Neapolitan Goth

[doomsday_disco]

When it’s too hot to wear all black, consider refreshing your aesthetic with this deliciously neutral palette! Chocolate, strawberry and vanilla, sticky with labdanum and duly chilled with a whisper of clove smoke.

Edited July 11 by doomsday_disco

[Failmingo]

Hoping to do a Summerween live-sniff soon, but in case that takes a minute, figured I'd sketch out some impressions of this scent, which I have been DYING to smell. 

 

In the bottle I'm getting full-bodied Neapolitan freeze-dried astronaut ice cream sandwich, including chocolate wafer. There is a scuzz of smoke floating around it which is easily overpowered by the sweetness, creaminess, and nostalgic familiarity of these classic flavors combined all in one scoop.

 

On the skin I immediately get a jolt of sticky tartness from the labdanum, and the clove grows fangs. It's both darker and warmer than I was hoping for in an ice cream scent, decidedly polluted, like that same sandwich found underneath a bar table at a goth club. Not bad, but more of a traffic jam of notes, right at the instant when I was expecting smoothness.

 

And yet, and yet! Within a few minutes, everything settles down and re-blends itself into a rich, creamy concoction that is recognizably Neapolitan, topped with a drizzle of angst. The clove steadily becomes more noticeable as "clove" than as "smoke" which helps impart some of the desired coolness, although the gummy labdanum still suggests a treat that is actively melting. I think the labdanum clings tightly to the strawberry component, and the clove to the chocolate, leaving the vanilla to fend for itself in a smaller supporting role. It seems like from a distance the clove might be the most distinctive and recognizable note, appealingly ensconced in a murky dessert-y sweetness, but up close I can still pick out the individual flavors.

 

All in all, this is totally great! I was promised a Neapolitan ice cream perfume with a funky attitude, and that's what I got. My childhood sweet tooth is happy, my teenage disaffection feels SEEN and VALIDATED. Two scoops way up!

[auraysu]

This was the one I was most excited about from Summerween, and I like it! There really is an aspect of melted ice cream- I get ice cream soup vibes with the three flavors blending together- but instead of being 'cold' from the ice cream or 'hot' from the clove, it stays 'lukewarm' because they balance each other out. The clove is a tiny bit spicy, but it's lowkey enough that it complements the ice cream. As it dries down, it settles into a dim, gothy aura with a soft, melty tinge. 

[hollyhuynh]

Definitely initially smell like neapolitan ice cream… the strawberry is very artificial and candy like, while the chocolate is pretty muted and the vanilla serving as the base. The labdanum is adding to the very sweet, candy-like (or resinous?) nature of the scent. The smoke is indeed, just a whisper, and i don’t really get it unless I’m sniffing up close. The clove does emerge later during wear though, and it's again, sticky sweet. A lovely note though- it plays well with the strawberry and doesn't overpower everything! However, it's too artificial and candy like to me, so I won't be upsizing.

[Teamama]

I can confirm that Neapolitan Goth is amazing, both in the decant & on a piece of felted wool. Ice cream accord! vanilla! the strawberries in commmercial ice cream that seem weirdly dehydrated! labdanum! pale milky chocolate! clove & tobacco! I doff my hat to the amazing skills & artistry on display in this blend.

 

I hoped it could be a surprise gourmand hit for me, like Pistachio Ambrosia. But my skin chemistry refuses to let me have nice things containing cloves. I had to wash it off . I will pass along my decant, pouting like a dissapointed toddler as I do.