i always find that the indie perfume experience becomes just that little bit more special when the scents have a backstory, context or lyrical description to them, because it brings the scent to life and imbues it with an emotion and feeling compared to 'mass market' churned out bottles. and of all the backgrounds and descriptions i've read so far, this one really got me so deep in the feels, i can't do any better than let it speak for itself:
This scent was originally a custom blend for a lovely customer who wanted to celebrate the life of a beloved pet, and we were happy to oblige. They gave us the go-ahead to release it to the world, and we did so happily, wagging our imaginary tails.
The Rainbow Bridge is the walkway that connects us with dearly departed pets after they leave this world. Our good puppers, perfect kittens, fluffy bunnies, and whatever other purrfect baby you love wait for us until it’s our turn to join them beyond the veil, and they can walk across the bridge with us to the afterworld together, because they would never leave us behind. Omg, no, I’m not crying at all; YOU’RE crying! Okay, we’re sobbing. It’s fine. The ones who love us never really leave us; they’re just waiting at the Rainbow Bridge.
Rainbow Bridge (A patter of paws running through a field of daisies, lavender, and sweet peas. Marshmallow clouds pass overhead. Sunflowers, warm fur, and white musk.) was one of the first ever indie perfumes to start me off on this hobby and journey, having arrived with my initial foray into Sucreabeille's monthly subscription bags.
i received a 30ml eau de parfum in my july 2019 subscription bag and enjoyed it so much that when the house offered customizable scents for their hair and body oil, i immediately picked up 8oz in the same scent to use on my hair and as a sleep scent. i had also separately received Rainbow Bridge (albeit in perfume oil format) as part of the previous rotation of their Discovery Set, so this review will cover not just my impressions of the scent, but also how it performs in all three formats.
Rainbow Bridge is one of the most comforting and peaceful olfactory experiences i've ever had. it is relatively stable and doesn't morph too much in any of the three formats; in the bottle and on application, the main star is a rather unique blend of a soft lavender, not too herbaceous, combining with the sweetpea to produce a quiet calming floral. it's supported by a pillowy sweetness of marshmallow which is content to stay in the background without pushing the scent into gourmand territory at all, as well as a gentle fur and musk which take this scent to the next level to actually feel like a tangible memory of a beloved pet.
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the scent is relatively consistent across all three formats (hair and body oil, perfume oil and eau de parfum) although the longevity and throw differ to some extent between them. i literally tested one of each format three days in a row to compare their longevity and throw, and the results were generally in line with what I expected.
the hair and body oil is really good for managing the frizz levels in my hair (with the bonus of smelling good). some days when i don't have the time to use conditioner or a hair mask, i would apply about 0.25 to 0.5 ml of the oil to the ends of my hair and to any areas which put up resistance to a comb. then in the morning, i wake up with my hair so silky smooth that i can't believe that i had skipped the conditioner the day before. no seriously, i think that this amazing oil is the reason why my conditioner bottle is becoming the cornerstone of quite a few cobwebs.
on my skin, the hair and body oil is slightly more oily than either of the other two formats, and absorption is moderately slow when applied liberally, lingering on the skin for at least 5 minutes. i usually only apply this on skin when i know i will be more sedentary, like when i'm in front of the TV or computer, but the good part about the oil is that it's not a dark color and i haven't had any issues with accidental stains on clothes or furniture so far. in my hair, the oil is absorbed relatively quickly when dry and slower when damp.
the hair and body oil lasts about 2 hours (albeit becoming very faint and barely detectable in the last half hour or so) on my skin; in my hair, the longevity varies between 6-8 hours (fully dried hair) and up to 12 hours (damp hair straight out of the shower). it definitely has the lowest throw of less than half a foot compared to the perfume oil and the eau de parfum, though one application on hair and quick dabs on my wrists and neck are good enough for creating a nice comfortable cocoon of scent to fall asleep in.
a couple of dabs of the perfume oil lasted about 4 hours on my skin and up to 12 hours in my hair, with a low to moderate throw of around a foot. in contrast, a spray of the eau de parfum lasted about 3 hours on my skin and up to 12 hours in my hair, with a very good throw of about a foot and a half that could extend up to two feet or more in my hair while walking.
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i really love Rainbow Bridge so much that it's permanently ingrained into my daily routine before bed without fail, to the extent that i suspect i may have unwittingly Pavlovian-conditioned myself to fall peacefully asleep with this. currently i'm getting the most mileage out of my fast-dwindling 8oz of hair and body oil with daily usage, and some nights when i feel like i need to up the comfort level because of work stress or an inability to fall asleep, i would bring out the big guns and spritz some of the eau de parfum or perfume oil as a substitute for the hair and body oil, or to bring some backup firepower to lay down the scent on my hair or pillow.
plus, the bottles look really nice in a little box on my bedside table, with the animal silhouettes over the bridge with the blue and green and orange colors in that dreamlike quality. the perfume oil and eau de parfum i have are with the previous version of the artwork, which was recently changed to a different one which features an actual 'rainbow bridge' and white fluffy clouds in the background.
it's probably a matter of personal preference but i really like the artwork version i have better (it just feels more sentimental that way to me) so i will be treasuring my bottles for a good long while and will keep the empty ones on display once i finish them. and until such time that i find another scent just as comforting and warm and fuzzy, i will definitely be replacing these once they're done. 9/10.
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this review is of products that i had purchased at regular price with my own money. i wasn’t asked to review this scent as a condition of receipt and didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with Sucreabeille and as always, all opinions remain my own.
Rainbow Bridge is available here in perfume oil / EDP format. prices are US$6 for a 1ml sample, US$12 for a dram, US$16 for a 5ml bottle, US$20 for a 10ml rollerball and US$45 for a 1 oz bottle (before shipping).
Sucreabeille's listing for hair and body oil is available here - though they have a rotation of 8 fixed scents now instead of being available for all scents when i had purchased mine. prices are US$12 for a 1/2 oz dropper bottle, US$15 for a 1 oz glass dropper bottle, US$35 for a 4 oz plastic squeeze bottle and US$55 for an 8 oz plastic pump bottle.
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