Death Cap

[Gateau]

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 am really impressed by all of the Lab's dirt and dead leaves notes. They're very authentic and very subtly vary to give impressions that are more dry, warm, damp, wintery, and so on. That said, I don't necessarily find I want to wear them.

Imp--soil, rich soil

Wet--this is damp soil, sort of moldy. It's the dirt under a shady tree or under a rotten floorboard. This is not a warm summer dirt, but something more chilled.

Dry--as it dries it gets cedary, like a forest floor

I never get the creamy, vanilla, coconut notes others get. It's not one I'll keep, but I'm glad I tried it.

[Amoraexcena]

Wet, Death Cap is sweet patchouuuuuuuuuuuli and leaves, translating into loamy dirt and mushrooms.

Dry: sweet mushrooms, loam, cedary wood, coconut husk, and definitely an undercurrent of benzoin. I'm quite certain it's not any of the lab's vanillas, it's a milder vanilla-incense-resin; benzoin. I can even feel the stickiness of the resin oil. Quite nice and warm, with benzoin taking over in far drydown. It's a lovely skin scent.

 

I'm guessing this one will age spectacularly. I'll definitely keep the imp for a while and see what happens. I might look for a bottle, I love the far drydown of this after the cedar fades... or maybe I should just buy some pure benzoin oil

[calivianya]

Okay, I fully intended just to sniff and review because I don't like dirt scents much, but all of the crazy positive reviews convinced me to give this a try. Wet on my skin, it's all dirt, all the time. I do start to get the sweet smell, whatever it is, after a few minutes, and I start to get the fungus about five minutes later. How does this work? I do sort of like this, but I can tell you right now that I will never wear it because of the dirt. I'm pleasantly surprised, though, and glad that I got to try it.

[milo]

In the imp and wet, I'm getting soft, earthy soil. On, no soil, a bit of fungus, and then it dries to a most beautiful sweet woody slightly powdery blend. I'm so glad I tried this, it really meshes with my skin chemistry quite well. I thought a mushroom scent would equal dirt and fungus, but this is not at all like I thought it would be. Nice surprise, and I'll use the imp, maybe even upgrade. The only complaint I have, is that it fades pretty quickly.

[Maleficium]

Imp: Upon first sniff my mind was instantly flooded with wonderful memories of growing up on a forest preserve and having the entire forest as my backyard for years. Digging in the dirt after a rainstorm, turning over wet autumn leaves, running through the field adjacent to my house. All of these things were wonderful and Death Cap has successfuly just evoked everything that I loved about being 9 years old, perpetually barefoot, free to roam the natural world and carefree. I don't care if this makes me smell like churned earth, dirt and/or mushrooms. I will wear this scent in honor of all of the aforementioned things.

 

In the imp it has the sharp bite of dirt, but covered over my some sweet sort of mossy-vanilla loveliness. Something in here softens it and makes it smell quite sweet and welcoming.

 

About an hour later, I am still praising this scent. It has calmed down, and the bite has subsided and given way to a thick mossy, velvety smell that I cannot name. Reminds me of the hours after a midday thunderstorm when everything is quiet.

 

A big thanks to all responsible for being capable of creating scents that are so evocative that they illicit such a strong and fond emotional response.

[Dani87]

imp: dirt

Wet: damp soil/dirt, not mud just damp

Dry: soil, cedar, and something sweet not sure if it's floral, or vanilla.

I really loved this, it smelled like what I wanted burial to smell like. Want to get a 5ml for sure.

[burymestanding]

This was an awesome gift from The Lab, and I was hesitant to try it because of how it smelled in the imp, but I'm glad I got a chance to give it a go, because this was a unique and bizarre scent experience.

 

In the imp/wet on skin: So much earthiness. Like patchouli, to my nose.

 

A few moments later/for several hours afterward: This totally turns into a delicate-but-warm floral on me, with a slight baby powder background. There's the faintest idea of something citrus-y, and definitely something that reminds me of milk chocolate.

 

In conclusion: It's not really "dirt" at all after the first few minutes. I can only describe it as what would happen if soft slowers and milk chocolate had a baby, and it was clenching a teensy-tiny piece of lemon rind in it's little-bitty hand.

[ajansuz]

This was a Lab frimp.

 

In the imp: Dirt. The same wet dirt note of Zombi. Mildew, dry bark and something faintly sweet, almost like amber.

 

Wet: Dirt, vanilla, and baby powder. Pretty much exactly what black musk does on my skin. After a little while, it's dirt, baby powder and mushrooms. Kind of sickening, really. The baby powder part ruins it.

 

Dry: The dirt goes away, but that's no improvement of the scent on me. In addition to the baby powder, there's a sweet, high note reminiscent of rotten fruit. The lasting power is for hours. It continually morphed to something more and more cloyingly sweet to the point of headache inducing. If I had been somewhere I could have washed it all off, I would've. This didn't work with my skin chemistry at all.

[Monday]

In the imp: soft vanilla with a hint of coconut and dirt.

On my skin wet: This is sweet. Mainly juicy coconut, vanilla and a slight hint of dirt. I'm sure there should be more dirt in this. It's not a mushroom for nothing, right?

On my skin dry: Very lifelike coconut, it reminds me a lot of the coconut in Death Adder which is one of my favorite scents. The dirt is grounding it but it isn't very strong. Very yummy!

I remember when I first got into Bpal I got an frimp of this and actually threw it away because it smelled so much of mildew I thought it had gone bad. It must have been an aged imp, this one is lab fresh and smells divine! Bottle-worthy!

[hexnut]

In Vitro Sweet, resinous, not very strong. Although in the ten minutes between putting the cap back on and actually applying, I swear I smelled it for a second from across the room.

Wet Rich and sweet. No identifiable spice, floral, or fruit. Less sharp after a few minutes.

Drying Faded fast. With my nose on my wrist I picked up a note like spice or cocoa. This note became more prominent and the overall scent was sweeter even as it faded. Unusually, this smelled better on my skin than in the vial. Very faint after five hours but persistent.

I admit I was disappointed when I unrolled the label because I hoped something else from Death Cap, namely the dirt that I wanted and didn't get from Zombi. But looking at the description I have to agree with "a warm, soft, ruddy scent, earthy and mild", and it's very good on its own terms. I'm still jealous of the users who got soil scents, but there's one or two options (e.g., Yorick) left before I will admit defeat.

[catalyst]

I'm not sure on this one. It starts off as dirt. Not dry dusty dirt, but more like if you're playing in the mulch under an oak tree. That dark, rich soil kind of thing that's a few inches above where the earthworms live.

 

After a time, something else starts to come up. I couldn't figure it out for a long time, but I'm pretty sure it's amber. Some people describe that as powdery or vanilla, so that's probably all this is. Earth and amber. Might be a touch of sandalwood, but I'm not sure. I think I just want there to be sandalwood in everything.

 

Liked it, didn't love it, and I'm not sure if I'm keeping the imp or not yet, but I can see why people would love it.

[Magycmyste]

Stash rec.

 

In the imp: This is a very sweet, earthy smell, like dirt and wet corn cobs

 

Wet on skin: Even more corn cob, with a little less dirt.

 

Dried down: Corn cob with a hint of dirt. And there's a bit of vanilla coming out in it

 

Throw: There is a bit of throw here. And the longer it's on me, the more vanilla is coming out. The vanilla actually does throw a bit more

 

Verdict: *** I'm not really sure what I was expecting from this "lethal poison," but soft ruddy earth smell hits the nail on the head. And corn cob. I found it intriguing and not unpleasant, but not a scent I think I'm going to seek out. As much as I love the smell of fresh corn, corn cobs tossed onto the compost heap isn't a scent I think I'm going to want to smell like too often. Still, glad I tried it.

[vthesiren]

This is such a strange scent! I was rather surprised when I opened the imp - I was expecting a soil note like Zombi, Yorick, or The House, but while it was earthy it's definitely not in the same category. It starts off as a soft earthy scent (I swear I placed it as chocolate), but then it turns into high-pitched screeching sweetness - there must be a vanilla or something in it that doesn't agree with my skin. Sadness.

Edited November 21, 2013 by vthesiren

[crimescenecleanup]

Death cap is warm and earthy. It is chockful mineral notes, with a background of something that smells like vanilla and tonka, and maybe some benzoin.

 

It is definitely a cousin to the DCed Black Opal. Death Cap is much earthier.

 

Over time most of the mineral notes wear off and it dries down to a slightly dusty vanilla/tonka scent, with a dry cedar note.

 

The final drydown is very close to Tombstone, without the sassafras.

 

Very soft and comforting.

Edited October 22, 2014 by crimescenecleanup

[Teaker]

I love Death Cap so much. It's soft, sweet, and comforting. Earth and something that smells like marshmallow, or maybe a very light coconut. The more it dries, the more the earthy smell fades, and what's left is the sweetness. It ends up being a touch perfumey. Divine! I wish the Trading Post would make a soap or bath oil out of this, it would be so good!

[Ishtar]

I wasn't particularly looking forward to applying this, as it did smell very dirt-like in the imp, with an underlying mustiness that was quite evocative of damp underbrush and, yes, mushrooms.

 

Once applied, though, Death Cap immediately turns very creamy and almost gourmand. After a while, a coconut note starts peeking through, as the blend settles into a soft sweetness. It starts fading rather quickly, and the final drydown reminds me somewhat of a softer Brown Jenkins.

[boomtownrat]

My frimp of Death Cap waited several months for me to be in the right mood to try it. I smelled it in the imp when I first got it and figured I should give it some time before testing. Then I forgot about it for a while, oops!

 

This is love at first sniff, once it's on my skin, and I hope that affection lasts. I never knew that a mushroom-themed scent could smell so good, because I'm not really a big fan of mushrooms as a food. Earthy scents, though, are appealing to my Taurus Sun sensibilities and they usually work pretty well on my skin.

 

I'm getting coconut and maybe benzoin from this in addition to a really soft, quiet soil note. Admittedly I haven't taken a whiff of live, growing mushrooms, so I don't know how accurate the scent is, but it does evoke that image for me. The sweet warmth is like a snuggly blanket on this overcast, damp early spring day. It's almost like a tamer Goblin.

 

Death Cap doesn't have huge throw, but it's enough for me to smell it easily on myself. I applied it this morning and it's almost time to go home for the day, so it has good longevity. Once I've finished the imp, I'm very likely to get a bottle.

[Veronica]

This is dry, dusty earth and wood shavings.

[Anita]

This is an imp I got at least 5 years ago, and sniffed it and so NO WAY. Too much dirt. Tossed it in the pile of ones to swap and forgot about it. Fast forward to now, and I am going through all of my imps that have been languishing and trying every single one to at least say I have had it on my skin. upon sniffing the imp I thought, where did that vanilla come from? so on it went, This is absolutely lovely. The sweetness is tempered by the soil note in the background which is still there, but now instead of being a shovelful of dirt in your face it has grown up into a light loamy greenhouse smell of dirt and accentuates the sweetness perfectly. I don't know that I will wear it often, but at least now I like it enough to consider it some days. Oh what wonders does aging do!!

Edited August 25, 2015 by Anita

[LizziesLuck]

frimp from the Lab, but it had been on my Wishlist, so I was very excited to receive this.

 

Wet this is so rich and earthy. A little sweet. A little "gritty" in a way that reminds me of patchouli. I do get something that could be coconut husk.

 

As it dries, more and more this reminds me of Goblin, or more like, what I wanted Goblin to be, earthy patchouli and rich sweet coconut. I'm loving it.

 

Once full dry this is a beautiful rich, earthy coconut on me. LOVE. I love coconut so much, and it gets lost in a lot of the Lab's GC blends, on me at least. I am so happy I got to try this, and will be getting a bottle for summer!!

 

 

ETA: The second time I tried this, it smelled like dry dusty earth with just a hint of coconut - made me really sad. Not sure whether it was a skin thing or an aging/settling thing, but I did not get a bottle after all.

Edited May 22, 2016 by LizziesLuck

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Dirt!

 

Wet on my skin: Dirt!

 

Dry: This is loamy soil with fallen, dried pine needles, and mushrooms poking up through the pine needles. It's a scent similar to that which I've smelled very often during hikes up in our mountains here, after the late summer rains and when all the mushrooms are popping up everywhere. Patchouli, benzoin, and cedar bark are what my nose picks up here, along with something a little musty and fungus-y, though the musty note fades after a while and just leaves the soft, dusty, earthy scents behind. It's a nice scent, but rather faint on me, and doesn't have much of a throw. I'm glad to have the imp, don't need a bottle since The Grave-Pig takes care of all my earth and mushroom needs.

[d0gbones]

In the imp: coconut and earth

 

Wet: very soft, milky coconut and the way soil smells after a light rain.

 

Dry: sort of dusty, spicy coconuts? It's weird and unexpected but I'm OK with it. Can't stop sniffing at my wrist, I love it!

[Cali]

In the imp: an abandoned overgrown flower shop. Interesting!

On my skin: earthiness, but not too pungent. Still getting dead (and sweet) florals, dust, raggedy curtains and damp air/condensation. Getting a whiff of coconut here and there. Not for me, but certainly a great scent to try, imagery-evoking. This tells a story.

[joopjoop]

Lovely! someone on the forums recommended Death Cap to me based on my love for coconut and I am so glad they did, because it is not one I would try on my own - as the description is somewhat off-putting!

 

Damp dirt and coconut husks - I'm going to hunt down more benzoin, because it seems to be what I want vanilla to be on me - warm softness without the cloying headache inducing awfulness that characterize a lot of vanilla scents for me .

 

As others have said, this is a snuggly comforting earthy oil. I feel like this would be a wonderful winter scent. I'm really pleased - this is the first 'dirt' BPAL I've tried that has really clicked with me.

 

I like wearing it and I have a feeling its is going to smell super-great on the man as well!

[Candice Chen]

Soft, deep, woody, and lightly sweet in a non-foody way.

I definitely get the "clean coconut husk" feel a lot of other reviewers mentioned. Mainly rooty, woody tones; like an echo of dry, smoky vetiver with the merest suggestion of creamy sweetness.

 

A very beguiling, enigmatic yet gentle scent.

 

This is gender-neutral - but far from sexless.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Nightphlox