Sugar Skull

[Suu4LC]

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

This review is for the '05 version.

This smells very yummy in the bottle-mostly like super sweet brown sugar. It's a little maple-y but not too much so. I'm not really getting any of the fruit smell yet, but hopefully that will come out on my skin. Honestly though, if it smells as good on my skin as it does in the bottle, i'll be sold.

Oh mah gawd, it's even BETTER on my skin. There's something a little spicy under all that sugar! Very rich and sweet-but not sickening saccharine. I want to gnaw on my arm, it's that good! The best way I can describe this is like brown sugar on steroids.

No fruit in this for me, but still a definite WIN! Edited May 2, 2008 by Suu4LC

[djsiberia]

this is the 2006 version

 

i thought i wouldn't like this at all after reading reviews of it just smelling like burnt sugar.

 

wet: it's sugar

 

dry: mmm...boozed sugar with a slight fruit after taste

 

i can't stop sniffing myself. i can really see how a little goes a very very very long way. i put a drop on - split between my wrists and another small dab behind each ear and WOWZZA...it's really potent stuff!

 

i'm still amazed that i actually like this.

[Lyrical]

This is the 2005 version.

 

In the vial: rum! Reminds me very much of Mr Nancy even down to a touch of lime and a whiff of smoke! Although I might be imagining that part! As this bottle is vintage there is a little residue around the rim that looks exactly like powdered sugar! This amuses me!

 

Wet on skin: sugary and boozy, and unexpectedly masculine. I guess it's the candied fruits that are coming across as lime. Me likey!

 

Dry on skin: it's going a little sour and smoky. Otherwise it's mostly dark brown, molasses-rich sugar with a hint of booze and a touch of fruit. Not at all what I expected, but rather nice!

 

2nd test: I like it even better this time. Mostly brown sugar on the drydown, and good throw.

 

Afterthought: I've never seen a sugar skull, but when I was a kid we sometimes had sugar mice as a great treat. That's what this smells of - an old-fashioned sugar mouse with a hint of booze. Compared to other sugary scents, such as MVJBA and Midway Resurrected, this is quite strong with good throw.

Edited June 17, 2008 by Lyrical

[fireflower]

I have the '07 version of this. It smells like caramelized brown sugar and oddly like a Hallmark store. I get just the very faintest drizzle of fruits, which keeps it from being completely foody. Not sure if I like it as a scent I'd wear on myself, but it is nice.

[strangemodegirl]

This is one of my new obsessions.

 

First one I tried was the '04 version that I recently bought on Ebay. It's like pure carmelized brown sugar. I literally had my wrist glued to my nose for at least 20 minutes. I think this may be more addicting than crack and heroin combined.

 

Then today I got a bottle of the '07 version. It is not *quite* the same, I get a hint of booziness in this one, but still amazing. I put it on about 4 hours ago and can still smell it. I did not get any of the fruit smell that some people mention, just nummy brown sugar.

 

I have a decant of the '05 version on the way to me and I'll add in a review of that one too.

 

I do hope that I can find more of the aged stuff, or that it gets released this year again and I can stock up. I was just getting into BPAL last year when the Halloween scents were up and didn't pay as good attention as I should have. Now I know better.

[Vespar]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this scent.It's not the sticky sweet scent of sugar,it's something much more complex.

 

In the imp:It smells slightly sweet,like sugar with a hint of something citrus-y and a tad of vanilla.

 

On me:Sugary Heaven!There's something so delicious about this scent,but without being too sweet.Smells a bit like some sort of tangy candy with a hint of something exotic,a little booze,a little lemon and different kinds of sugar.

 

Later on:After 'bout 6 hours,i can still smell this one on my wrist and i only put a drop on.I'm so glad this one sticks with me for so many hours.Now,the scent has mellowed,it's very comforting and it smells more like caramelized sugar on me.This is exactly how i always thought a sugar skull would smell like.Rich and exotic.

 

Conclusion:I can't stop smelling my wrist,i love this scent.It's yummy,delicious and sweet without being overpowering or too foody like.I need to get my hands on the big bottles.

Edited June 17, 2008 by Vespar

[brsis]

Initial Thoughts: This was a partial bottle I picked up in a big purchase, possibly thinking it was Sugar Moon... I actually didn't remember buying it (Cue embarrassed face)

 

Notes wise, I'm really hoping this works and smells like sugar-coated goodness because I really, REALLY want a decent sugar scent. Think of the possibilities!

 

In the bottle: Brown sugar, golden syrup, and the hint of a kind of boozy fruit liqueur. This is actually quite mature and heavy, as opposed to a sticky, childish sugary smell. It's all about the sugar syrup, but there is a kind of fermented quality to it.

 

On the wrist, wet: Thick, caramelised brown sugar. This is very low key, a real skin hugger - I'm having to snuffle right up close just to catch a glimpse.

 

Twenty minutes later: This actually has barely morphed - it's still a slightly dusty, skin hugging brown sugar syrup. This is almost sugary without being sweet, if that makes sense. I really rather like this, although I think I'm going to end up layering rather than wearing it on it's own - you have to get REALLY close to get a big ol' whack of brown sugar goodness - but it'd work really well for an off-beat 'sexy' scent for an evening out, it's got that playful quality without being 'youthful'.

 

Verdict: Keeper

 

Tl;Dr: Skin-tight caramelised brown sugar; mature, sophisticated but playful.

[DARKBEAUTY28]

Wet: Gooey honey.

 

Drydown: Sugary cinnamon honey. Is there cinnamon in this?

 

Overall a very nice scent. It is very foody. I like how the cinnamon notes (if that is what they are) mesh well with the honey. This scent almost reminds me of iced tea with honey mixed in. Oh! I just read the description again. This reminds me of caramel apples too!

Edited June 23, 2008 by DARKBEAUTY28

[stillalive]

very sweet, sort of like Gluttony: a sweet, buttery smell like you would find in a candle. Not something I would rush out and get a huge bottle of, but I bet my brother will like it.

[vegasblueblood]

2007 version:

 

Delicious carmelized sugar! This is a foodie lover's paradise. Very dark and rich sugar with hint of spice, sort of like muscovado or turbinado sugar. It even has an almost-cookie-ish undertone and a tinge of booziness. It is not toothache overwhelming sweet but as I said, it is rich, dark, deep and delicious. And it lasts for hours! Love it.

[Champagne]

2007 version:

 

Sugar Skull smell exactly like brown sugar when you put it in you mouth and it melts quickly giving you immediately a rush of energy, comfort and a smile in your face, with the difference that in this case you don`t ingest it. It`s the smell of time away from job and responsability for me, of time at home doing things I love and feeling deeply amused. It`s sweet with a fresh edge and I can`t stop slathering it on my arms

[girlygirl]

2008 version

 

lighter and less smoky/incensey than 2007 but still Sugar Skully goodness. Swirling purple velvet. Sweet and dark and lovely. Makes me think of Stevie Nicks.

[porcelina]

oh, i knew this would happen. for a few blissful seconds this is beautiful, sweet, crystalline sugary goodness with the slightest hint of candied fruit. and then my chemistry burns the sugar and turns it acrid and plasticy. it's not as bad as it was with smut, but it's not good, either. blehhhh. kind of oddly snake oil-like, for a minute... this just does not work.

Edited September 2, 2008 by porcelina

[Iceblink]

My fourth variant of Sugar Skull and '08 is just as delicious as the previous versions have been. The candied-fruitiness seems a little stronger in this one but otherwise...yep, that's Sugar Skull, and it's a classic. Great throw and great staying power as always, too.

[hkhm]

2008 version

 

bottle: ah, sugar! the candied fruits scent is a touch stronger this year.

 

wet: yep, there are the candied fruits... hiding behind this mountain of sugary goodness. the sugar is brighter this year, not as brown-sugary.

 

dry: nice. i get the lightest fruit scent once this is dry. otherwise: this is, as usual, delicious sugary goodness.

[cam]

Sugar Skull 2008

 

In the bottle, this definitely smells like sugar, but not straight-up sugar. Like caramel or toffee. It has a deep, slightly smoky scent. On wet, it's much the same, but a slight spiciness begins to come out. Once dry, this is really awesome. Dark, smoky sugar with a hint of subtle spices. Love it!

[NixieCakes]

My new favorite! In the bottle and wet, this one is all brown sugar. When it starts to dry, the fruits come out to play and it is so good I want to eat my wrist. It kind of reminds me of apples and cinnamon oatmeal, (I pile brown sugar in mine). Yum.

[lmaunu]

For 2008 version

 

 

This is pure brown-sugary-goodness! When I first put it on, the fruit notes are a bit more prominent, but, after it's been on my skin a few hours, it smells like pure brown sugar. It's delicious!

 

I've worn it twice now, and both times I've been pleased by the moderate throw and long staying power. If you like foody scents, you're love this one!

[iiinterstate]

2008 version.

 

This is the first Sugar Skull I've tried, and it seems to be a love it or hate it kind of thing based on past reviews.

 

In the imp this smells like a weaker Gluttony. Color me wary. Me and Gluttony are not friends.

 

Wet on me: The only way I can think to describe it is sharp, which doesn't make much sense to me either. There's definitely brown sugar in there, but its under some kind of bitter fruit note I can't identify.

 

Dry: Looks like I'm one of the "love it" people! This smells like brown sugar baking in the oven (like, as a topping for a pastry or something) with just the lightest hint of fruit to keep it from getting boring. BOTTLE.

[jizatt]

2008 version

 

I smell mostly brown sugar, but some hints of the fruit, in a dry way if thats possible.

[konora]

So the 2008 version is my first Sugar Skull! I like the sweeter scents, so I figured I'd like this one.

 

In the bottle it smelled a bit too sweet, like butterscotch and caramel. On me, it went almost immediately to a delicious brown sugar smell with a touch of something "other"... I don't think it was the fruit, as that seemed to come out later. I can't identify it! I suppose I'll just have to put it on again tomorrow and compulsively sniff my wrists.

[LittleMissAspie]

Just received a decant of this (2008). In the imp it smells very fresh, sweet and fruity. As soon as it hit my wrist it turned into burnt sugar. I was hoping that would fade but it hasn't, in fact it is slowly turning plasticky. Oh dear. I'll try it again in a few months, here's hoping it will mellow out a bit.

Edited October 24, 2008 by Shollin

[steffanina]

Sugar Skull 2008-

 

(My impressions of this scent are quite different from my observations of the 2005 version, but that may not be because of a change in the formula--it might be the way I perceive scents these days.)

 

In Bottle: A sweet, dark scent. I can believe the sugar but there's something deeply rich in this.

 

Wet: Rich and sweet, not quite sugary, but with an underlying note of...of burnt, of woodiness, of dark sweet smoke. Not a resin, not a musk. Not sandalwood and certainly not patchouli. Not vetiver unless it's really really subtle vetiver.

 

Dry: That smell of dark sweet smokiness gets more prominent and simply delicious. Anyone smelled Parfumerie Generale's Aomassai? I don't know what the note is that produces that same dark sweet rich woody burnt smell, but it's here. It's incensy but deliciously sweet and not at all resiny in that eye-burning way resins go on me.

 

Overall: The most sophisticated of foody scents. Wonderful!

[femmefatale]

Sugar Skull '08:

 

In the imp it was rather sweet with a touch of fruit.

 

On my skin though it deepens and becomes somewhat smokey, though I do still smell the brown sugar. I really don't know how to describe it. It's actually not as foody as I expected which is both good and bad. Good, because I'm not a very foody person. Bad, because I will probably need a couple bottles of it.

 

I wonder how it would layer w/Plunder....

[marared]

08: This unfortunately does not work on my skin. It starts out nice enough - lots of sugar, fruity syrup, fun to sniff. It progresses into burnt sugar after a little while, but still tasty. After about fifteen minutes, it goes SOUR. Like, ewgetitoffme sour.

 

I tend to avoid super-sugary scents, but don't have much BPAL-sugary experience, so this was kind of an experiment, and I think I shall continue avoiding it!