Day 1713 – BPAL’s Dalliance with an Amorous Bat Demon

Tags

benzoin, BPAL, honey, honeyed patchouli, labdanum, limited edition, lupercalia, Lupercalia 2020, Lupercalia 2020: Shunga - Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements, patchouli, sandalwood, Shunga, Shunga 2020, smoke, smoky labdanum, sweet benzoin, white sandalwood

Scent Name: Dalliance with an Amorous Bat Demon

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Lupercalia 2020: Shunga – Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements

Scent Description and Notes: “Honeyed patchouli, sweet benzoin, smoky labdanum, and white sandalwood.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/novel-ideas-for-secret-amusements-shunga-2020/dalliance-with-an-amorous-bat-demon-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: A faintly amber oil on my skin.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the scent in bolded and shadowed golden yellow block font just above the company name, which is in a smaller version of the a shadowed white version of the name’s font.  The label is an unedited image of the following:

Unedited image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/novel-ideas-for-secret-amusements-shunga-2020/dalliance-with-an-amorous-bat-demon-perfume-oil/

Scent:

• ITI: Ooooh, that’s sexy – heady, warm patchouli, earthy and dripping with smooth honey, twines itself around a shadowy labdanum and woody, dark resins.  There’s a hint of chocolate cola here, too, which adds to the allure. While Revenant Rhythm is similar in its honeyed patchouli, it’s more sugared whereas Dalliance with an Amorous Bat Demon is much more shadowed, smokey resin with heavy woodiness.
• Wet: Dark and dashing!  Smoked labdanum laced with a touch of herbal astringency drapes across the deliciously sexy and earthy honeyed patchouli like a well-worn leather jacket, enhanced with smoldering benzoin and a breath of sandalwood.
• Dry: Six hours after application, smoked labdanum, softer but still singed, pairs wonderfully with earthily sweet honeyed patchouli and faded wood, laced with a thin strand of diaphanous resins.  Oooh, this is a wonderfully naughty and I imagine will age brilliantly.

Other Impressions: “All I’m getting a spicy Thai basil, rosemary, and a powdery amber supporting the whole thing, but way forward of the basil, a veritable snoot-full.” -Tony

Day 1695 – BPAL’s The Magician’s Robes

Tags

Aspects of the Magician, BPAL, franincense, In Memoriam, labdanum, Musk, oudh, red musk, saffron, sweet labdanum, The Fool's Journey, The Fool’s Journey: The Magician – Aspects of the Magician, The Magician, The Magician- Aspects of the Magician, white musk, white oudh

Scent Name: The Magician’s Robes

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – The Fool’s Journey: The Magician- Aspects of the Magician

Scent Description and Notes: “The Red King and White Queen, sulfur and mercury, Rubedo and Albedo. The unification of opposites, putrefaction and individuation, the culmination of the Great Work.

ὁδὸς ἄνω κάτω μία καὶ ὡυτή: red and white musks alight with frankincense, white oudh, sweet labdanum, and saffron. The way up and the way down are one and the same.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/limited-edition-in-memoriam/aspects-of-the-magician/the-magicians-robes/

Oil Color: A richly resinous colored oil that reminds me of a stained pine wood.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 5ml brown bottle from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.  The label features the name of the company in small white bold block font shadowed in black along the bottom of the label.  The scent name is a larger version of the same font above that.  The label art is as featured below:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/limited-edition-in-memoriam/aspects-of-the-magician/the-magicians-robes/

Scent:

• ITB: Ok, that’s magic.  Heady labdanum, sweet and delicious next to the deep resins and musks, red tinged with a hint of saffron.  Smoldering, rich resins and deliciously thick musky sweetness almost akin to amber-married ambergris is just a delight to my nose.
• Wet: The oudh goes ever so slightly Cola-like but the depth of the nearly amber labdanum, exquisite frankincense and musk threaded with hints of saffron make this scent magic.  I don’t mind there are Cola tones one bit as the other notes are just so rich and sumptuous.
• Dry: After three hours of dry time, the scent still has a respectable 2″ of throw and is still a scrumptiously ecstatic combination of warm, resinous-ness steeped in ambergris-like sweet labdanum sugared over with ambered saffron, rich frankincense, and red musk.  If you love resins, this is a must try scent. It’s stunning, frankly.  I’m only sad that I have so little of it.

Other Impressions: “It smells very priestly, very church incense meets fancy leather chair.” -Tony

Day 1685 – BPAL’s Queen Butterfly

Tags

Amber, BPAL, Genius Loci, Genius Loci: Los Angeles, golden musk, honey, In Memoriam, labdanum, Musk, orange, orange blossom, orange blossom honey, patchouli, patchouli root, plum, red labdanum, russet amber, wild plum

Scent Name: Queen Butterfly

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Genius Loci: Los Angeles

Scent Description and Notes: ”

Lady Butterfly
perfumes her wings
by floating over this orchid

Russet amber and orange blossom honey, red labdanum and wild plum, golden musk and a rustle of patchouli root.“ -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/limited-edition-in-memoriam/queen-butterfly/

Oil Color: A cheery yellow oil on my skin.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard brown 5ml bottle.  The label features the name of the collection in bold white block font aligned along the top, which is echoed by the name of the company in the same font along the bottom.  The name of the scent is in a shadowed white script-like font of larger size just above the image name.  The bottle art is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/limited-edition-in-memoriam/queen-butterfly/

Scent: 

• ITI: At first sniff, I’m met with orange blossom and hints of patchouli that give way to what strikes me as sweet sarsaparilla, which I imagine might be from the russet amber and plum.
• Wet: Orange blossom, honeyed amber, floral patchouli, and plum with a soft russet amber and labdanum with a dab of honey.  All together, it still reminds me of sarsaparilla, or more specifically, those root beer-flavored Necco wafers, but with orange blossom floral tones.
• Dry: After 6 hours, orange blossom honey with a dash of amber and plum still linger, and with  about an 1″ of throw, too!  It’s certainly a pretty scent, especially now that it’s lost most of the root-beer tones of earlier.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1648 – BPAL’s Mount Fuji Reflected in Lake Misaica

Tags

black cypress, Cedar, chypre, cypress, In Memoriam, labdanum, lupercalia, Lupercalia 2015, Lupercalia 2015: Shunga, Lupercalia 2015: Shunga - Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements, Mint, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements, oakmoss, oakmoss chypre, pine, pine needles, sandalwood, Shunga, Shunga - Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements, Shunga 2015, white cedar, white sandalwood, wild mint

Scent Name: Mount Fuji Reflected in Lake Misaica

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Lupercalia 2015: Shunga – Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements

Scent Description and Notes: “MOUNT FUJI REFLECTED IN LAKE MISAICA

An oakmoss chypre with black cypress, wild mint, labdanum, pine needles, white sandalwood, and white cedar.” -BPAL.org

Oil Color: The color of light rum.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 1/32 ml imp that has been decanted for me by Absinthetics. Her label features the scent notes on the back along with her decanting information and the scent name. The label art is a shunga woodblock print of script set off by two partially kimono-clothed individuals engaged in coitus during which both appear to be examining the view.

Scent:

• ITI:  Oh yeah, that is definitely a lovely oakmoss chypre enhanced by crisp pine needles and delightfully aromatic cedar.  There’s an edge of mint at the very end of the inhalation that brights a slightly brighter lilt to the deeply engrossing woods.
• Wet: Mmm, strong oakmoss and pine chypre, lightly smoked with sandalwood and labdanum.  The touch of mint rounds out the heavier top notes and adds a touch of brightness.
• Dry: After a full day, the scent has dried down into  a soft woodsy chypre with the faintest hint of smoked incense sweetness.  Pleasing, for sure.

Other Impressions: “It smells like slightly sweaty cat and powder, like Loki.  It smells like cat musk, I guess.” -Tony

Day 1632 – BPAL’s Brumation

Tags

black moss, black patchouli, BPAL, brown labdanum, labdanum, limited edition, moss, patchouli, tobacco, tobacco absolute, vetiver, yule, Yule 2019, Yules, Yules 2019

Scent Name: Brumation

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2019

Scent Description and Notes: “Winter sluggishness, December’s malaise. A torpor: thick brown labdanum, tobacco absolute, vetiver, black moss, and black patchouli.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/yule-2019/brumation-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: The color of an apricot lollipop.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from Yowahoshihime.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent and her decanting name. The front of the label has the phrase “Yules 2019.”  The label art on the bottle is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/yule-2019/brumation-perfume-oil/

Scent:

• ITI: Mmm!  Deep brown labdanum, animalistic, sweet and woodsy, is deepened by vetiver as the labdanum shifts between hints of candied tones, amber low lights, and deep woods.  The tobacco adds hints of sweet aromatics when blended with the labdanum, which oddly enough verges on cola. 
• Wet: Sweet cola labdanum with smoked vetiver and cool mosses mingle on my skin. While there’s certainly a darkness to this scent, it isn’t overwhelming or foreboding.  Instead, it’s cozy and somewhat nostalgic.
• Dry: 10 hours after application, I’m left with a musky animalistic labdanum laced with a faded tobacco and patchouli haze. Nice.

Other Impressions: “It smells like a Catholic priest and a muskrat got into a fight into a talc factory.  It’s nice.” -Tony

Day 1613 – BPAL’s No One Is Above The Law

Tags

activism, Activism 2019, Amber, benzoin, bergamot, BPAL, broom flower, cut grass, fresh cut grass, golden amber, Grass, hay, honey, I know words I have the best words, Impeachmas, Impeachmas 2019, labdanum, orange, orange blossom, orange blossom honey, red benzoin, sweet bergamot, vanilla

I’m still waiting on my Yule decants, so I figured I’d review my outstanding BPAL Activism scents in the meantime.

Scent Name: No One Is Above The Law

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Impeachmas 2019: Activism – I Know Words, I Have The Best Words

Scent Description and Notes: “On December 18, 2019, the House voted to impeach Donald Trump, passing its first two articles of impeachment: one for abuse of power, and the other for obstruction of justice.

“Our children and their children will ask us what did you do? What did you say? For some this vote may be hard. But we have a mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history.” – John Lewis

There’s still much left to do. We all have a mission and mandate to be on the right side of history: get out and protest, call your reps, and for the love of all things decent and good, make sure you do not sit idly by while the Republican-controlled Senate destroys the Republic. Pressure your Senators to do the right thing, even if that may seem like an uphill battle. Write to your representatives, join every protest, take to the streets. Together, we can make a difference.

Proceeds benefit the ACLU.

A burst of sunlight dissolving the smoke-thick thunderclouds of corruption, hubris, greed, and cruelty: golden amber, sweet bergamot, fresh cut grass, broom flower, hay, orange blossom honey, labdanum, red benzoin, and vanilla.“ -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/activism/i-know-words-i-have-the-best-words/no-one-is-above-the-law-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: Colorless on my skin.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 5ml standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label extends just under halfway around the bottom.  The label features the name of the company in ombre shadowed white block font just above part of the collection name, which has a bolded year, but otherwise the same font.  The name of the scent is positioned above that in a larger version of the same font with a greater shadow all around. Image art is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/activism/i-know-words-i-have-the-best-words/no-one-is-above-the-law-perfume-oil/

Scent:

• ITB: Ooh, it shifts under my nose, at first presenting orange blossoms and bergamot with a hint of green before the grass moves to the forefront, flanked by hay and honey while a golden heart of amber beats underneath. 
• Wet: Hmm, it strikes me as a breath of spring air – sweet broom flower, orange blossom honey, bergamot, and freshly cut grass in the background perfumed ever so slightly with well balanced resins and hints of vanilla.  I’d love to see this mixed with elderberry or dewberry.
• Dry: Two hours later, the orange blossom honey still remains the most forward, perfumed with vanilla’d broom flower, hints of bergamot, and warm amber.  There’s a faded whiff of cut grass along the edge of the scent that seems to come in and out of focus.  I like this, although I still think it needs a purple berry thrown into the mix.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1602 – BPAL’s Event Horizon

Tags

benzoin, bewitching brews, black opium, black orchid, BPAL, general catalog, labdanum, opium., opoponax, orchid

Scent Name: Event Horizon

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Bewitching Brews

Scent Description and Notes: “A disconcerting scent, heavy and oppressive, through which no light, no matter, and no spirit can escape. Black opium, labdanum, opoponax, black orchid, and benzoin.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/general-catalog-perfume-oils/bewitching-brews/event-horizon/

Oil Color: A gorgeous cherried walnut 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 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/bewitching-brews/event-horizon/

Scent: 

• ITI: I knew almost the instant that I smelled it that I would want a bottle of Event Horizon.  Thick, resinous, deep, familiar yet weighty and almost oppressive in its opium and labdanum smoked haze.
• Wet: The resin sweetens on my skin, enhancing the golden brown hues of the thick opium, benzoin, and labdanum, to the point of evoking cinnamon channeled into root-made-resin.
• Dry: Mmm!  Sexy skin-musk warmed orchid laced with thick sinuous ribbons, sweetened with labdanum and hints of faded incense.

Other Impressions: I liked this so much that I felt compelled to order a bottle so I could continue to slather myself in its gloriousness.

“Didn’t you wear something like this?  I swear, I know you have it.  I’ve smelled this on you before.  No? Well, it smells like things you would gravitate toward.  It’s medicinal and dark but like folk medicine.  Oddly comforting.” -Tony

Day 1600 – BPAL’s The Magi: Gaspar of India

Tags

benzoin, bourbon, bourbon vanilla, BPAL, In Memoriam, labdanum, Laotian oudh, myrrh, oudh, red benzoin, vanilla, yule, Yule 2017

Scent Name: The Magi: Gaspar of India

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2017

Scent Description and Notes: “Laotian oudh, labdanum, bourbon vanilla, red benzoin, and myrrh.” -BPAL.org

Oil Color: An aged amber colored oil.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the company in thin block font in a warm white color along the bottom of the label.  Above that is the name of the scent in a bolded larger block font in the same color.  The name of the collection is in a smaller version as the name of the scent. The label art is pictured (although fuzzy) below:

Image courtesy of Tiah Schindelheim Rodriguez.

Scent:

• ITB: Strong labdanum twines with oudh for a lightly bitter, musky, cologne tinged bout before benzoin and bourbon vanilla cuts in and turns the scent into something that is more balanced but still exceedingly refined.  When I concentrate, I can pick up a thread of myrrh here and there, but it’s hard to pin down under the more assertive top notes.
• Wet: That bitterness from the oudh exclaims with bravado it’s appearance followed by labdanum and bourbon vanilla, which add an interesting whiskey tone that just flirts with papery, watery impressions before the incensed benzoin warms just slightly, adding some needed roundness to the scent.
• Dry: That’s much better dried.  There’s a lovely, warm vanilla bourbon center sweetened by myrrh and benzoin incense smoke.  The oudh sours it a little and adds a vaguely animalistic yet woody undertone.

Other Impressions: “It’s definitely oudh-y, but it’s not terrible.  I could tell it was oudh because it smelled like a massive fart when you put it on.” -Tony

Day 1597 – BPAL’s Winter: My Secret

Tags

bourbon, bourbon vanilla, BPAL, In Memoriam, labdanum, myrrh, sweet labdanum, vanilla, white myrrh, yule, yule 2016

Scent Name: Winter: My Secret

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2016

Scent Description and Notes: “Perhaps some day, who knows?
But not today; it froze, and blows and snows,
And you’re too curious: fie!
You want to hear it? well:
Only, my secret’s mine, and I won’t tell.
Or, after all, perhaps there’s none:
Suppose there is no secret after all,
But only just my fun.
Today’s a nipping day, a biting day;
In which one wants a shawl,
A veil, a cloak, and other wraps:
I cannot ope to everyone who taps,
And let the draughts come whistling thro’ my hall;
Come bounding and surrounding me,
Come buffeting, astounding me,
Nipping and clipping thro’ my wraps and all.
I wear my mask for warmth: who ever shows
His nose to Russian snows
To be pecked at by every wind that blows?
You would not peck? I thank you for good will,
Believe, but leave the truth untested still.
Spring’s an expansive time: yet I don’t trust
March with its peck of dust,
Nor April with its rainbow-crowned brief showers,
Nor even May, whose flowers
One frost may wither thro’ the sunless hours.
Perhaps some languid summer day,
When drowsy birds sing less and less,
And golden fruit is ripening to excess,
If there’s not too much sun nor too much cloud,
And the warm wind is neither still nor loud,
Perhaps my secret I may say,
Or you may guess.

– Christina Rossetti

Sweet labdanum, white myrrh, and bourbon vanilla.” -BPAL.org

Oil Color: A walnut wood colored oil.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the company in faintly ombre shadowed bone color.  Above that is the name of the scent in ornate white script.  The name of the collection is in same font as the company name along the top right of the label.  The label art is similar to this one below, but features the correct name:

Image from https://i.pinimg.com/236x/c1/5e/2f/c15e2f17682d80fbd5e96041156f48a5–yule-death.jpg

Scent:

• ITB: It’s soft, cozy, and resinous upon first sniff with a pleasingly olive-like roundness that I think is from the labdanum. tones of bourbon dance around the edges, but not vanilla can be found yet. 
• Wet: White myrrh proceeds the round and heady labdanum over top bourbon vanilla, like the impression of a fine whiskey across the room.
• Dry: I’m surprised that this is so faint three hours after application.  I have to get pretty close to my wrist to detect it, but the sweet labdanum and myrrh with a hint of bourbon is still quite pleasing.  This is a particularly lovely scent layered over anything that’s darkly woodsy, which I discovered yesterday when I layered it over BPAL’s To Kindle a Flame in Our Frozen Veins.

Other Impressions: “You smell like a church lady.” -Tony

Day 1591 – BPAL’s La Basilique du Sacré Cœur de Montmartre

Tags

BPAL, Frankincense, In Memoriam, iris, iris petals, labdanum, Lilith, Lilith's Winter Travelogue, Lilith's Winter Travelogue - Yuletide with Lilith, lily, lily of the valley, red labdanum, red rose, red rose beads, steel, yule, Yule 2018, Yule 2018: Lilith's Winter Travelogue - Yuletide with Lilith, Yuletide with Lilith

Scent Name: La Basilique Du Sacre Coeur De Montmarte

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2018: Lilith’s Winter Travelogue – Yuletide with Lilith

Scent Description and Notes: “Perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has been continuing uninterrupted since 1885, and I wanted Lilith to see the monstrance where the Blessed Sacrament is held.

An incense for the Maid of Orléans: red rose beads, frankincense, lily of the valley, iris petals, red labdanum, and steel.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/liliths/liliths-winter-travelogue/la-basilique-du-sacre-coeur-de-montmartre-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: Colorless.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 5ml BPAL brown apothecary bottle.  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the scent in large shadowed block, white letters along the bottom of the bottle, while the name of the company is at just below that in smaller white block font. The label art is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/liliths/liliths-winter-travelogue/la-basilique-du-sacre-coeur-de-montmartre-perfume-oil/

Scent:

• ITB: On first sniff, I couldn’t really detect anything.  I had to bring my nose almost on top of the bottle before I could detect the buggy iris and steel notes with a touch of labdanum. There’s a hint of rosewood powder that I can pickup after the third sniff.  Interesting. 
• Wet: Yep, there’s that buggy iris of which I’m not a fan, but the rose beads and beautifully aromatic frankincense notes swirl forth, enveloping the iris in such beauty that I don’t mind as much.  As the scent starts to settle, I pick up flashes of lily of the valley and a subtle streak of steel.  I like this on much more than I did in the bottle. The resinous and wood tones of this twine with the steel, sweetened only my light white lily, a now pleasant hint of iris, and a generous sweetness from the labdanum.  This is very much worth the dry-down.
• Dry: The resinous and wood tones of this twine with the steel, sweetened only my light white lily, a now pleasant hint of iris, and a generous sweetness from the labdanum.  This is very much worth the dry-down. After 4 hours, the scent is still gorgeous in its  rose beaded incense haze atop hints of steel, lily, and labdanum.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1588 – BPAL’s Bears of Berlin

Tags

BPAL, brown musk, butter, buttered rum, clove, honey, In Memoriam, labdanum, Lilith, Lilith's Winter Travelogue, Lilith's Winter Travelogue - Yuletide with Lilith, Musk, rum, Tonka, tonka bean, wildflower honey, yule, Yule 2018, Yule 2018: Lilith's Winter Travelogue - Yuletide with Lilith, Yuletide with Lilith

Scent Name: Bears of Berlin

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2018: Lilith’s Winter Travelogue – Yuletide with Lilith

Scent Description and Notes: “Even in utero, Lilith had a full head of hair. She looked like a Monchhichi when she was born, and from the moment I first saw her, I called her Bear. She’s my Baby Bear, Bunnybear, Bearington, Beanie Bear. I made up bear bedtime stories for her – we still tell each other bear jokes all the time. Every time I see a bear video or meme, I save it for her, my little Princess Bear.

While we were in Berlin, we made a point of taking photos with as many Buddy Bears as possible. They’re intended to symbolize peace, tolerance, and understanding between religions, nations, and cultures worldwide, and Lilith knows how important that is – especially now.

Sweet buttered rum, brown musk, wildflower honey, tonka bean, labdanum, and clove.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/liliths-winter-travelogue/bears-of-berlin-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: A thin brandy colored oil on my skin.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 5ml BPAL brown apothecary bottle.  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the scent in large shadowed block, white letters along the bottom of the bottle, while the name of the company is at just below that in smaller white block font. The label art is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/liliths-winter-travelogue/bears-of-berlin-perfume-oil/

Scent:

• ITB: Strong honey and buttered rum burst forth from the bottle, reminding me of chilly winter evenings and hot, comforting drinks by the fireside. The second sniff reveals the clove underneath the buttered rum and bright, floral honey, alongside sweet tonka bean and a dash of fuzzy brown musk.  While I’m generally not one who gravitates toward foody scents, this is something that I might like wearing (fingers crossed). 
• Wet: Warm buttered rum laden with clove and labdanum, thickened with tonka and honey.  It’s still foody, but the labdanum and spice element makes this palatable.
• Dry: It’s heavy, labdanum, earthy and welcoming, alongside a lovely brown musk and tonka, sweetened slightly with a dollop of honey atop a shot of spiced rum.

Other Impressions: “Did you just put on incense?  It’s earthier on you but it smells like incense in the air.” -Tony

Day 1571 – Nui Cobalt Designs’ Hedge Witch

Tags

Arcana, Frankincense, Haitian vertiver, In Memoriam, jasmine, jasmine sambac, labdanum, NCD, Oman frankincense, Omani frankincnese, orange, sambac, vetiver, wild orange

Scent Name: Hedge Witch

Manufacturer: Nui Cobalt Designs – Arcana

Scent Description and Notes: “The hedge is symbolic of the misty border between the everyday world we can see and the hidden dimensions we cannot. A border this soothsayer is well-versed in crossing. Shamanism, ravens, midwifery, astral travel, and communion with the dead. A delicate, otherworldly blend of labdanum, organic Haitian vetiver, jasmine sambac, the finest Omani frankincense, and essence of wild orange.“ -https://nuicobaltdesigns.com/products/arcana-hedge-witch?_pos=1&_sid=17ebe797d&_ss=r&variant=53077773771

Oil Color: The color of warmed honey.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from Crown & Tulip.  On the back, her decanting name in yellow with an abstract watercolor of the label along with the decanting website along the bottom in small black font.  The front of the label features a large stylized font of the scent name.  Below that is the name of the company, collection year, and decanting info in small Calibri-like font near the bottom of the label. The original bottle looks as follows:

Image from https://nuicobaltdesigns.com/products/arcana-hedge-witch?_pos=1&_sid=17ebe797d&_ss=r&variant=53077773771

Scent:

• ITI: At first, I wasn’t getting much of anything.  On second sniff, it reminded me of making pisanka eggs with my mother around the holidays – it’s giving me warm beeswax and jasmine sambac behind the vetiver. 
• Wet: Yes, definitely getting pisanka for some reason.  I think it might be the Omani frankincense, which is just brilliantly warm and inviting, enhanced with gentle wafting vetiver smoke. After 5 -10 seconds, I start getting the labdanum, but next to the other notes there is almost a strange plastic tone to this now.  I’m so confused.
• Dry: Delicious Omani frankincense threaded with labdanum and a hint of wild orange wafting in the distance smell just wonderful.  I’m happy the plastic tones are gone as this is worth the dry-down.

Other Impressions: “*Shrug* I don’t smell anything on your hand. In the bottle, it smells like peppercorn and a flower that’s been peed on, like a watered down 5-hour old cat urine.” -Kelly

“Kelly’s right. I can’t really smell anything unless there’s black pepper, like peppercorn and handcream.” -Tony

Day 1549 – BPAL’s Back in Blueblack

Tags

aged patchouli, bergamot, black vetiver, BPAL, chocolate, chocolate oudh, cistus, cistus labdanum, French lavender, Italian bergamot, labdanum, Lavender, Lilith, Lilith 2019, limited edition, oakmoss, oudh, patchouli, sweet patchouli, vetiver, violet, violet leaf, violet petal

Scent Name: Back in Blueblack

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lilith 2019

Scent Description and Notes: “The color of a raven’s wing, gleaming like an oil slick: cistus labdanum, oakmoss, black vetiver, Italian bergamot, chocolate oudh, French lavender, violet leaf and petal, and sweet aged patchouli.“ -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/autumn-collection/lilith-2019/back-in-blueblack-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: A bright lemoned daffodil color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from Yowahoshihime.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent and her decanting name. The front of the label has an image of the label art like below:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/autumn-collection/lilith-2019/back-in-blueblack-perfume-oil/

Scent:

• ITI: I was expecting something more bombastic, but I’m met with a gauzy French lavender grounded in oakmoss and bergamot, glinting with chocolate oudh as the scent shifts under my nose. It does remind me of freshly dyed hair that shifts colors in the sunlight.
• Wet: It’s definitely more assertive on my skin, but I’m still loving the lavender and bergamot combination with cool oakmoss, shadowed vetiver, labdanum.  It reminds me now of the shadowed sections on a wooded trail juxtaposed with the sense of relaxation with a lovely cup of tea.  Every now and then, I get a hint of chocolate oudh before it scurries away under the cover the vetiver and lavender.
• Dry: This one has longevity!  Nearly 10 hours later, I still can make out lavender swirled with vetiver and hints of labdanum and bergamot with the tiniest impression of chocolate at the finish of the scent.  I enjoyed this much more than I had anticipated.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1485 – BPAL’s Harlow’s Lace

Tags

ambrette, ambrette seed, BPAL, cognac, dark delicacies, honey, honey absolute, In Memoriam, labdanum, Musk, puppy musk, retail exclusive, Retail Exclusive: Dark Delicacies, sugar, sugar-spun vanilla, sweet labdanum, tobacco, tobacco absolute, vanilla, white cognac

Scent Name:  Harlow’s Lace

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Retail Exclusive: Dark Delicacies

Scent Description and Notes: “This is a first for us — a pup fundraiser to help out our friends at DD, whose dog Harlow has had a terrible medical emergency requiring surgery.

To that end, we present HARLOW’S LACE:

‘A gentle, soft blend of sugar-spun vanilla, honey absolute, warm puppy musk, ambrette seed, sweet labdanum, tabacco absolute, and white cognac.’” -BPAL.org

Oil Color: Colorless on my skin.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 5ml standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label extends just under halfway around the bottom.  The label features the name of the company along the bottom in a bleached bone block shadowed script, mirroring the name of the collaborating store, Dark Delicacies, positioned along the top.  The name of the scent is in a larger version of the same font also shadowed just above the company name.  The image art is as follows:

Image from https://www.darkdel.com/store/p1456/Harlow’s_Lace.html

Scent:

• ITB:  Wow, that’s warm and sweet.  It reminds me of vanilla honeyed cakes drizzled with cognac maple syrup. When I delve into the scent, I can pick up traces of tobacco and labdanum, but the sweetness washes over those fainter notes in this form.
• Wet: It’s still very much true to form on my skin as it was in the bottle. I’m not normally a foody person in terms of scents, but this one is pleasantly nostalgic in its sweetness.
• Dry: Five hours later, the scent is still warm, cozy, and sweet.  It’s just a wonderful combination of honeyed vanilla cakes brushed with cognac, perfumed with a thread of tobacco and ambrette seed.  I’ll be interested to see how this ages.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1389 – BPAL’s Carnaval Rat

Tags

absinthe, acai, acai berry, aconite, aftershave, almond, almond milk, Amber, Ambergris, ambrette, ambrette seed, apple, apple blossom, apricot, apricot flower, Babylonian musk, balsam, Baltic amber, bark, bay, bay rum, beeswax, benzoin, bergamot, berry, bhay, bile, birch, birch tar, bitter almond, bitter wine, bittersweet chocolate, black amber, black cardamom, black cherry, black coconut, black copal, black currant, black incense, black lotus, black musk, black myrrh, black orchid, black oudh, black patchouli, black pine, black wine, blackberry, blackberry leaf, blackcurrant, blackened vanilla husk, blood apple, blood orange, blood-creme, blossoms, blue lilac, blue musk, bone, bourbon, bourbon vanilla, bourbon vetiver, BPAL, bread crumbs, brimstone, bubblegum, Burmese oudh, calla lily, candied apple, caramel, cardamom, carnation, carnaval diabolique, cassis, Cedar, cedar smoke, champaca, champaca attar, champaca flower, chaparral, cherry, chocolate, chocolate truffles, chrome, chrysanthemum, cinnamon, cinnamon leaf, cistus, clary sage, coapl, cocoa, cocoa absolute, coconut, coconut hull, coffee, coffee bean, cologne, copal, coral, corsage, cream, cream accord, creme, crushed candies, currant, Damascus rose, dark musk, dragon's blood, dragon's blood resin, dry bone, dry flowers, dust, embalming herbs, English ivy, fig, fir, fir needle, flickering blue musk, Florentine iris, flytraps, fougere, Frankincense, French gardenia, French vanilla, gardenia, ginger, ginger lily, golden musk, green sandalwood, green tea, guava, hay bale, heliotrope, hemlock, henbane, herbs, hibiscus, High John the Conqueror root, honey, honeyed leather, honeysuckle, hot metals, hyssop, ice-cold skin, Incense, Indian resins, Indonesian oil, Indonesian patchouli, iris, jasmine, jasmine sambac, Kashmiri tea, kelp, king mandarin, kush, labdanum, Lavender, Leather, lemon, lemon balm, lemon flower, lemon peel, lightening, lilac blossoms, lilies, lily, lily of the valley, Lime, lime fougere, limited edition, linden, linden blossom, lotus, lotus root, magnolia, mahogany, mallow, mallow root, mandarin, milk, mimosa, Mint, Moroccan jasmine, moss, mucilage, muguet, mushroom, Musk, myrrh, narcissus, nectarine, neroli, netmeg, nicotiana, night-blooming flowers, oakmoss, ocean spray, oleander, olibanum, olive, olive blossom, olive leaf, opium smoke, opium., opoponax, orange, orange blossom, orange blossom water, orange peel, orange pulp, orchid, orris, orris root, osmanthus, oud wood, ozone, Pale bergamot, pale white berries, palm, palm frond, palmarosa, paperwhites, papyrus, passion flower, pastries, patchouli, patchouli leaf, pear, pepper, Peru balsam, pine, pine bark, pine pitch, plum, plum blossom, plumeria, pomegranate, poppy, raspberry, red amber, red currant, red gardenia, red ginger, red musk, red patchouli, red pepper, red rose, red sandalwood, reeds, rice, rice milk, river reeds, rockrose, Rose, rose geranium, rose otto, rosewater, rosewood, rum, rust, saffron, Sage, salt, sambac, sandalwood, sarsaparilla, sawdust, sea moss, seaweed, sheer musk, Siamese benzoin, singed straw, skin musk, Snake Oil, snow, Spanish moss, spun sugar, star jasmine, Sudanese myrrh, sugar, sugar cane, Sugared coffee bean, sugared cream, sugared incense, sugared nuts, sugared violet, sweet oudh, tar, tarragon, tea, tea leaf, tea oudh, teak, teakwood, Tempranillo grape, ti leaf, tobacco, tobacco smoke, tobacco tar, tomb dust, Tonka, tonka bean, trees, tuberose, vanila flower, vanilla, vanilla bean, vanilla husk, vanilla mint, Verbena, vetiver, violet, violet water, wet tobacco, white amber, white carnation, white clove, white frankincense, white hemlock, white honey, white mint, white moss, white musk, white peach, white pear, white pepper, white sandalwood, white tea, wild plum, wine, wisteria, wood, wormwood, ylang ylang

Scent Name: Carnaval Rat

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Limited Edition

Scent Description and Notes: “Derived from the same pseudo-scientific process as last year’s LAB RAT blend, but constrained to the Lab’s Carnaval Diabolique collection. Each bottle contains a slosh of every Carnaval scent currently in stock. The result? An inhalation of the miasma hovering over the midway after a busy, near-endless night of debauchery.

In the interest of peer review, here are our internal notes from the blending process, tracking how the scent evolved as through the collection alphabetically.

A-C: “Chocolate truffles filled with blood-creme, rolled in sawdust.”

D-G. “Two… no, THREE corsaged puppeteers screwing in a hay bale.”

H-L. “Rusty barber’s shears sterilizing overnight in a jar full of rum and rosewater.”

M-P “This is eerily reminiscent of lightning striking a gondola full of off-duty showgirls.”

O-Z “Luminous, opalescent bat wings serving as the bellows for a lunatic calliope, whooshing gusts of wind through blossoms on dying trees, the bark sticky with blood that is, for some mysterious reason, flowing upward. The music! can you hear the music?”

[Sadly, we have been unable to elaborate on these findings as the intern in question abruptly left their post shortly thereafter.]

Eau de Carnaval Diabolique. The cumulative weight of dozens of scents — a cacophony of carnies, haunts, snakes, grindhouse dancers, and other attractions, all simultaneously clamoring for your attention.“ -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/carnaval-rat-perfume-oil/

Note:  I tried my best to distill all the available Carnaval Diabolque notes into the scent note section.

Oil Color: A beautiful bay colored oil.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 1/32 ml imp that has been decanted for me by Absinthetics. Her label features the scent notes on the back along with her decanting information and the scent name. The label art is as follows on the front:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/carnaval-rat-perfume-oil/

Scent:

• ITI: What a melange of notes! Thick, aggressive chocolate cherries, cocoa, black tea, hay, reeds, and brittle bone give way to honeyed hibiscus, cinnamon, atop swaying moss and wild herbs and a hint of fiery patchouli.
• Wet:  The most clear impressions are of red patchouli, chocolate cherries, vanilla mint swirled with bourbon musk and a sinuous trail of kush and cedar smoke.
• Dry: After 17 hours, the scent is still present, although now a subdued tinkling of lavender, lemon balm, cocoa, faint, faded white florals, the subtle tang of metal, and a smidgen of fougere.  I’m intrigued to see how this might shift on someone else, but I actually like.

Other Impressions: None

Day 1375 – BPAL’s Black Putrescence

Tags

attar of rose, black currant, blackcurrant, blackcurrant juice, BPAL, currant, juice, labdanum, limited edition, motor oil, oil, pomegranate, pomegranate rind, Rose, rose attar, sweet labdanum, The Singularity

Scent Name: Black Putrescence

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – The Singularity

Scent Description and Notes: “A vivacious squirt of decay: viscous blackcurrant juice and pomegranate rind with sweet labdanum, rose attar, and a thin splat of motor oil.“ -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/spring-collection/the-singularity/

Oil Color: a light limed yellow.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 1/32 ml imp that has been decanted for me by Absinthetics. Her label features the scent notes on the back along with her decanting information and the scent name. The label art is as follows on the front:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/spring-collection/the-singularity/black-putrescence-perfume-oil/ Art by Drew Rausch

• ITI: I get  pomegranate and black currant syrup over top motor oil.  Hmm, not sure if I like this just yet.
• Wet: Okay, that’s a bit better.  Black currant sings with rose attar while the pomegranate rind pushes the sweet juicy quality of the scent almost to the point of fruity overload. Then, the motor oil kicks it.  It smells just like dirty pavement with jobs of wet oil spills baking in the run.  It fights with the fruits back and forth over top an interesting smokiness that just has me…confused.
• Dry:  Fairly short lived. I’m just getting a very subtle red fruit musk that’s very close to the skin.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1347 – BPAL’s Low-Hanging Junk

Tags

almond, Amber, amber resin, bitter almond, bourbon, BPAL, fossilized amber resin, labdanum, limited edition, lupercalia, Lupercalia 2019, Lupercalia 2019: Teddy's Junk Tour, resin, Teddy's Junk Tour, tobacco, tobacco absolute, vanilla, vanilla bourbon

Scent Name: Low-Hanging Junk

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lupercalia 2019: Teddy’s Junk Tour

Scent Description and Notes: “Vanilla bourbon, fossilized amber resin, bitter almond, labdanum, and tobacco absolute.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/lupercalia-2019/teddys-junk-tour/low-hanging-junk-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: The color of apricot jam.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 1/32 ml imp that has been decanted for me by Absinthetics. Her label features the scent notes on the back along with her decanting information and the scent name. The label art image is a statue of a burly man or satyr with his package handing on the vines below him.

 

• ITI: The bitter almond and vanilla bourbon combine to smell a bit like holiday marzipan to me. There’s a hint of something bright and sharp that streaks through the marzipan.
• Wet: Marzipan almond and vanilla, this time with a stronger splash of bourbon, are strongest on my skin. As the scent starts to settle, the beautiful golden amber resin and intoxicating tobacco swirl over the marzipan, replacing it as the dominant notes.
• Dry: Beautifully radiant amber resin swaths soft tobacco and vanilla bourbon and labdanum, now much fainter when compared to the amber.  As for the bitter almond, I have no idea where that went, but I’m pleased with the final dry-down.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1331 – BPAL’s Inferior Vena Cava

Tags

blackwood, BPAL, labdanum, limited edition, lupercalia, Lupercalia 2019, Lupercalia 2019: The Hearthstone and the Heat, Musk, oudh, patchouli, red labdanum, sweet oudh, The Hearthstone and the Heat, vegetal musk, wood

Scent Name: Inferior Vena Cava

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lupercalia 2019: The Hearthstone and the Heat

Scent Description and Notes: “The largest vein in the human body: a torrent of sweet oudh, patchouli, blackwood, red labdanum, and vegetal musk.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/lupercalia-2019/the-hearthstone-and-the-heat/inferior-vena-cava-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: The color of raw honey.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 1/32 ml imp that has been decanted for me by Absinthetics. Her label features the scent notes on the back along with her decanting information and the scent name. The label art image is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/lupercalia-2019/the-hearthstone-and-the-heat/inferior-vena-cava-perfume-oil/

• ITI: Mmm, the patchouli here smells like it has been glazed with honey and allowed to reduce while the sweet oudh adds some beautiful warm tones that remind me of Tom Ford’s Tobacco Oud cologne. The vegetal musk presents like moss, clean, faintly damp, and simply green just alongside the warmer tones of the other notes.  It reminds me of hiking in the Hoh Rain Forest.
• Wet: The blackwood just shines on the skin once applied, while the sweet oudh, labdanum, and honeyed patchouli flank it before taking the lead, adding a golden resin to the scent, like the sun peeking through the canopy of trees.  The scent turns a bit duskier as it dries as the red labdanum and musk warm, reminding me of cigar smoke and the forest simultaneously.
• Dry: Glorious – warm, sweet resins and woods infused with intoxicating labdanum and a sweeter patchouli.  It has decent wear – about 6 hours – before settling down into a pleasing musk.

Other Impressions: My mother didn’t like the scent of the imp in the bottle, but loved it after it had dried.  She thought the change was dramatic and delightful.

Day 1317 – BPAL’s Snake’s Shadow

Tags

10-year aged patchouli, aged patchouli, black oudh, BPAL, Indonesian oils, labdanum, limited edition, lupercalia, Lupercalia 2019, oudh, Out the Dark Door of the Secret Earth, patchouli, Snake Oil, sugar, vanilla, vetiver

Since the two Lupercalia oils I ordered blind have come in from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, I figured I’ll review those now while waiting on the decanting circle imps from that collection before delving into my substantial backlog of past Lupercalia imps.

Scent Name: Snake’s Shadow

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lupercalia 2019: Out the Dark Door of the Secret Earth

Scent Description and Notes: “In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob-tree
I came down the steps with my pitcher
And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me.

Snake Oil, black oudh, labdanum, vetiver, and 10-year aged patchouli.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/lupercalia-2019/out-the-dark-door-of-the-secret-earth/snakes-shadow-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: A dark resin-y orange color on my skin.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the company in bolded pale ballet pink block font shadowed in black along the bottom.  Above that is the name of the scent in in a larger version of the font, although in a dusky rose color.  The label art is as featured below:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/lupercalia-2019/out-the-dark-door-of-the-secret-earth/snakes-shadow-perfume-oil/

• ITB: Yep, that’s the black oudh, stinky and musky, that immediately strikes me.  However, rich labdanum close in on the oudh, lessening the impact of the very…distinct top note. I think I can detect a little bit of the sugared vanilla in the very background, but it’s rather difficult since the oudh is such an oppressive note.
• Wet: Inky, almost feral black oudh once again asserts itself, although the labdanum, faint patchouli, and hints of Indonesian oils add some much-needed sweetness to the scent as a whole. It’s dark, somewhat threatening, and powerful, for sure.
• Dry: When I work up this morning, the scent was so much softer and more pleasant.  I’m getting faded patchouli, sweet labdanum, and a hint of darker oudh, but not enough to sour the pleasantness of the other notes.  It looks like this one just needs a good 8-10 hours to settle, so I’m hoping that aging will tame in oudh during the wet and dry-down stages.

Other Impressions: I actually chose not to wear this in the morning since I feared the strength of the oudh note.  I’m hoping that some aging time will help the other notes to develop and the oudh to mellow out some.

Day 1310 – BPAL’s A Silhouette

Tags

Anne Wagner, In Memoriam, labdanum, lambblack, Liber Amicorum, Liber Amicorum: Anne Wagner, Lilac, limited edition, lupercalia, Lupercalia 2018, Lupercalia 2018:  Liber Amicorum - Anne Wagner, Musk, old parchment, parchment, white musk, yellowing parchment

Scent Name: A Silhouette

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lupercalia 2018: Liber Amicorum –Anne Wagner

Scent Description and Notes: “Yellowing parchment and lampblack, a drop of lilac, a smear of labdanum, and a splash of white musk.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/lupercalia/lupercalia-2018/liber-amicorum/a-silhouette/

Oil Color: The color of ice wine.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the company in bolded white block font shadowed in black along the bottom.  Above that is the name of the scent in in a larger version.  The name of the collection is in the same size and type of font as the company’s name.  The label art is as featured below:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/lupercalia/lupercalia-2018/liber-amicorum/a-silhouette/

• ITB: It reminds me of reading an old novel by a bridge near a peaceful pond. The parchment paper certainly is older and slightly fragile, but the lilac is beautifully soft and serene next to the lamblack ink and very light musk.
• Wet: It’s more musky and the ink is just a little clearer on my skin, but there’s still the beautiful lilac floral that gently hums, ascending and descending between the top and the middle.  The parchment is present, but closer to the bottom of the scent.  It’s contemplative, refined, and thoughtful.
• Dry: What a stunning dry-down – soft, white musk, gossamer in the fading sun while subtle tones of  faint florals and books drift hazily in the background.  This reminds me of a softer, more floral, less sticky sweet version of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Crinoline and Lace.

Other Impressions: None.