doomsday_disco

In the decant: I’m getting lots of wet earth, crushed grass, moss, and some dandelions. Wet: The crushed grass and wet earth jump out at me first, followed by the dandelions. Then, the moss emerges. Behind these notes resides the tar and labdanum, darkening the scent. Dry: There’s a brief clash between the clean notes (grass and dandelion) and the heavier notes (dirt and tar), but then the opoponax emerges, adding a cola-like sweetness to the scent. It ends up becoming the main player. The soil is not nearly as strong as it was initially, and behind it, I can smell the dandelion and some moss and grass. The labdanum, unfortunately, is a bit sour on me, but the tar smells a lot better now. Verdict: This one is a morpher! I am not sure what to think about it yet. It’s nice, and ends up being sweet on me thanks to the opoponax, but I was hoping for more dandelion and dirt than opoponax’s cola-like self. I’ll probably end up retesting this one at some point in the future before deciding. *edit* I retested this and got the same thing: it starts off as grass, dirt, moss, and dandelion, and ends up being pretty much an opoponax single note on me after a few hours. I like it, but I just don't know what I'd be able to pair this one with. I'm going to hang on to my decant, in any case!

In the decant: Realistic raspberry and tart red currant accompanied by an herbal vetiver. Wet: The raspberry note is the dominant note, and it is a very realistic raspberry, not artificial at all. I was curious about this, even though I am generally not fond of berry scents, because I love raspberries, and that note rarely pops up in a scent. The tart, red currant and vetiver are right behind it. Vetiver is a note I tend to avoid, but here, it really does give the impression of berries on a vine. There’s no smoky, BBQ-y vetiver here. Dry: The raspberries and currants are the star of the show, with the herbal vetiver right behind them, though I do get more vetiver than I did before. Verdict: This is not a scent I feel the need to obtain more of, since berry-dominant scents aren’t really my thing, but it was really nice to be able to experience raspberry in a scent! If you are wary of the vetiver, don’t be. It’s not a bully here.

In the decant: I can smell the beeswax, the woodsmoke, some pine, and then, the leather, which is a soft, well-worn variety. Wet: The beeswax and campfire smoke are the most prominent notes on my skin. The campfire smoke has a beef jerky vibe to it at first, but the beeswax and the pine help to tame it. The well-worn brown leather emerges and sidles up to the beeswax. Dry: The beeswax is still the main player. The campfire smoke has calmed down significantly and just smells like woodsmoke without the beef jerky association that I originally got from it. The well-worn brown leather is still beside the beeswax. The lovely pine note is very faint now. I have to inhale really deeply to smell it. Verdict: I enjoy the beeswax, leather, and pine, but the campfire smoke in this is a little too strong for my liking during the wet phase, so I won’t be needing a bottle of this one. This has made me want a beeswax and pine scent, though.

In the imp: I’m getting jasmine, what I think is the myrtle, a bit of red sandalwood, and a soft, bourbon vanilla. Wet: The floral notes are the most prominent, backed by the warm musk and a light bourbon vanilla. I’m not getting any of the red sandalwood or clove on my skin. Dry: Musk and florals, with the jasmine being particularly prominent on my skin. Just a breath of vanilla, only a hint of clove, and some faint sandalwood far in the background. Verdict: I really wish the floral notes and musk in this let the vanilla, clove, and sandalwood shine more. Alas! I’m glad I was able to try it, though!

This decant is from 2007. In the decant: Aged Snake Oil (stronger on the vanilla, yaaaas) and moss. Wet: I’m met with a blast of glorious, aged Snake Oil with some moss. The moss is kept in check by the Snake Oil, so it’s not allowed to go into soap territory. This is aquatic Snake Oil, and I am really enjoying it so far. Dry: This is the perfect balance of Snake Oil and moss. Some of the Snake Pit scents only have a light Snake Oil base (or perhaps that was originally the case with this and the Snake Oil came out with age?), but the Snake Oil in this one is prominent, and its lovely vanilla and spices pair really well with the moss. Verdict: I never thought moss and Snake Oil would go so well together. This is amazing. I’m going to hold on to my decant and see if I can get a decant of the current iteration of the scent to see how it compares.

In the bottle: This is very cologne-like. The boy agrees. The note that jumps out at me is the bourbon vetiver, an herbal-smelling variety (like in Wulric, the Wolfman and Bram Stoker). I was a little afraid of this scent because Puddin’ mentioned it containing vetiver, but there’s no BBQ-y vetiver here. Wet: Bourbon vetiver and green tea leap out at me and make me smell like I just doused myself in cologne. Then, the lilac emerges, adding a bit of floral sweetness to the scent, and I think there may be some moss in this as well. It veers into soapy territory on me -- fancy soap, but soap nonetheless. As it begins to dry, I get some sharp citrus (perhaps bergamot) and a white floral note. There’s a creaminess to the floral note. Dry: Citrus-y floral, what I think could be a light musk, green tea, some sweet lilac, possibly some moss, shot through with the herbal, bourbon vetiver. It’s still somewhat cologne-like but not as strongly masculine as before. Verdict: On one hand, I am glad the vetiver isn’t the smoky variety. On the other, the wet phase was a little too masculine on me and also went into soap territory. The dry phase is better, but not really my cup of tea. I am going to hold on to this a little longer and retest it in a few weeks, but at the moment, I am thinking The Witch’s Tea Party may not be for me.

In the imp: I get lots of the opium, followed by the tobacco, green tea, and a little black plum. Wet: I’m hit with a blast of opium, tobacco, and some bright, green tea. After a few minutes, the black plum emerges, but it isn’t as strong as the opium, tobacco, and green tea at the moment. Dry: The opium tar has calmed down somewhat, the black plum note has increased in strength, and I get the ambergris now. The tobacco is still present, and so is the green tea. After a while, the khus emerges, and after a few hours, it’s the heavier notes that reign. Verdict: Evil is not a scent that I’d wear on its own. The plum ends up being a little too strong for me in the end. But I am going to hang on to my imp and try pairing it with RPGs.

I love layering Neutral with Ranger and Elf, but I haven’t actually ever reviewed it on its own, so here goes! In the bottle: That’s some clean, light musk, all right. Wet: This is bright, but not a crystalline, vanillic musk. It’s skin musk… so clean skin, but better. And sweeter. Dry: This isn’t a morpher. It calms down a little, but remains a bright, clean skin scent. I do get a floral vibe from this and some honeydew beneath the musk. Verdict: Neutral is not a scent I would wear on its own unless I were in a scent-sensitive environment, but it is my favorite of the RPG alignment scents, and since it is one part of my favorite RPG layering combo (thus far!), I am happy to have a bottle of it to layer with Ranger and Elf.

In the imp: Ah, this is the sweet, vanillic resin I get from The Mountebank. Wet: It’s like a sweet, fluffy substance wrapped around a pine tree. Yaaaaas. It has this soft, marshmallow-like vibe to it. Dry: This one stays true. It’s a fluffy, vanillic, beeswax-like resin scent. Verdict: I should have tried this one much sooner! It’s lovely! I may end up needing to grab a bottle of this in the future.

In the imp: Lots of musk. I can pick out red musk and green musk. Wet: This smells like green Jello to me, with a grape-y musk and what I believe to be the rooibos. Dry: Red, green, and a grape-y dark musk with strong heliotrope, which I recognize from Tamora, and a bit of spice in the background from the wasabi. It still has a bit of a Jello-vibe to it, but it’s not as Jello-y as before. I think there are some other musks at play here, too. Verdict: I am going to hold on to this one for a while just because it is a RPG scent and I am curious about the layering combos, but I am not fond red musk or the grape-y dark musk, so I would never reach for this one on its own. This is too strong on the musk and sweet heliotrope for me.

In the decant: I’m getting lots of dark soil with some pine and lavender. Wet: There’s a blast of bracing pine, lavender, and then, the soil. The soil note becomes stronger after a few minutes. Dry: The dark soil ends up becoming the most prominent note, with a much calmer pine and lavender. After a while, the white frankincense note emerges and gains strength, so that it is a resin scent with a smattering of dirt, and after a few hours, I get a bit of the opoponax as well. Verdict: I like the Lab’s dirt scents, and I’m fond of pine and lavender, so I was curious about this scent. It’s not something I feel the need to obtain more of, but I do think it is a nice, winter-y dirt scent. I think I’ll hold on to the decant.

In the decant: I tend to amp the Lab’s red wine note, but I wanted to see if this reminded me of the Glühwein I’ve had in Germany and Austria. This is actually much sweeter. I think this is more like a lightly spiced punch, while the boy thinks this is more like gummy candies. Neither of us think it smells like actual Glühwein. Wet: I get the honeyed red wine note backed by some spices. After a minute, I’m able to smell the citrus. The spices are stronger on my skin than they were in the decant, but do not dominate the scent. As it begins to dry, the honey note becomes more prominent. Dry: The wine note is dominant for a while, with the honey and orange gaining more strength during this stage until it mostly becomes honeyed orange and wine with hardly any spice left. Verdict: This isn’t the scent of Glühwein to me, in the vial or on my skin. It was nice to be able to try it, but I won’t be holding on to the decant.

In the bottle: Sugary sweet peppermint and vanilla! The peppermint in this seems to be softer than the other Lick Its I’ve tried. Wet: This does smell like a licked candy cane! I’m getting a soft, sweet peppermint, powdered sugar, and some vanilla. The mint gets stronger as it sits on my skin, but it isn’t strong enough to leave a minty burn. Dry: Yep, no intense cooling of the arm from this peppermint! The vanilla comes out more over time, so that it ends up being a soft, sugary, vanilla mint. Verdict: I am so glad to have a bottle of this Lick It! I love that I get lots of sugar and vanilla from this one.

In the decant: This is strong on the resins, with the labdanum note being the most prominent. I only smell a hint of vanilla in the background. Wet: The resins reign, with the labdanum in the lead. This is actually sharp on me. Dry: This smells like polished furniture on me for a really long time. After a few hours, it calms down enough to let the powdery white myrrh take the stage. The bourbon vanilla note is very light, but I can tell it’s there if I sniff up close. Verdict: This one is too sharp on me. I was hoping the vanilla would play a bigger role with the resins, like in Hope and Fear Set Free. Alas! I won’t be holding onto this one, but I’m glad I got to try it since I am fond of the poem.

In the decant: I can smell all of the notes! This is definitely white, clean, and powdery. Wet: This is soft and fluffy with some floral sweetness. Then the white musk joins in, as well as the powder notes, giving it more of a clean vibe. As it sits on my skin, the sweetness from the baby’s breath becomes less prominent as the cotton blossom, white musk, and powdery notes become stronger. Dry: Soft, powdery, and lightly sweet. The cotton blossom and powdery notes are the most prominent now. The white musk has calmed down significantly, but it is still lending its clean vibe. Verdict: This is certainly evocative of a fluffy white bunny! Not something I could see myself reaching for, but it was really nice to get to try it.

In the imp: Melon, citrus (I am thinking grapefruit), and some mint. The melon makes me think of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat. Wet: Honeydew melon, yep, that’s grapefruit, and some refreshing (but light) mint. I’m somewhat reminded of Peach XII, but with melon instead of peach. Dry: Ohh, it’s the minty, ozonic snow note. So snow, honeydew melon, and citrus. No wonder it reminds me of Peach XII, but with a different fruit note! Verdict: Keeping.

I got a decant of this back in 2015 and never reviewed it. It’s time to remedy that, since it is the only Luper decant from that year that I have kept! In the decant: Sugared lemon backed by light resins. The sugared lemon note is amazing! Wet: I get the blue lotus absolute, sugared lemon, and then the resins. It may seem like a curious combo of notes, but they work really well together. The blue lotus lends an airy vibe to the scent, while the sugared lemon provides a candy quality to it. The frankincense stands out to me, but it isn’t a heavy frankincense, if that makes sense. Dry: The resins are playing a greater role now, but I can still smell the blue lotus and the sugared lemon. Verdict: This is so lovely. I wish I had gotten a bottle of this back in 2015. It’s a unique, light resin scent, and I love the sugared lemon in this. This scent would be wonderful to wear in the spring and summer months, and I will cherish the little that remains of my decant and pair it with Pa-Pow hair gloss.

I tried this back in 2015 but neglected to post my review here! In the decant: Red musk and dragon's blood like whoa. But the red musk is far more prominent. Wet: Exactly that and nothing else at first. Then, I end up getting a bit of the honey note. Dry: Red musk and dragon's blood still dominate. The honey and cream are present, but just a dribble, like it says in the scent description. The green leather has also emerged, but you have to sniff the scent really close to the skin in order to smell it. Verdict: I had to try this one because of the name, but the red musk is far too strong for me.

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.