NAVA Queen Amber Review

Brand: NAVA
Availability: General Catalog

Notes: Egyptian Honey Incense warms the Amber glow of scent in an indelicate sense of chins held high, Golden Crowns shining in the sun, jewels of lazuli and gold sparkling to the heavens and on her wrists and behind her ears the gossamer of delicious honey and amber elixir

First impression out of bottle: Dark sticky honey and cinnamon spice


Freshly applied: Fantastic hybrid of foodie syrup and woodsy syrup notes. There is dark mustiness from sacred wood as well as a robust, caramelized, nutty honey note. The "cinnamon" impression isn't really cinnamon but a complex blend of nutty brown spice that is super intriguing. 

Drydown: The deep woodsy resin notes are making me think of a super dusty and mysterious antique shop, with hidden magical treasures. The honey is still super strong, sweet, and syrupy-smooth. The nuttiness I talked about earlier is still there. It's like strong, earthy toasted nuts/wood. 

After several hours: Sticky, spicy honey and dancing wood and resin notes. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: High

Would an [X] lover love this? If you love resin scents. try this. It's totally unique and special while still highlighting what you love about amber. Honey-lovers also need to give it a chance, though it's sultrier and more exotic than you might be used to.

Would an [X] hater love this? If you think amber is "powdery" or sickly, think again. This is a totally sexy, earthy, sweet amber that is nothing like the soft skin scents you've tried.

Where am I? Drinking spiced tea with a huge dollop of honey in an antique shop, while talking to a woman who may or may not be a sorceress.

Where would I wear this? Nighttime, for sure. This is seasonless: the spice and nutty notes make it a holiday-friendly snuggly scent, but the bright sticky resin would be really great on a hot summer night as well. Year-round and all-occasion signature-scent worthy.

Haus of Gloi Golden Corn Cakes Review

Brand: Haus of Gloi
Availability: Limited Edition Fall (recurring)
Notes: Corn cake baked to a golden perfection, topped with butter and honey

First impression out of bottle: Savory cornbread with a hint of sweetness.

Freshly applied: Honeyed butter and toothsome cornbread. Heavy on the honey.

Drydown: Honey with a hint of savory gourmand-ness. It's quite a bright golden scent, not super toasted or dark. Sweeter than I expected, which is nice. More honey than anything else. Like a gourmand, autumn honey with a rich baked goods background. 

Heavy on the honey and butter

After several hours: Mm I love the syrupy deep honey with slightly earthy golden bready cake background. It's a really balanced honeyed bread/cake scent that smells more homey and less exotic than Arcana Ganesh. 

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I love honey and gourmands, this ticks all my boxes. It probably will suit your tastes if you like Arcana Yellow Cake, Ganesh, or Aestas. If you like Solstice Scents' sweeter stuff, this will also be a hit.

Would an [X] hater love this? Gourmand haters could give this a try, though I'll say it's straightforward and unsurprising as far as sweet, foodie stuff goes. This is a good, non-spicy fall gourmand but if you dislike or have issues with honey notes, this won't be for you.

Where am I? Eating corn muffins at home on a brisk fall day.

Where would I wear this? Autumn, winter, daytime, work, home. It's really cozy and sweet. I would even wear this for a date, because I think sweet gourmands like this go over well with dudes in general. 

Common Brimstone Godfrey's Cordial Review

Brand: Common Brimstone
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: mixes poppies with honey, vanilla, cinnamon and clove.

First impression out of bottle: Powdery sweet baby oil

Freshly applied: Old-fashioned baby oil with a hint of spice

Drydown: There's a hint of soft gold honey, some spice, but it's mostly that round, musky sweetness that smells like really expensive baby oil. It's not gross and chemical-y or too sweet, but it smells SUPER babyish/old-fashioned. I actually don't hate it but I doubt I would wear this much. There's something more sophisticated and resinous that stops this from being a purely face-cream scent.

After several hours: Not much spice left, mostly sweet round baby oil. This is a very simple but expensive-smelling scent. It smells like a luxurious midcentury ladies cosmetic product.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think if you love the scent of baby oil, old-fashioned cosmetics (like Pond's Cold Cream, Nivea, etc), or powdery scents in general, you will love this. 

Would an [X] hater love this? If you hate powdery scents, this is not for you. I like it a bit, but I'm sensitive to powder and it's a little simplistic for me. I think with a touch more spice I would enjoy it more.

Where am I? Applying Nivea/Ponds before bedtime in a sophisticated powder room.

Where would I wear this? To bed, daytime, spring, summer

Deconstructing Eden These Are the Days of Wine and Honey Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: The last of the sunflowers, rich honey and beeswax, tolu balsam, tonka bean, cedar, liatrix, palo santo wood, elemi essential oil, silky musk and of course, a splash of wine

First impression out of bottle: Dark sweetness

Freshly applied: Grape cough syrup/Flintstones vitamins

Drydown: Mm this is kind of swelling up and getting more voluptuous. DE scents tend to do that if they smell sharp at first. I'm getting a bit of citrus, a REALLY silky musk that smells almost like velvet, some woodsy brown notes, a bit of tobacco (liatrix is in the tobacco family), and a very sweet pinky red wine note. I can't say this reads super honeyed to me. It's more warm, golden, and like fresh beeswax. 

After several hours: This scent smells very reddish-pink to me like a beautiful sunset. The harsh grape notes are gone and it's a pinky red golden scent, like warm fabric and smooth wine. This scent is languorous, luxurious, sexy in a bohemian way without relying on spice, incense, or patchouli. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? If you love wine scents, this is a really special, not-too-literal sweet wine scent with great honey and wood accents.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think even if you're not a huge fan of alcoholic or wine scents, this captures the warmth and color of a glass of wine without the harshness or the weirdness of wearing a scent inspired by alcohol.

Where am I? Lying in a field of warm golden grass, surrounded by friends drinking and eating.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, nighttime, summer, autumn, weekend. Probably not work although it doesn't actually smell like wine. But it gives me a really calm, afternoon-nap feeling which is not optimal for a workday.

Sarawen Ambrosia Chocolat Review

Brand: Sarawen
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: chocolate, amber, honey, vanilla

First impression out of bottle: Chocolate honey, mmm!

Freshly applied: Oh snoes, it's turning waxy and plasticky on me...mostly fake honey with beeswax and a hint of something like cut green flower stems. No chocolate. COME BACK.

None of your beeswax.

Drydown: Burnt honey with hints of plastic and Band-Aids. Nope nope nope. The chocolate, which was SO lovely in the bottle on cold sniff, is a mere trace here. I'm sure this one will be ok on some but if you have trouble with honey or chocolate notes (I do, and I've tried em all) you should be wary.

Like this, but more chemically and dirty

After several hours: Honey that is simultaneously waxy/plasticky and sharp. No chocolate. Still with that weird sappy green flower stem note.

I really fucking hate this smell, if you can't tell.

Longevity: Medium.
Sillage: Medium. 

Would an [X] lover love this? I have heard plenty of people say they enjoyed this, but like Smelly Yeti Not the Bees, this went immediately plasticky and nasty on me. I love chocolate but have a hard time finding good cocoa notes, and this was no exception. 

Would an [X] hater love this? Unless you have skin chemistry that melds well with these type of notes (cheaper/simplistic blends IMO) I think you will hate this and find it turns fake-y.

Where am I? Accidentally melting plastic and food together in a kitchen mishap.

Where would I wear this? Nowhere. If it smelled like it did in the bottle on me, I'd wear it for sexy nighttime fun.

Sarawen Pixie Dust Review

Brand: Sarawen
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: sweet orange, vanilla cake, honey, sugar

First impression out of bottle: Cinnabon with cream cheese glaze.

Freshly applied: Cream cheese icing and a hint of Tang.

Horrifying.

Drydown: Sticky dark honey and Tang. This has an unsophisticated sticky feel. Like you spilled orange juice and syrup on a tablecloth and it just dried.

After several hours: A bit less gross than the initial drydown, but mainly like pre-packaged cake with a hint of orange icing.

Like something you'd pick up in a gas station

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Low-medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I don't think this is a sophisticated/unusual gourmand. I think Sarawen's cake notes are weak and nothing compared to something like Arcana or Solstice Scents, who really develop a true voluptuous set of cakey/gourmand accords. 

Would an [X] hater love this? I don't think a gourmand hater would like this. It's everything that can go wrong with a foodie perfume.

Where am I? Eating cake from a rest stop on a road trip with a stomachache. 

Where would I wear this? I wouldn't. If it worked on me, maybe daytime or work. 

Cocoa Pink Bonfire Pumpkins Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: This scent started out as an accident then turned into my personal all time favorite scent.  This year I decided to share.  We accidentally mixed Pumpkin porridge with Marshmallow Fireside and created a sensational creamy bonfire scent with notes of maple oats drizzled with pure golden clover honey, a pinch of muscovado sugar all topped with a dollop of sugared pumpkin puree plus toasted vanilla marshmallows over a roaring fire.  This is a smoky scent.

First impression out of bottle: Smoky maple sugar

Freshly applied: Sweet smoky maple candy

Mmmm soft maple candy

Drydown: Pumpkin comes out to play and mingles with the maple scent over a soft note of oats/general gourmandy sweetness. Honestly not all that smoky. I was expecting more BONFIRE but it's nicely woven into the food notes. This smells more like the "cooked" warm smell of freshly made breakfast food, not the smell of a bonfire. There's a tad bit of creamy gray smoke, but it's not an acrid smell. 

After several hours: Sweet mapley pumpkin porridge.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Pumpkin/maple/fall gourmand lovers will adore this. 

Would an [X] hater love this? Maple haters won't like it. Anyone who despises oatmeal type scents will probably dislike it. But it's not gooey or cloying, so who knows. I find this to be a nice balance of sweet and earthy, though it's definitely MORE foodie than earthy.

Where am I? Sitting in a log cabin, eating pumpkin porridge by the fire.

Where would I wear this? For fall type activities, at night at home, to work, out and about on the weekends. It's a perfect cozy scent with something special.

Cocoa Pink Spell Caster Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: Glowing amber essential oil wraps gently around notes of sticky golden honey, freshly picked mulberries and finished on a warm magical base of myrrh.

First impression out of bottle: Cough syrup and amber

Freshly applied: Very sticky amber and honey, with warm unmistakable myrrh

Drydown: A hint of berries emerges, and it reminds me of berry tea. Warm, reddish, a bit spiced. I think it's the combo of myrrh/honey/berries that makes me think of that, instead of recalling fresh fruit. Myrrh smells like a combo of warm spices and pine.

After several hours: Fresh voluptuous purple berry, syrupy honeyed amber, and sweet myrrh. Not super heavy. Really good Christmas-but-not-literally-Christmas scent. As myrrh is reminiscent of pine, you could almost think this smells like pinecones/Christmas tree with a nice fruitiness and amber, and a bit of potpourri. But it's very sophisticated and subtle, not like a mall at Christmastime.

Lovely sweet berries

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think if you enjoy myrrh, this is a really good use of it that doesn't combine it with frankincense. 

Would an [X] hater love this? I don't know if people ever specifically hate myrrh, but if you find yourself identifying LOTS of scents as "Christmassy"/"potpourri" and HATE it, maybe steer clear. Also if you hate amber stay away.

Reminds me of these type of decorations

Where am I? In my aunt's house, which is always decorated really nicely for the holidays. I smell spiced pinecones, the faint odor of Christmas tree, some fruity seasonal hand soap in the bathroom, and warm smells from the kitchen.

Where would I wear this? I would totally wear this to a holiday party where there would be a lot of kids, if I didn't want anything too heavy or assertive. It's playful and a bit festive, but also kind of refined. I can see wearing this with a little black dress and sparkly earrings. 

Cocoa Pink Orb Weaver Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: Dried black tea leaves seeped in searing hot water, infused with chilled milk and sweet amber drops of tupelo honey.

First impression out of bottle: Bottled milk tea

Freshly applied: VERY diluted black tea in lots of milk, a bit watery

Black tea leaves

Drydown: Wow this is a lovely black tea scent- not at all like chai or like Earl Grey (no zesty notes.) Pure black tea leaves and lots of cold milk. There are a few drops of something like a romantic perfume floral honey- not super literal honey. But I prefer it this way. It's such a cool pure tea scent with just the right amount of sweetness.

Reminds me a lot of bottled Asian milk tea

After several hours: Same, slightly earthy black leaves with sweet milk

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium high

Would an [X] lover love this? Anyone who enjoys drinking milk tea or bubble tea IRL needs this. Tea-scent lovers will appreciate a non spiced and non lemony black tea.

Would an [X] hater love this? It's not a "creamy" scent so people who find cream notes go sour on them needn't worry- it's very soft and slightly floral. I think you'll just have to try it because it's an odd duck! I find it lovely.

This scent transports me to a cute café, watching the rain and drinking tea

Where am I? Drinking milk tea in a café on a rainy morning

Where would I wear this? This is absolutely a daytime scent. Good for cool autumn mornings (definitely reminds me of rainy days) or spring days. Not comforting enough for really cold days or nights. Not super sexy, more cute and quirky.

Cocoa Pink Golden Morning Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: Cool vanilla wrapped around honeyed, pale pumpkin gently grounded with white oak, tonka bean finished with the barest hint of copal.

First impression out of bottle: Honey

Freshly applied: Sweet honey and copal resin.

Drydown: Oh wow, this is heavenly. It smells like a NAVA perfume- like a shop full of Egyptian antiquities. It smells like honeyed resins and fine earthy woodsy notes. I get no pumpkin really- just creaminess. The tonka and oak combine to make a gorgeous woodsy background, but the main attractions are the sweet vanilla, honey, and copal.

After several hours: Still the same. Very perfumey and lush. Like I said, reminds me of NAVA, and actually also of some old BPAL perfumes I remember. Really sexy, mature, sweet, and elegant. Totally unlike some of Cocoa Pink's foodie/youthful offerings.

Sweet, resinous, woodsy like a romanticized library in Egypt

Longevity: High
Sillage: Very high.

Would an [X] lover love this? I think anyone who's a fan of sweet resinous scents would enjoy this. It's quite feminine, which isn't necessarily the case for many woodsy/resin scents, but it's so beautiful. Also I may add that the honey scent in this is not really ostentatious. Indie honeys are tough and I have had my fair share go plasticky/soapy on me but this honey wraps around the vanilla and wood notes so perfectly. 

Would an [X] hater love this? I think people who dislike resiny/syrupy scents will find this to be too strong to their liking. It settles into a very perfumed scent, so it's not a "natural" woodsy scent.

Where am I? Helping Rachel Weisz sort through ancient manuscripts.

Where would I wear this? I would wear this primarily in colder weather, and it could go either way in terms of day or night. A bit too syrupy/perfumey for warm weather though.

Solstice Scents Smokewood Apiary Review

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Smoked Honey, Creamed Honey, Beeswax, Amber, Wooden Frames, Ginger & Vanilla (VEGAN, only synthetic beeswax/honey notes)

First impression out of bottle: Blackened BBQ smoke.

Freshly applied: On first application, this is like the blackened char on really good BBQ ribs + smooth creamy honey. It's not meaty or savory but it's smokey and not too syrupy. 

Sweet BBQ scent

Drydown: Pure honey + dry wood and a whisper of smoke. That "wooden frames" they describe is absolutely apparent, it's a soft dry neutral wood like split planks on a homestead. I just sniffed my wrist and accidentally bonked my nose and ACTUALLY felt a ghost of "stickiness" as if I had real honey on my wrist. There's something about this honey that's fresh but warm, it has that tinkling high crystalline note of good fresh honey when you inhale it. No flower notes or grassiness. The smoke, which is prominent at first, fades to be a nice ashy note but it isn't like WOAH smoke after a few minutes

Pure honey with a gorgeous pale wood note

After several hours: Still mostly the same as initial drydown. I love the multiple honey notes because I get ALL OF IT, crystallized, liquid, and creamed honey all in one. It's like a combo of honeycomb and beeswax, very realistic. There's still a touch of dark resinous smoke, but nothing overwhelming. I have to say I love the smokey beginnings but I'm grateful the smoke dissipates quickly, because this quickly becomes a true rich natural honey, and I can always add smokiness back in using an incense note or my SS Whispers in the Night. I think the ginger in here adds to the realism of the honey, but it's not noticeable as a standalone note, and same goes for the vanilla.

Fresh, gooey, waxy honeycomb

Longevity: High, I can smell this all day with only a dab.
Sillage: High, I get comments when I hug people but also when they walk by.

Would an [X] lover love this? Yes, I have tried SO many honey scents, mainstream and indie, and this is the best of the best. Honey lovers need it.

Would an [X] hater love this? I don't know. It all depends on why you dislike honey. Maybe your skin chemistry turns it cat piss-y, or plasticky. In that case, give it a try because my skin chemistry does similar things with other honey perfumes. If you just don't like the smell of real honey, then maybe don't try it.

Where am I? It reminds me of those pioneer/colonial reenactment villages where you go on school trips (or, as I did, on one single weird date) and see the actors tending to beehives, making bread, and sweeping up hearths in linen dresses and bobbin caps. 

Colonial village honey

Where would I wear this? This is equally good for daytime or night, as it's a little sexy and warm but not too heavy. It's wonderful as a summer perfume, and transitions nicely into the autumn months.

NAVA Remiel Review

Brand: VApothecary
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Sacred resin and incense of Rosewood, White Patchouli Leaves and Violet-honey

First impression out of bottle: Bright, green, a bit powdery but not in a makeup way, more in a floral way.

Freshly applied: This White Patchouli is interesting. It’s herbal and minty but it lacks the dank dirtiness I’m accustomed to with most patchouli. This is overall more fresh than I was expecting. It smells like fresh green leaves with a hint of sappy sweetness. Not as woodsy as I had hoped it would be.

Drydown: This turns into a really nice sweet rosewood scent. There something oddly cologne-y about this, which is weird because it’s SWEET. I can’t wrap my mind fully around it, but it's sweet yet masculine. A bit like aftershave. It’s still got this grassy green feel which I don’t care for. The honey is grassy-honey, nice and not too powdery (especially considering there’s violet in there) but I think the grassy note is just rubbing me the wrong way.

After several hours: More of the same. I don't love this. I wish the rosewood was more prominent and the green leafiness less so!

Longevity: Medium-high.
Sillage: Medium-high. Really reminds me of a masculine aftershave or something.

Would an [X] lover love this? There's not much in here I can identify as prominent. Overall I'd say it's a bright but woodsy masculine blend. If you like colognes but not aquatics, this could be good.

Would an [X] hater love this? There are a few notes in this which definitely give some people issues: honey, violet, and patchouli. It's a little soapy, and sappy, and green. I don't know. This one was not so great on me, and I sometimes have issues with all three of these notes. Proceed with caution.

Where am I? Giving a ceremonial bath to a fallen angel or something.

Where would I wear this?  I wouldn't. If I did...work, daytime, spring, summer.