Sugar Skull

[Aredhel]

Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.

2006 version

Rating (on skin): 2/5
Summarised in a few words/smilie: Burnt, sugary fruit.

Pre-review thoughts: '05 didn't work for me, but given the lovely description, I hold out hope! I've never tried the '04 version.

In the imp: Fruity sugar! Brown sugar, perhaps, but nothing like the '05 version. It kind of reminds me of sugared toast.

On skin, wet: Aww. Burnt sugar.

On skin, dry: Burnt brown sugar syrup and overripe fruit, though nothing specific. I had the same issue with the '05 version, though this is fruitier, and a bit less... brown.

Conclusion/Notes: Like '05, Sugar Skull '06 just isn't for me. I wish I knew what note my skin was reacting so badly to.

[BrightRedScream]

Here is my review for the bottle of Sugar Skull that I got off Ebay not too long ago - not sure if it's 04 or 05 though....

 

So time to test out the '06 type...

 

This is very very boozey to me...almost like an intense brown sugar in the vial - and that's pretty much all I get, not a lot of fruit - just sweet sweet smells. It's very very strong, but I remember the last one I tried being like that as well.

 

Wet on the skin the fruit is a lot more prominant...but the sugars..oh do they make this smell good...I want to lick myself with it on

I actually like this a lot better than the other bottle I got...but they're both good for different reasons.

However I would gladly take a bottle of this, and get rid of the older bottle!

 

It just gets better and better as it dries, and it's SO good.

 

Yay Beth! Here's to an instant new favorite!

[yeahbutnobut]

Sugar Skull 06

 

In the imp: like last year’s treacle like scent, but sweeter, softer, less boozy.

Wet on skin: a fruitier version of last year’s.

Dry: mmm, this is nice! Whilst last year’s had a big shot of rum to it and now smells very boozy indeed and very heavy, this is a lot gentler, and I can smell the fruits better. It still smells like the darkest brown sugar, caramel and treacle, but it also smells like Christmas cake! It smells very similar to the fruit cake mixture my mum makes every Xmas, which is soaked in rum. There’s a definite ‘rum and raisin’ scent to this, and I smell dried apricots, prunes and maybe some glace cherries too.

After a while: this stays pretty much the same, its caramelised dry fruits with a hint of rum. It now smells a little more ‘cooked’, the sugar notes are deeper and darker, much more like treacle or maple syrup now. Eventually this develops the treacle pudding scent I got from last year’s when it was fresh, but despite it being less overwhelmingly boozy, I smell rum soaked raisins here-only with more raisins than rum. Maybe a hint of port wine. Yes, this is home made Xmas cake alright. It even smells spicy.

This lasts for ages. I still smell caramel and fruit lingering on my wrist the next morning.

Verdict: this bears the brown sugar and rum similarities of last year’s, but this SS has much more a fruity feel to it. Overall this scent reminds me of home made Xmas cake, soaked in rum and port (but not smelling too heavily of it), made with an assortment of dried fruit and with the darkest, richest brown muscovado sugar, along with a dollop of thick dark treacle-or a serving of treacle pudding on the side. It seems that the 05 version has become a little too overwhelmingly boozy for my tastes, and therefore I prefer this-yes it smells like rum as well, but much more complex and with spiced fruit nuances to it. It’s perfect for winter, wonderfully reminiscent of festive baking, and I’d love to get more, though I’ll have to compare it with 05 to see if I need more-Sugar Skull is too heavy for everyday, but it’s perfect as a winter baking scent with it’s cosy, boozy sweet warmth.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I might get a bottle once I compare it with 05 and if I prefer this.

If you like this, try: DdlM (any year), Creepy, Cockaigne, Gluttony, Drink Me

[azhure]

In the vial: Caramelly sugar.

 

Wet: Thick sweetness - somewhere between sugar and caramel. Very strong and has a strong throw.

 

Drydown: This one only gets stronger on me. It's too sweet, and almost acrid. No fruits - just the sharp sugar scent. It gave me a headache.

 

Verdict: swap.

[jewelbug]

This is for the '06 version:

Imp: Dark, sweet and boozy. Seems less fruity than 05, much more akin to '04, but in between the two.

 

Wet: Sweet dark sugar with booze and the first fires lit in the autumn chimneys! This is basically what I said for my 04 sugar skull review. And since I loved '04 and only have a tiny bit of it, this makes me quite happy.

 

Dry: Yes, this has a darker, huskier, smokier sugar smell than 05...more complex and deep. Its not quite as dark as '04, but its also not aged nearly as much, so I'm holing out hope.

Overall: I'm gonna get a bottle of this. I like 05 a lot, and am keeping my bottle, but I also liked 04, and this reminds me of that. I've decided I need them all.

Edited October 1, 2008 by jewelbug

[Naamah_Darling]

Sugar! Caramel sugar, sweet white sugar, rich brown sugar, I can smell them all, straight out of the bottle!

 

It goes on a little more smoky than I thought it would, this is definitely a sweet smell but it does have some depth. The fruit notes, if there are any, are very light and very faint, politely in the background. Mostly this is delicious sugar – it smells like cake batter or cookie dough before you've added the flour, when it's just the wet ingredients and sugar all creamed together.

 

With time, it does indeed develop a slightly fruity tang, but it's a faint one, and it is indeed quite candylike.

[slave1]

SUGAR SKULL 06

 

In Bottle: Boozy Spicy Candy

 

On Skin: I’ve been excited for this blend! I love Sugar Skull, especially the 04 version, so I was waiting to see if this years was more like 04 or 05 before I ordered a full bottle. It does seem less boozy on my skin than in the bottle whereas 05 was almost all booze on me. It has the wonderful sweetness of both past years, but seems to be much lighter sadly. I love the gooey sweetness of 04! This year it seems to have more brown sugar, it also has quite a bit of spice. Whereas the past 2 years have been more candy like, this one seems slightly more foody and bakery like. But still, it IS Sugar Skull without a doubt, I know it when I smell it! I still have one bottle from 04 and 2 bottles from 05 so I think I’m set for now but I’ll keep my imp for sure just to smell the differences. Moderate throw but short to average wearlength.

[arabella]

2006 Version

 

First Impression: Burnt sugar and rum.

 

Dries down to: Settles down to a nice buttery rum before the burnt sugar creeps in.

 

Additional Comments: This is perfect for a crisp fall evening. The burnt sugar isn't nearly as obvious as it was in last year's version but it's what keeps me from rating this higher.

 

Lasted: Several hours.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

[cybra111]

Sugar Skull '06

 

I remember trying another Sugar Skull but I have no idea what year it was, except I know that it wasn't this year! I swapped it.

 

Now I remember why! First impression is pure dish soap, eew.

 

But then then a bit of spice in the soap. So I am hopeful. This is very strong and I can't quit sniffing my wrist.

 

Eventually the soap fades and I am left with Spice and I love it. If it would only stay this way!

 

But, then a sweetness emerges and I can see how someone would refer to this a a french toast/maple syrup scent. I am still liking it, but is gives me a bit of a headache. For some weird reason my teeth begin to ache, like the extra sweetness is sending a signal to my brain. I know that sounds crazy, but my teeth really hurt like when you eat something too sweet.

 

Wow! I am totally knocked out by this one. Not sure, I bet I will try it again, though.

 

The next morning I still catch faint whiffs of french toast/maple syrup and spice.

[wikkidraven]

i've had this imp for a while and never tried it. now i'm kicking myself...it smells wonderful. i have the 05 version, i immediately thought 'brown sugar!' when i put it on. but on the drydown, i'm now thinking i smell like apple pie. sort of a fruity, tart undertone and lots of sugar. i'm loving it. and it's strong, i know when i wear it normally it will have lots of throw.

 

gorgeous.

[jessu]

2004 Version

 

I feel like the odd one out here... but I don't love this. I smell burnt sugar, not actually all that sweet, and no fruits. A little spicy, a little maple-y, but... I dunno. Doesn't do it for me. I think I'd like to try a more recent version.

[savage_rose]

I can't believe I've never reviewed this! I wore it tonight and decided to right that particular wrong.

 

It really surprised me, how much I love this scent. It didn't sound that exciting to me but I decided to try it anyway, and in the bottle it smelled okay, but kind of weird and not exceptional. But on...it turns into this sweet sugar blend that's irresistable! You know that Doublemint gum wrapper smell, that minty sugar dust that is so light and delicious? But ethereally so, because the gum does not taste like that dust smells? That's part of it...that and a warm syrupy sugar, and a dry, powdered sugar smell. It's just a lovely combination, and I feel lovely wearing it

[cranberry]

2005

In the bottle, this is all sugar with a hint of fruits and booze. Once applied the sugar comes on full force. The slight fruitiness lightens the sugar. This is super strong, long lasting with good throw. As it wears it becomes yummy caramel sugar.

 

 

2006

Very similar to the 2005. But this one is a bit fruitier, the booze is pretty much lost and there’s a hint of spice in the background. Also long lasting and STRONG.

 

Yum. I really like them both.

[spelmermaid]

2006 version

 

Never tried the previous sugar skulls, but I love the 06 version. In the imp it smelled sweet, slightly caramelly. On me, it becomes the yummy smell of brown sugar. It smells lightly toasted, and reminds me a little of maple syrup(?). There is a bit of spice in the background, but very faint.

[impadua@aol.com]

Upon opening the bottle; My teeth go on edge, what is in this bottle? Headache is starting at the temples..Immediately closing the bottle.

 

Didn't even get to TRY this one on. . Rarely do I have this type of reaction to anything except some ExBF's and most hip hop.

 

Off to the sale stack you go.

[Tess]

Why, exactly, did I want to try this scent? I KNOW that my skin has problems with sugar notes. It must have been the fruit that drew me in. That wacky fruit obsession of mine.

 

In the vial - ? I barely smell anything in here, perhaps the barest of sugar and spice. But I have to sniff very deeply to get even the teeniest whiff.

 

Wet - Very slightly stronger than the vial, but I think my skin might be bringing out the scent. Yay skin for once!

 

Drying - Okay, I think this imp has been tampered with. I can smell the teeniest amount of sweetness, the barest whiff of a spice note and a very, very small cloud of floral. But it's like it's been cut down with something, diluted like crazy. I've tried a lot of BPAL in my day and never have I had anything just NOT SMELL.

 

Dry (1 hour) - ...I'm so utterly confused by this oil. It does smell now, exactly like Midway in fact (ie. fakey burnt sugar), but at least it's smelling of something.

 

Overall - This is probably my strangest run-in ever. It doesn't work with me, obviously, but it's interesting how long it took my skin to pump out anything at all.

[jessiesquash]

2006 version.

 

Let me start out saying that I REALLY wanted to like this. I'm mean, REALLY.

 

In the bottle: Pure maple syrup.

On my skin: Still maple syrup. Okay, maybe it will morph and surprise me by being amazing.

Much later: Nope, still maple syrup.

 

Sigh. *shakes fist dramatically at no one in particular*

Edited January 25, 2007 by Jessie

[Keslynn]

Sugar Skull 2006

 

All I can say is "yum"!

 

In the bottle, it smelled like maple syrup with a fainter white sugary note floating above it.

 

On my skin it alternates quite a bit between 3 phases:

Maple syrup and pancakes

Brown sugar with some sort of strange (in a good way) more cologny undertone

Candied fruit, sweet with that white sugar high note

 

The weird part is that these phases really do alternate rather than settling into distinct time phases (wet, drydown, etc) and it's usually in a different phase depending on where on my body it's located. Very complex and sweet and yummy comforting.

[macabre_fae]

I just received my bottle of sugar skull today in a swap, and I am smitten!It's so lovely. I can definitely smell wistful, sugary goodness in sugar skull .

[lightgatherer]

(This is the 2005 version.)

 

I honestly was not expecting to like this one. I was expecting a cloyingly sweet smell, possibly chemical, but that's not what I got at all. I can't remember each stage of the scent as it did morph over time, but what I got overall was the impression of being in an autumn kitchen. There was mulled wine, baked apples, wine poached pears, and the smell of a lightly spiced brown sugar being sprinkled over everything. This was so incredibly good - I couldn't stop smelling my wrist. I've ordered a bottle of the 2006 version, and I'm hoping it will remain fairly true - otherwise I'll have to track down a bottle of 2005 to get more of this incredible fix.

[presotm]

Sugar Skull 05

 

Just bought a partial bottle of this one.....

 

Whoa! The throw on this almost bowled me over! All I did was unscrew the bottle lid, and some of the oil must have launched itself at my fingertips, because now it's all I can smell! Oh well, might as well slather!

 

*slather slather*

 

To me, Sugar Skull smells like stirring spoonfuls of brown sugar through a cupful of maple syrup -> kind of a caramelly maple syrup.

 

I love Beth's sugar notes and this one seems to work well on me. Zarita is still my favourite so far though!

[rockchickie]

'06 version...

 

*sigh* I really really wanted to like this. If I lived in a cooler climate, this would probably be one of my favorites.

 

Wet: Sweet. Good blend of sugar and fruits. Warm. A little spicy.

 

Dry: Pretty darn close to how it was wet. It's too warm and too strong for me to wear unless I'm on vacation in a cool place. It would only work here for about two months out of the year.

 

Fun effect: our girl kitty woke up out of her sleep to come sniff me and then proceeded to lick any surface I touched.

Edited April 2, 2007 by Chickie

[hackess]

'05 version

 

Imp: Candied fruit. No hint of heavy sugar or booze.

Wet: Brown sugar and what might be rum and tobacco. It's a very warm scent, with just a hint of fruit in the background.

Dry: The fruit comes back out a bit more, but it's still all dark brown sugar and rum on me. Boozy scents turn my stomach or give me headaches, so this one has to go.

[bunnymcfoo]

I don't know how to describe this, except as caramelized sugar on me. It smells like brown sugar, slightly burnt, slightly boozy. I love it, love it, love it.

 

 

'06 version.

[filigree_shadow]

I have the 04, 05, and 06 versions on various parts of my arm right now.

 

The 04 version is the strongest because it smells like it has some spice in it. It's not nearly as sweet/sugary as the other two. I don't notice any sort of spice in the other two, so this one seems the most different. The spice (it's something like cinnamon or cassia) in this has always made it smell like burnt sugar to me, like creme brulee. I like this one all right, but...

 

The 05 version is the sweetest. It smells very sugary, and it doesn't smell like burnt sugar at all to me. It smells like cooked sugar, like caramel, but it's not spicy/burnt-smelling. This one seems to smell the fruitiest, and it also fades the fastest. And then there's...

 

The 06 version. In my opinion, this is the best one. It's sweet but not overly sugary, and it smells creamier than the other two. The sweetness smells very natural in this one, to my nose. It has almost a nutty and slightly spicy undertone. It smells like a sweet skin scent to me, and I like it a lot.

 

And of course I passed over Sugar Skull 06 last Halloween because I already had a bottle of the 04 version. That didn't turn out to be a great idea.