doomsday_disco

While I swapped for a decant of this, I was also gifted an aged bottle (thanks to the lovely BPALista that sent this to me! ). So now I am comparing the two! There's not a big difference between the aged decant and the aged bottle, so they must have aged similarly. This smells like aged Snake Oil infused with a tart berry on a bed of amber. Neroli is usually my nemesis, but the aged Snake Oil has really smoothed it over. It isn't super bitter or headache-inducing in this, and it remains behind the acai berry throughout wear. The cardamom and smoked vanilla are not distinct on me, but I'm sure they're adding some warmth to the scent. I was not sure how this one would go due to the neroli and acai berry notes, but this is nice, thanks to the magic of aged Snake Oil.

Retested this one for the #TournamentOfUnderdogs. Aquatics don't really work on me, but this isn't your average aquatic -- it's an aquatic infused with a sweet incense, and the incense keeps it from veering into soap/dryer sheet territory. I think Lucchesa may be right about this possibly containing opium. My boyfriend joked that this smelled "non-Euclidean" before saying he believes the scent matches its description, describing it as "dark" and commenting that the incense "isn't usually what you think of when you think of incense." We tested this against Schrödingers Cat and discovered that we're both #TeamR'lyeh for this round. Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!

I tried this in my earlier BPAL days, and remember it not working on me, but apparently I never reviewed it. I'm trying it again and properly reviewing it for the #TournamentOfUnderdogs. My boyfriend is also testing the scents I have for the tournament, so I'll be sharing his thoughts as well. My boyfriend thinks this smells like "a creamsicle on a forest floor." I think he was associating the citrus with a creamsicle (even though this is not a creamy scent) and of course, the moss was the forest floor he was smelling. The citrus was fleeting on him, and it dried down to just oakmoss. On me, the citrus really clashed with the zdravetz (geranium) in an unpleasant way, even though The Season of Ghosts contains citrus and geranium, and I can wear that scent. It goes wrong on me in the way that Winter Landscape and The Cross of Snow did, in that it smelled kind of like someone squeezed some citrus over the sauce you'd find in a can of Spaghettios. o.0 Then my oakmoss-amping skin amped the oakmoss, happy to take over the other notes. I only got a hint of the chocolate peppermint if I sniffed really closely, but that's only because I knew to look for it. Otherwise, I would not have guessed it were there. I love the label art for Schrödingers Cat and typically love citrus scents, so I thought I'd want it to win its round in the tournament, but both my boyfriend and I have decided we're on Team R'lyeh.

Tokyo Stomp starts off as a nice candied mint scent. The mint/vanilla combo has a bit of an Andes Mint vibe to it. It's one of those vanillas that is sometimes mistaken as chocolate. There's also a touch of coconut mixed with the vanilla. Over time, it becomes less candy-like and more like Snow White. Wuuuuut. Was not expecting that! But it's like, a mintier Snow White. It's not as buttery as Snowblind or as intensely minty as Lick It, so it is still worth trying if you own both of those. I like this enough to hold on to my decant, but it's not something I feel like I need a bottle of, as I have so many vanilla mint scents as it is, and many a bottle of Snow White.

In the decant: Violet pierced by sharp wisteria. I don't have high hopes for this one, as these are two notes that do not work on me. On me: The violet and wisteria are the first notes to emerge, but the violet quickly softens the screeching wisteria note. Then it's a violet party on my skin, as I tend to amp that note, and it remains that way for several hours of wear, until the chrysanthemum (which makes me think of dried chrysanthemum in tea) becomes one of the main players. Unfortunately, by this time, the wisteria is more noticeable, and its sharpness starts to give me a headache whenever I sniff my arm. I'm not able to pick out the delphinium -- it's a note I've encountered in scents like Cheshire Cat and Red Lantern, but I haven't been able to isolate it since those blends contain lots of other notes that stand out to me more. Verdict: This is not for me, but if you're a fan of violet, you should try this.

I adore all things root beer, and I was curious about this because I thought that that it might be like like Outlaw, but without the leather, so I wanted to try it. But it's not the creamy root beer that the notes would lead one to believe. I agree with other reviewers that have described this as somewhat masculine -- it's more like a sarsaparilla-infused cologne than a root beer scent. I thought maybe PBSW's Pumpkin Daddy wax melts (which I am melting in this room) were affecting my perception of this scent, but no. It really is like a sarsarparilla-infused cologne, and there's no sweetness to be found. I, too, get some powderiness instead of the creaminess, that is tragically sort of plastic-y on me. And I don't get the comparisons to Love's Philosophy, which is much sweeter and creamier with its french vanilla note. I'm really glad I got a chance to try it, but I'll stick with Outlaw, Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, Tombstone, and Zombi Sassafras for my sarsaparilla fix.

Ooh, this is lovely. It started off as a sort of lemony, honeyed hay scent (it was almost cereal-like on me for a moment, but that was fleeting), but it became warmer and sweeter over time, with the mallow, oatcakes, and golden amber joining the honey and hay and dry grasses. I'm especially loving the oatcake note. The cardamom is barely noticeable on me. It's so cozy and comforting, and I'm really glad I decided to try it. If it's still available in a few weeks, I may end up with a bottle.

In the decant: Blood musk backed by resins (some of which are cola-like) and lavender. On me: The blood musk reigns, followed by the lavender. Then I become engulfed in the blood musk, because the blood musk is red musk, and that's just what my skin chemistry likes to do with this note. It stays this way for a really long time -- and is all red musk in the throw -- backed by the cola-like resins and deep myrrh. The lavender, although initially strong, couldn't compete with the blood musk and was quick to flee. Verdict: The blood musk is just too much for me. If you're looking for lavender, you'll likely be disappointed, but if you're looking for blood musk and resins, this will probably be up your alley.

In the decant: White tea, cherry blossom, wood. On me: Same. I'm getting white tea and cherry blossom backed by a powdery amber and the wood. The white tea only gets stronger on me with wear, as it is wont to do, but it isn't as astringent as it usually is, and I still get touches of the cherry blossom and resins after several hours of wear, with the amber and cashmere wood being more prominent than the cherry blossom note. Verdict: This is a nice, delicate, airy sort of blend. I will have to retest it to see if it is something I'd actually wear, but it is pretty!

I sprayed this on a paper towel to test this, and not my hair, because caramel scents aren't really my jam, and I knew that this wouldn't be something I'd want in my hair for the next two days. This smells like caramelized sugar (emphasis on the caramel), backed by some sweet cream. It kind of made me think of the caramel or toffee coating on popcorn, but creamier and without the popcorn. If you're looking for a caramel-y hair gloss, give this one a go.

I don't really get the comparisons to Midway, but that may be because by partial of Midway Resurrected is a really light scent? I mostly get spice from this (there's far too much cinnamon for this to be funnel cake to my nose) and caramel, backed by some wood. It's mainly caramel and spice when sprayed in the air, but I do get the wood in the background when the scent is directly sprayed on something (I sprayed it on a paper towel). My boyfriend thinks this smells like Christmas, but he says that about almost everything with a spice component. I am glad I got to try this one, but this one is a little too caramel-y for my liking. I'll stick with Halloween Carnival for my carnival room scent.

Wishlists Amazon (universal wishlist -- includes items from other sites) Etsy Just for Reference BPAL Bottle Collection (includes bottles on the way at the bottom of the post) BPAL Imps/Decants I Have Kept Non-BPAL Bottles I Own Non-BPAL Decants I Have Kept Compiled Swap Questions: If you said you would be happy with homemade things, what types of homemade things would you like best? Non-perishable foods or spreads, any type of perfume storage, artwork, wearables like arm warmers, useful things like pot holders and washcloths... Do you garden or keep houseplants, and--if so-- would you be interested in seeds or gardening supplies? Every plant I have ever had has quickly met its demise... What is your favorite Halloween character or creature? I adore bats, cats, and ghosts. I love The Nightmare Before Christmas, but I'm not sure about a favorite character. Perhaps Zero? My favorite monster/creature would probably be Frankenstein's monster. ETA: After reading llamadolly's post, I can't believe I forgot about ravens. Love corvids! Would you be interested in a spooky fabric mask? What should be on it? Tie, earloop, or what? I would! I would be happy with one that doesn't say anything on it and just has something like a bat, cat, raven, or ghost on it. A pattern with one of those things would be pretty neat. Earloop would probably be better than a tie, but I am not picky about that. The problem is that I can't wear masks shaped like this because the bridge of my nose is small making it so that the mask won't stay on my face. (I found this out when my boyfriend bought me a Ravenclaw one. We tried tying it in different ways, and it kept falling off my nose. ) What are you interested in from the BPAL Update? How about the NAVA update? I'm going to place a BPAL order today because I need the Plague Doctor shirt. I already ordered from the NAVA update when it went live! How do you feel about stuff being shipped directly to you instead of to me and then to you, so it wouldn't be wrapped but you could still wait to open it? Bad idea or good idea? I would be fine with this. New question: Any interest in any candles or other products from Sihaya and Co? The only one I didn't buy from the autumn collection was Celtic Twilight, and that was only because I still have some Autumnvale Cafe from last year and wondered how similar it would be to Samhain Dusk. I'd also be interested in Ginger Fox as a candle (I used to have it in wax melts) and wouldn't say no to a Conversations with the Moon soap! Do you drink booze? If so, would you be interested in a kit to infuse your favorite varieties? (I've tried these and love them: https://www.etsy.com/shop/InBooze) I drink wine on occasion, but I don't really make cocktails. I'd be up for trying it, though! There is a place near me that has some of the BEST coffee beans I've personally ever had- would you be interested in receiving a pound or half pound of beans? If so, do you prefer flavored (which ones?), full caffeinated - decaf - half and half?, whole bean or ground? Light or dark roast? Sadly, I can't drink coffee. I like the taste, but my body can't handle it. Also, how about a mug to go with it? If so, what's your mug style- oversized 90's coffeehouse? Tiny espresso demitasse? Ye Standard Coffee Cup? Name it! I like mugs but don't have a preference for size! The PBSW Weenie Collection just went live (minus lotions and candles which are delayed). Is there anything you're interested in? Any scents you'd like as lotions or candles when they come in? I already ordered this morning because I hadn't placed a summer order and wanted to grab a Pick-a-Duck candle and Fuzzy Scrumpit before the summer stuff sold out. While I ordered some for myself, one can never have too much Putney Road, and I almost ordered a Cathedral of Pumpkins soap, but restrained myself since I still have a mini scrub of it from last year. I've been waiting a month for The Man in the Moon wax melts to come back in stock, but alas. I enjoy their glycerin soaps and emulsifying sugar scrubs the most. Their lotions are too light for me, and I only use shower products. Urgent question! Would socks make you happy? If so: what size? And what about over the knee socks? Socks always make me happy! My foot size is 5.5 US, but I'll pretty much wear any sock, even if the part for the heel is going up my leg. Knee highs are my favorite, but over-the-knee and thigh-highs are also nice. I will also wear ankle socks and crew socks. All socks are great! Do you like animals? Yes, I love animals! Any favorites? Cats, foxes, owls, rabbits, small birds, ravens, bats, squirrels, chipmunks, least weasel... I could go on and on! And would you like to receive a photo print of a photo I took myself? Any preference on size? Are you okay with just the print, so you can frame it yourself? A smaller print would be appreciated, and I'd be happy to frame it myself. And what about photo printed postcards? Postcards are wonderful! One of my favorite stores sells perfumed hand-made hair rinse which I love myself. Would you be interested? I'd be interested as long as the scent isn't so strong that it would overpower any hair gloss I applied afterward. What are your book tastes? Do you have a goodreads? Hmm... give me your top three favorite books! I mostly enjoy fiction/sci-fi. My favorite authors include Lewis Carroll, A. A. Milne, and Douglas Adams. Some of my favorite books are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (I also love the Dirk Gently series), Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, and Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus. I have a Goodreads account, but I haven't updated it in a while. I'll provide the link if I can figure out what my password is (I haven't accessed it since I got a new laptop this year). Would you like any tea accessories, say like a tea infuser? I am all set on tea accessories. Interested in Blackthorn Hoodoo Tea? Which blends? I currently have Go the **** to Sleep in my pantry. Mercury and Werewolves of London are two of my favorite teas from this company. I've never tried Samhain and would be interested in trying that. Holy Spirit Tea also sounds like it could be nice. I don't like rooibos or mate and dislike chocolate, hibiscus, licorice/anise/fennel, and berry-flavored teas. Do you like incense? If so, loose, cone, stick...? I don't dislike incense and have a little Pusheen incense holder dish, but incense always gets passed over for candles and wax melts. This year we've made apple butter, unsweetened apple sauce, canned sweet cherries, candied jalapenos... which, if any, of these would you welcome? I would be down for everything except for the candied jalapenos! The apple butter and cherries sound particularly delicious. Would you be interested in any sort of large bag/purse/tote? If so any themes or colors? A large bag or tote would be great. I don't really use purses, though. My current bag is a Totoro one! I like black, grey, and purple and like goth-y or fandom-related stuff. I may have gone a little overboard on the nostalgia train and picked up a multitude of bottles from the cute 90s Gothic perfume company, Vampyre. I have three that can potentially be yours: Nocturnas (Sudanese Frankincense is Added to Exquisite Blackberry Essence in this Decadent Enveloping Blend) , Petra Musk ( Aged Red Musk, with it’s Woods, Spices and Musk Notes is Intensified with African Kush Oil,Imparting an Exotic Scent and Reddish Hue to this Elixir) and Blood & Roses (Three Types of the Darkest Rose Essence Dry Down into Rich Musk Bottom Notes in this Mysterious, Unexpectedly Romantic Scent). Alas, none of these sound like they'd be up my alley, note-wise. Do you cook (or aspire to cook)? Is there any cooking-related gift that would bring you joy? Spices, ingredients, cookbook, gadgets, implements... I do cook and bake, although lately, I've mostly been using my InstantPot mini and toaster oven when I cook/bake, because it's so hot here. I could use some new potholders, a new spatula (one you flip things with, not one you mix things/scrape bowls with), an icing knife, and a dough/bench scraper to cut dough more evenly. For cookbooks, I mostly use recipes I find online from Minimalist Baker, Half Baked Harvest, Dessert for Two, and Sally's Baking Addiction, but I'd be interested in this little e-book of pumpkin recipes or one of Christina Lane's small batch dessert cookbooks (I already own Dinner for Two). I have been using the Indian Instant Pot Cookbook: Traditional Indian Dishes Made Easy and Fast by Urvashi Pitre a lot lately, with Aloo Gobi being my go-to recipe. Is there a BPAL GC bottle (or imps) you have been meaning to buy but haven't? Especially in light of the Tournament of Underdogs? What about TAL? The Tournament of the Underdogs makes me think I should pick up a bottle of How Doth the Little Crocodile to start aging. I used up my imps of Kumiho to scent laundry (it's a good scent to use on wool dryer balls), and I think I should probably just grab a bottle of that for that purpose even though I wouldn't wear it as a perfume when I have Baobhan Sith. GC bottles I have half a bottle or less of and have been meaning to add to orders gradually include Alice, Golden Priapus, Poisoned Apple, and Snake Oil (although I rarely wear the latter because I have so many snek variants). And Tombstone is a GC I love to have back-ups of to age like people do with Snake Oil. For TAL, decants would be best, but I'd love to try Bastet's Laughter and Healing. Are you interested in BPAL storage? Imps or bottles? Or small boxes or containers for other items? I am always interested in BPAL storage! I have so many bottles that are sitting out that need proper storage. I usually like faux book boxes, but wooden boxes are also nice. I recently ordered two coffin shelves from Sourpuss Clothing to hold some of my bottles, and I'm waiting for those to arrive. Stuffies? Y/N If yes, preferences? I'm going to echo Nemi25's response on this one. I have a lot of them and probably should say no. But if you see a smaller one that you'd think I'd like, I'd be happy to give it a home! Hand sanitizer minis? Other things from Bath and Body Works type places? I am indies only and don't really care for BBW products, as they sometimes smell too chemically for me, but my boyfriend would be happy to have some in the car. I received an extra (un-used, totally sealed) gorgeous pot of Bésame's Brightening Vanilla Rose Face Powder - is this something you'd be pleased to receive? https://besamecosmetics.com/blogs/blog/97500486-new-vanilla-rose-brightening-powder?_pos=6&_sid=37efb2159&_ss=r No, thank you. Also, I will be in Washington DC in a few days - anything you might like from there? (It doesn't have to be specific to being the Nation's Capital- DC has lots of great and interesting stuff going on!) I've never been to DC. I can't think of anything in specific, but I always appreciate postcards. Dearest Pumpkin, I harvested my own delicious Kentucky BlueMint back a few months and made a tincture with it, and it is now ready to pour! It can be used in drinks (like mojitos) and as a nice mint flavoring, but I use it medicinally, for tummy upset, digestion issues and other stuff. Would you like a bottle of your own? That sounds great! Do you have a preference for treat order? Smallest to largest, peaks and zeniths, ramping up to a grande finale, etc? Or would you like to randomly pull whichever mystery package calls to your intuition on a given day? Would you like clues, so you can guess what's in each thing before you open it? No preference! I think that the numbering of packages and little clues can be fun, though!

In the bottle: I smell hazelnut smoke and dark musk, accompanied by some leather, caramelized vetiver, and whiskey. On me: I'm getting a ton of musk. It's somewhat grape-y and reminding me of one of the musks I dislike from Smut. It's mingling with the hazelnut smoke and remains this way for a while. Then the leather, whiskey, and vetiver show up, but none can hold a candle to the musk for several hours, until the leather and vetiver finally push through and join the musk on the center stage. It ends up being a musky, smoky, leather scent on me, like someone slathered on some musk, donned a leather jacket, took a swig of whiskey, and rolled around in some vetiver (with some smoke in the distance). Verdict: This isn't really my thing because I am not a fan of the musk in this one, and it's strong on me throughout wear. But if you are a fan of this type of musk and are intrigued by the other notes, I'd say give this one a whirl.

In the decant: Fig backed by some pitch. This smells like the same fig from Lola Lee Loo to my nose. On me: The sweet fig reigns, backed by the pitch and dark resins. The heavier notes are never able to overtake the fig, but the scent does become less sweet over time as they engulf the fig in darkness (I'm getting more pitch, tobacco, and patch than frankincense or amber on my skin -- but the patch here isn't super bold, which surprises me because black patchouli notes usually are pretty loud). Verdict: Totality is a much darker scent than I'd really gravitate toward, but I'm glad I got to try it. The fig in this didn't go waxy on me, as it is sometimes wont to do, and it was nice to experience the sweet fig juxtaposed with the darker notes. Although I'd be unlikely to reach for it, I definitely appreciate this more than Nasty Woman, and I think it would be nice to smell on someone else.

Tobacco Honey features a dirtied tobacco on a base of honey. It's not anything like the Lab's French tobacco; it's more of a smoky type. The tobacco increases with strength on me with wear, never allowing the honey a chance in the spotlight. It was nice to be able to try this honey scent, but I'm glad I didn't fall in love with it, since this is DCed, and the tobacco in this isn't really my jam.

Door is primarily a comforting honeyed blue chamomile scent on me with touches of tobacco and cistus in the background that become more noticeable with wear and give the scent a more perfume-y feel. I like this, and I'm really glad I was able to try it (yay! chamomile!), but I'm not sure that I need a bottle at the moment since I already own Against Idleness and Mischief.

The only reason I didn't try Bullseye last year was because there were so many lavender scents in the Lilith update that I eliminated a few from my list that I thought I'd be less likely to love. I shouldn't have skipped this one. Bullseye starts off strong on the mugwort, accompanied by the lavender and wild rose, making me think of two other scents I really enjoy: The Hypnotic Eye atmo and Hypnotize Me. The mugwort ends up calming down after a bit, I can smell the breeze and the walnut bark note in the background. The scent ends up becoming creamier and sweeter over time, with the wild rose taking the center stage, and when this happens, I get serious Meditation Buddy vibes (I think they share the same rose and lavender notes, but that's where the similarities end). This also feels meditative, but in a different way, and I think that may be due to the sage and mugwort in this one. I enjoy this way more than I thought I would and will definitely be holding on to my decant! I may even try to hunt down a bottle in the future, because if I use this as a sleep blend, the decant will be gone in no time!

Little Atalanta starts off with a blast of peppery dead leaves, which remains the dominant note for a while, backed by the pleather. But the pleather note gains strength with wear, eventually overtaking the dead leaves after a few hours and confining them to a background role. It is more like leather than pleather and has a slight sweetness to it that I appreciate. My skin chemistry doesn't do well with the Lab's dead leaf note, but if yours does and you want it paired with a sweet leather note, give this one a whirl.

Ehon Karanishiki is a fruity floral scent, but it is far heavier on the floral component than the fruit one, so if you're wanting the floral notes, but wary of the strawberry, it still would be worth a try. I am not sure what morning glory petals smell like, but I am able to detect the lilac and gardenia here, with the lilac being stronger during the wet phase of the scent. The strawberry juice adds a bit of sweetness to the scent, but the bourbon vanilla never showed up on me. After several hours, the white amber note has emerged, adding a classy perfume-vibe to this floral scent. I'm glad I got to try this one, but I was really hoping for some vanilla with the floral notes.

Bedbug smells like a gingersnap. It may be infused with a bit of citrus, but the ginger is definitely the star here. But it's a dry sort of cookie, not buttery or moist. This smells much better than its name would have led me to believe! I'm glad I got to try it.

I tested this a few times. The first time, it was mostly honey and pear at first with the vanilla cream becoming more noticeable with wear. The second time, the cream was strong out of the gate, and had a bit of an oat-like quality to it, and it was backed by the honey and pear. Amazing what a few more days of settling can do. I didn't really get the vanilla part of the vanilla cream this time, sadly. That may have been because it stayed close to the skin and didn't seem to last long, though. I'm glad I was able to try this one, but there are other vanilla cream scents that I enjoy far more.

Joulumuori is mostly all about the prune note on me. It reminds me of the prune in Alice's Evidence, only, unlike that scent, this one is only lightly spiced. It's accompanied by a bit of slightly effervescent mead. The rice pudding note is missing in action on me, unless that's the source of the bit of spice. This is too fruity for me, but if you're looking for a prune-dominant scent, here you go.

The Little Sparrow is a green and brown scent. The sedge dominates at first, backed by a brown musk-infused amber, but it ends up being a fuzzy brown musk and amber scent after a while. It was nice to be able to test this one, but there are other cozy, musky ambers that I'm far more likely to reach for.

So this doesn't smell like funnel cake, but you know what it does smell like? MOTHERFUCKING BREAD PUDDING. I'm not mad.

Little Photojournalist starts off with a blast of grape rock candy backed by cathedral incense, but it's not long before the rock candy gives way to the resins, so that it ends up being a straight-up resin scent. I'm glad I got a chance to try this one, but I know I wouldn't reach for this one over something like Mummies of Mexico City.