doomsday_disco

Of the four silk flower scents I tried from this update, this one is my favorite. It's primarily a peony scent on me, backed by some rose cream, and sweetened with some cotton candy. The cream part of the rose cream is not buttery whatsoever (I've had some bad luck with cream notes doing that on me as of late), and I think it may be the same/similar to the one featured in The Poinsettia Gown from Yules past. At first, the peony and rose swirl together and are pretty inseparable, but the peony ends up winning out after a few hours. The cotton candy also increases in strength over time, sugaring up these floral notes. I forgot there was cognac in this, so I wasn't trying to isolate it when I tested this, but I'm sure it is there, adding that magical quality that cognac tends to lend to scents. At the moment, I feel like there are some rose and peony scents that I don't reach for enough in my collection (De Vos' Unicorn and Tea Roses and Lace come to mind), so I'm not sure if I need a whole bottle of this one. I'll retest it before it goes away to make sure. But if I do upgrade one of these flowers from this silk bouquet, this will be the one. If you're a fan of sugary florals, you should definitely try it!

My review of this is not going to do this justice. But if you're thinking about getting this... get it. This is, unexpectedly, one of my favorite scents from this year's Lupercalia update. I swooned when I first smelled it in the decant, and it was just as swoon-worthy on my skin. The reason I grabbed a decant of this was because of the mugwort note. I love mugwort. It's very herbal, and I love slathering on scents containing it before bed. While the mugwort is present, it is much tamer than it normally is, and it's accompanied by some really smooth, well-blended resins (with zero sharpness from the oak -- actually, I wasn't able to pick out any oak). But there's a sweetness to this scent that I'm not getting from the listed notes. If it's from the blood or bone, it's the best blood or bone I've ever smelled!? I keep thinking it is nectar or pollen-like, as it has a similar addictive quality to it as Arcana's Unearthly Lovely. I wish I could describe this one better, but I am so, so happy that I grabbed a decant of this one and will be upgrading to a bottle. Of the Lupercalia scents I've tested thus far, this is definitely one of my favorites. ETA: Retesting this almost a month later, I wanted to add that I am now getting dragon’s blood from this, but I think it is a lighter than it usually is, and honeyed.

Cluster of Cherry Blossoms is a honeyed, cherry-tinged floral scent on me. I am glad that there's more cherry blossom than rose here (as I feared the rose would overtake it), but both notes are noticeable. The scent becomes more honeyed over time (with the honey eventually becoming the dominant note), but it is a pale honey. The cherry, on the other hand, is light. I feel like it just serves to accentuate the cherry blossom. And the musk part of the rose musk never makes this a musk party. I think this is pretty, but at the moment, I don't feel like I need more than my decant. But if you're looking for cherry blossom, this is the Shunga from this year's update that features the note most prominently.

This starts off as a fruity floral and then becomes a predominantly floral scent. The lily is the star here, not the cherry blossom, and it's accompanied by lots of apple and pear in the beginning as well as some green from the grass, but it ends up settling down into a non-heady, non-soapy lily scent on me. Obviously, skin chemistry is everything, but if you're a cherry blossom hunter wondering which cherry blossom scent you should grab from this update, you might have better luck with a Cluster of Cherry Blossoms (provided you can wear honey notes). I preferred this scent in the wet stage, even though I'm not big on fruity florals, but it's not something I need more of since I already have Tiger Lily for when I want to wear a lily-dominant scent.

This is mostly about the vanilla and tobacco on me, backed by the red sandalwood. If you're wondering how this compares to And Though They Are With You, They Belong Not To You: well, this one is a lot different because of the inclusion of tobacco and it being a different sandalwood (think, like, Morocco and Inez sandalwood and not like, Kit sandalwood). The vanilla is the same, though, and it's that Antique Lace 2017 vanilla that's been popping up in more blends recently (like the Vanilla Husk, Nutmeg, and Hay Absolute Trio). The tobacco note is really lovely and might be the French one, but I did not dig up my decant to confirm. But I can at least say there's no horrible smoke in this tobacco smoke. I think this is really nice, but I'm going to be a little heretical and say that I'm a little burnt out on this vanilla note at the moment. I'll retest this before it goes away to see if I need more, but if that's the case, I may have to get rid of one of my other scents that also features this vanilla really prominently.

This is mostly about the citrus and strawberry notes, with the yuzu and grapefruit reigning at first, and the wild strawberry note gaining more strength throughout wear and eventually overtaking the citrus notes (but they never disappear -- they're just relegated to background roles). The strawberry note is a bright, juicy, red one, that's not plastic-y whatsoever, and combined with the yuzu and grapefruit, it smells like a drink or a slush to me (oh, how I wish it were a drink!... and a boozed up one). I get some pomegranate by the end of the day with the strawberry, when the citrus notes have calmed down significantly, but it's never a main player on me, and I'm not able to detect the rooibos on my skin. I also had my partner wear this as a scent of the day. On them, it started off as mostly citrus and strawberry, but the pomegranate showed up sooner, and the rooibos was noticeable. I really love how this is early on with the citrus notes being the strongest on me, followed closely by the strawberry, but I don't think it's as awesome by the end of the day when it's more strawberry with some pomegranate. But I'm still debating a bottle, because I could always just reapply and be hit with that citrus blast again.

I decided to get a decant of this while side-eyeing the plum wine note, because I'm just not a fan of plum in perfume. And I have to say that the plum in the plum wine is pretty tame here, adding a light, welcome sweetness to the scent. But I would not describe this as a tea scent. It's not tea-heavy, despite green tea being listed as the first note, and despite the name. I think this is more about the sandalwood incense, although the lemon blossom and bamboo lift the scent up early on in wear. Over time, it teeters on becoming more masculine, and the wine part of the plum wine becomes more prominent on me and adds this acidic quality to the sandalwood incense that I don't really enjoy. Even though I tried the recent trio with hinoki, I'm not able to isolate that note, so that's why it's not mentioned in this review. While the early stages are pleasant, the end result just is not for me, but it's no fault of the plum itself!

So... I grabbed a decant of this one because of the washi and the matcha. And... it definitely is a scent that is mostly about the washi, so if you're looking to try the Lab's interpretation of that, this would be a good scent to try. To me, the washi reminds me of some cucumber-y paper notes that sometimes pop up in book scents or in the Lab's Crumpled Wrapping Paper SN. The cucumber vibe will fade away, but it makes it go from more of a wet sort of paper to a drier one. I never am able to detect the matcha or mint, but I do get what I believe is the lichen and moss making it more cologne-y on me over time. By the end of the day, there's a hint of patchouli, but it is very mild here. The paper-y washi note isn't one that I really enjoy (I prefer the ones that tend to lean sweeter), and I'm sad that I didn't get any matcha, but I'm glad that I tried this to experience that washi note!

This is mostly about the tea and blood orange on me (but the blood orange isn't a citrus bomb), backed by the smoothest and least champaca-y champaca blossom ever. It does not have any incense-y quality to it whatsoever. It's definitely floral, but not a soapy or a heady one. I think the kamairicha may be a bit deeper than the Lab's traditional green tea note, because it didn't make me think of the green tea that the Lab traditionally uses, but it's hard to describe it just melds with the more prominent orange so wonderfully. I think it's pretty and will definitely be hanging onto my decant to wear it during the spring or early summer. But I'll have to retest it before it goes away to see if I need to upgrade to a bottle. At the moment, I feel like just the decant will suffice, but maybe that's because it couldn't compete with Neglected Calligraphy (which I tested on the other hand at the same time and was glued to throughout wear). ETA: This has become more floral tea and less orange-y after a few months of aging, but it's still a really nice floral tea scent kissed with orange.

Okay, time for what's becoming my traditional pass-some-time-in-the-office-on-a-Wednesday-morning-by-posting-a-slew-of-reviews review dump. ? This was one of the first decants I tested in my first round of Luper decants (consisting of only general Lupers and Shungas -- cherries, chocolates, and raunchy hearts will probably arrive next month). I decided that it had to be among the first tested after @HerbGirl's rave review. And it was an instant love for me. Of the decants I've tested thus far (over a dozen of them, with about seven more to go), this is one of my favorites. Neglected Calligraphy is a cool, pine-infused green tea scent, swirled with some ink that gives it a somewhat industrial vibe. The green tea is the perfume-y variety that you would find in something like Shanghai or Embalming Fluid, and it is not like green tea leaves. The terebinth resin has a tinge of smokiness to it, but it is really well-behaved and tamed by the green tea and is no way the campfire found in the terebinth-heavy Gacela of the Dark Death from Yules past. The throw is mostly the cool green tea and pine, but up close, I get lots of ink, which is indeed very-ink like, but also with a slight rubber-y quality. I'd recommend this to fans of Cooling Breeze (another cool green tea scent) and those who like industrial notes sound give it a try as well, because the ink is definitely noticeable in this blend. You do have to enjoy green tea and pine notes, though! I will absolutely be upgrading to a bottle as I can't stop sniffing my wrists. Plus, the name of the scent appeals to me (as someone with calligraphy-esque handwriting that doesn't do calligraphy but probably should).

This review is after testing a very aged decant from 2008. Ichabod Crane is all about the dusty black wool and cream on me. The black wool note is a dark musk with a touch of a grape-like note to it, and I believe it's the same thing representing black wool from last year's Black Julbocken Alchemy Lab. The cream is buttery as hell, so it smells like a very buttery musk bomb on me, alas. I can smell a bit of pepper, but the other notes are nowhere to be found on me because the musky wool and buttery cream are so loud. This one is not for me, but it was fun to get to try an old Sleepy Hollow scent!

My review is after testing a very aged decant from 2007. This started off with a slightly musky cedar-y wood that made me think that the decant might be going off, but it quickly settled into a primarily rosewood scent with a touch of lemon to brighten it up that became more prominent with wear, yet never overtaking the rosewood. I wasn't able to pick up on any of the other notes. I am glad I got to try this, but it's not something for which I could see myself reaching.

This one starts off with a blast of fresh super realistic, freshly turned earth, infused with some earthy vetiver. But as time goes on, it morphs, and I smell like celery!?!?!?! Skin chemistry is wild. Or was there secretly some celery in this field? I am glad I got to try this, but smelling like celery is not for me.

So... back when I discovered BPAL in 2013, there were Nymphia candies on offer at the Trading Post, and I bought a tin of those. They were really good (I still have the empty tin), and thinking back on those makes me miss BPTP treats! I never got to try the perfume that inspired those candies until recently. Nymphia is so well-blended that it's hard to pick out the notes, but the standout note when this is first applied and on the final drydown is the coconut, which is soft and doesn't read as foody or beach-like (phew). The cucumber is also soft and adds a light, refreshing quality to the scent, and the spun sugar, apple blossom, and mango lift it up and add some welcome sweetness. But mostly, it's a lovely, dainty scent that's hard to describe just by dissecting the notes. It's not overly fruity, or overfly floral, and the coconut isn't offensive at all. I'm really glad I got to try this and will be hanging onto my decant, but I don't think I need more of this one. This has made me wish for the return of BPTP treats, though.

I tested this with the last drops of a tester, so this might be better treated as an impression than a review (I did get a good amount for a test, but what remained of the decant was very aged). I get mainly a dark blueberry from this. It's not a fresh blueberry, but more of a sweet blueberry with both tart and sweet candy-like elements. It doesn't smell like blueberry baked goods to me, but that could just be because it's a very aged tester. I think I smell some spice in the background, nothing overpowering, but I think it's a spice found in Plunder, but more subdued, because the scent made me think of that at one point. I think this is a really nice blueberry scent, but it's not something I need to hunt down more of (which I'm thankful for, since it's so rare).

Torta Setteveli, a currently available Weenie, would probably be your best bet if you haven't tried it. "A classic Sicilian recipe alternating layers of chocolate sponge cake, hazelnut Bavarian cream, chocolate mousse, and hazelnut praline crunch, all enrobed in a dark chocolate mirror glaze." It's not exactly Nutella, buuuut I think it's the closest you'll get as it is the most chocolate-y hazelnut scent the Lab has offered. A past Lilith, O The Joy of My Spirit!, has cacao and hazelnut notes, and some people have compared it to Nutella, but for me, it was too perfume-y and not strictly foodie. "Crooked hazelnut and tonka with a touch of cacao and black pine." It might be worth it to try Who's Afraid?, a currently available Yule, which also features cocoa and hazelnut notes, but the lemony spun sugar makes it go in a different direction on me (your skin chemistry may differ -- it seems not every reviewer got lemony sugar from it, but that's what I love about it). Here are the notes: "Snowy coconut, hazelnut, cocoa powder, and spun sugar."

What is your favorite Easter candy? Do you like Jelly Bellies? If so what flavors? Do you have a preference for plastic eggs, treat bags, paper, or no preference? Are you interested in some of my homemade brown sugar shortbread? I can do gluten free and/ or monkfruit sweetened. Flavors include "plain" vanilla, chocolate, orange blossom, cherry blossom, lavender, rose, combinations thereof. For those who don't like imps... In the case I find that I have something PERFECT for you in my collection that I want to share, would decanting into a squat itty bitty bottle with a screw top lid or rollerball be ideal? Hi little chick, I just got yet another seed catalog in, and was thinking about the garden. It seems on theme, so do you garden? Would you like anything like seeds? Spring Chick o' Mine, I have a question about mugs! What are your general feelings on mugs/drinkware? Dear bunny, what are your thoughts on these? https://www.thecrownedrabbit.com/pins Dear chick, would you be interested in any of these baked goods? Matcha shortbread Hojicha shortbread Lemon scones Lavender scones Lavender lemon scones Chocolate chip scones (made with Guittard chips) Please LMK if you have any aversions/sensitivities to ACTUAL rose(s). As if someone were to send you flowers... Dear chick, would you be interested in any cute Easter/spring-themed cookie cutters? Also i've been wondering and combing q&a sheets without finding this. Will be making something with chocolate and would like to know which one you'd prefer... Milk, Dark, or White I'm going to pre-order some spring teas (and stock up on the maple houjicha) from Friday Afternoon. Is there a spring tea (or any other tea) that you might like, chick? How do you feel about lambs as part of Easter? Easter lambs were always a part of my childhood, and I often got lambs instead of rabbits (in chocolate or stuffed form). Do you like bees? Is your BPAL wishlist up to date?

I tested this over the weekend, applying it to wet hair one day, and dry hair the next. I would say this is primarily a green tea hair gloss infused with some citrus (more grapefruit than bergamot!) and a bit of perfume-y white amber. I do think you have to like some citrus in order to be able to enjoy this, but the grapefruit in this, while present and longer-lasting than some other citrus notes, is not as strong as I was hoping it would be (even though it is the second strongest note after the green tea). I actually did pair this with Shanghai the second day that I tried this, and they went really well together since they share the same green tea note and both feature citrus; in fact, I may start pairing that scent with this hair gloss now instead of Informal Tea (Green tea, white sandalwood, and white amber), which is very similar to this, but if you replaced the sandalwood with pink grapefruit. As far as the throw/longevity goes: The scent did not disappear when applied to wet hair like some hair glosses do. I could smell this whenever I lifted my hair to my nose for several hours throughout both days, but I could not smell it without directly smelling my hair. Then again, maybe that would be different if I had gone for a walk on a windy day, or if I hadn't decided to season a brand new wok this weekend to make J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's bibimbap recipe. (My apartment still smells like smoke from seasoning the wok. Halp.) So while my grapefruit-loving self wanted this to be more unabashedly grapefruit, I still enjoy this as I'm also a green tea fan, but I'll be more likely to pair this with green tea scents than citrus ones.

I initially passed over this due to the fig, but then the above review made me want to try it, and a very kind forumite sent me a tester! This is indeed very strong on the black cherry. I get the red currant in the musk only briefly when first applied, and then it becomes a black cherry and fig party. The fig in this is super dark. Like, I kept thinking that there might be some stealth patchouli in it because it is so earthy. And it remained primarily a black cherry and fig scent throughout wear. I think the musk probably helped to ground the cherry so that it wouldn't be so fleeting, but it's not a main player like Cherry Red's red musk. I really love the cherry in this, but that dark fig note is so strong and earthy! I do think you have to love fig to love this one, as the fig is what is keeping me from loving it (even though the cherry is so damn good). I wish I had the fig-less experience of the above reviewer! I'm going to retest this before it goes away to see if the fig has calmed down at all (too bad it is not the fig from Dead Leaves, Vanilla Bean, Pink Fig, and Brandied Dates!). Thank you to the lovely forumite who decanted from their decant so that I could try this (I know how much of a pain in the ass that is -- you are so appreciated!).

So... I generally pass over all dead leaves scents because those accords do not agree with me (either turning to cologne or bell peppers in most circumstances, and sometimes being headache-inducing). And fig and I are typically not friends. But all of the reviews here saying that this is basically chill on the dead leaves or that they're non-existent, plus off-forum reviews comparing this to Reflected Vulva, made me really, really want to try it. And I am so fortunate that a lovely forumite responded to my ISO and shared some with me. This is indeed the least dead leaves-y dead leaves scent I've ever come across. I don't detect any dead leaves at all, although I suspect they're adding a touch of sophistication in the background. I think I'm mainly getting the pink fig, and possibly the brandied dates, but the fig in this is completely unlike any other fig note I've come across from the Lab. I don't know if it is combining with the brandy of the dates to have this effect (this scent isn't boozy whatsoever), but it has this almost cherry-adjacent vibe on me. This, combined with the vanilla bean, make me understand the Reflected Vulva comparisons, even though they technically don't share any notes. This is so much better than I thought it would be based on the notes. I'm glad that the reviews swayed me enough to try to find a decant and that a kind BPALer swooped in to answer my call (thank you, @LavenderCoffee ! ). I may have to grab more of this before it goes away, and now I know not to dismiss fig as a scent note outright if it is the pink variety.

When I first applied this, without looking at the notes, I thought I was smelling mahogany, but that must have been the amber and frankincense with some of the warm, chewy hay. The white mint joins in (I was surprised -- I thought it wouldn't stand a chance against these notes), adding a light coolness to contrast with the warm notes. Over time, the oakmoss emerges and gains strength, as it is wont to do on me, and it mostly becomes a mossy resin scent infused with some warm hay and musk. Oddly enough, the patchouli in this did not stand out to me! (I would expect not to get the mint from this, but not the patch!) I wish the oakmoss hadn't ended up being the dominant note, as I was enjoying how the warm resins and hay played off of the cool mint.

This is a very old imp, so I imagine it smelled a lot different when it was fresh. Now, I get a mostly powdery (maybe amber.. definitely not orris), cuddly musk scent and the ghost of ginger. I say the ghost of ginger because it has the slight effervescence that the Lab's fresh ginger note has, but it is very short-lived. I so wish I had gotten the cherry and cola that some of the other reviewers got, but it was still fun to get to try it!

The first time I tested this, a day or two after the decant arrived, it was primarily a rose-y aquatic (primrose and salty sea water). The second time I tried it, it was much greener. I googled Grass-of-Parnassus and saw that it was a floral note and not actual grass, so I am not sure if it is the leaves of the willow or something in the aquatic note or what. It is very loud and is the main note I get in the throw of the scent. Eventually, it settles into mostly aquatic primrose, but the greenery is still there. I wanted to try this because I've been to the Orkney islands in April 2017. It doesn't remind me of the Orkneys, but it was still fun to get to try it and it's worth a try if you'd like a floral aquatic scent.

I was surprised that this one wasn't a red musk and plum bomb on me. It starts off with a chewy patch being the most prominent note, backed by a little smoky vetiver. Then a bit of lily joins in, but then it ends up morphing again and the plum and red musk have arrived, but again, it's not as loud as those notes usually are on me because the white musk is there with them and it is somehow even stronger than the red musk on me??? (Unexpected.) It stays that way for a while, but after eight hours, it's mostly patch and white musk on me with just a hint of plum and red musk. This isn't a scent I could see myself reaching for, but I'm glad I got to try it and that the red musk and plum didn't end up being bullies!

This is not the laundry bomb that some other fabric scents have been (woot!), but it does feature a fluffy, yet perfume-y vanilla musk-infused cotton that kind of reminds me of the porcelain in Pediophobia. Is it the vanilla musk or is there stealth cognac doing that?! I am not sure, but it definitely gives me Pediophobia vibes. The fabric is accompanied by a slightly waxy make-up note with a hint of fruitiness to it, and it's so realistic that it makes you go, "How does Beth do that!?" I also think there's a floral note in this that may be adding to the perfume-y vibe, and I'm not sure if it is iris or something else, but it makes it too perfume-y for me in the end. I do recommend giving this a try if you're looking for a scent like Pediophobia or are interested in this, but afraid of this being straight-up laundry (it's not!). I really appreciate the artistry behind this scent, but I'm being very picky about what stays in my collection nowadays, and I don't think I'd reach for this over scents like Cognac-Stained Sheet Ghost and Pediophobia. ETA: I think the mystery make-up floral may be orris.