NAVA Carnival Arcane Review

Brand: NAVA
Availability: General Catalog

Notes: Black Kettle Corn with tendrils of black spun sugar that weave, like a web, though ethereal funnel cakes drizzled with aged black Crystal vanilla musk, Crystalline Syrup and sweet & salty accords

First impression out of bottle: Fluffy Kettle Corn


Freshly applied: Salty-sweet popcorn, over an almost fruity syrup base. I don't smell Crystalline that much...it's fruity and a bit "thin" smelling.

Drydown: Still lovely Kettle Corn, but now the thin/fruity syrup smell has been replaced with a really nice musky sweet smell. Crystalline vanilla is generally a pure, fluffy, musky vanilla and that comes across here, but it's a bit less complex and more playful/cotton-candy-like. I think it's nicely balanced as-is, but I want more of the Kettle Corn scent. I think this would be dynamite with more dark, caramelized notes.

After several hours: Same fluffy soft savory-sweet. Like Rice Krispie treats and cotton candy.

Pink fluffy Kettle Corn

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Gourmand lovers who like salty scents might enjoy this. I've never tried Sixteen92 Shadow Show but this sounds similar, without the metallic notes and earthy notes. It's very straightforward.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think gourmand haters won't like this. It's too straightforward and doesn't introduce any unexpected notes.

Where am I? Making carnival-themed treats for a kid's birthday party. Not actually at a real carnival though. 

Where would I wear this? Daytime, spring, summer.

Cocoa Pink Apple Cinnamon Funnel Cake Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: inspired by a quaint little shop in the Georgia Mountains.  We just had to make a scent based on their fabulous apple cinnamon funnel cakes topped off with a dusting of powdered sugar.

First impression out of bottle: Apple donuts

Freshly applied: Fresh crisp red apples

Drydown: A bit of cakeyness, mostly fresh red apples. Not a lot of cinnamon, definitely not a "cinnamon sugar" scent, but there's a hint of the nice powdered sugar note that Cocoa Pink does well. Meh I was expecting WAY more funnel cake/donut type scent and this is almost entirely fresh apple, and I barely get any spice. 

After several hours: Same sweet soft apple. Reminds me of the apple in OHWTO The Girl Who Waited. Or even Arcana Apples Crave Vanilla. I definitely prefer Arcana Apples Crave Cake over this one because it packs more punch and has a stronger dessert smell. 

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Low medium

Would an [X] lover love this? An apple fiend might find something here to love, but like I said, compared to other similar perfumes, it's nothing special. I especially think the throw is nothing to write home about, which would prevent me from getting it in a larger scent.

Would an [X] hater love this? Nah, apple haters won't find this interesting.

Where am I? Eating a fresh apple next to a bakery. I sort of smell baked goods, but I'm not eating them.

Where would I wear this? If it had better throw on me, as a daytime scent to work.

Solstice Scents Foxcroft Fairgrounds Review

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Cotton Candy, Cream Soda, Vanilla Taffy, Gridling's Funnel Cakes, Powdered Sugar, Crisp Fall Air, Woodsmoke & a Tendril of Incense

First impression out of bottle: Cotton candy and cream soda. 

Freshly applied:First, cotton candy, but not like Solstice Scent’s discontinued Pink Sugar. It’s a little deeper, not so fluffy. I think that’s the cream soda making it deep/creamy golden. There’s a hint of earthiness/airiness from the smoke and fall air but not so much to make this a dark scent. 

Luxurious sweet cotton candy

Drydown: I smell the powdered sugar now, and it’s amazing that it’s not a generic sweet smell. It’s the actual scent of powdered sugar when you get it wet. Smells like making royal icing! The whole thing is less overwhelmingly sugary than other cotton candy fragrances, there’s a coolness that comes from the crisp air (really does smell like November air) and the smoke/incense. I’d say it’s at least 70% air/earth with only 30% foodie notes, definitely not a straight-up gourmand. 

A perfect, powdered sugar-laden funnel cake joins the cotton candy

After several hours: A little incense peeks out on the later drydown and mingles nicely with the funnel cake/powdered sugar but it’s not a heavy spiced scent. I thought I would be meh on this but it’s actually lovely.

The foodie scents are combined with the best autumnal air scent ever

Longevity: High. This lasts the whole day
Sillage: High. It goes down to medium-high later in the day but is still very noticeable

Would an [X] lover love this? I think a gourmand lover would like this a lot. I usually like traditional gourmands, but this has a different, earthy twist that works so well.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think gourmand haters need to try it, because it's very unexpected and not sweet in a cloying way.

Where am I? This isn't a busy/clamoring scent like being RIGHT in the middle of a fair. It's like you're standing on a hill just above the fairgrounds, smelling the edible treats wafting through the air, a touch of woodsmoke on the October/November breeze, and a hint of incense from a fortuneteller's caravan. It's right when the sun is setting and the air is cooling off.

Where would I wear this? Work, weekend, even maybe a night out. It's not a light scent but it's also not heavily dark or spiced, so I think it's very versatile. It's one of my absolute favorites.