Dia de los Muertos

[Gwydion]

... This is a Mexican paean to La Huesuda: dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus.

In the bottle, it is all flowers and incense. On first application it smells like pretty generic perfume. Give it a little time and the food scents come out, candy, something that smells a little like cake (offering food? Amaranth mixing with candies?), and a hint of chocolate. It gets sweeter, but doesn't lose the tinge of incense which twines with the tobacco under the stronger scents. The florals back way off. It is complex and sweet and dry, shifting dominant notes over time, making it extremely hard to pin down.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

It's intensely floral and sweet in the vial, and it reminds me of mother's opium perfume.

 

First on:

Wet, it's still a heavy floral. Guh, please, less floral?

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it's still super-floral. Something more smokey lurks far in the background, but the florals are too overpowering.

 

20-30 mins after application, it's still floral to the extreme, and nothing else comes through.

 

Finally:

Gah, I wanted to love this one! Why must you be so floral? Parting with this one...

[naeelah]

I wasn't sure whether I'd like this, based on past reviews, but recent reviews made it sound right up my alley. I seem to recall people saying it was one for champaca lovers. Based on that, I ran right out and ordered a bottle of this.

 

I haven't tried past blends, but the 2007 one is very heavy on florals. Wet, it's largely floral with incense and cocoa, and a hint of sweetness. I don't know if it actually contains champaca, but the combined effect is very similar to champaca. In the medium stage, more of the foodiness comes out, on my skin, but it never becomes a foody scent. The longer you wear it, the smokier and more complex it gets. Towards the end, it's incense, tobacco, and a touch of sweetness and florals.

 

This is very rich and complex, and no doubt it will be very different on everyone. On me, it's very similar to John Seward, but with cocoa and cake notes. John Seward is in my top 10, and I love anything chocolate, so this is made of WIN! I'm tempted to hoard it, in case DdlM is unable to return in the future, but this year's version is similar enough to some other scents I already have that I'll just wait and find out how next year's is different.

 

Throw is very good -- noticeable but not too strong. Wear life is a little bit better than average, but it loses a lot of throw after 3-4 hours.

 

I'm definitely glad I got this! This is one of my new favorites.

Edited October 15, 2007 by naeelah

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

This is amazing!!!!! The first thing that I smell is sweet cactus and smoke, in the bottle and first on the skin. I don't think that this scent combo should ever be underestimated as it is seriously enjoyable. During the drydown all of the dried leaves, incense, funereal bouquets, and desert smells come into play...and let me tell you, this really reminds me of the desert, and the southwest in general. This is unbelievably enjoyable for me as I live in a totally opposite climate - one where the rain and moss never end, and this scent manages to magically transport me to drier, sunnier climes. This is a definite favorite BPAL fragrance of mine - one which I will be wearing, and sniffing at my wrists wistfully, all winter long! In fact, this smell isn't specifically hot or cold, and I could see myself wearing it as a fall reminder in the summertime as well, or wearing festively in the fall, too! Well done! Me likey

[penemuel]

In the bottle it's startlingly floral, and for about 10 minutes I thought 'ick, this is horrible, it's like sitting in a funeral parlor' -- and then the other scents started coming forward. There's this delicious sweet chocolate and tobacco scent blending with the flowers now, and it's so much better than I thought from the imp.

 

I don't think I'll buy a full bottle because I have other chocolatey scents that don't go through that horrible EW! first ten minutes, but if you like the florals and the chocolate/sweet scents, you will like this.

[zankoku_zen]

This is a startlingly sweet floral for the first hour or so. After that, I get a more dusty, slightly cocoa vibe overlay to the initial impressions of flowers. And yes, I definitely do smell the cactus blossom (it is the same note I remember from Pumpkin IV, I think).

 

I'm very torn on this. The initial stages, including wet, is very sweet and the floral bloom is almost overwhelming. The drydown is much better with a touch of chocolate to it.

[bryghtrose]

This starts out as a sweet, foody floral. It's a little too high for me, and leaves me feeling headache-y. It has quite a bit of throw, too.

[PurringPulsar]

Dia de los Muertos 07

 

In the imp: very similar to the 05 version, packed with heavy jasmine-like floral notes.

Wet on skin: yup, there’s something like jasmine in here, because it turns rather bitter on my skin.

Dry: whoa, it’s an attack of the flowers! There’s something like jasmine in here, which teeters on the brink of smelling bitter but right now isn’t quite nasty, and a sort of lemony-perfumy floral which smells like some lily notes, maybe lily of the valley or calla? I think there’s ylang-ylang here too. I get hints of the sweetness and dry leaves and tobacco, but no obvious chocolate or smokiness. just lots and lots of heady, powerful flowers. It’s like the 05 version, but I thought the jasmine/ylang in 05 was nicer, even though that was a heady floral.

After a while: this gets better, sweeter and smoother, losing that sharp floral edge. There’s still a hint of slight bitterness but the sweeter notes, possibly vanilla and other foody notes, comes through. There’s even a little bit of butter now, I’m not sure I’m keen on that. I think I also smell a little more tobacco or dry leaves now. It’s still very floral, but along similar lines to the sweeter jasmines like Peitho.

This develops a really odd olive scent at times, but when this scent behaves, it’s a lovely sweet vanilla jasmine scent, like a festive and complex take on BiggerCritters.

Verdict: this is very much like the 05 version, in that it is very, very floral. Packed with jasmine, or something that smells like it, and other heady blooms. But this is a much nicer jasmine on me than usual-I think the complexity of this scent stabilises this fickle floral note. but I was hoping the other notes-the chocolates and sweets, and the incense, would come out, I get very little of those notes save for a hint of vanilla-this is dominated by flowers. It’s a lot better than the 06 version, but since I have enough of the 05 version, I think I’ll pass this one on.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Not sure yet.

If you like this, try: Perfumed Garden, MB BiggerCritters, Peitho, Kali, New Orleans, Kubla Khan, Zorya

[Northernskygal]

I am reviewing the 07 version (the only version I have tried).

It smells.. like a sweet floral. The cactus blossom is the most powerful note I can detect, which is great, as it is one of the more.. unusual florals, and one of the few I truly do enjoy. There is a hint of smokiness there, nothing heavy or stong.. it is.. subtle, just there enough to be wispy and interesting. It doesn't come off as especially foody to me, just slightly creamy. This is a dry, oh so slightly smokey cactus blossom, it is interesting, sweet, creamy, lovely.. this isn't a scent that would reach across a room and smack you in the face, it is a scent that someone whispering in your ear would want to smell more of..

[xibalbagrrl]

In the bottle: Misc. floral.

 

Wet and dry: On me....jasmine, jasmine, nothing but JASMINE. I like jasmine but this is a bit much...it's obscuring any other possible notes from detection, even hours later. I might also have gone overboard in applying.

 

I'll try another day and see if my results are any different. Such an interesting blend, I want to give it another chance

[Tulliver]

This is really weird. I can't smell anything in the bottle at all - well, there's a VERY faint, vague "something", but I certainly can't pick anything out.

 

Wet on my skin: Now I smell stuff. But I was expecting a hint of foodiness. There's absolutely none of that at all. It's a little incensey but mainly floral. The florals are extremely lovely. There's a very slight sharpness/acidity to it as well - perhaps the cactus.

 

Dry: This morphs VERY little. It has a fairly decent skin life but not much of a throw. I like this, but one bottle will be enough - just as well really since they're gone now. Ehe.

[SarahScent44]

All I get is generic flowers - in the imp, on my skin, and when it's dry. There's nothing specific - it's kind of boring.

[VioletChaos]

This is Dia de los Muertos 2005 version.

 

in the bottle: sweet and floral, but not cloying. it's so layered, it's impossible to pick out a single note!

 

wet on skin: more of the same, but with a slight fruity edge coming out. again, though, impossible to name anything distinct. i like that!

 

dry down: an incredible throw, as people have said. it's mellowed now and reminds me *exactly* of this little tin of solid hippy perfume my mom had in the 70's. i loved it so much as a baby that i tried to take a bite out of it! she kept the tin, with my little baby teeth marks, until the day she died.

 

in all: although i don't wish to eat it think scent is wonderful and evocative of some distant by-gone era. beautiful, timeless, nostalgic. simply gorgeous.

 

[Czarina]

Got this in a swap, so I assume that this is the 2007 version but I'm not sure.

 

This is smoke and sugar and tobacco on me. The tobacco note changes the sugar. From its description, I thought this was going to smell like Sugar Skulls on me, but it doesn't. I can also smell the cactus flower, which adds a faintly soapy floral note.

 

Although I know what amaranth tastes like, I don't know what it smells like and consequently can't pick out that note.

 

Excellent, complex scent in the same style as La Befana, although a very different scent.

[slave1]

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS 07

 

In Bottle: Floral and smoke

 

On Skin: This blend changes quite a bit each year. This years version is very, very floral. Almost all cactus blossom, sweet and prickly. I smell a light minty note and also the smoke from the incense. This time around I get none of the foodiness of the candy or chocolate. This is much fresher and vibrant. It is also quite perfumey. While I do love the blend, it doesn’t evoke the holiday as much as previous blends have. Still, it is gorgeous and I’ll wear it for sure. It has a medium to strong throw and long wearlength.

Edited January 30, 2008 by slave1

[butcherbaby]

2006 version

 

i was eagerly awaiting a bottle of this that i purchased on ebay- the combination sounded wonderful, and it got so many good reviews! something in my body chemistry does not like this scent, however.

 

in the bottle it is delicious- i can smell the warm chocolate, almost cherry-ish, lots of sweetness and a sharp, almost booze-y tang.

 

on my skin: UGH- this has turned into...vegetable soup. yep, with lots of celery. in fact that's almost all i can smell for at least an hour. i love celery, but i don't want to smell like one.

 

after an hour the other scents are starting to come out, but up close, on the skin, it is still....cooked celery.

 

after two hours i am about to wash it off, as the vegetable smell is almost nauseating, but it has finally disappeared. i can smell the chocolate, the smokiness, and the incense....very warm and pleasant now but all very faint and fading. in another hour it is gone altogether.

 

i don't know what exactly caused the off note in this but i won't be trying it again. in fact i have already found it a very good home! i hope it is loved and cherished by it's new owner.

[laforetnoire]

From 2006, I only get a heavy jasmine scent. Like a jasmine single note. I don't get anything foody or any cocoa.

[alsatia]

Expectations: Dry autumn leaves, smoky flowers, and a hint of sweetness.

 

In vial: Flowers, flowers, and more flowers. At least it smells like real flowers and not the fake chemical kind.

 

On skin, wet: Oh no, it's the toilet paper holder scent again. This is so frustrating, because I like that scent but don't like the instant association.

 

On skin, dry: Just flowers.

 

After time: This has stayed exactly the same from wet in vial to an hour after application. No food, chocolate, or other candy. No tobacco. Just flowers.

 

Conclusion: It's very pretty but it's not really my style.

[Josh]

2007 version. This is a standard floral backed up by something very bitter smelling. I think it is the cactus that is creating the bitterness. That's how I'd describe this: a strikingly bitter floral... one of the few florals I really enjoy.

[Andrea912]

I'm going to give this another shot; right now it smells like a taqueria or a paleteria, but an old one; think old Mexican candy store with dust and cumin.

[innocent]

2007 version: First on this smells like baked goods with a hint of rum, a smell that quickly fades to be replaced by florals. Finally it morphs into something that makes me think of powdered sugar mixed with scented baby powder. Strange. I'll have to test this again, it's complicated and I can't quite get my head around it.

[tajana]

This is for the 2006 version: I bought a decant of this having seen only the scent description. For some reason I didn't check out the reviews. I really should have! As soon as I opened the imp I knew this wouldn't be for me. Jasmine! My nemesis. On the skin the initial impression was of laundry detergent and jasmine. Oh dear. Jasmine ruins any blend for me: the slightest amount broadcasts itself loud and clear, drowning out all other notes and warping itself into a nasty rotting monster rather than a flower. I didn't wash it off though, because I wanted to let it develop. Even though I knew I wouldn't keep it around due to the jasmine element, I wanted to see all those other notes come out! I didn't get any candies or foods from this, but the character of the floral changed twice, both times distinctly. First, miraculously, the jasmine dissipated, and it became less detergent-like, but still densely floral in a generic way. Then, to a scent strongly evocative of the desert: definitely cactus blossom, with other desert flowers and smoky tobacco... the final stages of this scent (after an hour or more) aren't that bad, but this is still too floral for me.

[WidgetAlley]

This is the 2004 version. Today is the first warm, spring-like day we've had this year, and it seems like as good a time as any to test this! I have only one tiny drop in an Imp vial, so this is going to be insanely aged.

 

Imp: Faint, faint florals and a hint of cocoa. A faint smoky tobacco and a smell of dry leaves accompanies it.

 

Wet: I only managed to get the tiniest bit out of this, so I'm not sure how accurate the review will be, but I'm getting sweet candies, salty chocolate, tobacco and just a breath of flowers. It's pretty, a little foody, but very faint. Cereus and incense too, pretty but not overwhelming. There's almost a faint yeasty smell too, like hot buns straight out of the oven. Mmm.

 

Dry: This turned into a sweet incensey floral with hints of chocolate and bread. Beautiful, but nothing I'm madly in love with-- which is good, considering I'd never be able to find it!

 

 

[asciident]

Wet: Overwhelmingly spicy.

 

First on: Spicy resin, and it hasn't toned down at all.

 

Dry: Same. I like it but it's a little too powerful for me.

[GardenCat]

Interesting combination of notes - sweet, yet floral, foody, but not. Strange. Not one I would have picked up based on the notes, but when I was sniffing it at Shelldoo's, I had to get it! I have no IDEA what it smells like, but I like it!