau (Floral: blackcurrant leaf, rose, blackcurrant, bergamot, mandarin orange, musk, ambergris): GRAPEFRUIT. Is not one of the notes, but that is what the opening smells like to me. Grapefruit and green. It's very appealing! I'm sure it's actually the blackcurrant leaf, but as I've never smelled blackcurrant leaf, my brain is interpreting it as somehow being grapefruit. Can't complain! That gradually fades and the rose becomes more evident, but it's very much a soft, muted rose––not powdery, not citrusy, just pale. It's really, really pretty. This one gets definite approval from me!
Serge Lutens Bois de Violette (Woody Floral Musk: violet, violet leaf, cedar): Sprayed this one one night before bed. Confirms that, while I like woody scents, I prefer woods besides cedar. It's pretty, and the candied violet nature is interesting (though a bit sweet for my taste, surprise), but I find cedar to just not quite fit me, at least when it's a fragrance's focal point.
Kate Walsh Boyfriend (Floral Woody Musk: myrrh, amber, woods, musk, plum, jasmine): L really likes this scent, and it smells lovely on her, but I found it to be a bit too sweet on me. It's a decent vanilla oriental, though, and it's not nearly as sweet or screechy as most on the market. Feminine Things did a really interesting critique of the marketing of Boyfriend, which has definitely influenced my opinion of the scent. (I'm very inspired by Diana and her analytical posts, but I've not yet written one of my own I feel is non-ranty enough to post. Someday, though! I'll be sure to include a disclaimer, in case any of you don't want to read feminist rambles.)
I apparently got Sonoma Scent Forest Walk on my sheets at some point this week, too, because I happened to be laying in the right place last night and bathed in the olfactory happiness of that scent. Now I kind of just want to spray my sheets with perfume all the time! And also buy a travel atomizer of Forest Walk, because sure, I have a bajillion perfumes, but I love love love Forest Walk.
And that's pretty much it for this week. Though I would be remiss to end this post without noting that
Today, the rain started.
Let us all take a moment of silence in remembrance of sunshine, and weep for the loss of sun-doused swatches. Time to bring out the rain jacket, put away the holos, and remind ourselves that even though the sun is gone, it is not forgotten. (Okay, I'm being a little melodramatic, but guys, I don't want the rain!)
