(Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene

[tativa]

Lilith, Ted, and I were playing dress up one night, and during her snack break in the kitchen, it occurred to me that she – and the whole accidental tableau – reminded me strongly (and strangely) of Georges de la Tour's Penitent Magdalene.

So, of course, Ted and I threw together an impromptu 30-second staging with junk lying around the house and took a photo.

Learning art history through role playing and silly photo shenanigans!

Candle wax, smoke, red sandalwood, a dusting of kitchen spices, and a dribble of vanilla ice cream.

A creamy smokey sandalwood. Gorgeous but not very sweet at all.

 

It reminds me of Inez, but with more wood and no carnation. So if the carnation was holding you back from loving Inez... this is that sort of sultry wax scent

Edited November 12, 2014 by tativa

[Atrous]

Creamy, smokey Sandalwood and Wax with a healthy dab of spices. The spice mix is hard for me to describe because they are all so well blended together. I suspect that the creaminess is coming from Ice Cream note but I don't detect any Ice Cream on its own.

It is also slightly sweet and nutty. Swear I get some Hazelnut maybe from the kitchen spices?

A really beautiful blend.

[dementia_divine]

In the bottle: The lovely candle wax note is the most prominent note, and I am reminded of the Trading Post's Candlelight atmosphere spray.

Wet: The beeswax candle note takes the center stage. It is sweet, but not foody. I detect a hint of the vanilla ice cream note. I am also getting a bit of smokiness, and the spices are starting to make an appearance, but they are lingering in the background. The candle wax is still the dominant note, and it seems to have gotten less sweet over time.

Dry: The candle wax note still reigns, but the smoke note is more prominent now (and what I think may be the red sandalwood). I get more of the spices now, but they do not burn. If I press my nose up to my skin and inhale really deeply, I can smell the vanilla ice cream note.

Verdict: I am so glad that I ordered a bottle of this!

[mineralgirl]

Wet, it's all smoke and wood.... then as it starts to dry it becomes gorgeous and so nicely blended. It's warm and not sweet but it has enough sweetness to work well for the foodie I am. I can smell the wax more when it's going from wet into dry down. It dries down into perfection on me. It has a spicy wood scent with a light smoke in the air. I don't really get the vanilla ice cream on me. The smoke is amazing tho. How does Beth DO that?

[bulletslc]

This the scent of the most amazing vanilla/spice/incense candle

ever! Its what you are trying to find when you go to a high end candle store

and sniff all of their vanilla candles only to leave empty handed. This is the smell

of church and cookies. Every note mingles together into sheer bliss. Order multiples

folks. This will only get better. I foresee many people trying to get this one in the

future. Need to get another bottle of this stat!

 

Still loving this. Ordered a backup bottle. :-D

Edited October 20, 2014 by Bulletslc

[Aviatrix]

This is all Holy beeswax, Batman on me. Upon drydown I get a little of the vanilla, too, but not much. Me and beeswax are not usually good friends, as it tends to go overly sweet on my skin. It happened here as well

I had hoped for the kind of candle wax from Loi Krathong, which is beautiful on me...

 

I will hold onto the bottle for a little while and see if it mellows out a bit, but so far it's not really my thing.

[annemathematics]

on me this is heavy sweet beeswax with the vanilla ice cream behind it. the sandlewood is a subtle background player. not much smoke.

 

as light and as sweet a beeswax-heavy bpal as I've ever met.

 

 

ETA

with age the vanilla cream has gotten much heavier. this is melted ice cream swirling in warm wax.

 

mini mag layers amazingly well with OLLA adam. I can't pull off wearing mini mag alone. it's too richly foodie and sweet for my taste. but it layers insanely well with other scents, and the adam combo is addictive to the point that I'm going to need an intervention.

Edited July 28, 2015 by annemathematics

[mystery213]

This is just beautiful. It is a rich, sophisticated, woody/musky blend with a great smattering of beeswax and candle smoke playing along with some decadent spices and a touch of nuttiness. The red sandalwood (which usually takes over on me) is tempered nicely by the sweet vanilla playing in the background and rounds the whole thing out magically. This is love in a bottle.

 

And by the way, I am shocked that nobody has made the comparison to Storyville. Granted, it has been years since I last sniffed me some Storyville, but this smells almost exactly like I remember it.

 

E.T.A. This also smells very, very close to the Candlelight atmo spray.

Edited October 31, 2014 by mystery213

[brilliantcat]

In the imp, it's a beautiful creamy sandalwood, a combination of the wood note, candle wax, and ice cream. It is simply gorgeous and I can't wait to get it on my arm! On me, it does not disappoint. That fabulous smoky, creamy, delectable candle wax note takes center stage with sandalwood providing a nice woodsy base. I don't get much if any of the spices at this stage and there is just the tiniest hint of sweetness to indicate that the ice cream is indeed present. On drydown, it's smooth, slightly smoky, creamy, a touch sweet, and incensey. Unf. Definitely bottle.

[Numanoid]

This is actually very nice. I think if you are the type of person that likes incense blends and in the past they are either too strong or too weak, this is for you.

 

In decant: I get the whiff of candle wax, and almost a bit of....stone?

 

On skin: It warms up nicely and I get the wax/incense coming out.

 

Dr down: This turns into a creamy/incense blend on me. Not foody, but the vanilla keeps it subtle. I don't get "kitchen spices" out of this. Very soft with medium throw.

[zankoku_zen]

The (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Madgalene is a blend that would be very much at home in the Phoenix Steamworks line.

 

It has a resinous base, creamy wax, smoke and a touch of vanilla.

 

If you're looking for a more sophisticated, and more wearable version of Phoenix Steamworks, I'd give this a try. There's a 'gleaming' component to the blend that is beautifully executed, and it gives a different aspect to resinous perfume.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Oooo! I love the spices in this! So gingerbread type spices over vanilla is the dominant impression, the wax supporting the vanilla. Sandalwood gives a soft grounding, with a hint of smoke wafting over. Wet: Much as in the bottle, that lovely spice/vanilla combination being most of the affect, with sandalwood grounding it and that kiss of smoke. The smoke comes out staonger as it warms, blending beautifully with my natural musk. I often have trouble with smoke notes, but this so works. Dry: Vanilla and Sandalwood.

[doublehelix]

This is absolutely beautiful. On me it's mostly smokey candles, with a bit of spice. As it dries the sandalwood emergs, and blends lovely with the smoke and candles. I don't believe I'm getting much of the ice cream, but this is quite a bit softer as it dries, so maybe it's softening it up a bit,

[gypsyjolie]

I get more incense than spice, but this is a soft, creamy, vanilla candlewax scent, with a touch of incense and softly smokey aspect, like candles just blown out and still warm. Lovely.

[Riezky]

In the bottle and wet, I mostly get the "vanilla ice cream" part of it.

 

As it dries, the candle wax comes forward with a bit of smoke, and the vanilla sticks around alongside it. It stays this way for several hours, just getting lighter throughout the day.

 

Overall, this is a light, creamy, comforting scent. It stays close to the skin, great for when you want something subtle and a bit sweet. Really liking this one.

[theseagrows]

umm hmm, this starts off as pure buttered popcorn on me! perhaps it's the wax and ice cream, sometimes wax/candle notes and foody notes turn very strange on me. it smells kind of like toast too, guess that's the smoke. after a bit longer, the butteriness wears off and i get wax, smoke and vanilla, and as often is the case this wax turns very strange on me. it's kind of unsettling. after awhile, the wax does seem to calm down a bit and it's more of a smoky spicy scent with a hint of candle wax, but the wax is still too strange for me to be able to wear.

Edited November 7, 2014 by theseagrows

[barilace]

I absolutely adore this.

 

In bottle - cinnamon vanilla

On skin - dark cinnamon

Dry down - the wax/smoke aspect comes into play then.

 

It makes me think of drinking a cinnamon vanilla latte while sitting by the fire on a cold day...while unscented candles are sitting on the mantle lit. ACES.

 

eta: bought myself a bottle.

Edited November 8, 2014 by barilace

[Ginspu]

IN the bottle and wet on my skin, it was spicy vanilla ice cream.. As it dried, the beeswax came out more, and it's an amazing blend of those notes together. I really, really like this and I'm glad my decant came in time for me to order a bottle!

[OctoberGwen]

Mini Magdalene is so beautiful! It is, indeed, very reminiscent of the Candlelight atmosphere spray but is less smoky and has the addition of vanilla and a very subtle spiciness. It is a sweeter blend than what I normally reach for, but it stays close to the skin and doesn't overpower. And while sweet, it is not overwhelmingly foodie to my nose.

 

The far drydown is a faint, creamy-smooth vanilla and candle wax scent. "Vanilla ice cream" has none of the plastic smell that I sometimes get from vanilla, and the spiciness is a lovely, delicate contrast to the sweetness.

 

Really delicious.

[suki]

For me, this scent was a lark. I didn't think on it much, I just sorta tossed it in my cart because it sounded fun.

 

And now it's turned out to be one of my favorite new scents!

 

For a perfume with such a low throw, this oil has incredible staying power! I put this on about 7 hours ago and traces of vanilla ice-cream and light sandalwood still cling to me.

 

In the bottle, and for many hours after, this scent was just yummy ice-cream and warmth. There are a few BPAL scents that I classify in my head as being "sweater scents", by which I mean, when I need comfort and warmth and envelopment, these are the scents I reach for to hug me and protect me from the sharp pokey bits of the outside world. Hod is one such scent. Dragon's Milk and Bliss are two others.

 

And now Mini Magdalene.

 

As I said, the scent has low throw- this perfume plays it very close to the skin- but it's there, a constant comfort.

 

I'm really glad I went with my instinct on this one. I predict this to be the sleeper hit, the one people kick themselves for not ordering when they had the chance.

[Jangzonrice]

In imp: vanilla chai tea with some beeswax!

 

Excited to try this on will update when I get to try it

[lucycat]

In the bottle: Sweet vanilla. This is the sweetest BPAL vanilla I have smelled; it’s clearly the melted ice cream note.

 

Wet: The same sweet vanilla for a few moments. Then light, subtle spices.

 

Dry: The candle wax and smoke appears on top of the vanilla and spices.

 

This is like a sweeter version of The Lights of Men’s Lives, with the addition of vanilla and spices. Like The Lights of Men’s Lives, (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene is a very subtle skin scent. There’s virtually no throw.

 

I really like it, and am glad I bought a bottle unsniffed.

[riddel]

The vanilla is strong on me and quite food-y. The smoky wax is there, as well. The spices remind me of gingerbread. The sandalwood smells like the sandalwood in Anne Bonny. I'm down with that. It does have a slightly sour undertone on me that I'm not A+ on. I won't be getting rid of it anytime soon, though. It intrigues the heck out of me. I can tell that I'll be sniffing and applying it rather frequently, if only to get a better handle on it. I can see myself wanting to wear it in certain moods. It's not quite like anything else in my collection.

 

Man, overall, the Liliths and the Weenies have been big winners for me this year.

[samarablackcat]

Wet: gentle vanilla creme. I can smell the candle wax before I apply to my skin, As it dries, a gorgeous vanilla (which is saying a lot for me as vanilla can be problematic on my skin) with a touch of gentle sandalwood. Dry, it's waxy vanilla with a hint of smoke. I don't get spices, per se, but something mellows the vanilla/sandalwood.

 

This ends up being the residual of burning a high-end vanilla sandalwood candle for several hours, blowing it out, the the smoke mixed in, wafting through the room with a delicate reminder of what was. Not typically my kind of scent, but really pretty and feminine.

[Myria Jean]

A slightly foody vanilla sandalwood. There's a buttery note (ice cream, I suppose) that might be a bit too foody for me, but I'm not sure yet.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Myria Jean