Dia de los Muertos

[quikslvr]

... This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus.

Courtesy of the random LE swap circle.

I can barely smell this one at first. Subtle incense. Then the florals emerge from beneath the dryness of the leaves and a touch of smoke. But not heavily. It's mostly incense and tobacco for me right now. The dry leaves become distinct later. That's what sticks: the dry leaves and a bit of smoke. Very evocative, but not really my thing. Makes me debate my decision to get a bottle of the 2005 version, but we'll see what changes, of course.

[lorajc]

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS 2005

 

I have only tested this and have not worn it, so this is subject to change. I think out of all of the Samhain blends, this one smells the most different from last year's. The chocolate note that is detectable on first sniffing the 2004 version is not in this blend. This has a strong top note of something I'm not familiar with. It is the scent of faint incense smoke, crackling leaves and I smell some slight florals. I was slightly disappointed at first, but on the dry down, it smelled closer to the 2004 version. I don't really know how to describe this scent other than what I've typed above. I had a hard time reviewing last year's as well, as my nose is not familiar to notes in it.

[dreadeddragon]

2005 version

 

In the bottle: Florals, leaves, and something rather strong and punget, but not in a bad way. I was afraid of this because I don't like tobacco or chocolate, but I see no hint of them yet.

 

First on: Mmmm... This is making me think of gathering up large armfuls of colored leaves and playing in them. It's now a dry scent, still florals and leaves mostly, but the tobacco is coming out I think and it really blends nicely. I think I can smell a bit of cactus as well. I cactus.

 

Drydown: Yup, I can smell the tobacco, but it works here. No hint of chocolate, which I'm rather pleased about. It's that autumn scent, with a sort of sugary top note that's somehow not sweet because the tobacco combines with it to make it sort of tart. I can't tell if I like it or not, because it's a cross between a cool autumn day and some soured smell. It reminds me a bit of Hearth 2004 only with the sour note.

[Nepthys]

Color me disappointed. The 2004 DDLM has been one of my top 3 BPAL scents and it somehow didn't occur to me that the 2005 version could be terribly different. On me at least, this is. That festival candy-sweetness is gone and dominating in its place is that dry cactus note that comes out in Santa Muerte and 13. When I first sniffed it and put it on, I couldn't even recognize it as a cousin of the old DDLM. But as it dried down, it did take on the old scent - albeit quite a bit drier and more subtle. This is the wry & quiet ghost of last year's louder, more insouciant blend. While I do like it, I'm not smitten as with last year's.

[Monster]

Right away I smell a plasticy flower scent. It's the same plastic flower smell that was in 2004 Harvest Moon. It almost smells like a fresh Band-Aid or medical tape. Underneath the plastic I smell dry leaves with a touch of smoke, I'm not getting any tobacco, cadies or chocolate.

 

On my skin the plastic smell subsides a bit, letting the flowers come out strong in the foreground. The dry leaves and smoke are still dancing in the backround. This almost smells like a floral incense. Sadly, the tobbacco, candies and chocolate never made an appearance on my skin.

 

The dry down is very department store perfumy, very floral and strong. This one certainly lasts!

 

I'm not too thrilled with Dia De Los Muertos, but I've only had a day with it. I'll have to give it a few more tries to really make a final decision.

[Voleuse]

2004 Version

 

This is gorgeous on first sniff. Fruity, chocolatey, with just a hint of smoky florals. I adore it immediately.

 

The fruit fades, but the scent overall becomes smokier, while keeping the chocolate note. There's also a hint of tobacco, which I didn't catch before.

 

I only swiped this once on my wrist, and it stayed quite strong for four hours or so, then faded. I am so, so glad I'm getting a bottle of the 2005 formulation, because I love this. I'd actually love a bottle of the 2004 version, but as it is, I'll be hanging on to this imp for myself.

[luxuria]

DDLM 2005

 

This smells like cactus-y florals in the bottle and stays the same on my skin, but some incense and fruit notes come out to play. I smell just the faintest hint of chocolate and I wish more of that would come out. This is nice, but not mind-blowing. I'm going to keep my bottle but I wouldn't order another one.

Edited October 19, 2005 by luxuria

[olympia301]

 

I smell pure ylang-ylang in this one. Very floral and very flurry-ish. A pretty scent, which I was not expecting, rather seductive and classic. Dia de los Muertos should be at the top of any Halloween floral lover's perfume list. It lasts a very long time.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I didn't order this last year, but then the reviews intrigued me. My best friend's birthday coincides with Dia, so unless I love this too much to part with, it's a gift for her. I am highly amused by this year's label--a skeleton in a suit, smoking a cigar! In the bottle, I smell...apples and florals and chocolate? On me, the dominant note is a sweet floral that *really* smells like jasmine, my enemy (though perhaps it's a different flower behaving badly). There's something else going on underneath--something fruity? Smells like the apple cider note from the new Harvest Moon. Well, I know it's more complex than that, but my skin is having a heydey with this one floral note and everything else is lost. I *really* hope it will bloom properly for my friend!

Edited October 19, 2005 by Laurel the Woodfairy

[valentina]

I was so excited to try this, hoping for a very fall Mexican-y smell, but it went pure floral on me -- very rosy. I was hoping the other chocolate/coffee/tobacco/incensy components would come up, but my skin chemistry amps florals so much that they were left hiding.

 

My stepdaughter's 21st birthday is October 29, so she's getting Dia as a birthday gift -- her first BPAL experience. It's imperative that she stop wearing that chemical Victoria's Secret crap. It makes my dogs sneeze and gives me a headache -- and since she enjoys florals, I hope Dia is a winner on her!

 

valentina

[LiberAmoris]

2005 Version

 

Compared to last year's, this year's Dia seems to have more tobacco and florals and less chocolate and foody notes. It wears less like a smoky gourmand and more like a smoky floral. It's nice in its own right, but I think I enjoy the smoke note in Devil's Night more. What can I say, I have a sweet tooth!

[Beatrice33]

Wow, this is what I hoped Honey Moon or Le Petit Mort would be like. I mostly get a whiff of floral -- could be ylang ylang, although it's not causing it's usual problems -- and honey. It's a yummy, sexual skin scent on me. NOT what I expected, but I like it! I'd be very interested to try DDLM 2004 to compare....

[brownbear]

This is really different than I expected. I sniffed a bottle of the 04 version and I remember it having a lot more chocolate. I am a little bit sad that this one doesn't seem to have any chocolate. Though it does smell good. I get more of a smoky, deserty, floral type scent. Some people mentioned ylang ylang and yeah I get a bit of that too. It's a good thing I like ylang ylang. Hmm I am disappointed though about the lack of chocolate.

[Fishwomon]

I just received an imp of 2004 and a bottle of 2005, so I get to test and review them both!!

 

2004

 

I was kicking myself for not getting a bottle of this when I read the reviews. But now that I'm wearing it, I don't think it works on me. I get dry chocolate as a top note and a drydown into a strong, dusty floral. I can't really differentiate notes; it's just a strong floral on me.

 

2005

 

I like this much better. It's a light floral, spicy and smokey, with a hint of sweetness that lingers. The dry leaves and tobacco are more suggestions that actual detectable smells. It does smell like an open-air autumn festival: dry leaves and a hint of mulled cider and marigold. It's a very well blended scent, so I have a hard time picking out particular notes. I just know that I really like it, and I may need to order a second bottle.

Edited October 25, 2005 by Fishwomon

[quikslvr]

(2005 version)

 

Much more perfumey than I remember '04 being. And a perfume I recognize, too. Cactus flower at the top, I'd say, reminiscent of Santa Muerte. After the intial perfumey-ness burns off, the incense note emerges. It's nice, but it's very unlike last year's. It's much softer, and less dark. The tobacco is light, even, here.

 

Way into the drydown, I want to say that I smell just a smidgen of chocolate, but I could be totally wrong about that (it may also be the overlap from other scents I'm testing).

 

I have to say that I like this much better than last year's, but given the florals, I don't think this'll be one I reach for much.

[zenvodunista]

YES!

 

i couldn't wear DdlM '04. it was terrible on me and i was sad. but i orded the '05 as hope springs eternal, and at last i can wear this scent. the '05 is on me, what it was on everyone else last year! sweet cactus blooms, whiffs of chocolate, tobacco. not too much smoke -- just enough to make this "rich".

 

thank you, thank you, beth!

 

i feel like channeling Etta James and singing "AAAAAAAAAT LAAAAAAAAST!"

 

[ETA] today i wore DdlM 05 to work, she lasted all day, and even now i have the faintest whiff of chocolate and cactus flowers on my wrists. i realized today that DdlM05 on me, is what i had hoped Kali would be. Kali, sadly, goes to baby powder on me in about 15 minutes, but this.... oh! sooo beautiful. i will be either swapping for, or buying another bottle before Nov. 15.

 

just gorgeous.

Edited October 25, 2005 by zenvodunista

[TrinitySydney]

I'm having a hard time putting my finger on this one, but I know I like it. I also know that I smell incense, hard candy and some floral I can't indentify. Despite my lack of eloquence concerning this oil, I do love it. I may just have to get a big bottle before it's gone again, and in the meantime, I will definitely enjoy the hell out of this imp.

[shelldoo]

ddlm 05

in the bottle:wow there is alot of floral in here, more so then last years. all i can detect is florals, i am guessing it is cactus flowers but smells a bit like lily

 

wet: holy hell, that is some floral ,strong, lots of throw last year i got a spanish rice type scent mingling w/ chocolate, and tobacco and a hint of floral this is the reverse. floral, then a hint of tobacco, not much else, and no saffrony rice scent (which i loved btw)

 

as it dries it deepens a bit, the flowers are not all in my face, but it still is a floral scent, deep smokey floral, the scent still reminds me a bit of lillies, it is beautiful but i do prefer last years variety.

Edited October 24, 2005 by shelldoo

[coulrophobe]

2005 vintage:

 

I've smelled the '04 blend, but have never actually tried it on my skin, so I can't compare the two.

 

In the bottle: A bit floral; I'm having a hard time really smelling it and figuring out the notes.

 

On me: Much more perfumey than I expected. This is a well-blended floral, and I agree with Shelldoo that it's a bit lily-like, maybe that's the cactus flower? (Up here in drizzly Washington, I don't get to smell a lot of cactus flower, so I'm not sure what they're like!). I don't really smell much of the foody notes, which is fine with me as cocoa always goes wrong on my skin. I can catch a few whiffs as it dries down, but it's more of an underlying deepness, rather than the dusty dry fake chocolate (think Flake bars) I get from blends like Bliss - this is a more mocha-like chocolate. So sweet, yet rich, a bit smokey... I'm surprised how much I like this, as I was scared of the foody notes! It's quite pretty, and very autumnal.

[Freya]

2005 version

 

DDLM smells a lot like Kali on my skin. I'm getting a lot of chocolate and tobacco. It's like Kali turned up a notch. It's almost too strong while it's still wet, but as it dries it evens out nicely. After a few hours, it's a little powdery (as all chocolate scents turn on my skin) but it's not too bad. 6 hours later and the scent has faded away to nothing.

 

I like it, and if I didn't already have a bottle of Kali on the way, I'd buy a second one.

[spanishviolet]

After I ordered this year's, I got an imp of the 04 version which led to great regret that I'd purchased this - it was all sour white florals, absolutely terrible on me. Early reviews of this year's seemed to confirm my shopper's remorse, and when my Halloween order arrived last week, I took a quick test sniff & set it aside to go into a swap post. In a mood for new scents tonight, I decided I had to test it at least once to be fair first ...

 

I am amazed! Wet, I smell heady white florals, which I normally really dislike, but somehow these avoid smelling waxy and horrible. They're luscious and smell kind of like lily to me too, but ... lighter. At this stage, I smell only florals but don't mind because they're so unexpectedly lovely on me. As it dries down, I can smell incense coming out and a hint of smooth cocoa, maybe a little bit of tobacco.

 

Unexpected love! I don't think I'll need more than one bottle, and I really hope it doesn't age like last year's did, but wow, this is great. A beautiful autumn floral.

[joseybird]

Hahaha I like Dia '05 better than '04! I do agree that the chocolate is not as evident...in fact, I get more sweet, smooth candy than *chocolate*, per say. And that candy is layered under deep autumn blooms swirled with tobacco.

 

This might just be a reflection of my '04 being aged and my '05 being fresh, but '05 smells...smoother to me, and less riotous than '04. I'm absolutely amazed to find myself liking a heavy BPAL floral (as they usually smell very sharp and/or muddy to me), but Dia '05 smells...perfect. A suprise Samhain favorite.

[emzebel]

I am going to review the 2005 vintage separately from 2004, because these are almost two completely separate perfumes on me (and glancing back, I can see that I am a terribly unique and special snowflake in that regard... )

 

Anyway...in the bottle, 2005 is completely cactus/desert flowers. Very pretty, but not exactly what I signed up for (although to be fair, it took me a little while to warm up to the florals in the '04 vintage as well, which was also aged about 7 months when I first experienced it...okay, caveat over).

 

On my skin though, the other notes start to come out and the flowers fade a bit. Dia has never been a chocolate blend for me - it is about the mix of sweets with tobacco and wood smoke and the flowers that make it something different than, say Samhain. It is the parade of scents through the Dia celebration.

 

I think that this will actually age quite well, and I hope that the floral notes will relax a little as it does, but I am new to this concept of letting a bottle age, so we shall see...I am definitely glad that I resisted the urge to buy two for myself, though.

 

I'm going to add my thoughts on 2006 here, rather than posting anew as I did last year.

 

First, let me note that 2004 is still the glory year for this scent in my mind, and I will horde the weensie bit in its roller bottle until I can sniff no more.

 

2006 starts off an aggressive funerial bouquet - big white blossoms and a perfumy haze. But it settles...and much like 2004, after a time, it settles into something much more complex - as others have noticed, closer than last year to the original vintage. So I shall definitely let this sit a bit, and see what happens as the flavors meld...

Edited January 7, 2007 by emzebel

[ChupaChup]

The '04 version of Dia de los Muertos was awful on me and the '05 version, even though it's slightly different, still doesn't work. This year's version has more cactus flower as a top note, it's a lot like Santa Muerte at first. But pretty soon into the drydown it goes wonky on me like lunar oils do. I get that dirty diaper smell, I wish I knew what note/notes do that. I don't get any chocolate out of this year's like I did with the previous version, just an odd, sweet, generic "candy" smell.

[aidenraine]

Ok, just got my 2005.

 

In the imp I smell florals with an undertone of chocolate. Uh-oh.... both are generally scary on me.

 

 

Hm, wet on my arm I definitely smell booze (a vodka or scotch), some cherries, some chocolate, and flowers. The flowers are hopping around, dipping their leaves in the booze scent.

 

I really wish I was getting more "dry crackling leaves" and less "flower bouquet".

 

 

Update: still floral.... sitting on it's floraly haunches. It smells a bit like iris, but I gather that's the cactus flower.

 

 

Drydown and some time passing: Sweet and fruity, like a chocolate with dates in it, but the floral is still present.