The Strange South You know what they say: You can take the lady out of the country but you can't take the country out of the lady...er they say that right? Well in any case, The Strange South spoke to my "down in the holler" heart with their aesthetic, intriguing note choices and of course the obvious inspirations taken from folklore and ghost stories (plus they have a Hocus Pocus and The Frighteners collection!). I admit I was reading from the shadows others' impressions on Reddit for quite a while curating a special list and only finally pounced when a huge sale was announced (I should have ordered long before that), here is my current trove of the eerie, haunting and beautiful scent stories by The Strange South. And this is only Chapter One. Vials Antebellum Mama Poor Dove Darling The Shell's Here, But The Nut Is Gone Dead Men Only Play The Blues Plaster 300 Years Put A Spell On You Je Veux Mon Livre Slipped Between His Teeth One Note A Time Antebellum (Listed Notes: Peeling wallpaper, dusty cedar cabinets, pipe smoke, lavender, and wisteria) In the vial: A lovely curtain of heady sweet WISTERIA to open the scene along with a SPICY HERBAL and DUSTY WOOD combination. Applied: This is the scent of beautiful remnants of long forgotten love letters tucked away in a cedar chest. The wisteria smells akin to lilac (non-soapy) and the dusty cedar is incredibly realistic in this creation. Although the opening of Antebellum is brief this oil captures a romantic spring in bloom then the dry down is like years have past so quickly and the memories are being revisited and explored by another generation. Absolutely poetry in a vial and it is getting stronger and even deeper with patience. I would love a full bottle eventually. Mama (Listed Notes: Dandelions, iced tea, gingersnap crumbs and jam fingerprints on a little lost girl's cotton dress) In the vial: A glass of iced SWEET LEMON TEA on a table scattered with SPICY GINGERSNAP CRUMBS and Summer SUNSHINE Applied: Mama is more than a random scent story for me as this perfume reminds me so much of a beloved family friend who was the epitome of an aged southern belle and flower child. She could always be found greeting all from the porch with a glass of iced tea in her hand and welcoming smile while Janis Joplin, the Doors or The Beatles played on her stereo from inside the house. Not only have I found a tea blend that plays well with my finicky chemistry, I have been unexpectedly reconnected with good summertime memories and I adore the realistic bright dandelion note in Mama plus the slight spice from the gingersnaps that comes out more after the drydown. It's like a visit to an old friend and an afternoon of porch swinging watching the hummingbirds dart about, all in a vial. Another future full bottle purchase. Miss you so much, E but I know you are dirty dancing with Jim Morrison and Patrick Swayze right now. Poor Dove (Listed Notes: Silver fir, paper wings, tuberose, sugared lilacs, tonka bean, and amber) In the vial: TUBEROSE, AMBER, VANILLA and delicate LILAC Applied: I have read so many reviews about this lovely oil and how it sweeps those away with a floral veil that lasts all day on them but sadly Poor Dove is the one perfume from this lot that doesn't stay more than 5 minutes on my skin and barely lasts 20 minutes in my curls. For that brief time it's gorgeous and indeed ethereal. If I could get this to stay on me I would purchase a full bottle. For curiosity purposes I will be trying the Meadowfoam oil form of Poor Dove the next time I order from this shop, so stay tuned. Darling (Listed Notes: Violet, bitter pomegranate seeds, marshmallow fluff, and frost) In the vial: Cold POWDERY VIOLETS, a DARK SWEET FRUIT and whipped MARSHMALLOW Applied: I can see why this blend is a best seller as it is creamy sweet and powdery with a hint of the unexpected. It's also an impressive shapeshifting fragrance that admittedly catches me off guard just when I think the scent is gone it amps with a different note for another round and lasts a total of 12 hours on me. I'm also thrilled to share that even though Darling contains violets the dark sweetness of the pomegranate and ozone accord from the frost seems to keep the floral aspect in check and I don't smell like a walking cough syrup bottle! In fact, I received random compliments the other night at work and I have to agree I do smell nice. I may experiment more with my vial before committing to full bottle though, just in case that was a fluke (I don't trust you violets, you promise so much and turn into a cruel trickster on my skin...oh, you do smell pretty in Darling though). The Shell's Here, But The Nut Is Gone (Listed Notes: Spilled honey (vegan), brown sugar, and cinnamon over apple skins and peanut dust) In the vial: SPICED APPLE and SALTY PEANUT DUST Applied: Admit it, you giggle when you see this epitaph on a gravestone and can't resist the call of peanut dust..no? Okay, well give it to me then. This perfume is a visit to one of my favourite seasons and makes my mouth water as it smells like sticky pie filling with a creative crust and I'm happy to note that peanuts amp on me and I smell like crunchy roasted peanut butter with brown sugar and cinnamon for a few hours. There is also a wisp of smoke I can detect at certain times and for an extra seasonal escape I have been layering The Shell's Here, But The Nut Is Gone under MX Perfume's Scarecrow. They pair so well together and I can't get enough. Can't we skip summer and go straight to fall? I'm ready and slathered. Dead Men Only Play The Blues (Listed Notes: Menthol cigarettes, sassafras, brown sugar and coconut husk, tuberose and honeysuckle, vanilla, teak wood, and sandalwood) In the vial: COCONUT and a hint of MENTHOL. Should I be worried? Applied: In truth, I zoned out and zoomed in on the listed sassafras when I was choosing my final vials as that note is so rare to see in the indie realm for some reason. Alas, the coconut amps with the cigarettes on me along with something waxy smelling and I get not the worst thing to ever touch my skin but still something unpleasant to my nose and I can only wear this a few minutes then scrub otherwise Dead Men Only Play The Blues will stay on me until the next day. I may offer this vial to a friend who collects coconut heavy fragrances and misses the scent of cigarettes. For me, my search continues for a sassafras perfume. (**please remember everyone's skin chemistry is different and what my chemistry does with one note may not happen on someone else. That's the unique beauty of perfume oils, they react with everyone differently- don't hesitate to try a sample of something if it interests you). Plaster (Listed Notes: Mud pie with a pecan crust topped with whipped cream, tart berries, and widow's blood) In the vial: BERRY TOOTSIE ROLL and WHIPPED CREAM Applied: First to note, I don't get any widow's blood or pecans, I get berries and waxy taffy. If I search my memory bank it smells like a combination of the bottom of a Halloween bucket and those wax lips you always traded to younger relatives that didn't know a kit kat or sweet tarts were far more valuable than the wax lips or those large hard popcorn balls from last year. For a revisit back to Halloween when you were allowed to traipse to house to house with snow to your knees and limited supervision, this is a decent fragrance (I do love the whipped cream note that comes out an hour or two later after application) but I don't want a full bottle. I should have went with the Black Cat Oil, Dear Bones or River Song, oh well next round and I will keep an eye out for another perfume from The Strange South with this amazing cream accord listed. 300 Years (Listed Notes: Candle wax shrouded in dust, chilled earth, and brittle black fur) [strikes best Winifred Sanderson pose] 'Tis Time! In the vial: SMOKE and INKY DARKNESS with a pair of golden eyes watching you. The scent of an abandoned house on a cold windy night of mischief. Applied: There is definitely smokey leathery patchouli in this blend and I get some type of burnt wood note with a drop of sweet dragon's blood. 300 Years is the scent to wear for when you miss the cold chill of autumn or are blasting Rob Zombie's Dragula from your car. If there is any musk in this perfume, my nose isn't sophisticated enough to pick it up but I do get the hint of candle wax and 300 Years indeed smells like a dusty black candle in an abandoned house. As this oil is aging more ashes are appearing on the dry down and I will be wearing 300 Years more, using the entire vial before thinking of purchasing this for my vanity. It's not exactly an office safe fragrance but it works splendidly as a sleep potion scent. Put A Spell On You (Listed Notes: Spiked punch, nutmeg, dragon's blood, black musk, and star anise) In the vial: Mmm...as it says on the tin, FRUIT PUNCH, STAR ANISE and sweet and spicy NUTMEG with a drop of DRAGON'S BLOOD Applied: Put A Spell On You starts out with a spicy star anise that makes me dance in my chair and it serves as a marvelous introduction to the dark punch note that swirls and dips throughout the hours. While the dragon's blood and nutmeg indeed puts a spell on my senses and apparently on others because I have heard over the wall at work "does anyone smell punch, is there is party I didn't know about?", so the throw is impressive and into the basket this perfume goes for another day. This is the fragrance to wear when you want to smell like a pretty little witch covered in black sparkly confetti. Je Veux Mon Livre (Listed Notes: Tea leaves and sage pressed between the ancient pages of a leather-bound grimoire) In the vial: LEATHER from an old dusty boot, whew that is strong. Applied: Aging has done this perfume wonders as I can detect the lemony sage with a wisp of incense under the leather now and the brittle dusty pages are coming through more as well. Je Veux Mon Livre is a leather dominant fragrance but I'm happy to share, it doesn't give me a headache. I have quite a few other bottles of book fragrances from other shops but I still like Je Veux Mon Livre. At the same time though it doesn't smell as dark as I'd hoped and surprisingly despite the leather this oil fades quickly on my skin. In truth, this smells more like shiny polished pointy toed shoes versus a book but I love the hidden incense and sage with book page notes complete with ink in this blend. Slipped Between His Teeth (Listed Notes: Ambergris, white florals, cedarwood, bone meal, blackcurrant, and marjoram) *A free sample found in my first order, thank you so much The Strange South! In the vial: Spicy creamy white florals. I've never smelled anything like this before. Applied: Hands down my favourite vial of them all from this shop and Slipped Between His Teeth will be a future purchase. The Strange South has a way with florals, wood, ambergris and herbs and Slipped Between His Teeth beautifully showcases those notes. I never thought of marjoram in a perfume oil but this accord supports the cedarwood and creates an intoxicating spicy wood scent I just want to rub all over myself. Now I must admit it does smell in a way fresh and clean but I honestly don't mind that and I think it only adds to the creamy elegance of this blend. Absolutely work place setting appropriate and is still unique while telling a haunting story all its own. I can't recommend this perfume enough. 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28th of January 2023) NOTES/COMBINATIONS and Stones CURRENTLY ON THE HUNT FOR: Naughty Licorice/Star Anise Cardamom Cardamom Cake with Roses Smoky Honey & Leather Leather and Florals Pomegranate Colder Tuberose scents Smoked Florals with Cinnamon and Honey Graham Cracker and Incense Double strand of Rose Quartz or Moonstones or Black Tourmaline Chainmaille Jewellery Houses of Fragrance and Interest on the Horizon (shops that contain such temptations): LurkerAndStrange Good Spirit Wolf Rapt In Maille ToadStoolSoaps DSH Perfume Baphomet&Co Harvest Moon Haven Granny Hootenanny's Shop
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