doomsday_disco

Jasmine Rice and White Musk.

Billowing bulbous blobs of grapefruit marshmallows.

Celestial drama. Radiant pomegranate crowned with golden amber and saffron, a waft of singed frankincense, and velvet black cherry. From a 13th century Manuscript of the Apocalypse

Black Fig and Cacao.

Rosenkuchen, coffee, and steamed milk with a burst of celestial amber musk. Paul Klee

Too lazy to be ambitious, I let the world take care of itself. Ten days’ worth of rice in my bag; a bundle of twigs by the fireplace. Why chatter about delusion and enlightenment? Listening to the night rain on my roof, I sit comfortably, with both legs stretched out. -Taigu Ryokan Ten days-worth of rice, a bundle of twigs, and a soothing cup of white tea.

Black Currant and Black Violet.

Thank you, may I have another? A rich, earthy brick accord encased in supple, spit-polished leather and flagged with a well-worn black cotton bandana.

I've worn this a few times, and I've also sprayed it on a paper towel. I still can't pick out any specific notes in this scent, so I'm not sure how helpful this review will be. It is not an overtly floral scent, nor is it particularly forest-y. I also thought it smelled creamy and a little fruity when I sprayed it on a paper towel, but whenever I've sprayed this into my hair, both wet and dry, I get something that reminds me of a glassy musk... which I think would make sense for the 'glam' part of the name. I've paired this with Galerie des Glaces and thought they went together well, and I also think I wore it with some honeydew scents just because I wanted to wear it again to do a review. The hair gloss doesn't have much throw, so you could probably get away with pairing it with a lot of different scents without it clashing with them. I'll be hanging onto my decant, but I don't feel like I need a bottle just yet. I still need to do a proper, non-paper towel test of Celestial Aura HG, but at the moment, I feel like Elven Glam is the new RPG HG that I enjoy the most.

Regal grace and bittersweet beauty, this is a scent woven from wildflowers and court secrets. A verdant morning, sun-drenched and dew-laden, amber-glowing petals hide the tender unrest of violets and myrrh. The perfume of hidden sorrows, the ache of longing, and the weight of duty: white pear, hawthorn, damask rose, ambergris accord, golden amber, white leather, bruised violets, soft myrrh, spring wildflowers, and crushed green grass. John Collier

Electricity, which is an atmospheric emanation from God, and which is moved by his will, is that substance out of which all worlds and their splendid appendages were made. Hence, it will be perceived, that electricity contains all the original properties of all the various substances in being. All the varieties of the universe around us – all the beauties and glories of creation upon which we look with so many thrilling emotions of delight, were produced from electricity, which is the inexhaustible fountain of primal matter. By the living energies of the Divine Mind, electricity was condensed into globes ; not instantly, but gradually. The heaviest particle took the lowest point, or common centre, of our globe, and so on, step by step, lighter and lighter, till we reach the surface, which is a regular mould. On this we find water, a substance still lighter than earth ; next air, which is lighter than water, and so on till we reach the sun, which is the highest point in relation to our system, because it is the common centre. The sun is, therefore, pure electricity. Hence, the twenty-nine globes, belonging to our system, are electrically, geologically, and magnetically made. They are but twenty-nine magnets revolving around our sun as a centre. The sun being pure electricity or primal matter, is but an emanation from the Deity. It is consequently in a positive state. Hence, electricity is continually passing from the sun, as a common centre to the twenty-nine surrounding worlds : on the same principle that it passes from a positive to a negative cloud. Having done its duty in giving light, heat, and vegetation, as well as magnetic power to the globes, it is returned by reaction to the sun, and these two motions from the vertices that roll worlds around him. It is impossible that there can be any inherent attraction or repulsion in matter. Attraction and repulsion are but different dispositions of electricity. The best magnets are now made for the galvanic battery. Hence, electricity, galvanism and magnetism, are but in substance one and the same fluid, and the Eternal Mind, so that all the powers of attraction and repulsion originated in Deity. His will comes in contact with electricity, and through that subtle agent he moves the whole immeasurable universe in accordance with nature’s law. All worlds are in motion. They roll rapid as the lightning’s blaze, and in the most apparent confusion ; yet all is calm, regular, and harmonious. God is, therefore, connected with his universe, and superintends all its multifarious operations. Tho’ he is thus intimately united with inert matter, yet is he distinct from the whole. Thou apart, Above, beyond ; O tell me, mighty Mind, Where art thou? Shall I dive into the deep: Call to the sun? or ask the roaring winds For their Creator! Shall I question loud The thunder, if in that the Almighty dwells! Or holds he furious storms in straitened reins, And bids fierce whirlwinds wheel his rapid car! The Pittsburgh Post, 9 August 1847 The divine spark from which all things emanate; the perfume of the profound, unseen forces that connect us to the cosmos: the cold brilliance of metallic aldehydes, lemon pith, ambergris accord, and white lavender tethered to terrestrial patchouli, violet leaf, and a mineralic musk.

Wisteria and White Musk.

It is rare for me to enjoy scents containing wisteria, because the note is often very high-pitched on me. I own exactly two BPAL bottles of the scent featuring the note: Hanami (which I prefer layered with a sweet scent like Antique Lace Res. to soften the harsher edges of the florals) and On Wednesday, I Will Promise You a Phantom (although that is much heavier on my favorite note, lavender, and happens to contain vanilla). I decided to grab a decant of this to pair with scents like those, and I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. I am not sure if I'm just coming around to wisteria now, or if it's this particular combination that I'm enjoying (I noticed, while searching through forum reviews, that most of the Lab's wisteria scents contain lilac, which isn't a note that I love... but I also didn't enjoy Honeysuckle and Wisteria based on my review, and honeysuckle is one of my favorite floral notes, so who knows). I tested this in several ways: sprayed on a paper towel, sprayed on the back of my hand, in wet hair, and in dry hair. The scent on the paper towel when I'd fan it in front of my nose was really nice. Both the wisteria and white musk are in full force, but the wisteria, while it still reads as somewhat high-pitched to me, smells better than it smelled on my skin. When I sprayed it on the back of my hand, I still got a lot of both notes, but my skin chemistry made the wisteria note sharper than it was on the paper towel. In wet hair, I didn't really notice it after application. In dry hair, it doesn't have a lot of throw (at least, not in an office environment -- maybe that will change when I step out into the 102 degree heat in 20 minutes). That said, I could still smell it in my hair throughout most of the day whenever I held my hair up to my nose. I have long, straight hair down to my ass, and I feel like the hair gloss was more noticeable for at least six hours of my work day, but it is pretty faint now. I only used two sprays, so maybe it would be stronger if I had used more. I can smell both notes in my hair, but the wisteria in my hair is much smoother than it was on my skin or on the paper towel. I believe the white musk is the same one paired with scents like La Joconde and Griotte, Lime, and White Musk. It's the white musk Beth sometimes pairs with citrus notes. It's not powdery at all, and I agree that it smells fancy. I'm currently debating whether or not I need to upgrade my decant to a bottle, since this is supposed to come down at the end of the week, which means any time now. On the one hand, I'm telling myself I only have two scents featuring wisteria and don't need a whole bottle of a hair gloss to pair with two scents. On the other hand, I'm telling myself that it could be paired with some of the Lab's more mainstream-esque scents, too, like Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending and Tomie, and if I do end up getting low on my decant, I'm unlikely to find more (unless it pops up on Etsy), as it doesn't seem like it was very popular. So I'll probably end up grabbing a bottle just in case, because what if this is my wisteria loving arc that I never knew would come to pass and I end up with more wisteria scents?! Well, I think this somehow ended up being my longest review ever. I hope my waffling over this wisteria hair gloss has helped someone else make a decision on it. ETA: Just wanted to update and say that I did end up ordering a bottle.

And the weaver said, Speak to us of Clothes. And he answered: Your clothes conceal much of your beauty, yet they hide not the unbeautiful. And though you seek in garments the freedom of privacy you may find in them a harness and a chain. Would that you could meet the sun and the wind with more of your skin and less of your raiment, For the breath of life is in the sunlight and the hand of life is in the wind. Some of you say, “It is the north wind who has woven the clothes we wear.” And I say, Ay, it was the north wind, But shame was his loom, and the softening of the sinews was his thread. And when his work was done he laughed in the forest. Forget not that modesty is for a shield against the eye of the unclean. And when the unclean shall be no more, what were modesty but a fetter and a fouling of the mind? And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. Sunlight on skin: sweet amber, honey dust, golden sandalwood, and soft musk.

An intangible vapor, an obfuscating mist: grey iris, ambergris, mallow blossom, white tea blossoms, and scorched milk. Alfred Stieglitz

White Lilac and Moss.

Rice Milk and Mallow.

A splendid shock of crushed lapis, vibrant and beatific: lilac resinoid, dried blueberries and blackcurrant, Oman frankincense, and Styrax tonkinensis.

This one starts off with a burst of the fruity notes, especially the dried blueberries, which definitely aren't as juicy and seem more concentrated than fresh blueberries, but the fruit notes quickly make way for the lilac to come through. The lilac then becomes the dominant note on me throughout wear, backed by the dried blueberries and blackcurrant notes, and over time, the scent gradually becomes more resinous, so that it settles into a lilac and resin scent brushed with the fruits. I'd love to see this blueberry note featured in another scent where it can be the star (I just haven't really been feeling lilac lately). But if you're a lilac fan and are looking for a lilac scent that's darker and not as spring-like, give this one a try.

Sing a song of sixpence, A pocket full of rye. Four and twenty blackbirds Baked in a pie. When the pie was opened, The birds began to sing. Wasn’t that a dainty dish To set before the king? A delicacy to be puffed and then passed, dainty as you please: rye puff pastry crust splitting apart to reveal a cacophony of musky wild blackberries stewed in kush-infused butter.

This is a weed-tinged blackberry pie scent. The blackberry note is the star of the show throughout wear. The weed note is not skunky and is the same one featured in Honeyed Weed and Dandelions. It's most prevalent during the wet phase of the scent, but it's not a main player on me. This is the pie scent with the most noticeable pie crust note that I've tried from the Lab. Most of the Lab's pies, while I love them and look forward to more of them, tend to be more about the filling than the crust, so I'm happy both pie components are present here! The crust starts off more like a freshly baked, warm, buttery crust, but then I get more rye from it after a while. The decant is definitely a keeper. I'm going to need to a full day slather to see if I need more of this. I might need to get more just for that pie crust note.

This is a dewy floral blend throughout wear, with the rose hips being the strongest of the floral notes on me. The jasmine isn't indolic or heady, and while I wanted waaaaay more lavender from this, it's definitely there -- just not a dominant note like I was hoping it would be. I bet the moonflower is there, contributing to this misty nighttime floral vibe, but I can't isolate it (maybe because my skin really seems to want to showcase the rose hips). I'm going to have to spend more time with this one to see if I need more of it, and I think I'll start by trying this as a sleep scent soon to see how that goes.

I received a tester of this in a decant order. The toffee-like honey dust note is the dominant note on me throughout wear. I get more sandalwood than amber lurking in the background, on a bed of musk. It's not a soft scent at all on me, but that's probably because I tend to amp the Lab's honey dust note. I'm not big on the Lab's honey dust note and prefer other honey notes from the Lab, but if you are a fan of honey dust note, this scent has it in spades.

Sheer white vanilla with strawberry cream, star jasmine, mallow blossom, vanilla sugar, pink lotus petals, lychee, rosehips, russet amber, and pink sandalwood. Alphonsine De Challié

I mostly wanted to try this because of the linden blossom and the art. This isn't as earthy as one might expect based off the notes. It starts off being a mostly green scent (probably thanks to the moss and the creeping jenny) and then becomes more of a floral scent after several hours of wear. The vetiver in this lends a light smokiness to the scent that's most noticeable during the scent's green phase, but it's pretty subdued for vetiver. I'm not getting the soil note, nor the delicate mushroom note (I was looking for it after trying the hair gloss). The honeywort isn't something I would have been able to pick out were it not for the duet, but that adds a touch of something akin to a lemony cough drop when the scent is morphing from the green phase to the floral one. I do get the linden blossom I was here for after a few hours, but it is also accompanied by iris, which is high-pitched on me. While this isn't something I feel the need to upgrade to a bottle of, I do think that this scent befits our sad frog friend from the art, and I'm glad that it isn't wet/swampy in any way.