Virginia cedar
Cardamom
Clearwood™
Elemi resin
Myrrh
Musk
Coriander seed
Mandarin orange12/13/2024
Pculirlolita
6 Reviews
Pculirlolita
1
Heart-Warming Potion
I want to preface my reviews by giving a little note that I think is relevant to the experience of buying these perfumes. Marie-Pierre Blanchette, the perfumer, also does all of the work for the brand. Taken from their page, “Marie not only creates the perfumes, but also compounds, filters, bottles, labels and packs every order. She also created the branding, does most of the photography, and maintains the website and social media.” This is very taxing work, needless to say, and yet, hers is the best customer service I have ever experienced with a brand. Not only was she extremely helpful and even went the extra mile when there were issues, but she was also incredibly sweet and lovely.
We are instantly met with the rind of a mandarin, enwrapped in spice. Juicy, realistic, and heavily spiced, it smells quite delectable, and it is a fiery, bracing, equal parts edible to comforting concoction that brings a familiarity that is heart-warming. My nose is not yet trained well enough to recognise all that is going on, but I can say that a mix of different spices, namely cardamom and coriander (the seeds not the plant) are present here, but it feels like there’s more in the mix. It doesn’t say Christmas like cinnamon would, but it still evokes festivity in that it is welcoming, familiar and comforting. I also detect something of an aromatic nature, and paired with the spices this is truly a scent to behold, because it has an effect that I would compare to hunger and yet it is far from that. I guess one could think about it this way: Épices smells of spices that you would eat, but it manages to not read overly foody, and instead it captures the more “warming” and inviting aspects of this concept without it being obvious (but it is somewhat literal). There is a wood-reminiscent element that keeps it grounded and discourages the association with food, though. At its core, this smell is one of love. It is warm, filled with tones of orange and brown, honeyed richness (not in smell), it is like hanging fairy lights around a wooden home, it is like reminiscing on some of your first Christmases, it is like holding a hot cup of spicy, herbal tea bundled in blankets during the evening. But it is also invigorating. It is a happy scent, to me, and one that as much as it puts me at ease, it also moves me to action, as one would do during the holidays when they come back home and there’s a long list of exciting things to do. The more the scent progresses, the earthier and more resinous it gets, which deepens the scent and lends it some gravitas, but not in an overly serious way. More like an old uncle that you love and is very endearing. It doesn’t go too far in that direction, and it retains earlier qualities. This perfume makes me think of the Pacific Northwest or Nort-Western Europe (I have never been to either, though I have gone to Sotkamo in Finland, and it also matches). Unexpectedly, I feel that the “gourmand” aspects of this fragrance come through more in the drydown.
Based on the notes/impressions from the brand: Miskeo ascribes the scent families of “Spicy, Woody, Gourmand” to Épices, and this is based on a lovely scent wheel they have devised which can be found on their website. The impressions (“notes”) on the website are, mandarin, coriander seed, cardamom, elemi, myrrh, musk, patchouli and Virginian cedarwood. I would agree with these impressions and I think they’re accurate (imo), and I write these reviews before I remind myself of the notes, so as to not get too stuck in my expectations.
Other features that I think are worth noting: I am interested in smelling Épices through the different seasons and weathers, and I would subjectively associate it more with colder months, but not with a particular time of day necessarily. I would reserve this scent more for special occasions, but if I were to wear perfume based only on how much I enjoy the scent itself, I would wear this, and many others, including the other ones in Miskeo’s line, much more often (I currently opt for mood-dependent, association-based wear, more than I do sheer scent-enjoyment wear). I would describe the scent as slightly sweet (not in the way one usually expects), cool spicy and a touch earthen, resinous and soft woody. Mood-wise, this is festive, cheerful, comforting, familiar, “dressed-up” (yet casual? I know, contradictory), warming and/or energizing.
More info: It is an Eau de Toilette, at a 10% Concentration, and it is vegan-friendly (love). Refer to the review for Pistil to see why, but I don’t particularly care about longevity in perfume. For what it’s worth, Épices does last several hours at least, I would say more than 4, probably (I haven’t paid close attention sufficiently to determine how many). Gender-wise, I also don’t believe in it, I am non-binary myself, and all smells are for everyone.
Rating overall: 10/10
Thoughts on the brand: The aesthetics of Miskeo, as well as the creative choices (such as the layout of their page, the way they describe scents, the extremely interesting and very unique additions of things like scent synaesthesia), their transparency with materials and in general, and their other ethics, regarding humans and non-human animals, something which is essential for me, are exactly aligned with my own beliefs and what I find interesting (check their FAQ’s, https://miskeoparfums.com/pages/faq). The smells are unparalleled, and paired with everything I have said so far, as well as the fact that Marie is a delightful person that I am happy to support, financially and other, I can conclude that this is certainly one of my favourite brands of all time, and I am glad to have all of her scents in my collection, as well as express my excitement at whatever she may bring out in the future.
Disclaimer: Scent is subjective, so take my interpretations with a grain of salt. Everyone’s opinion on smells is affected by their own personal experiences, and no 2 people will interpret things the same, so don’t generalise my opinion, and smell things for yourself to make up your thoughts.
We are instantly met with the rind of a mandarin, enwrapped in spice. Juicy, realistic, and heavily spiced, it smells quite delectable, and it is a fiery, bracing, equal parts edible to comforting concoction that brings a familiarity that is heart-warming. My nose is not yet trained well enough to recognise all that is going on, but I can say that a mix of different spices, namely cardamom and coriander (the seeds not the plant) are present here, but it feels like there’s more in the mix. It doesn’t say Christmas like cinnamon would, but it still evokes festivity in that it is welcoming, familiar and comforting. I also detect something of an aromatic nature, and paired with the spices this is truly a scent to behold, because it has an effect that I would compare to hunger and yet it is far from that. I guess one could think about it this way: Épices smells of spices that you would eat, but it manages to not read overly foody, and instead it captures the more “warming” and inviting aspects of this concept without it being obvious (but it is somewhat literal). There is a wood-reminiscent element that keeps it grounded and discourages the association with food, though. At its core, this smell is one of love. It is warm, filled with tones of orange and brown, honeyed richness (not in smell), it is like hanging fairy lights around a wooden home, it is like reminiscing on some of your first Christmases, it is like holding a hot cup of spicy, herbal tea bundled in blankets during the evening. But it is also invigorating. It is a happy scent, to me, and one that as much as it puts me at ease, it also moves me to action, as one would do during the holidays when they come back home and there’s a long list of exciting things to do. The more the scent progresses, the earthier and more resinous it gets, which deepens the scent and lends it some gravitas, but not in an overly serious way. More like an old uncle that you love and is very endearing. It doesn’t go too far in that direction, and it retains earlier qualities. This perfume makes me think of the Pacific Northwest or Nort-Western Europe (I have never been to either, though I have gone to Sotkamo in Finland, and it also matches). Unexpectedly, I feel that the “gourmand” aspects of this fragrance come through more in the drydown.
Based on the notes/impressions from the brand: Miskeo ascribes the scent families of “Spicy, Woody, Gourmand” to Épices, and this is based on a lovely scent wheel they have devised which can be found on their website. The impressions (“notes”) on the website are, mandarin, coriander seed, cardamom, elemi, myrrh, musk, patchouli and Virginian cedarwood. I would agree with these impressions and I think they’re accurate (imo), and I write these reviews before I remind myself of the notes, so as to not get too stuck in my expectations.
Other features that I think are worth noting: I am interested in smelling Épices through the different seasons and weathers, and I would subjectively associate it more with colder months, but not with a particular time of day necessarily. I would reserve this scent more for special occasions, but if I were to wear perfume based only on how much I enjoy the scent itself, I would wear this, and many others, including the other ones in Miskeo’s line, much more often (I currently opt for mood-dependent, association-based wear, more than I do sheer scent-enjoyment wear). I would describe the scent as slightly sweet (not in the way one usually expects), cool spicy and a touch earthen, resinous and soft woody. Mood-wise, this is festive, cheerful, comforting, familiar, “dressed-up” (yet casual? I know, contradictory), warming and/or energizing.
More info: It is an Eau de Toilette, at a 10% Concentration, and it is vegan-friendly (love). Refer to the review for Pistil to see why, but I don’t particularly care about longevity in perfume. For what it’s worth, Épices does last several hours at least, I would say more than 4, probably (I haven’t paid close attention sufficiently to determine how many). Gender-wise, I also don’t believe in it, I am non-binary myself, and all smells are for everyone.
Rating overall: 10/10
Thoughts on the brand: The aesthetics of Miskeo, as well as the creative choices (such as the layout of their page, the way they describe scents, the extremely interesting and very unique additions of things like scent synaesthesia), their transparency with materials and in general, and their other ethics, regarding humans and non-human animals, something which is essential for me, are exactly aligned with my own beliefs and what I find interesting (check their FAQ’s, https://miskeoparfums.com/pages/faq). The smells are unparalleled, and paired with everything I have said so far, as well as the fact that Marie is a delightful person that I am happy to support, financially and other, I can conclude that this is certainly one of my favourite brands of all time, and I am glad to have all of her scents in my collection, as well as express my excitement at whatever she may bring out in the future.
Disclaimer: Scent is subjective, so take my interpretations with a grain of salt. Everyone’s opinion on smells is affected by their own personal experiences, and no 2 people will interpret things the same, so don’t generalise my opinion, and smell things for yourself to make up your thoughts.
Pepdal
