I am almost through the gift of perfume samples from Yoon! . . . with more on the way, and also another friend sent some, and my sister and I ordered a few from BPAL which showed up with random additional samples tossed into the package, and uh basically I will probably be continuing to try perfumes through the end of February at least.

* Dandelion Dreams (Haus of Gloi)
Described as “sunny yellow dandelion flowers, dewy green grass and rich soil.” This one starts out extremely green — that’s really the only way I can describe it. In drying down it takes on an ever so faintly soapy tinge, and it also fades kind of fast overall, but I’m keeping it for now.

* Beating the Tatami Shunga
If you go looking for this one, be warned that the image on the bottle is EXTREMELY not safe for work. (My bottle leaves off the word “shunga,” but it’s named that way on their site, and if you know what shunga are — yeah. NSFW to the max.) Described as “strawberry pulp, ti leaf, and candied fruits,” and this is most definitely not one of those perfumes that advertises itself as fruity and then doesn’t deliver. It is HELLO STRAWBERRY, with an element coming through in late drydown that I am going to assume is the ti leaf, because whatever it is cuts the sweetness quite nicely. I like this one!

* Sed Non Satiata
Described as “myrrh, red patchouli, cognac, honey, and tuberose and geranium in a breathy, panting veil over the darkest body musk.” Surprisingly, I don’t think the floral elements ever really became noticeable in this one. It starts out resinous and kind of like caramel in the bottle, with the latter aspect becoming stronger on application; I presume that’s the honey note at work. Later the myrrh rises up, and it balances out into that, honey, and musk, quite pleasantly.

* Kathmandu
Described as “saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices.” This one is quite nice! It’s interestingly spicy and warm, but sort of . . . cleaner than usual, if that makes sense. I think at one point I said it was “more transparent, less opaque” than that combo usually feels to me. As it dries, the lotus starts to come through. Definitely keeping this for now!

* Alleviate the Frenzy
Described as “heady peach musk aglow with sugared amber.” In this bottle this is a super sugared peach, with the amber and musk starting to appear as it dries. The peach manages to last, though, which hasn’t been my experience of a lot of the fruit/musk combos (they usually turn into just flat musk), so I’m holding onto this for the moment.

* Paradise Is Full of Coconuts (Haus of Gloi)
Described as “Tahitian vanilla, all the coconuts you can carry, and a handful of tropical blossoms.” I have no idea what in here is coming across as pineapple (one of the flowers, I presume), but I started out smelling vaguely like a pina colada, heh. Over time that fades and instead the floral comes through, balancing pretty nicely with the coconut; if I could have a vacation in Hawaii right now, I could totally see myself wearing this.

* Flor de Muerto
Not sure what’s in this one apart from marigold. It’s got early wisps that smell a bit spicy and/or green, before eventually drying down to a sweet floral. Not bad, but not my cuppa.

* Narcosa (Haus of Gloi)
Described as “a thick haze of tonka and black vanilla, three jasmines, tuberose and ylang ylang.” In the bottle, heavy and sweet, with some floral notes floating over it. Wet, it takes on an oddly medicinal edge for a little while, before going straight to hippie smell — not sure whether that’s the tonka or the ylang ylang, as neither of those is something I’ve encountered enough to pick them out specifically.