Antonino, The Carny Talker

[innocent]

White musk, wild plum, vetiver, black coconut, verbena, fig, and lavender.

 

Freshly on this smells overpoweringly of vetiver - which sadly does not work well on my skin. However it wasn't as sharp as the vetiver in some other blends (Hurricane and Highwayman spring to mind) so I didn't have to wash it off immediately.

Fortunately the vetiver faded fairly quickly - but so did everything else! I was left with the faintest hint of fig and white musk. I -love- white musk, and I found the coconut and fig notes interesting - but the vetiver is just too much at the beginning and I have scents I like better with the lovely white musk drydown.

...hmm, I didn't get any lavender or verbena (which a lot of reviewers say they amped), which is too bad since I enjoy both of those notes!

[Saya]

In the Bottle

This has a strong scent. I can deffinately smell the musk and the vetiver.

 

On My Skin

When first applied it smells the same as it did in the imp. A strong, musk, sweet, smokey scent. I can smell the lavendar and the plum but I’m not getting any coconut. Oh I like this one! It’s blended together wonderfully and smells great!

 

After a Bit

It doesn’t smell as good as it did at first, but it’s still quite nice.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent – 3.5

Throw - 4

Longevity – 4

Overall - 3.8'ish

 

Final Thoughts

I think I’d like to try this one in a scent locket to see if I can keep the scent in the wonderful first stage before my skin chemistry changes it slightly. I like this one quite a bit and if I was rich I’d buy a bottle. But since I’m a poor student and this isn’t in my top ten I’ll pass.

[Iceblink]

Oh, sexy. White musk and black coconut! And a hint of lemon...if I were blindfolded I'd guess this was Tiki King, except that it's much earthier thanks to the vetiver. This is gorgeous and mellow.

[TPOD]

Antonio the Carny Talker - purchased a decant from a forumite and I think it is well aged.

 

Gorgeously fruity and yet dark. I normally have a bit of trouble with coconut smelling like suntan lotion - but here it is perfect. Also, the green components of vetiver and verbena are subtle - allowing the fruits to play center stage.

 

This is worthy of a bottle or three.

[zankoku_zen]

Now this is interesting, since lavender, plum and coconut are all powerhouses on my skin. Together, the whole of their parts is more pleasing than I thought it would be. The verbena adds a citrusy, almost limey, texture to the coconut, so it's a limey cucumber, with fruity lavender and musk.

 

I think the boy needs to try this. I think I like this carny talker. I'm testing this out of jewelbug's bottle. But I make have to find an actual decant.

 

In this particular decant, the verbena burned off rather quickly, and I'm left with a coconut/figgy musk which is very sweet. Not quite like at jewelbug's house, but then again, at that point, my nose might have been suffering from scent fatigue.

Edited October 6, 2008 by zankoku_zen

[angelicruin]

In the bottle, smells mostly lemon to me with a trace of floral.

 

Wet on the skin, it smells like very sweet lemonade.

 

Dry, I'm still getting mainly lemon, but the floral note is back.

[Czarina]

Bottle given to me at a MnS.

 

In the bottle: lemon and herbs.

Wet: wow, the oil itself is yellow! The scent is lemon-coconut-vetiver, with musk purring underneath. I'm not smelling the lavender in this at all.

Drydown: coconut-citrus-musk. It almost reminds me of a Love's Baby Soft scent from the Seventies (But in a good way!).

 

Very cheerful scent.

[ravenrigan]

I just dabbed a bit of this on before getting in my car this morning and nearly had an accident for trying to drive with my wrist pressed against my nose trying to figure out what the smell on me reminded me of.

 

I finally got it! I was walking down Carnaby Street ten years ago, when I smelled something different and unusual wafting down the street. It smelled of all the good things in the world. Hypnotised, I literally followed my nose to a funny little shop, with intriguingly shaped soaps the size of cartwheels piled high, and stuff in pots, and bins of pastel coloured cricket ball sized ballistics. The acid green and yellow logo on the window said LUSH! I'd be a rich woman today if I hadn't smelled that smell!

 

I can still find a Lush in any shopping mall from 200 yards away just by smell, and now, I can smell of it myself, any time I like!

 

Yes, there was a burst of lemon, which is nice and herbal while it lasts but fades quite quickly, and I get the fig and plum and coconut too, and something powdery which i assume is the Musk.

 

During the drydown the scent layers, but after its dry it blends very well into that gorgeous "There's a Lush somewhere near here, I just know it!" smell.

 

And the best thing? I now have a scent that will layer well with lemony flutter cuticle butter, and will no longer have to choose between soft cuticles and smelling fabulous!

 

The one downside to Tony is that while he struts up to the microphone full of confidence and swagger, he sidles off into the crowd after just a short performance. All the more reason to buy a bottle and slather regularly!

[hespera4523]

I loved the smell of this, the verbena and the white musk play-fighting for dominance while the plum and vetiver egg them on. I loved it in the imp, I loved it wet, I loved it dry. What I didn't love was how my skin seemed to devour it....literally all trace of scent save the teeniest, tiniest wisp of the verbena was gone after an hour. I was so disappointed! Not having the imp with me, I sulked off to the workplace lavatory to slap on some of an imp that I did have in my purse. Typical guy, this Antonino...sweeps you off your feet with a whole lot of bold charm, then just when you're getting comfortable he up and disappears.

[Mimosatique]

Wet: Strong musk and Vetiver, heady verbena, lavender.

 

Dry: Smooth creamy vetiver, mellowed verbena, figgy-lavender

 

Verdict: Loud and strong, then it mellowed out to a gorgeous verbena figgy-lavender(is that even a word? LOL)...Where did wild plum go? It never showed up...This is one lavender blend that does not scream medicine lavender, I can actually wear it and not have it turn sharp/bitter on me..Quiet stunning!

[GeorgeJr]

This one was quite the pleasant surprise for me . It's just a lovely , crisp kind of scent . I swear it has a peppery note to it , & I don't know what it is but I love it mixed in with the other notes . I know this isn't described as a fougere , but I think it compares quite nicely with the others that the lab has out there . This is honestly a hard scent to nail down . I swear it's got a citrus note in there , but I think the plum , coconut & fig are keeping it in check . The funny thing is that no one of those notes really jumps out at me in this blend . This is just a really nice scent that I would probably list as leaning towards the masculine side , slightly . It will be really nice come the warmer weather I think .

Edited March 15, 2009 by CoopieCat

[Andrea912]

Odd that there aren't many reviews on this...

 

The plum, fig, and black coconut are predominant, which is good bc I don't love lavendar or vetiver...

 

Dark and warm, like a rich honey... exotic and sexy. I really love it!

[rayvn1]

Oh how I love you, Antonino! This is one of my surprise hits of the Carnaval A dry, masculine scent that is slightly more aggresive than Arachnina. Th warm plum and the dry, raspy white musk and coconut is fantastic! One of my new favorites of the whole BPAL catalogue.

[crebbsgirl]

This was a smoky plum on my skin, with fig and coconut close behind. It was very sweet, and a little fruity on me. Not something I would normally wear, as I don't like to smell like fruit. The lavender came out in very minute quantities. In fact, I really had to search it out here.

[Gin]

Lavender is what I smell first, but is quickly replaced by... lemon smoke? Smells a lot like Carnaval Diabolique. I don't get a lot of plum--and I was hoping for plum--but mostly a sort of smokiness. Meh. If I could smell more plum or even more coconut, this might be a keeper.

[milo]

Here's another one who thinks this smells like Carnival Diabolique, only with less incense. This is almost straight up lemon, with a dab of coconut and white musk. Very nice, though I wish I got some plum and lavender, as they are among my fave notes. This is so similar to Embalming Fluid (and I like EF better), that I'll probably skip on a bottle purchase.

 

2015 lots of verbena at first. The white musk eventually dominates this scent. Still not for me.

Edited October 21, 2015 by milo

[strahlend]

In the bottle I can't pick out any particular notes, which is weird because it's a really STRONG scent. Something a little earthy, something acidic and sharp. Hmmm....

On the skin it goes straight to lemon, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

After a bit of a dry down it becomes lemon with musk, which is an odd combination. Once in a while I get an odd feeling like I'm smelling the inside of a vitamin bottle.

Antonio helped me clarify that things in the lemon family are not my favorite. I think he'll be better off with someone who loves him.

 

[tajana]

Wet: This is like a more guyish version of the eponymous Carnaval Diabolique. Lemon verbena with coconut creaminess and a wisp of smokiness. There's also a healthy dose of fig, yum. The fig really blends into the coconut, which melds well with the verbena. It's an easy combination that smells good and clean, if a touch generic, on the skin. A sprig of herbal lavender makes it smell more androgynous or masculine than it would otherwise.

 

Dry: Verbena and lavender infused coconut with an incense-smoky and musky base. The fig is very much present as well. It gives this a round hint of sweetness, but I never got any plum out of this. After an hour all I can detect is vetiver musk (not an overpowering or aggressive vetiver) with a bit of fig and a trace of coconut.

 

Overall: It's nice enough, but it's not bowling me over.

[megank4]

Hmm, interesting. I would say plum first, then maybe some musk, a bit of lemon and coconut.

Very nice scent, but needs to sit for a year or two in the bottle, or else be in imp form. A spring/summer scent, not for Fall or Winter.

[Helas]

Antonino the Carny Talker is essentially an uncomplicated fruity blend on me. I get mainly fig and plum, which give me a dark purple visual impression. The coconut is almost woody and reminds me of the similar note in Perversion. I don't get any lemon, but citrus notes are fragile and I have an aged partial bottle, so it may simply have vanished. And I may very well be the only person disappointed by the complete absence of noticeable vetiver in this blend. It would have made this blend into something darker and more full-bodied. Currently, Antonino is pretty but lacks the quirk and complexity that I hoped for based on the notes. A good scent for melting into crowds, but I doubt a true circus announcer would get much mileage out of it.

 

Three out of five stars.

[brilliantcat]

In the bottle: Lavender and vetiver.

 

Immediately after application: Mostly lemony verbena with a smidge of coconut.

 

Warming up: The vetiver is definitely noticeable but it seems to be playing nice.

 

Fading: The vetiver has ceased playing nice.

 

Faded: Average throw, average wear.

 

Overall: It started out nice enough, though I was hoping for more lavender, but descended into all vetiver, all the time.

 

Rating: 2/5.

[mymymai]

ITB: The lavender and verbena are rather strong together, making the scent seem more masculine than I had anticipated.

 

Wet: The lavender has softened some and is now followed by the musk, then the verbena. I can pick up a hint of vetiver, but it's nowhere as strong as it usually is on my skin.

 

Dry: As it starts to dry, the lavender amps big time, followed by the verbena and vetiver. I can get what tony is saying about the pine, but it's like walking into a lavender field - almost overwhelming. Now that it is completely dry, the vetiver, verbena, fig, and coconut come out and mingle with the lavender. It reminds me of a man wearing a nice cologne but who is also smoking very expensive tobacco.

[LizziesLuck]

This is the 2015 version

 

Wet: Verbena! With hints of vetivert, but mostly verbena. I am desperately hoping for coconut and fig out of this, two of my fave notes.

 

 

Dry: This went through a really awesome tropical phase where I did get a lot of coconut. But it's now settled into mainly plum with a bit of fig and musk. I'm undecided about this. I think I need a full slather, all day test.

[zankoku_zen]

2015 version

 

Antonino returns mostly the same to me. I get a plummy/figgy coconut and a touch of citrusy white musk and some smoky vetiver to round it out. It's essentially a very fig/plum/coconut, which makes it toggle between deep purple and white in my mind. It's fresh, fruity, and refreshing. Sort of the same way that being clean shaven is refreshing.

 

I'm always torn on Antonino. I really enjoy some of the notes, but if I recall correctly, I never really actually wore this. So I think, alas, this time I will also pass on it.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: A bright, smoked citrus note with a hint of gummy sweetness hiding just below the surface, along with a touch of incense and flowers, plus a shot of neon green something.

 

Drydown: Nose-tickling verbena held in check by a wee bit of smoky vetiver. This is a polite vetiver; it doesn’t rear its head and demand attention, but rather acts as a supporting note, enhancing and flavoring the rest of the cast. Beneath the verbena is a touch of lavender and candy-ish plum. The rest of the notes are wispy and swirling – some romantic, some shadowy, some clean, some sweet. White musk fuses all of the layers together, giving the blend an airy lightness. It reminds me of the day after it rains, when the air smells sweet and clean, but also a little bit dirty.

 

Dry: It smells like a LUSH store!

 

 

7.5 out of 10 bones

Edited March 3, 2022 by BoneBone24
(updated to include more recent impressions)