A Collection of Cats: The Strange South – Black Cat Oil, Stereoplasm – Dreaming Kitten and Scaredy Cats, Fyrinnae – Lucky Black Cat
i love cats and have a real soft
spot in my heart for anything feline.
today, instead of focusing on a
specific scent or scents in the same family, i decided to go through my
collection and picked out four cat-themed scents to showcase together. the only
thing that they have in common is the kitty theme; each scent brings its own
take on a different aspect of being a cat.
==
first up, my favourite of the
four, Black Cat Oil (a tincture
of bay leaves, sage, three catnip leaves, opoponax, Himalayan sea salt, and
iron nails, with honey (vegan), patchouli, tuberose, orchid, clover, cinnamon,
and skin musk in a base of meadowfoam seed oil) from The Strange South. i must confess that i had not gotten the chance
to play with this in the few months after it arrived, so i can’t speak to its
condition pre-resting, but when i tested it 7-8 months later i was blown away.
in the bottle, i get a
beautifully rich honey with a sweetness that is tempered by and brought out
even more by the contrast of the green herbs and patchouli. there’s a subtle
floral in there which could be the orchid, and just the tiniest touch of
cinnamon at the edge. overall, everything is well-blended without any
individual sore thumb notes sticking out, and the end product is stunningly
addictive. it doesn’t change too much over the course of its 4 hours of wear on
my skin, and has a pleasantly moderate throw of just over a foot, with the
occasional waft at a distance of two feet.
i also like how there’s some herb
fragments included in the bottle which settle to the bottom with time and just
complete the whole experience with the scent. if i were a real cat, this would
be my catnip – i can’t stop huffing this off my wrist. this is hands-down one
of my go-to comfort scents when i want something that’s sweet yet
sophisticated. i’m very glad i blind-bought a 10ml bottle which will last me a
good long while. 9/10.
==
next, Dreaming Kitten (soft bed sheets sweetened with honeysuckle,
bergamot, ginger and himalayan fur) by Stereoplasm
is a sweet soft floral that, true to its name, is perfect for wear as a sleep
scent.
this is relatively stable and
doesn’t morph significantly after application, which is a good thing. both in
the bottle and on application, Dreaming Kitten is a soft, unassuming
floral with touches of sweetness. the dominant aspect of the scent is its
honeysuckle and a fur/musk that emerges over the course of the wear; the
bergamot peeks in occasionally for some sprinklings of contrast and I don’t
really get the ginger in this.
the perfume wears quite close to
the skin; it’s actually quite an unobtrusive scent that is comfortable as a subtle
“my skin but better” and doesn’t headbutt you for olfactory attention. on the
issue of longevity i had initially been mildly disappointed with my first tests
because it had only lasted for just over an hour on skin, but after giving it a
good half year of resting, i’m quite pleased to get at least 4 hours of wear
now.
i wear this as a sleep scent most
of the time. it’s so calming and soothing to drift off to sleep like a real
dreaming kitten. meow. 7.5/10.
==
also from Stereoplasm is Scaredy Cats (sheet white marshmallow, midnight sugar cookies and an extinguished
candle) which is a very sweet gourmand. this is a playful kitty burrowed under a heap
of marshmallows and sugar cookies, with only the tips of its ears visible.
the scent opens with an assault
of marshmallow and sugar, and a richly-buttery cookie note becomes more
prominent after a few minutes of wear. there’s just the lightest hint of a thin
tendril of smoke in here; if there’s any wax from the extinguished candle note,
it’s barely discernible under all of that sugary sweetness. this smells like eating
a whole plate of s’mores fresh off a campfire, minus the chocolate of course.
like Dreaming Kitten, this
perfume also has quite a personal wear and also had the same significant extension of
longevity after about 6 months’ rest. Scaredy Cats is not a bad scent in
itself, though the sugar rush is too strong with this one for my liking (even
though I have a very sweet tooth) and i struggle a little with finding the most
appropriate occasion to enjoy this with. 6.5/10.
==
finally, Lucky Black Cat (a sensual blend of soft, sweet amber
intertwined with papyrus, black pepper, cardamom, and sandalwood) from Fyrinnae is a scent that makes me feel
like I’m a cat totally in control of any situation. hooman, you may proceed to pet
me and bring me food.
in the bottle, the pepper and
cardamom definitely set Lucky Black Cat apart from the other
feline-themed scents, with a sharp spice that isn’t too harsh or overpowering.
the scent is well-blended and i like how the combination of the spices forms a
nice introduction for the amber, which adds a fresh perspective to the
woodiness. after about half an hour of wear, the spices have mostly faded to a whisper supporting the real stars of the scent - a warm sandalwood and the wonderful smell of old books. the sandalwood is a relatively
clean one which gives a nice contrast with the spice, and the slight warmth of
the papyrus helps to soften the overall result from a more masculine scent into
a gentler and more comforting one. overall this scent evokes the image of a beautiful sable kitty lounging among the shelves of magical tomes in a high-vaulted library.
i wore Lucky Black Cat for about
5 hours on my wrist; it had a stronger throw of more than a foot early on with
the spices, though over the course of the wear this dropped to just under a
foot. i like this one, plus it has added sentimentality of having been a
thoughtful gift from a fellow perfume lover. still on the fence about
full-sizing, though i’m very sure that i’ll enjoy finishing my little sample using
this whenever i want to feel strong and confident, with just that little touch
of luck for good measure. 8/10.
==
this review is of scents that i had purchased at regular price with my own money (apart from Lucky Black Cat which was a kind gift included in a destash i purchased second-hand). 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 any of these houses and as always, all opinions remain my own.
Black Cat Oil is
available here.
prices are US$2.50 for a 1ml sample, US$12.50 for a 5ml roll-on and US$18.50
for a 10ml roll-on (before shipping) and they also offer this in eau de parfum format.
Dreaming Kitten is not in
the general catalogue for Stereoplasm
but it may make a return with their Cabinet
of Curiosity or may be available for purchase as an unlisted fragrance –
just need to drop them a note in advance to check if they can make it for you!
Scaredy Cats was voted into the Stereoplasm permanent collection as a fan favourite and is available here. prices are CAD $6.50 (about US$4.90) for a 1.8ml bottle, CAD $16.50 (about US$12.44) for a 4.5ml bottle and CAD $26.50 (about US$20) for a 7.5ml bottle (before shipping).
Scaredy Cats was voted into the Stereoplasm permanent collection as a fan favourite and is available here. prices are CAD $6.50 (about US$4.90) for a 1.8ml bottle, CAD $16.50 (about US$12.44) for a 4.5ml bottle and CAD $26.50 (about US$20) for a 7.5ml bottle (before shipping).
all information correct at time of publishing.
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