Sharkington

I got this single note perfume oil thinking I could layer it with other fragrances, but this doesn't strike me as being tobacco. It's not exactly bad, but it's not at all what I was expecting and I get more honey than anything else. I can kind of smell a little bit of tobacco in there and get what Alkemia was aiming for, but for the most part it's like very sweet, pungent honey. In fact, the smell reminds me a lot of how Barenjager honey liqueur tastes.

Even though this is not what I wanted for a layering tobacco scent, it's long lasting and projects more than any other Alkemia oil I've tried so far. I don't dislike the smell, but I need to think about how I want to go about using this one.

Another interesting fragrance experience by Clue. With The Candlestick transforms a lot on skin, starting out strongly with smoke and resins, similar to a campfire. Once the smoke settles, the cherry wine emerges and I start to smell what I believe is meant to be the wax. It's hard to describe unscented wax - warm, lightly creamy? Similar to softened wax on a recently burned candle if you were to put your nose up to it. The cherry wine in this stands out a lot. I'm not typically a fan of cherry, but putting my own preferences aside, it's well blended with the other notes and doesn't overpower or make this too sweet or fruity. The cherry lingers, but the smoke and wax notes nearly disappear and I get a lot more labdanum in the dry down, which I love. I don't find this overpowering, but it does have a little more oomph when it comes to the projection compared to others I've tried by this house.

Clue makes unconventional and whimsical fragrances, but I find this one would work for a lot of people who love smoky and resinous notes, especially if they like the idea of the fruitiness, as well. It still needs testing first, of course, because it does morph into different fragrances as it develops, but that's what I love about Clue; the note compositions really do invoke the atmosphere and places of what each fragrance is aiming for and With the Candlestick isn't an exception.

Sandalwood in Oak has a nice opening of caramel, pink pepper, and woods. The caramel and pepper doesn't last long on my skin and the first time I tried this I didn't even notice them. That's alright, though, because this is still a really nice woody fragrance of sandalwood and gaiac. Both are prominent from the opening to the dry down. I only get a faint hint of vanilla in this, but I do notice and love the soft frankincense and creamy orris that really compliment the woody notes. I'm reminded of Gaiac 10 by Le Labo or a less smoky You Doux by Glossier. It's a cozy and elegant woody scent similar to a few others I've tried that use gaiac with resinous and creamy notes, but it's done very well. It's a little pricy, but the bottle is really creative and the longevity is good with moderate sillage that makes this more than a skin scent.

I was immediately taken aback by how good this smelled when I sprayed it. Sweet, woody and rich, a little boozy, and fruity from the apricot and brandy. There is SO much going on in the opening but it all blends together perfectly. The apricot and brandy brighten things and the silky molasses in this was a pleasant surprise considering vanilla is a more common pairing with woods, coffee, and boozy scents like this - none of which dominate over the other in this fragrance, not even the oud.

Overall, it's smoothly sweet without being cloying. It's woody and little spicy (I think I detect a leather or suede nuance?) and although there is magnolia and almond blossom, it's not much of a floral fragrance to my nose. The woodiness is most prominent in the dry down as it loses the fruity aspect and settles into the ebony and opoponax on my skin. Just lovely from start to finish. Blues is right up my alley, containing many notes I already love, with a few differences that keep it from being redundant in my collection.

I love this one because it reminds me a lot of the Northern California coast and Pacific Northwest; hushed and more rustic a scent compared to other aquatic fragrances I associate with the warmer and "brighter" coastal climates. The minerals, sage, and musky/woody ambrette really do give the impression of a rocky coastline and the chilly winds that waft around the smells of sagebrush. It's such a pleasing and subdued fragrance - simple, yet well rounded. As many others have stated, it's not the longest lasting which I find to be the case with most Jo Malone fragrances, but the scent itself is one of the best from this brand. I don't mind wearing softer fragrances anyway, especially those like this one that make for a good daily scent that won't overpower your surroundings.