doomsday_disco

Languor is a melange of sweet opium and heady florals on me. The opium is definitely a standout note. While I am familiar with all of the floral notes listed here, I do not feel like one of them is more prominent than the other. It's a little too heady for me, but if you're looking for an opium-heavy scent and don't dislike heady florals, you might want to give this one a go.

Sybaris is the best violet blend that's ever touched my skin. It's violet accompanied by lots of sweet clove, backed by some incense, with a touch of tonka bean. The throw is mostly violet, but up close, the clove is pretty prominent on me. Violet and I do not get along, and this still has too much violet for me and has become somewhat powdery over time, but I do think it is nicer than any other violet scent I've tried. If this featured a different floral, I would probably be all over this!

I agree with TTP and zee_zee. Sugar Cookies in a Snowdrift features a minty (but not intensely minty!), slushy snow with a buttery cookie note. When I first tested this a few days after it arrived, it smelled primarily of minty slush on me with just a hint of buttery cookie. Now, after settling for a week, I do get more of the buttery cookie. This is the type of cookie that's not adorned with any frosting or sugar, and I don't think I would have guessed sugar cookie if it weren't for the name of the scent. It's nice, but I was really hoping for more cookie than snow (and was hoping for the sweet snow note).

A fresh, crisp white linen scent: perfectly clean, perfectly breezy. I gasped when I saw new BPTP soaps at the Lab's booth at Drag Con. I decided that, if they were available for sale, I needed them all. They were available for purchase, so I bought all three. This soap was made for the Black Phoenix Trading Post by Bakermancy. Those that avoid buying products that contain palm oil will be glad to hear that it is palm oil-free. However, it does contain silk, so this particular bar isn't vegan-friendly. I believe Puddin' had mentioned offering both silk and silk-free versions, so that may still be happening, but the ones at the booth were the silk versions. Here are the ingredients: olive oil, organic unrefined shea butter, virgin organic coconut oil, castor oil, distilled water, sodium hydroxide, silk peptide, mica, iron oxide (CI77491), iron oxide (CI77499), titanium dioxide, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab fragrance. The bar is a 4.8 oz bar. This is an exfoliating soap. There's little exfoliating bits within the bar, but they are not harsh. The soap creates a lot of lather. A little goes a long way! And the scent lasts. I can still smell Dirty's clean linen on my skin after washing my hands with it and showering with it. I am glad I got Dirty!

This review won't be helpful at all, but I am posting it anyway, since my decant is about to go to a new home. Dead Leaves and Donuts smells like my mom. My mom does not smell like dead leaves or doughnuts. But once the dead leaves calm down a bit, it reminds me of that smell I get when hugging her. She is a smoker, and Ava is her holy grail scent, so I can only think my nose is interpreting the slight mustiness of the dead leaves and the sugary glaze from the doughnuts as "mom smell," even though Dead Leaves and Donuts does not smell like a smoker or like Ava. The association just becomes more pronounced if I spray it on something (like a paper towel), because the sugary glaze ends up being more prominent than the dead leaves over time, just like how Ava's vanilla musk really shines on her and gets her compliments wherever she goes. I don't think this is very doughnut-y. There's far more glaze than actual fried doughnut. I don't dislike it, but I cannot spray it around my place, because of that association. So off you go, Dead Leaves and Donuts, hopefully to a place where you can be appreciated, where someone can spray you around and think, "That smells like dead leaves and donuts!" instead of "That smells like my mom!"

In the decant, this was mostly butterscotch, with the tobacco lurking in the background. On my skin, the butterscotch dominated during the first few hours, but the tobacco was stronger on me than it was in the decant. There's this unexpectedly fruity quality to it on me, almost blueberry-esque. Must be a skin chemistry thing, because it isn't like that in the vial. After four hours, the tobacco is much more prominent, but it is still coated in butterscotch. Butterscotch is not really my thing, so this isn't for me, but it does smell like butterscotch tobacco!

So I originally passed over this when choosing decants because vetiver and I are generally not friends, and I was sure Stekk was the only wooly vanilla sheep scent that I needed in my life. But then the glowing reviews kept coming in, and some of you mentioned how this might be a vetiver scent for those that are normally averse to the stuff, and my curiosity got the best of me. I was able to track down a partial. When this arrived, I was very scared of this in the bottle, because the vetiver was so strong that it punched me in the face. But just a day of settling did wonders, and after two days of settling, it was much softer in the bottle, with the sweet vetiver being smoothed over by the vanilla. I've tried this twice since it arrived, and both times, it went on as a sweet, herbal, just slightly smoky, grassy vetiver (the same variety found in The Earth Mother) infused with bourbon vanilla wool. The vetiver never stops being the main player on me (maybe that will change with a full day of wear, but even after four hours, it is still going strong), but the bourbon vanilla and wool help to tame it. This really is the vetiver scent for those who usually avoid that note. I'll be keeping my partial.

Aquatics do not get along with my skin chemistry, but who can say no to trying Cthulhu? Usually, aquatics don't smell soapy to me in the vial. They just turn that way on my skin. With Cthulhu, it smells like Irish Spring soap in the imp and ends up being salty Irish Spring soap on me. One day, I will find an aquatic that works on me, but today is not that day.

I feel very spoiled, because I have two Yule Chaos squirts, and they are both full of win. One Yule Chaos squirt smells like apple hard candy. The boy thinks it smells like apple bubblegum. I think it would be more like an apple blow pop if anything, and there's a touch of something else as well. I wonder if it's like the Apple Hard Candy and a Squeeze of Sugared Ginger HG from NYCC (which I haven't tried). The other Yule Chaos squirt is probably the closest I will ever get to having a Queen Alice atmo. The first thing I was reminded of upon spraying this is the cider and wooly wine of Queen Alice, and there's some floral notes at play here, but they are more prominent than in Queen Alice (or else, it's just Queen Alice when it's not on my skin, which tends to amp wine and spice notes ). I am so happy with these. Thank you, Puddin!

Neroli and I often do not get along, and that is the case here. It dominates throughout, with the apple blossom lurking behind it early on, and the anise, clove, and vanilla orchid accompanying it later. I only get a little of the red sandalwood. It smells like a cloying neroli floral on me with some spice. Miss Addie is just not for me.

I recently acquired about a decant of this in the original bottle. And I am glad I did! I was curious about this back when it was released in 2016, but I did not want to take a chance on it with the lack of notes in the description. In the bottle, I thought I was getting lime and cucumber. On my skin, Little Lady Frankenstein seems to be a combination of something between cucumber and honeydew melon (perhaps the bamboo others are mentioning?), grapefruit, ozone, and definitely one of the tea notes featured in The Dormouse. A cool mint note joins in after a while. It's green, and the ozone lends this bubbly potion vibe, and I think it would be a nice, clean scent to wear during the spring. Not something I need to hunt down more of, but I will definitely be hanging on to my low partial.

The Phoenix in Summer starts off with the amber, galangal, and red musk being the main players on me, with some ozone mixed in, and it does have a rain on hot pavement feel to it. Alas, I tend to amp red musk, and this scent was no exception. It ended up being mostly red musk on me with some ozone and traces of amber, galangal, and saffron in the background. The prominence of the fruity red musk on me just makes it too sweet and ruins the atmosphere that it had going for it originally. I am so glad that I was able to try this, though, because I had been curious about that rain striking hot pavement descriptor for ages! I just wish it had stayed like that on me.

Stormclouds Over the Midway features an incense note similar to the one found in Midnight on the Midway, plus some sweet opium tar, and a lot of ozone. It verges on smelling like incense-y dryer sheets on me, but like, the best dryer sheets you could ask for? It's definitely related to Midnight on the Midway, and the prominence of the ozone is mixing with something else to create an asphalt-like note on me, which I really enjoy. I didn't get anything anise-like on my skin, fortunately! I really love the original Midnight on the Midway, and this relative is nice, too! I don't feel the need to run off and buy a bottle just yet, but I'll definitely hang on to my decant to wear on stormy days.

Alone actually reminds me of Plunder plus some patchouli and dust. It's strong on an unlisted cassia or cinnamon note and backed by an earthy patchouli, making this a spicy, dusty scent. I am surprised not to be getting most of the notes listed here. I prefer Plunder, but I'm glad to have gotten to try this, as I adore the poem that inspired this scent.

These notes can work individually on me, but together? Not so much. Slaugh starts off with a strong sassafras note that is like a root beer barrel candy with a bit of a wintergreen vibe. Then the black tea note peeks out, and it has a bit of a black licorice-y edge to it, which I am not fond of. Once the sassafras begins to calm down, the champaca emerges and becomes really strong, so that it's super heady champaca flower with a trace of black tea beneath it. I generally love root beer scents, but this one is not for me.

On me, Nasty Woman starts off strong on the black fig and black patchouli, with some of the honeyed part of the honeyed amber oudh. I get a bit of the rose water part of the loukhoum once dry, but after a while, it's all about the black fig, black patchouli, and the oudh. The vanilla is barely there on me, trying to smooth things over. This is a very dark scent with strong throw and great staying power. This isn't something I could see myself wearing as I tend to prefer scents with more sweetness to them, but I am really glad that I was able to try it!

The Land of Cheerfulness, indeed! Terra Vigoris is a blend that showcases bright citrus and fuzzy fruits. It starts off strong on the blood orange and apricot, with the peach playing a bigger role later on. The geranium in this one is present, but tame. The white sandalwood ends up coming out to play after a while, and I think it may be helping to ground the citrus and fruit notes, as they actually have some good longevity here! I never got any cardamom from this. Thank you to the lovely forumite that gave me some to try. This is a really nice, uplifting scent, and I will cherish my decant.

Christian Friedrich Gille Black amber, dark green mosses, and clove. I tried this yesterday on damp hair, and today on dry hair. This is mostly about the powdery black amber and the moss, with some spice from the clove. The black amber is the strongest note when it is first applied, even though the clove jumps out at me in the decant. This is a cinnamon-y clove that isn't as prominent as the black clove in Black Clove, Tobacco Flower, and Grave Soil HG. I can still smell it when I hold my hair up to my nose several hours after application, but it's not one of those hair glosses that surrounds you in a cloud of scent. But the boy kept telling me how nice I smelled yesterday and said it wasn't the perfume oil I was wearing, and then he proceeded to bury his face in my hair, so I wouldn't say it is a light hair gloss. He always compliments me when I am wearing amber hair glosses (Pa-Pow HG is his favorite), so I am guessing that he was picking up on the black amber (even though it's the moss that stands out to me after a while). I like this, but I kind of wish it were a little stronger on the clove! I don't think I need more of this, as I have several amber hair glosses already, and I already have a clove-centric hair gloss, but I will definitely be hanging on to my decant!

I thought the orange flower in this would mean that it wouldn't work for me. But I was wrong! On my skin, Cabaret Goth is a creamy, powdery scent, with the gardenia and amber stealing the show. It's like someone dusted themselves in powder before a cabaret show. I get some mandarin and soft spice, and the orange blossom does show up after some time, but it never turns sharp or veers into headache territory. I like this, but not so much that I feel the need to try to hunt down more of it (fortunately). Definitely hanging on to my decant, though!

Crucifixion just did not work with my skin chemistry. At first, I got the frankincense, rose, and orris, and then the orris took over, as it is wont to do, and made it a powdery mess on my skin. The myrrh just made the powderiness worse, until the orris calmed down somewhat, and the resins reigned. I was hoping for more clove, but alas, I only got a hint of it during the wet phase. Not for me, but it was nice to get to try it!

I ordered a decant of this back when it was available, but apparently, I neglected to review it. And then I forgot about it for a few years... ...which is a shame, because this hair gloss is a beauty. It's strong on the red sandalwood and clove, but the honeyed amber and saffron are present as well, and they become more noticeable in my hair after a while. I enjoy all of these notes (especially the black clove!), so I am surprised that I forgot about this spiced resin hair gloss. It's really lovely, and something that I definitely ought to reach for more often.

I did what the Lab said and gave my second imp away to a friend that couldn't justify putting in an order on Black Friday. I did that before testing it, even though I knew I would probably love it because I'm a lavender fiend. ETERNAL REGRET! Yeah, I love it and wish I had more. This is strong on the lavender, which reminds me of the lavender in Lilith's HG. It's backed by the sage at first, but the sage and red patchouli gain prominence over time, and those end up being the stars of the show on me after a few hours, with a lighter lavender note behind them, and a soft sweetness from the vanilla. I would love it if this became available as a 5ml to purchase in the future. I need more of it in my life!

I wasn't sure Whoop would work on me with those cranberry and bayberry notes, but I was curious about it anyway, and it ended up being a pleasant surprise! The crisp air, pine cone (actually, it smells like a pine tree!), and cranberry notes are the main players on my skin. It's bright and Christmas-y and very fitting for its inspiration! After a while, I'm able to pick out a bit of the pumpkin pie note, but there's really just a touch of it. It becomes warmer over time, with the shimmering amber and honey coming out to play, but the crisp winter air, pine cone, and cranberry notes are still pretty prominent, and I get the bayberry now as well, with some light spices. I was hoping this would be a win, because whoever created this decant is a hero for putting Scrooge McDuck on the label, and I wanted to keep it for that reason alone. I really enjoy the scent, but I am going to see how it goes on the boy, too -- he loves Red, so I wouldn't be surprised if he loved this one as well (since they both have cranberry notes).

Goblin Stampede features a sugared coffee note (no cream), which is the main player on me throughout wear. The first time I tested it, the day after it had arrived, I felt like I got some fruity sugar and nutmeg from it, but not much of the other spices. After coming back to it after a few days of rest, I get more of the cinnamon with the nutmeg now, but I don't get much cardamom, sadly. The scent starts off strong but then becomes a lot fainter after about an hour. I can still smell it on my hand after several hours of wear, though. It's a nice sugared coffee scent with light spices, but I was hoping the spices would play a greater role.

I really wanted to love this, with the chai, books, and BOOKSTORE CAT in the description. Unfortunately, this scent isn't for me. I tested this twice: once, the day after it arrived, and again a few days later. Both times, once applied, the fireplace note is the strongest on me, followed by leather books, and then mahogany shelves. It's somewhat smoky, sharp (like, it begins to start giving me a headache whenever I smell it during the first hour), and cologne-like on me, and I think the latter two things can be attributed to the leather and mahogany notes. The first time I tested it, there was just a soft spice beneath the roaring fireplace note to represent the chai. The second time I tested it, I got a little more of the chai spices, but the chai remained in a background role... which is too bad, because I was hoping for lots of it! After a while, I get what I believe is the bookstore cat note. The scent is tagged with amber on the website, and I think that may be it, or perhaps an amber musk. The scent is much lighter by the time that note gains prominence, but there's still too much smoky fireplace, leather, and mahogany in here without any sweetness or stronger chai spices to make those notes more bearable for me. Even though this scent didn't work out for me, I am still happy that I supported the cause and participated in the Bokaflod! The book I received with my bottle is Scoop by Evelyn Waugh.