So this was my first time trying Darling Clandestine’s products and I am in loveeee. Evonne is a wizard and I am glad I jumped in with both feet to pick up some of her Falloween releases! I snagged a full size of Tiny Ice Bees, Squander, and a sample solid of Don’tGoPleaseStay. I placed my order on September 4th and it shipped on the 14th. I received it on the 24th, 10 days after it shipped which is pretty awesome for international shipping. It came nicely packaged, padded by the bubble wrap and salt-water taffy!

Evonne was completely amazing with every interaction I had with her! She was so patient with all my questions and super fast to reply. I had made an order in August and had asked for it to be held if possible until this release because international shipping is pricey. She was super amazing and held onto it, giving me a free shipping code for my Falloween order so it could all be combined!

Tiny Ice Bees

Evonne’s description for this one is that she “wove a wisp of damp silk—crisp, delicate, ozoney, watery—with a subtle splash of pineapple and tart green orange and grapefruit.” No honey for this scent though because that’s predictable, and oh am I glad she didn’t add honey! I have nothing against honey, I love my Hivemind perfume from OHWTO, but this scent is crisp and fresh and it really doesn’t need anything else. On the cold sniff I get bright citrus from the orange and grapefruit with a sweet edge from the pineapple, with the ozone tingling at the edges. I say tingling because that’s the only way I can think to describe the scent; like watery ripples moving around the fruity scent.

Applied, the ozone becomes a bit stronger, adding a crisp edge to the scent. The grapefruit dances at the front, sharp and witty, while the pineapple comes in to round out the scent. After about 30 min the orange comes out to play a little bit with its distinct citrus scent mingling with the grapefruit. After an hour the ozone melts to the background again, floating at the edges, leaving the fruit scents to take centre stage. This scent lasted 4 hours on me before my skin gobbled it up. I was catching wafts of it for the first 2 hours before it moved closer to my skin. After 4 hours it was gone completely, leaving only the memory.

The boyfriend was around for my Falloween testing and his reaction to this one was, “Ooh, fruity. I like that one!” This one is a winner and I fell in love with it more than I thought I would. It comes in a cute, plump little 5ml bottle with a wide mouth.

Squander

First off, the container is awesome! This comes in a tall 8ml bottle and the little pipette is perfect for the halloween spirit this perfume has, and it’s super fun to use. Cute and useful, whaddaya know!? It can be a bit tricky to open as the rubber kind of grabs at the bottle, but I’m getting the hang of it!

This scent is described as “Deep and decadent, with rich fruitful notes including clove and nutmeg and sandalwood and ripe red apple.” On cold sniff the apple is right there, shoving the other scents off the stage although the sandalwood manages to cling to the side. It is bright and fruity, lightly sweet with that unmistakable ‘red’ smell.

Applied the apple continues to take centre stage but the clove manages to climb back up, hanging around behind the apple. The sandalwood is still clinging to the edges of the scent and nutmeg doesn’t find a way back in for about another 30 minutes. At the 1 hour mark, the apple is still the main scent but the clove and nutmeg balance it out, taking away some of the sweetness the apple exudes. The sandalwood hangs around at the edges, adding just a hint of woodiness to round out the scent. This wafted around me for a good 2 hours before moving a little closer to the skin. It hung close to the skin for another 3 hours before dissipating.

The Mr. really liked this one. I hadn’t told him I was wearing it but he noticed right away. I got a, “Oh that’s really nice. I really like this one.”

Don’tGoPleaseStay

Don’tGoPleaseStay is described as a “Dark, smoky, chocolatey gin.” This is a, “slow infusion made with a fantastic cacao absolute, the very finest oakmoss, crushed juniper berries, cardamom pods, just a tiny bit of ylang-ylang, a pinch of chipotle pepper, and dark vanilla”.

This is a natural perfume made by infusing the components together and because of this, it sits close to the skin. Evonne says it best “Don’tGoPleaseStay is infused with all organic botanical ingredients, so the fragrance isn’t as intense as that of blends containing synthetic elements. It’s meant to cling close to your skin and cuddle.”

On cold sniff I first get the sweet chocolate/vanilla, which is closely followed by light smoke. Normally I don’t do smoke and that’s why I only got the sample of this, but this note is very light and not acrid. It’s like the light smoke scent that clings to someone’s skin when they’ve walked past a campfire. The scent is sweet and a bit spicy, but not like cinnamon or nutmeg spicy, more of a slow burn that you can’t really place spicy. It nips and caresses all at once.

Once applied, the chocolate blooms and the smokey scent becomes more complex; I swear I can smell the wood from the fire, warm and natural. The gin scent comes out to play a little bit, standing shy in the background. After about 30 min the scent melds together in the most perfect of ways: the chocolate is cradled by the woody smokey scent, and the gin watches patiently, a step back. The scent is balanced and comforting. It sits pretty close to the skin but I would catch a waft of it if I was doing something close to my face. This scent hung around for about 5 hours and I found myself smelling my wrist more than once. It’s such a warm scent, very comforting!

Summary

I loved everything, a first for a perfume order. I just wish I had ordered a full size of Don’tGoPleaseStay. Hopefully when Evonne reopens she will have a few laying around, or someone on IndieMakeupandMore will have one that needs a happy home.

A related note: These perfumes really need to rest after transit. I did a cold sniff upon arrival and the scents are completely different after letting them sit for 2-3 days. Remember these little buddies went through a lot to get to you, let them take a break before putting them to work!

Evonne has closed the shop as to complete the Falloween orders but she can be found here and should be opening soon!

(All reviews and statements are my honest personal opinions. I have purchased all the products I have written about unless otherwise explicitly stated. I have not accepted payment for any of my reviews)