doomsday_disco

I tested this alongside an imp of the GC Delirium. While the GC is all about the rose with a bit of apple and lemon peel, the champagne variant is mostly a dry champagne infused with apple and lemon, with more apple at first, then more lemon once it has been dry for a few hours, and no rose that I could detect (meanwhile, the GC scent was all rose in the throw). While I prefer the champagne variant to the original, I don't like this as much as other champagne scents in my collection. It's just drier than I'd like it to be.

Curls of monastic incense, moss-stained stone, snow-laden cypress, medicinal herbs buried deep in winter soil, and glittering icicles splintering from a gargoyle’s frozen scream.

This was originally going to be a blind bottle, but I have the Pink Grapefruit and Pomelo duet, so I decided grab a decant so I could deathmatch the two. As soon as I applied this trio, and sniffed the bottle of the duet, I could tell that the deathmatch wasn't really necessary. Pomelo, Mandarin, and Pink Grapefruit is mostly about the mandarin on me throughout wear, backed by the other citrus fruits, but full disclosure: my bitch ass isn't super familiar with pomelo. This trio reads as more orange-y to me than grapefruit-y, so if you happen to have the duet, and you are like, ugh, can I really justify another grapefruit scent in my collection? The answer is yes, if you're like me and you're a citrus slut (so long as you can justify another orange scent). I'm really surprised how the addition of the mandarin makes this so different from the duet, although I suppose the ratio of the pomelo and grapefruit notes might be different here. Like Little Bird, there is a phase where the mandarin threatens to go slightly soapy on me after a few hours, which can happen to me when I wear a scent with a pith-y mandarin note, but I think the grapefruit and pomelo notes keep it in check so that it remains a juicy citrus scent that isn't allowed to veer into soap territory. This is a win, and I'll have to grab more of it to slather on during the summer months. Side note: All three of the trios I tried from this release were lovely. I don't think I've had this kind of success with trios from an update before. My wallet may be weeping if I get them all, but this one is a definite since it's such a great citrus and has huge throw.

The pine is most prominent when freshly applied, backed by the juniper berry, with the hemp in the background. But the pine quickly calms down, and the juniper berry and hemp come forward... with the hemp eventually becoming the dominant note on me. The juniper berry adds a fresh, clean aspect to the scent, while the hemp has this sort of sexy incense-y quality on me. I disliked the leather and hemp combo of Rogue, but love Revenant Rhythm, which I always thought was mostly about the black patch and than swoon-worthy vanilla, but maybe the hemp in it was adding to a lot of that swoon-worthiness, and I'm only just realizing it now. Although I was hoping this would be more pine-forward, this was still a really pleasant surprise, and I'm debating whether a decant will be enough.

This is mostly about the sugared strawberries on me, backed by a twist of lime that's most noticeable during the wet phase of the scent. It reminds me of the sugared strawberry mixture you'd put on top of strawberry shortcake, with a sprinkling of lime juice. And it reminds me of summer. I didn't get a ton of throw from this one. I tested this and two other duets from the same release in different areas, and this is one, I had to put my hand up to my nose almost every time I wanted to smell it, whereas I could smell Pomelo, Mandarin, and Pink Grapefruit and Juniper Berry, Pine Needle, and Hemp just from their throw. I am going to have to deathmatch this with the most recent Strawberry Moon, but I really enjoy it and am considering a bottle. Maybe the throw will be better with a big slather!

Winter Apple and Lily of the Valley.

An infernal prayer: black poppy absolute, dried rose petals, opoponax, black labdanum, kyphi smoke, and honeyed oud.

Red vegetal musk, tangerine rind, King mandarin, fossilized amber, and neroli.

“It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night.” Pulsating globs of red musk oozing through a hot, crusty strawberry, red currant, and black cherry tart.

Even the undead need to look sharp. Crypt moss and coffin wood, incense smoke and shards of bone.

Are you a famous, gruff, all-powerful sage shacked up in a quaint local village, dispensing advice to adventurers? Have you sent any hobbits on quests? Died battling epic demons, only to rise again? Are you the wisest, most venerable wizard in town? Well, you don’t have to be – but you can fake it with our Supahwizard Beard Oil! Frankincense, sweet pipe tobacco, and the well-worn leather and parchment of ancient tomes.

"If I say that my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to the spirit of the thing. A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings… It represented a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind. This thing, which seemed instinct with a fearsome and unnatural malignancy, was of a somewhat bloated corpulence…" A creeping, wet, slithering scent, dripping with seaweed, oceanic plants and dark, unfathomable waters.

This is so pretty! The lavender and amber are the standout notes during the first few hours of wear. The jasmine tea gains strength over time, but the jasmine in it is really well-behaved, and the nicotiana, which is a background player, doesn't smell like the tobacco flower used in the Lab's recent scents (which is good, because it lets the other notes have more of a chance to shine). The leather in this is subtle; I only noticed it after it had been dry for several hours of wear, and it's a smooth leather. There's a floral creaminess to this at the end of the day that I think may be due to the osmanthus, but that's not a floral note I'm particularly good at sussing out. There's a sparkling quality to this that appears in some of the Lab's more mainstream-esque perfumes, but I'm not sure what note is contributing to that... perhaps the dry amber, or maybe it's the nicotiana. This is great in all of its phases -- the wonderful lavender amber one, the jasmine tea-dominate one, and the creamy, sparkling floral and amber scent that you get after several hours of wear and can't stop huffing. Honestly, I'm surprised this isn't more popular. I'll cherish my decant. Thank you to the extremely kind soul who sent me a full decant of this beautiful scent!

I tried this last year, but then forgot to review it. So I tested it again. Mermaid just reads as an aquatic scent to me. I am not able to pick out the notes, which means that the orange blossom is well-behaved here, even though it typically tends to be a bully on me. No floral notes stood out to me in particular; the only note from the note list that stood out to me was the sea salt. I think it was fun to try this, but I'm not big on aquatics, and this one didn't really change my mind.

Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk.

This is mostly about the red wine on me, which is infused with some cherry, but the cherry does not stick around in my hair for very long. The other notes weren't distinct in my hair, which made me sad, because aside from the cherry, I wanted that vanilla and clove! I wore this a few times in wet hair and a few times in dry hair. I would say that the scent sticks around better in dry hair, but I never got wafts of it going about my day. I could only smell it whenever I lifted my hair to my nose. Weird, because I thought this would be a pretty strong hair gloss with its notes! If you're looking for a wine-heavy hair gloss, this might be up your alley. I'll probably hang onto my decant to see how this ages... I hope the other notes will pop up with some age!

"Come not between the dragon, and his wrath: a rolling crack of Daemonorops draco and red peppercorn, billows of incense smoke, honeyed Cambodian oud, blackened oakmoss, flame-gold amber, a delicate membrane of leather, and a curved, sharp sandalwood claw."

"RITUAL SPIRIT is inspired by the collections and ghosts that gather in the corners of the studio. All the stories in the walls, that come together to make us feel less alone during this ceremony, of remembering, honoring and holding this life that can feel so monstrous, and so beautiful. The healing that comes with the winds and waters as seasons change. That we want for ourselves, and we want for others." Amber beeswax, champaca absolute, and 7-year aged black patchouli dribbling over Victorian oak panels and web-dusted bones. A perfumed meditation for your body, and your personal altar space- that which might be as simple as smell, a calming moment, the stillness of the woods or standing in a window -- whatever it is, it is enough.

"Nothing about him looked particularly demonic, at least by classical standards. No horns, no wings. Admittedly he was listening to a Best of Queen tape, but no conclusions should be drawn from this because all tapes left in a car for more than a fortnights metamorphose into Best of Queen albums. No particularly demonic thoughts were going through his head. In fact, he was wondering vaguely who Moey and Chandon were. Crowley had dark hair, and good cheekbones, and he was wearing snakeskin shoes, or at least presumably he was wearing shoes, and he could do really weird things with his tongue. And, whenever he forgot himself, he had a tendency to hiss." Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk.

"Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide. Two of these were wrong; Heaven is not England, whatever certain poets may have thought, and angels are sexless unless they really want to make an effort." Ethereal musk, blonde woods, and dusty Bible accord.

Bronze gears spin inside a polished wooden case, and an entire universe dances within. Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco.

"Nothing about him looked particularly demonic, at least by classical standards. No horns, no wings. Admittedly he was listening to a Best of Queen tape, but no conclusions should be drawn from this because all tapes left in a car for more than a fortnights metamorphose into Best of Queen albums. No particularly demonic thoughts were going through his head. In fact, he was wondering vaguely who Moey and Chandon were. Crowley had dark hair, and good cheekbones, and he was wearing snakeskin shoes, or at least presumably he was wearing shoes, and he could do really weird things with his tongue. And, whenever he forgot himself, he had a tendency to hiss." Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk.

Bast, Ubasti, Ailuros, Ba-en-Aset. Represented as both a domestic cat and a fierce lioness, she truly evidences traits of both. She is the Mother of All Cats, Goddess of Sensuality, Fertility, and a guardian and protector of women. She is also one of the Eyes of Ra, and in that aspect is an Avenging Goddess, seeking retribution and punishing enemies of her people. Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus.

"Many people, meeting Aziraphale for the first time, formed three impressions: that he was English, that he was intelligent, and that he was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide. Two of these were wrong; Heaven is not England, whatever certain poets may have thought, and angels are sexless unless they really want to make an effort." Ethereal musk, blonde woods, and dusty Bible accord.