Nui Cobalt Designs: A Trio of Jams with a Sweet Treat
You want thoughts on NCD's Autumn 1 scents? I've got them. Thanks as always to Forest and Josh for sending these press samples through!
I want to briefly preface that, I have had these sitting around and aging gracefully. This might be a contentious opinion, but I often find that NCD really starts to bloom into its best self about a year after you pick them up - I don't often see a huge difference between scents when resting them, but after revisiting scents, I often find more in them that I didn't notice before in terms of nuances to the notes and the blend. If you find yourself less than keen on a blend, I would highly recommend giving it some time to breathe.
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam* - Bright and balanced, this scent evokes the late Summer sweetness that mellows into Fall. Garden-grown strawberries simmered in white sugar with a snap of rhubarb and a touch of fresh basil leaf. Wear to inspire friendship, trust, and joyful connection.
In the bottle, the strawberry note may alarm those who fear the sweet sugary syrup of lip smackers strawberry, but I absolutely love how this scent wears into the skin - the minute it hits the skin, it smooths itself out into a heartwarming blend of freshly sliced strawberries, and stewed tart rhubarb. I often see a lot of people looking for the perfect rhubarb, and I can definitely confirm, this rhubarb has all the right tart vegetal elements that one would ever want in a scent. After dry down, the sweetness comes back to play, with a touch of tonka bean and sugar, tossed over a pot of strawberry jam. The rhubarb note here reminds me a lot of Aslace Rhubarb (Damask Haus), although this scent is far more of a lighter, fruitier counterpart compared to the more heavy, creamy custard accord in Aslace Rhubarb. Although pumpkin is often everyone's Go To for the colder season, I can't help but love this scent because it never gets quite cold enough here for me to warrant the heavier, denser scents for autumn. I'm fully obsessed with this one. and I can't get enough.
Blackberry Peach Preserves - Deep and delicious, this scent recalls the purple skies of Autumn’s sunset. Ripened plump blackberries, vanilla sugar, luscious peach, and subtle spice. Wear for soothing, healing, and protection.
In the bottle, this gives me a sweet, light stone fruit blend, and on the skin, it blooms into a sweetened blackberry paired with sliced green peaches, sprinkled with a hefty dose of clove and star anise. The blend is perhaps a little too 'spiced' for my own personal taste, and that carries through after dry down, the blackberry here is a stunning, and viscous, with an almost ambery quality to it, with the barest hint of fuzzy peach skins and a touch of vanilla extract and mulled cider. Although I would prefer this scent far more without the sharp spices and the heat it gives, I'm hard pressed to deny that it wouldn't be a cozy addition to an autumn scent. It's definitely not my favorite of the batch, but it's the one which channels cottagecore the most, so I'll be using up my sample vial on all the days I bust out the picnic basket.
Rosewater Quince Compote - Elegant and refined, this scent showcases the blushing sweetness of quince slowly simmered in maple sugar and Persian rosewater. Wear to attract romantic attention from only the most worthy suitors, and shield you from those of ill intent.
From the bottle, this is a lovely floral pear scent flecked with soft rosewater - it reminds me a lot of Mourning Dove (NCD) which is one of my first NCD loves with the crisp pear and tinges of honey. While wet, the quince is much stronger here, it's a crisper but similar to a pear or guava note, with a tinge of indolic florals around the edges, complimented with a dash of rosewater and honey maple. When dried down, the pear-like nuances pull a little stronger, and the rich maple syrup and sticky honey are the pillowy foundations of this scent, with only the very faintest traces of rosewater, with the maple as the star of the show during the later stages of wear. It's what it says on the tin, and for those who are interested in quince (a rare note but it is done perfectly here), this is definitely one to check out. While I admit, quince is a little harder to love than the familiarity of pear, and I would have preferred if the rosewater was just a tinge more prevalent to balance out all three elements, for what it is, this is a really rich, surprisingly flavourful scent despite its simple composition and one that's worth a second glance. If this scent was a color, it would be dull, muted rose pink - and it's one I enjoy pulling out on a cold winter afternoon when I need a little pick me up.
Honeyed Figs *- Rich and seductive, this scent inspires ease, confidence, and grace. Autumn-harvest honey awakens distinctive layers of fig, madagascar vanilla bean, and black walnut. Wear for relaxation, grounding, and comfort even under the most stressful circumstances. It supports the open expression of your absolute best qualities.
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