k00kaburra

In bottle: Ozone. Man, this is very fresh and clean. It totally makes me think of laundry soap...that can't be a good thing! It's very masculine to me. It is totally the way I wanted Storm to smell. On me: Faint, but fierce. This is how the Thunder Gods smell. Tangy and kick-ass. I really like it; it's Thunderbird without the forest notes. As it dries florals begin to blossom, but they never really compete with the strength of the storm.

In bottle: You know that herbally note that lurks in all the voodoo fragrances? The pure version is this blend! It's green and makes my nose tingle. On me: Green herbs. I have absolutely no idea what, specifically, just something very green. I have a presentation in a few hours, but I'm not getting the little butterflies that usually start manifesting around now. So I say this works great! After it's been on the skin for half an hour, the florals blossom and it becomes a lovely green fragrance. In fact, the drydown reminds me quite strongly of Goona Goona. I wish this hadn't been discontinued; it's quite lovely.

In bottle: Meep. That's some strong jasmine! This is very, very floral to me. I'm not getting any dirt or incense at all. On me: I can't believe it. The flowers in this completely overwhelm anything else that would even attempt to make an appearance. It's just a blah collection of ylang ylang, jasmine, and other flowers screaming into the night. So disappointing!

In bottle: Dirt. Dust in the road. The grass grows in clumps at the side of the road, burned brown in the heat of the sun. This feels parched. The longer I leave the bottle open, the stronger the grass and the greener the fragrance grows. It's intriguing. On me: This brings to mind summer trips through New Mexico when there's a thunderstorm on the horizon. There's a cool wind blowing through the dust of the desert. No rain yet, but in the distance lightning strikes. It's coming, and the anticipation of that storm is bottled in Coyote. To me, that helps bring the Trickster to life.

In bottle: Juicy wet amber. Almost fruity, like strawberry gummy candy. The mango and the sage are an interesting combination; toss lavender in and I didn't know what to expect. On me: It's smokier on the skin. The amber and mango are still quite strong, and the fragrance is predominantly fruity. But the red musk and sage spice this up, addng depth but keeping the fragrance light and delicate. It's beautiful.

In bottle: It's a bit spicier than the flowers in the store. I can't tell if that's the fault of the essential oil or the weakened state of mass-produced flowers, tho'. On me: This is perfect. It smells exactly like a carnation in full bloom, fresh cut from the plant. Spicy and green and subtle in scent.

In bottle: Sweet and white. It truly is the scent of a unicorn! It is almost aquatic, too. It is as if a unicorn is standing in a pool of water, with a light tinkling waterfall behind it. There is thick rich moss on the rocks in the pool and green plants everywhere. In the middle of this gorgeous place is the unicorn, sweet and pure, flowers blossoming beneath its hooves as it walks out of the pool.. On me: Honestly, it is just more of the same. Notes? I haven't a clue. But it is gorgeous and white and full of old-innocence; not the innocence of a child but the one of an elder that still has faith in the goodness of the world.

In bottle: Rich, warm amber. Cinnamon. This fragrance is quite evocative of summer. If warm yellow gold were made into a perfume, it would be this scent. On me: Poo. It fades instantly on me like most of the other ambers. I can't smell a thing save for faint hints of cinnamon. I slather more on shamelessly. It's a sleepy fragrance. It's lazy. While great for relaxing, this fragrance would suck if you needed something to motivate you. It is like snuggling your head into thick, rich golden fur.

In bottle: Smells almost dead-on to the apricot single note. I'm not picking up anything else at all. On the one hand, I'll be disappointed if that's all there is, but if it stays the same way on the skin at least I'll know what to get when my single note of apricot runs out. On me: Oh, there's the spicy clove wafting up. Mmmmm. Smells delicious, like a pie. Apricot or peach pie. Yum yum yum...yum? Wait! No! Clove is taking over! The apricot is leaving! Noooooooooooooooooo! Not that I don't love clove, but I love me some apricot. But it's still a nice smell. I'll give this one a shot.

In bottle: I'm not sure where I'm going to go with this. The cherry and currents make it very, very sweet. I am not getting a wood note so much as a...cabbage? Quite odd. On me: Cherry cough drops. As it dries I am reminded of Hearth, especially as the wood comes out when the perfume has dried. The candy-like cough drop fragrance has been muted into a lighter fruit that sings of fun and games to me. It's quite pretty, to my surprise. I initially expected to dislike it. Instead, I find that I'm quite fond of her!

In bottle: It makes me think of candy, a bit. It's minty alternative Altoids - one of the other brands that you find at stores like Trader Joe's, sitting by the cash register. Pennyroyal tickles my nose a bit; the lavender is invisible. On me: Whoa. Musk and pennyroyal mint. There still is very little lavender but something sweet is burbling beneath the dominant notes. Almost fruity. Again, it brings to mind some of the orange-mints or violet-mints that are sold at health food stores.

In bottle: Sharp with a dark sense of forboding. This scent puts me deep in the forest and I'm all alone, and it's dark in the shade of the trees. I have just heard the snap of a twig behind me, and I am afraid to turn and see what is there. Super-strong pine and eucalyptus. On me: Amazing. The pine mellows considerably and the orange blossoms for something sweet and light. It fades very quickly but it is absolutely lovely. The sun came out in the forest, and when I turned around the cracking twig was just a rabbit hopping by. The difference from the bottle to the skin is amazing.

In bottle: I love carnation, so I had hoped it would be stronger. As it is, the jasmine mingles with vetiver, patchouli and moss to create something seductive and dark. It makes me crave a trip to the hookah bar downtown. On me: The word for this fragrance is swirling. It is a cycle that changes from one moment to the next. One minute it's especially smoky, the next the strength of the florals makes me think of bouquets. It's psychodelic and colorful. Neroli bubbles up every once and a while, clear and strong, only to sink someplace deep and disappear.

In bottle: Smells like old women's perfume. How to explain that? It smells like the bottles of perfume my grandmother had sitting on her boudoir for 40 years, bottles three-quarters empty, scents that she has been faithful to for years, ever since her youthful days when she was young and sexy. The sexyness of the scent remains, but it is faint, washed away with time. On me: Now that I've described the impression from the bottle, I'll try to describe the scent itself on my skin. It's jasmine, but a wild jasmine. Usually jasmine is overwhelming on my skin, powerfully floral. However, in this blend it is tempered and twisted by something - probably the red musk - into a darker fragrance more akin to my chemistry. Faintly, I can smell the wisteria too. It still has the grandmother's feel to it, so I shan't keep it, but I am sorry it is discontinued, because it is pretty and I'd wear it were it not for the memories it triggers.

In bottle: I loves me some coconut. It smells of sugary coconut candy. Yummy yum yum. On me: I love that this smells like a real coconut, not the nasty suntan-lotion coconut. It's so fresh and fruity! As I said before, yummy yum yum. Pity I don't have more than one lone imp of this note.

In bottle: Quite sharp. Reminds me destinctly of olives, although I can't fathom why my mind makes that assocation. The lavender is easily the strongest note, but the smoky violets are right there in-your-face too. On me: I'm surprised at how light it is on the skin. The white musk becomes more prominant and helps mellow the scent. The lavender fades into the background and the violets blossom into the foreground; this moves from a decidedly male to a unisex fragrance. It's an imp I shall pass on to my brother, because I think it will smell absolutely fabulous on him.

In bottle: I smell grapefruit and lavender, which mix together better than I expected. Perhaps it is because of the current, one of my favorite notes, that they blend so beautifully. I don't know what delphinium is, so I googled it - and it's larkspur? Interesting...at any rate, this fragrance is a grinning, teasing creation. On me: Eeep. As I was applying this the back of my head began to ache. It's a beautiful clean scent; lightly floral with a strong citrus note. I really like it; it changes and evolves, switching to herbal and flowery to fruity as can be. Quite lovely, but my head is throbbing. I'll try it again in a few days, but if it happens again I'll be so disappointed!

In bottle: Almost pure cedar. Hints of patchouli and vetiver are in the background, but by and large it's wooden. It's very strong; a tiny drop is more than enough for me. On me: Cedar cedar cedar. Ick. I don't care for this note, and it's all I can smell, so off to swap this goes.

In bottle: Whoa! Lemon! Lilac and lemon for a light spring fragrance. Chamomile and rose make this a very calming, gentle fragrance. On me: It's still very mellow, but as it dries the lemon comes back into prominence. This is a very familiar fragrance. It makes me think of an outdoor garden in the sun. It isn't sweltering hot yet; spring has just begun and the flowers are still fresh and new. Lemon and lilac, while enjoyable seperately, do not blend well on my skin so I doubt I'll wear this. But it's quite pretty, and I'm sorry it's gone.

n bottle: It's a corrupted floral bouquet. The myrrh and lilac mingle to produce a fragrance that smells classic, but off, like a faded wilting beauty. On me: It's a bit old-lady to me. My grandmother used to wear lilacs so I think that's why my mind automatically has this association. It's a pretty, delicate floral that has been spiced up a bit with incense and amber, but the lilacs are still the most prominant. Unfortunately, it's also giving me a headache, so this review ends now!

In bottle: Dragon's blood for sure - there's that sweet, candy-cherry fragrance again. On me: Cherry candy. It makes me think of cough drops! The spices keep it from being overwhelming, and it truly embraces its name. It does make me think of blood without actually smelling of it - the metallic note others mentioned is definitely missing from my imp.

In bottle: Sweet and sinister. Something beautiful and grand that has been corrupted by time and the weariness of the world. On me: Lotus scents seem to always be light on me. I can barely smell this. After it's had a chance to dry the spices come wafting up. I can imagine what a beautiful contrast this would have if the lotus didn't fade so; the sweetness of the flower mingled with the darker myrrh and the crystalline amber and the beauty of sandalwood. Unfortunately, on me it smells dry, dry like a desert and a crumbling pyramid.

In bottle: This is such a dark-colored oil - the scent matches it perfectly. The rich brown with hints of red liquid smells of grapes and a heavy musk. It's a very wild, unadulterated fragrance. On me: What a rich, boozy grape this is! It smells like a boistorous party, where everyone's drinking and dancing on tabletops and in the dark corner, someone's getting it on quite enthusiastically. I admit that when I ordered this it was purely for curiousity's sake; I didn't expect to like it a bit. Instead I find it quite intriguing and fun. As it dries the powerful grape fades and I assume the civet rises up. Unfortunately, I am not one of the rare folks who get along well with civet. Although this is still an interesting fragrance, it's no longer one I would wear out.

In bottle: It is a man's scent, truly. I smell leather and lots and lots of green things, grass and sage and basil. On me: It sharpens on me, and makes me think of food. Spaghetti spices, that sort of thing. It's not something I would like to smell of, but I certainly have no objections to smelling it on other people. It's a very rough-and-tumble 'tough guy' sort of fragrance.

In bottle: Beautifully blended. It's a rich, full scent, reminding somewhat of Bath & Body Work's Rice Flower & Shea. Not so much for the fragrance itself, but it evokes a very similar comforting mood. It's quite buttery to me, with delicate florals. On me: What a beautiful vanilla this is! It makes me think of visiting my grandmother and rummaging through her things. Her perfumes stacked on the boudoir, her linens and clothes in the closet - all the frilly, girly things she used to own come to mind as I sit enjoying this scent. It's so beautiful.