alkemia again
Jul. 15th, 2012 07:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
st_emmaI cannot say enough great things right now about Alkemia, who in two short orders have rocketed to the top of my favourite perfumers list, right up there with BPAL, ZOMG Smells and Possets. They are that good - their scents are addictive, and being in Western Massachusetts, their turnaround time is the next best thing to instantaneous for me.
So when I was having a difficult day the other week, it was easy to indulge in a little retail therapy with one of their sampler packs. And so, here I am, reviewing more perfumes, and either I am getting a lot better at identifying notes that work well on my skin, or Alkemia just hitting them out of the park. Or, most likely, both.
Arabesque is all sandalwood and resins on my skin. Since I happen to love sandalwood and resins, Arabesque is my new best friend. It might be a bit heavy in all this summer heat, but once things cool down, I'm going to be wearing it a lot.
Prairie 66. The aldehydes are sharp and flirt constantly with soapiness, atop a background of wildflowers and grapefruit, with something that smells like just a hint of asphalt in the background. This is the first scent from Alkemia that I probably wouldn't order again, mainly because my tolerance for soapiness is so low that even intermittent soapiness in an otherwise intriguing fragrance may be just enough to dissuade me. Maybe it'll grow on me.
Soma. It seems to fade quickly but I think this is just my nose getting used to it since it was faint, but still noticeable, the next morning when I woke up. Given the note list (consisting mostly of psychoactive plants) you'd think this would be extremely heavy, like the air in an opium den, but instead, it is a bouquet of softly intoxicating flowers and herbs which is beautiful (and botanical) without being cloying, twee or overly flowery. If all florals were as kind to me as Soma, I'd wear florals more often.
Patchouli Cacao is exactly what it sounds like: a heady, dark, sensuous, sexy blend of patchouli and cacao, with just the faintest whiff of vanilla to sweeten it up. These are two great scents that smell great together, and of my (admittedly limited in number) choco-blends, this is probably my favourite. Its richness does limit the occasions in which it can be worn - I tested it in a meeting with a lawyer, and admittedly it may have been a bit over the top - but it'd be perfect for date nights.
Vanille Patchouli. Like patchouli cacao, this is exactly what it sounds like and much more than the sum of its parts. I love patchouli. I love vanilla. Therefore it made sense that I would love the two of them together. But love is not quite strong enough for how I feel about Vanille Patchouli. This is what corrupted innocence smells like: sweet vanilla and grungy patchouli getting down and dirty in a dark alley. At midnight.
Of the five new scents, we have three that are awesome enough to be big bottle-worthy, one that I could fall in love with, and one that comes so close to working with my chemistry that I may give it a few more chances before rehoming it.
So when I was having a difficult day the other week, it was easy to indulge in a little retail therapy with one of their sampler packs. And so, here I am, reviewing more perfumes, and either I am getting a lot better at identifying notes that work well on my skin, or Alkemia just hitting them out of the park. Or, most likely, both.
Arabesque is all sandalwood and resins on my skin. Since I happen to love sandalwood and resins, Arabesque is my new best friend. It might be a bit heavy in all this summer heat, but once things cool down, I'm going to be wearing it a lot.
Prairie 66. The aldehydes are sharp and flirt constantly with soapiness, atop a background of wildflowers and grapefruit, with something that smells like just a hint of asphalt in the background. This is the first scent from Alkemia that I probably wouldn't order again, mainly because my tolerance for soapiness is so low that even intermittent soapiness in an otherwise intriguing fragrance may be just enough to dissuade me. Maybe it'll grow on me.
Soma. It seems to fade quickly but I think this is just my nose getting used to it since it was faint, but still noticeable, the next morning when I woke up. Given the note list (consisting mostly of psychoactive plants) you'd think this would be extremely heavy, like the air in an opium den, but instead, it is a bouquet of softly intoxicating flowers and herbs which is beautiful (and botanical) without being cloying, twee or overly flowery. If all florals were as kind to me as Soma, I'd wear florals more often.
Patchouli Cacao is exactly what it sounds like: a heady, dark, sensuous, sexy blend of patchouli and cacao, with just the faintest whiff of vanilla to sweeten it up. These are two great scents that smell great together, and of my (admittedly limited in number) choco-blends, this is probably my favourite. Its richness does limit the occasions in which it can be worn - I tested it in a meeting with a lawyer, and admittedly it may have been a bit over the top - but it'd be perfect for date nights.
Vanille Patchouli. Like patchouli cacao, this is exactly what it sounds like and much more than the sum of its parts. I love patchouli. I love vanilla. Therefore it made sense that I would love the two of them together. But love is not quite strong enough for how I feel about Vanille Patchouli. This is what corrupted innocence smells like: sweet vanilla and grungy patchouli getting down and dirty in a dark alley. At midnight.
Of the five new scents, we have three that are awesome enough to be big bottle-worthy, one that I could fall in love with, and one that comes so close to working with my chemistry that I may give it a few more chances before rehoming it.
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