k00kaburra

In bottle: Reminds me of a heady perfume that my grandmother wore. Tuberose and hyacinth and ylang ylang - all the heavy florals - that have been aged from sitting on a shelf since the '70's. It is a scent of an era that has passed, and remains on only in memories.

On me: Bubbly floral. The ylang ylang is strong, but there's white musk and white sandalwood, blended with the sweetness of tobacco flower, which morphs the ylang ylang into a completely different presentation than I'm used to. It's a boozy party fragrance, but it's sparkling and glittery. It's an old-fashioned commercial fragrance, the sort that simply isn't popular anymore. It feels straight out of the 70's - very retro. Not my scene but it is exceptional if you are a child of the era.

In bottle: It's very heavy on the pine. There's definitely a hint of a girlie perfume, or at least something slightly sparkling and unusual in the middle of a forest.

On me: The pine is still extremely strong, although there is a certain coldness that I certainly could attribute to snow. It does remind me quite a bit of Skadi, but it seems younger and slightly spicy, for as I was getting up from the pillow I was lying on I could swear I had a brief whiff of cinnamon. If I were to try and describe the fragrance in a single word, I'd say it was giggling.

In bottle: It reminds me of Aureus in that it comes across as a scent of pure light. The amber is sparkling and made vivid by the other notes. It's almost crystalline. In a word, it is glorious.

On me: It's weak on the skin, faint and several notes vanish. I can't pinpoint what is lost, but whatever it is takes the glory of the blend with it. It is plain on me, slightly honey-like, but nothing special.

In bottle: Rich red rose. Reminds of bulgarian rose, actually. It's definitely lacking the greenery that accents Rose Red so nicely. It truly is a rose at the peak of its bloom - a few seconds more and it begin to wilt and never reach such heights again - but for this moment it is perfect.

On me: The strongest rose that I've ever come across, with nothing else interfering and weakening its impact. Beautiful.

In bottle: Very almond-like. The leather is sweet, especially when laced with tobacco smoke. The 'crispness' of linen is what adds the sweet note.

On me: It's definitely a wood base, but it comes off as a spiced note. The way the smoke and leather mingle together reminds me of mulling spices, sharpened and slightly shriller than normal.

With time the leather becomes the dominant note. It smells rather like the cover of an old book to me.

In bottle: Cold as ice - it's rather what I had anticipated Numb to be like. Sweet and crystalline. It reminds me of wintergreen gum.

On me: Just flat out gorgeous. It's what I wanted Numb to be! It's so delightful - a very chilling aquatic, with the lovely mintiness providing the perfect accent.

In bottle: The warm sugar and butter are strong and comforting, but the pine is sending a sharp yellow note that to my nose disrupts the balance of the fragrance. It makes it disturbing rather than a comfort.

On me: This is so much better on the skin! Warm wood, old wood, slightly smoky from many fires over several lifetimes. The sweetness of the butter and sugar makes this note rather nutty - it seems to be a very sugared candied walnut. I didn't anticipate liking this so much, but it is awesome.

In bottle: The incense is truly faded, for it is faint and wispy in the blend. Smoke hangs in the air, but it is the slight fruitiness of dragon's blood and a heavier note of 'true' blood that are the true focus.

On me: I like this, even though I couldn't say why. It's faintly metallic, and mostly incense and smoky. The slight fruitness I mentioned before remains. On my skin it's a surprisingly gentle blend, rather weak and difficult to notice. It will be a good subtle blend to wear around sensitive noses, because I don't think it's strong enough to irritate anyone.

In bottle: Almost a pure, wild animal musk to my nose, but there's a faint wood-greeness, like fresh-chopped lumber of a young tree, that adds a sharpness.

On me: This is surprisingly clean, almost a man-soap smell. I expected it to be dark and Puck-like, sans the grape, but it is far better! There is a grass-note that I did not anticipate at all that makes this blend surprisingly pretty. There. I said it. The Rat King is pretty! I am as amazed as you!

Definitely a man-soap scent; reminds me a bit of a sharper, less synethetic 'Woodland.' (Woodland from Bath & Body Works, if you didn't guess.) I wouldn't wear it, but I'd love to smell it on someone else.

In bottle: Just a little tingling and a little chilling, like all good peppermints should be. It's a little sugary, but it doesn't quite match candy cane, at least not yet.

On me: It is still a bit creamier and a not quite at what a candy cane is to me - but I seem to be associating it with spearmint rather than peppermint. How odd is that? I wonder if my mints are badly confused. Accurate or not, I love this. It's nearly a pure mint, but creamier and somehow better. I'm definitely keeping this close.

In bottle: Rich, decadent cheesecake. Mouth-watering. There's the slight tang of a fruit, like not-quite-ripe strawberries or extremely sweet lemon sauce.

On me: Terribly light on the skin - not at all thick like in the bottle, the blend is light and mild. It has the fried-cotton-candy-sweet note that figures so heavily in Midway. However, it is much foodier and cakier than Midway. Thoroughly likeable, and light enough that I don't think it will be overwhelming to wear. What a fun blend!

In bottle: Rich brown sugar; rather buttery. It doesn't really smell like the candy to me - more like a buttery pie crust.

On me: It is creamier on the skin and definitely smells closer to the candy. Overall it is still quite buttery, definitely reminding me of a cookie or some other baked good rich in sugar. I love it far more than, for example, Sugar Cookie.

A rich and foody blend.

In bottle: Wow! It smells like a fresh baked, warm snickerdoodle.

Wait, that can't be right. But there it is. The cinnamon is warm, but not red-hot; the myrrh adds a smoky edge, and the honeysuckle sweetens the whole blend considerably. I'm not sure what copal is - perhaps it provides the strange foodiness to the blend?

On me: The cinnamon is stronger, and the honeysuckle fades although it still sweetens the blend considerably. It still really smells like a cinnamon cookie to me; it's definitely big-bottle worthy. It doesn't have a lot of throw; but it lingers beautifully close to the skin. It's perfect for sidling up to someone and whispering in their ear.

In bottle: Ugh. Pine and juniper are so sharp together! BPAL has taught me just how much I loathe both of these notes. I dread putting this on my skin, but for the sake of my review I must press on!

But I admit my bias straight on. These notes are not my friends. Anyway, I cannot detect the musks in this blend, and while I think I may be noting some cypress, I am not familiar enough with that note to be certain.

On me: On the skin, the notes mellow somewhat and blend into something likeable. It is a forest, warm and slightly muggy, with black trees curling up to the sky. I picture gnarled branches, twisted and some perhaps struck with lightning, leaving the blackened plant to continue its growth. It isn't as dark as I imagined it would be - while it is still not a scent I would wear, I find it far more bearable than most 'forest' scents.

In bottle: Smoky, and almost resin-y? The honeysuckle sweetens this uniquely, so that it is especially unique amongst darker fragrances. Very thick and heavy.

On me: A slightly darkened honeysuckle - it's practically a single note. Lovely floral, but faint on the skin. I admit I feared the vetiver, but I didn't even manage to locate it in this blend.

In bottle: Blood orange, and green. Yet floral. There is the sweetness of rose blooms and oranges, yet the sharpness, almost vetiver-note that I think comes with blood orange. (I always remember it most distinctly in Akuma.)

On me: Beautiful rose blend. It's green, like the roses in Rose Red, but it isn't purely rose - there's definitely an assortment of other green leaves and stems surrounding the flower buds. It's gorgeous; crisp and green with a creamy rose.

In bottle: It seems to be rather like a spiced lemon; maybe spiced bergamot. It reminds me a bit of herbal cough drops, too. Odd. Warm fragrance, definitely.

On me: The citrus note fades away, leaving a scent that seems like the sun beginning to warm up but not yet full-on blazing. It is a warm, comfortable scent - but not hot. It's very mellow spices, nothing too flashy at all.

In bottle: Zesty orange-peel and black tea leaves, heavily aromatic. Smoky, slightly animalistic smell of leather mingles in the background.

On me: Light tea fragrance, slightly sweetened with a citrus peel. Very faint on my skin, the blend fades almost immediately, leaving behind the faintest hints of leather and a cup of tea leaves steeped in water. Very pretty, but it doesn't last long enough for me to justify keeping it.

In bottle: Powdery patchouli and fruity neroli. None of these notes smell the way I normally associate them.

On me: Very, very little throw - my nose has to be right close to my skin to catch even the tinest whiff! Delicate white floral fragrance, reminds me somewhat of Gardenia, but with a slight powdery base built up on ylang ylang and patchouli. I agree with the 'rather floral soap' thoughts, but it is prettier than your average floral soap..

The liquid is such a pretty soda-bottle green.

In bottle: A bit peppery, very lush and green. There's a heavy loamy note that grounds the blend.

On me: After the initial pepper/vetiver note disappates, Belladonna is a sexy, spicy floral. Rather like a carnation, but far greener! It's still based in a pine note, and the earth is still there, but the flowers in this blend really change the nature of the fragrance. As someone else said, a very weedy forest smell.

I am not 100% sure this is the same as black narcissus, as it is a decant, but as there was no other narcissus listed I'll take that risk.

In bottle: Hee hee. Reminds me of daffy-dills.

On me: To my nose, narcissus is a white floral with a bit of incense ground in. It's a musky floral as well. (It also seems to be a bit plasticky/wet Bandaid on my skin, which could explain a few blends.)

In bottle: Wow, this is very unusual. I don't recognize many of the notes. Heavily incensed, but also quite earthy. Hints of a foody spice too. The sandalwood and patchouli are the only notes I'm familar enough to know off the bat. Muguet's a lily tho', isn't it? (Not that I can detect any lily in the blend.)

On me: I'm pretty sure the spicness is either the cardamom or the labdanum. It's nice, but it isn't me. The cinnamon-like (although distinctly not cinnamon - man, I make no sense. It's like a green cinnamon, if you can imagine) fragrance wafts up from the earth - so it's cinnamon dirt to my nose. I don't know whether that's a hit with others, but it's a miss with me. I'd do well to leave this blend alone.

In bottle: Cucumber and sage. I wonder what the difference between regular sage and white sage is - it seems to be a bit lighter, and a bit less herbal. There's definitely a nice mossy background that I think adds the gloom perfectly. The peony is faint but present, like fading innocence, or innocence fading in a memory.

On me: Cucumber, peony and an undertone of corn tortilla? Call me crazy but that's what I get from this blend. Corn tortilla! Nevertheless, I like it! It's a bit watery (I blame the sweet pea for this) and a bit commercial (I don't know why I think that, but it does seem rather commercial) but it's lovely and innocent. It reminds me a bit of Desdemona, so perhaps after 'A Demon In My View' is no longer available that would be a good substitute for those looking to replace their much-loved Annabels.

In bottle: Ooo, pretty!

It reminds me of honey candy. Bright and sparkling like a warm spring day. On second whiff, the blend turns a little more golden. The blend is slightly apple blossom-like to me.

On me: It's kind've like honeysuckle, but so. much. better. Honeyed lilies is actually a nearly perfect description! Another way to describe the blend would be to say that it is rich dripping golden honey, combined with all the flowers that went into the making of it. Everything except the bees, anyway. It's light and perfect for spring; it's not a 'clean' fragrance but it's an excellent blend for an office environment, because it's still unique and it isn't in-your-face the way a heavier floral might be.

In bottle: Heavy patchouli is the grounding note, bitter with a woeful sigh. Indeed, this liquid is bitter from tip to toe; not even the plum brings any sweetness to the blend. Ground lemon peel - and it's definitely the peel, not the pulp or the juice - adds a hint of zestiness but doesn't lighten the blend one bit.

On me:Although I doubt it's in the blend, something like night-blooming jasmine surfaces on my skin, giving the blend a fresh wash of sadness and adding to the general melancholy. The white musk also appears, but it is depressed by the vetiver and patchouli.

The sad blend vanishes very quickly on my skin - I suppose in a way that almost makes sense, since I am a happy person by nature and my bouts of woe and sorrow rarely last long. This is not a perfume meant for me.