k00kaburra

In bottle:Slightly spiced white floral blended with lavender. On me: The floral note that no one else seems to detect fades away after a few minutes on the skin, so perhaps I only imagined it. The scent that remains is quite like a typical men's colonge. Brisk and slightly herbal, with heavy lavender, it reminds me strongly of one of BPAL's men's fragrances, but I can't figure out which specific one. Never mind. After a decent amount of time has passed (an hour, at least) it mellows pleasantly to a calm, slightly citrused blend.

In bottle: Forest dirt. Dried dead leaves, dirt, and wood - probably pine. Patchouli's here, for sure. On me: Warm, heavily incensed dirt. On my skin it morphs into a duplicate of one of my grandmother's forty-plus years old perfume bottles, covered in a thick layer of dust with notes that have all gone a bit off. I don't mean to imply that it's nasty or smells that it has gone off - it just has such a heavily agedf scent to it, and 'dirty' fragrances always seem off to me. The drydown is surprisingly sweet.

In bottle: Pleasantly green in the bottle. Reminds me heavily of vetiver, but with something sweet in the background - a sweetness that reminds me of lime jell-o. There are hints of pine drizzled about as well. On me: Forestly greens, but with a fresh herbal bite. It is a heavier fragrance than I expected, but just as creeping, slithering, and poisonous as I had hoped. It's how I imagine the wizard Slytherin himself would smell. It's tricky, flexing between woody and sweet and just flat out smoky vetiver. I can see how the fans of Hemlock are rabidly so!

In bottle: Smells like a nutshell. Warm, wooden, that dry nutty fragrance. On me: The odd bottle-smell must've been the sandalwood; on the skin it is all cinnamon and spiciness. It is calming, grounding, slightly 'dirty'...overall it's not much of a perfume fragrance, but it is a pleasant smell.

In bottle: It reminds me of apples and lotus, an extremely sweet combination. Lotus can be a little watery, but it isn't in this blend; it's just screaming bright and sweet. Tho' I generally love sweet fragrances, lotus is a note I've never gotten into - it's sweet but a little chalky. That chalkiness is definitely apparent here. On me: Apple. I love apples, but this is such a sickly sweet one I don't know that I'll be able to keep it. The initial blast doesn't last long, thank goodness. When it's dry the fragrance is pleasant, fruity, delightfully apple-like - but something's off. Something just isn't right. I wish that I could pinpoint it, but I guess the apple-ness of it is surrounded by some floral I don't care for, and even hints of it are enough to put me off the scent. If you like Bath & Body Work's Country Apple, I think it would layer very well with this.

In bottle: Fresh and light and clean. On me: Calming. This is a nosegay of a fragrance, a small collection of light florals. I can't identify any of them individually, at least off the top of my head. It's definitely a light, delicate spring bouquet, whites and creams and yellows. I imagine Amy in Little Women would have smelt something like this. Very feminine and youthful.

In bottle: Light, clean, white slight floral. It is very tranquil, and still. It does indeed seem like a reflective pool of water. Quite aquatic, but thankfully it isn't salty. On me: It dries very quickly. Very much a 'clean laundry' sort of scent to me. The white florals are familiar, but unidentifiable for me. Beautiful and clear, it could be masculine or feminine. It reminds me a bit of Calgon's 'Morning Glory' but much, much better.

In bottle: Not a particularly spicy cinnamon. It rather reminds me of craft stores. It's rather musty and old-smelling, but I suppose any cinnamon's bound to lose it's zip when it's well over a year old. On me: Doesn't burn my skin; good to know. (You'd think I'd be bright and delude it to be safe, but no! I'm foolhardy! Definitely cinnamon, can't deny it. Warm and spicy and just a teensy bit sweet ; definitely a red scent. Not as zippy as I would've expected, but I suspect it can't be help as the oil's aged quite a bit.

In bottle: Another sharp, herbal scent. Masculine. It smells familar, like I've come across it before. Lemongrass and lavender, perhaps? On me: Pleasant scent that is NOTHING like it was in the bottle. It is warm and comforting, with hints of lavender and warm spices. Very unique and delightful.

In bottle: Sharp and fruity, with a note that I am pretty sure is also in Chango. It reminds me of a medicine I once took several years ago. On me: I hope that medicinal note fades soon; otherwise this is like a very nasty cough-syrup. After a good half-hour the medicinal, stinging note has faded but it definitely isn't gone. Too bad. Off goes Chariot.

In bottle: Curious - this is a little sweet. It has that same mustiness an old library has, brittle paper and mounds of dust. But that strange sweetness is almost like a poeny blossom growing up through a crack in the floor, getting sunlight through a thin ray that shines in through a broken pane of a dirty window. On me: Light and sweet, but it's driving me mad because I can't identify what it is. A bit light wood, some paper note if possible...but some sort of floral too.

In bottle: Cherries and pennyroyal mint? It reminds me of cherry-flavored Vicks medicine that you give to kids when they've got a cold. On me: Pine and cherry. Really, it makes me think of cough syrup even more when it's had a chance to interact with my skin. I hope this bottle finds a good home, because it isn't staying with me!

In bottle: Very astrigent, cleaning-fluid sort of floral. Whitish in color. On me: It's definitely a white floral; I'm starting to recognize it from other blends I've had it in. Very creamy; rather like gardenia but with a lighter, more of a summer-night fragrance. Smells pretty icky after it's been on me a while - someone else said pee and I've got to go with that.

My impression of tonka has always been that it's a crystalline vanilla, less creamy and more sparkly. In bottle: Very sweet and sparkly! It has an an almost coconut scent to it. Very clean and fresh. On me: On the skin it loses its sparkle a bit, and goes rather milky. It is not at all like vanilla, so I have no idea why I thought it was. It's a light scent, quite bright - it reminds me a bit of coconut milk, but with the glittering crispness I associate with clean linens and aquatic notes.

The one fragrance that always makes me feel at peace is a warm tomato leaf that's been heated by the sun. In bottle: This is a very strong note; it is a slightly sharp, slightly bitter green leaf. It's very crisp and fresh. On me: It's so nice; I just adore it. It smells just the way it should. I can even feel the sun shining down on the plant.

In bottle: Rich and sweet and golden. What I love most about amber is that it is such a second-skin fragrance, so subtle that you don't quite recognize it as a perfume when you smell it on someone. On me: Vanishes except for a faintly honey-like sweetness that is rich and exotic.

Grape Single Note In bottle: Smells very purple and a bit artificial. It makes me think of kid's cough syrup or cheap grape-flavored lollipops rather than the fruit or the grape vines. On me: A bit boozy. It makes me think of red wine or at least fermented grapes; again, there is nothing of the fruit or plant or even raisins in this.

In bottle: Familiar - I think this is similar to one of the discontinued oils. Very dark and laden with patchouli, but a bit herbal as well. Reminds me heavily of a new-age shop. On me: Amber comes out on the skin. Very incensy but amber adds that sweetness and touch of fruitiness that makes it wearable for me, even though it's a bit musky. I imagine it would blend very well with vanilla.

In bottle: Rose petals - the dusty sort I associate with tea roses, versus a fresh-plucked bloom still green with stem and leaves like Rose Red. On me: Pleasant roses, although nothing spectacular to me. It's a bit greener on the skin; like someone said it seems to have the thorns as well as the petals. It's not an exceptional rose scent for me, but it's good enough to keep.

In bottle: Clean, but dark. Does that make sense? It's a sparkling, crystal fragrance, but dark, like smoky grey tinted glass. On me: On the skin it smells heavily of animalistic musk - civet - and green jasmine. Or would that be something green and herb-like, and jasmine? Definitely a mix of medicinal and floral, with that heavy civet.

In bottle: Dirty earwax? Definitely dirt. A watery sweetness - like strained cherries. It might be almonds; I often confuse the two. Also there's the sharpness of pine. On me: Sharp pine wood, it's a very warm dirty-yellow fragrance. It smells like wood planks that have been sitting out in the sun for a long time, covered in a layer of dust.

In bottle: Light. Lavender. Slightly astringent. Bit green. On me: Lavender and something a bit herbal. Perhaps rosemary? I really don't know. Goes nasty on my skin with a few minutes - hate to say it, but it literally goes to shit. Something in this blend doesn't agree with my chemistry one bit.

In bottle: Cinnamon and frankincense? It's definitely cinnamon, but with an incense edge and resin undertone. On me: Cinnamon. Pretty much just pure cinnamon on me. That incense edge is still there, making the blend a little smokier, but mostly it is happy red cinnamon sticks.

In bottle: Incense and...melted butter? Oooh, I don't think this is going to be a prize-winner on my skin. On me: Rather burned dragon's blood with spicy undertones that are not unlike the rubber used in balloons to my nose. Did I mention this blend is also giving me a headache? Not at all for me to touch, I'm afraid.

In bottle: Very earthy and dark. Death makes me think of the graveyard dirt that we are buried in after his visit. It is also a bit sharp, as if dry grasses are poking up out of the grave, which has fallen into disrepair. On me: On the skin it's almost a bit nutty, as if walnuts or hazelnuts have been hiding behind the patchouli. It's a bit spicier now; I definitley don't get the dirt association as strongly now. It is not at all an unpleasant blend; there is almost something calming about it. I know I wouldn't wear it, but I think it captures Death perfectly.