Sugar Skull

[Laz]

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

This is the 2005 version.

In the bottle:
I can't pick anything out on this- perhaps maple syrup? It's very very strong, though.

On skin wet:
Yup, exactly like maple syrup. It's very overpowering.

Dried down:
Burnt butter popcorn, oh dear. Time to wash this off!

[Nidaba]

I have had a bottle of this sitting around for a while. I sniffed it when I got it and it smelled like straight sugar so I never wore it. I opened it and decanted two vials for a forumite today though and decided to actually try it.

 

Yum! On me this smells exactly like apple cider. Sugar, cinnamon, apple, and something else, maybe clove. I love it! I may actually use my bottle now. lol

[Avery]

This review is for Sugar Skull ´05.

 

I first got my bottle and was underwhelmed by smelling just like maple syrup. My boy didn´t like it either, and it had MAJOR throw, so I put it into a box and forgot about it.

 

Fast forward to June 2007. I just received said bottle in a package, and decided that in spite of my initial dislike of the scent I would try it again. So I put it on, and it has completely changed! It is not maple syrup anymore... rather, it smells a lot like I wanted Samhain to smell after I realized Samhain was too bright for me (I do love layering Samhain with Dead Man´s Hand to deepen and darken it, but that´s a different thread altogether). So, Sugar Skull. There´s a berry/wine note that is buried under a brown sugar and cider scent. It´s warm and round and sweet, and I like it so much more than I liked the fresh version from the lab. I still don´t know if I *love* it, but time will tell. For now, it´s been taken off my swap list. Yay!

[Jenesis]

I have Sugar Skull 06.

 

All I got out of this was burnt sugar, crème brulee style. No fruit or even subtlety - just pure, burnt, crispy sugar. Such a shame.

[Kimmie]

My bottle of Sugar Skull 04 smells in the bottle of thick lashings of maple syrup on stacked pancakes.

 

On my skin, it doesn't really change much, still remains thick, sweet and gooey.

 

The throw on my skin is unbelievable. I have only been able to use the tiniest drops at a time because it is so strong. Wore it to work one day and everyone kept sniffing, looking confused and asking "do you smell pancakes?"

[funkmoppet]

Got to try this via a wee decant from a wonderful LJ seller. : )

 

This is burnt toffee. The kind made at home for school fetes. Someone's in the kitchen, stiring the syrup over the stove and letting it get aaaaaallll dark and heavy. It's making me think specifically of a country kitchen.

 

I can see where people are getting maple syrup. The burnt smell is woody and amps up a little on me, stopping this from being tooth-achingly sweet. No fruit is emerging here.

 

Smokey toffee. From start to finish.

 

I don't think I'll be hurting myself hunting down a bottle, but if SS is revisited for the 2007 Halloween update, I think I may pounce.

 

Mmmmm...comforting.

Edited June 27, 2007 by funkmoppet

[monkey1123]

I've tried both Sugar Skull 2005 and 2006, but I don't think that I could detect too much of a difference between them. I am a freak who can't walk past the brown sugar in a supermarket, so naturally I love Sugar Skull. It's that same brown sugary smell with an extra boozy edge.

[Mixxi]

I bought this off someone on the forum selling it because I thought it would smell glorious on me from reading the notes.

 

However, I was sadly mistaken. It smelt very ashy & smokey & had a TON of throw. I could smell sugar underneath the smokeyness but it was like burnt sugar not pleasant at all. I really wanted to love this one but even my Mum came in and said 'UGH WHAT'S THAT SMELL. Oh it's you.' This has gone straight to swaps I'm afraid.

[n3m3sis42]

In the bottle:

Molasses, with a heavy undertone that's almost reminiscent of cough syrup.

 

Wet:

Molasses. Pretty much straight molasses.

 

Dry:

Still pretty much straight molasses, but I can pick up bits and pieces of fruity accent notes. If you aren't into sweet or foody blends, you probably won't like this. I am very into foody blends, and I have no complaints whatsoever.

[modernsaints]

Got a lovely frimp of the '05 version

 

Smells exactly like pancake syrup in the imp (but I work at a pancake house, so I almost want this. ALMOST.)

 

And then I put it on my skin and it goes straight to rancid molasses. Blech. Sugar Skull, why must you break my heart so

[jax72]

I have a decant of Sugar Skull '06. While light, sweet and sugary with a faint whiff of florals in the imp, it smells like raisins on me. I wish I got apple cider or brown sugar, but nope, it's raisins. It also has tremendous throw. So I am wafting the aroma of raisins everywhere and now my boyfriend is craving cinnamon raisin toast.

[labeth]

This is for the new Sugar Skull (07). I haven't tried any of the previous years', so unfortunately I can't contrast and compare. I really like this, though.

 

In the bottle: very much a baking-type smell, with a faint undercurrent of fruit. Sugar cookies, burnt just a little on the bottom.

 

On my skin, wet: The sugar smell is at the forefront, but the berries come out a little more, and so does a smell that's almost herbal (like the herbal baking spices type smell of Verdandi, sort of) or cinnamony. The herbal smell rounds it out nicely.

 

On my skin, dry: After a half hour or so, the berry has backed off some, and the maple and cinnamon smells took over. A bit like a plate of apple cinnamon waffles.

 

Verdict: Tasty and good.

[Iceblink]

I got my bottle of Sugar Skull '07 yesterday and wore it out last night. To my nose it smells almost exactly like '05 and '06 (the only difference in those two to me is that one smells a little fruitier--I think it's '05?). Deep maple-y sugar with a fruit compote note underneath. Still delicious and very long-lasting on me. Even if these batches don't vary much I'm still glad to have them all, because this is one of my favorite oils.

[Meg]

This refers to the 2006 edition of the blend.

 

In the bottle: Boozy, syrupy fruits, possibly like plum.

Wet on skin: The scent is bitter from burnt sugar and perfumy from booze, but it's still sugared fruits. It reminds me of a slightly burned plum pie.

Drydown: There's a hint of dried leaves in this, probably the only note in the blend I can wear without making it foul. Behind the leaves, this boozy sweet plum scent. But mostly, it actually smells like burnt rubber. Sugar smells just don't work out on me.

Overall: I think this might be a rather adult, deep plum-and-sugar scent, on the right person. Alas, I'm definitely not the right person because my skin hates Beth's sugar notes, so this will be swapped.

Edited September 18, 2007 by Neptunienne

[Magda]

Sugar Skull 2007

 

In the bottle and wet on my skin it's dark brown sugar, thick like molasses. It's a little overwhelming and not exactly pleasant. After just a minute, though, it lightens considerably and a tiny little hint of apple comes out. It's barely there, but it turns the scent from overwhelming sugar into delicious sweetness. As it dries further, I get a hint of incense, which is maybe just some sort of caramelized sugar. It's fantastic, I have to say.

 

If you cored a crisp red apple and filled it with brown sugar, snuggled it into a pan filled with more sugar, baked it until it was oozing fruit sugars, then drizzled it with a hint of maple syrup and sprinkled it with sugar in the raw, this is what it would smell like.

[taramarie]

On me, Sugar Skull '07 smelled like warm brown sugar. Unfortunately, it started to burn so I had to wash it off. I'll pass this on to someone with less sensitive skin.

[vegasblueblood]

2007 version:

 

This is a lot more spicy than I thought it would be. It smells like caramelized, brown sugary, spiciness with a hint of fruit. It's definitley a heavier Autumn scent, perfect for Halloween, and it's very warm. I'm not getting too much fruit right now (about 15 minutes after applying) but lots of burnt sugar goodness. I think this will age beautifully.

[girlygirl]

In the Bottle: boozy sugary fruits

Wet: brown sugar-coated apricots and plums

dry: sugared plums with a hint of spice

 

I am so hungry now.

[sarada]

2007 version

 

I've never tried Sugar Skull before and the reviews made me back away slowly (I don't like foody scents and especially hate anything like caramel or molasses). However I've also found that I like the white sugar note in many BPAL blends a lot, and I even like one or two things with brown sugar, so hearing that this year's version might be more like that, made me buy a bottle.

 

It's a little thick at first, but I have to say, I can get past my initial dislike of baked good sweet smells to put it on and see what happens. Oddly, it is a bit perfumey at first, rather like the hazy perfume that I get from things like Antique Lace at first. But that quickly burns off and it's a lovely gritty sweet crystalline scent -- white and brown sugar, slightly burnt but not syrupy. I don't know how other people around me might interpret it on me, but as usual my skin acts like an incense burner, and brings out the warm and smoky-sweet notes the strongest. I think this could be one of the very rare scents in this category that I can wear well.

 

I never smell anything fruity in this at all -- and it manages to smell more like raw or slightly burnt sugar, than any kind of baked good, which is a very good thing in my book. I'm sure someone will tell me I smell like pancakes and I'll give them a dirty look, but it doesn't smell like that to me at any rate!

[edenssixthday]

Sugar Skull 2007 - As with all previous years of Sugar Skull, I can't stand it. It smells like burnt molasses and carries the faint odor of rancid fruit beneath the burnt molasses. It smells like a stinky brown sugar Yankee Candle just exploded all over me. It's atrocious. Even after it dries down and mellows a bit, it's still horrific. I can honestly say that Sugar Skull (every year's version) is my least favorite BPAL ever. For those of you who read this, please note that I generally hate all brown sugar, caramel, etc. type scents. They are ghastly on me. So with Sugar Skull, your mileage may vary. *gag*

[Megara]

Sugar Skull 2007

 

This is very Dorian-esque to me. I really am getting a vanilla musk, but with some brown sugar and caramel drizzled in. And maybe a waft of insence or something to keep this from going *too* sweet. It doesn't have very much throw, but it is a really nice, warm comforting scent.

[Eemia]

Sugar Skull 2007....

 

I love Sugar SKull 06 and have gone through my existing bottle fairly quick, so I wanted this as a backup. It's slightly different than the 06 version, which is softer and much more fruity on my skin. That version also seemed like it had more vanilla tones.

 

The 2007 version smells like more of a single note....or at least, it's only amping up a general burnt sugar scent. It is very strong and very heavy. It does feel authentically like sugar. It's pucker-my-cheeks sweet. It reminds me of the many times I've tried to make homemade caramel, but only succeeded in burning the sugar and butter to the pan before I could add the cream. Then I'd have to take my metal spatula and scrape off all of these little crusted chunks of burnt brown sugar off of the pan. The whole apartment smelled like that for so long. That's exactly what this fragrance reminds me of.

 

This lasts a long time without morphing whatsoever. Of the two versions that I own....I like the 2006 version better. But this is still a keeper. I can't wait to try it out with my Sugar Skull soap.

[nightbird]

in the bottle, this smells like brown sugar, rich and delicious. on me, it continues to smell like brown sugar, but after it dries down some woodsmoke creeps in too. this is a great scent -- my husband and I both love it! I got an imp of this through a decant circle and am going to grab a bottle.

 

(2007 version)

[Bagfish]

07 version

 

In the decant, Sugar Skull has a brown sugar/burnt sugar/incense sort of smell, but on my skin the burntness seems to wear off a bit and mellows to become really very like Pink Moon 07 which is rather odd! It is suprisingly nice on me - I didn't think this was my sort of scent, but I'll keep the imp for definite.

[sookster]

sugar skull 2004 - my flav of all time

sugar skull 2005 - quite good but this did not have the depth of 2004

sugar skull 2006 - good, but not quite the sharpness of 2004

sugar skull 2007 - straight sniff from the bottle is a super sharp 2004 version ... me likey

once applied deep, dark brown sugar...deelish...i think this will age just

like my beloved 2004 version...wheeeeeeeeeee!!