Death and Decay

i just went through the list of cons on this scent and i'm going to have to hard disagree with some of them. i think the strong indolic nature of this scent and the overpowering lily note is what truly makes the name of this fragrance so apt. some may liken it to Funeral Home by Demeter, and while i've not smelt it i'm ready to disagree. i first smelt this on a mid-afternoon in autumn, and i immediately saw an image in my mind's eye. (**let me preface this by saying that i'm not much of a daydreamer or an imaginer, so when i do receive some kind of imagery from a fragrance, i'll usually purchase it. that to me is a sign that the scent speaks to me.**) this smells exactly like a British park after autumn rain in the late afternoon or early evening, when it's starting to get dark. this is when the trees are starting to shed their leaves and become bare, and the litter is slowly beginning to break down and decompose. i get the scent of wet leaf litter, the slightest hint of that raw/ animalic(??) vibe from rotting plants, but also the sweet smell of decay that is often associated with decomposition. i'd say it's fairly melancholy because it clearly smells like something to do with death, yet it is beautiful to me in the way it is serene and comforting. it's definitely more outdoorsy than a funeral home. another possible comparison if we're going along the lines of funerals is a columbarium by the mountains. i think this is a palatable and wearable gothic scent for the lovers of all things dark and mellow. while Death and Decay itself isn't the darkest, heaviest scent out there, it's a fragrance that evoked a strange sort of peace and bittersweetness in me when i first smelt it. i've rarely liked a fragrance so much on the first sniff and i'm not even exaggerating LOL. i don't find it overpowering despite my usual aversion to many white flower forward fragrances (i have a vendetta against jasmine LOL), and i'd argue that the lilies in this perfume are quite delicate and almost intoxicating. on that note, i will say i don't get much powderiness from this fragrance. one last note: i have an old leather handbag that i thrifted and didn't bother deodourising because i'm a sucker for strange smells and quite like the animalic, smoky and slightly sweet notes i get from the smell of the old leather. i often wear that bag when i wear this fragrance to add more of an animalic feel to my overall scent profile for the day, and really play into the mournful, funereal feel of Death and Decay.

My dearest Death and Decay, what can I say! Another heavy-hitter from Lush. Purposefully lethargic, numb, indifferent. Complex and subjective. Hypnotically off-putting. Vampiress whispering to her soon-to-be victim, "come into my boudoir." Bountiful white lilies compete with other white florals: roses, ylang-ylang, jasmine, some of them fresh, but many withered with age, giving us a foreign sense of floral musk, the Decay. Mortician's cosmetic powder dusted liberally onto the corpse, illusions of cleanliness trying to mask the heart beneath: the Death, something damp, indole (the semi-sweet, dirty, rot kind), cream with no sweetness, wax, and cloves. The girlies who've roamed cemeteries during significant downpours or happened upon a shallow, poorly concealed grave would get it—the girls that don't get it, simply don't! If you don't care for the morbid or occult themes, if the name on the bottle unsettles you, if you only like your florals smelling fresh and vibrant, if you mainly enjoy upbeat and peppy, if you hate cloudy days, if you enjoy basic, this is not the fragrance for you. Smells like Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead: "The virginal brides file past his tomb Strewn with time's dead flowers Bereft in deathly bloom Alone in a darkened room The Count Bela Lugosi's dead..." Same potent and long-lasting Lush formula. Good for intimate settings (used in moderation, of course)—funerals or office settings alike. I have this in both the spray and solid, I find the solid has more of the creamy and spicy notes shining through. A gentle scent that does not command head-turns like most other perfumes, but instead suggests you to sniff till you are content. This got me the compliment "you smell very comforting, cozy," if only I could describe how their face twisted with confusion when I replied "Thank you! I'm wearing Death and Decay by Lush." This fragrance has had a haunting influence over me. Shivers up my spine after application, I am commanded to do my eyeshadow and eyeliner heavier, darker, my lips done with burgundy, deep browns, and black; I trail to my wardrobe and dawn only black or muted deep colors for the day, silver accessories. I am imbued with something gothic, something Victorian—I become a muse of Dark Romanticism. Entranced and soothed with Death and Decay's namesake reminder of the inevitable fate we face as mortal beings. And this fragrance has allowed me to make peace with it.

The name is meant to mislead you. The nose behind this fragrance wanted to create something "surprisingly pleasant when you're expecting something awful". If you smelled this I think you'll agree that's exactly what he managed to do. This is honestly not only one of Lush's best but one of the best perfumes I've ever smelled, hands down. I think this perfume is a work of genius. The way that it evolves is so interesting to me. It's one of those rare ones where I love it for every single second of its life. It's a floral through and through but changes so much more than you would expect. The opening is like a fizzy, bubbling, fermenting floral bouquet from which the jasmine distinguishes itself more and more as it progresses into the core. During that time when the jasmine is at the forefront, it's really similar to Lush's Lust (basically pure jasmine). If you aren't familiar with the way Lush does jasmine, it's like chemical and plastic yet addictive and intoxicating. As the jasmine dies down, it turns into such a beautiful, delicate white floral. That's what you're left with except as it dries down, it turns creamier and creamier and the end result is so comforting. The drydown is really similar to Lush's Ghost (or Lush's Sultana of Soap in terms of creaminess). I only picked up a bottle this summer so I didn't get a chance to smell it in cold weather yet but so far, I've found that I like it much more on humid days. It projects well, it has decent staying power, it was recently made more expensive but it's worth the price. (This review is for the version they came out with for the black label perfumes they only sell in big bottles, I've heard that this is slightly different from older versions in that it's more soapy but it's the only version I've ever tried so I wouldn't know.)

Very indolic white lilies and jazmine. Reminds me of my beloved Jazmín en Crema by Vizcántar, with its oily, very indolic bottom. Also reminds me of some vintage floral scents by Myrurgia. It's powdery, comforting, soooo vintage and intoxicating. Only for people who appreciate some dirt and indole in their fumes, not a clean, innocent or youthful floral. It goes rather strong at first but does not last long in my skin,only about two or three hours and it becomes a skin scent, like an expensive floral soap. I find this elegant and propper for a spring day, does not smell of funerals to me perhaps for the different cultural background (in my country the funeral flowers are chrysanthemums and carnations while lilies are more liturgical). It has a certain melancholic quality anyway. Love the packaging, sooooo much reminds me of a potion out of Harry Potter books, more so as it's mainly a lily powerhouse. This could have easily been one of Severus Snape's concoctions dedicated to the memory of his beloved Lily Evans. I'm not ashamed to admit I bought it for the Harry Potter connection and the lovely packaging. A bit too expensive, won't repurchase as Jazmín en Crema de Vizcántar and Nebras by Al Rehab satisfy my taste for white florals at a much lower price and last much longer on my skin.

A gorgeous, delectably soapy, spiced & silken, moist & musky lily. This scent is in the same vein as The Body Shop's original White Musk oil (which I love), only cooler/crisper/more biting in character, with less notes & boasting a dominant, all-encompassing focus on the lily. Striking shades of Donna Karan's Gold are also apparent here, but I find that rather sickly sweet, too strong and too dry for my taste. I smell no lily of the valley here. (Appreciate & agree with Calvini's review.) Powdery, but not overly "tonka bean style" dry. Soapy, though not overtly aldehydic. Creamy, yet not overly vanillic. The solid is a touch spicier than the liquid version. I was actually put in mind of a good korma the first time I smelled the solid. (Please don't let that put you off!) This is one of those scents that I've often applied before bed. A classic, ladylike scent, I assume is intended for evening wear. I often find myself opening the bottle to take a sly sniff of the dropper rather than to apply to my skin. I adore LUSH's Death & Decay & hope it remains available indefinitely. (Though I'm upset by the price hike....) Skin close, initially with soft to arm's length projection. Subtle but lasting.

Buxom, thriving, flourishing. Death and Decay is a fully realized, optimistic flower in the height of its beauty; a truly superb operatic aria. This lily is narcotic and mature, heavily laden with dark orange pollen and reeking with an indolic sap. A little spicy, like a hint of metallic clove accents this beauty. Any fuller and her petals would be falling and her pollen littering the stage with rust; right on the verge of decay. I am madly in love with this scent. I had sampled a few lilies recently in my quest for the perfect one. And here she is, thanks to a beautiful Fragrantican who gifted this to me. This is the perfume solid. I see chimidoro's observation below that this is spicier than the liquid perfume, so I'll be sticking to the solid because this scent is perfection. The texture also feels like waxy petals which adds to the experience. I think this lily-bomb will be fantastic for layering too. So pleased, I haven't been so unexpectedly seduced by a fragrance like this for a long time.

I have only used the solid version. Death and Decay is my favorite fragrance of all time - it's strong, floral, slightly powdery and peppery, dark, brooding, gothic. For me it's not quite giving funeral. It's walking past almost nauseatingly strong blooming flowers on a hot, humid late summer night. Flower bouquets on the bedside, quiet, still air, hot feverish skin as the inevitable approaches. There's a sense of doom, like knowing something bad is coming but accepting it and choosing to take it in with all senses since you can't avoid it. D&D is my signature scent and I only apply it on special occasions, as it's no longer available as solid and the liquid is for sale three countries away from me. I keep searching for something, anything that will scratch the same dark, gothic floral itch so I can move on from D&D but I've not smelled anything like it anywhere in any form. It's bewitched me. I'd say it feminine-leaning unisex, I myself am a goth man and it makes me feel powerful and confident.

I just received the liquid version of this beauty. I loved the solid so much that after spending some time with it, thought it worth the expenditure in hopes for extra projection and strength. And it delivers. How do the solid and liquid compare? The liquid is not as waxy/soapy from the container. It also has a bit of a boozy vibe to open, not like an inherent base alcohol blast, but like an intentional note of styrax or extra indole. It does settle down into virtually the same vibrant scent (see my first review a few boxes down), but with with more staying power and sillage. I just wish that the dropper was a spray instead as I like to apply diffusively instead of on a concentrated spot. Easily fixed with a transfer into an empty spray bottle, however this stuff is strong and one drop from the pipette does the trick, so I'll be spraying with caution or diluting with some perfumer's alcohol.

I'm torn about this fragrance. The first hour or so of wear is lovely, overripe lilies with a lot of powder, it smells very vintage without being "old lady"-ish. The overripe lily I feel can be polarizing, the note comes off very sweet and somewhat musky. However, I feel like you need to be careful while applying because this stuff is STRONG. Not only on skin, any fabric this touches will have the smell of Death and Decay for days, and this smell can easily can be overpowering, suffocating, and even nauseating in excess. After a few hours a note begins to appear that, to be blunt, smells like poop. Like, actual poop. When I first smelled this note I had no idea where it was coming from until I realized it was Death and Decay. TL;DR It smells like a powdery floral at first, then morphs into what can only be put as flowers and poop.

I love this scent. I'm talking the liquid version. I wonder why Fragrantica's note list tells that it has lily, powdery notes and spicy notes, and nothing else. You can go Lush's own page and see that it's listed ylang ylang oil, tonka absolute,rose oil, jasmine absolute, and indole. Also there's lily note ( not lily-of-the-valley) but I don't know if it's natural or not (go and look, maybe you understand better). This is really really beautiful floral perfume. Im going to add that in my collection as soon as possible. Edit, February 2018: I never thought that they would discontinue this beauty. Lush changed almost the whole collection, and I never got this. When I went finally to buy this, they said it doesn't exist anymore. I'm so disappointed...

Death and decay is a true winner. I did not realize this was such a polarizing fragrance! Death and Decay (as explained to me by a store rep in Tokyo, Japan) is not being interpreted correctly. It is meant to represent and highlight its main note of Lily of the Valley in all of its stages of life from vegetative, to floral, to full bloom and then into decay. The funeral flower (lily) is alive and well i assure you. This is a lush green floral, a beautiful and new idea that carves its way into my heart through its use of natural oils, its balanced and well blended composition and its polarizing affects on people. Namesake aside, this awesome fragrance is long lasting, stunning stuff. I'm enamored. I call it a winner in my book!

This is one of my favorite fragrances (as previously reviewed below) but it was only available for a limited time! Well, I just found that LUSH have brought it back! However, I'm quite sure that the ingredients are different. I have read previously that they have been adding water to scents which previously contained none, thus making their scents far weaker. It's also pretty pricey, coming in at £95 for 100ml, so if it is weaker that's not so grand. Good to see a bigger size being made available though! Looking forward to trying it and finding out if it's anything like the original version - which I own in the solid variant and the dropper/splash bottle variant. Heads up to fans of DEATH & DECAY - IT'S BAAAAAACK!

This is my funeral scent. I know it sounds a bit morbid, but it has been very therapeutic actually. Now, when I put it on I'm instantly put in a serene and somber mood. It helpes me realise what is going on. I put it on when I moved out of my moms house and when we put the family dog down. It has besome my scent for goodbyes. Its bittersweet and comforting at the same time. The image I get when I put it on is sitting in the pews at church, everyone in their own little world of grief. Notes playing on the organ, the sound of crying. I look up at the casket, flowers laid on top, an the sun falls through tall church windows. I realise this is as much a beginning as an ending. I genuinly love this scent.

I am not sure what indole smells like. This did not smell of death or dying flowers to me though. I guess indole is that strange background smell on the initial blast, that quickly turns into fresh cut spring flowers, very green with a hint of rose and tonka (almost marzipan like)in the background. The dry down smells very similar to the Mary Quant perfume in a tin from the 70's or indeed, Lush's own 1000 kisses. I like it but see it as a summer evening or formal occasion scent. No black goth outfits or sexy siren red, more floral wedding guest attire or slinky pastel number. Different from the norm and quite strong. You will get noticed!!

There is a strong, sharp, powdery pepper note that I don't think enough people are picking up on, and when I spray it on my neck, I sneeze almost every time. It's a very polarizing scent, and the lilies are dominant. My aunt said it felt like a funeral parlor. But to me, it smells like the Church hall on Pascha-- a little incence-ey. I get a lot of compliments on it, though and its projection is just over arms-length and leaves a very faint trail. More compliments on it from men than from women. A lot of men think it smells gourmand, specifically cinnamon, specifically specifically, "like a cookie".

Okay. This is just me being me, BUT, everytime I apply this from this little dropper applicator, and see the red and green label saying "Death and Decay" - I just get the strongest Harry Potter vibes. This is like the perfume I got from a shady perfumery in Knockturn Alley. This is a poison. This smells like strong white lilies and lily of the valley. This will make Severus Snape fall in love with me for sure. This is life. I almost apply this with a screeching laughter.... "Almost"

To me this is very nice and natural; it's fresh, clean/soapy & dirty/musky at the same time, and not really sweet (unlike most other well-known lily fragrances). It feels rather serene as opposed to anything rotten, which is the true message of this fragrance: Acceptance and peace with death. *BTW true lilies and lily of the valleys are actually quite different; they're both monocots but are in different order & family... This is not an interpretation of the latter

I think I might be in love...the first spray is pure, intoxicating lily. It's so floral and yet not feminine at all; it feels subdued, comforting, a little ghostly. This is what the beautiful, mysterious girl standing in the corner at the party is wearing. The scent is fairly linear but does become softer and creamier with time. To my nose there's no pepper at all. I think I'm going to be sneaking into and out of the sample section in Lush for a while.

Lush chose the most perfect name for this fragrance! A captivating lily scent that is so realistic, very much decaying. Seriously, there's a hint of something dying in this, like a corpse holding a fresh bouquet. Just a sprinkle of sweetness of rotting flesh, pardon for gruesome description. A little off-putting, maybe even gross to some people, but I'm intrigued. I think I'd love to get a bottle, but this is not an easy scent to pull off.

High vibrations in this scent, uplifting, crystalline and bright. I only get lilies and ylang, but blended to a singular, sharp, soapy, and medicinal effect. Because of the simplicity it blends well with other scents to brighten them. Particularly true with woodier and muskier things to get a lighter, more joyful and less labored feeling. I like it in the heat, it takes on a hint of fresh plastic pool floaties and copper tone sunscreen.

Out of all of the floral lush scents, this stands out most to me. I would totally rock this as a guy, but that doesn’t mean it’s unisex. I also love the concept of this; Mark Constantine is a genius when it comes to making a story for his scents. If you don’t know, this is a scent which is meant to replicate the scent of the bouquets of lilies which Mark received from family and friends following the death of his father.

So pretty :] it smells like.. if you've ever left food out for too long and the fruit flies started getting to it. rotten and sickly. But it's also got these powdery, slightly floral notes, like a bouquet in a dusty funeral home. I could see the rotten scent being too much for some people, but I quite like it. love this scent so much, would definitely go well with a gothic, macabre outfit on a cold winters night :p

A great lily fragrance. The opening smells just like inflateable plastic lilos lol It settles quickly and then its all about lilies but there is not a lot of powderiness on me. Im not getting much spice but there is some sweetness. Not too much though. Im sure I can detect musk which is stopping the lily from being to screechy. Moderate sillage and lasts for a good few hours. A nice fragrance for a summer evening.

I remember buying this perfume because it smelled exactly like the chinaberry trees in bloom. In the south of Spain in many cities there are whole alleys of these trees, and when they're blossoming the scent is exhilarating. Such a shame they only sell it in 100 ml bottles now, because frankly, it's a bit too heavy for everyday use, so, a 30 ml volume would be more than enough to own.

This is probably my favourite scent of all time. No other perfume has ever had me so enthralled. Its an intensely floral perfume that feels timeless and elegant while perfectly capturing a sense of melancholic wistfulness. This isn't just a perfume to me, its the art that can be expressed in perfumery. It is definitely not blind buy safe, but I will never not buy this fragrance.

white flowers with hints of powder and spice that almost remind me of incense. very true to name, smells like a church holding a beautiful and elaborate funeral service. rich but not cloying or overwhelming. i got this as a gift from a sweet coworker and i really could not be happier this might be my new favorite perfume

Just the sickly sweet corpse-like lily I was looking for. Nice goth gf aesthetic, obscenely strong opening, then mellows out to a bready smell close to a diluted red aoud. Amazing quality for the price. I got the dropper bottle because it's stronger and more complete of a scent than the solid.

It's been my favorite for years. It smells like old people's soap and funeral home to me, with heavy floral notes and a bit of a dusty aspect that reminds me of pachouli incense. My roommate thinks it makes me smell like an old lady, but i like it that way.

Perfectly named. Smells like a glowing white bouquet being transported from the funeral home to the cemetery on a cloudy day. Pure floral, tinted with the sweet, powdery smell of cosmetics on cold skin. Smells like the song "Green Velvet" by The Shroud.

Lovely lily bouquet with some intoxicating spice mixed in. I really enjoy this fragrance. I feel very sexy and mysterious when I wear this. It is definitely more linear than some of Lush's scents but it's still a fragrance I enjoy a lot.

i love layering this with grass from lush whenever I stop in. The two together is such an ideal summer scent. Lily, indolic, but covered in pollen, and uplifted by the grassy sunny notes, complex but they have the same DNA.

I love this smell! Some may think it's more abstract to be an every day thing, but I disagree. The scent profile is inoffensive and frankly, it has become one of my favourites, even as a blind buy! Totally recommend.

for me this is my number one ultimate fragrance of all time. it pulls as a really warm and spicy intoxicating white floral but not incensey in the slightest. if i could drown myself in this everyday i would.

Absolutely love this perfume - nearly cried when I was told that it had been discontinued. Went to Lush to buy more, and was given the bad news. Tried to find more elsewhere without luck.

what I was looking for. gloomy lily on the edge of the rotten, funereal, cemetery. maybe it lacks a bit of performance. but it's perfect. 9.5 / 10

a different scent. but it smells like rotten cemetery flowers. But I appreciate the aroma diversity.

very funeral and penetrating, but after a while it gives me a headache and becomes a scent of soap.

Beautiful powdery white floral that radiates.

It smells like Lush figs and leaf soap.

I‘ve been a huge fan of Lush perfumes for 7 years now but I didn‘t get to try this perfume till now. I guess I kept distance from floral scents for some reason for too long and most of the Lush perfumes I haven‘t tried are florals, I‘m a guy and I don‘t like wearing heavy powdery florals. I got this perfume a few days ago in Prague and I gotta say it surprised me a lot. At first it smells really fresh. Almost like a garden in the summer after it‘s rained at night. A little bit like some flowers that have been in a vase for a day or two and you smell that floral aroma mixed with watery notes. It‘s very clean and fresh. The top notes remind me of Lust but it‘s not as in your face and heady as Lust. I guess it‘s the combination of rose, jasmine and ylang ylang that both of these perfumes have. Chances are, if you enjoy one of them, you‘re probably enjoy the other. I had Lust 6 years ago and I loved it at first but I had to sell it later on because it was just too strong for me. Death and Decay is lighter but not weak. You also get some tonka bean notes in the background. After some time, the scent becomes a little bit more powdery (but not in a grandma type of way) and soapy (again not in a bad way, it just smells clean and fresh) and you‘re left with a delicate floral aroma that definitely screams LUSH and is unisex. I put this perfume on around 10:30 am and now it‘s 11:30 pm. I can still smell it on my wrist (of course it‘s not as strong as when I sprayed it earlier today, but the scent is there) and I did a lot of physical activity during this hot summer day (I went cycling for an hour and took 15 k steps). This perfume lasts and is high quality. The price is high but its performance is outstanding. I definitely recommend buying this perfume if you enjoy the scent.

If you want a perfume smelling of a decaying corpse, gravedirt and slow decomposition, search elsewhere. This is not it. Death and Decay is a lovely, quiet, meditative, melancholy floral. In its mood I could compare it to Lutens's De Profundis, althought they are very different fumes. D&D features powdery florals, probably lilly, ylang-ylang, jasmine and rose. It does remind one of a funeral parlour with large bouquets and wreath of lillies and roses, but the flowers feel somehow muted and distant, as if looked at through tears. I would only wear this fragrance for myself on long autumnal walks, when one contemplates the impermanence of everything, remembers departed loved ones and looks forward to long, long winter evenings. Interesting and beautiful perfume! Update (15/8) I bought a bottle of this perfume yesterday in the lovely little Gorilla Perfumes Shop in London, and I must slightly amend my review. Probably I put very little on the smelling strip when I tried it at the launch, because it is not muted at all! It is a rather strong floral perfume, and a rather realistic one, too. It is strong and vivid, one drop is perfectly enough for the whole day. It lasts and lasts forever. I applied my drop at 2 pm, and now at 10 pm it still goes strong. The Death and Decay subject may be expressed by the fact that what I am experiencing is the fragrance of lilies at the precise point in time when they are just about to start wilting. They still look wonderful, but...you know that fragrance of flowers when they've reached their peak and start to slowly turn towards decay. This perfume captures just that moment. Beautiful!

rotting lilies weeping in a sunken garden. fog gathering on glistening grass outside an abandoned church. pale hands pulling flowers out of the earth, trailing with wet soil. stretching supinely with hands turned up. dearly departed, decaying by a creek. a period of statis. lush perianths dance in spectral air, a tender song of indolic jasmine lulls. the writing on the wall meets hushed voices of solemnity. formaldehyde and dust settle onto cold linoleum. a forgotten bouquet of lilies in a hospital room eating oxygen. wandering of whim, waxing and waning. draping of lace, interment eternal. parting willingly, sweetly, with not an ounce of malignity. a final testament for those who recall such adversities to efface them for the better- to remember me through death and decay. a dolorous take on indole. so delicate yet tranquilizing. i remember testing this perfume when i first discovered lust 5 years ago. lust was my signature when i was 14, and the fact i still wear it today solidified my belief that i'd now be head over heels for death and decay. i decided on a whim to blind buy 3.4 oz of it and i could not be happier in my decision! it's so keen to me. i find it beyond comforting, it's a very touching scent. so mournful and poetic and beyond words. (some lyrics from one of my favorite songs that happen to coincide) "Two pale figures ache in silence Timeless in the quiet ground Side by side in age and sadness I watched and acted wordlessly As piece by piece you performed your story Moving through an unknown past Dancing at the funeral party’

I wrote my previous review of Death and Decay last year. Then life (and death) happened, and I was caring for a dying person I was very fond of, often wearing this scent while doing so. After she'd passed away, I swapped my bottle, as I did not bear to smell it. Too many associations. I promised myself, though to wait and buy it again in due time. The due time came today, but this time round I went for the solid, as the liquid perfume is of monster strenght. I do not want to write another review here, just want to share something interesting I heard in a podcast with Carla Valentine, curator of Barts Pathology Museum in London. According to what she said, indole, the chemical we all know so very well from jasmine and other white flowers, can also be found in coffee, chocolate, semen, poop (we also knew that one, right?), of course all kinds of perfumes and last but not least decomposing bodies! Call me morbid, but I find it somehow touching and beautiful. This faithful little aromachemical accompanies us from our conception via all the delights and necessities of life till death and beyond. How nice! From now on, I will officially think of indole as the bridge between this side of the Styx and the Big Unknown Beyond. Hm. I am happy to own this little beauty again!

I have an old dropper bottle of this from back when I worked at lush and a kind coworker grabbed this and All Good Things for me from the UK. I have to vehemently disagree with the review highlights saying it doesn’t smell like death and decay. It absolutely does, but the beautiful aspects of those vague ideas. It smells like funeral flowers. Like they’ve been sitting in water for a little too long and are at that point where you can tell they’re on their last leg but you’re not ready to toss them yet. It smells melancholy if that makes sense but it’s really beautiful. I love jasmine but I usually stay away from powdery fragrances. However, this isn’t baby powder like I usually hate. It’s like... your mom’s old make up she let you play with. There are a lot of things about this perfume that conjure feelings of nostalgia and longing for what used to be but in a loving way, not a sad way. Like “look at this beautiful journey I’ve been on that shaped me into who I am today. Full of heartache and happiness, somehow I’ve ended up here”. And that’s the Death and Decay that gives it its name.

This is a lovely scent that I don't really think I need given the price point. This is a lily Soliflore that does smell great for what it is. It smells like waxy, wet lilies with a slightly smell of Nivea Creme going on. It's indolic and a little spicy as lily tends to be and generally smells quite pleasant if you're a lily fan like I am. So why do I not want this lovely scent? Simply put, Anais Anais offers a delightful Lily scent that is much more complex at a far better price whilst offering a similar "funeral parlor" feeling. Between that scent's oakmoss and the delicate powder of hyacinths that undercuts the lilies I just can't in good faith purchase Death and Decay at the steep £100 price when Anais Anais is £32 on the worst day. Even vintage bottles are cheaper! Also, Viktor and Rolf Tiger Lily offers a more upbeat lily scent for the days when I want a bit more pep in my lily scent. In conclusion, very nice scent but it lacks the complexity to be worth the price for me. Try Anais Anais if you like this though. You may very well join me in the floral bliss.

It's a very pretty, powdery floral fragrance. While Fragrantica lists lily and the creator notes mention it, on the Lush website, lily is not mentioned anywhere. They list Jasmine, Rose, Ylang-ylang and Tonka..NO lily. Strange, right? With the florals, it has this warm presence in the drydown which adds interest and keeps it from being boring. I really like this, in spite of the name. Rather femme leaning. Ok performance, does better on clothes. BUT LET'S BE CLEAR - there is Nothing funeral. Nothing about death. Or decay. Or a coffin. Or a vampire. No gut wrenching goodbyes or grief acceptance or cold stone mausoleum floors...what the heck??..LOL(THAT made me laugh A LOT, such imagination!.., 😁) IT'S A PERFUME, lol...with some rather strange & interesting MARKETING. Lush does that- all the time. It's not goth, or dark ... It's a softly spicy, floral fragrance. It smells like THE BEST hotel soap in the world. I plan on buying a bottle. I JUST HOPE no one asks what I'm wearing because THAT would be embarrassing.😄

Lou Reed’s mistress’s balled-up tissue. Diaphanous organza dresses making way for a spider’s web. Defenestrated polyisoprene dipped in a lipstick sugar kiss. Sanguine cabbage served on a bed of frostbitten Flixotide. One thesaurus borne of a single mind and spread over two reviews, destined to fight itself in a masked ballroom. The ouroboros. A dog eating its own vomit. A semi plastic lily interspersed with wafts of supermarket mushrooms. I find this strangely balmy with a morning breath indole. Mildewy...Occasionally smells like the inside of a pencil case. I am mesmerized by @sarahswitchblade’s review! Inspired by this, I would like to add my own lyrical interpretation of this captivating fragrance. “Losing him was blue like I'd never known Missing him was dark gray, all alone (woah) Forgetting him was like Trying to know somebody you never met But loving him was red” Red (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]

While I blind-bought Lust like an absolute madman and it ended up being a good idea as I really love it, the fact that Death and Decay only exists in 100mL bottles nowadays made me want to smell it in person before I committed to it and sent my bank account to the funeral home that the scent of this perfume would remind me of. It's not cheap. It's a black label perfume and therefore $40 more expensive than the regular ones e.g. Lust or Vanillary. However, it absolutely is worth the money. If you like Lust, you are probably going to love this one. The scent is strong, even stronger than that of Lust. I do not get the formaldehyde notes that some people report, all I smell is the lilies and what could be described as a "dusty" note. It definitely smells like I have found a dried bouquet of flowers in the attic of an old house.

Strong lily scent. This scent is evocative of the scent of potent, spicey spring flower bulbs - like hyacinth, narcissus and Easter lilies. Not in a fresh, green way - but in a rich, thick, indolic way. It also reminds me of black locust flowers. It goes on a bit strong at first, a bit sharp and slightly mothbally. But luckily that aspect fades fast and the scent smoothes out. It remains a lily scent thoughout the wear - but by the drydown it becomes much softer, soapier. I think this is a perfect spring scent (when it is still cool out) because as I said it reminds me of heady/spicey spring flower bulbs. It would also be nice for fall tho, because it is floral, but it is rich enough for autumn season. This scent is too heavy for summer imo and it goes a bit sour in the heat.

Death and decay is a lovely thick floral with an overall feeling of lily-of-the-valley, reminiscent of both Idylle and Diorissimo, but less dry and more juicy vegetal, perhaps due to the fact that this one contains some true essential oils (not all natural). The name is weird and not nice, buut an SA explained the personal experience behind this name. Being lilies typically a funeral flower, one could be mislead, but if you step over this concept you will have a nice thick floral with a fresh edge and quite contemplative. As for many Lush perfumes the final effect and performance are different from mainstream. It smells more of a vegetal smell rather than a trendy smell. It's an oil so very longlasting, but not very projective.