NAVA Ghost Velvet Review

Brand: NAVA
Availability: Limited Edition NAVAlloween Pt. 1 2015

Notes: Our velvet blend (Haunted ghost-like Jasmine, vespers of Vanilla bean, soporific musk all weave the scent of Eternal Ankh Vanilla Absolute) with the utterly beautiful accord of our SL Crystalline. Thick, rapturous vanilla velvet blanket for a ghost to keep warm in the dead of night or as a cozy blanket of velvet scent

First impression out of bottle: Sweet, caramelized vanilla

Creamy white vanilla

Freshly applied: Gooey vanilla and a hint of flowers

Drydown: The gooey, caramelized vanilla dries into the characteristic NAVA Crystalline, which is a slightly musky, fluffy true vanilla. The jasmine pops out more and becomes a co-star with the dreamy vanilla. Like in the other Velvet blends, the jasmine is complemented by all the other notes and is made to feel more true/realistic despite not being a lone single note. This evokes a very fluffy, creamy, pure white jasmine. It smells sexy because it's jasmine, but it's not a sexed-up scent.

Pure white jasmine

After several hours: Same creamy, intermingled jasmine-vanilla musk. It's now revealing these wonderful tropical, fresh nuances. There's now a note that reminds me of coconut cream.

Tropical, sweet, and fresh

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium-high

Would an [X] lover love this? I think jasmine fans will really like this rendition

Would an [X] hater love this? I don't know if a jasmine-hater would like it, it's very pure and I can see where the vanilla (turning to coconutty vibes) might be a bit sweet and strong. I don't feel the scent itself is too assertive, but if your nose is bothered by sweet or white florals, maybe it's not for you.

Where am I? Hiking through the jungle to a really luxurious resort surrounded by waterfalls.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, summer, spring. It was released this fall but I really think I'll be getting a lot of use out of it with the warmer weather. 

NAVA Kashmir Velvet Review

Brand: NAVA
Availability: Limited Edition NAVAlloween Pt. 1 2015
Notes: Our velvet (Haunted ghost-like Jasmine, vespers of Vanilla bean, soporific musk all weave the scent of Eternal Ankh Vanilla Absolute) blended eerily into the phantasm of red musk in our SL Kashmir. Nuances of blue Frankincense lie underneath pulsing with Blood Musk.

First impression out of bottle: spicy, almost edible dark jasmine

Freshly applied: Smooth soft vanilla-jasmine with a hint of the type of spice and sweetness you get from a root beer float. 

Drydown: Sweet vanilla jasmine and red musk. NAVA's Kashmir note is a spiced red musk that is pretty divisive. I see people who adore it and people who hate it. To me, it's a root-beer-ish spicy smooth scent. Very much a strong "musky" note, but without the body odor nuance of some heavier musks. I personally like it in this blend, but I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan. The jasmine in this is very smooth and "fantasy"-like. It's not a fresh, plant-y jasmine, nor is it a heavy indolic note. It smells like a clean bathroom with open windows surrounded by trellises draped in jasmine. It's soft, clean, sweet, and very pure. The Eternal Ankh vanilla note in the Velvets REALLY highlights the sweeter plush aspects of jasmine. The whole blend makes me think of draped red velvet robes, soft and lush. 

After several hours: Same sweet musky vanilla jasmine, with slightly less spice from the Kashmir musk. I love that the spice in this isn't differentiated, it doesn't smell like cooking spice sitting on top of flowers. It smells of really fine Nag Champa. It doesn't have a smoky, strong incense smell, but if you are a fan of Nag Champa you'll recognize that same smooth duskiness in here. It's not at all overwhelming though, just a hint.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium-high

Would an [X] lover love this? A jasmine-lover would adore this. It is a jasmine blend, sure, but it ends up being one of the most accurate jasmine soliflores ever, because the red musk and vanilla enhance the natural aspects of the flower without overpowering it. And if you love nag champa and gentle incense smells, this will be a wonderful subtle blend for you to enjoy. 

Would an [X] hater love this? I think jasmine-haters will find something they love here. Most jasmine-haters don't hate the scent of a jasmine flower, they hate the pale and stinky imitations that a lot of perfumes have. This is an unexpectedly pure jasmine that smells like the soul of the flower.

Where am I? Draping myself in pink velvet after taking a bubble bath with pure jasmine essences and oils, burning fine incense and luxuriating in all the wonderful scents.

Where would I wear this? Nighttime, daytime, spring, summer. I love this scent, and I think it's sexy enough for a date but not too slinky to make it inappropriate for daytime or work.

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.

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.

Haus of Gloi Sweet Potato Treat Review

Brand: Haus of Gloi
Availability: Limited Edition/Reverie/Winter
Notes: Sweet potatoes with mild spices, butter and brown sugar baked off with marshmallows

First impression out of bottle: Syrupy sweet squash with brown sugar

Freshly applied: Mmm coconut flakes, pecans, butter, brown sugar, and spice

Drydown: Same as first impression/fresh application, but with more sweet potato. Really smells like a sweet potato casserole, creamy purée under a crispy topping.

After several hours: The complexity of the brown sugar and nutty notes fades, and you end up with a nice, buttery spiced sweet scent. This turns more generic after a while, but the first few hours are great.

Longevity: High, but the ultimate drydown is a lot more simplistic than the initial one
Sillage: High, the spice notes are especially noticeable. 

Would an [X] lover love this? I think a spicy gourmand lover would really go for this. It's a tad unusual with the nuts and butter, so it's not just your average pumpkin spice type scent. However, it does fade into something more generic, so if you have a zillion fall spicy gourmands, this wouldn't be an absolute must.

Would an [X] hater love this? A spicy gourmand hater would probably dislike this quite a bit. I think it can come off as sickly sweet, and I don't believe there's much in here that would change your mind or surprise you if you hate these types of autumnal sweet scents.

Where am I? I'm toasting the topping for my aunt's sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving. I'm sneaking bites of the crunchy bits and using a spatula to smooth out the sweet potato purée before I pop it back in the oven.

Where would I wear this? I would wear this at Thanksgiving so I don't clash. No but really, I see this as a cozy, homey scent to wear in bed or while watching movies. I would wear this out and about on the weekend during the fall or winter. It's a bit too homey/rich for work, though I can see my coworkers going gaga for this scent.

NAVA Santalum Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy
Availability: Limited Edition (Studio Limited collection, not seasonal but once sold out, it's gone)
Notes: This is the beautiful Sandalwood imported from Alexandria infused with all Egyptian components: coconut husk, golden amber accords, golden Sandalwood resin, deep fossilized amber, golden Himalayan Cedarwood, gold Patchouli and a teardrop of golden Frankincense

First impression out of bottle: Deep spicy wood

Freshly applied: Almost animalic in its spiciness, resiny, woody. Strong like you walked into a shop that had a bunch of freshly chopped or polished wood. The spiciness is a bit over the top here. It's a blend of masculine and feminine.

Very dark, spicy sandalwood

Drydown: The spiciness calms down, and a deep golden note appears. It's warm, resinous, glowing. Like a pool of resin sliding over the heart of a tree. If this were a color it would be deep golden brown.

Slightly lighter, smoother, and less spicy sandalwood

After several hours: Same as the drydown, only it becomes fused with my skin scent so I can't tell where I end and Santalum begins. Truest deep sandalwood. No sawdust, no plastic, no vanilla, no sweetness besides what is naturally there. I never smell the patchouli as a standalone note. It is probably working its magic behind the scenes, but it never comes forth as a major player.

Longevity: High, I can smell this on my skin, hair, and clothing for days
Sillage: High, and even after it settles into a "skin scent" it's still very prominent and assertive

Would an [X] lover love this? Yes, a sandalwood lover needs this, no bones about it. It's the Ultimate Sandalwood.

Would an [X] hater love this? Maybe, maybe not. It's gorgeous but it's a truly true sandalwood. If you don't like the smell of wood or spicy wood in particular, this might be the one to change your mind, but it might reinforce what you hate about it.

Where am I? A temple built of sacred sandalwood, surrounded by glowing light and beautiful meditative stillness.

Where would I wear this? I truly do wear this for all occasions. It's a scent that both calms and energizes me. I find it appropriate for a sexy nighttime feel and a more subtle daytime vibe. It's unisex and though it's not my SO's style I can see this working equally well on a man or a woman.