* What hits me first is a blend of orange and patchouli. The sweet and juicy orange makes the dry patchouli feel more alive.
* The patchouli becomes the star with a creamy sandalwood and light incense behind it.
* At this point it reminds me of a mix between Winter of Love and Von Eusersdorff Classic Patchouli.
* After about two hours, Sweet Tyranny moves closer to the skin and doesn’t broadcast as much. I still catch whiffs of it in the air.
* The patchouli stays prominent in the base where its joined by light musk and fruity vanilla.
Summary: Smellbent is known for creative scents at at accessible prices. Sweet Tyranny is at a higher price point, because of higher quality ingredients, yet still very affordable- especially considering the process of other niche companies. Sweet Tyranny could easily be one of the better Tom Ford Private Blends, and priced accordingly. I never got around to reviewing the Winter 2012 special editions, but I wore the samples several time – Winter of Love stood out to me as a delicious patchouli with personality that would be appropriate for all age ranges (it’s not old man patchouli or young hippie patchouli – if that makes sense). For Sweet Tyranny, it seems like Smellbent went for the basic idea of Winter of Love and started with higher quality ingredients and fleshed it out with more depth. On my skin, it’s boisterous for the first two hours and then comes closer to the skin, lasting close to eight hours for me. If you were going to wear this to work, you would need to apply it at least an hour before you start working as it would be too loud for most offices. Patchouli lovers should give this one a test as a good easy-to-wear everyday patchouli. Everyone else looking for a strong but not overbearing patchouli with personality at a good price point would do well to test this as well.
Smellbent fragrances are available through their website.
Disclaimer: Sample purchased for review – no disclaimer need. No financial compensation is received for this review or any others. All opinions are mine. Image courtesy of Smellbent.
Other opinions: