2023: The Greatest Hits

I have to admit, it's been a long time since I've done a proper round up/look back on the year and some of the stand out scents I've tried - and to add insult to injury, this is the first year I've planned to make a yearly round up and failed to meet the deadline (thanks to health flareups!). I have been kindly reminded that this is in fact, just a hobby, but it is because it's something I love doing that I actually feel upset about not being able to write when I can! While it's a little belated, here it is. 

Top 8 is definitely a weird one to use as a title, it's not quite as catchy as top 5 or top 10, and to be honest, there were a lot of contenders for scents I liked but feel like I loved enough to give it a spot on my list, so here's my attempt at picking out some noteworthy blends that made my 2023! Not all of them were my most used, or my absolute favorites ever, but they were definitely scents that stuck out in my mind when I think of my scented 2023. 

The Evergreen: Chateau de Chambord (Moonalisa/MooScents)

I'm not really a signature scent kinda person, I love switching things up on a whim and just going with whatever I feel like on the day. But Chateau de Chambord is somehow one of these blends that I just can't help but keep going back to - it has a permanent place as a decanted EDP in my bag, and I carry it everywhere with me. The beautiful, syrupy blend of rich ripe raspberries and clear honey here is a banger in every season, it's a spritz of juicy fruit in hot weather, but it's also complex and dark enough for the cooler days. Whenever I need a go-to, Chateau de Chambord is my ride or die, enough that I've repurchased it about 4 times and am constantly needing to refill it. I'd say this is the closest to a signature scent you're going to get from me. I think it's sweet enough that it makes me happy, but it also has a lovely elegance and decorum that just feels classy and pretty for all events if you're not sure what to go for - sort of like the Little Black Dresses of my fragrance wardrobe. It was one I bought on a whim, but it's one I'm glad I took a chance on. 

The Do-er Upper: Magical Girl ft. Strawberry (LuvMilk) 

I'm a big fan of Luvmilk, I have a whole cabinet of just Luvmilk scents in body sprays - the best format ever with some amazing scents. How could I choose just one? In a world where Out of Touch and Out of Time are the best layered combo, how could I pick between the two? But in my heart, I found myself quietly reaching for an old favorite with a revamp - Luvmilk's Valentine's event where you could add a shot of strawberry to any scent of choice. Having had a long term love affair with the simplicity and beauty of Magical Girl, the humble marshmallow solinote, it's both a great scent and also one that channels miles of nostalgia for me. With the cheerful addition of a touch of candied strawberry syrup, it adds new life into a familiar scent and makes it comforting, while slightly more peppy- and this layers amazingly with other scents too. If it comes back, it's first on my upsizing wishlist (and based on the new Luvmilk news, it just might be!) 

The Unexpected: Fudge Marshmallow (BPAL) 

I've never had a very good hit rate with BPAL, and more often than not, I'm severely intimidated by their catalogue. However, I (on a whim) decided to pick this one up and I was definitely surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this. Chocolate and marshmallow has a tendency to turn plastic-y at certain turns, and I admittedly, didn't realize how much chocolate I actually stuffed into this list, but I think this is also partially on this list just because I actually was surprised that I ended up really liking something from BPAL. It's my first BPAL hit! A milestone! Also it's a really nice chocolate scent! So it's here. 

The One You Missed: The Cake (Stereoplasm) 

Have you ever missed the original release of a scent and just thought about getting it a lot but then you miss your chance and you go, maybe I won't? Maybe it'll just be something I keep thinking about forever but I'll never get. And one day, you finally get your hands on it and it is as good as you wanted it to be? That's this one. With layers of delicious vanilla frosting and white fluffy cake paired with the slightest touch of peach blossoms and tangerine jam, this is a cheerful, bright birthday delight. It's definitely one of my Stereoplasm favorites because I'm the kind of predictable person who just loves to smell like any type of cake, but on that note, you can't say I'm not consistent about it. 

The Soulmate: Cocoa Chocolat (Fernanda)

I don't know how I can fully express how damn much I adore this scent. Although there are a few chocolate scents on this list (looking back, I feel like I should have included less chocolate maybe. But you like what you like.) but no indies have ever come close to the absolute perfection of a chocolate note that is Cocoa Chocolat from Fernanda. Since discovering Fernanda (especially their LE catalogue), I'm a big fan - there's rarely a miss from them and all of their scents are right in my ball park, they're almost always sweet, and are solinotes of fruit, tea or other sweets. Yet, to this day, there is one that stands out heads and shoulders above the rest and lives in my mind rent free - Cocoa Chocolat (but I won't deny, Yogurt Smoothie is neck and neck and almost won out here, but lost only because I've loved it for less time than this one). There's just something so exquisite and beautiful about this chocolate note - I don't claim to understand it but I am in love with it, and much like Chateau de Chambord, it is one I reach for over and over and can't get enough of. Unfortunately, Cocoa Chocolate is a LE scent (for Valentine's), and while I did stock up on my body splashes, I'm already running low having gone through three bottles already. One can only hope it returns this Valentine's (although it seems Ichigo Chocolat has taken that spot, as it is super popular in Japan and sold out far quicker than Cocoa Chocolat), but take my word for it, if you're asking me for a scent that defined my 2023, it's this one. This is the cozy, comfy hoodie you can't stop wearing. This is the one I can huff for days on end. This is the one I dream about. It's this. 

The Quiet One: Hornswoggle (NCD) 

Although this was not one I initially picked out or had on my radar, this one became a quiet love and a comforting upsize for me. The NCD April Fool's collection is one I look forward to every year (I've got a collector's problem, once I have enough of a thing, I just want it to be complete in its little collection and so I can't miss even oNE scent from this release if I can help it! It wouldn't be right!). While I couldn't pick between Charlatan or Scallywag as my favorites from the 2023 release, I still found myself picking Hornswoggle out because I love the subtle, fresh sweetness of the apple note here, and ended up making my own body balm with this scent - it's not one I often talk about, but it's so understated but reassuring that I found myself actually wearing this one out far more than I anticipated. It's sort of the nice, jazzy elevator music - you don't notice it, but without it, you're just missing a little something something. 

The After After Party: Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Egg (Astrid)

I guess 2023 was probably the year of the chocolate? I cannot for the life of me justify how come I happened to just pick THREE CHOCOLATE SCENTS for my top list, but November/December was a really chocolate-y time for me, so it's probably some sort of unconscious yearning for yet MORE Toblerone truffles and Ferrero Rocher ice creams being hefted upon my fleshy being from others. I received this one quite late, but from the Astrid line up, I was definitely also very into the peanut butter angle here that just adds an extra nutty sweetness to the chocolate. If there's anything I've learnt about myself, it's that I absolutely love nutty/starchy qualities in perfume, and this one was just a lovely little pop of nutty chocolate that's just a little bit different from pure chocolate scents, enough to make it on here. 

The Defiant One: Ginger Biscuit (Jo Malone) 

I waffled back and forth on whether to place this on the list, but as the one mainstream scent in a mostly indie list, as a very very late addition, I thought I should at least give this a shout out. I found this scent literally a few days before Christmas but fell head over heels in love with it, and despite my absolute resistance and general track record with underwhelming mainstream gourmands, I found myself wildly enamored with this scent - it's gorgeous rice and nutty warmth, paired with a sweet, understated hazelnut praline and a whiff of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger over spiced vanilla cream. I hate that I love this scent, but every time I sniff it, I just love how soft, subtle and demure this is - I love gourmands that fill up a room, but sometimes it's the fainter, quieter ones that end up slowly creeping in and filling your heart. Much like Hornswoggle, this is never one that kicks or yells for attention, but it's that quiet side character you become more than a little obsessed with because you're always yearning for more. I never feel like I get enough Ginger Biscuit no matter how much I spray, and thus, my torrid love affair with this continues. For a LE, mainstream scent which sold out almost immediately, I only have myself to blame for the overpriced FOMO I'm experiencing.