Jack and The Devil - Solstice Scents

Source

First sniff: 
Leather, chocolate... or maybe a deep vanilla?

First applied: 
Leathery tobacco and vanilla. Very masculine but smooth. There's some patchouli there too but thankfully it's not crazy.

After 30 minutes: 
The patchouli is prominent now, unfortunately. The tobacco is also stronger - this has become even more 'manly' than when I first applied it. It's probably awesome on a bloke, but not my kind of thing at all.

After 3 hours: 
The patchouli has mellowed at last and it's quite a smooth, masculine vanilla amber now. Again, I'm sure this would be amazing on a man but it's not something I would wear.

Longevity: 
About 6 hours.

Actual notes/description: 
Vanilla, tobacco, oakmoss, amber, patchouli, pumpkin and soft spice.

Availability: 
Solstice Scents
Permanent (was originally part of a limited edition Fall collection)
Full size and sample size.

The Sacred Queen - Twyla Perfumes

Details: 
The Sacred Queen
Maia Collection
Twyla Perfumes & Apothecary

Notes:
Beautiful, ruthless and fiery - The Sacred Queen, with over 14 essential oils, is a deceptively sweet, complex and unmistakably regal blend of honey and smokey vetiver, amber and vintage patchouli, frankincense, neroli and bitter almond with smoldering spices, sacred incense and a heady blend of florals.  

I thought I would hate this at first because in the vial all I got was a big huff of patchouli. However, once applied it almost immediately sweetened and mellowed. I don't really get a distinct floral note but I think there's something flowery about it. It's very, VERY hippie-ish. Not my cup of tea, but not nearly as bad as I initially thought it would be. Oddly I can't smell the honey if I put my nose to my wrist and sniff, but I can smell it when I'm just moving my wrist around - I kept getting whiffs of it at work while I was typing.

The other day I was chatting on Twitter with some people about that fashion in the 90s for the semi-goth look, with long flowing velvet dresses, lace up boots, chokers, hair dyed black or red, etc. This perfume evokes that style for me. There's something about it that says to me: Wiccan, hippie, probably wears or carries a crystal. Sillage is medium - it packs a bit of a punch at first but settles down fairly quickly. Longevity was good - I could smell it on myself for most of the day.

Rating:
3/5

Day 177!

Santisima Muerte - Twyla Perfumes

Details: 
Santisima Muerte
Dia de los Muertos collection
Twyla Perfumes & Apothecary

Notes: 

Sandalwood absolute, golden champaca, rose absolute, blood-orange,  benzoin, sweet 

patchouli.

In the vial this smells like sweet orange - it reminded me a bit of Possets Florida, though not nearly as sickly. Once applied the sandalwood comes out and what I think is sweet patchouli. I definitely get a 'patchouli vibe' but it's not nearly as overwhelming as patch generally is for me. There's a floral note but it doesn't smell distinctly like rose to me, more like blossoms, actually. The perfume is quite faint (I don't recall whether this is one of the older, less potent formulas), and disappeared within 4 hours. 

Rating: 

3/5 Pretty, but not memorable.

Day 174!

Razzouli - Alchemic Muse

Details: 
Razzouli
Valentine's Day (?)
Alchemic Muse

Notes: 
An enticing mix of sweet raspberry puree, ruby red grapefruit and creamy vanilla combined with deep earthy base of dark patchouli.

In the vial, this is a tart fruity berry scent, but once applied there's a lovely creaminess there that makes this less about fruit and more about dessert. I really liked the way the tartness of the berries and the sweetness of the vanilla blended together. I had no idea there was even patchouli in it until I looked at the notes later on - it certainly never came out on me (thankfully).

There's nothing amazing going on here, but it's a cute, fun foodie perfume that I enjoyed wearing for a day. Sillage and longevity are medium - I reapplied after about 5 hours.

Rating: 
3/5

Day 151! 

Midnight Oil - Solstice Scents

Details: 
Midnight Oil 
Dark Spring 2013
Solstice Scents

Notes: 
Cocoa Absolute, Blood Orange EO, Yellow Mandarin EO, Aged Patchouli, Labdanum Absolute, Coffee EO and Mushroom Absolute.


Well, this is a quirky one. When I first smelled it in the vial all I got was a big hit of patchouli and I was wondering what possessed me to buy it. Man, I really don't like patchouli. Once applied I could smell what I was convinced was grapefruit, but looking at the notes now I realise that was blood orange and mandarin. So for a while I had patchouli with a greenness to it and a note of (what I thought was) grapefruit hanging around, and then suddenly I could smell chocolate - a very dark, bitter chocolate. A couple of hours later the citrus was the most prominent note, but it was like citrus in a dark, damp, slightly musty cellar. Not quite earthy, but definitely... dark. The citrus was kind of threatening to turn into fly spray at any second but that never happened (thankfully). Sillage was medium and longevity was decent - 6 hours or so.

Rating: 
Undecided. I don't like the patchouli, but the other things in it make it a really interesting blend. I don't know if I actually like it, but I was sniffing it a lot trying to work it out. I think it's worth trying for curiosity if nothing else.

Day 144!

Chapiteau - Nevermore Body Company

Details: 
Chapiteau
Nevermore Body Company

Notes: 
The wild, musky scents of the Big Top Circus are combined in Chapiteau as you take in Patchouli and musk accented with hints of violet and sandalwood.

In the vial this is sweet and candyish - it reminds me a lot of the carnival scents I have. There's violet, but it smells more like sugared violets like you'd put on a cake than the flower just growing in a garden - there's not that tart green note. I never did get patchouli in this, thankfully as it's not a note I enjoy. I did get musk in the dry down but again it was a sweet candy musk, and the sandalwood gave it a bit of depth so it wasn't just a straight up lolly scent. This is a very pretty, foody perfume but it's far too young for me - I think Noodles might like it. 

Sillage was medium and it lasted about 6 hours or so. 
 
Rating: 
3/5  

Day 140!

Daydream Nation - Twyla Perfumes

Details: 
Daydream Nation
Twyla Perfumes & Apothecary

Notes: 
Musk seed, nagramotha, cardamom, dark patchouli, myrrh, clove, pomegranate accord, spice, amber and rose otto.

This is quite sweet in the vial, not in a sugary way but like the kind of spices you get in rice pudding. Applied to skin this is very heavy on the patchouli - at least for me. I'm not a patchouli fan, as you'd know if you read this blog regularly, and even though Twyla uses one of the few patchoulis I can tolerate, this one is too much for me, especially blended with amber. There's a spiciness to it and something that smells a bit like hay. It's very hippie-ish and could be worn by either men or women. I found this quite strong - the sillage is high for a Twyla perfume (it's one of the newer stronger versions), and it lasted a good 7 or 8 hours.

Rating: 
2/5

Day 131!

Trick or Treat - Alkemia Perfumes

Details:
Trick or Treat
Alkemia Perfumes

Notes:  
A grownup confection of black licorice, mandarin orange peel, caramelized brown sugar, bourbon vanilla, candied ginger, tonka bean, blonde patchouli, cedar tips, oakmoss, and sandalwood. Utterly sexy on both men and women... While this perfume smells like a sumptuous treat, it's got a secret trick... Dr. Alan Hirsch (Director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation) did several studies on the effect of black licorice on the responses of men and women. He found that black licorice increased blood flow to *ahem* certain parts of both the male and female anatomy simulating sexual arousal.

I bought this sample late last year, tried it, adored it, and intended to buy a full bottle immediately, but for some reason never got around to it (too many scented distractions, too little time...). I'm moving it up the chain of full bottle priorities because I am wearing it today and I love it as much as I did the first time. In the vial it smells like orange-scented liquorice, very much a Halloween kind of scent with black and orange. It doesn't say in the seller's notes, but I am assuming this was originally a Halloween edition perfume. Once applied, the alcohol comes out - the bourbon vanilla (more bourbon than vanilla), the liquorice, the orange, that tonka warming it all.. unf! This perfume is TO DIE FOR. The tonka holds through the drydown, and there is a woody note as well that I guess must be the cedar tips (though I don't know what the difference is between that and a regular cedarwood note). Thankfully, I don't really get the sandalwood at all - I've been having a rough time with that of late. Blonde patchouli - what the heck is that? Whatever it is, I can barely, barely smell patchouli in the dry down, but again, it is thankfully in the background and not dominating. I could not detect the ginger either, though there was a tickly spicy note that popped up now and then fleetingly that might have been that.

I suspect this would be a polarising perfume - if you hate liquorice or orange, forget it. This is not for you. But if you like those notes, you must try this. It's not like anything else I own or have tried, and seriously - WHY DO I NOT HAVE A FULL BOTTLE YET?

Rating: 
5/5

Day 122!

Slammerkin - Twyla Perfumes

Details: 
Slammerkin
Twyla Perfumes & Apothecary

Notes: 
Golden amber, my own hand-blended, proprietary version of Egyptian Musk, vintage patchouli, pink lotus, carnation, Russian rose otto, bourbon vanilla, benzoin, immortelle and bitter almond.

I don’t know whether this has any relevance to Twyla's perfume, but there’s a book called Slammerkin by Emma Donohue, and I love it, so of course I had to try this. In the vial, Slammerkin is almost medicinal – there’s something strong and herby about it. Applied to my wrist, it’s a patchouli fiesta. For the first couple of hours that is all I can smell, and even though Twyla’s aged patchouli is pretty much the only patch I can stand, it’s still too much for me here. I don’t get the musk, the resinous amber, or the florals – just the patchouli and maybe a teeny tiny hint of bitter almond. After quite a long time it eventually fades and that’s when the amber, benzoin and vanilla come out on me, but by that time it’s quite faint. I know loads of people adore this one – Su, for example – but on me it was just a big smack in the mouth with a patchouli plant.  

Rating: 
2/5

Day 77!

Snowdrift - Alchemic Muse

Details: 
Snowdrift
Winter Collection (2012)
Alchemic Muse

Notes:
White jasmine and crisp heliotrope floating over rose, carnation, gingered peach, and juniper berry in a sheer base of aged patchouli, smoky vetiver, sandalwood with a stray drop of black vanilla.

In the vial, this is sweet and lollyish - no idea what in the notes is making that happen. It smells like a candy carnival sort of perfume. Applied to my wrist it changed to a snowy white floral peach. Ugh... I think peach is pretty much my most hated of all fruit notes. The heliotrope makes it smell a bit synthetic as well, which is not always a bad thing (to me - I know it's an instant deal-breaker for many), but in this case combined with the peach it's not great. The dry down is a little nicer - it mellows to a slightly smokey vanilla blended with a light patchouli that doesn't overpower. Sillage is quite high on this - again I was wearing it when I was with Ben the perfume hater and he complained about it. It lasted about 4 hours.

Rating:
2/5 - maybe 3/5 I'm not entirely decided how I feel about this. I hate the peach, don't love the heliotrope, but the dry down is pleasant. Not a full bottle, though.

Day 69!

Anastasia - Sweet Anthem

Details: 
Anastasia
Sweet Anthem Perfumes

Notes: 
A bouquet from her beloved and only friend, hung to dry during winter; the gunsmoke of an approaching revolution, the remnants from the last afternoon tea, still left steeping, and an ethereal musk, white as snow, hanging on until the that. Champaca absolute, civet, dogwood, fresh snow, green tea, honeysuckle, white patchouli. 

A green floral in the bottle, once applied to skin the tea note comes out. Champaca always smells like magnolia to me, and that's what I am getting here with the honeysuckle - it's lush and gorgeous, with the tea adding a sassy edge to it. The dry down is quite 'perfumy' and smells expensive - the musk and patchouli combined with a slightly chilly note that I assume is the 'fresh snow' combine in a beautifully complex, classy blend. I really love this - it would be a perfect one to wear with a 'special occasion' frock, or even to make sitting around in your pyjamas watching BBC dramas into a special occasion. Sillage is medium - if you splash it about, it becomes quite pronounced, but a light touch produces a subtle effect. Longevity is about 6 hours or so. 

Rating: 
4/5

Day 62!

Harvesting Zombies - Enchanticals

Details: 
Harvesting Zombies
Enchanticals Perfume

Notes: 
Harvesting Zombies is an incredibly lavish, diverse & harmonious fragrance for the senses made with the finest extractions and oils available, with earthy, aged patchouli essential oil, moody black amber essential oil, sassy cinnamon, and a harvest of amazing, fresh Autumn fruits and spices so yummy no human or Zombie could ever resist.

In the vial this smells like spicy autumn fruits - apple, pear, the kind of things you make cold weather puddings out of. On my wrist it's mostly apple and cinnamon at first, and it's obviously real cinnamon oil because it itched like hell almost immediately. I was tempted to scrub it off but I let it go for a while to see how it would go, and it did subside after about 20 or 30 minutes. The dry down is a warm spicy scent – the cinnamon is not prevalent here, it’s more a mixed spice blend with the patchouli there but not taking over. The sillage is fairly low, but it lasted a really long time - at the end of the day I could still faintly smell it on my wrist and it had faded to something familiar I couldn't quite put my finger on. I asked Noodles what it smelled like to her at that point and she said, "Old people. No, old hippies." Right. Patchouli, then.  As fruit scents go, this is more on the warm side, and therefore more palatable to me than the light, bright young ones that I hate so much, but it’s still not really my cup of tea.

Rating: 
3/5

Day 57!

Serendipity - Enchanticals

Details:
Serendipity
Enchanticals Perfume

Notes: 
Serendipity is a simple, calming, earthy blend of both light and dark patchouli essential oil, and Attar of Rose, coming together in perfect harmony.

In the vial and when first applied this is a very herbal, grassy patchouli, quite dark. It stays that way for about 20 minutes or so and then morphs into a powdery rose, with the patchouli retreating very much into the background. I’m not a fan of patchouli and this perfume – while not terrible – doesn’t appeal to me either. I think fans of patch/rose scents would like it, though. The sillage is medium and it lasted a really long time – I put this on early evening and I could still smell it on my wrist the next morning.

 
Rating: 
2/5 Nothing wrong with it, just not my cup of tea.

Day 49! 

Breathless - Twyla Perfumes

Details:
Breathless
Twyla Perfumes & Apothecary

Notes: 

A scent inspired by the Jean-Luc Godard movie; a little romantic, a little smutty, a little noir and very very French. Red and white rose, vintage patchouli, myrrh, cacao absolute, bourbon vanilla, and sandalwood. This scent is absolutely beautiful, with neither the rose nor the patchouli overwhelming, balanced by a healthy dose of deep, dark chocolate.  The rose is steam-distilled and very smooth, the patchouli vintage and ultra-dark, complex and wine-like in its scent and body. The myrrh adds depth while and the cacao is rich and bittersweet.  Bourbon vanilla adds a lovely non-cloying and richness only real vanilla can achieve while sandalwood rounds it out with a lovely woody creaminess. You don't want to skip this one, even if you think you don't like patchouli!

In the vial I smell bitter dark chocolate and patchouli. It’s very dark and somewhat masculine. Once applied, the rose is detectable, but the patchouli really amps on my skin, and it almost gets to the point where it’s too much for me. As it dries down, the chocolate comes out again, but it’s smoother this time, still dark but not bitter, warmed and softened by the vanilla and sandalwood. Like the majority of Twyla’s scents, this one sits close to the skin, but the lasting power was pretty good – I could still smell it 6 hours later. I liked this quite a lot, but probably not enough for a full bottle, as that patchouli would no doubt get to me after a while. I think this would be an amazing scent for a man, and once again I must lament that I don’t have one to test these kinds of things on. SAD FACE. 

Rating: 

3/5

Day 38!

Sherlock - Nevermore Body Company

Details: 
Sherlock 
Nevermore Body Company

Notes: 
Our new scent "Sherlock" is far from elementary"! With the rich floral aromas of an English garden experience the scents of damask rose, geranium, patchouli, sweet lavender all combined in a sweet blend of orange honey and smokey vanilla. 

This morning I received a package of perfumes and samples from Su, including a bunch that I had been itching to check out from companies like Nevermore and Darling Clandestine, so I've pushed all my scheduled reviews aside to slot this one in, as it's the first one I went for. In the vial I smell pipe tobacco, even though there's no specific mention of it in the notes. It made me think of my grandpa, who has been dead for 30 years. I wasn't terribly close to him - my mother is one of 15 children and there were A LOT of grandchildren, so he didn't have an awful lot to do with us individually, more collectively handing out lollies while we jostled each other aside to get to them, or yelling at us to stop climbing his jacaranda tree. But he smoked a pipe and always smelled of pipe tobacco. It was a nice little wander down memory lane opening that vial.

Once applied, it's obvious that the pipe tobacco smell is patchouli and something else, but not that awful hippie patchouli that makes some of us patchouli-haters. It's warm and comforting and smoky. There's a note of orange as well, not citrus, but that kind of orange you sometimes get in Christmas scents - I don't know what that is, being in a country that is hot at Christmas. Is that candied orange peel or something? When it dries down, the vanilla and floral come out, but it's still quite masculine. Manly vanilla and floral, if that makes sense. It's really lovely. I am really starting to appreciate some masculine scents more now that I'm branching out. They don't all smell like Lynx or CK One! I can't speak honestly about the longevity because I had a shower after about 4 hours and then reapplied it. It was still going strong at the 4 hour mark though, and I'd say sillage is medium. Not a head kicker, but not close either. You'd probably smell me wafting past you in this.

Rating: 
4/5 Lovely!

Day 21!