Product Review: Wylde Ivy’s ‘The Crow’ is a pampered, confident, regal bird
The Notes
Notes: white oak wood, smoldering guaiac wood, charred cedar wood, brushed suede, vanilla resin, and frankincense.
That suede is BRUSHED. Despite being called The Crow, this is clearly the brushie brushie bat meme, you can’t fool me.
(If nobody remembers this meme and I’m dating myself, I’ll be ashamed so just move past it.)
The Review
If you are wary about leather/suede accords but still willing to give them a shot, TRY THE CROW. I pretty much never shut up how much I love a soft suede accord. This one is honestly a work of art and leans more leather than suede but without that animalic, scratchy, plasticky quality I get from most leathers. The Crow is the perfect “dark creamy” scent I’ve been looking for. I’m glad to report that despite listing “charred” and “smoldering” in the notes, I am not drowning in smoke.
I honestly cannot stop talking about The Crow. It’s sexy, soft, and dark. Do I smell a bit like a thrifted purse? Yes, but like… the most mature, luxurious thrifted purse at the thrift shop. Almost every review on the Wylde Ivy website for this one talks about how masculine it is, and maybe my gender meter is broken because I think it smells like the hottest girl I’ve ever met.
The Vibes
It’s 2 AM. The most intriguing girl you’ve ever met tells you it’s lame to take an uber, we can just walk the five miles home. You’re on the fence about it, it’s October and a bit chilly, so she gives you her suede jacket and mocks you the whole walk back. You find yourself repeating the “brushie brushie” meme like a fool, it feels perfectly funny at the time but then later you look back at it and go “oh god why did I do that in front of the coolest girl I’ve ever seen.
Optional Layering Tests
This little game is an addition to see what layers well with The Crow. Imagine the following: You are trying to befriend a crow. Each day, you come and present to the crow a bauble as an offering. Does the crow like the bauble?
Test One: A paper cup filled with broken bits of waffle cone from the trash of a nearby parlor
🍦 Test Vehicle: On a Cone, Wylde Ivy (waffle cone oil, beautiful but heavy)
Test Location: Left Wrist
DOES THE CROW LIKE THE BAUBLE? No, she does not like to be outshined. The waffle cone's sweetness out-heavies her gentle suede-like vibe and all you get is perhaps a waffle cone that has gone very stale and was probably found underneath a car seat cushion. The crow very much dislikes this bauble. You are off to a bad start and she looks at you like you are dumb for giving her trash.
Test Two: A tiny vial of sand with colored layers definitely made by a child who loves sunset pink
⛱️ Test Vehicle: Eternal Alexandria, NAVA (musk with a sand note)
Test Location: Right Wrist
DOES THE CROW LIKE THE BAUBLE? A little! The crow liked to peck the glass. But just as the layers of colored sand remain distinct, Eterna Alexandria does not meld or mix with our crow. It just smells like I am smelling The Crow and then, Eternal Alexandria. Instead of 1 + 1 equaling 3, it just continues to equal 1 + 1. I was hoping for for some crow desert magic and while they are both nice, the crow would probably gives this bauble to someone they are just acquaintances with, not good friends.
Test Three: A discarded bread crust from a sandwich, top piece
🍞 Test Vehicle: Barmbrack, Fyrinnae (literally bread. bread bread bread. free rolls at Outback.)
Test Location: Left Ankle
DOES THE CROW LIKE THE BAUBLE? HELL YEAHHH. THE CROW LOVES THIS BREAD CRUST. It can barely be given as a crow gift because the crow is going to eat this. The only downside is that both scents are STRONG and the effect is delicious to near overpowering. I do not see this ever being feasible to wear without annoying people. The crow is happily pecking at this dry discarded top piece of a sandwich from a picnic. The crow no longer thinks this is a dumb experiment. The crow wants more bread.
Test Four: A child's play silk coin purse that she kept a snack in
👛 Test Vehicle: Puff Delight, Briix (smells of marshmallow and childlike happiness)
Test Location: Right Ankle
DOES THE CROW LIKE THE BAUBLE? The crow hesitates. She knows better than to trust sillk. Too slippery, do human even know it comes from bugs??? Too pretty, too obviously bait. But then the faint sweetness wafts out, and she decides to investigate anyway. Puff Delight smells like the memory of a treat: the ghost of a cookie carried too long in a warm palm. She tilts her head, and decides she doesn’t hate this bauble. It’s soft, useful, and a little naïve. The crow wouldn’t trade her 🍞 for it, but she might keep it tucked behind a loose shingle or gift it away to another small child.
Test Five: A dazzling amethyst crystal ring from a toy vending machine
💍 Test Vehicle: Egyptian Jasmine Crystal Musk, NAVA (jasmine and musk)
Test Location: Left Ear
DOES THE CROW LIKE THE BAUBLE? The crow loves you. This is the best bauble in the whole world. The crow is your staunch defender for life and will always protect you. The crow has never been so charmed and understood, it wanted jewelry to feel as regal as she knew she was. This smells like someone in a leather jacket hugging you in a field of flowers on a cold spring morning. The sun is still dazzling bright but you are freezing. It's like, chilly, soft floral with the suede firm grounding to remind you the chill will pass. You have a crow friend for life.
Test Six: A small carving of the Tree of Life from a gift shop. Which one? Unknown.
🌳 Test Vehicle: Aasgard's Pass, Fyrinnae (figgy and woody, with marshmallow)
Test Location: Right Ear
DOES THE CROW LIKE THE BAUBLE? The crow stares at this one in silence. I didn’t even realize Aasgard’s Pass was a real place in the U.S. Turns out it’s in Washington! The scent itself is warm workshop, dust, and a plastic price tag sticker. The crow circles once, twice, then lands squarely beside it. She approves. This isn’t a trinket; it’s a relic. The crow nods gravely, as if to say: finally, a bauble worthy of my authority. She does not know it's six dollars and mass produced and you are not going to tell her.
