doomsday_disco

This is mostly about the red wine on me, which is infused with some cherry, but the cherry does not stick around in my hair for very long. The other notes weren't distinct in my hair, which made me sad, because aside from the cherry, I wanted that vanilla and clove! I wore this a few times in wet hair and a few times in dry hair. I would say that the scent sticks around better in dry hair, but I never got wafts of it going about my day. I could only smell it whenever I lifted my hair to my nose. Weird, because I thought this would be a pretty strong hair gloss with its notes! If you're looking for a wine-heavy hair gloss, this might be up your alley. I'll probably hang onto my decant to see how this ages... I hope the other notes will pop up with some age!

"Come not between the dragon, and his wrath: a rolling crack of Daemonorops draco and red peppercorn, billows of incense smoke, honeyed Cambodian oud, blackened oakmoss, flame-gold amber, a delicate membrane of leather, and a curved, sharp sandalwood claw."

"Nothing about him looked particularly demonic, at least by classical standards. No horns, no wings. Admittedly he was listening to a Best of Queen tape, but no conclusions should be drawn from this because all tapes left in a car for more than a fortnights metamorphose into Best of Queen albums. No particularly demonic thoughts were going through his head. In fact, he was wondering vaguely who Moey and Chandon were. Crowley had dark hair, and good cheekbones, and he was wearing snakeskin shoes, or at least presumably he was wearing shoes, and he could do really weird things with his tongue. And, whenever he forgot himself, he had a tendency to hiss." Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk.

"Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide. Two of these were wrong; Heaven is not England, whatever certain poets may have thought, and angels are sexless unless they really want to make an effort." Ethereal musk, blonde woods, and dusty Bible accord.

Bronze gears spin inside a polished wooden case, and an entire universe dances within. Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco.

"Nothing about him looked particularly demonic, at least by classical standards. No horns, no wings. Admittedly he was listening to a Best of Queen tape, but no conclusions should be drawn from this because all tapes left in a car for more than a fortnights metamorphose into Best of Queen albums. No particularly demonic thoughts were going through his head. In fact, he was wondering vaguely who Moey and Chandon were. Crowley had dark hair, and good cheekbones, and he was wearing snakeskin shoes, or at least presumably he was wearing shoes, and he could do really weird things with his tongue. And, whenever he forgot himself, he had a tendency to hiss." Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk.

"Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide. Two of these were wrong; Heaven is not England, whatever certain poets may have thought, and angels are sexless unless they really want to make an effort." Ethereal musk, blonde woods, and dusty Bible accord.

2023 version. I can't differentiate this from other Samhain vintages or even the atmo I've tried in the past. Full disclosure, I am not a Samhain fan, but if you are a fan of the stuff, you will be pleased to know that this is the Samhain you know and love. On me, it's just too mulchy. I really get a lot of damp woods from Samhain, accompanied by the red apple, spices, and patchouli. The red apple doesn't smell like a fresh apple, but something of a mix of apple peel and apple cider vinegar (but not as acidic). Those are the dominant notes throughout wear on me (please note: I'm not familiar with the scent of mullein and cannot speak to that). The pumpkin in this is very subtle on my skin. I do think this is very evocative of autumn. It's just not up my alley.

I expected to enjoy London Smoke more of the two recent Haute Macabre scents I grabbed decants of, but actually, I think I may enjoy Got the Morbs more. This was unexpected, as I generally don't like scents heavy on black musk, and this has it listed as the first note. But during the wet phase of the scent, and for the first few hours of wear, it is mostly about the opium tar and the clove on me. The opium tar is somewhat dryer sheet-adjacent, but also incense-y and sweet. (Sexy dryer sheet???) The clove in this reminds me of the clove in Constellation, but I did not deathmatch the two. Over time, the clove fades, and the musk and myrrh mingle with the opium, and with the myrrh being one of the dominant notes by the end of the day. But it is not a sharp variety and helps to deepen the blend. This never becomes a musk bomb on me, but I do think the musk may be cozying up to the opium tar and myrrh to create the alluring incense I get from this. I'm going to have to spend more time with my decant to see if I need more of this.

This is mostly about the black tea fougere on me, accompanied by the tobacco flower, and backed by some faint grey amber. I agree with HerbGirl that this particular black tea has no anise or licorice aspects to it whatsoever. The tobacco flower lends To a Wreath of Snow vibes, but also brings to mind scents like Pediophobia, Zorya P, and Fake News... only, this is more floral (and does not have vanilla like Pediophobia and Zorya P). And I agree with amoray that the floral aspect is probably coming from the fougere as opposed to the tobacco flower itself, but fortunately, after that initial burst of floral during the wet phase, the black tea fougere actually becomes stronger on the black tea on me with wear. I'm really surprised the tobacco flower is allowing something else to dominate the blend, because usually, it takes over most scents that it's in on me! I like this, but I don't think I need a bottle of it. I think I'll be hanging onto my decant for whenever I want to experience that lovely black tea fougere again, though!

I am only reviewing the scent. This stays very floral on me throughout wear. Aside from the lotus, which does have a bit of a bubblegum-y quality during the wet phase, and the tuberose, which is the dominant floral on me after several hours of wear, it's really hard to pick out the notes in this scent. I just couldn't help thinking floral, but with a bit of an aquatic vibe.... and I'm not sure what was giving me aquatic impression, as I don't see any distinctly aquatic notes listed here. I was never able to pick up on the vetiver (woot!), but I also was never able to pick up on the vanilla (wahh). But really, this is so well-blended that it's hard to pick out the notes, for the most part. There isn't enough sweetness here for me to gravitate towards this, but it was nice to get to try it.

This is mostly a dusty white floral scent on me. The gardenia is the most prominent of the floral notes, but the white amber and orris add that dustiness to the scent, and there's some sweetness from the violet. The Lab's white tea note, which is typically pretty loud on me, is very subdued here, and I don't get the mugwort at all (wahh! I love the stuff), or the vanilla. Actually, I don't pick up on the tobacco flower, either, which is wild, because that tends to dominate most scents I try with it as a note. This was kinder to me than I expected despite containing two notes I typically avoid (orris and violet). While it's not in my wheelhouse (not enough sweetness accompanying these florals for me), it was nice to get a chance to try it.

When I first tried my decant of this back in December, I really disliked it. The funk was super strong, and I was like, ah, this must be spikenard. I tried it twice this month, and didn't get a ton of funk from it now that it's had more time to settle -- it's mostly about the lavender and patch in the beginning, with some oakmoss and balsam in the background, before it mostly becomes all patch and oakmoss. Sadly, the sweet notes never manifest on me, and I was so hoping this would be a cousin to A Moment in Time... but it's not. Although the funk faded away after this had over a month to settle, it's not a scent I could see myself wearing. I am glad that the Lab released the Lavender Kitchen in the Yules, because I didn't have great luck with the two Weenie lavender blends.

This starts off with a wonderful, bright, candied maraschino cherry, backed by champagne, but the champagne quickly takes over, and it's soapier than the champagne I'm used to seeing in Lab scents. Seriously, it's more soapy than fizzy on me. Wahh.

The peach is the dominant note throughout wear, backed by the oakmoss, vetiver, and sage, in that order, but morphing into peach followed by sage, oakmoss, and just a bit of vetiver. The peach is bright, but somewhat waxy, the vetiver has a little smokiness to it, and the sage is a green variety. I rarely reach for the peach scents that I have, and know that I wouldn't reach for this one over those, but it was nice to get to try this.

I had blind bottled this and received it and tried it last month, but didn't want to review it until I was ready to find my bottle of The Sharing of the Cake Between the Lion and the Unicorn HG so that I could make a comparison (since that one smells like honey cake). The honey cake in this is definitely different than the honey cake in the above hair gloss. That has more of a fluffy vibe, you can tell this cake is denser, and I think they don't share the same honey notes. The cake must be really lightly spiced, because the spices aren't noticeable to me. This is very lavender-forward, but with plenty of golden honey covering a dense cake. Neither aspect of the scent disappears over time, although the honey does gain strength with wear. This does go somewhat powdery on me by the end of the day, but in a pleasant way, like the honey musk in Capax Inifiti (I haven't deathmatched them to see if they share the same sort of honey, though). I'm glad I grabbed a bottle of this, and I can see myself reaching for it during the spring and summer months.

Orange blossom and I are generally not friends, but it is pretty tame here. I feel like the notes here are really well-balanced, but more subdued than you'd expect... the red amber is slightly powdery, the pink pepper is soft here and adds a soft, pink touch to the scent, and I believe it's similar to the one from High-Strung Daisies... and there's just a touch of orange blossom. I was given a tester of this, and while it's not in my wheelhouse, it was more pleasant than I thought it would be. It was nice to get to try it.

Well, I only got a decant of this because it was part of a set. Note-wise, this was unlikely to be something I would enjoy. So I am only reviewing this now because nobody else has posted a review, in case it helps those who read my reviews and are like, "Well, d_d hated this, so I'll probably love it!" Immediately, Carved Wooden Barber Shop reminds me of when I first opened a bottle of minty simethicone tablets during my pharmacy tech days. Then I'm plunged into a flashback to Bronze Dildo, because behind that light mintiness, I get cumin-y metal... and I really couldn't help but thinking "gross!" every time I smelled it. I'm not a big fan of orange blossom, but it's really light in this scent. There's also some iron-y blood note and some rubberiness from the bandages beneath the soft mint and metallic cumin. Eventually (yeah, I stuck through it and didn't wash it off...), this becomes mostly about the fougere with a hint of cologne-y steel (sans any cumin by the end of the day) and a bit of warm cedar... and there's just a bit of the coolness left behind.... maybe it was part of the lather? And all of the scary notes are gone after several hours of wear. I can't compare this to a barber shop, as I've never been in one, so maybe someone else could chime in there. It's no surprise that this ended up being my least favorite of this year's Carved Wooden Village scents, and it's surprisingly one of the least woody! If you're a fan of some of the weird American Gods scents, this might be up your alley, though.

Carved Wooden Post Office is mostly about the paper notes. It's paper-forward on me throughout wear, at first having a somewhat cucumber-y edge to the paper, like in some of the Lab's book scents and Crumpled Wrapping Paper single note, but eventually, the paper becomes more dry and properly... paper-y. The ink in this is noticeable, yet never overtakes the paper. I don't get any strong metal note from this representing the brass, and I think the mahogany is pretty tame here. I wouldn't be surprised if it were lingering in the background, helping to add some dryness to the paper and parcel notes. As for the fruitcake, it's not distinct on me, either, but I do get a hint of sweetness in the background after several hours of wear. I don't need a bottle of this, as I know it's not something I'd reach for enough to warrant it, but I do recommend trying it if you're a fan of paper and ink notes. Don't fear the fruitcake.

I didn't try this year's Snow Snake (although reviews are swaying me to do so, even though I destashed last year's version...), but I really didn't enjoy this one, which surprised me, because I had high hopes after Snake Oil Hot Toddy and Gingerbread Snek. It's not that it's a musk bomb, like some Snake Oil variants have been over the past few years -- but the way the cardboard, paper, and wood notes combine with the patch and musk of this Snake Oil variant was really musty and mulchy, and my nose was really offended whenever I smelled it. Eventually, those notes fade away, and I'm left with a fresh, patch-forward Snake Oil, but going through that musty phase is not worth it for me. And I don't feel like aging the decant to see if it gets better when there are two other sneks I know I want bottles of from this release. I'll stick with Kapitelplatz Chess Match for a woody Snake Oil variant.

This is far too powdery on me. The rose sandalwood is the dominant note at first, and I think the sandalwood here is a very dry variety that is contributing to most of the powder. The lavender in this is most prominent during the wet phase of the scent, but doesn't hang around. Wahh. I also only get the lilac briefly during the wet phase, which is odd, because it is usually a pretty loud note. And I don't get the honeysuckle at all. The coconut milk, rose, and powdery sandalwood end up being the main players on me, with just a hint of grapefruit in the background. Although I enjoy most of these notes, I guess I don't really enjoy them together. This is too much of a coconut milk-y powder fest on me.

This is mostly about the apple on me at first, which is fresher than I was expecting, and not much spice. Then it starts morphing from apple to coffee, with the coffee being in the background, and the combo smelling somewhat sharp together. Eventually, the coffee gains strength, and the sharpness is smoothed over by the oat milk. It takes several hours before the caramel syrup shows up on me, but it ends up being the dominant aspect of the scent by the end of the day, backed by the oat milk, coffee, and what remains of the apple. I was not a fan of the sharp phase of this, when the apple and coffee were not jiving together, so I'm letting this bottle go, as I doubt I'd reach for it over other apple or even coffee scents. It was fun to get to try it, though.

I'm having a completely different experience to the other reviewers. I got a powdery amber at first, rose, and something grape-y and very off-putting. Then it gets more herbal and green, but eventually, this definitely settles into rosewood on me. It was fun to get to try, but not something in my wheelhouse.

This is mostly about the honeyed biscuits on me. It's not the same honeyed biscuit note from Moonglow bath oil, if I'm remembering correctly, and I'm getting far more biscuit here than I did with that one. It's not the same honeyed or biscuit in Sportsmanship, either, which was a floral honey completely obscuring the biscuit. I'm not getting the chocolate nougat bar from this, and I tested it twice, several weeks apart. As for the biscuit, I think it's more British biscuit (cookie) than American biscuit. The honey in this is a thick, dark, toffee-like honey that ends up reminding me of Harlow's Lace once the musk joins in after several hours of wear. I do like this more than Harlow's Lace, though. I probably wouldn't reach for this over other honey scents, but I'd be interested in this biscuit note popping up again.

I've tried Skogtroll three times now... the first time was just a normal test alongside some other scents, yesterday was its full day of wear, and today, I've deathmatched it against Bridge Trolls. This is an excellent snowy forest scent. Like Bridge Trolls, l don't get any of the scorched cumin from this, for which I am glad. The Troll components that standout are mostly the pine and the clove, with the clove smoke being even more prominent than it is in Bridge Trolls, giving this a more Yule-y vibe. The eucalyptus blossom in this is really tame, lending a bit of a camphorous aspect to the scent that's most noticeable during the wet phase, but it quickly becomes just a light chill in the background like the eucalyptus blossom in Odic Force. The troll musk joins the pine and clove after the scent has been dry for a while, and I think there might be some cedar in it, but there's nothing offensive about this musk. As for the snow note: the first time I tried it, I got more Troll compared to snow. The last two times (one of them, a big slather), I got more snow. I think the snow is coming out more as the scent has had more time to settle, and it smells like a sugared, evergreen-infused sort of snow note a la Snow Bunny, so a sweet snow, but NOT the Snow White snow note. This particular snow note tends to dominate a lot of the scents that it's used in, but for now, the pine and the clove from Troll seem to be holding their own against it. I hope that continues, because the combo is delightful. Comparing this to Bridge Trolls: the Troll in this is stronger than in Bridge Trolls, due to the prominence of the pine and clove in this. They're definitely present in Bridge Trolls as well, but very softened in that scent due to the Dorian. I've already used up half of my decant, so I suppose that's a sign that there ought to be a bottle in my future.