Gaueko

[girlmadasbirds]

The Basque God of Night and all the perils of the darkness. Though he is the God of the Danger that Lurks in the Gloom, he is kind to men and warns them against the nighttime hazards and sets rules of conduct for both the living and the dead as they travel through his domain. It is said that since the warm, vibrant daylight is for the living, the abodes of night are reserved for the dead. All who heed his counsel are protected, but woe be to any man that disobeys the laws of Gaueko: he is swift to punish those that would scorn his advice. Blackened sandalwood and misty lavender, with curling wisps of smoky tobacco, nag champa, and labdanum.

the nag champa really shows itself on me..so much so, that i can barely make out the other notes. after several minutes, i started to smell a very faint hint of the lavendar and sandalwood. i adore this scent and i think i may have to add it to my "buy the big bottle" list.

[tinyvulture]

At first there is a really noticeable, sickly sweet tobacco odor. This goes away once it’s dry. Then it smells mostly like nag champa, with hints of lavender and warm musky labdanum. At this point it is nice, but not very strong, and I don’t know I can wait out the tobacco. I’ve really enjoyed other smoky scents like Hellfire and Brimstone, but I'm not as into this one.

Edited April 28, 2005 by tinyvulture

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Lavender, with something wierdly spicy in the background.

 

Wearing: The lavender faded away completely within an hour of application. I was left with a gorgeous sandalwood/incense blend which is softly spicy and slightly smoky. Beautiful.

 

Final Impressions: Like others have said, I was expecting something a lot darker and heavier. This is pretty.

[gdogs]

i sniffed this in the vial, without reading the notes first, and thought, "yum, tonka!"

 

i put it on. . . and thought, "yum, tonka!"

 

as it dried, i thought. . ."hmmm. . .smokey tonka."

 

it stayed true for a couple of hours. . .tonka, smokey tonka. . .then when i went to write some notes about it i saw. . . lavender and sandalwood????!!!!!

 

ok. if i sniff knowing its lavender and sandalwood, i can pick it out. i understand how there might be a herby, florally woody scent i could mistake for tonka.

 

but really, i think i will never be able to convince my nose that this is not tonka. . .

 

wierd, huh?

[wolfie13]

This was a giftie from the Lab (thank you!). I opened it up for a quick sniff while unpacking and my first thought was "whoa, lavender!"

 

Upon reading the ingredient list, I saw that it was indeed a component.

 

Upon initial application: It stays very lavender on me (which isn't a problem as I really like lavender) with a touch of light smoke around the edges.

 

It really takes awhile for this one to develop on me. At least 45 minutes, really.

 

The lavender takes more of a backseat, though still present. I'm finally getting the sandalwood and just a touch of nag champa (which is good as I like that note, but too much reads hippie head-shop and street fair to me). As a bit more time goes by, it becomes rounder and sweeter (probably the labdanum which can have an amber-like quality on me) and the individual notes stand out less.

 

Final thoughts: Don't be scared by the initial lavender blast. Give this one some time to mellow.

 

Another final thought: With so many things to tempt me each time I order, this one wasn't even on the radar. Once again, the lab knows best. I like it and will keep the imp.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Juniper? Sage? Neither are listed, but that's what I smell.

 

First on: I get a hint of sandalwood, but most of the other scents have vanished.

 

Drydown: Either my nose is now broken from Djinn, or this one dissappears into my skin. I'll have to test it out again by itself.

[iliadawry]

Bottle: Very lavendery.

 

First on: floral, with a hint of tobacco. The tobacco I understand, but the extreme floralness, not so much.

 

Drying: the floral continues. The sandalwood and nag champa seem absent -- sad! It fades as flowers fade, prettily, but doesn't leave a strong impression on me.

[joseybird]

Lavender and sandalwood and tobacco..mmm! I'm not sure if the lavender in this blend is different from the lavender in the somnium blends or if the sandalwood is modifying it, because it doesn't smell sharp at all. I adore the lab's tobacco--it's smokey and sweet without being overly masculine.

 

It's a lovely blend, yet a bit confusing......lavender I associate with aromatherapy too much to use as anything other than a sleep aid, and yet the blend seems unsuited to such uses.

[tsarina]

The first whiff made me think "Sweet... wood?" The sweetness disappeared on my skin and I'm left with a roiling whisper of smoke, tobacco and incenses. It's very interesting, but not exactly something I want to smell like. It puts me in mind of jungle mysteries and secret ceremonies in crumbling temples.

[alizarin]

Ok, normally I am very good about not choosing scents on name alone, but I'd been researching Basque mythology and I noticed Gaueko's description and didn't find any of the notes listed offensive, so I ordered a 5ml on a whim.

 

It's GORGEOUS on me. I love lavender, and this starts out very herby lavender but then morphs into this lovely soft smoky scent, light and kind of ethereal and shadowy. I can't believe it took me so long to find this one. It's very light but stays interesting and evocative. Love it, worship it, mine mine mine etc, etc.

[quikslvr]

confusingly lavendery/incensy. probably too powerful for me. dries to incense smell: lovely, but not exactly me. sandalwood as topnote.

[coulrophobe]

I'm usually not a huge fan of lavender - it tends to be very sharp and harsh on my skin, though I don't mind it as a potpourri, lightly fragranced soap or a linen spray. But, I give every imp a try.

 

Gaueko is, hands down, the best lavender blend I've tried. On me, it starts off smelling like warm lavendar soap (not necessarily a bad thing), and dries down to a mellow dry wood and incense smell mixed in with lavender. Unlike my reaction to the more herbally blends that feature lavendar, I find this very soothing and calming... I can see it being a great sleep-scent for me.

 

I'll have to try it again before deciding whether I need a big bottle, but it definitely shows promise. I'm happy to have found a lavender blend that actually works with my chemistry!

[nineveh]

This is the first lavender blend I've tried, and I don't know if it works on me.

 

I think that it took over this blend. I don't get any sandalwood or tobacco, just thick and dusty lavender with a weird musty note that smelled more like an old coat than incense. What a strange experience.

 

I don't much care for lavender's scent, but if you do, this would be one to try.

[lookingglass]

When I got this in my order (for my husband) I took a quick sniff and really smelled the lavender...it kind of turned me off because I have used a lot of natural bug repellants with lavender!

 

But then my husband walked by me and OMG! A HOT resinony goodness wafted all around him! I chased him around saying, "let me smell you..."!

 

As it dried out more, I could identify the nag champa. It is my favorite insence, but not a single note I usually like on skin. It was so amazing what the lavender did to it...kind of cleaned it up...made it fresher, while still smoldering lingered.

 

A SEXY, complex, scent that I want him to wear everyday!

 

Edit to add: A year later and over 300 BPAL's sniffed...this is still his favorite "everyday, everywhere" scent. 'Just grabbed up a 10 ml.

Edited July 23, 2006 by lookingglass

[ismene]

'Acrid' and 'punguent' are the words that first come to mind when describing this scent, but it's by no means unpleasant. It's just very strong and sinus clearing. After it dries down, it starts sweetening up and that continues as it fades.

 

What an odd scent. I can't pick out any notes, and I don't think it smells anything like what's in the description. I think I like it, but there's just this weirdness about it that keeps nibbling at my mind.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Sandalwood and floral.

 

On Skin: I was worried about the smoky tobacco in this one, but the scent really isn’t that smokey. The sandalwood is the strongest note by far, very masculine. The lavender is somewhat sharp and the labdanum is very gentle. The tobacco and nag champa seem to be hiding in the back, not showing themselves just yet. But as the scent progresses they do show through and give an exotic almost spooky note. A very complex scent but much too masculine for me.

[QueenFae]

This one is really earthy. It has that leafy, woodsy, incensey masculine edge to it. The sandalwood and the nag champa are the top notes on me. This one makes me think of a sexy man on a smoky, bonfire evening in October. It's a bit masculine for me, but lovely just the same

[Lycanthrope]

In the Bottle or Imp:

Lavender, with sweet honeyed amber and a drop of musk.

Wet, on Skin:

Oh! That's tonka, not honey. I'd recognize that slightly burnt vanilla anywhere... mmm. The initial lavender burst has subsided into light floral with amber and spice tones. Definitely nag champa incense, I can envision the wispy smoke.

Drying/Drydown:

An incensy, floral musk. Very exotic, and unique.

Over Time/Longterm:

Sweetens a touch due to the tonka, stays a nice, spicy musk with light sharp floral remnants.

Final Verdict?

This is good, very good. I may have to bottle this one.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: the lab tossed this in as an extra. all i'm picking up is the sandalwood and the lavender. not sure about this one.

on: lots and lots of lavender. there's something else, too, but i can't place it.

half an hour later: this is all nag champa on me. very, very nice.

1.5 hours later: sharp and sweet incense.

2 hours later: softer, but still incense.

overall: i've had this in my to-try pile and kept skipping over it. why? i have no idea. it's really quite lovely. i'm not sure if i'll end up wearing it, but it would be excellent in my oil burner. i probably wouldn't buy it again, though.

[DiamondHeart]

Wet:

It smells like lavender. I like lavender, so this is a good thing.

 

Dry:

It smells like spicy lavender. Like really pissed off lavender.

 

Kind of a nice mental image, isn't it? Also, how the hell do you pronounce this?

 

~Diamond~

[luxuria]

This is lavender-ahoy! Strong, masculine lavender without a hint of sweetness. It smells like lavender incense on final drydown but still remains fairly masculine. I don't get any sandalwood or tobacco, which I adore, so that was disappointing. The incense actually smells a little smoky, and I love that. I'd like this on a guy but it's very not "me."

I agree with DiamondHeart that this is "pissed off lavender"

[Lilithlefay]

In the imp and when wet on the skin this is all lavender on me which generally makes me run screaming the other way(we don't play well on most occasions) but after 10 minutes this dries into this beautiful smoky scent on me with just a touch of the lavender. It actually has a calming effect on me. So I have to say I actually like it despite the lavender.

[Northernminx]

Earthy and almost over-ripe in the imp I was glad this settled down into more of an incense phase rather than the hot summer alley-way smell that it started out as with my skin. Smokey and almost burnt in the end on me, this one just didn't work and I ended up having to wash it off. Pity.

[Deepsex]

Gaueko: This blend is very strong. I get really strong lavender and smoke. Too masculine for me. I gave the imp to my brother.

[urraca]

In the vial and wet on my skin I get a burst of lavendar but it is soft and not too astringent. Nevertheless, I am happier a few minutes later as it fades and the other scents start to come through. The nag champa dominates supported by a beautiful sandalwood that reminds me of an old wooden chest that has held interesting things in it for decades. The labdanum adds sweetness and warmth making this a very soothing and comforting scent.

 

If it were stronger and longer lasting on meI'd definitely buy a big bottle; as it is I'll have to see. I don't usually like masculine scents on me but this one really works. Manly, yes, but I like it too!