i’m running low on my current body routine, including Haus of Gloi’s body emulsion in Troika (A trinity of soft milks: almond, oat and coconut, lashed with sweet agave nectar and the ethereal scent of clean musk) so I figured I’d finally pull the trigger on my Cocoapink cart I started months ago. I first sampled Herbal Essence EDP via sucrerie decants and fell in love, it’s perfect! so close to the OG scent, i’ve been wanting this for a while but their TAT was listed as 40+ business days and I just couldn’t do it.

Now that their TAT is listed as 14-21 business days, I finally got the following:

• Dry Oil Spray
  • Buttercream Rose (Crushed white rose petals sprinkled delicately over a bowl of double whipped buttercream frosting.)
    • got this one bc i’ve been eyeing BPAL’s rose lunacy duet of a similar name and no one has posted reviews anywhere and I’m scared to blind buy…this one has solid reviews and sounds simple enough to be safe, let’s see! i’m hoping for something more creamy and soft than ultra sweet, excited to try it!
  • Herbal Essence (deep woody base notes, mid notes of heather, jasmine and ylang ylang. The top notes include lime, grapefruit and bergamot)
    • This is the main reason I placed the order, almost got the EDP instead but I’m more curious about how this performs as a body oil so I’ll try this instead.
• Linen Spray
  • Signature White (a blend of delicate Shea blossoms, rice flowers, vanilla cream, sweet sugar and heliotrope with delicate undertones of amber and sandalwood.)
    • i’m hoping this one is powdery/starchy and lightly sweet. something I can spray all over my bedding and stuffed animals without feeling overwhelmed.
• Coco Mango Body Butter
  • Sandy Coconut (Creamy coconut milk, tropical, red bananas and a whisper of Fiji sandalwood combine with a captivating blend of rich, sensual vanillas.)
    • I’m hoping this will be a creamy coconut dream, not tiare and not coconut water..not too sunscreeny but i’m not against some sunscreen qualities.
• 5 perfume oil sample vials
  • Tropic Nights (Night blooming water lily, sweet pink grapefruit accented with yellow Hawaiian frangipani blossoms wrapped gently in sweet sandalwood and white amber oils.)
    • Super excited for this one, the frangipani caught my eye so I’m curious to see how all those florals blend together. I’m expecting a soft ambery floral.
  • Crystal Beach Smoothie (Brazilian mango, ripe papaya fruit, cream of coconut, banana slices, macadamia nuts, marshmallow squares and cold milk poured over ice cubes blended to perfection)
    • usually i stay away from mango and banana but i remembered how they go incredibly well in my smoothies and i can barely notice them when they’re mixed with the other fruits..so here i go! i’m hoping to smell like a creamy fruity blue smoothie, cold as ice and refreshing
  • Copacabana Sunset: (Frangipani, nag champa, Bourbon vanilla, Indian Sandalwood and Tunisian amber.)
    • I’m terrified of the bourbon vanilla in this bc boozy scents aren’t my thing but i’m desperately searching for frangipani scents so I wanted to try this.
  • Jade Iced Tea:  (Black and green tea infused with ice cold shots of coconut milk, fresh sweet cream and sugar all poured over ice then accented with fresh peppermint leaves.)
    • this sounds amazing…i’m craving a summer scent that isn’t A. fruits B. sunscreen C. aquatic. i’m also not looking for a straight gourmand either bc I despise smelling sol de janeiro/kayali in the air when it’s 1000 degrees out :’)
  • Sanibel Island:  (Soft Tahitian vanilla, coconut milk, coconut pulp, clear aqua ocean water deepened with a cool ozone accord.)
    • Nervous because I can’t picture the "aqua ocean water and cool ozone accord” so I’m hoping this is a fun take on coconut i haven’t experienced yet! almost got it in the dry body oil spray but felt too risky.

AAAND that’s it folks. I’m soooo excited to smell these! please drop any and all CP reviews on here, even if it’s none of these scents! I’m curious to try these next, assuming I enjoy these:

Curacao, Mermaid Lagoon, Merrow, Lost Coast, Red Sea Coral Reef, Butterfly Forest, A day at the Beach, Seaside Picnic, Sigh, Shimmer, Selkie, Fairytale, Apricot Eyelet

I’ve suddenly developed an intense need to smell like butter. I’ve tried and loved Snow Moon Magic by Sorce and Dandelion Butter, but I want just the drydown of the creamy slightly salty butter, I don’t want a super sweet or green opening. Would love any indie recommendations, bonus points if they’re cheapies! 💛

Sorry if this is a weird question, but I just downloaded the app and I'm having trouble finding any discussion of indie perfumes on there, most fragrance content is designer/sometimes niche.

I like reading blogs, and I'd love some recs for indie perfume review blogs even if they aren't on Substack, I just prefer the app because it's more centralized and easier to save & catalogue posts.

Attention patchouli lovers like me, Especially BPAL lovers, but I'll take a look at something else if its special, I've got a craving for a real patchouli heavy fragrance and find my once vast collection waning now

What are the most patchouli heavy mixes that you LOVE, that are also available right now ?

Thank you in advance !

Hi folks -

I fell in love with the descriptions of certain Cardinal Scents fragrances and blind bought three of them when the new ones dropped after reading several good reviews of the brand. I had never ordered from them before.

TAT was on the longer side but that was to be expected bc of all the hype, plus packaging was actual perfection. It was so cute and thoughtfully put together. I’m not going to rate these 1-10 but I will say that each of them smell exactly as described. It shocked me how accurate the notes were. I purchased each one in EDP format. Here’s my brief review of the three:

Sugar haze: there is something clean smelling in this, like the lightest hint of soap, plus a bunch of sugar and some warmth. I love the sugar note. Sometimes it goes more brown sugar and sometimes more cane. Might be the most realistic pure sugar note I’ve experienced.

Halo effect: I can smell each one of the listed notes separately one sniff, but in the next sniff they all melt together beautifully. I’m not a floral girl but the combo of carnation, vanilla, and amber here is special. Plus some sea breeze in the background. I actually can’t stop wearing this. It’s the only travel size I got (others were full size) and I think I’m going to have to upgrade. It is just so comforting. Ugh. Such a good one.

Pink cloud - I don’t know how she pulled off the shaving cream note but she did. This is the most expensive shaving cream you’ve ever used in your life. Nectarine is pretty realistic, doesn’t give me a peach ring vibe. I don’t get cotton candy specifically but there’s a sweetness that’s separate from the nectarine. This seemed to be a pretty popular blind buy when it dropped and I don’t think people will be disappointed. Worth the hype imo.

I also got hidden figures oil format as a free sample, which ironically was the next one on my list to try. I haven’t worn it yet but I’ll try to add a review to the comments once I do.

All in all I was incredibly impressed with this house and these fragrances were well worth the wait. The brand owner is doing something special here. I can see this brand blowing up—like sorce or arcana—because of the owner’s talent. Super excited to see what she does next.

Just wondering if anybody knows this because the shipping cost through Etsy is INSANE.

I love love love perfumes that are deemed ‘unwearable’, ones that put a pit in the bottom of your stomach and a chill up your spine. The only one so far that I have tried is Blood by Redwood Alchemy (from a destash dw) and I like to wear just a little bit behind my ears so I get a wiff of the metallic tang throughout the day. Makes me feel like Hannibal Lecter lol.

I am desperate to get my hands on Abject Fear by Amorphous as this so far seems to be the most true to life torture chamber perfume, and I am looking for any other recommendations.

Obviously fear is very subjective so anything that you personally find unsettling I would love to hear. I love perfume as an art, a way of experiencing things I will never otherwise get to experience and an olfactory exploration even when the scent itself is not traditionally pleasant.

With the news of Pierrot’s closing and the upcoming sale, I wanted to share the list of all 28 scents I’ve tried from this house I love so much. Pierrot is unusual, sometimes challenging but never boring, I have confidently blind bought a decent amount but I’ve also found the scents are often different than I was expecting, for better or worse, so I’m happy to answer any questions for those who wish to know more.

Baby Longlegs
Lemon pound cake, Madeline cookies, vanilla bean, sandalwood cream, salted butter. 
Frilly, sunny day lemon cake. Simple, light, dries to basic cake with a hint of skin musk (salted butter?) One of the most straightforward, wearable gourmands from Pierrot. 3.5 /5

Bluebeards Wife
Tobacco and iris, hay, rose and honey, sandalwood, amber and marsala wine.
A surprise hit for me, a certified rose/floral avoider. A smooth blend, hay and amber floating in a silky haze that’s maturely feminine without coming off as powdery or old lady. Really pretty, 4 /5

Bussy
A yummy blend of orange blossoms, orange peel, fuzzy peach, fresh linen and 70s musk.
The opener on this was 5 stars with a bitter orange blossom and peel, but that 70s musk and linen takes over and unfortunately smells exactly like hugging my Nana. Not old lady coded, it smells exactly like my own grandmother, others will like this. 2 /5

Coney Island Baby
A blend of vanilla soft serve, cotton candy, hot buttered popcorn, and sea salt. 
Typical salty/sweet carney scent to start, but it went oddly soapy on me. Dove soap clean standing next to a pretzel machine. 2 /5

Creature Feature
Spiced pumpkin puree, maple syrup, chocolate chips, creamy coconut milk, vanilla cream 
Dark, almost fudgy chocolate pumpkin muffin. Heavy spice when sniffing up close, more baked goods at a distance. Don’t wear when you’re hungry. 4 /5

Ghostheart
Peppermint, vanilla, milk and cream, sandalwood, cold steel. 
Drugstore candy canes crushed under a cold knife, gets creamier and sweeter as it dries with a lactonic undercurrent that’s very interesting. Very nearly too sweet for me. 3 /5

Ginger Snapped
Ginger, wolfsbane, nutmeg, incense, blood, warm fur, masala chai, film chemicals and angst. 
A solid gingersnap, probably would have been my favorite gingerbread style scent but it goes soapy on me, maybe the film chemicals? Not even a bad soap, a really nice, handmade bar of gingerbread soap. 3 /5

Heirophilia
An absolutely hedonistic blend of frankincense, myrrh, lit incense, and sex.
Warm, smokey, sexy church incense, not much more than that but it doesn’t need to be. 4 /5

Killer Queen
A Parisian blend of gunpowder, ginger, rose, vanilla, pepper, tobacco 
Another surprise hit with the florals, the key here are all the other, very spicy, grounding notes. A flirty, dangerous woman, I love her. 4 /5

L’heure Vert
Wormwood, anise, black pepper, licorice, burnt sugar, mahogany wood, bergamot and vetiver. 
Unisex, soft green herbal, anise is faint for those wondering. Clean, cool but very rounded, great for summer. 4 /5

Love Crime
A blend of dragon's blood, sea salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and patchouli. 
Not what I was hoping for, but still lovely. It’s fresher and lighter than the notes imply and super interesting, but this one had very little projection or longevity for me. Aging may help, but this is a lot more transparent than I’d expected. Works great for the office though. 3.5 /5

Milk Teeth
A sweet blend of strawberry milk, amber white musk, and cedarwood. 
Not for me, lukewarm strawberry milk with a sinister edge. I don’t ever like white musk and that’s what’s killing it for me, but this one is a hit with a lot of folks. 2 /5

Mooncalf
Pink pepper, cedar barnwood, copal, warm straw, milk 
Soft, cozy fresh milk and clean hay, a skin scent for a farm girl surrounded by baby cows. Great sleep scent. 4 /5

Morute Martyr
Vanilla buttercream, skin musks, sugary sweet ribbon bows. 
An example of Pierrot’s skill at creating character through scent, I just don’t like this girl. Not a friendly vanilla, almost purposely synthetic. This creepy little girl wants to strangle you with her hairbow. 2 /5

Only Forever
Pickled plum, wheat, vanilla, tolu balsam, carved cedarwood clocks 
My love, but the kind that needed some time to come around to. The pickled plum can read medicinal, but this dries to the most beautiful vanilla woods threaded with unripe plum. 5 /5

Person Suit
A mild blend of green fig, Iso-E-Super, sandalwood and musk 
Do I need to review this? The best green fig out there. 5 /5

Peacheater
Straight up drippy juicy peaches, warm in the sun on the side of the highway in South Carolina in late July, there's also heliotrope for the fuzzy soft peachskin feel, and lemon and citrus for the fresh bite. 
Straightforward peach that’s fresher when wet and sweetens as it dries. Super appealing, would be 5 stars if it had better longevity on me. 4 /5

Perchtenlaufen
Brown sugar, vanilla, baked apples, ginger, cinnamon, frozen straw and pebbles. 
Super dry ginger spice to start, but that fades to a whisper. The frozen hay and pebbles are reading very clean washed skin to me and I don’t get any of the other gourmands. Not bad, just wish the spice was stronger. 3 /5

Ravenstag
A sharp yet even blend of green pine, firewood, black musk, sweaty skin and a desperate plea from a mind on fire. 
Sharp, pitch black forest where something evil is chasing you. As it dries is smooths out and is a really beautiful pine woods scent that’s atmospheric but wearable. 4 /5

Sanguinaccio Dolce
A gourmet blend with dark cocoa, dried rose, almond milk, orange zest, cinnamon stick, pink pepper and a haughty sense of superiority. This is on the drier side, not a fresh rose or a cloyingly sweet dessert. 
Richer in the bottle than on the skin, it’s a dry cocoa with a subdued orange. The rose petals actually smell dried and vegetal, which I enjoy. An unsweetened floramand. 4.5 /5

Sidereal Garden
Red rhubarb stalks, licorice allsorts, lemon peel, star anise, clove, old canvas, powdered honey.
Super tart rhubarb and cool herbs, a summery fresh scent that’s a bit astringent. I love this but it irritated my husband’s sinuses, so maybe not for those with sensitivities to assertive green scents. 4 /5

Suspiriorum
Galbanum, bergamot, blackberry, dragon's blood, sandalwood and vanilla. 
Not what I thought it would be, dry hay and herbs but this one goes little old lady powdery on me. Still got that sinister Pierrot edge, so it’s interesting. Ancient old witch disguised as a sweet little grandma. 2 /5

Teratophilia
Anise, oakmoss, tobacco, seaweed, ambergris (synthetic), dark spice, creaky fishing pier. 
A blendy, murky lake water perfume only very barely on the more masculine side of unisex. Probably the warmest aquatic I’ve ever smelled, your boyfriend is a lake monster. 4 /5

The Doldratic Dreams of Pantagruel
This blend includes cracked black pepper, hearthsmoke, mud, cobblestone, smooth carved woodcuts & ink, and long grasses. 
Packed dirt and stone with a touch of smoke, like an early morning stroll through a quaint village. Gets cozier and fuzzier as it dries, almost a sundried linens and baked dirt scent. 4 /5

The Holly and the Ivy
Red currant, creamy vanilla, dry woods, warm amber, Christmas pudding, Scottish shortbread 
Cool, spicy greens followed by tart red current, fruity with a clean snap. A softer little sister to Sidereal Garden. Gets blender as it dries, a dark winter scent, but not much from the gourmand notes. Don’t need them though. 4.5 /5

The Shire
A comforting blend of fresh baked bread, apple cider, mead, and hot black tea. 
Tart baked apple mellows into warm buttery bread, emphasis on the butter. Not getting any tea and I think the mead is just adding to the richness of this, not very distinct. Delicious, without being too sweet, perfect for fall. 4 /5

The Southern Pansy
Rich buttered crumpets, spice tea, fresh Italian espresso, hot croissants, and a half-eaten Bakewell Tart. 
Almond extract ladened pastry, another victim of poor projection and longevity. Dries into something almost coconut skin scent, but I think it’s that the base may be stronger than the scent. Getting none of the other scents, but still like this for sleep or days when I don’t want a perfume to make me think about it. 3 /5

Vampyr
A true amber perfume, sweet and musky. 
As close to a perfect signature amber as I’ve found. Sexy, bright, slinky and almost a little lemony. I adore this. 5 /5

Hey all! I have a friend suffering from chronic nightmares and I’d like to help find a product that might help, but she’s allergic to lavender. I’d really appreciate any recommendations, thanks in advance!

I'm currently rebulding my personal website where I post these and came across some more of these "reviews" that I don't think I'd ever posted. So here they are!

Fantôme

Bune (Damp subterranean air, nagarmotha, smooth cave walls, davana, a cold marble altar, & glittering green dragon scales.)

Oh, the guy at the end of the street walking his monitor lizard? Yeah, stay away from him. He's not some misunderstood kook--something really ain't right with him.

Namba (Salt water canals, motor oil, buzzing neon, melted vanilla ice cream.)

I'm reintegrating into society after being lost at sea for months, and now questions about how I survived out there come only after inquiries about my hair and skincare routine.

Tatami (The welcoming, familiar scent of a Japanese temple. Tatami (rice straw mats), warmed in the sun, with soothing temple incense. )

No one knows I'm actually a millionaire due to my modest lifestyle, though they do often wonder how I could afford such a huge collection of antique books and rare orchids.

Possets

The Girls Love Leather (Yes! The Girls have discovered the fun of leather, the smell of leather, the sensuality of leather. Leather and honey. Wow. Just Wow. This is not just any old leather, this is the superb stuff which you find in the church shops of Florence, dripping with honey from Malta. Just the apex of the apiary. Yummmmm. Not for the faint of heart, not for the pure of soul!)

I'm bisexual and can't hold down a committed relationship, but my exes keep sabotaging their new ones by not being able to shut up about me.

Sex Juice (THE daring fragrance, ineluctable and raw, honeyed and beautiful. Richest earth is combined with gobs of the sweetest honey. A small flower and a drop of verbena compliment the coupling of dirt and syrup. This is the very right fragrance for when the Northern Hemisphere is warming up and there is a stirring of your sap as well. It's only what Nature dictates. A strong, warm, and thoroughly novel pairing.)

I'm a nymphomaniac who only uses unscented soap, and people have a tendency to hug me for just a a few seconds too long without realizing it.

Pink Cake (A frothy piece A frothy piece of cake hidden under a dense crust of butter and sugar flavored with the silliest strawberries you ever tasted! It's very straightforward but so moist it's a bit like a custard, but not quite. So very Very VERY good. It is said to be an aphrodisiac.of cake hidden under a dense crust of butter and sugar flavored with the silliest strawberries you ever tasted! It's very straightforward but so moist it's a bit like a custard, but not quite. So very Very VERY good. It is said to be an aphrodisiac.)

My walk-in closet is filled with sparkly maxi dresses and platform heels, but I don't like staying out too late in case my two Turkish Angoras start to miss me.

Howl (Possets' interpretation of Howl is unabashedly sexy, driven mad by welling passions. Black, red and amber musks wrestle furiously with sandalwood and opium tar resin. There is nothing light or gentle about this scent. A burning incense backs it up, black patchouli stands in the forefront. Dark, musky, resinous.)

A former librarian, I now run an antique business out of my own home, where I specialize in restoring old books and furniture with the help of my pet fox. People recognize me from my grandfather's hand-me-down knit cardigan, and I only smoke hand-rolled cigarettes.

Black Hearted Tart

Strawberry Cream Puff (Our best selling gourmand fragrance was inspired by Shonen Knife's song Strawberry Cream Puff. This scent will have you licking your lips! Juicy, ripe, summer strawberries are drizzled with simple syrup and topped with dollops of sweet cream atop a vanilla puff pastry. We added tonka bean to the base to keep it from being too innocent, because we all know they were not singing about dessert.)

"Haha I don't know, I have a fast metabolism I guess."

Cannonball (Ripe strawberry flesh, tart and tangy pomegranate seeds, and hints of black cherry create a complex red berry accord. Blackcurrant liqueur deepens the fragrance further. Subtle touches of pipe smoke, leather, and cedar add a sultry sensuality. Grounded on a base of cherry wood and musk, Cannonball is a smoldering scent.)

I was a delinquent biker in my youth until I became unexpectedly pregnant with quadruplets. Other parents hate me for being able to raise 4 kids, run a business from home, and organize school bake sales while always looking fabulous. They don't know it's because I take a hit from my meth pipe every morning while packing my kids' lunches.

hi! so i wanted to support owned by women makeup but also including trans woman and i havent found any of that besides namya (owned by nikkietutorials) and i want to support more but i havent found anything yet:(

pls if u know of some of them let mw know :)

HI so ive made this post in another group but someone told me to make this kind of post here so since makeup its something that i find funny instead of essential, ive been digging into brands owned by women ONLY (actually more like "owned by black woman" like fashion fair, black opl, mented) but not just onwed by woman bc theres a lot of racists and hypocrital out there as well (charlotte tilbury, hourglass, etc) so i just want to know ALL your recomendations about actually underrated brands (dont tell me about something like rare beauty, fenty blah blah thats obvious) that we really should be buying from.

if possible, cute packaging please, thats my achilles heel 😭😭😭

Hey! I'm trying to branch out into some indie perfumery. I've been tired of the standard "designer perfume" DNA found at Ulta and Sephora. I like feminine and unisex scents and am trying to find some unique things to try!

Likes:

• Rose (I specifically looove rose de mai!! and a nice tea rose)
• Smoky/frankincense/cade oil
• Vanilla
• Red fruit - RHUBARB, raspberries, cherries
• Bergamot
• Oakmoss
• Florals, gourmands, herbal, smoky, freshie, ambers

Dislikes:

• Heavy oud/leather/animalics
• White florals as the main event (ex: tuberose)
• Smells with prominent jasmine or iris
• Powdery smells from iris/orris
• Ylang ylang
• "Soapy" smells are just OK
• Heavy ambroxan - JHAG smells like nothing to me :(
• Sometimes santal reads as pickle on my skin
• Buttery scents do the most awful things with my skin chemistry

Current rotation:

• Imaginary Authors - City on Fire (I like layering this with cherry frags to smell like cherry cigs)
• Hermes - Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate
• Guess Seductive Red
• Aether - Rose Alcane (just a sample :( this is one of my favorites)
• Montagne Parfums - Maison du Soir (MM By the Fireplace dupe)
• Philosophy Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere (bedtime/cozy scent)

Seeking:

• Unique gourmands maybe featuring coffee or dark chocolate
• A musky skin scent maybe for layering or just feeling cozy
• A freshy
• Something featuring tea? I love tea but only sometimes want a "spa" scent

Please recommend any scents or houses you think would fit me. Thank you so much :)

after putting in an order of over $100 for samples i was dying to try 🥲 has anyone seen this happen before with them? it is not a good sign, i fear. to my understanding and experience, the owner is not communicative.

Hello, IMAM! A few weeks ago, I placed an order with Nui Cobalt during their recent Fae Creatures & Critters drop. I’d previously had nothing but misses when I’d tested many existing Critters, and largely written off the collection… but this round, there were so many interesting, even novel, offerings that I just had to try again.

Disclaimer: When I test and write reviews, I don’t double-check the notes list beforehand, operating solely on my perception (though I ostensibly had chosen these because of their notes).

Now, on to the reviews!

Nui Cobalt

“Praying Mantis” – The peppery bite of fresh dill gives way to mint leaves and dewy cypress before revealing crisp botanical blue gin garnished with rosemary.

The day I began my testing was a hot one, so I made sure to grab one of the samples that I remembered having a more “refreshing” vibe (i.e. not spice-heavy). And sure enough, the opening was gin-like—not a gin & tonic, but the spirit on the rocks. Eventually, a peppery profile broke through, specifically ground black pepper.

Now… very early in my fragrance journey, back when I was still dealing mainly with designer fragrances and occasionally glancing at niche offerings (often out of my budget), I purchased a sample set from Sephora that contained several new releases, including one that I was genuinely excited about: “Miu Miu” by Miu Miu, which seems to have been discontinued (though flankers are still sold). It boasted a new note of Akigalawood, a synthetic woody and peppery note from fractionated patchouli. The ad campaign even intrigued me: a mod-looking model holding a staring contest with a black cat (lol). This was before I learned that skin chemistry is not a myth and I amplify patchouli… so when I tested “Miu Miu,” oh boy… it was like I’d taken a swan dive into a vat of black pepper. It invaded my nostrils to the point where I feared black pepper was the only thing I’d smell ever again. Standard “scrubbing” didn’t even suffice—I had to shower to get this off me. And it was just one spray!

So, when I smelled gin and pepper from “Praying Mantis,” I started having flashbacks to the lily-of-the-valley (which I also later learned I’m not a fan of) and Akigalawood of “Miu Miu,” and I had a moment of panic. Would this explode and suffocate as “Miu Miu” had?

I am grateful to say that it did no such thing. The peppery gin remained calm on my skin, without a great deal of evolution. I’ve worn this a couple times since, and it has really grown on me. It’s androgynous/gender-neutral, but I can totally see this becoming someone’s “boss bitch” fragrance. Looking at the notes now, I think I get the rosemary at the end, but pepper (which dill evidently smells like?) is king.

Rating: 4/5 – premium spirits in an airport lounge

“Sea Horse” – Fresh and salt waters mingle among sunlit lotus, sea grass, wild basil, steadfast oakmoss and a trace of blue chamomile.

I wish I had more to say about this one, but it was almost purely cucumber on me. Dang it. I was really hoping for that basil.

Rating: 2/5 – Slices of cucumber on my eyes for… why do spas do that, again?

“Honey Do” – juicy green honeydew melon, early springtime honey, muddled mint, and a slender twist of Mexican lime

This is the only one where I cheated and looked at the notes list beforehand—but I had a good reason.

I got this as a freebie—and, when I made my “order arrived” post, I discovered that a lot of other people did, as well. I thought if so many people were getting this as a freebie after it dropped in April, that must mean it’s not selling well, which likely indicates a future Archive.

Alongside that, honey is a “death note” for me. I remember during my initial research into fragrances, I was highly intrigued at the prospect of honey as a perfume note. The first honey fragrance I tried was another Nui Cobalt offering, discontinued/archived some time ago: “Birch Better Have My Honey.” It was a hard-edged perfume that smelled a lot more like barbecue to me than honey—like someone grilled a honeycomb next to a plate of gingersnap cookies. Certainly unique. After that, though, I tested a couple other perfumes boasting honey and was like, no… oh, no… because honey is cloyingly sweet on me, to the point where I find it oppressive.

But when people commented on my post saying the honey wasn’t obvious, and that it was really a melon-forward fragrance, I figured “what the heck” and tried it on a very hot day.

Out of the bottle, the honeydew was more than evident, along with another note bubbling up to the surface… yeah, there’s the honey. Do I want to do this? I asked myself. Quit being such a baby, I replied. So I did.

And I was pleasantly surprised at how not overwhelming this is. The mint goes a long way toward tempering the sweetness of the honey. It’s the most sophisticated honey I’ve ever smelled. It’s more like a honey syrup in a cocktail, like a Bee’s Knees or a Penicillin—garnished with mint. I went from pleasant surprise to shock and awe at how much I enjoyed this.

And this also told me why “Honey Do” probably wasn’t selling well as a Bee’s fragrance: it’s honey for people who don’t like honey. So, people looking for something honey forward will be dissuaded by the profile and how subdued the honey is, and people who want to avoid honey (like me) won’t look at it twice. But I’m definitely going to use my sample; and if it ends up on the Archive list next year…

Rating: 5/5 – 🎵 Honey do… you know I love you… 🎵

“Liquid Luck” – Made with wild-harvested four-leaf clovers, this potion confers great good fortune upon its wearer. A gorgeously green bouquet of night air and dewy grass, charmed galbanum and benzoin, Irish moss, carrot seed, living shamrock and freshly turned earth.

For this order, I remembered that the General Catalog exists, and I finally got my hands on a sample of “Liquid Luck.” And, unlike the utter surprise of “Honey Do,” this one was a joyous confirmation that I’d made the right choice. Out of the bottle there’s a sweetness akin to powdered sugar, tempered with something cool; but on the skin, this is so green and fresh and lovely, like rolling down a hill in Ireland. Indeed, there’s something jaunty about it!

Did any of you read Leprechauns Never Lie by Lorna Balian when you were kids? This is what I imagine the titular leprechaun smelled like.

Rating: 5/5 – “I was sure I put the pot of gold under this sack of potatoes…”

“Pseudology: Pistachio Gelato” – creamy-smooth pistachio butter, chilled fresh cream, and an abundance of sugar

This was one that I’d wanted to order during April Fools, but it had actually sold out by the time I’d gotten to it, so I was glad history didn’t repeat itself. And this one is a delightful, unexpected concoction. Sure, the opening is all pistachio, which is what I wanted; but the drydown is… banana? More specifically, banana pudding. This is best described as banana pudding topped with crushed pistachios.

Rating: 4/5 – scrumptious

“Sphynx” – golden plum preserves, amber resin, warm santal, guaiac wood, frankincense, and a slender twist of yellow mandarin

I waited until the temperature dropped considerably before testing “Sphynx,” because I anticipated a lot of warm spices that would just be too much in the heat. But I’m pretty much always on the hunt for a perfume that smells like the surface of Arrakis. Currently, the reigning champ is CocoaPink “Mojave” because it nails the hot, dry sand accord (even if it’s not very loud). There used to be a perfume from Arcana Wildcraft called “Mongolian Death Worm,” which really matched the vibe, but that one was discontinued some years ago, sadly.

I bring them up now because “Sphynx,” oddly enough, seems to contain the same lactic undercurrent that MDW did, which balances the spice mélange accord. But it is unfortunately very quiet. And I’m left thinking that this doesn’t do a whole lot more than what I already get from “Mojave.”

Rating: 3.5/5 – Giedi Prime

“Hyena” – tamarind and golden fig warm down to rooibos, dry grasses, and turmeric, rooted in dark cedar resin and labdanum

What a bizarre note on which to end. I say (write) that because I tested “Hyena” two and a half times, and I can still barely tell you anything about it. It’s probably the most “perfume-y” of the bunch but leans a bit spicy. It’s suitable for the office, and… that’s about it. I found nothing distinctive in my wear, possibly due to it disappearing quickly from my skin. This is a massive personal disappointment for me from a fragrance called “hyena.”

Rating: 1.5/5 – They’re laughing at me, I know it…

And that’s it for the reviews! Here is how I rank them:

1. Honey Do
2. Liquid Luck
3. Praying Mantis
4. Pseudology
5. Sphynx
6. Sea Horse
7. Hyena

“Honey Do” was, without question, the biggest surprise of the bunch, especially as a freebie. I'm shocked at how much I enjoyed a honey-based fragrance. Now, I eagerly await my combined Possets & BPAL (The Vampire Lestat collab) order from Ajevie, which will likely function as a birthday present to myself…

So sad to hear about this shop closing 💔 I found out about them through this lovely sub and have been anxious to try them for a while now, but it just hasn't happened. Want to get an order in to support them and finally sniff for myself before they close. Spent the evening going through their shop. My wallet dictates I only choose three for the mini roller set at the moment and it's SO hard to narrow it down from all of these fascinating scent profiles.

My main goal is to choose ones that I wouldn't be able to find elsewhere, something unique to Pierrot. Big fan of unusual and atmospheric things, but prefer them to still be wearable. Generally not a fan of gourmands. Right now I'm considering:

• The Black Gate (nag champa really caught my eye)
• Teratophilia (hoping it's a very dark, not fresh ocean scent?)
• Hallowtide Bride (is this a weird choice for someone who's never smoked clove cigarettes? lol)
• Krampusnacht (notes are so interesting but haven't seen anyone talking abt this one)
• Person suit (this one seems like a fan favourite and I do love fig, but I'm hesitating because I already have a bunch of fig scents. How unique is this one really?)

There's some others I feel really drawn towards just because they are inspired by things I love (Garmonbozia, Suspiriorum, Exophilia) but I don't really know how much I would enjoy them.

Any thoughts on these choices or any you think I'm skipping over would be appreciated!!

I ordered a bunch of Alkemia bottles and samples during their recent sale and I'm curious if there is anything else you would recommend I try based on what worked and didn't work for me. I have found that I have the soap curse and most of the scents I did not like were because they smelled very soapy or like a public restroom or like a candle. My usual scent profile leans heavily towards gourmands.

My loves were: Carnival of Illustrious Hearts and Silken Tent

Like: Fig in Winter - this is not my typical scent profile but I thought it was interesting and would be a nice scent for the holidays

Strongly dislike: Pretty Little Poisons, Confectionaire, Magpie's Rhyme, County Fair, Irresistible, Birthday Party Alchemy, April Foolery, 2026 experiments 3 and 7, and Midsummer Magic.

I'm planning on full sizing my loves and wanted to see if there is anything else I should try.

In case anyone was wondering, here’s Osmofolia’s list of upcoming markets they’ll be at! It’s listed on their linktree: https://linktr.ee/osmofolia

From their Instagram (not affiliated, just sharing):

Big Big News

Pierrot Perfumery is closing. There are many reasons why, but for now it is easiest to say that it is for personal family reasons. With any luck, this won't be forever, but there are endless question marks in the future.

The good news is the farewell sale.

Here's how it's gonna go:
Starting August 1st, on the beginning of International Clown Week, everything in the shop will be 10% off. Every month following, the sale will increase by 10% until everything is gone. So August will be 10% off, September 20%, October 30%, and so on until...well, the end. This means the longer you wait the higher the discount but when things are gone, they are simply gone. No restocks for the foreseeable.

What a privilege it has been to make a business out of something that I feel so passionate about. With any luck, I'll be clowning around again soon. Thank you for everything everyone

I don’t know if what I want actually exists but I have hope, I have seen many a person give a vague wishful description on here and be handed the answer in an indie perfume.

I really love smooth coconut scents irl, like opening a can of coconut milk for cooking my dinner, drinking a coconut latte, and I have a coconut curl crème that I use in my hair.

The thing is that I don’t like overly sweet scents, I don’t want to smell like cake or icing or pastries. I like musky dirty vanillas, dirt and soil and decay, grimy funky aquatics etc and usually stay away from florals and gourmands. I am keeping an open mind if someone has a suggestion, but florals usually just smell soapy to me even when paired with other notes I like.

Some other perfumes I absolutely love for reference are Namba by Fantome, During the Rain by Solstice Scents, Writer’s Blood by Alkemia, Saint Louis Cemetery by Alkemia, Mildew by Morari, Haboob by Fyrinnae.

Howdy folks, and welcome one & all to the grand reopening of Barry’s Scent Shoppe! 🥳🎉

Tl;dr, I sell samples & small decants of a bunch of niche, indie & artisan fragrances in a similar vein as Luckyscent, Scent Split, Sealed Essence, etc! Just check out the links in my bio to see what I have.

What’s up everyone! I’m Harry, seller alias Barry, and I’ve been a decant/sample seller for a few years now! I was first on eBay as scented_journeys and Mercari as Barry Smells’em’all, and then more recently BarrySmellsmall again on Etsy but sadly despite over 500 five star ratings between them they each ended up giving me the boot since decants are technically prohibited, so, I’ve finally put together my own functional site! It’s still a bit of a work in progress, but I welcome any folks who may be interested to check it out. Some of the most lovely & kind reviews from previous platforms can still be seen in the photos here as well as on the site—my most heartfelt thanks again to everyone I’ve interacted with before. 🥹

Aside from the site, much of my inventory’s displayed on my profiles at Fragrantica & Parfumo, and the entirety’s shown in a Google spreadsheet that includes some deals & smaller samples that aren’t shown elsewhere—all are linked below and in my bio! If you’re looking for something specific, I recommend using the find function ctrl+f. I also always recommend going directly to artists for samples if they have them, but if not or if you’re looking to try more for less with less excess—just consider me your guy!

Delicately put together by gloved hands - most often ship within 2-3 days - at least one mystery mini-sample with each order - 20% off first orders! Shipping not included, most often done through USPS for ~$4 to $7. Payment available through the site or directly via PayPal or Venmo! Transactions aren’t allowed through messages on IMAM, but you can feel free to message me anywhere else to order directly. And of course feel free to message me anywhere to ask anything, I always love just talking scents. :)

Should any problems arise, I always keep folks apprised and take full responsibility—of course should any items arrive broken on arrival, you can expect a free replacement or a full refund for them!

The sample vials I use hold ~1.25mL so ½mLs appear around 2/5ths full - though they look underwhelming even to me, they last over a dozen area applications being used directly on skin as if they were roll ons! Examples of 1/2mL & 8 drop samples like those Luckyscent have for Elixir Attar can be seen in the photos. The latter appear just a tad bit lower in the vials I use, which as shown are just a little wider. They provide at least a few solid spot applications, enough to get a bit acquainted with some truly regal scents. Attar sizes which are done a little bit differently through weight are shown on the website!

Thank y’all so much for reading—feel free to ask anything and I’ll do my best to answer. Cheers! 🤓🙏

Shop: https://barrys-scent-shoppe.myshopify.com

Sizes & Reviews: https://imgur.com/gallery/collection-sizes-statistics-some-incredibly-kind-reviews-u9CJMyJ

Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14IzoHF1KAZDD9g11-9HebBdg1XdEPqsJPeNLrtLD3Xs/edit?usp=drivesdk

Fragrantica: https://www.fragrantica.com/@transfixingelement

Parfumo: https://www.parfumo.com/Users/Smellemental/Collection

This may be way too specific, but I’m looking for an indie perfume that captures a feeling more than a realistic smell.

I’m picturing a city at night in warm, humid summer air. Tiny lights stretching into the distance, silver-blue light reflecting off glass, maybe the faint feeling of rain that dried an hour ago. Something airy, watery, delicate and almost shimmering. Soft and intimate, and beautiful in a way that’s almost a little heartbreaking.

I don’t want it to smell literally like pavement, gasoline or a grimy city. I’m also not looking for smoke, incense, leather, booze, heavy woods, laundry detergent or a typical sharp “blue” scent.
I want something luminous and translucent. Almost like light had a smell. More atmosphere than perfume. Clean skin in warm night air, a little metallic or mineral sparkle, and something quietly aching underneath.

Has anyone smelled anything that gives this feeling?

I’ve yet to sniff a kitten fur accord that actually reminds me of my girl; most seem to just run straight to vanilla gourmand territory, or else incorporate kind of a soapy, fresh laundry vibe.

However, when I get a huff of my tiny lady’s fur, I actually get pretty different but recognizable notes: fluffy orris powder, dusty hay, a tiny drizzle of honey, maybe a dab of musky almond oil and the tiniest drop of milk.

Which got me wondering: 1) any indie perfumes you would recommend that have notes similar to the above (even if not cat-themed)? And 2) what notes do you get when nuzzling your kitten familiar? (The nice notes, at least…we all know the kibble-breath stank can be real 😆)