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Black Phoenix Academy for Wayward Ghouls - Strawberry and coconut. It’s funny I don’t think I’ve ever seen those two notes combined before. It’s nice, very summery, think lounging by the pool drinking Kool-Aid and slathering on the coconut sunblock!

Soil-adjacent vetiver, with medicinal mint and lavender accents, and faint traces of a rather harsh bourbon. Vetiver is very hit or miss on me and it’s just a bit too graveyard-y for me here.

A gentle and kind blend indeed. Honeyed rose, sweet an lovely. Just the lightest hint of sweet/sour strawberry. I’m not getting any of the carnation, lavender or other notes listed. It does give me positive, calm feeling. Let’s see how long I can retain that at work, that’ll be the real test lol.

I’m getting a combination of the lab’s slushy-sweet note, mixed with warm animal musk.  It’s like Snow White + nuzzling in fur.  No rose at all for me, oddly! The whole slush thing is hit-or-miss on me and here it’s veering toward too sweet, and sour from the musk, not a good combo for my particular skin chemistry.

Just a perfect sleep blend for the sweetest of dreams. Sugared, creamy lavender. Actually not buttery. But so sweet and calming. I want this piped through the air vents into my surroundings 24/7 honestly.

 Well it’s a chocolate brownie so obviously it’s amazing lol. And it’s like the kind Martha Stewart or Ina Garten would approve of, with coffee and cardamom added to amplify and compliment the chocolate. And the caramelized amber is there too, with its syrupy sweet warmth. Fancy gourmet notes notwithstanding, this is a sweet, decadent, gooey, fudgy comfort scent you wanna sink your teeth into. That cardamom is just so dang interesting too! For real! It keeps popping up and confusing my nose in the best way. I definitely already own enough chocolate scents yet I’m still gonna want a bottle of this!

Dragon’s Blood, Honey, and Copal - Three of my favorite notes and they suit each other so perfectly. The syrupy golden honey amplifies the sweetness of the dragon’s blood and copal, while at they same time they retain their resinous sharpness and spiciness. Immediate bottle order! Could not love it more!

Love at first sniff for this spicy/sweet resin blend. So rich and concentrated, I would describe it as dark-brown (the vibe, not the oil itself), syrupy like cola or aged balsamic vinegar. A touch of medicinal quality from the balsam which does seem to be the star note of this blend. It’s definitely going on my bottle wishlist!

Honey lemon cakes, and the flowers of Dia de los Muertos maybe? Cake and flowers together, feels offertory. The lemon is bright but the freshly-baked cake note is the strongest. Good stuff!

First, the rose sugar is intriguing and all the honeys. But really this could be single note smoked cacao on my skin. It’s so strong, that note. Two minutes later, a hint of the blackstrap molasses appears, along with the distinctive “cola” note, benzoin. It’s going well…molasses and cacao pair well together. Over time, it gets more complex, with more of the honey coming out, a buttery richness. Worth trying for sure! I imagine different notes come forward on different skins. My husband says I smell like cinnamon sugar and vanilla, go figure!

A lovely light floral bouquet. Moonflower is always ethereally pretty. The gardenia, sweet and lush. They are opposites. The labdanum’s earthy musk is the only non-floral note I pick up. No mosses or rose jumping out at me. It’s pretty!

Looking for espresso and cream…but I’m getting heavy cinnamon, with just a hint of coffee and cacao. Now, I love my cafe de olla, but is this a mixup? There’s nothing tiramisu or funnel cake about this, just cinnamon coffee. Hmm.

What a lovely nostalgic autumn blend. Even on a hot summer day, it takes me to a time of crisp air, leaves falling, smoke from a warm fire. There’s a touch of licorice maybe? Something I can’t identify. I’m also noticing the tart, fruity apple peel note. I’m not picking up the cinnamon, but that’s ok. Wow, just gorgeous, and so well balanced, you get a little of everything!

Crisp, clean green tea, brightened with a pop of juicy sweet plum. I’m not picking up any jasmine. This is perfect for a hot Texas summer, light and refreshing but lots of fun as well.

Fantastical, fun. I’m calling it Eddie Munson cologne The sharpness of pine pitch offsets the rich, resinous dragon’s blood. I’m not getting any clove but I do sense some red musk, maybe. A powerful magical scent, like for a wizard. Love it. Oh wait 10 minutes later there’s the clove! Want a bottle.

Lighter than I expected. The red musk is the prominent note, but it’s not as bold as it usually is on my skin.  It plays well with the strawberry which is still ripening on the vine, a little green. And I’m not finding the rose at all. Anyway, if you want a berry blend that’s more “ladies perfume” than fruity/foodie novelty, try this out!

 Not as sweet as I expected. The strong tea is the prominent note. Just a touch of brown sugar and a dollop of smooth cream. It’s foodie, but elegant. A keeper.

Wow, just the white chocolate and coconut hit me at first, and what a buttery, rich, fragrant confection. Can I eat my arm?? I’m not getting the spice of carnation and clove to be honest. But what I have is a luscious creamy coconut, so does that really matter? New favorite coconut scent, even if a couple of the notes are AWOL.

Gorgeous! Lush rose with sugar and vanilla. I love sugared, creamy floral blends. The orris butter is hiding. The skin musk adds warmth and makes it blend in with my skin, acting as amplifier for the rose and sugar notes. I want a bottle!

Cacao and patchouli, always good friends. The lovely sweetness of not only the brown sugar but vanilla and benzoin as well, gives it a Mexican hot chocolate vibe (but with cardamom instead of cinnamon). Like brewing hot chocolate and burning incense. Ritualistic, protective, a warm blanket of a perfume.

Wow, this is a special one. Honeyed hazelnuts and rose. Plakous “cheesecake” can also be translated as “placenta” but in this case it’s definitely referring to the cake definition. I’m not getting anything specifically cheesecake or goat’s milk. The rose fades quickly and so do the hazelnuts. I’m left with a general “caramel” vibe. I wanted it to stay as complex and gorgeous as it started out.

Sweet cream, and the lab’s lovely soothing oat note, with hints of almond and fig. I just love their oat blends! Like Gunpowder or Sweet Lavinia’s Risalamande (well that’s rice but it’s similar – creamy, comforting grains).  The creamy cereal blends are so dear to my heart! Definitely need to stock up on this!

I’m getting a strong coconut note with an equal helping of hazelnut. I’m not picking up any lavender. This is a rich, creamy, coconutty blend that’s super nice, just not a sleep blend I expected. But a nice surprise.

A light honey/buttercream perfume. Very pretty, reminds me of classic buttery cream blends like Chaste Moon. Not getting any chai really. There are definitely spicier blends out there. Maybe a hint of marshmallow but not giving “scorched” or “on a stick”. This perfume isn’t very strong on me. I might layer it. The chai does appear eventually but it’s very faint.

Sweet ripe strawberries and blueberries, with TONS of honey and cream. This is made even fruitier by the Kool-Aid-like lotus root. I’m not getting any lavender, maybe the slightest hint of ylang-ylang spice.  It’s just VERY sweet. I don’t know, is it too much? More research is needed.