Review & Recommendation: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary's Unisex Colognes

Midsummer Dreams Apothecary (MDA) is the indie first perfume brand I've ever tried (previous reviews here), so obviously, I had to support Cheryl when she released a new unisex cologne line. Full disclosure, I got a blogger discount, but I was planning to buy this (as well as a bottle of Rapunzel & Snow White since I love them) even without the discount. I already have a very positive view of the brand from my first purchase, and no discount can match the warm fuzzy feelings you get from a great experience and amazing customer service.

Btw, Cheryl just graduated from nursing school! Grats, Cheryl!

Customer Service Review

Ordered: Jul 6
Shipped: Jul 10


I have to give it to Cheryl, she's consistently improving her brand. The first time I ordered, there was a lot of leakage. Everything was leaking everywhere and even today, I have to store all my samples perfectly upright or they'll leak all over the place. She switched sample bottles and now everything arrived with almost no leakage at all. Unfortunately, the Sea Witch sample came leaking, but that was only one out of 7 oils I got.

The packaging, is obviously pretty as always.

And I got free samples of Sea Witch and Beauty solid perfumes! Yay! More to review!

Price

• 15 ml Bottle: $30 (unavailable for colognes)
• 10 ml Roll On: $15.30

• Themed Sampler Packs (5 perfumes): $10
• Perfume Oil Samples: $2.50

• Solid Perfume: $7.50

 Despite the very, very pretty packaging the 15ml bottle comes with, I chose the more value for money 10 ml option. My indie addiction has left me broke ._.

Oh, I have to add that international shipping is a flat rate of $7.50! Holy crap I was so happy! US shipping's a flat rate of $2.50..so worth it.

Now on to the scent reviews..

Perfume Oil Review

I think the longevity definitely improved for this brand. The smell stops wafting around after 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, but lingers on your skin for 6-9 hours. Since these are unisex colognes and my boyfriend is finally moving back to Jakarta (woot!), obviously, he has to try these one too.

I trained him so well...

As always, I did the review blind until I finished my review, but checked the notes before I made my bf try it because I couldn't resist.

Beast

"Amber, Oakmoss, Patchouli, Rosewood, Sandalwood, White Musk"

I don't really see this as a masculine perfume at all. It smells like sweet and mellow sandalwood with the barest hint of spiciness. It gets very warm and heady eventually, and the spiciness is gone. It's much too heady actually. I have a bit of a headache from this. The headiness eventually disappears after 20-30 minutes, but it's still a pretty heavy, warm scent.

Overview: Dang, the notes definitely sound heavy. Not surprised this smells so heady.

On bf: The patchouli got amped up on him, and it smells really heavy and old on him. He, er...kinda smells like an old lady.

Bf's review: It smells like one of those old-school barbers. It's an old man's aftershave in one of those old barbers.

Charming

"Balsam, Basil, Bergamot, Cedar, Leather, Oakmoss, Sweet Grass, Rose, Rosewood, Tobacco, Vanilla, and Ylang Ylang"

This smell is very MDA and I keep thinking it smells like another MDA perfume -fresh, creamy florals. But there's a slightly masculine coolness to this. By about 15 minutes, it becomes more sweet and almost candy-ish, only without all the artificialness. It smells like candied creamy florals. I'm not sure if this makes sense, but it's a more rounded instead of sharp sweetness. Definitely one to get a full size in.

Overview: It could be the sweet grass & rose combo. That's a very distinct smell I always associate with MDA's Rapunzel.

On bf: Oh wow, it smells strongly floral on him. The sweet grass & rose combo was definitely dominant in the beginning, and he smells like MDA's Rapunzel. Eventually there's a bit of a vaguely blue sort of smell, and a sour fruit smell. I think the vanilla's turning sour on him, creating that sour smell. It's still mostly Rapunzel though. 

Bf's review: Two mottled mares frolicking in the pale moonlight of the super-moon. [Yes, this was the 5th scent he had to sniff. He got tired and started making up stuff. I eventually got him to give a serious review] There's this sour, fermented smell. Fermented jackfruit. That's it, it smells like fermented jackfruit.

[There is no jackfruit scent. I swear.]

Dragon

"Dragon's Blood, Earth, Rosewood, Vetiver, & White Musk"

Oh gods this smells so good! It's a sweet, fresh earth that has something a medley of fruitiness and florals mixed in. It's how you imagine earth would smell like in a magically beautiful place like Maleficent's Moors - sweet, fresh with hints of the flora that grew in it. I'm a huge fan. After about 30 minutes, it smells more watery -like sweet water that carries the scents of the flowers, fruits and trees bursting around it. It's how I imagine the water in Moors would smell like.

The plot may suck, but the cinematography is bloody awesome.

Seriously..imagine how this would smell like..

Overview: Not sure how dragon's blood smells like but this smells awesome!

On bf: This smells like spiced wood and leather on him. It smells amazing at first, but the spiciness dies down as time goes on and it becomes more cool and feminine. We both agreed we preferred the initial smell on him.

Bf's review: This is nice. [After I forced him to describe the scent better] It's sweet and spicy. I like it. Hey, since it's a men's cologne...can I keep it?

[..he's keeping it.

I guess he really likes this since this is the only cologne oil he ever asked to keep, and I've made him try a LOT of unisex colognes before. Mad respect for MDA!]

Hook

"Bay Rum, Caramel, Leather, Tobacco, and White Musk"

Starts of as watery leather and becomes like a very masculine musk with a citrus smell to it. It gets heavier and heavier with time until it becomes a very heavy, heady, almost old lady-ish perfume. Maybe an old lady who walks around with horseback riding gear everywhere, and always carries a riding crop with her. I normally hate heady perfumes, but I ordered a solid of this, so I know I must have found the notes attractive.

Miraculously, at around 15 minutes, all the heaviness broke and it got much lighter. Still slightly heavy, but not headache inducing sort of heavy. Now it really smells like an androgynous perfume. There's a leathery, cool masculinity mingled with a powdery feminine smell. It's a kind of scent I can imagine on women who make other women question their sexuality. Like her:

Princess Anne in the 70s
Found on Pintrest

It smells like an expensive, woodsy bubble bath as it dries down.

Overview: Oh..I think my stomach was doing the picking when I saw this and zoomed in on caramel. Was the citrus smell caramel going sour?

On bf: This smells like citrus on leather on him. There's citrus on him too! It's not just me! Yay! It gets heavier and powdery as time goes on, and ends up smelling like leather seats in a powder room.

Bf's review:  It smells chemically. Bit of citrus and leather. Is that right? Ok, now smells like shaving cream in an old-school barber, it has that old talc smell.

[TIL my boyfriend identifies musky smells as "old-school barber"]

Sea Witch

"Bergamot, Hyacinth, Lily of the Valley, Lotus, Water Mint, Oakmoss, Ocean Mist, Sea Salt, Vetiver, White Musk"

It smells like a very clean, peaceful blue smell at first. Makes you think of clean spas where everyone wears white gowns. There's a bit of a masculine huskiness to this, but it got drowned out as this scent gets sweeter and sweeter. It was a bit headache inducing, but after about an hour of this, it calms down. The scent smells like flowers sprayed with water.

Overview: To be perfectly honest, I don't know how all that smells so the description isn't much help for me. I just zoomed in on ocean mist & sea salt and expect a more salty smell.

On bf: This smells like sweet florals on him. The florals were definitely amped up and he smells like he smashed into a giant bouquet of flowers.

Bf's review:  Smells flowery. It's too feminine.

____________________

Solid Perfume Review

The longevity and sillage for this is pretty much the same as my old batch of solid perfumes-strongest at the first 1-2h, gone by 3h. The sillage isn't as strong as the perfume oils, so you have to get to kissing distance to sniff them. The texture is very stiff and hard.

One thing I'm definitely impressed with is how the perfumes come with the top smoothed straight. It's a minor thing but makes the entire presentation so neat. Definitely appreciated!

So clean and pretty!

Beauty

This smells like light, fresh florals, which surprised me. It almost smells like Rapunzel. I thought I got the wrong scent, so I had to revisit my old collection. Holy crap, Beauty has aged beautifully after about 4 months! It now starts off as a very light and fresh rose, instead of the burnt tobacco & leather smell. As it wears on, it gets heavier and becomes this very creamy, warm florals that's a tad old lady-ish, but not as bad as it was the first time I tried it. It's a perfume I can see on a middle-aged Madame de Pompadour -a sophisticated, lush woman brimming with secrets and charm. I picked Madame de Pompadour out of all famous mistresses since there's something Rococo about this perfume - it's heavy, grand and florid.

A portrait of Madame de Pompadour by François Boucher
Image courtesy of Wikimedia

On the negative side, I sniffed at Mermaid (due to leakage, all the labels have fallen off so I had to sniff everything) and it didn't age well at all. It got much heavier and the candied smell becomes a bit artificial. It ends up smelling like a cloying car perfume :(

I've updated my previous review to reflect the change.

Hook

The smell is pretty much the same as the perfume oil and the only difference I noticed is that there's less of the sourness I smelled on the perfume oil.

Sea Witch

The musky masculine smell is less strong here, so it smells way more feminine. The sweetness got toned down, so I like it more. It smells a bit like a Crabtree & Evelyn body lotion. 

Review: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary Perfume Oils

Some time ago, I reviewed Midsummer Dreams Apothecary. You can check the store out here.

I only got the chance to review the solid perfumes then since I received the package right before I was heading off to Singapore, and the perfume oils were unfit for travel since they were already spilling all over the place when I opened the package. 

When I finally got the chance to review the perfume oils, I decided to postpone my review until I received my perfume oils from other brands so I can give a more fair review. This was my first perfume oil purchase ever, so I won't know what's good or bad. I was really excited to try out perfume oils since I've heard mixed reviews about them. While I read some posts saying the usual alcohol spritz on perfumes last longer and smell stronger, I've also read that perfume oils last longer and smells more complex. This brand was my first try, and I immediately wrote down my impressions when I smelled it. I then tried them all out again after reviewing perfume oils from 2 other brands (Haus of Gloi, Alkemia), and edited my review accordingly.

Perfume Oil Quick Review

I've seen some reviews saying these perfume oils lasts only about 1-2 hours, but for me, I can still smell it 3-5 hours later on my skin. Maybe it's because I live in a warm, tropical country, so smells just linger. The smell does stop wafting above my skin after 1-2h, depending on the scent. I realize that this is a bit on the short side after I've tried Haus of Gloi and Alkemia, but he owner, Cheryl, mentioned on reddit that she's open to reformulating the fragrances to make it stronger. So I'm positive this would improve soon. Here's a quick summary of the wear times:

• Beauty
• N/A. This was a miss for me and I scrubbed it off, but I wore it for 2h and the smell was still strong before I washed it off.
• Mermaid
• Wafts around: 2h
• Just on the skin: 6h
• Rapunzel
• Wafts around: 2h
• Just on the skin: 5h
• Snow White
• Wafts around: 1h
• Just on the skin: < 3h
• Sultan's Dauther
• Wafts around: 30 min - 1h
• Just on the skin: < 2h

Also the perfume oil samples were leaking when they arrived, but Cheryl also mentioned some time ago that she's fixing this issue and I noticed newer reviews had different sample bottles. I'm assuming this issue's already solved. 

Scents Review

Rapunzel

Image courtesy of: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary

Notes: Amber, Sweet Grass, Honeysuckle, Rose, Jasmine

First Impression: There's a sharp, herb-ish smell that's almost medicinal. Not a fan.

5 min in: Oh my gods I'm in love!  It morphed into this fresh, clean smell that makes me think of fresh linens in a tower overlooking the sea. Reminds me of trips to spa in Baden Baden, Germany or walking around in Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

30 min in: Definitely smells like clean soap. I once read that Coco Chanel's inspiration for her iconic scent is that fresh, clean soap smell she used to smell while living in a convent. This smell definitely evokes that imagery. A gorgeous, stone convent surrounded by beautiful gardens, filled with fresh-faced nuns who'll be nothing like the scary nuns I remembered from my childhood. 


1h in: Can I swim in this? I just feel like I'm in a different place and era when I smell this. I'm definitely in a fucking castle. A modern one like those castles refurbished into 5 star hotels, of course. Actual castles in non-romanticized bygone eras stank since people didn't have proper plumbing. 

2h in: Still the same soap smell, only there's something a bit woodsy in the smell. I love it. It's like lying in a soft, clean bed after prancing around in a meadow like a unicorn on crack. This scent no longer wafts around by 3h, but I can smell it faintly on my skin for up to 5h.

Overall impression: This is a scent that really sparks your imagination. If I'm ever playing D&D, this is totally the perfume I'm using. Only I'd probably be the shittiest player since the only thing I'll be doing is staying in my fucking castle. I smell too good. 

Image courtesy of: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary

Beauty

Notes: Vanilla, Amber, Rose, Rosewood, Oakmoss

First impression: There's a burnt, tobacco smell I don't really like.

5 min in: I smell a bit of leather in. It's starting to smell like an old library. Leather, tobacco and old books.  I kinda like the smell, but it's definitely too masculine for me.

30 min: It smells like old ladies now. Very heavy, heady smell that reminds me of a grandma's powder room -very heavy, musky, powdery smell. The vanilla & rose is definitely strong.

1h in: This definitely isn't a perfume for me. It smells too much like an old lady. There's a hint of something faintly medicinal.

2h in: Oh wow..the smell is still really strong. It still smells like an old lady. I ended up washing it off since the scent's not for me. 

Overall Impression: Maybe it's because of Indonesia's hot, tropical weather -warm, heavy smells just smell too heavy and heady here. I liked Valentino's Rock & Rose, which has strong notes of vanilla and rose, but this scent smells much heavier than that. 

Update 08/08/14: Beauty has aged beautifully after about 4 months! It now starts off as a very light and fresh rose, instead of the burnt tobacco & leather smell. As it wears on, it gets heavier and becomes this very creamy, warm florals that's a tad old lady-ish, but not as bad as it was the first time I tried it. It's a perfume I can see on a middle-aged Madame de Pompadour -a sophisticated, lush woman brimming with secrets and charm. I picked Madame de Pompadour out of all famous mistresses since there's something Rococo about this perfume - it's heavy, grand and florid.

Mermaid

Image courtesy of: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary

Notes: Sea salt, lotus, vanilla, Puakenikeni flower, gardenia, bergamot

First impression: There's a very sweet liquorice smell.

5 min in: The more flowery, sweet smells are definitely coming out. It smells like a minty bouquet of flowers, with traces of vanilla. I kinda like it.

30 min in: On first whiff, there's a very fresh scent (almost reminds me of ice) with a hint of something wild I can't place (it may be the sea salt). Then, slowly, a more muted, creamy flowery smell comes out.  Out of all the perfumes, this seems to be the strongest scent in humid, tropical weather -I can smell it wafting around me even as I walk. Definitely a good thing.

1h in: The sweet, liquorice smell is back. I'm personally not a fan, but I know my mom would love it since she's a fan of liquorice. The smell is now wavering in between sweet liquorice or a minty bubblegum, with a hint of something floral. Reminds me of entering a high end candy store where they have interesting flavours like lavender chocolate and chrysanthemum candy. 

2h in: The smell has settled and it smells like candied flowers with a hint of a coppery smell underneath the fresh, cool smell. The smell is a bit faint after 3h, but I can still smell it on my skin 6h later. 

Overall impression: Metallic, candied flowers. I actually like the smell once it settled, and I can see myself using this pretty often. This is one of the strongest scents out of the 5 scents for me. 

Update 08/08/14: I sniffed this again after about 4 months and this unfortunately didn't age well. It got much heavier and the candied smell becomes a bit artificial. It ends up smelling like a cloying car perfume :(

Sultan's Daughter

Image courtesy of: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary

Notes: Vanilla, Jasmine, Amber, Fig, Ylang Ylang

First impression: Unlike the solid perfume version, the perfume oil version has a faintly medicinal smell when it's first applied.

5 min in: The perfume oil definitely smells creamier than the solid perfume. Not sure why. It still smells like a Javanese massage with a hint of a heady incense. A very creamy, flowery smell. 

15 min in: The heady incense smell disappears faster and morphs into the clean, almost soapy, jasmine smell a bit earlier. Comes in around 10-15 minutes. 

30 min in: The smell is stays as clean, soapy jasmine, though there's a hint of something creamy that wasn't present in the solid perfumes. Probably the vanilla and amber. 

1h in: The smell is relatively faint now, but I can still smell it on my skin. 

Overall impression: This scent is the one that lasts the shortest. It's actually a really great smell, but all my Indonesian friends weren't fans. They find it too ordinary and it just smells as if they just got out of a massage (to be fair, the essential oils most spas use here are awesome). But I can see non-Indonesians going crazy over this smell since it would probably smell exotic and sensual. If you've had great memories of trips to Bali and Javanese massages, you'll probably love this smell. 

Snow White

Image courtesy of: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary

Notes: Vanilla, Apple, Ylang Ylang, Balsam, Cedar, Rosewood, Pear, Bergamot, Fig


First Impression: Still smells like minty rain with a hint of apples. Though in the perfume oil version, there's a hint of something bitter. This is definitely Snow White's  poisoned apple -juicy, tempting, and seductive, with a hint of bitter poison. When I tried to describe this scent, the first thing I thought of was "forbidden fruit"....though technically, the biblical forbidden fruit is probably not an apple. 

5 min in: I still smell the apples, but unlike the solid perfume version, I smell less apple and more of a warm, woody smell that was lost in the solid perfume. My coworker thinks it smells like apple potpourri, I personally think it smells like spiced, apple flavoured chai. My coworker countered that she finds chai to be edible potpourri. 

30 min in: The woody smell is definitely more pronounced in the perfume oils. In the solid perfume version, the apple scent is closer to the surface. In the perfume oil version, the apple scent is more muted, buried under the sweet wood scent. 

1h in: There's a more floral smell entering into the spiced wood smell. With the solid perfumes, it starts smelling like apple pie around this time, but with the perfume oil, it smells more like chai. The smell reminds me of drinking a hot cup of chai after getting drenched in the rain. 

2h in: The smell's very faint now and it's a bit more floral. 

Overall impression: For the ancient Greek, the apple was the fruit of seduction. Just because it was so damn expensive. Giving a girl an apple was the modern equivalent of giving her champagne, caviar and truffles. Apples represented seduction. This scent just captures this concept.  I love, love, love this scent. It's an apple smell that's delicious but light at the same time. It makes me hungry and yet doesn't make me smell like ants are about to swarm me.

Review: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary (Part 1)

I recently purchased a sampler pack of all of Midsummer Dreams Apothecary's Fairy Tale perfumes and two solid perfumes (Sultan's Daughter & Snow White) since:

a) I always love supporting indie brands

b) I'm a sucker for pretty packaging

c) Art Nouveau logo?? LOVE.

Customer Service

I have to say, Cheryl from Midsummer Dreams Apothecary is freaking awesome. So my credit card screwed up and I got charged $3,000 for a $30 purchase. I got a text message from my credit card company immediately to tell me I just spent $3,000 and I shat my pants. I immediately called up Paypal & messaged Cheryl, and they were both great. Cheryl was so responsive and I got more help from her than from my private banker. I'm so, so, so grateful for all her help. When my bank insisted on the merchant sending me proof that they only charged me $30, I got a response in less than an hour from her. And this was with a crazy time difference.

All this happened on April 7, I got everything settled and my order was shipped on April 13, I received it today on April 29. Pretty awesome for an international shipment (US to Indonesia). 22 days turnaround time while dealing with a credit card screw up is incredibly impressive! 

Packaging

My order came in the cutest packaging ever!

Stickers? OMFG yay!

Don't you feel all giggly and girly just looking at the packaging? Love!

Some of the perfume oils were leaking so I got a whiff of how all the oils would smell blended together and it's actually pretty nice! It sounds really weird, but it smells like a socialite granny: powder rooms, something a very classy & clean, and a hint of something old (could be all the amber). You imagine this perfume being worn by a very proper, Julie Andrews style grandma who's constantly wearing Chanel suits. I instinctively felt the need to sit up a bit straighter.  

Solid Perfume Review

I've only tried the solid perfumes since I'm saving the perfume oils for when I get back from Singapore. The packaging is obviously gorgeous. I love the tube too, makes it easy and convenient to apply. I find that the scent is not as strong (like most solid perfumes) and start fading after 1h for Sultan's Daughter and 2h for Snow White.

Now for the solid perfume fragrance reviews:

Sultan's Daughter

Image courtesy of: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary

Notes: Vanilla, Jasmine, Amber, Fig, Ylang Ylang

First impression: I can see this smell being very exotic in the US, but for an Indonesian, it smells very nostalgic. It smells like the oils they usually use when you get a Javanese massage - a smell that always makes me think of jasmines & batik.

5 min in: Still smelling like an Indonesian spa with a hint of a heady incense. A very creamy, flowery smell. My coworker says it smells like when you're getting a masage. 

30 min in: The heady incense smell is gone, and there's a clean, almost soapy, jasmine smell. Reminds me of Balinese hotels.

1h in: The smell is mostly faded.

Overall impression: This scent is like a trip to Indonesia. I'm not sure if Cheryl has ever been here, but she really captured the essence of the country in here. My Indonesian coworkers say it smells "normal" but if I get a whiff of this back when I was still in the US, I'd probably bawl from homesickness. 

Snow White

Image courtesy of: Midsummer Dreams Apothecary

Notes: Vanilla, Apple, Ylang Ylang, Balsam, Cedar, Rosewood, Pear, Bergamot, Fig

First Impression: I thought it smells like minty rain with a hint of apples.

5 min in:  I smell more of the apple now. It's smells like a deeper, more complex version of DKNY's red apple perfume. Love it!

30 min in: I smell a hint of something warm and sugary. Almost like brown sugar?

1h in: Smell's a bit faint but smells like apple pie. I'm hungry. I just want to eat myself...in a non-sexual way.

2h in: The smell's very faint now and it's a bit more floral. 

Overall impression: I love, love, love this scent. It's an apple smell that's delicious but light at the same time. It makes me hungry and yet doesn't make me smell like ants are about to swarm me.