Kunstkammer

[Caltha]

Kunstkammer

A sensory jumble, a true cacophony of odors: black pepper, benzoin, blood orange and olibanum.

 

Kunstkammer is all strong, sweet orange candy and it's not just a skin chemistry thing because it's the same in my hair or simply from the imp. I love fresh oranges but as a perfume note it's one of my least favourites. I might appreciate an orange scent if it was really freshly sour, juicy orange since I love sour citrus like lemon and lime, but BPAL has made me think of orange as sticky sweet, artificial orange candy and now I just avoid it. Off to swaps.

[Aurelius]

When first applied Kunstkammer smells like rich orange, almost deep red, with a peppery kick. As it dries it becomes a dusty orange, the pepper becoming more unpleasant on my skin until I smell like an orange you really, really wouldn't want to be near. I'd love to smell this on someone else who can wear it well. It's such an intriguing scent!

[ereuyi]

The first time I tried this on, it was basically a fruity punch in the nose. Something in it went SUPER kicky on me, and I was glad it didn't have much throw, because every time I caught a whiff of it, I honestly flinched. Maybe that was the pepper? It didn't seem peppery to me, but that might have been because of the orange-y note (I'm not familiar with blood orange, though I assume that's what that is).

 

Today, I got absolutey none of that kick. In the bottle, on wet, and as it's dried this has been a slightly dark orange with a hint of something else fruity. It's not light or cheery at all, just juicy and beautiful. It's gotten darker as it dries, and whatever it is underneath the orange comes out more. So far it's lasted well on me (seven hours and counting), though only as a skin scent--exactly how I like 'em.

[kunoichi]

This is sweet and strong, smelling sort of like some sort of sugary soft drink from the vial, maybe creamy soda mixed with generic cola; it’s powerful! Kunstkammer may mean ‘chamber of wonders’ but it smells like a chamber full of cola flavoured boiled lollies on my skin!! It starts of smelling strongly of sugar and generic cola soft drink, and then slowly fades over time until the two combine into smelling like cola boiled lollies from Sovereign Hill! It’s reminiscent of Love Me, without the bubblegum or powdery aspects to the scent. It’s definitely more like boiled lollies by the end, though.

[edenssixthday]

Kunstkammer - the first time I wore Kunstkammer, I thought it smelled very foody, in a bakery sort of way. In fact, it reminded me of certain aspects of Red Lantern. Looking at the scent description, I have no idea why it worked that way on me. The next few times I tried it, I could still see where I thought “bakery!” when I put it on, but more than that, it was sweet and had a twist of vanilla-orange to it. It’s a strange scent on me and I have yet to decide if I like it or not. But I keep going back and trying it, so it’s highly intriguing and I definitely can’t say I dislike it. It doesn’t have much throw on me, but it does seem to have reasonable staying power.

[Tess]

(Original '05 version) I hear this is orange candy. :B Nothing beats that!

 

In the vial - Orange! Not true Jolly Rancher smelling, but a ripe orange.

 

Wet - Blood orange doesn't do that sweet, sweet orange scent and this is very nice. Orange, with a hint of the benzoin. No pepper yet, darn it.

 

Drying - Ooo, there it is! It's coming out slowly, giving the orange just a teeny bit of kick. It tickles my nose the way that pepper has been known to, not enough to make me sneeze, but enough to let me know it's there.

 

Dry (30 minutes) - I don't know, this is just kinda... boring to me. The blood orange is ruling over everything else and it's just a plain, dark, non-sweet orange. I can't smell anything but that.

 

Overall - I'm surprised, but this really isn't for me, I guess. It's not sweet enough or daring enough of a scent. Maybe someone else will like it more.

[BrightRedScream]

In the bottle: Lots and lots of pepper and blood orange...wow!

 

Wet on the skin: Peppery orange...mostly orange though. This is very sweet.

 

Dry down: As this dries down it turns into something a little spicey - but mostly sweet..I'm not sure what the heck olibanum or benzoin are - so I couldn't tell you if I'm smelling them or not! I don't mind this blend - but it's definitely something that my sister would prefer....It kinda reminds of of a juice box.

Edited June 27, 2006 by BrightRedScream

[clovepod]

Wet, the sweet orange dominates, but with the promise of a spicy, almost resinous backbone. I had hopes that the complexity would come forward as it dried, but sadly in most places I applied it simply disappeared. In the few places it remains, it's nothing but sweet orange. Juicy and real, but not a scent I want to wear.

 

Upon extreme drydown, the sweet, sweet orange fades off, and i can smell a very faint whiff of pepper close to my skin. I like the pepper, but it doesn't save this for me.

[themerrybaker]

I expected a more complex experience from Kunstkammer, but I basically got Creamsicle. Yes, a good summertime smell but fruity scents are not my favorites.

[sarahj]

Kunstkammer

 

in bottle: medicinal orange

 

wet: much sweeter, but now the orange smells artificial

 

dry: artificial orange candy with a plastic-y note

 

verdict: not for me...this will go to swaps

[tartsquid]

I was hoping to like this one because I love the blood orange singlenote that I have from a different perfume company. Unfortunately this immediately turns into a syrupy, bubblegum like scent when it hits my skin.

 

After drying down it's not as strong and sticks close to the skin, but I can still catch that bubblegum note that really turns my stomach. I've tried this three times just to be certain that this is what it smells like because I desperately wanted to love it!

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Sweet tarts and cotton candy?

 

In the imp: A lightly peppered orange and something else, something almost sandalwood-esque.

 

On skin, wet: Sugary sweet orange, but a little plasticky.

 

On skin, dry: Rich, syrupy orange and... bubblegum? How odd! Actually, it's closer to orange sweet-tarts wrapped in pink cotton candy. Very odd and unexpected, and surprisingly light and girly. I'm not sure how much I like this...

 

Conclusion/Notes: Unfortunately, bubblegum/sweet-tarts/cotton candy scents aren't really my thing. It's very interesting, though!

Edited August 19, 2006 by Aredhel

[maijasu]

On me, this is orange candy. Specifically, spicy orange gumdrops. It's a nice scent to wear for fun, but I can't see myself reaching for it regularly, so I may have to swap it. Take my opinion with a grain of salt though, as there are a LOT of fruity BPALs I can't wear, and this one is actually much better than most of them.

[sofaking6]

I'm an instant fan of this scent.

 

I agree that it is candy-sweet orange, but it's not cloying at all and for me, it comes off as very fresh and invigorating. Not a date scent or club scent, but definitely something to keep me focused and cheerful at work. I also really like the drydown, as the orange mellows it lets loose a really cool, interesting juicy pepper blend.

 

One comment: wearing Kunstkammer makes me hungry.

[cabinwench]

Blood orange and pepper in the bottle--reminds me of a cough syrup that was available years ago that had codeine in it and was flavored with orange--heavy orange with a bitter note.

 

On skin, it was cotton candy--don't know where the orange went.

 

1 hour later, I'm getting soft creamsicle.

 

This is a nice, sweet scent, summery, but not pushy. I'm happy I got a bottle.

[theseagrows]

this is the third scent i've tried that reminds me of a fruit-scented doll. one other bpal i tried smelled like a strawberry shortcake doll, and this one would be an orange-scented doll. it's orangey-creamy, at first almost smelling medicinal but sweet, like children's cough syrup. sadly, i don't get any of the pepper, which i thought would spice this one up a little. it's too sweet for my tastes.

Edited September 26, 2006 by theseagrows

[Miss*J]

Pour some Tussin on it!

 

Wow, I was hoping for the yummy fruitiness everyone has talked about, but from vial through dry down, I feel like a Chris Rock joke.

It softens up after a few minutes, but i still feel like I smell like a shut in.

I need a vial of something chicken soup scented and something with menthol to complete the illusion.

 

 

 

I used to wear primarily fruity smells, but it seems like my body chemistry has changed immensely and warmth is a more agreeable scent characteristic for me.

Thank god there's a million and one of those in the BPAL cadre.

[supremegoddessofall]

Blood orange is much more tolerable than regular orange. It's definitely got a fruity feel to it. Not getting the spices at all.

[sofiaviolet]

This smells kind of like I would expect the fruit in fruitcake to smell. It probably doesn't, but it looks like it ought to smell like Kunstkammer. It's pretty interesting but ultimately not for me.

[for_the_nonce]

in the bottle: mostly orange creamsicle, but with something spicy underneath; not what i expected but not entirely bad.

 

wearing: this almost dissapears once it hits my skin. what little scent is left is all creamy orange. it dries down to a very powdery orange scent- it actually kinda reminds me of what happens if you let that double bubble gum sit out for a really long time (it it were orange gum, anyway..)

 

overall: i didn't get any of the pepper, wearing this. unfortunately, too sweet/powdery and not for me.

 

 

 

 

ETA: i just tested Akuma and it went horribly wrong on me, in much the same way as Kunstkammer. I have come to the conclusion that blood oranges hate me, which makes me a very sad girl..

Edited November 13, 2006 by for_the_nonce

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: fruity, fruity, very fruity. I mostly smell pear.

 

On my skin: pear and orange hard candies. I like it, it makes me smile. I smell absolutely no benzoin or pepper, only sugar and fruits. It would be quite perfect for a little girl, I think.

 

After a couple of hours: more and more orange. Orange candies, lots of sunshine. A very happy scent!

 

Verdict: it's very joyful, I like it quite a lot.

[moon_lemming]

Kunstkammer starts out fruity and orangey and sweet, kind of like an orange Creamsaver, on me, but the orange fades quickly and the black pepper is all I can smell after five minutes. To be fair, my skin amps pepper to an insane degree, so it's probly mostly chemistry.

 

Wait, the orange is still kind of there, just waaaay in the background.

 

Sadly, pepper and I do not get along, at least not in perfumes. Smelling pepper on my skin makes me feel like I'm marinating or something. Not for me.

[GoldenRubee]

In the bottle: juicy, fruity, luscious orange

 

On my skin: sweet, sugary oranges. No pepper in sight.

 

Verdict: Absolutely gorgeous! It is much more sweeter than I thought it would be. I think that is the blood oranges talking. I do not detect any pepper at all and I have been wearing it for awhile now. It just keeps getting better and sweeter the longer it's on. This is a good summer scent.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

ORANGE

 

On me:

I had wanted to try this since it first came out, but it wasn't on my top priorities so I never did get a chance to sniff it. Now that I have it, I think it's probably best that I skipped over it. I think I was hoping for a creamier orange, but this is really in-your-face-orange - it makes me think of orange soda because it has that sort of smell you get with carbonated fruit drinks. Hard to describe.

 

Of course, then the pepper comes in and it gets really wierd. I don't dig how the pepper works with the orange, it's not a *bad* smell per se, but it is "off" to my nose.

 

Final note:

Not for me, the pepper with the orange makes for an unpleasant combo to my nose and the orange is sharper than I was hoping for

[DifferentDances]

Bottle: Cough syrup.

Wet: Splashed orange concentrate, like a frozen popsicle. There's a hint of something floral softening the edges of the tart orange.

Drydown: Whoa there, careful now. Starting to smell ever so slightly artificial --moreso than the popsicle, which at least was a bit creamy. This reminds me of a dissolving orange candy I used to eat: it has that same airy, fragile feel.

Dry: Doesn't change much from the drydown. Biggest transition is from the creamy orange when wet on my skin to the delicate orange candy it becomes.

 

My rating: 5/5. I cannot believe I waited so long to try this!