k00kaburra

In bottle: Classic floral soap. Roses and jasmine, lily and amber. Together these notes and others make me think of a white bar of Dove soap - clean, but still definitively floral. On me: Oooo, I like this. It is delicate and clean for those days when you want the world to know you're wearing perfume, but you don't want to overwhelm them with it. Growing from an amber base is a rich bouquet of rose and honeysuckle and violets, sprinkled with vanilla.

In bottle: Interesting. Incense for sure, but it's extremely sweet for the amber musk and the bergamot. The neroli is surprisingly quiet on my skin; usually it shrieks and screams at me. On me: Carnation petals sprinkled across the surface of the oil, barely allowing its influence more than a passing flutter. The incense and amber swirl together while the singing clarity of the bergamot skips across the surface. I wasn't sure how I would like this, as several of the notes are not of my normal pursuit, but this is actually quite suitable to my needs right now. It is very mysterious and exotic.

In bottle: Swirling bright red. There's definitely patchouli or possibly tobacco - it's a heady, smoky base. Layered with that is something sweet, like the flames. The sweetness stems from a floral, not a fruit or candy. The slight spiciness is something my head immediately wants to call cinnamon - but it doesn't smell like cinnamon at all, I think the association is made only because 'fire' and 'cinnamon' are often used in conjunction. On me: It's definitely a blend that's put together so skillfully that individual notes are next to impossible to identify. I think there's dragon's blood in this, and while many of the earliest reviews listed 'carnation' as a note I must say that I don't smell anything of the sort. The smoky note remains, but I don't even get much of a floral. The review Northernminx posted earlier in the thread is the closest to the scent I experienced.

In bottle: What a complicated blend. Deep earth notes and clouds of incense, indeed! There are hints of something almost nutty, but I absolutely can't detect any florals or fruit! On me: Oooo, this is not good on my skin. Myrrh and deep dark mud overwhelm the other notes. Twisted pomegranate and red currant try to reach through the dirt but are lost in a landslide. This definitely is not a scent for me.

In bottle: Delightful and sweet, this is a bouquet that is almost candy-like. It is the sweet, almost fruitiness of the lotus and the watery freesia and orchid, mingled with a multitude of roses. It is springtime. If the perfume is in any way true on the skin, than this scent would work perfectly for an article I was reading the other day, which recommends where light, fresh perfumes when you first start a job as to not overwhelm new co-workers. On me: Oh!...oh!...oh. Oh. No, it does not stay true on the skin. Lotus goes full-blown into the odd faux-musk it likes to pull on my skin, and the bulgarian roses swell out of control. Wait, it's beginning to mellow after the initial swell. It's now like rose soap with the other notes sweetening the blend - I like it again! I love it again! This certainly is an ace for my heart, and I expect frequent wearings.

In bottle: Roses with faint carnation and vanilla. Fresh and girly, and just a bit giggling. On me: Just a beautiful bouquet of expertly selected notes. Beautiful roses, carnations, tonka and vanilla bean, hints of tobacco leaf...to me this is what young love smells of, when you're simply mad about the person you're with.

In bottle: Vetiver and spicy green, but something sweet that mellows the whole fragrance too. Sage and tobacco leaf are definitely distinctively there. On me: Green and of the forest. Dark and masculine. Amber seems to be the foundation, built upon with leather, dark musk, tobacco and oakmoss, sage and vetiver.

In bottle: Clear like ozone and clean water. Light florals too - this is the dew-covered meadow as the sun finds it each morning, before the rest of the world disturbs it. On me: This becomes quite musky on the skin. That clean water crystalline note disappears into the beating heart of a living, breathing animal. The fragrance makes me want to run, dance, play - move! It's an active, engaging scent. In fact it is almost a second-skin scent, probably because it amplifies your natural musk so.

Chaos Theory II: CC In bottle: Light and slightly musky. A bit green, a bit sweet - it makes me think of a delicate new flower with pollen sprinkled over it and a berry plant growing nearby. It is a lovely spring scent. There is probably some amber in this as well. The liquid is a clear reddish-amber. On me: There's definitely amber in this one, but a previously unnoticed spice bubbles up as well. It is a classic perfume scent; one whiff instantly brings to mind fur jackets and silk gowns, sparkling diamonds and bright red lips. Chaos Theory II: CCXLVII In bottle: Mint with heavy buttercream. The richness of a cake frosting with mint leaves sprinkled on top. On me: The mint in this blend is very sharp; possibly penny royal or spearmint. The initial 'frosting notes' fade quickly on me, but I get a note that seems like black tea to me. My arm smells of mint tea with a bit of milk swirled in. My goodness, this is delightful! Love it! Chaos Theory II: CCCXXV In bottle: Fresh bakery smell. The spices of gingerbread - clove, cinnamon, etc. - but no ginger. A faint fruit beneath that; in fact it's almost like a fruitcake. On me: Oh, weird weird weird! My skin seems to drawing a sharp soap scent out of this baked blend. It's fleeting, tho' - it comes and goes. At other times I detect coconut and this rather reminds me of a macaroon, but spicier. Definitely an interesting, complicated, unanticipated blend.

In bottle: Strong, strong sandalwood, with a sharp bit of neroli. It is a sad scent, melancholy. On me: Sandalwood, ylang ylang, neroli. The notes all blend together quite well; it is a sad and lonely but pleasing fragrance. It is a fleeting, dreamlike scent that turns your head tho' you don't know why. Yet it is also simple and direct.

In bottle: Sweet and giggling. To my nose it is predominantly lotus but the roses creep up and add their color like a blush to a beautiful young face. On me: The roses vanish away leaving only the lotus, which doesn't much care for my skin. It smells faintly of candied fruit, but in an overripe, slightly rotted way. It makes my nose tingle with a longing to want to like the fragrance, but knowing it ultimately has no chance.

In bottle: Utterly delicious and decadent. Creamy white chocolate, currant and tangerine. Sweet, but lighter than Vice. On me: Smells like candy. Chocolate and light bright fruits. Oranges and tangerines and currants swirled in white chocolate. It's very delicate, like a fancy truffle rather than a chocolate bar. Something that would fall into your fingertips in a golden box.

In bottle: Apricots with alcohol swirled together. (I'm sure it's brandy, but off-hand I'm not sure, especially since the chilly air is killing my sense of smell.) It's a very rousing liquor; it makes me want to get up and do something rather than sitting back and relaxing. On me: Weird, it smells almost wooden. I think I'm going to have to re-review this later; my skin may just be wonky because it's that time of the month. The apricot is very delicate; the liquor dominates. Quiet and subtle, and sweet.

In bottle: The honey isn't as cloying as I expected from so many different kinds. On me: On my skin it's jasmine and thyme. The hints of the honey's sweetness is still there, but by and large this is a floral. It actually reminds me of LUSH's Flying Fox. I really wanted to like this, but it isn't really my style.

In bottle: Bright and strong strawberries; I'm not much getting a sense of cream. I can definitely smell the lotus and the green tea. For some reason something about this blend seems a tad alcoholic, and it also seems a bit like nail polish remover. On me: On the skin the sage and green tea definitely grow stronger. I can't even smell the strawberries, really - my skin does tend to eat that up immediately tho'. Overall, the scent is weakly herbal; like a very weak strawberry tea. Not for me.

In bottle: This smells very heavily of strawberries, maybe some watermelon. Watermelon jolly ranchers! That's what this is. On me: It's still a jolly rancher - this is definitely the best TAL blend I've come across so far.

In bottle: Very herbal and astrigent with the hints of a sweetness. Probably some vetiver; maybe but I'm not at all sure that there's a mintiness. On me: Hot and dry grassy plains - I like that, and I think those words encapsulate the blend. It has a distinct Voodoo familiarity to it; I'm sure it must contain several of the magikal notes that all the BPAL Voodoo Blends see to share. It is not something I would wear; if it serves the same purpose of High John then I will have to try that blend next.

I had this scent before but I swapped it away without reviewing it. So again, I take the plunge! In bottle: Lavender and violets and white sandalwood. This veil reminds me of the scene in Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix in the Department of Mysteries: this scent is what I would expect that room to smell like. On me: Very heavy on the gardenia and violet. I almost like this one, but then there's a slightly bitter note that pulls me away again. This is a very soft, feminine, mysterious fragrance. It's fleeting and always seems to be concealing something. For lack of a better way to describe it, the notes flicker. Very lovely and enigmatic.

In bottle: Chocolate dusted on leather with incense slithering through the air above. This perfume oil is a complex presence that instantly sets a mood. There are hints of tropical blooms in the background. On me: The chocolate is not as prominant as in other blends, but it's still strong. Instead the leather and patchouli are dominant, giving this a smoky sensation. It reminds me of drinking hot chocolate around a campfire; the sweetness of the chocolate mingling with the smoke from the blaze is captured beautifully. A sweetness that I would attribute to the presence of flowers is detectable, although I can't really smell the individual floral notes.

In bottle: Chocolate, but not creamy milk; it has a nuttiness to it that is absolutely delicious! Reminds me a bit of hazelnuts. There's also a lovely wine/berry-fruit note that makes this positively mouth-watering. On me: Mmmm, delicious. I would be licking myself if I could. This is Nutella and rich red wine, making a gorgeous fragrance that calls to mind fancy desserts in posh restaurants.

In bottle: Beautiful orchid and bergamot (bergamot gives this a lovely citrus note that blends rather creamily into the orchid and musk) with the undertones of patchouli. A bit powdery to be sure, but if you like powdery scents it's quite lovely. On me: The white musk and the orchid are so lovely together; this is a very delicate and 'fae' scent. The blend of the floral orchid and citrus orchid, mingling with white musk, bring a warm midsummer's night to mind. The patchouli is quite faint, but provides a grounding earth base for the other notes to spring from.

In bottle: Sharp, extremely masculine scent. Orange blossom, spanish moss, mints, and sandalwood. It reminds me of an extremely astringent aftershave. I can't detect any sort of florals in this blend. On me: This is giviing me a bit of a headache, which I wonder at, because I don't remember having any troubles with these notes before. I'm suspecting that perhaps many of today's modern colonges descend from recipes similar to this, for it smells heavily of the men's half of Sephora's fragrance walls. I might try to convince the boyfriend to give it a shot, but unlike my previous partner this boy is not much into picky perfume oils. If he can't spray it, he won't bother with it.

In bottle: First the strong, heavy scent of old forest wood and that edge that reminds me of vetiver. On me: Much greener on the skin; it is new wood rather than old. That odd edge of vetiver seems to have morphed or made way for something lemony. After ten minutes: This has a floral bite to it; it rather reminds me of lilies and tiny, light roses.

In bottle: Heavy cinnamon and slight dragon's blood. Although the color of the oil is a fierce, angry red the scent itself is more watery than I anticipated. On me: This is a gorgeous spicy scent, heavy on the cinnamon but the clove and pepper add a extra flash of pizzazz. The dragon's blood in this blend, oddly enough, does lend a bit of a plastic undertone to the scent, which keeps it from being heavenly and I think will keep me from adding this imp to my permanant collection.

In bottle: Violet and lilies - it's a pretty, watery floral. For once the juniper isn't screaming and actually helps the blend. On me: Very light on the skin, the violets are cradled by the myrrh and gently rocked. This is a very calming scent, slightly green from the violets and a bit medicinal. I can't really smell the juniper or cypress but I can detect their influence in the overall darkness of the scent. The myrrh continues to grow stronger and is beginning to overwhelm the other notes; I can't even detect the violet anymore. Definitely one of the best Lab scents.