Perfume Review: Haus of Gloi's Cranberry Reverie

Purchased

I'm dreaming of Haus of Gloi's reverie cranberry fragrances!

Have I mentioned before how much I love tart fruity fragrances? I mention it a lot, but that's because I like them a lot! So when I saw Haus of Gloi post on their Facebook page that their upcoming autumnal Reverie would feature two very-berry cranberry fragrances, I knew I had to make them mine. I mean, look at this quote from the Facebook posting and tell me this isn't tantalizing news for anyone who enjoys tart fruity fragrances:

Hey everyone! Just a quick note I thought I'd pass on to you guys. Our new cranberry based scents are *very* cranberry! I'm talking the real tart deal. Just a heads up for those of you who might not find a tart cranberry appealing. Cranberry #1 is herbal, coniferous and woody. Cranberry #2 is like a tart... cranberry tart! LOL. The shortbread crust, bourbon vanilla and fig tone it down but it's still a zinger!

Cranberry #1
Full size: $15USD for 5mL
Sample vial: $3 sample vial

Oceanic pine, rubbed sage leaf, thyme, cedarwood and tart red cranberry.

Cranberry #1 sounds like the masculine "brother" scent of the pair. The description sounds heavenly - when I read it I conjured up all sorts of romantic imagery of those guys from the Ocean Spray cranberry juice commercials... only sexier and rugged. Yum yum.

Unfortunately, all I got was a good wallop in the face from the oceanic pine.  Holy cow!  This stuff is sharp and potent! I felt a bit miffed because here I was bracing myself for a cranberry beat-down based on the Facebook description. On my skin I could barely detect any cranberries at all. It's hard to tell because I think I convinced my brain into imagining the cranberries that I willed my nose into smelling it because I was so determined.

The cranberry never shows up either. Nope. It completely stood me up for our date. The oceanic pine bullies its way into the forefront and never leaves. While things gradually soften as time passes, and there is an herbal sweetness that creeps through, I think the cranberries gave up ages ago and succumbed to the pine.  I was daydreaming about the Ocean Spray cranberry juice guys, but all I got was Brawny paper towels guy (who is nice looking in his own way... but I wanted cranberries, darnit!)

Duration:
I got a solid 6 hours of wear, and although the dry-down was pleasant, I felt cheated of my cranberry experience.

Score: 2.5/5
On its own, I think Cranberry #1 would be a great fragrance if the oceanic pine was dialed back a bit. It's a melodramatic attention hog, and it completely drowned out all the other nuanced elements in the perfume for me. Even if cranberries aren't the sole focus of this fragrance, I can easily see it being tweaked and given a different name and doing very well. It would work well as a unisex scent leaning slightly masculine. However, the pine was just too strong for me to consider wearing this often, and I'm a little heartbroken over the absent cranberries!

Cranberry #2

Full size: $15USD for 5mL

Sample vial: $3 sample vial

Fig and cranberry tart glazed with bourbon vanilla and blood orange zest upon an almond shortbread crust.

I consider myself to very much be in the camp of people who find cranberry appealing, if you haven't figured that out by now. I drink cranberry juice daily and enjoy incorporating the berries in my cooking. My favorite cookies are chocolate chip cranberry!

While Cranberry #1 was a woodsy disappointment, Cranberry #2 is the domestic, cozy, stay-at-home younger sibling. Initial cold sniff from the vial actually reminded me of cranberry almond muffins I had once at a bake sale.  This is a foodie fragrance for sure. Fresh from the oven cakey sweets with just a subtle hint of cranberry and toasty almonds...

Of course, the cranberries are not the star (despite my thinking otherwise) so again I was a little disappointed. However, here I was actually able to pick them out, and I feel Cranberry #2 is very well blended.

Duration:
I find any fragrance with vanilla elements tends to cling to my skin a bit longer than usual, and Cranberry #2 even made it through an evening shower. The cranberry/blood orange notes don't entirely disappear by the end, but they do take a backseat to the almondy vanilla.

Score: 3.5/5
I'm not one for food fragrances, but I can appreciate a good one. Cranberry #2 is sweet and yummy. It doesn't stand out as anything remarkable either, but there's something familiar and comforting about it. I'd like to eat its real food-form even more!