shelldoo Report post Posted April 5, 2006 MONSTER BAIT: CLOSET Bourbon blackberry buttercream over red velvet cake. in the bottle this is reminecent of beaver moon. but there is a touch of something..sharper then beaver moon (possibly the bourbon?) wet: damn, all bourbon, strong and beating the shit outta me (note i had food poisoning last night and strong scents are doing a number on me) as it dries: thank goodness, this settles it is sweet, buttercream w/ a hint of blackberry, and yes a wee bit of red velvet smell, but the red velvet is one scent that is flitting around, sometimes i catch a whiff and sometimes i am like huh where did that go? this is truely beautiful when the bourbon settles down and stops it's one man show. those who like beaver moon, i think will like this drydown, they seem like cousins, if not sisters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
astrid Report post Posted April 5, 2006 (edited) When I lived in France, we would have a scoop of Cassis sorbet next to a scoop of Vanilla ice cream and they would melt together. This is that scent! It took me a minute to figure it out....it was so familiar and yet I couldn't place it until the scent settled down a bit. In the bottle this smells just like strawberry birthday cake! Immediately wet, a little weird...like kinda alcohol-y with the berry trying to make its way through. Then settled, the cassis-vanilla combination. This is such a great memory enducing scent! Unlike last year's Beltane which reminded me of the air freshener my grandmother had in her WC. *eek* Yeah, thank heavens for this being so delicious! This is going to be one popular scent....that's for sure!! Oh and I want to add that the label is absolutely PERFECT! Edited April 5, 2006 by astrid Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blackheartedangel Report post Posted April 5, 2006 oh wow... this is cake in a bottle! when i first opened it, beaver moon came to mind -- but like shelldoo said, there is something (blackberry/bourbon?) sweeter and sharper coming through. when first applied to the skin it remains similar to how it smelled out of the bottle, but as it dries the red velvet cake comes through. this is a seriously delicious oil. i can't stop smelling my wrist!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iriedanym Report post Posted April 5, 2006 First off, the label is too darn cute! Ahem, okay, I'll try my hand at a review. In the bottle: Wow! It really does smell like red velvet cake and buttercream. Very sweet, very yummy. Had to resist drinking the bottle (that would be bad!) On the skin: Still very foody and sweet. I can smell the bourbon more now mixed with the buttercream. The red velvet acts as a nice base. Verdict: I might just need another bottle of this before it becomes extinct! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tramp Report post Posted April 5, 2006 Boozy buttery fruit with something sharp underneath. I have no idea what red velvet cake is. (Ok, I know what red velvet cake is but I don't know what it smells/tastes like) Red fruit infused burbon frosting over something cakelike. I get a sharp/sour note - maybe the buttercream. Warning! DO NOT LICK MONSTER BAIT: Closet - no matter how tempting! Ok - so I wasn't actually trying to lick my arm - but in the course of my arm sniffing contortions my lips touched my arm where the oil was - IT BURNS! EEEKKKK!!!!!!!! *shudder* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lycanthrope Report post Posted April 5, 2006 Monsters! To my closet! From the bottle it smells kind of cakey, again, with a definite streak of bubbly berries. Again, from the bottle, it smells a lot like Fortunato or some of the other red, deep and grape-y berry fragrances from BPAL. On skin - Wet, it's immediately fruity, almost candy-like, but this is a dusky black berry, not a bright, vibrant berry. Dusky! Boozy! As it dries, the berry scent lightens and is layered over a lightly cocoa-ish cake base. Oh! With more time it becomes more chocolat-y! Chocolate and berries! And cake! Wow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miss apple Report post Posted April 5, 2006 Monster Bait: Closet Where's the drooly icon when you need it because MB:Closet is definitely droolwrothy. As shelldoo mentioned this is similar to Beaver Moon but with a boozy note instead of the vinegar tang. I can almost taste the red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting I don't get much in the way of fruitiness but there is the slightest hint of blackberry that keeps this from being too sugary sweet. This a playful, sexy, girly scent. I don't think any of the monsters in my closet ever smelled this good! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
graycat Report post Posted April 5, 2006 in the bottle it's all boozy sweet buttercream (what heaven will undoutably smell like when i die!) the second it touches my skin the blackberry comes out and shouts "who's yo daddy!" my method of with this will definitely be a dab on all my pulse points (for the blackberry) and a healthy drop in my scent locket (for the drunken buttercream). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ivyandpeony Report post Posted April 6, 2006 So yummy! All in all, a delicious, creamy blackberry cake I'd like to roll in. Blackberry can get a little sharp, "planty" smell on me sometimes, and I did pick this up momentarily, but honestly? That makes it smell more authentic to me. I am not the hugest fan of foody scents, but I really love this. It's sweet and creamy without being cloying or sticky. So the foody fans should go bonkers - and I'd suggest that others like me give it a try, you might just be surprised at what this combo does on your skin. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thedragoncharmer Report post Posted April 6, 2006 YUM!! Of the two MBs (Underbed & Closet) Closet is my favorite!! Creamy Blackberry Cakeness!!! Bottle pics here. In the bottle: Cake & berries. Wet: Cake, creamy frosting & tart berry. (Kind of reminds me of the sour cream berry pies at Marie Callender's) Drydown: Still lots of cake with a darker berry scent, with just a slight twang. A delicious and true cake scent! I need to purchase an additional bottle before it's gone!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heretic Report post Posted April 7, 2006 In the vial: Cake. On my wrist, wet: Butter. Not getting any boozy notes. After 20 minutes: Butter and berries. After an hour: Berries (with butter). Fortnately, it fades away rather quickly on me so I don't have to scrub it off. In all fairness, I ordered this one for the name. The Closet Monster is an old friend of mine and I should have known better than to order it after having read the description. I do not like food scents and this one is over-the-top sweet and foody. I don't even think I'd put this in a burner to scent a room, so off it goes to someone who likes butter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shollin Report post Posted April 8, 2006 First sniff: Foody fruity HEAVEN in a bottle. God, this is good. Berries slathered in thick buttery cake frosting. Wearing: Warmth and richness and an extra twelve pounds on my hips. Damn, how’d that get there? This is utterly decadent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UltraViolet Report post Posted April 10, 2006 In the bottle Sa-weet mother of God. On I don't smell any booze, I think I'm glad, it's LUSHIOUS blackberries and a thick caramelly middle...wait...here comes the booze. Oh man, if you love BPAL's "Bewitched" or "Glasgow" but wish they were less herbal and more foody, this is YOUR blend. I love all blackberry blends period, but this is a wonderful addition of a foody blackberry blend. 30 minutes There's this hint of darkness that creeps in (the Bourbon) and it's driving me wild right now. It almost has that currant smell, kinda earthy, berryish and sexy. Great, I wanna have drunken sex with berries. Throw: Average Scent category: Foody/Fruity/Boozy Summary Yum-may Purchase again? Yes! 1-5 rating (5 being best) 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brianne Report post Posted April 10, 2006 In the bottle: mmmm cream cheese frosting! On me: Wow, right away this turns into a berry cake - the berries actually smell a tiny bit like strawberry, but the tart juiciness is more like blackberry in the long run. Yup, okay the longer it's on me, the more like straight up blackberry this is, it's kind of airy too and only slightly sweet rather than overwhelmingly sweet. Behind that blackberry (which is definitely the predominant note on me) is a fluffy whipped buttercream that warms up that berry just a little bit. After time this gets pretty light, I'm kind of surprised by that actually. The bourbon never really seems to kick in on me, and this stays pretty much juicy blackberries and buttercream the whole time. There is a slight.... hmmm, sharp note? I don't know how to describe it, but it makes me think of a perfume I used to wear from The Body Shop called Dewberry. It's berry with sweetness and a slight edge. Final note: I WANT MORE! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dawndie Report post Posted April 11, 2006 In bottle: sweet rich foody droolworthy YUM On skin: a quick blast of boozy sugar, like cake drenched in sugared rum. The blackberries quickly pop in though and keep the sweetness without being too foody or candy-coated. My biggest beef with Elegba, Midway and Beaver Moon was while in the bottle it was rich, decadent wonderfulness, at first app it was a bit chemical and "off." Eventually they become creamy yumminess, and I have kept my bottles because of it, but it's that initial "huh?" that needs to be tolerated. MB:Closet doesn't have that weirdness. Half-hour later: still very fruity with underlying decadence. Oh, this is nice. In conclusion: while cakey and foody, it's the blackberry that makes this wonderful. I'm loving this one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gingersnapp Report post Posted April 11, 2006 At first, this reminded me of Beaver Moon. But it's a bit more... powdery (as in flour powder, not baby powder, if that makes any sense). Not as creamy as Beaver Moon. I think that it's possibly the bourbon and the blackberry making it like that. I don't get buttercream so much as I thought I would, or like I smelled in the bottle. This is almost sharp, and a little bit tart. I've never had red velvet cake, but I do get a little bit of cocoa out of this. I looked up a recipe for red velvet cake and saw that there is cocoa powder in it, so I guess that makes sense, and also explains the dry powdery-ness that I get from it. It's very much like a spoonful of bittersweet cocoa powder. I don't really know how I feel about this blend. For one thing, it's faded very quickly. I think I will let it age for a few weeks and give it another shot when it's not so freshly blended. (FWIW, the bottle arrived yesterday evening) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zenvodunista Report post Posted April 11, 2006 i'm a HUGE fan of Beaver Moon -- in fact, Beaver Moon made me love the foody/sweet/bakery scent category. and indeed: opening this bottle i can smell the cake of Beaver Moon, drizzled in some kind of rich whisky type alchohol and topped with berries. sadly for me though, my skin makes the berries go all cough syrupy. well -- someone will be happy to get this in a swap of some kind. *pout* n. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kittyflop Report post Posted April 11, 2006 On wet - just like it says, blackberry and buttercream! The bourbon isn’t prominent. This is a delicious dessert. I smell like cake. Drying down - it smooths out to a slightly less sweet scent. This is foody, but not as foody as you’d expect – it becomes a quite wearable sweet rich scent. It smells of berries without being too fruity, with some vanilla and sweet cream. Overall a quite amazing accomplishment. The duration is quite long, I put it on in the evening and could still detect traces of it in the morning. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
happythermia Report post Posted April 11, 2006 *drools* This one is so yummy! First sniff is a gorgeous boozy red velvet cake. As it wears on, the booze fades and then a lucious creamy blackberry comes out. The final dry down is a sort of vanilla cream with berries peeking out. I really love this one - I think it would be great layered with B&BW Black Raspberry Vanilla. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LiberAmoris Report post Posted April 12, 2006 Mmmmm, cake. I swear that BPAL has helped me curb my sweet tooth by releasing these ultra-foodie blends that are perfect for assuaging a craving! Monster Bait: Closet does smell a bit like Beaver Moon, but adds yummy blackberry along with that bourbon/buttercream note. I was really excited to find out that the bourbon here is perfectly amenable with my skin chemistry, as booze notes often aren't. The drydown on me is absolutely red velvet cake, with blackberry buttercream icing on top. It's very rich and decadent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Little Bird Report post Posted April 12, 2006 Well, Monster Bait: Closet is completely amazing. Beaver Moon is sort of like Closet's dreadfully plain sister. I can see the similarities (sugary frosting and cake), but Closet is a lot cooler and I'd rather hang out with it. Thankfully, this never really seemed boozy on me, but the blackberry does play a prominent role (yay, I love a good blackberry scent). It's like a slice of cake and blackberry pie have been put together and smothered in oodles of rich vanilla cream cheese frosting. Exactly. And it stays strong for hours, making me crave chocolate and all sorts of awful things. I love monsters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jidabug Report post Posted April 13, 2006 This smelled so good in the bottle--like butterscotch candies, sweet and lovely. As soon as I put it on my skin, however, it turned to cat pee. I couldn't even wait for a further dry down because it was just too strong. I'm so bummed, because I was really looking forward to the Monsters. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Koumori Report post Posted April 13, 2006 When I tried this on, I was going through the box I'd just received from the Lab and sorting everything into "try now," "try later," "maybe not" piles. My SO was telling me about her very unpleasant day, and I put some Closet on while she was talking. And then I just started grinning and grinning and couldn't stop. Why? "I smell like cake!!!!" This is the sweet, foody scent of my dreams, much like the 2004 version of Sugar Skull that is the only 5 ml I've ever completely used up. Since the 2005 version didn't do the same for me, I'm thrilled to have Closet instead. I don't get much bourbon or "boozy" quality from it, just straight up cake, and that is not a bad thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LittleGreyKitten Report post Posted April 14, 2006 (edited) Mmmm. Monster bait! I love Closet. It smells like creamy buttery frosting with a blackberry on top. The blackberry is the perfect amount- not a ton, just tart enough, quite a lovely foil to the sweet. The buttercream is actually not an overwhelming smell. It is light and fluffy on my skin, not cloyingly sweet. So far I haven't gotten any hints of chocolate. I noticed it smelled better dry- the notes melded better, the blackberry settled down to be definitely blackberry- at first it was an unidentified tart scent, and then it morphed into the perfect hint of blackberry. I must admit I'm not a massive fruit fan, but this one definitely is great. This lasts major long on me. It lingers, and lingers, and lingers- I'd say it lasts around 6-8 hours, which is great on my skin. In the latter hours my skin chemistry brings out this fascinating scent that I can't even begin to describe- it's delicious though, and is definitely different than the beginning aromas. This is becoming one of the ones I reach for constantly, a signature scent of sorts, though I'm far to schizophrenic wiht perfume to really have one. For me it's a 5 out of 5. (I am a foody-scent nut!) This has become one of the scents I reach for constantly. I just don't get tired of it- instead, it's grown on me. It's amazing. I admit to a need to hoard this. I ordered some backup, for sure- which honestly I will use, as I've used a half bottle already (eep! and I thought I was trying not to slather!) I hate to be at the mercy of eBay to get extra when I waffle and don't get it when it's available... I so much prefer to contribute to Beth, too! Edit: I realize that this changes as it ages... though I guess a few weeks of "age" is more just the scents settling in and melding properly. The cake and buttercream deepens, becomes way more gooey and prominent. The blackberry receeds, and becomes more of a hint than a whallop. I noticed the difference between a decant and my lab-fresh bottle immediately- the imp was much cakier, and my bottle was a lot more berry. Then as the weeks passed, they became identical; my bottle got much cakier too. Which is how I prefer it. Edited May 13, 2006 by LittleGreyKitten Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
k00kaburra Report post Posted April 14, 2006 In bottle: Faint strains of blackberry waft over thick, fatty buttercream and cake. Yum. On me: This is just perfect. Heavily berried, this is a rich bourbon and blackberry concoction. The velvet cake is definitely strong, but it is the buttercream and bourbon that really make this fragrance stand out in hedonistic delight. Delicious! Monsters, come hither! (Doesn't it make sense that a fashionista clothes horse would need monsters in her closet?) ***** Share this post Link to post Share on other sites