doomsday_disco

Thanks to the lovely forumite who sent me a decant of this to try. In the decant, I only get the cherry and almond. Those are also the first two notes to emerge on my skin. Then the rose water joins in and quickly becomes one of the dominant notes. The honey ends up joining in not too long after that, but the rose water and cherry continue to reign. They remain the dominant notes throughout wear, with touches of lemon peel, sugar cane, honey, and balsam. No vanilla bean on me, sadly. My skin seems to have run away with the rose water note, so I am not getting the honeyed vanilla cherry almond goodness that I was hoping for, but it is nice! I may retest it again in the future or try it in a scent locket, because this one has potential. I bet this would be really wonderful on someone with different skin chemistry.

In the decant, the notes that jump out to me are the lavender, violet leaf, tea, and lilac. On my skin, those are the notes that I get at first as well, with the lavender and gunpowder tea being the most prominent, making the scent pretty astringent, with some violet leaf thrown into the mix. Violet is a note that often stomps on other notes and makes things a sweet, powdery mess on my skin, but so far, violet leaf doesn't seem to be doing the same thing. Then the lilac joins the party, and overall, it reads as a sharp, purple scent. It doesn't take long for the lilac to steal the show, and it remains the dominant note after several hours, with some tea, lavender, and violet leaf behind it, and just a touch of saffron. I think this is evocative of its name and inspiration. I feel like it would be too sharp to wear during the day, but I may try using it as a sleep scent, as I do like it, but don't think it's something I'd reach for very often. I don't need to hunt down more of it, but I plan on hanging on to the decant!

This is the grapiest BPAL I've ever tried. And although grape isn't something I want to smell like and is a note I typically dislike in a perfume, I have to say that this is the best grape perfume that I've tried. At first, it's a strong, candy-like grape, like grape hard candy, but then it smells like grape juice, with perhaps some musky oak behind it? There's definitely a woody note lingering in the background. I probably wouldn't wear this, but I am really glad I got a chance to try it! I am going to send one of my imps to a friend, who enjoys grape scents, artificial or otherwise. I have a feeling she will love this!

I was really hoping that this would be Dandelions and Concrete mixed with Snow White's sweet snow note. Alas, it's the sweet pine-y snow note that's present in this scent (the same one found in this year's Frostbitten Zombi and scents like NYC Snowball Fight and Marshmallow Snow bath oil). It is very strong on the frostbitten component, with some green dandelion and asphalt behind that. Then, the white musk joins in, giving it somewhat of a cologne-like vibe. The piney snow note never goes away, but it does soften after several hours of wear. The scent has a warmer feel to it by that point thanks to the musky ambrette seed that now resides in the background, and a hint of sweetness from the blackcurrant bud (the same one found in Bubbles and Unicorns). I am glad that I was able to try this, and I am happy to have supported the cause! But I have enough scents with this snow note already, and I prefer the original Dandelions and Concrete because I get more dandelion from it (unlike this, which is mostly about the snow on me), so I don't think it will be staying in my collection.

I'm not sure which year I'm reviewing. This started off as a floral snow with a hint of berry, but it quickly took a turn for the worst in the same way that Winter Landscape did on my skin, so perhaps they share the same snow note. I was really hoping to enjoy a nice daffodil and snow scent; alas, the hoarfrost just doesn't agree with my skin chemistry.

I tried Schere, Stein, Papier! on one wrist and this one on the other. And while they share similar notes (coffee beans, leather, and honey), they are different enough to warrant trying both. Secrets starts off stronger on the coffee, leather, and honey, and the honey in this is thicker, since it's a straight up honey note and not a honey liqueur. The warm cookies start off playing a background role, but they become more prominent over time, making this a coffee bean, honey, and cookie scent after several hours of wear, with some leather behind the warm, sweet notes. It's more gourmand than Schere, Stein, Papier! with its tobacco note. If you're trying to decide between the two scents and are hoping for more coffee, this is the one for you. I think I prefer this one with its cookie note. I like it, but I don't love it, so it's not a bottle purchase for me. I'm glad I decided to try it, though!

This starts off with the tobacco, coffee beans, and blackberry liqueur being the most prominent notes on me, but the Barenjäger, which reads as a light honey to my nose, comes out more with wear, and after several hours, it ends up being one of the main players on me, along with the tobacco, blackberry liqueur, and warm leather. The leather is a soft, warm variety and reminds me of a leather note from another scent that I'm not able to place at the moment. It's not a chemical-y type of leather at all. I am not generally fond of berry scents, and while the blackberry liqueur is noticeable, it's not overwhelmingly berry (or boozy) on me (it is boozy, though). I like this more than I thought I would. It's not something I need a bottle of, but I am glad I tried it (and it is different enough from Secrets to warrant trying both). I want to try Barenjäger even more now!

I went for a decant of this one because I have so many Snake Oil variants in my collection already, and I am iffy about wood notes. The fresh, musky Snake Oil and wood take the center stage, with the snow becoming more prominent with wear, but it's heavier on the Snake Oil than the snow on me, unlike Frostbitten Snake Oil, which is heavy on the Snow White snow on my skin. Although I wasn't sure about the wood note, it's actually really nice here; if you're worried about pencil shavings or polished furniture, you need not worry. After several hours of wear, I get the warm wood and snow on a bed of Snake Oil musk and spices. I am pleasantly surprised by the combination of the wood and Snake Oil, but I am trying to be more selective about bottle upgrades and am not sure I need a bottle of this Snake Oil variant in my collection. I do like it, though, and plan on hanging on to my decant. I'll probably retest it before it goes away just to be sure about whether or not I need more of it in my life.

If the gingerbread scents in this year's Yule update weren't as gingerbready as you had hoped, you may want to give Berliner Dom Antics a try. I agree that it is a soft, fluffy gingerbread, the type found in Gingerbread Snake, paired with a brown patchouli note (not a gnarly patchouli variety at all) and Snow White's sweet snow note. It starts off strong on the gingerbread, but the patchouli and snow become more prominent with time, and it ends up being a patchouli and sweet snow scent with a base of gingerbread on me after several hours of wear. I like it and intend to keep my decant, but I don't feel like I need to upgrade to a bottle.

Salzburg Krampuslauf is beautiful, but you may need to be patient and give it a few hours before it really shines. It starts off heavy on the lavender musk and bright snow, but the bright snow (which may also contain white tea) and Dorian's white tea end up being really strong on me and don't let the other notes through for over an hour of wear. I know my skin is really bringing out the white tea, because it reminds me strongly of Paper Phoenix minus Antique Lace 2017's vanilla during that phase of the scent. Then the Snake Oil joins in and becomes stronger over time, so that after several hours, it's a mix of snowy Snake Oil, Dorian, and lavender musk with just a touch of birch and leather. The birch and leather are not main players on me, and I probably would not notice them at all if I didn't know to go looking for them. It is absolutely the scent of the Barrial family on winter vacation, and it feels even more Barrial-y to me with its lavender musk than No DNA Test Required with its Slime Queen. I am glad that I leapt for a bottle, and I suspect that this one will only get better with age.

I was super excited when I saw that this had been made into a hair gloss, even though I already have two bottles of Rose Red hair gloss from 2014. Can one justify having them both? The answer is yes, of course. They are two very different roses. While Rose Red is a fresh, dewy, young red rose, Peacock Queen is a regal, velvety, mature red rose. (I knew that before buying it, since I've tried the perfume and own a bottle of the bath oil, but I thought it might be helpful noting the differences here for those that are trying to choose between the two.) Rose Red has more oomph to it than Peacock Queen, so Peacock Queen would be the more work-friendly of the two, as it is less in-your-face and more refined. That isn't to say that it is weak, though. I have worn this the last two days, and since it has been windy here, I will sometimes get wafts of velvety rose being carried by the wind. This is a really lovely rose hair gloss that would pair wonderfully with so many rose perfumes, and I am glad that I grabbed a bottle.

I decided to try this one because it has ambergris in it and I felt like I should try at least one of the Paris-inspired scents (back before I knew there would be a ton more in the Winter Travelogue update)! In the decant, I get a strong white musk and what I thought was a perfume-y purple and blue floral (more blue than purple). This is the type of white musk that's strong and kind of soapy, like the kind in Lurid, and not a softer, smoother variety like the kind in Snow and White Musk HG and Schönperchten. On me, it's intense on that white musk note and whatever is representing the violet and blue. It's very high-pitched and sharp on me, and I thought it was a floral note, maybe a variety of iris since it is the flower of France and that can be a problematic note on me. But since this was so sharp on me, I can't discount Lycanthrope's mention of a metallic note, even though I didn't think of it while I was actually testing it. In any case, I got absolutely no violet from this, which tends to be sweet and powdery on me. Normally, ambergris takes a few hours to show up on me, but when it does, it is really lovely and steals the show. Alas, that was not the case here. The white musk and what I believe to be iris did allow it to take the center stage, and I could only smell a small trace of it in the background. This one is just not for me.

I only applied a small dab of this to the back of my hand, and it is strong! It goes on as a fresh type of rose, with the cold cream in the background, but after a while, the iris comes out, and the whole thing becomes very high-pitched and powdery rose and iris scent on me. I am not surprised about the iris, as it can be a problematic note for me, but this is also a rose that doesn't seem to agree with my skin chemistry. It has been a while since I've tried it, but it might be similar to the rose in Les Fleurs du Mal. It's not nearly as sharp in the bottle as it is on me, so I imagine it would be better on someone with different skin chemistry. Hopefully whoever I pass it on to will end up having a better experience with this one!

This was the scent I was looking forward to the most from the Yuletide with Lilith update, and it did not disappoint. In the bottle, it smells like Dorian's lavender fougere and vanilla frosting. On me, it's an amazing lavender and vanilla scent, and the vanilla cookie note reminds me of the one in Sugar Cookie hair gloss minus the sprinkles. I swear I get the same vanilla, coconut-y vibe from this. The lavender fougere becomes fainter over time, leaving the vanilla sugar cookie note to stand out more, which does have a light, warm cookie vibe to it and is no longer like the frosting of Sugar Cookie hair gloss. Even though the lavender is fainter after a few hours, it hasn't disappeared. If you're a fan of scents like The Serpentine and Daybreak, you need this in your life. I adore this, and I am not sure one bottle will be enough.

Snow and White Musk HG reminds me of Schönperchten minus the lavender. It features the same white musk note, and a light mint, and it's very fresh and clean, although there is some vanilla sweetness to it (which is more apparent when I spray this in my hand before rubbing it into my hair than in my actual hair). I think this would a nice, work-friendly hair gloss that would pair really well with scents like Schönperchten and Boober. I don't think I need a whole bottle of this, but it is something I'd like to get my hands on more of at some point down the road.

I concur with Little Bird and ellocentipede. This is sugary, store-bought vanilla frosting in a tub slathered on a sugar cookie, which is adorned with realistic smelling sprinkles (how does Beth do that?) and coconut. It did remind me somewhat of funfetti cake when it first arrived, but it has become more coconut-y after it has had a few days to settle. There's lots of small white shreds in my decant which I believe may be coconut, which is definitely in this. It's a main player in my hair, along with the vanilla frosting. I like it, despite the unexpected coconut, but I do not think I will need to upgrade to a bottle. I just don't have many coconut or cookie scents in my collection, and I have vanilla and cake hair glosses that I prefer to this one. It is nice, though, and I'd probably consider getting more of it if I weren't already drowning in hair gloss!

I agree with zee_zee about this being a more traditional type of snowman. I find it to be helpful in identifying what is used in snow notes in other snowy blends that I believe are similar to this one, like Snow Bunny (without the sweet girlie perfume). It's a benzoin-y snow that starts off with the mint and the lemon peel making it cool and bright at first, but as the moss and sugar cane become more prominent, it takes on a warmer feel. The moss in particular is a main player on me, but I think that I tend to amp some moss notes. Sometimes I feel like I get a bit of pine from this, but I wonder if it is from associating it with other scents with this type of snow note. I like this, but I don't feel the need to grab more of it, since I feel like it is similar to some other snow scents.

I mostly gave this one a chance because of the black vanilla note, but it is not a main player on me. The black patchouli and teakwood are the stars of the show on my skin, with the peach caramel adding a little sweetness to it at first, but that ends up disappearing. I can only smell the strong black patchouli and teakwood after several hours of wear. There's just a hint of the black vanilla in the background. I don't typically enjoy teak, and with patchouli, it depends on the scent. The two together just make this scent too dark for me. The peach caramel didn't stick around long enough on me, and the black vanilla is hardly there. Fans of scents like The Antikythera Mechanism would probably enjoy this one, though.

I was curious about this one due to its cream, honeycomb, mandarin, and honeysuckle notes. I am not familiar with the monkey-flower accord. In the bottle, I mostly smell the skin musk, yellow rose, and a little bit of cream. Once applied, it's a very high-pitched floral scent on me. The yellow rose is the strongest note, but I'm unable to pick out the other floral notes individually. It has a department store perfume vibe going on throughout wear, although the skin musk and cream do what they can to try to tame the floral notes. I am able to smell some chrysanthemum with the rose after several hours of wear, but I never got a distinct honeysuckle note from this, sadly. While I hoped that the honeycomb would add some sweetness to this, it seems to be MIA on me. I'd recommend this to those that love straight-up floral scents, as it is mostly floral and skin musk on me with some cream in the background. But there's not enough sweetness here for me.

All sweetness and warmth, indeed! This is a sweet, creamy coffee infused with snickerdoodle-flavored syrup that's strongest on the cinnamon and sugar with a dollop of hazelnut cream. The hazelnut cream is pretty strong when initially sprayed, giving this a somewhat nutty, syrupy, breakfast-y vibe, but it's the creamy, spiced coffee (that's much more cinnamon-y than Goblin Stampede) that's the star of the show. It smells delicious and exactly like its name! This is not something I feel the need to grab a bottle of before it goes away, but I am glad that I was able to try it.

I bought a bottle of this back when the Yules were live in 2016, but I wasn't able to sniff it until half a year later due to being on a different continent, and I guess I never reviewed it when I first tried it! I wore it for the first time in a while the other day, though, so time to give this one a proper review! This one appealed to me because I saw vanilla, tobacco, and cognac, and automatically thought "Ooh, this could be like one of the Dark Delicacies Laces!". Well, that didn't end up being the case, but it is a lovely scent nonetheless. The vanilla in this is a drier vanilla, not like the creamy vanilla of the laces. It combines with the cognac to create a candy-like scent, but it is made somewhat perfume-y (for lack of a better descriptor) by the white tobacco, which is the same variety found in scents like Fake News and Zorya P. This one lasted throughout the day on me and had great throw -- I could smell it on myself without holding my arm up to my nose all day. I am so glad that I ordered a bottle of this one when it was available.

This scent perfectly matches its description. The eucalyptus note is what stands out to me, but it's a soft eucalyptus that adds a chill to the scent without being bracing, and it embraces the fir note to create a lovely chilly forest scent. I was hoping this would be refreshing winter forest scent, and it did not disappoint! I am glad I went for a 1 oz decant instead of a mini. If this were to pop up on Etsy in the future when I have funds, I'd try to snag this one.

This smells like spiced, nutty cacao in the decant. I get the cacao, clove, and hazelnut, in that order. On me, it starts off being a spicy cacao scent, with the clove being particularly prominent, but the nuts and vanilla come out more with wear. But then it completely changes and ends up being heavy on the cola-like clove backed by some cacao and nuts. That... was not expected. But now I know that it was the clove in Ruhende Ziege that gave me that vibe? I'm undecided on this one. I was really enjoying it until it went into cola-territory. I don't mind the cola vibe, but it's a bit too similar to some things I already have, and I'd prefer the clove-y cola without the cacao and nuts in the background. I'll probably hang on to my decant and retest in a few weeks.

This starts off strong on the toffee, with touches of patchouli and coffee bean, and a clove note that is much stronger on me than it was in the decant. The caramelized oudh note comes out more over time, and so does the patchouli, making this a warm, spiced patchouli and oudh-infused toffee scent with a bit of coffee bean. The bourbon vanilla is more noticeable after a few hours and helps soften the oudh. The toffee and patchouli end up being the main players on me. Abolish ICE is a sweet, warm scent that captures the sentiment behind this blend. I do not really want to smell like toffee, but I was curious about it because it was an activism scent. You definitely have to enjoy toffee to appreciate this one, but if toffee and patchouli are up your alley, you will probably enjoy this.

I love cardamom, so I was curious about trying this. Sadly, it pulled an Alone on me.... which is to say that I get a fuckton of cinnamon and no cardamom whatsoever. The cinnamon in this is very reminiscent of Plunder, and I get a little bit of bourbon, leather, and patchouli in the background, but mostly, it's a cinnamonfest. I thought the cinnamon would calm down after several hours, but nope. It's still going strong. I was so hoping for cardamom.