MVJBA: Summer Summoning Spectacular

[wl552]

MVJBA SUMMER SUMMONING SPECTACULAR
Scorched baseball fields, black glots of incense, spilled coffee, and pancake residue.

In the bottle, all I can smell is the sweet syrupy pancake. OMG! So yummy!

Here's where skin chemistry really makes a difference -

Wet on skin: it keeps waffling back and forth between the scorched fields and black coffee with very, very slight incense and *crying* no pancakes. Wait... *sniffing very deeply* Way in the background, I might be catching it... maybe it's wishful thinking.

Dry: I'm getting more of the black coffee now on top of the scorched fields, but still not much of the pancakes.

Conclusion: It's not awful and I might find occasion to wear it, but it's not a fav.



(I couldn't find a review topic for this... I hope I'm doing this correctly.)

[iiinterstate]

Such a strange combination of notes! I'm surprised at how well they work together.

 

In the bottle this is soooooo syruppy it makes me nervous.

 

On me, it's a whole lot different. Definitely scorched fields, which is awesome. After about 10 minutes I get a big whiff of incense (yay!) but it settles down pretty quickly into incense-y scorched grass, which is fine by me. There's the occasional hint of pancake, and if I really look for it I can smell the coffee. I'm interested to see what this will be like in a couple of weeks when things have melded together a bit.

 

Overall, I like this blend and I'm glad I have a bottle. It's definitely one of those scents that will have people wondering what smells so good, as opposed to who smells so good, if that makes any sense.

[Tramp]

This smells 100% different on than in the bottle. In the bottle it is very sugary, much closer to pancake breakfast actually, but on the grass of the playing field really comes out. I still get a hint of sweetness but not much coffee to speak of. It was all a sort of sweet warm hay/grass scent. Very nice!

Edited October 2, 2008 by Tramp

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: coffee, pine tar (must be the scorched fields!) and pancake syrup. interesting!

 

wet on skin: more of the same, but i think the incense goo is kicking in- there's something VERY potent and kind of resin-y in here.

 

dry down: this scent is *really* hard to pin down. i'm smelling something "fresh" and "green" but nothing like that is listed, so i'm guessing it's the incense note? it's not like any other BPAL incense i've smelled before, so it's just a guess. the coffee and syrup are in there, but they're really subtle and keep flitting in and out.

 

in all: i don't know that i'll wear this much on it's own, at least not during these upcoming cold months. however, it blends *perfectly* with the Pancake Breakfast scent, so maybe that's what it's best for- the two balance each other really well. in that way, it reminds me of the complexity of the 4 Seasons inquisition and how the scents got better as you layered them with their various components.

 

 

 

[angelicruin]

As a few other have mentioned above, in the bottle this smells very sweet, definitely more like pancakes than any other note.

 

On my skin, the smell darkened to a smoky, coffee ground scent the more it dried. Not really a scent I see myself sporting. Sigh, oh well.

 

At least PB was a hit for me.

 

I will be passing this along to someone else who may be able to give it the love it needs.

[livingdead71]

This one actually smells very similar to Pancake Breakfast on me, although it smells much different in the bottle. I even checked the bottle at first to make sure I didn't put on the same one as yesterday. I did notice subtle differences throughout the day though. Something about it reminds me a bit of Sugar Skull. I think I like this one better than PB. It's more complex and sweet, but without people telling me I smell like food all day.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is sweet grass and coffee...

 

once applied this pretty much stays true to the scent i first smelled...

 

after a short while slight incense and a touch of muffin or dough...

 

very unique blend indeed...

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle - Coffee grounds, incense and pancakes. A very sinister breakfast!

 

Wet on skin - Ooh, I can smell the grass now, along with the coffee and the pancakes. The addition of the grass note lightens this scent a little. I still think it’s yummy, though.

 

Dry on skin - The coffee and pancakes are much more pronounced and there’s a maple element that is similar to Gunpowder but it’s not so oaty. We’re definitely back to evil pancakes and I love it! Plenty of throw, too.

[mooncityminx]

In the bottle: butter and pepper. How odd.

 

Wet: Very green, crushed plant stems, stems of flowers, grass, something overly toasted, maybe the pancakes cooked too long?

 

Grasses and spices. It's almost as if my local indian food store spread out their goods on the grass for a day and threw a picnic. I think the pepper is very interesting. I think I smell curry! Curry and green grass. Hmmm. Dandelion!

 

This reminds me strongly of One to Tie, Two to Win. I think that is the dandelion note. Nice! But with a little curry thrown in. Interesting. I'm not getting any coffee or pancakes but it is very nice.

[lostluckkitten]

This is a very interesting one. I got it on whim, unsure if I'd like it or not. Turns out I do

 

The syrup is strong at first, and it's very sticky-sweet, but blends with the rest fairly quickly. The grass is arid, yellow, and dry, but sweet. The incense reminds me of the same note used in Red Lantern to represent incense, actually. Smoky and rich. I didn't get any discernible coffee smell.

 

This blend is a little earthy, a little sweet, and a little resiny. Very pleasant. I'm interested in seeing how it ages.

[aquazoo]

Thankfully I do not get the coffee. :-) Mostly it's the incense coming up, and I really like incense scents. And the pancake syrup is slithering up nicely.

[hkhm]

bottle: sweet incense.

 

wet: this is sweet, dried flowers and incense.

 

dry: this dries to something like sweetgrass, flowers and incense.

[zankoku_zen]

Oh god, this is such a unique blend. On wet, it kinda smelled like soy sauce and coffee grounds. As it dried, I got more of the scorched earth and coffee grounds. Now that it's dried, I get the sweet pancake syrup, on top of the bitter coffee.

 

It actually makes me a little hungry...

[tartchef]

In the vial, this is very bad - the maple & something akin to Bad Vetiver threaten to amp my headache to migraine proportions.

 

But I am a glutton for punishment, so I dab some on, anyway

 

As soon as it hits my skin, Summer Summoning Spectacular does a 180... it's a gorgeous dried grass scent - the recent clippings toasted by the September sun, but a hint of fresh green underneath - with a lick of smoky maple, not too sweet or cloying. The maple dies down quickly, leaving just the smoke & grass... this is what I wanted out of Scarecrow

 

Very glad I took the plunge - not bottle-worthy, but an awesome Indian Summer-last ballgame of the year scent...

[delicate_fangs]

Oh, this is really cool! Sweet grasses, a few dandelions, and pancake syrup, maybe some scorched wildflowers. Really neat. It's not like anything else.

 

I probably won't wear it often, but boy, does it bring back memories. (Um, I went to a tiny parochial school in the country.. and no, it was not Miskatonic Valley. )

[Iceblink]

What a morpher! Wet, this is all yummy buttery pancakes but in just a minute or two I get a very strong, green grass note, with something that smells like dandelions. This stage was really intense and had me thinking the whole oil was going to be a write-off, but it calmed down after about 10 more minutes into a delicious coffee/syrup-y incense. I could still smell the grasses but they were much less pronounced. They keep this from being totally foody but aren't overpowering in the drydown. This is surprisingly wearable once it's dry, too--I'm always a little hesistant to wear really foody stuff like the Spring Training and Pancake Breakfast oils to, say, work, but I could definitely get away with this in any setting. Nice, especially if you like coffee scents.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this sort of reminds me of Pinched With Four Aces - peppered coffee and a caramelized, creamy sweetness. On my skin, it's black coffee, cloying-sweet powder, and a sharp grass note. It gives off the impression of being a dry, bitter scent. It's strange on me, and I don't really care for it.

[tinyvulture]

in the bottle, this smells of incense (the one from Midnight Mass) mixed with pancake syrup. when i apply it, the coffee grounds pop out for a second, then quickly disappear. next the grasses become apparent. it’s a field of grass, yellowing and sun-baked, but patches of green blades still remain here and there. the dried grass’ slight bitterness is a nice contrast to the dark incense and syrupy maple notes. after about 15 minutes the grass fades. now it’s just incense and syrup. they go great together. lasts for a long time, too.

[enui]

Oh, skin chemistry, you are a harsh mistress.

 

On my skin this starts as very nice foody scent, like a creamy syrup pancake with a hint of coffee. Reminds me a bit of Miskatonic University, but stronger. Then suddenly something herbal/floral appears out of nowhere and start fighting with the foody part, and it's not nice.

 

After a while the fight settles down, and it becomes interesting, an unusual but not unpleasant mix of foody sweet and light floral with a herbal side.

 

And then, on the drydown, the patchouli comes out and goes straith to my throat.

 

To me it's the same kind Monster Bait: Ventriloquist Dummy, that unfortunately my skin chemistry turns into something harsh and nasty, that causes me headache and an unpleasant feeling in my throat. After less than one hour I had to go and wash the wrist where I had it applied because it was making me feel bad

[Schmoozy]

Oooh this is beautiful. You can smell every single note, before they meld together seamlessly.

Hot sun and scorched grass combine with whiffs of leftover coffee and pancakes from half drunk styrofoam cups and plates with just a splatter of incense. Not one note is dominant. This is earthy, slightly foody and a slap of resins to shake everything up.

[rayvn1]

Gorgeous! Dry, barren fields with a smattering of coffee grounds thrown in and a sweet aftertaste. I am really glad I grabbed this - it was going to be a Christmas present for my brother who I'm trying to enable (he loves coffee, grass, and breakfast food - how perfect is this one?!?!) but I don't know if I can make myself give it up. It really has the dry summer grass smell I've been looking for.

[PurringPulsar]

Summer Summoning Spectacular

 

In the bottle: a fusion of Pancake Breakfast, Sugar Skull and Al Azif. A kind of burnt caramel incense.

Wet on skin: now I smell grass notes, green grass with sweet smoke.

Dry on skin: this is a really intriguing one. Very complex with lots of facets. It smells of green grass, burnt grass, different kinds of smoke, pancakes, maple syrup, and that wonderful Al Azif incense, which is fitting to the theme! The grass note is strange-at first it reminds me of Dog Days which I love, but then it develops a bitterness, and smells of burnt grass (not dry grass, but singed grass) and even a hint of burnt dandelion. Almost like the hellish version of One to Tie. It’s a slightly acrid burnt smoky note that I’m not sure I’m digging. I do get incense smoke too, which I prefer. The pancake note is obvious but it’s not failing on me like it did in Pancake Breakfast. The sweetness here is halfway between the Spring Training’s caramel corn smell and the sweet rich dark amber-myrrh scent of Al Azif, with a dash of treacle.

After a while: the Al Azif scent has faded a little and the grass, instead of it going all balmy and gorgeous like in Dog Days, now smells even more burnt, and develops a bitter green scent which is almost floral and soapy. I’m not so keen on that kind of grass note. On the plus side, I smell more pancake (which smells like a true pancake scent) and less syrup. But I’m really not keen on the burnt, charred grass and dandelion scent here.

Verdict: this is what I’d imagine the aftermath of Carnaval Diabolique to smell like. Sweet burnt treats, caramels, the remains of fairground sweets trodden into the grass, the scent of sinister burning and chaos, and a whiff of incense. Very atmospheric, but it’s a shame that a couple of notes in here are not working on me at all. The grass is too bitter and harsh, soapy and charred. The incense is gorgeous, a thick sweet myrrh-resin, but sadly it gets pushed aside by the scent of scorched dandelions and floral grass. The pancake/syrup note is also strong but doesn’t bug me too much. I never got coffee from here. Ultimately, not a keeper.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Sadly, no.

If you like this, try: Al Azif, Pancake Breakfast, Spring Training, One to Tie, Sugar Skull

[Pepperminx]

There is a roar of tingle-in-the-nose grass when I first apply this. It morphs a lot over a short span of time (wet grass, dry grass, dandelion, wet coffee and last an empty coffee mug), what I'm left with after about 20 minutes is maple syrupy sweetness. Quite faint at that. I guess I wasn't paying close attention to the scent because the incense went by completely unnoticed.

 

Will keep this one for aging. Should be interesting!

[deleahrium]

 

In the bottle: All I'm getting is a sweet incense.

 

On: This one is hard to figure out. The scorched baseball fields are definitely there, but in the background-- it's much like One to Tie Two to Win with the grassiness and Scarecrow, but not nearly as strong as either of them are. The coffee is slowly coming out. I'm not really getting any pancake residue, but there is a certain lingering sweetness that it must be. Definitely a little too grassy for me, but otherwise quite an interesting scent!

 

Dried: it totally smells like a "residue" on me. It's like I'm wearing a grassy/herbal perfume, but I ate pancakes with maple syrup and haven't washed my hands, haha!

 

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Weird, a smell I associate with pulling up nettles tinged with a hint of something creamy

 

Wet on me – Burnt grass and coffee

 

Dry on me – Sweet soft and creamy; the dregs of a milky coffee and those pancakes

 

Overall – Whilst I liked the dry down it was a little bland after what had come before