The Magic of Milk
An appropriate follow-up to my favourite Chai scents: Milk! Milk perfumes are perfectly comforting on their own, or to soften and sweeten other scents. Milk notes are also a wonderful part of some of my favrouite perfumes and is especially good at adding a comforting deliciousness in the way of plain milk, warmed up, sweetened, condensed, caramelised or sweet cream; to cocoa, mint, tea, or soft spices and fruits as well. And of course, with almond, oatmeal and honey.
My research did not reveal what makes up a milky note, I guess it would have to a mix of synthesised and vanilla-ish oils and some musks in some.
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz - Au Lait
Au Lait (mentioned in my Sweet Treats post as one of my favourite foodies) is fabulously very well blended and just gorgeous. It’s hot, caramelly condensed milk and pure old-fashioned butterscotch sauce. A mix of hot milk, creamy butter (with a teeny hint of saltiness), brown sugar, vanilla, and cream, lots of thick, thick cream. Absolutely mouthwateringly delicious. It doesn’t develop any weird notes on me and is quite linear, just stays the same yummy sweet way for a good 3 to 4 hours and I can still smell it around me after that. The Special Formula X musk is what makes it so amazing, it takes it out of the foody realm just that little bit and seems to lift it off the skin, further adding to the comfort factor and whooshing it into swoon-worthy territory. Dawn’s is my absolute favourite milk scent, but unfortunately the most costly, especially with the extra expensive shipping costs added. Nevertheless, one day it will be mine!
Notes:
Top notes: Sweet Cream
Middle notes: French Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Warm Milk
Base notes: Ambrette Seed absolute, Buttercreme Accord, Special Formula X
I would have loved to have tried BPAL’s limited edition Milk Moon, but in the BPAL arena:
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab ~ The Organ Grinder
TOG is such a uniquely strange combination of notes, but it seems to work on me. First on, I get toasted almonds and milk and it’s all warm and comforting. Suddenly the pine rushes in on a breeze, followed soon after by a brush of smoke and patchouli. All at once, it’s all very… oddly refreshing, comforting and a little dark. Twenty or so minutes later, it all softens; the pine, smoke and patchouli fade to the background and all I can mostly smell is lovely soft sweet milk. It’s not very almondy, it’s more like light and creamy condensed milk, very similar to Arcana’s Sweet Milk with just a hint of pine and maybe the sarsaparilla, so that it’s little savoury, not fully sweet. Unusually beautiful.
Description:
Carnaval Diabolique Limited Edition 2006 ~ Almond milk, sarsaparilla, tobacco smoke, black patchouli and white pine bark.
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab ~ Alice
A jug of warmed milk with cinnamon and a pot of Earl Grey tea spilt over crushed red roses. The milky cinnamon note is quite pronounced at first, but the roses soak in and they soon become the dominant note along with the drier notes of carnation and tea. This isn’t one of my favourite milk scents, as I wish the milkiness lasted that little bit longer, but it does showcase Beth’s lovely milk note, if only for a brief time.
Description:
Mad Tea Party ~ Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot.
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab ~ Dragon's Milk
Dragon’s Milk also goes into my cherry/almond category with its lusciously plump sweet cherries and marzipan; but they’re swirled into thick, creamy, smooth condensed milk. The added touch of incensy dragon’s blood makes it all sexy like, and the milk makes it soft, sweet and cozy. Most deliciously good!
Description:
From Bewitching Brews ~ Dragon's Milk A truly fae nectar! Dragon's blood resin and honeyed vanilla.
Arcana Soaps ~ Sweet Milk
Add some golden syrup to a can of condensed milk, heat it on the stove, and then, as it starts to go all golden and caramelly, have a big, deep sniff…and while you’re at it, a lick off the spoon. That’s Arcana Sweet Milk. Simply delicious.
Tickled Pink Scentsations ~ Matin Calin (Comptoir Sud Pacifique dupe)
Many etailers do this dupe, but TPS is one etailer I’ve had success with (along with The Body Perfumery who also do Lait Sucre which they say is similar to Matin Calin and an even softer one called Sweet Milk). Anywho, TPS’ is very similar to Arcan’s Sweet Milk, except Arcana’s has a little more toffee.
Notes:
Sweet toffee, milk, sugar, vanilla pods, sandalwood
Tickled Pink Scentsations ~ Un Bois Vanille (Serge Lutens dupe)
I have tried the original Serge Lutens’ fragrance which is an amazing perfume, but the reason I love this inspired dupe is because of the exquisite sweet milk note which comes out soon after application; it’s almost there in Serge’s but in the dupe it’s a sweeter and creamy mix. A concoction of sugary milk, coconut milk, licorice and bitter almond.
Notes:
Coconut milk, black vanilla absolute, beeswax, caramelized benzoin, licorice, bitter almond, Gaiac Wood, Tonka Bean, sandalwood