Gaueko

[Inanna9]

... Blackened sandalwood and misty lavender, with curling wisps of smoky tobacco, nag champa, and labdanum.

I had really high expectations for this, nag champa freak that I am. But on, I can't stop associating this with Mercury, no doubt due to the lavender and spice. I'm not that crazy about it as a perfume, but I haven't ruled it out yet as a room scent.

[forspecial_plate]

Sweet and smokey, just as I had anticipated. Somehow I thought I would like it more though. It's not a bad smell. I smell lavender and the blackened sandalwood, mostly. I guess I'm picking up the nag champa too, because it smells pretty sweet to me. Something about the combination is just not doing it for me. Maybe I just don't like incense blends as much as I thought! I won't give up though.

[ceej]

Headshop. All the way. The one that's been there forever and has had what looks like the same stock in place for the last 20 years. Nag champa and stale tobacco smoke and something sharp (the sandalwood?).

 

I don't know that I want to smell like a headshop, but wow, this is another one of those scents that evokes a place and sense-memory strongly.

[supremegoddessofall]

Definitely get the sandalwood and the tobacco, and there's almost a candy-like scent in the background. It sort of smells like teaberry gum. It's ok, but not one of my favorites.

 

Score: 4 out of 5

[Monster]

Received as a wonderful gift during a swap from the fabulous Mr. Forspecial Plate

 

When I opened the package the FIRST thing I smelled was Gaueko. It completely over powered everything (in a good way). The inside of the box smelled like a head shop or some really rich nag champ incense.

When I looked it up, I wasn't surprised to see that nag champa was in fact in this blend Upon further reading, I saw lavender was in this as well and began to worry as lavender tends to over power many Bpal scents.

 

Out of the vial, this smells like a balmy lavender mixed with just a hint of incense. Wet on my skin the lavender completely overpowers this blend. First sniff, wet it almost smells like an all-natural bug spray, something Burts Bees would put out. :/

 

And then Gaueko begins to do something magical...the lavender fades as it dries revealing the rich, heady nag champa incense smell. Mmmmmmm! And boy, is it STRONG! This reminds me of a sharper, more masculine version of Urd (which is my all-time favorite Bpal scent ).

 

I'm not so sure I love the way this smells on me, but I think it would smell really incredible on a guy. I'll be keeping my imp to test out that theory

 

Overall, this one gets two thumbs up from me

[Eros]

Wishlist frimp--thanks kp =)

 

Sweet, spicy lavender at first, a bit on the masculine side. Once it hits the skin the sandalwood and tobacco emerge... rich, smoky. The nag champa starts to show itself and blends beautifully with the other notes and it becomes more of a gender neutral scent. Throw is subtle, and inviting. Especially on my Anthony, it's OMG to DIE for on him, and ALL masculine

Methinks he should have a bottle of this, and then he can share it with me, like...skin on skin sharing

[monsteralice]

Wet: A wake-up scent, strongly lavender.

 

Dry: Sandalwood and something sweet come out. Lavender is still there in the back. A bit of incense, no discernable tobacco.

 

Finish: Lavender and sandalwood retreat, leaving the resin and incense.

 

Duration/Throw: Medium throw after it dried. Lasts a couple of hours, then needs reapplication. By 7 hours only the resins were left.

 

This is a keeper for me, not surprising since I like all but one of the listed notes. I like the eye-opening lavender start.

[akw]

First impression was strong, strong lavender.

 

A bit after dry down, the deeper notes come out, integrate well with the lavender, and I thought it was going to work. That phase was really lovely. However, it lasted for just a short time, maybe 10 minutes or so.

 

Within a half hour or less, the only thing remaining is faded, slightly sour lavender. I really wish that brief 10 minutes of loveliness had lasted. It was sooo nice.

[hipslike___cinderella]

Straight from the bottle, lavender is really the dominating scent. It's not a floral springtime lavender, but a musky lavender.... like a bouquet in a headshop.

 

Wet on my skin it was mostly the same, but the scent swelled beautifully to be just a tiny bit more floral, but still in the musky way... is that labdanum, maybe?

 

Upon drydown, the scent recedes quite a bit to a soft and very warm lavender and nag champa mix, with just a tiny hint of sandalwood. I never got the whispers of tobacco smoke, though I wish I did.

 

Overall, this is a wonderful, warm, pleasant scent. Some say it's masculine, but I find it quite feminine. I actually am not a lavender fan by any stretch, and it's the nag champa note that made me order an imp, and I'm glad I did. This is a nice day to day perfume, not loud or intrusive. I do secretly wish it stayed as warm, strong and husky as it did before drydown.

[filigree_shadow]

A dark smoky scent -- the lavender is a little too strong for me personally, but lavender usually is not a problem at all on my husband, which is handy since I think this oil will smell a lot better on him than it does on me. This does seem masculine to me, even though I often wear dark smoky scents myself. The only thing I don't like about this scent is the lavender, which is distorting that lovely wispy smokiness a tad.

 

I'll hand this one over to the hubby and see how it works on him.

[stellans]

When I got this imp this morning, I wasn't sure what to expect since this isn't a scent I ordered but a frimp. I put it on without reading the reviews or even looking up the notes...and from the first sniff I knew this was a good one.

 

In the imp: fresh lavender, but not strikingly strong. I can also smell the sandalwood and maybe the nag champa, but not much else.

 

Wet on skin: Same as in the imp, but I do think the lavender may be a bit stronger out of the imp and on my skin. Yay, lavender!

 

Dry: Very incense-y smell, very smoky. Not a lot of the lavender left now, but the sandalwood and nag champa are still there. Lovely, lovely smell. I think this would also make a great room scent, but I like it on me too.

 

Verdict: Definitely a keeper, and a big bottle purchase.

Edited June 6, 2009 by stellans

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Smokey lavender

 

On me:

This is strangely kind of what I was expecting and yet... not. I get all the notes here that I knew I would probably get and yet it comes together in a way that is hard describe. And I am having a hard time deciding on whether or not I like it. I think it's a bit masculine in a way - it makes me think of other maculine scents like Wilde and Villain. That lavender is really interesting (and though it's very clear in this blend, I wouldn't say it's overwhelming) combined with these smokey incense smells. The effect is something clean and resinous at the same time.

 

Final note:

I'm still having a hard time deciding if I need to keep this imp or not. I actually LIKE this blend, I think it's very nice. But whether or not I would wear it is another thing, as I do tend to think of a guy when I smell this one.

[dragonofinfinity]

i got this as a freebee in my last order.

 

in the bottle it was very strong lavender, with a hint of smokeyness.

first on it mantains the lavender for a while.

after it clamed down (about half an hour) the lavender became more subtle and i could realy get the sandalwood.

it had good longevity, four hours later it was still as strong as it was in a settled state.

 

i didn't expect to like this one as im not big on lavender scents, but it grew on me once it had calmed down.

[aquazoo]

Smells like meat. You know, I think it's the lavender that I have trouble with. Mix it with other stuff and it just comes up icky. But I love it on its own. Maybe I just need to avoid things with lavender in them. It's becoming a candied lavender. Trade. :-)

[Shitow_Haruka]

first sniff: lavender, sandalwood & nag champa

 

wet: The nag champa is a bit of a bully when it's on my skin, but the lavender is doing its best to keep it subdued.

 

dry: The sandalwood is allowed to come out, and the labdanum, blending with the stronger notes. There is a bit of smokiness as it dries, too.

 

There is a cool sweetness to this that reminds me of the cooler humid nights after hot, humid days here in the Midwest...

[daiconharuko]

I AM IN LOVE!

 

On first sniff I thought "ORGANIC LAVENDER! THIS IS SOO GOOD!" I totally love-love-love organic lavender scents. After applying and on the dry down it's still lovely. The lavender isn't as dominant, and the other scents make it very sweet and earthy at the same time. I don't smell the nag champa at all (maybe because I wear nag champa lotion that smells just like the incense) but it's still very lovely. It's very light, and not too strong. I could see myself wearing this every day.

 

ETA: Dammit! I'm allergic to something in this because the two days I've worn it I've got sniffles and an itchy throat. Totally bummed, I love this scent.

Edited September 12, 2007 by DaikonEklectik

[Lethran]

Another freebie. Peculiar, heady. On first application, the lavender is the strongest note, soon buoyed by the sandlewood. It smells surprisingly fresh and does indeed capture something of night in late spring or early summer when the chill creeps in to sweep away the lingering heat of day. The instability of the scent holds a certain fascination. It changes on the skin, vacillating between emphases so it becomes hard to pin down the longer it is worn. Soft and subtle, it fades fairly quickly.

[hkhm]

imp: light, light lavender and... something. can't quite place it.

 

wet: much stronger lavender and a smoky incense smell.

 

dry: a bit of sandalwood and a bit of lavender. still a touch of smokiness.

 

(edited for spelling)

Edited October 22, 2007 by hkhm

[Bagfish]

I'm retrying all my imps. Gaueko was a frimp from ages ago, and I really enjoyed it then and on retry too. It's extremely lavender to start with, but it is a hot, burning lavender rather than the cool, refreshing calming lavender that I am used to. It is about as far away from "old lady" lavender as you can get!

 

Anyway, as it dries down, the lavender becomes less strong and the burning incense smell comes to the fore. if anything, the scent becomes hotter, it's almost a burning scent, and there is a slight "electric" tinge to it - definitely not ozone, but almost a heated metal sort of smell. Gaueko is definitely one of the most unusual BPALs that I have tried, it defies classification, but it is really very good.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

In the vial: Lavender.

 

On the skin: Oooohhhhhhhhhhh! This is gooooood! Lavender, smoky sandalwood, a hint of tobacco, the sweetness of nag champa, and, um, I'm not really sure what labdanum smells like, but I'm assuming it is in there helping to give this blend it's uniqueness. I knew I would like this one from the description, and I do, I love it actually! The drydown brings out the incense and the sweetness some more and pushes this blend a little closer to femininity, and I go back and forth debating whether this is too sweet for a man, or just right. I ultimately arrive at the conclusion that the right man could potentially rock this like there's no tomorrow, but I don't care because I will never share this one with no stinkin' boys!!! This one is gorgeous, artfully created, super unique, and MINE ALL MINE!!!! Big bottle please! Yum factor= 5/5!

Edited October 28, 2007 by TheOneTheyCallLuna

[porcelina]

if it wasn't for the lavender, this could have been great. unfortunately all i get is a hint of something burnt and an awful lot of lavender. an awful, awful lot.

[batsy]

In the vial: Blackened and burned lavender. Ugh.

 

On the skin: Well, that got replaced by burning tobacco... that's about it. It smells like a temple gone wrong. Swap.

[TereFaerie]

Let this be a lesson to me.

 

In the imp all I smell is lavender, which is okay, but not my favorite. It makes me think of sachets and Yankee Candles usually. Once applied, still lavender. Not normal lavender, but screaming lavender, bright blue all encompassing lavender. I almost went to the bathroom and washed it off.

 

About half an hour later the lavender settles, mellows, runs away, whatever, and what is left must be mostly labdanum and wondrous warm spices. I still have to try this one all over and not as a simple spot test, but I have high hopes for this one this stage really lasts. It reminds me of Lush's Jingle Spells/ Jingle Jelly/ Reincarnate scent.

I will update after a full trial, but this one bodes well and I'm glad I didn't wash it off!

Edited February 8, 2008 by TereFaerie

[aestien]

Bottle: traditional, slightly masculine perfume

Wet: the sandalwood, lavender, tobacco, nag champa blend is really nice, well balanced, why do I imagine this God of Night to look like a Neil Gaiman character?

Dry: this is a very nice warm blend

 

This is a more traditional perfume/cologne blend than I usually wear, but its really nice, elegant and balanced, and all good notes on me. I can definitely imagine a lanky, slightly androgynous, black-haired god, coolly smoking a cigarette on the corner as he waits to save your ass.

[megank4]

At first sniff I liked it but with a careless flick of my wrist the imp spilled all over, so then it became that reeking sensation. I had to go scrub it off. I think it is the laudanum that I just don't like.