Kilauea

When I was on the big island it rained every night and was perfect tropical weather during the day. Half of this perfume smells exactly like walking out onto the balcony at 5:30am after the rains have stopped and the humidity starts to kick in. Warm wet volcanic stone and earth, which I love. The other half of the perfume is a sticky sweet white floral, which for me clashes endlessly with the wet earth. Those two notes are so strong and on my skin they don’t stop battling for first place, I cannot smell anything else. The combo ended up giving me a headache after it wouldn’t die down. Washing it off didn’t quite work and I was left with the floral. I was able to layer A Rose For over top and it blended beautifully although still quite punchy. Overall on first sniff I was so excited, but after wear it was a no for me. I agree with others that this house is a master at creating scents that capture a place or a moment, but I’m finding them harder to wear than anticipated. EDIT: This must have needed to settle after shipping/opening because the notes are beautifully balanced now. No more fighting, no more sticky sweetness, and a bit more mineral forward on my skin that before. I don’t get root beer. I love it and it has settled into exactly what I’d initially hoped it would be. It’s beautiful in the cold weather I’m in right now but I think this will be gorgeous year round. Really glad I tried it again. I think this might end up being a daily wear for me.

A magical blend. Spicy amber tropical flowers fragrance. This is the idea. Do not expect a typical clean frangipani scent. This one is savage and unpredictable just like a real tropical forest. Like stated in some reviews below the mineral note in this one does give the idea of rain dripping on scorching hot stones during Summer. We all know that mineral warm scent after a violent thunderstorm. I cannot confirm if it smells like lava for real though. The dry-down is more gourmant with some noticeable vanilla and sweetness. It's definitely more tame than the opening. The vanilla is dry and smells like fresh vanilla pods. And beware, if you wear it be sure you like it. I can still smell this one in my hair after a shampoo... A spectacular fragrance for those looking for a different tropical scent.

i'm unsure if i would consider this one wearable, but i certainly am fascinated by it. it's extremely photorealistic. i had read the description before ordering the sample, and prior to smelling it i couldn't really conjure up what on earth it would smell like, never having been near wildfires, let alone lava. as someone who really loves a smoke/fire note, this surpasses any expectation i possibly could have - this is so distinct, and so different from burning wood. it really smells like melting, burning minerals. it's almost petrichor adjacent. this note is insanely clean to me. it IS a floral-heavy fragrance, but the contrast between the florals and minerals is so dumbfounding that it hardly registers to me as that.

Terrific. Floral, mineralic, wet stone, with an incense and amber backing. I can’t say I know what lava smells like, but I could see it. I have a hyper specific memory this smell unlocks, on a trip to Eureka Springs, AR, I stayed in an Airbnb that had a planted, real stone wall, with running water on it. Especially at night it emitted a wonderful damp, fresh, and crisp scent, this perfume transports me back to that cold, humid, yet inviting living room.

Love this so much. Spicy, sexy floral amber. You get the humid, mineral smell that I’m sure is supposed to represent lava at the opening, but it dries down to a spicy, earthy amber-vanilla. It’s incredibly warm— almost hot. It borders on *almost* too sweet on the dry down, but the earthier notes balance it well. Very ~bohemian~ to my nose. Looking forward to a larger bottle and experiencing further.

I was recommended this frag after lamenting the fact of loving the lava in Strangers Perfumaries' Lava Rose but hating the plasticky baby doll head accord I was getting. This fragrance is that gorgeous lava with no plastic and a dry soil accord YES PLEASE. I own a FB now, a must try for those who want something not so safe and are into soil accords. Praise Ellen, the queen of soil

This is wild and beautiful. Mineral at the core, and has many have mentioned, extremely evocative of humid stone. Mingles with lush tropical flora that sometimes feels like your face is pressed deep into a damp petal, and others like you're just catching the scent on a breeze.

Kilauea is bizarre, let's just be straight about that. But it's bizarre in the most evocative way. This truly does smell of extinguished torches mixed with rock and minerals. I'm not even sure how one would one would accomplish that, but somehow Ellen really did make an utterly convincing "lava" accord - and I've been nowhere near lava ever, BUT this is exactly how I'd anticipate it to smell. It opens with rich, intense warmth and something that is burnt. It's notably naturalistic, and unrefined (in the best way). Ginger lily is an essential oil that I own and use often, and it's gorgeous alongside the heated stone smell. This smells as if she used the real oil, but it's always hard to be positive with such things. As this mellows I smell driftwood and resins, and some floral sweetness (I'm not sure I could decidedly detect frangipani/plumeria or the mimosa, it's just lightly floral). This has some beastly components, but remains less than "beast mode" (I'm weary of that term), and actually isn't engulfing or smothering...as you'd presume a lava flow to be. It's not a scent that I feel suits me, but that is nothing against it's composition or quality. It's not very wearable for me, but the concept is genius, and in a world where many perfumes fail to impress an accurate experience to the user according to their specific descriptions, this actually feels and smells like Kilauea might in one's imagination. Well executed! *eta Some evaporated and the remaining portion of the decant became absolutely nuclear. It actually hurts my throat (should have used plumber's tape). Now it's *very* unwearable!

New name: Sipping a Root Beer near Kilauea Vanilla, Myrrh, Benzoin and Styrax in the opening replicates a cold, refreshing Root Beer. Orange blossom is not listed, but I think it’s here. Then 15 minutes later a more atmospheric note takes over and goes in a mineral direction, a little like turpentine. I also smell salt and sand. Then combined with tropical flowers, I’m in a warm location. And yes, I can imagine I’m next to Hawaii’s famous volcano Kilauea. I like this Olympic Orchid, it’s an original concept that’s surprisingly easy to wear. The talented Ellen Covey works her magic again.

I smell what feels like a lot of patchouli in this, its probably that, smoky styrax and a chalky mimosa and sandalwood giving the "lava" accord. Along with this jasmine, a bit of frangipani and vanilla is what I get mixed in to stop it just feeling like an earthy, rocky scent. I guess this is the Hawaii part of the story. Not one I'd wear a lot but a nice discovery fragrance. I think Orto Parisi Terroni does a lava theme better, but Kilauea is more elegant and easier to wear.

Previous reviewer hit the nail on the head with his comparison to root beer, and a root beer that has gone flat at that. The scent is easy to place as hawaiian floral/mineral soil regardless of whether one knows the name of the perfume, I feel like one would have to be told it is volcanic in order to pick that up, whichay be a good thing as that facet might otherwise be overbearing. An interesting combo that works, though I probably wouldn't wear it often. 7/10

Absolutely transportive. This is lush without a hint of green and vivacious in the smoothest way. It is tropical in the way that Hawaii really is. No aquatics, no synthetic creamy florals, no coconut. It is glowing lava during the sunrise, it is damp colorful blooms, it is humid warmth.

Inspired by a volcano, Kilauea opens with a civilized, dry ashy-smoke accord, touched with a hint of something floral. A few minutes in, the flowers bloom and become big, tropical, and sweet, with a golden tonality, while the ash winks in and out of focus. The floral is a little “too much” for me – blowsy, brassy, and buttery to the point of vulgarity – and the drydown is pure yellow-pudding vanilla, so this isn’t one of my favorite of the Olympic Orchids scents. On the other hand, the stone-and-floral contrast is interesting, and as vanillic florals go, it’s not as cloying or gooey as some (I’m looking at you, Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi).

the first time i tried this i didnt like it at all. as i was expecting a more mainstream scent of hawaii with coconuts-pineapple-sea water-and heavy florals. however after a few more tries it has definitely grown on me. it has that perfect realistic hawaii scent with the lava/mineral notes with the spicy and tropical notes in the background. __definitely one of a kind__ 6.7/10

Strong tropical floral, with a smoky, volcanic undertone. Really interesting, well blended - but sadly not for me. I can't really put my finger on what time of year you’d wear this in, nor the occasion - it feels a bit too heavy for summer, a bit too tropical for winter. But as an artistic concept it’s nice, just definitely not for everybody

Spicy earth with florals. This is quite beautifully done in my opinion, just not my cup of tea. I can really see the image of plumeria and ginger lily sitting atop ashy lava rocks. Really interesting and fresh, but not me. Like with Woodcut, I get a note of peanut butter for some reason.

Drinking root beer on a hot deserted island, sitting on mineral soil wearing a flower head wreath. I find this quite an odd combination. I mainly got this because the Lava note piqued my interested. I've never smelled Lava but this doesn't smell like what lava *should* smell like? It's not smokey or rough in the way I think it should smell -- only mineral notes and heat. The root beer's very vanillic, sticky and so nauseatingly sweet. The mineral soil notes are very authentic (reminiscent of Night Flyer). There's also florals being supported by sandalwood that are way too dominant to my nose. I only enjoy the mineral note out of the 3 here and even if I did like the other 2, these notes don't work well with each other at all! Even at quick sniffs I feel sick as the root-beer note is SO SWEET. Bleh. Not for me.

This is another very artful scent from Dr. Covey. Like Carolina, it feels atmospheric and sheer, which actually makes it seem all the more like a "place" scent. The opening is dominated by the lava accord. I've never smelled lava, but this rings true. It doesn't smell like a campfire or any other smoke I can think of. It's pretty geological. Then the flowers come in and the smoke dissipates slowly but not completely. The flowers are tropical and fragrant but actually quite delicate, like what you'd actually catch in the air. They are really beautiful and well-composed. At one point it smells like the second you blow out a really gorgeous expensive scented candle. The idea of lava and Hawaiin blooms sounds dramatic, but this smells like what the air would actually smell like, not an over the top caricature. The drydown is sweet and pleasant with a whiff of smoke lingering. I like the inverted scent pyramid. What other perfume opens with smoke and sandalwood and closes with bergamot? Formally innovative in addition to conceptually interesting.

Without considering the geological inspiration behind this perfume or being swayed by images of a volcano, this is primarily a floral fragrance (some honeysuckle, tiare flower) with fruity touches (fatty fruits, coconut, mango). I detect a softly soapy note, somewhat thick and slow, accompanying these accords: a custard-like vanilla, almost gourmand. I detect a light accord of Covey's typical resins underpinning this perfume, and a certain tingling of bubblegum.

Bitter mustard bug, sunscreen, and then when it warms on the skin, damp rock on the skin, and a warm wet humid scent.