NCD: Bees 2023 Review

As Nui Cobalt have started offering sample packs, I basically end up picking up collections because I really love the little collection stickers they come with on the bubble wrap label. It's great, I'm a big fan. As always, a grateful thank you to Forest and Josh at Nui Cobalt Designs for sending these through as press samples! 

In regards to shipping and ordering - TAT was a little extended due to ordering immediately after the new release date, but was shipping within 5 days of ordering! International shipping at the moment is $15.95 USD for parcels below 500g. 

NCD now has added a little more bubble wrap to their orders, but I've never had any leaks or breaks with anything even before they transitioned to this new packing style. Collections are also usually packed in a bubble wrap parcel with the corresponding year and name of the collection, so it is double safe! 

Onto the scents! 

Scents: 

Mme. Marie’s Bees - A sophisticated filtre to honor the great Marie Laveau, New Orleans’ exalted Voodoo Queen.The deep harmony of communion wine with cathedral incense, Haitian amyris, Cattleyas orchid, coconut husk, café au lait, Brennan’s baked apple with honey-simmered raisins, and authentic beeswax from a colony rescued from Mme. Marie’s tomb. 

This is an intoxicatingly rich and sweet scent - it opens with this gorgeous apple note that reminds me a lot of apple pies, before giving way into to a hall of incense and candles. After dry down, the waxy notes of candles and an indulgent scoop of bitter coconut coffee peeks through, settling on top of the honey sweetened slices of apple. I think this scent is an elegant, almost velvety one, it's sweet in a subdued and understated way with a hint of blooming orchids and sweetened grapes, the edges smoothed out by wisps of incense and the wax, grounded by the bitter coffee grounds and golden resin. It's the kind of scent that can only be matched by the drama and glamor of velvet gowns and silk turbans, and I enjoy it a lot. 

The Bees' Carnival - Like Ferris wheel lights against a twilight sky, it’s a playful arrangement of vivid notes to tickle your fancy. Cotton candy spun from crystallized honey, fresh leaves of lemon verbena, blue raspberry drizzle, and a grounding smolder of sweet myrrh.  

This is as beautiful as the description makes it sound, and I'm obsessed with it. This blend of this spun sugar, clear golden honey and a touch of zest from the lemon verbena, and a touch of blue jolly rancher raspberry drizzle, I just don't know how else to describe how cheery and uplifting this scent just feels. At points, it reminds me a lot of hot honey lemon waters (and as someone who uses their voice a lot, a source of emotional and physical comfort), and the blend of all the sweet elements in this is just melt in your mouth goodness. I mean, can I keep going on about this scent? Definitely. I just want to spray this everywhere and anywhere. Sweet lemon honey candies. Hot lemon honey water. If you're asking me for a must try, this one. Absolutely all of this. 

It's Hive Code - Spring harvest honey, a faithful accord of rare Ghost Orchid, neroli and bergamot hand lotion, and a dark base of melted fudge.

I definitely love the idea of the scent, with both the combination of the bees and honey, plus ghost orchids, and was fascinated to see how I might get a chocolate white floral I might enjoy. However, I think this is one of those scents that might be wonderful in theory, but doesn't tickle me so much in practice. I think the blend here with both a little too much and a little too heavy for me with the combination of the richness of the chocolate plus the honey, and throwing in the white florals with the neroli and bergamot zest just makes for a fragranced bowl of chocolate oranges. As a gourmand lover, this straddles the line of perhaps maybe gourmand, but rather than being a soft entry and being nice for fans of both treats and not so sweet, this ends up being one of those things where I shout at it to get off the fence and pick a side. 

Buzzworthy - Blood orange, torch ginger, copper musk, tawny suede, hibiscus, honeybush tea, resinous red cedar, and warm patchouli.

Are you a fan of warm, cozy and cuddly scents? Do you love a bit of red musk, suede sofas and fluffy cats? This is the one for you. This definitely reminds me a lot of a fruiter, less spiced version of Copper Fox, but also calls back to aspects of Ailurophilia - it's a lot of heavy musk and sticky resin, with an unapologetic dose of patchouli and simmered spiced oranges and dry honeybush. I find that compared to the other releases in this collection, I got nearly no honey with this one, but I do think it's overall a really lovely cozy blend, with pretty generous throw and projection. However, as someone who really does not vibe well with musks, this is definitely one I found a little overwhelming and too heavy for me - but while it's not my jam, there will be some of you who will absolutely love this. 

Honey, I'm Home - A warm welcome for springtime's return. Snowdrops and fresh nectar from their first petals unfurled, golden sunlight, yellow crocus, and warmed honeycomb.

I mean, if there's anything I've learnt over the years, is that sometimes less is more, and this definitely shines in its simplicity. I think NCD's is still one of the prettiest honey notes I've had the pleasure of trying, and this one is sweet, golden and rich. If you were a fan of The Bees Carnival but maybe thought it was a little too tooth achingly sweet, or something a little more subdued and humble in its delivery, this one is a close second favorite for me. With just a slight sprinkle of warmed sunflower seeds, this is the closest to the pinnacle of honey solinotes for me, and I found myself really loving this one. I feel like this blend lends itself to layering easily, and I also think that this is probably the one I'd point honey beginners to picking up. If you're not sure how other blends are going to work for you, or find other blends too hard to pick notes out but you want something more straightfoward, I think this one is a perfect entry level honey, on top of just being fabulous in general anyway. 

Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy - Portrait of an extraterrestrial desert and its elusive denizens: dry white sandalwood, Tunisian tea, cracked coriander, cassia bark, amber resin, raw cotton, and combs full of precious honey that few will ever taste.

For me, this is a quiet and almost meditative type of blend, and it's calming in a soft and unobtrusive way. I really like the pairing here with the 'drier' aspects of sandalwood, tea and cassia bark, they add a little touch of muted wood and tannic depth to this blend, it's never bitter or astringent, just a reassuring grounding touch. With this and the honeycomb, the honey here is much more restrained, just a whiff and a peek, an elusive brush of sweetness, without ever being too overbearing or cloying. This blend, while not exactly the same type of evocative atmospheric, definitely is one that just radiates comfort and the sense of being swaddled the linen. I really didn't expect to like this one at all, but it was a surprising hit for me and it would be one I'd absolutely love for a room spray situation. 

The Beekeeper’s Funeral - Legend has it that a devoted aparist was so beloved by his hives that upon his death, a host of bees came to pay their respects. Onlookers spoke of their peaceful presence at the funeral, keeping still throughout the service, then quietly departing in the direction of his farm. This comforting blend opens with gentle Bulgarian lavender and petrichor, then blooms with Casablanca lily, honeysuckle, and wet grass, and settles at last into a pillow of fluffy whipped honey. 

I've always been a fan of Queen Bee's simple blend of white gardenias and creamy honey, but this is definitely a spiritual successor, a more moody and complex hue of the same vibes. The blend definitely calls back to windswept rainy days with its wash of petrichor, anchored by the soft sleepy notes of Bulgarian lavender, drizzling onto the damp petals of lilies and crushed stems, before revealing its last treat, just a blast of sweet comforting honey. This scent is truly wonderfully evocative, and I think Nui's Casablanca lily accord is probably the only floral I actively seek out, it just gives my brain these happy little tingles despite not being a big fan of white florals. I also find that NCD's blends tend to be relatively linear, but I love how shifty this one is, it really morphs over the wear of this blend, and I think it really adds to the story they've added to this scent, especially as it ends with that gorgeous honey note. It's a really lovely scent, and I'll definitely be reaching for this one on a rainy day. 

Bee You Tiful - Honey-roasted pistachio and chestnut, pink magnolia, and sweet apple blossom.

This is a gorgeous treat, a pairing of roasted nuts, paired with apple blossom honey. I love the touch of both the fruity floral elements with the honey pistachio and chestnut - it's very much like a baklava and floral combination. If you were a fan of Bamboozle - NCD's baklava scent - this definitely feels like an office friendly version, spinning a sticky sweet treat paired with a full bodied white floral and a touch of honeysuckle and blooming apple blossoms. On my skin chemistry, I tend to amp sweetness so it pulled out a lot of the honey and crushed nuts combo, although I've definitely noticed far more florals when using this on skin/hair. I liked this, although I'm personally not the biggest fan of flormands, but if you looking for a soft entry into gourmands or are a big flormand fan, this is a beautiful rendition of one.