Chocolate Stout Cupcake

[miss_rynn]

Bittersweet chocolate cupcakes whisked with stout and topped with inky dark chocolate frosting.

This is amazing - it's what I wanted Monsterbait Underbed to smell like. It's a dark and rich scent to begin with - somewhere between dark and mean chocolate and dark and mean stout. Not too sweet, not too boozey, and just barely savoury. On the skin it blooms. I becomes a rich, devil's food cake with the dark, yeasty tang - just a little - of stout. The chocolate cake shifts to a somehow less foody but more like frosting after a little while. It's like leaving some frosting behind on the plate when you've finished the cake. Very faintly boozey, and the stout takes the edge off of the sweetness. If you like chocolate but don't want to smell like candy, give this one a try!

[Jeni Mullen]

My scent palette: I'm a foodie that doesn't tend to like the lab's vanilla scent unless there's something sugary in it. Eat Me is one of my favorite scents along with Captain Lilith (more boozy but still sweet). I am slowly finding out that I don't like woods in my scents. I love FOREST smells (like pine needles, juniper, leaves, moss and grass) but sandlewoods, rosewoods, and things like cedar or oak just don't do nice things on me. I love Magnificent Autumn, Samhain and Druid! I like spices too as long as they aren't kitchen spices (like mint and sage). Frankincense smells a little like sage so I haven't been too happy with that in my blends either. Scherezade and Sapphics are my go to spice oils. My biggest no-no are florals. Lavender and Jasmine, ylang ylang and peony run rampant. That said, carnation and sometimes rose can be quite nice on me if they're toned down. I also am not sure about my take on citrus. Lime is overwhleming (but I liked it in Lily Witch despite the leather). Bergamot is nicer. Leather and hemp tend to give me headaches.

 

In the bottle: Dark chocolate and Guinness.

 

On the inside of my wrist, wet: Exciting! This smells exactly like i've dabbed on uncooked cupcake batter. I know that might sound gross but it really works for me!

 

Fifteen minutes later: More like five minutes later....the scent is sort of...gone...? Oh noo! Just gonna dab a bit more on.

 

Thirty minutes later: Now it just smells like that fake chocolate toothpaste they use at the dentist. It smells plastic and fake.

 

Verdict: Another disappointing Yule for me unfortunately. I did dab a bit of Snake oil over the spot, however and it definitely has livened it up. UNFORTUNATELY it smells very much like Snake Oil and Bliss... I think this bottle will be finding a new home.

[Numanoid]

Normally, anything with any kind of booze or beer note in it frightens me! BUT I can't pass up anything with chocolate!!!

 

Sniff in bottle: Yummy, soft chocolate....like a pale version of Bliss.

 

on Skin: The whisky note comes out and still has the soft chocolate scent along with it. So far very lovely! Not a lot of throw.

 

Dry down: I get more of a slight dry cocoa out of this...which is fine with me. So far I don't detect any beer or booze and that too is ok. It is almost like when you open a container of baking cocoa and you get a little bit in your nose that might make you sneeze? Like that, but on a soft level...in a good way!

 

SO glad I got this! I think this will be amazing with age!

 

Update.... Been a couple hours, and the powder went away and it turned into a yummy chocolate frosting cupcake! I still get no booze and this has very little throw, but it is still amazing! Can't wait to see how this ages!

Edited December 23, 2014 by Numanoid

[Monster]

My experience was a lot like Numanoid's. Chocolate Stout Cupcake starts out as a boozy cupcake and dries to a dark chocolate buttercream frosting. Sometimes chocolate scents can be stomach turning and for some reason, turn to a weird cheese-like note on my skin. Not CSC. While it's 150% foody, it's not cloying, fake smelling and never turns sour on my skin. The chocolate in this is deep, (it's even a little dry and woody smelling after a while) and has just enough sweetness to make you crave cupcakes. I agree it's a less toothsome version of Bliss, a little more grown up and entirely different than many of the Lab's chocolate scents I've tried in past years. I can't stop huffing my wrist.

[LiberAmoris]

Chocolate Stout Cupcake is definitely one of the blends that needs to be thoroughly rolled before application. Wet, it smells just like chocolate cupcake batter and buttercream frosting—the chocolate stout is in the background on me and there's just a hint. Where Bliss is pure, unadulterated melted chocolate, Chocolate Stout Cupcake is a melange—there's chocolate, but also vanilla and a gentle beer note (a bit like roasted barley) in play.

 

As it dries, the chocolate lifts a bit and drifts into a murky, boozy vanilla. Vanilla is one of the notes that can smell artificial on my skin, and this is dancing on that edge but stays on the right side. I think it will benefit from a little aging, as Bliss does. Fun!

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: Boozy chocolate buttercream! This is one of those cupcakes that is buried under a pile of frosting as big as the cupcake itself.

Wet: The frosting note dominates, and it almost smells like hard toffee-flavored candies at first before the chocolate note becomes more prominent. This really does smell like a chocolate cupcake slathered in dark chocolate frosting. I was worried about the stout component of this scent, but I am not really getting much of it at this point. There is just a hint of it.

Dry: On my forearm, I mostly get chocolate powder, but in the crook of my elbow, I smell the remains of a chocolate cupcake. The scent is a lot softer and smoother now. There is a creaminess to it. Most of the cupcake is gone, but a glob of chocolate frosting remains on the plate graced by the presence of a few crumbs.

Verdict: I really, really like this one. I ordered a half decant of it, but I don't think that it will be enough (despite the fact that I already own several chocolate scents). If this one comes back in stock before the Yules go down, I will try to get a bottle.

Edited January 12, 2015 by dementia_divine

[brilliantcat]

Oh, this is bliss! No pun intended Rich, thick, chocolately, but not supersweet or creamy. I get a hint of the malted barley from the stout but it's just barely there, a whiff to break up the dark chocolate wave a bit. It seems the chocolate comes in like a lion and out like a lamb as over time it becomes softer and gentler. There's more of the stout and buttercream coming through on the drydown. It becomes less chocolate and more a vanilla stout. It's cozy and my mind conjures up the image of sitting in an Irish pub near the fire with a cozy sweater on, sipping a just barely chilled Guinness and eating vanilla bean cupcakes. It's like being wrapped in coziness. This absolutely has to come back in stock before the Yules come down or I will perish *dramatic swoon*

[zankoku_zen]

Rich, thick chocolate, touch of stout, and buttercream. On the drydown, the chocolate gets a little powdery and I get more of a cocoa powder.

 

I mean, I get it. This is toothsome, tasty, chocolate. And I'm utterly unmoved by it. I'm not a foodie girl. Or a fan of chocolate scents. So this is just not doing it for me. I agree with LiberAmoris - you have to roll this puppy around. The chocolate just precipitates and/or sits at the bottom of the decant like sludge.

 

Toothsome, chocolate, stout.

[AmyO'Shields]

YUMMY CHOCOLATE FROSTING...

The good, home made kind, not the crap from a container.

Good lord.

[astarinel]

Soft, powdery chocolate with a little bit of a beery/yeasty undertone. Very dry and bittersweet, not a moist cake scent here. This reminds me a little of Centzon Totochtin, in that it's a dark, relatively unfoody chocolate scent with some complexity to it. I find chocolate scents very hard to wear, but this one is fairly interesting.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Mmmmmm....... dark, dark chocolate, with just the slightest hint of booze!

 

Wet on skin: Same. There's a sweetness to it, but also a darkness shadowing it.

 

Dried down: This is freaking gorgeous! Again, sweet, but not too sweet, just delectable, complex dark chocolate. I admit, I was afraid the booze note would overtake this scent, but I barely even notice it - like all it does is keep the chocolate in check.

 

Throw: This has a fair bit of throw on me.Not overwhelming, but there's this cloud of chocolatey scent around my head, and I've only swiped it on one wrist!

 

Verdict: ***** I need this to come back in stock, so I can buy a bottle or three.

[DevilsCandyCane]

In a word: underwhelming. It's a little wimp of a scent that dies into nondescript nothingness very, very quickly.

 

In the bottle it's fairly nice, chocolatey with a good slosh of stout, but even at this stage it's a bit of a bland and artificial sort of chocolate. Once applied the stout goes sort of weirdly artificial floral almost, and kills off much of the chocolate, then everything just fades rapidly into the faintest hint of dry chocolate, the stout really doesn't stick around. Also, globs of chocolate-brown oil separate constantly from the rest of the perfume, rolling and even shaking do little to mix it up - it seems to be the same perpetually separating chocolate note as in the Chocolate Box collection, which I really wasn't fond of in that either - more artificial and ick than the chocolate notes in El Dia or Centzon Totochtin.

 

In summary, I'm very, very glad I didn't get sucked into the hype and buy a whole bottle. It's reasonably pleasant, but El Dia absolutely craps all over it in terms of bittersweet chocolate, warm snuggliness, and most of all THROW and longevity!

[agirlnamedfury]

Yum. I got a decant of this from a circle here on the forum, but after trying it I've just ordered a full bottle. I love the rich beeriness in here, it smells quite different than my (many) other BPAL chocolate scents.

 

As a couple other reviewers have mentioned, this oil seems to be separated -- very visible in a clear decant/imp vial. There are basically big drops of dark brown oil floating around in the rest of the lighter-colored oil, and I actually resorted to shaking it rather violently but it still didn't really form a homogenous mixture. Not sure if that affects the scent or not?

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Chocolate cake with frosting that has a hint of ink.

 

Wet: More like the dry but excellent cocoa powder.

 

The dry-down: There's something dark in the bottom of the decant that, try as I might, I can't shake loose. I hope my bottle from the Lab will mix better than this. The tester at WC was an amazing chocolate scent. This decant is a nice chocolate scent, though.

[Atrous]

I'm so glad this came back from being OOS for a second time. I blind bought a bottle thinking it would be easy enough to swap/sell if I didn't like it. You must roll the bottle before applying as the thick chocolate sludge separates from the rest of the blend.

 

Wet: Starts out as dark chocolate cake. Other reviewers have commented that the Stout smells like Roasted Barley and that's exactly what I get. So, the Roasted Barley seems to seep into the nooks and crannies of the cake. Its really wonderful but I'm a bit bummed that I'm not getting frosting.

 

Dry: Oh, there's the frosting! I had to wait for the dry down for it to come out. I am detecting a creamy vanilla now. Dark, chocolate cake...not too sweet and oddly enough not super gourmand either...with that Roasted Barley and topped off with Buttercream frosting.

 

The surprise is that CSC smells unisex, leaning masculine and I can really see a guy wearing this. Since I tend to like masculine and gourmand scents this is a real treat for me.

[Haltija]

This has such a richness from the beer and a decadence from the chocolate frosting. It's a expensive smelling foody scent and I am inlove with it. Very glad it came back in stock the second time so I could grab it. Towards the dry down a little bit of a powdery smell releases but it doesn't change the scent too much. It still stays smelling like a fancy chocolate cake. Just lovely!

Edited February 13, 2015 by Haltija

[suki]

I have waited long- too long- and patiently for this. I cannot wait a moment longer.

 

In The Bottle: Boozy. Chocolate. Frosting. Again, I say

 

Wet On Skin: Oh my. Oh my oh my ohmyohmyohmyohmy. Same as above, but somehow warmer. The warmth of the skin is making it bloom into extra chocolate booze deliciousness.

 

Dry Down: Rich chocolate icing loaded onto a sliver of flourless bittersweet chocolate cake, served with a glass of rich, dry wine.

 

In All: There are hardly words, except: Thank the gods I ordered two bottles.

[tuesdaynexxt]

Okay, my experience with this is rather different.

 

I got my bottle about a week ago, and let it sit a bit, then tried it on today. I swear, it smells like deep chocolate incense!

It's definitely beautifully chocolatey, there's a wee whiff of baked goods about it, but it's also got a sort of burnt note that, on closer sniff, smells incensey to me! So odd!

 

I like it very much, but I'm not sure how often I'll wear it!

[ltrittipoe]

This is so delicious smelling! The deepest darkest barely sweet chocolate cake, with chocolate buttercream. I think the stout keeps it from being too sweet, and although it is foody, it is not purely foody on me. Chocolately but I don't have to worry about "Who has cupcakes??"

 

This is sweeter than Boomslang, but has a similar feel to me - like a combination of Boomslang and Bliss. I definitely get the incense vibe, that smokey scent. I am so glad that I was able to get a bottle.

[cherrycherry]

This definitely lives up to the hype. It's very delicious, dark and sweet. I love gourmand notes blended with boozy notes and this hits the nail right on the head. Super gorgeous. Yum.

[stellamaris]

This is amazing. The chocolate is perfect, and the "stout" is also. I love this. I totally don't get any weakness from this, great lasting power.

[Gin]

I had to really shake this one to get it blend. It has weird texture when applied and it smelled more stout-y than chocolatey and I was like, ehhhhh. Over the course of a couple hours, though, it turns into a sort of sour chocolate--in a good way, like cream cheese brownies or chocolate cheesecake. Ultimately, I get chocolate + cream cheese + powdered sugar. I it, and I'm kind of kicking myself for only buying one bottle.

(My daughter came in and accused me of eating Cadbury Mini Eggs--I think it was the Chocolate Stout Cupcake she was smelling.)

[milo]

Sweet chocolate and something pleasantly floral. I love chocolate, and like it as a perfume as long as it's not too foody. Boomslang, Velvet, and Black Temple Burlesque Troupe are examples of the perfect cocoa or chocolate blends. This one has the potential, but it's a bit too sweet. I can see layering this with an amber blend, Visions of Autumn 3, to make it more to my liking. I would definitely like to eat something like this, but it's too sweet and foody for me to wear.

[dottie_doom]

This is everything that I hope from a deep dark chocolate based scent. So smooth and rich and yummy! Really nice throw and lasting power on me. Sadly I was not able to buy a bottle so will be cautiously rationing my precious decant.

[vanilla323]

This is all chocolate syrup upon sniffing. Wet on the skin I get strong heavy chocolate fudge. As it dries down I then get some of the chocolate frosting scent mixed with a little stout. I can smell the boozy edge but it keeps it from being all too sweet. Love this chocolate because it's strong and lasts on my skin. I love Bliss too but it has a lighter chocolate note that fades away so fast. I'm glad this one sticks around. One of the best chocolate scents by BPAL!