Day 366 – BPAL’s Butterscotch and Blackbeetles

Tags

anise, anise seed, BPAL, butterscotch, butterscotch candy, dirt, limited edition, myrrh, Neil Gaiman's Coraline, patchouli

Ah, it was a leap year, and so 366 officially represents the end of my 2012 reviews.  Since I still have a full box of imps (96), two large storage books (Michael’s) of 5ml bottles, and a whole drawer filled with designer perfume, I think my resolution for 2013 will be to keep reviewing a scent a day until I have reviewed all perfumes and fragrances that I have in and around the house.  I’m not sure if this will take me a full year, but I will keep reviewing until I am done.

Scent Name:  Butterscotch and Blackbeetles

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Neil Gaiman: Coraline

Scent Description and Notes: “The other mother sat down on the big sofa. She picked up a shopping bag from beside the sofa and took out a white, rustling, paper bag from inside it.

She extended the hand with it to Coraline. “Would you like one?” she asked politely.

Expecting it to be a toffee or a butterscotch ball, Coraline looked down. The bag was half filled with large shiny blackbeetles, crawling over each other in their efforts to get out of the bag.

“No,” said Coraline. “I don’t want one.”

“Suit yourself,” said her other mother. She carefully picked out a particularly large and black beetle, pulled off its legs (which she dropped, neatly, into a big glass ashtray on the small table beside the sofa), and popped the beetle into her mouth. She crunched it happily.

“Yum,” she said, and took another.

“You’re sick,” said Coraline. “Sick and evil and weird.”

“Is that any way to talk to your mother?” her other mother asked, with her mouth full of blackbeetles.

Butterscotch candies flecked with dirt, encased in a shiny black shell of myrrh, patchouli, and anise seed.” -BPAL

Artwork is by Vera Brosgol.

Oil Color:  A butterscotch color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a sniffie from ralenth, but there is enough to test it.  It features a half label wrapped around the middle of the vial.  Her decanting name frames the company acronym and the scent name, while the back displays the scent notes.

Scent: 

• ITI:  Earthy butterscotch with a little anise seed and myrrh.  It’s super sweet, but a little earthy at the same time.  Odd.
• Wet: Thick, sweet butterscotch candies (those round ones), dirt, and patchouli.  It smells like one of those candies hand been dropped on the ground.  
• Dry:  While my nose is stuff after finally succumbing to my cold, I can still detect faint butterscotch and myrrh.  It’s rather pleasant when given time to dry sufficiently. 

Other Impressions: “All I’m getting is fake microwave popcorn butter.” -Tony

Day 365 – BPAL’s Ronin

Tags

black pepper, BPAL, honey, limited edition, lupercalia, lupercalia 2010, novel ideas for secret amusements III, oakmoss, pepper, rice, rice flower, sandalwood, white sandalwood

Day 365:  This feels like such an amazing obstacle to have accomplished.  While it has been a struggle on occasion when caught by the sniffles or swamped by finals, I have completed a review each and every day for 365 days.

Scent Name:  Ronin

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Lupercalia 2010: Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements III: 1/19/10-4/30/10

Scent Description and Notes: “White sandalwood, rice flower, honey, black pepper, and oakmoss.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  A bright, clear “Yellow Lantern” magnolia color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from ralenth, who tries to match the bottle art to the art she provides on the imp.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent in large, cursive font.  On the side, she has her decanting name, while the front features the name of the collection and the name of the scent framing the image associated with the scent. The image is a shunga print of a ninja watching a couple copulate.

Warning: The following link contains a not-safe-for-work image. By clicking this link, you agree that you are over 18 years of age: Ronin

Scent: 

• ITI:  It’s warm, exotic  and spicy.  I can get the black pepper clearly paired with the white sandalwood and the greenness of the oakmoss, while just a touch of the sandalwood sweetens the scent ever so slightly.
• Wet: Honey, sandalwood, oakmoss, and pepper.  
• Dry:  I get pepper that tickles my nose embedded in soft honey musk and sandalwood.  

Other Impressions: “Mint and apple.” -Tony

Day 364 – BPAL’s Emma

Tags

bourbon, BPAL, jasmine, patchouli, pepper, pink pepper, Rose, tea rose, the district, vanilla, vanilla bourbon

Scent Name:  Emma

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  The District

Scent Description and Notes: “Better known as the “Parisian Queen of America,” needs little introduction in this country.

Emma’s “House of all Nations,” as it is commonly called, is one place of amusement you can’t very well afford to miss while in the Tenderloin District. Everything goes here. Fun is the watchword.

Business has been on such an increase at the above place of late that Mdme. Johnson had to occupy an “Annex.” Emma has never less than twenty pretty women of all nations, who are clever entertainers.

Remember the name,

Emma Johnson
331 and 333 Basin Street

Vanilla bourbon, tea rose, jasmine, pink pepper, and patchouli.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  A faintly marigold-tinged oil.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from ralenth, who tries to match the bottle art to the art she provides on the imp.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent in large, italic scent font, along with the collection name and the title of the scent itself.  The front features her decanting name and  an image of a masked, nude woman reclining on a fainting couch, all of which are in black and white.

Scent: 

• ITI:  Pink pepper and tea rose all the way.  The pink pepper gives it a slightly bubblegum-tang to the scent as a whole.
• Wet: The pink pepper is much more subtle when on the skin, as is the tea rose. I get just a whiff of jasmine, but the patchouli and vanilla bourbon are oddly absent. 
• Dry:  After 10 hours, I get tea rose and a little jasmine.  The throw  however, is very weak at this point. When I reapplied it, I as finally able to smell the vanilla bourbon with the tea rose, the pink pepper and jasmine.  It’s rather pleasant  but not something I’d reach for on a daily basis. 

Other Impressions: “It smells like nectarines and cocoa butter.  It’s almost like peach, but tarter.” -Tony

Day 363- BPAL’s Touched Twice

Tags

angelica, BPAL, champaca, champaca flower, coconut, cyclamen, event exclusive, frangipani, Frankincense, Himalayan mogra, limited edition, mogra, Musk, Oud, red sandalwood, Rose, rose absolute, sandalwood, super limited edition, the last unicorn, vanilla, vanilla musk, white cyclamen, white oud

Scent Name:  Touched Twice

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – The Last Unicorn: Super-Limited Edition: 8/6/11, 2p-6p PDT

Scent Description and Notes: “TOUCHED TWICE
It was long that the unicorn stood by Prince Lír before she touched him with her horn. For all that her quest had ended joyously, there was weariness in the way she held herself, and a sadness in her beauty that Molly had never seen. It suddenly seemed to her that the unicorn’s sorrow was not for Lír but for the lost girl who could not be brought back; for the Lady Amalthea, who might have lived happily ever after with the prince. The unicorn bowed her head, and her horn glanced across Lír’s chin as clumsily as a first kiss.

He sat up blinking, smiling at something long ago. “Father,” he said in a quick, wondering voice. “Father, I had a dream.” Then he saw the unicorn, and he rose to his feet as the blood on his face began to shine and move again. He said, “I was dead.”

The unicorn touched him a second time, over the heart, letting her horn rest there for a little space. They were both trembling. Prince Lír put his hands out to her like words. She said, “I remember you. I remember.”

As delicate as life, as gentle as death, and as powerful as love: sheer, luminescent vanilla musk with frangipani, red sandalwood, frankincense, champaca flower, coconut, rose absolute, white cyclamen, Himalayan mogra, angelica, and white oud.” -BPAL

Cyclamen: Is a flowering tuber that smells sweetly delicate, and often described as a “transparent” scent.

Mogra: This is jasmine sambac, or jasmine with a slight cedar quality.

Oil Color:  A slightly orangish pink peony color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). Rlaenth decanting this one for me, recording the scent notes in cursive font along the back.    The front features the words in a dark grey or light black color that read “Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn” at the very top.  Just below that in a mavued fuchsia field box is white text that features the name of the scent.  The image is a beautifully rendered pencil drawing of the last unicorn giving life back to the fallen price by touching her horn to his chest.

Label art was created by Renae De Liz, the artist on IDW Publishing’s six-issue comic miniseries of The Last Unicorn. Renae worked on The Last Unicorn comic with her husband, colorist Ray Dillon. – BPAL

Scent: 

• In the Imp (ITI): Coconut, frangipani, rose absolute  sweet musk, and something that’s faint and delicate – perhaps the cyclamen.
• Wet: Beautifully pink and frilly white with hints of pale lavender – for some reason, colors come to mind before notes.  Ocne I get down to business  I get ripe coconut flesh, white oud, vanilla, subtle mogra, blooming rose absolute  and exotic frangipani.  It’s something rather special.
• Dry:  It’s faint after 14 hours of wear, but I can still make out the lush coconut, fragrant frangipani, sweet rose, and undertones of musk

Other Impressions: “It smells like rose and amber.  It’s interesting.  I like it!” -Tony

Day 362 – BPAL’s Octopus and Abalone Diver

Tags

Ambergris, ambergris accord, BPAL, driftwood, freesia, limited edition, lupercalia, lupercalia 2010, molluscan seashell accord, novel ideas for secret amusements III, sea spray, water lily

Scent Name:  Octopus and Abalone Diver

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Lupercalia 2010: Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements III: 1/19/10-4/30/10

Scent Description and Notes: “Ambergris accord, water lily, freesia, sea spray, molluscan seashell accord, and driftwood.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  A virtually colorless oil.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from ralenth, who tries to match the bottle art to the art she provides on the imp.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent in large, cursive font.  On the side, she has her decanting name, while the front features the name of the collection and the name of the scent framing the image associated with the scent. The image is a shunga print of an octopus and abalone, both in the shape of humans, copulating.

Warning: The following link contains a not-safe-for-work image. By clicking this link, you agree that you are over 18 years of age:  Octopus and Abalone Diver

Scent: 

• ITI: Freesia and water lily with a bit of pleasantly smelling driftwood.  I expected something nasty and aquatic, but so far, it’s rather feminine with some depth behind the floral.
• Wet: Ah, now I get something more aquatic, but it’s a clear lagoon rather than low tide.  The freesia and water lily mellow out the sharp water notes, but the ambergris starts to appear and make the scent more enticing, more exotic.  
• Dry:  Light freesia, ambergris accord, and water lily.  I don’t smell anything incredibly “fishy” or overtly aquatic in this scent now. 

Other Impressions: “It smells like bubblegum and flowers.” -Tony

Day 361 – BPAL’s The Creeping Mist

Tags

BPAL, ginger, Gothic Literature Vol. 1, Halloweenie, Halloweenie 2010, limited edition, linden, linden flower, lotus, orris, petitgrain, white ginger, yuzu

Petitgrain, my skin’s nemesis.  I see we meet again.  May the power of linden blossom overpower you and sent to to scent Valhalla.

Scent Name: The Creeping Mist

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Halloweenie 2010: Gothic Literature, Vol. 1

Scent Description and Notes: “THE CREEPING MIST
I stopped my horse, and looked round me again.

Yes: I saw it. With my own eyes I saw it. A pillar of white mist—between five and six feet high, as well as I could judge—was moving beside me at the edge of the road, on my left hand. When I stopped, the white mist stopped. When I went on, the white mist went on. I pushed my horse to a trot—the pillar of mist was with me. I urged him to a gallop—the pillar of mist was with me. I stopped him again—the pillar of mist stood still.

The white colour of it was the white colour of the fog which I had seen over the river—on the night when I had gone to bid her farewell. And the chill which had then crept through me to the bones was the chill that was creeping through me now.

I went on again slowly. The white mist went on again slowly—with the clear bright night all round it.

I was awed rather than frightened. There was one moment, and one only, when the fear came to me that my reason might be shaken. I caught myself keeping time to the slow tramp of the horse’s feet with the slow utterance of these words, repeated over and over again: ‘Jéromette is dead. Jéromette is dead.’ But my will was still my own: I was able to control myself, to impose silence on my own muttering lips. And I rode on quietly. And the pillar of mist went quietly with me.

My groom was waiting for my return at the rectory gate. I pointed to the mist, passing through the gate with me.

‘Do you see anything there?’ I said.

The man looked at me in astonishment.

I entered the rectory. The housekeeper met me in the hall. I pointed to the mist, entering with me.

‘Do you see anything at my side?’ I asked.

The housekeeper looked at me as the groom had looked at me.

‘I am afraid you are not well, sir,’ she said. ‘Your colour is all gone—you are shivering. Let me get you a glass of wine.’
—Miss Jéromette and the Clergyman, Wilkie Collins

A muculent, brumous, ill-omened scent: orris, yuzu, white ginger, linden flower, petitgrain, and lotus.“ – BPAL

Oil Color: A greenish yellow.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  Decanted by ralenth, the label features the notes on the back, the decanting name on the side, and the name of the scent and collection framing the picture.  The front displays the image  a hilly area dense with fog.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI): Petitgrain first hit my nose, but it was quickly covered over by strong yuzu and linden flower.
• Wet:  Lovely, juicy yuzu and crisp linden flower with some warmth from the white ginger, and just a little of the petitgrain (not enough to make me dislike it…yet).
• Dry: The yuzu is much fainter, but blended nicely with the linden flower and just a touch of white ginger.  It’s pleasantly appealing, and I’m so thankful petitgrain doesn’t play a major part in this scent.

Other Impressions: “I don’t know what it is, but it’s tasty.  There is a little bit of soapiness to it, but remove that, and bake the rest into a tart.” -Tony

Day 360 – BPAL’s Prosperity of a Country

Tags

asuhi, BPAL, cream, cream accord, Frankincense, ginger, Leather, limited edition, lupercalia, lupercalia 2010, novel ideas for secret amusements III, orris, orris root

It’s not a very holiday-inspired scent, but I’m trying to not cherry pick the imps in my box.  Otherwise, I would never finish and not be able to keep everything in order very well.

Scent Name:  Prosperity of a Country

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Lupercalia 2010: Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements III: 1/19/10-4/30/10

Scent Description and Notes: “Frankincense, orris root, asuhi, leather, and ginger-infused cream accord.” -BPAL

Oil Color: A faintly diluted light yellow.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from cybra111.  The label features the name of the company, the name of the scent, the decanting name, and the forum website in black, bold letters across the entire label.

Warning: The following link contains a not-safe-for-work image. By clicking this link, you agree that you are over 18 years of age:  Prosperity of a Country

Scent: 

• ITI:  Ginger, cream, light orris root, and something a little woodsy.
• Wet:  Woodsy ginger and orris root with a serving of frankincense and just a hint of leather.  It’s slightly masculine, but nothing I’d shy away from wearing just  because of that.
• Dry:  It’s woodsy, musky, on supple riding leather, with frankincense and cream infused throughout.  The ginger is gone once dried, which makes me ecstatic  especially because ginger smells horribly off on my skin.  Wonderful scent once dried!  

Other Impressions: “It smells like chocolate and honey,” -Tony

Day 359 – BPAL’s Picture Book and Pleasure Toys

Tags

ambrette, black tea, blackcurrant, blackcurrant bud, BPAL, currant, jasmine, limited edition, lupercalia, lupercalia 2010, Musk, nectarine, novel ideas for secret amusements III, oakmoss, pink rose, red musk, red sandalwood, Rose, sandalwood, tea, vetiver

Scent Name:  Picture Book and Pleasure Toys

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Lupercalia 2010: Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements III: 1/19/10-4/30/10

Scent Description and Notes: “Pink rose, red musk, red sandalwood, oakmoss, vetiver, nectarine, black tea, ambrette, jasmine, and blackcurrant bud.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  A golden oolong-steeped tea color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from ralenth, who tries to match the bottle art to the art she provides on the imp.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent in large, cursive font.  On the side, she has her decanting name, while the front features the name of the collection and the name of the scent framing the image associated with the scent. The image is a shunga print of a kimono-clad woman reading shunga.

Warning: The following link contains a not-safe-for-work image. By clicking this link, you agree that you are over 18 years of age:  Picture Book and Pleasure Toys

Scent: 

• ITI:  It the imp, I get mainly nectarine, musk, and perhaps ambrette.
• Wet: Black tea, nectarine, something that smells like honeysuckle, voluptuous rose, and jasmine.  Deliciously floral. 
• Dry:  It’s warmly floral with the rose and jasmine, but the black tea and the red musk create a wonderful symphony with paired with the shriller floral notes. 

Other Impressions: “It smells like rose and amber.” -Tony

Day 358 – BPAL’s Beanman and Beanwoman Prepare to Attack…

Tags

Amber, Ambergris, BPAL, coconut, coconut milk, limited edition, lupercalia, lupercalia 2010, Musk, novel ideas for secret amusements III, orange, orange blossom, skin musk, white amber, ylang ylang

Scent Name:  Beanman & Beanwoman Prepare to Attack…

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Lupercalia 2010: Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements III: 1/19/10-4/30/10

Scent Description and Notes: “Skin musk, white amber, ambergris, orange blossom, ylang ylang, and coconut milk. ” -BPAL

Oil Color:  A light honeyed wheat color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from ralenth, who tries to match the bottle art to the art she provides on the imp.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent in large, cursive font.  On the side, she has her decanting name, while the front features the name of the collection and the name of the scent framing the image associated with the scent. The image is a shunga print of the two figures getting ready to attack a close up the lady bits.

Warning: The following link contains a not-safe-for-work image. By clicking this link, you agree that you are over 18 years of age:  Beanman & Beanwoman Prepare to Attack the Vagina

Scent: 

• ITI:  Clean skin musk, orange blossom, and ylang ylang.  It’s somewhat floral, but soft and clean smelling.
• Wet: The orange blossom and skin musk are more dominant  but the ylang ylang adds a feminine tone to the scent, while the coconut evens everything out and provides a warm, sensuous base. 
• Dry:  The ylang ylang has turned somewhat soapy, but the coconut milk and skin musk mellow everything down, making it a subtle, feminine scent that would be perfect for anyone. 

Other Impressions: “It smells suntan lotion-y, but in a good way.” -Tony

Day 357 – BPAL’s Herr Drosselmeyer

Tags

BPAL, Leather, linen, pipe smoke, smoke, sweet leather, the nutcracker, the nutcracker 2010, tobacco, woods, yule, yule 2010

Scent Name: Herr Drosselmeyer

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule: The Nutcracker 2010

Scent Description and Notes: “Magus, toymaker, and Godfather to Klara. An enigmatic man, seemingly somewhat sinister, but bearing a gentle air and a sincere love for children. This scent is dignified, refined, but dark, and hints towards esoteric mysteries and the secrets that tie mechanics to magick. Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen.“ – BPAL

Oil Color:  The darker aspects of this scent have separated  living a wet soil color on the bottom and  a lighter yellow on stop.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  Decanted by ralenth, the label features the notes on the back, the decanting name on the side, and the name of the scent and collection framing the picture.  The front displays the image a cartoonish-looking Herr Drosselmeyer.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI): Linen, verdant woods, and a hint of tobacco smoke.
• Wet:  I still get the linen and woods, but there is a sweet aspect to this.  It might be from the leather, but I don’t really get a leather note.
• Dry: Ah, now I get the tobacco smoke and sweet leather paired with linen and just a touch of green.  It’s rather enjoyable.

Other Impressions: “It’s like parsley and orange.” -Tony

Day 356 – BPAL’s The Black Temple Burlesque Troupe

Tags

black musk, BPAL, cacao, limited edition, Musk, tobacco, tobacco absolute, yule, yule 2009

Scent Name:  The Black Temple Burlesque Troupe

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2009

Scent Description and Notes: “THE BLACK TEMPLE BURLESQUE TROUPE Straight from the pits of black, lightless N’kai: the voluptuous bat-winged vixens of the Black Temple Burlesque Troupe! Cacao, black musk, and tobacco absolute.“ – BPAL

Oil Color:  A dark melted chocolate color with hints of red.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  Decanted by ralenth, the label features the name of the scent and notes on the back along with the collection and title.  The front displays the image of women in panties, garters, and stockings, facing away from the viewer so as to show off the back sides.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI):  I get cocoa and darkly masculine musk.  Yummy.
• Wet: Cocoa, something slightly boozy now, and thick tobacco.
• Dry: It’s sweeter now when dry, something like light cocoa powder, tobacco, and a touch of fruit.  Very nice.

Other Impressions: “Light colored cherries, cocoa butter, and powder.” – Tony

Day 355 – BPAL’s Bruised Violet Compound

Tags

BPAL, currant, Doc Constantine, Doc Constantine's Pharmacopoeia, moss, patchouli, patchouli root, red currant, Spanish moss, violet

Scent Name:  Bruised Violet Compound

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Doc Constantine’s Pharmacopoeia

Scent Description and Notes: “Promotes vigor in undeath, and relieves the discomforts and complaints so common to incorporeal spirits!
The learned and eminent scholar Alessandro Cagliostro once remarked, “Long experience has taught me to prize Doctor Constantine’s Compounds above all others!”
Crushed violets, red currant, patchouli root, and Spanish moss.“ – BPAL

Oil Color: A light, hazy blanched wheat color.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  The label wrapped around the bottle features an Art-Deco inspired phoenix with name of the company next to the phoenix. On the other side, the title of the scent written in large, clear black font outlined with red on the front.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI):  Soapy violets and some Spanish moss.  While I’m generally not a fan of soapy, this might turn out to be a wearable scent.
• Wet:   At least on my skin, the scent is no longer soapy.  It’s violet, moss, and the faintest hint of patchouli.
• Dry: Lemony violet, red currant, and faintly powdery patchouli.  The lemony violet is rather overpowering, though.

Other Impressions: “I’m not sure, but it smells like something my grandma has, like one of those old classic perfumes…not old lady, but classic perfume.”

Day 354 – BPAL’s Satyr

Tags

ars amatoria, BPAL, cinnamon, civet, love potions, masculine, Musk, nutmeg, patchouli, pine, sarsaparilla

Scent Name:  Satyr

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Ars Amatoria: Love Potions

Scent Description and Notes: “Unleash the bawdy, unrestrained passion of the satyr! A ferociously masculine scent: sexual, vigorous, and truly wild.“ – BPAL.org

Oil Color: A deep burgundy red oil color.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  The label wrapped around the bottle features an Art-Deco inspired phoenix with name of the company next to the phoenix. On the other side, the title of the scent written in large, clear black font outlined with red on the front.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI):  musk, maybe civet,  pine, patchouli, and something that is a little smoky.
• Wet:  Civet, pine, sarsaparilla, I think, light cinnamon and nutmeg.  I like it, but civet isn’t a note for everyone.
• Dry: Civet, cinnamon, nutmeg and patchouli.  It does remind me of its namesake, but the satyr happens to be a mythical creature of which I’m rather fond.

Other Impressions: “Cinnamon and orange peel.  It’s interesting.” -Tony

Day 353 – BPAL’s Dance of Death

Tags

ars moriendi, black musk, BPAL, Musk, myrrh, orris, patchouli, white orris

Scent Name:  Dance of Death

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Ars Moriendi

Scent Description and Notes: “Carrying bouquet, and handkerchief, and gloves,
Proud of her height as when she lived, she moves
With all the careless and high-stepping grace,
And the extravagant courtesan’s thin face.

Was slimmer waist e’er in a ball-room wooed?
Her floating robe, in royal amplitude,
Falls in deep folds around a dry foot, shod
With a bright flower-like shoe that gems the sod.

The swarms that hum about her collar-bones
As the lascivious streams caress the stones,
Conceal from every scornful jest that flies,
Her gloomy beauty; and her fathomless eyes

Are made of shade and void; with flowery sprays
Her skull is wreathed artistically, and sways,
Feeble and weak, on her frail vertebrae.
O charm of nothing decked in folly! they

Who laugh and name you a Caricature,
They see not, they whom flesh and blood allure,
The nameless grace of every bleached, bare bone,
That is most dear to me, tall skeleton!

Come you to trouble with your potent sneer
The feast of Life! or are you driven here,
To Pleasure’s Sabbath, by dead lusts that stir
And goad your moving corpse on with a spur?

Or do you hope, when sing the violins,
And the pale candle-flame lights up our sins,
To drive some mocking nightmare far apart,
And cool the flame hell lighted in your heart?

Fathomless well of fault and foolishness!
Eternal alembic of antique distress!
Still o’er the curved, white trellis of your sides
The sateless, wandering serpent curls and glides.

And truth to tell, I fear lest you should find,
Among us here, no lover to your mind;
Which of these hearts beat for the smile you gave?
The charms of horror please none but the brave.

Your eyes’ black gulf, where awful broodings stir,
Brings giddiness; the prudent reveller
Sees, while a horror grips him from beneath,
The eternal smile of thirty-two white teeth.

For he who has not folded in his arms
A skeleton, nor fed on graveyard charms,
Recks not of furbelow, or paint, or scent,
When Horror comes the way that Beauty went.

O irresistible, with fleshless face,
Say to these dancers in their dazzled race:
“Proud lovers with the paint above your bones,
Ye shall taste death, musk scented skeletons!

Withered Antinoüs, dandies with plump faces,
Ye varnished cadavers, and grey Lovelaces,
Ye go to lands unknown and void of breath,
Drawn by the rumour of the Dance of Death.

From Seine’s cold quays to Ganges’ burning stream,
The mortal troupes dance onward in a dream;
They do not see, within the opened sky,
The Angel’s sinister trumpet raised on high.

In every clime and under every sun,
Death laughs at ye, mad mortals, as ye run;
And oft perfumes herself with myrrh, like ye
And mingles with your madness, irony!

A gloriously elegant representation of Lady Death. Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh.” – BPAL

Oil Color: A darkened copper brown.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  The label wrapped around the bottle features an Art-Deco inspired phoenix with name of the company next to the phoenix. On the other side, the title of the scent written in large, clear black font outlined with red on the front.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI):  Strong patchouli muddled with musky orris.
• Wet:  I get moist earth from the patchouli with subtle complexity from the orris root.  The myrrh is rather faint here.
• Dry:  The myrrh really comes out over the patchouli as it dries down.  The musk mingles with the orris root to provide an exotically alluring scent.

Other Impressions:  “It smells like powder and raw leather.”  -Tony

Day 352 – BPAL’s Wrath

Tags

black pepper, BPAL, cinnamon, clove, dragon's blood, pepper, resin, sin and salvation, the seven deadly sins

Scent Name:  Wrath

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Sin and Salvation: The Seven Deadly Sins

Scent Description and Notes: “A scent aflame with rage, swirling in the red haze of hatred: dragon’s blood spiked with black pepper, clove, and cinnamon.“ – BPAL

Oil Color: A brilliant pinked orange.  It certainly looks like it could burn through the bottle.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  The label wrapped around the bottle features an Art-Deco inspired phoenix with name of the company next to the phoenix. On the other side, the title of the scent written in large, clear black font outlined with red on the front.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI): The smoky aspect that follows the dragon’s blood is intense.  It reminds me of standing next to a cedar wood smoker.
• Wet: Smoky black pepper, cinnamon, and dragon’s blood.  I like this despite the overt smokiness.  In fact, I think I like it because of the smokiness.
• Dry:  Once dried, the clove and cinnamon combine beautifully with the Dragon’s Blood resin and the smoky pepper.  Wonderful!

Other Impressions: None.

Day 351 – BPAL’s Diable en Boite

Tags

black currant, BPAL, clove, currant, hemp, hemp accord, limited edition, Musk, peach, peach blossom, red musk, redwood, tobacco, Tonka, wood, yule, yule 2009

Scent Name:  DIABLE EN BOÎTE

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2009

Scent Description and Notes: “The crickets sing, and man’s o’er-labour’d sense
Repairs itself by rest. Our Tarquin thus
Did softly press the rushes, ere he waken’d
The chastity he wounded. Cytherea,
How bravely thou becomest thy bed, fresh lily,
And whiter than the sheets! That I might touch!
But kiss; one kiss! Rubies unparagon’d,
How dearly they do’t! ‘Tis her breathing that
Perfumes the chamber thus: the flame o’ the taper
Bows toward her, and would under-peep her lids,
To see the enclosed lights, now canopied
Under these windows, white and azure laced
With blue of heaven’s own tinct. But my design,
To note the chamber: I will write all down:
Such and such pictures; there the window; such
The adornment of her bed; the arras; figures,
Why, such and such; and the contents o’ the story.
Ah, but some natural notes about her body,
Above ten thousand meaner moveables
Would testify, to enrich mine inventory.
O sleep, thou ape of death, lie dull upon her!
And be her sense but as a monument,
Thus in a chapel lying! Come off, come off:
As slippery as the Gordian knot was hard!
‘Tis mine; and this will witness outwardly,
As strongly as the conscience does within,
To the madding of her lord. On her left breast
A mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops
I’ the bottom of a cowslip: here’s a voucher,
Stronger than ever law could make: this secret
Will force him think I have pick’d the lock and ta’en
The treasure of her honour. No more. To what end?
Why should I write this down, that’s riveted,
Screw’d to my memory? She hath been reading late
The tale of Tereus; here the leaf’s turn’d down
Where Philomel gave up. I have enough:
To the trunk again, and shut the spring of it.
Swift, swift, you dragons of the night, that dawning
May bare the raven’s eye! I lodge in fear;
Though this a heavenly angel, hell is here.
One, two, three: time, time!
– Iachimo, Cymbeline Act II, Scene 2

There are few things more disturbing than a Jack in the Box. A strangely sinister, unnerving holiday scent: redwood, bitter clove, tonka, hemp accord, and tobacco with peach blossom, black currant, and red musk.“ – BPAL

Oil Color:  A nice mulled cider color.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  Decanted by ralenth, the label features the name of the scent and notes on the back along with the collection and title.  The front displays the image of Santa being surprised or terrified by a Jack-in-the-Box with his face on it.

Image by ascentaday.com.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI):  I was expecting something more heady, but instead, I get sweet, juicy floral (peach blossom and back currant) with a bit of smoky musk (tobacco and red musk).
• Wet: Peach blossom, black currant, clove, tobacco, redwood.
• Dry: The longevity of this scent is limited.  On second application and dry down, I get spiced clove, musk, peach blossom, black currant, and now tonka and tobacco, which rounds out this scent beautifully.

Other Impressions: “It smells like violets and something else.” -Tony

Day 350 – BPAL’s Spicebush Swallowtail

Tags

BPAL, brown sugar, clove, limited edition, metamorphosis, metamorphosis 2010, Metamorphosis: the butterflies, plum, sassafras, sugar, the butterflies, wild plum

Scent Name:  Spicebush Swallowtail

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Metamorphosis: The Butterflies (5/26/10-8/26/10)

Scent Description and Notes: “Brown sugar, sassafras, clove, and wild plum. ” -BPAL

Oil Color: A very lightly yellowed crystalline oil color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from ralenth, who tries to match the bottle art to the art she provides on the imp.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent, on the side her decanting name, and the name of the scent and collection on the front.  The front features  an image matching the bottle art, which is the scent’s namesaked butterfly.

Image from http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/wildflower/completebutterflydata.asp?id=5; (C) Janet C. Daniels.

Scent: 

• ITI: Wow, the brown sugar certainly is dominant.  I have to tease through it in order to find the clove and the sassafras, both of which are usually strong notes.
• Wet: Much more balanced on my skin – sassafras melds well with the sugar and the clove, lending itself to a warm, fuzzy image in my head.  There is the hint of wild plum when one concentrates as well. 
  
• Dry: Warm, fuzzy clove and brown sugar with faint sassafras.  While the plum is gone, the remainder is still pleasant.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 349 – BPAL’s Dwarf

Tags

ash, BPAL, hops, iron, iron filings, Leather, RPG, soot, stone, Styrian Golding hops

Scent Name:  Dwarf

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – RPG

Scent Description and Notes: “Iron filings and chips of stone, Styrian Golding hops, and soot-covered leather.“ -BPAL

Oil Color: The color of Barenjager. 

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). The label wrapped around the bottle features an Art-Deco inspired Phoenix with the the name of the company at the right-hand side of the label. The other side is a bit different since this is an imp specifically from a special collection.  It features the name of the series in an interesting, pointed font, with the name of the scent in larger, bolded font outlined in red.

Scent: 

• In the Imp (ITI):  This actually has an odd floral aspect to it, which might be the hops. At first, it is all I can smell. After a little, I smell something like shale, soot, and a hint of leather.  Interesting, but I little cave-like.
• Wet: Floral hops is all I get on my skin.  Amp city, here I come.
• Dry:  It’s still rather perfume-y – hops and florals with a touch of leather.  I like this much better when dried.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 348 – BPAL’s Maenad

Tags

black poppy, BPAL, carnation, diabolus, hibiscus, orange, orange blossom, poppy, strawberry

Scent Name: Maenad

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Diabolus

Scent Description and Notes: “Orgiastic mayhem in the extreme: sweet strawberry and orange blossom distorted by carnation, black poppy and hibiscus.“ – BPAL

Oil Color: A sun-kissed golden color.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  The label wrapped around the bottle features an Art-Deco inspired phoenix with name of the company next to the phoenix. On the other side, the title of the scent written in large, clear black font outlined with red on the front.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI):  The strawberry is sickly sweet in that artificial way it can be, but the florals lend it some depth that makes me think it’s worth a chance.
• Wet: Sweet, overtly candy-like strawberry dominates above all, but the poppy and some orange seem to creep in after a couple seconds.
• Dry: After 15 hours, There is only the faintest hint of strawberry and something faintly more dark.

Other Impressions: None

Day 347 – BPAL’s Ehecatl

Tags

BPAL, excolo, hibiscus, Lime, matcha, Musk, white musk

Scent Name: Ehecatl

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Excolo

Scent Description and Notes: “EHECATL
The Aztec God of the Winds. He is one of the faces of the Feathered Serpent, and in this aspect he gave life to the sun and the moon, revives the dead, and breathes love into the hearts all of men.

Hibiscus, matcha, white musk, and lime.“ – BPAL

Oil Color: A very faint, creamy white yellow.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  The label wrapped around the bottle features an Art-Deco inspired phoenix with name of the company next to the phoenix. On the other side, the title of the scent written in large, clear black font outlined with red on the front.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI):  Oh, I like it.  The lime is bitter, yet sweet when paired with the white musk.  I don’t get anything other than those two notes.
• Wet:  Bright lime, sweet hibiscus, hints of dried green tea and musk.  Oh, this may go in the “to buy” category.
• Dry: I agree with my husband.  It’s a very clean, pure scent.  I think it would be wonderful for summer or spring.  I get hibiscus, gentle while still lightly fragrant, a touch of warmth from the white musk, and a round sweet quality from the matcha.

Other Impressions: “It smells like lemongrass and Ivory soap.” -Tony