Apocalypstick

Sweet rose petals. Dark lipstick. The apocalypse. What more do you need in a fragrance? A strange balance of playful sweetness, gothy disaffection, and just a pinch of industrial apathy. And yet, it is so wearable and perfect for those days when you want to revel in your discontent in style.

Really beautiful rose fragrance. I do wish the asphalt was a little more prominent though. It’s not as weird as it sounds. It’s just a really pretty plush rose with a touch of that acid from the asphalt.

Full list of notes is: Asphalt, Rose damascena, Moss, Violet, Soil, Oak, Eucalyptus, Cypress, Mint. Definitely has a classic rose oil feel, but mellowed out by the asphalt and lifted by the eucalyptus. I usually don't like eucalyptus but this just gives a lift and subtly opens your nose. Despite the name, it doesn't feel like a lipstick scent, there's very little of that waxiness.

The shop clerk tried to gaslight me with the notes, but all I can sense is the smell of retro bubblegum balls.

**A Bold Elegance:** Dive into the enchanting world of "Apocalypstick," a fragrance that boldly juxtaposes the delicate allure of roses with the earthy, rebellious strength of asphalt. This captivating blend creates a sensory experience that embraces both femininity and rawness, celebrating the complexities of modern love and resilience. **The Heart of Feminine Sensuality:** At the core of this fragrance lies the exquisite **rose**, a symbol of timeless beauty and sensuality. Each spritz unveils the soft, velvety petals of this iconic flower, exuding an elegant sweetness that envelops the senses. The rose embodies the passionate spirit of femininity, inviting you to bask in its romantic embrace. **The Edgy Punch of Asphalt:** Contrasting this lush floral heart, the intriguing **asphalt** note emerges, introducing a rugged yet alluring edge that sets "Apocalypstick" apart. The asphalt adds a gritty, urban richness to the fragrance, grounding the delicate rose with its deep, smoky nuances. This unexpected combination challenges traditional notions of beauty, showcasing the strength and complexity of modern femininity. **A Harmonious Duality:** "Apocalypstick" is a fragrance that speaks to the duality of life—the balance of softness and strength, vulnerability and resilience. With each inhale, experience the harmonious dance between the enchanting floral and the bold, defiant asphalt, creating a scent that is both unique and unforgettable. **An Olfactory Statement:** This fragrance transcends conventional boundaries, inviting the wearer to embrace their individuality and express their true essence. "Apocalypstick" tells a story of empowerment, making it the perfect companion for those who dare to be fiercely authentic while celebrating their feminine grace.

Apocalypstick is a lipstick that has been through something. Not your cute drugstore lipstick, not a flirtatious boudoir moment, she is more the stub of a blood red bullet. You've had her rolling around in the bottom of your handbag with loose change and paracetamol for god knows how long, and she's stained its insides with a scent that is creamy, yes, but laced with a hard metallic glint. Makes me think of bitten lips, actually, makeup wax re-applied with slightly shaky hands. The cosmetic feel comes from that of Bulgarian rose, opulent, but here a bit medicinal, bitter, bruised. One torn from a thrashed and tire-smashed bouquet. I do think it is good. It is clever with that iron-ish tang that keeps the whole thing a bit mean. Velvet with grit under her nails is pretty darn accurate and the texture to this is immaculate. But to be fully transparent, I'd find it rather hard to wear for it feels a tad too specific, too much like a mood I do not naturally inhabit (unless I am planning to ruin somebody’s evening)!

I find this fragrance absolutely addicting, just wish the asphalt note lasted longer. In the opening and first 30 minutes I pick up with clarity and definition: a fresh, light (but very present) rose and asphalt, and the mix is absolutely sublime. It has this insane contrast of chemical and natural that is just arresting. It’s the only decidedly evening-time fragrance I’ve been able to find that is refined and unusual enough for me to come back to every time. If you also struggle with finding clearly sensual fragrances that are interesting enough and have something fun to offer you while potentially attracting attention of others, you might be interested in this. After the opening I still love it, but the notes do blend into, well, a vintage lipstick scent. But still with an edge, maybe like a faint latex note. Vintage Catwoman vibes, good stuff! I think this is excellent and I’m so glad to finally have an evening scent I enjoy, after years of search. Curious to hear opinions of others : )

This is the third Mad et Len I've tried and it might be the most emotionally evocative perfume brand for me. I bought a bottle of Graphite almost immediately after smelling it (uncommon for me) and it's a personal favorite. But on me, this one smells like emotionally withholding and absent maternal figures, or their dressing rooms after they've passed. An odd reaction for me since none of my own emotionally withholding and absent maternal figures wore perfume, kept roses, or had enough cosmetics to smell like them. I love the concept of this one but the effect on me is wholly depressing. An expired lipstick in a long abandoned room. No one inherited anything, not because there was nothing to inherit, but because no one bothered.

While the notes listed for Apocalypstick, violet, rose, mint, (I thought I saw macadamia listed somewhere?) sound like a pleasant enough combination, what the perfume smells like to me is a village of small children infected with a vast malevolence of pure evil. This cloying candied floral doesn’t just tiptoe on the precipice of sweetness and decay; it’s not just a playful saccharine innocence masking a sinister undercurrent of rot. It is an immediate and overwhelming assault of viciously poisoned sugarplums stuffed with razorblades served to you by sticky fingers and pale faces with sharp teeth. It lingers, sickening on the skin like a toxic premonition, like a perpetual stain, an indelible mark of repulsion.

This is so complex and bizarre. It opens up with something green, sharp and spicy, like the stem of the rose and stays like that for most of the wear. It's not a dewy, sweet or jammy like your usual rose fragrances. It's extremely mature, bitter and earthy but the rose is still there in the background. This is a masterpiece, very gothic in my opinion.

After an exhausting search for a sample of Apocalypstick I finally got a hold of a 1.5ml from Mercari. I was hoping for more dark rose and steamy asphalt but was met with a very clean and pleasant iris. Remarkably this reminds me so much of Le Labo's Iris 39, which I have and love. The iris in both not the waxy/makeup variety rather earthy and wet.

The kind of perfume that makes me want to throw out everything else that I own. so beguiling, sheer and mysterious. the asphalt note ties it all together, producing an addictive mechanical metallic medicine smell to the whole composition. It's almost incense to me, some sacred roadway. doesn't last forever, but should any perfume?

Your lips, my lips, apocalypse. A fresh delicate rose forcing its way through the cracks of anything man made, asphalt, concrete, castles and dungeons. Expensive blood red lipstick.