dancingchair
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Pink Moon: Sugar Crystals and Mandarin
dancingchair replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Wet, I get a realistic approximation of the experience of peeling open a mandarin orange. There's even the same halo of bright citrus and bitter orange peel spritz if I smell my wrist up close. As it dries, this smells strongly like that sugared orange gummy candy. The sugar crystal note sometimes veers into powder territory, but never quite gets there. It's more like a sweet cloud of sugar. This is pretty straightforward, but it's what I was hoping for from this duet. -
Pink Moon: Wild Strawberries and Patchouli
dancingchair replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Wet, this is strawberry candy and strong, earthy patchouli. As it dries, the strawberry settles and becomes less candy-sweet. I swear there's a green element to the strawberry, like you got a big bite with the stem and leaves. The patchouli is great, although I think it blends well with the strawberry as it dries. During the wet stage, it reminds me of the peppery patchouli in Schrödinger's Checkmark, but the strawberry softens this patchouli much more than the marshmallow in that perfume. Honestly, I like this a lot. I think it stands out among my patchouli perfumes because of how the patch plays with the strawberry note. -
Worm Moon: Bourbon Vanilla and Teakwood
dancingchair replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
This is simple but very nice. The teakwood is dry, almost like sandalwood. Sandalwood is often high-pitched and sharp on me, but this is a mellow wood. It almost smells a bit aquatic somehow, but this is not an aquatic perfume by any means. The vanilla is gorgeous. It's not foody, but it's clean and maybe almost the slightest bit floral. I feel like this one would be very fun to layer because I feel like this duo is a component I'd love in so many things. It's not complex, but it doesn't really need to be because both notes are fabulous. -
Wet, this is a big bouquet of petrichor and indolic florals. As it dries, the gossamer vanilla takes over. It is a sweet vanilla, but it's not rich enough to become gourmand to me. It's almost got a sugared note to it, but almost like a lace doily spun out of delicate strands of sugar. There is a definite fabric note to this, but it doesn't turn into a clean laundry perfume at any point. The florals stick around into the dry phase, but they become a faint ghost of their loud presence during the wet stage. The indoles also calm down significantly, which I like because I'm particularly sensitive to that quality in a floral. The petrichor is still present during the dry stage, but it's more like the smell of rain drifting in through the cracked window of a dusty attic rather than the full blast during the wet stage. I don't get a ton of moss from this one, generally. It's more of a background player. I know I compared it to a dusty attic earlier, but there is definitely a sunny, golden quality to this perfume. Maybe it's the unlisted sugar note I get mixing with the petrichor or the golden silk note, but there's something almost fruity and juicy in here. In a weird way, it reminds me of I'm Close from the 2023 Lupers. If you were curious about that one but scared by watermelon, this might be interesting to try? Or maybe my nose is broken. 😆 If you like fabric notes and vanilla, this is probably a safe bet. I don't think it goes too aquatic or mossy, but I am a person who enjoys aquatics so maybe grab a decant if you're super sensitive to them.
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Wet and in the bottle, this is a fruity floral explosion. As it dries, the plum settles considerably and it becomes a peony-forward floral. Lurking beneath the soft peony note is the white rose petal note.It is definitely rose petal and not the whole flower. It's not full and floral enough for the entire bloom and it's not green enough to include the stem. It is a supporting floral, so it really just adds velvety depth to the peony. The snow-laden cherry trees aren't as strong as the florals, but they're ever-present in this perfume. The snow note leans aquatic to me, like melted slush weighing down the boughs of the tree. The wood note is grounding, but more of a supporting note to the florals. I can't tell if there's cherry blossom here. I think it gets eaten a bit by the peony and plum notes if it is. The plum note is truly just the juice, staining the petals of the early spring peony. It is sweet and sometimes I swear it's sugared. I don't think it darkens this perfume much at all, which I would describe as a white/pink floral. I think this is a little soapy on me, but I don't think it's a bad thing. It's clean and pleasant, perfect for a warm spring day. It's not screechy or harsh, but it does have good throw so a little goes a long way.
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Snow Moon: Coconut and Icicles
dancingchair replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
My impression is the same as the other reviews: straightforward coconut and a cold slushy note. I'm not sure whether the coconut goes powdery on me. It's almost a little creamy. The icicle note isn't floral, which is what I was a bit wary of. It is watery somehow. Not really aquatic, but like hard packed snow melting slightly on a sunny day. It's pretty straightforward so I think it would be fun to layer with other perfumes. -
2024 version Wet, I get quite a bit of bitter moss (from the chypre, maybe?) but that fades significantly as this settles on my skin. It's definitely salty and maybe a bit aquatic, which I was hoping for, but it doesn't ever veer into soapy or ocean potpourri territory. The rum sweetens the whole thing up without being too boozy. The dark woods make a swoon-worthy base for the other notes. It adds the sense that Frederic is hiding something beneath a happy-go-lucky demeanor. The amber musk is resinous, but not too loud. There is a smokiness in here, but it's smoky in the way that tobacco or incense notes can sometime be smoky. I don't really get much tea rose, which is the note I was most nervous about. I also don't get much red currant, but the rum might be absorbing it? I love this. I was hesitant because a few of the notes can be iffy for me, but I'm glad I took the risk.
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Like doomsday_disco, I mostly get a lot of fizzy aldehyde. There is a resinous amber beneath it that blends nicely with a powdery vanilla note. The patchouli is woody and soft like crushed velvet. I think I would like this quite a bit if not for the fizz, which is a nonstarter for me. I would describe it as the experience of someone spilling lemon-lime soda on your favorite black velvet dress while you're out at the opera.
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House Cleaning in Preparation for New Year’s Eve
dancingchair replied to Jenjin's topic in Lupercalia
On application, it smells a bit reminiscent of a cleaning chemical, but in a nice way. That burns off pretty quickly, though. In the wet stage, this is very heavy on the blackcurrant and raspberry leaf. As it wears, this becomes surprisingly resinous and tarred, almost smoky. It must be the white pine as samanare said. It ends up being a smoky wood scent with hints of deep red berries. It's decidedly sticky with tar or pine pitch. It's not what I expected from the sniff I took straight out of the decant but it's quite nice! -
It's garden season and this smells like a freshly dug up root vegetable in the best way possible. There's a cool aspect to this that lends it the impression of clumps of wet earth. Somehow it's wet without being aquatic. I get strong helpings of both beet and ginger. This is probably the best ginger note I've ever encountered, which is good because it is the star player on me. Usually, ginger sticks firmly in the carbonated drink category or the soapy category to me, but this is so true to life. It's got a bite to it, but it isn't overly spicy. It's crisp and clean without being soapy. Gorgeous! The beets are a close second, giving the entire perfume a deep, dark fuchsia hue. It's a little fruity, but not in a sweet way. I agree that it's a bit like dry red wine, but it's too rooty and earthy to be wine. The scarlet musk is definitely present but it's more like the scarlet musky beet juice that the ginger and beets are soaked in. The ginger and beets are so bright and strong that the scarlet musk is the shadow they're casting. I swear I sometimes smell the dirtiest, most earthy patchouli from the waft. Maybe it's mixed into the scarlet musk? Summary: bright, zesty ginger and wine-dark beets soaked in scarlet musk. This perfume is the moment you peel the muddy skin off the ginger and beets. I was not expecting to like this one so much, but it is so incredibly earthy and complex and wearable.
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I get a bit of everything. The cake is lightly spiced, but it definitely reads as a crumbly muffin. I didn't really think of it as golden before I re-read the notes. It's more of a spice cake to me. The custard is heavenly. It's creamy and vanillic without being too milky. The sugar note dances with the other notes. It's like a crunchy brown sugar crumble on top of the muffin. The rhubarb note is the heart of this perfume. It is true to life, like gooey backed rhubarb, but it plays off the other notes so well. I can't smell the rhubarb without also noticing how the sugar balances the bitterness of the rhubarb. The custard is a wonderful combination, the sharp rhubarb paired with the smooth custard. And the cake note makes it smell like the rhubarb is nestled in the center of a still-warm muffin fresh from the oven.
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This is lightly caramelized and spiced warm chestnut on me. The chestnut is so dry that it could almost pass as wood bark. The toasted cardamom almost smells like cardamom incense. It's just a smidge smoky. The dryness of the chestnut almost gives the cardamom the impression of clove. The vanilla cashmere is a soft blanket wrapping up the whole perfume. It's foodie for sure, but it isn't a sugar or a spice bomb to me Usually, my skin amps spices to the point where the other notes are an afterthought. Here, the spices share the stage. It'll be very nice in the fall and winter.
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This is also all about the patchouli on me. Luckily, it's a really nice patchouli note. It is a dry and woody variety, not heavily musky like patchouli can sometimes be. It's got an herbaceous waft that makes me believe it's a member of the same family as mint. I can clearly imagine patchouli root freshly pulled from the earth, spicy and shedding clumps of earth. I can smell the powdery honey and amber lurking under the patch. Those notes veer into baby wipes territory but I don't mind at all because I think it contrasts with the patchouli nicely. The honey doesn't really smell funky or floral to me, but it might be because of how much the patch is taking over. I'm generally pretty cagey about patchouli because sometimes I really hate it, but this was a win for me! I'm hoping the honey and amber come out more as it ages.
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As you can probably guess from the notes, this is quite salty. Wet, it kinda smells like white floral ocean potpourri but any hints of floral notes soften down significantly as it dries. It is still a little floral, but the other notes are strong enough that it doesn't bother me. The vetiver is so smooth and maybe a little smoky. The vetiver and the lichen give this a distinctly green tinge, but not really in a grassy way. It's like how I would want kelp to smell. This is a nice aquatic. I agree with tigermilking, I don't think it leans too floral or too soapy. If you missed out on Hagstone, this is a nice substitute without the tobacco.
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Wolf Moon: Balsam & Leather
dancingchair replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Strong black leather and a dewy, almost musty balsam note. Smells like a leather jacket in wet woods. I think the balsam also almost reads more like wood polish than actual wood on me. I'm used the lab's balsam note being sweet and lemony, but this is more like balsam scraped off a water-logged, rotting pine tree. Wet, the balsam is a little bit mentholated but that aspect doesn't stick around for long. I'm pretty happy with this one. I was originally wary of this duo because of the balsam, but this smells feral and dangerous in a way that I want a wolf-themed perfume to smell.