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 Comments are closed.
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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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