Perfume Review: Sweet Anthem

Earlier this year, I spent two weeks in Washington with relatives and I was lucky to be there during their first snow in the winter. A couple days later, the white and fluffy snow turned into some scary blizzard and icy roads which effected my plan to visit this lovely perfume store in Seattle area. It's none other than Sweet Anthem, a vegan-friendly perfumery owned by Meredith Smith. I've been eyeing her perfume samples for months but I figured since I was going there anyway, I'd rather wait so I could just buy the full size after smelling them in person.

Well, poop. Snow was totally ruining my plan. So with a heavy heart, I wrote Meredith a quick note asking about the availability of some of the scents and also telling her my situation, that I couldn't drive to Seattle due to heavy snow etc... and within a couple of hours, I got a reply. Meredith mentioned that she decided to give 10% off discount (the coupon code was STAYINSIDE or smthn like that, lol) for her store during that time. I went ahead and ordered 3 perfume oil samples in the scents:

• Anastasia
• Marianne
• Miho

Meredith kindly sent me a full dram sample of Juliet, which was really cool considering the amount of oils you get. Her TAT was 7 days at that time and after several days, my order showed up in my mailbox.

Anastasia - "A bouquet from her beloved and only Friend, hung to dry during winter; the gunsmoke of an approaching revolution; the remnants from the last afternoon tea, still left steeping; and an ethereal musk, white as snow, hanging on until the thaw."
Notes: Champaca absolute, Civet, Dogwood, Fresh Snow, Green Tea, Honeysuckle, White Patchouli

Marianne - "Romantic spices sprinkled on a tea brewed from freshly picked leaves; sugared peony blossoms and tuberose flowers from a lover; they read together in whispers, from a dust-laden tome of Shakespearean sonnets."

Notes: Fig, Guava, Leather, Mahogany, Peony, Pink Pepper, Tuberose, White Patchouli

Miho - "Is this a mirage? Just a tiny drop will cure any summertime visions with this sweet and fruity floral perfume."

Notes: Sweet Orange, Lotus, Violet, Coconut, Musk, Sea Moss

Juliet - "A starcross'd love – balmy jasmine sambac flowers and orange blossoms are encircled in enchanting spices. Nips of fresh mango and a faintly glimmering sea shore lay the scene in fair Verona."

Notes: Clove, Jasmine Sambac, Mango, Muskwood, Neroli, Pink Pepper, Tobacco

Review

- ANASTASIA -
If there was ever an Ice Queen walking around this earth with her silvery train dress, icy staff and tiara made out of snow flakes, Anastasia would be the kind of fragrance she would wear. The freshness of green tea and probably the fresh snow (I honestly have no idea how a fresh snow should smell like) really open this perfume and give you the ethereal feeling. I was worried about Civet and Patchouli because I don't really want to smell animalic and/or head shop-ish. However, these two notes work wonderfully in Anastasia; they give enough depth and edginess to make this fragrance much more interesting than just a feminine musky perfume. I have never come across a scent like this, it's truly unique and soft. It makes me feel like I'm floating in Narnia wearing it. Full bottle worthy!!!

- MARIANNE - 
Leather was the strongest note as soon as Marianne touched my skin. In fact, it's the only thing I could smell for the next 5 minutes. Then, the fruity-floral combo started to appear followed by the Patchouli and something else foreign, which I reckoned to be the Mahogany. After a while, I actually enjoyed Marianne although I found it to be quite linear. Marianne is surprisingly unisex, in my opinion, but it's still soft in a sexy, leathery kind of way :)

- MIHO -
This is one gorgeous tropical concoction. The sweet orange and violets were quite dominant in the opening with a lovely dry coconut note lingering in the background. Coconut is always a tricky note because it  could easily turn anything to smell like a suntan lotion, but this is not the case with Miho. It remains fruity and girly but not in Britney Spears or Paris Hilton bubblegum/fruit loops type of fragrance. It's not my favorite of the bunch but I could see myself wearing it more during the more appropriate season (read: summer).

- JULIET -
If I could drink this, I would. No, it's not because it smells like smoothie or anything, but Juliet is just........yummy. On cold sniff I got a lot of juicy, ripe mangoes that aren't too sweet. Jasmine sambac is actually called Pikake here in Hawaii, and it's one of my favorite floral notes. It's creamy, fragrant, and very feminine. Juliet is a lovely floral and the easiest to wear among the oils I received because the notes go so well together. When I was wearing Juliet one day, this lady in the elevator actually asked what I was wearing because she said it reminds her of her garden :) That's a good thing, right?

The oil itself last a long time on my skin, approximately 6-8 hours. Some scents obviously developed more than others and also work differently on every person's skin. I am personally amazed by Sweet Anthem complex fragrances and how these different notes would blend beautifully together, so I really recommend trying Meredith's product because she's a perfume genius.

Sweet Anthem has an Etsy store where you can check out their current Spring catalog or you can head to their main site.

Hope you enjoy!