Monster Bait: biggerCritters

[shelldoo]

A deceptively sweet scent; just like the Critters themselves, the perfume is fluffy, poofy, soft, snuggly, and googly! Five vanillas with Moroccan jasmine, white gardenia, and pink grapefruit. The bottles that accompany the Critters have a grr-specially kyoot label, designed by Jennifer Williamson.

in the bottle: soft citrus, i was thinking orange at first but now i realize it is grapefruit, and soft vanilla.

wet: jasmine, but softer then usual jasmine. and vanilla, w/ a hint of pink grapefruit i also get a hint of the sweet waxy gardenia

as this dries it retains a very soft, fluffy feel indeed. it is sweet, and floral, and feminine the jasmine, surprisngly, is behaving itself and it is a vanilla/gardenia blend. no sign of the citrus anymore. just a very innocent, fluffy, feel good scent.

eta after quite a bit of drytime, this reminds me strongly of underpants w/ a soft floral background

and after a few hours, it is almost completely like underpants, maybe underpants' wee innocent sister Edited September 12, 2007 by Shollin

[LittleGreyKitten]

I get an Underpantsy feeling from this too, despite the floral-ness. I am not a big floral fan but I like Critterbait here. The vanilla seems to make the flowers all nice and palatable for me, though the vanilla is pretty mild and tame. This does have a hint of citrus tang to it too. While jasmine is usually a no-go for me, and even though I can actually pick it out in this blend, it works for once. Yay Critterbait! This is a soft skin scent- not aggressive at all, no way I'm going to get a headache from this blend. I would definitely classify this as a floral though- perhaps one of the most wearable I've ever run into, but a floral none the less. The grapefruit is mostly present as a background hint of tart bitterness.

 

5 out of 5, though it fades fairly fast on me.

 

EDITED TO ADD: The throw is all vanilla, and apparently it's a lot more noticeable than I would have guessed, at least for about a half hour. When first I put it on at work I had a bunch of people say "What's that yummy smell? Cake?" So even if it seems like Flowered Underpants to me up close, it's all vanilla from arms length.

 

AND EDITED AGAIN: I got some backup that has the plain label, sans Critter. It's different! Quite noticeably so... I'd even say that it is almost as dramatic as the difference of Snake Oil vs. Boomslang or something. I like it even more, which is hard to imagine, as I used up 1/4 bottle of original-with-critter. The non critter plain bottle kind is much less jasminey, by far. The vanilla is deeper and foodier. I have to say it's even more amazing. The grapefruit is just a bare, bare hint in this, also less noticeable than the first run. I noticed after I added this someone else thought the exact same thing a few reviews below.

Edited June 7, 2007 by LittleGreyKitten

[jj_j]

White florals, especially jasmine, are not something I do well with. I tend to get a headache, and they amp on my skin like crazy, which increases the headache to a railroad spike through my brain. Needless to say, I ordered my critter for love of my critter, and figured someone else would enjoy the scent.

 

That said, I will not be giving up my bottle of biggerCritters. It's jasmine, but it's the first jasmine I can wear, and I love it. Definitely soft and sweet, and I love the citrus scent that flits in and out in the first half-hour of wear. I don't ever get the waxy celery seed note I expect from the gardenia, just soft, sweet, vanilla-y floral fluff.

 

My mother used to buy glass jars of marshmallow fluff when I was a kid, and every once in a while, when she wasn't looking, my father and brother and I would dip our fingers in and lick the fluff right off of them. biggerCritters smells like marshmallow fluff feels on your tongue.

Edited May 17, 2007 by jj_j

[Rheliwen]

This has a real citrus zing, reminiscent of the bases for the 13 blends but grapefruit and not orange. It's like pink grapefruit dipped in white chocolate. The vanilla is a wonderful creamy antique lace-y backdrop to the tart grapefruit. In the middle we have the florals. They are a little sharp because of the grapefruit but smell heavenly. Moroccan jasmine is nothing like the regular jasmine everyone hates...it works for me. It's sweeter and less cloying than regular jasmine. I wish more people would give it a try but I digress...

 

This is a wonderful blend and is almost edible. People who like tart, grapefruit blends like Hungry Ghost Moon will like this one, you will need to like vanilla though.

[DangerInRed]

The gardenia is strong with this one. I can smell a little vanilla and possibly the grapefruit in the background, but right now this is mostly gardenia. Vanilla-y gardenia, but if your skin amps gardenia it goes all gardenia. Gardenia.

 

 

ETA: Drydown is a very light vanilla, but all vanilla. If only the drydown were the initial scent!

 

Another edit: Okay, so maybe it isn't as much gardenia-y as I thought. I tried a tiny bit this time, and can really smell the grapefruit and jasmine coming through. It does remind me of Hungry Ghost Moon a little, but more florally.

Edited April 15, 2007 by DangerInRed

[oakmoss]

I fully intended that this perfume would go up for swaps untried, as jasmine, gardenia, and grapefruit are all notes that don't work on me at all. I just wanted the critter! So imagine my delight at finding that this blend is lovable all on its own. The vanillas muffle the sharpness of the white blossoms and citrus to make a perfect combination of creamy and sparkly. It's fresh and light, not perfumey or heavily floral, just happy and playful. It is also subtle, and on me at least, fades VERY fast. I've applied it twice in the last hour or two and it's gone again. Usually jasmine sticks around way longer than I'd like, so this blend is mysterious in many ways. Don't be afraid of the individual notes -- try it!

Edited April 13, 2007 by oakmoss

[tarotbydiana]

Monsterbait: biggerCritters is a jubilant scent, filled with effervescent merrymaking. The vanilla is like a distant, fluffy cloud high above a playground speckled with blossoms. The flowers and citrus seem like they are riding a bright yellow see-saw teetering back and forth between gardenia and grapefruit. The jasmine doesn't want to come out and play, finding the company a tad too silly. The pink grapefruit sticks out her tongue.

 

I am reminded of the cheeriness of Et Lux Fuit with an added scoop of vanilla ice cream. Despite the description of five vanillas it's more of a golden citrus bouquet than a mouthful of cake. The scent is a sunny day with a plush, huggable critter. Wear your pigtails and polka dots!

[kwelge]

I adored my critter from the get-go, but I was so worried about the MB:bC scent due to the jasmine. Let me say now, on me, jasmine as a rule amps to nightmarish stinky-sweet soap and hangs about like a bad case of bronchitis. It waylays other notes and beats them senseless. I have never seen an exception... until now.

 

Imagine my incredible surprise and delight when, despite the initial whiff of strong jasmine combined with citrus from the bottle, the vanillas effortlessly gang up on that jasmine, beat it into cowed submission, and keep it under tight control.

 

The jasmine and citrus show up at the beginning, but on drydown the main note is the soft, sweet vanillas, with an undercurrent of lightness that (I think) is derived from the gardenia and grapefruit. Soft, fuzzy, snuggly white fur is the impression I get -- it's how my fella's cat's belly should smell!

 

Not a lot of throw -- starts out strong, fades to a little stronger than a skin scent on drydown. Lasts for 3-5 hours at the skin-scent intensity.

 

It's an utter delight to wear -- I've been all over it ever since I received Slobbering Blossom! I may need another bottle.

[smallvoice]

First of all, much and to the person who sent me this decant!

 

I was worried about trying Euphrosyne (stay with me, here- this is a biggerCritter review, I know) because of the strong floral base, but it was shockingly pretty on me. BiggerCritters is sort of like that on me. It reminds me VERY MUCH of Euphrosyne, because I apparently amp the gardenia.

 

I'm not getting any citrus, which is sad, because I adore sweet citrus. I wanted Et Lux Fuit with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, but I'm basically getting... Euphrosyne, with no rose. It is very lovely- I like Euphrosyne, after all, but I wish I got the complexity that I can smell from the decant, dangit. That's a bit of a downer... Guh, I need to break down and save up for a scent locket. I'll have to retry this later in the month, I suppose, but I suspect that gardenia, while it tries to be polite and lovely on my skin, it is simply overwhelming.

[sookster]

straight sniff from the imp is a heady, rich vanilla and jasmine~

a slight grapefruity, citrus twinge too!!

 

while i normally cannot wear jasmine of any kind, the note in this blend

is astonishing...very light and delicate when combined with the vanilla and

citrus

 

this is such a beautiful scent indeed and i am thrilled to have a small dose

of it to sniff from time to time...

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle this kinda reminds me of Midnight on the Midway. Crisp, citrus air, midnight florals, and some candy sweetness. The boy said "flowers and citrus" and "smells nice." I was worried about the florals & fruit in this... I dislike jasmine and grapefruit especially. To my surprise, I really love this blend though. The words that keep popping into my head to describe it are 'tart and fluffy.' All of the notes are on their best behavior with not one of them going off or offensive on my skin.

 

The florals here are sexy and sweet (slightly creamy and tart) rather than being the perfumey florals that I fear. The pink grapefruit isn't sharp like most of BPAL's citrus; it adds a tart, juicy twist to the blend. And the vanillas are...

 

The vanilla comes out more in the drydown (as the citrus juiciness fades) and this just gets better and better. This Monster Bait is a floral that I can wear.

 

(As an odd aside, Too Faced's quickie chronicle makeup palettes have a similar tart fruit & candied vanilla smell that I get from this - and I always wished I could smell like those palettes, lol).

 

I'm rambling. I always ramble when I love a scent. This is great stuff. I'm definitely getting several more bottles when it is more readily available.

 

ETA: The drydown of this smells exactly like La Maison de la Vanille's "Vanille Divine des Tropiques" on me.

Edited April 29, 2007 by Blood onmy hands

[nikkoblue]

I also got the initial similarity to Midnight on the Midway, with the addition of Enraged Bunny Musk . At first this goes on fairly floral and kind of sharp, but in a few seconds it loses the florals and you can smell the grapefruit just lingering around. The whole time, the scent is sweet, and as it's drying down it is very similar (on me) to Bunny Musk with grapefruit. I don't really love this scent until about 30 minutes into it, then it becomes one that I will most likely never consider getting rid of. The vanilla/sugar/grapefruit combination is amazing.

 

soft fluffy critters on my skin!

[yeahbutnobut]

Monster Bait: BiggerCritters

 

In the decant: tangy greenish-pink grapefruit with a sweet vanilla-floral undertone.

Wet on skin: fizzy sharp grapefruit juice and flowery vanilla. Oddly, I am getting the greenish tinged furry musk from Buck Moon and Enraged Bunny Musk too. No ‘evil gardenia’ yet!

Dry: oh, this is such a fun scent! Neither the gardenia nor the jasmine are going awry on me. The dominant note is the grapefruit, sweetened delightfully by vanilla sugar, with hints of flowers all around. I also get the furry musk from other ‘mammal musk’ scents, right up to the hint of grassy greenness such scents tend to have. It even has a hint of Dorian about it. Indeed, this reminds me of Enraged Bunny Musk, with added citrus and vanilla. This is such a happy fresh sweet scent!

After a while: the grapefruit fades away slowly, letting the vanilla and floral notes come out. There’s still an effervescent tang, almost reminiscent of green tea, but now there’s a lovely velvety-creamy vanilla-jasmine. The jasmine in here is gorgeous, not the scary stuff that turns metallic and bitter, but a jasmine that smells like Lush Fairy Jasmine. And I love FJ. The vanilla does remind me of the one in Underpants, and also reminds me a little bit of Euphrosyne, Regan and Peitho (all favourites) as well.

It gets smoother over time, less citrus-y, and turns into the most gorgeous vanilla-jasmine scent. I love vanilla and jasmine together, and in here the combination is perfect. Soft summery sultry petals surrounded by the creamy softness of vanilla. This is so delicious.

The floral notes, now a little drier and sharper but not nasty at all, get a little stronger after a few hours.

Verdict: at a time when I worry that my skin chemistry is turning anti-jasmine, and with skin that normally hates gardenia, I am so pleased that this gorgeous scent works on me. At first, there’s a sharp bite of grapefruit. Not a bitter grapefruit but a tangy, juicy scent with something grassy to it, and I even smell a hint of warm fuzzy musk and greenery, the like Enraged Bunny or the ornery hedgehog musk in Croquet, with grapefruit and sweet vanilla. As the grapefruit fades, the vanilla and some beautiful jasmine and gardenia notes come out, and the scent becomes a delightful tropical vanilla-floral fragrance. Jasmine and vanilla are so good when they are paired up, and this blend highlights this magnificently. It is wonderful to find a jasmine that works on me-but then again, I think Moroccan jasmine (along with night-blooming and sambac or motia attar) is one of those that usually works fine on my skin. This smells exotic and sweet and fluffy all at once, and I think I need another bottle-this is a wonderful vanilla scent for summer.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Oh yes, I need more.

If you like this, try: Croquet, Dorian, Enraged Bunny Musk, Euphrosyne, Peitho, Regan, Perfumed Garden, Theodosius, Underpants

[captainoats]

I got my bottle of biggerCritters this morning and couldn't resist testing it.

 

In the bottle: Hello, warm vanilla. Much deeper and warmer than I expected it to smell - I was thinking lighter and fluffier. Some grapefruit and jasmine in there too, but barely.

 

Wet: The vanilla is still there, but the grapefruit is showing up now. There's a floral aspect to it too, but if you didn't know it was jasmine and gardenia you probably wouldn't be able to pick them out.

 

Drying: Still not as 'fluffy' as I expected it to be - not as sweet or light, I guess. It's still lovely, though. Very soft and warm, and kind of fuzzy (that's like fluffy's cousin, right?). Warm vanilla, but light enough that it's not overwhelming, with a bit of a floral backdrop. The grapefruit pretty much went .

 

Final Verdict: I'm glad I got a bottle - I'll definitelu be wearing it. Sweet without being foody or fruity or heavy, which most of my favorites are.

Edited May 16, 2007 by captainoats

[jessiesquash]

A-ha, she says dramatically, this is what jasmine is supposed to smell like!

 

I'm so glad that I didn't pass this one up because of the jasmine. You see I think jasmine smells gorgeous, delicate and exotic. When it's not on my skin. On my skin it's pure yuck. Somehow, quite magically, this jasmine is behaving. I can smell the delicate petals and the lovely green stems. And then there's the vanilla just making it all gorgeous and creamy. I'm not getting any citrus, but with jasmine and vanilla to contend with, it's no great wonder.

 

There is a brief period of the drydown where, as a coworker puts it, it smells like root beer! That almost made me run for the bathroom because even if I liked root beer (which I don't) I don't want to smell like it. I stuck it out though, and that phase passed rather quickly.

 

Now I'm just getting warm fuzzy vanilla-coated jasmine. Ooh and what is that....sandalwood? Yum!

 

Edited to add: I can't wait to slip the bottle into the Duke of Darkness' empty little pocket.

Edited May 16, 2007 by jessiesquash

[Iceblink]

This smells so much more sophisticated than something with "critter" in the name should. When first applied it's the jasmine attack of doom on me, but it settles down into something so soft and sweet! The grapefruit is just barely barely there but the vanilla and jasmine are really nice together--and very warm; this is going to be a great way to wear vanilla when it's hot out. Not a blend I'd have picked if it hadn't been for the good reviews, since jasmine and gardenia can smell way too strong on me, but it works nicely, and I hope with some aging the vanilla will be even more prominent.

[Shannihilation]

In the bottle this is all vanilla. Like cookies. It smells so yummy. I tried this initially when Melissa came to see me before I moved. She thought it went to Play-Doh on her and had me smell it. I thought she smelled awesome so she let me try some and I fell in love. I smelled myself all day long. That amused her lots but I seriously could not stop sniffing myself. The longer this was on the better it smelled.

 

Wet on my skin, it's still almost all vanilla but I can pick out just a bit of the pink grapefruit coming through adding just a little "peekaboo" to the scent. After awhile the jasmine comes through but it doesn't stay noticeable for long. The scent smoothes back out into a sweet, foody scent. Kind of like walking into a bakery or a doughnut shop. The vanillas in this are incredible. And I have no doubt that I'll sit here and sniff myself all night tonight. I already know I'm gonna need more. Lots more. Lots.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

sugary vanilla

 

On me:

The very first smell I get when I put this on my skin is a bright citrus vanilla. Whoever compared it to Midnight on the Midway is dead on. It REALLY does smell like that at first (the citrus smells more lemony than grapefruit-y). It only takes a few moments though before - DUN DUN DUNNNNN diapery jasmine kicks in! I knew better, I really did. Jasmine never just "works" on me.

 

Thankfully though - the vanillas actually keep this from being AWFUL. And what's strange is that one time I can sniff my arm and I get those warm and sugary vanillas (one of which smells kind of nutty by the way, sort of hazelnut like - the same sort of note I get in Sugar Cookie and Sugar Skull) with a hint of grapefruit. And then the next time I can sniff my arm and I get JASMINE and it's really unpleasant. Very odd and it's keeping me from really deciding on whether or not this is a keeper or not.

 

Final note:

If you are like me, and have trouble with jasmine - it's a pretty safe bet this will be no different. And I need to let this be my lesson in listening to my gut instinct where jasmine is concerned. I don't LOVE this blend but I don't hate it either. I'm keeping my bottle for now so I can wear it a few times and see if I like it enough to keep the bottle or not. If it weren't for that jasmine, this would be a blend I'd love though.

[ACVail24]

Monster Bait: BiggerCritters

 

OOOO - Nothing but components that love my skin?!

SIGN ME UP RIGHT AWAY!

 

In the Bottle:

I smell jasmine! but this is a soft jasmine, not the overpowering jasmine that I love so much (& loves me right back)

there is also some juicyness coming through - must be the grapefruit!

 

On my Skin, Wet:

Yummy! I'm amping the soft jasmine somewhat, and the vanillas are starting to peek around the corner too.

Maybe there's a little bit of shy gardenia making an appearance as well, but it's very very faint at this point.

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Less jasmine now, but lots more vanilla and gardenia!

I think the grapefruit note has gone a touch over-ripe on me, but it's barely noticeable.

the jasmine waves from behind the curtain of vanilla and gardenia once in a while.

Just lovely!

 

This Monster Bait doesn't have a whole lot of throw on me - which is a little strange, since I typically amp jasmine in particular and in most cases vanilla as well. It's been hit or miss with amping the gardenia on my skin, so I'm not sure what causes gardenia to amp or remain sutble. My experiences with grapefruit are rather limited, but so far I have loved this note in my perfumes!

 

Verdict:

Very cuddly, just like the description says!

Definitely glad I bought two bottles outright!

I like this one so much that I may have to buy another one!

 

8 of 10!

[Arcy]

I'm new but I'd like to give this a go, if that's all right. biggerCritter is my first BPAL ever. So I'd like to preserve what I think of it now, just in case my scent tastes change later down the road.

 

Wet, in bottle : Sugar cookies and rotting vegetation. Something's fermenting in there? Maybe it is the way the grapefruit mixes with the florals. It does kind of smell a little boozy.

Wet, on skin : Sugar cookies and floral. No citrus at all.

Dry, on skin : The Jasmine and Gardenia come out to play. They're very muted but still heady/sweet - controlled by the underlying vanilla scent. Finally there's a little fruityness too, not citrus specifically, but definitely a fruit/sugar kind of smell nicely blending them together.

 

Additonal notes : My skin seems to pull all the scent into this right in. It is barely noticeable after two hours, even with oil/lotion put on the skin first. At least on my wrists. It seems to last longer on the cleavage, probably because my shirt is protecting the oil from wind/sun. It also smells REALLY good in the sunshine. I feel like the "color" of this is a very wispy almost white lavender, with (again, very pale) pink and yellow swirls. I smell nice, but not in an overpowering way. Still need to test it on hubby though.

 

Bad : The smell makes me hungry. Very hungry.

[kwsix]

MB: biggerCritters smells wonderful in the bottle. I know it's grapefruit, not orange, but it smells just like a creamsicle to me. Sadly, when I put it on, the jasmine takes over and completely obliterates the other notes. It's too sharp, too harsh, too jasmine-y. I love Euphrosyne, so I had high hopes for this one. The jasmine in Euphrosyne plays nice all the way through, so maybe it's the Moroccan jasmine that's being so ornery on me. It's a lovely blend, though, and I'm envious of those who can wear it. I'm definitely going to try this one in my scent locket.

[jesvet]

So I debated whether or not to order 2 bottles out of the gate, or just one. If I had ordered 2, it would have been a safe bet it would be disastrous on me, so I just got one. And of course it's great!

 

In the bottle, it is sweet sugar cookies- it actually reminds me a lot of Sugar Cookie, actually- I don't get the buttery Underpants comparison others are getting. Once it's on, the jasmine definitely blunders its way to the fore- which for me is fine, it is a note I like a lot. The wet stage is very floral. Drydown is half and half, a very creamy floral, not a foody scent. Lovely. I adore it,

[nikkoblue]

hmm. i have a bottle of the critter-label BiggerCritters, and another bottle of the general label....and they smell totally different to me. The newer one is heavier on a buttercream type scent. The drydown is similar but the original label has the more bunny musk feel......has anyone else noticed a difference between the two?

 

So I think this new bottle warrants its own review:

 

Bottle: BUTTERCREAM. nice, yummy buttercream with a touch of brightness

 

On skin: the buttercream vanilla is more pronounced in this version, and the jasmine comes out at the same time as the citrus.....

 

Half hour: at this point it's pretty much the same as the first one, but I'm still getting a sense of buttercream. the jasmine and citrus are playing nicely in the background, and I think this will turn into straight vanilla and jasmine in an hour or so. I still love it, even though it seems different to me than my original bottle.

[waternight]

My best friend loved it and said I smelled like cake.

 

In the bottle: Intensely vanilla with a sharp grapefruit undertone.

Wet/Drydown: Mmmm… a yummy sweet pink scent. First on, strongly vanilla/grapefruit. The florals burst onto the scene a few seconds later. So interesting – the vanillas are warm but the grapefruit is definitely chilly. It’s not so much a tart grapefruit as it sharpens the blend, gives it a little oomph to balance out the smooth, thick vanillas. The jasmine is blending gorgeously, drying the blend up a bit and making it a bit muskier. This is gorgeous, but very feminine and girly. Mmmm… Lots of throw. Now I’m getting less vanilla/grapefruit and more florals, though the vanilla is definitely still there.

Dry: A heady white floral with a strong vanilla base. Yummy.

 

Never thought I would like something SO vanilla-y and foody, but damn... biggerCritters is just absolutely luscious.

[luna65]

All praise and thanks to the Lab and the Trading Post.

 

Bottle: VANILLA with the slightest hint of citrus.

 

Skin: I get that "fluffy" evocation which others do, almost a marshmallow type of smell. The gardenia and VANILLA are very strong upon initial application, I have to be very careful not to use too much (I over-applied during one test). Unfortunately the grapefruit topnote doesn't come out for me at all, I think the VANILLA ate it.

 

Drydown: This ends up being mostly floral on me with slight VANILLA traces. I think I like it better after the drydown in terms of the floral notes, the gardenia is not so overwhelming and the jasmine is rich without being overly sweet. This is the type of pretty I can appreciate in a gourmand floral, it makes me want to twirl and giggle.

Edited May 19, 2007 by luna65