The people over at Commodity Goods were extremely kind and helpful. They first surprised us with samples of their whole collection and sent both Chantel and I a full size bottle of our favorite scent. Needless to say, I was one happy camper. Now before I get into all the scents and which ones I liked/disliked, let me spend some time to talk about their packaging. Aesthetically, Commodity Goods earns an A+ in my book. Their designs are so minimal yet pleasing to the eye; you can tell that they put a lot of work into what they do. I especially like how the women's collection is all white and gold while the men's collection is all black and white. When I first received the samples, they were neatly packaged in individual packets that were numbered 1-10. It was a great way of allowing me to try one scent at a time while keeping all the other ones in the same place, which I can appreciate because I am the type to misplace things very easily. The samples themselves are a bit tricky to work with. Some took forever to spray while other's nearly broke on me before I could catch a whiff of what was inside. This didn't really bother me, though. They are samples, and to expect quality craftsmanship from them is a bit silly. But just a heads up to you guys. The full size bottle I received, however, was made very well.
Now onto the part that most of y'all came here for. The Commodity Goods website has very cute pictures that go with each perfume/cologne that list the top notes, mid notes, and base notes. Their pictures help a lot better than my descriptions every probably will, so I would suggest heading on over to their website after reading this review so you can get a little bit more insight into what goes into each perfume. My review will mainly consist of my opinion on each scent and not so much on how each one smells. I'll go over the men's collection briefly, as my boyfriend didn't have much to say about the scents besides "I didn't really like these" and "These ones were my favorite" (insert emoji with the smiling face, open mouth, and cold sweat), before talking about the women's collection.
So Eric (My bf) isn't much of a cologne person. The closest thing he has to a signature scent is his deodorant. Nevertheless, he did have a lot of fun experimenting with the scents and picking out which ones were his favorites. The 10 scents were divided into three subcategories: fresh scents, warm scents, and woodsy scents. The fresh scents were Cloth, Cane, and Moss. Cloth smelled like freshly laundered clothing and lemons. It was a very refreshing scent that one doesn't easily get tired off. By far, this was Eric's favorite scent. Cane, however, was a quite heavy and overwhelming scent. Whereas Cloth is a rather unisex scent, Cane just reeked of manliness. The freshness aspect was a lot harder to distinguish and it was just overall a very heavy scent -- though not in a Christmas/vanilla/peppermint sort of way. Eric likened it to the kind of scent that a very, very old rich man might fancy. Moss was sort of the middle man between Cloth and Cane. It was a fresh scent, but still reminiscent of nature and was just slightly heavy. The Warm scents were Wool, Whiskey, Gold, and Paper. Wool wasn't anything special and didn't really stick much in Eric's head. It's a pretty clean scent, with not much going on in it, yet it's still slightly warm and spicy. This would probably work perfectly for someone who lives in a colder climate and likes sipping on chai tea. Whiskey was like Cane in it that it was very overwhelming. However, unlike Cane Eric felt like it was more of a 'young' scent than an 'old' one. Gold was not nearly as rich as it's feminine counterpart, but Eric preferred it that way. He stated that Gold would be the perfect scent for those days when we went out on fancy dinners. Paper, well, smelled like paper. It's a very simple and clean scent that is unoffensive and won't catch much attention when you walk by someone and they catch a whiff. Eric didn't care for the woodsy scents -- Book, Gin, and Oak -- at all (I quite enjoyed them though). Gin reminded us of a more youthful version of Cane. It's the kind of scent that he could see a clean cut man in his early 20's wear at a fancy bar, complete with a slim-fit suit. Book was quite a unique scent. The cucumber smell is very strong in it, but other than that it's really hard to pinpoint what exactly it reminds Eric or I of. Lastly, Oak was a very pleasant scent. Both sweet and dark, it's like sitting by a campfire surrounded by orange trees.
Like the men's collection, there are 10 different scents to choose from in the women's collection. They are further divided into three subcategories: fresh scents, warm scents, and floral scents.
Tea: Tea was like the girl version of Cloth (minus the fresh laundry part, of course). Extremely refreshing and citrusy, it's just one of those scents that you never get tired off. I can totally imagine this being the perfect day scent for anyone. There's just something in it that has the magical power to wake you up before a long day of classes or if you need something to re-energize you in the middle of the day. But it's not so strong that it just drowns you. This was easily my second favorite of the bunch.
Moss: I didn't care much for Moss. Nothing about the scent stood out too much, but I did like that it was really subtle and subdued. It's one of those kinds of scents that I wouldn't buy for myself, but if I received it as a gift I would gladly use it up.
Mimosa: Mimosa, to me, was like an amped up version of Tea. The scent came on strong and lasted a much longer time than Tea did. However, when it comes to fresh scents I like them a bit more subdued or else I feel like I just rubbed myself with orange-scented car fresheners. The scent is wonderful every now and then, but probably wouldn't get a lot of use from me as an everyday perfume.
Gold: Gold, gold, gold. This scent was my absolute favorite. There are two types of scents I like: fruity scents and warm/vanilla-like scents. This is quite evident when you look at my two favorite scents from Bath & Body Works -- Sweet Pea and Warm Vanilla Sugar. And gold it the perfect warm scent ever. Unlike fresh scents, when it comes to heavier scents I want my nose to be bombarded with smell. I want rich scents that linger and fade gracefully. Gold is just that plus more. It's not exactly your standard vanilla-scented perfume (though there is vanilla in it). I would say that it's a more mature version of Warm Vanilla Sugar. Ahhh, I can't say enough good things about this scent.
Paper: After loving Gold so much, I had pretty high expectations for Paper since it was also a warm scent. Sadly, it didn't meet my expectations but it was still a pleasant scent. Although I love reading and do enjoy the smell of books, I'm not too fond with having that smell on me. If this scent was in a candle, however, then I'd be all for it. It's a very relaxing scent that I would love to smell when I'm taking a shower or relaxing at the end of the night. Not so much when I go out for dinner with my boyfriend.
Ivy: Ivy is definitely one of my favorites and is probably head-to-head with Tea for my second favorite scent, which is surprising since floral scents are my least favorite. Floral scents are also the most versatile to me, being both daytime and nighttime friendly. Like Paper, Ivy is a very calming scent to me. Except this time I'd be okay with having the smell on me.
Rain: If Tea and Ivy had a baby, then it would be Rain. It's both floral and fresh, with just the right amount of musk. If you like both floral and fresh scents, then without a doubt Rain would be your best bet. I don't know how Commodity Goods does it, but the smell of this makes me feel as if I'm walking in the rain through a garden. I can see people both young and old wearing this.
Dew: I hate to say it, but Dew wasn't one of my favorites (which is heartbreaking because Dew was my favorite name out of the 10). It was just too strong for my liking and reminded me why I usually steer away from floral scents. But if you are a hardcore floral lover, then this one is for you. I gotta admit, though, it would be a good scent to envelope yourself in during a nice hot shower or bath.
Magnolia: Magnolia, although it didn't stand out to me too much, was a lovely scent. Like Moss, it's something that I probably wouldn't have the heart to buy myself but would appreciate if given as a gift. The floral tones are soft, though not as unique to me as Ivy, and is a good scent to have on during the daytime.
Pinot: I would have to say that this was my least favorite out of the bunch. It was both heavy and florally -- a combination that I'm not too fond of -- and at the same time leaned slightly masculine. There was really just a lot of wrong in this scent for my tastes.
Overall, my experience working with Commodity Goods greatly exceeded my expectations. The scents had variety and although I didn't like them all, I found a few gems that I'm absolutely in love with. If you are interested in trying out some of their scents, then I would highly recommend that you do so! They offer fitting kits that allow you to sample the scents at home before committing to an actual bottle. And remember, just because I didn't like a scent doesn't necessarily mean that you won't like it either! Try each scent for a week to see if you really like it or not; don't rely solely on first impressions. There may be scents that you like for both morning and night. There may be scents that you'd only wear for special occasions. And there may be scents that are good for the daytime, but not first thing in the morning when you have an 8am class or at night. And if you do end up trying them out, let us know which ones were your favorites! We'd love to know!
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