Alisha_SBC

Upon first sniff, I get cool, moist dirt with a breath of fresh sweetness. This makes me think of the Crimson Peak collection in a way, but without the clay or decaying wood. It just somehow gives me that vibe. Wear test: Ohhhh, this is lovely. The sweetness blooms on the skin and the soil is present but gentle. I definitely can see snow-covered soil. The fenugreek, I think, is the sweetness in the background. I almost get that maple syrup note fenugreek can have, but this is in NO WAY a pancake breakfast type scent. The amber is soft, not powdery, and the whole blend is just a wonderful mix. While pretty, I definitely wouldn't wear much of this. I'll hang onto my decant (but wouldn't mind a second!) for those days I want to evoke this wintry, desolate-but-not-hopeless feeling.

I received my bottle in a swap and I am sooooooo happy with this scent. Blackberry has been sadly missing from my collection and I've been struggling to find one that works for me and isn't overwhelmed with florals or ruined by milk (I'm looking at you Candle's Moon.) This still isn't the juicy blackberry I hope to find someday, but it is utterly gorgeous and mature, yet perfect for a casual outing. I thought I was getting plum, but that must be the currant melding with the blackberry and myrrh. I'm not super familiar with opponax, but it must be working for me. This is resinous enough to be sensual, without going heavy or too dark. Thankfully I am not getting the bubblegum others seem to have experienced.

How did they perfectly capture that feeling of sitting beneath an oak tree? Because this brings to mind childhood days of running around in the forest playing swords with my friends. It's a wearable, autumnal scent if you want to smell like a woodland explorer. I may need a bottle.

This is beautiful. My first thought was a more "traditional perfume" in that it felt classy and like something I'd sniff and forget at the beauty counter. But a few seconds later, a second sniff, and I am quite enraptured. There's soft plum and gentle florals that don't make me want to sneeze. It's a watercolor washed night, streets damp from a recent rainfall. This is so very pretty.

I think I finally understand what a "bookish" scent is. This evokes cracking open a paperback as I sit on the couch bundled by blankets with a cup of tea near at hand. The lavender is subtle and soft, not astringent, and super calming. I find this one cozy. My friend compared it to Two Sheep and Two Goats, but with lavender instead of vetiver and a little less vanilla, and I have to agree. This feels like it's in the same family.

Honey almond. This is how I wish Dana O Shee smelled on me, but in that blend the milk just goes wonky and powdery. With Peanut, I get the honey and the whiffs of almond, backed by the sweetness of what I assume is the fig. It's not fruit, but creamy. I think this will be even lovelier on a cold day, it's such a snuggly scent. I don't think I need a full bottle, but I'll definitely look for a half bottle, or at least a few other decants.

Raspberry! When this first goes on its sweet, fresh raspberries. I think I detect a smidge of vanilla, but that may just be the sugar, which is sweet indeed. At points it does seem to lean into that artificial, strawberry shortcake doll sort of feeling, but I actually don't mind it. The scent is soft and I fear it may fade off fast, so I'll have to report back on its longevity. I do like this, but whether it's bottle worthy or not is still up for debate.

This evokes exactly what the name states. The apple here is mulled, but the spices aren't in my face and taking over. And the sweater note is something that I have no idea how Beth captures, but I totally get it. It feels close to my skin, but that's fine by me. To my nose, this is a splash of apple cider on a sweater, both room temperature, a soft reminder of the drink I had the evening before. I wish the apple was a little more present, as that's lacking in my collection. however I do find this very enjoyable and perfect for the season.

On me, this is more crust than fruit, with a soft cinnamon swirling in the background. A blackcurrant tart. Sad that the fruit isn't more forward on my skin, as that is what I was looking for.

I've never tried original Smut before, so I had to take a chance on what I thought I might enjoy. This doesn't disappoint. This almost has a buttery quality to it that instantly brings to mind salt-water taffy I used to get in California when visiting my grandmother and hitting up the boardwalk. Behind it is the sweetened, boozy musk. I enjoy this but my decant is more than enough.

Oh dear, first again. I feel so unprepared, but I have to sing to the rooftops about how much I love this one. Can we say YUM? This is mint chip all right, but in a very flattering, wearable way. The chocolate in this doesn't turn me off like many do (Bliss being an exception) and the mint is creamy but not doing that weird sour-spoil thing on my skin that seems to happen whenever a milk or cream is involved. The mochi aspect is subtle and more a sweetness to the blend. Thankfully it's not awful and perfumey on me the way basmati goes. The green tea is the grounding base that's keeping this all together and preventing it from being toothachingly, syrupy sweet. I don't get tea up front, but I know it's there, if that makes sense. I love it. I need it. I haven't even sprayed it on my hair yet, but I wanna smell like this all the time.

Of the four Ars Inspirio scents I've tried so far (waiting on Strega still) this is the heaviest and probably my least favorite. That isn't to say it's not pretty. It is. This just isn't something I'd see myself reaching for. The candies fruits are there, but buried amidst the incense and musk. It brings to mind some of the markets I walked through in Dubai, actually. It's earthy and even a touch sensual, not something I'd pick for a casual day of wear. As it dries the fruits recede even further and I'm left with a smokiness thats somewhat peppery. Nice, but not for me.

Immediately upon touching my skin this bloomed into a bright citrus that made me want to stop and breathe in deep. I smiled. Where Choirs is a subtle, delicate brightness, this is a bold beam of golden light. In the background I get hints of the moss and some gentle florals. A faint whiff of plum. The mandarin is the star here, though. I don't really get the incense mentioned, but I do get why someone else mentioned polish. I can picture a glossy wood altar with citrus candles burning bright. As it dries it gets a little more grounded and I detect a touch of the resins. I liked the initial application best, but this is still a pretty scent. I'd consider this unisex and should try it on my husband.

This is a mood. A feeling. It's incredibly light, both in terms of scent and the feeling it invokes. The notes are blended beautifully and so completely that I cannot detect anything individually really, just this sweetness with something thats not quite citrus yet evokes that idea. The neroli, perhaps? The white bergamot? It's a faint floral/sweet lemon and it's utterly gorgeous.

This scent is the sea at twilight for me. I get that sea air aspect that isn't too briney or heavy. I don't really detect any fruit from the blackcurrant or pear, but I'm catching whiffs of florals in the background. I love gardenia and don't actually detect it as anything more than a lush floral, it's that subtle. The woods stand out most, but in a smooth way that doesn't go too masculine. That being said, I find this very unisex. Clean without being soapy. It's a nice, oddly soothing scent.

Eeeeep! First reviewer. Consider that cherry now popped. 😅 This DL (only the second I've ever tested) is different than the other I tried (the pistachio cream one, so yummy!), and a little bit more like I expected. This has that "aquatic" vibe people have mentioned in reviews. It strikes me as more of a cologne than a perfume, and yet this is still quite wearable by a woman. The amber here is not powdery in the slightest. It's warm and clear. Golden. I detect a slight sour edge that I can't quite pinpoint. It could be the smoked balsam, as it brings to mind charred wood. I find this oddly compelling. Not sure I need a bottle, but I would not be opposed to a second decant to keep on hand.

This is my very very first DL and... OMG WHY IS THIS SO PRETTY???? After seeing so many reviews of DL scents being cologney, I expected this to be more masculine, but to me this is very unisex and bordering on feminine due to the sweetness. I detect a nuttiness among the sweet floof, of marshmallow and a spice of crunchy autumn leaves. As it dries down the nutty aspect is a touch more pronounced. I wouldn't necessarily peg it as pistachio, just a general nuttiness that's NOT peanut. This is so beautiful autumnal thanks to that crunchy, ever so slightly spicy, leaves note.

First sniff is all thick, black cherry. I detect a hint of almond here but it's staying in the background rather than screaming to the front. I can't pick out the other red fruits, but if I had to wager a guess I'd say maybe pom or possibly a raspberry/blackberry. This is actually very thick and lovely, and I appreciate that there's no cream here because my skin doesn't do cream notes justice. If this sticks around and doesn't fade off I may need a bottle. As it dries down some the cherry mellows slightly and I get something I can't quite put my finger on. Something almost herbaceous. Or a hint of leather maybe? I'm guessing this is the velvet-flocked wallpaper. It really is quite pretty.

This is stunningly beautiful. I get the vanilla with the traces of something smoky and dark, but it's still a fragile and light scent, with cleanly sweet florals scenting the linen, and the softest puff of amber powder that I actually don't hate. I will need a bottle of this. ^^^^^^^^ Totally agree with this.

This one is so pretty on my skin. I get a fruitiness that I can't quite pin down-apple maybe, or maybe the plum and elderberry. It's soft and subtle and not taking over, blended so nicely. I get the sugar in the sweetness with the slightest tang of citrus that I get from my 13 sugar blend. While I don't get the hazelnut or the wood, there is a rounded earthiness about this one that I really enjoy. It's a comforting scent and very autumnal.I'm so happy I was able to get my hands on a bottle. *** As this dries, I get more of the fruits and I really like it. They're slightly tangy (the pom I think).

Oh wow. I smell like rice! Like steaming, fresh rice with the slightest touch of butter. Then, slowly, whiffs of champaca from a nearby flower drift by on a fragrant breeze, joined by the aroma of green tea scented with the barest hint of vanilla. This is nice. Not BU bottle worthy, I don't think, but quite enjoyable, fun, and different.

2017 version This. Is. Stunning! This is the vanilla I've been searching for. It reminds me of something but I cannot for the life of me recall what. Maybe a little bit like VS's Vanilla Lace, which I used to love wearing during my Navy days. (I liked smelling nice on the ship around so much metal and stink, haha). On my skin this is vanilla and soft linen. I don't really get florals so much, which is fine with me. There's a softness that isn't powdery, thank goodness, but still snuggly. OH! I know what this reminds me of now. My beloved Two Goats and Two Sheep Resting Together in a Field, also from BPAL. It's the same snuggly vanilla but lighter without the wool and vetiver.

I love pecan pie so I was really curious to try this one. Who doesn't wanna smell like a favorite dessert? On my this is just...sweet. I get honey and a touch of vanilla cream, and the nuttiness of pecans are there, but after an hour this just becomes sweetness on my skin. Not to say that's bad. It's very pretty in fact. But I don't get pecan pie, per say. I do, however, get a sweet and lovely whiff any time I lift my arms and move around, so there's that. I didn't put a ton on since it is a HOT day, so I'll add another swipe now that I'm back at the hotel and see if my opinion changes.

When I first put this on I was struck with a whiff or glorious marzipan almond and I was just like YES!!!! Alas, that almond blast was short lived, but no worries, because the scent left behind was absolutely stunning. Rose and I have a rocky relationship. I amp rose to cloying levels sometimes, but this remained restrained on my skin. A beautiful blend of soft rose petals and juicy fig. No poudh to be found, thankfully. The oudh here was barely noticeable to my nose and likely the slight, woody grounding scent I caught I the background. The almond, too, stayed in the background, more of a subtle nuttiness of almond skin than the sweet marzipan I loved while wet. The cardamom was just a hint of spiciness that kept this from being overly sweet. Lovely, for certain, and perfect for a hot summer day.