doomsday_disco

In the bottle: Sugary pumpkin and lavender. Wet: There's a blast of lavender, with a spiced, sugary pumpkin candy floss note right behind it. After a few minutes, the violet sugar emerges and becomes quite prominent, and it's more violet, with the sugary pumpkin candyfloss in the background. Dry: Several hours later, both the lavender and violet seem to have retreated to allow the warm pumpkin candyfloss to reign. I'm not sure if it just never appeared on me, or if I just wasn't paying close enough attention, but I can't remember detecting any mint on my skin! Verdict: I was worried about the violet for a bit, but fortunately, the pumpkin candyfloss was able to shine once the scent was dry. I'm happy to have a bottle. Thanks to my wonderful Witch for the bottle! :]

In the decant, I mainly get the green tea, honey, plum, and ambergris. On my skin, it is much the same. The green tea is clean. The honey is heady, just as it says in the description. The plum is pretty prominent, too. I'm not really a fan of plum, so I must have gotten this for the green tea and honey. The vanilla flower really is just orchid – there's no vanilla here. The green tea and honey end up being the dominant notes once the scent is dry. Verdict: I'm glad I was able to try it, but the plum note makes this not for me.

In the decant: I can smell all of the notes in the order that they're listed. I'm somewhat reminded of Lyonesse, likely due to the amber, ambergris, and vanilla, but this is a different (not golden vanilla) and contains different florals, so they're not that similar. Wet: I'm getting the ambergris, moonflower, amber, and vanilla with the white tobacco petals (which kind of reminds me of the tobacco found in Fake News – but it's not as strong here). The vanilla note is getting stronger over time, and it's a soft, creamy vanilla. Dry: The soft vanilla note reigns, and I think this may be the creamy vanilla found in Antique Lace (2017). I'm still getting lots of ambergris, moonflower, and the white tobacco petals are more present during this stage. The amber note isn't as prominent as it was before. It's soft, pale, ethereal, and really pretty. Verdict: I really like this and think I may need a bottle!

I received this from a Goblin Grab Barrel bag from the Trading Post back in 2015... and only got around to trying it recently. In the imp: Minty, herbal honey. Wet: Same, with the soft mint note being stronger on my skin. But then the mint note gains a licorice-y vibe. Dry: I feared that this contained the Lab's pennyroyal note and that it would go into headache territory for me, but the mint note calmed down somewhat, and now I'm pretty sure it is spearmint. This ended up being a spearmint-y, floral honey. Verdict: This one isn't my cup of tea, but I'm glad I was able to try it!

Mother of Demons, Vengeful Fury, Darkest Seductress, Queen of the Djinn, Goddess of the Gate. Red wine, myrrh, black musk, and attar of rose. In the imp: The red wine note is the strongest note. The other notes are lingering in the background. Wet: Red wine and black musk reign, with the black musk having a lemon-y quality to it at first, followed by the attar of rose. As it dries, the myrrh note begins to emerge. This is a sweet red wine, and I don't know if it is the combination of the red wine and the rose, or just the wine by itself, but it's sweeter than I had anticipated and reminds me of something that I can't quite pinpoint at the moment. Dry: The black musk note is even stronger in the dry phase, but I'm still getting a lot of red wine to accompany it, and finally, the rose. The myrrh note is present as well, but I have to put my nose really close to my arm in order to smell it. It seems to be content with its background role. The next morning, I woke up and could still smell this on my arm. At that point, it was mostly cuddly myrrh, like the type in Bastet, sweetened by the red wine note. Verdict: I didn't think I would enjoy this, but it's a lot better than I thought it would be! II'm glad that I was able to try it and will see how often I reach for the imp.

In the bottle: Like sticking your face in a bag of big, powdery marshmallows, surrounded by crisp apple slices, but it's predominantly a marshmallow scent. In my hair, it's still predominantly a marshmallow scent, but I do get more of the crisp apple than I did in the bottle. It. Is. GLORIOUS. I tried it two days in a row. The scent is far more prominent on dry hair than wet hair, so I would use that method to apply it if you want to be in an amazing apple-y marshmallow (but mostly, true marshmallow!) cloud. Verdict: LOVE. I am so happy that I have a bottle. Thanks to Absinthetics for being my fairy!

Disclaimer: I always use bath oils as moisturizers and not in the bath as intended. This has a similarity to 2015's Candied Apple single note, only this isn't a heated sugar note, and the apple note is a soft one. It's got a lemon-y aspect to it, but it is reminiscent of apple slices being dipped into a bowl of sugar. I used to have a bottle of Honeyed Apple bath oil, but it has been gone for a while now. Sugared Apple is lovely, and I am happy to add it to my apple arsenal. Thanks to my wonderful fairy for picking this one up for me!

2017 version. In the decant: Musty, fallen leaves, dirt, and a hint of cypress. Wet: Incense-y fallen leaves (musty, but not crumbly ones), dirt, cypress. It's somewhat smoky. The smokiness, combined with the fig, almost makes this veer into barbecue sauce territory on me. That's... odd. I wasn't expecting that. (Thanks, skin chemistry.) Dry: Thankfully, that weird phase was short-lived, and it's now mostly dried leaves, dirt, and cypress, sweetened by the honeyed fig. After a while, the honeyed fig note becomes the most prominent, with the leaves, dirt, and cypress mingling in the background. Verdict: On a positive note, the dead leaf note didn't give me a headache! I don't think I can deal with that odd part of the wet stage of the scent again, though, so I will be passing on my decant.

Crystallized glittering shards of lightly spiced pumpkin sugar. 2017 version. In the decant: When this first arrived, it was all pumpkin spices, no sugar. It was as if someone had spilled a jar of pumpkin spice. Now, I do get some sugar, but it's still mostly pumpkin spices. Wet: Pumpkin spices, sweetened by sugar. It's like a sugared Pumpkin Spice Everything. It doesn't burn me, remarkably, but the area where I applied it is very warm and somewhat tingly. In any case, this is not lightly spiced. Dry: Still sugared pumpkin spice, with the spices being somewhat calmer during this stage. Verdict: This is pleasant, especially during the dry phase, but I don't feel the need to grab more of it.

In the bottle: Mostly champagne, with some ginger and apple in the background. Wet: Bubbly champagne, but the ginger component quickly sidles up to it, so now it is somewhat reminiscent of Ginger Ale. Alas, that phase is short-lived, and it quickly goes back to being mostly champagne on me, followed by the ginger in the background. As it dries, I begin detecting the apple note, but it is very light. Dry: Still champagne dominant, but with more apple than before. The ginger note has calmed down, but still remains in the background. Verdict: I do amp champagne, but Shade was such a success with its balance of pink grapefruit and champagne on me, that it makes a wonderful summer scent. I figured this would be my autumnal champagne scent. It's nice, but I wish there were more of a balance between the gingered apple and the champagne on me. I don't love it like I love Shade.

In the bottle: Cake, where art thou? I can smell cardamom pods and apple, and it reminds me more of an apple-filled chai than apple cake. Wet: I get a bit of sweetness from a frosting note, but it quickly retreats. This scent features a juicy red apple note. The cardamom note is like the cardamom pods you would find in a chai, not the crushed kind found on top a dessert like in Cardamom Cream Pumpkin Cake. I'm still mostly reminded me of an apple cider with chai spices than cake. Dry: I'm still not getting cake from this. The spices are very faint now, so it's mostly a red apple scent. It's not juicy anymore. After a while, I start to get what could be some faint traces of cake, but it's buried under what seems like an almost waxy apple note. It's more like a shiny apple, dangling from a tree, than a foodie apple. Verdict: This is not what I was expecting at all. I was hoping for another apple cake scent, since I have already used half of my bottle of Hard Cider Cake. Alas, it's not cake-like at all on me. I have a lot of apple scents already that I'd reach for over this one, so I'm not sure I will hold onto it.

In the bottle: The apricot is the dominant note, and it reads to me as a lightly spiced apricot, like lightly spiced apricot preserves. I can also smell the sugar cane. When this first arrived, I could pick out the marshmallow and apple, but now, I mostly just smell the apricot and sugar cane. Wet: Apricot and apple, warmed by the sugar cane. Then, the marshmallow note starts to peek out, making the scent sweeter. I agree that the sugar cane does add a bit of woodiness to the scent. The apricot is the star here, and it's still giving me that lightly spiced, not fresh, dessert-y apricot vibe. Dry: The apricot and sugar cane still dominate, but there is a bit more marshmallow in the background now. I cannot pick out the apple anymore. The scent ends up being really light after a few hours of wear. Verdict: I was worried this one would end up being too sweet, but it isn't on me. I didn't want to end up passing on it because it sounded like it would be great to pair with Apple Marshmallow hair gloss, but it's mostly an apricot scent on me, not an apple or a marshmallow one. I like it, but I wish the marshmallow note were stronger on me.

In the decant: A perfume-y, but crisp apple. I wonder if there's an aquatic note contributing to that perfume-y apple vibe? Wet: Indeed, there is. I get a water-y quality from this, like a bunch of apples are floating around in a metal tub full of water, just as Forspecial Plate mentioned. As this sits on my skin, the aquatic note gains strength, veering into soapy territory without going full-on soap. Dry: A soft, watery, aquatic apple. It's more aquatic than apple on me, with the aquatic note actually giving me a water-y vibe and not just turning to soap on me. It's rare when aquatic notes don't hate my skin chemistry! Verdict: I do think that the bobbing for apples was captured really well. I have a lot of apple scents already and don't really think I'd reach for this, but if you like apples and aquatic notes, give this a whirl.

In the decant: This reminds me of butter rum candies, with some apple and some light spices in the background. Wet: The apple butter note is the strongest note on my skin, and I agree that it does seem to be a green apple note. The spiced rum note is the second most prominent note. The spices are stronger on my skin than they were in the decant, and the vanilla cream note is also present. The spiced rum note seems to be increasing in strength the longer this sits on my skin. Dry: Mostly spiced rum and vanilla cream with a very light apple note. Verdict: I was hoping for more apple butter and vanilla, but the spiced rum note ends up taking over for a while on my skin (which is what I feared). But if you're looking for a lot of butter rum, you won't be disappointed!

In the decant: Extremely boozy rum cakes and blueberries. Wet: Same. I feared this would be really boozy, but I was hoping that the other notes would help tame the rum cake note. But it's the strongest one, followed by the blueberries from the scones. Then, the black tea note emerges and becomes stronger over time. Dry: Predominantly black tea and blueberry scones with some rum cake and biscuits in the background. Verdict: I mainly wanted to try this because it was the only gourmand from the The Tell-Tale Heart collection. It's too booze-y and blueberry-y for me, but I'm glad that I was able to try it.

In the decant: More bitter smelling than Cardamom Cream Pumpkin Cake. I am mostly just somewhat medicinal chai spices and cinnamon. Wet: Fortunately, the sweetness of the frosting note comes out more on my skin, but it's pretty strong on the chai spices. After a few minutes, the cake note begins to emerge. Dry: This ends up being more cupcake-like during the dry phase. The chai spices have calmed down somewhat, and the scent is sweeter now, with the frosting definitely seeming to be cinnamon-dusted. This is the stage of the scent I like the best. Verdict: I think of this more as a nice chai scent more than a cupcake scent. It's nice, but I don't think I need to upgrade to a bottle.

In the decant: Aww yiss. Cardamom-laced cream cheese frosting and spiced pumpkin cake. This smells delicious. The cardamom note makes me think of a cardamom bun I had in Sweden. Wet: I'm getting lots of cardamom cream cheese frosting, followed by the cinnamon, and then the clumps of cake. Dry: I am still getting a lot of cardamom, but less of the sweetness of the cream cheese frosting. The pumpkin cake note is also stronger during this stage, making it mostly cardamom-y pumpkin cake. Verdict: This smells delicious. I am considering a bottle (but it will depend on how hard the Yules hit me, since that is one of my favorite updates).

In the bottle: Far more spiced pumpkin forward than the bath oil of the same name, I think. But I do get a fair amount of sticky marshmallow goo, too! Wet: Yep, this is way more spiced pumpkin on me than marshmallow. It's so cinnamon-y, that it reminds me of cinnamon candy, like Red Hots. The marshmallow is present, but in the background, adding its gooey sweetness to the very cinnamon-forward scent. I have sensitive skin, but fortunately, this one hasn't burnt me yet. Dry: I didn't get to pay close attention to this all evening due to pumpkin carving, but several hours later, the marshmallow ends up being the dominant note, so that it's mostly sweet marshmallow goo with the spices from the pumpkin note in the background. I prefer this phase. Verdict: I'm surprised at how much more heavily spiced this is than the bath oil, but the marshmallow I know and love came out more during the dry phase, so I'm glad to have a bottle! Thanks to my lovely Witch for getting this for me!

In the decant: A very realistic pine. Wet: Pine backed by florals. I'm not sure if it is the moonflower, opium poppy, or both. Although the pine note is currently the dominant, the florals in this are quite strong. I think I'm getting the poppy and not the moonflower, but I could be wrong. Dry: The pine really does smell like it is enshrouded in mist. The florals have softened around the edges, but still remain rather strong. The pine also seems somewhat sweeter to me during this phase. It's not a menacing pine, although sometimes it does feel like it is trying to reach up through the florals, as Failmingo noted above. Verdict: I do think this one fits the description. I don't feel the need to obtain more of it, as I guess I prefer my pine notes without florals, but it is nice. I'm glad I was able to try it.

In the bottle: When I first smelled this, I thought it may have the same, sweet, sugared pine snow note of Snow Bunny. Now, I'm not so sure. (I haven't had the atmosphere spray for ages, so I can't compare.) I get the perfume-y, sweet snow note that reminds me of that, but I also get a ton of pine and/or spruce from this, along with some citrus. Wet: Citrus and tree needles mingled with a sugary snow note (not the one from Snow White and Go to Sleep, Darlings). It's a slushy, citrus-y, somewhat minty, ozonic snowball covered in pine needles. Dry: This is mostly sugared, lightly minty, coniferous snow with some warm vanilla finally starting to emerge in the background. The vanilla ice cream note comes out more over time, but it is still a lot softer than the coniferous snow note. Verdict: It's not the sweet snow note I had been hoping for (although it is sugared), and I was also hoping the vanilla would be stronger on me. Still, it's a nice snow scent, and I will keep it around and wear it around Yule. Maybe I'll end up getting more of the vanilla with age.

In the bottle: Lilith's lavender backed by vanilla and a hint of coconut. Wet: I'm getting more coconut on my skin than I did in the bottle. The lavender reigns, followed by the coconut, and then the vanilla. Dry: UNNNF. SO AMAZING. The vanilla just keeps increasing in strength. On my wrists, it's all about the soft lavender blending with the vanilla and coconut. The lavender is a lot stronger in the crooks of my elbows. Verdict: I adore sweet lavender blends (lavender and vanilla combos are my favorite), and this one is no exception! I'm in a cloud of sugared lavender awesomeness! I don't think one bottle will be enough!

In the bottle: This is predominantly fresh Snake Oil, although I do smell some of the pumpkin spice. Wet: Okay, I actually am getting more of the pumpkin spice in this on my skin. I applied some Pumpkin Spice Everything hair gloss to my hair before testing it, so I know it's the pumpkin spices (and not just fresh Snake Oil spices) that I'm getting here. Dry: I actually prefer this to fresh Snake Oil on its own, because that is more musky and medicinal on me, so I usually prefer my Snake Oil aged or with something added to it. With Pumpkin Spice Snake Oil, I got the Snake Oil spices and the pumpkin spices for a while (no actual pumpkin – just the spices, just like in Pumpkin Spice Everything), and the vanilla really shined through in the end, which is something that doesn't normally happen with all Snake Oil plus scents on me. Verdict: This one is a keeper! I don't think I prefer it over Snakes in the Pumpkin Patch, and I don't feel the need to grab any back-ups, but it's a nice Snake Oil plus blend that I'm glad to have in my collection, and I look forward to seeing how it ages.

In the bottle: Straight up Perversion. I'm not really getting any of the pumpkin spice in the bottle. Hopefully that will change on my skin! Okay, I do get the spices on my skin. They're lingering behind the leather-wine-tonka-and-tobacco-awesomeness of Perversion. Unfortunately, they are very short-lived. This ends up being like regular Perversion, and it remains so after a full day of wear. I only get a hint of the pumpkin spice when I press my nose to my arm in order to smell it. Verdict: I'm a fan of Perversion, so I will be keeping my bottle and hoping that the pumpkin spice will emerge more with age. However, if you were hoping that the spices would be a strong component, you might have better luck layering Pumpkin Spice Everything with the original GC.

In the decant: Very floral. I could be mistaken, but the sunflower note makes me think of the discontinued All in the Golden Afternoon. I can smell a bit of the oak bark in the background. Wet: The floral notes reign. I believe it's the sunflower note that is in the lead. I'm not getting any of the vanilla-tinged oak bark or the bit of sugary breakfast cereal on my skin at this time. Dry: Ah, there's the sugary breakfast cereal! I can smell it behind the sunflowers. Verdict: I had to try this one because I liked the idea of the floral notes accompanied by the vanilla part of the oak bark note and the sugary part of the cereal. While I enjoy the scent, I was hoping it would be more sugary. I don't think I need a bottle, but I'm glad that I got a chance to try it.

In the decant: Pomegranate-flavored cotton candy (more pomegranate heavy than cotton candy heavy). Wet: Pomegranate, with the spun sugar note helping to temper the tartness. Dry: This ends up becoming sweeter and more candy-like over time, and the pomegranate has calmed down significantly. Verdict: I am not really a pomegranate fan, but I wanted to try this because of the cotton candy. I figured I might as well try it since I ordered decants of pretty much all of the other scents, and if any scent would get me to like pomegranate, it would be this one. Alas, that was not the case. I guess this fruit will never be my jam. But if you happen to be a fan of pomegranate, you can't go wrong with this one!