Scents o' The Day No. 30 ~ Arcana Soaps Fugue and Quim
My decants of the most recent limited editions from the Arcana Soaps Tao update: Fugue and Quim came from the lovely HoneyCat. I’ve been wearing these two on and off since I received them. Out of the many, many decants I’ve received of late, there's been a few stars and these are two of them. These little gems can be found at Magical Omaha and Scent Addict.
Fugue
This is a beautiful scent. At first I thought it was related to Frilly Underpinnings, but less gourmand. Side by side though, I can really smell the difference. Fugue is primarily clove and patchouli whereas Frilly is heavier and more caramelised pepper. I adore both.
The clove & patchouli are subdued in the most beautiful way. I do like the spiciness of clove and the rich, earthy distinctiveness of patchouli, but here in Fugue, they’ve been smoothed out by a soft touch of nutmeg and not overly sweetened by the milk and amber. Even more, they have a ‘clearness’ about them. I think it’s the white musk that does it, as I’ve found in some other scents. Sometimes white musk seems to transport a scent into a different realm. I really quite like this one.
To know that one doesn't know is best. Lao Tzu ~ An amnesiac haze of dark clove, spiced amber, sugary milk, white musk, nutmeg, and a drop of aged patchouli.
Quim
Very interesting, this lovely Quim. When I first apply it I can mostly smell those chewy banana sweets covered in a thin layer of real chocolate. It’s not really candy-like due to the cognac. The cognac takes away the sweetness and lends it a note of almost herbal celery (not quite celery but I don't know how else to describe it!) to my nose…not the dry winey note I was expecting. I don’t find that the chocolate, nor the orange poke out for me; in fact, while I can smell a light dry chocolate note, I’m finding it hard to sniff out the orange at all, but no doubt it's contributing to the overall scent. The ambrette is there though, grounding the scent with its warm nutty muskiness.
For me, while I’m intrigued by this scent, it’s kind of odd up close - but in a good way - I prefer the sillage. Albeit, after about 20 minutes or so, it more comes into its own. It moves into a kind of sweet, warm and musky scent, in the way that skin can be when one awakes in the morning, all cozy and warm under the quilt.
I don't know if I would get this one, but I like it paired with Fugue. I do love the cheeky name…as long as no one asks what I’m wearing. ;)
The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. Lao Tzu ~ Lush French cognac, deepest chocolate, banana creme, and succulent orange entwine over a base of sensual ambrette musk.
Wearing one on each hand, the combined sillage is absolutely lovely and definitely noticeable, not in a loud way but as a soft, gentle cloud (I hope) which lasts a good few hours.