k00kaburra

In bottle: This is much lighter than the other dream formulas; lavender is not the dominant note. In fact, at first sniff I can't even detect it; I soon find it nestled amongst other florals in a light and delicate blend.. On me: Heavy floral, although I'm not sure I can identify any of them. Perhaps jasmine? This is definitely the scent with the weakest lavender, which is good to me because I'm not crazy for lavender. This also works quite well; it has me yawning already. Fantastic!

In bottle: Very sharp, VERY herbal. Lavender, naturally, but many other herbs too. I'm pretty sure there's rosemary in this; perhaps lemongrass as well? On me: This is a strong herbal; color-wise it is not so much green as a sage mingled with brown. It doesn't effect me quite as strongly as Nanshe, so I will pass it on to benefit someone else.

In bottle: Salty wet wood. It makes me think of wooden piers and how they smell as you walk out over the water on a cloudy morning. That damp, slightly squishy wood that creaks under your feet - that's what I smell. On me: On the skin, the sea spray is much stronger. It's now like a wave rolling up against that pier, bringing the fresh essence of the sea forward. Hints of leather boots and bay rum definitely recall a pirate standing proud.

In bottle: Honey and incense? On first sniff this is a very sweet, almost-candy-like scent; on the next scent it goes very herbal with a foody-sweet note. I really don't know how to describe it. I'm not noticing much in the way of grape, which everyone seems to be mentioning, but at least I'm not the only person who came up with honey and incense for the combination. It makes me feel less crazy. On me: Definitely, definitely honey. Rich golden honey, like that in Athens, that oozes the same deep golden color of the setting sun over the desert sand. This is a dusty incense scent, too - maybe myrrh? I suspect it to be whatever a traditional Egyptian incense would be, but I don't have a clue what that is. Still no grapes...I am tempted to purchase a bottle or another imp just to see if I can find the grape in a different batch.

In bottle: Lavender and a dark musk. Also the bitterness of a lime's peel. On me: My boyfriend wrinkled his nose and pulled away from this, unwilling to wear it. Well, so be it - I'm brave, I'll give it a shot. Or perhaps not. It's vanishing on me and I can barely detect it. Lime has always had a rapidly vanishing quality, but I would think the other notes might stick around! The little that remains is lilac, tripped up by green lavender (which doesn't even work, does it?) and clinging to a somewhat Dial soap afternote.

In bottle: Grass. Ouch! It's rather sharp to the nose. Definitely grass, I would say it is grass and orange peels. On me: It's much prettier on the skin than in the bottle. It actually makes me think of my backyard in the late summer/early autumn; if I go out and lay down on the lawn beneath our naval orange tree, I get this very same green grass and green orange peel scent. It's a very natural, summer-day scent.

In bottle: Lavender and a lovely light floral that I suspect to be the delphinium, because I would recognize if it was jasmine or rose. There is the star jasmine, too, light and lingering in the back. Something about the fragrance hangs at the back of my nose and makes me think "stink." On me: Nothing about this scent really excites me. It's lavender, and some other florals, spicier than normal for the 'gentle spices' in the blend. It's musky and reminds me a bit of Bath & Body Work's Moonlight Path, albeit brighter and more brilliantly blended. But lavender and rose with musk? Moonlight Path all the way, and I've never cared for that scent. So off to swap with Sophia!

In bottle: Reminds me of clementine oranges. There's definitely some dragon's blood in this. Maybe some hints of maraschino cherries, too; it's a very bright fruity scent. It isn't at all what I was expecting; I imagined it to be an herbal blend and the reviews led me to think it'd be spicy, too. But so far, not at all! On me: Lightly spicy - probably cinnamon. Orange is weakening but it's still there. Close my eyes and red swims before me; this is certainly the liquid form of the color red. The boy won't be over tonight but next time he is, I will have to give this a test run for its intended purpose and report back on the results. I definitely like the scent of this better than other voodoo lust/love blends.

I've tried this one before, but I didn't write a review, only made a note that I didn't care for it. In bottle: Very strong rose and lily. In the bottle it is slightly herbal, slightly astrigent. On me: No incense at all; this is nearly pure florals. It definitely makes me think of a church; ours had a rose garden in front of it, and the scent of the rose would waft up during the sermon through the windows and mingle with the lilies decorating the sanctuary. Very pretty, but the florals are a bit strong and blatent for daily use.

In bottle: Dark black patchouli and dry sandalwood. Something about this scent immediately inspires feelings of guilt in me, like I've been caught doing something wrong. Nothing lustful or in anger, it's the remorse that follows when your mother glares at you for trailing mud all over freshly-washed floors. On me: The amber comes up, fruitful and bright compared to the other dark notes. It's still twisted and darkened by patchouli and sandalwood, but the way it blends with cinnamon is lovely. This is a very warm and spicy scent now - the amber's very strong. Pretty.

In bottle: Patchouli in strength, and musky grape. Dang, is that muscadine (which I kept mis-reading as masculine) strong or what? On me: Apparently muscadine is only in the bottle and initial application, it's gone now. All that's left is the incense of nag champa and mountains of smoky patchouli.

In bottle: Bright apple against dusty herbs. It's like finding the fruit nestled deep in the back of your spice cabinet, where it rolled long before and you'd forgotten all about it. On me: It makes for a rather musty apple. The apple note itself is gorgeous and fresh, but the herbs smell old and tired, like lichen and moss. And where is the black amber? I'm rather surprised by its failure to put in an appearance.

In bottle: Surprisingly light and fresh. The apple blossom and meadowsweet are gorgeous. It's a lovely floral. On me: Again, I am surprised by how light it is. The red clover really comes out on the skin, and it is fantastic. I don't get any sharpness from this fragrance at all; in fact, I don't even get much in the way of green. The moss is barely there; I expected it to be far more prominant. Gorgeous orchid. There's something almost berry-like about this fragrance - perhaps the sweetness

In bottle: This is a very difficult fragrance to describe. It exudes femininity, but it changes constantly. First I think it's rather floral, but then it doesn't seem floral at all, because it smells like food and herbs. Then it ceases to smell of either. On me: I find this to be much more feminine than the other passion/love voodoo blends. I'm still mystified about how to explain it, tho'. It's rather green and herbal, but the plants aren't particularly fresh; they've already been cooked or processed somehow, and the fresh bite of green is gone. Rather floral, but I'm not sure what flowers. Almost something like coconut. I like it - very feminine - but it is so hard for me to put into words!

In bottle: Smoke and smouldering wood - the wood still has a bit of the green scent, but it's fading before the flames and ash. On me: Dry ashes and...soap? Very strange, but I get a definite dove soap note with ashes and hints of smoke above it.

In bottle: Heavy red wine and leather, but unlike the brightness wine lent to leather in Perversion, in Wanda it goes rather sour. I don't detect much in the way of florals. On me: This grows quite lovely on the skin. Roses and fine wine, blending together to remind me of a wonderful romantic evening. After all, what is more romantic than a bouquet of roses and an excellent vintage wine?

In bottle: The sharpness of juniper and the sharpness of mint blend to be a piercing scent bubbling with barely-contained loathing. The lotus lends it a slight sweetness, but it is faint, drowned out by the other notes. This is angry churning water, a tempest barely contained. On me: Due to the lotus, it is very sweet on the skin, with the juniper vying to regain dominance. It's an unpleasant scent to me, rather stagnant and tepid. I thought it might be a bit more purifying and bright, but it's dark and murky, lurking beneath the deceptive tranquility of clean water.

In bottle: This is a difficult scent to describe. It's warm - hot, as in churning lust and anger - like warm blood coloring your face when you're enraged. Yet at the same time, the vetivert leads this to be a calculating, distant blend. It's like a thoroughly corrupted politician desperately trying to maintain a facade of cool when all he wants to do is completely blow his temper. On me: It's very, very different. Very heavy on cinnamon. I'm a bit disappointed - while I didn't care for the bottle scent, that at least was unique. I'm rather unimpressed by what I smell on my wrist, because I know I've come across this before - and liked it better - in another perfume. The vetiver still gives this just enough of an edge that I don't wish to keep it, because Hamadryad is much more satisfying for my cinnamon hits.

In bottle: Tonka and chardonnay - in the bottle it's so deceptively light and sparkling. On me: Wow, that tonka is just gorgeous. The leather is considerably sweetened by it, and the chardonnay and the rum give this a delightful alcoholic air that make it the perfect scent for a night of drunken debauchery. This is the scent of a kinky night of naughty fun.

In bottle: A sharp, almost lemony note of ginger. On me: On the skin the tea comes out and the blend is sweetened and somewhat mellowed. It reminds me somewhat of Bath & Body Work's White Tea & Ginger, save it contains a sweet lemon mingling with the ginger and tea.

In bottle: All the smokiness of the world is condensed into this bottle. Tobacco smoke. Smoky dark musk. Heavy incense smoke. The leather gives this a bit of a snap and a definite sexiness. On me: This is too masculine for me, but man oh man - it needs to be on a man because it smells good! Slightly kinky, the scent makes me think of a bar (so dark we'll forget who are) where everyone wears leather and lounge in wait of their prey, smoking to pass the time.Very much the scent of a man on the prowl and looking for a good time.

In bottle: Untreated leather straight off the cow. It's been cleaned and it's stretched and ready to go, but nothing's been done to it yet. On me: Nearly identical to the bottle and the description. Raw naked leather.

I just love that this scent exists; I think it is a fantastic idea. In bottle: There's something almost fruity here - the olive, perhaps? Very dusty. It is like a forgotten corner of a city, with a crumbling wall made of ancient brick and tiny plants blooming in the cracks. It really reminds me of fruit - a musk melon, perhaps. Gorgeous, whatever is in this - and not nearly as incense-heavy as I expected. I don't know what most of these notes are but dang, I love this fragrance. On me: LOVE IT. That delicious melon/pineapple fruit smell mingles with green notes and the slightest hint of incense for a simply gorgeous perfume. If this is the scent of spiritual purity, then I am going to use this scent quite often. I think it will be an excellent scent to wear on days when I feel negative; it will serve to remind me of my goals and aspirations to be better than I am now.

In bottle: Sweet and bright and giggling. White grapes and peach and moonflower and sweet pea. The pear is so sweet, too! Everything is beautiful and sparkling. On me: This is definitely a fairy scent; light and airy. The rose is still invisible, but the other florals are beginning to blossom. The fruits are still the strongest: the peach dominates (it is a wet peach, not quite as juicy as in other blends) and the grapes lack the heavy juice you find in red grape blends. Beth has managed to create the perfect blend for proud Titania.

An ethereal bouquet of night-blooming flowers. Evening primrose, ruellia, flowering nicotiana, wild petunia, panani-o-kai, night phlox, night gladiolus, moonflower and the elusive scent of Nottingham Catchfly. In bottle: A big bouquet mish-mash of flowers. They're night flowers, and have a slight green edge to them. Together they are a light and subtle white perfume. On me: Invisible on my skin; no matter how I slather the scent remains elusive. It is very faint, but when I do manage to catch it, it has the beauty of a midnight fairy - sparkling and ethereal. I want to keep this and somehow force it to work for me, but I suspect it will end up on the swap pages soon, for why keep a beautiful scent when it is fleeting and clearly doesn't want to play with you?.