One White Crow

i'm very hesitant to ever in writing review perfumes, but this one-- this one does something new. something different. something i find unplaceable and impossible. this was, immediately, the second i put it on my skin from my sampler, a favorite-- but i feared it might just be caused by bias. after all, i love violets, and i love oakmoss-- this scent, which has this as its two "main" core scents, definitely does it well. however, this is more than that. the ivy adds a wet, almost mineralic, leafy roundness that complements the oakmoss and keeps it from becoming dry and biting. the violets, which easily could have gone "dirty" or makeup powder or candied, are very whole, clean, budding flowers, almost tangibly dewy in the moonlight (a disclaimer: i have never had a violet scent go "fruity" on my skin chemistry, but if you have, it may do this). true, fresh violet, creamy nectar honeysuckle that feels almost tea-like, and soft vanilla musk lend it an ethereal air, and this is all tied together with a white tea bow. the naturalistic facets are well grounded with the almost lacy vanilla musk, married perfectly. the listed notes also include lavender, but i cannot detect it. as a whole, it has a surprisingly night-dew like feeling, without being remotely dirty. it's technically a fougere, but i find this to be incredibly feminine. it does one of my favorite things, too: its projection is floral, halo-like violets, but when you smell the skin, it's more of a creamy, realistic musk. if i knew no better, i'd suggest that there's an orris note in here. this scent is luminous. it wears close to the skin, but i still easily get at least 6 hours out of it on clothes or on direct sniff to my skin. this stuff is moonlight in a drop. it reminds me of every bit of lavender-colored silk. this is what padme amidala wore in the balcony scene of episode 3. this is what arwen smells like in aragorn's dreams. this is every time you see twinkle lights through a distant window at night, this is when light catches your breath as it crystallizes in early spring, this is the warm feeling you get when you run your hands over a piece of good satin in the fabric store, this is the moonlight catching the outline of a pretty woman's neck as she looks out over a garden. it's clean, soft, and radiant, but not the modern "clean girl" scent-- i think the choice of violet + oakmoss made sure of that. this is more like a zoomer YA romantasy enthusiast's take on her grandmother's classics like apres l'ondee and violetta di parma. this one probably won't ever be "trendy", but for the people it's made for, it'll definitely be a hit. and while i don't think i have the same association of violets with soap/deodorant as other people may, i think this is absolutely made for a very specific sort of person-- and if you suspect it might be you, at least try a sample.

ah, this is nostalgic. once upon a time i would wear a lot of androgynous fougères, namely dorian, wilde, and fae from bpal; this is so very reminiscent of those times. it's still a beloved scent structure for me. in this case, it has the advantage of leading with violets, powdery parma violets no less, my favourites. out of all the listed notes, honeysuckle is the only one that fails to make a distinct appearance, to my nose at least. then, beneath the violets: heaps of moss, and a mineralic, slightly dry ivy note that hangs discordant for a moment before blending into the mossy environs. i can detect white tea as well, adding a slight, refreshing astringency, and the vanilla at the very backdrop providing a creamy, sweeter base. these are violets in a blurry, glittering, old fantasy film forest, petals crisp-edged with vanilla sugar, roots soaked in cold dew. a clean, fresh, but dreamy scent. my criticisms of it would be that the moss note leans a bit synthetic (but that's the state of things overall when it comes to moss notes, outside of vintage perfumes), and that it isn't the most seamlessly blended fragrance. but i don't think these quibbles will stop me from reaching for it repeatedly.

I am a bit perplexed with this one. The start smell like parma violets initially, which was a pleasant surprise that I greatly enjoyed. But quickly after it formed into this overwhelming piss like smell it was very diuretic, almost like a heavily peed in chlorine pool? I'm not really sure what happened entirely or where it came from but it was headache inducing. Luckily it then faded into this softer, cozier smell and then vanilla, which was very comforting and calming after. I'm assuming the odd start is due to either A) my diabetes effecting my skin acidity Or B) I need to really let her sit for a bit before I try it at a later date. I do not heavily suggest due to my experience with the starting notes; but it's dry down is delightfully powdery and light after followed by sweet vanilla that's just filled with warmth I had gone to bed and the base notes lasted well over 12 hours on their own, which was incredible to wake up to.

Another interesting one, it has a fabulous strong violet opening that I love. The drydown is quite good, but there is a discordant note in there I can't put my finger on, maybe it's just me, but something jars oddly artificially. But then it turns into a wonderful soft powder, like very good cold cream, that I just love. If not for that strange note in the middle it would be on my love list. As it is, it's a great day scent

This is very Magical Secret Garden by Cicely Mary Barker🤏🏼✨ It’s very intimate and quiet...but it works? Where I grew up sipping the nectar out of the honeysuckle flowers wasn’t really a thing... I mean we did it but with the flowers of the acacia trees, and this perfume smells just like that. Realistic ripe greenery with sweet nectar undertones, and the dry-down is just vanilla.