Midnight Promise

This is a really neat perfume! I hadn't heard of it before, and noticed it on ebay. Looked it up here, and seemed like a safe blind buy, considering the price and that the notes are ones I like. Plus, the bottle looks cool. The pyramid is highly accurate here. It is a patchouli-rose perfume. The patchouli isn't too dirty, and even though it's dominant, it isn't overpowering. The rose is a black or dark red "potpourri" dried rose. Very Victorian, to me. I also smell the incense, a slightly astringent orange (but muted and mellow at the same time), a small amount of vetiver, prominent cinnamon (like freshly ground cinnamon, or cinnamon sticks, with a hint of a nutmeg/clove vibe, too. Not candy cinnamon). I think there's an unlisted plum note, too, but that could just be the interplay of the notes mixed with the power of suggestion due to the purple bottle. I'm funny about musk. Usually I find I don't like it, and it is definitely noticeable at the beginning, but I have to search for it now that it’s dried down for several hours. It's never unpleasant and it and the very noticeable sandalwood play off each other nicely. They round out the notes I mentioned already that can tend toward harshness and sharpness. To me this smells much nicer than the $12 I paid. I will be repurchasing. I think that the nose who made this had a limited budget, and she made up for it with a very well executed harmony of notes. Everything works together for the betterment of the composition. It isn't the most complex perfume I've encountered, but it is, technically speaking, pretty much perfect. The worst thing I can say is that the lid came off the bottle during transit and a bunch leaked out. Potential buyers, be aware that this could be a design flaw with regards to the bottle/lid. Edited to add: people who want to like Agent Provocateur, but who find it too harsh, might like this. It isn't really similar―spicier and fruitier and less earthy less metallic―and it flirts with gourmand territory, but some of the notes are similar and the price is definitely right!

So what other Sarah Horowitz creation can be had for under $10.00 USD for 2.5oz? If you know, please tell me so I can jump right on it. Until then I'll content myself with Midnight Promise. A dark patchouli fragrance, to be sure. But one that's got a zippy cinnamon note, a smooth, warm amber, a deep red rose and something that reminds me of grape juice. More balsamic than woody and it dries down to a marvelous churchy incense with a bit of a menthol tang. Not something I'd wear in warm or hot weather. I'm wearing it now but it's a very cool summer evening and I keep waving my arms around, smiling as I drink in this gorgeous purple elixir. The cap is metal, not plastic and the bottle is a heavy, solid purple glass, not just coated with a purple finish. Actually quite pretty. Excellent longevity and monster sillage so apply with caution. If I were to wear this to work I think one spray under my blouse/t-shirt would suffice for a 10 hour shift. Love it!

Midnight Promise opens with a bold hit of cinnamon wrapped in warm vanilla. It’s immediately nostalgic—affordable, comforting, and surprisingly charming. As it settles, the real beauty shows up in the dry-down. It reminds me of wandering through a vintage antique boutique or an old indoor market, passing a vendor wall stacked with homemade cinnamon candles and warm spices lingering in the air. This isn’t something I’d wear out in public, but I love spraying it on my arm just to sniff throughout the day. There’s something grounding and familiar about it—sweet and a tad strong in the beginning yet cozy without trying too hard. For the price, it’s a really enjoyable scent experience.

Oh my goodness! What a little jewel. This spicy dark purple bottle of goodness is such a surprise to me. How can this gorgeous perfume be available for such a great price. It's a gift. This puts me in the mind of Cartier Baiser Du Dragon. Of course not the same but in the same family. This spicy, dry, incensy vetiver and earthy patchouli is so unique and mysterious. Not sweet and a bit of rose comes out in the dry down. I just love this type of perfume. Unisex for sure and while some might reserve Midnight Promise for cooler weather, I'm the rebel who will wear it whenever.

This is completely unique and totally worth the price. It's not like any other frags I own. It starts out serious patchouli but still has this almost licorice/anise vibe to it. Herbal but sweet. Not fruity at all. Then the cinnamon storms in and takes over. The incense becomes apparent as the anise note swimming in there and sweetened by the cinnamon. There's some musk. A real spicy/balsamic fragrance. Soft not huge. Wish it didn't fade to the skin so fast. Great blind buy. The final drydown is all cinnamon with maybe a hint of sandalwood.