Monarch

[midnight_aeval]

MONARCH
King mandarin, red ginger, sugar cane, golden amber, mango, and pumpkin.

Not at all like Pumpkin Queen, which is what I was expecting. It seems possible that a different pumpkin note is being used as of late by the lab (Blue Pumpkin Floss from what I got to test at the trunk show was unlike the usual pumpkin blends). It's way less buttery, and more squashy The King Mandarin is sort of like crushed orange peel. Not super sweet/syrupy as the orange that comes out in Pumpkin Queen. Red ginger is giving the blend a bit of a spice kick, but not overwhelmingly so. Parts of this blend remind me of Bakeneko, but it's enough like it's own blend and I like it!

[Venneh]

This was my first brush with pumpkin, and an interesting one at that. This was all ginger and what I'm going to assume is pumpkin on me at first, but the mandarin came in and made this really watery, so it didn't quite fly on me. But if the buttery fruit that I'm getting is pumpkin, then color me mildly intrigued as to other pumpkin blends.

[hlemonds]

Immediately upon application this is all about the pumpkin and ginger, with a hint of the mandarin coming through. My husband's first comment was, "It smells good, but very mush like a yankee candle." I didn't think it was completely Yankee Candle, but he wasn't totally wrong. And I'm not a fan of smelling like a Yankee Candle. Not to fault those who do enjoy it, that just isn't my cup of tea. This does a big time morph however, after about 30-45 minutes. Once this is completely dry it is almost entirely golden amber, mandarin, and a hint of mango. Golden Amber tends to smell quite rich, sweet, and vanilla-like on me, so I was very much enjoying this stage. It did seem to face fairly quickly, but the dry stage was pleasant!

[mrstkeller]

(I'm still new to reviewing bpal . . . )

 

Right off the bat my first thought as "Ohh. . maybe this will be a replacement for Pumpkin Queen!", (since I can't get my hands on a bottle of Pumpkin Queen, and can get this). But once I compared the two, I realized it will not be as good. This tends to go more foody on me then PQ. I think the orange note in PQ is sharper and makes it less like wearing a baked good and more like wearing a perfume. I will say that it is yummy though. It blends into my skin faster than PQ, but I still will probably pick up a bottle.

Edited June 14, 2010 by mrstkeller

[saralaughs]

Wowzers.

 

It's good. Maybe not Pumpkin Queen good to some of you but PQ fell on her cardboard face when it came to my skin so I'm enjoying this.

 

Right off after applying I get pumpkin. Surprise huh? It's a rich, buttery pumpkin too so I was a bit worried at first. Into the drydown though the mandarin comes out. I usually don't go for citrus but this is realistic and juicy smelling...not sharp at all. It cuts through that buttery pumpkin like a knife. The sugar cane is there, sweetening it up...but just a bit. It's not sugary at all. The ginger is in the background...I can hardly tell it's there.

 

Definitely not pumpkin pie OR sweet pumpkin. Some beautiful where inbetween.

 

Edited June 16, 2010 by saralaughs

[writergal969]

Hmm...I'm not sure I'd wear this but the scent was interesting. I get a very buttery, pulpy scent from this, the mixing of the mandarin and pumpkin I believe and a nice tang from the ginger and amber. It's not something I'd wear, but it doesn't smell bad. Just incredibly different. Juicy and pulpy and fun, just not to my taste. 2/5

[femmefatale]

Let me preface this by saying I do NOT like pumpkin blends. They make me sick to my stomach. Always.

 

 

Or at least, until now! Finally, a pumpkin blend I really like! I can actually pick out each of the notes listed, though no single note overwhelms the others. And oddly, this doesn't strike me as a strictly falls scent like I expected.

 

Out of all the blends, I thought this one would be at the bottom of the list, but I think it's actually one of the few I want a bottle of.

 

 

[sunlitgarden]

Monarch

 

Wet: Pumpkin and spicy ginger with the mandarin and sugar sweetening it out. This is definitely more of a fall scent. When first applied, something (ginger + mango?) reminded me briefly of Indian curry, but that note has more or less dissipated, thankfully (curry is delicious, but I don't want to smell like it!)

 

I apparently rubbed a bit of this on the skin above my upper lip while sniffing my wrist, and it burns! x_x Fortunately it feels okay on my wrists. I do like this, but there are other spicy scents I like better (Bengal, Plunder, Morocco.) I'll keep my decant, and see if a few months of age (and season-appropriateness) make a difference.

 

Retested 8/22/10: Still getting a blast of Indian food at the beginning. Unfortunately I think that's enough to disqualify Monarch from a bottle purchase with all the other competition abounding currently.

[edenssixthday]

Monarch - Other people have been comparing (or un-comparing [?] as the case may be) this blend with Pumpkin Queen. It's definitely not PQ, but I'd absolutely put it in the same scent family; you know, the "if you like this scent, then you might like this scent" kind of thing. On my skin, it opens up with a burst of super spicy (hot ginger!), buttery, smooth pumpkin. It's obvious from the get-go that this is my type of autumnal scent, definitely not a summer scent. The ginger is extremely bold and spicy. The amber gives the scent a bit of a woody-resin base. The sugar sweetens up the whole thing. The juicy mandarin stays around the edges and never really jumps in with both feet. The ginger remains the dominant note with the pumpkin not far behind it. When I stop sniffing my skin up close, the mango actually becomes the dominant scent! It appears that while the ginger is super hot and spicy and strong, it sticks close to my skin. The scent wafting around me is more that of sweet, sugary mango syrup and pumpkin. I'm kind of on the fence about this one. I'll hang on to it and give it another shot in the fall when I might be "feeling it" a bit more at that point.

 

[astarinel]

I especially wanted to review this blend because I normally hate pumpkin notes, as my skin tends to amp them into a horrible out of control buttery mess.

 

However.

 

This one? Works.

 

The pumpkin is very mellow and takes a backseat to the orange and spice, and the scent is overwhelmingly a very warm red-orange to my nose. Very appropriate for the butterfly! It smells edible without being overly heavy and foody, and definitely strikes me as more of a warm fall/winter scent than a summer one.

 

As it dries the foody-ness fades a bit, and the amber comes out and makes this a lovely skin-hugging spicy scent, warmed by the pumpkin but tempered by the citrus.

 

I almost didn't get a decant of this one, because of the pumpkin, but it ended up being my favorite of the metamorphosis collection and pretty much bottle-worthy.

[strahlend]

Looking at the notes and sniffing I feel like I can detect each thing listed. Mandarin, ginger, sugar, mango, pumpkin... maybe not the amber specificaly. On my skin it turns mostly into pumpkin and ginger. Lightly spiced and not at all the buttery pumpkin I've encountered before. This one is a surprise favorite out of the butterflies.

[Antoinette]

Oh, goodness gracious - what is going on here? Monarch totally confused me for about three hours, and then I had to just give up and quite sadly wash it off.

 

For a while it was interesting. I couldn't quite figure out what I was smelling. It wasn't pumpkin, it wasn't mandarin - well, maybe it was mandarin, for a fleeting minute?...and then it was like, spicy and tangy brown something? If that was the ginger then that's disappointing since I usually ADORE ginger. Maybe because it's red ginger? Anyway, as it dried it got a little better but basically just obtrusive to me. Sadly, this one does not like my skin chemistry, or something.

 

This is the first of the Butterflies and Moths that hasn't worked for me. A little sad, but still have a few more to happily try!

[boxinghelena]

As soon as I saw that Monarch had pumpkin in it, I had to get a bottle of it. I love all things pumpkin. I can't get enough of it.

 

After initially trying it on, it was all about pumpkin on me with a tad mandarin. On drydown and several hours later, the pumpkin has all but disappeared I think I'm smelling the mango & sugar and a touch amber. Not bad but I really wanted the pumpkin to dominate. I'm glad the mandarin took a hike as well because I'm not a fan of citrus scents.

~

Edited June 25, 2010 by boxinghelena

[Invidiana]

I got the pumpkin from first sniff (I'm a notorious pumpkinphile) and it only kept getting better after that. As this dries down, it warms up with a soft radiance all its own from the perfect balance of fruit, sugar and spice. I love how the red ginger adds a particularly exotic hint of spice to it. The sugarcane gives it a distinct sweetness from that "raw sugar" type note that has more depth than white sugar, and the amber grounds and deepens it, also adding to the golden feel. It's a summery twist on the pumpkin spice theme and if you love pumpkin as much as I do, this is one you definitely need!

[brilliantcat]

In the bottle: Lots of pumpkin and ginger with a hint of sugar.

 

Immediately after application: Sugary pumpkin and ginger and I get a nice spurt of mandarin too. Delicious!

 

Warming up: Pumpkin, ginger, with some mandarin. Quite yummy!

 

Fading: The mandarin has faded but the amber is starting to come out more. It's got a sweetish yet somewhat spicy smell that does put me in mind of a vivid Monarch butterfly.

 

Faded: Hints of the sugar, amber, and ginger remain.

 

Overall: I'm a fan of pumpkin scents so this one was a no-brainer for me, especially with the other notes. It's not the spicy pumpkin-pie note I tend to prefer as a foodie, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I haven't decided yet if it's bottle-worthy but most likely will be.

 

After retesting, I'm not as enamored of it as I was. The spices seem to go a bit cloyingly sweet and remind me of some tobacco-heavy blends that have done similar. Glad I skipped the bottle purchase.

Edited December 9, 2013 by brilliantcat

[hkhm]

bottle: this is very lovely ginger, amber and pumpkin with a touch of mandarin.

 

wet: the mandarin and pumpkin warm up as this touches my skin, a lovely sweet, yet not over-sweet, scent. i can even catch a bare hint of mango. the amber is a bottom note here and the ginger adds enough spice to make this fresh and crisp instead of cloying.

 

dry: this is a less buttery pumpkin than any other the the lab's pumpkin scents i've tried. i think it's the resin of the mango that keeps this from getting a little too foody. the mandarin has faded completely but the ginger is still right there making this a bright pumpkin and ginger scent backed by amber. very lovely, it will have a place of honor in my pumpkin scents.

[angelicruin]

Hello Pumpkin! Definitely the strongest note while in its wet stage.

 

As it begins to settle on my skin, some of the mandarin and mango emerges. Amber is very subdued in this blend---almost not there. And I really can't pick out the ginger either. Pumpkin still remains strongest note even on dry down. Sort of gets me in the mood for the Weenies in a couple months, you know?

 

 

[TheIceMaiden]

This starts off with strong mandarin, ginger and sugar cane notes. As it dries, these notes back off and I get the pumpkin over amber. There's a bit of mango too. This is really nice, very cheerful and lovely like a Monarch Butterfly, and I'm happy to see pumpkin in a non-Halloween blend.

 

I agree with the above posters that this is a different pumpkin note, its not as buttery and rich and more appropriate for a summertime perfume. This does remind me a bit of Pumpkin Queen, but its a distant cousin - lighter and brighter. Its also a cousin to Bakeneko, Pumpkin V 2007, and more distantly, Pumpkin I 2008 and Kuang-Shi (all of which are blends I love too).

[tacey]

Monarch is one of those blends that act like two completely different scents on my skin vs in my locket. And it's morphing rapidly both places, so I may need to edit this in the future, when I'm more familiar with the whole range.

 

On skin: Weirdly, a very dense/opaque scent. Kinda like a very firm pillow. The dominant note is pumpkin, but not at all the same pumpkin as was in the 2009 Pumpkin Patch (my only experience with pumpkin notes) - I suspect the mango is driving it in a different direction, but I really can't pick out any mango specifically. Wet, this is a very familiar, candy-like scent - sweet and buttery. As it dries, however, the ginger really starts coming out - this is a gooood stage. If the first stage was a plump firm pillow, the ginger adds a fantastic playful fringe to the edges.

 

It's fading pretty fast, and practically no throw. Really pretty, however.

 

Locket: THERE'S the mandarin! For the first hour (while the skin was moving from pumpkin dominance toward red ginger), the locket scent was gorgeously orange over soft pumpkin. Bright and colorful - almost soaring. It put me more in mind of birds than butterflies, actually.

 

And further along the locket timeline the mandarin is slowly falling behind the pumpkin in prominence. Much more evenly balanced than it was on my skin, though. I like it very much, now - slightly sweet and smooth (buttery, I guess?) with a subtle zing.

 

ETA: Late the same afternoon. The locket scent is much more on the pumpkin side, and it's actually now something I would consider strongly foodie. I'm not liking it as well as I did earlier, but if you're hoping for sweet pumpkin with subtle orange, this could be your thing!

Edited June 30, 2010 by tacey

[reynardine]

Okay, in the decant, I’m getting the pumpkin right away, which can only bode well as I am a great fan of pumpkin. Wet, the ginger and sugar cane and pumpkin all come out loud and clear. On drydown, the citrus is coming out, but is held in check by the pumpkin. I really like this one. Will do a second test (and run by my husband, who REALLY likes pumpkin scents) before deciding if this is bottle-worthy, but it is certainly in the running!

[cuervosueno]

I just got several decants, and tried this one right away, because I was pretty sure I would love it. I do!

 

In the imp I get the mandarin topnote right away, but the buttery pumpkin is under there as well as the spice of the giner. The mango doesn't show up as a distinct note, but adds to the fruitiness of this.

 

When I put it on, it is a golden, rich and fruity blend. Like others have noted, the pumpkin is definitly there, but not as strong as pumpkin in some other blends.

 

I really like this and will be getting a bottle.

[MCS4096]

URGH I ordered this decant because I wanted a full Metamorphosis set, and I'm game to try anything... but there are several doom notes here.. actually all but the amber are notes I generally avoid

 

This scent definitely makes me think of the color orange, so mission accomplished there. I'd say there's a good blend of mandarin, mango and pumpkin-- the effect is sweet, juicy and pulpy. The amber is just holding it all together I think, and then the ginger is floating on top, not too strong but noticeable. Unfortunately I hate ginger with a passion and citrus blends make me a bit queasy so this one is definitely not sitting well... sorry!

[Schmoozy]

 

Buttery pumpkin, spiced heavily with ginger and sweetened with mango and sugar cane. Golden amber appears on drydown, and it is warm, sweet and actually begins to overtake the pumpkin. I really wish the sugar cane note was not as prevalent as it is, because for some reason it's coming across as brown sugar when mixed with the pumpkin. Definitely a scent for colder temperatures.

[CitizenBree]

I guess I'm the only one so far that felt like the amber was the strongest note on me. But it's a very complex scent. With every sniff, something else comes out as more prominent. After it settles on my skin a bit, the pumpkin comes out a bit stronger, but mixed with the mandarin for a spicy orange/pumpkin scent. Every now and then I get something super sweet, like candy. Not getting ginger (good, I don't like it), or mango either.

 

Once it's more fully dry, it's pumpkiny amber. it is a pretty delicious scent. like a baked good. This would make a really lovely autumn scent.

[fairestrocza]

In the Decant: amber and pumpkin

 

Wet on Skin: Something is reading as a bit of a green smell (not a dominant smell, but noticeable). This is a very dense, weighty blend.

 

While Drying: I can pick up just a hint of the ginger

 

After a Little While: This scent is less oppressive with a little time. The Boy says it smells like vegan cookies, and I can see where he is getting that. The sugar cane must be there in the background, but this isn't an overly sweet scent. Second test: The Boy says it smells like bakers chocolate (?). The green smell is more prominent this time around... and a weird muskiness that comes and goes.

 

Later: I am liking this more and more as time passes. The ginger has picked up, but it is a soft ginger, and blends well with the pumpkin, which has tamed a bit. The amber is in the background at this point. The sugar cane picks up after a while too. Second test: Waxy pumpkin spice. I think I like the waxy note - I think it is the warm amber blending with one of the other notes.

 

Final Thoughts: The throw is significant in the beginning, and dies down considerably by the time it gets to the scent that I like. Unfortunate. Nice, but not outstanding. Second test: I think I like it a bit more this time around, but still not enough to justify a bottle purchase.

Monarch earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.

 

updated to add notes from a second round of skin testing

Edited August 9, 2010 by Rocza