eternalsojourn (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
eternalsojourn) wrote2014-03-07 03:11 pm
eternalsojourn) wrote2014-03-07 03:11 pm
Another Perfume Review: Darling Clandestine and Haus of Gloi
This time I've covered all the ones I missed last time as well, so some of these are from old, no-longer-available collections. But at least I have the Haus of Gloi Valetine's collection here, which is still available.
Vortex - “This winter is not your average winter, and Vortex is not your average "winter" fragrance. There's no evergreen, no mint, no "holiday" spice---just a vast expanse of cold, white and blue, frigid, soundless. Stark and invigorating, this fragrance is purely unisex.” Vortex is a strange one. On initial application, I smelled violets and powder, with something else I couldn’t quite name that kept it sharp. As it dried down, that something else became much clearer: Ozone. I wouldn’t call this scent unisex in the traditional sense (although I honestly think anyone can wear any scent they damn well please). I feel like the violet and powder provide something that could be beautiful and feminine, but that ozone stands there, forbidding and distancing. It’s dangerous and isolating. If this is indeed a winter fragrance, there’s no hope of a warm fire, baked goods or hot cocoa at the end of it. Just a biting sharpness and a reminder of soft things you can’t approach. Do I like it? Honestly, I have no idea. I keep smelling it trying to figure it out, and I suppose that’s how I’d wear it: on days I’d like to remain a mystery.
Blue Valentine (solid) - “My Saint Valentine's Day scent, inspired, of course, by the irreproducible Tom Waits. A moody bouquet of hyacinth and violet and poppies and figs, washed down with shots of real whiskey and bitters and delicate musks and mint. Very potent, very heady.” I definitely get violet and figs out of this, and possibly hyacinth and poppies as well if I were more familiar with those scents. It’s floral, but not prickly, slighty fruity but not too specific with the sweetness. I’m not sensing any whisky or bitters, but there’s white musk. It smells very classic to me, slightly sweet and with lush flowers. As it dries down, it’s more floral than fig.
Litchi Milk Tea - “Tart lychee fruit and black tea met with a splash of coconut milk.” This one is so juicy, you can almost taste the lychees. It’s really lovely, with the tea balancing the fruit (again, as I’ve said before it’s more sticking your nose in a container of tea leaves than sipping a brewed mug). The splash of coconut isn’t overpowering, which is nice. I sometimes find coconut makes itself rather known over what are supposed to be the main notes. Also, for being so fruity, this scent lingers for longer than I’d expect. I get a good couple of hours solid wear out of it before I feel I need to reapply. But I have no problem reapplying indie scents like this because at $2.50 per sample, I’ve amassed a lot of them and it’s no bad thing to get through them.
Odette (Valentine’s Collection 2014) - “Clean sun dried linens, tuberose, ginger lily and white musk.” So lovely, so classic, so refined. The notes are exactly as described, and this scent just smells clean, fresh, and lightly floral. I feel positively vintage in it, all prim heels and immaculate hair.
Pear Wood (Valentine’s Collection 2014) - “Sweet pear, white cedar, sandalwood, amyris with the barest hint of labdanum and violet leaf absolute.” Now this is a unique scent. It is definitely pear, and definitely wood. But there’s wood and there’s wood, and this is no evergreen. It’s the dry heart of fresh-cut cedar contrasting with the juiciness of the pear. It’s so unusual, I find myself continuing to sniff it the entire time I’m wearing it, but since each individual note is pleasant to me, that’s no bad thing. I find myself turning to this one more than I expected I would.
Come Hither (Valentine’s Collection 2014) - “Based off of traditional herbs and roots used in Hoodoo to draw and attract a lover, or entice the one you've already ensnared! Bourbon vanilla, tonka bean, a touch of rose oil, Queen Elizabeth root, three threads of saffron and a touch of honey to sweeten the whole deal.” I definitely get the trio of vanilla, tonka, and rose on initial application. It’s a striking combination, and most certainly reminiscent of romantic things. However, on dry down I get mostly just tonka and rose, and the tonka smells a teensy bit synthetic to me.
Risque (Valentine’s Collection 2014) - “A leather whip, red musk, cast aside roses and an intoxicating touch of agarwood attar.” Leather and roses: I wanted to like this one. But it turns out worn book leather and whip leather are two very different smells, and this one smells of hardcore bondage to me. Now bondage is cool and all but it’s just not me. I'm pretty sure I'd have found it aggressive, even if I hadn't read the description. In comparison to HoG’s other scents, this one is very potent as well, and sticks around and around. So if you like it, you’ll definitely get bang for your buck on this one.
Rosy Cheeked (Winter Collection 2013) - “Pink grapefruit, fir needles, juniper berries, rosemary, a sprig of parsley and bright winter lilies” So fresh and sharp! This isn’t just the flesh of a grapefruit, but the zest as well, biting and juicy. Everything about this scent is clean and invigorating, and my only complaint is that it disappears on the skin so quickly. But again, I just keep reapplying. I really do feel rosy-cheeked when wearing it, which shows a good match between the power of suggestion and the execution of the scent.
Pumpkin (Single Note) - “Sweet pumpkin flesh.” It’s funny, I thought this was going to be just pumpkin, and I don’t know if it’s just power of association, but I swear I’m also getting pie spices out of it as well. Still, it’s less baked-goody than Pumpkin Queen. I’ll probably throw this one back into rotation approaching autumn again.
Pumpkin Queen (Autumn Collection 2013) - “Gentle hay pillows, pumpkin, ripe peaches dusted with clove and nutmeg, dried summer herbs, and lastly, a lovely crown of amber.” I don’t know about hay pillows, but I smell like fresh baked pumpkin cake when wearing this one. It’s sweet, autumny, and comforting, though perhaps a touch sweeter than I would usually wear. It’s a delicious foody scent, though, and smells good enough to eat.
Haus Amber - “Rich and sultry amber, our own hand blended accord.” WOW, this one is potent. It’s heavy, heady, seductive, and classic. I think of Calvin Klein’s Obsession with this one. It has amazing staying power, as well. If you like ambers, this is a nice one, but I think most people would find it cloying. But that’s amber, isn’t it?
Rain (Single Note) - “A nod to the beginning of the Pacific Northwest rainy season. A damp ozone note.” Fresh out of the bottle and onto the skin, I swear this smells exactly like Cool Water Woman. However, after a bit it dries down to something subtler and less… watery? More fresh. I would actually wear this one a lot more if I could skip the initial stage and go straight to the dry down. I have yet to attempt layering but I think this one will be a great one to experiment with.
Darling Clandestine
Vortex - “This winter is not your average winter, and Vortex is not your average "winter" fragrance. There's no evergreen, no mint, no "holiday" spice---just a vast expanse of cold, white and blue, frigid, soundless. Stark and invigorating, this fragrance is purely unisex.” Vortex is a strange one. On initial application, I smelled violets and powder, with something else I couldn’t quite name that kept it sharp. As it dried down, that something else became much clearer: Ozone. I wouldn’t call this scent unisex in the traditional sense (although I honestly think anyone can wear any scent they damn well please). I feel like the violet and powder provide something that could be beautiful and feminine, but that ozone stands there, forbidding and distancing. It’s dangerous and isolating. If this is indeed a winter fragrance, there’s no hope of a warm fire, baked goods or hot cocoa at the end of it. Just a biting sharpness and a reminder of soft things you can’t approach. Do I like it? Honestly, I have no idea. I keep smelling it trying to figure it out, and I suppose that’s how I’d wear it: on days I’d like to remain a mystery.
Blue Valentine (solid) - “My Saint Valentine's Day scent, inspired, of course, by the irreproducible Tom Waits. A moody bouquet of hyacinth and violet and poppies and figs, washed down with shots of real whiskey and bitters and delicate musks and mint. Very potent, very heady.” I definitely get violet and figs out of this, and possibly hyacinth and poppies as well if I were more familiar with those scents. It’s floral, but not prickly, slighty fruity but not too specific with the sweetness. I’m not sensing any whisky or bitters, but there’s white musk. It smells very classic to me, slightly sweet and with lush flowers. As it dries down, it’s more floral than fig.
Haus of Gloi
Litchi Milk Tea - “Tart lychee fruit and black tea met with a splash of coconut milk.” This one is so juicy, you can almost taste the lychees. It’s really lovely, with the tea balancing the fruit (again, as I’ve said before it’s more sticking your nose in a container of tea leaves than sipping a brewed mug). The splash of coconut isn’t overpowering, which is nice. I sometimes find coconut makes itself rather known over what are supposed to be the main notes. Also, for being so fruity, this scent lingers for longer than I’d expect. I get a good couple of hours solid wear out of it before I feel I need to reapply. But I have no problem reapplying indie scents like this because at $2.50 per sample, I’ve amassed a lot of them and it’s no bad thing to get through them.
Odette (Valentine’s Collection 2014) - “Clean sun dried linens, tuberose, ginger lily and white musk.” So lovely, so classic, so refined. The notes are exactly as described, and this scent just smells clean, fresh, and lightly floral. I feel positively vintage in it, all prim heels and immaculate hair.
Pear Wood (Valentine’s Collection 2014) - “Sweet pear, white cedar, sandalwood, amyris with the barest hint of labdanum and violet leaf absolute.” Now this is a unique scent. It is definitely pear, and definitely wood. But there’s wood and there’s wood, and this is no evergreen. It’s the dry heart of fresh-cut cedar contrasting with the juiciness of the pear. It’s so unusual, I find myself continuing to sniff it the entire time I’m wearing it, but since each individual note is pleasant to me, that’s no bad thing. I find myself turning to this one more than I expected I would.
Come Hither (Valentine’s Collection 2014) - “Based off of traditional herbs and roots used in Hoodoo to draw and attract a lover, or entice the one you've already ensnared! Bourbon vanilla, tonka bean, a touch of rose oil, Queen Elizabeth root, three threads of saffron and a touch of honey to sweeten the whole deal.” I definitely get the trio of vanilla, tonka, and rose on initial application. It’s a striking combination, and most certainly reminiscent of romantic things. However, on dry down I get mostly just tonka and rose, and the tonka smells a teensy bit synthetic to me.
Risque (Valentine’s Collection 2014) - “A leather whip, red musk, cast aside roses and an intoxicating touch of agarwood attar.” Leather and roses: I wanted to like this one. But it turns out worn book leather and whip leather are two very different smells, and this one smells of hardcore bondage to me. Now bondage is cool and all but it’s just not me. I'm pretty sure I'd have found it aggressive, even if I hadn't read the description. In comparison to HoG’s other scents, this one is very potent as well, and sticks around and around. So if you like it, you’ll definitely get bang for your buck on this one.
Rosy Cheeked (Winter Collection 2013) - “Pink grapefruit, fir needles, juniper berries, rosemary, a sprig of parsley and bright winter lilies” So fresh and sharp! This isn’t just the flesh of a grapefruit, but the zest as well, biting and juicy. Everything about this scent is clean and invigorating, and my only complaint is that it disappears on the skin so quickly. But again, I just keep reapplying. I really do feel rosy-cheeked when wearing it, which shows a good match between the power of suggestion and the execution of the scent.
Pumpkin (Single Note) - “Sweet pumpkin flesh.” It’s funny, I thought this was going to be just pumpkin, and I don’t know if it’s just power of association, but I swear I’m also getting pie spices out of it as well. Still, it’s less baked-goody than Pumpkin Queen. I’ll probably throw this one back into rotation approaching autumn again.
Pumpkin Queen (Autumn Collection 2013) - “Gentle hay pillows, pumpkin, ripe peaches dusted with clove and nutmeg, dried summer herbs, and lastly, a lovely crown of amber.” I don’t know about hay pillows, but I smell like fresh baked pumpkin cake when wearing this one. It’s sweet, autumny, and comforting, though perhaps a touch sweeter than I would usually wear. It’s a delicious foody scent, though, and smells good enough to eat.
Haus Amber - “Rich and sultry amber, our own hand blended accord.” WOW, this one is potent. It’s heavy, heady, seductive, and classic. I think of Calvin Klein’s Obsession with this one. It has amazing staying power, as well. If you like ambers, this is a nice one, but I think most people would find it cloying. But that’s amber, isn’t it?
Rain (Single Note) - “A nod to the beginning of the Pacific Northwest rainy season. A damp ozone note.” Fresh out of the bottle and onto the skin, I swear this smells exactly like Cool Water Woman. However, after a bit it dries down to something subtler and less… watery? More fresh. I would actually wear this one a lot more if I could skip the initial stage and go straight to the dry down. I have yet to attempt layering but I think this one will be a great one to experiment with.