i had been considering making a purchase from indie perfumery Stone & Wit for a while, so when the owner Richard reached out to me on Instagram to ask if i would be interested in reviewing some samples, i was beyond excited when i said yes. i grabbed the opportunity to get a full-size of one of the scents i had been eyeing for a while, as well as a sample set of the others that i had shortlisted but unfortunately didn't make the cut for full-sizing.
their brand aesthetic is really beautiful. i love the minimalist website design which is so effortless to browse. many perfume websites like to tuck their notes away behind the individual product listings, though with Stone & Wit, all the notes are incorporated as part of each product image and therefore easily visible from the main catalogue. they also have a lovely compendium which is helpful for newbies who may not know what some of the specific notes would smell like.
i also really like how their perfumes are influenced by art, literature and music. one scent that really resonated with me on this front is Frith (a Watership Down reference made even more awesome by the inclusion of Hazel and Dandelion in the notes - props to Richard if this was deliberately done). they also have scents inspired by characters from Robin Hobb's books, and good music like Appleseed Cast's "North Star Ordination".
Stone & Wit offers both local (US) and international shipping at prevailing rates, and their website also keeps a running status update of the current turnaround time (at the time of writing, 2-5 business days) which is extremely helpful when deciding the timing of placing an order. i can't speak from experience though as my order had been processed by Instagram direct messaging and a separate invoice rather than through their shop system.
i ordered a full-size (10ml) perfume roller bottle of Blame, Etc. (coriander, pink pepper, saffron, rose, incense, wood) as well as a sample set (five scents per set) of the following:
- ¡Simpatico! (rose, geranium, tobacco, chocolate, amber)
- Lost Temple (birch leaves, cool air, incense)
- Beloved (brandy, apricot, cedar, sandalwood)
- Etta (jasmine, rum, cloves, wood)
- Candelere (marigolds, fireweed, honey, beeswax, sandalwood accord)
i was grateful for Richard's generosity in not only covering the shipping, but also giving me a nice discount on my order (which worked out to either a 50% discount, or receiving the sample set for free). and i also received an extra sample in Turyin (pomegranate, plums, sandalwood, gunpowder) which is one of their new release scents!
i'm not sure if it's becoming a self-perpetuating cycle but i'm just finding myself so much in love with boozy, woody and smoky smells nowadays that a sample is almost an automatic blind-buy for me whenever i find them. well at least, that's how i think most of these ended up on my shortlist and eventual purchases anyway. Turyin sounds like it will be right up my alley and i can't wait to try all of these lovely-sounding smells out after they've gotten a bit of rest.
everything arrived in perfect condition (check out my Instagram for the two-part unboxing video of this lovely package here) and i particularly liked how Stone & Wit took the effort to individually shrink-wrap each and every single item (including the little 2ml bottles!) to protect it and the rest from any accidental spills or damage on the way. the woodcut aesthetic on the full-size rollerball is simply gorgeous, and the inclusion of the same little fox on the minimalist sample labels brings everything together beautifully and cohesively.
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this review is of some products that i had purchased at a discount with my own money, and an extra sample for review that was included with my purchase. i didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with Stone & Wit and as always, all opinions remain my own.
Stone & Wit's catalogue is available here. prices are US$4 for a 2ml sample bottle (or US$18 for a set of five 2ml samples) and US$20 for a 10ml roller bottle (before shipping).
all information correct at time of publishing.
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