NAVA Polichenelle Review

Brand: NAVA
Availability: General Catalog

Notes: Warm Woody Clove Smoke, Vanilla Bean & Marshmallow Extract, Indian Kewda Attar Incense, Amber and White Musk

First impression out of bottle: Damp woodsmoke, wood, and clove


Freshly applied: Wet, very sweet clove syrup and smoke

Drydown: As the perfume dries, the scent "dries out" too. Instead of being so wet and syrupy, this becomes a little rougher like split wood sprinkled with spices. The incense complements the sweetness but isn't the star player. The smoke is there grounding the clove, but it's not a HEY SMOKE scent. The marshmallow plays with the vanilla and it's got this sweet fluffy foodie thing that's so lovely without being sickly.

Imagine this, but laden with sticky clove syrup

After several hours: Sweet, fluffy clove with a lovely spiced wood background

Longevity: High
Sillage: High

Would an [X] lover love this? Anyone who likes spice, especially clove, really needs this. It's a fresh/different take on a spice that has been done to death in a million holiday/foodie scents.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think even someone who shies away from spice will find this perfume wearable. The wood, smoke, and sweetness are all perfectly mingled with the dark, mysterious clove. This doesn't smell cliché or like anything you've smelled before.

Where am I? Toasting marshmallows in the wilderness and smelling clove cigarettes on the cold breeze.

Where would I wear this?  This is one of those awesome perfumes that would work well in cold or warm weather. I could wear this for a nighttime event because it's sexy and bold, but it's not too spicy or brash, so I can wear this for daytime too. Especially because the smoke is so delicate and wouldn't make anyone think I'm burning toast.

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.

Alkemia Carmen 7 Review

Brand: Alkemia
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Spiced Pear, Lychee Fruit, Praline, Vanilla, Magnolia, and Amber

First impression out of bottle: Fruit, musk, amber. Fresh and girlish.

Freshly applied: A beautiful soft feminine vanilla pops out and amber becomes more prominent. It’s starting to smell like a mainstream amber-vanilla blend (not in a bad way.) 

Drydown: The white florals are unfurling and there’s a sugared undercurrent that I think is the praline note mingled with the amber/vanilla. The fruits are also there now but it’s 30% fruity-floral and 70% vanilla-amber-sweetness. Very balanced. I love the magnolia in this. Overall, I’m reminded of some kind of sexy scent from Victoria’s Secret, only it’s more sophisticated and high quality. The amber is a very “clean” one and it smells of washed and powdered skin, not too sweet and a bit fresh. Almost like a clean cotton scent, but without the screechy laundry-detergent feel of that type of note. Reminds me of the "baby" undertone of certain Johnson & Johnson products, but NOT like baby oil. It really reminds me of that lavender baby body wash/lotion they sell in the purple bottle. 

Something fresh, clean, and comforting

After several hours: Complex sweet muskiness. 

Longevity: Medium high
Sillage: Medium high

Would an [X] lover love this? I think if you enjoy mainstream fruity-floral perfumes, or anything in the warm/amber/vanilla family, you will love this. Especially if you find yourself loving on some mainstream sweet/girly scents from the likes of Victoria's Secret or Bath & Body Works. It’s not strongly lychee or pear, so look elsewhere for true fruit scents of that nature. 

Would an [X] hater love this? If you are generally opposed to sweet, girlish scents, this might turn you off. If you exclusively wear witchy, dark stuff, this won’t appeal. But I like both dark AND light things, and this is a perfect, non-cloying girly scent. Great for any friends who are not yet inducted into the creepy-fun world of indie perfume and would want something non-threatening and beautiful. Also great as a stocking stuffer for younger friends or family, as it’s not Baby Prostitute perfume, but would be appropriate for anybody from the ages of 13 onward.

Where am I? I  feel like Gisele shooting a perfume commercial, wrapped in flattering golden pink lighting.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, weekend, probably out to dinner even because it's kind of sexy in a non-sexual way. Girly and super pretty.

Common Brimstone Abhaile Review

Brand: Common Brimstone
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Rich notes of carrot cake and hot chocolate create a luxurious feel, while chestnut and cinnamon keep this from being too sweet. A base of French vanilla completes the gourmand experience

First impression out of bottle: Carrot cake

Freshly applied: Mm, dark sweet carrot cake with a bit of nuttiness.

Drydown: There's something like spicy musk that's making this more than a simple "cake" scent. It's kind of a gingerbread scent but with a little twist. I like it a lot more than Possets' Mrs. Rabbit's Carrot Cake which was kind of rancid/buttery on me. The nuts and cinnamon are more prominent now. It smells like spicecake. 

After several hours:

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Low

Would an [X] lover love this? If you enjoy spicy/sweet gourmands with a twist this is a good one. It smells expensive. I wish the sillage were higher, but that's my only complaint.

Would an [X] hater love this? I don't know if a gourmand hater would like this. It's a little different than a literal cake scent, so perhaps the musky spiciness would be appealing.

Where am I? Eating spiced cake and wearing expensive nighttime perfume

Where would I wear this? Daytime, nighttime, autumn, winter.

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 Autumn ’15 (the Gourmand Version) Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: Autumn 2015 Limited Edition
Notes: Warm Autumn spices, a hint of cider, saffron, leather, tolu balsam, dark amber, cedar, maple leaves, moss and a drop of patchouli.

First impression out of bottle: Savory leather and apple cider

Freshly applied: New car leather, saffron (which always gives me a savory-spice feel), patchouli, and a teensy bit of apple.

Drydown: More warm spice coming out now- not just saffron but the traditional Autumn Spice kind of thing. There's a drop of golden sweetness from the amber I think, and it's a very well balanced sweet-spice-earthy-leather scent. I don't love leather but even I can appreciate how nice this smells.

After several hours: Similar to the drydown but sweeter and with a bit less leather. Lovely morph-y blend of woods/leaves, resin, spice, and leather. Unisex. Crisp leaves, a bit of apple, the leather of your boots, and various exciting woodsy smells.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium high

Would an [X] lover love this? I think somebody who likes leather would really enjoy this. It's a true leather scent, but it doesn't just smell like a handbag, it smells spicy and warm and softened by wear. If you like earthy scents, this is a surprising and very autumnal earthy scent that is light on the spice, so it's not generic at all.

Would an [X] hater love this? I'm a leather hater and I still find this...better than tolerable. I have worn it for a few hours and while it's not my favorite scent, I can still sniff it and appreciate it, rather than scrubbing it off.

Where am I? Taking a walk on a brisk but sun-warmed autumn afternoon. 

Where would I wear this? Autumn, daytime, on a hike, to an outdoorsy event.

Deconstructing Eden Catherine de Medici Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Oakmoss, precious woods, spices and cinnamon in the base. Ripe peaches, jasmine sambac and roses in the heart and top notes of very understated citrus and bergamot.

First impression out of bottle: Cranapple cocktail juice

Freshly applied: White floral room spray, peach brandy, and cinnamon

Drydown: The moss is more apparent now. It smells like an autumnal table decoration with dried moss, spices, and some fruits scattered around. I would say the spicy green moss is the strongest note at this point. The peach takes on a more peach-gummy feeling and settles into the background along with the jasmine. Part of me likes this and part of me thinks this smells like a crafts store in September! I think this would be an awesome room scent, but I don't know that I want to smell like it.

After several hours: Still similar to the original drydown, but the peach comes back a little more. I get a bit of fragrant wood now and some voluptuous sweet jasmine. Kind of weird because I definitely don't associate jasmine with autumn, but it's also kind of interesting. This is now a peach/jasmine/oakmoss/wood scent with a very small hint of cinnamon but not too much. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? If you like jasmine, this is a bizarre but really pretty and unexpected take on it. This is a really cool dry oakmoss scent, so if you are looking for a sweet, dry oakmoss thing this would be great.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think if you hate moss notes, this will be too dusty/mossy for you. The peach and jasmine are really pretty but subtle in here so they may not redeem the scent for you.

Where am I? At a pumpkin patch/hay festival. Wearing jasmine perfume. 

Where would I wear this? Maybe to carve pumpkins. It has a really weird feel like I could ONLY wear it on the hot Indian Summer days of September/early October and NO OTHER TIME of the year. 

Deconstructing Eden Theodora Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Bulgarian rose absolute, Indian jasmine absolute, sandalwood, dragon's blood, frankincense, purple plums, Madagascar ginger, and precious spices

First impression out of bottle: Fruity Dragon's Blood

Freshly applied: Dragon's Blood, berries, and a hint of ginger and whiskey (sometimes DE scents with spice in them smell like whiskey on me!)

Drydown: Unfortunately, this is one of the DE scents that first takes a funky turn on me. There are very few but this is similar to Jasmine House, which turned to straight coriander and whiskey on me. I have a very similar impression from the initial drydown of Theodora. 

After several hours: So the nice thing about DE scents is even when they don't work on me, the drydown is always fabulous. In this case, it doesn't take too long (maybe 5 min) for the scent to morph out of its SPICED WHISKEY loudmouth opening into something far tamer. This turns into a slightly alcoholic (like wine and maybe a hint of brandy) purple-fruit incense scent. Dragon's Blood usually smells "red" and "dry" to me but here it smells VERY purple and almost damp and juicy. I don't get a lot of individual rose or jasmine, but I do smell a faint floral background. I definitely smell a bit of fresh ginger, which is a really nice addition. This is not overwhelmingly incense (maybe 40-50%) and it doesn't smell smoky or powdery. Just very smooth and sexy. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think incense and plum/berry lovers will really enjoy this. It's not too juicy, not too dry, just perfect.

Would an [X] hater love this? Even if you think you dislike incense or Dragon's Blood, give this a try. I prefer Nag Champa to Dragon's Blood but this blend won me over. Sometimes the note can be too dry, too musky, but this is a very elegant and sexy version.

Where am I? A dimly lit purple tent filled with fruit, incense, and booze

Where would I wear this? Weekend, daytime, nighttime, autumn, winter, spring, summer. I think I might wear this at work but it's not really a work-mood kind of scent. I would put this on to lounge at home but also to go out on a nice date.

Solstice Scents Pumpkin Spice Latte Review

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: Fall Limited Edition (Recurring)
Notes: Hot steaming coffee, sweet pumpkin, cinnamon, gingerbread whipped cream and a drop of Nutmeg

First impression out of bottle: Savory coffee beans and spice

Freshly applied: Deep earthy coffee with a background of beautiful dark spice cake

Autumn perfection.

Drydown: Gingerbread muffin with a bit of brown sugar crust, yummy milky coffee, and a touch of fluffy whipped cream. I love autumn, but IDGAF about PSL's in general. I don't drink them nowadays or remember what they smell like (though I can guess) but this is heavenly. The coffee essential oil is like true dark coffee, not like the plasticky cold scent I get from Cafe Mallowmel. It's sweetened up by the gingerbread/cake notes and a dusting of scrumptious, non-generic fall spice. Not too sugary and definitely deepened by the coffee.

Such a great gourmand coffee scent

After several hours: Gingerbread with a hint of coffee and a lot of marshmallow-y vanilla cream. The whipped cream note gets stronger and it's gorgeously creamy and edible, like the light notes in Solstice Scents' many Mallow blends. The strongest spice note to me is nutmeg, with some cinnamon but no anise/cardamom/clove which means this is NOT a chai-type scent at all!

Amazing combo of dark cakey and light fluffy gourmand notes

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? I think anyone who enjoys spicy or gourmand scents will ADORE THIS. I blind-bought a full size because 99% of Solstice Scents stuff works for me, and the description seemed like a no-brainer.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think even people who hate spicy bakery scents will like this, as it doesn't tip over to a "fall candle" scent, and it's definitely a sophisticated, ultra-realistic gourmand. 

Where am I? Sitting in a coffee shop, wrapped up in an orange or dark green scarf, sipping coffee and writing a mystery novel or something.

Where would I wear this? Daytime, autumn, winter, weekend, work. It perks me up in the morning but is very comforting throughout the day.

Sixteen92 Spellbound Review

Brand: Sixteen92
Availability: Fall Collection 2015 (Limited Edition)
Notes: Creamed pumpkin, spiced bourbon & Tahitian vanillas, sticky marshmallow fluff

First impression out of bottle: Buttery pumpkin

Freshly applied: Pillowy pumpkin churros

Drydown: Same fried, golden churro goodness. Definite orange pumpkin-y feel but with generous cinnamon-sugar. 

Mmm, pumpkin churros

After several hours: Creamy, cinnamony pumpkin. This reminds me of of Alkemia's Pumpkin Strumpet but where that one is more pumpkin-spiced-cream, this is pumpkin-fried-dough. 

Longevity: Medium high
Sillage: On the low end of medium. It's not dismal but it's not as pungent as I like my gourmand scents.

Would an [X] lover love this? I think someone who enjoys any pumpkin scents or gourmands will like this! It's a very basic pumpkin gourmand, but it gets that fried dough smell PERFECTLY.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think gourmand haters might be ok with it, seeing as it's very light and inoffensive, but if you hate buttery perfumes or anything with cinnamon, stay away.

Where am I? Frying up some fall-themed doughnuts

Where would I wear this? Daytime, autumn, winter, weekend. I love this scent but it's not quite pungent or spicy enough for nighttime. 

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. 

Sarawen Cake or Death Review

Brand: Sarawen
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: cake, allspice, cream frosting, amber

First impression out of bottle: Cinnamon bun with glaze and nuts

Cinnamon bun get in my mouth

Freshly applied: Same glazed cinnamon bun (think Cinnabon) with something a bit aquatic and perfumed, almost like a masculine aftershave. This is really interesting- a mix of a traditional cologne scent with a spicy gourmand. It kind of ends up smelling a teensy bit soapy, not in a really gross way just in a clean and slightly powdery way.

Luxurious, warm oriental perfume

Drydown: The soapiness/powder calms down and I get a warm unisex cologne (think a masculine oriental NOT some green/fresh aftershave Polo/CK business) with a hint of voluptuous sweetness. I think this is an ambitious gourmand/perfumey blend (which are my favorite types of perfume) and I'm not 100% in love yet. I think it would benefit from being heavier on the pastry/cake notes and lighter on the amber. But if I had no inkling of what this scent was supposed to be, going into it, I'd probably really like it as a slightly spicy, sweet oriental. 

After several hours: Vaguely cakey amber spice oriental (with no floral notes.)

Longevity: Medium
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Oriental/amber lovers will enjoy this. Gourmand lovers may be disappointed that the cake notes (which are awesome on first application) fade and become less pronounced. But that could be my skin chemistry.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think if you hate spice or amber you will dislike this. It's a slightly powdery amber blend, which I know is a characteristic that amber-haters tend to despise. 

Where am I? Eating a Cinnabon out of the hands of a very-well-perfumed gentleman. Why such a sophisticated man is holding such a disgusting (delicious) treat I don't know.

Where would I wear this? Work, daytime, mayyybe nighttime as it has a bit of a sexy feel. I always think true unisex perfumes are sexy because they just remind me of couples' perfumes/colognes mingling together.

Cocoa Pink Winchester House Kitchen Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: The distinct aroma of autumn in the Winchester house kitchen with notes of aged oak, fresh baked pumpkin pie, 5 fold orange essential oil coated in the warm essence of light muscovado sugar, fresh ginger, sticky gobs of benzoin, warm buttery caramel simmering on the stovetop and just the barest hint of clove.

First impression out of bottle: Crystallized ginger

Freshly applied: Whoa knock you down crystallized sweet ginger mixed with fresh citrusy ginger. 

Drydown: There's a hint of oak playing around with the ginger scent. This is such a fresh and zesty scent- it makes me think of an Asian spa, not a warm haunted kitchen. I can sort of smell the sugary bits trying to get out, but it's still overwhelmingly a fresh ginger scent. I think the orange essential oil is helping that zestiness be at the forefront. 

After several hours: Mostly wood now with some hints of ginger. I honestly never smell any of the other dessert scents.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Fresh ginger lovers need this- it's not your powdered spice cabinet ginger.

Would an [X] hater love this? Ginger haters will despise this, and citrus haters too. 

Where am I? Smells like you used ginger-based organic room cleaner to clean out an old wooden house. The smell of ginger kind of lingers in a pleasant, clean way but isn't overpowering. 

Where would I wear this? Daytime, to clean the house, work, a brisk fall day that's not too cold yet.

Cocoa Pink Naughty Gingerbread Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: Naughty begins with two of our bestselling fragrance oils specially formulated just for CocoaPink: Spiritueuse Double Vanilla and our exclusive triple amber blend that we call “CP Black”.  Then we added a dash of gingerbread and a splash of sugar. 

First impression out of bottle: Dark gingerbread

Freshly applied: I managed to splash this all over my arm AND my face...it smells like really dark, not super sweet gingerbread. 

Not light fluffy gingerbread, but dark and spicy!

Drydown: Still retaining that not-so-sweet spicy gingerbread smell. The spices in this are nearly savory, almost like there's cardamom and anise mixed in with a touch of caraway and ginger. A fairly exotic spice blend, not yo typical Christmas Candle(TM) spice. The vanilla peeks out more on the drydown, which brings a touch of lightness and creaminess, if not sweetness, to the blend. 

After several hours: Same beautifully spiced cake smell. Definitely a great solid gingerbread scent. This doesn't smell like grandma's cookies, nor is it a really sexy or unusual perfume. It's a standard gourmand, but with less sugar than you'd usually find, and it uses spices in an interesting but wearable way.

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium high

Would an [X] lover love this? Spice and gourmand lovers will definitely enjoy this, although if I had my way it would be more sugary!

Would an [X] hater love this? If you hate spice I don't think this will be your cup of tea (bread? Your cup of bread?) But if you find yourself recoiling from typical clove/cinnamon scents, then this could be a nice alternative.

Where am I? Eating spiced gingerbread from a secret old family recipe (not my family, we don't make gingerbread, but somebody's family.)

Where would I wear this? Daytime, autumn, winter. Not sexy/sweet enough for nighttime. I could see this getting a nice kick from some of my sweeter Solstice Scents perfumes (Maplewood Inn or Buttered Rum Mallow?) so I will give that a shot. 

Solstice Scents Maplewood Inn

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Maple, Woods, Amber, Benzoin, A Roaring Fire & A Hot Cup Of Frothy Vanilla Chai

First impression out of bottle: Liquid smoke/and candied maple bacon. 

Smoky maple syrup

Freshly applied: Same blackened smoke and maple candy.

Drydown: Maple fades a bit from initial prominence but is still there. The woods and smoke come forward and I get a beautiful resinous cedar/redwood. I detect the spicy vanilla chai as well, it reminds me of Sycamore Chai.

Woodsy smoke and sweet chai tea

After several hours: Still beautiful, smoky sweet woods. The astringent red wood you get in Solstice Scents Attic is here, but sweetened up with a dollop of maple sugar and some chai. This reminds me a lot of Deep Midnight A Study in Brown, but with a maple spice character.

Imagine drinking a cup of chai and snacking on maple candy here

Longevity: High, this lasts from the morning till late at night, even with multiple hand washings. If you loved SS Sycamore Chai but hated that it faded so quickly, pick this one up.
Sillage: Also very high, this creates a beautiful spiced foody woodsmoke cloud. I love how strongly this smells.

Would an [X] lover love this? Anyone who likes spice or wood scents definitely needs this. And if you think it smells too bacon-y at first, let it age a few weeks. You'll be shocked at how gentle and gorgeous the woodsmoke becomes.

Would an [X] hater love this? This is quite sweet and spicy, so those of you who dislike woodsy or autumnal scents might not enjoy it. I think it's quite a balanced and original scent though, so if you're afraid of smelling generic, give this a shot.

Where am I? Sitting in a ski lodge, drinking maple chai next to a roaring fire.

Where would I wear this? I wear this to work (but am careful to limit the amount I wear) and it's not too smoky/sexy for daytime. It would be amazing as a nighttime scent in cold weather though. Definitely more suited to autumn/winter than the warmer months.

Solstice Scents Buttered Rum Mallow

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: Winter Limited Edition (recurring)
Notes: Rum, Marshmallow, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Clove, Butter, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Brown Sugar & All Spice

First impression out of bottle: Sharp buttery caramel, a little like butterscotch

Freshly applied: Spicy and boozy caramel

Dark rich caramel

Drydown: This smooths out when it dries down. What was a slightly sharp, almost cat piss-y screaming sweet note is now decadent burnt caramel. It smells like caramel that was cooked a touch too long, swirled with deep spiced rum, and dropped onto a mount of vanilla ice cream.

Dark caramel over smooth vanilla ice cream

After several hours: The most prominent note is a voluptuous, crazy beautiful marshmallow vanilla cream note. Smells like ice cream, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla all swirled together. A teensy bit of caramel sauce is left, but not as much as before. Still boozy, but maybe slightly less, like all the alcohol has burned off. Still very deep and spicy.

Longevity: AMAZING longevity, I washed my hands multiple times throughout the day after applying the teensiest dab of this around 11 am, and it was still VERY apparent late into the night.
Sillage: VERY HIGH. Oh god how I love the throw on this perfume. A guy on the street smelled it on me from a yard away, no lie, and complimented the scent. He thought I had some delicious baked goods in my car.

Would an [X] lover love this? A gourmand lover would be all over this. It's spicy and rich, and sweet. Not at all generic.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think a gourmand hater would be overwhelmed by this. In fact I hated it when I first bought it a few years ago, as it was too strong. Now that I embrace the sugar and spice and everything nice, I love it to bits.

Where am I? In a candy factory, brewing up some special Autumn/Winter treats

Where would I wear this? Duh everywhere. I wore it to work today, and I'd certainly wear it for a night out. I'd definitely wear this to a party/around a lot of people because I'm a shameless whore for compliments, and I'd get a kick out of people sniffing me and telling me how nice I smell all night.

Solstice Scents Sycamore Chai Review

Brand: Solstice Scents
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Vanilla Chai Tea, Marshmallow, Ginger, Pumpkin

First impression out of bottle: Chai spice

Freshly applied: Beautiful black milk tea (like the kind you get at a bubble tea place), deep and dusky but milky and smooth, with the best, most intense chai spices ever. I smell NO pumpkin roll or cake note. Just gorgeous black tea with milk and spice.

Drydown: Same as above.

You can smell the black tea, the spice, and the milk

After several hours: This fades and becomes more of a thin black tea with spice, but it loses its initial amazing, realistic creaminess.

Longevity: Low/medium. For such a spicy scent, this doesn't have much tenacity, which is disappointing. I can barely smell this after 3 hours.
Sillage: Medium. This carries a fair bit into the surrounding air, which I enjoy, but like I said it doesn't last all that long!

Would an [X] lover love this? Spice/tea lovers will go crazy for this. The spice is so realistic, and it's one of the best black tea notes I've ever found. Not too perfumey, not too astringent, just realistic and dark.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think anyone who's not a fan of spice will shy away from this, but I hated cardamom before I tried it, and now I'm a believer. I think the milk tea base keeps it from being a heavy/candle-y spice.

Where am I? Sipping a chai tea latte and wearing a tartan scarf

Where would I wear this? I like this a lot for layering. It's not very sugary so it doesn't add another layer of sweetness to gourmands, and the spice goes with everything. I love it in Autumn and Winter but it's pretty versatile.

NAVA Black Santalum Cider

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy/NAVA
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Rich Black Sandalwood drizzled into an old oak barrel found just outside deserted castle and filled with sticks of cinnamon, tart apple slices, cardamom and nutmeg.

First impression out of bottle: Beautiful dark cloudy apple cider, like the fresh-pressed cider you can buy from the farmer's market.

Mmmm, fresh apple cider

Freshly applied: Something a little more resinous and perfumey is peeking out to complement the bold apple cider scent. Love that the spice in this isn’t your generic Autumn Spice blend. It’s infused in the murky brown apple cider. I can tell my beloved Santalum is in here somewhere, but it’s not a woodsy scent right now. There’s a hint, like I said, of gorgeous resin that’s swelling and making the apple cider more interesting, but it’s not reading as WOOD at the moment. 

Drydown: Simply gorgeous, resinous apple cider scent with some deep blackened-brown notes lurking under the dark gorgeous apple. The Santalum note is coming out now, drier and more golden than the resiny note alone. At first it smelled like just straight apple cider from a mug, and now it smells like the cider plus the barrel it was brewed in.

Dark, resinous woodsy cider

After several hours: Resinous, a hint of cool murky apple cider, and a very blackened feel. This is resin-woodsy but not plain-woodsy. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Apple lovers NEED THIS. The apple cider scent is perfectly complemented by the wood and resin notes, so it's not a fleeting shower-gel apple, but a real murky juicy apple that lasts and lasts.

Would an [X] hater love this? This is a definite realistic apple cider scent, but it smells wet and juicy and earthy, not like a generic apple spice perfume. If you have a grudge against fall perfumes because they smell like a Yankee Candle store to you, this one might surprise you.

Where am I? I'm sitting in a cider house, smelling the pressed apple juice and old wooden beams. I’m perched on an oak barrel getting drunk off of spiced cider.

Where would I wear this? Work, weekend, autumn, winter. It's surprisingly elegant, but definitely not a sexy/girly perfume. Probably wouldn't wear for a date. 

NAVA Pumpkin #13 Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy
Availability: Limited Edition Halloween 2015
Notes: Crystalline Vanilla Pumpkin. Fresh Pumpkin Pie doused with Cotton Candy, Soft Pumpkin Pie Spices and Crystalline Vanilla SL

First impression out of bottle: Cotton candy that's weirdly not very sweet.

Freshly applied: Much stronger vanilla and cotton candy feel than Pumpkin 7. The creamy pumpkin here is very similar to Pumpkin 7, but it’s a teensy bit more spiced and foodie. Like you’ve taken the purée from 7 and started to make it into dessert already. 

Drydown: I didn’t love the opening, it was kind of bland cotton candyish, but now I’m loving the musky vanilla of the Crystalline note melding with the sharp sweetness of the cotton candy and the underlying pumpkin pie. Sweet, fluffy, gorgeous. It’s like if you somehow magically transformed pumpkin pie INTO cotton candy.

After several hours: Cotton candy with a hint of pumpkin spice

Lightly spiced pumpkin cotton candy

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium/High- cotton candy usually projects hard on me, but the Crystalline note from NAVA (while persistent) is a sort of tricksy note that drifts in and out of your periphery. It is detectable but later in its life is hard to smell when you're SNIFFING your wrist. But you will smell it randomly when you're walking around. Magical.

Would an [X] lover love this? A pumpkin lover would really go for this. It's a nice spin on your average pumpkin-spice scent. A cotton candy lover would also probably enjoy as it's a good change from the usual fruity-candy fare.

Would an [X] hater love this? A pumpkin hater probably wouldn't like this. It's not my favorite of the NAVA pumpkins so I don't think this will win hearts or minds simply because it incorporates interesting cotton candy.

Where am I? A carnival in Halloweentown! 

Where would I wear this? Out and about, work, dates, to sleep.

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.