Lace Draped Spectre

Ohhh, this is pretty. I received a 1mL extrait sample as part of a larger order. Not smelling much rose. Mostly getting a lot of sweet, florals and powdery white musk. A vanilla candle burns in the distance... not really smelling that one either. It DOES vaguely smell like red hot candies but there's more powder and floral to it. Perfumes can smell totally different depending on where I apply them. On my wrists? Definitely has that soft, feminine "lace draped spectre" vibe. VERY powdery. A top note showcase of amorphous florals and sugar, toeing sweet flormand. Antecubitals? Sharper, astringent, still floral but spicy. I think it's the carnation and pink pepper hitting harder, giving it an uplifting zing. The base musks finally mellow out that powdery scent too. Crazy how the difference in acidity, trace chemicals and temp totally transform this into something I can see myself wearing. Probably best worn late summer or early fall to draw out all of the interesting notes and get a more balanced experience. Longevity on the wrists is about 6hrs. On the antecubes, I'm STILL smelling it at intimate sillage 10hrs later. Further, it has morphed into something that smells almost exactly like Marc Jacob's Oh Lola!, which is a hell of a twist but a nice one. Overall, a very pleasant scent journey.

Carnation is one of my favorite notes, and I am so happy I found this little gem! Beautiful, sweet, almost gourmand Carnations. So lovely!

38th EDP: This one pales next to the best parts of Estate Carnation, except it does not have a disgusting corn chip/ butter note. I sprayed a descent amount to make it stronger and when it settled, it smelled like the nicest sweet floral clove candle plus a floral shop note. Estate Carnation does not smell like a candle, but this does. Still, I bought a couple samples to see how it smells to me over time. I like it enough and I think it's an okay carnation interpretation. But, I have better carnation scents. Overall give it a try, as there's nothing offensive about it. I may get a couple more samples of this along with a full bottle this Fall of something else by SS. 7/10

I've noticed Solstice Scents does have that powdery note in almost all their fragrances. This one is no different. The vanilla and carnation is great, but that dirty rose and musk does give it that musty smell. Regardless, I enjoy it. It reminds me of those Red Hots candies, which I love because I like to suffer, and sometimes the Fireball whiskey in the beginning. Then it settles into a lovely, light vanilla-carnation. I wouldn't wear this in public, but I wear it at home and sometimes late at night because it's comforting. The name is very fitting.

I was hesitant to try this one because I'm not a huge fan of rose, but it was highly recommended. I'm glad I got a sample of it because it's a nice refreshing scent that (to me) doesn't have much of a rose scent at all.