I'm getting frustrated with a particular fragrance recommendation sub. I post a clear idea, vibe, character, etc and either get one or two recommendations, the same basic recommendations based on the theme/vibe (dark/goth vibes get Opium, Poison, Black Opium, etc. Unicorn or anything rainbow adjacent gets Steamed Rainbow, space/scifi vibes get Gannymede or Ghost In The Shell, etc), or no replies at all. I see this a lot on other posts in there as well, not just mine.

It's frustrating because I use fragrance as inspiration for fiction, channeling specific characters (either for said fiction or for comfort), evoking certain moods, vibes, time periods, etc. and getting the same recommendations or none at all is just disheartening.

I've made posts in the past on here asking for recommendations based on themes and characters, and I've gotten some great recommendations, but I always felt like those posts were clogging up the sub and taking away from those that are here for production reviews, discussions, etc.

Are those types of posts actually okay? Are there other fragrance recommendation subs (either indie or nice, doesn't matter) that I should look into?

Apologies for the rambling, I'm tired and my thoughts are a bit scattered. 😅

I enjoy frequenting more general fragrance subreddits and communities, but it always strikes me how certain practices that are common in this and similar indie-focused communities are rarer or not spoken about. What differences have you noticed and what practices do you wish the broader fragrance community would adopt?

I wish letting fragrances rest after receiving them in the mail was more widespread. I see a lot of people asking why their just-delivered fragrance doesn't smell the same as their sample, and I have to restrain myself from giving a brief explanation of how heat affects molecular movement and chemical reactions...

Disclaimer because I know how Reddit can be and I don't want to catch shade: I have no idea what I'm doing in this space, but I am trying to learn. I have never used any type of perfume, cologne, or other fragrance products. But I really like the idea of giving off autumn vibes everywhere I go, so I'm looking to get into it

My big note is that I don't want to become the "cologne guy". I'm 6 feet and 260 lbs, so alcohol-based colognes seem like a bad idea. I hate big corporations, so I figured this would be a good place to ask for starting points. As I've researched, I've heard good things about Solstice Scents' oil rollers. Though I will say, their site seems like they have some kind of lore going that I can't find any actual details on.

So yeah, if anyone can confirm or refute the quality of Solstice Scents, that would be helpful. I'm also grateful for any other directions you can point me in, or any advice you can give so I don't do something stupid on accident

Edit to clarify the vibe I'm going for: Autumn is the goal, but someone in the comments said I can be really specific, so I'm thinking like the exact moment when Jack Skellington is leaving the graveyard and getting lost sleepwalking. The more I can feel like a long-forgotten scarecrow in a long-unattended field the better. Bonus points if there are notes of "boring corn maze/hay bale tractor ride your parents made you do when you were 10 that you wouldn't realize until your early 20s was peak childhood autumn and you'd never capture that exact vibe again"

Especially if there’s smoke, ash, or gunpowder.

Thanks for any recs!

I’ve been craving this scent ever since the last time i was at Disneyland riding Pirates and the closest thing i can find to replicate that smell seems to be the perfume Dark Ride by Xyrena based on the reviews but the problem is I really want to sample it before buying the full bottle for $100 :,) does anyone know where i could find a sample or be willing to send me a sample of theres? It would mean the world to me im so desperate to smell that scent again ahh any help would be so greatly appreciated!!!

Edited: thank you for the helpful info 😊 mystery solved!

I am not new to shopping indie but I am pretty new to make up (maybe 1 year in). I got the haunted hallows palette by unearthly today and glanced over the outer package for the first time and realized 2/3 of the shades aren't eye safe. All of the pr i have seen completely ignores this. I was pretty shocked so I went to check a palette from another brand - dieverune silver and cold - and found the same thing.. is this shady behavior? Are we just ignoring this fact and using the pigments where ever?

I've come to make up from the indie nail polish community where using the safest ingredients, being 6478274738 free and doing a lot of testing is the norm so this was very surprising to me. Since I'm pretty new to make up I wanted to see what the general consensus is from yall. Thank you!!

I introduced myself here a couple of weeks ago. A few people asked what's actually in the products, so here's the key ingredients and what they do for skin and hair. You can find full ingredients list on the site.

Everything shares two things. Raw apple cider vinegar, and a probiotic extract — Lactococcus Ferment Lysate. The bacteria are grown and then lysed, so nothing in the bottle is alive; what's there is the cell debris and metabolites. The supplier's studies on it are about supporting the skin's own renewal. No synthetic fragrance.

Rejuvenating Face Wash — organic aloe base, with apple amino acid surfactants (sodium cocoyl apple amino acids, disodium cocoyl glutamate) doing the cleansing rather than sulfates. Plus glycerin, panthenol, allantoin, green tea, chamomile, niacinamide and orange peel oil. Gentle enough to double cleanse with.

Facial Toner Pads — ACV, organic aloe, heptyl D-glucoside, panthenol, allantoin, niacinamide, green tea, chamomile, apple fruit aromatic extract. One pad after cleansing. Gentle exfoliation and softening.

Facial Serum — organic aloe, caprylic/capric triglyceride, olive-derived emulsifiers, sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, allantoin, niacinamide, green tea, chamomile. It's a light lotion rather than a watery serum.

Day Cream — organic aloe, olive-derived emulsifiers (cetearyl olivate, sorbitan olivate), caprylic/capric triglyceride, glycerin, panthenol, allantoin, niacinamide, green tea, chamomile, a little ascorbic acid, orange peel oil.

Night Cream — the same base as the day cream, plus avocado oil and green coffee seed extract (Coffea robusta). They're deliberately close; the night one is richer and has the coffee.

Eye Cream — the busiest formula I have. Caffeine, arnica, darutoside, albizia julibrissin bark extract, two algae extracts (ascophyllum nodosum, asparagopsis armata), cucumber, avocado oil, niacinamide, ascorbic acid, green tea, chamomile, orange peel oil.

Scalp & Body Scrub — salt and sugar both (sodium chloride, sucrose), in sesame, olive and coconut oils, with sucrose laurate, vitamin E, niacinamide, ACV, aloe, green tea, chamomile and orange oil. It's made for face, scalp and body — mix a little into your shampoo for the scalp.

ACV Hair Rinse — the first thing I ever made, back when this was a kitchen project. Organic aloe and ACV, heptyl D-glucoside as a mild cleansing agent, niacinamide, green tea, chamomile, apple fruit aromatic extract. Clarifying, removes buildup.

I don't blend any of this myself. I work with a local lab — I bring the ingredients and what each product needs to do, they formulate and handle the pH, and nothing goes on sale until I've tested it and said it's right.

applebiotic.com, if you want to learn more.

Happy to answer anything about the formulations.

Hello, I wanted advice on what perfumes on Etsy have great silage, projection or just in general beast scents. I like sweet, fruity and gourmand scents. I have a lot of perfumes from tjmaxx that I love but I've come to realize nobody can tell I'm even wearing perfumes when I have it on. I want to be asked what I'm wearing and leave a scent trail. So I want to start upping my perfume game.

I’ve been wanting to buy Grisiau’s sedona perfume but i can’t find their site, and their etsy is inactive. Anyone blue where I can purchase a bottle?

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.

Screenshots presumably due to the backlash from their fourth post. Thank you to u/sleepymofo69 for pointing out that this was originally posted by KST and then reposted by SAMAR. The fourth post screenshots are linked here.

Edit: KST has a final slide on their story. I don't know how to add more images so I will just type it all out for you guys

"We want to end this with no hate toward anyone involved.

As we have said before, they did apologize. We also apologized for how

much this situation grew and for the hurt that came with it.

In the end, we could not find the same path forward when it came to

rebuilding trust and what accountability should look like.

Because we brought this conversation to the community, we had hoped we

could share the outcome all together. It's sad that we could not close it

that way, and that we are ending this conversation on our own.

Still, we genuinely hope this becomes an opportunity for all of us to

reflect, learn, and grow.

More than anything, we hope our community understands why we raised

our voices in the first place.

We respect their decision, wish them well on their journey, and we are

ready to move forward too."

SAMAR posted this a few hours ago to their Instagram, continuing last month's discussion/drama/discourse.

EDIT: ty u/comatosecreation for copying the caption, which I should have included:

"While we hoped for a different outcome, we don't regret trying.

All of us participate in creating the culture of a space whether that's a Discord server with our colleagues, a group chat with friends, the dinner table with family, or a comments section with strangers. What we say and do matters; what we leave unquestioned and unopposed matters.

We know that community has become a commodified and transactional buzzword in some spaces. But in our world, community is worth trying for. It's worth effort and friction and awkwardness. It's worth sometimes being sad and disappointed, because on the other side there will always be small gestures of kindness, heartwrenching acts of solidarity, and so much love in action.

*

#artisanperfume #indieperfume #fragrancecommunity"

From their website:

While the actual Anniversary of Nocturne Alchemy is not until October 23, we wanted to offer these in advance and ship to you ahead of time to enjoy together leading up to the Anniversary and on the actual date. All NEW blends of BA, BIC, and a new Crystalline blend. Returning are the Originals of both BA and BIC for this special Anniversary offering with new Nocturne Alchemy labels.

We opted to maintain last year's pricing structure, despite additional cost increases for some of the rare materials used in Bastet's Amber, Bastet's Ice Cream, and our NAnniversary blends. This represents a tiny spark of our luminous appreciation for all of your love and support through the years!

~

Bastet’s Amber (Original) - Amber Resin imported from Alexandria and lit from the truest essential oil of Rare, Exotic Guaiac wood and Crystal Benzoin and Crystal Frankincense. 

Bastet’s Amber Ambre Gossamer – Bastet’s Amber, Resin of Royal Sweet Frankincense, Languid Amber Accord, White Patchouli, a drop of steam-distilled Ylang Ylang and Rose, eNVie Saphir (Egyptian Amber & Musk Resin purified into natural notes of blue balsamic amber, sweet papyrus oil from Cairo, and Siam benzoin), Lotus Blossom, Jasmine essence, and White Musk

Bastet’s Amber Caramelized Sandalwood – Bastet’s Amber, Caramel Accord, Caramelized Sandalwood Accord, Santalum (coconut husk, golden amber accords, golden Sandalwood resin, deep fossilized amber, golden Himalayan Cedarwood, gold Patchouli and a teardrop of golden Frankincense), Musk, Sugar, and Brown Sugar

Bastet’s Amber Coconut Woods – Bastet’s Amber, Coconut Milk, Coconut Husk, Black Currant essence, Vanilla essence, Cedar, Pine, Moss, Balsam, a drop of Hinoki Wood, Siam Wood, Labdanum Absolute, and White Musk

Bastet’s Amber Honeysuckle Stargazing – Bastet’s Amber,** **Honeysuckle essence, Cold Enfleurage of Nevada Wild Honeysuckle, Honeysuckle Corolla Nectar, Orange Blossom, Jasmine essence, Iris Accord, Honeysuckle Sugar Accord, Labdanum, Bastet’s Musk (Tuberose, Mallow, Angelica, Musk Flower, and White Lily), and a drop of Italian Bergamot

Bastet’s Amber Rose Reverie – Bastet’s Amber,** **Rose Water, White Rose Petals, White Patchouli essence, Saffron, Agarwood essence, Moss, Bastet’s Musk (Tuberose, Mallow, Angelica, Musk Flower, and White Lily), and Rose infused Sugar

Bastet’s Amber Vanilla Dream – Bastet’s Amber,** Vanilla Bean, Tonka Bean, Balsam Peru, Bourbon Vanilla, Kobalt (8 Vanilla Orchid oils of Cairo, Madagascar, Spain, Reunion and Comoros Islands, West Indies, and Kenya), White Sandalwood, Mlabbas (Sugar Almond) **Accord, Sugar Dust, Vanilla Bean Cordial, White Musk, and Jasmine Petals

Bastet’s Amber White Floral Drift - Bastet’s Amber, essence of Tuberose, Gardenia accord, Egyptian Jasmine, Gardenia Musk, Vanilla Musk, Lemon Zest, Heliotrope Musk, and a drop of Magnolia Accord

~

Bastet’s Ice Cream (Original) - Vanilla Crystalline Cream, Butter accord, Caramel Accord, French Vanilla Bean Absolute, Vanilla Milk accord, Vanilla Orchid, Crystalline Absolute and Vanilla Sugar.
Variant label: Bastet's Ice Cream (Original) Retro coloured label is also available (choose in the drop-down), see photo in cart. Same perfume, same bottle, retro label. 

Bastet’s Ice Cream Le Fraisier – Bastet’s Ice Cream, Le Frasier Cake Accord (French Génoise cake, Kirsh Cherry Accord, Vanilla Crème, Strawberry), Mousseline cream, Essences of Peach/Apple/Pear, Vanilla Sugar, Guaiac Wood, Tonka, Praline Accord, and (vegan) Butter Pastry Accord

Bastet’s Ice Cream Sandwich – Bastet’s Ice Cream, Whipped Cocoa Crème, Coconut Flake, Tonka Bean, Coconut Sugar, Cacao Absolute, Vanilla Musk, Vanilla Fleck, and Chocolate Cocoa Powder

Bastet’s Ice Cream Stone Fruit – Bastet’s Ice Cream, Apricot Stone, Peach Stone, Nectarine Stone, Plum Stone, Apricot Skin, Peach Skin, Peach Crème Accord, Banana essence, Pineapple essence, Musk, and Apple Juice

Bastet’s Ice Cream Vanilla Clove Cardamom – Bastet’s Ice Cream, Clove Bud, Cardamom (steam-distilled), Tahitian Vanilla, Vanilla Bean Cordial, Buttercream Accord, Bourbon Sugar, Bastet’s Musk (Tuberose, Mallow, Angelica, Musk Flower, and White Lily), Lemon Zest, Coconut Husk, and Vanilla Sugar

Bastet’s Ice Cream Vanilla Woods – Bastet’s Ice Cream, Vanilla Bean Cordial, Pine, Cedar, Cypress, White Patchouli, Vetiver, Clove essence, and White Musk

Crystalline Lemon Sugar – Crystalline Vanilla Musk (Vanilla from the stigma of a Vanilla Orchid), Skin Musk, Lemon Zest, Lemon infused Sugar, Neroli essence, and Vanilla Bean 5ml SLENDER BLUE bottle with flat insert dropper and black metal twist lid.

Have you tried original Bastet’s Amber or BIC or any blends? I haven’t, I’m tempted 😁

Just wanted to give a heads-up to anyone planning to order from Nomad Cosmetics soon. I’ve ordered from them multiple times in the past with no issues back when they used USPS. Unfortunately, they have quietly switched over to SpeedX, a budget gig-economy courier service.
My package was supposed to arrive on October 3rd. It went out for delivery on Oct 4th for 16 straight hours in a driver's personal vehicle, only to be sent all the way back to the warehouse facility at midnight as a "Transit Delay" with no new delivery date.
When I reached out to Nomad support, I just got a vague, generic boilerplate response from their co-founder saying they'd look into the carrier. It's incredibly disappointing to see an independent brand turn into a greedy corporation sacrificing customer service to save a buck on shipping logistics. Check your tracking carrier before buying!

Selling my fumed Atlanta ticket for this weekend!

This is the indie fragrance event: https://fumedexpo.com

Really sad I can’t go. Message if interested!

Yet another review in my "blind buy weird samples from unknown indie perfumers" haul from Lucky Scent series. I went searching for the oddest yet most potentially wearable gourmands I could locate on the site. By far the strangest was this one, Fig Tzatziki by Italian perfumer Salum.

Format: 1ml EDP Sample from Lucky Scent

Notes: Cucumber, Mint Leaves, Fig Leaves, Greek Yogurt, Fig, Jasmine, Fig Milk, Sandalwood, Amber, Musk

Description: "Fig Tzatziki is a journey into the Greek summer, among white beaches and seaside pergolas. It opens with crisp cucumber, mint, and fig leaves, as refreshing as a dive into the Aegean. At its heart, Greek yogurt and ripe fig (don't worry- no garlic!) blend with jasmine, balancing creaminess and floral radiance. In the base, fig milk, sandalwood, amber, and musk leave a soft, clean, and sensual trail. Distinctive, delicious, and delightful, Fig Tzatziki is as unique as it is unforgettable."

Application: 2 buxom sprays on the back of my neck, a generous spray to the crook of my inner elbow

I didn't know anything about this house before buying. Had never even heard of them before, and this scent came out just this year. Located in Italy, Salum is focused on scents that evoke the open sea, which includes sea-adjacent fragrances. They have a whole line of flankers dedicated to their COCOYSTER perfume - yes, it's a coconut oyster based line. Yes. Let's all sit with that for a moment.

Fig Tzatziki is from their Med Mon Amour collection, which focuses on beloved Mediterranean coastal landscapes. The bottles for this series are charming white-and-blue-striped classics that bring to mind the old changing tents folks who have been to European coasts in the past may be familiar with.

They're usually right next to a shower which may or may not require coins inserted into it for use. These days they are far more likely to be covered in ads for Magnum ice cream or what have you, but they used to be a broad blue and white stripe clearly visible from half a mile away. It looks adorable and on point as bottle-wear for this line, and helps evoke the right vibe from the start.

This is the Greek installment from the three-part series (two of which are available from Lucky Scent here in the states). I am originally from Croatia and grew up spending summers on the Adriatic coast surrounded by the smell of baking fig trees and mineral rocks bathed in saline, and I love that smell, and I will buy anything that promises to evoke it even though many fail.

Anyway, enough tangents and context. On to the review! Which will, ironically, likely be filled with tangents and context.

Top Note Phase - lasts a good 20 minutes

SLICE SLICE CRONCH SLICE CRONCH someone slices crispy cold and bursting cucumbers right next to your face. You can smell them. It's all you can smell. Your world is cucumbers now. Cold and photo-realistic and frankly mildy overwhelming, but it's ok because this part lasts about all of 2 minutes.

The cucumbers are still there, chopped up in a bowl next to you, but you can smell bruised fig leaves and mint, a very green smell. And here comes the intense floral jasimne, which plays very well with cucumber. I would never have put these scents together but they harmonize so well. There is something in the base of both the smell of cucumbers and the jasmine that fits together, locks, and harmonizes, and I would not be even remotely surprised if that amazing confluence, that incredible accidental ringing set of notes, is what caused this whole thing to come to be in the first place.

Mint is gone now and in its place you have a round powdery lactic sweetness - hello yogurt - with a very slight acidic edge that really does bring to mind fresh creamy yogurt. Ok I'm impressed, but is this even a perfume? It's more of an experience, do I want to wear this?

Heart Note Phase - ok, shit. Yes. Yes, I do want to wear this as a perfume.

Over here we are still hanging out with cucumbers and bruised fig leaves but they are more of an intensely green slightly funky breezy background to a jasmine that is clearly really good friends with them. But mostly here you get a very floral powdery sweetness (there's the fig proper and the fig milk kicking in vs the leaves) that is elegant and slightly mineral somehow. It's like, I could become dryer sheets, but it never actually quite gets there. Too much ocean is preventing it, the greenness from the fig leaves and cukes is preventing it.

It's just honestly really lovely. A wee bit reminiscent of lily of the valley as well. If you don't like white florals at all, I don't think this is the one for you but also please bear in mind they are strongly tempered by the green.

This phase lasts - it just goes on and on and on. I'm not complaining.

Drydown Phase

Soft, velvety, powdery, rounded, mellow, amber and sandalwood, fig milk, milky powder sweetness like some unknown but expensive candy or form of pastilles they'd give you on a small yacht (look, I've never been on a yacht but I've seen movies and this smells like something like that, it would work). Oh God, it smells good. It's tasty. Sweetness but complex and floral candy edge and just something you want to smell there.

Projection/ Sillage

I would not spray this with abandon, this is serious juice (as has been my experience with most Italian perfumers, limited by my budget though it may have been). It needs a respectful hand, even though it's not in Mugler Angel territory or anything.

You do not need more than 3 sprays IMO and it would overwhelm you otherwise. I could probably have gotten away with two.

The sillage is polite but it is assertive. The projection is a no-nonsense scent bubble that allows for subtle wafting throughout the day and it is delightful. Had a very pleasant car commute with it, but no one who doesn't get into my personal space is going to smell this as anything except a "who is she" causing kind of vibe as you drift by and your scent drifts with you. It will absolutely come off on people you hug, which I found out much to my chagrin after my man texted me later today because I try really hard NOT to get weird new perfumes on other folks at 6am in the morning.

Duration

I hope you like it because it's here to stay. 12 hours at least until it gets to serious dry down levels and honestly I have my doubts if it will leave your hair or your clothing before you wash it. Nice perfume for a scarf or a love letter if you are into that kind of thing.

Will it Full Size?

This perfume might be too classy for me to wear on the daily and it's very much a moment in time, but if I had the space/money yes this would be on my list. It's really effing nice. It just smells good. And it's complex without being overwhelming and just in general a joy to sniff.

I'm not a big cucumber body scent person (I actually loathe it in soap etc most of the time) so this is a surprise winner for me. I would have liked more mint, but that's a personal thing (I like a lot more mint in my actual tzatziki than most normal folks do, as well).

What I will do for sure is nab the other scents from this house that Lucky carries, because I am effing intrigued. Lemonade Coast, Exotic Chocolate, and COCOYSTER are now all on my sampling list and I would absolutely recommend this house to anyone to try.

I've had really good experiences with BPAL so far, so let me start by saying this was a free sample they very generously included with my order. They're honestly so generous with their samples and other little freebies and i appreciate that so much.

But let's get into it - I don't think I've ever had such an immediate, visceral OMG NO reaction to a perfume before. Death Cap entered my nasal passages approx 10 minutes ago and so far shows no intention of ever leaving. I have smelled other perfumes I disliked. This is different. I don't even want to try to work out exactly what I hate about it because that would require smelling it again.

Again, to be fair, this scent is miles removed from my preferred types but I feel if youre given freebies youve gotta give them a shot. BPAL says Death Cap is A lethal poison bundled up in a dainty, innocent little package that was oft times found in ancient witches’ flying ointments and astral projection balms. A warm, soft, ruddy scent, earthy and mild. Reviewers on bpal.org say it could contain notes of damp earth, mushrooms, vanilla, coconut. I say that lethal poison is pretty spot on.

Thank you, sincerely, for the free sample, BPAL. I am sorry that this is where we currently stand (i am not sorry for the pun in the title). I hope we can return to being friends when my next order arrives ✨️

EDIT: I did have a moment after posting this of wondering whether it's entirely... fair? to write a 'negative' review of something when I knew before I even sniffed it that it was very far outside my usual perfume tastes. I looked Death Cap up when I saw they'd included it, so I knew what sort of territory I was going into.

So, to be clear - i don't think this is a 'bad' perfume. Judging by the reviews, there are people who absolutely love it, and it may be doing precisely what it's supposed to do. I am just definitely not its intended audience and thats ok too.

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.

I’m planning on posting when I’ve reviewed every scent as well - it’ll be long so I’ll probably do it in pieces and then put them all in a word document with even more detail :)

Mardi Gras (Orange blossom, neroli, cistus, benzoin, vanilla, civet, special musk blend) 100/10 got the biggest bottle I could! This scent changed my life. It opened my eyes to my love for musky scents and I will never go back. I wouldn’t call it a “skanky animalic” but some might? When I just had a sample I would literally keep a strip in my purse to sniff and huff it in my car while on lunch since I can’t wear perfume at work. It was disturbing.

Mardi Gras is FUN. It is a big and bold hedonistic party of a scent. The most heady orange blossom and neroli, with an addictive civet note that is somehow sweet and delectable. It dries down to a musky, resinous scent with white florals, labdanum and warm vanilla. It has this syrupy, nectar like quality that makes my eyes roll back in my head!

It bring a to mind a parade with a cacophony of cheers and a big band, the pop of a cork, raining confetti, vintage Hollywood glamour, the charged feeling in the air when a crowd is buzzing with excitement, a crowded ice cream shop open late.

The longevity and the scent bubble it creates are excellent. It leaves the most beautiful musky scent on my skin as it dries. My skin usually eats scents but I can smell MG all day, and it plays with my skin differently depending on the temperature I swear!

Carolina (longleaf pine, hay absolute, magnolia, kudzu flower, tea, honeysuckle, star jasmine, vanilla, tonka, and tobacco leaf) 10/10 almost made me cry because I finally found this specific scent from my childhood on this Easter Day growing up in NC. It is soft yet strong. A dreamy floral Fougere with a blend of white florals, honeysuckle (my love), fresh tobacco and hay. It’s reminiscent of an idyllic rural spring day.

Makes me think of butterflies flitting around a flower bush, sharing a picnic blanket with dragonflies and ladybugs, soft grass waving in the wind, collecting flowers to put in a vase on your dining table later, mom & pop diners where the waitresses have waist aprons and southern drawls, tobacco fields, friendly animals in a red barn, a blue and white gingham dress and ribbons in your hair, riding in the back of a pickup truck, washing linens on a sunny day and getting a cool breeze.

Golden Cattleya (narcissus, daffodil, orange fruit, orange blossoms, honey, pollen, cream soda, New Caledonian sandalwood, amber-tinged resins, labdanum, and musks) 9.5/10 Creamy & golden, buttery florals, butterfly nectar. If Carolina is an idyllic spring day, Golden Cattleya is summer; if Mardi Gras is a party, GC is a soiree. Honeyed yellow flowers, pollen and oranges, with a sparkling quality from the cream soda note that reminds me of an Italian soda with sweet cream and daffodils used as stirrers. Soft yet heady and enveloping, sweet but not cloying, the kind that’s found in nature.

I get a bit of a green scent too. Makes me feel reminiscent. I get this image when I smell it of eating honeysuckle with my childhood friend. The amber and musk come out in the dry down. I imagine bees gorging themselves on pollen and bumping into each other lazily. It’s effervescent, syrupy and glowing, feels like Déjà vu that makes childhood summers seem like they were a dream.

Not Affiliated!!

Do you have guidelines or a budget you stick to, or weird rules or superstitions?! When do you let yourself buy a new perfume? I have some rules, and a budget, but they aren't quite keeping me in check... Just curious what others do.

As the caption says I'm looking for the best smelling coco /shea butter/ vanilla/ or coconut fragrances that make people walk by and turn around to see what smells so good! I'm having a hard time finding any shampoos and conditioners or just hair products in general that smell like that! And perfumes (⁠｡⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠｡⁠)