k00kaburra

In bottle: Ooo, pretty! It reminds me of honey candy. Bright and sparkling like a warm spring day. On second whiff, the blend turns a little more golden. The blend is slightly apple blossom-like to me. On me: It's kind've like honeysuckle, but so. much. better. Honeyed lilies is actually a nearly perfect description! Another way to describe the blend would be to say that it is rich dripping golden honey, combined with all the flowers that went into the making of it. Everything except the bees, anyway. It's light and perfect for spring; it's not a 'clean' fragrance but it's an excellent blend for an office environment, because it's still unique and it isn't in-your-face the way a heavier floral might be.

In bottle: Heavy patchouli is the grounding note, bitter with a woeful sigh. Indeed, this liquid is bitter from tip to toe; not even the plum brings any sweetness to the blend. Ground lemon peel - and it's definitely the peel, not the pulp or the juice - adds a hint of zestiness but doesn't lighten the blend one bit. On me:Although I doubt it's in the blend, something like night-blooming jasmine surfaces on my skin, giving the blend a fresh wash of sadness and adding to the general melancholy. The white musk also appears, but it is depressed by the vetiver and patchouli. The sad blend vanishes very quickly on my skin - I suppose in a way that almost makes sense, since I am a happy person by nature and my bouts of woe and sorrow rarely last long. This is not a perfume meant for me.

In bottle: This is nearly pure violet to me, but I believe I can detect some iris as well. It's definitetely a dusty floral - the neroli and musk are undetectable. If I were to call it a color, it is definitely a dusky violet. On me: Beautiful violets and white sandalwood waft up from my skin as I apply The Raven. After the perfume's happily dried it is quite lovely; powdery violet and a light (yet dark!) musk. The fragrance isn't strong, but it's enough. There's still absolutely no neroli and the sandalwood's been eaten up, but it's still a dark, night-out perfume. . . . Or it would be, if it hadn't vanished within half an hour. Damn.

This is a re-review, I suppose. I had previously tried this imp and did not care for it, but since I never took the time to write a review I thought I would try it again, this time typing up my impressions. In bottle: It's an interesting spiced fruit blend. Deep dark myrrh and an almost-figgy note - mandrake perhaps? (I have no idea how mandrake smells.) .Or perhaps that is the black currant, which I have never smelled quite like this before, but it's certainly there. On me: Dark and seductive. In my mind it's a bit strong - rather the sort of scent for a forceful, sexy older woman rather than a young, giggling girl. It is a promise of what lies ahead in a night of passion and wild abandon; heavy and full of incense, but slightly cloying from the sweet fruit. As it dries it vacillitates between powdery and plasticky - the latter note the probable reason I didn't choose to keep this in the first place. It strongly reminds me of Henri Bendel's Fig Candle.

In bottle: It's a bit of a men's cologne scent. Salt-tinged sea air and smoky violets are distinctive, with driftwood adding a touch of dryness. On me: Driftwood = white sandalwood, I've decided. On the skin it's very familar, and slightly sweet. It's very, very light, and it fades quickly. This is a subtle sort of scent, and to my nose rather masculine - that cologne aspect again. It has the crisp ozone of the marine air, but doesn't actually smell like any beach I've ever visited. I may gift this one to my brother, who is in need of a new oil.

In bottle: Smells like a fairy. Light and bright and almost berry-like, but moonflower! Lovely lovely moonflower. I love The Body Shop's 'Spirit of Moonflower' fragrance, so I can't wait to see how this blend develops. On me: This goes very very powdery on me almost instantly. Baby powder - and seems to be causing a slight headache. I wonder if I have an allergy to something in this blend? When I think about it, nocturnal florals often pull this on me, so I guess it's not that big of a deal. Very feminine, and a bit musky.

Man, I hope I love this one. It sounds so exotic and mysterious. In bottle: Sparkling heliotrope! It instantly reminds me of Lolita. Definitely some blood orange and roses blooming, too. On me: Such a joyful, cheerful blend. It's like a sparkling gem. A little juicy because of the heliotrope, with the red roses (like in Rose Red) blooming beneath it. A little bit of vanilla, lots of blood orange and amber. Juicy and rich-red crystal. Hard to describe, but I really like it. It's lovely.

In bottle: Frail, delicate, and delightful. It's like a rainbow in a bottle, with every whiff a different color in the spectrum. There's a very transient quality that truly makes this a dreamy fragrance. It's fruity at the moment, but with definite white floral and perhaps an aquatic influence. On me: Maybe gardenia? Definitely some white floral that's creamy and lovely; actually it may very well be tuberose, when I think about it. It's also somewhat salty, so I do think some aquatic note has been tossed in. I really am enjoying this one (perhaps because the scent I reviewed before it was terrible for my nose) and this one is so peaceful and serene. I think there's a white musk, or perhaps it's whatever musk is in Snow White - but some sort of special musk, that's lovely.

In bottle: Musky in that icky animalistic way that always seems to follow when poppy or oakmoss are blended with musk. This smells heavy and somewhat ominous. On me: Hella nasty, like rotting flowers in a murky swamp. Possibly a very dirty animal farted too. Sorry, that's such a crass, crude review. But this scent hates me! And I hate it! We share our loathing of each other completely. Half an hour or so has passed, and thankfully the nastiness has ebbed a bit. This is still a heavy, overbearing fragrance, but at least the jasmine has come to dominate and the poo-gross-something note has disappated. Still isn't anything I'd ever wear tho'.

A shuddering white scent, of ghostly breath and stony silence: dry tea leaf, linden blossom, papyrus, orris and coffin wood. In bottle: Dry. An almost-lemon note tickles my nose, like Pine-Sol that's been used to polish dark, gothic wooden furniture. The tea note that I so adore in Dorian is strong in this bottle. On me: 'Coffin wood' and 'papyrus' (in my mind, papyrus = ancient paper, which could be a rather moldy note) made me a bit nervous, but on the skin this is a stunning and shuddering white scent, just as Beth said it would be. A very lemon-like floral mingles with the tea and is grounded by a slight wooden note. It isn't at all what I was expecting for the blend, but that isn't a complaint - this is gorgeous and I love it! It's a very clean, fresh tea fragrance.

In bottle: Oh...uhm...huh. In the bottle the jasmine is overwhelmingly strong, and does not match well with the lime rind at all Eeew is the phrase of choice in my head. On me: Oh, jasmine and tuberose blend so beautifully together. Lime is so pretty and sparkling initially. But. Together, and on my skin, it's nasty. The jasmine is overwhelming and is knocking everything else out of sight; lime's sparkle is being squashed as fast as it can appear. Some other notes seem to be struggling to be seen, but jasmine wins and takes all the glory. Not my muse at all.

In bottle: Sharp vetiver, almost peppery, surrounded by roses and other florals. Surrounded, but certainly not tempered in any way. On me: Thank goodness my skin ate the vetiver! (Although that is odd...usually it amplifies it, not reduce it's power.) The cactus flower is such a pretty, light note, and the heavier traditional rose makes this a powdery, soft scent. The vetiver's influence keeps this dark, but there is something merciful and kind to it. This is not at all like some of the other visions of Death Beth's blends have unveiled.

In bottle: Giggling. It smells like hard berry candy, sweet and sugary. But there's that slight lift in the fragrance (I'm not sure how to describe it) that makes it smell like an alcoholic berry drink, still sweet but with that little somethin' extra. On me: The smokiness comes out, and it's a lovely, complex scent. Burning leaves and heavy musk, but the sweet sugary note is still there. It's a scent that refuses to recede completely into the background, giggling madly every time it wafts up to my nose and to the front of my mind again. It's almost hypnotic, it's so demanding of attention. And who am I to deny it? I will keep this, and keep it happy with frequent wearings.

In bottle: A sharp blend. This is indeed deep woods and darkness swirling together. I can't say that I much care for it at the moment, but we shall see what the skin does. There's a bit of green herb that seems promising, if the rest of the blend will lighten. On me: I keep going back and forth on this blend. It is such a light but spicy perfume; cinnamon and herbal, with dark woods that seem brighter than I had anticipated. Yet somehow the blend is unmistakably one of blood, although it doesn't smell of it. I like it, I don't know if I like it, I can't tell what I like about it. I keep bouncing around with my opinion, but ultimately I think it's a winner and I appreciate the subtle shifts in the blend. It does, however, remind me of a lumpy tapioca pudding I was served a few weeks ago that had cinnamon ground on top for seasoning, and it's killing this scent as a perfume. I will probably be putting it up for swap soon.

Pumpkin with five woods, English ivy and galangal root. In bottle: Rich and buttery with a bit o' green. It's very interesting - a pumpkin still growing on the vine. On me: The pumpkin virtually disappears on the skin, and is replaced with a pleasant, slightly sweet wood scent. It's definitely a definitive 'pumpkin patch' fragrance to me, and the perfect conclusion to the five bottle set. I hope the set comes back next year, it's amazing with Beth came up with based around one single note.

In bottle: This must be a very orange-colored oil, because when I dabbed it on my skin it was orange as an actual pumpkin. (Cool!) The scent of the fluid is a very dry pumpkin - almost like the scent of pumpkin seeds after they've been toasted in the oven. Mmmm. Crispy. On me: Wow, I really like this, and I didn't really expect to. It's an incense-y pumpkin, a dry pumpkin that isn't foody at all. While unmistakable, this pumpkin is very different from what you find around this time of year in stores. This isn't pumpkin-and-apple-pie, or pumpkin-and-candy-corn, but pumpkin-and-dry-leaves, which is a delightful and somewhat creepier pumpkin.

In bottle: Gorgeous sweetness! The sweet candy-like fruitiness of the pomegranate and the rich buttery pumpkin make an amazing creamy-candy sort of fragrance. I could slather this from head to toe! On me: Darn. It starts out with the same pretty fragrance in the bottle, but after ten-fifteen minutes on me it dries down to smell remarkably like my boyfriend's BO. Eh. No thanks.

In bottle: It smells like posh chocolate. Cocoa and hazelnut, with a definite buttery addition that I once again blame on the pumpkin. On me: This is a very strong fragrance. The cocoa wafts up off my skin almost immediately. I can't really decide if I like the mixture of pumpkin and chocolate - it's unusual to say the least. I like the dry sweetness that the nuts add. It's a very comforting and warm gourmund fragrance.

In bottle: The pumpkin gives the blend a slightly buttery note, but by and large it is apple cider. A positively perfect autumn apple cider, mind you. On me: Pumpkin is much more dominant on the skin. This is an autumn kitchen-in-a-bottle to me; rich pumpkin and spiced apple cider. This actually makes me think of work - this year we sold four autumn fragrances, Plum, Apple, Pumpkin and Caramel - and a candle was made with all the fragrances except Plum. When the Apple, Pumpkin, and Caramel burned together, they smelled so damn similar to this perfume. Wow. It really amazes me.

In bottle: Very sweet and watery. It is a cross between lotus, watermelon, and sweet aquatic florals. It makes me think of Empyreal Mist. On me: The roses that weren't too apparent initially are blossoming on the drydown. In fact, it's becoming the dominant note. It isn't a green rose like with Rose Red, and it doesn't remind me much of Persephone either. The rose is a little bit creamy, and surrounded by slightly watery fruit. Wonderfully feminine and girly!

Neat! I will actually use this blend for its intended purpose, since as a student I ALWAYS am on the lookout for a study-aid! In bottle: Lovely peppermint and something else, probably lemongrass? This is a sharp scent that immediately forces my eyes to open a little wider and the wheels in my head to spin a little faster. On me: Concentration is like a whip against the ass in that it forces me to sit up straight and do what I'm supposed to be doing, instead of daydreaming or reading catalogs or whathaveyou. I start to let my mind drift somewhere else when bam! that pepperlemonmintgrass floats up again and I'm reminded, "Oh yeah...I have to do this or that now." I really ought to buy a bottle or twenty of this stuff! Thank you TAL Circle for bringing this to my attention!

In bottle: Sweet and resin-y. The warmth of several spices and incenses dance with a fruity, almost pear-like note. On me: There's an orange-candy-like note here, and it's beautiful with the incense. Rich and warm - I wonder if the candiness is brought about by lotus? I really expected to see lotus here, since it's so classically Egyptian and all. At any rate, this is much lighter and brighter than I expected; I'm surprised at how much I like it. But it's a very pretty fragrance.

In bottle: Pretty, very classic 50's perfume blend. Heavily floral with a reliance on rose, with grounding frankincense or myrrh to balance the notes. On me: Incensed rose. It has a certain familiarity to it, and a very 'special' feeling to it, like it is of a magical or holy significance. Which, given that the blend is made to assist in speaking an angelic language, is perfectly fitting. Obviously I've not used this for a ceramonial or magical ritual, but I think that those who would use it for such would be pleased with the results.

In bottle: Somewhat aquatic, it's a very crystalline blend, but tinged with green. Some sort of floral, too - it actually seems a very 'Green Man' fragrance to me. On me: I agree with the others who said this has the same 'feel' as Blue Moon. The scent's not much the same - both probably contain cucumber, and there's some other vague similarities - but I definitely wouldn't mistake one for the other. It's about the mood, purifying and calming, that both oils produced. This much more aquatic to me, but it's a clear pool with green moss growing on the rocks lining the bottom, versus an oceanic scent. Seems to give me a bit of a headache tho', possibly because I abuse ritual blends for perfumed use.

In bottle: Very herbal. Someone said sage? Sounds about right. Maybe some lemongrass, too. Perhaps lavender? Slightest hint, flickering in the background, of a wine note. On me: Good mood-setter, it brings Greek columns rising up from the ground. It is a bit sweet, but mostly green herbs gathered in an exceptional bouquet. Sage is the only note that stays particularly detectable. Fades very quickly - I expect it would last longer, and better, in an oil burner. It's a very special fragrance, to be sure.