Review: Madame Scodioli Scents

Madame Scodioli's is an etsy shop that specializes in soaps, perfumes, and bearded things. I am liking solid scents right now and decided to get a couple samples from her since I liked their store theme/packaging and there were many positive reviews. I was also interested in picking up a gift for my brother, so I thought I'd try out a couple scents to get a feel for the store. I'm thinking that their male/shaving products might be better than their more feminine scent offerings, since they specialize in all things bearded. Note that all statements expressed below are my own opinions. Scents can be very tricky and very personal so take the scent reviews with a grain of salt.

The 3 samplers on top of my iPhone 4 (in case) for size comparison.

I got a sampler pack of 3 solid scents for $18 (plus shipping). Now $6 for a sample may sound like a bit much, but the samples are actually pretty generous and will probably last me literally years. They come in lovely little round tins with really well done labels. I was actually a little sad that I had to tear the sides of the labels to open the tin because they just looked so great. They are a little more than half filled with the solid perfumes. The texture of these are lovely. I got them on an 80 degree day and they hadn't melted in the tin/gotten everywhere, yet when I rubbed my finger on them the perfume went on really easily. They err a little more on the waxy/hard side though. Beautiful. My only disappointment with the solids was because of the scents. With their branding I was expecting scents that were a little unusual, however all three of the scents I got were actually pretty generic, which can be both positive and negative. They're not the best treat yoself things because they don't have that spark, but I can see them being great gifts since they are the way they are. 

You can see the tins are a little more than half full.

I chose to get Euphorium, Boudoir, and Ill Repute. Euphorium is described as having the "scent of almond coupled with milk and a touch of honey. A truly romantic and decadent blend" and had "Almond, Milk+Honey" as the quick descriptor. To me it smells hella sweet. Actually it smells almost exactly like Costco Poppy Seed muffins, which is a very very very good thing and it didn't change too much on my skin. This was my surprise favorite of the three I ordered, and I actually almost didn't order it at all because it seemed like it might be too foodie for me. Turns out it is very foodie, and though I wouldn't wear it all the time I can see myself wearing it while studying or having a lazy day. The almond, milk, and honey were very there and it didn't change too much on my skin. I just kept smelling like a bakery/of muffins. Unfortunately though Euphorium had the least staying power on me. It lasted maybe 2 hours on my skin before fading completely. There also wasn't much throw. 

There's also a slight color difference, with Ill Repute being a little more yellow than the others but it really didn't make any difference on my skin.

Boudoir is described as "pink peppercorn", "lightly sweet and floral, ultra coquettish, with just a touch of petulance". To me it smells like teeth-rottingly sweet candy and middle school girl. I didn't really enjoy it, as it was very one note and strong. I'm going to experiment with layering it, but honestly it was kind of a miss for me. However I can see myself growing to like it after layering with muskier or deeper scents, it just really needs more depth. This lasted slightly longer than Euphorium, lingering for around 2 and a half hours.

Close up of them, you can see they're very smooth.

Ill Repute is described as "Mandarin, Pennyroyal + Clove, Madame Scodioli's own version of citrus and mint, Ill Repute is quite feminine but a touch of clove lends a little seduction." I think this was the biggest disappointment of the order. They listed quotes from reviews that really talked it up, but when I opened it (and this was the first scent I opened because I was very excited) I was struck by how much it smelled like generic hotel soap. Hoping it would smell different on my skin I rubbed a bit on a took a sniff but it still smelled like hotel. Not shabby hotel mind you, like quality hilton hotel status, but hotel nonetheless. I tried smelling myself after an hour to see if it just needed time but it still smelled the same. I get a bit of orange, and a bit of what I think is the clove but man. No mint, and definitely no seduction. Of course the scent I liked the least lasted the longest on me. I only put a little bit on since I disliked it but the scent lingered around me for hours. TAT was incredible though, my package was shipped a day after ordering which felt amazing after my other 2+ week waits with other indie companies.Overall I really liked the quality and packaging of the products, but the scents were just too much for me. I can see Madame Scodioli being really good for gift giving though. The scents (though not to my taste) seemed actually pretty safe/generally likable, and would be a fantastic alternative to your normal Bath and Body Works soap set. I've yet to try any of their unisex/male scents, but some of those seemed promising. Great brand, great packaging, and I'm really thankful they had samples as an offering instead of just full-sized products. I don't think I'd buy anything for myself again, but if I need a gift for an acquaintance I might go for this.  
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