[Review] Darling Clandestine perfume oils

 

• Shop name: Darling Clandestine

• Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA

• Known for: "Weird and wonderful fragrances built on stories, starlight, poetry, longing, rock’n’roll." (via their Etsy)

TL;DR I think this shop has a very cool vibe, but their scents are not for me!

As always, you can read more about how I review scents here. 

Scents

🖤Gram-Negative

(Buttery orchid packed deep into rich soil and moss and black tea and green lichens.)

Sniffing without a description, the dirt is very apparent and realistic. It’s slightly wet, so a soil note makes sense. After a few hours, I smell a ton of greenery as well. The flowers are subtle and mostly seem to temper the bitterness of the other notes.

Longevity: not recorded

🖤Inked

(A sting of sea salt and leather, splashes of communion wine, the essence of raw skin.)

Notes are pretty straightforward to me - this smells like salty wine and a little bit of sweaty skin, which is more positive than I expected. I enjoy a salt or skin note but often want them tempered by something sweeter, too. It’s not my style but does deliver on the premise.

Longevity: not recorded

🖤My Lady Ser

(This fragrance is muddy roads, dinted iron, horses and stables and miles in the saddle, whispering woods, misty fields, a cup of watered cider in a dark tavern, a flash of steel, a breath of wildflowers. But not roses. Never roses.)

The “iron” and “misty fields” are definitely what stick out to me. It’s very atmospheric. I smell stone, tepid water, something slightly salty, and a touch of greenery after awhile. It reminds me of a swimming pool shower, which I don’t hate in concept, though I'd never wear this.

Longevity: not recorded

Thoughts 

I remember being interested in trying Inked years ago because of the rave reviews it gets, but I would not have tried the brand if someone had not offered them to me in a package I received. These scents were pretty unusual tests for me, as I don't gravitate toward atmospherics, particularly those that are so earthy. I can't speak for the company regarding shipping or overall customer experience, but I do hear excellent things about the owner and that the perfumes overall run true to their descriptions.

I didn't keep any of these, obviously, but it was interesting to test them. In particular, I enjoy the imagery of My Lady Ser, which is inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones' Brienne, who is a knight. Very good tribute, if you ask me. I am not likely to return to DC, though I do admire the perfumer from afar.

Success rate: 0/3 = 0%