I have slowly been adding my reviews for this release on the Possets forum, but since the Yules will be coming down soon and some folks may want to grab some of the perfumes before they go away, I decided to compile the reviews I've already done and post them here.
Winter (Mucha)--"I was playing around with chypre again and thought that a delightful variation on it would be a winter blend with a light call to the spring which will reward us in March. Just as the world is heading into the cold times, ice, and storms it's nice to know that there is another spring waiting for us at the end of the season. Oakmoss from France, and French lavender, a very smooth amber which is thick and very golden lays the bed for a brilliant and true violet to float on top."
First, I have to say that if I could I would buy every single chypre that Fabienne makes. This from someone who detested chypre before finding Possets. I have become a fan, but I admit to degrees within that. I'd still buy them though, because who just wants one Monet? True to the description, this opens very much as a Fabienne chypre. For a moment, I get a very rich pop of oakmoss which immediately shifts down to Silver Chypre on me. I started to think, "Hmm, I love Silver Chypre, but don't want two of them," and then this began to shift into smokey chypre, then slightly citrus chypre, then the violet slowly drifted to the top to smooth it all over.
Do I even need to say I love this? If you aren't sure how I feel: I love this. It's Silver Chypre meets smoked violets laced in...wait...there it is Apep. It reminds me of a chypred Apep wreathed in smoke and violets. On my skin it's almost a touch plastic and woodsy from the oakmoss, but the air around me is the MOST stunning.
*eyes rolled to the back of the head gone
Osmium--"What a grand tangle of beautiful scents: strong vanilla, refined leather, and a hint of pepper, and a bit of lime. Foody where it should be, leather where it's right, and the rest fit in beautifully. This one is great for seduction, flirtation, contemplation, exasperation, the works. Enjoy it with just about everything."
In the bottle, I get a very smoky vibe and when I first put it on my skin it came across as smoky and sweet. I completely forgot this had leather in it until it shifted later on and then I remembered this was supposed to be leather. At first though, this is more smoke than leather. However, in the bottle, the leather is definitely there, but it's a soft and warm note not a glossy and hard leather. The lime is also evident, but doesn't scream lime. It's a soft lime and provides the bite this needs, without being too assertive and abrasive. Under it all is a nice rounded sweetness that is probably the vanilla.
Once this is on the skin, it opens and opens wide without shrieking. The smoky vibe dominates for about five minutes as the other notes shift around. Quite frankly, as soon as this was on my skin I went straight into wanting to nibble my arm. The notes in this are so nicely balanced and blended, and the whole of it just rounds out beautifully. This is both a warm and cool perfume, and yet the whole of it is both commanding and comforting.
This is beautiful in so many ways. I could see it being really fantastic on a guy, but I wouldn't call this masculine, per se. It has strength and backbone, and lasts for about 6-8 hours, but it's not overpowering (unless you put too much on--which would be tempting to do because it does smell fantastic). I like that the leather in this never really softened down to a suede note, but stayed gleaming and leather the whole time while still somehow conveying soft leather with a backbone. This is perfumey and rich without being cloying. It has depth, but still comes across as very pretty and very wearable. It has sweetness and tang. Rich but not fussy. Deep and gleaming, while somehow also conveying lightness and lift. It's lovely, and I think this is going to be worn heavily during this cold and wintry time of year.
Emine--"Named after the only French consort to the Ottoman Sultan, this is a perfume worthy of one of the most splendid eras in perfumery. All the beauty of the East is spread before you in shimmering profusion. The most beautiful of frankincense, the most subtle and luxurious of white oudes, the most sweet of myrrh (a very special type of golden myrrh), a light golden patchouli, and a drop of styrax. This is a very Eastern, thick, and resinous blend, a comforting and sweetly languidly seductive thing."
Soft and beautiful, rich and warm, this is Emine. However, I'm discovering that there is a note (and now I'm going to have to find some other perfumes, because I am learning toward the frankincense or myrrh) that opens on my skin and goes straight to sandalwood on me and skews what I think I'm smelling. This is beautiful though (despite the note that makes my nose believe I'm wearing nothing but sandalwood), and very comforting and warm in these cold days we're having. But I can also see this being utterly gorgeous and sparkling on any soft night when the stars are out and something lovely just needs to be worn.
Nell Gwyn--"Pink cedar, cream, Thanksgiving pudding all together. It sounded very strange to me and somehow all the ingredients dance along merrily. The "seriousness" and almost bitter wood is sweetened up to a positively jolly state thanks to such rich creamy and sweet asides."
In the bottle, this is so delicious. I get a rich nutty pudding and a rounded cedar note down on the bottom that merges BEAUTIFULLY with the pudding.
On my skin: Mmmmm, yes. The cedar is a beautiful beautiful backbone to this. As this dries, the cedar remains soft but solid in the background, and merges with what smells like a pecan note with warm custardy pudding. It comes across as a mix of woodsy and foody. I like that this is softly sweet--no cavities in this one--and the sweetness helps to create a nice contrast to the cedar and nuts.
Have you ever walked by a cart that is selling toasted nuts with cinnamon and sugar on a very cold and wintery day? This smells similar to that to me, without being quite as sweet. It's warm and toasted (without coming across as burnt toasted), and adds an element of something triumphant and celebratory against the cold. The cedar is brilliant with this, utterly brilliant. It adds a cinnamonish vibe (and there may actually be cinnamon in here, but thankfully my skin isn't freaking out--although I did just dab a small dot so it may change if I expand to cover more of me), boosts the wood but in a soft and creamy kind of way, and rounds out the whole in such a way that makes this a delightful perfume. While this is foody, there is definitely a lot more going on here that leans this a bit away from the foody category and more into woods and spices and plain old fashioned happiness categories.
More will be added soon (before the collection goes down).
