sunshinedaisybliss

I get a swarthy citrus sweetness here, with a dark boozy twist. Not bubblegum, not cherry, definitely orange. Cointreau. This smells exactly like Cointreau on me. Aaaand.. ten minutes later.. it’s gone. As in - I almost cannot find the spot on my arm where it was. Gone

This is what I get… 1. Dark, smokey leather (I left my old leather jacket over the back of a chair in a smokey club and this is how it smelled when I got home). 2. Dark, soft smokey leather, a hint of rum, and warm patchouli (I loaned my leather jacket to my friend - a pipe-smoking grizzly bear - who slept on it for three days after too many hot rum toddies, and this is how it smelled when I got it back). 3. Sweet, dry, golden tobacco with warm patchouli and leather (I discovered that the bear left a pouch of his pipe tobacco in the pocket of my leather jacket, and this is how it smelled when I opened it up). 4. Golden tobacco, warm patchouli, soft earthy vetiver, snuggly leather and a hint of lime and sweet honey (I had a sleepover at my friend the bear’s place and we rolled our own smokes, drank margaritas, then laid my leather jacket on the forest floor and slept on it all snuggled up together, and this is how we smelled when we woke up). 5. Soft sweet patchouli and a faint memory of leather, soft smokey vetiver, warm golden tobacco and a dash of lime (a year has passed, I just pulled my old leather jacket out of the closet and I smile as I’m reminded of that night in the forest with my friend the pipe-smoking margarita drinking bear). I kinda love this. A lot. And thank you, skin chemistry, for not giving me any bile, puke or blood as neither I - nor my friend the bear (whose name is Sherman, by the way) - like either of those things. We’re just all about the warm snuggles.

Well this one is interesting! For me, it started out with a blast of sweet syrupy candy blackberry which reminded me of blackcurrant cordial. I didn’t get any of the oudh right away, and to be honest at that point I was just very happy that the blackberry hadn’t gone to instant cat pee on me, which blackcurrant usually does. So I checked back 10 minutes later, and there’s the oudh! That initial candy sweetness of the blackberry has gone, leaving behind a lovely dark and dusky warm wine-like berry or deep plum instead, and the oudh is now definitely there.. slightly smokey and somewhat earthy but not poopy or stanky. Good oudh! After about half an hour, I can’t really identify the oudh or the blackberry separately - they have integrated perfectly and together they’re quite lovely. I’m getting a slightly waxy feel from it, and if I really breathe it in there’s a slight camphor-like tone which is a bit odd but it’s not intrusive. Overall this has a lovely dark but soft feel and quite a mysterious vibe to it that keeps drawing me back in for another sniff.

Firstly, I should mention that I received this as a gifted decant and when I read the label, I thought it was "Not Such an Agreeable Seal" and was expecting something completely different. Seat, silly me. SEAT. No seals here. OK so the oudh here is kind of odd, with the "golden rose" element - instead of being all dark and serious it's kind of light and bright,but that stanky earthy oudh flavour is still lurking in the background. The saffron is bright and warm, and I definitely get the "opalescent" and "twinkle" elements as an overall vibe. Here's what's weird though... I can't really figure out what this smells like! There's rose, which is strong at first but fades back pretty quickly, a background of oudh, and the dusky floral melange smell of orris root... so overall, I'm going with the smell of walking into a florist shop that has bags of potting mix open out back and really needs to open a window to let some fresh air in. Dull soft florals with rose out front, and an earthy undertone. Not really my bag,

On me, this is fresh orange + orange peel, with a slight duskiness - almost musky vibe - behind it. Very low throw, and limited longevity, but a good orange for those who don't want a sweet citrus.

This is a beautiful sweet green apple... not really much more to say! It's very 'fresh' smelling, juicy. There is a slight shampoo-y tone to it, but it doesn't turn to soap on me. Update: Pretty much completely disappeared after less than an hour 😕

OK so this is pretty much exactly how you would think the lady herself may be fragranced. On me, this one is kind of fleeting - my skin just eats it up! But while it lasts, everything about Zorya P is soft and clean and pure and pretty. It really does have a very calming feel about it, and a gentle touch that leans almost musky but not quite. It's one of those ageless, classic style perfumes that could never offend anyone because it's just nice. If you're scared of "tobacco" don't be - this isn't your usual tobacco note. And if you're scared of ambergris don't be - it's here to add a silky softness rather than a scent, although if I breathe in deeply I can definitely pick up that salty ambergris tang. If you like Antique Lace and similar olde worlde style BPALs, this one's for you. I actually prefer They Shut Me Up In Prose, which has a very similar vibe, but only because that one sticks around much longer than Ms Z.

Do you like your sandalwood all snuggly and dusky like your favourite blankie? Does saffron make you swoon with its gentle spicy warmth? Are you a fan of amber when it has a gentle sweetness that reminds you of pure sunshine? Yes? YES?? Well stop fucking around, and go buy this. That is all.

This is one of those "pretty" ones... soft, gentle, delicate. On me, it's mostly vanilla with a hint of sandalwood and mallow flower. A marshmallowy vanilla, but it doesn't read as foody and it's not overly sweet. It's the kind of perfume you would wear on your wedding day if you're the big white dress kinda gal, or for a game of croquet with Mr Darcy. Or for seducing a vampire. Very olde worldey. If you like things along the lines of Antique Lace, Zorya P etc - you will like this.

This little fella is totally a whole mood - dark and naughty, mean and menacing, but also strangely seductive. This is not for the feint hearted - it's stompy and in your face. This is the armadillo that gives no fucks. If David Attenborough ventured into the Texan desert hoping to find a cute little fella to film, this armadillo would not smile and invite him in for a cup of tea - he would tell him to GTFO and chase him off, nipping at the back of his ankles as he desperately tries to run away. He would then go back into his burrow, lay on the couch and put on his favourite Bon Jovi album because although he's a badass, he has terrible taste in music. My first impression is a blast of strong hot coffee, but on closer inspection that's the cocoa and tobacco combining into a rich smoky syrup that has a strong boozy tone (like a good woody bourbon liquer). I'm not really picking up any cream here - the tobacco is definitely the most forward note on my skin and ultimately the cacao almost disappears completely, leaving behind the rich tobacco and a hint of wood. For anyone who thinks this is going to be all sweet creamy chocolate - nope, it's not. But is it good? Hell yes. ETA: there's no sludge, bloops or flecks or sludge in my bottle, unlike others have mentioned in theirs.

Dirty jasmine with dull beeswax and polluted smoke all wrapped up in some kind of nasty furniture polish. I don't often write a review like this, but my skin does not like this one at all.

This one is like an olfactory version of Cluedo. It's orange blossom, sweet and sultry, on the balcony in the sunshine. It's sweet patchouli, in the den, with a velvet blanket. It's vetiver, in the garden, with a bag of dirt. It's sandalwood, in the bedroom, with a dusky lampshade. It's each note on its own, then combined, then on its own again - like one of those ensemble shows where each character sings a solo then the group comes together in chorus, then back to the solos. It's like whack-a-mole - one note pops up, then goes away and another one pops up and goes away and so on etc etc. Could I use any more metaphors? No, that will do. This one just doesn't work for me - it's too cacophonous, it never settles comfortably and doesn't really smell very nice on me at all. Boo!

The frost note here is not really "cold" feeling - it's a nice sweet snow-like note, not the fir needle/pine kind of snow, but on my skin it leans warm rather than cool. The mandarin is stronger than I thought it would be - more like a blood orange, it's quite a deep dark citrus. Balanced with the sweetness of the frost, the mandarin really shines although every now and then I get a whiff of bathroom cleaner-ish orange which I don't love but that is fleeting. It doesn't quite cross over into candyland for me, but it's very close to the border. This one would be interesting to layer up with a rich vanilla to pimp the sweetness, or a nice dark patchouli to make it more earthy... and I think it would be amazing with some Snake Oil to add some musky spicy goodness. Definitely a good one for layering experiments! Overall this is a nice, simple blend that's exactly what it says on the tin. Over time, it dries down to pretty much just the mandarin - the frost doesn't stick around for the duration.

This one's interesting, because although it says "Peach" on the tin, it's a different kind of peach flavour due to the influence of the sweet apricot - the two together combine into something more rich than the standard peach, with quite a heady syrupy tone, and feels like it can't decide what it is... Hi! I'm peach!! No! I'm apricot!! Wait, I'm peach!! and so it goes. Let's call it peachicot. So the other problem with this peachicot is that - being so rich - it's drowning out everything else. I really wanted sugared amber. and I was looking forward to a nice rice milk too, but nope - there's really nothing else here... just all peachicot. And not a trace of any frankincense or cardamom. I waited a while before writing this review, hoping that the other notes would come forward, but they just didn't. Having said all that, this really is a lovely smell but on me it's essentially a peachicot single note. So... I'm disappointed this isn't working on my skin, but I'll put it away and see how it ages.

This is really beautiful - the peach is quite sweet and a bit full on at first, but within a few minutes it mellows down into a lovely soft musky peach and retains a gentle sweetness. But the standout here is the sugared amber.. gorgeous, dusky and just the right amount of sugar - this, combined with the peach - could have easily tripped over to candy land but the musk + amber together balance the sweetness perfectly. Unfortunately this doesn’t stick around for long on me - my skin just eats it up - but it’s lovely while it lasts 🍑 🧡

White musk is usually nasty bitter sourness on me, but not here! Yay!! This is quite lovely - the cognac is warm and rich, and the lavender doesn’t really stand out on its own, it’s just snuggled up nicely with the musk and cognac. There is a smokey vibe but it’s not a burning smoke - it’s more like a foggy, hazy, clean smoke. Everything here just works beautifully together. Definitely something different from the usual lavender blends, and a different take on cognac as well - it really is shadows and light 🙂

If only 2020 had actually smelled like this.. maybe we would have had a year of sunshine and rainbows, instead of a year of dumpster fires. Artificial cherry and raspberry that turns plasticky on me, and too much candy sweetness for my skin. If I could dial this down to maybe a 3 or 4 then perhaps I would enjoy it.. but this one goes to 11 and it’s just too much, I want to get off of this ride please, it’s not fun. Hmm.. very 2020, now that I think of it 😳

Holy smokes, this is an interesting one! At first, I get a blast of sugar cookies (reminding me of Mr Nancy) and a smack of cassia-like spice. Whoa, I say... whooaaaaa, sugar cookie overload! But wait.. here’s the leather! On me, it’s a hot, dark leather but it’s not sharp or rude - it’s old leather, not the new and shiny kind. The lavender? Well.. I know it’s there, but it’s very subtle. This is is like Monsterbait Underbed with leather. Interesting, but not for me.

Nope, not loving this.. that asshole frankincense is screaming so loudly that I can’t enjoy any of the other notes. I tried talking nicely to it “Aww c’mon please, Frankie! Let the sandalwood and ambergris come out and play, please?” but it just laughed right in my face. So I tried a more direct approach “Look, Frank, how about you just fuck all the way off?” but nope, that didn’t work either - it just stayed there, stubbornly refusing to move. All the other notes never had a chance. It’s becoming very clear to me that Frank is a prick, and we will never be friends.

Frankincense overload at first, kinda sharp and loud. Then the tobacco comes out and ooh nice - very golden and dry. Eventually the vanilla wakes up, and then this blend really sings. It has a dark vibe, and isn’t overly sweet.. this ends up drying down to mostly tobacco in a vanilla blanket, with that pesky frankincense subdued but occasionally still yelling in the background. It’s nice, but not particularly remarkable, and it didn’t have very good staying power on me.

This is for the original unreleased version. I have had a decant of this for years, but never tried it because florals are not my friend. Well, that was a big mistake. BIG. This is.. amazing. It’s black velvet, snuggly and sexy. Yes it’s floral, but it really isn’t- there’s a beautiful dustiness to it that brings to mind dried flowers, but the orchid itself is dark and seductive. I really love this, completely unexpectedly.

To me, this is very Tweedledum like. But a strawberry milkshake version of it. Fruity, sweet, fresh, fun. And now I want a big bowl of Froot Loops.

this is very pretty, it’s all mostly soft dusky amber and golden apples on me at first. the oud adds a grounding element that stops it being too APPLE, and the vanilla husk lends a soft dry sweetness behind the scenes. I am not getting any cedar (yay, because cedar can be bad pee on me), and the orange blossom honey? That came out after about half an hour, and blended beautifully with the apple. this one doesn’t knock my knickers off, but it is very pretty. PS - I forgot to mention the saffron.. that’s because I can’t find it 🧐

I was really excited about this one, because it’s got globules! Cacoa globules! And black amber.. love it. But unfortunately the copal ruined everything. I don’t even know how to describe this.. vomit-scented furniture polish is what comes to mind. Not nice on me at all, and now I have a very large disappoint. Copal is a bastard.