Day 1272 – BPAL’s Black and Red Candy Canes

Tags

anise, black patchouli, BPAL, clove, clove bud, labdanum, limited edition, Musk, opium pod, opium., patchouli, red musk, star anise, yule, Yule 2018, Yules, Yules 2018

Scent Name: Black and Red Candy Canes

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2018

Scent Description and Notes: “Every year at BPAL, we put up our tiny black Yule tree in the front parlor. It has red lights, and it’s decorated with whatever we have handy. I don’t remember when we got this little tree, but it’s been a Yule staple here as long as I can remember. There are always black and red candy canes on the tree; I don’t know what they actually taste like, because these things have been with us forever and are a bajillion years old. They are probably lethal by now.

Red musk, star anise, clove bud, labdanum, opium pod, and black patchouli.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/yule-2018/black-and-red-candy-canes/

Oil Color: Colorless 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 pale pink font along the bottom.  Above that is the name of the scent in shadowed and outlined larger white font.  The name of the collection is in lighter pink font along the top of the label.  The label art is as featured below:

Image courtesy of Tiah Schindelheim Rodriguez.

• ITB: Fresh from the bottle, a lovely clove-dusted patchouli emerges, sweetened slightly by star anise.  Ghosts of laudanum and opium fade in and out along the bottom of the scent.
• Wet: The labdanum is much stronger once applied to skin, although the patchouli still resonates close to the top. As it sits, the opium and musk warm, making the sweetness a little more pronounced, but not enough to overtake the strong labdanum and patchouli. The star anise swells a couple minutes after application, evoking images of infernal licorice and clove candy canes.
• Dry:  Sweet, musky opium dusted with clove and dark patchouli and the faintest remnant of star anise remain after 8 hours.  I love how long this lasts.

Other Impressions: None.

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Day 1269 – BPAL’s The Cross of Snow

Tags

bergamot, BPAL, clove, clove bud, cypress, Italian bergamot, labdanum, limited edition, moss, Spanish moss, tobacco, tobacco flower, white tobacco flower, yule, Yule 2018, Yules, Yules 2018

Scent Name: The Cross of Snow

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2018

Scent Description and Notes: ”

In the long, sleepless watches of the night,
A gentle face — the face of one long dead —
Looks at me from the wall, where round its head
The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light.
Here in this room she died; and soul more white
Never through martyrdom of fire was led
To its repose; nor can in books be read
The legend of a life more benedight.
There is a mountain in the distant West
That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines
Displays a cross of snow upon its side.
Such is the cross I wear upon my breast
These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes
And seasons, changeless since the day she died.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Cypress, Spanish moss, and clove bud with labdanum, Italian bergamot, and white tobacco flower.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/yule-2018/the-cross-of-snow/

Oil Color: Colorless 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 pale pink font along the bottom.  Above that is the name of the scent in shadowed and outlined larger white font.  The name of the collection is in lighter pink font along the top of the label.  The label art is as featured below:

Image courtesy of Tiah Schindelheim Rodriguez.

• ITB: Immediate, bergamot shines forth, quickly to be bet with deliciously astringent cypress.  The Spanish moss floats just underneath, along with the white tobacco flower. It’s an intoxicatingly evocative blend.  There really is a sense of delightful solitude, nostalgia, and purity to this one.
• Wet:  While the bergamot and cypress are still dominant on my skin, the clove makes its appearance, wrapped in contemplative labdanum.  The tobacco flower is faint in the background, but it keeps the scent from being too much of a cold, feral wood like Shattered Silence.
• Dry: Seven hours later, I can still distinctly pick out the Spanish moss, cypress, and bergamot.  It reminds me less of a snowy landscape and more of the mossy tendrils dripping from trees in New Orleans, partially obscured by the fog.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1222 – BPAL’s Suffragium

Tags

BPAL, Cedar, labdanum, Lilith, Lilith 2018, limited edition, palo santo, sandalwood, sweet labdanum, white sandalwood

Scent Name: Suffragium

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lilith 2018

Scent Description and Notes: “When Lilith was three months old, she came with me to the voting booth for the first time. She wore a Little Democrat onesie and a Babies For Obama button, and it was one of the most emotional nights of my life. I know I’ve told this story before, but as the election results rolled in, I wept with relief because Lilith was going to grow up safe. Decency won the day, and my heart was alight with the belief that we were on an upwards trajectory as a nation, and that compassion and hope were leading us to a renewal.

November 8, 2016 was another emotional night for very, very different reasons.

Since that day, the world has gotten darker, but the darkness creates strength and fosters empathy. Lilith is now learning what social justice truly means. She has participated in protests, demonstrations, volunteer campaigns, and walk-outs. She has made protest signs with her own two hands, and has marched against the cruelty, oppression, and tyranny of this current administration. She’s beginning to grasp both civic responsibility and civil disobedience, and she’s learning how much power her voice really has. This is a scent of renewing hope, determination, fortitude, and compassion: palo santo, white sandalwood, sweet labdanum, and cedar.”  -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/lilith-2018/suffragium/

Palo Santo: It’s a resin from a wild tree native to Mexico and comes from the same family as frankincense and myrrh, which it tends to smell like with hints of sweet spice and sometimes a faint tone of citrus.

Oil Color: The color of straw.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 1/32 ml imp that has been decanted for me by Yowahoshihime. Her label features the scent notes and her decanter information on the back. The front has the name of the  scent and company name along with the label art, which is as below:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/lilith-2018/suffragium/

• ITI: It smells like cedar, licorice root, woodsy resin and something along the lines of wood polish.  It’s interesting, but we’ll see how it does on the skin.
• Wet:  The palo santo is sweet and reminds me of licorice root in its woodiness with a faint tone of orange.  Thee cedar is strong and proud, while the sandalwood swirls between these two notes, creating a lovely oriental, rein, woody scent that is less meditation fodder or forest commune and more alluring and self-assured.
• Dry: Soft, sweet palo santo and woods mingle with the the lovely light, white sandalwood musk and a touch of cedar.  Even after 5 hours the scent is still lovely, although it no longer has much throw.

Other Impressions:  “Mmm, you smell nice.  Myrrh and something.  Sultry.” -Tony

Day 1161 – BPAL’s Monk and Actor

Tags

auburn musk, beeswax, BPAL, brown musk, cashmere, cashmere labdanum, Cedar, clove, clove bud, honey, honeyed patchouli, labdanum, limited edition, lupercalia, Lupercalia 2018, Lupercalia 2018: Shunga, mimosa, mimosa blossom, Musk, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements XI, oakmoss, oakmoss absolute, patchouli, Shunga, Shungas

Scent Name: Monk and Actor

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lupercalia 2018: Shungas

Scent Description and Notes: “Soft auburn musk, clove bud, honeyed patchouli, oakmoss absolute, cashmere labdanum, cedar, and mimosa blossom.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/lupercalia-2018/monk-and-actor/

Oil Color: Faintly  yellow on my skin.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 1/32 ml imp that has been decanted by Mystery213.  The back of the label has the scent notes and the decanting information.  The label features the label art that would have appeared on the bottle on front, which is a Japanese woodblock print of an older monk and a younger male actor dressed in geisha attire engaged in coitus.

• ITI: Interesting.  On first sniff, I’m met with a lovely, creamy wood with a very subtle and subdued floral musk and a touch of cashmere.
• Wet:  Ah, there’s the slightly more forceful cedar, flanked by almost a fuzzy musk (which must be the auburn and perhaps a touch of the clove bud).  The labdanum emerges, swathed in gauzy cashmere and a touch of warmed patchouli.  Faint honey weaves itself around the heavier notes, yet it isn’t sickly sweet but more of a beeswax note, which is genius with these woods.
• Dry: This reminds me of BPAL’s Scholar’s Tower now that it’s dry, but less resinous and more creamy and musky.  It’s less resinous, though.  On its own, the scent is deliciously warm, musky, and woodsy with very soft beeswax patchouli, and a faint sprinkle of hazy clove and cashmere.  Lovely!

Other Impressions:  “Amber-y, but it also reminds me of those nice Chinese cone incenses, but feminine. And relaxed/chill. It’s really pleasant.” – Tony

Day 1120 – BPAL’s The Mournful Influence of the Unperceived Shadow

Tags

black patchouli, BPAL, Halloween, Halloween 2017, Halloweenie, Halloweenie 2017, Halloweenies, Halloweenies 2017, hot saffron, labdanum, limited edition, Musk, myrrh, patchouli, saffron, shadow musk, The Tell-Tale Heart, Weenies, Weenies 2017

Scent Name: The Mournful Influence of the Unperceived Shadow

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Halloweenies 2017:  The Tell-Tale Heart

Scent Description and Notes:  “I knew what the old man felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise, when he had turned in the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. He had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. He had been saying to himself — “It is nothing but the wind in the chimney — it is only a mouse crossing the floor,” or “It is merely a cricket which has made a single chirp.” Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself with these suppositions: but he had found all in vain. All in vain; because Death, in approaching him had stalked with his black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel — although he neither saw nor heard — to feel the presence of my head within the room.



Unutterable dread: thick black patchouli, shadow musk, myrrh, and threads of hot saffron mired in sweet, viscous labdanum.”-https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/weenies-2017/the-mournful-influence-of-the-unperceived-shadow/

Oil Color: It reminds me of watered down molasses.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  This is a decant which features the  scent information on back and the image that would be on the bottle on front.  The label art is as featured:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/weenies-2017/the-mournful-influence-of-the-unperceived-shadow/

• ITI: Dark resins teem with labdanum, aged patchouli, and something that reminds me of cinnamon Neccos while inky shadows pulse in the undergrowth.  I’m excited to skin test this one!
• Wet:  Oddly enough, the myrrh is much less prominent on my skin.  Instead, the shadow musk and saffron  drift forth, soft yet still unmistakably foreboding with the labdanum and patchouli.  I like it, but I wish the myrrh was as prevalent as it was in the bottle.
• Dry: This is even better once dried.  The scent looses much of its Necco sweetness.  Instead, I’m left with a sweetened, resinous and richly beautiful myrrh note bolstered by very faint labdanum light and pleasant patchouli note in the distance. There’s just a touch of musk, but it no longer is inky and dark, but brown and fuzzy, enhancing the gorgeous myrrh note.  I’d say that if you love myrrh, this is something you should try.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1108 – BPAL’s The Drunkard’s Dream

Tags

American Gods, American Gods III, BPAL, currant, grave moss, khus, labdanum, moss, neil-gaimans-American Gods, opoponax, red currant, sandalwood, vetiver, white sandalwood

Scent Name: The Drunkard’s Dream

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – American Gods III

Scent Description and Notes: “The drunk in the graveyard raised his bottle to his lips. One of the gravestones flipped over, revealing a grasping corpse; a headstone turned around, flowers replaced by a grinning skull. A wraith appeared on the right of the church, while on the left of the church something with a half-glimpsed, pointed, unsettlingly birdlike face, a pale, Boschian nightmare, glided smoothly from a headstone into the shadows and was gone. Then the church door opened, a priest came out, and the ghosts, haunts, and corpses vanished, and only the priest and the drunk were left alone in the graveyard. The priest looked down at the drunk disdainfully, and backed through the open door, which closed behind him, leaving the drunk on his own.

The clockwork story was deeply unsettling. Much more unsettling, thought Shadow, than clockwork has any right to be.

“You know why I show that to you?” asked Czernobog.

“No.”

“That is the world as it is. That is the real world. It is there, in that box.”

Red currant and labdanum with opoponax, vetiver, grave moss, white sandalwood, and khus.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/neil-gaiman/american-gods/the-drunkards-dream/

Oil Color: The color of barrel-aged whiskey.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard BPAL brown apothecary bottle.  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the scent in bold, yellow letters along the bottom of the bottle, just above the smaller white block font of the company name.  The name of the collection is in even smaller white block font along the top of the label. The label art is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/neil-gaiman/american-gods/the-drunkards-dream/

• ITB:  Vibrant red currant surrounded by what almost smells like a champagne note make my nose tingle upon first sniff.  There’s some resins just behind that almost champagne note along with khus, which shimmies forth as a mid to bottom tone.
• Wet: If this is the Drunkard’s Dream, I can certainly see why it would be so alluring.  The red currant virtually sparkles against the sandalwood and opoponax, while the  vetiver and khus lift the scent from the base, allowing the scent to be almost festive (red currant) against the resins and subtle darker notes.
• Dry: After 14 hours, this scent is still lovely.  The red currant is soft but still tartly fruity, yet balanced by the sandalwood and opoponax, which are still clear.  There’s a faint khus hint, but the green notes have largely vanished.

Other Impressions: “I’m just getting faint powder and…like clove?” – Tony

Day 1053 – BPAL’s Temple Viper

Tags

Act III, BPAL, carnaval diabolique, carnaval diabolique: act III the snake pit, champaca, Faiza's Companions: The Snake Pit, Frankincense, hyssop, Indonesian oil, labdanum, limited edition, opoponax, Snake Oil, sugar, sugar cane, The Snake Pit, vanilla

Scent Name: Temple Viper

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Carnaval Diabolique, Act III: Faiza’s Companions: The Snake Pit

Scent Description and Notes: “Snake Oil with sugar cane, frankincense, champaca, opoponax, labdanum, and hyssop.”  –https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/carnaval-diabolique-2015/temple-viper/

Oil Color: Copper on my arm.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a 5ml standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label extends just under halfway around the bottom.  This is the redesigned and reworked version of a temple viper, featuring the almost fluorescently glowing titular snake about to bite, venom oozing in anticipation.  The name of the company is at the very bottom in small grey font.  Above that is the name of the scent in white, bold Western-stylized font.  At the very top is the title of the collection,  “Carnaval Diabolique” in grey bold font.

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/carnaval-diabolique-2015/temple-viper/

Scent:

• ITB:  The scent is murky in its resinous tones, inky from the labdanum and somewhat sharply floral from the hyssop, pulling for attention, directing away from the more subtle notes.
• Wet: I get less Snake Oil out of this one than the previous Snake Pit oils. It’s more of a smoky minty chocolate, which I think might be from the combination of cane sugar, vanilla, and labdanum, although the floral tone still adds a touch of sharpness to the overall feel of the scent. Just under those notes is the serpentine, resinous tones of frankincense and opoponax, which reminds me of the temples hidden away in the mountains of Japan.
• Dry:  Gentle Indonesian oils and vanilla are evident, but it doesn’t have much throw and stays very close to the skin.  I think I can still detect a little bit of the resin, but it’s so faint that I can’t narrow it down to a single note.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1043 – BPAL’s The Cross of Snow

Tags

bergamot, BPAL, clove, clove bud, cypress, Italian bergamot, labdanum, limited edition, moss, Spanish moss, tobacco, tobacco flower, white tobacco flower, yule, Yule 2015

Scent Name: The Cross of Snow

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2015

Scent Description and Notes: ”

In the long, sleepless watches of the night,
A gentle face — the face of one long dead —
Looks at me from the wall, where round its head
The night-lamp casts a halo of pale light.
Here in this room she died; and soul more white
Never through martyrdom of fire was led
To its repose; nor can in books be read
The legend of a life more benedight.
There is a mountain in the distant West
That, sun-defying, in its deep ravines
Displays a cross of snow upon its side.
Such is the cross I wear upon my breast
These eighteen years, through all the changing scenes
And seasons, changeless since the day she died.
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Cypress, Spanish moss, and clove bud with labdanum, Italian bergamot, and white tobacco flower.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/yule-2015/cross-snow/

Oil Color: A burnished amber color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from Absinthetics.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent, the name of the scent in bold orange font. Her decanting information is in green.  The font of the label features the same label art as the bottle, which iis a graveyard covered in a dusting of snow.

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/yule-2015/cross-snow/

Scent: 

• ITI: Mmm, herby, pungent, green, and cold – certainly the cypress here is the most prominent note, clean and refreshing. The bergamot and tobacco float effortlessly just below the astringent green, softening it and adding such beautiful depth.
• Wet: Wow, the clove is gorgeous on my skin, rushing headlong to meet the cypress.  The tobacco flower and bergamot are a bit stronger now, adding less softness, but something more akin to  a slightly heady Earl Grey suffused with tobacco smoke. So far, so good!
  
• Dry: Sadly, it doesn’t last as I had hoped.  After 8 hours, the scent is only cypress and tobacco in the far, far distance. 

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1029 – BPAL’s Ketkrókur

Tags

BPAL, clove, dragon's blood, dragon's blood resin, labdanum, limited edition, patchouli, resin, yule, Yule 2015, Yule Lads

Scent Name: Ketkrókur

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule Lads: Yule 2015

Scent Description and Notes: “Favorite pastime: collecting meat hooks, sharpening meat hooks, polishing meat hooks. Sleep with one eye open? Labdanum, patchouli, dragon’s blood resin, and clove.

” -http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/the-yule-lads/ketkrokur/

Oil Color: The color of copper glowing from heat, reddened with iron.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from Absinthetics.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent, the name of the scent in bold orange font. Her decanting information is in green.  The font of the label features the same label art as the bottle, which is the name in light yellow, shadowed font.

Scent: 

• ITI: Well, hello clove.  The first note from the imp forcibly assaults my nose. It burns and seethes with the dragon’s blood resin and labdanum, under which the patchouli slowly bubbles in below.
• Wet: Gorgeous!  The dragon’s blood resin is still strong, but the clove has mellowed out enough to allow the patchouli to blood, creating a spicy, resinous, light sweet dream for anyone who loves Woody Orientals.
  
• Dry: After 6 hours,  the scent is sweet, resinous, slightly smoky, and just perfection.  The resins meld beautifully with soft, slightly powdery labdanum, the the patchouli and clove and a lovely depth to it.  On my bottle list you go.

Other Impressions: “Uh, soapy and musky…but nice.” -Tony

Day 1018 – BPAL’s Prosperous Flowers of the Elegant Twelve Seasons

Tags

BPAL, honey, labdanum, Leather, limited edition, lupercalia, Lupercalia 2015, patchouli, saffron, Shunga, vanilla, wood vanilla

Scent Name: Prosperous Flowers of the Elegant Twelve Seasons

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lupercalia 2015: Shunga

Scent Description and Notes: “Patchouli and honeyed saffron with labdanum, leather accord, and wood vanilla.” –  http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/lupercalia-2015/prosperous-flowers-elegant-twelve-seasons/

Oil Color: I used all the oil before I looked, so no review of color for this one either.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from Absinthetics.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent, the name of the scent in orange bold font, and her decanting information in green.  The font of the label features the same label art as the bottle, which is a shunga print of a woman engaged in coitus with a cat-masked man under the cover of kimono while another woman gazes down in surprise at them.

Scent: 

• ITI: Hmm, the scent is warmer, in a cozy cabin way, than I hand anticipated.  The spicy patchouli is softened by the vanilla, made rounder by the saffron.  The leather accord note is that of aged but well-tended brown leather, the likes of a grandparent’s beloved sofa.
• Wet: The leather is more pronounced once it hits my skin, but the combination of vanilla, saffron, honey, and patchouli is still gloriously warm and comforting.  I can detect the labdanum as well here, curling faintly between the leather and other notes, added depth and just a little intrigue.
• Dry:  Sweet, honeyed  saffron, delicious woodsy vanilla, and a touch of faint patchouli remain after 6 hours.  Oh, this is beautiful!

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1011 – BPAL’s Upon Man and Upon Beast

Tags

BPAL, cherry, labdanum, limited edition, opoponax, patchouli, Plagues of Egypt, red cherry, sandalwood, white sandalwood

Scent Name: Upon Man and Upon Beast

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Plagues of Egypt

Scent Description and Notes: ‘Take to you handfuls of ashes of the fornace, and let Moses sprinkle it towards the heauen, in the sight of Pharaoh: And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall bee a boyle breaking forth with blaines, vpon man and vpon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. And they tooke ashes of the fornace, and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkled it vp toward heauen: and it became a boile breaking forth with blaines, vpon man and vpon beast.

Dry patchouli and white sandalwood oozing with lesions of labdanum, wet red cherry, and opoponax.‘ – http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/plagues-of-egypt/upon-man-upon-beast/

Oil Color: A coffee liquor color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This was an imp decanted by Strangemodegirl, which features a small partial label with the name of the  scent on top on a stylized font, the name of the collection bellow it in slightly larger font, which is surrounded by ankhs on either side.  The title of the company is in a of the scent below the collection, and the decanting information is at the very bottom of the label.

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/plagues-of-egypt/upon-man-upon-beast/

Scent: 

• ITI: The red cherry, sandalwood, patchouli and opoponax are all clearly evident in the vial, although the combination of the three remind me of a sweet Dragon’s Blood.  I do wish the smokiness of the labdanum was a bit more evident because the scent is a bit too sweet for me as it stands.
• Wet: Ah, it’s much more resinous on on my skin, much less cherry, which I’m enjoying.  The laudanum is now thick and pendulous, lending the sandalwood and patchouli a more ominous and foreboding tone.
• Dry:  Ah, this is the thickly resinous scent for which I was hoping. Swaths of patchouli coil around the opoponax and sandalwood, woodsy and intoxicating. The cherry adds just a touch of sweet that keeps the scent from being entirely too earthy.

Other Impressions: “It smells like Nag Champa.” -Tony

Day 966 – BPAL’s Magdalene

Tags

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

Name:   Magdalene

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Discontinued: Sin and Salvation

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

Oil Color:  The color of honeyed lemon.

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

Scent:

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

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 949 – BPAL’s In Templum Dei

Tags

Amber, BPAL, cistus, cistus labdanum, Frankincense, labdanum, limited edition, liquidamber, Oman frankincense, Only Lovers Left Alive, Only Lovers Left Alive Soundtrack

Scent Name: In Templum Dei

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Only Lovers Left Alive: Soundtrack

Scent Description and Notes: ““Oman frankincense, cistus labdanum, white sandalwood, and liquidambar.“ -http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/only-lovers-left-alive/

Oil Color: The color of spiced rum.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from ralenth.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent, the side features her decanting information, and the front features the company acronym, the title of the scent, the collection, and the date, along with a scent-appropriate image.  The label art for the bottle is below:

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/only-lovers-left-alive/templum-dei/

Scent: 

• ITI:  Catholic Mass on highly polished wooden pews adorned with glimmering bronze accents -rich and contemplative.
• Wet:  The metal element is still fairly pronounced, while the resins, frankincense, labdanum, and liquidamber warm on my skin, the amber among which being the most dominant.  I find the amber note rather interesting as it has a faint lemony quality.
  
• Dry: It dries down into the most delicious, soft, and sumptuous blend of amber, frankincense, and sandalwood I’ve smelled to date.  Gorgeous!

Other Impressions: None.

Day 925 – BPAL’s September Midnight

Tags

Amber, black pomegranate, BPAL, chypre, cistus, Citrus, Halloween, Halloween 2013, halloweenie-2013, labdanum, limited edition, moss, Musk, myrrh, pomegranate

Scent Name: September Midnight

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Halloweenie 2013

Scent Description and Notes: “

Lyric night of the lingering Indian Summer,
Shadowy fields that are scentless but full of singing,
Never a bird, but the passionless chant of insects,
Ceaseless, insistent.

The grasshopper’s horn, and far-off, high in the maples,
The wheel of a locust leisurely grinding the silence
Under a moon waning and worn, broken,
Tired with summer.

Let me remember you, voices of little insects,
Weeds in the moonlight, fields that are tangled with asters,
Let me remember, soon will the winter be on us,
Snow-hushed and heavy.

Over my soul murmur your mute benediction,
While I gaze, O fields that rest after harvest,
As those who part look long in the eyes they lean to,
Lest they forget them.
– Sara Teasdale

A myrrh-darkened amber chypre sweetened by newly-ripened black pomegranate.“ -http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/halloween-2013/september-midnight/

Oil Color: An oiled oak color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from ralenth.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent, the side features her decanting information, and the front features the company acronym, the title of the scent, the collection, and the date, along with a scent-appropriate image.  The label art for the bottle is below:

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/halloween-2013/september-midnight/.

Scent: 

• ITB:  The amber chypre is really lovely here – strongly woody, mossy, a touch of citrus and heady resin from the labdanum center notes, sweetened by the myrrh and amber.
• Wet:  The chypre is muskier, greener, and smokier on my skin, but the sweetness from the amber and now the pomegranate really balances it out to create a scent that is beautifully mysterious, haunting, and contemplative.
  
• Dry: This is rather nice.  It dries down to a combination of soft musky, almost woody myrrh and light amber-y chypre with a hint of pleasant autumnal sweetness.  I didn’t get a great deal of strong or district pomegranate, but what the note did contribute saved the scent from being overtly resinous or too musky. 

Other Impressions: None.

Day 836 – BPAL’s Unmasking the Sambaso Dancer

Tags

Amber, amber musk, BPAL, king mandarin, labdanum, limited edition, Lupercalia 2014, Lupercalia 2014: Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements VII, mandarin, Moroccan rose absolute, Musk, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements, Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements VII, passion fruit, passionfruit, Rose, rose absolute

Scent Name:  Unmasking the Sambaso Dancer

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lupercalia 2014: Novel Ideas for Secret Amusements VII

Scent Description and Notes: “King mandarin, passionfruit, Moroccan rose absolute, labdanum, and amber musk.“ -BPAL

Oil Color: A copper penny color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from Absinthetics.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent, the title of the scent in orange, the company acronym in bold, and her decanting information in green. The front of the label has the same image that appeared on the bottle’s label, which is a shunga print of a woman mid-coitus with a man, whom she has just unmasked.

Scent: 

• ITI:  It’s slightly fruity with a soothing undertone from the rose absolute and amber musk.  So far, so good.
• Wet: Ah, there’s the passionfruit displayed more clearly against a warm bed of amber musk, flanked by mandarin and a whiff of rose underneath.  It’s a bit of a darker, more sophisticated scent than yesterday’s, but still pleasant. 
• Dry: After a long walk and several hours, the scent is incredibly faint.  I am only getting the amber musk with a touch of passionfruit, but nothing I could say was definitively that without knowing the notes.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 829 – BPAL’s The Sick Rose

Tags

benzoin, BPAL, labdanum, limited edition, lupercalia, Lupercalia 2014, opium tar, red benzoin, red rose, Rose, vetiver

Scent Name:  The Sick Rose

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lupercalia 2014

Scent Description and Notes: “A perfect red rose darkened by vetiver, opium tar, labdanum, and red benzoin.“ -BPAL

Oil Color: A deep pitch color.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from Absinthetics.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent, the title of the scent in orange, the company acronym in bold, and her decanting information in green. The front of the label has a panting of roses with the collection information, rose name, and company name in white across the image.

Scent: 

• ITI:  Red rose (but a deep red) and benzoin.  It’s resinous and earthy while still having that deeply romantic floral from the rose.
• Wet: Deep, dark, but still having a pinch of light from the rose – lovely.  I’d in love with how the smoky vetiver and opium curl like the caterpillar’s smoke around the rose while benzoin pulsates underneath.  Wow!
• Dry:  It’s a light, powdery rose now that it’s had time to dry.  Faint benzoin wafts gently underneath with a hint of opium tar, but the strong smoky quality of vetiver is gone.  This is a keeper for me.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 796 – BPAL’s Dead Dreams of Days Forsaken

Tags

aged patchouli, almond, bitter almond, BPAL, cumin, Egyptian cumin, Frankincense, labdanum, limited edition, patchouli, the garden of Proserpine, white frankincense

Scent Name: Dead Dreams of Days Forsaken

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  The Garden of Proserpine: 8/20/13

Scent Description and Notes: “15- year aged patchouli, Egyptian cumin, white frankincense, labdanum, and bitter almond.“ -BPAL

Oil Color:  A very deep mahogany. 

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz). This is a decant from Absinthetics.  On the back, she has the notes of the scent, the title of the scent in orange, the company acronym in bold, and her decanting information in green. The front is an image of the painting below.

Rossetti’s Proserpine.

Scent: 

• ITI:  Oh, that’s deeply earthy, rich, and “brown” from the patchouli and bitter almond.  What a striking first impression!
• Wet: Odd.  I’m getting something that reminds me of cough syrup, but then it gets covered by the patchouli, labdanum, and cumin, which lends a delicious warmth to the scent.
• Dry: The patchouli clams down a bit to allow the frankincense, which is gorgeous, to come out, which pairs so beautifully with the labdanum and cumin.  This is a winning scent, especially if you enjoy earthy, resinous tones.

Other Impressions: “Mmm, that does smell pretty good.” -Tony

Day 789 – Haunt’s Winchester

Tags

Amber, brown leather, Haunt, Incense, labdanum, Leather, limited edition, smoldering woods, tobacco, tobacco leaf, wood

Scent Name:  Winchester

Manufacturer: Haunt – Autumn Update

Scent Description and Notes: “worn brown leather, sweet tobacco leaf, incense, amber, labdanum and smoldering woods” -Haunt and Scentbase

Oil Color: A cool yellowed white.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 5ml brown apothecary bottle.  The label background is a mottled fleur-de-lis wallpaper with a cameo in the center, outlined in black filigree and a book within that border. The right side features the name of the scent in lower case letters.  Beneath that is the phrase “Perfume Oil”, followed by a list of ingredients and the company website at the very back edge of the label. The left part of the label contains the title of the company in large, gothic black font and the company’s address in  a standard Italic font of a much smaller size.

Scent:

• ITB: It’s sweet like a churro, but more resinous, with tobacco. I like it so far.
• Wet: I still get very sweet resins, almost cinnamon and sugar-like, with fragrant tobacco.  I get a little of the wood now, but it’s a soft one.  It doesn’t change much from in the bottle to on my skin, for which I’m thankful.
• Dry: It’s sweetly spiced, warm, sensuous and comforting from the tobacco and amber. Delicious!
  

Other Impressions:  “It’s like eating an almond croissant in a tulip shop.” -Tony

Day 761 – BPAL’s L’Essence de la Folie

Tags

black pepper, black phoenix trading post, BPAL, bptp, chocolate, clove, daemonoropos, Daemonorops draco, dark chocolate, draco, labdanum, lupercalia 2012, myrrh, pepper, pink pepper, The Eros Inquisition, The Eros Inquisition: Lupercalia 2012, The Inquisition

Scent Name:  L’Essence de la Folie

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab  & Black Phoenix Trading Post–   The Eros Inquisition: Lupercalia 2012

Scent Description and Notes: “L’ESSENCE DE LA FOLIE
Pink pepper, black pepper, clove, myrrh, dark chocolate, labdanum, and Daemonorops draco.“ -BPAL

Oil Color: I cannot tell from the brown apothecary bottle.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 5ml standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label extends just under halfway around the bottom. It is surrounded by a black border, which features the name of the company on top and the name of the scent on bottom in thin white block font.  Along the side in the black boarder is the collection information, although now in a slightly larger dark purple font.  The image is of a woman cast in green, clutching her head and screaming.

Scent: 

• ITB: I would expect the dark chocolate to be the top notes, but instead it’s the pink pepper that is reminiscent of bubble gum, with the addition of light clove, a dark cherry tone from the daemonoropos, and then something faintly chocolate.
• Wet: Yes, this one is interesting.  The cherry quality of the daemonoropos is strong on my wrist, then the pepper, then the chocolate. I don’t really pick up the myrrh or labdanum, but there is a faint spice to it, which might be from the clove.
• Dry: As the scent settled, the myrrh became apparent.  In fact, even after 7 hours of wear, I remember thinking that I smell wonderful – like myrrh and dark cherries with a light drizzle of chocolate.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 759 – BPAL’s Lady Death: Savage

Tags

Amber, bergamot, bois de jasmin, BPAL, Calabrian bergamot, caraway, French labdanum, grey amber, jasmin, labdanum, Lady Death, Musk, styrax, vanilla, vanilla abolsute, white musk, wormwood

Scent Name:  Lady Death: Savage

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lady Death

Scent Description and Notes: “Lady Death in all her savage glory: an unrelenting supernatural warrior witch!

White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin.“ -BPAL

Oil Color: I cannot tell from the brown apothecary bottle.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 5ml standard brown apothecary bottle.  The label extends just under halfway around the bottom.  The label art and font look like below:

Image from http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Scent: 

• ITB: It’s delicately musky over the strong resins and styrax. I really like this so far.
• Wet: Wow, it’s really interesting. I get absinthe-quality wormwood, styrax, light amber, a drizzle of bergamot, and faint vanilla. It’s complex but equally beautiful.
• Dry: It’s a soft musk and sweet vanilla that bring a subtle vulnerability to a scent is not something I’d classify as overtly feminine in the delicate sense due to the the styrax, labdanum, and wormwood. I like it.

Other Impressions: None.