Comparison Post: Cocoa Pink Strawberry Noel vs. Vampire's Lament

In comparison posts, I compare indie scents with similar notes lists. This allows me to cull my collection so that I have no repeats, and it may also be helpful for other people to decide which sounds most appealing.

The Contestants: 

Cocoa Pink Strawberry Noel (A perfectly balanced fresh strawberry that smells like real berries (not plasticy bubblegum strawberry), blended with VBN.)

Cocoa Pink Vampire's Lament (Luscious strawberry milkshake essence spiked with white amber, metallic white musk then finished off with a splash of creamy vanilla.)

How do they stack up? Strawberry Noel is very sweet, fruity in a fresh way, and a bit simple. It smells like you infused vanilla whipped cream with the essence of fresh macerated strawberries. Vampire's Lament smells exactly like strawberry ICE CREAM, which is missing from SN. It has a cold, creamy smell that is just exquisite. Less of a vanilla bean scent than in SN. VL also has a lot of musk and amber, which lend a more perfumey feel and make it feel a lot more sophisticated. SN is more of the type of scent a younger girl would favor, or maybe a good scent for a shampoo or bath product. It's very pretty, not synthetic or cheap-smelling, but less elegant. 

How similar are they? Not very similar at all! Besides having the basic foodie/berry notes in common, one smells like a lovely simple fruity lotion, and the other smells like a sort of sexy fruity, grown-up perfume. The strawberry in both is nice, but the strawberry in SN is very fresh, and the strawberry in VL is more like the flavor of strawberry ice cream.

Sillage: I have both in Cocoa Pink's EDP format, which is very high in sillage. Equally good.

Longevity: Ditto for above. Love Cocoa Pink's EDPs, they last forever.

Destashing any?: If I were to destash one, it would be Strawberry Noel. I like it enough to keep it for now, but I might destash if it gets no love come spring. I would definitely repurchase this in a hair or body product, though, as I feel it would be well-suited to that format. I do prefer Vampire's Lament as it's more sophisticated. 

Cocoa Pink Strawberry Noel Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: A perfectly balanced fresh strawberry that smells like real berries (not plasticy bubblegum strawberry), blended with VBN.

First impression out of bottle: Yummy fresh strawberries

Freshly applied: Fresh strawberries and creamy vanilla bean

Drydown: Same as above. I like the strawberry in this, it's certainly not fakey. I think the vanilla is overpowering the berry though because I get more of a berried-vanilla than a berries + vanilla vibe. 

After several hours: Still fruity vanilla. I love the vanilla in this. I prefer it to the real Vanilla Bean Noel (from Bath & Body Works) and I would say it's a hybrid of a musky vanilla like NAVA's Crystalline and a really foodie creamy vanilla like the one you find in Solstice Scents' mallow blends. With an added hint of actual vanilla bean. 

Like strawberries and vanilla cream, but light on the strawberry

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Vanilla lovers will like it! Cocoa Pink makes quite a few "VBN" blends, so you'd probably only choose this if you were a huge strawberry fan (I am.) The strawberry is not super unique/different, but it is realistic, which is important enough for me. 

Would an [X] hater love this? I think it's a pretty simple fruit and vanilla scent, and unless you've never smelled VBN before (or Cocoa Pink's version) you don't need to try this if you're averse to vanillic or food scents.

Where am I? I'm me as a young teenager, slathering myself with products from a giant Bath & Body Works gift basket

Where would I wear this? Daytime, weekend, spring, summer. Despite the "Noel" name, which is really just an adaptation from the B&BW winter scent, it's very much a fresh warm weather perfume!

Cocoa Pink Vampire's Lament Review

Brand: Cocoa Pink
Availability: General Catalog Autumn/Winter (N/A in Spring/Summer)
Notes: Luscious strawberry milkshake essence spiked with white amber, metallic white musk then finished off with a splash of creamy vanilla.

First impression out of bottle: Pure strawberry

Freshly applied: Strawberry vanilla ice cream

Drydown: Strawberry milk shake, all the way. A hint of perfumed amber and musk comes out and makes this fruity blend a little more sophisticated. I feel like I kind of get the "metallic" musk note but maybe not. It's not unpleasant, and it doesn't smell like machinery. Just kind of bright and cold. I love how this was so fruity/foodie at first but has morphed into a more perfumey version of a strawberry shake. 

After several hours: Same, less strawberry, more musk and amber.

Creamy strawberry shake in a COLD metal cup

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium High

Would an [X] lover love this? Definitely good for those who want something heavy on the strawberry but with some other surprising elements.

Would an [X] hater love this? I think berry haters won't like this interpretation- while it's not strictly 100% fruity, the amber/musk elements are quite sweet. They make the perfume more sophisticated IMO but not more wearable for those who dislike sweet scents.

Where am I? Savoring a strawberry milkshake at an ice cream fountain lunch counter

Where would I wear this? Daytime, work, summer. It's a warm weather perfume IMO, it reminds me a lot of going to get ice cream after a day spent at the library.

Possets Strawberry Heart Review

Brand: Possets
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Scrumptious strawberry untrammeled by anything other than the most perfect of vanillas.

First impression out of bottle: Synthetic watery strawberry

Freshly applied: Watery strawberry cough syrup

Drydown: Watery cough syrup. Very soft, even though I applied quite a bit.

After several hours: Aaaand it's gone.

This, but less intense

Longevity: Low
Sillage: Low

Would an [X] lover love this? A fruit lover might enjoy this- I've heard raves about it but it just dies a quick death on me.

Would an [X] hater love this? Meh if you hate fruit/berry scents don't even try this. Even if it has better throw on you than it did for me, it's very straightforward.

Where am I? Refusing to take my medicine as a child.

Where would I wear this? Nowhere.

Long Winter Farm Unicorn Farts Review

Brand: Long Winter Farm
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: strawberry cotton candy and spearmint

First impression out of bottle: Minty fresh cotton candy

Freshly applied: This is a true perfect blend of pink cotton candy and mint. The mint doesn’t smell like a breath mint, it’s actually fused really well with the cotton candy. I get both the fluffy sugariness and the fresh minty feel. If I breathe it in more deeply, I smell the accurate crystallized spun sugar smell of cotton candy, with a hint of berry sweetness. This reminds me SO MUCH of going to Disney On Ice(!) shows as a little kid. I was obsessed with cotton candy, so I’d always share a cone with my mom, usually I got one of those commemorative character cups/containers to go with it. This smells like the memory of that cotton candy with the briskness of being in the ice skating rink. The mint tempers the cotton candy perfectly and it’s not too sweet. 

Fresh pink cotton candy with some mint

Drydown: Weirdly the smell combines and becomes the exact smell of sweetened adzuki bean paste. I love this smell, but it's certainly a weird impression to get from something as simple as mint/candy. It still smells like I described above, but if you know what red bean paste smells like, you'll think of it too.

Sweet, rich adzuki bean paste

After several hours: Basically the same, but a lot fainter

Longevity: Not very good for a cotton candy scent (which usually last forever on me.) Probably 3 hours at strong sillage, then another 2 hours at whisper-soft throw.
Sillage: At first, medium-high, then dies down to very soft.

Would an [X] lover love this? If you like cotton candy scents, give this a try. It's different from the usual offerings. It's a LOT fruitier than something like Pink Sugar, and less musky/sexy.

Would an [X] hater love this? A cotton candy hater would probably find this too sweet. But if you hate Pink Sugar, you might think this is a little more refreshing and palatable.

Where am I? Ice skating rink, eating cotton candy.

Where would I wear this? This is definitely a daytime scent. It's not too sweet for work, and it would be great in the summer but the mint makes it nice for winter too.

Deep Midnight King Cake Review

Brand: Deep Midnight
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Yeasty bread dough, cinnamon sugar, vanilla, a touch of cream cheese frosting and a dab of strawberry filling

First impression out of bottle: Perfect yeasted doughnut, a kiss of cream cheese, and some jammy strawberry.

Freshly applied: The cinnamon sugar (which really comes across here as cinnamon-sugar NOT cinnamon + sugar) and strawberry jam are a perfect complement to the doughnut smell. This doughnut is not unpleasantly oily, yeasty, or salty like the note I got from Cocoa Pink's Jelly Doughnut. It's perfectly golden and a tiny bit savory. The cream cheese really helps lighten it up. Usually I dislike cream cheese as a note, but this doesn't go sour or too strong. It's a sweet cream cheese scent.

Perfect cinnamon sugar cake donut

Drydown: Soft, slightly tart creamy cake. A hybrid doughnut-cake hybrid with a very light strawberry cream cheese note. Definitely distinct from Arcana Yellow Cake, as it's more pillowy and airy.

Add some strawberry cream cheese to your cinnamon sugar donut

After several hours: The same as the drydown, but much fainter.

Longevity: Not fantastic. I can still smell it faintly after a long time, but whisper-throw doesn't count for me. I wish it lasted longer at a more potent level, because it's so gorgeous.
Sillage: Low-medium. I have to slather to get good throw out of this, and even then it's a medium-strength one.

Would an [X] lover love this? Yes, gourmand/cake lovers NEED this. It's delicate, interesting, and something different compared to the standard yellow cake scents. I will say I am picky about throw (I like intense, strong scents) so even though this one disappoints in that sense, I still needed it.

Would an [X] hater love this? Perhaps. I don't really think this has a lot to offer to a gourmand hater though. It's a true, pure food smell, very well-executed and NOT too sugary. If your issue with gourmands is sensitivity to sweetness, then give this a shot. If you just don't like smelling like dessert, this won't change your mind.

Where am I? An upscale doughnut shop, sampling a variety of flavors and enjoying the smells drifting from the ovens.

Where would I wear this? I would wear this to work, at home (although it might prompt me to snack), and on the weekend. It's a daytime scent, a little young, definitely feminine. Not quite bold enough for a night out. It's not a power scent, it's a gentle and enjoyable one.