Cocoa Pink Caramelized Pears Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: Heated crimson D'anjou pears smothered with gobs of melted caramel and sprinkled with natural dark brown sugar.

First impression out of bottle: Fruity sugar

Freshly applied: Juicy pear with brown sugar

Drydown: The pears are a lot more buttery now, like they're perched on top of a shortbread crust. Less juicy than in the opening. This smells more like cream infused with pears, rather than cooked pears by themselves. I've noticed with many indie fragrances that it's hard to get pear right (even harder than apple!)

After several hours: The buttery sweetness is the most prominent note. It smells a bit like buttered toast, but sweeter. Then on top is a very thin layer of pear jam. I like this for a lightly fruity gourmand. Reminds me of Possets Perkin- The Cook's Tale. I actually like the fruitiness here and it's more apparent than it was on the initial drydown but it's not...100% pear. Maybe like pear mixed with berry.

Smells like pear-berry jam on buttered toast

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Low-medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think this would be a disappointment to someone who wanted a super strong pear smell. It's not POW pear, it's more subtle. If you like fruity scents in general, this is a really cute flirty one. 

Would an [X] hater love this? Pear haters probably won't even recognize this as pear. If you hate fruit notes in general, this won't be one that changes your mind. Try something a little more complex with more vanilla/wood.

Where am I? Eating toast with jam while wearing cozy socks during Christmas vacation. My mom used to always have really fun different jams around the house and this takes me back to her making me toast. Toast always tastes better when moms make it.

Where would I wear this? Definitely daytime scent, good for winter for the cozy nostalgia, but the fruitiness makes it good for warm weather too. This was a surprise hit. At first I was unhappy with the subtle pear but it turned into something really fun and toothsome.

Cocoa Pink Winchester House Kitchen Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: The distinct aroma of autumn in the Winchester house kitchen with notes of aged oak, fresh baked pumpkin pie, 5 fold orange essential oil coated in the warm essence of light muscovado sugar, fresh ginger, sticky gobs of benzoin, warm buttery caramel simmering on the stovetop and just the barest hint of clove.

First impression out of bottle: Crystallized ginger

Freshly applied: Whoa knock you down crystallized sweet ginger mixed with fresh citrusy ginger. 

Drydown: There's a hint of oak playing around with the ginger scent. This is such a fresh and zesty scent- it makes me think of an Asian spa, not a warm haunted kitchen. I can sort of smell the sugary bits trying to get out, but it's still overwhelmingly a fresh ginger scent. I think the orange essential oil is helping that zestiness be at the forefront. 

After several hours: Mostly wood now with some hints of ginger. I honestly never smell any of the other dessert scents.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Fresh ginger lovers need this- it's not your powdered spice cabinet ginger.

Would an [X] hater love this? Ginger haters will despise this, and citrus haters too. 

Where am I? Smells like you used ginger-based organic room cleaner to clean out an old wooden house. The smell of ginger kind of lingers in a pleasant, clean way but isn't overpowering. 

Where would I wear this? Daytime, to clean the house, work, a brisk fall day that's not too cold yet.

Solstice Scents Buttered Rum Mallow

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: Winter Limited Edition (recurring)
Notes: Rum, Marshmallow, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Clove, Butter, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Brown Sugar & All Spice

First impression out of bottle: Sharp buttery caramel, a little like butterscotch

Freshly applied: Spicy and boozy caramel

Dark rich caramel

Drydown: This smooths out when it dries down. What was a slightly sharp, almost cat piss-y screaming sweet note is now decadent burnt caramel. It smells like caramel that was cooked a touch too long, swirled with deep spiced rum, and dropped onto a mount of vanilla ice cream.

Dark caramel over smooth vanilla ice cream

After several hours: The most prominent note is a voluptuous, crazy beautiful marshmallow vanilla cream note. Smells like ice cream, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla all swirled together. A teensy bit of caramel sauce is left, but not as much as before. Still boozy, but maybe slightly less, like all the alcohol has burned off. Still very deep and spicy.

Longevity: AMAZING longevity, I washed my hands multiple times throughout the day after applying the teensiest dab of this around 11 am, and it was still VERY apparent late into the night.
Sillage: VERY HIGH. Oh god how I love the throw on this perfume. A guy on the street smelled it on me from a yard away, no lie, and complimented the scent. He thought I had some delicious baked goods in my car.

Would an [X] lover love this? A gourmand lover would be all over this. It's spicy and rich, and sweet. Not at all generic.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think a gourmand hater would be overwhelmed by this. In fact I hated it when I first bought it a few years ago, as it was too strong. Now that I embrace the sugar and spice and everything nice, I love it to bits.

Where am I? In a candy factory, brewing up some special Autumn/Winter treats

Where would I wear this? Duh everywhere. I wore it to work today, and I'd certainly wear it for a night out. I'd definitely wear this to a party/around a lot of people because I'm a shameless whore for compliments, and I'd get a kick out of people sniffing me and telling me how nice I smell all night.