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Mead Moon has landed, right when we needed her the most: https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/collections/mead-moon-july-2026
- Yesterday
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Gave this one a shot based on the incense-y reviews and an affection for cedar. Rose and frankincense can both go 'soapy' on me, and that is on the border of happening here, too, though I think it's my own sensitivity that makes me feel that way rather than an impression anyone else is getting. Still, this is definitely on the clean end, rather than a funky or dirty sort of incense. The citrus is in the backseat; I forgot it was there until i reread the note list, but am not surprised to see it there. Oerall impression: glowy and golden, mostly incenses with an edge of rose.
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The scent itself is more-or-less as one might expect from the notes: a little earthy from the patchouli, a little spicey from the nutmeg and saffron, a little warm and glowy from the tobacco and amber, a little floral from the rose geranium. The bourbon vanilla I don't get specifically, but I assume it's what keeps the geranium from coming across terribly sharp (though it is definitely geranium, if on the rosey side). It's unisex-to-femme, but neither "sexy" nor "girly", and I wouldn't be surprised -- but might be intrigued -- to smell it on a man. "A Dyer's Saffron" is top-tier for me. Appropriate for any occasion. Strong but not obtrusive, with good longevity.
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Creamed Corn and Dark Chocolate
MRonHubbard replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
I don't smell corn; I smell Mexican hot chocolate with a little spice. 💚! A lot of people would love this. I've been using it especially at bedtime to soothe my brain, sometimes with Lush's (jasmine-scented) Silky Underwear powder. -
I detect none of the booze notes and no sweetness of any kind. It’s cologne-y and kind of raw-smelling. The leather smells raw, the stone is raw, the wood is raw. The musk is the distinctly non-mellow kind. I’ll be putting this one away for a time in the hope that the jumble of rawness pulls together and becomes something wearable for me.
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Honey and honeysuckle described as an aquatic imaginary sage Edit: I reapplied about 4 hours ago. Still acting like a honey-er honeysuckle single note. Lily was barely there (like 2 minutes tops) on my skin and I never got sage. Maybe it grounded the lily and exited with it?
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In the bottle: Mostly a sweet banana scent, with the vetiver tempering it a bit so it isn’t too sweet. At first: The vetiver and banana feel like they’re fighting, but I don’t mind it. It feels like a candy perfume for grownups. One hour in: Vetiver, woody and warm, but also with a sweet finish. Sugary, but light. Three hours in: Mostly a soft, woody vetiver scent. Very nice fully dried down. Ten hours in: A bit powdery and slightly sweet. Overall: A nice oddball addition to my collection. I’ll definitely be wearing this when I’m looking for something different.
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Girl and Butterflies is gorgeous! I haven't worn this one in a minute, so I'm afraid I'm not going to do it justice in my review, but I wanted to jot something down before the scent goes down. Goes on with a rush of purple florals, BPAL's beautiful, aromatic lavender, soft and pillowy but with an undercurrent of crisp camphor. The lavender mingles with a sweet, heady lilac (a little more perfumey than photorealistic/fresh, and very lovely), like I've just stepped into the most heavenly garden. The ambergris and oud accords give this a gorgeous, sophisticated sort of texture, and the ambergris lends it a bit of throw. This is a very friendly and approachable oud, it is sweet and berry-like, recalling dried fruit and honey. The tea doesn't jump out at me, but a few hours in, I get a lovely waft of it, as if someone's just come to bring me a crisp, refreshing cup of tea while I've been sitting in this possibly enchanted garden. I'm not familiar enough with sweet pea or blue poppy to pick them out, but I wonder if they're altering the lilac accord. Really good throw for the first couple of hours, and surprising longevity, a good 6-8 hours. It sort of deepens and warms as the day goes on; the florals eventually burn off, but they give way to something that feels quietly radiant and gorgeously textured. I ordered my bottle this afternoon!
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Chimères goes on borderline-unpleasantly sharp. I'm not sure what's happening exactly, but my guess is that something about the combination of Bulgarian rose and frankincense causes some kind of citronellal overload that, I'm sorry to say, recalls insect repellent unmistakably. Fortunately, however, the unpleasant wet phase doesn't last, and it dries down into a slightly sharp, astringent rose, enveloped in soft, powdery amber accords and hazy incense. Something about this scent feels overwhelmingly *soft*, like a giant marshmallow or a plush velvet pillow. That velvet accord really conjures the feeling of softness! It dries down into a nice rose on me, but I have other rose scents I like much better, and that don't open with a bug-spray top note, so I think I'll be hanging onto my decant but passing on a bottle.
- Last week
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Vampire DJ of Some Renown
patina replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat
Fruit. Rave. Everyone’s tossing back fruity drinks. Everyone’s wearing really clean, freshly laundered clothing. (Tropical scent detergent).There are lasers. There is ozone. There is clove. -
I don't tend to leave reviews anymore, but this is such a bizarre experience that I feel like I need to put it here in case anyone else has come across it. This is cinnamon rolls. In the bottle and on my skin. I've been doing this long enough to think that I can pick out a good deal of notes most of the time, especially since some of these are favorites of mine. But this is a strong gourmand baked good, to me and to three other people, one of which is also a long time BPALer. We are of course by no means infallible, and maybe it's just being real weird with our noses, but I wanted to share.
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Freshlyapplied, it’s a cool, tangy yellow rose that has an almost pungent/herbal quality, like a spice you would cook with (I’m assuming this is the lunar accord AEris mentioned upthread). Over the first hour of wear it gradually warmed/mellowed as the hay note emerged over time. I really like this and wish it lasted longer than 2 hours on me. It reminds me of some of the Une Douzaine ofRoses scents from the 2018 Lupers.
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This one caught me by surprise out of possibly everything in the collection I've smelled so far vs. my expectations. This is probably my second favorite after Louis. Absolute spot-on paperback book paper, infused with espresso and tobacco, but it's picked up the scent of its owner's cologne because they've carried it with them for years and years. The static electricity or metallic air come through as a high-pitched sweetness for me, but it isn't really the most noticable note. It's all about the paperback book. Just absoutlely captured the persona of Daniel, and much like the show!Daniel, I liked it way more than I was expecting to. Looking forward, as I'm sure many Devils Minion fans are (though I don't count myself among them), to layering this with Armand to see what that turns into.
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This one is lovely. It really is the sum of its notes, and it captures the concept of Lestat as Wolfkiller and man so distinctly from other scents, ie, Lestat as vamp Rock Star or Lestat as vamp stage character in greasepaint. The musk and woods are all in beautiful balance at the forefront, grounded by the leather, velvet and stone, all just lightly accented with the sweetness of blood and amber. Very wearable, leaning masculine, and ideal for winter (just like the scenes it's inspired by).
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Ohh this is so pretty! This is a bright, juicy pear. It kind of reminds me of the sweetness and lightness of golden Nashi pear. This one lasts a good 3-4 hours on me.
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High Noon Heliotrope
Leopard403 replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Single Notes, Layering Scents & Simple Blends
I’ve realized I know nothing about heliotrope. Online descriptions mention notes of vanilla, cinnamon, marzipan, and cherry pie. To me, it smells zingy the way citrus does, with a hint of spice. Every year of my life, my mom has bought a mix of autumn-colored mums and put them in a planter by the front door, and this heliotrope blend smells the way I wanted them to smell. -
Russet Honey, Patchouli, and Tobacco Absolute
Tamarinda replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Lupercalia
This is so nice. It's a sweet, powdery honey with earthy patchouli and some smokey tobacco richness. I love it. Shame patchouli disappears on my skin these days. This lasts longer than most thanks to the tobacco. Three or so hours instead of 30 minutes. If you're familiar with Feed Me and Fill Me with Pleasure, this is in the same school, but with that tobacco chewiness and more patchouli. -
Rose Moon: Red Rose Petals and Purple Fig
Leopard403 replied to doomsday_disco's topic in Duets & Menage A Trois
This duet is sooooo interesting. It’s deep and unexpected and really hard to describe. Both parts of the blend are slightly past their prime, and I like that. It’s not fresh cut rose or fresh fig; this is more like a red rose bouquet that has just started to sag has been set next to a bowl of sticky, overripe figs. You might imagine a lazy wasp nearby, weaving drunkenly low and slow because of these bursting scents warm from the sun. It’s a deep purple red color, a bruise, a bloody bloom, a hot glass of red wine. It’s dead sexy. -
I ordered this with some trepidation, not being the biggest fan of wine notes, and while also still figuring out how much violet I'm willing to let into my life. But, there were not a lot of Shungas that spoke to me this year (cream and milk everywhere, hard pass!!) so I forced myself to take the risk here because if we don't keep supporting the brands we love in some way, shape, or form, they'll go away. Haunches tensed, for the glory of our collective futures, I sniffed and dabbed. There was a rather unmistakable, nostril smacking fruity must in the open, but after a mere 10 minutes it gave way to the prettiest, most gorgeous amalgam of Other Things that I have smelled this sniffing season. I'll be frank; I could not pick out any of the other notes individually, but the effect in combination was simply beautiful. Much closer to a skin scent than something that shouts at you, the slightly powdery affect from the violet was charming. This is the ideal scent to wear when you want to smell lovely in a non-overbearing way, and I would go so far as to say there is no situation where it would not be appropriate due to it's low sillage and overall pleasantness. I wore this for 3 days in a row in disgusting heat and humidity, and it never turned on me. I do wish it lasted a bit longer than the 4 hours I got from it, and I would suggest more of a slather than a dab if you're looking for a bigger olfactory bubble to billow around you. A real stunner! I am so happy to have her.
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Zechariah 7:9-10
DigitalCoyote replied to Ina Garten Davita's topic in Cursed is Anyone Who Withholds Justice from the Foreigner
Magnolia and I have a 50/50 chance of working out. I'm gonna hazard a guess this is the magnolia in Black Snowman because this was initially giving green and wet along with floral. Champaca and oud are rounding it out with a fruity note and calming faint smoke/incense. This is a boss lady floral of the do no harm but take no shit variety. I can see how it would read older: it's the air of authority of a matriarch in my deep south family. This is someone who's seen some things, done some dirt, and not a hair is out of place. I can't see teenagers wearing this one. -
Got this fresh from a desert mailbox on a humid day. Wet: HOT sweet coffee and rum. Semi-dry: faint smoke, rum, magnolia, patchouli. Dry: Sandalwood, patchouli, sweet white flowers, rum. I want to cuddle with the dry stage. I feel warm and fuzzy with it. The flowers are there but fighting for their lives against the rum. I was sad when the middle stage was over. I don't know what I've smelled anything like it but it was very evocative of what his part of NO should smell like based on the show. It had a definite warm summer night feel.
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This on me is most strongly a palo santo scent. There is that familiar smooth stone note (musk?), some definite hippie patchouli, maybe a whisper of sandalwood, and the faintest mosses. But palo santo is the star. It reminds me a little of Mars and Venus, only more rugged, and much dirtier. Sexy unwashed hippie boy vibes, and yes I like it!
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Hypnotic florals, jasmine and rose. Everyone knows this story, where a tragic love drives the reconciliation of two warring families. Is there a touch of bitterness beneath? That bitter orange peel? It makes me think of BPAL’s discontinued scent Venice, though this is more sophisticated. Of the Faces of the Lovers series, this is the only one that threatened to become soapy for me, although on drydown, the stony and smoky notes saved it. I imagine Italy when I smell it.
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Red musk, wine, roses, salt tears: the dangerous bittersweetness of a forbidden love. Wet, this scent is intense, tumultuous, shifting moment to moment, strongly compelling. Something grounds it -- the wood, perhaps. I keep coming back for more. On the basis of scent alone, this one is probably my favorite in the series, though like the other delicate scents in Faces of the Lovers, I wish it had longer wear length – it fades after a couple of hours.
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Wet, this is juicy apple with something strange and uneasy beneath -- skin musk for the revelation of Eve and Adam’s nakedness and separateness from each other; fire and smoke for the daily work they must do after being expelled, or perhaps from the angel’s flaming sword that bars them from the garden. For me, this scent is tricky; I strain to identify the notes, wondering what is next. Dry, the apple scent remains forward, but troubled by a foreboding of fire and smoke.
