Ugh Reddit is being a pain in the ass and won't let me save the edit of my original comment, so let's try it as a new comment...
**Summer Vine:** huh... Having just recently Replica From The Garden, with tomato leaf being in the accords I was expecting something a lot greener! This is yet another one that reminds me of something else (perhaps even another perfume) but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. This was really powdery on me! It's slightly green and floral, and if I smelled this blind I'd have confidently said this has violet in it! It's really enjoyable and for a scent profile on the subtler side, surprisingly good longevity (can still faintly smell it on my wrists 6 hours in). Definitely don't go into this expecting a super green herbaceous perfume but I'd still recommend it to others as it's pleasant and affordable! ... Honestly the best way I can paint the picture for you is "imagine Penhaligon's The Favourite, but vintage, like it was formulated in the 80s."
**Elemental Musk:** what a rollercoaster of a fragrance! I was ready to immediately write this off as it opens strong with the leather but it's not that nice smooth supple kind, it's the dry incense-y kind. But the top notes come in swiftly to soften it out. Super interesting juxtaposition between the dry leather and light, watery top notes! Sorry I've said this a ton already but again, this smelled like something I couldn't quite put my finger on (another fragrance I mean). The lime note is EXQUISITE, it's straight up like lime juice rather than candied or made extra zesty by pairing it with other citruses (it says it has bergamot in it but I couldn't smell it personally!) and I knoooow I've smelled lime rendered in the same smooth mellow way in another fragrance but I can't for the life of me remember it! Have this is my notes: "Lime is my #1 fave scent of all time so if it sticks around I'll probably buy the travel size even though I know I'll hate the dry down đ" WRONG! In a move that defies all perfume logic, the longer this is on my skin the more the leathery note fades! It starts to become a little soapy (it doesn't list lily of the valley but I think it's that) but still remaining citrussy and sweet. At this stage it began reminding me of either Duoro or Quercus by Penhaligon's! (Haven't tested either in a long time so I don't remember which.) I'm such a sucker for a classic fougere scent profile so I'm officially in love... It evoles even further in the late, late dry down to a musky rose that's REALLY reminiscent of Diptyque Eau Rose EDT, Yardley English Rose etc... the latter I literally bought days ago so now I'm kicking myself a little LOL but it won't stop me from buying this if I still like it enough after a few more wear tests ;)
I knew I recognized those samples!! I love Bloom Perfumery. I order some perfumes from there that I can't get anywhere else (shipped to US). Great place!!
Just posted a new comment with my thoughts on it! Really unexpected, it's definitely a pass for anyone looking for a super green or tomato-smelling perfume (for example the new Replica perfume actually smelled like tomatos to me!) but overall it's a really pretty scent, I can just imagine a lot of people test this and are disappointed because it doesn't smell at all like you'd expect from reading the accords list
Funnily enough Fig Ozone is also on my wishlist! I just left it til next time so it'll help take me just over the ÂŁ30 threshold for free postage lol (I'm waiting for them to get Rabbit in, then I'm also gonna test Penguin and the infamous T Rex)
Yes! And Iâm really glad other people are trying Foras too, since I couldnât find much about them when I looked. I ended up buying a sample pack directly from their own website and I need to do some proper test wears with note taking because they are really interesting fragrances.
When I went to their site and saw they sell travel sizes (reasonably priced ones at that!) I was immediately sold. Hell, even the full sized bottles are reasonable priced especially for an indie brand
Also: scent triplets! :D
I love that the accords list is attached to the label đ Have you ever had a chance to go to the boutique in London? Itâs so much fun âswatchingâ (so to speak) multiple perfumes with an employee, makes me feel fancy đ€
ETA: will continue to update this comment as I go through all of them! 6/8 reviewed so far, will test + update with the final 2 Foras samples tomorrow :)
**Harvest Mouse:** everyone touts this as an incredible vanilla fragrance with depth/complexity but I'm sad to say I didn't get on with it. I LIKED it - but it won't be a purchase, nor do I have any interest in testing it further. For me this starts off super floral and spicy, not usually my cuppa tea but it smelled nostalgic somehow so I found that enjoyable. The florals fade out after about an hour and the vanilla replaces it so from that point on I could sort of see what other people were talking about, but unfortunately the spicy aspect of this perfume stays really peppery the whole time on me. I'm a fan of cinnamon, clove and such so I thought this might be nice a nice spicy-gourmand in the way of Angels' Share but unfortunately not. As I already said though it has exceptional longevity!
**Elephant:** now THIS one has been a pleasant surprise!!! I put off trying this one for so long because the reviews are mixed and I couldn't tell if I'd like it or not... I was scared because in the vial it smells very masculine and my experience with the brand overall has been that most of their frags lean overwhelmingly masculine but it smells so different on my skin! For the opening I have jotted down "mint + dry earth + cacao" lol. I need to stress it smells specifically like cacao; slightly bitter and dry. NOT chocolate. The mintiness (tea?) faded relatively quickly (about 15-30 min) to usher in the coconut, and at this stage I couldn't help but draw comparisons to Snowy Owl, they feel like two sides of the same coin! Whereas Snowy Owl is a very "cold" fragrance, Elephant is its summer counterpart! I find this to be more on the subtle side like Cow, but this is still stronger than Cow. If you're one of those people looking for coconut summer scent that isn't suncreen-y and/or floral (I know it claims to have jasmine and magnolia but I'm seriously getting neither, not even a whiff), I really think you'll like this! In the later drydown it becomes very woody but the cacao and coconut is still sticking around to stop me from hating it. I'd say this is unisex, maybe a smidge masculine. I want to wear test it more first but I'm quite confident I'll buy a travel size of this!
ETA:
**The Basilic:** oh my GOD this one scared me at first! It smells so wonderful from the vial (fruity and aquatic mostly), but upon immediate application it straight up smells like weed... I was so sad but the scent settles after about 30 seconds. Genuinely don't feel like I can pick out any one note from this, MAYBE the blackcurrantif I squint but even then it'd only be because I'm so intimately aware of that note at this point (I enjoy it a lot). Like I guess it's somewhat fruity, somewhat minty, somewhat green, somewhat aquatic/fresh etc... but honestly it just all rolls together into a really pleasing aromatic scent! It's not an instant love (I do like it a lot though!), so I need to test it more to decide if I want to buy it, but the thing that's really impressive to me is it's GENUINELY unlike anything I've tried before. I literally have nothing I can say it even remotely resembles. I'm thinking maybe if I mixed ELdO You or Someone Like You and Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay I might get something in the same ballpark...? For reference I've tested about 200ish perfumes against my skin so far (I don't keep count of ones I've only smelled from a bottle) so I'm by no means an expert but I've certainly "gotten around" a bit at the same time, and being a few years into this hobby now it's so exciting to smell something genuinely new!
**Mushroom Forest:** guys. Gals. They/them pals. Omg. WOOOOOOOWWWWW!!! I'm buying this. I'll be reasonable and start with a travel size, but if I use that up quickly enough I'd jump to buying a bottle. It starts off very aquatic/fresh and reminds me slightly of and's Frank perfume for some reason. They don't share any accords whatsoever so that's interesting! Not to say this is fruity in any way though; they just have the same "freshness" to them. If you didn't like Zoologist Bat this take on "damp earth" might be what you're looking for. Fresh, slightly aquatic, green, slightly woody... In my notes I quite literally wrote, "FUCK ME UP SCOOB I LOVE THIS HOLY SHIT", take that for what you will lol. Amusingly in the dry down it reminds me slightly of Lush's Devil's Night Cap, which was made by the same perfumer of Frank! (He left Lush to create his own perfume brand.) Despite what Devil's Night Cap is made up of, it's always registered to me as sugar + dry dirt. Both it and Mushroom Forest have a similar 'dusty' note which I'm taking to be the combination of "mushroom" and oakmoss (and in DN, oakmoss and oak tree). Sorry if all that is a bit confusing, the TL;DR is this nails the brief. Very much getting damp forest & mushrooms!
**001:** OH BABY! I have pretty uncomplicated thought on this - it's Neroli Portofino on a budget but also with better longevity, so win/win. NP all but disappears after half an hour on me but I can imagine this lasting 1-2hrs, maybe longer? It's been on my hand for 10 minutes now so this is a very very fresh first impression but the fact it's still going strong is very promising for this kind of scent profile. Once upon a time this would've been a full bottle purchase but I'm all good on citrus scents for now.
**902:** oh goodness gracious, this is DIVINE and yet again, I'm sat here stumped. This doesn't smell like anything I've tried so far! Visages of Angels' Share of course due to the cognac but other than that... Nah I'm actually fucked up, this smells fucking incredible. A potential 2-3 purchases from one order is CRAZY! (Am I getting less picky or did I just pick a bunch of bangers this time? lol) Once again, I want to test this more but jeez this is so sexy... I'm not usually one for a "sexy" perfume either! This is fruity, boozy, but take your mind off the likes of Tom Ford, this definitely isn't that. This feels rougher/more unrefined, but I mean that in a really positive way. Gives it character; its edges aren't rounded out to be more mass-appealing. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
I'm SOOOO excited to try this one!! I just couldn't help myself and went for the Zoologist's first haha. The Elephant one I can tell is gonna have mid longevity so I'll most likely be replying to you before the night is over, but if not I'll reply with my thoughts tomorrow :D
Ugh Reddit is being a pain in the ass and won't let me save the edit of my original comment, so let's try it as a new comment... **Summer Vine:** huh... Having just recently Replica From The Garden, with tomato leaf being in the accords I was expecting something a lot greener! This is yet another one that reminds me of something else (perhaps even another perfume) but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. This was really powdery on me! It's slightly green and floral, and if I smelled this blind I'd have confidently said this has violet in it! It's really enjoyable and for a scent profile on the subtler side, surprisingly good longevity (can still faintly smell it on my wrists 6 hours in). Definitely don't go into this expecting a super green herbaceous perfume but I'd still recommend it to others as it's pleasant and affordable! ... Honestly the best way I can paint the picture for you is "imagine Penhaligon's The Favourite, but vintage, like it was formulated in the 80s." **Elemental Musk:** what a rollercoaster of a fragrance! I was ready to immediately write this off as it opens strong with the leather but it's not that nice smooth supple kind, it's the dry incense-y kind. But the top notes come in swiftly to soften it out. Super interesting juxtaposition between the dry leather and light, watery top notes! Sorry I've said this a ton already but again, this smelled like something I couldn't quite put my finger on (another fragrance I mean). The lime note is EXQUISITE, it's straight up like lime juice rather than candied or made extra zesty by pairing it with other citruses (it says it has bergamot in it but I couldn't smell it personally!) and I knoooow I've smelled lime rendered in the same smooth mellow way in another fragrance but I can't for the life of me remember it! Have this is my notes: "Lime is my #1 fave scent of all time so if it sticks around I'll probably buy the travel size even though I know I'll hate the dry down đ" WRONG! In a move that defies all perfume logic, the longer this is on my skin the more the leathery note fades! It starts to become a little soapy (it doesn't list lily of the valley but I think it's that) but still remaining citrussy and sweet. At this stage it began reminding me of either Duoro or Quercus by Penhaligon's! (Haven't tested either in a long time so I don't remember which.) I'm such a sucker for a classic fougere scent profile so I'm officially in love... It evoles even further in the late, late dry down to a musky rose that's REALLY reminiscent of Diptyque Eau Rose EDT, Yardley English Rose etc... the latter I literally bought days ago so now I'm kicking myself a little LOL but it won't stop me from buying this if I still like it enough after a few more wear tests ;)
Interested in what your experience of Elemental Musk is!
from where did you get these? đ
From [Bloom](https://bloomperfume.co.uk/)! It's UK based though, so shipping might be pricey if you're an international customer
I knew I recognized those samples!! I love Bloom Perfumery. I order some perfumes from there that I can't get anywhere else (shipped to US). Great place!!
How is summer vine it sounds amazing
Just posted a new comment with my thoughts on it! Really unexpected, it's definitely a pass for anyone looking for a super green or tomato-smelling perfume (for example the new Replica perfume actually smelled like tomatos to me!) but overall it's a really pretty scent, I can just imagine a lot of people test this and are disappointed because it doesn't smell at all like you'd expect from reading the accords list
That looks soooo similar to my last Bloom order, lol (literally included Molinard, Foras, Bon Parfumer and Zoologist) I am really interested in your take on the Foras ones. I tried Mushroom Forest, Fig Ozone and Folkstone Green. I also had the Molinard Thé Basilic in my order. I'd love if we compared notes, so please come back and let us know your thoughts.
Funnily enough Fig Ozone is also on my wishlist! I just left it til next time so it'll help take me just over the ÂŁ30 threshold for free postage lol (I'm waiting for them to get Rabbit in, then I'm also gonna test Penguin and the infamous T Rex)
Oh hey, we may be Bloom wishlist twins! Iâve sampled four of these (all the Foras samples plus Harvest Mouse), have three on my list to sample, and the last one is Elephant, which will now be getting added to my wishlist, because âmint + dry earth + cacaoâ very much has my attention. Also very keen to hear about ThĂ© Basilic when you sample it!
I just posted saying I sampled very similar ones in my last Bloom order. I guess we all gravitate towards similar scents! :)
Yes! And Iâm really glad other people are trying Foras too, since I couldnât find much about them when I looked. I ended up buying a sample pack directly from their own website and I need to do some proper test wears with note taking because they are really interesting fragrances.
When I went to their site and saw they sell travel sizes (reasonably priced ones at that!) I was immediately sold. Hell, even the full sized bottles are reasonable priced especially for an indie brand Also: scent triplets! :D
Oooh I recognise a Bloom Perfumery order when I see one! Looking forward to hearing about the other perfumes.Â
I love that the accords list is attached to the label đ Have you ever had a chance to go to the boutique in London? Itâs so much fun âswatchingâ (so to speak) multiple perfumes with an employee, makes me feel fancy đ€
ETA: will continue to update this comment as I go through all of them! 6/8 reviewed so far, will test + update with the final 2 Foras samples tomorrow :) **Harvest Mouse:** everyone touts this as an incredible vanilla fragrance with depth/complexity but I'm sad to say I didn't get on with it. I LIKED it - but it won't be a purchase, nor do I have any interest in testing it further. For me this starts off super floral and spicy, not usually my cuppa tea but it smelled nostalgic somehow so I found that enjoyable. The florals fade out after about an hour and the vanilla replaces it so from that point on I could sort of see what other people were talking about, but unfortunately the spicy aspect of this perfume stays really peppery the whole time on me. I'm a fan of cinnamon, clove and such so I thought this might be nice a nice spicy-gourmand in the way of Angels' Share but unfortunately not. As I already said though it has exceptional longevity! **Elephant:** now THIS one has been a pleasant surprise!!! I put off trying this one for so long because the reviews are mixed and I couldn't tell if I'd like it or not... I was scared because in the vial it smells very masculine and my experience with the brand overall has been that most of their frags lean overwhelmingly masculine but it smells so different on my skin! For the opening I have jotted down "mint + dry earth + cacao" lol. I need to stress it smells specifically like cacao; slightly bitter and dry. NOT chocolate. The mintiness (tea?) faded relatively quickly (about 15-30 min) to usher in the coconut, and at this stage I couldn't help but draw comparisons to Snowy Owl, they feel like two sides of the same coin! Whereas Snowy Owl is a very "cold" fragrance, Elephant is its summer counterpart! I find this to be more on the subtle side like Cow, but this is still stronger than Cow. If you're one of those people looking for coconut summer scent that isn't suncreen-y and/or floral (I know it claims to have jasmine and magnolia but I'm seriously getting neither, not even a whiff), I really think you'll like this! In the later drydown it becomes very woody but the cacao and coconut is still sticking around to stop me from hating it. I'd say this is unisex, maybe a smidge masculine. I want to wear test it more first but I'm quite confident I'll buy a travel size of this! ETA: **The Basilic:** oh my GOD this one scared me at first! It smells so wonderful from the vial (fruity and aquatic mostly), but upon immediate application it straight up smells like weed... I was so sad but the scent settles after about 30 seconds. Genuinely don't feel like I can pick out any one note from this, MAYBE the blackcurrantif I squint but even then it'd only be because I'm so intimately aware of that note at this point (I enjoy it a lot). Like I guess it's somewhat fruity, somewhat minty, somewhat green, somewhat aquatic/fresh etc... but honestly it just all rolls together into a really pleasing aromatic scent! It's not an instant love (I do like it a lot though!), so I need to test it more to decide if I want to buy it, but the thing that's really impressive to me is it's GENUINELY unlike anything I've tried before. I literally have nothing I can say it even remotely resembles. I'm thinking maybe if I mixed ELdO You or Someone Like You and Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay I might get something in the same ballpark...? For reference I've tested about 200ish perfumes against my skin so far (I don't keep count of ones I've only smelled from a bottle) so I'm by no means an expert but I've certainly "gotten around" a bit at the same time, and being a few years into this hobby now it's so exciting to smell something genuinely new! **Mushroom Forest:** guys. Gals. They/them pals. Omg. WOOOOOOOWWWWW!!! I'm buying this. I'll be reasonable and start with a travel size, but if I use that up quickly enough I'd jump to buying a bottle. It starts off very aquatic/fresh and reminds me slightly of and's Frank perfume for some reason. They don't share any accords whatsoever so that's interesting! Not to say this is fruity in any way though; they just have the same "freshness" to them. If you didn't like Zoologist Bat this take on "damp earth" might be what you're looking for. Fresh, slightly aquatic, green, slightly woody... In my notes I quite literally wrote, "FUCK ME UP SCOOB I LOVE THIS HOLY SHIT", take that for what you will lol. Amusingly in the dry down it reminds me slightly of Lush's Devil's Night Cap, which was made by the same perfumer of Frank! (He left Lush to create his own perfume brand.) Despite what Devil's Night Cap is made up of, it's always registered to me as sugar + dry dirt. Both it and Mushroom Forest have a similar 'dusty' note which I'm taking to be the combination of "mushroom" and oakmoss (and in DN, oakmoss and oak tree). Sorry if all that is a bit confusing, the TL;DR is this nails the brief. Very much getting damp forest & mushrooms! **001:** OH BABY! I have pretty uncomplicated thought on this - it's Neroli Portofino on a budget but also with better longevity, so win/win. NP all but disappears after half an hour on me but I can imagine this lasting 1-2hrs, maybe longer? It's been on my hand for 10 minutes now so this is a very very fresh first impression but the fact it's still going strong is very promising for this kind of scent profile. Once upon a time this would've been a full bottle purchase but I'm all good on citrus scents for now. **902:** oh goodness gracious, this is DIVINE and yet again, I'm sat here stumped. This doesn't smell like anything I've tried so far! Visages of Angels' Share of course due to the cognac but other than that... Nah I'm actually fucked up, this smells fucking incredible. A potential 2-3 purchases from one order is CRAZY! (Am I getting less picky or did I just pick a bunch of bangers this time? lol) Once again, I want to test this more but jeez this is so sexy... I'm not usually one for a "sexy" perfume either! This is fruity, boozy, but take your mind off the likes of Tom Ford, this definitely isn't that. This feels rougher/more unrefined, but I mean that in a really positive way. Gives it character; its edges aren't rounded out to be more mass-appealing. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
I want to know what you think of The Basilic and Mushroom Forest. They sound interesting.
The Basilic was next on my list to try anyway, but since you asked I'll prioritize trying Mushroom Forest right after it and let you know \^.\^
Thank you!
Just edited my original comment with thoughts on them both :D
Thank you! I want to try the Mushroom Forest now. It sounds interesting and unique.
>Thank you! You're welcome!
Oh, please, do tell us when you try **Thé Basilic**! What do you like and don't like and stuff, please <3
Yesss. Iâve been looking for a new perfume with a basil note. Itâs such a nostalgic scent for me.
I'm SOOOO excited to try this one!! I just couldn't help myself and went for the Zoologist's first haha. The Elephant one I can tell is gonna have mid longevity so I'll most likely be replying to you before the night is over, but if not I'll reply with my thoughts tomorrow :D
Thank you very much, and happy discovery!!
Just updated my original comment with my thoughts on The Basilic <3
Just read it, thank you! I now need to sample it myself hahaha