 |
| Autumn isn't all pumpkin pie and apple spice, Sixteen92 reminds us. |
Full size: 5.5mL clear glass vial for $13.00 USD, 2mL "delux" vial for $4.50
Spiced apple, tea leaves, tobacco, guaiac wood
Spicy / Fruity / Woody / Unisex
When I first applied Raven, I knew nothing about it. I couldn't find anything about it online, so it was a pure shot in the dark. I jotted down my initial thoughts. I've worn it four times since and I enjoy it more each time! Raven's opening top notes are ticklishly fruity - not sharp or sour, but almost bubbly. It actually reminds me of apple cider, the real stuff, not some sort of Minutemaid atrocity. I was really pleased by this because it's unlike any other apple note I've smelled before. It doesn't have that "wet" quality the apple notes in OHWTO's blends have, nor is it overly spiced like Haus of Gloi's Olde Cider Haus.
The blissful apple cider bubbles off pretty quickly and melds into a strangely bitter but not unpleasant mix that reminds me of wet pavement. I'm not even going to pretend what guaic wood is, let alone how it's pronounced, but I suspect the tea leaves add a clean and bitter edge to whatever guaiac wood smells like.
There's a darkness to Raven - and I don't just say that because of its name. This perfume skirts along the edges and flirts with something darker but keeps itself grounded enough to come back around. I think the decision to add tea leaf notes was an excellent choice because without them the wood and tobacco run the risk of melting into something too heavy and dark.
Duration: I applied Raven to my wrists at 6am and still could smell it on my skin by 5PM, although by then it was very soft and faint. However, it did a marvelous job leeching into the cuffs of my coat so I enjoyed an encore performance during my drive back home! It's definitely a heartier scent compared to Lolita and Mellifera and can hold its own. I also think this scent would work really nicely layered with another fragrance because it clings closely and no single note is overpowering.
Score: 4.5/5
I really hope I don't come across as being snobby, but it's so challenging for me to write about autumn fragrances without making reference to living in New England! The autumn season is so closely entwined with New England's identity. Sure we have lovely spring, summer and winter seasonal weather (well...maybe not quite so much the winter once you hit February/March), but autumn in New England can't be matched in my opinion!
Raven stands out to me compared to many other autumn scents because it doesn't fall back on the safe and expected. There's no gooey maple sugar, no pumpkin pie or apple spice. And that doesn't make fragrances like that any less autumnal! I still very much love my Pumpkin Queen perfume, it's just that Raven is a different sort of autumn. It's the smell of a wet autumn day, where there's a chill in the air outside and the leaves are damp and matted together; you're sitting inside with your apple-picking plunder in a bowl atop the table, every once in a while teasing your nose as a reminder. It's that in-between stage where the first frost hasn't quite kissed the ground yet, but days are getting shorter and the air has that crisp coolness that nips at your lungs.
If you're looking for a more unconventional take on autumn fragrances, give Raven and the rest of the autumn collection from Sixteen92 a chance!
The blissful apple cider bubbles off pretty quickly and melds into a strangely bitter but not unpleasant mix that reminds me of wet pavement. I'm not even going to pretend what guaic wood is, let alone how it's pronounced, but I suspect the tea leaves add a clean and bitter edge to whatever guaiac wood smells like.
There's a darkness to Raven - and I don't just say that because of its name. This perfume skirts along the edges and flirts with something darker but keeps itself grounded enough to come back around. I think the decision to add tea leaf notes was an excellent choice because without them the wood and tobacco run the risk of melting into something too heavy and dark.
Duration: I applied Raven to my wrists at 6am and still could smell it on my skin by 5PM, although by then it was very soft and faint. However, it did a marvelous job leeching into the cuffs of my coat so I enjoyed an encore performance during my drive back home! It's definitely a heartier scent compared to Lolita and Mellifera and can hold its own. I also think this scent would work really nicely layered with another fragrance because it clings closely and no single note is overpowering.
Score: 4.5/5
I really hope I don't come across as being snobby, but it's so challenging for me to write about autumn fragrances without making reference to living in New England! The autumn season is so closely entwined with New England's identity. Sure we have lovely spring, summer and winter seasonal weather (well...maybe not quite so much the winter once you hit February/March), but autumn in New England can't be matched in my opinion!
Raven stands out to me compared to many other autumn scents because it doesn't fall back on the safe and expected. There's no gooey maple sugar, no pumpkin pie or apple spice. And that doesn't make fragrances like that any less autumnal! I still very much love my Pumpkin Queen perfume, it's just that Raven is a different sort of autumn. It's the smell of a wet autumn day, where there's a chill in the air outside and the leaves are damp and matted together; you're sitting inside with your apple-picking plunder in a bowl atop the table, every once in a while teasing your nose as a reminder. It's that in-between stage where the first frost hasn't quite kissed the ground yet, but days are getting shorter and the air has that crisp coolness that nips at your lungs.
If you're looking for a more unconventional take on autumn fragrances, give Raven and the rest of the autumn collection from Sixteen92 a chance!
0 comments:
Post a Comment