Ajevie Haul Reviews! (Hexennacht, Sorce, Pulp, Cocao Pink)
I purchased some Hexennacht samples via Ajevie and am here to report back my thoughts!
I'm still finding my taste in perfumes, but in general I gravitate towards pretty perfumes that have an edge without being completely off-putting. I'm not opposed to any one note (okay, maybe lemon), and I find my note preferences have to do with the whole blend vs one note in specific. That being said, I do like lavender, leather (sparingly), incense (sparingly), vanilla (sparingly), marshmallow. I don't mind sweet scents but I don't gravitate towards extremely foody sweet scents.
So without further ado...
Hexennacht
Wuthering Heights (lavender, vanilla, spectral musks, vetiver, tonka, jasmine, tea leaves, oakmoss) I was very excited for this scent, and my expectations were met. In the vial, it reminded me a lot of one of my favorite scents, Moon Magic by Sorce. The lavender and vanilla are similar. However, on the skin, the similarities disappeared. This one has an earthiness and a "musty" feel to it, however it by no means is stinky. I really love this one. It reminds me of dusk, or dawn, just outside of an enchanted forest. There is an etherealness to it, but it is grounded by the vetiver and oakmoss. It is a gorgeous scent, especially if you like lavender. In the dry down, the lavender disappeared and I was left with a gorgeous vanilla scent.
Spirit Temple (Vanilla bean pods, Spiritueuse Double Vanille, nag champa incense) Woah. In the vial, I did not like this. In the vial, it is an extremely warm, foody vanilla that reminded me of Come Hither by Cocao Pink (review below) mixed with incense. It smelled like burnt vanilla. I was hesitant to try this on my skin actually. However, on the skin, it is a much nicer scent. The vanilla rounds out and it less pungent. The incense melds beautifully. This is a vanilla-forward scent. It smells like I am in the kitchen using vanilla extract while incense is burning in the living room next to me. The dry down is gorgeous. The vanilla and incense get less distinct and blend into this incredible scent. I feel like this one after some more rest will age beautifully.
Black Mass (smoked vanilla, frankincense, Peru balsam, labdanum, amber, vetiver, Atlas cedarwood, patchouli, night musk, and scorched marshmallows) YES! Dark and earthy, well blended. Dark, sexy, ritualistic. Very witchy. Would be great for fall or winter. Sweet, with undertones of smoke, like the smoke from incense. Dry down smells just like roasted marshmallows.
Loup Garou (silver amber, fur, lunar musk) Yes. This sample is what inspired me to purchase this haul. This is a great every day scent for all occasions. This is what I wanted Juliette Has a Gun- Not a Perfume to be. This has a vague, undefined sweetness, but it remains airy and cool. It has this feel of, "I'm not wearing perfume, I just smell great" although in reality it may be just a hair too sweet to truly sell that. I really like this scent and will be purchasing a full size.
Moon in the Twelfth House (prickly pear, white sage, black sage, red musk, cedarwood, sandalwood, amber, ozone, hot sand, pink pepper, jammy fir balsam) I bought this one purely because of the name, not the notes. I am fascinated by astrology and my moon is in my twelfth house, so I had to get this. In the vial, I was reminded of another scent somewhere that I couldn't quite place. I immediately get the prickly pear, sage, and cedarwood. This reminds me of a desert at midnight. Honestly, this is not the type of scent I would associate with the moon in the 12H, but whatever. This is largely an herbally scent. It is not sweet per se, but the prickly pear definitely lends towards an illusion of sweetness. It is a really well blended scent. This isn't my vibe, but it is a good scent for what it is. The notes are accurate.
Sorce
Moon Magic (Lavender sugar, Tonka bean, chai spices, vanilla steamed milk, Cashmeran, Ambroxan, crystals charged by the moonlight) I love this scent. This is my second time ordering a sample and I will soon get a full size. It smells mainly like lavender sugar to me, with some chai to round it out. The "crystals charged by the moonlight" really comes through. I feel magical and ethereal wearing this. Compared to Hexennact Wuthering Heights, this one is more sugary, less vanilla. It feels a bit sharper, not as earthy.
In Dreams and Fairy Tales: Pistachio (Baked meringue, vanilla bean absolute, sugar, a sprinkle of chamomile, pistachio) In the vial, holy sweet. This is overwhelmingly sweet in the vial. This smells exactly like the Pistachio Cold Foam I order at Starbucks. On the skin, fortunately this is less sweet, but still extremely sweet. The pistachio smells great and gives the whole thing some depth. This is too sweet for my tastes though. Maybe I'll give it some more time to rest.
In Dreams and Fairy Tales: Strawberry Rosewater (Baked meringue, vanilla bean absolute, sugar, a sprinkle of chamomile, strawberry, rosewater) In the vial, this is still very sweet, but less overwhelming than the pistachio. The strawberry smells artificial, but it works. The strawberry is more candied than in Where The Wild Things Grow. It is more sugary. On the skin, this smells like Angel Food Cake with Strawberries to me. The merengue note comes through on this one. This makes me feel like a little girl, though, to be totally honest. I feel like a pretty princess with stuffed animals and a pink veil bed canopy.
Clairsentience (A fizzy blackberry, raspberry and bergamot cocktail, spun sugar, juniper berries, floaty vanilla, Iso E Super) In the vial, I get the berries, juniper, and the fizziness actually comes through. It smells like a fruity cocktail! On the skin though, a cotton candy scent comes through and does not leave. This ends up smelling exactly like fruity cotton candy. Sweet but in a light, fruity way.
Match Made in Heaven (Matcha, vanilla soft serve, cherry blossom, almond, waffle cone, powdered sugar, creamy sandalwood) I wanted this to be similar to Princess by Killian, and it is not. This is a very sweet scent, as most Sorce scents are. This has the same vanilla ice cream scent as String of Lights in the Forest. I mainly get vanilla ice cream and waffle cone with this scent; I do not smell much matcha or cherry blossom. This is a pretty scent though, I was just hoping for more depth and less in-your-face sweetness.
Pulp
Too Shy (Paper musk, sheer amber, powdered sugar, coumarin, creamy sandalwood, & vanilla bean) Another yes. This is very similar to Hexennacht's Loup Garou in that there is a vague sweetness but it is very agreeable and inoffensive. I really like this one! The powdered sugar really comes through, though I would not consider this a "powdery" scent.
Just Can't Get Enough (Raspberry & redcurrant preserves, cyclamen, calamansi, warm wood, & skin musk) In the vial, I absolutely get raspberry and something very warm and almost nutty. This smells somewhat like a raspberry crisp. On the skin, the woody/oatty/nutty scent rounds out and supports the raspberry beautifully. I was hesitant to try this on the skin as I wasn't a huge fan in the bottle, but it turned out to be a really nice scent. It's a smooth, warm, musky raspberry scent that is not too sharp.
Tainted Love (Black cherry, red rose, white pepper, leather corsets, & ebony amber) Oh. Black cherry and leather. This absolutely gives domnatrix vibes. On the skin, it is still black cherry and leather. This is a sexy scent, and you have to be a Bad B to pull this off. This is sexy in a BDSM way. This is not seductive or alluring. This is "I am who I am and I will do what I want with you." To me, it is similar to Thin Wild Mercury's Girl of the Year in the sense that if you do not have the right attitude, this scent will absolutely wear you. However, if you are the right person this is a great scent for you.
Cocoa Pink
Come Hither (Such a sexy scent of intoxicating vanillas with a hint of myrrh. This is not a foodie vanilla. This vanilla is all grown up and will demand attention on anyone who wears it.) Okay but this is absolutely a foodie vanilla. This is almost butterscotch. No, it's buttercream! This is the exact scent of an extremely rich vanilla buttercream. This is very warm. On the skin, it becomes more complex, like a spiced vanilla. However I still smell like a spiced vanilla cupcake.
Lipstick Stains (bourbon vanilla, musk, bulgarian rose petals and incense.)
My immediate thought, in the vial, was that is smelt like rose soap. I get the rose. It smells like those soap rose petals, if you're familiar! It is very powdery and vintage. Not quite my vibe, but I honestly like this way more than I expected. I can't stop sniffing my wrists. Also the dry down is incredible! I would like this a lot more if the dry down were the main scent. This is a really pretty scent.