doomsday_disco

I grabbed a bottle of this from the Lab's Etsy last summer and have tried it four or five times, unable to make up my mind on it. Until yesterday. And I decided that it's not for me. It starts of with this wonderful fir note, sweetened by the snow, and if it had stayed in that phase, it would have been a keeper. But then it goes cloying floral vanilla (is there actual orchid in this??? If so, it would make sense as to why I'm not really digging this) sweet snow on me (with some throw!) and stays that way for most of the day before morphing into a Snow White-esque snow that is really pretty (and if the scent had mostly stayed in that phase, it would have been a winner, too!). But the middle phase, which lasts the longest on me, is the one that I dislike, so even though I like the initial application and the final morph, I'm going to let this one go. I am glad I got to try it, though, after it was on my wishlist for so many years.

I skipped this initially because I wasn't sure how it would differ from Snake Oil Lemon Bomb White Tea F*** Up, which was also described as a mispour of Snake Oil and Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat. But when I got the chance to swap for it, I was happy to be able to deathmatch the two! And I can say that the two are very different, despite both being lemony Snake Oil blends. First off, let me just say that Snake Oil Lemonade is a paler oil, while Snake Oil Lemon Bomb's oil is dark. So it makes sense that there is very little Snake Oil in Snake Oil Lemonade, and a lot more of it in Snake Oil Lemon Bomb. With Snake Oil Lemonade, it's like a less sweet, more white musky, sharper Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat? It actually tickled my nose with this unexpected, sharp, clean lemon and I can't help wondering if there's white musk at play in this one. I only got a hint of Snake Oil after several hours, but by then, it was pretty faint. On the other hand, Snake Oil Lemon Bomb is strong, darkly musky Snake Oil from the beginning and the lemon, while staying present throughout wear, is less nostril-stabbing. So for me, it was the clear winner of the death match, although neither would be among my favorite Snake Oil variants (and I love lemon). I was considering holding onto this for a while to see how it ages, but who knows how long this was aging at the Lab already (as an accident that was released into the wild prior to their move)? And I have so many Snake Oil variants already, and there are always more on the way, so I've decided not to hold onto every single Snake Oil variant for a year to see how it ages and then make a decision. I think, after comparing this to Snake Oil Lemon Bomb, that I can let this bottle go. Especially since I can just layer Snake Oil and Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat. But it was really fun to get to deathmatch them!

I am in the Philologus is cologne-y camp. I tested a very aged decant that was frimped to me, and while I did get a parchment vibe from it, it quickly went more cologne than books on me and there was very little candle wax to smooth it over, sadly. I was so hoping for more candle wax with these books, but it's okay. I've got Lightning Strikes Literature.

The salty sea air and greenery of the kelp are strong in this one, but damn, there's something weird going on in here. I get something bell pepper-y in here (what is causing that? I am not familiar with all of the notes listed in this blend, so it could be one of them on its own or something combining with something else, like maybe the parsley combining with the ivy? ) as well as an incense-y quality to this aquatic that I think is due to the cedar. This one is not for me, but it was nice to get a chance to try it in my quest to try the GC (and I don't have that many remaining in that category to try)!

I'm not typically one for aquatics, and Olokun is a traditional aquatic. It's got that clean, soapy vibe that is likely due to some ozone, and isn't as salty as some of the other aquatics, but nothing about it really stood out to me aside from 'better than Ogygia (another aquatic that I was testing on my other hand). While it isn't something I could see myself reaching for, I am glad that I got to try it!

I initially skipped this one due to the fabric notes. And I am glad I never bottled it... but I don't think that it is the fabric notes contributing to the funk in this. The funk makes me think of animalic musk and/or oudh, and I don't know if there's secretly some of these notes in here, or if it is the (non bubblegum-y, but heady) red lotus combining with one of the other who-knows-what-is-really-in-it accords listed as notes in this blend, but it is a very funky, musky, resinous scent. It gets drier over time as the white sandalwood joins in, but mostly, it's dark and musky (but a different sort of musk than the listed skin musk!). While it is not as scary after several hours as it was initially, I'm just not vibing with something in this scent.

Yeah, I have to echo all of the reviewers who got laundry/linen from this. Because it is laundry, laundry, LAUNDRY, with a slight smoke and dryer sheet-like incense note that appears after several hours of wear with a little musky ambergris that helps smooth over the scent. If I keep this, it will only be to scent wool dryer balls and not to use as a perfume of the day. I was so hoping for more ambergris and something akin to Summer Rain. Alas.

This one is really nice. It starts off with the sweetness of the bourbon cream and hazelnut accompanied by a sweet, yet dry sandalwood (getting serious OLLA Kit vibes) and and oak. A lot of scents with hazelnut in them lately have been really sweet, but the woods keep the sweetness in check, so this isn't as sweet as, say, The Empress and Their Heckhound from last year's Liliths. I'm never able to pick out the myrrh smoke (and I'm fine with that) or the tattoo ink, but this is a nice, slightly nutty =, sweetened resin scent with a more powdery and dry woods feel by the end of the day. I'm trying to be good about only upgrading things I really love now because my collection is so large, so at the moment, I'm thinking I'll keep the decant, but that I don't need more of it. The stock is low, though, so I am going to retest it soon and see if I still feel that way. Thank you to the lovely forumite who sent me some of this to try! ETA: I swapped for a bottle of this, and the bottle is completely unlike my decant. It was somehow fruity, and I believe the fruit note is cranberry, as it reminds me of the cranberry bog scents. I'm not sure the bottle was mislabeled or if it's just a batch variation, but I prefer my decant to the bottle scent, so I'm trying to destash the bottle.

I like rose. I like lily. Jasmine can be iffy, and I don't typically enjoy rose + resin combos (or florals plus resins, generally). This is mostly about the rose and the lily, and there's some amber mixed in with the rose, too, and it is like that through most of the wear, with the rose being the dominant note. However, it goes sour on me, and I think that might be due to the combo of the rose with the resin or one of the types of rose used in this scent. I'm glad I got a chance to try this, but it just didn't work on me.

I went into this fully expecting dragon's blood and bubblegum-y lotus. The dragon's blood is definitely the star here, and is more of the resin-y variety than the spicy floral one. I feel like it has gotten smoother during the aging process, because this is nicer than the Lab's dragon's blood typically is on me. The lotus is far behind the dragon's blood, adding a floral backing to the scent, but it fortunately didn't veer into bubblegum territory on me like some lotus notes (like pink lotus) are wont to do. While I couldn't see myself reaching for this one, this aged imp is nicer than I thought it would be, and it had massive throw, too!

Baneberry smells exactly like it's a description: a dark fruit accompanied by a green herbalness that almost has a Christmas-y quality to it, although the berry itself does not (it's not tart, red, or bright). It's not something I'd choose to wear, but I am glad I got to try it!

This started off strongest on the tea rose on me, accompanied by some moss, tuberose, and cream. The rose remains ever present on my skin, but the moss increases in strength over time, and the rice flower joins the party. I think the abalone accord might have some ambergris or some sort of musky component to it? I didn't get much in the way of beeswax or red currant, but this is a very aged decant. While I think this is nice, it's a wee bit too mossy for me. I wish the beeswax and cream notes were stronger on me!

Laura goes on as sweet violet on me, followed by a mentholic note that must either be from the mothballs or formaldehyde, and then the strawberry daquiri note. Over time, the menthol aspect goes away and it becomes mostly about the strawberry daquiri (emphasis on the strawberry daquiri, which smells like a fake, candy-like strawberry with a bit of a frozen aspect) and violet, a very sweet combo, with just a hint of dirt. I put off trying this decant because I had heard how weird and unsettling and how much of a challenge this one is, but actually, it's surprisingly wearable if you like that sort of strawberry and aren't averse to violets like I am... because the creepy aspects of the scent are either faint or short-lived, at least on me. I'd rather wear this than say, The Burying Ground. While I'm not a fan of violets and prefer other strawberry scents, I'm glad that I got to try this one and appreciate the artistry behind this scent.

Full disclosure: I typically do not enjoy scents heavy on caramel, rum, or pecan, so this one was not likely to be my cup of tea. Annnd sure enough, it is a very sticky, nutty, maple-y sort of scent, and by far the strongest of this year's three Black Friday exclusive imps. It's like a sticky bun without the bun, very maple-y/toffee-like with the sweet nuttiness from the pecan. And it is not for me. But if it is something you would like to smell like, rejoice, because it has some serious staying power and throw.

I get a lot of orange at first, but it's more of an orange glaze note than orange zest, bringing to mind Yule Cookies from many Yules past. However, the quince becomes more prominent over time, a not-quite-apple-but-apple-and-pear-ish sort of fruit, over a very light ginger cake. (I'm really surprised by how tame the ginger is in this.) The crumb of the cake is not very distinct to me, but it has a sort of cake softness, if that makes sense, and it still smells delicious. I'd be very happy to eat a cake like this! I'm hanging on to my imp.

I really like this one! It starts off as banana cream pie forward, with a realistic banana note, cream, and a graham cracker crust, but the blueberry joins in after a bit and it becomes less about the banana, although it's never a blueberry party on me. I get more of the crust than anything after a while, and by that point, it stays pretty close to the skin. I feel like there might be some cinnamon in here as well to give off more of a 'baked goods' sort of feel. I don't think I'll be trying to hunt down lots of extra imps of this exclusive, but my imp is certainly a keeper!

A Moment in Time HG is like the perfume oil, which is to say that it is mostly about the lavender, red patch, and fig on me, with some woodiness behind those notes. I don't normally enjoy fig, but the perfume is the only scent with fig in it that I love and have owned multiple bottles of (some of which were used up!). I've had others say the scent is like an old Victorian house or "a cigarette, but unsmoked and in a good way". I'm not sure I agree with those comments o.0, but I love the perfume oil, and am really happy to have grabbed the hair gloss (which I initially passed on when it was available). I find the scent to be very comforting, and this is so very different from my other lavender hair glosses, that I'm glad to have it in my collection.

I was disappointed with this when I first tried it. On my first test of this, a few days after it had arrived, it was mostly perfume-y honeysuckle on me with some very short-lived mallow flower and no vanilla bean to be found. I let it settle for a week and find that I'm enjoying it a little more now, as the mallow flower manages to tag along with the honeysuckle throughout wear (although it is very much the flower, not straight-up marshmallow -- so maybe don't be like me and expect straight-up flormand, because the mallow flower is more of a lightly sweet floral softness accompanying the honeysuckle, which I feel is really dainty in this one and not heady like the one found in Wild Honeysuckle SN). The vanilla bean is not distinct to my nose, but maybe it will become noticeable as the scent ages. While I don't love it like I thought I would (I was expecting a sweeter scent with a bolder honeysuckle note), I do think it is nice, so I will keep the bottle around for a year to see how it ages. If the vanilla decides to come out, it could age into something amazing.

First off, I've never tried Sekhmet. But this proto smells Christmas-y to me! I get orange, frankincense, amber, and either some cardamom and/or clove. So it's like an orange-tinged, lightly spiced resin scent that's more frank forward at first and more amber-y and less orange-y over time. I really wish the orange had stuck around throughout wear, but this is a pretty nice proto.

If you have tried A Breton Sorceress, this is really similar to that one. So similar, in fact, that I would not recommend getting both. It makes sense that they'd be similar, as they both contain tonka bean, oak, and almond notes. I get a lot of those notes from both, but especially the tonka and oak from this one (the almond is most prominent in the beginning). The vetiver in this is really light. In fact, I don't think I'd be able to pick it out if I didn't know it were in this -- but it is a subdued, grassy variety, not a smoky one. Oddly enough, my skin is not really picking up the beeswax, which is usually a pretty loud note, but maybe it will become more prominent with age? The main difference between this scent and A Breton Sorceress is that one has a bit of muskiness from the ambrette seed and some welcome spice from the allspice. With The Little Owl, it's mostly tonka and oak on me with some sandalwood beneath the oak and a hint of vetiver, and it ends up being mostly a slightly powdery tonka by the end of the day. I'm going to have to deathmatch these two since they are so very similar, but I wore this one on Monday, and A Breton Sorceress on Tuesday, and I think that one is winning out due to the allspice.

This is a really good sweet patch scent. When I first tried it, I got a burst of marshmallow with it at first and then it became a black patch party on my skin, but after just a week of settling, it has already improved and now my skin holds onto that floofy marshmallow along with the patch throughout wear. I'm really happy I grabbed a bottle.

I get the cacao, musk, patch, and a bit of sarsaparilla from this at first, but it quickly becomes more about the musk and patch, which are pretty dank. The mahogany comes out over time and adds a bit of a sharp woodiness to that dank combo. The sarsaparilla hasn't completely disappeared, but I really have to go looking for it in the background because the musk in particular is just so strong on me. I was really hoping for more root beer-y goodness from this one! Alas. This is too dank for me.

This is unexpectedly fizzy. There's also a slightly smoky rubberiness behind the fizz and some powdery chalk that is more like Fun Dip powder. While I think there are blends the Lab has put out that feature better representations of latex, this is more in the vein of the Periodic Table prototypes with its fizz. I don't think this is bad (I mean, compared to trying The Burying Ground the other day, this is pretty tame in comparison ), but it also doesn't really smell like latex, and there are fizzy scents I enjoy more than this.

This features a very candy-like plum (and perhaps another candy-esque fruit note -- I agree that there's some red fruitiness to this) on a bed of resins. The resins increase in strength over time, but the sweet candy-like fruit remains as the dominant sent (I sprayed two sprays of this on a paper towel so I could see how it progressed over a day). I'm not a fan of plum-heavy or berry-heavy scents, and I especially am not fond of candy-like plum, so this one is not for me, although it was nice to be able to try it (I so miss BPTP updates!).

This started off strong on the black leather on me, although the cacao and incense are there to join it. The leather is a sharp, chemical-y variety, not a smooth, well-worn one. The incense is also dark, and I'm wondering if there's some oudh in there. Eventually, the leather does calm down and I'm mostly left with incense accompanied by a smear of cacao at the end of the day. I really don't like the leather in this one (well, the incense wasn't really my cup of tea, either, but the leather especially). There's not enough cacao here to smooth things over.