Sixteen92 - Summer 2020 Collection

i’ve been hearing wonderful things about Sixteen92 but haven’t even begun to dip my toes into their extensive catalogue, so when their annual Circle membership subscription for 2020 opened earlier in april, i decided to take the plunge and signed right up.

my first ever Circle package arrived in mid-june, just a few days before the official public release of the Summer 2020 collection, which is inspired by awesome ‘90s tv shows. how cool is that!

the samples arrived in perfect condition without any leaks or spills – the five 2ml vials had been securely packed in a small ziploc bag nestled in some protective cushioning inside a plain white box. the package was such a joy to receive and open, as it also contained a pretty postcard with all the scent notes, and some candies from the USA which i had never tried before.

overall, the scents had a moderate throw of more than a foot, and gave about 2-3 hours of wear on my wrist. out of the five in this release, two proved to be strong winners for me, two were average, and one didn’t really work out. i’m quite happy with this set and am excited for what’s to come in the next seasonal release.

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first up, Cut. It. Out. (slumber party gossip, new shampoo, glitter lipgloss, ice cream floats, cream soda, chilled sugar cookies, raspberry body wash) is a fun raspberry scent for those whimsical moments, like the joy of being a kid and waking up on the first day of the summer holidays.

Sixteen92 describes this as a “cheerful fruity gourmand”, which is pretty accurate. it’s a very sweet scent perfect for any raspberry lover – in the bottle, i get whiffs of a bubbly raspberry ice cream soda which then transforms into raspberry cookies over the course of the wear. the raspberry is quite a sweet one, without too much of a tart or sour note, so it’s quite an easy scent to wear. interestingly there’s undertones of something slightly artificial too, like the sort of scent you’d find in bath/body products and cosmetics, which blends with and complements the raspberry really well.

i’m not averse to raspberry any more than most people, though this one doesn’t particularly resonate with me that much. i’ll enjoy finishing my sample, but probably won’t get a replacement when I’m done with it. 5/10.

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next, Good Morning, Bayside High (sun-baked cement, rows of metal lockers, sprinklers on dry grass, towering palms, beach sand, shaved ice) is described as a “beachy Summer atmospheric” and it pleasantly surprised me with how it turned out.

in the bottle i get quite a bit of a fresh green, like newly-watered grass first thing in the morning, with supporting notes of a not-unpleasantly cold metal. i close my eyes and can imagine myself out on the bleachers in the sports field, with the sun shining brightly overhead. initially i was going to give this a 6.5 and considered that this was something i was glad i had the opportunity to try but wouldn’t wear often, but… the more i wore it, the more i actually could not stop feeling that it was a freaking nice scent. the green becomes lighter over time and after about half an hour, i’m getting this soft element of sweetness coming through that i can’t stop huffing. there’s also a coolness to the scent that makes it very refreshing to enjoy, especially in the current hot and humid weather that we’re having. over the course of my wearing this, i literally scratched out my initial rating and replaced it with a 7, then scratched that out too for a 7.5 and subsequently an 8, and finally decided that I love this so much. darnit, i’m going to get a full size. 6.5/7/7.5/8/8.5/10.

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it hurts to look at you (summer bonfire, petrichor, night sky, lonely manicured lawns, oil puddles in parking lots, fresh hair dye, the feel of his shirt against my elbow) is a premium fragrance and was one that i had high hopes for because the components are all aspects that i’m partial to, and i’ve been searching for a good post-apocalyptic scent for a while. unfortunately, i was disappointed.

i definitely get charred wood, smoke, gasoline/oil and some asphalt on my first whiffs from the bottle, with the petrichor coming through. this is quite a serious scent that does fit the post-apocalyptic vibe i was hoping for, and the official description of “brooding green woody-atmospheric” is the right word for it.

the problem is that after less than half an hour of wear, the scent begins to give a distinct undercurrent that is reminiscent of, uh, like how one would smell after having gone for a long jog on a hot and humid day. i really don’t know which of the components are causing this, but unfortunately once you smell that body-odour-like smell you can’t un-smell it. i really wanted to love this one for the description and notes, but sadly it can’t find much love from me. 1/10.

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My Opinionation (peach syrup, dried apricot, green fig leaf, torn notebook pages and pencil shavings, crushed velvet, and a waft of incense from your brother’s room) snapped me right back to my student days, with the literal exact scent memory of when i would be burying my nose in piles of old library books and nibbling on dried fruits to stay awake as i scribble study notes with a good old-fashioned wooden pencil.

the peach and apricot aren’t bright and fresh, but instead they’re more muted with the dried / preserved aspect coming through quite strongly. these fruits are the dominant part of the scent in the bottle. on application though, the fruits fade a little to give some space for a more papery note to emerge with a slight hint of smoke that adds some dimension to the scent. it’s actually quite a well-blended scent with realistic notes, but personally it’s just not really something i would want to wear. i’ll enjoy finishing my sample but probably won’t replace it when i’m done. 6/10.

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last but definitely not least, Sick, Sad World (dry breakfast cereal, steamed milk, used bookstore, crisp newspaper, wool jacket, knee-high black boots) completely blew me away as my favourite of the collection.

this one is described as a “bookish atmospheric with gourmand nuances” and i absolutely loved every part of it. in the bottle i definitely get the cereal – it’s quite sweet, not an old person’s cornflakes but the kind that you’d look forward to having for breakfast as a kid, with sugar dusted over the top. the steamed milk also has some elements of sweetness which complement it beautifully. i also love how the papery and wool notes blend nicely with these, and build on it to create something fun and comforting. there’s also a really nice soft leather in this which just rounds off everything perfectly.

it’s ironically the opposite of what i had expected from the emo name, but this is the scent that i imagine would be worn if Tony the Tiger had a super cool older brother – in my imagination, he shares the same love of frosted flakes but instead of a red bandanna he’s got slick shades, a black leather motorcycle jacket and matching boots. so. awesome.

right from the get-go i knew without question that i was going to reach for this one as much as i could, and get a full size because my sample is going to disappear within the next couple of weeks at the rate i’m going. i love this so much. 9/10.

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this review is of scents that i had purchased at regular price with my own money. i wasn’t asked to review these scents as a condition of receipt and didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with Sixteen92 and as always, all opinions remain my own.

the Sixteen92 Summer 2020 collection will be released on monday (june 15) at 10am central time - check it out here. prices are US$5 for a 2ml sample, US$14-15 for a 6ml bottle and US$22-24 for a 10ml roll-on (before shipping).

all information correct at time of publishing.