Wednesday Waftings: Sampler Set Review – Pinrose Good Intentions/Playdate Discovery Set

Happy Wednesday! I have a cheerful and vibrant sampler on the docket today. I’d like to introduce you to the fun and playful Pinrose and their Good Intentions discovery set. The brand was launched in 2014 by two friends that met in business school at Stanford. They found they had many things in common, including a love of fragrances, and soon a new business was born!

These fragrances are toxin-free and never tested on animals. The brand also strives to be as sustainable as possible in both their packaging and sourcing. They offer a short (and fun!) quiz you can take here to assist you in selecting the fragrance of theirs that you’ll most love. And of course, below I’ll offer my two ‘scents’ on each one included in their sampler set to also help guide you. The set I’m reviewing is called the ‘Good Intentions Kit’ but I will sometimes see their discovery set in slightly different-looking packaging and called the ‘Playdate’ set. It seems to have the exact same lineup as the Good Intentions set, though.

Find it here:

Pinrose Good Intentions sampler kit (at Pinrose’s Amazon store)

Pinrose Good Intentions sampler kit (at Pinrose)

The fragrances in this collection, in general, all have quite light projection and are not super long-lasting, which is very common for natural fragrances. However, many folks prefer lighter scents, which makes this collection a great match for them. Lighter projecting scents also have two other benefits: 1) they’re appropriate to wear in the office/at close quarters with others and 2) they do well in the heat and do not usually become cloying or headache-inducing. Not everyone is seeking a strong, ‘beast-mode’ fragrance. The price point for these high-quality fragrances is very reasonable and the scents are also available in travel-sizes for easy reapplication as desired.

Wild Child

• Top Notes: tiaré flower (Tahitian gardenia), bergamot, freesia
• Middle Notes: jasmine, gardenia, frangipani
• Base Notes: vanilla, amber

Where my gardenia lovers at? This fragrance offers very strong, sweet gardenia right off the bat. If you like gardenia or white flower fragrances in general, this has the potential to become your holy grail scent! I also detect the jasmine and plumeria but I definitely think the gardenia is the star of this show. This is a lovely, pretty, feminine scent that is perfect for a daytime event. Clean, sweet, and slightly tropical with a beautiful beachy flowers vibe.

Pinrose is known for giving their fragrances fun and clever names but this is the one scent of theirs that I don’t think really matches all that well with the given name. ‘Wild Child’ to me brings up the imagery of a ‘sexy night out’ scent full of sweet/fruity/patchouli/musky playfulness. This scent is positively elegant and would be more at home at a daytime wedding. In fact, I could easily see a bride choosing this as her special wedding day fragrance.

This fragrance has decent projection, I can lightly smell it at arm’s length but it is not overwhelming at all. I can’t imagine anyone being offended by this unless they absolutely hate gardenia. Longevity is ok, at about the 2 hour mark it fades to be more of a skin scent. This is a truly classy scent!

Find it here:

Wild Child – entire line (at Pinrose’s Amazon store)

Wild Child – entire line (at Pinrose)

Mystical Misfit

• Top Notes: red currant, peach, prune, raspberry
• Middle Notes: pink rose, jasmine sambac, geranium bourbon
• Base Notes: patchouli, vanilla, musk

This fragrance is bursting with yummy, sweet fruits/berries. It’s definitely stone fruit-heavy; the peach is dominant. There’s also something a little aromatic to me in here. I’m thinking it must be the patch but it actually comes across more like a lemongrass or something. This is a joyful fragrance that feels like it would be great for a daytime ‘going somewhere fun’ event like the zoo or an outdoor market.

Easy to wear, non-offensive, would be fine in an office. For those who may be wary of the patchouli note, this is NOT patch heavy at all. This is for the peach lovers, if you enjoy the smell of a fresh peach, you should definitely give this one a go. As with most all of these, projection is pretty light and it does not have strong longevity. To me, this is in a similar family with Byredo’s Bibliothèque but with less woody/leather undertones and more peach.

Find it here:

Mystical Misfit – entire line (at Pinrose’s Amazon store)

Mystical Misfit – entire line (at Pinrose)

Merry Maker

• Top Notes: nectarine, pepper, grapefruit, bergamot, cassis, peppermint, leafy greens
• Middle Notes: freesia, jasmine, violet, muguet (lily of the valley), rose, clary sage, plum
• Base Notes: tonka bean, cedarwood, musk, moss, vetiver

This has a very fresh, citrusy feel. The sweet nectarine is very pleasant but the fresh grapefruit actually stands out as the stronger note to me. This really is a perfect marriage of nectarine and grapefruit. As it dries down, I get a very slight vanilla-ish sweetness from the tonka bean, it’s almost reminiscent of honey, too. This is definitely not overly sweet, though. There’s also a slight aromatic feel as it dries down, the pepper and other spicy notes become more prominent.

The overall feel of this scent is very fresh and clean, like you’ve just stepped out of a shower. It’s quite light and I think it would make a fabulous summer scent. The projection here is on the lighter side so it’s very safe to wear in close quarters with others. Not a super long-laster, you’ll probably need to reapply after a couple of hours.

Find it here:

Merry Maker – entire line (at Pinrose’s Amazon store)

Merry Maker – entire line (at Pinrose)

Sun Saint

• Top Notes: lime, eucalyptus, mandarin, yuzu
• Middle Notes: sea salt, cashmere musk, violet
• Base Notes: coconut wood, sandalwood

This fragrance gives you a strong salty lime note right off the bat. As it dries down, I also get the eucalyptus and sandalwood. The coconut is a very light note so if you’re looking for a really strong coconutty scent, this probably isn’t going to be exactly what you’re looking for. That being said, this is still a really wonderful beachy summer scent, it’s just much more salty lime-leaning than coconut. It’s certainly quite lovely on its own but for those craving more coconut, I would layer it with the affordable Vanille Coco by Comptoir Sud Pacifique, an excellent but simple fragrance that features loads of coconut.

This is a fresh and cheerful beachy summer scent, it perfectly captures the feeling of a peaceful day lazing on the beach. If you like Bath & Body Works Coconut Lime scents (they’ve had a few different ones over the years), this will definitely be in your wheelhouse. Like the others, not a heavy projector so a safe scent to wear pretty much wherever. Similar longevity as the other fragrances here, I got a solid 2 hours out of it before wanting to refresh.

Find it here:

Sun Saint – entire line (at Pinrose’s Amazon store)

Sun Saint 8ml travel-spray (at Ulta)

Sun Saint 50ml bottle (at Ulta)

Sun Saint – entire line (at Pinrose)

Secret Genius

• Top Notes: mandarin, bergamot
• Middle Notes: caramel, white chocolate, jasmine
• Base Notes: Madagascan vanilla, cedarwood, sandalwood

This is their top seller and my favorite of the bunch; no surprise as it is a caramel-vanilla gourmand! When I took their scent quiz, this is the fragrance they chose for me so I think they’re onto something with that quiz! As far as the scent goes, I get TONS of caramel, vanilla, and a nice woodsy vibe. It’s so cozy and warm. It’s definitely a gourmand but not overly sugary sweet or cloying. If you love Viktor & Rolf’s BonBon or the Prada Candy line, this will be a winner for you!

The projection is quite light. Longevity is fair, about 3 hours, after that I can only just lightly detect it on my skin but it does last as that skin scent for a long time. I think this scent would be a perfect one to experiment with layering. I can imagine that layering this on top of a rich, pure vanilla (such as Vanille Extreme by Comptoir Sud Pacifique) would be heavenly. For lasting power, layering with an Ambroxan/Cetalox base such as JHAG’s Not a Perfume, would probably work very well.

Find it here:

Secret Genius (at Pinrose’s Amazon store)

Secret Genius 8ml travel-spray (at Ulta)

Secret Genius 50ml bottle (at Ulta)

Secret Genius – entire line (at Pinrose)

Pillowtalk Poet

• Top Notes: powder, geranium
• Middle Notes: ambergris, clove leaf
• Base Notes: musk, amber, sandalwood

Definitely, powder is the star here! This is one for the folks who liked Love’s Baby Soft growing up (you know who you are!) This fragrance is lightly floral and very clean. I don’t feel any of the base notes (amber/musk/sandalwood) are super strong players here, they’re more in the background. This is very reminiscent of powdery, clean cotton.

She sits very close to the skin, there’s almost zero projection/sillage. This will be a great choice for someone who likes light, barely-there fragrances. Longevity is ok, can still smell after a couple of hours.

Find it here:

Pillowtalk Poet – entire line (at Pinrose’s Amazon store)

Pillowtalk Poet 8ml travel-spray (at Ulta)

Pillowtalk Poet 50ml bottle (at Ulta)

Pillowtalk Poet – entire line (at Pinrose)

Lil’ Dipper

• Top Notes: lemon peel, Italian bergamot, Lady apple
• Middle Notes: peony, Provence lavender, mandarin petals, violet
• Base Notes: sandalwood, amber, cedarwood, musk

This scent is just so pretty. It opens with the fresh burst of the citrus blend of the lemon and bergamot. As it begins to dry down, the peony is definitely the star of the show and I love it. I will always love a good peony scent, it is absolutely my favorite floral note. There’s also a tiny hint of powder from the violet but it’s faint and this is nowhere near the powder bomb that Pillowtalk Poet is. The base notes are just a background whisper that give the scent a little depth and keep it from being a ‘too simple’ floral.

This an elegant scent that feels like a fresh spring day. It would be absolutely lovely to wear on a daytime picnic date. The projection and longevity are on par with the other fragrances here. This is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a light, clean, floral ladylike scent.

Find it here:

Lil’ Dipper – entire line (at Pinrose’s Amazon store)

Lil’ Dipper – entire line (at Pinrose)

Gilded Fox

• Top Notes: cocoa spice, coffee, cardamom, black pepper, bergamot
• Middle Notes: neroli, iris, jasmine, clove, rose
• Base Notes: buttered rum, vetiver, cedar, musk, caramel, amber

WOW, there are a LOT of notes in this fragrance! It feels like it could go in a lot of different directions but for me this is straight up Tootsie Roll! And I mean that in the best way possible, I love chocolatey fragrances! The cocoa note is very dominant here. The rum is present but quite light. The spices give this a very interesting vibe; it’s like a yummy Mexican cocoa spiked with a touch of rum. Actually, this scent reminds me a lot of my old Pacifica Mexican Cocoa candle, that sadly, I don’t think they make anymore.

This is a very cozy scent that I think most will think of as an autumnal/wintry fragrance. The projection and longevity are slightly stronger with this fragrance. If you love the scent of a spiced hot chocolate, this will be worth a sniff. Me being such a gourmand nerd, of course, I adore it. It also reminds me of an Avon Nestlé Crunch scented lip gloss a childhood friend of mine had when we were around 6 years old. This is just a happy and nostalgic scent all around!

Find it here:

Gilded Fox – entire line (at Pinrose’s Amazon store)

Gilded Fox – entire line (at Pinrose)

So those are my thoughts on this fabulous house. I really loved this sampler! It contained such a great variety of enjoyable options. The brand also carries a few other scents not featured in this collection that I’m very curious about. With names like ‘Cuddle Punk‘ and ‘Campfire Rebel,’ how could you not be intrigued??

Have you tried any of Pinrose’s fragrances before? I’d love to know if anyone else has enjoyed any of these fun scents as much as I have! 📍🌹

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