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!

Perfume Review: Wiggle

Wiggle Perfume and Sundries is a indie perfume oil company with burlesque theme store and label. As soon as you see the images and descriptions, you will immediately catch their sultry and classically naughty background. 
Catering to the unique female individual, even by the names and backgrounds they chose for their products, Wiggle offers a wide variety of scent depends on your preference (feminine, sexy, mysterious, fun).


I honestly was attracted by their labels and after long months of holding back I finally caved in and ordered six samples ($2.00 each) but I just noticed yesterday they raised up their price to $3.00 per sample vial. I had troubles narrowing down my choices but I finally settled with:

• Anna May
• Speakeasy Vanilla
• Honeysuckle Sweet Tea
• Sakura
• Buxom
• Manora
• Lila (free sample)

ANNA MAY 
(peony, green tea, wisteria, white musk, orchid, ginger, soft incense, lychee)
~ This smells like an airy spring days when the cherry blossom blooms and you sit with your picnic table, hair down, enjoying nature. Although the notes are mostly floral, they're not dominant. The lychee as a top note did gives a vibrant sweet opening but then the scent becomes softer and girlier. The incense and ginger are barely detectable unless you inhale really deep like a coke addict (ok maybe not really). The spices are somewhere in the background, hiding, and magically morph Anna May into a more complex fragrance.

SPEAKEASY VANILLA 
(bourbon vanilla, sultry amber, frankincense, white musk, bay rum)
~ If you love vanilla scent and think Solstice Scent Cenobite is too boozy/sweet for you, give this a try because this one is like a more powdery version of Cenobite. The beginning is quite warm but the dry down is definitely more powdery and multidimensional. The incense is definitely there, creating this feminine, classic grown up vanilla. It's pretty soft and comforting. A must try.

HONEYSUCKLE SWEET TEA
(black tea, honeysuckle, golden honey)
~ Wow, this one is very realistic. It's a well balanced combo of those three notes above and I can't tell you which one is stronger just on a cold sniff. It's that kind of fragrance you wear in those sticky hot and balmy summer nights. A tea lover would really enjoy this one but on me the drydown smells just like honey which is not my cup of tea. HA!

SAKURA 
(cherry blossom, Egyptian musk, red santal, fresh cut grass, nag champa, pink grapefruit)
~ You know you can easily tell that a scent is "old-fashion" but I can never actually know that there is such thing as "new-fashion" until I smell this one. Everything screams au courant, vibrant, fresh and modern. Not sure if I make any sense but scent wise, it's really unique, the pink grapefruit in the opening fools you into thinking that this would be a straight up fruity scent, but that's not the case. Not at all.

BUXOM 
(rich bourbon vanilla, English rose, red musk, powder)
~ I frustrated myself yesterday because this reminds me of something I've smelled when I was a child but I can't remember what it is. After a long painful search on Google of "What Buxom smells like" and "Buxom reminds me of..." with no result, I give up and focus on the notes. It's a very classic feminine powdery rose that also has a dry pastry note (i know it's weird) but the site says Buxom usually evolves differently on everyone's skin so it may smell totally different on you.

MANORA 
(black tea, lotus, coconut)
~ Oh my god Thai Iced Tea creamy goodness come to me !!!! It's so yummy and the tea balances out the heady lotus note. I love how the coconut in this one smells dry, and not tanning lotion-y. A must try, definitely!

LILA 
(lilac, black musk, vanilla, black tea, black rose, black pepper)
~ Don't you hate it when you order a bunch of samples and you get one free extra, and that one extra turns out to be your uttermost favorite? Yeah this is it. I actually was very surprised because Lilac on me always smells odd. Notice how 4/6 of the notes have "black" in them? :) This smells nothing dark or haunting, instead it's very feminine and soft. The lilac smells very romantic (if that's even possible lol idk) and makes you feel like a sexy retro actress going out on a romantic dinner; polka dot shoes, red lipstick, white pearls and all.



Their 5ml perfume oils are $15 whereas the 15ml are $39 each. Honestly I do think the price is quite steep and it's probably the only downside I can think of from this company. The perfumes staying power is decent, Speakeasy Vanilla and Buxom last the longest on my skin (around 5-6 hours) and some only hold for 2 (Sakura and Anna May). Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase and I'm considering to get Lila in full size when I'm not broke ^^

Perfume Review: Wylde Ivy

Another long overdue review which I always regret and apologize for... I could swear to you I planned to blog about this company right after I received my order but apparently my brain was somewhere else along with my memories. Anyway, let's start before I forget about it again 
(loljk....)

Wylde Ivy is a perfumery artisan whose product are uniquely blended and vegan friendly. I've seen them mentioned many times especially by those who enjoy musky and fruity-floral scents. Their blends are well known to be very complex, delicate and sophisticated. I honestly have no idea why it took me so long to make an order from them. I took a plunge and ordered their 5 Mini Perfume Spritzers Set from their Etsy store when they had a 15% off discount back in May.   

The scents I chose are: Indigo Moon, Simple Love, Moonflower, She's So Flirty, It's My Party (Good Girl Edition). Along with my order I was given 2 free sample vials in the scents of: Neroli Creme and Muse.

"Indigo Moon" ~Wylde Blend~  Indigo Moon, dreamed into being by a Wylde Ivy customer, is sugared plums, soft red currants, sweet cream apples, vanilla drenched musk, and sheer white amber. The waning crescent moon hangs delicately in the ink blue sky as a 1000 glistening jeweled stars pierce the indigo night. 

"Simple Love" ~Wylde Blend~ To honor my twin baby girls, I wanted to create a fragrance to reflect the amazing feeling of being the presence of uncomplicated, perfect, unconditional...Simple Love. A light, airy fragrance of euphoria, gentle and inviting. Like love, this has a delicate nature, yet invokes such powerful emotions. Let Simple Love surround you. Notes of: White Lily of the Valley, Dewy Moss, Pure Vanilla, Pink Jasmine, Mandarin Peel, Sweet Berry, and White Musk. 

"Moonflower" ~Wylde Blend~ This stunning cool floral blend invokes visions of sheer white petals glowing under the moonlight. Moonflowers are crisp white flowers that bloom under the rising moon. They fragrance the night with their gorgeous and subtle gardenia like fragrance. This is the scent of Moonflower petals wrapped in velvet moonlight, fresh jasmine and sandalwood, violets and sheer musk. This is a simply magnificent scent. 

"She's so Flirty" ~Wylde Blend~ She’s so sweet and so seductive. Her sweetness draws you in and her seduction ensnares you. She is charm, allure, and attraction in a petite, sapphire eyed, scarlet lipped package. She may be playing you, but it feels so good you choose not to care. She’s so cute. She’s so sweet. She’s so captivating. She’s so flirty.Notes of: Chilled green apple, smooth vanilla musk, white amber, sandalwood, a hint of jasmine petals, and citrus peel. 

"It's My Party, Good Girl Edition" ~Wylde Blend~ The good birthday girl is all sweet and charming. She glistens and sparkles and radiates pure joy. She's the embodiment of picture perfect in every picture ever taken of her, her smile practically glistens. Expect her to throw her own huge parties with people traveling from four states away to share her day. She loves the attention, she adores the primping, and she lives for this once a year day of her own.Notes of: Pure white vanilla frosting, a touch of sweet cream, rainbow colored sugar crystals, blackberries and currants, a dash of citrus and sticky candy, with a base of sugar musk.

"Neroli Creme" ~Wylde Blend~ The timeless, gracefully scent of orange blossoms meets the simplicity of pure vanilla cream. 

"Muse" ~Wylde Blend~
Muse [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin Mûsa, from Greek Mousa.] meaning a source of inspiration.

The Scent: Light and airy white musk meets delicately sweet ribbons of sugar intertwined around subtle notes of vanilla beans, orange glazed berries, and soft white florals. Be inspired.

Review:


Indigo Moon - On a cold sniff it smells very plum-y, it quickly settles down and the amber starts to emerge, making it deeper and almost smokier. This reminds me of a sugar plum scent which I honestly was never a fan of, very sugary with dry berries and a bit of musk in the background. This one is just an ok for me, I don't love it but it's also not offensive by any means.


Simple Love - Ok, I might be delusional but this is a dead-on Philosophy Falling In Love scent which I owned. I even Googled the notes and turns out they're pretty similar. I'm not calling it a dupe or anything because this is supposed to be Wylde Ivy's house blend but to my nose they are very very very similar. 


Moonflower - Be completely honest with you I ordered this one because of the name. You know my long sappy old love story with The Body Shop Spirit of Moonflower, so when I saw this scent I was kinda hoping to get something close to that discontinued scent, but WI Moonflower is nothing like it. This is obviously a white floral scents, on the first sniff I was welcomed by the gorgeous gardenia and jasmine. The musk appears after a couple of minutes and pretty much stays in the background. I can't really smell any violets although it was listed but I'm kinda glad because violet tends to be a little cloying. This blend is beautiful and I can see myself wearing it to a garden picnic or one of those spring days when you just want to smell light and pretty. Definitely a day time scent.


She's So Flirty - This one took me 2 tries to finally understand it, which is a shame because this turned out to be my favorites of the bunch. The green apple definitely dominant in this blend but don't worry, you won't smell like a jelly roncher because there is so much more to it. The sandalwood and amber add a sexy and mysterious vibe whereas the jasmine and citrus "beautify" this perfume and make it smells less fruity-generic. This blend developed on my skin and it smells more complex the longer I wear it. A must try, even if you're not an apple fan :)


It's My Party Good Girl Ed. - Sweet, sweet, sweet. I smell sugar, musk and more sugar. Those of you who enjoy sticky sweet cotton candy scents, this one is for you. If I tried this perfume back in 2008 I might have had enjoyed it very much but unfortunately this one is too been-there-done-that scent, which is definitely my fault for having to try too many similar scents in this category before. This perfume reminds me of BBW Warm Vanila Sugar which is a long time favorite of mine. I might wear this on my fun days when I feel like a teenager again, running around in midnight carnivals with two giant fluffy pink cotton candies in my hands.
Added: The drydown smells kind of odd for me, not sure what it is but it doesn't go well with my body chemistry. Boo :(


Neroli Creme - Amazing, is all I can say. Sometimes less is more because this blend only consists of orange blossoms and vanilla creams, but it smells soooooo dang pretty. It's soft, it's creamy, and it makes you want to cuddle with your lover under a giant blanket and your favorite sentimental movie playing on TV. Gorgeousness in a bottle, period.


Muse - I believe this is a revamp version of their famous line and people said they don't smell the same anymore. I haven't tried the old one so I can't really say much about it but what I know that Muse smells close to Pink Sugar, in a less-cloying way (which is why I felt like I'm very familiar with it). Again, the sugar definitely speaks loud and clear in this one, along with the musk and vanilla. I can't pick up too much of the floral but it does develop into something more complex than It's My Party Good Girl Edition. I like this one better, obviously, since I'm old now.


Final Say:


I am quite pleased with my order, and especially with the free samples I got, I definitely want to try more of their floral scents. Based on my experience, I could say that their sugary blends are no joke, and they are mostly overpowering the other notes. I am happy with the ones without, especially Neroli Creme and She's So Flirty. Overall a very good experience with Wylde Ivy, if you have tried them please leave me a comment below and let me know which one should I try next.


FYI, Wylde Ivy do offer 1 oz Perfume Spray for $17 or if you're international you may purchase their 1/3 oz Perfume Oil instead (since alcohol can't ship overseas) for $12. If you feel like sampling a bunch of fragrance, you can also do that, they have this 10 Perfume Vials for $15 deal, which I think is pretty neat. 

I'm Sampling !!!

Just a quick list of fragrance samples I've purchased recently, because I feel like I need to jot them down in order to control my dangerous behaviour in the future.

....

Yeah, you got what I mean.

13 Gypsies Perfumery on Etsy:
- Aphrodisia
- Aurora
- Blackberry Tea
- Dark Star
- Sister Moon
- Haunted

Flourish also on Etsy:
- Almond Milk
- Pomegranate Rose
- Peach Tea

Solstice Scents
- Cenobite (I got a full size bottle on this one)
- Spellbound Woods

I also plan to sample fragrances from various Etsy sellers (this would be the end of me, I swear T_T)

Opulent Alchemy :
Baby Phat – Fabulosity
Chanel – Chance Eau Tendre
DKNY - Be Delicious Fresh Blossom
Gucci - II
Gucci - Rush 2
Jennifer Lopez  – Deseo
Jessica Simpson – Fancy
Kate Moss – Vintage
Lolita Lempicka - L'de Lolita
FRESH - Fig Apricot

Scent by the Sea A Garden of Earthly Delights Deluxe Perfume Oil Sample Set
Cinema Rouge - dusky amber
Frangipani - tropical paradise
Egyptian Honey - mysterious sweetness
China Rain - freshly showered
Sandalwood Vanilla - for guys and dolls alike
Fiori di Roma - summer sunshine
Cote d'Azur - champagne on the beach
Middle Earth - into the woods
Antebellum - magnolia goodness
Tehura - island girl


The Morbid The Merrier
CLEO
VOIX DE VILLE
FUNHOUSE


Wiggle Perfume
Anna May
DuBois
Djuna
Hither
Sakura
Speakeasy Vanilla
Honeysuckle Sweet Tea

Dear Lord how did I get here???