Ermahgerd! Indie Perfume Collection!

Quick intro before I tackle this madness: I've been debating on posting my indie perfume collection for quite a while. One of the reasons I haven't done so is I didn't know the best way to organize it. Ultimately, I decided on posting about my perfume oils in this post, and I'll post about my solid scents another time. Oh, and perhaps someday I'll write about my sample vials too...They're a huge mess at the moment. It would be a fun mess to post about though! I wanted you guys to know that *you* are the inspiration behind this post. I got some awesome new readers out of nowhere, and a lot of you are pretty perfume ladies- so I thought this post would be fun for us all! :D I want to thank Dee from http://365daysofsmells.blogspot.com/?m=1 and http://yearofthetightarse.blogspot.com/?m=1 for inspiring me to finally get my butt in gear and do this collection post. She is so amazing, and I wish I would have found her blogs in the blogosphere sooner!

Also, before I get started, please note that from being clumsy (i.e. spilling perfume oil on said perfume oil label) and from bringing my little perfume oils along in my purse, some of them look a little worse for the wear. You'll notice that some of the labels have worn off, and that I have attempted to label some of them with a sharpie. So yeah, some of them look ghetto, and I apologize in advance ;)

*Solstice Scents*

 

Above from L to R: Library, Moonlight on the Grove, Shoikan Grove, Manor, Attic, Snowshoe Pass, and Lace Draped Spectre

My Solstice Scents collection contains some of my very favorite perfume oils. Manor and Library are my absolute favorite scents, and I always go to one of them when I cannot decide on a fragrance. I have raved about Solstice Scents many times, so I'm sure you guys don't need me to do any more gushing here :)

 

 

*Haus of Gloi*

 

Above from L to R: Ghost Puffs, Samhain, Spring Tonic 2, Selkie, and Spider Silk

Next, I have my Haus of Gloi perfume oils. One thing I love about my HoG perfume collection is that I have a scent for basically every season (sans winter). Spring Tonic 2 is the absolute perfect spring scent. It smells so fresh and lovely. I received it as a perfume sample last year with my Valentine order, and I absolutely *had* to purchase a full size because my boyfriend and I were obsessed with it. Selkie is an aquatic, oceany scent that is great for the summer. I don't even blink at any other ocean type of scents because Selkie is just perfect. Growing up, my dad taught me how to surf; so Selkie also makes me smile and brings back great memories of surfing in California. For instance, there was one time a seal poked its cute little head out of the water and looked at me with wonder. Another time, my dad and I rode the same wave! It was awesome and very precious to me, because he cannot surf anymore for medical reasons. Samhain is a perfect autumn fragrance. It is very dark and not for everyone, but I think it is beautiful and that it really evokes the image of a perfect fall afternoon with fallen leaves and dreary skies. Ghost Puffs is a great sweet, marshmallowy scent. Spider Silk is a good 'fresh' scent that I think could be worn all year.

 

*OHWTO- Halloween Scents*

 

Above from L to R: Down a Dark Path, Final Girl, Jack in Black, Hungry Ghost, Gracie, and Dudleyville

Okay, I really went overboard when the OHWTO Halloween collection came out in 2012. Embarrassingly enough, I even got a few solid scents along with these perfume oils. I'm just really, really obsessed with Halloween, and when you mix Halloween with indie collections, I'm all over that shit! Down a Dark Path is my favorite out of this selection. Since I am absolutely terrible at describing scents, I will provide the scent description!

Down a Dark Path: It's where many a good scary story starts. Fresh figs, Dried Leaves, Carnations, Oakmoss, Amber, Sage, Black Pepper, Pumpkin, Vanilla, Pomegranate, Beeswax, Rhubarb, Lavender, and the scent of an unidentifiable animal stalking you in the shadows between the trees.

I got that description here; and you can find the rest of the OHWTO Halloween scent descriptions there if you're curious! :)

*OHWTO- Other Perfume Oils*

 

 

Above from L to R: Finnegan's Folly, I Smell Like a Witch, and Maura

Mae

I think I like all three of these scents equally, if that's even possible. I already did a quick review on Finnegan's Folly here, so I will say no more about that. I Smell Like a Witch is absolutely amazing. It's a pretty unique scent that intrigued me when it first came out at the end of 2011. It was my first One Hand Washes the Other order, and I was very impressed! I love the little back story that goes along with it, and it smells just wonderful. I already did a post on this scent during the summer, so I will again provide the link if you guys are interested- Clicky Clicky!

I bought Maura Mae (with Finnegan's Folly) when OHWTO re-opened their etsy to sell limited quantities of a previous spring collection. Here is the scent description- Maura Mae: With her curls of copper, her twinkling eyes, her sweet smile- this is what they mean when they refer to "The luck of the Irish". A sweet and fruity scent, Maura Mae is strongly apricot, with supporting notes of green clover, tea, cut grass, a sprinkling of field flowers- lily of the valley, violet, lavender, as well as a dash of berries, vanilla bean, and the faintest, tiniest, entirely lady-like nip of whiskey. Source- OHWTO blog

 

*Cocoa Pink*

 

Above from L to R: Fear of Cemetaries, Fear of Halloween, Fear of Pumpkins, Black Cat in the Pumpkin Patch, Fear of Witches, and Fear of Ghosts.

As you can see, Fear of Cemetaries is the only bottle that has gotten any love, and that makes me really sad. I adore the scent, so that's not what makes me sad. The fact that none of the other scents worked for me (and they're all full sizes because I'm a noob) is the saddening factor. Black Cat in the Pumpkin Patch is probably one I'd keep, but the other four were just meh. I really want to find good homes for these guys where they will be loved and not neglected! :( Someday, I will. Someday. Here's the Fear of Cemetaries description from cocoapink.net because I LOVE IT LOTS-
Fear Of Cemeteries (Coimetrophobia) - Cool damp graveyard dirt with a single white carnation placed cautiously against an old granite headstone, covered by dying crimson and yellow autumn leaves with a soft whisper of wood smoke carried in a crisp breeze.

*The Morbid the Merrier*

 

 

Above from L to R: Horseman, Morton, and Paramour.

This collection also makes me look like grumpy cat because of all the dramz that went down with TMTM. I won't get into it because there's plenty of places that explain the situation. It just made me sad to see a greatly loved indie company crumble before my eyes. The scent I've worn most is Paramour, because it has notes of blood, red wine,  roses, and gunsmoke (how awesome!) and is very uniquely beautiful. Horseman is my second favorite, though I don't recall the notes. I remember there was something leathery about it that my boyfriend absolutely loved. Morton wasn't bad at all, I was just on the fence about it. I need to whip it out soon to see if age has done it well!

 

*Smell Bent and VApothecary*

 

 

Above from L to R: Ice Station Zebra by Smell Bent, Cemetary Snow by VApothecary

And finally, I have two miscellaneous scents from two different companies. I have already done a post for each of them.  The Ice Station Zebra review can be found right here, while the Cemetary Snow review is over here.

If you are still here, thank you so very much for tagging along with me! I hope this post will be sufficient for the next few days (or until next week) because I have a full week ahead. I'm working nonstop, am attending my boyfriend's nephew's 5th birthday this Thursday, and am going to my boyfriend's family reunion-ish type thing on Saturday! My next couple posts will be on the new Solstice Scents Smoky Mountain Mallow perfume and my Bath and Body Works SAS haul. I'm not sure what day I'll get those up, but let me know what you guys would like to read about first! :)

DISCLAIMER - Every single thang I mentioned in this post was purchased by me for my own personal usage. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. My opinions are always my own and always honest!