SEANCE Perfumes Review
About a week ago, I received a lovely package from SEANCE Perfumes. And when I say lovely, I do mean lovely.
Just look at this thing.
That’s wonderful.
I received a sample pack of five fragrances, and over the past few days, I have thoroughly enjoyed trying them all, and I wanted to share that experience with the rest of you.
PORCELAIN // $22
Opening with notes of dark florals and a dreamy gourmand blend of vanilla and walnut, Porcelain is an unapologetic gothic romance of a scent. The walnut has a certain almond-y quality because of the vanilla and it really adds another dimension to the rose and the dianthus, which itself has a little spice to it.
As time went by, Porcelain’s powdery base became the star of the show and proved to have quite the staying power. I applied Porcelain to my wrists and neck when I first got the package from my mail box (around 1PM) and I found that even when I went to bed at nearly midnight, I could still smell the powdery fragrance as I lay down.
THE UNDERTAKING // $22
The Undertaking is a surprisingly cheerful fragrance, though it is still rather moody. The ivy adds a green note that breaks up the deeper, muskier scents, such as the moss and the incense. And all of these notes, the ivy, the moss, the incense, they are all balanced by the tiniest hint of stone fruit, which you can really start to smell once the perfume has settled into your skin.
I also feel that The Undertaking is a little bit more of a skin scent, which I prefer.
SPIRIT TRUMPET // $22
Spirit Trumpet is truly unique. There is both a sharp, cleanness to this scent, as well as a smooth, sweetness. The florals, which I’m assuming are white florals, lend a kind of “pure” aura to the overall perfume, and I am a little bemused by it. I really love this scent, and I’ve worn it the most out of all of them, but there are notes in it that cannot put my finger on, and I suppose that’s entirely appropriate for a perfume inspired by the tools of Victorian mediums.
Spirit Trumpet also lasts quite a long time. When I put it on in the morning, it is still detectable in the evening.
CROWLEY // $39
Crowley is still available for purchase through the Choose Your Scent Perfume Bottle, but I do not see it for sale as a standard roller bottle.
Oh, Mr. Crowley.
From what I gather, this fragrance is pure smoke and incense, a powdery, deep Nag Champa. It is simple, but hard to ignore. It is one of those scents that hits you from across the room and is all too familiar.
I really enjoy this scent for the simplicity of it, and, again, like the other scents from SEANCE, Crowley has quite the staying power.
NATURAL HISTORY // $22
Natural History opens with the sweet smell of black tea and a hint of spice that I cannot quite put my finger on. It dries down to a dusty, soft musk, and it truly does have a papery quality to it. The longer you wear it, the more the leathery notes comes into play.
The word that comes to mind with this fragrance is “gentleman”, though I feel this is truly a balance between masculine and feminine scents.
Natural History is a refined fragrance with a moderate amount of sillage.
Conclusion
SEANCE Perfumes are quality fragrances that really show how creative independent perfumers are. These scents are more than just nice smells. The fragrances really lean into the stories behind their conception, which isn’t always the case with other companies. A lot of times a perfume will be said to have been inspired by something, but then the scent is just a basic floral with no connection with its namesake whatsoever, which is really not the case here.
These fragrances are lovely and well-thought-out, and I would recommend this company to anyone, really, not just people like myself who enjoy darker, more mystical aesthetics.
Unique, well-made, and appropriately priced, I cannot recommend SEANCE Perfumes enough.
