Hellcat

[saralaughs]

A soft, sensual, luxuriant blend with a wicked bite: hazelnut, buttercream, honey mead, rum and sweet almond.

This should have ended up better on me but it went very bad. A very sugary sweet almond that is almost caramel-like on me. Caramel does not like me; I do not like it. Or smelling like it and this scent comes too close to that for my tastes.

[Invidiana]

This is mostly sweet honey mead and rum on me. I get hints of hazelnut, almond and buttercream but the two heady booze notes are at the forefront. It's not a blast of alcohol, just thick sweet liquor. This one badly tempts me to lick my wrist.

Edited July 14, 2011 by Invidiana

[EmmiKristiina]

I absolutely love the hazelnut and almond I'm getting from this one, there is also something that reminds of cinema popcorn that makes me really happy:)

The rum maybe a bit too much for me tough, but I'll keep this one and try again in the cooler months, seems like scent that might give me a nice warm feeling.

[Verios]

This was initially all sweet honey on me, but shortly after, almond shows up, with a bit of rum in the background. This is really nice for those days where I'm wanting something sweet and decadent smelling. I'm surprised I like this as much as I do (although I've had a few foodier blends surprise me in such a way, lately), because I never used to like smelling foodie--I enjoyed sniffing it, or smelling it on someone else, but didn't care for the idea of wearing such scents myself. That said, while this isn't likely to be a bottle purchase for me, I'll likely be using the rest of my imp!

Edited February 7, 2013 by Vashtya

[Honey]

Huh.. this is totally one of my signature scents.. but the more I smell it with a critical nose, the lesser I like it. What happened after all this time?!?!

 

 

Bottle: Almonds (a bit marzipan-y), hazelnuts and booze! Yes, this is very rum-y but not in a bad way. After several sniffs, I also get something.. creamy and cake-like; I guess this must be the buttercream. Only the faintest hints of honey detectable.

 

Wet: Huh.. something almost fruity appears. Like.. pear perhaps? Sweet and succulent; the rum and honey mead now overrule any almond or hazelnut notes.

 

Dry: Nutty! Hazelnut overrules the sweet almond. The notes turn really spicy now.. oh no, I have to think of those dreadful pencil shavings. And.. hmm, I don't know if it's the aging process of the bottle or my skin chemistry today, but it reminds me a bit of fish oil now. I assume this is the buttercream as I am having issues with butter notes lately (butterscotch, toffee..). So, yes.. this still is honey cake with a nut filling and buttercream on top. A great scent for fall.. or, you know, END OF EFFING JULY when it's dark and cloudy outside. *looks outside*

Funny story.. this scent combined with my forum name ("Honey Hellcat") is actually my Geoaching alias. So I just cannot stop liking this.. I guess I have to get back to this later today or retry on another day. No idea why this is so wonky all of a sudden.

[Verse]

Yum, this one is reminding me a lot of the wonderful butter rum cake my mother makes. I was a bit leery of wearing this as it smells so heavy and rich in the bottle, but thankfully it isn't overpowering on my skin. I'm wondering now if dense isn't a better word than heavy as it certainly isn't a scent that runs around and clobbers people after I put it on *laughs* I agree that this one is a warm sort of scent and I look forward to wearing it more in the fall!

[Autumnsky]

In the Imp: Maraschino cherries. Distinctly almond, but very sweet and fruity.

 

Wet: Well-done toast(but not burnt)and buttered rum. Boozy, nutty... very apres ski.

 

Dry: The toast has softened out to coffee, with a slug of frangelico and cream.

Overall, it smells like something I want to drink in front of a fireplace, wearing a chunky wool sweater and handknit socks. Would be a great room scent...it's a little heavy, and unmistakably foody, but I'll wear it sparingly when the leaves start turning.

[DeCuvieri]

I think I picked this up from saralaughs by mistake because I had it confused with Hellfire. Never in this universe nor in any neighboring parallels would I have bought this based on the description as I hate foody blends, and that's precisely what Hellcat is. I amp up sweet notes to an unbearable degree, so within minutes rum is so maple syrup-y and almond so cakey that I can't stand to let it stay. It's almost the exact same problem I had with Perversion but worse, and I had to take the dish soap to it early on.

 

Probably suitable for somebody who likes sweet or boozy oils, but if you don't then avoid Hellcat like a dark alley.

[OctoberGwen]

I'm not sure wtf is going on with this one, but it completely smells like brimstone on me. Nothing but smoke, seriously.

 

Weird.

 

 

ETA: Hahaha, I'll bet this is a mislabeled imp. This HAS to be Hellfire!

 

EATA: 10/22/11

Well, imp #2 of Hellcat turned into yukky cigar smoke also, and I'm now suspecting the hazelnut note! I had the same reaction with Gluttony, and the only notes they share are hazelnut and buttercream. I suppose it could be the latter, but I strongly feel it's the former.

Edited October 22, 2011 by OctoberGwen

[Klolly]

I received an imp of this in a PIF and I'm so exited to try it!

 

In imp: Ooh smells amazing. Like almond flavored icing with pieces of raw sugar mixed in.

 

On wet: Wow this is nice! It's maraschino cherries in a rum drink with a piece of heavily iced vanilla cake nearby.

 

Dry: As it dries the rum smells more alcoholic. The buttercreams sweetness has mellowed a lot and the hazelnut has arrived. This is interesting. I liked it better wet. It still smells really good but kind of just makes me think of brown sugar at this point. Definitely an enjoyable one here.

[jensdays]

Okay, this is my first review, And my very first BPAL order, so be gentle with me

 

I didn't especially care for this in the bottle. It smelled kind of sharp. I think it was the rum. When I first put it on it was heavy, smoky, and incense-y. Almost too heavy. After about half an hour is mellowed to a warm very nutty scent. A couple hours later it's sweet, still nutty. It is a heavy scent, I should have used a little less than I did, but the few others I've tried I seemed to absorb, so I went a little heavier. I really like it though. So far it's one of my favorites.

[Andalei]

In the imp: Delicious, rich cherry-almond scent that almost reminds me of Serge Lutens Rahat Loukoum.

 

Wet: Same cherry-almond smell with cinnamon.

 

Dry: Almost instantly this turns into Christmas potpourri on my skin. Smells just like the giftshops around here once they get all of their candles and decorations in for the holidays. I love this smell in a store, but not so much on my skin.

[KatharinaNordh]

I'm not sure why - this smells almost identical to Bordello on me, possibly me amping Almondy stuff?

I already have and love Bordello, but now I felt confused, cause I don't need TWO of them.

 

Tried some Hellcat in my oil burner and it is DIVINE; soft, warm, buttery and everything I hoped it would be - I'm going to let it age (or spend it all in the oil burner, whichever comes first) and see what happens.

 

It is just too good as a room scent to give up on just yet.

[Morsigne925]

BF bought me this one from Knows Perfume after after he fell all over himself loving the smell of it on me. So I shall do a review

In the bottle: Quite boozy - smells like a sweet almond-cinnamon liquor, or like a nutty spiced cider.

On skin wet: Not *quite* as boozy smelling, but it's still there as a sharp back note. The sweet almondy scent comes out a lot more, almost like amaretto mixed with cinnamon in some kind of buttery drink. There is definitely a more buttery smell to it on the skin.

Drying: Cinnamon isn't listed in the notes but I swear it smells like cinnamon in a delicious holiday drink to me - maybe the hazelnut is morphing into cinnamon somehow. I am *loving* this as a winter scent, it's very warm and toasty smelling.

End of the day: Definitely a fave. Wearing this led to ah, shall we say, a good night with the BF he is apparently a big fan of this one. I give it 5 stars.

 

Revisit Aug 2014:

 

Bottle/wet: sweet, slightly boozy spices; spells like a gingerbread rum cake to me; it definitely smells like dark, molasses with spice

 

Drying: Some kind of nectary-sweetness that must be the honey comes more forward as it dries; it generally smells like warmth and toastiness and the holidays to me. Will continue to be a staple of my winter perfumes!

Edited August 24, 2014 by Morsigne925

[becca_s]

So far I am figuring out that foody scents do not mix well with my skin chemistry and my skin amps up any kind of spiciness.

 

It smells wonderful in the imp - like a winter pudding/dessert with caramel rum sauce - very yummy.

 

Hellcat somehow goes a little wrong on my skin, and smells quite sickly sweet ... I'm not sure if there is any spice in this but it dries down to be a mix of ginger/caramel/cinnamon but not combining together in a good way. A little too foody for me. It's a very rich, strong scent with good throw and good for winter, it has the potential to grow on me.

 

I gave the imp to my mum, who loves it and it smells perfect on her - I asked her what she was wearing one day and it was Hellcat but it was unrecognisable compared to the way that it smells on me. On her it smelt warm, soft and creamy. Oh well, at least it went to someone who loved it

Edited December 11, 2011 by becca_s

[Drae]

I had to laugh when I read the notes for Hellcat (which was frimped to me by the Lab) because pretty much every note is on my deathlist. Neverthless, no imp will pass by me un-tested.

In the imp: A spicy rum hits me straight on. This didn't kill me as much as the buttery rum in Grog and is more candy-like. It reminds me of a rootbeer or Dr. Pepper hard candy. Very dark sugary syrup.

 

Freshly applied on skin: The rum fades a lot and the honey mead comes forward. The sweetness is also fading a bit which is odd for my chemistry, and I'm actually beginning to detect a sweet wood chip note which must be from the two nuts. This is also reminding me of a cheap cinnamon bun-scented candle, (the kind that don't actually smell like cinnamon buns, and just a nondescript fake foodie sweet scent) which I attribute to the honey and rum. There is also a weird raisin note I am picking up on which isn't very sexy. Hellcat is doing strange things on my skin which I don't really like, but don't hate either.

 

Verdict: This scent is supposed to be everything I hate on myself, but it wasn't the scary rum extract that Grog turned out to be, and actually went less foody and sweet on my skin. I'll keep the imp for a second test for curiosity's sake, but ultimately Hellcat makes me think of someone boiling raisins in melted rootbeer hard candies or butter rum lifesavers.

 

Also, echoing MilkAndSugar's TMI share, I am also testing this during my TOM so maybe that's why Hellcat is behaving atypically on my skin, will have to try again at a later time and see.

Edited December 28, 2011 by Drae

[mxtine]

Almond / marzipan are a couple of my least favorite notes. I'm not that sure about hazelnut either. I didn't want to skin test it after sniffing the vial, but I wanted to test out the Buttercream, Honey Mead and Rum notes.

 

On my skin (a finger actually) this smells like honey with a splash of sour milk. I love honey, but this is nauseating and plasticky! My skin hates this...

[relax]

To me it's a less sickly, lighter version of Queen of Sheeba, with some rum and a hint of dark sophistication.

[detritius]

In the bottle, this was very strong and sharp, all booze and almonds. Wet on my skin, the rum opens up and is very prevalent for about the first fifteen minutes before fading into the background. Dry, it mellows into a very soft, very warm scent, almost like a toffee brittle. The rum is still there, but not standing out. It grounds the scent and gives it depth, keeping it from becoming too overpoweringly sweet or foody. Overall, a lovely, sensuous cold weather scent, sweet and feminine without being too girly or innocent. I can definitely see myself wearing this often.

[PixieSkull]

Blah, double post.

Edited March 11, 2012 by PixieSkull

[PixieSkull]

A blend I almost didn't even want to order. Honey as a note is starting to worry me a bit. It's either sickeningly sweet or the only note in the blend.

 

Imp: I can smell the almond and sugared spices. There's a little bit of warmth coming through.

 

Wet: Almonds covered in rich, creamy booze. A bit like hot buttered rum with amaretto without a lot of boozy swagger.

 

Dry: The buttercream and hazelnut are forefront with the almond and rum being warm in the background. The honey mead note is everywhere and almost sickening. Without pointing out any ingredients, it smells a little bit like honey powder with a note of almond and richness. It smells like the italian sweet cream dry coffee mate, which I like for what it is, but not sure as a perfume.

 

Not my thing, but not as unpleasant as other honey blends have been.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Booze and honey.

 

On skin, wet: Booze, honey and the occasional whiff of almond.

 

On skin, dry: Aww, the almond went away. Now it's the same boozy-sweetness I get from Sugar Skull.

 

After an hour: Stays pretty much the same as the initial drydown. Dang, I really wanted more nuttiness from this one.

[Kayah]

HI ALMOND HOW R U!?... There is no such thing as a "sweet" almond to my nose. I register everything almondy as bitter, and this is no exception.

 

Thankfully, the almond poofs into oblivion and I am left with a hazelnut/buttercream yumminess that oozes decadence. The rum makes an appearance soon afterwards and what we have then, is a partay... It gets pretty wild and someone starts burning shit in the house, just to see what will happen to it.. I smell some melting plastic, someone else is burning other stuff that isn't smoky but nevertheless wafts odd fragrance around. I'm not sure who the culprit is in this case, as all three of the identified notes look very innocent with their arms behind their backs, like chastised children.

 

I'm not sure what to think of this one. Curiously the melting plastic doesn't dominate, as it would in other blends.. it.. melds.. with the others, and while the resulting fragrance is odd to say the least, it's not as offensive as I thought melting plastic would be. This is melted plastic WITH rum, hazelnut and buttercream.

 

.. maybe it's the almond taking revenge for having had to leave the party early.. or the honey mead that never made a proper appearance but really wants to make itself known... either way, this isn't something I'll just wear, unless it's for another test

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Sweeeeet almond.

Wet: Bubblegum sweet almond, with a boozy hit.

Dry: Sickeningly sweet almond & alcohol. Bleh.

[BrieCS]

Gah, I am so torn here. I love the smell in the bottle - it's super sweet, but it's tasty and delicious. But I've had it on for an hour now and my nose is SO ITCHY. It has so many things I like, but this might end up being a no-go.