Alice in the Pumpkin Patch

[Invidiana]

There's all manner of shenanigans in this year's pumpkin patch! Pumpkin'ized hybrids of GC BPAL scents abound!

This one makes me think of a pumpkin centerpiece at Alice's tea party. It's surrounded by flowers, and alongside a pitcher of milk and a jar of honey. The creamy milk and golden honey are a natural match for the warm, sweet pumpkin, and the milk note works to make the already smooth pumpkin even creamier. There's just a hint of spice that warms up the scent as a whole but doesn't amp even on my notoriously spice-amping skin. As is its nature, the carnation adds a tiny bit of spice as well, but it's very subtle. The interplay of the foody and floral elements here is actually very pleasant. The florals of Alice, as in the original scent, are not overbearing here either (even the rose I swear). They add a feminine element to the whole thing, and I swear that "feminine" and "pumpkin actually can belong in the same sentence. Somewhere in the background there is just a bit of bergamot tea. This is more of a daytime pumpkin, the pumpkin you wear when you're going to meet the parents, perfectly nice and sweet with nothing scandalous about it. I can almost see it wearing Alice's bow and pinafore.

[steelgoat]

In the vial, this one is AH-MAZ-ING! It's a light, sweet pumpkin surrounded by sweet, creamy tea with a subtle floral bouquet.

 

Alas, my skin devoured the Alice! She was completely swallowed whole in under five minutes~!

Darn you, skin! I really should invest in a locket...

 

Really a beautiful scent though!

[ObliqueRed]

Really nice. The spiciness of Alice's carnations plays well with the pumpkin spice, and the creaminess goes well with the creamy pumpkin note. It would be a nice daytime pumpkin patch, in contrast to the more nighttime Snake Oil and Morocco pumpkins.

[TheIceMaiden]

Invidia's review is perfect. if Alice had fallen down the rabbit hole in October, this would be the scent of her Mad Tea Party.

 

The pumpkin note in this is delicious, like pumpkin pie without traditional spice notes or butter. In the early stages, there's a hint of Alice's tea mingling with the pumpkin. The carnation spice comes out in the drydown. This is a light, close to the skin scent. Alice is one of my favourite scents so I'm very happy she visited the Pumpkin Patch this year.

[OctoberGwen]

Surprisingly, this is my second-runner-up favorite of the Patches this year! I can't even remember if I've tried original Alice or not, so I was shocked to slap this on and find it so wonderful.

It's delicately sweet and spicy, with a creamy touch of pumpkin. This is the perfect scent for those warm, early Fall days when you aren't quite ready for the heavy hitters of Autumn BPALs yet. It is so, so pretty and I really love it, and will definitely be budgeting in a bottle amongst my multitudes of Snakes In the Pumpkin Patch and Tricksy.

[dementia_divine]

In the bottle: The pumpkin note is the most prominent note. It's a sweet, somewhat syrupy (almost maple-y and mildly butter-like, but it's nothing like the pumpkin in Jack) smelling pumpkin. I think I am also detecting a bit of the honey from Alice, but for the most part, it's all pumpkin-y awesomeness.

Wet: The pumpkin is the dominant note. It is a spiced pumpkin, and it smells delicious. I am fairly certain that the pumpkin note is spiced; I think there must be cinnamon in this, and that the spice note isn't merely the carnation in the blend.

Drydown: This keeps making me think of Masala Chai tea... or maybe Indian food (which I like, but I don't want to smell like)!

Dry: I think that the carnation is making an appearance now. I am mainly getting the spice from the pumpkin note and the florals in Alice, but no pumpkin, milk, or honey. I still have a faint hope that the milk and honey will rise above the other notes and/or the pumpkin will return, but I don't think that it's going to happen.

I don't know if it is my skin chemistry ruining this, but it is not nearly as great as I thought it would be! The spices in the pumpkin note just drown out the part of Alice that I love the most (the milk and honey notes), and the pumpkin itself is nowhere to be found. The boy says that I smell delicious, though.

Several hours later: Well, this has mellowed out nicely! The milk and honey have emerged, and the florals are still there, so this is very much like the drydown of Alice. I get a waft of pumpkin-y goodness every once in a while, but for the most part, I get the drydown of Alice.

Verdict: I had high hopes for this. I was a bit disappointed during the 'Masala Chai' phase, but it ended up morphing into something better. I will keep my bottle, but the one bottle will suffice.

Edited October 30, 2014 by dementia_divine

[Rshields]

In the vial i'm getting a lady like perfect day time pumpkin

scent. On the skin it's quite a bit of spiced pumpkin. It

soon fades to cinnamon dusted carnations, with a dusty

quality like an old dead carnation sprinkled in attic dust.

My skin doesn't like it

[SophieCedar]

I was hoping the carnation and milk notes would have more power over the pumpkin spices..but alas. This one is not really my bff.. I amp spices terribly. Oops. Stupid skin!

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant circle

 

Initial Thoughts: I've tried Alice once or twice over the years and while it's nice, it hasn't been one that I've clung to. Pumpkin may make for a very interesting variation.

 

In the Vial: Lightly spiced sweet pumpkin, rather like a pumpkin chiffon pie.

 

Wet: That impression of a pumpkin dessert, but an incredibly light one, remains. Sweet and pumpkin-y, but very gentle. The bergamot is also peeking out.

 

Drydown: Alice starts taking charge of the scent. The very lightly spiced pumpkin is still there, but now it's behind the creamy sweet rose of Alice rather than beside or almost in front.

 

Verdict: I'm not sure yet about a bottle, but I'm considering it. Anyone who likes the idea of pumpkin but not the often heavy, rich scents it inspires should play with this.

[zankoku_zen]

This one smells more like carnations + pumpkins. I really adore the original Alice blend, but don't feel like the addition of pumpkins adds anything to it. I think I much prefer the original Alice.

 

But if you like carnations + pumpkins, or want a slightly spicy floral pumpkin, give this a shot.

[Miss Despair]

I'm not great with notes, but originally I wanted to say something about the pleasant milkiness, the spicy carnation, the warm pumpkin...

 

Then I asked the boy, who notoriously dislikes everything but foody smells, if it smelled good. He said, "Yes, you smell like french toast."

 

Can't. Unsmell. Every time I put it on, that's all I can think of. French toast dusted with pumpkin pie spices. (Maybe there's a bouquet on the table, too, I can still smell the florals if I'm looking for them.)

 

Edit/update: After wearing this on several occasions, I've realized it's longer lasting than most of the other scents I've tried. It sticks around for a good 6-7 hours or so!

Edited December 6, 2013 by Miss Despair

[brilliantcat]

In the imp, I have a hard time identifying anything other than the pumpkin note but if I strain, I can find the milk smoothing it out and adding some creaminess. It's much the same on my skin, though I can also start to make out the carnation, again if I try hard. My skin likes to amp the hell out of the spices in most any pumpkin blend but so far it's not overwhelming the delicate play of the other notes. I have hope! I am rewarded with a deeper scent than it seems at first sniff. Though the pumpkin spice (which I find can go craft-store in an instant and ruin everything) is definitely present, it doesn't obliterate the florals. I think the milk note may be tempering it enough to allow the florals to bloom. It's really quite light and pretty, which is surprising for a pumpkin blend with all the spices. I doubt I need a bottle of this, but it's prettier than a first sniff might suggest.

[Magycmyste]

This is another one I haven't had the chance to try the GC version of, and I think I need to, after looking at the description

 

In the imp: pumpkin spice with floral....and to me, a hint of Indian lemon pickle. I have no idea why I'm getting that. I think it's the citrus-y note off the bergamot.

 

Wet on skin: ok, there we go - flowers and pumpkin spice. I'm still getting a hint of lemon pickle in the throw, but when I sniff my wrists, i get lovely flowers and spice.

 

Dried down: this one is actually taking some time to dry down into my skin. It doesn't seem to be morphing, though. Which is good, because I like the scent it's got now.

 

Throw: this definitely has some throw. It's mostly the pumpkin spice, though, and that hint of bergamot/lemon I keep getting off to the edge.

 

Verdict: ****1/* this is definitely one of my top contenders for a bottle. We'll see how it lasts through the day. I have a party in a few hours, so depending how it goes, I might layer some Snake Oil with it.

[CiaoBonefish]

Wet on Skin: Oh this is so pretty! I didn't even realize I would love this so much! I am getting a milky vanilla with some rose and pumpkin. I feel like there is carnation helping to blend the rose and the pumpkin together better, but wow. So pretty! Also I detect cinnamon, but it is more like a cinnamon sugar and I don't really smell any other spices. I'm getting an almost sparkly quality from this scent.

 

Dry on Skin: The carnation is much more prominent now and what I'm getting full on Alice with this slightly food slightly bready pumpkin. The pumpkin is really subtle and is more of a food tinge really, but it gives so much depth to the milk, rose, carnation, sparkle combination that I love so much in Alice. The rose, carnation, pumpkin combination is more beautiful than I expected.

 

Overall: Oh, I love this. I didn't think I would love this as much as I do, but I think it may surpass Moroccan Pumpkin Patch as my favorite Pumpkin Patch of the year! I think I may need a bottle. I often wear Alice to sleep and this to me is definitely a day time Alice to wear while out and about!

[Atrous]

Really surprised I ended up loving this. I tried the original Alice not long ago and didn't like it at all. It's the carnation, you see. I amp it like crazy and it ended up destroying Alice for me.

What's nice about Alice in the Pumpkin Patch is that the pumpkin mellows the carnation to the point that it's not only tolerable but pleasant.

[bheansidhe]

Like another reviewer, I find this turns rapidly to masala chai on my skin - the real kind served in restaurants, with heavy cream and perfumed spices. The pumpkin itself is pretty muted on my skin. Unlike that reviewer, I'm very happy with this stage.

 

During the next stage, the rose blooms. Again I'm reminded of the more aromatic aspects of an Indian meal - now my wrist smells like some cream-rich dessert with rosewater and exotic spices.

 

The final stage is creamier and dominated by the bergamot and carnation.

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: All the Alice notes, but amped by the creamy pumpkin.

 

Wet: Much as on cold sniff, but more rose, carnation and bergamot, and less milk, honey, and pumpkin.

 

The dry-down: All the notes have settled down and blended into something just amazing and gorgeous! It's like Alice amped and surrounded by creamy pumpkin goodness. Not fresh pumpkin, not pumpkin pie, w/ all those spices, but just pumpkin creamed with some milk and mashed and gently stewed on the stove top. A huge fave--I have 1/2 bottle, and may get more. I adore Alice, but this beyond that.

[theseagrows]

this starts off as pure pumpkin on me, with alice nowhere to be found. it gets really spicy after that, which initially seems like it's coming from carnation, but it gets VERY spicy, like cinnamon spice, at least on my skin it does. later on the soft milky scent of alice does come through a bit more, and the rose peeks through just slightly. this is mostly spicy pumpkin on me, and it's too foody for my tastes so i will have to swap it. i prefer the original alice with my skin chemistry.

[milo]

I get a bit of milky carnation at first along with the pumpkin spices. It dries down to plain old pumpkin pie spices. I'm not getting any pumpkin. Nice to try, it's nice and foody, but not for me.

[ajcj213499]

That is really nice! The original Alice turns to soap on me, but with this the notes stay true. The pumpkin and spice is balanced nicely with the rose and carnation, and gives Alice a creamy depth. Surprisingly, it also lasted a long time on my skin. This is a pumpkin blend that could be worn year round, not just for fall.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Background spices with a hint of creaminess I associate with Alice

 

Wet on me - All treacle and dark spices, a red hot cinnamon being particularly prominent

 

Dry on me - A dry spicy carnation with a lot of cinnamon on top

 

Overall - I like this a lot; once it settles down there's something really unusual about it

[Aviatrix]

I was curious about this one, because I often have problems with pumpkin, but I also love Alice, so I felt I had to give it a try.

 

The pumpkin is dominant. Or, actually, it's more like pumpkin spice; it's certainly a very spicy pumpkin note. Unfortunately, I amp it like I often do, and it takes over the blend completely. I can't detect Alice underneath. If I really concentrate, I get an Alice-like feel, like a sweet milkiness, but in general the pumpkin drowns her out.

 

It's a shame about the amping pumpkin, because I'm sure it's a very pretty blend if your skin can balance out the notes better than mine can.

[inhumation]

this was my first pumpkin patch scent and even though it didn't work for me, I'm still dying to try out the others. I love Alice but the addition of pumpkin to Alice was just overwhelmingly cloyingly sweet and foody for my taste.

Edited September 10, 2014 by inhumation

[bellumed]

I've never been a fan of Alice, but AitPP is pretty dang good! A nice tasty foody pumpkin that turns salty upon drydown. I think this may be the carnation? But for me, yeah, distinctly salty.

[Eemia]

I love Alice but have only had luck with one or two pumpkin scents. At the time I couldn't pass this up though, hoping my skin wouldn't amp the pumpkin. Unfortunately it does, and I should have passed on it. I get hints of the milky/carnation/sweet/floral scent of Alice dominated by the home fragrance candle-wax scent of pumpkin. Usually I get a rancid butter note from bpal's pumpkin (with the exception of a few scents) and I get that same sourness in here. There's also a pumpkin spice note in this that doubles my inability to make it work, as food spice notes just make me think of kitchen spice cabinets and potpourri.

 

I really wish I could make this work but it's just a scrubber on me. I've kept my bottle until now hoping for some miracle aging or better luck with time, and for sentimental reasons, but I'm giving this one up as I just can't stand smelling it even in the bottle.