Aria in F#

I was sent this as an additional large sample with my HOM order which does not influence my review. Christi Meshell sent a note along with it saying it was "controversial"! Naturally, I looked up all the reviews! I thought about a blind sniff, but then, "controversial" had me a bit concerned and interested and I wanted to prepare for the negative reviews/experience that would be sure to follow. Nah. This is a lovely, quite beautiful perfume. In fact, I was almost let down by the lack of "controversy" my nose has been experiencing with this perfume. Because I'm anosmic to some accords up close, when I'm "really testing" a perfume I waste a little: I spritz into a warm bath, and walk in a few minutes later--yes, top notes are probably gone, but in the room, I get a sense of the perfume at a distance, warmed up--a woody, anisette, ethereal Rose greeted me when I stepped in. Most of the great classic perfumes had close to or well over 100 ingredients. This is not new. What's new are the simpler scents produced, professing to be comprised of 5 ingredients (which is usually not true). So the idea that a random "everything but the kitchen sink" went into this is uninformed in terms of the negative comments. Look up Shalimar (vintage PLEASE!)--it really does have more than just bergamot, lavender, tonka. It is a delicate balance of dozens of ingredients. Hereto, the balance is quite nice, and now I'm thinking of a full bottle since it is going to be discontinued, or, already is. I was not part of the Facebook group that created this, so I really do not know "what all" went in it, but sandalwood yes, and ROSE yes, and a bit of herbal tobacco with some honey. Cardamom is a mere whiff here--and frankly--I was looking forward to some super-dosing on that because I'm addicted to it, and, if you're a patch head like me, the patch is a bit of a let down--delicately there, but not dirty, not hippie, not earthy but perhaps lightly mentholated because I am picking up some kind of artemisia or anisette (I'm surprised to see some of the comments below because I was hoping for a SL Borneo type of patch). This is a lightly spicy yet floral-tobacco scent that most reminds me of "Woo" (same house, of which I purchased a FB). Possibly there is ambergris, and if there are orange flowers, they are not indolic. Actually, I really don't pick up some of the more common flowers like Jasmine, Gardenia, or Tuberose. So I don't know what went into it, but my nose smells a predominant Rose-sandalwood, followed by an artemisia and/or anisette/fennel, buttressed by tobacco and honey, a bit of hay, some ambrette and that "apothecary" base Christi uses. Over time, my nose becomes anosmic to some notes, and the perfume wafts in and out, ghosting a bit, and that may be due to musk (I cannot smell a lot of musk notes). I really enjoy it and find it's actually one of the more wearable and versatile perfumes. Some HOM scents ARE herbal and minty and woody and all that and take some time to fully appreciate. This is easy to wear. Maybe my batch mellowed over time. It is definitely FB worthy. Thank you Christi!

Cardamom, patchouli, woody It's a cool woodsy scent. On me I don't get floral. I don't like it, nor hate it. It's just meh. I do agree with a few things said in the other reviews. I do agree with the individual saying it does not smell like bug spray or lip balm. I get more of a pinsol vibe. This is not a warm scent. It's very cold. The impression I get is redwood forest in a cool mist. I can see how some would get a minty vibe from it. With the woods , patch, and cardamom it can give that type of impression. I'd say it's not soft, not feminine or sexy. My opinion it's suited better for a man. I would not suggest blind buying this scent. Test it first. It's a fragrance which may acquire and appreciate different and unique. It's out of the ordinary. Not for everyone. Last, body chemistry plays a huge part on how a scent may project or perform on each person. Not everyone is the same, therefore each person's perspective may be different. As it may smell one way on you, it may not on another. If your into woody fresh cold scents you may like it.

I'm going to make this short. What the !#@@@&$ is this? Smh. The above is not a reference to something good.

A Facebook Fragrance Friends custom scent for the forum. It reflects its personality perfectly.