Nui Cobalt Designs: Critters 2019 Review

Onto the scents! Joshua and Forest from Nui Cobalt very generously sent me these as samples for me to test and review, and since these are being discontinued very soon, here's my thoughts in case you might want to pick anything up before the collection sells out!

Critters is inspired by, you guessed it, animals - from silver foxes, to humming birds and flying squirrels - perfect for the animal lover. Within the collection, they have a range of scents, and as usual, I gravitated towards sweeter, fruit or gourmand scents, so I've only selected these.

These did end up being more of a "spiced" selection for me, but despite my usual wariness of spice, I found these a great spin and authentic rendition of the selected spices. 

~ Mourning Dove ~

A gentle blend to instill calm and tranquility. Juicy Bosc pears poached in mulled wine and drizzled with honey with a gentle breeze of forget-me-not and Casablanca lily. Wear in times of stress and anxiety to restore emotional balance.

Wet: From a sharp, fruity liqueur and tuberose floral note, with just the sharpness of pistachio, it quickly tempers into a sweet pear and honey.

Dried down: Like its description, it becomes much more gentle after the dry down. The loudest notes are honey, a touch of fruit and forget-me-nots and Casablanca lily - which to me is a fuller bodied white floral. It isn't as sweet as frangipani but a lot greener than tuberose. The pear isn't like any notable pear note I can think of, to me it's a sort of quiet, fruity sweetness paired with mulled wine. This is like a Christmas dinner, simmered poached pears complimented by lovely bunches of flowers around the table.

Perfect for: Those looking for an interesting twist on the fruity floral complimented with a touch of rich, mulled spice heavy wine (without ever drifting into the festive spice territory).

~ Copper Fox ~

The warm-weather sister to our beloved Arctic Fox. A shrewd blend for wit, resourcefulness, and acumen. Warm chai with steamed almond milk nestled in sumptuous cashmere, crimson musk, sarsaparilla, and budding birch.

Wet: Sharpness of almond, dry aromatic touches chai spices and the cutting notes of sarsaparilla.

Dried down: Another scent that warms and rounds out after wear. While the original scent profile leans almost mainstream/stereotypical scents, 
Cashmere is a soft and comforting duo with the crimson musk (another musk note that isn't overwhelming, and has a spiced quality to it). Birch grounds the scent by giving it a touch of earthy, woodiness. Despite the sharp almond opening, it fades into a quiet warm creaminess, paired with a light sprinkle of chai. The overall scent profile is a soft, lightly spiced chai latte served at the Turkish spice markets. 

Perfect for: Anyone looking for a chai scent that deviate from the gourmand interpretations - This is an evocative, stylish warmth to the skin.

~ Little Brown Rabbit~

An auspicious blend for abundance and great good fortune. Nutmeg and tonka bean nuzzle up against fluffy marshmallow, cottonflower, pink pepper, and a trace of carrot seed.

Wet: Warm nutmeg and sweet vanilla over the faintest whiffs of carrot cake.

Dried down: There's something really warming about this scent, the nutmeg is super fragrant with a spark of carrot. It's earthy and nutty yet sweet, and a flicker of warmth from the pink pepper.

I have heard rave reviews about this (mostly from u/jeanlucille) and I'm so glad this lived up to my hype. To me, this smells like a nutmeg cake/biscuit batter, and reminds me a bit of a gingersnap biscuits (with the soft spices). It's just a fantastic blend of carrot seed, tonka bean - a more mature and subtle vanilla and the aromatic warmth of nutmeg. There's something comforting about this scent, and I could have seen this easily as an addition to their GBBO release. None of NCD's gourmands are ever toothachingly sweet, they instead impart the sweetness like a long forgotten breeze of freshly baked baked goods that brings you back to the first time you ever stood in front of a cake right out of the oven, crispy and sweet on the edges, and deliciously soft and sweet in the centre. Little Brown Rabbit brings me just swimming into the first time I ever had carrot cake, with frosting and a touch of nutmeg, and it's just amazing.

Perfect for: Gourmand lovers - a soft and freshly baked rendition of nutmeg and carrot cake. 


Disclaimer: The brand has sent these for me to review, but I am not sponsored for this review or affiliated with this brand, and all opinions are my own.