On mobile, sorry in advance for format issues. I’ll try to fix when I have access. Also, thank you guys so much for the awards! I feel Reddit-validated 🥰
Hello, fellow smellows! I made my first post in this sub a little over a year ago after a friend introduced me to indies. Since then, trying and investing in perfume has become a full-fledged hobby of mine, and I’m still enjoying trying out new scents/combinations each month. I started my scent journey by delving into the Hexennacht collection, and DANG was I impressed. The thing about me is that when I find something I like, I commit to it. Hard. That, friends of every and no gender, is the background of the story of how AllTheCake tried the vast majority of the scents in the Hexennacht collection. And now, I’m passing my savings down to YOU. (Don’t get me wrong, though - I’m still definitely a newbie nose and I have no idea what I’m doing.
After taking extensive notes over the span of a year+, I’ve finally decided to be brave and post my thoughts regarding these scents, and I think I’m going to start with the scents I’ve tried falling between the letters A and C because HOLY shit, there’s like 30+ smells in those alone. I’ve never done reviews of...anything before, really, so I’ll be doing my best to condense and simplify my convoluted rating structure in noting how I feel about them because...god I wrote so much. Quick warning: I ramble and cuss. A lot. If either of those is a review dealbreaker, you may want to skip this series. ALSO, keep in mind that these reviews are based on my skin chemistry - shit’s fickle. Finally, I’m not being sponsored to write these. I’m just a crazy person who committed way too hard.
Last minute: I’m all over gourmands, spices, ambers, and cream/milk while being completely not into grape, super clean smells, heavy citrus, and niche atmospherics like motor oil, weed, etc. Fruit/berries and musks tend to be in, heavy florals tend to be out, greens and aquatics are touch and go, but everything has their exceptions. LET’S GO.
- Alexandrite (Incense, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, plum, strawberry, dark patchouli, oudh): What better way to see what berry notes work on you than to try ALL OF THEM AT ONCE. The incense is immediate with a twinge of white smoke, but the berries are of course more prominent. Thankfully, it never got strong enough to hit what I call The Headache Threshold, which is what happens when some fruit notes are WAY too much for me. I appreciate the incense sticking around to negate some of the big sweetness (the title of my next album). The blackberry and strawberry showed up first. The raspberry kicked in a bit later and mixed nicely, but when the blueberry started to strengthen halfway through my work day, I was SUPER excited because apparently I really like blueberry. I think the plum may have played a more subtle role, and I only briefly smelled a smidge of patchouli near the end of the scent’s lifecycle, which was a pleasant undertone. Make no mistake, this is absolutely more fruit-forward than anything, and it is a heady sweet at the beginning, but this is summery as fuck, and I really like it. Verdict: Full sized, fruitilicious
- All Soul’s Night: Short and sweet review here. Roasting marshmallows over a campfire from wet to dry and everything between! The strength of the smoke element of this takes it to another level...you can really smell the embers and burn from the wood. At the same time, the marshmallow never shies away from the foreground, so it’s a great mix. Like Marshmallow Fireside from B&BW; except more realistic and way better, in my opinion. This is a forever favorite. Verdict: Full sized, full size forever.
- Amityville (Pumpkin pecan waffles, pumpkin brûlée, marshmallow, sugar cookie, vanilla bean noel, salted caramel popcorn balls) : So sweet Ready-to-eat-my-wrists sweet. The waffles and the popcorn balls lead the way right off the bat with this...smells very much like I’ve gone to the state fair and am indulging in everything fried and bad for me, which is very much a me move. (I tried deep fried Oreos for the first time recently and now nobody can stop me.) I could absolutely see others describing this as cloying because it really doesn’t mess around with the sugar, but I think it’s great. My sweet tooth is massive, so...take that with a grain of salt. The caramel strengthens on the dry down, but the waffle scent sticks around as the strongest note for sure. It’s nice because the popcorn helps it keep the smell buttery but not enough to overwhelm. After several hours, I get nice warm sugar cookies fresh from the oven. I can’t say I ever really got the pumpkin brûlée...there may have been a bit of a bite in the background? Still, fantastic gourmand, but be careful because this will make you want to eat through your pantry. I want sugar cookies now, but I’m dieting. Life is unfair. Verdict: Full sized, threatening to my stomach
- Amortentia (white chocolate, raspberry cordial, rose petals): I’m getting the oddest combination of vague rose and sweet peanut butter when I put this on, which is the most confusing thing, considering there’s 0 peanut butter here. Maybe it’s the white chocolate? Is my nose broken? After a couple hours, the white chocolate formerly known as Peanut Butter forcibly drags the raspberry cordial behind it, which it then shoves into the forefront to take center stage whether it likes it or not. It went from something very strange to raspberries dipped in weird white chocolate with someone kind of lightly trickling down rose petals in the background, which isn’t that bad of a mix! The result is mild and sweet, and it strikes me as a spring gourmand...that said, after two tries, I think this is fine but wouldn’t be something I’d actively grab for. Verdict: Sample, very much like the Jif Berry Blend PB from the late 90s
- Apparition (Spectral amber, alabaster vanilla, bone-white woods): The internet really lives for this one, huh? Getting big Loup-Garou vibes from this when applied...I’m guessing it uses the same white amber note, which isn’t a bad thing. The amber and woods are really the stars of the show here, and they are bright! I feel so much fancier than I really am in this as I sit around in a tee shirt and capris. The vanilla makes its appearance about 15 minutes in, and the just-there sweetness that it brings is really pleasant! This one sat for a while to get this effect, but I’m a much bigger fan than I though I’d be. Verdict: Full size, chilli vanilli
- Arsenic (Chai, pumpkin puree, buttercream, vanilla cookies, powdered sugar): Pumpkin purée and chai come out first which is a lovely sweet and spicy combo! It has the same sort of air as Chai-mallow at the first go-round, which I like a lot. As it starts to dry down, the buttercream pops out more and mellows the chai a bit, which adjusts the scent profile to a more normal gourmand-y smell. The pumpkin and buttercream stick around the most on dry down...it’s interesting because to my nose, this seems to transform from a pumpkin chai cookie to a nice pumpkin roll cake sprinkled in powdered sugar...subtle transition, but pleasant. It’s familiar but new, and I really like it. Verdict: Full size, ready to bake
- Aziraphale (Marshmallow-topped hot cocoa, rice, wool, crepes, leather-bound antique books, and old, wooden bookshelves): Skin chemistry is a really bonkers thing. I don’t know if it was the leather or the wooden shelves or what, but whatever I smelled in that sample bottle was so pungent and unappealing that I trashed this. I could smell it on my hands even after washing them, and my hands only smelled like that note too, which is a real shame because I was particularly excited for the crepe note. It was just...burnt and harsh. Sorry but no. Verdict: BIG nope, mourning crepes
- Babooshka (Slow-baked sweet gourds, Russian tea cookies, pipe tobacco, Autumnal spice accord, caramel, nutmeg, honey, coumarin, beeswax absolute, cardamom sugar, crushed apples, black pepper, liatrix absolute): Autumn autumn AUTUMN. I’m already getting a good throw from this, a good start! Spices and tea cookies as the wet notes...thinking the cardamom sugar and pepper are the spices I’m getting the most. The gourds and apples showing up the more it dries give this a more earthy scent and pushes the spice into the background, which is good because a lot of spice scents go cinnamon-forward and that’s that. It’s not the sweetest scent I’ve tried in this collection which sort of surprises me given the note content, but I really enjoy it because of that! I actually think it being a little more subdued is working in its favor. This smell screams fall from the get-go, but not in a scented-candle-headache way. Also, my wife loves this one which is a bonus. Verdict: Full sized, aw yiss wife hugs
- Baltic Amber (Golden amber, pinus succinifera, cedarwood, jammy fir absolute, oakmoss absolute, tree moss, verdant musk, cardamom, balsam, lightning-scorched ancient boughs): Ohhhh, wow! This takes Hex’s lovely amber note and blasts it into overdrive with the help of the succinfera making it smell cold and woodsy. It’s a bright and resinous amber that sticks out really nicely. The hint of cedarwood at the start enhances the brightness and even gives it hints of the white amber note used at times. I get little bits of the balsam bursting in and out through the day which pushes it in a wintery direction, but it’s woodsy resin all the way down. It does fade quickly though...want to say it’s been about an hour 45 and it isn’t extremely strong, but I wonder if resting will give it more oomph? Or maybe just an extrait would be needed? Regardless, mmph. This is my favorite amber of the Hex collection so far. Verdict: Full sized, smooth criminal
- Banana Milk (Sweet milk, melted ice cream, vanilla pudding mix, banana): The bottle really amps up the pudding note more than I expected. It doesn’t show much banana to start, only a hint at the very end that smelled almost a little tart to my nose. As soon as I put this on, though, WHAM BAM THANK YOU BANAN. This is screaming banana pudding at my face which, as a southerner, I can definitely get behind. This is what I wanted to get more of in Bellypopper. It’s not an overpowering banana scent by any means, and it actually comes across as more realistic to my nose than the banana in Bananas Foster...maybe because the intensity of the sweetness isn’t as in-your-face? Even my wife, who has some touch and go issues with ID’ing what some perfumes should smell like, knew instantly it was banana. The pudding smell mixed with the sweet milk note quickly as well. I want to say it’s the same as the condensed milk note in Moloko Plus, one of my favorites, and I couldn’t be happier. About an hour or so in I start to get that ice cream note that goes plastic-y on me, but thanks to the miracle that is this banana, it’s not having that effect!!! What!? Maybe it’s because it’s warmer weather right now or a mix of the ingredients, but whatever is happening, it’s creamy and smooth...there’s a hint of that plastic there, though in this context, it doesn’t come across the same way. Hard to explain. I’ve been seeing reviews saying it’s a powdery smell on them, but this couldn’t be further from the case. On me, this is a smooth and milky banana pudding, and while something light like this isn’t what I would normally call luscious, to me it very much is. I’m in love. Verdict: Full sized, bathe me in this forever
- Bananas Foster (Caramelized bananas, buttery rum sauce, vanilla ice cream): This starts off a strong banana runts kind of smell, though as a fan of banana runts, I’m fine with this. Apparently this is actually what banana smelled/tasted like in the past which is a fun fact I knew offhand as a smart person and DEFINITELY didn’t learn from a YouTube video about hard candy. The rum sauce comes through pretty quickly to booze the banana up...it’s a little sharp, but it mixes well with the sweet banana. The ice cream note is kind of artificial (think this is the same note I mention in Butterbeer below), and it unfortunately sticks around WAY too long. The silage to me is weak, but other people I saw that day said it smelled nice, so I guess my nose just got used to it. I think this is nice, but Banana Milk is my new Banana Bae. Verdict: Occasional sample, but not unpleasant
- Bay Harbor Butcher (Red strawberries and fresh, salty ocean air): This definitely gives you what it says it will! The strawberry note is sweet and fresh, and it’s not for the faint of heart. I’m not sure how realistic it is off the top of my head, but it’s pretty intense...in a good way! It’s more realistic than your candy store strawberry because it has just a smidge of tartness behind the sweet. As it mellows out, you can get a touch more of the salt in there to give this a bit of oomph. And no headaches! I’ve gotta go back and edit my Alexandrite review, I think it was the blackberry scaring me about headaches after all. If you really want a treat, layer some Spectre on this one for a strawberry milkshake experience. Verdict: Either repeat sample or full size, haven’t decided
- The Bell Witch (Blood musk, ebon musk, feral musk, nag champa, sandalwood, incense, guaiacwood, vanilla, bergamot, aged dark patchouli, woodsmoke, amber): This was applied very conservatively because I thought it’d be intense when too much is worn. I smelled one or two of the musks (not sure which), the nag champa, and just a hint of the woodsmoke when I put this on. It’s very much a resinous scent, and it relies on the blend of scents rather than starring one note as the main focus and branching off from it. I got a smidge of the bergamot when it started drying down, and then the scent was just....gone. I’m not sure if it was a speedy nose blindness or it just faded fast because I didn’t put on enough, but by 1 1/2 hours in I could barely smell it. A whiff of musk here, a smaller whiff of amber there...but nothing for the rest of the day. Frankly, I don’t think I can give it a full, fair assessment. Going to put this one back in the cabinet for a few months and try it again later to see how it matures. Verdict: ??? Where did she go?
- Bellypopper (Chocolate and banana puddings, whipped cream and white chocolate shavings): This is 100% like I’ve opened up a pudding snack pack back in middle school. I immediately get the chocolate and banana from this - the banana note is actually really nice and balanced the chocolate well so it wasn’t overpowering like some chocolate notes tend to be, at least on me. (Looking at you, Tokyomilk.) The white chocolate comes in a bit later, but unfortunately, that’s about as much as I got. The smell just kind of disappeared after maybe 3 hours - it was there, but just barely. My wife couldn’t even tell I had anything on. I guess it’s fine? I don’t think it left enough of an impression to hold on to. Verdict: Not a repeat, lunchroom favorite
- Big Toddy Goth GF (Spiced buttered rum, bourbon, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove cigarettes): The buttered rum and bourbon come at you straight from the get-go, though they relax quickly, leading into the nutmeg a bit. Smells like a holiday drink (which I guess it is because toddy...). The buttered rum is a smidge cloying and sticks around on the dry down, but I don’t dislike it...I have a lot of fond memories eating those old fashioned candy sticks in Butter Rum flavor specifically at the beach as a kid, so I’m okay with it. The clove makes its way in a few hours in, and it sadly doesn’t have the stronger clove cig notes I was looking for...I’ve never been able to find a clove cigarette scent emulated properly to bring back those sweet “summer of 2010” memories, so the hunt continues. Still, it’s sassy, boozy, sugary, and the spices mix really pleasantly with the overall scent, so it still fits...no harm in smelling like classy Buttershots. Verdict: Full sized, full-tittied
- Bisou (Smeared lipstick and warm, flushed skin: vanilla, orris root, violet, sugar, cetalox, skin musk, and safraleine): I asked Caroline to send me her current favorite scent as a sample with my second full-size order, and this was the result. Honestly, I wrote Bisou off when I saw the description because 1) it has violet in it, which on me usually smells like baby powder, and 2) I’m a scent note babby and have NO idea what half of the ingredients in this were supposed to smell like. It‘a a sweet floral in the bottle (thinking it’s the orris root...I LOVE irises so that’s nice!), but on my skin, it changed almost immediately! It starts off with an inoffensive but artificial note that I think is the lipstick note with a violet edge to it. The orris root seems to be balancing that violet undertone out, which I couldn’t be more thankful for because this violet is miraculously not as powdery and feels more like a light dusting because of it. A lot of people I’ve seen that tried this call Bisou a sexy smell, but that’s not my interpretation. Smelling this, my brain immediately brought me to an incredibly specific memory from when I was some single-digit age in the early 90s waiting for my mom to finish shopping at Talbots. A Sting song was playing over the speakers, and I was watching a video they had on a small TV of a fashion show where models were showing off looks made with the clothes in stock. This was a really weird tangent, but I guess the point I’m trying to make is that this smell is really evocative, and I actually...like it a lot? To me it reads as extremely confident, like a businesswoman in the 80s with big shoulder pads and bigger dreams. (And I guess she shops at Talbots.) I feel like I’m not enjoying it for the reasons I expected to, but the end result is good! My only sadness with this is that it didn’t last super long on my skin the first time I wore it, but I wore this again to my wife’s family Christmas party and I’m still smelling it now (and I got several compliments!), so maybe it just needed more rest time. This came in a generous 5mL sample, so I’m still working through it, but I’m going to keep this around. Verdict: Full size, this review brought to you by Talbots apparently
- Blackberry Lavender Lemonade: This is pleasant! Very summery, it reads like it’d be nice during warm weather. Every note is present and bright in this order, not one thing overshadowing the rest...lavender really likes to star in scents, so this is good news. I’ve found that most lemon scents get a little cleaner-y on me, but the lemonade note doesn’t ever take on that feeling with the blackberry background. I don’t think I want this in a full-size, but I’ll revisit samples now and again. Verdict: Repeated sample, summer lovin’
- Black Mass (Smoked vanilla, frankincense, Peru balsam, labdanum, amber, vetiver, Atlas cedarwood, patchouli, night musk, and scorched marshmallows): This is one of a few reviews that I’ve doubled back on and am re-reviewing after my first time wearing it to see if it resting changes my mind. My first try saw it as a little sweet, then a strong plastic note that was too much to get over, leading to dislike. This time around, I think I’m getting mostly frankincense, amber, and balsam on application, as it vaguely reminds me of the forest-y note in Thanatos but much more resinous...the frankincense is definitely the plastic note I smelled before, and thankfully it chilled out more the second time around. It picks up on just a smidge of woodiness, and by the end of the day, it becomes much more like marshmallow with some green resin undertones...not much shifting here. That said, I’m really glad I gave it a second chance. It’s a very warm forest-y smell with just that bit of gourmand sweetness helping it out, which is a weird description, I know. I still think the frankincense can be a bit too much like plastic, but it toned down massively since the first time I tried this to a point where it doesn’t last long enough for me to count it out. I can’t even put my finger on what kind of scent this is, but it’s worth trying. Verdict: Probable full-size, fantastic plastic
- Black Phillip (Black amber, dragon’s blood, black musk, tonka, black oak, firewood embers, black currant, soft woods, black pepper): The black amber and black currant are the first two things I personally smelled here, spicy with a hint of fruitiness. I got more dragon’s blood out of the bottle initially than I did on my skin, but that quickly changed within maybe 10 minutes. Eventually, the whole smell mellowed out and I got more of the musk and the tonka with just a hint of that currant and woods keeping it from getting too dark. I haven’t seen much of the pepper or embers which is disappointing because I sort of like that slight burn to those notes. It’s a nice smell, but it wasn’t spectacular to me in any regard. Verdict: Discontinued. That’s it, no funny follow-up
- Black Vanilla (Golden amber, three different vanillas, marshmallow fluff, musk) Goes on dark, Amber and musk are the two head notes on this and it’s just what I was hoping for. It’s dark and very much wants to be noticed...BV’s the girl with smokey eyes and black lipstick checking you out from across the room, and you want to approach her but also you have anxiety. The vanillas slowly poke out to make themselves known after this little onslaught which helps to mellow the smell out a bit. I can’t honestly pick out which vanilla is which in the collection, but they blend together really nicely. Then the marshmallow pops out. Everything makes an appearance little-by-little, with each note being careful not to step on its predecessor’s toes. This is definitely a “feel sexy” scent. My only concern is that the silage/throw is a bit weak. May last better in spray form. I’ve been looking for a smell like this...definite full purchase. Verdict: Full sized, forgot to get it as an EDP. Whoops
- Blood Moon (Dragons blood, smoked vanilla, pipe tobacco, beeswax, sanguine musk): If you’re looking for something strong/with a good throw, consider Blood Moon. The dragon’s blood is no joke! It and the pipe tobacco are heavy and present from the start - my wife could smell me from several feet away when I put this on. With a stuffy nose. It doesn’t have a Smaug-like aggressiveness to it because the red musk note isn’t as intense, but it’s still there, still looming, and has still respawned all the enemies you’ve killed thus far to keep your game balanced. Weirdly enough, the tobacco became the strongest element in this after a bit of time...DB usually doesn’t step back as much on my skin, so I appreciated this. The smoked vanilla made an appearance about an hour and a half in, and it’s the first time I’ve actually been able to pick it out - this is a neat note! It’s fiery without being a heavier smoke like the note in ASN or Fumer...it adds some sweetness without being too “yo here’s vanilla what up”. I’d say it’s almost reminiscent of C’eci Ne Pas Une Pipe. The beeswax and musk is what it generally ends on, but it’s a nice journey. I thought I wasn’t going to like this as much as I did based on how Smaug worked out comparatively (spoilers), but that vanilla changed my mind. The blood moon will rise again, I think! Verdict: Full size, LIIIINK
- Boo-berry (Blueberry cordial, blueberry cobbler, vanilla bean): This is a treat! The cobbler smell comes in pretty quickly on this, giving a hint of baked good to turn this into a fruity gourmand very early. The cordial lightens the scent back up, though, so it isn’t buttery or pastry-reminiscent for more than a moment. The vanilla pops through more later in the day with the cordial backing it up, but it feels like a more authentic vanilla, which is nice. I really enjoy this smell, but its biggest drawback is that I think it has the weakest silage of all the Hex scents I’ve tried so far. Started getting weak around the 2-3 hour mark,which was disappointing. Still, the smell is fruity, fun, and doesn’t make my head hurt - wins all around! May have more luck with this as an extrait, which I’ll be buying in this scent when I grab a full. Verdict: Full size, da ba dee da buh di
- Bourbon Street (Coffee, beignets, mahogany, pipe tobacco, cocoa, cardamom): This is so different! I feel like I very specifically smell like a coffee shop in a classy way. The coffee is the most prominent note, but I get this masculine undertone of what I think is the pipe tobacco...or maybe a mix of that and the mahogany? It’s this odd balance that makes me think of an aged wooden coffee house table that has been stained with the subtle smell of cigarette smoke over the years. The coffee fades a touch after a few hours, and I finally start to get that sweet beignet note...reminds me of Sucre due to the powdered sugar. (Would a touch of that be good here?) I also appreciate that the cocoa note in this is more of a support role to deepen the tobacco and coffee...I’ve realized that too much can be overwhelming for my skin, but this is just enough to give the smell that oomph. This is REALLY good, probably my favorite coffee scent by Hex thus far. I’m impressed. Verdict: Full size, I miss going places
- Butterbeer (Sweet, golden, drippy butterscotch, rich vanilla ice cream, hot buttered rum): Sugary butterscotch immediately, a smell where you know for sure what you’re eating is terrible for you. It may be tempting to lick your wrists. Do not do this. I love the immediate sweet notes of it, but unfortunately, the dry down leaves a lot to be desired. The ice cream note was artificial on my skin, and the butterscotch all but disappeared. The buttered rum does make an appearance at the very end as well which helps, but the ice cream is the main note for me and makes it hard to look past. I probably would’ve liked this back in high school, but I’m 30 now and can’t get away with this. If you like sticky-sweet-tastebuds-on-fire-oh-god-my-teeth-where-am-I gourmand, then this is for you. I had high hopes for it, but on my skin, it’s a no-go. (Slightly related, if anyone finds a Butterbeer recipe with no carbonation/cream soda involved, let a girl know.) Verdict: Destash, dear god the sugar
- Cake (White/yellow frosted cake accord): So full disclosure: when my bottle of this from Ajevie came in, I was scared. In the bottle, this was frosting. Only frosting. Like grocery store, crunches-when-you-bite-it, way-too-sweet frosting. Even I have my sugar limits. I only used a little in the crook of my elbow because I was already wearing a scent, but...y’all. I‘m ready to slather myself in this. I should have had more faith in Caroline. The frosting note isn’t nearly as strong when applied, but within 30 minutes, it had nearly completely transformed into a BEAUTIFUL cake smell. I’m talking the most realistic warm, baked cake scent I’ve ever smelled. I hadn’t seen the full description when wearing it and couldn’t decide if it was more like white or yellow cake...from me to me, surprise, dumbass, it’s both. I never thought I’d find a cake smell that wasn’t overly generic or cloying, but my search is finally over. Verdict: Glad this blind buy was a full size, I match my username
- Calm The Fuck Down (lavender, ylang ylang, bergamot, vanilla, and patchouli): When wet, the lavender and what I think is the ylang ylang make their move first. It’s a light floral that almost takes on a minty tone even though there’s no mint involved. Perfume is crazy! It’s a very simple scent at first, but these notes stick around for a while thankfully, to help the calm induce in. On dry down, the patchouli only made a brief appearance. I wish it’d stuck around because it really added some depth to the scent. The vanilla arrives near the end to make it a sweet floral, but then it switches back to the ylang ylang as the big note, which I didn’t expect, as vanilla usually shows up the most on me out of all of these. It’s a nice soft floral that isn’t necessarily a favorite, but considering floral isn’t my immediate personal style, I like it enough to try again, just not sure if I like it enough. Verdict: Probably repeat sample, you can’t tell me what to do you bottle of smell
- Camp Crystal Lake (Lake water, fishing dock, seaweed, forest): Once again, Caroline knocked it out of the park with this...I’m not usually a fan of atmospherics, but this one is great. I feel like I’m getting almost everything promised from this on application: the blue aquatic notes from the water, the slightly salty tinge of seaweed, the green notes from the forest...just missing the old fishing dock. This is a weirdly refreshing smell and really makes me long for the summer. Not like mid-summer where it’s 100 degrees out and everything is melting...I want that 85 degree summer where jumping in the water feels the best. The wood dock smell eventually comes through, and it’s awesome. It’s a sweeter wood, but it has just a hint of tang to it that makes it feel just aged enough. This makes me hate that we’re in the middle of winter because I think I want to wear this at the beach. Off topic! This is super refreshing, and while atmospherics haven’t been great for me so far, this is a change that I’ve really enjoyed. Also? It lasted all dang day. I’m on hour 9 now and I can still smell it. Sticking with it!. Verdict: Likely full size, “damp” used as a positive
- Ceci N'est Pas Une Pipe (Aged Madura cigars, spiced vanilla, beeswax votives, golden honeycomb): I hope I like this, my dumb ass bought two samples by mistake. This is a heavy scent, I can already tell. Strangely enough, I’m first getting both the cigars and the honeycomb on application, which I didn’t expect since it was listed as a lesser note. I was pretty scared about the cigar note because actual cigar smoke is way too thick and noxious to me, but this is more subdued than I was expecting...I guess what I’m getting is the oil that would be in the maduro wrapping itself, not the smoke. It’s warmer and deeper to the point of...comforting? It’s deep. I like it! The only slight bummer is that I don’t get a lot of vanilla in this, weirdly...vanilla usually pushes its way through on my skin, but the honey is actually putting out more sweetness than anything. It’s subtle, though, and it’s muted by the beeswax, so it isn’t giving me a honey headache. This scent is dark and more unisex, though it reads feminine and just a tad floral on my skin. I’ve really grown to love the warmth it has through the day...this is a rebuy for sure. Guess it’s good I got two after all. Verdict: Full size, about to invite you into my parlor to chat about the man I know you killed
- Cereal Killer (Fruit Loops, Cap’n Crunch berries, Trix cereal): Deadass, in the bottle, this smells like Trix or Fruity Pebbles. I’m baffled. What mix of notes created this? After putting it on, this amps up the fruit to the nth degree...I do get background notes of cereal, but some fruity note in particular is trying its damndest to make itself known. What IS that? Orange and lemon mixed? It really pushes its way up front first, but everything else eventually catches up. This is a nice and very accurate take on these beloved cereal scents...but why I’d ever want to smell like this is beyond me 😆 Still, I think this would be a fun smell to wear around children. Verdict; Occasional sample, follow your nose
- Cereal Marshmallows (Is what it is!): Another quickie review. Artificial and muted-fruity, just like the shmallows themselves! It really doesn’t change past this and is very one-note, but for what it is, it’s nice. If you like cutesy and sugary smells, you’ll be a fan, but I think I’m okay with just having a sample. Wonder how this would mix with Cereal Killer...? Verdict: Discontinued, you can buy a whole bag of cereal marshmallows on Amazon for real
- Chai-Mallow (Marshmallow, buttercream, black tea, chai spices): You know it’s going to be good when you put it on and immediately think “yeeees.” The buttercream and the black tea acted as the opening notes on this, which I really love. It’s an immediate sweet-bitter balance that almost reminds me of a mild coffee with sweet cream and sugar. It sweetens back up again as the tea fades a touch, though. The dry down is a nice warm, sweet spice that isn’t too overpowering and really gives you that “I’m drinking chai-shmallow tea in a Barnes and Noble” feel. At the end of the day, it’s exactly what it says it is: a spicy marshmallow. I LOVE this. Verdict: Full size, the spiciest marshmallow
- Chakra Khan (Amber, sandalwood, vanilla, orange blossom, tonka, patchouli): I’ve been convinced there was nag champa in this for like a month, but apparently not! This reads very bright. The amber and slightly sweet sandalwood play together nicely here, taking on a slight floral quality with the orange blossom peeking through the background. The vanilla becomes a bit more apparent several minutes after application too, and it’s a nice vanilla. Not gourmand-y, just light sweetness. It does have head shop vibes to some degree, but I’m appreciating this because it’s light and not so “head shop” as to overwhelm my sense of smell like some nag champa or incense-forward smells can. It’s odd too because for an amber perfume, it reads very “spring” to me. Any patchouli in this is masked by the amber in my case, but it evens out to a nice mellow sweetness. If you’re an amber fan, I’d say it’s worth giving a shot! Verdict: On the fence about full or repeat sample, not on the fence about this being nice
- Champanilla (Nag champa, vanilla liqueur, vanilla bean, musk): Spirit Temple’s loud big sister! The nag champa is powerful in this on application and is definitely the main note of the scent by a landslide...my wife woke up with a stuffy nose and could still smell this right after I put it on. It’s almost a smidge bitter after letting it sit for a while, I’d say. The weird thing is that this doesn’t give me as much of a head shop vibe as Spirit Temple did...I think the fact that Spirit Temple’s version was NC incense instead of straight up NC makes a difference. That said, once it dries, it’s still very much the nag champa and not vanilla. The vanilla bean is back there trying to poke through and sweeten the smell a bit, but the champa has Diva Syndrome and won’t let it come out of the background. When the musk shows up, it gives it some depth, but I really wish I got more vanilla out of this. It’s not bad by any means, but I find it a smidge intense. Will probably let this one sit and give it another shot later. Verdict: Meh, Spirit Temple coming at a later date
- Children Of the Corn (Candy corn, caramel corn, kettle corn): No mincing words on this: it smells almost exactly like caramel corn on application. This has buttery popcorn notes to it, but there’s a hint of the candy corn’s starchy sweetness in there too. This is super gourmand and definitely invokes the caramel corn imagery, but I think its overall sweetness makes it more palatable for me. I can dig it! Verdict: Repeat sample, I do love me some corn
- Cloven (Spun sugar with a dash of clove): Oh Cloven. Dear, dear Cloven. I’m so saddened by you. The spun sugar is VERY strong on application to the point of sickening. This smells more like jelly beans than spun sugar to my nose...maybe the cotton candy jelly bean that Jelly Belly makes. On dry down, the clove does help to comfort it a bit, but at the same time, it still feels like a cycle between smelling like spicy jellybeans and anise for some reason, neither of which I like smelling like as a singular note. By the end of the day, it just smells like a light dusting of sugar versus the jellybean, but it isn’t enough to redeem the rest of what’s happened. I respect the clove for trying to make this right, and I still love it as a note...but the two of them desperately need to see other people. Verdict: Ugh, fatal attraction much?
- Corpse Bride (Black roses, white amber, damp earth, vanilla, tonka, musk): Phew, this is potent from the start...you want floral? You’ve got floral. The earthy note is there and gone to make way for the strong rose note (maybe a tinge of it is left, but I can barely smell it), then the bright amber pops in too and fights the rose for the status of main note. It’s got a pretty heavy start, not gonna lie...feels as though the throw on this is really strong even though I put on LESS than usual. When it settles, I pretty much only get rose with a bit of musk at the tail end...not smelling any vanilla at all in this! I’m just glad the rose calms down because...phwoof. It’s a bit too intense for me. It’s a nice scent, but honestly, I don’t think it’s the kind of scent that fits me. This kind of floral isn’t quite my thing. Verdict: Nah, I’ve got a gnome and I’m not afraid to use it
- Crowley (Black tea, bergamot, tobacco, vanilla, amber): Starts off more dry and earthy than other Hex scents I’ve tried so far. It looks like the black tea doesn’t contain cream in this mix because that tea note is bold! It’s pleasant and almost slightly floral. The brightness of the bergamot seems to enhance this and gives it more of a woodsy tone while it develops. The tobacco was really subtle when it came through, and I wasn’t able to smell it until I caught a whiff of it and the amber an hour and a half later...it likes to sneak up on you to give you a pleasant surprise. Even with the light sweetness of the vanilla, this never gets to be “too much” of any one note, which I always love in developing scents because it keeps them balanced. This smell is really not like me at all, to be frank, but I’m thoroughly enjoying what it’s turning into. I can see what all the hype was about! Verdict: Full size, the genderfluid demon of our dreams
So there we go! I’ve got a lot more to come, so this won’t be the last you see of me...also won’t be the last after I’m done with all my Hex reviews. I will take any advice on how to make the next one of these more manageable. Shit’s going to be stressful for the next week, everyone keep safe ❤️
