Day 625 – BPAL’s Michael Casts Out All of the Fallen Angels

Tags

BPAL, dammar, galbanum, limited edition, Musk, olibanum, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, sandalwood, styrax, valerian, valerian root, white dammar, white musk, white sandalwood

Scent Name: Michael Casts Out All of the Fallen Angels

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: “Michael Casts Out All of the Fallen Angels, Gustave Doré.
White sandalwood, olibanum, styrax, galbanum, white dammar, valerian root, and white musk.“ -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 and collection along the bottom in black block font set against a white text field.  The scent name is situated above the image, also in black font and inside a white text box.  The image is a a partial depiction of Dore’s work in black and white of Michael casting out the fallen angels.

Scent:

• ITB:  It’s resinous but also green for the valerian root, styrax, and the galbanum.
• Wet:  It’s very similar to its composition in the bottle, although there is a little more muskiness.
• Dry: The scent stays very close to the skin.  I get galbanum, sandalwood, musk, and dammar. It’s nice, but I wish it were stronger.

Other Impressions: None.

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Day 617 – BPAL’s Sentimental Initiation

Tags

bamboo, black musk, BPAL, clove, king mandarin, limited edition, mandarin, Musk, myrrh, orchid, patchouli, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, red musk, vanilla, vanilla orchid

Scent Name: Sentimental Initiation

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: “Sentimental Initiation, Félicien Rops.
Red and black musks with bamboo, myrrh, bitter clove, patchouli, vanilla orchid, and king mandarin.“ -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 and collection along the bottom in black block font set against a white text field.  The scent name is situated above the image, also in black font and inside a white text box.  The image is a a partial depiction of Sentimental Initiation by Félicien Rops, which features a winged and corsetted woman/skull figure holding up a decapitated head.

Scent:

• ITB:  It’s resinous and cold at the same time, which is interesting – patchouli, clove, orchid, and bitter clove.
• Wet:  The clove is very strong here, making the scent seem almost dusty.  King mandarin and patchouli followed by bamboo and a hint of orchid follow the strong clove note.  It conjures images of running amok through a spice shop.
• Dry:  It’s still heavy on the clove, but now I can pick up myrrh, which sweetens it, and musk, which softens the scent.  Warm patchouli drifts underneath it all, making it a pleasantly spicy scent.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 589 – BPAL’s Conical Beast

Tags

black cherry, BPAL, cherry, fruit, jasmine, limited edition, night-blooming jasmine, patchouli, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, pine, pine sap, sap, vetiver, wild fruit gums

Scent Name: Conical Beast

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: “Conical Beast, Clark Ashton Smith.
Black cherry pulp, aged patchouli, wild fruit gums, pine sap, night-blooming jasmine, and vetiver.“ -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 and collection along the bottom in black block font set against a white text field.  The scent name is situated above the image, also in black font and inside a white text box.  The image is a grey-scaled close up of the eyes of Ashton Smith’s sculpture.

Image from Ashton Smith and http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Scent:

• ITB:  Hmm, cherry cough syrup, jasmine, and patchouli.  Interesting, but not revolting.
• Wet:  I get more cherry pulp than artificial medicine, although there is still a slight nod to that quality here.  Next, I pick up the patchouli, the jasmine, and the wild fruit gums.  It’s a bit sweet.
• Dry: Now that it is dry, the patchouli, jasmine, and vetiver are strongest.  There is just a hint of fruitiness (cherry), but not enough to make this overtly sweet or overtly fruity.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 466 – BPAL’s Waves of Mist

Tags

Ambergris, ambergris accord, BPAL, limited edition, muguet, Musk, orris root, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, white musk

Scent Name: Waves of Mist

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Limited Edition:  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: “Waves of Mist, Nicholas Roerich.
Orris root, muguet, white musk, and ambergris accord.” -BPAL

Oil Color: A bright, sunny 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 title of the scent in orange, the company acronym in bold, and her decanting information. The image is the Nicholas Roerich painting below.

Waves of Mist, Nicholas Roerich.

Scent: 

• ITI:  The orris root is clearly the top note in the imp, but I get something that reminds me of crushed ant smell, which might be the muguet since I’m familiar with the other notes.
• Wet: Yeah, it still smells like orris root, musk, and crushed ant.  Not a fan.
• Dry:  After it dries, the ant smell is lest pronounced, but it’s still overtly perfumey and does not please my nose.

Other Impressions: In the swap pile it goes.

Day 464 – BPAL’s Dante and Virgil on The Ice of Kocythos

Tags

bleached stone, BPAL, eucalyptus, ginger, hellsmoke, ice, limited edition, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, sea, stone, tea, white ginger, white tea leaf

Scent Name: Dante and Virgil on The Ice of Kocythos

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Limited Edition:  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: “A sea of ice with white tea leaf, eucalyptus, white ginger, bleached stone, and hellsmoke.” -BPAL

Oil Color: A pale yellow 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. The image is an oil painting by Henry Fuseli of a robed man with his hands outstretched walking near two upturned, disembodied heads with a seated statue in the background.

DANTE AND VIRGIL ON THE ICE OF KOCYTHOS, Henry Fuseli

Scent: 

• ITI:  Oh, that’s fizzy and sweet, like ice wine infused with fresh ginger and eucalyptus   This might get a little soapy as I get that impression from the notes, but I really hope not.
• Wet: It’s still sweetly icy with spicy ginger and eucalyptus   It’s fizzy and exuberant   .
• Dry:  It does get just a touch soapy, but honestly, the combination of ice, ginger, and eucalyptus and now hints of tea are just a wonderful combination.  I’m sad that I didn’t pick up a bottle of this. 

Other Impressions: “Dried orange ring, strawberries, and parsley. It’s not bad.” -Tony

Day 418 – BPAL’s Die Sunde, Von Tod Verfolgt

Tags

Amber, blood musk, BPAL, fig, fig leaf, Frankincense, honey, limited edition, Musk, orchid, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, tobacco, tobacco honey, white amber

Scent Name: Die Sundë, Vom Tod Verfolgt

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Limited Edition:  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: “Die Sundë, Vom Tod Verfolgt, Henry Fuseli.
Blood musk, hothouse orchid, fig leaf, frankincense, white amber, and tobacco honey.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  A light brandy 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. The image is an oil painting by Henry Fuseli of a nude, chained woman being caressed and consumed by a monstrous darkness.

Scent: 

• ITI:  Strong dragon’s blood resin from the blood musk, followed by orchid and a little tobacco honey.  It’s a bit strongly floral at this point for me.
• Wet: The tobacco honey becomes more dominant  which I like.  After that, I get the white fig, amber, and just a hint of orchid.  It’s much better on my skin.  
• Dry:  Fig, amber, dragon’s blood musk, and just a little floral.  It’s pretty, but not my preference right now.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 415 – BPAL’s Heretic

Tags

beeswax, bois de cade, BPAL, Frankincense, Laotian oudh, limited edition, myrrh, Nagdi frankincense, oudh, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, Somalian myrrh

Scent Name: Heretic

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Limited Edition:  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: “HERETIC Dark, spicy, animalic: Nagdi frankincense, bois de cade, beeswax, Somalian myrrh, and Laotian oudh.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  A resinous orange 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. The image is a of a black and white execution scene, but I can’t tell by what method.

Scent: 

• ITI:  It’s woody and resinous, like a teak carved wooden box with incense in it.  Frankincense, myrrh, and bois de cade.
• Wet: Still much of the same, although there is more of an earthy tone to the scent now. 
• Dry:  Oh yeah, the oudh is strong here when paired with the bois de cade, but I like it.  The frankincense and myrrh are still present, but not as strong as before.  Sadly, the beeswax doesn’t show up on my skin, but I really like the scent as it is. 

Other Impressions: “Violet.  Wait!  It just changed.  It changes when you smell it far away and then have your nose on it.  Out here, it smells like a spice market, but when I’m right up on it, it’s darker and mustier.  Mustier, but not bad – almost more humid.” -Tony

Day 414 – BPAL’s Hothrun Dath

Tags

bamboo, blue musk, BPAL, ho leaf, limited edition, mugwort, Musk, myrrh, opium tar, opium., oudh, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, sand, white myrrh, white sand

Scent Name: Hothrun Dath

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Limited Edition:  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: “Hothrun Dath, Sidney Sime.
White sand, blue musk, ho leaf, oudh, mugwort, bamboo, white myrrh, and opium tar.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  An orange marmalade 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. The image is a very dark charcoal painting of a tapir/elephant creature in the light with a deformed humanoid creature in the shadows to the side of it.

Hothrum Dath by Sidney Sime.

Scent: 

• ITI:  Opium tar, blue musk (and it does smell blue), oudh, myrrh, and ho leaf.  It’s sweet but oddly exotic.
• Wet: It smells very similar wet as it does in the imp, although the opium is a bit stronger, and I do get a little sand. 
• Dry:  Blue musk, opium tar, oudh, and myrrh – it does not have a whole lot of throw after 30 minutes, but it is an interesting scent. 

Other Impressions:  “Walnut  breakfast muffin and anise.” -Tony

Day 411 – BPAL’s Buen Viage

Tags

black pepper, BPAL, Ceylon cinnamon, cinnamon, hiba, hiba wood, limited edition, pepper, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, red sandalwood, sandalwood, Tonka, tonka bean, turmeric, turmeric root, vetiver, wood

Ah, Valentine’s Day – a celebration steeped in old transition, yet oddly moved to the 14th to rid it of its pagan fertility-based associations.  I’ve had difficulty with the V-Day before, specifically with my significant other who had a bad taste left in his mouth from the deeds of others.  To that extent, I tried to de-commercialize the day for us both while focusing on the joyful implications of by-gone eras. As such, I’m going to continue to review my scents in order rather than looking for one that might better suit the day.

Scent Name: Buen Viage

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Limited Edition:  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: Buen Viage, Francisco de Goya.
Tonka bean, red sandalwood, black pepper, vetiver, hiba wood, turmeric root, and Ceylon cinnamon.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  A light whiskey 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. The image is a very dark charcoal looking image of a harpy flying away with several heads in distress on its back.

Buen Viage, Francisco de Goya.

Scent: 

• ITI:  Hiba wood has this beautiful, fresh, and aromatic quality when paired with red sandalwood.  It transports me and calms me a little.  Hmm, I like this already.
• Wet: Hiba wood is still the dominant note, but now I get cinnamon and a touch of tonka paired with the sandalwood.  It’s deep, exotic, woody…just gorgeous. 
• Dry:  It’s such a lovely scent dried as well – wood, cinnamon, sandalwood, sweet tonka, and a touch of smoky vetiver.  

Other Impressions:  “Powder, nag champa, and weed.  Sorry, that’s what it smells like to me.” -Tony

Day 410 – BPAL’s Undine Comes Into The House Of The Fisherman

Tags

BPAL, buckythorn berry, champaca, champaca flower, Egyptian musk, jasmine, kelp, limited edition, matcha, matcha tea, Moroccan jasmine, Musk, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, plum, sea buckthorn berry, tea, white plum

Scent Name:  Undine Comes Into The House Of The Fisherman

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Limited Edition:  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: Undine Comes Into the House of the Fishermen, Henri Fuseli.
Egyptian musk, kelp, white plum, sea buckthorn berry, matcha tea, champaca flower, and Moroccan jasmine.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  A creamy white/yellow 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. The image is a darker painting of an individual entering a room, which is a piece by Fuseli

Scent: 

• ITI:  It’s just a little aquatic, but warmly so with the white plum, champaca flower, and musk.
• Wet: Holy Aquatic, Batman!  The kelp really amps as soon as it touches my skin, so I have to fight the argue to scrub my skin. However, after just a few seconds, the musk and chapaca flower rush back to the forefront.  
• Dry:  Slightly kelp-centered still, but I get the sea buckthorn berry, and white plum. It’s better dried, and while a tolerable aquatic, it’s not something I plan on keeping. 

Other Impressions:  “Hmm, verb herby with a floral undertone.  I like it.  It can be worn by either gender.  I wouldn’t wear it personally because I like my scents a little more manly, but it’s a nice scent.  I just wouldn’t wear it for myself.” -Tony

Day 399 – BPAL’s Monastery in the Mountains

Tags

air, BPAL, deodar, Incense, limited edition, mountain, Pickman gallery, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, sandalwood, snow

As the month has officially ended, so too has my stay with my third imp box.  It now has a lovely light floral smell with overtones of sandalwood.

Scent Name:  Monastery in the Mountains

Manufacturer: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies, 9/27/12-12/30/12

Scent Description and Notes: “Monastery in the Mountains, Nicholas Roerich.
Snow-capped mountain air, rich sandalwood incense, and deodar – the Tree of God.” -BPAL

Oil Color:  An orange marmalade 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. The front has Roerich’s painting titled “Monastery in the Mountains.”

Roerich’s “Monastery in the Mountains.”

Scent: 

• ITI: Dewy snow, fresh lemon drops, and warm sandalwood.
• Wet: I still get the fresh snow, but I also pick up hints of vanilla along with the lemon and a lightly resinous tone from the sandalwood.  It’s rather pleasant, actually. 
• Dry:  It’s still wonderfully light, luscious, and slightly citrusy.  Beautiful!

Other Impressions: “Is that verbena?  And a little lavender, too.”  -Tony