doomsday_disco

I've tried this several times now, and the only thing I know for sure is that this is a scent experience. It starts off with a cherry/almond marzipan cookie vibe, with some light coffee lingering in the background if I sniff it up close (but can't detect in the throw). Over time, the chocolate emerges, and it really does have a chocolate bar left in a backpack vibe that I can only describe as sorcery. SORCERY, I SAY! It ends up being a melange of chocolate bar, some coffee (I'm getting more of it today than I have the other times I tested this -- I know the first time I tested it, I didn't get any coffee at all!), and cookies with a realistic backpack smell. This is one of those 'how does Beth even do it?!' scents. I really like the way this scent starts off more than the end result, but I also appreciate the journey this scent took me on. It's not something I could see myself wearing often, but I'll be keeping the bottle I swapped for, just because it's such a unique scent experience.

This is mostly about the blueberry musk on me, with the musk becoming more prominent over time, backed by the lotus (which doesn't smell bubblegum-y!). There's some green tea lingering in the background, but this is not a scent that is heavy on that note like Embalming Fluid or Shanghai. Fans of blueberry (and musk) that aren't wary of lotus should give this one a go! This is a pretty scent that is a musky fruity floral that's also somewhat clean, and I'm glad I got the chance to try it! It's not something I need more of, but I'm kind of surprised that it hasn't gotten more love with that blueberry note!

Pumpkin marshmallows smushed into brown sugar-dusted graham crackers with melted chocolate and a hint of campfire smoke. I once had this in atmo form, and I have about one-third of a bottle of the bath oil remaining, so I had to get this, as I have been a fan of this scent in all of its forms! (Plus, I have been kicking myself for not grabbing a bottle of Wednesday Hair Gloss.) In the bottle, the melted milk chocolate and marshmallow notes stand out to me the most. In my hair, I get a lot of the melted chocolate first (it really does smell melty!). The graham cracker note ends up coming out after a bit, and the marshmallow is pretty light. It starts to become more smore-like after the chocolate calms down. This is not a strong hair gloss (when applied to damp or dry hair). It was a cool, breezy day here, and I did not catch a whiff of this hair gloss while running errands at all today (alas!). By the end of the day, if I hold my hair up to my nose and inhale deeply, I can smell the graham cracker, a light marshmallow note. There is a hint of smoke in this one (which I did not really get from the atmo and bath oil), but it's really just a hint. Its interesting how scents can differ in various formats. I feel like the atmo was strong on the graham cracker and pumpkin spice, the bath oil is strong on the pumpkin marshmallow, and this has a lot more chocolate than either of those formats (at least at first), and isnt nearly as pumpkin-y as either of them. I like it, but honestly, I would be content with just a decant. I dont love this like I love the bath oil.

Violet and I are not friends, but I grabbed a decant of this for my boyfriend (who wanted to try it because it's a mockingbird scent) and decided to test it as well. On me, it's mostly about the violet leaf. There's a lot of violet in the violet leaf note, but the leaf aspect makes it sharper than most violet scents, which can be candy-sweet or super powdery on me. It dominates the scent throughout wear on me, although the white sandalwood and a touch of cedar join in after a few hours to give it a dusty quality, with some powderiness behind that thanks to the orris. I couldn't detect any of the cardamom, sadly. It smells much better on my boyfriend. It's violet leaf and cedar on him right out of the gate, but it eventually dries down into a sandalwood-dominant scent tinged with the violet leaf. If you're averse to violet, like me, this won't be up your alley, but those that enjoy violet and would like a dusty floral and woods scent might appreciate this one.

Streets of Detroit is a black musk party on me, sadly. There's only a bit of powdery myrrh behind it, and just a drop of motor oil if I go looking for it... otherwise, it's hard to detect under all of that musk. I'm glad I got to try it, but the musk is too intense for me.

Judgmental Longhorn is a nice melange of hay, smoked vanilla (the same one from the Cedarwood and Smoked Vanilla duet, I believe, which isn't is more dry than smoky to my nose), tonka, and warm musk, with the powdery benzoin and resinous labdanum coming into play after the scent has been on the skin for a while. The labdanum in this is not sweet and cola-like like it is in a lot of other scents, and it hasn't taken over like the type of labdanum I just described, which is a pleasant surprise. The brown musk in particular really asserts itself after a day of wear, so fans of cuddly brown musk scents will appreciate this one, because it is accompanied by all sorts of cozy, warm notes! Oddly enough, the cacao in this didn't really manifest on me, but maybe that's because his armadillo buddy hogged it all.

He's muddy, all right! This is an earthy, woody, cacao and tobacco scent with a splash of bourbon cream. It somehow smells muddy even though there's no dirt note listed. The sharpness of the wood and the tobacco from the bottle is quickly smoothed over by the cacao and the cream. The cacao wood (which smells kind of like oak to me) makes this really different from other chocolate scents the Lab has released, so if you're looking for an earthy chocolate, or were one of those folks hoping for a dirt note in Muddy Puddles, give this one a try! (Besides, how can you resist that armadillo? He's adorable!)

Loyal. Faithful. Perpetually rehearsing “Scotland the Brave.” This is a mascot with real staying power. Bagpipe Dog will outlive us all. Gin and pine needle with lime and white juniper. In the decant, I can smell the gin and pine needle, and then the lime and juniper. I get those notes in that order on my skin as well: the gin and pine, followed by the lime and juniper. It's a bit fizzy, foresty, and refreshing. After a while, the pine and lime calm down significantly, and the gin becomes stronger, making the scent boozier than before. I also get more juniper. The pine is still present, but softer than before, and there ends up being only a hint of lime. I was really enjoying this during the wet phase of the scent, when the pine and lime were pretty strong, but I don't like the dry phase nearly as much. If you're a fan of the Lab's gin note, you need this!

Esbat starts off strong on the mugwort, with touches of moss and perhaps a bit of oak around the edges, but after a while, the rose mallow and moss help tame the herbal mugwort, softening and (in the case of the rose mallow) sweetening the scent. After a while, the moonflower joins in, and it settles into a lovely herbal, floral, woody scent that is evocative of moonlight shining on a grove like in the description. I enjoy mugwort, and I like Esbat more than I was expecting to! It's not something I need to obtain more of -- I'm not sure how often I'd wear it -- but I'll certainly be hanging on to my imp.

The scent of hot chocolate with marshmallows after a long day of puddle-hopping. I am amending my original review, which I have placed under a spoiler just in case someone is like, "Who said there was dirt in this?!" This has changed a lot as it has settled over the last few weeks. I tested it right out of the mailbox, and I had sprayed Black Clove, Tobacco Flower, and Grave Soil HG in my hair and used Deep in Earth in the crooks of my elbows before this arrived, so I must have gotten one of those on my nose before testing this, which would explain why I smelled dirt. When this arrived, the hot chocolate note was rather Bliss-like, but now, after a few weeks, it really smells like smooth cocoa powder. The marshmallow note is also softer than it was upon arrival, but it still emerges more during the later stages of the scent. It's a lovely scent, and it is still different enough from The Other Hot Chocolate to warrant having both scents. Since there isn't actually any dirt in this, I am going to try layering this with Graveyard Dirt SN to see if I actually want to wear a dirt and hot chocolate scent.

This one is super green. It starts off strong on the grass and the realistic dandelion sap, with the lettuce joining in after a bit, softening the scent a bit and giving the green a more watery quality. Over time, the oakmoss gains prominence as it is wont to do on me, making it mostly an oakmoss forward scent backed by the other greens and a touch of white pepper. I wish the dandelion sap would have remained as strong as it was when this was first applied! This is a nice green scent, but I'll be letting it go since I was hoping for more dandelion sap and wish it hadn't become so mossy on me. I'll stick with Smug Yale Alchemy Lab for a grass scent.

This one starts off on the almond and cherry along with the apricot, but the almond and cherry are quick to fade away, and I'm left with a perfume-y apricot and some yeasty pastry. I was hoping for more cherry from this. Alas. And since the apricot in this does not stand up to other apricot scents in my collection (Aristocratic Couple, Apple VI, March Hare), I will be letting this one go. But I'm glad I got to try it.

This features the same sharp, dry tobacco from Tobacco and Pine accompanied by some leather and gingerbread spices. Surprisingly, my clove-amping self isn't amping the clove (or the gingerbread) in this, but my skin is running away with that tobacco note, which remains the dominant note on me throughout wear. It works better here than it did in Tobacco and Pine, but is still too sharp for my taste. Alas. It does smell pretty sexy, though, but it is something I'd rather smell on someone else, not me. Too bad my boyfriend would rather smell like fruit punch.

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.