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.

13 Gypsies Xocolatl Review

Brand: 13 Gypsies
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: cocoa absolute, patchouli, coffee

First impression out of bottle: Bitter roasted coffee with a hint of dark chocolate.

Freshly applied: DARK chocolate with earthy espresso and a twisted patchouli base.

Drydown: Dark chocolate coffee with more prominent chocolatey patchouli. This is an exquisite chocolate/coffee scent. It's not quite gourmand and not quite earthy. It smells like a very expensive 90% dark chocolate bar from Europe. 

Bittersweet, earthy dark chocolate and coffee

After several hours: Still the same expensive bitter cacao scent, much less coffee than when it was first applied. The coffee manifests as a bitter, roasted gritty dark smell, so it's almost indiscernible from the chocolate/patchouli. It's all just well blended together.

Dark, expensive chocolate with earthy herby patchouli

Longevity: Middling. lasts for 4ish hours before it turns soft.
Sillage: Medium until the 4 hour mark, then quite low. Never disappears completely though, which is nice.

Would an [X] lover love this? I think any patchouli lover will cackle like a happy witch over this blend. It highlights the awesomeness of patchouli without falling into the trap of mustiness/rubbery scents.

Would an [X] hater love this? I don't think of myself as a lover of patchouli, but this made me fall in love with it (along with Sixteen92's Wicked.) The patchouli makes this a true, earthy chocolate scent, where so many indie chocolate scents turn into Cocoa Puff/dusty Hershey bar nonsense.

Where am I? This smells EXACTLY like an expensive gift shop around Halloween time. The scent of some dark witchy candles and decorative herbs, mixed with expensive boxes of chocolates and the smell of freshly-ground coffee beans drifting over from the attached gift shop.

Smells like a Halloween emporium

Where would I wear this? It's work-appropriate as it's not too strong, but it's also wicked and twisted enough for a night out. I love this for cooler weather, but since it's got a nice earthiness, it doesn't smell weird in hot weather either.

NAVA Pumpkin #7 Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Amber Pumpkin perfumed with 7 rich exotic Amber notes to create the ultimate Amber perfume base for this Pumpkin infused scent. Spices of fig and raw pumpkin swim in a vat of decadent Sandalwood

First impression out of bottle: Fresh, creamy, hint of spice pumpkin. Tiny hint of something that reminds me of black tea, I think that’s the fig.

Freshly applied: Same as the initial impression, beautiful light airy pumpkin. Smells like fresh pumpkin purée and a carved jack o’ lantern, plus just a hint of spice. Not like a PSL or anything. Far less spice than #31. There’s a golden quality to this that is coming from the amber. I love the use of the amber here, almost like a syrup that’s surrounding everything.

Drydown: Yep, this is staying true. Raw/steamed pumpkin purée with a tiny hint of spice and swaddled in creamy white-gold yumminess. The hint of fig is definitely reading black tea to me, in a lovely earthy grounding way.

Pale pumpkin with warm, woodsy background

After several hours: Creamy amber and sandalwood.

Longevity: About 4 hours until it becomes a very faint skin scent
Sillage: At first, medium, then low for the rest of the day.

Would an [X] lover love this? I think anyone who likes pumpkin will find this a refreshing change of pace from the usual heavily-spiced or overly gourmand offerings.

Would an [X] hater love this? A pumpkin hater might be surprised. As this scent is more perfumed and soft, and less obviously FALL SPICE, it could be appealing even if you usually snub pumpkin scents.

Where am I? Being crowned the Pumpkin Queen at a Harvest Festival

Where would I wear this? This is a very daytime scent to me, soft, appropriate for work, but also sweet and fun enough for weekend wear. When Spring comes and I'm tired of my autumnal scents, I might still break this one out occasionally.

NAVA Black Crystal Candy Apple Review

Brand: NAVA
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Black Vanilla and Black Vanilla Musk dust the apples and sweet plum infuses the scent from far beneath. Black Musk and Black Amber swirl around the apples as if magick has been cast to create a black crystal candy apple fit for a witch

First impression out of bottle: Fresh, crisp apple, like the scent of biting into a beautiful crisp Fuji.

Fresh, watery apple

Freshly applied: Same juicy, crisp apple, with a hint of purple fruit (plum) and now there's a gorgeous blackened musk and amber swaddling the crisp fruit notes. Predominantly amber, very little bit of musk

Drydown: The apple in this reminds me very much of Solstice Scents Cellar, but without the stone note that I hate. It has that almost watery, transparent apple juice scent. The musk is making it a bit spicy and blackened, and the amber smells kind of dusty and golden, almost like hay.

After several hours: This dries down to a slightly fruity musk-amber combo. I'm glad this one is more juicy and fruity up front, vs. Black Crystalline Black Fig which was ALL MUSK from the beginning. However this shares a similar dark musk character with the Fig perfume. I don't know if I love it unreservedly, but I like it better in this application. Compared to Black Santalum Cider this is far fresher and more perfumey. That one is evocative and realistic, this one is more of a perfumer's interpretation of apple. 

Fruity, non dusty amber and musk

Longevity: Several hours. Not bad, but not as good as NAVA's heavier offerings 
Sillage: Low-medium. Not heavily spiced, so I don't get the cloud of autumn scent thing going on but the musk and amber give it a strength that a pure-apple scent wouldn't have.

Would an [X] lover love this? Uh, would an apple lover love this? Most definitely. This is juicy apple without the soapy note many plain apple scents have. I don't know why I expected a caramel apple scent, but it is not that. It has sweet notes, yes, but it's mainly fresh apple with musky amber, and it's gorgeous.

Would an [X] hater love this? This would be great for someone who likes fresh apple in real life but finds apple perfumes fall short of their expectations. But if you hate the scent of apples, this is a bit too straightforward. It's not going to change hearts or minds for those who dislike apples IRL.

Where am I? Biting into a crisp, perfect apple on a fall morning, while wearing an elegant golden amber musk perfume. 

Where would I wear this? This scent screams Autumn and daytime to me. I could definitely wear it in the springtime as well, as it has that fresh cool feel, and no spice notes that read Autumn-exclusive.

NAVA Black Santalum Cider

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy/NAVA
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Rich Black Sandalwood drizzled into an old oak barrel found just outside deserted castle and filled with sticks of cinnamon, tart apple slices, cardamom and nutmeg.

First impression out of bottle: Beautiful dark cloudy apple cider, like the fresh-pressed cider you can buy from the farmer's market.

Mmmm, fresh apple cider

Freshly applied: Something a little more resinous and perfumey is peeking out to complement the bold apple cider scent. Love that the spice in this isn’t your generic Autumn Spice blend. It’s infused in the murky brown apple cider. I can tell my beloved Santalum is in here somewhere, but it’s not a woodsy scent right now. There’s a hint, like I said, of gorgeous resin that’s swelling and making the apple cider more interesting, but it’s not reading as WOOD at the moment. 

Drydown: Simply gorgeous, resinous apple cider scent with some deep blackened-brown notes lurking under the dark gorgeous apple. The Santalum note is coming out now, drier and more golden than the resiny note alone. At first it smelled like just straight apple cider from a mug, and now it smells like the cider plus the barrel it was brewed in.

Dark, resinous woodsy cider

After several hours: Resinous, a hint of cool murky apple cider, and a very blackened feel. This is resin-woodsy but not plain-woodsy. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Apple lovers NEED THIS. The apple cider scent is perfectly complemented by the wood and resin notes, so it's not a fleeting shower-gel apple, but a real murky juicy apple that lasts and lasts.

Would an [X] hater love this? This is a definite realistic apple cider scent, but it smells wet and juicy and earthy, not like a generic apple spice perfume. If you have a grudge against fall perfumes because they smell like a Yankee Candle store to you, this one might surprise you.

Where am I? I'm sitting in a cider house, smelling the pressed apple juice and old wooden beams. I’m perched on an oak barrel getting drunk off of spiced cider.

Where would I wear this? Work, weekend, autumn, winter. It's surprisingly elegant, but definitely not a sexy/girly perfume. Probably wouldn't wear for a date. 

NAVA Pumpkin #13 Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Crystalline Vanilla Pumpkin. Fresh Pumpkin Pie doused with Cotton Candy, Soft Pumpkin Pie Spices and Crystalline Vanilla SL

First impression out of bottle: Cotton candy that's weirdly not very sweet.

Freshly applied: Much stronger vanilla and cotton candy feel than Pumpkin 7. The creamy pumpkin here is very similar to Pumpkin 7, but it’s a teensy bit more spiced and foodie. Like you’ve taken the purée from 7 and started to make it into dessert already. 

Drydown: I didn’t love the opening, it was kind of bland cotton candyish, but now I’m loving the musky vanilla of the Crystalline note melding with the sharp sweetness of the cotton candy and the underlying pumpkin pie. Sweet, fluffy, gorgeous. It’s like if you somehow magically transformed pumpkin pie INTO cotton candy.

After several hours: Cotton candy with a hint of pumpkin spice

Lightly spiced pumpkin cotton candy

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium/High- cotton candy usually projects hard on me, but the Crystalline note from NAVA (while persistent) is a sort of tricksy note that drifts in and out of your periphery. It is detectable but later in its life is hard to smell when you're SNIFFING your wrist. But you will smell it randomly when you're walking around. Magical.

Would an [X] lover love this? A pumpkin lover would really go for this. It's a nice spin on your average pumpkin-spice scent. A cotton candy lover would also probably enjoy as it's a good change from the usual fruity-candy fare.

Would an [X] hater love this? A pumpkin hater probably wouldn't like this. It's not my favorite of the NAVA pumpkins so I don't think this will win hearts or minds simply because it incorporates interesting cotton candy.

Where am I? A carnival in Halloweentown! 

Where would I wear this? Out and about, work, dates, to sleep.

NAVA Pumpkin #31 Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy/NAVA
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Deep dark and rich black pumpkin puree, caramelized caramel, pie spice, rum, French Vanilla, and Osirian Purnima Incense Accord

First impression out of bottle: Incense with pumpkin pie spice.

Spiced incense

Freshly applied: Sweet, creamy, spicy pumpkin pie purée. Not a buttery or pastry scent, but just the pie filling. Heavy on the ginger and nutmeg, not so much on the cinnamon. Mixed with rich incense, not a burning incense smell, but the unlit powdery smell of a box of high quality ceremonial incense. 

Dark pumpkin purée

Drydown: Same, except the two sides of this meld together more harmoniously now. The pumpkin pie and the incense become one: a spiced, creamy dessert incense. The vanilla lightens the blend, so it's not as blackened/dark as I expected. The incense is creamy and a bit pale.

Unlit incense and pumpkin spice

After several hours: Mostly soft, purring incense and a hint of spice

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium/High- I'm always surprised that NAVA incense perfumes aren't HEAVY. They are impossible to overdo, even though I'm a chronic slatherer. I could pour this all over (and I did the first time I opened it) and I still get the powerful but not overwhelming medium/high throw.

Would an [X] lover love this? A pumpkin spice lover would enjoy this, but only if they also dig incense notes. 

Would an [X] hater love this? While this is a remarkably good incense note in my opinion, it's not going to change anyone's mind. It's a complex incense, but I don't consider it to be a very beginner-friendly scent. It's a little murky and earthy, probably not for everyone.

Where am I? Baking pies and burning incense in a witchy cottage.

Where would I wear this? Bed, work, a night out. It's not too sexy, but the incense notes make it a little sultry.

NAVA Trick or Treat Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Black Vanilla Caramel, Black Raspberry Sugar, Black Sugar, Bastet's Black Amber, Candy Corn, Black Cotton Candy, Blue Sugar Cream, Vanilla Flesh, Hot Cocoa Accord, Chocolate Sugar, Angel Food Cake and French Vanilla

First impression out of bottle: Alcoholic raspberry chocolate, like a cherry cordial truffle but with raspberry instead!

Freshly applied: Super sweet chocolate ganache and raspberry syrup

Substitute raspberry instead of cherry

Drydown: A little less chocolatey (boo) with a little stronger raspberry and a fluffy note that I think is the cotton candy. NAVA cake/gourmand notes tend to go a bit plasticky/dusty on me, which is so unfortunate. This seems to be straddling the line of perfect- sweet and plasticky. 

After several hours: This is like a gentler soft cocoa raspberry with a strong vanilla character after a few hours. I feel like the initial scent and the ultimate scent are DA BOMB, but the middle part is a leeeetle bit cloying. I can tolerate it though. The drydown is perfect soft vanilla wrapped around a chocolate raspberry heart.

Fluffy vanilla-raspberry with a hint of chocolate

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium. I can smell this very strongly when first applied but it dies down to medium throw and turns into a subtle sweet fruity gourmand.

Would an [X] lover love this? Chocolate lovers would probably be all over this, though the strong chocolate dies down early on and becomes a background player. I think if you have a fondness for raspberry this would be the perfect perfume for you. It's definitely syrupy/jammy, like the inside of a bonbon. This is no "sun-ripened raspberry," it's candy and syrup.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think a gourmand hater would probably dislike this. It is very candied and a teensy bit sickly sweet, though as a foodie perfume lover, I don't find it overwhelming. This won't convert gourmand haters.

Where am I? Eating bonbons in an expensive candy store

Where would I wear this? I would wear this to work, for a night out layered with something else (maybe another chocolate scent), and definitely as a fun weekend scent. It's not quite bright and not quite dark, kind of right in the middle. Good for daytime or night, and I can definitely see this in mid-winter or as a nice summer scent. It's quite playful but not super young.