Lila - Wiggle Perfume

First sniff: 
Lilacs - very floral, very perfumey


First applied: 
Yep, still lilacs - this is a super feminine floral, quite potent. There's a green note in there too but it's delicate, the flower takes centre stage. Old ladyish but in a good way.

First 30 mins: 
Considering how potent this is when first applied it fades pretty quickly. I applied this to my wrists, behind the ears and in the cleavage (the warm spot - shut up, you know it's true) and I can only smell it now if I get close to my wrist and sniff. Not sure if it's a natural perfume - those tend to fade on me in minutes - but it's a shame that something so pretty is so fleeting.

After 3 hours: 
Almost entirely gone. If I press my nose to my wrist I can just barely catch the last remnants of it.

Longevity: 
Maybe 2-3 hours. 

Actual notes/description: 
Okay, so you may have noticed that I've been adding a bit of lilac to everything this spring. I found an amazingly true lilac scent and I've become completely obsessed. I love the summery promise of lilacs, but I wanted to give it a different twist. I read somewhere that the name Lila means "night", and combining that information with its use in a wonderfully dreamy Morphine song, I felt inspired to create a deeply dark romantic lilac scent. Lila combines a rich and retro-fabulous lilac note with an inky black musk, touches of vanilla and black tea, dusky black rose, and a healthy kick of black pepper.

Availability: 
Wiggle Perfume
Discontinued

Candy Mountain - Common Brimstone

First sniff: 
Just a very sweet, lollyish smell - nothing more to it, really.

First applied: 
Still very lollyish. It's not terrible but it seems like a perfume for a 10 year old. There's nothing else to say about it at this point.

After 30 mins: 
It's turned into plasticky lollies now. Other than that I've got nothing. 

After 3 hours: 
I literally have nothing more to say about this.

Longevity: 
Not much more than 3 hours. 

Actual notes/description: 
Take a magical trip to a place of sweets and joy! With a fluffy bed of vanilla bean and toasted marshmallow and zingy notes of candy floss, banana and cherry, Candy Mountain is sweet, warm and a little whacky. 

Availability: 
Common Brimstone
Permanent
Full size and sample size

Philtre #5: Embrace - Arcana Soaps

Source

First sniff: 
Straight up musk, a classic oriental.

First applied: 
Musk and a looooot of amber. Bit worried this one is going to amp the amber and give me a headache but we will see what happens. It's quite potent on first application - I can smell it all around me.

After 30 minutes: 
Thankfully this has mellowed a bit - the amber is still prominent but it's not head-kicking crazy. The musk is a creamy one, very smooth and compulsively sniffable. I really like that note but I wish the amber would get out of the way.

After 3 hours: 
Vanilla! Where did that pop up from? There's a slight candy note and it seems more lollyish and less incense-y now. It obviously likes warm places - I can barely smell it on my wrist but it's wafting up still quite powerfully from my cleavage (TMI!).

Longevity: 
Wrist, maybe a couple of hours. Between the bewbs, about 7-8 hours. 

Actual notes/description: 
Then you breathed my breath and slept against my fluttering heart. This sensuous formula is believed to induce delicious caresses and kisses without end. Three ambers, French vanilla, Bourbon custard, golden musk, sweet coconut milk and a soft whiff of skin musk. 

Availability:
The Rhinestone Housewife
General Catalogue
Full size only. 

Audrey - Wiggle Perfume

First sniff: 
Grapefruit and something green and lightly floral. Very zingy and spring time-ish.

First applied: 
The grapefruit is the most prominent, but the green note and the floral - now a little creamy - is still there. I really like this so far - I know I will regret not having bought a full bottle while I had the chance.

After 30 minutes: 
Very potent and super pretty citrus and green with the floral now not as noticeable. I'm sure I can smell a wee bit of vanilla in there but I can only occasionally get a whiff of it. This is a very perfumey perfume - it smells expensive and classy and if someone had told me it was Chanel or Dior I'd have believed it.

After 3 hours: 
Still gently wafting around me, smelling like something Joan or Betty from Mad Men would wear. It's faded a bit but I can still smell the lovely floral note with that vanilla peeking through now and then. I am really kicking myself for not testing this before it was discontinued.

Longevity: 
Five to six hours. 

Actual notes/description: 
This is the little black dress of perfumes. It's classic and modern at the same time, goes with any outfit or occasion, and easily defies seasons. A femmed-up twist on chypre, Audrey sparkles with notes of pink grapefruit, orange blossom, and vetiver, and is beautifully grounded by a light musk with hints of saffron. A touch of bourbon vanilla adds a delicate, modest sweetness. I designed this scent with New Year's Eve in mind, but it also strikes me as a perfect bridal fragrance, or just something lovely to wear with jeans or nothing at all.

Availability: 
Wiggle Perfume
Discontinued (sob)

Toasted Marshmallow - Sixteen92

First sniff: 
Creme brûlée - sweet vanilla with a creamy toffee note


First applied: 
Still creme brûlée, but less sweet and more toffee-ish. Liking this a lot so far.

After 30 mins: 
Not much change, more sweet again than toasted now though. Sillage is quite low and it's faded a bit so not sure how  long it will last. Really like this - it's mah jam. It's a warm, sweet-but-not-too-sweet gourmand, very comforting. 

After 3 hours: 
Almost gone, didn't change really. Needs frequent re-applying and slathering but that's okay.

Longevity: 
Not long, could really only notice it for about two hours, if that. 

Actual notes/description: 
Everyone's favorite hot chocolate topping, gooey marshmallows lightly toasted over a campfire. 

Availability: 
Sixteen92
Seasonal - Winter 2014 Hot Chocolate Bar Collection
Currently available in sample and full size, but not sure for how much longer. 

Dark Chocolate Fudge Taffy Pull - Violette Market

First sniff: 
Just lots of chocolate.

First applied: 
Chocolate and something a bit watery, sort of reminds me of Tom Ford's Black Orchid. There's a definite floral note but I can't place it - something delicate. This is quite faint too - I slathered a bit but the sillage is not at all high.

After 30 mins: 
A watery floral with a bit of a chocolate base note, pretty but not at all what I would expect by the name.

After 3 hours: 
The base has deepened a little and it's slightly more chocolatey than it was at the 30 minute mark; the aquatic floral is still there and seems to be the main focus. The perfume overall is quite faint now - this one doesn't hang around too long.

Longevity: 
Two to three hours. 

Actual notes/description: 
Dark chocolate fudge with hints of Bourbon vanilla, vanilla cream, pink sugar cane, lemon blossom, orange cream, raspberry truffle, blueberry and caramel. 

Availability: 
Violette Market
Limited Edition - State Fair 2012 
No longer readily available. You might pick it up in private sales.

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.

Luxuria - Arcana Soaps

First sniff: 
Vanilla musk. It reminds me a bit of Ava Luxe Love's True Bluish Light.

First applied: 
Still vanilla musk, lovely and smooth but with a light watery element - not sure what that note is but it's familiar. I don't love it there but it does do a nice job of making the vanilla musk a little cooler and more summery. There's a resin note too, making this perfume weirdly dark and light at the same time.

After 30 minutes: 
The resin has receded and the vanilla musk has warmed up now, really reminding me a lot of LTBL. The watery note is still there but barely - what the heck is that?

After 3 hours: 
It hasn't changed much from the 30 minute mark, just faded some. I can't smell the resin at all really anymore, and the watery note comes and goes but only barely. I'm undecided about whether I need a full bottle of this but I do really like it.

Longevity: 
About 6 hours or so.

Actual notes/description: 
Lust. Wild, carnal musk with blond tobacco, vanilla, dark resins and sugared peach.

Peach! That's what the watery note was! That's weird, because normally I really hate peach. I did not hate it here.

Availability: 
Arcana Soaps
Limited Edition - The Hieronymous Bosch Collection 2014
Note: As of this writing, still available at Arcana's eBay store (link above - email directly for international shipping) and The Soap Box Co. Not sure how long it is sticking around for, as Arcana limiteds vary from blink-and-they're-gone to still kicking several years later.
Full size, sample size only available from The Soap Box Co as of this writing.

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.

Catch Up Post #8

Delightful Rot Poisonous Dream - The blackberry musk of of a sweet dream, distorted by cool mint and black oud.
This is a synthetic smelling soapy perfume. It smells like an old lady rose-scented soap set that's been gathering dust on the shelf of a country chemist for at least 10 years. Sillage is fairly low and longevity is low to medium. It was gone in about 4 hours, and I can't say I was sorry to see it go. 2/5

Deep Midnight Perfume Nivens - Nivens will lead you down a rabbit hole to tasty helpings of sweet creamy pastries, cakes and sticky puddings, topped off with plump wild berries and a touch of spices and soft florals. Fresh, sweet, and delicious!
This smells really synthetic to me, as most of Deep Midnight's perfumes tend to do. The smell is nuts, coffee and cream to my nose and it's all a bit sickly. The dry down is a slightly sickly creamy milk scent. This was pretty gross, to be honest. And of course, because I didn't like it, it hung around for ages - about 8 hours. Thankfully the sillage was lowish, so I wasn't inflicting it on anyone else. 1/5

Solstice Scents Violet Truffle - Dark chocolate, violet, violet leaf and vanilla absolute.
This is a sweet chocolate floral that reminds me a bit of Serendipitous. It goes a wee bit dusty in the first few minutes but doesn't stay that way for too long, maybe 10 minutes or so. I was just starting to decide that I didn't like this at all when it morphed into a vanilla base and became quite perfumey and pretty. The dust note was still there, but low key. In the end I liked this one quite a bit after the first half hour, but I doubt I'd buy a full size. 3/5

Possets Lovechild: Sweetbaby - Vanilla concentrated with lavender and amber.
At first this is sickly sweet - all lollies and baby chunder, and I almost washed it off. However, I stuck it out for the cause and it mellowed after half an hour or so to a sweet, creamy vanilla - somewhat similar to Courtly Love though more foody and not quite as perfumey. This one had average lasting time on the wrists - maybe 6 hours - but I also dabbed a little in my cleavage (oo-er missus!) and it really stuck around in there.  I was catching whiffs of it 12 or more hours later. This one's a clinger. 3/5


Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Regan A deceptively sweet orchid vanille with a faint trace of stephanotis.
A very heady powdery floral, pretty and old-fashioned, but nothing remarkable. I feel like I've smelled versions of this a million times. Sillage is highish and it lasted most of the day - not really an office perfume. Meh. 2/5


Days 217 - 221!

Estella - Arcana Soaps

Details: 
Estella 
Great Expectations
Arcana Soaps (bought from The Rhinestone Housewife)

Notes: 
Quietly stunning ambre blanc and vanilla bean with a kiss of cognac.

I bought this unsniffed after reading rave reviews about it. I bought several other bottles at the same time, two of which were also perfumes I'd not tried before, and since I received the order I have not given those other two more than a cursory sniff, because I am obsessed with this. I've been wearing it most days at some point, even if at night just as an excuse to sniff it. It is so beautiful - I thought at first that it was a lot like BPAL's The Shadowy and the Sublime, but I dug that out to compare and it's not really that similar. There are elements that make each remind me of the other, but Estella is in a world of its own.

I was a little concerned that the amber would be overpowering but it's not at all - it's smooth and mellow and blends gorgeously with the vanilla. This is a very warm, comforting, girly perfume. A snuggle scent, if you like. The cognac is detectable, but it's not a boozy smelling perfume - that note just adds a grown up element to it.

Lasting power is fantastic - I've put this on first thing in the morning and I can still smell it after dinner. Sillage is medium - if you splash it on you'll probably be announcing yourself for an hour or two, but if you apply subtly it's just enough to let people know you're there without screaming it in their face. I freaking love this perfume - I am definitely getting another bottle before it disappears. Possibly even two.

Rating: 
5/5

Day 215!

Cenobite - Solstice Scents

Details: 
Cenobite
Solstice Scents

Notes: 
A deep and rich vanilla for vanilla lovers. 

The vanilla of vanillas. I have long loved vanilla-scented fragrances. Even before they became a thing and perfumes generally smelled like flowers, I would nick Queen's Vanilla Essence from my mum's baking cupboard and dab it on my arm so I could sniff it at my leisure (it's not creepy). In the 90s I discovered vanilla fragrance oil in a hippie shop and I was all over that for years, along with the classic version from The Body Shop. And then it was almost ruined when companies like Glade discovered it and started making vanilla scented toilet spray, which had the effect of then making most vanilla perfumes smell like... well, toilet spray. (In hindsight maybe it's a good thing because it forced me to branch out with scents and become the hardcore perfume junkie I am today.)

Cenobite is most definitely not a toilet spray vanilla. It's a deep boozy gourmand scent that just smells divine. There's no point saying much more about it. It doesn't have any other notes that jump out at me, it doesn't change on me. It just is what it is, which is the perfect vanilla. Sillage is high - this is a potent perfume. Longevity is FOR. EVER. I have put this on first thing in the morning and I can still smell it on myself 24 hours later before my following morning shower.

Rating:
5/5

Day 184!

Blood Kiss - Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Details: 
Blood Kiss
Bewitching Brews
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Notes: 
Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk. 

This is a spicy vanilla with a sour note that is probably the clove. Not quite a scrubber but not pleasant. The dry down is slightly sweeter but that clove still comes through enough to be irritating. And of course, because I don't really like it the sillage is fairly high and it lasted 8+ hours on me. *sigh*

Rating: 
1/5

Day 181!

Rose Coloured Glasses - Twyla Perfumes

Details:
Rose Coloured Glasses
Twyla Perfumes & Apothecary

Notes:
This one is definitely for you Rose-lovers out there. Four different roses are used in this beautiful aromatherapy perfume, as well as a gorgeous vanilla, a generous dose of calming sandalwood absolute and jasmine sambac, and finally a touch of a beautiful and uplifting fresh mint absolute i've just found (and now i refuse to use anything else). I absolutely love this one, and find it especially good to wear on those days when my spirits need a bit of a lift. And if you're already feeling good, this will make you feel even better!


Super pretty rose perfume, with the roseness of the rose (heh) tempered by the sandalwood and vanilla, which adds a slightly musk candy scent. I don't really get the mint as such, but there's something there that adds a bit of a zing.I've worn this one a few times and I really like it - it's sweet and feminine and there's not a huge amount going on but that's okay. Sillage is medium - if you threw it about you'd probably announce your entrance to a room, but a bit of a dab is fine. Longevity is fairly good - I find it lasts 6-7 hours on me.

Rating: 
3/5

Day 178!

Genteel - Arcana Soaps

Details:
Genteel
Arcana Soaps (from The Rhinestone Housewife)

Notes: 
Made exclusively for The Rhinestone Housewife by Arcana, Genteel is the well-bred housewife who pens perfect thank you notes and always matches her carpet to her drapes. Aniseed, 2 vanillas, dry amber, sugar and cashmere musk with wisps of fine sandalwood and cedarwood. 

Oh my. You know I love a liquorice scent, and this is one gorgeous example. The vanilla and sugar sweeten the aniseed, the woody notes deepen the dry down and whatever the heck cashmere musk is it's awesome and should be in everything because I'm assuming it's the amazing musk note hovering around poking everything else. Oh my. I don't know what else to say. Full bottle, stat.

Sillage is medium, longevity also medium. I reapplied after about 6 hours, but I could still smell it. I just wanted to smell more of it.

Rating:
5/5

Day 159!

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! 

Devilish - Arcana Soaps

Details: 
Devilish
Arcana Soaps (bought from The Rhinestone Housewife)

Notes: 
Shaking off vanilla's reputation for namby pambyness, this infernally dark and smoky fragrance comes complete with licks of fire and sulfurous wafts of brimstone. The devil really does have all the best scents!

Hold my hand guys, this is my first ever Arcana. Part of me is wondering what the heck took me so long, and part of me is wishing I never dipped a toe in because I predict I am going to become much poorer. I. FREAKIN'. LOVE. THIS. It's vanilla turned up to 11. In the bottle you really can smell sulphur, and that should be gross, right? I mean, my experience of that smell is trying to 'smoke' matches (don't ask) while lighting the bunsen burners in Science and then going into a coughing fit. Once applied, the vanilla is deep and smokey, with a touch of booziness about it but not too much.

The description of this perfume is spot on - I can't describe it better. It's quite masculine but still a bit sweet, and the sillage starts off reasonably high. When I wore it to work, Jacquie commented on it, saying she liked it but she wouldn't want to be stuck in an elevator with me wearing it. It does settle a little but it lasts a long time - I could still smell it at the end of the day.

Rating: 
5/5 I splurged on a full bottle and I am so glad I did.

Day 156!

Shaking off vanilla’s unfair reputation for namby pambyness, this infernally dark and smoky fragrance comes complete with licks of fire and sulfurous wafts of brimstone. The devil really does have all the best scents. - See more at: https://www.therhinestonehousewife.com/products/product-detail.php?iid=45#sthash.TYBCIETM.dpuf

Shaking off vanilla’s unfair reputation for namby pambyness, this infernally dark and smoky fragrance comes complete with licks of fire and sulfurous wafts of brimstone. The devil really does have all the best scents. - See more at: https://www.therhinestonehousewife.com/products/product-detail.php?iid=45#sthash.TYBCIETM.dpuf

Nevada - HEAT - Possets Perfume

Details:
Nevada - HEAT
Possets Perfume

Notes:
Nevada, it's HOT. It's exciting and it gets YOU hot! They work at that, and it's a natural phenomenon. Supersweet vanilla grabs a sassy orange/citrus for a fast ride through the desert at sunset. Resins drip into and out of the blend, and a blast of spice comes from nowhere to tie it all together. Heat isn't for everyone, and certainly not for the timid nor for the conformist, unless you really want to have a brief holiday from your hum drum existence. Gives you all the excitement of that last shake before you roll the dice. USA, spicy resin, long lasting.

There's an episode of one of Nigella's Christmas specials where she soaks a turkey in a bucket full of brine to which she has added a ton of seasonings like orange peel, cloves, star anise, vanilla pods, and so on. Oddly enough, this is exactly what Nevada made me think of when I first smelled it. It doesn't conjure up any kind of hot weather for me at all - quite the opposite. It makes me think of a cold, wintery Christmas.

In the vial it's mostly citrus, but the spice comes out on the skin and the vanilla sweetens it, but thankfully not in the same sickly way as Florida. The drydown is spicy citrus resin, still resolutely holiday food, but deeper and darker. 

Sillage is medium and longevity is quite good - about 8 hours later I could still smell it on my wrist. I don't know if I like it all that much - it's not bad but it just doesn't make me think of what it's obviously supposed to represent. I think this perfume should actually be called Nigella's Christmas Turkey.

Rating:
2/5

Day 153!

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! 

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!