Caramel, Smoked Chilis & Black Vanilla

[zankoku_zen]

No additional scent description provided.

[Larinessa]

In the bottle: smelled strongly of Caramel, slight spiciness of similar vein to Dark Chocolate, whiskey cognac truffle underneath. The two have no notes in common, but I was strongly reminded of that vibe.

 

Wet: the Dark Vanilla takes over, my husband picked up on that note immediately. Tremendous throw. Still the almost alcoholish spice to it. The caramel receaded.

 

Dry: a smokey dark vanilla with an almost bitter almond type spice. I have Raven Moon which also has chili as a note, and this isn't really like that. Perhaps it's the smoke.

 

Verdict: sexy gourmand vanilla. Huge throw so you may want to apply lightly.

[marared]

In the bottle: rich foodie vanilla caramel.

 

Freshly applied, it smells like smoked caramel, almost chocolatey but not quite - loud, lots of throw.

 

After a few minutes, it dries down a lot more like the bottle - dark syrupy vanilla. If I put my nose against my skin, inhale deeply, and think about it, I can detect the chili - this note is why I bought it, and I wish it was stronger, because it would give the blend more personality. It might strengthen with some age; we'll see.

[Casablanca]

Ung. This just arrived, and I don't know how it will settle, but it's just delicious right now.

 

Fresh out of the bottle, it's mostly smoky caramel. A little deep red spice and dark vanilla waft around in it. 

 

On my skin, it re-balances to more chili spice and a softer caramel over dark vanilla. 

 

Black vanilla is one of my favorite notes, one I don't see often enough. This caramel doesn't read as foodie (or as caramelly) as the one in Caramel Apple Snake Oil did. This one feels a little closer to chocolate, though that may be some black vanilla influence. The chilies add a warmth and quirk that I love here, and they blend so well with the rest. 

 

I really loved Temptation of St. Nick (cacao, blazing chili pepper, clove husk, bourbon vanilla, pistachio, hazelnut), and this one is in that family. This is a less nutty, more sultry version.

 

Glad I went for this.

[zankoku_zen]

Vanilla heavy caramel, with a whiff of chili. But heavy sweet chewy caramel. Good throw and wear length. Definitely for the foodie lovers out there.

[starbrow]

This trio got a ton of buzz, and I was super curious and unsure if it would work on my skin. Smoked chilis! Sounds a little scary, maybe? But turns out, there could be WAY MORE smoked chili in here and it'd probably be pretty awesome. In bottle and wet, I can just make out the thread of something smoky over spice, nothing actually spicy; it's less present than in, say, a Mexican hot chocolate. The caramel is HERE, made richer and sweeter by the vanilla without, for me, a huge vanilla presence.

 

On my skin, the caramel dries down to something so rich, I physically feel a stomach-ache smelling it. Like I've just eaten two McDonald caramel sundaes back to back and it hurts. I would welcome the temperance of more smoke and spice, but alas, they have left the building and it's just me and caramel, staring down head-to-head. I think it's winning.

 

Rich-foodie-chewy caramel lovers will probably get a huge kick out of this, and shouldn't be alarmed by the smoked chilis. Unless this baby ages into the spices, it's all gourmand, all the time. Maybe good for layering?

[feyofthefellwood]

The spicy chili is prominent during the wet phase but burns off fairly quickly when it dries. The black vanilla note is gorgeous and blends well with the chewy caramel. This is sweeter than my normal fare but I think foodie lovers will appreciate this. 

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Smokey vanilla caramel! The chili is here, but it's not overpowering the blend like I thought it would - it's more just adding a depth and overall warmth to the blend. It's much nicer than I originally thought it would be.

 

Dry: This stays pretty true to the wet stage - if anything, the chili may be slightly stronger. The caramel and vanilla are both present without being sweet and cloying; they're there, but they're not being obnoxious. 

 

If you're looking for a foodie scent that doesn't involve anything super sweet, this might be a good one to try! 

[Lucchesa]

Caramel, Smoked Chilis and Black Vanilla is really foodie. (Duh!)  Wet it's a strong butterscotch smell on me, with just a bit of a smoked pepper vibe.  The chilis never get much stronger on me; it's lots of sticky vanilla caramel all the way.  Serious comfort food scent if you're a caramel lover.   This has some throw -- more than I usually get with my skin chemistry -- and lasts a long time.  

[Geminirubyshoes]

If you love Mexican Long Tongued Bat, you will love this. It's a little richer and a tad spicier and the caramel is a low caramel, no high sugar note. I wasn't sure if I would need it or not but after watching Tom and Galen review it on 15 Minutes of 'Fume, I was sold. I might need another bottle...I've already used up quite a lot lol.

 

Crazy throw and long lasting.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

This is decadent and so sexy!!! Reminds me of Red Lantern...spicy STRONG caramel with a lot of depth but not overly sweet. The vanilla skews a little Play-Doh on me after a few hours, but only when it's almost completely gone. Until then, it has great throw and it delicious.

[DigitalCoyote]

Wet: smokey chili.  Warm on the skin.

 

Dry: smokey caramel.

 

There's something oddly attractive about this.  

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

I don't dislike the smell of caramel, but it's not something I generally like smelling like.  But when I saw the other two notes, especially the smoked chilis, I had to try it.  I'm not sure what to expect here.  I've had chili caramel before and it was delicious, so I guess I sort of know what to expect?

 

First sniff:

 

This is where it gets a bit odd.  When I first got this, it was so, so strong on the caramel note right out of the bottle.  Like smack you in the face, pure burnt-sugary caramel.  Maybe a tiny hint of spice?  Nothing else.  But once I let it set for a good while and came back to it, caramel is still the predominant note, but I can smell some deep, creamy sweetness from the black vanilla and a tiny touch of spice.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I'm going to stick with the scent of this once it's sat for a while, because I'm not sure I remember it perfectly enough to give a straight out of the mail review, and this is probably more helpful anyway.

 

Wet on my skin, the caramel remains the predominant note.  It's not sticky and chewy, it's a sophisticated smelling burnt sugar caramel.  I also get the vanilla in the background, but, being in a sweet scent, it gets a bit lost behind the caramel.  The chilis are there, but add just a subtle smoky spice.

 

Dry down:

 

I really like this!  I wish there was more of the chili note (because I think there should be more perfume with it, especially with sweet notes), though.  I was kind of expecting more of it, but I'm not mad.  The caramel and vanilla meld into a particularly creamy caramel with a sprinkling of burnt sugar. 

 

Interestingly, my mom had sort of a reverse experience smelling this on me.  She could smell the spice well before the caramel, but that was from a distance.  Up close, she said she got caramel and spice.

 

The final verdict:

 

Winner!  This is a really nice, somewhat unconventional foody scent.  It's like a high-end, gourmet caramel from a fancy chocolate shop.  Very nice blend of all three ingredients, but a little light on the chili.

 

I'm glad I didn't swap this one away right off the bat, when it was too caramel-intensive for me.  A good reminder to let things set for a bit and retest.

[fairybites]

Smokey, sweet, and spicy caramel. The vanilla stays in the background on me. I swear this reminds me of kettle corn but like a spicy version. Definitely getting mostly the smoked chilis. It smells sooo good and I know you aren't supposed to eat these but I wish I could taste this. Sadly, as much as I enjoy this the throw is on the low side and fades sort of quickly on me.

 

Will try and hunt down a bottle of this, it is gorgeous. I wish I got into BPAL when these Menages were released, I'm interested in all of them! 

[wolf_truffles]

I'm really obsessed with this one and purchased 3 bottles. Caramel is stuck-in-your-mouth salty rich, vanilla makes it buttery and fattening but the smoke chilis.. holy cow. Smoked and spicy, it adds a much needed kick to this so it wouldn't drown you in sweetness. The end result is sweet, warm, salty, smokey and spicy. It's perfect. Powerful throw and you can smell it for hours. The longer it dries the spicier it gets. 

[JakkieTreehorn]

LAWD!  This is literally perfect.  I’m so glad I was able to track down a nearly full bottle. I get almost no morphing.  In the bottle, wet and dry down are about the same.  It’s possibly the greatest thing I’ve ever smelled.  It’s sweet, smoky, buttery and chewy with a spice that is just perfect.  I truly wish I’d jumped on this when it was released.  It is not unsimilar to other Vanilla, caramel spicy gourmands from BPAL, but it’s like the perfected version of those others that I love.  The heat from the chilis takes it to a different level than others that are similar but have cinnamon, clove and/or nutmeg for spice.  Immediate top 5 fave for me.