leetle bpal review o' The Candy Butcher

[entelein]

In the bottle, the Candy Butcher is that first breath of dark, bitter chocolate that you smell when you fold back the fancy foil wrapper of some small square of the expensive stuff. Like baking chocolate, but more refined, with that almost fruit-like tang that nice dark chocolate can have.

I am very sure that my cycle is doing CRAZY things to scents, because on my skin, this one's pure permanent marker. Not really plasticky, as others have mentioned, nor Play Doh-y, either. It is a chemical wet ink smell of addressing boxes with a big ol' marker.

Fortunately for me and my co workers, this phase was short-lived.

After about 20 minutes, it fades down, but I am totally confused now: what I thought was the bitter heaven of dark chocolate (the cream is hiding, apparently) is now almost exactly like Monster Bait: Underbed -- screaming cassia and all. Cassia? What the?

If I sniff really, really closely, I can just about imagine the creamy undertones, but they're just not there in the throw at all.

I'm gonna try again in a week or so, and then again once the bottle has settled a bit. I shan't give up on you, Candy Butcher! You seem like you might age awesomely!

Original description:
An exquisite, enigmatic woman sidles up to you, bearing a tray of strange, dusty curios, chocolate creatures, serpentine taffy, and candied skulls. Her skin is dusky, her eyes are heavy-lidded and sensual, her hair is the fine, soft white of spun sugar, and her skin is softly scented with cocoa. She holds a shrunken head aloft, and beckons.

Dark chocolate with a heavy cream undertone.

Comments

[kablooey.livejournal.com]

aww! i have hope!!! :)

[brianenigma.livejournal.com]

Plasticky? In my experience, that smell comes from an essential oil that's well past its expiration date.

[entelein.livejournal.com]

Not that kind of plasticky, I don't think. I do know the kind of smell you mean, where the carrier has gone rancid, or the essentials break down into some sort of flat blah-ness -- I think a lot of sweet notes tend to go really wonky with peoples' body chemistries. There's a scent called Midway that totally loves me, and many reviews on the bpal.org site reflect the plasticky smell, which is simply not present on me.

So, I will wait this one out a bit, and see if it calms down a bit, or my hormone flux (tmi, I know) evens out.

[brianenigma.livejournal.com]

Semi-related, but when I saw it, I thought of you, with all of your BPAL-by-mail. Here in Portland, someone's setting up a BPAL trading meetup (http://community.livejournal.com/damnportlanders/8469463.html). I'd imagine there are enough people in Chicago using the stuff for a similar meetup over there.

[stregapez.livejournal.com]

Wow... what brand is this scent? Sounds fantastic :) Shrunken head!

[entelein.livejournal.com]

You may curse my name for leading you down this road, but:

http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

You can find Candy Butcher under Carnaval Diabolique. :)

[stregapez.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm drooling. Is it hot in here?

[clayfoot.livejournal.com]

Your dedication to mastering this scent is an inspiration to us all.

[rand-mod-6.livejournal.com]

Verily. "Dark chocolate with a heavy cream undertone" sounds like a fantastic dessert cheffing grail to quest after too.

I have to admit though, the name "Candy Butcher" brings an entirely different set of mental imagery to mind than their description; still I can't help but to admire their fine prose.