Company Overview! Deconstructing Eden

By Unknown

Purchased

"Inspired perfumes for unusual people" is Deconstructing Eden's claim - what do you think?

Unlike makeup, perfume is a more ethereal realm to shop within - you can't see swatches or color samples, and you're left to guess based on either a list of notes, a fancypants evocative description or some blend of the two. After a while, it does kind of start to feel like you've smelled everything there is to smell. I won't waste your time whining (still) about the droll and endless New England winter, but something in me snapped a while back - I really need to try something new or I'm gonna lose it.

Etsy knows what I need in a sort of creepy way and dished up a recommendation for Deconstructing Eden, and between the unique logo, curious name, and to-die-for product photography, I had a sample pack in my cart and purchased within moments. So much for the no-buy, right?

Deconstructing Eden

The owner of Deconstructing Eden Toni Sinclair claims that perfumery and all that's fantastically scented has found its way woven continuously through her life and spends "nearly 75% of her time" doing research. At first I thought that was kind of humorous, but I know I've fallen down the rabbit hole with obsessions and discover myself researching constantly to learn everything I can, so I cannot fault her for her passion! She also states she's a mother and graphic designer, the latter explains why her shop's branding appeals to my senses.

I have been making perfumes for six years now, but have only been selling them for the last three. My fragrances are parfum strength, which is fifty percent oils, (Essential oils, fragrance oils and aroma chemicals.) and fifty percent perfumer’s alcohol. I use a very high grade of perfumer’s alcohol that has no scent. With that level of concentration of oils to alcohol the fragrances are wearable all day long with minimal fade.

Of all the indie perfume companies I've checked out, Deconstructing Eden is also the first and only I've explored that blends their perfumes in this manner. I think it's a bit more "traditional" compared to using carrier oils and such.

Selection

Deconstructing Eden breaks down their selection by collection. Their current assortment consists of:

• Limited Edition - Only available for a while
• Love: Light & Dark - A two part series intended to represent both the light and dark sides of love and its subsequent emotions
• Dangerous Women - Interpretations of women who went against the grain; "Well-behaved women seldom make history" after all.
• Kushiel's Legacy - Based on a trilogy of fantasy novels by Jacqueline Carey
• Type O Negative Inspired - Based on songs by the band of the same name
• House - Not 100% certain but I think this is the basic catalog of mainstays
• Deities - From Isis to Shiva, a collection inspired by the otherworldly
• Sample Packs - Select the number of samples you want in set sized packs

Browsing through the selection, it felt like there was a healthy variety and decent balance between masculine, feminine, and unisex. Although I wasn't able to try every fragrance, I did get a pretty good sample and was impressed by the range.

Packaging

I've been collecting indie perfumes for a while now, and somewhere along the way I completely forgot that there still is a world outside of perfume oils in little sample vials. I was really surprised when my pack of samples arrived in completely different styled sampler bottles!

Samples come in 2mL spritzer sprays, and 5mL, 15mL, and 1 ounce spray bottles. The sample sprays are thick, but all other sizes appear to be glass. Each bottle has a lovely transparent decal sticker with the brand logo and the perfume name. I was grateful I didn't have to mess with paper labels that get damp and smudgy when I am sloppy applying my perfume.

Samples

So even though I've touched on the packaging already above, I really want to gush about how gosh darn adorable these tiny spray samplers are. Aren't they cute?

2mL sample spray bottle with sealed wrapper

I was also surprised that each and every single individual spray sample was sealed up with a perforated label covering the entire bottle. I suppose it makes sense - nothing's gonna leak out of that! And it's always so comforting when buying from indies that take their packaging seriously. However, after having to remove that protective seal from seven individual vials... I'm not so sure I'm smitten anymore. These things are annoying! But I'd still rather a few minutes of frustration than to receive a package where things came loose and spilled everywhere, leaving a stinkbomb in its wake and making for a grumpy post service.

Quality

It took me a little bit to get used to Deconstructing Eden's perfumes. I'm so trained with my lovely little indies suspended in carrier oils, I forgot that parfum sprays don't need to be so liberal. Everything also kind of smelled very samey for the first few seconds, I had a brief, "hey this smells like the perfume testers in the mall" moment.

I won't lie - I was a teeny bit disappointed the first few times I wore my samples. Perhaps it's because I've become spoiled rotten with all the rich, unconventional blends from shops like Solstice Scents and Darling Clandestine. I'm glad I stuck with it though because after a few days I really started to notice that the way Deconstructing Eden fragrances unfold on my skin is very different from other perfumes.

For example, I wore Lady Nada one day and really noticed that it transitioned throughout the day:

Formulated for a dear friend, Lady Nada is pink lemonade jasmine, pink roses and udambara blossoms.

Ignoring the udambara blossoms (let's be real, I'll probably never be within a 50 mile radius of a udambara blossom and cannot guess what it smells like), the early "voice" of Lady Nada is strongly floral with clear jasmine and rose notes, but by late afternoon I felt like the florals gave way to a more ticklingly tartness that I presume to be the pink lemonade. This was doubly amusing because usually the florals are what ground a fragrance and something like pink lemonade would drift away as a top note.

Another thing that really stands out to me about Deconstructing Eden fragrances is longevity. Granted they are in a different realm compared to perfume oils using a carrier oil base, but aside from that these perfumes last - they are heavy duty! Some scents I tried were far more robust than others. Lady Nada was a powerhouse, whereas First Blush was far daintier, lighter and had less silage and longevity.

Cost

I found Deconstructing Eden's pricing to be very fair and balanced.

• 2mL sample sprays vary from $2.50 USD to $2.75
• 5mL sprays range from $6.75 USD to $9.75 US
• 15mL sprays are $18 USD
• 1oz sprays vary from $22 USD to $28 USD

Sample packs come in groups of 3, 7, 10, and 15 and are priced accordingly. 

Customer service

I had zero interactions with Toni herself, but I felt pretty special when I received an absolutely gorgeous handwritten thank you letter in my order. It was also lovely discovering there was a bonus sample tucked along with the others I ordered!

Toni please teach me the art of penmanship

Otherwise I was very satisfied, and a quick browse through the Etsy shop's feedback and reviews section show that there's a healthy history of happy customers.

TAT & Shipping

TAT is 1-3 business days. Shipping is via USPS and takes an estimated 3-5 business days; international orders take up to 30 days. I placed my order on a Tuesday evening and received it the following Monday. Everything was tidily packed up in a padded envelope.

Personal Thoughts

Despite the claim that Deconstructing Eden offers inspired perfumes for unusual people - I'd like to reassure you with utmost confidence that as a grade-A certified boring person, I too was able to enjoy my perfumes. You don't have to be too unusual, but do approach them with an open and curious mind. Although be aware this is more akin to department store blends and not on the same level as something from a shop like Darling Clandestine, that's okay - sometimes I want to smell like I went to a high end perfume counter and picked out a swanky glass bottle of perfume. I'm already starting to put together a wish list of what I want to try next, so I suggest giving Deconstructing Eden a shot!