#HPBScentOfTheDay Challenge Roundup 3/4 | Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog

25 May, 2014

#HPBScentOfTheDay Challenge Roundup 3/4

Another week has passed and more perfumes have been chosen. I've noticed that the sweatshirt I sometimes wear to bed is developing a strange odor around the cuffs—this is what happens when the residue of over a dozen different perfumes gets rubbed against it and combined, I guess. Good thing laundry machines exist.


Want to know what's making my shirt smell so peculiar? Read on for this week's fragrant picks!


May 17th: Sweet Anthem - Cooper

Notes: Fir Needle, Coffee, Vetiver, Teak

I wrote about this just a couple of days ago. The short version? It's a nice woodsy scent, but doesn't really work on me. Had to at least give it a try though!


May 18th: Solstice Scents - Moonlight On The Grove

Notes: Jasmine Fragrance & Essential Oil

This is just straight-up jasmine, so far as I can tell. Soft, delicate, pretty jasmine. I like jasmine, but I've noticed that it tends to smell different on different people—on me it comes across as a bit soapy (in a good way), and I've read comments by others on forums and such saying it can even smell like pee (?!!?) on them. I like it though. Unfortunately this exact scent no longer seems to be on the Solstice Scents website, so you'll have to find a different jasmine to test out if you're into that sort of thing.


May 19th: Sweet Anthem - Eugene


Notes: Agarwood, Black Pepper, Coriander, Musk, Orris, Sandalwood

I wrote about this here. As I said before, this is a very masculine/spicy scent. Nice, but not really well-suited to me. And now we know.


May 20th: Darling Clandestine - Serpentina (solid form)


Notes: Green tea with a smoky opium bite. Unisex to feminine.

I wrote about this in detail here. This continues to be a personal favorite of mine—it's also one of the least odd fragrances I've tried from Darling Clandestine, so if you've been on the fence about giving them a try this is a good place to start.


May 21st: Solstice Scents - Library

Notes: Leather Bound Books, A Carved Rosewood Mantle, Dying Fireplace Embers, Wood Wainscoting, Cedar Shelving and Aged Paper


This smells exactly like a musty old leather-bound book. Have I ever mentioned that old books sometimes make me sneeze? Achoo! An interesting sensory experience for sure, and maybe a bit nostalgic, but I don't think my poor allergies could take wearing it on a daily basis.


May 22nd: Rise by Beyonce

Notes: Italian Bergamot, Golden Apricot, Iced Basil Sorbet, Gold Symphony Orchid, Freesia Blossom, Natural Jasmine Sambac, Autumn Woods Accord, Cashmere Musk, Vetiver Extract

I got a free sample of this in a PinchME box. This is a nice, soft scent, and a good example of how to use vetiver without giving me a weird gag reflex (personal problem). This reminds me of another fragrance but I can't put my finger on what ... I guess that means that's nothing new or unusual, but it's pleasant at the very least.


May 23rd: Darling Clandestine - BĂȘte Noire (oil form)

Notes:
Four kinds of pepper grounded in artemisia, greened with herbals and juniper, stretched taut with a sharp bitter carnation, and "purpled" with violets and orchids.

Reviewed in painstaking(ish) detail here. A very spicy, deep floral. If you like flowery perfumes but hate the cloying sweetness that often comes with them, this is worth checking out.


May 24th: OHWTO - Exhume (solid form)

Notes: Church incense, White spices, nutmeg, cardamom... Peru Balsam, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Sugar... and a lone white rose laid across your hands to carry you into eternity.

Ooh, macabre. I got a solid sample of Exhume when I bought something else from this shop ... not sure I would have chosen it based on the description, but it's actually sort of nice. The spiciness is prominent when first applied but the drydown is much sweeter and more comforting. Is this what the journey into the afterlife is like?


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And thus concludes round three. I was actually organizing my perfume the other day and counted no less than 66 distinct scents. Many of those were only samples, but I guess it means that I won't be running out of choices for the remaining seven days of the challenge.


Have you tried any of the perfumes listed above? If you're also participating in the challenge feel free to link up or share your choices in the comments!

8 comments:

  1. The library book scent is something I think I would want in theory, but in practice it would probably be just as well if I didn't. It's a nice niche for the Hermione Grangers of the world.

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  2. Yeah, exactly. I like going into musty old bookshops but it's not something I want to smell when I'm eating or something. Still glad I tried it for novelty's sake though!

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  3. I'm really enjoying your scent reviews, thanks for posting these!

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  4. "musty old leather-bound book" - Yummy!

    Bete Noire sounds right up my alley. I love spicy scents, and usually stay away from florals. That one sounds like it's the perfect mixture of both.

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  5. Thanks! I'm glad someone finds it interesting besides me. :)

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  6. If you like spicy/herby scents then it's at least worth a try. It's not a "grandma" type floral, at least. Her mini ("bitsy") vials aren't terribly expensive and are good for sampling...

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  7. I haven't tried any of these but I know the awful smell of a million fragrances all mixed together. I worked in the fragrance dept for about a year and a half back in college and too often I would walk through clouds of different fragrances mixed together. Instead of spraying on the cards that are located throughout the dept, people would spray the fragrances into the air.

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  8. Ugh, that's terrible. I've totally seen people doing that in stores but I'm just passing through, not breathing it in all day.

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