Day 1288 – BPTP’s Super Spies

Tags

bergamot, BPAL, bptp, eucalyptus, eucalyptus leaf, lemon, lemon peel, lemon zest, Lilith's Winter Travelogue, Lilith's Winter Travelogue - Yuletide with Lilith, Lime, limited edition, Musk, pepper, red musk, white pepper, yule, Yule 2018, Yule 2018: Lilith's Winter Travelogue - Yuletide with Lilith, Yules, Yules 2018, Yuletide with Lilith

Scent Name: Super Spies

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Trading Post – Yule 2018: Lilith’s Winter Travelogue – Yuletide with Lilith

Scent Description and Notes: “Ted: “This is in the Spy Museum of Berlin and believe me, it is full of spy stuff. There was a game of trying to sneak under and over lasers and here is an infrared image of me attempting it. It is hard to concentrate and be sneaky when a 9 year old is laughing and yelling behind you that the lasers are going to get you.”

Pulses of infrared: red musk and electric bergamot with eucalyptus leaf, white pepper, lime, and lemon peel.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/liliths-winter-travelogue/yuletide-with-lilith/super-spies-perfume-oil/

Oil Color: A bright almost highlighter yellow oil with tones of goldenrod toward to bottom of the imp vial.

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/winter-collection/liliths-winter-travelogue/yuletide-with-lilith/super-spies-perfume-oil/

• ITI: Electric is right!  I am actually surprised at the warmth of the bergamot next to the delicious lemon peel and bright lime notes.  It’s bright, fragrant, and uplifting with an edge of pleasant muskiness. So far, this isn’t a scent I’d normally associate with winter, but after some decent snow fall, it’s the scent I needed to lift my spirits.
• Wet: Lime candy (like Hi-chews), lemon peel, and musk bloom first on my skin, yet the red musk is followed by white pepper, that helps create a the roundness alongside the bergamot.  It’s warm, fragrant, brightly citrusy, and faintly spicy.  I’m a fan so far.
• Dry:  A medium-wear scent. The individual notes reduce down to a faintly bright lime-spritzed musk topped with a dash of white pepper.

Other Impressions: None.

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Day 1279 – BPAL’s Protoplasmic Ooze

Tags

An Evening with the Spirits, BPAL, fougere, gin, green musk, Lavender, Lime, limited edition, oakmoss, protoplasmic greenness, snuff, tobacco, yule, Yule 2018, Yules, Yules 2018

Scent Name: Protoplasmic Ooze

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Yule 2018: An Evening with The Spirits

Scent Description and Notes: “The protoplasmic ooze results in man. It arrives at thoughts and emotions, it builds lofty ideals and great civilisations. The objector urges that this proof of progress is no proof of the permanence of any personality. No proof, but certainly no suggestion of disproof. Again, we find no trace of waste. Change and the revolution of one form of matter into another are evident to us, but no waste, no loss, is anywhere discoverable. The noblest product of the universe so far as we are certain of it is the rounded and accomplished personality of man. Why should nature everywhere display her absolute incapacity to cast away an atom of her lowest product, and yet be able to plunge into nothingness her very greatest?
– the Occult Review, January 1905

A pretense of civility, the height of anthropocentric arrogance: a lime-washed gentleman’s fougere with a pinch of snuff, an insouciant whiff of gin, and the memory of an amorphous, sluggish, protoplasmic greenness.” -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/yule-2018/an_evening_with_the_spirits/protoplasmic-ooze/

Oil Color: Colorless.

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 white, shadowed font along the bottom.  Above that is the name of the scent in ornate lime green script.  The name of the collection is in same font as the company name along the top of the label.  The label art is as featured below:

Image courtesy of Tiah Schindelheim Rodriguez

• ITB:  Bright lime and gin pleasantly meet my nose upon first sniff. If I really concentrate, there is a warmth just below the lime and the gin, but the other two notes are so prominent that it’s hard to tease out from where that warmth originates.
• Wet:  The gin is a little less forward, yet the lime still shines brilliantly on the skin.  I am now getting faint fougere and dashes of snuff.
• Dry: I’m surprised at the longevity of this one.  After 14 hours, the gin and lime scents were clearly discernible and enjoyable.  I do with the fougere was a bit more present throughout (or at least the lavender).

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1246 – BPAL’s Bagpipe Dog Alchemy Lab

Tags

BPAL, BPAL Anniversary, BPAL Anniversary 2018, gin, gine, juniper, Lime, limited edition, pine, pine needle, Sweet Sixteen, white juniper

Scent Name: Bagpipe Dog Alchemy Lab

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – BPAL Anniversary: Sweet Sixteen

Scent Description and Notes: “Loyal. Faithful. Perpetually rehearsing “Scotland the Brave.” This is a mascot with real staying power. Bagpipe Dog will outlive us all.

Gin and pine needle with lime and white juniper.”  -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/winter-collection/sweet-sixteen/bagpipe-dog-alchemy-lab/

Oil Color:  Colorless.

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/winter-collection/sweet-sixteen/bagpipe-dog-alchemy-lab/

• ITI: I expect this to be a snoot-full of cold evergreens.  Instead, it’s heavy gin and lime, sparkling cocktails poured over muddled pine and juniper.  It’s rather festive, honestly.
• Wet: It’s much the same on my skin, sparking, green, refreshing gin and juniper with a spritz of lime, garnished with fresh pine needles.
• Dry:  Very light, almost powdery juniper gin after 6 hours. I think this would be a great scent for celebrating the new year.

Other Impressions: “Yep, that’s gin.  That’s juniper.” -Tony

Day 1241 – BPAL’s A Group of Pale Courtiers

Tags

BPAL, fougere, green musk, green musk fougere, Halloween, Halloween 2018, Halloweenie, Halloweenie 2018, Halloweenies, Halloweenies 2018, Lime, limited edition, Masque of Red Death, Musk, Powder, Rose, Weenies, Weenies 2018, wig powder

Scent Name: A Group of Pale Courtiers

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Halloweenie 2018: Masque of Red Death

Scent Description and Notes: “It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered these words. They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly — for the prince was a bold and robust man, and the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand.

It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side. At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who at the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and stately step, made closer approach to the speaker.

A sycophant’s polished stench: green musk fougere, lime, and rose-tufted wig powder.”  -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/autumn-collection/halloween-2018/masque-of-the-red-death/a-group-of-pale-courtiers/

Oil Color:  The color of champagne.

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/autumn-collection/halloween-2018/masque-of-the-red-death/a-group-of-pale-courtiers/

• ITI: It does remind me of snuff boxes and perfumed, powdered wigs.  I get cool, musky fougere, powder, faded incense (although it isn’t in the note descriptions), and a sliver of faded florals.
• Wet:  Green and mossy, the fougere has an air of sophistication to it.  There’s something that almost seems root-like for me, like licorice root from afar mingled with spices and powder.  The rose, which comes and goes depending on how I concentrate, flits softly around the edges.
• Dry:  Six hours later, the scent is a lightly rose-powdered musk tinged slightly green.  I wish this lasted a bit longer, but I’d go through reapplying for this one.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1202 – BPAL’s Venom Resurrected

Tags

berries, BPAL, dark wild berries, diabolus, Diabolus: Resurrected, galbanum, In Memoriam, jasmine, Lime, oponax, opopponax, resurrected, wild berries

Name:  Venom Resurrected

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Diabolus: Resurrected

Scent Description and Notes: “Darkly seductive and lethally compelling: sinuous oponax, galbanum, dark wild berries, a drop of lush jasmine and a sliver of lime.” –https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/resurrected/venom-resurrected/

Oil Color: Highlighter yellow oil.

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

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/resurrected/venom-resurrected/

• ITI: Yum, sweet and exotic, like a lush jungle right after the rain, berries dripping onto upturned, fresh florals.  There’s a cleanliness to this scent which is strangely soothing next to the very light resins. Over the last hour, I’ve been trying to put my finger on the quality of the berry note.  It doesn’t remind me of strawberries or raspberries for that matter.  Finally, it struck me:  Dewberry!  If you’ve ever smelled The Body Shop’s Dewberry perfume, the berry note in venom is a slightly lighter version of it.
• Wet: Clean, fresh, dark berries swirl around heady jasmine and bits of lime while galbanum undulates from the base notes to support the berried floral.  It’s sensuous, dark, feminine, and almost deceptive in its progression.  I would say that this certainly lives up to its name.
• Dry:  Slightly soapy but resinous round black berries, both extremely alluring but equally poisonous.  The resin certainly does bloom after it has had a chance to settle, making this a lovely scent for those who enjoy fruity orientals. Even after the initial dry-down, this scent has a decent throw – roughly 3.5″ from my wrist 2 hours after application.

Other Impressions: I tried this before really sitting down with my notes and I liked it, quite a bit!  I’m honestly debating ordering myself a bottle before it disappears again.

Day 1186 – BPAL’s Drag on a Slime

Tags

BPAL, DragCon, DragCon2018, event exclusive, guava, guava pulp, Lime, liquid sugar, pink lime, pink orchid, prchid, rum, sugar, white rum

Scent Name: Drag on a Slime

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Event Exclusive: DragCon 2018

Scent Description and Notes: “She’s the reason the club now has rules like “No liquids onstage unless you bring your own tarp.”

Blobs of guava pulp with pink orchid, a splatter of liquid sugar, white rum, and a squeeze of pink lime.“-bpal.org

Oil Color: Colorless on my skin.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a standard 5ml brown glass vial.  The label features the name of the scent along the top, centered, in a bold yellow font.  The company name is in the same font along the bottom.  The image is of a crowned queen with a pink bouffant, dripping in slime, almost like she is made out of it.

DragCon 2018 bottles. Image (c) courtesy of Tiah Schindelheim Rodriguez.

• ITB: Delicious! It’s the perfect blend of fruits and light floral to keep it from going B**ches Love Unicorn fruity or Pink Fuzzy handcuffs sweet.
• Wet: Sweet guava and pink limeade muddled together with a dash of rum, rimmed in sugar, and garnished with a soft flower.  This scent reminds me of a tropical vacation daiquiri.
• Dry: After a few hours, the scent isn’t as sweet.  Thankfully, it still very much retains the guava, soft floral, and faint pink lime tones swathed under a sweet musk.  I really like it!

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 1131 – BPAL’s Odic Force

Tags

Amber, An Evening with the Spirits, BPAL, eucalyptus, eucalyptus blossom, green amber, Lime, lime rind, limited edition, Mint, white mint, yule, Yule 2017, Yule 2017: An Evening with the Spirits, Yules, Yules 2017

Scent Name: Odic Force

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Yule 2017: An Evening with the Spirits

Scent Description and Notes: “The desire to inflict a mortal wound on the monster, Superstition, which, from a similar origin, a few centuries ago, inflicted on European society so vast an amount of misery, and by whose influence not hundreds, but thousands, of innocent persons died in tortures, on the rack and at the stake; — the desire made me wish to make the experiment, if possible, of bringing a highly sensitive person, by night, to a churchyard. I thought it possible that they might see, over graves where mouldering bodies lay, something like that which Billing had seen.

Eucalyptus blossom, lime rind, and white mint coalescing into a green-tinged amber glow.”  -https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/yule-2017/odic-force/

Oil Color: Colorless.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a decanted imp.  It features the collection name and notes on the back of the label and a copy of the label art on front:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/yule-2017/odic-force/

• ITI:  It smells like lime Hi-Chew candies!  The lime is bright and effervescent, the amber sweet while the mint and eucalyptus add a sense of coolness, like the chill that comes over you when entering a dark. slightly creepy room in the middle of the night.
• Wet: It reminds me of fresh lime gelato garnished with mint.  No eucalypti or amber yet, but I’d be thrilled to pieces if this scent doesn’t change. Yet as I type, the scent begins to shift, taking on a more powder tone from the amber that softens the crisp sharpness of the lime.
• Dry: Wow, that does shift.  The powdery green amber wraps around the lime, diffusing its acidity and fruitiness, leaving me instead with the sweetness of faint lime candy infused with a hint of faded mint.

Other Impressions: “It’s like car air freshener and cider.” -Tony

Day 1122 – BPAL’s The Wild Audacity of My Perfect Triumph

Tags

absinthe, BPAL, Halloween, Halloween 2017, Halloweenie, Halloweenie 2017, Halloweenies, Halloweenies 2017, Lime, The Tell-Tale Heart, Weenies, Weenies 2017

Scent Name: The Wild Audacity of My Perfect Triumph

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

Scent Description and Notes:  “I smiled, — for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream. The old man, I mentioned, was absent in the country. I took my visitors all over the house. I bade them search — search well. I led them, at length, to his chamber. I showed them his treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of my confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from their fatigues, while I myself, in the wild audacity of my perfect triumph, placed my own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.

A jubilant and deranged lime absinthe.”-https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/weenies-2017/the-wild-audacity-of-my-perfect-triumph/

Oil Color: Clear.

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-wild-audacity-of-my-perfect-triumph/

• ITI: Oh, it smells like lime rind and fizzy champagne.  While I’m not getting absinthe in its entirety, the effervescent nature the note lends to the scent makes me feel like I’m celebrating New Years with the best vodka, lime, and soda water drink possible.
• Wet:  It stays pretty true to form on my skin – uplifting zesty lime with a hint of fizzy adult beverage.  The darker green notes of the absinthe begin to develop as it settles on my skin, not not enough to take away from the effervescent and fun impression I have when smelling it.
• Dry: I had to reapply this one after some cooking as the smell had all but dissipated. On second dry-down, The scent reminds me of a perfume-y version of watered down lime essence  with a bit of tonic water underneath.  It’s nice, but it doesn’t last on my skin.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 1090 – BPAL’s Lily Witch

Tags

almond, anise, BPAL, herb, herbs, Leather, Lilith, Lilith 2014, lily, Lime, limited edition, Princesses Ghosts and Superheroes, Spice

Scent Name: Lily Witch

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Lilith 2014: Princesses, Ghosts & Superheroes

Scent Description and Notes: “Lilith named this scent, and said this perfume should smell like witches. Her interpretation is swathed in anise, lime, almond, and witchin’ herbs, and holds a bouquet of pale, graceful lilies. The end result is a sweet, nutty absinthe’d lime with a hint of spice and leather.” – https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/liliths/lilith-2014-princesses-ghosts-superheroes/lily-witch/

Oil Color:  Slightly yellow on my skin.

Bottle Design and Artwork: his is a standard BPAL brown apothecary bottle.  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the scent in bold, pale lavender font at the top of the image.  At the bottom of the image is the collection date in very small plum font just above the company name, wich is in a slightly larger purpled grey font. The label art is as follows:

Image from https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/in-memoriam/liliths/lilith-2014-princesses-ghosts-superheroes/lily-witch/

• ITI:  It smells like lime marzipan with a touch of seasonal spices like cardamom and all spice.  I’m not a fan of marzipan at all.
• Wet:  The lime is much stronger on my skin (thank goodness!), followed by marzipan mingled with anise.  Below the surface, notes of leather, something effervescent, and slightly spicy brew.
• Dry: It’s so much better dried.  Now, I get lime, soft anise, a gentle dusting of spice, and actual almond slivers rather than the dreaded marzipan.

Other Impressions: The throw on this scent is pretty good and the intensity of the wet version of the scent lasted for about 3 hours before finally settling down.

Day 994 – BPAL’s Red-Spotted Purple

Tags

blue cedar, BPAL, Butterflies of Louisiana, carnation, Cedar, hinoki, hinoki wood, Lime, limited edition, mandarin, metamorphosis, Metamorphosis 2014, Metamorphosis: Butterflies of Louisiana, Musk, plum, plum rind, thyme, white carnation, white mandarin, white musk, white thyme, wood, yuzu

Scent Name: Red-Spotted Purple

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Metamorphosis 2014: Butterflies of Louisiana

Scent Description and Notes: “White thyme, yuzu fruit, hinoki wood, blue cedar, white carnation, plum rind, white mandarin, and lime-tinted white musk.“ -bpal.org

Oil Color: An energy drink yellow.

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 sample label art as the bottle.

Image from http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Scent: 

• ITI: Oh, this one is fabulous!  The yuzu is bright, sweet, and delightful paired with the plum and lime.  Oh my gosh, I’m starting to panic just a tad that I may have missed out on something incredibly special.
• Wet: The yuzu and mandarin are just incredibly succulent on my skin while the lime and plum provide a delightful fruity balance to the bright, sparkly, light citrus (lime reads as fuller and darker to me, something that is even a bit savory at times).  I”m also picking up wafts of spicy carnation and a blueish musk, although no cedar.  This is a stand-out scent so far.
• Dry:  A winner still!  Plum peel, mandarin, yuzu, carnation, a gossamer musk, and a faint white thyme.  I’m rather miffed that I did not  test this earlier as I would have bought a bottle.

Other Impressions: This scent received notice from two individuals, the one seated next to me who immediately asked if it was BPAL and demanded to smell it. He thought it was fantastic as it was light, complex, and unusual.  The second noticed from across the room and commented that it smells much better on skin than it does when I opened the imp.

Day 978- BPAL’s Son of a biggerCritter

Tags

BPAL, bptp, coconut, coconut pulp, cream, lemon, lemon balm, Lime, limited edition, Mexican lime, vanilla, vanilla cream

Scent Name:  Son of a biggerCritter

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Black Phoenix Trading Post

Scent Description and Notes: “Coconut pulp and vanilla cream with lemon balm and Mexican lime.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  I cannot tell through the brown apothecary bottle’s glass.

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

Image from ebay.com.

Scent: 

• ITI:    It reminds me of a tropical summer – suntan lotion, kafir limes, and pina coladas by the beach.  
• Wet: Yum! Coconut cream, bright lime, a touch of sugar, and lemon balm.  It’s a a very festive, summer scent. 
• Dry: Interesting. It dries down into suntan lotion, coconut sugar, shredded lime and lemon, and something slightly basic underneath that I cannot place.  The vanilla cream turns a little plastic-y on my skin, but I think that’s just me.

Other Impressions: “It’s pine-cone-a-rita.  Pine cone and margarita.” -Tony

Day 937 – Atelier Cologne’s Cedrat Enivrant

Tags

Atelier Cologne, Basil, basilic, bergamot, cedrat, Chinese mint, Egyptian basilic, elemi, gin, juniper, juniper berries, lemon, Lime, Mint, Moroccan cedrat, Tonka, tonka bean, vetiver

Scent Name: Cedrat Enivrant

Manufacturer: Atelier Cologne

Scent Description and Notes: “The launch of Cédrat Enivrant celebrates a return to the origins of Atelier Cologne, the first maison de parfum dedicated entirely to cologne, the legendary fragrance classic. The creators, Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel gave birth to a new olfactive family, “Cologne Absolue”. Cédrat Enivrant completes their Collection Originale, now composed of six new colognes. Designed primarily around citrus notes—the traditional ingredients of a cologne—and inspired by the French 75 cocktail, Cédrat Enivrant is for lovers of lemon and gin notes.

Notes:
Maroccan Cedrat, Lime, Bergamot, Chinese Mint, Egyptian Basilic, Juniper Berries, Tonka Bean, Vetiver, Elemi.
Style:
Sophisticated. Effortless. Classic.” -Sephora.com

Oil Color: Colorless.

Bottle Design and Artwork: This is standard 1.5 ml clear glass vial with a black applicator cap. The vial has the name of the company in attractive blue-ish grey cursive font, under which is the scent name in standard font.

Image from http://www.sephora.com/cedrat-enivrant-cologne-absolue-P385175

 

Scent: 

• ITV:  This reminds me of a slightly more unisex version of men’s colognes that run toward the the green and woodsy spectrum.  I do pick up gin/juniper berries very, very strongly, with a dash of lime, a spritz of lemon under that, and a touch of basil and mint.
• Wet:  It’s a very sharp and refreshing crisp gin, lemon, lime, basil, mint, and bergamot blend.  I’m not getting any tonka – instead, it’s something that reminds me of all gentleman, all the time.
• Dry: A faint sweetness from the tonka develops hours after it is applied, but the scent largely retains its heavy gin, citrus, mint/basil characteristics that dominated its wet phase. 

Other Impressions: None.

Day 915 – BPAL’s Molly, The Reaper of Justice

Tags

Amber, BPAL, Cedar, Himalayan cedar, honey, lily, lily of the valley, Lime, limited edition, nagarmotha, oudh, Pretty Deadly, saffron, tobacco, white honey, white lime

Scent Name: Molly, The Reaper of Justice

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Pretty Deadly

Scent Description and Notes: “White lime with lily of the valley, oudh, Himalayan cedar, nagarmotha, and tobacco for the sheen of raven feathers, and saffron, white honey, and amber for her fierceness, strength, and courage.“ -blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Oil Color: Liquid tobacco.

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 bottle artwork below:

Image from http://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/pretty-deadly/

Scent: 

• ITI:  This reminds me of the dessert at midnight for some reason.  I think part of that is the oudh and saffron along with the cedar.  It’s relaxing in a way, like being alone.
• Wet: Yes, I do like this.  It’s well balanced, intriguing, without being overbearing.  The lime has now come out to balance the honey and cedar, which I can now smell.  The tobacco, amber, and saffron twin lusciously underneath, making the scent cool, distanced, yet intensely exotic. 
• Dry: I’m still very much still in love with it, even when dry.  IT has this lovely dusky, resinous quality that has been sweetened slightly by the tobacco and honey, but that all has been tempered by a subtle woodsiness from the cedar with a slightly smoky leather from the nagarmotha, which is a native Indian species also known as Cypriol when distilled into an essential oil.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 775 – BPAL’s Gingerbread Villain

Tags

BPAL, Citrus, citrus musk, fougere, gingerbread, Gingerbread Cotillion 2013, Lilac, Lime, Musk, yule, Yule 2013, Yule: Gingerbread Cotillion 2013

Scent Name: Gingerbread Villain

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –    Yule: Gingerbread Cotillion 2013

Scent Description and Notes: “Gingerbread Villian

I’m three-quarters gone!

Gingerbread fougere, with hints of lilac, lime, and citrus musk.“ -BPAL

Oil Color: – Nearly colorless.

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 a flexing gingerbread man.

Scent:

• ITI:  This one smells like gingerbread, although much lighter than Snake or Troll, framed by a paper-y and very light fougere and citrus musk.  It’s enough to change the tone of the gingerbread, which has a tendency to dominate.
• Wet:  It’s very similar to its iteration in the imp, although I am also getting some of the lilac.  It’s actually a much prettier scent than some of the other gingerbreads, and honestly, a bit more wearable on a regular basis.
• Dry:  This is really a lovely scent.  It’s sugared lilac fougere with a subtle tones of lime that serve to ground the gingerbread note.  In fact, I’d say the fougere is the dominant note in this scent ans the gingerbread serves as a mid tone to sweet the other notes.

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 750 – BPAL’s Wormwood Field

Tags

BPAL, Cedar, cedar wood, Century Guild, Century Guild/Gail Potocki’s Fragmented Alice, Gail Potocki's Fragmented Alice, green musk, hinoki, Lime, limited edition, Musk, pink lime, retail exclusive, thyme, thyme flower, wood, wormwood, wormwood accord, yuzu

Scent Name: Sampaguita

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Retail Exclusive: Century Guild/Gail Potocki’s Fragmented Alice

Scent Description and Notes: “Wormwood accord, pink lime, yuzu, thyme flower, hinoki, cedar wood, and green musk.“ – BPAL

Oil Color: I cannot tell the color of the oil through the dark brown apothecary bottle.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is the standard 5ml 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 thin white block font, which mirrors a slightly larger styled font with the scent name at the top.  The image looks like an oil painting of a green dryad near something that looks like a stump with a birthday cake on it.  I actually have no idea what it is, though.

Scent:

• ITB:  Oh, that’s nice.  It’s definitely yuzu with really fabulous green, musky tones underneath and subtle notes of lime just below the surface.
• Wet:  It’s actually not much different on my skin compared to what I smelled in the bottle. The only difference is that I can pick out the thyme now, although it isn’t very strong at this point.
• Dry:  It’s light, slightly citrusy with tones of musk, hinoki, wormwood, and thyme once dry.  It’s lovely both wet and dry – a keeper for sure!

Other Impressions:  “It’s orange.  Actually it’s pink grapefruit rind.” -Tony

Day 714 – BPAL’s Mr. Nancy

Tags

Anansi Boys, bay, bay rum, BPAL, cookie, Lime, neil gaiman, Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, rum, sugar, sugar cookies, tobacco

Scent Name:  Mr. Nancy

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –Neil Gaiman: Anansi Boys

Scent Description and Notes: “ Before Fat Charlie’s father had come into the bar, the barman had been of the opinion that the whole karaoke evening was going to be an utter bust; but then the little old man had sashayed into the room, walked past the table of several blonde women with the fresh sunburns and smiles of tourists…He had tipped his hat to them, for he wore a hat, a spotless green fedora, and lemon-yellow gloves, and then he walked over to their table. They giggled….He was older than they were, much, much older; but he was charm itself, like something from a bygone age when fine manners and courtly gestures were worth something. The barman relaxed. With someone like this in the bar, it was going to be a good evening.

Sugar cookies with bay rum, tobacco, and lime.” – BPAL

Oil Color:  A light white wine color.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the scent in black block letters outlined in red.  The name of the overarching collection (Neil Gaiman) is above the scent in small, black block font.  On the bottom is the for supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.  The back features the customary Phoenix and information.

Image of Neil Gaiman from http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Scent:

• ITI:  It smells like sugar and key lime.  I don’t get the overly food tone I would have expected with a sugar cookie note.  I’m hoping it maintains this balance, especially because I’m hesitant with foody smells.
• Wet:  Interesting.  The bay rum emerges once applied to my skin, but the lime and faint sugar notes are still present.  When I inhale deeply, I can get the impression of the tobacco, but it hasn’t fully emerged as a middle or top note.  Overall, however, I like this.  It reminds me of a nice mojito.
• Dry:  The baked aspect of the sugar cookie has appeared, but I’m pleasantly surprised, especially because when combined with the sugar, lime, bay rum, and tobacco, it’s actually a very pleasing scent!

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 712 – BPAL’s Spider

Tags

Anansi Boys, artemesia, bergamot, BPAL, ginger, king mandarin, Lime, mandarin, neil gaiman, Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, nutmeg, vetiver, white ginger

I’m switching back to imps for a while as they seem to have multiplied exponentially across my desk while I was focusing on the bottles.

Scent Name:  Spider

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –Neil Gaiman -Anansi Boys

Scent Description and Notes: “ There was a family resemblance between the two men. That was unarguable, although that alone did not explain the intense feeling of familiarity that Fat Charlie felt on seeing Spider. His brother looked like Fat Charlie wished he looked in his mind…Spider was taller, and leaner, and cooler. He was wearing a black-and-scarlet leather jacket, and black leather leggings, and he looked at home in them…There was something larger-than-life about him: simply being on the other side of the table to this man made Fat Charlie feel awkward and badly consructed, and slightly foolish. It wasn’t the clothes Spider wore, but the knowledge that if Fat Charlie put them on he would look as if he were wearing some kind of unconvincing drag. It wasn’t the way Spider smiled–casually, delightedly–but Fat Charlies’s cold, incontrovertible certainty that he himself could practice smiling in front of a mirror from now until the end of time and never manage a single smile one half so charming, so cocky, or so twinklingly debonair.

White ginger, artemesia, vetiver, nutmeg, King mandarin, bergamot, and lime.” – BPAL

Oil Color:  A buttery yellow oil.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard vial / imp size (1/32 oz).  The label wrapped around the bottle features the name of the scent in black block letters outlined in red.  The name of the overarching collection (Neil Gaiman) is above the scent in small, black block font.  On the bottom is the for supporting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.  The back features the customary Phoenix and information.

Image of Neil Gaiman from http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Scent:

• ITI:  It’s white ginger and something really floral but soapy at the same time, with a significant acidity to it.  It reminds me of red wine that is just starting to turn.
• Wet:  Yeah, there’s not much of a difference here, but the acidity is now clearly from the lime.
• Dry:  Oh wow, it’s really soapy about 20 minutes after application.  It’s like powdered detergent with a little lime. As it dries further, the ginger reasserts itself, but it is powdered ginger.  The scent as a whole still reminds me of detergent.

Other Impressions:  None.

Day 642- BPAL’s Geek Goth

Tags

bat's day, bat's day 2010, BPAL, event exclusive, lemon, lemon-lime soda, Lime, limited edition, retail exclusive, soda, sugar

Scent Name: Geek Goth

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Event Exclusive – Bat’s Day 2010

Scent Description and Notes: “GEEK.GOTH
Highly caffeinated, profoundly sugared lemon-lime soda.” – BPAL

Oil Color: I can’t tell because of the brown apothecary bottle.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard 5ml brown apothecary bottle. The label is black, upon which the scent name is placed vertically along the left of the label while the company name and date are in similar white block font.  There is the purple company symbol than separates the company name and the date.   The art is a chibi gothic character in glasses, wearing a black tee with the phoenix logo and black pants.

Bat’s Day 2011, courtesy of aliciadabney.blogspot.comgoth-tropesl

Scent:

• ITB:  It’s effervescent, just like the champagnes, but with more lemon-lime.
• Wet:  It’s very much the same on my skin, although as it settles, the sugar kicks in.  It reminds me of Mountain Dew (what I remember of it, anyway).
• Dry: It’s an effervescent lemon-lime with something warm like caramelized sugar.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 638 – BPAL’s Blue Snowballs

Tags

blackberry, blackberry juice, blueberry, blueberry slush, BPAL, bptp, Lime, limited edition, snow, yule, yule 2012

Scent Name:  Blue Snowballs

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab & Black Phoenix Trading Post – Yule 2012

Scent Description and Notes: “…because the holidays can be really, really frustrating. Blueberry slush with a hint of lime and blackberry juice.“ -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 features the name of the company bolded blue block font, which mirrors the scent name in the same font but larger at the top of the image.  The image itself is over individuals dressed in long black coats having a snowball fight.

Image from ebay.

 Scent: 

• ITB:  It reminds me of blueberry snow cones.  Yum!
• Wet:  Slushy blueberries with a hint of blackberry jam.  Gosh, this is heavenly. 
• Dry: The blackberry is a bit more distinct here, although the blueberry is still sweet.  I’m also getting a lime and the snow note.  It’s a really delicious and fun scent.  

Other Impressions: None.

Day 612 – BPAL’s The Gentleman

Tags

BPAL, cologne, Lilac, Lime, lime rind, limited edition, Musk, rosemary, rosemary water, the turn of the screw, tobacco, tobacco leaf, white musk, yule, yule 2012

Scent Name:  The Gentleman

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Yule 2012: The Turn of the Screw

Scent Description and Notes: “A dapper cologne, distant and refined: white musk, lime rind, and rosemary water with tobacco leaf and lilac.“ -BPAL

Oil Color: – I cannot tell the color of the oil by looking into 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 features the name of the company  in thin beige font along the bottom and slightly larger and thicker font along the top for the scent name.  Both of these items frame the brown/sepia-toned image of a man in an ascot looking genuinely out at the viewer, set against the background of a glove and a portrait.

Scent:

• ITB:  It’s powdery (tobacco) and musky, but pleasantly so because those are mixed with lilac and a touch of lime rind.
• Wet:  The lilac, lime, and now rosemary are much stronger on my skin, but the gentle tobacco remains underneath.
• Dry:  It fades considerably after a short period of time.  In its current state, I can tease out the musk and tobacco and the faintest impression of rosemary.

Other Impressions: None.