Spectral Doorway

surprised by the low reviews (did any of y'all even try this yet?). i just got my bottle and am wearing it and trying to put it into words. but hate? no no no no no. this is cute, whimsical, totally unisex and wearable, it's got a little bit of the rubbery dna that's kinda in all ds durga fragrances (fwiw, i am not an ambassador or am paid by them, i'm just another lowly sucker for their marketing). it's powdery in a way last year's 'salem gothic' is powdery, but dryer, it's like a bottle of good perfume you uncovered in your grandma's medicine cabinet during an estate sale: faded and less potent over the years, but something new comes out. i'm really getting the 'decayed paper' note mixed with an unusual and curious sweetness. yeah. this is grandma-who-died-in-the-1970's favorite bottle of perfume recovered in 2024, diluted and dirtied up by the passage of time. eta: yeah, this leans feminine, but dead bride's wedding gown feminine. i'm getting hints of 'black magenta' in the drydown but for the older crowd, the muuuuch older crowd. this ghost partied back in her day.

Spectral Doorway is mesmerizing! It’s beautifully effervescent, with a light, citrusy sparkle that has a playful, Pez candy like dusting, delicate yet memorable. It’s hard to put into words, but there’s an airy vibrancy that feels both nostalgic and modern.

Reminiscent of Deep Dark Vanilla but softer and without the vanilla. Usually I dislike powdery notes but this felt powdery in a way I didn't mind. Once it starts to fade it you're left with a pleasant papery and ghostly smell 👻

Just received my bottle today and upon first spray I’m a little disappointed. I’ll try it again later but it’s coming off a bit masculine leaning and the artemisia is really coming off strong and weird to me. Very mint-like. I don’t get incense or old books. Just dusty, powdery, minty and slightly fresh. Like some type of airy musky citrus in the background. This does not give the vibe that I was hoping for. I absolutely love Salem Gothic and this has zero similarities to that. I’ve not smelled Handbook so I can’t compare to that one.

If you’ve smelled guaiacol, you’ve smelled this :( I literally cant smell anything else in here. I swear if DSD is just selling diluted guaiacol for THIS price... 😤😤😤