Dorian - Sarawen Perfume Art

First sniff: 
A very potent single floral note - not rose, maybe lotus? With a sharp green note as well.

First applied: 
Woo, this is a head kicker - I sneezed a few times immediately after applying. The floral note is still right out there but I don't think it's lotus. It's definitely not iris or violet, it's familiar but not common to me. Mystery! There's a teeny bit of something that is maybe vanilla... or possibly coconut. It's got that slightly tropical edge. I like this - it's definitely floral but not old lady-ish. Jeez, it's really strong though. Sorry in advance, office!

After 30 minutes: 
I had a doctor's appointment first thing this morning and while he was talking to me he suddenly started sniffling and then sneezed. He said, "Sorry - sensitive nose." At the time I thought he was referring to hay fever, but I realised later on it was my perfume that set him off. Oops! At the 30 minute mark it was still pretty strong, and I still can't figure out what that floral note is. 

After 3 hours: 
Almost gone. Wha' happen? It was super potent for a while and then it seemed to fade really suddenly. I can smell it if I hold my wrist up to my nose but it's definitely only got about two hours or so of real life in it. The base is more mellow, musky and less floral - I'm thinking there's coconut in there for sure. I like this one a lot so I wouldn't mind having to frequently reapply. It's probably more suited to the evening than the office though. 

Longevity: 
About two hours at full potency, then fades considerably. 

Actual notes/description: 
A beauty that never dies, which lingers in late nights with absinthe-induced fantasies as light musks permeate the air. The sweetness of his sins is covered in dark orchids and red florals, while exotic chypres and hints of coconut cream linger in his debauched luxury... main notes: musk, absinthe, orchids, (d'oh!), coconut. 

Availability: 
Sarawen Perfume Art
Fall 2014 - currently available
Sample and full size

Tattered Lace - Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

First sniff: 
Something resin-y, maybe frankincense or a fairly delicate patchouli. That's the wand. In the vial I can small something foody - it's almost like a sweet custard, like the way a continental slice smells.

First applied: 
There's that custard smell again, now with a very slight lemony tinge. The resin is there too and it's strong enough that it made me sneeze when I sniffed it closely. It seems to blend nicely with the food note/s though, so hopefully this isn't going to be some big hippie nightmare.

After 30 minutes: 
This has faded a lot - for something so potent when first applied it's really quite faint now. I can smell it when I move my wrist around close to my face but that's about it. Now it's more of a vanilla scent, still a little of the sweet custard note but the resin has pretty much gone.

After 3 hours: 
Almost gone. There's a faint whiff of sweet vanilla when I sniff my wrist closely, but that's about it.

Longevity: 
Maybe 2.5 hours, tops.

Actual notes/description: 
An allegory of Victorian melancholia: tea-stained bourbon vanilla, with white cognac, coconut bark, Oman frankincense, and woodmoss over opium tar-stained silk.

Availability: 
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab
Limited Edition - Dark Delicacies Retail Exclusive 2011
Not readily available. Might pick up in private sales.

Chocolate Macaron - Candida Virgo

Details: 
Chocolate Macaron
@CandidaVirgo

Notes: 
Unknown. My guess - chocolate, coconut, almond... maybe vanilla or something else sweet. 

Well, this was a bit exciting. I had a DM from Candi a couple of weeks ago asking if I would test some perfumes for her. Never one to turn down the opportunity to try new smells, of course I said yes. And oddly enough, after being completely over foody perfumes for a while now, I've just started getting back into them now that the weather is cold and I want cosy smells. Timing!

In the vial this smells quite heavily of almond, with the chocolate there but not front and centre. There's something else there too. it's quite sharp and I can't work out if it's just the almond being potent or if it's another note entirely. Once applied the almond settles down and is almost imperceptible in minutes. The chocolate comes out, then the coconut, and soon it smells like a rich, dense, moist chocolate mud cake. I tried this out after dinner on a cold night, and as I was sitting on the couch sniffing myself compulsively I seriously considered getting up and making a chocolate self-saucing pudding or something for dessert. (Laziness won - it didn't happen.)

The dry down is still heavy on the chocolate and coconut but something sweeter as well. Maybe vanilla, though it isn't a specifically vanilla-y note, and it's not sugary either. Whatever it is, I like it - it adds a nice balance. Sillage is medium, as is longevity. I could still smell it when I went to bed 6 or so hours later. I like this one a lot, and I think the blend would be really nice in bath and body products as well.

Rating:
4/5

Day 185!

Courtly Love - Possets

Details: 
Courtly Love
Possets Perfume

Notes: 
The slow stately thromb of courtly love as the man adores his lady and shows his love every day. Coconut (here used more as a serious element rather than a novelty) dances with apricot and a light kiss of vanilla and a very sweet, not stinky, jasmine to make a honey-ed note stand out. Swoony nice.

I wore this for three days in a row because it was so pretty. It's just a sweet, girly gourmand, but something about it just kept me gravitating back for another wear. In the vial I can smell the jasmine and vanilla - it's a prettier than usual version of any number of white floral vanilla scents. Once applied, the coconut comes out and the jasmine just kind of hovers around the edges - this is definitely  a foody perfume rather than a flowery one. The coconut is more creamy than coconut generally is in perfume, and the apricot makes it smell like a delicious dessert - it reminded me of something custardy like a pannacotta or a crème anglaise.

Sillage was medium to low - it didn't really scream its presence at all, but I could smell it when I moved my arm. It didn't last a long time though - it was virtually gone in 3 hours or so.

Rating: 
4/5

Day 157! 

Troika - Haus of Gloi

Details: 
Troika
Haus of Gloi

Notes: 
A trinity of soft milks, almond, oat and coconut, lashed with sweet agave nectar and the ethereal scent of clean white.

Troika is my favourite Haus of Gloi scent and I haven't worn it in forever, so I hauled it out on a whim. In the bottle the almond is the dominating note, which did not bode well for me the first time I smelled it, because I really dislike marzipan and other almond-related whatnots. However, that note softens dramatically when applied and on me at least disappears almost entirely once it dries down. The result is a creamy, milky, sweet gourmand scent, comforting and warm.It's a 'snuggle' perfume for sure. Sillage and longevity are medium, but I have a tendency to slather this one in every available spot so it does hang around for a while on me. It's just beautiful.

Rating:
5/5

Day 150!

French Chocolate Macaroon - Deep Midnight Perfumes

Details:
French Chocolate Macaroon
Deep Midnight Perfumes

Notes: 
Victorian ladies love Paris – and French pastries and treats! Enjoy the scrumptious smells of creamy chocolate, toasted coconut, and tantalizing vanilla.

Guys, I'm totally over chocolate. I know, right! I never thought it would happen, but I have completely chocolated myself out over the past year, I think. In the vial of this one I can smell chocolate and coconut, which does make me kind of want a Bounty, I have to admit. Once applied nothing much else happens, though it does get a bit sweeter as it dries down and the vanilla come out. 

There's nothing wrong with this perfume - if you're a chocolate fan you'll probably like it. But there's nothing that makes it jump out from all the other chocolate scents either, and I'm just..... zzzzzzzzzzzz

Rating: 
2/5

Day 149! 

White Rabbit - Enchanticals

Details: 
White Rabbit
Enchanticals Perfume

Notes: 
The frantic little fur ball...always running around with that over sized pocket watch. What was he in such a hurry for down in Wonderland? This perfume is in homage to that cute little fella with a blend of white things like white gardenia, a hint of fluffy coconut, then I added some fresh orange essential oil, dark juicy berries, tree barks & mosses and ancient ambers. Subtle, fresh and super alluring while being completely enchanting and fit to be adored by all on both sides of the Rabbit hole. Fragrance Family: Modern/Floral, Feminine.

In the vial White Rabbit smells foody - I can smell the orange and the berries, but applied to the skin the white floral comes out and it's quite potent.  It's sweetened by the coconut, which I took for vanilla until I read the notes and then realised immediately I was going up the wrong path there. This is a heady, 'perfumey' perfume - I was right on the edge of a headache with it for the first half hour or so. Once it dries down it softens to a smooth, foody floral, but it still has a fair bit of throw. Longevity is medium - I reapplied after about 5 hours. The moss and amber were lost on me - this was straight up floral gourmand. 

Rating: 
2/5 Meh. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. 

Day 138! 

Black Pearl - Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Details: 
Black Pearl
Bewitching Brews
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Notes: 
Evocative of the sea's unplumbed mysteries. Gentle and lovely, but menacing and profound. Coconut, Florentine iris, hazelnut and opalescent white musk.

In the imp this is a sweet, candy-ish coconut, like a particularly froofy cocktail. Once applied, the sweet tropical coconut smell is still there but there's also a note that smells vaguely synthetic, like you sometimes find with really cheap makeup products. It's quite odd, and not all that pleasant. I wonder if it's the iris? It's kind of floral, but not really - very hard to pin down. I don't get the hazelnut at all, and I was a bit surprised by that because that's usually a  note that tends to be fairly dominant on me. The dry down is a slightly floral, watery musk. Sillage isn't high and it doesn't last long either. Kind of a dud, really.

Rating:
2/5

Day 72!

Lovechild Meltbaby - Possets Perfume

Details: 
Lovechild - Meltbaby
Yule: Dark Revels (2012)
Possets Perfume

Notes: 
Cherry, coconut, and rose. What a wonderful combination to which I add a bit of extra secret wonderfulness. I think you will find this to be a perfume you will have a hard time putting down. It's very sexy and feminine.

Oh, good lord. First of all - it is not a good idea to try out a very sweet, rich perfume on a day that is 38 degrees celsius and in the middle of a two week heatwave. This was so revoltingly cloying I had to wash it off, and I could still smell the ghost of it all day.

A few days later I tried again with a bit better luck. At first I thought I smelled marzipan in the bottle, but once I applied it, I realised it was the cherry. It doesn't really change at all from the first sniff in the bottle to the dry down - it's a pretty even blend of the cherry, coconut and rose, and it is suuuuuuuuuuper sweet. It smells like sweet, floral coconut and cherry advokaat. Another one of those perfumes I feel like I am 30 years too old for. I might just pass it on to Noodles, as it's more up her alley. And that's pretty much all I have to say about it.

Rating: 
2/5 If you're 14 you will probably love this.

Day 71!

Cri de Coeur - Possets Perfume

Details: 
Cri de Coeur (Cry of the Heart)
Possets Perfume

Notes: 
This fragrance is a real stunner, a true Posset with large lashings of Vanilla, nougat, coconut, sweet musk, tobacco flower,swirling cotton, a drop of nag champa, chypre, black musk and sugar cane. There is the essence of a very good dragon's blood in it, a small amount of lime, and lime blossom. This is quite a complex beauty. Very sweet without being totally foody, long lasting and strong.

There’s not a lot of change here from vial to dry down. Essentially it’s smooth, creamy, sweet and warm, with a super faint hint of citrus. It makes me think of milk that’s been warmed up with a cinnamon stick and a piece of lemon peel. This perfume sits very close to the skin – barely any sillage at all – and it disappears very quickly. I couldn’t smell it at all after an hour, and reapplying only extended its life a smidge longer. I want to like this, but it’s just too fleeting.

Rating:
2/5 If it had hung around a bit longer I’d have given it a 3, as it is pleasant and comforting.


Day 47!

Boba - Delightful Rot

Details:
Boba
Delightful Rot

Notes: 
A sweet fragrance, reminiscent of your favorite bubble tea! With notes of sweet milk, cinnamon and spice tea, and a touch of black coconut, this is a definite foodie scent, with a mild and sweet dry down. 

In the vial and when first applied, this is really fruity and bright. I've never had bubble tea so I don't know exactly what it smells like, but I imagined it would be like a milkshake, whereas this is more like a smoothie. The dry down is more milky and creamy, with no particularly distinct notes - it's sweet and warm, and a tiny bit spicy. The sillage is low and it doesn't last long - it had disappeared entirely within a couple of hours.

Rating: 
2/5 It's okay, but there was nothing that grabbed my attention.

Day 40!

Pirate's Keg - Deep Midnight Perfumes

Details:
Pirate's Keg
Deep Midnight Perfumes

Notes:
Oh, that Black Jack – you can only imagine the booty he possesses! Raise a glass and toast him on his way to more grand swashbuckling adventures. Bay rum, rich leather, wild musk, and a shot of coconut and lime. A delicious unisex scent!

I don't tend to like masculine scents all that much, but now that I have to review 365 perfumes I thought it would be a good idea to step out of my comfort zone occasionally, otherwise all you'll ever be reading is variations of chocolate, cream and white florals. I chose Pirate's Keg because I'm only vaguely familiar with bay rum as a scent note, and also because it has leather.

In the vial I smell booze and lime. My ex (now BFF) and I would quite often drink vodka with lime and bitters on hot days (and in Adelaide there a lot of those) and that's what this made me think of at first. Once it's applied I can still smell the booze, and also now the leather. The coconut is there, but it's not the suntan oil kind of coconut - it adds kind of a warm, faintly sweet softening to the rum and leather. The lime pretty much disappears on my skin, but every now and then I thought I could catch a whiff of it. The dry down is leather, softened a little by the coconut. I rather like this perfume, despite it being more blokey than I would normally lean toward.

Rating: 
3/5 Not sure if I'd get a lot of use out of a full bottle, but I will put the sample away and bring it out again when the weather cools down.

Day 17!