Arcana Craves Strawberries Reviews!
ArcanaΒ Cravesβ Strawberries Crave Collection has been a favorite of mine since its debut. The collection is currently available again on the Arcana Craves site (link at the bottom of this post). Arcanaβs strawberry note works best for my skin chemistry of all of the perfume houses--it tends to be more on the realistic side and less plasticky than others that I have tried, although I know that strawberry is one of those notes that varies wildly. The four blends that Iβm reviewing are my very favorites of the Strawberries Crave line (though there are a few others that are on my list to try!), and are truthfully up there among my favorites in my entire collection. <3Β
Strawberries Crave Helios
Scent description: Strawberry jam with juicy blackberries, lemonade, limeade, and pure white amber.
In the bottle, this smells like the freshest, tartest, true lemonade with a liberal dousing of sugar. On skin it is the same! Itβs a fresh-squeezed lemonade with a squeeze of lime and sticky sweet strawberry jam on the rim. This is a mouth-watering blend, and a must have in my collection as lemonade is one of my favorite things in life. Itβs a great citrus scent--happy and uplifting. It retains its juicy tartness throughout wear and is an excellent blend for summer.
Strawberries Crave Lucy
Scent description: Arcana Wildcraft's Surfers on Acid blend (sweet coconut milk, pineapple, and absinthe) with pink strawberry.
The absinthe is in this blend nearly scared me off, but Iβm glad that I tried it anyhow, because itβs one of my favorite scents. This is an excellent pina colada blend that has me dreaming of lounging on a warm beach in the summertime. The pineapple smells very realistic, and the coconut milk is sweet, creamy, and gentle--not overbearing. I donβt specifically smell the strawberry, but I think that it is pepping up the tart fruitiness of the pineapple. I smell a hint of something herbal and green, which must be the absinthe. Itβs like a sprig of mint bobbing gently in the pina colada.Β
Strawberries Crave Summer
Scent description: Tropical blossoms of tiare, tuberose petals, star jasmine, and neroli over melty pistachio and strawberry sherbets.
Itβs no secret that I love a good tropical floral blend, and this is one of the prettiest ones out there! This blend is true to its beautifully written description--sweet, waxy tropical petals (realistic and dreamy, not screechy or high-pitched at all) float on a delicious pistachio sherbet with a hint of ripe, red strawberries. This is one of my very favorite blends that is perfect for any occasion--itβs a pretty and effortless floral scent, made unique with the addition of the pistachio and strawberry.
Strawberries Crave Waterfalls
Scent description: Rain, woodland strawberries, fresh water, petitgrain, osmanthus, clover, and smooth amber.
This blend is another stunner! Arcanaβs legendary rain and water notes shine here--warm, fresh, beautiful, and atmospheric. The strawberries are of the small and flavorful variety. The petitgrain and clover add a touch of sharp greenness that enhances the atmospheric nature of this blend. Itβs sweet and natural--like eating small, pink-red strawberries by a waterfall deep in the woods. So gorgeous.
Strawberries Crave Rococo
Scent description: Tiny strawberries with Madagascar vanilla, Tahitian vanilla, apricot, white musk, and skin musk.
Strawberries Crave Rococo is a pile of tiny, glossy pink strawberries on a fluffy vanilla cake in a dressing room in Versailles. The skin musk is glowing and clean, and with time fades into the background, leaving behind a glowing warmth. This is a wonderful blend that would be equally fitting at a fancy party or picnic outdoors. It's one of my favorites from this collection!
Strawberries Crave Vanilla
Scent description: Strawberries ripened on the vine, Tahitian vanilla bean, the warmth of the sun, and a hint of sugared patchouli.
Oh--this is a lovely ripened strawberry patch in the sun! Green, peppery, sun-warmed vines (I think the warm patchouli is giving the sunny aura!) and squishy, ripe, red strawberries! This is an expertly blended scent that conjures a distinct image of strawberry patch in the summer.
Strawberries Crave Nyx
Scent description: Drunken honey, lavender-laced mallow, soft amber, night musk, and hints of strawberry and nectarine.
This is lovely! Lovely, light honey marshmallows dotted with fragrant lavender buds, slices of firm nectarine, and just a weee fruity hint of strawberry. At first this actually reminds me a bit of Fille de Joie, but with more honey. This is soporific and soothing--I love it!
Strawberries Crave Indulgence
Scent description: French vanilla, white amber, sugared vanilla beans, caramel, lady finger cookies, opium, strawberry creme, and the faintest whiff of tobacco.
Om nom nom. This one smells like sweet caramels and strawberry liqueur on fluffy angel food cake! I think the tobacco (which is ultra light--like the smooth, sweet blond style) is giving the air of "liqueur" here. This truly is indulgent--sugary and rich and fancy! This has a Victorian gourmand feel.
Strawberries Crave Kink
Scent description: Worn leather, black coconut, black musk, skin musk, and wild strawberry.
Oh wow--I like this one a whole lot more than I thought I would! Smooth, soft leather, sweet honeyed coconut, and hints of pink strawberry make up this blend. I love Julia's coconut blends, and this one is a winner! It's a goth coconut delight. I can tell that there's some black musk here lending some dark moodiness, but it's not overwhelming and sharp (as it can usually be for me). Honestly, this is a surprisingly delightful blend, and fans of leather and coconut should give it a try!
Strawberries Crave Baby Goats
Scent description: A frisky, frolicsome mix of bright red raspberries and juicy pink strawberries is sprinkled with sparkling cane sugar crystals and drizzled in vanilla-infused rum. In the background, hints of sweet tuberose petals are entwined in an abundance of soft, musky goat fur.
Ripe, jammy strawberries and raspberries and sweet, tropical tuberose on a cuddly warm background of a gentle fur. It's like a happy day in the sun. With wear the snuggly fur becomes more prominent. I prefer this stage of wear because it's more soothing and snuggly.
Strawberries Crave Botanicus
Scent description: Fresh strawberry, guava, galbanum, basil, green hemp, bayberry, and ruby grapefruit.
In the bottle, I was nearly overwhelmed by the strong scent of basil, but on skin this is a botanical delight! The basil is green and peppery like sun-warmed vines, and blends beautifully with the grapefruit to create a fresh and zesty blend. With time, I get some jammy strawberry-guava, it's sweet and tart and pink and lovely. This is a gorgeous subtopical garden, and I would love to have it in beverage form!
Strawberries Crave Sunlit Paths
Scent description: The happy scent of day-hiking through the dappled sunlight of a coniferous thicket of trees. Sugary red strawberries with Arcana Wildcraft's Her Forest (layers of velvety forest mosses and soft green lichens with wild-harvested Northern fir tips, Bourbon vetiver, black oudh, and a hint of forest floor).
This scent is reviewed in the Daydream Collection post, but I'm including here as well! Her Forest (from the Deer Goddess collection) is a complex, beautiful, and realistic calming forest scent. Combining this scent with strawberry was a stroke of genius--they blend so incredibly harmoniously. This fragrance is much more than strawberry + Her Forest--it has become a magnificent fragrance of its own. This is a happier, more carefree version of the solemn and peaceful Her Forest. It truly does smell sunlit--like walking along a well-worn sun-dappled path in a beautiful old deciduous forest, fingers stained and juicy from perfect, ripe strawberries. Strawberries Crave Sunlit Paths is bottled happiness.
Arcana Cravesβ beautiful perfumes may be perused and purchased atΒ https://arcanacraves.com/
