Tarantula Fascinator

[Lethran]

TARANTULA FASCINATOR
This summer, Lilith got to play with a ton of bugs, reptiles, and other wigglies during a special event at her preschool. She made a new friend that day – Ursula the Tarantula.

“Lilith, what would a tarantula smell like?”

“Maybe fuzzy chocolate? With stripes?”

Done and done: fuzzy cacao-drenched hazelnut with hay absolute, black pepper, and nutmeg, laced with stripes of wild plum and white sandalwood.

In bottle: this really does suit it’s concept. The dominant cocoa note does read as “fuzzy” when supported by sandalwood and hay. The hazelnut adds a richness to the cocoa. The spices give a prickliness to the cocoa. The plum is a surprising counterpoint to the cocoa, giving a sense of unpredictable movement. Wet: Simpler on the skin. The Cocoa is still strongest with the plum in second as counterpoint. The hay and sandalwood fade into each other, still supporting the chocolate, while the hazelnut and nutmeg fade into the cocoa a bit. The pepper keeps its sharpness. Dry: Mostly cocoa and plum with some sandalwood and nutmeg.

[SadariEvenstar]

I really don't know what happened to this one. Yesterday the oil in the imp was very well mixed, the whole thing was a uniform color. This is what it smelled like:

 

Wet: A blast of chocolate that evaporated quickly, followed by a wonderful spiced plum.

 

Dry: It mellowed into something sweet and fuzzy and I liked it a lot. The throw was decent.

 

The imp, almost as soon as I opened it started leaking everywhere, so I stood it upright in my cabinet overnight. Today when I came to do an all day test the oil had completely separated. Dark brown on the bottom, completely colorless on top. No amount of rolling, tipping, and finally, shaking could get the two parts to come together again. So I go ahead and test it anyway. Today the oil was nearly odorless. A little bit of the soft fuzzy stage, but so faint that I could barely smell it after I put it on.

Edited September 27, 2013 by SadariEvenstar

[SophieCedar]

My imp leaked too because of the cocoa separation but when I warmed it in my palm, it was easier to get it combined again.

 

This could be a sleeper hit. When I popped the cap, I blurted "BOOMSLANG!" then during drydown "SNAKE CHARMER!" So, there you have it. Hoard away.

Edited September 27, 2013 by SophieCedar

[Xue_Bai]

I also had decant leakage due to separation, with various luck at getting it recombined.

 

Anyways, this starts out as a warm prickly cocoa, which lasts for about 10 minutes. Then it morphs, bringing the nutmeg to the front, followed by the plum, with the cocoa receding and the hazelnut and sandalwood tying it all together. Still warm and prickly, but rather different than the scent in the decant.

 

Overall, it's lovely and I will love my decant, but I don't think I'll need a whole bottle as a little goes a long way.

[lookingglass]

 

This could be a sleeper hit. When I popped the cap, I blurted "BOOMSLANG!" then during drydown "SNAKE CHARMER!" So, there you have it. Hoard away.

WORD!

 

I remember when Beth posted the pic of Lil with the tarantula fascinator on facebook. SO ADORABLE!!!

 

It's got the Boomslang choco/spice thing and the Snake Charmer plumy, sassy thing going on FOR SURE. The hazelnut isn't too nutty...more like Nutella than nuts. The drydown is A-MAAAA-zing, snuggly sandalwood and I would guess some sweet musk, too. Iz LOVEZ eeeeet!

Edited October 7, 2013 by lookingglass

[prunesnprisms]

On me, warm chocolate with a grounding of sandalwood. Hint of pepper in the background.

[stellamaris]

Yummy chocolate, with something wonderfully sharp and stinky which I assume is the plum, made very round by cozy sandalwood.

[whataboutprom]

First day wearing this, and I am already considering a backup bottle. Cocoa comes out strong in the beginning, but after a few minutes it fades and lets spiced plum take over. I can't pick out hay in the blend, and the hazelnut is adding a warm, rich feeling without taking over, thankfully. Tarantula Fascinator is more in gourmand territory than foodie. All of the wonderful food notes blend into a beautiful perfume that is both sexy and comforting.

[Dedee]

Agreed on the Boomslang into Snake Charmer reviews!! The chocolate is strong at the getgo, but fades rapidly on my skin. After about an hour it has morphed into almost a Snake Charmer soap scent, i.e. very faint. Absolutely lovely, but I am not sure I would wear it a lot since my skin seems to eat it almost immediately. I would have to reapply it hourly at this rate. Really really lovely though!!

[Poenari]

I remember seeing Beth's photo on FB of Lilith "wearing" that tarantula on her head and couldn't believe it. I can't get anywhere near a spider, and just tried not to look too closely because they squick me out so much. However, I also appreciate what a strong, brave little girl Lilith is, and when I read the notes, I decided that this would be my Lilith birthday scent for this year. I'm so glad I did.

 

This is a very long-lasting scent, which I love. I applied just a tiny amount to each wrist 4 hours ago, and can still detect it. I get a cocoa plum scent that is very sweet but not cloying, and while it is long-lasting it doesn't have huge throw. This reminds me a lot of a softer, gentler, less sexy Midnight Kiss, or a softer, gentler Centzon Totochtin minus the wine. If you like either of those scents and want something similar, then buy this fast before it is gone! I also think this is going to age into something even more beautiful.

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Yes, like others, I get the Boomslang and Snake Charmer feeling, but more like the proto of Boomslang that has more cocoa in the mix.

 

Wet: Much the same as on cold sniff, only moreso.

 

The dry-down: This has changed into a perfumery scent. Not sure how that happened! I'll keep this half-bottle from my decanter for use in the scent locket, though. Btw, the cacao just doesn't mix well at all in the bottle. I rolled it several times, but it still precipitates rather quickly.

[dementia_divine]

In the decant: I mainly get chocolate out of the decant, but the chocolate in the decant keeps separating from the rest of the blend. I can smell a bit of the hazelnut and plum as well.

 

Wet: I was hoping this would be chocolate-dominant, but that is not the case (probably since the chocolate doesn't seem to want to blend with the other notes in the decant). It is more perfume-y than I thought it would be. The chocolate is there, but it is not at the front of the blend... I am actually getting the plum note more than the other notes. Plum, chocolate, and a hint of nutmeg.

 

Dry: The nutmeg seems to be the dominant note now, with the other notes lingering in the background.

 

Verdict: I had hoped this would be more of a chocolate scent! I don't dislike it, but I don't see myself really reaching for this one either, so no bottle for me!

 

*edit* Much later, the white sandalwood has made an appearance, as I suspected that it would (my skin seems to amp this note)! So now it is like a woody nutmeg.

Edited November 3, 2013 by dementia_divine

[EnchantedMoon]

Oh wow, this scent is gorgeous!

 

In the bottle, I definitely get that Boomslang vibe from this beauty. It is chocolate rich with a subtle woodsy vibe.

 

Wet, the plum emerges! Plum, chocolate, and hazelnut.

 

Dry, the plum is prominent on me. The chocolate stays in the background, but definitely still there. The hazelnut keeps it warm, and the sandalwood softens it.

 

I. LOVE. THIS. PERFUME. OIL.

[Lorna Brigid]

Finally, a chocolate/cocoa bpal that doesn't go wonky on me!!!

The cocoa wafts around, sweetened by the hay and nutmeg, and even more by the plum, which comes out in the wet stage on my skin. Oh pretty plum!! I wuvs you!!

To keep it from being too cloyingly sweet, the sandalwood comes in and tempers the two heavyweights; cocoa and plum. the sandalwood acts as a buffer between the two, balancing it all out.

I love this scent. SO glad I got a bottle of it from a swap!

[zankoku_zen]

Chocolate, nutmeg, sandalwood with a hint of plum. As it dries, the plum gets stronger and just makes it a chocolate + plum blend for me.

 

This one is an odd chocolate mix to me. In that sense that I enjoy it in the same I enjoyed Wulric and Boomslang, but ultimately there's a combination of chocoate + nonfoodiness that just doesn't work for me.

[welcometothefamily]

Note: My bottle has a little bit of cocoa sludge, just up to the label. About a 1/4 inch. When rolled/shaken, little globules float around in the oil but don't really mix per se.

 

In the Bottle: Incensey plum. Hints of black pepper, and fuzzy chocolate.

 

 

Wet: Not as chocolatey as I'd hoped. Still soft and incensey, a little fruity, there is definitely an earthy side to this though. Must be the sandalwood. It's sweet, and actually fuzzy smelling .

 

Drydown: Chocolate has completely disappeared . The black pepper has really come out of its shell, and the peppery/fruity combination is really reminding me of Xanthe. There's also tiny little hints of hay and hazelnut in the background.

 

Verdict: I never get any nutmeg or sandalwood, and I'm disappointed yet again by the chocolate. It unfortunately doesn't seen to be a note that sticks around on me lately :/. There's like the tiniest, faintest little breath of it in the background. Or it could just be wishful thinking. That being said, this is a nice blend . Not too sure if it's one I'll wear too often, but I'm happy to keep it in my collection. We'll see what it's like once it's had a bit of time to age .

 

3.5/5

[Ondine]

Too bad I didn't get more of the chocolate or plum, two notes I love. I enjoy Boomslang and Boomslang v2 on me, but this didn't smell much like either on my skin at all. Just hay, hay, and more dusty hay

[Magycmyste]

My imp did not leak, but it did separate. I had a half-decant, and there's a ring of gorgeous dark brown oil (the cocoa, I assume), sitting at the bottom (when I first got it, it was a stripe across the vial, but I think that's because it had been lying on its side. The rest of the oil is a light yellow, sort of like canola oil. I rolled it between my palms as someone above ssuggested, warming the oil before testing it. The brow n ring looks a little smaller than before, so hopefully enough of it mixed properly to test.

 

In the imp: Mmmm.......... soft, sweet cocoa powder. Definitely "fuzzy" chocolate.

 

Wet on skin: The hazelnut and sandalwood are coming through now, but softly.

 

Dried down: This soaked really quickly into my skin,, so same as above

 

Throw: Cocoa, hazelnut and sandalwood, though when I sniff my wrists, I get the plum.

 

Verdict: **** 1/* This is really beautiful. I think I want a bottle of this, too, but my order is starting to get out of hand, and I don't love it quite as much as some other Lilith scents this year. I think I'll be ok with hhoping that one turns up at a later date, and enjoy the decant in the meantime.

[mistressfizz]

This is straight up cocoa powder on me, with hints of pepper and spice. It goes on as dusty cocoa powder and dries dusty cocoa powder. Which is great if you like the smell of cocoa powder, but I'm not a huge fan. I was hoping it would be more complex, but that doesn't seem to happen on my skin.

[milo]

This one kind of reminds me of Boomslang, only not as intense cocoa and musks, and there is sandalwood instead of Snake Oil. I love the spices with the cocoa, but this fades very quickly on me. This would probably be a love for me if it was a bit more stronger, and lasted. I'm going to try and layer a spice blend with my Boomslang and see how that one turns out though...

[Circaea]

First test: faint cocoa. Fades fast. Added a second slather. Same. But then... Huh wut? It dries to a gorgeous clove incense. Wow. I never got the plum or sandalwood. But the drydown is pure beauty. Strange, smoky. I really love this one.

[ajcj213499]

This is really beautiful. When I first put it on, the nut note was really strong, like dry nut hulls, but that went away very quickly. Overall it reminds me very much of Snake Charmer with a bit of cocoa in the mix. It's very well blended. It doesn't have a ton of throw (on me), but lasts a long time- I'm on 6 hours and can still smell it wafting lightly.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Rich cocoa and a touch of something cool

 

Wet on me - There's a blast of pepper/nutmeg then a clean scent of the plum and the sandalwood with the cacoa hovering in the background

 

Dry on me - It disappeared completely

 

Overall - After about 30 minutes it disappeared completely on my skin

[theseagrows]

got a frimp in a swap, otherwise i may have never tried this.

it starts with a hazelnutty chocolate and maybe a bit of pepper and sandalwood. it's very nutty. once the nuttiness dries down, the scent completely changes- it becomes a softly sweet scent, which i guess is from the plum and sandalwood. i sense the cacao still hanging in the background, but it is much less strong than before. the black pepper adds a nice touch, not making this too sweet or fruity. i actually like this more than i thought i would!

 

ETA: after being on the skin for about 30 mins, i really like this a lot. it's a peppery plum, and one of the few plum scents that seems to work on me, too...

Edited April 8, 2015 by theseagrows

[Nicnivin]

If Velvet and Dumb Cake had a love child and seasoned it with a sprinkling of plum, this would be it. Just exquisite.

 

On me, it starts off with a strong, peppery cocoa, and then settles into hazelnut and sandalwood with cocoa, and just a whisper of the plum in the background. I end up smelling like Nutella that's been scooped up with a spoon that had a bit of plum jam on it beforehand. Not overly sweet, but warm and decadent.