Springtime with Solstice Scents

Oh yeah.

Solstice Scents recently released their Spring Collection and I took the opportunity to give some of their spring stuff a try, pick up a few things that have been recommended to me and finally grab full sizes of a few scents I loved from my last order. Okay, I did jump the gun a bit and may have grabbed a lot of these full sizes un-sniffed. Okay, almost all of my order. I'm not ashamed. I'm owning it. Okay? Okay.

Let's start out with what I picked up from the Spring release! I considered getting a sample of each but thought I'd shop responsibly and just get what sounded most appealing to me. This approach only kind of worked.

Blossom Jam Tea Cakes, Chantilly Cream, Chiffon, Cameo

Blossom Jam Tea Cakes: Southern Tea Cakes, Petit Fours, Floral Infused Jams & Preserves and a Delicate Aroma of Tea.

Ehhh. Ehhhhh. Cold sniff is really strange. I can pick out what I assume is little cakes and something floral but the combination is not terribly pleasant. There's something a bit soapy about it. Applied it's still sweet and floral. As it dries down the tea note peaks out. It reminds me of the tea note in Haus of Gloi's Elevenses but not nearly as overwhelming. Happily, it quickly fades down to a light cake scent. It's so faint however that it hardly seems worth it at that point. This was probably a scent that I did not need in a full size at all but you live and learn. It does layer decently over Chantilly Cream so that's a small redeeming factor.

Chantilly Cream: Whipped Cream, Peach Nectar, Vanilla & Yellow Mandarin EO.

From the bottle I get a lot of cream with a touch of peach. Very soft and fresh yet decadent. The cream smells thick and dare I say creamy. On my skin the peach takes over but doesn't overwhelm the cream. It's a very deliciously sweet scent. It sits very close to the skin and isn't so much peach fruit as it is fuzzy peach skin. After a while it dries down and vanilla takes the lead with a bit of peach lingering in the background. Just a touch powdery but not unpleasant. The only disappointing thing about this perfume is it's lasting power. I'd say it lasted only a handful of hours on me. (I'll learn to keep track from now on.) Unlike Blossom Jam Tea Cakes, I'm very happy with this full size purchase.

Chiffon: Vanilla, White Amber, White Musk & Lemon Myrtle EO.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love lemon. I love lemon so much, you guys. Sweet lemon especially. So, of course, Chiffon was stuck immediately into my shopping cart. The cold sniff doesn't start out very lemony. It's very cool which I assume is a combination of the white amber and musk. It's pleasantly sweet and breezy. Once applied the lemon comes out very strongly. As it dries the lemon calms down a bit and what I assume is the white amber starts to come out. Now, I don't really know anything about amber scents so I can only guess. It smells cold and lemony and I dig it. After a while that dies down and it's mostly vanilla left. Sweet with, again, a touch of lemon. It sits very close to the skin and isn't terrible strong but I'd say it's definitely a wrist sniffer. Another happy full size buy! P.S. Chiffon + Chantilly Cream = Fuck yeah.

Cameo: Almond, Rose, Yellow Cake, Tonka Bean, Coconut, Ginger and Green Orange.

So I love lemon. But I hate rose. I cannot stand it. I once bought a drugstore mascara, popped it on my eye curtains and almost died. It had been scented. With rose. Who the hell decides that mascara needs to be rose scented? Anyway, when I saw that rose note listed in Cameo I instantly noped past it. But the almond, cake, and coconut notes pulled me right on back. I decided a small sample wouldn't kill me. Out of the sample vial I get sweet cake and a good bit of rose which put me off. Beneath that I can pick up almond and what I assume is tonka bean. I was really very pleasantly surprised once I applied it. The coconut comes out on top followed by yellow cake. The rose is there but it's very subtle and works surprising well with the other notes. This is also a very sweet scent. Eventually the green orange peeks out followed by the ginger. At this point Cameo takes on a floral but spicy tone but also stays sweet. I really love how complex it is. At times I almost catch something like cinnamon. It's the strangest thing. I'll probably be needing this in a full size and definitely would've preferred it over Blossom Jam Tea Cakes.

Next up I've got a couple general catalog goodies along with my first try at the Foxcroft Collection.

Blackburn's Parlor, Blueberry Muffin Batter, Vanilla Pipe Tobacco

Blackburn's Parlor: Vanilla Waffle Bowl, Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Creams, Slice Bananas Smothered in Caramel Sauce & Topped With Whipped Cream.

Blackburn's Parlor has been talked up all over the place and it sounded divine so I figured I may as well just full size the sucker. Out of the bottle: Bananas! Like banana Laffy Taffies. It's different but nice. It's quirky. There's also a touch of chocolate but banana's definitely the boss. Applied I get even more bananas! The chocolate's there too with a bit of the vanilla and caramel. Very, very sweet. (There's a theme here, obs.) It does have a cold ice cream quality that I've heard people make mention of. There's something about it that on my skin comes across as a tad artificial but not entirely unenjoyable. Almost like a perfumey vanilla but I think it's just the caramel note playing games with my skin chemistry. Blackburn's Parlor is for sure a fun perfume but I could have lived without it.

Blueberry Muffin Batter: Plump Blueberries, Sweet Brown Sugar Crumb Topping, a Touch of Vanilla Bean, Liquid Cane Sugar & Batter.

This perfume is almost straight blueberries upon cold sniff. There seems to be a touch of brown sugar and it does give off a very muffiny vibe. Applied the blueberries are still very dominant and stay that way for quite a while. It's very sweet! After a while it warms up and the vanilla takes over. It's very simple but in a comforting sort of way. I was compared to a candle however. So there's that.

Vanilla Pipe Tobacco: Vanilla Absolute, Tobacco Absolute, Tonka Bean Absolute & Sweet Clover Absolute.

This one was my free sample and I was super pumped to give it a try. Tobacco without the cancer, amiright? Cold sniff gives me fresh, somewhat sweet tobacco with no smokiness in sight. It's all tobacco on application but very subtle and still a touch sweet. I think I start to pick out the clover after a bit - there's something in there that's a bit floral. It's a nice scent but it fades very quickly. I'll probably get a few uses from the sample vial but I don't think a full size is in order.

And finally:

Lemon Ginger Creams, Snowmint Mallow

I picked up full sizes of Lemon Ginger Creams and Snowmint Mallow which I reviewed here. I love these so much, oh yesyesyes.

Overall, another mostly successful order from Solstice Scents! Even the scents that I didn't particularly like weren't anything that I ended up hating. Also, these being my first full sizes from them I will say I'm loving the bottles. Nice, sturdy and visually appealing. And no leaking! The shipping was super fast and I was even refunded the shipping overcharge which I wasn't expecting so yeah~ Also, check the fancy green drawstring bag my bottles came in. Pure class. Keep on keepin' on, Solstice Scents. You got me in your pocket.

xxx

P.S. I have a huge (Three Part!) post on Femme Fatale coming soon so keep those peepers peeled!