Wench457

Wow. Red Musk and I have a history. It turns into peanut butter on me. So I almost didn't get this one. I finally did, because the bath oil sounded so wonderful, and I figured I could always swap the oil. My initial test showed that I was right, I got peanut butter fruit salad out of this, and put it away in my TP oils box.

Put it on this morning on a whim, and whoa mama, that's some awesome stuff! Still very fruity, which I love and is perfect for this already getting warm day, but there's a richness here, along with just a hint of spice. This has aged to be drop dead gorgeous and sexay on me. So it appears I must revisit my perception that red musk is a no go note for me. Apparently it just needs a couple years of aging to be fabulous.

Sorry, not gonna swap this one after all!

And Moxie, from the Panacea blends. No notes are listed, so it doesn't show up in searches, but it's my all-time favorite orange blend. Juicy and true, without being cloying.

This is heartbreak on me. I adore Antique Lace, and anything vanilla really. This should have been perfection. I was relieved to hear that others have had the same experience I have, because I thought I must have been nuts. All I get from this is new tires, with just the very slightest hint of vanilla in the background.

I weep.

ETA: And, several hours later, the vanilla has shown up to the party. And yes, it is the vanilla from my beloved Antique Lace. And yes, the new tires are still lurking in the background.

:sob:

I adore Daphne. So much so, that I bought a bottle of this unsniffed the moment it came out. I was pretty disappointed when it turned into a super-sharp, almost medicinal scent on me, and sadly put it away.

Fast forward a few months, and I pulled it out to try again. The sharpness is gone, and what's left is an in-your-face heady floral. Fortunately for me, I love that kind of thing. It is quite strong, so a little goes a long way on me. At first I get no honey at all, but after a while the honey does come out, and grounds the floral. It's quite beautiful, really. It's not quite the daphne bush I have growing next to my driveway, but it is stunning, and I'm so glad I bought a bottle!

In the bottle, I get a cherry note, but no cherry once I apply, which makes me think it's actually almond, since my nose likes to confuse those two sometimes. This is a soft, fluffy, close skin scent, that is really hard to pin down, actually. There's something rich and grounding in here too. I want to say saffron, though it could be teak or another light wood.

I can't tell what's in it for sure, but I adore it!

Sweetly delicate, ethereal florals. So very pretty! I'm also getting a feeling of "white" from this one, plus something that gives an elusive hint of violet every now and then. Not sure if it's really violet, or just my nose trying to interpret sweet+floral. Eventually goes just a bit soapy, but not enough to spoil this lovely scent for me. Very elegant and regal.

This reminds me very strongly of Dorian. So much so, that I had to check to see that I hadn't actually put on Dorian. On me, Dorian is almost completely a rich, earthy vanilla, and that's what I'm getting here. I think perhaps it's not as complicated as Dorian though, which makes sense if the RPG scents are intended to be layered. I need to do a side-by-side comparison at some point, to see what the differences are.

Edit to reflect a re-test after five years of aging.

This is an oil that definitely benefits from aging. When I put it on now, it smells exactly like Antique Lace does on me. Maybe just a wee bit less floral, but breathtakingly beautiful.

Ten minutes later and it's all gone. If I put my nose directly onto my skin and inhale really deeply, I can barely make it out.

Farewell Elf v4. It's not you, it's me. Oh how I wish it weren't. But a bare 10 minutes of ZOMG!! does not a relationship make.

Oh yum, in the bottle this is spicy and exotic, with just a hint of sweetness. On my skin, a lovely earthy note comes out, which unfortunately quickly gives me a headache. I'm thinking that VioletChaos may be on the right track thinking there is vetiver in here, because vetiver and I have a hate/hate relationship. It's such a gorgeous scent otherwise, and I really wish I could wear it, because it's unlike anything else I have in my collection. Rats.

On me, this is lemon and peonies. Possibly rose, but since it doesn't go sour, as roses tend to do on me, I'm thinking it's peony. The lemon is the leader here, layered over the peonies. After a bit, the lemon fades back a bit, and I can pick out a woodsy note, possibly sandalwood.

Unfortunately, it fades super fast on me, but I love it while it lasts.

This was a huge disappointment for me, alas. I get nothing but horrid sour roses. I will say one thing for it though, it does last. I could still sniff it on my wrists the next morning. Actually, at that point it was crystal white flowers, and I loved it. Not sure I can wait 12 hours for that though. I'm hoping that a little aging will resolve our differences, and we will be able to come to terms. Time shall tell.

On me, this starts out distinctly spicy. I want to call it a carnation note, since it's clovey cinnamon, but not at all dry, the way spices usually go on me. Maybe the squished stems used to be carnations. I can just pick out the honey musk and milk underneath, but it's all about the spice at this point.

After a few minutes the spicy note settles down a bit, and the honey and milk are more apparent. I really like this stage. Like warm milk and honey dusted with spices.

Eventually, I do get just the barest hint of earth and green blending into the milky honey spice. Lovely.

The dirt note gave me pause, and I almost didn't order this. Dirt notes rarely work on me, the only exception I've found to this point being Zombi. (Which being dirt and roses should be complete fail on me, but that's another review.) I'm glad I went for it though. This is soft and sweet, with just enough spice and dirt to distinguish it from other scents in that vein.

Hm. Someone who just joined the forum today, who has zero information in her profile, posts a bunch of disparaging stuff about something we all clearly love. Then acts all innocent about not wanting to cause offense. Why do I think this might be a TROLL?

Sadly, the Tarots are discontinued. Reviews are here. You might have some luck if you post an ISO.

Wow. This is just simply stunning. I'm a huge fan of white florals, and this is definitely that. I agree there's just a hint of sweetness here, just enough to knock any sharp edges off the florals. I do think there's some freesia in here, which makes me happy - I adore that scent. Heck, whatever it is makes me happy. There is just the slightest hint of baby oil when I sniff my wrists up close, which I suppose is appropriate. So very glad I bid on this lab auction, this is just gorgeous.

When I first spray this one, I get the unmistakable scent of - pickles. I thought, "no, that can't be right," so I tried it three different times. Every time - pickles.

Fortunately, the vinegary pickle smell doesn't linger long, and the cinnamon sugar comes out strongly, and lasts a long time. I do get a hint of Samhain underneath, that keeps it from being too foody. This is a very comforting and snuggly scent - once I get past the pickles.

I loooooove this! The chamomile gives it a bitter edge that perfectly balances the richness of the vanilla. And it lasts forever on me too! The vanilla is that lovely, smoky vanilla too. It reminds me a lot of my Vanilla Bean SN. I hope it ages as well as the VBSN too, because I plan to stock up on this baby.

Can it be? Am I really the first? Oh, the pressure! I suck at picking out notes without any hints, but I shall endeavor to do my best.

A quick Googling shows that Basil Hallward was the artist who painted the picture of Dorian Gray. Cool!

Sprayed into the air, this seems at first to be a slightly soapy floral. Very light and wispy to my nose, with soft white flowers. Sprayed onto my pillow, I still get soft florals, but also something else underneath. Sort of smells like baby oil? Yeah, whatever scent baby oil is, that's definitely in there. Also something lightly woodsy, but definitely not cedar or pine. Hardwood-like. A fougere perhaps?

Yeah, okay, it sucks, but that's the best I can do. I do really like this one, and hope it gets released so I can stock up. (And also see what's actually in there! )

In the bottle, this is all plummy, plummy, plummy spice. Completely delicious. Once it hits my skin however, it’s all spicy, spicy, spicy pl- no, actually that’s spice too. At least I know my super power for amping spice notes still works. :sigh:

After a bit, the lovely plum starts to come back, and I begin to be hopeful, but it never quite gets past the vicious spices to be as nommable as it is in the bottle. Faded completely after a couple of hours. I will retest when it isn’t quite so hot, but this one doesn’t seem like a keeper for me.

Stupid skin chemistry.

Prototype: no notes list available


This is definitely an odd one. The mini-reviews from Cobwebs mostly found this one to be lavender, but the person I got it from found it to be more citrus and mint. In the bottle, I get a sharp, green, minty, citrussy vibe. I absolutely see where this could be sniffed as lavender, but I really don't think that's quite it.

Wet, I'm pretty sure what seemed to be mint is actually pennyroyal. It's pretty understated for pennyroyal, not so much in your face as it can be, but I really don't think mint is right. Combined with the citrus note, it really does want to smell like lavender - but not quite. I'm also getting the barest hint of cedar now.

Dry - well, I can't really say. This one faded super fast, and was almost completely gone within five minutes, even after a generous slather. All that's left is a very faint cedary note, that is only detectable when I press my nose to my wrist.

Retest after 7 years of aging: I still don't get lavender from this one. It must be my skin chemistry, since everyone else seems to agree it is present. Definitely an herbal, fresh scent. Very little throw, but a pleasant skin scent.

In the bottle, a pile of yummy berries. On my skin, sharp and green and just a bit too aggressive. Once into the drydown, the berries peek out a bit between the thorny brambles, though they're still just far enough out of reach that I'm not willing to stick my hand in to try to pluck one.

Initially, I'm a bit disappointed in this scent, but I'm pretty sure a bit of age will wear the thorns off this one. I'll update in a month or so if things change.

I adore melon scents so much that I bought a bottle of this unsniffed. So very glad I did!

On me this is melonmelonmelonmelonmelon! Plus a hint of green mint to add sparkle. I'm wanting to say honeydew, but then it morphs into cantaloupe. Maybe both? I get none of the other listed notes, but then my bottle just arrived, so it may settle down a bit.

Also, information as to the current TAT can be found on the Lab's main page here: http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/welcome.html. Looks like 14-21 business days atm.

Welcome!

ITB: lots of juicy greenery, and a hint of dirt.

ON: a bit sweeter, still juicy green stems but with a hint of cedar in the mix. Why cedar? I have no idea. Lightly floral, perhaps rose as its drifting towards soapy.

DRY: greens, with a dab of soapy rose on top. Sadly, not a complete winner on me, though aging may help moderate the sour greenness a bit.

Ultimate drydown: a surprisingly wearable rose. I think I need to hang onto this one, as the rose note is the most wearable I've tried so far.

This was mint over cedar like whoah on me. Just a drop was nearly overpoweringly strong. Fortunately, it dried down quickly to a musky cedar. There may be other things here, but my skin amps cedar, so that's just about all I get.

This is an odd one, for sure. I'm going to agree with the dusty almonds. There's something floral here too, though I'm darned if I can figure out what. Just the barest hint of something that seems more like tonka than vanilla, though vanilla is certainly possible too. I just can't get a grip on this one.

ETA: After a couple hours of drydown, I'm really getting wood from this now. I want to say teak, because this is reminding me of - dare I say it - Glowing Vulva. I'll need to compare them side by side to be sure, but that's the feeling I'm getting right now.

EATA: So trying Glowing Vulva on my right hand and PGAI17 on my left. GV is much stronger on the vanilla, but these are definitely in the same family, at least on me.