Alkemia Carmen 7 Review

Brand: Alkemia
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Spiced Pear, Lychee Fruit, Praline, Vanilla, Magnolia, and Amber

First impression out of bottle: Fruit, musk, amber. Fresh and girlish.

Freshly applied: A beautiful soft feminine vanilla pops out and amber becomes more prominent. It’s starting to smell like a mainstream amber-vanilla blend (not in a bad way.) 

Drydown: The white florals are unfurling and there’s a sugared undercurrent that I think is the praline note mingled with the amber/vanilla. The fruits are also there now but it’s 30% fruity-floral and 70% vanilla-amber-sweetness. Very balanced. I love the magnolia in this. Overall, I’m reminded of some kind of sexy scent from Victoria’s Secret, only it’s more sophisticated and high quality. The amber is a very “clean” one and it smells of washed and powdered skin, not too sweet and a bit fresh. Almost like a clean cotton scent, but without the screechy laundry-detergent feel of that type of note. Reminds me of the "baby" undertone of certain Johnson & Johnson products, but NOT like baby oil. It really reminds me of that lavender baby body wash/lotion they sell in the purple bottle. 

Something fresh, clean, and comforting

After several hours: Complex sweet muskiness. 

Longevity: Medium high
Sillage: Medium high

Would an [X] lover love this? I think if you enjoy mainstream fruity-floral perfumes, or anything in the warm/amber/vanilla family, you will love this. Especially if you find yourself loving on some mainstream sweet/girly scents from the likes of Victoria's Secret or Bath & Body Works. It’s not strongly lychee or pear, so look elsewhere for true fruit scents of that nature. 

Would an [X] hater love this? If you are generally opposed to sweet, girlish scents, this might turn you off. If you exclusively wear witchy, dark stuff, this won’t appeal. But I like both dark AND light things, and this is a perfect, non-cloying girly scent. Great for any friends who are not yet inducted into the creepy-fun world of indie perfume and would want something non-threatening and beautiful. Also great as a stocking stuffer for younger friends or family, as it’s not Baby Prostitute perfume, but would be appropriate for anybody from the ages of 13 onward.

Where am I? I  feel like Gisele shooting a perfume commercial, wrapped in flattering golden pink lighting.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, weekend, probably out to dinner even because it's kind of sexy in a non-sexual way. Girly and super pretty.

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.