Solstice Scents Gehenna, Conjure Dark and Thornwood Thicket apped by Sani

“I aim to keep bottling atmospheres and capturing abstract concepts in innovative, inspiring, and unusual ways.  I especially love working with resins, precious woods, and attars.” Angela St. John, Founder/Perfumer of Solstice Scents.

Angela St. John is an artisan perfumer with a skill for the details other people might overlook. Solstice Scents perfumes have earned a devoted following because they can bring a place to mind. That attention to specifics keeps people coming back to her work.

I’m suspicious of seasonal “must- wear” lists. Fragrance doesn’t care what month it is, and most of the time neither do I. Still, cooler temperatures change how certain materials behave. Resins feel less heavy. Smoke has more room to breathe. Fruit deepens. That’s usually when I reach for Solstice Scents. Angela St. John captures autumn without polishing away its rough edges.

Solstice Scents Conjure Dark via the brand and collage by Sandi

Solstice Scents Conjure Dark: the quietest of these three. I can smell the amber, frankincense, dried rose, and dark woods, but I don’t spend much time deciding where one stops and another starts. The longer it’s on my skin, the less that seems to matter. There’s something wonderfully old about how it smells, especially the mix of incense and dried rose. The rose surprised me. It isn’t full-bodied, but dry and slightly dusty. Underneath, the sandalwood, vetiver, and oud have a warm, earthy smell that settles close to the skin. I can pick up the vanilla, although barely. It takes some of the dryness out of the woods without making them sweet. Conjure Dark has an aged quality. A familiar quality. I find it to be my quiet haven.

Notes: amber, frankincense, sweet incense smoke, dried rose petals, sandalwood, vetiver, woods, oud, vanilla.

Solstice Scents Gehenna via the brand collage by Sandi

Solstice Scents Gehenna: It requires a lighter hand. I thought I had figured out Gehenna before it ever touched my skin. The notes list sound intense. Once I wore it, my opinion changed. The red musk, dragon’s blood, amber, and darker woods create a rich warmth that reminds me of resin held near a fire. There’s smoke, though I don’t associate it with anything ruined or burned out. It smells more like embers that have settled down for the night, still giving off heat long after the flames have lowered. Myrrh and oud lend a slightly bitter edge, which works beautifully against the sweetness of the amber. Neither takes over. Everything remains closely knit, and that’s probably why Gehenna feels smoother than its name suggests.

The musks become more noticeable once the oil has warmed against my wrist. They don’t turn soapy or powdery. They give the resins a skin-like quality that I find very sensual, especially in cold weather. A little goes a long way. I wouldn’t call Gehenna harsh. It has depth and presence, along with a warmth that keeps drawing me back. Of the three perfumes, this is the one that surprised me most. It’s striking, yes, but also genuinely beautiful.

Notes: red musk, dragon’s blood resin, amber, burning wood, Somalia myrrh, Egyptian musk, oud.

Solstice Scents Thornwood Thicket via the brand collage by Sandi

Solstice Scents Thornwood Thicket: seems friendlier at first. Don’t trust it too quickly. Its sugared blackberry arrives ripe, tangled in moss, amber, and dark woods. Everything smells connected. The fruit hasn’t been washed and arranged in a bowl. It comes with tart skin. Damp soil still clings to the roots. Blackberry is there from the start, but it still smells like it belongs outdoors. Not blackberry jam, and thankfully not the fruity shampoo version either. Something woody and damp surrounds it, like berries picked straight from the cane, with bits of leaf and stem still attached. As it wears, I notice a little smoke and something almost leathery close to my skin. There’s also an odd bitter edge that I really like. Slightly medicinal perhaps, but it works. It keeps the blackberry dark and earthy rather than letting all that fruit become too sweet.

This is where Solstice Scents excels. The perfume evokes the walk  to find the fruit. My shoes sink into the earth. Thorny branches catch my sleeves, and reaching the ripest cluster means accepting a few scratches.

Notes: sugared blackberries, amber, oud, guaiacwood, oakmoss.

Of the three, I reach for Thornwood Thicket most often during the day. It is perfect in those first weeks of fall, when the afternoons are still warm but you can tell summer is on its way out. Conjure Dark is the one I want when I’m home for the evening, and everything has gone quiet. Gehenna is different. I tend to save it until there’s a real chill outside. Something about cold air makes it smell even better.

And yes, I know I said three. If you haven’t tried Jack and the Devil, it’s another Solstice Scents fall essential, and leaving it out of the conversation would feel wrong.

Sandi Lundberg, Editor

Disclosure I purchase my samples: As always, opinions are my own.

Solstice Scents Gehenna, Conjure Dark and Thornwood Thicket apped by Sandi

Thanks to Solstice Scents generosity, we have a 5ml bottle of readers’ choice and a 1ml sample of the other two for one lucky reader in the USA. You must register for your entry to count. To be eligible, leave a comment saying what sparks your interest in Sandi’s three, where you live in the USA and which 5 ml bottle you choose.  Be sure to register. Draw closes 10/5/2026

Angela St. John created Guardian for ÇaFleureBon’s 7^th anniversary -Project Talisman reviewed by Robert Herrmann (R.I.P)

Please read Sandi’s reviews of Black Forest, Southern Veranda, Head Mistress, Upstairs Window, Michael Devine’s Old Florida Roads, Sweet Clover and Wood Smoke, and Robert Herrmann (we miss him so) review of Sea of Gray.

Read her profile in American Perfumery here

Please support our Artisan and Indie Perfumers by buying directly from the sites.

Follow us on Instagram: @cafleurebonofficial@injoyinutah@solsticescents

This is our Privacy Policy.

We announce the winners only on our site and our Facebook page, so like Cafleurebon and use our blog feed, or your dream prize will be spilled perfume. You will also find updates and new articles on our blog feed.