Baby’s First Krampuslauf

[Dove]

Lilith loves Krampus. Shes loved Krampus ever since she was a wee tiny thing, and every Christmas Eve, she leaves chocolate and beef jerky (long story!) for him alongside the cookies and milk she leaves out for Santa. Last December, Lilith attended her first Krampuslauf at ArtWalk in Downtown Los Angeles. She was overjoyed; she absolutely loves Krampus, and being surrounded by so much excitement (and the strange joy of so many scowling bestial faces, swishing switches, and baskets awaiting unruly children) literally swept her off of her feet. She loved the parade, she loved the costumes, and she believed with all her heart even just for a moment, but maybe forever in her heart that all of these hairy horned beasts were real. Her favorite Krampus one she has known since she was a toddler gave her a card that proclaimed that she was naughty and destined for the basket.

Of course, she treasures it.

Dark chocolate and a hint of woodsmoke.

Krampuslauf came~ It needed a good shaking and likes to separate. At first from a distance I smell like cozy hot chocolate and a nice fire but no, come closer and it's like a dusty bakery got caught in an inferno. After the inferno goes out I now smell like bitter chocolate and smoke. It's fun and if you like bonfire night and the more sweet gorobble, then this is for you. It's sweet and menacing all in one.

[Casablanca]

Krampus, you so chocolatey.

 

Actually, Krampus was at first just a lovely dark chocolate on my skin, then the woodsmoke made its first subtle appearance after a few minutes -- lingering in the back of the nose. At an hour, it was more subtle woodsmoke on both my friend and I than it was chocolate, as the cocoa had mostly drifted off. A hint of chocolate remained, and this cocoa woodsmoke skin scent was lovely, but a lil too faint for my taste.

 

For a while, though, Krampus is like a pot of chocolate fondue heating over a camping cook fire. Lovely, but, by the time it had the balance I wanted, it was barely there on me.

[Numanoid]

Yep... in decant, I can see it needs a good shaking....trying my best to do that in decant form!

 

Sniffing : I am a sucker for anything with chocolate, especially dark chocolate!! I get that and that teeny hint of smokiness.

 

On Skin: Oh wow!! I immediately get this very light and lovely bonfire smell. Now, the bonfire SN was WAY too much for me and I think this is going to be an awesome perfect smoky scent that isn't too overbearing. I get a hint of the chocolate.... I love this combo! It really makes me think of a very distant bonfire..but with chocolate!

 

Dry down: stays the same, but the chocolate note comes out a little more for me.... it is a perfect balance between the 2 notes. I might have to get a bottle of this! If you are someone who has been wanting a nice smoky scent... that isn't too heavy, or smells too much like pipes or cigarettes, get this one! The chocolate is subtle to me, but there.

[vthesiren]

Lots of separation in the decant. Chocolate globs galore!

 

This is fabulous. Dark chocolate with a subtle smoky undertone that comes out more on the skin, but is never overpowering. It's very faint, though, and tends to disappear fast - definitely one for slathering. The overall effect is like a far-off campfire on a chilly day. Good if you like your smoky scents on the lighter side!

[LizziesLuck]

I totally need a pick-me-up tonight, so I am testing more of my Lilith decants!

 

Wet: Yep, chocolate and smoke! The smoke is a little bit sour on me, currently. It makes the chocolate smell like it's been made with sour milk. Hoping it will settle on my skin.

 

 

Dry: Well the bonfire note stopped being sour and is lovely now, but now the chocolate has gone off! Ever get one of those cheap chocolate Easter bunnies and it tastes kind of....waxy? That's how this smells. It's unfortunate that my skin did this to it (chocolate is one of those notes that can go either way on me, so I shouldn't be surprised). The woodsmoke note is really something special now that it's not sour. But I can't get passed the weird chocolate. I may have to test once more before giving up completely, and hope it's just a "bad skin day".

 

 

EDIT: I was having a bad skin day, thank goodness! This is AMAZING. Smoky, almost sexy, dark chocolate. I ended up getting a bottle, and have not regretted it as all, I adore it more each time I wear it. It lasts ALL DAY, and makes me so happy every time I sniff it.

Edited November 9, 2016 by LizziesLuck

[tarotgirl99]

Wet: This is chocolate and brimstone

 

Dry: Less chocolate, but still chocolate-y...but the bonfire becomes a kind of Lamia-like cinnamon-y thing...but coppery, too.

 

I only have an imp of this and considered whether I might need a bottle. But I don't like the coppery thing as much as the choco-cinnamon.

[mollison]

Wet: OOOH. Delicious dark chocolate. OMNOMNOM

Next stage: Pow! woodsmoke. I love woodsmoke.

Dry: now a sweet chocolatey bonfire. The smoke part is not sharp at all on me. Very nice scent, and simple enough that I think this would be great for layering. Maybe with SN French Tobacco or Tombstone or Snake Oil. Ooh. Ideas!

[Missa_Moth]

Decants fresh from the mail!

 

Bottle: Yummy, real, mouthwatering spicy chocolate!

Wet: Chocolatley goodness and here comes the woodsmoke. Like eating fudge at a bonfire party!

Dry down: The spicy, bonfire scent is stronger now and it's melded with the chocolate to smell like a warm, sweet, dessert cooked over a campfire.

Dry 30 min: Chocolate flavoured pipe tobacco! It's close to skin and lovely! It reminds me of this pipe store in the mall when I was a kid that I loved to walk by because of the amazing scent, I can fuzzily picture the whirling, rocking metal things shining, and the beautifully carved pipes on lush velvet in the window display. I love this!

[Trix]

I got a sniff of this at NYCC and immediately picked up a bottle. Chocolate? Woodsmoke? YES! Two of my favorite things!

 

But...

 

Ah, dang. The chocolate turns kind of plasticky on me, and the woodsmoke is nowhere to be found. Alas, alas.

 

I will give it another chance or three. But it's not the scent I fell in love with. (Then again, it was so HARD to tell just what scents I was falling in love with at NYCC. SO MANY THINGS TO SNIFF!)

[Fiam]

This bottle is one to ROLL. Mix up that cocoa!

 

Bottle: Dark Chocolate, not contrived.. bitter even, no cream.

 

Wet on Skin: Wood Smoke quickly wafting in. My Hot Chocolate drink is background...in a mug that I can't find.

 

Dry on Skin, oil is still shiny. Sweet Wood Smoke, like a hickory smoke over marshmallows...no chocolate. What I hoped The Gorobble would be.

 

Dry Down on Skin: Oh there is my mug of hot chocolate! Singed with a wood fire scent that dominates for about an hour.

 

Final Thoughts: Bottle worthy! I'll want to return to BFK to find that Fall/Early Winter scent that whirls me back to my childhood ....Halloween is approaching and folks start to light their fireplace.

[fundercat55]

In the bottle: Pure, unadulterated dark chocolate.

Wet on the skin: An initial waft of chocolate, quickly followed by a strong blast of woodsmoke. Like, I'm afraid at the amount of smoke here and am immediately considering scrubbing it off, but decide to see what happens.

Dry down: The smoke recedes to just a waft in the background of a sweet, chocolatly, slightly spicy scent. Total love. The only drawback to me is this stays very close to the skin and I wish it had a slightly bigger throw. This was the only of the Motherhood decants I received that was an instant bottle buy for me. It's beautifully balanced, sweet, smokey scent. If you've been afraid of the smoke note in the past, this might be a good way to try it. I want to slather myself in it and roll around.

[Jenjin]

Medicinal, metallic tootsie rolls. I'm already pretty certain as soon as it hits my skin it's not working. Woodsmoke and chocolate scents rarely work for me, and baby reminds me of raku kilns and plastic, brown chewy candy and then something else like wintergreen mixed in that turns into sore muscle cream. My muscles hurt, and I'm binging on tootsie rolls by a fire that went out an hour ago. I'm jealous of the ones that can pull this one off because it is a fun blend

[Little Bird]

Kind of reminds me of B&BW's Marshmallow Fireside at first, with its spicy smoke and sweetness. I think there's some cinnamon in this. It quickly dries down and isn't quite sweet enough for me, though. It's a bitter, dark chocolate and metallic, burnt smokiness that reminds me of burning chocolate on a stovetop when I forget to stir it enough. A little bit sour and unpleasant.

[spikyfairy]

This was a rather risky purchase for me, as I have never tried a chocolate scent before and had no idea if it would work on me. I also really dislike foody smells, and anything too sweet, but the dark chocolate / smoke combination sounded like it might be complex & bitter enough for me to pull off. I'm glad I took the chance, this is gorgeous!

In bottle: Very separated. Rolling didn't help, I had to shake it quite vigorously. I can smell the chocolate, almost boozy (but I often seem to find things boozy in the bottle for no good reason). No smoke.

Wet on me: OMFG..................... I forgot to take notes because I was too busy huffing myself! The chocolate is very strong at first, taking on an almost cookie / baked vibe as it dries, and the smoke comes out a little (none of that buttery note in BPAL cake-y scents that goes rancid on me, though). I thought cinnamon too at first, but now I think it's a component of the smoke lending that warm spiciness.. It's an interestingly unfamiliar woodsmoke to me, because I now realise I've only ever really smelled burning eucalyptus wood! I'm guessing hickory and maybe a touch of pine? Fascinating.. This is not my usual sort of thing, but my skin is not turning it nauseatingly sweet as it so often does, and holy wow it's freaking delicious!

Dry: Sadly the chocolate note is only out in full force for about 20 minutes on my skin. What's left is a sweet smokiness that is very lovely, but also very faint.. I reapplied before bed, and again it faded back very quickly, but the remaining skin scent lasted a really long time - still easily detectable the next morning, including a touch of the chocolate even.

I've only had this a few days and maybe it will strengthen with age a bit, but I'm doubtful. Still happy to have a bottle, I suspect I will get through it pretty quickly!

Edited November 19, 2016 by spikyfairy

[zankoku_zen]

Dark chocolate and woodsmoke. It starts off as a chocolate blend, but then the woodsmoke comes out and I think there's a touch of pine in it. It prevents this from being a foodie blend, and just sort of drops it into the manly -forest-type cologne for me honestly. Good throw and wear length.

[Gwydion]

In Bottle: Oh Gods!  I wish I had a bottle of this.  Rich Dark chocolate with just enough smoke to add complexity without overwhelming.  Wet: Still dark chocolate dominant, but the smoke is much stronger.  It's not the vetiverish smoke that is often used for this effect, but a cleaner sort of wood smoke.  It really like the way the wood plays with the chocolate.  I can't stop sniffing it.  Yum.  Dry: Mostly woodsmoke.

[Missanneshirleyofgg]

Oh this is yummy. Reminds me of Arcana “Chocolate craves Terror” but without the incense notes.  No BBQ type smoke, more that acrid smell of lingering smoke in the air when in the autumn people begin lighting off the chills with hearth fires. As far as the chocolate, not sure it is dark chocolate as its not bitter at all, more smooth. Maybe semi sweet. 🥰 I am going to have alot of fun layering this and will probably first try it with some bookish blends that I want to be more gourmand and contrast the layering effect with jolabokflodid, 

[doomsday_disco]

I usually have really bad luck with the Lab's smoke notes. Most of the ones I've experienced are either more incense-y or more of a charred BBQ acrid vetiver type of smoke. But the woodsmoke here doesn't fall into either of those categories. It dominates the blend, backed by the dark chocolate, but it is really smooth and nice. I can't think of another BPAL blend to compare it to, but it reminds me of the smoke note I enjoy in Hex's All Soul's Night or the one in Black Baccara's Chocolate Cauldron. I never thought I would have liked this one, but I'm glad to have gotten to try it, and I'll definitely be hanging onto my decant. Thanks to the lovely BPALer that sent some of this my way.  

Edited August 8, 2021 by doomsday_disco