El Dia de los Reyes

[theredkilt]

Hot cocoa with cinnamon, coffee, and brown sugar.

 

I got a decant from the 2007 release.

Freshly applied on my skin, i get whiffs of delicious sweet cocoa and hints of marshmallow and later the brown sugar tries to emerge, but backs down.

The dry down reminds A LOT of Sue's Great Ol' Puppet Show, only that it's slightly less heady and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Ultimately, it's too foody for me.

[suki]

It's astounding to me that I never procured a bottle before now! Let's see if this lives up to my expectations…

 

In the Bottle: Chocolate. Also cocoa. And chocolate liqueur.

 

Wet On Skin: There's a really nice powdery cocoa note that's emerging from all this, and it's mixing with a bit of cinnamon. It's reminding me of Abuelita, my favorite Mexican cocoa drink!

 

Dry Down: Yeah, this is a keeper for sure! I *adore* Bliss, and this is like Bliss' spicy cousin.

 

In All: Medium to high throw, sweet, warm and chocolaty. If you're a fan of Bliss, this is a great companion!

 

[boomtownrat]

I've found a chocolatey BPAL that rivals Black Temple Burlesque Troupe 2012 for my dearest affections. In the bottle, El Dia De Los Reyes (2013) is the richest hot cafe mocha with a touch of chocolate liqueur. On the skin it's almost exactly the same, but as it dries I swear I get a muskiness from it. This sticks around for a good six hours or more, unlike the short lifespan that Bliss has on my skin. It even smells delicious when I'm riding the hormonal roller coaster. El Dia De Los Reyes is blended extremely well and is one of those scents that should prompt people to say you smell wonderful, not your perfume.

 

P.S. You can layer it with Gingerbread Snake for outrageous deliciousness, but of course it's damned delectable on its own.

[cherrycherry]

A spiced coffee house mocha with an extra dash of rich chocolate syrup. Like Bliss, only darker and almost sexier with it's fiery heart. Mmm. Hot chocolate with the devil. I'll take another cup, if you please.

[ScabbyLucy]

Sweet Mary hallelujah!

 

Both the 2007 and 2013 versions I've tried smell very much the same (2013 is a little more buttery at the start), but 2013 doesn't make my skin red

[dementia_divine]

2013 version.

 

In the decant: Hot chocolate and coffee beans.

 

Wet: Ooh. The hot cocoa is the dominant note, and it smells delicious! After a bit, the coffee note begins to reveal itself, but the hot cocoa is still the most prominent. I am getting some of the cinnamon now, but fortunately, it hasn't decided to burn my skin yet. Hopefully it will behave! The coffee note seems to be getting stronger the longer this sits on my skin. This is like a mocha (that is heavier on the chocolate than the coffee) with cinnamon. The cinnamon is warming up my wrist, but it isn't really burning it, so no welts have emerged. Ooh, now the brown sugar has made an appearance, and it is AMAZING.

 

Dry: Brown sugar dominant chocolate-y goodness with a hint of coffee and cinnamon.

 

Verdict: Ooh, this turned out to be so much better than I expected it to be! I am definitely keeping my decant, and I may even end up purchasing a bottle! (I think this and Sudsy She Wolf bath oil would be a great combination!)

Edited January 3, 2014 by dementia_divine

[MiasmaResonance]

In the decant: Creamy chocolate.

 

On me: Whoa! That's weird. It's more cinnamony and coffeeish now, and with a bit of brown sugar crust or something. It does smell better as it dries down, and the notes blend more harmoniously.

 

On the line about a bottle purchase though.

 

*edit* I've decided I love this. BOTTLE PLS.

Edited January 7, 2014 by MiasmaResonance

[reynardine]

Wasn't sure how this one would work on me: I do well with BPAL's chocolate scent, but usually coffee goes very, very bitter on me. This one is very much a winner! Hot chocolate with cinnamon and just a touch of mocha in the background. Definitely getting a bottle of this before it goes down!

[bellumed]

2013 version:

 

Not too much to say about this, just a lovely and well-blended perfume with all the listed notes present. Hot chocolate fans unite!

[SadariEvenstar]

I put this on and ten seconds later, from across the room, my husband looked at me and said, "You're getting a bottle of this one."

 

Coffee always goes horribly wrong on my skin, so this shouldn't work, but it's amaaaaazing.

[DovaKitten]

2013: Yes ... Just yes. What else is there to say? This is exactly what it says in the description. The hot chocolate is somehow both powdery and milky, as though you get to smell it both in the container and in the mug. The cinnamon is spicy and actually becomes more prevalent over time, but never dominates the chocolate. The coffee is in the background, adding another layer of delicious warmth. Only the brown sugar was a bit of a surprise, and that's because it was more of a top note on me, which I wasn't expecting. It was right there when I opened the bottle, surprising and confusing when I was looking for chocolate. Now that I'm in the dry down stage, I can't smell it at all.

 

If you resolved to give up sweets in the new year, this blend probably isn't for you. For everyone else, I recommend buckets.

[Zorra]

Are people comparing this to Bliss? Not at all! Bliss smells like plastic on me, this is a true chocolate scent! But the first time I tried it, very cautiously because of my horrible experiences with chocolate scents, the chocolate was only there when it was wet. After it had dried I smelled first coffee and sugar and then only brown sugar.

Then I realized how little I had used so I reapplied and this time the coffee stayed also, but I still lost the chocolate on drydown.

 

However, all good things in three and after all this is about the three kings, I had been cooking and washed my hands many times and when done I reapplied another time. And this time the chocolate stays! It's been four hours now and they're still all there: chocolate, coffee and brown sugar. Only the cinnamon I find hard to detect, but perhaps that is just because I am used to smell cinnamon with other spices and this time it is a sweet cinnamon.

 

Thank you, three Kings, for this gift of scents. I must have been good in the past year!

Edited January 8, 2014 by Zorra

[Aviatrix]

2013 version.

 

 

Initially, I'm getting mostly coffee with a sweetness that could either be the cinnamon or the sugar. Either way, it's really good so far!

 

After a while it goes through a stage of being mostly brown sugar and nothing else, which made me a bit sad. Where is the chocolate??

 

But the chocolate luckily peeks out later, on drydown, still with massive brown sugar and some spiciness. The coffee is mostly gone by now.

 

It has decent throw and seems to last for a long time, and doesn't change too much with time.

 

This was glorious in the vial, and it's glorious on the skin! Mmmmm, warm, spicy, sweet chocolatey goodness! It's very close to life, I think, and I could absolutely wear it on a cold, grey day to cheer myself up!

[Teaker]

When I first tested this, fresh from the lab, it smelled like a mocha that had gone cold. It was ok, but kind of a let down. After a few weeks to sit, it has turned AMAZING.

It really does smell like brownies. I don't get any coffee in this, but rich foody chocolate with the warmth of cinnamon and the bite of brown sugar. It's incredibly delicious, I see why the lab posts warnings on certain scents not to ingest them! The brown sugar becomes more and more prominent as it dries.

This is just delightful, and very true to the description (except for the coffee, which seems to be hiding). But if you love warm spicy chocolate and brown sugar, then this is a must have. Perfect for slathering on during cold winter days!

 

Edit: Sad to report that after 2 years of aging, this scent is unwearable for me. It now turns to play-dough when I wear it. Dang

Edited February 14, 2016 by Teaker

[zankoku_zen]

2013 version

 

Cocoa powder that dries down to buttery cacao with a hint of cinnamon.

 

If you like chocolate blends, give this a whirl. It's cozy and warming without being too sweet.

[stellamaris]

Why did I not just order a bottle of this with my first order? oh yeah I was afraid of the coffee, but I can't smell any coffee, just gorgeous chocolate. Beautiful, very much like the chocolate in Gelt, which I am missing sorely this year.

[Wren12]

2013

 

I love it, warm, sweet cocoa tinged with milky coffee with a lovely spice from the cinnamon.

 

Alas, within five minutes the skin on the crooks if my arms was bright red and burny, but my wrists are fine. Shame, because this is really beautiful.

[Astarial]

2009 version:

 

In the bottle: Cocoa!

 

Wet: A dusty cinnamon cocoa, with a touch of brown sugar.

 

Dry: Still cocoa! It gets sweeter as it dries down, and the cinnamon stays gentle and not overwhelming at all. I wish I could drink myself.

[JazzieCazzie]

Roadtesting an imp from the great Yule decanting circle haul of 2013:

 

In my ongoing quest for the perfect hot cocoa scent (I am still trying to track down the proto I read about, something with 54), I had my doubts about this one because of my concern for a) the coffee and the brown sugar going too sweet on my and amping into it's wicked cousin caramel.

 

IN THE IMP: DIVINE. Just sweet lovely milk chocolate and brown sugar behaving like good brown sugar and just being sweet.

 

Dabbed reasonably generously but not quite slatheringly on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: This is, no pun intended, "bliss"ful. Creamy milk chocolate with just that little touch of cinnamon to make it sultry and picante.

 

DRYDOWN: Just when I thought I might be able to say "muy bien, mas por favor" it goes JUST a little TOO sweet on the drydown. Not quite caramel, and no coffee, but just a little too much for me to be confident wearing it often.

 

OVERALL: I really love this when wet and wish I could get it in a bath oil or something like that ... but I don't think I would reach for this for a day's application over, say, my other chocolate or cocoa bottles like Bliss, Tezcat, Gelt, etc.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 4 yet not a keeper.

[welcometothefamily]

ETA: 2013 version .

 

In the Imp: Sweet, nutty mochacino. Has the same slightly dusty coffee note as MU.

 

Wet: YUM. This is sweet, hazelnut cocoa with a tiny bit of spice. And maybe the faintest hint of coffee in the background.

 

Drydown: This turns to sweet, chocolatey cinnamon as it dries, and fades into lovely sweet, chocolatey cream. This shares the exact same cream note as Egg'd Mailbox.

 

Verdict: The drydown of this actually smells exactly like what I thought Egg Nog would. Mostly because of the cream note it shares with Egg'd Mailbox. Veeeery nice.

 

4.5/5

Edited January 21, 2014 by welcometothefamily

[mymel0dy]

In the bottle: It is like I am standing at my stove over a pot of deep dark hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon. Just the barest hint of coffee lingering in the air from the pot that had been brewed sometime ago.

 

Wet on the skin: The coffee starts to show a bit more and I am smelling more and more like a mocha. A creamy cup of mocha.

 

On the drydown: It does not change much from the wet. I still get the scent of a mug of creamy mocha. The perfect blend of coffee, chocolate, and cream.

 

Hours later: Somehow somewhere hazelnut has made it's way to the party and I smell like a hazelnut mocha.

 

While I may not like drinking mochas I love how the smell, so I am very pleased I bought El Dia De Los Reyes

[mymymai]

ITB: It's rich, warm cocoa made with whole milk. I can picture of sugar swirling on the surface and on the bottom of the cup. It's rich, warm, and very foody.

 

Wet: It's very much similar to the in-the-bottle sniff, but it smells like there are fluffy marshmallows melting on top of the hot cocoa with a dusting of cinnamon on top. Okay, this is making me really hungry.

 

Dry: It's now warm cocoa powder, sugar, and the lightest impression of cinnamon. It's still very wet, but it's a nice winter scent.

[Gael]

Pooey. I am a total foodie and chocoholic so this seemed a natural. But I tell you it's stale brownie and nothing else. I kept using it in the hopes that somehow it would deliver, but it never did. I dislike this one more then almost any other BPAL scent I've used over the years. Stale and dry.

[milo]

Comforting cocoa with whipped cream, extra sweet, with a touch of vanilla. I would like to drink something like this, it is so yummy, but not really to wear. I am really enjoying this, though, it's warm and snuggly. Best cocoa scent, though, is Boomslang for me, and that one is so hard to beat, but Velvet comes close. Foody lovers would like this, I'm sure.

[Atrous]

This is going to be a short review...

 

Spiced cafe mocha!

 

That's it! and that's all that needs to be said.

This is divine!