Cocoa Pink Caramel Popcorn Balls Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: Melted marshmallow buttery caramel popcorn balls, a delicious Halloween treat sure to evoke memories of childhood.

First impression out of bottle: Butter and alcohol

Freshly applied: Salty butter and fruity candy like Pez or Sweet Tarts

Drydown: Toasted, almost woodsy marshmallows with a hint of savoryness. Not butter, but more like Rice Krispies. Not a gooey caramel scent, more fluffy, toasty, and golden.

After several hours: Lovely soft marshmallow with a hint of toasted savory flavor. I like this and it's nowhere near as buttery or weird as I expected. Not caramel-y though.

Definitely smells like these guys.

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Low-medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I don't own it but from what I've heard, this could be similar to HoG Ghost Puffs. If you enjoy slightly kooky gourmands you will like this. 

Would an [X] hater love this? Gourmand hater or someone who picks up on buttery/salty notes to an extreme might find this weird. But then again as it's in EDP format I think the buttery popcorn notes will be very chilled out in general, even on people with wacky skin chemistry.

Where am I? Eating Rice Krispie treats at a Girl Scouts meeting after school.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, weekend. This is a little subtle for me for wintertime, when I prefer heavy spiced scents, but it could be good for the summer.

Cocoa Pink Marshmallow Candy Cane Noel Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: made with marshmallow sugar and vanilla bean noel, it has real spearmint & peppermint oils

First impression out of bottle: Sweetened, warm peppermint (warm, like, not bracing and fresh like Buttermint)

Freshly applied: Peppermint with a hint of caramel

Drydown: Now this is what I wanted from Buttermint. Good thing I got both! The peppermint and spearmint are complemented by the beautiful smooth caramel-vanilla of Vanilla Bean Noel. This is a sugary peppermint smell. Sort of like peppermint Torani syrup that you'd put in a coffee.

Maybe you also put peppermint schnapps in your coffee, I don't know your life

After several hours: Still fluffy caramel-vanilla peppermint. Mmm I love this one. One of the best uses for the awesome Vanilla Bean Noel note. Super Christmassy and festive.

Longevity: High
Sillage: High

Would an [X] lover love this? Anybody who likes sweet mint scents will find this excellent, although it may be a bit plain if you are  used to the fanciful Arcana peppermint perfumes that combine different herbal and food smells with the herb. This is straightforward.

Would an [X] hater love this? I don't think a mint hater would love this...there's no plastic or weirdness in here, so maybe if they were just a mint lover in disguise and didn't realize it yet?

Where am I? Asking for a double shot of peppermint syrup in my coffee at Starbucks

Where would I wear this? Work, parties, to decorate the Christmas tree. Daytime or night. Definitely great for the holidays, but I could probably wear this in warmer weather if I ignored the candy-cane-ish-ness.

Cocoa Pink Peppermint Hot Cocoa Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: A steaming mug of creamy hot chocolate infused with a peppermint stick.

First impression out of bottle: Altoid chocolate mints

Freshly applied: Medicinal salve and bandaids

Drydown: Real minty smell coming out now, it was definitely turning medicinal/bandage-y in the opening, but it's sweet and good now. I can detect a hint of chocolate, yes but it's mostly sweet peppermint. This smells like those "chocolate" candy canes that have a bare hint of chocolatey flavor. So I'd say this is a foodie, gourmand mint but it's not a true chocolate mint. 

After several hours: Sweet peppermint with a teensy bit of cocoa. A little watery though. The same way Sixteen92 Grimm is watery-chocolatey on me. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Low medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Meh, this is a little watery for a true mint lover. Nothng super gourmand OR super fresh/earthy, it's just sort of...there.

Would an [X] hater love this? This is not going to be The Mint Scent that makes you a believer.

Where am I? Sitting in my 7th grade classroom, eating shitty candy canes on the last day before Christmas break. 

Where would I wear this? Daytime, maybe. I wouldn't wear it though, it's not quite punchy or special enough.

Possets Iowa Review

Brand: Possets
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: 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

First impression out of bottle: Brown sugar and salt.

Freshly applied: Salty, savory cornmeal crust with oozing melted yellow butter. 

Melted butter on cornbread

Drydown: Very much the same, with less assertive saltiness. This 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. I love that this smells like the brown underside of cornbread- not the yellow fluffy middle part, but the crispy edge!

The scent of browned baked goods

After several hours: Still crispy browned cornbread edges. I'm so shocked that this has basically no sweetness! The turbinado sugar is there as a crunchy/brown feel but NOT as a sweet element. It kind of reminds me of whole wheat toast. Like a hybrid of salty corn muffins and buttered brown toast.

Longevity: Medium. This doesn't disappear, but it doesn't stay full-strength for long and fades after about 5 hours. It also becomes a leetle bit flat. But I like the toasted darkness.
Sillage: Low-Medium. I was expecting such a bold gourmand to have more throw, but this one settles down and stays pretty close to my skin.

Would an [X] lover love this? Gourmand/savory lovers would probably enjoy the beautiful toasted savory note in this, but it might not hit the sweet notes that you foodie lovers are used to.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think a lot of people will find this weird. It's very edible, savory, and straightforward, which are all attributes that can turn people off.

Where am I? Eating leftover cornbread and rolls from Thanksgiving.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, dinner, home, colder months

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.

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.

Deep Midnight A Study in Brown Review

Brand: Deep Midnight
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: A scented story of aromatic copal, nutty tonka bean, oak wood smoke, and toasted sugar

First impression out of bottle: Smoky wood and sugar

Freshly applied: You can taste the crunchy brown sugar crystals, which are sweetening up the gorgeous resinous wood notes. There's also strong smoke here. It smells like a very sweet and smoky version of Solstice Scents' Attic. It has that same resiny astringency that I love, but overlaid with a toasted sugar topping.

Like this, but with sugar

Drydown: This gets less sugary as it dries, and more nutty. The tonka is a great note here that's sort of surprising. It's not sweet but it's a bit earthy in a non-woodsy way. This starts to smell more like slightly sweet toasted nuts, resin, wood, and a hint of clingy woodsmoke.

Smoky toasted nuts

After several hours: Same as above. This gets to be faint after a few hours, but is a scent that clings nonetheless. 

Longevity: High, but the sillage fades later
Sillage: Very high at first, moderate amount of time with high sillage, then toward the 8 hour mark, this fades to a whispery light scent

Would an [X] lover love this? I think any fan of woodsy perfumes would love this. It has the characteristic astringency and wood notes that someone who loves cedar, pine, redwood, teak, oud, or mahogany would like. The smoke is just enough to make you think of a forest, not like an actual fire. The sweetness never crosses over into being too girly, I can see this on a man or a woman.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think even people who are frightened of woodsy scents or find them too assertive would love this. It's playful, a little lilting and charming, not super straightforward or bold. It's got strong, assertive notes, but it's a little sweet and fuzzy around the edges. I think this is a beginner-friendly scent, especially for a man who isn't accustomed to wearing perfumes.

Where am I? t makes me think of your hot lumberjack boyfriend who comes in from the cold with his flannel shirt stinking of wood and smoke. Then he eats a plate of cookies, and you wear the flannel the next day and it's a beautiful mix of earthy natural notes and sweet gourmand.

Where would I wear this? Work, home, weekdays. It's not quite sexy/sultry enough for nighttime. I like very girly scents, so maybe that's why it reads more daytime to me. It's sexy in a subtle, masculine way, but not ostentatious, so definitely work-appropriate. This has a cold-weather feel, but would be good to wear in the last hot days of September as well.

Solstice Scents White Feather EDP Review

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: General Catalog, only available in Eau de Parfum, not perfume oil
Notes: Vanilla, Jasmine, Real Gardenia, Saffron, Sandalwood, Spices & More

First impression out of bottle: Super spicy and perfumey. Indoles, saffron, spice, and sour wood.

Freshly applied: Stinky, poopy indolic jasmine. Like flowers that have started to rot and turn brown. The spices and wood and incense are conspiring to smell like decaying wood. Very spicy and dank.

Drydown: All of a sudden, the dank rotten notes dissipate, and a breath of spicy, lush jasmine bursts forth. It is now a half and half hybrid of creamy jasmine illuminated by the moonlight and soft burning incense. The most exquisite gardenia note (SS's own handmade gardenia enfleurage) is helping the jasmine to be more gentle and lush. There is a sweet playful vanilla that plays around the edges of the incense but never takes over.

After several hours: Soft vanilla incense with a hint of the same gorgeous jasmine from earlier.

Photo via VTWiccan

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium. After the initial strong burst, this very quickly becomes a medium-throw perfume. But even though I can't smell it that strongly, other people definitely smell it when passing by or hugging me. I receive a lot of compliments on this one. It also clings to clothing exceptionally well.

Photo via Solstice Scents

Would an [X] lover love this? A jasmine lover would love this, unless some of the notes went funky on their skin. As it is a bit poopy and stinky, this can morph into perfection or hell, depending on your skin chemistry. An incense lover would probably adore this, for a lighter floral take on incense.

Would an [X] hater love this? A jasmine hater would most likely not be converted by this. The only exception I can think is if they had smelled synthetic jasmines before and were put off by the bathroom cleaner ish vibe. Then they need to get a load of this. Incense haters might like this, as it avoids the heavy resin feel of some incense and focuses on the powdery, spa like aspect.

Where am I? Standing next to my parent's jasmine bush at twilight, smelling faint Japanese incense from the altar in the house. Or maybe standing in the doorway of a mountain temple hidden in the Himalayas. Either/or.

Where would I wear this? I have worn this out to dinner multiple times. I love it for that because it's kind of an intimate, romantic scent that does well in low light. I like it for work as well, but the initial smelly opening is NOT pleasant, so I have to be extra careful not to apply it fresh around other people. I will usually spritz it on outside and let it chill out for 1-2 minutes before entering someone else's space. I find it to be a scent that works well in cold weather, as the romantic spiciness makes me feel cozy, as well as hot weather, when you feel like you're constantly sweating. It's one of those scents that melds with your (ugh) body odor to make you smell sultry and hot.