Hallway of a Train Station

[Jenjin]

Wild plums, black tea, a splash of lilac cologne, a flutter of silk, hot iron, steel, and smoke.

[LavenderCoffee]

this one has me all twitterpated. I was initially struck by the dramatic colors on the label art, and hesitated to purchase based on the plum note, which can go either way for me depending on the blend. I'm so glad I took the leap! the opening is unexpectedly sweet - not sugary, but fruity - as the plum and tea combine, perhaps with the silk, which I tend to have trouble isolating. seems to make the other notes silky and smooth, but perhaps there is some sweetness there as well. as it dries and wears I can detect a flirtation of lilac if I search, and the atmospheric smoky metallic scent emerges to form the backdrop of the train station. the whole composition is gorgeously balanced, but I would say it is primarily a plum-tea-silk perfume. I slathered it yesterday and it stayed with me all day long, although it doesn't have a ton of throw. something you could easily wear every day that still feels special.

 

[Laughing Seagull]

Something has gone very wrong in this train station. In the container I got a nice plum scent, which could not prepare me for what happened after putting this on my skin.

 

Initially my impression was vetiver and effervescent plum (makes me think of the limited edition summer plum La Croix). Unfortunately, it morphs into olfactory horrors beyond my comprehension. I think it might be the "hot iron" note doing something terrible because it resembles the smell of something burning, and not in a good way.

 

I did end up with a residue of lilac-infused tea after ineffectually trying to rub it off. Maybe letting the oil rest and/or age will help.

[Madame Mew]

In the imp, this is lovely plum and a promise of something special, but sadly on the skin I had a very similar experience as laughing seagull…. Olfactory horror it is. I’m sad that it started off so promising but turned into a disaster, but you can’t win them all, right? 

[Fancyfetus]

I love this one. I'm not sure why I skipped over it the first time, but I was able to snag a decant and I'm so glad that I did. The lilac and plum here were thrown in a blender and now neither can be singled out from the fragrant slurry for long. Together, the tea and steel sing; as clear and silvery as moonlight. I don't get smoke at all until after a few hours of wear, and at this stage the lilac comes through strongly on its own as well. 

 

This is lovely start to finish. The overall effect is much more refined than the actions depicted on the bottle. I've learned that steel, plum, and lilac are all winners for me so full sizing this is an easy choice.

[Little Bird]

The black tea, hot iron, and smoke seem to be turning into a weird, off putting, burnt, smoky, rusty metal type of scent, with hints of the lilac and plum giving it a pale purple edge and some sweetness.  After an hour, it has faded to a pale wash of lilac and some lingering smoke.

[Rspades]

Unfortunately this one smells like ballsack. That’s not an exaggeration, it’s almost photorealistic. RIP 🥲