Day 636 – BPAL’s Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah

Tags

apple, BPAL, event exclusive, honey, hyssop, massoia bark, pomegranate, red apple, unreleased scents, west coast will call, will call, will call toy drive

Scent Name: Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Unreleased Scents:  Dec 2010 Will-Call Toy Drive Gift

Scent Description and Notes: “Kindness begets kindness. Holy hyssop, red apple, massoia bark, and pomegranate with eight different types of honey that represent the sweetness of life and new beginnings..“ – 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 event along the bottom in thin white block font.  The same The scent name takes up most of the remaining label in cursive white font.  Honestly, the brown label and lighter brown image are hard to describe.  It looks like a tilted ancient wine amphora adorned with ribbons.

Image from Miss Twilight.

Scent:

• ITB:  This one is really sweet for me. I want to like it, but it ends up smelling like cherry & Rico-la herbed cough drops the longer I sniff it.
• Wet: Okay, I’m giving it a chance to wow me on my skin.  Fingers crossed!  Alright, the red apple is much nicer on my skin.  It’s like a candied apple in the distance, framed by pomegranate juice what has been infused with a few drops of honey.  It’s much better on the skin.
• Dry:  It smells like pomegranate, red berry, and apple potpourri. There is a bit of sweetness to it, like a spiced cider, but it is so much nicer even than when applied wet.  I’m pleased I have given this a second try!

Other Impressions: None.

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Day 635 – BPAL’s Champagne and Absinthe

Tags

absinthe, BPAL, champagne, event exclusive, west coast will call, will call, yule will call 2010

Scent Name: Champagne and Absinthe

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Event Exclusive: West Coast Will Call exclusive, Yule Will Call 2010

Scent Description and Notes: “No description given.“ – 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 along the bottom in small white block font outlined in green along with the collection in even smaller font above it.  The same for the scent, which is in a cursive, Italic white font across an image of a green absinthe-champagne with bubbles.

Image from ebay.

Scent:

• ITB:  The champagne actually smells like a good quality ginger ale on first sniff. Behind it, lemon and a dash of licorice quickly come to the forefront. The longer and deeper I smell it, the more I’m able to tell that it is champagne, but I don’t get it on a cursory whiff.
• Wet: The absinthe comes out strong on my skin while wet, although I’m still getting a lemony note.
• Dry:  While it begins to dry, I can distinguish the champagne, but the lovely scent of licorice seems to be fading a little. I still get lemon for some reason, but not as strong. It’s a very subtle combination of notes overall. Once completely dried, the champagne is very evident, which is melding beautifully with some of the absinthe notes, although I still get some lemon in there too.

Other Impressions: Overall, this is a beautifully subtle scent that I might wear any time I want to feel effervescent or to brighten the cold days of winter.

Day 634 – BPAL’s Sangria Champagne

Tags

BPAL, champagne, Citrus, cola, event exclusive, fruit, orange, sangria, soda, west coast will call, will call, wine

Scent Name: Sangria Champagne

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Event Exclusive: West Coast Will Call exclusive, 12/10/11

Scent Description and Notes: “No description given.“ – 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 along the bottom in small reddened block font outlined in white along with the collection in even smaller font above it.  The same of the scent is in a cursive, Italic white font across an image of a dark champagne with bubbles.

Image from ebay.

Scent:

• ITB:  I get fizzy champagne, red wine that has started to turn (a little vinegar), fruit, and something that reads as soft and cloying, like vanilla.
• Wet: Whew, that cloying note isn’t present on my skin.  Now, it is aged wine, champagne, muddled orange soaked in the aged wine, cola, and one or two other fruits I can’t place.  This is sangria to a “T”.
• Dry:  It’s interesting in this state because it becomes softly fruity and resinous with faint effervescence.  I like this one so much more once dried.

Other Impressions: “Hmm, it smells like kalimotxo and fresca.” -Tony

Day 556 – BPAL’s Peach Champagne

Tags

BPAL, champagne, event exclusive, peach, west coast will call, will call

Scent Name: Peach Champagne

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab –  Event Exclusive: West Coast Will Call exclusive, 12/10/11

Scent Description and Notes: “No description given.“ – 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 along the bottom in small tea-colored block font along with the collection in even smaller font above it.  The same of the scent is in that same tea-colored font with a yellow halo across an image of a dark champagne with bubbles.

Image from musingsofamuse.com and blackphoenixalchemylab.com

Scent:

• ITB:  It’s bubbly and effervescent from the champagne, but the peach note is very clear here.  Thankfully, it isn’t an artificial peach, but a wet, juicy one.
• Wet:  The peach is a bit stronger and it’s almost overripe, but the bubbly champagne note keeps it interesting, festive, and inviting.
• Dry:  It goes ever so faintly powdery, but not enough to weigh down the juicy, effervescent quality of this scent.  This is certainly something I’d reach for again.

Other Impressions: None.

Day 339 – BPAL’s Forever Is Mercy Built

Tags

Amber, BPAL, event exclusive, fig, golden amber, limited edition, patchouli, tamarind, Tonka, tonka bean, white fig, will call, will call food drive, will call food drive 2012

Scent Name:  Forever Is Mercy Built

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Will Call Event Exclusive, November 2012

Scent Description and Notes: “Tamarind, tonka bean, patchouli, golden amber, and white fig.“ – BPAL

Oil Color:  It’s a color rather reminiscent of diluted tamarind candy.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard 5ml brown apothecary bottle from the Lab.  The label on the front features what looks to be a stained glass window focusing on a reddish-haired crowned person (a wise person, perhaps), surrounded by a dark blue halo.  Around the halo, various floral and sylvan scenes surround the person’s face on iridescent glass in hues ranging from pink to blue.  The top and bottom of the image are bracketed in white fields with dark denim-colored blue block font describing the collection (Will Call Food Drive Exclusive 2012), and on the bottle below the collection, the name of the company in the same style.  Atop the image in right upper section  is the name of the scent in white block letters.

Scent:

• In the Bottle (ITB): It’s a light, uplifting scent in its fruity cleanliness   The white fig and tamarind together remind me a little of roasted apricot, although there is a subtle perfume note to the scent when I sniff deeper.
• Wet: It’s sweet while still being light – not overly foody, with a hint of floral and exotic notes due to the patchouli and perhaps the fig.  As it starts to dry, there is a bit of stickiness to the scent quality, but the tamarind makes for an intriguing top note white the floral resins and fruit create a succulent quality that is rather enticing.
• Dry: After a couple of hours, the scent is light, sweet, and slightly exotic from the tamarind.  The most prominent notes are the tamarind, of course, the fig, the amber (which gives just a little powderiness to the scent once dried), and the complexity of tonka.  It’s an interesting scent and I’d reach for it when in the mood, but it isn’t going to be a daily scent.

Other Impressions:  “It’s nice, but I’m not really sure of any of the notes.” -Tony

Day 337 – BPAL’s G’milut Chasadim

Tags

BPAL, event exclusive, honey, limited edition, myrrh, osmanthus, plum, pomegranate, Rose, wild plum, will call, will call toy drive, will call toy drive 2012

Scent Name:  G’milut Chasadim

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Will Call Event Exclusive, November 2012

Scent Description and Notes: “Honeyed pomegranate, rose, myrrh, osmanthus, and wild plum.“ – BPAL

Oil Color: On the Q-tip, it’s a light, airy yellow.

Bottle Design and Artwork:  This is a standard 5ml  brown apothecary bottle from the Lab.  The label on the front features a beautiful pomegranate  opening up on its tree while a smaller fruit that has open seems to be falling, carried by the wind, to the lower right-hand corner.  The art itself is rather stylized   The top and bottom of the image are bracketed in rose-pink fields with white text describing the collection (Will Call Toy Drive Exclusive 2012), and on the bottom, the company’s full name.  The name of the scent is in pink block letters just above the company name in the white lower left portion of the image.

Scent:

• In the Bottle (ITB): The first notes out of the bottle are pomegranate and honey.  The pomegranate itself, as I have found with a few other scents with the same note, smells synthetic.  The honey makes itself known strongly at first, but wavers and descends into middle note territory as I inhale deeply. Finally, the plum surges forward and rivals and overtakes the sweet artificiality of the pomegranate, which balances the scent into something more palatable for my nose.
• Wet:  The throw here is impressive!  The rose now tries to steal the spotlight from the pomegranate, wrapping the artificiality in something that is more feminine, gently floral, and sophisticated.  Following this nearly show-stopping entrance are the warmth of the myrrh and honey, yielding a sweet middle tone with a touch of exotic resin.  After a minute, the plum swells again to the forefront, yielding a symphonic display of lush of fruits and florals trilling against the the rich tapestry created by the honey and myrrh
• Dry: After 20-25 minutes, the fruit and florals have mellowed considerably.  Now, I get a lovely blend of vanilla-infused honey coating pomegranate and plum, encircled lightly by a few rose petals.  The myrrh and finally the olibanum round out the scent with a lovely resinous backbone, creating a scent that is sweet, festive, and intriguing at the same time.

Other Impressions:  “It smells like vanilla and pomegranate.  There’s a little bit of myrrh?  I like it.  It smells like a Christmas party. It smells like a whole bunch of people sitting in church got stunk up by the censer and then went to a Christmas party afterward.” -Tony

Day 279 – BPAL’s Ops

Tags

BPAL, bread pudding, cinnamon, cream, lemon, nutmeg, pudding, unreleased scents, vanilla, will call, will call November 2010

Scent Name: Ops

Manufacturer:  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab – Unreleased Scents: Will Call November 2010

Scent Description and Notes: None

Oil Color: a Pilsner color.

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 clockwork structure with the the name of the company at the bottle of the image. On the other side, there is a black and white 1800s ink style painting of a woman with multiple teats, carrying a scale with animals around her shoulders.

Scent:

• In the Imp (ITI):  Bread pudding, lemon zest, cream, and nutmeg.  Ohh, this is rather interesting.
• Wet: It’s very similar as ITI, although there is more of a vanilla to it, but the lemon zest gets stronger as it starts to dry down.
• Dry: While it didn’t last 12 hours, when dry earlier on it smelled of warm pudding with vanilla and cinnamon.

Other Impressions: Cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little vanilla. It smells like a spiced coffee without to coffee to my husband’s nose.