zankoku_zen

I did not expect to love this as much as I did. It's this fizzy gin with bitter lemon. It's bright, citrusy and refreshing. mr. zee_zee said it smelled like ginger ale. I love it!

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Dead Leaves and waxy sweet pumpkin spice. I really don't get candy corn per se from this but its' a very Fall blend - pumpkin spice, dead leaves, sugary. Medium throw and wear length.

 

Slightly spicy with dead leaves, and a green aquatic overlay. Agreed that this is the same spicy-sweet peppercorn in Fake News. Much more wearable than anticipated. Medium throw and wear length.

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The hemp and moss combine with the dead leaves so I end with something very green and almost tomato leaf like, with a base of dirty frankincense. Again, not really a dead leaves blend. More like autumn in a dying garden patch. Good throw and wear length.

I get a ton of white amber with mimosa, and hints of white leather and dead leaves. It ends up as a very autumnal fougere-type of blend. It's more of a classic cologne than I anticipated. Very gender neutral and clean. Good throw and wear length.

So first off the bat, I do enjoy me some clove in my blends. This one is a very cassia/cinnamon-esque heavy clove. I do get the clove, but its definitely has a high overtone of cassia/cinnamon on it. I really can't decide if its cassia or it's cinnamon. It adds a bit to the dusty impression of it. On wet, I had an almost vague impression of a leather undertone to it. It has dried down to a dusty slightly cassia clove.

 

Compared to the Sweet Clove SN, its definitely that cassia/cinnamon aspect that is the main differentiation. Medium throw, low wear length.

2017 version

 

Slush white snow, birch, and frigid air. Good bit of greenery underneath. It's vaguely Skadi-esque but gentler, slushier snow and no pine. Good throw and wear length.

On wet, I get the coconut the most, but it's really light, and then it dries down to a dead leaf and champaca blend. So it's a slightly smoky white floral and dead leaves. More of the traditional perfume type than I expected. Great throw, good wear length.

I mainly get violet candy. Honestly, this to me is just a stronger violet candy with a bed of ivy underneath, which is an odd way for dead leaves to code for my nose, but there you have it. Violet candy, and ivy stems. Good throw and wear length.

This one is a more dead-leaf plum oudh. It's mainly a plummy oudh, with just a smidge of dead leaves and clove. Very fall-like. Very plummy. If you like either, give this a whirl. Medium throw and wear length.

From the bottle, the loudest note is surprisingly the bourbon. This one smells boozy. On wet, I get a boozy black cherry/orange blend with just a smidge of orange. It dries down to a dead leaf with a whiff of orange and bourbon. Honestly, this is more of a bourbon blend than anything else. It's like if Don Draper decided to go jump in a pile of leaves instead of another Manhattan. Medium throw and wear length.

I get mainly black currant, slightly floweriness and some slinky clove. UGH. This is so good. Love it.

Oudh, amber, bergamot and a whiff of honey, saffron, and yew. This one is a complex dark oudh blend. It flitters between a dark, ombre sort of perfume and just straight up smokey darkness. Good throw and wear length.

Super sexy pumpkin spice. I get tinges of pumpkin spice, rum, tobacco, and just a whiff of leather. UGH. This actually smells really good.

 

I was not expecting to like this and I am. This will require more testing. Good throw and wear length.

Rum and yellow cake. This one is a coconutty sugary drink on the beach rum. So I end up with a very tropical Caribbean cake. Medium throw and wear length.

Red musk, orris, and a touch of what smells like coconutty vetiver. I really do get a good deal of Blood Pearl from this. Good throw and wear length.

Sugary lemon balm with a touch of orange. Medium throw and wear length.

Violets and lavender on wet, and it dries down and more of the orris and iris come out, making it more of a powdery violet blend. This is like a light lilac colored purple. It's light and ephemeral, and just a tad crazy. Good throw and wear length.

Mint, chilly pom, and a bed of musk. This one is a minty pom blend with enough musk to keep it interesting. Very weird, and complex, and fruity-tangy without being all pomegranate in your face.

Labdanum, patchouli and musk. This is a dark, inky, musky blend. Touch of saffron. If you're into dark, resinous blends, give this a whirl. Medium throw and wear length.

Smooth cologney mahogany with myrrh. This one is gender neutral to masculine, but smells expensive and ancient. Like grand stairs. Medium throw and wear length.

Iris, whiffs of lavender and chamomile and a slightly myrrh base. This is probably one of the best iris blends I've ever tried. The lavender and chamomile prevent it from being all iris or powder, and its just delicate, green, and haunting. It reminds me to the smell of the thin thread of sanity. When you're hanging on, but just barely. Low throw and wear length.

Coconut milk and iris. Yup, I get a milky delicate coconut milk and powdery iris. Pretty, delicate, milky. Good throw and wear length.

Moonflower, opium poppies, and a touch of pine. This one is ghostly, opium poppies. I am oddly enjoying this blend. Medium throw and wear length.

Blood musk, spiked with almond and pepper. This is a peppery musky blend that I can see being well in the Ars Draconis line. Red, dirty, musky. Good throw and wear length.