Full Disclosure and a bit of history: The following series of reviews are challenges between my finicky chemistry and Redwood's catalogue (and fiendish mind). After a fun lengthy discussion with the owner one evening, the gauntlet was thrown down over specific florals, bitters, fruits and whathaveyou of what 90+% of the time my skin would turn into pure hell. Round one is peach, jasmine and "something you think I wouldn't wear" *These were press lux perfumes provided by Redwood Alchemy in exchange for honest reviews (thank you again so much, Wren!) ___________________________________ 1978 (Cinnamon, Peach, Neroli, Jasmine, Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Amber, Benzoin, Vetiver, Vanilla) A hedonistic fragrance for a new era that exudes a heady essence with smoke-edged florals and spiced visions that last the whole night well into the next darkening evening. 1978 is an intoxicating fruit-laced fever dream served over red incandescence that is something to experience for the end of summer into the autumnal months and one perfume I drape myself in like a dramatic sweeping peach-rouged dressing gown and call "my dirty pretty". Omixochitl-The Bone Flower (Tuberose, Aldehydes, Lily-of-the-Valley, Heliotrope, Vetiver, Amber, White Musk, *Hyrax, *Castoreum, Jasmine, Iris, Vanilla, Sandalwood) *real musks that were reportedly humanely and ethically sourced A transformative and empowering fragrance where tuberose isn't just queen of the night, she rules over all space and realms with shimmering aldehydes spangling her fair crown, a dagger strapped to her thigh and has an addictive ending to her scent story awaiting the curious. Omixochitl is a beautiful contrasting beast of soft with a touch of hidden sweetness and intoxicating wickedness and for me, the beginning and end of every dark romance and poem I have read or has flashed across the inspired silver screen. This is a floral-animalic to recommend that will take you long past midnight and not be forgotten in the court. Round One Results: Goes to Redwood! I now have another peach dominant perfume in 1978 to add to my rare corner of successes where the pungent aroma of feline stays within the confines of the litter box and doesn't waft around me and I've fallen hard for the addictive floral-animalic bite of Omixochitl and this is my summer 2022 choice pick. This duo came in like twin unbridled storms beckoning me to join the swirling empowering energy and break away from the traditional; I answered with my nose to my wrist and a resounding "YES!". Redwood Alchemy Marshmallow (Marshmallow) Exactly as it says on the tin, this is comforting sugary pillows that morph to a realistic toasted finish; excellent for sleep and layering with other oils. Longevity is about 4 to 6 hours with a noticeable throw that catches the attention of those with a discerning sweet tooth. Daffodil (This fragrance accord is designed to smell of Daffodils- reminiscent of jasmine, geranium, and honeysuckle with hints of vanilla and greenery) Close your eyes and picture the perfect spring morning. The robins and starlings are merrily chirping and chortling whilst the rhythmic coos of mourning doves completes a dawn symphony. You can feel the warm sunshine touch your cheeks and the light creates an enveloping impression of bright golds. You are facing a garden of memories and the distinct aroma of little star-shaped jasmine beckon you to come closer and inhale deeply (no muddling associations with soap will disrupt this bucolic scene, I promise) it's such a lovely bouquet orbiting dew-kissed daffodils. Now open your eyes, you are wearing a rarity in the perfume world- a true daffodil fragrance! Bravo, Redwood Alchemy! This is such an uplifting and beautifully intoxicating oil. A White Whale has been found! Labdanum (no notes listed) A single note of dark resins that curiously fizz and bubble on application then dry down to a woody almost boozy amber finish. Another excellent oil for layering and experimenting with other notes. Call Girl (Tobacco, Skin Musk, Roses) Roses can come in many forms from soapy to downright slinky and scandalous and if you are looking for the latter, you have to get ahold of Call Girl because this is an oh so naughty but refined tobacco and rose fragrance. I definitely smell Bulgarian Roses and there is something deeper underneath adding another overlay of the rose variety and true to the description on the website I am getting the unmistakable smudge of expensive lipstick or creamy wax violets (however you wish to interpret them). I know this is supposed to tell the scent story of a night encounter in a seedy motel but I can't help but think of a classy well sought after mistress in the 19th-century Austrian or Russian court. It's a bit exotic in ways with the rose petals and the stately tobacco combined with the kiss of violet and silky skin musk elevates this call girl to dame d'honneur! Bravo Redwood! Redwood Alchemy Reviews composed in November 2020 to January 2021 ✴The longer the following perfumes were patiently aged, the more undernote nuances reveal themselves with every wear. Longevity: Shortest (XIII and Bad Apple at 2 and nearly 4 hours) Longest (Ambrille and Sacred Vanille at 14+ hours) One Note At A Time: Bespoke/Custom Fragrance At the beginning of October 2020 I submitted the idea of a bottled quote from one of my favourite books with the specific notes of French Vanilla, Vintage-styled Amber and Marshmallow. The owner showed sincere enthusiasm over my custom's concept and shared his extensive knowledge of different subjects when he suggested additions to my blend with Labdanum and White Musk. He then even went up and above that and obtained a very special component (pheromones) for the perfect final touch when I requested this last minute submission. May I present Ambrille! She's finally home and is so good she made it into general catalogue. From start to finish this was an experience I highly recommend if you have been searching in vain for a specific blend to add to your collection or one special fragrance to drape yourself in. Ambrille (Notes: French Vanilla, Marshmallow, Labdanum, White Musk) This blend dances a fine line between gourmand and naughty vintage with the initial opening of creamy french vanilla along with sweet marshmallow then warms up with the vintage amber and slight caramelly "pop" of labdanum resin. The final notes that leave me 15 hours later are intoxicating white musk and the lingering sweetness of the vanilla and marshmallow. It matches the iconic quote from Rebecca: "I wish I were a woman of 36, dressed in black satin with a string of pearls." and can be worn like a comforting elegant scarf or expensive soft sweater throughout the colder months; which is all exactly what I wanted. ❇the version of Ambrille available on the site does not contain any frisky pheromones. Hand Sanitizer in Harvest Spice (Simmered autumn fruit blends with warm nutmeg and clove spiked with crisp afterthoughts of ginger and cinnamon in the familiar taste of fall) This lux hand sanitizer comes in a rather large 2oz bottle that has stood up well in my handbag and has not broken open accidentally in the months it has been knocking around and accompanying to and from normal every day. The formula contains the required 70% alcohol and it does the job with a vegetal scent with rich autumnal earth and warm comforting spice along with a kiss of fruit (other than pumpkin) that lasts up to 3 hours and is addictive to sneak huffs of when no one is looking. Harvest Spice isn't your average pumpkin aroma and I hope it returns in the the perfume version because it is a fragrance I need to own. I would purchase this lux hand sanitizer again but also would love this in Marshmallow. ✴When I received my finished Custom Fragrance in November all decked out in gift box, a surprise sample was found nestled in the box and I fell hard. Call Girl (Notes: Tobacco, Skin Musk, Roses) Roses can come in many forms from soapy to downright slinky and scandalous and if you are looking for the latter, you have to get ahold of Call Girl because this is an oh so naughty but refined tobacco and rose fragrance. I definitely smell Bulgarian Roses and there is something deeper underneath adding another layer of the rose variety and true to the description on the website I am getting the unmistakable smudge of expensive lipstick or creamy wax violets (however you wish to interpret them). I know this is supposed to tell the scent story of a night encounter in a seedy motel but I can't help but think of a classy well sought after mistress in the 19th-century Austrian or Russian court. It's a bit exotic in ways with the rose petals and the stately tobacco combined with the kiss of violet and silky skin musk elevates this call girl to dame d'honneur! Bravo Redwood! My second order was a bunch of samples that had intrigued me for weeks. Sacred Vanille (Notes: Vanilla, Wood, Copal, Gardenia, Amber, Musk & Spice) It remains a mystery if the copal or the noticeable textural wood note (or the combination) is a particular scent sticking out from my skin that I'm unsure about. The spice and amber is warm and seductive with the sweet butteriness of the gardenia and vanilla. My skin can be so cruel at times as that particular scent I mentioned amplifies and drowns out the lovely gardenia, vanilla and spice. I'm marking Sacred Vanille down for a whipped soap treatment in the coming weeks. Candy Cane layering note This hits the sweet and sentimental spot for me as a beloved family member always smelled of peppermint and when she was away and I was upset, I would sit in a corner and sniff the candies she had secretly stuffed my pockets with. This is refreshing and yet somehow creamy and soft. Candy Cane also has a positive effect on when my stomach is flipping knots at a certain time of the month as after sitting down and smelling Candy Cane for several minutes, I feel so much better. The power of comforting peppermint, it still works even all these years later for me. Krampus (Notes: Mint, Musk, Smoke, Clove & Pepper) All the notes are there in a musky oily and somehow bracing way. I get the peppermint with the dark elements underneath and I know it's not listed but I smell a hint of non-obnoxious black shiny leather hiding in the background with the clove. Krampus is unique with the spice and musk yet completely wearable for every day adding something unfamiliar and sinister. A definite keeper. Elysia (Notes: Notes: Lily of the Valley, Salt, Wood, Musk) This is such a lovely scent for work as it's ethereal and feminine with a twist of poetic floral sweetness and is one of those your skin but better types of perfumes to recommend. This fragrance brings to mind the imagined scent of the dust from trembling butterfly wings. I don't think I have any other lily of the valley perfume that is so soft yet enchanting in my collection. XIII (Description: An unlucky blend of bergamot, tangerine, and lemon. Creaking wood, thunder that rattles the bones. Dark, moonlit waters. All laced with a sweet sliver of hope.) On my skin a hidden sugary aquatic scent amps along with zippy citrus and hidden metal note combination that oddly helps me drift off to sleep after a long dark night. To my nose, XIII leans masculine in a debonair way that is magnetic and yet calming. For longevity, this blends fades within 2 hours and no trace remains when I wake 9 hours later. And I'll just be tucking this alluring oil away for "someday". Bad Apple (Notes: Apple, Musk, Leather) I've been watching way too many Disney, Fairytale, Zodiac/dark sides of signs comparisons because this brings to mind "BAD Snow White". It starts off so innocent at first with gentle wafts of wet realistic apple skin and sweetness of a hidden floral, then a sinister smirk, a violent shuddering thunder and lightning crash over the forest and this woman doesn't need a prince with a flousy name to save her. I love these dramatic types of fragrance transformations. I was a little concerned about the apple but this is a fine blend and takes my imagination away. My only caveat is, I wish Bad Apple lasted longer on me- barely 4 hours on my skin. Top 3 choices (besides Ambrille): Call Girl, Elysia and Candy Cane Redwood Alchemy My nose really can take me to some bizarre places, take for a good example this next house of fragrance called Redwood Alchemy that promised quite the fragrance journey with a just released scent of a trip to the drive-in that involved classic buttery and sweet popcorn with a splash of spilled blood. You read that right, BLOOD. Being that wondrous time of the year when the werewolves, ghosts and vampires roamed, I had to try this blend (with fingers crossed my secret search had come to an end of finding a realistic gore fest from the indie world and not just a dragon's blood substitute) and I also grabbed a few others that were calling me. All I can say, this was strangely beautiful introduction and the start of another list of recommendations. ___________________________________________________ *Reviews composed in November 2020 The gorgeous Hallowe'en Full Moon has come and gone along with a much-needed sugar kick (it was a Taurus moon afterall and it needed to be toasted with an indulgence or two; so no shame) and the howling winds of winter have unexpectedly come abanging at the shutters for many tonight. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm never ready for those frigid reminders and luckily I can keep those types of unwanted demons at bay with slathering myself in powerful scent potions from the indie realm. My latest little trove of themed fragrances arrived from Redwood Alchemy and as the title says: "When it is Hallowe'en every day with indies, the ghosts and vampires never have to fade away" So let's call forth four special selections and a surprise fifth that showed up at my door at the perfect moment. Purchased: October 7th and delivered October 17th Longevity: Between an impressive 15+ hours (Anubis) to 4 hours (Murder At The Movies) on the skin One Note At A Time: Murder At The Movies (Description: Pull up to the Drive-In with your sweetheart for this midnight Blood and Kettle corn double-feature. The cozy familiar fragrance of warm, buttery, carmel topped popcorn with a caustic splattering of sweet metallic blood.) Notes: Popcorn, Butter, Carmel and Blood Murder At the Movies is buttery sweet and carries a realistic tang of salty metallic blood which is all oddly comforting and completely unique within my collection. It's one seriously twisted playful perfume with a satisfying unnerving element you can't wait to share with others and also has some unexplained sleep/relaxation quality to it I wasn't expecting. Who knew a sinister gourmand could help me drift off to dreamland (and could be so wearable). Longevity varies on where I place the oil, on my wrists and arms about 4 hours, on my neck about 6 hours; while in my hair or at the hairline on my neck 10 hours. Areté (Description: As ephemeral as the fae winds - sweet & musky.) Notes: Lily of the Valley, Vanilla, Amber, Cashmere As it says in the tin and how this shop's stellar customer service painted it- haunting and ethereal. I've only had my mini bottle of Areté a few weeks, but I'm already impressed and want to try more. The spice note (very much like coriander) that appears first to the nose is another welcome surprise from this sample box and I'm downright smitten with the romantic musky vanilla and Lily of the Valley that manifests and stays for hours afterward and lends to an overall expensive smelling vintage-esque quality that fits in perfectly with my personal aesthetic and is right at home on my vintage vanity table. This is the scent of a romantic ghost of beauty. I can't wait to see (and smell) what else this charming little house of fragrance has planned next. Cyanide (A poisonously sweet fragrance that combines the scent of bitter almonds with hints of toxic fruit pits like apple, apricot and peach that dries down to a venomous sweet almond spice.) Notes: Almond, Cherries, Clove Top marks for overall presentation and fine attention to detail of these fragrances even right down to the font type on the vintage-esque apothecary bottles. When it comes to Cyanide, my black little heart skips a beat how dead-on sinister this smells and the applaudable research that obviously went into this perfume's creation. This isn't a child-like candy fruit perfume, (so gentle wearer beware), Cyanide coils about your senses with a distinct cherry bitter almond aroma and further plays on your most dark fantasies with an additional drop or two of warm spice. Perfect for reading some fiendish unsolved murder mystery whilst enjoying a piping cup of tea or stepping out for the night where a few raised and intrigued eyebrows will be sure to appear. Now that's a perfume worthy of the name of Cyanide. Anubis (Description: This Egyptian funeral fragrance embodies an authentic herbal mix of wood resins, oils, aromatic spices and papyrus reminiscent of actual mummification materials used in ancient Egypt.) Notes: No listed notes One of the myriad things I love about Indie Perfumes is how they can transport you to new worlds and Anubis is a directly sweeping fragrance back through the sands of time to a royal funeral in Ancient Egypt. Quite a few precious resins make up this blend and my nose detects the almost lemony frankincense amplifying above them all with various dry herbs, a floral akin to geranium and a hint of salt. The promised papyrus is the last note to leave me 15 hours later and this was exactly what I was hoping for when I ordered this mini sample bottle- a well-researched scent experience not of this century. But wait, there's more! I'll be right baaack... *I almost changed my carefully planned costume idea of a Victorian Vampire Aristocrat this year for a seductive Cleopatra after trying Anubis, it has that power to turn everything on its head. Ah, but one little surprise addition that I found nestled in my box of olfactory delights whipped that Victorian Vampire idea back and made my gothic heart sing! A WHITE WHALE HAS BEEN FOUND. BLOOD layering note No listed notes but if I had to give my best guess, the darkest reaches of the scent imagination. You want unique, here it is- the truest smelling blood accord I have found in the indie world and it layers marvellously well with all my fiendish themed perfumes; now that's scent sorcery! For this Halloween, I donned Sixteen92's Mina Harker and added the perfect finishing touch of Redwood Alchemy's BLOOD accord under my lace gloves and behind my ears and the combination that wafted around me was hypnotic and empowering. The sharpness of the cold plums was amplified and the metallic tang of BLOOD entwined with the hidden typewriter ink, powdery violets and old fashioned skin cream of Mina Harker created a whole new fragrance story that I would have dearly loved to have shared with a dark stranger as we waltzed in the moonlight that night, but alas 2020 had other ideas. Atleast, in my mind I was whirling around and dreaming of what may come in 2021. BLOOD will be staying on my vanity and adding its unique touch to everything. Bravo, Redwood Alchemy! Redwood Alchemy |
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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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