doomsday_disco

I did not grab a decant of this before, due to the strawberry and wanting to try so many other scents from this update. But when the down date was extended, I decided to pick up a leftover decant and try it. This starts off as a ripe strawberry (like the kind you'd want for strawberry shortcake, or strawberries about to be made into strawberry compote) and orange zest scent that smells really delicious, with a bit of cream behind those notes. I love the orange zest, but I never got any actual crepe note. Sadly, my skin ended up turning the strawberry into strawberry plastic, but the scent in the vial itself is good, so if you have a good track record with strawberry, you may want to try this. No bottle for me, but maybe I'll try my decant in a scent locket!

I am getting honeyed dragon's blood musk (maybe it's the poppy and the musk giving me that vibe) and marshmallow from this one. I have never tried the original Sanguinem Menstruum, because the blood musk and poppy notes scared me away, but I was curious about this variant due to the marshmallow. I can't normally do dragon's blood or red musk, but for some reason, this isn't all kinds of wrong on me? I like it more than I thought I would. Now I just need to see how often I'll actually reach for it. Fans of Dragon's Milk should try this. Thank you to my lovely fairy for picking this one up for me.

I agree that this smells similar to Lush's Rose Jam, but not as bright, as it doesn't have Rose Jam's lemon, and in Rapture Pig, I feel like the rose amplified. It's very jammy, intensely rose-y, and positively sugary. It's pretty strong on me, too.... almost like a boozy, sugary rose and currant jelly. I love sugary florals (and the Lab's rose notes), so I am glad that I leapt for a bottle. But be warned: you have to enjoy rose in order to appreciate this one!

I am a fan of Zombi and root beer smells, so naturally, I NEEDED THIS IN MY LIFE. This review is after my bottle has had five days to rest, because I didn't get a chance to try it before now. In the bottle, I smell the dirt, sassafras, and oakmoss. On me, the sarsaparilla takes the center stage, but there's some dirt thrown into the mix. It's like Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener with dirt instead of lots of vanilla. Undead rootbeer, indeed! The white ginger does add an effervescent quality to the scent. The oakmoss emerges once the scent is dry and comes out more with wear, eventually becoming a main player on me (but I think I may amp the stuff). I adore clove, but I only get a hint of it here. It's mainly oakmoss, dirt, and what remains of the sassafras on me after several hours of wear. I am so happy I grabbed this one.

Note: The only other Pink Moon I've tried is 2007, which featured sugared carnation and phlox. Pink Moon is VERY PINK. And it's very well-blended, so while I was able to detect the phlox, freesia, stargazer lily, pink carnation, and peony among the floral notes, I wouldn't say that it is dominated by one floral note in particular. I am not a really fan of strawberry (or other berry notes) in perfumes, but there really is just a touch of it here. If you're also not a big fan of that note but have tried Love from Pickman Gallery: A Tremulous Song and didn't mind that amount of strawberry, you'll probably be okay with this, too. The pink freesia mingles with it really nicely and gives the scent a sparkly sort of feel. The sugar, honey, and vanilla become more prominent after a few hours of wear, with the honey and sugar being stronger on me than the vanilla. It actually ends up having a bit of a High-Strung Daisies vibe to it after several hours, probably due to the pink carnation and sugar. So if you're a fan of that, or sugary florals in particular, you should definitely try this! My aunt hugged me and told me how good I smelled while I was wearing this yesterday, so I am not the only one who is a fan! Lunacy blends usually don't grab me, but I am glad I grabbed a bottle of this one.

Fear of Cemeteries
 Upturned earth, moss-damp and thick with creeping things. A shard of mahogany from a broken casket. Creaking marble doors pushing open under moonlit skies. In the decant: Diiiiirt. Also, some patchouli and mahogany. But mostly, dirt. Wet: Upturned earth and mahogany. I believe this is the same mahogany note found in The Red Queen. Then, the moss emerges, and what I think may be the marble note. This dirt scent is actually a lot lighter than I thought it would be. Dry: Mostly dirt, moss, and what I think may be the marble. The mahogany note seems to have gone away. Verdict: I wanted to try this, since I like dirt scents. It's actually surprisingly light, and not as menacing as one might think it would be, given the name.

I like this more than I was expecting to! I love vanilla, but rum generally isn't my thing. At first, it's kind of like a vanilla-infused butter rum Lifesaver, and then it becomes a pretty evenly balanced vanilla rum scent. But over time, the vanilla note comes out more, and it becomes this really nice vanilla that mingles with the warmth of the rum. This is the best rum scent I have tried! Thanks to the lovely person that sent me some to try.

The lime cream is the most prominent note, followed by the bourbon vetiver and the smoke-tinged candle wax, which gives it that wooly vibe. It becomes very cologne-y very quickly. This scent is really strong on me. It remains a really overwhelming cologne for a while, until the lime cream and vetiver calm down and the candle wax returns, adding a touch of fuzzy warmth to the lime and vetiver cologne. The cologne is too strong for me, but I bet this would be lovely on a guy.

Halloween: Las Vegas features copious amounts of red wine sloshed with Snake Oil's spices, Dorian's tea, and a smear of frosting. But mostly, red wine. It's a party in a bottle, in which red wine is being had by all. It's like this for a really long time, and I was starting to think that the red wine just wouldn't stop flowing, but after four hours of wear, I get Snake Oil's vanilla mixed with the buttercream-covered cake and the red wine, and it is really nice. I bet it would be even better on someone whose skin chemistry doesn't run away with the Lab's red wine note, but I'm going to be hanging on to this, at least for now, because that Snake Oil vanilla and cake phase is WORTH IT. Thank you so much to the lovely person that frimped this to me.

In the decant, I mostly smell the beeswax and the roasted nuts with a bit of ti leaf. On me, I get a ton of bright ti leaf at first. Once the scent is dry, the roasted nuts make themselves known (they're a little salty), and then the sweet beeswax emerges, followed by the sandalwood incense. These three end up being the main players on me, with the roasted nuts taking the lead. The sandalwood incense is the same one that was used in Meditation Buddy, so if you liked that note, and you like beeswax and don't mind roasted nuts, you might enjoy this one, too. The ti leaf returns after a while and joins these notes, lifting the blend a little. I like this (and I love Beth's humor), but I prefer the beeswax and sandalwood of (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene, with its vanilla ice cream instead of salty nuts, so no bottle for me. I think I'll hang on to the decant, though!

In the vial and on me, Atsui-Mono is strong on the fig milk. It's the same one from Sudsy She-Wolf Bath Oil, only there's a lot more of it here. The honey is next in prominence, with some warm hay and black tea peeking out in the background once the scent is dry. The fig milk never stops being the dominant note on me, and I just seem to be getting more fig over time. I never get any vanilla. This ended up being, as I suspected, too figgy for me, but those that love fig should give it a try!

This starts off being like strawberry candy at first, backed by some green grass dotted with dandelions. The strawberry note then becomes juicier and more realistic, but my skin chemistry is having problems with it or a combination of the notes, because I am getting a plastic vibe from this one, sadly. I bet this is a lovely spring and summer scent on someone who has better luck with strawberry, though!

I let mine settle for a day before testing it. In the bottle, I smell the honeysuckle, poppy, jasmine, and cut grass. On me, the honeysuckle is the dominant note, backed by a light (non-heady or stinky!) jasmine, and crushed grass. I was worried about the poppy note, but it is not problematic on me in this one. After a while, the honeysuckle calms down, and it becomes mix of floral notes on a bed of musk and a much softer grass note. The vanilla note finally shows up after about four hours of wear (I was beginning to think it wouldn't show up on me) and mingles with the floral notes. This lovely lace is perfect for spring! I love honeysuckle, so I am glad that I grabbed a bottle of this, since the jasmine and poppy in this are well-behaved. I just hope that the vanilla comes out more with age!

I was originally curious about Alleviate the Frenzy because of the sugared amber, but I was worried the peach musk would be too heady, as Tamora and Aglaea are too sweet for me. But it ended up being cut from my decant list, so I wasn't sure I'd get a chance to try it. Thanks to the kind BPALista who sent me some to try. Alleviate the Frenzy features a very perfume-y amber and peach musk, and I get a bit of something else in the background that keeps making me think of another fruit -- maybe it is strawberry, as zee_zee suggested, and maybe a bit of orange. This is sparkly, somewhat high-pitched, and not nearly as sweet as Tamora or Aglaea. It's definitely a peach PERFUME, like something I'd expect to find in a department store. It's not something I could see myself reaching for, but I am glad to have gotten to try it! I bet my mom and/or my sister would love this, so I am going to give this to my sister next time I see her.

I let this settle for a day before trying mine. In the bottle, I get vanilla, cream, pink peony and rose, a bit of tea, crumbs, and chocolate. The cognac was much stronger the day it arrived, but the scent is softer and creamier now. On me, I get the rose and peony, vanilla, lavender-iced cookie crumbs, and cognac. There's some tobacco and black tea lurking in the background. The chocolate really is just a smear. The vanilla becomes stronger once the scent is dry, and the main players are the vanilla, peony, and tea rose on me. The vanilla, peony, and rose make it a more vanilla-ed cousin to De Vos' Unicorn. I get more of the peony at first, but the rose is the stronger of the two flowers after a few hours of wear. They aren't sharp whatsoever, thanks to the vanilla. The chocolate has returned to mix with the vanilla and floral notes, but there's just a touch of it. It's the perfect Lace for Easter! I'm so happy to have this Lace in my collection!

Before my decant arrived, I had a dream that Excellent Pancakes was a big win for me. But I actually prefer The Pancake Bell. Excellent Pancakes is super strong on the apple note on me for the first few hours of wear. The spices are behind it, but I'd say this is a lightly spiced apple scent. Then some of the actual pancake starts to come through. I applied it at 9 PM last night, and like The Pancake Bell, I can still smell this at 12 PM the next day. This one is an apple and buttery pancake scent, though. It also smells like some syrup has been drizzled onto it even though no maple syrup note is listed. I have a lot of apple scents, and I can't see myself reaching for this over them, so I won't be hanging on to my decant. If you want an apple and pancake scent, though, this one is for you!

The Pancake Bell is a honey-covered (almost maple-like?), gingerbread-y, custard-y pancake scent. And it has some longevity. I applied it to the back of my hand at 9 PM last night and I can still smell it at 12 PM today (by which point it mostly smells like maple and honey-drizzled pancakes). Smelling it makes me hungry. It's a realistic pancake scent. I like this a lot more than Excellent Pancakes. It's not something I need more of, because I don't think I'd reach for it often enough to warrant a bottle, and King Cake pretty much ends up being like waffles on me, but I think I'll keep my decant.

Mischievous Cat HG is mostly golden amber and peach juice on me with a bit of green cardamom. The peach juice is present, but I feel like the golden amber (one of the ambers in the lovely Pa-Pow HG) is the star here. The peach juice in this isn't too sweet at all. It pairs wonderfully with Fair Maiden Side-Eye. I already have Pa-Pow HG and White Peach and Incense HG, so I am not sure I need a full bottle of Mischievous Cat, even though I love the cat on the label. If I didn't already own these, though, I would need more of this.

I love Dorian and Hag Grey, so I had to grab a leftover decant after reading the above review. Smokers features a strong, citrusy elemi note that mingles with the tobacco, black pepper, and white musk. I wore this two days in a row, and I was never able to pick up on the ambergris or vanilla husk in my hair. The elemi note has some serious longevity, but the tobacco and black pepper dirty up the blend and become more noticeable throughout the day. I can see the comparison to Dorian, because the elemi is citrusy in the way that Dorian's white tea is, but this is not nearly as sweet as Dorian. My decant has gone to a new home, since I know I would not reach for this over the many other hair glosses that I have. I wish the ambergris and vanilla musk had shown up in my hair!

On me, Snake's Tongue begins as a fresh Snake Oil scent, which is not soft on me. It's well-blended and I am not able to pick up on many of the additional notes save for the tobacco and moss, but they become stronger over time, and the oak ends up joining in, making it a woody, mossy snake. The oak, tobacco, and moss combo make this smell like a cologne-y Snake Oil on me. If I sniff closely, I get the black amber and some lovely vanilla in the background. I prefer Snake Oil aged, and this is one of those variants where the fresh Snake Oil is pretty noticeable to me, so I am going to set it aside and retest it before the Lupers go down. It will probably not end up being a bottle upgrade for me, though, unless the ambergris and vanilla end up coming out more with age.

Unicorn Junk is super buttery coconut and marshmallow at first, with the coconut foam being the most prominent note, but over time, I start to get some lilac milk (yay! it's rather light, though) and benzoin, and it becomes less foody. The benzoin ends up being a main player after a few hours, but the coconut and mallow are still present. I never pick up on the cedar, for those who are averse to the stuff! I am not a huge fan of coconut, but I like this a lot more than I thought I would. I am not sure I need a bottle, because I doubt I'd reach for it enough to warrant one, but I'll retest my decant (which I plan to keep!) before the Lupers depart just to be sure.

In the decant, I smell the lemony white tea and salty rice. Those are also the notes that stand out on my skin at first. Once the white tea finally calms down, the salty, buttery rice becomes the dominant note, backed by the powdery orris and hinoki wood. I love Mysore sandalwood and amber, but I am not really getting those beneath all of the rice, which is actually making me hungry despite the powdery orris (which is the second most prominent note after a few hours). Pegasus Junk is pretty unique, but it is not something I would choose to smell like. (The rice note is very realistic, though!)

Ganymede's Junk features the same pink carnation note found in High-Strung Daisies. The pink carnation and clove are the dominant notes, followed by the muguet, with the vanilla and white sandalwood lurking in the background. I amp carnation, so I am not surprised that it ends up being the main player on me throughout wear. Nothing is able to overtake the carnation and clove combo on me, although I am able to detect more of the white sandalwood after a few hours of wear. Not bad, but I'll stick with High-Strung Daisies for when I want to smell like pink carnation, since that blend is sweeter.

Low-Hanging Junk smells like almond cola at first, because the labdanum in this that sweet, syrupy, cola-like variety. Only, there's no fizz, so it's like a flat cola. The almond ends up vacating the scene, as it so often does on me after the initial blast of it, and what I am left with is the labdanum with a touch of tobacco. I also tried this on my boyfriend the other day, and it started off similarly on him (he loves almond), but it ended up being far less cola-like on him, because his skin chemistry was bringing out more of the tobacco. Not bad, but I am starting to think I amp this labdanum note, as all of the blends that have featured it lately (Suffragium, Studie einer Ziege, and this) have all been like flat cola on me.

This has, in true aquatic fashion, turned into a bar of soap on me. So clean, slightly salty, soapy ozone. I could smell some orange in it at first, but that quickly went away. It also has a fresh laundry feel to it after a while, making me wondering if there are some floral notes at play here. I can smell the rain note, but I wish it were without any soapiness. Not horrible, but not something I want to smell like. My friend that loves aquatics will probably enjoy this, though.