Price of Indie perfumes

So, during my lunch I tend to sit outside in my car and just relax for 30 minutes. There's something about the artifical light in the building that just annoys me, and if I sit inside I'll be asked to do more work. Therefor, I sit in my car and relax in the warmth of the heat of a black car sitting the sun. If it gets a little too toasty I'll put on the AC and just close my eyes for a few minutes.

Today it was totally worth it. As I was sitting my car with the door propped open for a bit, a dog jumped up in my lap. The older gentleman walking it apologized profusely, while I sat there internally squealing and petting the puppy. After a few minutes I let the guy walk away, but those minutes were wonderful extra puppy petting.

Either way, onto the blog post. Let me begin by saying that I am a cheap ass motherfucker.
I am, I really am. To put that in a nicer way, I'm pretty frugal. Like to the point where if I forget to pack my lunch, I'll just sit there and starve rather than go out and buy a snack.

I mentioned in my Darling Clandestine review that DC actually has a pretty good price point for perfumes. So, I'll go ahead and do the math for you for a few of the shops so that you can see how the shops compare (;.

First off, let's talk sizes.

This varies per shop, but shops have some combination of the following:

Samples (usually 1 ml, sometimes 2 ml)

Bitsy/Mini (1 dram or 3.7ml)

Full Size (usually 5 ml).

Roll On (usually 10ml).

Darling Clandestine's full sizes are half an ounce, which measures to about 14.78 ml.

Black Violet full sizes are 10 ml.

So let's calculate some prices for a few brands.

Darling Clandestine

Bitsy: $5 for 3.7 ml, which equals out to about $1.35 per ml.

Full Sizes: $14-18 for 14.78 ml. For the calculations sake we'll do $15. This equals to $1.01 per ml.

Black Violet

Mini: $6 for 3.7 ml, which equals out to about $1.62 per ml.

Full Size: ~$16 for 10 ml, which equals to $1.60 per ml.

Sixteen92

Samples:  $4.50 for 2 ml, which equals $2.25 per ml.

Full Size: ~$13 for 5 ml, which equals to $1.6 per ml.

Roll On: $20 for 10 ml, which equals to $2 per ml.

SolsticeScents

Samples: $2.8 for 1ml (sold in 5 pack), which equals $2.8 per ml.

Full Size: $15 for 5 ml, which equals $3 per ml.

One of the main things to keep in mind is that indie perfumers may charge different prices for the same size depending on how expensive the ingredients are. These are rough calculations, but something to keep in mind when ordering. (:

Darling Clandestine

So, after hearing a ton of wonderful things about Darling Clandestine's perfume I had to give them a shot, especially after seeing their price point, which I'll get into on another post.


Evonne is known for giving some pretty cryptic descriptions of her scents. She creates this beautiful little narratives around each perfume to give you an idea of what inspired her to create them, however she tends to not clearly mention exactly what notes are in them in these stories. I kind of like it that way, her perfumes inspire memories that you may have experienced, rather than specific things. However, she did create a discography of her scents so that her buyers would be more familiar with when they are released and can have better expectations of what they're receiving.

Another thing to mention, DC has a group of perfumes that are available all year round, and then she offers seasonal selections. The seasonal selections tend to sell out really quickly. If you find a perfume that you absolutely need, I suggest subscribing to her facebook page and stalking their shop to see exactly when the seasonal releases are scheduled. If you miss them you can check out the Sunday Swap thread on r/indiemakeupandmore a few weeks after they're released to try and pick up what people are destashing.

Not everything I received pictured, but a few of the Darling Clandestine perfumes I received.

DC offers bitsies which is a dram (~3.7ml) of perfume for $5, and full sizes for ~$15(it depends on the perfume). That's a pretty large amount of perfume compared to what most shops give you for the price. Darling Candestine also sells solid perfumes that also come in bitsy sizes. The solid perfume is the perfume oil mixed in with melted beeswax (you can message her about vegan orders), which can be applied with your finger. They're a teeny bit easier to carry around, but I found that the solid perfumes don't have as big of a throw as the oil does, but they also last a bit longer. I wouldn't say that they last A LOT longer, just a little bit.

So if you want a perfume with a lot of throw, go with the oil. If you want something a little more subtle and a tiny bit longer lasting go with the solid.

Now onto the reviews!

Pyrotechnik 
Bright, spiced cantaloupe on a bold black sky, with sweet woods and earth below. A really fascinating combination, one that does impressive wiles on the skin.
The description for Pyrotechnik is what drew me in. I sort of hate cantelope. I mean, I sort of like how it smells, but I hate eating it. The taste/consistency just throws me off and makes me gag. Out of the bottle I get something similar to Big Red Gum with a touch of Juicy Fruit, but a little lighter on the cinnamon. When applied the skin it pretty much smells the same, but a little stronger. The spice comes out a bit more, but it melds beautifully with the cantaloupe. Pyrotechnik reminds me of those fruity perfumes that I would always wear when I was younger, but a bit more grown up. All in all, I really like it. It isn't my favorite, but the throw on it isn't huge and I feel like this would be a great everyday perfume. It isn't weird (my friends always think I'm odd for smelling like grass), but it's different and something that most people probably would only notice that you smell good. I'm really glad I picked up a full size of this, it'll last me while and I imagine I'll be wearing this daily.

Maudlin & Bedlam
Dark, warm honey and herbals and wood frosted unsettlingly with weeping green leaves. Something deep and different for you honey lovers, with a fresh verdant bite. 
Out of the bottle it's pretty minty, with a slight sweetness coming out. Once applied to the skin the sweetness really makes an appearance. I'm going to guess honey. There's something dark green grounding the honey, but ultimately it smells a lot like honey. Honey and Christmas trees. While the honey is appealing, I'm not absolutely in love with it. It smells just a touch of elderly woman for me. I'm not entirely sure why I'm picking that up, but that's what my nose is telling me. It's not unpleasant, but this isn't really the perfume for me. Throw on this one is pretty decent, if I'm being honest.

Brasao y Kinolau (solid)
Created for the amazing Liz Azevedo, to celebrate her family roots and mine: Fresh, green, non-Christmasy holly, pink peppercorn and old-world wonders, fused with the maile vines of Hawai'i, spiced with a tiny touch of cinnamon and sweetened with coconut and honey. It's green and tart and languid and floral-but-not-floral and breezy and deep. This lovely makes appearances when she takes a fancy.
Out of the bottle it smells pretty green, but a darker green.. like holly. When first applied it really smells like a Christmas, but without all of the cookies and stuff. I get holly and peppermint from this. It's quite pleasant, and as a lover of green perfumes I have to admit that I do like it, but it isn't my favorite. I love freshness in a green perfume, like freshcut grass and sunshine. This reminds me of going out and buying a Christmas Tree with fresh snow on the ground.
I do like it, but I probably won't purchase it again, especially with how long the bitsy solid's last me. The throw on this one is actually pretty decent considering that it's a wax, but nothing overwhelming.

Fisticuffs
Punch-drunk honeyed wine, with raw green notes and a rich, sanguine base, speckled with earth and concrete. It’s a “me” scent.
Out of the bottle I get fresh cut grass, which makes me super excited because I love the shit out of fresh cut grass. Seriously, this is perfect. There's a tiny bit of honey in the background to sweeten it up. I remember hearing that if you like Fisticuffs you should try out La La La Alright because they're pretty similar, but La La La doesn't have as much sweetness behind it. I'll have to keep that in mind. Overall, I received this in a swap on Indiemakeupandmore and I'll definitely purchase a full size of this when it's re-released. This is probably my favorite out the bunch. All in all, to me, it's the opposite of Maudlin & Bedlam. M&B is heavy on the honey, and light on the grass, while Fisticuffs is heavy on the grass and light on the honey.

Carny Wedding 
Opens with butter and sugar, unfolds to a tangy, charred wood resin, ends in a puff of sweet smoke. Some love it for the sweet, some love it for the smoke.
I have to admit, I had to pry this out of my dogs mouth when I unpackaged it and left it on the table. Manders loves himself some carny wedding. Out of the bottle I smell some smokey sugar. A tiny bit like when you burn sugar in the pan... but not as smoky as that. Once applied it turns into this wonderful combination of smoky and sweet. Sort of like eating kettlecorn in front of a fire. They meld beautifully together. I would say that this one does tend to be sweeter, and I do love me some gourmands. The throw on this isn't really that large at all, it hangs very close to the skin, but that may be the solid. I'll probably pick up a bitsy of this when I get a chance because I do like it quite a lot.

Solstice Scents- Mini Review of 4 scents!

Heylooooo.

We had a pretty busy weekend that included my brother coming to visit with his (adorable) new puppy! We headed up to the beach after the local sandwich shop messed up my order twice. ]: On sunday we headed back up to Erie in order to go shopping in which I bought a ton of new clothes.

Woooo. Solstice Scents!

Either way. Solstice Scents. I picked up Cafe Mallowmel & Pumpkin Spice latte in a destash a while ago  when I was trying to find my perfect coffee scent, and I felt that they had an underlying soapyness to them, which was a little disappointing. I promptly forgot about them for 4 months. Apparently, it was just a settling issue because I had no soapyness when I tried them out again and I was pretty impressed with the scents, Cafe Mallowmel is easily runner up in the coffee competition... and since my favorite was discontinued I'm guessing it will become my next HG perfume. 
Either way! After reacting better to her scents I decided to place another order. Plus Solstice Scents has an awesome deal for those new to her brand by offering a sample pack of 5 for $14, plus the extra sample that is always included to your order and if it's your first order with the shop you're eligible for an extra sample! :D So that's a total of seven samples for $14. 
Now, onto the reviews. Solstice Scents is known for their awesome gourmands, woods, spices, and smoky notes. As always the reviews are done with my opinions first, and then I'll look up the actual notes in order to try and remain unbiased. (: 
Kitchen
White Fox
Blossom Jam Tea Cakes
Sycamore Chai



Woooo.






Pumpkin, Sugar Cookies, Peach Preserves, Spice Breads, Danishes, Caramel, Vanilla & Sweet Wood Smoke
Out of the bottle it smells a little bit like vanilla and maple syrup. Super sweet with just a tinge of spice. When first applied to my skin it smells spicy and a little bit sweet, reminds me a lot of going in to those little country stores that usually have bowls of potpourri sitting around, and maybe a candle warmer featuring an apple scent. All in all, it so far smells like an over spiced apple pie. 
On the dry down the spice and apple tends to chill out and take a back seat leaving the sugared crust to take over. Throw is pretty big on this one, when I first applied it I had a few people in the building ask what smelled so good. Overall kitchen reminds me a lot of candle and potpourri, it smells pretty nice but is a little generic for my taste. If you enjoy the smell of those little country stores I'd recommend picking it up, other than that I think I'll pass on a full size, the sample is enough. 

Vanilla Musk, White Fur, Wood Blend, Frozen Dirt, Snow
Out of the bottle I get a very cool vanilla, not gourmandy at all. Wet on the skin the musk comes out and turns this into a very beautiful scent. Honestly, this one surprised me because I wasn't expecting it to smell like this. It's a little bit more unisex than I would have thought (this is coming from a girl who likes to smell like fruit and cake, so keep that in mind). It's sophisticated, and pretty without being overwhelming. Honestly, I can't really describe what it smells like other than a pretty vanilla cologne. When my husband took a whiff he said it reminded him of Armani and asked me to buy him a bottle. The throw on this one is pretty big and I'm pretty sure everyone within a 10 foot radius could smell it in all of it's glory. If you like sweeter musks, this is for you. If you are interested in musks but haven't tried any of them out yet, I'd say this is a great starter one.
I would like to note that this was my first time trying a musk perfume, I sort of forgot about that note when I originally ordered, but it was so worth it.

Southern Tea Cakes, Petit Fours, Floral Infused Jams & Preserves and a Delicate Aroma of Tea
Out of the bottle I get a pretty sweet floral. Once applied to the skin the florals and a bit of lemon peak out a bit more, swallowed by a soft sweetness, something soft like Angel Food Cake? You know, I really hate florals, I do. My skin tends to amp them up and it just reminds me of my grandma... and I don't really like my grandma and I don't want to smell like her. Despite my hate of florals, this is pretty pleasant. I'm not head-over-heels in love, but it is pretty pleasant. The florals in it aren't crazy and the sweetness of the cake are pretty nice. 
This perfume is pretty unique, to me. There's a lot of complicated layers that you wouldn't think would work well together, but they do. Florals, lemony, and cake turn into this pretty lovely combination. Throw on this one isn't huge. 

Vanilla Chai Tea & A Ginger-Pumpkin Roll Filled With Marshmallow Creme.
Out of the bottle I get a nice whiff of spices. Like Cardamom, cinnamon, all that good stuff.
Once applied.. I'm actually going to keep this pretty simple. It smells exactly like chai. Have you never smelled a Chai? It smells like a nice mix of spices and cream, with just a slightest hint of tea. If you love Chai, and want to smell like one, pick this up. This scent will be perfect for winter, when you just want to curl up with a book and look outside at the snow. Smelling it warms you up, and makes you feel all fuzzy inside. 
I don't think I'd like to wear this in the summer, I'm really looking forward to wearing this in chilly fall weather or when there's 6 feet of snow on the ground. It makes me happy.