k00kaburra

In bottle: Red patchouli - so much of it - and the inky-blackness of myrrh. There is a slight sweetness that the ylang ylang brings, but it is a heavy spice and incense scent. It gives off a rather threatening vibe. On me: To me, this is an angry scent. The clove and patchouli, which have becom the dominant notes on my skin, reminds me of the wicked witch in Hansel and Gretel; I can just imagine her cackling and stomping her feet in delight while wearing this scent.

Sounds heavenly. In bottle: Beautiful fresh carnations! There's also the delighful hints of white tea and rose. On me: Carnation is by far the strongest note. Gorgeous; I am glad to have finally come across this; it may be able to fill the void left when Carnivale was discontinued. The delicate rose and teamake this a lovely blend celebrating the virtuous fairy-tale maiden, who is always sweet and innocent and fair.

In bottle: Wild orchid - is that the slightly spicy floral? It is very strong in this blend, whatever it is - rather green and slightly spicy, although not nearly so strong as carnations. I can't even smell the rose in the bottle. These aren't bright, bubbly florals; they are weighed down and sad, like a cloudy day. Mournful. On me: Gentle white roses and white orchids. It is a delicate, innocent scent; again full of sorrow but also trust. This is sad, but it isn't despair. Slightest hint of spiciness remains; I wonder what it is? I suppose it could be the resin scent of labdanum; offhand I don't know how that smells.

In bottle: The sharp bite of neroli hides beneath the lemon and green tea. It's a very distorted fragrance; lemon mingled with other sharp notes. Reminds me a bit of lemonade, with green notes. On me: It fades down to a very faint lemon. Indeed a ghostly scent - it vanishes and reappears on the skin so constantly that I find myself wondering if I'm even smelling it, or merely recalling the memory of the perfume. It's a nice enough scent, but this isn't a quality I search for in my perfume, so off it goes.

In bottle: Salty rose. There's a definite rose scent; the white roses that are in bridal bouquets and funeral arrangements, but completely dusted over by a layer of salty water. Tears. Tears and a feeling of never-ending melancholy. On me: Hints of green grass, which makes me think of walking past a headstone. That same sad salty-rose; unfortunately these white roses are not particularly nice on me. After ten minutes or so the scent goes rather blah on me as the rose turns rotten.

In bottle: Amber and vanilla. There are slight hints of honey, but they are weak and in the deepest background. On me: On my skin it's a bit powdery. It's definitely a "second-skin" scent; one that you wear and it slips by unnoticed while managing to be quite gorgeous. The honey is stronger now, and a bit floral; it blends with the amber and the vanilla beautifully to slip away under your skin, becoming one with the wearer rather than being worn on top of the skin.

In bottle: Bright fruits - watermelon and berries, I think.Well, I definitely get watermelon out of it, at elast. There's jasmine or some other strong floral, too. It's a very bright fragrance, not at all what I expected. On me: The initial flare of the fruit is subdued and tamed on the skin by the mimosa. This becomes an incensy floral, which I am not very interested in. The way the oil fluctuates between watermelon and this darker stage is driving me nuts - I can't decide if I like it or not because the scent keeps changing!

In bottle: Black currant, and green herbal leaves. Definitely cypress. There's also a note of something else, something mysterious that hints at the unusual bouquet in this blend. On me: The red-wine currant scent with darkness lurking beneath. It's almost like a smoky Lady Macbeth, but less fruiter and certainly less boozier. I like it and will be keeping it to enjoy.

In bottle: Nutmeg and spices. Definitely a foody scent, but quite smoky, and a hint of something almost astringent and rather medicinal. On me: Sassafras and spices. It isn't something I really care to smell like; it's like rootbeer and hoarhound candy. (At least, I think that's the candy I'm remembering.) It makes me think of old-time general stores. Interesting, but not something I want to wear.

In bottle: I need only open the lid to smell the sweet violets wafting up. A beautiful fresh bouquet, quite soft and feminine. On me: The watery element of the violets vanishes after a few moments on the skin; too bad, it's one of the things I like best about the flower's scent. It and the other blooms have mellowed to a rather generic floral bouquet, good when you want something nice and standard. It does have a bit of an 'older woman' vibe, but I'll keep it and see if I wear it out regardless.

In bottle: Oakmoss and incense. The odd nutty afterthought must be the hazelnut. On me: The cypress note is a bit greener - like newer wood, not green like grass - than I expected, and the way it blends with the incenses is fascinating. This is an intriguing, complicated scent - and I do believe that this is how Death smells. Mysterious and not at all unpleasant. This does, however, fall into the category of scents I won't wear. It is art to be sure, but just as I wouldn't hang a painting by Matisse in my bedroom I won't wear this when I go out, so off to swap it goes.

old review from about a year ago: Dusty on top, underneath is a light fruit that I like and a much stronger woody scent that I don't. In bottle: White lilies blooming in a forest between fallen logs of oak and surrounded by layers of dusty dry leaves. The air is heavy and moist. This is a very rich, earthy scent, but with such a sparkling quality the fragrance doesn't seem dark. On me: Far from faint, the aquatics are dizzying in strength. I wonder why I disliked this before - I find it gorgeous now. It is sparkling and bright, but the woods restrain it and keep it from becoming overwhelmingly sweet.

In bottle: Coffee beans with the hint of jasmine. On me: Beth said to wait a few minutes, until the fragrance dries, for the full effect. When it has the initial flavorful burst of the coffee definitely fades considerably. Instead it is replaced with screeching flowers, bright roses and overwhelming jasmine. The food notes - vanilla, fig, tonka bean, coffee - give this a delicious edge, but the florals hog the glory and make it most difficult to appreciate the full intricacies of this blend. Alas. I'm so tempted to keep it anyway but I know I'll never wear it.

Last I checked, this was still the sole perfume with cranberry in it. That makes me dance with anticipation of Lampades. In bottle: I love the cranberries - so tangy and sweet! I'm not liking the heavy musk or the spices, though. Very very mixed feelings so far. On me: Oh, had Beth only made available a cranberry single note, I would have been all over it like cheese on a pizza. Even this fragrance, with my various hesitations, is quite lovely and I am delighted to try it. It is a bit spicy, but over the dusty collection of musk and spices is the delightful cranberry.

In bottle: This is a very strong 'French-milled' soap scent ot me. Roses and lilac, bright white florals, especially collected for a 'clean' fragrance. While this is given quite a unique name, it's hardly the most unique fragrance in BPAL's catalog. On me: This is very true to the bottle. It's a very soapy, commercial sort of scent; the sort that I always expect older women to buy. It isn't a fragrance for me; it is more for a faded Southern belle who once picked posies in the garden and now relies on things within the house to bring the scent of the garden to her.

This sounds so promising. White Rabbit, pray don't disappoint me! In bottle: Black tea and pepper; it's nose-tickling. Then the linens - so crisp and clean! - wafts up amidst the darker notes. The sweetness of the honey and the vanilla are detected, but they aren't overpowering. On me: Vanilla and pepper lightly drizzled with honey. On my skin it is very, very weak; a shame, for I certainly looked forward to this scent and wanted so much for it to like me. But the tea is undetectable, which disappoints me to the extreme.

In bottle: Very very sweet. Lotus is candy-like, and the citrus is rich and dripping. This is not a light fragrance; I find it rather cloying and sickening. On me: While this doesn't go to rotton, positively nasty fruit on me, as it does on my brother (Bless him, he thinks it's great, and nothing my mother begs will change his mind) it isn't a particularly great fragrance on me, either. Oranges and amber, with that lotus. It's quite syrupy; there's nothing fresh about it, for it has the scent of jams and preserves.

I will try the recommended ritual later tonight (sans the same name incense, which I haven't got) and I'll report back with any interesting results, but in the meantime here's a scent description. In bottle: It reminds me of Girl Scout cookies - specifically the thin mints. There's definitely some sort of mint in here, and something dry and earthy. On me: The chocolate note is dark and unsweetened, but beautiful with the mint. There's still the 'other' notes which I can't really define beyong 'vague spice' but when I read someone's mention of tobacco, I knew that was in the blend.

In bottle: Delightfully fruity! Almost bubblegum - but this is dusty. If you can, think of it as strawberry bubblegum and bananas. On me: Hoo boy. Civet? Heavy musk? Eep. Don't know. Don't care. This has just got to get off of my body right now. It makes me think of mouldy cheese. Wow. I've never had a scent set me from one happy polar to the other so quickly.

In bottle: Definitely lavender. The lavender isn't alone by any means, but this is so well-blended that I'm not sure what the other notes are. Something green, perhaps. On me: I do get the hints of zest and sharpness that in my mind suggest lime or lemon; I couldn't tell you which. I find this extremely relaxing; it will be perfect in an oilburner when I'm trying to get some rest. It makes me feel sleepy but it doesn't dull my mind - which I like. I remember my dreams better if I am thinking clearly before drifting off.

In bottle: Somewhat lemony. Rather like lemon peel, to be precise. Green notes beneath the initial citrus burst. Extremely fresh - fresh and zingy! On me: This is a medicinal lemon, rather than a dish soap lemon or a candy lemon. It may have other citrus nots in it; occassionally I get a hint of grapefruit. I like it; it's very natural and juicy. It's a cleansing aroma that clears away stress and the cobwebs of a mind. It's almost like spiritual Pledge!

In bottle: Smoky vetiver and heavy, earthy cedarwood. I am searching for a hint of the other notes, and I think I may detect a corrupted dark amber; but other than the dark, shadowy wickedness of this blend I find nothing else. It makes me think of a deep pit with smoke rising up. On me: This is an extremely masculine scent; far too dark and wrought with incense and earth for me. After it dries the light hints of tangerine wafts up, but it is still a polar opposite of a scent for me. To the swap pile with ye!

Although they are nothing alike I wish I still had Beth's old Arkham blend to compare scents. In bottle: There's something sweet, like berries, mingling with bouquets of bright wildflowers. They are blended masterfully; I can't detect any of them singly. On me: The many woods provide a grounding base, from which wildflowers spring! I still can't identify any of them; but then I am not familiar with most of these flowers. This is a light, bright floral with gorgeous green leaves and growing in sunny meadows, with the oddly-out-of-place but lovely berry overtones.

In bottle: Oakmoss and Spanish moss - hell, name a moss and it's probably here. This is the greenest, wettest, boggiest, marshiest marsh you can possibly imagine. Tangs of juniper and black pepper spike up in this super-green blend. On me: Green like long, wild grasses. I must admit I was quite hesitant about ordering this blend, but Beth has worked her magic fingers on this one and it is fantastic. Green mosses hang from skeletal trees over slowly babbling water that has many water plants growing within.

In bottle: Not at all what I expected. I anticipated that this would be a heavy, smoky, patchouli or cedar-dominated scent. (That's what I have come to identify 'incense' scents with.) In this bottle this is quite a bit lighter; rather resinous and sweet instead. Perhaps amber or dragon's blood? On me: Still a sweeter blend, but it vanishes almost instantly on me. It is replaced by the rather depressing sting of nail polish remover.