Sugar Skull

[lavinia]

Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.

I am nervous to be the first here but everyone is clamoring for a review.

 

In the bottle:
This smells like opening a new package of brown sugar- deep, fresh, bright. It reminds me of bartending and making my own simple syrup on the stove-top before work. When the sugar becomes heated and begins to boil, the scent rises up like this. Mmmm...almost like the crusted shell of a freshly-made creme brulee.

On my arm and wrist:
Whoa! This is suddenly taking on a new shape and I am falling in love
There is a snap to the smell now that was undiscernableb/f in the bottle. Its almost spicy and definitely gives an edge to the sugar smell. I keep on sniffing my arm, wanting to smell it agian and again. It reminds me of something...hmm...what is it?? Kinda reminds me of Demeter's Snow fragrance which is clean and makes you feel pure and happy. Except that this being Bpal, it is far more complex and provocative.
Something in this smell makes me think of Big Red gum but I don't know why...I don't get a cinnamon hit off this oil but I keep coming back to this impression.

A few hours later:
This has mellowed but is still going strong. Now, it reminds me of marzipan with maybe a hint of mint or something refreshing like that in it.
I love it! This one has really surprised me...I generally don't go in for the sweet scents but this one has bite and legs must be the "skull" in the "sugar"!

[eadavenp]

im not a very experienced reviewer, but i have to say that while wearing this oil, i smelled a very maple syruppy note, with a buttery undertone, sort of like what one would get with a big stack of pancakes with real maple syrup and butter. it smoothed out into something that was more like carmelized brown sugar and butter, and has lasted quite nicely on me. im still getting some scent off my writsts and i applied about 5.5 hours ago. it had some nice throw for the first few hours, and this was only on my wrists, not on my neck as well.

 

ETA: i made this into a lotion bar as well, and it is just as lovely... i get to wallow in sugar skull... where is a good drooling emoticon when you need it?

Edited November 12, 2004 by eadavenp

[Lady_Ell]

Wow, this one is STRONG! You really only need a teensy bit to get quite a throw.

 

I smell maple sugar, maple syrup boiled down, brown sugar fresh out of the package, caramelized sugar, and burnt sugar syrup. It's a very warm, brown smell. My chemistry doesn't seem to change it much, either... bottle=skin in this case.

 

It is completely and totally wonderful.

 

ETA: OH MY GOD THIS MIGHT BE MY FAVORITEST THING EVER EVER EVER - perfect in every way

Edited October 27, 2004 by ladylatemar

[divajen]

It smells fabulous and sweet in the bottle, but it turned spicey on me. I am sad, but there's hope for the Sugar Cookie!

 

Jenny

[saintpaulia]

I actually wish I had a bit of spiciness in mine, but instead found only maple syrup sweetness with a hint of headiness to give it some sex appeal.

 

In bottle: maple syrup? DH said it smelled like the stuff hunters spray themselves with to cover up their scent but what the hell does he know. He did say that he thought there was a bit of nuttiness to it, and I'm not sure if that's it, but it's a pretty close description.

 

Wet: Glurg. Insulin shock.

 

Drydown: Much better...less overwhelming sweetness, and more of a bit of muskiness and sophistication to it. This is one fancy-shmancy IHOP.

 

After one hour- it's fading. I only applied one coat, so I'll try two next time.

[fairywingmaker]

Sugar Skull in the bottle is buttery dark molasses with a sweetness just around the edges. On my skin, it is the dark molasses, but without the sweet, or buttery notes. Almost as if the molasses has been heated....I like this better in the bottle than on my skin.

[supasonicsage]

Beth was nice enough to bring me a bottle of this when she came to New Orleans. I am so spoiled.

 

Anyway, in the bottle Sugar Skull smelled like melted brown sugar with almost nothing else. After I put it on, it immediatly turned to a burned sugar smell. This might sound bad, but it really is beautiful. The throw is huge and PLEASE go easy on this one at first. I tend to put a lot of scent on and I really overdid this one (to the point of a headache... not Sugar Skull's fault at all).

 

I think that people who ordered this hoping for something really sweet may be dissapointed. It is, but it is also so much more than that. People who ordered it hoping that it wouldn't be too sweet are going to be in love.

 

BTW. I smell no fruit at all... so if that was a concern for you, don't worry.

 

My guy is always telling me that I need to wear sweeter scents. He doesn't go for the heavy, incency scents that I like, but he also really likes smoke or burnt smells (two of his favorites are Djinn and Brimstone) so I really think he will love this one me.

 

All in all, this one is beautiful. I never would have guess it to be as complex as it is from the description. It is really amazing.

[pekeana]

*slobber, drool, eats arm*

 

I probably shouldn't test when I'm hungry, eh?

 

In the bottle, Sugar Skull has some serious sweetness going on -- I smell toasted marshmallows that have been absolutely drowned in maple syrup and butter. So sweet I can feel cavities forming back in the very back of my mouth.

 

On me, for the first 10 minutes, it smells like absolutely nothing at all. I mean, nada. Not a stinking trace. But then the toasted marshmallow smell rises up. After about an hour, I get some other sugary smells that come up, and I definitely get a hint of the fruit -- it's kind of like a sugar plum that's been triple-coated and set by the fire to warm up. About an hour and fifteen minutes in, the plummy smell dies and I'm left with toasted sugar and spice.

 

This oil reminds me of Yankee Candle's Hot Buttermilk Pancakes fragrance, and their Brown Sugar & Spice fragrance. Which is totally not a bad thing.

 

I love it, I love it, I love it!

Edited November 4, 2004 by pekeana

[Red_Hot_Mama]

I have a feeling that the reviews of this one will be fairly consistent, as Sugar Skull, at least on me, is very true to the descriptions I've read here.

 

I'll just emphasize that you need to use a very light hand with this one. The blend is "thin" in consistency & comes out of the bottle much faster than I expected. As a result, I have much more Sugar Skull on me than I would like.

 

Teriffic "throw" with this one. I can sooo see this as a soap or a candle. (Hint, hint!)

 

The dry down of this does become "burnt" toasted marshmallow. Not a bad thing, mind you, quite nostalgic actually.

[riddel]

Sugar Skull

 

Brown, very brown. It smells like burnt maple syrup. Also, something in this reminds me of the first version of Jack (I've yet to try to second). I guess they share a note, a note that I pick up without really knowing what it is. Peach, maybe? Just the smallest bit of peach? Well, other than the possible peach, I don't smell any fruit.

 

This isn't at all what I was expecting when I placed my order, although I did happen to catch Beth's post, the one in which she mentioned Sugar Skull was reminiscent of brown sugar, so it wasn't a complete surprise. However, before said post, in my head Sugar Skull was sugary white with just the smallest touch of grapefruit pink, melon orange, and grape green.

 

I don't think this is for me. I just can't do foody scents.

Edited September 7, 2005 by riddel

[Aurelius]

mmmmmmmm...

oh, I'm sorry, I'm supposed to be reviewing Sugar Skull!

well, um, "mmmmmmmmm" about sums it up. This smells like maple syrup to me. It smells absolutely wonderful. I smell edible.

 

for those of you wanting something a bit spicier, may I suggest adding a drop of Three Witches? I haven't tried the two together yet, but I'm sure it would be gorgeous!

 

mmmmmm...Sugar Skull.

Sugar Skull:Liquid Crack.

[Longstofly]

Oh MY sugar skull smells good.

 

In the bottle I smell buttery maple syrup. On my skin I smell maple syrup or caramel, something thick, brown, and sticky sweet. There is also a spicyness to it though. Reminds me of cinnamon but not. I can definitely see where the skull part comes in in Sugar Skull.

 

 

On drydown I still get the same scent but now I can also smell a burnt sugary smell like the way marshmallows smell if you burn them outside at a campfire.

 

I LOVE this one! One of my top 10 scents for sure!

Edited February 5, 2005 by Longstofly

[GothicMissManners]

First application: Yikes! I've been covered in maple syrup. Oh dear. I'm not overwhelmingly fond of maple syrup, so this might be a problem.

 

A few minutes later: No more maple, but some sort of sugary fruit candy. THIS I like.

 

Unfortunately after a few hours, it morphs back into maple syrup. Hmmph. I'm going to keep it and keep trying it, but it is not the One True Sugary Scent I've been looking for.

 

-Jilli

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Wow. Thick brown syrupy sugar. I've never tasted molasses but when I've read about it in books, I've always imagined it to smell like this.

 

On me: The initial super-maple scent has virtually vanished, replaced by a glazed fruit. It reminds me of the baked apples I made as a kid. I don't exactly smell apple - just a vague fruity-something - but the slight cinnamon and brown sugar paired with this fruit is amazing.

[FireInCairo]

ABSOLUTELY glorious.... Sugary..warm...like Creme' brule... NICE!

[TrayLynn]

I agree with the above posters about how strong this one is. When I first put on Sugar Skull I get maple sugar, but more like maple sugar candy on snow. After a while the maple sugar smell dies down and I get a creamy buttery brown sugar. I really want to lick it off my arm it smells so nice. Why am I such a sugar freak!!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: maple syrup with brown sugar. unbelievably sweet and delicious-smelling.

on: definitely maple syrup and brown sugar. wonderful!

1 hour later: still unreal. it's so sweet and lovely. it still smells wet, like there's some sticky syrup on my skin.

2 hours later: still really strong. i'm getting a hint of fruit, but it's still the same, sticky syrup scent.

3 hours later: still going strong.

overall: i'm glad i got a bottle of this. it will really come in handy when i need a sugar fix. it didn't change much on my skin and lasted really well.

[Sara]

First off: Beth, I love you, will you please marry me?

 

Sniff: Woah! Holy sugar, sweet, slightly spicey, "brown" and rich scent!

 

Initial On: Daaammnnn this just explodes with mouth-watering goodness. The spice comes out about 50/50 with the sweetness, turning this into one hell of a delectible and divine scent.

 

Dry Down: Ooohhh nice wear time! Stays strong and tasty, I'm swimming in a cloud of rich, liquidy, brown, sugar, sweet, spicy goodness! After a few hours I can catch a very faint hint of spicy, sweet fruits. They're perfectly subtle and enhance the scent nicely.

 

Overall: Oh god I love this! Thanks to 16oz of unscented Shea Butter, this scent and I will have a very happy life (or..3 5mL's life) together.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Whoa, this is a sweet tooth's dream fragrance.

 

Second Impression: This is the burnt sugar on top of a perfectly chilled creme brulee, this is deep dark molasses, this is pure Vermont maple syrup (the unrefined kind), this is ecstasy.

 

Final Analysis: Sugar Skull not only lives up to the hype, it far exceeds it. I just love it in all it's dark, burnt, sugary goodness.

[lixolux]

sugar skull freaks me out because its the exact smell of my moms car that she had while i was in elementry school - she would always eat honey nut cheerios with maple syrup for breakfast (i know, kinda gross but she loves it!) in the car on the way to work and leave the cup in the car all day while at work so the beige leather interior took on the aroma of maple syrup and on hot days it was maple syrup and hot leather and that is exactly what this smells like!!

 

which in a way i cant ever wear as a scent because it always grossed me out that she would eat sticky cheerios in the car but ill definatly keep it in my scent museum as my mom doesnt have the car anymore and its very nostalgic for me! how amazing it is that beth can make these smells that sometimes completely are smell memories...!!

[pkwench]

Sugar Skull.

 

I have a terrible tendency to swear, well, in all things, but to really toss out the cheap adjectives when something delights me. Sugar Skull got an instant rush of happy expletives interspersed with "oooh!" "good" and so forth. I could mad lib it and let you fill in the naughty word of your choice, but trust me, my language was base, crude, less than eloquent, and perfect for expressing how completely overjoyed I was by just how damned delightful I found Sugar Skull. Should I eat my arm, lick it, or hump it, WHO KNOWS?

 

The best thing is that it's sweet, but not in a psychotically "NOTICE MEEE!" sort of way. Honestly, I opened Jailbait 2 seconds prior to Sugar Skull and found it to be the sweeter of the two. Sugar Skull is just all good. Brown sugar, caramel, burnt marshmallows, and several shades of orgasmic bliss. Each sniff is quickly followed either by a happy sigh or a yummy sound.

 

Someone needs a T-Shirt that reads "I'm Brilliant!" I'm betting she knows who she is.

[LiberAmoris]

Before my Sugar Skull arrived I had three worries, based on the description: that it would be too sweet, too light, and too one-dimensional. But I am happy to say that my worries were gone within minutes of application. Sugar Skull is the kind of sweet I can handle—dark and smoky. It’s not light at all, and wafts tremendously well. And it’s as complex a scent as any other, with odoriferous layers that seem to nearly sway on my skin.

 

Everyone’s already summed up this one pretty well: caramelized sugar + butter + molasses + a bit of maple syrup + flan + a bit of the ‘fruit dusting.’ But the best part for me is the smokiness of it all. Sugar Skull really balances the darkness with the sweet and is a true emblem for the inspiration behind the scent.

 

Today, while wearing it, my imagination ran the gamut from a scene in Little House on the Prairie (I think) where they drizzle molasses over snow in lovely designs---to---Keats’ lines "Darkling I listen; and, for many a time / I have been half in love with easeful Death..." Now that’s a perfume.

[miss apple]

Sugar Skull

 

First impression in the bottle- wow, very sweet. This is sticky, hot brown sugar sweet.

 

Once on, it's still very sweet but the spiciness starts to come through and tones the sugar a bit. I also get the same burnt marshmellow scent others have mentioned. This is an oil for playful silly moods - good for when you crave sweets but don't want to eat them.

[Koumori]

Sugar Skull is a new addition to my all-time top 5 list. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but this is a fabulous blend of foody sweetness: maple, caramel, rum-type. It's like wearing cookies. Has good staying power on me, too, which is always a plus. Wish I'd gotten more than one bottle, but this certainly gives me high hopes for Sugar Cookie!

[Lina]

 

In the bottle: *ack!* It is so strong and overpowering that I put it back in the box the first time I sniffed it. Well this morning was my Sugar Skull trial and I avoided putting my nose to the bottle becuase you can smell it through the bottle/cap. It is strong!

 

Wet: I smell like a bucket of brown sugar, back strap molasses and maple syrup!

 

1 hour on: It has toned down a bit. You certainly don't need much of this and I smell a bit of spice. Hmmm? I have no idea what spices but faintly spicey and extra sweet.

 

3 hours on: This is strange. Sharp on one sniff and powdery on the next. I can only think of the bakery in Mexico as it started to rain (although this is not aquatic, it just reminds me of that day) while the band played music and the children tried to sell me everything from day of the dead puppets to gum. I smell carmel goodness.