Monster Bait: Ventriloquist Dummy

[hkhm]

Menacing, maniacal, and slick with the one-liners ... this guy does it all with a wink and a smile! Savage apricot, depraved dry woods, and psychopathic patchouli covered by a disarmingly sweet mishmosh of caramel, brown sugar, hazelnut, and butterscotch. Be warned: this oil will instigate possession in most puppets, including some marionettes and the occasional finger puppet.

bottle: strong patchouli, lots of old woods and interesting spices.

wet: very woody, but also spicy sweet. this is like a very woody patchouli with something syrupy sweet behind it. this is certainly one of my more unusual scents but i am lovin' it.

dry: dry, sweet woods with just a hint of patchouli. i have a new favourite!

[oddly]

Usually, I like patchouli with hints of sweetness and woody/earthy scents, but sadly, this one did not work out for me at all.

I read someone else's review of Ventriloquist Dummy describing it as 'carmel covered pencil shavings and sawdust'; that's exactly what it smells like to me too..and it stayed true to that description on my wrist for hours...not pleasant!

Fortunatly, I got it in a round of bottle swapping, so I'll just have swap it for something new next just I get, and hopefully this Dummy will find a good home. ;P

[Lethran]

In bottle: Smells like patchouli and wood lacquer, with a hint of caramel. Eww, but appropriate. Wet: Still too much patchouli. The wood lacquer morphs to similar, yet more pleasing lacquered wood. Maybe that wood box holds candy. The food scents dodge in and out, mostly overwhelmed by the other stuff, but peeking out to say hello as if the box were opening and shutting. I am surprised there is no cinnamon in this, as it smells like there is. I'm liking it a lot better now. It gets sweeter as it wears. This is not a foody dominant blend like the other Monster baits. I'm okay with that. It is a very masculine scent, BTW, evoking cigar boxes and a hint of sleeze, yet maintaining an air of mystery. Considering by disapointment on opening the bottle, I'm extra impressed. Dry: Pleasant polished wood chest, hinting of shipboard travel to exotic lands. I'm liking it.

[suki]

my first acquired Monster Bait- i couldn't be more excited! ok, let's do this:

 

in the bottle: as i had hoped, it's mostly a warm caramel, with a very faint undertone of cedar. but not hamster cage cedar, light forest cedar.

 

wet on skin: oohhhh- the patchouli starts to come out and mixes with the caramel to make it a little warmer, maybe slightly less foodie.

 

dry down: BEAUTIFUL- a gorgeous mix of earthy, woodsy smells and sweet, warm melted sugar.

 

in all: i'm really happy with this, and relieved that my skin chemistry has been kind this time- i will totally wear this often!

 

 

 

[metaldog32]

I haven’t had much luck with the MonsterBait series:

 

MB:Closet-Boozy blackberry that wouldn’t let up.

MB:Tokyo Stomp-minty goodness that turned a bit stale and plastic

MB:Bloody Mary: Medicinal cherry cough syrup

MB:Underbed: Finally…something that works!!! A bit heavy on the cassia..but overall..a decent foody scent.

 

So now…I have MB VD; this one sounded so promising..because of the apricot, woods, patchouli and brown sugar??? I love fragrances that are a bit dry and the woods with the sweetness seemed genius.

 

Initial sniff from bottle: Eyes watering…it’s like woodshop…it’s in your face dry woods…overwhelmingly. No sweetness whatsoever..and it’s exceedingly dry.

 

Applied wet on skin: Dry woods. That’s it.

 

Couple of minutes on skin: It’s still the wood..beating me over the head..with patchouli in the corner…snickering. Apricot, butterscotch, brown sugar…you guys there??? Nope..they are MIA.

 

80 minutes later: Still woody…there is a trace of sweetness…but basically this is all the wood..all the time.

 

Drydown:Wood-it’s polished..and has a trace of patchouli..but basically it’s just a dry wood. Good quality though.

 

Lasting power is impressive; 9+hours with throw moderate

 

Bottom Line: MB VD is way too masculine and linear for me to wear with success. It may go to my SO; right now it’s slated to the sale pile. Bummer.

[vintagedlust]

I really really REALLY love this scent! It smells exactly as it should in my mind. Lacquered wood, a bit of a masculine feel to it, and sweet sweet caramel and butterscotch. To me, it smells like the Dummy was cleaned, lacquered, and then someone spilled something sticky, sweet, and yummy on it.

[othelloperrello]

Much has been said already on this 'n, but without reading many let me give my impressions..

 

PrimeroSkin

Exciting -- sweet dark spices, like streets with bright gatherings behind stout doors and windowpanes;

settling for a few precious moments on an orange that's been covered with cloves, and hung in the kitchen.

 

But this one does not stay -- it throws out its music and then settles close to the skin, subtle and nice, mostly pachouli on my skin. Not bad; since I only had a sniffish amount I may keep my eye out for a stray bottle.

'Twould make a decent evening cologne, though I like it a little darker : ~

[arabella]

First Impression: Sweet, nutty wood.

 

Dries down to: Patchouli emerges almost immediately and the sweetness tones down considerably.

 

Additional Comments: I had hoped for more apricot but didn't get it at all. On the other hand, the sweet notes, which normally scream on me, are held in check by the woods. The hazelnut is the predominant note and lays like a creamy veil over everything else. It's not what I'd hoped for but it'll be okay once in a while. Probably more as a room scent as it's a bit too masculine for me to wear.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

[brsis]

Initial Thoughts: Okay, from that copy text this is either the perfect scent for me or the worst scent I could possibly choose (I collect dolls. Lots of dolls ^.^)

 

Now, I'm really loving this apricot, caramel, brown sugar, hazelnut and butterscotch thing they've got going with this, but I am tentative on the patchouli in there. It has the potential to really ruin things for me.

 

In the bottle: Ok, it's really bad that all I get from the bottle is the woods and the patchouli. Smells like a woody cologne. But I want fruit and sugar, dammit!

 

On the wrist, wet: Woods and patchouli, with a bit of sweetness underneath. This isn't unpleasant - far from it, the patchouli is very well behaved - but it's not at all what I was expecting.

 

Twenty minutes later: This is all woods and pungent patchouli on me - nary a hint of fruit or sugar. Dissapointing.

 

Verdict: Swap

 

Tl;Dr: Woody patchouli.

[zankoku_zen]

My goodness. This is like if someone poured caramel over cedar. It is a sweet, woody blend. Not so sweet that it's coma inducing, and not so woody that it doesn't work. The cedar is fragrant and it's an odd yuxtaposition between the wood and the brown sugar sweetness, it's almost kinda nutty.

[Duck Mountain]

This is strong on me upon initial application, like knock-your-socks-off strong, almost entirely wood and possibly patchouli (though I have a difficult time pinpointing patchouli, in general). More than that, the imagery is amazing, because as strong and cloying as it is, it's particularly sinister. I think that's fitting.

 

When it dries, it gets milder and sweeter and much more wearable. As much as I love the wet / drydown stages for the vivid picture it paints in my mind, the drydown is what I'd rather wear for a longer period of time. The woody notes are still really prominent compared to everything else, but thankfully also much less sharp.

[angelicruin]

Unfortunately, this scent is all wood and patchouli on my skin (even sniffing from bottle). Try as I might, I cannot detect any of the delectable fruit notes or caramel. So sad. I was really looking forward to this scent.

[Mimosatique]

Wet: Gawwww almost offensive/dusty cig like dry woods AND patchouli. No apricot whatsoever. A faint brown sguar and hazelnut.

 

Dry: Much better!! No more dusty cig like woods. It has mellowed out... so has the patchouli..I can smell the roasting caramel and brown sugar much much better 40 mins after. Still no apricot..maybe it's apricot PITS in the blend!!!

 

Verdict: in theory with these foody notes, it should smell foody on me..but NO, not foody at all..in fact, it started out very dark, bitter, and rather offensive for about 5 mintues and when the DRY wood and patchouli hide in the corner and allowed the sugar and caramel to come out, it's really, really gorgeous... even SEXY! but very subtle, not the siren sexpot sexy..A very down-to-earth type of sexy. I think without the caramel, hazelnut, and brown sugar, i'm sure I would HATE the patch & wood combo! lol Such an unique blend and concept from the lab! LOVE!

[themerrybaker]

I get mostly dry wood and patchouli. I am happy that the caramel behaves itself for once and Ventriloquist's Dummy smells nothing like Gluttony given the similarity of the notes.

 

Glad I got to try it, but don't regret exercising uncharacteristic restraint when the bottle was for sale.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

Decant: wood, patchouli and butterscotch

Wet on Me: oh there is vetiver in there. And now the butterscotch and brown sugar

Drying Down: gone straight to vetiver with whisps of sugar

Dry: ugh. The dreaded vetiver hate for Coldie strikes again! The vetiver it does not likes me. This is on the trade pile.

 

[femmefatale]

 

Wet: Wood, hazelnut, with a bit of patchouli and something slightly sweet. So far I do not like this.

Starting to dry: The brown sugar starts to come out and sweetens it more. I really don't like this. There is something unpleasant about the way the notes are mixing.

 

I can't review how it smelled fully dried down since I had to wash it off.

[Andrea912]

Where is the mish mash of brown sugar, caramel, hazelnut, and butterscotch?

 

This is totally woodsey and patchoulish...not loving it!

 

Drydown: kind of peppery...ew

 

ADDED Oct. 9:

 

Very disappointed; I'm a big foodie fan, so the promises of butterscotch and caramel and burnt sugar brought me to this decant...however, this is nothing but dry woods on me; actually, it's more like sawdust.

[HelloValentine]

in the bottle:

 

i pretty much want this scent to have my children. seriously. it smells of candy - and only the most wonderful kinds! i can pick out caramel and butterscotch immediately.

 

on skin:

 

it still smells delightfully of candy! *swoon* there is a slightly woody and nutty undertone, but not so much that i fear elephant stampede and licking.

 

dried down:

 

sadly, the wood has overtaken the sweet. it resurfaces now and again, but more of a brown sugar sweet than the warm caramel and butterscotch that i fell in love with immediately. i can also pick out hazelnut which actually turns my stomach, but it's not so strong that i retch any time i smell my own perfume. i'm definitely happy that i got this one, although it'll still be a bit of playing with and combining with other things to really get it to the level of my day-to-day favourites.

[tragedy]

Tried this straight from the post office, unsettled, so if anything changes.. I'll post an edit.

On me, I did not get any of the foody smells at all.

I get the smell of myrrh burning.

Tried it on the hubby, whos chemistry is different...

He got the smell of myrrh burning.

 

I'm trying to think of something to layer this with cause I'm thinking it has to be good with something, but on its own... its just kinda making me queasy.

[Tess]

In the bottle - Very heavy on the wood and the patchouli, with a sweet undertone that I actually find very disturbing. It's like the caramel is trying to tempt me into some old attic.

 

Wet - Even sweeter now, if you can believe that!

 

Drying - The caramel has backed off to a low, glowing sweetness, thank goodness. It's very, very patchouli, though, with a touch of hazelnut wood, but extremely patchouli. Not as dark a patchouli as in some other blends, at least, and the other notes are at least keeping it from becoming simplistic, but I'm not sure about smelling so heavily of the stuff.

 

Dry (3 hours) - This has stayed very true to before. I smell like I'm an old, dirty wooden crate with bits of dried caramel on me.

 

Overall - ....yeah, not the best image to have. LOL

[hackess]

I tested this one with full expectation that I'd hate it.

 

In the bottle, it's all wood, with a drizzle of butterscotch. I'm not optimistic, but I toss a dab on my wrist.

 

I don't know if it's testament to Beth's magical blending powers, or if my skin chemistry absolutely adores this, but on my skin it's like a tamed Velvet Tiger. The wood note doesn't come through strongly, but serves to nicely moderate the other notes. I'm not amping butterscotch or caramel, both of which normally end up smelling like burnt butter on me. The apricot is at the forefront, just barely sweetened with a brown sugar glaze. It's gorgeous and sexy.

 

I only put on a tiny bit, so the throw isn't anything to speak of yet, but it's lasted for three hours so far with no signs of stopping. Keeper!

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL bought on LJ.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This sounds like it could either be really great or really terrible for me. I love wood, patchouli and brown sugar and I like apricot and caramel, but butterscotch and hazelnut are iffy...plus, the combination sounds very strange. But I'm game and I've tried stranger BPAL blends before and loved them. Plus, the Monster Bait scents make me happy, so I'll give it a shot!

 

First sniff:

 

Pepper? Peppery wood? I don't smell anything sweet here. I get a strong blast of very intense, almost astringent wood (definitely not pine or balsam, which I usually associate with that astringency, but I can't say what kind of wood it is) mixed with something very peppery that makes my nose itchy. This makes me think of white pepper heaped on some sort of lumber. Not the sort of scent I associate with the Monster Bait series, since there's nothing sweet and sugary here.

 

Wet on skin:

 

About the same as in the bottle. No fruit, no caramel or sugar, no hazelnut. Just very strong, peppery, sharp wood. I prefer my wood notes to have smooth edges, but this is very raw and splintery. Now, I can do raw wood notes. I love a lot of them, even. I adore cedar, especially when it's strong and in-your-face, but something about this is a little off-putting for me. It's reminding me of another scent I was pretty "meh" about. Tombstone, maybe? It's been so long since I tried whatever this is reminding me of that I can't remember exactly. It's not unpleasant, it's just not really appealing to me.

 

Dry down:

 

As this dries, I get a very faint sweetness wafting up from under the (still very strong, sharp and peppery) wood. It smells almost like candied chestnuts (a sort of vague brown sugar/caramel coated creamy nut note). But there's still that pepper overlaying everything. It makes me nose itch and tickles my throat. This isn't bad once it dries, but I definitely wouldn't say this is one of my favorite BPAL's (or one of my favorites from the Monster Bait series).

 

The bottom line:

 

It's interesting, for sure, but I don't get any of the things I was hoping for here. Wood, patchouli, apricot and brown sugar had the potential to be a thing of beauty on me, but Ventriloquist Dummy goes an entirely different direction. I'll most likely keep my bottle of it, but I don't see it getting a ton of wear.

 

ETA: After literally hours and hours (7+) of drydown time, this eventually turns into something smooth and woody/musky/earthy with just a hint of sweetness. This is what I wanted it to be like from the get go. Unfortunately, it takes way too long to reach this point for me to reach for this any more often than I would have already. What a shame that it couldn't get to this point sooner.

Edited November 9, 2010 by Penance

[strahlend]

This is reminding me a lot of Velvet Dogs Playing Poker. They both have a thick, rich, woody, musky, sweetness. I think this blend has more of a cedar factor to it though because there's also a sort of dry wood element too. This smells like fragrant dark woods and cologne - like in an old library with expensive imported furniture where men with good taste in fragrance hang out a lot. Very potent, very luxurious, very intense. I'll say it's swoon worthy. I very much enjoy this scent and I can't believe it took me so long to try it.

[arlith]

This is one of my beloved patchouli scents, patchouli and I are great friends!

I get a fantastic woody patchouli scent, that has a thin layer of candy over the top. I tend to amp sweet scents, but this one stays where it should be, a hint of sweetness-not too overpowering.

Edited January 22, 2015 by arlith

[ljaylh]

BOO to you, caramel and brown sugar and butterscotch! BOO, I say!!

 

This started off full of potential - a gorgeous wallop of rich apricot with a beautiful dry woodsy/earthy patchouli.. and then it all turned to burnt toffee. Well - actually it's burnt toffee with a hint of dirt. Not nice