[Review] Andromeda's Curse perfume oils

• Shop name: Andromeda's Curse
• Location: Menlo Park, California
• Known for: Handmade and vegan bath salts, jewelry, & perfume, all with a dark, mystical, often tarot-inspired feel

TL;DR: It was fun to try this house, but I don't think their scents are my thing overall! For now, I am keeping The Empress as a lighter take on a nice gourmand. Here is more about how I test scents.

 

Scents

🖤 Baby Bat

 

(Spicy Clove, Marshmallow Fluff, Caramel, Vanilla)

 

Whoa, a lot is going on. This is very sharp and green, with a lot of peppery spice and a medicinal edge that I don't like. When first applied, I thought I smelled vanilla, but I wouldn't pick that out now that I am smelling it a little later. There might be something sweet hanging out on the edges to make this a little more bearable, but it's hard to say. After several hours, it has mellowed out a lot to more of a lightly-spicy green smell with a woodsy feel. Seeing the notes finally, I am confused. What? This one obviously did not work on me as intended. The more I try clove, the more I realize that we do not get along!

Longevity: 7+ hours

 

🖤 The Call of the Void

 

(An irresistible blend of French Lavender, Nag Champa, Egyptian Amber, Sandalwood, Cedarwood & Vanilla)

 

I smelled something very fresh and herbal at first, which I almost thought was lemon from far away. (In my defense, I was tired.) I assume now it was the lavender. Regardless, It was overtaken within minutes by incense-y nag champa and something else that’s very green – maybe the cedarwood, somehow? There is also a slight creaminess to it, all of which is developing very quickly. After several hours, it is completely different and now smells like a smooth, creamy vanilla. Super interesting! I bet a lot of people would like this.

Longevity: 7+ hours

🖤 The Empress

 

(Apples, Fig, Spices, Brown Sugar, Warm Pie Crust, Vanilla Bean)

 

You can really smell the different varieties of apples (mostly green, in my opinion) as well as the brown sugar, vanilla, and lightly-spiced crust. This is simple but a good pastry scent.

 

Trying this again after a few years, it smells like apples, soft dough, and light spices - cinnamon is definitely there but not alone, though it's hard to pick out any other particular spice. It's quite faint but really does smell nice! It has settled into what is mostly a brown sugar and apple skin scent.

 

Longevity: 6+ hours

 

Thoughts

Funnily enough, Andromeda's Curse is a brand that I've never bought from directly. While I admire and enjoy their branding, I have never been intrigued by enough of the scents to purchase more than a few (which is important to me for trying a new house and feeling that I've adequately given them a shot). The Empress was one I purchased secondhand toward the beginning of my indie journey, when all I knew was that I liked gourmand and pastry scents. The other two were part of purchases I made where I mostly was interested in something else; these ended up tagging along with the purchases. Given that I would be interested in testing a maximum of one more scent from their general collection (Moon Sugar sounds mildly intriguing), I consider myself done with this house. It's nothing particular, but I don't really think they're catering to my preferences and desires within my collection. I'll keep my sample of The Empress for now and will wear it when I'm in the mood for a lighter pastry scent.

 

Basically, while Andromeda's Curse has simply missed any excitement from me, I do think the scents are of good quality and have a great planetary vibe. I recommend checking out the shop!

Success rate: 1/3 or ~33%