Deconstructing Eden Gentian House Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Frankincense, myrrh, opium smoke, gentian violets, vetiver, french lavender, a touch of smoke.

First impression out of bottle: Grassy dirt

Freshly applied: Lavender, grass, and earth

Drydown: Mmm this is a robust, DRY lavender. You know the type that is very dusty gray-purple and smells herby and dry. This is ever so slightly smoky, like you burnt some sage and lavender in an old house. It smells a bit ancient and sacred, but not like a church. Maybe like a mansion that belonged to witches, and this is the lingering scent of the cologne of one of their gentleman callers.

Like an old, creepy, very well-maintained home

After several hours: What I like about this is it's strongly lavender, and has an almost citrusy freshness (I think from the vetiver, which doesn't smell grassy or overly green, but just fresh and clean.) There's an underlying old (but not dirty) feel from the frankincense and myrrh. It's overall just an incredibly well-done blend. 

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium high

Would an [X] lover love this? I think someone who enjoys any sort of resin, smoke, herb, or lavender scents will LOVE THIS. 

Would an [X] hater love this? Honestly, I don't love lavender all the time. It's a fickle beast that often smells off in perfumes, but this is like a bundle of real lavender, combined with all the other amazing notes. It's also not too earthy, so if you hate smelling like dirt, you will still love it.

Where am I? Spring cleaning a witch's mansion with super high-end organic cleaners.

Where would I wear this? I love that, unlike the super summery Legare, this could be easily worn for all seasons.  This is a spring cleaning scent to me, but it also reminds me of being inside a cool dark house on a rainy day. I would wear this throughout the year, and definitely for daytime occasions. Will also attempt to get my boyfriend to wear this. He said he liked lavender deodorant one time 2 years ago, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm IN.

Deconstructing Eden Alice in Wonderland Review

Brand: Deconstructing Eden
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Candied lemon peel and sugared violet and rose petals

First impression out of bottle: Floral marshmallows

Freshly applied: Floral marshmallows with a citrus twist

Pretty much exactly this

Drydown: Powdered sugar with a hint of flowers and lemon. This is a really great floral gourmand. I like it far better than Solstice Scents Violet Mallow, which is insanely sharp and a bit grassy on the opening. This is like the slightly purpler version of Solstice Scents Rose Mallow Cream. But where that has a very vanilla-marshmallow quality, this is more like powdered sugar marshmallow fluff. The violet is quiet and very well behaved here. It's melded with the rose into some sort of fantasy flower that smells like both and neither. 

Something fluffy and powdery (in a good way)

After several hours: Sweet powdered sugar and flowers with a gooooorgeous sweet candy lemon. The violet becomes way more "violet"y after drying down more and smells a bit purplish. Still well-behaved, but the scent reminds me of those violet candies from Italy. More violet than rose on the drydown.

Such a sweet, perfect lemon

Longevity: High
Sillage: Medium

Would an [X] lover love this? Gourmand lovers would really like it. I think fans of Solstice Scents' Mallow blends will enjoy this different spin on a candied floral scent. There's really no vanilla in this, which I think makes it different and interesting. Violet lovers will enjoy the tamed and lovely violet.

Would an [X] hater love this? Gourmand haters will probably find this too fluffy. Violet-haters (I count myself among you) will probably actually be fine with it. The violet is totally tolerable and not sharp or grassy. It actually works with the scent instead of competing with the other notes, which is often something I dislike about violets.

Where am I? Having an elegant tea party with a bunch of rich children

Where would I wear this? Daytime, afternoon, girl's day out, weekend. It's a bit too sweet for work, but it's perfect to wear out shopping or something. Springy/summery. 

NAVA Remiel Review

Brand: VApothecary
Availability: General Catalog
Notes: Sacred resin and incense of Rosewood, White Patchouli Leaves and Violet-honey

First impression out of bottle: Bright, green, a bit powdery but not in a makeup way, more in a floral way.

Freshly applied: This White Patchouli is interesting. It’s herbal and minty but it lacks the dank dirtiness I’m accustomed to with most patchouli. This is overall more fresh than I was expecting. It smells like fresh green leaves with a hint of sappy sweetness. Not as woodsy as I had hoped it would be.

Drydown: This turns into a really nice sweet rosewood scent. There something oddly cologne-y about this, which is weird because it’s SWEET. I can’t wrap my mind fully around it, but it's sweet yet masculine. A bit like aftershave. It’s still got this grassy green feel which I don’t care for. The honey is grassy-honey, nice and not too powdery (especially considering there’s violet in there) but I think the grassy note is just rubbing me the wrong way.

After several hours: More of the same. I don't love this. I wish the rosewood was more prominent and the green leafiness less so!

Longevity: Medium-high.
Sillage: Medium-high. Really reminds me of a masculine aftershave or something.

Would an [X] lover love this? There's not much in here I can identify as prominent. Overall I'd say it's a bright but woodsy masculine blend. If you like colognes but not aquatics, this could be good.

Would an [X] hater love this? There are a few notes in this which definitely give some people issues: honey, violet, and patchouli. It's a little soapy, and sappy, and green. I don't know. This one was not so great on me, and I sometimes have issues with all three of these notes. Proceed with caution.

Where am I? Giving a ceremonial bath to a fallen angel or something.

Where would I wear this?  I wouldn't. If I did...work, daytime, spring, summer.