Nui Cobalt Designs: Critters (Review)

Critters is one of Nui Cobalt's regular seasonal releases, and if the name hasn't given it away, they're named after some adorable animals. These are a handful of some previous releases that are also available that I just never got around to reviewing. 

Mourning Dove - Juicy Bosc pears poached in mulled wine and drizzled with honey with a gentle breeze of forget-me-not and Casablanca lily.  

I am so pleased to see this scent come back. Despite the Bee's collection being more honey dominant, there's something absolutely gorgeous about the mulled wine and honey combination in this. The scent is a great blend of all the notes, with the faint sweetness of Bosc pears, a bright amber honey note and the gentle flourish of full bodied white florals and a tinge of soil - this is such an elegant scent. It's really not the type of sugary bright gourmand that I'd usually opt for, but I really love this. 

Perfect for: fruit picking in the spring and lily bulbs. 

Copper Fox - The warm-weather sister to our beloved Arctic Fox. Warm chai with steamed almond milk nestled in sumptuous cashmere, crimson musk, sarsaparilla, and budding birch.

Although I was definitely looking for a subdued chai note, this is far from an atmospheric gourmand. Instead, it's more of a warm, forest scent, with stripped down birch bark and fuzzy tuffs of musk and cashmere. The almond and chai are mostly absent, with the wood and musk taking the front seat of this blend. 

Perfect for: Cozing up on the couch with a warm blanket and a fireplace. 

Little Brown Rabbit - Nutmeg and tonka bean nuzzle up against fluffy marshmallow, cottonflower, pink pepper, and a trace of carrot seed.

First recommended to me by u/jeanlucille, it's no surprise as to why this is such a popular scent. This basically smells like a nutmeg carrot cake, it's warm, sugary, decadent and rich. It has maple like nuances to its sweetness as well - but it's basically the most perfect carrot cake scent. I really love this scent, although it can be a little heavy for lighter seasons because of how rich it is. 

Perfect for: Carrot cake, baking at home, cottagecore aesthetics.  

Hummingbird - Darting from oleander to orange blossom with ripe nectarine, hibiscus tea, and traces of tuberose. 

On opening, it's just a huge blast of tuberose, with its light almondy white floral notes. It dries down to reveal orange blossom petals, with sweet nuances of fruity sweetness. For some reason, this scent was extremely faint on me, and I found it quite hard to pick up even after applying a little more. The florals  are both lovely, and complimented with the sprinkles of vague fruity sweetness, but the hibiscus tea is mostly absent. 

Perfect for: Pale chiffon blouses, pastel fascinators and white pumps. 

Northern Cardinal - Spiced red currant preserves, caramel pralines, d'Anjou pears, rich mahogany and sugar maple wood.

This is a spice heavy scent - but despite my general aversion to spices, Nui Cobalt does manage to make spices work for me. This scent is rich and very strong, with a punch of nutmeg and cinnamon dusted on top of raisins and syrupy caramel apples, sitting in a wooden bowl. I really love the rich maple sweetness with all the fruity nuances - it reminds me of Drunk Pumpkin from their autumn collection, but far more caramel and sugar. This is another scent that's a little heavy and dense for the lighter seasons, but it's a spiced warm sweet that cuts through the colder weather. 

Perfect for: Bordeaux flannel shirts, chunky knit scarves and warm raisin bread. 

Disclaimer: Mourning Dove, Copper Fox and Little Brown Rabbit were sent as press samples, the rest were purchased with my own money. I was not sponsored for this review or affiliated with this brand, and all opinions are my own, and do not reflect the brand's opinions or interests.