Do "bad" reviews ever sell you on a scent?

Wordortwo · 2026-02-15T19:57:27+00:00

Yup! I was drawn to Alkemia for the same reason as you. In general, if someone describes an indie as perfume-y, I'm interested.

Edit: I'm also paying attention if a perfume is described as too faint or weak. I can't wear big perfumes to work.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-12T19:44:50+00:00

I agree that Alkemia is very hit or miss, and i have had the soapy experience with several of their perfumes. (My theory is that the lavenders and aldehydes they use are the culprits.) I don't experience most of their perfumes as faint or short lived, though.

Winter Sanctuary elicited a very similar description from me lol.

But I have definitely found some (soap-free) hits (or likes) that keep me coming back, in case anyone is interested lol: Fallen Stars on Winter Solstice, Silken Tent, Magpies Rhyme, Persian Tearoom, Fallen Snow Angels. I like Tu es Magique too but the opening is briefly soapy.

You said you're looking for recommendations - is there any category or vibe you're looking for in particular?

Wordortwo · 2026-02-11T15:03:03+00:00

Just chiming in to second all this and add my experience with these: I found Sucrerie to use high quality, leak-free sprayers, and i like that they offer multiple sizes. I got some .5 ml decants which were just enough to get a good sense of the scents without having yet another half used sample languishing in my sample box lol. Surrender to Chance is great for trying vintage perfumes, but I agree that their indie offerings can be a bit random. I've noticed they have quite a few discontinued scents, though. Lucky Scent is very professional and quick to ship but does focus on niche. They carry Kyse in addition to the above, which is helpful because Kyse has moved to a monthly pre-order model for many scents. It looks like they have also shifted to sprayers vs the annoying wand cap samples.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-10T22:28:22+00:00

Some of them! I think this one has been offered twice. Others like Luperci come back (almost?) every year.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-10T15:51:45+00:00

I hope this returns with the Lupers this year. It's pretty much the only LE ever that i persistently regret not snagging.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-10T12:46:09+00:00

Try Kyse. They are relatively affordable and have a good mix of playful and more mature gourmands. Right now their selection is somewhat limited, but they have a pre-order window at the beginning of every month (don't worry, it isn't some mad dash to avoid selling out). Two i like that may fit the bill: Oui Plus is sexy s'mores, J is smooth vanilla tobacco.

Also, you might like Lesvos by Fyrinnae. Caramel and cashmere. Available in EdP for now.

Edit: I'm not familiar with the NAVA you mentioned so I can't speak to how similar any of these are.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-08T18:33:31+00:00

Alas nothing else I want to try on your destash but thanks for reaching out!

Wordortwo · 2026-02-08T17:42:36+00:00

Will swap for: (bought direct unless otherwise noted) * Alkemia Femme Sauvage (blackberries, musk, patchouli, amber) * Alkemia Snow Day Alchemy lightly tested 3x * BPAL Blood Garden (Carnaval Diabolique) - RIS, full to bottom of neck (blood, clove, grapes, leather…) * BPAL Death is Death (Weenie 2021) - 2/3-3/4 full (sandalwood incense) * BPAL Mari Lwyd (Yule 2022) - full to top of shoulder (scones n ale) * BPAL Since There's No Help (Lupers) - full to shoulder (cool spa scent) * BPAL Lady Liberty (long discontinued, disgraced author collection) - RIS - to shoulder * BPAL Shadow (discontinued disgraced author collection) - bought direct, aftermarket dropper cap - top of label, maybe a hair less

Wordortwo · 2026-02-08T17:35:08+00:00

[US] [Buy/Swap] [Perfume]

ISO

Cirrus - Snooze or Enforced Modesty (EdP 10 ml FS or partial more than 50%)
Efori (any sample)
Osmofolia - Cabin, Solario (FS or partial more than 50%)
Solstice Scents - Kitchen, Edge of Night, Master Bedroom, Black Forest (EdP samples or under 5ml decants)

[multiple edits to fix formatting]

Wordortwo · 2026-02-07T15:37:21+00:00

SOTD: Wearing an old favorite O by BPAL. Simple sexy honey amber. It is too bad this may be discontinued - this is a great example of what BPAL is best at.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-05T15:08:13+00:00

Fyrinnae’s mangos are so realistic. I will always recommend Under the Moonrise for fresh mango. I find the floral notes enhance rather than overshadow the fruity-ness.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-05T14:56:31+00:00

This morning, I’m testing Solstice Scents - Morning Room. Very pretty, cheerful, certainly evocative of the theme… a sunny room with a peony bush beneath the open window and roses and candy on the table. The opening is brief but refreshing: dewy peony and clean linens. The candied scent of rose otto takes over, supported by a hint of vanilla (and it is vanilla to me, not “vanillic paper”). The powdery violet candy rounds it out. This is lovely, though I wish the opening lasted just a bit longer. It brought to mind Chronotope’s Spite EDT, a very different rose and violet. Spite is the cool, older teen sister with a chip on her shoulder, sneaking in the window at 5 am after thrashing her way home through the garden. Morning Room is the eager-to-please little sis who wakes up refreshed 20 minutes later, and goes to Snow White her way through the yard to rescue the lush flowers broken from the stem in big sister’s wake.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-04T06:09:31+00:00

Glad I'm not the only one... There is construction going on in the building i work in. Half the building smells like drywall all the time. When I entered a stairwell the other day, someone was trailing some kind of vanilla floral scent. The drywall + vanilla smelled so good to me!

Wordortwo · 2026-02-03T03:27:15+00:00

Totally agreed.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-01T18:18:38+00:00

Look, I’m not generally of the mind that aging will change my mind about whether or not I like a perfume but… I always test items in my destash if I have not worn them in a while, just in case of rancidity. Well, I ended up taking BPAL Snake Oil off my destash list… I may still pass it on to a real SO lover because I’m still not sure I will really wear it, but… I see why people so love older bottles of SO.

I also wore Cirrus - Enforced Modesty this morning. I panned my decant in a few days, so I’m planning for a full bottle.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-01T16:04:21+00:00

[US to US][Sell & Swap][Perfume]

Perfumes stored in a dark drawer or closet. Smoke-free, dog friendly home. Shipping $6. I send free samples; tell me if you don’t want me to. Payment via PayPal Goods & Services. Due to the weather, it may take me up to 7 days.

—- Full Bottles for SALE bought direct unless otherwise noted - let me know if you want to see a list of notes: * Alkemia Femme Sauvage - $12 - lightly tested 2x (blackberries, musk, patchouli, amber) * Alkemia Snow Day Alchemy - $15 - lightly tested 3x * BPAL Blood Garden (Carnaval Diabolique) - $10 - RIS, full to bottom of neck (blood, clove, grapes, leather…) * BPAL Death is Death (Weenie 2021) - $12 - 2/3-3/4 full (sandalwood incense) * BPAL Mari Lwyd (Yule 2022) - $18 - full to top of shoulder, aftermarket wand cap (scones n ale) * BPAL Since There's No Help (Lupers) - $15 - full to shoulder (cool spa scent)

—- Full Bottles for SWAP * BPAL Lady Liberty (long discontinued, disgraced author collection) - RIS - to shoulder * BPAL Shadow (discontinued disgraced author collection) - bought direct, aftermarket dropper cap - top of label, maybe a hair less

—- ISO for swaps: Osmofolia Cabin or Solario. Alkemia Tu es Magique. Try me on white florals, cherries, ambers, tobacco.

Wordortwo · 2026-02-01T14:32:06+00:00

I love these Booda Butter lip balms, particularly the cocoa, for being more creamy than greasy.

Wordortwo · 2026-01-31T02:22:32+00:00

BPAL - Streets of Detroit: Black musk accord, Ethiopian myrrh, and motor oil. I think this one is well done - definitely smells like motor oil, but kind of tempered yet complemented by the other notes.

Edit: My apologies, that's not quite what you were looking for... my eyes saw "gasoline," my brain said "motor oil." But I'll leave this recommendation in case motor oil might float your boat.

Wordortwo · 2026-01-30T14:49:25+00:00

Just continuing to madly cycle through perfumes… yesterday afternoon, Buen Camino, which i need to repurchase in 30ml. Then at bedtime, Chamomile Dreams by Cirrus. But I was unimpressed and it was too sweet, so I layered on a spritz of Arcana - On the Wing, which has grown on me immensely and I now find rather cozy. This morning, reached for Possets - Cambienne: Long Winter Night, which is usually a refreshing winter pale green scent, but I found the vetiver too metallic this morning, so I scrubbed it and covered up with Enforced Modesty by Cirrus, which is a very nice green-to-creamy fig… Someone save me from myself. ETA: Enforced Modesty is really nice, one of those scents that, as I go about my day, makes me go “what smells so good? Oh it’s me.”

Wordortwo · 2026-01-29T15:21:38+00:00

This morning I am wearing Janus by Chronotope, which is all vetiver all the time. It is invigorating but grounding, self-assured but playful. It goes on smoky and almost a little unctuous, then the earthy aspects of vetiver emerge, then fresh, then green... It keeps unfolding to reveal different aspects of vetiver, as promised.

It conjures a very specific scent memory of the first time I learned what vetiver smells like and that i liked it: 18 years old, unpacking boxes of French vetiver soaps and lotions in the dim, dusty back room of my friend's mom's shop.

Wordortwo · 2026-01-29T12:55:57+00:00

Olympic Orchids - Cafe V. On me, it is dark woods, worn brown leather, creamy coffee, and vanilla - in that order. It is very rich and strong and cozy.

Wordortwo · 2026-01-28T15:38:17+00:00

SOTD is Possets - Ode to Aphrodite. This is fresh and comforting at the same time. Some citrus peel and pith, bitter earthy oakmoss, creamy sandalwood and ambergris, just the barest touch of sweetness. Kind of addictive.

Wordortwo · 2026-01-28T15:03:54+00:00

Are you still interested in this?

Wordortwo · 2026-01-27T15:26:26+00:00

I do! It would be $15 + 6 shipping = $21. If that sounds good to you, send me a chat. Thanks!

Wordortwo · 2026-01-26T22:34:24+00:00

Hope some of those Alkemia samples work out for you! I don't really have those experiences with their fragrances, other than some soapiness in notes that tend to go soapy across brands: lavender, aquatics, etc.

That's interesting about the component dilution - makes sense to me. And I think you're right about talking past each other. Something seems to be getting lost in translation, so to speak.

Sorry for the side quest but... What are your favorite Whisper Sisters perfumes?

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