The Poison Garden collection: Aconitum Atropa Belladonna Conium Maculatum Datura Metel Nerium Oleander One Note at a Time Aconitum (Listed Notes: Wolfsbane, tangled roots, wildflower field, metal, storm, rock, black fur, wild musk) In the vial: FRESH CUT SUN-WARMED GRASS and swaying MEADOW GREENS Applied: Aconitum is an instant summertime snapshot as this brings to mind my Pap mowing the grass just before a thunderstorm hits with me just staring into the grey-black churning sky watching "angels bowl" as my grandfather always called it, the cut grass I can smell is incredibly realistic and I can detect a distinct storm element in this. It's at this point where I have my nose to wrist in complete nostalgic bliss with happy tears that a sweet stone note with an almost sudsy quality rises and hits hard and stays for nearly 8 hours. Up until that point I would have purchased a full bottle or gallon but I'm not a fan of the sudsy wet gravel rock scent that overtakes every other note. I must also jot down that Aconitum does not smell like my treasured Lycanthrope and I can't pick up any black fur, flowers or musk. A Happy Little Accident (curious pairing and saving grace): Aconitum + Alkemia Perfumes' Bacchante (High bush blueberries, wild ivy, Spanish lavender, aged oakmoss, tonka, decaying bark, and forest fungi)= storm watching while picking blueberries deep in the forest. The odd sweet soapy stone note is thankfully tempered with the realistic juicy blueberries and it creates a whole new fragrance I love to mix before I shut out the sun and sleep the day away for night shift. Atropa Belladonna (Listed Notes: Nightshade berry, narcotic flowers, green tomato, green pepper, soil, broomstick, velvet plum) In the vial: COLD DEW-DRENCHED TOMATO LEAF and GREEN PEPPER Applied: This at first smells like canning green peppers in the basement with garden soil still on your shoes. Again an incredibly realistic blend that creates a distinct scene. As this oil dries I amp the green pepper and the potting soil accord with a dark plum slowly coming out behind all the spicy greenery. I don't get any flowers or berries but I do get the "velvet" impression and something that stays cold smelling. I was secretly hoping Atropa Belladonna would be a long lost sister scent to Winifred but where Winifred is green and purple velvet floral skirts fluttering across the silver-white moon over a graveyard, Atropa Belladonna is planted in a wet garden and may hold a deadly secret, depending on who you ask. I love that despite them sharing similiar notes they tell completely different tales. This one is a keeper but I need to remember to watch what other fragrance this vial touchs as the scent of spicy green pepper gets on everything and lingers! Conium Maculatum (Listed Notes: Hemlock flower, citrus blossom, coumarin, lavender spike, tobacco leaf, castoreum, oak, bergamot, dried iris) In the vial: CITRUS BLOSSOM, BERGAMOT and LAVENDER. It brings to mind Every Frozen Heart with that nifty frozen citrus ice pop fragrance. Applied: Ah! There's the promised lavender but it is a fleeting note as this strange mix of citrus and orris amps creating something sweet and freaky. I'm not sure I care for Conium Maculatum as that blend of citrus triggers my head. It's also leaning toward too masculine smelling for me but thankfully it doesn't last more than a few hours before it fades to lovely powder. I think I will use this in the oil warmer, it smells better in the vial versus my skin sadly. Datura Metel (Listed Notes: Datura blossom, sweet almond, rosewater, sugar cube, vanilla orchid, moth wing, wild honeycomb) In the vial: ALMOND, HONEY WATER and unlisted HONEYSUCKLE Applied: I do believe we have found a favourite vial in this collection for I am a deadly smelling hummingbird with Datura Metel and love it! I can't get enough of Sixteen92's honey and almond accords and here they are beautifully meshed. There is definitely something mysterious and floral in this blend and I'm falling hard for the drydown that has warm vanilla and powder. It almost smells like nectar from a honeysuckle vine but that note isn't listed. Wretched timing to be cautious of extra spending otherwise I would get a few items with this fragrance. Oh well, there is always the Resurrection event and this vial should get me through the summer unless I dump it on my head like I have been resisting to do since it arrived. Mmm Datura Metel is so pretty (it's in the same vintage vein of Mellifera), why aren't more people gushing about this gem? A must try if you love sweet honey scents. Nerium Oleander (Listed Notes: White & pink oleander, heliotrope, apple seed, sweet custard, pineapple, thyme, coconut water) In the vial: APPLE, VANILLA and a drop of PINEAPPLE JUICE Applied: Mmm... I guess I saved the best two for last as Nerium Oleander is another favourite which completely shocks me because it has coconut and pineapple yet somehow this blend works. Right away this perfume opens with a realistic apple note with creamy thick custard then the coconut and pineapple ring around this scent dessert making me question everything I ever thought about coconut fragrances. I guess I really don't hate them all and it all depends what accords they are paired with or the scent artist because this oil is divine and I will wear this. Oh, this oil reminds me of another surprise hit coconut blended perfume from last year- Really Most Sincerely Dead. Nerium Oleander is missing the honey, poppy seeds and licorice but it's fluffy and delicious smelling just like Really Most Sincerely Dead. If asked I would say this perfume smells exactly like what you would imagine would be on the judging table at The Great British Bake Off. Another keeper and a vial I could drink! And that concludes my year with The Circle program. I learned quite a bit throughout the months of sniffing, dabbing and slathering at different times those 27 different fragrances and could ramble all day about my personal discoveries but the main truth I must admit to myself is I'm a Halloween/Fall and Spring type of collector and prefer those seasons/releases to all others and wish there was an option available to purchase those early seasonal collections solely. Looking at the notes within the several releases I have a better success rate with spices, florals and quasi gourmands than for example pine or stone. My journey is over but I highly recommend The Circle to anyone that is able and ready to explore many facets and profiles of fragrances (with additional added perks for joining, who doesn't love coupons?). You never know what you will unexpectedly fall for and this subscription was a unique opportunity to learn something new about myself (I adore gardenias now and can't get enough of them, found my Victorian or Edwardian Ghost dream perfume and real successes with coconut accords, which all is huge). I hope to read everyone else's impressions plus personal scent journeys sometime and who knows if the Half Circle program ever returns, I may again see those lovely mysterious black boxes someday waiting for me. Thank you all for reading and don't worry this isn't the end of me purchasing from Sixteen92 (that will never be) this was just something I needed to share in case anyone was curious why I won't be contributing early Sixteen92 reviews for the year. I'm happy to wait just like everyone else. 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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