Novacaine No. 85

A very DARK, vamp like, COLD, intoxicating, highly addictive perfume. Like nothing you've ever smelled before. It's not sweet, not floral, it's so different, that's probably why I love it so much. Fresh ginger, soft spices, hardcore frankincense and sensual vanilla. A perfume made in OUTER SPACE, cold but warm. Like being in love with ANAKIN SKYWALKER, a goodhearted JEDI but you can't help but CRAVE his DARK side. This perfume is exactly that. My absolute favorite from the DARK collection. If you love ENIGMATIC completely OUT OF THIS WORLD perfumes, then you will love this. I love ginger, and the way it's blended here is just so addicting, it seduces you in such a way, you lose yourself to it. A bold, date NIGHT perfume. Songs to describe how I feel about it, Amor Abstracto by Cancamusa, I Was Never There by The Weeknd, La Tormenta De Arena by Dorian, Back Down by Bob Moses, Morfina by Kiddie Gang. Disfruto by Carla Morrison. Otro Lado by No Lo Soporto. BISOUS

On looking at the notes in a sampler set, I wouldn't have picked this to be in my Top 3 of Tokyo Milk and the Dark line, one I had to get a full bottle of. I assumed it was going to be way too spicy for my usual taste however, while it does have that spice, there's a sweetness to balance it out. I can detect all the ingredients in this, the ginger and pepper on top and the smoky resinous cardamom, balanced on the frankincense with the light sugar of the orchid. As I get into more perfumes, I'm finding frankincense to be a particularly interesting note and I like it here. With these ingredients, you would think this would be powerful, but unfortunately, it has barely any longevity or sillage. I also love the bottles and the well-built boxes these come in. I hope Margot Elena revisits this line and some new darker perfumes are born.

I've never had a change in season/weather impact my perception of a fragrance so much as with this one. I purchased it in the winter, thinking it would be perfect for that time of year. But all I could smell was potpourri, or the inside of a Michael's as @JulietPerfume so accurately said. I was disappointed and only wore it once or twice. I revisited it on a warm spring day, and now I'm getting a much more fresh/exotic spice, and the pepper is really coming out. I think it will be really exceptional on a sexy summer night out. It's certainly nontraditional for a spring/summer scent, but just like sometimes I want to wear dark nail polish in summer, sometimes I want a darker fragrance, too. Excited to wear this more now that I'm smelling a different side of it.

After trying the entire Tokyo milk dark series. I can't get over how unique they are. Like the rest this is in its own lane. Notes listed on the bottle - crushed ginger - thai pepper - frankincense - vanilla Orchid All of these blend very well together. This is top 4 for me and tied with my number 1 pick. These fragrances go through stages during wear. The dry down settles nicely into an intriguing lovely scent. I love it. I also love the bottles being black so the notes will always be protected. Love the theme. Definitely a beautiful juice. Edit: okay I've decided this one is my favorite. I think the crushed ginger won me over.

This fragrance is quite contradictory. I found both warm ginger and powdery coolness, as well as a peppery spice and floral softness. Novacaine does not linger for long on the skin, both a blessing and a curse. When I wore it I wished it stayed with me all day, but at the same time I fear the fragrance might be overwhelming if it were more concentrated. I think the tension between warm and cool and the way it leaves you wanting more makes this a Very erotic scent. I love the androgynous composition This scent is a great example of homoerotic fragrance art. My sister said it smelled like cinnamon.

I was lucky to get an older, but still unopened, version of Novacaine. (Newer TokyoMilk perfumes are still fun, but I prefer the quality of the older ones.) Novacaine caught my nose’s attention because of the prominent olibanum note (a favorite!) and black cardamom. The vanilla orchid ads a velvety undertone, while the spices make the composition lean more unisex. This is a fragrance that aligns with TokyoMilk’s original, edgier olfactory aesthetic. It’s moody but not obnoxious or over the top. The sillage and longevity are moderate.

I looooove this. But I understand this is not for everyone. Beautiful but with sharp teeth. A mysterious priestess from the mountains with a dagger in her belt. Does her spell devour or heal you? The spice can be abrasive or refreshing depending on your view of spice. Soft smoky. A lick of sweet but mostly bite-y ginger and pepper. A soft electric crackle that scares you but reminds you, you're alive. This has been saving me on my dark days. And I've been having a lot lately. Simple yet exquisite in my eyes.

It's very unusual. It makes me think of a flaming cyborg, dominating everything in her path, crushing the cities of the world. There is a touch of sweetness, just enough to be alluring, to allow her to manipulate people to do her bidding and then callously cast them aside when they cease to be of use to her.

This is my favorite everyday cool-weather scent. It smells like sexy gingerbread; like where the gingerbread men to go have drinks and do business after hours. The sweetness balances the spice and the frankincense without being cloying. It's not too heavy to wear for daytime or work.

This is Christmas in a bottle! Perfect for Fall and Winter. It also smells like the inside of Michael's. Lol. You might like this if you like smokey scents such as Maison Martin Margiela By the fireplace.

I love it. Adore it. Need it in my life. Spicy pepper in perfume is just so delicious and wonderful. You can taste it. Really will put this on the top of my to buy list. 9/10

Love this! And agree with all previous reviews. Some notes just don't last forever. Enjoy the concept. Peace!

Since TokyoMilk discontinued Bittersweet (whyyyyyy), I've been looking for a winter fragrance. I thought maybe I had found it with Novacaine. It's similarly unique and funky, and the cinnamon/ginger aspect seemed like it would be warming. However, I just can't love this perfume. Don't get me wrong; I like it a lot. It's another polarizing scent that could be perfect for the right person. Spicy, cinnamony, and a little edgy, it's got its claws into someone for sure. On me though, I felt it lacked a little oomph or that it was a bit impersonal. Kind of a cool customer. I never felt as though I got to that soft vanilla layer that another reviewer mentioned, and maybe that's what doesn't sit right. If someone gifted this to me, I'd be pleased, but I wouldn't buy it for myself. I have to give a shout out to Margot Elena though. I'm always thrilled to see new fragrances from her different lines, as they're usually fascinating compositions. Sometimes I read the descriptions/notes, and I think, "Ew...I HAVE to smell this". More often than not, I have to smell each fragrance more than once to grasp exactly what I think of them, and I'm rarely bored by them. Novocaine is no exception.

This one grew on me. At first spray I definitely get that craft store in fall scent, but once it hits my skin it gets a nice cinnamon and cedar scent with a big hit of the thai pepper. At this point, it's an ok scent, very unisex, nothing mindblowing. After a few hours, it's a yummy woody, spicy, chai tea scent. It smells like autumn and winter. I do wish it lasted longer, but I can get a little longer wear out of it when I layer it over body cream. It layers over a basic vanilla or other sweet smelling body cream very nicely too.

this is my childhood smell at halloween trick-or-treating. This is what i smelled at others' houses when they opened the door, a bit musky lactonic, a bit sour, vanilla . Its almost a gothic vanilla if I can describe it in two words. This can be worn by anyone though but Id love to make this into a candle honestly. 8.5/10 overall.

This is different. It's a bit masculine due to an almost charred note...reminds of a cinder. It's sweet and warmly spiced. A note, bordering on minty...very strange. However, I really like it because it is definitely unique. This is a perfect fall/winter fragrance.

5% cheap grocery store gingersnaps, 65% fall potpourri, 30% cedarwood bomb

Like perusing your favorite craft shop after having a warm spicy cup of chai tea with a friend at the local café. Warm, a little bitey and sweet. I wore this for quite a while exclusively as it was new to my collection some years ago and I just loved how it smelled in the bottle and how the bottle felt in my hand. ALAS, every time I put it on I hoped that it would be a little stronger and last a little longer. For me it always came across papery and cinnamon like, which I actually loved, but it was fleeting. You really had to inhale my skin up close to know that it was still there. I would not seek out another bottle of this again because it simply would not last or project on me the way that I would prefer. But, it is still a lovely scent that I am sure if I smelled again would bring back very warm memories.

Fresh and spicy, warm and cool; this works like an icy-hot patch. All in all, it is quite bland and I don't get much from it other than a sweet gingersnap and a slight pepperiness. Glad I was able to sample this house/series, not impressed with the first 3 I have tried so far. All of them seem to be less impressive or intriguing than their names imply.

Sweet spices and bandaids. Mild and inoffensive. Perfectly unisex. According to the notes I should like this but I don't. Review of official sample that came free with purchase.

spicy in the literal sense of the word, not just spices. ginger + chile peppers

The ginger is strong with this one. It's almost overpoweringly potent when first applied. There is spice as well... cardamon and some cinnamon. It does dry down quite nicely though. The vanilla comes, but not strong or sickeningly sweet like some fragrances that have vanilla. It's subtle, like a waft a vanilla as you walk into a cigar shop. On the dry down, I personally get a tobacco note, that blends nicely with the vanilla. For people who enjoy these scents, this is definitely the fragrance for them. For me, I'm not a fan of strong ginger (though I do very much like the dry down), so I probably wouldn't buy it. I like it enough to wear the sample until it's gone. Overall, the mental image this brings up is maybe visiting a grandparent's home during the December holiday season and sitting near the fireplace while grandfather smokes a cigar and grandmother bakes gingerbread cookies in the kitchen. It would be a good December scent, for sure. Definitely a winter scent. This would be overwhelmingly suffocating in the heat.

I had such high hopes for this perfume from the notes in it and the rave reviews from other members. Since it's an affordable scent, I ordered it blind. *sigh* ... I'm afraid on me it's a Christmas candle or potpourri, or, as someone else here so aptly put it, the scent of a Michael's craft store at Christmastime. I get overwhelming gingerbread and a cloying sweetness, that gets sweeter in the dry down. I would love to do a trade once I get my bearings on these forums (I've lurked for awhile but finally registered today to post this). UPDATE: Traded!

It just smells like burnt soup. If that were possible.

This is not for me. I don't like it at all.

THIS WAS A TIM BURTON CHRISTMAS IN A BOTTLE. Ok, based on the notes I SHOULD HAVE loved this....but she didn't!!!!! The only way I can describe this is if Tim Burton threw a holiday party....very dark, VERY spicy like habanero or something...SOME cinnamon and they forgot to put out the sugar cookie tray. I MEAN.....who blended this trash? Who was she mad at this day in the lab? HONESTLY...with a name like Novacaine....I thought this would have a sweeter dry down. In my mind I thought, "I ate too much candy and sweets and I need an ointment to calm the toothache". Instead I got, "Ouchie! I bit into a rock in my in my cold canned soup, please help me". LUCKILY, I bought this for like US$26.00 at a store that was going out of business. I really tried to like it at the very least. But that's what I get for impulse buying during store close outs. The artwork on the bottle is cute though.....but it still went into the trash. KISS OF DEATH! FOLLOW ME ON IG @MoctezumaC

This fragrance is unnerving. Something about it feels mechanical, medicinal, and strange. Almost as if it is buzzing. It's certainly different from anything else I've tried, and I wouldn't consider this a safe blind buy. I fail to find the right words to describe the notes. There is ginger, certainly, but it has no warmth. Absolutely unusual.

While still mourning the discontinuation of LUSH Tuca Tuca, I have rekindled my love of black pepper with TM Novacaine. A sample was included last month in my Birchbox shipment and it was INSTANT love. This is the closest thing to Tuca Tuca that I have found; subtract violets and add cinnamon. Cinnamon usually turns screechy on me but here it is like the delectable aroma of cinnamon toast filling the kitchen. Plus black pepper. The notes say chili pepper but to me this is black pepper all the way. It is an odd one, and dark to be sure. Stormy even. I was smitten and bought a full bottle. The addition pf frankincense to the mix renders it even more addictive for me; that is another note that doesn't always work with my chemistry but when it does...oh boy. Here it is not lemony at all and is rather a behind-the-scenes player, subtly enhancing the undercurrent of sweetness thus stopping it short of gourmand. The only drawback is poor longevity. One hour tops and it is gone, unlike Tuca Tuca whose longevity was eternal. Sillage is great for about 5 minutes then poof! Undetectable. Still I love it for its similarity to Tuca Tuca. A brief, spicy dark delight.

This perfume is a study in opposites! I've had it for years and properly stored in its original box, it's still fantastic, one of my favorites of the TokyoMilk Dark line. Upfront, you get a blast of hot, spicy ginger, and zippy dried red chile pepper, but it's instantly cooled by a megadose of frankincense. These notes really do evoke an icy-hot sensation for the nose. I'm sure this is a polarizing fragrance for many, but if you succumb to its vampy charms, you'll find out that it's as beautiful as it is unique. If you stay long enough to let the soft vanilla orchid unfold, you'll be rewarded as it compliments and rounds out the persistent frakincense note, and again, it seems that it's blending opposites. The frankincense is bold, icy, and powerful while the vanilla orchid is soft, warm, and delicate. As someone who loves Goth and vamp culture, this is a great choice for those who want a perfume that seems dangerous but is actually very nice underneath all the "keep away" signs.

Novacaine start with a blast of cinnamon that remind me of the Big red gum, then the incense appear and it's beautiful. It's quickly followed by the ginger and smell very much like a Lush store with all the bath bombs. All this in a matter of minutes. It stay this way for a while, very wintry and Christmasy.. Then the incense completely disappear and the ginger is more prominent and it's become almost a fresh scent, out of shower type. Finally, it settle down to a softness that could be vanilla but that also manly because of the ginger (a little like men's deodorant I am afraid) and a bit foody at the same time. The result is like baking a gingerbread house with you daddy. A warm memory for sure but not something I want to smell like.

Notes: Crushed Ginger, Thai Pepper, Frankincense, Vanilla Orchid Tried it. Not for me. It's definitely spicy, but not spicy like jalapeño spicy, think spicy like chai/pumpkin spice/cinnamon type of spice. More herbal/earthy in tone. It reminded me way too much of ginger bread (which I despise) at first, but then when it dried down it became somewhat more pleasant. I would NOT recommend blind buying this. I know they sell it at Urban Outfitters, so I would recommend going there and spritzing it on yourself first. This is probably one of those love it or hate it type of scents for most.

Opens with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The pepper kicks in immediately and makes the ginger, cardamom and clove(?) notes a bit antiseptic, in a comforting way–like Band-aid adhesive–then it all soaks into the skin, leaving a smear of vanilla frosting and a dusting of head-shop olibanum. Within two hours, it disappears, gone completely numb. I really like it. There’s a laid-back medicinal feel to it, with good self-care cuddles. Good for the guy who’s still too young or shy to pull off Old Spice.

I recently purchased the Tokyo Milk Dark Discovery Set and was super surprised that this spicy scent was one of my favorites. I'm not normally a fan of scents with woody notes, like frankincense, but the spicy ginger is definitely the lead, and I find it pleasant for winter. FYI: It is a strong scent, but I have to have my face almost literally against my skin to be able to smell it.

This is such an interesting perfume! It is warm and spicy and smoky, it stings a bit at first but then after a couple of hours it fades far too much!! Not long lasting enough but a very mysterious scent that i enjoy!

this is like a more wearable version of kenzo jungle l'elephant. spicy and unisex. not sure how this would behave in a very humid climate but it's nice wearing it in my air-conditioned apartment

When I first smelled Novacaine, it reminded me of Stetson for men, lol. I’d say it’s unisex. I like it, but it’s a little too masculine for me.

A spicy antique store full of mahogany cabinets, glass ornaments, costume jewellery, and Victorian hair flowers.

This is SO cedarwood, I'm shocked it's not in the callouts. It's spicy with a Texas/Virginia cedarwood back.

This is straight cinnamon. That is all.