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| So you think you know what summer smells like? Guess again! |
I really, really love summer. After long, dreary, cold, wet winters, I feel like I earned my summer each year, so I want to make it count! When you think about summer, it's all about hot weather, beachy breezes, and tropical fruits. However, just when you think you've got it all figured out, Solstice Scents comes along and rock the boat - this year's Summer 2013 collection is incredibly unique and sports an assortment that might seem eccentric at first, but still oozes with summery charm (and a few surprises)!
Solstice Scents Summer 2013
Although this particular collection is only $2.50 per sample vial (with seven vials total coming to about $17.50 USD) many fragrances are part of the "premium" line. This means that there's a lot less in the vial because they're crafted with much higher-quality ingredients. No need to worry though, there's still plenty to decide which fragrances are right for you!The following fragrances are included in the Summer 2013 collection:
- Cardamom Rose Sugar (Premium Fragrance)
- Coquina
- Hand of Darkness (Premium Fragrance)
- High Desert (Premium Fragrance)
- High Noon
- Sirocco (Premium Fragramce)
- Tropical Moon
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| Cardamom Rose Sugar by Solstice Scents |
Cardamom Rose Sugar (Premium Fragrance)
Full size: 5ml glass roll-on bottle for $15.00 USD
Sample vial (half full): $2.50 USD
Brown Sugar, Cardamom EO, Moroccan Rose and Bulgarian Rose
A warm candy-like blend of brown sugar, spicy green cardamom pods, Moroccan rose absolute and Bulgarian rose absolute. It is luscious, sweet and very enticing.Wow.
WOW.
First off, before I get too deep into this review, take note: Cardamom Rose Sugar uses ample amounts of cardamom to prevent it from evaporating too quickly. Be a bit cautious when first applying, since spices can make your skin warm or induce irritation or sensitivity.
But if you disregard that, you should listen to me anyways: do NOT slather yourself with this fragrance if you are unsure you'll like it. DON'T DO IT. In fact, even if you're reading the description and thinking to yourself, "This is exactly what I want to smell like," please resist the urge.
Cardamom Rose Sugar does NOT MESS AROUND. This is the real deal, and it is incredibly potent and rich. I've had fragrances I thought were rich and strong before, but nothing has come even remotely close to how crazy this scent is. If you've never smelled or ingested cardamom before and aren't familiar with it, you two will be bosom buddies by the time you're finished with this fragrance.
After applying the teeniest, tiniest drops to your wrists, cardamom wrapped up in a brown sugary cloud will swoop down on you. The description states that the cardamom will taper off by around an hour or so, but I found its staying power to hang on much longer. Combining it with the brown sugar was an expert move because the two compliment each other very nicely. The fragrance is rich and deep. If it were a dessert, you'd know you were in for a rough time if you ate too much because it's so rich. The intense amounts of brown sugar actually remind me a little bit of maple syrup.
The cardamom does eventually ease up some, but it's still there in the background. In fact, I didn't realize it was completely gone for several hours. I also did not notice anything rosy though, and that was a bit of a disappointment. Where are the sugary roses? It's like the brown sugar completely overpowers them. You might have better luck on your skin, but on mine I couldn't detect a thing.
Duration: I find these parts of the description on the site to be pretty humorous: "The scent is so divine that you will want to reapply often and breath deeply!" and "Slather it all over your arm liberally and try not to eat yourself!" I think if I were to be liberal in my application of Cardamom Rose Sugar my nose would probably fall off and I will NEVER smell like anything else for the rest of my life.
Not only did this last through a shower (and I was very focused on working up a scrubby lather on my wrists), but several hand washings AND a full night of sleep. When I woke up... it was still there. It was fainter, but much stronger than any other fragrance that has made it through showering and sleeping. I'm afraid to imagine what would happen if I started slathering it on my arm.
Score: 3.5/5
This is a delicious, rich fragrance. It's intoxicating and potent. I find it a curious choice for a summer collection and feel it might have fit in better with an autumn assortment, especially because it's so rich and sugary (similar to the kinds of baked goods I enjoy making in the autumn). I like cardamom, and I like brown sugar. I do enjoy this fragrance, but I just feel like it's a little too intense for me. I can't see myself ever buying the full sized vial just because a teeny bit from my sample vial packed such a punch!
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| Coquina by Solstice Scents |
Coquina
Full size: 0.35oz glass roll-on bottle for $14.00 USD
Sample vial (half full): $2.50 USD
Sandalwood, Orange Blossom, Clementine EO, Beach Sand, Plumeria Absolute, Coconut, Ginger EO & A Splash of Sea-spray.
Coquina is a bright and beautiful sandalwood fragrance embellished with tons of orange blossoms and juicy clementine EO lavishly spread on to hot beach sand that has been softly misted by sea-spray. The fragrance is enhanced with a little plumeria (frangipani) absolute, coconut and a delicate touch of ginger essential oil. Coquina marries sand and surf with an incense like sandalwood blend, juicy citrus and exotic florals.
Duration: Not too bad - I was still able to detect a bit of the sweet/spicy sandalwood on my wrists after a full day at work. The oranges don't seem to stick around for too long on my skin, and that's a bummer because I really do love my citrus fruits! The lingering fragrance at the end of the day was more salty and beachy, less orangey.
Score: 4/5
This fragrance is exotic and tropical all without leaving the comforts of your own home! I liked it a lot - there's nothing really complicated happening with it, but it's not something you'd get bored with. The only downside is that I can't really see this being a flexible-enough fragrance to carry out past the summer though. I can see myself busting this out if I am feeling the blues and want a teeny peek of summer.
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| Hand of Darkness by Solstice Scents |
Hand of Darkness (Premium Fragrance)
Full size: 5ml glass roll-on bottle for $15.00 USD
Sample vial (half full): $2.50 USD
Oceanic Accord, Rain Accord, Woods Blend, Black Pitch, Buddha Wood, Lime, Coriander, Tarragon, Amber.
Hand of Darkness is a dark aquatic and woods blend. It opens with a tumultuous and disconcerting blend of oceanic accord (a blend of fragrance oils and seaweed absolute to evoke a realistic scent of the ocean), chilly rainwater, black pitch and the saturated planks of a wooden ship.Oh my, this is one complex and intriguing fragrance. I'm not sure my nose is classy enough or if I'm articulate enough to properly describe it. The Solstice Scents website has a much longer and more poetic description to accompany this fragrance, so I'd definitely check that out. You can tell this was intended to be a masterpiece among the Summer 2013 collection.
Hand of Darkness starts out dark and musky. There's a hint of briney sea spray, a foamy "green" salt you only get from the ocean. Mingling with this is what smells like damp wood with a smidge of tar. The wood keeps the fragrance from getting too cool and ocean-breezy. This is definitely not the same beachy water as Coquina!
The salty ocean water fragrance on my skin is the first to taper off (maybe the storm is subsiding!), letting the wood warm up. Coriander is one of my favorite spices to cook with, so I was really pleased that I could detect it wriggling through and melding with the warm wood. It almost morphs into something... snugly? Maybe that sounds weird considering the whole premise of this fragrance is a sea-soaked boat tossing around the waves.
I really like the drydown for Hand of Darkness. It reminds me of another aquatic fragrance from Solstice Scents, Tenebrous Mist, except it doesn't have that sour, boozy quality.
Duration: Hand of Darkness is right in the middle of the road for me - it doesn't float away too quickly, but it's not clinging for dear life by the end of the day. The aquatic mellowness by the time you reach dry-down is subtle and calming. Sometimes when fragrances die down I feel like the best parts are gone, but each stage is enjoyable.
Score: 3.5/5
This is tricky. For me, this fragrance just isn't something I'm going to reach for much, if at all. It's just not something that I can see myself wearing. However, as fragrance of its own merit, Hand of Darkness is positively exceptional. It's complex and intriguing - it will keep you interested and coming back to check on it as the day progresses. So even though this might not be a fragrance-extension of my personality, I can really appreciate it for what it is. I think if you're looking for a really unique experience, this is something you should sample.
This is tricky. For me, this fragrance just isn't something I'm going to reach for much, if at all. It's just not something that I can see myself wearing. However, as fragrance of its own merit, Hand of Darkness is positively exceptional. It's complex and intriguing - it will keep you interested and coming back to check on it as the day progresses. So even though this might not be a fragrance-extension of my personality, I can really appreciate it for what it is. I think if you're looking for a really unique experience, this is something you should sample.
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| High Desert by Solstice Scents |
High Desert (Premium Fragrance)
Full size: 5ml glass roll-on bottle for $15.00 USD
Sample vial (half full): $2.50 USD
Desert Sage, Ceremonial White Sage, Sandalwood, Mitti, Cacti, Indian Tobacco, Prickly Pear Cactus, Hay, Smoke, Labdanum, etc.
High Desert is a dry, woody, herbal reverent blend designed to evoke the atmosphere of the hot unforgiving, yet majestic, desert habitat of the American southwest. It features dominant notes of herbal white sage and desert sagebrush with supporting background notes of soft woods, sweet Indian tobacco, hay, Saguaro cactus, juicy prickly pear cactus, baked sand and just a touch of smoke, labdanum and red musk. Despite the complex palette used to create High Desert, these notes were selected to enhance and compliment the beautiful sage blend.As a native New Englander, I really have no clue what the American southwest smells like, let alone Indian tobacco or any kind of cacti. My experience with cacti is limited to the cute little potted ones sold at the grocery store, and I don't really make it a habit to smell them.
That said, I really like this fragrance! High Desert opens with a sharp, dry greenness. I definitely notice the sage in the beginning, and there's something else that's kind of minty, but not 'peppermint candy' minty. Is this the cactus? It's herbal and intoxicating, I keep pressing my wrists to my nose. Maybe I'm way off the mark... but something about it almost reminds me of scented cleaning spray, without any of the chemically grossness. I can see myself cozying up with a fragrance like this when I'm stressed or tired, as it has a very calming and soothing effect.
Duration: This disappeared pretty fast on my skin, but then again I found the other therapeutic fragrance in Solstice Scent's catalog, Quiet Night, to disappear relatively quickly too. I wish it lasted longer because it really is calming. It starts out with a hearty punch but subsides as quickly as it comes.
Score: 4/5
I like this a lot as a therapeutic fragrance. It's something I can see myself reaching for if I have a headache or just need to unwind. However, as a daily "I want to smell nice" fragrance, I just can't see myself separating this from its therapeutic uses. It's something for relaxing after work, not wearing during work.
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| High Noon by Solstice Scents |
High Noon
Full size: 0.35oz glass roll-on bottle for $15.00 USD
Sample vial: $2.50 USD
Worn Holster Leather, Tobacco, Whiskey, Woods, Sand, Gun-Smoke, Musk & Soft Ladies' Perfume
Be it for revenge or love, there is only one way to settle the score. High Noon features all of the atmosphere of a showdown in the Old West. High Noon features a blend of leather, tobacco, amber, red musk, skin musk, agar wood, sandalwood and chypre enhanced with the following essential oils and absolutes: tobacco, hay, buddha wood, labdanum, rooiboos, kapur kachari, aged patchouli and mitti attar.I know there's a long and engaging narrative to accompany this fragrance on the website... but frankly, I don't have a whole lot to say about High Noon. On my skin, I don't detect any of the detailed intricacies, just a sort of faint, smoky and musky leather. It also doesn't really morph at all on my skin at all either... It was kind of a bummer actually. I might test it out on my boyfriend to see if he has better luck.
Duration:
I got a good 4-5 hours of wear from High Noon. But the dry-down was about as unremarkable as the initial impression: all the same stuff, just fainter.
Score: 2/5
I think High Noon had performance anxiety or maybe it was just a bit shy. It never really got off the ground! I kept waiting for something fabulous to happen, but it was timidly "leather" the entire time. I might return to it in the future and give it another shot, even though I wore it several times.
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| Sirocco by Solstice Scents |
Sirocco (Premium Fragrance)
Full size: 5ml glass roll-on bottle for $15.00 USD
Sample vial (half full): $2.50 USD
Moroccan Spices, Sandalwood, Hot Baked Earth, Myrrh Resin, Precious Saffron Threads & Oud
Moroccan spices, sandalwood, hot baked Earth, myrrh resin, precious saffron threads and a touch of oud meld together to create a dry, woody, resinous, spicy and extremely exotic scent representing the blisteringly hot desert, spice caravans and never ending sun scorched sand.At first pass, Sirocco (I initially thought it was "Sirollo" based on my bottle's writing) was some sort of long-lost sibling to Solstice Scent's Cascade of Gold. "They're so identical, what is this?!"
On my second time I applied Sirocco to one wrist and Cascade of Gold to the other to put an end to the speculation, and I'm glad I did. Sirocco and Cascade of Gold are certainly on the same family tree. Sirocco is like Cascade of Gold's hot, dry older sibling, whereas Cascade of Gold is softer and sweeter, like a sunny oasis in the middle of the desert. "Blisteringly hot" and "sun scorched" are very fitting because there's nothing wet or humid about this summer scent at all. I can see Sirocco working exceptionally well as a masculine scent. It's heavy and thick with hot spices.
Duration:
Sirocco clings on for most of the day, but it softens out comfortably by 4 hours. The biting dryness is never completely gone, but the edge certainly eases up. I get pretty good mileage out of Sirocco, and since it does become softer as the day wears on, I don't feel like it's something that will overwhelm me all day.
Score: 3/5
This is another one of those cases where I appreciate a fragrance, but I can't see myself ever wearing it because it doesn't mesh with my own personal tastes. Sirocco is dry and intense, maybe even dark and sexy depending on how it morphs on you. It's too far separated from my preferences, but that doesn't make it a bad scent at all. Check it out if you want to spice things up (har har)!
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| Tropical Moon by Solstice Scents |
Tropical Moon
Full size: 0.35oz glass roll-on bottle for $15.00 USD
Sample vial (half full): $2.50 USD
Coconut, Tuberose, Tahitian Gardenia, Lime Essential Oil & Pink Lotus Attar
Nighttime island breeze carries sweet coconut flesh, delicate tuberose blossoms, Tahitian Gardenia flowers, pressed lime juice and pink lotus blossoms. Tropical Moon smells like an exotic beach paradise. It is sweet with creamy white floral notes, a top note of lime and a subtle delicate pink candy note from the pink lotus. Contains real tropical monoi (Tahitian Gardenia blossoms infused in fragrant coconut oil), mouthwatering lime essential oil, pink lotus attar and a blend of fragrance oils.Solstice Scents describes Tropical Moon as the "humid, torrent and sultry cousin of Nightgown." If you aren't familiar with Nightgown, I highly suggest sampling it. However, if you are, this description is definitely spot-on. Nightgown is floral, soft and creamy without smelling like an old lady. There's something very delicate and dainty about it. Tropical Moon isn't exactly delicate or dainty, but that same gorgeous, creamy floral element is there with a zingy tropical spin on it.
The first 15 minutes or so of Tropical Moon are not pleasant to me. I feel the lime comes on a bit too strong and bitter. It dissipates pretty quickly though (but not wholly gone) and steamy, creamy coconut and tropical flowers push through. At this stage it's kind of reminiscent of suntan lotion but creamier. The coconut element isn't foodie at all, and there's none of the sticky, sandy, saltiness in the coconut of Coquina.
The creamy part of the fragrance really kicks it up a notch after an hour of wear. I know I said earlier this isn't a food-like fragrance, but something about it reminds me of coconut milk jasmine rice. It warms up nicely while still keeping a hint of sweetness intertwining with all that creamy coconutty goodness.
Tropical Moon's dry-down is positively gorgeous. Once the steamy coconut has gotten its fill of time in the limelight (ha ha, limelight... lime is an accent in this fragrance... you get it?) something really fantastic starts to peek through. I'm not entirely sure what this part of the fragrance is. The turberose? The pink lotus attar? Having never smelled either of those, I can only guess. Whatever it is, it's beautiful and seems simultaneously familiar and different compared to Nightgown. This is my favorite part, and it somehow manages to be feminine and soft without being weak.
What's most amusing to me is towards the very, very end, when Tropical Moon is fading away and at its weakest, ending notes... it becomes almost beachy and breezy. I suppose the "moon" is setting and a new day on the beach is beginning? It's a very gentle exit.
Duration:
I applied Tropical Moon at around 6:30AM and didn't find myself wanting to touch it up until after lunch. It clings closely to the skin the entire time and isn't wafting off into space (or assaulting the noses of people three cubicles over from yours). I was surprised with how long it lasted!
Score: 4/5
I wish I could just fast-foward through the first 1/3rd of Tropical Moon and cut to the chase. The dry-down is absolutely fantastic, but the lime in the beginning is sharp, maybe a bit too sharp for my tastes. If I could, I'd give this full marks, but I feel like I have to tough it out until the lime eases up. Ah well. I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoyed Nightgown and want a summery, complimentary fragrance.
Final Roundup
Summer 2013 Collection count:
- 7 sample vials
Price:
- $17.00 for the full collection
- $2.43 per sample (a little less than the $2.50 price per individual vial)
- 7 sample vials
Price:
- $17.00 for the full collection
- $2.43 per sample (a little less than the $2.50 price per individual vial)
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