Gift Shop Nostalgia
The vanilla/patchouli combo here is sweet and edible, like something you could find at a boutique coffee shop. My skin tends to give patchouli a minty edge which is lovely against the creamy warmth of the vanilla and spices but YMMV on that.
The incense is definitely there, but in an airy, subtle way. Reminds me of trips to Santa Cruz and Monterey where you'd spend half the day by the ocean and half the day exploring the little gift shops wedged between ice cream stores. Childhood nostalgia for the dying breaths of California counterculture.
Cozy flirty roses
A sweet and fruity rose with the slightest hint of powder underneath, longevity is quite good (6-8 hours of strong projection). This is quite linear which can be a pro or con depending on how you feel about rose but they definitely delivered on the “all heart notes” concept. Warm and flirty vibes, this is my going out to a bar/KTV fragrance.
Warm and dark
The cardamom is the most prominent note for me, especially in the initial spray, but after letting it warm up on the skin for a while the incense and vanilla really shine.nnWarm, spicy and dark in a way that’s both comforting and assertive. The incense gives an edge that keeps this from being completely Christmas-like. Really amazing considering the price, even if you’re only looking at the newer, more expensive presentation.
Boba shop ca. 2010
Main impression is the nutty, dark sweetness of brown sugar syrup and milk like you’d experience at a Qcup or similar budget boba store, the kind that existed in Taiwanese-American strip malls long before boba became widespread in the US. nnNot getting any grapes or distinctly jasmine-like floral notes, just something vaguely sweet and “perfumey”. The brown sugar/coffee and milk notes don’t last very long but at this price it’s fine to spray more than you normally would.
It’s fall babey
Fruity, jammy and slightly indolic like the actual Osmanthus flower, boosted with additional sweetness. The dried apricot aspects of the flower become more and more apparent as it dries down. Probably the best straightforward osmanthus scent (no tea) for the price point that’s still easily accessible outside of Asia.nnOsmanthus is insanely popular as a flavoring in tea and desserts in East Asia and strongly associated with mid-Autumn festival, making this perfect for fall despite being airy and floral. It leans gourmand to me but this is almost 100% because of my personal memories of osmanthus as a food flavoring.nnI wish this had stronger performance because the actual flower bushes PROJECT but it lasts well on hair/fabric. The lotion and hand cream smell nothing like either the EDT or the flower so don’t bother layering with them.
