Wood Phoenix, BPAL Anniversary 2008 Options

[VioletChaos]

Flexibility, cooperation, expansiveness, and altruism: Chinese musk and five woods with newly budding bamboo shoots, hyssop, chamomile, pink clove, magnolia, walnut, and fig.

in the bottle: a deep woodsy scent, but no particular wood that i can pick out at this stage. it seems very "brown" to me, an unusual comment from me about a scent, but there ya go.

wet on skin: the woods step back and a winter fruit scent comes to the fore- i'm thinking christmas apples and a hint of brown sugar, but not in a foody way. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/kopfkratz2.gif) hmmm...

dry down: sweet and woodsy to the last, this oil is well-blended with no discernable notes peeking through.

in all: a solid Winter-time oil, i feel that i'll get most use during the cold months as a scent, but will use it year round in rituals when i want to be closer to the element of the same name.



(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[jewelbug]

This is from a skin test at will call.

This has a STRONG walnut component on my skin. Not those cheap mass produced english walnuts either. This is the scent of the rich, earthy, sweet black walnuts, high quality and delicious. The walnuts are supported by woods and a sweet earthy fig. It actually reminds me of freak show a bit.

All of that above was when wet...when dry...well, sadly, it goes funky on me--don't know how else to describe the scent other than "funk". I wonder what note caused that? Anywho, it made me sad becuase this was the anniversary scent that I was most excited about and the wet phase was so promising. Stupid skin chemistry!

[j4r]

Well then, not what I was expecting.

Wet, this is mostly walnut. I didn't know that I knew how these smelled, but I suppose you're supposed to learn something new every day.

After a while it gets a bit sweeter and richer, but the walnut is crazy strong, and it turns out I don't really like that note. I'm not really a fan of nuts (insert lame joke here). I'm hoping that a bit of aging, plus a couple of hours of top-off time might get rid of those walnut notes a bit. Will re-review then. As it is right now, all the rest of the notes are just a sharp and chemical backnote chorus to the walnut.

Boo... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mecry.gif)

ETA A Bit Later:

Okay, the sample I swabbed on my skin smells a lot better now. The walnut has mostly gone away and I'm left with some nicely spicy and soft woods. This might be a 'have faith for half an hour' scent.

The bottle smells much better too. I left it open for one hour (in a bowl, attempting to avert tragedy) and much of the walnut's boastfulness has faded. It's still there, but I can at least smell some of the other notes too now. I'll retest a skin patch tomorrow, today's nose is a bit blown.

ETA A few Days Later:

Okay, the bottle has now had three hours with the top off (in a bowl, of course). The walnut is almost totally gone when smelling the bottle. There's a light whiff of it when applied to skin, but it's very very faint. Now it's strangely spicy woods, earthy and crisp. We're almost getting to the point where I could stand to wear this!!

This post has been edited by j4r: Dec 23 2008, 12:58 AM

[hkhm]

bottle: hyssop and walnut with a sort of dark woodsy scent.

wet: the chamomile and walnut are foremost with the musk. this has a sort of backgrounds woodsy feel.

dry: as this dries, there is more of a damp dirt, dark woods, wet forest scent. it smells like ancient trees. gorgeous.

[Aerinha]

Woods and walnut and spices....Oooh, and chamomile. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub2.gif)

So far I love it. Slightly fruity sweet from the fig, and spicy and warm and complex!

Yum! Yum yum yum yum....

[cam]

This is a beautiful, deep woodsy scent on me. But not masculine. It's very soft and sexy. I definitely get a hint of the walnut others have mentioned, and soft spices. This is really a gorgeous scent. Definitely a keeper.

[BlackLace]

In the bottle: This is surprisingly sugary and rich. The woods aren't the strongest note for me. I think the fig and walnut stand out most.

Wet: Wow, this is delicious and spicy! Still get a very sugary feel from this, but it's extemely smooth and well-blended. It's quite sexy yet reminds me of goofing off in the woods at night with friends when I was younger. Perhaps because it's got a very slight boozy feel, and the sweetness gives it a playful edge while the scent itself is still dark. It rivals any department store perfume I've come across in years. Perfectly rich and beautifully blended.

Drydown: It stays the same, but the sugary feel goes away into a general sweet veil. It's not foody at all, more like a sweet oriental-type perfume. It's just simply goregeous and I implore everyone to seek this out!

Overall: Love it! I was expecting more dry woods and was pleasantly surprised with the rich, sweet, ultra-sexy scent in this bottle.

[Femme_Fatale]

Oh, I love this so much more than I expected to. It's a sweet woodsy scent with a hint of the pink clove and magnolia and I think just a bit of chamomile. Luckily the bamboo, fig, and walnut is being held in check and the musk is very understated, adding just a bit more depth. There is a slightly sugary feel to this, but it is in no way foody.

This is not the masculine scent I was expecting. I *love* this and will be getting a bottle before it goes away. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub2.gif)

[TwilightEyes]

This was a surprise for me -- didn't expect to like it so much, but the Walnut is very rich and creamy. The fig is peeping out at me as well!

It reminds me a lot of my "roasted chestnut" candles that I adore.

A Keeper!!!

[iiinterstate]

this smells like fig in the imp, a note that can go either way on my skin.

Upon application it remains very sweet, but I can smell the walnut too (the scent I was really hoping for with this blend). It doesn't take long before everything starts to balance out, and the hyssop amps up a bit.

After about 20 minutes, I think this has settled into a mildly spicy fig blend on me. Not bad, but not quite what I wanted either.

[Forspecial Plate]

Oooh, I really like this scent. Warm and slightly spicy, with some musk, and of course woods, but I can't really recognize any specific wood notes. When I first put it on, I can just pick out a little of the bamboo shoots, just a hint of aquatic in the mix. I admit I was worried about the fig, because in Lucifer it turned into banana (which isn't terrible, just not very Lucifer-like (IMG:style_emoticons/default/00000288.gif) ). But in Wood Phoenix, the fig and walnut just add a nearly foody aspect to the blend, making this almost like a warm spicy nut-bread that would scent your whole kitchen in a beautiful way. But there is also that wood and the other perfumey elements, keeping this from being a totally foody scent.

Basically, it's warm, slightly musky and spicy, complex, and just a little sweet. I actually love it, between this and Fire Phoenix I'm considering bottles of both. Wood Phoenix is versatile....it's quiet and dignified, so that I can wear it to work (which I am right now), but it would also work for a weekend night out.

[Little Bird]

When I first got my bottle of Wood Phoenix in the mail, it smelled awful, sort of like molasses and menthol-y cough syrup. Horribly medicinal. Giving it some time to settle, it smells a bit better... sort of like spiced booze and dry wood mixed with cough syrup.

On my skin, I can't really pick out any of the listed notes. It smells like warm musk, sharp woodsmoke, perfumey floral, and a hint of dry tobacco/woods on me. It's a lot more perfumey and sharper than I'd normally go for. My boy said that it smells like burnt potpourri (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon_neutral.gif) and I can see why he gets that impression.

I'm not crazy about this blend... I'm hoping this'll get better with age.

[Gwydion]

In Bottle: This is not entirely fortunate. It certainly smells like certain Chinese treats. The walnut and magnolia are quite strong. I think the odd effect might be hyssop with fig. Wet: smells like good for your hair hippy shampoo. I blame the hyssop again. As it warms, the clove and chamomile come out, along with the musk. Again, the effect is not entirely auspicious, though the clove/magnolia combination is interesting. Dry: It’s reminding me of a number of the bamboo blends that BPAL makes. The weirdness of the fresh application fades into something more gentle and auspicious, though the musk is simply too much when combined with the hyssop and my naturally musky skin. It’s a shame as it’s a very near miss indeed.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Wood and licorice?

Immediately on skin: This is very woody (duh) with something resinous, syrupy and sweet added to it. I’m thinking probably the clove and walnut together, but I’m not sure.

After a little while: This morphs into the scent of a wooden incense box with smoke wafting out of it. It’s warm, woody, smoky, and slightly resinous with a deep but subtle sweetness.

Overall Impressions: This starts out as rather resinous and sweet with some evident wood notes, but it really morphs into a gorgeous wood and incense scent. It’s deep and rich, and just a touch smoky too.

[RaeiNarcissus]

I wanted to get this cause this round of Phoenix's is based off the elements of the chinese zodiac, and I am a wood ox. I was a little uncertian about the notes, but I gave it a try anyway.

Well, it's new years, and I'm drunk, and i've got some Wood Phoenix on....... it's....... different. It doesn't have any throw, but that's ok, I kinda like how I have to press the back of my hand to my nose to sniff it. It;s a scent that could pass as being part of your natural body chemistry, and it blends to mine to the point I can't tell when wood phoenix ends and my natural skin scent starts. I'm really surprised how much I like this one, especially considering i'm usually slathering food scents like Jack or Sticky Pillowcase or Tarot: the star on me so I smell like i'm going to eat myself.

It's really natural..... and it's defintely a keeper. I think I might wear this on my date this weekend so I don't scare my new boy off (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)

[systemaurora]

I really hated it wet... but on drydown it's a bit sweeter and less sharp.

[pugmom]

wow - This was the last phoenix I expected to really like!

For the first moments wet, I got a medicinal note but it appears to have burned off quickly. I agree with the above reviews that it is a sweeter wood vs. a more "natural" dry wood blend. It smells warm and spicy and cozy to me. I like it because a lot of warm, spicy blends tend to have a potpourri vibe on me, but this is just lovely!!

[jade_starlight]

This one's mostly straight wood with just a hint of what I think is brown sugar. Maybe. It's nice enough, but it's not for me.

[etienne]

This is the one out of this year's Phoenixes that I expected would work best on me.
The wet stage really reminds me of the dark woods + sugary sweetness combo of Sugar Moon but this dries down to a fairly different scent compared to SM. It has a strong herbal, almost medicinal edge but that is balanced by the woods making it very wearable. All in all it strikes me as quite a strong, dark scent. I don't always like outright woodsy scents but this is definitely good.

I'm definitely getting a bottle and hopefully some aging will make this even better. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub2.gif)

[Mezzo]

In the imp: Wood with florals in the distance

Wet on skin: Well. I'm amping the wood notes to high heaven; the musk and florals are completely outmanned. I can definitely pick out the bamboo, but the other wood notes are blending. I think maybe I detect the walnut but that might be wishful thinking.

Dry on skin: I spoke too soon. Magnolia has arrived and she's taking over.

This ends up being a soapy magnolia with some bamboo on me. And it's so nice in the imp...maybe it will work better in my clocket, because these notes, they do not love my skin.

[yeahbutnobut]

Wood Phoenix

In the imp: polished wood, and a bitter walnut husk scent. Also something a little spicy.
Wet on skin: spicy and peppery? This smells like dry spices, as well as woods.
Dry on skin: I don’t know why but this reminds me of something, or somewhere. I’ve smelt something like this but where? Anyway, the scent itself is surprisingly appealing. It smells of woods and walnuts. But it also smells spicy, the thing that comes to mind is spice markets or bazaars, it’s that hot, dry and dusty spice scent that seems exotic and enticing. Is that ‘pink clove’? The hyssop adds a herbal slant. And then it hits me-why this smells familiar. It reminds me of the smell of the spice stalls of Granada! It is reminiscent of the stalls there selling exotic spices, tea blends, and local herbs, and the smell wafted into the alleyways and it smelt wonderful. But in here I smell nutty, fragrant, polished wood too. The walnut is an interesting scent, it’s bitter but in a pleasant way.
After a while: ok, now this smells even more familiar. The spice market smell is gone, the scent morphs into something different, but it reminds me yet again of another…it’s reminiscent of something which is spicy, resinous and floral, with sweetness underneath. Can’t remember what, but I’m sure it’ll come back to me. The spices and walnut have calmed, I now smell a really pretty magnolia note and some clove as well as more woods…ah yes. I know exactly what this smells like now. It smells like a candle I have, called Cairo, by Archipelago. I have no idea why I smell a similarity, because both scents have nothing in common, no common notes. But this has a smoky and waxy scent as well as a spicy floral golden scent reminiscent of my candle. I love that scent and now I’ve found a scent that I can wear that reminds me of it!
Verdict: my Chinese birth element is wood, so I’m glad that this smells so good on me! I wasn’t expecting it to-I feared the bamboo would turn to soap, the walnut would go bitter, the woods would be too dry, but I love this one. It starts off as a dry spicy-herbal blend with a walnut and wood base. It's a blend of pleasantly pungent hot spices and dry herbs which I find intriguing and can't stop sniffing. Then the scent changes into something woodsy, and then something a bit floral and even something vaguely resinous/incense-y comes out and blends with the spices, herbs and woods…and it winds up smelling like one of my favourite scented candle scents, a totally unexpected, unexplained, yet fabulous reaction! This is a surprise hit of the Phoenix flock this year. It also smells completely different to anything else I’ve smelt in BPAL so far, an incredibly unique and fascinating fragrance. I need more!
Emoticon rating: (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub2.gif)
Is it a keeper? yes! This is growing on me and I need one, maybe two bottles!
If you like this, try: Leo 07, Fire Phoenix, Habu

[jencallisto]

In the imp: Oh, this is fresh and sweet and lovely, with a delicate wood base.
Fresh on the skin: Hmm. A bit astringent and soapy.
5 minutes later: Mrph. Bitter, and also rather sickly sweet. Damn, I really wanted to like this.
30 minutes later: Gah! Medicinal. Pungently so. Soapy. Kinda... not good. It's almost like... Listerine? Only not minty? So confusing!
1 hour later: Or... maybe more like one of those medicinal ointments. Like Tiger Balm, almost. It's calmed down a bit, but it's still not really pleasant.
2 hours later: *blink* Hey, it's suddenly actually sort of nice! Pretty, a bit candyish.
3 hours later: This would be a nice soap. A very nice soap.
5 hours later: This has become something I rather like.
6 hours later: Musk! Almost all musk, and definitely the same musk as Metal Phoenix. Which I still like more. But this is at least entirely tolerable now. It reminds me a little of The Illustrated Woman, but with a musk that agrees with me more.
8 hours later: I'm not sure I'd ever want to smell like this. Pretty much all musk, all the time. Not terrible, but.
19 hours later: There's still some faint laundryish musk in the inside of my elbow.

Verdict: Not for me. Would probably be great for someone more into musks and clean scents than I am.

One word: Medicinal.

[Akurarei]

Wood Phoenix: BPAL Anniversary 2008

In the Bottle:
Woods and a deep purple berry - but it's definitely heavy on the woods (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon_smile.gif)

On my Skin, Wet:
Woods and the fig are prominent - I don't think I've ever tried anything with a walnut note in it, so I can't tell if it's playing some part in amping the woods.
The woods are not dry though, so maybe the walnut 'oil' (as in real life nut oil) makes the woods extra lush instead of that generic "processed pine/lumber" feel to some of the lab's wood notes.

On my Skin, Dry:
Surprisingly faint - I tend to amp cedar all over creation, so I guess there is either no cedar in this or something else is eating the cedar up entirely.
The fig smells very much like Acai Berry to me once it's dry. That's a first - normally fig smells bitter or sour to me, but not this time...just sweet and subtle.

In the Scent Locket:
OH MY!! Wood Phoenix definitely belongs in the scent locket for me!
It's become Australian Copperhead + deep, dark, lushious woods!
LOVE IT!!
Buying another bottle!! HOORAY! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub2.gif)
10 of 10 Ranking!! GORGEOUS!

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Extremely pale, nearly colourless yellow. Sweet, woody, sharp. Surprisingly wet-smelling (maybe the bamboo and hyssop). A little spicy and almost foody, probably from the walnut and fig. Odd burnt plastic and rotten fruit notes.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is turpentine and walnut oil....a sour scent like the very first
canvas pup tent i slept in as a kidling (IMG:style_emoticons/default/00000288.gif)

applied...
well...
not good...
too much something...wood & lotus..., i suppose...unfortunately a huge disappointment with
for me....so not working (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon_sad.gif)