What's That Smell? HELIOTROPE

In the "What's That Smell?" series,  I'll explain some of the less obvious perfume notes that crop up in many indie perfumes. Keep in mind my descriptions and comparisons are based on my own experiences and your impressions may not be the same. Perfume notes are NOT ingredients. They can be natural essences, artificial isolated compounds that imitate the natural substance, blended accords, or a combination. Therefore, the note you like in one perfume may be unrecognizable in another. As with all sensory, subjective things, your mileage may vary.

Heliotrope is an odd duck, because while it's a flower, the scent is more like food. To be exact, heliotrope smells like fluffy, powdery almond mixed with syrupy cherries. There's almost a vanilla sweetness there at times. Imagine a flower that smells like cherry pie topped with almonds and marzipan. Hungry yet? Not all heliotrope notes smell like all of these things. Cherries and almonds are a classic scent combo because they share some scent characteristics (a certain sharp "high" fruity note is common to both) so in real life, a heliotrope bush may smell lighter, more like vanilla, more almondy, etc, depending. Heliotrope as a note has a very distinctive smell that does well in sweet, strong floral blends. It's can be adapted to suit aquatic or fresh/green formulations in small quantities.

Perfumes featuring heliotrope:

NAVA Ariadne: Definitely supposed to be a "soliflore" type of perfume highlighting the brazen and unusual heliotrope qualities. This smells like baking with almond extract and canned red cherries. Very sweet, a bit tart and red, and syrupy smooth.

Comparison Post: Cocoa Pink Strawberry Noel vs. Vampire's Lament

In comparison posts, I compare indie scents with similar notes lists. This allows me to cull my collection so that I have no repeats, and it may also be helpful for other people to decide which sounds most appealing.

The Contestants: 

Cocoa Pink Strawberry Noel (A perfectly balanced fresh strawberry that smells like real berries (not plasticy bubblegum strawberry), blended with VBN.)

Cocoa Pink Vampire's Lament (Luscious strawberry milkshake essence spiked with white amber, metallic white musk then finished off with a splash of creamy vanilla.)

How do they stack up? Strawberry Noel is very sweet, fruity in a fresh way, and a bit simple. It smells like you infused vanilla whipped cream with the essence of fresh macerated strawberries. Vampire's Lament smells exactly like strawberry ICE CREAM, which is missing from SN. It has a cold, creamy smell that is just exquisite. Less of a vanilla bean scent than in SN. VL also has a lot of musk and amber, which lend a more perfumey feel and make it feel a lot more sophisticated. SN is more of the type of scent a younger girl would favor, or maybe a good scent for a shampoo or bath product. It's very pretty, not synthetic or cheap-smelling, but less elegant. 

How similar are they? Not very similar at all! Besides having the basic foodie/berry notes in common, one smells like a lovely simple fruity lotion, and the other smells like a sort of sexy fruity, grown-up perfume. The strawberry in both is nice, but the strawberry in SN is very fresh, and the strawberry in VL is more like the flavor of strawberry ice cream.

Sillage: I have both in Cocoa Pink's EDP format, which is very high in sillage. Equally good.

Longevity: Ditto for above. Love Cocoa Pink's EDPs, they last forever.

Destashing any?: If I were to destash one, it would be Strawberry Noel. I like it enough to keep it for now, but I might destash if it gets no love come spring. I would definitely repurchase this in a hair or body product, though, as I feel it would be well-suited to that format. I do prefer Vampire's Lament as it's more sophisticated. 

Cocoa Pink Twinkies Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: A wonderful rich pound cake with loaded with heavy cream.

First impression out of bottle: Buttercream

Freshly applied: Cheap buttercream frosting

Drydown: Generic sweetness. Less cheap-smelling than at first but not special or expensive-smelling. 

After several hours: Same

Longevity: High
Sillage: Low Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think a gourmand lover would find this to be uninteresting and for me, it doesn't compete with other great gourmands (from Cocoa Pink and other brands.)

Would an [X] hater love this? No this isn't going to convert a gourmand hater.

Where am I? Eating cheap gas station versions of Twinkies, not the real thing.

Where would I wear this? I wouldn't.

Cocoa Pink Medieval Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Fall/Winter (N/A Spring/Summer)
Notes: Raw sugar crystals, white rum, sweet fennel and orange blossom met with dark exotic myrrh.

First impression out of bottle: Rum, orange, and herbs.

Freshly applied: Powdery resiny myrrh and rum.

Drydown: Mmm the herby fennel really pops out here. I think the orange I smelled before was orange blossom mixed with fennel and making me think of an orange-fennel salad my friend once made. This is fresh, herbal, and sweet in a surprising, vegetal way. I like the combo of food-sweet from the sugar crystals and the earthy sweetness from the myrrh. Weirdly, and maybe again it's the scent association, but it almost smells savory like herbs in olive oil dressing.

Yummy fennel salad

After several hours: This loses some of its complexity and becomes more straight fresh/sweet.

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Low Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think if you like licorice, anise, and fennel notes then this would be an unexpected twist. It smells like...salad...but also kind of sexy and earthy.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think if you hate herbs/fennel especially you will hate this. It's very unromantic, and honestly 

Where am I? Eating fennel orange salad at a summer party.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, summertime, springtime.

Cocoa Pink Bavarian Coconut Cake Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Rich creamy custard cake sprinkled with toasted coconut. 

First impression out of bottle: Sweet coconut

Freshly applied: Sickly sweet caramel coconut with butter

Drydown: Still a bit sickly, butter cake with coconut. Has kind of a rancid butter smell. 

After several hours: Same as drydown. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium high

Would an [X] lover love this? I'm a gourmand lover and a coconut lover and I'm not a fan. I think Cocoa Pink can do milk/cream notes well, but the custard in this smells like scalded milk to me. Unpleasant. If you want to give it a try, I get the feeling it would be good on different skin chemistries. 

Would an [X] hater love this? If you hate milk notes or custard notes because they tend to smell burnt or sickly to you, maybe give it a pass.

Where am I? Eating coconut mixed with burnt microwave popcorn butter.

Where would I wear this? I wouldn't wear it, but if it smelled more like what I imagined, I'd wear it for daytime and warm weather. 

Cocoa Pink Signature White Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog

Notes: a blend of delicate shea blossoms, rice flowers, vanilla cream, sweet sugar and heliotrope with delicate undertones of amber and sandalwood.

First impression out of bottle: Clean sweetness.

Freshly applied: Sweet amber and floral pops out a little, reminds me a lot of Alkemia's Carmen VII at this point. 

Drydown: Lovely medley of flowers, smooth clean cream, powdered sugar, and a hint of fruity-floral that reminds me a bit of lilac mixed with cherry/almond (from the heliotrope I believe.) I like the blend of food and non-food sweetness here. Very fresh and clean but soft and sweet, not at all laundry-like or zesty. 

Like a white-themed tea party

After several hours: Same soft, smooth clean white smell. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Low/Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think anybody who likes subtle scents will like this because it's so light but complex and fun. It's a wonderful and different "fruity-floral" that doesn't have too many obvious notes. Nothing competes, everything blends well.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think if you dislike fruity florals or florals in general, you might find this too princessy.

Where am I? A tea party with a white color scheme. 

Where would I wear this? Daytime, summer, spring.

Comparison Post: Golden Corn Cakes vs. Potluck vs. Iowa

In comparison posts, I compare indie scents with similar notes lists. This allows me to cull my collection so that I have no repeats, and it may also be helpful for other people to decide which sounds most appealing.

The Contestants: 

Possets Iowa (this one starts out with a crystallized vanilla...then there is a hint of turbinado sugar, and a large dose of an accord based on wheat...and a small amount of a whiskey-like addition) Permanent Collection

Haus of Gloi Golden Corn Cakes (Corn cake baked to a golden perfection, topped with butter and honey) Limited Edition Autumn

Cocoa Pink Potluck (True Southern-style cornbread set out next to our honeyed, buttered oatcakes and warm zucchini bread.) 

General Catalog (Autumn/Winter) (N/A during Spring/Summer)

Scent Characteristics: 

Iowa smells like an overcooked, crunchy cornbread cookie with a ton of butter. I'm surprised I enjoy the butter in here- it smelled rancid in Cream and Mrs. Rabbit's Carrot Cake, but it fits well in here. Like luxurious fresh salted butter, not the unpleasant microwave-popcorn note I got in the past. This smells like the brown underside of cornbread- not the yellow fluffy middle part, but the crispy edge.

Potluck starts out with a lot of zucchini/banana bread character. On the drydown, the prominent zucchini bread smell goes away and it's mostly oatcake and butter with a hint of cornbread. Sort of like a not-too-sweet spicy oatmeal cookie scent.

Golden Corn Cakes is a very well balanced, full-smelling honeyed butter and cake/bread smell. It smells of cornbread in the bottle, honey in the initial application and early dry stages, and the cornbread pops out again in the later drydown!

How similar are they?: These are very different in my opinion. I think that Iowa is the least cornbread-y of the three. It turns into that brownish burnt-edge smell that baked goods get. It's quite pleasant except that it turns "thin" near the end of its life. Potluck is a mishmash of different baked goods, and the spice turns it into a bit more of an oaty biscuit scent. They all have quite a bit of butter in them, which is successful in all three. Golden Corn Cakes is unique in that it's completely scrumptious. I can't stop sniffing it. It does have a common vibe with Potluck, but is more luscious.

Sillage: Golden Corn Cakes has the highest sillage, and the most robust/full scent that carries. Potluck has slightly less throw and is a bit "flatter." Iowa is harder to smell at a distance, and after it's sat on the skin for a while it really turns flat.

Longevity: Golden Corn Cakes has the best longevity and ages on the skin the best. It smells just as scrumptious throughout its entire life. It lasts the whole day. Iowa sticks around a long time, but not in a wearable form. After the golden-burnt opening it turns flat and blackened and even though I can smell it when sniffing my wrist, the actual scent isn't great for the rest of its life. Probably 5-6 hours of wear. Potluck has similar longevity to Iowa in that I can detect it for 6 hours, but it changes so much from the opening that I'm not really interested in what's left after a few hours. Mostly turns into a spiced oat smell after the first hour.

Destashing any?: I only have a sample of Iowa and Potluck but I'll probably destash them. I can't imagine ever craving a "cornbread" scent and reaching for either of these over the beautiful Golden Corn Cakes.

NAVA Carnival Arcane Review

Brand: NAVA
Availability: General Catalog

Notes: Black Kettle Corn with tendrils of black spun sugar that weave, like a web, though ethereal funnel cakes drizzled with aged black Crystal vanilla musk, Crystalline Syrup and sweet & salty accords

First impression out of bottle: Fluffy Kettle Corn


Freshly applied: Salty-sweet popcorn, over an almost fruity syrup base. I don't smell Crystalline that much...it's fruity and a bit "thin" smelling.

Drydown: Still lovely Kettle Corn, but now the thin/fruity syrup smell has been replaced with a really nice musky sweet smell. Crystalline vanilla is generally a pure, fluffy, musky vanilla and that comes across here, but it's a bit less complex and more playful/cotton-candy-like. I think it's nicely balanced as-is, but I want more of the Kettle Corn scent. I think this would be dynamite with more dark, caramelized notes.

After several hours: Same fluffy soft savory-sweet. Like Rice Krispie treats and cotton candy.

Pink fluffy Kettle Corn

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Gourmand lovers who like salty scents might enjoy this. I've never tried Sixteen92 Shadow Show but this sounds similar, without the metallic notes and earthy notes. It's very straightforward.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think gourmand haters won't like this. It's too straightforward and doesn't introduce any unexpected notes.

Where am I? Making carnival-themed treats for a kid's birthday party. Not actually at a real carnival though. 

Where would I wear this? Daytime, spring, summer.

Cocoa Pink Genevieve Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: Fall/Winter 2015 (N/A during Spring/Summer)
Notes: Sweet milk, bourbon vanilla, sandalwood, burning sage & smoke

First impression out of bottle: Milk and toasted smoothness.

Freshly applied: Same toast-y milk scent with the bite of dried green sage. The sage is very warm and earthy here- not savory like turkey stuffing but herbal and clean like a witch's kitchen. A bit of tartness like Ava Luxe Milk (tart in a dairy way, not unpleasantly sour though.)

The sage here is not burnt in a blackened way, but pleasantly warm

Drydown: More smooth toastiness now, like if you could have toasted rice krispie treats floating in a pool of cream. Really creamy and lush but not sugary. Love the pop of sage here. The smoke note is not super strong, it’s like a wisp of gray kitchen smoke. I love that this has a toasted scent without smelling burnt or woodsy. It's very light, soft, and clean, while having a pleasant earthy substance.

After several hours: Same but faded to a faintly smoky and sweet white skin scent.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium at first, then fades to a low but persistent skin scent after a few hours. Better throw and longevity than something like Caramel Popcorn Balls, which is weaker and softer.

Would an [X] lover love this? I think gourmand lovers would adore this. If you like herbs of any sort or faintly smoky scents, this is perfect.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think even people who shy away from milky scents and find they go sour will love it- this is so pleasant and inoffensively creamy

Where am I? Eating rice krispie treats in a witch's kitchen.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, work, weekend. It feels very warm and cozy for autumn, but I could wear it year round, honestly. 

Haus of Gloi Golden Corn Cakes Review

Brand: Haus of Gloi
Availability: Limited Edition Fall (recurring)
Notes: Corn cake baked to a golden perfection, topped with butter and honey

First impression out of bottle: Savory cornbread with a hint of sweetness.

Freshly applied: Honeyed butter and toothsome cornbread. Heavy on the honey.

Drydown: Honey with a hint of savory gourmand-ness. It's quite a bright golden scent, not super toasted or dark. Sweeter than I expected, which is nice. More honey than anything else. Like a gourmand, autumn honey with a rich baked goods background. 

Heavy on the honey and butter

After several hours: Mm I love the syrupy deep honey with slightly earthy golden bready cake background. It's a really balanced honeyed bread/cake scent that smells more homey and less exotic than Arcana Ganesh. 

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I love honey and gourmands, this ticks all my boxes. It probably will suit your tastes if you like Arcana Yellow Cake, Ganesh, or Aestas. If you like Solstice Scents' sweeter stuff, this will also be a hit.

Would an [X] hater love this? Gourmand haters could give this a try, though I'll say it's straightforward and unsurprising as far as sweet, foodie stuff goes. This is a good, non-spicy fall gourmand but if you dislike or have issues with honey notes, this won't be for you.

Where am I? Eating corn muffins at home on a brisk fall day.

Where would I wear this? Autumn, winter, daytime, work, home. It's really cozy and sweet. I would even wear this for a date, because I think sweet gourmands like this go over well with dudes in general. 

Common Brimstone Cake or Death Review

Brand: Common Brimstone
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Luscious red velvet cake blends beautifully with elegant cognac for a delicious gourmand perfume experience

First impression out of bottle: Caramel

Freshly applied: Duncan Hines frosting- really cheap and with a food-coloring aftertaste/smell

Drydown: Stinky BO mixed with Duncan Hines chocolate frosting. Something super stinky and plasticky is making this turn awful on me. 

After several hours: I couldn't keep this on for more than an hour.

Longevity: ?
Sillage: Low

Would an [X] lover love this? I'm a gourmand lover who loves almost all food scents. This one sucks and I hate it.

Would an [X] hater love this? A gourmand hater will certainly not be converted by this.

Where am I? I don't even want to talk about it. Maybe eating frosting from the jar at the sleepover after a high school track meet. Where I'm stinky and dirty and I don't even want the frosting, it's just...there.

Where would I wear this? Nowhere!

Common Brimstone Constance Review

Brand: Common Brimstone
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: a comforting bakery blend of cookie dough, fresh baked bread, rich butter cream, butter, and a cup of white tea with a sprinkling of sugar.

First impression out of bottle: Buttery, slightly salty cookie dough

Freshly applied: Cookie dough made with super salty butter

Drydown: Buttery cookies and baked bread. This isn't horrible but I've smelled a lot of gourmand/bakery blends and this is just not super special. If it were a little more "voluptuous" or strong, it might be a great perfume, but it's a tad thin-smelling.

After several hours: Butter cookies, but very faint.

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Low

Would an [X] lover love this? If you're a gourmand lover with high standards, I don't think this will cut it. It doesn't smell sophisticated or particularly realistic. 

Would an [X] hater love this? I don't think gourmand haters will find anything new or exciting here.

Where am I? Sort of like sitting outside a kitchen where someone is baking a lot of different things. But not a very good depiction of it.

Where would I wear this? If it worked better on me, daytime, spring, fall

Sixteen92 Hecate Review

Brand: Sixteen92
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Tart cranberry, benzoin, fir needle, dark chocolate, smoldering incense, dry leaves

First impression out of bottle: Dragon's Blood and chocolate-covered dried cherries

Freshly applied: Fruity and chocolatey incense. I loooove the Dragon's Blood note in here, it's a very warm red incense, almost fuzzy and slightly musky. 

Drydown: While the opening smelled like a jug of Kirkland brand chocolate-covered berries, the drydown is more sophisticated. This is now a combo of kind of fresh tart fruit, a woodsy dark chocolate note, and still that strong incense. I really love this- it's mostly incense on me, with nuances of earthy and foodie notes. The fir and dry leaves provide a slightly darker, earthier background, but they're not super apparent as individual notes. Something about the tart cranberry, which lends some astringency, along with the sweet soft chocolate, wrapped in dusky incense is really magical. This is one of my favorite incense perfumes and I have a ton.

Hot, red, and incensey

After several hours: Sweet incensey chocolate. This is way more complex and nuanced than Solstice Scents' Grey's Cabin, a chocolate incense smell which is one of the only SS scents I don't own in full size because it has a really flat feeling.

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think anyone who enjoys berry scents, Dragon's Blood, incense in general, or even red musk (this has a similar warm fuzzy feel) will really love this.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think if you hate incense, this might be a good slightly brighter take on it. It's not ultra fresh or overly fruity, so if you particularly can't stand any incensey notes, this will likely not be for you. I find it far less headshoppy than I Saw Goody Procter With the Devil, so there's that.

Where am I? The cottage of a witch at Thanksgiving.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, weekend, evening. It's not super sexy but it has a dark feel that would work well at night. It feels very autumnal, I don't think I'd wear it come springtime.

Deconstructing Eden Autumn ’15 (the Gourmand Version) Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: Autumn 2015 Limited Edition
Notes: Warm Autumn spices, a hint of cider, saffron, leather, tolu balsam, dark amber, cedar, maple leaves, moss and a drop of patchouli.

First impression out of bottle: Savory leather and apple cider

Freshly applied: New car leather, saffron (which always gives me a savory-spice feel), patchouli, and a teensy bit of apple.

Drydown: More warm spice coming out now- not just saffron but the traditional Autumn Spice kind of thing. There's a drop of golden sweetness from the amber I think, and it's a very well balanced sweet-spice-earthy-leather scent. I don't love leather but even I can appreciate how nice this smells.

After several hours: Similar to the drydown but sweeter and with a bit less leather. Lovely morph-y blend of woods/leaves, resin, spice, and leather. Unisex. Crisp leaves, a bit of apple, the leather of your boots, and various exciting woodsy smells.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium high

Would an [X] lover love this? I think somebody who likes leather would really enjoy this. It's a true leather scent, but it doesn't just smell like a handbag, it smells spicy and warm and softened by wear. If you like earthy scents, this is a surprising and very autumnal earthy scent that is light on the spice, so it's not generic at all.

Would an [X] hater love this? I'm a leather hater and I still find this...better than tolerable. I have worn it for a few hours and while it's not my favorite scent, I can still sniff it and appreciate it, rather than scrubbing it off.

Where am I? Taking a walk on a brisk but sun-warmed autumn afternoon. 

Where would I wear this? Autumn, daytime, on a hike, to an outdoorsy event.

Deconstructing Eden Alice in Wonderland Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Candied lemon peel and sugared violet and rose petals

First impression out of bottle: Floral marshmallows

Freshly applied: Floral marshmallows with a citrus twist

Pretty much exactly this

Drydown: Powdered sugar with a hint of flowers and lemon. This is a really great floral gourmand. I like it far better than Solstice Scents Violet Mallow, which is insanely sharp and a bit grassy on the opening. This is like the slightly purpler version of Solstice Scents Rose Mallow Cream. But where that has a very vanilla-marshmallow quality, this is more like powdered sugar marshmallow fluff. The violet is quiet and very well behaved here. It's melded with the rose into some sort of fantasy flower that smells like both and neither. 

Something fluffy and powdery (in a good way)

After several hours: Sweet powdered sugar and flowers with a gooooorgeous sweet candy lemon. The violet becomes way more "violet"y after drying down more and smells a bit purplish. Still well-behaved, but the scent reminds me of those violet candies from Italy. More violet than rose on the drydown.

Such a sweet, perfect lemon

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Gourmand lovers would really like it. I think fans of Solstice Scents' Mallow blends will enjoy this different spin on a candied floral scent. There's really no vanilla in this, which I think makes it different and interesting. Violet lovers will enjoy the tamed and lovely violet.

Would an [X] hater love this? Gourmand haters will probably find this too fluffy. Violet-haters (I count myself among you) will probably actually be fine with it. The violet is totally tolerable and not sharp or grassy. It actually works with the scent instead of competing with the other notes, which is often something I dislike about violets.

Where am I? Having an elegant tea party with a bunch of rich children

Where would I wear this? Daytime, afternoon, girl's day out, weekend. It's a bit too sweet for work, but it's perfect to wear out shopping or something. Springy/summery. 

Solstice Scents Pumpkin Spice Latte Review

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: Fall Limited Edition (Recurring)
Notes: Hot steaming coffee, sweet pumpkin, cinnamon, gingerbread whipped cream and a drop of Nutmeg

First impression out of bottle: Savory coffee beans and spice

Freshly applied: Deep earthy coffee with a background of beautiful dark spice cake

Autumn perfection.

Drydown: Gingerbread muffin with a bit of brown sugar crust, yummy milky coffee, and a touch of fluffy whipped cream. I love autumn, but IDGAF about PSL's in general. I don't drink them nowadays or remember what they smell like (though I can guess) but this is heavenly. The coffee essential oil is like true dark coffee, not like the plasticky cold scent I get from Cafe Mallowmel. It's sweetened up by the gingerbread/cake notes and a dusting of scrumptious, non-generic fall spice. Not too sugary and definitely deepened by the coffee.

Such a great gourmand coffee scent

After several hours: Gingerbread with a hint of coffee and a lot of marshmallow-y vanilla cream. The whipped cream note gets stronger and it's gorgeously creamy and edible, like the light notes in Solstice Scents' many Mallow blends. The strongest spice note to me is nutmeg, with some cinnamon but no anise/cardamom/clove which means this is NOT a chai-type scent at all!

Amazing combo of dark cakey and light fluffy gourmand notes

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think anyone who enjoys spicy or gourmand scents will ADORE THIS. I blind-bought a full size because 99% of Solstice Scents stuff works for me, and the description seemed like a no-brainer.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think even people who hate spicy bakery scents will like this, as it doesn't tip over to a "fall candle" scent, and it's definitely a sophisticated, ultra-realistic gourmand. 

Where am I? Sitting in a coffee shop, wrapped up in an orange or dark green scarf, sipping coffee and writing a mystery novel or something.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, autumn, winter, weekend, work. It perks me up in the morning but is very comforting throughout the day.

Sixteen92 Spellbound Review

Brand: Sixteen92
Availability: Fall Collection 2015 (Limited Edition)
Notes: Creamed pumpkin, spiced bourbon & Tahitian vanillas, sticky marshmallow fluff

First impression out of bottle: Buttery pumpkin

Freshly applied: Pillowy pumpkin churros

Drydown: Same fried, golden churro goodness. Definite orange pumpkin-y feel but with generous cinnamon-sugar. 

Mmm, pumpkin churros

After several hours: Creamy, cinnamony pumpkin. This reminds me of of Alkemia's Pumpkin Strumpet but where that one is more pumpkin-spiced-cream, this is pumpkin-fried-dough. 

Longevity: Medium high
Sillage: On the low end of medium. It's not dismal but it's not as pungent as I like my gourmand scents.

Would an [X] lover love this? I think someone who enjoys any pumpkin scents or gourmands will like this! It's a very basic pumpkin gourmand, but it gets that fried dough smell PERFECTLY.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think gourmand haters might be ok with it, seeing as it's very light and inoffensive, but if you hate buttery perfumes or anything with cinnamon, stay away.

Where am I? Frying up some fall-themed doughnuts

Where would I wear this? Daytime, autumn, winter, weekend. I love this scent but it's not quite pungent or spicy enough for nighttime. 

Sarawen Ambrosia Chocolat Review

Brand: Sarawen
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: chocolate, amber, honey, vanilla

First impression out of bottle: Chocolate honey, mmm!

Freshly applied: Oh snoes, it's turning waxy and plasticky on me...mostly fake honey with beeswax and a hint of something like cut green flower stems. No chocolate. COME BACK.

None of your beeswax.

Drydown: Burnt honey with hints of plastic and Band-Aids. Nope nope nope. The chocolate, which was SO lovely in the bottle on cold sniff, is a mere trace here. I'm sure this one will be ok on some but if you have trouble with honey or chocolate notes (I do, and I've tried em all) you should be wary.

Like this, but more chemically and dirty

After several hours: Honey that is simultaneously waxy/plasticky and sharp. No chocolate. Still with that weird sappy green flower stem note.

I really fucking hate this smell, if you can't tell.

Longevity: Medium.
Sillage: Medium. 

Would an [X] lover love this? I have heard plenty of people say they enjoyed this, but like Smelly Yeti Not the Bees, this went immediately plasticky and nasty on me. I love chocolate but have a hard time finding good cocoa notes, and this was no exception. 

Would an [X] hater love this? Unless you have skin chemistry that melds well with these type of notes (cheaper/simplistic blends IMO) I think you will hate this and find it turns fake-y.

Where am I? Accidentally melting plastic and food together in a kitchen mishap.

Where would I wear this? Nowhere. If it smelled like it did in the bottle on me, I'd wear it for sexy nighttime fun.

Sarawen The Piemaker Review

Brand: Sarawen
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: berry pies, pale musk, apple spice, tuberose, amber

First impression out of bottle: Red berries and white florals

Freshly applied: Stately tuberose and raspberries

Sophisticated tuberose is the loudest note at first

Drydown: Very good but faint light red berry note, non-obnoxious tuberose, and a large dose of a generic perfume smell. It sucks because I like all the elements alone here, but together they are turning bland. Nothing is offensive (surprising, considering how nasty berry notes can go, and ditto for tuberose) but I expected a more exuberant, unusual end result. It's basically a light and inoffensive tuberose perfume with a faintly fruity undertone. I get no spice or heavier gourmand (pie crust etc) notes. 

After several hours: All gourmand notes are gone, but maybe a hint of berry remains as a pink tone to the tuberose.

Longevity: Low
Sillage: Low medium. I was expecting something more powerful- you've got powerhouse tuberose and some heavy gourmand notes up in here but it turns out a bit watery, which is the worst.

Would an [X] lover love this? Gourmand-floral lovers (of which I am one) may like it if their skin chemistry is right. I personally disliked it, as the reason I enjoy gourmand-florals is that they are unusual and funky. This smells generically floral. 

Would an [X] hater love this? If you have been curious about white florals but find them all heavy and cloying, AND you like very subtle scents, you may enjoy this. 

Where am I? Sitting in an empty dance hall after the flowers and cakes have been cleared from a wedding. Mostly empty air with a hint of fruit and flowers.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, work, weekend, summer, spring. It's too light for me to enjoy regularly. 

Sarawen Pixie Dust Review

Brand: Sarawen
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: sweet orange, vanilla cake, honey, sugar

First impression out of bottle: Cinnabon with cream cheese glaze.

Freshly applied: Cream cheese icing and a hint of Tang.

Horrifying.

Drydown: Sticky dark honey and Tang. This has an unsophisticated sticky feel. Like you spilled orange juice and syrup on a tablecloth and it just dried.

After several hours: A bit less gross than the initial drydown, but mainly like pre-packaged cake with a hint of orange icing.

Like something you'd pick up in a gas station

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Low-medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I don't think this is a sophisticated/unusual gourmand. I think Sarawen's cake notes are weak and nothing compared to something like Arcana or Solstice Scents, who really develop a true voluptuous set of cakey/gourmand accords. 

Would an [X] hater love this? I don't think a gourmand hater would like this. It's everything that can go wrong with a foodie perfume.

Where am I? Eating cake from a rest stop on a road trip with a stomachache. 

Where would I wear this? I wouldn't. If it worked on me, maybe daytime or work.