I was going through my samples to do a year review post and this was leaking a little. Put some of it into my wrists, and this horrible citronella smell has been on me for a few days now. Fuck I hate it.

I think I mentioned, but I tried this one in London and really liked it. We got a sample this year and was surprised because it smelt completely different, quite floral.

A couple of months later I’ve had a proper wear and really like it again. I guess it was a fresh sample or something and had to develop in the bottle. Great spicy, peppery opening. Smokey. A bit too sweet, but after a while the sweetness mellows and it’s mostly peppery and smokey and sharp. Spring seems like a good season for it.

Ugh. So powdery. Mostly just a big powdery cloud and strong moisturiser/suncream smell. Get a little bit of citrus. Once it settles there’s a bit of pepper. 8 hours later all that’s left is a little bit of leatheriness and still that gross powder. Almost ruined a nice Spring day,

Reading notes online—I dunno what any of them are on about.

Wore this to go out to dinner. Hadn’t put it on in ages, just sometimes smell the bottle. Seems like it’s gotten sweeter, and the peatiness has mellowed a bit. I keep using Gualtieri things as a comparison and I’m bored of it . . . but the sweetness reminds me of his a bit, but nicer. Still really like it.

It was sunny and I wanted to smell clean and floral. Enjoyed it for a few minutes, but it just turned to vanilla very quickly. Dunno if it’s something to do with being an oil, and a roll-on.

Lumira was having a thing where they sent out little packs of free samples and I think the three they sent are the three I’m not interested in. There is a fig one I’d like to try though.

The weather’s nice, time to start trying some Summer-sounding stuff I’ve had sitting around—

First whiff I got was a bit marine, but with enough wood to make it more interesting. Within five minutes I mostly get vanilla, a bit of sandalwood, and a kinda waxy smell. I guess a hint of leather, because it reminds me of some of those soft-leather ones I’ve tried recently. Something a bit gritty and sharp comes through later, makes it spicy, herby leather, which is kinda interesting.

Yeah, I smell like a candle from the two dollar shop.

I don’t have much to say about this. It’s nice, like a nicer version of an Alessandro Gualtieri perfume: sweet, smokey, a bit plasticy. Can’t imagine ever being excited to wear this.

Didn’t last long, but long enough.

I’d like to be more knowledgeable about different ambers in perfumery.

Quite minty at first, not like what I usually associate with vetiver. A bit bit fresh in that bodywashy way. Also waxy, kinda chalky smelling, soapy.

Really hard to smell anything here. Very meh.

I smell a bit of ginger after half an hour, maybe some citrus, it’s become more airy and fresh, lost the stuffy elements. I’m enjoying it now, but I still have to touch my nose to me wrist to smell anything.

NB: Put this on before going to bed, so only smelt it for an hour.

Really animalic. Dog vag. Sour.
Soapy, floral, base I don’t like. Thought it might just be the oil. Notes say it’s just oud and Turkish rose. Doesn’t smell of rose to me.
Warm animalic smell as it settles, sharp smokey, a little almost BO-y.

Haven’t smelt this kind of oud before, always got it tamed by other stuff. Not something I’d wear, but intriguing…

Got some more samples of small-house perfume oils of Etsy, by this place called Aromatic Attars and Oils. Not sure who actually made this, their website credits ‘Sukran’, might mean ‘Shukran’…

Musky, powdery rose (actually iris?), strong honey smell for a bit, but that fades. Not really for me, but once the honey was gone I didn’t mind it. Smelling the bottle now it smells a bit like Clag.

I tried this because the bottle’s a nice colour and I thought it would be herbal and fresh smelling. It’s not, it smells like flouro yellow lollies, and bubblebath, it’s gross. Now I see the notes there’s bergamot, lemon, orange… :/

This was in Libertine, which was an annoying place to try things because all the bottles are empty so you have to ask. That bugged me, so I didn’t try anything after.

All the other stuff I tried was at Mecca.

Didn’t mind this at first, wasn’t expecting to like it, but it’s floral and powdery and bugged me after it got more and more floral. All the Frédéric Malle ones I actually wanted to try weren’t there.

I wanted to try a couple of Maison Margiela ones because I saw them elsewhere on a real big discount. I try these same two every time I go into Mecca thinking I might like them this time, but I never do. This one in particular is sooo sweet, not smokey or anything like I would expect from the name.

This one in particular has always been raved about online, but it’s also too sweet—but not as sweet—and not smokey and boozey improvisational and cool like the name implies.

They has a wee table with some of the Le Labo city exclusives on it, so was excited to try some of the ones there, especially ones I wouldn’t pay $10 for a sample of…

This is the Tokyo one. As with all of them I don’t see the connection with the city and the perfume, so not sure if there’s really supposed to be one. This is kinda interesting, real sharp, like rubbing/cleaning alcohol. Faded real fast and I didn’t get anything else.

Can’t shake the feeling this is based on some weird stereotype of Japan…

Ah lime, the fruit of… Germany…

I have a sample of this, but tried it again for some reason. Mostly I got lime, didn’t pick up a floral element like I did the first time. Will probably wear this this Spring.

Quite liked at first, smokey leather. Turned into boring leather, then smokey again. Just don’t think I’m a leather person.