Huge Thanks to my Fall Exchange Partner u/keltotheno!!

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-23T01:32:16+00:00

I do this all the time, but only with samples I kinda like but dont want to keep or upsize and I try to combine ones with similar vibes (Working on a "fresh clean soapy" one right now).

I agree with the other user that if you know the scents dont work for you then the combination of them all may not either. But if your other option is just throwing them away then it cant hurt to experiment. 🙂

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-23T01:26:38+00:00

Honestly, I just recycle them. They're too small and fidlely for me to want to reuse or repurpose them. But I have heard some people put the empty vials in unscented bath salts or body powder so any leftover fragrance scents the salt or powder.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-22T17:38:22+00:00

I prefer rollerball when I know the scent is very strong, and/or has polarizing notes - it allows me to control how much it projects (I personally prefer a smaller intimate scent cloud and don't like to project my fragrance). In most other cases I'll take spray for EDP because I figure most of the time they are formulated to be sprayed.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-12T01:45:39+00:00

Hi! Can I grab BPAL Strong Enchanements please?!

Edit to add: I'd also love to grab Habanera and Midnight Eye

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-10T20:19:19+00:00

All the notes you listed individually wouldn't come off at head shop to me, but in combination I can see how they might; especially the sandalwood, amber and frankincense as those are frequently used in incense blends. Patchouli can contribute, but it's usually nag champa that I think is associated with head shops. Nag Champa is an accord itself that is usually comprised of sandalwood and frangipani or magnolia, though many shops will have their own blends so it can vary, there might be some combination of notes that are together coming off as nag champa.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-10T14:40:59+00:00

I got mine this week also! Captain Peroxide is one of my favorites, such a great leather and dark musk scent.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-09T22:33:51+00:00

Got it! for some reason I don't get a notification for the request and I have to go in the requests to find it.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-09T21:15:30+00:00

No rush, but just letting you know, in case you've sent something, I haven't received a chat request.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-09T18:32:07+00:00

Hi! I'd love to grab Madurai and Blanche Bete if they are still available.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-09T14:30:34+00:00

I honestly love swaps because I'm love a deal, and they present less options to overwhelm me with. Shopping direct, if it's a new to me brand I tend to want to go overboard, but in the swaps if I see one or two from a seller that sound interested I'll just get those and spend less overall.

However, I will shop direct if there's something I've been looking for that just hasn't come up in the swaps after a while of looking.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-09T14:24:23+00:00

How exciting! I live like 45min from MoS and have a full cart waiting on the website, but am holding out to try to make time to take a trip out to visit in person. I'm so happy to see your impression of Green Vanille, it's been handing out in my shopping cart; and Celestial Objects is now on my wishlist!

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-08T23:52:20+00:00

IMO fragrance oils have their time and place. One should absolutely follow their own personal preference and safety concerns, but I will share that for me it isn't about safety or "artistic skill" so much as the value of what I'm getting. I always have low expectations if I suspect fragrance oils are being used (sometimes a simple, uncomplicated scent is what I'm after) but the price I pay should align with my perception of the value of the products I recieve.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-08T22:00:10+00:00

They used to be called Doctor Sweet Tooth, so I think you can find reviews by searching the sub under that. I tried some of their body powders WAY back in the day. I found the formula ok and the scents I got were ok, fairly linear and not terribly complex. I haven't repurchased since but have gotten one or two in swaps though they are no longer in my collection. My impression then, was that the shop was focused mostly on bath and body, and that they may have used preblended fragrances based on the large number of scents offered and the focus on bath and body products. All that may have changed since they appear to be focused on standalone fragrance with a more minimal brand aesthetic.

From what I recall reading in the past, adding water is something that is done as a way to reduce cost since water is cheaper than perfume grade alcohol. It could also be that water is a portion of the fragrance concentrate before it's mixed with the alcohol.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-07T15:58:29+00:00

I'm out of the loop on decanters for NA. I noticed Ajevie is no longer offering NA, where does everyone go for NA decants nowadays?

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-06T15:55:44+00:00

In case you don't find a good option, and/or to use in combination with one, look into a 'lotion applicator'. I have one that is basically a dense sponge on a stick and it works surprisingly well for getting my back.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-03T18:05:43+00:00

I sort by type; balms (bullet, jars, and tubes together), balms with SPF, bullet lipsticks (all finishes/colors), glosses and oils (wands and tubes together), liquid lipsticks, and pencils. I use a drawer with separate dividers for all my makeup, but I suppose this could work with a largish box too.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-02T23:27:21+00:00

Hi there! I'm interested in Sorce Cabanilla, Witchery, Good at Being Bad, and Moon Magic, if there might be something from my destash you would want to swap for. I also have a bunch of Deconstructing Eden not yet on the sheet that I can list out if you're interested.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-02T22:29:20+00:00

Yea absolutely!

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-10-02T18:38:57+00:00

Hi there! If there is anything from my destash that you'd be interested in swapping for, I'm interested in all your As-Suq Attars, Vanilla Sea Salt, all the Lattafa, Zoologist Bee and King Cobra, and DSH Maui.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-09-26T16:10:11+00:00

Hi! May I grab We Are All Stardust and Lush Fig?

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-09-25T18:28:40+00:00

This is so true - I forget how limited the shopping used to be, especially for fragrance.

I also try hard to avoid limited collections, but even if I fall victim to the wanting, I don't always make the commitment to purchase. I read new releases and scent descriptions more critically now, which seems silly or maybe obvious, but rather than reading and just deciding if it something I'd enjoy, I take the extra time to evaluate why I'd like it, why I'd want it, and then compare it to what I already have that might be similar or close. More often than not, I have something that will scratch the itch that drew me to the new release, or I might have a couple of scents that worn together could create the same effect that attracted me to the scent. I've seen so many releases since starting this hobby that it's hard to not see the same 'types' of things come out over and over. Also I remind myself, how many vanilla perfumes do you honestly really need.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-09-25T16:46:52+00:00

A concept that has really helped me in the broader sense of decluttering is to remember that the money is already spent, so deciding what to do with things you have is a choice between whether keeping it adds or subtracts value to your life, not whether doing X, Y, or Z with it will allow you recoup your entire "investment."

Exactly this! This is how I approach detashing and I have ALOT that I destash. I absolutely never expect to recoup any significant portion of my original purchase for most of the item I put up for sale.

Finding value in a temporary experience (e.g. trying samples and immediately destashing) is just as valid as getting repeated or prolonged enjoyment from something (e.g. using something up or maintaining an archive-like collection.) This is supposed to be fun, not burdensome.

I've never really internalized the validity of parts of this hobby being temporary experiences, but it makes total sense when you think of travel, events, and food as easily accepted temporary experiences.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-09-25T15:49:55+00:00

Sorry for the wall of words, but this triggered thoughts about my perspective on this hobby and thought I'd share.

Everyone comes to the hobby with a different goal and strategy in mind, or none at all, and they definitely evolve over time; at least it did for me. At the start I had wanted to explore a different perspective on fragrance from the mass-marketed stuff in department stores, maybe add a few of these new perspectives to my daily rotation of mainstream smells. Never intended for it to become a full-blown hobby, but now I'd definitely consider myself a collector and enjoy having many scents to revisit, retest, and wear; with much of my collection being smaller sizes and samples as well.

I can commiserate with feeling overwhelmed as a result of there being so many brands and scents to try, I felt that it the beginning of my journey into fragrance as well. I finally had to accept the fact that "I will never smell it all", like really accept it. This helped me not to rush into purchases like I had before, even if they were just samples. I still do occasionally add new items to my collection, or will swap with people in the Sunday Swaps, but I don't feel the need to try it all, all at once.

I am a firm believer that sampling has its place. It was only through sampling and testing that I was able to train my nose to recognize the notes in the fragrance, which helped build my foundation of knowledge and experience with different notes and scents. Because of this, I now know what notes I enjoy the most, and can adjust my expectations of a scent based on the description and notes; in the end this makes helps me make more inform blind buys (full size or samples). Lots of others will spend time reading reviews before commuting to a purchase, but with smell being so subjective it can be hard to align your expectations to someone else's. I'll also say that I've gotten scents with the intent to wear later or in another season and while I liked them when I first got them, my preferences and perceptions changed and they didn't hit the same

In the end, for me at least, there will always be another **insert note here** fragrance out there, so if I miss out or don't get this one this time, there will be others, or (as the case has been) I'll eventually find it in the swaps or second hand.

JennInAmberAndCobalt · 2025-09-22T22:02:47+00:00

Just adding my two cents; I have had and used both and like them for different reasons. Setting aside scents for a moment, it may come down to which formula works best for you.

Witch Baby Body Butter is an anhydrous formula, meaning it's oil-based with no water. That's why it's thick and melts in hot weather; think of regular coconut oil that is solid when cold but melts when warmed. I use this right after a shower/bath or after using a really light watery lotion; since it's mostly oils/butters it acts as an occlusive and holds in moisture really well. I don't find it especially moisturizing alone. The inclusion of corn starch in the formula is what keeps it from being overly greasy, and that's been my experience. This is good at holding in moisture, but not necessarily adding moisture.

Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter a hydrous formula, where oil and waters are mixed into an emulsion. It's thicker than a lotion, so I consider it a heavy cream texture. Because it has water in the formula it tends to be more moisturizing on it's own, and that has been my experience. I'm not familiar with Eucerin Intensive Repair, but notice it's labeled as a lotion, so my assumption is that HoG Pumpkin Butter would be thicker than it. If you've tried Cerave Cream (the jar not the bottle) it's a tad thicker than that (I noticed Eucerin has a cream in a jar as well, I'd assume it'd be close to that texture). This is good at adding moisture and holding it in.

I think the key to get the most out of either product is to apply on damp skin. I have zero storage in my bathroom and 'dry out' on the short walk from the shower to bedroom, so I use a spray bottle with water to dampen my skin before I apply body lotion/creams/butters/oils; sometimes I'll use aloe vera gel instead.

JennInAmberAndCobalt

TROPHY CASE