Thirty One Days of Scent: May 2026

May 1: Replica Matcha Meditation

🍵Green Tea and Baby Powder

May 2: The Zoo Fig My Love

🍃Fresh Fig and Tree Sap

May 3: J Scent Koiame

💮Tart Fruity Floral Shampoo

May 4: Initio Power Self

🌹Antique Rose Petals & Spice

May 5: Abaton Fior di Chinotto

🌸Bath & Body Works Cherry Blossom

May 6: Arquiste L'Etrog

🍋Masculine Citrus or Axe Body Spray

May 7: Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Blackberry 

🍬Candied Berries and Soap Musk

May 8: Goldfield & Banks Island Lush

🪵Sticky Sweet Spices & Toasted Sandalwood

May 9: -

🚿Scent Break

May 10: Hilde Soliani Latte Freddo

🥛A Spoonful of Condensed Milk

May 11: Versatile La Fonce Dalle

🌿Savory Herbs, Mary Jane, and Hoppy Beer

May 12 AM: Hilde Soliani Sale e Pepe

🌊Salty Beach Skin and Unscented Sunscreen

May 12 PM: Strangers Tokiwa

🥬Spinach Corn Algae followed by Intense Grapefruit Moss Manly Man

May 13: French Cowboy Pear Pavlova

🍼Cabbage Patch Kids and Big Fuzzy Powder Musk

DSH Collections

All my samples are voile de parfum because of shipping restrictions.

Hansa Yellow - Heady buttercream ylang and jasmine flowers. So rich and opulent, I love this tropical perfume. This was the perfume that made me a fan of DSH. I had never encountered such a loving approach to ylang ylang, and I still have not found any perfume like it.

Orion - A gift from someone who loves me, so I enjoy this even more that I might have otherwise. Musky, clean animalic. The vision was to evoke rabbit fur. I don't think it does, and rather find it to be a statement maker for date night. Projection is arms length, at least, and it lingers nicely without overstaying it's welcome.

Spring 2026: Spring to Summer

Mango Skin - Fruity skin scent. Tart in the opening without being sharp, before morphing to fruity shampoo musk. Not a laundry detergent musk, but veers close to dish detergent in the base.

Tuberose Petals - Lovely and creamy coconut and white floral. It's just a bit heavy without being overwhelming, so it is great for spring shifting into summer. A surprise hit for me, since it is kind of unique in how light and airy it is for a tropical coconut tuberose scent. It doesn't have a sunscreen undertone, which is also a relief.

Rice Milk - My favorite from this batch of samples, with a nice balance of powdery orris and lightly sweetened milk. Starchy and sweet with a lactonic creaminess. I would not mistake this for actual rice milk which I think does not really have a scent. But it captures the textural quality of drinking a glass of rice milk. Biwa, another DSH rice scent is much more starchy and aldehydic. Lumiere would be closer to horchata.

Fall 2025: Musks and Animalics

Tigercat - Opens with a sweet sticky musk, like a waft of booze induced sex. Similarities to Foxy and Chinchilla but most of all to Le Serval. Makes sense, they are both feline themed. May be my favorite of this batch.

Green Queen - The other contender for favorite of the batch. Green, sappy, crushed leaves, snapped stems, with a fresh and slightly tart floral musk. This scent is complex and rich but fresh and airy even with all the notes. Reminds me quite a bit of Feuilles, another tart leafy rose and geranium herbal scent.

Queen by Eau de Boujee

Warm sunny day.

Opens with an airy rose. There's a backbone to the scent, like a bready iris and carrot maybe. There's a little tart jammy quality, maybe the rhubarb and bergamot. And a soapy powdery texture.

Lovely. Through the looking glass and the rabbit hole, we see Queen Alice having a tantrum at the tea party. The concept is well executed.

From Indigo Perfumery:

"Scent impressions

Rose jam, flowers and a tea party as viewed from a rabbit hole

Top Notes: Rhubarb, Bergamot, Nutmeg, Carrot seed

Heart Notes: Rose, Violet, Raspberry leaf, Geranium, Iris, Black tea

Base Notes: Benzoin, Opoponax, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Patchouli,

Earthy notes, Musk"

J Scent Collection

Koiame - Tart, fruity, green stems, shampoo. Definitely a soapy scent like if your herbal essences shampoo stuck around for a while. 🎁

Honey & Lemon - No notes. Perfectly accomplished, I would drink this if I didn't know it was perfume.

Atelier Des Ors

 Choeur des Anges

Opens sweet, where the honey accord comes in but it's very clean and almost like simple syrup with a floral quality. The sweetness persists but it's more of a whisper underneath the skin musks of powdery iris and mimosa.

A very cozy scent that is sophisticated and elegant. I could picture wearing this at a fancy holiday dinner. Choeur des Anges shines in cool weather. I don't think I could enjoy it as much during the summer, though it is light and airy enough for spring.

Sentiers de Cometes by Yeye

 Yet another sample purchased from Indigo, this is a marvel of olfaction.

It's not an overly warm day, which I think contributes to my enjoyment of the composition. The florality has a root beer quality and reminds me of Hypnotic Poison by Dior but with a more ethereal nature. She is a tease, and her attention is on you.

Not necessarily a fit with the current fad of freshie and my skin but better scents. But classics are always in style.

That said, it will never be in style for me since I am apparently allergic to this one too. Sadness.

From ScentSplit:

This flirtatious fragrance is composed of Baies Rose, Italian Mandarin, Lavender Absolute, Italian Bergamot, with hints of Carrot Seed, coalescing into a succulent bouquet of Orange Blossoms, Lilac, Jasmine, amidst an enriched blend of Tonka Bean and Vanilla Planifolia. At the base are exotic notes of Ambergris, Incense, and Tonkin Musk, resulting in a sensation of sensually moist skin.

Release Year: 2015

Concentration: Eau de Parfum

Nose: Ernesto Sanchez Bujanda

Notes:

Top notes: Italian Mandarin, Carrot Seeds, Cumin and Baie Rose.

Middle notes: Tonka Bean, Orange Blossom, Lilac, Jasmine and Vanilla.

Base notes: Musk, Ambergris and Incense.

A Fragrance Table

D20: Find something that fits the category.

1. Sparkly Femme Powder

• Willows by Regime des Fleurs
• Yes I Do (Swallow) by EldO
• Queen by Eau de Boujee
• Pear Pavlova by French Cowboy

2. Fresh Cut Bouquets

• Songbird by DSH

3. Fruit Salad

• Healing Berry by Jorum

4. Green Grass and Leaves

5. Saltwater and Marine

• Seahorse by Zoolander

6. Refreshing Citruses

• L'Etrog by Arquiste

7. Aromatic Herbal

• Erawan by Dusita

8. Dry Woods and Leathers

• Bascule by Sarah Baker

9. Roses Old and New

• Power Self by Initio

10. Musky Vetiver and Woods

11. New Age Shop Patchouli

• Xocolatl by Whisper Sisters

12. Soap & Shampoo

• Koiame by J-scent

13. Church Pews and Incense

• Adrenaline and Scorched Earth by DSH

14. Classical Amber

15. Sugar and Spice

• Gingembre by Molinard

16. Photorealistic Sweets

17. Tropical Jungle

18. Grand Dame White Florals

• Fracas by Robert Piguet
• Honour Woman by Amouage

19. Vanilla Superstar

• Vanille Sauvage de Madagascar by La Maison de la Vanille

20. My Skin But Better Minimalist