doomsday_disco
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I had a candle of this back when it was released! Of course, it is long gone, and I don't really remember what it smelled like (although I did create a review). So I cannot compare the candle version to the perfume version. 😅 But the perfume version starts off with a blast of lavender, backed by the cedar and fig. Over time, the fig gains strength, and so does the cedar, so it is mostly about those two notes by the end of the day (the lavender was forced into the background). I love lavender, but I don't love fig... in fact, the only scents that I love featuring fig notes are A Moment in Time and Dead Leaves, Pink Fig, Vanilla Bean and Brandied Dates (and the fig in the latter is the least figgy fig to ever fig). So I don't love this once the lavender loses out to the other notes. But I'll probably keep my decant and use it as a sleep scent, and hopefully I'll fall asleep before the other notes take over!
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This went through three phases on my skin: Phase one - Predominantly citrus. The kumquat, tangerine, and orange were the main players on my skin. It starts off as a really juicy citrus, but then it gets more pith-y over time. Then we go into Phase two - Mostly dragon's blood and pine resin with a little pith from the citrus. Dragon's blood doesn't always play nicely on me, but I don't have any problems here. I think it may be the same one from Third Eye Extraction, my favorite scent to contain the note. And the pine pairs perfectly with it. It is mostly resinous/woody, until... Phase three - Oh hai, florals! This is now floral-dominant, but the dragon's blood and the (much softer) pine resin reside in the background. I think the narcissus is the strongest of the floral notes. I really enjoyed the first two phases of the scent, and I think phase two in particular really makes sense for its inspiration. I don't love phase three as much, with its floral notes, but it's still one of the best Lunar New Year scents that I've tried. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a dragon! 🐉 (Last year's Water Rabbit turned into soap on me.) I'm not sure I need to upgrade to a bottle (I'll retest to be sure), but the decant is a keeper! And if you like scents that morph: try this one! It will take you on a journey!
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Snow Moon: Roasted Tea Leaf and Night-Blooming Jasmine
doomsday_disco replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
Well, I'm not a big fan of jasmine, but I had to try this one because of the roasted tea leaf note, in case it's like hojicha. It does not smell like hojicha. The tea note in this is the Lab's standard green tea note mixed with a bit of toastiness to represent the roasted part of the tea. The jasmine in this cozies up to the tea, but never overtakes it throughout wear. And it is not indolic whatsoever. I enjoy this more than I was expecting to, even though it was not what I was expecting. I think I'll hang onto my decant, and give it a full day of wear before it goes away to see if I need more or not. But at the moment, I think just the decant will suffice. -
Snow Moon: Yuzu and Blackcurrant
doomsday_disco replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
This is mostly about the yuzu, backed by the much lighter blackcurrant, and it stays that way throughout wear. That said, this veers into cologne territory on me, and I'm not sure why, as those two notes wouldn't normally do that on me... maybe it's the way they combine together? There's also a slight earthiness to the blackcurrant after the scent has been dry for hours, like there's a hint of red patchouli here, but maybe my nose was imagining things. Although I generally love yuzu, I was surprised to not love this one. I really have no idea why it morphed into cologne with a bit of earthiness on me. I'll stick with Grapefruit, Yuzu, and White Musk. -
Snow Moon: Coconut and Icicles
doomsday_disco replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
I'm getting a slushy snow note from this that has a somewhat watery feel to it, like the slush is beginning to melt. I guess that makes sense for icicles. The coconut in here is not as strong as the snow at any point of wear on my skin, but it is always present. It is not foodie or suntan lotion-y, and I get what Ora means by the unsweetened coconut shreds. This isn't something I need a bottle of, but I really like whatever Beth has used to comprise the icicles here. -
Snow Moon: Apple Liqueur and Brandy
doomsday_disco replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
I agree with Orafish. This is predominantly an apple scent, with the brandy being more about the cask it was created in than being outright boozy, and not appearing until several hours of wear, after the apple has calmed down. The apple also doesn't smell particularly boozy on me, but like a fresher apple that has been grated and turned to pulp (is that the right word when it comes to apples?). I don't dislike this, but I don't see myself reaching for it over other apple scents in my collection. If you're wanting a non-spiced apple scent, this might be your thing, but if you're wanting a particularly boozy apple scent, you might be disappointed. -
I have used up one bottle of the original hair gloss and have less than half left of my second bottle of it. I actually tested the hair gloss on the back of my hand when the Lab hinted that the Our Lady of Pain line might be returning. The hair gloss is mostly about the resins on me, like a cousin to Hesiod's Phoenix (I think they may share the same golden amber and oudh notes). I figured I'd blind bottle the perfume before it leaves the website, to wear with the hair gloss and try layering it with other scents. So I didn't order a decant... but I lucked out and the universe gave me one anyway! Now... I know that a scent may not be the same in a different medium, but I'm surprised just how light this is compared to the hair gloss. And it does not smell the same. I mainly got some faint white ginger, and when that disappeared, some barely there resins... that were so soft that sometimes I'd smell that spot on my arm and not be able to smell anything unless I did a really deep inhale. I am going to set this decant aside and retest it in a few months. I hope that it gains some oomph if it has had more time to settle. But if it stays as it is, it will not be a bottle upgrade like I had originally planned.
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Note: I never tried the original version, and the notes in this did not speak to me, but I decided to grab a decant due to the glowing reviews of the original. And I have no idea what lobelia smells like and didn't even know it was a flower until I looked it up. I just see that word and can't help but to think of the "Lobeliiiiiaaaa!" scenes from Ouran High School Host Club. 😅 Anyways. This has a GC feel to me. At first, I only get the musk, which is much lighter than I was expecting, but then the rose joins in, and it ends up being a predominantly musky floral scent throughout wear, mixed with some coconut (which is more noticeable later on in wear) and magnolia. Curiously enough, the cinnamon and tobacco did not show up on me, which is unexpected, as those are notes that are generally forces to be reckoned with. 😅 This really isn't in my wheelhouse, as there's not enough sweetness with the rose for me, but I'm glad I got to try this resurrected scent!
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Note: I never tried the original version. The Shrine Where Sin is a Prayer is mostly about the wine on me, which is very purple and grape-y, so it's very different than the Lab's usual wine note. And I believe the violet in the violet leaf just adds to the intense purple-ness of this scent. I can smell the hyssop during the wet phase of the scent, cozying up to the wine -- and I believe it is the same note featured in Against Idleness and Mischief. Then it gets more goth: the clove and myrrh smoke overtake the hyssop and mingle with the wine as well as the violet leaf. I'm not familiar with the scent of calamus, and the other notes are not distinct on me. The clove is much calmer by the end of the day, when I'm left with mostly wine, resinous smoke, and violet leaf, with a hint of clove. It is still very purple and very goth. I'm glad I got to try this, but this particular sort of wine note is too grape-y and heavy for me.
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I still have a handful of Luper/Shunga decant to test, but of all of the scents I've tried thus far from this year's update, this is the only one that is a for sure bottle upgrade for me. Melon Cream Cake features a true honeydew melon note on a bed of fluffy sponge cake and whipped cream. There's a Japanese bakery I go to that has a dessert that's like that, but with mango instead of melon right now. The melon note is on point, and I really love this particular cake note, and hope to see it used in future blends. If you're looking for a honeydew scent, look no further. This is the best scent featuring honeydew that I've ever tried from the Lab.
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Note: I have never tried the original. The teak is the star of the show on me throughout wear, backed by the amber, with just hints of cream and lotus. I swear I also get a hint of red patchouli here, and I don't know if it is part of the teak or amber note, or if it's just an impression I'm getting from the way the two mingle with each other. This is surprisingly darker on me than I had expected... it's not even a cousin to Blossoming Vulva (which also features amber and lotus, but different kinds -- and I feel the amber in this is a darker variety and not the golden amber from that scent). It has great throw, too: I applied this to the back of my hand and it lasted all day, and I didn't even have to get super close to smell it. I'm going to have to give this a full day of wear to really see how I feel about it. I enjoy it, but I was also hoping for some more sweetness from the lotus, and some more creaminess from the cream. But this was very strongly woody/resinous on me, with a hint of red patchouli. So I have to do a full-day slather and see how that goes before deciding whether or not I need more of this.
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I like all of these notes, but I had no idea how they would smell together, so I opted for a decant. I'm glad I did, because something in this went wonky on me. I'm not sure which note or combination of notes was doing it, but I got the dreaded tomato soup that I get from some scents. 😭 Before that happened, this was a bracing peppermint, lime, and yuzu scent on me. The cherry was not distinct on me, but the scent is very green, which matches its inspiration. I wish I had gotten more cherry from this and that my skin chemistry didn't do weird things with this! Alas.
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Well, I just had some ambrosia for Easter. (Apparently, my partner and I said that we really like ambrosia to someone at a family gathering, and they remember it, even though we don't recall raving about it. So now they always bring ambrosia and I always have to eat it, even though I would rather eat cake and cookies and four-layer surprise than ambrosia. 😅) This really does smell like ambrosia. The pineapple is the strongest of the fruits on me, backed by the mandarin, and I also get the coconut, all slathered in whipped cream. The marshmallow isn't distinct on me, but I bet it is lending some sweetness/creaminess to the scent. As for the pistachio, I must have gotten a bit during the wet phase when I thought there might be cherry in this, before I looked at the notes and realized there was no cherry. So cherry-esque pistachio, but it is short-lived on me. If you want to smell like ambrosia, you won't be disappointed! This smells more like ambrosia than Solstice Scents' Cherry Vanilla Ambrosia, IMO. I don't think there's a bottle for me in the future, but I may keep the decant and maybe wear it to those extended family gatherings where I have to eat ambrosia.
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This starts off strongest on the blueberry on me, followed by the lavender and rose. The rose quickly overtakes the lavender, and eventually, the blueberry, so that it is mainly a rose-dominant scent backed by a bit of sweetness from the coconut and agave, and the hint of blueberry that remains, on a bed of musk. I really enjoyed the wet phase of this when the lavender and blueberry were stronger than the rose. I'll likely retest this before it goes away to see if it has changed at all/if my feelings have changed on it, but at the moment, I'm thinking the decant is a keeper, but I don't need a full bottle.
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This one is really fruit roll-up-y. I had tried the original hair gloss, but wondered if this would be different in perfume form. Well, I don't really remember exactly what the hair gloss smelled like, aside from it smelling like fruity candy. According to my review, it was mostly sugary strawberry, backed by some cherry and pink pepper. I still get mostly get a sugary strawberry candy scent from this, but backed by the pink pepper during the wet phase of the scent. Sadly, the cherry never pops up on me in the perfume... and that's why I was here. 😭 I so wanted that cherry!