Cocoa Pink Blueberry Skies Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Summer/Spring (N/A during Autumn/Winter)
Notes: Warm blueberry muffins atop luscious billows of vanilla custard cream clouds topped with crunchy, raw sugar crystals

First impression out of bottle: Syrupy blueberries at first, like homemade blueberry compote.

Blueberry syrup

Freshly applied: Still syrupy blueberries, then a sticky molasses scent.

Molasses with cooked blueberries

Drydown: The molasses fades slightly into a more manageable brown sugar scent. I can smell something that I recognize as a “muffin scent” but it’s not 100% realistic, a bit synthetic. I wasn’t expecting this but it REALLY settles into something gorgeous after a few minutes on the skin. It’s gentle blueberry syrup, light brown sugar, and a soft sweet muffin cake. Not yellow cake like Arcana or Solstice Scent’s cake notes, this is totally that dense ultra-soft Costco muffin blueberry cake thing. This went from meh to AMAZING in 2 minutes. Also the blueberry in this is not too sharp, like dried blueberries (the way OHWTO Victuals was on me) it’s like actual blueberries steeped with sugar and water, realistic and ultra sweet.

You know what's up

After several hours: The ultimate drydown is a fluffy vanilla blueberry muffin cake. It can get a teensy bit sharp/cloying depending on my skin chemistry that day, and I find layering it with a smooth vanilla solves that problem.

Longevity: Excellent (in the alcohol-based format.) This lasts all day.
Sillage: Very high, even after I wash hands, or after 8 hours have passed.

Would an [X] lover love this? Gourmand lovers need to try, especially blueberry fans. This is a very realistic syrupy blueberry, which is hard to find.

Would an [X] hater love this? It's VERY sweet, so someone who hates gourmands will most likely feel this is too sugary.

Where am I? Biting into a warmed-up Costco muffin with a glass of milk.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, weekend, even nighttime as it's quite strong and assertive. Even though this is part of their Spring/Summer catalog, I find it's more suitable to cooler weather.

Solstice Scents Maplewood Inn

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Maple, Woods, Amber, Benzoin, A Roaring Fire & A Hot Cup Of Frothy Vanilla Chai

First impression out of bottle: Liquid smoke/and candied maple bacon. 

Smoky maple syrup

Freshly applied: Same blackened smoke and maple candy.

Drydown: Maple fades a bit from initial prominence but is still there. The woods and smoke come forward and I get a beautiful resinous cedar/redwood. I detect the spicy vanilla chai as well, it reminds me of Sycamore Chai.

Woodsy smoke and sweet chai tea

After several hours: Still beautiful, smoky sweet woods. The astringent red wood you get in Solstice Scents Attic is here, but sweetened up with a dollop of maple sugar and some chai. This reminds me a lot of Deep Midnight A Study in Brown, but with a maple spice character.

Imagine drinking a cup of chai and snacking on maple candy here

Longevity: High, this lasts from the morning till late at night, even with multiple hand washings. If you loved SS Sycamore Chai but hated that it faded so quickly, pick this one up.
Sillage: Also very high, this creates a beautiful spiced foody woodsmoke cloud. I love how strongly this smells.

Would an [X] lover love this? Anyone who likes spice or wood scents definitely needs this. And if you think it smells too bacon-y at first, let it age a few weeks. You'll be shocked at how gentle and gorgeous the woodsmoke becomes.

Would an [X] hater love this? This is quite sweet and spicy, so those of you who dislike woodsy or autumnal scents might not enjoy it. I think it's quite a balanced and original scent though, so if you're afraid of smelling generic, give this a shot.

Where am I? Sitting in a ski lodge, drinking maple chai next to a roaring fire.

Where would I wear this? I wear this to work (but am careful to limit the amount I wear) and it's not too smoky/sexy for daytime. It would be amazing as a nighttime scent in cold weather though. Definitely more suited to autumn/winter than the warmer months.

Long Winter Farm Unicorn Farts Review

Brand: Long Winter Farm
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: strawberry cotton candy and spearmint

First impression out of bottle: Minty fresh cotton candy

Freshly applied: This is a true perfect blend of pink cotton candy and mint. The mint doesn’t smell like a breath mint, it’s actually fused really well with the cotton candy. I get both the fluffy sugariness and the fresh minty feel. If I breathe it in more deeply, I smell the accurate crystallized spun sugar smell of cotton candy, with a hint of berry sweetness. This reminds me SO MUCH of going to Disney On Ice(!) shows as a little kid. I was obsessed with cotton candy, so I’d always share a cone with my mom, usually I got one of those commemorative character cups/containers to go with it. This smells like the memory of that cotton candy with the briskness of being in the ice skating rink. The mint tempers the cotton candy perfectly and it’s not too sweet. 

Fresh pink cotton candy with some mint

Drydown: Weirdly the smell combines and becomes the exact smell of sweetened adzuki bean paste. I love this smell, but it's certainly a weird impression to get from something as simple as mint/candy. It still smells like I described above, but if you know what red bean paste smells like, you'll think of it too.

Sweet, rich adzuki bean paste

After several hours: Basically the same, but a lot fainter

Longevity: Not very good for a cotton candy scent (which usually last forever on me.) Probably 3 hours at strong sillage, then another 2 hours at whisper-soft throw.
Sillage: At first, medium-high, then dies down to very soft.

Would an [X] lover love this? If you like cotton candy scents, give this a try. It's different from the usual offerings. It's a LOT fruitier than something like Pink Sugar, and less musky/sexy.

Would an [X] hater love this? A cotton candy hater would probably find this too sweet. But if you hate Pink Sugar, you might think this is a little more refreshing and palatable.

Where am I? Ice skating rink, eating cotton candy.

Where would I wear this? This is definitely a daytime scent. It's not too sweet for work, and it would be great in the summer but the mint makes it nice for winter too.

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.

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.

Arcana Aestas Review

Brand: Arcana
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: The ancient Roman goddess of Summer. Madagascar vanilla, yellow cake, soft peach nectar, golden musk, black musk, and a hint of patchouli

First impression out of bottle: Buttery golden cake and bright syrupy peach.

Freshly applied: Really nice blend of buttery pastry and sweet rich peach. This peach reminds me a LOT of the peach in Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Queen. Actually this whole thing makes me think of Pumpkin Queen, without the spice part. 

Buttery golden cake with sweet peach

Drydown: As it dries, it inverts and becomes peaches first and golden cake second. The peach notes are really voluptuous and pink now. I feel like there are multiple varieties of fruit: canned, creamy, fresh. The cake/pie note is now in the background only giving an overall dessert feel. It’s less buttery than it was on the opening. I love Arcana’s gourmands and this is no exception.The cake kind of weaves in and out so sometimes I smell mostly peach, then I get peachy cake right after, etc. The peach keeps dancing between fresh white peach and canned golden peach. I love the mix of fruity and cake here. This would be super comforting in cold weather, but I think the golden character makes it summer friendly too. 

After several hours:  This is a morpher, when I’m sitting in my cold office it’s a very peaches and cream scent, but in my hot car, it’s all buttery golden peach cake. I love both. The ultimate drydown is peaches on top of vanilla ice cream. The vanilla ice cream vibe is IDENTICAL to the one in Solstice Scents Violet Mallow (whose drydown is epic but the sharp opening florals are BLECH.)

Cake and syrupy peaches with melty vanilla ice cream

Longevity: High, I can smell this way into the afternoon
Sillage: High, I can smell it on me, both in an ambient way and when I huff my wrist, and my coworker could smell it when she walked by me.

Would an [X] lover love this? Anyone who likes Yellow Cake, Apples Crave Cake, Ganesh, or any other popular indie cake scents like SS Cameo would go crazy for this. It's pretty much a peach version of Apples Crave Cake.

Would an [X] hater love this? If you aren’t nuts about cakey scents, this one probably won’t change your mind. Oh also take no mind of the patchouli in here- Julia from Arcana does some sort of witchcraft with patchouli in her gourmands where they are undetectable but lend some magic and tenacity. You can't smell it at all as "patchouli" or even a green/dark note. 

Where am I? Eating a huge pile of peach cobbler cake with a big scoop vanilla bean ice cream

Where would I wear this? This is definitely a daytime scent for me, but since my SO seems to enjoy sweet gourmands, I'd wear this on a date. It's very strong and lush, so definitely has enough presence for a special occasion. I really love how it changes based on your environment, so I would wear this equally in winter and in summer.

Solstice Scents Sycamore Chai Review

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Vanilla Chai Tea, Marshmallow, Ginger, Pumpkin

First impression out of bottle: Chai spice

Freshly applied: Beautiful black milk tea (like the kind you get at a bubble tea place), deep and dusky but milky and smooth, with the best, most intense chai spices ever. I smell NO pumpkin roll or cake note. Just gorgeous black tea with milk and spice.

Drydown: Same as above.

You can smell the black tea, the spice, and the milk

After several hours: This fades and becomes more of a thin black tea with spice, but it loses its initial amazing, realistic creaminess.

Longevity: Low/medium. For such a spicy scent, this doesn't have much tenacity, which is disappointing. I can barely smell this after 3 hours.
Sillage: Medium. This carries a fair bit into the surrounding air, which I enjoy, but like I said it doesn't last all that long!

Would an [X] lover love this? Spice/tea lovers will go crazy for this. The spice is so realistic, and it's one of the best black tea notes I've ever found. Not too perfumey, not too astringent, just realistic and dark.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think anyone who's not a fan of spice will shy away from this, but I hated cardamom before I tried it, and now I'm a believer. I think the milk tea base keeps it from being a heavy/candle-y spice.

Where am I? Sipping a chai tea latte and wearing a tartan scarf

Where would I wear this? I like this a lot for layering. It's not very sugary so it doesn't add another layer of sweetness to gourmands, and the spice goes with everything. I love it in Autumn and Winter but it's pretty versatile.

NAVA Alyssum Champagne Crystalline Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy/NAVA
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Egyptian Alyssum, Effervescent Champagne White Grape, a drop of Silver Sandalwood-Musk Accord and Crystalline Vanilla Bean whole

First impression out of bottle: Powdery sweet flowers at first, a teensy bit honeyed and green like linden blossoms. This reminds me of linden blossoms crossed with jasmine

Freshly applied: There’s a hint of sugary floral like what you get from gardenia. This also has quite a clean-laundry feel, a little bit of the cotton blossom vibe, like that Bath & Body Works scent from years ago. It’s like 70% beautiful white floral and 30% fabric softener. It settles into something truly heavenly- the fabric softener becomes a more natural bright fizzy green (from the champagne I believe) that nuzzles into the fluffy white sweet blossoms, and it’s a very intoxicating but strangely innocent white floral. For those of you who haven't smelled alyssum, I would describe it as: 

• 60% jasmine (pillowy, white)
• 10% linden blossom (a little honeyed and green and an eensy bit sharp)
• 30% gardenia (mature, a bit sugary, tropical)

Beautiful fresh floral alyssum scent

Drydown: As it dries, it’s basically the alyssum along with a pillowy, marshmallow like vanilla musk. The Crystalline note is used fantastically here- it melds with the flowers so I don’t get the delineated notes, I get a musky floral enveloped in creaminess. All the laundry scent is GONE as the linden-type scent has decreased, which is awesome. It’s so soft, so sweet, romantic but innocent. This is probably my favorite floral I’ve tried in months.

The florals are later joined by a beautiful fluffy creamy vanilla

After several hours: More of the same, the pillowy white vanilla musk and beautiful white florals are seamlessly intertwined and neither takes over the other.

Longevity: Crazy high. I can smell this on my wrist (where I applied then washed it off) and on my hair (where I didn't even specifically apply it) more than 8 hours later.
Sillage: High. I can smell it when I'm walking around, which is my favorite. I know a lot of people like subtle scents, but I love to smell my perfume.

Would an [X] lover love this? A white floral lover would LOVE this. It's something slightly different- less polarizing than jasmine, less traditional than gardenia or tuberose. I think the initial laundry scent might be off-putting, but that phase is gone after a few minutes, and what it turns into is worth it.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think a white floral/sweet floral hater would find this too sugary. I think it has less potential to be cloying than, say Solstice Scents Nightgown (one of my favorites) but it could still be too sugary on someone who likes earthier scents.

Where am I? I'm in a secret garden surrounded by white flowers

Where would I wear this? Everywhere...I would wear this daytime, nighttime (it's sexy in a purring way), and though it would be perfect for spring and summer, I know I'll still break it out in cold weather because it's just that gorgeous.

Possets Mayan Queen Bloodletting Sacrifice Review

Brand: Possets
Availability: Limited Edition (Possets RETOUR)
Notes: Incense smoke, copal resin, red fruit rich in iron scent, and the background of cacao and jungle atmosphere of greenery.

First impression out of bottle: EEP! Strong like sharp red fruit (almost like beets mixed with tomatoes mixed with strawberries? like a hipster juice made of these.) 

Sharp red fruit

Freshly applied: Yeah this smells like beets and a hint of iron (a gritty smell, not like blood but a bit rusty.) It smells like spicy greenery too, like a tomato plant. A hint of sweetness.

Drydown: Strong sweet beet juice, green like you pressed some of the leaves along with the root itself. A little tart and bright, very vegetal, like a raw smoothie/juice. There’s a bit of gritty cacao. I ADORE THIS. It’s super weird and super oddball and yet I love it. 

Sweet, spicy beet juice with some greenery

After several hours: The smoke is coming out heavily now, along with the incense. Oh man this really feels like the opening/initial drydown was the bloodletting, and this is like a few hours after the ceremony, when the priest comes in to clean up the mess and blow out all the candles. Gorgeous and sexy in a dirty way. I’m not a person who likes weird/unwearable scents, but this hits ALL the right unusual/beautiful notes. 

Smoky extinguished candle scent emerges

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium/high- If I smell my wrist, it's all raw beet juice and smoke, but from a distance, I keep catching this sensual, weird sweet scent and then realizing, it's me! I love how this wafts. It's gentler from a distance.

Would an [X] lover love this? This is one you just have to try. If you loved Eternal Return from Sixteen92, you will like this I think. There's a hint of beet in E.R. and here it's front and center. Urgh. So good. 

Would an [X] hater love this? I hate green scents, and this is like all the good things about green with none of the bad things. It smells like a wild jungle and oozing bloody beets, but not grassy or cologne-y. The smoke and incense are woven very subtly into the mix, and it's all just perfect. But like I said, this is one you just have to try. You'll never know until you sample. 

Where am I? Either a hipster juice bar, or maybe like Dwight Schrute's kitchen after he juices some beets. 

Where would I wear this? I'm wearing it at work right now, but I’d definitely wear this out at night, maybe for a girls’ night when I want men to leave me alone and I want to smell powerful.

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. 

Possets Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Review

Brand: Possets
Availability: Limited Edition (comes back with RETOUR)
Notes: Melon, mint, a schmere of marzipan, smoke, resin

First impression out of bottle: Sugary melon, more round and fluffy smelling than the melon in Possets' Triangulation

Freshly applied: Honeydew with a sort of squeaky-creamy almond marzipan. Oooh I get the barest whiff of beautiful green peppermint if I huff.

Marzipan infused with honeydew and a touch of peppermint

Drydown: Minty marzipan and melon. It smells kind of like…if you made a melon mojito and served it alongside marzipan candies. And that would be the weirdest cocktail party EVER. I had no idea how these notes would meld together, but it works. I don’t get smoke. The mint is now way more apparent, and the marzipan less so. After the initial realistic scent, it gets that pasty/creamy mouthfeel smell of marzipan, without the actual almond note. The mint is lazy, hazy, not super sharp or twinkly like the peppermint in Arcana Astrid’s Diadem. It’s more reminiscent of the patchouli in Wicked but obviously NOT dirty like patchouli. It’s a pure peppermint, but not wet or juicy. It smells like a freshly picked peppermint leaf, but not like a crushed leaf. The melon is hanging in there, yay! It’s a sweet, ripe honeydew note and it blends well with the creaminess and the mint. This reads seriously summer/spring to me, I don’t get any winter feels, but I love it nonetheless. Will get a lot of wear come springtime.

Picture this, plus a bit of creaminess

After several hours: Smooth sugar paste with mint, a hint of honeydew, and the smoke note peeks out. I love how Possets' smoke notes don't come out until later...it reminds me of a dinner party with the candles getting blown out at the end of the night! So cool.

Add a blown-out candle to the sweet mix

Longevity: Medium. For such a fluffy scent, this sticks around admirably. I like that the mint is grounded, so it isn't too fleeting!
Sillage: Medium. 

Would an [X] lover love this? I don't know who to recommend this to! A marzipan lover might be disappointed- the marzipan isn't prominent after the initial application. A mint lover would be a fan, as it's got a delicate peppermint note that I haven't found as long-lasting in other blends! People who love unusual gourmands and fruity scents should give this a whirl.

Would an [X] hater love this? I feel like this is a gourmand scent that isn't TRULY foodie. So gourmand haters might want to test this.

Where am I? At a bizarre dinner party where the host doesn't realize how mismatched their theme is, but somehow everything is delicious.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, work, summer, spring, maybe winter. It's fresh in a bit of a cool way, so I can see this working in winter, but definitely not for autumn, when I'm craving warm and spicy scents.

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.

Deconstructing Eden Blanc Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden

Availability: Formerly permanent, now discontinued, but she may bring it back (you can also check with owner to see if she can sell you even though it's not listed in store)
Notes: White musks, white mint, white jasmine and linden blossoms

First impression out of bottle: The sweetest, earthiest mint, like crushed peppermint leaf in a dewy garden

Freshly applied: Sweet white mint, like minty tea. Then I get a touch of sweet green from the linden blossoms. It never gets that honeyed scent that Possets' linden gets on me, which almost has a sticky pollen feel. This is a clean, refreshing, lightly floral blend with an eensy touch of jasmine. The swirling musks make me think of morning mist or fog, they are not powdery or perfumey, but rather kind of damp and natural.

Minty, misty morning

Drydown: The mint is halway between candied mint and freshly-crushed garden mint. The juicy greenness makes it feel like earth/a garden without actual dirt or grass notes. Someone on IMAM told me they got hardly any mint from this, which I was bummed about, but I'm so happy that it's mostly mint on me.

Love the earthy, cool mint character

After several hours: A whisper of minty musk. 

Longevity: Very bad. This scent disappears on me but I just spritz more on because I'm obsessed with it. I wish it lasted longer.
Sillage: Quite low after the first few minutes. It lingers a little on hair and clothing, and I need to spray liberally to get good throw, but as I noted above, the longevity leaves a lot to be desired. These are all very faint notes, so you can't expect the potency you'd get from a spicy oriental, but STILL. I want it to stick around longer. 

Would an [X] lover love this? I think this is a highly unusual scent and basically everyone should try it if it becomes permanent again. A mint lover might adore it (hello, I do) but other people say they don't get much mint. So it's kind of a toss up.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think a mint hater could come around to this, as it's a very faithful representation of realistic mint. Also musk haters need to try it, as this is some of the best musk blending I've ever smelled. Not powdery, grandma-ish, or cloying.

Where am I? It makes me think of Cinderella trudging home in the morning mist after the ball, her bare foot squelching in the fresh garden herbs, and a single sparkling glass slipper.

Where would I wear this? I love wearing this during the day, especially on hot days. It's no use wearing it to bed as it disappears almost before I fall asleep, but I find it to be a super elegant but fun daytime scent. Very youthful but not childish.

NAVA Black Crystalline Black Fig Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy/NAVA
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Rich Black Crystalline Vanilla haunts this perfume while decadent Egyptian Black Fig permeates likes a phantasm within. Black Cardamom EO rises throughout the perfume like a ghost in the night treading across wooden floors but never touching the ground. A drizzle of sweet cream and black sugar are left where footprints should have been and an ethereal drift of White Fig haunts the spaces in-between

First impression out of bottle: Greenish fig, a hint of spice

Freshly applied: Still a VERY unripe fig, like the light green ones, not the nice ripe purple ones. Smells like fig skin and fig leaf, not the inner flesh. There's a hint of vanilla'd-spice but it's not like the typical strong NAVA vanilla, it's quite subtle. More spice with a whisper of vanilla.

Drydown: Whoo, the musk really comes out. This smells a bit old-fashioned, like a floral musk perfume worn by an older woman, or maybe the fragrance of midcentury face cream. There's a nice earthy spice that keeps it from going full Nivea/Avon but yes, it smells a LOT like an old lady's powder room. The hint of spice is from the fig (I noticed NAVA's fig perfumes often smell more like black tea than ripe fig) and a bit of sweet vanilla. But predominantly sweet musk is what I get.

After several hours: Still the same sweet, old-fashioned sweet musk. Not unpleasant but this is not the ripe blackened fig I was looking for. It's very "pretty" but it's not distinct enough, and I am one of those people who, once I have a couple musk perfumes, I get very bored of just musk.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Low-Medium. This is a strong-ish skin scent, which is to say I notice it, but only right against my wrist. It doesn't do a lot of wafting or traveling, rather it stays right up against my skin.

Would an [X] lover love this? A fig lover would be disappointed, the fig is super subtle here. A musk lover would be all about it, it's stronger than many skin scents, and a bit different and wicked from your usual pale musks.

Would an [X] hater love this? A musk hater would probably run away screaming from this. It has all the negative AND positive attributes of what musk can be. By that I mean it smells a bit powdery and grandma-ish, and it's purring and silky. So if you hate musk, no this is probably going to be a no for you.

Where am I? Remember when I said this reminds me of an old lady's powder room? You know, floral wallpaper, clean vanity, old jars of cosmetics? It's like that with a wicked twist. So maybe like an old witch's powder room. 

Where would I wear this? Work, sleep. It's a bit boring. I may layer it with something like Ava Luxe's Figue de Sucre to pump up the fig notes, but otherwise I think I may destash this to a more avid musk-lover.

Solstice Scents Shadows in the Night Review

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: White Amber, Fir, Frankincense, Elemi, Bayberry, Spruce, Amber, Evergreens, Peppermint, Incense, EotN Base

First impression out of bottle: Spruce and something soft and sweet

Freshly applied: The peppermint blends seamlessly with the evergreen notes and I love the sweet, almost fruity feel. It's not a harsh or cold pine scent, it's quite gentle.

Evergreen and bayberry

Drydown: A little less of the round fruity sweetness, more spruce emerges, like you're taking a big whiff of a Christmas tree. But the roundness in the background (which is definitely from the amber and vanilla from the Edge of the Night base) remains and gets a little spicier., but not too literal. This is not foodie, but the gentle vanilla and spice smell like the memory of baked goods.

Quite a gentle pine scent

After several hours: Less green, more soft Edge of the Night (amber, vanilla, spice). Peppermint is a fleeting note, so I'm not surprised it doesn't stick around. The evergreen notes last longer, and though they're not as prominent, the whole thing is still an evergreen-amber. Not pure sweetness, because there's green edge.

Warm golden Christmas tree scent, the faint smell of baked goods

Longevity: A little short-lived, better than bright/grassy green scents, but still not as long-lasting as a sugary vanilla scent. When I wear this I find myself reapplying it, because I love the opening/first hour or two of the scent so much that I want to experience it over and over.
Sillage: Medium-high at first, then low for the majority of its life. I can slather this on and still get a pretty subtle scent. 

Would an [X] lover love this? I think people who are a fan of evergreen scents will like this softer, more feminine take on what is traditionally a masculine family of scents. I personally like everything that Solstice Scents does with amber/vanilla/spice, but I have heard multiple people claim the sweeter blends smell like Christmas candles on them. 

Would an [X] hater love this? Yes, this is a great introduction for a green-hater. I personally count myself as someone who doesn't like vegetal/green scents, so this was a good way to ease my way into the wintry evergreen scents without feeling like I was wearing Winter's Breeze For Men or something. If you like foodie scents and don't see yourself loving woodsy or green ones, try this and you might be surprised how well the spruce notes are incorporated!

Where am I? This is not a foodie scent, but it does remind me of my parents' house at Christmas. A bit of spicy pine cone and spruce from the decorations, mingled with a soft sweet smell like a really high-end fruitcake. This smells like the cold air outside mixed with the warmth from the fire, a Christmas tree, spicy decorative pinecones, and a spread of Christmas cookies in the other room. I adore this scent.

Where would I wear this? I wear this to work and at home. I wear it a lot during the summer actually, although it's also fantastic for the wintertime. I find it's versatile even though it's so Christmassy. The fresh green notes make it light enough for hot weather, and the fact that it's subtle means nobody is sniffing the air and asking why it smells like Christmas.

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 Black Diamond Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy/NAVA
Availability: Limited Edition (Studio Limited)
Notes: Egyptian and Belgian Dark Chocolate, imported Nahuatl Xocolatl perfume, blended with vanilla cream musk and cocoa

First impression out of bottle: Cocoa absolute, dark and a teensy bit alcoholic

Freshly applied: Same slightly alcoholic bitter cocoa absolute note. Reminds me a lot of the chocolate in Black Star. Not super sweet, but like DARK chocolate truffles. Dark and creamy like true dark chocolate ganache being swirled and melted over a flame.

Chocolate ganache

Drydown: Same true dark chocolate scent, but the throw decreases on this pretty quickly. It's still complex, but it feels a lot softer and muskier

After several hours: Soft vanilla musk with smooth cocoa, like expensive flaked hot chocolate.

Vanilla cream musk and soft cocoa

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Yes, a chocolate lover would find this to be a true dark chocolate, not cloying or dusty, just like the real thing.

Would an [X] hater love this? This is a straight-up chocolate scent, so I don't think it would be interesting to non-gourmand lovers. True, it's not super sweet, but it has no patchouli or wood notes that might make it more palatable to someone who prefers earthier perfumes.

Where am I? Eating truffles and drinking hot cocoa in a Belgian sweet shop.

Where would I wear this? Everywhere, all the time, layered with everything. It's subtle enough for any season, and I think it's kind of sexy, so it would be a great nighttime scent.

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.

Deep Midnight King Cake Review

Brand: Deep Midnight
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Yeasty bread dough, cinnamon sugar, vanilla, a touch of cream cheese frosting and a dab of strawberry filling

First impression out of bottle: Perfect yeasted doughnut, a kiss of cream cheese, and some jammy strawberry.

Freshly applied: The cinnamon sugar (which really comes across here as cinnamon-sugar NOT cinnamon + sugar) and strawberry jam are a perfect complement to the doughnut smell. This doughnut is not unpleasantly oily, yeasty, or salty like the note I got from Cocoa Pink's Jelly Doughnut. It's perfectly golden and a tiny bit savory. The cream cheese really helps lighten it up. Usually I dislike cream cheese as a note, but this doesn't go sour or too strong. It's a sweet cream cheese scent.

Perfect cinnamon sugar cake donut

Drydown: Soft, slightly tart creamy cake. A hybrid doughnut-cake hybrid with a very light strawberry cream cheese note. Definitely distinct from Arcana Yellow Cake, as it's more pillowy and airy.

Add some strawberry cream cheese to your cinnamon sugar donut

After several hours: The same as the drydown, but much fainter.

Longevity: Not fantastic. I can still smell it faintly after a long time, but whisper-throw doesn't count for me. I wish it lasted longer at a more potent level, because it's so gorgeous.
Sillage: Low-medium. I have to slather to get good throw out of this, and even then it's a medium-strength one.

Would an [X] lover love this? Yes, gourmand/cake lovers NEED this. It's delicate, interesting, and something different compared to the standard yellow cake scents. I will say I am picky about throw (I like intense, strong scents) so even though this one disappoints in that sense, I still needed it.

Would an [X] hater love this? Perhaps. I don't really think this has a lot to offer to a gourmand hater though. It's a true, pure food smell, very well-executed and NOT too sugary. If your issue with gourmands is sensitivity to sweetness, then give this a shot. If you just don't like smelling like dessert, this won't change your mind.

Where am I? An upscale doughnut shop, sampling a variety of flavors and enjoying the smells drifting from the ovens.

Where would I wear this? I would wear this to work, at home (although it might prompt me to snack), and on the weekend. It's a daytime scent, a little young, definitely feminine. Not quite bold enough for a night out. It's not a power scent, it's a gentle and enjoyable one.

Arcana Astrid's Diadem Review

Brand: Arcana
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Madagascar vanilla, Bourbon vanilla, sugared lavender creme, citron, lemongrass, peppermint, and a touch of stately patchouli

First impression out of bottle: Minty lemon with some grassiness

Lemongrass mint dessert, a little creamy and a little fresh

Freshly applied: Initially I get all lavender and peppermint, with a bitter twist of citrus rind. As it dries, I get the paradoxical bright/bitter citrus (smells like lemon juice now) with that herbal/dusty lavender that smells like real lavender buds, with a bit of grassiness of lemongrass and an obvious helping of peppermint. This is such a cool, herbal scent. It’s very fun and confusing to my nose, but at the same time very pleasant. Like your nose CANNOT perceive all the scents at once, so it goes through an arpeggio of lavender, lemon, lemongrass, peppermint before settling onto a bed of sugared vanilla, then back to the beginning. A kind of weird wild ride. I LOVE IT.

Love the bitter citrus twist 

Drydown:  After drying down completely, there’s a more “sugared lavender-peppermint creme” sensation, with the citrus/lemongrass nestled on top. Thank god the patchouli is simply grounding the peppermint. There’s no rubber or mustiness here, just a surprisingly long-lasting mint note. The vanillas are keeping everything swathed in softness. I'm happy that the notes all pop out and this isn’t turning into a same-y vanilla. 

Lavender cream with touches of sparkling peppermint and citron

After several hours: Same thing as the drydown, a sugared lavender cream with some sparkling peppermint and grassy citrus. 

Longevity: High, especially considering that the herbal notes are ones that usually dissipate quickly. This lasts more than 6 hours on me. The patchouli extends the mint notes, in my opinion.
Sillage: Very high at first, remains fairly good throughout the life

Would an [X] lover love this? I think anyone who likes herbal notes and vanillas needs this scent. It's super unusual and funky. It's a bit cacophonous at first, but it dries down into something just as charming and probably more wearable.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think someone who vehemently hated vanilla might still be ok with this. It's not a syrupy or overly sweet vanilla. If you don't like lemongrass or peppermint, it will be a nonstarter. Lavender haters might be surprised though, as the lavender is used very subtly here.

Where am I? In a spotless white kitchen with Ina Garten, making eight different types of meringues and creams at once.

Where would I wear this? Work, weekend, sleep. Not for a night out, too playful and zesty. But I think this can work well as a winter perfume (it has a frozen, ice creamy feel) and also it's refreshing enough to be great in hot weather.