TravelingVardo: 9 + 3 Fragrances
Aha, finally got around to testing the autumn scents from TravelingVardo!
These popped up in my Etsy recommendations, and I decided to try them on a whim. Overall, the results were pretty decent, and I was really happy with some of these scents. Others were a miss. Some of them might not be for everybody. My order was samples-only, but I might pick up a larger size of some of these; need to think about it first. Definitely autumn-y, though! Unfortunately, most of these are seasonal, and will be discontinued in early November IIRC.
Wear time was 5-6 hours across the board, which is a negative for me, because in general I prefer a longer-wearing scent. But for some people, that might not be an issue.
Insert usual disclaimers: Perfume oils will wear differently on different people, and I don't actually have a very good sense of smell, so what I can detect in these might not be what's actually there, and there's a whole lot that I might be missing.
Garden of Graves
Description: Chill night air, damp earth, crumbling rain-soaked stone covered in a bramble of wilted Rose; spent Gardenia blossoms with smoky Oud, sandalwood, and night blooming jasmine all come together to form a deep, earthy, gothic and somewhat morose (but very beautiful and wearable) floral scent that I'd actually classify as bordering on unisex, thanks to the heavenly Oud note.
Impressions: This scent is actually the one that made me decide to try these out. What can I say? The name and description appeal to my inner goth. Anyhow - It does have a hint of damp, earthy, smokeyness about it. At the same time, it's also floral. There's too much rose for my taste, so unfortunately this one is a disappointment for me, but if rose doesn't turn you off, it might be worth considering. The earthy notes are absolutely wonderful, though.
Wicked Jack
Description: Lavender absolute blended with pumpkin, fragrant ginger, cinnamon, and cloves - underscored by vanilla, cream, and caramelized sugar - and just a titch of molasses. A whisper of sweet hay and the faintest breath of rich and complex beeswax absolutes round it out. Haitian sandalwood and dark patchouli come together to anchor it all, and the addition of blood orange gives it a distinct orange spice tea scent straight out of the bottle.
Impressions: The ginger/cinnamon/cloves scents are dominant. I had been concerned that the vanilla/sugar would be too present, but it's pretty subtle, complimenting the spice without taking over. Beeswax is more present than sugar, I think, and that's all right because it isn't sharp at all. The patchouli is just present enough to be detected; not overwhelming. If you like ginger/cinnamon/clove scents, this is definitely one to try. I don't detect any lavender at all, but there's a hint of something that might be the pumpkin. It wears very close - but I tend not to apply much scent when I wear it, so that might be a factor.
Alban Elfed
Description: Crisp harvest fruits of apple and pear delicately spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove... succulent, juicy peach and strawberry... roasted pumpkin flesh with walnuts, pecans, caramelized sugar, and heavy vanilla cream... geranium, basil, and fresh greenery with autumn leaves, oakmoss, carnation, and sunflowers... and a base of sacred amber, oak, and sandalwood. This is a very rich and complex fragrance!
Impressions: First impression is sugar and nuts, with something mossy underneath. I do detect the carnation. The fruits come in later; peach and apple are dominant for me. It continued to be gently sweet throughout wear; not a lot of change there. I feel that for this one, there's too much in it for my taste; it has too many notes that I just can't pick out. But someone who has a better sense of smell might appreciate it more. I do love the nuttiness, though.
Calabaza en el fuego
Description: This is a rich, elegantly sweet, gourmand scent... comprised of roasted pumpkin flesh with a delicate, and I do mean delicate - spices are not the predominant note in this blend - dusting of ginger and nutmeg, crunchy caramelized cinnamon pecans, and a cup of dark roast coffee for good measure. Rounded out with just a hint of amber and vanilla, it smells good enough to eat!
Impressions: This is not a scent for those who don't like to smell like food, because it definitely smells like food. "Sweet and gourmand" is a great description. It's slightly nutty - that would be the pecans - and I can certainly detect the coffee and the light spices. It's sweet without being cloying. I can't smell any pumpkin; the pecan note is dominant for me. It eventually faded to a soft, warm generally sweet scent with a hint of coffee.
Myrrhe Cacao
Description: From the vial and at first application on the skin, this comes across dry and woody at the top, underscored with a bitter chocolate note from the cocao absolute, but quickly dries down into a gorgeous mélange of creamy vanilla Co2 and caramel which adds some sweetness and depth to the chocolate, all layered over the rich scent of dried tobacco leaf, smoky Haitian sandalwood, a very understated patchouli, and an incense note that comes from the very finest Namibian myrrh. All of these wonderful essences are blended into a base oil I create by infusing it with cocao absolute and a few other "secret" ingredients for months on end in order to produce an even fuller, richer scent.
Impressions: In the vial, this smells like chocolate. High-quality, boozy chocolate. ... And then after I put it on, it smelled like Kahlua. I have no problem with that; I love Kahlua. But, er, it's not what I expected based on the description. Let's see... I do detect a hint of woodsy note. And some sweetness, but again, that just mixes with the cocoa to make it smell like Kahlua.
Lady de los Muertos
Description: This is a hauntingly lovely blend of light, ethereal night blooming lilies with the faintest wisps of crisp lemon, ripe black currant, tart pomegranate, and a rich, velvety Egyptian musk at the base. Simple in concept, but so elegant... with a sweet, fruity, feminine, and faintly powdery dry down.
Impressions: At first, I get fruit, mainly citrus - that would be the lemon. Also some sweetness; probably the pomegranate. This is the kind of scent that, unfortunately, could easily smell like lemon cleaner on somebody. Fortunately for me, it smells mainly like dessert. It's slightly floral, but that note isn't dominant; the fruit comes out far more. As it wears down, the primary note is currant/berries with slight floral note.
Parting the Veil
Description: Crisp night air, damp earth, faded jasmine blossoms, Hawthorn berry, sacred resins and spices, with amber, dark vanilla, and smoke from offertory incense spiraling through the cool night mist.
Impressions: It's a very "cold" scent, nice and crisp. Floral, but not overwhelming; that part is only slight. The resin and amber are more prominent, with slight incense. There's a bit of sweetness, which might be the berry, might be vanilla. Overall, it's much different from the rest of the collection. It's a very pleasant, clean scent; not as heavy as some of the gourmand fragrances in this collection. ... After wearing it for a couple of hours, the scent it dries down to somewhat resembles laundry soap with a touch of resin. Which is quite nice, actually, but probably not intended.
Hearth
Description: This scent seems to epitomize that for me... chestnuts roasted over the fire, caramelized sugar and butter, a bit of rum, and a dash of sweet vanilla cream.
Impressions: Nutty and sweet. I think of pecans more than chestnuts, but that's just a quibble. Very gourmand scent; smells good enough to eat. The caramelized sugar note is pretty dominant, but the rum and vanilla are also present. This is a very sweet, delicious scent. It doesn't smell that similar to Cakes and Ale, but it's similar in that it reminds me of actual food. In fact, it smells a lot like the way the kitchen smells when I'm making butter tarts! The name is a bit of a raised eyebrow for me, because it makes me expect something more fireplace-y, rather than something that smells like baking.
Cakes and Ale
Description: Crushed ginger and clove warm this blend up a bit, but the spice notes take quite a backseat to the cream, pumpkin flesh and rum. This is a decadent, buttery gourmand scent with a healthy splash of rum that will make your mouth water.
Impressions: "Cakes and ale" is a perfect name for it. It's definitely sweet, definitely buttery. It reminds me of baking; the scent is somewhat like the scent that I often get when I'm baking - anything that involves lots of butter and sugar creamed together with vanilla extract and spices. I don't detect any pumpkin here, but I do smell the ginger and clove. That makes it parse as more "winter" than "autumn" for me, because it involves scents for all the ingredients that go into my favourite Christmas cookie recipes.
Other (non-autumn) Samples
Water Horse
Description: Sweet watery notes in symphony with blue lotus and gardenia, over a base of amber, vanilla, sandalwood, and powdery musk. This is rich and sultry while managing to be fresh and cool as well.
Impressions: Slightly floral; very powdery. Most of the sweetness is floral, rather than vanilla. Overall, it reminds me of baby powder and the floral dusting powders that my mother used when I was a kid. Gentle and nostalgic, but not necessarily unique. This scent is not seasonal, but it is limited.
The Stately Raven
Description: The earthy and faintly smoky aroma of roasted black tea leaves with bergamot, Meyer lemon, and blood orange at the top, a heart of white cedar and blonde tobacco, and a complex base accord that includes sandalwood, vanilla, and oakmoss with a rich, warm blend of clove, nutmeg, ginger, black pepper, and bay.
Impressions: First whiff is earthy, lemony, and green. Wood, mossy scent, and a bit of citrus. Overall, initially, the woodsy notes take precedence. The official description makes it sound kind of masculine, but it's a very unisex scent, really. It's nice, but didn't leave much of an impression on me.
Sweet Marie
Description: Delicate vanilla orchid with yellow cake, sugar cane, coconut milk, and white musk. A personal favorite!
Impressions: Yep, that smells like cake, all right. The floral note is soft and sweet and not... overly floral. Mostly dominating is the cake scent. I think I might need to give this one a few more tries before I decide how to feel about it.
Final thoughts:
Some hits, some misses. Some neutrals, and a few that I'll need to think about. If I were to rank the seasonal scents, it would go something like this:
Wicked Jack
Calabaza en el Fuego
Cakes and Ale
Hearth
Myrrhe Cacao
Lady de los Muertos
Alban Elfed
Parting the Veil
Garden of Graves
But of course, this is just in terms of my personal preference. Someone who doesn't share my dislike for rose-scented things might love Garden of Graves, as an example. The only way to really be sure is to try them out for yourself!
This entry was originally posted at http://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3433112.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.
These popped up in my Etsy recommendations, and I decided to try them on a whim. Overall, the results were pretty decent, and I was really happy with some of these scents. Others were a miss. Some of them might not be for everybody. My order was samples-only, but I might pick up a larger size of some of these; need to think about it first. Definitely autumn-y, though! Unfortunately, most of these are seasonal, and will be discontinued in early November IIRC.
Wear time was 5-6 hours across the board, which is a negative for me, because in general I prefer a longer-wearing scent. But for some people, that might not be an issue.
Insert usual disclaimers: Perfume oils will wear differently on different people, and I don't actually have a very good sense of smell, so what I can detect in these might not be what's actually there, and there's a whole lot that I might be missing.
Garden of Graves
Description: Chill night air, damp earth, crumbling rain-soaked stone covered in a bramble of wilted Rose; spent Gardenia blossoms with smoky Oud, sandalwood, and night blooming jasmine all come together to form a deep, earthy, gothic and somewhat morose (but very beautiful and wearable) floral scent that I'd actually classify as bordering on unisex, thanks to the heavenly Oud note.
Impressions: This scent is actually the one that made me decide to try these out. What can I say? The name and description appeal to my inner goth. Anyhow - It does have a hint of damp, earthy, smokeyness about it. At the same time, it's also floral. There's too much rose for my taste, so unfortunately this one is a disappointment for me, but if rose doesn't turn you off, it might be worth considering. The earthy notes are absolutely wonderful, though.
Wicked Jack
Description: Lavender absolute blended with pumpkin, fragrant ginger, cinnamon, and cloves - underscored by vanilla, cream, and caramelized sugar - and just a titch of molasses. A whisper of sweet hay and the faintest breath of rich and complex beeswax absolutes round it out. Haitian sandalwood and dark patchouli come together to anchor it all, and the addition of blood orange gives it a distinct orange spice tea scent straight out of the bottle.
Impressions: The ginger/cinnamon/cloves scents are dominant. I had been concerned that the vanilla/sugar would be too present, but it's pretty subtle, complimenting the spice without taking over. Beeswax is more present than sugar, I think, and that's all right because it isn't sharp at all. The patchouli is just present enough to be detected; not overwhelming. If you like ginger/cinnamon/clove scents, this is definitely one to try. I don't detect any lavender at all, but there's a hint of something that might be the pumpkin. It wears very close - but I tend not to apply much scent when I wear it, so that might be a factor.
Alban Elfed
Description: Crisp harvest fruits of apple and pear delicately spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove... succulent, juicy peach and strawberry... roasted pumpkin flesh with walnuts, pecans, caramelized sugar, and heavy vanilla cream... geranium, basil, and fresh greenery with autumn leaves, oakmoss, carnation, and sunflowers... and a base of sacred amber, oak, and sandalwood. This is a very rich and complex fragrance!
Impressions: First impression is sugar and nuts, with something mossy underneath. I do detect the carnation. The fruits come in later; peach and apple are dominant for me. It continued to be gently sweet throughout wear; not a lot of change there. I feel that for this one, there's too much in it for my taste; it has too many notes that I just can't pick out. But someone who has a better sense of smell might appreciate it more. I do love the nuttiness, though.
Calabaza en el fuego
Description: This is a rich, elegantly sweet, gourmand scent... comprised of roasted pumpkin flesh with a delicate, and I do mean delicate - spices are not the predominant note in this blend - dusting of ginger and nutmeg, crunchy caramelized cinnamon pecans, and a cup of dark roast coffee for good measure. Rounded out with just a hint of amber and vanilla, it smells good enough to eat!
Impressions: This is not a scent for those who don't like to smell like food, because it definitely smells like food. "Sweet and gourmand" is a great description. It's slightly nutty - that would be the pecans - and I can certainly detect the coffee and the light spices. It's sweet without being cloying. I can't smell any pumpkin; the pecan note is dominant for me. It eventually faded to a soft, warm generally sweet scent with a hint of coffee.
Myrrhe Cacao
Description: From the vial and at first application on the skin, this comes across dry and woody at the top, underscored with a bitter chocolate note from the cocao absolute, but quickly dries down into a gorgeous mélange of creamy vanilla Co2 and caramel which adds some sweetness and depth to the chocolate, all layered over the rich scent of dried tobacco leaf, smoky Haitian sandalwood, a very understated patchouli, and an incense note that comes from the very finest Namibian myrrh. All of these wonderful essences are blended into a base oil I create by infusing it with cocao absolute and a few other "secret" ingredients for months on end in order to produce an even fuller, richer scent.
Impressions: In the vial, this smells like chocolate. High-quality, boozy chocolate. ... And then after I put it on, it smelled like Kahlua. I have no problem with that; I love Kahlua. But, er, it's not what I expected based on the description. Let's see... I do detect a hint of woodsy note. And some sweetness, but again, that just mixes with the cocoa to make it smell like Kahlua.
Lady de los Muertos
Description: This is a hauntingly lovely blend of light, ethereal night blooming lilies with the faintest wisps of crisp lemon, ripe black currant, tart pomegranate, and a rich, velvety Egyptian musk at the base. Simple in concept, but so elegant... with a sweet, fruity, feminine, and faintly powdery dry down.
Impressions: At first, I get fruit, mainly citrus - that would be the lemon. Also some sweetness; probably the pomegranate. This is the kind of scent that, unfortunately, could easily smell like lemon cleaner on somebody. Fortunately for me, it smells mainly like dessert. It's slightly floral, but that note isn't dominant; the fruit comes out far more. As it wears down, the primary note is currant/berries with slight floral note.
Parting the Veil
Description: Crisp night air, damp earth, faded jasmine blossoms, Hawthorn berry, sacred resins and spices, with amber, dark vanilla, and smoke from offertory incense spiraling through the cool night mist.
Impressions: It's a very "cold" scent, nice and crisp. Floral, but not overwhelming; that part is only slight. The resin and amber are more prominent, with slight incense. There's a bit of sweetness, which might be the berry, might be vanilla. Overall, it's much different from the rest of the collection. It's a very pleasant, clean scent; not as heavy as some of the gourmand fragrances in this collection. ... After wearing it for a couple of hours, the scent it dries down to somewhat resembles laundry soap with a touch of resin. Which is quite nice, actually, but probably not intended.
Hearth
Description: This scent seems to epitomize that for me... chestnuts roasted over the fire, caramelized sugar and butter, a bit of rum, and a dash of sweet vanilla cream.
Impressions: Nutty and sweet. I think of pecans more than chestnuts, but that's just a quibble. Very gourmand scent; smells good enough to eat. The caramelized sugar note is pretty dominant, but the rum and vanilla are also present. This is a very sweet, delicious scent. It doesn't smell that similar to Cakes and Ale, but it's similar in that it reminds me of actual food. In fact, it smells a lot like the way the kitchen smells when I'm making butter tarts! The name is a bit of a raised eyebrow for me, because it makes me expect something more fireplace-y, rather than something that smells like baking.
Cakes and Ale
Description: Crushed ginger and clove warm this blend up a bit, but the spice notes take quite a backseat to the cream, pumpkin flesh and rum. This is a decadent, buttery gourmand scent with a healthy splash of rum that will make your mouth water.
Impressions: "Cakes and ale" is a perfect name for it. It's definitely sweet, definitely buttery. It reminds me of baking; the scent is somewhat like the scent that I often get when I'm baking - anything that involves lots of butter and sugar creamed together with vanilla extract and spices. I don't detect any pumpkin here, but I do smell the ginger and clove. That makes it parse as more "winter" than "autumn" for me, because it involves scents for all the ingredients that go into my favourite Christmas cookie recipes.
Other (non-autumn) Samples
Water Horse
Description: Sweet watery notes in symphony with blue lotus and gardenia, over a base of amber, vanilla, sandalwood, and powdery musk. This is rich and sultry while managing to be fresh and cool as well.
Impressions: Slightly floral; very powdery. Most of the sweetness is floral, rather than vanilla. Overall, it reminds me of baby powder and the floral dusting powders that my mother used when I was a kid. Gentle and nostalgic, but not necessarily unique. This scent is not seasonal, but it is limited.
The Stately Raven
Description: The earthy and faintly smoky aroma of roasted black tea leaves with bergamot, Meyer lemon, and blood orange at the top, a heart of white cedar and blonde tobacco, and a complex base accord that includes sandalwood, vanilla, and oakmoss with a rich, warm blend of clove, nutmeg, ginger, black pepper, and bay.
Impressions: First whiff is earthy, lemony, and green. Wood, mossy scent, and a bit of citrus. Overall, initially, the woodsy notes take precedence. The official description makes it sound kind of masculine, but it's a very unisex scent, really. It's nice, but didn't leave much of an impression on me.
Sweet Marie
Description: Delicate vanilla orchid with yellow cake, sugar cane, coconut milk, and white musk. A personal favorite!
Impressions: Yep, that smells like cake, all right. The floral note is soft and sweet and not... overly floral. Mostly dominating is the cake scent. I think I might need to give this one a few more tries before I decide how to feel about it.
Final thoughts:
Some hits, some misses. Some neutrals, and a few that I'll need to think about. If I were to rank the seasonal scents, it would go something like this:
Wicked Jack
Calabaza en el Fuego
Cakes and Ale
Hearth
Myrrhe Cacao
Lady de los Muertos
Alban Elfed
Parting the Veil
Garden of Graves
But of course, this is just in terms of my personal preference. Someone who doesn't share my dislike for rose-scented things might love Garden of Graves, as an example. The only way to really be sure is to try them out for yourself!
This entry was originally posted at http://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3433112.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.