Sucreabeille: A Very Boozy Christmas (Frangelico, Absinthe, Chocolate Stout)

In light of Sucrebeille's amazing "A Very Boozy Christmas" Christmas release, they designed each scent around a well loved boozy drink, and partnered each scent with a special story around the same Christmas day. 

Sucreabeille is also hosting their Black Friday sale (22th of November to 2nd of December 2019) right now with amazing gifts, goodies and special collaborations for the festive season - so make sure you check those out and pick up the special boozy scents just in time for your holiday dinners! If you've missed the sale, never fear, because Suc always has amazing sales and other special events which you can keep up to date either on their site, or their Instagram page! 

Absinthe
Absinthe, glowing red musk, bitter accord, myrrh, vetiver

Wet: Opening up with a thin, running lemon with a touch of clinical citrus, edged with a bitter bite. It's not quite as sharp as absinthe, but a pleasant, aura of a citrus home fragrance and polished marble bathroom tiles. 

Dried down: The bite of bitters, sprinkled on top of a lemon lime bitters opens up the palette to the scent, and an edge of balsamic, aromatic myrrh comes through and warms the sharper, coolness of the lemon top note. Complimented by the vetiver's base of wood, the resinous aspects of the myrrh are a comforting, and elegant classic scent that wouldn't look out of place in an art deco powder room. With a touch of animalic red musk that just adds a little bit of fuzz and warmth to the sharper corners of the myrrh and vetiver, for some reason, the scent is all red velvet curtains, dimly lit lights and an abundance of candles, vintage fur coats, and a Christmas church service and the distinct murmuring of the older ladies of the congregation. 

Perfect for: People who like a classic scent for their festivities, specked with a lot of expensive myrrh without needing to hang out at a stable for it. 

Frangelico
Frangelico, butterscotch candies, black oud, amber

Wet: A few dots of butterscotch, fermented hazelnuts, a touch of harsh amber and a dark, smokey texture to the oud. There's something very vintage about the hazelnut/Frangelico note that is almost indolic. 

Dried down: The sweeter aspects of the scent, with the creamy butterscotch give way to the more complex heart of the blend, allowing the Frangelico to shine more, and on my skin, the sharpness of the booze in this scent reads more indolic than alcholic. The sweetness of the hazelnut liquer doesn't quite play well with the black oud and turns the scent a little stale, and flashes of animalic musk, and balsamic heart come and bicker with the Frangelico. The oud note itself is lovely, with all its smokier, darker complexities, and pairs well with the amber, but the sharper booze in the Frangelico is a searing sharpness that cuts through that beautiful classic elegance.
On my skin, the Frangelico sits and never quite relaxes out of its sharper, sour, indolic profile, and leans a little too far into an old bottle of rancid liqueur left in the dusty corners of a neglected holiday home, spilt on top of the beautiful, imported Arabian carpet by your slightly too intoxicated family member who everyone ends up gossiping about after one too many drinks, and strays into scrubber territory for me. 

Perfect for: if you'd like to smell like a morning hangover after a big Christmas dinner. 

Chocolate Stout
Rich chocolatey stout, a comfy flannel shirt, allspice, sandalwood, vanilla bean

Wet: Warm, thick crunchy waffles drenched in whipped cream, melted butter and maple syrup and scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. A delicious crossover between Papa's Waffles and Smoke and Decay (Sucreabeille). featuring that rich wheaty ale, crunchy waffles and a touch of bread and butter pudding.  

Dried down: A lovely strong, sweet blend that holds strong - while chocolate never really dominates this scent, and Sucreabeille's chocolate note is more of a softer, understated creamier cocoa, I have tried chocolate stout and it tastes much more like stout than chocolate. The scent has a lovely rich, buttery core, the touch of vanilla sweetness and wheat heavy stout, the wear is complimented by the base of warmed sandalwood. It grounds the scent, offering a steady undercurrent of wood and pairs well with the creamier sandalwood note. With a touch of 'comfy flannel', the slight hint of wool, with its softer, fluffier profile, it elevates this scent above just a butter, sugar heavy gourmand, but rather, the feeling of waking up to a pancakes and waffles in bed, surrounded by heaps of soft blankets and pillows, the sandalwood diffuser on the bedside table, and the beautiful wooden bedframe, with just a sneaky sip of dark stout. 

Perfect for: Those who prefer a softer, more wearable interpretation of a classic gourmand. If you found Papa's Waffles too sweet, this is very similar, but adds a softer, more comforting feeling to the scent.  

The complete list of scents from this collection: 

Hot Buttered Rum

Scent notes: Hot buttered rum, bright oranges, spices

Irish Cream

Scent notes: Irish cream, salted caramel, espresso

Hot Cocoa

Scent notes: Rich hot cocoa with mountains of fluffy marshmallows and a touch of coconut cream pie, tempered with a touch of patchouli and incense

Amaretto

Scent notes: Amaretto, venilla cream, a sprinkle of nutmeg

Eggnog

Scent notes: Eggnog sprinkled with allspice, ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg

Chocolate Stout

Scent notes: Rich chocolatey stout, a comfy flannel shirt, allspice, sandalwood, vanilla bean

Frangelico

Scent notes: Frangelico, butterscotch candies, black oud, amber

Mulled Wine

Scent notes: Red wine mulled with cinammon, oranges, brown sugar and pepper, grapefruit and cardamom, and a hint of bitter accord.

Absinthe

Scent notes: Absinthe, glowing red musk, bitter accord, myrrh, vetiver

Disclaimer: Sucreabeille very generously sent me these for review, but as always, all opinions are my own!