doomsday_disco

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).

2018 release. I actually did try the original release of Adam back in 2014, but I apparently never reviewed it. I gave the decant to my brother, because he wanted it. I am now retrying it since I’ve grown to appreciate some leather blends since that time. In the decant: Lots of black leather backed by some ambergris, a pale sandalwood, and fougere. Wet: Fortunately, the leather was a lot stronger in the vial than it is on my skin. I still get some leather, and now, some dust, but I’m also getting lots of ambergris and more of the pale sandalwood than I did in the decant. Or perhaps I spoke too soon. The black leather note has gotten stronger as it sits on my skin. Dry: The leather ends up calming down after some time, and I end up with a soft, black leather (like a well-worn leather jacket) and cozy ambergris, with some fougere and sandalwood, and a bit of dust, but I also get something sharp from this. I’m not sure if it is the plastic, metal, the magnetic tape, or a combination of these things, but the sharp not threatens to give me a headache. Alas! I think it’s the metal, though. Verdict: I enjoyed Adam more than I did back when I tried him in 2014, but unfortunately, there’s a sharp note present in the dry phase that is going to give me a headache if I continue sniffing it. So Adam is still not for me, but I am glad I got to give him another try.

2018 release. In the decant: Deep, warm resins accompanied by a bit of spice. The frankincense in this smells amaaaaaazing. Wet: This is definitely one of those church-y resinous scents, only better. The frankincense note in this is full of win. I’m reminded of the frankincense in Hope and Fear Set Free. Dry: The frankincense dominates, and it is glorious. I am not able to single out the other resins, but they all combine to create this wonderful resin cloud. Verdict: I don’t think I reach for pure resins scents enough to warrant getting a bottle of this, but it is gorgeous. I think this would go really well with the Post’s Implacable Beautiful Tyrant hair gloss. I’ll be keeping my decant for sure, and if I end up reaching for it enough, I’ll consider a bottle.

2018 release. In the decant: I’m getting lots of champaca and some cognac. The cognac is indeed reminiscent of Lush’s Snowshowers, only this scent is far more incense-y thanks to the champaca. Wet: The white champaca and cognac notes are the notes that jump out to me the most. It really is like Lush’s Snowshowers infused with champaca, at least at first, but then the champaca note becomes stronger and the white musk asserts itself, so that association goes away.This reads as a clean, incense-y scent to my nose. Dry: The champaca and white musk reign, with some floral notes in the background, and some very light cognac behind them. It’s more floral and less clean than before. It does have a glittering quality to it. Verdict: I was really looking forward to this one, and it was really promising when first applied, but the champaca note, while nice, ends up taking over and making this a little too one-dimensional on me. I am glad that I got to try it, though!

2018 release. In the decant: The Lab’s lovely ambergris accord accompanied by warm resins and some immortelle (which I recognize from Black Silk). Wet: The warm resins reign on my skin, backed by the musky ambergris. I can smell the immortelle as well, but it’s not as strong as the resins or the ambergris. The scent is very warm, like being wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket. Dry: The ambergris reigns, accompanied by the warm resins. I am getting more of the sweet benzoin now, and myrrh is also more prominent. After a while, the myrrh becomes the dominant note. Verdict: This is a lovely scent, but it is also rather light, until the myrrh becomes more prominent after a few hours of wear. I like it a lot more than I thought I would! I’m not sure that I need a bottle of it, but I’ll definitely hang on to my decant.

In the decant: Lilac (but it’s sweeter than normal, perhaps honeyed?) and white musk with frankincense, tobacco leaf, and some tea. Wet: The lilac and white musk are the first notes to jump out at me, followed by the tobacco leaf, frankincense, and black tea. The lilac note does smell like it is honeyed. Sometimes, the Lab’s black tea note has an anise quality to it on my skin, but that is not the case here. The frankincense in this isn’t heavy, and the tobacco leaf isn’t really smoky. Dry: The black tea, tobacco leaf, and frankincense are more prominent during this phase of the scent, but the honeyed lilac is still present, and so is the white musk. There’s a tinge of smokiness now from the tobacco leaf, and the scent is not as sweet as it was before, since the frankincense and tobacco leaf are playing greater roles. It’s a warm scent, slightly sweetened by the honeyed lilac, with a wisp of smoke from the tobacco leaf. Verdict: I did not expect Famine to smell so nice! I do not think I need more of this one (I preferred the wet phase of the scent), but I do enjoy it. I think I’ll hold on to my decant.

2018 release. In the decant: Well-worn leather, beeswax, smoke, yellowed pages, and a bit of the salt. Wet: The leather and beeswax are the strongest notes on me, followed by the yellowed pages. Far in the background, I can smell some of the salty tears and the metallic knife. It becomes smokier and less sweet as it sits on my skin. Dry: The smoke has calmed down. The well-worn brown leather of the books continues to dominate the scent, followed by the beeswax, and then a bit of smoke. The dusty, yellowed pages are not as prominent as before, and while I can still smell a bit of the salty tears, I’m no longer getting the metallic note in the background. Verdict: This is a nice leather and beeswax scent. I don’t feel the need to obtain more of this, as there are other leather scents and beeswax scents that I’d reach for before this one, but I am glad that I was able to try it. I may end up hanging on to my decant for a while to see how it ages and try it again before deciding to swap it away.

This scent wasn’t originally on my radar, but after seeing the glowing reviews, I just had to buy a leftover decant! In the decant: Sweet vanilla musk intertwined with sweet resins. This also makes me think of a lighter Antikythera Mechanism, without any of the sharpness that that scent has on me, mixed with Banshee Beat. Wet: Sweet resins and vanilla musk. Something in this reminds me of Banshee Beat. Oak can be sharp and cologne-y on me, but that’s not the case here. It’s also not a heavy scent. As the scent sits on my skin, it becomes brighter. There’s an effervescent quality to this, like the wand is surrounded by its own magical aura. Dry: The sparkling, glowing quality still remains. It’s vanilla musk and sweet, light resins, but it’s more than that. It’s a wand that leaves a trail of magic in its wake. Verdict: I am so thankful for all of the wonderful reviews of this scent that led me to track down a decant before this collection goes down. I need more of this in my life!