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Showing results for tags '2008'.
Found 38 results
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Rose, rose geranium, myrrh, ylang ylang, French gardenia, tuberose, red sandalwood, and palmarosa. In the bottle: Rose! Sweet, fruity rose ALA Peacock Queen or Rose Red. There's a depth here, however, through the myrrh and ylang ylang. I can also sense a bit of gardenia underneath all the ROSE. Wet: Rose, like in the bottle, sweet and fruity, with a bit of smooth, powdery ylang ylang. Gardenia is underneath the rose. This is definitely floral, but it's not "knock you over" floral. After a bit, the ylang ylang becomes dominant over the rose. Don't misunderstand, however - this is still a heavily rose blend. Dry: This dries down to a gentle rose/ylang ylang blend, very soft and sweet with just a hint of powder. I hate powdery scents, so it should tell you something that I actually like this. The powder is very faint.
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How gruesome and absurd! Dark musk, pimento berry, oakmoss, birch wood, and petitgrain. This is an instant top 5 favorite for me. I don't find this oil gruesome or absurd at all. In fact, I think when it comes to sexy and masculine blends, this even trumps Schwarzer Mond. It has a very slick and well polished feel to it yet it is also dark, spicy, woodsy, very full bodied, heavy and dense feeling. I've never smelled petitgrain before (I think) so I can't comment on that note, but at first this goes on as oakmoss and pimento berry which eventually opens up the dark musk and woods. As is the case with all the Wunderkammer set, this is a very unique scent and nothing like any bpal I've ever tried with the exception of maybe Schwarzer Mond... this stuff feels like SM's distant brother. This will be the first scent I stock up on to an embarassing degree.
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No single thing holds secrets so well as one's shroud. Rotting linen, white sandalwood, hyssop, and dust. At first this goes on as a super decayed/antique perfume that smells confusing and mysterious. I can't pick out individual notes here at all, but I definitely get the rotting linen reference. It is really old and ghostlike smelling to me, dusty, old perfume, expensive linens, dim hallways. Very stately. After the first hour the perfume-y element fades drastically and the rotting linen note is exactly what I hoped it would be. This is a very comfortable scent to me and one I'll definitely use as a room scent.
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'Abuiro' has been burned into the leather straps. My, they took such care in crafting these horrible instruments. Coppery dried blood, metal, vetiver, and bonfire smoke. I was just thinking...that I need more vetiver blends. For all the time I spend championing the great cause of vetiver, I really need more bottles that represent my love of that most dark and earth, gritty, sweetly scorched scent. If you love vetiver, and I know there are others like me out there...or you love smoke, you need a good poking of the heretic's fork! It's not entirely like the other burny smoky woody ones out there though it bears some resemblance to them. Malediction in the GC, or perhaps Agnes Nutter from the Good Omens collection, can give you an idea of the sort of burnt wood smell that lies beneath this, but there is also a cold glittering slightly rusted note that I take to be the metal and dried blood. It comes out more as it's drying, and really lifts the scent out of the realm of the purely burnt and smoking. If you wear it around the right people they might just say "Pardon, but is that the smell of blood drying on a rusted metal fork of some sort amidst the charred remains of a heretic's bonfire?" To which you may answer, well, whatever seems appropriate for the situation. I'm getting some of the more glistening vetiver notes as this dries, as I always think of it as a smooth and polished woody surface blackened by age and soot. Mmmm.
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I dare not open this scroll. Temptation is the plague of men's spirits. Parchment, Siamese benzoin, infernal incense, red musk, brimstone, and daemonorops. The Wunderkammer collection looks like it's going to be my favorite thing in the entire history of BPAL -- the notes, the concepts, the art -- it's just everything that I read and think about! If I had time I'd write my review in the style of an HP Lovecraft story opening and talk about the trepidation with which I crack open this vial and let forth the wisps of forgotten nightmares, but since it's the first review let's just get down to business! Being a lover of incense scents above most things on earth I was very excited for this one. I've always liked red musk as well because it is so incensy -- such a rich, spicy, deep scent that one might imagine would infuse the tapestries and brocade pillows in a den of beaded curtains and hookahs. I do get quite a hit of red musk for this -- a dry, smoky red musk, that has long since seeped into the fabric and wood of the room. Hypnotic and arcane, not overly smoky, but it drifts around me and hangs in the air as though I've been burning all of my favorite incenses throughout the night. There's a nice dryness to it that I would imagine is from the parchment and brimstone -- but it's not acridly smoky, it doesn't smell like Brimstone the BPAL oil, for example. Benzoin adds a resiny incense kick, and I imagine that the daemonorops is making it just a teeny bit more of a glistening blood red. Overall a lovely, dry incensy red musk blend that incense lovers like me should adore. Scherezade fans take note! But this is a bit darker and smokier than that, and never powdery or perfumey.
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White sandalwood, patchouli, white amber, orris, bourbon vanilla, champaca flower, and kush. In bottle/imp: Something dry but a little sharp, plus a hint of patchouli and a background of soft vanilla. Immediately on skin: This is the type of scent that I can feel in my nose more than I can smell. I see it wet on my skin but when I take a whiff all I smell is a light, sharp mix of sandalwood and patchouli with the violet-like orris wafting around a little. I feel something dry and a little sharp though. After a little while: The orris in this just blooms on my skin so nicely as this settles and dries. This becomes a soft, creamy violet/orris scent with a nice amount of warm white sandalwood. I can smell the white amber and bourbon vanilla lending a soft, warm creamy quality to this. It smells almost like a whipped violet confection. Far in the background is an earthiness, which really grounds this and makes it a little less poofy. Overall Impressions: This scent is feminine and lovely. It has a lot of things going on, but it’s complex enough that it’s very well balanced. The orris is the most identifiable, strongest note to me and to my nose always smells like a fainter violet scent. The orris blends with the amber and vanilla to create this solid, creamy violet fragrance that has a bit of sweetness, but not too much. The sandalwood is very evident, adding a perfume note to the violet/vanilla confection. The patchouli, which I was very worried about, barely comes out once this dries on me and adds a nice faint background note. There’s a lot going on here, but it comes together very beautifully. I think people who like violet scents and those who like sandalwood scents might enjoy this, but overall it’s just a nice complex girly fragrance.
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A cluster of wooden wagons stands off to the side of the Midway, removed from the bustle of the dirt-caked makeshift street. A bonfire burns in the center of the lot, shining its light on a tattoo-covered woman. The images embedded in her skin writhe like living things, and the sigils that mark her glow faintly. She is filing her nails and smoking a cheroot while chatting idly with an impassive naked blonde who has been hoisted into the air by thick, gleaming meathooks. The blonde is pinioned; the blackened metal cables that bind her hang tightly from the branches of a massive grey oak. Her skin seems strangely translucent, and her veins and arteries are boldly visible. Two painted signs are propped, sideways, against the side of the tree: THE ILLUSTRATED WOMAN THE TORTURE QUEEN The tattoo'd woman winks at you as you pass by. "Break time, honey," she growls, as she blows a smoke ring in your direction. THE TORTURE QUEEN White amber, vanilla musk, white tea, ambergris, gardenia, and chrome. In the bottle, it has a very mild astringent green teaish smell. On, at first it has a very light white tea smell to it 5 minutes in, gardenia mixed with white tea, maybe a hint of resin. 7-8 min... wow... the chrome is starting to make and appearance, its like a light shell over the 5 minute scent, taking down the floral's intensity a bit. Now its just playing around, making appearances and disappearances. It makes the tea feel shiny and lends it a perfume vibe. Doesn't seem to have a lot of throw. Very fresh and light. I'm going to have to wear this one for a walk later and edit my post, it seems like a very lovely summer scent. Edit: much more throw than I previously gave her credit for. With time the chrome dominates, making it a bit more perfumy than fresh... but I still love her and need at least another bottle. I tried it again today... this time I got the amber and light floral mixed with chrome perfume... She is really growing on me. I guess I am acquiring a 'torture fetish'. I really don't smell the torture though. Medium throw, So-So wearing length on the skin... great where it got on my shirt.
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LICWIGLUNGA What language is this? I have never seen graphemes such as this before. Hemp paper, frankincense, dried pomegranate juice, lavender, gum mastic, verbena, fennel, star anise, and Dittany of Crete. Starting a thread for a new BPAL has never given me pause. I have met my match in Licwiglunga. I do love herbals but find this one totally unique. Without notes listed, earlier today I kept thinking cherry or lotus but find it's dried pomegranate. Emphasis on dried. This must be a variation on the usual note Beth uses? So this is an herbal incense with a smooth character and a touch of fruit. It smells better as time goes on . Thank heavens, cause in the bottle it is quite sharp to my nose. Ultimately, it dries to pomegranate incense. This is very pleasant. Which sounds like faint praise but is meant in the best sense of the word. I've a hard time imagining someone outright NOT liking this. Besides being a nice casual blend for everyday wear, I think this would make awesome room scent. Here's the extra-fun part, researching the Scent's name and notes: Licwiglunga- Incantation or Magic Circle for conjuring the dead (necromancy), usually for advice. Dittany of Crete- an herb "used in divination and contact with spirits. When using Dittany of Crete as an incense, it is cautioned that spirits materialize in the smoke." Related to oregano and marjoram. Gum Mastic- Resin from trees related to pistachio which grow only on the southern part of the island of Chios, Greece and nowhere else in the world. Egypt imported this as a key ingredient in their Kyphi recipes. "Mastic creates a light, balsamlike, fresh, lemony, gentle fragrance. It is cleansing, clarifying and mentally refreshing."
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BEZOAR Much smoother in texture than I had thought it would be. How does one employ it? Copaiba balsam, Tolu balsam, hay absolute, cardamom, and hiba wood. Interesting... I am covered in scents right now so I am likely going to come back and edit later... but this scent is definitely interesting. (And I'm starving for any info on the other new carnivals right now, so thought I would contribute what I can.) There is almost a rotting citrusy mint smell about this in the bottle, that really grows stronger, yet fresher on the skin. I'm liking it more and more as it warms up... its like the Antikytheric mechanism's grandfather. The Lion definitely is a family relation as well. After 5 minutes, the hay is really coming out, along with a fresher wood note and the cardamom... lets see how long this lasts. The hay seems to be crescendoing at the moment, as well as the cardamom. The throw isn't too strong on me... and the whifts seem to be a fresher version of what I get smelling it close up. Very close to the skin, very unisex. It smells like one of the earlier stages of the Lion's dry down. Well... a lion eating licorice instead of cake.
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THE MALTESE CROSS OF SANCTUS GERMANUS Could this contain the secret of eternal life? Golden amber, blood orange, ambergris, lilac, frankincense, and agarwood. In the bottle: Rating (1-5): 5 Notes: blood orange, frankincense Comment: I was excited about this because French Huguenots also identified with the Maltese Cross and that's part of my family tree. Very sharp and intense in the bottle. Wet on skin: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: blood orange, golden amber Comment: My nose is a bit fried from weather and allergies at the moment, so I'm not picking up much other than orange. Dry on skin: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: golden amber, lilac, agarwood, frankincense, maybe ambergris? Scent Intensity (1-5): 4 Comment: I don't generally enjoy floral notes, but this is quite pleasant because it's not at the forefront. In your face stabby orange subdued by pretty golden amber. Misc: Duration: N/A Keyword(s): non-floral floral Color: Marigold Smells like: N/A
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TABULA SMARAGDINA True, without error, certain and most true. Rosicrucian incense. In the bottle: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: Woody rose, sandalwood or frankincense?, incense powder Comment: Smells very similar to my Chinese brand of rose soap, but powdery smelling like incense. There are other notes present but I cannot identify them. Wet on skin: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: woody rose, frankincense? Comment: Less rose and more incense-y on the skin. Dry on skin: Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: woody rose, incense powder Scent Intensity (1-5): 3 Comment: Very consistent scent that hasn't changed much from bottle to skin. I need to be in relatively close proximity to smell it -- I don't have an aura of it surrounding me and I don't have to place my nose on my skin before I can smell it. Update: There is still residual incense smell on my arms after I bathed. I'm quite surprised by that, really. Misc: Duration: N/A Keyword(s): wood, rose, incense Color: Mahogany Smells like: Chinese rose incense scented soap.
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THE BLOOD GARDEN Vast open tents have been erected further down the lane. Ornately carved wooden poles support swaths of drooping black lace and blood-crusted burgundy velvet. Grapevines and ivy creep over the beams in the tent and curl like cocoons around bodies that hang upside-down in the caliginous gloom of the tents. Within the shadows, pale figures recline on divans covered in moldering, frayed fabric. As you pass, a feral, white-haired man hoists a tall-stemmed crystal glass of deep red liquid in a toast to you. Blood accord, bitter clove, English ivy, Tempranillo grape, red currant, oak, leather, blackberry leaf, and ginger lily. This is my first review. Hope this thread doesn't already exist somewhere..? In the bottle: Rating (1-5): 5 Notes: blood accord, Tempranillo grape, red currants Comment: It's slightly metallic and very fruity, which I absolutely love. I like it when I smell edible! Everything else is underneath those. I'm very partial to the sweet notes which is probably why I notice those first. Wet on skin: After 5-10 minutes. Rating (1-5): 5 Notes: Bitter clove, oak, leather Comment: The clove is now noticeable, but somewhat faint which is unusual for me. The other more masculine notes (oak, leather, etc.) have now balanced out the strong sweeter notes. Dry on skin: After 1 Hr. Rating (1-5): 4 Notes: Tempranillo grape, ginger lily, blackberry leaf Scent Intensity: 2 Comment: Smell has faded considerably. I really wish the intensity of the first 30 minutes would last longer like others do because it's a really fantastic scent. You can only notice it if your nose is directly on my skin. Because it doesn't last as long as others I've tried, I may have to get a backup bottle for this so I know I'll have enough to last a while! Misc: Duration: 2-3 Hrs. Keyword(s): Gourmand; metallic fruit Color: Maroon Smells like: Coagulated blood wine.
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The fingertips themselves are aflame, yet the desiccated skin is not being consumed. Beeswax, dry leather, black pepper, saltpeter, nutmeg, Mysore sandalwood, and oak bark. Bottle: Waxy and sweet, with a tiny bit of nutmeg's comforting spice. Wet: Tons of beeswax, and then soft & supple well-worn leather. After a few minutes, it starts smelling like fetish night at the local goth club: wet leather, skin musk, and just a touch of smoke (presumably the black pepper trying to mimic cloves). I think it'd smell great on a guy. Dry: It's...dry. Dry hot leather, dry tree bark, dry sandalwood, cold melted beeswax pooled into a hard disc. I don't know how best to describe what type of scent I'd categorize this as. It's evocative of its inspiration, and that's a little creepy. I'm not recoiling from the notes themselves, and I love the artwork, but it's not something I will reach for again and again.
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Fig, dark myrrh, amber, redwood, nutmeg, tarragon, black musk, and sweet orange. Thanks so much to Beth and the labbies for giving me the opportunity to be part of the demonic whores, and to Macha who decided I have a little bit of a slaughtering goddess in me to boot! If I could have had a custom made perfume made for me by Beth, this is just what it would've been, even if I wouldn't have known it based on the notes. At first, Aeronwen is quite green and figgy, but it is grounded with a resiny base that makes it less agressively GREEN than, say, Strangler Fig. As it dries, the fig becomes somewhat less pronounced and the amber, myrrh and musk come out more. It is a very close to the skin scent, which I adore, and the black musk in it absolutely behaves on me, which is a relief because in some blends the darker musks don't work on me. I can barely smell the tarragon and sweet orange in my skin, although I assume they're part of what I'm smelling when I smell the initial figgy goodness. This is a perfect everyday scent for someone like me, who doesn't like their perfume to enter the room before they do. It's sexy, warm, and mysterious - no one will quite be able to put their finger on what you smell like - and I think it will work for a lot of different scent lovers. It's fruity without being too sweet, resiny without being too spicy, ambery without being too powdery, and musky without being too animalistic - in short, it's my new signature perfume!
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Honeysuckle, orris, moss, musk, benzoin, oakmoss, and star jasmine. Wow...the scent is so true to the artwork this could be a salon blend! The mosses and honeysuckle give Parthenope a gorgeous green quality - the scent of early spring, when plants are young and sweet. And the jasmine makes the scent aquatic, just like the green-tinged portrait of Parthenope on the label. The trading card that comes with her says, "It is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure." Parthenope is one of the sirens who tempts sailors to their doom - in the Lab's interpretation, I think she'd tangle a sailor in river reeds and suffocate him with algae. I don't own any of the Lab's grass scents, so I could be wrong, but I think this would appeal to grass fans, if the jasmine isn't a turnoff. Here, it makes the blend aquatic without actually stealing the stage for itself. It's unlike a lot of the aggressive green scents of the past year, like Allison Gross and the Singing Moon - there are no herbs in this, just the moss, which is a strong, almost masculine green scent and honeysuckle and benzoin, which are sweeter without bringing any trace of foodiness.
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A cluster of wooden wagons stands off to the side of the Midway, removed from the bustle of the dirt-caked makeshift street. A bonfire burns in the center of the lot, shining its light on a tattoo-covered woman. The images embedded in her skin writhe like living things, and the sigils that mark her glow faintly. She is filing her nails and smoking a cheroot while chatting idly with an impassive naked blonde who has been hoisted into the air by thick, gleaming meathooks. The blonde is pinioned; the blackened metal cables that bind her hang tightly from the branches of a massive grey oak. Her skin seems strangely translucent, and her veins and arteries are boldly visible. Two painted signs are propped, sideways, against the side of the tree: THE ILLUSTRATED WOMAN THE TORTURE QUEEN The tattoo'd woman winks at you as you pass by. "Break time, honey," she growls, as she blows a smoke ring in your direction. THE ILLUSTRATED WOMAN Skin musk, smoky vanilla, pine pitch, patchouli, Indian resins, golden honey, and tobacco. In Bottle: Exotic pine On Skin: This scent is quite light… I thought it would be stronger. But damn, it’s beautiful. The skin musk is the definite base. The pine gives a perfect woody tone while the vanilla and honey sweeten it perfectly. This is not heavy honey, just a light trickle. The resins are dark and slightly spicy giving an exotic quality. The patchouli is also light to my relief… just enough to give it some depth and dirty it up a bit. The tobacco is smoky and adds to the seediness. A drop dead sexy, but very feminine scent. This is for a strong woman who isn’t afraid to show her girly side as well. Light throw and short to average wearlength.
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Blue lilac, lily of the valley, golden musk, beeswax, white ginger, bergamot, green tea, and nectarine. Oh bergamot, how I love you. Marcilla is quite light and significantly less floral than I anticipated. I get bergamot and green tea straightaway, with a hint of ginger. The flowers are there as an interesting base. Usually I amp the heck out of florals, especially lily of the valley. I can't distinguish the lilac from the lily, and I don't get any beeswax, but I like this blend just the same. To me, Marcilla is a muskier, warmer version of Tweedledee, which I adore.
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You come to a building that seems to have been hastily erected from splintered wood, stone, and plaster. Flickering light from within sparkles out through blood-tinged chunks of glass that have been wedged into the arch entrance. You push open the thick velvet curtain that covers the mouth of the building and look inside. The chapel is small and cramped, and the air is thick with heavy incense, bitter wine, sulphur, and the coppery scent of blood. A massive stained glass window is set against the back wall, glowing brightly. In the center of the room, a groveling figure is crouched before a woman draped in purple-black clerical robes. The woman's eyes are filled with righteous hellfire, and she extends a hand in benediction to the man who has fallen prostrate at her feet. He murmurs, "Libera Te Ex Caelum", and she gestures for him to rise. As he gets to his knees he winces in pain and moans in a strange expression of ecstasy, and you see small horns growing from his skull. Black incense, bitter wine, brimstone, and blood. In bottle: gritty dirt On skin: wowee, this is a dark blend. The incense is as black as charcoal, smoldering on a stone altar Half-hour later: sweetens up a bit with the wine, but this is the scariest, spookiest wine blend I've ever tried In conclusion: this blend sounded almost too dark for me, but I'm hypnotically lured by any wine blend. This one is a great combination of the sweeter wine with the pitch-black eeeevil.
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In your smoke-addled confusion, the Midway seems strangely empty and devoid of life. The tents that line the path appear distorted, out of proportion, and cartoonish, their angles arching menacingly. For a moment, the only sound you hear is the soft squelch of your boots on the damp ground. As your eyes adjust, the tents right themselves, the sounds of the Midway swirl around you, and you feel the press of the crowd against your body. The Calliope's eerie drone lilts above the swelling chatter. Wine-colored storm clouds are gathering, and the scent of incense and ozone is thick in the wet air. Thunder-charged ozone, plum-colored incense smoke, opium tar, and wormwood. A first review? Me? No way. Someone else is probably going to post at the same exact time. In the bottle this smells exactly like rain to me, or the smell of the air outside right before a storm breaks, and the air is already heavy with it. On my skin the ozone isn't too strong, but its detectable. It goes very nicely with the incense smoke and what I think is the slightly sour opium. I don't know what wormwood smells like so I can't pick it out. Overall, I really like this. It is reminiscent of Midnight on the Midway, but heavier and darker (maybe that's the wormwood?) and the scent stays closer to my skin. Smokier too. The damp rain smell hangs on too. Its one of those notes that's pure genius on Beth's part. I can't quite describe it...wet but certainly not aquatic. I like this and I'm glad to have a bottle! I'd definitely recommend this blend if you liked Midnight on the Midway. (If the ozone in this blend is scaring you away, don't be worried. It doesn't overpower!) edit: Over time the incense and opium smoke really amp for me and that's what I get in terms of throw. I didn't care for the opium in Parliament of Monsters but combined here with the incense its very good in an unusual way. I can see this being a unisex blend as well.
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Honey, ambergris, neroli, white peach, patchouli, and cocoa absolute. Just before I begin, I want to say thank you to Beth and Brian for inviting me to be a small part of this amazing collection, and thank you Jenn for creating such an amazing painting of "me" to go along with it! It is such an honour, I am perpetually bowled over when I think about it. Okay, now let's get down to it: Eisheth Zenunim is one of four Qabalist angels of prostitution, sister to Lilith and fellow Grindhouse temptress Agrat Bat Mahlat. Conceptually, it tickles me that she and Agrat have hitched their wagons to the Carnaval train. They are often referred to as succubi, so working the Grindhouse is an absolutely appropriate way for these two oft-forgotten angels to continue getting their groove on with humanity! Eisheth in perfume form is complex and beautiful. Opening the bottle, I can immediately pick out the peach and the cocoa dancing softly together. I often find that these two notes individually can be too sweet and overpowering, but here they are in perfect balance with their darker counterparts, the ambergris and patchouli. The latter pair prevent the peach and cocoa from leaping out and taking over, and they in turn pull the dark notes up and temper their edges. To my nose, no one note is permitted to dominate this blend. As it develops on my skin, the honey, patchouli, and ambergris come more to the fore, folding the cocoa into their ranks and slowly mingling to become a sweet, spicy, sensual base so cohesive that is difficult to pull individual notes back out of. That mix stays really close to the skin. The peach and neroli begin to flit past the senses and become prominent as I move my wrist away from my nose, and are enthusiastically reported to be the first notes to greet those who enter my personal space. Overall, I have to say that I am completely and totally in love with this scent, and I hope that everyone who is afraid of one note or another gives it a try anyway, because I think it will surprise a lot of people! It seems to be very different on different people, as you'll see in the reviews below. Thank you, again, to the Lab!!!
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FAEU BOULANGER I thought this was an effect of bioluminescence, but it seems there is no source. Could it truly be a soul trapped within this glass dome? Impossible. Mushroom gases, swamp mist, green mint, and bog violet. I'm so glad I went with my instinct on this one! I just knew mushroom gases would not be like the mushroom country smell back at home, but most likely a soft earth scent. In it's first stage I get an earthy violet note pierced by mint notes. The dry down is simply gorgeous. The mint fades into the background, supporting the earthy aquatic notes that mix beautifully with light violet notes. I'm not a floral person, as they tend to be amplified to ridiculous degrees when on my skin. The violet in this not overpowering and just melds so beautifully with all of the other notes.
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THE BLASPHEMARE RELIQUARY But, which saint's remains does this vessel hold Ethiopian myrrh, Damascus rose, boswellia, galbanum, and copal. OK, so I bought this unsniffed, because it had roses and incense. I was hoping it would be perfect for me... ...and it is! The roses come on first - they're dry, but not soapy. The rest of it smells kind of like Cathedral, which is an all-time favorite of mine. It dries down sweetly mysterious, and very balanced between the floral essences and the resins - the flowers are light and not overpowering, and the incense is divine. It's like a more sophisticated Rose Cross. Love it.
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Appalling that they seem to watch me as I sketch, even through eyes sewn shut. Leather tanned with the pulp of Amazon ferns and rainforest herbs. Excerpt from Sir Mallory McTavit's expedition journals: March 11, 1903. Our travels into the Amazon basin have been quite a success thus far, despite a few setbacks. Linders was bitten by some sort of large beetle yesterday, whereupon he promptly turned purple and died. I feel certain, however, that he would be happy to know that we caught the beastly thing and, as its a completely new species, will name it after him. The other slight problem is that many of the guides are refusing to go deeper into the forests with us. They claim that if we continue we will lose our tsantsa. Well, I don't know what that is but I can't very well go back to the Linnean Society and say "sorry chaps, I would have explored more but I was scared I would misplace my tsantsa." I'd be laughed out of the club, I daresay. There are drums in the distance, though...not unpleasant, but the guides seem to be quite anxious. Oh well, off to bed. March 14, 1903 Well I say! The guides have gone missing! Damned buggers up and went in the middle of the night without so much as a by-your-leave! Most inconvenient. I think the drumming in the distance has been bothering them a bit, and to be fair one or two of them may have somehow disappeared as we've been making our way further into the jungle. Still, it's a terrible bother. March 16, 1903 The Shuar Tribe--at least I think that's their name--have finally shown themselves. They're the blighters who've been percussioning for the past week. I must say, I don't see what all the fuss is about. They certainly don't look dangerous, although some of their jewelery and decoration is...interesting. I'm not sure but I think they're the skulls of some kind of little animals... There is a break in the handwriting here, then later on the page: My god! Gods in heaven! They're human! They're HUMAN SKULLS! We must escape, escape tonight. Damn their eyes, they'll not get my noggin! March 18, 1903 The drums...the drums...won't stop. They never stop. Night and day, they go on. We can't escape--they've drawn some kind of curse around this camp we cannot break through. The Shuar have presented us with tsantsa, so we have finally learned its meaning. The tsantsa are the grotesque shrunken heads of their enemies. I recognize some of them as our hapless forest guides. The scent...the scent of the shrunken heads follows me...haunts me...the camp is laden with it. Funnily enough, despite being something horrific in actuality, the scent is not unpleasant. When the process first begins, in the wet stages I smell the smoke of the campfire mixed with soft, tanned leather. Whatever herbs they use to preserve their monstrous creations smell ever-so-slightly medicinal and green, very fresh. One would expect it to be too strong to fathom, but the scent is actually quite light...light, green, and smoky. There's nothing sweet about it, just a genuine scent of the forest. As the heads begin to dry, the smoky scent of the leather takes over, though I still smell the herbs and greenery underneath. I try to focus on the lingering, sharp herbal scent to take my mind off of the horrors that surround me. Whatever shall become of me? Oh no--they're just outside my hut...and the drums, the drums have started again... ...Here the journal ends. You will be pleased to know, dear reader, that the very scent Sir Mallory described is now available to you from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab--and without all the ghastly muss, I might add. If you are a fan of The Bow and the Crown of Conquest or Allison Gross (the underlying herbal smell is reminiscent of this) or are looking for a leather/smoky scent that's not overpowering but not sweet either, then perhaps you will enjoy this lovely creation. The tropical forestry is certainly evident in it, as are the herbs and leathers. Delightful! And think of poor Sir Mallory when you wear it.
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Golden amber, vanilla musk, myrrh, cedar, carnation, and red sandalwood. Like the other Ladies of the Grindhouse, I'm really excited to be, in some small way, a part of Beth's Carnaval and her art. Thank you, Beth. I absolutely love that in an alternate universe I'm whoring it up with some of the finest women around. And Jenn's portrait is stunning---I only wish I looked that exotic and regal in real life (read: wow, look at that décolletage)! I was so excited when I saw the notes for Inez, because I am a complete amber fiend. I love the earthy sweetness and depth of it, and the way that it seems to ebb towards a skin scent over the day, until there's just a golden tracery of it around me and no way for me to tell where the smell of my own skin ends and the amber begins. BPAL blends that are amber-centric always fade like sunsets on me in the most lovely way. So I was hoping that Inez would be mostly amber with the other notes rounding it out and making it a little complicated and a little warm. And that's exactly what I get when I wear it. In the bottle, Inez is undeniably amber. To me, amber always smells a little like caramel and honey with something almost fruity on top and something rooty or earthy at the bottom. It's sweet without being foody, although it can be almost buttery. It smells golden and warm and rich. It's a dense note, and one that seems to envelop and encompass other notes when it's paired with them, rather than allowing them to sit above or below it in layers. I can smell the vanilla musk as well, which makes a lovely complement. And then there's the carnation, which always strikes me as a bit spicy for a floral. It gives Inez a subtle kick. On my skin, the bottom notes are more prominent. The myrrh, which I was most concerned about, is quite lovely here, beveling the edges of the blend with something pleasantly sharper. The cedar and red sandalwood anchor the blend from inside but do so almost invisibly---at times I catch wafts of the sandalwood, but it's not overpowering. Because Inez is at heart such a resiny blend, there is something incensey about her, something calm and meditative and slow and sexy. Sexy in a come-closer kind of way. Sexy in a slightly disheveled, not-trying-too-hard kind of way. Sexy like when women pull their hair up without using a mirror. Or like waking up after a long night out---to sunlight pouring in through the window and the smell of the perfume worn the night before suffused in the sheets, like goodness spent and scattered. She's just lovely, and I'll be wearing her often.
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THE GRINDHOUSE Throaty laughter captures your attention. Across the lane you see a buxom Venetian woman standing before a huge black and red striped tent. Her head is inclined towards a dapper, leering man, and they appear to be sharing a private joke. He reaches into his waistcoat and produces a gold coin. The woman plucks it from his fingers. He bows, and walks into the tent with a swagger. A sign flashes above the tent flap in letters that seem to be aflame: The Grindhouse, Dead or Live Girls. The Madam turns towards you and smiles. As she approaches, someone within the tent strikes a few keys on a tuneless piano, and begins to play Jelly Roll Morton's 'the Crave'. The light within the tent illuminates the interior, shining behind the silhouettes of naked women gyrating lewdly upon raised stages, writhing in time with the music. In the distance, behind the tent, you hear a whip crack, and a man's scream. Tittering laughter follows, and the screams continue. "Voulez-vous un morceau de la boîte de bonbon?" she asks, gesturing gracefully towards the tent. The Madam's perfume envelops you. Florentine iris, red musk, mimosa, magnolia, Damascus rose, clove, and vanilla bean. In the Bottle: I smell red musk and mimosa! it's a clear, clean scent to me, which is unexpected - I was thinking this would be thick and sexy - like a very 'couture' version of Smut and a floral bouquet squished inside for good measure. On my Skin, Wet: MUSK!! overpoweringly so! ::moves wrists away from face:: ah - better. From a forearm's length away, I can smell the red musk but now the iris blooms and seems purple green. so at this stage, it's red musk and Florentine Iris. Mimosa seems to have taken a hiatus. On my Skin, Dry: Still predominantly red musk - and while I keep expecting it to be sexy, it's very clear - almost like 'sexy after a refreshing shower' kind of feel to it, which I assume must be some other ingredient tempering it and "lightening" the effect. I wonder if it's the magnolia doing that? I do not smell any rose, though the green feeling I got in the wet stage could be the rose, since RR'07 smells much more green than I was expecteing....similar rose note perhaps. There is no clove nor is there any vanilla bean for me right now, which is a surprise since I tend to amp vanilla like crazy. While it's surprising that neither of these notes are detectable, it's a nice change to be different from expectations! Verdict: A scent that defies ideas about a "grindhouse madame"! on me this is a very clear, clean scent that has hints of debauch hiding in the shadows. It's an interesting play of notes and one of the most complex scents I have come across in quite a while - I am very pleased! 7 of 10 Ranking! Synopsis: Bottle: Red Musk & Mimosa Wet: Red Musk & Florentine Iris Dry: Red Musk, Magnolia, Floral (Blend between Florentine Iris and Damascus Rose) Total: Red Musk fans - this one is worthy of attention ^_~
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