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! 

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! 

Lady Nightingale - Sarawen Perfume Art

Details:
Lady Nightingale 
Dragon Age Set
Sarawen Perfume Art

Notes: 
Fragrant white flowers of ginger blossom, jasmine, and gardenia over a sensuous base of light musk. Topped off with a single note of sweet vanilla. Delicate and innocent, yet charmingly sexy. This scent is an ultra-feminine floral musk inspired by Lelianna.

In the bottle there's something that smells almost fruity, but once applied this is definitely a white floral - the jasmine in particular is prevalent. It's quite strong at first, with a medium to high sillage, but after 20 minutes or so it dries down and softens a bit. The vanilla and musk base sweeten the floral. It lasted about 6 hours on me before I felt I had to reapply.

There is nothing unique about this perfume - it's a pretty standard white floral musk, but if you like that sort of thing, it's a very pretty version. I found myself sniffing my wrist a lot when I was wearing it.

As a side note, I can't believe this is the first Sarawen perfume I've tested for this blog! I just got a haul of samples the other day so there will be more. I love the packaging - the little bottles with screw top lids instead of vials with wands are a great idea.

Rating: 
3/5

Day 148!

Conjure - Solstice Scents

Details: 
Conjure
Dark Spring 2013
Solstice Scents

Notes: 
A magical blend of Vanilla, Amber, Cedar, Spices & Cauldron Smoke. 

As with Manor, I can smell something a bit leathery in this perfume, even though it's not listed as a note. In fact, this perfume is vaguely similar to Manor - quite masculine but also a bit sweet from the vanilla and amber. The spice smells a little bit like ginger and maybe even some nutmeg. (I have whole nutmeg - nutmegs? nutmeg nuts? - in a jar in my kitchen and secretly I like to just stand there sniffing it - gorgeous).

The dry down is a smooth, smokey woody vanilla. I do like this, but I think it's a bit like Old Cedar Magus, just blokier, and since I already have a beloved full bottle of that I don't think I'd spring for this one. Sillage is medium to high - I was quite aware of it most of the day. It lasted a good while too, I could still faintly smell it 12 hours later.

Rating:
3/5

Day 147!

Private Eye - Solstice Scents

Details: 
Private Eye
Dark Spring 2013
Solstice Scents

Notes: 
Cocoa Absolute, Myrrh, EO, Pink Pepper EO, Black Pepper EO, Tonka Absolute, Buddha Wood, Tobacco Absolute, Coffee EO, Guiacwood, Rosewood, EO, etc. 

In the vial this smells like dark, dark peppery bitter chocolate. It's woody and I can also smell the tobacco, a very masculine and intense fragrance. Once applied, the first thing that came to mind is that scene from Withnail and I when they drive past the school girls and Richard E. Grant hangs out the car window and screams, "SCRUBBERS!" I don't know what happened but it just went immediately acrid on me and I hated it. It was sharp and bitter and although I left it on for over an hour hoping it would morph into something else, it stayed stubbornly that way. In the end I just had to get it off. Definitely not for me.

Rating: 
1/5

Day 146!

Vanilla Pipe Tobacco - Solstice Scents

Details: 
Vanilla Pipe Tobacco
Dark Spring 2013
Solstice Scents

Notes:
Vanilla Absolute, Tobacco Absolute, Tonka Bean Absolute and Sweet Clover Absolute.

For the longest time this perfume smelled like nothing but pipe tobacco. My grandpa - who died about 30 years ago - smoked a pipe, and this is the exact smell I always associate with him. It's funny how there's something I find comforting and warming about pipe tobacco smell, but if someone was standing next to me with a cigarette I'd be giving them stink eye.

After about an hour I could finally smell the other notes - well, not really specifically, it just morphed into a warmer, sweeter pipe tobacco. I wouldn't wear this as a perfume - I don't want to smell like I smoke a pipe - but I really like it a lot. Sillage was medium, longevity also medium - about 6 hours before it was too faint to really pick up.

Rating: 
4/5

Day 145!