A Wren Says

When I saw that Merit was releasing a fragrance, immediately signed up for notifications. Then without so much as a first sample, I went in an bought a full bottle Retrospect by Merit Beauty as soon as it was released. (Okay you got me, I waited for the Sephora sale.) Now, getting it here and trying it over the past few days, I am glad that I didn’t try it in store. The experience Is more nuanced than I would have expected.

If I were in store and relied on just smelling it on paper, I never would have bought it. Well, I mean on paper it just smelled like paper. And yes, I did smell the plain paper to verify. It smells different, but plain in a disappointing way. And then I sprayed it on my skin. There was magic there.

 There was nostalgia, as I remembered being a kid and investigating my mother’s perfume stash. It reminded me of something I would have smelled there. And then there was something else about it. Was it smoky? That can’t be it. There was a note, or a whole combo that made me go in for another spray. I wanted to get to know more of it.

And then I left out, and was so busy I had no time to pay attention to my scent at all.

Now ten hours after those initial sprays, I smell nothing on my skin. No one noticed my fragrance. I didn’t notice my fragrance. But that testing strip. Something magical also happened to it over that time. Where before it was bland, it had now blossomed into something more complexly floral. The smell of it is rising up and filling the air more powerfully than it had before.

I’m actually glad that I didn’t test this out in store. I would have not had the gift of time to get to know this fragrance as it best expresses itself. I am also kind of glad I got a full bottle because I now get to play with it and get to know it. I don’t know yet if this is fully something that is in my taste, but I have a lot more time to try.

A quick note, whatever that was, that scent that I had on my skin ten minutes or so after spraying, I want that. I want that scent as a body scream so I can put it all over me. Because it was such a subtle scent, I think that could work without it overpowering.

I would love to give you a recommendation, but I can’t. I can tell you that I am intrigued and want to keep testing it out myself, but that means nothing for you. The brand promotes this as being different for everyone. You have to try it on skin to really get to know it. You have to put it on yourself to know if you will like it on you.

But I will say this. If you are looking for something floral, something nostalgic, something new to try in your fragrance rotation, be sure to give Retrospect by Merit a try. Promise me you will spray it on skin and let it develop before you let me know what you think.