Syvinolemus

Some people say Fathom V smells like a pond. I get a strong florist shop vibe. The shop might be A little shop of horrors though, since there is a spooky feel to it.

Fathom V is a goth girls spring and summer fragrance for sure! It feels ominous ja creepy, while being sort of light and fresh. For me it also smells a bit like a funeral. A summer funeral with light rain dripping on the gravestones.

The performance is surprisingly strong, so a little goes a long way.

When I first smelled L'orpheline I was a bit shocked, because the smell reminded me of my long dead grandpa. I got a strong visual memory of him, wearing a plaid old guy hat and his pants up to his armpits. He was a quiet, kind, simple man, didn't make a number of himself but seemed to enjoy his life in his own humble ways.

I have since then gotten over the strong emotional association to my grandpa. I can still find it in the fragrance if I focus, but the scent has turned into something else with some of the elements of him still in there. Simplicity, something very "northern", a sort of isolation.

L'Orpheline is a perfect fragrance for minimalist goth types, and I think it works best with the colder weather. There's something snowy about it, so it's more for embracing the coldness than for making you feel all warm and fuzzy. As a scent, I like it more than love it. I do like that it's not very loud, so it can be worn daily without disturbing other people. An introvert fragrance.

Can I just start by saying how freaking much I love Lorenzo Pazzaglia's bottles? Especially the heavy, thick caps. I would like to always own a Lorenzo Pazzaglia fragrance bottle just for the bottle itself, to just keep it in my hand from time to time and feel the comforting, satisfying weight of the cap on my palm.

Now that we're done with that... I'm not much of a gourmand lover, yet I bought a sample of Van Py Rhum knowing full well it's a gourmand. I just couldn't resist the goth trapping marketing. This time stepping out of my comfort zone and into the realm of gourmands, it payed off.

The rum is very prominent for quite awhile after spraying, but it develops into very sweet and buttery vanilla. It does however keep its mysterious and naughty, even sexy rum note until the end, just more in the backround. I'm not sure how vampiric it actually is (aside from the grounding patchouli, maybe), but I'm willing to let this one slide. It is very seductive and that at least fits the picture.

Since Van Py Rhum is an extrait, you don't need much of it. It projects well and lasts for a long time. I only use one spray on my wrist, then press my wrists together, and that keeps me smelling great all day.

Lord of Misrule is a funky scent. The notes are so simple and yet it's so much fun!

I blindbought a small vial of Lord of Misrule because I love all three notes, vanilla, black pepper and patchouli. At first I only sniffed it from the bottle, I my first thought was "Do I hate this?". As I sprayed it on a napkin and kept it on my nightstand, I was actually quite anxious about it. It felt headache-inducing. I threw the napkin away and shamed myself for blindbuying. A few days later I sprayed it on my wrist, just 1 spray. I tapped my wrists together and waited for awhile. And damn! I love it! I don't know what changed, maybe couple of days were enough to let it macerate a bit or maybe it was just a mood based thing. The scent is delicious, warm, playful and very comfy. It's not the most complicated one for sure, but why fix something that isn't broken? It works perfectly for me.

Something about the earthy patchouli reminds my nose of a mushroom, though. It's not a bad thing for me, since I love weird and witchy and foresty scents. It just had me scratching my head for a few days since I couldn't figure it out. Since it clicked, I've had this association of a playful mushroom fae prince in my head every time I wear it.

The lessons: Do not blindbuy. If you however blindbuy and hate it, make sure to give it time.

I'm not sure what originally drew me into buying a sample of Memoir Woman, but I'm so glad I did, as it was actual love at first sniff.

Memoir Woman opens pretty sharp, even stingy due to absinth and pink pepper. It continues with incence, woods and flowers, but the hypnotizing absinth stays along almost till the end. The longevity is decent-good, the bottle feels high quality like all Amouage bottles, the price is devastatingly spicy. It's actually way too expensive for me, but since it's so good, I hunted for the best deal I could get.

I have no words to describe how much I love Memoir Woman. It's so pricy and so special that I really want to save it for special occasions, but ever now and then I use it on just a regular day, especially if I need something to enjoy.

If there ever is a signature scent for me, it's Memoir. It's weird, dark and intelligent (?). It evokes nostalgia and feels almost otherwordly. I know deep in my heart that I'm not as beautiful and mysterious as the scent, but it really boosts my confidence to high heavens in a somewhat melancholy way.