Oriental Heaven: Happyland Rhyolite Review

Source: www.happylandfragrances.com

Good morning, everyone! I hope you are all having a fantastic day today! I have another Happyland for you today. I originally rated this one lower than the other I received from them, but this one is quickly becoming my favorite. Do you want to know why? Well, in short, because it has a slight similarity to Scentstory 24 Gold and other fragrances that are considered as Kalemat by Arabic fragrance houses. Make no mistake though, this is not Kalemat. It's only about 30% similar to it. E.J. has created another truly remarkable fragrance here.

Guys and gals, Happyland isn't just hyped because he sent some bottles to a few reviewers. His fragrances are actually that dang good. If you don't believe me, then go to the Happyland site(I will link it at the end) and order some samples. You can also contact E.J. on Facebook to order samples that are different from the sample pack on the site. I will also link his Facebook below. I can almost promise you that you will like one, if not all of them. You don't get this kind of quality at this pricepoint very often. This isn't just another clone house. These are original creations made by an indie perfumer and you can feel his passion in his offering. I would highly suggest that you try this house out.

Happyland did send me this bottle for review, but I was not paid or influenced to review this positively in any way.

Anyways, enough blabbering. Let's get on with the review! I will forego the presentation because I mentioned it in my previous reviews of this house.


Notes

Honey, almond, blueberry, vanilla, sandalwood, caramel, white musk


The Scent

Opening

Rhyolite opens up with a boozy honey note with some vanilla in it. You get a slight caramel vibe in this phase as well. That boozy honey only lasts for around 10 seconds before it mixes with the vanilla and caramel. The vanilla in this fragrance is like spiced vanilla, which makes me think it's actually amber and not vanilla. Amber often smells like a spiced vanilla accord.


Dry Down

As the heart notes come out, Rhyolite takes more of an oriental form, leaving its former gourmand self behind. The sandalwood emerges in its dry and woody glory. When mixed with the vanilla(amber) it creates a warm dry desert feeling. The honey offers a somewhat glazed accord to the sandalwood. Imagine a lumberyard that has a bee infestation and they decided it was a good idea to coat the wood in honey and caramel.

The blueberry puts a bit of its tart sweetness into this composition in the dry down which puts a more unique spin on an oriental, considering a lot of them get their sweetness from caramel and vanilla alone. Some use a bit of anise to sweeten it up as well.

What you ultimately get is a dry sandalwood fragrance that is glazed with a bit of sweetness and a spiced amber accord that resembles a desert with a touch of tart blueberries.


Performance

Happyland Studio doesn't slack on performance.  I am getting around 14 hours with this bad boy, 4 of those are projecting 4-6 feet. A respectable sillage bubble will follow you for up for 6 hours. This is a fragrance that you will have to wash off. If you spray this on clothes, then you might even smell it after you wash them. This juice is no joke.


When to Wear it

This fragrance is best suited for the dead of winter when it's bitter cold. This fragrance will warm you up and cut through the cold air. It's perfectly suited for fall as well. I wouldn't wear this in the heat. Even though you could probably get away with it if you only do one spray. Even in the cold weather, I would only suggest 3 at the most. 2 is probably safer.

This is a great casual fragrance, but it's also a great fragrance for date nights. 24 Gold is my most complimented fragrance, so I assume that this one will overtake that one soon. Women love this sort of fragrance and it will be a compliment getter for sure. I did receive one compliment from A lady in Dick's Sporting Goods last week while wearing this one. Considering I have only worn it in public twice(I wore it for a week, just not in public) and got a compliment one time. I think this one is going to garner lots of attention.

Overall Impression

Rhyolite is an impressive oriental fragrance, especially considering the perfumer is not Arabic. It's somewhat westernized and doesn't have oud in it, but it doesn't take away from the character. It has plenty of depth and a great sandalwood backbone that doesn't make you even miss the oud that would normally be featured in this type of fragrance. E.J. has shown an ability to reach outside his normal dark and gourmand fragrances and show he is a talented perfumer that is capable of creating many types of fragrances. Blue Fire is another example. That review will be soon. As I said, don't take my word for it. Hit up E.J. and get some samples. Feel free to tell me I am wrong if you don't like this one.


Conclusion

Another great fragrance coming from Happyland. This house is really going somewhere. I will just go ahead and tell you that I haven't disliked any of Happyland's creations. I am still working on loving Blue Fire, but I want to understand it more before I review it. I do like it though, but it's a difficult fragrance to understand. I will tell you more when I review it.

Have a great day! Remember to say positive things to people. Until next time, keep smelling great and making the world a better place. Above all, stay honest and humble!

Buy Rhyolite here (He also has 30ml sizes)

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