Sixteen92: Winter Collection 2019 (review)

Although it's been more than a while since the release of the Winter/Holiday collection, I finally decided it was time to finally post this. To be honest, I put this one off a little more because I felt almost hesitant about most of the scents, and this collection really cemented to me that it turns out, I'm just not that much of a Winter scents fan. The collection was actually separated into a few parts, following Sixteen92's typical format, which is one Winter collection, the Holiday collection and then exclusive scents for bath and body products which was all released with the Black Friday event. 

If you're looking for the reviews of the Holiday collection, click here! 

In this post, I also wanted to take this time to get into how exactly Sixteen92 works, and some background information for first time buyers who might be unsure what the brand is about or where to start (and yes it's that complicated).   

Information about the brand: 

Sixteen92 is run by Claire Baxter, based out of Fort Worth in Texas. The brand was established in 2014, and is inspired by "literature, history, lore, and magic." The house offer a variety of products, including perfume oils, eau de parfums, hair oil, hand and body lotion, whipped soap, sea salt texturising sprays and home fragrance (which are water based sprays that can be used on linen or on the body). 

Their release schedule are typically seasonal (common with indies), and also have a general catalogue. Their seasonal releases follow a pretty strict schedule as you can see here from their master scent catalogue, Spring, Summer, Anniversary, Fall, Halloween, Winter and Holiday. Holiday (late November) is usually tied in with Black Friday releases, and Anniversary (late July) is usually a big event with a basic sale (usually anywhere between 10%-30% off depending on how much you spend).

They also have a subscription service called the 'Circle', which is open annually. Sign ups open around April, and you get first access to the four seasonal collections, plus the Halloween collection. You also get coupon codes for the shop all year round, and early access to seasonal collections, and some other special scents. It costs $100 for the US, and $130 for international members, and also includes shipping. 

One of their big yearly events is called Resurrection, which brings back limited edition scents available for purchase every January (usually the beginning of it). This way, most scents from their master scent catalogue, especially those which are popular, will be re-listed and available for pre-order. Typically, Res events will have a 3-5 month wait depending on how much and what you get, although my own order this year ended up taking close to 8 months (due to 2020's general ... everything.) 

For orders, Sixteen92 also does 'made to order' items. As a result, their TAT is comparatively pretty long. On average, they have a wait time of 15-20 business days (3-4 weeks), but during busy seasons you might be waiting up to 25-30 business days (5-6 weeks). If you make an order, you'll typically have to wait quite a while for it to be made, and also to count shipping time on top of that. It can feel scary, and intimidating especially when you're ordering for the first time, or frustrating when you're impatient. The TAT for this shop has always, and I imagine, will continue to be relatively arduous. 

For INTERNATIONAL shipping prices, Sixteen92 operates on weight brackets. Shipping starts from $16, $23, $35 and $49. Typically the cart will calculate this for you, but if you want to keep shipping costs low, I would advise against bath and body items (which tend to be heavier). 

In my own personal opinion, I would suggest ordering from their Anniversary and Holiday events, and it's also my personal favorite time to order from them. I also believe the Circle is a great bargain, especially due to the amount of perks you get for the price, although I myself haven't registered because I personally don't really love the brand's perfume oils and the main seasonal blends. I personally prefer the AURA sprays myself, although they tend to pull shipping costs up extremely high. 

I have to admit, I'm not a fan of the long TAT, and I also think it's a problem that can be easily solved. Despite this, I assume this long TAT just adds to the special exclusivity of the brand, and as you can see, they have a lot of exclusive events, products and information that can make it pretty inaccessible to those who aren't already familiar with indies, or specifically the brand itself. Hopefully this has helped if you are looking to purchase from the brand! 

I also have never personally gotten any samples or stickers in any of my orders but I have seen other people get magnets, stickers, sample vials of scents, aura mists and detangling hair mists. I'm not sure if this is just a domestic thing, but it seems that it's worth asking for them in the notes of your order! 

Winter 2019: 

Cyanide  - Amaretto liqueur, pink heliotrope, honey-soaked dates, hawthorn flower, nutmeg, rum

This is all almond essence. Similar to The Tea Party from their Anniversary collection, the almond buttercream dominates the scent. With the addition of heliotrope, famously known for that thin almond quality, it's a little overkill. The honey-soaked dates also smells a little bit like fresh tobacco, sweet and a little heady. Unfortunately, there's no hawthorn flower, nutmeg or rum in this for me, and it's very much a one note song kinda scent. 

To be honest, this is the scent that really was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. It's official - almond in S92's blends is a death note for me. It just feels medicinal and prickly and far too sharp. More generally, this scent kinda let me down. I was expected a syrupy rich sweetness from honey soaked dates, and that tart sweetness from hawthorn flower like you might get with hawthorn flakes. Unfortunately, even on linen and as a room spray, this screams the overwhelming presence of ALMOND just like it did in Tea Party, which I just couldn't love. I personally just am not a fan, and will be carefully avoiding all almond related notes in S92's offerings in the future. This was an instant destash for me. 

Perfect for: Amaretto lovers. If you wanna grab the attention of everyone in the room. It's sharp, demanding and intoxicating.

Strychnine - Black tea, Calabrian bergamot, Moro blood orange, black figs, cedar heartwood, anisette cookie crumbs

I have to say, this one is a really upscale, trendy, almost mainstream kinda scent. It's definitely the most 'mainstream' smelling scent that I've tried from Sixteen92 by far. It has a lovely unisex warmth to this scent, with a smooth woody cedar base complimented by rich sticky black figs, and bitter blood orange and fragrant, aromatic bergamot and a steaming cup of richly brewed black tea. The anisette (star anise infused liqueur) is also relatively tame here, and it adds a little bit of that liquorice-like bite to the scent. 

I have to say, I really wish S92 would do a single black tea note because from the bits I get from this scent, it is genuinely gorgeous and very very true to the tea note. Unfortunately, the rest of the citrus and the cedar heartwood make this scent just a little too much like something I might pick up form the department store. I imagine some people would really love the refined, more workplace friendly profile for this scent, but I've never really truly found myself in love with this scent. This review also says it has a simliar feeling to Baker Street - a scent with a list of notes that actually scares me a little. Overall, this scent was a destash for me. 

Perfect for: A refined charcoal grey suit for all occasions. This is the kind of warm scent that just calmly shows off how competent you are. It feels like a personal office, with a personal assistant behind you frantically flipping through a high end daily planner as you sip your a glass of sparkling San Pellegrino mineral water, with ice and exactly two slices of lime. 

Disclaimer: All of these products were purchased with my own money. I was not sponsored for this review or affiliated with this brand, and all opinions are my own, and do not reflect the brand's opinions or interests.