Carnivàle

[Larila]

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

After going on all I smelt was sweet berries, I liked the wet version and there was a brightness to It.


Now about 25 minutes in the drying down process, the sweet berries was still there but much lighter and brighter also there was amber, musk and a spicy kick, which I assume was the carnation, this version was nice also, It was taken to another level, kinda creamy very nice this one had a great staying power, over nine hours It's a lovely light happy scent with a tip of sweetness, I can't say enough about this one I would put It on the list.

[pkwench]

Carnivale

 

Vial: I couldn't identify the scent at first, though it seemed somehow familiar. Upon reading the list of components, I realize that what I'm smelling is carnation. Spicey, jazzed up carnation. And it's pretty darn nifty.

 

Skin: Amber jumped out from behind the carnation almost immediately here, which is strange considering that amber's usually a late bloomer on me.

 

After 10: Wow, this is lovely. It's all warm, spiced amber and carnation over coy florals. I hope that the warmth and spice lingers!

 

After 20: This is so damned fine. God, who knew that carnation could smell like this? Well, Beth, that's who! God, I want to bathe in it! The creamyness of it, the amber, the carnation, ah, I love it ALL. Oh, yeah, this one's headed for the big bottle list.

[hadaverde]

This starts out a humid, spicy floral, but the warmth of the amber and musk creeps forward almost immediately thereafter. Time warms the scent further, the amber becoming wonderfully entwined with the carnation's spiciness, the berry note tempering the combination with a kiss of sweetness.

 

After an hour or so, the various notes mesh into a lovely incense-like scent with a lightly floral twist. This oil dries down to a near-perfect duplication of Gonesh #4 incense, "perfumes of orchards and vines". For over a decade, Gonesh #4 was my absolute favorite incense, and it is still in my top three, so Carnivale is a delightful discovery and is definitely on my "must acquire a larger bottle" list.

[AnnetteL]

Berries are the dominant note here, with the carnation lending spiciness, and a musky base. It's very similar to a scented oil I used to wear in my early teens called Mulled Berries.

 

It starts out nice but unfortunately, as with all the berry scents I've tried, my skin chemistry makes it get sweeter and sweeter over time and it just ends up being too much.

Edited December 5, 2004 by AnnetteL

[asa805]

This reminds me of a spiced berries and bubbly champagne. Presumably the heliotrope. This is delectably sweet and zesty and delicious. But Not too sweet and not too berryish. Its a very nice perfume and perfect for fall/winter and even spring/summer. Its so balanced and warm and cool and tingly all at the same time. I had a feeling id love this one. Im not much for berry's (im starting to adjust to it but prefer when it has a ncie spice to it - like queen of spades) but carnation and heliotrope are just lovely on me. I might definately have to invest in a larger bottle and use it mixed with lotion to intensify the scent which sticks close to my skin.

 

very lovely.

[pekeana]

Thanks to pkwench for letting me try this at lunch...

 

In the vial, Carnivale is berries and carnation, with a twist of softness beneath it.

 

On me, the carnation comes out strongly for the first helf hour or so, then the berries come up and choke me with the bubblegum.

 

I like it, but that bubblegum stage never goes away, so I'll just let this one pass by...

[yellowrose]

This was yet another contribution from belladonnastrap. She's da best.

 

Initial encounter when opening packet: berry and musk. Hectic smelling indeed. Berry, berry hectic.

 

Wet: Berries! Almostly immediately fades. Something musky-musty this way comes. Barely any florals as it proceeds to dry. Oops. A little rash not too far in the drying either. And only where it was applied.

 

Dry: I am lovin' the scent! Fades in a couple of hours, but to a nice NOT-powdery, soft, spiced floral. Noticed a little bit of a headache, but that might be from all the coughing.

 

There is more in a pending order. I may dilute it to stretch it. Hmmm.

 

I will miss it when it's finally gone.

 

ETA: Because it seems right to tell everyone ... Since writing this review, I did place a big order, hoarded it, found imps where I could from whomever... and now Beth has re-released it. This is STILL in my Top Five List, if not the Top Five. It's just that good. And, yes, I'm still hoarding the original blend. Will probably order the reformulated and find myself editing this post again.

Edited July 30, 2005 by yellowrose

[kimmer]

I am so glad I was able to order this before it was discontinued.

 

In the bottle, I detect sweet berries.

 

On, Carnivale develops the sweet spicy carnation note that I have always dreamed of in a carnation scent. The berries are present and merely add to the sweet spiciness. I love this.

 

Carnivale has a good throw, and a little goes a long way. Just a touch in my cleavage provides me with a occasional waft of this delicious scent for an entire day.

 

Hail to the lab!! I love Lush's Potion and have spent many a dollar attempting to find a true carnation scent. I have tried (and enjoyed) the lab's single note carnation; however, Carnivale reminds me of fresh florist's carnations--spicy, sweet, and intoxicating.

 

It will be a sad day when my 10ml (not yet received) is empty.

[AnaisSatin]

Honest to Gods it smells like carnation and ANJOU PEAR! Weird... I know.. that's what I smell the most of. It really does smell like a carnival! Bright, colorful, intoxicating, and bold. But I decided I shouldn't keep it if I didn't LOVE it more than someone else...At this point, my ex-imp is sitting in the hands of someone who ADORES it.

 

Lucky little thing!

[malanna]

At first, this rather made me think of a cross between Alice and Lughnasadh—a touch of cinnamon to lend the scent a bit of warmness and spiciness, with something milky (and maybe some carnation) mellowing it out. After a few minutes on my skin, this gets to be a bit more floral and sweet, the cinnamon and floral mixing well together. This is fortunate, because I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon. An hour later, the milk, floral (a yellow floral) and cinnamon impression continues. This is such a comforting scent. This is like a warm glass of milk or a warm blanket. Three hours later, it’s faded a bit, with the cinnamon not as faded as the others, so the impression is now that of a wool blanket. Wow, I just read the description. The spiciness is from the carnation. Can carnation really be this wonderful? (Rhetorical question.) Yum. This is gone in four hours.

[isyche]

Carnivale: Immediate reaction: Whoa, sweet! Berries! Agh!

(after a second) And yet not in that sticky fruit candy way that I hate...the carnation and amber are subduing the sweetness somehow, so it's more of a dry sweet golden-purple smell with a darker musk undernote.

 

I actually really like this a lot. And the carnation gets spicier as it dries...yum! No wonder there are so many carnation fans. It's not my all time favorite note, but I love it here. I wish this weren't discontinued now.

Edited December 12, 2004 by isyche

[Reinaluna]

Carnivale, Im glad that I was able to get this before it became discontinued. This blend really does make me think of a Carnivale with lots of excitement and sweet things to eat. I smell the carnation and amber real well. This blend is fun with a little sexiness blended together. I love it.

[Falathwen]

A forum member kindly decanted an imp of this blend for me to try after reading how sorry I was when I discovered a passion for carnation blends after it was discontinued. Many thanks.

Wet, this was blackberries on me. Tart and ripe…it reminded me strongly of a favorite herbal tea blend I drank in college. Just like that tea, this gave a sense of warmth and brightness much welcomed on a sleety winter day. The heliotrope, carnation, and musk are in the background rounding out and deepening the scent nicely, but not strong enough to stand out individually. After a bit, the amber comes in. On me, amber is always strongly sweet and powdery…not unpleasant but sometimes overpowering. It threatened to overpower this blend, but the tart berries kept it in check. This stage was strong and sweet…a bit like fruit loops. As it dried down, the amber and berries continued to be equally prominent, though I catch hints of the other notes. This is a very cheerful blend and lasts a long while. I would get more when this imp was gone if it were not discontinued. As it is, I shall try to use it sparingly when I need cheering up

[shelldoo]

I jus got an imp of this, and oh how I wish it were still available!

 

wet: cinnamon, that reminded me og Port au Prince

 

dry: the berrys have belnded beautifully w/ the cinnamon and the musk is gently simmering in the back ground. This is a gorgeous, fun scent, *sigh* oh the unrequitted love for carnivale

[Gemini noir]

Wet, Carnivàle smelled like fruit punch, which can be a good thing.

 

Dry, the berry scent grew brighter and more full-bodied ... This is a lighthearted, fun blend, but not cloying or too sweet. It does make me want to go frolic about merrily though. I didn't order an imp until it was announced that it was discontinued and I only tried it pretty recently. Bummer, this was a really lovely one ... a happy scent, and it lasted a good long time.

[Gin]

Wet, this smelled a like overripe berries and musk. As it dries, I begin to smell the carnation and bubblegum ... and more carnation. Mmmm... carnation. I think I can smell the amber in the background, but the spicy carnations definitely have center stage. This is so nice! I can't believe it's discontinued.

[harlequin]

Oh my goodness, I am in total and absolute love. I'm sooo glad I got a 10ml bottle of this when I found out that it was being discontinued. I'd only smelled about 6 scents at that point and this wasn't one of them, but it sounded really good! My heart is absolutely going to break when this bottle is gone...

 

In the bottle: Oh my goodness, this is sweet, and yet spicy at the same time. I actually got this bottle on Christmas Eve and tried it once then. I reopened it the other day and, oh my goodness gracious, it's even juicier than it ws then! Not any sweeter, just... juicier. amazing.

 

On: Mmm.. the berry and carnation go back and forth as to which wants to be in control. Marvelous!

 

After a while: and I mean a LONG while.. I think I can finally smell the amber and musk. This is such a long lasting scent, I'm so excited! It's not too heavy, which would normally mean it wouldn't last on me, but when I put this one on before going to bed, it was still there in the morning, and my reapplication lasted all day long, today!

 

 

Verdict: :heart::heart:

Carnivale actually ties Queen of Spades for my favorite scent ever! There will be much tears when it's gone. I'm sure the lab will be able to hear my cry of anguish all the way over in California.

Edited February 5, 2005 by harlequin

[byrdie]

TMI ~ According to my menstrual tracker, I'm due for my period to start this week.

 

Bottle ~ A light cherry candy scent.

 

Wet ~ This immediately reminded me of a bubblegum flavored lip-balm I had as a kid. It came in a tin. I rather liked it. However, it's quickly developing a musky component.

 

Drying ~ This is getting a little dusty on me. The scents are merging a bit so that it's becoming berry-flavored bubblegum, but lighter than before.

 

Drydown ~ It's pretty much staying on target -- like a berry bubblegum dusting powder.

 

Dry ~ Hasn't changed.

 

Fade ~ Faint, but still the same.

 

Final thoughts ~ It's nice, but it's not screaming "wear me again," let alone "big bottle" at me.

[Morgan]

Ooh berries, carnation AND Musk are 3 of my favorite scents

This goes on sweet, but turns spicy/sweet after drydown. The amber and berries make a very interesting combo, they really come out after a while. This scent was fantastic, it's a shame it was discontinued

[sarahjay]

very sweet berries at first - I'm not sure I like this...

 

but it's morphed into a lovely combination of the berry, amber & carnation. it seems quite 'perfumey'. I like this & would use the imp up, but DH doesn;t really like it, so I think I'll swap it to someone whe's missing it.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: i smell wonderfully sweet berries. lovely!

on: very, very fruity. like a really fruity margarita.

1 hour later: i can smell a bit of clove now, and the carnation is coming out. very nice.

3.5 hours later: still wonderful. lighter, though, instead of spicy.

8 hours later: still wonderful. a darkly spicy, fruity scent. really wonderful.

overall: it's a shame this was discontinued, since it's really, really nice. i'll definitely enjoy using up my imp.

[anmorata]

Carnivale:

 

Wet: Carnivale had promise. It came on all sticky-sweet, full of berries and cotton candy.

Drydown: Uhoh. Amber. I'd forgotten this one had amber in it. My skin amplifies amber above all other smells. Some people might find that pleasant, but I don't.

Long-term wear: My skin ate most of Carnivale, and left me with the amber that it didn't want. Sadly, not for me.

[bexone]

If I could beg Beth to bring back just one discontinued scent, this would be it.

 

Wet: juicy, red berries, but without the cloying sweetness that a lot of berry blends seem to have -- these berries are just barely ripe.

 

Drydown: the spice and florals come out as the berries fade. The scent is warm and red-gold. I've had people describe this stage on me as "Christmassy."

 

Dry: much as I love everything that comes before, this is the stage that rockets this to the top of my list. The perfect ratio of amber and musk, so that the too-sweet gold scent that amber gets on me is mellowed -- it's almost as if a drop of vanilla got in there by mistake. The best way I can describe this is that I smell like the inside of an ice cream parlor -- faint scent of sugar and vanilla, lightly chilled. Which is not to say that this fades quickly. If I put it on in the morning, by lunchtime this is where I am, and it sticks around until after I get home.

[wickedgoddess]

Preconceived Notions - Even though I am not much of a berry fan, I wanted to try this based on the name alone. I love Carnivale!!

 

Origin - Tarted imp received in a trade.

 

In the bottle - Berry with something darker.

 

Wet - very little, I can barely smell this. I think my skin ate it!

 

Dry - It's back! I get berry and a floral, probably carnation. This is sweet, but not too fruity. I like this more than I thought I would. It is giving me a bit of a headache though, and I think that might be the heliotrope. As time passes it gets much darker. I can't smell any musk, but I think it's what is giving it that dark tone. Later, the floral is completely gone and all that is left is rich, ripe berries and amber. I am not much of a berry fan, but this could make me change my mind.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

[Jessica]

This came in a very special package and I was above thrilled because I've been dying to try this one.

 

In the bottle it was a little sharp. Something bitter came out and it had me worried.

 

On my skin (wet and dry) it smelled like sick, sugary goodness. It reminded me of those bubblegums that are cheap and come in the yellow and blue packages? They have so much sugar that you have to chew through first before to soften the gum.

 

I love this blend. It's sweeter than I usually go for, but I thought it was marvelous. I hate that I have to ration it!