NCD: April Fools 2023 Review
Another year another April collection! I'd be lying if I didn't admit that this is the release I look forward to the most every year. I've collected every single scent from this collection since the first release, so I have an absolute soft spot for this collection as being special to me. Admittedly, I am very biased, as I'm always going to be a gourmand lover first and foremost, and it's the easiest and comfiest type of scent to me.
If you're curious to hear some of my thoughts on the previous collections, click here for 2022, here for 2021, here for 2020 , and part 1 and 2 of 2019. If you had to press me on my absolute favorite scent from the collection, it's currently Prevaricating (but Kazzate and Horsnwiggle are up there are the top 3).
As always, a huge thank you to Forest and Josh at Nui Cobalt Designs for sending these press samples through!
Note on order/shipping: Although TAT can be a little extended during new releases, this parcel was on its way to me within 5 days of ordering. International shipping is $15.95 USD for parcels below 500g. Nui Cobalt has added a little more padding to their orders now, even samples are wrapped securely with bubble wrap, and I've never had any issues with leaks or breaks with these parcels. Each parcel comes with a lovely thank you card from Forest, the order slip and a free sample vial. I ordered the sample packs they've started to offer, which comes with all the scents snuggly wrapped in a bubble wrap blanket, with a sticker with the collection name and year printed (as I am obsessed with things being in collections, this makes me unbelievably happy, and I carefully peel and keep the sticker for a special container for each collection).
Scents:
Original Prankster : Snickerdoodle - Fresh from the oven, crisp cinnamon sugar gives way to warm, soft vanilla cookie with just a trace of salted butter.
I'm surprisingly fond of this scent - I'm not a huge snickerdoodle fan because I find it to be a sort of bland and boring, and clearly inferior to chewy chocolate chip cookies, but this scent brings all these dimensions to a snickerdoodle that I've never experienced and I'm in love. The pairing of the soft vanilla butter here is gorgeous, it has this golden rich amber like color, and its impeccably sweet and delicious. The harmony of soft vanilla cookies here is complimented with the generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar here - it's spiced, it's a little fiesty, but it's still sweet when it needs to be. With this brush of nuttiness, the sweetness of the vanilla and the dough, this scent manages to feel warm, like it's just fresh out of the oven, but the butter is never overwhelmingly thick or oppressive, it manages to stay light and creamy. This has medium throw, with fairly good wear. As I continued to wear this around the 3 hour mark, I found that on my skin, this scent pulls almost a little fruity, like a speckle of buttered caramelised apples, but it's a lovely shift in the scent profile. Definitely one of my favorites from this collection this time.
Tomfoolery : Oatmeal Raisin Cookie - Toasted oats, molten brown sugar, candied crushed walnuts, and tangy-sweet golden raisins.
While wet, this is absolutely oozing with whiskey and rum - it's a strong shot of booze soaked into raisins and lit on fire. After dry down, the booziness and the raisins are a little more tempered down and reassured, letting the nuttiness of the oats peeking through with the indulgent swirl of sticky toffee and darkened caramel. The crushed walnuts add a bitterness, and a dustiness from real walnuts. For me this scent was insanely strong, even when opening the vial I was hit with the boozy raisin scent, but as the nuttiness starts to bloom on the skin, it's absolutely beautiful. It reminds me a lot of Codswallop, but I have to say, I love the nuttiness of this one that Codswallop lacks, and with the brief hint of crushed walnuts and that extra bitterness, I think it gives a lot of depth, adding darker shades of grey to compliment what might otherwise be a pretty linear, one note sweet scent. I'm unexpectedly taken with this one!
Hooligan : Dirty Chai - One shot of espresso in steamed oatmilk and Assam tea spiced with nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, and clove.
As someone who almost never drinks coffee, I still love the scent of a coffee shop. Even from the vial, this gave me a strong hit of a freshly brewed shot of espresso - but on closer inspection, on application, this scent instantly turned incredibly fruity on my skin. This went from a spiced espresso to, strangely enough, lemongrass and orange toilet cleaner mixed with coffee when I huff very close to my skin - although this mercifully vanishes over time. Also, the projection and throw of this scent gives it a lot of room to breathe, and it's giving me more coffee with a heavy dose of sugar and cream with just the barest hint of spice hanging around at the edges, blossoming into a very 'coffee shop' scent. It eventually fades out into a softer, Kopi candy kinda scent, and that's definitely when it really got me good. Despite its oddly fruity opening, and although it wasn't quite what I was imagining for a scent called dirty chai, without much chai at all, it grew on me, tapping into all the right things I like about a coffee scent, although I really had to give it a chance past the initial twenty minutes. I'll definitely be reaching for this one if I'm trying to charm anyone who loves coffee.
Rapscallion : Orange Creamsicle - Dark, indulgent vanilla contrasts with the fresh juice and zest of Valencia orange. The two are united with frothy sugared cream.
I've loved creamsicle scents since the first time I tried a Sugarpill liquid lip, and that's sort of the peak of creamsicles for me. I've never actually had a real creamsicle because apparently, they're not a thing where I am, but based off the various creamscicle inspired blends I've tried, I think I have a pretty good idea of what they smell/taste like. Rapscallion, however, smells nothing like any of the blends I've tried before. The orange here is more of a bitter, orange rind, blood orange accord, paired with a mature creamy vanilla, before drying down to a scent more akin to whipped cream and the crumbs of a poppyseed and lemon zest muffins. I don't really feel 'creamsicle' from this scent at all - a sort of, mixed signals vibe, like I'm not sure what it's going for, but whatever it is, it's not quite there for me.
Rascal : Apricot Thumbprint Cookie - Apricots simmered in brown and white sugars with a tablespoon each of brandy and Grand Marnier, crisp shortbread cookies touched with allspice, nutmeg, and toasted almond.
If you're a fan of Crone's Cottage - one of the autumn gourmands, this is definitely one to look out for. It's definitely a lighter, more playful counterpart to Crone's Cottage due to the burst of candied apricots, but it's complimented with a party bag of spices, allspice, nutmeg, and an almost savory burst of pepper, with a swirl of darkened caramel. It has a smokey, warm note here that's giving atmospheric vibes, a cozy retreat, indulging in baked spiced apricots. I like this scent, but this is one of those scents you'd absolutely adore if you live in a cold area - it radiates crackling wood fires and brown sugar porridge and cottages in the woods. I think it's very cottagecore - who doesn't want to channel the energy of a friendly kitchen witch dressed in linen and picking fruit in the woods?
Charlatan : French Almond Macaron - Crisp-tender pillows conjured from confectioners sugar, finely sifted almond flour, and Madagascar vanilla, united by smooth almond frangipane.
This is gorgeous, I've seen a few impressions of this scent singing its praises, and I'm going to join the choir here - this is delicious. Although the opening really frightened me with its strong almond note (and I am not a big fan of how almond is usually too sharp in most blends), it immediately dries down into the most beautiful soft vanilla and the nutty edge of almond meal. I'm kind of obsessed with how the almond note is so soft and photorealistic here, since its usually a big miss for me, but I just cannot tell you how good this is. This scent is pretty linear in its wear after dry down, with just more of the soft almond paired with puffs of sugar and a dash of vanilla extract, although there's a slight touch of orange rind in there for me that just adds a little zestyness for me. Compared to the darker, denser scents, this definitely errs on the side of lighter and fainter wear for me, the projection and throw of this one wears a lot closer to the skin compared to something like Scallywag, but it still clocks in a good 3-4 hours for how soft and delicate this is. The later stages of this scent is very much a fluffy vanilla, still yummy, just a little more simple.
Scoundrel : Blue Cotton Candy - Our blue cotton candy accord is spun from silken tonka, Mexican vanilla bean, sparkling sugar, marshmallow fluff, preserved Damson plum, and barely a twinkle of unripe bergamot.
I was a little surprised by this one - although I was expecting something along the lines of sickeningly sweet tooth aching spun sugar (ala CocoaPink style), this is a reserved but ethereal take on cotton candy. Like, grown up cotton candy. The imprint of a memory of cotton candy distilled in a single tear. I can only describe the blue aspect of this as somewhat akin to the blue chamomile accord from Entombed (NCD), like a glimmer of twilight and frayed silk. The bergamot comes through as a little touch of squeeze of lemon here, paired with the sourness of the plum. For me, this is a very soft muted scent, like a whisper of fruit jam and a smear of simple syrup, and the melted remains of spun sugar. I can't say this is a cotton candy blend I'll be reaching for very often, but this is definitely a gourmand for people who are not usually fans of gourmands - a soft entry, just a dip in the sugar pool.
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