December and January have taken its leave already, and I have had plenty of time to test the remaining perfume oil samples that I received in my not-so-recent destash haul. In the meantime I’ve also received some other perfume samples but I thought I’d better check this lot off the to-do list first before moving on to newer beauties.

ZOMG Smells – Anna

“Honeycakes, fine rose-petal tea steeped just long enough and no more, and a dab of neroli, vanilla, and the most expensive sandalwood; there is no scarcity here of anything but the freedom to adventure. Colin’s sister Anna is genuinely sweet, loves her brother, loves stories, and although she too longs for adventure, she’s much more practical-minded than he is. She’d make a far better estate manager after their parents are gone than he would.”

They say you can’t forget your first love, and I must say this is true for perfume oils, too. This one was the first perfume oil that I had ever tried, and I was instantly smitten.

Anna is part of a collection called Gabriel’s City: A Tale of Fables and Fortunes, a fantasy novel by Laylah Hunter. It tells a story of a spoiled aristocrat Colin and a pickpocket Gabriel. I haven’t actually read it but this perfume, Anna, makes me want to pick up a copy of the book and delve into this fantasy world.

In the bottle, this fragrance smells very much like sweet sandalwood, if there is such a thing, and roses. I wasn’t sure whether those were really roses because I’ve never actually smelt a rose perfume (apart from that Bulgarian rose perfume/extract a decade ago) but then I figured it had to be roses and not soap, which was my first guess. Sandalwood notes were the most prominent while the oil was still wet, with neroli (probably) and rose notes playing in the background. As the oil dried down, I could finally smell some honey and vanilla. I found sandalwood very strong throughout all the stages of the perfume development but in the end, there was just the scent of faint vanilla lingering on.

This perfume oil is rather strong, and it has a nice sillage. I’m not sure how long it lasted on me but my guess is around 5 hours. It’s definitely my favourite of all perfume oils I have and I plan on buying a full size once I use up some other perfumes in my stash.

15/10

Smelly Yeti – Dame It

“Bulgarian rose, violet, lily of the valley, and a bouquet of delicate florals, peppered with hints of lime, Bartlett pear, and bergamot. The ultimate in classic perfuming. Looking at the notes, you might think that it sounds like a gross old lady perfume. But don’t be fooled, we here at Smelly Yeti are too classy for that. Feminine.”

Oh no. I had high hopes for this one but sadly… It’s not for me. I didn’t really smell anything straight from the bottle but that might be because my nose was blocked when I tried it. There really wasn’t any scent wafting out of the bottle. Strange. I began worrying there was nothing but oily water in there. When I applied it, it finally started smelling like something! Was that soap I smelled? Nope, just rose. I’m not sure why rose smells like soap to me, that might be because I’m still an uneducated newbie. 🙂 When it dried down it smelt a bit sweeter, and it reminded me of some sweets but it still smelt very much like roses. I couldn’t sense the other notes, unfortunately. Maybe there was just a hint of lime but maybe this perfume just doesn’t like my skin chemistry.

This is a floral, feminine scent that is definitely classy, just like the official description says. It doesn’t smell gross or of old ladies (then again, I kind of like smelling old-lady perfumes so who knows), it really is a classy, modern scent. It lasted for about 4 hours on my skin and the sillage was average.

However, we just weren’t meant to be. I’m going to destash this one, I’m sure there is a rose scent lover who is going to adore this. I, however, will forever chuckle at the cute drawing of a yeti on top of the perfume’s lid. 🙂

3/10

Lou Lou’s – Fruit Basket Cider

“A hot mug of apple cider with a wooden basket full of green apples, red apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries placed on a patch of freshly turned soil.”

Oooh, look at this unassuming beauty! In the bottle, it felt very refreshing but nearly too sweet for my taste. I was a bit sceptical but when I applied it the sweetness gave way to a very strong fruity scent. I basically got most notes from the description straight away. There was something alcoholic about it – that’s definitely apple cider. If I smelt it from about 10 cm, I got some wafts that reminded me of Pez sweets (a blast from the past!) but the closer I got, the more freshly turned soil I could smell. Isn’t this an interesting twist? I wasn’t completely sold by it, though. Dry, it smelt sweet but also kind of sour, and I could still smell the soil. Berries were a bit more pronounced, too.

If I wasn’t sold by it when I first swatched it, it grew on me later on. Now I think that it’s an amazing scent, simply because it’s so refreshing and sweet, but not cloyingly so. I love its soil twist because it makes it different and not at all generic. Fruit Basket Cider is perfect for gloomy, foggy days when you need a pick-me-up.

9/10

Have you tried any of these scents?