This is my first, and likely my only, perfume review (and it’s not sponsored in any way). I’m careful about scented products because they often give Mr. Robot migraines. No incense, no scented candles, and until I got this absolutely no perfume. I used to enjoy scented things quite a lot before I met Mr. Robot, and it seems shallow all these years later but I freaked out a little about the scent issue before we got married. Mostly it’s no big deal, but once in a while I miss smelling wonderful and mysterious.

So I was very tempted by For Strange Women, a small perfume maker based in Missouri. They advertised unusual scent profiles, heavy on resin and wood just the way I like my scent. But more importantly, they advertised all natural perfume that clings close to the wearer, so I could hopefully enjoy the scent without bothering Mr. Robot. They offer reasonably priced samples, so I ordered a few late last fall and spent a couple weeks trying them out. They smelled wonderful and didn’t seem to set off any migraines, so a few months ago I ordered two full-sized perfumes, one vial of perfume oil and one lovely compact filled with beeswax-based perfume.

The samples came in lovely packaging–the wax-based samples were little dabs of perfume on elegant folding cards and the oil-based sample I ordered came in a tiny blue vial. The vial was a bit hard to open but was a perfectly serviceable sample. Each sample was enough for one or two uses, and I can smell the perfume for 5 or 6 hours after applying. It’s hard to describe scents in words, but I felt the descriptions matched the samples pretty well.

The full-sized vial I chose was November in the Temperate Deciduous Forest. Somewhere on the website they described the oil perfumes as being coming on stronger and fading faster than the wax-based perfumes. I love this scent but it does wear a bit quickly.

I wear my wax-based French Oakmoss perfume more often. It’s very earthy, with just a touch of powdery floral scent to it, and if I put it on in the morning I catch subtle whiffs of it for most of the day. I splurged on the refillable compact, and while the perfume insert doesn’t fit snugly (and therefore swirls around when I rub my finger on it), the compact is solid and snaps securely.

I’ve been using these two scents for months, and since I don’t use scent daily I have plenty left. I really appreciate the company’s aesthetic and their emphasis on earthier, spicier scents. Around here people are obsessed with vanilla and jasmine and other light, flowery stuff and it’s nice to have a source for the deeper and darker stuff I prefer. I’ve so far had a great experience with For Strange Women and I highly recommend them.