doomsday_disco

I’ve never tried any of the sufganiyot scents, thinking they’d be too heavy on the berry filling for me, but the amazingness that is Snake Oil Jelly Doughnut has made me interested in them. In the bottle: I’m getting lots of the jam with the golden-brown, sugar-dusted pastry note. Wet: The powdered sugar note on the pastry is very realistic. I am getting a lot more of it (and the golden-brown pastry note) on my skin than I did in the bottle, with lots of the blackcurrant jam oozing out of it. It smells delicious! Dry: The golden pastry note is still going strong, and so is the jam. I think this may be the sufganiyot that was mixed with Snake Oil on accident that resulted in Snake Oil Jelly Doughnut, but I could be wrong. I’ll have to do a side-by-side comparison one of these days. After several hours of wear, the powdered sugar reigns, with the blackcurrant jam and the warm pastry in the background. Verdict: This really does smell like a jelly doughnut covered in powdered sugar! And I bet it would be wonderful paired with Eat Me hair gloss. I am going to try layering this with Snake Oil to see how that goes. I will be keeping my bottle, and now I’m even more curious about the raspberry one!

I love Neverwhere (and the Marquis is my favorite character!), so I wanted to try this for that reason alone, even though the notes don’t really grab me. In the bottle: I’m getting black leather, with some spiced rum in the background, and what I think may be the wool note. Wet: There’s an aquatic vibe to this that I wasn’t expecting, but it makes sense that it would be there! I can also smell the bay rum. The leather in this a well-worn black leather (which is lighter on my skin than I was anticipating, and I think I’m getting the Marquis’ dusty wool coat and and some opium. As the scent begins to dry, I start getting more of the leather and less of the rum, and the aquatic vibe is still present. Dry: The leather is a lot more prominent now than it was during the wet phase of the scent. This now smells like an aquatic black leather on me with some wool from the Marquis’ coat, and the light spice of the rum and opium in the background. After a while, the scent becomes warmer and a bit sweeter. I am guessing that’s the massoia bark at play with the bay rum. And I can now smell the dusty aspect of the wool! But the soft leather is still a main player. Verdict: Aww, I was hoping to get the root beer that some of the reviewers mentioned. This is more pleasant than I thought it would be from the list of notes, but it’s not something I could see myself wearing often. Maybe I’ll pair it with Mikado Saloon hair gloss and see how that goes. In any case, I am holding on to my partial bottle, because I am fond of the character.

I have Eve (from 2014 release) on one wrist and Eve WSFU on the other. This was super strong on the sage when it first arrived, so I let it settle for over a week. I get more of the honey from Eve WSFU than I do from Eve. Eve smells like a drier, saffron-infused incense on me. Although I normally see Eve as a magical, sweet resin and incense scent and haven’t really gotten a lot of rose from it in the past, smelling it side by side with the roseless sage version has now made me aware of its presence in the original. The sage version is a lot smoother, and while sage can be a dry note, that is not the case with the two sage notes in this blend. This is more honeyed sage incense on me, while the original is warmer and more resinous, with the saffron playing a greater role on my skin. By the end of the day, the main note I get from Eve WSFU is honey. I am super happy to have both, but I have to say I enjoy the original more (which makes sense, as I enjoy rose more than sage).

2018 release. I actually did try the original release of Adam back in 2014, but I apparently never reviewed it. I gave the decant to my brother, because he wanted it. I am now retrying it since I’ve grown to appreciate some leather blends since that time. In the decant: Lots of black leather backed by some ambergris, a pale sandalwood, and fougere. Wet: Fortunately, the leather was a lot stronger in the vial than it is on my skin. I still get some leather, and now, some dust, but I’m also getting lots of ambergris and more of the pale sandalwood than I did in the decant. Or perhaps I spoke too soon. The black leather note has gotten stronger as it sits on my skin. Dry: The leather ends up calming down after some time, and I end up with a soft, black leather (like a well-worn leather jacket) and cozy ambergris, with some fougere and sandalwood, and a bit of dust, but I also get something sharp from this. I’m not sure if it is the plastic, metal, the magnetic tape, or a combination of these things, but the sharp not threatens to give me a headache. Alas! I think it’s the metal, though. Verdict: I enjoyed Adam more than I did back when I tried him in 2014, but unfortunately, there’s a sharp note present in the dry phase that is going to give me a headache if I continue sniffing it. So Adam is still not for me, but I am glad I got to give him another try.

2018 release. In the decant: Deep, warm resins accompanied by a bit of spice. The frankincense in this smells amaaaaaazing. Wet: This is definitely one of those church-y resinous scents, only better. The frankincense note in this is full of win. I’m reminded of the frankincense in Hope and Fear Set Free. Dry: The frankincense dominates, and it is glorious. I am not able to single out the other resins, but they all combine to create this wonderful resin cloud. Verdict: I don’t think I reach for pure resins scents enough to warrant getting a bottle of this, but it is gorgeous. I think this would go really well with the Post’s Implacable Beautiful Tyrant hair gloss. I’ll be keeping my decant for sure, and if I end up reaching for it enough, I’ll consider a bottle.

2018 release. In the decant: I’m getting lots of champaca and some cognac. The cognac is indeed reminiscent of Lush’s Snowshowers, only this scent is far more incense-y thanks to the champaca. Wet: The white champaca and cognac notes are the notes that jump out to me the most. It really is like Lush’s Snowshowers infused with champaca, at least at first, but then the champaca note becomes stronger and the white musk asserts itself, so that association goes away.This reads as a clean, incense-y scent to my nose. Dry: The champaca and white musk reign, with some floral notes in the background, and some very light cognac behind them. It’s more floral and less clean than before. It does have a glittering quality to it. Verdict: I was really looking forward to this one, and it was really promising when first applied, but the champaca note, while nice, ends up taking over and making this a little too one-dimensional on me. I am glad that I got to try it, though!

2018 release. In the decant: The Lab’s lovely ambergris accord accompanied by warm resins and some immortelle (which I recognize from Black Silk). Wet: The warm resins reign on my skin, backed by the musky ambergris. I can smell the immortelle as well, but it’s not as strong as the resins or the ambergris. The scent is very warm, like being wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket. Dry: The ambergris reigns, accompanied by the warm resins. I am getting more of the sweet benzoin now, and myrrh is also more prominent. After a while, the myrrh becomes the dominant note. Verdict: This is a lovely scent, but it is also rather light, until the myrrh becomes more prominent after a few hours of wear. I like it a lot more than I thought I would! I’m not sure that I need a bottle of it, but I’ll definitely hang on to my decant.

In the decant: Lilac (but it’s sweeter than normal, perhaps honeyed?) and white musk with frankincense, tobacco leaf, and some tea. Wet: The lilac and white musk are the first notes to jump out at me, followed by the tobacco leaf, frankincense, and black tea. The lilac note does smell like it is honeyed. Sometimes, the Lab’s black tea note has an anise quality to it on my skin, but that is not the case here. The frankincense in this isn’t heavy, and the tobacco leaf isn’t really smoky. Dry: The black tea, tobacco leaf, and frankincense are more prominent during this phase of the scent, but the honeyed lilac is still present, and so is the white musk. There’s a tinge of smokiness now from the tobacco leaf, and the scent is not as sweet as it was before, since the frankincense and tobacco leaf are playing greater roles. It’s a warm scent, slightly sweetened by the honeyed lilac, with a wisp of smoke from the tobacco leaf. Verdict: I did not expect Famine to smell so nice! I do not think I need more of this one (I preferred the wet phase of the scent), but I do enjoy it. I think I’ll hold on to my decant.

2018 release. In the decant: Well-worn leather, beeswax, smoke, yellowed pages, and a bit of the salt. Wet: The leather and beeswax are the strongest notes on me, followed by the yellowed pages. Far in the background, I can smell some of the salty tears and the metallic knife. It becomes smokier and less sweet as it sits on my skin. Dry: The smoke has calmed down. The well-worn brown leather of the books continues to dominate the scent, followed by the beeswax, and then a bit of smoke. The dusty, yellowed pages are not as prominent as before, and while I can still smell a bit of the salty tears, I’m no longer getting the metallic note in the background. Verdict: This is a nice leather and beeswax scent. I don’t feel the need to obtain more of this, as there are other leather scents and beeswax scents that I’d reach for before this one, but I am glad that I was able to try it. I may end up hanging on to my decant for a while to see how it ages and try it again before deciding to swap it away.

This scent wasn’t originally on my radar, but after seeing the glowing reviews, I just had to buy a leftover decant! In the decant: Sweet vanilla musk intertwined with sweet resins. This also makes me think of a lighter Antikythera Mechanism, without any of the sharpness that that scent has on me, mixed with Banshee Beat. Wet: Sweet resins and vanilla musk. Something in this reminds me of Banshee Beat. Oak can be sharp and cologne-y on me, but that’s not the case here. It’s also not a heavy scent. As the scent sits on my skin, it becomes brighter. There’s an effervescent quality to this, like the wand is surrounded by its own magical aura. Dry: The sparkling, glowing quality still remains. It’s vanilla musk and sweet, light resins, but it’s more than that. It’s a wand that leaves a trail of magic in its wake. Verdict: I am so thankful for all of the wonderful reviews of this scent that led me to track down a decant before this collection goes down. I need more of this in my life!

In the decant: Exactly what it says in the description! Fresh cotton and soap. Wet: I am getting a lot of the linen and the soap. It really does smell like well-scrubbed soapy skin and cotton. I am testing this against Boober, and Boober is much softer and more floral with less linen. This is a bright scent. Dry: I can still smell a lot of fresh cotton note and soapy skin. It’s interesting to smell the variations between these clean scents. While Boober features very realistic soap suds, Wensleydale features a bar of soap. Verdict: The scent description is spot on! It’s not something I could see myself wearing, as clean scents aren’t generally something I reach for (and I do prefer Boober over this one), but I am glad that I got to try it.

In the decant: This Lick It is stronger on the mint than the sugar! Wet: There’s a blast of mint accompanied by some sugar. But the mint is a cool peppermint, not the kind that leaves a cold burn on your skin. Dry: The cool peppermint is still going strong. It’s actually tingling my skin now. There’s still some sugar present, but it is not nearly as sugary as I’d like, and I’m not picking up on any vanilla. After a few hours, I get a soft, sugared mint backed by a base of vanilla. Yaaaas! Verdict: I am really glad I got to try this variation of Lick It! It is very strong on the mint, but fortunately, the sugar and vanilla ended up becoming more prominent after a while, after the mint calmed down. I’m going to hang on to my decant and wear it on hot summer days or when I need a sinus-clearing scent.

In the decant: Definitely smells like a candy cane! Wet: This Lick It does not contain a bracing mint. It’s a soft one, and sugary, and it does seem as if this candy cane has been licked. But there’s a dusty quality to this one, like it has been dropped on the ground. I wonder if that bit of oddness is meant to be a metallic note or just my skin doing weird things. Dry: This smells like a mixture of peppermint leaves to me and cough drops with menthol in them. It definitely smells less candy-like on my skin now. I’m not picking up on any vanilla. After a while, it just smells like dusty cough drop to me. Even the boy says he can smell a dustiness to the scent on me. Verdict: I am glad that I got to try this, as I am curious about the different variations of Lick It, but this is the Lick It scent I’ve tried that I like the least so far, as there was not enough sugar for me, and I did not get any vanilla. And then there was the odd dusty quality to it on my skin. Not for me.

In the decant: Dusty blonde woods and musk. I think one of the woods is a yellow or golden sandalwood note. Wet: A light musk accompanied by the dust and blonde woods, which I think may contain two sandalwood notes now (white and golden). It is evocative of a shop filled with bookshelves of dusty tomes with yellowed pages… which fits Aziraphale perfectly. As the scent sits on my skin, a cedar note emerges, but it is not the kind of cedar that stomps all over everything else. Dry: The scent is less dusty now, as the ethereal musk has asserted itself and is now the dominant note, backed by the warm woods. It smells bright. After a while, the ethereal musk has an aquatic vibe to it. Verdict: Aziraphale’s scent matches his character, and it’s a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be! I am not sure that I need a bottle, but I’ll certainly cherish my decant. It’s a wonderful book scent!

Source: This is a fresh decant from Ajevie. In the decant: I’m getting lots of red musk, patchouli, some lemon rind, and lilac cologne. Wet: I get lots of musk, lilac cologne, and lemon rind at first, and then the patchouli and leather notes emerge. The red musk was super strong in the decant, which made me worried, as it tends to declare dominion over everything on my skin, but the lilac cologne and lemon rind are helping to tame it on my skin. The red patchouli note is getting stronger over time, and the leather seems to be a well-worn variety as opposed to a fresh, sharp, chemically kind. As the scent begins to dry, the oakmoss note appears. I’m not getting any of the vanilla husk at this point. Dry: It’s darker now, as the lilac cologne and lemon rind are no longer playing prominent roles. I’m getting a lot of red musk, red patchouli, leather, and oakmoss. After a while, the red musk and patchouli are still going really strong (and have huge throw, too), followed by the leather and oakmoss, but the scent is a little sweeter, as the vanilla husk finally decided to peek out. Much later, I get the mahogany in the background, adding more warmth to the scent. This is the scent of a sexy guy in a leather jacket. Verdict: I am not a fan of red musk, and sadly, Crowley’s infernal musk is too much for me. But I love the character, so while it is not a scent I would wear myself, I’m going to try it on the boy and see what he thinks, as this would be wonderful on a guy.

Roll-ups, mildewed raincoat, sweet tea, and condensed milk. In the decant: I’m getting the roll ups, mossy raincoat, lots of tobacco and sweet tea, and some condensed milk. Wet: The roll ups and sweet black tea are the first notes to emerge, along with an unlisted tobacco note. Then I get a strong aquatic vibe from the scent, which I’m guessing has to do with the raincoat. As it begins to dry, it is mostly strong sweet tea with the aquatic note and some tobacco. Dry: The scent is a lot sweeter now. I smell coconut. The sweet tea and roll ups are very prominent, and I’m getting more of the condensed milk now, adding a creaminess to the scent. I no longer smell tobacco, the aquatic vibe is still present, but has calmed down significantly, and there’s no sign of mildew to be found, although I think there is some moss at play here. Verdict: I like this a lot more than I thought I would! It’s a curious combination of notes, but somehow, it works. I may need to obtain more of it at some point.

In the decant: The tea rose, violet, and ume blossom stand out to me the most. Wet: The sweet ume blossom and violet are pretty strong on me, and then the tea rose quickly decides to join them. I get the geranium and the lily in the background. Dry: The violet is the dominant note on me, sweetened further by the ume blossom. I can smell the tea rose in the background, but it is not as strong as it was before. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Marie, only that one had more of a balance between the rose and the violet. This one is far stronger on the violet. Verdict: I’m not particularly fond of violet, so Madame Tracy is not for me, but I do think that the scent matches her character. There’s the type of florals you’d see in the Victorian Spiritualism blends accompanied by the sweet violet and ume blossom that show that she’s not who she seems to be.

2018 release. In the decant: A bouquet of soft white flowers. Wet: This is definitely a bouquet of soft, white flowers. I am not able to pick out individual notes, but I will say that none of the flowers are sharp, sour, or competing with one another. At the moment, I’m not getting any of the tobacco, bourbon vanilla, or tonka, but perhaps they’ll emerge after some time? Dry: This stays true all the way through: it’s a bouquet of soft white florals that never vie with one another for attention or veer into soap territory. The scent is softer now, and I’m still not picking up on the bourbon vanilla, tobacco, or tonka notes. Verdict: I think this is a lovely white floral scent, but as I do not really reach for straight-up floral scents, I don’t think I’d end up reaching for this one. That said, if that is your thing, you should definitely get this one!

2018 release. In the decant: Upon opening the decant, I am hit with a blast of jasmine, accompanied by some of the saffron-infused bourbon vanilla and honey. But mostly, JASMINE. Wet: The jasmine note is the most prominent note on my skin, followed by the honey. I can also smell the saffron aspect of the bourbon vanilla and the musky ambrette seed. Oddly enough, I’m not able to pick out either of the wood notes, but I suspect they’re adding some more warmth to the scent. Dry: The jasmine continues to reign, but it is softer now, and so is the honey (which is also a main player). I get more of the saffron-infused bourbon vanilla than before (especially the saffron), and I can still smell the musky ambrette. I’m still not able to pick out the woods or hay, but the scent is even warmer than before, and I am sure they likely have something to do with it. I really like this phase of the scent. Verdict: While I enjoyed the dry phase of this scent, I’m not sure if I’d want to endure the blast of jasmine and honey that I get when I apply it and wait for it to settle down. This isn’t something I feel the need to obtain more of, but I’m glad that I got a chance to try it!

Eerie billows of spun sugar, fluttering white cotton, and sheets of cream. 2012 version. In the decant: I have not tried the previous versions of Boo. I only have the hair gloss, and I once had the bath oil (but I used it up long ago). I get waaaay more white cotton from this decant than I do from my hair gloss, but I can still smell the spun sugar and cream. I am also getting a lot of lemon, and I wonder if that is from the sugar or the linen? Wet: Creamy, sugary, clean linen. The lemon-y aspect that I got in the decant is also present on my skin. Although it is sweet and creamy, it is definitely stronger on the white cotton note than my hair gloss is, so it has more of a clean, breezy quality to it. Dry: This makes me think of clean, vanilla-scented linen drying outside on a summer breeze. It’s like musky vanilla cream and clean linen. However, the boy think it smells like sunscreen on me. Sad! Verdict: I’m going to hold on to my decant and retest it on a day I’m actually wearing the hair gloss. I like it, but not nearly as much as the hair gloss (which I love).

In the decant: I can smell the fog, the sugar-crusted vanilla, and the cherry and lemon notes. I’m not getting anything sinister from the decant. Wet: The fog note unravels on my skin, with a bit of cherry, lemon, and vanilla behind it. The fog in this does not remind me of Fog Machine Juice whatsoever, which makes me happy, as my skin chemistry did not get along with that one. It smells like a light vanilla fog from a fog machine doing its best to obscure everything else in the room, but it’s simply not able to hide everything. The cherry and lemon in the background smell candy-like to me. Dry: This took a sharp turn on me. I’m still getting a lot of fog with a light vanilla, and I don’t know if it is the sour lemon combining with another note or something else entirely, like a hint of men’s cologne? It’s not as sweet as it was before. After a few hours, it’s a really light vanilla-tinged fog with a hint of lemon. Verdict: Alternative Facts is an interesting scent journey that perfectly matches its description! I think it’s nice. I preferred the wet stage of the scent, and if it had remained that way, I would have considered a bottle. But the dry stage is a little too sharp on me. I’m super glad that I got to try it, though! (Thanks for the tester, VetchVesper!)

Blackened patchouli, clove bud, honey oudh, pomegranate pulp, and a splash of whiskey. This was my original impression at Drag Con: “I was not expecting to like this one, but I ended up buying a bottle. It's mostly clove and blackened patchouli to me, and I adore clove. I think it's the black clove note I love in the grave soil HG." Now, I'm testing it on a paper towel to try to review it properly: I am hit with a blast of whiskey and blackened patchouli, and then the wonderful black clove note emerges, which quickly becomes the most prominent note. I do get some pomegranate pulp, but it is not nearly as strong as the other notes. I'd say it's mostly black clove, followed by the blackened patchouli, whiskey, and oudh, with just a little pomegranate pulp. It's boozier than it was when I sprayed it at Drag Con, but my nose was probably just overwhelmed by scent by that point. I don't have any wigs to use this on, but I think I'll spray it on my clothes when I wear scents like Wednesday's Child is Full of Woe or the Black Clove, Tobacco Flower, and Grave Soil HG. I'm glad I grabbed a bottle! I love the clove in this one.

In the decant: I am not familiar with the scent of the actual flower, but it does smell sweet and purple in the decant! Wet: Definitely a sweet, purple, springtime flower. And it’s a strong one, too. Dry: It’s softer now, but still going strong. The lush carpet of flowers in the description is spot on! And it really does smell purple and white. Verdict: I’m glad that I got to try this. This is a lovely, sweet, purple springtime floral, and I look forward to pairing it with other floral single notes I have and experimenting with it! I don’t think it’s a single note I’d wear on its own, though.

In the decant: Smoke, leather, and floral perfume. I tested this at Drag Con and mostly got a lot of smoke and leather from it at first with the floral perfume coming out more later, but I didn’t really get any vanilla. I’m excited to do a proper test! Wet: Smoke and leather, with the floral perfume note not far behind. I wonder if the floral perfume note features sandalwood or benzoin, as something in this reminds me of Kit (or maybe it’s the marjoram or a dry vanilla?). They both have the same dry quality about them. Dry: The same dry quality that is present in Kit is the main thing I am getting from Liz. That accompanied by some smoke. Verdict: I like this, and I’m really glad that I got to test it without tons of other scents on my arms! It’s not something I need a bottle of, given that I already own Kit, and this is very reminiscent of that on me -- but if you want something similar to that, or are looking for a really dry scent, give this one a whirl.

In the decant: This is floral, herbal, and fruity. I can smell the freesia, jasmine tea, red currant, and mint. Wet: The florals and jasmine tea stand out to me the most, but I’m also getting the mint, red currant, and some thyme. Dry: Now it smells like the scent of flowers and red currant being carried on a cool breeze. I am getting soft florals, red currant, and mint. This scent is light and stays close to the skin. After a few hours of wear, I mostly smell the thyme and mint with some very soft flowers in the background. Verdict: I enjoyed the wet stage of this scent the most. I wish the thyme didn’t end up becoming as prominent as it did on me. I’m beginning to think I amp that note. Overall, I think The East is nice and that the scent is fitting for what it represents, but I don’t think I need to obtain more of it.