Death Cap

[ipb]

A lethal poison bundled up in a dainty, innocent little package that was oft times found in ancient witches’ flying ointments and astral projection balms. A warm, soft, ruddy scent, earthy and mild.

Since it's on the raffle, I thought I'd tease y'all a bit with my thoughts on one or two of the prototypes

When I first opened the bottle, I was a little disappointed because all I could smell was a dusty earth scent - more like Zombi or Seance's dusty earth than Graveyard Dirt.

But whoa mama, once it had a warm up (before it was even dry!), it was a whole nother scent. Instead of the dusty earth, it was this gorgeous incensey, spicy scent with just enough earthiness to keep it grounded, and it got better and better as the day went on.

It's probably my favorite prototype, and I hope it goes up because I'm almost halfway through the bottle already

EDIT: Moved from Unreleased to Rappaccini's Garden, added description. --Shollin

[Ina Garten Davita]

OMG! I dabbed some on and just had to come and gush about how fan-fecking-tastic this scent is. Very earthy with only the slightest hint of that Graveyard Dirt soil smell and once that dries away, I'm left with this gorgeous sweet, warm woodsy, slightly resinous smell. There may be a hint of a floral in here, I'm almost sure of it. I think this may be one of the top favorites of all these lovely bottles sitting her beside me.

[shelldoo]

this one reminded me greatly of zombi minus the rose note. it does get a bit incensy but on me it is zombi minus rose plus incense.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Ooh. I was a little turned off by the mention of dirt in previous reviews – Graveyard Dirt is nifty as hell, but so incredibly not me – but Death Cap is just awesome. The afterscent is the taste of dirt, but the heart reminds me more of warm wood… shredded wood, like sun-warmed sawdust or cedar shavings or even good pine mulch. It doesn’t actually smell like any of those things, but that’s the texture.

 

Wearing: Wow. This is… wow. Really freaking good, is what it is. It’s the perfect warm wood scent with a tiny hint of soil around the edges. I so didn’t expect to like this. Stupid me.

[Nadirah]

Ooh yes I smell florals, a bit like antique lace, very warm and inviting with a touch of earth. Wow very beautiful, sweet and earthy, patchouli and vanilla with some resin, maybe frankincense or something with white flowers light in the backround, absolutley beautiful! This might end up as one of my favorites, it is GORGEOUS.

[VenusFlyTrap]

Swoon!

 

I love this one!

 

It has bits of the different scent families every time you whiff. Comes across boozy, then incensy, then darkly floral. It seems to change as the moments pass...

 

Definitely deadly but what a way to go!

 

[brownbear]

I haven't tried graveyard dirt, so I can't compare, but Death Cap was a very warm, earthy, woody scent with a little bit of sweetness. I don't always like these dirt types, but this one was actually quite nice. The next time I order imps I'll have to get one of this as now it's available!

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Am I even smelling the same oil as everyone else? To me, this smells overwhelmingly alcohol/chemically. It's very strange.

 

On: Well, yes, evidently it *is* the same oil, because one it hits my skin, I can smell dirt, resin, and a little spice. That was one of the oddest BPAL imp-to-skin morphs I've encountered.

 

Now, I don't do well with dirt. But here, there's only a hint of actual soil lurking in the background; it's more of a warm, earthy, lightly spicy scent.

 

A pleasant surprise, ultimately - though I'm still weirded out by how it smells in the imp!

[nineveh]

This is only faintly earthy on me too. It's a sweet, light, almost foody scent like almond cookies. I'm also getting a cedar/vanilla scent, like Tombstone but much lighter.

[sarada]

I knew from the name that I would love this....but oh, DO I love this.

 

I love earthy scents. I love incense. I love dark, deep natural scents. Most of my favorite scents have patchouli or vetiver in them or at least smell like a big box of incense of some sort.

 

Death Cap is just about perfect, but it is not your typical hippie dirt smell. I don't smell patchouli. If there is vetiver in this it is the sweetest one possible, very gentle, dark brown and sweet.

 

Unlike Destroying Angel, which was a very airy, crystallized dirt smell along the lines of Graveyard Dirt (though I compared it to the Rat King), this would be something like G. Dirt taken a few notches stronger, deeper, sweeter, browner.

 

And on my skin, WOW...this is an aromatic, smouldering mound of soft, sweet earthy incense. It is like soft blankets infused in years of sweet incense smoke. But again, nothing specifically leaps out at me in terms of champa or vetiver or anything. It reminds me of them but it is gentle and softly blended. A tiny bit spicy as well. I can see where the sweetness could be interpreted as something cookie-like.

 

Overall it's practically the perfect blend for me. This is going to duke it out in the Top Ten...I think it will have a permanent position there for me. Thank goodness I bought a 5 ml on instinct.

 

eta: This has got to have patchouli in it, right? Maybe I'm confusing it with the dirt smell. I can't imagine anything this earthy wouldn't have patchouli in it...anyway, this should be in my Top Five for all time...

 

Oh, and drydown 12+ hours later? This amazed rich dark amber, on my skin. Like I actually rubbed a big resiny chunk of it on myself. Amazing.

Edited April 8, 2006 by sarada

[LittleGreyKitten]

Death Cap is beautimous. Oh my yes. I do have a prototype imp, so I reeeally hope it's like the released version- probably, judging by the raves!

 

It smells dirty and sweet in the imp. On skin, the dirt becomes a hint of earthinesss, with this just... gorgeous sweet scent. It's not resiny. It's not smoky, or spicy, or fruity, or really even floral. OK, more floral than than anything else, but I'm coming up wordless in the face of the subtleties of this blend. It's grounded in the earthiness, but very sweet and wearable. I love it. I need a full size for sure. This is a great blend, I'm so thrilled it's a GC. I have an imp on the way from the Peony Moon update, so I'm excited to compare the prototype with the release version.

 

For me, 5 out of 5. Amazing. Get some.

 

Edited to add: There's something almost creamy about the later drydown. The floral loses it's edge, and the earthiness morphs into this yummmmmy creamy-ish deep aroma. Oh MY yes. Can't wait til I can slather properly. Glad that moment won't be too far away!

 

Edited again: I think there's something in my skin chemistry turning florals creamy lately. I reread several reviews of the latest scents and I keep getting creamy notes where there are none- weird, but I'll take it!

Edited April 18, 2006 by LittleGreyKitten

[slave1]

In Bottle: Soft dirt

 

On Skin: A soft version of zombi at first… minus the rose. The floral note this is so soft it’s almost like velvet, so pretty and sweet. There is a slight resin note which adds to the velvetyness. I love that its sweet too, it’s like an earthy cookie almost. Mudpie anyone? It’s a very light scent, within minutes of applying it it pretty much vanished on my skin. Sad, because I LOVE this, but the way it vanishes makes it hard to wear…

[zillah37]

Death Cap:

 

In the imp, dirt. It's wet, moist dirt. It's got a bit of a green undertone to it though.

 

On my skin, it's not as dirty as I would expect. It's dirt, yes. But it's got this clean, almost minty undertone. Wow. This isn't anything like I expected at all. The dirt fades fast and it becomes this gorgeous sweet, warm scent. I can't get over how much it changes.

 

The verdict, I think I want a bottle of this one. I'm surprised by that, but wow. This is just an amazing scent.

[Athenae]

In the imp, rich soil and the earthiness of roots.

 

On me, baby powder.

 

Rats. Was really hoping this one wouldn't hate me.

 

A.

[bodegaselkie]

Darnit, I was hoping this would smell like fungi, really.

 

In the imp it's a bit earthy and wet. On me, almost immediately, it's a coconut musk! I hate coconut musk! It's morphing still, though -- I scent the vanilla and woodsy resiny notes other people have mentioned. I'm worried that the 'resin' will turn out to be frankincense, which takes over any blend I put on my skin. It does remind me a tad of Tombstone, minus the acrid/sour note that made me have to get rid of my Tombstone imp. Maybe this will be worth another try... but it's also fading fast...

[Alchemy21599]

This review is going to be very short. I was immediately turned off by the dirt smell in the vial and I had to wash off the oil about 10 seconds after I applied it. I just don't like to smell like dirt.

[filigree_shadow]

Unfortunately, I'm with the previous reviewer on this one. My skin just can't handle dirt scents. I get zero florals, incense, creaminess, etc. This smells like DIRT in all capital letters, screaming at the top of its lungs. I can even smell it on parts of my hands where I didn't apply it. This one's not gonna work for me.

[themerrybaker]

Lucky, lucky me. I get sweet creamy mushroom. Mushroom rice pudding comes to mind. This one lasts about 3 hours and is a potential big bottle.

 

 

Ramble on... It's dirty sweet and it's my Imp. (T Rex)

Edited April 15, 2006 by themerrybaker

[Victory]

When I first apply Death Cap, I smell a jumble of notes that I can't identify. My nose gets too confused and shuts off for a while until suddenly, there's this gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous vanilla-ish scent. I know it can't be vanilla because the Lab's vanilla note(s) doesn't show up on me, but... gorgeous.

[Bagfish]

Good grief, Death Cap smells like dried magic mushrooms It also smells of sweet crumbly brown earth. It is a brown fuzzy scent and it really does smell like mushrooms of the more dangerous sort than your average cooking mushroom

 

I'm not sure that I will wear more than my imp, but I am very pleased I got to try it, if only for the olfactory recognition of many festival experiences

 

Edited to add: The more I wear this, the more I love it. It has fast become one of the imps I reach for on a regular basis. I love the vanilla/amber drydown, with just a twist of dirt or mushroom. It is a marvellously comforting warm and fuzzy scent and I am seriously thinking that I may have to order a bottle. It is almost ranking with Tombstone for days when I want a sweet scent. I really do love it.

 

The moral of this story for me is - don't discard imps after only one try.... as I may actually like them more than I did on first sniff

Edited May 26, 2006 by Bagfish

[cranberry]

In the imp: loam, dirt. It reminds me of dark, moist woods, cool temperatures. This is no tropical scent.

 

On: the oil is very thick and viscous. It was hard to rub in. I only put on the tiniest amount; the dirt note was quite strong. First on, I still get a strong dirt smell, but it’s soft smelling.

As it wears, it becomes resiny or incensy while still retaining the dirt smell. The longer it wears though, the less dirt I smell and the incense and amber are coming out. It reminds me of the musk in Buck Moon or Devil’s Night – warm, velvety. So far I’ve only had this on for about a half-hr, but WOW!

 

It’s slightly sweet, soft, warm. I’m convinced it has some of the same components as Buck Moon and Devil’s Night, absolutely convinced. I may have found a replacement for when I run out. I really like this one, I can’t wait to try it in a more proper fashion and I’m seriously considering getting a bottle (like I need any more bottles of anything, but this one has me thinking about it). Very nice.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Earth and something quite sharp, possibly minty?

 

Wet: it softens a lot, and earth notes start coming out.

 

Drydown: Soil, dry soil like in Zombi rather than wet soil as in Graveyard Dirt. It slowly becomes both creamy and chalky. In the background, I really do think that there's a little bit of buttery mint in here. I can also smell a warm wood in here, very pleasant. Unfortunately it's really quite faint.

 

Overall: I love the earth notes from the lab, but they have a ridiculously short lifespan on me. This is a rather warm earthy scent, comforting, but not terribly evocative for me. I like it, as a big fan of dirt scents, but it doesn't last long.

[PurringPulsar]

Death Cap

 

In the imp: sweet and dirty. This smells gorgeous, like earth with a light sweetness to it.

Wet on skin: mmm, this is lovely. There's definitely a hint of fungus to it but it's not a bad mushroom scent, it works nicely with the wonderful sweetness I'm getting here…

Dry on skin: wow, this is such an interesting and unique scent! I'm getting earth here, damp fresh soil almost like that of the Premature Burial. I'm also getting a wonderful sweet note, almost like vanilla, or a light musk, maybe a mixture of both? It's sweet, creamy, delicious and very smooth, and is almost reminiscent of a sugary sweet-maybe marshmallow meets white chocolate with a little bit of almond (but not an amaretto almond scent, more of an almond nut scent), with a hint of coconut. I'm not getting the incense and darkness described by others-just this pale, sweet creaminess. And underneath that is a pale, damp woody scent-maybe sandalwood, or cedar, or the woods from Premature Burial. There's a little tinge of mushroom here as well that works fantastically with all the other notes but doesn't overwhelm, but it definitely makes the scent fittingly fungus-like.

After a while: this stays very much the same-I'm surprised that the earth note hasn't left me yet as usually, it's quite short lived, but not here! it's still wonderfully sweet, fluffy and creamy, I'm definitely getting coconut out of here, but this almost foody scent is cut through with that mix of dark damp wood and soil. It's a very unique combination of notes.

The scent I'm eventually left with is a soft, pale, powdery sweetness which is very pretty indeed. It reminds me of a combination of coconut, iris and heliotrope, with a hint of sandalwood and white musk. Very nice.

And the final scent that remains on my arm is the most gorgeous sweet sandalwood. Ohhhh...

Verdict: sweet and foody mixed with earthy and dirty seems like a strange combination. It could never work, right? WRONG! Beth has pulled off unlikely combination work fantastically in Death Cap. It's got a wonderful creamy sweetness which makes me think of soft musk with coconut and vanilla flavoured white chocolate over marshmallows (insert Homer Simpson drool here) but with that decayed sandalwood scent and wet soil note making it so different and so unusual! It's almost like a deceptively sweet scent that masks something poisonous and dangerous within. There's even a little hint of something mushroomy in this scent which works very well and doesn't clash or smell off, and of course, it makes the scent fit the theme. It's got a very nice powdery finish as well. this is one I need to get a bottle of soonish-it's one of the most original BPALs I've ever smelt and I love it.

To sum it up in a smiley:

Edited April 21, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Little Bird]

I love the idea of a mushroom inspired perfume, but I was a little worried about the soil in this one. The Premature Burial is, so far, the only dirt-perfume that has really worked on me.

 

First on... smells like dry, brown soil. Not like black potting soil, but regular old, brown dirt. After a few minutes, a musty sweetness comes out that makes me think of vanilla.

 

Death Cap is soft, dry brown soil and a slightly powdery vanilla-esque sweetness on me. The boy calls it, "Dirt for girls."

 

I'm not sure if I'll ever need a full bottle of this one, but I'm definitely not running to wash it off either. I actually find Death Cap to be strangely comforting.

[summer]

Wow, this is gorgeous. Normally I hate dirt scents. No matter how nuanced, they just smell like pure, dark dirt on me, and they make me feel heavy and depressed, and, well . . . dirty. Death Cap, however, is warm and earthy and sweet and comforting and absolutely yummy -- I mean, I can't believe it, but I'm actually using the word "yummy" to describe a dirt scent! Unreal.

 

This really does smell like combination of vanilla marshmallows and soft earth. Maybe a little lavender in there? It's sharply "dirt-like" upon first sniff, but as it dries down it gets sweeter and sweeter and rounder and rounder.

 

I love it. I never would have anticipated it, but I think I'm going to get a bottle.

Edited June 2, 2006 by summer