Muddy Armadillo

[zankoku_zen]

This little fella is a whole mood. Cacao, cacao wood, tobacco absolute, and bourbon cream.

[wendyb1063]

This is awesome!  It's a warm, soft, dusty, cocoa (not chocolate, but cocoa) and dirt scent.  There is an illusion of a hint of mint here, maybe from the tobacco. It's not too boozy;  the bourbon cream just softens and rounds everything out. 

[VetchVesper]

This is one dirty armadillo!  Definitely an earth note in here, so be prepared, but it's rather delightful in my book.    Something almost smells like cedar in the background.  I guess it's the tobacco?  It's dry and a tad bit camphorous.  The chocolate is there, but it's not very sweet.  Somehow, muddy chocolate manages to be an enjoyable combo, and I could see this being really nice on a guy.  It dries down to a warm, playful, woody chocolate smell, with a few lingering hints of rich loam.  I look forward to seeing how it mellows and ages.

 

Side note - I decanted 3 bottles of this.  Two were a light brown with little flecks of chocolate, one was downright sludgy with chocolate, but they all smelled the same.  I guess the muddiness of your armadillo may vary.   

[Exquise-moi]

This armadillo is curled up in a nest of chocolate-flavored tobacco on the wooden plank floor of a saloon.

[feyofthefellwood]

I love this! The cacao is smooth and lightly rich without being foodie, the tobacco makes it a little rugged, and the bourbon (vanilla?) cream sweetens it a little. Very wearable, very swoon. Glad to have a bottle.

[doomsday_disco]

He's muddy, all right! This is an earthy, woody, cacao and tobacco scent with a splash of bourbon cream. It somehow smells muddy even though there's no dirt note listed. The sharpness of the wood and the tobacco from the bottle is quickly smoothed over by the cacao and the cream. The cacao wood (which smells kind of like oak to me) makes this really different from other chocolate scents the Lab has released, so if you're looking for an earthy chocolate, or were one of those folks hoping for a dirt note in Muddy Puddles, give this one a try! (Besides, how can you resist that armadillo? He's adorable!)

[Teamama]

If you love Wulric the Wolfman, you'll love Armadillo. More rough-and-ready, with an outdoorsy vibe. The unlisted earthy notes include a bitter, grassy one that really makes this special. Cacao & wood for sure. I suspect this will be better on Teapapa than me, but I really like it. Possible bottle. 

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Dry chocolate and tobacco...and DIRT.

 

Wet on my skin: DIRT. And cacao-tobacco! But lots of mud!

 

Dry: This calls up a specific memory for me! The dirt note in this is, at least to my memory, reminiscent of the Crayola dirt scented crayon from when I was a kid! 1994ish, colouring and drawing in the spare bedroom in my grandma's house (the summer after grandpa died) while my parents and uncle chatted with her in the living room. They were watching and discussing Beavis and Butthead, horrified that people would let their kids watch such a show, and I was secretly listening to the episode playing while colouring all that dirt and trees and sky. I LOVED that dirt crayon, and the leather one, and a few others! It was actually quite a realistic dirt smell, for being a crayon. And this...is like that, at first, and then becomes this ball of thick, mud-caked tobacco and dry, woody cacao. I actually really like this. And I love the memory it conjures up. ❤️ 

[HerbGirl]

I ordered this just after it was announced because everything sounded wonderful and I adore armadillos.

I finally slathered it on this morning and love it. That dry cocoa and bark...and the creamy hint of tobacco is fantastic. This is one of the most comforting scents I have ever smelled and I am glad to have a bottle. 

ETA I don't get the dirt or dirty smell that other folks mention. 

Edited April 13, 2021 by HerbGirl

[puellacaerulea]

Yep, this is muddy. In the decant I get a combo of cocoa and a distinct earth note (think the one from scents like Zombi). As it dries down, the earth note morphs into a wood note and then disappears entirely, leaving me with a dry cocoa scent with a slight creamy sweetness. I never do pick up the tobacco absolute. It's a fun scent, and go for it if you like cacao scents, but I don't need more than a decant.

[starbrow]

This looked so interesting and the cause one I was happy to support, and somehow a blind bottle of this jumped into my cart. I do love a good chocolate, and I thought this one would be rich and resiny.

 

Instead, it's as everyone described. Dirty! I very much don't like dirt + chocolate scents. Who wants to eat chocolate after it's been dropped in the dirt? Heed the name! This armadillo is super muddy! The chocolate aspect is a good middle-ground between sweet and bitter, but if you were hoping cacao wood would lend a woody note (as I was), it might be disappointing. I got more grass and dug-up loam (rich black soil) and something a little herby.

 

I think the other problem for me is that the bourbon cream is of the dairy-cream variety, which tends to curdle on my skin. So a very earthy, squishy chocolate with a rich cream that goes sour as it dries down. This one is just a fail for me. 

Edited April 25, 2021 by starbrow

[fairybites]

Dark cacao and tobacco with a faint boozy undertone from the bourbon cream. It's a little dusty and dirty on me, kinda musky too. This is definitely not a sweet chocolate like in Bliss or something, this is like the extremely bitter kind that has no sugar at all. The bourbon appears more than the cream but the cream is there quietly in the background giving this a very faint sweetness. 

 

A little darker and more bitter than the chocolates I tend to wear (and consume ), but I'm digging it! I wish the cream was a bit more noticeable, but sometimes you want dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Give this a try if you find most BPAL chocolate blends to be too sweet.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

This little fella is totally a whole mood - dark and naughty, mean and menacing, but also strangely seductive. This is not for the feint hearted - it's stompy and in your face. This is the armadillo that gives no fucks. If David Attenborough ventured into the Texan desert hoping to find a cute little fella to film, this armadillo would not smile and invite him in for a cup of tea - he would tell him to GTFO and chase him off, nipping at the back of his ankles as he desperately tries to run away. He would then go back into his burrow, lay on the couch and put on his favourite Bon Jovi album because although he's a badass, he has terrible taste in music. 

 

My first impression is a blast of strong hot coffee, but on closer inspection that's the cocoa and tobacco combining into a rich smoky syrup that has a strong boozy tone (like a good woody bourbon liquer). I'm not really picking up any cream here - the tobacco is definitely the most forward note on my skin and ultimately the cacao almost disappears completely, leaving behind the rich tobacco and a hint of wood. 

 

For anyone who thinks this is going to be all sweet creamy chocolate - nope, it's not. But is it good? Hell yes. 

 

ETA: there's no sludge, bloops or flecks or sludge in my bottle, unlike others have mentioned in theirs. 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2021 by sunshinedaisybliss
I forgot to mention the sludge situation.

[Irish Sea Mermaid]

Ok - Am I the only one who is getting  Fennel???
🤔
 

it’s so strange! At first it’s dirt dirt dirt - then bam 💥! FENNEL PLANTS!!?? Whaaat?? 
 

As it warms up, something really gorgeous and chewy emerges underneath it - probably the warm sweet tobacco blend.
 

But the Fennel (or whatever it is that smells like that on me) is really going to town. 
 

As I write the tobacco is warming up on me... and now it’s just starting to become a bit cocoish a d sweet from the bourbon cream,  so it’s a warm, sweet, gloopy , earthy mud pie. 

 

Going  to leave this for another week (it only arrived here two days ago) and see what happens and report back

Edited May 2, 2021 by Irish Sea Mermaid
Typo

[frizzlechicken]

My decant is full of specks and sludge and I love that! This is a smoky, dirty cacao. Both simple and elegant. I had a feeling I'd love this but I did a decant just to be sure. Now I am sure. 

[Andalei]

I'm terrible at reviews but feel like I need to review this one. I'll start by saying that I HATE the smell of chocolate - I don't even think the edible kind smells good even though I love to eat it. So, I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to buy a half bottle of this. That said, I'm currently awaiting a full 5ml backup because this is GOOD and my half bottle is already almost gone. It definitely smells dirty/earthy in the bottle but that doesn't last long on my skin. It's a smoky, dark, chewy cacao with a hint of sweetness from the cream. The only other chocolate scent I've ever enjoyed in my life was this chocolate scented stuffed rabbit I got for Easter when I was 10 or so. That thing smelled divine and I huffed it constantly. Muddy Armadillo is a grown up version of that cuddly, dark chocolate scented bunny - slightly warm and fuzzy but also dark and sexy.

 

Also, I was wearing Banshee Beat before writing this review and decided to apply Muddy Armadillo to better gather my thoughts on it. A+ combo, highly recommend!

Edited May 11, 2021 by Andalei
a word

[a_bear]

This doesn't smell like actual dirt to me. Instead, it smells like a very expensive dessert with fancy single-origin, fair trade, organic ultra dark chocolate that's only sweetened with the tiniest bit of barely refined sugar in the bourbon cream. It's food-y enough that it's not one I will wear often, but the wood and tobacco really help balance it out and make it wearable for me, so I think I will keep and enjoy my imp.

 

My imp has a good blob of what I guess is cocoa-related oil? It requires some pretty aggressive shaking to disperse it.

[Lucchesa]

Muddy Armadillo is a dark and dirty cacao blend, almost as if there’s a bit of hippie black patchouli in there muddying things up. This armadillo is grumbly and growly, prickly but a softie inside. The longer it wears, the more it smooths out, becoming softer and slightly sweeter. Cacao, woods and tobacco is an awesome combination in my book.  If you’re a fan of Velvet or Intrigue in the GC or Wulric from the CD, this is a good bet for you. 

[artisjok]

This armadillo definitely rolled in the mud.. it’s strong earth, tobacco, and woods when I slather the oil. Gnarly.
Then…. then, they all fade into a faint cocoa tobacco that barely has any throw on me at all 😱 maybe a tiny bit of the cream…. 

It’s such a shame!

I don’t see any globs or flecks in my bottle…. I’m going to keep it around and try another day. I was also dreaming of layering with Ghost Milk, so will definitely wait to try that before making any decisions on whether to keep or destash.

Come on, ‘dillo! 

[LavenderCoffee]

In the bottle, this oil packs a wallop of earthy wet wood. Like when you turn over a fallen tree limb that has started to decompose - I'm not getting mud, but there is a slight kick from the tobacco. 

 

Wet on my skin, the bourbon cream and cacao produce a rich, sugarless sweetness, rendered slightly sticky by the tobacco. The woody earthiness is warmer now, and less forest floor. It lends a pleasingly organic but decidedly inedible note.

 

As this dries, it becomes creamier, favoring the bourbon and tobacco, with a faint lingering sweetness. The cacao is least prominent, but still present, settling in with the wood. It is so warm and enveloping, like wearing a hug. On me, this also has decent throw and wear time. 

Edited January 16, 2022 by LavenderCoffee

[dancingchair]

Deep, dark bittersweet chocolate. The tobacco gives it a sticky feel, it's very rich and chewy with just a wisp of smoke. The cacao wood grounds everything and rounds it all out. I don't get a ton of the bourbon cream but it does add a touch of sweetness that holds back all the bitter chocolate.

 

I really love this one. It's a great chocolate and tobacco combo that's very yummy and cozy.

[MamaMoth]

i always enjoy chocolatey scents more in theory than in reality... they smell so good in the vial, but just doesn't usually work so well as a perfume when they're actually on me. 

 

THIS GUY THOUGH.  definitely cacao and not chocolate. bitter and earthy with a soft woodsiness. rich chewy tobacco to sweeten it up, but this isn't a sweet gourmand perfume at all.  the bourbon gives it an interesting perfumey edge.  it has a slightly sour booziness that really works well in counterpoint to the woodsy cacao.   there is a creamy fullness to the blend, but not what i'd pick out as a cream note in particular.   

 

after it's dried down, i'm not sure it's even recognizable as cacao anymore.  maybe boozy pipe tobacco with bitter chocolate notes?   i love it!  it's very unique. 

Edited May 29, 2022 by MamaMoth

[ittybitty]

It starts off as a rich, bitter chocolate with tobacco and ends on a bourbon note. It doesn't really have any sweetness to it. There's a weird cough drop/medicinal aspect to it that I don't really care much for. I enjoy androgynous and masculine scents, but this is way too masculine on me.
Drydown: Much nicer. Where it started off as sharp and bitter, it's now creamy and rich. It smells a lot of bourbon and cream, with a hint of tobacco and cacao. It wouldn't be accurate to call it chocolate, because the cacao has no sweetness to it. There's still a weird medicinal property to it. After 10 minutes, I can smell honey. After two hours, it mellows and smells like shea butter. It was really interesting, and it smelled SO good on my husband, but it didn't really work on me. 

[pinkgyrl]

I like this little guy!  This is definitely not a foodie scent as I imagined would have been a common preconceived notion that this would be a gourmand chocolate scent.  
 

At first, this is earthy and dry like the outside of his shell - I initially and primarily get a dusty woody cocoa from this blend.  As it dries and settles in under the gruffer exterior, the drier feel seems to dissipate as the creamy bourbon emerges.  This reminds me of a truffle with a darker more bitter chocolate cracking open on the outside to allow one to taste the sweeter and creamier inside, but please don’t take this as a suggestion to taste armadillos, hehe.

 

This really was an entire mood and experience! 🙃

 

 

[Frills]

OH man this smells good. It's not a foodie perfume like I thought it would be, instead it's earthy and tobacco-y and comforting. After it dries I smell the bourbon cream with a dusting of cocoa on top and it's just so good.