Bought It
Hope everybody's had a happy Friday! I'm sure most of you are out partying and dancing the night away right now, but personally I'm staying in for an invigorating session of blogging. I'm cool like that.
For this edition of Indie Friday I'll be taking a look at a few more scents by Darling Clandestine on Etsy, whom I previously wrote about here. I purchased all of the fragrance oils above in "bitsy" size, which I believe are one dram bottles. Those are larger than the "sample" vials she occasionally offers, but smaller than the full sizes. If you want some background on this perfumer I recommend reading my previous Darling Clandestine post, but for those who are already familiar, let's dive right in...
1. Dewlap Valentine (Summer, $9 for 5mL or $5 for a bitsy):
"My friends, I am delighted and honored to present a perfume created in memory of my dear friend Luna Valentine's beloved iguana, Bob. I had so much fun with this blend, and I am truly thrilled that Luna trusted me to create it for her and share it with you. Dewlap Valentine is a wonderfully complicated blend, fruity, salty, musky, earthy, at once dark and sweet and green, morphing over and over on the skin."
Full disclosure: I have never cared for an iguana or any other sort of reptilian pal. So I don't know how reminiscent of iguanas this is, but someone on Reddit told me that it did vaguely remind them of the muskiness reptiles can have. Very, very interesting. To me it smells mostly of overripe fruit, especially bananas - sort of like when you leave them out on the counter for a couple days too long and forget about them until they start to turn brown. This is one of the sweeter Darling Clandestine scents I've tried, but it still has a greenness and a muskiness to it. I said this last time, but I think she does green scents especially well, so if a strawberry-banana/green/lizard combo sounds like something you want to smell like, I'd go for it. Personally I'm rather fond of this scent.
2. Maudin & Bedlam (Year-round, ?? for 1/2oz, $5 for a bitsy):
"Dark, warm honey and herbals and wood frosted unsettlingly with weeping green leaves. Something deep and different for you honey lovers, with a fresh verdant bite. Truly unisex."
Sadly, this one didn't really agree with me. I've found that honey scents can turn into a bit of a cat pee smell on me, so they're a bit hit or miss... yech. I put it on Stan and he LOVED it though. He said it reminded him of "a flower shop and fresh feelings" (yes, those were his exact words). Behind the cat pee I can definitely smell something woodsy... it actually reminds me a bit of autumn leaves.
3. Mad as Birds (Spring, $18 for 1/2oz, $5 for a bitsy):
"Always in demand! Sweet, cool, fresh dew with notes of pear and mint and amber and marigolds. A haunted garden. Unisex to feminine."
Apparently this is version three of Mad as Birds - I never tried the previous ones, so I can't compare. "Cool dew" is a really great way to describe this fragrance - to me it smells fresh and aquatic, sort of like a field of flowers after the rain. So basically it's a perfect springtime scent. This is one of the less weird DC perfumes I've tried, but at the same time I can't say it smells exactly like anything else I've ever tried.
General impressions:
I've tried a whole bunch of different Darling Clandestine fragrances at this point (including several I haven't blogged about yet) so the "oddness" of them doesn't really surprise me anymore, but they are definitely unusual. Even with Maudlin & Bedlam, which didn't work well with my body chemistry, had me sniffing my wrist again and again to figure out what was going on in there. Her scents aren't always sexy or romantic, but they evoke feelings, good or bad, and I think that's what keeps me coming back for more.
I'm sure this won't really affect your likeliness to purchase from this seller, but I appreciated the stamping/caption that was scrawled on the back of my package when I bought these:
Purchase information:
You can find all of Darling Clandestine's current stock in her Etsy shop. Bear in mind that the availability of specific scents changes up frequently, so if you're looking for a comprehensive list of her perfumes you should check on this list on Facebook. She also posts coupon codes there from time to time. There doesn't seem to be a listing for it right now, but she occasionally lists a three bitsy vials for $13 special, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Have you tried any Darling Clandestine fragrances? Which of these sounds most appealing to you?
LOVE those shark stamps ha ha! That totally influences my purchase decision. IDK if the banana lizard smell is for me though.... Def with you on spending Friday night blogging though. I just posted a new giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI really wasn't sure if I would like the lizard scent, but curiosity got the better of me. I did end up liking it though! I would by lying if I said it wasn't a little odd though. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL! Hey PS are you on Sverve? There is a new international candy box campaign you should go sign up for!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads-up! I do love my boxes. :)
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