I’ve been meaning to review The Vocabulary Fragrance Collection by Smell Bent for months now. This is a collection inspired by fragrance vocabulary that contains 6 scents. As a person that writes about perfume, I love the concept of this collection. So why am I just now reviewing these?

The Vocabulary Collection is simple, many of the scents are straightforward. I love that notes aren’t listed. It pushes us to use vocabulary to describe scents without using the “crutch” of list of familiar notes.

Dry – Described as incense, spicy, woody, balsam, amber, warm.

Dry reminds me of a brut sparkling wine. The opening is effervescent and bubbly and seriously reminds me of champagne. Give it a try if you like Sonoma Scent Studio Champagne de Bois. It’s bubbly and an autumn forest. With time the fragrance gets more of a balsamic vanilla with dry woods and a peppery incense smoke.

I really enjoy this fragrance and I recommend it to anyone that likes Sonoma Scent Studio Champagne de Bois or if you like dry incense scents such as those in the Comme des Garçons Incense Collection. I think this is a beautiful fragrance for fall or for when you want to be reminded of fall.

Floral – Described as sweet, powdery, glowing, vintage, almond, musk.

As a lover Guerlain, heliotrope and sweet, I absolutely adore this fragrance. It opens as fresh and reminds me of honeyed florals like a hyacinth but not as crisp. And then the heliotrope, oh, my, the heliotrope is grand. It is soft, almondy and floral. This fragrance reminds me of the top of vintage Guerlain Chamade.

Here’s another one that I really enjoy wearing. I recommend it to anyone that likes Guerlain Chamade.

Green – Described as crisp, leafy, natural, fresh, earthy, grassy, woody.

I usually dislike green fragrances but I love wearing this. It smells so crisp and outdoorsy. It smells like poke salat. If you’re from the South, you know what I’m talking about. This scent smells like crushed spring greens.

Citrus – Described as bright, orange, lemon, fresh, tart, green, aldehydes.

Citrus is obvious. It’s citrus. It’s a very tart and bright scent. It smells like those gummy candy orange wedges covered in coarse sugar.

Woody – Described as warm, root beer, spicy, resinous, rich, balsamic, amber.

This opens up exactly like bubbly root beer. Effervescence never lasts long in fragrances. I’m left with a balsamic sassafras. This isn’t what I expected Woody to be. Hold up, I just realized that is a funny name. Carry on. Dry is more woody than Woody.

Musky – Described as delicate, rosy, powdery, fruity, honey, animal.

This one reminds me of maple syrup, dried fruits and a hint of rose. It’s immortelle and you guys know I can’t stand it. However, this is like a budget “Serge Lutens”. It’s an animalic maple syrup, rose and chewy fruits. But, I’m I can’t stand the smell of maple syrup. I can’t get past the maple syrup/immortelle in this.

Like I said, this one is sooo not me. But, try it if you like immortelle scents or if you like perfumes like Dior Eau Noire, Etat Libre d’Orange Like This, Serge Lutens Jeaux de Peau, and/or Serge Lutens Arabie. Seriously, if you want to smell like maple syrup, try this perfume.

I think that many of these scents could be layered even though I do enjoy them alone (but I’m a layering wuss).

Each 1.7 oz EDT retails for $49 at Smell Bent.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A fun collection worth checking out if you’re looking for some cheap thrills. My favorites are Floral and Dry.

If you would like more reviews, try…

Perfume Posse

Ça Fleure Bon

*Disclaimer – Samples provided by Smell Bent. I am not financially compensated for these reviews. My opinions are my own. Dictionary pic from www.acorntoak.blogspot.com.