Advent Calendars

Murkwood sounds so alluring but previously when I have tested perfumes with similar profiles, they have been too difficult for my nose. I wonder if my sense of smell for perfume has evolved enough to give such scents a go again 😄

Day 17:

Desert Suave - I didn't expect to like this at all when I received it, but it turned out it's lovely. For some reason I expected it to smell drier - probably the name association! Though it's not in the notes, I imagined something dry, woody, slightly sweet, but more settling into woody notes, and it's not at all that. It's quite sweet, really pretty and appropriate for winter. It is rich, but not overwhelmingly so, it has some airiness to it despite the first notes listed being dates and sesame. This is a keep for sure!

Day 18:

Millésime Impérial - The only other perfume I have tested by Creed is Love In White and I really enjoyed that, so I was hoping for a repeat. Millesime Imperial is not bad, but it leans too masculine for me and smells too much like skin / body odour. Not dirty - clean, but still, a person's smell, and I don't like that very much. I associate it with a friend of mine from teenagehood - he used to wear some Boss perfume (one from the Boss Bottled line if I'm not mistaken), and it really reminded me of that. It's not one I'd be able to wear. I definitely get the salty notes, musk, and iris - the result is very much the scent of skin to me, but it's even a bit too realistic of "human" smell to truly enjoy it.

Ambre Narguile is simply the best in its genre. It is always a joy to wear... Desert Suave sounds intriguing; I definitely need to try it!

Day 18:Iris Ebène

This is an aloof, shy iris, kind of moody and grey. I really enjoy the earthy, dusty character here, with waxy carrot undertones. The opening has a touch of citrus that tries very hard to brighten the mood, but I think it would have been perfect with less citrus. Then suede and leather step in, bringing waxy, tarry undertones and a subtle peppery edge. The deep drydown is a woody iris with earthy notes and musky, nutty sandalwood.

It was OK/pleasant.

Day 19:The Cobra & The Canary

Earthy iris dominates the opening for me. The asphalt accord smells more like plain dirt, and there is a MEDICINAL, bitter leather note lurking in the background. Add sour citrus to the mix, and it just is not working. Thankfully, the drydown is better. The iris, dusty asphalt, and citrus disappear fairly quickly. What remains is a cool leather that is clean, flat, and relentlessly monotonous, with a persistent medicinal undertone that brings hospitals to mind: sterile hallways, vinyl gloves, regret.

Did not like this one.

Day 20:Porter Sa Peau

Very intimate, musky, floral, soapy, skin-like scent. It smells like washing yourself with a white bar of soap. There is a vintage character to it, with a retro aldehydic quality. You can clearly smell flowers, though not specifically narcissus or jonquil. It reads more as a soft white floral impression. Beneath the clean, soapy shell lies a piercing musky note. It feels like stepping out of the shower on a very hot day, when you are clean but immediately begin to sweat. The "sweaty" note here smells clean and soft, not dirty. This is not an in-your-face musky or stinky scent. It simply feels warm, skin-like, and very human.

It was OK/pleasant.

Day 19:

Was supposed to be Mangomina D again but I didn't feel like it so I asked my husband to pull another one and it was Solaire Eau de Parfum. It smelled so nice from the bottle, but 5 seconds after spraying it turned very musty (pee-like) on me, and it lingered until the end. If it hadn't been for this musty note, it would have been a pleasant sunscreen happy floral perfume, but the musty note is stealing the show, and not in a good way. Not a keep for sure.

Day 21: Jasmin Bonheur

It's sooooo pretty! A "clean girl" jasmine dream. Innocent, fluffy, fruity jasmine, very well done. This is a jasmine bomb with many different jasmine facets, yet the result is "sparkling" and natural. It feels airy, with a beautiful apricot note. Both the apricot and jasmine smell very natural. Once it settles, it softens and smells a bit like shampoo, in the best possible way. Terribly overpriced, but damn, it's so nice!

Im spending Christmas at my friend's place and she's quite sensitive to fragrance so the rest of my advent will be Fragonard, which she doesn't mind.

Day 20: Émilie Eau de Toilette is a nice powdery floral soap. I'm not a fan of clean stuff but this is actually very soft and pleasant. Morphs to violet syrup and then a gentle sweetened flower powder. Might have a bit of amber in the dry down. Delicate and pretty and reminds me a bit of a fairy.

Day 21: Belle de Nuit Eau de Toilette, similar to J'adore Eau de Parfum. A kind of smooth, lightly spicy floral (also leaning into soap, as Fragonard tends to). I get quite a bit of clean ylang-ylang, which makes it very creamy. There's a bit of nondescript fruits that join in after a while. Makes me feel quite put-together.

It's intense enough that it's not for everyone, but I'd definitely recommend trying it out because it's beautiful. If you find that type of perfume too heavy maybe Bindebole would work instead. Still has a lot of pine resin and that forest feeling, but is a lot lighter and greener. It's my personal favourite pineward so far.

Day 20:

Noël au Balcon - what a great perfume! ELDO almost never leaves me indifferent and I find them super underrated. Actually, the first time I smelled this a couple of years ago, it did leave me a bit underwhelmed, but smelling it now - wow! I get the name now! It's spicy, it definitely brings to mind Christmas, but there is also an undertone of laundry or clean bedsheets as it starts drying down - lovely, lovely, lovely. I'm not sure if that's why the name is what it is, but that's what I am smelling. There is also a rose note which is prominent, but without overtaking the composition. I am not a fan of rose perfumes and this one works for me. Worth a try and will definitely be staying in my decant collection!

Day 21:

During the day, it was Chant d'Extase - another bottle I only wore once this year. It's a cute perfume in a gorgeous bottle, very girly, happy, sweet and salty, easy. I only have a few mililiters left and am hoping to finish it in 2026. While I won't be repurchasing, I enjoyed it while it lasted.

For the evening, it's Infuse - it's a really interesting scent that is difficult for me to place. It is very aromatic. It smells slightly bitter, with floral notes mixed in. There is something about it that makes me hold my breath and not like it, but then my brain goes "smell it more deeply" and I do and I like it. It's a strange one. Not sure it will turn into a love, but for now I will keep it and try it again soon.

Thank you! I would love to test Bindebole, it sound wonderful and has been added to my to-be-tested shelf!

Day 22:

Rubeus - smells very edible, like a chocolate bar with cherry filling. It's too intensely realistic for me. I do enjoy gourmands and they were my first big "love" in terms of scent profiles, but this one is not something I'd be able to wear - it projects too powefully and is quite heavy. Out of the perfumes I've tried of Wesker's (Scent of Banat, Rubeus, Deviant) - they are all very potent, a "Hear me roar" kind of scent. Not the kind you'd want to overspray (or at least I wouldn't 😅).

Day 22:Reine des Cœurs Eau de Toilette, this was unfortunately a scrubber. Comes out the gate really sweet and fruity. Kind of like a candy. Good for someone but not me.

Day 23: Fragonard Eau de Toilette. I was a bit apprehensive after yesterday but this is lovely. A happy burst of green lily of the valley to start, which is then joined by a clean jasmine. Doesn't veer into soap despite this, which is very impressive. It's delicate, pretty and reminds me of spring. There's something very clear about it as well. It's not anything groundbreaking but it is a very good example of the genre (and affordable).

I have not had a chance to test much of Fragonard, but really like Santal Cardamome and was even debating a bottle.

Day 22 evening:
I had to scrub Wesker Rubeus off, it was just too suffocating for my taste. So in the evening it is time for a bottle, Palo Santo. I love this perfume, I can't believe I've only worn it twice this year. It is a beautiful gourmand without being overly gourmand if that makes sense. It is spicy, boozy, there is something nutty to it as well. It's warm, enveloping, and it has character.

Day 22:Big Sur Eucalyptus

The opening marine notes were puzzling and a bit too fishy. Those fishy notes sit on top of the eucalyptus, which comes across very raw, like eucalyptus essential oil. I do think it captures the perfumer’s idea of recreating a eucalyptus forest by the sea, a wet coastal forest. I also pick up faint florals, magnolia I guess. It’s a unique perfume.

Day 23:Falcon Leather Extrait de Parfum

It’s meant to evoke a falconer’s leather glove, and mission accomplished. The oud and saffron add a subtle Middle Eastern flair, keeping it spicy and exotic rather than just another birch tar leather in the vein of Cuir de Russie. High-quality materials, decent performance. Like other fragrances from this house, it thrives on simple but high-quality ingredients. Look at the note list and what you see is what you get. No underwater rocks, no plot twists.

I think both were OK, well-executed scents, though not something I feel the need to add to my collection or get a large decant of.

Day 23:

Grand Soir Eau de Parfum - I hadn't tried this despite how popular it was/still is. I enjoy it quite a lot, though I feel I have a lot of scents with a similar profile - soft, warm, spicy. Beautiful nonetheless!

Happy holidays to everyone celebrating!

Raindrop, really funny you mentioned Santal Cardamome, as that was actually my Day 24 & 25 (gifted myself for Christmas).

It's great. Goes on airy and spicy, with prominent green cardamom. Then sweet, light woods join in. I don't actually get a lot of smoke or incense, but I think it may be there faintly. It's not heavy at all. I have trouble describing it beyond a very comforting warm aura. Smells like the holidays. Drydown is a nice, warm, vanillic amber.

The favourites of my advent this year are Tea for Two (which I may have a bottle of already), Santal Cardamome, and Murkwood.

Definitely going to post earlier next year to hopefully rope more people in, thank you two so much for sharing so many interesting scents, I really enjoyed reading a bit every day (:

Happy Holidays to everyone who celebrates!

Santal Cardamome is exactly how you describe it! And a super comforting scent.

Day 24:

Le participe passé - I think this would be good on someone, that's why it spent such a long time in my testing box. But it's just not for me. It's very bitter, incensy or smoky. I had to scrub it off as it was giving me a headache.

Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum - one of my very first perfumes, lovely as always to wear it, and only its second wear this year. I'm on holiday away from home now and have taken it with me to wear it a bit more before 2025 ends.

Day 25:

Figues & Agrumes - last one of my bottles to be worn twice this year. I really enjoy this one, it's a comforting creamy fig, light and easy to wear in any season. I have about 10ml remaining in my bottle and am happy to have had the chance of owning a bottle.

Thank you for creating the topic and thank you all for posting, it was really nice to be in this little corner of the internet for these 25 days and read about your successful and not so successful tests 🤗

This was such a fun thread, and I definitely added a few things to my test list.

Unfortunately, on December 23rd I had one too many mango margaritas... 🍸🍹 As a result, I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day feeling a little sick and very hungover, all thanks to my margarita adventure. Because of that, I sadly could not wear any perfume at all...😥

Happy holidays and happy New Year!

My favorite perfumes I sampled from my advent calendar were:

Cacao Porcelana , Chelsea Staircase, Delhi, Jasmin Bonheur, Accrodisiaque

( Mistpouffer, Iris Ebène, and Delphinus were good, too)