Review! Arcana's Madame Lapin and I Smell Good's Marshmallow

Today I'll be reviewing not one, but two indie fragrances! The first is Madame Lapin by Arcana, and then the second is Marshmallow by I Smell Good.

Madame Lapin by Arcana Perfume

 "The essence of a soft brown bunny: fragrant notes of sweet honey, dry Atlas cedarwood, warm toast, buttermilk, and a subtle blend of spices."

In the bottle, Madame Lapin smells very sweet. You can definitely pick up the notes of honey and toast. When first applied to my skin, I could really smell the sweetness of the honey, followed by strong cedarwood notes (very similar to the wood notes in BPAL's LE* Butterscotch and Black Beetles- more like a cedarwood chest than the chips you'd put in a hamster cage, or even cardboard). For the first hour, I kept getting sniffs of the toast and honey, along with a smooth milky note. By the second hour it was almost all cedarwood with just a bit of the toast making an appearance. A few hours later I felt that the honey came back (and got really excited, because I am all over anything having to do with honey!), but my excitement was short-lived, because after the fifth hour, it was all cedarwood.

I will say that Madame Lapin has very long lasting. I could smell it 12 hours after I applied it! It also has really good sillage for the first several hours, and even after that you can still always smell it. Maybe with someone else's body chemistry, the sweetness might stick around for a bit longer (which is what I had hoped for). I still enjoyed it, but it's not one I'll be reaching for too often.

Madame Lapin is an LE fragrance introduced in Spring 2008, but can still be purchased at The Soapbox Company for $14.95 (for 5 ml amber glass bottle).

*LE- "limeted edition"

Now, onto one of my favorites! 

Marshmallow by I Smell Good

"Marshmallow is soft, sweet and absolutely fluffy!"

As it is a single note fragrance, Marshmallow is relatively linear from beginning to end. (Linear meaning that you shouldn't expect the journey of experiencing the top, middle, and base notes and how they interact and change as time goes on).

What I love about this fragrance is how realistic it actually is! In the bottle it's sweet and airy, definitely marshmallow! On the skin, it develops into something with more depth. It takes on a warmer scent. Imaging a freshly toasted gooey marshmallow. Some days, depending on my chemistry, I get more of that toasted element. Another characteristic that this takes on when on the skin is that powdery soft note that real marshmallows are coated in. It's the scent of fluffiness, and in my opinion this is the note that makes this perfume so realistic! Marshmallow is easily one of my top three favorites. It's also pretty long lasting. I can smell it at the end of the day. Sillage isn't overpowering, but that's okay with me. Sometimes it's nice to be enveloped in s soft cloud of fragrance that someone can't smell unless they get up close and personal.

Another great thing about this perfume (along with all the other scents by I Smell Good) is that they can be worn alone or layered with other scents to create your own custom blend! Marshmallow can be used to soften an overbearing perfume, or to add just a hint of sweetness. Try layering it with other gourmand scents, fruity scents, or even try it with a tea blend! Suggestions of oils to mix with: I Smell Good's Earl Grey, Circus Peanuts (get a carnival scent going!), Tobacco, Mango, Cake, Cola (smell like Vanilla Coke!), or Cherry! The possibilities are endless! Endless I say!

Marshmallow can be purchased for $10 (for 5 ml amber glass bottle) at I Smell Good's website or etsy.

Mr. Fat and Sassy's opinion of Marshmallow and Madame Lapin:

*it should be noted that Mr. Fat and Sassy is hard to please when it comes to perfumes because he doesn't like synthetic or heavy scents*

Mr. F&S didn't care for Madame Lapin as he thought it was too sharp. He was a fan of Marshmallow though, because he said it was soft, and not overbearing.

Well that's it for today. I have some new fragrances in the mail that will be reviewed when they get here, including some from the Valentine's collection by Arcana and one from Demeter Fragrances. Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think or any brands/scents you want me to review!

*Both fragrances were purchased with my own money, and these reviews are my own opinions.

Welcome!

Hi there! Welcome to my new blog! My name is Hannah, and I’m 22 year old, from Baltimore, and I’m constantly messing with my hair. From coloring it in cotton candy hues, to cutting it in different styles, I've done it all. I love hair, makeup, and beauty (so much so that I am a licensed cosmetologist!). I have an ever-growing cabinet of beauty products, perfumes, and hair products (don’t even get me started on how many conditioners I have…). I’m an art school drop out, and I love thrifting and anything having to do with thrifting and flea markets. In my spare time, you can find me reading, painting, baking, or refinishing thrifted furniture.

Why did start this blog, you might ask? Well, I’ve been anonymously browsing a lot of body positive fashion blogs and blogs about indie makeup and perfume, and thought I’d like to start one of my own.

In my internet searches, I’ve noticed that a lot of indie company perfumes and products go without being reviewed. This is disappointing to me, as I love creating bonds with people over a mutually loved (or hated!) product. Get ready to see some of my own reviews and thoughts on these products, pictures of my art, recipes, thrifting accomplishments, and everything else that relates to my life!

I’d love to hear from you about what brands you want to see reviewed and answer any hair or beauty questions you might have. If you have a blog as well I’d love to subscribe to you too!