In a probably futile effort to narrow down this year's perfume buying to just ONE pumpkin scent, I'm testing the sample of Wicked Jack that Tina of Midnight Gypsy was so kind as to include with my order of the big bottle of Pomona (which is absolutely amazing and an all time favorite scent of mine).
On the left wrist this time I have Wicked Jack, and on the right wrist, Midnight Gypsy's version of Hesperides. (I am differentiating here because BPAL also has a discontinued blend called The Hesperides).
Wicked Jack's description, from Midnight Gypsy's website is: "Lavender absolute blended with pumpkin, fragrant ginger, cinnamon, &
cloves - underscored by vanilla, cream, & caramelized sugar - and
just a titch of molasses. A whisper of sweet hay & the faintest
breath of rich & complex beeswax absolutes round it out. Haitian
sandalwood & dark patchouli come together to anchor it all, and the
addition of blood orange gives it a distinct orange spice tea scent
straight out of the bottle. It dries down to a lovely spicy scent on the
skin, which is where the gorgeous note of spiced honey laced with
traces of wildflower & sweet grass really shines - that's the
beeswax absolute making itself known."
On me, Wicked Jack is indeed, wicked, and he is certainly not shy! Wow! I probably should have been a bit more cautious in my expectations for this, given that both lavender and patchouli tend not to like me. This is NOT your typical spiced-pumpkin autumn scent! I can see a LOT of people really loving this because of that. It is very well-blended, and I get quite a bit of spice, and I can definitely tell that there is patchouli in the base notes. Once it dries down a bit and stops punching me in the nose, it's mainly patchouli and warm spices. Not for me, but as I said, I know a lot of people who will adore this blend.
The site description of Hesperides says, "Honeysuckle, sweet pea, and apple enveloped in a rich base of amber,
vanilla, and cedar. I've rounded it out with subtle nuances of
sandalwood and champa, and then anchored it with a deep animalic musk -
but just a whisper! This blend, on the skin, truly IS the
embodiment of a decadent, golden nectar - golden apples, indeed! It
dries down with a rich, creamy, almost powdery note with plenty of
tenacity."
Now this....this is nice! Wet, I got a blast of apple wine, but as soon as it started drying the wine note disappeared and I got a rush of sweet, juicy, apple. Beautiful. As it dries down, the honeysuckle and sweet pea come out a bit. This is a very pretty, light, scent. It reminds me a little bit of a cross between Silver Apples of the Moon and Glittering Apples of the Stars from last year's BPAL 'Weenies collection. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, depending on your point of view), it seems as if this is one of those blends that my skin is just going to eat. Which means I might have to have a bottle...I really like this!
And again, the obligatory disclosure. I purchased these perfumes of my own accord, and I was not compensated in any way, shape, or form for these reviews.
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