NCD: Houses 2022 Review

This is part of NCD's 2022 November collection: the Houses - I hadn't had the pleasure of trying this collection last year but I honestly found myself really enamoured with this one. November's collection isn't usually one I've got on my radar (April is obviously first, but I'm always looking forward to Autumn and Yule!), but I was pleasantly surprised by everything I picked up from this collection. 

Thanks as always to Forest and Joshua for sending through these press samples! 

House of Resources ~ The Second House: realm of the physical body and all that sustains it. It is also the seat of our core values and guiding principles. Top notes of fresh pear and nutmeg, a heart of apple blossom, honeysuckle, and elderflower, and base notes of toasted rice, oats, and orris.   

I am absolutely in love with this scent - it's such a gorgeous blend, opening with a lovely nutty rich rich note, paired with slices of fruity pear, spiced apple and cranberries. After dry down, from the notes, I wasn't expecting this to actually smell a bit like a rice pudding scent (especially since I wasn't in love with Wool Over Your Eyes, NCD's rice pudding scent, which was far more spice heavy than any dominant levels of rice), but this one is a blend of rice pudding, nutty rich oats, oat and fruit bars all layered together. There's a slight hint of floral from the honeysuckle and elderflower that just peek in from keeping this going full foodie, but it's still sweet and gourmand enough to really tickle my interest. I also compared this to some of the other oats/rice blends I've tried in the past (eg. Crone's Cottage) and I actually think I might prefer this too. During the later stages of this scent, I get more of the fruity pear notes too, which reminds me a little bit of Mourning Dove (NCD), just that edge of fruit sweetness. I really ended up liking this one, and would probably consider upsizing this one! I am also once again begging for a rice or oats solinote - the little peeks of both rice and oats are so delicious and I want more! more! 

House of Joy ~ The Fifth House: realm of freedom, authentic expression, and play. It’s the palace of our creativity and the flourishing garden of merriment. Top notes of strawberry, melissa, and pink peppercorn, a heart of heliotrope, golden plum, and hay, with a base of Tonka bean, saffron, and angelica root. 

This is another one of those blends which list notes, yet the actual blend smells a little different - on opening this one is weirdly enough all cherry on my skin with a slight tinge of smooth vanilla just around the edges. After dry down, this one brings more of that strawberry cherry sweetness - despite the balance of the herbs, spices and florals, this is pretty much fruit dominant without very much else in it. For me, this scent is definitely adjacent to Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (NCD) which is one of my favorites from the house, but only if you take the strawberry - and it's strangely solinote-esque for something with so many other aspects. The longer you wear this one for, the more the vanilla reveals itself, a sort of complex, slightly creamy floral affair, paired with the fresh, syrupy strawberries. I really tried huffing this close up to try to get a glimpse of anything other notes that darted out at me, but they were very subtle and well blended into the rest of the scent. For what this is, I really enjoy it - it's definitely not what I expected from the description, and I traditionally prefer my fruit without creamy aspects, but this is a lovely counterpart to anyone who might have enjoyed Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. I'll be using this sample up for sure. 

House of Connection (2023) ~ The Seventh House: realm of romance, attraction, diplomacy, and mutual understanding. It’s where our conversations have less to do with information, and more to do with cultivating amity. Top notes of yuzu and cardamom, a heart of Bulgarian lavender, honey, and tea rose, with a base of Madagascar vanilla and golden amber resin. 

This is the 2023 reblend of this scent. I mean, another scent that I really love? It's a super high hit rate with this collection for sure. I absolutely love the opening of this scent, it's a rich, indulgent spread of tea rose, both sweet, leafy and mildly tannic blended with sweet creamed honey. After dry down, the honey takes a back seat here, and more of the beautiful almost fruity vanilla note and the subtle resin of the amber peeks through a little more, although the tea rose remains at the forefront of this blend. Unfortunately, while I was really craving more of that yuzu note (I'm predictable), it's largely absent here, same with the cardamom. From the notes alone, I compared this to Captivating Capricorn (Stereoplasm) which is actually quite similar. They both boast a similar tea rose accord, although the tobacco and honey is far more heady in that blend, whereas this one is a lighter, creamier scent. Although I definitely would have liked to see a little more of the lavender here with the rose, this is another scent I ended up really enjoying! It's a contender for a full size for sure. 

House of Transcendence ~ The Twelfth House: realm of spirit, psychicism, and altered consciousness. It’s where facts are not the same as truths, and all sense of certainty dissolves. Top notes of wild blueberry and morning fog, a heart of pale lilac and cashmere, with a base of orris and white amber.

The description for this scent is spot on - this opens up with this layered, complex foggy atmospheric, with hints of soft cashmere and the sweetness of blueberries just lingering in the air. For me, this scent has a sort of shifting, misty feeling where sometimes I catch glimpses of sweet candied bluberries, and the weepy dampness of crushed lilac, and sugared lilies, and the clear white amber. After dry down, I think this scent is probably the most upscale, mainstream leaning scent, and I found this scent to be a super light and wearable scent. It's not overwhelming, it's a very sheer and sweet blend, and I also really love the blueberry here - I've often been wary of blueberry in other NCD scents but this one is gorgeous and super approachable. If you're one of those Alkemia aficionados, this might be one for you.  

House of Mastery ~ The Tenth House: realm of earthly achievement, career, and our public role within the community. It’s where long-term goals are attained and maturity gives rise to personal authority. Top notes of sage and spring water, a heart of mountain mahogany, with a base of vetiver and chilly stone musk.

Much like House of Transcendence, this is another atmospheric that leans a little mainstream. On opening, this is a tranquil and atmospheric blend, definitely giving chilly stones, fog and meditative vibes, with a heavy profile of sage, rosemary and stone. After dry down, the mahogany slowly reveals itself, bringing more of the heavy, woody, cologne qualities to it, with the heady musk coming out to play. I really adore the opening of this blend, where it stays a little more light, between the clearness of the spring water, the sharpness of the herbs and the stone, but even on my skin, which tends to amp sweetness, this blend veers very heavily towards the base of mahogany and vetiver, giving it far more of a weightier, heavy, thick and stout quality that I don't tend to gravitate towards. I think this is a very lovely blend, but I would admire it far more on someone else than on myself.