Claire-of-the-Valley

They’re not kidding about the bonfire smoke. XD Both in the bottle and when I first put it on the scent of smoke is overwhelming. There’s also something I can only describe as a food note. It’s not the apple. Possibly the cinnamon? It reminds me of burnt almonds or something like that. So, yes, at first it’s pretty intense. As it dries down I can detect the dried leaves and the apple. Maybe charred cedar. All in all, this really makes me think of a forest on fire in the middle of fall. Possibly an apple orchard on fire. The softer notes of sandalwood and amber never really peeked through for me. It’s an effective scent but may be better for scenting a room than for wearing. Still, I will say that it's growing on me. I think that, depending on how this ages, it could turn out to be a favorite.

Out of this collection, the description of A Hundred Years Ago spoke to me the most. This is a strongly citrus-y scent followed by sea salt and wooden planks. It really evokes being on a ship in bright sunlight without land in sight and I love that.

This isn’t quite what I was expecting. It reminds me of champa but with more of a food quality, which is most likely due to the plum. I'm not really getting any lavender note. The combination kind of makes me think of perfumed bread. Now that I've seen other reviewers mention saffron, I think that may be some of what I'm picking up on. It's not a bad scent, but it's not one of my favorites either.

The blue-white musk is the most readily recognizable part of the scent for me, both on my skin and in the bottle. It’s a soft, almost-but-not-quite powdery smell. It’s overall very cool (the mint and eucalyptus at play) and quite refreshing. The mint/eucalyptus element adds quite the zing in contrast to the soft nature of the musk, which is almost like ozone. I can just make out a touch of frankincense as it dries down. I really like this one. It’s soothing, but also makes me feel a little more alert . It's both ethereal and wispy. Great for studying or anything of that nature. Very enjoyable stuff!

When I first smelled this in the bottle I was very hesitant. It just smelled like straight-up juniper mixed with pine needles. It was overwhelming. I'm very happy to report that it transformed into something truly incredible when I actually put it on! On me it became a warm, woody scent filled with coniferous trees. There's a distant hint of something almost smokey like a bonfire with a backdrop of sweetness as if a bit of amber were added to the mix. In short, pine needles, amber, wood, smoke (although it may be too clean to be smoke?), and a touch of juniper. I know this is marked as "limited edition" but this would be well worth keeping around. Love the cause, love the scent. It's an instant favorite!

This is a favorite of mine and one that evokes happy memories. The scent itself is cold, powdery, and very clean. If I had to guess at some of the notes I would say a touch of lavender, lemon, and possibly cucumber as others have said. There's something kind of "fuzzy" about it as well, which is what I think most people mean by "powdery" and on me that is the dominant scent. To put it mundanely, it evokes a dryer sheet, but I need to emphasize that I mean this as a very good thing. (^^)" I have fond memories of this sort of clean scent wafting through the chill evening air and those moments always felt very tranquil, much as this scent does. Ignoring the dryer sheet comparison, I can see how it's Holy Water as well. The cold, aquatic side very much matches the description. A winner all around in my book!

Honestly a little puzzled by this one! I wasn't very familiar with any of the three ingredients, so I knew I was in for an adventure. Both in the bottle and when I first put it on my immediate association was baby powder. For more detail, it's a kind of faintly aquatic, powdery scent with the barest touch of what I'm going to describe as a root kind of smell? Not quite earthy, but close enough. Very clean. Not how I'd describe baby powder exactly, but somehow it's quite similar. This one stays close to the skin and in many ways results in a "skin amplified" kind of scent. I imagine this will be great for layering. In short, I do like it; it's subtle and inoffensive. As an aside, I also really enjoy the seven word story; so tragic and evocative.

Starts out smelling a lot like anise or licorice (not the candy though) or possibly fennel but with a bitter undercurrent (the wormwood). Nice, but a little off-putting mostly because scent of wormwood tends to make me ill. However, as it dries the wormwood takes a backseat to the anise and a newly-found aquatic note. I've never had absinthe, but this smells exactly like what I would expect it to. Overall, I like it although I don't think I'll need more than the frimp and occasional imp.

A lot of people have mentioned bubblegum, but I really don't get that from this. I would say it's kind of citrus-y with a backdrop of baked goods. Someone mentioned pineapple above and I agree; I could see that and maybe a touch of vanilla. Definitely a sweet scent regardless and a very happy one. Food scents are hit-and-miss with me, but I quite like this one and would say it's some joy mojo indeed!

One of my all time favorites. I would buy a full bottle of this without a moment's hesitation if one were ever made. The thought there probably won't is a little soul crushing. On me it's the blue cypress that's strongest and I just love it. It's not "cologney," it's a very realistic take. The smoked vanilla and amber form the backdrop and give it a wonderful sweetness. I'm not familiar with benzoin, but from what I'm reading I think it plays its part in smoothing everything out. All in all, the whole thing takes me to a sunny, wintry wood where spirits are high. Absolute joy.

This scent has grown on me a lot since I received a frimp and has now become a favorite. To me it smells of sweetened earth with a touch of coconut. A mild, warm scent that takes me to sunny days spent gardening. Very calming, very lovely.

I never tried the original scent, so this review is for the 2021 version. Overall, I quite like it although it starts out stronger than I'd like. It's a very green scent, overwhelmingly so at first. To me it very much smells like freshly cut flower stems just taken out of a water-filled vase. In other words, it makes me think of a flower shop. I definitely get greenery more than lilac, though as the scent dries they begin to creep through. I'd say on dry down it ends up more of a faintly musky aquatic with a hint of lilac. I'll admit this one doesn't immediately evoke a forest in my mind, especially not a lilac one, although I can see how it's supposed to (aquatic notes=stream, greenery=flora, etc.) but there is something unusual and pleasant about it all the same. I'd say it improves with wear and the scent, once dry, lasts a very long time.

I really love both violet and rose, so this scent was almost guaranteed to work for me and I'm glad to report it did! On me it really feels like a perfect balance of violet and rose. The rose layer is sharp and sweet while the violet rounds it out and makes the whole scent deeper, a few steps away from being a musk. It doesn't ever seem to be especially powdery, but it is somewhat heady. Has good staying power and doesn't transform. It maintains the same scent quality through and through.

I'm a big fan of how this scent has turned out! In the bottle it smells very strongly of both fruit and leaves and came across as kind of sour, but once I put it on it softened quite a bit and once it dried it became phenomenal. I think I can detect apricots, pears, and peaches. Maybe a hint of cherries? Something reminds me of apples as well. As for the dead leaves, they became more sun-warmed over time. Not sour at all. All in all it has a very cozy, pastoral vibe about it.