doomsday_disco

This starts off with the strongest blast of black pepper I have ever come across in a BPAL scent. The black musk is next in prominence, and there's also some clove, and I'd say this one has Old Demons of the First Class vibes. The white musk emerges after a bit and starts competing with the darker notes, so that it ends up being a battle between white and black musks on me. The black pepper and clove end up being confined to background roles after a few hours of wear, content to let the musks duke it out. At one point, I thought the white musk was going to triumph, but the black musk reasserted itself. I am not particularly fond of black musk, so this isn't something I'd choose to wear, but I do think the scent matches the concept and would recommend this to fans of scents like Old Demons of the First Class and perhaps Server Gremlins.

I, too, get lime-tinged cologne from this, in the vial and on my skin. But on my skin, it's more high-pitched. I think there's a metallic aspect to the blood note. And there is something kind of unsettling about it, although I couldn't tell you why. Perhaps it's something in the musk. Or maybe it's the cleanliness. That feeling goes away after the scent softens somewhat with wear, though. It definitely makes sense for Marian, but it's not something I could see myself wearing. ...I'd rather wear this than Whitechapel, though.

This is the perfect scent to try after testing Non-Compliant. After you've been deemed NC, it is time to confess and get CLEAN. The Catholic features clean ozone over some frankincense. I generally prefer my resins to be sweetened by something, and thus, am not typically drawn toward church-y scents, but this is nice. I agree with supreme_c0rt's description of this ozone, which does kind of have like a fresh linen aspect to it after it has been on the skin for a while. As the ozone softens, the frankincense gains strength, but doesn't overtake the ozone on me: it ends up being a pretty evenly balanced mixture of both. I don't need a bottle of this, but I like it more than I thought I would. I think I'd wear this when I am wanting a different sort of clean scent, or perhaps before bedtime.

In the decant, there's a lot going on. I get the rum and tobacco, something not quite right, and tinges of lime and honey. On my skin, the rum is the first note that I get, with touches of honey, tobacco, and what I think must be the bile note. Because... yeah, it actually DOES smell puke-y and is unsettling. Then the lime joins in and takes it out of bile territory. But then the coppery, spice-tinged blood note emerges. And I'll take that over the bile. Then, the bile threatens to make a comeback, but after a few hours, it's mainly this sugary, dark scent (getting sugar and lime over leather, tobacco, and a bit of patchouli and smoky vetiver). And by that point, it's actually pretty nice. But would I want to go through the beginning again to get to that point? Not really, no. Too bad it's not possible to skip the early stages and just be able to wear the final one. (A scent locket wouldn't work, because it also smells different in the vial.) This is one of those scents that you should try just for the experience. Bravo to Beth for nailing the concept behind this one.

Kamau Kogo starts off so salty on me that it could have been mistaken for an aquatic. The salty skin musk is the star of the show throughout wear, with the coconut husk being the second most prominent note. The almond milk is not a main player on me, but I think it, along with the coconut husk, helps to sweeten up the scent after a while. I agree that this is one of those your-skin-but-better scents... which aren't really my thing, but if you want to smell like salty, coconut-y skin musk, Kamau Kogo is your girl!

Spirit Fingers smells like spicy candy. I get more of the spicy clove than the red pepper on me, but this is one of those clove notes that has a cinnamon-y aspect to it. So yeah, cinnamon candy. I have to smell it up close to smell any sort of cotton candy fluff, but when I do, it kind of makes me think of the cotton candy note in Mouse Circus. I have sensitive skin, and this didn't burn me at all, so it's not that intensely spiced, in case that has deterred anyone from trying it. If anyone is wondering how this compares to Game Over, I think this has more sugar to it (maybe because Game Over has that cherry blossom note). I like them both and would have to death match the two to see which one I like more. I think this smells nice, but I don't think I need a bottle of this one.

If you would like a shea-dominant scent, Penny Rolle may be for you. The shea is the star of the show throughout wear on me. Like other reviewers, I get the pecan note in the beginning, but it doesn't stick around. (I was worried the pecan in this would give me flashbacks to Mother Shub's Pumpkin Pecan Treacle Tarts, but fortunately, that wasn't the case!) I am not able to detect any cardamom in this, so if you're looking for a cardamom-centric blend, you may want to look elsewhere. I also didn't get much patchouli. It's mostly shea over a bed of warm, cuddly resins (I get more of the red sandalwood than the caramelized amber with my skin chemistry, but they're both present). It just gets sweeter over time thanks to the shea and the caramelized aspect of the amber. I think this will appeal to fans of sweet resins, as long as they're up for the resins being sweetened by shea and not something like tonka or vanilla. I think it is pleasant, but it's also not something I could see myself reaching for. (I'd rather smell like the muffins Penny bakes. ) Fans of shea should definitely give this a whirl, though!

THIS IS SO GOOD. Big Bertha's Big Molasses Muffins smells like actual muffins. Like, it has that muffin texture to it, and when I smell it, I can actually envision a buttery muffin top waiting to be torn off and devoured to reveal more muffiny goodness underneath. The molasses is the star here, but I do get the orange, too, as if these molasses muffins were infused with orange zest. The spice isn't overwhelming here, so if you're like me, and you have sensitive skin, you don't have to worry about this burning. It's not a heavily-spiced muffin scent. Sadly, the scent stays rather close to the skin after a few hours of wear. I have to put my nose right against my arm by that point in order to smell it, and by then, it is mainly molasses. So this is one that would probably need to be reapplied in order to bask in its glorious muffiny goodness. Pretty sure I need more of this. I can see this being a wonderful fall scent!

Gynotize! is exactly as described. It starts off heavy on the cherry at first (and it's a deep cherry, without an almond vibe to it, and not candied like in Un), but the rose musk grows stronger with wear, so that the scent becomes exactly what it says it is: cherry-slapped rose musk. (The cherry is somewhat lozenge-like by this point, though.) I like Un better (and I did not upgrade to a bottle of that), and Rapture Pig is definitely more my thing than this one (as it more sugary), so I don't need more Gynotize! in my life. (I'm kind of relieved, as I have plenty of rose scents in my collection already!) It was nice to get to try it, though.

If you are a fan of sugared mint, you definitely need to try Agreenex. I saw a review on Reddit IMAM that mentioned it being kind of like the coating on a Tic Tac, and I think it is like that. There are only tiny traces of apple if you inhale really deeply during the first four hours of wear. After that, I get a bit more of it, but it's not really sour. This is mostly about the sugared mint. I agree with astrainel about this being like one of the softer Lick Its (like Lick It Softly), but it's doesn't have that vanilla, and it doesn't remind me of a candy cane. So if you're team mint? Try this. If you are team apple? You will probably be wondering why it's a sugary mint party all of the time. I really like this, and if I did not have two bottles of Lick It and various other mint scents in my collection already, I would be upgrading to a bottle without question. As it is, I will have to wait until I use up one of those bottles to justify doing so. But I feel like I will need more of this at some point in the future.

Fig is the star of the show in Lola Lee Loo, and it's a sweet fig: I don't get any smokiness from it at all. I also don't get any waxiness from it (which can sometimes happen with fig with my skin chemistry). It's accompanied by the vanilla cream note, which is more cream than vanilla on me, and the fig and the cream combined give me Lilith Nightingale vibes (so think of that without the Ayurvedic spices). I don't get the toasted quality to the vanilla cream until about an hour into wear, and then the rice flower emerges, along with a touch of clove. I can only smell the clove if I hold my arm close to my nose and sniff it, so if you are worried about the clove, it really is just a touch. I didn't get any patchouli from this at all, even after several hours of wear. Lola Lee Loo is a nice, comforting scent. If you enjoy Eden or Lilith Nightingale, you will probably like this one, too.

I wore this the last two nights, once on its own, and once layered with a (non-Lab) vanilla. The lavender is indeed soporific, but the patchouli in this is too strong and dirty for me. It's got the dry, earthiness of a red patchouli and the smokiness of a black patchouli. I couldn't tell you which variety it is, but that's the best way I can think of to describe it. It overpowers the lavender on me, and even layered with vanilla, it ends up mostly being vanilla and patchouli on me: the lavender just can't compete with it on my skin chemistry. The next morning, I can still smell the patchouli on my skin. Too bad the lavender doesn't have that kind of longevity! So I will probably end up putting this one up for swaps, as I know I wouldn't wear it on its own before bed, and I don't want to always have to layer it with something to make it wearable on me.

In the bottle: Super, super sweet. The honeycomb and pear stand out to me the most, but the sweet pea is there, too. Wet: Honeycomb, vanilla bean, pear, some strawberry, and some sweet pea. The strawberry is much stronger on me than it was in the bottle, so I hope it calms down. Dry: It never stops being sickeningly sweet on me, and after a while, the strawberry has taken on a plastic-y vibe on my skin, making this smell like a super sweet, fruity kid's lip gloss. Verdict: I was hoping this would be mostly sweet pea sweetened with the vanilla bean and honeycomb, but this is far too sweet for me, and the strawberry didn't play nicely on my skin. I'm glad I got to try it, but I'll stick with Serving Fish for my sugared sweet pea scent.

In the bottle, I get tons of red currant, lemon, and a bit of red patchouli. That's also how it is on me, too: strong red currant and lemon, with the red patchouli getting stronger over time. But the red currant is by far the strongest note on my currant-amping skin. I never got much buttercream, sadly, and I was hoping for more of that note. Fate's Jester is not for me, but it was nice to get to try it.

On me, this is all Dr. Pepper-like Florentine iris (I know it's not listed as a note, so it is either unlisted or the orris), dusty white sandalwood, and dusty vanilla. But mostly, the Dr. Pepper-like iris. It just didn't want to quit. I figured this would not work on me, because of the orris, but I was still curious to try it because I've seen it compared to Black Opal before. Welllll, it's nothing like Black Opal on me. But I do think it fits the prop moon rocks vibe pretty well.

Did you like La Joconde from the Winter Travelogue update? If so, Platinum Wig Spray is for you. It's got the same bergamot and white musk notes, but it has an additional clean citrus feel from the white tea, and some sweetness from the bourbon vanilla. I'd say the bergamot is the star, though. I find it uplifting. It's also in the same scent family as Sister Mary Loquacious from the Good Omens line, but with more bergamot. I'm really glad I got to try this. I will be keeping my decant and spraying it on my clothes whenever I wear La Joconde. Thank you to the lovely BPALista that sent this my way.

I have tested this three times, and I am still not what sure to say about it other than it has a definite Mad Tea Party vibe. It starts off as pretty lemony (or something lemon-like, but NOT the Lab's white tea note -- almost kind of like a lemon glaze on a cake), and there's also some spice, a floral aspect, and a creaminess to the scent. The first time I tried it, I got a lot of spice, but I did not get that the other two times, so I think that was a fluke. The creaminess may be due a creamy floral note or due to some weak tea with milk in it; I am not sure. But it definitely doesn't have the strong white and green tea and herbs of the released version, and I don't think that peony is the floral note at play here. It ends up staying close to the skin after about an hour, becoming softer and creamier (milkier?) over time. This was fun to test, and I think it's one of the better protos from this Trunk Show that I was able to try. I am still not sure if I need the whole bottle, and I'll probably let it rest for a month before making that decision. One thing is for sure, though: I am going to be stalking reviews, because I am really curious to hear what other people get from this scent!

I have the prototype on one hand, and the released version on the other. You can tell that Cheshire Cat v1 is related to the released version of Cheshire Cat, but they are different scents. Cheshire Cat v1 is far fruitier and more vibrant than the released version, like the cat that suddenly pops up to greet you with curious things to say. They both share grapefruit notes, but the grapefruit in this prototype is a different variety from that found in the released scent. It also features some sort of tropical fruit (I keep thinking guava, but I'm not sure if that's right), and waaaaay more red currant than the final scent. So it's a bright, fruity party on the skin. The way that it really differs from the released version is that this absolutely does not contain the lavender or dark musk. So if you were ever like, "Aww man, I want to try Cheshire Cat, but without that dark musk and those pesky florals," this prototype may be for you. I do not like this as much as the released version, because I love the lavender and the mysterious quality that the musk provides, and I tend to amp currant (so this having more of it is not a good thing for me). There are times where I think this smells nice on me, and other times where I think the red currant (or maybe it's cranberry???) is combining with something and becoming so strong that it borders on medicinal on me (kind of like a lozenge). So I am not sure if it is a keeper just yet, but it sure was fun to try and compare the two!

In the decant: Gummy worms and cherry lollipops. On my skin: Cherry lollipops, gummies, and a little coconut. It remains that way throughout wear: mostly cherry lollipops and gummies (the sour aspect does end up emerging after a while, and there's definitely a green, lime-flavored gummy here), although the coconut does gain some strength over time. If you want to smell like these things, this proto is true to its description! It's not something I could see myself wearing (I'm not a fan of sour gummies or gummy candy in general -- I was here for the lollipops), but it was nice to get to try it and see what it's like!

In the decant: A ton of spice with some earthy, vegetal quality beneath it (perhaps the pumpkin)? On my skin, that's exactly what I get, too. There's tons of cinnamon and an odd, vegetal (not buttery, sweet, or gourmand whatsoever) pumpkin note. I am not getting any cake from this. (What is up with these trunk show prototypes that mention cake notes with no cake to be found???) Eventually, the weird vegetal note goes away and I am left with loads of pumpkin spice with a bit of chocolate fuzziness that could suggest cake, but doesn't actually smell like cake, and I would never guess cake if I didn't have a scent description telling me there's supposed to be cake here. It was nice to get a chance to try this one, but I really didn't like the earthy, vegetal pumpkin I got from this. I also wish that the pumpkin spice weren't so strong on me and that there were more cake. I'll probably pass the decant on to a friend of mine that loves spicy scents.

In the decant: Tons of strawberry, with a drop of motor oil in the background if you inhale really deeply. On my skin: Deceitfuldescender is right: the strawberry in this smells like strawberry juice. In the background, I do get some motor oil and a hint of the cream. The tea rose note ends up emerging later, adding a tart quality to the scent to cut the sweetness of the strawberry without managing to overtake it. It ends up being mostly strawberry and tea rose with a little bit of cream after a few hours of wear. Strawberry perfumes are not my thing, but I wanted to try this to see if it was like Unreleased Scent 15 (another Firefly prototype that I thought might be a Kaylee perfume), and I was curious about the motor oil. It is not like Unreleased Scent 15, and the motor oil is not a main player here. This is definitely one for the strawberry lovers. It was nice to get a chance to try it, though!

I get sugary store-bought frosting (those ones in the small, plastic tubs in the baking aisle): not buttercream frosting, and not cream cheese frosting. I also get a floral undertone to this, but not any actual cake note. Unlike the previous poster, I don't get much throw from this. (But I live in a super dry climate.) Not bad, but also, definitely not Birthday Cake. There are other frosting and cake scents that I enjoy and would reach for more than this, so while it is nice (the best of the protos I have tried so far), I don't think I can justify holding onto it when it doesn't produce a "OMG THIS IS SO AMAZING" reaction in me.

Me before smelling Captain: It's probably going to be like a cross between Outlaw and Tombstone but not as sweet! Me upon smelling Captain: HOLY HECK THAT IS SOME LEATHER. Captain is very strong on the leather, backed by the white cedar note, which is a different kind of cedar than the one found in Tombstone. I sadly never end up getting any sassafras or vanilla from this, and I was really hoping for some root beer-y goodness. The leather in this is far too strong for me, with not enough sweetness to tame it, so I will be passing this on to a friend who adores Firefly and is curious about this scent.

I am not sure what year this tester is, but I think it's the 2019 version. I never would have tried Bright Red Dildo if a very kind BPALista hadn't sent it to me. My experience with The Red Rider made me think this would be that horribly strong you-just-walked-into-a-leather-store kind of leather with a stank-y honey, but actually, it's not like that all. Bright Red Dildo is a musky, honeyed leather scent. The red leather in this softened by the honey note. The scent isn't soft by any means: it's just a lot smoother than I was expecting. Over time, the musky, honeyed leather scent ends up almost having an incense-y quality to it. It is pretty sexy. I didn't upgrade to a bottle of this, because I just can't see myself reaching for this enough to warrant one, but it was a pleasant surprise. I am thankful that I got a chance to try it, and I will be keeping my decant.

Osmanthus, Damascus rose, violet, delphinium, white mint, palmarosa and white sandalwood. In the decant: I am getting a mint-tinged floral scent, backed by some sandalwood. On my skin: This is a predominantly mint-infused floral blend on a bed of sandalwood. After a few minutes, I start to amp the violet, which my skin chemistry is wont to do. It ends up being a strong violet with some osmanthus and an oddly herbal floral scent accompanied by a dusty sandalwood after a few hours of wear. Verdict: My violet-hating skin chemistry never stood a chance, but it was nice to get a chance to try it.