Hey Friends!

How was your weekend? My baby brother was in town! He’s the Production Manager for a band and I got to see him and go backstage, it was fun! Also it’s the only time I’m ever VIP for anything, so I always feel pretty special.

Hope you guys had a good weekend, too.

So. I am really bad at not blogging. I know I said here that I was taking a break, but it seems the closer I get to finishing the thesis, the more blogging I do.* This also appears to be directly connected to the fact that as the holidays get closer, more and more awesome beauty things get released. And I just can’t contain my glee, Solstice Scents’ Foxcroft’s Autumn Festival Colletion is a prime example of this!

When they released Foxcroft’s Autumn Festival, I grabbed a sample set, for about $20 with shipping. This was both a bad and good idea. Bad because I want some full sizes and their bottles are on back order, good because there were a few surprise favorites I wouldn’t have ordered in full-size originally. I bought my set when the Collection went live on the Nov. 1, it shipped Nov. 3, and I was drooling over it on Nov. 8th. Not bad!

Before I get into the scents, I am going to admit some bias right now, I have become a big fan of Solstice Scents in the past few months. Their oils work really well with both Mr. Danger’s skin chemistry and with my own. I’m not sure why this is, but of all the indies I’ve tried, SS’s perfumes smell stronger and last longer on me. Skin chemistry appears to be a fickle thing, so I highly suggest sampling perfumes before you commit, but Solstice Scents has become much beloved in the Danger Household.

Now, even though I already have some love for Solstice Scents, I did keep an open nose when testing out these scents.

Don’t you love their packaging?

If you are new to Solstice Scents, they have an entire back story about a fictional town called Foxcroft. This collection was inspired by the town’s Autumn Festival.  After you smell all these things, you’re going to wish it was a real place, because these scents are so atmospheric, it seems like a real place.

You can see on the map that many of the perfumes in this collection are based on places in Foxcroft. The whole mythology behind these perfumes make them even more enjoyable. When I smell the apples or ale in the perfumes, I really feel transported to this charming, fictional town. I need vacation plans to Foxcroft, ok??

So the scents:

Corvin’s Apple Fest-Apple Pastries, Caramel Apples, Fresh Apples, Warm Apple Cider, Vanilla, Apple Pie, Apple Cream Cheese Danish
This was a surprise hit for me. I normally have issues with apple scents and my skin chemistry,( mostly that they fade on me in less than an hour or turn into cleaning product smells). In this scent, the apple is the top note that I get first, but as it fades it’s backed by a bunch of delicious pastry-like scents. I get the Danish scent the most, followed by the vanilla and apple pie. I’m not a big foodie scent person, but this smells amazing.

Foxcroft Fairgrounds-Cotton Candy, Cream Soda, Vanilla Taffy, Funnel Cakes, Powdered Sugar, Crisp Fall Air, Woodsmoke, Incense.
This scent has a lot going on and every time I wear it I pick up on something different. I have to say, I feel that this scent isn’t very strong, but it really is reminiscent of a fairground. At first I get something very sweet, I think its the cotton candy or vanilla taffy. After that the scent mellows out a bit, though the sweetness never completely goes away, and I get a hint of the fall air and a bit like woods and dirt. I think this scent is really interesting, I don’t know if I need a full size of it, but I will definitely enjoy this sample. 

Gibbon’s Boarding School-Dusty Wooden Desks, Paper, Carefully Hidden Tobacco Pouch, Dying Fire, Dried Leaves, Leather Chairs, Autumn Breeze 

Whoa, this perfume is really different, but in a great way, I think. The first scent I get is old furniture, like an antique cedar chest. (The perfume is specifically bringing one to mind from my childhood), I also get a hint of the tobacco and leather, leaning this scent towards the masculine sides of things. The scent really does evoke the image of an empty, abandoned boarding school. Mr. Danger loved it, and I’m not surprised because leather scents are his jam. 

Owl Creek Aleworks-Sticky English Toffee Pudding, Blackburn’s Parlor Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramel, Toasted Coconut & Hazelnut, Sugared Pumpkin Cream Stout
UGH. I am kicking myself. KICKING. I write a blog about beer and beauty. Why would I not want the full size of a perfume that smells like most delicious dessert and beer ever to exist? This smells creamy, and carame-ly, with a bit of spice at the end that I presume is the pumpkin cream stout. If you aren’t a beer fan don’t worry, the ale only really comes out in the malty pumpkin notes. Mostly this just smells like an amazing foodie scent. If SS restocks this, I am ON IT.

Riverside Hayride-Moist Dirt, White Carnations, Fallen Leaves, Bare Branches, Hay & a Hint of Pressed Apples Carried on the Breeze from Corvin’s Apple Orchard
Again, I am constantly impressed by SS’s ability to capture an atmosphere or environment in a small little vial. This is such a pleasant, outdoors scent. I should warn you, I go through phases where I really love a good dirt scent, and Riverside hits that note perfectly. This smells exactly like clean, moist dirt and plants, as if it’s just rained recently. (Or next to a river, I guess.)I don’t get any apple, but my skin hates it, so that’s a personal issue. There’s also a note of something traditionally masculine, maybe the wood notes of the bare branches? This is a good unisex perfume, though I don’t really need it for daily use, so I’ll stick to my sample.

Smokewood Apiary-Smoked Honey, Creamed Honey, Beeswax, Amber, Wooden Frames, Ginger & Vanilla
This one was the surprise hit. Honey scents are normally either “meh” or too cloying for me, but I LOVE this one. It is very sweet, and the honey scent is completely accurate. But, I love the smoke and wood notes that keep this perfume from getting too sickly sweet. This is totally work appropriate, while still be interesting, a perfect combination for me. There’s a full-size left on the website, and I’m itching to get it, but I’m supposed to be on a low-buy until December. Soon, my precious, soon!

Sycamore Chai-Vanilla Chai Tea & A Ginger-Pumpkin Roll Filled With Marshmallow Creme When I think Chai, I imagine creamy Chai lattes, (I grew up with Starbucks, sorry), but this scent is all Chai tea, (which it clearly states in the description, but I try not to read until after I try them out). This is definitely sweet, spicy, and gingery. I also get a hint of the pumpkin and marshmallow at the end, which softens the spice a bit. This scent is super strong on me, and I get whiffs of it throughout the day. I do like this, but I think it may be a bit too strong a scent on me, my skin is amping the ginger like crazy.

Jack and the Devil- Vanilla, Tobacco, Oakmoss, Amber, Patchouli, Sweet Pumpkin & Soft Spice. This was my free sample that I got to pick out, and it makes me so mad! Because I love it! And I’m on a low-buy! Troubles, my friends, troubles. Personal issues aside, I FINALLY found my Holy Grail Autumn scent. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt because it’s really pumpkin-y up front, but as it mellows out it turns into my perfect combination of autumn scents: vanilla, tobacco, and a bit of pumpkin spice. I don’t think this is for everyone, but it is FOR ME. Thankfully, this is available year round so I can ask for it for Christmas or get it after my low-buy. Full-size ahead!

Overall:

I am always impressed with how complex and well blended Solstice Scents’ perfumes are. I don’t necessarily want to wear all of them on a daily basis, but I love smelling them and trying them out from time to time. The different notes and layers are so well thought out, that wearing each scent definitely evokes different images and memories. I want full sizes Owl Creek Aleworks, Smokewood Apiary, and Jack and the Devil. I kinda want one in Corvin’s Apple Fest, but I’m getting a little out of control here.

And I still have to try the original Foxcroft Collection! Perfume stress, I tell you.

Questions of the Day:
-What do you think of the Foxcroft Autumn Collection?
-Are there any surprise scents you personally have discovered you like?
-Have you ever had a perfume that made you hungry? Owl Creek Aleworks makes me want all of the dessert.

Love,
Rebs!