k00kaburra

In bottle: Rich creamy, sticky caramel with coconut shreds and golden amber. Distant puffs of smokiness and a slight hint of black currant waft up amidst the candy. On me: So pretty! Smoky opium and glorious coconut, which is greatly sweetened by caramel and currant. It's deliciously spicy, and perfectly blended. The tobacco really gives it a certain edge that I don't think would be possible otherwise! I really like this one, which surprises me, because Red Lantern was the one fragrance I really had my doubts about. A very, very complex fragrance. ****

In bottle: Sweetly sugared and dirtily musked at first whiff, Smut quickly manifests itself as a bawdy, boozy delight. On me: The musks don't like me. This goes rather sour and heavy - I was hoping for a giggling "SEX! DRUGS! ROCK 'N' ROLL!" sort of fragrance, but on my skin it becomes more of a "MONKEY SEX! BEER! BACK SEAT OF A CAR!" and that just isn't quite what I was looking for. Also there's a slight hint of "rubberlatexcondom" that wafts up now and again, and I really don't want that in my perfume. No Snake Oil to be found.

In bottle: Frankincense over an almost lemony base? It's a lemon without the tartness or sweetness - maybe it's the Nile lily. There's a crispness to it, and an inky blackness to its color. On me: The frankincense fades to an almost invisible base which holds up a delicate white blossomed blend. It's like a white lily floating on top of a pool of crystal clear water, which is reflecting the brilliant night sky and thousands of stars. Yes. There are stars in this blend. It is a chilly fragrance, but hardly in a cruel way. It is the chill of being realized as completely unimportant in the grandness of greater things. As a side note, it's also a very clean fragrance. ****

In bottle: Dusty sandalwood base. Hints of sweet honey and vanilla bean give this a vaguely foody aroma. Rich amber is draped over the blend, framing it like a curtain pulled back from an open window. I'm not getting much of a floral note - if I hadn't read that there were roses and davana blossoms and champaca flowers, I certainly wouldn't be able to pick any up. On me: The flowers really come out on the skin! The slight cream note of tuberose is the only one I can single out and identify; the sandalwood adds a dustiness to it. That's the best way I can describe this on my skin: dusty tuberoses on a bedof even dustier white blooms. I think I can detect the date palm too, but I'm not sure as I've never smelled it before.

In bottle: Syrupy sweet, it is a classic cherry fragrance. Not fresh cherries off a tree, but the synthetic cherry-candy and cherry-medicine flavor. On me: It starts out so heady and strong, but as it warms to my skin it becomes sweeter, creamier, and more powdery. There's still the faintest hint at a medicinal afterthought, but it is certainly cherry through and through.

In bottle: Clean. Soapy clean. Like a slightly bitter freesia. On me: I didn't really recognize it as a lily - if I were guessing out of the blue, I would have pinned this as orchid or some other white floral - but never a lily. On the skin the bitterness is even more apparent, making this into a sharp white floral with a rather manly edge, if you ask me.

In bottle: Spicy ginger. Strong and nostril-puckering. It makes me think of my grandmother, who keeps chopped bits of ginger all over the house to keep bugs out. (Or something - I've never actually asked why she has it everywhere.) On me: Very faint and dusty-spicy. Someone else said potatos - I get a bit of that, yes.

In bottle: Spicy ginger. Strong and nostril-puckering. It makes me think of my grandmother, who keeps chopped bits of ginger all over the house to keep bugs out. (Or something - I've never actually asked why she has it everywhere.) On me: Very faint and dusty-spicy. Someone else said potatos - I get a bit of that, yes.

In bottle: Sweet yellow-white floral; like a creamy iris to my nose. On me: A soapy floral, like jasmine but with a smoky green veil.

It's been over a year since I last tried this; at the time I definitely decided I didn't like it, but I had no review written up. So, I'll try it again! In bottle: A lemon-tinted jasmine over an earthy base. The sandalwood is definitely there in the heart of the blend. On me: Lemongrass is dominant in this blend. It is joined by the jasmine, which is more subdued than normal. There are the faintest hints of cedarwood and sandalwood, but by and large they are completely overwhelmed by the brighter, glossier jasmine. I can definitely see eastern influences in this blend, and it isn't unpleasant - but it isn't particularly distinctive either. It suits Namaste, in that it is serene and decidedly positive, but it isn't for me.

In bottle: Dark. It smells like a 'classic' traditional perfume, but it's been darkened and stripped down to be reformed as something slightly sinister. Amber that smells different than usual- much less golden-warm and nearly-fruity - and jasmine dominate, while the fruit notes seem almost peach-like. On me: On the skin this becomes almost a pure...jasmine? With all the other notes in the blend, that certainly wasn't expected. Jasmine does tend to amp up on my skin tho'.

In bottle: Yummy. Sweet and sugary. It is sugared coconut, with a slight sweet smokiness. On me: It's a definite coconut, but the sugary blend has moved away from being macaroon-like to a heavier, boozier blend. Hello rum! That must be you knocking at the door. Now with a definite rum note, the blend giggles at 'traditional' tropical scents with its darker twists on coconut.

In bottle: Teak wood and lilac, with dried and dusty roses. It almost reminds me of a salad dressing one of the managers at my work loves. On me: Definitely rosewood. The florals are faint but present, like a bouquet in a vase in a large room full of dark wooden furniture, which is quite sturdy, thick and richly carved. After it's dried down, the scent makes me think of my mother's office, which houses somewhere between six and eight guitars. Whenever she opens one of the leather cases and pulls out an instrument, this fragrance wafts out and fills the room!

In bottle: OK, how weird is this? In the bottle, the blend smells like maple syrup. On me: Jasmine is strong, but when it is the night-blooming variety it is overwhelming. It is cloying and sickening, especially when heightened by an overly creamy rose. It smells almost like it is rotting, or at the very least overheated in the dirt. Positively nasty to my nose!

In bottle: Definitely a rich cocoa note, with the dry sandalwood and myrrh lifting it up and making the note soar. On me: It ends up having a rather nutty chocolate fragrance on the skin. It is nice, but not great or even unusual. Just nice.

In bottle: At first it's lovely - a floral enriched by amber and grounded in patchouli. But some note - the gladiola? the white tea? - sours and spoils the fragrance, making it smell rotted. On me: So pretty and light! The amber and white tea dance and glitter over a beautiful garden of flower petals. But unfortunately, one of the florals - and I am going to blame gladiola because I am not at all familar with this plant - makes this smell like @$$ on me! There's a beautiful, almost watery in its delicacy, and then just under it BAM! yucky central. Tears!

In bottle: Lime and almond is such a strange combination, but they are the strongest notes in this blend. They mingle together in a pool of patchouli and myrrh, with vetiver spiking up now and again. On me: Vanilla and patchouli, really. There are spikes of other notes now and again - sweetness from almond, sharpness from pine, peppery shots of vetiver,swirling smokiness of myrrh wafting through the air - by by and large it is vanilla and patchouli. The complexitiy of this blends lends itself to a certain power. It's quite strong and makes my throat burn a bit, even though I'm just sniffing. I wonder if I'm allergic to a component? I've never had this reaction to any oil before.

In bottle: Lavender and tonka...where have I come across that combination before? Ah, that's right, in Wilde. I critisized Wilde as being 'too commercial' a perfume, not unique enough to my tastes. Old Scratch may have improved on that greatly, for my initial impressions at least are not ones of 'oh, I've certainly smelled this in a department store.' This is very well blended; I can't pick out any of the notes at all, save the lavender, which seems to have a strong earth base to stand on. On me: Rather watery, thin lavender. It's a dapper scent indeed, the scent of a laughing man who smiles instantly at your joke but would be equally amused by your tragic demise. On me it is also very faint and fades quickly away.

In bottle: Cinnamon and a fruity-citrus note (must be the peach and orange, but neither is particularly identifiable) that has been darkened, corrupted, and utterly violated. On me: Cinnamon and smoky incense dominate the blend, but it is brightened by the fruit's influence. It is a sultry and seductive blend.

In bottle: Red patchouli, myrrh, a booziness and a sweetness that can only be honey. It is a musky, dusky scent - with a slight nuttiness to it. I'm not sure what the 'nuttiness' could be. There's a certain floral creaminess in the deepest depths of the fragrance. On me: Musk. Dark body musk indeed; that seems to be all the fragrance becomes on me. It really seems nutty, too, which is weird - I mean, what note could possibly suggest that?

I have heard of the wonder of florentine iris so I hope it will be prominant in this blend. In bottle: The smokiness of iris and delightful bright berries, warmed in the golden glow of amber. I really like this sweet with a smoky accord. On me: Very pretty. The iris is strong and something about the spices seems to make the blend go rather green for a few minutes. The berries sparkle and laugh in fruity glory, as they are the stars under the spotlight of the iris. Oddly, on the skin Florence rather reminds me of Skadi. It is a warm and happy scent.

In bottle: The very first whiff reminded me of hard candy, but that quickly disappeared. Lavender is strongest, backed by white sandalwood and a reedy white musk. Rose flickers in the background with the other florals. On skin: It's a weak lavender with hints of wisteria and the white sandalwood. Very tired. Depressed. Melancholy. This is a aptly named fragrance, I tell you what. It isn't pretty or nice, but it's true. It sets a mood, and matches a funk if you're already in one. Unfortunately, the idea of going around smelling like I would cry if I wasn't so damn unhappy isn't quite the mood I would like to have. This is some truly great craftmanship, for the record.

My, there's a lot in this complicated little blend. In bottle: Sharp and dominated by orange flower. Mint and lemon peel are apparent in this blend; I can't single them out specifically but they make their presence known by their influence on everything else. I would even suspect that blood orange could be here a minute amount - something is setting off that buzzer in my nose. No sign of the rose. On me: Oooo, the neroli comes wafting up. It didn't even give me a chance to prepare myself. After a few minutes it mellows down so I can continue with the review. It's a soft blend, but not particularly feminine. At least it isn't by today's standards; perhaps orange flower and rose was the height of feminine fragrance during Elizabeth's reign. It is fruity and floral, but not an extreme of either. I haven't been able to detect any grape, but I can definitely sense that there's fruit in the blend.

For observation's sake, the blend is a very bright orange-red. Poppy red, I believe the Prismacolor marker equivalent is called. In bottle: Very sweet, and for a moment it briefly reminds me of chrysanthemum tea. It is a bright and sparkly scent. It is a honeyed floral, very strong and definite lily. It seems to be a stronger, more potent Tiger Lily. On me: Very true to the original blend. Beautiful lilies that have been sugared and honeyed into a sweet concoction. I mean bouquet. A bouquet of simply ravishing mouth-watering lilies.

In bottle: Heavily pine - in fact, pine is practically the only thing detectable. But I can also sense the berries, although they are juniper berries, rather than something sweeter and 'more fun.' It is extremely sharp and astringent, and while I wouldn't call it a chilling fragrance, there is absolutely no warmth in it. On me: On my skin it gets softer and...powdery? Huh, that was unexpected and must be explored further. It is rather like sawdust to me now. A bit coconutty, perhaps. Pine is gone. Hints of berry are gone. Yes, coconut and light wood. That's not at all what I expected, and it doesn't seem even a bit gloomy. It is interesting, but I wouldn't wear it often, if at all. But it is definitely unique.