Calaveras

[crimescenecleanup]

Clever little satirical poems in the style of epitaphs written to tease the living and ease grief over a loved one's passing. Xocolatl, tequila, copal incense, smoke-dried jalapeños, vanilla pods, and cajeta.

This is a traditional creme brulee with that smoky burnt-sugar crust on top. It is flavored with bitter cocoa and sweetened by real black vanilla pods. When you bite into it, you find that the cream underneath heavily and decadently spiced.

In my opinion, it's the hands-down winner of this year's Halloweenies.

[moon_lemming]

Calaveras is a pretty orange oil. I honestly thought there was PUMPKIN in it, I guess because of the way the vanilla interacts with some other note, when I sniffed it in the imp, but once it's on my skin that impression goes away. Because it turns to rubber. That goes away after a minute or so, though.

 

After it dries, it's a peppery . . . something, but I can't quite describe it. It just doesn't work on me at all, not even the tiniest bit.

[Tracelina]

For a brief moment when I dabbed this on, I think I may have smelled the xocolatl and vanilla...but it immediately morphed to tequila and jalapeño. And then amped all over the place. I'd been worried about the chocolate note, but I guess when hot peppers are involved, all bets are off! Oh well. Other Weenies were big winners for me, so I'm not complaining.

[Voleuse]

This is a heavy spice on first scent, leavened by a quick-blooming vanilla incense. Over time, I catch hints of cocoa, ground-up and darkly sweet. I keep thinking this should be a spicy cake scent, but it hovers in the realm of spice and incense, warm and redolent.

[angelicruin]

This has a buttery scent to it on my skin. Beyond the baked, buttery-ness of it, I can pick out a little floral incense as well. But for some reason, it just keeps smelling like bakery goods on me. Very weird, and not for me.

[wolfensong]

Anticipations: TEQUILA. I want I want I want. My signature drink, I was stoked when I heard about this note. Also looking forward to the vanilla-spicy goodness a lot of the above reviews are talking about. Can't wait.

 

In the bottle: where is it? Feint, light, what? Not what I was expecting at all. Very, VERY light spices, not much else.

 

On my skin: CHOCOLATE. Wow this is chocolate. Spicy mexican chocolate, thick hot gobs of the stuff. The kind that you melt into mugs at Navidad and eat with honey and powdered chile. Mmmm... I love that spicy smell.

 

Drying: There's the vanilla, and the incense. Both are still very light, though, and just a bit smokey. This blend is all about chocolate and spice on me, but seriously WHERE IS MY TEQUILA!!!???

 

Dry: there's my crisp, sunshine-y booze. Tequila, unlike most boozy notes, is not dark or sticky, it's bright and sparkly and wonderful, almost peppery but in a playful sort of way. There's no heaviness in it, that's all in the chocolate, which has stayed strong the whole way through.

 

Notes I detected: CHOCOLATE, vague vanilla incense (no sugar), honey, smoke, more chocolate, very gentle tequila, a tiny bit of citrus.

 

This is not the signature scent I was hoping it would be, but that doesn't make it less than delightful. I feel like this will be a "home" kind of scent, probably worn to festivals and fairs here in Albuquerque. Mm, I am going to make Balloon Fiesta smell amazing!

[Eemia]

This is familiar but it's hard to describe. I'm not even sure why it's familiar. It's kind of a sweet, dry, chocolate incense with a bit of green. Fruit-green rather than a fresh or grassy green. At first there's a strong spicy sensation. I was on the verge of sneezing when I first put this on. It took me several attempts to like it because it even seemed like there was a food type heat happening. My skin didn't react or show any sensitivity though. So definitely all in my head. It's one I'll crave more and more as it gets colder because of that spicy-heat.

 

It's much more smooth when it's drying down. More of a spicy vanilla with that same incredibly dry incense. Like smelling incense smoke while sitting on a sandbank. Very sweet still. I can never make out any of the tequila, but I probably wouldn't be able to detect it too well anyway since tequila is my ass-on-the-floor drink. I never drink it, so I can't recognize it much. No booze or liquor notes are showing up to my nose even though my boyfriend swears he can smell it.

 

And for all this, it's somehow very light. Nothing too heady or rich. It stays put for hours but it doesn't amp very on my skin.

 

I was on the fence about this for awhile just because it was hard to get used to it. Instead, I wanted to smell it all day long on someone else's skin. But now I really like it on myself as well. It's a perfect close wearing/skin fragrance that would be just amazing to get reminders of throughout the day if it lingered on a scarf or something.

[ajansuz]

My first weenie ever! Caveat: I have a head cold, and though I'm not 100% stopped up, I know my sniffer is off.

 

In the bottle, this is pure, rich chocolate love with some buttery goodness and a hint of spice.

 

Wet: OMG. Tequila like nobody's business, tequila and big, big jalapeno, to the point it almost stings my eyes. Also some hint of Black forest chocolate cake.

 

Dry down: It's starting to get a little bit of an incense odor. I'm not familiar with the note other than to say resiny incense. Still a whole crap ton of tequila and pepper. I really hope this goes through another phase, because as is with my body chemistry, it's kind of scary. Where'd the delicious chocolate go?

 

EDIT: The tequila did finally calm down, but the smoky note of the jalapeno really didn't work well on my body, and apparently, my skin devoured the chocolate whole, because I never really smelled much of it on me at all. This stuff lasts for 10+ hours, and on me had a huge throw. My husband really didn't like it, either. I'm going to see what aging does to this. I was really hoping to get the goodness others described and not the crazy booze and pepper a few had. Sadness.

Edited October 9, 2010 by DarkSinestra

[kikithepirate]

I was scared of the jalapeños in this, but I took a chance after reading the reviews. So glad that I did! This is a very exotic, mature perfume -- there's a slight smoky/incense quality to it, but it has that sort of oriental spice that I used to love when i was still buying department store perfumes. Very unisex, though I think slightly more feminine than masculine... but maybe that's just because I'm the one wearing it right now.

[milo]

On me, this is a very foody cocoa spice blend. I don't get any tequila, just heavy chocolate and spice. It strongly reminds me of the spicy 13 blend. I think it was November 09, but I'm not positive. Nice, but I don't think I need a bottle.

[Teaotter]

In the imp: butter! Enough so that I wondered if my decant of Gollettes had leaked on the label.

 

Wet: Strong vanilla cake, with the hot peppers showing up quickly but not overwhelmingly.

 

Dry: This is still a very strong cake scent for me, but cake scents usually go very simple on me quickly, and there is definitely more here than cake. The incense notes are stable, though the peppers and a boozy note float in and out. I think the chocolate is acting as a grounding note for the incense here, rather than actually smelling of chocolate. Very, very nice!

[plainjean]

Spicy, dusty cocoa and smoky, sweet incense. There's a little bit of a burnt vanilla thing going on, but I'm kind of loving that aspect of it. The tequila isn't overpoweringly tequila, which is great. The tequila and jalapeños just sort of add a bit of something interesting in the background. I'm finding that most booze notes work really well on me, though. I've been having a rough day, and immediately after I put it on, I felt calmer and more relaxed. It's definitely a comfort scent for me. Now to figure out how to justify purchasing multiple bottles of it.

Edited October 20, 2010 by plainjean

[meredevachon]

I ordered this, unsniffed, even though it didn't seem like something I would wear, because the combination of notes reminded me of someone. Maybe not the best way to pick BPAL, but I couldn't resist.

 

In the bottle: Usually when I sniff something in the bottle, I get just a general impression, can maybe pick out one or two notes, and that's it. But with Calaveras...first sniff: bitter chocolate, second sniff: tequila, breathe deeply: pretty much everything just as it was described, and all easy to pick out. And yet, somehow it doesn't come across as terribly foodie.

 

Wet: All those easiy discernible notes in the bottle have blended together into something warm and inviting but much harder to describe. At this point, it's foodier than I tend to wear.

 

Dry down: This oil takes longer than some to fully dry, and the time is spent with different notes rising to the surface only to be supplanted temporarily by the next. Hints of the spice of the peppers from time to time, but mostly chocolate and tequila taking turns, with the vanilla softening both, and the incense keeping things from smelling too foodie.

 

Dry: I keep sniffing my wrist, and have been ever since I put this on. The notes are playing together nicely by this point, hints of each, but with the blend of them being even more than them individually. But if I try, I can still pick out everything from the description.

 

Overall: I like this a lot more than I thought I would, and it's not as foodie as I feared. But it's still borderline on whether it's too foodie for me to wear. But if nothing else, it'll make a great room scent for me, and I think I'll wear it occasionally at least. Throw is enough I can smell it without sticking my wrist (or other body part) right up to my nose, but not so much it can be smelled without getting close — that is, perfect for me. And it lasts for hours.

 

Oh, and if you were wondering...yeah, having smelled it, it definitely reminds me of the person I thought it would.

[Schmoozy]

Caleveras is a funny scent. The vanilla pods and cocoa give it a foody vibe, yet the spices, smoke and incense manage to work really well alongside the vanlla. I almost want to say this reminds me El Dia de Reyes for a moment. It's spicy, foody, yet full of incense and smoke.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - A kind of incensey banana scent

 

Wet on me - A warm rounded scent with a feel of spices and smoke, but too thoroughly combined for me to identify any particular note

 

Dry on me - A warm, dry, resinous scent with a touch of smoke

 

Overall - For me this could do with a touch of sweetness and I may try layering it

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Partial 5mL from Glasspillars.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This is one of those scents that didn't really get my attention when I first read the descriptions (possibly because I hadn't discovered the wonder that is BPAL's cocoa note and how good it smells on me). But then (as sometimes happens with BPAL for me), I suddenly developed a need to try it because it suddenly sounded really good to me. I am somewhat concerned that this is going to be too similar to Dia De Los Muertos (which I like and have a few bottles of) even though the notes aren't really too similar.

 

First sniff:

 

Cocoa! Not chocolate like in a candy bar. Cocoa. This smells similar to Dark Chocolate, Whiskey and Cognac Truffle in the bottle, but with something vaguely spicy and sweet underneath. There's also something very faintly resinous hanging out in the background, but it's very faint. The main impression I get here is somewhat like Mexican hot chocolate (in the form of cocoa powder and chili pepper, rather than the actual drink itself).

 

Wet on skin:

 

Mmm, this smells wonderful! Again, it's similar to Dark Chocolate, Whiskey and Cognac Truffle (which is a very good thing for me), but with some slight spiciness and a little bitty bit of resin. The tequila gives this a booziness without actually smelling specifically like tequila, as strange as that sounds. I'd say this smelled like a Mexican hot chocolate bonbon with a liquor-filled center and a heavy dusting of cocoa powder over top.

 

It's deep and a bit musky, a little boozy, sort of spicy and almost earthy somehow. This is the kind of chocolate scent that I can do, not a super foody, sweetshop kind of chocolate scent that makes me nauseous.

 

Dry down:

 

As Calaveras dries, it gets a little bit sweeter and less dusty/earthy/musky. It ends up smelling (again) very much like DCWCT on me, which I'm happy about considering how much I love that one (and how I can't seem to track down much of it). They're not identical, but they've got a similar feel to them. They're chocolatey without being too sweet, boozy without smelling like a bar and sort of musky in a way that's hard to describe, except to say that it makes me think of a very deep, dark cocoa powder, the kind that's almost black and has such a rich, powdery roughness to it that it almost smells earthy. The jalapenos never really make themselves known except to add a subtle heat in the background. That's fine by me, although I would also have welcomed a more showy presentation.

 

The bottom line:

 

This is a gorgeous scent. I think it might be my favorite BPAL Halloween scent ever, actually. This is what I wanted Dia De Los Muertos to be (and while I like DDLM for what it is, I still missed the potential it had to be something else). This is also something I can (and will) wear all year. I ordered 2 bottles in addition to my partial and I'm considering getting more, since this has the makings of a long-term love affair for me.

 

My only complaint is that it's not as strong as I'd like (which may be due to the fact that I was applying it with a wand cap from a bottle without much oil depth for me to coat the wand in).

Edited November 1, 2010 by Penance

[crebbsgirl]

Alright, I had really high hopes for this one, and it didn't work the way I wanted it to. I think it may be skin chemistry related, but something in here went weirdly maple-sugary on my skin. My skin tends to do this with anything remotely foody, so that may be my issue here. I can still smell dark chocolate and vanilla, with just a hint of booze and the spice from the peppers underneath.

[filigree_shadow]

I'm not quite sure what a couple of those notes smell like, but I do know I like this. It smells kind of like a spicy caramel scent on me, with a kick of copal. It's unusual but for some reason it's comforting to me. The tequila part of it doesn't smell alcoholic or kind of sour like some alcoholic notes sometimes do on me -- it just smells sweet and a little rich.

 

I waffled about getting a bottle of this about 12 times, and then ended up not doing it. I'm still not sure why I didn't. Every time I sniff it I love it. My husband likes it a lot. It's different from anything else I have. Probably should have gotten a bottle.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: I'm getting dry cocoa, some spices, those peppers (!), and perhaps a hint of smoke.

 

Wet: Rather the same feeling as I get from sniffing the decant.

 

The dry-down: This is interesting! Seems to stay the same throughout. And lots of lovely throw. This is very much like Feast/Ones (other reviewers have also compared this to that) decided to go to a Mexican BBQ (if there's such a thing), during the autumn, and stand around in the smoke of the fire when only some jalapenos are roasting. I may have to upgrade to a bottle! Btw, the vanilla pods only help to sweeten and round out the cocoa.

[AmyO'Shields]

This was not on my list to try or buy this year. I have to thank the reviewers here and Christen at Knows Perfume for enabling me because I think this may be my second fave of the Halloweenies this year.

I wore this to bed last night, and it was absolutely stunning.

This is very well done: I smell the peppers, the cocoa, and the vanilla...but it doesn't smell like peppers, cocoa and vanilla to me.

It smells like chestnuts, oak, vanilla and dry leaves in SE Arizona in Autumn. When I sniffed my wrists, I closed my eyes and was trying to figure out where this scent had taken me - and it was back to Arizona, somewhere around Tombstone in 2002 in the middle of a grove of trees (wish I could remember which kind!).

Sorry for the wacky post, but really good perfumes evoke memories of places for me, and I love that. This one is a win, and I wish I had bought more.

[nineveh]

This one needs a lot of adjectives: warm, complex, sweet, spicy, creamy, earthy, dark. It's definitely gourmand, yet unmistakeably perfume. There's a slightly caramelized vanilla above deep semi-sweet chocolate, but the scent as a whole never reads as thick or overwhelming. Maybe the tequila's thinning it out. The jalapenos (the only note to worry me) give it a mild spice, though I'd never be able to identify them. All the contrasting elements are balanced just right.

 

This was what I wanted from Dia de Los Reyes (which ultimately only gave me cinnamon brownie batter). As a bonus, it has great wear length; I could still smell it clearly after nearly 24 hours. I'll definitely enjoy this one frequently as long as the cold weather lasts.

[Altaira]

In the bottle, this is all butter and booze - the same fake butter that Jack and Snap-Dragon-Fly have when first applied.

 

When it touches my skin, the vanilla comes out and stays out. Reminds be of the vanilla in TKO, but cooked and thick like a crème brulé. The chocolate deepens it, but never draws attention to itself. The jalapeños are very faint, just a light spice. If you told me it was cinnamon, I would believe you. The tequila never made an appearance again after being so strong in the bottle (booze notes usually work for me). Although I can detect a light incense note on my clothes from last night, it is not noticeable on my skin.

 

Which brings me to wear length. I put it on last night before going out - almost 14 hours ago - and it is still pretty strong this morning. It also has a pretty big throw. I applied lightly and it was commented on from about 8 feet away.

Edited December 17, 2010 by Altaira

[nnaylime]

I'm very picky when it comes to "foodie" scents, but I found myself liking this one. It was buttery & sweet, but spicy enough to work. That said, when my roommate came downstairs, I had a hard time convincing her that I hadn't made waffles ;-) 7/10

[grrrlennyl]

Calaveras

 

On: Sweet, mostly with cocoa scent. There's also a milky, caramely scent with a bit of spice.

1 hour in: Powdery, sweet cocoa with a vegetable undernote. (My skin sometimes does this to chocolate scents.)

6 hours later: The vegetable note eventually went away and thsi is mostly a powdery cocoa scent.

Overall: This is nice, but I can't deal with the vegetable-note interlude on me. My skin chemistry is weird.

[Ella LaRose]

wow, what a cool oil! buttery surgar cookie with bits of jalepenos. And it is strong too!! I like it, I think it would be a super good cookie to eat, not sure I want to smell like it, but totally facinated by it!