Saint Justina with the Unicorn Hair Gloss

[VetchVesper]

Golden amber, leather, and tonka with Ceylon cinnamon bark, clove, myrrh, cacao, and star anise.

Woohoo, first review!

At first sniff, Saint Justina reminds me a lot of a mellow "The Avenue." I think its the warm cocoa and sharp, nose tingling spice. As it dries down the cinnamon starts to take over. I'm always cautious w/cinnamon b/c I amp the hell out of it, but this is actually working for me. It's soft, smooth, and understated and doesn't meander into Christmas potpourri or red hots territory. I get a little bit of amber and leather, but only because I know to look for it. The anise in this is not licoricey. More the dry, spicey type, like in the Robotic Scarab, but I like it here a lot more. The cocoa has softened into the background and this has lost all claim on being a gourmand, but it's still lovely.

Overall, this is warm, gentle, creamy-sweet spices on me with a touch of cocoa, and I'll really enjoy wearing it once it starts getting cooler.

[LizziesLuck]

Wow, this is potent! Sniffing it in the bottle, the cocao (which is rich but unsweetened, at first sniff) and clove are dominant.

 

I'm testing this on my shirt, as I already have HG in my hair.

 

 

Lots of clove, cacao, hints of leather and Myrrh. Wow. This is a dark, brooding scent. Not a heck of a lot of sweetness, just enough to keep the clove and cacao from being bitter. Actually, this is rather unisex. I am really loving it. Despite the spices and cacao, this is not particularly foodie. I like it a lot, and know I will wear it a lot this fall with some of my spicier scents.

[Cockyvonmurdertits]

Wow lots of clove and cacao! It's a bit of a cooler clove? Almost minty but that may be the star anise. Not the biggest fan, honestly it reminds of sunscreen after all the clove.

[zankoku_zen]

Clove, cinnamon, and a touch of amber.

[Lisa Ing]

Sweaty cowgirl wrestles a runaway pony inside an air-conditioned spice shop.

 

There's a really funky animalic note to this HG that I love, but that I was initially wary of -- it smells like scalp grease from unwashed hair, mixed with oiled leather and sweat, especially if I get it on my skin. After the initial spray, the animal funk combo (leather, amber, tonka) eventually fades down underneath the spices. Something (maybe clove? star anise?) smells chilly, and the others remind me of dry chai or pho mix. It's really not sweet at all - no honey or sugar added, and the vanillic hit from tonka and fruity undertones of myrrh are pretty understated next to all of the dry bitter cacao nibs, clove, star anise and cinnamon stick.