Reviews by Scent Detective

PStoller was very kind and sent me a sample of Nefertum. Thanks so much PStoller!

I was interested based on a comment made by Proust Madeline quite a while ago, but then I sat on the idea of ordering a bottle of Nefertum and now it's no longer available...bummer.

So, upon my first wearing I can see that I do indeed love this perfume. I love Teone's Blue Lotus and I smell a touch of that in Nefertum, but it is also filled with amazing notes of cardamom, cinnamon, clove, frankincense, myrrh, and mysore sandalwood...oh my...this smells divine and I could definitely wear the heck out of a bottle. Hopefully she'll bring this one back at some point and I can snag some. This would be a head turner for me if I smelled it on someone else. Beautiful spices, florals, and sandalwood wafting up to my smiling nose, LOL. Two thumbs way up for Nefertum!

So, about 30 minutes in and the sandalwood is jumping off my skin. There is a slight sweetness to Nefertum, but it's well balanced by the frankincense and other spices. I noticed that the sandalwood note in this fragrance reminds me of the sandalwood note in ALD's Santal Galore, which surprised me. There's a slightly smokey aspect to the sandalwood note in both of them. I assume this mysore sandalwood smells a touch smokey because of the combination of other notes involved in the composition as well. I really like it.

Cloud Illusions has a strange opening. Yes, there are blueberries, but the bubblegum note almost smells like ambergris bubblegum if there were such a thing. I really like this...it's unusual, but in such an interesting way. My favorite of the three Folkwinds main line fragrances. I agree with Thedad that the drydown is very nice. Two thumbs up from me for Cloud Illusions. I would definitely sample it to make sure it's for you, but I like it...it is for me. Thumbs up.

I've been wearing Jasper No Kodo for the last two days from a sample I received. This is my favorite from Folkwinds of the perfumes I've tried. The only one I haven't smelled is Smuggler's Notch which sounds very nice as well.

Jasper No Kodo has so many coniferous notes listed that I had to try it, and I definitely got a very enjoyable coniferous note, mixed with blackberries in the opening that made me smile. Fir, Hemlock, and Juniper Berries. Jono, please correct me if I'm wrong, but this is Hemlock Spruce, not the poisonous flowers, correct? These coniferous notes are blended extremely well with the blackberries and the copal resin, which also has a slightly piney smell, and palo santo sandalwood...mmm...mmm! Smells wonderful! The conifers smooth down as JNK moves into the mids and picks up some very soft floral tones. In the drydown, I pick up some ambergris and perhaps a slight bit of oud, but the main notes to me through the wear are conifers, blackberries, slight florals, and ambergris.

This is a wonderful fragrance and one I could see myself wearing a lot. For those of you that are familiar with Ellen Covey's Blackbird, you know that she created a coniferous fragrance with blackberries several years ago, but also know that Jasper No Kodo smells much better than Blackbird. (This is in my opinion of course). JNK has a far more blended scent profile than Blackbird, which is overpowered by the blackberries. Jasper No Kodo is rich, but clean smelling at the same time. It is somewhat linear throughout the wear, but that works well for me as I absolutely love this scent profile and would wear the heck out of it.

Brilliant job by Jono on Jasper No Kodo! Two thumbs up as high as I can reach

The opening of Tabac Libre is one of the most beautiful perfumes I've had the pleasure of smelling. It's in the opening that I really pick up the balance of raspberry and plum with the rum and cognac and tobacco notes...pure bliss. Once the perfume begins to dry down the tobacco and coffee notes take center stage and the fruit and alcoholic beverage notes take more of a supporting role. It is still very beautiful, but takes on a stronger mustiness from the coffee as well. Tonka also plays a role and mixed with the tobacco brings a very slight anisic presence, but it definitely doesn't over power. This fragrance though unisex leans more masculine IMO, especially in the dry down. This is a full bottle purchase for me for sure. A wonderful piece of olfactory art is accomplished in this perfume. Bravo Mr. Balamis!

Fougerist is a wonderful Fougere creation by Angelos Creations Olfactives. It's VERY SMOOOTH...that the way I'd describe it. Smells almost creamy in it's fern like greeness and I love it.

There are several notes listed that are not in traditional fougeres, but as Angelo says, quote, "Fougèriste! Based on the classic structure of a Fougère but also having my signature modern touch", end quote. I would say that based on my limited wearing of Fougerist, it's my fourth favorite fougere right now behind, Oud Fougere, Norne Oil, Bon Monsieur. I'm probably forgetting one that I love immensely, but these are the four in my rotation right now that I'm enjoying the most.

Fougerist is pricey! But it is also obviously very high quality. If you're a lover of the fougere, you need to at least do a sample of this beautiful creation. Two thumbs up!

Been wearing my samples up quickly with this one from Bortinikoff. I love the black currant in the opening a lot. It's paired with a vanilla pudding type creaminess that makes is smell wonderful to my nose. There is also a citrus presence from the bergamot and mandarin with some apricot as well, but Scheherazade is not overly sweet. I get some sandalwood in the dry down and it becomes a skin scent faster than I'd like it to, but it does have better longevity on clothing. This is just a beautiful fragrance and one that I want in my collection. Two thumbs up to Dimitry and Rajesh for this collaboration...great job gentlemen!

Dharan is much more austere and less feminine to my nose than Clandestine Labs Astoria, which is also a rose fragrance like Dharan...but I actually prefer Astoria to Dharan. That isn't to say that Dharan isn't also very nice, but I love the jammy/raspberry aspect of Astoria. Dharan on the other hand is extremely wearable for a man or a woman in my opinion. The opening has a yuzu note going on that really grounds the florals, and the geranium also helps give Dharan a unisex vibe to my nose. Dharan smells refined and a tiny bit restrained as well. It smells like how a really expensive suit looks...classy, slightly out of reach, but you still want it. I would wear Dharan for a formal night out fragrance more than I would for a laid back event as it strikes me more as best dress than jeans, but do I think I could pull Dharan off in jeans...yeah, I do, LOL. That estimation has more to do with Dharan than it does with me though. Two thumbs up.

Pool Boy opens with citrus, guava, and slight florals. I get the reference mentioned of a fruit salad smell and I'm getting that too. It smells good on skin though, not overwhelmingly sweet or gourmand. There is a clean edge to Pool Boy and it wears very crisp and light on my skin. This is my third wearing and I must say that I've come to really appreciate the blending more each time I've worn PB. As mentioned, there is also the presence of a tea note and I'm thinking this cuts through the guava giving the overall accord a more brisk and wearable feel. My initial wear caused me to think the guava note was too strong for my liking, but subsequent wears have convinced me that the blending of the guava is well balanced with the other notes. Very nicely done, and an excellent spring/summer fragrance that can of course be worn all year as well.

The opening of Madrid definitely has a sharp lemon note with a bit of an almost coumarin wet hay like note as well. As mentioned, there is a slight synthetic lemon vibe in the opening, but not a problematic one for me by any means. I enjoy Madrid from start to finish. The woods are definitely cedar like and ground the sharp lemon. I like the balance of the blending in Madrid. An ever so slight floral drifts into my awareness as I sniff my wrist and I'm assuming that is the magnolia as I'm not familiar with magnolias. Ginger is a love of mine and I'm enjoying it's presence as well. This is a very good spring/summer fragrance, or just a great pick me up fragrance as it's clean, Eau de Cologne like in character, but lasts like an EDP on my skin.

Madrid also brings juniper to my mind. It isn't listed in the notes, and it feels like a "yellow" juniper scent profile more than it does a green one, but I really love that juniper sparkle that it has.

I will pick up a FB as it fits in any of my rotations for sure. Two thumbs up for Madrid by Clandestine Laboratories!

Tabac Dore is in a word, "luscious". Wet smelling, slightly sweet tobacco that is at the same time slightly dry...but it's more moist than it is dry. A very strong fragrance that doesn't require much to envelope you in a cloud of incredible beauty all day.

Musk Cologne is still probably my favorite Bortnikoff, but Tabac Dore is right there with it. It's a stunning achievement and is definitely my favorite tobacco fragrance, which is saying something as there are so many that are wonderful and that I also love.

Okay, another one word description for this incredible fragrance, "transcendent". It takes me to an amazing place, and I love going there with Tabac Dore. Two thumbs up as high as possible.

I agree with both @brooksotterlake and @varanisridari. Silver is an absolutely beautiful fragrance that is both unexpected in its brilliance, and also one of the best fragrances to come out of the indie fragrance scene.

There are so many things I really love about this fragrance. It is like sheer liquid windows of mint, lavender, and a slightly smokey amber presence that makes me want to shower in the stuff. It lifts my spirits and I feel like I smell really good when I wear it as well. It is refreshing but also smells "refined"...like silver.

Silver is a fragrance that smells as great with a tux on as it does when you're in a t-shirt and blue jeans. Extremely versatile.

Two thumbs way up from me for this wonderful fragrance!

What a beautiful green floral this is! The honeysuckle and immortelle sweeten the lavender without removing its prickly green wisp. The immortelle also brings a slight hay like quality to help balance the sweet honeysuckle and the honey like side of the immortelle. I'm not familiar with the smell of blue tansy, but I can also smell the ambrette as this drys down. The opening is my favorite part by far, but the whole wear is very enjoyable and makes me feel like I'm walking through wildflowers on an alpine meadow, just as Teone wanted it to. Excellent work here by Dr. Reinthal!

I really enjoy Mega Flora by PAA. If there was one nit pick, it would be that I wish the floral presence was more subdued as it overpowers the fougere aspects of the fragrance until the dry down. My wife thinks the floral aspects of Mega Flora smells like funeral flowers, so there is that. When this fragrance drys down for a few hours it really is a wonderful fougere type fragrance. You can get samples for cheap from PAA, so this might be one to sample before buying.

I really enjoy Atomic Pumpkin by PAA! It is a wonderful autumn fragrance that makes me feel excited for the fall season as the weather starts to change, the, leaves change, the harvest comes on complete with pumpkins, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc. Yeah, this fragrance is a highly enjoyable fall celebration in a bottle...super nice!

Wendover is a brilliant, "slight" waft of coal/mineralic smoke mixed with a green freshness that smells of a beautiful misty spring day walking along the hedgerows of the midlands of England. These hedgerows are situated outside of town, along a country stretch of road where you can see green fields and small rolling hills. The coal smoke of the nearby town has slightly mingled with the dewey grass and plant life, creating a freshness that is also grounded and slightly earthy in the best way possible. I honestly really love Wendover and appreciate Mark Sage's creativity and vision with this fragrance, as he really has achieved his desired scent profile, IMHO.

Wendover is very comforting to me as it takes me back to a time when I lived in the very area that this fragrance is attempting to conjure through scent. A marvelous job by Mr. Sage, and a fragrance that is not to be missed, again, in my opinion. Take some "Sage" advice from me...(Sorry Mark, I can't miss an opportunity for some word play), and at the very least get a sample of Wendover. If you love green fragrances, fresh fragrances, and mineralic fragrances, I think you'll find something to love in Wendover too! Two thumbs way up!

I like this fragrance, but it's very one dimensional to my nose...maybe two dimensional as the drydown changes slightly, but not as much as I'd like.

This starts with black currant, and I love black currant, so that's why I like this fragrance...but it also smells mainly like black currant throughout the whole wear and I was so hoping to be able to smell the many marvelous listed notes like the bitter orange, the pine, the juniper, the barley and the wheat, etc. All these notes should be smelled to create the image that DSM is attempting to convey in the description of this fragrance and I personally don't feel that it achieves that as it's too one dimensional in my opinion. I have noticed just a slight hint of a grain presence in the far drydown and that's why I mentioned that it might have a "slight" two dimensionality about it...but it is far to faint for my taste. I want to smell the listed note transitions throughout the wear as the sales pitch for Sexy Viking was so interesting and intriguing. I'm hoping some of the other notes will intensify in time as this fragrance ages, but of course there's no way of knowing if that will happen. Time will tell.