Bois d'Hiver by Ex Nihilo

This was another, "Let me reach into the pile and grab what hits my hand first." The notes from Luckyscent are: "Pink pepper, cardamom, heliotrope, cyclamen, white cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, cypriol, musk."

At first application, both of us went, "Ooooh! I like that!" It comes across as clean, masculine, bracing. Almost like a really high-end after shave that hits the skin with a cold edge. It begins to soften immediately though. Within minutes, on him it had leaned into a softer clean linen vibe, with marine undertones. On me, it still held a more astringent edge, but not at all unpleasant.

Story time: as we were sniffing this, I told him that when I was younger (and, maybe, perhaps ummmm even now) when I was at a mall or a conference, if I smelled a particularly wonderful fragrance on someone, I would follow that person or go stand by them for a little while just so I could enjoy. This reminded me of those moments, and I said, "If you walked by me with this on, I'd follow you." This is a great mix of soft on the skin, snuggling pretty close, but still gives enough waft that it gently intrigues and makes me want to get closer.

When I close my eyes and try to picture this as an object, I get a tailored white button down shirt, but the sleeves are rolled up and the top buttons are undone. It has structure, but give. It's a little unapproachable while also being warm and personable. I am enjoying the edges and contrasts.

As it dries further, the patchouli keeps a solid and steady base, but doesn't scream head-shop incense at all. It's simply quietly sitting there in the corner crooning softly at my skin. I think it's the heliotrope that rounds out the edges on this, softening it up a hair, but the other notes are balanced so well that the whole really blends beautifully (no major note stands out or shrieks for attention). I wish I could describe this one better: it's a little powdery, a little soft, but still has a nice bracing edge, and really wears well on both my skin and his. A total win for both of us, surprisingly so. Straight to the top of the list with this one!