Pumpkin King

[UltraViolet]

~Pumpkin King~

 

In the bottle

Pumpkin, ginger, something aquatic or cider-y.

On

Mmm. It's not as foody as I thought. It's more "halloween cocktail-y" to me. It's good. There's an initial pumpkin/rum/butter note, then it turns into a more cinnamon based blend, still yummy.

Less buttery foody or dessert-like than "Jack". Less "autumn leaves and smoke-like than "Samhain". It's spicier then either one in my opinion, but not alot.

30 minutes

Dries to an even scrummier scent. Smells like spicy pumpkin pie.

Throw:

Average

Scent category:

Foody

Summary

Doesnt' morph a whole lot, which is good. If you like pumpkin this is your blend.

Purchase again?

Yes!

1-5 rating (5 being best).

4

Edited January 16, 2006 by UltraViolet

[joseybird]

I think it's time that I finally review this =P

 

Pumpkin (like in Jack) and dark, smokey spices...nutmeg, maybe a touch of clove, proly ginger...a touch of smokiness too, like a piece of jack-o-lanturn that's being served as desert after sitting outside with a candle in its inerds all Halloween evening. I find the smell of spiced pumpkin yummy but rather banal. This, however, is a dark and very unique spin on that classic scent, and it's beautiful

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Clove, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon. Those are the main things I'm smelling.

 

Just On: All those, the pumpkin, and more. YUM!

 

An hour or two later: OMFG this is incredible.

 

Around 6 hours: Mmmmm, everything all blended and yummy.

 

12 hours: It went away <sob>.

 

Overall: This is awesome. I can see why it's so hard to get.

 

After reading other reviews: Oh yes, I'm right with those begging that this one be released. (Footnote: The song that came on as I was reviewing this one just happened to be "I Think I Love You"... and as I'm typing up this last review part, the part of the song that says "screaming out the words I dread 'I think I love you'" comes on. A very apt song indeed... I think I love you, Pumpkin King.)

[cuervosueno]

I'll add to the PK lovefest!

I got to sniff this at Quantum Spice's house once and loved it, but never thought I'd get a chance to have any.

But I swapped another rare oil for a partial imp of this with the lovely and generous Silvertree, so now I can offer my experiences with it.

In the bottle: creamy spice, not so much like pumpkin pie as it is like pumpkin spice, which is, I believe, generally cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. I also get a hint of vanilla.

I put it on and loved the spice, then after about 1/2 hour I got a delicious foody note under the spice...like, well, pumpkin pie, but since it was creamy too, I'd go for the pumpkin pie cheesecake. I didn't get apple notes, and this is not a scent with a lot of throw--it stays close to the skin.

I liked it but wasn't sure I liked it any more than some other spice blends I enjoy.

Then yesterday I read this odd tidbit: many men rate the scent of pumpkin pie very high in the sexiness factor. Huh.

So last night I'm going out with my friend who is sometimes more than a friend, though its been pretty platonic lately. I put on Pumpkin King. At dinner, I let him smell my wrists and he says, yeah, interesting. Ok, so he's not one of the guys that go for the pumpkin pie I guess.

We watch a movie. I'm noting PK is barely there on my wrists, but still a faint spicy pumpkin deliciousness.

We leave. He walks me to my car, gives me a hug. doesn't let go. Sniffs my neck. "My god," he says, "you smell so good!" And there's a bit of lingering kiss. another hug, and a sort of thoughtful appraising look from him which I haven't seen in months. Then he calls me today to say can we go out again tonight? And will you find some of that BPAL stuff for me?

Huh. Guess it works.

so yes, I ADORE PK. I MUST have more!

Please, Beth, please, bring it to us for Samhain! I'll buy a 10 ml! I'll buy more than one!

[sarahmarie]

I was *very* lucky to swap for PK recently, and it just came today. I was so excited! I feel lucky to get to try this blend, and I waited all day to review it because I wanted to get a good handle on what it smelled like before I did it. Okay, let's see...

 

In the bottle, it smells like mulled cider with some butteriness and a teeny hint of musk/civet/patchouli - I really can't tell which! Something animalistic and dark, but it's almost undetectable in the bottle.

 

Wet, on my skin, the spiced apple cider comes out strong. It's delicious - sweet and tart, and very spicy. Nutmeg and cinnamon and ginger, I think, maybe some other things too. There's a butteriness/creaminess also, but it's not overpowering. I don't think I detect pumpkin at this stage.

 

As it's drying down, the muskiness comes out again, more strongly this time. I was nervous about that, but it managed to mingle in a way that didn't scare me or hurt my head, and because I was pretty hot and sweaty at the time (it was 90 degrees today!) it sort of complemented me. It really did add to the imagery for me, though. Think about it - all this great autumnal foodiness, maybe indoors (apple cider, cream, spicey baking) with a pumpkin field outside the window and something lurking in the woods.

 

Once it's dry, though, the musk/civet/patchouli whatsit goes back to mingling more quietly, and I smell what I think might be creamy pumpkin along with the sweet apple. It's getting hard to smell on my skin, but it's been hours and I've been sweaty and before I applied it I was wearing sunscreen, so it's all a little weird. I can still pick up the apple and the spices most strongly.

 

Overall, I love Pumpkin King, and I'm so glad and grateful to have gotten some. I hope it becomes available for Halloween, because it's a *perfect* Halloween scent. Even if it doesn't agree with you, it tells a good story.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - I have been obsessing about Pumpkin King ever since Quantum Spice gave me a sniff at the L.A. meet 'n' sniff. In the bottle, it is the best BPAL oil I have ever smelled, bar none. Pumpkin and spice, but much spicier and creamier than Jack or Samhain.

 

Dry - OMFG! This is the perfect blend. Pumpkin, nutmeg, clove, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla..I even think I smell a bit of apple in here. As much as I love Samhain, this is even better. Decent amount of throw too. The longer I wear it, the less prominent the pumpkin becomes, it's all about spice now.

 

I am pleasantly suprised at the similiarity to Bengal on dry-down. Bengal is of course missing the creamy pumpkin and apples, and is not as strong or long-lasting, but there is a similiarty in the spices.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 5+

[Blood onmy hands]

I've really been wanting to try this one, it seems to have so much hype surrounding it. Now I see that it is very well deserved hype . Sometimes I cannot wear Jack because it is nauseatingly buttery. PK is nothing like Jack.

 

This starts out smelling like warm apple cider and fallen leaves on me. Sweet and spicy, the cinnamon actually gives it a warming feeling too. Just like sipping on hot apple cider and watching the leaves change colour into fall. There might be a bit of patchouli here giving it that lovely earthy smell.

 

I've tried 'pumpkin pie' scented oils from a lot of companies and have never been able to wear it. The spices always become overpowering and make me sick. The spices are very present here but they don't turn the blend into a pure cinnamon and nutmeg smell. It really does smell like pumpkin pie cheesecake. I adore cheesecake and this has all of the wonderful creaminess.

 

I love how this goes from smelling like apple cider to smelling like pumpkin pie cheesecake. After about an hour the apple cider scent comes back and the two are coexisting perfectly side by side.

 

I'm so hoping that this will be released this year. I've never smelled anything quite like it before. It is the perfect scent of fall. And I only have half an imp left.

[coulrophobe]

I had really high hopes for PK, as I love pumpkin but find Jack way too sweet and cloying (and the other pumpkin scents are just not... pumpkinny). I feel very lucky to have obtained a bottle of this uber-rare blend!

 

In the bottle: Pumpkin, naturally... it smells a bit buttery (nooooo!), but not as much so as Jack.

 

On: Much spicier than I anticipated, and no butter! These are both big bonuses in my book. I can smell the cinnamon/clove/nutmeg spicyness quite strongly, while the pumpkin provides a warm background note. As it dries down, the notes blend nicely, and it's spicy pumpkin pie filling. Further into the drydown, it smells more like a pumpkin candle - but that's fine with me. I was hoping to find a pumpkin blend that avoided the too-sweet butteryness of Jack - and Pumpkin King turns out to be everything I wanted Jack to be.

 

My one complaint is that it doesn't last long on me - but then again, most bpal only lasts a few hours on me anyway, unless it contains musk. So that's really a very small quibble - it's a gorgeous scent and I'll hoard it and build little shrines to it and uh... yeah.

 

Edited October 8, 2005 by coulrophobe

[yeahbutnobut]

Pumpkin King

 

In the imp: fresh pumpkin, apples and spices. A perfect autumn scent.

Wet on skin: ooh, this is like a fresh pumpkin split open, with a hint of crisp apple.

Dry on skin: oh yes, this is a really pumpkin-y scent indeed…yeah I know, stating the obvious here but this is, to me, a truer pumpkin scent than Jack. I get apples too, a hint of autumn leaves, and a tiny bit of spice-I smell cinnamon here. This deserves the hype-it really is that good! If this isn't the best of autumn encapsulated, I don't know what is! It's also quite subtle-I found Jack a bit too rich and cloying for my tastes-this isn't like that at all. This smells very authentic as well-like a real, true pumpkin smell.

After a while: pumpkin pie! I get a slight scent of buttery pastry (though not as buttery as Jack) with the pumpkin filling and spices too. This is light and pleasant.

However, it does fade pretty fast, which is a shame because it was lovely.

Verdict: I can't believe I actually got to try some of this without splashing hundreds of pounds on Ebay (thanks Ultraviolet for letting me try a drop of this!) and I can see why this scent is so hyped-because it is wonderful! I didn't like Jack because I thought it was too rich and over sweet, but this isn't. This has a very true pumpkin note, mingled with light spices and apples, a tiny bit of pastry as well, and the overall effect is the perfect pumpkin pie scent. It's delicious without being cloying and sickly sweet, and is very autumnal indeed. However, on me, it fades pretty quickly. But one thing's for sure-I'll cherish the little drop of PK that I have, and will be wearing it for Halloween!

Edited October 29, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[zillah37]

I won a bottle of Pumpkin King in an ebay auction recently and I've been biting my nails about whether I should have done that or not. What if I hated the scent? It was a tough one.

 

In the bottle, Pumpkin King smells exactly like pumpkin cinnamon buns. It's buttery, but not strongly buttery like Jack. It's got a baked pastery scent to it that is probably the truest bakery scent I've smelled. And it's got just a hint of pumpkins.

 

On my skin it's spices! Lots of spices with a really creamy base to it. There's a hint of vanilla and apples with just a faint bit of pumpkin. It's one of the loveliest scents I've ever smelled. I'm a huge spice fan and this is honestly the most perfect scent I think I've ever smelled.

 

I'm in love! God, I wish this would be released at some point. I would buy oodles and oodles of it! I want to bathe in Pumpkin King.

[SeaMonkey]

Its bizarre, I love pumpkin. I like to eat pumpkin, but all of the blends with pumpkin give me a bad headache. Its very pretty in the imp. Pumpkin and clove, with other spices, but not overly buttery like Jack.

[emzebel]

I had the opportunity to try just a tiny swipe of this at dinner with some wonderful forumites. Honestly, I was not expecting to love it, as Jack and the Pumpkin Patches, while fine, are not my favorite blends.

 

But Pumpkin King is something else alltogether.

 

It really is like a more pumpkiny version of Beth's autumn blends - very dark and rich and spicy, without that buttery note that I'm uncertain about in the other pumpkins. If I could get some of this without selling my firstborn, I would, but I'm rather fond of him, so I will have to survive with my bottles of Samhain and imps of Mabon and Harvest Moon for spicy autumnal goodness...

[VenusFlyTrap]

This is a slightly foody scent.

 

Pumpkin but also creamy and spicy with clove/cassia. It does seem to have a hint of something like rum.

 

Definitely very, very yummy and one of the few foody scents that I would wear.

 

I would LOVE to have a big bottle of this!

 

[slave1]

In Bottle: Sweet and spicy pumpkin

 

On Skin: Wow! Much deeper and sweeter than any of the Pumpkin Patch series. This is “Super Pumpkin” layered with gorgeous spices and sweet vanilla. I think I smell nutmeg, clove…. brown sugar or maple… Hmm…. It’s also quite dark, I almost detect a resinous note or musk. It is quite delicious but I’d rather use it as a room scent than as a perfume. It has pretty good throw and is a beautiful comfort scent. A must for foody scent lovers. I think it’s pretty amazing, but I don’t think I’ll sell my soul for a bottle like some people have. But I’m super excited I got to try it and will keep the half imp I have!!

[elspeth]

When I first put this on I was suprised that I didn't smell much pumpkin at all. The first scent that hit me was spice and warmth. It reminded me of spiced cider and mulling spices. I can smell cinnamon and clove. As the oil begins to dry I can detect the pumpkin more and it reminds me of a warm pumpkin pie straight out of the oven. It has the warmth and comfort of any mother's kitchen. This truly is a unique oil and am very glad I got the chance to sniff it.

[edenssixthday]

Pumpkin King - Initially, all I detect are strong, pungent spices and the scent of nail polish remover -- the same nail polish remover scent I get only from Scarecrow. I hope with all my heart that as the scent dries, the chemical scent will recede, and it does, but not much. Until the blend fades away completely (about 2-3 hours on my skin), all I smell are the strong, biting spices and nail polish remover. It's fairly unpleasant. Even the spices don't smell particularly yummy, as just overly peppery. I haven't read any reviews on this blend, so I wasn't sure to expect, but I was hoping for a pumpkin scent. Unfortunately, that isn't the case -- at least not with my skin chemistry. I'm very grateful I've had the opportunity to try this, but it definitely doesn't work for me -- unless perhaps it's simply a hormonal issue, and considering that may be the case, I'll probably try it again in a week or two and see if I ge t better results (if so, I'll update my review).

[opaleyes]

I was thrilled to get my hands on my very own imp of Pumpkin King in a raffle, as Pumpkin is probably my favorite note. When I put it on it was all pumpkin, apples, and cinnamon. After a while the nutmeg came out.

 

But then it started changing. Something very dark and musky came out, and I was immediately reminded of a friend of mine from college. It smells just like him. People often poked fun at him because he would sometimes just spray his clothes with cologne instead of washing them.

 

You see where this is going?

 

Later on in the day one of my bosses walked by my desk, and stopped, puzzled. She asked me if I smelled flea spray.

 

Alright Mr Pumpkin King. Hit the road, Jack.

Edited June 27, 2006 by opaleyes

[crescentwench]

got to test this through brienze's convergence sniffies tour circle.

 

in the vial - it's all sweet sugary vanilla and pumpkin with a hint of spices. It's the only pumpkin scent I've sniffed that didn't have a sort of rotten-gingerbread smell to it. I've got high hopes...(high pumkin pie in the sky hopes!!)

 

on, wet - still sweet and vanilla-y, the pumpkin takes over, and it's delicious, warm and sweet

 

on, dry - the spices come out: cloves, nutmeg and hint of cinnamon. It smells like warm fresh pumpkin pie.

 

on, 1hr later - pooh. I'm saddened to discover that the yumminess has morphed into a generic spiced-candle scent, with a bit wierd waxy tang. Oh well, it'll save my wallet....

[cranberry]

I got to test this via the Convergence Sniffies US tour. Thanks Brienze for sending this and the 2006 Convergence scents around!!!!

 

In the imp: sweet, spicy, gingery, incense. This reminds me of a Voodoo Oil.

On the skin, wet: Damn this smells good! This doesn’t really smell pumpkin-y at all to me. Rather, it smells more like Shub Niggurath mixed with a Voodoo Oil with a dash more incense added to the mix.

 

On the skin, dry: This reminds me a bit of Love Me. It has a spicy element in common with it. It’s also sweet and has some vanilla. It’s like a mix of Shub and Love Me. Now I’m getting a touch of apple, so maybe throw in Hesperides or Verdandi.

 

I wonder if you could make a substitute by using PP1, Shub, and Love Me?

 

Regardless, overall, I really like this blend. I haven’t fallen in love and gone mad but there’s a deep appreciation here. This is a spicy, complex blend that is just beautiful and I’m so grateful that I got an opportunity to try it!

 

ETA: p.s. I tried layering Shub and Love Me. Didn't work.

Edited August 2, 2006 by cranberry

[sophia_helix]

Another lucky PK sniffer thanks to Brienze's circle here.

 

This was such a strange scent on me. There was a sort of oily, spicy scent it at first, like Snake Oil, and then the real spices kicked in -- cinnamon, clove, maybe some pepper, very much like Three Witches, with what I think is ginger thrown in. None of the buttery note from Jack or the Pumpkin Patch, thank goodness. It had a really small throw (although I didn't dab very much on), and as it dried down it just went...funky. I don't know how to describe it, since it wasn't the foody, baked goods smell I was expecting, nor particularly woody. And it's not sweet at all, which is bizarre because my skin makes EVERYTHING sweet. And bizarrely, at the end, it smelled exactly like Determination, which I suspect means it has... vetiver?

 

All in all I'm glad I got a sniff of this, esp. since I really don't think I like it. Now I don't have to worry about hunting down more!

Edited August 8, 2006 by sophia_helix

[aidenraine]

Oh man, I wish I didn't love this. I'd wear it a lot if it were more readily available. It's got that scent that good "pumpkin spice" candles have, and I always love to smell those in the stores. One of my favorite seasonal smells.

 

In this is a certain amount of nutmeg and cinnamon mixed with the pumpkin. Mmmm it's almost like baking, and the oil color ( a rich orange) is perfect.

I like this better than the pumpkin patch blends even. It's more what I think of when I hear "pumpkin". I really am getting lovely layers of spice.

 

It stays consistent as it sits.

I want to roll in it.

 

Ah well.

[supremegoddessofall]

Other than PP3, I have yet to find a pumpkin scent that doesn't agree with me. Since this is supposed to be the God of the BPAL pumpkin scents, I expect that it will agree with me very very much. *sniff* Ooh, pumpkin bliss! This is a spicy pumpkin rather than a sweet one. I think I'm getting some clove. It's a fairly masculine pumpkin. Love it!

[GlowJob]

This is a really strange one and I'm still not sure if I like it or not.I get no buttery,creamy pumpkin but rather a spicy,smoked pumpkin.Very masculine.I think this would smell good on my boy...but I'm not sure it's for me

[wikkidraven]

 

i'm speechless. it's THAT GOOD.

 

WHY? WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE THIS GOOD!

[forspecial_plate]

Thanks so much to growwild for giving me a very testable amount of this! : )

 

Forgive me but my very first thought was "Why, this is Shub Light!"....blasphemy, I know....but it's a compliment, because I love Shub-Niggurath a whole lot. And this really did strike me as a much lighter version of that. Just a first impression.

 

As it warmed up, I started to get the complexity of it. More pumpkin spices for me than actual pumpkin. Honestly, I'm not sure my nose is savvy enough to pick apart individual spices....perhaps ginger, clove, nutmeg, a dash of cinnamon maybe?...and possibly black pepper. In the early stages there is some kind of beeswax thing going on....something waxy, not sure what that's coming from. But it fades after a while. At this point (after the waxy fades), I was guessing this is what Three Witches must smell like. Many subtle layers of spiciness.

 

Then about 3 hours later, I picked up on some kind of resin, I thought....or possibly musk. Some golden note that reminded me of Minotaur....so I'm guessing benzoin, light myrrh, or maybe copal? Or possibly a soft, dark musk....but not powdery at all. The spices were still there, now with a diffused golden light kind of feeling.

 

Overall, Pumpkin King is much lighter than I was expecting, but very very good, golden autumn-y, complex and spicy, resinous and warm. It's something I would definitely wear, but I have to say I don't see what makes this so much more special than other LE scents that have been produced. I like Snake Charmer just as much......(not to be a party pooper, but that's my opinion!).*

 

*Edit.....who am I kidding.....I would dearly love a whole bottle of this. I have half a decant left and it's the only oil in my whole collection that I hold back from wearing, because I don't want to run out, ever!

Edited July 26, 2009 by Forspecial Plate