So, I got a set of samples from @ChelG's Pyewacket Potions earlier this week and I really can't recommend their perfumes enough! I reviewed each of the ones I tried, below (sorry if the wording's a bit stilted and overly... reviewy. This was originally written with a Facebook/Etsy audience in mind). Spoiler: Long-Ass Review Sleep Well- This was thrown in as a bonus, and was the first I opened, eager to reap the benefits of being the early bird, and once I did, I was immediately taken with the Pyewacket ouvre. The smell of ylang ylang was quite strong when sniffing the bottle but on the skin, Sleep Well blends into a clear, soft, warm floral. A great sleep blend, though not as strong or effective as No More Monsters, for me, Sleep Well has the added benefit of being viable as a casual, everyday perfume, whilst No More Monsters is more intense. Star of the County Down- Cut grass is a sharp and somewhat overwhelming top note, and Star of the County Down takes a while to melt down on the skin, but once it does, it takes on the light sweetness of hazelnuts and wildflowers, the taste of honeyed nuts and picked flower stalls at a county fair on a freshly mown field. Very clean and summer-y. One Groovy Room- My overall favourite, it's just so happy, so bright and psychedelic, I could hardly stop smiling. That silky-not-sharp orange and patchouli combo is an instant mood-lift, much like the room it's based on, but without the withdrawal effects. There's also a slightly incense-y quality to it. Eventually it warms into a smell not unlike still-hot homebaked jaffa cakes. An absolute dream from application to eventual fade. I cannot praise this one enough. Fans of citrus and incense, frequenters of bright, smoky new-age shops, I urge you to try this. No More Monsters- Perhaps the strongest scent in the batch I got, there's nothing subtle about No More Monsters, which may seem odd for a sleep blend, but sometimes a strong remedy is what's needed, and it WORKS. Powerful but deeply relaxing smoky woods, fresh mint leaf, and patchouli. Its darkness suits its inspiration very well, though it probably won't summon any monsters. Soothing as it is, the mint adds a mind-focusing effect, so this scent might actually work as a dual study/sleep aid. Scentwise, it has some similarities to The Bug from Lush, possibly due to the use of dark woods and herbs, but No More Monsters is calmer (possibly owing to lack of alcohol), and seemed to last longer on the skin. The Sculpture- The musk of a crumbling abandoned building after rain, and the mysterious smell of wet spices breathing down your neck. The most unusual of the scents- pleasant, but quite unnerving, and more artsy than typically "perfumey". Evokes its inspiration well. One for fans of cinnamon and horror (and i happen to love both). The Sculpture is a remarkable scent as it is, but of special note to me is the stunning 'fade' it left on my skin- a gunpowdery scent like the aftermath of a fireworks display, still holding onto that echo of cinnamon. Yamato Nadeshiko- My initial favourite upon first sniff of the bottles, and although it was usurped by One Groovy Room after the skin test, Yamato Nadeshiko is definitely making it onto my list of summer scents. Delicate, fresh and floral, it puts me in mind of an open-air tea ceremony in a blossoming garden. With a noticeable hint of energising green tea and heady myrrh which really makes the gentle florals pop, this scent is proof of the thought that's gone into each Pyewacket fragrance. Because each scent is so concentrated and made of essential oils, they can also be used in oil burners or diffuser pendants the same way any essential oil can. Overall, I'm deeply impressed. Each fragrance is so skillfully crafted, and even for ones that aren't really my 'thing', I recognise the thought, skill and experimentation that's gone into each one, particularly for someone just starting out as a fragrance-maker. Pyewacket Potions clearly knows how to evoke imagery through scent, and there's a 100% chance I'm going to buy full-sized vials of One Groovy Room and Yamato Nadeshiko (at least) in the future.
Thank you ^_^ This'll be a huge help. Debating whether to make wax melts. It would work for some of the fragrances, but not sure if the more expensive formulae would be worth it.
I think a presence on as many social media platforms as you can think of can only be a boon. Also have you tried posting the SCP scents on SCP-related forums, or would that be frowned upon?
Is anyone on the Indiemakeupandmore subreddit? I've never used Reddit before and I don't feel comfortable making one just for this.
I'm on a BPAL kick again. I'd grabbed Erebus from the trading post- it's a home and linen spray I got to replace the ancient black chamomile spray I was gifted years ago that started congealing and leaking cthuloid blood all over my dresser(??? The fuck?). I can identify the vanilla in it, and I like the smell of it with the other stuff. I went looking in the Alchemy Lab for similar scents and have a few marked. Erebes was supposed to smell kind of sultry from the description but it had enough I associated with sleep to risk it. It's not entirely a sleepy scent, but it smells dark and warm like being able to turn your back on the morning, pull your blanket over your head and sleep in for another hour or two. Or spending a night with someone close- perhaps not sexual but definitely intimate, snuggled close. It came with a free imp of Red Rider, which has apparently been taken off the Alchemy Lab site? Black Rider and White Rider are there but Red isn't. I can smell the leather in it but there's something else that reminds me of my dad's incense and perfumes that he made, something sharp and warm and comforting. The leather doesn't smell entirely like dead cow, more lends to the warmth. Smells not like dust but well-worn. The smell some thrift stores and good antique shops get- not the smell of things abandoned but of things well loved, worn and passed on. When I checked the forums to make sure I wasn't hallucinating the existence of Red Rider someone suggested layering it with Snake Oil, which I did. Snake Oil doesn't really agree with me- it comes out smelling harsh and clinical, like a hospital, with only faint herbal/vanilla notes. It balanced really nicely with Red Rider. The clinical harshness fucked right off, letting the herbals and vanilla come out. Together it smells strong and soft, smoky and earthy. Definitely a good choice for meeting my new therapist: very protective but not as aggressive as Tisiphone which is protective in a "fight me!" kind of way. I ordered a bunch of oils at the same time as Erebus but they haven't moved from 'processing' :/ Hopefully that changes soon. I can't get an imp for Fuck You, Said the Raven because it's from the American Gods line but it sounds g9. Also getting a full-size of Baku because I got it as a free imp like 5 times and it's good. Dunno how well it actually works against nightmares, I can never remember to wear it to bed when I'm thus afflicted, but it's a good "wind down before going the fuck to sleep" scent for when I'm anxious and need to be rested for something. Not heavy on lavender (though I think it has some) which is good because heavy lavender is now associated with being awake at 2am and frustrated af. Also grabbed Somnus for similar reasons, though it doesn't seem to have its ingredients listed. And taking a chance on Lightning because I haven't tried aquatics yet and I was willing to risk it on a full-size because it reminded me of Laverna.
I need help to make snappy category names for my skin-safe-certified scents versus room scents, anyone good with names?
BPAL's Lightning is fucking awesome. So glad I gambled on getting a full vial. It's the most feminine scent I own but isn't overwhelmingly so, most people smelled citrus but it smells kind of like night jasmine to me? Incredibly comforting, has become my therapy scent. Got an imp of Somnus. Doesn't smell traditionally 'sleepy' at all. Still very ambivalent on it. Smells like magic though.
