k00kaburra

In bottle: Not quite what I expected. This definitely doesn't smell like the sugar cookies made at the bakery I once worked at. It's far richer than those bland cookies; I'd almost say it was booze-y. On me: It's far too rich to be like any sugar cookie I've ever encountered. It's darker; more of a molasses cookie or perhaps a snickerdoodle.

In bottle: Bay, sage, lemongrass, and lavender. For some reason it seems a gentler version of Arkham. It's almost a bit foody, I guess since so many of the ingredients are also used in cooking. On me: Very weak - but sour on me. It's lemon juice gone dirty.

In bottle: Sharp. Tangy. Juniper, lavender, and cypress. A twisted, mocking fragrance. On me: Junipter is very strong for the first few minutes. The lavender and verbena dominate the piercing blend. It's too sharp for me and I can see that it wouldn't be likely to have a large fanbase. Still, it is quite unique, and I'm sorry it's gone.

In bottle: Bright. The sharpness of juniper, the bright citrus note, the light white cedar providing a balancing wood note. The orange gives this a fruity feel...it's dominant, not in the background as I expected. On me: Orange and cedarwood. Again, this is far fruitier than I expected. Unfortunately, it also makes me sneeze so it's hard to glean more than a quick sniff.

In bottle: Very familiar. I recognize what I smell - I've come across these notes before, but I don't know what they are. It's sharp and woody. On me: Cedar? Vetiver? Juniper? I think at least one of these notes is in here - possibly more than one. If this was a color it would be a warm brown. It's a drier wood than I thought it would be, and there's hints of pepper.

In bottle: Yucky! Nutmeg/cloves and pepper top notes wiith moss and lichen beneath. Somehow the combination makes me think of mustard. I think I can smell the grass, too. I don't really want to put this on, but for the sake of curiousity I must! On me: I must admit that I expected the pepper to be much more predominant than it is. Rather it is the nutmeg/cloves/kitchen-y spice that is the strongest. The green note makes this become more of a wood scent then a spicy fragrance.

In bottle: Very sharp. Vetiver? Odd, it's not a listed ingredient. That sharpness must be the apricots, then. Past the initial sharpness it sweetens and mingles with the orange blossom. On me: Th scent is much gentler on me than in the bottle. The bitter sharpness of the orange is gradually reduced so that only sweet orange and apricot remain. What a delicious fruit fragrance!

In bottle: Cherry cough drops. Something a bit musky in the background - it's different from what I am used to. I do believe this is my first encounter with red musk, which would explain that. On me: Very true to the bottle. Red musk and cherry candy - it's quite pleasant. I didn't expect to much care for it, but I do! It's pretty and delicate. The musk grows stronger as the day wears on, but the cherry never fades away.

In bottle: There is a lot of lily and sweet pea here. No pear. It smells very soapy to me. On me: I don't know the difference between stargazer lily and calla lily, but either way there's SO MUCH lily here. It's overwhelming. The honeysuckle is strong, too. It's very feminine in a traditional floral way. This fragrance is an excellent memorial for the passions of youth - it's what my grandmother would wear when she wants to feel young again.

INTRIGUE: In bottle: Wood and hints of fig. Smoky too...it reminds me of patchouli, at least a bit. Buried deep in the fragrance is the cocoa note. On me: Dark. It's like chocolate-powdered figs sitting on a metal dish in a room with a roaring fire in a great brick fireplace. No lights, save for the blazing flames. You can smell smoke and wooden logs, with that thin fruity note and dusty chocolate sweetening things up. It's very mysterious and it smells and feels utterly decadent.

In bottle: Peach sweetens, patchouli darkens. There are hints of the musk and amber make me wonder how this would compare to haunted. On me: Patchouli dominates. Overall the scent is not very strong - the peach gains strength so the blend becomes very juicy. Although I can't smell it on my skin if I put my nose near my arm, I can sporadically smell the peach and musk as I walk around. Intriguing.

In bottle: Eeeew. This is a really sugary scent. There's too much sweet going on. It's overly cloying and somehow it makes my mouth feel dry just from the scent. Odd. On me: It's too heavy. I feel like I smell of someone's grandmother's fruitcake. Too dense to eat, weighed down by chopped nuts, liquor, and odd candied fruit. (There's no fruit in the fragrance that I can detect, just to clarify.) It's too sweet, too much, just too too much.

In bottle: Well, musky amber. I was hoping for something more comple. Somehow the bottle scent doesn't seem to match the name to me. On me: It's not working for me. It doesn't smell bad, it just doesn't smell special. There's nnothing about this fragrance that excites or intrigues me. It's just a generic perfume smell. After a while I start getting hints of an orange or some citrus in the musk and amber cloud, but it still doesn't much impress me.

In bottle: Wood. There's almost something spicy about it, like I could swear there's cinnamon in it. Reading the other reviews, it looks like there simply must be, but when I first smelled this I was so confused, because I wasn't expecting that at all! Hamadryad is brighter and less 'deep forest' than I expected. On me: This is the sun shining down on a tree's bark. There's little green in it, just warm wood. Cinnamon wood. This scent was scent by the Lab as a freebie and I didn't expect to like it at all, but it is a lovely summer afternoon captured in a bottle.

In bottle: Patchouli and oakmoss. I'm not sure if these notes are the strongest or if I just pick them up because I'm familiar with them. For example, I haven't a clue what 'copal' is. On me: Definitley a scent of the earth. I smell smoky dirt (that's how I would describe patchouli to someone who has never encountered it before) and wood. There's a bright note sparkling amongst the darker notes - I think it may be heliotrope. It's like a gem sparkling while incased in stone deep in a mine.

In bottle: Blackberries and herbs. Similar to Bewitched, but it's far more medicinal and green. On me: Berries bow to the background while the heather moves to the front. It's a bit green, but still retains purple fluff. I don't really know what heather smells like, so even now when it's in front of me, I can't quite describe it. I wish I could get my hands on a single note and figure this out a bit. Very intriguing scent, but ultimately not for me.

In bottle: Rose and pear. Hints of lily, too. Very feminine and creamy. On me: Pear vanishes instantly on my skin. I'm definitely disappointed, because pear was the note that initially attracted me to Endymion. Rose and lily are two florals that do not do well on me save for minute amuonts. This fragrane is turning rather sour on me so I will not be keeping it. Man, I'm so disappointed the pear could not be bothered to make an appearance.

In bottle: Eeeew. Stinky florals. I can tell already this isn' going to work. On me: Crap. When I opened the imp this splashed all over my face, and my lips and eyelids are BURNING. Excuse me while I wash up. Thank goodness that didn't get in my eyes! Carrying on, I'm guessing there's some frangipani or jasmine in this. None of the lemon others have mentioned....the scent improved dramtically from bottle to skin but there are too many objectionable florals for this to work. Lotus, magnolia, maybe honeysuckle? That would be my stab at its elements.

In bottle: Such a familiar smell...I know I've come across this combination before. I believe this to be lavender and either bergamot or lemongrass; at the moment I'm leaning towards lemongrass. For some reason, the scent makes me think of food, but no one food in particular. On me: This is a very interesting oil. It really helps jog my memory of dreams - when I wear it or dab it on the pillow before bed I recall things quite clearly. I'm also more 'in control' of my dreams - I am able to make choices that alter the dream's path. But I can't say this helps me understand the dreams any better. Perhaps that's yet to come...

In bottle: This is a clean, bright citrus. It's a cool bright, if that makes sense. 'Embalming Fluid' sounds so morbid to me, but really, it's the perfect name for this. On me: This goes lemon dish soap on my almost immediately, but wears off after several minutes. The scent retains a sharp bite from the lemon and the green tea, although the other notes work to temper it a bit. It still reminds me of lemon drops but I love lemon candies so it's a keeper, rather than lemon overload like June Gloom.

A hazy, soft, veiled scent: mist floating through twilit skies, curling gently towards the heavens. In bottle: Candy? Very, very sweet. Light floral - seems like rose to me - soaking in a vase so that the fragrance is somewhat watery. It reminds me a bit of Rose Red. On me: I definitely get a green floral note from this. It's very fruity; I smell the apples another forumite mentioned with the slightest hint of lemon zest. I do adore this scent! It has inate familiarity to it, and there's nothing overbearing about it.

In bottle: Oh, I love it. This is crisp and clean. I love anything with tea in it - there's something delightful about the astrigent qualities tea brings to any fragrance. White tea must be in this, because I'm strongly reminded of Bath & Body Work's White Tea & Ginger fragrance. On me: The peony and green tea have emerged as I slather this on. It's a light fragrance, and very delicate. I don't get any fruit out of this, as some folks do, but maybe they're picking up something I've missed. This is simply wonderful, a perfect spring scent.

In bottle: Whoa, I've never encountered anything quite like this before. It is almost wine-y at first whiff, and then a mighty tree scent wafts up. I smell crushed evergreen swirled in fog. On me: I cannot stand wood scents as a general rule, but there is something very different about this one. I believe the rose is sweetening the fir/spruce/pine (I can't tell which it is) and making this a youthful forest of energy, rather than an old forest that has grown dark and damp with rotting logs scattered under thick branches. The sunshine still shines through the leaves and there is growth and life in this bright fragrance.

In bottle: Liquid compassion. I was surprised how green this is; there are only faint hints of floral. Nevertheless, it's a very calming, peaceful fragrance. On me: It smells so familiar but I am mystified why. Many people describe this as reminding them of loved ones or people they care about but who are/will be passing out of their lives soon. It' is like that for me as well, but rather than being reminded of a person or people, I am thinking of a place. There used to be a campground I went to every year and we would hike around on different mountain trails. On one particular trail there was a lovely little meadow, and in late July the flowers would still be blooming, but fading, with sunshine pouring down on the blossoms and the grass. Like Dove's Heart, it was a very comforting place to be. There is no edge to this fragrance; it is soft and round. It is very nostalgic and brings back memories of past fun, which does help bring closure and happiness in the present.

In bottle: Salty Dragon's Blood. In my imagination, I couldn't picture whether I would like this blend or not. So far, I most assuredly do. I'm not picking any floral notes from this as I thought I would; it's just salt and sweet and quite lovely. On me: This is a very clean fragrance; for a moment it reminds me of crisp sliced apples. That fades after a few seconds as I am further immersed in the fragrance. It has that squeaky-clean undertone of french-milled soap, which may be the florals manifesting beneath the dragon's blood. I think I could use this in an oil burner, or with my laundry but it isn't something I would wear. There's something a bit sad in this fragrance, almost wistful.