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.

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.