Sunday, February 7, 2021

Arcana Wildcraft: Valentine's Collection

 These perfumes were gifts from Julia. All opinions are my own.


Post Tenebras Lux- Notes: Light after darkness. Wildcrafted fir balsam, Canadian Douglas fir, red spruce, golden amber, Moroccan cedarwood, wild blackberries, bergamot, blood orange, and citron.

It truly does smell like sunlight in a bottle. Glittering and luminous the shimmering evergreens and effervescent citrus zing and zip playfully. The same spritely energy plays out on the wrists with aldehydic bergamot, turgid blackberries and puckering lemon frolicking on a bed of sun dappled balsam needles. This scent is lively and stimulating, tart and delicious. Like the best artisan lemonade accented with muddled blackberries and infused with pine bitters. I want to make this into a drink, for summer evening sipping by a campfire with lightening bugs flashing their love in the gloaming. This has skyrocketed into my top three best fruity scents.


Love- Notes: Splendid, dazzling devotion. A breathtaking vanilla accord is accompanied by fresh cream, sugarcane, soft musk, and a pinch of tea leaves.

In the bottle I get the old school chewable Flintstone vitamins. I know this is not a prelude to what it will smell like in its entirety so I toss that aside and slather it on. I do still catch whiffs of crunchy fruity Flintstone vitamins at first glance but then the tea emerges, with hints of currants and tannins creating a pleasant acidity. The earthy cola and molasses-like sugarcane notes are rounded out with the gentle vanilla cream. This has an old fashioned twang to it that brings to mind ruffled Valentine's and calico dresses.


Thundering Orgasm- Notes: A soft swirl of jasmine sambac absolute, the essence of wild orange groves, building to a crescendo of wild-harvested black spruce, rich amber resin, animal fur accord, black pepper, and a hint of sex musk.

I was eyeing up this beauty last year but then things got away from me and I didn't remember to order it before it left. I am so very happy to have it now. I knew I would love the play on jasmine and spruce, and can I just say that Julia's animal fur accord is growly good? If you like Merrywidow or Sea Wolves I think you should give this one a spin as it contains the best auras of both. Boozy and crisp jasmine pair beautifully with the wild oranges and evergreens. The opening is intoxicating and feral. Scintillating as first touches and possibilities. As the perfumes deepens towards the heart the citrus moves towards orange blossoms rather than fruit and I could swear there was a touch of deliciously skanky cumin in there heating things up. It smells like sex in a most metaphorical manner and I am here for it. I get a slight nod to Serge Lutens' Fleurs D'oranger and it is probably the similarity that jasmine and orange blossom can share. Either way I would dump Uncle Serge for Thundering Orgasm and that is saying a lot. The drydown pulls that animal fur and musk up from the depths and Sea Wolves comes to mind with its cozy and snuggly musks. This is the afterglow. The breath slowing. The nest making in the sheets. The ease of falling into dreams with a pleasant fullness.


Amorini- Notes: A playful mix of cherry candy, three vanillas, pink musk, guava, sugar, and a warm rush of cinnamon hearts.

I featured this scent two years ago and here was my description then:
"Plump little Maraschino cherry bottoms bob to the surface of this scent. It reminds me of the time when I stayed at my great-grandmother's house overnight. Granny Conrad made me a bowl of plain vanilla ice cream and dropped a generous helping of electric red cherries on top and poured a glug of the scarlet juice on top for good measure. It was the best bowl of ice cream I ever had as an 8 year old. These cherries remind me of just that moment. On the skin those cherries play in tandem with sweet guava jelly, if only briefly. However, I do think I must be asnomic to the pink musk because after a short interlude with the cherries and guava I then smell nothing but the very faintest amber for a period of time. Eventually a soft exhalation of cherry and vanilla rise from the skin but in an attenuated strength. I am going to play with this one a bit as I am not often asnomic to musks but I am sure it was bound to happen. I am at the very least so happy to have been gifted this scent memory though."

I wanted to revisit this scent, since I did gift this perfume to one of my cherry loving friends. I am thrilled to have it back in my clutches. 

On the wrist Amorini is sweet and intensely flavored, like a tube of cherry LifeSavers. From various distances between the scent and my nose it sometimes leans into cherry tobacco territory but then heads right back into cherry Push-Pop land. Either way I am enjoying wearing it and will not be letting this one go again.

These lovely perfumes are currently available at the Arcana Wildcraft website for the next while. I love that Julia brings back old favorites each season and adds some new flavor as well. It is comforting to know that a scent you adore will eventually more than likely make its way back around. Which of these four would you wear for Valentine's Day? I am leaning towards Post Tenebras Lux. Utterly delicious.

4 comments:

  1. Ohhhh noooooo
    Is it possible to have too much perfume?
    How can I resist these after reading this

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL!!! I guess we could bath in it!! hahahaaa!

      I probably (definitely) have too much perfume, but I wouldn't change a thing. I cannot remember the last time I went a day without perfume.I might not wear makeup, or a bra, or even leave the house but I will have some type of perfume on.

      Hope you are doing well! Happy Valentine's!

      Delete
  2. Julie! I wish to comment on this older post , not the giveaway, as I have plenty of perfumes :) but I did jump the gun and get Thundering Orgasm and Post Tenebrous Lux. T.O. is so unbelievably beautiful, like a high end dream of the most beautiful classy luxe fragrance imaginable.This is date night and Christmas and the no-fail cheerer- upper, the winter version of my absolute favorite Arcana Merry Widow. P
    T.L. is pure happiness. It has a fainter throw on my skin so I have been layering it with other scents; it adds a sparkling toss of pixie dust to everything. So, thank you for being my favorite enabler! I regret nothing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Brooke! I was finally spending some time on this (for once!!!) lazy Sunday reading my emails and saw this comment. <3 I am so glad you got both of those because they truly are stunning scents! Such cheerful resinous and bright evergreens with lemony sunshine. I LOVE your descriptions!!! It is funny you mention Merry Widow because THAT one is one of my favorites from Julia as well. The strawberries and jasmine are wonderful. You're right. They are like seasonal counterparts. Love it.

      Post Tenebrous Lux is more fleeting on my skin too but like you said, it makes me smile so it is a great day starter for me if I am not working, when I can touch up or wearing something different later in the day. Glad both of them were hits for you!! I will take your advice and try layering them soon.

      Delete