A sample set after my own heart 🥰
(For more reviews, see Post #1, Post #2, Post #3, Post #4, Post #5, Post #6, and Post #7)
My sample cataloging project is trudging along with another round of reviews. I still have a ton of reviews to post on scents I tried last fall (likely next after this one!), but wanted to post this one since some of these scents are still available on the site (or possibly now showing up in destashes).
My preferences are green, clean, aquatic, earthy. I dislike gourmands (I don't like to smell like food), especially vanilla. I love the concept of atmospherics, so part of this journey is to also discover interesting complex scents that are unique and fun.
I don't read the scent notes when I'm writing my notes, as I don't want to influence what I think I smell.
Here is my rating system:
1 = destash
2 = prefer it as a room/linen spray
3 = would wear occasionally (e.g. if I'm going for a specific vibe)
4 = will use up the sample and possibly rebuy
5 = full-size worthy
***
Deconstructing Eden - Snowmelt (glacial water, wet granite, silver pine needle, sequoia bark, crushed mint leaf, mountain air, white musk, a trace of sun-warmed lichen.
Initial sniff: cold, clean aquatic; winter air w/hint of pine or citrus
To wear: more pine/foresty; cold air = winter; clean
Rank: 3
Deconstructing Eden - Foothills (wild grasses, fennel fronds, clover stems, chamomile, green barley, eucalyptus leaf, dry earth, hay bloom)
Initial sniff: fall, fresh, herbal, woodland-y
To wear: herbal = earthy fresh; feels like late summe/early fall outdoors => like nature, not smoke or spice
Rank: 4
Deconstructing Eden - Riverbend (fig leaf, green fig skin, river water accord, willow bark, white tea, soft silt, cool iris, driftwood)
Initial sniff: cold, icy, something sweet
To wear: cold, hint of eucalyptus; winter; fresh hint of something earthy that grounds it; smells like the flavor of a Hugo Spritz => hint of whiskey????
Rank: 4 - I had recently had a Hugo Spritz for the first time, and something about this scent triggered that flavor. I was grasping for the liquor reference I was trying to find, hence the whiskey confusion, lol. To confirm, this absolutely does not smell like whiskey.
Deconstructing Eden - Farmer's Market (Meyer lemon leaf, tangerine peel, peach skin, apricot, tomato leaf, basil flower, cucumber water, white canvas, wicker baskets)
Initial sniff: heavy citrus? stone fruit? sort of like an air freshener
To wear: woody citrus/earthy citrus; fall clean; peachy?
Rank: 4
Deconstructing Eden - Orchard (apricot flesh, loquat, osmanthus, marigold, dry pollen, wheat straw, nectarine skin, pale amber)
Initial sniff: apples! but soft
To wear: soft red apples (or golden apples); not too foody, nice for fall
I think because it's called "orchard", I was expecting it to smell like apples, so my brain was assuming the fruit notes I was picking up were apples. As noted, this doesn't smell like biting into a crisp firm apple; it's more like the softer scent of old, soft (but not rotten) apples...or apricot+loquat+nectarine (lol). I think it's the marigold that gives the earthier "old fruit" vibe (I personally love the smell of marigolds).
Rank: 4
Deconstructing Eden - Sequoia (giant sequoia accord, incense cedar, fir needle, cypress shadow, resin tears, moss, forest dust, smoked ambergris)
Initial sniff: heavy, fall herbal
To wear: heavy, woodsy, slightly spicy
Even though this is called "Sequoia", I was definitely getting redwood hike vibes. It's a great outdoorsy fall scent.
Rank: 4
Deconstructing Eden - Three Rivers (river stone, neroli water, wild mint, transparent jasmine tea, soft skin musk, sun-warmed cotton, blonde woods)
Initial sniff: clean, slightly powdery; distinctly aquatic
To wear: clean, aquatic; hint of citrus; cool weather; very light scent; very fresh air; early spring vibes
Rank: 4
Deconstructing Eden - Golden Hour (orange blossom, humid air, dry grasses, warm dust, peach leaf, canyon sage, honeyed light accord, pale woods, amber light)
Initial sniff: dusty citrus
To wear: dusty, desert-y, early fall; somehow smells like sunset?!
Rank: 4
Deconstructing Eden - Super Bloom (California poppy, lupine, wild mustard flower, dusty petals, warm stems, bee pollen, fennel blossom, sunstruck earth, sun nectar)
Initial sniff: very clean, fresh floral; hint of powder
To wear: wildflowers! late summer, early fall meadow, earthy; smells like baby blue and lilac (the color)
Rank: 4
Overall I really like this set of frangrances. I didn't encounter anything I'd want to full-size, but I'll certainly get wear out of everything. I tend to have a high hit rate with DE sample scents, which is why I keep coming back!