The Feast For The Greatly Revered Ones

[Twitch]

Huey Tecuilhuitl, the Great Festival of Lords, occurs on the 8th month of the 260-day Mexica sacred calendar of Tonalpualli. This festival honors Chicomecoatl, also known as Xilonen, the Goddess of Nourishment and Plenty, Seven Snakes. She represents the female aspect of corn, and she is the counterpart of Centeotl, -- the female sheath to his phallic cob.

The celebration of the Feast assured the return of the rains and a good corn harvest.

Cacao mixed with ground maize, agave wine, and octli, mixed with herbs and spices native to central Mexico.

Sorry if I made any mistakes, this is my first scent thread.

In the bottle: Definitely smells foody to me. There is something starchy and sweet in there, sort of like a fried plantain or tamale in a mole sauce.

Wet: Ohhh, spicy! Good cocoa with lots of spices. Nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, and maybe some chili notes show up. Not very sweet at this point.

Dry: Pretty much dries down to pure cinnamon, but it's a very vibrant, spicy cinnamon.

Overall, this one is definitely unique, and definitely a keeper. Not a great deal of throw on me, but if I get in close, it oozes character.

[Siberia]

I got this today, and it's my favorite BPAL so far!

 

In the bottle: At first I thought this was a dark brown oil, but now I see the oil is light with some dark brown particles that need to be rubbed into the skin. This smells strongly of the deepest, darkest chocolate imaginable - like a bottomless well of chocolate - and maybe a little coffee? It's definitely a very dark smell.

Wet: Cinnamon, chocolate, and just a hint of maize, like tamale dough. It smells like Mexican hot chocolate and tamales.

Dry: This mellows into a fruity, complex, chocolate scent for me - the cinnamon faded out completely.

 

I'd say throw is light and I will put this on a bit more heavily than some of the others. I'm going to order another bottle of this because it is made of awesome.

Edited June 20, 2009 by Siberia

[unlaced]

This is the first thing from this update that really jumped out and grabbed me and said "buy me!" So this was an unsniffed bottle purchase for me.

 

In the bottle: this smells like berry wine and a bit of cocoa...

 

wet on my skin: The wine blooms and the spices show themselves. Underneath it all is a base of cocoa that is juuuust barely sweet. So far this is predominantly a spicy wine scent.

 

Drying: More of the same. It's really lovely. Warm spiced wine with a hint of cocoa underneath.

 

Dry: Lovely deep red spiced wine, the tiniest hint of cocoa.

 

This reminds me of another BPAL but I can't put my finger on it. Also it feels more like a cold weather scent to me, but I think it definitely get a lot of use. It's beautiful.

Edited June 17, 2009 by unlaced

[angelicruin]

In the bottle, cinnamon & chocolate.

 

Wet on the skin, warm spices with chocolate and wine. :heart:

 

Dries down spiced wine over a thin layer of chocolate.

 

Definitely foody. And definitely one of my favorites.

 

I've been trying not to buy back-up bottles so much, but, geez, this one is really tempting me.

 

It brightens my mood just by sniffing my wrist.

 

ETA: This has pretty strong throw on my skin. I just dabbed a little off the rim since I am testing other new scents and it's giving off quite a bit of throw for such a small amount.

Edited June 17, 2009 by angelicruin

[hkhm]

bottle: dusty, spiced cocoa powder.

 

wet: this reminds me of the coco note in midnight kiss, other than that: it smells just like dark hot chocolate with cinnamon and cayenne. i don't have a pink welt, so it must not be too much cinnamon and it's sweet-spicy rather than dusty-spicy.

 

dry: this is much sweeter once it dries. it's terribly sweet spices with a cocoa backdrop. i didn't think i'd like this blend quite as much as i do.

[blacklacestatic]

Initial Unsniffed Impression: I got really excited when I read the description of this one, and I'm not sure why, because I'm not sure what half the notes smell like. I decided to take a gamble anyway and buy a bottle unsniffed, because my intuition was strongly telling me to go for this.

 

In the Bottle: Mmmmm... baking spices and a hint of coffee and chocolate.

 

Wet on skin: Sweet spices, with something a bit savory in the mix too. There's a slight tart bit, like red wine or some kind of fruit. It reminds me ever so slightly of Midnight Kiss. This quickly morphs into OMG CINNAMON! A whole big wallop of cinnamon. It's not quite the creamy, smooth cinnamon I love. It's actually just like the smell of Big Red gum. It's like I chewed up some Big Red and rubbed it all over my wrists. Holy Goddess of cinnamon.

 

Drydown: Now I get the smooth, delicious cinnamon I adore. The whole thing gets creamier, smoother. I can smell more of the cocoa now. The wine comes forward more, and I'm in heaven. It's so delicious. I got more compliments on this scent then I have ever gotten on a fragrance before. I'm told I smell "freaking fabulous", and "amazing". Yay!

 

Overall: This gamble paid off BIG TIME! I'm thrilled with this. I was a little unsure during the wet phase, but this becomes so perfect and beautiful. A definite new favorite!

[Suu4LC]

Gawd, this smells so freaking gorgeous in the bottle. Rich cocoa and cinnamon-the maize note is so freakin cool too! Hard to describe, but undeniably a corn kind of note.

 

Oh wow, on my skin the cinnamon comes out WAY more...like cinnamon bark sprinkled with cinnamon. Rich and spicy! With a dark, bittersweet cocoa note underneath. So effing beautiful!

 

It really is cinnamon heavy though, so if you don't like cinnamon, this will probably not be your thing. I don't have skin sensitivities, but I'd be wary if you do.

 

On full drydown this blend does lose a bit of its fire and ends up being rather similar to one of the 13 blends from '08, so it will be one you may want to reslather frequently-I know I will! I do lose some of the more complex herbs and the maize note, but this is just so unique when fresh, that I will have to hold onto my bottle!

[suki]

in the bottle: spicy mexican hot chocolate, Abuelita, to be exact

 

wet on skin: same, but a bit stronger now as it warms on my skin.

 

dry down: the scent becomes a bit more balanced now. i get none of the wine, but it's absolutely cocoa, corn paste and spices. total. love.

 

in all: medium throw, rich and heady, this is a perfect oil for worshipping the summer gods. it's not a question of getting a back up bottle, it's a question of how many to get!

 

 

 

 

 

[msulima1]

I got this because I am spending a semester studying in Mexico in September and I wanted a special oil to wear while there. This sounded perfect!

 

In the bottle: OMG cocoa! And faint berries, which I'm guessing is the wine. I'm not detecting corn per se, but I do get a savory scent. Oh, I do hope this lasts!

 

Wet: Chocolate and Cinnamon. I agree with the cinnamon gum assessment. Very nice.

 

Dry: The cinnamon is treading very close to giving it a craft store feel, but the wine and chocolate are keeping it in check. It reminds me of autumn.

 

2 hours later: Very faint cocoa and cinnamon. I'm kind of disappointed that it isn't stronger, but I definitely do not mind slathering! It's beautiful.

 

Verdict: I am going to have a VERY hard time hiding this from myself until I leave for Mexico! It is love! I'm anxious to see what wonderful memories will spring to mind when I sniff this after my trip!

[Dark Alice]

This is the perfect mix of cocoa and fruit on me. It is sweet and spice and everything nice. I will definitely keep this decant for the fall...I just don't know if I need a full bottle...

[steffanina]

The Feast for the Greatly Revered Ones-

 

In Bottle: Cocoa and cinnamon and...is that lemon? Wait, there's nutmeg!

 

Wet: Cinnamon and cocoa and nutmeg. Pure yum!

 

Dry: Cinnamon takes over but not in a burning way, more in a hot dry powdered way. Hot dry (but not dusty) cinnamon is the fate of the dry-down, and I don't smell any more cocoa, but it's still very nice.

 

Overall: I like. Must try again and see if I want a whole bottle.

[mineralgirl]

OMG.. it's exactly how I expected it to smell! (and that is no easy feat with LE's)

 

Bottle: it's a dark cocoa scent with a hint of spice.

 

Wet: it's Abuelita mexican hot cocoa! How do I know? I have that in the house and I grabbed it to compare. It's a cinnamony cocoa scent.... I can vaguely get the corn but only because I'm looking for it.

 

Dry down: stays a delicious cinnamony spice but loses the cocoa. I get no wine at all. I've been looking for a cinnamon and this is fabulous. I honestly think I may want a second bottle of this and this is the first limited edition I've said that about.... off to put it on my order list... again.

 

Edited June 30, 2009 by MineralGirl

[bubblefish]

Wet it is almost oppressively heavy and foody. Even as it's dried it comes across very strongly, and definitely very heavy. It actually smells a little better when I catch whiffs of it from my hand as I'm moving about the apartment cleaning. The whiffs are a very light cocoa seasoned with some spices. Up close though it's a very heavy layer of cocoa. I get the cinnamon, but it's a dull and muted variant, not really the kind of cinnamon I like. I'm not sure if I like this scent or not. It's definitely yummy and interesting, but I'm not sure it's something I'd really wear because it just feels heavy to me. Maybe I'll just wear it in the evenings around home for myself.

[BuxomM]

It smells like cinnamon and wine in the background. There's a hint of chocolate that comes and goes. I love it! It's a very dark oil though. I might need a bottle.

Edited July 1, 2009 by BuxomM

[sookster]

straight sniff from the imp is cocoa and nutmeg...quite dry...

 

once applied i can smell high quality cinnamon and cardamom...

 

this stays very close to the skin and ends up being a foody cinnamon SN with my chemistry...

[syrenemyst]

In the bottle, it smells like spicy Mexican hot cocoa. Once I put it onmy skin, it turns into Red Hots candies. It's just yummy! Unfortunately, it doesn't last very long on me. I was hesitant to try this one, yet of all the scent from this update, it's the one I like the best.

[midnight_aeval]

My decant only had a tiny, tiny bit of brown sludge at the bottom and I spent about 2 minutes shaking it around. I might have to break down and get a bottle so I can get a true test of this scent.

 

Something in this reminds me of Christmas.. maybe I'm associating the corn smell with tamales and a faint cocoa smell with mole. It is pretty spicey, but there's a fermenting-fruit note to it as well when it dries down (obviously the agave wine). This wine note is really strong with my chemistry. Don't you hate it how your least favorite notes seem to come out in full force??

 

After 30 min I'm left with really hot cinnamon and wine.

 

[MeiLin]

My imp was a little sludgy, too.

 

In the imp: An earthy, sweet cocoa.

 

Wet: Still earthy, but there's a greenness to it. Green cocoa? huh.

 

Dry: This is the love child of Mictecacihuatl and Dia de los Reyes; it doesn't have the florals of the former, and it's not as sweet as the latter. Tobacco isn't listed in the notes, but something is giving off that scent on me. The chocolate is a faint, not overly sweet base for spice--a soft, cinnamon-like layer, actually, more like allspice--and a hint of vanilla and honeyed wine. For all that, it's not cloying at all, and it's not overly foody; it's mellowed, and as it dries down the food aspects recede and the spice notes come forward. It's really, really lovely.

[splendidissima]

My first review! Let's see...

 

In the bottle: very complex cinnamon, with a note that's probably the maize keeping it from being overwhelming, and some sweetness (from the wine?)

 

Wet: my skin tends to amp booze notes, so the wine gets a lot stronger, but that's okay, because it's a pretty wine. This is like really good semi-sweet chocolate alongside a glass of rich spiced wine.

 

Dry: The chocolate comes back, and now it's like Mexican spiced cocoa, with some wine still lurking around the edges to give it a hint of fruity sweetness. Lasts for ages--from morning until evening.

 

A wonderfully unusual and complex scent--not quite my usual (I like sweet fruits, foody-fruits, or sweet mint) but I'm glad I got a bottle of this. Somehow suits the dry desert summer out here.

[edenssixthday]

The Feast For the Greatly Revered Ones - The first thing I notice is cinnamon, followed immediately by cocoa, followed immediately by something sweet and bright that I first thing is oranges, but then I realize must be the agave wine (although I'm positive it's more of a sangria with some orange wedges floating in it!) This is not remotely the type of scent I would normally be drawn to, but I'm really enjoying this one. I wish I could get my house to smell like this! Must track down more...

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Light yellow oil - with a little cocoa absolute settling out. Verrrry foody. It reminds me of mole with some booze & corn tortillas. Quite sweet, definitely corn and chocolate and spices - cinnamon especially.

 

Wet: Maybe a little more chocolatey, and so strong on the agave - which I LOVE - a little more cinnamon, but it's a very sweet, rich cinnamon, not red hots at all. Still that STRONG stoneground corn note. The booze stings my nose at little, it's stronger proof on my skin, more liqueur than wine. I get a little sweet orange, too, I think.

 

Dry: Much less sweet, as the agave fades (woe!). More spicy, as the cinnamon turns to red hots (double woe!). Still chocolate & corn tortillas galore, and I swear I get a more savoury herbal note, like epazote or something? It's actually pretty nice.

 

Later: The cinnamon is amping and obscuring the other notes, but otherwise not much change. The booze has pretty much all burnt off at this point. For a cinnamon heavy scent, it's better than most. The orange note is holding, amazingly.

 

Summary: Cinnamon dusted corn chips with a spike of sweet orange. Not bad, but way too much like actual food and oddly savoury for me to wear. It is an extremely realistic and accurate scent. Decent throw, fades fast.

 

[thekittenkat]

In the imp: First off, I can smell this without the little decant bottle being open yet! There's cacao, maize, and other notes that I am not sure of that sweeten and spice this oil.

 

Wet: Yummy cacao, with hints of the maize and what I think might be the octli, and some unknown spices. This is, of course, not chocolate, but if you like Beth's chocolate oils that are not so sweet, like some of the 13s, you may like this.

 

The dry-down: The scent continues true throughout, very much the same from imp to the drying phase.

 

 

Just a note: in the decant, the cacao had settled to the bottom. So I had to turn it upside down, and rotate it a few times in an effort to get it to mix somewhat. It never really has mixed all that well. I can see that I will have to do the same to a bottle.

 

When we tried the prototype at DSWC last month, this was powerful stuff; I could smell it with my arm down at my side. Many of us had speculated that June or July would be a corn moon, and whilst not a lunacy, this will do very nicely.

 

Here's a link to octli at the Wiki:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octli

 

[futuregirl]

Wet: Very cocoa, but a dry, dusty cocoa; lots of spice.

 

First few minutes: Still cocoa spice, but with cinnamon and fruit in the mix - someone else likened the wine note to sangria with orange wedges in it - that's it, exactly!

 

Hours later: Hanging on nicely - not overpowering but it's still wafting around me. Now it's mellowed into dusty cocoa chai - similar cocoa note to Gelt, but without any of that sharp metallic bite. The cocoa in this blend is equally balanced with cinnamon and wine - really beautiful.

 

This is serious spicy, cocoa goodness, without being overly foody. Definitely not chocolate; sweet, but not creamy or buttery. LOVE! You'll like this if, like me, you're a foody person whose RL cohorts don't enjoy super-realistic dessert scents - this lets you have your foody scent in a way that's friendly to others and tame enough to wear in any company. Perfect for warm weather, too - definitely hoard-worthy for me!

[aislingeach]

In the decant, I'm smelling that lovely, sweet-savoury spiced cocoa that everyone is raving about. Once I apply, though, something in it amps like crazy and goes bubblegum! 20 minutes in, the bubblegum-whatever (agave wine?) starts to quiet down, although it doesn't disappear altogether. The spices come out, with cinnamon leading the way. I don't get a lot of cocoa. It's nice enough, but the bubblegum-sweetness is kind of offputting. Not for me!

[heathercaley]

Wet in the imp, it's yummy semi sweet chocolate and spices.

 

Applied.. Holy love! This is amazing! It's a cinnamon that's well behaved. It's probably the cocoa that's keeping the cinnamon from going out of control. It's a bit foody/drinky (as others have noted as well) but I love it! I usually do not get along with foodies, but this is loving me!

 

As it dries down, it becomes less foody/drinky but it retains the cinnamon note on top (thought it is still in control!) I smell some sugary citrus lying dormant under the cinnamon (must be that agave wine!)

 

All in all, this is totally bottle worthy!