Knockout Drops

[gniwle]

Bourbon vanilla, white mint, and white chocolate with a squirt of lemon meringue and a dribble of absinthe.

This is so light I can barely smell it! There's a whiff of vanilla and lemon, but little else. I poured a good sized drop of this on my wrist and still very little smell from it. I like what I do get out of it, but I doubt this is something I'll want to wear very often. It's inoffensive and very light. 3 out of 5 stars, imo. Maybe aging will help this little guy out?

[Mae]

It starts out very antiseptic on me; not in a bad way, but it has a really clean, sharp beginning. That fades quickly and it becomes sweet and vanilla-y. I don't get much lemon but I do retain the vanilla, albeit with a slightly sharp edge. It is a lovely summery scent and, God willing, I'd like a bottle some day!

 

Mae

[saralaughs]

Intial application is all white mint. The absinthe does peek out and doubles the astringent power of the mint, making it almost cleaner-ish. Very clean smelling thanks to the absinthe and mint, which I'm finding is a very nice note. I usually do not like mint but maybe white mint is different for me just like white rose. The vanilla is very soft and not at all strong but more of a cream smelling. I think this would be a good one for mint vanilla lovers to buy now and age.

[asciident]

Wet: Like a refreshing lemon-mint cocktail.

 

First on: Strongly lemon and mint, but also very boozy. Can definitely tell it’s a white mint.

 

Dry: On drydown, the lemon has taken over — basically, it’s like a lemon-scented cleaner. Not Lemon Pledge, but somewhat similar. Maybe a lemony glass cleaner.

 

 

[elyra-chan]

In bottle: Mostly getting lemon and white mint with maybe a hint of absinthe? I don't really know as I haven't yet tried any scents with absinthe. But whatever it is it smells a little boozy.

 

wet: I'm still getting lemon more than anything, but there's a hint of the vanilla now and a little bit of mint. It's a lovely combination

 

dry down: Now the sharpness of the lemon has faded into the background and it is predominantly bourbon vanilla and white chocolate. Sweet without being overpowering.

 

This is one of my new favorites! I love that it's light enough to wear during this time of year and that it changes so much over time. It's a very light, sweet airy scent to me. Love it!

[Suusje]

It's a very smooth blend on me, nothing really pops out, everything just mingles together nicely. This really is an excellent blend for warm weather.

[brilliantcat]

In the vial and wet on skin, it's vanilla-y lemon gorgeousness. But as I mentioned in my review of Bones Trombone, there are distinct lemon notes and one works great on me, turning to candy lemon pez, while the other turns dish soapy. This is the latter. It went soapy even before I could get any of the absinthe or mint or chocolate. I love the notes in this so I was disappointed If only it had had the lemon candy note instead, it would have been perfection.

[reynardine]

First impression is a lemon drop that went slightly bad. I think the off-scent is the absinthe, which is not a good note on me. As the scent dries, I’m getting the mint and white chocolate and the absinthe seems to have gone away. It goes to pure candy on my skin, which won’t work for me at all.

[imaginepageant]

In the Vial: Wow. It's rare that I can pick out every single individual note in a blend, but I can with Knockout Drops! The vanilla is strongest at first, but then the lemon, mint, and absinthe come roaring out, while the white chocolate chills out in the background. I'm not sure if I can really distinguish the bourbon except that it gives the entire blend a slight boozy feel. This is yummy and naughty all at once.

 

Wet: The lemon and vanilla mingle perfectly for a few seconds before the mint and absinthe flare up, making it more herbal than foody. I can just barely still smell the white chocolate and bourbon. Overall, it's got a more sinister feel than before - it's poisoned lemon meringue pie. It's stinging my eyes a little bit!

 

Dry: Wow, this one takes a long time to dry. Along the way, the vanilla kept shying away, then peeking out, then hiding again. It's really strange - if I smell my wrist at one angle, I get the vanilla, but at another angle, it's not there. What the heck? In any case, the lemon, mint, and absinthe are still the stars of the show, and the white chocolate has exited stage right.

 

An Hour Later: Hmm. That strange different angle, different smell thing is still happening. It's a nice, creamy lemon vanilla one way, but the other way it's sharper and less sweet and... it's got a hint of that phantom rancid butter note my skin likes to invent out of nowhere. Great. Plus, all the other notes have disappeared.

 

Overall: I liked this much better in the imp, when it was very complex and delicious. It's sort of bland on my skin. Plus there's the problem of the phantom rancid butter note, which isn't nearly as pronounced as it usually is, but still worrisome. However, I love the notes in this blend enough to retest it in a few weeks before deciding its fate.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Mint, lemon, and absinthe.

 

Wet: Lots of lemon!

 

The dry-down: The bourbon vanilla and white chocolate come out to play, but there's still a lot of mint, lemon, and that hint of absinthe. I like this mostly because of the lovely white chocolate and bourbon vanilla notes, but not sure that I really need more than my decant.

[zankoku_zen]

On wet it smells like lemon meringue and vanilla! Actually quite delicious.

 

It dries to a very faint lemon meringue and absinthe. It smells yummy and foodie, and if it had a greater throw and longer life I would definitely get more. YUM!

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This smells so good in the decant. Lemon meringue, a bit of white chocolate and vanilla-mint. On my skin it turns into lemon hand soap, it's not "soapy" but it has a fresh clean lemon smell. I'll keep my decant, but I won't be needing a bottle.

[Gin]

Mint and lemon dries down to vanilla with a faint minty edge. I like this, but I think it's too light for me. I like my foody scents to waft around me. Knockout Drops is hardly there at all.

[lejlkwiet]

The bourbon vanilla and white chocolate convinced me to give this a try - alas, while it's a nice light blend in the imp, on me it immediately turned sharp and overpoweringly lemony. Kind of like those wet napkins they give you in restaurants to wipe your hands with? I have no idea how that happened (why do you hate me, skin chemistry!)

 

It's not an unpleasant scent, but just not one I want to wear

[StevenBoatman]

In the bottle: Mmm, lemon-covered chocolate pie! With just a hint of something dark green and juicy underneath!

 

On, wet: YUM! Lemonheads candy!

 

On, drying: Hmm, still wonderful, but less foody, there's still lemon, but underneath is a hint of something...musky?

 

On, dry: Little lemon, but something green and musky is slithering out to come play. No mint through any stages, but that's okay, Knockout Drops is awesomely awesome without it!

[angelamaria]

In decant: I'm liking this a lot! Strong sweet lemon pastries, this is so yummy and foody, I had an instant craving for lemon cream cookies. It starts out minty but mellows to the lemon cream sweetness at the end of the sniff.

 

Wet on skin: Huh, not so pastry-like or cream-like on my skin, it's definitely mellowed down here. I'm getting the while chocolate now, and I'm not sure about the other notes. The lemon is sometimes the kind of lemon smell you get from soaps and detergents, but goes back to being lemon cream. Fainter now.

 

Dry: mostly true to the wet on skin smells I'm getting, but the vanilla came out more, especially at the start. This is pretty promising, but as it ages on my skin, it's gone down to a somewhat flat-smelling lemon. This is a bit sad. I think I recognize this flat lemon smell from other liked blends...I must go and revisit them and hope they're not as flat.

 

Verdict: maybe this blend needs a bit of aging, but as it is, it dries down rather flat and unexciting for me.

[rinster]

The first thing I noticed out of the bottle and wet on my skin was the bourbon vanilla, which I love. It reminded me a bit of Gypsy Moth. After a few minutes the mint came out, but I'm not getting the heavy lemon or absinthe some other folks have. I'm testing this straight out of the mailbox, so maybe these will come out after they've had a chance to rest.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Holy nasal cleanser, Batman!

 

This little clown packs a punch to the nostrils when it first goes on! The mint is strong and a little sharp, but the absinthe is right there with it - together, they are a powerful combination that I think rather than knocking someone out, would actually have the power to revive someone after a knockout.

 

Once the blast of mint and absinthe dies down, I can really notice the lemon which is tangy and sweet (exactly like the smell of lemon meringue pie as per the notes). For the first 10 minutes or so that Knockout Drops is on my skin, it's all LEMON with the mint-absinthe combo in the background, but no sign of the bourbon vanilla or white chocolate. But lemon always amps on my skin, so nothing unusual there.

 

It's really only after about a half-hour that the lemon finally fades enough for me to notice the bourbon vanilla. And what a shame it didn't come out earlier, because it is gorgeous in here.. it's just completely overwhelmed by the other notes. And I recognise the same white chocolate note from last year's Box of Chocolates Valentine's Day blends - it merges nicely with the bourbon vanilla - they're lovely together, kinda dry and dusky and not overly sweet or foody.

 

So, I would love this a lot more if the lemon would just go away! As it is, my arm smells a bit like bathroom cleaner.. the other notes are just so subtle that I really have to hunt around for them. And for something that started out so strong and powerful, it does fade pretty quickly.

[moosue]

How odd. Virtually every review here detects lemon quite strongly, especially in the beginning. While it is sharper and slightly boozier in the beginning, I got no lemon from this whatsoever. The mint is present as well, especially in the beginning but it isn't as strong as mint often is. Instead, its like a creamy mint.

Dried down, this is a very creamy sort of scent, reminiscent of ice cream. It's exceptionally creamy and sweet, vanillary and a little bit chocolatey (it's the chocolate note from How Doth the Little Crocodile). Very foody, overall.

I like it a lot, but don't know that I'd need a bottle. Great summer scent.

[damonkitty]

This was actually my favorite of the three Coulrophobia scents. I just wish it had a little more staying power and throw. I found it to be a not too sweet lemon with the barest background of mint. It is a comforting scent that borders on aromatherapy. I may use this as a night blend before bed to calm me down after a long day. It is a refreshing lemon mint blend. I see one of the notes is chocolate, but I did not really notice this much unless it was what took the edge off of the lemon being too sweet.

[a_llb]

In vial: Minty & lemony!

Wet: The lemon isn't instant death on me as it usually is- what a surprise! I am getting a swirl of white chocolate and bourbon vanilla, and the absinthe is a sharp slightly herby base. I get a scent almost like latex or something, just at the very edges of the throw. When I try to pin it down I can't smell it anymore, and it passes pretty quickly.

Dry: I am sad that it is fading as it dries because I actually really like this! The lemon meringue is poofy and awesome with the choco/vanilla blend.

 

Verdict: Apparently my skin's penchant for creamy scents carries over even to redeem me from my lemon death note! Good to know. At moments it almost reminds me of a much more reserved version of Chaotic from the RPG line. I really like Chaotic, but it can be rather overwhelming for regular, everyday use. Knockout Drops could be the solution! I'll have to decide whether the short lifespan on my skin is a big enough drawback to keep me from hunting down a bottle.

[AmandaArcana]

In the bottle: I get sweet lemon pie with kinda a strange undertone. Strange, but not unpleasant.

 

On me wet: very much like lemon scented sticky bat, with a touch of bourbon.

 

On me dry: The lemon is fading and the bourbon vanilla is coming out, maybe the absinthe is there if I sniff really hard. Unfortunately this is turning more to the lemon cleaner side then I'd like it to go, but it is really light so it's not so bad. I think though that I'll give this one to my husband, he tends to really amp bourbon vanilla.

[milo]

Wet, sour lemon candies, quite refreshing! Dry, a more sweeter lemon and vanilla. This is what I wanted Lemon Sticky Bats to smell like. Though I normally don't do foody blends, I really like this. It kind of reminds me of a lemon curd dessert with a dusting of vanilla sugar on top. I will certainly use up my decant and may hunt for more down the road.

Edited August 21, 2011 by milo

[tajana]

As soon as I tried this on I could smell lemon hard candy, absinthe, and white chocolate. The minty absinthe and sugared lemon are blended into the smell of white chocolate... all creamy cocoa butter, sugar, and a drop of vanilla. Very dessert-like, but the cheery yellow brightness of lemon is quite pleasant while it lasts. Lasting power isn't all that great, and once the top notes disappear all that's left is a white chocolate note that goes bland and flat on me.

[misscoldheart]

WHAT.THE. HELL.

 

I actually had no idea what to expect with this one, especially cuz I got it into my head that I didn't like citrus notes. But HOLY CRAP, I cannot even deal with how awesome this one works for me, which is rare cuz I'm extremely picky about this stuff!

 

At first it is definitely dominated with the lemony note, which isn't unpleasant though I don't think I'd like it as much if it didn't fade after a little bit. For me, this one dries down to a really pleasant, sweet scent with something else going on in the background that I can't quite put my finger on....Maybe its the mix of the white chocolate and mint? It's hard to know as really picking out notes in blends isn't generally my strength and I think in this one all of the notes really blend together so seamlessly that I have a difficult time really picking out what is what. The only thing I don't really know about is the absinthe. I am not familiar with the lab's absinthe blend as i'm not a huge fan of the anise but so far i don't smell anything that offends in that arena. I also noticed some comments about mojitos, which I am also not getting with this one either. Just perfectly delicious mysterious sweetness.

 

And I've been wearing this one every day since I got it in a swap a few weeks ago...Move over Ashlultum and Paper Kite, there's a new holy grail in town!