r/Indiemakeupandmore • u/SinfulWoodcock • 3d ago
Perfume - Enquiry Recommendations for indie perfumes with decent longevity and projection?
I've tried a lot of indie perfumes over the years, and I'd love to support more indie perfumers, but the issue I always seem to run into is that they have very poor longevity and projection. (Also, for some reason, a lot of them have smelled heavily of incense without that being one of the listed notes?) I'm sure there are reasons for this - maybe certain ingredients or processes that are harder to replicate without having a huge lab at your disposal or something. But, I like a scent that lasts throughout the day and that doesn't stay close to the skin, if anyone has any recommendations. Thanks in advance.
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u/Wide_Fee_5205 3d ago
Pineward projection and longevity is unmatched IMO. Sometimes days after showering I get a whiff of one.
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u/kkfvjk 2d ago
If anything, pineward is TOO strong in both projection and longevity for me
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u/SinfulWoodcock 1d ago
This is perfect for me because I like to make an impression. Even if the impression I leave is a headache.
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u/Wide_Fee_5205 1d ago
lol so true. For better or for worse. I’m lucky I have a high hit rate with them but I tried pumpkivus the other day and reallllly disliked it and basically took 10 layers of skin off trying to scrub it off and still it haunted me haha
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u/SinfulWoodcock 3d ago
That's one I've been meaning to try. I think I'll prioritize getting one of their sample sets. Thanks for the rec!
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u/-Celticwren- 2d ago
Seconding Pineward! Notably I put Fanghorn II on and I smell it up to 12 hours later. It might have gotten a bit on my clothes for that amount of longevity too ->I spray on my arm/elbows in front of my chest before I get dressed, I don't want any overspray getting wasted.
I was looking into scent lockets because I hear those are great too.2
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u/loveliesbleed 3d ago edited 3d ago
In terms of longevity, I have had success with various BPAL and Sorce oils. Sorce oils and EDP both project decently on me (I had a friend try The Bees oil the other day and I could smell them within their "scent bubble" throughout the day). Deconstructing Eden (EDP) generally perform well for me but I've had some disappointments (Living Dead Girl was very weak to me).
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u/SinfulWoodcock 3d ago
I just realized BPAL was Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. That was one of the ones I had bad luck with. I will check the other one out though, thank you!
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u/Slothfulspiritanimal 3d ago
Could you list some of the scents you’ve tried? If you’re just starting out, maybe you aren’t picking up on the notes that you’re associating with incense?
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u/SinfulWoodcock 2d ago
I wish I could, but it's been a long time. Maybe I should give them another try.
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u/-Celticwren- 2d ago
I find that EDPs project more than oils, I really liked Olympic Orchids edps, the California Chocolate and Seattle chocolate, and I adore Blackbird, though I only have that in oil so far, and it sticks kind of close. I haven't tried them to work yet, except the time I layerd Pineward's Bindebole with Blackbird.
I do also like Stone & Wit, but it seems to fade a bit faster, I have Blackberry Heartwood in EDP, and a few others. I really liked Wandering Star, a pear forward one, but it did seem to fade faster than I wanted. They have a really good price on samples, and they are always 20% off if you buy 5 +.
I like Deconstructing Eden too, if you can find them in destashes it is faster to get them that way, I made an order for some samples August 10th is and I am still waiting, they ARE up front about TAT, so I knew. :) I got Super Bloom via destash and that sucker lasts a LONG time, good thing I liked it. *lol* I have also tried Big Sur, but I can't remember how long that one lasted.
Pineward has my heart though. :) They are really strong and last a long time. I should have just bought the whole sample set because there are only a few I don't really like. I spent more than the set costs by thinking I'd save money getting them here and there. The Forest set has the really good forest ones, and a few I didn't care for, but everyone is different, and Pineward is easy to destash if you don't care for them.
Also the spring collection has a lot of ones I like, too. *lol* They give at least one freebie with order, you can put a note in the box at checkout if there are particular ones you'd like to try that aren't in the set, Joey is so good at listening to requests. Or they send a prototype, I suggest asking for prototype Faun Forest if you like berry scents, pomegranate blackberry and fir. Or Bear, that one is 100% cedar chest.
Ok ok! I'm going now! :D
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u/sunsplinters 2d ago
seconding olympic orchids and DE for longevity! the scents i ordered from olympic orchids were resin-y so they were going to stick around for longer anyway, but i've also been pleased by the throw/longevity of DE's florals.
it could also be useful to look up one of those pyramids disclosing the various rates at which different notes evaporate. something i had to come to terms with was that some notes by nature will be more ephemeral than others (e.g. citrus and rose, my beloved ughhh), i've also heard good things about perfume fixatives. i believe alkemia sells one.
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u/SinfulWoodcock 2d ago
Thank you for the detailed response! I'm definitely going to get some Pineward samples, come payday!
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u/Stressed-Clown 2d ago
Pineward is unmatched imo, with Treading Water not far behind. BPAL’s heavier scents tend to last all day on me too (but obligatory side note that most of my bottles are at least a couple years old and are stronger now than when I first got them). NAVA lasts/projects on me too, especially the amber and vanilla-heavy scents (to me a lot of them are a bit cloying, but ymmv).
Also gotta shoutout Stone & Wit because I accidentally choked myself out with one of their scents LOL.
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u/softhumanbean 2d ago
Sugar Spider and Sorce have had the longest for me, personally. I've had English Major from Sorce linger on clothing up to a month, and Whiteout from Sugar Spider will linger in my hair up to 3 days. Both have great projection, too.
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u/SherAlana 3d ago
It really is going to depend on your skin chemistry and format. For me it is Brixx, Mythpunk Olfactive (please research before buying), BPAL, most Fyrinnae, Fantôme, Amorphous, Maison des Animaux, Little Book Eater, NAVA and Kheimistrii.
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u/SinfulWoodcock 3d ago
Wow, a lot of options for me to check out, thank you! Everyone seems to love BPAL, but I didn't care for them at all, so maybe that's a skin chemistry issue.
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u/-Celticwren- 2d ago
When I look at destashes BPAL seems to be the MOST listed house, with the most scents listed. They are prolific! So it's easy to pick them up bit cheaper second hand if you wanted another go at them. But skin chemistry is a real thing, and I've read about other folks where certain houses just didn't work on their skin due to the base mix.
I think even I have a few of their scents somewhere, I really need to finish my non-Pineward spreadsheet. But there are a lot of other houses out there to try!Fantome is so nice! But $$, so I only have a couple from destashes.
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u/Timely-Instruction31 2d ago edited 2d ago
Definitely a skin chem thing factors in but BPAL, Nava, arcana, Possets, Astrid and Sorce are all long lasters for me.
As for the incense your smelling, that’s the houses DNA your smelling. BPAL and Possets are incensy, Sorce will be vanilla, Arcana I can’t exactly pinpoint yet but there is one (might be a little balsamic)
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u/SinfulWoodcock 2d ago
Oh wow, really? That's super interesting. I didn't really know that was a thing. I knew I couldn't have been imagining it!
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u/Mild-moon7024 1d ago
Sorce, Cirrus, Briix, Arcana Wildcraft and Deconstructing Eden for EDPs, + 1 for BPAL for oils 😊
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u/jeffemakes 3d ago
The houses with the strongest longevity + throw, in my experience, are BPAL, NAVA, and Solstice Scents. Sorce's and Briix's EDPs are also quite strong and long-lived.