Cockaigne

[deleahrium]

"The weather is always mild, the wine flows freely, sex is readily available, and all people enjoy eternal youth.” The Land of Plenty, also called Luilekkerland – the Lazy, Luscious Land: milk and honey, sweet cakes and wine.

 

In bottle: heavy and sweet, something almost sickening way way in the background. kind of scary.

 

Wet: WOW! so so good. Like BUTTERY gingerbread poppet. You know how Samhain is the ultimate autumn scent? Well right now this is the ultimate autumn food scent. Really really good.

 

Dry: So totally different. This is VERY reminiscent of Jack, without the perfumeyness that Jack can have, and not nearly as strong. There is a distinct fruit in there, probably from the wine, and a lot of butter. While I don't think it smells like cake, it makes me think of cake, if that makes sense. And while it's a huge change from wet to dry, it still makes me think of autumny, spicy/sweet foods. This is definitely going on my bottles-to-buy list.

Edited October 7, 2006 by deleahrium

[sideviewhotel]

Mmmm.. This is slightly fruity with a bit dash of spice. The wine gives it a slight undercurrent of... wine...ness. (I win at description!)

 

For a split second after applying, I thought it might be (like Gluttony & Vice) too foody for me, but no.. This mellows out into something very... yummy.

 

I'm not sure if it's a good skin scent for me and it makes me wish I had an oil burner/tart melter thingy so I could try it as a room scent.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Spiced cake!

 

In the imp: Buttercream frosting, thick honey, and cake.

 

On skin, wet: Spiced vanilla cake drizzled with honey. The cake reminds me in varying ways of Eat Me, Gingerbread Poppet, Monster Bait: Underpants, and, oddly enough, Jack. I can't figure out what about it brings Jack to mind, but it's not a bad thing. I'm normally not one for such blatently foody scents, but Cockaigne is different.

 

On skin, dry: This becomes very... well, it reminds me of a buttery brown sugar scent. The cakey note(s) remain, but it really reminds me of a buttery chestnut and brown sugar or something. Nice, but a little like holiday candles on me. I'm really surprised at the way this turned out.

 

Conclusion/Notes: Lovely while wet, and it remains pretty true to the wet stage in my Salome locket — which is likely the only place I'd be able to wear it, since the drydown is a little odd and plastic on my skin — but while it's a wonderful smell, I don't think it's something I'd wear regularly. I think I'll keep the imp, though, in case I find myself in the mood for gingerbread cake.

[Teggy]

Bleck. No no no...it's just all wrong!

 

What is it with BPAL "cakey" scents? They all smell like dry cake to me. Cockaigne, as much as I was looking forward to it was both super dry and not sweet at all. It was like eating a sugar-free, flavorless, blah cake. You keep thinking it's supposed to be good, but it's just not. It was wrong-cake! Like someone tossed a boullion cube into the batter.

 

Bah! I have no luck with cake.

[elphaba]

Mmm, I am such a sucker for the sweet, foody scents. Especially if they have a hint of booze in them. Anything fermented, really. I'm not picky.

 

And Cockaigne is no exception. While wet, the "sweet cakes" were most prominent but I didn't get any of the plastickiness I sometimes do with BPAL baked goods. I could actually almost smell the dryness of the flour and the slight, crispy edges fresh out of the oven.

 

The drydown reminds me a bit of Hellcat with the honey and wine, but this is less wicked. Hellcat makes me feel like a tipsy badass. Cockaigne makes me feel utterly spoiled and happy. Definitely a keeper.

[emzebel]

I am a sucker for anything with honey as a prominent note, so I was really looking forward to my bottle of Cockaigne.

 

This is a very very sweet scent - the honey, cake, and sweet wine make for a very cloying sugary perfume that is just a little too much for my tastes. It's something about the cake, I think. I want to love it, but something about the food scent just doesn't sit well with me. Ah well...plenty to love.

[themerrybaker]

Cockaigne (AKA Nuclear Gingerbread Man) is a dark and diabolical scent for me. It reminds me of the times when I've left the gingerbread man in the oven too long and his little raisin eyes exploded.

 

Must be having my usual luck with wine notes.

Edited October 15, 2006 by themerrybaker

[jolarocknrolla]

Cockaigne was a bit too sweet on me - those of you that like the sweetness in Pink Phoenix, Misc U and Storyville might like these though - it goes a bit "burnt caramel" sweetness on me though.

[Nepthys]

The description of this was so beautiful - the actual scent bears little resemblence. On me this smells like sour wine or bad cider... no cakes or honey here. Likely it's just my chemistry and I think this would make a lovely house scent so I'll use it for that.

[PilotKitten]

Dry cakes.... very reminiscent of All Souls actually. A bitter dry cake scent that I just haven't ever liked. I think BPAL's honey blends all smell like this on me, strangely enough... I guess honey just doesn't like my skin chemistry. This smells foody and I'm sure someone out there would love it for that reason, but on me, it's just too much of a dry and almost nutty quality to it.

[sixthsentinel]

This reminds me a lot of Trick or Treat--a caramelized sugar/maple sugar type of scent. I got a kind of edge right at the outside of the sniff (though somewhat elusive) that I am thinking might be the wine. It's kind of sharp, but very subtle, & maybe a tad berryish. Fresh on my skin it smelled like syrup & pancakes, but after a few minutes it's more a burnt sugar or burnt caramel type smell. It's not bad, but I can't wear it. That's okay, though, because it's off to a very lovely forumite who I know will be able to give it a better home than I can.

[portalkat]

This is very, very sweet - dark brown sugar sweet. I can smell the honey, but I'm not sure that I like the way it smells combined with the wine. I agree that the cakes smell like those in All Souls, very dry and more savory than sweet. A very interesting combination of notes, but there are other honey blends and cake blends that I prefer.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: it's very, very sweet. Like a cake with some liqueur inside. It's very pleasant but I'm afraid it gonna smell like burnt plastic on me.

 

On my skin: still cake. There's a tiny hint of burnt but nothing to do like the old burnt tyres I got from Red Lantern for example. It makes me think of my grandmother's pound cake as she likes to overcook them, just a little. I smell milk too (I wish it was stronger... ah, beloved Milk Moon, where art thou!). And some honey. But no wine at all (and I'm glad).

 

After a couple of hours: burnt, burnt, burnt. Nothing as bad as Red Lantern or Gluttony but still.

 

Verdict:

[dawna]

I've had high hopes for this scent and have wanted it badly since it came out. It ended up breaking my heart

 

In the vial: a buttery cakey Sugar Skull '05. It is almost nauseating *sigh* I am going to try it but I'm worried already.

 

On the skin: burnt buttery cakey Sugar Skull '05. This is exactly how it is on the skin. As with Sugar Skull '05, I am having major issues, the scent is overpowering and way way way too much.

 

On drydown: I've since washed it off, I can't keep it on any longer

[jasmine]

Wet, I detect almonds, honey, and something that I’m realizing is the Lab’s “buttercream” scent. (The resemblance to Hellcat is extremely strong.) This is incredibly sugary; smelling this seems like it should be fattening! There’s a low hint of fruit, but it’s quite subtle, and I think it’s the wine note referred to in the description.

 

The funny thing is, as it dries, it really does smell like cake -- a piece of cake that’s been broken open, if you hold it to your nose. The faint wine note is a bit off, but the milk and honey certainly aren’t. This is definitely one for the foodies.

 

The throw on this is ferociously strong. “CAKE! CAKE! CAKE!” (The honey has faded after a while, leaving only the maddened cake armies behind.) It’s certainly not a perfume that strikes me as smelling “perfumey”, but I’d want to dilute it quite a bit or possibly layer something else on (a wine scent, perhaps, to bring out the existing trace of wine?) before rewearing it. Having the constant sugary presence is actually starting to make me nauseous. This is just too much to stand tonight; perhaps I'll retry it another night.

[djnevermore]

I'm a huge foody/sweet fan, but I have to say this is a bit too sweet on my skin. It's like the strongest honey my mom ever put on my ucky peanut butter sandwiches when I was a kid, rather than fresh clover honey in my tea. Too much for me but it IS a morpher.

[lohengrin]

Most of the "cake" blends turn floury/cocoa-powdery on me, much to my dismay.

 

Cockaigne... doesn't.

 

Cake and wine! It's amazing!

[k8tey]

Most of the sweet foody scents I've tried from the lab have not turned out on me the way I've hoped.

 

Cockaigne is different.

 

Wet, it's the same sort of hyper-butter-cake smell that Misk U and Eat Me have.

 

Ten minutes later, it smells like my baking spice drawer. (I'm a spice snob, and I have a curry drawer, an herb drawer, and a baking drawer. It's my other obsession).

 

This smells like cassia, nutmeg, ground ginger, cardomom and vanilla extract. It's almost a chai-like scent. It is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.

 

[Thaleia]

I got an imp of this in a swap, even though my bottle's set to arrive on Monday, because I just could NOT wait. And I was not disappointed at all! All I've got to say is this:

 

BEAVER MOON LOVERS, REJOICE.

 

No joke, on me this is exactly like Beaver Moon. There's a very slight difference initially (Beaver Moon is a smidge sweeter while Cockaigne is more foody and a bit spicier), but the drydown is EXACTLY THE SAME. Another plus is that it has better staying power and throw than Beaver Moon.

 

I am so not kidding. If you liked Beaver Moon, you'll like this. Maybe it's just me, but wow.

 

*huffs wrist*

 

I think I've found myself another favourite.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: sweet, buttery, sweet, super-foody, and sweet.

on: crazy. this is foody to the max.

2.5 hours later: still foody, but more cakey, if that makes any sense.

5.5 hours later: softer, but still sweet and foody.

overall: i think this is a little to much for me to handle.

[pinkieswear]

CAKE! In the bottle and on my wrist.

After the drydown I smelled lots more spice, which I didnt like. It make me nauseous. So I used this as a room scent and it was very lovely! Im glad I could put this to use.

[stardreamer]

First impression: Butter pastry! Maybe a bit too much so...

 

Drydown: Okay, the butter backs off a bit and the cakes and honey come up. That's a better balance. I never get wine at all, not even as "berry" the way it usually reads on me. I'm going to have to compare-and-contrast this with Eat Me; I think it's a little darker, but definitely in the same family.

 

Staying power seems to be good; I've had it on for close to 10 hours and it's still quite noticeable. Bottom line: Worth keeping and using up, but probably not a second order.

 

Edit, June 2007: When I tried to wear this again, it got overpowering, and seemed to be trying to head for burnt-sugar territory. Someone else mentioned "buttercream", and that's probably the reason. It's in the swap pile now.

Edited June 16, 2007 by stardreamer

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Caramel and digestive biscuits, with a slight tartness reminiscent of beaver moon

 

Wet on me - Digestive biscuits and something oddly thin smelling that I guess could be the wine

 

Dry on me - At times sweet cakes, but mostly high smelling honey and harsh wine

 

Overall - At times this was stunning, but mostly it was too sharp for me

[wikkidraven]

cockaigne's cake is slapping me in the face, grabbing my collar, and throwing me against the wall. i think i'm going to have to wash it off, it's just too strong, and the notes smell sour on my skin.

 

i had high hopes for this one

[jesvet]

When I sniffed it out of the imp, I got butter rummy goodness and was thrilled that I might have a subsitute for my precious Underpants.

 

But as an experiment, I put them on me one on each wrist, and the joy didn't last. It's still good, don't get me wrong, but the wine note went a tad sharp and sour on me; the drydown wasn't sweet at all.

 

If I hadn't alreay fallen for the 'pants, I might be more inclined to like it.