Madame Scodioli solid perfumes

Scodioli Creative has been on my 'to try' list for a couple of years, but I'm not a massive fan of solid perfumes so I just never got around to it. However, I'm trying to branch out a bit so after waiting around FOREVER for the weather to be safe, I decided to order some samples and see what they were like. (As it happens, the day they turned up was 32 degrees celsius - in the middle of Autumn. Luckily I was home early and they didn't have to sit in a hot metal letterbox all day. But seriously - WTF Adelaide????)

The samples come in a set of 3 for $18US. That might seem expensive for samples, but it makes sense when you see the size of them. Check out one next to a clam shell, which is the usual sample size for a solid perfume, and a full size Darling Clandestine solid perfume:

There is 1/4 oz of perfume in each, and according to some mathematical calculations in my head Google, that translates to 7ml for us down under. 7ml of perfume for $6US = bloody good deal (the full size Darling Clandestine perfumes are almost twice that volume, I think, but their perfumes are way bigger than most and crazy cheap for how much you get ). So basically you're getting what amounts to 3 almost-full size perfumes for $6US each.  Shipping was $10US to Australia, which is pretty average these days (sob).

The packaging is gorgeous. These are very sturdy screw top tins with an old-fashioned banner label stuck around them. I could have one of these floating around the bottom of my handbag of doom and not worry about it leaking everywhere. In fact, that's probably what I will do with them. I am trying to acquire a taste for solid perfumes because they are just so much easier to carry around and reapply than oils are. The 3 I chose were Euphorium, Odeda and Boheme. I don't feel as though I need a full size of any of these as they are well big enough for me, and the full sizes are a massive 30ml. However, I will buy more sample sizes as there are a few others I want to check out too, namely Farewell (lilac and bergamot), Timshel (tobacco and vanilla), and Oracle (exotic fig, spices and musk).

Euphorium - almond, milk and honey.
This opens with a strong hit of almond - a note I often detest, and in the tin it is straight up marzipan, bringing back horrific nightmares of 1970s wedding cakes coated with a sheet of almond icing. However, after a couple of minutes the almond mellows nicely into the background to just add a slight nutty note. The honey isn't really noticeable on me - maybe it's that tiny touch of sweetness, but mostly what I get from this is a warm, milky vanilla-ish scent that is pretty much a dupe of my beloved - and discontinued - Firebird Almond Milk. So if you're a fan of that one and you missed out on stocking up before it disappeared, Euphorium is definitely worth trying out.This one was instant love for me.

Odeda - saffron, musk and honey.
This was the one I was most interested in and sadly, the only one I hated. My favourite Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume is a limited edition called Love's Philosophy, which was released a couple of times for Valentine's Day but to my knowledge hasn't been around for about 6 years. I have two half full bottles that I picked up from forum sales, and am constantly keeping an eye out for more. The notes in it are vanilla, cream and saffron and it's the saffron in it that I adore. It adds a tiny kick of spice to the standard vanilla/cream combo and just makes it amazingly warm and sniffable. So I guess I was hoping that Odeda would be similar, but alas, it was not to be. The saffron is completely overpowering to the point where I could never at any time smell the musk or the honey. It was just a really strong, slightly band-aidy spice smell that gave me a headache and took forever to go away (in my experience solids last a couple of hours if that - this one of course hung in there for a good 8 hours). This is definitely not for me and I won't be going near it again.

Boheme - vanilla oak.
It is what it says it is - a woody unisex fragrance sweetened slightly with vanilla. It's like a really nice smelling furniture polish, and I don't mean that in a bad way; if I had fancy wood furniture (rather than a house full of Ikea) I would totally rub this all over it. Actually, I probably wouldn't because fancy wood furniture is really expensive, but you get what I mean. Like Odeda, this is quite strong, but I find that on my skin with most woody notes. I didn't love this, but I did like it - I'd be more inclined to wear it in cold weather so I think I'll put it away for a month or two and then haul it out mid-winter.

Overall, the blends are quite simple (not a bad thing), and I'm happy enough - Odeda notwithstanding - to try more. Scodioli is a good little shop worth checking out, and they also sell soap and manly beard wotsits for those of you who are into such things.

Haus of Gloi Spring collection 2014.

Haus of Gloi is one of the companies I never really risk full sizes on because it's so hit and miss for me (when I say that I mean hit and miss in my personal liking or not liking; as far as quality and customer service and whatnot, Haus of Gloi is one of the best indie perfume companies out there). This time around I almost decided to just go full size on a couple of these because I didn't know how much longer they would be around and also because they were selling out quickly, but I'm glad I didn't because in the end, none of them really grabbed me.

I bought a sample each of all the Spring fragrances, with the exception of Lassi, because I hate the smell of mango, and Selkie, because I've tried it before and it's okay but it's not really my thing.

Ploughman

Well worn leather, dirt n' dandelions, carrot, a pinch of tobacco and a light sheen of feral skin musk.

In the vial this is earthy with a few weeds. My stepfather is a sheep farmer and this reminded me a lot of the smell of the paddocks - lots of fresh air, dirt, a tang of a vaguely animal smell. Wet on the skin the dirt note is prominent for a good while. I didn't really get any leather or tobacco. The dry down is almost floral, again a sort of 'farm' smell, but more like the flowers and vines that grow wild around the farmhouse. I did quite like it but I wouldn't wear it as a perfume. I think it would make a better home fragrance.

Ruth

Fresh strawberry, green patchouli, rose geranium and crushed violet leaf.

Ack! Ack! Ack! This is such a cloying, sickly sweet perfume it makes my stomach turn. The strawberry smells very fake and the violet mixed with it just makes the most godawful mess. I almost didn't want to try this on because I was so put off by it just in the vial, but I'm nothing if not a trooper. I regretted it almost immediately. It was super strong, super sickly and of course - as always is the case with perfumes I hate - it lasted for-bloody-ever. 

Milkmaid

Flushed, but demure. Fresh milk, clean linens, pale musk and pink sweet pea blossom.

Milkmaid smells like almond in the vial - that very sharp note that is redolent of marzipan. Once applied to the skin that note fades after a few minutes, and leaves behind a milder version, an milky, creamy almond with a bit of a floral tinge to it. Unfortunately, the milk note is kind of... well... bordering on baby sick. It's not quite a scrubber, but it's not great.

Tonic 4

Yuzu, basil, cilantro, lemongrass and raw sugar cane accord.

Oddly enough, this was the one I was the least interested in but turned out to be the one I liked best, though as with Ploughman, I would prefer it as a home fragrance than a perfume. In the vial it's strongly citrus, and that remains right through to the drydown, but on skin the herbs come out, and it's a lovely fresh, zingy green kitchen smell. I love the smells of basil and coriander, and I imagine in an oil burner this would make your kitchen smell awesome. (Can you use perfume oils in a burner? I have no idea. I feel an experiment coming up.)

Honeybelle

A blooming orange orchard, orange blossom honey, soft white tea and creamy white amber.

The tea note is the most prominent in this perfume - both in the vial and on the skin. It's a sweet, honey-tinged tea. Unfortunately as soon as it started to dry down it went dusty on me, and pretty much stayed that way. I'm not super jazzed with the smell of tea anyway so I wasn't too bothered. Not my thing at all.

Splendiferous

White cake, lemon zest glaze and sugared violets.

The cake is a lie. This is straight up violets and so cloying. I'm sure I've mentioned before this horrible, horrible woman I used to work with many years ago who seemed to bathe in some hideous old lady perfume, and this is exactly what it smelled like. And like Ruth, it lasted for ages - 10 hours later I could still smell it on myself. 

So, not much luck with the Spring seasonals for me, I'm afraid. However, others seemed to fare better. You can check out more favourable reviews by:

• Liber Vix
• Lipstick and Libraries
• Meowlephant
• A Lion In The Corn
• Swimming Monkey

 

Common Brimstone Perfumes

Grab a cup of tea, kidlets - this is going to take a while.

Way back last year I read about Common Brimstone on Reddit, and since I'm always up for a new perfume company to try out, I pretty much immediately placed an order. When they arrived (one full bottle and 10 samples), I found that a lot of them had leaked, and the sample vials were those horrible milk bottle shaped ones with the flexible wands that you get thumb blisters trying to remove.

The sample vials were so annoying that after testing a few I gave up and put them aside. What was even more annoying was that of the perfumes I tried, I really, really liked them. Rei, the full bottle I took a risk on, was a gorgeous gentle floral with notes of cherry blossom, white musk, magnolia and gardenia. Honey Badger (not pictured because I think it's in my bag somewhere) is amazing - a not-too-sweet honeycomb and beeswax blend deepened with musk and chocolate. Most of the scents I chose and tried out were quite feminine and either distinctly foodie or floral, both of which are right up my alley. These perfumes were totally my jam, but the packaging put me off so much that I wasn't sure I could go back again.

Then someone on Reddit mentioned that the sample vials had been changed to tiny roll on ones. So I decided to do another order around Christmas, picking out two full bottles from the Christmas releases - Chalet Girl and Special Snowflake. I also ordered a set of 5 samples. Again, I was really happy with the risk I took on the full bottles, as I loved both scents, and again, the samples smelled amazing.

The problem was that yet again, the samples leaked - to the point where I couldn't really read half the labels - and worse than that (and really weird considering the leakage), I couldn't actually get any of the product out! I would roll the ball over my wrist and it would leave a lingering scent - as these are fairly potent - but no actual oil came out, so the smell was gone in 10 minutes. I was desperate to slather myself in the caramel and spices of Caramel Chai, so tempting in the vial, but it was just not to be. Nothing wanted to come out. Again, I gave up and put the sample aside, intending to get around to decanting them once I could figure out how to remove the really tiny roller ball. I decided that was enough Common Brimstone for me - as gorgeous as the scents were I just couldn't deal with the packaging.

Cue a couple of months later and someone on Reddit asked about indie perfumers in the UK, and someone else mentioned Common Brimstone. I said that although I loved the perfumes, the packaging was a pain in the arse, and the person who'd recommended them said that the owner Naomi had announced on Facebook she was changing to little screw top sample bottles. Cautiously, like a starving dog who's already been kicked twice, I ventured over to Facebook and sure enough there it was. Okay, I thought - one more chance. I love the perfumes, I like the owner, I really want this to happen. So I took a deep breath and did a third order, which just arrived today. And you know what? JACKPOT.

No leaks, easy to open - these little screw tops are the perfect sample bottle (for me, at least). I could easily get into it all and am currently covered in a messy smoosh of smells after dabbing them here and there all over myself. It's funny how I rarely take a chance with full bottles unless I'm pretty confident I know the perfume company well enough (I'll do it for Possets limited editions, for example, but not for Haus of Gloi, which I find really hit and miss on me), but every time I've risked a full bottle with Common Brimstone I've chosen really well because I love it. In fact, I have not yet hit a CB scent that I outright don't like. Some I'm just kind of meh about - "Yeah, it's okay but it's not really me", but most of the ones I've tried are now on my full bottle wishlist.

My full bottle with this order is Starlight, a natural blend of white amber, jasmine, tuberose, lemon bergamot and sweet orange. I was tossing up about this one because lemon so often goes straight to floor cleaner on me, but in for a penny and all that. The orange is the most prominent note on first application and it's really bright and sunny. Regular readers know how much I hate fruit scents, and I'm not super keen on citrus, but this one is just so cheery I can't help but love it. The drydown is more floral, but the citrus sticks around and the amber gives it a lovely warmth in the dry down that is not at all as overpowering as amber can often be on me. This is a perfume I'd probably wear a lot in the spring and summer, and it's just lovely. Being a completely natural perfume it doesn't have a long lasting time, but I don't really care about that - I'm happy to re-slather regularly.

So all that was a roundabout way of saying now that Naomi has worked out the kinks of her sample packaging, anyone who likes indie perfumes needs to go and check out this store. There's a ton of stuff to choose from, including a handful of solid scents if that's your bag (I haven't tried those yet but I will when our weather finally cools down properly). Shipping is worldwide and very reasonable - my shipping cost for this most recent order was about $8.50AUD. And the perfumes are really beautiful.

The SA List: Sweet Anthem Perfumes Seasonal Sampler

A few weeks back I read a blog post by Liber Vix about Sweet Anthem Perfumes' new sampler box, and of course I was all over it immediately like a cheap suit. I love that a perfume company has thought to get in on this sort of thing - finally a subscription box with things I'm actually interested in, instead of - well - useless crap.

My first box came in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I've finally gotten around to testing out the perfumes (I hate to say it, but I've been kind of perfumed out lately, going back over and over again to the same couple of scents rather than testing out the newer samples I have EVERYWHERE). But first up, can we just take a moment to admire the gorgeous packaging?

I don't know a whole lot about Sweet Anthem, but they seem to have a smallish range - many of which are seasonal, and they are available as perfume oils, solids, and eau de parfum. The samples in this box are EDPs. Their website is beautiful but can be a little frustrating because they seem to have all their perfumes listed all the time, even though some of them are only apparently available at certain times of the year.

I have only tried one or two Sweet Anthem scents in the past, and I only have one at the moment called Anastasia that I think was sent to me by Su, from memory. It's not currently available, which is a pity because I'd definitely be up for a full bottle of that one. I did a review of it here.

The idea of The SA List is that you get to try two seasonal releases before they are available, which gives you loads of time to test them out and decide if you want full sizes when they are released officially. The sampler is sent four times a year and you can subscribe for two, three or four seasons. Postage is paid once and covers however many others you ordered (and is very reasonable - I paid $9US postage). You also receive a $10 voucher and at least one extra sample of a past release.

The two Spring samples are Poppy and Lolita. I also received a sample of Marianne, and a full solid scent of Miho. Pretty good deal for $7US!

Poppy

The caliginous haze of resurrection. Spicy clove dripping with cocoa, smoky opium and Turkish musk with a motley crew of red flowers - a saffron-stained carnation among them. 

In the vial this smells like dark, bitter chocolate but not sweet - more like a really expensive cocoa powder than a chocolate bar. I had such high hopes for this - I love everything in it, especially the carnation and saffron. Sadly, what I got on the skin was clove, clove, clove. It was like when that kid came late to class in the 1980s because he'd been to the dentist. After a while the clove did tone down a little but it still dominated all the other notes, and I'm slightly heartbroken because everything else in this blend is everything I love. If I'm flush one day I might get a custom perfume made with everything but the clove.

Lolita

Honey-limbed, sparkling river nymph. Resinous tonka bean, sweet cherry blossom, a bushel of aldehydes, musky sea spray.

Perfumes called Lolita are usually some sickly sweet concoction of candy and bubblegum, so I was pleasantly surprised by this one to start with. It's sweet but not candy-like, and certainly not childish. In the vial I get cherry blossom (which I love) and an aquatic note, which I don't normally care much for but works well here. On the skin the honey gives a lush sweetness while it's wet, and in the dry down there's a note of something that almost smells citrus to me, but I don't know what it is. This is a really interesting, complex blend and sort of reminds me of a lot of Darling Clandestine scents in that I can never figure out entirely whether I like them or not, though I keep using them and sniffing them constantly. I need to test this one out a few more times to make up my mind about it.

Marianne

Romantic spices, sugared peony blossoms, and tuberose flowers from a lover; they read together in whispers from a dust-laden tome of Shakespearean sonnets.

This was the extra EDP sample. In the vial and when first applied to my wrist the pepper is prominent, but the floral takes the edge off it. It's spicy without making me screw my nose up. It dries down to a feminine floral with the leather and mahogany not really noticable to me as notes, but adding a warmth to it that stops it from being super girly. It's quite light and fresh, I would probably wear this in summer.

Miho

Is this a mirage? Just a tiny drop will cure any summertime visions with this sweet and fruity floral perfume.

Miho is not currently listed on the website so I'm not sure if it's a seasonal or a discontinued scent. This was another freebie - a full size solid scent. The notes are sweet orange, lotus, violet, coconut, musk, sea moss. I could definitely smell the coconut, which gave it a tropical feel. Interestingly I usually hate tropical scents because there is something in a lot of them that just smells really fake. However, I'm really enjoying Miho. Again I think I'd probably wear it a lot more in hot weather than cold (and I've been wearing it a  bit lately since it's still pretty hot here even though it's technically Autumn). It's not an especially unique or complex scent to my nose - just a really pretty, wearable tropical floral. 

Even though I'm not sure I'd get any of these in full sizes, I'm still happy enough with them to use up the generous samples (though I may pass on Poppy - it just does not like me), and I absolutely love the idea of a perfume company doing a sampler box. I get that it might not be practical for those who have larger catalogues or don't do seasonal releases, but I really hope more out there get on the bandwagon.

Arcana Valentines 2014

A couple of weeks ago, Julia from Arcana Soaps made a short-term offer on Twitter for her followers - pay for shipping and she would send some samples from the new Valentine's Day collection The Beast. Since Arcana doesn't do retail samples for limited edition collections (that I know of) and I am too lazy to bother with decants, I jumped at the chance to try some. I expected maybe two, which I would have been jazzed with, but instead I received five, plus one from the regular catalogue. All for $6US postage. SCORE.

All of these have medium to highish sillage and they last for hours and hours. I could still smell them the following morning on my wrist before I'd had a shower. 

Simbi d'l'Eau

A Loa with the unpredictability and immense power of the oceans, he is pleased by offerings of water and green ribbons. A fresh, aquatic mix of tart raspberry, rainwater, green musk, clematis, osmanthus, tiare blossoms, and ambergris. Part of the New Orleans Trio, from the February 2014 Collection. 

In the vial this smells like a green aquatic - not my cup of tea but I'm always happy to try new things. Unfortunately it turned to soap on my skin immediately. Not unpleasant, but just... well, soap. I'll be passing this one on to someone else to have crack at. 

Nymphomania

Lusty Victorian ladies who foolishly admitted to liking sex wound up with this diagnosis. Eating too much chocolate, reading too many books, and wearing enticing perfumes were all among the causative factors. (Which explains a lot, no?) An indulgent blend of smoked frankincense, golden amber, warmly spiced vodka, thick myrrh, ruby guava, black tea, tobacco leaf, and pink pepper.

This is a deep, smokey, slightly feminine scent but definitely leans unisex. It's quite potent, and there is a spiciness to it that is most likely the pepper. The smell of tea is prominent in the vial but I didn't pick it up on my skin - it was all frankincense and amber and that smokey tobacco on me. I liked it a lot but I don't think I'd get a full bottle as it's not one I'd wear all that often.  

Little Man In The Boat

Serving no procreative purpose, the clitoris exists only for pleasure. Definitive proof that we were designed for bliss? Of course! Peach nectar and delicate musk dripping with Tupelo honey, Clover honey, and one dainty tuberose petal.

All I can say is that this does definitely conjure up the aroma of... well... It is what it says it is. It's a musky peach scent with a slight sweetness from the honey. Not my thing because I really don't much like peach, but I imagine loads of people would love this one.   

Maman Brigitte

The bawdy, fun-loving queen of death, Maman Brigitte guards the cemetery, protects prostitutes, gets down on the dance floor, and curses like a Somali sailor. Black amber, cherry-infused red musk, animalic musk, cocoa absolute, white amber, clove bud, tobacco, and the smallest sprig of graveyard mint. Part of the New Orleans Trio, from the February 2014 Collection. 

One of my favourites, and definitely a full bottle purchase. In the vial it smells like bitter chocolate and tobacco, but it mellows on the skin to a deep smokey, musky amber. It's not for the faint-hearted, but it's bloody gorgeous. Every now and then I think I can catch that mint, but it's so fleeting I don't know if I've just convinced myself it's there. LOVE. 

Afterglow

It exists between ecstasy and quietude. The soft euphoria of white amber, vanilla bean, vanilla milk, Malbec grapes, Arcana's own Lust blend, cognac absolute, and a drop of cool peppermint.

Another on the full bottle list for me. A warm, milky vanilla (not that sickly milk, though it does teeter a bit when first applied), the grapes and the cognac are more prominent in the vial than on the skin for me. I do wish they came out a bit more because I love the notes in the vial. The peppermint is there but it's not 'minty' as such. It adds a sort of snowy note, just to keep it from being a full on warm vanilla. Gorgeous. 

The Darling Buds

The fresh essence of the darling buds of May. Baby cucumber, strawberry, petitgrain, grapefruit, pomegranate, basil and a splash of pink rosewater.

This is a strong fruity, slightly spicy scent that I can appreciate aesthetically as a blend, but that doesn't do a lot for me on a personal level. I'm just not a fan of fruit. The basil really amped on me a lot - I guess that was the spicy element. I do love the smell of basil, but more so in the kitchen than on my wrist. It's fun, but not me. 

Arcana limited editions stay around for ages, and you can easily find decant circles for them on indie perfume forums. They don't have an online store, but sell through other etailers such as The Rhinestone Housewife and The Soap Box Co, both of whom ship internationally and have excellent customer service (beware Rhinestone Housewife's shipping though - it's the $25 flat pack kind for international, which is bearable if you're buying a lot but not worth it if you just want a bottle or two). 

Overall, I love Arcana perfumes - they are fantastic quality and last for ages. And Julia is a gem. 

Alchimia Apothecary

I heard about Alchimia Apothecary months ago on Reddit, and I hadn't intended to bother with it because I'm trying to NOT discover new perfumes and just enjoy the huge amount I already have. However, the company owner Erin also frequents that particular subreddit, and her helpful, considered responses to people's questions about perfumes generally made me think, 'Well, this chick knows what she's talking about.' So I thought I'd just try out a few because I can pretty much justify any purchase to myself. I ordered a set of 5 samples and a set of 3 samples - a total of 8 (yay, I can do maths!).

I ordered on 22 November, and they were shipped 27 November. They took forever to get to me - I think I finally received them on New Year's Eve. I put this down to a combination of the time of the year, a backlog in customs and our generally rubbish postal service, because they were definitely shipped within a reasonable amount of time. Erin actually contacted me about a week before Christmas to ask if I'd received it as she'd sent out a bunch at the same time and the only other one that hadn't arrived yet was another Australian customer. I wasn't worried - I know the drill, I knew they'd show up eventually. And they did!

When it arrived, my order was wrapped in cute orange bubble wrap with a sticker but I didn't think to take any pictures of the wrapping. The vials are brown, and I don't think I've ever seen that before. I thought that was pretty cool - darker storage is always better for perfume oils. There was an extra free sample of one of the Yule perfumes, and a special surprise that I'm saving until last.
 
Druid Fluid is a bright, fresh floral with a zingy green note. It's very much in what I refer to as the 'old lady garden' category. I liked it a lot, and I'll probably pick up a full size at some point. This kind of perfume is definitely my jam.

In Ovation is something I have never come across before - a summery vanilla. I can't really describe what it is about it that's summery, but it definitely is. Noodles says it smells a bit like lime, but I don't really get that myself.

Magma is sweet and fruity and a little bit fizzy. It's a very young perfume to me, kind of lollyish and doesn't change much. I like it, but I'm way too old for it.

A la Gory has a massive hit of cherry in the vial and wet on the skin - that was all I could smell at first. However, the cherry note faded quickly, and then I was left with a sweet, kind of soapy floral smell for a while, not really foody. Half an hour or so later the dry down is sweet vanilla biscuit. I liked the dry down but it's quite similar to a few other cake/pastry perfumes I already have.

SeaCret is an ozone perfume with a slight musk note in the dry down. Ozones are not my cup of tea at all but I think people who like them would really enjoy this version.

Caramel Knowledge had what I thought was another strong hit of cherry, but then realised it was almonds. I don't know why but I always confuse those two notes. Thankfully (because I hate almond), it goes away within a minute or two and then I'm left with a kind of sweet and soapy, clean smell - creamy luxury soap. Oddly I didn't get any kind of foodiness from this one at all after the almond, and I expected it to be the most overtly gourmand.  It's nice enough, but on me it just smells like a really expensive soap.

Hue Bris smells like old school fruit sticks - you know the green and orange ones? It's a bit sweet and fizzy and a tiny bit floral. Several hours later it smelled like a musky rose. I liked that element quite a lot, but the initial lolly notes didn't really grab me - again, I'm too old for that.

Sinning Saints is my Yule freebie, a spicy peppery rose. The rose amped like crazy on me with this one and it was all I could smell for about 12 hours. It was nice, but a bit much on a hot day.

If you're as good as me at maths you will notice that's actually 8 samples, not 9. I also have Hook but I've lost it somewhere in the house. It will turn up eventually.

Now, a few weeks before I ordered, there was a discussion on Reddit about what kind of themes people would like to see in indie makeup and/or perfume, and I mentioned a conversation that Noodles and I had once had about how there should be a collection of Freaks and Geeks perfumes. We spent ages thinking about possible note combinations like diesel oil and cannabis for Daniel and so on. I don’t remember them all now and I really wish I’d written them down at the time. Anyway, one of the ones I did remember and mentioned in the Reddit discussion was bubblegum and tobacco for Kim Kelly. Erin and I had a brief little chat about how awesome Freaks and Geeks is, and I’d mentioned something like chocolate milk and peanut butter for Bill (thinking of the scene where he eats a sandwich while laughing at the television) and Erin reminded me that Bill was deathly allergic to peanuts. And that was about it. But then my order turns up with a bottle of a perfume called… KIM KELLY. I was thrilled that Erin was thoughtful enough to not only remember having that specific conversation with me, but that she then went and specially made me a perfume from it. And it’s really good – the bubblegum and tobacco are the opening notes, and it smells exactly like someone smoking and chewing Hubba Bubba. The other notes are violet, black agar, benzoin resin, ambergris, and spice. The dry down is still ever so slightly sweet from the bubblegum, but that's in the background while the benzoin and violet create a lovely floral woody note. I love this perfume - it's what I have always wanted every other bubblegum perfume to be, rather than the sickly sweet Lolitaesque concoctions they usually are. And it is just how I imagine Kim Kelly would have smelled. I hope Erin does do a whole Freaks and Geeks collection one day, because I would be first in line to buy them. 

As well as her listings, Erin also makes custom perfumes and I’ve seen many a happy customer rave about their own personal scent on Reddit. She also sells solid perfumes and some face care products, but I have not tried any of those as yet. In conclusion, Alchimia Apothecary is a shop well worth checking out if you’re into perfume oils.

Sugar and Spite Bathery Soy Wax Tarts

I mentioned a while back that Lysa from The Morbid The Merrier was back with a new(ish) shop called Sugar and Spite Bathery, and because I'm a huge fan of her scents I immediately snapped up a couple of her wax tarts when she announced on Facebook that she had started making candles and melts. Total spur of the moment purchase, but sometimes those are the best kind, and these are no exception.

A Strange Day - Honey, salted caramel, orange blossom and sandalwood.
Lawwwwd, this is awesome. It's a rich, creamy gourmand with neither the honey or the caramel dominating, but blending together to just make this delicious 'something is cooking that smells amazing' aroma. I want to devour some kind of pastry made with these flavours. RIGHT NOW.

Innocent When You Dream - A sultry, gorgeous base of amber, tonka and bourbon vanilla, brightened a wee bit by moonflower and mandarin. 
I am burning this one right now and I just love it. I don't really get the base notes unless I get right up close to it, mostly what I can smell throughout my kitchen - and even from here in the next room where I am sitting - is an icy floral note. It's quite unusual - sort of minty, but not really. Sort of wintergreen, but not really. I don't know what a moonflower smells like so I don't know if that's what it is, but it's lovely. I hope Lysa makes perfumes out of these blends some day because I would be all over both, but especially this one.

For international shipping, just send an Etsy convo telling Lysa what you're after and she'll give you a quote. If you decide to go ahead she will create a custom listing for you. I have found the shipping very reasonable - the cost of shipping for this order was about $9AU, and I just ordered 3 bottles of perfume last night (not breaking my December no buy, they're Noodles' Christmas present to me) with shipping quoted at $10USD. By the way, I ordered these on November 28 and got them on December 5 - one week later! That's really, really unusual for shipping from the US, in fact I'm not sure I've ever had that happen before. My last order from Sugar and Spite took about 2.5 weeks, which is still pretty good for international.

Just after I ordered these, Lysa said on Facebook she was going to double the scent, as she liked subtle scents in candles for her own use, but lots of people like theirs really strong. I was worried these wouldn't have much throw, but they're fine in my small house. As I said, I'm sitting in the room next to the burner at the moment and I can smell it easily. So I assume doubled scent will really give you some bang for your buck. I'm going to buy some more in the new year so I'll see how they are when they're stronger and report back.

In conclusion, these are amazing and well worth coughing up for if you like wax tarts and candles. Treat yo'self! 

My Indie Perfume Collection - Part 3

Phew! I didn't realise how long this was going to take me - I thought I'd just snap a few pictures and whack them up on the blog but it took me forever. I was planning to immediately go on and inventory all my makeup but I think I might leave that til the new year now. And maybe have a bit of a clean out first...

This last post is mostly companies whose perfumes I have quite a few of, with some other randoms at the end. As with the other two, I'll link to reviews if I have them.

My Indie Perfume Collection - Part 2

So of course, after posting all those samples, a couple of days later I was looking for some other random thing in a drawer and found a whole stash of more samples that I'd put aside for testing and then forgotten about. I was a bit excited about that actually, because it's like getting something new all over again!

Again, I'm putting the pics behind a cut because there are loads and loads of them.

My Indie Perfume Collection - Part 1

I thought I would do an indie perfume collection update as it's been a year since my last one and my perfume collection has grown immensely. In fact, when I compared pictures I was a bit shocked by the difference. So much for that clearing out and decluttering I've been banging on about for the last couple of years.

This is part one, because there are a lot of photos. A LOT. I'm starting with samples and I've reviewed them I'll link to the review - though most of these are ones I have not reviewed yet. If you're interested in seeing what I have, clicky clicky!

Sugar and Spite Bathery Halloween Haul

One of my favourite perfume shops used to be The Morbid The Merrier. It shut down in early 2012 after the owner went through some major personal issues, and then a once beloved company was mired in the usual indie drama with payments and orders not happening for quite some time. I'm not going to go through the whole saga - you can find it easily enough if you Google - but my understanding is that everyone was eventually repaid, though it took almost a year to happen. 

A few months ago the owner Lysa opened Sugar and Spite Bathery, and she's been keeping pretty low key, because I had not heard a single thing about it on the grapevine. I didn't know of its existence until Liber Vix posted a first impressions haul. After finding out Lysa was back I was pretty much falling over myself to get to the shop and make an order. I am sure people might be hesitant because of the way the last store imploded, but I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. She seems to have made amends with everyone eventually - either by delivering their order or a refund - and while she was operating I never had a single problem. Her products and customer service were always excellent. However, I would say people need to make up their own minds when it comes to this kind of thing. 

One of the things that really stood out with The Morbid The Merrier was the packaging and presentation, and Sugar and Spite carries on that lovely tradition. Of course, I took a bunch of pictures before I opened anything, and of course, I cannot find them ANYWHERE. All I have is a grainy Instagram photo. 

International pricing for shipping is not listed on the Etsy site, though the notes say that international shipping is available and to contact for a quote. That always sets off my alarm bells because I feel like it's going to be some whopping amount if they're not willing to state it up front. However, in this case I think it's just a matter of her not getting around to listing them individually, as the quote for me for 1 full bottle and a sample set of 3 was $11US, pretty standard these days for shipping to Australia (annoyingly - stupid postal charge rise). 

My package took less than three weeks from the time I ordered to the time it arrived, again pretty standard for US to Australia. And once I had it in my hot little mitts I could not wait to tear it open and get into it. 

The Halloween Sampler is 3 perfumes, and I received a free sample of Horseman, which I already have from the TMTM days. You can read my impressions when I first bought it here. After 3 years it has aged well and still smells amazing. I haven't tried the sample at all but I'm going to do a comparison in the next week or so to see if they differ from ageing, because Lysa said the blend is the same.

Fiend - Ripe apple pulp, tart mandarin, vanilla bean, and a fiendish ribbon of black amber.
A lot of perfumes that involve citrus tend to go straight to toilet cleaner on me, and this one teetered on the edge without ever quite getting there. Regular readers will know I am not a fan of fruit scents, and I particularly dislike the smell of apple. Although, this is definitely a fruit scent, it's masculine and quite dark. To my own surprise I liked it, but it's not my thing and probably my least favourite of the three samples. Lasting power was good with this one - I could still smell it at the end of the day on my wrist.

Goblin - Blackened honey kissed by night blooming flowers and a ghostly whisper of smoky vanilla.
Love this one. A gorgeous smokey honeyed floral. Not too sweet, could be worn by men or women. The smokiness of the vanilla deepens it beautifully. This didn't last too long on me - only a couple of hours - but it's worth it. Definitely a full bottle.

Sinister - Black licorice whips, tea leaves, and incense smoke from darkened caravans.
My favourite of the 3 samples. I do love me a licorice scent. I can smell the tea and the smoke, and the incense sweetens it just a tiny bit but not too much. This is a night time scent - dark and very potent. It lasted forever on me - I put it on in the morning and I could still smell traces of it on my wrist the following morning before I showered. Licorice is a polarising scent note - people tend to either love it or hate it. If you love it, try this. If you hate it, avoid - this will not convert you.

Katrina - A trio of white flowers, smoky almond, and spiced pumpkin.
I had ummed and ahhed about this one in its first incarnation in 2010. Although I thought it was lovely, I decided against buying a full bottle because I had a million white floral perfumes and this one didn't seem unique enough to warrant more of it. I always vaguely regretted it though, because I did love it. When I saw it was back I snapped it up quick smart, and I'm glad I did. For a white floral it's quite low key - it doesn't scream its entrance to a room. It's soft and pretty and super feminine. I don't really get the pumpkin or spices at all, which is fine with me because I'm not a fan of pumpkin scents. 

Overall, I'm thrilled Lysa is back, and she mentioned on Facebook possibly bringing back some of her other TMTM scents so I'm quietly excited about that prospect as well. In the mean time, I'm going back for a couple of full bottles before the Halloweens come down in early November.

Ordering if you're not in the US
Send an Etsy convo to Lysa stating what you want to buy and she will give you a shipping quote. If you're happy with that she will create a custom listing for you. She doesn't go online on Sundays, so if you contact then it may be a day or so before you get a response.

If you want to read some more detailed information about the shop's products, Liber Vix went back for seconds.

Storing eyeshadows aka cheap shit from eBay

Every now and then I like to trawl eBay and find some random cheap thing (less than $5) and buy it to see how it is. If it turns out to be useless garbage (hello, Strawberry hair curlers), I don't care because I only spent a few dollars on it. If it turns out to be something useful, then I feel absurdly pleased with myself.

One of my recent purchases was a set of plastic jars intended for holding beads. I thought I'd see whether they were any good for holding eyeshadow samples, as I have quite a lot and I don't like the little ziplock bags (does anyone?). This little set cost me $3.67 AU (free postage), and I got mine from this seller, but they're everywhere on eBay. It took maybe 2 weeks to arrive.

A few weeks ago on a whim I bought the sample set of Friday the 13th eyeshadows from Meow Cosmetics. There are 14 - one is an extra for luck or some such - but I only had 12 jars in my little bead wotsit so I left out the two colours I was least likely to ever use. I'll just give those away to someone at some point. I transferred the rest of them into the bead jars. They are quite small so they wouldn't hold a full size loose eyeshadow, but they're perfect for samples and great for keeping a collection in one place.

Et voilà!

I'm pretty happy with this storage - it was super cheap and it's small so I am definitely going to get some more to put all the other samples I've got floating around in. I doubt it would be travel friendly though - the jar lids are the kinds that never seem quite tight enough, and I imagine they would loosen more rattling around in a suitcase. 

 P.S. I will get around to swatching this collection, by the way.

Fyrinnae Haul - Swatches and Review

For years I've been hearing about the miracle of Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, but every time I thought to go to their site and buy some it was closed. They are closed A LOT. To an annoying degree, actually. I mean, I get that in a small operation it's better to close down and catch up than to get overwhelmed with orders and then do the infamous indie meltdown, but when it seems like you're closed more often than you're open, maybe you need to hire some staff or something.

Anyway, because of that I gave up on them in a huff. Screw you, Fyrinnae - if you don't want my money I'm sure I can find something else to do with it! The only thing that sent me back there was seeing a post on Reddit where someone had tested out how Pixie Epoxy performed with pressed shadows (she used Wet'n'Wild palettes) and the results were pretty impressive. And amazingly, they were open! In hindsight I wish I'd snatched up several bottles of Pixie Epoxy, but I hear it lasts a long time so it's probably not a big deal.

They also have pressed shadows now so I thought I'd try one of those out. The range wasn't great - they were sold out of most of the ones I'd have been interested in, but I thought Serendipity looked like my speed.

Clockwise from left: Pressed Eyeshadow in Serendipity, loose shadows in Monster Movie, Agenda, Tyr, and Winter, Again (free sample)

So the first thing I noticed is that they are a bit lumpy. They break up when I press down on them but still, not a good look when you have a reputation as sacred as Fyrinnae in the indie world. I bought some Fyrinnae shadows a few years ago and don't remember this happening, so it might have been an anomoly from change of climate or something. I don't know.

Monster Movie: Soft, nearly matte light sage green with a subtle touch of copper shimmer. 
Agenda: Multi-facted neutral deep grey with a fine highlight of pink throughout. Not quite taupe, and low enough shimmer that it verges on a satin finish.
Tyr: Difficult to describe, this is a muted chartreuse-on-black. It has a distinct opaque black base, especially when applied wet, with a highlight of yellow green.
Winter, Again: Semi-sheer white with soft blue and turquoise shimmer.

Edit: Apparently the lumpy appearance is due to a reformulation and there is a note about it on their site. 

*** In January 2013, Fyrinnae's loose eye shadows were reformulated (orders shipped in the last eight days of January onward will have the new version). This will not affect color or decrease opacity, but will most likely reduce fallout (during application and wearing) and may increase wear time. Product will appear clumpy in the jar. 

From left: Tyr, Agenda, Monster Movie, Winter, Again. Taken in natural (overcast) daylight. Top row on bare skin, bottom row swatched over Pixie Epoxy. 

As you can see, the Pixie Epoxy doesn't have much of an effect on Monster Movie or Agenda - both fairly low shimmer. It isn't meant for matte/near matte eyeshadows though. It does do a pretty good job bringing out more colour in Tyr and Winter, Again. It also made them all last much longer, the bare skin swatches on my arm wore off pretty quickly, but the Pixie Epoxy ones are still there even after typing and whatnot.

 

Serendipity Pressed Eyeshadow: left swatched on bare skin, right swatched on Pixie Epoxy. Taken in natural (overcast) daylight. Bottom picture is taken in sunlight.

The important stuff:

• Fyrinnae doesn't sell samples, but they do sell minis. Minis are 1/3 of a teaspoon for $2.25US, and for me that's more than enough. Full sizes are $6.25US.
• The pressed shadow was $9US, which I think is a bit pricy for an indie shadow, especially given that Makeup Geek's eyeshadows are cheaper than that and supposedly comparable to MAC. Having said that, it's a lovely eyeshadow and really good quality. (I've bought pressed mineral shadows from a shop on Etsy in the past and that was a bit of a disaster.) Annoyingly, they don't seem to have any pressed shadows listed on their site at the moment.
• Pixie Epoxy is $7US for a full size, and you can also get a trial size for $2US. Pretty good value for money. 
• Shipping was $7.50US to Australia, very cheap considering what international shipping is usually now. They are taking a hit there. It was also fairly fast - they have caveats on their site all the time warning about high TAT, but I ordered mine on September 10 and it was shipped on September 15. I received it mid- last week but I don't remember exactly what day.

Overall, I'm happy with what I got. I'm not a devotee of the cult of Fyrinnae but I get why some people are.

P.S. If you're interested, you can see swatches of my older Fyrinnae shadows here and here. 

Solstice Scents - a little rave

Today I want to give a shout out to an indie company I am loving more and more with each order, Solstice Scents. Although I'm a pretty seasoned indie perfume purchaser, I came late to this brand, and I don't know why. I bought a sample pack way back in September 2011, probably after reading someone rave about them on a perfume forum. I tried them, liked them, but then put them away and pretty much forgot about them. It wasn't until December 2012 when I read a post on Michelle's blog about some that she had tried out that I decided to wade back in. And honestly, I don't know what took me so long to get with the program!

I have 4 full size perfume oils, a full size premium perfume oil, 3 Burnishing Glace Mists, a Creamy Whipped Soap and multiple samples (not pictured).

Perfume Oils
Lace Draped Spectre -  incredible creamy, peppery carnation scent that reminds me of my mum's flower garden when I was growing up. I reviewed it here.
Old Cedar Magus - masculine smokey, woody vanilla. Om nom nom. I reviewed it here.
Violet Mallow - I bought this one unsniffed because it's a limited edition and I'm still not 100% I like it. It's heavy on the violet at first but the dry down is a chocolate vanilla gourmand. I talked about it briefly here.
Cenobite - One of my favourite vanillas ever. Not sure if it's number one but it's definitely in the top 3. A super rich, grown up, boozy vanilla. I can't get enough of it. I imagine Ina Garten's kitchen smells like this. And probably Ina herself.
Rose Mallow Cream - This is a smaller premium perfume (5ml, the others are 10ml), and another limited edition I bought unsniffed (I believe both this and Violet Mallow have since been made permanent). Reminds me a lot of MOR Marshmallow but less sickly sweet. I reviewed it here.

Creamy Whipped Soap
I'm not a fan of jars of soap because I don't have a shelf in my shower and it's just annoyingly awkward trying to unscrew lids off things and get product out without it all getting wet and ruined. The only reason I bought this was because Jessica gave me a gift voucher for my birthday and I wanted to try something different along with my regular perfume purchase. I'm glad I did because it's totally worth the palaver. You just scoop out a bit - maybe a tad smaller than an egg, smear it on your shower pouf, and it lathers up like a DREAM. I can't speak for any of the others but the scent I have is Cenobite and it fills the entire bathroom while I'm using it. Rich, creamy vanilla goodness. It does linger ever so slightly on the skin after, but not really enough to make an impact on its own. This soap is also beautifully moisturising. I definitely want more of these.

Burnishing Glace Mists
This is a sort of oil, sort of body mist that dries pretty much immediately on skin and lasts FOREVER. It can also be used as a bath oil but I don't have a bath, so I can't speak for its efficacy there. I have three of these - Lace Draped Spectre, Cenobite, and also Nightgown, which is probably my favourite Solstice Scents fragrance. It's a gorgeous creamy white floral, ultra-feminine and silky. I reviewed the perfume oil version here.

As I was typing this I remembered a couple of things I'd forgotten to include in the photograph (I threw some of the samples in too just because).

Body Ganache
I have this body butter - and it is definitely a butter rather than a lotion - in Ghost, which is not currently listed as in stock. It's their fragrance free version, though not technically completely fragrance free as the cocoa butter in it makes it smell a bit chocolatey. That fades fairly quickly, though. I bought this because I wanted an unscented body moisturiser that wouldn't clash with perfumes. It's very rich and thick and moisturises well, though it can take some time to absorb.

Gardenia Enfleurage
These are teeny samples (.25ml) of a perfume made by this awesome and laborious process. I bought one, and then a week later before I'd even sniffed it ordered two more. I love white floral, I love gardenia, and the thought of having a true gardenia perfume just excited me beyond reason. Needless to say it was very much limited edition (and expensive), but they are currently in the process of making another batch for the next year so it will be back eventually. This stuff is so precious to me I have not even tested it on skin yet! I am waiting for just the right moment. I've sniffed it in the vial though, and it's heavenly. 

So, the facts:

• International shipping is very reasonable, and Angela refunds excess shipping charges. I think the most I've paid is $14.90 and that was the order that included the whipped soap. 
• Delivery is really fast - every one of my orders has been shipped the day after I ordered (sometimes several hours after), and I get them within two weeks. They're always well packed with lots of padding to protect them. 
• You can get a free sample of your choice with every order. I love that you can pick your own instead of getting something random. I know that's fun at times, and there have been perfumes I've discovered through freebies that I would never have thought to buy myself, but it's nice just to be able to grab a little something something that you think you might like without paying. 
• These scents tend to be quite strong, so probably not for the people who want something delicate and barely there. The Glace Mists are, in my experience, even stronger than the perfumes. I bought them with the idea of layering, but they don't even really need to be layered - they more than stand up on their own. 
• Prices are very reasonable - they vary by a few dollars depending on which ingredients are used, but the 10ml perfumes for example are between $9 and about $16US, which is really good for the quality.

If you like indie perfumes and bath products this is definitely a shop worth checking out. My reviews of other perfumes from Solstice Scents can all be found here.

Sarawen Perfume Haul

Late last year I finally got around to reviewing some Sarawen perfumes I'd bought and then pretty much forgotten about months earlier, and since then I've been wanting more. I recently got around to doing another order - annoyingly I'd left it so long that several of the ones on my wishlist are no longer available - and decided to make the shipping worthwhile and pick up quite a few at the same time. I'm not going to talk about all of them here as I haven't tested them yet, but I'll give you the basic rundown of what I bought (I'm assuming these prices are in Canadian dollars as this store is Canadian).

First of all, packaging and presentation is gorgeous - the samples are 1.5ml and come in little screw top bottles (much easier to deal with than vials with wand caps). The labels have been designed to fit in with the rest of the shop's theme and look just as lovely as the regular sized bottles.

Shipping for me for a total of 14 sample bottles was $10.40CAD, which is very reasonable considering the recent US price hike has all of us internationals shelling out $12US and up on the bare minimum of purchases these days (boourns!). My only concern is that although they were packed in a bubble mailer, the bottles themselves were not wrapped in bubble wrap, just (albeit very pretty) tissue paper. Given the general carelessness of Australia Post workers, it's just blind luck nothing was broken. Sara did put a sticker on it saying that the contents were glass and therefore fragile, however I've had several PO employees cheerfully tell me that they have no 'fragile' service here and those stickers mean nothing to them. I think I'd rather pay a bit more in shipping and know that my little glass bottles are safe - or at least more safe.

So on to what I bought! The descriptions are the seller's own.

Sherlock Holmes sampler - $15

Logical Deduction - Sophisticated notes of bay rum, Earl Grey tea, and tobacco, with a hint of leather and dark chocolate. This is a unisex fragrance inspired by Sherlock Holmes, and is reminiscent of a gentleman's Victorian parlour.

Logical Delusion - A dangerous and cunning blend of poisoned tea, tobacco, and gunpowder, with a hint of nag champa and absinthe. Beware, Holmes! This is a unisex fragrance that borders towards masculine and is inspired by the character of Moriarty from the world of Sherlock Holmes - it is the perfect foil to my Holmes' fragrance, 'Logical Deduction'!

Scandal in London - She's seductive, secretive, and little dangerous! Feminine lilac and ylang ylang flowers blends with feisty dragonsblood with a light hint of eastern sandalwood. A touch of Holmes' favourite tobacco tops off this sultry floriental perfume.This perfume is inspired by the character of Irene Aldler from the world of Sherlock Holmes. 

Tea With Watson - Take a break from adventuring and stop at 221 Baker Street for awhile. White tea, delicious yellow cake, and a dash of cream caramel layered over light tobacco and bay rum. It smells just like a tea party at Holmes and Watson's flat! This is a balanced unisex fragrance inspired by the world of Sherlock Holmes.

The Hunger Games sampler - $11.50

Girl on Fire - Wild strawberries gathered from the forest blend with the comforting scent of leather hunting boots, and in her hair a very faint hint of sweet forest herbals. A pretty scent, but not to be taken lightly - rebellion lurks beneath the feminine fruit notes!

Run Away With Me - The masculine scent of leather melded with gunpowder and soot from District 12's coal mines. A whisper of wild strawberries and amber completes this unisex fragrance inspired by the character of Gale from the Hunger Games.

The Baker's Boy - Spend a day frosting and decorating cakes with Peeta. A luscious, gourmand fragrance bursting with ripe strawberries (from Katniss of course!) and delicious yellow cake. Underneath the delicious-ness drifts soft vetiver, leather, and golden amber. This perfume is a unisex blend that borders towards feminine.

I also bought a set of 3 custom samples for $11.50:

Lion's Roar (Game of Thrones) - Let them Hear You Roar. Sexy leather blends with luscious neroli blossoms and earthy patchouli to create this unisex fragrance that embodies the Lannister family's conquering and ferocious nature. Top notes of frankincense, vanilla, and precious woods completes this rich fragrance! Primary notes: neroli, leather, frankincense, rosewood, vanilla.


Beer'n'Butter (Harry Potter) - A delicious and foamy elixir! Creamy butterscotch, dreamy vanilla, and a dash of pumpkin layered with a drop of coffee as you sit relaxing by the pub's roaring fire.


Lady Nightingale (Dragon Age) -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 the character of Lelianna from the Dragon Age game.

Note: I've reviewed this perfume for my other blog here.

Ambrosia Chocolat (free sample) - "If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage?" - Marquise de Sévigné... Chocolate: delicious, sensuous, and an absolute necessity! This scent will satisfy your chocolate craving as it drizzles with honey, dark chocolate, and hints of vanilla cream. A scrumptious blend of tasty treats with a light touch of patchouli to round out the sweetness. A gourmand perfume that will have you constantly sniffing your own wrists! Main notes: chocolate, amber, honey, vanilla.


And of course, because this is going to be the big theme among indie cosmetic artists this year, I had to get the sampler of The Great Gatsby ($11.50). I haven't seen the movie and I'm not entirely sure I'm all that interested. I'm iffy on Baz Lurhmann - sometimes his movies are a glorious mess (Moulin Rouge), and sometimes they're just a mess (Australia). The Great Gatsby looks... ehhhhhh. I do love the book though, after reading it for school and then many times since, so I'm all for buying into the current craze. And of course, I'm all for anything inspired by the 1920s - when are they going to bring back The House of Eliott, I ask!

Jaded Ambition - He lights his expensive cigar, watching the party descend until dawn. The enigmatic Mr. Gatsby seems to have many secrets. Sidling up beside him, he gives you a friendly grin and you catch the aroma of his sweet cigar, exotic woods, citrus, and little hint of Daisy's orchid perfume. For only one woman can truly hold his heart. Main notes: tobacco, citrus accord, oud, coffee, orchid, benzoin. This scent is inspired by the character of Jay Gatsy from F. Scott Fitzgerald's American masterpiece, and is unisex bordering to masculine fragrance.

Manly men doing manly things. The tobacco and oud amp on me and it's almost headachy. The coffee is in the background but it's so subtle I couldn't place what it was. Not for me, but I think those who like very masculine scents would enjoy this.

Jaded Decadence - She's the ultimate party girl. She is youth, beauty, and decadence personified. Her athletic figure dances to the latest rage - jazz music. And soon you note the scent of violets, rose, and a hint of cream vanilla and sweet red wine. She flashes a smile and the young men sigh. Main notes: violets, vanilla, rose, chypre, citrus accord, merlot wine. This scent is inspired by the character of Jordan Baker from F. Scott Fitzgerald's American masterpiece, and is a floriental -style scent for modern flappers!

The wine adds an interesting seedy element to this- it's quite clever. This is a fairly strong floral, dominated by the violet. Definitely more of a night time perfume than an office one.

Jaded Innocence - Distant yet so close. Cold, but still yearning for a past love. Her soft eyes twinkle, and the scent of orchids, cream, honey, and violets fill the sense. She speaks, and the warm timbre of her voice can still make Gatsby weaken at the knees. Main notes: orchid, champagne, honey, citrus accord, chypre. This scent is inspired by the character of Daisy Buchanan from F. Scott Fitzgerald's American masterpiece, and is a soft floriental scent for modern flappers!

Again, the boozy note brings this perfume out of the realm of your bog standard sweet florals. And again, it's quite strong, though the honey softens it up after 30 minutes or so. I liked this one the best of the three.

************

Sarawen has two shops - Big Cartel and Etsy. I bought this order from Etsy, really only because I prefer it for ease when I can use it. My last order was through the Big Cartel site, and there's really no difference except that one may sometimes have stock the other doesn't.

In summary, Sarawen is a gorgeous little perfume shop, and I highly recommend trying it out.