Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Solstice Scents: Summer Release


Oooooooo, I was a bad, bad girl. Somebody spank my hand. Angela stocked so many things in her summer release at Solstice Scents that I wanted that I just went buckwild. Buck. Wild. 


Jack and the Devil  kept drawing my attention every time I perused Solstice Scents, with notes of pumpkin, amber, spices, vanilla, patchouli and oakmoss, how could I resist the autumnal call? 

Sprightly ginger opens this golden scent, then spice and sweet vanilla pods creep in. A pumpkin patch with crisp green oakmoss scattered about keeps this from turning bakery. Patchouli contributes the inky black luster and amber smolders with warmth, getting darker and eerier as the potion bubbles on the flesh. Overall, it does feel like a festive Halloween night where little Jack may very well have brewed up some double, double, toil and trouble. This 5 ml roll-on cost $16.00. I know what I will be wearing on Halloween this year. 


Angela posted in her Facebook group, asking for scent requests for this release. I piped up with Tenebrous Mist and Basilica. She assured me Tenebrous Mist would be included. So you know I had to grab it. The 4 ounce bottle  of Burnishing Glace' Bath & Body Oil is $16.00. She is currently taking suggestions for a general catalog restock on these body oils if there are any you would like to see restocked.

Tenebrous Mist- Notes: Wild seas, skin musk, soft spices, faint wood smoke, sweetness.
A bracing scent of salty sea mist and clear musk. The body oil imparts a delicate sheen on the skin and the scent does dry down into a mellow woody sweet aroma. The body oil is not as deep as the perfume oil but I quite enjoy it. It was nice for a morning outing and allowed me to apply a different scent for the afternoon. This scent is perfect for the summer to autumn transition with its wood tones. Even though the ocean features, it is not really a beachy scent. Way more moody than a sunny day at the shore. 


I have never had a whipped soap from Solstice Scents, and with body care only coming out in limited quantities for now I wanted to get one before they were gone. I chose Manor since I bought a full bottle of perfume in it. In hindsight I probably should not have tortured myself in this *ahem* manner (Manor) but I desired to bathe with Manor and then use the perfume after. The Creamy Whipped Soap is $10.00 and feels silky smooth, light and as expected, creamy. The texture is almost like homemade whipped cream with a pearlescent shimmer. I shampooed my hair with a half dollar dollop, because Manor scented hair, yes dear. It cleaned nicely and I followed it up with FuturePrimitive Dusty Dogwood which I will feature later. Then I did the two finger swoop in the soap (you know, like I used to do in the Cool Whip tubs when I was a kid, teen, adult, whatever) and pushed it into the poof and lathered up. Manor in soap holds onto the vanilla sweetness just slightly more than the dark wood. It creates a fluffy froth of fleecy bubbles. Perfect. Of course. Now I must live on the hope she will restock the whipped soaps one day again.


I have happily sampled many fragrances in Solstice Scent's eau de parfum line this year but I knew instantly that Manor would be my first full bottle order.

Manor- Notes: Vanilla musk, vanilla, agarwood. 
If you love a rustic and sweet vanilla and woods, this must make your acquaintance. You can read my thoughts on it here. I still feel like this is the ultimate vanilla woods perfume and I am stoked I have a full bottle that I can spray with abandon throughout the year. A perfume wardrobe staple. 
60 ml bottle is $70.00



I purchased a 2.5 ml sample ($8.00) of one of Angela's newest fragrances:

Estate Rosewood- Notes: Estate vanilla, tea rose, oak casks, tobacco, bourbon, woods, rosewood, hinoki wood. 
After a toothsome dinner with fine company and the after glow of sherry shining in the eyes of the guests, swishing gowns pair off with dapper suits to retire to the parlour for post-dinner conversation, strong drink and pipes. A quaint Victorian scene that glows under the gilded edges of firelight and candlelight. Oak aged whiskey, sharp and spicy, perfumes the air as men sip and pontificate behind elegantly formed mustaches. Pipes never far behind. Feminine burbles of laughter and smiles shining like polished shells are framed by faded pink tea roses perched in the mouth of hand painted porcelain vases. As the moon slides across the blue silk of the sky and the candles burn through wax and wick, the cypress mantel warmed by the fire fills the room with the austere scent of sacred wood. Elegant, striking, not a caramel or vanilla laced gourmand tobacco scent but a spiced wood and whisky tobacco fragrance that has an aged patina. Of course, I love it.


A sampler of Foxcroft's Autumn Festival somehow slipped into my cart. I think my fall craving subconscious knew what I needed. The whole collection can be sampled in perfume oil extrait form for $19.60. 

Smokewood Apiary- Notes: Smoked honey, creamed honey, beeswax, amber, wooden frames, ginger and vanilla.
Amber honey and chilled cream flow like the promised land. Soft beeswax lends a pleasant musty facet to the milk and honey sweetness. A beautiful, wholesome scent. 

Sycamore Chai- Notes: Vanilla chai tea, marshmallow, ginger, pumpkin.
Black pepper, cardamom, ginger, anise and nutmeg infuse black tea leaves. Earthy and bold. Almost with a butternut tobacco depth. Pumpkin puree swirled with vanilla marshmallow cream fold into the tea scent. The velvety black licorice root twining with the black tea even more. 

Foxcroft Fairgrounds- Notes: Cotton candy, cream soda, vanilla taffy, Gridling's funnel cakes, powdered sugar, crisp fall air, woodsmoke and a tendril of incense.
Sweet spun sugar candy floss stuck to the lips and hay straw clutching to jean clad thighs. Angela paints a perfect chilly fall carnival. Mounds of snowy powdered sugar dust a warm crisp funnel cake, but the nippy autumn wind sends the sweet white dust flying, mingling with bonfire smoke and dancing red and yellow leaves. The vanilla taffy is gooey and pulled by hand and hook under a striped tent. This vanilla with underlying incense is the base of the scent. 

Corvin's Apple Fest- Notes: Apple pastries, fresh apples, caramel apples, warm apple cider, vanilla.
Buttery apple dumplings and tarts dripping with apple nectar and crusted with caramelized sugar. Toffee and caramel and vanilla filled miniature apple cakes. Smooth and creamy. Rich and sweet. Sublimely delicious. 

Owl Creek Aleworks- Notes: Toffee pudding, vanilla caramel, toasted coconut, hazelnut, and sugared pumpkin cream stout.
This perfume makes me want to eat my arm. It tastes, I mean smells, like a butter drenched sticky toffee pudding served with a glass of chilled coquito. Decadence overload. After some time, rustic pumpkin assuages the toffee coconut richness. I still want to lap it up. Another perfect chilly day fragrance to bring warmth and sweetness. 

Gibbon's Boarding School- Notes: Dusty wooden desks, paper, leather, amber, tobacco, dying fire, dried leaves, autumn breeze.
I have a soft spot for this perfume. Its elixir transports me to archaic halls of learning that only a bibliophile's soul could yearn to inhabit. Leather bound books whose pages have absorbed stories, the musk of fingerprints, the smoke of pipes long ago puffed, rest side by side like pearls of knowledge strung on mahogany shelves. The leather and mahogany and tobacco are mixed with dust and smoke and resinous amber. A brooding fragrance that begs to be worn in chilly weather.  

Riverside Hayride- Notes: Moist dirt, white carnations, fallen leaves, bare branches, hay and a hint of pressed apples.
Freshly tilled earth, plucked of the abundant harvest, dregs of wheat stalks and corn left as after thoughts. The tractor and trailer ferrying about people with laughing faces framed by scarves and beanies. The wheels grind tannic leaves like a pestle, releasing the peppery scent of carnations and frangible foliage. Boots scatter moldy hay into the keen air and a quiet fog slinks its aquatic belly from the river to the fields. Oak, river, hay and birch. Outdoors in a bottle.


Free Sample:

With every purchase you can choose a free sample. I picked out Pinyon Truffle this time.

Pinyon Truffle- Notes: Chocolate, pinyon pine, pinyon resin, Swiss stone pine, tonka, vanilla in organic cane sugar alcohol. 
The combination of pine and dark chocolate is incredible. Finely grated smoked chocolate with a bite of bitter dark woods flow from solemn slender pines that stretch to the clouds. Every part of the pine contributes its perfume: fibrous roots, slabs of bark, clumps of needles and heartwood. The realism of the pine in the heart notes almost holds an acidic uric tone that fades when the chocolate becomes boozy with bourbon. The drydown is dusted with darkness and aged cocoa powder, labdanum and licorice, cedar and pine, an enchanted forest at midnight. I love this scent and will be getting a 5ml bottle of it soon.

Well my goodness. If you stuck with me through this huge Solstice Scents showcase, thank you! I am stoked to see what Angela's fall release holds. Do any of these fragrances tweak your interest? Have you tried Solstice Scents? Any favorites? 

10 comments:

  1. Julie, I love your blog, but you know this - and even more, I love the way you write when describing fragrances. The way you set the scene is soooo much better than "I like this, it smells nice." Thank you for that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for the uplifting words, Victoria. Sometimes I worry my writing gets to be too much or repetitive, but I do try to push myself in new directions. It comes easier when the fragrances really speak to me and Angela's truly do that. She is an artist. Thank you so much for stopping by and being so kind! I hope you are doing well.

      Delete
  2. Julie, your photos are as stunning as always and your descriptions make me want to pull out the credit card and yell, "I'll take it!" I'm already shaking with anticipation for Halloween and Jack and the Devil sounds like a perfect choice for going out for trick or treating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awwww, thank you Gil! I hope you have been well. I loved your writing about the new Dior Poison. I meant to comment but got distracted. Enjoying your killer makeup looks too <3 I am totally ready for fall and dying for some brisk weather so I can slather myself in all these spooky cool scents. I think you may like Jack and the Devil. I can send you a sample. I know I have your address around here somewhere :-)

      Delete
  3. Amazing haul! I wish I could shop for fragrances with such abandon. I love your photos and detailed descriptions as always. A lot of the scents sound amazing, but that Manor perfume really does seem like a must have for us vanilla woods lovers like us. I'll have to put it it on my must try list. Also, the packaging is gorgeous! How do you store/display your fragrances? I can see these products looking lovely on a vintage vanity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Amanda! I did snap up most of what I wanted. Of course with Solstice Scents there are always more that I want but I can't have it all. I adore Manor and I will make you a decant and send it out for you to try. Hopefully you will love it as much as I do. Her packaging is very rustic and enchanting. I appreciate it too. I store all my perfumes in a wooden jewelry box on the bathroom counter. The samples I keep in empty candle jars. I wish I had a vintage vanity but we have a smaller house and I don't have room for a vanity. I make due with our regular old bathroom counter :-)

      Delete
    2. Our setups are pretty similar then! I keep the perfumes and body care I'm currently using on my dresser and the others in the medicine cabinet. My sample vials are stored in a candle jar too; great minds! :) That's so generous of you to offer to send a sample! I'm currently packing smell good packages for you and some of my other waxy friends; just waiting on a couple more orders and I hope to have them send off in the next week or so. :)

      Delete
  4. OK- this was swoon worthy for me! Manor whipped soap and perfume, so fantastic. I love everything you ordered, I need to treat myself to something. Besides Manor, what was a standout scent for you? All my best, Ellisa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Ellisa! Hope you have been well! Thank you! I was quite giddy about this order myself. A standout EDP that I plan on buying a full size of that I sampled would be Conjure, and maybe Hidden Lodge. A perfume oil from this order I want to buy in full size next would be: Owl Creek Aleworks and Gibbon's Boarding School. I do already have Corvin's Apple Fest in a full bottle though that a friend gave me. It is nice but very rich buttery bakery. I can only wear it in cooler months. I hope this helps!

      Delete
    2. Oh! And let me know what you decide to get! Angela has a great sampling option. I have only tried about 1/3 of her scents.

      Delete