doomsday_disco

French lavender, white musk, vanilla bourbon, crushed violet petals, orange blossom, and sugar cane. At Drag Con, this was my scent impression of Lavender Wig Spray, which I had sniffed from the bottle and sprayed in the air a few times: Orange blossom and lavender that's been sweetened by vanilla were the notes that stood out to me. I did get some crushed violet, but it wasn't as strong as the other notes. When I got home from Drag Con on Saturday night, I spritzed this all over my bedding before passing out, and it was this amazing sugared, vanilla lavender further sweetened by the crushed violets (which I got more of than I did at the Con) and a bit of orange blossom. Now, I'm spraying it on a paper towel to do a proper review. I get sweetened lavender (thanks to the vanilla and sugar cane), sweet, crushed violet, and white musk, and then the orange blossom and white musk start to come out more after the initial spray. Violet and orange blossom can be problem notes on my skin, so I'm glad to have this in wig spray form, since I can spray it on my clothes and bedding and not have to worry about skin chemistry issues. This is very purple. It ends up being sugared, vanilla-ed lavender, crushed violet, and white musk, with just a bit of orange blossom in the background. I am very happy to have a bottle (but I am kicking myself for not buying two).

The almond is the first note I get from this one, but it is quick to burn away, leaving mostly rosemary and oakmoss. Eventually, the oakmoss takes over as it is wont to do on me, and it ends up being an oakmoss-dominant cologne type of scent with some jasmine petals thrown in after a while. I really wish the almond had decided to stick around longer in this one. It's too oakmoss heavy for me, but I'll see if the boy likes wearing it, as he enjoys both almond and cologne-y BPALs.

I don't think I've tried any of the previous Wolf Moons, but I decided to try this one because of the beeswax and balsam notes. But this is mostly about the crushed grass, so the wolf is more like a playful dog rolling around in the grass. The grass remains the dominant note for a while, backed by the musk, with a little juniper joining in, like there's a forest nearby. Over time, the scent becomes more resinous so that it is mostly sandalwood, musk, and some grass after a few hours. But the dry resins (which now have a bit of a bite to them) and musk (and perhaps what remains of the grass) are combining in a way to kind of smell like a I rubbed a pencil eraser on my arm, so it's not really for me. I didn't pick up on any beeswax, sadly. If you're looking for a grassy resin scent, you might enjoy this Wolf Moon. I had to try this because I always feel the need to try the Lunacy blend when I order the matching shirt, but alas, this one doesn't have enough sweetness for me. I was really hoping for that beeswax.

Mandarin and Osmanthus starts off with the mandarin being the most prominent note. It's a true fresh mandarin and not soapy like the Red Mandarin, French Lavender, and Juniper trio. The osmanthus ends up peeking out after it has been on the skin for a bit, and after a while, it overtakes the mandarin, so that it ends up being a gentle floral scent backed by just a hint of mandarin. This is pleasant, but not something I'd probably reach for. But I'm really happy I decided to try this, because I feel like it will help me be able to pick out osmanthus better when it is listed in a scent.

In the decant, it's mostly about the pine, and it starts off that way on the skin as well, but the tobacco note emerges more over time until it ends up being more tobacco than pine needle. This isn't the Lab's French tobacco, it isn't sweet, and it isn't the white tobacco that has been included in a lot of popular scents as of late -- it is actually rather sharp to my nose. It comes off as somewhat cologne-like, so I'd say this one is a unisex to masculine scent. Sadly, the sharpness of the tobacco threatens to give me a headache whenever I sniff it, so this duet is not for me.

I am not someone that normally wears straight-up floral scents, but I was curious to see how this one would go due the daffodil and the layering possibilities. This is a pleasant spring white floral scent. It's softer and not heady like the narcissus in Pride. It ends up teetering on the edge of soap territory after a while, and then dips its toes into 'perfume-y' territory before settling back down into a gentle white floral scent. I layered this with 13 March 2020, because I am a fan of sugary florals, and I enjoyed the combination, but sadly, it didn't wow me like the combo of that 13 with something like Wild Dandelion SN. I'm letting go of this bottle because I know I won't reach for it over other floral layering notes, but I am glad I got to try it.

I get soft white lily and white tea at first, and then some airy melon blossom and a bit of ginger join in. The white tea and ginger disappear after a few hours, leaving behind mostly soft lily and melon blossom and just a hint of bergamot. I was curious to see how much of a fruity floral scent this would be because I thought it might be up my mom's alley, but it is more floral than fruity, so I don't think this would stand up to her two fruity floral loves (51 and Titania). But if you're looking for a lily scent, or like the idea of lily paired with melon blossom, this is worth a try.

This is strong on the oak, and reminds me of scents like The Antikythera Mechanism, Arana, and Baby's First Ballista, but it's accompanied by some licorice-y black tea and a bit of vanilla. The mahogany comes out more with wear but never overtakes the oak on me, and the anise aspect of the tea fades away after a few hours. There's also a bit of a cologne-y aspect to the scent that I think is either due to the polish note or an unlisted metal note. This is a nice oak scent, but the anise in the tea note and the polish or metal I'm getting from this makes me enjoy it less than scents like Baby's First Ballista and The Magician's Wand. It was nice to get to try this, though!

An extremely generous forumite frimped me a decant of this, and I'm so thrilled to have gotten to try it! This is undoubtedly one of the best cherry scents the Lab has ever created. It is strong on the black cherry and cherry liqueur, which is a true cherry that doesn't read as almond-like to me, and it lasts and lasts, grounded by the Egyptian musk. I didn't get much black vanilla from this, but I'm sure it is there helping to sweeten things up a bit. I will be treasuring this decant and can't wait to pair it with Dragon Bouffant Hair Gloss.

This is a weird one. It's got this vegetal, lightly spiced pumpkin note in the pumpkin candyfloss that's first accompanied by the strawberry cream, but then the red currant becomes more prominent on my skin as it is wont to do and it is an odd concoction of currant and pumpkin floss with just a bit of strawberry cream in the background. This was fun to try, but pumpkin plus berries isn't a combo that really works for me, so I will be passing it onto someone who will hopefully appreciate it more.

This one is really heavy on the powdered sugar. I get a ton of powdered sugar throughout wear, accompanied by some orange zest in the beginning (and perhaps a bit of short-lived chocolate?), with the spices becoming a little more noticeable as the day goes by. After several hours, it does smell like Pfeffernüsse, but the scent is soft and stays close to the skin. It smells sweet, but dry. I like this, but I don't love it, and I think that may be due to the powdered sugar and pepper combo. It is succeeding in making me want Pfeffernüsse, though, so maybe I will hold onto it for a while and see if I reach for it around the holidays.

Pretty sure Puddin is psychic, because this was on my wishlist, and I got it as a frottle in my most recent Lab order. I didn't try this back in 2013 -- either because I was too enamored with Gingerbread Snake or because I figured I didn't need a GC variant of something I didn't own a bottle of -- and I regretted that decision years later. This is strong on the spicy gingerbread (I swear I can smell sugar crystals in it) infused with some citrus and lavender fougere. The citrus calms down over time, and the fougere and gingerbread follow suit after that, so that after a day of wear, I am left with some fluffy gingerbread musk with a bit of buttery lilac and just a tinge of citrus. This one is a keeper for sure. Thank you so much, Lab Rats and Goblins.

I blind bottled this, and I have no regrets. I've had no issues disengaging from that which no longer serves me, but the blend still called to me anyway, not only due to its purifying effects, but also due to it containing lavender and palo santo, which made me think it could be similar to TAL Security Blanket. It does start off strong on those two notes, and is indeed somewhat similar to Security Blanket, although this one is not as sweet and less like a hug because it doesn't contain any vanilla. I can smell the sage along with the lavender and palo santo, and over time, it becomes more deeply resinous and brighter, with the sandalwood, frankincense, elemi, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg joining the much smoother palo santo. The salt and sandalwood kind of make me think of Meditation Buddy as well, which is another meditative scent that I really adore. My boyfriend was having a really rough day yesterday, and once I put some of this on him, his mood changed for the better. And huffing this helped me get through work today. I'm really happy I decided to grab Soft Reboot and recommend it for its effect as well as its scent.

I get a ton of violet leaf from this, sweetened by some honey, but then I get a ton of powdery orris along with it before it settles down into a powdery rose scent on me. Bright Goddess of the Skies resonates with me more scent-wise and intent-wise, so I'll be passing on my decant.

This starts off strong on the cedar, which is very pencil-like, eraser and all, with some musk, mint, and a bit of citrus and/or metal. Over time these notes are taken over by a sweet, syrupy leather note, which I really enjoy, and which reminds me of another leather scent (maybe De Sade Res?). But I am not sure I want to get through the pencil phase to get to the leather, so I'll be passing on my bottle. It was fun to try to pick out the notes, though.

Gingerbread Witch is my unexpected favorite of the four gingerbread monsters I tried (mummy, witch, wolfman, and zombie). It actually kind of makes me think of an apple cereal (like if there were a fancier version of Apple Jacks), but with a little more spice. Something in this is combining (maybe the apple, lemon, and bready part of the gingerbread) to make me think of cereal whenever I sniff this, and I am here for it. Maybe the pumpkin is contributing to that, too, because there's something akin to the pumpkin waffles in Waiting 2020 going on here, but with more apple than pumpkin. The apple remains the star of the show on me throughout wear. There's a bit of lemon lifting the scent, and just a hint of rosemary along with it. You'd think the combo of the gingerbread and pumpkin would make this super spicy, but this isn't heavily spiced, and the apple pulp and lemon keep those notes in check. I tried layering a drop of this with a drop of Ghost Milk on another part of my arm, and the result was mostly just the Gingerbread Witch, although the goat's milk and white chocolate of the Ghost Milk do show up by the end of the day. So this one might need more parts milk than witch in a future layering experiment. I like smelling like cereal, so I think I'm going to need a bottle of this.

Gingerbread Wolfman was the least gingerbready of the monsters I tried (mummy, witch, wolfman, and zombie). The spicy gingerbread was quickly tamed by the sweeter notes on me, and it starts off being a nutty (more chestnut than hazelnut), sweet gingerbread scent before mostly becoming a thick, syrupy dark honey and molasses scent on me (almost burying the gingerbread). I tried layering a drop of this with a drop of Ghost Milk on another part of my arm, and it was mostly the cozy white chocolate cashmere Ghost Milk on me with some honey peeking through. Gingerbread Wolfman is nice, but ultimately too honey-heavy for me. If you're looking for a sweet gingerbread monster, this might be the one for you (it was the sweetest one I tried).

2020 version. I got the honeysuckle right off the bat, accompanied by what I think may be jasmine (or some other heady, night-blooming floral note). It's super loud for the first few hours of wear, but eventually, it softens around the edges and becomes a tamer floral scent with some herby thyme. The mint is super light on me, only adding a hint of coolness to the blue musk beneath these notes. This was an obligatory 'you ordered the shirt, so you must try the scent' decant, even though the notes aren't really in my wheelhouse. As a flormand lover, this is not for me, but I did enjoy the burst of honeysuckle I got in the beginning.

This is like a fudgesicle mixed with the somewhat slushy, sugared confierous snow note from scents like Snow Bunny, NYC Snowball Fight, and Marshmallow Snow Bath Oil. But that snow note is so overpowering that it quickly takes over the chocolate and becomes a single note of that snow for several hours before allowing a bit of chocolate to shine through again beneath the pile of snow. This was fun to try, but I have enough scents with this snow note, so I probably wouldn't reach for my decant of this. I do like the chocolate, though! I just wish it were stronger on me.

This is nice, cool, and refreshing! It starts off strongest on the cypress, but then the eucalyptus ends up being the dominant note, backed by the cypress and birch tar. It's much more cool and wintery than Peppermint and Pine and would be a great pick me up when you're ill or need something to help survive the heat during the summer months. While it is somewhat bracing in the beginning, the eucalyptus softens so that the end result is less Vicks Vapor Rub and more like the smooth eucalyptus from scents like Odic Force and Recharging Station Bath Oil. I'm definitely going to be hanging on to my decant, but I'm debating whether or not I need a full bottle. I feel like it's not something I'd wear as a perfume often enough to warrant a full bottle, but having more than a decant would be great for the situations described above... and I do like it more than Eucalyptus, White Mint, and Lemon Peel, which goes cologne-y on me after a while. Hmm. Decisions, decisions! ETA: Found a partial.

Hnnngh. This is the cedarwood from Tombstone paired with the Lab's lovely beeswax note. The beeswax and cedarwood are pretty even at first, but the beeswax and vanilla gain strength with wear, and really smooth over that lovely cedar. This is amazing. Pretty sure a decant won't be enough.

This is all about the star jasmine on me. I've enjoyed that note in other scents where it has played less of a role (like Egle and Vasilissa), but it is too strong on me here. Very heady and sweet, almost slightly honeysuckle-like, but not quite. The beeswax and amber are buried beneath the star jasmine. I'm sure they're there, with the beeswax adding more sweetness and creaminess to the scent, but nothing can hold a candle to the floral note. I'd be up for trying another flower and beeswax combo, but this one is not for me due to the strength of the star jasmine.

Gingerbread Zombie features a prominent gingersnap-y gingerbread note (with a very strong ginger) accompanied by a blast of peppermint at first. There is only a smear of milk chocolate, like there's only two chocolate chips on it like Laughing Seagull mentioned. If you're wondering how this compares to Gingerbread and Peppermint Candies, the gingerbread in this is far stronger than the one in Gingerbread and Peppermint Candies, which mostly smells like a Lick It scent with a whiff of gingerbread spices. This, on the other hand, is like strong gingersnaps and peppermint with a bit of chocolate. Sadly, the gingerbread outlives the peppermint and the chocolate on me, and it mostly smells like an effervescent ginger scent (somewhat ginger ale-esque) after several hours of wear. I applied a drop of this with a drop of Ghost Milk on another part of my arm, and the Ghost Milk component is far stronger than Gingerbread Zombie, making it mostly smell like cozy vanilla cashmere of the Ghost Milk infused with some mint and gingerbread -- but oddly, the mint has survived much longer with the addition of Ghost Milk than it did in Gingerbread Zombie alone. I'd probably try layering this again, but with two parts Gingerbread Zombie to one part Ghost Milk. I'm not sure that I need a bottle of this one, but I'll be hanging on to my decant.

Gingerbread Mummy is strong on the gingerbread. Of the four gingerbread monster decants I got (mummy, witch, wolfman, and zombie), it is the heaviest on the gingerbread, which is stronger than the gingerbread that has been released in Yule updates over the past few years, but is more like a gingersnap than a bready or cake-y gingerbread note. The ginger in the gingerbread note is quite prominent on me, and I also get what I believe are sugar crystals along with it, but the ginger has this fresh lemony acidity to it that isn't that nice on me. Behind this, I smell the dusty sandalwood, but I'm not really able to pick up on the bourbon vanilla or marshmallow butter since the ginger is so strong on me. I applied a drop of this on another part of my arm and put a drop of Ghost Milk over that and mixed them together. The Ghost Milk really helps smooth out the gingerbread, and the dry sandalwood note stands out more with the help of the Ghost Milk. The gingerbread is still quite strong, but the cozy white chocolate cashmere of the Ghost Milk does its best to tame it. Maybe it would succeed if it were two parts Ghost Milk to one part Gingerbread Mummy. I don't need a bottle of this, but if you're looking for a gingerbread monster that is heavy on the gingerbread, you may want to give this one a try.

2020 version. Awww man. I am definitely going to need a bottle of this. This is the best unadulterated sugar cookie scent that I've ever tried. Most sugar cookie scents end up being more Lofthouse cookie and smell more like frosting than actual cookie, or the sugar cookie is so buttery that it is off-putting. This sugar cookie has avoided those pitfalls and smells just like warm, homemade sugar cookies encrusted with sugar. There's a pinch of cinnamon, but really, just a pinch. I tend to amp spice notes, and I did not get a ton of it here. It smells toasty and sugary and features the right amount of butter. When I sniff this, I can actually visualize breaking apart a fresh sugar cookie warm from the oven. I like this waaaaay more than the Lab's Sugar Cookie Hair Gloss, which was more about the frosting. So glad I finally got to experience the wonder that is the Lab's Sugar Cookie.