Caravansary

Sampling Pineward Perfumes Caravansary, one of this year’s releases, a dark, interestingly blended concoction that’s very much of the ilk of some of the best of the line. It features a mix of blue spruce, fir balsam, lavender, and smoke, with pinches of resins and vanilla. It gives me a bit of Dasein’s “Winter” and “Winter Nights” combined, with some of the bright, sharp woodiness of the former and some of the dark, spiciness of the latter, a really nice midpoint between the two, for those that are familiar with them but don’t quite gravitate toward either (I love both). Be warned: this is some of the darkest, greenest juice from the house that I’ve seen, so I would suggest applying carefully the first time. It seems like most of the house is sold out during their current winter break but Caravansary’s concentration is extrait and, like most of the house’s darker offerings, is priced at $205/135/80 for 57/37/17ml, which is very fair for high-quality, high-performing juice. And it performs exceptionally well, one of the best performers of the house. Overall, this is yet another outstanding entry from the house, plenty woody, resinous, and somewhat fresh while also being dark, a real gem. 8 out of 10

While this scent is wet it’s deliciously sweet and fresh! You start your day outside eating wild strawberries while the dew rises off of the fir trees that surround you, fresh sap sticks to your bare feet. On the dry down you start making your way back to your cabin in the woods, the sun has started to bake the needles that scatter over the path in front of you, and smoke from the wood stove guides you home. After a few hours, you’ve already headed to bed- all nuzzled up into a musky fur blanket. This scent feels very summery to me, but I think it could be worn year-round. I’ve been itching to buy cape heartache by imaginary authors but this might just satisfy my need for sweet summery pine. It could even become the signature scent I’ve been looking for. The fur/musk and smoke bring very indoor-outdoor smell to this fragrance, which lines up nicely with its name. All the comforts of the wild, alongside all the comforts of home. Edit: Alas, fur/leather scents tend to make me nauseous after a while so I had to retire this for a but but I know I’ll keep reaching for the bottle

I love this. I was a bit worried that it would smell too jammy and heavily sweet, but it was surprisingly light. The smoke isn’t really noticeable at all when it’s first sprayed. It starts off with most of the conifers, then the chamomile, and it gets smoky but not too much so for the last 3 to 4 hours. I usually tend to avoid sweet and smoky notes, but this fit together really well. The chamomile is really subtle but is insanely realistic. The black tea is pretty much always there in the background, but I wish it were stronger. To me this smells like waking up in summer after a bonfire night, a little bit before sunrise. It’s crisp and green but you can still smell the wood smoke on your clothes and in your hair. I would say this is best for summer, but I don’t think it would be odd to wear it all year round. This is easily one of my favorites from Pineward and I plan on getting a full sized bottle sometime.

Personally, I like this better as a true forest experience more than the flagship from Pineward—Fanghorn. And Fanghorn is phenomenal. It’s beautiful. There’s nothing else that you can currently buy that smells like this or will give you the experience that this does. Nothing. People rave about Slumberhouse’s Norne. This is different, but better. If you want a Norne copy, go for Murkwood. But this is more wearable and arguably more interesting. Its fresh. It’s rugged and unapologetically loud in a great way. It’s nuanced—you can pick out every note. It’s mostly linear but that doesn’t matter because it always remains what you want it to be. Even the color is a beautiful green/blue shade. This fragrance makes me feel like I’m camping deep in the mountains. It’s somehow dry and damp at the same time. Do. Not. Spray. On. Clothes. It will 100% stain.

Got 6 pineward samples specifically for this one due to its comparison to MDO’s Bohea Boheme. Which is gone forever and being sold for $600 on eBay ffs. Unfortunately this is not similar to Bohea boheme at allllll. But I actually really adore this. The first 20 minutes is crazy though. I loved it I hated it I loved it I despised it all until it settles and then it wows me. Slightly sweet black tea and chamomile with no distractions needlessly complicating things. On a spending freeze bc I’m ridiculous but when I get my money back up she will be mine. Unisex imo and a year round stunner