The Candy Butcher 2006

[zillah37]

An exquisite, enigmatic woman sidles up to you, bearing a tray of strange, dusty curios, chocolate creatures, serpentine taffy, and candied skulls. Her skin is dusky, her eyes are heavy-lidded and sensual, her hair is the fine, soft white of spun sugar, and her skin is softly scented with cocoa. She holds a shrunken head aloft, and beckons.

Dark chocolate with a heavy cream undertone.

In the bottle: Cocoa. Thick, sweet cocoa. It smells like a very rich dark chocolate that makes you want to lick your lips and eat another piece. I used to work in a chocolate store and this reminds me of the dark truffles, sweet and heavy and rich and just so delicious.

On my skin: This pretty much stays exactly like it smells in the bottle. It's gorgeous and just so foody. However, the longer it stays on my skin it starts to get a little sugary and slightly plastic. But that fades and I think that's just a short phase because it again settles down to chocolate and cream.

Final verdict: This is a lovely scent and it's another chocolate lovers dream. Personally I like Bliss a little more, but I'm very happy to have a bottle of this onhand for when I want something a little creamier than Bliss.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Creamy chocolate

 

On Skin: Yay! I get to write the first review on this one! First off, the oil seems thicker than most blends. Wow, it is simply decadent. This chocolate is lighter than Bliss and Vice, I think that’s because the cream helps smooth it out… it reminds me more of chocolate milk. Don’t be scared, some people think of that slightly sour note that can come forth in some of the milk scents, but that is not here at all. It is completely sweet cream. I also love that even though it is decadent, it is not overly sweet… just like Dark chocolate should be. As it develops the scent deepens even more. This is not a candy scent to me, it’s much more elegant and refined. This is like the Queen of Chocolate… nothing cutesy about it. It has a medium to strong throw and a greta wearlength. I had originally only ordered an imp of this, but now am very happy I have a bottle.

[harmonyfb]

In the bottle, this was thick cocoa, like I stuck my nose right in a tin of it. When I put it on my skin, though, the cocoa was overwhelmed by a sour note that I'm guessing is the cream? The throw is all cocoa, though - from 12 inches away, my arms smell fabulous.

 

I don't know whether I like it on me or not. I think this one will have to be hoarded back and allowed to mellow (and be tried on at different points in my monthly cycle) before I make a decision one way or the other.

 

ETA: The sour cream note continued to get more and more obvious, until finally I went and washed it off. Woe.

Edited September 1, 2006 by harmonyfb

[Silverstrike]

In the bottle and wet it was hazelnut, not chocolate. But for me that's fine, because I love hazelnut. As it progresses, I'm not certain I ever actually get chocolate, but about 15 minutes later, it gets a little creamy. Then it reverts back to hazelnut, eventually smelling a little plasticky, but then I apply more. I love this scent better than Gluttony (too heavy on me) and 13 (not chocolatey enough for me and a little too citrusy, I guess). Haven't tried Bliss yet. But this is so nice and rich and foody, I think I have a new Top 10.

[Scylla]

I am a self confessed chocoholic and a lover of foody and gourmand fragrances. So, naturally, I was all over Bliss and Vice when I first started my BPAL obsession. They're good, but they're almost single note in their focus. Straightforward chocolate/hazelnut and straightforward cherry/chocolate. Of course Lump of Coal was a must try, and it one upped Bliss and Vice in it's amazing mimicry of the smell of brownies baking.

 

Candy Butcher is another story completely--there is definitely cocoa and vanilla in there, but this is not a totally foody "want to eat my wrist" scent. It's very much a morpher. It's foodiest upon first application, and then it gets more perfumey. It reminds me a little bit of Aquolina Chocolovers, but it almost embarrasses me to make that comparison because Candy Butcher is so much better! Beth has truly outdone herself here--this is by far her best chocolate scent.

 

And Candy Butcher has rocketed like Augustus Gloop up the chocolate pipe straight to heart--and my Top 10 list.

 

[blackheartedangel]

In the bottle this smells almost like nutella!

In the first few minutes after it has been applied, I started to smell a weird plasticy smell But after a phase it dried down to sweet creamy cocoa, much less intense than the smell out of the bottle. Yum.

[dawna]

Eeeeee!

 

In the vial: The Darkest most beautiful chocolate scent. Way different from Bliss or any of Beths chocolate scents for that matter.

 

Wet on the skin: The chocolate in the bottle stays the same while wet. It is a dark brooding chocolate. Its foody but grown up foody.

 

On drydown: There is that creamy vanilla undertone. Its blossomed into this amazing scent. The creaminess keeps coming forward and I swear it smells like the most amazing dark chocolate and creamy vanilla truffle you have ever had. While Bliss is whimsical foody, this is serious dark foody. I think those opposed to chocolate scents on the basis that they don't want to smell like a teenager dipped in a vat of chocolate should give this one a go. I think it will surprise you.

[Nachtwulf]

In the bottle, this might as well be Bliss... chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.

 

On, however, the foodiness simply vanishes, leaving a soft cocoa note and a sort of almost sourish quality. What this reminds me of, more than ANYTHING, is cocoa butter. The soft, silky cool sort I remember from summers as a kid, putting it on to soothe sunburn and keep down the horrid flaking skin. It's not candylike at all, in my mind... chocolate-like, but from wet to dry, it remains an echo of an almost-lost memory... of hot summers, twenty years ago, the community pool or the beach and a summer that would never end.

 

Not, I suppose, the intention of the oil, but there you go.

[savage_rose]

In the bottle: Chocoholic's dream. Delicious!

 

Wet: Wait, where'd the chocolate go! Is that plastic? Or a strange vanilla-like smell? Or an almost floral cream? And then it goes plastic, vanilla, floral cream all over again, like a cycle.

 

Dry: Slightly sour, but not unpleasantly so. It smells like Snake Oil a bit, but heavier and more pronounced. I am going to have to try this again...I don't know where the chocolate went, and the remaining cream isn't too bad, but it's strange. Unsettling...ooh, the true Carnaval Diabolique experience.

 

Dry after 15+ minutes: Toffee. That's what it is now, creamy, thick toffee. Delicious! Not chocolate, but delicious!

Edited September 2, 2006 by savage_rose

[abejita]

I agree with the reviewer above who said this isn't a whimsical scent, but a very adult one. Yes, it smells like chocolate, but it's a rich chocolate, very organic, with a sky high percentage of cocoa to it. The sour note people are talking about, to my perception, is just a hint of acidity that very good chocolate possesses. The creaminess, to my nose, isn't milky, but rather just another layer of richness. I think this scent could appeal to many people who don't want to smell like food all day.

 

This is amazing. I am astounded at how a chocolate scent could be as nuanced as this one. I will most likely get another bottle or two before the Carnival goes away.

 

The throw is fairly high and duration is long. Even with a modest application of the oil, you'll walk around in a dark chocolate cloud all day.

 

Edit: Three years later and this is still a beautiful scent. I loved it when I first got it and I love it even more now. The cream has come forward more and the scent is even richer, deeper than before. I hope this becomes un-discontinued!

Edited November 16, 2009 by abejita

[faifai]

I was making toffee this morning and this smells like that whole process.

 

I put this on and I smell creamy sugar heating up, I smell something rich and as smooth as butter, and then I get almonds, just like I did this morning! It's the smell of warm almonds whipped into rich molten sugary butter goodness.

 

And then it starts to smell like roasted, caramelized almond butter. Whaaat? I get no cocoa, no chocolate, no heavy undercurrent of cream...just a rather odd smell of thick, creamy almond butter. The kind that's fresh and rich and delicious and expensive. I'm still hoping for chocolate of some kind. This doesn't smell anything like Lump of Coal or Vice or Velvet on me, all of which had recognizeable "chocolate" notes.

 

I'm really very confused by it. But I like it all the same. Maybe I should try Bliss to compare it.

 

ETA: Well, Bliss turned out to be much better. Candy Butcher never stopped being a creamy unsalted, non-marzipan almond butter scent, so I sold it.

Edited February 21, 2007 by faifai

[Babylon]

Wet: This is my new favorite chocolate scent! It's a delicious deep, dark chocolate milk.

 

Dry: Plastic. The cream part went awry and took over. I can't even smell the chocolate anymore. Just kind of a burning plastic smell.

 

I left it on for a couple hours to see if the weirdness ever went away, but it didn't. I'm so disappointed with my skin right now.

[sarahmarie]

In the bottle, this is strong, sharp, and very sweet. On my skin, though, it mellows out quickly, leaving only a quiet, warm scent of creamy chocolate. Whatever gives it that creamy sweetness seems to like my skin, and while I'm not getting a lot of throw from the little test I did, I do get a close-to-the-skin chocolate that's really very nice and kind of sexy. I like this a lot. That's two winners from the Carnaval for me so far! Yay!

[Memnet]

In the bottle this is a definite chocolate experience. You can't help being reminded of Bliss except for that little bit of a cream scent that lurks underneath the chocolate. On my skin, the chocolate scent surges and then begins to back off a bit as the cream scent comes forward. For a while the cream scent gets a little pushy and goes slightly sour; I like sour cream, but not on my skin. Eventually the scent becomes more chocolate again, with a hint of the sourness. It's ok, but I prefer Bliss so I probably won't get another bottle of this.

[Gale]

In the bottle: Chocolate--dark chocolate with heavy cream--exactly like the Lab's description.

 

Wet, on son's arm: Chocolate, delicious and creamy.

 

Dry, on son's arm: This is not a foody chocolate. It gets creamier--almost musky.

 

After about an hour: This smells beautiful! It's reminding me of White Rabbit--that might be the cream. I like this better than Bliss or Vice, and I'm glad I got a bottle straight off.

 

I will edit if it smells different on me than my son. He doesn't like it though, he said. He loves it!

 

ETA: Having finally tried Snow White, yup it's in here. Sort of like Snow White with a cup of the finest hot chocolate money can buy...

Edited January 24, 2008 by Gale

[Magda]

My grandfather used to make his own hot chocolate. He'd heat cream or half-and-half on the stove and then grate dark chocolate into it. It was absolutely heavenly, and I've been spoiled for hot chocolate ever since--that powdered stuff just won't cut it. In the bottle and upon application, Candy Butcher smells exactly like that, like really good dark chocolate and cream to mellow the acidity.

 

As it dries down, I get an almost fruity scent. It's still mostly chocolate on me, but there's something coming out making it more complex, kind of like smoky fruit incense. Even though I can still pick out the chocolate, I don't think someone smelling this on my wrist would identify chocolate as the main note.

 

After another hour, it makes me think of a light musk slathered in cocoa butter. It's a lush, sophisticated gourmand scent, and quite lovely.

[AliBabble]

in the bottle - chocolate covered nuts, with a smokiness in the background. the smokiness is what makes it most delicious. on my skin it changes, quite completely, becoming more perfume-like, less chocolate-y, and i do get the faint plastic smell that others have noticed. it does get very creamy and sweet, and smells "oily" to me, the way obatala does...sort of like a creamy chocolate suntan oil, if that makes any sense (i know it doesn't). a touch of the hazelnut/almond nuttiness remains, which i really like. i also get the slightest tinge of a vanilla-mint butteriness, like a buttercream center. i like the way this scent has surprises in it. yummy.

[Diana]

Bottle: Somewhere between Bliss & Velvet; a dark, oily chocolate scent.

 

Wet: Chocolate... and uh, plastic. There's an odd quasi-floral/inflatable swimming pool smell that seems to be drowning out the chocolate note. Maybe it's a nut oil? I'm really unsure about this.

 

Drydown: The odd scent has dissipated greatly, so now it's mostly chocolate & cream, though it does smell a bit like chocolate + Coppertone from time to time.

 

It reminds me a lot of Velvet, but maybe my opinion in that regard will change after I've worn it a few times & it's had time to age. But yay for chocolate blends!

[blueroses]

In the bottle, Candy Butcher smells just like a dark chocolate truffle. It smells better in the bottle than the other BPAL chocolate blends I've tried. And yet, I can usually tell by sniffing the bottle if there's a note that's going to go funny on me, and that was unmistakeably present here.

 

So ... The Candy Butcher smells just like Bliss and Lump of Coal on me. I get a very strange plastic smell with an almost floral edge. It smells nothing like what it's supposed to on me. It doesn't surprise me at all; I ordered this on the chance it would be the one chocolate blend to work out. No harm, no foul.

[gangstaknitta]

Tasty!!

In the bottle, I don't get so much of the cocoa. It's a very warm sweetness, foody and slightly candyish, but not very sugary. It's a very warm and comforting scent, with an dark edge to it.

 

On my skin, the cocoa comes out more, but not a sweet milk chocolate...more like a luscious dark cocoa, with maybe a touch of sweetness...somewhere in between honey and sugar.

 

It lasts a long time (6+ hours on my "pms-skin" which tends to swallow most blends--ha ha, sorry for the overshare) and stays somewhat close to the skin--very sultry. I'm really diggin' this one. I can't stop wearing it long enough to try the other CD blends!

[tinyvulture]

Chocolate. Not the milk chocolate of Bliss. This is a dark chocolate, sweetened with creamy vanilla (not like vanilla extract...like the vanilla cream center of a fine chocolate). After it dries, it goes a little bit banana. Chocolate-covered bananas are certainly carnival fare, but not what I was expecting from this scent. That phase doesn’t last long, though. It once again morphs into dark cocoa and cream, slightly nutty, very rich. Long-lasting and addictive.

[LiberAmoris]

Mmmm, chocolate. Candy Butcher is very chocolate in the bottle, with a little bit of hazelnut, perhaps? But on my skin, the chocolate note slowly melts away and a buttercreamy note emerges.

 

Bliss is just plain chocolate on me, Lump of Coal is chocolate brownie. But Candy Butcher is like leaning into a blender that's making short work out of cream, sugar, butter, and pure melted chocolate. It smells like chocolate cake batter!

[columbus]

In the bottle: Thick, rich, dark chocolate, like the best chocolate ganoche that you could ever imagine.

 

Once it's on the skin, it definitely smells like chocolate cake batter (maybe it's the cream that does it?) I don't really care why, or how. All I care is that it is a perfect, creamy dark chocolate scent.

 

I'll probably be buying another bottle of this before the Carnval goes away.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: melting chocolate

 

wet: chocolate

 

as it dries it gets a bit creamier, i do get something akin to hazelnut, or coffee of some gourmet variety. this is almost like a cup of mocachino w/ double cream. yummy

[lorajc]

You peeps are gonna start thinking Beth's paying me to advertise her Carnivale blends. I can't believe how good they are so far. This is no exception. Again...I don't usually like chocolate blends. Bliss was okay and Vice was okay....Gluttony...just okay.....this, on the other hand is exquisite because of the cream!!! I will definitely wear this a lot. It's not real sweet, but it's very creamy and deep chocolate, but the cream is heavier than the chocolate on me.....which I like very much!!