Death Cap

[anardana]

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.

I just put this on and thought "YUM!!". So yeah, it's good. It is some kind of earthy+vanilla+coconut+love or something, and yet not too foody. Edited July 1, 2008 by Shollin

[iiinterstate]

Edited for clarification

 

I'm surprised Death Cap doesn't have more of a following. It's a soft, powdery vanilla on a background of dirt. Really light and lovely, not at all a bad dirt smell. After maybe an hour, it dries down into something a lot creamier... a bit like amber? I love it.

Edited January 22, 2011 by iiinterstate

[bites_the_sun]

Imp fresh from the Lab:

 

I get a heavy blast of vanilla, followed by coconut on the drydown, changing eventually to a sweet-but-not-too-sweet coconut-and-something-else (maybe flowers?) blend. It's very nice, but doesn't last long. I'm very interested to see how this ages. Maybe after a while I'll actually get this earth note people are talking about?

[FandF]

Dirty bog mud. Muddy dirty bog. Dirty bog bog. Muddy dirt dirt.

 

OMG this is terrible!!!

 

Dirt/earth lovers will love this!!

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Sweet and smokey, with a dirt-earth background. Definitely some vanilla, and maybe some vetiver. Not sure what's giving the earth-smell.

 

Bizarre!

[homunculus]

On my skin the first impression is: a slightly gingery spicy warmth. It reminds me of my spice drawer - a cumin, turmeric kind of feel ... My skin tends to sweeten most things and in time the scent develops in that way until it turns into 'sweet mushrooms' and the deeper notes are lost. I can't detect any 'earth' here, alas.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: it's...wow. it reminds me of camping out at the Rainbow Gathering: damp earth, incense and something sweet. huh.

 

wet on skin: same.

 

dry down: ok. it's morphed a bit, but not too much. i like it- there's a nice dry earthy sandalwood, a bit of white coconut and a dash of soft vanilla.

 

in all: not sure if'n i'll buy a full bottle, but i can see this being a wonderful day-to-day kind of scent.

 

 

[Rouge]

In the vial - Rich, dry and warm. I smell deep, dark earth and, for some reason, coconut!

 

Wet on the skin - Yes, definitely coconut! That makes no sense at all within the theme of the blend, so suffice it to say Death Cap on first application is a delicious blend of dry earth and sweetness.

 

Next stages - This blend is absolutely beautiful. It's now mellow and sweet with the faintest hint of something almost floral.

 

Dry down - The coconut has now vanished and been replaced by a delicate, papery note that hovers tantalisingly out of reach. It's astoundingly well blended - I'm having trouble picking out any individual notes.

 

Similar scents - Penny Dreadful has the same chocolately, rich scent of earth.

 

Good for - People who want a sweet scent but don't like the foody end of the perfume spectrum.

[Indigo78]

In the imp this is sweet - I really want to say creamy in the same wat that coconut is. Beneath that creaminess lurks the darker note - maybe Orris? It smells clean - odd how Dust and Earth notes can do that.

 

Once the skin warms and mingles with my skin, the dusty scent rises and proclaims itself head hauncho for awhile. The initial coconut does disappear, replaced by sparkling, teasing Vanilla and her Bean. Something's edible/drinkable, here... Whatever it is I want some!

 

If it is making me want to consume something I can't even identify, Death Cap encapsulates the Lab's description quite well.

 

Not too much throw, Average wear length.

[suileach]

Much sweeter than I was expecting. It reminds me a bit of Faeu Boulanger, which is amusing, as I was trying out Death Cap in the hopes of finding a dirt and decaying matter blend over which I could layer Faeu Boulanger to ground it! I'm quite liking Death Cap all on its own, though. It's sweet, soft, green and misty, with a hint, as it dries, of crumbling mushroom cap.

 

...Okay, and now it's turning to sunscreen. I do finally detect some dirt in here, but it's buried under the great big glob of Banana Boat that someone spilled all over said dirt. Normally I like blends reminiscent of that particular scent, but this is just much too sweet, cloying, and powdery.

[idoru]

Incensey, resinous, warm and sweet.. but I could swear I detect a hint of patchouli (?) in the mix, which makes it pointed/sharp on me. The longer it wears, the more it's just sweet and earthy instead of pointed.

 

Overall, it's nice. Not particularly me, though I usually love incense scents.

[alicia_stardust]

Amazing earthy blend! It's not soil and patchouli, yet it is still SO earthy. There's something in there that's kind of smoky and leather-like, and I get a blast of dampness like that thick air that you try to breathe in when you walk into a steamy greenhouse. I also think there's something almost coconut-like to enhance the ruddy, earthy vibe that this has. Amazingly unique and worth trying no matter what!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Boozey coconut and earth.

 

On Application

My beloved earth scent and slightly sweet.

 

Dry Down

Takes a wee while to really get into the swing of things but as this warms a woody scent emerges lightly to mingle with the dirt smell. 5 minutes in, it's still very, very soft and now creamy, very slightly boozey and spicey. This is an odd one. It seems to play hide and seek for me but it does get stronger as it dries down. Lovely, but will have to try a full wear test.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

[tsukara]

I was iffy on trying this one, even after reading lots of reviews. Because, to me, the description read as "pretty dirt". And while I'm a nature-loving kind of gal, smelling like just dirt just did not appeal to me. Also wary because the last Garden scent I tried, Mandrake, smelled like pencil shavings on poor little me. But I ordered the imp, gave it a go. And, well....

 

In the vial:

Something...sweet. I really can't be more specific than that, because it's very, very subtle. Maybe a little bit of wood scent in there.

 

Wet:

There's something a little spicier here, with the sweetness. But it's still really mellow and subtle. And while it's sweet, it's a very dry sweetness, like a little, tiny flower rather than a flull blown one. Flower scents and I are usually not on good terms, so to find a sweet scent that I like, and that my skin likes, is nice.

 

Dry:

On me, this only gets sweeter and drier as it goes on, until it fades away. A little dusty, but not like an attic--more like a clearing in the woods that no one's been to in years. There's still a little hint of something darker lurking there, but not unless you're looking for it. Like the really cute thing that's deadly--but you wouldn't know it.

 

This hasn't got very big throw or a long wear, maybe half a day? But while it lasts it's beautiful. I, who avoided flowery/sweet scents like the plague before this, have adopted this as my everyday, can't-decide-what-else-to-wear scent. And I've already ordered the big bottle.

[caffinatedangel]

I got this imp via a trade. Just trying out new scents, and had no real expectations. It was recommended to me as "vanilla dirt".

 

In the imp: Very boozy, to me. Sweet but with a bite. Slightly floral. It's strange, and I'm not excited about it.

 

Wet on skin: "Booze" scent is actually sassafras, I think. Smells like rootbeer. Hm. Also a dusty earth smell I'm not overly fond of, but with a touch of something spicy. Is that tonka? <.<

 

Dry: Root beer. Spicy, tangy, dark and deep. Also dusty earth. Something a -touch- floral is lingering. But honestly, this floral, spicy, powdery mix is smelling a tad like baby powder to me. Good smell baby powder, but it's a tad annoying.

 

Dry later: Root beer finally settles down to just a dark ooze of tang. The earthy scent is what glues it together, but I think I must smell dirty naturally and can't really get a unique smell from earth. Aside from dust. There's a touch of floral in it. My nose seems to avoid florals because I smell it only faintly, and my sister said "wow, flowers!" so.... I'm not sure what that's about. I actually feel like it's Tonka in this scent, and not vanilla. As it wears away, it reminds me a lot of Dee. Dee left behind this continual soft scent of spiced vanilla. Which = tonka. So I feel that's what this is. It's soothing now in it's later hours (Versus the brightness it had earlier with rootbeery-ness. lol)

 

Overall: average throw, above average duration (too many oils go away soon. -sniffle-). Started as tart sassafras and spice, with dusty notes. Then calmed and turned into a Tonka-like soft cuddle on my skin. Remaining dark, spicey-vanilla, and delicious. But with a high note of dust I'm not found of... -crinkles nose-

 

I just don't know if I want to keep the imp or trade it. The scent was sort of mediocre for me, and while reminds me of Dee, it just makes me want to wash this off and wear Dee instead. I prefer leather over flowers. lol But not a bad scent. -sighs- decisions.

[Katherynne]

First impression: Meh.

 

I put this on when I got my order, hoping it would be almost a dirt SN, and it wasn't -- so I just put it away and kind of forgot about it. It's been a month now and I decided to put it on today, to give it a fair trial.

 

Second impression: WOW!

This one on my skin comes out with a sweet coconut smell, the dirt just hinting underneath. It goes really well with a certain lotion I have, and I'm fond of the sweetness of coconut, so I'm happy with it! the wearlength is REALLY short though, extra short. I agree with the reviewer who said it smelt of Tonka, and I'm okay with that, although usually vanilla-y things are not my style.

[mgrazulis]

The description of this intrigues me. I love dark earthy scents. This little mushroom deserves a try!!! An unexpected frimp...

 

In the imp: soft musty dirt, something green

 

Wet: dried wood, vetivert and vanilla emerging through the dirt and a bit of resin

 

Dry: It's much lighter now and the sweetness of the vanilla is taking over the resins and dirt. I actually like the dirt...but once the vanilla begins to amp, it's overpowering. Even after a couple of hours, I get little else.

 

At hour 4: the dusty wood and a bit of vetivert is all that's left. This one will go back to the imp box for a while. The playful fae in me is disappointed with the drydown. I wanted to love the mushroom...perhaps later with some age.

[isisonearth]

This is an old imp I haven't touched in forever. I don't remember being to enthused with it when I first got it...I just remember smelling dirt.

 

Now that it aged it is dead on...fresh mushrooms from the farmer's market with a bitof earth still clinging to them. I can't get over how mushroomy it is. I get just the tiniest touch of something sweet too...almost vanilla but not quite.

 

Delightful!

[vikitty]

Swapped randomly for this at MUA (hi Brianne! ) and it's one of my favorites. I hate mushrooms but there is a sweet mushroom tinge to this that isn't unpleasant. Love it!

[TereFaerie]

At first Death Cap is just dirt, but after about 15 minutes a creamy vanilla pokes its head through the earth. I wasn't sure that I liked it at first since something is a bit sharp when it is wet, but I can't stop sniffing it. I will have to try this one again just to give it a fair shot, I think it will be better after a little while; it just came in the mail and may settle. The dirt is one of the best of the lab's dirt notes I have tried so far, though.

It is reminiscent of mushrooms and the sweetness of the vanilla makes me think of something poisonous.

 

If the vanilla will just come out a bit stronger, I could see myself wanting a bottle of this someday.

 

edit: Nope, this turns into old man barber shop eventually. The mildewy smell has grown, the note that keeps me from liking Shadwell, and its a bit toooooo sweet. But it is definitely an evocative scent, very earthy and fungus-like.

Edited August 25, 2008 by TereFaerie

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: A very cool earthiness.

 

Immediately on skin: This isn’t nearly as dirty as I was expecting. It’s an airy yet earthy scent, and I can almost smell something very similar to a touch of coconut. It’s not really sweet, but it’s lightly musky and warm. It’s a little powdery on my skin, but not in a bad way.

 

After a few minutes: This blend has turned very clean on me... like if you mixed up clean fabric with dirt and then added some coconut shavings. It's definitely a dirt scent, but it has a sweet crisp feeling to it too, and a touch of coconut musk. It's very unique.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent is very interesting… it manages to smell like dirt, but it’s a clean dirt scent. It has a touch of coconut, so if you don’t like that note, you may want to avoid this scent. It’s slightly sweet and earthy with a clean feel and a light touch of coconut and musk. If you like warm, earthy scents on the lighter side, try this out for sure.

[hkhm]

imp: very light dirt scent. milder than zombi and graveyard dirt.

 

wet: this is a more herbal dirt scent to me. where penny dreadful is spicy dirt, this is herbal dirt.

 

dry: the dirt just vanishes when this dries and i get the unusual scent of pencil shavings and band-aids. odd.

[Caerphilly]

In the imp: Soil covered in dry leaves. There is a hint of something sweet. Grass or a delicate flower. Not my taste at all, but worth a try.

 

10 minutes later: The soil is predominant. But it's not dirty. Very warm. It's growing on me quickly. I never thought I would like the smell of soil. There is still a sweetness lingering, like brown sugar, maybe. I can't put my finger on it. Every time I put my nose to it, it reminds me of something else.

 

An hour later:It smells lovely! Not as soily anymore, more like dry grass or autumn leaves on a mushroom patch. Beautiful!

 

Overall: Very warm smell. It lasts longer than I thought it would. It's not something I would ever think of even trying, but I want a big bottle now. It's an earthy scent for people who don't like earthy scents. Like me!

Edited September 8, 2008 by Caerphilly

[fireflower]

The entire time this is on my skin, it smells simply like pencil shavings. It seems any time a blend is described as earthy or has some sort of wood or dirt in it, all I can (or my skin chemistry, rather) can get from it is pencil shavings. Off to the swap pile. =\

[DarthArwen]

I get this as warm dry soil. It's not unpleasant, but not something I want to smell of. Shame, I had hopes of this one! I think I might let it age for a bit (it's lab fresh now) and retest it later in the hope that it'll work better.