Sarawen The Piemaker Review

Brand: Sarawen
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: berry pies, pale musk, apple spice, tuberose, amber

First impression out of bottle: Red berries and white florals

Freshly applied: Stately tuberose and raspberries

Sophisticated tuberose is the loudest note at first

Drydown: Very good but faint light red berry note, non-obnoxious tuberose, and a large dose of a generic perfume smell. It sucks because I like all the elements alone here, but together they are turning bland. Nothing is offensive (surprising, considering how nasty berry notes can go, and ditto for tuberose) but I expected a more exuberant, unusual end result. It's basically a light and inoffensive tuberose perfume with a faintly fruity undertone. I get no spice or heavier gourmand (pie crust etc) notes. 

After several hours: All gourmand notes are gone, but maybe a hint of berry remains as a pink tone to the tuberose.

Longevity: Low
Sillage: Low medium. I was expecting something more powerful- you've got powerhouse tuberose and some heavy gourmand notes up in here but it turns out a bit watery, which is the worst.

Would an [X] lover love this? Gourmand-floral lovers (of which I am one) may like it if their skin chemistry is right. I personally disliked it, as the reason I enjoy gourmand-florals is that they are unusual and funky. This smells generically floral. 

Would an [X] hater love this? If you have been curious about white florals but find them all heavy and cloying, AND you like very subtle scents, you may enjoy this. 

Where am I? Sitting in an empty dance hall after the flowers and cakes have been cleared from a wedding. Mostly empty air with a hint of fruit and flowers.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, work, weekend, summer, spring. It's too light for me to enjoy regularly. 

NAVA Trick or Treat Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Black Vanilla Caramel, Black Raspberry Sugar, Black Sugar, Bastet's Black Amber, Candy Corn, Black Cotton Candy, Blue Sugar Cream, Vanilla Flesh, Hot Cocoa Accord, Chocolate Sugar, Angel Food Cake and French Vanilla

First impression out of bottle: Alcoholic raspberry chocolate, like a cherry cordial truffle but with raspberry instead!

Freshly applied: Super sweet chocolate ganache and raspberry syrup

Substitute raspberry instead of cherry

Drydown: A little less chocolatey (boo) with a little stronger raspberry and a fluffy note that I think is the cotton candy. NAVA cake/gourmand notes tend to go a bit plasticky/dusty on me, which is so unfortunate. This seems to be straddling the line of perfect- sweet and plasticky. 

After several hours: This is like a gentler soft cocoa raspberry with a strong vanilla character after a few hours. I feel like the initial scent and the ultimate scent are DA BOMB, but the middle part is a leeeetle bit cloying. I can tolerate it though. The drydown is perfect soft vanilla wrapped around a chocolate raspberry heart.

Fluffy vanilla-raspberry with a hint of chocolate

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium. I can smell this very strongly when first applied but it dies down to medium throw and turns into a subtle sweet fruity gourmand.

Would an [X] lover love this? Chocolate lovers would probably be all over this, though the strong chocolate dies down early on and becomes a background player. I think if you have a fondness for raspberry this would be the perfect perfume for you. It's definitely syrupy/jammy, like the inside of a bonbon. This is no "sun-ripened raspberry," it's candy and syrup.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think a gourmand hater would probably dislike this. It is very candied and a teensy bit sickly sweet, though as a foodie perfume lover, I don't find it overwhelming. This won't convert gourmand haters.

Where am I? Eating bonbons in an expensive candy store

Where would I wear this? I would wear this to work, for a night out layered with something else (maybe another chocolate scent), and definitely as a fun weekend scent. It's not quite bright and not quite dark, kind of right in the middle. Good for daytime or night, and I can definitely see this in mid-winter or as a nice summer scent. It's quite playful but not super young.