doomsday_disco

In the decant: Exactly what it says in the description: chilly white musk. This reminds me of a slushy snow note. Wet: This is brighter and sharper on my skin than it was in the imp. Then, it becomes a lot cooler. This features a very smooth mint note, and I feel like I've encountered it in a scent before, but I can't place it. Dry: The smooth, cool mint is fading away at this point, and I believe I'm getting lots of ozone from this now. So it's mostly ozone, white musk, and a cool, smooth mint that is diminishing over time. Verdict: I'm always intrigued by snow blends, so I had to try this. It's not bad, but I prefer sweet, sugary snow (like in Snow White and Go to Sleep, Darlings) to the bright, slushy snow featured in many a BPAL Yule scent.

In the decant: The chilled white tea leaf is the strongest note in the decant, though I'm also getting the white musk, eucalyptus, and a bit of the woods. It's a very bright scent. Wet: White tea, white musk, eucalyptus. It's rather astringent at the moment. The eucalyptus note seems to be coming out more as this sits on my skin. Dry: There is a floral aspect to this scent now. It must be the osmanthus note coming out. The white tea and musk notes still dominate the blend, but the wood notes are starting to peek out now. I get more of the white amber than the cedarwood, but neither of them are main players in this scent. Verdict: This scent is too astringent for me. I'm going to pass my decant onto a friend that likes eucalyptus notes.

2015 version. In the bottle: Tobacco, caramel, and currant, mostly. Wet: Same. The tobacco note is the most prominent note. The spices are beginning to emerge the longer this sits on my skin. The amber starts to come out as the scent is drying down. Dry: This one isn't really a morpher on my skin. Tobacco still reigns. The caramel and currant notes are still present, though not as prominent as before. The amber is more noticeable in this stage, but the spices are subtle. Verdict: The caramel in this one scared me, so I refrained from testing this one from several months, but this is a really lovely tobacco scent. I'm glad I bought a bottle.

In the imp: Yep... definitely smells like a gentleman's cologne! Wet: Ambergris, white musk, and orange blossom jump out to my nose at first. The mint is present, but its soft. I'm also getting the moss, a bit of the rose geranium, and the rosemary note. Dry: Ambergris, white musk, and mint are the most prominent notes during the dry down. Since it is not purely aquatic, it hasn't turned into soap on me. Huzzah! I still get a bit of the moss, florals, and the sandalwood is present now, adding some warmth to the blend. Verdict: I'm glad the orange blossom wasn't problematic for me. I like this one, but I don't think I would wear it myself. It would be great on a guy, though!

In the decant: The ring pop note is the most prominent. I get the cherry and grape swirls from it, but I hope the grape isn't a prominent note on my skin. There is a bit of frosting and licorice in the background. Wet: The ring pop note takes the center stage, and I'm getting the grape note from it more than anything else. I really dislike anything grape-flavored, and the grape-candy note is very realistic in this. The cherry aspect of the ring pop note is starting to come out more, swirling with the grape, and I get a bit of the licorice note as well. Sadly, the frosting is nowhere to be found. Dry: I'm still not getting any of the frosting note... just ring pops and red licorice. Verdict: I am not digging the grape part of the ring pop note, so I'm going to put my decant up for swap.

In the decant: Musky, brown sugar-y, mashed sweet potato, oats, and spices. Wet: The scent smells more butter-y on me than it did in the decant. I'm thinking it must be the sweet potato note. The brown sugar is still present, as well as the spices, which are stronger on my skin than they were in the decant. (Sometimes spices will take over a blend on my skin.) I can also smell the seed and oat notes. Dry: The blend is staying rather close to my skin now. Its obvious that it is a musk infused with sweet potato (as opposed to mashed sweet potatoes) now. I'm getting more of the oats and ambrette seed in this phase. The spices are still present, but they have calmed down significantly. I can pick out the cardamom and sugared clove, and the latter note smells especially lovely. Verdict: I don't feel the need to hunt down a bottle of this, but I plan on keeping my decant to wear during the autumn months. This will be nice when I don't want to wear a pumpkin or apple scent.

The scent of absinthe, lightning, stormclouds, and laudanum crashing through a veil of soft Victorian oriental perfume. In the imp: Ozone, laudanum, and perfume. Wet: At first, I get the ozone, but then, hello, absinthe (and its black licorice-y-ness)! This is a curious combination. This scent is pretty sharp. It's threatening to turn soapy, but hasn't turned to full-on soap yet. At one point, there is a bit of prickling on my skin (are there spices in this?), but I haven't had a reaction. Dry: Something herbal and dark has emerged. The absinthe and ozone notes are still present, but they aren't nearly as sharp as they were in the wet phase of this scent. There are indeed spices in this, but my nose cannot identify them. There is also a breath of the oriental perfume (perhaps that's where the spices are coming from?). Verdict: This one is not for me, as I dislike the absinthe (though I am glad that it wasn't black licorice like whoa on me).

In the bottle: It's hard to pinpoint the notes in this one. There is a floral aspect, the resins, and then the sweetness of the plum nectar and vanilla musk, but it's rather complex, and there isn't one note that seems to jump out to me more than the others. Wet: At first, the tuberose and moss stand out to me the most, but it isn't long before the cassis flower, resins, and plum nectar make an appearance. I was hoping to get more vanilla musk from this, but it seems it doesn't have as big of a role here than it does in scents like Ava and Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending. This is predominantly a floral + moss scent on my skin, though, with a bit of plum. Dry: The resins are more prominent than they were during the wet phase, as is the cassis flower. Sadly, I'm not really getting any vanilla musk from this at all. The florals and moss are still present, but they have died down significantly. Verdict: I don't think I'll reach for this one again, so I am going to put my half bottle up for swap.

In the bottle: This features a green apple note. I do get the 'mashed' quality of the apple note, but it also seems more like a green apple that has just been bitten into at times. It's not the same mashed apple from my beloved Lambs-Wool, though. Wet: The green apple note is the most prominent, but I also get the sliver of tobacco tar beneath it, which adds a bit of smokiness to the scent. The scent is more tart than I had anticipated. I hope the sugar and honey notes come out more once this is dry. Dry: Ah, okay. There's the honey and sugar notes. They have tamed the tart apple note, and brought a little bit of the black tea with it (which doesn't have the licorice vibe that I sometimes get from black tea notes). I vastly prefer this stage of the scent. Verdict: I thought this one would be a love, because I adore apple scents (and I also like sugar, tobacco, and tea scents) but I'm actually not wowed by it. Of course, green apples are not my favorite, and I guess I was just expecting this scent to be sweeter than it turned out to be. I am going to let my bottle settle for a few more weeks. Then, I'll retest it and see my stance on it then. I just have so many apple scents that I don't feel like I should keep one in my collection that is just 'okay' to my nose. *edit* After a few weeks, the black tea note has come out a lot more, and so has the tobacco tar. Alas, I was hoping the sugar and honey would emerge more after a few weeks of settling, so I won't be keeping my bottle.

In the imp: Dragon's blood and musk. The dragon's blood note is very strong. Wet: Same. Dragon's blood dominates the blend, followed by the red musk note. I am not particularly fond of red musk, and was hoping to get more of the black musk out of this one. I can smell a bit of the fig and black currant notes, but they are not the main players in this one. Dry: I prefer this stage of the scent. I'm getting more of the black musk now, and I get more of the fig now, but the red musk note is still too prominent for my liking, and I don't really like the combination of the dragon's blood and red musk. Verdict: If you like dragon's blood and red musk, give this one a whirl. But I vastly prefer Dragon's Musk over this scent.

In the imp: Leather, followed by the dragon's blood and a bit of smokiness. Wet: First, the leather and smoke notes jump out, but the dragon's blood becomes more prominent as this sits on my skin. It does not overtake the leather and smoke notes, though. Dry: I feel like the scent is smokier now. The leather note and the smoke reign, and the dragon's blood still remains, but it is content with its background role. I am getting far less dragon's blood in this phase of the scent. Verdict: Every once in a while, I find myself liking a leather scent, but this isn't one of them. There usually has to be something sweet present in order for me to like it (like in Perversion or Knight in Shiny Armor), and dragon's blood and smoke do not fill that role (even though dragon's blood has a cherry aspect to it). I think this scent really fits the name it was given, but it's not for me.

In the imp: Cinnamooooon and almond. I don't get any of the neroli note in the imp, but that's okay! Wet: Creamy almond and cinnamon. The cinnamon in this is pretty intense. It overtakes the almond, and it starts to tingle my skin, but hasn't turned it red or left any welts (yet). Alas, the cinnamon kind of has a cinnamon broom vibe on me, which... isn't really a good thing. Dry: Um... I spoke too soon. There is a huge red spot on my arm near the place where I applied this (even though I did not apply a large amount). The creaminess of the almond is still present, but mostly, it's just cinnamoooon. I didn't get any neroli from this at all. Verdict: I'll be passing this one onto a friend that adores spicy scents and doesn't have sensitive skin.

2015 version. In the bottle: Sugared lemon, maybe like a lemon drop. Wet: Yeah, the lemon in this one is pretty intense. Past reviews mentioned it being pretty lemon-y, but this is even more lemon than I had imagined. I can smell a little bit of the coconut note, but mostly, it is just LEMON LIKE WHOA. The opium smoke and musk start to emerge as the scent begins to dry down, as well as the floral notes (though they aren't as strong). The lemon still reigns, though. Dry: The lemon has calmed down, but it is still the dominant note. The scent is rather faint now, and it is difficult to distinguish the notes, but the opium smoke, musk, and floral aspects of the scent are present. The vanilla is as well, but the vanilla note is so close to the skin that my nose has to be really close to my wrist, and I have to inhale really deeply to smell it. Verdict: I'm undecided on this one. The wet stage is too lemon-y for my liking, but the dry phase is more promising (if only the scent weren't so faint by that time). I think I will hold onto this one a little longer, just in case it improves with some aging, but I may end up putting it up for swap or giving it to a family member if the other notes don't come out more.

2015 version. In the bottle: Cocoa powder, cream, and something dark lurking beneath those notes. This is not just a chocolate and cream scent. Wet: The chocolate note isn't nearly as intense on my skin. I can see this being more like bittersweet chocolate now that has been rolled in or dusted with cocoa powder. I am getting more of the cream note on my skin, and something else that can't be attributed to either of those notes. I wonder if this contains ginger or something. Whatever it is, it's a little funky smelling. Dry: The funkiness was short-lived, and the cocoa is still the dominant note (although it is softer now). I can smell the cream note beneath the chocolate note. The scent has really great throw, and I can't stop sniffing myself. Verdict: I already own a lot of chocolate scents, but this one isn't like any of them. Evil chocolate, ftw! I'll be keeping my bottle.

In the bottle: Orange blossom, rockrose, and the white tea note are the most prominent to my nose, followed by a bit of the lemon balm. Wet: Orange blossom, rockrose, white tea, some honey, and lemon balm. The sugar cane begins to emerge after a little bit, as well as the white mint, and I'm starting to get more of the lemon balm as well. I hope that the orange blossom note calms down a little more as this sits on my skin. It's not super strong here, but I'm just not particularly fond of the note (especially when it is paired with honey). Dry: The white tea note is more prominent during this phase. It's kind of like an orange blossom white tea with honey. Verdict: I took a chance on this one despite the orange blossom note, but I'm finding that it is too perfume-y for me.

In the bottle: Pink pepper (a note that I love!) cotton candy, followed by the orange peel, and vanilla cream. Oh, this smells amazing. It's kind of like High-Strung Daisies and Gobo had a baby (minus the floral notes from the former and the other citrus notes from the latter). Wet: The orange peel note is the most prominent note on my skin at first. However, the pink pepper cotton candy note quickly gains strength, and I feel like this pink pepper note has a bit more of a kick to it than other blends I've tried that feature the note. The vanilla cream note is present, but it is content with its background role for now. Dry: While I can see the comparisons of this scent to an orange creamsicle, I feel like Gobo is more like that on me (well, a citrus creamsicle, at least). The vanilla cream definitely has a creamsicle vibe, but the pink pepper cotton candy is more prominent than the orange peel note on my skin, and I feel like its more like angel food cake or shortcake on me for some reason (with a bit of orange glaze and a nice helping of vanilla cream). Verdict: I knew I would love this, and it did not disappoint! However, I don't think I will be needing a back-up bottle of this scent.

2015 version. In the bottle: White musk and fougere and the bergamot of the Earl Grey tea leaves. (When it first arrived, the bergamot of the Earl Grey leaves and the vanilla bean were the most prominent notes in the bottle, but the bottle was warm from the mailbox. I usually wait until the day after arrival to test my new bottles, but CARNAVAL.) I cannot detect the jasmine leaf note from the scent in the bottle. Wet: White fougere and the Earl Grey tea leaves (I get more bergamot than anything from the tea leaf note), lightly sweetened by the vanilla bean note. I can see why this has been compared to Dorian, although Dorian (which I am wearing in my hair and on my neck today) is much sweeter than Theodosius. The white musk note is present as well. I'm still not able to pick out any jasmine leaf, but that's okay, as jasmine and I don't always get along! Sometimes the Lab's black tea note is reminiscent of black licorice on my skin, but I'm not getting a black licorice vibe from this Earl Grey note at all. Huzzah! Dry: I still get the fougere, Earl Grey tea leaves, and the white musk more than anything else, but the vanilla bean note has emerged more during the dry phase, adding some more welcome sweetness to the scent. Verdict: Yeah, I would say this is in the same family as scents like Dorian and Jareth, but while I love Dorian, I only like Theodosius. I'm going to hang onto my bottle, but I won't need more of this. I think this would smell amazing on a guy, though!

I tested this one a few months ago, but neglected to write my review down. So instead of contributing a detailed review, I'm just writing a summary of my experience, because there is no way I am putting this one on my skin again. This scent was horrible on me. I think the combination of the lime and lilac (and perhaps the musk?) was what made it so awful on me, but I'm not sure. It smelled like bathroom cleaner on my skin. (Fog Machine Juice also did something similar on me.) I'm going to give my imp to my brother, because the lime note smells good in the imp. Maybe his skin chemistry won't turn this into something horrific.

In the imp: White musk, peach, oakmoss, and a tiny bit of bergamot. Wet: White musk and peach, followed by what I believe may be the heliotrope (since I'm getting a floral note from this). After a little bit, the oakmoss begins to emerge. Sadly, the oakmoss is giving this a somewhat soapy vibe (which is something it has done in a few other blends I've tried featuring the note in the past). Dry: I can still smell the white musk and peach, but the oakmoss is a lot stronger now, and I can't help but thinking “SOAP!” whenever I smell it. Verdict: I will be passing on my imp.

In the imp: Mostly peach, amber, musk, and then the patchouli note. Wet: The white peach note is the most prominent at first. I recognize this peach note from the Trading Post's White Peach and Incense hair gloss. I can smell all of the notes, but the musk and patchouli notes are getting stronger the more this sits on my skin. As the scent begins to dry down, it is becoming darker (and less sweet) as the amber and patchouli become more prominent. Dry: The patchouli is the dominant note in this stage. The amber note adds more depth, and the peach and musk aren't nearly as strong as they were before. Verdict: I'm going to be passing on my imp. The peach and musk combo is too sweet for me, and while I have grown to like patchouli in a few scents (like Banshee Beat/Revenant Rhythm and Vixen), I'm not particularly fond of the type in this blend.

In the imp: Pine, cedar, and tomato leaf are the first notes to jump out to my nose. I get a slight hint of a berry scent if I inhale really deeply, and I think it might be the cranberry, but I'm not sure. Wet: A blast of pine, followed by the tomato leaf note. The pine note is comprised mostly of pine needles (as opposed to pine tree), just like in Black Forest. Once again, I can detect a hint of fruit, but I don't know if it's the cranberry note or the blackberry leaf that I'm smelling. The cedar note begins to emerge as the scent dries down. Dry: Pine and cedar, with less tomato leaf than the wet phase of the scent, and what I believe is a hint of cranberry. It's more woody now (thanks to the cedar) and less pine needle-y. Verdict: I was initially scared of this one thanks to the tomato leaf, but the scent was more pleasant than I thought it would be. That said, Ranger and Elf are my go-to forest scents, and I don't like this forest scent nearly as much as those two, so I'm going to pass my imp on to a friend.

In the imp: Sharp lavender, mint, and herbs. Wet: Lavender, mint, and lime emerge first, but the herbs are becoming more prominent as the scent sits on my skin. The mint note in this is a bit menthol-like, and the lavender is that of the medicinal variety. The herbs, like the lime, are very green. It isn't long before they dominate the scent. Dry: The scent is very green now, with the herbs taking the center stage. The lavender, lime, and mint notes are still present, but they are now content with background roles. Verdict: This scent really fits the saying that one is 'green with envy' really well, but even though I like lavender and mint, this just isn't for me.

Deep herbs and apple with black amber. In the imp: Apple, then herbs. The amber note is lingering in the background. Wet: The apple note is the most prominent note at first. It's a soft apple, and it reads as a yellow apple (like a Golden Delicious) to my nose. It is not tart whatsoever. The herbs begin to emerge as the scent unravels on my skin, but the apple note still dominates the scent and becomes a little juicier over time. The amber note starts to peek out as the scent dries down and adds a warmth to the scent. Dry: The apple is still present, but the amber note is a lot stronger during this phase (but not quite as strong as the apple note). The herbs feel like a bundle of dry herbs (similar to something like the herbs found in the Trading Post's On Halloween atmosphere spray, I think). Verdict: I really love apple scents, but I already have so many that I feel like I have to be more selective now about which ones should be upgraded to bottles. I love Norse mythology, but I already have an apple + resin scent (Faces Cleaving Each to Each), so I think I'll just hold onto the imp and see how often I use it before deciding. But I do enjoy this more than Sjöfn (which I bought a blind bottle of before imps were made available for the scent).

In the imp: Cinnamon, clove, and incense, with a bit of earthiness from the patchouli. Wet: The cinnamon and clove notes have taken the center stage. I get a bit of the orange note in the background, but the spices are doing their best to stomp on all of the other notes. It's somewhat reminiscent of Plunder, which also has cinnamon and clove notes. Dry: The spices still dominate the scent, which has a somewhat creamy element to it now. I'm not really getting much else from this. If I inhale really deeply, I can get a hint of the orange and peach notes, but that's about it. Verdict: I'm glad that this one didn't burn my skin, but this is mostly just cinnamon on me. I already have Pickled Imp for when I'm wanting a cinnamon-heavy scent, so I'll be passing this imp on to a friend.

In the imp: Super sweet! The wine, berries, and currant make this a juicy, candy-like scent. Wet: Wine and berries like whoa. I feel like it is even more juicy now that it is on my skin. It goes through a phase that makes it almost like a fruity candy scent, but seems to become slightly more tart over time. Dry: Still very fruity, but the thyme note has emerged during this phase to keep it from being too sweet. But even the thyme can't save it – it is still way too berry-sweet for me. Verdict: Berry-dominant scents aren't my thing, and this one is no exception. While Bewitched seemed like an actual picking-berries-in-a-forest kind of scent (with the berries being tamed by notes like sage and dark musk), Lady Macbeth is far sweeter and rather candy-like. I won't be reaching for this scent again.