Mother Shub's Pumpkin Pecan Treacle Tarts

[Numanoid]


Popularized by the reality TV show "Real Cultists of Arkham Hills"!

Wow....to be first!!

Sniff in bottle: a slightly sweet pumpkin-ish, grainy scent. Maybe that is the treacle?

On Skin: Don't get any pumpkin or pecan...although there is a sweetness to it, and that grainy scent.

Drydown: Stays the same after a few minutes. Not sure if it's for me...even though I am a foodie lover, especially pumpkin scents, but this seems a bit too grainy. Was hoping for more of a pastry scent...might let this settle since I just got it!!

[cherrycherry]

Wet in the bottle, I get a pecan top note. It's very nutty and very delicious. I also get some pumpkin and a whiff of treacle. On my skin, the pumpkin and treacle comes out a lot more and the mental image that comes with the name of the scent is solidified in my mind. This really is pumpkin-treacle tarts, topped with sugar-crusted pecans. About ten-fifteen minutes after the drydown and I can smell a pastry note too - the base of the tarts. Mmmm... love this. It's foodie-heaven.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Swapped for it.

 

Initial Thoughts: While I love me some pumpkin and I love me some pecan pie I wasn't sure about committing to a bottle. So I was glad to get the chance to try a decant.

 

In the bottle: The force is strong in this one. I can clearly smell it from the closed imp. Very nutty, very sweet, and a bit pumpkin-y.

 

Wet: The pecan comes out in full force, swimming in sweet sugary treacle. This is so very pecan pie at the moment.

 

Drydown: The pastry develops strongly, enhancing the pie sentiment. The pumpkin never really comes out strongly, though the pecan settles down a bit.

 

Verdict: Quite foody and mostly true to the name. If you love your foody scents, you should consider it.

[MuskWitch]

Well, this one just isn't for me. It sounds delicious! And if it were a real pastry I'd probably devour it! Several, actually.

 

As a scent on my skin, something happens. Something not very good.

 

I truly love Beth and the Labbies, I really don't want to hurt their feelings. I will be honest, but try to be gentle too.

 

I could smell this through the bubble wrap when it arrived. It didn't appear to leak, may have been just a tiny bit somewhere on the bottle that got there during decanting. Or, maybe it smells right through the lid, I don't know. Anyway, an immediate VERY SWEET and something-not-quite-right scent permeated my nose. Of course, being the excited person I am when I get my order, I opened the bottle and took a big ol' sniff (snort is probably more like it). Oh my, that isn't what I was hoping for. The best way for me to describe it is "very sweet nutty sharp vitamins". I'm wondering if the "vitamin" scent that I get is the "grain" scent that Numanoid gets? I let it rest for a day, then tried it on my skin, hoping something magical would happen. It didn't. It just intensified the nutty sharp vitamins and the sweet kinda disappeared. I wondered if it was my skin chemistry, so a friend tried it on her skin. She didn't get the same scent I got as far as her nose was concerned, but I did smell the same scent on her. It could be my NOSE that is the problem, not my skin chemistry. Either way, this one isn't for me.

 

*sigh* I SO wanted this to work.

[Atrous]

Like MuskWitch I can smell this one through the bubble wrap. When I unwrap it - Hello, PECAN!

 

In the Bottle: Pecan and sweetness. I'm just gonna barely dab this on. It's strong.

 

Wet Stage: Pecan, pecan, pecan. It smells dark too.

 

Dry Stage: Pecan is definitely the top note in this blend. I get Treacle swirling around, dark and smokey. Sometimes I think I get the tiniest hint of Pumpkin or maybe that's because I want to smell Pumpkin. I can't be sure. After awhile I get the pastry underneath but it is a burnt pastry.

 

Conclusion: This is the first foody scent of the Lab's I've tried that I would put in the Masculine category. I'm betting this would smell heavenly on my BF. Aside from trying this on a male, I'll keep experimenting with this scent. Maybe layering it with something more feminine like O will round it out. I do like this scent; it has potential but It's just too masculine as is.

[Atrous]

Sorry about the double post

Edited December 28, 2013 by Atrous

[Gwydion]

In bottle: This smells pretty much as you’d expect. The pumpkin and treacle go together beautifully. The pecans give it some extra pop. The crust it a gentle background tying it all together. Wet: Oddly smoky on the skin. I think it’s the strengthened nut note doing odd things with the pumpkin and crust accords. This is strangely compelling. I am likely mis-parsing this, as happens to me with some accords, so YMMV if you have a more typical sensorium. I love the way the accord elements separate and recombine here. It does smell much more like pecan pie than in the bottle and it reminds me of the scent of colonial style fireplace cooking, as if Mother Shub was baking in a colonial fireplace and just pulled the pies out of the oven on one of those big paddles. Dry: The pecans have surprising staying power, I think because they are floating on some bitas of pumpkin accord and a lost fragment of pie. This blend fascinates me because it does so many weird things with my brain.

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: Intense pecans and a hint of pumpkin. I don't think I am going to like this one. It is very nutty.

 

Wet: There is a blast of pecans at first, but then the pumpkin quickly becomes the dominant note. Phew! The pecans are still present, but they are not nearly as intense as they were in the decant. Wait... perhaps I spoke too soon. The pecan note seems to be getting stronger over time, but the pumpkin note is still there. The pumpkin note is a spiced pumpkin.

 

Dry: Very sweet pumpkin tarts coated in sugary pecans.

Verdict: I like pumpkin, so I had to try this, but the pecan is far too prominent for my liking, and the blend is too sweet overall. I probably won't even keep my decant because it is so sweet and pecan-heavy.

[tinyvulture]

Oh God. Instant love. Warm, rich pecan pie with a good amount of buttery, golden brown crust. While I can't think of any other pecan blends, I love all of the lab's nutty notes. The pumpkin is there too, but it's just hanging out in the background -- it's a pumpkin pie note with gentle spiciness. But the pecan pie is the star of this show and I want to eat it up. This blend is strong -- I can smell it even when the imp is closed, and it lasts a long time. My #1 of the 2013 Yules.

[ReallyZeb]

When wet and on the initial drydown this is incredibly nutty - really lovely! There's a stronger backnote of the slight bitterness from treacle. After about half an hour it turns very pumpkiny which for me isn't a good thing, but you do get that hint of pastry crumbs from scents like Halfling too.

 

Not a keeper for me, it's a shame the wet version doesnt stick around.

[Aviatrix]

While wet, this is a very powerful nutty baked goods scent that I actually find too overpowering. I don't really like the wet stage.

 

However, once it dries, it mellows out quite a bit. Still nutty, but less of the bakery scent that I don't like. I'm not sure I'm detecting any pumpkin, more like pumpkin spices. It's a sweet, spicy, nutty blend that feels very warm and cheerful to me.

 

Overall, it's a little too foody for me, but I will probably keep my decant, since the drydown stage is pretty good. Just not bottle-good.

 

But I recommend it to any lovers of baked good scents and any foodies out there!

[zankoku_zen]

Nutty baked goods. Hint of pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice... and something else that I can't put my finger on.

 

Toothsome, tasty, pumpkin goods.

 

I don't fancy smelling like baked goods, as I am liable to eat my own hand in a fit of hunger, but if you like to smell like baked goods, give this a whirl.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Heck, with a closed imp, I smell sweet pecans! It does look like a little spilled on the label during decanting. Open, hello sugar! I'm not sure what treacle smells like, exactly (I'm comparing it in my head to molasses), but this is definitely pumpkin pie.

 

Wet on skin: Strange...on my skin, most of the sweetness seems to disappear, and I'm left with mostly pecan - without the sugar. Which I could see passing as "grainy" or "vitamin"-like, as some reviewers said above.

 

Dried down: Pecans and a bit of spice - maybe allspice or clove. Maybe a hint of cinnamon. Not really enough there for me to figure out.

 

Throw: Almost none, surprisingly enough, for how strong it smelled out of the imp.

 

Verdict: *** Eh, not bad. I do love the scent of pecans, but it's not something I would wear. Surprisingly enough, although pumpkin and pecan pie are not among my favorite things to eat, I really liked those scents, and wish they'd lingered a bit longer on my skin. If they had, I think this would have rated higher for me. Oh well. This one goes to my growing swap pile.

[brilliantcat]

The pecan note is FANTASTIC. It's very true to life and is making me very, very hungry. Oh, I do like this one. The pumpkin, spices, and tart crust are all taking a backseat to the amazing pecan, buoying it and adding complexity. It reminds me of the pecan pie I make for Thanksgiving but with a much richer, more decadent crust. The treacle is reading as dark brown sugar to my nose and the pumpkin is just a hint in the background without being overpowering. It's got a good amount of throw too. This may be a Yule, but I think I just found my signature Thanksgiving scent

[miss_rynn]

On me this is all pecan all the time. I find it quite bitter, but I think that's because it smells like fresh pecans, rather than the kind you buy in packets at the store. It's a very strong scent, but not quite my cup of tea. Any nut fanciers will really like it, though!

[icecreamcone]

I grew up in the south with a huge pecan tree in my front yard. As a kid, I'd crack open pecans and eat them fresh off the tree - so I'm sure you'll understand what a disappointment this scent was to me.

 

Wet - I'm getting some light pecan but mostly getting dough and flour, but it's the raw pre-baked form and not the baked/crispy/buttery type that I had hoped for.

Dry - It never gets to the point where it smells like buttery pecans, it's more like a scratch-and-sniff sticker version. I also get zero pumpkin in this.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2022 by icecreamcone

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Mostly treacle.

 

Wet: Treacle w/ something nutty underneath, deep in the mix, but I wouldn't say it's pecan. For part of my growing-up years, once we moved from the West back home, my parents loved to buy houses with pecan trees in the yard--easy if you live in the right parts of the Deep South. We would pick up the pecans, my dad would shell them, and my mother would bake the best pecan pies ever.

 

The dry-down: The pale treacle is also known as golden syrup. The scent is pretty much that golden syrup, with just a hint of something like a pie crust, and the aforementioned nut note, which is not pecan. This is pleasant enough, but I'll let it age awhile. Just not my mother's pecan pie. Oh, yes, I forgot: not a jot of pumpkin to be found any where.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Caramel and just a touch of something green and nutty

 

Wet on me - An almost medicinal treacle, those green nuts and a touch of sweet pastry

 

Dry on me - Green woody nuts

 

Overall - I don't really know what to make of this, it's not unpleasant but I don't know if I like it

[milo]

Wet, citrusy pumpkin and something kind of creamy . Dry, pastry, spice and nuts. This is so &%*#ing god-awful on me I can hardly stand it. Though I like eating nuts, I can't stand smelling like them. Especially with the brown sugar and cream note, which I find equally distastefull. Not for me, quite possibly one of the worst bpals on me, right up there with Horse Chestnut Honey. Blech. As a side note, I'd probably enjoy eating something like this.

[Rouge]

This is glorious.

Straight out of the bottle, it's a powerful, resonant and punchy scent of buttery pecan and spices. When aplied to the skin, the first notes are a rich, toothsome pastry that makes me want to devour my own arm. A few minutes in, the pecan returns as the dominant theme, though there's something behind it that reminds me of dark edge of Shub Niggurath.

 

This blend becomes less sweet as it dries down, but no less delicious. I'll be wearing this a LOT come the winter.

[Missy_killer]

In the imp: This is very nutty and reminiscent of Pumpkin Masala Rooibos.

 

On me: Yep, very true to life nuts, kinda like roasted hazelnuts - but without that bitter burnt smell that they can sometimes have. There is absolutely no sweetness in this for me, and it doesn't change from this stage at all. I can't really imagine when I would want to smell like roasted hazelnuts, so I don't think I need to keep this little decant.

 

I was hoping to get some spices, some nice thick caramel or even some bakery-kind of thing but nope. Pure nuts.

[darlinghooligan]

Am I the only one who thinks this smells like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole-grain bread? Like the kind of thing my hippie mom used to pack in my lunches in gradeschool. I'm sure it would be awesome on some people but definitely not for me.

[vanilla323]

In the bottle: with the cap still on I can smell the nutty pecans! This must be strong!!

 

Bottle sniff: Heavy pecans and VERY nutty

 

Wet: no pumpkin at all but it's all NUTS! Pecan and others! It's very salty too. And there's that strong buttery note too that is in a lot of cookie type scents by BPAL. This has amazing throw and a little goes a long way!

 

Drydown: It's still smells super nutty and pecan like. Salty still too. I never get any pumpkin really. It's all about the salty pecans.

 

Great throw and lasted pretty long maybe 3-4 hours.

[aquazoo]

Utterly nutty. I get a little bit of pastry, but mostly it’s nuts, nuts nuts.

[Little Bird]

Woody nuts roasted in butter and brown sugar. I get a little bit of cinnamon and a very dry biscuit/pastry note in the drydown, but it's overall not as spicy as I was expecting. It's so sweet that it's a bit cloying on me, though, and I find that I like Horse Chestnut Honey a lot more for a roasted nuts fragrance, because Chestnut Honey has some fresh, outdoorsy notes to cut through the sweetness. I like Pecan Treacle more as a room fragrance.