Title
LOST STOLEN BLACK BACKPACK REWARD my lick teenager lost his backpack at Sandalwood Dr in Meridian Idaho. It had a Motorola phone in it. He needs his phone back so it he can have it for work. He like just told me why he's been upset. It had some chargers in it as well as some personal things and other things. He just left it on the sidewalk for a bit then it was gone. He did have the backpack missing before but there was no personal info this time. The phone needs to be charged and restarted for a call to even be made. I'm just wandering why some idiot would take someone's backpack and now he doesn't know where it is because it got moved. I've already asked around but I have to ask more. I don't think it was stolen exactly but nothings even like valuable in the backpack. I don't really know where else to look then.

Title
LOST STOLEN BLACK BACKPACK REWARD my lick teenager lost his backpack at Sandalwood Dr in Meridian Idaho. It had a Motorola phone in it. He needs his phone back so it he can have it for work. He like just told me why he's been upset. It had some chargers in it as well as some personal things and other things. He just left it on the sidewalk for a bit then it was gone. He did have the backpack missing before but there was no personal info this time. The phone needs to be charged and restarted for a call to even be made. I'm just wandering why some idiot would take someone's backpack and now he doesn't know where it is because it got moved. I've already asked around but I have to ask more. I don't think it was stolen exactly but nothings even like valuable in the backpack. I don't really know where else to look then.

Hey witchcraft, I have a genuine question here, and I hope y'all can provide some insight and advice.
TL;DR: I've been having some really cool and uplifting spiritual/witchcraft-related experiences, but I worry about the blatant crossover with psychosis symptoms, given my health history.
Is there a good rule of thumb to go by to divide genuine spiritual experiences from psychosis symptoms? How do you balance the two?

• Disclaimer for mods: I DO have therapy booked with a new therapist this Friday. So I'm not tackling this question without seeking trained counsel.

Happy Update regarding Therapist's take to this question:

• I held nothing back in our discussion and she basically said: "yeah, keep a record of your experiences, alone or not, when something "Spiritual" or "unexplainable" is happening. That is a GREAT idea. (I told her I got that idea from this community, so good job everyone!)
  
• Therapist: "so long as these experiences aren't hampering your day-to-day productivity and happiness, you're probably fine to keep having these experiences".
  
• Regarding my story about banishing a haint out of my home after it threw a case of cat food across our dining room: "there are some things science just hasn't caught up with explaining. So that you saw something go flying on its own, and your mom heard it crash in the other room, then I'd count that as one of those legitimate experiences."
  

Y'all. Good therapists are out there.
~Resume original post~
That said, I do want to ask of this subreddit your thoughts with the title question. Please allow me to provide brief context for the title of this post:
Of the spiritual experiences/symptoms

• I have smelled sandalwood in my home. Up until yesterday, I've never burned sandalwood in my home. But I do know what it smells like from witchcraft shops I've been to. This was followed by the arrival of a friendly male "spirit". This occured while my husband was in the room.
• I have communicated verbally with different types of entities. Some have had "malevolent vibes" while others felt more like family.
• These conversations have happened in my own language, and in other languages that I don't normally speak (and are actual languages like Mandarin and Spanish, not jibberish. I have witnesses.)
• Things have been thrown across my home at least once by something unseen (and heard by another person). We also had an issue with lights and electronics being messed with until I banished the haint from my home.
• I feel, and sometimes see, spirits that others cannot.
• Much of my witchcraft has been via intuition. More than once I've woken up with a "bad vibes" feeling in my stomach, only to get a call or two later that day about something terrible happening to a loved one.
• Curanderismo has been passed down in my family, and I regularly use those methods of cleansing on myself and in my home (which includes correct saging methods)
• I've burned joss paper during Qing Ming festival, and wrote letters to past loved ones (very cathartic).
• Because of my many brushes with death, I don't fear dying anymore. I'd go as far to respectfully say that death and I are now friends.
• Once, and only once, I've experimented with what I thought was cbd. That experience was extremely uplifting, inspiring, and helped me understand a lot of the things that I'd been struggling to understand previously (how life is organized in fractals, choices of others, etc).

Of Mental and Physical Health

• While intelligence has many methods of measurement, I'm exceptionally good at meeting rubrics with my 3.94 GPA. I don't consider myself an uneducated boor, at the mercy and whims of whatever "vibe" I pick up on. Occam's razor, bitch.
  
• I don't feel unsafe in my own home. The only paranoias I have are related to regular worries, such as fretting about house fires (we have a lot of electronics, but I have a fire extinguisher), or actual internet privacy issues (not the kind where I think the CIA is watching me, more like 'hey, please don't steal my bank info or my identity'). I also worry about the neighbor's aggressive dogs that get loose often, or burglars (it's not the safest neighborhood).
  
• I do have a history of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and at least one medical professional diagnosed me with borderline personality disorder (though I disagree with the latter). A lot of these stem from past abuse in my family.
  
• I was on antidepressants from circa 2015 to 2021, during which I had my right ovary removed (PCOS). Two months later I was off my antidepressants because my hormones settled down.
  
• By the end of 2022 I had my last ovary removed. I feel fine, just leftover anxiety from all of my medical trauma. HRT is not an option due to a history of pulmonary embolisms from birth control.
  
• I've also undergone brain surgery this year to save my eyesight. The whole ordeal has been good in the end, but really traumatic.
  

"What does this have to do with witchcraft and/or psychosis", you ask. "Why are you concerned?"

• I worry that, because I do not have any sort of estrogen in my body at this point, that my mind may begin to degrade early on due to things like dementia or parkinsons.
  
• That I presently have the whereithal to practice introspection is great. However if this all does turn out to be varying levels of psychosis that I'm experiencing, then it does put a damper on any positive experiences I've had when practicing witchcraft.
  
• I have a long history of chasing down medical diagnosis from doctors. Getting mental help when I was at the darkest point of my life was not easy, fun, nor an experience I would like to repeat (but for the sake of my loved ones, I would).
  

I'd love to hear the thoughts and impressions from this community. Thank you!

I speaking of Actresses mainly here.
For example : Srinidhi Shetty did KGF series. After that we haven't heard any news of her doing or even signing a Kannada film.
Because she will demand a renumeration to be near to what she received in KGF. Since Sandalwood's lacking producers, no one will cast her in a Kannada Movie because they can't afford her. And hire new faces who are maybe desperate for work, and take any little pay they get.
This will force Srinidhi Shetty to find work in other industries. And when she does work in a Non-Kannada film, our viewers will brand her as anti-kannada & traitor to our industry, this may even lead to her never working in our industry again.
Same applies Directors & Technicians.
TL;DR - Don't hate Actresses for working in other industries.

This is my first post on reddit and my first review of some perfume samples I ordered. I couldn't find any reviews of these brands from other men, so I thought I'd offer my take for other men out there in the same boat, or anyone looking for masculine-leaning indie scents. I'm looking for a new affordable signature scent for the summer, so I decided to sample two houses that have low prices and generally good reviews. I usually like natural scents that are woody, herbal, musky, smoky, earthy, and aquatic - I wore Bvlgari Aqua for years and still love it. Things I don't want to smell like: sweets, desserts, soap, powder, fruit, most florals (although I'm down for spicy rose and dry sage flowers). I'd love some suggestions if anyone has any! And now for the reviews.
Firebird
Saltwater: A warm summer beach daydream. Fresh, clean aquatic that is sweet and soft. It's warm, like a sunny day at the beach in Florida with a nice balmy breeze. On first application it smells a tad fruity, but dries off into a pleasant driftwood and crystal turquoise seawater combo. Reminds me of the smell of sunkissed hair after swimming in the sea and laying in the sun. I would love this as a lotion, this smells like something calming you'd apply after a sunburn to soothe your skin. Unisex but leans feminine. Lovely smell but too soft and delicate for me. 7/10
Heavy Seas: I had high hopes this would be my new favorite aquatic based on the description and other reviews I saw, but I really do not like this at all. It smells like a cheap generic 3 in 1 men's bodywash, shampoo, and conditioner. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the chemical plastic note I'm picking up, like an ocean themed cleaning product. If this is an aquatic maybe it's the great pacific garbage patch? Heavy Seas, I'm not mad at you, I'm disappointed. Masculine. 2/10
Viking: This one is interesting. Minty fresh blast on first sniff followed by a curious sweetness, like sweet mint chewing gum. Very wintery, this one also smells like a men's bath product but is much more pleasant to me. Cool and fresh, but not very natural smelling. I might wear it, but it's not my favorite. Masculine. 5/10
Cabin: Woodsmoke among the pines, this is a nearly photorealistic depiction of a fall bonfire. Pine, charcoal, smoke, cold night air. Reminds me of camping as a kid and the smell of the smoke and chilly night clinging to your denim. A rugged lumberjack smells like this after a long shift in the woods. I would love this if it weren't for the slight hint of bacon bits - not bacon, bacon bits. It's subtle and only appears on application, and maybe it's my imagination, but once I noticed it I can't unsmell it. This is something I will hold onto for fall and winter, it really transports me to a nostalgic time being outside in the cold near a fire. Unisex-masc, very atmospheric but not exactly for everyday wear. 6/10
Cinders: Whereas the smokiness of Cabin is cool and pine-forward, this smoke is a bit different. It's sweet and has some warming spices in the mix and overall gives me a winter holiday vibe. If cabin is a campfire, to me this one is a winter hearth. Cozy under some blankets near the dying fire, with Christmas decorations and their very particular musty/spicy smell decorating the mantle. There is also somewhat of an animal note to it as well, maybe there is a sleepy kitty snuggling up with you by the fire. Unisex, another interesting atmospheric for winter, but not what I'm looking for. 4/10
Ritual: A limited edition offering from Firebird, this is my favorite of the 3 smoky scents I sampled. Very dark, spicy, and charred, this has a very masculine cologne vibe reminiscent of aftershave that some may find too much, but I really like it. This scent is nocturnal and mysterious, with the smoke of incense rather than a campfire. This is what your dilf sugar daddy smells like, very sexy and my favorite I sampled from Firebird. Reminds me a bit of Polo Green. Masculine, better for fall and winter, I will get the full size when it is restocked in autumn. 8/10
Alkemia
The Highwayman: I saw a lot of hype about this one and based on the description, I was really looking forward to loving this one. I wanted to love this. But I don't. True to description, it's velvety and dark, but with a powdery, soapy sweetness that doesn't do it for me. I am not picking up any of the rugged outlaw vibes that people have described, to me this smells like some vintage perfumes I have smelled over the years, and does have a sort of church lady affect that I'm not into, especially as it dries down. I don't hate it, but the scent is way off from the description for me and I'm let down. Unisex. 5/10
Mist Becoming Rain: Wow, fresh! Very green, freshly mown grass and a soft spring rain. The opening is incredibly vegetal, not herbal, but smells of actual fresh green leaves. It dries down into a clean soapy smell that I am not into though. I was expecting an aquatic, but this smells more like wet leaves than a more traditional aquatic scent. Unique, but not my style. Feminine unisex. 3/10
Voyage En Mer: The watery note from Mist Becoming Rain is present here as well, but this is the more elegant and refined older sister. This smells like an expensive perfume for a sophisticated lady. I believe the orris root is what gives this and Mist becoming Rain their soapy quality. Not for me. Feminine. 4/10
Black Iris: Just getting the orris root scents out of the way because apparently I'm not a fan of orris root. I did not pick this one for myself, this was a free sample that came with my order. To me this smells like floral grape candy with a hint of urine. I already don't want to smell like candy, but to smell like the worst flavor candy? Unforgivable. I have scrubbed my wrists with soap and water several times today and if i just imagine the smell, it returns to me as if I inhaled the oil straight up my nose. I am sorry to Alkemia but I truly loathe this smell. Feminine. 1/10
Awakening Desert: It's giving bath and bodyworks cucumber melon. I was looking for the scent of dry earth and petrichor, and based on the description, that's what I was expecting with this. Not at all, this is a straight up aquatic, and the first notes I get immediately are that of melon. It smells lush and juicy, and as far as candy goes, at least watermelon candy is one of the better ones. Where the dry desert theme is coming from, I have no idea. If I blind smelled this and then had to name it, I would name this juicy melon lagoon or something like that. It does smell nice, but very feminine and not at all what I am looking for. 4/10
Enigma: Very, very strange. That's why I picked this one to sample, but wow. In the sample vial, it smells like straight up Elmer's glue. But on my skin, it turns into this gorgeous complex of fresh white copy paper and a bit of dry cedar. From further away just getting whiffs of it, I almost get a hint of Dr. Pepper. Not in a super obvious way, but enough to conjure the comparison. It's my understanding that this will smell differently to everyone though. I wouldn't wear this on its own, but could be an interesting layering note. Unisex. 6/10
Dustsceawung: Another free sample, this one is intriguing. I love the description, a contemplation of dust, etc. Although this one is evocative of secrets and old dusty things, which thematically sounds cool, I am not a big fan of this smell. I have not smelled anything that I could even compare this to, other than that this smells funky and the color dark purple. Unfortunately I'm not into it. Unisex. 3/10
The Gentleman Adventurer's Club: I was expecting a traditional cologney smell based on the name and description. No. This one to me is basically a perfect combination of Dustsceawung and The Highwayman. It has the funky purple smell I got from Dustsceawung, which maybe is supposed to be the old paper note, and the powdery soap I got from The Highwayman. It has an almost nutty quality to it as well which is hard for me to place - almost like sesame paste. I am not a big fan of either of the other two, so sadly this one is also a miss for me. Unisex. 3/10
In a Northern Wood: I wanted a realistic forest smell, but this is not that. This is more like a magical forest-themed craft store candle. I don't hate this smell but I would not wear it. Unisex, leaning feminine. 4/10
Esprit de la Terre: This one actually does transport me, but maybe not in the way it wants to. Somehow it brings me right back to the old art studio I took painting lessons at as a kid. Specifically, the soap we used to clean our brushes in the basement. This smell is a zippy bright green, peppery herbal scent. It teeters into windex territory but stays safely one step back from that. Unisex. This smell is weirdly nostalgic to me so for that I give it a 6/10, but I would not wear this myself.
Big Sur: God, I love this smell. To me, this is the memory of first love. It's melodic and innocent and melancholy, and makes the heart yearn for what could have been. Warm summer evenings under a fading pink sunset, the fireflies emerging to dance under the stars. It's aquatic and floral, but not in a sickly sweet way. If "viewing the past with rose colored spectacles" was a smell. Not unisex as in androgynous, like most of the other things I have called unisex on this list, but I find elements in this scent that are both deeply feminine (jasmine, magnolia, ozone) and masculine (sandalwood, musk, dry herbs). This would smell amazing on anyone. 9/10, will fullsize.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1: I saved the best for last. This is the only one from Alkemia that is stunningly photorealistic for me. And that is a photo of wet mineral red clay, Spanish moss, and creeping morning mist in a hot and humid swamp of the deep south. This smell to me evokes stillness, truly an incredibly earthy smell. It starts out almost acrid, but not in an unpleasant way, and dries down through strong wet clay and petrichor before settling into warm and spicy Spanish moss hanging in aromatic humid air. This is incredibly alluring and sexy, but in a very earthy natural way rather than in a traditional cologne sort of way. I may have found my new scent for the summer. Unisex, leaning masculine. 10/10
I hope this might help someone decide if they are considering sampling any of these perfumes!

I've recently gotten into indie perfumes because I was looking for more "out there" scents, as well as anything that's darker and more gothic compared to normal perfumes. Although I plan on trying other houses, Andromeda's Curse was one of the first few I was drawn to due to free shipping in the U.S. and pretty cheap prices. My friend and I both ordered samples while I ordered some full sizes. This is basically my review of all the samples we got put together, so it'll be a lot.
For reference, I love vanilla, incense, honey, smoke, tea, and wood. Florals are fine as long as there's more going on. I also like gourmands but more so if it isn't just purely marshmallow / cake / chocolate and whatnot. Citrus and mint are basically the death note for me and I don't really enjoy them much at all. So here we go:
Baby Bat (Spicy Clove, Marshmallow Fluff, Caramel, Vanilla, Cedarwood) - I thought I would like this more than I did, but it's still pretty good. More straightforward and simple, I primarily just smell clove and vanilla with some marshmallows. It's sweet with a good bit of spice, though I wouldn't say it's exactly spooky or witchy. Some have said there's a medicinal scent, which I get at first, but it fades after a while. No FS but it is pleasant.
Succubi (Rose, Marshmallow, Raspberry Jam, Sandalwood) - Also pretty straightforward, but I liked it! On the skin, it's a nice powdery rose scent with some lingering marshmallow. I unfortunately don't get any raspberry or sandalwood, but that might just be a me thing. It's pretty elegant and cute and feminine without being extremely sweet.
Moon Sugar (Sugar, Peach, Lychee, Strawberry Milk, Vanilla) - Now this. THIS is extremely sweet. I can't really pick out any of the individual fruit notes, but I feel like they're all there. And the sugar is very prominent. It's basically like sugar and fruit juice. For anyone that likes to be extremely sweet and feminine, this is for you. But it's not something I personally enjoy.
Hex (Chai tea, Cardamom, Pumpkin, Vanilla) - Let me start off by saying that I love Halloween scents, as well as chai. So this is pretty much perfect for me. The chai and pumpkin are extremely prominent, and I get a lot of the cardamom spice as well. This is a wonderful straightforward chai forward cozy Halloween scent. It's lovely, and one of my recent FS.
Cyberpunk (Synthetic Cashmere Leather Jacket, Holographic Redwoods, Neon Lights, Patchouli, Chai, and Black Musk Biofuel Exhaust from your Trans-Am as it burns into the smoggy sunset.) - I'm not gonna lie, I got this because I've heard a lot of reviews saying that this smells like the kind of perfume an extremely badass woman would wear. And although it's not what I'm looking for, I want to smell like an extremely badass woman. I will admit that this is certainly one of the more complex samples I got. First I get the diesel fuel and leather, one of a lovingly worn jacket. Even in the bottle, you can smell the chai, which sweetens it up a good bit. On the skin, it becomes more chai-forward and powdery, which is unfortunately just something my skin does sometimes. I wouldn't FS it, but I do respect it and think it accomplishes its atmosphere while being a pretty good leather-forward scent.
Sea of Trees (Hinoki Wood, Bamboo, Black Musk, Cedarwood, Agarwood, Incense) - Green. Very very green. I have to admit that I don't take a lot of strolls in the woods, but I like to think this is a very accurate tree scent. It does sort of give an aquatic kind of feel, like the scent of a lot of plants in a resort (?) if that makes sense to anyone else. I don't get a lot of incense, unfortunately, which sucks, but maybe it'll come out with more rest? So this isn't very mysterious as much as I think it's very refreshing and accurate.
Tasseomancy (Black Tea, Incense, Bergamot, Cedarwood, Amber, Myrrh) - I'm not gonna lie, this might be my favorite scent I got from the shop and I wanted a FS immediately. It has the exact vibe I was going for- the black tea, incense, and wood are pretty prominent. At first, the bergamot is a lot more loud, giving it a small citrus note, which I thought I would hate- but it calms down after a while and it becomes this mysterious, witchy, kind of ethereal tea and incense scent. I really really love this one!
Black Phillip (Salted Butter, Hay Bales, Dirt, Moss, Dusty Wood, Animal Musk, Incense) - Ok, so I directly asked for a sample of this because I wanted to know so badly how it smelled, and I gotta say I am perplexed. I have visited a barn maybe a few times in my life, so I can't really say I know what a "good" barn smells like, but this smells pretty strongly of hay and dirt. I didn't like it much out of the bottle, but I put it on anyway and it became sweeter? Like... sweet grass? I have no idea what to say about it or if I even like it, but I'm happy I got to smell it? Maybe it also needs some time to rest.
Alice Moving Under Skies (Honey, Tea, Water Lily, Cedarwood, Vanilla) - Like in Tasseomancy, the tea and wood notes are very prominent (duh) and the tea seems to be reminiscent of green tea. The honey is also there, making this very light and spring-like. It's a very light, sweet, sunny scent that kinda feels like flowing around in a field with a sundress and a cup of iced tea.
Gl1tch3d (Green Tea, Honey, Ginger, Satsuma, Plum Blossoms, and Faded Eyes) - Of course pretty similar to Alice, except this one is a bit more distinctly spicier? Has more of a kick due to the ginger. A lot of the reviews say this, but yeah, it basically smells like Arizona Iced Tea. So... like Alice, but with a bit more anger. Again, I can't really smell much of the florals, but that could be a me thing.
The Tarot Series:
The Moon (Sticky Honeycomb, Milk, Honeysuckle, White Gardenia, Water Lily, White Musk, Egyptian Amber) - Honestly, this became such an unexpected favorite of mine. I wasn't really looking for florals, but the milk and honey notes here got me. It ended up being one of my absolute favorites sampled. It's just so lovely... ethereal, calming, and a bit mysterious. The honey is there, and the florals come out later along with the milk to balance it out. My current go-to if I ever want to feel like an actual moon goddess. There's nothing really "dark" about it, but it is incredibly elegant and mature. Pretty easy FS for me.
Strength (Coffee, Marshmallow, Milk Chocolate, Coumarin, Brown Sugar, Whipped Vanilla Frosting) - So I'm not a very big fan of chocolate notes, and right out of the bottle this smells like pure chocolate. Fortunately, that fades and it becomes a lovely coffee scent. Like the most complex vanilla latte that annoys the hell out of the barista but smells amazing out of the cup. It's not an extremely strong black coffee like the name would suggest, it's a very sweet one. Although it's not what I'm looking for, I'll definitely use up my sample. Suggested for anyone that wants a nice sugary cafe scent.
The Devil (Blood-Red Pomegranate, Black Currant, Cherry, Plum, Fig, Violet, Sandalwood, Red Musk) - Honestly, just becomes red fruit juice and incense. Which is weird because incense isn't listed as a note? Honestly wish this was darker and more vampiric, but it's really just a sweet Hawaiin punch with an incense backing.
The Hierophant (Frankincense, Myrrh, Lotus Flower, Incense, Oakmoss, Red Musk) - A very wearable incense scent! Ironically more on the feminine, cleaner side. Some have complained of a detergent scent, and while I can see where that is coming from, I don't smell that much. It's a very bright, crowd-pleasing kind of incense. For what it's worth, I won't FS, but I also enjoy it. Good to wear both outside and to sleep.
The Star (Effervescent Water, Lotus, Pink Pepper, Nag Champa, Pineapple, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Egyptian Musk) - So there's no way I could be unbiased about this one since citrus is a death note for me. Buuuut the notes are definitely accurate. There's most certainly pineapple and pepper- that's mainly what I pick up. I'm sure this would be a sweet, fun summer scent for the right person. Unfortunately, I am definitely not that person.
I also received a sample of Judgement at some point. But I disliked it so much that I gave it to a friend that was sitting right next to me. Which is unfortunate because I could've at least written it down for this review. But I couldn't have been unbiased because... yeah.
TL;DR:
FS: The Moon, Tasseomancy, Hex
Like, but not FS: Succubi, Baby Bat, The Hierophant, Strength, Alice Moving Under Skies, Sea of Trees, Gl1tch3d
Not my thing: Black Phillip, Cyberpunk, Moon Sugar, The Star, The Devil, Judgement
Thank you all for reading! Also, lmk if there are any scents you love from this house. I'm thinking of potentially buying from them again next time.

I sat in the overstuffed chair, twiddling my thumbs and crinkling my nose at the rich aromas of the room. The psychiatrist’s office was a symphony of overwhelming and conflicting smells. Sandalwood incense mingled with Dr. Loyd’s cheap aftershave and the heavy tang of cigarette smoke. A faint but identifiable odor of ammonia, probably cat piss, seemed to follow him when he walked through the door.
My body shifted uncomfortably in the chair and I adjusted the patch over my right eye. The empty socket beneath throbbed with low but singing pain. I had lost the eye, useless as it was, two weeks earlier, and the pain medication didn’t seem to take the edge off. The stitches under my left eye didn’t hurt as badly, but the itching, swollen skin was maddening.
The smells made my eye water, but it was easy enough to play off. He thought I was upset about our sessions, and that was natural enough. Most people who see a psychiatrist probably cry for valid reasons. No one goes to see a shrink because things are going well. Not that things were going well for me either, but no, it was the smell of the piss and smoke and aftershave. It nauseated me.
That wasn’t his fault, though. I’ve been blind for the past twenty years and my sense of smell could get a bit overwhelming. Not that it was any more developed than anyone who had their vision, but I was just much more aware of it. I leaned into the senses I still had, sometimes to my benefit and sometimes to my detriment.
Complex dishes never tasted as good when I still had my sight, likely because I didn’t stop to enjoy the taste. On the other hand, my sense of touch is a mixed bag. A chair with rough fabric would drive me mad as the cheap fibers snagged on the dry skin of my fingers.
Give a little to get a little, I thought.
“Matthew, are you listening to me?” Dr. Loyd said suddenly. “We only have an hour each day and it will be difficult for us to make any progress if you don’t talk.”
“Sorry, Doc,” I stammered. My lips curled into a half smile as I fought back the urge to mention the smells. He wouldn’t think it was funny and it would most likely hurt his feelings. “I just get lost in thought from time to time.”
“I understand, but let’s do our best to stay on track. The district court and your case worker have given me five sessions to determine whether or not you remain a risk to yourself or those around you and I don’t want to send back a vague… or blank report.”
I sighed and straightened myself in the chair, imagining the smell of a freshly cut lawn to clear away the odor of the room. My mouth opened and I began to talk but nothing came out. My throat felt dry. Tears were welling in my remaining eye. Not the tears from the room's smell, but heavy tears of terror and anxiety. I wanted to explain myself to Dr. Loyd, but I was at a loss.
“You cut yourself, Matthew. When the officers found you, you had removed your right eye and had begun to cut out your left. If they hadn’t stopped you, I’m not sure you would have survived the ordeal. Both of the doctors from Western State Psychiatric report that while you were polite and compliant during your seventy two hour hold, you didn’t tell them very much. Talk to me, please. What caused you to hurt yourself?’
If you are enjoying this story, you can read the rest here.

I sat in the overstuffed chair, twiddling my thumbs and crinkling my nose at the rich aromas of the room. The psychiatrist’s office was a symphony of overwhelming and conflicting smells. Sandalwood incense mingled with Dr. Loyd’s cheap aftershave and the heavy tang of cigarette smoke. A faint but identifiable odor of ammonia, probably cat piss, seemed to follow him when he walked through the door.
My body shifted uncomfortably in the chair and I adjusted the patch over my right eye. The empty socket beneath throbbed with low but singing pain. I had lost the eye, useless as it was, two weeks earlier, and the pain medication didn’t seem to take the edge off. The stitches under my left eye didn’t hurt as badly, but the itching, swollen skin was maddening.
The smells made my eye water, but it was easy enough to play off. He thought I was upset about our sessions, and that was natural enough. Most people who see a psychiatrist probably cry for valid reasons. No one goes to see a shrink because things are going well. Not that things were going well for me either, but no, it was the smell of the piss and smoke and aftershave. It nauseated me.
That wasn’t his fault, though. I’ve been blind for the past twenty years and my sense of smell could get a bit overwhelming. Not that it was any more developed than anyone who had their vision, but I was just much more aware of it. I leaned into the senses I still had, sometimes to my benefit and sometimes to my detriment.
Complex dishes never tasted as good when I still had my sight, likely because I didn’t stop to enjoy the taste. On the other hand, my sense of touch is a mixed bag. A chair with rough fabric would drive me mad as the cheap fibers snagged on the dry skin of my fingers.
Give a little to get a little, I thought.
“Matthew, are you listening to me?” Dr. Loyd said suddenly. “We only have an hour each day and it will be difficult for us to make any progress if you don’t talk.”
“Sorry, Doc,” I stammered. My lips curled into a half smile as I fought back the urge to mention the smells. He wouldn’t think it was funny and it would most likely hurt his feelings. “I just get lost in thought from time to time.”
“I understand, but let’s do our best to stay on track. The district court and your case worker have given me five sessions to determine whether or not you remain a risk to yourself or those around you and I don’t want to send back a vague… or blank report.”
I sighed and straightened myself in the chair, imagining the smell of a freshly cut lawn to clear away the odor of the room. My mouth opened and I began to talk but nothing came out. My throat felt dry. Tears were welling in my remaining eye. Not the tears from the room's smell, but heavy tears of terror and anxiety. I wanted to explain myself to Dr. Loyd, but I was at a loss.
“You cut yourself, Matthew. When the officers found you, you had removed your right eye and had begun to cut out your left. If they hadn’t stopped you, I’m not sure you would have survived the ordeal. Both of the doctors from Western State Psychiatric report that while you were polite and compliant during your seventy two hour hold, you didn’t tell them very much. Talk to me, please. What caused you to hurt yourself?"
I sat for a moment, collecting my thoughts. Nothing I was going to tell him would make sense. Being returned to the mental hospital seemed almost inevitable.
“I suffer from traumatic optic neuropathy. A man hit me in the head with a pipe as I walked back to my dorm from class twenty years ago. The police said he must have mugged me since when they found me, my wallet was gone. I woke up in the hospital without my vision. The doctors said both optic nerves were damaged and they weren’t sure if my sight would come back. Two decades later, I can tell you it is seeming unlikely.” I laughed uncomfortably.
“Yes,” Dr. Loyd responded. “That is all in your report that I have here. What I am failing to understand is why you attempted to remove your eyes.”
I sighed as a new wave of hot tears poured down the left side of my face.
“I’ve been blind for twenty years, Dr. Loyd. Sometimes, though, I can see again. Just little glimpses. At first, it’s just a pinhole of light, but it grows. When it is finally bright enough for me to make out what is in front of me, I see terrible things. I don’t want to see them, Doc. It’s terrible. After the last time…” I paused, gulping deeply. “I tried to use my pocket knife to cut out my eyes.”
* * * * *
The first time I saw the small light was eight years after the attack. I had managed to finish my master’s degree and landed a job as a high school counselor. The first year or two was a bit rocky, but I found my stride. It took me longer than a lot of people to come to terms with their blindness, and it caused me to carry a chip on my shoulder. The students, who I expected to give me hell over my disability, were strangely amazed at my ability to live my life without sight and embraced me quickly.
Darron McNeil was one of my favorite students at the school. He had grown up in a rough neighborhood and had a loose affiliation with a local gang. Most of his teachers didn’t enjoy having him in class and as a result, I ended up mediating a lot of conflicts on his behalf. We met three times a week for two years to develop and maintain a graduation plan for him. I was continually impressed with how far he had come.
“Ms. Evans don’t like me, man,” Darron said, leaning close to my tape recorder. I always recorded my sessions to allow myself additional time to make notes. “I worked my ass… I worked my butt off on that paper and she still gave me an F!"
“Darron, you wrote a pretty astounding amount of four-letter words in the paper. I spoke with Ms. Evans and she has been impressed with your improvement in class, but she is concerned about your ability to decipher appropriate language choices. Do you think any better choices were available to you?”
The young man sat silent for a moment and I could hear him tapping his hand on the wooden arm of the chair. It was a nervous tic he had developed as his ability to control his temper had increased. When we first met, he would scream and cuss when you challenged him on an issue, but over time, that anger had dwindled into the nervous hand tap.
“Mr. Lindsey, she gave us an assignment to write an autobiography. You always tell me to be my authentic self and that’s what I did. Man, at school, I try and follow the rules. At home and with my boys, we don’t talk all proper and shit like we do here. I can’t be authentic and act like…”
Darron was still talking, but my attention was stolen away from him by the sudden bright pinhole of light blooming in front of me. I fixated on it and my heart raced. The doctors had told me, however unlikely, that my vision could return. There had been rare cases of vision suddenly returning years after massive head trauma. I wanted to laugh, to cry. I wanted to tell Darron what was happening and share my sudden joy, but the light was so mesmerizing I couldn’t look away.
The pinpoint of light began to swell, first to the size of an apple but soon bloomed to the size of a beach ball. It was beautiful and… for lack of a better word, blinding. I didn’t squint my eyes though, no, I kept them open and soaked in the magnificent glow.
Darron’s voice was still in the background, faint and almost forgotten. The light had covered my entire field of vision and the outline of a silhouette was slowly taking shape. A young man with rich, dark skin came into focus. His hands moved passionately to emphasize every point he was making. The red of his jacket and the blue of his pants blossomed into existence.
It was Darron McNeil, the student I had known so well but had never seen. He was there in front of me, talking rapidly, defending his position with passion and fury. His eyes were locked on mine and I could see their intensity.
As I opened my mouth to tell him I could see him, I was shocked as four shadowy figures began to walk toward him from the incredible brightness behind him. I expected to see their features become more defined as they moved closer, but they were nearly standing behind him and were still nothing more than colorless voids.
The figures halted behind Darron and looked forward at the wall just behind me. They turned their faceless heads toward each other and nodded in acknowledgment before looking down at Darron. Suddenly, the shadow men began to shake subtly in place, moving like staticky pictures on an old black-and-white television. Their movements became more violent and erratic before they finally froze in place again.
Without warning, all four of them lifted their arms toward Darron, guns in hand. The light gleamed and danced over their surfaces. Fear boiled over and I opened my mouth again, this time to scream, just as the guns discharged, riddling the young man before me with bullets. He went limp and the chair tilted to his right, dumping him on the floor.
I screamed and pushed myself back from the desk, preparing to run to Darron. Without warning, the light before vanished and I was washed over in total darkness again. As I tried to make my way around the desk, my foot caught a corner leg sending me sprawling onto the floor. My face connected with the cheap, thin carpet, and my thoughts became a swimming mess.
“Mr. Lindsey, are you okay?” I heard a voice say loudly, fighting to penetrate the volume of my panicked wails. It was Darron. “What’s wrong, man? You just freaked the fuck out!”
Darron helped me off the floor and back to my desk chair. I sat down heavily and rested my face against my hands. My mind raced as I tried to make sense of what I had just seen. I wanted to explain it to him, to assure him I was fine, that I had just had a hallucination.
But who would believe a blind man had seen anything?
I sent Darron back to class and promised to catch up with him later. My pulse was still hammering and I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack. The rest of the day was spent with my door closed, head down on the desk, breathing deeply, and trying to assure myself that everything was okay. It had just been some strange medical event.
I slept fitfully that night. My dreams were filled with shadowy figures hovering behind Darron, but he wasn’t in my office anymore. He was walking down the street, headphones running from his ears into his jacket pocket. His head bobbed rhythmically to the beat of unheard music as the dark things stalked him.
As he crossed an alleyway, four bright licks of flame erupted in the darkness and Darron fell to the ground. Blood pooled around him as his glassy eyes stared up into the streetlight overhead. An earpiece had fallen out of his ear and soft music drifted through the nightmare.
​
You know, I wonder if they'll laugh when I'm dead
Why am I fighting to live if I'm just living to fight? (You don't know?)
Why am I trying to see when there ain't nothing in sight?
Why am I trying to give when no one gives me a try?
Why am I dying to live if I'm just living to die?
​
I awoke the next morning feeling haggard and thin. The smell of my breakfast made me feel like I would vomit, so I scraped the eggs and toast in the trash and opted for a few cups of black coffee. The thermos was nearly empty by the time I walked into my office and slid myself behind my desk. I had just settled in the seat when I heard a knock at the door.
“Matthew, do you have a moment?” said a deep baritone voice. Mr. Harlow, the principal.
“Sure, have a seat. I’d offer you some coffee, but I’m about out.”
The legs of the chair snagged the carpet, filling my ears with the sound of sputtering fabric. Mr. Harlow sat down hard on the seat, his suit jacket rustling against the arms. I could hear the wet click of his mouth multiple times as he started and stopped, trying to form the message he wanted to give me.
“I spoke with the school resource officer this morning, Matthew. Something happened last night. Darron McNeil was shot and killed as he walked home from a friend’s house. I know he was one of your clients here and I just wanted to say I am…”
He kept talking but I was no longer listening.
* * * * *
It continued that way for years. Infrequent, but equally horrifying. Brief moments of light followed by a horrific scene I was powerless to stop. Visions of hateful creatures circling the soon-to-die like vultures waiting for a meal.
And who the hell could I tell? Psychiatrists would think I had lost my mind and there would be no way to prove it. Even if I could, there was no value in being correct. I never had a clear picture of what would happen until it was too late. Always a vague vision of the back figures mimicking how someone would die just so they could… what? Taunt me? Torture me?
Sometimes there would be dreams, but I was sure they were no dreams at all. Somehow I was seeing the thing as it happened. Watching these people die.
Four over the past twelve years. Darron was first and it mentally broke me for a while. I took a leave of absence from my job and when I returned, I had to transfer to another school across town. The place felt tainted and I couldn’t sit in that office for one more day.
The second was an old lady at the supermarket. It was nearly two years after the first. We chatted idly as we waited in line to pay for our groceries. The light bloomed and the shadow men appeared. I could see the frame of a sweet, crook-backed woman as she chattered on about her grandchildren. As she continued, a large shadow swept in from the right and left her withered body, bent and broken, on the tile floor of the grocery store in front of me.
She asked if I was alright. I was aware I had started to cry. I smiled and assured her I was fine before leaving my basket of groceries and walking out of the store.
Her name was Helen Bennett. She was a seventy two year old grandmother of seven. Loved by all that knew her, the reporter on the evening news had said as he described how the drunk driver had driven over her like garbage. She was crossing the street with her groceries. Hit and run.
The third was Marie. Darron was difficult, but Marie was the hardest. She was the love of my life. We met at the new school where she taught AP physics to disinterested juniors and seniors. Three beautiful years together. We were due to be married in six months when the little light appeared behind her.
We were eating dinner and she chirped happily about work and our impending trip to visit her parents in Vermont. A single dark figure began to grow in the distance, walking slowly toward Marie. I wanted to tell her, but I knew there was no way she would believe me. Instead, I decided to concentrate on what I saw and try to find a way to stop it.
Once the dark thing had stopped behind her, it lifted its hand and the long black fingers danced around her temples. For the first time, I could see her beautiful face, and I was sickened that it was framed in the obsidian hands of that awful thing. I fought back tears, watching the creature intently for the smallest clue of what may happen when it suddenly slipped a finger in each of her ears.
She stopped talking and her eyes glazed over. Her face went slack and she began to lean slowly toward the table until her weight became front heavy and her head slammed hard on the table. I looked down at her and saw a trickle of blood drip from her nose.
And then it was gone.
“... so we will need to get going around nine or so.” she said, her voice suddenly back in focus.
“Marie, I need you to listen to me. Something is wrong and we need to go to the hospital right now. I don’t want to scare you, but we need to get you to the ER and get you a CT scan. I will explain everything after we get there, but please, go get your shoes on and I’ll call a cab.”
“Ma... Matthew?” she stammered questioningly. “What has gotten into you?”
“Right now, please,” I said as calmly as I could. “I promise I’ll answer every question you have, but we have to go right now.”
Without another word, she stood from the table and walked to our bedroom to get her shoes. I called a local cab company and asked them to send over a car as soon as they could. It was a struggle to maintain a calm demeanor, but just that once I felt as though I had gotten ahead of the nightmare. Standing from the table myself, I headed to the bedroom to get my shoes and jacket.
“The cab is on the way,” I said, heading toward the closet. “Thank you, Marie. I’m sorry if I’ve scared you but I’ll try and explain as soon as we are there.”
I had almost reached the closet when my foot bumped into something heavy on the floor. Nearly tripping, I reached out and steadied myself on the wall. My stomach dropped as I knelt down and felt the soft fabric covering Marie’s back. I traced my hand quickly up to her face and felt the trickle of blood.
A brain aneurysm, my coroner told me. Usually not so sudden, but in Marie’s case death had been immediate.
She didn’t suffer, he said. An attempt to comfort me, I’m sure.
But I did. I knew it would happen and wasn’t able to stop it.
* * * * *
The last one was just a few days before the police found me on the street. I was foolish enough to think whatever it was had finally gone away, but no such luck.
My life had fallen apart. Depression had overwhelmed me and I finally quit my job. Going to school reminded me of Darron and Marie. I filed for Social Security Disability Insurance and moved into a smaller apartment that was easier to afford. I couldn’t even make myself go to the grocery store or a restaurant for fear of seeing the shadow men spring from the light behind some random person. I ordered almost all of my meals to be delivered. Takeout caused minimal contact. If I didn’t see people, I was unlikely to see that small bloom of light.
Two weeks ago, I ordered a pizza. As usual, I told the young woman on the phone to have the delivery driver just put it on the ground outside the door and knock. I would go out and get it after they left and sit in solitude as I listened to the TV and ate.
A half-hour after I placed my order, there was a gentle knock at the door. I waited a moment, counting to thirty in my head. That was the loose rule I had established. Let them knock. Count to thirty. Retrieve the food. It would be enough time for them to be far away from my door.
…27
…28
…29
…30
My knees popped loudly as I stood from the recliner and shuffled through the living room. The hinges of the door squealed as I opened it. I was just getting ready to kneel and find my pizza when a brilliant pin of light bloomed in front of me.
“Sorry, my dude,” said a gravelly voice. “I think I may’ve brought the wrong pizza and I wanted to check…”
I slammed the door. There was another gentle knock.
“Sir, I just wanna see if I brought you the right pizza. I know it said to knock, but…”
“Just leave it on the floor. I don’t care what it is. Just put it down and go away. Go home and don’t go out. If you feel sick, go to the ER. Dammit! Why did you have to be outside the door?”
“Are you okay, man?”
“Get the hell out of here!”
I heard footsteps padding down the hall and what I’m certain was the driver mumbling what a crazy asshole I was. Panic consumed me and I was gasping for air like a man who had been held underwater. My knees grew weak and I collapsed on the floor in front of the door.
When I was finally able to move again, I stumbled to the bedroom and climbed in bed. I fell asleep and drifted into a dream of an overweight man sitting in a recliner. He wore a bright red polo shirt with the embroidered emblem of a local pizza place. There was a needle in his hand and he slipped it carefully into his skin before depressing the plunger. He smiled peacefully and put his head back against the backrest, closing his eyes, his body going limp.
I watched as his body began to shudder lightly. Lines of vomit streaked from the corners of his mouth as he continued to shake. His chest began the heave heavily before slowing and finally coming to a rest.
It was the pizza man from my doorway, I’m sure. I guess it was heroin, but I’m not certain. Either way, I watched a stranger overdose on his recliner and choke on his vomit.
It was more than I could handle and I didn’t want to see anymore.
* * * *
“That is very interesting, Matthew,” Dr. Loyd said, sounding less convinced than concerned. He scribbled wildly on his notepad. “I can only imagine that having sudden hallucinations after years with no sight would be horrifying. While I’m no expert, there is a condition called Charles Bonnett Syndrome that..”
“No disrespect, sir, but it isn’t Charles Bonnett Syndrome. What I’m seeing, however horrible, is real. I went for a walk that night to clear my head but I just went deeper into a spiral. The only solution I could think of was to… well, you already know how the cops found me. I don’t want to see these things anymore.”
I thought I heard Dr. Loyd chuckle. There was no way to be certain, but I was fairly sure. And it pissed me off.
“Matthew, I know these things can feel very real, but I want to assure you that they…”
I held up a hand in his direction and he stopped talking. Adjusting myself in the chair, I turned to face him. His breathing grew shallow and I heard the click of his pen as he retracted the point and placed it on his desk.
“You’re balding with a scraggly mustache. There is a yellow spot on the collar of your sweater; mustard, I think. You wear glasses. I believe the frames are gold, but it’s hard to see.” Dr. Loyd sat in silence. “Do you smoke?”
“I… I do… but how…” he stammered, but didn’t finish his sentence.
“About five minutes ago a small bead of light appeared in front of me and you’ve slowly come into focus. Two dark creatures are standing beside you right now and their hands have drifted in and out of your chest dozens of times. It seems close to your lungs.”
The last thing I remember before the world went black again was the horrified look on the doctor’s face.
“I think you need to find some help.”

Hello everyone! I am back again with some perfume reviews from the lovely Nui Cobalt.

My Experiences

I have been exploring Nui Cobalt and their beautiful offerings since 2020. My first experience was with their 2020 Bees Collection. I fell head over heels for Liquid Luck (perfect green spring scent). Since then, I have made many a purchase, both samples and 5 mL bottles.
I have been really lucky to have the opportunity to receive and review press sample samples. This has allowed me to explore both Nui Cobalt more as a house, as well as go outside of my comfort zone and explore new perfumes and notes I would typically shy away from.
Nui Cobalt gets a lot of well deserved rave reviews. Forest is an amazing perfumer and visionary and Josh is lovely to chat with. Nui Cobalt makes beautiful, intentional perfumes, and overdelivers on their lightning fast turn around time (TAT) between placing an order and it being shipped. International shipping is also a breeze. Nui Cobalt is also quite responsive and has been able to swap scents out when I accidentally checked out with the wrong perfume!
I love Nui Cobalt’s various seasonal collections, and the creativity that goes into the different scents. Nothing feels slapped together and rushed. I also greatly appreciate their no FOMO marketing. You may miss out on a scent but there’s a really good chance it will come back the following year.

My Perfume Preferences

In case it is helpful, or in case you’re curious 👀, these are my perfume preferences:

• I prefer high longevity (lasts for an 8-hour workday) and medium sillage/throw (meaning you can smell it if you are close to me, but it won’t take up the entire room nor do you have to put your arm to your nose to smell anything)
• I am open to exploring different notes, or even notes that typically don’t work for me. Typically, notes that don’t work either for me or on me include smoke, oudh, oil (I typically amp these). I still try them though!
• There are certain scent families I gravitate towards (e.g., white florals, forest scents) and particular scents that I will always try out (e.g., pumpkin spice scents, gingerbread scents, soda scents).

Generally, I find Nui Cobalt on the softer side of sillage (not all scents though) but do have good longevity. One person aptly described Nui Cobalt’s sillage as an “aura”, as it delicately wraps around you but is still present. Without further ado, here are the reviews. :)

Nutcracker and Yule Collection 2022

Clara’s Courage (Notes: A multi-dimensional scent that begins with creamy pink rose petals and ripe apricot, warms to reveal hinoki wood, saffron, and mandarin, then resolves into a balance of opoponax and frankincense)

• Bottle & Wet: Sparkling sugar crystals, warm
• Dry: Smells like fresh sugar cookie decorated with sugar crystals, hint of apricot. Rose petals and frankincense appear through wear

Overall Thoughts: This initially smelled like a freshly baked sugar cookie decorated with sugar crystals; sparkly. On application, the ripe apricot peeked through. With wear, the creamy rose petals and clean frankincense became more distinct. Very pretty.
Low sillage and medium longevity (~4 hours before fades into a sweet skin scent).
Dew Drop Fairy (Notes: A verdant composition of crystalline waters dancing over lotus petals, bluebells, and mimosa)

• Bottle & Wet: Musky blackberry
• Dry: Musky bluebells and mimosas with crystalline waters (gives blackberry juice impression)

Overall Thoughts: Simple and lovely. It’s a musky floral scent, but the bluebells and mimosa swirl together to smell almost like blackberry juice. Very slightly sweet.
Low sillage and low longevity (faded after 4 hours).
Twinkling Fairy Lights (Notes: Golden copal and lemon sugar soften into classic cathedral incense and fluffy whipped honey, then nestle into dry vanilla bean and smooth white amber)

• Bottle: Well blended and hard to parse
• Wet: Got a whiff of a warm citrus note (lemon sugar)
• Dry: Well blended, warm, difficult to separate the notes but did realize it was cathedral incense and copal

Overall Thoughts: This scent is well blended so I found it difficult to tease the notes apart. When it was first applied, I got a warm citrus note (lemon sugar). Once dry, the cathedral incense and golden copal were more apparent. It remained a clean cathedral incense scent.
Low sillage and medium-high longevity (more than 7 hours before fading).
Ultraviolet Fairy Lights (Notes: Imperial iris and sugared violet soften into tonka butter, honey, and liatrix, then nestle into Dominican blue amber)

• Bottle & Wet: Raspberries and copal
• Dry: Iris, butter and honey, blue amber

Overall Thoughts: My sniffer was off - the bottle and wet phase really smelled like raspberries (tart, fresh) and cool (clean warm resin). If I think really hard, I can see how my nose misinterpreted the iris, butter, honey, and blue amber into raspberry and copal. A confusing scent for me.
Low sillage and longevity (~3.5 hours before it was gone).

Geeks & Gamers 2023

The Oracle (Notes: A luminous mist of pear blossom, honeysuckle, osmanthus, elderflower, steamed rice, coconut water, and jasmine green tea amid sandalwood trees)

• Bottle & Wet: Clean resinous scent
• Dry: Osmanthus and honeysuckle

Overall Thoughts: My nose was wrong - from the vial and applied, I thought it was frankincense! However, the osmanthus and honeysuckle came through once dried. Remained a clean floral scent.
Low sillage and low-medium longevity (~4 hours then faded).
Social Justice Ranger (Notes: An evergreen balsamic scent alive with dewy grasses, lush moss, chilled green tea, wild woodland berries and sweet resins)

• Bottle & Wet: Sweet woodland berries and a hint of tea tannins
• Dry: Sweet woodland berries, green tea (tannins), and sweet resins.

Overall Thoughts: Opened with wild woodland berries and sweet, clean resins. During the dry down, got the green tea tannins. The scent remained consistent throughout wear.
Low sillage and medium-high longevity (~5 hours before faded).

Valentines Day 2023

Choreophilia: Love of Dance (Notes: Wild violets, warm Earl Grey, Dominican blue amber, orris root, a handful of blueberries, and a touch of lime marmalade)

• Bottle & Wet: Sweet fresh blueberries

- Dry: Blueberries and floral Earl Grey tea, violets made a brief appearance

Overall Thoughts: This was interesting - the violets were not powdery (though I don’t mind powder) mixed with freshly ripe blueberries and floral Earl Grey tea.
Low-medium sillage and medium longevity (~6 hours).
Ergophilia: Love of Work (Notes: Antique oak, applewood, benzoin, dry allspice, maple sap, nutmeg, a scant drop of sassafras, and a twist of bergamot)

• Bottle & Wet: Dry smooth bark and resins
• Dry: Antique oak, dry allspice, nutmeg - eventually got dusty

Overall Thoughts: Smells like you’re sitting at a large wooden desk (antique oak, applewood, benzoin - smooth) that has been well taken care of and was previously inside a gentleman’s study. Lingering notes of cologne (spice). Eventually the notes became a bit dusty. Maybe because you rifled through papers.
High sillage and longevity (8+ hours and also stuck around after a shower).
That Spark (Notes: A champagne cocktail with ginger syrup, a swirl of grenadine, and a twist of grapefruit against a sultry backdrop of red satin musk and dark amber resin).

• Bottle & Wet: Ginger aldehydes 💕
• Dry: Smooth, ginger syrup, champagne, with a hint of sticky grenadine

Overall Thoughts: Strong opening of ginger aldehydes (champagne + ginger syrup), smooth and delightful. As it dried down, the grenadine popped up to add a sticky, syrupy sweet twist. The aldehydes disappear after around 4 hours, leaving behind grenadine, satin musk, and amber resin.
Low sillage and medium longevity (~6 hours before faint).
Swoon (Notes: A passionate potion of juicy mulberry, acai, and red plum gently spiced with cardamom, heady egyptian amber, wood musk, ambrette seed, and black silk)

• Bottle, Wet, & Dry: Pink! Comes across as cherry and honey

Overall Thoughts: The mulberry and açai, along with red plum, came across as cherry-like to me. It smelled soft pink though the notes make it seem like it should be purple or deep red. I didn’t get any of the distinct spice notes but they added a warmth to the scent.
Low-medium sillage and low-medium longevity (~4 hours before fades into vague berry scent).
Venus Derceto, Patroness of Sex Workers (Notes: Smooth sandalwood, tonka bean, marzipan, fresh coconut, and neroli, subtly spiced with ginger root, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove)

• Bottle & Wet: Buttery baked good / pastry
• Dry: Smells like homemade gingerbread (loaf)!

Overall Thoughts: The baked element is the ginger root, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and marzipan (not too cherry). This smelled like a gourmand on me. I didn’t get the sandalwood, tonka bean, coconut, or neroli. Over time, this fades into a less distinct gourmand perfume.
Low-medium sillage and medium longevity (~6 hours then faded).

Bees and Nui’s Favourite Things 2023

It’s Hive Code (Notes: Spring harvest honey, a faithful accord of rare Ghost Orchid, neroli and bergamot hand lotion, and a dark base of melted fudge)

• Bottle & Wet: Honeyed chocolate
• Dry: Honeyed dark fudge with florals

Overall Thoughts: This was mostly floral honey (no specific florals to my nose) on a base of melted chocolate fudge. I didn’t get the individual floral notes but it was apparent there were floral elements in this perfume. This one is unique to my collection and was a neat twist on a chocolate perfume.
Low-medium sillage and high longevity (8+ hours).
The Bees’ Carnival (Notes: Cotton candy spun from crystallized honey, fresh leaves of lemon verbena, blue raspberry drizzle, and a grounding smolder of sweet myrrh)

• Bottle: Light crystallized honey, gourmand pastry
• Wet: The honey went screechy once applied
• Dry: Crystallized honey, lemon verbena, and sweet myrrh

Overall Thoughts: Opened with light honey that smelled like buttery pastries to me, along with the lemon verbena (herbal freshness) and sweet myrrh. The honey went screechy when first applied, but that went away quickly. However, the lemon verbena faded quickly (around an hour) which catapulted this scent into way too sweet territory for me! Good if you have a sweet tooth (?nose?).
High sillage (could smell easily) and longevity (8+ hours).
Honey, I’m Home (Notes: Snowdrops and fresh nectar from their first petals unfurled, golden sunlight, yellow crocus, and warmed honeycomb)

• Bottle & Wet: Reminds me of the orange blossom honey from NAVA
• Dry: Nectar, floral (yellow crocus), warm honeycomb

Overall Thoughts: This scent reminds me of NAVA’s orange blossom honey accord, in that it is a light and delicate floral honey. It didn’t last long for me, but remained consistently lightly floral honey.
Low sillage and longevity (less than 3 hours before it was gone).
The Beekeeper’s Funeral (Notes: This comforting blend opens with gentle Bulgarian lavender and petrichor, then blooms with Casablanca lily, honeysuckle, and wet grass, and settles at last into a pillow of fluffy whipped honey)

• Bottle: Familiar floral - wet
• Wet: Lavender, Casablanca lily, honeysuckle, petrichor and wet grass, with a strong base note
• Dry: Lilies got stronger, whipped honey appears (Queen Bee)

Overall Thoughts: Opens with wet floral (Casablanca lilies, honeysuckle) and fluffy whipped honey. There was a strong base note during the wet stage, which I thought could be the petrichor because it disappeared throughout the wear.
Low-medium sillage and medium longevity (~6 hours).
Bee You Tiful (Notes: Honey-roasted pistachio and chestnut, pink magnolia, and sweet apple blossom)

• Bottle & Wet: Honey-roasted pistachio (not cherry), sweet florals
• Dry: Predominantly magnolia and soft apple blossom

Overall Thoughts: Opens as honey-roasted pistachio (not cherry-like) and sweet florals. During the dry down phase, the magnolias and apple blossoms appear (a la Nui’s Pixie). This is almost like a magnolia soliflore on me once dry.
Low sillage and low longevity (~3.5 hours before fading into faint floral scent).
Hive in the Wild (Notes: Budding maple trees beside a swift stream, snowdrops nodding over vernal pools, and dewy dogwoods offer a trove of nectar to fill a fledgeling hive)

• Bottle: Woodsy oudh
• Wet: Woodsy oudh with nectar (light sweet)
• Dry: Dry woods (sneezy for me) and nectar

Overall Thoughts: Starts out dry woodsy oudh scent, then the nectar comes out once applied. The dry wood notes initially have a sneezy quality (for me) but that quality doesn’t stick around. As the scent wears, it becomes more balanced between the woods and nectar.
Low sillage and high longevity (8+ hours).
Fairy Garden (Notes: Cool dewdrops cupped in clover leaves, early purple orchid, a porcelain thimble of green tea with oat milk, and frosted almond cakes served in an acorn cap)

• Bottle: Florals and honey
• Wet: Non-green, florals, honey
• Dry: Purple orchid, green tea (faint), almond cake and oat milk

Overall Thoughts: I expected more green out of this (because of the clover leaves) so I was surprised. Mostly I get the orchid, a hint of almond cakes (not cherry) and green tea, along with the oat milk. During the dry down, the clover peeked its little head through but disappeared quickly. By the end, the scent transitioned into baby powder on me.
Low sillage and medium longevity (~4 hours until faded into baby powder).
Breakfast (Notes: Buttered blueberry pancakes with Vermont maple syrup, warm cinnamon rolls, fresh squeezed orange juice, steamy black tea, and toasted almond croissants)

• Bottle & Wet: Delicious blueberry pancakes and maple syrup.
• Dry: Less blueberry but still obviously pancakes and syrup, cinnamon rolls appear.

Overall Thoughts: Opens as delicious blueberry pancakes and maple syrup! During the dry down, the blueberries disappear (lasts ~20-40 minutes total) and non-spicy cinnamon rolls make an appearance. The cinnamon rolls then become the dominant note and stick around until the scent fades into baked goods.
Low-medium sillage and medium longevity (~5 hours before fading into faint baked goods).

TL;DR

Top five ‘fumes!

1. Clara’s Courage - I liked the sparkly aspect, and the combination of rose and frankincense.
2. Dew Drop Fairy - adored the musky bluebell and mimosa combo.
3. Social Justice Ranger - fun forest and green tea scent.
4. That Spark - those aldehydes 🩷
5. Venus Derceto - smells like delicious homemade gingerbread loaf.
6. It’s Hive Code - the fudge and floral honey is a really interesting combination.

Hello there! I plan to buy some new soaps/ cream soon and I’m looking for advice. I’m looking for something with a similar scent to Zingari Man Navigator, which is my absolute favorite. Any offerings by Stirling, DR Harris or other brands with those notes? Also, which other Zingari soaps do you recommend? I quite like fresh scents, but no menthol or eucalyptus. Navigator is my reference, I also quite dig Stirling Sharp Dressed Man. Final question: Any opinions on eShave shaving cream? A store in my country has it on sale along with the balm (Sandalwood), and I also like Sandalwood quite a bit.
Thanks a bunch!
Ps: Is Clubman Pineaud shaving cream worth it? I can also get it locally for a “decent” price

Tl ; dr : I am looking to create a list of qualities of scents to shop for, I need help understanding the language and terminology of what I like.
Some backstory : I am on a journey to change my relationship with my body and food. I have been brainstorming non-food rewards for meeting goals and building new habits. Things like manicures, spa days, and I decided I would really like to buy a high quality (cost isn’t that much of a factor) perfume.
My tastes in scents are a bit varied. And when I listen to information about perfumes or read about them I have trouble understanding the information/words used.
Here are some scents that I have enjoyed (these range from cheap body sprays to perfumes sniffed at high end perfume counters):
Gwen Stefanis Harajuku G B&BW Dark Kiss Calvin Klein obsession Tommy Hilfiger Tommy girl Good Chemistry Day Dreamer Sexiest Fantasies love struck Viktor & Rolph Flower Bomb Pacifica Flower Moon Pacifica Dream Moon Pacifica Neon Moon Eau de Juice 100% chilled
My mom used to burn incense and I really like patchouli, sandalwood, and frankincense smells. I also like the smell of coffee and most spices and herbs but I don’t tend to buy sprays with cinnamon or coffee or vanilla because they are “sweet”. I am not likely to ever buy a “birthday cake” scent or an apple pie scent.
I think I like scents with lots of layers but I think I prefer a stronger “bottom” note.
I know that perfumes behave differently on different bodies so what I would really like is some help distilling this list into some common “themes” or “notes” that I can look for when I shop. Or maybe there are specific terms for the types of perfumes I should look for.
Tl ; dr : I am looking to create a list of qualities of scents to shop for, I need help understanding the language and terminology of what I like.

TL;DR it has some resemblance to Aventus for her but somewhere in the middle it turns to obnoxious synthetic screechy musk blob. This gets worse and worse with time and that's a beast frag. I've felt the same screechy musk in Mancera/Montale. It would be a good dupe if it got stuck in the opening/initial stages.
I blind bought it as female Aventus was only a like for me and I prefer the men's version. For “like” only I’m not paying that to Greed.
So I read so many reviews mostly positive and for that price I was like - why not.
Direct comparison with Aventus for her when sniffing on skin: They have the similar idea but LaF has really bad execution, both to me tend to be unisex not "purely" female. Overall they are differently structured - this one is all over the place probably because it's a beast (great longevity and projection, which is great for such fresh scent) compared to the OG (sat close to my skin) - the OG is a perfect symphony transitioning gently through all phases, this one is really chaotic where pineapple, flowers, sandalwood, cedar just "pop" all together. In this one there's way more pineapple and variety of fruits in the opening, it’s just like they’ve counted on pineapple to feel like “any” Aventus, the OG one hit me with lemons and there’s no pineapple in it as per pyramid notes. Biggest difference here is the musk and the overall dry down - L'aventure has waaay more musk on my skin, a bit too much for my preferences and even screechy and irritating, while I barely caught it in the OG. OG one dries like the men's version which I enjoy and that's the part which makes me constantly sniff my bf when he wears it.
Direct comparison with Aventus for her when sniffing in the air: L'aventure is better in the air than on my skin (musk is too much), people seem to enjoy it a lot and in the air it presents closer to the OG, the insanely good dry down of the OG is’t really there. The one in the OG Is prominent and "clean" and actually really good.
At the end of it all no matter skin or clothes LAF gets to a terrible screechy synthetic musk and I dislike it... a lot. If I smell this on someone I’ll definitively know it’s not the OG, it’s just super synthetic especially this musk… MUSK MUSK MUSK, horrible musk. I’m still contemplating throwing/giving it away. Or most probably will leave it to macerate and see if this fixes it a bit.

Join Vista Local ACORN members for a Tenant Speak Out TOMORROW, April 15th at 12 PM at 2826 Sandalwood Dr to demand Hazelview lower the rent increases to 2.5%!!
More information here: https://forms.gle/Q782KkDKVosBH83H6
Online action here: https://acorncanada.org/take_action/hazelview-raises-rent-6-20-in-herongates-vista-local-fight-back/

Hey everyone -- there's a lot of detail below, but it's organized as favorite to least favorite. And here's a link to my last post, where I speak to some of the products that I skip mentioning here.
Product reviews

• iS Clinical Active Serum 5/5
  • Summary: This is my HG exfoliant. It's the perfect strength for my skin. p50 was perfect before I started using retinoids (although I never tried the lower strengths), but this formula is the perfect formula to purify my oily T-zone while not causing irritation on dry-tending cheeks.
  • Cost: $88 for 15mL
  • How I use it: Either in the AM or PM, every other day (alternating with a retinoid). I use 5 drops on face and neck, applied with my hands on dry skin.
  • Ingredients:
    • Lots of common suspects: glycerin, butylene glycol, alcohol denat., phenoxyethanol. None of these are terrible worth going into, although super sensitive folks may have trouble with the alcohol denat.
    • Arbutin: skin-lightening ingredient that works differently than Vit C or licorice, so their effects can be complementary.
    • Salix Alba (willow) bark extract: natural source of salicylic acid.
    • Saccharum Officinarum Extract: natural source of glycolic acid.
    • Bilberry extract: blueberry-like fruit with soothing and anti-aging properties. It's a strong antioxidant due to the anthocyanins in the fruit (which give the skin its dark blue color).
    • Polyporus Umbellatus Extract: source of kojic acid, which has skin brightening properties. It is also antimicrobial, according to the iS Clinical website.
    • Menthol: this one is controversial. It's listed as an irritant, and I certainly don't want to dispute that. I also know that menthol is used in a wide variety of formulas (e.g., IcyHot), so I think it's worth trying and maybe backing off if you have trouble.
• Tata Harper Superkind Softening Cleanser 5/5
  • Summary: It feels like washing your face with floral honey, and it really does calm the skin. A 100% RP.
  • Cost: $88 for 125mL
  • How I use it: Everyday once (try to minimize since it's pricey). In the shower and rinse. Sometimes on dry skin.
  • Ingredients:
    • A powerful suite of emollients (which I'm OK with as an oily-combo skin type since it's a cream cleanser): evening primrose oil, apple seed oil, castor oil, jojoba seed oil, squalane, grape seed oil, and sunflower oil. Note these are all mid-low comedogenicity.
    • Lactic acid serves as a very gentle exfoliant, although % is not listed.
    • Olivem 1000, which is a combo of ingredients used to emulsify the formula. However, Olivem 1000 puts the products into a liquid crystal structure, which is supposed to absorb into the skin with increased efficacy. To look for Olivem 1000 in a product, look for Sorbitan Olivate and Cetearyl Olivate.
    • Soothers in this formula are abundant (hence "Superkind"): prickly pear, calendula (#1 ingredient), and chamomile are the stars.
    • Magnolia extract is another ingredient worth mentioning in this formula: it's a popular addition for Nivea as well. It has antioxidant, antimicrobial, and softening effects.
    • There are a number of natural surfactants (it is a cleanser after all): decyl glucoside, and shea butter glycerides as the primary ones.
    • As for all of Tata Harper's products (that I know of): there is fragrance. If you're super sensitive, proceed with caution.
• Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser 5/5
  • Summary: This is a physical/chemical exfoliant mix and is loaded with natural goodies in classic Tata fashion. It works well with the resurfacing mask, and is an effective formula for increased shine and deeper subsequent product penetration.
  • Cost: $88 for 120mL
  • How I use it: Twice a week, once with the resurfacing mask (see below for details).
  • Ingredients:
    • This is a physical/chemical exfoliant mix: physical exfoliants include kaolin clay, apricot seed powder, and rice extract. These are quite small and I have found to be pleasant as a compounding abrasive agent. For chemical exfoliants, we have Salix Alba extract and pomegranate enzyme.
    • Some more under the radar ingredients: Olivem 1000, radish root extract, superoxide dismutase, which is an effective antioxidant for protecting against reactive oxygen species (ROS).
    • Aloe juice is near the top of the list and is soothing (as we know).
    • Plenty of other good emollients in this formula as well (sunflower seed oil, olive oil).
    • Lots of powerful fruit extracts in here, too (classic Tata): elderberry extract, alfalfa, and meadowsweet are the major ones. These are mostly antioxidant and antimicrobial actors in the formula.
    • There are a few potential irritants in this formula, so maybe try the small size first to see if it agrees with your skin.
• Obagi Professional-C Serum 10% 5/5 There are only 5 ingredients in this formula, with AA as one of them. It's a good alternative for me vs. SC CE Ferulic since it's less comedogenic. It will oxidize quickly (as I've heard) so I usually keep this in the fridge. Retro-fitting a pump (vs. dropper) is a good idea, too. It smells good, too. It's $94 for 1oz. I use it after cleansing in the AM.
• EltaMD UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46 5/5 Enough has been written about this brand and formula, so I'm not going to dive deep here. That said, it's physical/chemical and broad spectrum, has niacinamide, lactic acid, and is oil-free. It's a great option for sensitive, acne-prone skin. The tint was too obvious for my skin, so I prefer the clear version.
• Tata Harper Clarifying Moisturizer 5/5
  • Summary: If you have very oily skin, I would maybe avoid this formula. There are a number of somewhat comedogenic oils, but it may still be worth a try as comedogenicity is not always 1:1. It's a gorgeous formula and truly unique. My skin is oily-combo, and it works (and smells) like a charm. 100% RP.
  • Cost: $130 for 1.7 fl oz.
  • How I use it: I absolutely love this moisturizer. I use it everyday during my morning routine.
  • Ingredients: Same idea as the mask. I can't speak to everything in this…you'd have to be a cosmetic botanist to do that…
    • A number of interesting oils in this formula which tend to not be comedogenic: sandalwood oil, squalane, apple seed oil, evening primrose oil, sea buckthorn oil. Sandalwood oil is high in Ximenynic acid, which is a potent anti-inflammatory agent. Evening primrose has a lot of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well, although it falls in the middle of the comedogenicity rating. Sea Buckthorn oil is also an-"it" oil recently. It's also high in antioxidants incl. vit C., regulates sebum production, has antimicrobial properties, and obviously moisturizes (source). Since this is a formula for blemish-prone skin, the formula is sebum-conscious. That said, if you have very oily skin, I would test before committing to the full bottle.
    • Lots of soothing agents in here: Aloe, calendula, lactobacillus ferment, arnica, multiple types of HA, tremella extract (mushroom with outstanding humectant properties).
    • The antioxidants in this formula are powerful (including the oils mentioned above): borage leaf extract, Tasmanian pepper extract, fermented bamboo, sea fern extract.
    • As far as anti-acne agents, Zinc + Salix Alba bark extract are the main factors.
    • There's also Alpha-Glucan oligosaccharide, which is supposed to be beneficial for the skin microbiome.
• SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel: 5/5
  • Summary: So this serum is a go-to for me as someone with combination skin that tends toward redness. A 100% RP. 5/5.
  • Cost: $78 for 30mL
  • How I use it: The serum is something I put up to augment any active I use, and I love it for that reason. It’s hydrating, calming, and smells good, and it ultimately is the most frequently used product in my routine.
  • Ingredients: There are a number of interesting ingredients in this formula:
    • Olea Europaea Leaf Extract is olive leaf extract, and it’s shown some promise in this study (although it’s a small group, not double blind or randomized, and technically doesn’t meet statistical significance thresholds). That said, PC has great things to say. Major benefits are improvement in skin texture, some photoprotection, and antioxidant properties (high in catechin and rutin, both bioflavonoids).
    • There’s also cucumber fruit extract, which has moisturizing (no surprise, it’s 95% water), antioxidant (some Ascorbic Acid, some flavonoids), and conditioning properties. Cucumber is one of the rare instances of a non-sensitizing fragrance.
    • This formula also has grapefruit extract and thyme extract — consensus from outside SkinCeuticals seems light to mid on both of these.
    • The formula has a small amount of Morus Bombycis Root Extract, which is derived from mulberry and has arbutin in it, which as we know is good for skin lightening as it’s a hydroquinone derivative.
    • There are a few icks in this formula (fragrance, linalool, etc.), but overall I have found it to be very calming and pleasant.
• Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Sleepair Intensive Mask 5/5
  • Summary: This is a thick, non-comedogenic formula with intense soothing effects. It will likely pill, but it's intended for night use, so that shouldn't be an issue. I prefer this to the SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Masque. Will RP.
  • Cost: $42 for 110mL
  • How I use it: I only use this for irritated skin, which it promptly resolves over night.
  • Ingredients:
    • As far as moisturizing factors, this product has over ten humectants: propanediol, glycerin, trehalose being the highest on the ingredient list
    • There are a smaller number of emollients: only true oil being moringa seed oil, which is far down the ingredient list. Point being: this product is thick but has not been comedogenic in my experience.
    • The real power of this product is in the soothing ingredients it offers: gotu kola (cica) being the featured #1. Gotu Kola contains a number of active compounds, including madecassoside, which has been shown to work as a wound-healing agent, an anti-hyperpigmentation agent, and a soothing ingredient potentially effective for atopic dermatitis (eczema). There are more soothing agents in this formula—without listing them all, suffice it say that Dr. Jart+'s chemists know what they're doing.
    • There is also Niacinamide, Curcumin extract, Adenosine, Cacao seed extract, and other antioxidant ingredients for a nourishing blend.
• CeraVe SA Cream for Rough and Bumpy Skin 5/5
  • Summary: It's a standard (not lux) product which is effective for KP. It works.
  • Cost:
  • How I use it: I use it on the body (esp. on the thighs). 2x/day.
  • Ingredients:
    • It's a thick formula (lots of ceramides, corn oil, paraffin, mineral oil, cholesterol), but it's interestingly not comedogenic (also because it's indicated for body use vs. face).
    • In terms of actives, we have lactate, vit E, salicylic acid, niacinamide, and phytosphingosine.
• SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ Serum 5/5
  • Summary: A multi-tasking superformula with growth factors derived from human fibroblasts. It's very expensive, and it's something that I don't think I will repurchase (not because it doesn't work) but because anti-aging isn't my #1 priority. While my skin is young, I'm focused on anti-acne and hyperpigmentation, but for folks who want to improve collagen and elastin production, this is it.
  • Cost: $295 for 1oz.
  • How I use it: After microneedling at home, once or twice a week.
  • Ingredients:
    • TNS (total nutrient system): this is a medium that is harvested from propagated human fibroblasts. This medium is rich in nutrients and signaling compounds that trigger collagen and elastin production.
    • Lots of other goodies: peptide complexes such as whey, lactococcus ferment, algae extract, usual suspects for humectants, fruit extracts such as apple and grape, pullulan, lecithin (for creating liposomes which deliver actives deeper into the skin).
• SkinCeuticals LHA Cleansing Gel: 5/5 — with caution
  • Summary: This is a strong cleanser and should only be used for folks with oily skin. It has a cooling effect, which is pleasant, but the combination of actives in this is no joke. If you have really congested, clogged pores, I would recommend it. It's cheap enough, and strong enough, that I only need a bit and can use it as a semi-regular purge. It's an RP for me.
  • Cost: $42 for 240mL
  • How I use it: I usually only use it in my T-zone, leave it on for no more than 3 minutes and rinse.
  • Ingredients:
    • Sodium Laureth Sulfate: Chief Bubble Officer. Less irritating than Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.
    • Glycolic acid: most researched and effective AHA. We know this sloughs off the top layer of dead skin cells.
    • Salicylic acid (SA): an HG for acne treatment. Is lipid soluble so it can penetrate more deeply into the sebaceous gland and provide a better decongesting effect. This is in addition to exfoliating properties acting at the skin surface (although inferior to glycolic in that respect).
    • Capryolyl Salicylic acid (LHA): this is a compound developed by L'Oreal to be a more lipophilic version of SA, providing better penetration. The study is from 2007 and 100% sponsored by L'Oreal but you can read it here03022-2/fulltext) if you're interested. There is some hubbub about pregnancy safety; do your own research on that front if that's applicable to you.
    • Menthol: provides a nice cooling but can be sensitizing. PC is pretty adamant against it, but I don't really give it too much stead. They cite pretty old research. I don't think my skin has been sensitized from it. There is some newer evidence of it promoting wound healing.
    • Sorbitol: A sugar substitute that acts as a humectant. Interestingly, it can also act as a prebiotic. Certain bacteria on your skin can convert sorbitol into beta-glucan, which calms the skin. Beta-glucan is partially responsible for the calming effect of oats and seaweed
• PCA Clearskin Lightweight Moisturizer: 4/5
  • Summary: Overall, I find this product to be hydrating and non-offensive. To be honest, I don't know that it surpasses my OG in this category (non-comedogenic moisturizer) which is Neutrogena HydroBoost Water Gel. Although, if you need something more emollient than that, this is a very good option.
  • Cost: $57 for 1.7oz
  • How I use it: This is a good option for night time for those with oily skin. It might be too thick to put under an occlusive sunscreen during the day esp. if you run oily. Otherwise, daytime fine, too.
  • Ingredients:
    • Ethylhexyl Isononanoate (say that 5 times fast) is the primary emollient here, and to be honest I can’t find much in the way of research on this compound. That said, I really trust PCA because your ingredients must really be top notch if you’re going to have the most bland packaging known to man. Murad and EltaMD also seem to be fans of it, which is a good sign. There are a number of other emollients, preservatives, and viscosity controlling agents which are probably not worth mentioning (they're pretty inert as far as those go).
    • Borage seed oil has a comedogenicity rating of 2 (out of 5, 5 being instant pimple) and is very high in GLA (gamma linolenic acid) which PC considers to be a "best" rating. There is some good consensus that it has skin regulating properties (eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, etc.).
    • Other calming ingredients: aloe, calendula, cucumber, chamomile (bisabolol). Has glycerin as well (although not too much).
    • There is retinyl palmitate, which is a bit confusing to me, to be honest. If you're making a moisturizer for oily skin, I don't know why you would include one of the least active forms of vitamin A.
• SkinMedica HA5 4/5
  • Summary: I think this is probably a miracle product if you have deep wrinkles. The five different types of HA are going to sit on various levels of the dermis, provide different hydration profiles, and sustain moisture in different ways. For me, as a younger person without deep wrinkles, it's nice but not worth the $ for me right now.
  • Cost: $184 for 2oz
  • How I use it: Usually replaces a proper (?) moisturizer during daytime for me and put sunscreen on over.
  • Ingredients:
    • 5 types of HA. I'm not going to go through them, but there is crosslinked (bigger HA, which sits on top of skin cuz there's no way it's penetrating any deeper), hydrolyzed (smaller version but SkinMedica doesn't give the weight so hard to say exactly where it's going to land in the skin), plus the regular HA. I actually see 3 obvious HAs in the ingredients, not 5. Someone help.
    • Texturizing compounds (HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Cross-p, polymethylsilsesquioxane) which give it a really nice slip feel
    • Pullulan (mentioned this last time) but this is the compound that tightens the skin and is used to create the Listerine sheets.
    • Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract (grape seed), which PC loves. It's antioxidant containing and many of them at that (resveratrol, anthocyanins, flavonoids, etc.)
    • Vibrio alginolyticus ferment filtrate: This is actually a pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium, but this is obviously not a live form of it. Hard to find a lot of info on it, but it seems like%20organizes,exopolysaccharide%20synthesized%20by%20kopara%20microorganisms.) it claims to be helpful in epidermal organization.
    • Porphyridium cruentum extract which is a red algae derivative that has zeaxanthin, which is in the vitamin A family and has photoprotective properties. Jury seems to be out on efficacy.
    • Moisturizing factors: Serine, Urea, Trehalose. Urea is interesting because it does have a function in rejuvenation (by breaking down a protein called filaggrin which helps organize the keratin in the skin at the top layer). This is thought to free up amino acids in the ECM.
    • Skin communication ingredients: Whey protein, Plankton extract
• Tata Harper Repairative Moisturizer 4/5
  • Summary: It's not for me since my skin is oily, but it's a fab product if you're OK with emollients and fragrance (very well harvested and preserved via pump).
  • Cost:
  • How I use it: Since my skin is oily/combo, I don't often use this to be honest. This would be perfect for daily use for dry skin types or those that can get away with a product that gives some more shine.
  • Ingredients: Simply too many to list. Check them out here.
• SkinMedica TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream: 4/5 Also not going to go super in depth here. TNS is the same as mentioned above, but this formula is a lot cheaper and has a much more emollient feel. I only use it post-procedure. Will RP when I have another procedure (esp. microneedling or Morpheus).
• SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic: 4/5 Not going to say a whole lot here. But I did figure out that the Vit E in this way causing some closed comedones, so I had to stop using it on the face. Won't be RP for that reason.
• First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream: 4/5 Want to revise the record and say that I do believe this broke me out a few times on the face. Great for dry areas on the body, eczema, or post-procedure. Not great for face if oily.
• SkinCeuticals AGE Eye Complex: 4/5 since I am 26 and advanced glycation end products probably not a huge issue for me
  • Summary: I wrote a review of this in my last post, and I don’t think much has changed, although I do think that I can effectively minimize any irritation from this product with applying a small amount. I’ve taken a deeper dive into some of the ingredients.
  • How I use it: Just a little bit below the eyes in the morning
  • Cost: $105 for 15mL
  • Ingredients:
    • First off, like 7/10 first ingredients are about viscosity and skin-feel and that definitely comes through when you apply the product. It’s hard in the jar but slips on the face very nicely. This is also good for ensuring it lasts a long time.
    • There are also a number of compounds that scatter light such as Nylon-12, reducing the appearance of fine lines.
    • It also obviously features Pro-Xylane (thanks L’Oreal). I tried to find some independent research on this (and this is the closest I could find). Basically L’Oreal claims that it helps restore the ECM (extracellular matrix, which is where collagen, elastin, and many of the other things responsible for skin appearance lie).
    • We also have Ascorbyl Glucoside (AG) in this formula, which makes sense regarding skin firmness and lightening. Jury is still out on in-vivo skin penetration of AG but it does create a reservoir of Vit C in the skin because it takes time for it to be converted into ascorbic acid (AA).
    • There is caffeine in this formula as well, which we know is an antioxidant and helps with circulation.
    • There is some UV protection from titanium dioxide.
    • There’s also Hesperdin Methyl Chalcone which is derived from citrus and has blood vessel protecting properties. It’s at minimum an antioxidant and at maximum can help reduce dark circles due to its effect on vasculature.
    • There’s anthocyanins in the form of bilberry extract but it’s far down on the ingredients so who knows how impactful that is.
    • There are also a number of peptides in this formula which should help contribute to a firming effect.
• Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask 4/5
  • Summary: This is a cult favorite from an iconic brand in the Green Beauty space.
  • Cost: $68 for 1oz.
  • How I use it: I use this once a week with the Regenerating Cleanser (as Tata suggests), which I use on dry skin and then layer with this mask. Leave on for 5 minutes, rinse, and my face feels great.
  • Ingredients: If I had to write a complete summary of ingredients for all of her products, we'd be here all day & I would hit the word limit. So I'm going for an abridged approach.
    • The primary active in this product is Salix Alba Bark Extract (willow bark) which is a natural BHA source.
    • Despite being a resurfacing mask, there are a number of effective soothing complexes in this formula, namely 2 types of aloe. You could argue that Beet Root is a soother as well, although it's primarily a source of antioxidants and functions as a humectant.
    • There is lactobacillus ferment, which Estee Lauder introduced in 2009 as a DNA repair enzyme and an antioxidant. There's also pomegranate enzyme which is extract using lactobacillus, although this functions more as an exfoliant.
    • Radish Root Extract, which you'll find in Dr. Barbara Strum products + some (all?) versions of p50. This works both as a preservative in the formula but also as an antimicrobial on the skin.
    • Kaolin clay — a gentler alternative to Bentonite which work as a mild abrasive and oil-wicking agent.
    • Note there are a number of irritants in this product, so if you're sensitive to fragrance, be cautious.
• Maya Chia The Straight A Gentle Retinol Treatment 4/5
  • Summary: I used this for 2 weeks. For the first week, my skin had a glow like no other. For the second week, I broke out. It's comedogenic for folks with more oily-type skin.
  • Cost: $125 for 30mL
  • How I use it: At night, after cleansing and a serum (optional).
  • Ingredients:
    • Lots of strong emollients which are plant derived and serve double duty as antioxidants as well: Chia seed oil, Rose hip oil, Raspberry seed oil, Buriti oil, Sunflower seed oil, Vitamin E
    • Encapsulated retinol optimizes the retinol delivery system into the skin, and keeps it fresh for longer
    • Natural retinol alternatives: Moth bean extract and bakuchiol which promote cell turnover (retinol's main mechanism of action)
    • Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (THDA) is a form of vit C which has shown promise but is less proven than straight up AA.
• Neocutis Lumiere Firm Eye Cream 4/5
  • Summary: I really like this eye cream and I might RP. I love the pump, and I love the packaging. It does make a difference and my sensitive eyes tolerate it well. I wonder if it has been slightly too thick for my oily skin even though the eyes and cheeks run drier.
  • Cost: $108 for 15mL
  • How I use it: In eye area (not above) once a day, very small amount gently rubbed in
  • Ingredients: Not going to go into too much detail here: it has caffeine, vit C (as THDA, AA, and ascorbyl palmitate), beech tree bud extract, lecithin, HA, licorice extract for brightening, peptides, growth factors, and chamomile. It's a multi-pronged formula with a lot of promise and gentle but effective actives.
• Consonant Hydrextreme 4/5
  • Summary: This is an excellent humectant product. It's very simple. I will not be RPing at this time because it's a bit too simple for me + feels like it doesn't go as far as some of the other options in this space.
  • Cost: $112 for 30mL
  • How I use it: After actives, before moisturizer, with wet hands.
  • Ingredients:
    • Glycerin: it's probably the least offensive and most popular humectant. You probably already know it :). This is a high concentration formula that is not tacky or sticky.
    • Cassia Angustifolia Seed Polysaccharide: this is a plant sugar with emollient properties and is a good source of antioxidants (source).
• Aveeno Tone and Texture Renewing Night Cream 3/5
  • Summary: It's a good product. The PHA exfoliant is not quite strong enough for my KP so I will not be RPing, but it's a good choice if you have more sensitive skin on the body.
  • Cost: $10 for 8oz on Amazon
  • How I use it: On the body, roughly twice a week.
  • Ingredients: I love the way that Aveeno breaks down the ingredients so see here if you're curious.
• Tata Harper Body Revitalizing Oil 3/5 Not going to do a deep dive here. The ingredients are quality, but it's too small of an amount for the price (considering that it goes on the body so you need much more).
• Tata Harper Resurfacing Body Serum 3/5 Same thing here. It's a fabulous formula but it's way too expensive for how much you'd need to use on the body. The bottle might give you 15 uses on the full body, which is just hard to justify.
• SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Masque: 3/5
  • Summary: This is a calming masque and SC claims it decreases your skin surface temperature by something like 5 degrees (ok). It's been sitting almost full in my cabinet for a while — it's nice but won't RP unless it's for post-procedure for something majorly irritating (phenol peel?).
  • Cost: $66 for 60mL
  • How I use it: Almost never lol. Would be great for post procedure.
  • Ingredients: There is not a whole lot of extra detail to add here as compared with the gel described above. There are a few additional ingredients that are worth mentioning: Acetyl Dipeptide-1 Cetyl Ester is a dipeptide that has skin calming and fibroblast protecting properties (PC agrees but here's the link to buy it raw if you want to experiment yourself yikes).
• SkinMedica AHA/BHA Cream 2/5
  • Summary: It is confused about what it is and who it's for. I don't understand why there's so much more bilberry extract than exfoliants. I understand that these can be irritating products, but it feels like SM is putting the cart before the horse here. It should exfoliate first and foremost, and for me, it doesn't. No RP.
  • Cost: $48 for 2oz
  • How I use it: Almost never. It's probably fine to use morning and night, but depends on your face + wear SPF always but esp. in the AM if using AHAs.
  • Ingredients:
    • Lots of Bilberry extract (2nd ingredient)
    • Moisturizing/calming: Aloe, Glycerin, Squalane, Chamomile (2 types), B5
    • Natural AHAs: Sugar Cane Extract, Orange Fruit Extract, Lemon Extract. To me, these are not astringent enough to be effective. Perhaps it's the rest of the moisturizer and emollience of the rest of the formula, but I just don't feel that this sloughs off the dead skin in the way that I want it to.
    • There's also BHA (Salicylic acid), Vit E, and Vit C (as ascorbyl palmitate). Like I said — confused.
• Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay 2/5 Not going to go in depth here. I don't think I'll ever *have* to RP (since it's huge), but I don't think I would. It's very good for removing sebaceous filaments and pulling oil from the skin. It's a bit strong, but it's a good option if you struggle with oil control.
• Avene Eau Thermale 2/5
  • Summary: It's just water.
  • Cost: $20
  • How I use it: On my face
  • Ingredients: Mineral water. Be careful — it's pH 7.5. If you put this on immediately after any actives that require a narrow pH range (e.g., AA, AHAs/BHAs), you are going to inactivate them.
• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask: 1/5 Not going to go in depth here. Will not RP. It works but so does Aquaphor.
• Darphin Intral Inner Youth Serum 1/5
  • Summary: No change noticed during 2 months of use. Fragrance is a bit sickly-sweet. Will not RP.
  • Cost: $50 for 15mL
  • How I use it: At night after an irritating product (retinoid or exfoliant).
  • Ingredients:
    • Chief function of the serum is soothing: it has panthenol, chamomile, and Alteromonas ferment (which is used across the cosmetics industry as a soothing agent).
    • There is moisturizing action here, too: glycerin, glycosaminoglycans, castor oil (low comedogenicity). This is obvious from the serum nature of the formula, but it's certain not a moisturizer in and of itself.
    • Peony extract is one of the chief ingredients and scents. Cannot find anything about the benefits of this.

In the queue next for me: is Clinical Cleansing Complex, Herbivore's Nova and Bakuchiol, Chebula Serum by True Botanicals, SkinCeuticals Retexturing Activator, Glytone Brightening Cleansing Powder, and UltraCeuticals Vitamin A serum, Vivier V-Stat Scar Gel — any experiences or thoughts are welcome!!

Super late Part 2 of my vanilla/patchouli thunderdome! Link to part 1
​

• BPAL Snake Smut (Snake Oil and Smut with leather accord, cardamom, and 7-year aged patchouli.)

vs.

• BPAL Snake Oil (deep, rich earthy notes swirled with vegetal musks, sugared vanilla bean, and dark spices.) (Snake oil does not have patch listed as a note but I've heard people say there's patch in it so I'm including it. Also this is a bottle from 2022.)

Snake Smut, where do I begin, this stuff is so good. It's magical on my skin. Even when freshly applied, it is perfectly melded to the skin and has a "lived in" sort of feeling that other scents only reach during the dry down. The cardamom is a good balance of spicy and earthy, the leather well-worn and subtle, patch is present but blended in so well it's hard to pick out, and the musks blend it all into my skin. As it dries the cardamom steps down, and vanilla musk steps up. It becomes more like Snake Oil, but less powdery and sweeter + muskier. There is something biteable about this scent, take that as you will haha.
This is a scent for seduction, hedonism, and taking myself on dates. Overall: 100/100
Snake Oil goes on a bit powdery, but it's pleasant, not bathroom-powdery (it reminds me a tiny bit of Shalimar, except Shalimar goes unpleasant-powdery on my skin). It's a bit brighter than Snake Smut, less skin musky and more vanillic. I really adore it, it's a grown-up vanilla musk, with cozy powder and a hint of earthiness and spice (no spices listed in the notes but I do smell a subtle spiciness).
This is a scent for feeling elegant during a cozy night in. Overall: 90/100
Pitting anything against Snake Smut is unfair, given that it is a god tier scent in my collection, and the only thing I have ever bought a backup bottle of. Also, I am so sorry to sing such high-praises of a limited edition scent. Snake Smut wins!
​

• NAVA Mr. Hessian (Chai Spices of Ginger, Clove and Green Cardamom, Black Patchouli, Black Cedar, Sumatra Benzoin Resin, Vanilla Bean and Bourbon Vanille)

vs.

• Hex Witchboard (dark patchouli, amber, cardamom, vanilla)

Mr. Hessian opens with sweet spicy chai and a hefty dose of patch. I adore NAVA's patch, it reminds me of rich soil and tree roots in the best way. As it dries it gets sweeter and creamier. It truly feels like drinking a very rich chai in a cozy cabin. I love wearing this in the fall and winter (I always put a drop on my scarf). It makes me nostalgic for the winter of last year, when we had a lot of storms and I spent a lot of time doused in this scent.
This is a scent for coming home after along day of wicked deeds and getting cozy with some tea. 90/100
Witchboard opens with a huge cardamom note, and as it dries it sweetens and I get vanilla + patch. The patch goes really menthol as it dries on my skin, combined with the cardamom, it's almost metallic and it borders on giving me a headache. It's a very deep and spicy scent. Something about it just feels very dark and wicked. After more time, the amber comes out more and it gets sweeter and more vanillic. It's gorgeous and I want to love it so bad, but it's just a tiny bit too sharp/headachey for my tastes.
This is a scent for wicked deeds at night (except I had to go home early bc I had a headache and I'm sad about it). 70/100
Mr. Hessian wins! If it weren't for the headache, this would have been a very tough choice.
​

• NAVA Voyageur (Black Patchouli, White Patchouli, Vanilla Bean Liqueur, Hinoki Wood, Incense Smoke accord, Smoked Black Clove Bud with Mahogany wood and Agar wood, Black Agar Oudh blend essence and aged whole Madagascar vanilla beans)

vs.

• BPAL The Red Ribbon (Red silken musk, sweet patchouli, ho wood, amber velvet, parchment, bourbon vanilla, and goat’s milk accord)

Voyageur is very smoky, with spiced black patchouli. There's more wood notes as it dries down, NAVA's oud reads pretty smoky to me as well. Smoke notes tend to go barbeque sauce on me, and this aaalmost does, but there is a subtle vanilla sweetness in the drydown that saves it from BBQ. The drydown is lovely, spicy, sweet vanilla and patch. At this stage it feels like a darker, punkier sibling to Mr. Hessian.
This is a scent for late-night motorcycle rides. Overall: 80/100
The Red Ribbon smells a bit like caramel when first applied. It then turns into what I can only describe as "luxurious spiced Christmas candle". It is creamy, rich, spicy, and reminds me of the holidays. As it dries there is kinda of a discordance between red musk, cream and incense. I can’t tell which note is the culprit, but it smells like a new age shop + a public restroom… after abt an hour the bathroom-ness goes away, and it’s just red musk + rich spice. It's pleasant at the end but the first hour is not worth it.
New age shop musk and… spicy bathroom powder Overall: 40/100
It's very clear, Voyageur wins!
​

• NAVA Etherian Ambre (Amber (NA Studio Accord), Cola Root, Sarsaparilla Root, Black Patchouli Wood, White Vetiver, Bastet’s Amber Absolute, Vanilla Pod, Cacao Bean and Australian Sandalwood)

vs.

• Alkemia Trick or Treat (black licorice, mandarin orange peel, caramelized brown sugar, bourbon vanilla, candied ginger, tonka bean, blonde patchouli, cedar tips, oakmoss, and sandalwood)

Etherian Ambre starts off with a gorgeous slightly piney amber note (I am not familiar with either the NA studio amber or Bastet amber so cannot tell them apart, honestly it reminds me a bit of Solstice Scents Amber Coeur), with a lot of things in the background, it's complex but really well blended. I had to take a second to figure out what I was smelling because there is so much going on. The cola and sarsparilla notes are like drinking a sweet, spicy, vanilla cola with a lemon wedge in it (might be the piney-amber giving me a citrus impression). I don't really get any patch, but honestly I don't think I'd be able to tell it apart from the cola/sarsparilla/literally everything else. As it dries, it's pretty well-balanced between amber and cola. I love me some cola-scents, and this might give Prestosuchus a run for its money because I think I prefer this amber over the Limestone amber.
This is a scent for when you wish you were drinking HOT DR PEPPER inside of a cozy and ancient hollowed out pine tree. This will get a lot of wear come fall/winter. Overall: 90/100
As for Trick or Treat, I was not expecting these to be at all similar going in, but I think the cola/sarsparilla of Etherian Ambre and liquorice of this give them a similar feel, at least initially. This is a brighter, more herbal and citrusy scent, with no amber. It feels less like cola and more like a vanilla-ginger-lemonade concoction. As it dries the orange-peel/ginger chills out, the background notes show themselves. It's vanillic and woodsy, with a hefty herbal dose of black liquorice, and while it's very sweet, the oakmoss keeps it from smelling entirely like a dessert. This is a rare occasion where oakmoss has played well with my skin and not overtaken everything. I never thought I'd describe liquorice as being sexy, but this scent is a bit sexy.
This is a scent for when you feel mysterious and elegant, but also a little biteable. Overall: 85/100
I cannot resist cola scents, Etherian Ambre wins!

I had few expectations when it came to the scents I chose. I'd previously enjoyed Dulcis In Fundo from Profumum despite the longevity only being so-so. This is a trio to see if I'll bother with the brand in future.

Dambrosia

Notes: Pear, Almond, Fig, Sandalwood
Figgy figgy fig with a smooth almond and wood base. A decent alternative to Philoskykos EDP? Probably. But its more simplistic. You'll get the fig you want with a softer base of sandalwood instead of cedar but it's a solid option. Easily something to layer.

Sorriso

Notes: Bitter Chocolate, Bitter Orange, Exotic Woods
Exactly what it says in the notes. Its a dry cocoa chocolate with a hint of orange, but the orange goes away fairly quickly. So the woods and bitter chocolate mix together to create this simple and lovely dry chocoaltely smell. So easy to layer with if you want a dry chocolate smell over top/underneath another scent. Barely sticks around after an hour and a half though.

Vanitas

Notes: Vanilla, Myrrh, Orange Flower, Sandalwood
The same warm and sweet vanilla we all want basic vanilla scents to be, at the beginning. Orange flower comes after, but I'm unfamiliar with myrrh as a note. I have to guess the depth in the scent is coming from that. Once its dried down though you are mainly left with vanilla with that touch of orange flower in the background. Again, encouraging layering unless you want it to be your "going to bed" scent.
​
TD;DR Thoughts: I like Profumum's minimal approach to their blends, and the simplicity the scents give to layer without it getting complicated. Personally I don't find the price tag worth the mere hour to two of longevity. Kind of the forgotten sibling when it comes to approachable scents though. I'd place it alongside Jo Malone and Shay & Blue in terms of approachability as well as longevity, but the projection is hug levels only (at least with the 4 I have now tried) and the price tag is a "you decide if its worth it to your wallet" level of preference.

i recently ordered 12 samples from bdk (only 11 reviewed because tabac rose had emptied on it's way to me. the parcel smelled lovely though so i'm sure i would've loved tabac rose). here are my (mostly) first impressions which i wrote as i was trying the scents, one each evening while going to bed. but let's remember that scent is very much subjective: for example the ones i didn't enjoy from bdk, my sister loved, so take these reviews with a grain of salt. these were mainly written for my own pleasure but thought it might be fun to post. also a disclaimer, i'm a little stingy with my reviews so anything 5/10 or over i actually enjoy. without further ado, here are my reviews in order of trying them:
• wood jasmin
heavy on the incence. hated initial spray which gave me major vintage vibes, smells like an old wood house with a freshly opened jar of plum jam. slightly warming up to drydown (plum, incense, balsam, amber). scent bubble is -almost- a pleasant ambery plum. don't love it when smelled straight from my arm, but scent bubble is interesting. wouldn't personally wear this tho. 3/10
• gris charnel
apparently went anosmic to this one. got slight wiffs of it within 3 hours but after i had reapplied twice (~8h of wear altogether) my mom said it smelled so potent it bothered her, even though i couldn't smell it at all anymore. quite creamy and spicy (weirdly kind of reminded me of a mix of coffee break and autumn vibes from replica) in the opening but later i got wiffs of only fig and black tea (reminded me of a jo malone fig scent, cant remember the name). pleasant but not wow. mom said smells like a stuffy, uncleaned mans shirt with old deodorant. personally got none of that. would wear but not a love for me. 5.5/10
• bouquet de hongrie
kinda generic but still very pretty. sparkling florals with fruitiness from the strawberry. people are definitely not wrong to liken this to chanel chance eau tendre. very pretty but not wowing. would wear but not my type of scent profile so wouldn't purchase for myself. 6/10
• velvet tonka
marzipan. i get mainly marzipan with what i think is the rose oil which adds a more mature aura to it, making it non-gourmaundish. favorite so far but drydown was unfortunately a little bit stuffy imo, which makes me like it a little less. would wear but not an everyday scent. 6/10
• pas ce soir
once again getting generic feminine designer frag. reminds me of a specific frag that i cant put my finger on (l'interdit maybe?). i can see people liking it but it's nothing special to me. kind of actually makes me feel sick with how sweet it is. wouldn't wear it myself. 3/10
• tubereuse imperiale
im not very familiar with floral notes so i don't really pick up much other than the tuberose. to my nose the tuberose is similiar to that of armani my way. the base notes are quite subtle other than the vanilla. overall very sweet, kind of bubblegum-y. pleasant, very pretty if you enjoy sweet floral scents. would wear, and definitely want to give this a try closer to spring, but not a love for me. favorite so far though. 7/10
• rouge smoking
first one that made me think "wow, this smells really good!". dr pepper opening. delicious cherry and vanilla, a little moody, but not too dark or smoky. sweet with an edge. strong like but not love. with more wear i've started to love this but unfortunately longevity is not great. but this review is about the actual scent, not performance, so i'd still give it a 9/10.
• creme de cuir
smoky and leathery with a hint of fruitiness. after initial spray, the fruitiness picks it up a little. ok liking dry down more, getting pineapple suede. well blended, unisex, interesting. scent bubble is more fresh, but when i sniff my arm it smells quite leathery still. pretty sure this would work year round. I'd say strong like again. 8/10
• gris charnel extrait
need to give this another try, i feel like i don't really remember it well. (wrote this review in the morning). gris charnel but darker & spicier? quite nice. think I'd prefer to smell this on a man than myself. tried it again, i've got nothing more to add. 4.5/10
• nuit de sable
my dogs favorite. he wanted to lick my wrist constantly (i wouldn't let him obviously). very much sandalwood. once again, i'd prefer this on a man. i do kind of get the sand note which is pretty cool. like i said, i think i would love this on a man but not really something i would necessarily want to smell like. i'd say this is more unisex than gris charnel extrait though, so more wearable for me. after a while turns a bit smoother and sweeter. later becomes a little soapy? like in a nice handmade bar of soap type of way. 5.5/10
• french bouquet
initial spray: wow this smells like chanel no5. after that i just get aldehydes. very intense aldehydes. honestly i have a hard time smelling the other notes. mature, not really for me. if you like chanel no5 or aldehydes maybe you'd like this. wouldn't wear personally. 2/10