/r/Indiemakeupandmore

Photograph via //r/Indiemakeupandmore

/r/indiemakeupandmore is a subreddit dedicated to independently made cosmetics, perfumes, bath and body products and more. Consumers, content creators and shop owners are all welcome to join our community. Shop owners and content creators must have approved flair and abide by our guidelines; please see the rules.

Resources

Subreddit Rules

The subreddit rules are detailed in our general posting guidelines which must be read before posting and are summarized briefly here:

  • Follow Reddit's Site-Wide Rules & Reddiquette Insults and attacks against other users are not acceptable. Use of hate speech will result in an immediate and permanent ban. Please see the full general posting guidelines for more information.

  • Posts Must Be Directly Relevant to Indies Indie is defined as: brands that are not owned by a parent company or multiple groups. Non-indie brand discussion is allowed in the comments, as long as it is relevant to the post AND the comment includes indie discussion.

  • Proof of Claims Proof of claims may be required when making claims about brands or individuals. Speculation is generally allowed. When making a claim that requires verification, screenshots of correspondence/photographs of products will required for claims to be verified. Please remove all PII from screenshots shared.

  • Brand Owner Self-Promo Brand owners/reps/affiliates must review our Self-Promo guidelines before posting. Brands must be verified and flaired before posting. Any submissions that do not meet guidelines will be removed.

  • Social Media Self-Promo All social media/content creators must review our Self-Promo guidelines before posting. Social media/content creators must be verified and flaired before posting. Social media or content creators may promote their content 5 times per month.

  • Products Provided for Review or Promotion Must Be Disclosed Reviewers who receive press samples and/or discounted products for review or promotion must disclose this in their post.

  • Haul Posts All haul posts must include: Full list of items purchased, First impressions of products, Purchase experience (can be general or specific).

  • Swaps/Destashes Can Only Be Posted on a Sunday and must be posted within the Sunday Swap Marketplace Thread. Any transactions (buying or selling) outside of these threads is not allowed. Please review our rules for swaps and destashes before posting. Verified Swap-Lifters will be banned.

  • FOTDs/EOTDs/NOTDs must include a comment with full product list and feature at least one indie product.

  • Formulation/Business Advice Posts must come from verified brands in IMAM. They count as self-promo.

  • Discord Servers We do not allow promotion and/or discussion of Discord servers, including offers to send links or invites via message. IMAM is not affiliated with any Discord server.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Have a question? Please check our FAQs before posting in case your question has already been answered.

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Credits

/r/Indiemakeupandmore

131,702 Subscribers

23

Big Thank You to u/Butterfly_pants!

2 Comments
2024/12/01
02:46 UTC

29

THANK YOU to u/margotmagoober for the Fall Exchange I didn't know I needed

As a first-time participant and certified nervous creature, I wasn't sure what to expect when I signed up for this year's Fall Exchange. Through some wizardry I had the exceptionally good fortune of being paired with u/margotmagoober. It was eerie how well-matched we were, from our tastes in perfume, to the snacks we enjoy, to our shared hobbies and interests, and even some overlap in our professional skillsets!

My main motivation for signing up was to have fun curating a package for someone else, and I'll admit that I'm a little hard to shop for. The list of perfumes that haven't worked for me is extensive, lots of houses don't vibe with my skin, I've tried a ton of perfumes already, I dig spices and fruits but can't stand florals, I love whimsigoth and fairycore type aesthetics but my personal style leans masc & kinda drab, etc etc etc.

Considering the type of person she is, it was quickly apparent that margotmagoober was going to put a lot of care into this. I was already grateful for that in advance, especially during a difficult time due to... depressing national circumstances. But I was truly blown away at the LEVEL of thoroughness and dedication. Even the box it came in was beautifully on-theme.

https://preview.redd.it/wo4457b8754e1.jpg?width=1675&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aea0d8838ed6c18ab3ca5088a2da20e9064e4ca8

Even just opening the box was a treat. LOOK at that wrapping!! The vine ribbons! The gorgeous autumnal tissue paper!

https://preview.redd.it/0xqdp0de754e1.jpg?width=1795&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=93cf0572bf7a941e3357d2b28a85dca2ea0379a6

https://preview.redd.it/4622w7lu854e1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70efd20daf087daf31f5cf92c7ff99421bcacd2e

When I tell you I YELPED, and I'm pretty sure my wife could hear me exclaiming from the other room--

https://preview.redd.it/pqiaaj51954e1.jpg?width=3827&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb99f21363a0ef07266d58dd0bee711740e81c89

Like. She NAILED it.

Look at the care she put into the wrapping, with the little cards and pouches and magical theme and everything.

https://preview.redd.it/69zm9pcp954e1.jpg?width=2047&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=720a28f6e9ca8be98bb419f79dc2fbc16ba6e3ba

There were so many thoughtfully included items, so I'm grouping them by category. First, the gorgeous "extras" -- I'm putting "extras" in quotation marks because they're too thoughtful to be just extras.

https://preview.redd.it/2ev716saa54e1.jpg?width=3542&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=21f243aa90c0db682d8d240a3d6b9acbea1fea4a

  • Dreamy whimsigoth eyeglass chain that she HAND MADE!! I got bespoke celestial jewelry, y'all. ✨
  • Spiced cranberry candle (I'm feral for spiced cranberry anything and it smells incredible)
  • Cute little felt mushroom
  • Mini mushroom terrarium
  • Standing pumpkin
  • Beautiful moth print
  • Black and silver washi tape
  • Wonderful assortment of stickers

And then there were the snacks! These all look so enticing.

https://preview.redd.it/9k0cqqt8b54e1.jpg?width=3793&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51d93b5b082ca4917fbf0b78d1964edc1e8d91a8

https://preview.redd.it/ymglk1a9b54e1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22e5811d61d6bc7061dbb6118028418ac9458192

  • Sriracha edamame beans
  • D20 (yes, D20!) lollipops in spicy and fruity flavors
  • Mexican Hot Chocolate bar
  • Honey lollipop stirrer
  • Cheesy crisps! YUM
  • Melon candy (I'm pretty sure)
  • Teas that are perfect for cold weather

And now, the perfume! Everything had wowed me so far, and this thoughtfully curated capsule collection -- which included things on my wishlist as well as carefully chosen surprises -- was no exception.

https://preview.redd.it/76yxhtbac54e1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe3c180ab4f0ac1cec423b77072bf9cdfb0a0685

  • Area of Effect - Daruk's Protection, Dominara, Gingerbrute, Great Fairy's Kiss, Luck, Ooblets
  • Cirrus - It's Just Spiced Pears, The Strange Proclivities of Mr. Dickens
  • Fyrinnae - Conchas, Gingerbread Bats
  • Imaginary Authors - Cape Heartache
  • Morari - Spiced Apple Tea
  • Osmofolia - Cabin
  • Pineward - Akero, Caravansary, Gluhwein, Katabatic, Mint Cocoa
  • Pulp - Eris, Harvest Moon, Spectral Bride
  • Sorce - Love & Complications
  • Stone & Wit - Junebug, My Curse

She even wrote little notes explaining her picks. I'm really touched by all these details.

https://preview.redd.it/qglvmgznd54e1.jpg?width=1924&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=495ddbbac70e6fbc26f1deccc8c0009e47eaeff5

So I know this post got long af, but I seriously can't thank u/margotmagoober enough. It's been a grueling and uncertain few weeks. I'm certainly not immune to waves of hopelessness and despair right now. But reading a kind message, making a new friend who truly cares, being able to give and receive things that are so meaningful and personal -- it's really made the season special for me. ❤️

4 Comments
2024/12/01
02:43 UTC

0

Indie or Niche Perfume Oil that smells like NUXE (or NUXE Florale)

Hi, as the title says, do you happen to know any long-lasting perfume oil with medium/good projection and silage that resembles Nuxe or Nuxe Florale dry oils? TIA :)

Below are the main notes

NUXE: Orange Blossom, Magnolia and Vanilla

NUXE Florale: grapefruit zest, magnolia, musk

https://preview.redd.it/yzgbazpbb54e1.jpg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2ef3b24acd43a6eabe543cc29a95120007a13b8

0 Comments
2024/12/01
02:09 UTC

5

Balefire Apothecary dupe (or even note list 😢)

Hi everyone! I just saw a post about unexpected shop closures which reminded me to make my own post!

Balefire Apothecary closed about a year ago and their website is completely gone. I have a body lotion in the scent "full moon". It just smells soooo comforting and nostalgic to me. But I'm having trouble finding the notes. I vaguely remember amaryllis being listed but that's it!

If you have a notes list or, even better, a dupe, I'd really appreciate it! Also, any info about the shop itself would be welcome because I'm actually pretty bummed about them.

Thanks!

4 Comments
2024/12/01
02:01 UTC

10

Nui Cobalt Design a Few Fall Scents- Reviews

Bought my first perfume oils from this house directly and I was impressed by the selection, ample sample sizes, quick turnaround time, and overall experience. All tested after resting a minimum of 3 days + a second, third time a week or more. These scents shifted a lot over time-wet, dry, and fading. A note- I realize and read here how this is a much loved brand, yet full disclosure, most scents on me smelled like sweet candle, actual food, and/or a kind of fuzzy, laundry scent on drydown. I think I am looking for more “traditional” smelling perfume yet want to support unique, small businesses. Posting as "my experience not a judgement.” My NCD first haul below.

Nui Cobalt and 1 ml. oil of Honeyed Figs.

Notes of honey, figs, vanilla, walnuts. Wet: Damp, old books and squished Fig Newtons. Not great yet nostalgic, because reading on a rainy day outside is familiar and cozy. Dry: OK now I smell dusty, crushed black walnuts, cracking under my feet on a cold fall day (shells and all) and again, actual Fig Newtons. The dampness is gone. Yet I get an occasional oil scent (cooking or maybe just the nuts) but cannot place it. Scent just got lighter as time passed. Lasted a solid few hours until really fading. Verdict: Still deciding; the realistic bitter walnut I want to love but then I start to question. I think people would ask if I had newtons in my pocket if I wore to a party and call me a liar if I denied it. Not willing to risk a potential argument.

Nui Cobalt 1 ml. Vineyard in September.

Notes list woods, leaves, vines, grapes. Wet: I get fresh clean air and leaves brushing against me as I am walking through a vineyard and munching on grapes. Cool. Crisp. Not too boozy for grape. Drydown leaned more into the sweetness and the distinct notes are now melding into a warmer fuzzy fall vibe. Fading: OK. Winery tour over. The leaves, fresh grapes, and crisp fall air are now a fruity, fuzzy sweater. Verdict. It's nice but I wanted the opening to last + bolder notes like sandalwood present more. Why did this eventually smell like a sweater/laundry on me?

Nui Cobalt 1 ml. oil of You Can Sit with Us:

Notes list cotton, sweet pea, pistachio cream, apricot, yuzu, sandalwood. I had different reactions to this scent at 10 seconds, 3 minutes, 30 minutes and 2 hours after applying. I am interested if anyone else had similar experience to this scent or brand. Wet: Immediately after applying I gave a sniff and my confused brain registered… wet dog ?!? and sour yet too sweet melted pistachio ice cream. Really strong and strange. Dry: Ten minutes later after fully drying I now smell more like sweet cakes, fuzzy sweaters, and strong pistachio creme– I can imagine the moment you slide into a booth in a crowded bakery on a chilly fall day (just like the description). Only occasional wafts of sour milk. Fading: 30 minutes through 2 hours in, this slowly faded into just freshly laundered sweater and sugar and then pretty much gone. Verdict; I reapplied in the evening and on another day and week with the same experience. I can’t get past the first 3 or so minutes; my skin I thinked amped the creamy and also it got odd! Sandalwood, I again really wanted bold but it was not really a distinct note for me.

Nui Cobalt 1 ml Calico Cat.

Suede, sandalwood, amber, honey, tamarind, satsuma. Wet- Sour wet fur! My brain was confused. What is this? Dry: Dried quickly and now spice and citrus are strongly in play. The wet dog is mostly gone but a very present, general animal (suede?) scent remains. Less dog more cat. Occasional wafts of pastry. Faded into “cat breakfast smell,” and after 45 minutres citrus is quite muted. Wood note did start to peek out at dry down but not strongly. I can see some other folks loving this cozy cat vibe. Verdict: This really does smell like snuggling my own Calico kitty over a cup of tea and breakfast. But despite actually being covered in tri-colored cat hair daily, I do not want to smell like a cat. You might though and this scent was a success in this aim.

Nui Cobalt Phobos Moon of Mars oil 1 ml.

Notes list basil, vetiver, musks, bergamot, mineral/metal, frankincense, wood. Wet: Clean, green, vibrant, smooth, herbal and a little sweet. The basil is not “foody,” is almost floral. Dry: the scent ran much sweeter as it dried down and the distinct herbal and mineral notes fell into background. Fading: the scent lost the sugar and went in a clean sweater/detergent direction. Verdict: This was a bonus sample and I was blown away by the opening, yet dry down very quickly (30 min) ran more sweet and then too quickly into “sweater that had too much detergent in the wash.” Layering the oil thickly and frequently extended the unique clean/herbal/mineral/salt notes. If I could bottle just the opening I would buy.

A second note- I would never have bought this because the basil and mineral scents I thought I would hate. Several times an indie freebie opened my mind up to new scent notes I ended up liking.

NUI Cobalt Rose Gold Sky oil 1 ml.

Notes of apricot, amber, rose, clove, sandalwood. Wet: Clove. Dry: OH man Clove! Dry: Can everyone else in this room smell all this clove!?... OK, some nice rose is here too as it fades. I do get some fruit. I wish the sandalwood or amber would nudge this clove into the background even more. Verdict: I have several loved scents that have clove in the mix. I feel like something went wrong for my sample or my nose. Straight into, “no go ziplock bag” without a second or third testing like I did with others, so this review is a one time experience.

Nui Cobalt 1 ml. Moonlight on Spidersilk.

Notes of vanilla, almond, amber, cotton and florals. Wet: OK I get the spider hype. This is beautiful on initial sniff. Cool vanilla, distinct and crisp florals, and a clean fuzzy scarf. Drydown (about 30 minutes) is when the vanilla warmed and went into more traditional vanilla candle territory for me. The jasmine was still in play a bit and the cotton. Fading into mostly vanilla fuzzy sweater at about an hour. Verdict: Another “if I could bottle the opening…” I kept reapplying this over and over every 30 minutes to try to keep it from going candle-y but eventually my whole arm turned into a sticky vanilla coated limb and that was silly. I have learned I amp up vanilla.

OK that was quite a few. I would be interested in hearing if others had similar or very different reactions to these. Thanks for reading.

2 Comments
2024/11/30
23:31 UTC

17

please help a picky girl out </3

seeking recommendations because after trying over a hundred samples i have found out that my nose is Very Picky (heartbreaking for me, very good for my wallet)

so far i've had a huge hit rate with Sorce and Cardinal Scents, a good hit rate with Pulp (but their fruit and cinammon scents tend to tudn candle-y and i don't like that) and NAVA, a passable hit rate from Alkemia and Osmofolia, and a very low hit rate from NCD, Poesie, Haus of Gloi and BPAL.

i am mainly looking for recommendations of houses to try that are known for their gourmands, fleurmands and my skin but better scents and your favourite scents from them ! (specially good winter and fall scents)

i love soft, creamy/milky scents, realistic fruit scents, white amber, nutty scents (pistachio, almonds, oats)

i unfortunately can't do: oudh, leather, tobbaco, incense.

thank you in advance for your help 🫶🏻

27 Comments
2024/11/30
22:58 UTC

14

Favorite Death & Floral Scent?

Hello friends!

I am interested in partaking in D&F's black Friday sale, but they have a pretty large catalog! I was looking at 'Summer Camp Gothic' (Dry oakwood absolute, browned marshmallows, cedar, black pepper, toasted vanilla) because I am feeling a caramelly woodsy scent for the fall. But I am worried it will be overly smoky - have any tried this/have thoughts?

Besides that, do you have any Fall inspired favorites from D&F? :)

16 Comments
2024/11/30
22:16 UTC

13

recs for magical perfumes?

hi!! i’m super duper new to indie perfumes so i have no idea where to start.

i’ve been yearning for a sweet, vanilla, gourmand type of fragrance (but not cloying!!) perfume that invokes a sort of magical, ethereal, golden feeling and that feels light and airy.

not sure what type of notes would be good for this, but am open to anything except coffee/tea. any help would be appreciated, please and thank u!!!

14 Comments
2024/11/30
21:03 UTC

15

Favourite powdery purple scents with one of these: iris / orris / violet?

Stuff similar to Hex's Bisou, S92's Bruise Violet, or Arcana's Goblin Sharks.

Fantome's Gion isn't as purple as I'd like, and PULP's Portrait of Josette hits closer but is still not as purple as I'm wanting.

I haven't tried Alkemia's Crown of Violets yet, so if anyone has a review for that I'd appreciate it!

9 Comments
2024/11/30
20:30 UTC

20

Shops closing (Bath Sabbah, Valas, Screaming Mandrake) and... do you have any news?

HI! In recent days I have noticed that several indie shops have closed their doors, namely Vala's Enchanted, Screaming Mandrake, Bath Sabbah...

I am very sorry :(

I was thinking... do you have any new shops to recommend? I like to think there's someone new to follow...

7 Comments
2024/11/30
18:21 UTC

8

Hot cocoa scent?

What are your favorite hot cocoa scent?

I’d love to find one that’s frothy and milky.

If boozy or peppermint that must be quite faint in proportion to the straight up nestles quik lol.

11 Comments
2024/11/30
15:25 UTC

11

Something similar to Garden of Eden from Lorelei Parfumes? Notes inside.

Hello everyone, I pray you are having a better go at life than I am haha

ANYWAYS...I'm giving away/selling all my collection, but I rediscovered Garden of Eden from Lorelei Parfumes, and I am obsessed with it. I'm assuming she's not really active anymore. It says pre-sale, but people are taking months to get their orders or not at all. Do you know of another perfume that has the same vibes as these notes? One thing to note: this perfume is NOT sweet, which is why I like it.

Top: peach, dates, cloves, fig, nutmeg, caraway

Heart: honey, pimento, cardamom, marzipan, sandalwood

Base: incense, labdanum, tonka bean, benzoin, myrrh, patchouli

0 Comments
2024/11/30
15:13 UTC

13

Indies of the Day -- Saturday November 30, 2024

What indies are you using today? And we mean everything! Examples of stuff we'd love to hear about:

  • Makeup

  • Clothes

  • Jewelry

  • Bath and Body (lotion, soap, shampoo, bath salts, etc.)

  • Nail polish

  • Perfume

Please feel free to leave mini-reviews and include photos of whatever you're using. We'd love to know your thoughts and see the products too!

This thread repeats daily.

39 Comments
2024/11/30
14:00 UTC

23

Be a bad influence! (Seeking recs)

Lovely IMAM friends, tempt me onto new indulgent paths - I’m looking to explore an indie or niche perfume house that’s new to me, and currently that’s most of them. I have a lot of BPAL, and adore some of them, but many are too sweet. I recently got a Pineward sample set and they’re amazing. And I’ve tried some Alkemia, but didn’t have a high hit rate with them; maybe a skin chemistry thing.

Notes I enjoy: spices, amber, woods, earth, musks, green notes, chypres, fougeres

Notes I avoid: most florals, and anything gourmand

Share your wisdom, link to reviews, hype your favorite houses, give me your thoughts on what I should try next!

27 Comments
2024/11/30
13:23 UTC

5

Rituel de fille questions

Hello lovely people,

I have been tempted by the rituel de fille sale and was hoping some of you could help me out with your experiences.

I am on the hunt for a new complexion product, because my L'Oreal skin tint is almost empty (maybe 5 uses left). I was looking at their foundation because it looks serumy and seems to suit olive undertones (I am a fair olive, I think cool). Does it suit dry-ish skin? Is it easy to apply? I usually prefer using my fingers and rubbing product in.

I was also looking at their cheek product. Specifically the shades Eros and the transparent line in blood flower. Do they break up foundation? Can I blend them with my fingers? How do they feel on the skin?

I have also checked out their forbidden lipstick. Is it easy to blur out?

I'd be eternally grateful if you could help me answer some questions!!

Thank you xo

7 Comments
2024/11/30
12:23 UTC

8

ISO: Herbal wormwood licorice, androgynous

Hello! I am searching for a perfume similar to Stora Skuggan's Hexensalbe. The opening is perfect, but the drydown is too mainstream-masculine. Kilian's La Heure Verte has a similar problem. I've been trying to find a sample of Angela Ciampagna's Liquo (as someone on Fragrantica noted that it reminds of Salmiakki, a Finnish sour candy that I love), but it is impossible to find an affordable way to sample it (insane postages - official page: 13 euros, daring light: 25 euros for one sample to Finland). Maybe I just have to get a big bunch of other samples with it, when I can afford that.

But meanwhile let's try indies :D

Basically what I'm searching for is a herbal wormwood licorice perfume, preferably spicy / incense / sweet-ish and androgynous, maybe on the feminine side?
Thank you for your knowledge! (°u°)

4 Comments
2024/11/30
12:08 UTC

11

I found the perfect pumpkin pie fragrance

Most of the ones I’ve tried so far are too strong on the cinnamon for me and not enough pumpkin, making the fragrance more of a spicy one than a gourmand. Well my search is over because Zelda’s Cauldron Pumpkin Pie Pastry is PERFECT. It’s sweet and still has the cinnamon but in a way that highlights the pumpkin instead of overpowering it. It smells like a pumpkin pie, crust and all, baking in the oven! Gourmands aren’t my favorite category, but I do enjoy them, and this house does them very well in terms of keeping them sweet and edible instead of perfume-y.

6 Comments
2024/11/30
06:26 UTC

25

Pumpkin Haul Reviews - Part 2

Hello all! I dedicated myself to trying lots of pumpkin perfumes this fall in search of what I envisioned as the perfect pumpkin perfume. I wanted a pumpkin yankee candle scent. I did not ultimately find it but I smelled a lot of beautiful perfumes, found other ones I loved, and had fun. Here is the start of some of my reviews. I will say I tried a LOT of pumpkin perfumes and I hope to have more posted in the coming weeks. While I do not have the same way with words many reviewers on here do, I hope this can help others in their pumpkin search.

Here is part 2 to my extensive pumpkin search.

Astrid

I bought these on Ajevie.

Sweet Potato Pie (Spiced sweet potato, flaky butter pie crust and a maple marshmallow topping.) This was another banger. I loved it a lot. It was giving maple marshmallow immediately. I think I got a bit of crust, or sweet potato, in the background - something that made it not overwhelmingly maple marshmallow. The marshmallow separates it from Kheimistrii's Maple Chai. Also there's no chai. Once I dumped most of the vial on me I got more longevity and throw. Doing little cover-the-top-with-my-thumb-and-apply was okay but didn't get me lots of longevity and it is less than I would apply normally. It wasn't overpowering and I got whiffs of it but it wasn't super strong. Again, I wouldn't smell it and go oh yeah sweet potato, but it did make sense when I smelled it knowing it is sweet potato. There was something more grounding there so maybe that was the crust? I enjoyed this one a lot.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Whoopie Pies (Fluffy spiced pumpkin cake and cream cheese filling.) I am happy to say the spice does NOT mean cinnamon all day! This also isn't really giving pumpkin. It is giving cream cheese and I was surprised at how realistic it smelled like cream cheese in a whoopie pie. I would not smell this and say, oh yeah, pumpkin, but there's some sort of spice adding to the cream cheese that gives it a slight fall vibe. I was really holding out hope for this, and I can't say Astrid's pumpkin notes lived up to my expectations. I'd like to explore this house more, which is hard with the no sample thing, and I liked Sweet Potato Pie enough to explore the house a bit more, but this and Pumpkin Taffy lacked the pumpkin wow factor I wanted.

Pumpkin Taffy (Pumpkin spiced taffy.) It smells like taffy. How? That's incredible. However like I said above the pumpkin doesn't really come through at all. I was disappointed.

Nui Cobalt

This was an Ajevie sample.

Baby Pumpkin (A scent to inspire sweetness and affection. Homemade maple pumpkin bread with Autumn harvest honey, spiced with nutmeg and clove, drizzled with salted caramel, and dotted with Turkish apricot. Wear when you're in the mood for gentle hugs, earnest compliments, and warm appreciation.) I was surprised at how much I like this. It reminds me of Kitchen by Solstice Scents but with apricot showing up instead of peach (right? that's what's in Kitchen?) It starts with a bready spiced apricot with maple coming out on the drydown. It's yummy fall. I don't get pumpkin outright either, but I get standing in a kitchen having just taken fall loaf of bread out of the oven, the sun is shining through the windows, it's not a fancy kitchen but it's the nice one I got, and I'm in no rush. It has pretty low throw but good longevity. I can't justify FSing this having Kitchen already, but it would be worth considering.

Possets

Ajevie samples. You know the drill.

Asmodeus (Deepest pumpkin, brightest suave French lavender, and a thrill of cardamom, light skin musk to hold it all together and keep it going for hours.) This is very similar to Lovecraft by Alchemic Muse but heavier on me. I haven't fully sampled this yet but I put on a little and that's my initial impression. I liked it and will wear the sample more.

Gingerwitch (The thought conjures up dark cake gingerbread and almond, deep juvenile musk and heady invitations). I immediately FSed this. I love this one so much. I choose FSes usually based on how I react when I put it on, and if I put it on and go 'yes, yep' I FS it. Many perfumes get a 'yes' or a 'yep' but not every one gets a 'yes, yep.' I loved the almond note in this. I just got this during the Possets black friday sale along with another sample set. I had to resist getting Gingerbread Whorehouse because I can't keep trying gingerbread perfumes. There's a limit. I'm glad I found Gingerwitch before I hit my made up limit. It's sexy. Yes, it is. It might be gourmand leaning but the almond and maybe the musk make it perfect to wear out.

Psycho Pumpkin (This is pumpkin, slathered in spice and encrusted with sugar. This is pumpkin in its glory, thick and deep, tumbling in honey and caramel. Foody and wicked. Sure to drive someone mad!) I sadly think that Posset's honey and or caramel note is not good on me. I will say, on the first day I sampled this I was like ew, what did I buy? Then four days later I still was like, what is this? But nine days later, it was a whole different experience. The honey really came through. I wouldn't smell it and pick out pumpkin, which I am looking for. The honey led with this. It was stickier, a bit sweeter, than Alchemic Muse Pumpkin Honey, and a bit richer with the honey. If I liked honey I would've liked this.

Pumpkin Tied Up And Licked All Over (Pumpkin of the most smooth variety, combined with large lashings of buttercrunch, honey, and crystallized honey.) I think the honey in Possets' perfumes is not my friend. After nine days of rest, it had a cardboard smell quality to it. I've heard Possets really benefits from resting, so I'll revisit this again over time to see what happens.

Lucky #9

Ordered through Ajevie. I think that's their perfume house?

Gingerbread Kitties (**Munch!** Ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, caramel, cinnamon). The gingerbread took a few minutes to come out. It's a sweeter take on gingerbread, I'm assuming it's the vanilla or caramel coming through. It's not as gingerbread snap cookie as Krumkake by Alchemic Muse, it's not as deep as Possets. I didn't test it properly for longevity or throw. It was a bit too sweet for me, I want a real snappy gingerbread.

The Little Book Eater

TAT was pretty quick. I don't remember exactly but I remember it was fast. Everything was packaged securely.

Velvet Pumpkin (Pumpkin, cookie butter, caramel, ginger, rum, clove, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom). To be honest, I had high hopes for this house and it didn't totally vibe with my skin chemistry. This one is definitely a fall perfume. I can't pick out any of the notes in particular but it reads as kind of one note on me. I am considering destashing it but I want to give it a chance at some point. It smells like warm nutmeg, it's not bad, but it's not what I thought it would be.

Maple Candy (Maple syrup and maple cream). This is a very sweet maple perfume. I actually really like this one but it is quite sweet. Not cloying but very sweet. It's for sure maple. I love maple.

I got a couple other non fall themed samples I won't review in depth here, but I did also try Matilda Wormwood and Old Books which smelled awful on me. My skin chemistry was not happy with them. Healer Woman was lovely on me. It was similar to Pasithea by Fable and Canon, which I put on and immediately feel calm, and Healer Woman was similar.

Sugar Me Sweet

Pumpkin Pie Paradise - I am too lazy right now to post the notes. This one was actually closer to what I was looking for but still not quite it. I will also say most of her other perfumes pulled plasticy on me, so I was turned off from that. I'd say this one was the best out of the other non pumpkin samples I got. To her credit, the package got lost in the mail, and she was responsive and willing to resend it, but ultimately the package turned up, so it was all good.

Solstice Scents

TAT was incredible. I ordered during the fall release and I think she shipped the next day. You choose your own free sample and I chose Wilcox Potting Shed. I haven't properly tested it yet so I won't be reviewing it but I think it will make a great spring perfume.

Kitchen (Pumpkin, Sugar Cookies, Peach Preserves, Spice Breads, Danishes, Caramel, Vanilla & Sweet Wood Smoke). This one kind of is like a craft store smell aisle, but I love it. I get the peach but it mixes in with everything else and it smells like a kitchen in fall where I wanna be. I don't smell it and go "pumpkin" but it's inviting and fall and I love it. I don't get any of the smoke, it is all very well blended. Baby Pumpkin by Nui Cobalt has more of a bread note than this but they're similar.

Pumpkin Spice Latte - (Sweet Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Gingerbread Whipped Cream & A Drop of Nutmeg.) I got a sample of this in the swaps last year and LOVED this, but it wasn't available when I got it. I ordered three rollerballs of this in the fall release and have already almost gone through one. It's such a good pumpkin note and the coffee isn't sweat or overwhelming. Maybe it's the gingerbread? Wait, coffee isn't even in the notes I'm realizing. What?! All I know is, this is an incredible perfume and it smells so good. The gingerbread and nutmeg give it a heartier vibe than just coffee. The cinnamon is well blended and as someone who amps cinnamon, I don't amp it at all.

Black Hearted Tart

I got the first sample of the following scent in a swap...I think? Then I ordered two more of the samples from Ajevie over the summer. I was debating getting a FS of this, but having fallen in love with PSL by Solstice Scents I couldn't justify both. The sample I'm referencing is

Tiger Mountain Peasant (Warm pumpkin pie served ala mode with coffee bean ice cream and maple syrup drizzle. Aromatic cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove spices were blended with savory pumpkin custard. Bakery notes of butter and vanilla were added for a comforting warmth. Additional notes of espresso and cream make this fragrance a Pumpkin Spice Latte fan favorite.) This smells like opening up a bag of pumpkin spice coffee and smelling it. It is really realistic to smelling my pumpkin coffee when I open it in the morning. PSL by Solstice Scents has pumpkin and latte but it doesn't make me think of my Dunkin bag in the morning. This does.

Arcana Wildcraft

Fast TAT, within a few days. This was an oil sample.

Pin-Up Pumpkin (With notes of creamy pumpkin cheesecake warm from the oven, a graham cracker crust, and a flirty touch of spice). I had a lot of hope for this one, and I liked it, but couldn't bring myself to FS it. My friend sniffed it and said he didn't get pumpkin but he liked it. I would agree. I retested it again recently and got more graham cracker crust, which was impressive I got that, but it wasn't pumpkin enough for me to FS. I wish it were because it had promise. I had hope.

Alright folks. There's still some more I have to review but part 3 will come soon. This is the cumulation of months of sampling pumpkin perfumes and having the time of my life. I had a great time.

1 Comment
2024/11/30
06:02 UTC

29

Pumpkin Haul Reviews - Part 1

Hello all! I dedicated myself to trying lots of pumpkin perfumes this fall in search of what I envisioned as the perfect pumpkin perfume. I wanted a pumpkin yankee candle scent. I did not ultimately find it but I smelled a lot of beautiful perfumes, found other ones I loved, and had fun. Here is the start of some of my reviews. I will say I tried a LOT of pumpkin perfumes and I hope to have more posted in the coming weeks. While I do not have the same way with words many reviewers on here do, I hope this can help others in their pumpkin search.

Alchemic Muse

Super quick TAT, always within a couple days, usually almost immediately. With bigger orders I got a free soap sample but otherwise no free sample. All of these are perfume oil unless stated otherwise - Lovecraft I also have in the body whip.

Pumpkin Bourbon (A rich, heady potion of fresh pumpkin puree nuanced with vanilla extract, cassia root, mahogany wood and clove bud inundated with aged bourbon and dark rum.) When I first got this, I thought it was alright. I got a 5ml without sampling. Then after letting i rest about two weeks I wore it and loved it. I wore it on Thanksgiving this week. I love Alchemic Muse's pumpkin note and the wood and bourbon and rum give it this full bodied, darker vibe that I love. Average longevity and throw. I reapply throughout the day for fun. It stays on my sweater all day. This was a happy surprise to enjoy that I didn't know if I would like and I'm glad I did. I'm glad I got the 5ml. It's a really nice pumpkin note and I wouldn't say it's boozy, but it is giving that wood and bourbon vibe. But I promise not boozy? Listen, I'm doing my best.

Pumpkin Butter (Fresh apple butter and sun-dried fruits lead to a core of pumpkin puree, roasted nuts, and a smattering of white spices over a base of vanilla, rum, and golden amber.) This smelled like walking into a farm store in New England. I liked it and got it in their body whip, but it's not my favorite. It must be the apple pumpkin butter part that gives it that fall farmstand vibe. I don't remember how good the longevity and throw are. Lotions don't last super long on me so I can't speak very truly to that, except to say...it doesn't last super long on me. But no lotion does. So.

Pumpkin Cocoa (A scrumptious treat of freshly carved pumpkin drizzled with rich Belgian chocolate and cocoa absolute lightly dusted with warm spice.) This one is lovely. The cocoa note is one of my favorite chocolate notes. It opens with the cocoa note leading the way and on the drydown the pumpkin comes through. This was a close FS. It was almost like a cocoa cupcake, but not a cupcake in the sweet way, but in a nice chocolate pumpkin way. I have a way with words, don't I. Anyway, if you like pumpkin and chocolate, you should try this. It smells like cocoa and pumpkin. Straight up but in a beautiful way. Although I guess it's really cocoa - it wasn't chocolate like other chocolate perfumes I've tried, it was a really beautiful cocoa. And pumpkin. Yum.

Pumpkin Honey (A scrumptious treat of freshly carved pumpkin drizzled with rich Belgian chocolate and cocoa absolute lightly dusted with warm spice.) If I liked honey I would've loved this. Even still, it was a gorgeous honey note. And again, that lovely pumpkin note. It was very honey forward but not super sweet. I put this on to go out with friends and thoroughly enjoyed this. Good longevity and I got whiffs of it throughout the night.

Pumpkin Mallow (Sweet pumpkin crème brûlée dripping in melted marshmallow and topped with a darkened vanilla bean pod.) I wanted this on to be amazing and sadly the marshmallow note doesn't do it for me. I layer this with other fall perfumes, like Excider by Bathsabbath or ... mostly that and it's great. I also got a sample of this in soap and I couldn't really smell it. Their soap quality is alright, I don't often buy hand soap. It was okay.

Krumkake (Freshly baked gingerbread, brown sugar, creamy butter, and dark molasses dusted with saffron, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon and filled with caramelized chestnuts in thick vanilla cream.) Not a pumpkin perfume but was part of my discovery antics this fall. This is gingerbread cookies, the thinner, maybe a little soft kind. I can almost smell the snap. I love this so much. I wore it out and someone next to me told me I smell like Christmas. She was right. This is less boozy than Fyrinnae's Gingerbread Bats.

Lovecraft (Dark mysteries abound, but there are some things that Man was meant to know. Provincial lavender blossoms grounded in fresh pumpkin, sweet cream, and blackstrap molasses with a thick dusting of harvest spice.) I have multiple back up bottles of this. I keep a bottle at work and thought it was almost empty so got another back up bottle but it wasn't almost empty so I have a lot of this oil. Actually I am wearing it right now. I love this one so much. My coworker smelled me wearing it once and was like, what is THAT? That's lovely! She's right. It is similar to Asmodeus by Possets but Asmodeus reads heavier, almost thicker on me, and this...isn't? I'm not sure. I have this in body whip too. I love it. It's so beautiful and cozy. I think I get the lavender and pumpkin. I honestly can't fully pick everything out individually, but I know it mixes well together and it is amazing.

Alchemic Muse body whip - I only have their Lovecraft body whip. I really like the formula. It is a big heavier than Haus of Gloi but works for me. It seems a little greasy at first but sinks in fast. The smell lasts longer than average on me as far as lotions. I'll still buy HoG pumpkin butter sometimes but I think I'm sold on Alchemic Muse's body whip. I'm now a fan of Alchemic Muse and love this house.

Cocoapink

We all know Cocoapink is famous for their TAT. They shipped within TAT and it came with a free little lotion sample. Everything was well packaged.

Pumpkin Kiss (Pumpkin flesh, soft Bourbon vanilla, white and brown sugars kissed softly with pure cocoa absolute.) Overall I was surprised by how much I like Cocoapink's pumpkin perfumes. The pumpkin note itself isn't quite what I envisioned but I love it. This one I really enjoyed and thought about FSing, but it wasn't quite the pumpkin candle vibe I was aiming for. But then I thought about FSing it anyway, but I am trying to be very strict about what I FS. That being said I'll probably retest it in the coming weeks and see what happens. I do appreciate that Cocoapink's fall and winter catalog will stay up for a while. So, I read Cocoapink's pumpkin note as sweet overall and this mixed with the chocolate really was incredible. It was definitely sweeter than Alchemic Muse's Pumpkin Cocoa, which read as actual cocoa. This is a sweeter interpretation. Not cloying or super sweet, but sweeter. I loved it.

Sweet Pumpkin (We asked them to make us a sweet pumpkin - one that is not overpowered by spice notes, but is well balanced and simply YUMMY. They sent us just that. Sweet pumpkin puree!) This reads almost as root beer on my skin. But I like it?! This is in Cinderella's Carriage, which is heavier on the caramel, and I did really enjoy this. But something about smelling like root beer sometimes was odd. More than sometimes. Anyway, it's sweet but I wouldn't smell it and say oh yeah that's pumpkin. So I liked it but it doesn't say PUMPKIN to me.

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular (Sweet Pumpkin blended with gingersnaps, pecans, cinnamon and a sprinkling of sugar.  It is spectacular!) This was the closest I could get to the pumpkin yankee candle. I FSed it. Although it's not as sweet as I wanted - I just can't be satisfied, it seems. It does smell more like pumpkin pie with the spices. I usually amp cinnamon to the point I can't wear a lot of perfumes with cinnamon, but this I didn't. I wore it the day before Thanksgiving this week. Excellent throw and longevity.

Scarecrow (Warm notes of pumpkin accented with vibrant autumn leaves, birch trees, apple butter combined with purple sage surround the old scarecrow with his pumpkin head, dressed in a sun-faded plaid shirt and worn jeans overstuffed with golden hay.) I liked this more than I thought I would. The apple is really nice and light and lovely. It smells like a day going to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch and eating ice cream and wearing overalls. It gives that vibe. It's a nice, upbeat fall perfume I really enjoyed.

Kheimistrii

Kheimistrii always ships within a couple business days. Everything is always packaged safely. I get everything from her in EDP format so I have never tried her oils. In my opinion this is a super underrated house and theres always free samples included.

Maple Chai (I love tea with cream. This one begins with a brewed concoction of cinnamon bark, maple syrup, zested orange, cardamom, ginger root, grated nutmeg, brown sugar and a vanilla bean buttermilk heart.) I LOVED the maple note in this. I'm not looking to add a maple perfume to my collection right now but if I were, I'd go to this house's maple note. It was so, so nice, not cloying, not heavy, a really pretty maple. It smelled like maple chai in a light way. The perfume has good longevity and I am able to smell it on myself, so it's not 'light' in that sense but in a wearable sense.

Pumpkinhead (A fragrant, spicy pumpkin concoction comprised of fresh pumpkin, a winter squash medley, maple rum & creamy vanilla milk, sprinkled generously with a heady mixture of nutmeg, grated cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cassia and caramelized sugar.) This was a very close FS. I really really liked this. I made multiple people smell it and no one said it smelled like pumpkin but they said it smelled like fall. I agree. I think the pumpkin and squash are mixing into this really yummy fall vibe and the cinnamon here isn't overpowering. This one is warm and fall and lovely. I would recommend.

Pumpkin Karver (A spicy compilation of pumpkin puree, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla pod, cinnamon & dark rum.) This one is heavier than Pumpkinhead and I think it might be the rum. This also is giving fall but no one could pick out the pumpkin. It is a little boozier than Pumpkin Bourbon but I wouldn't call it boozy or inappropriate for work.

Sweet Potato Pie (Sweet potato, brown sugar, freshly ground nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, buttery pie crust and sprinkled with maple sugar.) I really love this one. On me, there's a lot of cinnamon but it isn't overpowering everything else. I'm not sure if I would smell it and say sweet potato, but when I know it's sweet potato it makes sense. It's sweeter than the other pumpkin ones I'd tried above but not sweet. Skin chemistry is for sure real - I put this on my friend and it smelled like marshmallows on top of sweet potato pie. I guess she doesn't amp cinnamon. I couldn't stop smelling it on her. That being said, I still liked it on me a lot. This and all her other perfumes have good longevity and throw and I can smell them pretty comfortably on me.

BPAL

I bought these on Ajevie. Everything was well packaged.

I tried Pumpkin Spice Everything and Pumpkin Sugar. Both were just cinnamon on me. One of them, I forget which, had a background of ALMOST not cinnamon. One was straight red hots on me but I forget which. Both of them were overwhelmingly cinnamon. If you amp cinnamon, I would avoid these.

More to come in part 2...

0 Comments
2024/11/30
05:14 UTC

11

cozy and musky death & floral scents?

I’m thinking of taking advantage of death & floral’s current sale and I’m really interested in trying out some of their more musky/molecular-smelling scents. I’ve heard a lot about “half hoping to be eaten by a bear,” but I would love y’all’s suggestions for any other scents from them in that sorta vein.

I’m particularly interested in LAMBS!, doom and gloom, sleep that rhymes with death, and The sweater we buried you with is hanging in my closet, but if y’all have any other suggestions from them I’d love to hear those too. thanks in advance!

2 Comments
2024/11/30
03:40 UTC

57

Happy Holigays - SAMAR Holiday Updates (and discounts)!

Hello sweet IMAM!

Debbie and I (Na-Moya) have a few updates as we greet the holiday season!

To keep ourselves on track and ensure you receive your holiday orders in time for Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa, we're setting the following order deadline of DEC. 10th.

We can't guarantee that orders placed after DEC. 10th will arrive by these holidays (but we'll certainly try our best)!

*

We've been asked if we're going to run any holiday sales this year, and while we love a good deal as much as anyone, we've found urgency sales haven't aligned with our values around making fine fragrances more sustainably accessible. Instead we offer three discount codes that are available year-round (mostly)! In our view, being able to purchase a perfume when it makes sense for our collection and budget leads to more conscious purchasing!

Onto the goods! Below are the active codes for our website:

SAMARBDAY2024 (15% off, no minimum purchase, expires Dec.31, 2024 and renews on our anniversary in May 2024)

MANYTHANKS15 (15% off, minimum $25 purchase, no end date)

NICETOMEETYOU10 (10% off, subscribe to our newsletter - we don't spam, promise!)

BONUS DISCOUNT (25%)

Donate $10 directly to any of the organizations below and receive 25% off your order (the largest discount we offer!). To receive the discount code, just send your donation confirmation to us at samar.pitcrew@gmail.com

Rainbow Railroad - is mobilizing to support the relocation of LGBTQI+ refugees from areas (within the U.S. and around the world) with regressive policies to safer communities.

Palestine Childrens Relief Fund - provides food, water, medical care, and shelter to displaced civilians in both Gaza and Lebanon.

WaterDrop Los Angeles - each week, WDLA volunteers provide 2,000+ gallons of water and food to unhoused residents of Skid Row.

*

We hope that in the remainder of the year you are able to spend quality time with the people you love and the small joys that bring you comfort <3

With love and no shortage of optimism,

Na-Moya & Debbie

2 Comments
2024/11/30
02:57 UTC

63

Some Hexennacht first impressions (just vial whiffs for now!)

I’ll make another post in a week or two once I’ve had a chance to try each one out for a full day and really get a good feel for their notes and overall vibe, and how they wear. If they change notably as they age I’ll probably post again just to be sure the journey gets completely documented. This is my second batch of Hexennacht samples from Ajevie and I was very much in a moody, smoky, boozy gourmand, and cold-weather-cozy kind of place when I placed this order; my last order a couple months ago was mostly picks from their crystal/gemstones collection so this was a departure from that. My faves from that batch were Moon In The Twelfth House and Baltic Amber, so I full-sized those IMMEDIATELY and adore them both so much they’ll probably be gone in a few weeks (oops)

I’m typically not a gourmand lover unless the foodiness is mild— I do love fruity scents but I don’t really tend to go for baked goods and desserts etc, and I really dislike strong or overpowering vanilla in particular. Tea scents are usually okay for me, and some of my all time fave scents are Death & Floral fruities like Black Cherry Bomb, The Taste of Almost Summer, and Swamp Elixir; all super fruity but not quiiiite FOODIE if that makes sense? D&F and Alkemia were my intros to indies a few years ago, and I’ve amassed a large collection from both of those houses (samples and 5mls of what I really loved most). Book Of Night from Alkemia is this fall’s number one hit for me (but Hex’s Moon In The 12th House and Baltic Amber are riiiight on its heels) and I tend to actually wear it at night, usually to read, and I end up huffing my wrists over and over— it’s notes are artemisia, oakmoss, blue juniper berries, black patchouli, sweet pipe tobacco, chai, and ritual incense resins and it is sexy as fuck in a way I can’t even verbalize. I would probably climb inside the chest of someone wearing this, if that helps. Other than that I have a solid handful of Black Hearted Tart stuff, and now I’m starting to get into Hexennacht and want to try as much as I can from their catalogue.

Notes I tend to go for often: cedar, mahogany, and other woods, green/herbal, woodsy, stuff with a strong camping vibe, cherry, well balanced patchouli and sandalwood that don’t hog the stage, all florals in general except rose when it’s on it’s own, purple florals in particular (violet is kind of an obsession but I also tend to really like lilac, iris, hyacinth, wisteria, and heliotrope), incense, berries, smoke, pipe tobacco, pear, springtime atmospherics, honey, amber, and I’m drawing a blank on more so I’ll shut up for now lol

I put these all down on the table and grabbed them one by one at random without looking at the labels so I could sniff and gauge my reaction without having any major expectations, and I’ll list them in the order I picked them up and mention whether I was able to guess what they were. I’ll rate them all /10 on how excited I was about them beforehand, and then what my immediate impression was

🍬🥀💜 Pastel Goth - marshmallow, buttercream, black violet, violet leaf, raspberry-rose compote. Contains natural raspberry isolates.

Excitement & anticipation before receiving: 9/10 First impression: 7/10, and I wasn’t able to place what this one was but likely would have if I’d been looking at a list of what I ordered; it’s very sweet with the raspberry being the definite standout on vial whiff. Excited to see how this one wears, and see if the violet and violet leaf come through more

☀️🔮🍊 Sun in the Ninth House - Frankincense, Myrrh, Bergamot EO, Sweet Orange EO, Dark Indonesian Patchouli EO

Excitement & anticipation: 7/10 (I picked this one because my Aries sun is in the 9th house, and in a weird twist my Cancer moon is in the 12th house— so Hex has a fantastic fragrance I love for both of my main placements !!!) First impression: 9/10, and I knew immediately which one this was. It’s fruity af but has a lot of spice and depth that balances well. The patchouli doesn’t steal the show and I appreciate that! Definitely has a very sunny vibe and would make a lovely, vibrant, and uplifting bath fragrance

☮️🫐🫚Bohemian Rhapsberry- wild berries, aged dark patchouli, vanilla, pu'erh tea, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, tonka, cedar, sandalwood, artemisia, sage, bergamot, neroli, incense, pink pepper, benzoin. Contains natural raspberry isolates

Excitement & anticipation: 7/10 First impression: 7/10, and I knew what this was after thinking for a few moments. It’s all raspberry and vanilla in the vial, but not a medicinal or plasticky berry— very fresh and juicy. The vanilla isn’t overpowering, and this is another one I’m really excited to wear and see how it blooms on me

☕️🤍🍶Chai-mallow - marshmallow, buttercream, black tea, chai spices.

Excitement & anticipation: 9/10 First impression: 6/10, this one somehow stumped me and I couldn’t figure it out! It’s suuuuper buttery and that threw me off for some reason. I don’t expect this one to be bad, it’s just not at all what I was expecting to smell ??? so it’ll be interesting to see how it wears. Once I looked at the label I was able to strongly get the chai, but the marshmallow is definitely fading into the butteriness in the vial right now

🥛💨🪻Morphine - steamed milk, lavender buds, honeyed apricots, chamomile tea, honey, white amber.

Excitement & anticipation: 10/10 First impression: 7/10, this one has a really similar rich butteriness that stands out like in Chai-mallow and I have to guess it may be the way Hex’s tea note plays in the vial with creamy/milky notes? The apricots are notable here and told me this was Morphine without much thinking, and the steamed milk is definitely notable and edible. This is another one I think would make for a great bath fragrance, but a soothing and relaxing one this time instead of Sun In The 9th House’s uplifting and energizing vibe

🫖🥃🍯Big Toddy Goth Girl - spiced buttered rum, bourbon, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove cigarettes.

Excitement & anticipation: 7.5/10 First impression: 9/10, HOLY CRAP THIS IS BUTTERED RUM AND BOURBON HEAVEN 🤤 and it literally made my mouth water; I knew what it was right away. This is such a holiday vibe, and I want this to be what I smell like on Christmas Day and possibly all winter. I’m not getting the spices or clove cigs in the vial but I don’t mind because the buttered rum and bourbon are so good on their own right now

🔥🍫☁️Nicotine - deep, rich, Oscuro cigars. Plumes of sweet, fire-cured pipe smoke. Fresh-cut tobacco, rum-dipped cigarillos, cacao Shisha, vanillic vape clouds.

Excitement & anticipation: 8.5/10 First impression: 6/10, and I wasn’t sure what this was because I couldnt remember what was left out of my order lol. This is almost all “vanillic vape clouds” in the vial but with a faint tease of more underneath that I hope will open up when I wear it— I was hoping that vanillic note would be on the much milder side but might have had my hopes too high? (I think I tend to mentally categorize notes listed last as being the definite mildest but that’s NOT always how it goes, at all)

🚬🍒🖤 Noir - tonka bean, tobacco leaf, vanilla, black cherry, pipe tobacco, maraschino, frankincense, myrrh, labdanum, Peru balsam, benzoin, sandalwood, black pepper, pink peppercorn, clove.

Excitement & anticipation: 10/10

<First impression: 10/10, and I knew this had to be Noir. MMMMMPH this is gooooood— I assume this will be one I full size and then go apeshit on for a month until it runs out. The black cherry and maraschino is at the very top and is bright and juicy, not medicinal to my nose, and hooks me HARD. The spices and tobaccos are detectable but so well blended I’m not really able to pick them out individually in the vial. The tonka and vanilla do NOT take over here, which is great. The labdanum and balsam are there for me and are mild but… full? Not sure if that’s the word I’m looking for but it works for now; they’re not quite RICH but they’re definitely full and I can’t wait to wear this one (but sadly I already have something on rn that would definitely clash with it so I’ll begrudgingly wait)

If you’ve stuck with me this long THANK YOU FOR INDULGING ME and I hope you enjoyed! Like I said, I’ll post again when I’ve worn them all and can give a full review instead of just vial whiff impressions. xx

15 Comments
2024/11/29
23:11 UTC

29

Three Favorites From Sihaya & Co.

As a way to say thanks to all the reviewers who put their thoughts and themselves out there, and who have led me to some great finds, I thought I'd give it a whirl too!

Having read good things about Sihaya & Co., I ordered a trio of 8-ounce candle tins from their Favorites Collection, because where better to start? (But for real, I appreciate a well-curated list of recs that does half the legwork for me. Shoutout to brands who do this.) My order shipped right on time with the site's stated TAT and arrived without issue. 

The candles, they're gorgeous. I only wish I could capture them in low light, because add flame and they transform into little pots of molten gold. It should not be as mesmerizing as it is. But the scents! I snagged these three:

Dark Academia

  • golden amber, teakwood, white cedar, leatherbound books, and a touch of caramel

Iterations on a theme can be so satisfying. And as a theme, dark academia is a fun one to explore. Scent-wise, you're typically looking at a formula of something woody, dry, and rich that sits comfortably on a scale of musty to mouldering. But this is not that! Or rather, it takes those notes and lands somewhere unexpectedly bright. Not light, mind you. It's still distinctly dark. But polished. Burnished. Think hallowed halls. The lesser-travelled side of dark academia, and I cannot get enough of it. 

Ember & Mallow

  • vanilla marshmallows toasted over a smoky Autumn bonfire

In the vein of "show me what I like but...different?" Ember & Mallow is a great take on campfire + marshmallow. Cold, it leans toward woodfire, but lit, the sweetness builds into something really inviting. I wouldn't say it's photorealistic. But then, my studio apartment has no business smelling like a full on fire pit. I like this candle's subtle coziness and can wholeheartedly vouch for its hype.

The Night Market

  • cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, roasted chestnut, and rich cream

Confession—I don't know what a chestnut smells like. Or a night market, for that matter. But I can say that this candle smells delicious, so I hope that counts for something? The spice components are mellow and well blended, so while I tend to shy away from scene-stealers like cinnamon and anise, I'm glad I took a risk on this one. The creamy oakiness is the real standout.

All told, each is great in its own right! They pair well with books if you like to layer in some olfactory immersiveness. Also, shiny. Delightfully shiny!

https://preview.redd.it/5b907mscxw3e1.jpg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa1903f3af225c3f88aa96a7b64013042e9d5d60

0 Comments
2024/11/29
21:53 UTC

8

Looking for Brown Eyeshadow with silver sparkles/glitter

With all the sales going on, I'm looking for something specific. I've been craving a brown eyeshadow with either silver sparkles or glitter. Can be a multichrome, but if there are sparkles/shimmer, I'd prefer that to be silver. Thanks!

6 Comments
2024/11/29
21:22 UTC

55

Celebrating a Magical Fall Exchange with u/PM_4_Friendship

Spending this Autumn, a season that is now unfortunately slowly coming to a close, messaging back and forth with PM_4_Friendship (username checks out. I P.Med her and received friendship) was a truly lovely experience. Not only was I surprised by just how much we had in common, ranging from a deep appreciation of literature and spooky media to a shared love of Alkemia's "Caveau des Innocents".

Despite the various hiccups and roadblocks that occurred on my road to the shipment of my own present to her, she was always understanding and patient. I think we got to know each other well through this, and I consider myself lucky to have been paired up with her!

Pictured above are the manifold treasures that I was sent, all packaged adorably and festively, of course. I was especially blown away by the hand-crocheted plushie of the Fresno Nightcrawler, one of my favorite cryptids. He even glows in the dark!! I'm in love with this little guy. Additionally, my buddy was so kind as to not only give me handmade cookies, but TWO SEPARATE FLAVORS, and the recipes as well, plus some spooky cookie cutters for when I re-create the recipes myself!

The two pins, a lovely lunar moth from The Moonborn and a monochrome mushroom from Little and Grim, have become constant jacket companions of mine, while the stickers (Fresno Nightcrawlers and woodcut ghost from Little and Grim, potion bottle, midnight bottle, and iced tea, provenance unknown) have found their way onto my water bottle. I would also be remiss to ignore the beautiful bookmark, moth earrings, and many colorful postcards from The Moonborn. The earrings are so detailed and delicate, and I am so grateful to have a real bookmark that isn't a receipt!

Additionally, the nail polish (spectrum cosmetics's Specter) fulfilled my longstanding dream of having the kind of green-black shine of a beetle's shell, so I am now living the Cool Bug dream.

The mug, too, is now my favorite tea buddy. You can't see it well in the picture, but it's kitty-shaped!

In terms of perfumes, full inventory to follow! Everything was chosen with great care and thought, and accompanied by a list of all selections and the thoughts behind them, which I found very touching.

Alkemia:

Book of Shadows

Feuillemort (genuinely smells like fall!)

Nature of the Beast

Novella (EXCEEDINGLY cozy) Mon Beau Sapin (I'm excited for Christmas now!)

Pumpkin Alchemy (A FULL SIZE?!)

Nui Cobalt:

Blarney (truly the perfect tea smell)

Little and Grim:

Mothman (my new all time favorite! Sweet red berry with black tea and smoke and a bit of earthy and wild greenness)

Hedale Wood (made me feel like a faerie lord)

Greenbrier Ghost

Botanomancy (I want to eat this one)

Hexennacht:

Crowley (also a clever reference to a favorite book of mine!)

Golden Skulltula (like vanilla pastry creme if you could wear it)

NAVA:

Crimson and Kashmir Deux (incredibly powerful and good stuff)

Solstice:

Patches (incredibly thoughtful. Hit basically every note I like, and also filled the void left by Mythpunk's Scruffkin)

Cliffside Bonfire (Made me nostalgic for bonfires with friends)

Incensum

Arcana:

Pumpkins Crave Quietude (current #1 Fall Smell)

Ala (comforting and earthy and I can't stop sniffing this one)

Her Fawn (trying this one next!)

Forest Witch

As you can see, everything here was picked out with great thought and care, and I am unbearably grateful for everything. Not only for the treasure trove here, but for the opportunity to get to know and have many conversations with PM 4 Friendship over the autumn months. That username doesn't lie: PM 4 friendship is friend material!

7 Comments
2024/11/29
20:46 UTC

21

Looking for Indie Bags

hi! i'm trying to hunt down the perfect crossbody bag, now that my secondhand kate spade bag started to yellow inside. i really want to find something charming and eclectic, maybe in a fun shape or with a cute pattern? bonus points for reds & pinks! (i'm canadian, if that helps!)

some examples from what i like: oceaninspace's strawberry pochette, clammyheart's side bags, basuragang's picnic heart bag, steadyhands' animal bags, and bisoulovely's dokidoki backpack.

thank you for the assistance!!! orz

5 Comments
2024/11/29
20:40 UTC

11

Fresh Orange Shower Gel/Whipped Soap

Hi! I'm looking for a shower gel or whipped soap similar to the Body Shop's old satsuma forumla. My mom loved this product and I was hoping to find something with a similar fragrance for her for Christmas. (or her birthday, which is a couple weeks later and would allow for a longer TAT). Sadly, she doesn't like perfumes and lotions so it nees to be a shower gel or soap.

Thanks in advance!

0 Comments
2024/11/29
20:22 UTC

56

Canada Post Strike, Mail Suspension & Returned Orders

I just saw that due to the Canada Post strike, my CocoaPink order is being returned to sender. Just wanted to make this post to give my fellow Canadians a heads-up that this might happen to you as well, especially now that some countries are suspending mail to Canada.

Also, for the record, I very much support the postal workers striking!!

10 Comments
2024/11/29
16:45 UTC

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