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eternalsojournI got a few new orders in and I'm starting to zero in on things I like and manage to avoid things that simply don't work for me and never will.
A bought all of these in full size because, well, why not? Darling Clandestine has yet to disappoint me and even when the scent doesn’t immediately grab me, it still somehow manages to make me curious enough to keep trying until I’m familiar enough with the scent to know when my mood matches it. Evonne is magic. I’m fangirling all over her and I’m not even going to pretend I’m cool about it.
Gram Negative - “Gram-Negative is deep, damp, earthy essential moss; sticky green leaf resin; a whisper of black tea; and a rare, rich, mellow, buttery orchid essential oil that is just divine.” This scent is incredible. I’m in love. It starts out with that bright green leafy scent and the moss and black tea underneath. The orchid is there, but doesn’t shout “flowers” to me so much as it tempers the earthiness of the rest of it. The dry down is fairly fast and is even more incredible as the brightness fades and you’re left with dry moss and the distinct sensation that you’re in the softest, most lush mossy meadow with sun streaming through the branches. Everything is dry and dark green and peaceful. I can’t stop smelling myself and this will definitely be on regular rotation.
Maudlin & Bedlam - “Maudlin & Bedlam is beautifully complex—dark, warm honey and herbals and wood frosted unsettlingly with weeping green leaves. It’s one of my new favorites, with a rich, sexy drydown, and thoroughly appropriate for ladies and gents. ” Now this one’s intriguing. Most prominent is the honey and herbs, and by herbs I mean a big bundle of them, crushed and fragrant. The wood is there if you know it is, but if you’re not looking for it, it reads to me as a dry balance to the honey. And the wood is more live wood than, say, the finished wood of furniture. It is unisex but the type of man I see wearing this is impeccably dressed in close cut tailored clothes and perfectly coiffed hair. BBC Sherlock’s Moriarty, perhaps, debonair, ruthless, and completely unafraid to stand outside the crowd. And with that image I’m now hooked. Damnit.
Bête Noire - “DC friend Hillary had a jones for a scent with "a sneeze-worthy amount of black pepper, combined with a more sensible, feminine floral . . . a fierce floral suitable for nights out." The result is fierce indeed, with four kinds of pepper grounded in artemisia, greened with herbals and juniper, stretched taut with a sharp bitter carnation, and "purpled" with violets and orchids” Oh, this is lovely. Although it calls the pepper “sneeze-worthy”, I find it warm rather than prickly. And yeah, the florals aren’t soft pastels, they’re a riot of intense oranges and reds. I’m not a big floral fan generally. This is thoroughly modern, feminine, and grown-up. Fierce indeed.
Monstre Delicat - “Monstre Delicat is a clean, blue, rainy fragrance with haunting, moody black notes. Thoroughly unisex.” Her description is apt. This is a clean blue fragrance, but not in the bright, fresh way that, say, Haus of Gloi’s Selkie comes across as (or Cool Water Woman if you’re more familiar with that one). This is dark. Something about DC’s fragrances turn me inwards, to moods, to states of mind. This isn’t a spring rain, it’s nighttime, it’s streetlights shaking and shimmering in the puddles. It’s the sort of rain that matches your melancholy and helps to wash it clean.
Serpentina - “Serpentina is a crisp, green, ethereal fragrance with a little opium bite.” I’m not sure what “green” means in this context, as when I think of green I think herbs and grass and leafy things. However, this is fresh in a way that isn’t citrus or water, but there’s a clean rain quality to it. That “opium bite” is unmistakable: sharp. There’s something sweet going on as well, but not in a desserty way. Sweet like lilac. But aside from the notes (and I think DC transcends “notes” because her scents are more than the sum of their parts), this is a feminine fragrance with a don’t-fuck-with-me strength about it. I really do feel like a capital-W Woman in it.
Splendiferous - “White cake, lemon zest glaze and sugared violets.” This one has received mixed reviews, mostly of the “it’s too much violet” variety. Personally I’m not a dessert-scent person so I see this as a violet scent lightly sweetened with cake, and that really works for me. The lemon is there, but not overpowering, more like a hint of lemon zest in the cake. Really lovely. The dry down stays pretty much the same, except eventually I get a faint impression that it’s synthetic. Not enough to make me feel like it’s cheap by any means, but enough that this won’t be a go-to scent for me.
Imp - “Passion fruit, sun cured apricots, pink grapefruit juice and innocent mimosa blossoms.” This is so fruity. All of those fruits sing out and this scent is incredibly successful at it. It doesn’t smell synthetic to me, but it’s so fruity that it speaks to me more of scented candles than of perfume, because of my own personal preferences. Basically if I want to smell like a cocktail with umbrellas in it, I’ll wear this bright, happy scent. Which, come to think of it, isn’t very me, so that probably won’t happen often. I can definitely see the appeal for some, though.
Depravity - “A bewitching blend of clove, nutmeg and coconut, on a bed of rich golden amber, sandalwood and spilled wine.” I received a sample of this way back when, mislabeled as Apothecary. Now I know what I really had, I’ve ordered the full size. The spices really sing in this one, with the coconut just rounding things out a little. I actually get a hint of leather in this, although there isn’t actually any. To me it smells like old worn-in book leather, not new leather. It’s probably the sandalwood. The wine adds a bit of a bite, and overall I really love this scent to smell sexy and different, foodie without the sugar. This is a great blend for me, woody, spicy, sharp.
Selkie - “The break of waves, gurgling sea foam, kelp, rain tinged air, sand smoothed driftwood and wild sage.” I bought this for my mom in a hair oil and WOW. Gorgeous. It’s blue and fresh, a hint of salt, and perfectly blended. I’m not fond of the rain single note on its own but it sings here. I wish I’d bought the perfume.
Honeysuckle Lemon Curd - “Rich lemon curd with a touch of fresh honeysuckle.” I have this as a pumpkin butter and it’s wonderful. For foodie scents, this is the way I’d lean. It’s lemony and sweet but not cloying or too sugary. It makes me want to make lemon curd something fierce. I love it as a hand cream but probably wouldn’t wear it as a perfume. For perfume I’d sooner turn to Solstice Scents’ Lemon Ginger Creams.
Satyr (revisit) - “Italian blood orange drizzled with a blackened vanilla.” I reviewed this one before stating that there was too much patchouli-like quality about it, which I’m not backing away from exactly. I still get sharp incensiness from the bottle. But on the skin that all but disappears and the orange and vanilla marry together nicely. Actually, though there is a juicy orange about it, it’s not without the balance of orange zest. It’s actually really lovely and I’ll continue to wear it, despite my initial rejection of this scent. If I want to smell fruity, this is the way I’d go, along with the aforementioned Lemon Ginger Creams from Solstice Scents. I’m not a fruity-scent person generally, but the oranges here avoid being too cocktaily.
Darling Clandestine
A bought all of these in full size because, well, why not? Darling Clandestine has yet to disappoint me and even when the scent doesn’t immediately grab me, it still somehow manages to make me curious enough to keep trying until I’m familiar enough with the scent to know when my mood matches it. Evonne is magic. I’m fangirling all over her and I’m not even going to pretend I’m cool about it.
Gram Negative - “Gram-Negative is deep, damp, earthy essential moss; sticky green leaf resin; a whisper of black tea; and a rare, rich, mellow, buttery orchid essential oil that is just divine.” This scent is incredible. I’m in love. It starts out with that bright green leafy scent and the moss and black tea underneath. The orchid is there, but doesn’t shout “flowers” to me so much as it tempers the earthiness of the rest of it. The dry down is fairly fast and is even more incredible as the brightness fades and you’re left with dry moss and the distinct sensation that you’re in the softest, most lush mossy meadow with sun streaming through the branches. Everything is dry and dark green and peaceful. I can’t stop smelling myself and this will definitely be on regular rotation.
Maudlin & Bedlam - “Maudlin & Bedlam is beautifully complex—dark, warm honey and herbals and wood frosted unsettlingly with weeping green leaves. It’s one of my new favorites, with a rich, sexy drydown, and thoroughly appropriate for ladies and gents. ” Now this one’s intriguing. Most prominent is the honey and herbs, and by herbs I mean a big bundle of them, crushed and fragrant. The wood is there if you know it is, but if you’re not looking for it, it reads to me as a dry balance to the honey. And the wood is more live wood than, say, the finished wood of furniture. It is unisex but the type of man I see wearing this is impeccably dressed in close cut tailored clothes and perfectly coiffed hair. BBC Sherlock’s Moriarty, perhaps, debonair, ruthless, and completely unafraid to stand outside the crowd. And with that image I’m now hooked. Damnit.
Bête Noire - “DC friend Hillary had a jones for a scent with "a sneeze-worthy amount of black pepper, combined with a more sensible, feminine floral . . . a fierce floral suitable for nights out." The result is fierce indeed, with four kinds of pepper grounded in artemisia, greened with herbals and juniper, stretched taut with a sharp bitter carnation, and "purpled" with violets and orchids” Oh, this is lovely. Although it calls the pepper “sneeze-worthy”, I find it warm rather than prickly. And yeah, the florals aren’t soft pastels, they’re a riot of intense oranges and reds. I’m not a big floral fan generally. This is thoroughly modern, feminine, and grown-up. Fierce indeed.
Monstre Delicat - “Monstre Delicat is a clean, blue, rainy fragrance with haunting, moody black notes. Thoroughly unisex.” Her description is apt. This is a clean blue fragrance, but not in the bright, fresh way that, say, Haus of Gloi’s Selkie comes across as (or Cool Water Woman if you’re more familiar with that one). This is dark. Something about DC’s fragrances turn me inwards, to moods, to states of mind. This isn’t a spring rain, it’s nighttime, it’s streetlights shaking and shimmering in the puddles. It’s the sort of rain that matches your melancholy and helps to wash it clean.
Serpentina - “Serpentina is a crisp, green, ethereal fragrance with a little opium bite.” I’m not sure what “green” means in this context, as when I think of green I think herbs and grass and leafy things. However, this is fresh in a way that isn’t citrus or water, but there’s a clean rain quality to it. That “opium bite” is unmistakable: sharp. There’s something sweet going on as well, but not in a desserty way. Sweet like lilac. But aside from the notes (and I think DC transcends “notes” because her scents are more than the sum of their parts), this is a feminine fragrance with a don’t-fuck-with-me strength about it. I really do feel like a capital-W Woman in it.
Haus of Gloi
Splendiferous - “White cake, lemon zest glaze and sugared violets.” This one has received mixed reviews, mostly of the “it’s too much violet” variety. Personally I’m not a dessert-scent person so I see this as a violet scent lightly sweetened with cake, and that really works for me. The lemon is there, but not overpowering, more like a hint of lemon zest in the cake. Really lovely. The dry down stays pretty much the same, except eventually I get a faint impression that it’s synthetic. Not enough to make me feel like it’s cheap by any means, but enough that this won’t be a go-to scent for me.
Imp - “Passion fruit, sun cured apricots, pink grapefruit juice and innocent mimosa blossoms.” This is so fruity. All of those fruits sing out and this scent is incredibly successful at it. It doesn’t smell synthetic to me, but it’s so fruity that it speaks to me more of scented candles than of perfume, because of my own personal preferences. Basically if I want to smell like a cocktail with umbrellas in it, I’ll wear this bright, happy scent. Which, come to think of it, isn’t very me, so that probably won’t happen often. I can definitely see the appeal for some, though.
Depravity - “A bewitching blend of clove, nutmeg and coconut, on a bed of rich golden amber, sandalwood and spilled wine.” I received a sample of this way back when, mislabeled as Apothecary. Now I know what I really had, I’ve ordered the full size. The spices really sing in this one, with the coconut just rounding things out a little. I actually get a hint of leather in this, although there isn’t actually any. To me it smells like old worn-in book leather, not new leather. It’s probably the sandalwood. The wine adds a bit of a bite, and overall I really love this scent to smell sexy and different, foodie without the sugar. This is a great blend for me, woody, spicy, sharp.
Selkie - “The break of waves, gurgling sea foam, kelp, rain tinged air, sand smoothed driftwood and wild sage.” I bought this for my mom in a hair oil and WOW. Gorgeous. It’s blue and fresh, a hint of salt, and perfectly blended. I’m not fond of the rain single note on its own but it sings here. I wish I’d bought the perfume.
Honeysuckle Lemon Curd - “Rich lemon curd with a touch of fresh honeysuckle.” I have this as a pumpkin butter and it’s wonderful. For foodie scents, this is the way I’d lean. It’s lemony and sweet but not cloying or too sugary. It makes me want to make lemon curd something fierce. I love it as a hand cream but probably wouldn’t wear it as a perfume. For perfume I’d sooner turn to Solstice Scents’ Lemon Ginger Creams.
Satyr (revisit) - “Italian blood orange drizzled with a blackened vanilla.” I reviewed this one before stating that there was too much patchouli-like quality about it, which I’m not backing away from exactly. I still get sharp incensiness from the bottle. But on the skin that all but disappears and the orange and vanilla marry together nicely. Actually, though there is a juicy orange about it, it’s not without the balance of orange zest. It’s actually really lovely and I’ll continue to wear it, despite my initial rejection of this scent. If I want to smell fruity, this is the way I’d go, along with the aforementioned Lemon Ginger Creams from Solstice Scents. I’m not a fruity-scent person generally, but the oranges here avoid being too cocktaily.
