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.

I definitely smell wainscotting and some synthetic leather (in other words vegetal or entirely sythetic, rather than a funky, difficult-to-wear animalic scent). There is a sweet note in the base that clashes with my thoughts of what a library would smell like. The longer it wears, the more it goes gourmand on me. Library and bakery to me do not go hand-in-hand when it comes to scent. The wainscotting smells interestingly bitter, kind of how I imagine wasabi to smell. I get the same effect from Rhinoceros, but they are totally different experiences. A very odd perfume, and I assumed it would be, therefore had to try it, but not wearable for me only because of its sweetness. I would have liked it to be more strictly woody. Still, well worth sampling if you are intrugued by wainscotting as a note!

I think this is one of those scents you wear for yourself as it does not seem the most crowd-pleasing scent. However, the idea of an old library-smelling fragrance intrigued me and I blind-bought it. I suppose it could be used for more elegant occasions. There is quality present for what you pay for and if you enjoy rich, woody leather scents, this may be up your alley. The rosewood note is very beautiful and is reminiscent of "leather bound books and rich mahogany," as Ron Burgundy would say. I would highly recommend sampling this and any other fragrances from this house before purchasing.

this is paper with a lot of coal, leather and some woods. it's an odd scent yet intriguing. gives me a slight headache but i enjoy the scent. i'm just not something i would wear very much, yet i really do like this one. it's very evocative and if i had a library i'd definitely want it to smell just like this. gorgeous scent though, i really wish it worked better on me. however, i just think it'd smell better on someone else, maybe i should pass this one on.

Pretty realistic rendition of an old library. I get warm woods and a mild leather. Comfortable and unobtrusive, if a bit heavy for my tastes. If you're into leather scents and want something with a bit of character without being funky, this is a safe buy. I wouldn't say it's super wearable for anyone but older men, but it's pleasant and wouldn't necessarily raise any eyebrows if dark, warm scents are your thing.

SS notes: Leather Bound Books, A Carved Rosewood Mantle, Dying Fireplace Embers, Wood Wainscoting, Cedar Shelving and Aged Paper. Extrait/EDP. Oil based extrait. Not for pregnant/nursing. LEATHER/WOODY. General Catalog. I really thought this would be an easy love for me, but something about this doesn't work for my nose. Yes there is plenty of old wood and leather, but I also get a LOT of dust and something strangely plasticky. Like those old hardcover books in a library that are fully encased in plastic film, forgotten in a corner collecting years of dust.

It's a nice atmospheric scent. The leather in the opening is a bit off but it soon settings into a clean, not old/dusty, library, empty of people and silent. I throughly enjoy the mid. The end game has too much of that animalic accord for my taste. Review of official PERFUME EXTRAIT sample purchased directly from SolsticeScents.com

This is a review of the EDP version of Library, not the oil. The house of Solstice Scents was created in 2004 by Angela St. John. When you visit the site, before you even get a chance to small the oils and perfumes, you get a feel for her aesthetic, which I happen to highly enjoy: dark, gothic, old houses adorn the site. There’s even an eerie newsletter that she publishes there called The Foxcroft Bulletin (a made-up town, as far as I know) that adds to the feeling of the site being a world unto its own. Angela is one of the only perfumers who has bothered to invest as heavily in the art and aesthetic of her line as she has the perfumes themselves, because she’s fully aware that you can draw people in with a story. It worked for me. Anyone that looked forward to Halloween or haunted houses as a kid will love this site – and many of the perfumes. As if the art wasn’t enough, we seem to be kindred spirits when it comes to perfume as well. Angela loves the dark, mysterious, woody, incense-laden scents that work best in fall and winter. To that end, I wanted to try Library, an EDP from the Manor Collection. The entire Manor collection (one of the many collections on the site) is based off an old, abandoned house she found, perhaps very much like the ones in the illustrations that adorn her site; each scent was inspired by a room in the house: Kitchen, Library, Master Bedroom, Solarium, and Manor. For many of her scents, Angela paints a “picture” of notes. Her description of Library drew me in immediately: leather-bound books, a carved rosewood mantle, dying fireplace embers, wood wainscoting, cedar shelving, and aged paper. If this doesn’t speak to the bibliophile in you, what possibly could? The first blast of Library puts you right in the old Manor: the loyal butler has just lovingly applied tea oil to the mantle above the fireplace. A wood polish note, very reminiscent of Old English polish, lasts a good while on my skin. The butler then lets the fire die down for the night while you enjoy the last of its warmth while re-reading your first edition of Proust’s A la Recherche du Temps Perdu in your cozy, oversized patent leather chair. At the very base, the cedar built-in bookshelves shine through and finishes off the life of the fragrance. It’s beautiful stuff. It’s quite obvious she’s good at painting olfactory pictures that harken back to a certain time and place. I have anywhere between three and four hours of longevity on my skin, but lasts much longer on clothes. (I didn’t hesitate spraying this on fabric, since it’s not too dark in color). You can get a 60 ml EDP version for $70. If you prefer oils or smaller sizes, there’s also a 5 ml oil option that is available for $16. Despite Angela liking many of the notes and accords that I do, there’s something for everyone on her site: from the lover of super-sweet gourmands to florals (she came out with a rose/leather for Valentine’s Day that automatically grabbed my attention) to perfumes like this one. She also sells a variety of other products, including body ganache cream (how decadent does that sound?), whipped soap, and glace mists. She’s kind of a one-stop shop for the whole area of scent-related indulgences.

This smells like Raghba Wood Intense with a clean/crisp paper note. I can definitely smell each of these notes individually so it smells exactly how you would imagine it would if you have smelt these notes before. Light leather with sweetness from the rosewood which is too sweet for me. I want to say oud as well and this fresh printer paper smell from the paper note which is made cold from the coal and helps cut through this smelling like a 1:1 of Raghba Wood Intense. Good news if you love this is that a huge bottle of RWI is like $20 and is a massive beast mode performer of a perfume with huge projection and longevity, unfortunately for me, I did not like it and sold my bottle pretty quickly as I found it massively cloying and this is doing the same for me so I am not loving this, i must just hate the rosewood/oud combo. I might give this a few weeks to settle and if it doesn't improve will probably let it go as i actually don't find this an accurate smell of old books or libraries. I have a lot of antique books and have been in a lot of antique shops with antique books and this is not even close which is a shame because I did really want to like it.

I smell lovely Cabinet wood with lacquer. I don’t smell rosewood,leather or paper at all, nor smoke, just a lacquered antique cabinet. It is true to the cabinet smell, and well done, but I wish there was even a hint of the paper others smelled. Still, there are other Solstice Scents I adore, so I'm not missing this one for my assortment! It's a great wood scent, for those not requiring the paper note.

Great leather and dusty paper accord. It smells like a nice soft leather bound book. The dry down reminds me of sandalwood and cedar. I love how sharp the opening is but it quickly transforms into dry woods and vanilla. Very wearable and great performance. If your a fan of leather scents this is a must try for the uniqueness alone.

Nice atmospheric scent that is extremely accurate for its scent profile. Reminds me of my grandmas dusty shelf filled with Catholic theology

i think i need to let my sample age because for some reason it smells like diesel once it dries down. like an old oil rag or something

The leather in this is AMAZING! Really does smell like old leatherbound books. It lasts good too.