El Dia de los Reyes

[The_Merf]

Hot cocoa with cinnamon, coffee, and brown sugar.

This smelled a bit artificial in the bottle, but it really jumped out on my skin quite nicely. The Lab's cocoa note is a favorite of mine, and it is very strong here. I also picked up the coffee smell that others have mentioned when I sniffed it in the bottle, but on my skin the scent is cocoa. Instead of straight-up cinnamon, I get something that smells more like the cinnamon and sugar mixture that my mother used to make for my french toast when I was a kid. (In fact, this really does remind me of that french toast, and I'm not sure why). This is a food/comfort scent that really appeals to me--it's warm and tasty, but you don't feel like you should be consuming calories when you sniff it! It's not a buttery cocoa or anything--very much like a 'dark' cocoa. Add me to the fans of this one!

[lainevierge]

Oh man. I had an orgasm just smelling my decant of this for the first time. On my skin it is a perfect blend of chocolate, coffee & cinnamon and it does none of the weird plastic stuff that Gluttony did! I usually don't like smelling like food, but this makes me feel so happy that it doesn't matter.

 

Must get bottle!

[tuesdaynexxt]

On me, this goes on absolutely gorgeous! Its chocolate and coffee! MMmmmmmm. Then the chocolate note fades (relatively quickly), and it gets cinnamon-y. Then it mellows altogether, and I wind up with a scent that, oddly, reminds me of Milk Moon, with a hint of something else. The brown sugar? Not sure. The start is so delicious I know I'll wear this again, though it doesn't last very long!

[ceiswyn]

In the imp: This is chocolatey, with an acrid edge that resolves itself into coffee, and just a trace of cinnamon. Promising

 

On the wrist: On the wrist this becomes sweet, milky coffee, with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon and maybe just the faintest hint of cocoa. Close to the wrist, however, there's an acrid/metallic tang which I worry will become stronger.

 

One hour later: It takes approximately twenty minutes to turn into pure metallic tang. Pah.

[Rouge]

I've had a craving for chocolate scents lately. It was a tough decisison whether to order this Yule LE or the Candy Butcher, but I decided on El Dia de Reyes as the scent description sounded a little more complex.

 

In the bottle - Deep, warm and uttterly delicious. The cocoa isn't light and milky, but instead thick and dark with only a hint of sugar. This isn't a drink forchildren unless they have very sophisticated tastes!

 

Wet on the skin - Chocolate and cinnamon, with coffee skirting the edges of the scent. The cinnamon note doesn't have the fierceness of blends such as Saw Scaled Viper - it blends perfectly and lends a little touch of heat to the scent. It's just the right amount to warm you up on a cold December day!

 

Next stages - While the cocoa note remains the mellow heart of the scent, the coffee builds over the first few minutes of wear.

 

Dry Down - An hour after the first appliation, the blend dries into a comforting, drowsy coffee with a touch of rich, soft brown sugar.

 

Similar scents - Try this if you liked the initial Irish Coffee stages of Miskatonic University but didn't like the dust and wood notes.

[xibalbagrrl]

I feel like I say this a lot when I try a new scent, but I seriously think this will remain my favorite BPAL fragrance. How could it not be...what with it containg a combination of my 3 favorite gourmand elements...chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon?

 

As so many others have said, dead on with the description. This was genius. I wouldn't say it quite reminds me of Mexican hot chocolate...doesn't have that tiny element of bitterness. But hot cocoa with cinnamon and coffee, absolutely. Reminds me of all the coffee shops I have worked at and frequented.

 

Yum, yum, YUM. I smell delicious. I will seriously have to get plenty of backup bottles....why didn't I try this before that order I placed yesterday?

[Sunshine the Werewolf]

Wow.... spicy chocolate goodness! It starts off a lttle malty on my skin, almost like ovaltine and tbh I was a little concerned. However once it started to dry the chocolate came back with a vengence with a little cinnamon to liven it up. Now it's dried down I get a lovely rich milky chocolate with a hint of spice and a surprising amount of throw. No coffee really but I don't mind, I am more than happy with this one the way it is!

[Esmeria]

In the bottle this is pure cocoa heaven. It reminds me of the type of hot chocolate drink I'm always trying to make, but never quite manage it.

 

On skin, it amazingly stays the same. Usualy I amp spices, but with this it's just chocolate and cocoa. I prefer this to the likes of Bliss (which, to me, smells like melted chocolate- I think there's a difference in solid and melted - and makes me hungry) as it's stronger and deeper.

 

A keeper, for sure

[Josh]

This was the first bottle I reached for. Twisted the cap off. *deep inhale*

 

It's just smile inducing. This is the ultimate chocolate oil. It bursts through the nasal cavity with pure, realistic cocoa mixed a very creamy coffee and a whisp of cinnamon. It's hard to believe something that smells this good and this real isn't edible.

 

I have a big bottle of this stuff and while I probably won't wear it much, I have it sitting on the nook in my hallway and each time I walk through there I can't help but twist off the cap and take a deep breath of it. It's so right for this time of year.

 

For me (and many others), chocolate is a very comforting and sedating smell. I'm really glad I bought this one.

[edenssixthday]

El Dia Del Reyes - When I was in Honduras, I picked up a chunk of dark chocolate that was mixed with cinnamon and wrapped in paper. It was to be used by melting it in a pot of hot milk and ultimately, you'd end up with cinnamon hot chocolate. That's exactly what this scent smelled like when I first applied it to my skin. It was dry and dark and sweet and spicy and chocolatey, and I thought for sure I'd found a BPAL chocolate scent that I could finally love. After about five minutes on my skin, I started to smell the scent of roasted coffee beans; however, that's also when the cinnamon started to take on a "red hots" type of scent, getting ultra red and hot and sweet, and next thing I knew, my skin was tingling a bit, but more importantly, the cinnamon had overwhelmed every single other note. It became the scent of red hots with a hint of chocolate underneath. Oddly, it didn't ever turn plasticky on my skin, as most cinnamon and chocolate blends both do. But it re mained strongly cinnamony for the life of the scent - until I did some painting and washed my hands (so I don't know how long it actually lasts on my skin). The scent is so phenomenal initially that I'm going to give it a shot as both a room scent and in a scent locket and hope to have better luck with the cinnamon not overwhelming the other notes that way. If that works better than it does on my skin, I will most definitely need more. Yum!

[QueenFae]

OMFG!!! This is FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This is the chocolatey scent I have been waiting for! At first sniff : Yum, creamy hot chocolate with a strong, delicious cinnamon base. This smells like the real deal hot cocoa grandma used to make, where you actually melt real chocolate in hot milk. Add a smattering of cinnamon and love, and, wa -la! El Dia de Reyes!

 

The best thing about this scent is how strong it is. Most chocolate blends don't hang around very long, but thanks to the cinnamon in this, I can smell it for hours. I'm so thrilled with this scent, I will definitely be getting a back up bottle!

[Chas]

This scent fills me with joy, because it's the first chocolate scent from the lab that doesn't turn to dust on me.

 

Fresh on the skin, it's chocolate and cinnamon. After about 2 minutes, the chocolate dies down, and it's all cinnamon, which is fine with me. Then, about 10 minutes after that, the other notes start picking back up. I'm still getting a lot of cinnamon, but it's complimented by coffee, and just a hint of chocolate. There's something vaguely nutty about this too.

 

Very pretty scent, and a fantastic comfort scent.

[reverdy]

I tried this for the first time today and all I can say is mmmm chocolate. Wet, all I can smell is chocolate. The cinnamon comes out a little when it dries. I don't get the coffee at all. Great throw and wear length. I feel like I'm in a chocolate shop.

[Tulliver]

GLORIOUS chocolate, from the instant the bottle is opened. Absolutely incredible. Sniffing a little closer I can just about pick out the coffee but it's very faint. There's no sign of anything else yet.

 

Wet on skin: Wow... WOW! The chocolate doesn't recede even slightly, but the coffee perks up a little (pun unintentional I swear), and the cinnamon starts to come through after a moment or so. Oh my word... this is utterly incredible.

 

Dry: The chocolate is a little sweeter and less heavy, and it mixes wonderfully well with the coffee. It's chocolate, coffee, cream, JUST the right amount of cinnamon and it's another one I feel may need backing up with an extra bottle. Foody scents? Me? Don't be ridiculous!

[Trish]

There's really not much I can say about this one but that after 10 minutes it turned to dusty stale cocoa on me.

 

Definitely not for me!

[megank4]

Chocolate cake. Nothing more, nothing less. No cinnamon, no coffee, and no brown sugar. Sigh. If I wanted to smell like chocolate frosting, I would have smeared myself with it- cheaper and more fun later.

[suileach]

Delightful! This smells like mochaccino topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg. Yum!

 

The chocolate note was a little iffy to me in the vial, but it behaved on my skin. It doesn't smell like dark chocolate (*shudder*) to me at all - it smells more like the light, dusty chocolate that's in Velvet.

 

The cinnamon definitely comes out more and more as time wears on, but it doesn't overwhelm the other notes on me.

Edited December 17, 2007 by suileach

[kelpsoda]

wet: smooth milk chocolate

 

dry: dry, dusty cocoa powder. oh! now it smells more like coffee. I like the cocoa stage a bit better, but this is still delicious.

[jwhxtna]

Oh, I was soooo looking forward to this one.

 

IN THE IMP: Mmmm, rich, dark chocolate with creamy coffee and a hint of cinnamon. I want to drink this.

 

WET: Turns all milk chocolate on my skin. Where's the coffee and cinnamon? Uh-oh, it's starting to go a little plasticky. Here's to hoping it goes away.

 

DRY: Still a little plasticky, but this is so good I don't think I care. Delicious balance between the chocolate and coffee. The chocolate gets sweeter but a little less strong, with just a bit of cinnamon, and it's just creamy yummy goodness. I want to lick my elbow.

[Ravenclaw79]

At first, this smelled sorta like an Irish coffee. Then, it went to a cafe mocha, chocolate and coffee ... but before it could settle there and smell awesome, it went straight on into fake chocolate, an artificial chocolate scent, like if you bought a chocolate-scented air freshener. I'm still waiting with fading hope, but I think it's gonna stay fake chocolate. Bummer.

[Lyrical]

In the vial: I could drink this! A mix of rich, dark hot chocolate and coffee.

 

Wet on skin: brownies. No coffee, but something lurking in the background which could be brown sugar.

 

Dry on skin: close to the skin still brownies with that little something sweet and earthy in the background, which reminds me of the note I took to be myrrh in Velvet. Or is it burnt brownies? The throw is quite strong, and smells as though I have a steaming mug of chocolate right next to me or as if I've been baking brownies. My little boy came in and sniffed enthusiastically, honing in on my arm where EDDR was applied.

 

After about an hour the cocoa fades and what's left is the brown sugar/myrrh note. It smells sweet and perfumy but with very little throw. After 4 hours there is hardly anything left, but the very last whiff is of buttery toffee.

 

If you really slather (or spill the bottle) the chocolate smell lasts longer. I don't really like this much. I find the earthy background note very off-putting. I may try it as a room scent, as it's much nicer smelled from a distance.

 

ETA: it works very well indeed on fabric. It lasts for days and softens to something buttery with cinnamon and vanilla and just a hint of hot chocolate.

Edited January 9, 2008 by Lyrical

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, I get coffee and brown sugar - mmmmmm.

 

On my skin, it smells like brown sugar and cinnamon sprinkled into a big, hot mug of coffee - I'm not getting any cocoa at all, but I'm not complaining.

 

When it's dry, it doesn't morph at all, just warm, sexy brown sugar and coffee with a hint of cinnamon. I love it!

[yeahbutnobut]

El Dia de Reyes

 

In the bottle: mmm, hazelnut mocha! Rich hot chocolate! I want to drink this!

Wet on skin: mmm, now the coffee comes out! This really does smell like mocha now!

Dry on skin: oh yes, this is the stuff! This smells just like a mocha with added cinnamon, and it is delicious! The coffee is perfect-not bitter at all. The chocolate is rich and creamy and has a hint of brownies to it. The cinnamon spices it up perfectly and the sugar is not of the caramel kind. This is better than Starbucks, this is continental coffee, makes me feel like I'm in Paris, sipping a chocolat chaud in a boulevard-side café with the scent of roasting coffee beans wafting around me.

After a while: this then smells like mocha served with chocolate cookies or brownies, and then a sweet, creamy, almost marshmallow like note comes out. It's slightly reminiscent of the Candy Butcher but not as marshmallowy as that one was on me. This one is much more of a truer chocolate coffee scent. But then it turns into a drier chocolate scent, like a cinnamon and chocolate biscuit. The combination of chocolate and cinnamon now reminds me of MB Underbed, but not as intense. It's not as creamy and liquid as it was before but it smells like some sort of crunchy spicy-chocolaty festive biscuit treat now, and I love it. At this point, this scent also reminds me of a few delicious scents from other companies-like Possets Maggie, NA's Egyptian Delight and Blooddrop's Café Zazou.

Eventually this loses the dry, rough spicy scent and turns a lot smoother, it still smells like a chocolate cookie, but now it smells less like cocoa powder and more like a coating of melted milk chocolate all over a bunch of warm spicy cookies and chocolate cake. Like Cadbury's or Galaxy chocolate all warm and melty and delicious, like a chocolate fondue in which brownies are dipped, topped with cinnamon. Mmm, this makes me want to lick my arm. I'm amazed at how much this really smells like milk chocolate now, with no plastic or fake undertones to it at all.

Verdict: after Pinched, this is the kind of coffee BPAL I adore! It smells just like a mixture of delicious coffee and chocolate treats, from spicy mocha to hot chocolate with cinnamon, to festive chocolate-cinnamon biscuits to brownies served with a creamy latte. I’ve never tried Mexican hot cocoa so I can’t say if it smells like that, but it does smell like the most perfect spiced mocha for the first hour. Then it goes into a dry stage which makes me think of biscuits or cookies, it’s snappy and warm and reminds me of Underbed. And the last stage is the purest, most accurate and most delicious milk chocolate note I have ever smelt from the Lab. Very lickable. I didn’t get it from Bliss, but I get pure Cadbury’s from here, with added spice. Yum. I need more of this indulgent and delightful scent!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? oh yes!

If you like this, try: Miskatonic Uni, Bliss, Velvet, 13 (any version), Candy Butcher, Boomslang, MB Underbed

[Brianne]

Sadly, this is another BPAL chocolate scent that just didn't work out for me. It's dusty cocoa powder and slight spices but no coffee (which is what I was really hoping for). Those who love Candy Butcher will no doubt love this one as well!

[Mehitobel]

I absolutely love this scent as a bedtime fragrance - on me, it smells like spiced hot chocolate for *hours.* And then the edges of my blankets smell like hot chocolate the next night, and just yum. I haven't gotten the coffee from it, but the chocolate scent, for me, is a little edgy rather than being pure milk-chocolate sweetness, so maybe that extra depth is the coffee. Throw is strong, longevity is great for me.

 

I will say that my second bottle arrived yesterday, and I celebrated with a HEAVY slather. I was rewarded with a cassia/cinnamon blister-rash on my wrists when I got up this morning. I'm pretty dang sensitive to those oils but the last month's worth of wearing normal, non-berserk-slather levels of EDDR didn't bother me - just wanted to mention this in case others are sensitive as well. I'm going to continue wearing it, just not the obscene amount I did last night.