doomsday_disco

At first, I get the tobacco, clary sage, and chamomile, sweetened by the raisins and a bit of caramel. But the cologne-y tobacco is quick to take over, accompanied by the chamomile and clary sage, and backed by some sandalwood. It loses any sweetness it had in the beginning. At the end of the day, the tobacco continues to reign, with the chamomile not far behind (it's much stronger than before) on a bed of some powdery, dry sandalwood. I'm not a big fan of raisins or caramel in perfume, but it would have been nice if those sweeter notes would have stuck around to take this out of cologne-territory.

This starts off strong on the lavender, and I don't know if it is the herbs combining with it or what, but it has a similar feel to it as Fuck This Heat for most of its wear, before the lavender calms down and the herbs and powdery honey come out more, reminding me somewhat of Ganeida from the Hellboy movie line. I don't think I need to hunt down a bottle of this (phew! at least, not yet), but the decant is a keeper for sure.

Frog Moon starts off so wonderfully green, bright, juicy and fresh -- it's hard to pick out some of the notes, but I think the green tea, green musk, tulsi, grass, and bamboo are what I got during the wet phase of the scent, with just a bit of a kick from the wasabi. Unfortunately, it ends up turning somewhat soapy on me once dry (I think it may be due to the green musk mixing with the moss), and then it becomes much drier over time as the patchouli leaf comes out more and eventually becomes one of the dominant notes on me, along with the moss. But it doesn't really smell like the green musk and patchouli from The Laughter of Loki, as that one features a different patchouli note and the mistletoe and basil in that make it a different sort of green scent. I really liked the wet phase of this, but sadly, I didn't enjoy the other phases of this scent nearly as much.

This is so lovely. It's a melange of floral notes that are very well blended, but among them, I can pick out dandelion, honeysuckle, and freesia. The wildflowers from Venus Verticordia are here, but there are also other floral notes that make me think of Muse of Fire minus the sugar. I believe the musk and freesia in this are the same from Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending, and the one from Ava minus the vanilla. If you like any of the above fragrances, I definitely recommend checking this one out. It starts off like realistic velvety petals in a florist's fridge mixed with some from a meadow and ends up morphing into commercial perfume territory as the musk and freesia come out more with wear. I think the decant will be enough for me, because this isn't a scent that should be slathered -- but I wish I had bought a bottle for my mom! She would love this.

Pumpkin Smash features the light, sweet, fleshy pumpkin from White Pumpkin Extrait. It's made sweeter by the beeswax, and then there's a wisp of smoke, like someone just blew out a candle. The beer note joins in after some time, and it is a pale variety. But mostly, it's about that pumpkin note! I never got any asphalt, but maybe it would become apparent with a good slather. And slather I shall, once October hits! ?

Interlude, is that you? This smells like the molasses-type of cookie from the Lilith scent Interlude overlaid with a light cherry note that comes out more once the spicy cookie finally settles down after a few hours. It is not like Sugar Cookie from the Yules plus cherry. It doesn't remind me of a sugar cookie at all. I don't think it is bad, and I enjoy the cherry, but I was really hoping it would be accompanied by a true sugar cookie type of note. Alas.

This one starts off strong on the white tea and creamy rice milk. The bright white tea note doesn't disappear on me, but it is softened by the rice milk over time, and the bit of coconut husk with the rice milk makes it seem more lotion-like to me. It isn't too coconut-y, but it does stay close to the skin. I'm glad I got to try this one, but it is a little too soft for me.

This is mostly about the violet on me, accompanied by the coniferous juniper and cypress and eucalyptus-like cajeput. Over time, I get some of the myrrh, and the lily combines with the violet and makes it seem almost bubblegum-y on me. So it's like a sweet floral and myrrh blend in the end. The cypress hasn't disappeared, but it has been relegated to a background role. I'm glad I got to try this in my quest to try as much of the GC as possible, but the floral notes make this not for me.

Ahhhh how did I never review this!? This is the scent that made me realize that I could love leather scents, and it remains one of my favorite leather scents ever. Prior to sniffing this at Denver Comic Con, I thought I disliked leather notes. (Sidenote: It was also at Denver Comic Con that I discovered another leather love: Jareth!) It's mostly well-worn leather smoothed oven even further by the vanilla and the dark musk (darker musks generally aren't my thing, but I don't mind the one in this at all). The ambergris isn't distinct to my nose, but it wouldn't surprise me if it were lingering in the background, adding to the sexy feel of this hair gloss. I love this, and I love pairing it with other sweet leathery scents (like Jareth, Perversion, The Bow and Crown of Conquest, Snake Skin, and The Mountebank).

WHAT?! HOW DID I NEVER REVIEW THIS ONE!? This hair gloss wins the award of most bottles of one hair gloss in my collection. It's my go-to lavender hair gloss (although I also love A Sweet Sleep and The Serpentine HGs). It's a bold lavender and vanilla. I think the hops and white musk may add a bit of a fuzzy quality to it. It reminds me more of LUSH's Twilight than the Lab's TKO, but the BPAL scent it is actually most reminiscent of is the 2017 Lilith Daybreak (only, without the coconut). If you love Lilith's lavender, and you love hair gloss, you need to try this. I absolutely adore it and never want to be without it.

Ah, yet another hair gloss I've neglected to review. Implacable Beautiful Tyrant is the ultimate resinous hair gloss. It's mostly about the frankincense and the golden amber. The oudh here is not the stanky variety, so if you're scared of oudh, don't let it stop you from trying this hair gloss, because it is amazing. The ginger here is really light, and the resins here are really smooth. I love pairing it with scents like Hesiod's Phoenix, Hope and Fear Set Free, and The Magician's Wand. If you enjoy resinous blends, do not overlook this LE-turned-GC gem.

Hmm. Guess I never reviewed this even though I've had a bottle since 2013 or 2014? Hair Loosened and Soiled in Mid-Orgies is mostly a bold, warm, musky honey. If I had to compare it to another BPAL, I'd probably compare it with O. It's definitely a sexy honey. I once wore it to a Thai restaurant and had a guy ask me if I was wearing something with (I think?) black vanilla. It reminded him of something his wife loved but could no longer find. I told him it was honey, but I think I refrained from mentioning the name of the scent. It's definitely a powerhouse of a hair gloss, so if you're looking for a subtle honey hair gloss, this is not the one for you. I don't wear this as often as I used to, as my hair gloss collection is now out of control, but when I do reach for it, I love pairing it with O and Womb Furie (and sometimes I layer it with Snake Oil HG for that Womb Furie effect in my hair). I think I have between 1/3 - 1/4 of a bottle left, though? So it's definitely gotten some love over the years.

Oh look, another hair gloss I forgot to review. Green Apple, Bergamot, Vanilla Orchid, and Tiare hair gloss is primarily about the crisp green apple note, with touches of the bergamot and floral notes. If you're averse to the other notes, but love the idea of a green apple hair gloss, this is still worth a try, as there's never a point when it stops being mostly about the green apple. I love pairing it with scents like Rapunzel in Ballpoint, Snow Glass Apples v4, Emerald Lace (because it is so green), and Bestiaire du Moyen Âge (with its apple blossom and greenery). Oh, and it doesn't smell like an apple Jolly Rancher, like some green apple scents tend to do. I don't reach for it as often as my red apple hair glosses, but it definitely has its place in my collection, and I love reaching for it during the spring and summer months.

Pfffffft I never reviewed this hair gloss either?! Elf HG, like the perfume oil, is a beauty. It smells like an evergreen forest near a meadow of wildflowers and is the only scent that happens to feature a violet note that I love (because the violet is somehow not declaring dominion over all). It's a great foresty hair gloss to wear during the spring and summer. Aside from Elf, I like pairing it with scents like Colemanite Phoenix and Venus Verticordia. Whenever it appears on Etsy, I'm always surprised that it doesn't get scooped up faster, because it's such a lovely sunshine-y forest scent. The only reason I don't have a back-up bottle is because I have so many bottles of hair gloss in my collection. But I hope I never run out.

How did I never review this? It's one of my most reached for hair glosses during the warmer months. The Geisha and the Samurai is mostly about that lovely blood orange, but there's an unexpected slight creaminess to the scent that I think must be due to the wood amber. It's not a type of amber that I have come across much in the BPALverse, although I think this year's Adventuresome Encounters may feature the same amber note. The white tea is not a main player in my hair, which is odd, because it's typically a loud note on me. This is my second favorite citrusy hair gloss from the Lab. I love pairing it with scents like Gobo, La Joconde, and Kubla Khan (Kubla Khan is mostly mandarin, amber, and vanilla on me). If you're looking for an orange-y hair gloss, this is the one to try. I love it and hope I never run out.

Apparently I never reviewed this? So I will try to kill some time at the office by reviewing some BPTP products I've neglected to review. Antique Lace HG is a warm, floofy vanilla. It's not really a floral vanilla or a foodie one to my nose, and I don't really get the other notes from it, but that's also the case with the 2017 perfume oil. The most readily available non-BPAL vanilla perfume oil I could compare this to is Nocturne Alchemy's Moonstone. This is really versatile and can be worn with almost anything, but aside from Antique Lace 2017, I mostly pair it with scents in the Lace family. I think it's wonderful, but among the vanilla hair glosses, Boo is still my favorite.

The positive reviews about Miss Lupescu being gourmand-adjacent with its almond blossom and spices made me want to try this one, but alas, on me, the fur-like animalic musk dominates throughout wear, backed by the woods. There's a very light touch of sweetness from the almond blossom, but it isn't as strong as it is in other scents like Almond Blossom, Comparison of Celebrated Beauties, or Fracas with Eleven Kabuki Actors. The patchouli is also very light. Sadly, I was not able to detect any cypress, and I am surprised that I'm not getting much in the way of spices, either! (I have to inhale really deeply in order to smell them.) This kind of reminds me of a far more musky (but a fur-like musk instead of the Egyptian variety) version of Bastet without the myrrh and the stronger almond note. I'm glad I got to try this, but it is too musk-heavy for me.

This starts off as clove-infused Big Red gum, but the clove gains strength over time, which helps to take the scent out of that territory (although the cinnamon never completely loses that association for me). I have sensitive skin, so I applied this to the back of my hand in case I needed to scrub it off. It felt very warm for some time but never left any welts, surprisingly. I put it on a 9 AM and it is still noticeable by 3 PM, although it is softer. This isn't a duet I would wear on its own, and it's not something I could slather (due to having sensitive skin), so it's not something I need a whole bottle of, but I think I will try layering this with some non-BPAL tea and cardamom single notes to see if I can make a nice chai scent, or try it layered with an orange scent to create a Yule pomander effect. If those combinations are successful, I might keep a decant of oil from this bottle. But if those layering experiments don't work out, I'll just stick with my Sweet Clove SN.

This starts off strong on the yuzu and lime accompanied by the thyme flower (which isn't as strong as straight up thyme, which tends to smell like I took a bunch of fresh thyme and rubbed it against my wrists when it is in a blend). These notes remain the dominant notes throughout wear, but over time, it ends up smelling like an herbal citrus soap due to the addition of the musk and woods. I'm glad I got to try this one, but I am basic and just want a yuzu and lime duet now.

I don't think this imp aged very well. It goes on like a cedar pencil and eraser, similar to the way Posset's base tends to smell on me, and then some other woods join in, as well as some red patchouli. It's pretty dry and woody (cedar remains the strongest wood note) after several hours of wear, and the dryness could be the parchment with the woods and patchouli (it does have an old book pages feel to it), but I am getting zero lavender or orange from this. I think they've disappeared with age. Alas. I wish I could have tried a fresh version of this, because the notes sound lovely.

Sugar-Slathered Candied Apple -- With a dollop of caramel! This one starts off pretty rough. It goes on as kind of a sugary plastic that turns into acetone-splashed sugary apple before settling down into a sugary caramel apple. I'm not a big fan of caramel in perfume, but the caramel in this is a light, golden variety, and there's not enough of it to be overpowering. After a few hours, it's a glob of caramel cozied up to a crisp apple. While I enjoy the end result, the sharp, nail polish remover-esque opening is too much for me. I'm not sure if it's a poorly aged decant fail or a skin chemistry one, though. But the reviews are so positive that I'd be up for trying another decant of it if one came my way, because I like the end result much more than the Candied Apple Single Note that was released back in 2015.

Hmm. Either Black Lily is not so dark and shadowy, or this imp is mislabeled, because it's very pink and reminds me of the sweet pink carnation of High Strung Daisies. I'm not getting lily or darkness, just something that smells similar to High-Strung Daisies (or might be that scent in disguise). If this really is how Black Lily is supposed to be, I like it more than I thought I would, buuuut I already have High-Strung Daisies ALL THE THINGS and do not need more of this one.

Tempest starts off as somewhat clean and soapy, likely due to the ozone, before allowing a gentle rain note to shine through. It reminds me of the 'rain' accord that can be used in wax melts (which I think may have a touch of a floral note involved). I wish I could have the rain without the soapy ozone, but I don't dislike its clean scent along with the rain note, so I'll be holding onto my imp to wear to bed on a rare rainy night. I like this more than Lightning, which was a little saltier and more ozonic on me.

I was frimped a decant of this and was surprised to discover I like it, given that I don't even like Smut. (Heresy, I know.) It's a musky, soft, well-worn leather and Snake Oil blend with some light patchouli. The grape-y musk that I really dislike in Smut isn't prominent here. However, it seems pretty soft for a Snake Oil blend (especially since both Snake Oil and Smut are powerhouses on their own). The cardamom never showed up on me. I'm really glad I got to try this! I'm not sure it is something I need more of, since I'd probably still opt for Snake Skin for Snake Oil and leather, but if you want an extra helping of musk along with your Snake Oil, give this a whirl.

This starts off as primarily pink grapefruit on me, but then some Fun Dip powder and honey joins in, making it a honeyed citrus candy type of scent (that's more about the honey and Fun Dip powder than the grapefruit after a day of wear). I'm glad I got to try this, because I adore grapefruit, but I'll be passing my decant on, since I know I won't reach for this over other grapefruit scents in my collection. If you want to smell like Fun Dip powder, though... this might be up your alley.