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.

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.

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. 

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.

Deconstructing Eden Be My Druidess Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Incense, woods, tree moss, light and dark musks and a smokey fire.

First impression out of bottle: Musky sweet smoke

Freshly applied: Musky sweet smokiness! Like a non-foodie Solstice Scents Smoky Mountain Mallow. 

Drydown: Oh lord this is heavenly. I am usually not a huge fan of musks, but the smooth silky musks here are bolstered with the most heavenly sweet fiery smoke note and a hint of woods. It's a sweet scent, but like I said, not at all on the vanilla/marshmallow end of the spectrum. More like amber/resin and sweet burning incense. I love how balanced the smoke and incense notes are. It's not acrid like you swallowed a lungful of campfire smoke, but it IS dark and a bit ashy. But then that's mixed with an almost syrupy musky resin note and something like spiced wood.

After several hours: Same weaving mixture of smoke and musk-resin with incense.

Longevity: High
Sillage: High

Would an [X] lover love this? This is like THE ultimate incense/resin scent. I'm a fanatic about my smoky and incense smells and this is a seriously absurdly good version. It's a burning-incense smell, so you get the smoke and the body of the incense. It smells like the smoke, plus the air that's being fragranced, plus the actual incense sticks. It's sweet but not at all gourmand.

Would an [X] hater love this? If you despise smoke/wood/resin scents I think this is going to push all your buttons. I can see it being a touch too resinous for you especially if you gravitate to fresher scents. But if you only dislike smoke scents, this is a subtle and wearable smoke.

Where am I? Burning sacred incense in a temple

Where would I wear this? I'm a hoor for incense, so I consider this an all-weather all-occasion scent. Sweet enough for daytime, smoky enough for nighttime. But if you are more conservative about your incense scents, I'd say to be safe, wear this on a date or to a party.

NAVA OM NA: Eternity Review

Brand: Nocturne Alchemy

Availability: General Catalog
Notes: desert sage, softened resin of vetiver, the scent of temple grass, black coconut milk and husk, dragon's breath incense and white benzoin liquid resin of the netherworld

First impression out of bottle: Dank grassiness

Freshly applied: Grassy from the vetiver at first. The sage is there, giving that herbal nose tickle but the vetiver is front and center. I get almost the dark damp quality you can get with patchouli, only without the rubbery potential. This is a very WET sage scent. Not a smudge stick, no burning or ash, just like an offering of sage and herbs that has been rained on. No coconut yet.

Damp, fresh herb bundles

Drydown: As it dries, I get some black/dark coconut, and the blend sweetens a tad. Light on the incense, definitely not a burn-y or smoky smell. Wet and dark and twisted, like the inner tunnels of an ancient temple. There’s no stone notes, but it absolutely reminds me of being inside ancient tombs when I visited Egypt. Cold. Interesting and beautiful. And I also start getting another coconut note, milky and white, to go with the black husk note from before.

Black coconut husk joins the wet sage

After several hours: The more I smell it, the more I love the paradox of the milky sweet coconut and the wet-smelling sage. It’s not like food or like anything I’d immediately deem attractive…but it’s kind of addictive and weird and pleasant in an unusual way. At first it was so grassy and cold but now it’s warmed up with the benzoin and the coconut, so I think it will layer fantastically with a sweeter or woodsy scent.

Sweet, pure coconut milk lightens up the dark, earthy blend

Longevity: High, as with most NAVAs. This is a morpher though, and the ultimate drydown described above is what lasts most of the day.
Sillage: High, which may be an issue as it's quite strange-smelling at first. It settles into something much more pleasant. Maybe don't apply this at your desk, though.

Would an [X] lover love this? I don't even know how to classify this scent, so...would a sage lover like this? I'd say YES unless they only like "dry" smelling sage. This is rich, a bit grassy, herbal, and dark. It's unusual for sure, but I think people who like sage are usually pretty adventurous.

Would an [X] hater love this? Would a sage hater love this? Maybe! I did not like it when freshly applied, but it has this uncanny fascinating moreish smell, where you just want to keep sniffing. It's rather addictive and surprisingly wearable. I'd say give this a spin even if you are a coconut or sage hater.

Where am I? When I wear this, I feel totally transported to a damp ancient temple. I smell hanging plants and offerings of herbs and sweet coconut, and the hint of incense.

Where would I wear this? I probably wouldn't wear this out to dinner, it's not a sexy date type of scent. I would wear this if I wanted to go for a long walk by myself, or maybe at work on a day when I needed to be focused and feel strong. It's kind of a subtle "power scent" because it has a pleasant sweetness but a strong backbone.