Mrs.Black

I've been an avid BPAL fan since late 2003 or early 2004 but I don't post reviews very often. (I can always feel glares from all directions when I admit to this).

I don't drink but I use alcohol in perfume form, for very much the same reasons that people drink. To escape, to celebrate life, to buffer myself from daily life shit, to numb myself sometimes. I have a huge perfume collection, BPAL and non BPAL. My overall holy grail is Tabac Blond extrait, by Caron, which is a leatherish perfume with some carnation, but not a carnation soliflore.

I think my perfume insanity has a lot to do with my quest for three holy grail subcategories: the perfect aquatic perfume, the perfect citrus and the perfect carnation soliflore. I haven't found the perfect aquatic yet. The perfect citrus, to me, is O de Lancome. I have gone to great lengths and expense looking for the perfect carnation perfume. Lorenzo Villoresi Garofano and Santa Maria Novella Garofano (both blind purchases) are both terrible. Prada No 2 (Oeillet) is not too bad but it doesn't really smell like carnation to me. I have one by Coty that is OK, and three by Dawn Spencer Hurtwitz that are OK too. Oeillet Sauvage, by L'Artisan, is way too harsh. The Commes de Garcons one is way too spicy. One that supposedly Oscar Wilde used to wear, whose name escapes me, is too astringent. I have several non-BPAL oils that are quite realistic.

Nothing comes close to the perfection that is Spanish Red Carnation SN. Being a Spaniard living in Australia, it is an amazingly nostalgic scent for me. Beth nailed it. This is Spain, passion, and the mystical path of Christianity - encapsulated in scent form. There's no doubt about it: it is the perfect carnation soliflore. The end of the quest is bittersweet, as if often happens.

I am hoping for its return, some day, so I can get vats of it. I did get a few bottles, but not enough to go all out signature scent with it, which is what I would like. In the meantime, I got two candles and I'll get some soap. Yay, soap! I'm also hoping for other carnation SNs too. Pink carnation would be great.

Please forgive if this is a noob-tacular question, but I am looking for something that doesn’t just smell like the sea, but like a ship as well. I come from a family of sailors and shipwrights, plus am vaguely obsessed with the Age of Sail, so if I could find one it would be both meaningful and fun. For the record, I am already in love with Jolly Roger, but it's missing two big ship/boat scents for me – rope and metal. I am somewhat at a loss to describe what wet (or dry) rope smells like, but maybe someone with a more sensitive nose/wider knowledge can? A 'historical' feel would also open up the possibility of lime, smoke/gunpowder, and hemp (from oakum).

 

Any scent or layering combination suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Calico Jack would probably be a good place to start: Sea air, driftwood, waterlogged kelp, and the memory of plundered spices sprayed over worn leathers, rough musk, and the salty wooden floorboards of the Revenge.

 

Mary Read: Salt air, ocean mist, aged patchouli, sarsaparilla, watered-down rum, leather-tinged musk, and a spray of gunpowder.

 

Port Royal: The Sodom of the New World! -- touted as the richest and wickedest city in all creation! Port Royal was the center of 17th century Caribbean commerce, a notorious safe harbor for pirates, and the site of our third flagship store, which was, sadly, destroyed in the earthquake of 1692. Spiced rum and ship's wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute's perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down.

Those are good, and also The Phoenix, if you can find it (it was a 2007 LE):

This naval galleon was boarded and commandeered in 1713 on the order of Mad Bess Moriarty, along with a fat fleet of ships bearing precious oils, rare resins, and exotic spices. Once the vessels were secured, Mad Bess selected the finest, fittest galleon from the ships that they had acquired, and chose it to be her flagship. Her crew set to work knocking down the cabins, making the ship flush fore and aft, and painting her low sides were painted black, with one thin riband of orange. They prepared black colors, and set bloodshot, glaring occuli along the entirety of the hull. A new figurehead was carved in the shape of a flame-wreathed, screaming bird, and the ship was sanctified with wine, rum, and the blood of their enemies.

Mounted with 52 guns, and manned with the fiercest pirates to sail the Seven Seas, she was rechristened "the Phoenix".

Sea air, gunpowder, lime, salt-crusted wood, a splash of blood, and a dribble of Snake Oil.

Out of your list my first preference would be Snow White. This is one of the scents that, when I wear it, my boyfriend tells me "you smell good" but has no idea I'm wearing perfume. I don't have Snow White on heavy rotation at all, I wear it maybe once a month and yet... once, when I gave my boyfriend the bottle to have a sniff, he said: "this smells like your natural scent".

I think Snow White manages the no mean feat of being both clean and mysterious, and it encapsulates the feminine archetype in scent form. With this on, you are Woman and your scent has universal appeal for all straight men.

My second choice would be Black Pearl, which is a huge favorite of mine and it looks like of yours too, however I know this comes across to some men (boyfriend included) as sun tanning lotion, so I don't know if that's the vibe you want to put out.

Definitely wear something you are very comfortable with so you don't want to have to divert your full presence from the date to question whether you are sending ditsy/slutty/haughty/distant/naive/whatever signals with your perfume.

More importantly, enjoy yourself and I hope you achieve any outcome you hope for and have fun in the process.

Bumping up in hopes of a pic of the Tattered Lace label.

Here's a not-too-good shot via my iPhone: Image clipped to save space

 

 

Thanks Stellans!

 

So did you like the scent? I haven't decided if I'm going to get it yet.

It's on my list to wear this week. I sniffed the bottle, and it seemed nice but we'll see...

I'd love to hear about this one too!

The Lights of Men's Lives is definitely in this category.

Wish I could've been there. Thanks for posting so I could enjoy vicariously! OMG the cake, too!

Are you still in the Seattle area or are you guys moved?? We missed you!

 

 

Aww, it's nice to be missed! Of course, I'd rather have been there but we have in fact moved. I wanted to cry when I found out I'd 'just' missed having access to a retailer and Will-Call. (ok, we left the week after Sakuracon, but it still feels like we just left.)

 

On the subject of bottle art...Boo is adorable, it's true...but in general I like the Day of the Dead type art better than the vintage cute stuff. Does anyone know if there are more bottles that look similar to the Golletes and Sugar Skull art?

Yes, lots! Huesos de Santo, Dia de los Natitas, Calaveras and Flor de Muerto are all in that style. Sorry, no digital camera, otherwise I would post photos.

Could someone post a photo of this year's Lambswool?

My favorite label so far this year (or possibly ever) is Blue Pumpkin Floss.

Can someone tell us what is to the right side of the Boo label? Is is a witch?

Here you go:

 

Thank you, Fefferbella!

Can someone tell us what is to the right side of the Boo label? Is is a witch?

Sweet Moses, I love the Blue Pumpkin Floss label! Can we get a BPTP t-shirt with that image? I've been asking for this sort of design for years!

*Runs off to get on Puddin's back about this*

I just bought a bottle of Hearth 2004. When it arrived it was in a cobalt bottle with a picture of a log blazing in a fireplace. It smells quite sweet and nutty, no cherry pipe tobacco at all. I've got the 2005 version haven't I?

 

It sounds like it; here's the description of 05: Thoroughly revisited. This year's Hearth is warmer, sweeter, and more traditionally comforting. This is the scent of candied chestnuts, buttered, covered in brown sugar and honey, alongside the scent of cedar smoke and soft pine.

 

04' s description: Sweet pipe tobacco, cherry wood, the warm, worn leather of an easy chair and a pleasant, subtle waft of fireplace smoke

I was looking for pics of the labels, but i can't find any, only Hearth V2 proto. And now I can't turn off the italics!

 

I'm not entirely sure what the '04 label looked like, but as for as I know all of the other '04 yules had a plain (GCish) label. The '05 version does have a fireplace, however it should say 2005 on the top left corner

Hearth 04 had a plain label, no color picture, just very similar to the old GC labels but with a little black and white heart motif. So I'm sorry to confirm, Dormouse, that your bottle is Hearth 2005.

I think Stardust fits the bill really well.

Seconding Stardust. It was an LE, but it wasn't hugely popular and it may be easy to find.

The Light of Men's Lives is very similar to Templum Victoriae.

Does the Trading Post also offer free shipping on international orders over $500? I'm tempted to try to do a mini group order if that is the case.

 

They certainly do

I wasn't aware of this. I thought the Trading Post offered free shipping on orders over $300 but only for US domestic orders.

I, too, am on a huge lime kick. I'm thinking of ordering Serpents with Glittering Eyes and Forky Tongues. Can anyone who has tried it tell me how strong is the lime?

Popping in on the bergamot thread to bemoan the disappearance of my beloved Severin, the perfect Earl Grey tea scent. I suspect the discontinuation had to do with unavailability of whatever component made the leather note, as De Sade disappeared around the same time. I hope Beth creates a similar scent.

I don't know if I have posted this already but Diabolical Offspring smells a lot like Chanel N 5.

$14 dollars now from the lab.

 

Copied from the site

The International Flat Rate shipping fee is $14.00 for all orders up to 20 bottles (or 240 imps); the rate jumps to $29.00 on orders containing more that 20 items that won’t entirely fit in the Flat Rate box. Shipping is free for all orders that exceed $500.

 

 

Thank you so much, Mimosa! )

 

And the same for TP, does anyone know? (I just want to make sure I get it right - nothing worse than a dope like myself who gets the shipping wrong because I am always behind on the latest/half asleep)!

With BPTP it goes more by the weight and size of the order, which of course is more variable than with the Lab. I think that it would be $14 for something like a t-shirt and two 5 ml bottles (stuff that would fit in the small international priority box) but for orders with large and/or multiple items the best thing is to email Puddin and ask for a quote. His email is tradingpost@papow.net.

I'm currently trying a spritz of L'artisan Parfumeur "Havana Vanille" which is a realtively new scent from them. the notes in it are quoted as such:

 

"vanilla pod infused in old rum, clove, leather, crystallized dried fruit, a 'ball of vanilla and powder', narcissus, helichrysum, tonka bean, benzoin, tolu, musks, vanilla absolute".

 

Now, on me, the two prominent notes are vanilla, followed by narcissus, and it's slowly turning more powdery with time, so it's not a BIG "ball of vanilla and powder". The rest play in the background and are well-blended enough so I can't detect them individually at all.

 

um.... so, based on this impression, and considering I already have and LOVE Snow White, what BPAL scents are similar in note?

 

(edited for spellies)

 

ETA: LE Feu D'Issey. I remember trying the "light" version that was released shortly afterwords, and quite liked it, as it was a nice candied scent. I can't quite remember what the regular Feu... smelled like.

 

oh, and I'm also wondering about a discon. perfume. Castelbajac. it was designed like a hot water bottle, with red plastic sides. it was based on a sweet almondy smell, although not quite almond. like an ethereal almost-marzipan. lovely it was.

 

Top Notes: orange blossom and almond.

 

Heart Notes: cyclamen and lily of the valley.

 

Base Notes: patchouli, musk, vanilla and cedar.

 

Any ideas on what may smell like it?

I know Castelbajac and the closest BPAL I can think of (although it's not a dead ringer) is Dana O'Shee.

ETA that, as a happy coincidence, reina, Dana O'Shee is also the closest to Snow White among the BPAL GC scents.

To me, that dress is screaming Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree.

Sorry if this is a silly question... are the tarot blends still available or discontinued?

 

I can find them on the BPAL website via a google search, but I couldn't find them linked in the menu anywhere (so I didn't know if the page was maybe just hanging around in the background when it is not supposed to still be there). Also, when I searched for individual tarot oils by name using the search function, nothing came up.

 

I'd be really grateful if anyone can clear this up, as there are a couple I'm interested to try.

 

Thanks!

However there is a Vampire Tarot (based on Neil Gaiman's story "15 Cards from a Vampire Tarot) that is coming out one scent at a time, with a matching card. Also the BPTP offers accompanying t-shirts. So far we've had The Fool and The Magician, and those will be available until the whole collection ends. We are waiting for The Priestess now. Here they are: http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/vampiretarot.html

/respectfully snipped

 

... (there's a thread somewhere that talks about where she [Beth] studied, I'm sure someone less lazy than I will find it for you),....

 

Ok, I've looked and I can't find this thread anywhere? Does anyone know where to find it? Now I'm dying of curiosity!!

This was posted by someone in another perfume forum:

" Her name is Beth, and here's her bio:

A bit about the perfumer, Beth:

Beth has been interested in perfumery and aromatherapy since she was about 12 years old, and western alchemy, Hermetic science and paganism since she was about 14. When she was 12, she met George Hiram Derby, a Master Perfumer, Master Freemason and world-renowned occultist. He learned his trade from several sources in the 40’s, including Mme. Marie Guischard of New Orleans, LA, who was a perfumer and a voodooeinne – a brilliant and very, very interesting woman.

On Mr. Derby’s advice, Beth undertook a series of rigorous courses in aromatherapy. A year later, she began a six year apprenticeship with Mr. Derby, after which she had the pleasure of a year’s work with Mme. Guischard herself, learning everything she could about Afro-Carribean rootwork on top of perfumery, natural magick, and herbalism.

When Mme. Guischard passed away, Beth resumed her training with Mr. Derby and two wonderful people that Mr. Derby introduced her to – Maxwell Chan, a specialist in Eastern herbal medicine, and Jose Ramon Diaz, a specialist in initiatic tinctures, spagyric formulas, the use of colloidal metals and monatomic elements, and Ayurvedic herbalism. Through all this she continued extensive study on her own.

In 1991, she opened up Animi, a perfumery and occult shop. She eventually reorganized the shop and turned it into a by-appointment-only aromatherapy and perfume consultation service. Basically, her clients would make an appointment, she’d serve coffee, tea, and cookies, and they’d chat, work on scents together, and she would provide a full-service consultation.

And in 2000, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab was born, from whence comes the perfume oil you hold in your hand."

Quicksilver Phoenix reminds me a lot of Gris Clair. The resins lend an incensy quality to the lavender. But hurry up, it won't be available from the Lab much longer!

Okay I know this is a crap cameraphone picture, and please excuse my fat fingers, uneven talons, and potentially questionable taste in literature, but is this the original Black Lace label? This is the bottle I received from Dark Delicacies today, and everyone keeps saying 'black and green', but this label is most assuredly not green at all. The lace MIGHT be bluish, and it's certainly very pretty, but no green to be found. I ordered my bottle pretty early, I think. Not that it's really important, just curiosity.

 

 

edited cause i cn grammar gud.

Yes, that definitely looks like the original Black Lace label.

I find Gwyneth very soapy.

Most of the snow scents are Yule limited editions so you are lucky the Yules are out now . So instead of sending you on a wild goose chase for Snow Moon, Snow Bunny or, God forbid, Skadi, I'll concentrate on the scents that are available now.

First and foremost, of course, is Snow White. It is my and a lot of people's favorite BPAL and, although it has a gazillion reviews on the Yules section of the Reviews, it really defies description.

Then, looking a the snow comebacks this year, I'd definitely recommend Snow-Flakes and The Snow Maiden.

I can't speak for the new snow scents yet (such as Pink Snowballs, The First Soft Snow or When the Winter Chrysanthemums Go) but I'm sure they are worth a try.