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But when, Calliope, thy loud harp rang -- In Epic grandeur rose the lofty strain; The clash of arms, the trumpet's awful clang Mixed with the roar of conflict on the plain; The ardent warrior bade his coursers wheel, Trampling in dust the feeble and the brave, Destruction flashed upon his glittering steel, While round his brow encrimsoned laurels waved, And o'er him shrilly shrieked the demon of the grave. The eldest of the Muses, she is Eloquence, and thus, governs heroic and epic poetry, and her eloquence has served to calm quarrels even amongst the surliest of Gods. She is crowned in gold, and holds a roll of parchment or stylus and tablet. Hers is the scent of creative inspiration, and it is a boon to writers, poets and arbitrators: lavender and bright mint with bergamot, verbena, thyme and a touch of sweet orange and warm almond. with the lavender, mint, and thyme banging their heads together, this smells like my old kitchen herb garden - the orange and almond are definitely there, which just makes it more of a kitcheny scent. add it a little bubbling wine and some chicken, and you've got a fabulous coq au vin.. yum. now i'm hungry.

An opiate torpor, soporific, trancelike, and sublimely languid. A poet’s morphine dream, a listless journey into a gentle dream and the precipice of intoxicated madness. Paperwhite and black narcissus, three lilies, black poppy and tuberose and a hint of hypnotic opium den haze. all i can pick out is the poppy and some smoke and the narcissus... gentle, and not very strong. definitely a lazy scent. the lilies don't turn all soapy on me like they tend to do with this one, but i can smell them in the background.

They pass before me, these Eyes full of light, Eyes made magnetic by some angel wise; The holy brothers pass before my sight, And cast their diamond fires in my dim eyes. They keep me from all sin and error grave, They set me in the path whence Beauty came; They are my servants, and I am their slave, And all my soul obeys the living flame. Beautiful Eyes that gleam with mystic light As candles lighted at full noon; the sun Dims not your flame phantastical and bright. You sing the dawn; they celebrate life done; Marching you chaunt my soul's awakening hymn, Stars that no sun has ever made grow dim! A luminescent red scent: breathless with passion, flickering with desire, and glowing with ardent and reverential love. in a word: YUMMY it's very well blended, hard for me to pick out individual notes. there's a sweet floral (a strong floral, like gardenia or jasmine), a musk (but i don't think it's red musk), slightly foody (maybe a hint of vanilla) but overall it IS red. it's a bit warm on my wrists. it's very well balanced - not too musky, not too floral, not too foody. i wish i could be more specific but ... c'est le vie. it stays pretty much the same wet as dry on me (something "o"-y comes out, but the flowers and musk keep it from getting all icky as o does on me), which is great because i love how it smells. and i am SO thrilled i have another bottle coming. 40 minutes later, the musky o-y smell is more to the front than the florals. and that's ok coz it still smells great. 90 minutes later, it's now more of a slightly smoky, musky vanilla with a very faint florals. still very lovely and i want to go grab the boy and have my way with him two hours later, it's back to the balance in the beginning, like the room's cleared out from the smell of diryt fun. and girlfriend*, it is NOT too late to go buy it - so rush out before my desire to horde grabs the rest since i was asked: it's not red like cinnamon or cherries - while i won't say 100% they don't have them, i'm pretty sure they don't because my skin loves them both and they haven't peeped out. it's more of that "i'm so in love with you, the flowers were gorgeous, and let's go make love (not just fucking, but a passionate emotional kind of love, if that makes sense)" scent (since there's that note that's similiar to o in the background that comes and goes). i don't think it has dragon's blood in it (but i *could* be wrong). *..or boyfriend, whatever the case may be edited for the second bottle. i don't think i mentioned it, but my other bottle is a prototype. one i love very much. the final one smells somewhat similar, but there's nuanced differences and i do prefer the prototype, but the final release is quite nice too

pre-smell reflection: interesting that beth chose this one, because i'm soon going to be trying to decide which grad school to go to OR to say to hell with it all and go get another undergraduate degree. initial impression: i don't know what it is, but i've smelled it before. it's pleasant and reminds me of my siblings when i was in high school and would take them to the park.

The dry, thin scent of a draconic ossuary. Dragon's blood resin with white sandalwood, dusty orris and crisp blondewood. a caveat: white sandalwood on my just sucks the scent out of everything else and overpowers it. it's not as dry as shroud, but moisture definitely wanted to leave my mouth when i smelled it. it's an interesting smell, the sandalwood and dragon's blood. not really what i thought it'd smell like...

Bittersweet yet powerful: salty aquatic notes and bursting with dragon's blood. it's somewhat reminds me of tears or jolly roger's salty water... but the dragon's blood definitely gives it a bang. it smells oddly familiar, but i can't place it. and i have the urge to lick a salt lick now... (ok, not really, but i smell that tangy freshly licked salt lick smell, from my grandfather's farm)

it's a slightly soapy rose, like someone tainted it with the questionable lily family - though the soapiness disappears on the skin to become just a clean rose -- very clean, very rose. white rose is the cool rosebud you see on many boutonnieres at weddings - self-important and untouchable. not quite as freshly cut as, say, rose red... but fairly recently. it was my favorite note in my old dublin prototype, and me likes it alone as well the lab rocks!

A heavy-lidded perfume, the quintessence of beauty and power shrouded in mystery, swathed in a deep, velvet-clad cloak of dark omens: Romany incense and candle smoke mingling with an alluring, body-warmed whiff of bergamot, neroli, Bulgar rose, carnation, and amber musk. yet another short review in the midst of sensory overload from having more parts of me covered in oil than decent: sweet floral incense. i can't really pick out anything in particular, but it reminds me of an incense basket at one of the shops in OB i randomly went into the other day, where they had rose and musk and a citrusy incense all jumbled up. i likes it, which is a little surprise because neroli and bergamot are usually misses.

Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk. i like it, it's a soft floral (i can smell rose and jasmine and something else) with a hint of sandalwood. it's definitely an everyday, going to work/class/interview kind of scent. ADDED Feb. 10: so i wore it today as my period decide to flood open and what not and today was rather than the strong sandalwood weak flower was FLOWERS with a wiff of sandalwood goooorgeous!

In long-ago Arabia, harem girls rubbed an herbal poultice formed from a blend of sensual, luxuriant herbs and oils onto their bodies to prepare themselves for the Sultan's pleasure. This lush, indulgent perfume is based on that ancient formula. Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel. my bust review for seraglio: i haven't worn it in awhile, but i remember it being very almondy wet with a light sandalwood that comes out later. a whisper of a rose and orange, its very light. i didn't smell the spices a'tall. after that, i had said i'd try to wear it again soon, but i've been on a big queen mab kick. but it IS a rather sensual perfume. one for a hot date for someone you'r not sleeping with..yet .. or with someone you want to seduce again by being a subtle sensual than overly sexual. i'd say this is would be like a long romantic walk on the beach at dusk, holding hands and occasionally kissing.

Before Fat Charlie's father had come into the bar, the barman had been of the opinion that the whole karaoke evening was going to be an utter bust; but then the little old man had sashayed into the room, walked past the table of several blonde women with the fresh sunburns and smiles of tourists...He had tipped his hat to them, for he wore a hat, a spotless green fedora, and lemon-yellow gloves, and then he walked over to their table. They giggled....He was older than they were, much, much older; but he was charm itself, like something from a bygone age when fine manners and courtly gestures were worth something. The barman relaxed. With someone like this in the bar, it was going to be a good evening. Sugar cookies with bay rum, tobacco, and lime. In the bottle, it's all lime and a hint of baked goods. Wet on the skin, the bay rum and tobacco come out. As it dries, it starts smelling like a slightly spicy rum cake. It's foodie without being overwhelmingly so - I think the lime and tobacco may be keeping the foodiness in check. It's wonderfully homey, and warm and comfy, and makes me want to lick my wrist. I can totally see someone smelling this and relaxing and thinking to themselves "With someone like this in the bar, it was going to be a good evening." This is one of my favorite new oils and I could wear it every day

A name synonymous with seduction and licentiousness. From childhood aspirations of seclusion and priesthood came Giacomo Casanova, the self-styled Chevalier de Seingalt, the most notorious debauchee and playboy of all time. His memoirs, Histoire de Ma Vie, enflamed the Enlightenment with scandal and tales of sexual conquest. His restless nature and flair for sensationalizing his adventures drew him into and out of fortune, through numerous careers and affairs, and led him into a brief altercation with the Inquisition and a conviction on the charge of witchcraft. Though he had a life rife with drama and intrigue, he died peacefully at the age of 73, librarian to the Count of Waldstein. Who says librarians can’t be sexy? A rakish blend of leather, anise, lavender, bergamot and amber with tonka, lemon peel and lusty patchouli. mmmmm the herbs, the anise and lemon and beramot and lavender, are most present when it's wet. the leather, amber, and tonka develop as it dries and the herbal notes are nuances and accents that make it even better than mere leather, amber, and tonka. the patchouli doesn't really come out for me. i'd say it's more a manly scent than girly or gender neutral. as it dries, i just think of seduction and naughty sex (elevators, over the desk at work, the back of the library). definitely slathering this on the boy and having my way with him.

But when Erato brushed her flowery lute, What strains of sweetness whispered in the wind! Soft as at evening when the shepherd's flute To tones of melting love alone resigned, Breathes through the windings of the silent vale; Complaining accents tremble on the gale, Or notes of ecstasy serenely roll. So when the smiling muse of Cupid sung, Her melody sighed out the sorrowing soul, Or o'er her silken chords sweet notes of gladness rung. She is the Muse of mimicry, and inspires both erotic and romantic poetry. She is crowned in roses, holding a lyre. Her scent inspires creative expressions of love and lust: a crush of roses with sweet pea, myrrh, ylang ylang, orris and stephanotis. soft and lovely, very romantic. reminds me of juliet, only not as young and innocent.

PORT ROYAL SOAP 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. The soap: gunpowder-black clay, imported silk, and a thick crust of sea salt. I have not yet tried my bar, as I got sick right after my bar arrived, and I'll edit this to update in a few hours - I'll be trying it out in the shower later today. But that said: oh my god, now that I can smell again, it smells so good in the package, even better than the perfume (which I didn't really care for the scent of). I can't wait to try it! After I tried it? It's definitely a manly scent - one I think my fiancé (who is more a bar soap user than I am) will adore. As with the Embalming Fluid, it's very typical of Villainess' soaps - good lather, wonderful scent cloud. Some of the salt came off onto the washrag and made it a little more exfoliating, which was good for me (but if you're not into that, you can slice off the salt or be more careful in how you lather the soap), and washing clean. The only real note is that the dark soap did leave a dark residue on the shower shelf, but it quickly washed off (no staining). Moisturizing is typical of the Villainess line, too - for a bar soap, fairly moisturizing. I have dry skin and used my normal moisturizing routine (in shower lotion and a thin layer afterwards) and haven't had problems. I like it a lot, but the scent in the shower isn't one I really don't see myself using much. It does smell fabulous, but I prefer not smelling so manly in the shower.

Mental, physical and spiritual purification. i was playing with some lemongrass in the kitchen a week or so ago, and that's the first thing i smell when i open the bottle. it smells a little similiar to quietude, but where that was more lush, there's a sharpness to this that develops as it dries, as well as something that smells kind of like fresh gingerroot. it's also a very beautiful blend, though i think i prefer the quietude.

A victim of her own arrogance, conceit and hubris, Arachne, the greatest mortal weaver, had the temerity to claim herself superior to Athena. Arachne was truly gifted: not only was her art astoundingly beautiful, but the vision of her in the act of weaving was a joy to behold. When one observer commented that her skill was so great that she must have been trained by the goddess Athena herself, the proud woman scoffed: she was insulted, and proclaimed aloud that the goddess could do no better than she. Athena heard this, and, as she is not a vindictive or jealous goddess, gave Arachne the opportunity to redeem herself. Disguised as an elderly woman, she came to Arachne and warned her against hubris. She laughed at the old woman and declared that she would welcome a contest with Athena. The goddess accepted the challenge. Athena wove a stunning tapestry depicting her victory over Poseidon, thus gaining patronage over the city of Athens. Arachne, who couldn't leave well enough alone, wove a vulgar piece that depicted Zeus' dalliances with Leda, Europa and Danae. Appalled at the woman's audacity and blasphemy, Athena tore Arachne's tapestry to shreds, crushed her loom, and bonked the mortal on the head, forcing her to feel remorse for her actions. In guilt and grief, Arachne hung herself. Again, because the goddess is merciful, she took pity on the woman and, after sprinkling aconite upon her corpse, transformed her into the first spider. A gossamer scent, as light as a spider's footfall, touched with sighing mists: pallid flowers, dusty woods and soft herbs. in the bottle, it reminds me of the prototype dublin. soft, misty, floral with a light deciduous woods somewhere. wet on my skin, it's a soft aquatic floral. very damp and wet. as it dries, that *dirty* taste to it that zombi and (to a lesser extent) seance had, that dusty dirt that you can not only smell but taste on the tip of your tongue as you sniff it... it starts wafting in and out. it's a very *clean* light floral (in a natural kind of clean), but as it dries, i think there may be lily in here because it starts going slightly soapy the way lilies do on me. i'll be honest, it's not really my type, and i'll see if layering dublin with it helps get rid of the slight soapy and dustiness of it... but i suspect it'll end up in the swap pile.

so i'm going out on this wonderful night on the town, dressy style, with andy after i graduate in may, and i want a "wow" perfume to go with the "wow" dress i bought (normal price, over $100, but last year's model - not that classy dresses ever go out of style - so it was only $15!) -- and if it matters, it's an ankle-length royal blue, with some sparklies. i think i'll end up wearing plain black heels with it, along with garters & thigh highs, hair in an updo, etc. suggestions?

Divine Beauty, Shemesh, Unity, the Balance of Justice and Mercy. other than i like it and i smell cinnamon i can't say much. i think i've OD'd on too many bpals in too little time and the casanova keeps pushing out tiphareth. will edit this later tonight to add more if my nose comes back.

The Finnish Goddess of Agony, Torment and the joy found in inflicting pain on others. The Mistress of Torture, she has transformed in the modern era into the patron Goddess of Dominatrixes. The slap of slick, hot leather punctuates the warm, sensual embrace of black amber, red musk and dark, lascivious myrrh. it smells like my ex boyfriend's leather jacket, complete with his sandalwoody cologne. warm fuzzies for the memories, but it's a very aggressive perfume.

if you stuck all the orange sour patch kids (or other sour orange gummy candy) into a blender and liquified them, this is what you would get - slightly sour but beautiful orange.

A raven-haired Fairy Queen of Ireland. One of her eternal duties dictates that she must hold a midnight court every season and hear the pleas of married Irishwomen. The court serves only to determine whether or not husbands are adequately serving their wife's sexual needs. A judicious yet powerfully sensual blend, a mingling of justice and sexuality: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk and warm tonka. mmm a perfect blend of sage and sweet pea. the tonka and musk develop as it dries. not too sagey, not to floral -- both of which i tend to run away from if they're too loud -- wonderfully balanced. i likes it alot. i have alot more to review, so i'll revisit this later tonight.

immediately when i smelled this i thought of italian and french cooking and fresh basil. yummy. good enough to eat! totally reminds me of the herbs that come up with the steam when you're making homemade red marinara-type sauces, or when you're making pesto.

If, in the time between order placement and order shipment, you need to update or change your address (moving, sending to work instead of home, vice versa), email answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com for BPAL orders (or tradingpost@papow.net for BPTP orders) and let them know: * order method/date/any relevent identifying information (ccnow - order #, paypal - primary email address & transaction #) * when they should switch addresses * where to send the package If you know you are moving on a certain date, but don't necessarily know where you will be moving to, please let them know as they DO mark orders that need to refer to new addresses (though if you forget to follow up with your new address, it may be lost in the ether) Example: Keep in mind that if you do follow up, to include the original email and any responses from customer service, for their reference

The scent of misty forests, damp alder leaf, and the gentlest touch of white rose. dead on the money. it reminds me of this forest i hiked in in france a few summers ago - one of my hiking partners wore this white rose perfume and i kept smelling it - and has that morning pre-dawn foresty smell, but not a pine forest like loup garou, no this is a forest of big proud leaves-dropping trees. i'll definitely use up the imp and buy a bottle or two (coz my mom lurves it as well) ADDED Nov. 21: preface with being otr, which futzes with some notes. my left arm has some new dublin, my right arm has old dublin (er prototype). obviously, i reviewed new to the old before, so this is more a comparison when wet, new is very much more smokey and piney. the florals don't come out to play ~at all~. still a misty forest, but this one's one that someone took a hunk of pine and started burning it.. the new is as it will be: it doesn't particularly morph, and is a nice soft clean white rose with some woods hiding in the back. when they dry, new is still slightly smokey, and instead of the giant leaf-dropping trees in the back, i mostly smell a hint of pine. the clean white rose is more prominent than it was before.... i'm undecided as to how much i like the new dublin, but i'd pick a bottle of the unreleased without question. it'd be a great office room scent, though. clean yet feminine but not so cloying or foody to be in your face.

EMBALMING FLUID SOAP A light, pure scent: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon. The soap: absolutely smooth, sheer, silken lather. I was lucky enough to try an early preview of several of the Villainess soaps, and have by dying for them to be released! I don't know if the formula changed between this preview and now -- my preview sample bar was several months ago, and not cut to the normal size. That said, it has all the hallmarks of a Villainess bar: great suds, perfect amount of scent so you enjoy it in the bath, and it lightly lingers for a little bit (but not too long). The scent is a perfect match for what I was expecting for Embalming Fluid. It's a great light 'clean' scent, and I'm looking forward to buying a bar for the summer. On the issue of dryness: my skin is very sensitive as far as dryness goes. There aren't many bar soaps (and even a good amount of bath gels) that don't make it even drier , and outside of the tropics, I tend to use an extra moisturizing bath gel with an in-shower rinse off lotion (and in arid climates, I often need a post-shower shea butter lotion application as well). Villainess is one of the better soaps I've found - my skin doesn't get all white and flakey the way it does for cheap soap. That said, I still needed to lotion up, either in the shower or afterwards, with this soap. I *was* living in the desert when I tried this, so my normal routine was a double lotion, so only needing the post-shower lotion was an improvement