Santal Basmati EDP by Affinessence Paris

I approached today's sample with caution. I really couldn't bear a repeat of yesterday, and had decided that 1) I would open this vial and sniff first and 2) move along if anything about it reminded me of yesterday's offering.

Thankfully, when I very slowly and very carefully opened this up, oooooohhh! I immediately got a lovely creamy fruity note with a whirl of sandalwood.

The Luckyscent notes for this are: Mysore sandalwood, basmati rice, patchouli, iris, and cashmeran.

At first application, my husband and I both agreed: We liiiike this one!

What was fruity smooths out immediately and is no longer fruity, but is rather the bright edge of a really yum sandalwood. A hint of toasted rice, that is then mixed with warm milk so it becomes creamy and soft, comes through.

As it dries: This sandalwood is gorgeous. I love sandalwood, but too often juuuust when I think it'll behave on my skin, it turns into mosquito repellent and I have sadness and woe. This, instead, when I close my eyes and focus on the fragrance, makes me think of soft soft sandalwood shavings that I can crumble with my fingertips, and that never go splintery or sharp at all. The iris comes in shortly after, and gives this a beautiful edge of a powdery lift. I suspect the cashmeran is what holds this all together in one snuggly, warm, cozy hug.

Another perfect autumn/winter fragrance, and yet there is something light enough about it that when I stepped outside for a moment (into heat and humidity that coats like a second skin), this sparkled. Absolutely sparkled. It's light, airy, delicious, and comes across as something decadent but also...a bit serene, calm, soothing. It's light, but steady. Soft, but knows how to stand firm. Warm, yet cool.

I don't ever really get anything that yells patchouli at me (although I do think it hangs around in that fruit note, and gives some heft to the woody notes of the sandalwood). The way this blends and merges is a beautiful balance together and also on my skin.

I think, maybe, just perhaps, I may have found the sandalwood I have been looking for for years. Am in love. 

New York Intense EDP, by Parfums de Nicolai

Today's blind grab is one that I've been curious about for a little while. This, supposedly, leans more masculine than the unisex ones I tend to gravitate toward, so I figured this might be worth exploring.

I have regrets.

The Luckyscent notes for this one are: bergamot, Sicilian lemon, cloves, thyme, cinnamon, black pepper, pimento, oak moss, vetiver, amber.

On paper, this had potential. I like a good oak moss, and a decent vetiver can make things smokey and delicious and warm and a bit astringent to give a bite.

At first application: Ohhhh no. I have made a very bad decision today. At first, I thought it was just me, but when I put it on my husband, he gave me a wrinkled nose and a very sad look like, "What?!?! I thought you looooved me?!?!"

But I had hope! Sometimes when things go on so...strikingly, sometimes they snuggle down and get cozy and warm (especially when amber is mentioned) and...

Nope.

The oak moss is really dominant, like HI I'M OAK MOSS, and normally I like a good oak moss, but when it's making me want to run away from myself...ehhhh not so much. And, I hate to say it, but this one is so...itself that it's making me feel nauseated as I sit here (I don't even have to wave my arms to get a waft...it just oooozes up from my skin).

This comes across on my skin as a men's fragrance from the 80s, which isn't terrible if one is in 1984, just snorted a pile of blow, and is sporting a nice wide-collared polyester shirt, a pinkie ring, big gold chains around the neck, while huffing a cigar and possibly contemplating taking out the head of the other crime family that runs the town. But...today? Ehhh. However, that image really does say New York Intense, and I'm absolutely feeling that vibe. Boy, am I ever.

This one reminds me of the saying: No matter where you go, there you are. I can't get away from myself fast enough.

To be fair (and this is one reason I am still posting a review, instead of slinking away into silence), it does feel like it could be amaaaaazing on someone else's skin, but it is not MY skin. So, if these notes sound worth a try, do try it. At the very least, you'll have an experience, and sometimes that's worth the cost of a sample vial.

Paris LA EDP by A Lab on Fire

Today, I decided that I need to lean on the lighter side of things, so very deliberately pulled from "my" pile of fragrances I've been wanting to try. I discarded a couple of florals (I am NOT feeling floral today, no way, no how) so it really wasn't exactly a blind grab, but after the last tuberose went by, I said, "Okay, whatever hits next is it." I admit that I was pretty relieved when I saw this in my hand.

According to Luckyscent, the notes for this one are: key lime, ginger, cola accord, neroli petals, coriander seeds, thyme, macaron accord, amber, and musk.

I had some...trepidation about that coriander. Sometimes coriander goes directly to sweaty underarm funk. Sometimes, it's more polite and holds the base and "dirties" up whatever I'm wearing juuuuust enough to make it a tad flirty. Sometimes, it acts like it will behave and then goes to skunk. So.

At first application, this is ooooh yum. Lickable, tasty vanilla, with a touch of that cola, and macaron (without any hint of coconut, and I'm glad for that). It immediately passed the sniff appreciation test for both me and my husband. (He said, "Oooh! I like this one!")

As it dries down, some of the key lime lifts up from somewhere underneath and gives the cola a bit of fizz. The thyme stays low, waaaay low, but it keeps the sugar from going too overboard. And the coriander? Well, now, I think that has decided to play nice after all. It's coming across as a bit of a woody note (probably with help from the thyme), and dances on a slightly herbal edge while fluttering some eyelashes and promising long slow walks on the beach.

On my husband, the wood lifts up even more than on my skin, and the vanilla takes on a slightly masculine purr. On me, the ginger seems to weave in and out, but never comes across as ginger, but more so something that helps out that cola note to keep from going flat. I don't really get the neroli petals, unless it's helping along the slightly creamy vibe I'm getting.

As it dries further, the coriander does go a tad more dirty, but it continues to behave just enough to help hold the sweetness of this one in check. I do feel somewhat like a confection, and it's tempting me to go find a sun dress, a big hat, and pretend I have nothing better to do than sit around being delectable. Since that would only last for about two minutes before I get bored, I've decided that this is a perfectly fun, bright fragrance with a lot of interest and notes, and that relies on the vanilla/macaron to keep it from being anywhere close to staid. It's bright, sweet, and pretty, and seems like it would wear well any time of the year. (And it's rather delicious on both men and women.)

No. 7 Le Sel de la Terre EDP by Thomas Kosmala

I looked at the random pile of fragrances still strewn across my desk, reached in and grabbed. Today's fragrance comes from a perfumer I'd never heard of (sorry), but I'd added to the list because my husband says he likes fresh and "marine" type notes.

The Luckyscent list of notes for this one: bergamot, Italian lemon, fresh marine notes, aqua, fresh floral, fresh wood, musk. In their description, they said that it was like a "white shirt freshly pulled from the dryer..." with a "salty undertone...enough to suggest the mineral tang of the beach."

At first sniff in the vial: Ohh, I think I may like that.

Application on my skin and his? Ummm, nope. And as it began to dry? Nopenopenopetynope.

My first take: "It smells soapy." When I looked at my husband, he was very gingerly holding his arms out like he was an airplane, and making faces. "I think I'm going to let this one sit for a little bit," he said.

As it continued to dry, y'all I don't know what it is in this one, but it made my stomach churn. The ingredient list indicates fresh or freshness, and perhaps for someone with less cynicism and sarcasm that may be the case, but I suspect I am a weeeee bit toooo something for this to ever lean fresh on me. Unless fresh means, "Go wash your mouth out with soap, young lady!" I could see that.

We both have let it sit for a while (managed to not scrub it off), and there were some things my husband said he was somewhat liking about it, but when you have to make yourself sit still so you don't get any of the waft, that's not necessarily the sign of a win.

There were a lot of things about this one that had potential, but the...execution died completely and without mercy on my skin. I don't get a lift from the citrus, I get a sliiiiight hint of the bergamot (like the back end of a nice cup of Earl Grey), and the fresh woods and florals are...I dunno. I'm suspecting that when they said "fresh marine" they may have been looking at someone after a hard day of military training, but that's as close as I'm going to give it.

Sadness. Woe. Definitely going in the "Do I give this or toss it," pile.

Voix Humaine 8 EDP, by Filippo Sorcinelli - SAUF

Summer has hit here, and the humidity levels are of the sort that bring sinus headaches and thoughts of running away to Alaska in winter. Which means it can be difficult to get back into trying samples. However, despite the humidity, curiosity said, "Why aren't we playing with those lovely lovely vials," and so I blind-grabbed another.

The Luckyscent notes for this one are: bergamot, cardamom, elemi, ambrette, jasmine, orange blossom, amber, leather, olibanum, milk mousse, musk, and vanilla.

At first application, my husband said, "Wow, the vanilla is pretty dominant. It smells like opening vanilla," and he waved vaguely at the kitchen. We both agreed that it was definitely not a sweeter more sugary vanilla, but that deep woody and warm vanilla that comes from vanilla pods.

Within minutes, we both are finding it fascinating that sometimes what seems to disappear on his skin (or drop down really quickly) will hold on me, and what disappears on me seems to hold better on him. This is one that immediately went all snuggly skin scent on him, whereas on me, the vanilla leaned over to the cardamom and leather and said, "Let's play."

Along with the frolicking leather/vanilla, a faint under note of something that sometimes comes across as fresh pine, or a deep resin (which I suspect is the olibanum, since olibanum is basically frankincense, and frankincense can range from church incense to pine to other resins) helps to round out and flirt with the vanilla beautifully (while the bergamot flirts from the other side).

We both liked how it seems to shift around a bit initially. This did not in any way get the "Oh gross, urinal puck," face from him (as a couple of the ones that had orange blossom in them did). For me, it's leaning slightly toward the "wood pudding" fragrances that I simply cannot get enough of, but this has a lighter touch, and the musk has a slightly messy hair, sultry vibe to round out the edges and make this a little less snuggly and a little more leather corset.

I suspect the jasmine and the leather are partly giving that sliiiiightly animalic growl, but mmmm they play so well with the rest of the other notes, and the ambrette is adding a "clean skin" lift so it doesn't come across as heavy as some of the notes indicate it could.

This is...delicious. I actually think I could wear this out in the humidity and heat without it feeling stifling, but it will also be delightful on chilly days, and in the long dark days of winter. This fragrance feels like...light and home or like looking across at someone you love while an autumn sky fades from silvery lavender to navy, and a freshly baked vanilla something or other wafts itself around you, and waaaay off in the distance you get the scent of hewn logs. This is love and home, and...sigh...I may actually have to get a bottle.