Rhubarb Custard Muffins

[Jenjin]

This muffin bites back:
tender chunks of tart rhubarb stalks spangled with oven-browned sugar crystals,
nestled in a crown of golden cake generously marbled with jet-streams of warm custard.

Edited February 17 by Jenjin

[Failmingo]

This is the most rhubarb-forward fragrance that I, personally have ever smelled! In the bottle there's a lovely gradient from the sharp, almost vegetal dark green to that twinkling ruby tartness, surrounded on all sides by soft piles of custard -- plenty of reassuring sweetness to support the more forbidding tones, just the way you'd want in a quality rhubarb bake.

 

I don't get the cake part as much until the oil is drying on the skin, and even then it just serves as a lovely, crumbly platform for the tangy rhubarb enjoying its moment in the spotlight. There's a lovely interplay between the coolness and warmth of these various notes, kind of the way something will still taste "baked" even though it's fully cool to the touch.

 

If someone didn't know this was rhubarb, I have no idea what they'd guess it was... but it's definitely distinctive, appealing, and suggestive of something tantalizingly edible, without overpromising in terms of sweetness of intent. 

 

I've found this lasts decently long on my skin! I'm excited to layer with some rose blends (particularly Roses, Pearls, and Rubies, which has a less-prominent rhubarb note) and some strawberry blends (which are often too sweet for me to fully enjoy).

[VioletChaos]

If you took the yummy baked goods note from my most beloved Crumpet Rebellion and added in a healthy chomp of rhubarb, you come pretty close to getting the gourmand delight that is Rhubarb Custard Muffins. In the bottle and freshly applied, this scent is VERYY heavy on the tangy, tart rhubarb. It takes w while to settle into anything more balanced, and frankly, I'm glad for it, because the fresh, sharp aspect is a lovely surprise as we ease out of the darkness at the end of winter and into lighter, brighter spring. Once settled in, the scent takes on a lovely second stage, joining the ranks of other great baked goods fragrances for those of us that like to sometimes smell like we are completely edible.

If you are looking for a foodie scent for daytime wear, or if you have a special place in your heart for the old BPAL greats like the afore-mentioned Crumpet Rebellion or Blackberry Jam and Scones, then you will be quite excited to add this to your repertoire. 

[ghoulnextdoor]

Last year, I bought a quartet of Strawberry Shortcake-themed candles. My excuse for this foolishness, not that anyone is asking me to justify myself, is that I'd had a bad day, which turned into a series of bad days, culminating in a whole-ass bad month. I was excited to illuminate these little beacons of nostalgia, but sadly, each was more disappointing than the last. If I'd had Rhubarb Custard Muffins and unscented wax (and, I suppose, any amount of ambition or motivation to speak of), I could have recreated exactly what I, as an adult now,  was seeking in those candles with this scent's vibrant bracing blush of rhubarb enlivened further by the jeweled, juicy tang of strawberry, and tempered--only slightly so-- by a creamy vanilla drizzle of custard and scant dusting of oaty streusel. This a scent brimming with cheeky, exuberant optimism that rips its tart heart right out of its chest and offers it to you immediately upon meeting you, no questions asked. This is what that drab stable of Strawberry Shortcake candles should have been!

Edited March 27 by ghoulnextdoor

[samanare]

Rhubarb is by far the strongest on me, to the point that this scent is almost a single note. I can pick out the sugar and baked goods notes in the background, but it reads as more cookie than custard or muffin. The rhubarb itself is more tart than sweet and noticeably vegetal, while still being foodie and almost fruity. I was hoping some of the other notes would come out more, but I'm sure rhubarb lovers will like this one.

[vanilla323]

Ok so it’s official I don’t like rhubarb. It reminds me of a cleaner (the pink stuff) and it’s just too tart. I really wanted TONS of custard or muffin but don’t really get any. It’s all about the rhubarb. 😝

[WhatAHoot]

All rhubarb all the time, but I'm not mad because I am a fan. It's got the tartness as well as the green elements. I'm not getting any cake or custard yet, but I'll be curious to try this again with a bit of aging. 

[doomsday_disco]

This one is definitely one for rhubarb fans! So if you're wanting rhubarb sans strawberry, rejoice!

 

The rhubarb is the star of the show throughout wear, with some sugar and crumbs surrounding it at first, making it sweeter, but then it becomes more tart after a while and is a tart rhubarb by the end of the day. It is not super muffin-y or custard-y on me, but I'm not mad, because rhubarb.

 

If it stayed how it was during the wet phase, this would be a bottle upgrade for me. I prefer the sweet rhubarb to the tart one. So I am going to have to give this another test to see if I need more than just the decant.

 

Edited April 17 by doomsday_disco

[Little Bird]

I love rhubarb (one of my all time favorite perfumes is 4160 Tuesday's Rhubarb & Custard) and I love this for the first 10-15 minutes when it's realistic, tangy rhubarb and a golden muffin scent (distinctly dry, golden muffin with not much sugar).  Unfortunately, the drydown smells more like sour strawberry candy and chalky sweet tarts candy.  No baked goods and no custard; I get zero creaminess or vanilla tones at all in this blend.  I would have been happy with rhubarb single note, but the drydown doesn't smell like rhubarb to me.

[dancingchair]

I get a bit of everything. The cake is lightly spiced, but it definitely reads as a crumbly muffin. I didn't really think of it as golden before I re-read the notes. It's more of a spice cake to me. The custard is heavenly. It's creamy and vanillic without being too milky. The sugar note dances with the other notes. It's like a crunchy brown sugar crumble on top of the muffin. The rhubarb note is the heart of this perfume. It is true to life, like gooey backed rhubarb, but it plays off the other notes so well. I can't smell the rhubarb without also noticing how the sugar balances the bitterness of the rhubarb. The custard is a wonderful combination, the sharp rhubarb paired with the smooth custard. And the cake note makes it smell like the rhubarb is nestled in the center of a still-warm muffin fresh from the oven.

[Mitochondrial]

I agree with others, tart rhubarb with just a hint of something creamy to slightly temper it! As it dries down over time it becomes more creamy/baked goods with still a heavy rhubarb note to it 

[splendidissima]

Tart rhubarb - which I like! - plus some crumbles of golden cake and a little drizzle of cream. I would like it to be a little more balanced between all the notes, but this is fun and I don't have anything else quite like it!