Sugar Skull

[thekittenkat]

Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.

 

In the decant: Sugared light fruits.

Wet: Still sugary fruits, but the fruits are more obvious.

The dry-down: Those fruits are really candy now, and a tad musky, but still yummy.

ETA: only to add that this is for the 2012 version.

[paintednightsky]

Update on review: 2012 version

 

After letting my bottle age, it smells SO much better both in the bottle and on me. Less boozy and strong. Now it smells like yummy sweet candy Hard to detect fruits though. Smells more like sugar to me. Next year I imagine it'll be perfect

[kashmira]

I received Sugar Skull '05 in a sale(thank you again arsinoe9!)

 

Sugar Skull '05 is everything I wanted Sugar Skull '10 and '12 to be: deep, sugary, rich, strong but restrained. I have all 3 bottles and comparing them is like comparing 3 different vintages of the same wine. Instead of hitting one's nose with a shouting voice 'Hi, I'm brown sugar" (the way '10 and '12 do), the '05 version instead extends a hand and says in a husky, southern sweet caramel voice "Delighted to meet you." From the bottle I smell sugared fruit -- luscious sugared fruit. Like all sugar scents, the one amps on my skin, but not in a displeasing way. It reminds me of a candy from my very early childhood -- those foggy memories we all have where only scent and few glimpses of our past still shine through. The drydown on Sugar Skull '05 ends up having a caramel and fruit bouquet, but not a fruit I can pinpoint. It almost has a slight sweet incense feel to it -- not the typical incense one thinks of like frankincense or myrrh, but more like a scent with similar 'resonance.' I only put a tiny dot on my arm and the scent is still going strong over 2 hours later.

 

Among the many other things that I adore about this cobalt blue bottle is that it has a label that is the *same* picture as on Leonard Cohen's first album(the Anima Sola). The picture and album have great significance to me, so this simply is perfect in every way possible.

[titania]

There's a boozy aspect here, but it's subtle. Sugar booze with a hint of lemon. The candied fruits are sort of sugared dark fruit jellies dipped in the lemon booze. Then a dark, somehow not very sweet syrupy sugar is poured over that. It lightens up a bit over time. Kind of amazing.

[ObliqueRed]

It's definitely sugar, but I get a fruity/spicy undertone as well. It kind of reminds me of cinnamon gummies or some sort of Christmassy candied fruit.

 

It's not an unpleasant smell, but it's not really for me- too strong and foody.

 

The throw and strength are veeeeery potent on this one as well, so try a little bit on before you slather.

[Lucide]

Sugarskull 2010

In the decant bottle: I smell a very heavy smell of burnt, brown sugar. Not much else. I wonder how this will work out on my skin.

 

Wet: Heavy and sweet, but now I smell more flowery/fruity sweetness than the brown sugar. Very different than the smell out of the bottle

 

Drydown: Ugh, the burnt sugar is coming back. It smells a bit smokey and boozy and brown and it is paired with the sweet smell of fruit. I get a headache of this and do not like it at all.

 

This is the first of BPAL's scents that I really had to wash of because I did not like the smell. It also gave me a headache. To bad!

[tharsei-thanate]

Wow, just noticed that I haven't reviewed this one. I have an imp of the '08 version.

 

Sugar Skull is a surprise winner on me. Fresh fruits can go wrong on me, but these candied fruits smell so good. It's like wearing brightly colored pieces of candied fruit crusted with sugars- very well behaved sugars, since this blend isn't making my teeth ache like some other sugary blends. There's also a boozy/syrupy quality that emerges in the drydown that makes my mouth water. Overall it's just a delicious blend that works super well with my skin chem. I need more!

[welcometothefamily]

SUGAR SKULL '04

 

In the Imp: Holy sugar! That's a damn sweet kick in the pants.

 

Wet: Dear lord that's sweet o.o. It's kind of like jewel fruits rolled in sugar crystals. Fortunately not giving me a headache though.

 

Drydown: Same as wet, just a little less crystal sweet. It's a little more powdery now, and even though it's sweet, never gives me a headache. Nice .

 

Verdict: I like it enough to keep the imp, and may track down a partial at some point.

 

3.5/5

[kajacana]

(2005 version purchased from a forumite)

 

I always suspected I would like Sugar Skull, and I'm so happy I was right! Smells like brown sugar, and sweet & sticky candied fruit. There's a whisper of something incensey, too - just a hint of something I can't put my finger on that keeps the blend from going foody or sickly sweet (though don't get me wrong, it IS quite sweet).

 

I really like this one! And it helps that two separate people said "something smells good" and both confirmed, upon smelling my neck, that it was my Sugar Skull

[theredkilt]

Sugar Skull 2012: It's very sweet and i get burnt-sugar/ creme brulee vibe about it and something creamy on top of it.

[Teaker]

It smells like toasty brown sugar, very buttery and maybe a touch smokey. Simple and sweet. It's nice, but I like the "toasted sugar" vibe better in La Befana so I won't be needing more than an imp.

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2014 version.

 

Here are my thoughts from the DSWC:

 

Cold Sniff: sweet rotting fruit; worried abt trying this

Wet: fermentation goes away, not bad

The Dry-Down: wonderfulness! Sugar Skull in past years has been very faint sugared fruit on me, but this year is just what I was hoping for, for a long time; one bottle bought, maybe a back-up?

 

Further thoughts:

 

I see that I liked the 2012 version, but 2014 is so much better! XOMom thought that this was the best Sugar Skull by far and I agree. I did another test drive this past Wednesday. I put a dab on one wrist, another in the hollow of my throat, and wiped my fingers through my hair early that morning. I put a dab on the other wrist around 6 PM. Attended the Sir Paul concert that night--3 hrs of dancing and singing and sweating and cheering and clapping along to the great music. When I woke up the next morning, I still could smell the lovely Sugar Skull on both wrists. So, major staying power. Also, this could be a great enabler to bpal for any one, girl child to senior citizen, who likes sweet fruit perfumes.

[reynardine]

Decant, 2014 version: I've been wanted to try Sugar Skull for years and finally got around to it. Wet, it is sugary delight and I get the candied fruits. It dries down to a brown sugar smell. No burnt brown sugar that I can detect--it's straight up brown sugar. I'm glad I got to try it, but it's not my style.

[fiddlehead]

Sugar Skull '14 dries down into a very close cousin of A Variety of Pleasing Amusements on my skin. It's got an added note that my husband says is chocolate and I think might be burnt sugar or brown sugar. My husband will probably get this as he likes AVoPA and wears it often.

[Atrous]

2014 version

Starts out a burnt sugar but dries down into a pleasing brown sugar with the faintest hint of fruitiness.

I see myself using this as a layering scent.

[Elvena]

Sugar Skull to me isn't too different to Sticky Pillowcase, except for the light fruit scent.

[loubric]

I love the 2014 version. It's not as sickly sweet as I thought it would be. it's warm and sugary without being over powering.

It's a lovely sweet and soft scent.

[doomsday_disco]

2014 version.

 

In the decant: Lots of sugar (brown and caramelized) with some fruitiness.

Wet: I get more of the candied fruit on my skin, but the sugar is definitely present. The sugar smells very warm and seems to be getting stronger over time. I mostly get brown and caramelized sugar from this.

Dry: Mostly brown sugar (with a little bit of candied fruit).

Verdict: I like this one! It's very warm and comforting. I'm not sure I need a full bottle of it, but I may try to track down a partial some time in the future.

[zankoku_zen]

2014 version

 

For me, this was essentially brown sugar (brown, caramelized, sweet). It's warm, comforting, and essentially all sugar all the time. Decent throw and wear length.

 

Sugar Skull has never been a fave of mine, but this one is softer and I'd say more wearable, at least to me. Is candy meant to smell comforting? Because this one does!

 

Brown sugar, comforting, soft.

[Poenari]

2014 Version

 

I adore Sugar Skull. My first experience with it was the 2007 release, and I've made a point of getting a bottle each year. I usually just put the bottles away to age and use them up in chronological order, but since there have been so many reviews of this year's release being a bit more fruity, I thought I would try it out before putting it into my backup bottle drawer.

 

In the bottle and on skin, it's still the same Sugar Skull that I love, although the brown sugar isn't quite as obvious initially. This could be due to the freshness, as I'm used to smelling and wearing aged Sugar Skull. Upon application, the candied fruit is distinctly present, but not in a way that makes it a specific definable fruit. Then the brown sugar appears and the fruit melds into the overall brown sugary sweetness. All in all, this is the same Sugar Skull that I love, and I'm going to go ahead and put it away to age with my others. The longevity and throw are as long and strong as ever. If you can wear sweet scents, then don't miss out on this because it's delicious when fresh, but even better when it is aged.

[annemathematics]

I like many bpals that have sugar notes listed (sweets to the sweet is a favorite in regular rotation) but for whatever reason this scent didn't come together on my skin with the level of success that others have enjoyed. on me, this smells burned and acrid and a bit rubbery.

 

I can't win them all, and so I chalk this up to a learning experience.

[vanilla323]

2008

 

This scent on me is all brown sugar and cinnamon with some fruit too. Darker fruits that mingle well with the spices. It does have that burnt sugar note too. Or maybe that is the molasses and brown sugar playing together. It's like a devious foodie scent. Very sugary but also dark and spicy. Had light throw but did last a while close to my skin.

[Naomi Kelsey]

This is (thankfully) not a sweet as I thought it might be. There's a very dark, caramel-ish smell to it, but it's lighter and more layered than Calaveras. It does strongly resemble Calaveras, however. A rich, brown sugar smell with a tinge of "burnt" to it. Not a super complex scent over all, dries down to a slightly spicy brown sugar.

Warning: a little goes a long way with this one! Tons of throw--doesn't last forever, as other caramel/sugar scents are wont to do, but it's POTENT.

 

Overall: a strong 3.5. Might use it to layer with Dia de los Muertos, which I find a bit too bitter right now.

[Aviatrix]

Rich brown sugar single note!

It is very fun and festive, but too foody for me, ultimately.

 

If you enjoy brown sugar, be sure to try this one!

[Luxuriance]

Version 2015

 

I didn't really get any candied fruit from this. To me it smelled predominately of brown sugar both in the vial and on my skin. It got a little more of a caramelized/ smokey smell once it dried on me.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Luxuriance