Okay so I’m going to try not to slag this brand off with as much vitriolic, distain as I did on Instagram but the three fragrances from Cra-yon seem fairly pointless to me, in terms of creativity or breaking new ground and beg the question, why bother? Why bother creating a brand that doesn’t excite or innovate or even show a glimmer of anything new? I’m not being nasty it’s just a genuine question and observation. In a crowded marketplace how does this brand stand out? To me it doesn’t. It’s all Marketing and slick logos and packaging with zero substance behind it, the fragrances seem to have been plucked off the shelf at a fragrance laboratory, we’ll have a Sandalwood one (this one) a rose and a vanilla. All simple concepts and good starting points, and even if one of them was good, that would completely change my view of the brand, so it really doesn’t take much for me to give the benefit of the doubt but all three are complete cookie cutter A to B to C. It’s limp. Lifeless. There just Feels like there’s no passion in this product and when you’ve seen lots of brands come and go you kinda get a feel for what is and what isn’t a labour of love. This isn’t bad as such, it smells like a subpar Santal 33 by Le Labo, which is definitely intentional given what I assume is Cra-yon’s woke, urban, hipsterite, target demographic. So not only lack lustre but likely a deliberate clone. See the problem is I don’t like Santal 33 anyway, the watery strangeness of a papyrus opening, the top note on sandalwood is very unsettling to me and smells plain odd. It’s intriguing though, despite not enjoying or wanting to wear, and this doesn’t even have the rewarding, nutty Santal drydown of its inspiration. Sorry Cra-yon I’m not buying it, but clearly someone is and you’re making it work in a crowded marketplace. Contrary to my usual complaint of new brands launching with 12-14 fragrances in a line and then feeling they have to release a new one every three months to stay fresh, relevant, being promoted by influencers, staying visible as a brand and keeping up with other houses output etc... I like brands that don’t play that game and Cra yon’s focus on 3 to start is a good idea. However, had they released more odds are better for getting one that I liked and maybe that would’ve changed the whole complexion of this review slightly...I dunno?
0
5 years ago
Sand Service, from Cra-yon was released in 2020. The perfumer behind this creation is unknown. It has the top notes of Cardamom and Violet Leaf, middle notes of Orris Root and Papyrus, and base notes of Amber, Cedarwood, Leather, and Sandalwood.
Okay so I’m going to try not to slag this brand off with as much vitriolic, distain as I did on Instagram but the three fragrances from Cra-yon seem fairly pointless to me, in terms of creativity or breaking new ground and beg the question, why bother? Why bother creating a brand that doesn’t excite or innovate or even show a glimmer of anything new? I’m not being nasty it’s just a genuine question and observation. In a crowded marketplace how does this brand stand out? To me it doesn’t. It’s all Marketing and slick logos and packaging with zero substance behind it, the fragrances seem to have been plucked off the shelf at a fragrance laboratory, we’ll have a Sandalwood one (this one) a rose and a vanilla. All simple concepts and good starting points, and even if one of them was good, that would completely change my view of the brand, so it really doesn’t take much for me to give the benefit of the doubt but all three are complete cookie cutter A to B to C. It’s limp. Lifeless. There just Feels like there’s no passion in this product and when you’ve seen lots of brands come and go you kinda get a feel for what is and what isn’t a labour of love. This isn’t bad as such, it smells like a subpar Santal 33 by Le Labo, which is definitely intentional given what I assume is Cra-yon’s woke, urban, hipsterite, target demographic. So not only lack lustre but likely a deliberate clone. See the problem is I don’t like Santal 33 anyway, the watery strangeness of a papyrus opening, the top note on sandalwood is very unsettling to me and smells plain odd. It’s intriguing though, despite not enjoying or wanting to wear, and this doesn’t even have the rewarding, nutty Santal drydown of its inspiration. Sorry Cra-yon I’m not buying it, but clearly someone is and you’re making it work in a crowded marketplace. Contrary to my usual complaint of new brands launching with 12-14 fragrances in a line and then feeling they have to release a new one every three months to stay fresh, relevant, being promoted by influencers, staying visible as a brand and keeping up with other houses output etc... I like brands that don’t play that game and Cra yon’s focus on 3 to start is a good idea. However, had they released more odds are better for getting one that I liked and maybe that would’ve changed the whole complexion of this review slightly...I dunno?