Scent Description from the Alkemia Etsy:
An elusive, smokey blend of burning wood, Madagascar Vanilla, and Tonka. We find this one to be elementally simple, but unusually mercurial and highly responsive to different skin chemistries… the vanilla and the smoke dance with each other almost continuously… sometimes the foreground is smoky, then sweet, then returns with sweetly smoky, then smoky.
From the vial, Smoke and Mirrors smells a tiny bit sweet, yet smoky. The sweetness can be attributed to the vanilla, of that I am certain.
Once applied, Smoke and Mirrors smells absolutely wonderful. Like smoke and leaves on a crisp autumn day. Luckily, the smoke in this perfume isn't the dreaded "I smell like a barbecue" smoke- it is a beautiful, realistic campfire type of smoke.
The drydown doesn't really change this perfume. It stays beautiful and smoky, and the vanilla stops by to say "hello" every so often.
This is the first perfume I've ever tried by Alkemia, and I'd buy a full size at the drop of a hat. It's a beautiful scent, and I cannot stop smelling my wrist. This perfume reminds me of Smoky Mountain Mallow by Solstice Scents, and I love that one too!
Thanks so much for reading!
Disclaimer: Nadja sent this perfume to me. I am not affiliated with or compensated by any of the companies mentioned. My opinions are my own and honest.
I like this one a lot, but I think I might like Smoky Mountain Mallow more. This one seems more designed for layering, and SMM has a much more bold, old fashioned woodsmokiness that is more intersting to me. The vanilla in Smoke and Mirrors sometimes goes a little fake smelling on me too. It's not really a bad thing always, but I have noticed some of the Alkemia scents I've tried do have a sharpness or tinny quality to them that eventually recedes once they dry down. I've only tried about 12 of her scents though, so I need to explore a bit more :)
ReplyDeleteI think I need to try both SandM and SMM at the same time (one on each wrist), to be able to distinguish the differences (and similarities) better! What are your favorite perfumes to layer with Smoke and Mirrors? I know it was developed to even out other perfumes, so I'd love to experiment; though I enjoy it very much by itself. Ey, twelve scents is quite a lot though! ❤
DeleteWow! We can be found on google! :D
ReplyDeleteYeah, I knew you'd like this one! I LOVE it! But I actually felt like the sample that you have now inherited was smokier than the full bottle I know have... Not by much, but still enough that I noticed and was a tiny bit disappointed. Like Libre Vix says though, this is perfect for layering! I especially enjoy pairing it with light and green scents to add a bit of intrigue. Try it with Mood Goddess (I did give you that one too, right? I seem to have lost the list of stuff I sent you)!
Yep, you're all google famous ladies! :D
DeleteWell that is weird about the sample being smokier than full size. :( Perhaps it just needs to age a bit.. or it was possibly reformulated? I always wonder how accurate perfumes actually are from every batch, perhaps there's bound to be some dissimilarities from time to time. Nonetheless, I am sorry your full size wasnt as smoky :( I need to make a list of the perfumes you sent me. I'm a terrible slacker, sometimes it's really pitiful.
There's probably bound to be some differences from batch to batch... Part of the handmade charm I guess. I haven't really experienced anything like that before, but then I haven't bought a lot of full sizes yet.
DeleteI found that list, I hade used it as a bookmark in one of my school books without thinking about it... ;)
This reminds me to get a full bottle which due to some reason I haven't still! It is such a nice perfume! I love to wear it alone as much as I like to layer it :)
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm happy to be your reminder! ;) it really is a nice perfume! What perfumes do you like to layer it with? ❤
DeleteI like to layer it with super sweet scents to give them depth. I guess I should layer it with some florals too. Will be interesting to see the changes :)
DeleteAfter all these rave reviews I HAVE to try this one and Alkemia in general!
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like it, Amanda! I will review the other samples Nadja sent me from Alkemia so it can help you choose :) I'd like to purchase from Alkemia too, even though I still need to buy from BPAL! Eep! ❤
DeleteI am currently swanning about in Alkemia Trick or Treat, which reminded me how I need to get a full bottle of that and this one ASAP. Loved it - it reminded me of childhood campfires. :-)
ReplyDelete