doomsday_disco
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This features the Lab's spicy, cinnamon-y red carnation note, with the dusty patchouli that's found in current iterations of Snake Oil. The carnation and spices are the star of the show throughout most of the wear, but the other aspects of the Snake Oil gradually emerge more over time, only they don't smell as bold as fresh Snake Oil used to, and I'm not getting a lot of vanilla from this. The spices in this did not burn or turn my skin red when I tested this on the back of my hand (I have sensitive skin), but there's no way I'd risk applying this somewhere like the crooks of my elbows. It took at least six hours for any vanilla to show up, but again, it wasn't even as prominent as it was in some of last year's Snake Oil Yule variants. I think fans of red carnation and the Lab's current iterations of Snake Oil will enjoy this, but I can't see myself reaching for it over Alice or Queen Alice when I feel the urge to wear some carnation.
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The pink fig is the star of the show here, and it's the same one found in Dead Leaves, Vanilla Bean, Pink Fig, and Brandied Dates. It is not as figgy as other fig notes, but it is still strong, and never allows the guava to take over. I also am not getting the vanilla cream from this, but maybe it just needs some time to age before it peeks out. As a result, this is much tarter than I was expecting. Drag on a Slime and Xanthe, the Weeping Clown both feature guava, but are much sweeter since they're accompanied by sugary notes. But the guava in this is juicy, but not sweet -- I think that may be partially due to the fig not wanting to share the stage with the other notes very much. I will hold onto this bottle for at least a month and see if the vanilla cream emerges after it has had more time to settle. But at the moment, I prefer Dead Leaves, Vanilla Bean, Pink Fig, and Brandied Dates.
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Dark Chocolate, Vanilla Absolute, Black Pepper, and Bulgarian Rose
doomsday_disco replied to Jenjin's topic in Lupercalia
The dark chocolate is the strongest note out of the gate, and it truly does smell like dark chocolate, not a milk chocolate, or a cocoa powder sort of chocolate. It is accompanied by the rose and black pepper, but there's not so much black pepper in here that it will have you sneezing like anyone at the Duchess' house in Wonderland. I agree that it adds some complexity to what would otherwise be a straight-up flormand. Bulgarian rose is one of my favorite rose notes, and to me, it's a bold red rose with a bit of a smooth, sweet aspect to it. The vanilla emerges after the scent has been on for a while and gains strength over time, and it's one of those vanillas that tends to bloom on the skin. Eventually, the vanilla does go somewhat powdery on me, but not in a bad way, and the other notes never disappear, although the chocolate is not nearly as strong by the time the vanilla is a main player. If you've tried Cacao and Sugared Roses, this is quite different from that in both the chocolate and rose departments, so I would say you could get this without a worry of it being too similar. The decant is a keeper, but I'm going to have to give it a full day of wear to see if I need more of this one, since I have so many rose scents. But I do enjoy this! -
This features the same ruby chocolate note found in Millennial Pink, which smells like raspberry Mamba candy to me. It's backed by the rose, which does gain prominence over time, but the raspberry that represents the ruby chocolate is always pretty strong on me. The marshmallow is not distinct to my nose, but I'm sure it's there, adding some sweetness to the scent. It's like a fruity floral version of Millennial Pink, with rose instead of musk. I think this is lovely, but I'm going to have to deathmatch this with both Millennial Pink (which I think I prefer it over based off memory) and Astrid's Raspberry & Rose Biscuits (which I love and has gotten a lot of wear from me as of late) before deciding whether I need more than my decant.
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This smells nice, but it smells nothing like I expected based on the notes. I'm actually getting sandalwood throughout wear, and I believe it is the same Mysore sandalwood found in Kit in the OLLA collection. The juniper is just barely there when I go looking for it, the musky ambergris is quiet throughout wear on me, and I'm getting none of the somewhat licorice-y palo santo that I've gotten from some other Lab scents featuring that note. Why am I smelling sandalwood? Is it something in the hinoki (I don't think so based off of the other Shunga with hinoki I tested this year?) or galbanum (I don't know what it smells like, but I'm not getting the "intense green fragrance with woody and balsamic elements" that popped up when I googled what it is supposed to smell like)? I'm actually not getting anything particularly green here, and I really thought this blend would be somewhat muskier and greener. But it does smell really nice, so I'm not mad. I'm not sure if I need a bottle, though, since I kept smelling it and thinking of Kit. But maybe I'll deathmatch the two before this goes away just to be sure.
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I agree that this chestnut is woody. It is not a dessert-y mont blanc-esque chestnut, but a fresh one. The cardamom adds a slight smokiness that makes me think of the roasted chestnuts (Maronen) at Christmas markets in Germany. The vanilla cashmere in this takes it in a more sophisticated route so that it is not as foodie as one might expect despite things like caramel and cardamom in the notes. And it's nothing like the cashmeran note in so many Arcana scents that I dislike (for those who were worried about the cashmere note in this). In addition to adding a touch of sophistication, it also contributes to the cozy vibe of this scent. As for the caramel, it's there, but it is never a main player on me. I'd actually say the caramel in Red Lantern is much stronger than it is in this one. It adds a welcome sweetness to the scent that prevents the chestnut from being too dry and woody. I like this, but I'll have to spend more time with it to see if I need more than the decant. But the decant is a keeper! I agree that this would be a nice scent to wear during the colder months when you're craving something comforting and cozy.
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This starts off strongest on the white chocolate on me, but the taro cream is definitely there. It is very coconut-y and somewhat buttery, and it isn't long before it ends up overtaking the white chocolate. The starchiness of the taro in the taro cream becomes really prominent on me after a few hours, reading like a somewhat powdery coconut scent on me. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, so I will have to spend more time with it before deciding if the bottle is a keeper. But I would love to see Beth make a taro boba tea scent, or a whole line of boba scents! 👀
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This is strongest on the chypre on me, with the cherry blossom being most noticeable once applied, before it is quickly taken over by the neroli-esque bergamot and the moss in the chypre. It actually reminded me of the cologne-y variation of the Lab's dead leaves accord at first before I realized it was those notes from the chypre. It does have a powderiness to it thanks to the rice powder and the white amber, and I totally understand the vintage make-up vibes that other reviewers have gotten from this. The beeswax, despite being the first note, is not a main player on me, and just serves to add a light sweetness to the scent. I was hoping for more cherry blossom and beeswax from this. I don't dislike it, but it is too powdery and chypre-heavy on me, with not enough sweetness, sadly.
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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.