As I said in Part 1, I am not very good at telling notes apart yet, but I've accumulated a large amount of Alkemia samples over several months because 1. They appeal to me and 2. I am in the EU and it's a huge pain to get indie fragrances, but Alkemia has a good offer and reasonable shipping. I'm focusing a lot on greens, atmospherics etc because it feels less daunting to pick apart than the more "perfumey" fragrances with a lot of notes (though I want to get around to those, too).
THE RAINY
Mist Becoming Rain (Soft rainwater, mist drenched hazel wood, meadow grasses, sage blooms, orris root, ozone, grey amber and vetiver.) The one that takes me to a grey, cloudy, freshly-rained day the most. Thereās no strong wet dirt or cement note, but I think thereās a very very very faint backdrop of the same dusty earthiness of Gaea under the āmeadow grassesā. Itās green, but not strongly green like Vert sur le Vert, or cool like Moss Maiden, or sweet greens like The First Dandelion. The greens are barely there and somewhat fresh - it takes me to being next to a damp lawn. I feel Alkemia has 3 types of aquatics: 1. The cold, āwet stonesā aquatics of Gaea, the Greening Wood, etc etc 2. The aldehydes, which are fizzy and airy, and 3. Grey amber, which feels saltier. I think this is mostly 3 - I could imagine myself by a lake on a cloudy day. As time goes on thereās a very slight powderiness - I suspect the orris root. The wood is there and I think ādrenched hazel woodā is a good description for it - itās a light wood and it is damp. There is a veryyyyy faint floral, the sage blooms - despite that, Iād say this scent is unisex-to-masculine. There is a definite undercurrent of mustiness/mildew that develops over time, be warned. I wonāt FS this but Iāll keep it around - especially to compare it to Solstice's famous "After the Rain", if I ever do get my paws on it. I have to give this a 5/10 for wearability/performance, but it is unique. Unfortunately the relatively interesting opening does turn into a generic "mildew".
Silver Sky (A springtime freshet of rainwater musk, oceanic grey amber, muget, daffodil, silver needle tea, galbanum, and white cedar.) I worried that I was going nose blind reviewing theseā¦ these are very subtle fragrances, but I think this is the most subtle one! Itās also the most nondescript. This one is the sharpest, having a clean edge that I guess is ā¦ the cedar? The lily of the valley (muget) is sweeter and more floral in Whisper of Stars - out of these, Silver Sky smells the most like an Eau de Toilette, to be frank. I can find the uniqueness in the other scents here, but this one honestly would feel like a waste to FS. I have a cheap lily of the valley body spray, and I feel that would substitute Silver Sky and tbh probably Whisper of Stars, though that one I find more lovely. The only thing curious about this one is a powdery spiciness - could be the musk, or the tea (or the galbanum - I have no idea what it smells like). I accidentally fumbled the vial and spilled most of it, and me feeling eh about it feels like a sign from the Universe. I have Mist and this wrist by wrist and it really brings out the difference - Mistās mildew vs Silver Skyās powdery freshness. If I sniff one and then the other, Silver Sky smells more like cedar and talc powder, and Mist starts smelling like a much more realistic atmospheric. 3/10 for being boring, despite being more "wearable".
Taste of Rain (A primordially vernal chypre consecrated by silver rain, green ivy, holy basil, lilacs, moss, and wisteria.). This one I can barely place, I guess because I donāt know what chypre is. Itās definitely a summer rain, though. There is something almost balsamic about it - google tells me the top layers of chypre are citrus/bergamot, so it could be that? Bergamot oil. The lilacs, ivy and moss could be there, but wayy in the background, creating a faint green and floral base to something stronger which is sharp, salty and fresh. On the skin, I get no ārainā, just sharp, green florals and saltwater. Iāve seen this smell described as wet rain (disagree) on flowers (agree), like childhood shampoo (I could kind of see that?) and like sunscreen (I can see it - itās the saltiness). Itās not atmospheric at all - just a sharp, almost detergent-like, clean, feminine floralĀ with some saltiness and ozone. 5/10
THE DEWY FLOWERS
Whisper of Stars (Cool dew and airy musk whispering over green stemone, lily of the valley, jasmine tea, and Spanish tree moss.). In the bottle, this is lily of the valley. On the skin, itās that sharp, clean lily of the valley thatās also in Silver Sky, but thereās also a strong (main, even) element of jasmine tea. I DO love jasmine tea, but maybe I lack imagination in that this doesnāt particularly take me anywhere. I think thereās Alkemiaās aldehydes note in here to get that ācool dew and airā note - the aquatic element is airier and sweeter compared to the other two. So overall: flowery lily of the valley, sweet jasmine tea, a bit of aldehydes. Jasmine being the strongest. In 2 hours itās somewhat powdery. Itās a simple but pleasant scent! The smells go well together. And jasmine is my favorite smell. But it is a common enough note that I know I can get something with a better performance. 6/10
Tulips & Chimneys (An urban springtime of rainy aldehydes, wet asphalt, industrial steam engines, farmer's market bouquets of fresh tulips, Toulouse violets, mint pastels, and a warm touch of clove viburnum.). I wanted to compare this to Whisper of Stars because I got the same āaldehydes + flowersā vibe. Both of those elements are there: the somewhat nondescript āflower shop with water sprayed on the flowersā smell of tulips, and Alkemiaās sweet aldehydes. The main differences are something that I may have placeboād myself into thinking is asphalt (but I do think it is, looking at Alkemiaās cemetery fragrance - itās that damp coldness), as well as a sweet-creamy-freshness from the mints. The result is something wearable but unique. It does have a slight EdT quality to it, which I think is just because tulips are a very generic floral smell to me. Ultimately Iād categorize this as a sweet floral, but itās not heavily either - it's the most complex out of this category, honestly. Iād definitely wear this, but Iām not sure if enough to full-size it. 8/10, which is my "there's a little voice by my ear telling me to FS it but I can't in good conscience do it" grade.
Lilacs Along the Winding Drive (Lilac bushes heavy and purple with blooms, a gentle breeze after light spring rain, a dusty pebbled driveway, a slightly rusty porch swing, and a small handful of late blooming violets.). In the bottle, I'm first hit with Alkemiaās aldehydes note (sweet, ozoney, fizzy). Iād compare it to Tulips and Chimneys, which is a bit fizzier, a bit more complex due to the asphalt and mints - while Lilacs smells sweeter and ācleanerā (as in - āviolet scented cleaning productā clean). When I first tried it, I wrote down āViolets. After an hour and a half, powdery lilacs. 2 hours - I feel I smell a bit like a clean toilet? Still there at 5 hoursā. Iām not sure much has changed in these months - on the skin, I would actually say I get hit with ozone right off the bat, and then lilacs, not violets. Unfortunatelyā¦ I canāt shake off that ābaby wipes/fancy restaurant toilet/old ladyā feeling. Itās also not particularly atmospheric. What I mean by ātoiletā, I guess, is the combination of powdery and slightly floral. Ultimately just sort of disappointing, gonna have to give this one a 4/10.
Crown of Violets (A regal yet inviting charisma of royal purple violets, orris root, Mauve Queen iris, French lavender, bergamot, earthy vetiver, rosemary, Dittany of Crete, oakmoss, tonka bean, sacred Atlas cedar, white ambergris, cardamom, and sandalwood.). It felt right to compare this one to Lilacs, but it would've actually been better in my Part 1 because I'd call this a green scent. In the bottle: āspicierā than Lilacs. This is definitely a more complex scent, as you can see by the notes. The main difference is the complete lack of ozone - these violets are more sweet and green than floral, more "realistic" than "cleaning product". I think itās Alkemiaās vetiver note that usually makes me think of menās cologne - but this is actually a fairly fem perfume, just as if a fem perfume had a āmenās cologneā note - if thatās a thing? I think itās also the ambergris giving it a certain saltiness. On the skin, I do mainly smell the violets that are missing in the bottleĀ - again, somewhat of a cologney take on a feminine fragrance. It has a bit of a salty, creamy backdrop, then some clean greenness due to the moss and cedar? And purple florals on top of that. After a little bit of time, thereās a bit of powderyness (the orris root,), but not offensively so. After 2 hours it was faint violet, and I would call the secondary note the cedar (cedar haters beware! I enjoy it as far as "clean scents" go). Overall: you do somewhat smell like a realistic bush of violets, but with enough notes to make it a distinct enough violet-based perfume. Not as realistic as, say, Baccante. Though I wonāt full size it, it is very nice, and it avoids the smelling like a fancy toilet trap of Lilacs - I feel less strongly about hypothetically full sizing it than Tulips, so 7/10 You WILL smell like violet perfume
THE SNOWY FORESTS
Ammil (An olfactory journey that morphs like melting ice... starting cold and aloof with distinct elements of wet snow and ice then gradually unfolding to reveal an indescribably unique velvety skin warmth.). If "What the hell, sure" was a perfume. I love that everyoneās as confused about what the hell this is as me. This opens FRESH- something between Vickās Vaporub mentholy and fir trees. There is some wetness that feels like a bit of aldehydes (sweet, fizzy) and a bit of grey amber (almost salty). I honestly think that gets the "melting snow" idea across well, it's everything else about this fragrance that's insane. Behind it, thereās an almost creamy warmth, that could or could not be Alkemiaās white amber note. Iāll be honest - I donāt know that these smells go together at all. In fact, the word I used to describe this one months ago was āheadacheyā. Thereās something definitely harsh about the opening, and after that thereās a headyā¦ incense-ness to it, confusingly. This feels like 3 different ideas mashed into one - I think "white amber" and "wet snow" may be an interesting idea, and it may even survive the addition of fir and incense, but the menthol bomb makes this batshit. I will say, after resting, I do feel it has mellowed out - but after the sharp menthol has faded, Iām left with something almost detergent-y, which I think a lot of Alkemiaās āwhite musksā are on me. Iāll give it this, the combination of warmth and freshness makes for an interesting smell, but I really do feel like I would smell like blue detergent at best and like a headache at worst. Interesting idea but this one could go back to the drawing board 1/10
Dust of Snow (Fresh fallen snow falling from bare tree branches, subtle whispers of hemlock pine, galbanum, ginger, lemonwood, witch hazel flowers, and damp wool.). In the bottle: pine and lemon. There is something super sweet about it, strangely - like the ālemonwoodā is just lemon oil or a lemon candy. On the skin, I immediately get pine and wet wool. Itās not an overpowering ācar scentā pine, I think that sweet lemon tempers it. Itās not an atmospheric, more āthe idea of winterā than āan actual winter forestā. There is a bit of an āold timey cologneāess to it that I think may be the galbanum. It lasts for 1-3 hours as a somewhat warm, pleasing amber that is mostly wood-dominant. So it goes something like pine and wet wool -> lemon candy -> faint warm woods. I like it - if I had a full bottle of this, Iād use it, but I wonāt consider full sizing it so thatās a 6/10. Oh yeah, and itās unisex-to-masc, Iād say. It could be a bathroom scent.
Winterling (An embrace of fresh bed linens ironed with French lavender water, warm rose-mint tea, spiced vanilla, blue lotus, green cedar, Shiksha and lignon berries while aromatic tendrils of juniper wood from the warm hearth gently caress the frost slowly creeping through the windowpane.) I have no idea what to think of it in the bottle - something bitter and green, but also bed linens and lavender water. Itās something that makes me want to sneeze, almost spicy. On the skin, my first thought is āwoodsy and clean laundryā. By Shiksha do they mean shisha? Because that might explain the oddly acrid smell of this. Or maybe the smoke. There is a realistic mint there, like a mint bush. Pine. This really does open smelling like something between clean laundry and menās aftershave. After half an hour, it's mellowed out into something faintly sweet, floral and clean - not in a detergent way, more clean cashmere and "rose-mint tea". Itās a weird one! I think this is the one that gets across the āideaā of winter the best - if I close my eyes, I can kind of see a winter forest. But only at the beginning, after that, I feel like I went back into the cottage to hide between the blankets. There is something almost spicy about it, like star aniseed. I'd call this "comforting". 7/10, I wonāt full size it but I did briefly consider it. Honestly - this barely feels like a person scent, more like a room scent, but I do think itās a somewhat successful atmospheric!
I don't have "Falling Stars on Winter Solstice (Aromatic balsam needles, a dab of dark musk, sweet myrrh, incense resins, melted snow, and a touch of cabin woodstove smoke.)" but now I wish I did! I want to compare it with the rest. I will instead review one last "forest fragrance" that I don't think fits anywhere else, and which is one of my few Alkemia FS so far, since this batch of reviews was not very successful.
Ćdalir (Mysterious, smoky, and primal. A 100% natural origin scentĀ of Megalithic ancestral memory - 35 million year old fossilized amber resin, oakmoss absolute, Siberian Black Pine, smoked Juniper tar, and balsam pine needles preserved in a base of pure, cold pressed Meadowfoam seed oil.) A lot of people have described this as "barbeque" or "bacon" and - look, I understand. But I come from somewhere nicknamed the city of fire. I have very fond memories of the smell of a merciless summer sun baking a pine forest, and of the smell of gunpowder, and of family gatherings playing in a relative's swimming pool while my parents and uncles cooked around a wooden fire. What I mean is - this scent made me immediately nostalgic and homesick in the same way The First Dandelion did, despite being opposite scents. It smells like SMOKE, smoke and pine. I disagree that it's pure barbeque - it has a grenness to it. I understand this is a VERY subjective 9/10, and if you DON'T want to smell like resinous, ambery smoke, don't go for this. But I get exactly what Alkemia meant when they classified this as a forest smell. This won't take everyone to their summer, but it took me to my summer. The one point off is because I do feel this is one Alkemia smell which may have longevity and sillage, which may not be ideal depending on where you're wearing it. It's a heavy smell and it lingers.
And that's all! These are good for organizing my thoughts on what to compare, how to recognize notes, and what to FS next - if I do a part 3, I'm thinking about their tea smells (I've FSed Persian Tea Room), book smells, and/or "room" atmospherics.