Mango-Infused Pumpkin Chai Latte

[suki]

Pumpkin-spiced gunpowder tea with mango peel, red ginger, green cardamom, smoky clove buds, fennel, allspice, saffron, coconut sugar, and foamy milk.

Mango can be somewhat of a death-note on me, so I ordered this un-sniffed, but apprehensive.

In the bottle, the mango was pretty heavy- one of the two prominent notes. But it was sweet and juicy, like a fresh piece of fruit, not like "mango perfume". The back-up note was a sugared vanilla. Sweet, but not terribly thrilling.

Wet on my skin, it immediately began to shift, and by the time dry-down was complete, it had changed rather utterly from what it had been in the bottle- for the better. It's a sweet, creamy chai, the sugared vanilla still in the mix, but the usual chai spices definitely holding their own. If the pumpkin is here, it's being very quiet, or else is so deeply buried in the mix that I'm not catching it as it's own entity.

In all: medium throw, this wound up being what I always wanted Egg Nog to be, but never was on my skin- warm, sweet, spicy. I don't read this as a "Wow, Autumn!" kind of scent, strangely. But it's cozy and nice and a lovely day-time scent.

Glad I got a bottle!

[AnArtfuldodger]

In the bottle: Very heavy foodie, similar to the orange cake with anise seeds (WHAT WAS THAT ONE -- OH, Huesos de Santo) Halloweenie from two years ago or so.

 

Wet on arm: I'm getting cardamom and something with a hint of kick to it (I don't think it's the ginger....what does gunpower tea taste/smell like?). This is quickly becoming very complex in a good way. I was a little hesitant on this one because while nothing screamed NO in the list, complicated scents tend to end up meh to bad on me. But this is complex and working. This reminds me of "Maharajah" donuts a local donut shop made to celebrate a big Maharajah art show at the local Museum of Fine Arts; foodie, topped with cardamom, ginger and coconut sugar. So this is really quite on the mark. The heavy foodiness from the whole bottle isn't as prominent on the skin.

 

On the drydown: I'm getting more of the spiky allspice and clove, but the cardamom still makes an appearance, along with -- a little foamed milk, yep, there it is. Aaaaaaaaaaand ten minutes in, I'm getting a note of pumpkin.

 

All in all: Bullseye on the scent. Complex, not too bold. The different notes appear over time. A less-heady pumpkin drink scent in comparison to Pumpkin Latte.

 

You'll like this if you liked: Huesos de Santo (but maybe wanted something with a softer drydown and a little less FOODFOODFOOD); Pumpkin Latte (but you wanted something less COFFEEEEEEEEEEE).

 

Throw: low. Lasting power: low.

Edited September 17, 2012 by AnArtfuldodger

[miss_rynn]

This is lovely. I'm always a little scared of tea notes, but the tea in this is subtle and grounding, not full of the s mell of tannins. It starts of smelling like dried mango - not too juicy or fresh, but preserved and concentrated, like dried apricots - followed by a nice, warm, fruity pumpkin note. As it dries down it gets a little spiced, more like pumpkin pie than chai. It settles to a warm, soft cardamom scent on my skin with a whisper of clove and warm, roasted pumpkin way in the back. This isn't overly buttery or overly spiced - it's a great subtle foodie scent for people who like gourmand scents but don't want to smell like cake.

[livingdead71]

This smells delicious and foody, without any particular note standing out to me. I love mango scents, but don't really notice it here, since it's so well blended. Unfortunately, this oil burns my pale skin horribly, so I won't be keeping it. I know I can use a scent locket, but I told myself long ago not to keep any scent that hurts, since there are way too many that I love that don't actually cause physical pain (which I guess is good advice in any situation.)

[karihan]

Yes, yes, YES! Mango, pumpkin and chai, three notes that my skin loves, together in one perfume!

 

In bottle: At first sniff, this blend said "baked goods!" to me. Sweet-spicy pumpkin cake, to be precise. With a few more sniffs, that impression faded a bit; probably the spice-milk combination triggered it.

 

On wet: Soon after it hit my skin, the resemblance to cake vanished as the mango and tea came out to play with the pumpkin, milk and spices. I had actually expected the mango to dominate a bit more, and was pleasantly surprised at how well it blends with the pumpkin, lending a delicately tangy sweetness to the proceedings. Gunpowder tea is a green tea, according to wiki, and the note is far more subtle and soft than other tea notes I've worn. I can tell it's there, but it doesn't step out and claim center stage.

 

Drydown: This one doesn't morph much, which is fine with me. Every so often I get a stronger whiff of the spices, but most of the time it stays well-balanced, without any notes bullying the others into submission.

 

Verdict: Definite keeper! On my skin, this is everything I wanted Pumpkin Latte to be and a bit more. Delicious!

[Lethran]

In bottle: Pumpkin Dominant, with the clove and ginger dominant spice blend second. I’d call mango third, giving a sweet fruity feel to it. The coconut sugar is in support of the mango. The tea is soft and ties it all together beautifully. Wet: More tea on my skin, and it becomes the strongest note as it warms. Mango and the spices are a strong second with pumpkin a weaker third, which is fine by me as my history with the pumpkin note is not good. The other notes are present, but soft. As it warms further, the ginger comes to dominate the spice blend. This one morphs a lot with relative values changing over time. At some point the mango and pumpkin start working together and the cocoanut comes out more. This has lots of throw. Dry: Softens and blurs as it wears down. Rather more allspice than when wet, though the ginger has staying power as well. The Pumpkin and tea linger along with some sugar.

[zombiewench]

I bought this at Dragon*con, after Puddin' kept insisting - I admit I had skipped over it at first.

 

In the bottle, it is straight up sweet and spicy pumpkin cake. SO good!

 

On me, it changes a lot! Still very much sweet spicy pumpkin cake - but the spice gets heavier. After a while it starts to morph, and goes through several changes, all of them yummy! It starts to turn slightly mango-ish, and then after a while the chai starts to come through. I typically stay away from tea scents, I amp like crazy and it's not my favorite scent, but with this it WORKS. It's delicious, and I want to nom my arm (my husband really liked it, too, said it smelled just like fall)! Good throw, and a scent I will turn to a lot this fall!

 

Thank you, Puddin', for insisting we all buy this one at the booth!

[PixieSkull]

I love tea. Chai is awesome. Pumpkin latte season? I'm there! I had a Pumpkin Latte sniffie and filled it with oil three times and dumped into a bath one night and was in pure heaven. WOW for creamy and foamy latte! I needed this.

 

Pumpkin-spiced gunpowder tea with mango peel, red ginger, green cardamom, smoky clove buds, fennel, allspice, saffron, coconut sugar, and foamy milk.

 

Bottle: Buttery, spiced pumpkin with the sweetness of mango up front. The foaming of the milk of the latte is what I relate it to.

Wet: That darn mango, being all delicious! Generally, the pumpkin is slightly earthy and the latte is foamy and a tiny bit bitter so the mango is evening it all out. It's like the caramel in an apple cider, perfectly balancing the chill of fall with the warmth of summer dying out.

Drydown: Yes. Oh, yes! Pumpkin latte with spices and sweetness. All that I wanted, blooming before me. The bitterness is a bit pronounced, but the coffee note needs to do that for me to make it right.

Dry: Exactly as the name implies, a flavored latte. The cooling foam scent with spices sprinkled on top, burning little holes through the fluffy foam. There's a fruity and earthy scent coming from beneath. So awesome.

 

I admit, I had to slather myself in this. There's no way I couldn't! It smelled SO GOOD in the bottle that it Had. To. Be. Done. I don't regret it, either. This accompanied me to a great beer fest where I had Cacao Bender from Surly Brewery on a warm day, the first day of fall. I smelled heavenly, the beer was amazing, the food was meaty. This is a scent I will bring with me through the beginning of winter. I'll be sad when it's gone.

[jolarocknrolla]

Fruity and spicy foody scent, I smell mostly pumpkin chai amd mango. More of a summery than autumnal perfume i think, very "warm" on drydown and getting less fruity and more spicy and gingey.

[RosesAbsolutist]

AMAZING! Definitely my favorite of the first three halloweenies I bought. In the bottle, it's a little similar to Boo with a sugared popcorn scent plus something fruitier.

 

The instant I put it on I got the tea and fruit and spice notes!

 

Absolutely stunning. It stays close to the skin but wow it smells awesome. I may buy another bottle or even two more bottles before this is gone, it's that amazing.

 

It's like, having the spicy sugary slightly fruity tea somehow mixed into a fragrance by some magic. It's an edible fragrance but not...I don't find it foodie. Wow.

 

I honestly cannot describe how fab this is.

[malibusunny]

I am wearing this now.

In the bottle, it's MANGO to the extreme. Like mango and a bit of spice, but mostly just fruity. On drydown, I was getting coffee along with my mango, and it was oddly unpleasant. It's possible this was actual coffee, because I did make some, and had nothing to do with the oil. LOL. Then the coffee ran away and I was getting vanilla chai tea and mango, which was awesome!

 

now, two hours later, I have mango. Just mango. There's a slight vanilla warmth in the background if I press my nose to my skin, but otherwise, it's all fruit. It smells almost like mango lotion, sort of gentle like that, rather than the sharper initial in the bottle smell.

 

eta: the poster below me was from my decant circle, which just goes to show you how different two people can see the same oil! I promise I rolled it well!!

Edited October 5, 2012 by malibusunny

[Numanoid]

Wet: in the bottle, I do get a hint on mango and some spice. Is it me, or does this oil have a perfectly fitting pale green color to it?

 

On Skin: not a lot of mango, which is good for me, was afraid of the mango note, but warms to a nice spicy, pale, pale tea scent. Was also not too sure about the tea note, those are usually bad on me.

 

Drydown: Very warm spicy soft tea scent, with a dash of pumpkin. This is a lovely blend, perfect for Fall. Foody lovers will love this! I like it, so my decant should be enough!

[fairestrocza]

MIPCL is a lovely scent.

A friend of mine added a bottle of this to my order, and I asked to keep a decant for myself, not really expecting it to work on me. While I adore the scent of sticking my face into a bag of chai spices, most of the listed notes have ranged from meh to terrible on me in other bpal blends. And yet... the alchemy here is magic.

 

In the bottle, I get a mix of spices with a hint of sweetness from the mango. I can't really pick out the pumpkin distinctly, but that is fine because too much pumpkin tends to ruin a blend for me.

On the skin, this is a gently spiced autumn scent. The mango is distinct at first, and then bends into the overall scent. The spice notes are not individually recognizable, but blend together beautifully. I'm not a huge fan of the boxed chais that most coffee shops offer. Instead, I like to steam milk and steep a bag of actual chai tea, preferably with macroscopic spices that are actually recognizable. And that is exactly what I get from this scent - the aroma of a mug of real chai latte sitting in front of me.

 

My only complaint is the wear time. The throw is medium at first, but after an hour or two becomes skin-close. It is definitely a scent worthy of carrying around so I can reapply from time to time.

 

If you liked Pumpkin Latte, but it was just Too Much for you, this would be a good choice as a lighter alternative.

[Blood onmy hands]

I just realized that this blend shares a lot of the same notes with my major Yule 2011 disappointment (Pumpkin Masala Rooibos - tea, red ginger, green cardamom, fennel, coconut sugar.. all notes that I can't pick out in either blend, oddly). I can't even pick out the mango in this one, which makes me sad, because I love the White Chocolate Mango Buttercream scent. It also doesn't remind me of chai spices. On me, this is pretty much all spiced pumpkin and allspice. It burns on my wrist and smells like sharp cinnamon, all-spice and a bit of buttery pumpkin. Maybe something like a pumpkin spice cake, but it smells too sharply spicy for me. Overall, just kinda disappointed with this one.

[Elizabethm]

I love BPAL's pumpkin scents so I make a point of picking them up anytime I can. I had high hopes for this since a lot of people said how amazing it smelt at role call. It smells very off to me. I can definitely smell the pumpkin but the mango smells almost rotten to me. So a big juicy overripe mango about 20 times bigger than the pumpkin to my nose is what I get. The throw seems above average and the lasting power seems about normal (30 minutes of throw fading to press my nose against my skin about two hours later).

[Leopard403]

This is delightful, all spice and pumpkin. It borders on potpourri-like, though, and it lasts about 47 seconds on my skin. I am totally striking out on Weenies this year.

[Beatrice33]

Lovely, spicy fall scent but big red spots on my skin wherever it has touched. So sad!

[neuilly]

So...I was expecting this to be my big love of the season. But this just does not work on me. I agree with a pp that something in it smells a bit rotten, or like it's just started to turn. I do get mango and pumpkin, but it's dryer than I expected. I don't get much chai but there are definitely some spices in there. I don't know, just didn't work! So sad.

[TheIceMaiden]

I've been hoping for a pumpkin chai scent for several years now, and this does not disappoint. It's my favourite of the first set of Weenies. This starts off with a lot of pumpkin and a bit of mango. Next I get the chai spices, very well blended, with a hint of pumpkin. The drydown is milk with a hint of coconut and sugar. (And coconut usually goes sour on me, but it's fine here.)

 

The throw starts off strong, but lightens up quickly and the wear-length is moderate. I didn't get any burning on my wrists either. I quite like this and plan to get a full bottle eventually.

[Caper]

This one starts off all pumpkin on me, like Jack, and ends all mango. The mango finish is really beautiful. I didn't get any over ripeness at all, just sweet soft mango. The sweetness is at odds with the pumpkin for me for some reason. I love Pumpkin Princess, and Shatted Pumpkin but the fruity seems better with another pairing.

 

I love pumpkin masala rooibos from last year, and I'm wondering if I layer them if I'll the spicyness will blend well with the sweetness.

Edited October 14, 2012 by Caper

[theseagrows]

let me premise this by saying, that in general, i am not a foody-scent-person, unless there is a floral component, then i can work with it. however, in the fall months, i occasionally like to wear a pumpkiny or slightly more foody scent, which is why i tried this. i also tend to dislike fruity scents, so you know, mango and all. so please take note of this in my review, as there are very few foody scents that i love.

 

starting out, this is bright, citrussy-sweet mango, which isn't bad, but it is drowned out by a cakey smell. i dunno, that cakey smell just smells like burnt food on my skin, so it's not really wowing me. after about 10-15 minutes, the cake smells less burnt and the mango is subtler. i think the spices are coming out now. thankfully the milk isn't that prominent, because milk notes often turn rancid on me. i like the mango tea thing going on here, it's very pretty. i guess i just wish it was that with the spices and no cakey-sugar scent!

[flyby]

Huh. This is a bit of a strange one; wet in the vial, my initial impression was sour milk and a hint of fruit, which wasn't promising. Ditto wet on skin; the fruitiness comes out a bit more, and so do the spices, but even as it's drying down, if I hold my hand up to my nose I get spoiled spiced milk with a little sweet fruit. The strange part comes on the dry stage, because I'm getting whiffs of coffee (or latte, anyway - you know what a Starbucks smells like right after they've made a bunch of rush orders and maybe scalded some milk a little? Yeah, that) from out of nowhere while I'm sitting here typing, but if I lift my wrist to my nose I don't get that latte smell at all, just the same spoiled milk. Definitely not a keeper for me, but it's interesting!

[Drae]

How interesting. In the imp, MIPCL was straight up that familiar BPAL buttery pumpkin note and mango.

 

10 minutes later, it is a pleasant Allspice single note (maybe a little of that coconut sugar as well).

 

No pumpkin, no mango, no chai, no milk. I am not a foody fan, and am thankful I don't actually smell drinkable

[ModderRhu]

This smells like juicy mango jam and salty popcorn/pound cake. This is a good thing for me

[zankoku_zen]

Mango, spicy pumpkin and allspice. It's sweet, foodie, and kinda noms on me. I find that the allspice note is overwhelming on me, and I wish the mango was more prevalent.

 

Tasty, spicy, mango.