Alkemia Smoke and Mirrors Perfume

Smoke and Mirrors is an elusive, smoky blend of burning wood, Madagascar vanilla and tonka. The vanilla and the smoke dance with each other almost continuously… sometimes the foreground is smoky, then sweet, then returns with sweetly smoky, then smoky. Smoke and Mirrors makes a fabulous layering scent that adds intriguing elements to other fragrances and it works particularly well for toning down any perfumes that are too sweet, deepening resin and incense based scents, and softening chypres and any sharp woody scents. Created by Sharra Lamoureaux.

This is the alcohol free perfume, not an oil. It is also free of parabens, phthalates, PDGs and other unpleasant things. A hand-blended and small batch perfumery using natural essences, ethically rendered accords, and lab-created aroma molecules.

Alkemia Smoke and Mirrors Reviews

Fragrantica: This is one of my favorites! There's a slightly plastic smoke note at first, but it fades to lovely smoky vanilla and then to a Easter-like vanilla sugar with just the slightest hint of smoke. Very simple and candy-like on me.

Fragrantica: Smells like what the notes say, except I don't really pick up any tonka. It's smoky, woody, resinous, warm, cozy, a bit sweet, a bit dry, and quite "realistic". Definitely one of the most pleasant smoky scents I have tried. If someone took a piece of fragrant and resinous wood, dipped it in mild vanilla, burned half of it in a campfire, and then the morning after took the remaining piece out of the ashes, then this is what it would smell like. While the smoke is definitely prominent, it's also very smooth and soft and warm, probably mostly thanks to the sweetness of the vanilla. The vanilla is subtle but still a significant part of the vibe of the fragrance. Very nice fragrance! Definitely in the same sort of category as By the Fireplace, but less "thick", more smooth and more realistically smoky.

Fragrantica: I just put this one and I am totally in love! If it has great longevity. Definitely smoke, like campfires in my desert home used to smell...awesome! Add to that vanilla and tonka to smooth it out and you have perfection in my book.

Fragrantica: Simple but oh so magical. It's the plushest realistic bonfire smoke combined with richly textured sweetness. I get plenty of tonka, and it is seamlessly bonded with the vanilla. They undulate, so you catch wafts of warm smoke, then nutty-woody sweetness, then smoked vanilla... so good. Again, a common combo that Alkemia just knocks out of the park. It's not even my usual, but Alkemia is quite talented in making scents that are greater than the sum of their parts. Her Madagascar vanilla note is also pretty good - it's just the right balance of sweet and warm without being cloying.

Fragrantica: You are walking home through an old neighbourhood. It is deep into blue twilight. Heavy clouds dampen the air. The trees drip. Every chimney in this street has a fire. Someone is baking vanilla cookies too. The smell blends with the smoky air and you suddenly recall another evening when you drank tea in a little cafe watching rain bounce off cobblestones... This is a smoky, vanilla"y" treasure a bit like a vanilla marshmallow toasted over an open fire. I'm no fan of gourmands but this is sensational and cuddly, something essentially autumn. It won me over in just one wearing. I'm already plotting a back up bottle. I would call this essentially feminine. The longevity is pretty good and projects enough to make you smell delicious and not enough to kill or at least trigger anyone around you.