Day 973 – BPAL’s Phantom

Tags

attar of rose, BPAL, dark musk, diabolus, Musk, myrrh, Rose, ylang ylang

Name:   Phantom

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –Diabolus

Scent Description and Notes: “All look and likeness caught from earth,
All accident of kin and birth,
Had pass’d away. There was no trace
Of aught on that illuminated face,
Upraised beneath the rifted stone
But of one spirit all her own;–
She, she herself, and only she,
Shone through her body visibly.

Myrrh, dark musk, attar of rose and ylang ylang.“ – bpal.org

Oil Color: A honeyed nectarine 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 the 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:

• ITI: Mechanical oil, ozone, myrrh, and ylang ylang.  How odd.
• Wet:  The impression is of something wet, dark, hidden in the hoods, slightly wavering, and just characteristic of ectoplasmic energy.  I wouldn’t have guessed that the combination of notes would yield that, but I do think the dark musk, really earthy, although patchouli-esque myrrh, and attar of rose yield a really haunting base, while the ylang ylang add s an ephemeral, ozone quality to the scent as a whole.  I like it!
• Dry:  I just get myrrh and attar of rose.  Honestly, I’m really impressed that the scent has lasted 17 hours.  Wow.

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 972 – BPAL’s Queen of Sheba

Tags

African spice, almonds, ars amatoria, ars amatoria: love potions, BPAL, honey, In Memoriam, Middle Eastern spice, Spice

Name:   Queen of Sheba

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

Scent Description and Notes: “A woman of exquisite, unearthly beauty, profound intelligence, wit, and exceeding wealth, the Queen of Sheba – called Bilquis by the Muslims and Makeda by the ancient Abyssinians – traveled by caravan to Solomon’s realm seeking proof of the king’s reputed wisdom. Bearing gifts of exotic spices, a veritable mountain of gold, hearty camels and precious stones, she presented herself to the king and, bearing her heart to him, asked him a series of challenging questions, and was ultimately convinced of the truth of his wisdom, knowledge and judiciousness. In the end, the great king and queen conquered each other’s hearts and fell breathlessly in love: the perfect marriage of equals.

Her scent is a bounty of golden honeyed almonds and a whisper of African and Middle Eastern spices.– Bpal.org

Oil Color: A copper penny 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 the 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.

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/general-catalogue/queen-of-sheba/

Scent:

• ITI: It’s rather sweet, but in a baklava kind of way.  To that extent, it smells like honey, almonds, dates, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
• Wet:  On my skin, the scent takes on a slightly papery quality, which strikes me as odd. It still is very sweet, and a bit too heavy on the honey in my opinion, but then again, honey tens to turn on me.  It still has elements of the sweet treat I sensed from the bottle state, but it does change based on skin chemistry.
• Dry:  The honey dies down considerably, leaving a more perfume-y and slightly older smelling spice blend with a touch of aged almonds in the background.  Again, I don’t think this one is for me.

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 971 – BPAL’s Rapture

Tags

Arabian musk, ars amatoria, bergamot, BPAL, Egyptian myrrh, general catalog, jasmine, love potions, mandarin, Moroccan rose, Musk, myrrh, neroli, night-blooming jasmine, Rose, Sumatran rose

Name: Rapture

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

Scent Description and Notes: “Sensual ecstasy, the blinding red fire of the apex of sexual pleasure: Moroccan rose, Sumatran rose, mandarin, Egyptian myrrh, night-blooming jasmine, bergamot and neroli thrust into Arabian musk.– Bpal.org

Oil Color: An apricot 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 the 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.

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/general-catalog-perfume-oils/ars-amatoria/rapture/

Scent:

• ITI: Strong jasmine, thick musk, sensuous myrrh together make me want to swoon.  It smells great so far!
• Wet:  The mandarin and musk warm up on my skin, which pairs really nicely with the neroil, jasmine, and bergamot, but the jasmine seems to be getting stronger on my skin.  Still, not bad.
• Dry: After 13 hours, I can’t smell anything.  After reapplication and quick dry, it’s strongly resinous with neroli, myrrh, and something that smells like a little patchouli.  The jasmine gets soapy on my skin, but the rose keeps it from a bathroom-only scent . Several hours after that, the mandarin and neroli diminish as it dries and jasmine takes its spot as the note to amp them all.  *Sigh*  In the swap pile you go.

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 970 – BPAL’s Greed

Tags

BPAL, copal, heliotrope, oakmoss, patchouli, sin and salvation, the seven deadly sins

Name:   Greed

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

Scent Description and Notes: “Base and earthy, yet glittering with golden notes: patchouli, heliotrope, copal and oakmoss.“ – bpal.org

Oil Color: Oil the color of spiced rum.

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 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:

• ITI: I’m not sure whether or not I should be bothered that my first impression is that I find the scent comforting.  I really like that the patchouli is a subtle, earthy version, the oakmoss isn’t too green, the heliotrope isn’t too brashly floral, and the copal just offers a lovely, balanced, slightly resinous blend reminiscent of “Our Hearts Condemn Us” from the Only Lovers Left Alive release.
• Wet:  It’s a touch sweeter and almost woody on my skin, but the wood is like  a combination of balsam, aged cedar, and a more toned-down version of teak.  The copal note in this scent is a real winner, as I believe it is what is reading as woody above the patchouli, oakmoss, and heliotrope (which now has a honeyed tone to it). Gorgeous scent so far!
• Dry: It mellows down a bit once dry, but it’s still a lovely blend – golden, harmonious, woody, resinous, earthy, and inviting.  I want a bottle of it!

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 969 – BPAL’s Follow Me Boy

Tags

bewitching brews, BPAL, floral, Musk, resin, the conjure bag, vanilla

Name:   Follow Me Boy

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Bewitching Brews: Conjure Bag

Scent Description and Notes: “A houdoun recipe dating back almost 150 years. This blend is favored by prostitutes, exotic dancers and others in the sex industry for its power to attract, seduce, and enthrall. Ensures financial gain and increased profits.“ – bpal.org

Oil Color: Bing cherry red.

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 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:

• ITI:  In the imp, it smells like jasmine, dragon’s blood resin, baby oil, a strong musk, and something sweet, perhaps a faint honey, beeswax, or vanilla, but it’s too faint to tease out.
• Wet:   Oh wow, that’s impressive. It’s not jasmine as much as jonquil. The oil itself looks and smells like dragon’s blood resin, dark cherries, skin musk, baby powder, and brandy on my wrist.  The color of the oil is even startling.  It reminds me of Robitussin, but warmer in color, while still being deeply crimson and thick!
• Dry: After a few hours, it’s soft, pleasantly musky with a tinge of powderienss, possibly from ambergris.  While I’m not certain of the notes, I feel like honeysuckle might be part of this, possibly beeswax, as well as  a healthy dose of rich vanilla. As for its purported abilities to attract, I’d say it certainly has some merit. Despite a draped black top, hair in a low ponytail, jeans, tennis shoes, and not an ounce of makeup, I noticed far more individuals paying farr greater attention to me that I would warrant necessary or typical.  It’s actually a little unnerving.

Other Impressions:  I think I’ll reserve this one for select wearings only.

Day 968 – BPAL’s Phantasm

Tags

bewitching brews, BPAL, green tea, jasmine, lemon verbena, neroli

Name:   Phantasm

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Bewitching Brews

Scent Description and Notes: “This delicate, spectral perfume gives rise to an eerie distortion of of the senses. It bestows an ephemeral, ghostly, and truly haunting quality to your presence. Green tea, lemon verbena, jasmine and neroli.“ – bpal.org

Oil Color:  An almost peachy apricot-colored oil.

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 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:

• ITI:  I get an interesting combination of jasmine, neroli, and lemon verbena.  Jasmine usually overpowers many of it’s accompanying notes, at least to my nose, so this harmonious blend is fascinating as I would describe the notes as well blended, delicate, and slightly ephemeral with the faint green tea note that remains hidden, but that brings something special to this blend.
• Wet:   The lemon verbena is more assertive on my skin, but I actually quite like it with the jasmine and neroli.  The green tea still stays in the background, but does add to the complexity of the scent.
• Dry: Oddly enough, the most lasting note is green tea, followed by lemon verbena.  Even though it’s lost the other two notes, I’m a fan of the scent!

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 967 – BPAL’s Lear

Tags

bay, bay leaf, blue sage, BPAL, Cedar, illyria, Sage, white cedarwood, wood

Name:   Lear

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Illyria

Scent Description and Notes: “A regal, commanding scent, but poignant. White cedarwood, blue sage and bay leaf.“ – bpal.org

Oil Color:  A faint dewy pollen 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 the 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:

• ITI:  This reminds me of walking through U.C. San Diego’s Eucalyptus grove in fall, although with the deeper wood of cedar and the heady, blue, swirling herbal yet minty tones of sage.
• Wet:  It’s a bit more herbal and clearly cedar, like carved cedar trunks specifically, it it still remains the lovely tones that I picked up on in the imp.
• Dry: I’m surprised by how soft this turns own when dried, like clean cotton drying outside a log cabin early in the morning.

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 966 – BPAL’s Magdalene

Tags

BPAL, discontinued, In Memoriam, labdanum, orchid, Rose, sin and salvation, white rose, wild orchid

Name:   Magdalene

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Sin and Salvation: In Memoriam

Scent Description and Notes: “A stirring yet gentle perfume. The scent of love and devotion mingled with an undercurrent of heart-rending sorrow. A bouquet of white roses, labdanum, and wild orchid“ – bpal.org

Oil Color:  The color of honeyed lemon.

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 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:

• ITI:  I was expecting overtly floral and sweet, but Magdalene is a bit on the acrid/bitter side, like roses and thorns with a touch of labdanum.
• Wet: The rose and orchid more clearer once on the skin, and while the bitterness has died down, a soft powderiness has settled over the top of it. It really does seem to do its name-sake justice.
• Dry: Softy powder, pleasant rose, and a touch of light distant ozone for some reason rain on my skin.  It’s gorgeous and I’m now upset that it has been discontinued.

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 965 – BPAL’s The Red Rider

Tags

balsam, BPAL, Leather, marchen, moss, red leather, red moss

Name:   The Red Rider

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Marchen

Scent Description and Notes: “She went a little further and again she heard the sound of a horse’s hoofs and there came another man on horseback galloping past her. He was dressed all in red, and the horse under him was blood-red and its harness was red, and just as he passed her the sun rose.

Red leather, red moss, and balsam.“ – www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color:  A nice tawny apricot oil.

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 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:

• ITI:  Stiff red leather that reminds me of riding tack, balsam wood, and a touch of damp green.
• Wet:  The balsam and moss are a bit sweeter on my skin, but not by much.  The leather still has that quality of stiffness about it that reminds me so clearly of riding tact.  It just feels like the scent needs an incense or resin note to soften it up a bit.
• Dry: Unfortunately, it simply dries down into a stiff red leather and balsam on me. It just needs a bit more complexity.

Other Impressions: I’ve tested this one a few times, and each time, I’ve felt the need to layer it with something else to tone the leather down some and add more incense or other elements.  I think I favor both The White and The Black Riders more than Red.

Day 964 – BPAL’s Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds

Tags

BPAL, coconut, crystalline musk, Musk, orris, red rose, Rose

Name:  Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Marchen

Scent Description and Notes: “The youngest, who was the very picture of her father for courtesy and sweetness of temper, was withal one of the most beautiful girls ever seen. As people naturally love their own likeness, this mother even doted on her eldest daughter and at the same time had a horrible aversion for the youngest–she made her eat in the kitchen and work continually.

Among other things, this poor child was forced twice a day to draw water above a mile and a-half off the house, and bring home a pitcher full of it. One day, as she was at this fountain, there came to her a poor woman, who begged of her to let her drink.

“Oh! ay, with all my heart, Goody,” said this pretty little girl; and rinsing immediately the pitcher, she took up some water from the clearest place of the fountain, and gave it to her, holding up the pitcher all the while, that she might drink the easier.

The good woman, having drunk, said to her:

You are so very pretty, my dear, so good and so mannerly, that I cannot help giving you a gift.” For this was a fairy, who had taken the form of a poor country woman, to see how far the civility and good manners of this pretty girl would go. “I will give you for a gift,” continued the Fairy, “that, at every word you speak, there shall come out of your mouth either a flower or a jewel.”

When this pretty girl came home her mother scolded her for staying so long at the fountain.

“I beg your pardon, mamma,” said the poor girl, “for not making more haste.”

And in speaking these words there came out of her mouth two roses, two pearls, and two diamonds.

Red roses, dazzling crystalline musks, and pearlescent coconut-tinged orris.“ – www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color:  Clear and colorless.

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 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/marchen/roses-pearls-and-diamonds/

Scent:

• ITI:  Hmm, I’m getting coconut, light rose, and the impression of mounts of marshmallow-ish fluff.  Interesting.
• Wet:  It reminds me of what the White Queen from Alice in Wonderland would wear if she had a perfume. It’s pleasantly powdery, delicately musky in the most ephemerally way, light coconut, and bedecked with gorgeous rose, even on my skin.
• Dry:  It dries down into a gentle, comforting coconut-tinged skin musk with a dusting of rose- very pretty.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 963 – BPAL’s New Orleans

Tags

BPAL, honeysuckle, jasmine, lemon, Spice, wanderlust

Name:  New Orleans

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Wanderlust

Scent Description and Notes: “Reminiscent of hothouse blooms on a humid night, ripe, but touched with decay. Sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice.“ – www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color: Bright highlighter 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 the 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/wanderlust/new-orleans/

Scent:

• ITI: Jasmine.  Yep, that’s jasmine alright – strong and imperious, pushing almost all the other notes out of its way.  Lemon does try to make a showing, but it soft and timid against its assertive note “companion”.
• Wet: Okay, at least the jasmine is somewhat tempered by the honeysuckle and lemon on my skin, but it’s still way too much. It smells like crazy disinfectant, lemon cleaner, and jasmine deodorizer.  Well, at least I smell clean.  Then again, my skin just doesn’t like jasmine.
• Dry:  It’s just jasmine and lemon, but mostly jasmine now.  Alas, into the swap pile you go.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 962 – BPAL’s Othello

Tags

Arabian musk, BPAL, illyria, Indian spices, Middle Eastern spices, Musk, Rose, Spice

Name:  Othello

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Illyria

Scent Description and Notes: “Arabian musk with two roses and a bevy of Middle Eastern and Indian spices.“ – www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color: The color of melted ice crystals glinting in the sun.

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 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/illyria/othello/

Scent:

• ITI: Spicy, warm, daunting, darling, and sexy as hell.  I’ll be over here, fanning myself like a Southern bell fully dressed for my debutante ball in the middle of July.
• Wet: The Arabian musk here is dark, almost inky, carries a bit like cologne, and provides a very masculine and exquisitely smoldering base for the spices, which have some fuzzy brown notes, so I’d assume cinnamon, nutmeg, and perhaps allspice are present here. As it starts to settle a few seconds in, rose rose emerges, the spices shift, and I get sun-dried,f freshly laundered bed-sheets as well. It smells great, but it’s no longer that menacingly delightful scent that I so enjoyed at the start. Drat!
• Dry: Othello settles down into a lightly spiced musk.  Nice, but that’s it.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 961 – BPAL’s Szepasszony

Tags

air, aquatic, BPAL, diabolus, discontinued, floral, rain, white flowers, wind

Name:  Szepasszony

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Discontinued: Diabolus

Scent Description and Notes: “The Fair Lady, Winter Witch, White Maiden of the Storm. Szepasszony is a Hungarian demoness that appears as a stunningly beautiful woman with long, silver-white hair and a blinding white dress. She revels in storms, particularly when hail rains down on her. Water dripping down eaves into a puddle is an invitation for her to cause mischief: she uses the puddle as a magickal tool for casting her wicked spells. It is considered foolhardy to step into a circle of short grass ringed by taller grasses, as those mark the circles where the Fair Lady dances. A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers.“ – bpal.org

Oil Color: Colorless

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 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:

• ITI: Sharp white florals and Glade plug in or air freshener with a touch of salt.  It isn’t what I was expecting out of the imp.
• Wet: And that’s an aquatic.  I put this on as I have to run to an appointment and hesitate as I’m walking out the door, contemplating whether or not I have enough time to wash it off and make my appointment on time.  I don’t, so I have to deal with the damp, chilly aquatic notes, but at least the white floral keep it from being too overwhelming. The do bring a softness to the scent, but the aquatic, saltiness is dominates.
• Dry: Thankfully, it fades to a combination of watery florals and brine in the distance, which isn’t too bad.  However, that just doesn’t make the cut in my imp box.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 960 – BPAL’s Bewitched

Tags

berry, bewitching brews, blackberry, BPAL, dark musk, green tea, Musk, Sage, tea, wild berries

Name:  Bewitched

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Bewitching Brews

Scent Description and Notes: “Deep, luscious green and berry scents that evoke images of woodland witchcraft and the raw power of nature: blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk.“ – blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color:  A tawny warmed honey 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 the 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/bewitching-brews/bewitched/

Scent:

• ITI: Bewitched is dark, musky, and perfumy.  It makes my nose twinge just a tad, but I persevere to find  berries, although on the slightly soapy side, and faint, fresh sage.  Interesting, but I’m not sure about whether or not I like it.
• Wet: The scent stays oddly close to the skin. It’s a combination of blackberries, sage, musk, and green tea, but it does evoke overall muddied, dark imagery, which seems to be fitting for its namesake.
• Dry: I get musky berries and a touch of tea after 5 hours. It’s okay, but not something I’d actively seek more of in the future.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 959 – BPAL’s Loup Garou

Tags

BPAL, cypress, diabolus, eucalyptus, galangal, juniper

Name:  Loup Garou

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Diabolous

Scent Description and Notes: “The wild, untamed essence of lycanthropy. Primeval in its raw power and insatiable hunger: juniper, cypress and galangal with the barest touch of eucalyptus.“ – blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color: Colorless.

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 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/diabolus/loup-garou/

Scent:

• ITI: Loup Garou is crisp and refreshing, like an evergreen forest during a thunderstorm.  Juniper and eucalyptus rule all others in the imp.
• Wet:  IT’s very similar to the impression I received when I unstoppered the imp, although I’m getting a touch of cypress and a hint of spiciness from the galangal, but these notes I have to try to tease out over the other two.
• Dry:  It’s a much drier scent after four hours.  It’s mostly dried cypress and faint enough quantities of eucalyptus and juniper to give it a  slightly crisp and astringent tone, but not enough to overpower the drier nature of the cypress note.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 958 – BPAL’s Two, Five, and Seven

Tags

BPAL, Bulgarian rose, Damascus rose, green grass, mad tea party, red rose, Rose, rose petals, shrub rose, Somalian rose, tea rose, Turkish rose, white rose, wine rose

Name:  Two, Five, and Seven

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Mad Tea Party

Scent Description and Notes: “Would you tell me,’ said Alice, a little timidly, ‘why you are painting those roses?’

Five and Seven said nothing, but looked at Two. Two began in a low voice, ‘Why the fact is, you see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red rose-tree, and we put a white one in by mistake; and if the Queen was to find it out, we should all have our heads cut off, you know. So you see, Miss, we’re doing our best, afore she comes, to–’

A huge bouquet of squished rose petals: Bulgarian rose, Somalian rose, Turkish rose, Damascus rose, red and white rose, tea rose, wine rose, shrub roses, rose, rose, rose…

…and just an itty bitty bit of green grass.“ – blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color: A diluted white wine 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 the 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/mad-tea-party/two-five-seven/

Scent:

• ITI:  Tea rose is surprising clear in the bevy of other rose notes, but wine rose curls up to greet my nose slightly thereafter, like a shy but intriguing friend.  In the background, there is the greenness alluded to in the shrub and green grass notes.  It does smell just a touch like a covert operation involving roses.
• Wet: The grass note is just a tad stronger on my skin, but the tea rose is still dominant, not followed by the Damascus rose and a slightly more candied rose note.  I like that the sheer variety of notes keeps the scent as just reading “straight” rose, but instead adds a little complexity and depth to keep it interesting.  That being said, it’s not the best scent while having a migraine.
• Dry: The scent takes on a bit of a sugared quality after it has sat for a while.  Rose is certainly there, but I can no longer pick out distinct rose notes or even green notes – it’s just sugar and roses.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 957 – BPAL’s Maiden

Tags

ars amatoria, BPAL, carnation, Damask rose, general catalog, Rose, tea, white tea

Name:  Maiden

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Ars Amatoria

Scent Description and Notes: “A gentle vision of purity, goodness and virtue: white tea, carnation and Damask Rose.” – blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color: A buttery yellow 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 the 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/ars-amatoria/maiden/

Scent:

• ITI:  Maiden is a balmy white tea and rose out of the bottle. It reminds me ever so slightly of a garden party in mid June.
• Wet: The carnation on my skin is light, pleasantly spicy when paired with the gentle Damask rose along with the soothing, almost lemony white tea.  It’s pleasant, soft, and rather innocent.
• Dry: While not giving it the whole day to settle like I normally do, the dry down is a bit more powdery and  spicy, the carnation and white tea contributing to the bulk of that.  The rose is present, but it’s just enough to sweeten everything rather than distinctly engage as a rose note.  Nice, but not bottle worthy.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 956 – BPAL’s Alice’s Evidence

Tags

black ginger, BPAL, cassis, ginger, mad tea party, prune, quince, rum

Name:  Alice’s Evidence

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Mad Tea Party: The Garden of Live Flowers.

Scent Description and Notes: “ There was a general clapping of hands at this: it was the first really clever thing the King had said that day. ‘That proves his guilt,’ said the Queen. ‘It proves nothing of the sort!’ said Alice. ‘Why, you don’t even know what they’re about!’ ‘Read them,’ said the King. The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. ‘Where shall I begin, please your Majesty?’ he asked. ‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.’ These were the verses the White Rabbit read:- They told me you had been to her, And mentioned me to him: She gave me a good character, But said I could not swim. He sent them word I had not gone (We know it to be true): If she should push the matter on, What would become of you? I gave her one, they gave him two, You gave us three or more; They all returned from him to you, Though they were mine before. If I or she should chance to be Involved in this affair, He trusts to you to set them free, Exactly as we were. My notion was that you had been (Before she had this fit) An obstacle that came between Him, and ourselves, and it, Don’t let him know she liked them best, For this must ever be A secret, kept from all the rest, Between yourself and me. ‘That’s the most important piece of evidence we’ve heard yet,’ said the King, rubbing his hands; ‘so now let the jury-’ ‘If any one of them can explain it,’ said Alice, (she had grown so large in the last few minutes that she wasn’t a bit afraid of interrupting him,) ‘I’ll give him sixpence. I don’t believe there’s an atom of meaning in it.’ The jury all wrote down on their slates, ‘She doesn’t believe there’s an atom of meaning in it,’ but none of them attempted to explain the paper. ‘If there’s no meaning in it,’ said the King, ‘that saves a world of trouble, you know, as we needn’t try to find any…’ Containing nary a neutron of meaning: rum-quince-cassis with prune and a bit of black ginger. “ – blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color: A bright gilded yellow colored oil

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 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/mad-tea-party/alices-evidence/

Scent:

• ITI: Wow, it’s the holidays in a bottle – mulled cider, thick preserves and jams of jewel-toned fruits, and spiced rum. Lovely!
• Wet: It’s like spiced Christmas cake, cider, and plums with a touch of well-behaved ginger.  It’s not as bad as I was expecting, but it is much more festive than I was anticipating.
• Dry:  All of the notes I thought wouldn’t work on me, quince and ginger, really work beautifully here.  It’s a holiday extravaganza on my skin. I smell festive without being foody.  It’s an odd combination for 90 degree weather, but I like it none-the-less.

Other Impressions: “You smell a little winter holiday-ish.  In fact, it reminds me of how Macy’s smells around the holidays.  It smells great. All it needs is orange rind and you have a full holiday experience there.  I like it as a perfume, but I think I’d like it better as a room spray.” -Tony

Day 955 – BPAL’s Rocking-Horse Fly

Tags

BPAL, mad tea party, Mad Tea Party: The Garden of Live Flowers, pivet, sap, sawdust, shellacked wood, the garden of live flowers, wood

Name:  Rocking-Horse Fly

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Mad Tea Party: The Garden of Live Flowers.

Scent Description and Notes: “` — then you don’t like all insects?’ the Gnat went on, as quietly as if nothing had happened.

`I like them when they can talk,’ Alice said. `None of them ever talk, where I come from.’

`What sort of insects do you rejoice in, where YOU come from?’ the Gnat inquired.

`I don’t REJOICE in insects at all,’ Alice explained, `because I’m rather afraid of them — at least the large kinds. But I can tell you the names of some of them.”

`Of course they answer to their names?’ the Gnat remarked carelessly.

`I never knew them do it.’

`What’s the use of their having names the Gnat said, `if they won’t answer to them?’

`No use to THEM,’ said Alice; `but it’s useful to the people who name them, I suppose. If not, why do things have names at all?’

`I can’t say,’ the Gnat replied. `Further on, in the wood down there, they’ve got no names — however, go on with your list of insects: you’re wasting time.’

`Well, there’s the Horse-fly,’ Alice began, counting off the names on her fingers.

`All right,’ said the Gnat: `half way up that bush, you’ll see a Rocking-horse-fly, if you look. It’s made entirely of wood, and gets about by swinging itself from branch to branch.’

`What does it live on?’ Alice asked, with great curiosity.

`Sap and sawdust,’ said the Gnat. `Go on with the list.’

Alice looked up at the Rocking-horse-fly with great interest, and made up her mind that it must have been just repainted, it looked so bright and sticky; and then she went on.

Shellacked wood, sap, sawdust, and privet.“ – blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color: A bright, buttery daffodil 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 the 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-tag/the-mad-tea-party/

Scent:

• ITI:  Okay, this is really strange, but I initially picked up wood and green, but that quickly changed into shredded carrot and sawdust.
• Wet: I’m not sure if it’s the privet, which is a privacy shrub common in England, with the combined shellac note, but it really smells like freshly shredded carrot to me.  Sawdust is still there along with a touch of sap. It’s a rather curious scent more than anything.
• Dry: Ok, I’m surprised.  The scent has morphed into a lovely, soft, resinous woodsy scent.  I’d swear there is myrrh here along with other fragrant woods, although there is a touch of sawdust, but it’s so faint it’s pleasant.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 954 – BPAL’s Nefertiti

Tags

ars amatoria, BPAL, Egyptian iris, general catalog, herbs, In Memoriam, iris, myrrh, North African herbs, olibanum, red sandalwood, sandalwood, white sandalwood

Name:  Nefertiti

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –Ars Amatoria

Scent Description and Notes: ““The Beautiful One Is Come”. Egyptian iris and olibanum with red and white sandalwood, soft myrrh and a breath of North African herbs. – blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color: A bronzed amber 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 the 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.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/ars-amatoria/nefertiti/

Scent:

• ITI:  The herbs here are soft and slightly medicinal when paired with the iris and olibanum.  I was expecting something a bit more regal and slightly haughty, perhaps with an orchid or even a jasmine note, but this is a bit watery and unassuming.  Hopefully this develops a bit more on my skin.
• Wet:  The iris is a little stronger and I get a subtle hint of  olibanum, but myrrh and sandalwood are sadly lacking, which would give the scent the depth I think it so desperately needs.  It’s a bit too herbal and green, like Garden of Death.
• Dry: Once dry, the sandalwood emerges and settles on par with the iris and olibanum, just over the herbs.  It’s still a little medicinal, but not overwhelmingly so.  It has taken on the more regal quality I had wanted from it, but it still just is a little lacking, in terms of purple florals and strong resinous tones (myrrh, I’m looking at your no-show note).

Other Impressions: None.