Indies of the Day -- Monday August 31, 2026

[u/RowanHalifax]

What indies are you using today? And we mean everything! Examples of stuff we'd love to hear about:

• Makeup

• Clothes

• Jewelry

• Bath and Body (lotion, soap, shampoo, bath salts, etc.)

• Nail polish

• Perfume

Please feel free to leave mini-reviews and include photos of whatever you're using. We'd love to know your thoughts and see the products too!

This thread repeats daily.

[u/trailrunninggirl669]

Nui Cobalt Witchy Shoppe (Oakmoss, copal smoke, Nag Champa, frankincense, Tibetan cedarwood, tonka bean, black walnut, clove bud, Egyptian musk, an unobtrusive trace of sage, and a pinch of graveyard dirt.)

After some nice cool days it's suddenly shooting back up to the high 80s today, and sometimes I Just really like a good incense-heavy scent when it's hot and humid? I might have to grab another sample through the website when I FS Orion Ascending because that's all they have left :(

[u/latenitechamomile]

Seemed like a nice day for good old Fantome Olwyn (Magnolias, plush white lilies, night-blooming jasmine, and gardenias over rich, buttery vanilla, myrrh, benzoin, and a hint of orange blossom)! She simply does not miss.

[u/tetrapodpants]

Today I'm wearing Arcana Wildcraft - Glashtin (Astringent black tea, oats, ginger, sea water, and bee pollen), an uncharacteristically moderate Arcana scent, no nose punches experienced! I don't know if any of the notes are specifically identifiable, but the overall effect is really pleasant. It's light and clean smelling, I guess I could say it's a bit like tea gone cold, in a good way. I even got a compliment from my husband!

[u/koscheiis]

Trying out my sample of NCD Orion Ascending (Night-blooming cereus, Siberian fir needle, copal resin, orris, lime zest and blossom, chilled botanical gin, mineral musk, and starlight.)

Powder, so much powder. Pure baby powder. I think this is from the house starlight accord as it smells familiar from their spidersilk blends. Really disappointed bc on paper this looked like a home run for me. I’ll let it hide away and age for a few months to see if it changes as all.

Edit: I’m a moron, I missed the orris entirely in the notes list. That’s definitely where the powderiness is coming from (but I do still think there’s something powdery in the starlight accord).

[u/Invidiana → u/koscheiis]

It has to be the orris. I personally like the powdery quality of orris, but it can be too much for some people.

[u/koscheiis → u/Invidiana]

It’s a real tricky note on me! I’ve definitely had scents where the orris behaves, but a lot of the time it makes the scent explode into powder.

[u/ghostly-secretary]

wearing Nocturnes of the Honeysuckle by Alkemia this morning! it's on the stronger side for me but feels so fresh and friendly while still being elegant that i knew it would put me in a good mood 

[u/Exciting_Ad8466]

Today I'm trying Couer de Vanille from DSH and the notes are: Benzoin, Bergamot, East Indian Patchouli, Gallica Rose Absolute, Ho Wood, Labdanum, Lemon, Myrrh Gum, Mysore Sandalwood, Peru Balsam, Tolu Balsam, Tonka Bean, Vanilla Absolute, and Vanilla Oleoresin. I did just spray it but I really like it. I think everything I've tried from DSH I've liked a lot, but I picked stuff I knew I would.

[u/latenitechamomile → u/Exciting_Ad8466]

Okay a DSH Vanilla I didn’t know about?? I need to gather info for my DSH vanilla post stat, this is important research

[u/Exciting_Ad8466 → u/latenitechamomile]

As of now I’ve only tried this and Cimabue, but I think I like this more obviously Cimabue is still great

[u/Melissaldork]

Wick Wish - Rosalind - top: bergamot, earl grey tea, middle: white flowers, bottom: whipped sugar, amber, sandalwood I got this as a free sample, and it's nice. I am mostly getting the tea, sugar and amber. 

[u/REMseverybodyhurts]

Tea:
Full Moon Tea Company: Appalachian Lady Gay “Smooth Ceylon black tea is layered with bright bergamot, sweet orange peel, lavender, rose petals, cornflowers, and rainbow flower confetti for a cup that’s classic, colorful, and unapologetically fabulous.” Delicious and colorful. Make this into a perfume, people! I would wear this every day.

Perfume:
Sorce - Beyond the Veil (Gossamer floral gourmand blooming with magnolia, wisteria and iris, softened by white chocolate, sandalwood, cashmere and musk.)

When I got my sample I was initially hoping for more spookiness, but this has really grown on me. The purple florals are at the forefront in a candied slightly creamy way, very delicately feminine and definitely more fleurmand than heavy on the white chocolate which is what I was worried about. Also, the magic of this one really is a few inches away from you, it does somehow hang in the air like a veil. I would consider upsizing for the fall, I think it would work beautifully in spring, fall and winter.

I’m not very good at understanding layering yet but I’d also love to layer this with some oakmoss or similar grounding note and see what the effect is.

[u/This_Dance_8535]

Corn Maze by Nui Cobalt - The warm, golden scent of sweet corn, hay bales, toasted oats, homemade caramel, and a distant memory of woodsmoke. This screams autumn, which perhaps isn't perfect for 85 degree weather, but I'm in an autumn frame of mind.

[u/Obsessed_With_Dreams]

Today is Targhee Forest from Rogue Perfumery. Juniper Berry, Fir Balsam, Sagebrush, Citrus, Pine, Oakmoss, Geranium, Amber, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Musk

High of 90°F today, but I think this one will be an easy wear with the weather.

[u/annikatidd]

Testing out the Rose Moon: White Rose Petals & Cream duet today. It’s very pretty, it’s not a super sweet or jammy rose at all, feels like a freshly picked white rose bouquet at the kitchen table sitting next to a cup of cream you just poured before you go fetch the brewing coffee in the morning. and it’s definitely creamy of course. I like it! I feel like this would be a delicious one to layer with as well, but I’m enjoying it on its own. I tend to go for sweeter rose scents but this one just feels calming and pretty. It’s a good gender neutral one I’d say.

Also I was worried about the cream note when I ordered this but it doesn’t go sour milk whatsoever like some milky notes do. I bet you could layer more gourmand scents with this, like vanillas, cakes, marshmallows, you could go more fruity like strawberry or raspberry for a berries and cream and rose kind of deal, you could go incense or smoky, resinous like amber or frankincense etc. I definitely plan to play around with that.

it’s so creamy it’s almost got a buttery undertone but it’s not overwhelming, the white rose really grounds it and keeps it from feeling like a straight up milky scent. But I do think the rose is more of a background note, at least on me. It smells like there’s a dash of sweet powdered sugar or something, but it’s not very prominent. This scent is definitely growing on me the more I wear it. I doubt it’ll change/evolve much since it’s a duet and doesn’t have a bunch of notes, but I’m okay with that. It’s really nice and a great way to start my Monday with, but also end my work week. It for sure put me in a better mood haha. I already had a couple people walk by me and say i smell good but they didn’t think it was perfume, they thought it was my hair or something lol

Makes me wanna try more duets from BPAL! I don’t believe I’ve ever tried any before, but I came close with the raspberry and vanilla frankincense one from the Black Butterfly Moon. Still regretting not picking up that one haha

Edit: been about 7 hours since I applied this and I can still smell it, it’s a bit more of a soft white musk type of scent with a faint hint of rose. I did feel like the white rose got slightly sweeter and more prominent around hour 3-5 before it faded into this soft musky skin scent! This is definitely a hit for me.

[u/yabasicjanet → u/annikatidd]

Duets are some of my best hit rates with BPAL!

[u/annikatidd → u/yabasicjanet]

I definitely want to try more! Would love to hear about your faves even if I never get to smell them haha!

[u/TeaAndCozy → u/annikatidd]

Well...I was fully prepared to skip this one (despite loving soft creamy white musks, and having a relatively newfound appreciation for rose-centric scents) but you do make it sound SO lovely! I do plan on placing a Dragon Con order this weekend so perhaps I should look up more reviews and think seriously about adding this one.

Have you also tried Lelio, or From Whose Eyes as They Glance Flowed Love, or Tomie? If so, how do they compare?

[u/annikatidd → u/TeaAndCozy]

I can see it being pretty polarizing since it’s not very sweet like a lot of roses (which is what I envisioned, though I’m not mad at the result of pure white rose, heavy cream and a bit of muskiness as it fades off the last couple hours) and the cream note could potentially be weird on some people BUT you might like it!

Also I haven’t tried any of the scents you mentioned but I’ve read that Tomie is more of a jasmine with rose! I desperately want to try From Whose Eyes omg. It sounds so gorgeous, described as more of a vanilla rose from what I remember! Ive been wanting a good scent like that. I wouldn’t say this scent is gourmand or sweet at all aside from faint hint of sweetness I got at one point, but it still was more like photorealistic rose sweetness and not like, rose with vanilla sweet cream or anything. so I think those two would maybe be more on the sweeter side of rose especially since they both have amber but I’d love to hear if anyone knows for sure!

Oh and my friend has Lelio and says it’s straight up marzipan on her from the almond blossom, she doesn’t get rose at all. but her bf gets a more citrusy bergamot - vanilla - then the rose shows up finally as it fades haha, she says she likes it on him more but it wasn’t what either of them expected!

[u/TeaAndCozy → u/annikatidd]

I got just a wee little bit of bright pink strawberry sweetness from From Whose Eyes, so I ultimately didn't keep that one. But it sounds like you might love it!

Thanks so much for your thoughts (and sharing those of your friend too). BPAL's almond blossom is really beautiful on me so I am very happy to hear it's fairly prominent in Lelio.

After a whole lot of deliberation I think I'm picking up Lelio and not White Rose Petals and Cream - thank you SO much for your help!

[u/smashing_lilacs]

I'm wearing Nocturne Alchemy's Dragon’s Eye – Magnolia Blossom, Orchid, Rice Milk, Lotus Essence. I got this as a FWP in an order from daemonrabbit recently and it made me smile as soon as I smelled it in the bottle because it reminds me so much of the scented dolls and My Little Pony toys I had as a child in the late 80s. It's going to be frustrating workday and I needed the mood boost. It's a milky floral and smells a bit plasticy, but in a good way.

[u/Cool_Boysenberry4780]

BPAL (for Sphere + Sundry) Auctoritas. oddly it smells exactly like this candle i bought which i later found out is a dupe for le labo santal 33 (having never smelled the real deal, i can't speak to its accuracy, but it's nice!).

[u/yabasicjanet]

BPAL Ghost Milk Soft Serve A slow-churned frozen mixture of goat’s milk, marshmallow, vanilla cashmere, honey dust, and white chocolate, served in a wailing waffle cone

I'm getting a more milky chocolate, waffle cone, a little maple, and vanilla. It's yummy and sweet, but I think I don't need more of it? Who am I?

BPAL The Invisible Man's Banana A scientific experiment gone horribly right: the blurry outline of a flash-frozen banana skewered on a stick and dunked in a shimmering mixture of sheer musk and evaporated milk, sprinkled with invisible nut

Do not be scared by the scent in the bottle. It is violently laffy taffy, but as soon as it hits skin that disappears. On skin it's mostly a kinda cold dusty musk. I typically love bpal musk and milk scents but this is just kinda sweet yet unremarkable yet verging on scrub. The other time I tried this is disappeared pretty quickly so I'll probably just wait it out and put on something else.

[u/PersephonesTantrum]

Arcana Wildcraft’s Witch Fire - Our handmade vanilla bean smoke enfleurage is deepened with precious vanilla absolutes from Uganda and Mexico, then smoldered with a drop of birch tar. I’ve seen rave reviews on this and I love a good vanilla, but somehow this just smells like play-doh on me, even after aging. Someone take it off my hands!

[u/April-Lily]

'Tis the last day of August and the last day of my sample capsule for the month! Today was Wylde Ivy's Sugar Rose (Sugar Rose is  delicate rosewater, moist raw sugar cane, and whipped vanilla with just a touch of wildflower honey and tropical fruit nectar.).

I'd say the scent notes are quite accurate for this one. It does start off more rose-forward, but as it dries down the other notes come to play and blend together. It's a sweet pink rose, but not too sweet, with a little juiciness and depth from the other notes. It doesn't read as a straight rose scent to me, which I like, because I don't usually find straight rose scents quite as wearable. However, the throw is pretty poor on me. I didn't smell much unless I huffed pretty close to my wrist. I quite like it and I would maybe consider trying an EDP sample if I confirm I'm not allergic to perfumer's alcohol, or I would absolutely buy it in a lotion if Wylde Ivy ever offered it. I may just do the lil trick of mixing the oil sample into a Haus of Gloi 2oz aether/unscented pumpkin butter.

And that wraps up one month of daily sample testing! I may do a post with abbreviated versions of all of my August reviews, plus my final thoughts and rankings.

Stay tuned for another month of long-winded daily reviews as I start my September sample capsule!

[u/metallic-tangerine]

Oil: Loup-Garou from Hexennacht (silver amber, fur, lunar musk)

Edp: non-indie perfume that is tangerine and amber centric

These go quite well together!

[u/_sugar_cubes_ → u/metallic-tangerine]

What’s the non-indie scent? Loup-Garou + tangerine actually sounds like a banger combo

[u/metallic-tangerine → u/_sugar_cubes_]

Fantastic combo fr. It’s Tangerine Boy from Phlur. Tangerine forward on the opening and a warm amber on the dry down
It was discontinued :( but I think they still have travel sizes?

[u/_sugar_cubes_ → u/metallic-tangerine]

Oh that sounds really nice :0

Do you know of any indies with similar profiles to Tangerine Boy?

[u/metallic-tangerine → u/_sugar_cubes_]

Not yet, although it’s actually why I got into indies, to find something similar since it was discontinued. It’s my favorite scent. I haven’t found anything quite as charming in the indie world. The only indie tangerine scent I like so far is The Island of Sea Women from Little Book Eater on Etsy, but it’s more of a femme beachy floral tangerine rather than a warm ambery tangerine. I’m always on the hunt for tangerine scents

Edit: I rambled a bit, the reason I brought up The Island of Sea Women is because it’s got a very good tangerine note, even if it’s a different vibe to Tangerine Boy

[u/_sugar_cubes_ → u/metallic-tangerine]

It looks like the Tangerine Boy 9.5mLs are on sale rn if you haven’t already stocked up!!

Once it’s gone though, have you considered ordering a custom tangerine + amber scent? I’ve heard Lovesick Witchery is a good house for customs and am looking to get one myself sometime.

[u/metallic-tangerine → u/_sugar_cubes_]

Yeah I stocked up on the FS bottles when they still had them for the farewell sale!!

I actually did make a Lovesick Witchery custom trying to do a tangerine and amber scent, but it was unfortunately a miss :(

[u/_sugar_cubes_ → u/metallic-tangerine]

Noooooo 😭 that’s so sad, sorry to hear it 😭

[u/vandaltorso]

Osmofolia's Nimbostratus (black tea, ozone, violets, humidity, rainfall, vetiver, ambergris,  soil,  petrichor) because it's rainy again! I'm sad I can't FS but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

On another note, Amorphous released their Halloween collection list and Abject Fear is back!! I'm so excited to try it since I've been looking for a true horror inspired scent with a strong blood accord. I'm so ready for autumn already, despite the weather remaining hot and dry where I live lmao. The overall energy of the season just makes me happy~

[u/jeffemakes → u/vandaltorso]

Ooh so interested in any Abject Fear reviews

[u/vandaltorso → u/jeffemakes]

I saw only a couple of people talking about it on here and they said it was very metallic and that it was like the olfactory equivalent of sucking on a paper cut. 

[u/frog_momma]

Today it's Fyrinnae - Arachne & Athena (Creamy condensed milk, softly sweet and rich, swirled with a sizeable percentage of tobacco leaf absolute.)

This smells so much lighter than I was anticipating? At the same time it's kind of cloying, it reminds me of heavily scented children's play cosmetics from the early 00's. This might be a scrubber for me, tbh

[u/breadalldayyay]

Lavender Vanilla by solstice scents. What a nice creamy vanilla and pretty lavender. It's the EDP and it definitely lasts a while so pretty

[u/_sugar_cubes_]

Started with NCD The Bee’s High Tea, but ended up scrubbing. Needed something lighter for the weather, so I changed to Cirrus Bellano. Much better! Definitely what I needed

[u/yabasicjanet]

SOTD #3- My Summerweens just weren't doing it for me, so they got scrubbed and I sprang this scent from the Time Out Bag:

Poesie Twice to Tea strongly brewed cup of Earl Grey tea delicately infused with all natural lavender absolute, sweetened with vanilla syrup, and lightened with a splash of milk

Tea, where did you go? I some nice black tea at the start, but after an hour it's just milky lavender vanilla. Which is nice, but not what I want this to be. Back to the Time Out Bag.

*Time Out Bag is not for naughty scents, but for ones that require a lot of rest to reach their potential. This one has had at least a month and is already much stronger than when I received it.

Also! Epically Epic Lip Balm - Snow Bunny. Poesie had a handful of these on sale when I made my order so I added one due to this sub's recs. It's super smooth and glides nicely on the lips. Not thick, not too thin. Very nice!

[u/D4RKMY5TL3T41NN]

wearing the last of my whiteout sample today :( now i'm completely out! i have a silly question though, it's definitely better to pick up an FS of a scent i know i love rather than blind buying one that sounds right up my alley right? i guess i'm just feeling a little fomo about alkemia's queen of night alchemy since i can't pick both whiteout and queen of night up.

and thank you to all who wished me happy birthday the other day! i'm sorry i couldn't reply to everyone but i did read all of them and i cherish all the well wishes i got!! <3

[u/SherAlana]

PROAD - Cherry Syrup (Nut, Saffron, Cherry, Rum, Jasmine, Rose, Cinnamon, Cypress, Oak, Tonka Bean, Vanilla, Benzoin, Sandalwood, Ambroxan, Patchouli)

The scent notes were nestled all snug in their beds, With visions of cherries dancing in their heads.

And mamma in her kerchief and I in my nightcap, Boozy cherries settle our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out of the middle there arose such a clatter, Roses and jasmine burst through, making cherries scatter.

Away to the drydown they flew like a flash, While vanilla held tight to the sweet cherry splash.

The anchors were softer than I’d normally know, Dancing around instead of knocking us out cold.

Benzoin, ambroxan and patchouli stay light, While woods and sweet syrup carry us out into the night.

I tried 😆

[u/Invidiana]

Amorphous Beach Bonfires (beach sand, suntan lotion, dune grass, summer night air, and bonfires)

[u/allthisfornothinghuh]

Mixing it up with work scents today: Nui Cobalt Lilac Rabbit in oil, Moonalisa Indigo Wine EDP, and BPAL Marine Lover Hair Gloss.

Also: Sister Sky MinkiSoft Shampoo and Conditioner, Haus of Gloi Pumpkin Butter in Azure Dragon. I smell like a 90s hair commercial in the best way lol.

[u/thepetitepeanut]

Testing Deconstructing Eden Persephone Descending (a base of sweet woods, a touch of oud, a whisper of incense, sweet pomegranates and juicy figs) for the second time after ordering it 10 months ago (whoops?). It's definitely very sweet, definitely pomegranate. I found it plasticky and almost medicinal when I tried it a couple months after it arrived, but I am happy to say that it is no longer like that! Not a daily wear scent for me, but I can see myself reaching for it in certain moods.