A Breton Sorceress

[Seajewel]

Tonka bean, yellow bergamot, ambrette seed, patchouli root, oak bark and leaf, bitter almond, smoked cedar, allspice, and vanilla absolute.

[Follow My Nose]

This starts off warm, sweet, and slightly powdery when wet, light and pleasant.

 

Then after applying, I start to get some spice and a nuttiness comes out, perhaps a combination of the almond and the vanilla. As this dries, it gets warmer and more complex -- spicy, gourmand, and smoky wood notes all blending together smoothly. It is a lovely golden-brown autumn scent, a must-have for fans of tonka bean!

Medium throw and good wear length.

[feyofthefellwood]

I had planned on only getting a decant of this, but ended up sampling my sister's bottle and now I think I might need my own. 😅 Scent wise, I find this fits somewhere between the glorious tonka/vanilla/oak of Haloes and the cedary vanilla of The Little Brown Cat. Really reminiscent of Haloes, though. It goes on kind of powdery smelling, but as it dries down the smooth, deep woods and tonka blossom into a lovely glow. The allspice is a nice touch too, warm and hovering on the top of the scent.

[MamaMoth]

this is nice!  smooth, earthy/woodsy and velvety with a touch of freshness from the bergamot... i'm really enjoying this yellow variety and hope to see more of it.  it's instantly recognizable as bergamot, but it's different... gentler, warmer, and smoother.  it works with the earthy vanillic rasp of tonka really well, and it's positively dreamy when the allspice kicks in. 

 

my main concern going in was with the almond, but i get nothing i'd categorize as either bitter or the cherry-almond note that i'm not always a fan of. 

 

everything is very well blended, so a lot of note unraveling is beyond me with this one.  a little woodsy, a little earthy and vanillic, warm friendly bergamot front and center, and a pinch of allspice creeping up as it wears.  it's warm but not cozy, sophisticated without being haughty, complex but not complicated.

 

i put this aside during my halloweenie frenzy because it doesn't read as spooky-seasonal to me at all, but i will probably dip into it quite a bit before i get into the mood for yules. it seems like something that would fit into the autumn months very well, but without any of the standard fall-ish notes.  i wouldn't be surprised if i decided to wear this one for thanksgiving with the fam. 

 

 

[Casablanca]

This is an attractive almond-vanilla-tonka blend, primarily --- but I can find most of the listed notes together with these, all well-blended. While the almond is clearly present, it's a little more relaxed than it sometimes behaves and does not overpower.

 

Really, Breton Sorceress needs no time to develop before showing much of her glory: an immediate, creamy-yellow swirl of almond, tonka, cedar and oak, golden bergamot and a golden ambrette muskiness, warm vanilla, and a whiff of smoke. 

 

In a few moments, a mild-spiced patchouli creeps in, as well.

 

I'm really enjoying this one's beauty... except for its muskiness. There might be a little too much perfumey musk here for me, but I love the other notes. I really hope to see cedar, oak, patch, vanilla, spices, and smoke together again in a less musky situation. ❤️

[doomsday_disco]

I really like this one!

 

It's mostly about the almond, vanilla and/or tonka, and allspice on me. It's sweet and creamy and the allspice just goes with the almond so perfectly! The patchouli in this is present, but pretty light, as are the woods. I do think the ambrette seed adds a bit of a musky quality in the background over time, so it's not as awesome by the end of the day as it was during the first few hours on me, but it is still pretty nice.

 

Debating a bottle.

[LavenderCoffee]

This is a beautiful vanilla almond in the bottle, but fresh on my skin tonka takes over and adds a weird dirty/waxy quality that mutes the other notes - this happened to me with last year's tonka duets. Fully dry, the vanilla almond fights its way back through, with some musky ambrette, allspice, and ...dirty tonka. Boooo. 

[Jenjin]

Smooth creamy spices, this is mezmerizing.  I'm calling this Tonka Chai! with its deep wooded notes, like sitting in a warm, wooded occult shop with nose over chai ahhhhh.  It's marvelous how these notes come together into a symphony of musk and spice. Even though it's not a listed note, I am getting carnation. A deep, dark red ruffled one like the sorceresses skirt.  This is a shadowy jewel in the witches crown and I love it. 
 

[zankoku_zen]

Almond-vanilla bread with cinnamon and allspice, and a touch of oak and dirt. Smells like kitchen witch! Medium throw and wear length.

[WoolyBee]

I’m getting the almond first, with the allspice and cedar/oak notes in the background. The almond fades quickly and the ambrette and tonka move forward. I’m not getting much bergamot. And the vanilla isn’t really identifiable, but I like knowing it’s there. Overall, this is a really warm scent. I don’t think this is too gourmand for non-foodie perfume wearers, like myself. Although I do understand the chai, or spiced cake comparison. It has all the warmth and spice but none of the cakey notes that a lot of gourmand scents have. It’s very wearable. I think the tonka is the overall shining star in this one, a keeper for sure.

[Ennikar]

With the long list of notes I wasn't sure where this was going to end up, but it's very nice. It's a creamy, rich scent, grounded but still light, with detectable almond and ambrette. This smells classy but inviting. Unfortunately I can't give many details, especially re: throw and longevity, as the sniffie I had gave only a touch of oil.