doomsday_disco

I was hoping this would be like the cocoa equivalent of a burnt chocolate chip cookie. But what it actually is is cocoa mixed with woodsmoke. I'll stick with Baby's First Krampuslauf.

I could smell all of the notes in the bottle, but on me, the vanilla mint was really faint. There was some brief blueberry on me at first and just a hint of vanilla mint before it became a strawberry cotton candy party on me, but alas, the strawberry cotton candy note made me think of children's vitamins, if they were strawberry instead of orange, cherry, or grape. Despite the similar notes, this is nothing like Battle Fairy in Training. I had my partner test this one out, and on them, the blueberry and vanilla mint was a lot stronger. Only, they don't like blueberry in scents, so this was not a good development for them. I'm going to set this aside and retest it in a week or so, but unless I get more blueberry and vanilla mint to keep that strawberry cotton candy in check, it will have to go to swaps.

I tested this last weekend, but I decided to test it again against the original Velvet before doing a review. I do not own a bottle of Velvet, but I've kept the imp around to remind myself what it smells like. And I have to say that I vastly prefer this snowy variant of Velvet to the original. In the original, the myrrh is really strong on me and prevents me from loving it. In Velvet Snow, the snow tames that aspect of the scent, so that it is mostly snowy cacao, sandalwood, and vanilla on me. I feel like the cacao and vanilla really shine here. Even though all of these Snow on Snow scents feature the sweet Snow White snow note, the snow doesn't really remind me of Snow White. I think it's because the chill of that snow note, combined with the dry sandalwood, gives it the impression of the actual bite of cold air when there's snowfall, at least early on in wear. (And we lucked out here in the desert and got a little bit of snow on Tuesday! ) During my first test (prior to deathmatching the scents) , I did get what I believe was some coconut from the Snow White snow note, but it was very fleeting. And the cacao in this tends to drift in and out of the scent, being prominent more at some times than others. I usually don't allow myself to get a bottle of a variant if I don't own a bottle of the original, but I'm debating a bottle of this one. In any case, the decant is a keeper!

I'm not a big fan of pomegranate, and oud is a tricky note for me, but this one was better than I'd expected. The tart pomegranate reigns throughout, backed by the oud, and the oud is a nice woody oud, free of indoles and funk. The pomegranate ends up developing a slight plastic-y quality to it by the end of the day, kind of reminding me of chapstick, but the notes swirled together nicely for the first few hours of wear. If you're interested in this and don't have issues with pomegranate, don't let the oud in this one scare you away! It's still not something I'd wear, but it was nice to step out of my wheelhouse for a bit.

Note: I am not familiar enough with stephanotis to pick it out (I think I've only tried it in Queen of Hearts). Regan is a pretty, delicate white floral scent. I don't detect any actual vanilla here, and the orchid is the smoothest I've ever come across from the Lab. It goes powdery on my skin, but it's powdery in a pleasant way. I agree with LittleBird's description of this being like a vanilla dusting powder (but it's more of the orchid than the orchid's vanilla on me). It stays very close to the skin, but it's lovely. I never thought I'd get to try this one, as it had been on my wishlist since I discovered BPAL back in 2013. While it's not something I feel the need to hunt down more of (phew!), I am really glad that I got a chance to try this. Thank you to the kind soul who sent me some of this to try.

This starts off with a blast of the nutty and sweet pecan, along with some fig, but then the pecan and candied fig combo decides to get too sweet on me (especially the pecan, though), and I'm reminded of that Caramelized Pecan Rum Cake imp from last year's Black Friday imps. Maybe the musk in the chestnut musk is helping to amp up that pecan. It stays that way for a while, but becomes more sophisticated after a few hours as the russet amber emerges (I really enjoy this amber note) as well as some myrrh. I only get a hint of clove when I sniff up close, but it's mainly a nutty scent (more pecan than chestnut to my nose) accompanied by some fig. This is sweeter than At Martynesmasse I Kylle My Swine, which features chestnuts (along with some other nuts) and honey! Alas, it is too sweet for me, even with the amber doing its best, but it was really nice to get a chance to try it.

November Mood starts off with dead leaves (probably from the autumn breezes) and some birch, accompanied by a floral note, but it very quickly becomes very high-pitched on me. I think there's some secret wisteria or iris in here (leaning towards iris, though) because orris, while usually not a note that works on me, usually tends to turn to powder instead of going screechy. I think it's something in the 'crystalline' aspect of the amber, otherwise the sharp floral is just not listed as a note. I get some moss and herbs with this beneath the piercing floral note, but I can't sniff it too deeply to pinpoint other notes without risking a headache. I enjoyed the birch note during the wet phase, but this one is just too sharp for me. It was nice to get a chance to try it, though!

This starts off with a blast of leather book (I agree that it's slightly plastic-y), but then an almond-y sweetness joins in briefly, followed by what I think is the tea from the tea-stained pages. The tea ends up gaining strength with wear, and there was a point where I wondered, "What is this root beer-y vibe I am getting from this scent?" And I believe it was a light anise from the tea, as some of the Lab's black tea notes have a bit of that to my nose, but I also would not be surprised if it were the oak giving me root beer vibes, because I experienced that with Baby's First Ballista. Eventually, that anise/root beer aspect of the scent also fades, and it's a much softer leather book with the dusty vanillic-pages (but it's a good dust) and some oak (which isn't sharp!). I don't get any of the usual suspects in the Lab's cat scents (like cedar or musk). I am glad I let this rest for several days before trying it, because it was super strong on the leather and oak when my decant arrived, so that's why I tested it last. I think this is pretty nice and evocative of its inspiration, and I especially like how realistic the pages of the book smell, but I don't think I'd reach for it enough to warrant a bottle.

This starts off strongest on White Rider's leather and sandalwood, backed more by Snow White's chill at this point than its creamy sweet notes, and I feel like there might be some white musk at play, but it could just be the way the chill interacts with the white sandalwood. As the scent sits on the skin, the Snow White snow increases in strength, and as it does, it brings a welcome sweetness to the scent, so that it's as RoseThornandOak described with the two scents cuddling in the snow (with more of White Rider's leather than sandalwood by the end of the day). I like this, but it's not something I need more of, which I'm fine with since I already bottled several of the Snow on Snow scents and have... a ridiculous amount of just straight up Snow White, but I definitely recommend it if you're looking for a lightly leather-clad Snow White.

This one is strong on the tart cranberry and the dark musk, which has a slight red musk but darker quality to it and may be one of the musks found in Smut that I dislike (but I haven't smelled Smut in a while). I only get some almond in the beginning, not a lot (quite a feat, since almond usually comes out as a force to be reckoned with), but it's gone once dry. I purchased this decant for my partner, who loves cranberry and almond notes. They thought this was amazing at first, but they didn't love it once it was dry and they weren't getting the almond anymore.

On me, this starts off with tart cranberry, backed by the amber and tonka, but it ends up a mix of soft amber and dry grass-like tonka that stays very close to the skin with only the ghost of cranberry. This is a decant I purchased for my partner, who enjoys cranberry and amber notes. They just thought that it was okay, and also noted that it is rather light.

I had ordered a decant of this, but a very kind forumite frimped some to me, so I got to try it early. I tested this and then did a full-on slather a few days ago, and my partner has worn it as a scent of the day as well. We both love it. We recently bought some Spumoni because I wanted to see if I liked it better than I did when I was a kid, and because of the anticipation of this scent, of course! And I'm happy to report that we both enjoy Spumoni, and this really does smell like it (although with less chocolate). It's mostly a creamy pistachio and cherry scent on me with just a bit of chocolate, as if a little kid ate most of the chocolate layer and left you the rest. My only qualm about this scent is that it has low throw and staying power, but I don't care. I need a bottle and will slather away.

Oh, this is so pretty! It's a lilac party at first, backed by a little of the vanilla, but over time, the vanilla note increases in strength and it becomes a lilac swirled with the Lace-esque vanilla (but yeah, no cognac, so don't go into this thinking stealth . It stays like this for a long time with just a touch of the frankincense. Later on in the day, the pink sandalwood emerges and eventually joins the lilac and vanilla as dominant notes on my skin. I believe it's the same one found in Easter Egging, and I think it might be a combination of pink musk plus sandalwood? It has a perfume-y quality to it like the pink amber in Pink Amber and Peony. I think this is really lovely, but I rarely reach for the lilac scents I have (which would be helped if I had a lilac hair gloss to pair them with -- maybe if we're lucky this Lupercalia? ), so I am going to have to deathmatch it with the others I have and see if I need more or if one of the others will get the boot. It's definitely a contender for a bottle, though!

I get a blast of cypress and pine from this at first, but it quickly calms down and makes way for the floral notes, with a bit of moss and sandalwood behind those. I get more violet leaf with it at first, but over time, the iris becomes the dominant note, and it is sharp and perfume-y on me. There's still a bit of moss and dusty sandalwood beneath the iris, but the evergreen notes are nowhere to be found once the iris takes center stage. This was a scent that was frimped to me, and I am glad that I got to try it and enjoyed that initial blast of cypress, but sadly, the iris had other plans for me.

This is the most disappointing scent I've tried in a long time, especially when it comes to expectation (two notes that should be full of win) versus reality (woe). I don't know if it is a batch variation, or aging, or what, but this one actually smells gross to me. It has a stealth corn chip-y note that I believe is champaca combined with boozy cherry. I don't get chocolate from this, and my partner thought it smelled weird and not like the notes involved, too, so it's not just my sniffer. And it didn't smell like there was any chocolate in the bottle, either. The corn chip note was so strong that I wanted to wash it off, but I couldn't because I applied it in the afternoon while I was still working and had to deal with it. I so wanted this one to work as I love chocolate and I love cherry, but this is the worst cherry scent I have ever tried from the Lab. I weep.

The apricot is the dominant note for most of this scent's wear on me, backed by the woods, which I believe may contain cedar and sandalwood. It gave me the 'oh no, this oil might be going off and smelling like a pencil eraser' undertone that I sometimes get from old decants, but I think that was due to the cedar, and it was fleeting. After a few hours, the sake becomes a main player. I love the Lab's sake note. It's very bright and refreshing. Of course, it didn't remain sake-dominant: the apricot returned to reclaim its throne. But by then, it is mostly apricot and sake, with very little of the woods! I wasn't sure about this one initially, but the sake in this one is really nice and makes me think it deserves a full day of wear without several other scents being tested on my arms.

I'm sad to say that this one does not remind me of Turkish Delight. On me, it's a very perfume-y rose with some tart pomegranate. There was a moment where I could smell the powdery exterior of Turkish Delight and the gummy texture of it, but it was sadly fleeting on my skin chemistry. It's not a surprise this didn't work out on me as I'm not big on pomegranate, but I'd still be down to try a sweeter, pom-free Turkish Delight scent.

Orris and I are generally not friends, but it is pretty tame in Celeste. I mean, it is very present, but the lovely vanilla note in this keeps it in check and prevents it from going vat of powder on me. The dustiness of the orris with the vanilla puts me in mind of some of the white sandalwood and vanilla blends. The orchid and saffron in this aren't loud; it is mostly about the vanilla and orris on me, but I think the saffron in this might be contributing to me thinking of sandalwood at some points when sniffing this scent. This is a pretty, musky, dusty vanilla, and I'm glad that I got to try it despite my aversion to orris. It's not something I need to hunt down more of, though (thankfully!).

My review is testing this based off of a tester. At first, I thought it was mislabeled? Because I got some strawberry jam from it with a very realistic jammy strawberry note, but with blueberry along with it. Eventually the blueberry overtakes any secret strawberry, and it is very much jammy blueberry with only a hint of pastry. I have not tried all of the Sufs (in fact, I skipped most of them as I generally am not big on berry-dominant scents!), but this one seems like it has less pastry compared to some of the others I have tried. I fortunately am not getting grape from it, but maybe that's just because it was an aged tester. I think this is nice, but not something I need to hunt down more of (phew!). ?

I passed up this one because the Lab's dead leaves and I are generally not friends, but a kind soul decanted some for me to try to make sure I didn't have regrets. This is indeed a blast of dead leaves at first, and it stays that way for a while, until the Snake Oil and Dorian emerge and eventually overtake the leaves. Then it's Snake Oil swirled with Dorian and just a little bit of dead leaves in the background. I was not able to pick up on the lavender, so I'll have to retest this one and really look for it next time around. Going off memory (no death match), this kind of reminds me of the way that Snake Oil and Dorian come together in Salzburg Krampuslauf, but with leaves instead of snow. The good news is that I, too, did not get a cologne bomb (or the dread bell peppers!) from the dead leaves accord in this, so I will have to decide whether or not I need more of this on my retest. ETA: Retested this last night. The dead leaves were stronger, stuck around longer, and did give me a headache, and I swear I got some neroli in the dead leaves accord, which would explain the headache. No bottle upgrade for me.

High School Hair is mostly a musky wine on me. It's very wine-forward, with a bit of a grape-y note to the wine, with touches of chestnut and clove that are more noticeable earlier on than later in the day, when the musk takes over. To me, the musk is not red musk, but might actually be a musk infused with a merlot note. I seem to be an outlier in not getting cherry from this... which pains me, because I love cherry! The musk in this scent makes it too perfume-y on me, so I don't think I'd reach for it over Mulled Wine and a Wool Blanket, but I'm really glad I got a chance to try this!

I was here for the lavender, chocolate, and the purple sage I love so much from Colemanite's Phoenix, with the hope that the vetiver would not be a bully or a smoky variety and that the moss and thyme would play nicely on me. And blind buying this bottle paid off. This is a really earthy, yet wearable, 13. I find it to be very comforting. I actually took an afternoon nap while wearing this one and it was still going strong when I woke up. I think it would have lasted all night if I hadn't showered that evening! It's not strong on the lavender, although it's there in the beginning (most noticeable during the wet phase of the scent). I'd describe this as an earthy, woodsy, herbal 13 that's waayyyy different than the Plague Doctor 13 with its herbs and sugar (13 August 2021). I can smell the sage, lavender, moss, thyme, musky ambrette, rice milk, hazelnut, tobacco, and cedar in this, buuuut I'd say this mostly goes from chocolate + herbs + oak vibe (I think it's the way the moss combines with the vetiver, hazelnut, and cedar?) to tobacco swirled with chocolate and herbs by the end of the day. The rice milk really smooths things over and I think is what makes this scent smell so comforting to me. The cacao doesn't smell smoked to me (if you're worried about smoky scents), and the vetiver is a grassy variety as opposed to a smoky one and plays nicely with the other notes. I tested this after it had a day of rest, and I'm curious to see how this one ages. But I'm not sure mine will have a chance to really age, since I plan to use it as a sleep scent (even though it's not lavender-heavy!) because it is just so comforting.

This starts off with the nuts being the most prominent. I get walnut at first, but then the nuts swirl together and I can't really pick them apart despite being familiar with all of them save for acorns (but I do think I have at least one BPAL with that scent note *checks* yep, Mare Forecunditatis has an acorn note). The cardamom is there on initial application, but it really is just a dusting, and it's very short-lived on my skin. The vegan honey in this is a pale, thin variety. I imagine it's like these bees feasted on sugar syrup instead of the nectar of flowers. This thin honey ends up becoming the dominant note, backed by the nuts, but the scent stays pretty close to the skin on me. I applied this at 11:30 AM and was already debating reapplying it at 2:00 PM, but I resisted the urge in case the scent morphed. It did not. It's now 6:00 PM and I can't smell it at all anymore. While this is a pleasant scent, I wish the cardamom had stuck around longer and that it had more throw and longevity. I'm going to set it aside for a few weeks and come back to it then, but right now, it's a like, not a love for me, and I'm being a lot pickier about what gets to stay in my collection. P.S. I almost started this review by saying that this starts off with a burst of nuts and then realized that was maybe not the best choice of words.

Rome is mostly about the rose. It's a red rose, but not a super bold, velvet-y one like the one in Peacock Queen. I get touches of the cypress, chamomile, and juniper, but the evergreen notes are pretty quick to fade once the scent is dry, and the chamomile just can't hold a candle to the powerhouse of the rose. There are other roses I prefer to this one, but I'm glad I got to try it!

2019 version. This is mostly about the dead leaves on me, backed by the red musk, neither of which are as big of bullies as they usually are on me. The leaves don't go bell pepper or cologne, and the red musk is much softer than usual. These notes are swirled with the tobacco, and when the leaves calm down, it's mostly a slightly powder amber and tobacco scent by the end of the day, accompanied by some musk. It's a much lighter scent by that point, though! Although this is not a scent I'd reach for, it worked better on me than these notes normally would.