u/allthisfornothinghuh

I am wistful for wisteria, I must admit. The absolutely gorgeous purple flowers of this woody, vining plant conjure all sorts of romantic feelings in my icy heart. For some reason, it makes me think of Colleen McCullough's epic family saga novel The Thorn Birds, which I read at an impressionable and probably far too young age lol.

As a recent convert to florals, it seems that purple flowers are what I crave most. I have discovered a love of perfumes featuring lilacs, hyacinths, irises, and perhaps most ardently, wisteria.

Recently I acquired 3 wisteria-forward scent samples, a couple of which I have seen mentioned regularly here, so with no further preamble, here are my thoughts!

Sorce Beyond the Veil

*magnolia, wisteria, iris, white chocolate, sandalwood, musk*

This is exactly what I thought it would be based on other reviews here. Soft, powdery, a bit creamy. The wisteria comes out first upon spraying, and then fades into a pale purple floral vibe in the background. It's definitely a Sorce scent, and it has the standard base smell, for better or worse. (I don't mind it at all, and I feel like every house has their version of this effect!)

As it dries down further, it becomes much more powdery and orris-heavy, with some lingering creamy sweetness and an increasingly faint whiff of the wisteria far far back. Overall, I like it a lot, although I wish it were a bit heavier on the purple floral aspect. I will definitely use up my sample and see how I feel about it after that. 🪻🪻

Solstice Scents Iced Wisteria

*Wisteria ice cream, waffle cone, Tahitian vanilla, sugar cone, lilac-infused sugar*

Wow! I really like this a lot. It's got an almost atmospheric chilliness at first application. Like smelling a box of ice cream. Not getting a lot of the waffle/sugar cone notes, surprisingly, although I think they are adding to the general vanilla and ice-cream vibes.

And the wisteria, dang is it good. It's got a *very very slight* funkiness, akin to the vaguely indolic scent of lilacs in full bloom. Nothing scary! It just definitely adds realism to the sweet purple floral. There is almost a sense of the living plant, maybe a touch of the leaves, like you're smelling it outside on a cool morning. Just lovely.

As it dries down, it stays very much the same as the opening spray: I get soft purple florals, chilly vanilla, and sweetness. Yummy. Lovely. I could definitely see springing for a full bottle of this! 🪻🪻🪻

BPAL (Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab) Manipulations of Love Hair Gloss

*Wisteria incense, oakmoss, and sandalwood cream*

Another banger! I would wear this as a perfume, for real. The wisteria incense is gorgeous, purple and almost heavy, in the way of clusters of drooping wisteria blooms in full bloom. No smokiness-- it's definitely unburnt incense. The oakmoss grounds it, adding some richness, doing what oakmoss does, and the sandalwood cream is in the background, being soft and creamy.

If this sounds strong or overwhelming, it's absolutely the opposite. Definitely one of the lightest BPAL hair glosses I've tried. Even on the back of my hand, it's there but I have to get about an inch from my hand before I smell it. And I just want to keep smelling it! I have been on the fence about a FB, just because it is so very light, but honestly it tickles my brain so much that I might get one. 🪻🪻🪻

Really enjoying my foray into florals this spring! (If anyone has any recommendations for other wisteria (or lilac!) scents, I am all 👂) Looking forward to hearing other folks' opinions on these 3 as well!

A few (several?) months ago, I did a big ol' review dump of a \*bunch\* of lemon cake scents. As it ran quite long, I left a few out with promises of Part 2. Life got lifey, etc., but a promise is a promise, and here now, without further ado, Part Two of I Love Lemons!

Nui Cobalt Poppycock

This is billed as a lemon-meringue pie scent in the website description, with "frothy citrus sweetness in a toasted almond crust, with white vanilla peaks gently browned under a blowtorch." I was stoked for this one, but it didn't quite work on my skin. The lemon fades quite quickly, but the pastry/meringue notes linger long after it's gone. I love lots of Nui scents, but Poppycock just didn't grab me. Going to give this one 🍋🍋🍋/5 lemons.

Cirque Sensorium Honey Lemon Cake

This is definitely a honey lemon cake. It's a rich, almost "stinky" honey, too; that raw-honey tangy semi-animalic thing is strong here. I like honey notes a lot, but this one can go a bit pee'y unfortunately, with the acidity of the lemon exacerbating that sharpness. It's lovely, cakey, and rich behind that, though. I will probably revisit this one and see how I feel about it in the future. My first-test rating would be 🍋🍋🍋/5 lemons.

Cirque Sensorium There's Sand In My Cupcake

Okay, so this is a lime cupcake instead of lemon, but it's both adjacent and delicious.

[Side note: since I don't see them mentioned often here, a quick shope review! There were very very few misses in my Cirque Sensorium order (twelve samples total). I love the vintage circus/art nouveau theme; circus history has been a long-time special interest of mine lol. The scents are all super well crafted, with some really unique combos and interpretations. For example-- unrelated to lemons lol-- Josephine's Danse, is an absolute banger featuring ming fern, walnut, and banana that evokes a Roaring Twenties-era Fitzgeraldian solarium full of ferns and banana trees, dark wood panelling, and ornate furniture.\]

Anyway lol-- there is definitely sand in this cupcake, and a bit of a briny breeze, too. Low-key always hunting for the perfect beachy summer gourmand, preferably with a hefty dose of salt, and while this is more of a suggestion of salt, it's definitely beachy. There's maybe a little coconut in there behind the airy vanilla cupcake and the sweet, delicate and zesty lime? Perhaps that's where the "beachy" is coming from. Does not give sunscreen but somehow feels like a sunny day. Has a slightly vintage vibe, in a good way. 🍋🍋🍋🍋.5/5 Lemons

Lunar Life Apothecary Tea and Crumpets

The flat round bottles and the adorable art really sold me on this shop. I admittedly went too hard and purchased a few full-sized blind-buys that ultimately I should have pumped the brakes on. I promise I've learned my lesson now. This is NO SHADE to Lunar Life at all, different strokes for different folks, etc. but I should have tested some samples before going whole hog. Like it's nice, it does what it says on the tin, honestly it smells quite similar to Firebird's Cake, although a bit "flatter," and with a slightly tannic whisper. It's nice! Pleasant but ultimately a bit forgettable. Lunar Life has other, more exciting scents. (I'm thinking specifically of Breakfast With Davinci and King Slut, both of which have really fun note combos.) 🍋🍋🍋/5 Lemons

Solstice Scents Chiffon

This was one of the first indie lemon-cake scents I tried to get my hands on, and almost a year later, I finally succeeded. (Embarrassingly, I ordered a sample of Chantilly Cream not once but twice thinking I was ordering Chiffon lol 🫠🫣) Anyway. It's aptly named, floaty and gossamer, an airy cloud of vanilla and lemon. The lemon myrtle adds an ever-so-faint herbal grounding. It's simple and lovely in the way that lots of simple things are. At first application, the lemon is very sharp (probably bolstered by the musk), and overall it's a bit short-lived, but there is still a trace of tanginess to the creamy, airy vanilla a few hours into a work day. I will say the initial sharpness put me off slightly, and though I like it, I am not in love with it. 🍋🍋🍋.5/5

Haus of Gloi Lemon Marshmallow

This smells so floofy!! I loved it in the sample vial and on my clothes, but it takes an epically disappointing plastic-y turn on my skin. I was so confident that this would work for me that I purchased a FS EDP spray after just sniffing the sample. "And this is why we test things on our skin before making a FS purchase," I chastised myself after dousing my arm in Lemon Marshmallow goodness, only to have a slow sinking realization that it wasn't working. It dried down to the closest thing I've yet to experience to "floor cleaner," backed with a bit of plasticine sweetness. Where did that joyous floofy lemon-kissed marshmallow magic go that I sniffed in the bottle? At least it still smells lovely on fabric, so I've been misting my pillow with it as a sleep scent, or spraying some on my outer layer of clothes because it smells so gosh-darn good when it's not on my skin :( 🍋🍋/5 lemons on me, 🍋🍋🍋🍋.5/5 in the bottle tho lol

Haus of Gloi Honeysuckle Lemon Curd

I got this in a swap somewhere at some point in time, and it looks like it's a regular HoG offering, which is great because although it's not cake, it is lemon and it is LOVELY. I'm not a huge floral person, with a few surprising exceptions, this being one of them. The honeysuckle is sweet, the curd is tart, there's not much else I can say other than I really like it! Definitely a summery, hot-weather scent, there's something refreshing about it. Smells like having an exquisite floral mixed beverage with your fancy lemon dessert. 🍋🍋🍋🍋/5

Arcana Wildcraft Butterfly Rabble

I think this was the most-recommended scent in the comments in part one of my extremely lengthy list of lemon reviews. And there is a good reason for that, because it's amazing. It's probably my most-reached-for perfume besides Kyse Douceur Brulee and Arcana's Infinite Sky. I know the "silken" note can be somewhat divisive, but I am firmly on its side lol. There's something soft and dark underneath the beautifully-balanced lemon/vanilla. It's NOT smokey, but it has a vibe like you're seeing smoke on the horizon. (I know that doesn't make much sense, tbh I'm struggling to convey the slight darkness it has.) My poor descriptions aside, it's just freaking beautiful. 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋/5 Lemons

BPAL White Cat

Another BPAL that's lemon-adjacent, although in not truly gourmand. Described as a portrait of feline dignity with bourbon vanilla cream, mallow flower, golden musk, and eyes of lemon amber. It sounds way more foody than it really is-- the amber and golden musk steal the show here. It's a little tart to my nose; here on IMAM many folks get a "sour" note that thankfully, I did not. I've had it for nearly a year now, and it has aged beautifully, like wow. The mallow has really deepened and intensified. It's become one of my favorite bedtime scents, and I will definitely be getting a back-up bottle. Currently available in their Felis Silvestris Catus collection. 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋/5 Lemons

BPAL Lemon Scented Sticky Bat

This was mentioned a few times in some older posts as I searched IMAM high and low in my quest to smell like lemon baked goods. After a year of searching destashes, I figured I'd just have to let the dream go, ya know? Not long after, I found a bottle on Mercari for a reasonable price. Anyway, I tested it in my car on my lunch break, and I shouldn't have. One can only bear so much disappointment on their lunch hour. Similar to how Black Hearted Tart's Brighter Than Sunshine turned from lemony goodness to cigarette-fumigated laundry on my skin, so did this... What the heck makes it do that? Totally different notes, too. Perhaps it's the brown fur musk in Sticky Bat that don't vibe with? Idk, usually I'm a musk fiend. Poor unfortunate Bat. 🍋/5

Moonalisa Bongo Poppy Cake

Golden baked lemon-poppy bundt cake goodness, very realistic. I totally smell the browned crust and that particular grainy-funk of the poppy seeds. Not a critique of the scent or of Mooscents/Moonalisa, because things happen, but my bottle came with a non-working sprayer. Very unfortunate because I would have used it up already if it hadn't. Whenever I muster up the gumption to find a replacement sprayer, I'm sure I'll be making short work of the 30ml bottle. 🍋🍋🍋🍋.5/5 Lemons.

Sorce What Big Eyes You Have

Another IMAM legendary lemon that took me months to hunt down! I finally got a sample on either Sucerie or Ajevie (both have Sorce Special Order scent samples, although they are often sold out.) Much like Sticky Bat, this one was surprisingly not the hit I thought it would be. I guess I expected a lemony In Dreams and Fairytales, with a smoky-earthy undertone from the immortelle (an uncommon note that I absolutely love). Honestly, I barely smelt anything?

Sorce can sometimes be a bit on the light side, especially when "fresh," so I decided to let my sample rest for a while. A few months later, it was still less an "ethereal" lightness than a "virtually undetectable" lightness. I was half-tempted to get a 15ml bottle of the EDP during the last special order, straight from the source (ha!) just to be sure I got the right scent. But chaos of the SO event scared me off, plus what if it truly is that light? Or I am nose blind to it or something? I sadly give this 🍋/5 Lemons, with regret.

I would welcome some opinions on and experiences with this one!! Did I just get a dud sample maybe?

Lovesick Witchery Wisp

Yum!! Another highly-recommended IMAM lemon gourmand. Perfectly creamy, the balance of lemon and vanilla and pastry notes are just 👌 This has a lot of similarities to Chiffon, without the slightly "sharp" initial bite that Chiffon has. Overall, it is super well-blended, balanced, and well worth the (very long) TAT, hands down. 🍋🍋🍋🍋.5/5

Possets Meyer Lemon

Lemony and herbal on first application. Giving more "lemon tree" than "lemon dessert," but that is not a critique. I never mind branching out a bit (pun intended lol). I currently haven't found the notes, as I think it's a Spring or Summer Retour scent(?) but maybe I am getting a bit of a stone or clay note? It dries down to a slightly cigarette-ash-ish thing, though to a lesser extent than Brighter Than Sunshine or Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat. 🍋🍋/5 for me.

CocoaPink Black Kittens

Lovely! A bit like Cinderella's Carriage, but with a nice creamy lemon zing. Like many, many of the CocoaPink scents I have tried, it's simply done well and the notes are both clear and blended nicely. 🍋🍋🍋🍋.5/5, a nice fall-adjacent lemon!

Possets Limoncello: Dolce Vita

Oo! Right away it's sweet, slightly creamy, nice and lemony. No sharpness or furniture polish at all. Stays like that for a good half hour or so, and dries down to warm, sweet, and soft; stays close to the skin. Quite nice if a bit mild and somewhat short-lived. 🍋🍋🍋🍋/5

Welp, that's all, folks. I found some true loves, some good friends, and a few I didn't get along with. The testing and questing journey is always part of the joy of this [all-consuming] hobby, and I had a wonderful time searching these out and compiling my thoughts.

Lemon fragrances got me into indies, and since then I have gone on to investigate incense, coconut, smoke, blueberry, apple, cotton candy, laundry/soap/fabric, and forest/tree notes with equal passion. Currently I am working on a comprehensive round-up of all my coconut-forward scents. The last samples are on their way, and hopefully I can share those reviews with y'all not too long from now! Thanks for reading all this!! 😊 https://www.reddit.com/r/Indiemakeupandmore/s/8ejxQR1Ejh

Link to Part 1 above!

(Edited weird formatting)