SurrealReality

I was not looking forward to this one at all as leather is not a smell that I enjoy. Really only got a decant because I'd decided to try the entire Wild Hearses set. 

General Impression: Slightly sweet, deep, rich, atmospheric. 

Notes I can smell: The lab's dead leaves note, tobacco, and pumpkin. 

The lab's "dead leaves" note is the strongest note here. Odd since it's not listed, but I see that I'm not the only one who got that impression. I hate leather so much that smelling it often makes me feel a bit queasy, yet somehow this particular leather note doesn't smell like leather to me at all. Instead, it smells like a deep, rich, and somewhat sweet tobacco. I guess if I concentrate, I can imagine some part of this note as leather…. but I have to really search my soul to find it. This pumpkin note is what I wish all pumpkin notes would aspire to be. It's somewhat sweet but not gourmand, vegetal, a little buttery, and also a little smoky with a tiny dash of cinnamon. 

If I hadn't gotten a decant set of Wild Hearses, I definitely would have skipped this one. What a tragedy that would have been! This is my favorite of the set by far. It may even be my new favorite atmosphere spray! It does make me wonder though.... what other amazing scents have I missed out on due to frightening notes? 

General Impression: Slightly sweet, resinous, powdery. 

Notes I can Smell: Snake Oil, a microscopic drop of Dorian, and a minuscule speck of moss. 

All I can really smell here is the Snake Oil. Dorian is so far in the background that half the time I think I'm just imagining it. There's no mud, but I think there maybe a hint of green moss. Very faint though. 

This is a bit disappointing. I like Snake Oil, but Dorian was what I was really looking forward to here. If you're a huge fan of straight SO though, look no further. 

General Impression: Slightly sweet, fresh, bright, tart, citrusy. 

Notes I can smell: Lime and citron with vague hints of other notes around the edges. 

The only notes that really pop out here are the lime and the citron (with the lime securely in the lead). They're both fresh, but unexpectedly sweet notes. I cannot smell the white musk as a separate note, but it seems to be giving the lime a slightly fizzy quality. In the background, I can smell a hint of rum and perhaps black pepper (but I have to really concentrate to notice). 

I like lime. But I don't like it THIS much. I wish the other notes were more apparent. 

The other reviews describe a more nuanced scent than the one I am experiencing. All I can smell is eye-watering bonfire smoke. The kind that forces you to play musical chairs while sitting around the bonfire in a futile attempt to escape the fumes.  

I am actually a big fan of BPAL's industrial scents, such as Wasteland World and Smokestack, so this was disappointing. If you buy this, may you have the experience of the other reviewers and not mine. 

I was hesitant about this one because maple syrup and I don't really get along. Too sweet for me. But I decided to give it a try anyway. 

General Impression: Very sweet, rich, gourmand. 

Notes I can smell: Bitter-sweet coffee, fluffy pancakes, butter, maple syrup, and a light cinnamon sprinkle. 

As expected, this is a very sweet scent. However, there is less syrup and more coffee than I had anticipated, which helps to cut the sweetness a bit. I would say the coffee is the strongest note (and it is a strong coffee). A pat of butter melts over the pancakes, blending in with the maple syrup. Delicious and very realistic, truly smells like I could actually stick a fork in them. There is also a hint of cinnamon coming from somewhere. Very mild though. 

At first I thought one bottle would be plenty. After having used it a few times, I'm gonna need at least two. If I were more into super sweet gourmands, this would be a panic and buy ALL the bottles type situation. 

The second I saw this scent, I was hoping for a near-dupe of the elusive Snake Oil Jelly Doughnut. 

With SOJD on my right hand and Snakes in the Berry Sonker on my left...

Snake Oil Jelly Doughnut

Notes I smell: Sweet fried dough, raspberry jelly, and Snake Oil. 

Snakes in the Berry Sonker

Notes I smell: Light flaky pastry, blackberries, raspberries, white sugar, molasses, and Snake Oil. 

Note by Note:

• The fried dough of SOJD is so much richer than the flaky pastry note in Snakes in the Berry Sonker. They are not similar at all. 
• The berry note of SOJD is a sweet raspberry jelly. The berry note of Snakes in the Berry Sonker is considerably less sweet and I smell more blackberry than raspberry (no blueberry at all). It's more like lightly sugared baked fruit than the sweet, sticky jelly of SOJD. The blackberry in Berry Sonker is adding a tartness that does not exist in SOJD. 
• The Snake Oil in SOJD seems more resinous and sweet, while the Snake Oil in Berry Sonker seems more spicy and dry. That could be due to age, but it could also be due to Snake Oil reformulation (I vaguely remember a reformulation announced, I don't wear SO by itself so I didn't pay a whole lot of attention). 
• I don't really smell the vanilla ice cream that's supposed to be in Berry Sonker, but I do smell a white sugar note along with the molasses. The white sugar is very prominent, the molasses much less so. SOJD doesn't have any comparable notes. 

Overall, SOJD is richer, deeper, sweeter, and creamier than Berry Sonker. Snake Oil Jelly Doughnut has pretty good throw and lasts all day. Berry Sonker is a much lighter scent and does not last nearly as long. I was really hoping these would be more similar and I'm surprised they're not. That being said, I do love both. If I had to choose though, it would be SOJD every. single. time. Looks like I will continue to use my bottle very sparingly for the foreseeable future. 

Basic idea: Lightly sweet, fruity, pink, resinous, earthy.

Notes I can pick out: Lollipop (sort of), bubblegum, and snake oil.

I figured this scent would be a sugar bomb, but I was wrong. The lollipop component here is really lovely. I don't usually go for lollipop notes because they're generally super sugary and tend to hog the spotlight, but this one is very different. It actually smells way more like a fruity drink to me rather than a lollipop. It's slightly tart and less sweet than any other lollipop note I've smelled and there's something light and almost aquatic about it. It smells like several flavors combined. If I had to guess, I'd say sour cherry-watermelon-kiwi, but I can't really tell. I'm very impressed with this note.  I also smell something like bubblegum, only not as sweet (maybe it's meant to be a blowpop?). The Snake Oil isn't as strong as the lollipop/bubblegum, but it's still very noticeable.

I really only wanted to try this because I'm on a mission to try all of the Dangernoodles, but I was pleasantly surprised. I don't really think it's my thing, but it's very pretty.

Basic idea: very sweet, gourmand, creamy, rich.

Notes I can pick out: vanilla frosting, white cake, cotton candy, a little cardamom, and a hint of something pleasantly sour.

Wow this is sweet. The vanilla frosted white cake is by far the strongest note and it's very rich. This is the kind of cake you take a few delicious bites of and then push the plate away because it's just too much. The cotton candy is also a fairly prominent note and of course only adds to the sweetness. The cardamom is far weaker and softer than I imagined it would be. I wouldn't even call this scent spicy. There is also a hint of something sour in here... to me, it smells like cream cheese, but that doesn't make much sense because confetti cake generally doesn't have cream cheese frosting. Maybe I'm actually smelling the sprinkles in the cake? Whatever it is, I'm grateful for it. It's the only thing in here that tempers the sweetness even slightly.

So anyway, yeah. Far too sweet for me. To be fair though, I expected it to be too sweet based on the notes. I only tried it because everyone seemed to love it so much.

Basic idea: sweet, gourmand, resinous, earthy.

Notes I can pick out: milk chocolate and snake oil.

This chocolate note is amazing. It's the perfect creamy milk chocolate. I don't get the Boomslang reference though because the cocoa in that doesn't smell anything like the chocolate in this. I was hoping for an even balance between the chocolate and the snake oil, but I really should have taken a hint from the name. It does say mega-sized chocolate bar after all. This is about 3/4 chocolate and 1/4 snake oil. It took me a while to decide, but I think this is just too much chocolate for me.

In my mind, I always thought I should love apple notes. I love pear notes. I love to eat apples. So why didn't I want to smell like apples? Regardless of the reason why, I had finally come to accept the fact that apple notes just do not work for me. So, when I received a tester of Caramel Apple SO as a frimp, I didn't even bother to try it. Just tossed in my "to frimp" box. Then one day, I guess I was bored and decided to give it a go. It took me completely by surprise. I love this so much that I wound up with backups.

Basic idea: sweet, fruity, resinous, earthy, gourmand.

Notes I can pick out: caramel, snake oil, and fresh apple.

The caramel and the snake oil are evenly balanced. I know caramel + snake oil sounds heavy, but it doesn't come off that way here. The caramel note itself is somehow lighter/softer than other caramel notes I've smelled from the lab. The apple is the weakest note, but not by much. Green and very tart - definitely a granny smith.

I don't know that I'll ever find another apple scent that works for me again, but I'm happy to have found at least one. For the record, I have tried Coral Snake and didn't like it at all (totally different apple note in that one).

Waaay back in... probably 2011 or so, my taste in perfume changed pretty drastically. My collection was nothing but gourmands and one by one, they all started to smell too sweet to me. Cloying even. I was confused and didn't know what notes to look for anymore, so I withdrew from this hobby for a while. When I came back, Love was one of the first scents I tried. It was the one scent that helped me to understand what I was looking for. It's sweet, but not all-out gourmand sweet.

Basic idea: sweet, gourmand, creamy, fruity, floral, pink.

Notes I can pick out: marshmallow, vanilla, strawberry cream, amber?, and sugared pink rose.

The marshmallow is definitely the strongest note. It's not a melty marshmallow or marshmallow fluff. This is like opening up a bag of fresh marshmallows - sweet, sugary, creamy, and just a touch powdery. There also seems to be some sort of amber in here, but then again it could just be more of that marshmallow powder. Who knows. Whatever it is, it's helping to keep this scent from becoming too rich. The strawberry is prominent - considerably more than a hint. I don't recall the lab using this particular strawberry note before and I really like it. It's much too realistic to be described as a lollipop, not nearly sweet enough to be called a jam or a syrup, and too creamy/not tart enough to be thought of as fresh. So I'm just gonna call it strawberry cream. The rose is also fairly prominent, but never takes over the scent. It smells like a softer, sweeter version of the pink roses I have growing in my backyard. I don't know crap about roses though, so I couldn't say what kind they actually are. I just know they aren't tea roses because I don't like the smell of those at all (reminds me of a certain shitty perfume my mom wore throughout the 90s).

So anyway yeah, Love became an immediate favorite. After finding this scent, I knew I was looking for gourmands with a little something extra to cut the sweetness a bit. ?

Basic idea: very sweet, gourmand, creamy, spicy, fruity.

Notes I can pick out: sugared cardamom, blueberry syrup, and gourmand vanilla (later becoming cream).

The cardamom in this is very distinctive. Immediately recognizable as cardamom, not clove and definitely not cinnamon. It seems sweeter than a lot of cardamom notes though, so I'm calling it sugared. Unfortunately, the blueberry is just too sweet for me. It's definitely not fresh blueberry or blueberry lollipop. It's like blueberry syrup - just about as sugary as a blueberry note could get. The vanilla is also pretty sweet/rich. After about two hours, the vanilla eventually turns into the lab's wonderful cream note (same one from Reflected Vulva, Glowing Vulva, etc), adding a much needed sour edge. At that point, this is gorgeous. Two hours is too long to wait though.

When I read the description, at first I thought "ewwww", but then I realized that the lab probably would not grace us with the scent of an actual infected eyeball. I say probably because they have created scents that smell like mutilated flesh (Gore-Shock) and Christmas dinner leftovers (Day-Old Ham), so you never can tell. Though I wasn't brave enough to purchase a bottle, I did get a decant and I'm hoping for the creamy sweet floral scent that may be implied by the words milky, lilac, and iris.

In the decant: Milk! Sour milk! I love milk notes, even when they're a little sour, but this is too sour for me . There's a hint of lilac, but the milk is squelching it.

Wet on skin: Total 180! Mostly lilac with just the barest hint of milk. The lilac is similar to the "blue lilac" note in Cave of Treasures and Spirit of The Komachi Cherry Tree. Though faint, the milk note is creamy, a little sweet, but also still a little bit sour (not nearly so sour as it was in the bottle though). Not really getting iris. Although the lilac note is pretty, this scent is nothing special to me at this stage (too floral, not nearly creamy or sweet enough for me).

15 minutes in: So after applying, I was sitting there playing video games with my SO (why yes, I did have a very productive day) when I began to smell something amazing. It took me a second to realize it was this scent wafting up from my wrists. OMG it's gorgeous! The milk note is so creamy, so lovely, sweet (but not candy or pastry sweet), and all of its initial sourness has vanished. It reminds me a lot of the milkiness in Chaste Moon (speaking solely of the 2005 version). The lilac note is still very present - I'd say it's about evenly matched with the milk note - but it's a sweeter floral note than it was in the bottle or when it was wet. Still no iris, but that's okay with me. Oh I hope it doesn't morph too much!

1 hour in: So far, so good! The lilac note has begun to fade, but it's still awesome!

2+ hours in: The lilac continues to fade throughout the day, so this slowly evolves into a milk heavy scent. Around 4 hours in, it's basically milk single note... but with a milk note like this, I'm okay with that.

Decent throw and lasted 5 hours or so before totally fading away.

Verdict: All of the bottles shall belong to me!!!! Okay, no not really. But only because I can't afford it and because I must leave enough for every other creamy scent lover to try it too! Will definitely be purchasing a bottle and possibly a backup though (and I really don't do backups).

Try if you like creamy florals or milky scents in general.

I was hoping the applies and apricots would be fresh enough, and the sugar cane woody enough to temper the foody sweetness of the marshmallow (a note which I love, but at the moment I'm trying to avoid foody scents).

In the bottle: Not at all what I imagined. It's definitely NOT fresh apple or apricot. This smells more like warm apple and apricot cobbler with a little bit of marshmallow. There is a slightly sweet, woody... almost spicy note waaayy in the background (presumably the sugar cane), but other than that this is entirely foody. It's sweet, but pastry sweet - not tooth-achingly candy sweet.

I was really hoping for rice milk and bourbon vanilla with a prominent, sweet, and almost fruity cherry blossom note (like the note in Spirit of The Komachi Cherry Tree for instance) against a backdrop of subdued white sandalwood.

In the bottle: This was not at all what I was expecting. Very sharp, green, and almost sour. To be honest, I'm not even sure what note or combination of notes could be giving me this impression. There's a little bit of creaminess underneath it, but not much.

Wet on skin: Still very sharp/sour, but a bit more creaminess is slowly working its way in and the cherry blossoms are making themselves known.

About a half hour in: It took quite a while, but the sharp/sour green note has faded away thank goodness. It is now cherry blossoms (but it's a much less sweet/fruity note than what I was hoping for), rice milk, sandalwood, and a hint of vanilla. It's very floral, a little creamy, a little sweet, and a little powdery. I'm enjoying it at this stage, although it's not what I was hoping for.

About an hour in: Nooooo..... ALL of the creaminess and sweetness disappeared so quickly! It is now cherry blossoms (again, not the sweet note I was hoping for) against a clean, aquatic background.

Verdict: Aside from a fleeting period between the wet stage and the dry down, this is not my thing.

I would suggest trying if you enjoy aquatic fragrances.

I've searched, but didn't find a topic for heliotrope. After trying What We Do in Paris is Secret by A Lab on Fire, I realized how much I love heliotrope and would like to find more scents that feature it. Can anyone recommend a heliotrope blend? I'd be especially interested in any that are sweet, creamy, or fruity.

Heliotrope smells like sweet vanilla powder with a tiny drop of maraschino cherry juice (to me, at least). If you don't know of any good heliotrope blends, then perhaps you know of scents that have notes like that?

In addition to everyone's suggestions, I would recommend:

 

Kitten with Shamisen Daydreams of a Phallus Palanquin- Rice milk, white musk, and pear

 

Beautiful creamy pear scent from this year's Lupers.

I LOVE rice notes - rice wine, rice milk, rice flower - but even if I didn't I would have to try that scent for the name alone! Quite a mouthful

I can't say enough how gorgeously creamy Vasilissa is!! I also agree strongly with Sudha Segara and Dana O'Shee.

 

Not sure if the Lights of Men's Lives would be creamy enough for you, but since it's GC it's easy enough to find out! It's so pretty.

 

 

Love's Philosophy is gorgeous vanilla cream, and on me the saffron keeps it from being too foodie. Since it was re-released recently, it has also become not too hard to find!

 

Since you like Antique Lace I feel like the new Zorya Polunochnaya would be a good choice, as they have a very similar feel to me: Pale amber and ambergris, gossamer vanilla, moonflower, and white tobacco petals.

 

(Not so) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene is lovely and creamy and very unique.

 

 

Hope you find more non-foodie scents you love! And welcome back!

I will definitely have to try Vasilissa and Zorya. (Not so) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene sounds intriguing as well. I will have to try The Lights of Men's lives just because I love the story. Thank you for the suggestions!

I love love love creamy scents!

 

LE's

 

Eostre of the Dawn: Jasmine and honeysuckle, sweet milk and female skin.

 

The Bride: Vanilla chiffon, honey musk, and pale magnolia.

 

De Vos' Unicorn: Sugared peony and rose-tinted vanilla with mallow, white musk, lavender buds, and a touch of apricot.

 

Allegory of Chastity: Creamy skin musk and blushing pink musk with soft sandalwood, white amber, dutiful myrrh, and star jasmine.

 

GC's

 

Sudha Segara: Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia.

 

Vasilissa: Creamy skin musk and blushing pink musk with soft sandalwood, white amber, dutiful myrrh, and star jasmine.

 

I find Hope and Faith from the Carnival creamy too.

They all sound great, but Eostre of the Dawn sounds especially . I will be on the lookout for a decant. Thank you for the excellent list!

Hi, welcome back! Long time no see!

 

I second Alice, that scent came to mind immediately. For me, it's more floral at first, and the creamy part comes out after a little while.

 

Welcome back : )

Hey, thank you! That definitely sounds like something that might work for me and I don't think I've ever tried it before (I probably assumed it would be too floral for my formerly foody tastes).

This is a category I really like!

How about these?

 

 

Hod

The Oval Portrait

Flowering Chrysanthemums

Signoir Dildo

Alice

Chimera

Zarita

Three Brides

I forgot about the Oval Portrait!!! I tried it years ago and really liked it, but it wasn't foody enough for me at the time. I will definitely have to give it a try again now. Thank you for reminding me of its existence!

I'm always looking for the same thing!

One that I love that's not on your list is Katrina Van Tassel, which is roses, honey and cream, I think. Even though it's sweet, it doesn't strike me as foody. But I look forward to hearing recs. from others so thanks for this thread.

At one time, quite a while back, I had a bottle of this. At the time, I was strictly interested in very foody scents, so I passed it on to someone else. From what I recall, it might be exactly what I'm looking for now. Thank you for the suggestion!

Comparison of Spanish Red Carnation and the original Carnation SN of '04

Spanish Red Carnation

In The Bottle: Heady, sweet, creamy, and just a bit spicy

On Skin: Even less spicy than in the bottle.... sweet, creamy, and VERY heady. After a few moments though, a fairly prominent green note appears (leaves, stems, etc). The longer I have this scent on, the stronger the green note gets.... that is until about 1 hour in. At that point the green note begins to disappear along with the last traces of spiciness, leaving only that very heady floral scent in their stead.

Carnation

In The Vial: Dark, very spicy, almost resinous. Wow! I'm actually surprised the two are so different.

On Skin: Still dark and spicy, but a hint of sweet heady floral develops in the background (not at all the same heady floral that Spanish Red Carnation has though.... this is much deeper and of course refrains from taking over the scent as it does in SRC). From beginning to end, I never smell even a hint of green.

Two surprisingly different scents, but which is better? I don't love either one to be honest.... if Spanish Red Carnation smelled the same on my skin as it does in the bottle, I would say that one was my favorite. But.... I detest the green note it develops and it's way too boring after the spiciness fades away. And as a foody, the original Carnation isn't sweet enough for me.....

Comparison of Annurca Apple Blossom to the original Apple Blossom SN of '04

Annurca Apple Blossom

In the Bottle: I hate to say this, but.... it smells like a canned scent you'd find at B&B. It's sour (like a granny smith apple that's had every hint of sweetness sucked right out of it) and aquatic with just a hint of floral. I love apple blossom, but this smells nothing like any apple blossom I've ever come in contact with before (perhaps Annurca is a very different smelling species)

On My Skin: Very aquatic, a bit sharp, still sour, and even less apply than in the bottle. I have an intense dislike for this scent.

To zz: I thoroughly enjoy my heathen ways I can certainly see why you like it though. I think anyone who likes Snow Glass Apples would be pleased with this scent as well.

Apple Blossom

In the Vial: Sweet, apply, not nearly as floral as you'd think..... very pretty.

On My Skin: Still sweet and apply, but unfortunately this scent has a habit of turning a bit green on my skin.... leaves, green branches, etc. I keep a bit 'cause I love to sniff it, but never wear it for that reason.

Two very different scents. If you like aquatic scents, Annurca is the one for you. If you were hoping for something sweet and fruity.... the original would be a much better fit for you if you can find it.