Pumpkin Queen

[ravenscanary]

The Glorious Grand Dame of the Pumpkin Patch! Regal Egyptian Amber, red ginger, orange peel, mandarin, cardamom, fig leaf and warm pumpkin.

Source: Full to neck backup bottle, secondhand purchase

In the bottle: buttery, foody spiced pumpkin

Wet: spicy, dry amber base muting the pumpkin, with a potpourri-like dryness

Dry: Autumnal potpourri. I think it's the citrus and ginger combination that evokes that dry, craft-store spice smell. It is not at all unpleasant or fake smelling, just very generic autumn spice without the pumpkin I wanted.

This one is pretty disappointing. I am usually very weak for pumpkin scents, but this isn't really working for me.

[Ishtar]

I hadn't bought Pumpkin Queen back when it was released because, while I don't mind orange, it is not my favourite citrus note. However, I do love amber, cardamom and fig, so I had always been curious about this scent.

 

Then a wonderfully generous forumite gave me a partial bottle at a Meet'n'Sniff last year

I have been cherishing it ever since.

 

Interestingly enough, the orange is MIA on me. If I sniff my wrist carefully, I can detect the tanginess of the mandarin and the warmth of the fig, but overall the fruit notes are very faint. What I do get from Pumpkin Queen, though, is a good helping of butter crust, and it is delicious.

 

I don't want to use the word "buttery" for fear of putting off those who find Jack et al a little much - but let me assure you there's none of that heavy, almost overwhelming richness here. This butter crust has that kind of wholesome goodness reminds me of home baking with only the very best ingredients (thank you, Beth, for using butter and not margarine in your olfactory baking )

 

As far as I am concerned, Pumpkin Queen is possibly the best pumpkin scent ever created by the Lab. A few of the Pumpkin Patch blends have a similar vibe (and are much easier to procure), but if cucurbitaceae as a perfume appeals to you, then it's well worth trying to find the Queen.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This. Is. DELICIOUS.

 

Sugared pumpkin puree, clove-spiked oranges, marshmallow (?), and flaky pie crust. Aside from the Blue Pumpkin Floss prototype, I usually hate pumpkin/squashy scents. I guess they work on me when they are mixed with fruity and super sugary notes, and the beautiful Egyptian Amber keeps this from turning into a potpourri/holiday candle nightmare.

 

I'm thrilled I got a half decant from the lovely lucyboo21, I can't wait to wear this in the Fall.

[OctoberGwen]

This is obviously a well-aged bottle! Uncapped, I smell rich and spicy gingerbread. Yum. When first applied and wet it turns into buttery pumpkin pie and gingerbread. Delicious. As it dried further, it conjured walking through a pumpkin patch at midnight...sadly, it then very quickly morphed to a single spicy note and faded completely. After about an hour I had to press my nose to wrist to catch a faint whiff of pumpkin pie. After two hours it was long gone.

 

Sadly, Pumpkin Queen doesn't seem to work well on me.

 

ETA 11/22/11

I tried layering it with Snake Oil last night and what a disaster. UGH! It smells awful on me, and the SO simply gave it mega staying power...I couldn't even smell my beloved SO. I really don't like the Queen at all, and she hates me.

 

Love the little bottle, though.

Edited November 22, 2011 by OctoberGwen

[Verios]

This, for me, is about as perfect as a pumpkin scent can get. The pumpkin is buttery and rich without being too foody or heavy, and the orange peel and amber are both present and intermingle with it gorgeously. This was as amazing as I was afraid it would be (curse you, self, for falling utterly in love with a relatively HTF scent!) Definitely one I'm on the lookout for a backout bottle of. Throw is pretty decent, and it lasts a fair bit, as well. One of my top 5 BPAL loves of all time.

Edited July 16, 2011 by Vashtya

[yakiguri]

Thank you Mellifluous for the tester!

 

I was incredibly excited to try one of the much-beloved Weenies, but unfortunately pumpkin is apparently a note of doom for me. >_< It's buttery alright, but too buttery, the scent evocative of curdled milk and rancid butter. I couldn't wait to scrub this off.

[Lyssa]

I just snatched up a bottle of this from eBay. Thanks to whoever the seller is, as I was obsessively checking the swaps to procure this in any form! I'm still not very good at picking out individual notes, so I will say that in the bottle, it's, um. Interesting. There's something very medicinal about it to my nose when I take a whiff, and I have no idea what it is. I suppose it could be the ginger.

 

I can't smell the mandarin at ALL, neither in the bottle or on my skin. I don't think I'm getting the orange peel, either. So, on my skin, it was OMG YUMMY SPICY DELICIOUSNESS. And I was thrilled. Then, after a bit, it got the "buttery" aspect a lot of people have mentioned. I was less thrilled, but still not disliking it. I have never tried Jack, but if Jack is incredibly buttery, I think it's best for me to avoid it. Pumpkin Queen is buttery, but not overpoweringly so. Occasionally, it gives me a taste in the back of my throat of being at the movies, though. I feel kind of oily (har har, yes, but in an "I just put my fingers in popcorn" oily way).

 

An hour after applying, it's reminiscent of a buttery pumpkin pie with a bit of spice and something . . . darker. Maybe it's the amber or fig leaf (or both). There's definitely something that grounds it and keeps it away from being straight up pumpkin pie, but it's pretty close. When I first put it on, it made me feel very regal and sensual. That has faded a little, but it's still there.

 

For me, this is a perfect Autumn-type scent that will extend well into Winter -- at least until I get this batch's Halloweenies and continue to go through my desired oils. With Pumpkin Princess on order, I'm VERY curious to compare the two. Pumpkin Queen has changed from something downright sensual to just feeling very cozy. It definitely feels seasonal to me: I wouldn't want to wear this in the summer because it's just too warm and makes me think of cuddling next to a fireplace.

 

Final verdict: Pumpkin Queen is currently on my list of favorites, but I think that's because I've tried relatively few scents and haven't loved much of what I've tried (out of 10, I've only liked maybe 3 or 4). It is a little too buttery for my tastes, even if it's not overpowering. I do really enjoy it, but hope there's something better.

 

(edited to fix a typo!)

Edited September 25, 2011 by Lyssa

[Vega]

Sniffed: Glowing, buttery pumpkin, warmed by bright amber and sweet orange, and a whiff of spices underneath.

 

On skin: Pumpkin Queen has the same pumpkin that is in Jack, which forms the foundation of the blend. I couldn't stand Jack, but thankfully the glowing, fermented, buttery pumpkin note is tamer and calmer in Pumpkin Queen. Other notes emerge with the drydown -- bright dry amber, juicy orange, mellow discreet spices, and a bite of ginger. Pumpkin recedes until it is well balanced with the others, and Pumpkin Queen becomes a warm, full-bodied, enfolding scent. A warm fruity-spicy, light gourmand blend, feminine but in a matronly way (instead of maidenly or queenly). This is the presence of a loving mother, all smiles, hugs and delightful laughter, with a fragrant kitchen or warm hearth in the backdrop. Colour impression is the glowing warm oranges, reds and browns of autumn.

 

Verdict: Pumpkin Queen is a beautiful blend and I like most of the notes, but tragically the pumpkin note is just a bit too intense for my liking. If the pumpkin was a bit more mellow and nutty instead being buttery and glowing, it would be perfect... I'm a little disappointed that this is enough to rule the blend out of my keepsakes. Ah, well -- it's still lovely, and I'm glad I got a chance to test it.

[a_llb]

In vial: Warm pumpkin, spicy and golden.

Wet: Gingery! Buttery, quite foody.

Dry: Definitely a holiday scent! Buttery, baked & spicy. The only note besides the pumpkin that I can distinguish clearly is the cardamom.

 

Verdict: I don't actually think I would ever want to wear this; far too heavy and sweet for my tastes.

[lohengrin]

This is a review of an aged bottle.

 

In the bottle: Citrus & ginger, maybe a bit of cardamom. No pumpkin, oddly enough.

 

On skin, wet: The warmth of the pumpkin comes out to back up the citrus and ginger.

 

On skin, dry: Still predominantly citrus and ginger, with a warm pumpkiny background.

 

After an hour: Cardamom peeks back out, which gives a slightly soapy edge to the scent, but it's still mainly pumpkin, citrus and ginger. A much sharper scent than most pumpkin blends have turned out on me.

[sunlitgarden]

Pumpkin Queen was gifted to me as a sniffie in a swap package. It's not completely dry, so I'll give it a try... (hey, that rhymed )

 

In the imp: This makes me think of what I imagine "Pumpkin Cheesecake" would smell like, though I haven't sniffed that blend. Pumpkin with sweet spices, but it also smells very rich in a way.

 

On my skin: There's only a drop of testable oil in here, so it's a light amount, but it's not doing the curry thing that some pumpkin oils have done on me. It's more like the sweet pumpkin in Marshmallow Pumpkin. It's kind of generic "fall candle" on me, which isn't a bad thing - I love fall candles. I pretty much buy one of each of all the Yankee fall tarts when they come out.

 

Overall, this does smell really nice, but I'm satisfied with my Marshmallow Pumpkin for a sweet pumpkin niche.

[Briar]

It's been several years since I last bothered doing reviews, but I think I need to be getting back into the habit of it, so here goes!

 

In the Bottle: Gingerbread. And other stuff. But really anything else is an afterthought. This is gingerbread like woah. Something sharply spicy in there too, like a nutmeg or something.

 

On My Skin: It starts to go more gingerbread and "fall" potpourri on me pretty quickly. That sharp note is amping up and it burns my nose a little. As I put my wrist away from my nose and start doing other things, I get this persistent feeling I'm...in a Kirkland's store. You know those chintzy places full of pseudo-ethnic tchotchkes that always smell overwhelmingly of slightly-off potpourri? Yeah, the air around me smells like that.

 

After Fifteen Minutes: Hoo, yeah. Generic fall potpourri. It's sharp, acrid, and a little bit plasticky. If I take a really deep breath and hold it, I can get something reminiscent of the gingerbread from the bottle, but the rest of the scent doesn't seem worth the deep breath.

 

Verdict: I just don't like pumpkin, man. My fall scents are smoke and apple; this gingerbread pumpkin pie thing isn't doing it for me at all, and my skin seems to turn this to plastic quickly. Eugh. Swap pile!

[icecreamcone]

In Bottle - Smells like yummy buttery pumpkin pie with spices. There's some kinda sexy powder in here too.

Would love to get ahold of more bottles.

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by icecreamcone

[kajacana]

I get pumpkin pie spice in the bottle, and sweet, fruity, orangey ginger on my skin. This is really an awesome blend! The pumpkin and cardamom give it a warmth and depth on my skin underneath all the fruit, so it's not sharp at all. A very cozy and autumnal scent. Love it!

[Sarah Morehouse]

I just bought a backup bottle of this - they've got it on the AlchemyLab Etsy site.

 

Pumpkin Queen is one of my top five, maybe top 3.

 

Pumpkin Queen is achy-sweet and rich in the bottle, but that calms right down on my skin. The scent softens the longer I wear it, but it doesn't change much.

 

The pumpkin note is there, and never wavers. It's not the buttery richness of pumpkin pie, and it's not the wet flatness of raw pumpkin. This is more like solid pack pumpkin from the can, but not quite. This is what you'd expect if somebody refined pumpkin essence to flavor tea, or delicate sugar cookies.

 

The pumpkin is sharpened with some clove and cardamom, and lightened with fresh orange zest. I can barely pick up the amber, but I can feel it in back, warming and supporting all the other scents. I also smell sunflower petals drifting over the top of all of it.

This scent soothes me almost as well as TKO, but it's not a sleepy, burrowing into a cloud of bliss feeling like TKO. It's more like a warm, gentle hug and an encouraging squeeze.

 

Men appear to react to pumpkin like catnip. Holy wow. My husband is an affectionate man, but this is ridiculous! I like it. >

Edited October 6, 2014 by manycolored

[Poenari]

Purchased off the Lab's Etsy site.

 

I missed out on this originally- if I recall there were a lot of back orders with this one, and I think I decided to skip her. In the bottle and on my skin, this is not as spicy as most of the pumpkins I've tried from the lab, and it also doesn't have as much throw. That's probably because I tend to go for the highly spicy ones. The orange is there, but fortunately not enough to turn me off, as I don't really care much for citrus scents. This a lovely scent, and very similar on my skin to Pumpkin Princess, switching out orange for the mango in the Princess. I will wear this in late summer, when I am beginning to crave Halloween but it is still not time to break out my heavy-duty fall scents. That's also when I wear Pumpkin Princess, and I think this tandem would be a great mother/daughter set!

[cherrycherry]

I've had this bottle for ages but only got around to reviewing it today. So here goes!

 

First off, the label is totes adorbs. I love the font and the art they used for the 2006 Weenies and wish I'd been into BPAL at the time, so I could have bought everything. I love the little witch with her open spellbook and feline familiar on her shoulder - so cool.

 

Wet on my skin, this is textbook BPAL pumpkin : warm, sweet and true. There is a distinct lack of spice which is actually no bad thing. I love ALL of Beth's pumpkin blends but do sometimes feel like wearing one that isn't so spicy. This one is more citrussy and fruity in general but with an incense note (the amber, I think) that emerges during the drydown.

 

When it is completely dry, it is pumpkin-amber-orange on me and that is awesome. This is a beautiful perfume blend.

[Teaker]

Wet this is very warm and spicy, like chai. Dry it's dried orange and ginger with a tiny bit of cooking spice underneath. It's not a favorite, and seems to fade really quickly.

[LizziesLuck]

I have learned the Lab's pumpkin note is not for me, but when someone sends you a thoughtful tester of Pumpkin Queen, you test it!!

 

This is quite nice, though not me. Warm pumpkin and spice. Glad to have tried it, also glad I don't have to hunt down more!

[doomsday_disco]

In the bottle: Warm pumpkin, citrus, ginger, and amber.

 

Wet: I'm getting all of those notes, with the mandarin and orange peel being much stronger on my skin. I'm also getting more spice on my skin. So it's mostly citrus and warm pumpkin, followed by the spices, and then the spiced amber note. I think this is the same pumpkin note in Jack, minus the peach, and without the peach, it doesn't end up being a sickly-sweet buttery mess on me. As it dries, the pumpkin overtakes the citrus notes, and the spices and amber take up bigger roles.

 

Dry: Warm pumpkin, Egyptian amber, and spices. Despite the presence of the spiced amber and ginger notes, it doesn't end up being as spice-forward as a lot of other pumpkin scents I own.

 

Verdict: I was slightly worried about the pumpkin note, because it seems to be the same kind in Jack, which didn't work on me, but fortunately, the other notes kept it in check. I am glad to have a partial and will happily use it up, but I don't think I will need to hunt down more of it.

[torischroeder9]

In the bottle: Ginger, cardamom, and almost buttery BPAL pumpkin. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the pumpkin dominates, warm and buttery, accented by the zing of the ginger. It does get tingly on my skin immediately after application (probably the ginger), but it's not enough to deter me from trying the scent. As it dries, ginger remains the showcase note, with a warm undercurrent of pumpkin. There's a splash of bright orange and a tickle of cardamom in there as well. The Egyptian amber is acting as a great anchor to hold all the other notes together. 

 

A couple of hours after application, the pumpkin note fades from prominence, and this blend becomes a beautiful, spiced amber. Overall, it's a lovely resin, spice, and pumpkin scent that is very, very far removed from anything like "pumpkin spice" scent on me. While it would certainly be at home in the "pumpkin spice time of year," it's a scent that's sophisticated and elegant enough to be fitting for other times and occasions as well. 

 

Medium throw, long wear length on me. 

[VetchVesper]

This was a bottle bought off BPAL's Etsy recently.  Someone mentioned "autumnal potpourri," and I get that.  Spiced orange rind, cinnamon sticks, and black tea right off the bat -that's my impression without reading the notes.  It's a nice, high quality version of these notes, but not what I want for personal wear.  I'm hoping the amber, pumpkin and fig will come out more in the dry down to make this work more as a perfume for me.  15 It's not "pumpkin spice," which is good, b/c that note rarely works well for me.  
 

15 mins later - The spices are beginning to calm down, and I'm starting to get more of the "buttery pumpkin" that others have noted.  It's subtle though, which I like.  The orange is more prominent on me, and the black tea has turned to a good chai.  I'm still not sure if I'll wear this a ton, but it is pretty.  I wish the amber was more prominent on me, b/c I think that would tip it over into fantastic.  As it is, I'd love this in a linen spray.  

 

Will edit if this changes drastically over the next hours.