doomsday_disco

2020 version. I got the honeysuckle right off the bat, accompanied by what I think may be jasmine (or some other heady, night-blooming floral note). It's super loud for the first few hours of wear, but eventually, it softens around the edges and becomes a tamer floral scent with some herby thyme. The mint is super light on me, only adding a hint of coolness to the blue musk beneath these notes. This was an obligatory 'you ordered the shirt, so you must try the scent' decant, even though the notes aren't really in my wheelhouse. As a flormand lover, this is not for me, but I did enjoy the burst of honeysuckle I got in the beginning.

This is like a fudgesicle mixed with the somewhat slushy, sugared confierous snow note from scents like Snow Bunny, NYC Snowball Fight, and Marshmallow Snow Bath Oil. But that snow note is so overpowering that it quickly takes over the chocolate and becomes a single note of that snow for several hours before allowing a bit of chocolate to shine through again beneath the pile of snow. This was fun to try, but I have enough scents with this snow note, so I probably wouldn't reach for my decant of this. I do like the chocolate, though! I just wish it were stronger on me.

This is nice, cool, and refreshing! It starts off strongest on the cypress, but then the eucalyptus ends up being the dominant note, backed by the cypress and birch tar. It's much more cool and wintery than Peppermint and Pine and would be a great pick me up when you're ill or need something to help survive the heat during the summer months. While it is somewhat bracing in the beginning, the eucalyptus softens so that the end result is less Vicks Vapor Rub and more like the smooth eucalyptus from scents like Odic Force and Recharging Station Bath Oil. I'm definitely going to be hanging on to my decant, but I'm debating whether or not I need a full bottle. I feel like it's not something I'd wear as a perfume often enough to warrant a full bottle, but having more than a decant would be great for the situations described above... and I do like it more than Eucalyptus, White Mint, and Lemon Peel, which goes cologne-y on me after a while. Hmm. Decisions, decisions! ETA: Found a partial.

Hnnngh. This is the cedarwood from Tombstone paired with the Lab's lovely beeswax note. The beeswax and cedarwood are pretty even at first, but the beeswax and vanilla gain strength with wear, and really smooth over that lovely cedar. This is amazing. Pretty sure a decant won't be enough.

This is all about the star jasmine on me. I've enjoyed that note in other scents where it has played less of a role (like Egle and Vasilissa), but it is too strong on me here. Very heady and sweet, almost slightly honeysuckle-like, but not quite. The beeswax and amber are buried beneath the star jasmine. I'm sure they're there, with the beeswax adding more sweetness and creaminess to the scent, but nothing can hold a candle to the floral note. I'd be up for trying another flower and beeswax combo, but this one is not for me due to the strength of the star jasmine.

Gingerbread Zombie features a prominent gingersnap-y gingerbread note (with a very strong ginger) accompanied by a blast of peppermint at first. There is only a smear of milk chocolate, like there's only two chocolate chips on it like Laughing Seagull mentioned. If you're wondering how this compares to Gingerbread and Peppermint Candies, the gingerbread in this is far stronger than the one in Gingerbread and Peppermint Candies, which mostly smells like a Lick It scent with a whiff of gingerbread spices. This, on the other hand, is like strong gingersnaps and peppermint with a bit of chocolate. Sadly, the gingerbread outlives the peppermint and the chocolate on me, and it mostly smells like an effervescent ginger scent (somewhat ginger ale-esque) after several hours of wear. I applied a drop of this with a drop of Ghost Milk on another part of my arm, and the Ghost Milk component is far stronger than Gingerbread Zombie, making it mostly smell like cozy vanilla cashmere of the Ghost Milk infused with some mint and gingerbread -- but oddly, the mint has survived much longer with the addition of Ghost Milk than it did in Gingerbread Zombie alone. I'd probably try layering this again, but with two parts Gingerbread Zombie to one part Ghost Milk. I'm not sure that I need a bottle of this one, but I'll be hanging on to my decant.

Gingerbread Mummy is strong on the gingerbread. Of the four gingerbread monster decants I got (mummy, witch, wolfman, and zombie), it is the heaviest on the gingerbread, which is stronger than the gingerbread that has been released in Yule updates over the past few years, but is more like a gingersnap than a bready or cake-y gingerbread note. The ginger in the gingerbread note is quite prominent on me, and I also get what I believe are sugar crystals along with it, but the ginger has this fresh lemony acidity to it that isn't that nice on me. Behind this, I smell the dusty sandalwood, but I'm not really able to pick up on the bourbon vanilla or marshmallow butter since the ginger is so strong on me. I applied a drop of this on another part of my arm and put a drop of Ghost Milk over that and mixed them together. The Ghost Milk really helps smooth out the gingerbread, and the dry sandalwood note stands out more with the help of the Ghost Milk. The gingerbread is still quite strong, but the cozy white chocolate cashmere of the Ghost Milk does its best to tame it. Maybe it would succeed if it were two parts Ghost Milk to one part Gingerbread Mummy. I don't need a bottle of this, but if you're looking for a gingerbread monster that is heavy on the gingerbread, you may want to give this one a try.

2020 version. Awww man. I am definitely going to need a bottle of this. This is the best unadulterated sugar cookie scent that I've ever tried. Most sugar cookie scents end up being more Lofthouse cookie and smell more like frosting than actual cookie, or the sugar cookie is so buttery that it is off-putting. This sugar cookie has avoided those pitfalls and smells just like warm, homemade sugar cookies encrusted with sugar. There's a pinch of cinnamon, but really, just a pinch. I tend to amp spice notes, and I did not get a ton of it here. It smells toasty and sugary and features the right amount of butter. When I sniff this, I can actually visualize breaking apart a fresh sugar cookie warm from the oven. I like this waaaaay more than the Lab's Sugar Cookie Hair Gloss, which was more about the frosting. So glad I finally got to experience the wonder that is the Lab's Sugar Cookie.

At first, I get orange peel, almond, lemon icing, figs, and dates from this, but over time, the almond note fades, the lemon and orange become less prominent and less sweet, and the figs and dates become the stars of the show, accompanied by the dark rum. I really enjoyed the combination of almond paste and orange peel in the beginning, and wish the almond had stuck around more on my skin and it remained as citrus-heavy as it was initially. Alas. In the end, it is too fig and rum heavy on me. Fans of fig scents should definitely check this one out, though!

When I first applied this, I thought I got the ghost of cardamom with the marshmallow, which made me think of Perfectly Normal Childhood, but that was short-lived, and it became white chocolate heavy on me. It is very similar to Googly Eye Christmas Tree without the heavy cinnamon in that scent. The vanilla cashmere, which grows more prominent with wear, even adds a welcome fuzziness that seems to act similarly to the tinsel in that scent. So the white chocolate and vanilla cashmere are main players on me, along with some floofy marshmallow. I get a touch of the buttery goat's milk, but it isn't nearly as strong as it is in most scents featuring that note, and the honey dust, which has been problematic for me in the past, adds some nice toffee-like sweetness and warmth without stomping all over everything else. Everything in this is so smooth and well-blended. This is lovely, but may end up being too similar to Googly Eye Christmas Tree (thanks to the white chocolate) for me to warrant a bottle. I'll have to layer it with my gingerbread monster decants before actually deciding, though. But if you're looking for a cozy white chocolate scent, you need to try this.

Fir Needle and Smoke is indeed lovely. It is strongest on the fir needle, with just a wisp of smoke in the background that doesn't come out until much later in wear. The fir needle is bright, and as HerbGirl noted, has a nice sweetness to it. I'm so glad that this is way more fir needle than smoke. I'll definitely be hanging on to my decant, and I may end up upgrading this one to a bottle (especially if I can come up with some good layering possibilities).

Oooh. This is nice. I'm getting sweet beeswax and milk chocolate from this. The beeswax is a little stronger than the chocolate is on me, but the two notes complement each other perfectly. It's a swirl of creamy beeswax and melty milk chocolate goodness, and I am here for it. Sometimes I get hungry when I smell the chocolate on my arm, but then the beeswax is there to remind me not to lick it. I always tell myself that I don't need more chocolate scents (or beeswax scents, aside from wanting more beeswax BPTP products), but I may have to make an exception for this one.

Winter Sunset starts off strongest on the orange, with touches of the conifers, clove, and the white musk snow note. Over time, it becomes less juicy orange and more musky orange with clove and conifers. The resins are confined to the background. I liked the wet phase of the scent, with the juicy blood orange, but sadly, this scent confirmed that there's something funky that my skin does with an orange (or similar citrus note), clove, and snow combo after a while of wear -- it goes kind of savory and smells odd on me and is absolutely a skin chemistry thing, because the scents never smell that way in the bottle or vial. Although this one isn't quite as unfortunate some of the other scents I've tried with this type of combo, it's still not something I can pull of wearing. But if you can pull off that scent combo, and are looking for a musky orange clove scent accompanied by some foresty notes, or want a scent evocative of a sunset in winter, this one is worth a try.

This is also very different than I expected it to be. The first note that leapt out to me was yuzu. After that, I thought it could be white grapefruit, but yuzu was the first thing that came to mind. It's got that citrus note over the bright snow/ice note. I get a touch of mossy stones and a hint of smoke (really, just a hint) in the background, with the mossy stones being more noticeable with wear, yet never able to take on the yuzu or grapefruit snow. There is a 'watery' aspect to the scent after several hours of wear that is reminding me of another scent -- maybe Fuck This Heat or Kumari Kandam, but I am not sure. The water-like note has a touch of the sweetness of cucumber or melon to it on me. Although it wasn't what I expected, Im Tiefen Winter smells pretty nice. Since I love yuzu and grapefruit and like the citrus snow, I'll be hanging on to my decant. But I'm not sure if I need a bottle.

This one started off strong on the blueberry note on me, followed by the blackberry note, and then the black musk and jasmine. It's very fruity, with the berries darkened by the other notes. The jasmine and musk combo in the background are heady and also somewhat powdery on me. The licorice root, while present, isn't overly licorice-y, and while I'm not getting much of the black amber, I wonder if it is joining the musk in the background and contributing to the powderiness I'm getting beneath the fruit notes. This one isn't really in my wheelhouse, but it was nice to get a chance to try it. I would recommend this to someone looking for a dark berry type of scent.

I didn't know this scent was a thing, but I got to try this thanks to a tester from Lucchesa. The School starts off as dust, salty wood, and some stone on me. After a while, I get some sweet beeswax and some fruitiness that I thought could be due to red musk, but maybe there's just an unlisted berry note at play here. It kind of makes me think of a less sweet, less beeswax-y, dustier version of Two Westerners, but with that unexpected fruity note, which ends up dominating on me. This is not something I need to hunt down more of, but it was fun to get to try it.

The Fool is predominantly cool dirt (thanks to the peppermint combining with it) and apple blossom on me. The apple blossom is soft, but either it or the combination of the apple blossom and sandalwood make it end up somewhat sour smelling on me after a while, sadly. I was never able to detect the allspice. I was gifted a bottle of this perfume and was so glad to get to try it after only getting to sniff it at a convention, but sadly, it didn't work out for me. So I have gifted it to another BPALista who will hopefully have better luck with it.

This starts off very grape-y honeyed wine on me, backed by some resins, but over time, the wine calms down, and the resins come out more, along with some lilac, and it ends up smelling rather sour on me (not sure if it is one of the resins doing that on me or the resin/lilac combo). Eros ended up being a skin chemistry fail for me (I swear it doesn't smell sour whatsoever in the vial), but it was nice to be able to try it.

I tried this when it was initially released, but apparently never reviewed it. I ended up gifting my brother a bottle, who enjoyed it and sadly ended up spilling the bottle, so I wasn't able to smell/review it until a decant came across my path again. Humpback Whale starts off with the white myrrh and tobacco leaf being the strongest notes on me, but then the peppermint and a bit of the sea buckthorn berry join in (which isn't an overly berry type of note -- it kind of acts in the same manner as the berry in Coraline Jones) after a bit, making it a refreshing type of scent. Eventually, the ambergris shows up, giving it a cleaner, more aquatic feel. The myrrh remains prominent, but it is smoothed over by all of these other notes, which somehow make the scent smell cool and watery. While I don't love it, I'm really glad I got a chance to try it again. Aquatics don't typically work on me, but this is one of the nicer ones, IMO.

Odd to be the first review when this scent was released months ago. One of the herbs in this is lemongrass, so it is mainly lemongrass and incense on me, and it combines in a way that smells just like Lemon Pledge. I know that is a thing commonly said in reviews about lemon scents that aren't sweet, but this was the first time I have felt that a scent has smelled like that specifically. Over time, the scent softens manages to veer out of that territory, and it becomes predominantly incense, with some non-lemony herbs, a bit of concrete, and just a hint of sweetness from the honey ale. (There's also a touch of effervescence, but I'm not sure if that is from the ale or something else in this case.) But you've got to power through that early phase of the scent to get to that point. This isn't something I'd gravitate towards, but it was fun to try.

Bookcase Passage is more about the polished woods on me than anything else, with a soft leather note from the books and some dusty sandalwood in the background. Over time, the sandalwood gains strength and the scent becomes powdery on me, but the polished woods note is still there. It's definitely more bookcase than book, as the same suggests. I was hoping for more book from this, and less furniture polish, so it is not a win for me, sadly.

This is wonderful, and just like the description! It is extra sweet, much more so than Lick It With Consent (yay!), and more candy-cane like thanks to the extra powdered sugar and vanilla. The mint is bracing enough to leave a cooling sensation, but it's not as intense thanks to the extra vanilla and sugar. I haven't tried all of the Lick Its, but of the ones I've tried (Lick It Softly, Lick It Now, Lick It Vigorously, Lick It Til It's Sticky, and Lick It With Consent), I feel like it may be most comparable to Lick It Now, but even more sugary than that. But I can't be certain, since my bottle of that was used up many years ago. If you're a Lick It fan, you definitely need this one in your collection!

My original impression of this when it arrived was that it featured the same roasted apple note from Lambs-Wool, but this features a much fresher apple note than that one. It's very apple-forward and brown sugary, with some oats lingering in the background, but not very cookie-like on my skin, sadly. There also isn't much spice to it, so those with sensitive skin need not worry about this one being an irritant. I think those that are wanting apples and brown sugar will be pleased, but those hoping for more cookie than apple might be a little disappointed. I'm going to let this rest for a few weeks and retest it and see if it has changed with more time to settle. Because it is nice... but I was really hoping for more cookie.

This is my favorite scent that I've tried from the Yule update, but I knew that it would be. Anyone that loves the Lilith lavender scents need this. It has that lavender accompanied by white chocolate and the lightly buttery, soft, sponge-like madeleine. It's so comforting, and it could be used as a daytime or nighttime lavender scent. If I had to compare it to previous scents, I'd say it's most like Carry Me or Lilith's Love Low (a Lilith creation that rarely ever pops up since the recipe was lost). It's daintier than Two Frames, because the cake note in that one is much stronger. I doubt one bottle will be enough.

Peppermint and Pine smells like fresh pine needles backed by peppermint. The peppermint in this isn't sweet (it doesn't smell like pine plus a candy cane), and it's more pine than peppermint on both me and the boy. I tried layering this with Stekkjarstaur and loved it paired with Stekk's marshmallow-y goodness. I also tried layering it with a peppermint marshmallow scent from another perfume house, which took the peppermint up a notch. This is nice to wear on its own, but I am really excited about the layering possibilities with this one! The bottle is a keeper for sure!