doomsday_disco

This is more about the oudh than the pecan on me, but it's not a poo-dh type of oudh. It's dark and smooth. The pecan here just adds some nuttiness to the scent and takes a few hours to cozy up to the oudh, but it's not pie-like at all. There's no syrupy pecan pie sweetness from these pecans, and no pie crust to be found. While I wish this had been at least a little pie-like, I'm glad it didn't give me flashbacks to Mother Shub's Pumpkin Pecan Treacle Tarts. This was fun to try, but I don't think it's a scent I would gravitate towards.

This smells super similar to Gen Z Feminist Cenobite from the Liliths. In fact, I'd say it's the same scent (bright cherry with a golden amber-dominant chypre on me), but with some added creaminess from the pie note. I'm not really getting any pie crust, but maybe my skin's bringing out more of the cherry, amber, and cream from this scent. Gen Z Feminist Cenobite was a win for me, and this imp is a keeper as well! My favorite of this year's Black Friday imp exclusives for sure!

This is much brighter than I expected, thanks to the wild herbs and the grass being greener than I thought it would be. It does get drier over time, and warmer, thanks to the hay, but it never loses the lemony quality that I'm getting from the herbs. This wasn't originally on my radar, but it was frimped to me, and I'm glad I got to try it. But I prefer Smug Yale Alchemy Lab for dry grasses, and for a nice hay note, Eastern Comma and Hay Moon 2020 are more up my alley.

Pinched With Four Aces starts off with a waxy sweet tobacco, like the kind that tends to be used in wax melts, but then the waxiness goes away, and the coffee husk somehow adds a bit of creaminess to the tobacco, and the cinnamon, while present, is light and never takes over. It ends up being a warm, sweet tobacco scent that's complemented perfectly by the other notes. When I first applied this, I thought I didn't get the hype, but once the waxiness went away, I totally got why it's sought after. It is really nice. And I am so glad this was frimped to me so that I could try it. But I won't try to hunt down more of this, since there is always new stuff coming out to discover and love.

In the decant, I get the eggy french toast-y dough from Please Scream Inside Your Pumpkin Patch pretty strongly, along with some fleshy pumpkin. On me, it actually quickly becomes mostly about that fleshy, peach-like pumpkin (I'm not getting spice from that note, and it kind of makes me of the pumpkin in White Pumpkin Extrait, and the pumpkin/peach combo of Jack without the butteriness) before morphing into a pancake batter scent. It's interesting that that ended up being the final result, because that didn't happen to me with Please Scream Inside Your Heart or Please Scream Inside Your Snake Oil. This is pleasant, but I'll stick with Please Scream Inside Your Snake Oil.

This was cherry plus a smoky tobacco on me that morphed into syrupy red fruits plus smoky tobacco and whatever else is comprising the fuzzy velvet note in this blend. I only got a hint of the almond, far in the background. I prefer more candy-like cherry scents like Lilith Poundcake and Dragon Bouffant, but if a dark cherry scent sounds enticing, this one is worth a try.

Flickering Lights, Fluttering Curtains features a soft, cool, billow-y vanilla (the same one from Zorya P) that's been cozied up to by some sweet floral note -- I'm thinking its the davana. There are touches of white amber and cognac which add some sophistication, and after a while, I get a touch of chamomile, too. I don't get any smoke from this, and the champaca note in this must be different than the varieties I normally come across, because it isn't problematic at all. While I understand the Lace comparisons, there is no tobacco here and not enough cognac for it to truly smell like a "Lace" to me. I think this smells lovely, but I know I wouldn't reach for it over Pediophobia or Zorya P. But I'll be passing on my decant to my mom, as I think she would really enjoy this.

This starts off with the dandelion and dirt, with more dandelion than the Dandelion and Dirt duet had, and without its sharpness. Over time, I get what I believe could be an unlisted baby's breath note and a bit of spiced blood that I swear has a dash of cumin in it along with the clove. It is a soft floral and lightly spiced dirt scent. If Dandelion and Dirt ended up being too sharp for you, this one is worth a try. I like it better than that scent, but I know I won't reach for it over straight-up Wild Dandelion SN.

Florentine iris, white almond, and golden honey. I am using testing this on my skin as opposed to using it in the bath. In the decant: This smells like Dr. Pepper to me. Letting it sit for a few days didn't change that. It still smells like Dr. Pepper to me! If I inhale really deeply, I can detect a trace of the almond. The boy originally thought it smelled like “really good cough syrup.” I don't get that at all, and besides, how could cough syrup smell good? Wet: Dr. Pepper. It starts off that way and stays that way for a really long time. I am not familiar with Florentine Iris, but I think it must be that note giving me that impression. I looked it up online and discovered that it used to be used to flavor soft drinks. Dry: The honey has emerged, and the Dr. Pepper scent seems to have dissipated. It is now a very light floral scent that stays close to the skin. Verdict: Well, that was interesting! I won't be needing a bottle of this one, but I am glad that I was able to try it.

Ohhh man. Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Pie starts off with tons of delicious chocolate pie crust. It's so good that it is making me want one of those pudding pies with an Oreo crust! (This is not an Oreo crust, though!) But then the heavily spiced pumpkin cream cheese rises up, and the pumpkin spice part of it is so strong that it ended up leaving a welt on my skin. (If you have sensitive skin, apply with caution!) So then it is very much about the pumpkin spice for a long time, but when it finally calms down, I get a ton of coconut and chocolate ganache and crust, and it smells like one of those Magic Bars with chocolate and coconut (but with more spice). This smells delicious, and now I want a scent with this chocolate crust note but without the heavy pumpkin spice!

This smells like an apple Jolly Rancher or lollipop with a very light touch of spice. It gets less candy-like after a few hours and has a bit of the effervescence that VetchVesper mentioned. I like it, but I don't love it. (Honeyed Apple is this year's apple win for me.) But if you're looking for a sweet apple scent with very little spice, you should be pleased with this one! (I was actually kind of hoping it would have a little more spice.)

Freshly applied, this smells like cinnamon buns absolutely slathered with icing, and it is glorious. But as it sits on my skin, it becomes less like a realistic cinnamon bun and more about the pumpkin spice syrup backed by a little bit of baked dough. After several hours, the pumpkin spice smells drier and less sweet, like it does in Pumpkin Spice Everything Hair Gloss. I wish this one had stayed like it was when I first applied it -- that icing note is so good! And the end result still smells delicious... just not as delicious as it was initially. I have sensitive skin, and this did not burn the back of my hand or cause any irritation, and somehow it didn't manage to be a cinnabomb despite its name -- so it's worth a try if you're wanting to smell like a cinnamon bun and not a cinnamon broom.

I tested this on the back of my hand (because I have sensitive skin and thought I might need to wash this off due to the heavy spices). It did have a tingling/burning sensation when applied, but it didn't leave any welts -- that said, I would be cautious with this one if you have sensitive skin and would not apply it anywhere like the neck or the crook of the elbows due to the heavy spice content. Spice warning aside, it smells delicious. Sugary, spiced, orange zest-filled bourbon. I get a ton of the orange zest for a long time with the sugar and spices, but the bourbon comes out more over time and eventually ends up being the dominant note after several hours of wear. The other notes are still there -- they're just not as strong as they were initially. I like this, but I'll have to stick to a decant since it is so spice-heavy and wouldn't be able to be slathered. (Too bad -- I love the label art!) ETA: I actually wound up with a partial of this. Now I don't have too much of it, but I also get to appreciate the label art. Huzzah!

Apparently I never reviewed this??? Marshmallow Snow features the sweet, sugared coniferous snow found in scents like Snow Bunny, The First Soft Snow, NYC Snowball Fight, and Frostbitten Zombi, on a bed of marshmallow. It is more about that snow note than the marshmallow, though. I love using this as an after-shower moisturizer and pairing it with my forest scents. Although the scent isn't what I was expecting when I ordered this one, I am really happy to have a bottle!

This Burial prototype is heavy on the vetiver. It's very bold and smoky at first, but becomes more grassy over time. I also get some grapefruit after a while, like zee_zee mentioned. It smells realistic, and I vastly prefer it to the strong, smoky vetiver phase. I didn't get any of the dirt, pine, juniper, or patch that I got from the final version of the scent. I prefer the Burial that made it into the GC over this prototype, but it was fun to get to try this and try to sniff out the notes in it. I wonder how many iterations Burial went through before it made it to its final iteration.

Civil Twilight is a pretty fruity floral scent. The lemon blossom and peach team up with the honeysuckle to create a bright, happy scent. There's only a touch of amber that peeks out after a while -- more of a sparkling amber than a dark one to my nose, but perhaps it is the lemon blossom doing that, as it ends up being the dominant note on me after several hours. I kind of wish the peach had a little more oomph, and that the honeysuckle had remained a main player, but I do think it is pretty, and I'm glad I got a chance to try it!

Astronomical Twilight starts off as a melange of plum, narcissus, and moss on me, with touches of jasmine, lemon, and lavender. The sweet labdanum ends up joining in after a bit, but surprisingly, doesn't manage to take over in this one. The sweet, heady florals and plum end up being the dominant notes on me, with the powdery moss too far behind. This one isn't really in my wheelhouse, but it was nice to get a sniffie to try.

Whoa, this one is sharp. Sharp grapefruit, made even sharper by that metal note that smells cologne-like and somehow crawls up your nostrils and pierces you right behind your eyes, on a bed of sandalwood bones. That's what I get from Search Engine. The blend does soften with wear as the sandalwood comes out more. I'm glad I got to try this one, as I love grapefruit, but sadly, the metal note is not for me.

2008 version. Cool, mint-tinged ozone, a pale variety of frankincense that has a bit of an orange-y aspect to it, and just a smidge of smoke. These are the notes that I get from this at first. The cool ozone, which doesn't smell soapy in this one, is present throughout, but the white amber note gains strength over time and ends up joining it as one of the dominant notes, with just a touch of violet leaf. I liked this one more than I thought I would from the list of notes. I probably won't hang on to it, since there are a few other white amber scents in my collection that I'd reach for over this one, but it is a nice, light, cool resinous scent.

This starts off as gunpowder, patchouli, and herbs on me, with a bit of hay. But the hay note increases in strength with wear, and the gunpowder fades, so that in the end, it is mostly a warm hay scent with touches of patchouli, herbs, and wood. However, the herbs smell somewhat soapy on me. I'm glad I got to try this, but I know I wouldn't reach for it over other hay scents (like Eastern Comma or Hay Moon 2020).

I got tobacco, blueberry, and khus right out of the gate, with touches of florals and coconut amber. The tobacco and khus gain strength over time and end up completely dominating the other notes after several hours of wear. It becomes especially strong on the grassy khus, but the smoky tobacco isn't far behind. This was a lot darker than I expected it to be from the notes. It's not for me, due to the prominence of the vetiver (khus) and the type of tobacco involved, but it was nice to be able to try it.

This one is super sweet! It's all about the rum (which reminds me of buttered rum candies at first) on me, which becomes stickier overtime thanks to the butterscotch joining along side it. And it lasts! I never really got the creaminess of the cheesecake note, sadly, but I did get something that smelled a little odd in the background. I'm glad I got to try this one, since it is a Lilith scent, but like Lucchesa, I feel it is a little too sticky sweet.

I'm so glad I blind bottled Dragon Slide. It features Lick It's peppermint candy, accompanied by some white chocolate (it's definitely white chocolate and not a milk or dark chocolate to my nose) and birthday cake ice cream. The mint is prominent, but not bracing -- it has a cooling effect, but it doesn't burn. The sprinklecake ice cream is stronger on me than the white chocolate, making it a creamy, cake-y minty scent that I'd probably put in the same mint family as Snowblind (the atmo, not the perfume oil, which smells entirely different to me -- the atmo has a rice krispie/yellow cake feel to it that I love). In other words, it's amazing. If you love the Lab's mint scents, you need this one in your life.

In the bottle, I mostly get the mint chip ice cream, with the green tea mochi lingering in the background. In my hair, it's a different story. The green tea mochi is far more prominent than it was in the bottle, so that I get the creamy mint ice cream along with the green tea mochi note. The green tea aspect leans more toward the fresh type of green tea note you find in perfumes and isn't like steeped green tea or matcha, but it has the added gummy, candy-like quality of the mochi note. (If you've tried Astrid's Green Tea Mochi, it's like that.) Curiously enough, I don't get much chocolate from this in my hair, even though it is very noticeable in the bottle, so if you already have something like Peppermint Cocoa Hair Gloss and are wondering if these would be too similar (like I did), I am happy to report that they don't smell very similar at all, and that you would be able to get away with owning both. You definitely have to like green tea notes to appreciate this one, though. (Fortunately, I do!) The green tea mochi ends up dominating on me after a few hours, but I can still smell the creamy mint ice cream note behind it -- it's just not as strong as it was initially, but that tends to be the case with the minty hair glosses. (That said, I do think the mint lingers more than it does in the Lick It or Peppermint Cocoa hair glosses.) I'm glad my favorite Wench has a new scent, and I'm happy to own a bottle.

2020 version. Me the day the Weenies were released: I passed this up in 2016 (that entire Weenie update, actually) and I don't need another apple scent, but I should get a decant, right? Me, upon finding out that this was not going to be in the Weenie circle I joined: Well, Soupy Twist really sang this one's praises, maybe I should just blind bottle it and hope it works out? Me, after testing the bottle: This is one sexy apple, and I would have been foolish to resist its charms. I used to have the NYCC exclusive Honeyed Apple Bath Oil, which I used up a while ago, so I am not able to compare the two, but I think this one smells different. This features a crisp apple note and some perfumey honey that just melds with the skin and gets better with wear as the hours go by. I agree with feyofthefellwood's description of the two notes dancing around each other. They intertwine so beautifully, it's hard to resist sniffing yourself throughout the day. I thought A Cozy Apple and an Apple Cider would be the apple hit of my order, but you know what? It was Honeyed Apple, hands down.