SurrealReality

I'm totally surprised this scent isn't incredibly popular! It's jumped right to the top of my 10 favorite scents list In the Bottle: BUTTERCREAM!!! I have tested every foody scent that BPAL has ever made (including prototypes) and I have never smelled a buttercream note as rich, sweet, or decadent as this one. There is also a hint of black pepper and cinnamon Wet on Skin: black pepper (in the foreground now and a little stronger than I would like it to be), buttercream (still a very prominent note), cinnamon (still pretty much in the background), and I'm also beginning to smell cake batter Dry: buttercream (once again the strongest note), black pepper (has backed off very quickly, but is still a fairly prominent note), cinnamon and cake batter (both a little stronger). Several hours later, the black pepper, cinnamon, and cake batter begin to fade. Nearing the end of this scent's life (it lasts about 5 hrs on me), I smell buttercream and an almost cotton candy-like sweetness, with a little black pepper and just a hint of cinnamon I can kind of understand the reviews I've seen comparing this to carrot cake, but as I mentioned before, I don't smell any baked cake, only an un-baked batter. Also, I hate carrot cake, so I refuse to think of that this amazing scent may have anything to do with that atrocity....... no, I don't like vegetables in my dessert I believe that the note I'm interpreting as cake batter is the note that several other reviewers have interpreted as oatmeal cookie. If I try, I can kind of imagine the note as oatmeal cookie dough, but to my nose, it still smells much more like cake batter I've also read reviews of cedar and raisins, but no matter how hard I sniff I can't smell even the slightest hint of those notes If you are not a foody, I suggest you stay away from this scent. But if you are a foody, you absolutely MUST try this!!!

In the Decant: tangy lemon, ginger (a soft, lemony, not very spicy ginger though), white cake Wet on Skin: tangy lemon, lemony ginger (slightly more spicy), white cake, and a little buttercream Dry: white cake, lemony ginger (a little more spicy, but still soft), buttercream (a little stronger), tangy lemon (a little faded). The tangy lemon continues to fade and is gone almost completely within an hour or so (but because the lemony ginger note is still there, a softer lemon scent remains) I love buttercream & cake, but lemon & ginger are just ok. If it wasn't so HTF, I'd probably buy a bottle. However, considering what I'd have to swap/pay to get it, this scent is not worth it to me..... I edited this review because when I first tested it, I thought all of the lemon scent was coming from the ginger, but now I'm pretty sure it contains an actual lemon note as well

In the decant: white sugar, spicy ginger (like LE Shub, as opposed to the GC version), booze, and a little fruit. I must agree with nursekins about it having something in common with Sugar Skull, specifically SS '06, which smells different than any of the other years (stronger, sharper, and much boozier) Wet on Skin: ginger (not quite as spicy as it was in the vial), white sugar (a little faded though), booze, & fruit (but not your usual fruit note.... this one is like tangy gummy worms) Dry: ginger (a little less spicy though), tangy gummy worms (a little stronger), white sugar, & booze (both a little faded) I'm a foody, and I don't care for this scent (it's not bad, it's just not great). Upon the mention of ginger, I had hoped it would smell something like GB: Poppet, but I get no similarity between the two at all. Ahhh well....

Hi! The closest BPAL I've found to the scent of apple butter would definitely be Fearful Pleasure (Halloween '08 LE). Other scents you might want to try include Bakeneko (LE, February '07 Lunacy), Gluhwein (LE, Winter Inquisition '08), and Coral Snake (Carnaval Diabolique, no actual spice notes, but IMO the snake oil adds a spiciness to it). Hope that helps!

These were all testers given to me by cheshirecat. I believe she owns the bottles CDIX - 409 In the Decant: a soft, sweet fruit note (my guess would be guava), cantaloupe, and tart tangerine Wet on Skin: tart tangerine, guava???(fading), cantaloupe, and watermelon, and a faint tart lemon note Dry: cantaloupe, watermelon, tart tangerine, tart lemon, cherry blossom, and a faint aquatic note. As this scent progresses, the lemon and the tangerine fade, while the cherry blossom gets stronger CDXVII - 417 In the Decant: herbal spice and orange Wet on Skin: herbal spice, orange (less), red grapefruit, and musk (light) Dry: herbal spice (much softer), red grapefruit, musk (light), and orange (much less) CDLXXXIII - 483 This really doesn't morph on me at all. It's the same on my skin as it is in the decant: herbal spice (much lighter than the note in CDXVII), tart lemon, a light green note, and a faint sweet fruit note ETA: The faint sweet fruit note is melon DXXXI - 531 In the Decant: tropical fruit punch (pineapple, grapefruit, a little cherry, and a hint of orange), and a light green note in the background On My Skin: tropical fruit punch (composed primarily of the aforementioned fruits), a light green note (stronger), and a hint of musk. After about an hour, sassafras emerges. It's faint at first, but it gets stronger DXLI - 541 In the Decant: woods, sandalwood, orange, and hints of red berries and pipe tobacco On My Skin: woods, sandalwood (weaker), orange (a bit stronger), pipe tobacco, and eucalyptus. After about a 1/2 hr, a soft sweet powdery note appears along with a hint of angelica (this was sooo much prettier in the decant) ETA: cedar is definitely one of the notes included in the 'woods' I'm smelling. It's an unusually lovely cedar though (cedar is usually one of my death notes, but I love it in this blend) DCXVIII - 618 In the Decant: sweet orange (fresh though, not candied), sandalwood, and hints of smoky spice and white florals Wet on Skin: sandalwood (stronger than in the decant), sweet orange (weaker than in the decant), still with hints of spice and white florals Dry: The orange is back to being the strongest note. At first, it's sharper than it was when wet. 1/2 hr later though, the orange is softer and sweeter than ever (still not candied though), the sandalwood has faded quite a lot, and the smoky spice and white florals are still there (still very faint though). About 1 hr later, the white floral note is a little stronger. After several hours, the orange fades, the white floral fades a bit too, and the smoky spice comes forward DCCLXIII - 763 In the Decant: Indian spice blend and a hint of pink grapefruit On My Skin: Indian spice blend (softer), pink grapefruit, and lime. After about an hour, it's almost pure cotton candy, with only hints of the other notes MC - 1100 In the Decant: white floral, sour green note (probably juniper), and a hint of eucalyptus Wet On Skin: less floral, more juniper Dry: mostly juniper, with faint white florals, and hints of snow and eucalyptus

MXXVIII - 1028 In the Bottle/Decant: scotch and blackberry leaf On My Skin: scotch, blackberry leaf, and sweet (but not candied) blackberry definitely my shortest review to date, but (to my nose) it fits so perfectly, that I really have nothing else to say ETA previously reviewed by salamandrina

XCI - 91 In the Decant: sweet almond and non-alcoholic piña colada (heavy on the coconut and cream, light on the pineapple) Wet on Skin: about the same Dry: piña colada, sweet almond, a snowy aquatic note, and a hint of peppermint. Later on the almond and the pineapple totally disappear leaving coconut cream, snowy aquatics, and a little peppermint Previously reviewed by synique. CDXXXIV - 434 In the Decant: raspberry, cherry juice (unsweetened), pineapple, and a hint of cardamom Wet on Skin: raspberry, cherry juice, pineapple, cardamom (much more of it), and woods (nothing specific) Dry: cardamom, woods, cigar tobacco, and a slight hint of raspberry and cherry juice Rarely have I sniffed a scent that changes so completely from decant to drydown. It's so fruity in the decant, but so dark and spicy on the drydown ETA previously reviewed by zankoku_zen

In the Bottle/Imp: neroli, gardenia, white peach, honey Wet on Skin: neroli, gardenia, white peach (a little stronger), honey, and a little vanilla in the background Dry: mostly neroli with a little white peach and honey. But after about a 15 minutes - gardenia (has shown up again), neroli (much softer), white peach, honey, vanilla, and a little cream In the Bottle/Imp: 3 out of 5 (pretty, but nothing special) On My Skin: 3.5 out of 5 (very nice, but because of the neroli, it's still too green for me)

Rumpelstilzchen is my favorite fairy tale, so this makes me sad..... In the Bottle/Imp: Blech! A strong metallic note and very salty hay. Perhaps a little rose Wet on Skin: a little better.....powdery amber, rose, salty hay, and a metallic note (but it has faded quite a bit) Dry: Eek! Back to where we started.....when it's dry on my skin it smells just as bad as it did in the imp. Wait, I take that back....it actually smells worse (in addition to everything else, I'm getting a very strong soapy / salty aquatic note now). Sorry folks! I can't wait for the drydown. I've gotta go wash this off! In the Bottle/Imp: 1.5 out of 5 (metal and salt....two of my last favorite notes) On My Skin: 0.5 out of 5 (soap is my all-time least favorite note. It actually made me nauseous. I've never had that happen before) OK, so the only reason I tried this scent was because of the fairy tale. It didn't sound like my kind of thing at all, so it shouldn't be any great shock that I don't like it.

In the Bottle/Imp: green flower stems, hints of plum and cream, and a general floral feeling way in the background Wet on Skin: green flower stems and a hint of wildflowers (where did the plum and cream go?) Dry: it takes about a 1/2 hour, but the green note finally fades, the plum and cream notes return (and are more prominent than they were in the imp), and the wildflower note becomes stronger In the Bottle/Imp: 2.5 out of 5 (too green for me) On My Skin: 3.5 out of 5 (pretty, but too floral for me)

In the Bottle/Imp: a sharp, green note (assuming this is the osmanthus, even though that's not usually what it smells like on me), and a little sandalwood Wet on Skin: about the same, but a little stronger Dry: it takes about 20 minutes, but the osmanthus finally does morph into a flowery, slightly green note (a little fake and perfumy though), rosewood, white peach (sweet but not candied), and a little sandalwood. After about an hour, the osmanthus fades quite a bit. The vanilla does show up, but not for several hours (and even then, it's very much in the background) In the Bottle/Imp: 2 out of 5 (far too green) On my Skin: 3.5 out of 5 (the rosewood and white peach are lovely notes, but I was hoping for less osmanthus, and much more vanilla)

In the Bottle/Decant: Yuck! Vinyl and cocoa powder (a much lighter and sweeter cocoa note than other bpal blends) Wet On Skin: Even worse! The vinyl is much stronger Dry: The vinyl is softening up....it's turning into a general 'stale' note (I totally agree with Lycanthrope's 'old people' description). About a 1/2 hr later, that 'stale' note begins to turn powdery. And that's when I realize it must be the amber. Amber has never been a friend of mine, so I'm not surprised My Rating in the Bottle/Decant: 2 out of 5 My Rating on my Skin: 2 out of 5

In the Bottle/Decant: licorice, sugar cookies (gaufrette), leather Wet on Skin: the same, except for the addition of coal (and quite a lot of it) Dry: considerably less coal than there was when it was wet (thankfully), licorice, sugar cookies, and a little leather. A short while later aaaaand..... CRAP! The coal is getting stronger. Yup! It's just like sniffing a chimney. Wow! It's really strong now. It's pretty much drowning out everything else In the decant, this is much more agreeable than I thought it would be. It's actually pretty foody (which is what I was hoping for). But once on my skin, the coal takes over completely My Rating in the Bottle/Decant: 4.5 out of 5 My Rating on My Skin: 2 out of 5 Perhaps I could use it in an oil burner?

'08 version In the Bottle/Decant: sugar cookies with a hint of butter Wet on Skin: about the same as it was in the decant Dry: sugar cookies with quite a bit of butter. Much richer and a little sweeter than it was in the decant. Hmmm....about a 1/2 hour into the drydown though, the butter takes on a slightly sour edge. It's still very pretty though. Comparison to Earlier Versions: '04 was mostly clove and cinnamon on me....very little sugar cookie or butter. So '04 and '08 bare very little resemblance to each other. '05 smells VERY similar to '08 in the decant, but once it touches my skin, '08 becomes much better (it's much richer and stronger, and a little sweeter too) In the Bottle/Decant: 4 out of 5 On My Skin: 4.5 out of 5 I know everyone's been saying they prefer butter rum cookie, but I think I prefer this one

In the Bottle/Decant: sweet almond (very strong, not usually a great note for me, but it's not so bad here), sugar, rum, butter cookies (far more cookie than butter), and a hint of orange rind (gives it a slightly bitter edge) Wet on Skin: ALMOND!!! RUM!!! ORANGE RIND!!! Only a little bit of sugar and butter cookie. Well crap....it was sooo much better in the decant Dry: OK, OK....so within just a few minutes the orange rind fades to almost nothing. Almond and rum back down a little too. Sugar and butter cookie become stronger (now they are evenly matched with almond and rum). After about an hour, the almond fades quite a bit, and I could swear a smell a hint of....cinnamon??? Since there is no mention of cinnamon in the notes, my nose is probably playing tricks on me. Still, it adds a lot to this blend This stuff is strong!!! A little dab 'll do ya! It lasts a long time too My rating in the bottle/decant: 3.5 out of 5 (nice, but far too much almond) My rating on my skin: 4.5 out of 5......WOW! For once my skin actually made something better instead of the other way around!

I was sure this would be the most fabulous bpal ever. All the notes are so perfect for me. But alas! It was not to be. I am sooooo disappointed..... In the bottle/decant: pancake batter (not at all sweet, just very....battery. Stick your nose in a box of bisquick and you'll see what I mean), a little butter, and perhaps a slight hint of syrup (not really boysenberry....just a general hint of sugary sweetness) Wet on skin: about the same, except I can almost smell the boysenberry......almost Dry: bisquick (again, not at all sweet) with a little butter. Occasionally, I get a slight whiff of syrup (again, just a generic sugary sweetness). Absolutely NO boysenberry This scent is unbelievably faint on me I guess if you like the smell of pancake batter, this would be your scent. I was hoping for boysenberry syrup (and lots of it), butter, and COOKED pancakes In the bottle/decant, I'd rate this a 2.5 out of 5 On my skin, it's more like a 2 out of 5

MCXXX - 1130 In the bottle: sugared coffee, cherries Wet on skin: sugared coffee, cherries, plain cheerios (breakfast cereal), and a little liquor (very light and in the background) Dry: coffee (darker now, not as sweet), cherries, cheerios, and liquor (slightly stronger). About 1/2 hr later, the cherry note has faded some. About 1 hour later, the cherry note is gone, and the liquor note has faded some. About 1 1/2 hrs later, the liquor note is gone, leaving only coffee and cheerios I like this scent Don't know if I'll keep it yet though EDIT: Gone to cheshirecat!

MCCCX - 1310 Up to now, I thought I was doing pretty well at figuring out what notes were in my CTs, but for some reason, this bottle has my nose a bit confused. I'm sending this bottle to fairnymph (who has an exceptional nose), so hopefully she will be able to figure it out. But until then, here is my impression of this scent In the Bottle: peach, a little oakmoss, and a dark juicy berry of some sort (probably blackberry) Wet on Skin: the oakmoss is a bit stronger than it was in the bottle Dry: peach, oakmoss, dark juicy berry, possibly papaya, possibly a little pineapple. It kinda reminds me of Fae. Several hours later, the complexity begins to fade, and eventually it dries down to peach SN. This scent has good throw, is fairly strong, and lasts a very long time (6+ hours on me) Unfortunately I hate oakmoss with a passion, so this is definitely not the scent for me. This was previously reviewed by kimmer (not here though, on her sales page). She described it as foody, possibly fruity. EDIT: fairnymph has received the bottle, and here is her review!

CDLXXIV - 474 In the Bottle: dark berries (slightly sweet, fresh not candied....but very dark), pomegranate, musk, resinous notes (no clue what kind though....I've never been a fan of resinous scents, so I don't have much experience) Wet on Skin: The resinous note(s) is stronger than it was in the bottle Dry: It stays the same as it was when wet for quite a while, but after about a 1/2 hour, something lighter (I'm not sure what exactly, but it reminds me of white pepper), comes out over top of the darker, heavier notes. About an hour into the drydown, something slightly green appears (it's a very light green though.....and the note is very week). Several hours later, the green note, the dark berries, and the white pepper??? disappear (leaving only the pomegranate, resinous notes, and musk) This was described to me as foody.....uh, no. Definitely not. But it seams to be well-blended, so I imagine that if I liked darker scents, I would find this to be quite attractive EDIT: gone to AngelaTarantula Last reviewed by SueDonym.

CXC - 190 This bottle belongs to cheshirecat. Here is her review. She sent me a tester and I'm reviewing it just because I feel like it In the Vial: coffee (with unsweetened cream, but no sugar), sandalwood, and a little milk chocolate Wet on Skin: about the same, but with the addition of an almost cinnamon-like note Dry: sandalwood is the main note now, followed by coffee and cinnamon? The milk chocolate has totally disappeared. About an hour into the dry-down, the sandalwood continues to grow stronger and the cinnamon? is nearly gone This is the lightest coffee scent I've ever sniffed. It's well-blended and pretty, but it's not rich or sweet enough for me

DCCCLXIII - 863 In the Bottle: Yum!!! Tart apples and light caramel Wet on Skin: about the same, but with more caramel (it's still a light caramel, but there's more of it) Dry: caramel is definitely the main note now, followed by tart apple, and fizz. About an hour into the drydown, brown sugar joins the caramel. Near the end of this scent's life (it lasted about 5 hours), the apple and fizz have disappeared This is a lovely scent, but I very much preferred how it smelled in the bottle, to how it smelled on my skin. The caramel kinda took over. Not sure if I'll keep it yet. Previously reviewed by iiinterstate EDIT: swapped to cheshirecat

DCCCXLIV - 844 In the Bottle: This is lovely! Vanilla, french cheesecake (french because the note is only slightly sweet), lily (don't quote me on that one though, I don't have much experience with florals), and a bit of patchouli Wet on Skin: It's pretty much the same on my skin as it was in the bottle, except that the patchouli is a bit stronger Dry: This is not a morpher....it's pretty much the same as it was when wet and stays that way throughout most of the drydown. At the very end of this scents life though (it lasted about 5 hours), everything else disappears and only the sweet vanilla remains. The overall impression I get is a cross between Chaste Moon and The Oval Portrait. The lily and the patchouli keep it from being foody. This is a lovely scent and it's extremely well blended, but patchouli and I have never gotten along well. It's only a background note though, so I may decide to keep the bottle This scent was previously reviewed by Femme_Fatale EDIT: swapped to cheshirecat

DCCCLXVII - 867 In the Bottle:No clue....whatever it is I don't think I like it. If I had to guess, I'd say it was an exotic spice of some kind (sweet, not savory) along with a musk of some sort (not red or black though), and then there's something else....kinda sweet, kinda creamy, but kinda funky Wet on Skin: Thankfully, this smells NOTHING like it did in the bottle.....cake batter (sweet, but not too sweet, and not at all buttery), something close to cinnamon, and musk (again, not sure what kind) Dry: The cinnamon-like spice has grown stronger. After about an hour, the cake batter begins to fade a bit This is lovely....I might actually keep this one EDIT: I decided that I have several blends far too similar to this one, so this bottle has gone to Lauryn Previously reviewed by nightbiscuit CCXLIV - 244 In the Bottle: milk chocolate, and some sort of tart fruit (I don't think it's lemon, but it could be lime) Wet on Skin: milk chocolate, that same tart fruit (I'm really leaning towards lime now), and FIZZ!!!!! Like a chocolate lime soda (I imagine it smells better than it tastes) Dry: FIZZY tart fruit (I'm almost positive it's lime), milk chocolate (still there, but not as strong). About an hour into the drydown, the milk chocolate has disappeared (surprising since that was the main note in the bottle). About an hour later, there's a little less fizz, and the milk chocolate has made a reappearance, but it's a very soft note I don't know about this one.....it just doesn't last very long on me, and milk chocolate really isn't my thing (I prefer dark, white, or fudge). It sure is original though, so I think I'll keep it for a few days before making up my mind EDIT: swapped to cheshirecat

I bought these from sookster.....here are her reviews DCCCXC - 890 In the Bottle: CHERRY!!! with a little milk chocolate Wet on Skin: The milk chocolate is a bit stronger, and I think I'm getting a hint of booze (no idea what kind though) Dry: The cherry and milk chocolate seam evenly balanced now, the booze note is fading. As the drydown progresses, this becomes a very creamy scent (kind of like a cherry chocolate milkshake) I LOVE chocolate.....but not milk chocolate. I was hoping this would be more of a dark chocolate or a fudge. Cherry has never been a good note for me either EDIT: gone to sfsassy CMX - 910 In the Bottle: buttery white cake (it's not really a sweet note though), lemon frosting, amber?, booze (not sure what kind....but I would agree with sookster - it's kinda like rum) Wet on Skin: about the same, but the lemon is a bit more tart Dry: (what I believe to be) amber is the top note now, then the buttery white cake and booze, then the lemon (it's a very tart note now). As the drydown progresses, the lemon gets stronger and the amber fades a bit hmmmm....I think I would have loved this.....but the amber ruined it! Also, the lemon was tarter than I would have preferred (I only like lemon when it's sweet / tart) EDIT: swapped to djnevermore CMXLI - 941 I'm a bit stumped as to what a few of the notes are, but I'm gonna try my best.... In the Bottle: strawberry (but it's a sharp, astringent strawberry.....I don't like this note at all), something sweet and creamy (not at all buttery or cakey though) Wet on Skin: strawberry (still sharp and astringent), very tart lemon, something green like vines or leaves Dry: At first, it's the same as it was when wet, but the strawberry note is beginning to change.....after nearly an hour, the strawberry note becomes sweet, but still slightly tart (not sharp or astringent at all.....but not candied either. It's a beautiful note), the lemon is barely there, and I smell the sweet, creamy note that was in the bottle....only a bit stronger OK, so it started off really bad, but ended absolutely beautifully! I think I'll swap this one though, cause I don't have the patience to wait nearly an hour for a scent to turn into something I like EDIT: gone to tarotbydiana

DCCXXXIX - 739 In the Bottle: dark chocolate, black coffee, and a hint of sandalwood Wet on Skin: about the same, only not quite as strong Dry: The sandalwood is stronger and there's a hint of white sugar. About 1 1/2 hours later, the dark chocolate and black coffee notes have softened The overall impression I get is similar to El Dia de Reyes, but with more coffee (and without that funky hot chocolate note). Unfortunately though, this doesn't last quite as long as El Dia de Reyes EDIT: After letting it settle for several months, I've decided to swap it away. I just don't wear it often enough to justify keeping it