Complicated Shadows

If there were a typical Sarah McCartney style, the impression I'm getting from the samples I have tried is that it would be a fruity, gourmand perfume with a touch of sweetness - except her range has some wonderful stand-out perfumes that are not at all in this vein. This would be one of them. Although there are floral notes in Complicated Shadows, this doesn't strike me as a floral perfume. I don't get the yellow floral accord or the violet, even though violet is usually a note you can't ignore, so either there is just the merest drop in Complicated Shadows or the mossy, woody notes are present in even greater strength. I don't really get much of the green accord either. To me Complicated Shadows leans more towards a chypre. It's quite a dirty scent, in a very good way. Complicated is a good word for this perfume - it is complex and quite lovely. The longevity is pretty good and I can still smell this on my wrist at the end of the day. I haven't asked anyone to give me their view of the sillage. I've nearly used my sample up but can't say I really know this perfume yet. I just may have to buy a bottle ... ... Damn, this is an expensive hobby! but on the other hand, so much pleasure! I'm hoping some other people have reactions to share as I'd be so interested to find out if it strikes you the same way as it strikes me. One year later: I did buy a bottle! How did I miss the violet? It's definitely there early on, although it becomes more self-effacing after a few minutes. Complicated Shadows reminds me of Frederic Malle's Lipstick Rose without the rose, if you can imagine that, or maybe it's a little like Chanel's Misia. Although this was launched in 2021, I could imagine this being worn in any decade from the 1920s onwards. Beautiful!

Listed notes are: Sandalwood, Shade, Narcissus, Iris and Irony. I'm guessing shade is used in the context of "throwing shade" but I'm choosing to interpret it as "in the shade" since this cool and mellow versus sunny. This buzzes with the oakmoss, deepens in texture with the iris and olibanum and lifts with a sharp but smooth narcissus. There is definitely some vanilla in the base even though it isn't listed, but this has no sweetness. The Sniff's review nails it describing a "metallic tang over warm woodiness that a spent teabag can have. Perhaps it is a touch of electricity remaining from the rumbling storm as it passes over..." The fragrance only changes slightly during wear, and the drydown maintains its kick. I blind bought this because I'm loving narcissus lately. Usually this brand is too sweet for me and it's great to finally have one I can vibe with. It has a great texture, feels very robust, pleasantly bitter and mildly smoky.

This is growing on me so much. When I first sprayed it the kind of dusty woods and moss did not seem like my kind of fragrance and I immediately thought it's not for me. But within five minutes it warms up to maybe my favorite sandalwood I've ever tried?? It is dry and smooth and there is a very faint sweetness that feels like it comes from the wood itself. This is very well blended and it's hard to pick out other notes but it does feel like they're there rounding out the sandalwood and making it give off that warmth. I keep coming back to this and I want a full bottle but they must use a lot of expensive natural ingredients for this one because it's almost double the price of their other bottles :( Update: I'm getting more of the soft iris in the deep dry down. I guess I'm going to have to start saving for a bottle...

This is the only fragrance I’ve found that truly satisfies my craving for a hot sauna scent. From the first spray, the opening feels rich and layered. It’s a dance of woodiness, cool iris and the damp, earthy depth of oak moss. It’s complex without being overwhelming, very alive. But it’s the dry down that I adore. Hours later, especially the next day, it transforms into something beautifully subtle. It’s a dry, woody skin scent that clings close. It’s the lingering warmth of cedar planks and subsiding heat. A natural serenity that is unmistakably the scent of a hot sauna. This is an everyday scent to me. In the heat, it’s appropriately refreshing and natural. In the cold, it evokes a well-craved warmth.

Walking through the woods in a smoker's jacket. You're sucking on a Choward's violet candy and listening to Elvis Costello. I'm so in love. The most tastefully sweet and floral fragrance I've ever smelled. So richly woodsy and smoky with spicy daffodil mid-sniff, but leaves a bouquet of sweet violets and delicately powdery irises lingering in your nose. There's a hint of vanilla in the far, far background. This is the second 4160 Tuesdays scent I've ever tried, and the second one I've absolutely loved. Hammersmith Tea and Biscuits is wonderful, but Complicated Shadows is just so special. I actually feel spiritually connected to this. I can't wait until I can buy a full bottle.

It's hard to describe. I love it. Soft, depressed, introverted, ironic?shady?, dusty, gentle and a bit sweet. It makes me feel safe. A soft cloud of gentle angst, and sometimes a little bit something herbal appears from the fog.

this opens quite masculine but dries down a little softer. I see no patchouli is listed but it dries down to me like a very earthy patchouli. It is very woody and dusty, contemplative and slightly morose. The performance is promising.

Me: This doesn't smell earthy to me at all. I guess it smells somewhat hollow, like a conception of a shadow. But mostly it reminds me of what the inside of a 2010s gift shop full of primitive americana decor and potpourri smelled like. Him: This one smells kinda muh. If I smell it more it will give a headache. Honestly I think I really need some coffee beans after this.

Complicated Shadows from 4160 Tuesdays is a perfume for the insomniac hours, late-night strolls wandering through the deserted streets of your hometown, familiar landmarks strangely distorted by the play of moonlight and shadow. The warm, velvety sandalwood whispers in contrast to the chilling "shade" note, evoking the breathless hush of liminal, in-between spaces. The iris and narcissus here are shrouded in mystery, their earthy floral murmurations laced with a tang of acrid irony, simmering existential angst below the surface of introspective ponderings. Veiled in a bitter vanilla mist, it's the uncanny reverie, nocturnal glooms, and haunting landscapes of the dreamless, lost in the dark. I don't like comparing perfumes to each other, especially comparisons of something a niche or indie creator has made, to something from one of the big houses...and I hear artists of all ilks, all the time, bemoaning how they hate being compared to other artists. So apologies in advance to my beloved artists amongst us here, but I know that sometimes comparisons to something you are already familiar with can be helpful in evaluating something new. That said, my first impression of Complicated Shadows was one of cool, dusky elegance... and there's a definite kinship with Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue, that melancholic masterpiece shrouded in powdery twilight. However, Complicated Shadows sheds the heavy cloak of powder, revealing a more approachable, contemporary feel. L'Heure Bleue, as much as I want to love it, has never been my cup of tea. But Complicated Shadows? I could drink it by the bucketful. In the dark. In the middle of a deserted road. At the stroke of midnight.

4160 Teusdays was one of my first and still one of my absolute favorite niche brands. The fragrances have a level of complexity and change, even when they attempt to be simplistic. This one is part of the cloud series and reminds me the most of cloud's illusion (now discontinued), which is my favorite from that series. The only difference to me is that this one lacks that sweet vanilla dry down, but that surprisingly is still great to me w/ a slightly sweet Narcissus being the replacement in my opinion. I love how Narcissus is not that common of a note but smells really interesting, airy, and just dame pleasant to my nose. I was one of those that said I'm just going to get the small bottle, now I'm upset I just didn't grab a 100 mL bottle. This fragrance gives a great sense of comfort and peaceful thoughts without being incredibly vacant/non-existent. Perfect for the spring, but still light enough for the summer as well. Definitely a hit.

Earthy bomb! You were running then fell face first into a fairy forests floor - the warmth of olibanum and honeybush, the freshness of moss and iris, the complexity of woods and other florals in the background. It’s very cottagecore. Debating a full bottle but for now, will enjoy my decant.