doomsday_disco

Cold Moon 2005 is mostly a watery aquatic scent with me, infused with that signature lunar flowers and herbs touch that you get from older Lunacy scents. When I say aquatic, I mean that it's got a cool stream sort of vibe, or perhaps that of melted snow. There's a coolness to it, with just a hint of mint (not peppermint, but maybe spearmint) -- it's very light, and I don't know if it's just more subdued with age or what, but there's no blast of mint here. There is a touch of the Lab's slushy snow note that I get at the end of an inhale, but it's not the main feature. This is more cool water than snow. I am glad I got to try this, but I don't think I'd reach for it over other cold scents in my collection. It was still fun to try, though (and I like it more than Cold Moon 2020, for which I have the shirt).

I tried this twice. Both times, it was mostly a watery cabbage and lettuce scent with a touch of sweetness from the cucumber, like cucumber juice, or the middle of the cucumber, without any of the rind. The green musk in this doesn't go super perfume-y and is rather subdued in this scent (odd, because it tends to be a really loud note). The scent itself is pretty light and stays close to the skin, and I'd recommend it to those who like scents like Frenum bath oil or the GC Rapunzel (which both feature watery lettuce notes). If you're going into this hoping for cucumber, it's there, but not as loud as it is in scents like Squirting Cucumber or Rendezvous at the Bath. This is primarily about the watery greens. I'm going to hang onto my decant, as I think it would be nice and refreshing on a summer day, but I don't think I need more of this one.

This starts off strongest on the strawberry rhubarb jam on me, backed by the apricot and ginger. I don't really get the crumb of the scone, but I think there might be some toasted sugar at play like you'd find on top of a scone, or maybe I was just imagining it when smelling the jam. I don't get the cinnamon sugar pecan rolls (I'm glad about that after the last few pecan scents I tried where the pecan was sickly sweet on me), saffron sticky buns, or a tea note, but perhaps they'll emerge with age. This settles into mostly strawberry jam with hints of apricot and ginger by the end of the day (the rhubarb didn't stick around). I blind bottled this for the art and it being a tea party scent (but I ordered it with my decants, so I waited to try it last). I like this, but I think I would have been content with just a decant. But since I already have the bottle with its amazing cat art, I'll keep it around and see if the other notes pop up with more aging. But if they don't, that's okay -- the strawberry rhubarb jam in this is really nice (and we don't see rhubarb pop up as a scent note very often)!

I get the dusty stone, frankincense, and leather at first (which smells cracked to me), but then the scent ends up morphing into a musk bomb on me. It's a dark musk that's possibly infused with another fruity musk, with a little bit of funk to it, perhaps from the fossilized amber, which I'm side-eyeing from my experience with Mommy's MI6 Agent (although I had no problems with it in Lilith de Milo). I'm not sure why this became so musky on me. I was here for the stone and the book notes, but the musk is just too much.

I had to try this for the name and the art, even though I typically avoid absinthe notes due to the anise. I get a lot of champagne and sugar from this at first, with the absinthe increasing more with wear, but never overtaking the fizzy champagne on me. I agree with other reviewers describing the absinthe as green and herbal -- it's not an anise bomb, and I really only get a hint of anise early on. So if you're anise-averse (like me), this is still worth a try, and if you're hoping for lots of anise, you might be disappointed. Either way, you have to like champagne, though, as it is as loud as ever. I don't think I need a full bottle of this one (I'll retest before it departs to be sure, though), but this was a pleasant surprise!

Bedroom starts off somewhat effervescent, which I think is due to the frost note, and it's accompanied by some fir and blackcurrant, as well as a touch of cognac. Then the lavender and ambergris emerge, along with the grey amber. This trio ends up being the dominant notes on me after a while, with a splash of cognac that has increased in strength. I kept sniffing this and thinking it had white tobacco in it because it ended up being so similar to To A Wreath of Snow after it had been dry for a while, so if you own that one, you probably don't need this one as well, unless you really like the opening. But if you missed out on that one and wish you had tried it, you should definitely try Bedroom! Since I already own To A Wreath of Snow, I don't need more of this, but I'll probably hang onto my decant.

If you didn't like the Café De Olla Fried Ice Cream Jammed Into A Coconut Cream Pie imp from Black Friday one year, you won't like this one either. I've boarded the cumin train once again. It smells like cumin backed by some creaminess from the cheesecake note and a hint of graham cracker. I really don't like cumin in perfumes, because it has this funky undertone of B.O. and I. just. can't. (The only perfume I like with a cumin note is Bridge Trolls, and that's because the cumin is MIA on me.) And now I'm boarding the train to Nopeville.

This is so lovely! I get the cacao and pistachio strongest out of the gate, and the pistachio in this is more true pistachio and doesn't have any of the cherry vibes I got from the Vanilla Cream, Pistachio, and Macadamia trio, which I didn't enjoy (even though I love cherry, I had wanted a true pistachio). The vanilla bean lurks in the background and becomes more prominent over time, eventually becoming the strongest note on me, swirled with what remains of the cacao and pistachio. Compared with Spumoni, the cacao in this is a lot stronger than the chocolate in that one, and of course, there's no cherry here like there is in that scent. After testing this, I decided to give it a full scent-of-the-day slather and really enjoyed it. I'm debating a bottle, even though I already have a bottle of Spumoni on order. Even though they have some similarities, I think they are different enough to warrant owning both.

This is mostly blueberry (I agree that it doesn't smell like a fresh one) and pink pepper on me, and the pink pepper is the sweet, slightly bubblegum-y variety, and not one that gives this scent a kick. I only get the barest trace of tobacco beneath those notes, and by the end of the day, it's more pink pepper than blueberry on me. The blueberry and slightly bubblegum-y pink pepper combo are too sweet for me, but it's worth a shot if you're looking for a sweet blueberry scent.

This is mostly a lemony sugar scent on me. I agree that it's like a candied lemon or sugared lemon slices. The honeycomb isn't like the Lab's other honey notes and doesn't really lend a honey sweetness to the scent... I think it is playing a similar role to the honeycomb in Snake's Kiss (which also featured honeycomb and sugar and the sugar was somewhat lemony to my nose). I think it's nice, but I also don't think I need more of it as I have a ton of lemon/lemon sugar scents as it is and I don't like this more than Who's Afraid? (whose spun sugar goes lemony on me).

This goes on with a blast of pine, backed by the frankincense and beeswax. The pine quickly calms down, and it ends up settling into a frankincense scent sweetened by beeswax on me. I agree that the frankincense is a sweet, smooth variety, not a harsh or slightly lemony one. I find this trio to be really relaxing and will definitely be hanging onto my decant. I just wish the pine lasted a little longer on me!

This goes on as a blast of buttercream, that truly does smell like buttercream (unlike the buttercream in Lavender Buttercream, IMO), and it's accompanied by lots of tuberose. The tuberose is heady and has what I can only describe as a somewhat grape-y headiness to it that I dislike. After a while, it does calm down somewhat and I get more of the gardenia, and the sandalwood resides in the background the whole time as a base for these frosting-slathered petals. I like it more during this stage, when there's more gardenia than tuberose. I generally love flormands, and this is definitely one of those, but I guess I only appreciate tuberose in the more mainstream-leaning scents like Ava and Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending.

I saw this, and I typically avoid the savory scents but decided to give this one a try. And although I don't think I need a whole bottle of this, I'm really glad I gave it a chance. The patchouli in this is friggin' amazing. It's a really nice, deep, chewy, brown patchouli, and I want more of it! It's accompanied by the chypre and some starchiness from the potato, as well as a pinch of salt, but it never goes greasy french fry. I agree that it's more sophisticated smelling than one would expect. What kept me from loving this is the vetiver, which shows up after it has been dry for a few hours. It's a smoky variety, not a grassy one, which isn't a type that I enjoy. But it's not strong enough to make you smell like a walking BBQ (fortunately). If only this didn't contain that vetiver note! 😭 I'll still be hanging onto my decant to sniff it on occasion, and maybe I'll put it in a scent locket. But what I'm really hoping is that Beth uses this patchouli note again, especially in a sweet scent.

I went into this remembering mandarin, peppery brown musk, amber, and tonka, so when I put it on, I was like, goddamn, why is this so sweet!? It's really strong on the hazelnut and saffron cream on me throughout wear. It's a very rich, syrup-y sort of hazelnut, not a warm nuttiness that smells more like the actual nut like in Who's Afraid?, and the saffron cream really just amps up its sweetness and richness. It's swirled with some mandarin, a bit of peppery brown musk, and amber, but it never stops being a predominantly hazelnut and saffron cream party on me. I like the mandarin in this, and I wish it had gotten more of a chance to shine on my skin! Alas, the hazelnut and saffron cream combo is just too rich for me.

I get the lavender and blue musk fougere the strongest in the beginning, with the orris root joining in after a bit and increasing in strength with wear. It ends up being a slightly powdery orris and blue musk fougere on me, with a mostly faded lavender note, on a bed of soft flowers by the end of the day. Orris and I are generally not friends, but I don't find it to be offensive here, although the lavender not holding its own against it throughout wear (at least on my skin) means this one wasn't a win on me. I'm glad I decided to try it, though.

I tested this twice, once during the evening one day, and once as a sleep scent. I had the same result both times. Oblivion Railroad is mostly about the lavender, labdanum, and champaca on me, with some tobacco trailing behind those notes. The red labdanum does have a sweet cola-like vibe, but it is not as loud as it is in something like The Death Grapple, where it's much stronger and darker and makes the scent almost like a resin-y lavender cola. The champaca note, although it's champaca orchid, does have an incense-y vibe mixed in with the floral, but it's more along the lines of the champaca in Orgy With Nine Women (which features champaca magnolia) than a straight-up nag champa incense to my nose. This scent shares several notes in common with the GC Gaueko ("Blackened sandalwood and misty lavender, with curling wisps of smoky tobacco, nag champa, and labdanum"). However, I find that one to be much darker and more incense-y than this one, and the tobacco in that blend is smoky, while the one in this scent is not. Oblivion Railroad ends up being much smoother. I don't need more of this one, although I'd recommend it to someone looking for a much smoother Gaueko.

This features a non-minty ice note and an amber note that is deeper than a golden amber. It does not smell like Es Lacht der Mai (described as a chilly amber perfume). That one featured a different snow note (a sweet, evergreen-infused one, possibly the one from Snow Bunny, but I don't have my decant at work with me to sniff), and it also featured a different amber (that one was a lighter, golden amber). I prefer Es Lacht der Mai to this one, (and Snow Lion, with its spicy amber accompanied by Snow White's sweet snow note) so I don't think I'll keep the decant, but you might enjoy this if you're looking for an amber that's not accompanied by any evergreen-infused or sweet snow.

There's a bit of slightly bubblegum-y rum at first, but it is quickly overtaken by the brandy on me, which ends up being the dominant note on me throughout wear, backed by the lemon and the sugar (not a ton of lemon, though). Oddly enough, it is very light on me despite it being a boozy scent. I would have thought the booze would be much louder! I was really hoping this one would be a win on me despite the rum, because I really love the art that inspired it. Although the rum wasn't a bully, I didn't end up falling in love with this, so no bottle for me.

Unless I happen upon testers/decants of Up the Stairs We'll Dance the Tango and the remaining Snow on Snow scents that I didn't try, I think this is my last review from this Yule update! This was a last minute decant that I added on to my decant order, and it is, as I expected, not a sweet enough rose for me, but it does smell like the art that inspired it! I get non-minty snow, rose that's akin to tea rose, and ambergris, with only a hint of cypress (which is more noticeable early on than several hours later). The ambergris increases in strength over time, adding an almost amber-like muskiness to the scent, but it never overtakes the rose. It ends up being a perfume-y rose scent by the end of the day. While this scent is not for me (I either want a sweet rose or an "I Am the Queen!" sort of rose), I'm glad I ended up trying it.

To me, this is more dough than baked cookie, and it's more of a vanilla-scented dough than the buttery dough I was expecting from a shortbread cookie scent, but not having this be a butter bomb is nice. Unfortunately, it does smell Play-Doh to me, which I think has only happened one other time (wahh, Sprinklecake), although my partner did think it smelled like baked goods, so maybe it's just my nose. I'm sad that this scent and I aren't good friends, as I love shortbread cookies! I'll just have to make the recipe that Tom was kind enough to share and bask in the scent of freshly baked cookies in my apartment.

At first, I get sliced strawberries stewed in sugar, a super realistic, sugary strawberry note, and then it becomes strawberry jam. It remains that way for a while, the most delectable strawberry jam, without any pastry. Eventually, the creaminess from the buttercream emerges and it does smell like strawberry buttercream (which is less awesome than the jammy strawberry phase to me, but this is true to the description)... but I still get no actual pastry from this, sadly. I'll probably keep the decant for the strawberry jam note, but I'm sad that I don't get any dough from this... that seems to be the case with me and a lot of sufganiyot scents, though.

I have tried many a cider scent from the Lab. Some have been too punch-like (looking at you, Harvest Festival Atmo and Single Note: Apple Cider), while others were too heavily spiced for my sensitive skin (like Autumn Cider, and once again, Single Note: Apple Cider). My favorite cider scent from the Lab has been Lambs-Wool, but it hasn't smelled right on me these past few years (I blame birth control). I decided to get a decant of this, thinking it would be too spice-heavy for my skin, in the hope that it might be something like Warm Pumpkin Cider atmo (which is more like an apple pie scent). While it doesn't smell like that atmo, it is definitely the best cider scent that I have come across in a long time. The pumpkin puree adds a creaminess to the apple cider scent, and the spices never burn or leave any welts. It's really just the right amount of spices, with no cinnabomb whatsoever. And the brown sugar sweetens it all just perfectly. This is my favorite Weenie-masquerading-as-a-Yule from this Yule update, and I'm highly considering a bottle since Lambs-Wool doesn't love me anymore.

I get a lot of the pine with the cinnamon of the pinecones at first, backed by creamy pumpkin (which is more fleshy pumpkin than pumpkin spice, to my nose). It gets creamier over time (I think the pumpkin sugar cookie is one of those Lofthouse types with a thick layer of frosting, and I don't smell any actual cookie to it, more the frosting and fleshy pumpkin). The pine part of the pinecones calms down with wear, and it ends up being a light, creamy scent infused with the cinnamon and the wood of the pinecones (sans any pine needles). The ribbon candy may be combining with the cookie's frosting and adding sweetness to the scent, but it is not distinct to my nose. I'm glad this wasn't a cinnabomb, and I actually like that I get some pine needles with the pinecone note early on, but it's not my favorite Weenie-turned-Yule sort of scent from this update, so I don't need more of it. ETA: I retested this last night by slathering it on the back of my hand, so it didn't smell light to me anymore, and I think the hard candy note is more discernable after having more time to settle. However, I really wasn't enjoying the sweet cinnamon smell wafting up at me last night and decided to destash the decant.

The red mandarin in this is so lovely! It goes on as strong and juicy. I thought it might go soapy because of the pith of the fruit that sometimes gets included with citrus notes, and because I didn't have a good experience with Red Mandarin, French Lavender & Juniper, but the mandarin plays really nicely here. I get what I think may be a slightly chilly, non-minty white musk accompanying it, and it definitely has a frozen citrus fruit quality. I'll be hanging onto this decant to pair with The Geisha and the Samurai HG.

I was really hoping that the black wool note would be kind on me, but alas, it's a very strong, slightly grape-y black musk. It's not the black musk that can go lemon-y, I think it's more of a Smut-like musk or perhaps the one in Thanatopsis (it has been a while scent I sniffed that one, though). I am trying to think of a musky, foresty past Yule scent to compare this to, and my mind is drawing a blank, but it's NOT FAUNALIA. What I am trying to say is that it is not a traditional black musk note and may even be black musk mixed with a fruitier musk. It goes on with some foresty notes, but they are quickly buried beneath the musk, and I can only smell the musk in the throw, with no other notes (although, if I smell up close, I get some moss and a bit of wooliness beneath it). The musk in this was so strong on me that I could still smell it after my shower, even though I tried really hard to scrub off the scent. This is definitely one for fans of dark, slightly fruity musk (but hey, no laundry note!).