review

Zoologist Perfumes Review: Rhinoceros

Posted on by elemonated

I apologize in advance. This one ends a little weird.

Rhinoceros Eau de Parfum

Zoologist Perfumes
Rhinoceros

Wet: leather, tobacco, rum
Dry: leather, sage, vetiver, smoke, oud, ginger

I kind of want to bite my arm now. Something about the bitterness of it taps the back of my throat and makes my mouth water. It doesn’t even necessarily smell like it would taste good. I just want to taste it. The rum at the beginning was sharp and obvious, and it left quickly, which is good because I wasn’t trying to smell like an alcoholic, though it was interesting while it was there. Now it smells like new leather, not broken in yet. It’s definitely a hot, shimmering smell, but I can’t identify any of the flowers or the sweet sandalwood so much as they add the shimmering dimension, I think. It makes me feel the way oppressing heat does. I still want to eat my arm. Okay I kissed it. I’m now mildly turned on and my lips taste like soap. And I totally get the flowers now.

At this point I sprayed my arms with Demeter’s Beeswax and gave them a scrub as to smell less like I was in a threesome and more like I’m a weird scent lady. The consequences of which are much less harsh, as my roommates will then only rib me for being obsessive and not grill me on whom I slept with while they were out of the room. Beaver takes it on, while Rhinoceros absolutely swallows it. This is probably because Beaver was on my skin longer, as I did the reviews two hours apart. The Beeswax kills the castoreum and cleans up the scent a ton. Rhinoceros isn’t affected in the least. I think maybe the floral pokes its head out a tiny bit more, but I could just be imagining it.

Zoologist Perfumes Review: Beaver

Posted on by elemonated

Zoologist Perfumes
Beaver

Wet: water, musk, cedar, gasoline
Dry: water, lemon (probably the linden-blossom, which apparently smells like honey, which smells like sugared lemons to me), iris, leather, musk, cedar

In human behavior, a down-turned wrist is a secret untold and a sign of defiance, and an upturned wrist is surrender and vulnerability. When my wrist is turned up towards my face, the scent opens up and I get a lot of floral and cedar chips floating on the water. When I turn my wrist around, the water, musk, and leather are what dominates. The castoreum is very apparent, which is fun, and it’s definitely not a super clean scent. I regret putting it on my clean wrist, and not going out to find someone sweaty at the gym to put it on. It could make B.O make sense.

Things about scents

Posted on by elemonated

Mockingbird by C-91

  • I learned today from an executive from Marriott that Marriott owns Bvlgari. I didn’t know that before today, and I’m still kind of getting used to the information. I don’t know why it’s so weird to me. But it kind of makes me want to stay in a Marriott hotel more, because their tea fragrances are some of my favorites, so I guess +1 to Marriott. (Also, their international digital marketing strategies are amazing. I knew China was a mobile-focused country, but I didn’t know about the constant-scroll preference. I also had no idea Germany doesn’t like scrolling. I really want to work with Marriott now, and I’ve never really given the company a serious thought.)

    Also, Westin’s White Tea scent is really nice. When I get a place, I’m thinking I’ll buy the diffuser. It’s just very gentle and IMO, encourages focus. The last time I went to a Westin was for a focus group/consumer good study dealing with pillows and sheets, and I didn’t fall asleep.

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Jo Malone Rain Series – White Jasmine and Mint

Posted on by elemonated

Gather quickly
Out of darkness
All the songs you know
And throw them at the sun
Before they melt
Like snow

– Bouquet, Langston Hughes

Jo Malone Rain Series
White Jasmine and Mint

Wet: strong jasmine, citrus (like a lime juice and vodka), freshly chopped peppercorns, mint
Dry: jasmine, cream, nutmeg, back hint of mint

While I expected this to be floral-heavy, it’s actually surprisingly spicy, and reminds me of a mojito, or a vodka and lime juice a fraternity brother once made for me while we were all…relaxing. The jasmine stays strong throughout, but it’s warmed by spicy notes and unexpected creaminess, and then cooled off just slightly by the mint at the end which strokes the back of the throat. My boyfriend hates mint, but enjoyed this mix, and I have to agree.  I’ve always loved a nice jasmine, and White Jasmine and Mint doesn’t disappoint.

This is a really interesting scent, fitting for both summer and winter days, and perhaps a little mismatch for the autumn. I can equally see someone wearing this while snow drifts overhead, or on a beach lightening the scents of the sea. I can’t wait for winter to start.

Jo Malone Rain Series – Wisteria and Violet

Posted on by elemonated

And then he flew as far as eye could see,
And then on tremulous wing came back to me.
I thought of questions that have no reply,
And would have turned to toss the grass to dry;
But he turned first, and led my eye to look
At a tall tuft of flowers beside a brook
– The Tuft of Flowers, Robert Frost

Jo Malone Rain Series
Wisteria and Violet

Wet: violet, magnolia
Dry: wisteria, violet, mahogany, cucumber

This is a warm rain smell. The first hit was intensely violets and really no wisteria at all, and in fact the patchouli was more present coloring the violets and making it all remind me more of violets and magnolias warmed under the sun than violets and wisteria in the rain. As it dried though, and I started to sniff up and down the place I applied, the wisteria came through softly, and the punch of violet faded into a more harmonic place along with the patchouli. And it became more aquatic, and more like rain and seems to end like Rain and Angelica.

I can see this on a taller woman whose favorite color might be dark orchid, and who aces those interviews like no one else at a law firm or something similarly high-powered career. It’s certainly feminine, but less girly than Rain and Angelica. It’s mature.

Jo Malone Rain Series – Black Cedarwood and Juniper

Posted on by elemonated

Review time!

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
– Sonnet XVII, Pablo Neruda

Jo Malone Rain Series
Black Cedarwood and Juniper

Wet: juniper, spice, tree bark, cedar
Dry: juniper, spice, tree bark, water

I love how woody this scent starts out, and am a little disappointed it falls to the background after a few minutes. Although the distinct cedar dies out on the dry-down for me, it leaves a warmth that I feel like is necessary to round out the sweet, watery juniper. Apparently there’s chili in this as well, which likely supports that point. I can’t stop sniffing it. It smells like how I want my sheets to smell after a night in, and a scent I could get used to on my pillow at night. Quite seductive, at least to me.

I like it on myself, but I would absolutely love this scent on a guy. It’s warm and sweet without being the masculine go-to sandalwood which I feel gets overplayed, and it’s just dark enough that there’s depth and passion implied, but light enough for day wear.

Surrender to Chance – March

Posted on by elemonated

March: CB I Hate Perfume Black March Water

Wet: cut grass, wet leaves, moss, sandalwood?
Dry-down: cut grass, moss, pink flowers, rain, orchid
From far: Nothing really; the floral notes
Lasts: Not long at all. It’s gone within an hour for the most part

This is so interesting. It starts out like taking a drink from a fountain with rain and twigs and leaves in it or walking through the woods during, well, March, on a cloudy day. I don’t even think I can get over it; it’s so delightfully fresh. It’s almost like I’m sinking my teeth into the ground and instead of tasting disgusting the way eating dirt really does, it tastes like what I feel like it should taste like. It’s how dew or rain on a head of hair should smell.

It legitimately makes me feel happy in such cold, unforgiving weather. And then it fades into a liquid flowers smell, as if you took a bouquet of mostly honeysuckle and orchids and a rosebud or two and submerged them in water. A little like what rosebud tea would smell like if it were mixed with violets and a peppercorn or two (and now I have to go make tea. Thanks a lot, designers at CB.) The end scent has a lazy, warm, sunny element to it, as opposed to the beginning’s chilly, cloudy day.

Honestly, I’m in love, and I’ll have to stash this for a rainy spring day. I see this being worn by someone wearing a navy or red trench coat, holding a non-descript umbrella, wearing some knee-highs boots on a wet road. If this all sounds overly pretentious and poetic, I apologize. These are just the images that have been making an appearance in my head.

No seriously, it’s kind of insane how much I like this. I keep sniffing it and audibly sighing.

I’m done now, I swear.

ZOMGSmells: Dr. Zomg’s Fulminator Argentine review

Posted on by elemonated

Just got my ZOMGSmells package of 2ml bottles of Spice Hypatia and Vory vs. Zarkony; two of my absolute favorite scents of theirs! But this post is not about those, no sirree. Holly and Ariel also included three squees I haven’t tried and I’m really excited to try them!

Dr. Zomg’s Fulminator Argentine
Squee 1
Wet: nutmeg, clove, cardamom, pepper, orange, myrrh,
Dry-down: sage, candied violet, orange, myrrh, sage
From afar: nutmeg, clove, cardamom, orange
Longevity: This is an essential oil mix so it’s going to last quite some time just on principle.

I really like how it starts out. Really spicy and rich with a lift from the orange and a powdered sugar type sweetness from the myrrh. I didn’t get any sage, though I would have wanted to. It’s fairly sweet and tasty at this point and I would probably wear it to class.

I didn’t quite enjoy how it dried and ended. It lost the majority of its deeper cardamom qualities and the cardamom’s settled to a base note with the myrrh and orange on top and it creates this fake grape smell that I don’t really enjoy. At one point the sage pops up and makes the fake grape scent a little more interesting, but for the most part, all I can smell is Sweet Tarts ground into a powder. Although strangely, this is only when I push my nose up close.

From a distance, the cardamom and orange reign over the other spices and is back at the balance I liked. Though as it fades again, it reverts back to fake grape. What is this sorcery??

Overall an interesting scent. I would have considered wearing it to class at the beginning, but it’s too sweet and powdery for me. It’s a fun and sweet scent, and candy fiends who are into pressed sugar candy would probably enjoy it a lot 😀

Surrender to Chance! (More perfume reviews!)

Posted on by elemonated

Surrender to Chance is an online fragrance decant and sample selling website that has some great ready-made sets for certain occasions or off of note preference, time of day, and other characteristics! I just purchased their 12 Months of Scent sample pack and I’m stoked to share my feelings on them :3

Let’s get to it!

  •  January: Ormonde Jayne Ormonde Women

Wet: pine, dill, cucumber, vetiver, pepper
Dry-down: pepper, pine, wood, jasmine, amber
From afar: pine/wood, violet, jasmine, amber
Lasts: Medium length, three obvious hours and then it fades off.

It’s very fresh and dry and soothing. It’s what I’d think of sophisticated without being too “old.” It may be a few years more mature than myself though, but that’s perfectly fine. It’s spicy, and I like the vetiver a lot. It’s actually fairly masculine for a feminine fragrance, and that suits me just fine. It’s almost less sweet than the Versace Blue Jeans for Men, which is my go-to day scent.  It’s definitely more mellow and more flowery than Blue Jeans.

I’m a big fan now. I think it’s flirty, but flirty in the awesome conversationalist, half-smile, bedroom eyes sort of way. It gives off an air of intelligence if that makes any sense. It seems like it would translate well to a business office or to a low-key night out.

  • February: Jo Malone Blue Agave & Cacao

Wet: musk, the chocolate, vanilla
Dry-down: taro, cardamom, bubblegum
From far: nothing really; musk and bubblegum
Lasts: Medium length, two obvious hours and then only when you’re really up close

It’s definitely sweet, and quite interesting. I only get the cacao at the beginning when it’s wet, and then it’s completely overtaken by other lighter and sweeter scents. Fragrantica says this should start with citrus, but I can’t detect any on my skin. It smells like warm bubblegum or taro bubble tea. It’s a pretty bouncy, fun smell, and a little like a slightly dusty room on a hot day.

It’s a nice scent. It’s fun and tasty and cute, and I can definitely see someone with a non-confrontational and cheery personality pull this off. It’s too sweet for me right now in the winter, but I would consider wearing it to the beach.