Day 1930 – NAVA’s Blackout

Tags

Amber, amber absolute, Bastet amber absolute, benzoin, chypre, crystal benzoin, Crystal Frankincense, Frankincense, Guiacwood, Halloween, Halloween Resurgence, jasmine, jasmine absolute, labdanum, Lavender, limited edition, moss, NA Chypre accord, NA oudh, NAVA, neroli, oakmoss, oudh, patchouli

Scent Name:  Blackout

Manufacturer:  Nocturne Alchemy – Halloween Resurgence 2020: Limited Edition

Scent Description and Notes: “NA Chypre accord (labdanum, oakmoss, lavender, patchouli and neroli), Jasmine Absolute, NA Oudh, Bastet Amber Absolute, Mandarin, Clove and Amber accord.” -http://www.zombiiesque.net/

Oil Color: The color of aged brandy.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 1/32 imp decant from Ajevie. The label features the year and the company name across the font in large burgundy and purple font. The back of the label has the company name and scent notes in small black font, while the name of the scent is above that in larger stylized black font.  The bottle appears as follows (far right):Image from https://scentbase.com/scents/nocturne-alchemy/blood/2019110516170881

Scent: 

• ITI: I originally bought this one to test out NAVA’s labdanum notes. Upon first sniff, this is more bitter, almost medicinal in its lavender and oakmoss, followed by sweeter, more resinous undertones of labdanum and amber, but not enough to shift the balance away from herbal bitterness yet.
• Wet: This reminds me of twilight, the time of evening when night-blooming jasmine’s exhalations suffuse the air, threaded with the scent wild lavender bushes, a faded ambered labdanum and resinous warmth, and a lone gentle’s trailing dark, mossy chypre. This is absolutely gorgeous on the skin! Very much a shadowy, enticing unisex blend.
• Dry: 6 hours after application, this still has about 1.5″ of throw. Blackout has morphed into something that’s fading crystal frankincense, amber dusted, and honeyed labdanum chypre that feels like the soft caress of bedtime drowsiness. I’m sure this will be even lovelier once aged.

Other Impressions: [Wet] “Old Spice? Like organic Old Spice. Organic fresh Old Spice. Fresh Spice?”-Tony

Day 1925 – NAVA’s Mrs. Scarlett Red

Tags

31 Bats Library, aged black patchouli, aged patchouli, Amber, black patchouli, Frankincense, Halloween 2020, Incense, Kashmir, Kashmir Absolute, Kashmir red musk, Kashmir red musk sugar, labdanum, limited edition, myrrh, NAVA, patchouli, pink sugar, red musk, sweet frankincense, sweet myrrh, vetiver

Scent Name:  Mrs. Scarlett Red

Manufacturer:  Nocturne Alchemy – Halloween 2020: 31 Bats Library – Limited Edition

Scent Description and Notes: “Vetiver, Aged Black Patchouli, Kashmir Red Musk Sugar, Kashmir Absolute, Incense, Sweet Frankincense, Sweet Myrrh, Amber, Labdanum and Pink Sugar.” -https://scentbase.com/scents/nocturne-alchemy/vampire-bourbon-patchouli-bat/20190914124614151

Oil Color: A brandied apricot colored oil.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 1/32 imp decant from Ajevie. The label features the year and the company name across the font in large burgundy and purple font. The back of the label has the company name and scent notes in small black font, while the name of the scent is above that in larger stylized black font.  The bottle appears as follows:

Image from Nocturne Alchemy’s Facebook page.

Scent: 

• ITI: Heady patchouli deepened by a smoked vetiver and a pleasingly woody yet almost leathered labdanum. There’s a touch of incense deep below the dark tones, but those might bloom on the skin.
• Wet: Softer than I anticipated, I am detecting some of the red musk under the vetiver-smoked labdanum. Under that is an aged, earthy yet lightly honeyed patchouli specked with touches of incense and a distant amber core.
• Dry: After 14 hours, what lingers on my skin is a faded labdanum laced with Kashmir red musk, and a whisper of myrrh and sugared patchouli. It still has about an inch of throw and the notes are fairly discernable, which is fantastic. I’m interested to see how this ages, but I like it so far.

Other Impressions: “Pink peppercorns and tobacco.” -Tony

Day 1920 – BPAL’s Snake Charmer: Resurrected

Tags

Amber, ambrette, Arabian musk, benzoin, black coconut, black plum, BPAL, BPAL Anniversary, BPAL Anniversary: Resirrection, Caranval Noir, coconut, Egyptian amber, In Memoriam, labdanum, limited edition, Musk, plum, resurrected, Spice, vanilla

Scent Name:  Snake Charmer: Resurrected

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Carnaval Noir: BPAL’s Anniversary Resurrection

Scent Description and Notes: “Sensual, sibilant, sexual and hypnotic: Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut.” -BPAL.org

Oil Color: A brassy colored oil 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 name of the scent is centered and features a green-tinted block Westernized font with lined decorative accidents. Above that is the phrase “Resurrected” is a more pirate-like beige font set against a blood-smeared text field, accented with a jester skull design. Below the scent name, set off by a line, is the company name in a thin, stylized black font At the very bottom of the label in thinner black block font is the phrase “Cures For What Ails Ya. Accept No Substitutes.” The bottle art is as follows:

Image from https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ba/b9/55/bab95534336f5e45e98a75d53e374fc9.jpg

Scent: 

• ITB: Oh, that’s interesting – black plums rubbed with benzoin and amberette emerges first, followed by subtle notes of muted spice, exotic musk, and dashes of coconut. It’s darkly alluring and I’m eager to try this on my skin.
• Wet: On my skin, it reminds me of a combination of Mme. Moriarty and Snake Oil. Flashes of sugared vanilla musk and softly spiced ambrette wash over a sinuously decadent plum and resin mixture, thick and fragrant with benzoin, a touch of amber powder, and throaty labdanum.
• Dry: After three hours, I’m getting coconut sugar-dusted amber and vanilla spiced musk. There’s a subtle resinous thread in the background that pulls one in for a deeper inhalation. It is indeed delightfully hypnotic and sexy. I can’t stop sniffing my arm.

Other Impressions: “Cocoa butter and carnations?”-Tony

Day 1900 – BPAL’s Pulcinella and Teresina

Tags

Act II, Act II: Fiat Nox, BPAL, carnaval diabolique, Cedar, labdanum, red rose, Rose, teak

Scent Name:  Pulcinella & Teresina

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Carnaval Diabolique, Act II: Fiat Nox

Scent Description and Notes: “Your eyes are drawn to a gilded miniature stage whose sign reads: “All Praises to the Lord of Misrule!” Upon the platform, a sneering wooden jester waltzes with a hollow-eyed and bleeding wooden maiden, while a wooden devil floats above them.

Labdanum, cedar, teak and red rose.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/carnaval-diabolique/carnaval-diabolique-2015/pulcinella-teresina/

Oil Color: A bronzed umber colored oil.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 1/32 ml imp that has been decanted from an original bottle.  The label only displays the name of the scent, the collection and company name along with the date (09/2015) on the front with the scent notes on the back. I don’t know who originally decanted it. The original label art is as follows below.

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/carnaval-diabolique/carnaval-diabolique-2015/pulcinella-teresina/

Scent: 

• ITI: Mmm, this is amazing! Musky and golden labdanum billows forth, self-assured and absolutely fetching, doted with flourishes of rose and teak with a brief glimpse of astringent cedar make this an absolutely divine woody resin.
• Wet: Ooh, that is yummy! Deeply round and amber-y labdanum, almost animalisticly dirty, tinted with deep rose petals and fragrant teak wood is positively delightful. The tones of wood swell after a couple minutes while laudanum sweeps after them in a fragrant waltz.
• Dry: Dang, I was hoping that I’d be left more than a labdanum haze after 12 hours, but alas, much of the scent has faded at this point. However, I was still getting dizzying pirouettes of delight through about the 10 hour mark. Still, it is a wonderful scent!

Other Impressions: “It smells like the wool shops in Reykjavik. I don’t know why, but it really does. Yeah, woodsy, it’s old wood and furs.”-Tony

Day 1872 – BPAL’s Astronomical Twilight

Tags

black plum, BPAL, jasmine, labdanum, Lavender, lemon, lemon peel, limited edition, moss, narcissus, night-blooming jasmine, plum, white moss, Who Can Fight Against Despair

Scent Name: Astronomical Twilight

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Who Can Fight Against Despair

Scent Description and Notes: “A scent of the silence before absolute doom, or the quiet sigh exhaled on the edge of hope: black plum, lavender, narcissus, night-blooming jasmine, lemon peel, labdanum, and white moss.“-https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/who-can-fight-against-dispair/astronomical-twilight-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: A polished oak colored oil.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 1/32 imp decant.  The decant was made by Ralenth, who has the name of the scent in large font on the front of the label, the name of the company and date of the collection along with a corresponding found image on the front. Image art is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/who-can-fight-against-dispair/astronomical-twilight-perfume-oil/

Scent:

• ITI: What a cool floral hanging onto the fading warmth of labdanum-laced lavender! It’s round, herbal, yet softly perfumed with the narcissus, gentle night-blooming jasmine, and white moss. I’m not picking up a whole lot of plum or lemon at this point, but what is here is wonderfully calming.
• Wet: Much more herbal and strongly floral, especially with the jasmine and narcissus. The lemon peel is clearer once applied, tumbled with dark Italian plum flesh, but these seem to walk hand and hand together with the night-blooming florals, a purple procession into inky night.
• Dry: After 8 hours, all that’s left is a chilly floral exhalation and the faintest impression of citrus.

Other Impressions: “It’s rose-y and carnation-y bit really dark, almost resinous, and kind of like a dark library with a bit of that mustiness and still air. It’s not bad. I don’t dislike it. It’s nice.” -Tony

Day 1863 – BPAL’s Sweet Patchouli, Labdanum, and Ylang Ylang

Tags

a little lunacy, A Little Lunacy 2020, BPAL, labdanum, limited edition, Menage a Trois, patchouli, sweet patchouli, ylang ylang

Scent Name: Sweet Patchouli, Labdanum, & Ylang Ylang

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – A Little Lunacy 2020: Ménage à Trois

Scent Description and Notes: “Sweet patchouli, labdanum, and ylang ylang.“-https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/menage-a-trois-a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/sweet-patchouli-labdanum-and-ylang-ylang-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: The color of a light Moscato wine.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 1/32 imp decant.  The decant was made by Yowahoshihime, who has the the collection information on the front of the label, and the scent notes and her decanting information on the back. The label art is on the bottle is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/menage-a-trois-a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/

Scent: 

• ITI: Oooh, that’s so pretty! The ylang ylang drapes around the warm yet mildly earthy patchouli, lending its fragrant, exotic petals to yield something at once sweet and grounded that is very refined.
• Wet: This would be right at home amongst the faceted glass bottles and mirrored display cases -very much like a designer fragrance with such a lovely, upscale, sophisticated blend of ylang ylang, sweetly refined and breezy patchouli, and richly complex labdanum. The labdanum is much more distinct on the skin, evoking woolly ambered brown images laced with sweet, slightly damp earth. All of this is tinted with the fragrant exhalations of the round and slightly fruity, floral of ylang ylang. Lovely!
• Dry: An hour in, the labdanum practically sings, intoning delightful crescendos in floral sweet, amber-tinted, and woody resin chords, trailed by honeyed patchouli. After 5 hours, my skin has positively eaten nearly everything have for a breath of chilled sweet labdanum. Usually, patchouli lingers on me some, but not today.

Other Impressions: [Wet] “It smells like cherries and Ivory soap.” -Tony

Day 1841 – BPAL’s Apostrophe of Time

Tags

activism, Activism: Triumph in My Song, Amber, bergamot, BPAL, clary sage, golden amber, labdanum, lemon, lemon peel, neroli, Sage, Triumph in My Song

Scent Name: Apostrophe of Time

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Activism: Triumph in My Song

Scent Description and Notes: ”

O fleeting Time! whence art thou come?
And whither do thy footsteps tend?
Deep in the past where was thy home,
And where thy future journey’s end?

Thou art from vast eternity,
And unto boundless regions found;
But what and where’s infinity?
And what know we of space unbound?

The furrowed brow betokens age;
But who thy centuries can tell?
Was ancient seer or learned sage
In wisdom’s lore e’er versed so well?

Hast thou from childhood wandered thus,
Companionless and lone, through space,
With mystery o’er thy exodus,
And darkness ’round thy resting place.

What lengthened years have come and gone,
Since thou thy tireless march began,
Since Luna’s children sang at dawn,
The wonders of creation’s plan?

How many years of gloom and night
Had passed, long ere yon king of day
Had reigned his fiery steeds of light,
And sped them on their shining way?

Thou knowest — Thou alone, O thou!
Omniscient and eternal Three!
To whose broad eye all time is now —
The past, with all eternity;

In whose dread presence I shall stand,
When time shall sink to rise no more,
In that broad sea of thy command,
Whose waves roll on, without a shore.
– James Madison Bell

The overwhelming incalculability of space, the glow and fade of countless days, the starry expanse of night. A scent that reaches into eternity and towards forever: glittering bergamot, lemon peel, and golden amber, star-flecked labdanum, neroli, and clary sage.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/activism/triumph-in-my-song/apostrophe-of-time-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: The color of soft gilded lemon.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 1/32 imp decant.  The decant was made by Ralenth, who has the name of the scent in large font on the front of the label, the name of the company and date of the collection along with a corresponding found image on the front. Image art from the website is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/activism/triumph-in-my-song/apostrophe-of-time-perfume-oil/

Scent:

• ITI: Deeply herbal from the clary sage with drying lemon peel bitterness, this scent reminds me of something that would be at home in the Lab’s Dead Leaves line, although this is certainly more green.  The neroli is wrapped in these top notes, but it’s faded and subdued, like a burning-out light bulb.
• Wet: On my skin, the scent doesn’t change much from what I was smelling in the imp – still very much herbal and bitter from the dried lemon peel and sage, although I think I’m able to pick up just a flash of amber under the distant neroli that adds the promise of sweetness once this dries.
• Dry: After 5-6 hours, much of the bitterness has vanished, leaving a gorgeously warm sweetened golden amber with a touch of labdanum.  This lasted far beyond the 12 hours mark, but was gone after 20.  

Other Impressions: [Wet] “It smells like bodega aftershave. That being said, it’s a pleasant smell.” -Tony

Day 1831 – BPAL’s The Scales of Deprivation

Tags

#tournamentofunderdogs, #underdogs, BPAL, come and see, fougere, Frankincense, general catalog, labdanum, Lavender, lavender fougere, lemon, lemon peel, oakmoss, Sage, sandalwood, sin and salvation, vetiver, white sage

Scent Name: The Scales of Deprivation

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Sin and Salvation: Come and See

Scent Description and Notes: “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

Thin, dark, and shadowed. A scent that offers no sustenance, comfort or satiety: lemon peel, white sage, frankincense, lavender fougere, sandalwood, vetiver and labdanum.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. “ -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/general-catalog-perfume-oils/sin-and-salvation/come-and-see/the-scales-of-deprivation/

Oil Color: The color of smoked bronze.

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 is written in large, clear black font outlined with red on the front. The image art on the website is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/general-catalog-perfume-oils/sin-and-salvation/come-and-see/the-scales-of-deprivation/

Scent:

• ITI:  Oooh, nice!  This opens with a cool lavender whisper before the notes from the fougere emerge, round and resinous with sandalwood, frankincense, and golden labdanum, darkened with vetiver.  There almost smells like there’s olive wood in here, but no sage or lemon at this point (I’m not missing them though because what is here is delicious).
• Wet: Amber-like (yet slightly olive-y and animalistic) labdanum tips the scales at first, but the lavender fougere balances the scales, adding a cool refined gentleman-ly impression to the deeply alluring resins. Ah, and there’s the lemon peel, a glimmer of bright gold in the midst of scent.
• Dry: Ugh, absolutely fantastic – the vetiver is stronger against the labdanum and resins, adding a deeply sensual impression of redolent incense, smoke, and a pillow-strewn room complete with alluring denizens whose lightly perfumed skin whisper impressions of soft fougere and just hints of fading citrus.  I love this on me.  Now, I need to try this on my partner!

Other Impressions: “It’s like pine, anise and violet powder.” -Tony

BPAL’s Tournament of Underdogs: I wish I had Morgause to test against The Scales of Deprivation, but I have searched my entire collection to no avail.  I’m intrigued by the idea of violets and purple flowers (I do love violets), but Morgause is going to have to be a surprise hit as The Scales of Deprivation are deeply compelling and aninmalistic.  #tournamentofunderdogs #underdogs

Day 1827 – BPAL’s Oblivion

Tags

#tournamentofunderdogs, #underdogs, African woods, BPAL, dark musk, general catalog, labdanum, Musk, patchouli, saffron, sin and salvation, Spice, wood, wood spice

Scent Name: Oblivion

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Sin and Salvation

Scent Description and Notes: “Salvation found in darkness beyond darkness, the blessed sleep of nothingness. Dark musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods, and saffron.‘“ -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/general-catalog-perfume-oils/sin-and-salvation/oblivion/

Oil Color: The color of pool algae or olive brine.

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 is written in large, clear black font outlined with red on the front.

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/general-catalog-perfume-oils/sin-and-salvation/oblivion/

Scent:

• ITI: This is much more aromatic and cologne-adjacent than I had anticipated with a deeply shadowy musk and exotically spiced African woods sweetened with resinous labdanum. As for the saffron and patchouli, I’m not picking any up at the moment, but what is here is deeply compelling and wonderfully unisex.
• Wet: The labdanum shifts to more of an leathery, animalistic resin on my skin (as an ambergris lover, this is most welcome) before a seemingly midnight musk steps forth, swathed in aromatic and exotic woods, trailing wood spices that remind me of oud and vetiver. This would certainly turn my head if anyone walked past me wearing Oblivion.
• Dry: I will need to re-apply because after 8 hours, I only get the sheerest impression of a ghostly patchouli wood. When I retested and let setting for over 4 hours, Oblivion is a gorgeously sweet dark labdanum musk set against exotic spiced woods.

Other Impressions: [Wet] “It smells like baby powder and leather.” -Tony

BPAL’s Tournament of Underdogs: Oblivion takes this battle against The Ghost hands down.  Oblivion is round, alluring, resinous, spicy, and just freaking amazing. Sorry, The Ghost, you had no chance.  #tournamentofunderdogs #underdogs

Day 1753 – BPAL’s Frankincense, Star Anise, and Labdanum

Tags

A Little Lunach 202, a little lunacy, anise, BPAL, Frankincense, labdanum, limited edition, Ménage à Trois, star anise

Scent Name:  Frankincense, Star Anise, & Labdanum

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – A Little Lunacy 2020: Ménage à Trois

Scent Description and Notes: “Frankincense, star anise, and labdanum.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/menage-a-trois-a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/frankincense-star-anise-and-labdanum-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: The color of honey-steeped tea.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 1/32 imp decant.  The decant was made by Ralenth, who has the name of the scent in large font on the front of the label, the name of the company and date of the collection along with a corresponding found image on the front. Image art is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/menage-a-trois-a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/

Scent:

• ITI: Dry spices and woody incense are soft and inviting.  Star anise and labdanum create a complexly spiced and perfumed aura with a pleasing airiness from the frankincense and a warm, lightly tobacco and root-beer laudanum skirting. It reminds me of marabou feathers on a chiffon dressing gown.
• Wet: Much stronger star anise on my skin with licorice undertones overrules just about everything save whispers of frankincense that drift out from around the edges of the spice note.  With that said, I love star anise and this is very true to form, so I’m pretty happy with this scent.
• Dry: Nearly 8 hours after application, I’m left with a creamy incense musk with a whisper of nondescript spice at the tail end.  Very pleasant. 

Other Impressions: “Like an anise powder-puff.” -Tony

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, cola, 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 or soda 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.