Review: Sixteen92 - Sarah Good
Perfume: Sarah Good
Brand: Sixteen92
Format: Oil
Price: $14 for 6ml in a glass bottle. Also available in a 10ml rollerball bottle for $20.
Availability: General catalogue
Description: (From the Sixteen92 website)
Charred maple leaves, black pitch, fresh-baked bread, dried black tea leaves, sweet orange, chimney smoke.
Background:
I'd been wanting to try Sarah Good since I first discovered Sixteen92 earlier this year (yes, I'm still pretty new to indie fragrances). The notes are super unique and appealing, and I always loved the idea of smelling like baked bread. Actually, I dressed up as Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service this year and was really hoping to wear a fragrance that smelled like bread for that, but knew I wouldn't get it on time. I ended up wearing Pumpkins Crave Bread from Arcana instead (as evidenced by my first ever post on this blog). It's for the best, however, because this fragrance wasn't what I expected.
I want to start off by saying that I bought Baba Yaga as part of my second purchase from this brand (my first being the gorgeous Nereids, which I'll definitely review one day as it holds a special place in my heart), and really enjoyed it. It's actually my fiancé's self-proclaimed favorite fragrance of mine, and that says a lot since he normally likes really fruity-floral sorts of smells.
That said... I've found a good four fragrances by Sixteen92 that just smell like some version of Baba Yaga ever since. I can't imagine it's the carrier oil they use, considering I have a ton of their fragrances that are discrete and lovely and that DON'T remind me of Baba Yaga, but it must be a similar note. The problem is, I can't find a similar note between all of the fragrances that make me think of it.
And this perfume, unfortunately, is one of them. I feel like it has to be the "black pitch" note, or perhaps the "chimney smoke," since Baba Yaga has "forest dirt" and "sweet woodsmoke." In any case, on with the review.
Review:
In the bottle, I get Baba Yaga with a tiny bit of yeastiness. This was originally a source of disappointment for me; I smelled it right out of the mail and immediately went to compare it to my bottle of Baba Yaga. They smelled very similar, but the yeastiness told me that this had to have not been a mistake. I was so disappointed! Another Baba Yaga scent to add to my collection. And a full size, at that. Even after letting it rest a couple of weeks, I get the same thing in the bottle.
Wet, it's much more pleasing and unique from Baba Yaga than in the bottle. That vague, dirty-Baba-Yaga-sweetness fades a bit to a stronger yeastiness and a small (and I mean miniscule) hint of orange rind. At this point in its journey, I'd still consider it a sister scent of Baba Yaga, but it's very much its own perfume.
Unfortunately, dry, it reverts back to being almost a carbon copy of Baba Yaga. Perhaps it's because I amp smoke notes, but while Baba Yaga is very dragon's blood, smoke, and candle wax on me, this is like the smoke and candle wax without the dragon's blood. That's interesting, because there's no candle wax listed at all. I wonder if the sweetness of the orange and bread translate as melted candle to my nose. If I squint, I can smell some of that black tea mingling in with the smoke, so I can give it that.
Despite my qualms, don't get me wrong: it really is a nice scent. And it's totally worth trying as a sample regardless of whether or not you already have Baba Yaga, because when I posted about their similarities on a forum, people seemed to disagree with me. It may be that my nose is not discerning enough to pick up on the differences, or perhaps that my skin just amps the dirt and smoke in both Baba Yaga and Sarah Good. So, therein lies my recommendation: if you don't have Baba Yaga, and the notes appeal to you, you'll probably love this. If you do have Baba Yaga, get a sample first to make sure they're different enough to you to justify a full size (especially if you're anything like me and prefer blind-buying full sizes to getting samples).
Throw: Medium to strong. If you work in a somewhat conservative office or with people with fragrance sensitivities, you may want to apply this with a light hand or save it for at home.
Longevity: Strong for about 4 hours, but still detectable on the skin after about 8 (which is great for my dry skin)!
Summary: Smoky, sweet, somewhat dirty slightly-gourmand atmospheric. Not great for people who have a more conventional taste in fragrance, but pleasant enough for anyone into even just slightly "weird" perfumes.
Rating: 7/10 because the notes I was most excited about (bread, tea, and orange) either are barely noticeable on my skin or fade very quickly. Remember, YMMV as I amp smoke and it likely drowned out the other notes.
Song: Agnes Obel, "Familiar"
Brand: Sixteen92
Format: Oil
Price: $14 for 6ml in a glass bottle. Also available in a 10ml rollerball bottle for $20.
Availability: General catalogue
Description: (From the Sixteen92 website)
Charred maple leaves, black pitch, fresh-baked bread, dried black tea leaves, sweet orange, chimney smoke.
Background:
I'd been wanting to try Sarah Good since I first discovered Sixteen92 earlier this year (yes, I'm still pretty new to indie fragrances). The notes are super unique and appealing, and I always loved the idea of smelling like baked bread. Actually, I dressed up as Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service this year and was really hoping to wear a fragrance that smelled like bread for that, but knew I wouldn't get it on time. I ended up wearing Pumpkins Crave Bread from Arcana instead (as evidenced by my first ever post on this blog). It's for the best, however, because this fragrance wasn't what I expected.
I want to start off by saying that I bought Baba Yaga as part of my second purchase from this brand (my first being the gorgeous Nereids, which I'll definitely review one day as it holds a special place in my heart), and really enjoyed it. It's actually my fiancé's self-proclaimed favorite fragrance of mine, and that says a lot since he normally likes really fruity-floral sorts of smells.
 |
| Yes, my house has a wood burning stove. I know it's not colonial. Shhh. |
That said... I've found a good four fragrances by Sixteen92 that just smell like some version of Baba Yaga ever since. I can't imagine it's the carrier oil they use, considering I have a ton of their fragrances that are discrete and lovely and that DON'T remind me of Baba Yaga, but it must be a similar note. The problem is, I can't find a similar note between all of the fragrances that make me think of it.
And this perfume, unfortunately, is one of them. I feel like it has to be the "black pitch" note, or perhaps the "chimney smoke," since Baba Yaga has "forest dirt" and "sweet woodsmoke." In any case, on with the review.
Review:
In the bottle, I get Baba Yaga with a tiny bit of yeastiness. This was originally a source of disappointment for me; I smelled it right out of the mail and immediately went to compare it to my bottle of Baba Yaga. They smelled very similar, but the yeastiness told me that this had to have not been a mistake. I was so disappointed! Another Baba Yaga scent to add to my collection. And a full size, at that. Even after letting it rest a couple of weeks, I get the same thing in the bottle.
Wet, it's much more pleasing and unique from Baba Yaga than in the bottle. That vague, dirty-Baba-Yaga-sweetness fades a bit to a stronger yeastiness and a small (and I mean miniscule) hint of orange rind. At this point in its journey, I'd still consider it a sister scent of Baba Yaga, but it's very much its own perfume.
 |
| The real question here is: when is my fiancé going to walk in on me taking pictures of my perfume on our food? |
Unfortunately, dry, it reverts back to being almost a carbon copy of Baba Yaga. Perhaps it's because I amp smoke notes, but while Baba Yaga is very dragon's blood, smoke, and candle wax on me, this is like the smoke and candle wax without the dragon's blood. That's interesting, because there's no candle wax listed at all. I wonder if the sweetness of the orange and bread translate as melted candle to my nose. If I squint, I can smell some of that black tea mingling in with the smoke, so I can give it that.
Despite my qualms, don't get me wrong: it really is a nice scent. And it's totally worth trying as a sample regardless of whether or not you already have Baba Yaga, because when I posted about their similarities on a forum, people seemed to disagree with me. It may be that my nose is not discerning enough to pick up on the differences, or perhaps that my skin just amps the dirt and smoke in both Baba Yaga and Sarah Good. So, therein lies my recommendation: if you don't have Baba Yaga, and the notes appeal to you, you'll probably love this. If you do have Baba Yaga, get a sample first to make sure they're different enough to you to justify a full size (especially if you're anything like me and prefer blind-buying full sizes to getting samples).
Throw: Medium to strong. If you work in a somewhat conservative office or with people with fragrance sensitivities, you may want to apply this with a light hand or save it for at home.
Longevity: Strong for about 4 hours, but still detectable on the skin after about 8 (which is great for my dry skin)!
Summary: Smoky, sweet, somewhat dirty slightly-gourmand atmospheric. Not great for people who have a more conventional taste in fragrance, but pleasant enough for anyone into even just slightly "weird" perfumes.
Rating: 7/10 because the notes I was most excited about (bread, tea, and orange) either are barely noticeable on my skin or fade very quickly. Remember, YMMV as I amp smoke and it likely drowned out the other notes.
Song: Agnes Obel, "Familiar"
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