FARMAKON

Another Bloom Halloween pack sample, their description being 'Corpse Wax' for this one - they have a way with words. Super woody opening, faint oak but mostly resin and cinnamon bark. Suddenly, wet moss. Spicy throughout with delightful warmth. Despite not being an aquatic scent, something about it feels like Scottish lochs - the mix of local botanics and peaty waters. There is a bran note, but for me not super present, more makes for an almost malty mix. Drying down the spice actually mellows a bit and levels out to hay, moss and resin with a solid bran grain base. It maintains that overall sense of peaty water for me. It settles in to be a super moreish and comforting scent - truly love the journey of this fragrance. Just up my street. Towards the end, and fully dry, it becomes almost purely woodland and somehow the spice pops back out - cinnamon heaven. It reminds me a bit of Blazing Mr Sam when dry! A wild journey. All year kind of fragrance - super versatile and pretty distinct. I am surprised at it not being that strong in terms of sillage and projection - it is a somewhat more intimate sitting fragrance, maybe 6ft at its strongest point. Longevity is actually better than I thought, still present projection after 6 hours and I think it'll continue for another 2 hours at least. Super unisex, I can't see this being something anyone would hate! 9.5/10 - would like more sillage at the price, but what a delicious scent. Give it a try.

I was really intrigued by the nature notes in this, but in reality I find it unwearable. It's so sickly sweet that I find myself a bit nauseous after a while. If you like this scent, the pro is that it's very strong smelling, you only really need one squirt. I struggle to pick out any individual notes in this, but the scent memory it evokes for me is the sweet decay smell you find when a dead animal had been rotting in an enclosed space. If you've smelt that, you'll know what I mean. I can maaaaybe pick out some moss and cinnamon, but all the individual notes just seem to swirl and blend together and create this whole new thing: Which is sickly-sweet, juicy, maggoty decomposition. Too sweet for me. Can't do it.

Farmakon takes you to many places. The complexities of the variations of materials are very present. In one setting you can be in an open field with tall grass and a breeze, open plains. Another setting you could find yourself with a waterfall in the distance and the scent of water passing across the stones. Each material presents itself as an invitation to take you to another setting. Another beautiful composition from Maqueda.

Bran bran bran bran so much bran. Deeply savoury. The epitome of the smell of beige.