I first discovered Brazen Cosmetics when I was on a hunt for some lip gloss, but my interest was fully piqued when they released their new perfume oils. I adore all things pin-up and since Brazen’s products are largely inspired by those vintage bombshells, I just knew that I had to give their perfume a whirl. I only sampled 4 decants since I was rather impoverished by the Blooddrop Ponies, but I must say that I am thoroughly impressed. They might not be the most complex of blends, but everything was so wearable and I’d imagine that they would be wonderful for people who are just beginning to explore the indie perfume oils scene. It’d be pretty convenient for one thing, since you could always just pick up one of their very reasonably priced 10ml bottles while putting in an order for their cosmetics. You know, since you’re paying for shipping anyway, *nudge nudge, wink wink*.

Reviews are based on my initial impressions from a short test drive of the individual samples.

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Isn't the bottle art just adorable?

It’s Yo Birthday!

a freshly-baked vanilla cupcake, smothered with pink buttercream frosting then topped with sprinkles

I’m a newborn gourmand and have been on the prowl for that perfect cake blend so I knew I had to try this. This has such an adorable name, and I was really hoping to like this. On my skin, this is a creamy, buttery vanilla with just a hint of cake. After trying massive cake blends like BPAL’s Sprinklecake, this is a shy and sweet little fragrance that could be a good stepping stone for those who’d like to venture into edible smelling scents, but don’t want to smell like a bakery.

This wears itself very close to the skin and fades in about an hour so you’d need to slather and reapply quite constantly. Brazen’s perfume oils come in a generous 10ml size so I guess maybe that’s not too bad. I personally prefer something stronger and long-lasting when it comes to my cake blends. Still, this is nice for days where you want to cozy up to a cute guy with a knowing smile that says “naw, I don’t wear perfume; my skin just smells that good.”

Pearly Legal

ripe pear with hints of apple blossom and berry. Then whirl in cotton candy, honey and vanilla bean. To round it out, kisses of fresh floral notes.

In the bottle, this smells very strongly like pear flavored bubble gum and I can’t help wrinkling my nose a little. Thankfully, the scent gets more fruity floral on my skin and I can pick up honeyed apple and pear blossoms. The vanilla bean is a subtle little thing and adds a mild creaminess to the blend that I do like. It’s a fun and playful little perfume and I do like it a lot better on my skin than in the bottle. Unfortunately, this disappears barely an hour after application.

Out of my four Brazen blends, I actually liked this the least, but then I guess it’s because I’ve never really been a big fan of pear and apple notes. I wish I got more of the berries and vanilla, but then again, that’s my chemistry being a troll and amp-ing up notes that I don’t enjoy over notes that I love. Curse you, chemistry!

Candy is Dandy

Swirls of vanilla & spun sugar delicately balance atop sticky sweet berries.

I’m not ashamed to admit it. I love sugary candy blends. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been on a witch hunt for the perfect candy blend that is sparkly and sweet without being overly cloying. Obviously I had to try this. And I must say, I truly enjoyed this little blend. I think it would actually rank within my top 10 candy blends. Despite the description which basically promises to give your nose diabetes, this blend is not cloying or sickly sweet. The spun sugar note has a dose of creaminess to it, thanks to the vanilla. More importantly, the berries have a certain tartness to them and this adds a zing to the blend. This reminds me of berry flavored fizzy pop rocks candy and I love it. To be fair, I do have a high sugar threshold so if you don’t like candy scents, you probably won’t enjoy this.

To further enhance the sugar rush, this blend actually has a pretty decent throw. It swirls around me as I’m typing at my laptop and I get whiffs of it while I’m moving around. It sticks around for longer than It’s Yo Birthday and Pearly Legal as well, which I appreciate. I might just pick up a bottle of this.

Out of Your League

Fresh florals mixed with clean fresh air. Surprisingly sexy with a modern twist on violet, lilac, rosehip, plumeria and sunflowers.

This actually ties with Candy is Dandy for my favorite of the Brazen blends even though they’re so different. I actually picked this up on a whim because I was in the mood for something light and fresh to wear to the gym. I always worry when I see violet listed as a note. My skin hates violets. Every time I chance a blend with violets, I smell like a granny. Still, I love plumeria and lilac so I decided to give this a shot. I didn’t expect myself to fall for it at first sniff.

The floral notes are crisp and while I can definitely pick out violet in the mix, it’s nicely balanced out with the other blooms. I’d agree with the description that this is indeed surprisingly sexy for such a delicate and fresh floral. I think it’s actually pretty reminiscent of a commercial perfume, but I say this in a good way because it’s something that I’d really want to wear pretty often. I think I would actually have loved a bit of mint in this, but on the whole, this was a win for me.

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On the whole, this is a lovely little collection. Out of Your League and Candy is Dandy were my favorites out of those I tried. If these sound like smellies you’d like, you can find a full list of their perfume oils here.

How much do they cost?

Brazen Perfume Oils come in 10ml bottles and sell for $14.99 each. Pretty decent, considering how the average price for a 5ml bottle of perfume oil tends to go for that price.