Carnivàle

[Muppetk]

Bright, intoxicating, hectic notes masking a twisted, corrupted core: sweet wild berry, spicy carnation and heliotrope layered over deep amber and musk.

First impression: ooh! swwet and fruity without being all life-savers!

A few minutes later: some of the florals are coming through. This is pretty. But where's the musk and amber?

10 min Later: darnit. My fruit curse strokes again. My skin always eats the fruit notes.

30min later: And it's eating most of the rest of the notes too leaving only something slightly sharp. Oh well. time to decant and share I guess.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Amber.

 

In the imp/bottle: This reeks of moldy socks!

 

On skin, wet: The dominant notes are the berry and musk. Underneath, the amber; a very sweet, pretty amber.

 

On skin, dry: This dries down into a very nice, musky amber. This is the amber that I get along with! Unfortunately, this is gone in less than an hour. My skin seems to love devouring nice ambers.

 

Conclusion: I love this, but I tried it three times in all, and each time, it was gone by the 45-minute mark.

Edited December 17, 2005 by Aredhel

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): This smells like sweet flowers to me.

 

Just On: Much sweeter than in the imp, and the flowers are still there, but in the background. This is the pink and blue and yellow and green and purple of cotton candy, though it doesn't actually smell like cotton candy. That's just the colors I see, the pastels, when I smell this.

 

An hour or two later: What a pretty and jubilant scent. It's very sweet, and the flowers aren't very noticeable anymore. It's just lovely on me so far. All pastel colors, but fairly bright ones.

 

Around 6 hours: Beautifully sweet, and I don't have any flowers at all on me, though I can see the colors of a variety of flowers.

 

12 hours: It's sweet powder, and still going somewhat well, though not exactly strong anymore.

 

Overall: This is absolutely gorgeous, much like The Living Flame, this is flowers that WORK on my skin, with sweetness that I adore.

 

After reading other reviews: Apparently heliotrope and carnation are good for my skin. And in this case, my skin doesn't snarf up all the fruit, so I get the njoy those as well. I'm SO going to hoard any more of this I get my hands on.

[Galena]

I do like this.

 

initially it's a bit sweet, like a fruitier aunt caroline, or the enormous Candy Fluff ballistic Lush made a while back. and then it goes a touch incensey.

 

all in all quite lovely.

[allidavie]

I didn't think I liked this one, but decided to test it again before placing my order today. On me, this smells like Cherry kool-aid that you made too strong, all syrupy and dried up on your hands when you've got some little kid tugging at you to hurry up and finish making it. No amber at all (and my skin loves amber) no carnation, nothing just cherry berry tutti frutti sort of smell. I have no idea of the age of my imp or where I got it from, but it's old enough that it was originally tarted, so maybe that is affecting the smell? But all I get is achingly sweet berry cherry (my skin does amplify almost the most minute of a cherry like smell into something HORRIBLE so it may well be my sking - no dragon's blood, strawberry, raspberry or anything like that for me)

 

Ah well, saves me some money at least!

[binkyboots]

brilliant!

 

the first thought that comes to mind is sherbet, it smells fizzy, sweet and spicy.

 

I'm not getting berries (thank goodness!) but lots of carnation, amber and a little bit of sugar.

 

I have a 5ml that I'm rationing carefully, everytime I take it out I'm tempted to slather it all over!

[quimerula]

This one is a very soft perfume on me, very intimate.

I get a bit of every note in a smooth blend.

It's a feminine perfume, very pretty on me.

[Ajila]

Wet on me this was sugared carnations. As it dried it became fruitier and fruitier, resulting in dark, heavily spiced berries. This was quite a close cloying scent, I imagine in humid conditions it would be too much for me. This faded after a couple of hours revealing the carnations again, this time spiced in such a way that they're pretty and flirty. I was trying this as an attempt to decide if I wanted to by a bottle of it whilst its around as an LE and I've decided not to, I like it, but there are very limited occassions when I would wear it.

[sarada]

This is the discontinued Carnivale, not the new LE but I assume that they will be somewhat similar.

 

This hits me right out of the vial with that delicious slightly cherry scent of heliotrope (note: I don't like "real" cherry but I like the way that heliotrope imitates it without having the quality that makes me kinda of nauseous in "real" cherry). It is somewhat bubbly and sparkling, but smoothed out with a mellow golden amber coating. The bubbly berries seem to almost tingle as I smell them, and the heliotrope adds its characteristic dusting of golden powder.

 

The amber and almost undetectable musk in the background help to keep this from being entirely fruity or cherry-powder, but it's still fairly light and doesn't have a real "bond" with my skin. I will definitely enjoy the imp because I love heliotrope but I don't think I'll have to go for a bottle, because I like my scents a bit stronger than this and my favorite blend for heliotrope is Greed. This is very much a festival, bubbly blend for summer and makes me think of crimson, orange and golden streamers and decorations hanging in a hazy summer evening.

 

ETA: Dries down rather spicy! The spicy carnation and the powdery remains of heliotrope form a very nice drydown on this...definitely worth having an imp!

Edited July 18, 2005 by sarada

[zankoku_zen]

I didn't think I would have the chance to review this scent and I'm really glad I do!

In the Bottle: Spicy rum raisins. Odd.... very odd.

On Skin: I smell spicy berries. It makes me think of the dried Chinese plum candies you can get. The smell sweetens to sun-ripened berries. It reminds me alot to Glasgow actually.

On Drydown: I smell the carnations now. The sweetness now reminds me to Alice.

Verdict: Too berry sweet for me personally but its a lovely, sweet light scent. I can understand why so many people love it.

[Celogrl]

FYI- this is a decanted imp of the original Carnivale. In the imp, all cherry cough syrup! On the skin wet, it turns into a lovely cherry berry lively scent that makes me feel very happy. I only smell a tiny bit of the carnation. As it dries, I am waiting for the amber & musk, but they did not arrive. The cherry berry fragrance is still going strong and has mellowed much like a fine wine. It really is a favorite and I may need to order a bottle before it goes away again. It's beautiful.

[AliBabble]

whoa, this one is great, i think. a bit bubble-gummy at first, but not in a "cheap" way. it's sort of "tingly" smelling. a little magical. happy and sweet. ...funny, i don't get a real fruity-fruit thing, it's well-blended. all i can think is that i visualize something like sparkles...it's an effervescent "fun" scent. me likes!

[lorajc]

2005 Version

 

I reviewed this long ago when it was a catalog scent but this is for the 2005 version. This basically smells the same as the old version, although I seem to like it just a bit more. Carnation can smell sour on me sometimes, but it's usually just a phase that only lasts for a few minutes. I do get the berry a bit more than I remember with the spicy carnation. The amber seems to give it just a bit of depth. This is nicer than I remembered. I'll get a lot of wear out of this.

[Lilithlefay]

In the Bottle: I don't get any carnation at all. In fact this is all juicy berries and some amber. Sooo yummy!!!

 

Wet on Skin: Almost bubblegummy, but there is the carnation. Definately spicy, can hardly smell the berries now because it is almost all spicy carnation.

 

Drydown: I love this!!! I think I will need to order a few more bottles. The spice of the carnation has definately stepped back a bit in order to let some of the other notes through. The berries are more in the background and just add a subtle juiciness that is utterly yummy, but the amber and musk swirl through this and make it really beautiful. There is a very mild floral that I can barely detect, is that the heliotrope? I would say the dominant note in this on me is the musk once this wears down with the carnation and berries playing in the background. Perfect.

[gingersnapp]

This is a head scratcher. On their own, I love berries, I love carnation, and I love amber. Heliotrope and musk, well, I don't mind them.

 

The blend is fruity, but the other notes kind of turn it... funky. Like fruit that's turned. Or fruit-scented beauty products.

 

I'm going to hold onto this to test again at a different time of the month and also to let it age slightly. Just to see if I get a better vibe off of it later. Because I really want to love this. It's just not working right now.

[yeahbutnobut]

Carnivale

 

In the imp: sweet berries and carnation. Has a slightly cherry-candy like scent.

Wet on skin: mmm, sweet spicy cherry berries! I can smell the heliotrope in this, and a bit of the carnation.

Dry on skin: this is quite nice! A pink-red fruity candy scent, with sweet amber, berries and fruity florals, a bit of musk too. It's a fun scent! For some reason, really reminds me of cherries and pomegranates, which is strange. It's got a dark twist to it, a bit of spice from the carnation, a tangy scent from the berries, a strong heliotrope note. It's got a playful, effervescent feel to it, but with a darker undertone.

After a while: black sour cherries. This is what this smells like. It's possibly from a combination of heliotrope (which does sometimes smell like cherries), berries and maybe the musk. It's a bittersweet, darkened scent, but with a tingling effervescence underneath.

Verdict: this is quite an intriguing fragrance. It's got a sweet, playful, candy-like feel to it, and yet it also has a dark aspect, manifesting as a scent of bittersweet black cherries on my skin. It's a pink-crimson scent, fruity, juicy, sweet, a tiny bit of floral, but with a bit of tartness and with the slightest hint of musk. A very unique and unusual perfume, fascinating yet fun to wear. Not sure if I'd get a bottle but I'm keeping my imp of it.

Edited August 25, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[oatmealneko]

Wow! Carnivale started out berry sweet, kinda spicy, sweet similar to Akuma, but not candy sweet. Very berry sweet, then as it dries, the berries faded. Less berry, more something else I can't place.

 

By the time it dried off - cleaning product! I highly suspect amber & heliotrope in this case, as Carnivale started off wonderful & turned into a stomach-revolting scent.

 

Yes, I scrubbed. Hard.

[darkwitch]

I really like this one in the bottle, it's a spicy berry, very yum. Once on my skin though it goes to cherry cough syrup, you know the really icky kind, and stays that way. Oh well at least I can sniff the bottle.

[LunaSea]

Carnivale ('05) is very sweet in the bottle. Fruity and berry goodness. As soon as it hits my skin, I get, "Wow! Spicy!" It makes me think of those red hot candies, even though I really don't smell cinnamon.

 

On drydown, a softer floral note comes out (you'd think that, after almost a year, my nose for specific notes would be better, but... le sigh.) Anyway, it still has that sweet-spicy scent to it, but that is balanced out by the floral notes.

 

Overall, I like the scent, but I don't see it as something I will want to reach for time and time again. I'll have to give it a few more goes to decide if it's going to stay with me or move on.

[delicate_fangs]

This pierces like the low note of a flute,

Sharp-sweet; here diverse flowers are, and fruit.

It changes on my wrist and soon becomes

A spice-wind chanting deep carnation blooms,

Yet something deeper sings beneath their note.

How like are love and danger, sung full-throat!

 

 

(Which translates to: I like this. It's lovely in a disturbing way. Very nice!)

[tempete]

Oh, I had such high hopes for Carnivàle because it is uncannily close to my "perfect" floral scent (I said: red musk and carnation; Carnivàle: warm musk and carnation!).

 

But the berries start our relationship off on the wrong note - sweet berries that resemble a bubble gum flavour. Not so promising. Then a weird note comes in and mixes with the berries. The scent dries down to soap and finally to powder (two of my least favourite finishes in the world). Throughout the evolution of Carnivàle, I can always detect the berries but not really any musk or carnation.

 

Alas, Carnivàle and I were not meant to be. The berries always got in the way.

[OdetteOdile]

Oh dear, I really thought I'd like this - berries, amber, heliotrope and carnation are four of the best-notes-ever-for-my-skin-chemistry.

This smelled so fruity in the bottle - even better than the old imp I had of the original Carnivale... However, once on my skin it immediately developed a rotting-cut-flowers smell. I keep waiting for that note to dissipate, but it's completely dominant.

(Astrid referred to "rotten cabbages" in her Buck Moon review, & that's just like what I'm smelling here - which makes me wonder if there's a new musk or other oil being used in the LEs that doesn't agree with some of our skin chemistries.)

 

Under the vegetable smell, I can detect a lovely fruity scent - I so wish that was all I was smelling.

I wonder if there's anything I can add to this that will cover up or transform the note that hates my skin. Any ideas?

(To make matters worse, I made the mistake of ordering two bottles of these. Oops. live and learn.)

Edited August 29, 2005 by OdetteOdile

[telesilla]

Why I tried it: Foolish I guess; I should know better than to even think of trying LEs. But it sounded nice; I love carnation and amber and musk and Beth's fruity stuff....

 

In the bottle and wet: Sweet but a little sourly tart as well.

 

Drying down: Almost bubble gum, kind of like Athens.

 

Dry: Oooo intriguing. I think I'm getting the carnation and the berry with a nice amber undernote. (suddenly, like five minutes later): yikes! Vinegar. WTF? After a few minutes the intense vinegar dies down, but there's still a sour note that puts me off. Ah well.

[darkling]

At first, Carnivale is dark, sultry berries. They are simultaneously sweet and spicy.

 

After a minute, the spice and darkness become more prominent and reminiscent of patchouli which I hate. There is also an unpleasant floral note that smells like something rotten.

 

I loved the initial stage of this scent but its transformation made it unwearable for me.

[rosered]

It's really sweet in the bottle, but as it drys on me the spice of the amber comes out to play with the berries and I can smell the carnation. Sooo lovely that I just want to inhale my wrist!

 

It's a keeper! I wouldn't say no to another bottle if one comes my way...