Stereoplasm: Systema Naturae 1.3

Another installment of the Systema Naturae collection - with the addition of the two bonus scents, it's a whopping 23 scents. If you'd like to see the other scents or more info, I have part 1, and part 2, and you can also click through the Stereoplasm tag for more reviews on their scents! 

As always, thank you to Meaghan for sending these press samples through! 

Ancestor - Chaga and blueberry leaf tea, chamomile balm, iron, clubmoss and frozen dirty wool and blueberry butter tarts [chaga-blueberry tea/phenolic chamomile/moss/dirt/wool/metal/blueberry tart]

Despite the more herbal sounding qualities in this scent, this is somewhat of a surprisingly bright and cheery scent. It opens with this blend of orange syrup and fruity sweet chamomile, it's very punchy and zesty. After dry down, there's just the barest flash of metal and soil at the tail end of the sweetness, just a little drop of acidity, chemicals and metallic tinge, before drying down to a sweet fruit cocktail, with a dab of blueberry jam. This scent was far more fruity and citrus forward than I'd anticipated, but if you've tried Mayflower Fleece (Stereoplasm), you'll know that the chamomile note is very sugary and syrupy, and it's definitely echoed here, albeit a little softer, and tempered by the more unique notes of the dirt and metal. I found myself really enjoying it, although I actually would have loved to see more of that gorgeous metal note (if you like the soil note, check out Potted Chiptunia, it's like being transported into your garden as you're rummaging through soil). A fun and unique scent, although I'd say, nothing like initially advertised. 

Firelyck - Warm cardamom amber, cinnamon infused sandalwood, rosa petals and dragon blood tongue [cardamom-amber/cinnamon-sandalwood/fire rose accord/dragon's blood]

On opening, this is all spices, with ground cinnamon powder, complimented by a spark of cardamom, and a meditative, resinous dark sandalwood. After dry down, the heaviness of the dragon's blood and sandalwood give me a real kick of nostalgia, it reminds me a lot of incense sticks in temples and old forgotten wardrobes, and for some reason, a hint of mothballs. Basically this scent takes me straight back to childhood, when I would rummage through my grandpa's wardrobe. The rest of the wear is very dragon's blood heavy, lots of dark resin with just the barest hint of spices and wood. 

Hyacinthian - Petrified blackberry, shale leather, Cananga flower, entombed incense smoke and salted hieroglyphs  [dry blackberry/dirty black leather/incense/old stone/stone salt/ylang ylang]

Another one of those indescribably nostalgic scents - I can't describe what it is, but it just feels like a scent that I just know. It opens with this incredibly tannic leather, it's like a blend of black shoe polish and school shoes, mixed with a warding sprinkle of salt, fresh soil and a whiff of incense. I really love how this scent also just captures that 'salt' note, but it's a little more of a chemical/leather/soil scent, leaning a little into that gasoline vibe - but this one is definitely incredibly evocative and almost intoxicating with its sharp astringent profile. This one is also a little louder than most of Stereoplasm's scents - with medium projection and sillage. 

Magma Marble - Smooth hot marble, fossil dust, salt heliotrope, wormwood, copper and pimento leaf [hot marble/fossil dust/salt heliotrope/copper/pimento leaf]

Honestly Stereoplasm just has a way with doing the coolest notes you've never seen and bringing them to life, and this is one of the most unique blends from this collection - like I have no idea what hot marble or fossil dust smells like, neither have I heard of salt heliotrope or pimento leaf before this, but I learn every time. The opening of this scent is wild, it's like a handful of salt, with a puff of pepper and allspice (which I can attribute to the pimento leaf). It's just the smell of genuine salt, like soft salty air. It dries down to a more liquorice forward blend with a touch of soft resin and a metallic tinge from the copper, but it retains this gorgeous salty note which is just exquisite. I really like this in its sort of, softer rendition of salt compared to Hyacinthian's sharper, more noxious salty energy, it's giving more, peaceful commune vibes.