Kubla Khan

[becca_s]

Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine.

I can smell the mandarin, tea and ginger in this - there is a slight hint of florals in the background. I really like the ginger note in this, it's light and not overpowering like it can be in some other blends. On me, this is a fresh, clean scent. I don't find it masculine at all. I like it, but as it dries down there is something in this which smells slightly like plastic on me - not sure where it is coming from, perhaps its the leather.

[surlygurl]

In the imp there is a strange minty smell and something thick. On my skin, the minty smell comes out for the first few minutes then leaves. What is left is a thick pink scent. It's powdery and sweet without being foody. Or floral, really. But it has elements of both. It IS thick, though. Wafting clouds of pink, like loose strands of cotton candy. There a plasticky vibe underneath things - probably the leather.

 

This is thick and heady, but not in a good way.

 

eta: I washed it off, but couldn't get it all. what was left was/is quite nice!

Edited June 16, 2012 by surlygurl

[rinster]

On me this is very dark and assertive but I like it! I'm getting mostly opium, tobacco and leather. Not getting rose or jasmine, thankfully! It's very complex and I agree that it's kind of masculine--it kicks a$$!

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Zingy and sweet. Gingered mandarin and vanilla.

 

Drydown: Wow, there’s a lot going on here. Vanilla, jasmine, and amber at the top. Champaca, sugar, and something smoky below that. Perhaps mandarin, ginger, and hay beneath that layer. Beyond that I have no idea. Very glowing. Like a non-foody version of cream cheese icing with a tiny side of smoke and gold-dipped florals. The zingy and sweet description still fits, but in a softer way now. Sometimes it starts to skew soapy but never quite gets there and other times it starts to smell foody, but again, never quite gets there. And sometimes it smells a bit like soda in the flavor of awesome. Twirly and glowing and beautiful.

 

Dry: Amazing and bizarre. The most incredible vanilla ever holding together this crazy dance of every color glitter. It’s smoky, sparkly, floral, sweet, spicy, golden, creamy, clean, earthy, hazy, and bright all at once. And glowing. Did I mention glowing?

 

 

 

 

Final Thought: Are we sure this isn’t a Conjure Bag blend called “Give Me All Your Sex. Now.” ? - Because this has everything I’ve ever known a man to respond to - glowing rich vanilla, sweet entrancing smokiness, tingly spice, a clean and fresh vibe, and touch of tropical je ne sais quoi. Yowza.

 

Final Thought the Sequel: If you like vanilla but typically find it too boring, this one's for you.

[Suu4LC]

Very pretty in the imp. Sweet and musky and smoky. Hard to describe.

 

On my skin, the smoke and leather come out quite a bit more. Definitely still very sweet. The ginger and vanilla are noticeable for sure. I actually quite like this. It's a vanilla that's not too foody.

 

The only problem with this on my skin is that it gets super powdery My skin chemistry is just wonky lately. But this is truly a beautiful sexy smoky floral ginger/vanilla blend. Definitely recommend!

[Lethran]

In bottle: Ooo! Pretty! The Amber Tobacco, Mandarin, tea leaf, and vanilla are strongest, but the florals make a strong showing. I’d call the lily dominant, but they are all working well together. Opium twines around everything, adding a sensual feel. The leather is soft and well blended. The ginger is supporting the tea leaf; the balsam and sandalwood support the tobacco. Frankly, I can barely detect the hay in all that complexity. Wet: The vanilla and tea leaf really pop on the skin. The tea leaf is unusual, and this is a lovely setting for it. I’m putting the lily in second, supported by the ginger. Leather and amber tobacco are third. It morphs though and the lesser threads are all present and floating to the surface at different times. It works well with its concept and is well blended, but a bit too floral for me. My personal skin chemistry does weird things with lily as it wears. It does settle into lily and leather dominant about fifteen minutes in. Again, this is an interesting idea, but weird with what my body does to lilies. Dry: It’s lovely on the dry down, with rich, creamy vanilla, with sugar, opium, and a touch of sandalwood.

[brilliantcat]

Rose AND jasmine... this could be very very scary indeed as those are both generally death notes on me. I'll give it a try anyway in the name of SCIENCE!

 

Imp: It smells so good in the imp: sugared note that must be the lily, vanilla, and leather. Please smell like this on me!

 

Wet: Definitely leather, a nice suedey leather softened up by a slight hint of floral and a smidge of vanilla. So far, so yummy.

 

Dry: Oh boy. I was NOT expecting this! No rose, no jasmine, just sweet leather with hints of spice and the barest trace of blink and you'll miss it floral. It's also got some resiny depth. I think I may need a bottle!

[PixieSkull]

Oh my! The darkness of the smoke and leather is apparent in the background with some dry spices and some sweet resinous flowers. The whole blend is delicious and evocative of an opulent party. The floral notes became a slightly green bubble around me mixing with the dry, citrusy halo of wood and spices. The lily didn't over-soap the blend for me, which happens every time it's in a blend, but the champaca and sandalwood I normally amp were beautifully present.

 

I will wear this again, no doubt.

Edited May 7, 2013 by PixieSkull

[Sidhechaos]

Kubla Khan

 

Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine.

 

I was hesitant about trying this particular fragrance as I often amp scents including rose, lavender, jasmine, lily of the valley, and ylang ylang, all tend to amp on me at bullet train level. Florals can be my nemesis.

 

I'm pleasantly surprised however as this started out with a fairly strong floral note but not one of any particular specific floral. It wasn't the old lady rose :ack:that I often get with roses or the throat inching jasmine that often hits me with jasmine. After about 15 minutes of dry down I began to pick up more masculine notes such as the wood tones from the sandalwood mixed with the faint hay fragrance. Shortly after that, a very faint notes of the leather and vanilla start to pop in and out and the whole thing begins to blend to a point where it is difficult to separate the notes.

 

I guess I'm a little odd and that sometimes I prefer scents that are geared more to masculine but my biochemistry tends to amp certain notes and somehow converts the scent to a more androgynous fragrance. This is one of those scents. I am left with a faintly woodsy floral with a mild sweet note to it. It is very pleasant, I wouldn't necessarily associate it with Kubla Khan, but it is still a fragrance I would very much like to keep at hand on a regular basis. It does not seem to have a really strong throw, but as I move about it comes and goes.

[claudia6913]

This is different, in that it has a "cold" note that I normally stay away from. The caves of ice is noticeable, but there's also a sweetness in there, some golden notes, and an overall well blended scent. I'm actually finding I like this quite a bit though it's a scent I would never actively seek out because I tend to shy away from a few notes in here (ice and basalm namely).

 

Really a surprise win!

[Balame]

I’ve been wanting to try this scent for ages, but for some weird reason I never see it in the swaps forum. So I just bit the bullet and ordered an imp!

 

On first sniff it’s definitely complex. I mainly get the mandarin backed by a creamy, wispy background of vanilla, sugar and light ginger. It’s similar to Morocco, but more orange-y and dry. I don’t know why I don’t love it, because normally I’m all over anything with creaminess. I think because it seems more orange peel than orange juice?

 

If it was richer and warmer I might be into it, but as it stands it smells like a watered down version of Scrappy Damsel (which I like more than this). Not super impressed, but I’m glad I finally got to try it.

[Aviatrix]

I really wanted to try this one, as I once took a course on the history of the Mongol Empire, and have been super interested in it ever since. I love the idea of Kubla Khan's mystical palace as a scent

 

There is a lot going on in this scent! From the start I definitely get an icy feel from it that evokes the ice caverns mentioned in the description. For a while I thought I was getting a blast of orange blossom, but it must have been the mandarin, looking at the notes...

There is a smoky edge to the scent, too, and a definite sweetness that permeates everything. Sugared lily, maybe? The smoke could be attributed to the opium or the tobacco, but either way it is very subdued and lovely.

Upon drydown, the vanilla really comes out to play and nicely rounds out the entire scent.

 

It's very hard to describe overall, but it is extremely beautiful. I might need a bottle of this!

I'd say if you enjoy smoky-sweet vanilla scents, you might also enjoy this. Also if you're just interested in a little scent journey through the old world, this is perfect.

[radioaction]

I got this as a frimp in my last Lab order. Leather is not my jam, but I'm hoping there's enough other stuff in here to temper it.

 

Wet: Minty? Some kind of fresh, menthol smell. Very peculiar. Definitely get a "sunlit caves of ice" vibe. I think there's a peak of vanilla underneath.

 

Dry: Smoother and warmer. I'm not familiar with a lot of these notes specifically, so it's hard to pick out who is making an appearance. Something slightly smokey (opium smoke, I'm guessing), something dusty (vanilla or hay probably), and a bit of leather. I don't get any flowers.

 

Verdict: Intriguing, but I don't think this is to my liking.

[Ava Lux]

This is one of my favourite bpal !

 

So subtle, so sexy, so comfortable, so intimate, it's simply me!It doesn't matter the notes, is the blend that is so unique itself....lovely...a bottle for sure!

 

Bpal oils are really strange, there are some I find totally terrificant, but there are many of them that are really gems, and K.K.is one of them..

Edited November 29, 2014 by Elmifra

[Atrous]

I'm retesting this from an imp that's been aging for 1.5 years.

 

From my meager notes when I tested it fresh:

Woodsy, minty, sweet, spicy with a bit of floral. Sooty on top with something cool and clean underneath.

 

Retested aged imp:

Wow, like others have commented this is an incredibly complex scent. Aging has certainly improved it. I was kinda' blah about it when I first tested and now I'm really intrigued.

The sweetness in this blend smells like the lab's honey note even though that note is not listed. I don't get any mint this time.

The whole blend seems to be dusted with that honey sweetness and a creaminess that I attribute to vanilla.

I get Opium infused Leather underpinned by Peru Balsam. A bit of fruitiness, floral, smoke play along the edges.

 

This is crazy good after aging. I think I need to get a bottle of this and squirrel it away for awhile.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Sugary, sharp, and FLOWERS.

 

Wet on my skin: The drier, golden notes immediately come out when this touches my skin. Sweet hay, ginger, sandalwood, and dried flowers, with a kick of sweet, sugary vanilla and floaty jasmine.

 

Dry: This dries similarly to how it goes on wet. It's a bright, shimmery, golden and orange scent that looks like grain fields shimmering in the wind. It's sweet and grassy and flowery all at once, a very warm and summery scent. The jasmine, opium, hay, and vanilla are strongest notes in this on me, with the rest faintly clinging to my skin and warming it as the sweeter notes float in the air around me. The leather unfortunately faded too quickly, but the rest of the stuff in this makes up for that and then some. This will definitely be a bottle scent at some point.

Edited March 3, 2015 by DiesMali

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab.

 

I have never tried a blend with as many listed notes as Kubla Khan: fifteen!

 

In the imp: Aquatic floral with incense.

 

Wet: of all the notes, I can smell the mandarin most strongly. It doesn’t last long, but it’s very clear while it does last.

 

Dry: First, it’s a mint-tinged floral. I think that’s actually the ginger and the Peru balsam. Clearly the “caves of ice” and flowers of the poem.

 

Kubla Khan is like the smell inside a Lush store, all the notes mingled together. Definitely flowers (I can pick out the roses and jasmine if I really try) but also spices and mint and aquatic and…

 

Next to my skin, this dries down to warm, sweet amber, vanilla and tobacco that suggests an old-fashioned library. The whole blend is very evocative of the poem: thanks for making me take another look at it for the first time in years! I usually prefer simpler blends, but Kubla Khan is worth trying for the scent experience.

[Malaena]

This started off very interesting. It was a mix of things I could never hope to identify sweetened with vanilla. After 15 minutes it was all vanilla. After the 30 minute mark it was going powdery...powdery vanilla. Ick.

 

After washing it off it does leave a pleasantly light vanilla skin scent, though.

[LizziesLuck]

In the imp and wet, the mandarin is very strong. Smells like orange cleaner, as orange usually does on me. I get hints of vanilla as well.

 

 

Dry: This is a bit too citrusy for me. Though I am impressed that the citrus didn't go soapy or powdery on me. I was hoping that this would be really complex, with all of those notes of win singing in harmony. But of course, I amp one of the two notes in this I dislike. I don't detect any notes other than mandarin and faint vanilla, and that's just not enough for me to want to wear this.

 

 

ETA: Hours later, this is a gorgeous vanilla. I really don't care for the wet stage, but I will have to do a full day test to see if it's worth it for the gorgeousness that I'm smelling now.

Edited December 6, 2015 by LizziesLuck

[freyasfae]

Wow, this is a complex scent, a sort of clean woods with florals overall. I can't really distinguish individual notes as this is well-blended, but not in a one dimensional way. I like it, but I have better.

[Casablanca]

Wet on my skin, Kubla Khan is almost bracing ice on a background of heady-floral opium and a little ginger. My first impression is that this doesn't evoke any cohesive image or feeling, but I'll see how it settles.

As it dries on me, Kubla's ice melts and it turns more balsamic and golden, and then toward a kind of orange incense. I think that's the mandarin and champaca coming through.

Kubla Khan reminds me of Kumari Kandam in its odd and disparate elements, complexity, and changes on my skin. Unfortunately Kubla is completely gone from my skin before two hours passes.

[lizabelle]

I would have guessed this would be a warm scent, but at least on my skin it's cold. There's an icy note at the start and something almost minty that I can't place. The opening is actually kind of weird, and I'm wondering if it's my skin amping something or turning it harsh. Once it settles a bit I can smell the jasmine, but it remains cool and not at all sweet. There's a smokey sort of note, more campfire than incense, and some wood/spice in the base. Those are all more dry than anything, and I find this scent completely unisex. There's no vanilla or rose on me at all.

 

Overall I do like this, but it's nothing like I expected from the notes. I'll pass on a full bottle but I may try it a few more times and try to puzzle out the evolution.

[tauntonlake]

This is the most delicious lemon cake scent on the planet. That is all.

[achildoftime]

My luck is such that all the notes I was most excited about aren't anywhere to be found. I mostly get sandalwood, vanilla, and jasmine with a bit of hay. I like most of those notes, but I was mostly looking forward to the ginger, tea leaf, lily, tobacco, and leather. I get a little tobacco when it dries, but not really enough to scratch that itch. It's much closer to smelling like a cake. I think I'll pass on this one.

[monocainsheresy]

Straight out of the box this was the same hay absolute that i love in Bram Stoker - clean, fresh, cold, kinda ~zesty - and stayed that way for a few days, until the opium took over. There are so many notes that it's hard to tell what exactly is irking me, but the opium is so center-stage that i think that's probably the problem. It doesn't smell bad, it's just really intense and i can't stand it. If the opium was gentler, i would be buying a full bottle.