Solstice Scents Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke Review (Angela St. John) 2022 + So Long, Summer Giveaway

Solstice Scents Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke

Solstice Scents Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke EDP bottle; photo courtesy of Solstice Scents

 “Then summer fades and passes and autumn comes. We’ll smell smoke then, and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a sense of sadness and departure.” – Thomas Wolfe

In mid-August, the trees on the distant mountain outside my New Jersey home began an all-too-eager transformation. Outlining a lush and lazy green valley still in the swing of summer, these overzealous onlookers re-emerged over a summer night in autumnal hues of red, brown and orange. Turncoats. With my bare feet still in green grass, I observed this elemental shift, wishing I could stop time and bottle the remaining days of summer. Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke, the new release from Angela St. John, the creative powerhouse behind Solstice Scents, captures in a bottle the carefree days of summer with careful recognition to golden hues ahead.

Vernon Valley, New Jersey

Vernon Valley, New Jersey; photo by Michael Devine©

Solstice Scents Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke, available as an eau de parfum spray or perfume oil, is described on the website as “sun-baked sweet clover lining old Florida lime rock backroads.” Already an ardent fan of Angela St. John’s creations, this artful description was enough for me to add this release to my online shopping cart. A story in a bottle and true to its inspiration, Sweet Clover & Wood Smoke opens with lush, misty morning-wet clover, bundled with a spray of mimosa flowers and moringa blossoms. The opening is hopeful and smile-inducing, like the smile you’d give a child who’s picked for you a bouquet of flowers, her hands fragrant with stemmy greenness.

Sweet Clover & Wood Smoke By Solstice Scents

 Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke 5ml perfume oil; photo courtesy of Solstice Scents

In the midsummer heart of the fragrance, the morning dewiness subsides as if to suggest sun-dried grass with patches of hay. The note of lime-rock adds a flinty earthiness counterbalanced by a cozy sweetness from coumarin and a bakery vanilla, like walking a gravel driveway, bouquet in hand, to return to the smells of home. All the while, somewhere in the distance, green turns to gold. Its olfactive concept reminds me of Black March, a composition from Christopher Brosius of CB I Hate Perfume, which opens with a frozen earth accord and as the fragrance wears on, green buds and flowers emerge, suggesting the passage of winter into spring. In similar fashion (conceptually speaking), the opening and heart of the deftly-composed Solstice Scents Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke portray an easy, airy summer season which evolve to the first glimpses of fall. While Black March was starkly photorealistic, Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke portrays reality through a fairytale haze, verdant and blithe.

Solstice Scents Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke by Angela St. John

Art by Solstice Scents

This fragrance is quite long-lasting and our journey is predominantly spent in the bliss of a seemingly endless summer. But of course, summer is never endless. In the air, there’s the eponymous wood smoke that, thankfully, when combined with the creamy vanilla sweetness, is comforting rather than melancholic. The passage of time can be a daunting reality. Solstice Scents Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke is a reminder that it can also be an opportunity to express gratitude for the pleasures of life, the beauty which surrounds us and the hope of what’s to come.

Notes: sun-baked sweet clover flowers, coumarin, green clover leaves, mimosa flowers, moringa blossoms, limerock road, sweet delicate wood smoke

Disclosure: review based on the perfume oil; bottle purchased by the author.

Michael Devine, Contributor

 Solstice Scents

Thanks to the generosity of Solstice Scents, we have a 5ml bottle of the perfume oil AND a 2.5 ml sample of the eau de parfum for one lucky registered ÇaFleureBon reader IN THE CONTINENTAL US ONLY. Please register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment with what intrigues you about Solstice Scents Sweet Clover & Wood Smoke and indicate that you are in the Continental United States. Draw closes 9/9/20222. Do you have a favorite from the brand? Please put Solstice Scents on your radar and support our Artisans

Editor’s Notes:

Angela St. John composed Talisman for CaFleureBon 7th Anniversary as part of a seven multi perfumer collaboration

Please read more about perfumer Angela St. John in Art of Artisan: The Pioneers here

Angela St. John’s path to perfumery featured in CaFleureBon Profiles in American Perfumery Here

In memory of Editor Emeritus Robert Herrmann who wrote this beautiful review of Solstice Scents Sea Of Gray in 2017 which is still available here and the review of Talisman

Follow us on Instagram @cafleurbonofficial @solsticescents  @michaelpdevine

 

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We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so “like” Cafleurebon and use our Blog FEED… or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

 

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25 comments

  • I always find the end of summer to be a melancholy time, so I like the thought that this perfume could be a comfort for that feeling, and ease the transition into the smoke and change of fall. It sounds lovely.
    WV, USA

  • Capturing the passage of time through perfume – in Solstice Scents Sweet Clover & Wood Smoke – from hot summer days to cool autumn with its characteristic smells and colors. Liked the lime-stone reference with its vanilla/coumarin smell, and the feeling of walking home on a summer evening. And the way the perfume unfolds, and its similarity to Black March, in terms of olfactive concept. Thanks for the draw and review. I am in the Continental United States.

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    This sounds amazing! I love bucolic scents–especially ones that go beyond simply including outdoorsy notes to actually telling a narrative/story. The concept of this is great, and I love to hear that the wood smoke is somewhat vanillic and pleasant vs melancholic. Clover is a gorgeous note. Not familiar with this brand, but I’d love to be in the drawing! Thank you–I’m in the US.

  • Bonnie, U.S.A. Indiana says:

    Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke sounds incredible! The review is so good that I literally could feel my bare feet standing on a dewy morning field with patches of clover and gentle flowers sprinkled here and there- and then I was gently transported to a forest of trees with leaves of gold and orange… beautiful review! I would love to win this treasure!
    Bonnie, U.S.A. Indiana

  • Love the concept of a fragrance that evolves like the seasons change! I am a huge fan of Solstice Scents and would love to try this new one from Angela. I’m in MN, USA.

  • I found your website after searching for a review of sweet clover and woodsmoke. I am looking for an indie perfume to transition into fall and I am intrigued by several of solstice scents’ offerings. (Kyse gourmands have been my summer go-to, but I’d love to try something more grounded now.) I am even more intrigued by the feelings you describe, of ending summer appreciatively and looking forward; I’d love to see how that translates into a scent. And I love.innthr continental US.

  • I cannot participate in the draw since I am in the EU, but I am a fan of Angela St John and I smelled many Solstice Scents, some I loved and some I didn’t, this review convinced me I have to try the latest too 🙂

  • I always love the visual tableaus that Angela St John makes for each perfume. I have a big Solstice collection, with different favorites for different seasons. This perfume interests me the most out of her recent release, and by comparing it to Black March, you sealed the deal (mmm, earthy! Mushrooms!). I really love SS Mountain Vanilla, so I think I would love this one too – the grassy hay coumarin note is so natural and pretty with the vanilla.

    I’m in the US, please enter me for the draw!

  • They are my two favorite notes of all time combined and Angela is a genius so I can only imagine how incredible this is.
    In the Continental US

  • savorsalvagescent says:

    EVERYTHING intrigued me about this scent, as Solstice Scents is my favorite house + they make magic! Also: clover + smoke in a perfume sound like a heavenly combo!

  • The end of summer is a wonderful time of year for me.
    We finally get some relief from the heat of summer and head for cooler temperatures.
    Love the notes love the concept.
    Oklahoma USA

  • I’ve enjoyed many of the scents I’ve tried by Angela, she’s such an eclectic perfumer! Her smoke notes are quite natural and pleasant. I have yet to try a clover fragrance but I would be interested to smell this one. I am from New England, USA.

  • I adore smoky scents and ones that combine summer and smoke might be a favorite. I am also excited to learn more about solstice scents as I know only a small bit about them. In maryland.

  • Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke sounds like a beautiful green design. I’m really intrigued by the progression from airy, verdant summer to the first notes of autumn. Also, clover smells wonderful, and—when it’s done well—a puff of wood smoke can completely transform a fragrance. Thanks for the review Michael.

    I’m in the Continental United States. I haven’t had a chance to try any Solstice Scents perfumes.

  • Solstice Scents is criminally underrated, and this sweet clover scent sounds like an absolute treat. I own Inquisitor and Hidden Lodge from Solstice, two challenging fragrances in their own right, but this seems like a perfect transitional scent to fall. I live in Pittsburgh, PA USA

  • Bryant Worley says:

    The concept of this is great, and I love that this is somewhat unique, combining florality with greenness, with vanillic sweetness, and with coumarin, which I heard provides a nuttiness.

    I live in Waldorf, Maryland, USA.

  • Regis Monkton says:

    I’m very interested to try this fragrance. I enjoy how certain wood smoke smells like, especially maple wood. I’m interested to try the unique ingredients/notes in this fragrance, and I like to hear that it’s a long-lasting fragrance. I’ve never tried anything from this company. I live in MD, U.S.A.

  • I really want to smell this fragrance before October because it sounds like a great fall/winter scent. I live in Texas, and the temperature hovers around 90 degrees through late September and, at times, mid-October. So, now is the perfect time to choose a great colder weather perfume.

  • foreverscents says:

    I am a big fan of Wilcox’s from Solstice Scents. The herb notes are so well blended. I always get compliments when I wear it. Sweet Clover & Wood Smoke sounds like the perfect fragrance to greet fall. I am very curious about the limerock road note.
    I live in the USA.

  • I love Solstice Scents and am always looking forward to her new creations. I will check this out!

  • Thanks for the interesting review Michael.

    While summers end is nigh upon us, it hasn’t felt as usual. We’re still seeing warm days and lovely evenings. It’s when the chill comes in the evenings that this scent will be apt to remind me of the days past.

    I have not smelt anythnig from this brand before.

    Cheers from WI, USA

  • Lovely review Michael! What intrigues me about Solstice Scents Sweet Clover & Wood Smoke is the idea of a green fragrance that specifically invokes the morning wet mist and dew covered fields of clover. I have and love a lot of green fragrances but none that really fully focuses on dew-covered greenery. it is definitely something I’m eager to try.

    I have not tried a ton of Solstice Scents fragrances but my favorite of the ones I’ve tried is the gorgeous Orient Rose.I live in the Continental United States.