Everything I Upsized in 2022

In 2022, I upsized 22 (-ish, may have forgotten a couple) fragrances that I had previously sampled, so excluding any reckless untested buys that worked out anyway. Mostly I upsized to FS bottles, but I also started buying some chonks to keep my collection more manageable, and found this works really well for fragrances I like but probably won’t wear more than once a month or so. Full descriptions are below and will review anything on request, but a summary-

Top Brands

Possets were by far my favourite brand of the year. After falling hard for Barbara Villiers from the 2021 Valentines release, I upsized it in 2022 and ordered dozens more samples throughout the year across every release to see what else I had been missing out on. What I found is that my success rate isn’t actually that high with Possets, but when one of their fragrances works, it does to me whatever Calvin Klein’s Obsession For Men apparently does to big cats. I mostly loved Possets for big dramatic gothy fragrances, but then I also upsized Madame X, which is an unexpectedly “ooh, you smell nice” kind of work-friendly fragrance parked right in the middle of all my absolutely NSFW incensey Possets perfumes.

Beyond that, Poesie sneaked up on me with some cheeky sleeper hits (and I actually went on to upsize Villa Diodati and Black Cat Cuddles in 2023), and BPAL remained a consistent favourite. I would have upsized at least twice as many BPAL fragrances, but missed out on some limited editions. They were Womb Furie 2022 and Triumphant Vulva, so may actually be a blessing in disguise, since I’d have worn them all the time, and when you’re wearing a fragrance with a name like Triumphant Vulva, you can guarantee that everyone will suddenly need to know the name of that lovely perfume you’re wearing.

Top Three Smells of the Year

1. Possets - Nefertiti and Ankhenaten

2. Possets - Bar Sinister

3. Possets - 3:5:8

Top Three Smells of the Year That Aren’t From Possets

1. BPAL - Boomslang

2. TSS - God of the Lost

3. D&F - The Sweater

(This was quite a hard decision, so I went with the three I’ve been wearing the most, but I had a lot of big hits over the year)

And descriptions of everything-

Poesie

Eat Me (peach lavender cake with a marshmallow frosting dotted with red currants)

Athena (sun-baked Mediterranean herbs and earth, a rich and resinous vanilla spiked with a complex blend of incense and spice, exquisite grey musk)

Possets

Barbara Villiers (Egyptian Red Musk with a dusting of darkest and somewhat bitter chocolate, a nice smooth amber, a tiny bit of orange zest, and a light light infusion of mint)

3:5:8 (the darkest of all black musks, a gleaming DRY smokey vanilla, a very light dusting of precious jasmine, finally a light version of night blooming cereus and a wild incense which is like the lovechild of nag champa, high and dark)

Mayan Queen Bloodletting Sacrifice (incense smoke, copal resin, red fruit rich in iron scent, and the background of cacao and jungle atmosphere of greenery)

Madame X (skin musk, wax, cream, lemon zest, champagne, and a kiss of bitter vanilla)

Nefertiti and Ankhenaten (sweet sticky golden amber, a sugared spikenard, green patchouli, and a drop of yellow musk, mixed together with a skin of henna and a measure of sandalwood)

Bar Sinister (green Bourbon vanilla extract, sweetbriar, a powerful green musk, and a very highly refined leather, a background of labdenum, and a high and intoxicating silk accord)

Lachrymosa (salty tears, what else would one think of, the bitterness of loss, the pain of a broken heart. A whiff of smoke, salt, oxygen (a mineral airy scent), and a bit of embalming spice) (not pictured)

Crow & Pebble

Prismatic Crow (soft woods, dark forest fruits, dry pine needles, juniper branches, rosemary and a wisp of smoke)

Astrid

Monarch’s Farewell (blood orange, myrrh, dried leaves, pear, black pepper, vanilla, cider, cream, and amber)

Solstice Scents

Sea of Grey (vanilla rain, saltwater, seaweed, ambergris (vegan), white amber, roasted seashells, white sandalwood, frangipani)

BPAL

Boomslang (Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk)

Asp Viper (Snake Oil with King mandarin, myrrh, and almond)

Nui Cobalt

Sacred Space (a misty, moss-covered glen, a simple wooden pagoda, steam from a cup of black tea, a tendril of incense smoke)

Meditation (smouldering frankincense and myrrh, copal, nag champa, white sandalwood, golden amber, a trace of Buddha wood and a wisp of oudh)

Death and Floral

The Sweater (a luscious blend of three different vanillas, resinous amber, Arabian sandalwood, a soft cashmere sweater)

With the Fishes and the Dead (black squid ink and mile long oceans. Black ambergris, black labdanum absolute, salty ocean water, and black pits of stretched out emptiness)

Damned Nightfall (the deepest and darkest amber blended with violets, black labdanum, vanilla absolute, espresso absolute, fresh cocoa beans, and honey)

The Strange South

God of the Lost (birch, mud, honey (vegan), pelting rain, and the hulking, faceless creature trailing your scent)

Caught Ye (plum blossom, fig, burnt sage, heather, clover, catnip, and ruffled hair)

Begotten (cracked earth, mandarin peel, marigold, pistachio, and willow leaf)

I have nothing to contribute, just wanted to let you know that I absolutely love this post! What a nice way to reflect (:

What a wonderful round-up! I wish I could show that kind of restraint. I'm weak when it comes to Astrid and Possets, and I own way too many scents from both.

Your comment about Madam X captures that scent perfectly. I get some nice comments whenever I wear it out and about.

I've had Posie's Athena on my ISO list for quite some time, I just never see it in swaps. I might just have to order it direct.

I am so glad I ordered a sample of 3:5:8, even though it sounds a bit outside of my comfort zone!

What is your impression of Boomslang & Asp Viper? Long have I debated upon going after a bottle of these two Snake Oil variations...but have held back! I've heard they both can be very close to the skin sort of scents.

hi! love this round up i think it's so cool! but im so curious about what you think of Lachrymosa from possets and With the Fishes and the Dead from d&f! overall love how interesting and different these scents are!

I absolutely love this idea! And Monarch’s Farewell is so gorgeous, I was absolutely blown away by that scent ❤️ you have some great top picks :’)

What a wonderful thing to celebrate! Damned Nightfall is one of my favorites C: How do you like God of The Lost? What does it smell like?

I love this concept, and the way you presented it feels so...celebratory. I love it.

If it's no trouble, could I get your thoughts on Prismatic Crow and Damned Nightfall?

such a lovely post! I have samples of Athena and Bar Sinister on the way and you’ve made me extra excited to try them out!

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I'd love to hear your Lachrymosa review! I was searching for some here. Looks like we might have similar taste, I love Possets, Strange South and BPAL.