With the Candlestick

To begin, can we first acknowledge how clever it was for Clue to release a scent that references the similarly named board game and movie? Oh, Clue, you cheeky devils, you've already won me over...although I'll be wildly disappointed if a Colonel Mustard scent isn't released in the near future. Now, on Clue's website, they describe With the Candlestick as "The Blood of Christ pours as wax spills down hot iron." And my God, does the Blood of Christ, along with the heavy incense and the even smokier wax, compel you with this one. Clue's marketing team nailed (errr, crucified...too soon?) the description. This is a scent of gothic and biblical proportions. It's a church scent, alright, but it's definitively more blood-spewing-down-the-pews than it is bring-your-mother-and-wear-your-Sunday-finest. Someone else stated that this fragrance would be appropriate to wear to a murder mystery, and another described it as "bitchy and relentlessly religious." They were both right. With the Candlestick is the burning of carnal desires. It's the gothic musk of a musty, cobweb-filled church that's been passionately lit with blood-red candles dripping wax, while Gregorian chants echo throughout...and a clandestine S&M party rages in the basement with velvet blindfolds, leather whips and metal chains, and revelers bound in black latex. Think American Horror Story: Church. I still haven't a clue (pun intended) where or when l'd wear this scent. But I want it. Naughty, haughty, delicious, and slightly sacrilegious, With the Candlestick could be the vampiric scent of a 70s or 80s giallo horror film. Or, it could be the fragrance of The Crow's Brandon Lee, scaling gothic and rainy rooftops to the sounds of Nine Inch Nails' Dead Souls or The Cure's Burn. But perhaps it most reminds me of the climax of 1980's The Fog, as the damned townsfolk flee to a dark, remote church as they're beset upon by ghosts and the dread-inducing soundtrack score booms with the weight of a ram being pounded against a door. Like the vengeful ghosts in that film, there is something dangerous and foreboding about this scent. The oft-used term to describe obscure fragrances, "challenging," doesn't do this justice. With the Candlestick isn't challenging; it's unforgiving. It's...apocalyptic. There isn't a genie in this bottle - there's a wrathful God instead, with fire and brimstone on His (or Her) mind. The only downside is that, like an apocalypse itself, With the Candlestick burns bright and fast: its longevity is weak and it doesn't outlive the initial blast. Of the three Clue scents I've tried - including Morel Map (cute but unoriginal) and Warm Bulb (unwearable, but original and an oddball creative experiment ) - each one is wildly different than the next, and With the Candlestick is the must-have standout. In five words or less: Sinful.

Holy hell. The smell of a not so pious priest's raunchy late night masquerade party in an ancient cathedral. The smell of dark red wine mixed with cinnamon, cherry, and vanilla liqueurs mixes with the smell of the burning incense and old wooden pews. The guests are either dressed to the nines, or not dressed as all, but it's hard to tell when everyone's only lit by candlelight. It's gonna be one hell of a night. This shit fucks. Smokey incense, boozy cinnamon cherry liqueur, smooth labdanum, and this thick waxy musky backbone. This is one of the easiest incense forward scents, the sweet boozy cherry wine really sweetens it up to give a great contrast between sweet cherry wine and the cooling incense. Then it dries down it has thick and waxy musk, like a thick sweater hug, and old oak wood. First from the house and blown away, can't wait to try the other two. Fall/Winter night to my nose, will be wearing this out during these colder nights. This stuff nukes the room upon first spray, then has strong projection for the first 3-4 hours of the 8-9 hour performance when I wore it. Easy on the trigger. I imagine this would be a compliment beast at a goth bar. 10/10 Song Vibe - Crucified by Army of Lovers Edit: I was right about the goth bar. Ordering a bottle asap. Edit 2: There is definitely a distinct correlation between Dev 2 by Olympic Orchids and this one, but I personally prefer this one as it takes the general idea of the smoky incense, waxy labdanum, and androgynous woods, but leans more into the sweet by adding a cinnamon-cherry liqueur accord. I recommend trying both, but the dumbed down difference is that Dev 2 leans into the smoky/incense-y/churchy aspect more with a slight sweetness while this adds a bit more of sweetness.

Well, I have had the chance to experience With the Candlestick, and now I can confidently say that this house does no wrong. Between Morel Map, Warm Bulb, and With the Candlestick, Clue Perfumery had managed to do what so many niche brands try to accomplish; translating their fragrances description and inspiration precisely to what you experience when wearing them. I am blown away. This: "The Blood of Christ pours as wax spills down hot iron," could not be more accurate. The cherry note blends so beautifully with its other parts that it sets the whole scene. A snuffed-out candle with its lingering aroma of hot wax, communion during a Winters Sunday morning service, the metallic chill of a cathedrals marble floors, the smell of incense that will stay in your hair until your baptism, all served with a side of Catholic guilt. This is dark, bitchy, and relentlessly religious but in a way that I yearn to be draped in its holy elixir. With the Candlestick is so complex that not one domination could define its depth, as the smoke fades the journey continues deeper into a service that will last much longer than morning mass. My prayers have been answered for I found the church scent of my dreams; one that feels like it could be a nightmare yet with no desire to be freed from its dormancy. 100/10.

a true goth perfume. i’m often not impressed by perfumes recommended as “goth” as they tend to be samey and too pungently earthy, and just generally lacking a complexity that truly conjures the feel of “gothness”. this perfume however... there is a photorealism to some of the notes that feels uncanny and off-putting, but i mean that as a compliment. as a general cherry frag hater the cherry note shines here, it’s just so gorgeously blood-red in companion with the candle wax. and the candle wax, WOW! it’s a massive, dripping pillar candle extinguished by the presence of an unholy spirit. speaking of unholy, i know many associate this fragrance with their experiences in a catholic church, but this fragrance is unabashedly blasphemous. there is a roaming darkness inside it that laughs when threatened with a crucifix. paradoxically though it reveals some cozier facets as it develops - the burning candles are a comfort in the dark nights of winter and the cinnamon is... festive? like drinking mulled wine. it’s not a very wearable fragrance unless you are a specific genre of person. this is not for the killstar goths, this is for the real-ass vampires of this world.

spicy, smoky, waxy, sensual, churchy – like the olfactory soundtrack to an erotic catholic vampire murder mystery with an all-drag queen cast. this is freshly extinguished scented candle smell baked deep into an old fur coat. red lipstick kisses and a stake through the heart. the dry down is slightly similar to warm bulb, in the sense that there’s a lingering warmth, a little burnt, dusty and old. warmth is something that clue perfumery do incredibly well. but where warm bulb is contemporary - printer paper fresh off the copier, ps4 air and spinning fans - this is a distinctly 19th century gothic fantasy, oil lamps and carriage horses and all. the modernity has been shed in favour of a murky, smog-tinged 200-year-old glamour. it evokes leather-bound library books and scampering into church straight from the opium den. it works brilliantly as a companion piece - or narrative foil - to warm bulb. the evolution and creation of warmth. i will be wearing this next time a vampire invites me to their coffin, which will hopefully be soon.

A friend purchased Warm Bulb from Clue and I didn't want to jack their swag, so I tried the other options while at a apothecary, only to find this. Like many others have said, this is exactly what an orthodox church smells like during the holidays. It is so nostalgic (in the good way) in how it emulates the incense, wax, red wine filling your nose during a sermon. Now, you have to understand that this is NOT a blind buy. The only reason I bought this in person was because of how it spoke to a very particular part of my youth. To that point, I think I may wear this scent twice, MAYBE three times a year. It is so case specific, and I think it may come off way too strong to wear in a public setting. Holiday parties and service only on this one. But holy cow, what an incredible scent. I am in love with this, I just wish there were more use cases for it! I greatly look forward to the harsh cold winter days where I'll open this bottle and spray magic on myself. Rant over <3

!! finally ! A perfume that actually smells like my memories of a catholic church !! Amazingly waxy with strong cinnamon notes. Most "church" inspired perfumes just end up being a flat one trick pony of smothering, smoky incense notes. The craft store Christmas aisle comparisons are totally fair .... because the opening does smell EXACTLY like those red wax cinnamon spice Christmas candles. LOVE. Underneath the yuletide cinnamon pastiche, there is something extremely sensual about it as a whole. On the dry down, some subtle fruity/warm mulled wine & smoke notes appear. It's giving eccentric repressed witch in the winter, one dripping with feral Catholic guilt. Vampy and sexy in an intimate, cloying, and off-putting way. Can tell you right now that this is likely NOT going to be a general crowd pleaser. It is intense and a bit photorealistic of a cinnamon wax candle in the beginning..... But for the right person it is a super unique and sexy scent. I LOVE it!!

Dark and moody. The incense and animalic notes are married beautifully here. This fragrance has a lot of kickback - you can feel the warm cinnamonny spice wafting up your nose when you hold it against your wrist. Ive tried a few churchy fragrances but few have managed what this one did for me. This cloying thickness of the smoke really makes me feel like im in an old church and somebody is walking by with a thurible... the smoke is so thick I can hardly breathe but it is cloying in a way that makes me feel like I'm leaving something behind in the process. Like I'm being posessed by the catholic spirit of holy suffering, if just for a minute. The cherry adds an interesting dimension of mentholy, medicinal tartness but I'm conflicted about it. Like many incense fragrances this fades rather quickly unfortunately. I was looking forward to a waxy or fatty finish but didn't get that.

With the Candlestick by Cluel Perfumery is simply beautiful—elegant, refined, and undeniably classy. It’s versatile but leans more toward dressier occasions. You don’t need to be going to a black-tie event, but it complements a polished look effortlessly. This isn’t a casual, laid-back scent; it exudes sophistication and understated luxury. It’s nostalgic for me as well. Like something I smelled in Europe once. Perfect for a night out at a bar or a crisp afternoon stroll, it carries an air of timeless grace. I’m wearing it now, dressed smartly for class on a cool, semi-warm day, with the sun out, and it feels absolutely magnificent. The scent is concentrated, performs well, and lasts impressively. Given its elegance alone, the price feels justified—truly a great deal. Three sprays, and you’re set. One of my favorites, no question.

Such a gorgeous blend of interesting notes. The incense is so heavy, so smoky, and boarders on the savory. Really heats the entire fragrance. The opening is bright and powerful. Like a match being struck. Cinnamon pairs gorgeously with the smoke and enters second, though quickly fades into the backdrop. I expected this to be a lot sweeter. Cherry I don't so much get as a rich, dry, bitter red wine. The dry down is an oily furred animal escaping a forest fire. It's a bit reminiscent of Girl of the Year by TWM. I think the smoke, wine, and fur is what's making that connection in my head. Though this is more my taste. Oddly cozy and will surely keep me warm in the coming months. Stunning. Edit: Quick edit on all of these reviews. They have SOUNDSCAPES for each of their fragrances on their site. Beautiful. Transcendent. Oh my god.

first review on here bc this stuff is that good. this reminds me so vividly of a solo trip I took to bologna, a december some years ago. getting off the train at night, the fog was so thick I could barely see. those days were passed in christmas markets, mulled red wine, hiding out in smoky churches to escape the cold wind, listening to the choir practice hymns, in bars drinking tea and reading their newspapers. I walked the trek to the basilica di san luca, which is usually recommended for its views of the city from above, but everything was drenched in the mist. at the top of the hill, the basilica loomed from the pine trees and the fog, it was empty inside, just red lit candles and marble floors. 10/10, feels like it was made for me, longevity is great and it's nicely layered and complex, you can smell every note.

I am in love with this scent. In the simplest terms, it opens cherry, transforms into cinnamon and lingers there for a long time, then finishes with a soft sweet incense. This scent absolutely transforms in the heat. I like it best when I'm walking in the hot sun and the incense just blooms and comes to life. In the cold the cinnamon comes forward and reminds me a bit of holiday spices. I think this scent needs a person with a quirky sense of style. This is not the serious resin forward incense of churches. It's the every day wear of a former goth girl who is now an adult but still loves campy horror films and odd fashion choices. I'm also very happy with the how long this scent lasts, like all of the Clue Perfumes it just hangs around forever.

Having no prior associations with a church setting (I'm ironically blessed to have been raised agnostic), this smells vampiric, haunting, and sexy to me. This is a playful vampire applying cherry chapstick in a warm, incense-filled church. Possibly seducing you to your doom, but hey it'll be a good time. I'm surprised by the reviews stating it's unwearable - this is extremely approachable to me! I would purchase it if I didn't already have a number of scents that scratch this note array itch. For fans of: BDK's Rouge Smoking (OG or Extrait), Orto Parisi's Terroni, DS & Durga's Gateau Blackout

with the candlestick smells like my grandparents' church on christmas eve. it invokes images of your best red sweater you break out of your closet once a year, church pews lined with evergreen wreaths, and the cinnamon-tinged scent of potpourri wafting off of the old grannies sitting in them. you know those little white candles churches give out for each person to light when it's time to sing silent night at the end of the service? this smells like the tendrils of smoke from those freshly extinguished little candles curling into your nostrils mixed with melted christmas candy.

I have a small sample that I've been holding out on actually wearing because I've been stuck on some other incense-based perfumes, but I'm glad I put this one on today. I've been obsessed with Martyr by Profundum and this feels like sweeter, slightly more feminine version of that. Some things I smell that aren't in fragrantica's notes; Metal, irony top note. A sweet fruit, maybe currant, red wine heart note. An almondy base note on the dry down. I'm so enamored with how this smells on me and I'm ecstatic that it doesn't have any creeping powdery-ness to it.

I can only describe it as finally leaving work after a long day, still getting faint whiffs of the cherry perfume you put on early that morning, skin ready for a shower, but instead of going home you descend down the endless stairs of a church basement. Dark, stuffy, dusty only illuminated by a few dozen wick candles. With The Candlestick is a beautifully unsetting perfume, perfect for the spooky seasons. I'm usually a hater on animalics but this fragrance isn't too dirty, isn't too smoky, isn't too cherry heavy, perfectly unisex, its JUST right.

opens with a dry, tart, photorealistic communion wine that blends seamlessly into the specific kind of incense that only catholic churches seem to have access to. dries down into a thick scent of hot melted wax and extinguished candle smoke, notes that shocked me with their accuracy and allure. a red cherry sweetness plays with the musky candle wax throughout picture: that moment during christmas eve midnight mass when the candles are blown out and the lights are still off, a sacred kind of silence hanging in the incense-stained air

1. Smelling cinnamon gum on the breath of your crush 2. Catholic school choir practice in the church basement on Wednesday mornings before third grade, mid-winter, still pitch black at 8am 3. The dusty cherry cola chapstick that's been in the cabinet under my bathroom sink for two decades 4. The hazy memory of my my Girl Scout troop Christmas caroling at the nursing home across town, comforting waxy red dollar store candles and cinnamon stick potpourri 5. The somber, smoky, too-familiar closing incense at a funeral

when my grandfather died, his art was laid out at his memorial. pottery and wood-burned boxes scattered his living room floor. i had only ever known him drunk, smoke-scented, uninterested, belligerent — suddenly, seeing a different side of him, i felt a pit in my throat. i took a box with flowers carved onto it, and when i was older, stored spices in it, cinnamon, cloves, and burnt incense matches, and salt. a magic box. this perfume smells like that box, plus cherry coughdrops. i love it.

I’ve slowly become obsessed with this. It is amaAAAAAzing. Yes smoky yes cherry yes a little waxy. It is so sexy. It is sooooo mysterious. I am so excited to wear this this winter with my new second hand fur coat. This is completely unisex as well. Yes on paper it is pure smokehouse bbq burning meat but on skiiiiin is where you get the cherry. From afar you get cherry, and up close on the skin is where the smoke stays. And it has great longevity and projection. This is a masterpiece !!!!!

Immediate reaction is that this one is very atmospheric and frightening...but also camp and self-aware. Smells like an ancient church adorned with thousands of waxy red candles, all of them alight and welcoming you into the cult. I can sense the cavernous expanse of cool dusty church air, old wooden pews, incense off in the distance, and a hint of sinful cherry wax. Rupaul is at the alter in a spectacular outfit getting ready to complete a sermon. So good! My favourite from Clue so far.

so interesting.... I love this scent but don't really get any of the intended notes. while I do see the church incense, spicy, waxiness, more than anything I get pickley/briney, bug spray almost. reminds me so much of the summer camp I worked at as a teenager; wet old wood pavilions, bug spray, and swamp. funny that the other perfumes in the Clue collection are meant to evoke what I'm describing (Morel Map) and yet I don't really get it from those as much as I do from this one. love

Starts off incredibly spicy with strong smoky incense paired with a noticeable cinnamon spice note. Throughout the whole piece, one element stands above the rest, candle wax. It is a near photorealistic burning candle smell added by the incense and slight leathery castoreum. Cherry is present in the dry down in a very inoffensive way, similar to wine. A gorgeous scent of religious trauma and true to the vision of the blood of Christ going down a candle.

i was absolutely blown away. the scent is exactly like burning incense. the first spray is like lighting the stick: smokey, a little sharp, intense. After about an hour or two of dry down, the scent melts into a sweet, stuffy room smell. the cherry notes were subtle to me but morphed from a Tom Ford Cherry Smoke style of cherry in the opening to a sweet, dried cherry smell. i wasn't expecting to like this one, but it is so unique and beautiful.

absolutely obsessed with this perfume. It smells like following a beautiful, strange woman into damp woods. cherry candles drip on fallen autumn leaves, she's crouched drinking thick red liquid (old wine or blood?) out of a brass chalice. she passes it to you to drink, knowing if you comply, you'll never be the same. if you don't, you'll never be seen again. this fragrance reeks of mystery and antiquity, dark rituals and dusty bookshelves

i tried this in merz apothecary and i fell in love right away, with the primary top note being exactly the cherry communion wine described. now that i have my own, i find i can only smell strong mosquito spray/deet for the first 20 minutes. then it turns into the smoky, cherry, cinnamony musk i was huffing the day i first tried it. i love it so much i don’t mind dealing with the deet. maybe that’ll go away the longer it sits on my shelf.

In the time of Nosferatu, this is Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It’s spooky catholic in the best possible way. I smell the wax, the wine, the smoke, and the metal. It’s so good. My only note is that the bottle is too small, and so I find myself being subconsciously stingy with it. I’m not talking about $/mL— I’ll pay whatever because I love this. I want the option of buying a bigger size, even if only slightly (like 50 mL vs 35).

I'm not usually a big fan of cherry fragrances. Artificial cherry always comes off childish to me, too reminiscent of cough syrup and twizzlers. However, With the Candlestick is an exception. The addition of incense, cinnamon and candle wax really balance the sweetness of the cherry. I didn't grow up religious, so I can't speak to the accuracy of what it's trying to capture, but it definitely paints a vivid picture.

I’ve been wanting a different leather fragrance. The spice in here is a yummy cinnamon with a tart deep cherry and smoke. This is my favorite from Clue. It’s deep, dark, vampiric. The wax accord gives the feel to the fragrance. I can almost see the red cherry scented wax dripping in combo with the incense. This is the one out of the 4 that has a place in my collection.

This scent is intriguing! Like its sister from this house, Warm Bulb, it is a realistic fragrance. It’s complex, with the scent combinations unique- I have personally never smelled another fragrance like it. It’s warm, spicy, smoky, comforting. I wore this in the wild in high summer, where its powers seemed misplaced. Definitely a fall and winter fragrance for me.

The Love Witch in a perfume, like you just stepped into a ritual room or an old church, beautifully gothic and smoky. i pair this with the chimera perfume oil from andromedas curae. id love to see how this smells layered with dior poison, to add more of a wine smell to this because i don’t get much cherry out of this.

I read Audrey’s (foldyrhands) review of this on Twitter and knew I would love this. I blind bought a full bottle, and my trust in incredible writing and my personal taste yielded great reward. This is a beautiful incense fragrance sweetened by cherry wine. The castoreum appeals to my animalic scent obsession. 10/10

Such a lovely and unique fragrance, and so very accurate to the name and notes. This is a smoky, warm, incense fragrance with a splash of cherry wine. It’s very reminiscent of the Catholic Churches I’ve visited in Italy, and is very much a wearable fragrance too. Can’t recommend this enough.

This fragrance makes me feral. I can't stop thinking about it. It smells like if you had a wet dream about putting a cherry in a church censer. If anyone blind bought a bottle and hates it and wants to offload it, I'm your guy.

Chewing cinammon gum just as they pass you swinging the freshly lit censer in a stone church. Spicy, waxy, smoky, sexy. I really love this one, the whole candles and something afoot vibe is very much there.

A hot person scent. If you wear this you’re hot. It’s such a beautiful and confident scent. Very bold. It smells like all the good elements of a Catholic Church.

Like putting out forest wildfire with cherry juice 🌫🌫🌫🌫🍒🍒🍒🍒🌫🌫🌫🌫🌫🌫 🌫🌫🌫🍒🍒🌫🌫🍒🍒🍒🍒🌫🌫🌫 🌫🍒🍒🌫🌫🌫🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🌫🌫🌫 👩🚒🌫🌫🔥🔥🌲🌳🌲🏕🌲🔥🔥🍒 Gonna drench myself once have spare money for 30ml

Truly sinister and sexy. Almost a blend of CDG Avignon and TF Cherry Smoke. Wish this had bigger projection for truly blasphemous energy.

I love it, it smells as if there were a cherry syrup factory in the basement of the church of the holy sepulchre

i love this perfume so much that i made an account. i do not know how to describe it but i love it so much.

Hornyyyyyyy horny horny smell. Indescribably beautiful. A goth girl's dream fragrance, I think.

What the red room in twin peaks smells like. Fire walk with me

Orthodox church. Strangely nostalgic.

after the bright disappointment from the fleeting natural atmosphere provided by Morel Map my next destination took me to a place I haven't visited in a long time and don't plan to return to, a place filled with incense, aged marble pillars and stained glass windows, yet the way With the Candlestick represents these holy places it isn't as unwelcoming as I remember them being. this is one of the few fragrances I've been able detect every individual note, which I find fascinating. church inspired fragrances often give me the idea that they will probably feel cold and distant, but the cinnamon in this one makes it the complete opposite. along with the cherry and incense, these three elements are the strongest during the opening. the unexpected warmth I got from this fragrance feel like the exact same scent from the inside of the religious memorabilia stores I would go to with my catholic grandmother, being from a Caribbean country this might be a shared experience and hopefully whoever reads this knows what I'm referring to. unfortunately I can't speak out (yet) on how this develops during the dry down, since I made the fatal mistake of slightly over spraying it which gave me a headache and required washing it off, not because it was bad but be advised that this one is STRONG (probably the strongest offering from Clue yet) so be mindful while spraying this. in general this is a great contribution to the church perfume trend, not for me but definitely for someone who wants to smell a little bit like a tienda de brujería 7/10 ⛪️

I smell A LOT of fragrances, I have A BUNCH of testers. this scent totally impressed me. I feel like it really took me on a journey! the notes are so clear and very well translated. sometimes, notes get mixed and jumbled up together, which isn't a bad thing at all, but they are difficult to distinguish. this is a great fragrance for someone who wants to really pick up each note carefully. opens with a hit of cherry wine, transitions with incense. that incense note is epic. like, if you ask me what a roman catholic church smells like in my childhood memories, I'd just hand you this. then it gets super cinnamony, and I like how the cinnamon "fuses"the cherry and incense. the incense is the first note to go, sadly, as I love that most. the dry down is cherry and cinnamon. It's still really good, but I'm actually not the biggest fan of cherry and "wine" liquor-y scents, so not sure if this is a purchase for me. It's also not cozy, comfy, or sweet. if this is your everyday perfume, you're certainly bold. it's not indulgent and delicious enough for me personally to purchase.

Immediately smelt like my favourite apple cinnamon Christmas candle and somehow evoked the smell of something hot like a burning candle, though that effect soon went away. Then the cinnamon died down and the incense came through. I tend to avoid incense because I find it too overpowering in fragrances most of the time, but here it just provided a very warm smooth heart that bridges the cherry sweetness on top and the wax base. I think that wax base makes it feel very unique and intriguing. I’m a novice, but I can’t recall ever smelling something with this kind of profile among mainstream perfumes. The wax also evokes a feeling of night time, as if working by candlelight in a beautiful European gothic church. The kind of thing a very elegant, quietly confident goth woman in a velvet dress would wear, perfect for intimate low-lit dinner dates. I can also imagine it on a very sexy priest. I would have liked the full dry down to have just one more element of interest beyond cherry, incense, wax to make it really special, but otherwise very cool.

Crimson candles burning in a Hammer Horror cathedral. Sooty, resinous, spicy. The wax and wood varnish notes are so precise, like you’ve just been arranging votives at the altar or sealing indulgences. And there’s something animal – a musky, boozy cologne – behind the molten spice. A dark priest offering forbidden sacrament. Communion verboten. (It's whiskey and grenadine). Some fragrances conjure up people and others places, but this conjures both the set and the cast. Pairs perfectly with Flanagan’s Midnight Mass. It’s a bloodier, more spidery version of Regime des Fleur’s Blood Spider Orchids. Also smells far more shadowy and sinful than Mason Dixon Pest’s Incarnate, and a far more ethical investment. Not an everyday spray, but when the atmosphere is right it slays. Mental Snapshot: Gory rivulets of wax crawl down the tarnished gold and lacquered wood of an iconostasis. A velvet-gloved hand beckons you into the communion booth. Your Catholic guilt compels you to follow. Yolo. tl;dr: Pope Dracul ⛪️🦇

This one has me feeling really nostalgic for those gray-green bayberry candles that were popular where I'm from in New England and burned on Christmas Eve or New Years Eve. Bayberry candles, also known as 'myrtle wax' candles, date back to Puritan times and are traditionally made with bayberries that were harvested, boiled in water, and strained. This left a wax-like coating that was then melted, poured into molds, and allowed to cool and harden. Their scent is bitter-spicy, cinnamic-berry, and it seems captured here in With the Candlestick. Other memories come to mind: the smell of dusty old ornaments polished to be hung on the tree, tinsel and garland, those bubble-lights that were popular in the 70s and 80s, and watching Rankin-Bass specials. As I write this, it is a month after Christmas, and I feel that cognitive discomfort of feeling fuzzy about the holidays so soon after they have passed, so I am not quite connecting with this in a way that I would in, say, November. I will revisit it!

I was taken in by Clue’s concepts and evocative descriptions, but wasn’t convinced I’d like the scents. However I’ve kind of fallen in love with this one and I find it very nostalgic. To me With the Candlestick is an incense forward scent, with cherry and cinnamon taking a backseat. The incense is reminiscent of what I remember from Catholic mass and the cherry is like the scent of cherry candles. I don't usually care for cinnamon in fragrances, especially this red hot candy kind of cinnamon, but here it blends in pretty well and just adds a bit of heat. It’s such a unique take on the cherry trend. I see a similarity to Fuckery (my current reigning favorite cherry) but With the Candlestick is more incense and less cherry while Fuckery is much sweeter and more intense cherry. I find this one a little more unique it has that bit of something odd that makes a perfume feel addictive to me, and I’d love to upsize to a full bottle.

There's something a bit unnerving about this perfume, I ordered a sample because I was very intrigued and I have a few more uses of the sample. The notes listed are accurate, I feel like cherry is synthetic in an eerily familiar way, not photo realistic cherry but the cherry you would smell wafting through a candle aisle at a store. There was something in the back of mind while I was wearing this that wanted me to look around to make sure I had not kept a candle lit. When I would catch whiffs of it I could almost feel hot wax dripping on my skin. A very interesting sensory experience, a great example to introduce someone to more conceptual perfumes. I wish there was a bit more smokiness to it, but maybe that would be too reminiscent of the overwhelming dread that comes to mind when you're questions whether or not you have had a stroke or not.