KILIAN ANGEL'S SHARE, BLACK PHANTOM & PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL

I love Instagram ads and SoPost for always giving me chances to try perfumes I'd never buy. Angel's Share was the free sample I got from Sephora. SoPost sent me Black Phantom. I purchased a sample of  Playing with the Devil months ago.

ANGEL'S SHARE

Cognac
Cinnamon, Tonka Bean, Oak
Praline, Vanilla, Sandalwood

OH MY GOODNESS, By Kilian has such great promotional photos. I love their aesthetic. Dark and moody with splashes to convey movement/dynamism. The crystal bottles of their Liquors collection are beautiful. Just look at all of them stacked like a champagne tower! Stunning!

The fragrance is super cinnamony, smokey sandalwood, toasted praline, warm vanilla, and tart cognac.

The fragrance reminds me of stewed apples with cinnamon. It's not like the stewed apples I make for my oats; it's a grown-up, elevated dessert: caramelized apple cognac flambé.

It's a bit boozy but not intoxicating and vanishes quickly, hence the flambé description. Most of the liquor effect comes from the woods—it smells like the caskets the alcohol was aged in. 

It is autumn, Thanksgiving dinner (specifically the pies,) and Christmas cognac/digestif in a bottle.

PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL

Black Currant, White Peach, Litchi, Blood Orange
Pimento, Pepper, Rose, Jasmine
Sandalwood, Vanilla, Cedar, Patchouli, Benzoin, Tonka Bean

"Inspiration: Fiery, flirtatiously fierce, Playing with the Devil is unforgettable.

Fragrance story: Tart blood orange essence and rose-tinged lychee fruit is set ablaze with peppery pimento berries essence. Creamy sandalwood on the dry-down gives a smoldering quality for a playful twist on a scandalizing encounter.

Olfactive Family: Cellars - Woods in all their forms - from sandalwood to cedarwood, from patchouli to Vetyver - but always with a Kilian twist: rum, coffee, cacao, cognac, whisky, as a reminder of Kilian Hennessy's heritage."

I mainly get peach, litchi, rose, jasmine, and pimento. It's floral musky/sweet fruity. The slight spiciness is a little fiery, but it feels more like a sensible 74 degrees than hell's hot flames. 

It's the fruit of wisdom. A little seductive and dangerous, but not lewd and tasteless. 

I'm not getting blood-orange or sandalwood. This is surprising because this is part of their Cellars family, which is all about woods. 

It's a pretty fragrance but a little too mature for me. There is a Spring aspect to it because of the fruits and warmth, but the spiciness can also be great for Fall. I do not think it would be a good Summer fragrance; the heat and sweating with this fragrance sounds like a headache just waiting to happen. 

Definitely recommend getting a sample of this before buying a full size. At first, I liked the fragrance and couldn't stop smelling it, but the next couple of times I tested it, I disliked it more and more. 

BLACK PHANTOM

Dark Chocolate, Rum, Caramel, Coffee, Sugar Cane, Almond, Sandalwood, Heliotrope

This fragrance is also part of the Cellars collection.

I was most excited to try this perfume and impatiently waited for it to arrive in the mail because it sounded absolutely delicious. Dark chocolate and coffee?! The caramel, almond, and heliotrope are whatever, and I probably won't like it, but I want to smell like chocolate.

This sounds like a great Valentine's/date night perfume. The delicious sweet notes paired with smokey woods. Oh, la la. 

Sadly, when it arrived, I tested positive 4 days prior and lost both my sense of smell and taste. 

I could smell something toffee-like, sweet chocolate, boozy, creamy, and a little nutty. A little too sweet for me. I'm not getting much sandalwood or heliotrope. I'm sad there isn't more sandalwood, but okay with not smelling heliotrope. I wish the chocolate was more robust and richer. 

This is milk chocolate, think Toblerone; I want dark chocolate. The sweetness is cloying the other flavors/I'm recovering from COVID.