La Befana

[sookster]

On the night of the Epiphany, a joyful, broomstick-riding hag clad in a tattered shawl drops into chimneys all over Italy, bestowing gifts to good children, and dropping coal into the stockings of naughty kiddies.

La Befana vien di notte
Con le scarpe tutte rotte
Col vestito alla Romana
Viva, Viva La Befana!

As the Three Wise Men searched for the house of the Christ child, they found themselves lost. Eventually, they stopped at a small house and knocked on the door. A small, wizened woman opened the door, holding a broom in her hand. The Astrologers asked the woman if she knew the location of the child, but, unfortunately, she did not know who these men were looking for, and could not aid them in their search. It was deep into the night, and the air was chilly, so the kindly woman offered the three men her hospitality. They spent the night in her warm, comfortable home, and shared bread and stories with one another. The Astrologers explained to the woman why they were looking for this blessed infant, and invited her to join them in their search come morning. Though she was touched by their tale, she declined, as she had a great deal of housework to do. At daybreak, the Astrologers awoke. They thanked the woman for her generosity, gathered their things, and prepared to leave. Before they departed, they, again, asked the old woman if she would like to join them on their journey. Again, she declined, and sent them on their way. After they had left, she regretted her decision, and she set off to find the Three Wise Men. After many long and frustrating hours of searching, she still could not find them. Saddened, yet still filled with hope, she stopped to give a gift to every good child she passed.

La Befana comes by night
With her shoes old and broken
She comes dressed in the Roman way
Long life to the Befana!

Candy charcoal, winter lilies, parma violet, a sprig of cypress, a poof of chimney dust, and holiday sweets.

straight sniff from bottle is purely sweet and gooey....absolutely nothing else ...

holy moly...once applied the violet is astonishing and the dust and candy charcoal....ZomG...

if you are a violet lover of bpal blends this is for you!!

words cannot even describe the beauty and depth of this one...it is heartbreakingly beautiful

i love it to death

[GoldenRubee]

La Befana with it's candy charcoal and chimney dust is another that appeals to me. I was expecting something bitter and dark. But instead it is light and sweet with a little spice and you can smell the violets. Must. Have. More.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

This is the most beautiful BPAL ever. Of all the BPAL perfume I've loved, this one captures a magic unlike all the others.

 

The lily and violet are there gently alluding to the fairy tale Grandmother. She surrounded by old fashioned sweets- nothing overwhelming to make your teeth scream.

 

And I THINK there's the very slightest bit of something in here not unlike Bonfire Night's 'woodsmoke, tar & treacle'. That could be the charcol candy.

[AliBabble]

i knew i would love this one, and i was right - first sniff from the bottle, this is right up my alley - a lovely smooth caramel hits my nose first - deep, like the caramel in arrival at the sabbath...but not nearly as heavy. the violets hang just underneath this - like caramelized violets, with a touch of candy. i'm not really getting any charcoal or soot, mostly a light, but rich caramelized violet. wayyy in the background i get a faint whiff of what could be lilies or maybe the cypresst. it's a nice balance, and i'll be wearing it alot.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i don't remember adding this one to my cart, but my receipt says i did! so on with the review:

sniffed from the bottle: ashes and violets

on skin: oh, my skin apparently loves the ashes and charcoal and all those ashy and burning smells , those get amped right up! but soon following i get a burnt sugar ~ not quite caramel ~ that quickly turns to plastic...followed by a few minutes of a creamy lily sort of flowery smell, ending on a chalky violet-candy note.

 

this blend makes me dizzy, it changed so much and so quickly.

overall: not for me!

[Eemia]

This is incredible. I am addicted to the smell of charcoal, so when I saw this I couldn't believe my luck.

 

The dry, smoky scent of charcoal is unmistakable and it leaps off of my skin. It is thick and musty smelling, like the scent of dust, but there is a distinct difference that I can't describe. It's lovely, especially with the sweet tinge of sugar. It's not syrupy sweet, or cloying. It's very subtle, only enough to provide a light coating. The violet is gentle and slightly powdery, and pairs well with the dryness of the charcoal.

 

As it dries it becomes lighter and stays close to my skin. It's mostly dry and smoky at this point, with barely any sign of the florals that stand out in the wet stage. Though it is still sweet.

 

I adore how unique this is...it's different from my usual loves, which tend to be strong florals or green scents. I am going to order another bottle.

[grifyn_whiffs]

I had no idea how much I would adore this. It's absolutely breathtaking. Why have I never heard of Candy Charcoal before this, seriously? Black smoky candy and violets, with lilies rounding everything out. I love everything about this... that poof of chimney dust makes it smell so different from anything else in my collection -- it's wintry, cold, pretty and sweet.

 

I can definitely see where it would be an acquired taste, however... that smoky note's not going to be for everyone. But for me, this perfectly blends my love of sweet florals with sweets and smoky resins. I know they're here until January, but I MUST order some now!

[SurrealReality]

In the bottle/imp: Butterscotch, gooey, sticky sweets, along with something a bit acrid and strange (but what else could you expect from candy charcoal and chimney dust?)

 

Wet on skin: Gooey sweets, candied fruit, and a bit of charcoal

 

Dry: A lot of hot, eye-watering charcoal and a little butterscotch. Wow that's funky. I get no lillies or violet. After 4 hours, it's almost gone and hasn't improved

 

I really don't like this AT ALL. But, then again, I HATE the smell of charcoal. I only decided to try this because, well, I had to know what candied charcoal smelled like

 

My rating in the bottle/imp: 2 out of 5

My rating on my skin: 1.5 out of 5

Edited June 24, 2008 by SurrealReality

[savage_rose]

It starts out as sweet and just a little smoky, and then...poof! It's gone. I really liked what I smelled before the disappearing act, but it's way too shortlived for my taste.

[charmingdetails]

Sugary violet bliss! This scent feels cozy, lightly tinged with smoke and spices. Like enjoying violet candies while sitting in front of the fireplace, maybe? It's a beautifully blended scent with an old-fashioned feel. I absolutely love this!

[squirrelmonkey]

Chocolate-covered violet, is that you?

 

A very unusual combo on me -- initially, I very distinctly smell white chocolate and violet; after an hour or so, the violet fades and the lilies become more prominent, with sugary background. Edible floral -- very lovely, with a nice throw and very distinct character.

[smallvoice]

Okay, so I don't like lilies all that much, but dude. This is a-freakin-mazing. It really does have the same violets that are in Faith and do NOT be scared off by the listing of charcoal. This is going to sound strange, but I can smell it in a pretty way. It's there, but everybody should try this blend. I don't even have words for this, but if you liked Faith, you owe it to yourself to try this. I must have a bottle.

 

Also, much love for the free-cant.

 

UPDATE 1/3/08: I've tried Sugar Skull '07, and it smells very similar to this.

 

UPDATE 4/7/08: I don't know if it's a "time of the month" thing or if it's an aging thing, but I have yet to get back that amazing experience that evoked the above review. It smells...... bad. Like, litter box bad. I'm beginning to suspect violet is a note that doesn't like me. I'll submit it to some more testing, though.

Edited April 8, 2008 by cordia

[HappyLoveJoy]

Mmmmmmm!!! This smells like straight up violet Sugar Skull! I'm not getting any charcoal, lilies or cypress that I can tell. Just a rich, sweet violet with a caramelized sugar and fruity candy vibe. I can't stop snifing my wrist!

Edited November 20, 2007 by HappyLoveJoy

[alicia_stardust]

LA BEFANA

 

This smells like pink candy, black charcoal, white lilies, a touch of dusky purple violets, and gray dust. It is AMAZING! It seems neither too foody nor too floral and it has a sort of brown sugar-like, mischievous, and almost powdery tart aspect to it. It has a medium throw on my skin and seems to stick around a bit longer than average. I am hoarding this one! You'll like this if you favor sweet, candy-like, foody, or light floral scents.

Edited November 20, 2007 by alicia_stardust

[steffanina]

La Befana-

 

In Bottle: Ooh, a candy sweetness, and something sharply floral--that's violet, isn't it? I love violet in the right blend, I do.

 

Wet: Sudden bloom of green in the candy sweetness. Like a crushed floral stem.

 

Dry: Candy and violet and a little bit of crushed green mustiness, but not in a bad musty way--this is nifty scent. Delightfully floral-foody.

 

Overall: A nifty scent!

[tinyvulture]

on me, this smells like a mixture of sugary candy and smoke, with a faint dusty note. it reminds me somewhat of Bonfire Night with its smoke/treacle combination. i’ve never smelled candy charcoal so i can’t say how this compares. i don’t think this smells like real charcoal, anyway. i’m not getting any violets or lilies at all. it’s nice, but i have other foody holiday blends that i prefer. i was actually hoping it would be more floral.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Powdery, sweet flowers, caramel, and a light hint of cake.

 

Immediately on skin: I’m enjoying this scent… it’s a bit foodie for sure, but at the same time, it’s pefume-y. There’s caramel, as well as something powdery and sweet. I smell a very light cake note, and something that smells a lot like currants or berries. The violet is in there too, adding such a pretty feel to the entire blend. This reminds me a lot of Crumpet Rebellion, which is wonderful.

 

After a few minutes: This is a thick, sweet scent with a powdery undertone. It’s a tiny bit floral, but the caramel and candy are definitely the stars in this blend. The cake has faded a bit, but the currant/berry note I got earlier has gotten a bit stronger. It smells like thick, sweet caramel and fruit syrup poured over faint vanilla cake with a bowl of candy charcoal and candied violets close by. It’s very pretty without being too foodie.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a rich, complex, delicious scent. There is just so much going on in it, but it is beautifully blended. The caramel and fruit combine to make this rich syrupy note, while the candy charcoal and chimney dust add a soft sense to the blend. There’s a cake note in there, hidden behind the syrup and powdery candy, and the violet peeks through playfully as well. This blend is so hard to describe because there’s lots going on, but it’s really pretty and reminds me so much of the yumminess that is Crumpet Rebellion. This morphs into a really nice right currant or berry note, and lingers for hours. It’s complex, sweet, beautifully blended, and one of my favorites of the Yule blends.

[Pepperminx]

I love this! There is something in this blend that reminds me of both The Atrocious Attic and The Emathides, something sweet and slightly salty, with a splash of violet in the background. Do these three really have anything in common, or is it just me?

 

Mostly I smell buttery caramel and powder, but there is a hint of something floral too. This is pretty much how it stays while drying down on my wrists.

 

I like this a lot and I'm glad I got a bottle. I might even get a backup!

[ariosa]

For some reason, I didn't get it when ordering a decant of this that 'charcoal' literally meant charcoal. And then I started reading the reviews, and I started to worry. But! I needn't have, because the charcoal, combined with the candy, smells utterly delicious! It's a trifle sweet (I tend to amp sweet badly), but initially, I really, really love this. I'll have to update after a long-haul wearing, to see if the sweet ended up making me sick.

[taramarie]

On me, La Befana is just the chimney dust and holiday sweets. It's an interesting combination but not what I was looking for. Where are the violets? I'm hoping age will improve this.

[siddal]

Wow, on me, this is almost totally smokey caramel! It's delicious, but so different from what I expected. BPAL is always a fun adventure :-)

[slave1]

LA BAFANA

 

In Bottle: Candy!

On Skin: Yummy! I smell the sugared sweet fruits of Sugar Skull, mixed with caramel. The lily is almost non-existent on me, I wouldn’t know it was in there if I didn’t read the description. The violet is sweet and purple, very soft and quiet. There is a dusty kind of funky note in the back that isn’t liking me, but that note vanishes pretty quick luckily. A candy foody scent for sure, with just a smidge of floral and smoke. It’s quite pretty and tasty, I just wish the blend would last longer on me. It’s has a very very light throw and the wearlength is super short.

[vegasblueblood]

This is so beautiful. It is all lemony candy violets! It smells like the most delcious sweets with a tart note and that gorgeous BPAL violet which I adore is surrounding it like a perfect cloud. Underneath it all is that hint of chimney dust making it just magical since only BPAL could make something with chimney dust in it smell like some kind of heavenly confection. I think I need another bottle!

[alhbooks]

Hmmm...All I get is dark chocolate caramel, which is interesting, but if I hadn't read the notes, I would never have guessed there were so many florals involved. There was a brief moment of morphing where i thought I was catching some of the other scents,but it went straight back to caramel. Honestly, I would have preferred to get at least a whiff of the violet. But I suspect I'll be able to swap this bottle for something that's more my style.

[Little Bird]

In the vial I smell caramel and something like candied violets, almost fruity in their sweetness. There's also a hint of something ashen or smoky, but not quite. It really does smell like charcoal, and I'm surprised that I like it. I normally hate smoky blends, but something about this really appeals to me. Perhaps it reminds me something of the way fireworks smell.

 

It smells the same on my skin at first, but the caramel definitely dominates, and that's fine because I looove bpal's caramel note. Over time it softens and this is such a strange scent. It sinks into my skin and becomes a very subtle fragrance. It smells sort of like I threw a caramel chew onto a few smoldering pieces of charcoal and then decorated it with a few violets and gumdrops.

 

After a half hour, the fruity aspects have overtaken any floral notes and the caramel just adds a deeper sweetness to the blend. The smoky, reminiscent-of-fireworks scent amps up on my skin after a while.

 

La Befana is interesting. It actually ends up reminding me of a 4th of July picnic. Fireworks, warmth, and the fruity sweetness that keeps making me think of popsicles. I like this, though I'm not sure I'd ever actually reach for it and wear it again.