The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love

[Ravenclaw79]

An amorphous mix of oppressive, piceous ritual incense, macerated kelp, sea salt, sticky dark ocean plants, and… mixed chocolates

Firsties!

This is... weird, but in a way a lot of other people are going to like. It's salty chocolate at first, but then, it quickly shifts to murky aquatic, and then it settles into something that's ... Snake Oil-y? Incense-y, with a hint of cocoa underneath. Maybe Boomslang-y? Dark, that's for sure.

[Invidiana]

For a malignant tentacled sea creature, this is absolutely gorgeous on me. Wet there is some salty/seaweedy thing going on, and I was skeptical, but as soon as it dries down it morphs into something completely different: a deep dark chocolate with a dark floral and slightly earthy background. Possibly some patchouli in there which adds to the mystery. There's just a bit of tang to prevent it from getting too sweet, but I like my perfumes that way. I predicted it was going to be like a chocolate-covered Roux-ga-Roux, and it is, at least on me. If the stench of Cthulhu is going to smell like this, drown me in it please.

Edited January 28, 2010 by Invidiana

[Geminirubyshoes]

Look at us east coasters go with the first reviews!

Immediately opening the bottle I get salty chocolate, like the kind you can buy in bars now. It's got a touch of musky-smokey incense going on as well. When slathered all over my arms, it's that same sea smell that Jolly Roger has mixed in with all the other stuff described above. Damn this is good!!! It can even smell a little lemony after a bit but all in all I am so glad I jumped on this.

Totally gonna age my other bottle to see what happens.

Also this would smell AMAZING on a guy

Edited January 28, 2010 by Duskinhereyes

[Dark Alice]

Definitely murky seaweed and water..plus hints of cocoa and incense.

 

Drydown: Light seawater, hints of cocoa and incense. I really like this. It's odd and comforting all at the same time. And it is the SECOND chocolate scent that beth has produced that I can actually wear!

[aquazoo]

Slithering chocolate! I can smell that oceanic overtone, the bright lime overtop of the chocolate. Somewhere in the middle the incense wisps by. But then the chocolate comes back, again and again, beckoning me to follow. Its tentacles snake up my nose and touch that secret place, the pleasure center. Nobody does it like Cthulhu.

[childoftime]

Salted chocolate in the bottle. On my skin it's chocolate, salt water, and a hint of incense. It reminds me of Left His Nurse While in a Crowd only saltier. I love it!

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Super rich, heavy, cloying chocolate - think Bliss - very milky and insanely foody, quite buttery. Eek. I get a decent bit of incense that reminds me a lot of the note in Black Lace, and then more faintly the oceanic notes. Not as salty and aquatic and seaweedy as I'd hoped for. This is 90% milk chocolate. I am scared to test it!

 

Wet: Much more incense, and it is DEFINITELY the incense from Black Lace, specifically the resurrected (or 'fresh', if that one needs to age to resemble the original more). But I also get more ocean - delicious salt water and green, fresh kelp (which is a little cucumbery). I don't really get 'dark' ocean plants - all the oceanic notes here are bright and refreshing and really help offset the immense heaviness of the chocolates, which are less dominating but still in command. Also, less buttery, and less milky - I get more dark chocolate. Phew!

 

Dry: Okay, bizarre. All but a teensiest hint of chocolate has completely burnt off. The initially gross milky-buttery Bliss note morphed into a deep beautiful dark chocolate note (reminiscent of Dark Chocolate, the uber-rare Gaiman imp) and then faded to nothing except a trace of fudge-tinged sweetness (unlike that DC note). Now I'm left with salty, salty seaweed - not green and cool and cucumber, but more like dried seaweed with visible salt all over it - and that incense from the Black Lace. The seaweed note is unlike anything I've smelled before in BPAL but it smells exactly like my dried Kelp & Wakame sprinkled with at on of extra sea salt.

 

Later: The roommate caught a whiff of me and told me I smelled 'manly and woody'. Now that I think of it, I do get sort of a dry driftwood note - a la Jolly Roger - but it's fairly light, and not too dry or TOO woody. I think it's part of the incense. I agree this is quite masculine on drydown, however. It's super salty dried seaweed and the dark incense of Black Lace, with that hint of old driftwood and the tiniest suggestion of dark chocolate. What an evolution! Great throw and longevity too.

 

Summary: This is a winner - unlike any other scent in the catalogue, extremely well-blended and well-balanced, and so intriguing. It's the kind of thing you want to keep sniffing because it's so unique and complex. I think it'd be most awesome on a man, but it works with my feminine skin chemistry - it's just not something I'd wear myself.

 

 

[stellans]

First off, how cute is the idea behind this blend? And the bottle art? Total love!

 

OK, to the scent: chocolate at first, both in the bottle and on my arm -- and this is the scent which dominates in my scent locket as well -- but once the oil has a chance to warm on my skin, I get first the incense note mentioned by others in this review thread, and then the salt water scent. As the oil dries down, the chocolate totally disappears from my skin as if eaten (mmmm, chocolate!), as does the incense burn away, leaving only the watery rather herbal scent behind.

 

I like this blend very much, mainly because of the so very interesting way it morphs. It reminds me of how the 13 blends morph away from their initial cocoa or white chocolate scent to the accompanying notes. I find this an interesting companion bottle to the Tentacled 13 of November 2009, in fact.

 

This is definitely an asexual blend, good for either gender who likes these notes. I give this oil 3 of 5 stars, because while the initial throw is nice and strong, it dies away to almost nothing within an hour of application. The scent locket remains strong for hours, but only the chocolate note comes through.

Edited May 28, 2011 by stellans

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the bottle, this smells like salty chocolate.

 

On my skin, it's incense and chocolate after initial application. As it begins to dry, I definitely get a dark sea plant vibe mixed in as well.

 

Very interesting blend.

[bookofblues]

In the bottle: mostly chocolate, slightly reminiscent of Boomslang...my all-time favorite!

On the skin: Interesting. The chocolate has literally disappeared. Incense and a salty,astringent aquatic note sweetened up by what I assume is what remains of the chocolate.

After it warms up: This is still mostly aquatics and incense with the chocolate warming it up now.

Drydown: Incense on top, chocolate base.

 

Love this! I'd have to say my top three chocolate scents have been altered: Boomslang is still unquestionably #1, then Cthulhu in Love, then Purple label 13 (chocolate + catnip).

[fiddledragon]

In bottle: SALTED. CHOCOLATE. FUDGE. With just a teeny hint of musk.

 

On me: The chocolate fades away almost instantly. It's incredible how strong it was in the bottle, yet how understated once it hits my skin. I'm not really getting the bright aquatics other people have mentioned, which is good in my case, since they normally hate me.

 

As it dries, I get some musk and incense...the resins go sweet on me, as they usually do, which melds perfectly with the chocolate. This is actually kind of like what I'd hoped Kali would be -- dark ritual chocolate. It's incredibly well blended. I get a very faint hint of something salty and vaguely vegetably, but overall it's chocolate incense. This is Bliss in stiletto heels.

 

Amazing. I mostly got this because it was one of those things that I just had to try. Chocolate scents are usually fun on me, but not something I want to wear everyday. I can't wear aquatics. And yet this work so very well.

[cfrancesca]

As soon as I sniffed this in the bottle I fell in love. It's a luxurious, sexy and comforting scent. I love the smokiness of the incense mixed with dark chocolate, the salt is very light and keeps the chocolate from getting too sweet.

 

After a few minutes on, I start amping the aquatic notes (ocean plants and kelp) a little more than I'd like and the chocolate starts fading... ... nooo come back...men's sporty cologne nooo...

I think I'll have to try it in my scent locket, it's one of the best chocolate scents I've ever smelled and my skin is ruining it.

 

It does smell masculine, almost like a male version of Black Temple Burlesque Troupe (without the musk).

[MerriAnneStowe]

In the bottle, it smells. . . . .foodie?

 

wet: chocolate

 

drydown: chocolate

 

several hours later: chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate.

 

Where's the kelp? I want my kelp!

 

Will have to test again in a few days. . . . .

 

ETA: Tested again five days later. Still amping chocolate to the exclusion of all else.

Edited February 7, 2010 by IridiumFlash

[fairestrocza]

(Disclaimer: My bottle just arrived a short time ago, but I was too excited to wait and let it settle before trying it on...)

 

In the Bottle: mainly chocolate

 

Wet on Skin: chocolate with something aggressive

 

While Drying: I just got bitch-slapped by Cthulhu… Do Elder Gods use litter boxes? The Boy swears it just smells like dark chocolate, but I'm getting a bit of ammonia.

 

After a Little While: Thank goodness, someone cleaned out the Elder Goddies Box. Ahh, and there's the water note… the same one from Pool of Tears, I think… And now the incense is starting to emerge. How does incense smoke rise through water?!

 

Later: The chocolate is pretty tame, mingling well with the incense note, over a watery background. The Boy says "It's the sweetness of the swamp, without the nastiness of the swamp." It seems to be fading fairly quickly, or at least the throw has decreased and it is now sticking close to my skin… I'll have to try it again after it has had a chance to settle from shipping and see if anything changes.

 

Final Thoughts: I was worried about the listed notes, but Cthulhu's Love Juice called to me anyway… This is a lot lighter and more wearable than I thought it would be. I think we have a win!

The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.

 

ETA: Do you think we can convince Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman to write a movie script for Cthulhu in Love? Maybe we should send them a bottle of this oil for inspiration.

Edited February 3, 2010 by Rocza

[ami226]

Looking at the notes, there is no reason I should love this scent. I just had to get it since I wanted to make a ThinkGeek purchase anyways, and it was Cthulhu... I just received the bottle a few hours ago, so here it goes...

 

This blend is amazing.

 

I have no idea why, and there really isn't any one note that I can pick out in this scent. It is just amazing. I think I can catch a slight whiff of chocolate, but overall, the blending of this scent was really well done. It is dark, yet sweet, yet commanding.... Where has this scent been all my life? On my skin it is sooooooo sexy. (Well, at least that is how it smells to me). I usually can't do any scents with a water/aquatic note, but this one doesn't seem to count as an aquatic anyways.

 

There are very few scents I have found that are instant love, but this is definitely one of them. Yep, I totally believe in love at first sight (or smell....) now.

 

 

[edenssixthday]

The Malignant Dreams of Cthulhu in Love - This smells super chocolatey in the bottle. As soon as it touches my skin, it smells like salty chocolate. It smells delicious! The most wonderful part is that the chocolate in this blend doesn't "turn" on me the way most BPAL chocolate notes do, and it stays true throughout the life of the scent on my skin. While the chocolate is salty and has a hint of heaviness about it initially, as it dries down, it really does become mostly a chocolate scent that's boosted by the faintest trace of kelp, which kind of makes me sad because I love kelp scents and was hoping it would be stronger in this, but I'm not too sad because of the fact that I finally found a BPAL chocolate scent that note only stays true, but that I like, and which lasts on my skin for a decant amount of time. All is good.

[Lethran]

 

In bottle: Dry, drak chocolate is strongest, with a light insence underneath. The sea related elements are pretty much drowned in the bottle. Wet: chocolate is strongest still, but it’s sweeter and richer now. The insense is still quite delicate, but adds body to the scent. As it warms, the kelp and saltiness come out. This is lovely and quite different from most chocolate blends. I’m really loving the balance of this, all the elements work so well to create an elegant whole. Dry: the incense grows stronger and delightfully complex. The sea related stuff fades back again to hide under the chocolate. It really is a lovely chocolate/incense blend, but don’t except a lot of kelp.

 

[Venneh]

Just got a decant of this; in the vial, I'm getting chocolate and... incense? That's what I want to say it is. On my skin, this is a salty chocolate. We'll see what the rest of this does. I'm liking it so far, but I think I'm going to need a full skin test to determine if I like it enough to seek a bottle. (Also, four hours in, and it's still going strong. oO)

Edited February 8, 2010 by Venneh

[CiCi]

On my skin this is a soft, salty chocolate with a touch of incense and grass/kelp. It is very light and does last a long time. I applied it around noon and when my husband came home around seven he could still smell it (he really liked it). This isn't a cologne, it isn't perfumey either. The chocolate blends are sometimes a hit or miss with me because of the sweetness of them. Since this isn't sweet on me, it works well.

[kerikeri]

I bought an unsniffed bottle of this the moment I learned of its existence, as the title and bottle art were more than I could resist as a total Lovecraft fanatic, but I honestly didn't know if I'd like the scent at all-- aquatics usually go oddly watermelony on me, which didn't sound like it would go well with chocolate.

 

This was a pleasant surprise, though. The aquatic notes are very light and subdued, adding a unique edge without making the whole thing smell like a waterlogged box of candy. The chocolate is dominant at first, but eventually an incense note similar to the one in Story Time at Dark Delicacies rises to the surface and adds some spicy darkness. This actually smells somewhat similar to Story Time on me, but better, sweeter and less dry thanks to the chocolate. I'm glad I have a bottle!

[captainecchi]

I received a decant of this as a gift from my forum-pal Rocza

 

In the decant: I never thought I'd have to use the words "aquatic chocolate," but that is indeed what this is.

On my skin (wet and dry - they don't seem to differ much): the chocolate simmers down a little, and a briny, salty, smoky note joins it. I get occasional whiffs of something a little unpleasant, almost like wet dog. Which seems... appropriate.

 

Verdict: Um... I have no idea what to think of this blend. One minute I like it; the next I don't. It will require some more extensive testing.

[Ondine]

At first I kind of liked this. The chocolate came to the forefront and it played nicely. But then the aquatics crept forward and I can't do aquatics. So sadly the chocolate moved to the back, the aquatic moved to the front, and I ended up not liking it that much.

[patina]

My rule: In order for aquatics to work on me, they must be combined with something sweet. This fits here.

 

Oh, wow, this is exotic. I can smell the Indian musk from Galvanic Goggles. Only it's sweetened by the chocolate and reisens and doesn't turn into pure essence of man. (May be too manly for some women though.) Oh, the kelp is good too. The chocolate dies down quickly but never disappears.

 

Exotic sweetness from the depths of the ocean.

 

My only problem with this is that it gets faint very quickly. Aww.

Edited February 16, 2010 by patina

[cam]

This is a really great scent, and I'm so pleased it worked for me (I usually can't do aquatics)! I get salty, musty chocolate and dirt (in a good way!). The chocolate isn't too overwhelming, either; even my hubby likes it, and he's usually not a fan of chocolatey scents. Love it.

[crebbsgirl]

Yup! I'm also one that chocolate doesn't normally work for, but this is quite yummers. It's not a sweet chocolate, which I think is why it's working for me. The saltyness gives it a little bit of a masculine edge on me, and it kind of reminds me of some delicious cologne. The incense come out a little in the drydown, but I don't find it to be a prominent note on my skin.