I am thrilled and delighted to get to sample some of Twisted Wonderland Perfumery’s items. This company is brand spankin’ new but my goodness do they have a ton of charm! The lovely owner, Rae, was kind enough to send me some samples that arrived just as the store had it’s grand opening!

(For full disclosure, I did not purchase these items. The owner asked if bloggers were interested in testing/reviewing and I raised my hand. Though, I’d planned on making a sample order anyway when they opened.)

How gorgeous are the labels?! I’m a huge Alice in Wonderland fan so this just makes my heart happy.

First I’m going to start with the lip scrub on the left. I selected Cabernet Cotton Candy. And let me tell you … it’s cotton candy! I only have one complaint, and it’s not even about the product … I had to cut the beautiful label to open it! I know it’s purely an aesthetic thing, but it made me sad to do it – especially since the inside had a seal over it. The lip scrub seems a touch liquidy – but it’s freakin’ hot here in NC and to be fair, I have like ZERO experience with lip scrubs so it could just be how it is. But, my lips need exfoliating after so much sun so this is a win-win!

So you can see the process before, during, and after. (Sorry for the weird quality – my bathroom has horrible lighting.) I have to admit, it was weird. Not like bad weird but one of those “man I hope my husband doesn’t walk in on me and I have to explain why I have sugar on my lips” weird. It tasted good, had more of a grape-like cotton candy flavor than any type of Cabernet (though to be fair I’ve not had Cabernet wine in a long, long time). It was sweet, cleaning up was easy, and it left a touch of a waxy feel behind, but my lips are soft! Mission accomplished I think! It took off some of the chapped feeling from my lips as well.

Of course the lip scrub must be followed up with a lip balm, right? For this I chose Green Apple Peach. Smells only slightly like green apples. The formula is softer than other lip balms I’ve tried and it almost melts on your lips. It’s not really waxy and it’s very soft and smooth. Just a hint of sweetness when I lick my lips, but the scent is not overpowering which I consider a good thing. I always hate it when I put on lip balm or gloss and it’s scented like crazy and it’s the only thing I can smell because it’s under my nose. I’m a chapstick girl, so this lip balm will be used frequently and with pleasure! There is no tinting to the lip balm, which I like as well.

And now onto the Eau de Parfum’s! I have to confess, I’m kind of an Indie EDP junkie. I absolutely adore spritzing myself daily and have been known to change shirts just so I can wear a different EDP.

Man, talk about nostalgia … Stay Puft EDP – I’m sure you can guess the notes, but here they are just in case: A whole lotta’ marshmallow! A combination of fresh marshmallow, marshmallow fluff, two vanillas, & a dab of patchouli.

What did you DO Ray? *swallows* It’s the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

In the vial it’s a whole lotta marshmallow goodness. Not the puft kind, though, oddly enough. This is more the jar of marshmallow goo that, if you’re lucky, your mom let you lick after she was done making fudge. (I was lucky!) On my skin, however, this comes down to earth with a lovely patchouli. It’s brown and kind of musky and a whole lotta earthy. It does a lot to help tamp down the sweetness the blend could overwhelm with otherwise. The vanilla’s are almost floral? There’s something flowery in here, but it’s just gorgeous. Sweet with a touch of earthy patchouli. After a bit I get that powdery marshmallow and it adds another dimension to the blend. The longer this sits the more I get the brown earthiness from the patch and the sweetness backs down just a bit more.

This company is like a ride down to nostalgia town. Necronomicon is up next with it’s notes of: A unique combination of book pages, leather, pipe tobacco, and a waft of blackberry bordeaux.

This is my BOOMstick!

I get a huge waft of blackberry bordeaux when I open the vial. On my skin it starts out much the same. It’s a gorgeous and light scent, which you wouldn’t think from the notes. However, as it sits it mellows and this leathery scent comes out. It’s a nice well worn leather – kind of a mix between supple brown and shiny black. This is the first time I’ve smelled a leather quite like this. Don’t know if it’s because of the blackberry bordeaux or what, but it’s very nice. I’m not getting anything papery or papyrus like, but I do get a small hint of pipe tobacco. Not fresh, more like the scent has ingrained itself into the book. While I may not really enjoy the scent sniffing directly on my skin, what is wafting up to be is just deliciously gorgeous! It’s a sweet blackberry wine with almost no tartness, a hint of an almost cherry pipe tobacco, soft glistening leather, and now I’m getting something bookish. I’m in love with this scent, I have to say. I think I need this sooner rather than later. It’s so unique! Such good throw also. And remember … Shop Smart, shop S-Mart. *wink*

The last EDP sample I have is White Rabbit, which seemed fitting, with notes of: The scent of fresh green grass, sweet wild strawberries, and a hint of leather to ground it all out. In the vial this smells a bit medicinal – that faux syrup they give kids hoping they’ll swallow it without too much protest. Thankfully, on my skin, that medicinal scent is completely gone and I’m left with a sweet strawberry scent with just a hint of green grass. The leather note is the same from Necronomicon and becoming a fast favorite of mine. Once this dries it actually reminds me of Necronomicon – that same sweet leather scent. I would’ve liked more of that grass note or something furry/musky to distinguish it more from Necronomicon. Pleasant, but it doesn’t grab at me.

Now we are on to the perfume oils and in keeping with the Wonderland theme, I will be trying Absolutely Alice with notes of: A delightful sweet & fruity blend of fresh peaches, wild raspberries, and wafts of tooth-achingly sweet pink cotton candy. In the vial I get a lovely sniff of freshly cut peaches ready to be eaten. It’s actually so realistic it’s making my mouth water! At the moment this is just a fresh peach single note, and honestly if it stayed like that I don’t know that I would mind! But it doesn’t and eventually I get a touch of red and juicy raspberries. There’s a sweet note around the fruit, but it’s not the overwhelming cotton candy that was in the lip scrub. This is more subdued. Overall I think I’m in love with this one as well. It’s realistically fruity! I might have to go to the store and buy some fruit.

Deadite will round out the reviews with notes of: Seemingly sweet blackberry with a sinister twist of patchouli, black pepper, and vanilla. Groovy. In the vial it’s blackberry and pepper – very odd indeed. On my skin it wants to be a blackberry, but other things (namely the pepper and patchouli) are holding it back. Which in turn is giving it an almost artificial scent to it which isn’t really sitting very well with me. And after the realistic peaches in Absolutely Alice I was expecting more realistic blackberries. The patchouli is the same soft and earthy one that’s in Stay Puft. Eventually the vanilla comes out and adds more sweetness. I think I would dig this one without the blackberry – it’s just not my cuppa tea.

Overall I’m quite impressed with this new company! I definitely want Necronomicon and Absolutely Alice. Possibly Stay Puft as well. I will absolutely be trying more of their catalog!