INDIE PERFUME OILS | FANTOME KINMOKUSEI, PARANORMAL PERFUMES KITCHEN WITCH, ALKEMIA AMMIL REVIEW

FANTOME KINMOKUSEI

Ripe apricot, juicy peach, tree sap, golden blossoms with a hint of citrus, and deep, resinous amber.

    The scent of the golden osmanthus in bloom was the earliest inspiration for creating the Japan Collection.
    This perfume is our best approximation of kinmokusei, born from my own nostalgia to want to smell them again. We tried to capture the essence of the entire experience of walking past kinmokusei—of sap and heady blossoms combined.
    The kinmokusei that line the streets of Japan perfume the air with a divine scent that signals the start of autumn. The heady, complex aroma of a single blossom is almost contradictory in nature; it is deep and resinous—similar to tree sap, amber, tobacco, and suede—yet laced with bright, ripe apricot, plum, peach, and orange.

My affinity for peaches is weird. Not in an Elio Call Me By Your Name way. Completely platonic and not sexual at all. 

I like the taste and smell of peaches, but I don't love them enough to smell like one. My gravitation toward these peach scents perplexes me. I've tried fruity fragrances in the past and realized they don't complement my personality or style because they're sometimes too sweet, yet here we are again.

Fantome was one of the first indie wishlists I created on this blog. You can check out the post to see what else I want to try from them. They have EDPS, oils, and sample pack options in their store. Here is a list of their current offerings and their notes. 

The samples I'll be reviewing in this post are perfume oils. 

Perfume oils have less sillage and throw, but these oils are more reactive to your skin chemistry than typical perfumes. Fantome uses coconut oil as their carrier oil, and the perfume oils are made at "extrait strength with 30-40% pure fragrance compounds in every batch." 

The brand recommends letting the perfumes rest after receiving them in the mail. They also recommend dabbing the oils on your pulse points for a more robust scent. 

Taking this sample out of the bag was an ordeal. They're packed like sardines. The initial whiff is disappointing. Perhaps it's another perfume, but it smells old. 

The initial whiff didn't lie; it is mature. Ripe stone fruits, sweet, spiced. Resinous with a light musk. Sweet sap dripping down the tree. Subtle, refreshing citrus to balance out the sweetness, but still very sweet. 

Despite trying the perfume multiple times, I don't smell the golden blossoms (osmanthus.) Google has two results: Sylvaine Delacourte says osmanthus smells slightly jasmine with a sensual, animal-like accent, whereas Experimental Perfume Club says it's honeyed apricot-peachy. Not getting the former, but definitely getting the latter. 

Mainly peach, apricot, spice, and resin. Smells like stewed peaches out in the sun and a bag of dried apricots. I imagine a Peach Hot Toddy smells like this. This warm and pretty cozy fragrance is best suited for autumn. 

Reminds me a bit of Yankee Candle or Bath, Body Works.

PARANORMAL PERFUMES KITCHEN WITCH

Freshly baked bread, soft spices, melted butter, honey, and almond cookies topped with flowers to celebrate the changing seasons

I could not find this scent in the shop, nor any old pictures of the product. Is it a seasonal fragrance? To see all their current Etsy offerings, check out their Scent Catalog (Google Doc.) I'm sad STC has a small selection of this brand because the notes sound delicious and enchanting.

Paranormal Pefumes also uses coconut oil as a base. There are no alcohol or preservatives in their perfume oils. Also, like Fantome, Paranormal Perfumes is a woman-owned and women-ran small business. 

They [the perfumes] are created to be a magickal and contemplative experience when you wear them that evokes moods, imagery, essences, and more! As the fragrance transforms over time, so do you.

Possibly one of the most generous decants I have ever received. I had to carefully open this decant to avoid spilling it everywhere. Opening decants is hard enough when it's filled halfway, but when it's filled to the brim...

I smell the rich, creamy butter and the yeasty, crusty bread. It reminds me of buttered popcorn jelly beans. Then the base kicks in. The top notes are overpowered by the smell of almond extract, which I hate! It's sour, unpleasant, and not representative of almonds. It's a sweet perfume. 

Ugh, the loud and artificial almond extract is such a turn-off! 

You can replicate half of this perfume by pouring almond extract into coconut oil. Obviously, you'll lose the nuances of bread, butter, and sweetness from the honey, but because the almond extract exterminates everything in sight, these nuances are virtually invisible and obsolete. You can bring back some of the breadiness by eating a saltine cracker and butter popcorn jelly beans while you smell the almond extract/coconut oil mixture.

Another cozy, autumnal/winter fragrance. Baking bread and cookies on a chilly day in a cottage with a warm hearth, glowing embers, and crackling timber. 

Very disappointed with my selection so far. Perhaps it's because of the sweltering summer heat. Please turn the tide, Alkemia!

ALKEMIA AMMIL (EXTRAIT)

Wet snow, melting ice, warm skin.

An olfactory journey that morphs like melting ice... starting cold and aloof with distinct elements of wet snow and ice then gradually unfolding to reveal an indescribably unique velvety skin warmth.

In an unpublished Wishlist post, I came across a brand that captured the smell of ice and snow. I decided to not feature the brand after seeing some controversies. I'm excited to learn what scentless things like snow and change in matter smell like. How are they captured? 

Unfortunately, there isn't an "About Alkemia" page, but I learned from STC that Sharra Lamoureaux is the nose behind the brand. Their products are free of parabens, phthalates, DPGs, and other unpleasantries. They test on free-range humans, never on animals, but "our beloved canine and feline companions have been known to give their olfactory opinions." Cute!

Their Extraits are the brand's standard perfume strength and quite strong. Ultimes are perfect for those that struggle with perfume longevity and want larger sillage. 

It smells like public bathroom hand soap. There is a woody note that reminds me of Vetiver, Juniper, and Cedar. Potent (not in a disgusting way) skin musk. Musky, woody, and soapy. Not getting coolness or any impression of ice and snow. Smells a little rubbery. 

I smelled it directly from the decant and smelled the menthol and mint a reviewer mentioned. The coolness is very short-lived on the skin. It's like wet snow that doesn't stick. I'm not a fan of the smell directly from the decant. It's sour, acrid, artificial, and unpleasant, to say the least. It's a masculine-leaning scent and reminds me of some colognes I've tried. 

I expected a winter wonderland. Large caps of snow on trees. Thick blankets of snow on the ground. The snow is untouched because everyone was sheltered in their homes; no one has gone out yet to shovel. The snow gradually melts and transitions into spring. 

In reality, this oil smells like a "climate change winter" or an urban winter. The snow doesn't stick. Flurries melt instantly, but the little snow that somehow survived and clumped together is mixed with tire grime, creating a nasty, gray slush. 

Although the scent description is steeped in winter imagery, I see this scent working year-round. The longevity is also great. I tested the perfume on the back of my hand, and it lasted several hours, even after washing my hands and cooking lunch.