Midnight Gypsy

 BPAL's "Other Perfumes You Love" thread has a lot, and I mean a LOT, to answer for.  It introduced me to perfume companies on Etsy - and my bank account may never forgive me.  One of the companies that I found this way was Midnight Gypsy.

How can you go wrong with a name like Midnight Gypsy?  Especially for a perfume oil company?  Well, the short answer is: Apparently, you can't.

Midnight Gypsy is run by Tina aka Gypsy from northwestern Wyoming.  The woman is a genius when it comes to perfume, is all I know.

I ordered a six scent sampler for $15.00: 
Wildling
Pomona
Hearth
Cakes & Ale
Sunshine
Paradise Found

and received two freebies in the order:  Seraphim and Skinny Dip.

The scent description for Wildling was what originally caught my eye:  "Wildling... a truly sumptuous melding of crushed dark berries, sweet candied figs, and vanilla with soft florals and moss. A complex, earthy amber and a whisper of musk bring it all together."  

I've been all over anything with amber and fig in it lately, and dark berries will get my attention every time.  So after reading that, I was lost.  And even better, Wildling has a "sister" scent,  Pomona:

"Pomona…. The ancient Roman goddess of fruitful abundance. She was specifically associated with orchard fruits, but my interpretation of her includes ripened berries, nectarine & red clover with just the tiniest whisper of apple blossom & lilies. A hint of musk & moss anchor it all. Fruity & rich with a faint green note & sweet musk on the dry down. Lovely!" 

I've also been on a foodie/pastry kick lately, so almost anything that has a cake and or sugar/vanilla note is getting some love from me.  With that in mind, I had to have

"Cakes & Ale... Sweet, sugared pumpkin cakes with heavy cream and hot buttered rum. Crushed ginger & clove warm this blend up a bit, but the spice notes take quite a backseat to the cream, pumpkin flesh & rum. This is a decadent, buttery gourmand scent with a healthy splash of rum that will make your mouth water." 


and:

"Hearth... The word conjures, for me, the image of abundance. A large wooden table covered in food, mugs of ale, & sweet treats with family & friends gathered close while a hearty fire roars in the fireplace nearby. This scent seems to epitomize that for me... chestnuts roasted over the fire, caramelized sugar & butter, a bit of rum, & a dash of sweet vanilla cream. This scent is delish... when I wear it I absolutely want to lick my wrists! Definitely a rich, decadent, buttery gourmand scent!"

Now we all know about my infamous oversensitive  nose when it comes to anything that smells like booze. So I was pushing the envelope with both of these, but decided it was an easy way to see just how careful I needed to be with perfume booze notes.

I'm also on a coconut kick, and again, fruit will always get my attention, so I rounded out the selections with:

"Paradise Found... Make your escape to the islands now! Creamy tahitian vanilla comes together with whisper-light tropical florals & a hint of citrus & coconut, all on a bed of soft white musk. Sweet, creamy, & addicting. If you're already longing for summer, this is the scent for you! This is a fresh, lovely twist on tropical florals & coconut - minus the "Hawaiian Tropic" effect. ;-)" 

and

"Sunshine! This scent is pure, glorious, unadulterated sunshine! Notes of bright pink grapefruit & clementine come together with ripe strawberry, honeydew, & kiwi - rounded out with sweet, juicy peach. This magnificently bright scent quickly became my favorite go-to "happy" fragrance when I first blended it as a custom request for a friend. When I need a mood boost, this is THE juice to do just the trick. I can't help but smile when I take a whiff of this one, it always elevates my mood. It is uplifting, invigorating, & smells good enough to eat - but please don't. ;-)"

Of course I had to immediately sniff the vials when they arrived yesterday, even though I was in kind of a rush to leave for work.  Reassuringly,  neither Hearth nor Cakes & Ale gave me the "hurl reflex", so that discovery alone made the whole sampler worthwhile.  I'm looking forward to skin testing them, too.  There were absolutely NO "ewwww's I hope this is better on me than in the vial"  reactions with any of the scents, which is pretty darn amazing.  And I couldn't resist, and ended up wearing Wildling yesterday to work....

Skin-testing revealed that Wildling actually has a little more "sweet" than I anticipated.  Don't get me wrong, it's still divine, it's just not quite what I expected. I think I was looking for something closer to Conjure Oil's Nuit, which is one of my all-time favorites.  Wildling has more spice and warmth to it than Nuit does.  I do love the dry stage, though - spicy, sweet, and warm.

Today's round of skin-testing includes Pomona, Sunshine, and Paradise Found.   I've got Pomona on my right inner wrist,  Sunshine on my left inner wrist, and Paradise Found on my right inner elbow.

Of the three, surprisingly enough, Pomona is the favorite.  As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a bottle purchase VERY soon - and an all-time favorite scent.  This is just absolutely wonderful, especially for a summertime scent.  Very fruity, but not candy-ish, with just the perfect amount of floral and moss to ground it.  Yum!

Chris really liked Sunshine.  This too is very fruity, and almost fizzy.  But still not candy-ish, which is a big plus.  I like Jolly Ranchers, but I'd prefer not to smell like them!  It really does remind me of sunshine and summer days.

Paradise Found is yummy, too.  I get almost pure coconut, but as promised, no Hawaiian Tropic vibe.  This is the scent for days when I'm wearing my bright flowered prints.

All of these wear very close to the skin, although there's enough throw that Chris immediately knew when I'd applied them today.  He seemed to appreciate the melded effect he was getting from all three scents, which is pretty cool. 

I haven't gotten to skin-test Hearth or Cakes & Ale yet, and as anyone who reads this blog will attest, I'm behind on about three "sets" of reviews.  But they'll get done - possibly not until the first of September when the degree is done (Yes, you read that right, I am THISCLOSE to finishing!), but they will get done. 

Remember, these are perfume oil blends. Skin chemistry has a huge part in how these smell on each individual, so your mileage may vary. 

Also, the obligatory disclosure statement:  Tina of Midnight Gypsy has absolutely no clue who I am, other than a random customer. I purchased the scents on my own,and was not compensated in any way for these reviews.