doomsday_disco

I neglected to post my review of this back in 2015. In the decant: Honeysuckle and a bright, effervescent note that must be the crushed diamond accord with the red amber and patchouli in the background. Wet: The honeysuckle and crushed diamond accord notes are still the most prominent to my nose. The gardenia note is present as well, but it isn't as strong as the two aforementioned notes. The red amber is lingering in the background, but I am not getting much patchouli on my skin (thankfully). Dry: The honeysuckle and crushed diamond accord continue to reign, but the gardenia is getting stronger, giving it a classic perfume feel. Dry after a few hours: The gardenia is more prominent once it has been dry for a while. The amber and patchouli are stronger after a few hours of wear. At this point, the honeysuckle is pretty much gone, and while the crushed diamond accord is still present, it isn't as strong as it was during the wet phase. Verdict: I enjoyed the prominence of the honeysuckle during the wet phase, but overall, the scent is too perfume-y for me.

I reviewed some Lupers in 2015 and neglected to post many of those reviews on the forum. So here's my belated review! In the decant: The black cherry note is the most prominent, and it smells very realistic to my nose. There is also a bit of sweetness in the background, but I'm not really getting the other notes! Wet: Black cherry is the dominant note, but I am also getting the rose water now and what I think may be the bourbon (but I'm not sure). Then, the cream accord emerges, and I am mainly getting black cherry, rose water, and cream. As it starts to dry down, the orris root makes its presence known, adding its baby powder-like scent to the mix. I hope it doesn't stomp all over everything. Dry: Waaaaahhhh! The orris root stomped all over the other notes, and now it is mostly a powdery scent with the cherry, cream, and rose water in the background. Verdict: Oh, orris, this would have been so good without you, but you and I do not get along.

Many of the Lupers that I reviewed in 2015 didn't end up getting posted on the forum. This was one of them. In the decant: Patchouli, frankincense, amber, carnation, and coconut. What an odd combo! Wet: Spicy carnation (which is a note that I amp), resins, patchouli, and lemongrass. The coconut is present as well, and it isn't long before the carnation, lemongrass, and coconut reign, with the other notes taking a background role. Curiouser and curiouser! Dry: Carnation and lemongrass continue to reign, but the coconut adds this plastic-y vibe to the scent that I'm not particularly fond of. Verdict: Oh, Startled Toad, I really wanted to like you, because you have the best label artwork from this year's Lupers. Alas, it seems we cannot be friends.

In the decant: I can smell the rosemary water, lavender, blackberry, and bergamot. Wet: The rosemary water, lavender, and blackberry are the first notes to jump out at me, and then the bergamot quickly joins them. I am generally not fond of berry scents, but I have been trying more of them lately, and the herbal notes are keeping the blackberry in check. This actually smells really refreshing. Dry: I’m getting blackberry, bergamot, white musk, and rosemary water mostly. The lavender is still present, but much lighter than before. Verdict: This is a nice, fruity, herbal scent that would be lovely in the spring and summer months. The blackberry is a little stronger than I’d like it to be on me, and I wish the lavender had stayed around longer, so I won’t be needing a bottle of this one. But I am really glad I was able to try it!

In the decant: This is very herbal, with the lavender and clary sage being the most prominent notes in the vial. I am not sure what yarrow smells like even though I’ve tried a few scents with the note. Wet: I’m hit with a blast of clary sage and herbal lavender. Beneath these notes, there’s a warmth to the scent from the tobacco and a bit of the dragon’s blood. The scent does have an airy quality to it at the moment and is very relaxing. Dry: The clary sage and lavender are still going strong, but the tobacco and myrrh are darkening the scent. After a while, I get the patchouli, which adds some earthiness to the scent. I was afraid of the lotus root, as that is often too bubblegum-y sweet on me, but it just adds a light sweetness in the background without turning into bubblegum. After a while, the patchouli, clary sage, and tobacco become the main players. Verdict: I originally was going to get a decant of this one because it had lavender listed as a note, but decided not to…. and then zee_zee’s review made me regret that decision! I am really glad that I was able to swap for a decant, since I wasn’t sure how the notes in this would play together. I really like this (especially the early phase of the scent) and think it would be a nice sleep scent, so I will definitely be keeping the decant and using it for that purpose. I am debating a bottle, but if it doesn’t make it into my next order, it’s only because other Magician and Activism scents were calling to me more.

In the decant: Whoa, there’s lots of blackberry jam piled onto these scones. Wet: Okay, I do get more of the scone note on my skin than I did in the decant. The blackberry jam is still the dominant note, but now it’s easier to smell the scones underneath it. The scones themselves smell like they have flour on the bottom from being baked on a flour-dusted cookie sheet. I believe these scones are sugar-crusted, too! Dry: The blackberry jam continues to be the main player, but I can still smell the scones. A few hours later, I also getting some creaminess… is there clotted cream on these scones? If so, I wish there were more. I think there may also be some rose in this, but maybe my skin is just doing something odd with the blackberry jam note by this point, which isn’t jam-like anymore. Verdict: If you are a fan of The Knave of Hearts, you’ll probably enjoy this, although it has a different fruit note and features floury scones instead of buttery tarts. I am really glad that I got to try this one, as I adore scones, and it is one of the WKAP scents that I have been wanting to try! I will be keeping my decant, and I think I’ll pair it with Eat Me hair gloss, but I don’t need to hunt down a bottle of this.

In the decant: I have been dying to try this one for a while, so I am super excited about this one! In the vial, it has a similar vibe to Give Me Thy Breath, My Sister, but creamier, thanks to the marshmallow. I get the pink marshmallow, the sap, and then some dandelion. Wet: The creamy marshmallow is the dominant note, followed by the sap, and then the dandelion, but I get more dandelion on my skin than I did in the decant. I am a fan of all of these notes, so I am loving this so far! Dry: The creamy marshmallow note is still the star of the show. After it has been dry for a while, there’s not much dandelion left, but I can still smell some of the sap, although it was stronger during the wet phase. A few hours later, it is all about the marshmallow. Verdict: I knew this would be wonderful, and I was not disappointed! I am not going to hunt down a bottle, as there are so many new scents coming out that I try to avoid hunting down old ones, but if I ever see a bottle of this pop up for sale outside of an eBay setting, I’d probably leap for it. ETA: I did obtain a bottle of this last year, but the bottle is far sweeter and pinker and has less dandelion sap than I get from the decant, so I don't love it as much, even though it is still nice.

This is a review of the original release. When the OLLA line went live, Eve was not initially on my radar. I could not envision how all of the notes would smell together and was mostly interested in Ava. But people kept raving about it in the long gone official BPAL group on Facebook, and when someone posted that there were only eight bottles left in stock, I decided that I should not let it pass me by, given the hype, and I ordered a bottle. I am so glad I did. I often feel like I am too analytical in reviews, and so there are some scents that I have stayed away from reviewing even though I love them so. Eve is one of them. To me, it’s one of those magical incense scents (the others that come to mind are Fairy Market and the original Midnight on the Midway). Trying to dissect this scent by the notes would not do it justice, and it is so well-blended that I would fail at doing so if I even made the attempt. The resins, saffron, and incense are a stunning combination on my skin. Even though rose is listed as a component, I didn’t really notice it until I compared it to the roseless sage version. So don’t let the rose scare you away from this beauty. I’d put this in the same family as scents like Morocco and Bast. When Eve returned, I grabbed a back-up bottle, because I have already gone through almost half of the original. I absolutely adore Eve, and I am glad that she was re-released so that more people can experience how wonderful she is (and of course, so I could have more of her in my life)!

I guess I never reviewed this? Well, here's my belated review! In the bottle: Whoa, that’s some lime! This has a lot more of a zing to it than the hair gloss. Wet: Yeah, the perfume oil is definitely stronger on the lime than the hair gloss. I love lime, so I am happy about the prominence of the lime in this. As the scent begins to dry, I get some of the creaminess and a little bit of graham cracker crust in the background. Dry: Now it’s all about the creamy note and the graham cracker crust with just a hint of lime on my wrists. But in the crooks of my elbows, I get a little more lime. Verdict: I love this and am so happy to have this in perfume oil and hair gloss form. Now I just have to keep an eye out for the bath oil and complete the set! Thanks to my wonderful Witch for the gift of being able to slather myself in Key Lime Pie!

Crumbling paper and ancient cracked leather with a touch of tobacco leaf and incense. In the decant: This does smell ancient. I get the dusty, crumbling paper, cracked leather, and some incense. Wet: I am getting white sandalwood, lots of dust, and the cracked leather, which is sharper than I expected for an old book. After a few minutes, I can smell the incense and tobacco as well. Dry: The scent is sweeter now. I’m still getting white sandalwood, dusty pages, and sharp leather, as well as the incense that the book has absorbed throughout the ages. Verdict: I’m always interested in book scents, so I was looking forward to trying this one, but this is one dry, very dusty, old book, and the leather is not a variety that is kind to me. I prefer ParaNorman’s The Book to The Buggre Alle This Bible and won’t be keeping my decant, but I am glad I got to try it.

In the decant: This is very smoky and BBQ-like. I bet it has the BBQ-y variety of vetiver. Wet: Yeah, this smells like barbecued meat jerky. After a bit, I get the metallic, rusty nails and what I think is the gunpowder, and the BBQ-like charred wood and woodsmoke calm down somewhat. Dry: It no longer smells like I barbecued meat, as the rusty nails and gunpowder are a lot more prominent now, but it is still very smoky (and somewhat sour on me, alas). Verdict: Agnes’ scent is not for me, as I do not enjoy smoky vetiver or metallic scents, but it was nice to be able to try it. *edit* I was wrong! I had the boyfriend sniff it and it is definitely like beef jerky at first as opposed to a barbecued meat. But I am a vegetarian and have no desire to smell like either of those things.

In the imp: Super sweet! I get the buttercream, vanilla, pralines, toffee, and a bit of hazelnut from the imp. Wet: Sticky sweet toffee and pralines, buttercream, vanilla… SO MUCH SUGAR. Dry: Super sickly sweet toffee, caramel, pralines, and buttercream. This is a golden scent. I am not getting the dark chocolate. Just sniffing my arm makes my head hurt from the scent of this sugar rush. Verdict: Well, this is certainly gluttony, all right! But it is far too sweet for me. I am glad that I got to try it just to have tried all of the seven deadly sins!

In the decant: Syrupy sweet fermented pumpkin, brown leather, what I believe might be caramel-y tobacco, and perhaps the dust from Misk U. Wet: The sweet pumpkin and brown leather dominate, but the scent was actually sweeter in the decant than it is on my skin, because the brown leather is more prominent on me. After those notes, I get the tobacco leaf, which adds a little smokiness to the scent, and I’m somewhat reminded of the Trading Post’s Pumpkin Tobacco candle (although this is sweeter and has less tobacco). As it dries, I get a bit of the dust note, which does remind me of Misk U. Dry: The sweet pumpkin continues to reign, followed by the soft, brown leather, the tobacco leaf, and the dust. After a while, I get the dark woods in the background, and the coffee vibe some of the other reviewers have mentioned. It’s like the Trading Post’s Pumpkin Tobacco and Misk U had a baby. Verdict: I thought this one would be far too sweet for me, but it’s actually a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be! I don’t think I’d reach for this over other pumpkin scents in my collection, but it is nice, and I’m glad that I decided to give it a chance.

In the decant: Baby’s breath and dark, upturned soil. Wet: Soft baby’s breath and dark, moist grave soil. The baby’s breath is sweet and drifts over the upturned earth. Dry: The baby’s breath isn’t as sweet before. It is now rather powdery. Beneath it, I can smell the damp earth. There’s a bit of a sour tang to the scent now, so I think there are some herbs in the soil that are going sharp on me. I prefer the wet phase of the scent. Eventually, this ends up being a spiced and herb-filled soil. Verdict: I am really glad that I got to do a proper test of this one! I do not need a bottle of this, as there are other dirt scents that I appreciate more, but it was nice to be able to try it.

In the bottle: Pumpkin-spiced moss and dirt with some of Zombi’s rose behind all of the earthiness and pumpkin spice. This is heavier on the pumpkin spice than some of the other pumpkin spiced GCs I’ve tried (Snake Oil, Perversion, and Embalming Fluid so far). Wet: Lots of creamy, somewhat syrupy pumpkin spice with some moss and dirt in the background. This zombie likes to frequent Starbucks during the autumn months and cover itself in pumpkin spice. Dry: The pumpkin spice has calmed down somewhat, and now the moss is more prominent than before. It ends up being pumpkin spice, moss, a smattering of dirt, and just a hint of rose, with the pumpkin spice and the moss being the main players. Verdict: I am so happy to have a bottle of this! I will be pairing it with Pumpkin Spice Everything hair gloss or Black Clove, Tobacco Flower, and Grave Soil hair gloss during the autumn months.

I had the boy try this one on at Drag Con, and we both thought it smelled like root beer barrel candies on him. Since I also thought that about Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, which I was considering upgrading to a bottle since my imp is almost gone, I decided I should test them against each other to see which one was more up my alley. In the decant: I get the sassafras and smoke. Wet: Sassafras reminiscent of root beer barrel candies with a wisp of smoke. The sassafras in this one is much more potent than it is in Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, actually. That scent is much more vanilla-ed. Red musk often takes over scents for me, but I am not getting any of it here. After a few minutes, I get a little of the mandarin note. After a few more, the mandarin becomes more prominent, but still isn’t nearly as strong as the sassafras. Dry: The sassafras continues to reign, and the smoke is still present, but not super strong. The mandarin note remains a main player as well. I get some of the vanilla bean now, adding a sweetness to the scent. The red musk has now come out to play, but it hasn’t declared dominion over the other notes. There’s an herbal quality to the scent, which resides in the background. But then the red musk asserts itself, and I get a lot of red musk and mandarin now with a much fainter sassafras. Why ya gotta do this to me, red musk?! Much later, when the red musk believes it has had its say, I am able to detect the opoponax. Verdict: I thought I’d just compare the two scents with sassafras in them and decide which one to get a bottle of… but Sissy starts off like smoky root beer barrel candies and becomes a complex sassafras scent that morphs, while Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener is a simplistic sassafras and vanilla scent that’s more like a root beer float. I may end up having to get bottles of both, but since I liked the early phase of this far more than the dry one, I’ll hold on to my decant and see how much I reach for it first. (Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, on the other hand? I’m going to need a bottle of that one as soon as possible. I love the vanilla in it, and the sassafras in it lasts longer on me since there aren’t lots of other notes there to compete with it.) *edit* I decided against a bottle of this one. I thought I might get it anyway despite the red musk if the boy would wear it (he enjoys root beer scents and it smelled better on him than it did on me), but he just wasn't reaching for it, and I know I won't reach for it over Tombstone, Outlaw, or Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener.

I decided to buy a leftover decant of this one because it was one of the only Post Lupers I was interested in this year, and I decided to skip those in favor of getting more Yules. Upon first spraying the scent, I get lots of cedar, white tea, and a whiff of cherry blossom, but it ends up settling into a cedar scent with a bit of clove. I will happily use up my decant, but I don't feel the need to track down more of this one.

In the decant: Flowers, berries, polished wood, some honey, and a bit of leather. Wet: I think the polished wood note may be mahogany, the same one used in The Red Queen. I’m getting that note, honeyed flowers, some tart, red berries, and some leather. Dry: I’m getting a lot more of the whip leather now, backed by the polished wood (still thinking mahogany) and tart, red berries (maybe currants). Behind those notes, I can smell the amber and a smattering of florals, but they are not as strong on me. Verdict: This one is not my cup of tea, but I’m glad that I was able to try it.

In the decant: Red musk, ginger, black pepper, patchouli, and some creaminess that must be due to the honeysuckle. Wet: When freshly applied, this is strong on the ginger, black pepper, and spices, but the red musk quickly asserts itself so that it’s red musk like whoa, infused with some ginger and spices, with the creaminess from the honeysuckle. As it begins to dry, the patchouli note emerges. Dry: Super strong red musk, with some ginger, pepper, and patchouli, and a hint of creamy honeysuckle lingering behind it, but mostly I AM RED MUSK, HEAR ME ROAR. Verdict: This is just too much red musk for me.

In the decant: That’s some earthy, ginger apple cider, all right. Wet: It feels weird to be testing this in the summer. One whiff of this and I am already longing for autumn! At first, predominantly like apple cider with some ginger in the background, but the ginger note seems to be getting stronger as it sits on my skin. I’m reminded a bit of Lambs-Wool without the presence of spices like cinnamon. I have sensitive skin, so I was worried this might burn and leave welts, like Dwarven Ale, or be too heavy on the spice like Autumn Cider, but I haven’t experienced any burning so far! Dry: It still smells like cider, but the ginger is more prominent now, and now I think there is cinnamon at play here adding some extra spice. I keep thinking like there’s some waxy red apple peel involved in this, so maybe my skin chemistry is doing something odd with this and trying to pull it into candle territory. Verdict: This is a nice autumnal GC! I don’t need more of it because I vastly prefer Lambs-Wool, which doesn’t have an odd quality to it on my skin. I am really glad I tried this one, though!

In the decant: This 13 is really strong on the Lab’s red wine note. Behind it, I can smell the dark chocolate and the Spanish moss. Wet: Mulled wine, moss, and just a bit of dark chocolate. Dry: I tend to amp the Lab’s red wine note, as well as spices, so I’m not surprised that this smells mostly like mulled wine on me. I can smell a lot of caraway now (alas!), and the moss is still a main player, but it’s calmed down a little from when it was freshly applied. After several hours of wear, it’s a curious combo of red wine, moss, spices, and just a hint of coconut. Verdict: This one is way too strong on the red wine for me. And it has some throw, too! I wish I had gotten the marshmallow root from this, as well as more chocolate. I like how the spices make it more like a mulled wine, though. If that’s your thing, you may want to obtain some of this and wine up!

Oops! I guess I neglected to review this one. In the decant: Chocolate and cologne-y foil. Wet: The cologne-y foil note is the dominant note on me, backed by the chocolate. As it sits on my skin, the chocolate becomes creamier. Dry: The cologne-y foil note continues to reign, but it is softer now, and not as sharp. The creamy milk chocolate is stronger than before and really does smell like Easter chocolate. After several hours of wear, what remains is the cologne-y, metallic foil note with a light, creamy milk chocolate in the background. Verdict: This is cologne + milk chocolate on me. It’s unique, but I should probably stop holding on to it just because of that, as I haven’t reached for it since I originally tried it.

I’ve never tried any of the sufganiyot scents, thinking they’d be too heavy on the berry filling for me, but the amazingness that is Snake Oil Jelly Doughnut has made me interested in them. In the bottle: I’m getting lots of the jam with the golden-brown, sugar-dusted pastry note. Wet: The powdered sugar note on the pastry is very realistic. I am getting a lot more of it (and the golden-brown pastry note) on my skin than I did in the bottle, with lots of the blackcurrant jam oozing out of it. It smells delicious! Dry: The golden pastry note is still going strong, and so is the jam. I think this may be the sufganiyot that was mixed with Snake Oil on accident that resulted in Snake Oil Jelly Doughnut, but I could be wrong. I’ll have to do a side-by-side comparison one of these days. After several hours of wear, the powdered sugar reigns, with the blackcurrant jam and the warm pastry in the background. Verdict: This really does smell like a jelly doughnut covered in powdered sugar! And I bet it would be wonderful paired with Eat Me hair gloss. I am going to try layering this with Snake Oil to see how that goes. I will be keeping my bottle, and now I’m even more curious about the raspberry one!

I love Neverwhere (and the Marquis is my favorite character!), so I wanted to try this for that reason alone, even though the notes don’t really grab me. In the bottle: I’m getting black leather, with some spiced rum in the background, and what I think may be the wool note. Wet: There’s an aquatic vibe to this that I wasn’t expecting, but it makes sense that it would be there! I can also smell the bay rum. The leather in this a well-worn black leather (which is lighter on my skin than I was anticipating, and I think I’m getting the Marquis’ dusty wool coat and and some opium. As the scent begins to dry, I start getting more of the leather and less of the rum, and the aquatic vibe is still present. Dry: The leather is a lot more prominent now than it was during the wet phase of the scent. This now smells like an aquatic black leather on me with some wool from the Marquis’ coat, and the light spice of the rum and opium in the background. After a while, the scent becomes warmer and a bit sweeter. I am guessing that’s the massoia bark at play with the bay rum. And I can now smell the dusty aspect of the wool! But the soft leather is still a main player. Verdict: Aww, I was hoping to get the root beer that some of the reviewers mentioned. This is more pleasant than I thought it would be from the list of notes, but it’s not something I could see myself wearing often. Maybe I’ll pair it with Mikado Saloon hair gloss and see how that goes. In any case, I am holding on to my partial bottle, because I am fond of the character.

I have Eve (from 2014 release) on one wrist and Eve WSFU on the other. This was super strong on the sage when it first arrived, so I let it settle for over a week. I get more of the honey from Eve WSFU than I do from Eve. Eve smells like a drier, saffron-infused incense on me. Although I normally see Eve as a magical, sweet resin and incense scent and haven’t really gotten a lot of rose from it in the past, smelling it side by side with the roseless sage version has now made me aware of its presence in the original. The sage version is a lot smoother, and while sage can be a dry note, that is not the case with the two sage notes in this blend. This is more honeyed sage incense on me, while the original is warmer and more resinous, with the saffron playing a greater role on my skin. By the end of the day, the main note I get from Eve WSFU is honey. I am super happy to have both, but I have to say I enjoy the original more (which makes sense, as I enjoy rose more than sage).