Midway

[tempete]

A bombardment of edible carnival indulgences. Funnel cake, caramel apple, cotton candy, salt water taffy and sugar tart.

Because of all the hype about Midway, I was waffling about whether to get a bottle, given that I don't normally do foody scents and the last time I gave into a heavily hyped foody scent (Spooky), it didn't turn out to be the magical foody scent that I adored and could wear. Fortunately, Shollin was kind enough to swap with me and so I got a decant of Midway to test.

Of the foods in the description, I can smell funnel cake, caramel and cotton candy initially, though the caramel and cotton candy scents seem to fade quite quickly. Something salty emerges during the drydown to balance all that cavity-inducing sweetness, as well as a faint whiff of that plasticky note that LunaSea mentioned in her review. Since I usually get a similar plasticky note with most of BPAL's vanilla blends, I think that the base for Midway is probably vanilla (which would make sense as it would blend very well with the foody top notes).

Since I don't like smelling like specific foods, I won't be getting a bottle of Midway and I'll be passing my decant onto a special friend who will definitely adore it!

[UltraViolet]

~Midway~

 

In the bottle

Oh sweet mother of God, I smell cotton candy and candy apples, and butter, and...everything good smelling about a midway.

 

On

Same smell as in the bottle.

After 5 minutes, it turns a little bit herby, maybe white lotus? But not alot. It's just a celery note that pops up in the background. It's um...the fated what I smell in blends at that "time of the month" celery note methinks. Unfortunately the damn celery note is relentless. I'm waiting it out.

 

30 minutes

The celery note has gone now, thank goodness. It smells fresh and cotton candy like.

 

Throw:

Average

 

Scent category:

Foody

 

Summary

Incredible soft, foody scent. A pure soft cotton candy scent. Nothing too strong nor too anything, just perfection. Not fake cotton candy, but the real thing, in fact it's better then the real thing.

 

Purchase again?

Yes! I may have found the only scent I like better or as much as Snow White. This is the kind of blend I would buy 6 bottles of.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best).

5

[Sistinas]

i got my swapped imp of Midway today. Okay, I am not a big fan overly sweet items, but for some reason I do like gluttony. Now as for Midway, here is a very quick off the cuff review,

 

first thought buttery pastry goodness

 

on wrist still buttery, but has gotten a bit sweeter and wafts of vanilla are coming through

 

drydown okay, until this point, I didn't get the it smells foody, but in the same sense it doesn't. It definitely has morphed more into a fragrance that does remind me of funnel cakes, powdered sugar, etc, but I don't feel like I smell like someone who works at the fair making these all day. it is not overwhelming, it is sitting there nicely.

 

 

Yeah, I think I am going to be needing some more of this, but i think this is a scent I will not need to slather. Seems the little bit I applied to my wrist is lasting pretty long. this is always a sign of a good fragrance for me.

Edited June 14, 2005 by Sistinas

[ChupaChup]

When I started reading the reviews for Midway, I was really surprised that so many people liked it, especially people that I know don't normally like foody scents. I was just gifted an imp of Midway by a dear friend and now I know why so many people weren't put off by it. I can hardly smell it ! I was so sure I would flip over this one based on the reviews, I love foody scents, and I've already ordered a bottle of it. When I first put it on, I can smell hot cooking oil, the funnel cakes are frying, cool. Then after about a minute I can smell the funnel cakes, yum. Then two minutes later, nothing. No caramel apples, no salt water taffy, no cotton candy, no sugar tarts. Where the heck did it all go? I do get a little waft of funnel cake for a while but when I put my nose to my wrist, nothing. I've used up half the imp slathering this stuff to see if I can get it to work but, nope, this one just vanishes on me. I wish it were stronger because I can tell I would adore it.

[Eros]

Lovely gift imp from an even lovelier forumite

 

In the imp, immediately familiar but couldn't place what it was. More on that later, lol.

 

No single smell jumps out at me as dry down begins. More of an overall *feel* and light smells of amusement parks/carnivals...including the rides!

After about...15-20 minutes, a subtle, slightly burnt sugar starts to appear. Finally, after an hour or so, there's the funnel cake! Very subtle, not really foody to me. Really nice, though! Nice throw. Stronger when my arm isn't up my nose Also get a light, creamy vanilla.

I do like this!! Not sure I'll get a bottle(watch me eat my words, haha), but I'll definitely use the imp and will treasure it always

 

So, hours later, I opened up the imp again and...coconut! That's it!

 

Thanks again doll!!

[violetblue]

This is freaking fabulous stuff - I smell coconut cotton candy and candy apples.

I only got a teeny sample so I wasn't able to slather, so my only complaint - why isn't this stronger??? God, I LOVE this though!!!!!!!!!!! And ordered a bottle too!

[blood*rose*flowers]

I am currently in tears over this oil

 

I am curious if anyone knows what the similiar notes are to milk moon in this oil? Since this did exactly the same thing on me and went all burnt plastic on my skin. I am going to try a carrier oil since I was told that could save it. I really wanted this to work.

 

I would do a longer review but the burnt plastic scent didn't sneak up on me like Milk Moon but instead only hit that note and never moved off.

[wickedgoddess]

Origin - bottle purchased at the Black Broom as part of the lunacy update, 6/23/05

 

Preconceived Notions - This sounds much too foody for me, but the rave reviews had me curious. And after all, I didn't expect to like Sugar Skull either. I really waffled over whether or not to buy a bottle. I wanted to try it, but probably wouldn't like it well enough to buy a big bottle of it. But the label was so darn cute that in the end I caved.

 

In the bottle - sweet and doughy. Probably too foody for my tastes, but I still want to try it out.

 

Wet - The minute it hits my skin, all I get is burnt plastic!

 

Dry - A little bit of unidentified sweetness comes back, but mostly this is the same plastic note that I got in Egg Nog. Bye, bye Midway!

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 1.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a word or two: Caramel and dough.

 

In the imp/bottle: Cotton candy, sugar and caramel!

 

On skin, wet: This quickly turns into a sugary dough on my skin. Fortunately, within a minute, the cotten candy and caramel are back.

 

On skin, dry: Sinfully sweet, sugary caramel and sweet dough.

 

Conclusion: I'm normally not into foody scents, but this is absolutely gorgeous.

Edited December 18, 2005 by Aredhel

[lokelani]

This scent reminded me of Coney Island, where I spent many a happy day with my family in my youth (and occasionally adulthood -- in fact I was just there a couple of weeks ago). Walking along the boardwalk, the sounds of the rides on one side and a view of the ocean on the other, and the smells all around me -- very nice. The only problem was that one of the notes -- I think it was the butter -- went a little "synthetic" on me. I can't really describe it, but whenever I caught a whiff of it it was jarring, and interfered with my enjoyment of this scent. It's a real shame, because otherwise it was lovely (for me the fried dough and the cotton candy smells predominated -- that's a GOOD thing). I traded the imp, because I thought it was only fair to give others a chance to sniff it, but I *would* like to give this scent another try at some point -- I may order a bottle, just to see if it works out better on future tries (fingers crossed).

Edited July 5, 2005 by lokelani

[blaqpearl]

This is quite yummy. I am not into foody scents too much, but I can definitely see me wearing this one. I smell like caramel, cotton candy and powdered sugar all at once. And not in that dirty,sticky toddler way. There is something underlying it all that i cant quite put my finger on. But that is okay. I am glad I got my hands on this bottle. Gives me more time to ponder the thought of getting another one.

 

ETA...So I put on alot more today and I get a different angle. This smells alot like Snow White to me...with a caramel and a sprinkle of sugar.

Edited July 6, 2005 by blaqpearl

[Gin]

Dear me. This is amazing. Funnel cakes, saltwater taffy, and candy floss, with a healthy dusting of confectioners' sugar. Midway is absolutely fantastic.

I *do* get a bit of that "plasticy" note that I got from Egg Nog, but you know what? I don't care. The top notes are so nice, I'll ignore the plastic underneath the powdered sugar.

[brownbear]

In the vial and wet on my skin it smells very buttery. Warm, sweet and salty butter. Very tasty.

Unfortunately, once it dries my skin does something weird with this and it fades off into a weird, sweet, plastic, powder. It's not working out for me.

[Shollin]

(Note: I wrote the "first sniff" review long long before an official description was posted...)

 

First sniff: Pick three or four different things you can eat at a carnival or an amusement park or a festival… three or four things that are absolutely horrid for you and have no nutritional value whatsoever, like cotton candy and funnel cake and those massive buttery soft pretzels with the big chunks of salt… blend them up and stick them in a bottle, and you’ll have Midway. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and salty, with a healthy dollop of vanilla, and I want to roll in it and put it in an oil warmer and make my whole world smell like this. But at the same time I’m a little afraid of it, because things that smell like this always make me hungry for things I shouldn’t be eating.

 

Wearing: It’s such a warm, round, glorious scent – not too buttery, not too sweet, just so, so rich.

[mobilejessie]

My first thoughts on Midway can be summed up into two words: Kick Ass.

 

Oddly, the imp started out as a very sweet apricot. I was very nervous about this because I had very, very, very high hopes for this blend. I'm a total foody-geek when it comes to scents, but I tend to go for the "baked goods" variety over the berries/fruits. Thankfully the apricot turned to apple on my skin, and the cotton candy, funnel cake, and other goodness came out as it dried.

 

I expected a more sugary-sweet scent to Midway, but it's more complex than that. To me, it's a very cotton-candy-ish scent that has a touch more than simply spun sugar. It's very slightly boozy because of the apple, and a teeny bit buttery/salty. It really does smell like the air near the food stalls at a carnival.

 

I'm very, very glad I ordered three bottles of this. It isn't a strong scent, so I'll be slathering like a fiend.

[olympia301]

 

A far subtler scent that I had expected, Midway does indeed remind me of Grog without the coconut and Jack without the spices. One thing that is grossly toned down with Midway is that woody backnote I get from Grog, there isn't much wood in Midway*. It's all butter and sugar and yum yum yum. I ordered 3 bottles of this and if I wanted to be a real pig I would layer it with Grog (which has some pretty awesome throw and staying power), and Shill and just wallow. Decending to the depths of depravity, touch on a bit of Pink Moon. Wow! Snert-mmmmmmmmm! Olfactory orgasm, olfactory orgy.

 

One note, you think that Midway isn't very loud and doesn't have much staying power but move a bit when you have it on you and it comes to life again tickling your nose and full of delight.

 

This makes a great pure amping note for blends that you think could use a bit of buttering up as well as outlandish on its own.

 

This one is pure hedonism, I love it and glad I stocked up when I had the chance.

 

*I have always smelled a wood note in Grog, but then again that is me putting my nose right down on it and you can get some fierce distortion from a blend by doing that.

[kmasden]

Midway doesn't need my review, but I'll feel remiss if I don't review it.

 

I'm not much of a foodie person - wait, i'm very foodie, but i don't want to smell like food I guess. So while I love the way things like miskatonic u smell, i don't wear it often.

 

Midway is a sweet, but not a cheery sweet, more like an evil dessert sweet. It's sweetness oozing out of your pores, because there is a quality to it that allows it to sink in deep and just become a part of you. Yes, it smells a bit of cake and sugar frosting and all things sweet, but it is also deep and not toothachy to my nose.

 

My dear ol' shelldoo made an amazing comment about the movie Michael and how he smelled like dessert. I totally agree...it's as if you were just oozing pleasant yumminess.

 

I love it! Now eat me

[pensive]

Late to the party, coming along all the same.

 

Midway is truly, all that. It's evil cotton candy, and light at the same time.

 

In the imp it is sweet and wicked, without being cloyingly so.

It does fade off, then come back for one last call - so don't be quick to reslather. I mean, I took a nap with it 'fading away' then woke up to a delghtful sugary smell.

 

Oh that's me. I say that a lot with BPAL.

 

It fades very quickly, and while I am wavering towards the second bottle but still part of me wants to also just catch the moment, and let it go when it will. Like the carnival itself, something lovely and intriguing will always come to take its place when the ride is over, and I don't always need to cling to the balloon, but instead watch it gently float into the sky to enjoy it the most.

 

Verdict: I await my bottle with happiness.

[yeahbutnobut]

Midway

 

In the imp: yum yum holy frickin' yum. This smells so sweet-like coconut ice and candy floss and toffee apples and fried doughnuts. Funfair food! And the smell reminds me of something from childhood-a hint of those scented rubbers and a perfume/lotion I used to use.

Wet on skin: I can smell something that reminds me of coconut-or coconut ice. But there's also something disturbingly plastic or dusty…oh no…

Dry on skin: oh no…it's sweet and candy-like, but there's also something unpleasant that reminds me of dirt and dust…I'm hoping this doesn't last. Damn you, skin chemistry! However, it does remind me of the dusty ground of the funfair. I think it might improve, I hope it does, because I love the sweet top note of this!

After a while: please don't fade…I think my skin is eating this scent (it must be hungry for funnel cakes!) as it seems fainter even after 5 minutes! The dusty note is much more bearable though, and I love the sweet scent that hovers above my skin, it's just so yummy!

After 15 minutes…wait a minute-is that toffee apples I smell? Yay, it is! And I can smell the sweet candy floss, and possibly the funnel cakes. Now I'm beginning to like this. And the throw's improving!!

After 30 minutes…yum yum this is so nice! I can smell the toffee apples, candy floss, coconut ice, marshmallows, vanilla ice cream, and fried doughnuts now! This scent is making me hungry! However, the scent is not a cloying, full on sweet greasy smell, it's like the scent of funfair food wafting on a warm breeze. there's also that hint of dusty wood or dried grass that makes it a tad more realistic-it's like I can smell the fair itself as well as the food.

After about an hour, it still retains that sweet scent-it changes though from marshmallows to candy floss to vanilla ice cream to funnel cakes/fried doughnuts to toffee apples all the time! It's like walking through the fair and smelling the food from the different stalls. It does, however, have a dark undertone-which fits in well with the whole idea of 'Carnaval Noir'!

At one point, the scent has a metallic aspect, which reminds me of the scent of the metal after you've held on to the bars of a rollercoaster or some other white knuckle ride, which is very fitting.

And now the drydown is like candyfloss and marshmallows. Oh gods I want to lick myself.

Verdict: in the imp, it smells WONDERFUL. An amazing blend of the most yummy sweet funfair food. But on my skin, it develops a dusty note that I'm not keen on, but then the scent fades away…but then, it returns with a gentle scent of toffee apples and candy floss, the throw improves, the scent warms up and it becomes delicious and sweet once more. Midway is to summer what Snow White is to winter. Both have similar effects on my skin (lovely in the bottle, strange when wet, fades slightly when dry, but after a while they smell nice again and become delicious) but of course, they smell totally different. This is a fun and indulgent foody scent that reminds me of Alton Towers, Brighton Pier, and my local fair (but without the stink of hot dogs and diesel!), it's very sweet but it's also soft, and not cloying or sickly. I might have to cave in and buy a bottle-even if I just buy it for sniffing the bottle or for the fantastic label-but now I love this scent and the way it brings up pleasant memories of funfairs and theme parks.

Edited July 27, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[inkstone]

In the bottle: I'm in the food alley at the carnival...

 

Wet: Sweet Mother of God, it's warm funnel cake and sugar-spun cotton candy and the tang from saltwater taffy all rolled into one!

 

Drydown: I'm really, really hungry now.

 

Final thoughts: A beautiful, gorgeous gourmandy blend! This stays true throughout its stages. Despite the fact that it is gourmandy and very much so in the bottle, it's relatively light on. Wonderful!

Edited July 27, 2005 by inkstone

[sarahmarie]

I love that Midway is so sweet and so foody, but so light and soft at the same time. I was worried that it would make me ill, but it doesn't do that at all!

 

In the bottle, I smell cotton candy, and a lot of other sweet things that don't really identify themselves. But on my skin, I can pick out cotton candy, fried dough, a hint of caramel, and the salt water taffy, which smells sort of like it tastes. I think fried dough and sugar are the two most identifiably smells for me, on my skin.

 

I'm really looking forward to wearing this to the fair next month, and smelling better than the midway there.

 

If happy, soft, and sugary sounds good to you, go for Midway. You may need to reapply a lot if you like a stronger smell, but it will be worth it. And even if you get no throw, you *will* have delicious, edible-smelling skin. Mmmm.

[inbigtrouble]

Oh my goodness!

 

This is beautiful, lightly sweet blend. It is not at all too heavy to wear in this blistering heat, for which I am grateful.

 

On me, this is almost pure cotton candy. This is just fine by me, as the only scent I wear besides BPAL is Aquolina's Pink Sugar, which is far too sweet for many to bear. Back to midway...

 

I get a hiint of saltiness (peanuts? funnel cake?) in the background, but the sweetness of the cotton candy definitely steals the show here.

 

No two ways about it: I am in love with this stuff! I will have to order another bottle before the collection is taken down.

[Mom23inIL]

I wasn't going to get this one because it sounded too much like Jailbait to me, which, no. I don't want to smell like a 7 year old girl.

 

I was so...so dreadfully wrong.

 

I honestly don't know how Beth does it. This is delicious. In the bottle it's one big, juicy caramel apple with a hint of cotton candy & other sweets in the background. Not at all cloying or nasty-sweet like I thought it might be.

 

Wet on the skin the caramel LEAPS out at me. It's a saucepan filled with caramel chunks that are slowly warming & melting on the stove. And just underneath is the juicy bite of a Granny Smith apple. I honestly don't smell anything else - no cotton candy, no nothin. I want to eat my freaking wrist.

 

This dries down to a rich, warm, soft, comforting caramel on me. The apple bite stays very, very light in the background & the tiniest bit of cotton candy comes out to say Hi. It faded after a couple of hours, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this.

 

I think this would be an excellent fall scent as well. Really reminiscent of making caramel apples in the kitchen.

[tart]

Simply put, Midway is sweet. If you want to smell like sugar, get this.

[Bean Rua]

Midway smells like very sweet Tahitian vanilla on me. *Very sweet.* Cotton candy, fried dough. No apple. No salty. Just sweet vanilla.

 

Before dry down, it smells all too much like a cheap vanilla scented candle.

 

Really, for me is *does* invoke the feeling of a carnival midway. All the sweet and junk and fried and calories, but no substance really.

 

While pleasant, and rather yummy, it gets...old...after awhile. There's just not enough complexity in this for me.

 

The better use here is as a layered scent. Anywhere you might need a drop of sweetness. I mixed it with Vice last night, an hour before bed, and I woke up in a haze of chocolate buttercream frosting. I've just put on some MMU Violets Are Blue lotion and now I have a candied violet thing going on.

 

Funny enough, I'm watching what I eat...and Midway is helping with that. The smell is really feeding my craving for sweet. I'm finding that I just don't really *need* to eat any.