[Andra]

Centzon Totochtin:

The Four Hundred divine rabbits of the Aztec pantheon that preside over parties and drunkenness. Bittersweet Mexican cocoa with rum, red wine, and a scent redolent of sacrificial blood.

First Impression: Deep dark cocoa, Almost the scent of Nutella in a vial.

Second impression: This is a very deep scent, the richest of cocoa, the finest, darkest red wine. The long drydown reveals something richly floral, but then wine and chocolate can have floral notes. It's a gorgeous scent. Though it doesn't smell like it, I can compare the "type" of scent to CK Obsession.

Final Analysis: The long, long drydown went a bit funny on me, but I think it's definitely worth it as this is such a complex and unique scent.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF - coffee

WEARING IT - dark cocoa and coffee. all i need is the cream :P this is a really interesting, intriguing scent. it’s certainly not a seductive scent in my opinion, more of a scent you'd wear out to lunch or if you're just hanging out and not doing much.

VERDICT - wouldn’t buy a bottle, but it’s still nice.

[silverangel]

Hello coffee ice cream! It's creamy and thick, but it's all coffee, with maybe a touch of cocoa thrown in for good measure. The rum is in there, somewhere, but it's hiding in the background, probably up to no good. Rum slinks in the shadows while cocoa starts doing cartwheels around the coffee scent. It's kind of playful in a grownup way. This is definitely a lounging around with friends scent. Don't think I'd buy a bottle, but I'll keep the imp around.

[starrykitten]

This reminds me of a more nocturnal, dessert-y version of Lady MacBeth. The wine is prominent, juicy, and very red. There's chocolate overtones, though, so wearing this is like eating a yummy mocha chocolate with an inside full of sticky red wine syrup. :P


ETA: This blend is what Kali would be without balsam or rose, if that helps at all. :D

This post has been edited by starrykitten: 02 January 2005 - 08:52 PM

[jj_j]

At first, coffee sprang to my mind, too. Not black coffee, but coffee with something in it - a strong shot of Tia Maria and rum in it, perhaps. With a little waiting, it becomes a rich dark chocolate note, bitter and full, with a definite splash of the wine note the Lab uses so beautifully in their blends.

The sweetness of the rum isn't prominent, but it's an interesting backing to the wine. The two also serve to temper and meld the metallic note that is indeed reminiscent of blood - not so much the scent or the taste, but the impression of both at the same time.

The wine note sort of curdles on me after Centzon Totochtin has been on for a few hours, so I think I'm going to pass on a big bottle of this. Don't hold me to that, though, because this is such an intriguing scent that I may not be able to resist. At the very least I'll be using up the imp, because I'm hoping it's just a funky body chemistry moment that changes the wine note - and if it is, that means I'll be able to get the big bottle after all!

[sh1mm3r]

In the bottle: I smell the red wine with the BPAL blood scent. I'm a little concerned, because a lot of wine scents only smell like wine after a while.

Wet: All boozey on me, with a background of blood.

Dry: The cocoa is coming through but is sweetened and rounded out by the other scents.

This one is a keeper! I never have enough scents that are warming, and this will be a good one. But not too thick and sweet as to be inappropriate for work, etc.

[ChupaChup]

I was determined to love Centzon Totochtin because of the rabbits :P . It really smells like sweet coffee at first, a little buttery, and then the coffee transforms into bitter cocoa. Eventually the rum and red wine come through just a little to warm and sweeten it. I love it at this stage but then about 15 minutes later, a bitter under-note develops. It may be the wine curdling that jj_j mentions, but it's reminding me of vetiver, a note that often does not play nicely with my skin. Off to swaps!

[sarahmarie]

At first, I smelled buttery honey with a hint of cocoa and/or coffee. The butter disappears almost immediately when I put it on, which I am grateful for. On my wrist, it smelled a lot like honey at first, but now that's fading and I get more of the cocoa and a boozey smell, which gradually develops into wine somewhere in the background. It's still very sweet, but it isn't quite at the "too-sweet" point. Instead, it's warm and rich, and reminds me a lot of Blood Kiss. It's a bit too sweet and heavy for me to wear most days, but it's definitely a scent I like and will wear when I can. Plus, I love the description - four hundred divine rabbits! Yay!

[fallow deer]

I was really drawn to this blend since chocolate and wine have been succesful for me so far.

However, we are not talking about chocolate here. We are not even talking about dark chocolate. This is hardcore, bitter-as-hell class A cocoa, the kind you can't buy in supermarkets.

And the wine. Not your easy drinking Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is sharp and even slightly vinegary.

From the vial, both notes caught at the back of my throat and were far from inviting.

It didn't really mellow out on, either, so I washed it off. That'll teach me to see chocolate and wine as comforting...

[Astarte]

The description for this one jumped out at me when the new update was posted, who couldnt resist a combination of chocolate AND alcohol.

On myself, Centon starts off by smelling like chocolate bubblegum which I assume is the dragons blood making itself known. It settles down and the wine note comes out and tinges everything to a more boozy note.

After a few hours though, one of the notes had soured (wine presumably) and it didnt smell quite right on me, but it's still a wonderful scent. Very comforting for the winter.

[cuervosueno]

Oh my gods and goddesses! Read me lovestruck! :P
Not that I'm getting jaded...but maybe I am. Its been awhile since a BPAL scent hit me so hard. I absolutely love this, and it is like nothing else I have.
First let me set the introductory scene for you. My birthday,Dec 21, spent with a good friend at a lovely spa in Santa Fe. To top of the day, I get my solstice BPAL order, which among other things contains Midwinter's Eve, Hearth, Cerebus, Ice Queen. I'm smelling them all, and then I'm bowled over by the imp of Centzon.
For me, it starts of cocoa, yes, unsweetened, powdered cocoa, but also coffee with cream. And a sweet note too...not as sweet as the brown-sugary notes of my beloved dia de los muertos, but sweet nonetheless. Its later that the sweetness fades some and I get the definite bloom of rum or red wine...something rich and alcoholic, anyway. I don't smell the dragon's blood myself--is that in there?--but it blends to something sweet and deliciously indescribable.
On me, this becomes a sweet, warm brown mix, comforting and seductive in a way that suggests warmth and richness.
I adore it! More than anything else in that order, though it was a particularly great batch.
I immediately ordered a big bottle!
gotta have more. thank you beth and divine rabbits! :D

[diabolique]

i've noticed the people who live in the west tend to like this more than those in the east.

i seriously love this. when i opened up the bottle and sniffed, my eyes went wide and i said, "yummy!" i could smell creamy coffee and that sweet tart candy scent beth's wine note has. on my skin, centzon totochtin goes on a little bit gritty. it's like the smell of coffee, blowing dust (which i am all too familiar with, living in the south plains), and wine.

the rum is coming out and it doesn't smell too bad. it reminds me of a girly vetiver. now that the rum has taken over, i can't smell that gorgeous creamy coffee or the sweet tarty wine note, but i can tell they're there.

the rum stage is the last one in this oil, and i think it's beyond gorgeous. i love you so much, beth!

[darkling]

In the bottle: It smells strongly of chocolate, making me nervous because I did not like Vice at all.

On my skin: This is an entirely different form of chocolate. It is natural and bitter. It reminds me of my trips to the Children's Museum when I was a child because one of their exhibits involved making your own Mexican hot chocolate by crushing the chcocolate with a mortar and pestle.

Time passes: The chocolate scent remains natural and has developed an undertone of wine. I don't pick up any hint of blood or rum but it is delicious all the same.

It lasts for a few hours but would require reapplication throughout the day.

[Theravada]

I can't decide if I like this one or not :P I really, really wanted to like it...I was looking forward to trying it when I saw the notes in it, but I think I've come to realize recently that red wine is not a note that works well for me.

This scent is thick and extremely heady. It is very strong and has aggressive throw. I didn't get the bitter cocoa that most everyone else did. For me this was sticky blood and red wine dregs.

Maybe it's just so different and unexpected and I need to give it more time, like Jack. Hrm....jury still out on this one.

This post has been edited by Theravada: 04 January 2005 - 06:08 AM

[Penance]

First sniff:

This reminds me of a combinatin of Dia De Los Muertos and Grog. I smell strong bittersweet cocoa and rum right out of the imp...this isn't a sweet chocolate scent by any means, it's like burying your nose in a canister of pure cocoa powder and inhaling, complete with the tickling sensation. I have a feeling I'm either going to love this one or hate it. :D

Wet on skin:

The cocoa is a lot less overpowering now and I smell rum and red wine most prominently. It's boozy smelling but with an underlying bitterness from the cocoa. This isn't a wallflower kind of chocolate scent, it grabs you by the collar and shakes you - Centzon Totochtin is aggressive and rowdy-smelling and not at all bashful - just the sort of thing I love in a scent. :D

Dry down:

Now that it's dry, Centzon Totochtin has mellowed some. The cocoa has lost its edge and the rum and wine have combined to form a sort of rich, boozy foreground that's not quite rum and not quite wine, but something in between. This reminds me of a more jaded version of Dia De Los Muertos. I was worried about how strong the cocoa was initially in this one (I hate chocolate), but I really like the dry down. :P

The bottom line:

A grown-up's chocolate scent. There's nothing sweet or innocent about Centzon Totochtin; it's bawdy and brash and sophisticated all at once and it's definitely a winner in my book. :D

[erishkigal]

this one is like dia de los muertos' chocoholic lil sister. it reminds me a lot of dia, without the floral notes. its a very robust chocolate scent mixed with something sinister almost... very deep scent. i love it!!!!

[orangepoppy]

Mmm! Chocolate and red wine! Centzon Totochtin is spellbinding ~ I can almost taste it. The cocoa takes a backseat to the wine and something spicy emerges. I really like this scent, it's complex enough. I can no longer smell the cocoa after an hour's wearing, but reslathering solves that instantly. Decadent and rich. I want to lounge in the extreme.

[kimmer]

I was wondering if I was the only one who got coffee from this scent. In reading the other reviews, I can see I am not.

The bittersweet chocolate is most apparent, with a slight fruitiness that I would imagine comes from the wine.

Something in my body chemistry turns this blend into bitter coffee with a little bit of chocolate. However, I can't feel too bad that this scent didn't work for me--Velvet and Bliss are a tough act to follow.

[t3andcrumpets]

In the vial: coffee and wine, with a splash of cocoa.

On me: coffee and wine for a while, then mellowing down to wine, rum, and maybe a hint of dragon's blood? I'm not sure what the blood scent is, but yeah, I smell it under all of the sweet liquor.

This is Kali, but without the florals, and deeper, darker, more twisted. And it's strong.

I looooove it.

[ViolentKitten]

Very deep and very dark. This is an intriguingly complex scent. Warm, and slightly bittersweet, it's darkest of dark chocolate, red wine, rum, treacle, and coffee syrup with a hint of tobacco, all rushing up to my nose and mingling in a very mmmmm-worthy way. I don't get the metallic tang of blood, but it might be there underneath, providing some of that warmth. Centzon Totochtin might not one I'll wear often, but definitely one I'll want to put on and breathe in now and then. There's something about it.

PS: I agree with those who say it reminds them of Dia de los Muertos, because when I first smelt this one, it's what I initially thought Dia would smell like. Dia's got the florals that Centzon doesn't, and Centzon has the addition of a hell of a lot more chocolate and alcohol...perfect for a chocoholic's drunken party!

This post has been edited by ViolentKitten: 17 January 2005 - 08:39 AM

[miss apple]

Centzon Totochtin

In the bottle - red wine, almost overpowering with a tinge of dark chocolate.

Once on, mmm the chocolate is more prominent and there's a little hint of coffee. It reminds me a bit of Mata Hari without the florals and, as other mentioned, Kali. After a few hours the red wine, chocolate, and coffee notes have blended together to create a lush, heady perfume. This is a fabulous oil and I think it may be one of my top ten :P

[pkwench]

Centzon Totochtin

I wore this for the first time today over a little sandalwood body frosting. They melded well together, but the lotion's scent had a tendency to eat Centzon Totochtin.

In the vial, there's an initial hit of a rich coffee, but the second sniff brings up a sweet cocoa scent. On the skin, the wine and something just ... naughty, wicked and sweet comes up, grabs it all, and just twists it all around into a really intriuging and pleasing scent. I will add this to my bottle wishlist because it's just so delightfully peculiar in all of the most enjoyable ways. :P

[lixolux]

red wine red wine red wine heady rich back of the mouth taste of red wine.

it started out a lot like honey+coffee+amber+chocolate but then quickly turned to red wine and has stayed as wine for over an hour now! Its making me salivate! I dont know if it is something i would wear often but, hmmm, its so exactly red wine its amazing!

[Donnababe]

Centzon Totochtin

On me this is a very dark tempered chocolate blend. It's Bliss with PMS! :P

Sadly I do not get a trace of the wine or the rum, instead just a rich and nutty smell with a spicy kick. The kick thankfully stops it from being too rich but this is still not the type of blend that I can do justice.

[isyche]

On me, Centzon Totochtin is all unsweetened dark cocoa and strong alcohol, and I do get a faint coppery tang – it smells like some kind of bitter chocolate liqueur mixed with blood, actually. but not in a bad way...it's interesting. I don't get any coffee or creaminess.

It smells harsh, unrefined, almost barbaric, and conjures up definite Aztec-temple images. I like it because it's so different, but it's not a very "me" scent, and I don't think I could take it in large quantities.