ka hulu

In bottle = a snoot-ful of pearl sugar. Wet = limoncello! Syrupy and bright. Dry = husky, dusky, sweet; some elegant God version of dry Fruity Pebbles, and/or the kind of crystal sugar that crushes satisfactorily in one’s teeth and somehow slakes thirst, or maybe desire. Warm and still slightly lemony. I would say it’s low throw, except one of my fave coworkers can detect it from across the room. 13 March 2020 was, for me, a terribly difficult day. But this scent always conveys a deep kindness, sweetness, and comfort, and for me, it is the beautiful-est 13.

Virgin margarita in a sugar-rimmed glass, or maybe straight Sprite syrup sans carbonation? Luscious and bright; medium throw. It’s fleeting, but so fun.

I use this oil ahead of active ancestral works, and can attest that it helps with softening and compassion — not only for one’s own ancestry, but toward all ancestors. Instant peace, and readiness, an excellent guide or companion that lends soft safe focus and impeccably gentle control. A crowd favorite.

Scent-wise, the notes all feature, in the order listed in the description. Overall warm and sweet. The apple is subdued; the spearmint natural and warm, most prominent in the drydown. It’s still a weird time in collective history, so I reached for Lepos this week out of curiosity, and it does the trick. Centering in self in a calm, new, and different way, a bit like coming home to one’s own Being, the self that has always been and that is just fine, good as is, and pleasant to know and sit with a while. I like me. But today I notice I also like being reminded that I do, which was a surprise to me. Lepos is unique, most cleverly composed, and friendly, like a stealth bestie you forgot you know. I am so happy that Beth manifests these exquisite helps..

I can’t imagine how it got in there, and haven’t had one of these since deep childhood, but Comfort is somehow the placid satisfaction of a licked Oreo cookie. Whatever it is, it’s a quiet simple gentle pleasure you’ve been looking forward to all day. Something bakery, with just the right amount of vanilla sweet, and yes — materia visible in the bottle, as if some magical cookie dust is in there. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Comfort is everything I’d hoped for.

Dead Leaves, Bourbon, Black Cherry and An Orange Twist! You might also like Oak King v4 prototype; rather than oak, it smells like opening a great-grandfather’s liquor cabinet. Whew!

2011 version, with reindeer label. I bought in hopes of boozy snickerdoodle, but on opening this one in the dark, unexpectedly got something even more perfect (for me): Pepparkakor! With all the spices, including pepper, a dark gingery peppery cookie. Fans of black or white pepper might love this version. Spicy!

By the notes, this will sound all wrong, but — in bottle, blind-testing, I got something like green banana, creamy, a sweet clean banana purée. That was endearing enough to try it on. Wet, this is creamy and sweet, fruity but in a musky dusky banana way. If a tea, one with sweetened condensed milk or maybe a lime-sugared whipping cream. But overall, and on walking outside when it was dry, I still sense pear as green creamy, dreamy banana. Luna is like walking out into an early tropical morning full of flowers, mist, and fruiting trees. Carnation and thyme don’t feature at all; there’s no crisp or zing, just soft comfort. The scent vanishes within the hour, but while it lasts, it’s beautiful.

Hunter, just wow. Reminiscent of standing in a vast open plains, alone at barely dawn or just past dusk. Clean tawny soft suede, maybe a generations-old hand-sewn medicine bag, rolled in sage and the dust of places of prehistoric and fossilized trees. I don’t get amber or clove, nor element of sweet or hot spice here. Just …very clean, very natural, and very wise. Deliberate and self-contained. The scent is light and also light-wearing, turns to a skin scent in too short a time. Faintly resembling SL Daim Blond, but much more subtle. Like a riffling of a thick stack of freshly-minted (or freshly-laundered!) hundred-dollar bills. I bought this a million years ago and for the label art and story excerpt, although to be honest, I don’t know Neverwhere and also didn’t know this was not a scent that would be continually available. The art and words resonated at the time, and they do now again — and the scent, while fleeting, is so lovely and clean, taut, confidence-inspiring. My guess is that if the Gaiman character appeals to you, you’ll find this scent appealing too. I was sorry to find it’s no longer listed on the shop site! Hunter is sly, beautiful, and divine.

During early pandemic I made a guava chiffon cake from scratch, whipping guava-flavored cream in a grandmother’s cold steel bowl with a simple fork, the way a great-grandmother had done in an old farmstead kitchen long ago. Cheshire Moon 2008 smells like that — quietly intentional, endearing, a bit mischievous; a lovely light blush pink, guava-sweet, slightly vanillic, with soft hibiscus petal breaths that come and go. Dreamy, restful, calming; good for a quiet grey Sunday morning too. A fae or fairy godmother scent, magical, timeless, and kindly.

You like green apples? You want Murderous Frogs. POW! SO GOOD.

Initially this reads as slushy flurries and cold icy pine, and then dries to almost a sweet vanilla mint. A faint howl of something like yuzu, which is probably the verbena. I don’t detect brown musk or labdanum, but it’s still cozy in a lovely cold way.

I’d love to know the scent notes for this one someday. This morning it is very labdanum, with cooling threads of lavender. I don’t get incense or florals; it’s smoky, but like a distant wildfire, and with some lush greenery trampled beneath.

I see all the excellent elegant fruit notes in description, but for me, in bottle, wet on skin, and dry, I’ve got Cherry Zotz. Maybe warm from a summertime pocket or the cup holder in your car, but, a gleeful young cherry Zotz. Warm, fizzy, red, luscious. A scent of playful fizzy red joy. An hour or two after application, it lends to *almost* a cherry limeade; refreshing.