Okay, I should definitely stop buying perfumes for a while (though I totally want to try Pink Kadu from Alchimia!). I am in perfume heaven. I finally tried a CYOA, along with nine sampler scents, five sample notes, an empty vial, and two free 1/5 dram scent samples.
Review Time!
CYOA: I named mine Celestial Orange. I asked Erin for advice (fresh-squeezed orange or regular orange for a note?) and she was very helpful. She described each note and said either would work. I decided on a blend of white chocolate, mandarin orange, orange flower, creme brulee, and vanilla bean.
Cold Sniff: It smells heavenly from the bottle. The synergy of the ingredients makes it smell kind of like Hershey's milk chocolate at the first sniff! LOL. I'm okay with that. ;)
On My Skin: Oh, my. It smells like an orange tootsie roll pop. It is so sweet with a tiny hint of orange. Think 95% gourmand with 5% floral from the orange flower. It dries down to a classic vanilla bean (maybe the creme brulee too) after a number of hours, so this blend is good if you want to end up with an earthier vanilla ice cream-type of scent at the end of the day. Given the strong gourmand nature of the fragrance, I might rename it to "Orange Tootsie Pop" or "Orange-Choco Lollipop" or something. My extreme sweet tooth of a nose says Alchimia did an amazing job.
Sample Scents (descriptions quoted from Alchimia-Apothecary.com):
I am not opening Dutchess (Archer reference) or Jersey Devil because they are gag gifts for my brother. His birthday is very far away, but I like buying gifts in advance, haha. Hopefully he likes them. I will sniff and review when he opens them, though!
Escape
"Ever wish you could escape your life for a moment, to find yourself laying on a secluded beach, surrounded by bright Hawaiian flowers and sweet fruits? Juicy peaches, mouth watering red plums, dewfruit, and acacia surrounded by puakenikeni, plumaria, gardenia, hawthorn, and purple flowers mixed with nuances of saffrin, wine, and just a touch of sweet tobacco. This is as much for the busy professional woman, as it is for the carefree young girl."
I took a risk on this one, because I'm not sure if I'd like tobacco leaf. The other notes sounded so good that I had to try it.
Cold Sniff: I really like the top notes a lot. I hope I don't smell like cigarettes when I put it on, haha.
On My Skin: This scent is strong and will be noticed. I adore the top fruit notes, and it seems like the florals blend nicely, but something in one of the bottom notes is "meh" for me. It doesn't smell like cigarettes, but it's still not for me.
Devil Dew
"This fruity refreshing scent hits your senses surrounded by a hint spice. The sharp aroma of green lemons and juicy dark bing cherries combine with spicy Madagascar black peppercorn, geranium, a touch of blueberries, and the perfect drops of honey. The watery morning dew you’re used to has nothing on this."
I wanted this one for a while. Cherries and blueberries are some of my favorites.
Cold Sniff: I can't smell it that well from the bottle, but I definitely smell fruit. There's nothing wrong with a subtle scent.
On My Skin: It's still way subtle. I like it, but it's more of a room freshener fragrance for me than a skin fragrance.
Hue Bris
"The body of this blend is filled with the sweet and intoxicating bouquet of ambrosia. The sweet trickles of honey and champagne top this elixir, with the sweet essence of orange blossoms to bridge through this grandiose brew."
Cold Sniff: This smells very much like the powdery nectar and honey notes I described before. Not bad, but not my favorite.
On My Skin: The nectar and honey notes still dominate like crazy, but some of the fruity notes peek out. I'm not a big fan, unfortunately. I'm definitely glad I tried this, or else I would have been kept wondering.
Tugboat
"The bright and sunny salt and kelp filled air surround the tugboat’s marina along with warm waters and friendly white billowy clouds."
Cold Sniff: Fresh marine! It is kind of like a less intense Tsunami, but I can imagine this drying down into a lovely, cuddly fresh-out-of-the-dryer scent.
On My Skin: This is still marine, but more of a room-freshener fresh/laundry fresh type of scent with a pinch of salt. It's definitely less intense than Tsunami, but you can always apply more. It's also fresher. The subtlety is a strength of this "neutral" scent because it won't interfere with your hair product scents. So, if you want a very fresh oceanic scent with a cuddly fresh linen element, this is your perfect scent. Like Tsunami, I consider this a unisex fragrance.
Geisha
"This is a wonderful combination of crispy green bamboo, fragrant green tea and an overall feeling of clean fresh air."
Cold Sniff: Fresh, green, clean. I understand why most reviewers rave about this.
On My Skin: It's a little bit sweeter on my skin (yes!) and medium to delicate in intensity. The green tea and fresh air notes really shine. Simple, understated, and beautiful. This is a must-try-- I love it.
On My Skin: It's a little bit sweeter on my skin (yes!) and medium to delicate in intensity. The green tea and fresh air notes really shine. Simple, understated, and beautiful. This is a must-try-- I love it.
Jungle Juice
"Hints of citrus and pineapples breeze around the rich and milky aroma of coconuts."
Cold Sniff: Tropical heaven! I was so excited for this one, and I can definitely say I love it as much as I hoped. Think of a delicious Malibu Baybreeze or other other coconutty cocktail (minus the cranberry) with citrus, in a fun blue or green color, that you want to dive in as well as drink.
On My Skin: Oh my goodness, amazing. I might like this better than Born in Paradise by Escada. This is not gourmand-macaroon coconut or earthy coconut-- it is pure cocktail coconut with pinapple and citrus. It's strong enough to be noticed but not overwhelming. Re-application is necessary every few hours to keep the strong fragrance around.
Dragon's Blood
"This is a complex scent and has hints of frankincense, red sandalwood, cedarwood, orange and patchouli. The scent combines sweet and spicy notes that form a sophisticated and complex aroma."
I like the note version of this so far. This is a more complex version with other notes to make it more resinous, according to Erin when I emailed her asking about the difference.
Cold sniff: It smells a lot like the Dragon's Blood note.
On My Skin: Again, it smells incredibly similar to the Dragon's Blood note, but a little less powdery and darker. It's still a sweet, resinous blend. The extra notes blend in very well. I breathe this in deeply and I can smell the different "layers" of the scent. I should mention that Alchimia's Dragon's Blood blend is sweeter than that of, say, Wild Berry incense, so this will not be a replica of said scent. This is a win for me! My mom says it smells like Jean Nate or some other fragrance of the 80s, which is pretty cool.
Sample Notes:
I am going to cover these in detail in another post. I was not disappointed!
The Free Scent Samples (!):
Love Drops: The cold sniff is interesting. It's clean and sweet like a shower gel. I wonder what's in it? I smell floral, citrus, and maybe musk on my skin. Maybe a bit too grown-up for my tastes, but nice. It smells familiar but I can't put my finger on it.
"Pink lotus and hawthorn roses burst with the brightness of Mandarin oranges and fresh green bamboo. Transparent hints of amber work to ground this blend."
Violet Me: I'm not a big fan of violet, but the top notes on this are nice and candy-like. On my skin, the violet comes out more with a Smarties overtone. It's not bad, and would probably make a good body wash scent like Love Drops. I could tolerate violet in this blend for sure, but I still don't like Herbal Essence's Tousle Me Softly collection (very violet-y, blech). Was this supposed to be like a candy heart?
"Fruity blue African violets mingle with the tart aroma of fresh red apples and dewy green willow leaves. Sweet juicy plums meld in incredible harmony to lighten the heavenly trail of fresh baked sugar cookies."
Edit: I found the notes on Alchimia after I sniffed the above fragrances. They are limited edition for the Valentine's Day season.
I hope you enjoyed this post. The customer service and products from Alchimia Apothecary have been absolutely top-notch for me. All of their scents and sample notes have helped me develop a more "refined" sense of smell. As you can see, I am obsessed with this company for good reason. Yay Alchimia! ♡
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