Alright, folks. Black Friday is almost upon us. Today is Thanksgiving! The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has… well… paraded down Manhattan and when Santa Claus arrived it was the “official” beginning of the Christmas season! For the first time in seven years, I will not be working one or more retail jobs and I am so excited at the prospect of enjoying this season without major re-scheduling issues! I might even partake in some Black Friday shopping… from the comfort of my computer. A lot of us actually got a jumpstart on this with Darling Clandestine’s Shark Friday.

Evonne, of Darling Clandestine, takes off on jetplanes to do work-type things during this week so she always does her version of black friday early. Shark Friday was on the 14th this year, and I was lucky enough to snag a few things I was wanting in a big way. I was not so lucky when they arrived, because I was in the beginning of what ended up being the cold from Hades that knocked me off my feet for the last two days. I’m finally recovering my sense of smell, so I’ll do a quick-ish review!

…Maybe quick….

…Alright, probably not quick; let’s continue.

As for order times, all shark Friday orders were to be shipped by the 24th. Mine actually beat the TAT, reaching my mailbox on the 24th. As always, Evonne was wonderfully helpful when I had some last minute questions. I sent a message to her approx. an hour or so before the official Shark Friday launch time and she immediately got back to me. I would not have begrudged her if she hadn’t found a moment to respond, given she was getting everything ready! I know, I know. Shame on me for not getting my shit together before that!

Now, the perfumes!

TYTO:

From DC: “Bridget had a friend, a barn owl, who appeared on foggy and misty mornings on her long drive to work. This owl may or may not have been the same owl whose form Jareth the Goblin King assumes. I mean, probably.

Bridget wanted something mysterious, sensuous, with a splash of fruit. Tyto features bright, tart pomegranate, blinks of green undergrowth and a tangled suite of woods, including a divinely excellent oud from Sumbawa, courtesy of an Indonesian friend. “

My thoughts: Reader, FEEL MY HYPE! Alright, let me give you the reason for said hype and then FEEL MY HYPE! Oud. It’s a note I have been curious about and hadn’t the faintest what it smelled like. And no, for the Whovians among us, not Ood:

(I will admit it’s the first thing I thought of when I saw this note listed somewhere: “Sweet! This company has a scent based on the Ood! They spelled it wrong, though…”)

Agarwood (oud, sometimes also called aloeswood) is a dark, resinous heartwood that comes from evergreen trees native to southeast Asia, of the genera Aquilaria or Gyrinops. It is produced when the trees are infected with a certain type of fungus. Yes, I did just say fungus. A fellow redditor, /u/eraser_dust, wrote a blog post that explains (in more detail) what Agarwood oil is, and the difference between a few different types. I will link that right here so you can go read it on her blog, Monolid Make Up. She summarizes it nicely and I promise, she does a better job of it than I would! After I read her blog post, I was even more intrigued by this odd note; it seems like one that is hard to do well, though. So when Evonne said she had obtained a very nice Agarwood oil, I was ready to jump. When I found out /u/eraser_dust was the person who had obtained said Agarwood oil for her, I was extra ready to jump. I am so, so glad I did! I’ll stop rambling now.

I haven’t ever smelled anything like this perfume. It’s bright wood and green and spices and pepper. “White hot” and “exotic” are two descriptors that come to mind, though there’s something incredibly comforting here as well. I will wear this often! It’s out of the norm for me, yet not so much that it becomes unwearable. It’s new and wonderful and I will cherish it!

My Lady Ser:

From DC: “I find the relationship between Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne to be among the purest in the ASoIaF series. This fragrance is muddy roads, dinted iron, horses and stables and miles in the saddle, whispering woods, misty fields, a cup of watered cider in a dark tavern, a flash of steel, a breath of wildflowers. But not roses. Never roses.”

My thoughts: Evonne nailed this scent! It’s the one I was absolutely most excited for and she did not disappoint! In the bottle, I get a HUGE whiff of leather. On my skin, it’s dirt and and leather and some floral that I can’t place (because I suck at identifying most flowers) with metal floating in and out. I’m a little obsessed with this metallic note at the moment! And the floral, it just smells weird when it blends in with everything else. This comes across as a very reluctantly feminine perfume, and that is why I love it. That is also why it’s perfect for Brienne of Tarth; whoever wears this pefume is the lady who’s going to kick your ass.

I will wear this every Sunday when Game of Thrones returns. Every. Single. One. Mark my words.

Love & Sharks Blue Edition:

From DC: “There’s no cherry in this blend. Complementing the salty sharkskin instead is a swirl of blueberries and blackberries, taffy-pull vanilla, aged rum and a dusting of dark cocoa.”

My thoughts: This works much better on my skin than the regular Love & Sharks! That one is more in the vein of Harpy when I wear it. It gets to salty and almost popcorn-y. The Blue Edition is more in the vein of Don’tGoPleaseStay. It’s blueberries and cocoa and quite sweet. As a general chocolate scent hater, this is the second time Evonne has surprised me with her cocoa concoctions. I hope this trend keeps up!

Overall, I’m ecstatic about this round of goodies from Darling Clandestine! At the moment, the store is closed as Evonne is out of town. She did mention trying to get at least some of these scents back in the shop around the new year for those who missed out this time around, so keep an eye out!

One last thing (I promise):

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!