Pumpkinville

[Seajewel]

A pumpkin-spiced homage to this very limited Convergence 12 BPAL perfume from 2006: a sultry, sweet red musk blend with pumpkin spices and pumpkin pulp.

[Geminirubyshoes]

This is like a red musk and pumpkin sister to Morocco. It’s warm and rich and sultry and definitely gives a hazy waft of scent that lingers as it dries down. Red musk lovers will rejoice! I’m so glad this was able to be created and I am putting a bottle away for aging. Also the label art is flippin’ adorable!

[wolf_truffles]

Yes! This is good. Real good. The red musk is about as smutty as it gets (besides Smut maybe). Pumpkin spices are in the background as sort of an afterthought. Pumpkin pulp is buttery and rich. Oddly doesn't go into Halloween territory. Buttery, vaguely spicy red musk. No idea what Storyville smells like but this is basically what I would expect..

[frizzlechicken]

Red Musk, non-sweet pumpkin, and some kind of gorgeous light floral all rolled into one. It’s stunning. I can only imagine how nicely it will deepen with age!

[starbrow]

I wasn't prepared for oudh when I opened up Pumpkinville for the first time, but it is totally here. The indoles start out right on the edge of cringey for me - and as we know, everybody's tolerance for what they find pleasant/unpleasant about indoles is totally unique from person to person! - but as a reference, Pumpkin Musk & Black Oudh was always deliciousness to me from the start, and The Shadowed Veil and The Empty House were both pumpkin + oudh wins from 2019 for me.

 

Once on the skin, the oudh smooths out and allows the red musk, dark vanilla, and hint of tobacco/booze to speak more. This is the stage that might remind you of Smut, the way Storyville would. The oudh turns frothy and rich and quite perfumey, bathing everything in sweet creamy woods. I have smelled this from some high-end vanillas as well, which is what Pumpkinville is reminding me of: a very expensive designer vanilla Eau de Parfum. I get plenty of spice but not really PUMPKIN spice? The pumpkin is quiet, making this a more accessible perfume year-round.

 

If you love those BPAL red musk classics - Smut, Morocco, Scherezade - you can't go too far wrong with Pumpkinville. In spite of the name, this is not a pumpkiny or even a foodie kind of scent. This is a perfume for people who like to smell LIKE a perfume. I think it will age like a champ. It lacks the gingerbread spices that make Storyville more of a warm gourmand-inspired musk, and it has less tobacco and of course 1000% more oudh 😅  buuut it will definitely be a crowd-pleaser for BPAL fans!

[Kanra]

As someone who considers Storyville one of her top 5 (maybe even top 3) BPAL, and who regularly buys pumpkin scents to wear year round because pumpkins are glorious, I was SO thrilled to see this.

 

I must say, I wasn't disappointed at all. Like a previous reviewer (starbrow) said, this is a bit more perfumey than a lot of indies but that isn't a bad thing for me as I do love mainstream (well, niche) perfume as well. Surprisingly, this isn't the pumpkin explosion I expected it to be and is actually quite a classy yet sultry scent. Like in Pinched With Four Pumpkins, the pumpkin is definitely there but it isn't overwhelming so even it is more "seasonally appropriate" wearing outside of October than many pumpkin scents. (Though I will still continue my push to make even the most pumpkiny things appropriate all year.)

 

I'd have to do a side by side testing with Storyville someday, but sniffing out of the bottle, the red musk in Storyville is deeper --- but again, that depth comes with age. I honestly expect this to age beautifully and for the musk here to be a lot more reminiscent of my beloved Storyville. I wasn't into BPAL at the time but I do wonder if this is how Storyville smelt while young! It is beautiful young as well and I wouldn't stick it to the back of my collection to wait for aging, but I do think I'll buy a backup or two to age up for the future. This is a scent I won't ever grow tired of and is already climbing up my top BPAL list.

[rhonorv]

I have not tried the perfume for on this was based (though I've heard tell!). I do love red musk a lot, and I've been looking for something 🔥spicier 🔥-- my collection right now leans pretty heavily toward the sweet side. So I was hoping that Pumpkinville would be that perfume, and that the pumpkin wouldn't be too overwhelming for flexibility's sake.

 

Did all of my wishes come true? Yes.

 

Wet and in the bottle there's a gourmandy, mouthwatering cake-iness, like a spicy pumpkin pie. As it dries, the red musk sings and the spice overtakes the pumpkin part of the pie. Like other folks have mentioned this is a perfumey blend, and it has a foundational sweetness that's just gorgeous. There's something in here that smells like the faintest ghost of a jasmine, too? It's so pretty!

[forspecial_plate]

I haven't tried Storyville either but this. Is. Beautiful.  I am getting the same impression as the reviewer before me.  Basically I smell light and airy, slightly cakey/bready, hint of floral (ghost of jasmine is exactly what I thought too - slightly indolic), incensey musk.  Sooo smooth and light, and not the spicy/earthy (in my opinion) red musk I was expecting.  Is there more than one red musk accord?  This fades and after a while I think more of the spices are coming out, but again very light, and elegant.  I'm not sure I need any other pumpkin scents after this, it's that good.

 

I already ordered a backup bottle and I very rarely do that!  I can't stop sniffing my wrist and I find myself reapplying often so I can relive the experience.  : ) 

 

Edit: I want to add, I do smell the pumpkin at the beginning then it fades somewhat, which is in line with my usual experience with the lab's pumpkin note 

 

Edit again: I read starbrow's review, she mentioned oud - is that where the indoles are coming from??  Oud is another one of those notes I don't always recognize.  Somehow I'm getting jasmine with my chemistry, but just a slight hint, so don't worry too much if jasmine isn't your thing!  It might just be an olfactory illusion.

Edited November 10, 2021 by forspecial_plate

[SophieCedar]

Guys? I've never tried Storyville. There. I said it. Confession over.

I agree its got a poufy light jasmine effect.  I say closer to BiggerCritters when wet. Dry- Add a bit of cinnamon baking spice like Chimera, light red musk and a touch of that boozy swarthy Smut sugar musk mix...*blam* Pumpkinville.  Lower throw, on me but pretty nice!

[Tamarinda]

OK! Not to be too graphic, but in the bottle, this smells like a wet & sloppy bee jay in a kitchen where a pumpkin cheesecake is baking. It's a wild smell that's a little yikes, but also compelling. Fresh out of the mail, that's pretty much what I got on my skin as well. The throw was aggressive and it lasted hours.

 

Now that my bottle has settled for a few days, it still smells the same. BUT, on the skin it now smells like perfume. There's only a hint of skanky pumpkin cheesecake. It's mostly a beautiful, light musky, perfumey scent that promises to age into something very rich and provocative. It's currently fairly close to the skin and I'm not sure how long it will last. I will update as time goes on.

[vanilla323]

This was just like the description pumpkin spices and red musk, sadly the red musk went powdery on me and not in a good way. It smothered any foodie pumpkin that I wanted. Sadly sold off my bottle. 

[roseus]

In the bottle I just get a dark, smooth pumpkin. No spices really, maybe just a whisper of musk. On my skin the red blooms. It's deep red musk, not very sugared or fruity. Velvety and the pumpkin adds a richness. Struggling to pick out spices but I think there's something woody underneath, I agree there might be some oud.

[skyturtles]

YES! This is one for red musk fans. I absolutely adored my decant of Pumpkin Pie Musk, and had the super sads when I lost it. When I read the notes for Pumpkinville, it reminded me of it and knew it had to be the one Halloweenie I would get, if any. I'm glad I took the plunge! From the bottle I got a very sweet and buttery funnel cakey scent, which spiked fear in me. Thankfully that recedes quite a bit on the skin, as the spices and musk take over. It's actually quite complex. The search is over; I've found a musky pumpkin spice scent. ❤️

[torischroeder9]

I've also never tried Storyville, but I love just about anything with red musk or pumpkin spice, so both at once is good in my book. 

 

In the bottle: Buttery pumpkin and the whuff I love from red musk. In the Weenies discussion thread, my initial straight-from-the-mail sniff test compared it to Pumpkin Smut, but I'd no longer make that comparison. It's more pumpkin now, less smut. But still red musk. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, I get that same Pumpkin Smut initial impression. It's sweet and musky and pumpkiny and dirty, and I love it. No discernable pumpkin spice at this moment, but who the heck cares As it dries, I get a little of the pumpkin spice, and there is something sweetening the red musk. You could convince me it's one of the same notes that sweetens Third Charm. It's playing nice on me, which tilts the balance away from jasmine (as others have suggested), but it's still well within the realm of possibility. 

 

Given more time to develop, the top "sweetening" note does get lighter in character than anything I get from Third Charm, bringing jasmine back into the picture. I also get something almost ambery in the skin scent. Nope, wait -- several minutes later, and that "ambery" scent has turned into direct pumpkin spice. There's still something light and floral sweet perfumey, though. Not so forward on the pumpkin itself or even the red musk at this stage, but pretty is pretty  

[doomsday_disco]

This reminds me of the Conjure Bag scents. It started off as strong on the red musk, which is darker, more sugared, and not fruity like a lot of the red musk I've encountered, and it is infused with a lightly spiced (I think there's a really nice, chewy, Shub Niggurath-esque ginger in here?) bakery jasmine vibe that is a powerhouse that just wafts up for hours on end. The musk may be one of the ones from Smut, too, but not the grape-y one that I dislike. So musk, at least one of Shub's gingers (that may also be in Snake Oil and Vixen?), and a floral note that may be a pretty well-behaved jasmine? I got a decant of this because of the hype, thinking with the musk that I wouldn't like it at all, but I did enjoy the scent that was wafting up at me today, at least when it was less floral (it becomes floral-dominant on me by the end of the day). I actually don't get any pumpkin from this, although perhaps it is what is lending that bakery feel to the scent.

 

I've never tried Storyville (and haven't wanted to knowing how sought-after it is and how much it goes for), but I like this more than I was expecting to! I'll need to retest this before it goes away to see if I need more. At the moment, I feel like this scent is so strong that a decant would suffice, buuuuut it may be hard to find more of this once it goes away, so I may end up with a bottle just in case this ages like Shub, Snake Oil, and Vixen do.

[firefae]

Pumpkin scents are more miss than hit for me, and pumpkin spice tends to be something I'd rather eat than wear. But dang do I love me some red musk, particularly if it's got some sweetness to it, and Storyville is such a legend of a scent (that I have never sniffed, but its reputation precedes it!) that I just couldn't *not* get a decant of this.

 

In the decant, there's some musky pumpkin, maybe a little spice in there but not nearly the nutmeg-cinnamon bomb I'd feared.

 

On my skin? I don't even know how to describe this. Do I love it? I might love it. The pumpkin fades pretty quickly on me into a creamy background note, and there's an almost-almond nuttiness with just the gentlest of spices (like doomsday_disco noted above, ginger is one I would point to as definitely coming through to my nose), and a lush, round, sweet red musk base. It's got some big throw, and I'm not complaining about that because it's a pretty wonderful cloud of scent to be at the center of.

 

I haven't worn this long enough to get into the deep drydown of it, so will be testing further before deciding whether to commit to more than my decant, but it's been a very pleasant surprise for me so far!

[Llanval]

This was big gamble for me, as I know there are notes in the original Storyville that are ☠️ for me. BUT, luckily everything worked out really well.

 

In bottle it's sweet creamy pumpkin cake with a hint of uh....sex. Honestly it's the oud, but there is a slight zap of funk but it's not a bad funk more an 'orgy happened here 30 min ago' funk. I laughed at the review up thread re the bj pumpkin cheesecake and yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah kinda?! There is a sex funk here, no denying it.

 

The minute it hits my skin the oud shushes and isn't really noticeable as oud, just a pleasant zing of odd 'hmm what is that, it's a little funky' lingering under the sweet notes. the red musk and pumpkin play really well together and no one bullies anyone else. It is a little gourmand/foodie when wet as the pumpkin reads more like a creamy pumpkin tart with maaaaaybe a hint of cream cheese swirl but that isn't really where the scent lands. I can see this stage reading as pumpkin loaf rather than cheesecake because there is a baked/crumbly aspect here but it does not last long at all. Under 30 min.

 

Dry, Pumpkinville is (or will be) a stunner. This is a subtle but always present cloud of sweet red musk and pumpkin with a complicated base of what I know is some sort of booze and spices. I can also tell there's jasmine in this but its sultry not stanky and behaves really well. Jasmine is a ☠️ note for me so I am SHOCKED this is staying so wearable for me. It is subtle but I never lose it, and it wears for hours and hours.

 

Verdict: Pumpkinville is a baby. New, unsure and finding its legs. It's sweet, cozy, sexy and yet warm and gentle.  It straddles the line between foodie and perfume-y and will be something extra special in a few months/next year.  I want the red musk to be louder and deeper, but that comes with age! it is a sweet pumpkin that will grow more and more wicked and intoxicating as this baby ages!! I do NOT need any of the original Storyville but I am so fucking pleased this is so enjoyable and wearable for me. I do wish it had a bit more throw but that may change with time.  Also maybe more throw isn't needed since who knows what sort of powers aging will bring to this bottle.

[Marina Napoli]

Oh dear. 

 

Okay, I'll be honest, I KNEW that this one was a gamble for me, but Storyville is so well loved that I just had to try it out.

 

Woof. Is there jasmine in this? There's gotta be jasmine in this. It smells like the same one in New Orleans, which is to say... It is intense. This jasmine is VERY heavy on the indole for me, so if that tends to turn into diapers on you, give this one a skip.

 

I'm going to let it age and see if it mellows out, but for now, it's a scrubber for me.

 

Edit 12/13/2021: Alright, now that it's had a couple weeks to settle, I am re-testing. 

 

Okay, WOW. I mean, really wow. The diaper note is completely gone now. All I'm getting is red musk and sugar and something buttery that I am assuming is the pumpkin. This scent has done a complete 180, changing from a scrubber to something I'm sniffing over and over. 

 

If your bottle smells scary out of the mail, I can attest that it will get better!

Edited December 13, 2021 by Marina Napoli

[Poenari]

Disclaimer: I have a head cold and congestion right now, so will edit this initial review as my full sense of smell returns. Also, I have never sniffed Storyville, so this is not a comparison.

 

I adore red musk and the pumpkin spice blends, so even without the throwback to OG Storyville, I would have bought a bottle. First thoughts after reading earlier reviews, I dislike jasmine, it always amps on me, and I get no indolic notes from this.

 

The red musk in this one is smooth and gentle. It's not as heady as in my other beloved red musk Weenies, such as Third Charm, Lucy Kissed, or Mircalla. It doesn't have that after-sex smell that I get from Smut either. This is a very lovely red musk, wearable and not too sexy. The pumpkin spice is also gentled. It's not as prominent as in many of my other PS blends, and therefore doesn't scream "Halloween!" or "Seasonal!"

 

All together, this blend is just perfect for any season and any setting. It's lovely, long lasting, and even with my congestion I am catching wafts of it, so it definitely has some throw. I need backups!!

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Poenari
Spelling

[Molls]

I’ve never tried Storyville, but I love red musk, and I love pumpkin, so I thought this would be a fairly safe blind buy. 
Also, I had Covid a year ago, and my sniffer is still wonky sometimes. 
In the bottle, I get a smooth, sweet red musk, mostly. Once it’s on my skin, that jasmine pops out 😳 jasmine is never nice to me. I’ll see how this develops throughout the day, but I probably won’t be keeping this bottle. 

[feyofthefellwood]

Fresh out of the mail, I was a bit confused by this scent; I mostly smelled a sort of red musk, burnt spice with an indolic background. Resting has done this wonders, however! There's something sweet underlying the red musk, like black vanilla maybe; the red musk is recognizable but different to my nose than most other red musk blends, where the red musk takes over and that's all I can smell. Here, the red musk is very deep rather than high pitched, and balanced with glowing spice and a hint of creamy pumpkin, and I definitely think the indole is jasmine now that I can smell it better. It's the kind of jasmine I like---a little stanky but also sweet, a bit ethereal---reminding me of the tender jasmine in Defututa and La Prostitution et la Folie.

 

I've never tried the OG Storyville, but am really glad I took a chance on this. I don't have anything else quite like it, and can only imagine that it will age like a dream.

[Seajewel]

This starts out with a huge blast of indolic jasmine on me too, which I find somewhat off-putting .That said, after it dries down it becomes positively delectable, like a sweet red musk blend. Not really getting pumpkin. Makes me wish the original were obtainable, especially if it doesn’t start off with that blast of jasmine. 

Edited December 4, 2021 by Seajewel

[Casablanca]

Spicy, smutty jasmine over a background pumpkin and red musk. 

 

Spicy: The pumpkin spices are delightful on the jasmine. I'm not sure they're really just the pumpkin-typical stuff; they seem richer and more varied.

 

Smutty: Smutty as in Smut-ty, for this gives off some sugars.

 

Jasmine: Forward.

 

Pumpkin: A little buttery, and a lot in the background. It's a gentle, warming atmo-pumpkin.

 

Red musk: Strong when the blend first arrived, but it has mellowed some and, on this second test, blends into the other notes more. Amazingly, the red musk doesn't completely suck on me in this perfume.

 

I like this. But I think the jasmine might be a little too extra what I wear these days.

[fairybites]

I never got to try the original Storyville, but wow this is nice! It needed some time to warm up on my skin, because when I first applied it I thought it was good but not spectacular (it also was extremely sweet, close to bubblegum, and no hint of musks for a bit). Now that it has dried down more, it is addicting.

 

I don't smell actual pumpkin in this, but I do smell some vanilla. Reminds me of Smut a little bit since it's sugary sweet and almost boozy. The spices aren't too overpowering, this is more sweetened musk than anything with pumpkin spice in the background. But it doesn't scream like a fall blend to me, so this can definitely be worn any time of year.

I think with age, it'll get even more lovely. It doesn't have a huge throw, but honestly I don't mind it. Definitely suggest trying this out if you love a heavily musky scent, I don't think this will disappoint!

 

 

[zankoku_zen]

Smoky red musk, hint of oudh, spices. This to me a spiced red musk. Good throw and wear length.