natafriden

Ex Nihilo is really good at making "your skin but better" scents, at least for me. This one, along with Vétiver Moloko, has a special place in my heart. It's a scent of a cool, milky body lotion with sandalwood and iris, which you apply after a refreshing shower on a hot summer day.

I like that it's not sickly sweet, creamy, and leaves a nice scent trail on my skin that lasts about 5 hours. The sandalwood is the prominent note here, creamy, slightly salty, and revealing some of its mushroom-like aspects closer to the base. Iris gives it some freshness and ethereal flower notes that gently balance the woodiness without overpowering it. And the lactonic component creates that "lotion" vibe, which I highly appreciate.

Perfect for daily wear all year round.

This, for me, is the ultimate summer scent. It's tart, bright, a bit synthetic, and doesn't leave the impression that you're covered in sticky syrup.

Top notes are mainly citrus; I can detect lemon, oranges, and maybe grapefruit, but they feel more like a hard candy or gummies than natural fruit slices. There's some passion fruit there too, adding tartness and brightness to the overall top accord and helping it last a good hour on my skin.

The heart of the fragrance is the same passion fruit tangled with sweet guava and osmanthus, which projects its apricot-like facets to the fruit mix. Finally, the base is musky and creamy, adding the sorbet-like feel and smoothing out any sharp and overly sour corners.

I like the sillage and diffusion og Guava Sorbet; you'll definitely get noticed but won't overwhelm anybody. An absolute top choice for hot weather or a pool party.

It's funny how one of my favorite tea scents doesn't even mention tea in the pyramid but still gives the most realistic aroma of smoked green tea with a splash of coconut milk.

It's woody, creamy, slightly salty, and has warm roasted peanut aspects. After a brief dry and smoky opening, all you get are basically milky notes, vanilla, and slight greenness. However, that's what I like about this scent, as this combo makes it a perfect all-rounder and gives you wearability in any season. I also like that it sits closer to the skin, so it's virtually impossible to overspray.

Full bottle-worthy for me.

Iris in perfumery is rather a spectre than a particular note. Iris Céleste manages to deliver a perfect iris experience without hitting the chords I usually avoid: lipsticky-oily orris butter and carrot-y iris.

Instead, the composition plays around cool, woody, and earthy iris, focusing on its blooming parts and green stems rather than the roots. Green leaves and shimmering bergamot at the start, then a touch of cool violet petals, and the warm base of vetiver and musk. Other components play in the background: cedar adds some dryness, almond blossom pumps up that floral sillage, like the aroma getting caught in the spring wind.

The fragrance has a watercolor quality: it's airy, transparent, and inoffensive. I do recommend trying it during the first spring warmth, when the irises start to bloom. You will be swooned.

This is my favorite release from the brand, and not just because I'm a sucker for a good lactonic fragrance.

Indulgence conveys a feeling of something forbidden, innocence blended with something dirty (in both literal and figurative sense)

It opens with the scent of a soft caramel toffee candy being violently mixed with damp soil, suede, and wood chips, and stays relatively the same on the skin throughout wear. The scent has an enveloping character thanks to musks and cashmere notes, although it feels somewhat on a cooler side, like the gusts of wind that are still able to get you shivering through your clothes.

I just can't stop smelling it.