Gaueko

[rayvn1]

... Blackened sandalwood and misty lavender, with curling wisps of smoky tobacco, nag champa, and labdanum.

Mostly lavender, I'm afraid. I sense some spiciness in the background, and it isn't bright lavender but a dark and slightly menacing lavender. The sandalwood starts to come through a bit more later on.

edited to add scent description Edited February 11, 2009 by rayvn1

[awesomeoverlord]

Wet, this is dark lavender. Upon drydown, however, the black sandalwood ad tobacco make their presence known. Overall, this ended up being a bit too sharp for me -- I think there's something about the lavender/sandalwood combo that's just not rubbing me the right way.

[ephemera]

Oof. I wasn't sure about this scent when I picked it out for an imp, but the sandalwood and the tobacco caught my eye. Unfortunately, all this smells like on me is like someone singed lavender and then let it get wet (which I think may be the nag champa coming out). A decidedly unpleasant scent on my skin.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Damp lavender and a smoky smell combine to make something that's almost kinda like wet dog.

 

Wet: Dark lavender, with soft incense ashes and smoking tobacco behind it. It's predominantly lavender, though, and a little bit of sandalwood. Everything else is just a bit player.

 

Dry: A smoky, dark resin with an almost vegetable-like quality. Pretty, but there are a lot of other incense blends I like more.

[devilot]

In the Vial: Something smoky and something that seems "green;" perhaps it's the lavender, but maybe I'm smelling the labdanum.

 

Wet: Blinks. Lots and lots of lavender. Really caught me off guard.

 

Drydown: Still a lot of lavender, touch of the labdanum, and now the nag champa.

 

Verdict: Pass. Very disappointing as I'm really really looking for an amazing tobacco blend. Imp is off to the swaps pile!

[sprocket21]

This was frimped to me at some point, and I have to admit that it's not my ideal combination of notes going in. Lavender rarely works on me, and when it does, it's usually subdued. Smoky and headshoppy notes also go into the "probably won't work on me" camp.

 

With that disclaimer out of the way, all I get from Gaueko...is lavender. It may be a touch smoky, but it's 98% lavender on me. It was really sharp at first, but softened a bit as it dried. I don't like lavender as anything but a supporting note, so I think I'll pass on this one.

[Seismogenic]

This is a scent that septima_pica recommended to me after taking note of the fact that I tend to enjoy scents with tobacco and labdanum notes. I'm a little wary of the sandalwood for possible allergy reasons, but that's not going to stop me from testing Gaueko out.

 

In the imp: Dark smoky lavender, and quite strong.

 

Wet on skin: Labdanum is starting to show up now, and a touch of nag champa as well. It's still mostly smoky lavender, though.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, the lavender has decided to hold back some, and now I'm starting to get a decent amount of smooth tobacco mixed with labdanum. The nag champa's still only a small note. At one hour in, this is largely a blend of lavender and tobacco, with some labdanum lurking in the background. The nag champa never really showed up more than it did when freshly dry. The whole thing is less smoky than it was before.

 

Five hours later: A very balanced blend of tobacco, lavender, and labdanum.

 

Overall: In the earlier stages of the drydown, when the lavender was still the most prominent thing going on, I was a little iffy on this one. Lavender's fine, sure, but not if it's at the expense of all the other notes in the blend. As the scent matured, though, I really liked the balance between the lavender, tobacco, and labdanum that came up. Definitely dark and rich, with the tiniest bit of an edge. I think I'll keep the imp, though I do wish Gaueko would get to that balanced point a little earlier on.

[strawberry_star]

In Vial: My immediate reaction was "EW!" and I said it outloud. I was actually afraid to put it on my skin. I have no idea what it is yet; it's just extremely strong and gross.

 

On me - wet: I got the nerve to try it out and I swear it smells like pine or juniper. Something green. I don't like green smells especially ones that smell like pine. Judging by the notes, I would guess Lavender and Nag Champa mixed together is what is producing this smell.

 

On me - Dry: Okay, it becomes a lot nicer. Smells like a strong oriental designer fragrance. It borders on smelling even like men's cologne almost. I still get absolutely no tobacco from this which is weird because it tobacco usually is very strong on me and it's the note I was hoping would come out.

 

Hours later: I think it's still very unisex and smells like an ordinary oriental perfume would dry to, without the nasty rubbing alcohol of course.

 

Overall: It's not for me. I like oriental fragrances, but this one is a wee bit strong and too musky smelling for me. I'd be interested in seeing what it smelled like on a man. I know one thing for the ladies, this is not a summertime scent. Can definitely be worn by a woman though who likes strong fragrances.

[cinderfallen]

It goes on smelling like a ritual. I smell singed lavender, ashes, incenses, and it's smoky, herbal, and extremely evocative of an asian temple, and I've been to a couple.

 

Or a spa. A soothing sleep blend, perhaps. It's quite business-like and purposeful in tone in that way--"you've put me on, now it's time to get to sleep!"

 

There's a bit of an asian bitter herbal medicine tinge to it, which I think is because of resin of the opium or the labdanum. As times goes on, the smokiness and ash fades, and the lavender turns almost citrus-like, and the champa offers a sugary grittiness. These and a swirl of opium becomes the main attraction of the scent. Reminds me of a lavender-floral Event Horizon with a stately sandalwood backbone.

Edited October 27, 2009 by cinderfallen

[ImperatrixMundi]

My favourite sleep blend, actually the only one I sometimes use.

It is all sharp lavender at first, then labdanum and nag champa come out. But it does not smell like incense sticks, if that is what you are thinking Unisex, dark, swirling scent. Not my choice for daytime wear but I like to scent my pillow with a little drop.

[fairestrocza]

Gaueko was one of the initial scents I tried in my ongoing Quest for the Perfect Lavender...

 

In the Imp: Soapy fake florals with a hint of incense

 

Wet on Skin: Soapy fake lavender *sigh*

 

While Drying: the soapy effect is taking over

After a Little While: yup, soapy. On my second attempt, I got the sandalwood note more, but still soapy and not enough Lavender...

 

Final Thoughts: I have a hard time with most florals, so I had high hopes for this blend. Unfortunately, sandalwood does not seem to like my skin. Gaueko earns 2/5, and it looks like the quest will continue...

 

[Katherynne]

Quite frankly, I thought this one was a sure bet. Lavender? Love it. Sandalwood? Tobacco? Nag Champa? Love 'em all.

 

But this... isn't working for me. It's mostly lavender with a sort of dry, dusty background. I'm not getting any of the sweetness of nag champa that I love. The sandalwood is faintly baby powdery underneath the dry lavender smell. This is similar to Baku, just more dusty. I had high hopes for this, but alas.

 

Swap pile.

 

ETA: Okay, I changed my mind. I put it on tonight after using Villainess's "Asphyxiate" soap -- which is patchouli & sandalwood -- and it smells BEAUTIFUL. I'm getting the dusty lavender I got before, but now the sweet champa is coming out, layering with a hint of tobacco and the dryness of sandalwood. It is everything I had hoped it would be, for real. I am keeping this imp and, depending on how much wear it gets, possibly will buy more.

Edited March 19, 2010 by Katherynne

[donnatron]

Imp: Lavender/sandalwood. Hint of sweet nag champa in the background.

 

Wet: Lavender slightly stronger than the sandalwood and a kind of... body odour scent. Not sure where it's coming from.

 

Dry: That body odour scent persists but as a very faint part of the overall scent. I smell a blend of lavender, sandalwood and faint nag champa. A bit of dust/powder from the tobacco but no real scent. Labdanum has run for the hills. This is very, very light.

 

Throw: Mild.

 

Overall: I don't want people to think I'm masking my body odour with a vaguely headshoppy scent. Gaueko, sadly, did not work on me.

[Finch]

This is sage and lavender smudge sticks, sandalwood malas, and The Burning Man event in Nevada.

[impolight]

:::GAUEKO:::

 

The Lab's note on Gaueko made it impossible to resist it's allure...

What's not to like? Sandalwood, Lavender, Nag Champa? C'mon!

The most prominent note from the Imp was the Lavender...

Nice, regal, lounging, Lavender...

This was tempered, surprisingly, by the Sandalwood.

Sandalwood is ordinarily a more passive fragrance; used to compliment other, more asertive notes... Like Vanilla.

Lavender can sometimes be domineering; Clip-clopping all over each and every one of the toes of other fragrances, braying drunkenly, oblivious to the worried/embarrassed looks on everyone's faces...

On the skin, Gaueko does cartwheels. Tobacco's greeting is similar to helping someone tie their shoe and then getting kicked in the face... Pow!Nag Champa is here, though, sadly, sulking in the other room...

It is only a while later that Nag Champa opens the door, peeks out, and the timidly sidles in to keep company.

A nice fragrance.

Possibly unisex, but plausibly for Him.

A keeper.

4/5.

[tailoredshirt]

In the bottle: Definitely smokey lavender.

 

Wet: Still smokey lavender, but the tobacco is coming out now. Definitely smokey, like a lit cigarette, fire and all.

 

Dry: I really like this a lot so far. The smokey tobacco and incense is very dark and sensual, and the fire scent goes away after a few minutes. But ah, ten minutes in and the lavender has gone wonky on me. I don't know what it is, because I love lavender and sometimes use French Lavender EO on my wrists as a perfume, but BPAL's lavender does something strange on me. It goes a bit sharp and starts smelling chemical-y and a bit like laundry detergent. The lavender is very subtle here after a few minutes, so this isn't a huge issue, but I do wish it wouldn't do this to me!

 

Wow, 30 minutes after applying I can hardly smell anything at all. I applied it to the inside of my wrist and the top of my forearm, and I still get some smokey incense on top of my arm, but only if I press my face in. I'm not moving around or anything, so it is really strange that it would fade so fast! All I am really getting now is the smell of lingering smoke and incense, like the scent that clings to your clothing when you return from a night at a hookah bar.

 

Overall: Starts off smokey lavender, dries down to smokey incense and tobacco. Fades quickly. I like this, but I might have to slather it on and try it again to see if it lasts longer next time.

Edited April 26, 2010 by tailoredshirt

[angelicruin]

Lovely smoky lavender scent while wet. As it dries though, it turns weird on my skin. Kind of like the body odor scent someone else mentioned. I think I have to pass on this one.

[animalcule]

I don't even know why I tried this on. It was VERY STRONG, I'll give it that! Smelled like (burning) incense and lavender. 0/6 for me

[malibusunny]

When I first put this on, I hated it. I was so disappointed -- all I got from it was this weird, suntan lotion-y smell and a sour (as opposed to sweet) lavender. Then, a few hours later, I caught the scent of it in the car and it was a really nice incense scent, nag champa and sandalwood.

 

I'm trying again just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. And then, if it is lovely again, I really have no idea what to do with that. I don't know if I would be willing to go through the initial stages on a regular basis.

[sunlitgarden]

Gaueko

 

Mostly warm incense, wisps of tobacco with wood in the background. I don't get the lavender very strongly, but there is a very slight astringent effect that may be it. This reminds me of walking into a new-age incense shop. It's a really nice scent -- warm, inviting, well-blended -- but not really my style as a perfume. It would probably be nice in an oil burner, though!

Edited July 5, 2010 by sunlitgarden

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Lavender and a hint of opium smoke

 

Wet on me – A faint green lavender

 

Dry on me – Slightly smoky, still mainly lavender

 

Overall – Not unpleasant, but not something I would wear

[INFJ4w3]

If scent had a color, this would be faded black or charcoal gray with a tinge of lavender. Dark, smoky, kind of gritty or even dirty. It is kind of masculine. I like smelling it a lot, but not so much on my body. Room scent? 3 out of 5 stars.

[ajansuz]

This was a frimp from the lab with my last order. It...really didn't work on me at all. There's something in this that echoes The Chicken Legged Hut.

 

In the imp, sharp, medicinal, kind of bitter lavender and something almost musty underneath that, like a failed attempt to dry flowers that led to mildew.

 

Wet the lavender got even sharper on me with an under-scent of stale smoke.

 

Dry down didn't make it any better. The throw was medium, which was bad news for me. I kept smelling it even though I didn't want to. Fortunately, it was gone by about three hours. I have to put this one in the DNW category.

[SophieCedar]

Ooh wow. So complex I really don't know where to start...

 

Wet: the laudanum and sandalwood are awesome together. I can see the association with a library. The lavender is a great addition. adds the perfect top note. There's something meaty and dark like vetivert in here, but not pungent and repelling. maybe it's the nag champa and tobacco mixing with all of it.

 

Drydown: lavender burned off. Smells like smoking a pipe in an old library, next door to a tibetan wares shop. I'm in love. I feel like I'm back in Harvard Square.

[Lorna Brigid]

Where's the smoky lavender?!?

I was so disappointed. All I get is pipe tobacco and head shop smell.