Common Brimstone Reviews pt 2

This is the second part of my Common Brimstone haul. As before scent 'reviews' are very hard to do, as everyone's nose is different (mine is quite poor I admit) and everyone's skin will react differently to different notes. So do take my experiences with these scents with a massive crater full of salt as yours may be completely different. I tried my best to review these without looking at the scent notes, but I did double check over them later to help me identify and name some of the scents I was pretty vague about in my brain.

Blackwood Sugar - “You will be wondering about that sugar bowl, I imagine, is it still in use? You are wondering, has it been cleaned? You may very well ask, was it thoroughly washed?” - We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson

Poison, fire, and a bowl of sugar - just a few of the key ingredients of Shirley Jackson's classic Southern Gothic novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Take a pinch of white and brown sugar, mix in fiery ginger, clove, and cinnamon, and add a base of smoky oakwood CO2 and you've got yourself a bowl of Blackwood Sugar. Just be sure there are no hidden extra ingredients...like, say, a spoonful of arsenic...

This is a sweet and smokey scent on me, with just a touch of something incensey and maybe a little acidic in there. As it dries it matures into more of a burnt sugar scent which is equally lovely, though I imagine could be fairly polarising as not everyone likes that smell.

Bonfire Night - Bonfire Night. The singularly British tradition of reminiscing fondly on that one time terrorists tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Well, for me November 5th was always more about fireworks, toffee apples, and writing your name in the air with sparklers. This nostalgic scent captures those memories perfectly, with hints of baked apples and marshmallows spiked with warm cinnamon. There's a dollop of sticky toffee and orange peel on top, and a whisper of woodsmoke underneath. A wonderful scent for welcoming these cold winter nights!

This starts as a sweet spiced apple on me, a little like cinnamon apples but less heat and more apple. Once it dries down and settles fully it turns into more of a spicy scent and I can start to smell some of the smoke in there, which gets a bit stronger as the apple starts to wear off, but it never appears as a prominent note for me which I kind of hoped it would.

Mongolian Death Worm - From the heart of the Gobi desert comes the acid-spitting Mongolian Deathworm (maybe). My version is a little safer but be warned! It starts out strong with almond, frankincense, cinnamon and cardamom, but mellows out beautifully with vanilla and palmarosa. Not a scent for the weak of heart. I have it on good authority that this scent may turn people around you into cannibals...

Chai Tea, this scent is all chai tea on me and it stays that way, though it does soften a little as it fades but I never really sense a change. That's not to say that you won't, can't say my nose is very good. I really love the smell of chai tea so this is a brilliant one for me.

Grave Digger - A foggy night...a dirty job...a flask of cider to keep the cold at bay. Grave Digger is an earthy blend of oud and cedarwood, scattered with fresh-fallen leaves and the scent of clove. If you pay close attention, you'll catch a whiff of tobacco and a healthy splash of spiced cider.

The best way I can describe this scent is like a winter mulled cider, if you've ever had the Rekorderlig Winter Cider then it smells a lot like the warmed version of that only without the alcohol kick at the end. As it dries down on me, more of the spice notes come out. I don't get any of the fallen leaves, which is a shame as that was one of the notes I was most looking forwards to.

Duskblade - Inspired by the first Dungeons & Dragons character I created, this is a spicy floral blend of violet, plum, and black pepper, with hints of leather, a touch of vanilla to soften it up and a smidge of black musk to finish. Gives you a definite bonus on charisma.

This starts off smelling very perfumey, which is possibly the florals but it smells very artifical, even the most high-end perfumes do. Once it's no longer wet on the skin the “perfumeyness” settles and it starts to smell more floral. This is also when the spicy pepper notes come through which gives the perfume plenty of heat.

Constance - “I wonder if I could eat a child if I had the chance."

'I doubt if I could cook one,' said Constance.” - We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Shirley Jackson

Sweet, poor, patient Constance. Indulgent, caring and forever baking tasty treats in the kitchen of Blackwood, hiding from the cruelties of the outside world. My tribute to Constance is a comforting bakery blend of cookie dough, fresh baked bread, rich butter cream, butter, and a cup of white tea with a sprinkling of sugar. As sweet as the lady herself!

Starts off as a lovely buttery bakery scent with milk similarity to Vampire Hunter, but then pretty quickly settles into something floral on me. It's a massive shame because I'd love to smell like a bakery! I still have no idea where all the floral came from, my skin hates me.

My favourites from this are Mongolian Death Worm and Blackwood Sugar, though I quite like Bonfire Night and Grave Digger as well. Constance is the only one that really didn't work for me at all.

All of these can be purchased from Common Brimstone, either as full bottles for £5 or as part of a sample pack.