Library

The dry down, the dry down! I would actually say that about most of the Solstice Scents line because they all can be great big banging nosefuls at first. But, oh my, the dry down. Yes, it smells as I imagine a library in a stately home would smell, or at least how I'd imagine them to smell in my dreams of stately manor home libraries (yes, I have those dreams - don't judge!). This scent reminds me of Zoologist Rhinoceros, but much more subdued. It's Rhinoceros' more sedate and well-mannered sister. Angela is the master of evocative fragrance and this is another fine example of her genius.

When I first got a sample of this perfume all I could smell was dust, both on paper and on my skin. I was disappointed but put it aside and moved on. Recently I remembered that my bottle of Manor (also by Solstice Scents) gets way better the longer it’s been sitting so I reached for my little dabber bottle of Library. WOW. It’s gone from straight musk and powder to a gorgeous, woody, leather and paper scent. It’s got all the sweet ambery notes that I’m obsessed with.

for me its like cracking a leather bound spine and shoving your nose right against the pages.

As soon as I put this on I thought "Oh wow, that smells familiar!" and it's not just because I work in a university library - it's almost a dead ringer for the Spireside candle Gothic Library! Like that candle, I feel as if this perfume needs one more note to round it out. I wore it yesterday layered with an oil that's a single grass note, and that was much better. The grass note brought just enough freshness to the mix. I also tried it with a 2 note oil of rose and dirt, which transformed it from a library to a library overlooking a cemetery with the French doors thrown open. It's a unique scent, and I had to try it because I'm a writer and a total bibliophile. I think I'll stick with the candle version, though. While I adore books and all things scholarly, I'm not sure if I want to smell LIKE them - I'd rather just smell them. That said, one of the other samples I received (Violet Mallow) is exactly what I want to smell like. These formulations are incredible, so I'll definitely be ordering full sizes from Solstice Scents.

what a brilliant blend! I love leather and to be fair, this is is mostly about the leather. It is a boozy, moist, sweet leather. The woody notes I am unable to distinguish, however, feels as though there was a touch of oud too. Not sure about the paper note...if I really force myself to the idea, then it's a maybe. However, like I said it is more about the leather. Think maybe some resins/balsamics could be the reason for the sweetish glowy background. It is mid-weight and unisex in my opinion. Love it. p.s. just went through the reviews and seen someone mentioning similarities with Rhinoceros from Zoologist. I can second that opinion, that was the first frag that first came to my mind too. Not saying it's a clone tho, sadly I do not have a Rhino sample any more to compare side by side. Anyhow, Library is probably bit more rounded and sweet and does not have any herbal notes.