Pculirlolita

This fragrance is a quintessential pencil smell. That’s what everyone agrees on, it seems. I think there are times when I can trick myself to smell that too, but there’s something else, too. To my nose, it essentially smells like cedarwood essential oil. To be specific, I have Cedarwood Virginia EO at home, and it smells very much like that (with other types mixed too, but that’s the one I can certainly confirm). Cedarwood Virginia EO is usually described as smelling of pencil shavings, but to me it smells like an agrestic log cabin with a hint of something juniper-like, and Lápiz very much captures that. It is incredibly cosy and pleasant, and a perfume that I will keep repurchasing, as it happens to be my fragrance of choice for academic settings and purposes. There is also a patchouli in this that is very clean and likable, as opposed to dank, earthy or anything of the sort (smells that I also enjoy, in any case).

Other features that I think are worth noting: This is a very versatile fragrance. It is good for any season, time of day, or setting, though it has a particularly “focused” association, as it is the perfect studying/concentration fragrance in my opinion. Very much like a lápiz (pencil in Spanish).

More info: It is an Eau de Parfum, and it is vegan (and cruelty free of course). I would say that it lasts throughout the day, not that I care too much, but it’s worth noting for those who do, I suppose. As always, the scent is unisex.

Rating overall: 10/10 (take my ratings with a grain of salt as they are absolutely biased to my own opinion)

Thoughts on the brand: Les Topettes is a perfume store in Barcelona, Spain (Raval to be exact) which happens to be my hometown, and I have gone to the store many times and chatted with the owner, Oriol, many times. This is his brand, and he is one of the most pleasant, agreeable, friendly store owners and fellow perfume enthusiasts I have met. He is always a joy to be around and is always so helpful to everyone that comes in, whether you need a perfume recommendation or just want to talk, and this to me is so important. I am very happy to support him by buying at Les Topettes, and I would recommend that everyone who’s ever in the area pay him a visit.

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.

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.

First a blast of juicy citrus, similar to orange but more aromatic, something spicy, and also a dry creamy hay that remains through the whole composition. A smooth, sun-baked, leathery accord is at the heart of the composition, in a way that feels like white florals, undeniably hay, but also suede-y and leathery. Beautiful. I feel a juxtaposition of elegant elements and also modest and unpretentious ones. I have been wearing it for the past couple days and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It feels very “real”, like the countryside, and also refined. I would call it lavish but that connotes lack of being grounded and this is the opposite. This is deep and warm, and feels, once again, like a very natural smell, mellowed and suede-y (both in smell and texture) in the most exquisite way. A carnal smell of white florals is the perfect element to go with these other creamy facets, and the colours that Daim evokes are an interplay of beige, a diverse range of browns and other neutrals and some deep red accents. The more it dries down, the more the animalic facets come through, but these are leathery in nature, not so skanky as other animalics, and also a touch of something deep and woody. The imagery Daim conjures for me is that of a couple à la Bonnie and Clyde (not in the criminality aspect but more the connectedness), attending a cocktail party during the 1930’s and wearing their best attire, but on the way to the party they traverse fields with their car and the windows are down.

Based on the notes/impressions from the brand: Miskeo ascribes the scent families of “Animalic, Aromatic, Floral” to Daim, 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, suede, blood orange, black pepper, hay, frangipani, jasmine, mahogany and castoreum. I would agree with these impressions, as per my review. 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 how Daim will smell in the warmer seasons, and I have autumn associations for the scent more subjectively. To me it’s appropriate for the whole day. I would reserve this scent more for special occasions (this is a running sentiment with the line due to price but also due to complexity) but if I were to wear perfume based only on how much I enjoy the scent itself, I would wear Daim and the others from Miskeo, 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 aromatic, grassy, savory spicy, soft woody, animalic and leathery and heady floral. Mood-wise, this is classic but original, sophisticated, elegant, familiar, special, intriguing, and/or memorable.

More info: It is an Eau de Parfum, at a 16% 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, Daim has a longevity of at least 7 hours (I had to be awake from 12 to 7 and I wore it and I could still smell it then). 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.

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.

I will start by saying that Brume is my favourite from the scents in this line. Since I already know that I will get it out of the way. I have spent the most time with this one as I bought it in August 2024, and the others at the end of October 2024 (if I remember correctly). To me, this is a very well named scent. Like a misty fog, it envelops you, and transports you to a no man’s land dimension where the lines between trance and reality are blurry. The texture is like a cloud, and to me this is a grey blue green scent, and it feels like it’s moving. I imagine a fog that comes from the ocean, ozonic and mineralic, and another from the forest, green and fruity (like a cucumber – a fellow fragrance enthusiast friend of mine emphasised this smell specifically) and they meet together to create this impression. It is quite unique to me, in how it achieves these scents, because in a way it reads “aquatic” ozonic to me, but it doesn’t come with the smells I’d expect from something like that, and the same can be said for its other facets. It also makes me think of being on a beach near the Atlantic, where the weather is moody, and the day is grey, yet you don’t feel sad or negative: instead, there is an air of anticipation and curiosity, that fills the air and your mind. This is my quintessential happy scent. I think this is the hardest for me to describe, because there a lot of smells that I feel I have never smelled in this type of combination. I could say more about the smell but instead I will encourage you to buy a sample instead because I just like it that much.

Based on the notes/impressions from the brand: Miskeo ascribes the scent families of “Mineralic, Green, Fruit” to Brume, 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, juniper, mastic, aldehydes, fruity notes, geranium, ozonic notes, cucumber and vetiver. I would agree with these impressions, though I do find that the scent combination overall is unexpected and quite unpredictable from the notes. 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 have smelled Brume in both the warm and the cold, and I am glad to say that I think this is suitable for any weather and season. For me it’s more of a daytime scent. I would reserve this scent more for special occasions (this is a running sentiment with the line due to price but also due to complexity) but if I were to wear perfume based only on how much I enjoy the scent itself, I would wear Brume and the others from Miskeo, much more often (I currently opt for mood-dependent, association-based wear, more than I do sheer scent-enjoyment wear). I would say that I would make this my “signature”, but since I never wear one perfume very systematically, I wonder if that would change my perception of the scent – reserving it for more special occasions certainly makes me appreciate it every single time I wear it. I would describe the scent as slightly earthy, ozonic, maybe a little citrusy, fresh, aromatic, and something extra I can’t describe. Mood-wise, this is unexpected, invigorating, elating, moody, soothing and/or original.

More info: It is an Eau de Toilette, at a 12% 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. Brume probably has the least longevity and it’s my favourite nonetheless (I’m not sure of the exact time it lasts as I don’t really care). 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.

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.

This scent is incredible. I invite every green lover to smell this, because this is crazy. A nuclear blast of green, an evocative scent if I ever smelled one, it brings to mind an overgrown garden, and to me it has some smells that aren’t just planty but they’re vegetal. The definition of a light green, yellow scent, like a lush garden in summer, warmed by the sun and bursting with life. The scent is so photorealistic it almost throws me off, because it doesn’t cease to amaze me how this has been captured in a bottle. There is a lot going on, like an abundance of plants, some herbal, like chamomile, some slightly spicy like tomato, some yellow florals, but also the scent of soil. It smells raw and imperfect, just like nature does, and the textural cornucopia is enough to be any nature-lover’s happy place. It paints a picture like a whimsical frolicking meadow – it is filled with fairies and at the height of summer, when you can’t tell if you’re dreaming or if this is real life, you dance yourself tired and you decide to take a nap on the wildflower-filled grass, under the shade of a yellow-blossom tree. This however, is a much more fantastical take, as the smell in Feuille is quite “grounded in reality” as that smell of something wet, soily and earthen is very prevalent, and keep sit from being that mystical. There isn’t much more for me to say, I feel Feuille stays very true to that sentiment throughout. There is something that smells kind of like green peppers to me, which I find more present in the drydown when other facet shave died down more.

Based on the notes/impressions from the brand: Miskeo ascribes the scent families of “Green, Earthy, Floral” to Feuille, 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, tomato leaves, chamomile, pollen, mimosa, linden blossom, elderflower, weeds, violet leaves and ambrette. 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 very excited to smell Feuille in the spring and summer, especially the Spanish summer which is utterly hot and humid, as I think this smell will blossom (pun intended) then. I definitely associate it more with warmer months, and mostly the daytime, or any time of the day where ethe sun is still out, or the first time portion of sunset. I would reserve this scent more for special occasions (this is a running sentiment with the line due to price but also due to complexity) but if I were to wear perfume based only on how much I enjoy the scent itself, I would wear Feuille and the others from Miskeo, 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 leafy, aromatic, slightly grassy, spicy and light floral and earthy (what a fitting name). Mood-wise, this is naturalistic, joyful, whimsical but grounded, calming, refreshing, and/or inspiring.

More info: It is an Eau de Toilette, at a 12% 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, Feuille does last several hours at least, I would say more than 3 or 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.

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.