Monster Bait: Underbed

[angharad]

Cassia-caked cocoa coconut over angel food cake.

As much as I love cinnamon, I just don't like cassia, at least not in this. It's too bitter. I don't know if it's the cassia itself or how it's blended with the other notes, but it does not appeal to my nose.

Anyway, I mainly get the cassia with a hint of dry baking cocoa powder peeking out every now and then. The longer I wear it, the more something whiter (don't know why but Beth's scents always bring colors to mind and I can't separate the colors from the scents themselves when I describe them) comes out, but I can't tell if it's the coconut or the angel food cake or both. The cassia remains the top note, however, so I just can't make myself love this.

I will be keeping it around, at least for a while, to see if it gets better with age. Edited November 25, 2007 by Shollin

[sophia_helix]

Chocolate always has a tendency to get sort of metallic and bitter on me, and this is no exception. Strangely, the other scent impression I'm getting from this is Snow White, which I'm going to chalk up to the coconut. I liked the scent of this in the bottle, and at first it had this interesting alcoholic topnote that reminded me of cake with liqueur in it, but that faded.

 

Too bad -- onto a new owner.

[rainbow]

In bottle- sweet cinnamon. On me- strong cassia! Very strong. I get very little cake, almost all cinnamon. The cassia/cinnamon note is so strong that it reacts terribly with my neck- itchy, welts, etc. This is definitely a wrist-only oil. In the initial wet stage it's so strong, basically biting. As I'm wearing it does calm down, thankfully, and I get a bit more cake, though the cassia is still very prominent. This finally settles into a nice cinnamon cake scent- at the end there's almost something slightly fruity to it. I'll have to see if I can make it through the initial stages to get to the stage I like.

[bheansidhe]

This makes me think of Coffeecake, btw. No Snickerdoodles. It's less sweet upon drydown although my chemistry has a high tolerance level for sweet notes.

 

Snickerdoodles! That's it. Some dry cinnamon cookie.

 

Well, now I know what cassia is (http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/cassia.html).

 

In the vial this smells surprisingly dark and bitter - not bittersweet, but bitter like fresh-ground spices. Wet, the scent resolves into dry, unsweetened cocoa powder. Go smell a box of Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa powder - that's the scent, laid over sweet cake batter.

 

15 minutes: as ususal on my skin, the cinnamon rises and warms like cookies rising in an oven. The warm cinnamon cookies are still dusted with the black cocoa - I don't smell coconut at all, and the vanilla I detect is the black, thick Madagascar liquor, not thin commercial vanilla extract. This scent is less sweet and less foody than I expected; more a soft, sophisticated spice, or like a tin of dry cinnamon cookies left out for company.

 

2 hours: dry, almost smoky cinnamon over sugar, with a sprinkle of cocoa. There's now the tiniest hint of coconut, possibly through the power of suggestion, because I keep reading "coconut" in the reviews. The bitterness has subsided, and left behind a smoky, almost woodsy cinnamon bark.

 

Verdict: Strong throw and good staying power (at least 6 hours). This is the first foody scent I've tested that would be good for a man. On me, it dries down to a one-note wonder, like Gingerbread Poppet. It's not exciting enough for me to keep all 5 ml, and I dislike the initial bitterness. But I would love to try layering it, and I also suspect it would be fantastic aged.

 

Allergy note: possibly because of the cinnamon/cassia, this oil raised a red patch on the skin inside my arm where I applied it. The red welt persisted for about an hour. It was not itchy or painful, but if you've had an allergic reaction to cinnamon oil in the past, please test this one carefully until you know how it affects you. I almost NEVER show contact allergies of any kind.

Edited May 5, 2006 by bheansidhe

[gangstaknitta]

This Bait was a little too foody for me--cassia tends to do that on my skin. It's very cocoa, but not sweet chocolate--yummy, earthy unsweetened cocoa. The cassia sweetens it. It's not overwhelmingly coconutty until the dry-down on me. I'm not that wild about coconut, but it's a lovely blend for those food-scent lovers. It's got considerable throw for me and lasts a long time--after bathing, even.

[melia]

this is a fabulous scent. I usually have a hard time with chocolates (I traded away my Lump of Coal immediately -- it just gave me such a headache!), but like Velvet, the chocolate here is warm and gentle. the cassia adds a tiny sharp bite of spice, which plays nicely with the beachy coconut. are you starting to get that I love this one? I think the cassia keeps this scent from being too sweet (I didn't even know what cassia was until now). and best of all -- this scent lasts and lasts! huzzah, since my heart was broken by closet's quick departure from my skin. I am thrilled that I have a second bottle of both monsters (missed out on underpants -- ah well!), but I have to say that underbed is my fave of the two.

[this machine]

Yep, it's spicey cakey coconutty goodness...if i were eating it. This is a beautiful blend, but this is one of the gourmand ones that is just too much like wearing my dessert. I go back and forth on cassia - i only have it in two blends, this and red phoenix, and sometimes i like red phoenix and sometimes that cassia gets me. In this one the cassia balances okay, but overall i'm just not this much of a foody-scent gal.

[wolfie13]

My review is pretty much the same as many others.

 

In the bottle it's mostly a blast of cassia (dry cinnamon type scent) and as well upon initial application.

 

I never get much of the cocoa or coconut as individual notes, but I can tell that they do add their own hint of depth and sweetness.

 

The cassia pulls back pretty quickly on me, and what I mostly get is white CAKE with a tiny hint of spice.

 

Unlike some other folks, (as I'm not much of a foody-scent lover), I actually got this hoping I would get MORE of the cassia and dry spice quality. As it works out on me, this is just way too foody. Sweet and delicious cake, but just not for me.

 

But I must say that it does not go burnt or plasticky on me AT ALL, which many foody blends do. And I don't get an allergic reaction to it either.

I quite like it - for a foody blend - but I knew I just wouldn't wear it, so it's off to a new home.

[lysistrata]

In vial: Rum-soaked cinnamon buns.

 

On me, wet: The booze y smell makes its way forward and dominates the sugar, butter, and cinnamon, making it smell slightly plasticky. The coconut and cassia underneath is SO BUTTERY GOOD, if only the rum would go. (But why isn't the rum gone?)

 

On me, dry: Rich, buttery Cinnabons and plastic. The most calorie-laden plastic ever.

 

Verdict: Damn, I really wanted to like this, but the plastic rum (which isn't even in the description! Is it the cassia?) is doing me in. It's so good otherwise; it wafts like crazy and packs an incredible nasal wallop with the butter and sugar. I'll give it another chance later, but I'm very on the fence with this one.

[iriedanym]

In the bottle: Hello Cassia! It's the first note to waft up the lip of the bottle, followed quickly by cocoa. Foody and delicious.

 

Wet: I was afraid my skin would react violently to cassia, but luckily that wasn't the case. The cassia is still prominent, but there is also the fluffy goodness of angel food cake with chocolate coconut icing.

 

Drydown: After I had to keep both the boyfriend and the cats from trying to eat my wrists, I was able to get a good sniff. The cassia calms down, and now this is spicy angel food cake with a touch of coconut. Very yummy.

 

On another note, this works well in a scent locket if you like foody oils.

[ChupaChup]

Monster Bait: Underbed was way too dry on me for too long. It was mostly cassia, aggressive cassia like in Red Phoenix, not the subtle touch in blends like Morocco. The cocoa was cocoa powder, just adding to the dryness. After about an hour a tiny bit of

"cake" smell appeared but it was too little, too late, the cassia really killed this blend for me. Luckily someone else who loves it wanted my bottle.

[ladytaga]

In the bottle very carmel chocalate smell..

on my wrist it fades to just a hint of foody smell. It isn't my favorite foody scent. It isn't strong enough it doesn't turn powdery but it has an odd maybe cardboard scent on me. Not as yummy as I hoped.

It is still a keeper for the label alone.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I'm reviewing this Bait last, after being impressed with the foody-foody goodness of the other two. Closet developed a true cake note late in the drydown, with the other notes dominating for the first 1/2 hour or so. Let's see how Underbed behaves (I keep trying to call it Underhill...Hobbit bait???)

 

Whew, it's strong! Great throw. Ooo, this is much less sweet than the others but still foody--dry cocoa like in Velvet, with coconut peeking out from underneath and, yep, a hint of that loverly cake note. This is a cocoa-dipped semisweet chocolate bonbon scent--it won't hurt your teeth with gooey sweetness, but a true gourmet will appreciate it. I LOVE this; it's my favorite of all the Baits! Warm and wearable. I only have an imp, but Velvet is definitely a sister-scent for when it runs out.

[joseybird]

This is one of the most delicious foody BPALs I've ever tried!!

 

There's a chilly, unexpected freshness to this blend that takes me back to sleepaway camp when I was 11...

 

The dominant note in Underbed is cassia; I have been dreading this, as cassia usuall=cinnamon which usually=redhots. Thankfully, however, it's the cinnamon that I smell in cinnamon SN: gentle and slightly foody--wonderful! Beneath the cinnamon is a delicious fluffy coconut cake. It's not a "flour-y", heavy cake note, but light and diaphenous and utterly wearable. The coconut is more a "tone" then a seperate identifiable note, and it's delicious (I love coconut but don't like the coconut in the vast majority of BPAL blends).

 

I LOVE MB: Underbed! I had been dreading Beaver Moon or Sugar Cookie; what I got was a light 'n spicy, lovely gourmand =)

[Nekomata]

I wasn't terribly interested in getting a bottle, but I did want to try this. It's very cinnamon in the vial. When I apply it to my skin it's warm and smells like coffee cake. It's sweet but not too sweet and very foody. Brings back memories of studying in the local cafe!

[storme]

In the imp: Hmm, this smells like caramel Baileys. The SO says 'gingerbread!'.

 

On me, wet: Cough, splutter. Gingerbread would be more accurate, I guess. Actually, it smells like artificial generic cake smell. Plus some almonds. And a healthy dose of dusty dryness.

 

On me, dry: This is like a stale vaguely-coconut-flavoured cake topped with almonds. There's a hint of caramel too, and the dustiness does eventually down, but this is still not very compelling.

 

Verdict: Well, Closet worked okay on me, but this is not worth keeping around - though this was the Monster Bait that sounded most tempting to me. Swap pile time.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Booze, caramel and digestive buscuits.

Wet on me - Flapjacks? I guess I mean that I smell like golden syrup, but rounded out by something grainy.

Dry on me - Sweet and syrupy, but it fades quickly leaving little after-wafts of ginger.

[Ryvre]

Imp: Caramel and cake. And a bit of booze.

 

Wet: Dry cake- like cake that's been sitting out a day or two. My boyfriend smells peanuts, but I think he's crazy.

 

Dry: It's back to caramel and cake. Very tasty.

 

My skin usually eats fragrances up, but this lasts forever. I put it on in the afternoon, and it was still there (and fairly stron) when I went to take a shower the next morning. The next day it was all frosting and caramel. If I didn't have to go to work, I wouldn't have showered, so I could see how long it lasts.

 

I don't like wearing this, but I might try it in my burner.

[dancink]

Monsterbait: Underbed

 

In the imp/wet/dry: ::restrains self from eating wrist:: This smells like a cross between a hot cinnamon donut and a fresh lamington. I want me some sugary-cakey goodness, now, and I don't even like cake. This is also a scent that, on me at least, doesn't change much, although the cassia/cinnamon scent does lessen in intensity after a couple of hours, leaving a rich vanilla behind. It really does smell like the sponge center of a lamington (for non-Aussies, a lamington is small square of plain sponge cake, covered in chocolate, dipped in coconut. Sometimes there is some form of strawberry/raspberry jam/jelly involved as well. It's one of Australia's national foods.) It's a definite foodie scent.

 

5 lamingtons out of 5! ::gives in and nibbles at wrist::

 

~ Received as a free impie from eclipsedeyes over on lj ~

[juniperus]

Bottle: a stale chocolate macaroon.

Wet: I can catch that cake, just an undercurrent.

Dry: there is this Chinese buffet my parents like, and when I come visit with the kids we always have to go because they have this big waterfall and the kids love to toss pennies. They have these little cakes on the cookie table a layer of very fluffy white cake, some chocolate, some paste of some sort and coconut on top - and this smells just like them.

Later: stale coconut cakes. my chemistry doesn't like this, it seems. just getting staler and staler...it would be a really desperate monster that went for this one..

[Alchemy21599]

In the bottle: I checked the label again, because this smells just like Bailey's Irish Cream!

 

Wet: I am trying not to lick my wrist b/c this smells like a delicious dessert liquer.

 

Dry: This scent has really changed! It is spicy with a hint of nuttiness (must be the coconut) and the depth of cocoa. I don't usually like the super foody scents, but this is wonderful. A keeper and the label art is fantastic

[ajcj213499]

I got a bottle of this from the lovely Fallow Deer.

 

It does kind of smell like Baliey's... Hmmmm....

 

I really like this! I was a little worried about the coconut, because coconut and I don't always get along, but there is just a hint of coconut that gives some extra depth to the blend. It reminds me a lot of Beaver Moon, just without the vanilla. I'm so glad I got a bottle of this!

 

Yay for the Monster Baits!

 

Underbed also lasts a good long while on my skin. Awesome.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: very foody and sweet with the slightest hint of spice.

on: more chocolate now and more spice.

1.5 hours later: more foody, but still spicy.

3 hours later: a bit of chocolate ans spice.

overall: this is ok on me, but i prefer beaver moon for my foody fix.

[absinthetics]

Rum-soaked cinnamon buns is the perfect comment on this one, though the cassia scent makes it go a little.. synthetic, and the chocolate adds a little...confusion.

 

There is the yeasty background of it though, that make me go back to the cinnamon buns comment. The yeasty smell adds to the synthetic side, and either you will love it because of, or inspite of that. Or, it will make you dislike it.

[purrbox]

nooooooooooooooo! why did this one have to be so vile? i was looking forward to it so much.

 

i bought a 5 ml bottle of this blind, and was very dissappointed to realize that it's cassia, pure and simple. it's cassia and it is PROFOUND. i guess maybe i'm dumb, but i wasn't really sure what cassia would smell like, so i opened the bottle and was like 'ugh! what is this horrid burnt cinnamon roll on crack scent?" so i googled cassia and low and behold, it's basically a variation of cinnamon. well, that's ALL i could smell from underbed, wet in the bottle or dry on my skin, it was the same. no coconut, no cocoa, no angel food, (all 3 of which i love, and was expecting to be a wonderful blend together) just cassia. if bonne bell made a cinnabon flavored lip smacker (and for all i know, they might) it would smell just like underbed. processed cinnamon and something vaguely chemical... five milliliters of PURE EVIL.

 

 

i wanted to love it, i really did, so i tried it on despite my initial bad reaction to the smell from the bottle. i was hoping it would grow on me, but in fact, it was literally nauseating, it made me feel seriously car sick, and eventually i had to scrub it off. but for those who do like it, it must be great, because let me tell you, it DOES have *incredible* staying power. i scrubbed my wrists 3 times last night, and when i woke up this morning it was still the first thing i could smell. strongly. so that didn't thrill me, because i didn't like it any better the next morning.

 

there is a bizarre underlying chemical tang to it, that attributed to the nausea a great deal. for some reason, it reminds me of this raid bug spray that i've got for when ants get into my kitchen occasionally. the bug spray has a chemical apple smell, (it's unpleasant) and for some reason, after i'd had it on for a few hours, underbed had a similar note. underbed doesn't *actually* smell like the bug spray, but it does remind me of it- and therefor reminds me of bugs, which reminds me of an icky feeling. needless to say, i'm going to swap this one out asap.

 

somebody PLEASE warn me of other bpal oils that smell even remotely similar to underbed, so that i can make sure to steer VERY clear of them!!!

Edited June 23, 2006 by purrbox