Lick It Softly

[zeldaZ4]

This year's minty double ententre! A sticky, sweet peppermint candy cane with a copious dusting of vanilla.

I'm first? Wow!

I took the plunge and ordered Lick It Softly unsniffed due to a previous habit I had of mixing B&BW's Twisted Peppermint with their Vanilla Bean Noel. It was a Holiday Thing of mine, for which I'd receive many compliments and "Oooh you smell like CANDY" comments!

I was hoping Lick It Softly would have the same effect.

Well, no compliments yet. Unless I count those from myself. But this is exactly what I had hoped it would be. Starts off very bracing and minty and cold when wet. As it dries, a warm, sugary, almost musky vanilla emerges. The effect is really wonderful and festive, and has made me decide to take Lick It Softly with me in December when my mother and I cruise the Rhine through Germany. There are not many times when I'd like to smell like peppermint candy, but I think this will be one of them.

So happy I risked a bottle!

[boomtownrat]

Maybe it's the fact that the bottle is fresh off the mail truck or it could be hormones, but after about twenty minutes it occurred to me that Lick It Softly smells kind of like a softer Jareth on my skin. Or, you know, maybe my nose is just being dumb today.

 

This vanilla goes kind of musky, and the mint is well blended with it. There's some light sugar in there somewhere. Overall it feels cool and comforting. I don't find it to have much throw, so it would probably be good for days when I need something soft and sweet.

 

ETA: Nearly a year later, the mint and the vanilla both are more true-to-life candy cane. After it's dry I do get the slightest hint of whatever it was that made me think of Jareth before. Maybe that's the vanilla. It's aged into a new favourite and I think I will want each year's Lick It.

Edited September 8, 2013 by boomtownrat

[paintednightsky]

A cool peppermint with a hint of musky vanilla. The scent stays the same pretty much, just a bit warmer as the musk and vanilla come through. Interesting seasonal scent. Can at least be used to clear your sinuses.

[reena1]

Why hellooo vanilla! On me this is a creamy vanilla with a touch of peppermint. I was expecting it to be really heavy on the peppermint because the only version I have tried of the lick its previously was Lick it Vigerously which is WAY strong. So this was a pleasant surprise. The throw is fairly good as I am now under a warm haze of vanilla peppermint. This is a total keeper. I cannot sing the praises of this enough. SO lovely!! Not just a seasonal scent by any means. <3

[Jazzi]

Two days ago, I put this on and it seemed like the sinus-clearing MINT would not settle down. Tonight I put it on and it was barely a whisper before (as stated above) the warm, musky vanilla came to the forefront. There is a hint of mint in the background, but it isn't as strong as I expected. Overall it's a pleasant blend, and I'm glad I got two decants, but I'm not sure whether or not I'll spring for a bottle, since I plan on moving across the country in 8 months and I am trying to downsize my collection of stuff.

 

Then again, bottles are very small, and I am getting quite a bit more Christmas money than expected this year ...

[gingiemay]

Other Lick It incarnations were just not good on me, the mint was too soft, the vanilla too sweet and they usually dissipated really quickly. This version is perfect, warm, musky vanilla with a soft peppermint note. Love it!!

[astarinel]

This is definitely my favorite incarnation of Lick It.

 

As others have noted, the peppermint note here is a lot softer and balanced nicely with the sugary vanilla musk. This is cool and minty, especially when wet, but not so sharp that it hurts my nose, and the sweet vanilla note is delicious. This is more like soft minty creamy candies, and less like a candy cane, but I'm not complaining.

[tharsei-thanate]

Got this in a decant circle! This is my first Lick It.

 

In the imp: It's minty, of course. But it's more like mint leaves than a candy cane, so it's not strong. I like it, though, it's pretty pleasant.

 

Wet: MINT!!!! It's a pure, delicious, super minty candy cane. Sinus-clearing and cold. Yum, just what I wanted!

 

Dry-down: Something creamy emerges, and the scent warms up the tiiiiniest bit. There's something in there that smells a bit plasticy, and I'm pretty sure it's the vanilla. Sometimes vanilla goes weird on me, but I was hoping this blend would be safe.

 

Dry: The mint is just a whisper now and the vanilla is still plastic. It isn't an overbearing plastic, but it's still pretty bothersome. There's not really any warmth/musk, but it's not wonderfully cold either, just a bit chilly.

 

Further on: The plastic fades a bit but doesn't leave entirely. There's also this nice, soft sweetness just underneath but it just can't break through the plastic.

 

Gosh, I'm a bit sad this didn't quite work. Though I did only get it Monday, so maybe it just needs more time to settle? I think I'll let it age a bit before deciding whether or not it goes in the swap pile.

 

[EDIT 7/26/13]

 

Retested this and it works now! There's no plastic, there's that lovely sugar musk others have mentioned, and it's nice and cold. Aging really did the trick. I'm so happy! This is going to go into heavy rotation this December. :-)

Edited July 26, 2013 by tharsei-thanate

[Numanoid]

Wet in bottle: Mint...it's nice...not too strong, not too soft.

 

On Skin: Mint warms up and becomes a bit more stronger, but not the "sinus clearing" strong.

 

Few minutes in: The vanilla comes out and balances it out nicely...mint tones down, but hasn't disappeared.

 

Overall, I think this is a nice version of the Lick It series. I think, in my opinion, that the vanilla keeps it around where as the other Lick It's I have tried have faded quickly. This stays, but not a lot of throw, which I think is good...I think if this were any stronger, it would be cloying...not sure if I love this enough.

[PumpkinGuts]

Oh, this is the perfect vanilla mint! I always feared the Lick It series would be way too strong and mentholated, but took the

chance this year based on its new name. And soft peppermint it is! Lickably delicious, and doesn't overpower the sugared vanilla.

I do believe I need a bottle...

[TheIceMaiden]

I've tried every version of Lick It so far, with 2008's Lick It Like You Mean It as my favourite and 2009's Lick It Till It's Sticky the only one I didn't like. This year's version is wonderful and may be my new favourite. There's lots of soft, musky vanilla, the perfect amount of peppermint, and just a little sugar.

[milo]

Mint and vanilla at first. Not as strong on the mint as in previous incarnations. After a bit, the vanilla comes out more, and it's the most creamy soft lovely vanilla with a slight bit of mint. I really love the vanilla here, it's so comforting and quite different than the other Lick It's. I do own a bottle of Lick it Vigorously, and it fades into a nice minty vanilla, but I don't think as strong on the vanilla as this. I'm going to have to try my LIV tomorrow, and see if it compares. I really think I'm going to have to spring for a bottle of this one. I wear LIV regularly in the summer as a cooling scent, but this one could be worn year round, it's just so subtle and beautiful.

 

eta: I've been on a Celeste kick lately, and this one kiiind of reminds me of Celeste, only no saffron, a bit musky. I love it.

Edited January 16, 2013 by milo

[yakiguri]

Lick It Softly is exactly what I had hoped it would be--a nice musky minty vanilla with a dollop of sugary sweetness. The sugar is a tad cloying at first, but luckily doesn't stick around much and doesn't go sour/acrid as the lab's sugar note can be. The blend itself has surprising longevity, and wears off eventually to soft slightly minty vanilla musk. If it's this lovely after just a few days I wonder what it'll be like after a few months!

[strahlend]

This strikes me as a peppermint mixed with pennyroyal with a healthy dose of sugary candycanes.

I happen to love pennyroayl, and mint in general - the additional vanilla sugar really rounds it out and makes it feel inviting.

I'm delighted to have a bottle.

[Blood onmy hands]

All of the Lick It scents are starting to blur together for me with their peppermint + slight variations. I know I love Lick It 05, and Lick It Softly is also nice, though more vanilla sugary as people have already mentioned. It starts off with a blast of peppermint and then dries down to vanilla sugar with a hint of clean, bracing mint. I don't get much of the musky notes.

[zankoku_zen]

Blast of cool peppermint, followed by vanilla sugar. I really enjoy all of the Lick It series, although the vanilla that is used in each particular year may or may not work for me, as well as the actual mint blend.

 

This mint is definitely a sugary peppermint, followed by a creamy vanilla that actually works on my skin chemistry.

 

Definitely Xmassy, definitely delectable.

[lohengrin]

In the bottle: A nice, even mix of peppermint and vanilla. Sweet and nummy.

 

On skin, wet: The peppermint is much more dominant on my skin, with the vanilla hiding in the background.

 

On skin, dry: The strength of this faded pretty quickly, though it's definitely still there. And still more mint than vanilla.

 

After an hour: It never does smooth out to what it was in the bottle and I would have liked more vanilla, but it does start to balance out a bit again around the half hour mark. It doesn't seem to have faded any further, either. But I'm concerned it's too much like my aged bottle of Spooky, so deathmatching will occur.

[mymymai]

ITB: Peppermint, vanilla powder, and something that reminds me of marshmallow for some reason.

 

Wet: Strong but enticing peppermint liquor with candied vanilla powder and crushed peppermint candies. Yum!

 

Dry: Crisp peppermint bathed in sugared vanilla. It's refreshing while still being foody, but not oppressively so.

[Eemia]

I don't have any other version of the Lick Its even though I'm a mint fiend. This is awesome, exactly like a pastel mint or a butter mint. Lots of dusky, dry, mellow vanilla with a hint of sugary mint. The mint isn't green or leafy like mint tea, rather it's very sweet, hard, and sharp. It all comes together perfectly. I feel like it has such a fun fantasy aspect and I love it for the holidays.

[hammy]

In the imp - Gentle mint.

 

Wet - Definitely peppermint, but it’s a warm variety. This is so much nicer than I thought peppermint could ever be.

 

Drydown - I get the "softly" part of the name. Candy canes are usually a slap-you-in-the-face peppermint, but this is the scent of your sticky hands after finishing one. It’s the memory of a candy cane, not the actual thing. Once it really settles in, this feels more like sweet minty musk on me.

 

Verdict - This is lovely. I don’t often want to smell like peppermint, but this might end up being a go-to with the holidays around the corner.

[stellamaris]

This is the only other Lick It I have besides this years (2014) and I am down to the last quarter of a bottle.

I have a feeling I would love any of this series, I really enjoy the skin cooling feeling with this. I wore it a lot in the summer, and also paired it with Gelt, to be a mint chocolate thing.

To anyone having their own personal weather system, especially at night, this is a very pleasant relief...it's cool and sweet without being baked goods, or too cloying. Fresh and relaxing.

I could not see being without a Lick It...

[Soupy Twist]

In the bottle I get "the center of a candy cane." Maybe it's a little dusty? It definitely goes on "soft." It's mostly peppermint oil — not sweet, but not too sour. There's a tiny wee burn for a moment. Becomes pretty much straight peppermint oil as it dries. It's not too harsh but there's no sweetness. After half an hour or so some powdered sugar comes in, and a little musk, but that's the extinction burst, because five minutes later it's abruptly gone.

[dementia_divine]

In the bottle: Sugary sweet peppermint and vanilla! The peppermint in this seems to be softer than the other Lick Its I’ve tried.

 

Wet: This does smell like a licked candy cane! I’m getting a soft, sweet peppermint, powdered sugar, and some vanilla. The mint gets stronger as it sits on my skin, but it isn’t strong enough to leave a minty burn.

 

Dry: Yep, no intense cooling of the arm from this peppermint! The vanilla comes out more over time, so that it ends up being a soft, sugary, vanilla mint.

 

Verdict: I am so glad to have a bottle of this Lick It! I love that I get lots of sugar and vanilla from this one.