Jack

[Blood onmy hands]

The scent of warm, glowing jack o’lanterns on a warm autumn night: true Halloween pumpkin, spiced with nutmeg, glowing peach and murky clove.

I used to love Jack, back when I was first getting into BPAL... but then I really slathered it on one day, and it made me ill. I think that I like it more as a room scent. On me... it's like spice cake, cream cheese frosting, and way too much butter. Normally I love buttery scents (I adore Shill, for example), but this is a sickeningly sweet/spicy butter.

I like this as a tiny dab on my wrist, and it's awesome as a room scent in the oil burner... but it makes me sick if I apply very much at all. It feels more like a good candle scent than a good perfume. Edited October 29, 2006 by Blood onmy hands

[wickedgoddess]

Origin - imp, fresh from the lab

 

Oh yum!

 

Wet - this smells buttery. Wow this a delicious scent, buttery pumpkins with a pinch of spice.

 

As it dries the buttery note fades a bit, and it's all pumpkin and peach.

 

This is a wonderful scent, but one I would primarily wear in the autumn. As the Fall approaches, I will probably pick up a big bottle, but I do already have quite a few Fall scents to choose from.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[girlmadasbirds]

jack baby..where've you been all my life? this scent is sooooooo wonderful. buttery, spicy pumpkin...

this is going to the top of my 'must buy a 5mL list'

[moukin]

Mmm.. Very yummy scent. Definitely very fall.

 

I was hoping to find something to replace a long lost scent that I used to buy from the KC Renfest. It was called All Hallow's Eve and also smelled spicy and autumny.

 

Sadly, this one seems just a bit too sweet to use as a replacement.

 

Aside from that, it's a very pleasant pumpkin pie and spices smell. I think it would tend to work better as a room scent than a skin scent because it smells a bit candle-ish to me.

[blood*rose*flowers]

In the bottle it smells like a mix of spice, pumpkins, and something almost alchoholly on the edge like butterscotch schnapps or something else similar.

 

On this scent is filled with memory though oddly none from Autumn. The first sniff on my skin reminded me of sitting by the campfire on the trips my family took every year to a beach near Ventura, Ca. It smells not unpleasantly of almost a kerosene type smell but more as if it was mixed with the scent of campfire cooked foods and the scent wafting in with the damp beach air but all along I still smell the pumpkin bringing itself slowly up with the spice.

 

After a while I hit a whole new memory one strong and makes more sense to my brain since it matches a little better with the description. I don't know if you have ever been to Magic Mountain in So. California. But in the back is a country themed row of buildings you came to after you walked soaking wet off of Roaring Rapids. Back there they sell some of the worlds best Carmel Apples and fresh made candies and not far down they have a candle shop were you can dip your own candles or buy these crazy elaborate finished ones. I feel like I am there walking along side the wood buildings eating my Carmel apple walking by the candle shop getting just the tiniest hint of the wax and some of the scents they mixed with them all while standing in the California sun on a happy day.

 

Briefly I thought this might not work as I hoped but I can safely say I am in LOVE!! I get such a nice mix of the sweet and the spice that it plays off really nice and not too foodie. I have to say this is such a fun oil to sniff I feel like a kid again!!!

[Muppetk]

In the Imp & wet on me: heavy, buttery, spiced french toast. Butter scents make me gag. I really hope this one morphs.

 

5 minutes later: less butter and some pumkin, yay! Smells like overly butter pumpkin bread with snickerdoodle now. Still hoping more butter goes away.

 

15min later: the spices have eased up (aw) and there an almost fruity note now. I'm guessing that's the pumpkin.

 

Later: still slightly too buttery, with light pumpkin-spice bread scent. Bummer. I really thought I'd like this one.

[magdalene]

Buttery, spiced pumpkin frosting.

 

This is so good, I want to roll around in it like a cat that's found an interesting scent.

 

Yet another scent that stays true from how it smells in the bottle to how it smells on my skin five hours later. I prefer that to ones that morph, because then I don't get any disappointing surprises when something I initially like turns out to be kind of assy with my skin chemistry.

 

Gorgeous staying power, as well.

[emzebel]

This is an incredibly fruity scent on me (which I suppose is kind of a duh statement, but there it is...)

 

In the bottle, I am not sure what I smell, but it's not quite pumpkin. Wet, it is all fruit - at first it was more like apple or pear, but then I started to smell the pumpkin and a lot of the peach note. Unfortunately, I am not getting much of the spice at all - it is not a pumpkin pie/bread/baked good smell for me, but very "fresh cut jack o lantern" with other fresh fruity smells which must be the peach, and an almost apple cider note. I really *like* the fruit, but I would like it to have more of an anchor - spice or rum or brandy or something would help this party a lot.

 

I do really like the scent. It is very evocative of early fall and going to apple orchards and pumpkin picking and the scent of bonfires and cider and caramel without necessarily trying to cram all of those scents into the bottle. I think it will make a smashing perfume for September and October and possibly a room scent as well...probably not a 5ml purchase, but definitely an imp I'll keep around.

 

Edit - I really need to wait more than a few hours before writing these things - at about 8:00 last night, after I thought Jack had already completely taken his leave from my wrists I sniffed and lo and behold, there was the creamy icing scent that others have posted about...the intense fruityness was mostly gone, so it was almost like a very faint carrot cake. Crazy how these oils morph over the course of a day...

Edited June 13, 2005 by emzebel

[Ajila]

In the imp this smelt to me like the stage of fudge making where the mixture is finished, but its liquid and being spread out on a cold marble surface to set . Wet on me that scent is still there, but cut by a really sharp fruity smell, which I presume is what pumpkin smells like (I don't think I've even seen a pumpkin in real life let alone smelt one). Anyway this fruit is so sharp it's practically sour, but in a good way, in a way that makes your saliva glands go into action. When it dries it's the same sort of thing, but unfortunately there's an 'after smell' which is something akin to eau d'ashtray. I'm someone who (to my suprise) likes the smokey and tobaccoy scents, but this is not good. Still the whole thing lasts well and the ashtray bit wafts in and out so on the whole wearing Jack was a good experience for me.

[Cagedflame]

From the description, I was sort of expecting something Xmas-y. Y'know, spices and something piney or appley n stuff. Indescribably, something in it makes it distinctly autumnal rather than Yule-time-ish. It has distinct traces of the apple from Hesperides, especially wet. Wet and in the imp, something like buttery cookies is in it, but on me it goes byebye in the drydown. Pleasant. Not sure whether I'll order a bottle, but I'll definitely keep the imp.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Buttery yum.

 

On Skin: This smells exactly like the foody part of Halloween. Pumkin sweetened and spiced with nutmeg and clove. The peach sweetens it even more but gives a nice juicy balance. This smells like a kitchen after preparing for Halloween… baking cookies and pie, carving pumpkins, making mulled cider… yum! Very much a holiday scent that I’d love to use as a room fragrance, but not really as a body perfume.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): One is a very clear liquid, and that's the one suspected of being the old formulation; and one is quite yellow, and I know it's the new one. Clear: Ooooh buttery. Not quite butterscotch, but really close. Yellow: Butterscotch candy. There's a difference, but I don't know if it's in the batch, or if they are actually an old and a new imp.

 

Just On: Clear: Buttery rum, but not much rum. I seem to smell the slightest hint of spices. Yellow: Very much butterscotch, and sweetness. I'm testing the yellow one (new) on my right, and the clear one (old?) on my left. I currently want to gnaw my right arm off right NOW.

 

An hour or two later: The clear one smells pretty boozy, while the yellow one smells much sweeter and more buttery. I still want to chew my right arm off.

 

Around 6 hours: The clear one is still sweet, buttery, and boozy, and lasting fairly well. The yellow one is fading fast, and still smells very botterscotchy.

 

12 hours: The clear one has left the building, although I *might* have a hint of it left, but I just can't tell. The yellow one is sweet and butterscotchy now, and not boozy.

 

Overall: If these are truly two different formulations, I'm very happy to say that I actually like the reformulation better. They were both wonderful, but the yellow one was sweeter and creamier, which is my preference. Definitely goes on the big bottle list bigtime.

 

After reading other reviews: I got no pumpkin scent out of this at all. Neither one was pumpkin to my nose in the slightest. But it doesn't matter, I LOVE it.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: A very strong baked-pumpkin smell. There's a strained, almost green note, but it's immediately dominated by spices and the actual pumpkin.

On me: There it is again, that greenish note. It's an elusive fruity note - perhaps the peach? It adds a very distinctive fresh flavor to an otherwise almost pure pumpkin pudding. I'm not quite sure this is jack o'lanterns on an autumn night, but it certainly is a definitive pumpkin scent.

As the scent dries and the pumpkin and the peach blend together better, the jack o'lantern or at least a pre-baked pumpkin scent are much more fitting to the description.

[pensive]

In imp: Pumpkiny spice

On me, wet: Butter.

On me, dry: Spiced pumpkin, baked. Served in a candlelit room on a plate surrounded by leaves.

 

Impression: Jack w/Samhain = Fall in a bottle

Verdict: Come fall, I want to live in this scent. 10ml, I think.

[Stumbeline]

In the imp I was blown away by butter, that simple.

 

At first when I put it on, I wasn't really keen so I used it sparingly. It is very strong and foody, which at first struck me as more of a room scent than a scent I'd like to wear.

 

Over the day though, since Jack did last pretty long on me, it mellowed out to a sweet spiced pumpkin that I liked, but not sure if it's for me.

 

So, verdict is that I probably won't be buying a big bottle, but I'm going to try it again in the fall, or use it as a car scent.

[sihaya09]

I'd put Jack aside for months. Last night, I was pulling imps for testing so I could have a fall scent order in in time to receive them by September. I placed Jack on my wrist.

 

In the vial, it was all pumpkin. From the reviews, I expected peach notes to emerge on my skin, maybe some boozy notes. But no.

 

PINEAPPLE.

 

At first, I thought I was crazy. Then I sniffed again. Nope. Definitely pineapple swathed in autumn spices, sweet and just a little creamy. Pretty, but not the ultimate pumpkin scent I was expecting.

 

The jury's still out on wether or not I'll buy this one in bottle form. On one hand, the imp I tried is a little old. Maybe a new batch will be more pumpkiny, and I can always swap if I still get pineapple. It's very nice, but not [quite] what I had craved.

[arabella]

First impression: Pumpkin bread.

 

Dries down to: A richer version of the same - the spices make themselves known quite assertively. But, if there's any peach in there, it's disguising itself as pumpkin. This is definitely pumpkin pie for adults. I had some pumpkin schnapps over the last holiday season that my brother brought home from Germany and that is exactly what Jack smells like. I'm really glad it's not sweet. This would also be a really nice home fragrance for the fall.

 

Lasted: Quite a few hours - which is really rare for me.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

[wingedcorset]

I really really really wanted to like this!

 

In the bottle:

This smells like a bad Halloween candle. And very strong.

 

Wet:

Woah! Spice! Nutmeg! and a bit of the fake candle smell

 

Drydown:

Crap, I have no notes on this...I remember it being not at all good. *sigh*

 

Verdict:

Make with the swapping and be sad.

[Eros]

Forum purchase, unsniffed. Had to have/try this 'cause hey, it's Hubby's name

In the bottle and for the first few seconds after application, light, toasted butterscotch, YUM!! Quickly turns to a nice, warm, spicy pumpkin...but not really foody. No nutmeg, clove or peach...Well, maybe a *hint* of peach.

After about an hour to hours later, a touch of slightly sweet incense.

Definitely smells and feels like autumn, but something I'll wear year round.

LOVE this one!!

 

ETA: Just put some on and this time, in the bottle, I get warm(as in temperature), lightly buttered, caramel/kettle corn to add to all the above. Again, LOVELOVELOVE this!! Especially since amazingly enough, Beth's foody blends are never really foody w/my chemistry. Yummy, not foody, lol.

Edited November 3, 2005 by Shollin

[Medici]

GOD!

 

*dies*

 

I bought a bottle of Jack unsniffed. It was daring, I'll admit, since just recently after placing the order I browsed the reviews - hearing that Jack was Samhain's little brother scared me to no-end (Samhain and I do not get along whstsoever). So I was a little apprehensive.

 

I really shouldn't have been. Jack is slated to be my everyday happy Autumn scent without question.

 

I can't coddle the happy little pumpkin man enough (and he is a jolly little round orange thing).

 

In the bottle: butter, spice, pumpkin pie

 

Onset: Exactly like the bottle

 

Drydown: it creams up a bit, the peaches come out for a few moments to smack you upside the head, and then they settle in snuggly with the spices.

 

It's a sweet, warm, creamy pumpkin scent coloured a light orange with dribbles of brown and white (if you're a visual olfactory person). The spiciness continues throughout, though it is softened by melted butter and a wisftul scent of summer with the peach cobbler.

 

When I restock, Jack will come in 10ml format because he's the type of scent that makes you go "Awe! How cute!" - before you poke him in the stomach like the Pilsbury doughboy and he starts giggling.

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression:

OMG this is totally warm and buttery autumn in a bottle...I love it and it has staying power as well...it does not fade quickly and is totally living up to its reputation with me..

[zankoku_zen]

Man I haven't even uncorked it fully and I can smell the nutmeg and the clove. It smells like a cookie!

 

In the Bottle: Cookie! Warm and delicious and scrumptious.

 

On Skin: The nutmeg and the clove are the most predominant notes. After a bit I can smell the pumpkin. My mouth is watering. I love this.

 

Drydown: I smell like pumpkin pie. Tasty. It softer and more delicate on drydown. It's so warm... and comforting. I can smell hints of the peach now... and it reminds me to Fae.

 

Verdict: Beth is a genius. This is a warm and lovely autum scent. This just screams fall at me... which will be lovely in Peru... since our fall is a paltry month in which summer just gets 'cooler'. None of this lovely changing of leaves. Oh... I think I love you Jack.

[Rackham's Vanity]

I was really looking foreward to this impsie!

 

At first, Jack is awash in hot butter, but do not despair! On skin it calms and the butter steps down to allow a handful of "baking" spices to emerge: cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe a wee clove?

 

Finally, the autumnal fruits dance forward (I can't get pumpkin at all, though I tried) and a smoky note wafts in to mix with the spices and butter.

 

Beautiful. Smells like a foodie's Fall dream!

[Brianne]

Ooh Jack!! *swoons*

 

In the bottle:

Buttery, buttery, buttery vanilla like scent. It's like vanilla frosting.

 

On me:

Now, I don't normally like foody scents. But here's the exception - anything that is spiced up with nutmeg and clove, is probably going to be something I like. At first, this is buttery pumpkin. The nutmeg gives this a really nutty undercurrent to it, and that lasts for about 3 minutes. Once it starts to settle in, that peach really pops out. And when Beth said "glowing peach" - she meant GLOWING PEACH. That's the only way I can describe it. This scent glows. Peach is definitely the predominant note on me, but it's spiced up with nutmeg and clove, and the pumpkin is faintly in the background. This is so so so gorgeous.

 

Final note:

The perfect Fall scent. It's beautiful, and even though I don't like foody scents normally, this is something I would wear all the time. Big bottle for me!

[strangeling]

I had received this with a slew of randomly chosen imps, and I was going through them, assembly-line style. When I opened Jack (somewhat distractedly), I suddenly noticed a wonderful smell, and it didn't even occur to me it was from the imp! I even went into the kitchen to see what it was!

 

Then I sniffed the bottle - how amazing! It doesn't smell like an oil or a perfume. It has a very strong "presence" as if it were something in the room with you. I'd say it's a hollow jack-o-lantern with a candle dripping wax inside, into which somebody has dumped a bin of Country Crock Butter and a sprinkling of "apple pie spice" (cinnamon, nutmeg - but very very faint). Buttery-yum!

 

If you're new to BPAL I strongly suggest getting some Jack! It is one of BPAL's "Greatest Hits". It is one of the examples I'd use to show why BPAL is better than any other line out there - it adds whole new dimension.

 

My sister gave me a big bottle of this for my birthday, and I gave her a big bottle for her birthday - completely coincidental - it's just THAT GOOD!