doomsday_disco

This starts off with the crushed dandelion stems and honey before deciding it is mostly going to be a floral scent -- and I don't know what pansies smell like, but I think that's the floral note I get the most of here. There's a hint of fruit in the background, but I would not describe this as a fruity floral, at least, not on my skin, as I get more honey with the pansies than strawberries. I tried this twice and never smelled the vanilla, but maybe that would become more noticeable with age. I think that this smells pretty, but there are other currently available floral-heavy scents that call to me more, so I don't need more than my decant.

Girl and Butterflies is mostly a black oud and lavender scent on my skin, with touches of the lilac and poppy, a airy quality that must have been from the ambergris, and a bit of brightness that must have been from the white tea. I tried this twice and never ended up detecting the sweet pea on my skin. The oud is not funky whatsoever -- it just smells deeply resinous. Paired with the lavender, it smells a little perfume-y, but it's not high-pitched. As the day goes on, the black oud increases and strength, and the lavender calms down, yet never leaves its side. I think this smells nice, but since this scent didn't make me swoon and there are other lavender scents available right now that I want back-up bottles of, I do not need more of this.

This starts off as a really lovely sugary, nutty scent, but the sugar party disappears as the benzoin asserts itself and declares dominion over all, accompanied by a little earthiness. I really enjoyed the wet phase of this scent, but I was sad once the resinous benzoin note took over.

I was fortunate to receive a tester of this from my decanter. Forsaken Elephant Puppet is predominantly a cuddly cotton scent on me, with sprinkles of kettle corn strewn about, on a base of white amber. I didn't really get the honey from this on my skin, but that's okay with me. This was fun to get to try, but I'm glad I didn't fall hard for it since I didn't love the 13 with which this was paired. 😅

This 13 is mostly champaca incense and woods on me. It is dry, and the chocolate doesn't really make this a gourmand-leaning book scent to my nose, as it is strongest in the beginning and then quickly beaten back by the incense note, which is in full force on my skin. These notes are backed by the leather, which is fortunately not a sharp or chemical-y variety. I prefer Jólabókaflóð for a chocolate-y book scent, so I'll be passing on my decant of this one.

Of the currently available blends featuring wild strawberry as a note, this one is the most complex. The wild strawberry and incense notes are the main players on me, and these notes really come through in the throw (and the this scent has great throw). I get touches of the honey, florals, and moss, but only when I sniff up close, and with the moss, I could only smell it after sniffing close after the scent had been on all day. Layered with Strawberry Moon: Wild Strawberries and Inky Musk: this ups the wild strawberry and the musk, of course! Layered with Strawberry Moon: Kyphi and Sweet Cream: this ups the incense and also adds a smattering of buttery cream on top of it all. Layered with Strawberry Moon: Zante Currants and Lime: this adds a nice brightness and tartness to the scent. This is different than the other strawberry moons and I'm currently debating whether or not I need more of it before it goes away. In any case, I'll definitely be keeping my decant to pair with my Strawberry Moon: Wild Strawberries and Amber Hair Gloss.

This is GLORIOUS. I'm a big fan of sugary floral scents, so I figured that it would be, but I love it even more than I thought I would since the emphasis here is on the white sugar note. It's not listed as one of the sugars in 13 March 2020, but I think it may be one of the sugars found in that scent? Anyway, the sugar note is properly sugary and it smells divine. I'd say this is probably 95% white sugar and 5% ylang ylang on me, especially in the throw, and this is one of the lotions where the throw is decent and the scent even lasts between hand washes. The ylang ylang in it is a little more noticeable after it has been on the skin for a few hours, but it is not nearly as strong as the sugar and it isn't heady. I need a bottle in my life!

I'm not really sure what purple musk contains, but I think there must be some kind of resin in it, as there's an incense-y note to this that I wasn't expecting from this duet. I get lily and incense-y musk from this, and since incense-y florals are not really in my wheelhouse, I don't feel the need to grab more of this one. I'm curious to read other reviews, though, to see what others are experiencing with this purple musk note.

I didn't order a decant of this scent, but my decanter kindly gifted me a tester of this to try that had enough in it for two tests. Flower Moon is very much a floral scent, with the flowers not being too high-pitched or heady, but I think I may be having a similar experience to leptonpyr, as I also get plenty of incense with the floral notes. It might be the amber in the blend, although it definitely made me think more of incense than amber. I had decided not to grab a decant of this one because of the earth note -- not because I dislike dirt notes, but because I didn't really myself appreciating it with these notes. Fortunately, there isn't any super earthy or moist dirt note in this scent -- but I can imagine some sun-baked, dry earth beneath the floral notes and their nectar if I sniff the scent up close. I like this moon more than I thought I would and think it is pretty, especially during the late drydown once the incense has calmed down, but since it didn't make me swoon like its lotion did, I'm not sure I need a bottle of this one. (I will probably huff my now empty tester a few more times before the scent goes away just to be sure, though. 😅)

Ancient and unhurried, warm and resinous incense smoke curls through a palace that has stood since before the dawn of history. Amber sparkling like Byzantine beadwork, poppy petals, sweet frankincense smoke swirling into ornamental flourishes, feathery white orris. Gilded with ancient tales, this perfume dries into something akin to the inside of a forgotten reliquary box: sacred objects, old wood, petals pressed flat by the weight of centuries.

Among the many botanical curiosities that populate the traditions of Hoodoo, folk magic, and conjure, few possess the quiet majesty and enduring reputation of Queen Elizabeth Root. Known botanically as Iris germanica and commonly referred to as orris root when used in perfumery and herbalism, this humble rhizome has long been regarded as a potent spiritual ally. Beneath its unassuming exterior lies a symbol of feminine sovereignty: a root associated with love, authority, charisma, and the cultivation of personal power. The dried root itself offers a small lesson in patience and transformation. Hard and unyielding when whole, Queen Elizabeth Root does not readily reveal its fragrance. Once cut, grated, or pulverized, it releases the soft violet-like sweetness that has made orris root prized in perfumery for centuries. Within Hoodoo and related folk traditions, Queen Elizabeth Root is revered for its association with attraction and magnetism. It is most frequently worked by those seeking to draw love, deepen romantic attention, or cultivate passionate connections. Yet its influence extends beyond the sphere of romance. The root is also valued as a charm for increasing charisma and popularity, encouraging eloquence in communication, and strengthening one’s authority in relationships or negotiations. It is believed to help its bearer command respect and secure favorable outcomes in situations where influence and presence matter. Because of these qualities, Queen Elizabeth Root has traditionally been regarded as an emblem of feminine power. Carried as a talisman, it is said to enhance personal magnetism and reinforce one’s ability to shape the circumstances of one’s life. In folklore, the root is sometimes linked with figures such as Queen Jezebel, another symbol of commanding presence and irresistible allure. Beyond matters of love and influence, Queen Elizabeth Root is also associated with inner perception. Some traditions hold that it may aid in prophetic dreaming or support divinatory work, subtly opening the mind to intuition and symbolic insight. In this role the root becomes not merely an instrument of outward magnetism but also a key to inward awareness, encouraging the practitioner to listen more carefully to the quiet language of dreams and omens. The iris plant itself has long carried associations with nobility and elegance; its flowers appear in royal heraldry and classical gardens alike. In sorcerous lore, this regal imagery becomes concentrated in the root. To carry it is, in a sense, to carry a fragment of symbolic sovereignty: a reminder that presence, dignity, and charm are forms of power that can be cultivated and consciously directed. Thus Queen Elizabeth Root occupies a distinctive place within the landscape of folk magic. It is not a tool of aggression or coercion but one of magnetism and influence, working through attraction rather than force.

When I first tested this, I couldn't smell the green tea at all. I get a very strong almond note from this that's giving me cherry almond vibes. I haven't tried it in a while, but I think it's kind of reminiscent of the cherry/almond cookie scent I got from Lilith the Explorer. Some days later, I tried it layered with its moon, and I could smell the green tea in the layering combo. And now that the scent has had plenty of time to settle, I get both the intense almond-y cookie dough note and the green tea, with more of almondy dough than tea. Maybe this is supposed to be like sugar cookie dough, but the baker's hand slipped and they added way more almond extract than they had intended. I was really hoping that this would feature the cookie dough note from Pandemic Vanitas. I don't dislike it and will probably keep my bottle, but it's not my favorite duet from the Beaver Moon 2025 collection. (That award goes to Lime Blossom & Amber Sugar.)

When I grabbed a decant of With Care and With Joy, I had hoped that it would smell like the milk and honey note from Alice. Alas, it did not! But I think this one does! It has amazing throw and staying power, even lasting between a few hand washes before reapplication. I tested it against Alice by applying that further down my arm, and my bottle is super aged and more about the carnation, but I do believe they share the same milk and honey notes. It also reminds me of a milk and honey liquid soap -- maybe Softsoap? -- but I haven't smelled that in ages and cannot be sure. The combination of the two notes is heavenly -- no funkiness from the milk or the honey! I'm going to need a bottle.

This is mostly about the Embalming Fluid and the leather. The clean, lemony green tea of Embalming Fluid is the strongest aspect of the scent at first, with the leather increasing in strength over time, still doused in some Embalming Fluid. I swore that there was some dusty white sandalwood in this when I first tried it, but apparently, there is not! There is an aspect to this scent that I get after several hours of wear that I think is the white satin curtains -- I thought maybe there was something fabric-like with hints of orris and vanilla during one of my tests, but I think that was a fluke, as I didn't smell that during subsequent tests or when I tested this on my partner. (I'm guessing that another scent on my arm was interfering with this one during that test). So there's a softness to the fabric beneath the leather doused with a splash of Embalming Fluid by the end of the day, but there's nothing in the accord to take it out of clean Embalming Fluid and leather seat territory. I like this and will keep my partial bottle to wear when Weenie season is approaching and it's too hot to wear Weenies, but I still want to wear them. However, I don't think I need a full bottle, as I don't think there are many occasions where I'd prefer Embalming Fluid plus leather over straight up Embalming Fluid.

Treat this as more of an impression than a review as I haven't sprayed it in my hair yet. Alas, I didn't get around to properly testing this before it came too hot here to be wearing coffee scents, so I decided to spray it on a paper towel so I could at least share some thoughts on it before it goes away this week. This is exactly what it says on the tin: coffee bean and cinnamon. However, this reads as more perfume-y than a true to life gourmand to my nose. Both of the notes are prominent, but the coffee is the stronger of the two. I think this smells nice, but I'll content myself with the decant since I already own a bottle of Hunter's Moon: Coffee Bean and Incense Hair Gloss. ETA: I have now tried this in wet and dry hair since we had a few cooler days in the 70s. I applied this to wet hair yesterday and left my hair down all day and never caught a waft of it, but I could still smell traces of the coffee bean scent when I held up my hair to my nose to sniff it by the end of the day. The scent is stronger applied to dry hair, and when I took the clip out of my hair that I used for part of today, I caught a waft of the hair gloss, and sometimes I catch whiffs of it just sitting at my desk. However, I maintain that this isn't really as gourmand as it may seem -- to me, it seems kind of like a coffee cologne? I totally get alterosen's speculation about there being something else in here, like a touch of smoke.