Product Review—House of Matriarch Perfume

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of a High Perfumery Discovery Set in exchange for creating this post about House of Matriarch and promoting this exclusive deal. This is my honest opinion and an honest review.

I haven’t worn perfume in over fifteen years. But, I’m on a path back to regular and consistent self-care so thought I would give it a chance again. To be honest, I was a little hesitant though as I’m usually pretty aware when someone around me is wearing perfume. It has a tendency to overwhelm me, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into or what I was going to think about wearing it myself. When I went to pick up the box at the post office, the postman who got it for me recognized the logo and asked if I was getting oils. I said no, that it was perfume. He said he’d used products from the House of Matriarch and that it was good stuff. Even before I opened the box, I was already impressed. 

Feeling Special

I was even more excited to get home and open my box. When I did, I was met with a nice handwritten note, a brochure with descriptions of some of the scents I had received, and beautifully presented wrapping around a nice little box . . . good things come in nice little boxes. I couldn’t wait to open it and see the treat that lay within. Inside the box, of course, were the fragrances and two little cards with descriptions of the two scents that were not in the brochure. As far as self-care goes, I was off to a good start; just opening the box made me feel special. 

The real test would come when I actually wore the scents though. I sniffed each one in their bottles and knew, immediately, I liked Coco Blanc with its light vanilla scent. The others I wasn’t sure about, yet. House of Matriarch says to “Take your time to see how the fragrance develops ON THE SKIN. Natural perfumes require skin application for full development!”

Subtle Fragrance

I’ve spent the last week and a half wearing each one separately to do this, and I have to say, I haven’t been disappointed. In fact, I’ve been happily surprised. Even the ones I didn’t think I would really like have been enjoyable to wear. Was it an adjustment wearing perfume again? Yes. The fragrances were more potent, at least to my nose, when applied than when I initially smelled them in their bottles, but not in a bad way. I did not have anyone tell me the scents were overpowering or too much, not even my husband or mother-in-law, and they would have said something if they were. 

Here are my initial thoughts on each scent after spraying it on:

Albatross

• This one is hard for me to describe. Maybe because it’s the first one I used. I think the name fits though and the description in the brochure is pretty accurate with how it smells. It brings “the fresh coolness of where the ocean meets the sky” as the brochure says. The warm notes were definitely noticeable. 

Coco Blanc

(According to their website, this is a best seller.)

• This is my favorite! It originally smelled coconutty to me, but this must have been the vanilla coming through. It’s light and slightly sweet smelling. Vanilla was the predominant smell when I sprayed it on, but it was mixed with a woodsy smell, like the description says. 

Epiphany

(According to their website, this is a best seller.)

• I liked this one more than I thought I would from just smelling it in the bottle. It has a light floral scent.

Orca

(According to their website, this is a best seller.)

• This is a subtle scent. Its description says it has leathery notes that I didn’t think I would like. It turns out they are lighter than I thought they’d be, and I did like it.

Bonsai

(According to their website, this is a new release.)

• This one has a surprising afternote. I couldn’t quite put my finger on the scent. Maybe it was one of the tree scents, but there was something else mixed in—it could be the evergreen and chrysanthemum scents I liked. I don’t know, but I did like it, initially. This is the only one that I might not wear again, though, not because it’s not a nice scent but because it doesn’t appeal to me (probably because it has juniper in it, and I’m allergic to juniper pollen).

Perfume as a Part of Self-Care

After trying House of Matriarch perfume, will I continue to have perfume be a part of my self-care routine? Yes! Will I wear it every day? Probably not (although I’ve worn it just about every day since I’ve received it). But when I want a little something to feel a bit more special—definitely.

Besides the one scent (Bonsai) that had juniper in it, I wasn’t overwhelmed by wearing perfume, which I have to say, I thought I would be. My experience wearing perfume again was not sensory overload, which it is when I’m around other people wearing perfume or cologne. Maybe they overapply? Maybe I underapplied? (I only sprayed one spray on one wrist, dabbed my other wrist against it and then rubbed them on either side of my neck—just enough to enjoy but not overwhelm—and when I did get a whiff during the day, it made me smile.) Or maybe it’s because House of Matriarch uses “the highest quality, certified kosher, natural ethanol” so their perfumes “will continue to smell better and better with time” and their “philosophy is natural first.”

Whatever the reason, I’m so glad I gave perfume another chance and specifically House of Matriarch’s perfume. Not only was I happily surprised by their products, but I also get to support a company from the Pacific Northwest (where I live). If you want to give them a try, too (which I highly recommend, and that’s my honest opinion), use code EXHAUSTED for 20% OFF.