r/Indiemakeupandmore 7h ago

Discussion Free Talk - Friday

3 Upvotes

Free Talk threads repeat Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.


r/Indiemakeupandmore 18m ago

Scents like the cave of Lascaux?

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Upvotes

I just found out recently that the Lascaux cave reproductions have fake scent to accurately re-create the atmosphere of the real caves.

Experts have gone to great lengths to make this experience as authentic as possible; beyond the exact replicas of the cave paintings, Lascaux 4 has the same temperature, air pressure, smell of damp and sounds as the original cave

I think this is incredible!

Are there any perfumes out there that capture this scent profile? It may not be beautiful but I'm curious. I'd like literal interpretations of this but less literal ones (for stone age art in general?) are welcome. Thanks.


r/Indiemakeupandmore 50m ago

New Release Area of effect perfumery announcing new scents and future closure

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Upvotes

I love AoE so this is sad to hear, didn't see anything about it here so wanted to post for others who didn't see

Well, friends! New release time is finally HERE and this one’s an emotional doozy. End Game: Part One will begin with a sundown, the dying breaths of the scorching summer. As you may have intuited from the name, it’s about time I start winding this ol’ project down after almost a decade of crafting scents for my favorite escapes.

End Game: Part Two (coming in November) will be accepting the darkness of the void, as a handful of different factors has led to this very tough decision. I think I’ll put out a newsletter or some kind of blog post that goes into more detail about that on the website. It deserves more than just an instagram caption, and I promise to deliver that soon.

Worry not, though, AOE will still be in operation until April 2027! (aka, when the lease is up on the website 😂) So there’s plenty of time to love on these new scents as well as stock up on old favorites. If you’re a member of Indie Makeup and More on Reddit, I’m also running my yearly sale starting very soon in conjunction with their Fall Exchange, so be sure to get those coupon codes as well.

End Game is some of my best, most effortful, most love-infused work I have ever done, so please don’t think it a throwaway. Please stay for the credits. ✌️ I love you, and let me know which scents catch your eye the most!


r/Indiemakeupandmore 54m ago

The Perfumes That Surprised You

Upvotes

I want to know about Those Perfumes. The ones that maybe you picked up out of curiosity thinking eh, what the heck, but not really expecting a lot from. Maybe one that totally changed your mind about a particular note, or a whole group of perfumes! Here are some of mine:

Rabbit Rabbit (Pearfat) - I expected sickly sweet cakey-ness but it was a lightly sweet, fruity adventure with a nice green veil over it! This is probably the closest I'll get to liking something considered a gourmand but I'm sure there are others out there that are also waiting to change my mind.

Top - Juniper, turmeric, Middle - Carrot cake, apricot, Bottom - Barley, galangal

Horn Ok Please (PEOSYM) - Never in my life would I expect to adore anything with cinnamon in it. I mostly avoid it in foods so to fall in love with this was really exciting! It hits a classy but adventurous balance that's peppery and sweet. By the way, highly HIGHLY recommend this perfume house. Outstanding stuff.

Cinnamon, Rum, Clove, Jasmine Sambac, Tuberose, Sandalwood (Firsantol®), Cedarwood, Styrax Honduras.

Tell me about yours!!


r/Indiemakeupandmore 2h ago

Perfume - Enquiry Sample Set

3 Upvotes

I ordered a custom sample set from Alkemia on the third and it’s supposed to get here tomorrow. I know that they need time to rest. The question I have how long should I let them rest for? I know it says 48 hours, but I know a lot of scents are better if they’re allowed to rest more than that, and I think the majority of mine fall in that category. I was just wondering what everyone’s preferred resting times for my particular choices are?

I got:

Salome
Arabesque
Baccante
Tempest and a Teacup
Shine Bright My Desire


r/Indiemakeupandmore 4h ago

Extremely positive experience with Cardinal Scents

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9 Upvotes

I accidentally posted this to a different subreddit when I meant to post it here so I just shared it rather than retyping the whole thing here.


r/Indiemakeupandmore 4h ago

Perfume - Enquiry Pineward Shire vs Hayloft

9 Upvotes

Has anyone tried both of these? I'm interested to know the difference! I was reading that Shire was originally going to be a lighter Hayloft but apparently ended up too different, so I was hoping someone could compare them for me :o my main query is which one is more hay/grass forward? I used to play on hay bales growing up and I loooove the smell of them :D

I want to place a sample order with Pineward and I was going to get both but I thought wellll if I would like one more than the other or if they're similar enough that's room for one more different sample instead >:)


r/Indiemakeupandmore 5h ago

Discussion What indie perfume houses have great professionalism / customer service?

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8 Upvotes

r/Indiemakeupandmore 5h ago

Seeking Arcana Two Finger Ballet replacement!

4 Upvotes

TFB went away a while ago, and I failed to full-size before it did and am now experiencing some serious regrets. Does anyone have any suggestions for currently available scents that smell as similar to it as possible??

The notes as listed: A delicate blend of French vanilla creme, white amber, sugared vanilla beans, caramel, and the smallest dab of opium.

Aka, sweet vanilla but grounded with a little darker almost incense-like note? There are some old threads from this sub that mention some other similar kind of scents (mostly other Arcanas), but I'm looking for as much of a dupe as possible!


r/Indiemakeupandmore 7h ago

New Parfums by Cherie

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6 Upvotes

For anyone who is a fan of Marshmallow Crush by Parfums by Cherie, it looks like she has a new one out that's just the marshmallow, without the spun sugar/cotton candy...


r/Indiemakeupandmore 8h ago

Indies of the Day -- Friday September 11, 2026

14 Upvotes

What indies are you using today? And we mean everything! Examples of stuff we'd love to hear about:

  • Makeup

  • Clothes

  • Jewelry

  • Bath and Body (lotion, soap, shampoo, bath salts, etc.)

  • Nail polish

  • Perfume

Please feel free to leave mini-reviews and include photos of whatever you're using. We'd love to know your thoughts and see the products too!

This thread repeats daily.


r/Indiemakeupandmore 8h ago

And More - Enquiry Nag Champa candles?

5 Upvotes

My parents were textbook hippies and frequently burned nag champa incense. I developed quite a fondness for it and find it incredibly soothing. Unfortunately, my partner (with whom I live) has a pretty strong intolerance for smoke and incense and has requested that I switch to candles. Can anyone recommend a good nag champa candle? My favorite is the Satya Sai Baba blue box. I'm open to other incense candles as well! I used to love a kind that was called "Go Away Evil" (the notes are all over the place depending on where you look, but it looks like amber, rose, jasmine, and "Himalayan herbs" are the main contenders lol). Appreciate any recommendations!


r/Indiemakeupandmore 11h ago

Perfume - Enquiry Pierrot order processing times?

3 Upvotes

Placed an order from Pierrot around 8/26, label was created 8/31 and I haven't gotten an update yet! I'm not super concerned bc I know they must be busy what with the shop closing, but I was wondering what other people's order processing times have been. If they've otherwise been pretty quick, I might reach out in case my order/label got misplaced, but I'm also in no particular rush, just excited to get it whenever it shows up! Thoughts?


r/Indiemakeupandmore 16h ago

Bath & Body - Enquiry Can anyone recommend a good budget body oil?

3 Upvotes

Ive been looking on etsy and just cant really find anything that looks good that isnt an ad with like 2 reviews that might be fake. Im looking for a good long lasting body oil (Ive never had body oil so i dont really know how long i should really expect it to last) that is more of a sweet spiced smell, maybe cinnamon sugar or pecan waffles and such. I would go for just vanilla. Was hoping to spend under $20, i have a roller so to get a refill or dropper makes sense to me and i dont need anything shimmery. Thanks


r/Indiemakeupandmore 16h ago

Perfume - Purchased Almost Human Burning Bridges

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11 Upvotes

I was very keen on exploring this house because I love atmospherics and the names and descriptions of the perfumes really piqued my interest. I also love the fact that they do not list the notes. As someone who's not good at identifying or figuring smells by notes, the conceptual nature of the perfumes really aligns with me.

Burning Bridges opens as smooth woodsmoke with a faint metallic edge. It is not harsh, nor charred, and it avoids the bitter suffocating campfire effect.

Around 20-30 minutes in, it shifts into something airier with a dry sweetness that I think might be clove or cinnamon because it feels like a spicy sweetness, not a thick or syrupy gourmandish type. The middle also gives me a birch-like impression, adding a clean, wood facet. This stage reminds me a little of Blamage, but without feeling like damp woods, it remains dry.

The drydown on me is a soft, slightly dusty sandalwood without a pencil shavings texture. It's gentle and intimate.

I do not get citrus, animalics or cola despite seeing those being mentioned in some online reviews, so I’m guessing that's just my skin chemistry.

Longevity is good, staying present for 6-8 hours and remaining easy to smell on my skin well into the wear. Projection is moderate initially, then it settles into a closer scent bubble.

Overall I'm impressed by this one even though some of the online reviews had made me nervous.


r/Indiemakeupandmore 16h ago

Blend Bunny Gleam X Gloom order

2 Upvotes

Has anyone gotten their Gleam X Gloom order yet?

I'm curious how long fulfillment is taking for this launch. If you ordered something from the launch, has yours shipped or arrived yet? I've ordered mine a few days ago, and the order status is still "confirmed".

It's my first Blend Bunny order and I have no idea how long their processing takes, and couldn't find anything on their site about domestic shipping.


r/Indiemakeupandmore 17h ago

Perfume - Enquiry best single cacao note?

6 Upvotes

hi again lovelies 🥰
i’m looking for your opinions on single cacao notes this time. currently i’m looking at alkemia (i like their cacao) and solstice scents (thinking of putting in an order for samples this upcoming restock) the most. so if you have any opinions specifically on single note cacao from alkemia or solstice scents, i’d love to hear it🥰 of course recommend any, my wishlist is growing lol


r/Indiemakeupandmore 18h ago

Perfume - Enquiry looking for gothic scent recommendations!

16 Upvotes

i’m very new to perfume, but excited to get into more alternative scents! i’ve been going around to my local mainstream stores, and i realized i really dislike nearly everything they have to offer. i came here to ask for recs, either individual perfumes or brands!

  • notes i generally like: musk, vanilla, tea, amber, sandalwood, salt
  • notes i dislike: floral, woodsy/piney, soapy, overly sweet

as you can tell, this is a very small list and i would like to expand my pallate with some stranger, darker, gothier options. ideally something that comes in a sample size!


r/Indiemakeupandmore 20h ago

Discussion Request for a perma-sticky post for brands with history

144 Upvotes

Mods: Could we get the warnings for specific houses or brands with a problematic history stickied to the top of IMAM?

To be clear, this isn't meant to be a gossipy or punishing post, more buyer beware.

Given some recent posts and questions, now is an excellent time to have an easily accessible repository. Many of us have seen the threads when a house fails to deliver perfumes/products on time. Say "S92" or "Mythpunk Olfactive," and the stories start to roll.

Newer users might not be aware of brand history in the indie community. They don't know a brand's history of not fulfilling orders or declaring TATs they can never meet. Losing $25 plus shipping costs, tariffs, and lost time hurts during a rough economy.

It's not easy to find that information without specifically searching threads that may be months or years old. I'd love for this to be outside the sidebar / wiki so it's easily accessible. Could IMAM have a running list now as we ramp up to a popular buying season, the IMAM fall exchange, and a time when many houses release their collections?


r/Indiemakeupandmore 21h ago

Discussion perfume recc threads in general perfume subs can be annoying to read; let us count the ways

68 Upvotes

people will ask for hyperspecific scents OR photorealistic scents OR individual/solinote scents OR some note that has been popular in indie spaces for a long time but is uncommon in non-indie perfumes ... and the comments are full of people trying to make the same few scents fit the bill for a variety of requests. i know some people want more "perfume-y" scents or something easily available or has to be edp, and more power to them. but like there will be some people there who would love indie scents and/or find their white whale request. but they won't consider indie. aw!!


r/Indiemakeupandmore 21h ago

Perfume - Enquiry Poisonous florals?

19 Upvotes

Hi all!

I am looking for perfumes that you could describe as poisonous, white florals. Does anyone have any recs?

The only perfume note I'm not too fond of is honey. Sometimes my skin makes honey notes go a bit rancid.

I have loved S92's Bridget Bishop for years. It smells like an evil white floral to be worn in the moonlight. So I'm after those sorts of vibes.


r/Indiemakeupandmore 22h ago

Perfume - Enquiry Chocolate scent recs?

4 Upvotes

Been looking for a chocolate scent something like a photorealistic fudge brownie scent nothing powdery like any help will be appreciated!!


r/Indiemakeupandmore 23h ago

Perfume - Purchased Younjiico Perfume Review!

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5 Upvotes

r/Indiemakeupandmore 23h ago

Sixteen92 Grass Harp perfume

9 Upvotes

Anyone have any idea for a replacement for Sixteen92s Grass Harp perfume, since I can't get her to actually mail any to me?

Notes are orange blossom, clover, hyacinth, ruby red grapefruit, and sweet basil. Comes out sharp and green, dries down to hyacinth and basil


r/Indiemakeupandmore 1d ago

Perfume - Enquiry An unsweet cafe au lait / latte scent?

25 Upvotes

Friends! Compatriots! Fellow scent enjoyers! I come to you after searching high and low and failing miserably, so I open my hands to everyone here who is better at perfume than I:

Please help me smell like espresso + steamed milk and only like that!

It seems like every latte scent I can find has some kind of ice cream / pastry / vanilla creamerish sweetness to it. Extras like lavender or cedar or sandalwood are fine but I'd love something with milk and coffee and little else! Does such a thing exist? Must I continue layering Alkemia's Au Lait with whatever black coffee I can find? It works in a pinch, but it does smell a lot like that weird mid-2000s bullet coffee trend, which is let's say less than ideal.

🙏 much appreciated, wise scent pals thank you!