Review: Assorted Indie Perfumes

I’m just continuing my journey of indie perfumes that started just about a month ago. Since then, I placed an order with Alkemia and sampled a handful of their perfumes in the two following posts: Review #1 and Review #2. Two Sundays ago, I took part in the weekly Indie destash on Reddit and got myself a handful of new samples to try. I would definitely recommend getting samples this way because it’s cheaper than buying directly from brands, and you really get to try out a variety of things. This week, I am reviewing more indie perfume samples from Possets, Haus of Gloi, Solstice Scents, Sixteen92, and Smelly Yeti.

Possets “The Great Psychiatrist of Babylon”

I knew I had to try The Great Psychiatrist of Babylon after reading this Reddit review of it. The way she described it as boozy with caramel vanilla just sold me, plus lasting all day is always a bonus. On the website, this is the description:

“Back in the day, before a formal id, ego, and super-ego early psychiatrists roamed the land looking for loonies upon whom they could practice their trade. Babylon was a veritable hot bed of psychiatric investigation, and practiced by the female inhabitants of the city. The hypnotic base of the finest Bourbon vanilla shot through with incense smoke and the auxiliary smoke from “punk” fire, caramel, incense, and a small shot of whiskey on the side (for medicinal purposes only). There, now don’t you feel better?”

Downside: as many people have pointed out before me, Possets’ sample bottles have a nasty habit of leaking. This one was no different.

Scent

In the bottle, this smelled kind of like overripe or old oranges, which is weird because it has absolutely no fruity elements in it. After it dried, I got the vanilla and booze with maybe a tad bit of smoke (and no incense, which is good because I’m not a fan of incense). Even with the caramel and vanilla, it was not too sweet at all. I found it a bit of a more mature or sophisticated take on vanilla. Even though it has some strong smells (i.e. smoke, whiskey), I did not get a headache from this which was a big surprise for me!

Wear Time

I applied this at 9am, and it lasted until 2pm when I took a shower. I’m going to have to try this again to see how long it lasts after five hours. It had a lot of throw and definitely was noticeable throughout the day which was really great since when I’m wearing perfume I want it to be noticeable.

Overall

I think I’m going to have to try this one again before deciding if I want to invest in a full-size bottle or not. I don’t think I got its full impact since I had to take a shower before it faded.

Solstice Scents “Corvin’s Apple Fest”

I love apples, but I was honestly frightened to try this after my experience with Alkemia’s Cidre d’Automne (think about drowning in apple cider for half a day). Corvin’s Apple Fest is part of Solstice Scent’s Foxcroft’s Autumn Festival Collection. If you are familiar with Solstice Scents’ descriptions, they are quite long and detailed, but the main notes of this perfume are the following:

“Apple Pastries, Caramel Apples, Fresh Apples, Warm Apple Cider, Vanilla, Apple Pie, Apple Cream Cheese Danish.”

Scent

I am glad to report that this is better than my experience with Cidre d’Automne. It smells a lot more like apple pastries than cinnamon apples, which I find more wearable. Even though this is a fall scent, it is nice and sweet from the caramel which makes it wearable even in the hotter months.

A nice plus was that my boyfriend said I smelled nice in the morning after I applied this.

Wear Time

This had a lot more throw than I was expecting. I got wafts of apple pastries throughout the day—yum! It was still going strong four hours later and was still noticeable at least eight hours later, though closer to the skin.

Overall

This is my favorite apple scent I’ve tried so far. I find it very wearable with the perfect balances of spice and sweet. Just like the other Solstice Scents perfume I tried, Manor, this was long-lasting with a lot of throw. I definitely want to try more Solstice Scents fragrances!

Haus of Gloi “Troika”

“A trinity of soft milks, almond, oat and coconut, lashed with sweet agave nectar and the ethereal scent of clean white.”

Troika sounded right up my alley with its creamy and light notes. I hadn’t tried any Haus of Gloi scents up to this point, so I thought it would be a nice time to test out a new brand.

Scent

I actually got a bit of a flowery scent from this, not what I was expecting. It must have been from the sweet agave nectar and was the only noticeable smell on my skin. It was not creamy and white as I expected, at least not on me. In fact, the scent was not very memorable and had little throw, so I forgot I was wearing perfume several times through the day.

Wear Time

I applied this at 9am and it was barely noticeable by 3pm, which was decent but not impressive compared to the other white scents I’ve tried. I have a feeling that vanilla stays very well on my skin, and the lack of vanilla is this made it fade faster.

Overall

Forgettable generally isn’t a good thing when it comes to perfume. I wasn’t the biggest fan of how this actually turned flowery on my skin. Maybe I should try applying it over unscented lotion or in my hair and see if it changes or let it sit for a few months. For now, this will probably end up being forgotten at the bottom of my drawer.

Sixteen92 “Lolita”

Lolita is known as basically the signature scent of Sixteen92. I’ve seen raves about it everywhere. Most of them agree, this smells amazing but is fleeting. However, as Sixteen92’s best-selling perfume, I thought I should try it.

The following are the notes of Lolita:

“Crisp Apple Skins, Tart Peach Candies, Rose Absolute, Sugared Violet.”

Looking at the notes, it makes sense why this isn’t the longest lasting perfume, too.

Scent

Lolita just smells like candy. I’m not sure what type of candy, maybe fruity or citrusy. This seems like the quintessential girly perfume, perfect for a bright summer day. This is not the most complex scent, but I can see why a lot of people like it since it is very neutral and light when it comes to perfume.

Wear Time

I applied this at 9am, and I could not smell it by 1pm; that’s four hours. I can see this being a good choice for a short event or if you religious reapply throughout the day. Of course, being a light scent, Lolita stays pretty close to the skin with low sillage.

Overall

Even though I like how this smells, I just can’t find it practical to invest in a full-size bottle because it is so fleeting. Also, the sample vial is about twice as big as the other ones I’ve received, so I probably will not run out anytime soon. However, in a blog post from More Tea Wesley, she mentions that Sixteen92’s owner might play around with an added fixative to make it last longer. I’d be excited to see how that goes.

Smelly Yeti “Supermom”

Smelly Yeti’s Supermom was a last-minute add-on. I love chocolate. I’m not sure if I love smelling like chocolate, but I love chocolate.

Here is the Supermom description on Smelly Yeti’s site:

“Sweet and simple, warm and comforting, it’s a mug of hot chocolate, the brim overflowing with mini marshmallows. Folded underneath the sweet and subtle cocoa is a hint of caffeine and a smothering of sticky benzoin. Feminine.”

Scent

This smells exactly like hot chocolate. The dram I got leaked, unfortunately, so the whole package smelled strong. I was so excited when I opened it that I actually ran down six flights of stairs to make my boyfriend smell it, too. Even though it smelled so good, I was still not convinced I wanted to smell like chocolate. After wearing this, I want to smell like chocolate. Every day. While this was hot chocolate in a bottle, on the skin it was deeper and richer, sophisticated yet still fun. I couldn’t stop sniffing it throughout the entire day.

Wear Time

Supermom lasted all day hands down. In the morning and afternoon, it had a lot of throw. By the next morning, it was closer to the skin but still very noticeable. The wear time of this perfume is unbelievable.

Overall

I need this ASAP. As soon as the Smelly Yeti store opens again, this will be coming my way.

Coming Up

I’m not sure what’s next for me on my Indie perfume journey. I am really interested in trying some Arcana perfumes, but I haven’t gotten my hands on any yet. I also loved the scent and wear time of the Smelly Yeti perfume I tried, so I’ll definitely be looking into more of their fragrances, as well. Solstice Scents continues to impress me, as well. I can’t wait for their next collection!