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One Big-Ass Lunacy Release: The Empress, Saturn, and More!
Failmingo posted a topic in Announcements
How much glory can you stand? We're testing to find out today with a flurry of releases: this month's Lunacy scent, our #BPAL7wordstorywinner, a fundraiser for a local roller derby squad, and at the heart of it all, twelve scents inspired by The Empress (AKA, the heart of it all). Here she is without further ado, squishy cushions and all: https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/product-category/limited-edition/the-fools-journey/the-empress/ And here's that Lunacy blend, KARI, visiting all the way from Saturn's orbit: "White pear, dandelion sap, and champaca blossom, chilled by a gust of white musk." https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/a-little-lunacy-limited-edition/kari/ Amidst all the world's strife, let's not forget to support the kids in our communities who are training to take on ever-greater challenges. BPAL is proud to support our local Angel City Junior Derby 2018 A-Listers with the proceeds from this blend, LIKE A GIRL: "A sleek skin musk with Mysore sandalwood, bourbon vanilla, frankincense resin, and a touch of costus." https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/collaborations/like-a-girl/ Our story contest concluded recently with this winning GREED-themed entry: "Killed the last rhino for its horn." The resulting scent is a solemn blend of ambergris accord, orris root, and carrot seed.(Congrats again, Melanie C! Keep your eyes peeled for a complimentary bottle in the post.) blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/limited-edition/seven-word-story-greed/ Empress willing, may everyone enjoy a little peace this weekend.-
- Lunacy
- the fools journey
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The three phases of the moon fashioned into a lunar triregnum: blue chamomile, mugwort, and orris root. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. Tea lovers rejoice! This smells like a perfect cup of herbal tea. So soothing, grounding, calming. I don't love this on my skin, but in a locket or a diffuser, this will be perfect. It's atmospheric. I want it in a room spray!
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The mystery of divine virginity, insemination, and the cradle of all birth. Fertility, wise counsel, and the gift of true wisdom. Gleaming amber and copal with white sage and sheer juniper. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. SAGE and AMBER!!! Who knew they could be so gorgeous together. Sexy as all get out, resinous but bright, the juniper adding to the herbal brightness without going soapy. She's really soft, though. I want more throw from this, it's just so gorgeous! This would be a great scent when you want to smell amazing up close and personal for a special someone.
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The integration of spirit with the material world: frankincense, styrax, oakmoss, patchouli, and birch tar. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. The notes suggested that this was going to be perfect for me. But the oakmoss is not playing well with the beautiful resins. Sharp, not smooth and creamy, like it should be. Patchouli is a winner for me 99 times out of 100, but this one is a miss.
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A visionary heretic, martyred to usher in a new Aeon: rose oudh, blackened myrrh, and cathedral incense. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. I've never been a "church" person, but I do love the smell of an old church, especially ones that have candles and incense burning. We have another glorious church scent here. Slightly smoky, but not cloying, but almost fresh, like a drafty church on a chilly day. The floral is a suggestion, so no fear here floral averse people! There is a touch of a creamy overtone that I can't quite explain. I think this will be traveling to Paris with me to wear on the day we tour the churches and cathedrals of the city.
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The pillars at the entrance to Solomons temple. And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz. These two pillars, therefore, stand for the two great spiritual principles that are the basis of all Life: Jachin typifying the Unity resulting from Being, and Boaz typifying the Unity resulting from Love. In this Dual-Unity we find the key to all conceivable involution or evolution of Spirit; and it is therefore not without reason that the record of these two ancient pillars has been preserved in our Scriptures. And finally we may take this as an index to the character of our Scriptures generally. They contain infinite meanings; and often those passages which appear on the surface to be most meaningless will be found to possess the deepest significance. The Book, which we often read so superficially, hides beneath its sometimes seemingly trivial words the secrets of other things. The twin pillars Jachin and Boaz bear witness to this truth. The Hidden Power by Thomas Troward, 1921 White cedar, cypress wood, sweet myrrh, honey myrtle, white sandalwood, spikenard, and frankincense. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. Another stunner! Again, nothing like this in my collection. Creamy, woodsy, resinous, perfectly blended, with just a breath of floral skimming below the surface. Cedar can be problematic for some people, but my skin loves cedar, rendering sweet, smooth, and gleaming. So well blended, no one note is screaming for attention. It's beautiful, I want to bathe in it.
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Guiding the aspirant to spiritual knowledge and attainment through silence, reflection, intuition, and direct experience. Red benzoin and rose. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. THIS THIS THIS!!! A scent with rose that I can adore, and wear with reckless abandon. She is so gorgeous. Smooth, creamy, feminine, this combination of red benzoin and rose is a winner. The creamy benzoin is the first thing I noticed. I didn't even realize this had rose until after a few minutes. Then she appears, but is kept well in check by the benzoin. It's like the perfect vanilla rose. I'm going to wear the hell out of this. Reminiscent of a softer, creamier Crucible of Courage, which has long been a favorite of mine. If you don't like rose, give this one a try, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised and loving the rose perfume life!
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Virgin, huntress, witch, holding the mysteries and powers of womanhood between her palms: vetiver, white pine, hay, Sicilian lemon, leather, and agarwood. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. The hay is front and center, and I adore Beth's hay note, and it's here in all its glory, like you find in Hay Moon. I also find the light pine and lemon prickling beneath the hay. The huntress aspect of this scent is prominent, witch, secondary, and virgin, hmmm, not finding it. Definitely not a feminine fragrance. Vetiver and leather, two problematic notes for me, but they aren't too prominent here. I like this but I'm not as enamored with it as some of the others in the collection. I'd like to smell this on a man. I also think it will get better with age. Needs cellaring.
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The Mysteries of Persephone’s divine descent entwined with the Mysteries of the Temple of Solomon, forming a map of the Tree of Life. He made chains in the inner sanctuary and placed them on the tops of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates and placed them on the chains. Pomegranate, dates, and cypress infused with ketoret smoke veiled in violet, purple, and crimson. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. Purple and green, with a hint of smoke. This starts of a tiny bit sharp, and a little soapy from the green, and like the pomegranate itself, it's sharp when you first bite down on the juicy arils, but then the purple sweetness coats your tongue. The drydown on this one is definitely evokes the violet, purple, and crimson. I'm not sure I love this one on my skin, but I may have to let it age out a bit to to see if it smooths out a bit.
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Who leads the star-dazed hero in a moon-blessed quest for his mythical lover: night-blooming jasmine, clove bud, cardamom, moonlit vanilla orchid, and moonflower. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. Oh, she is STUNNING! I adore night blooming jasmine, it's a note I crave but find it lacking in my collection. The evokes a moonlit lover, sexy, deep, but light and bright at the same time. A little spicy, the clove is kept in check by the florals, which is great because clove, while I like it, can be a bit of a bully in some blends. This may be one of my favorite applications of clove I've ever experienced in a BPAL blend. This blend is so smooth, nothing heady, sharp, soapy, or prickly in this moonlit bouquet of gorgeousness. I can see myself reaching for this time and again.
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The keeper of the secrets that are hidden [AB3] at the moment that life begins. Her light is the veil that cloaks the spirit; she is the mediator between the supplicant and the word of the gods. White carnation, cardamom pod, and honey milk. WOW. Bottle: Heady. Sticky honey and floral, just a hint of a green sharp or spicy edge. Wet: A blast of cardamom milk, liquid carnations. Dry: A little sweet, a little creamy. The carnation hangs out for a long time, on me. It's so comforting, I want to wrap myself in it. This is honestly one of the most well-blended scents I've ever gotten, from BPAL or anywhere else, so complex and beautiful and evocative it's bringing me to tears.
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Flos campi and lilium convallium, Rose of Sharon and Lily of the Valley: the blossoms of transcendence and spiritual aspiration. First sniff was pollen heavy floral like orange blossom. Wet down I get intense white flower, I am not a lily/lily of the valley fan but I can imagine this is a white flower fan's dream. The flowers are dusky with almost a medicinal base, so not bright. I could see this being a contemplative scent. It dries down powdery white flowers taking on a department store style classic perfume element as it settles. I can't do white flowers but if I could I'd be all over this.
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The twilight in between the stage performer and the Magus; the sleight of hand trick transforms into true sorcerous skill: black silken musk, dark clove, guiac wood, black pepper, frankincense, and cardamom. Herbal wood-spice and a little soapy. Turns into more soap-with a funky wet wood underlying. Some mineral like wet stone and a little alcohol like sniffing an herbal liquor. It’s the funkiness I don’t like, while I can imagine that might be exactly the perfect scent for someone else. It’s not my thing. I expect the funk comes from the clove/cardamom blend. I like both those spices on their own but obviously not together.
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The Ouroboros, the serpent as he consumes his own tail. Within this everlasting cycle, the spirit is reborn into eternity: frankincense, white rose, balsam, almond flower, and benzoin. The Magician’s Belt is the 2nd darkest. Belt is amazing, I may need a bottle. Sweet sugar with flowers and a spritz of citrus lime, really complex. This one is a hit. It has a cologne style to it - but light. Limes and white rose - which makes sense as it's very fresh rose. The benzoin must be the lime/citrus. The rose is like fresh rose petal kind, not the powdery old lady rose. Drydown it morphs to white rose which lingers on and on.
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The sign of life, the sigil of eternity. The mathematics that form the structure of the universe, the finality of Omega, yet also the inconceivable, endless space beyond. Immortality and rebirth, the perfect aspiration of Spirit. Frankincense and black pepper, Himalayan cedar, cognac, and tobacco. The Leminscate is very woody - hard cold wood chips with black pepper. The wood is harsh. Dry down is pure wood with a light wooden element which maybe the tobacco trying to come out. I don't hate it but I don't love it enough I have a couple of hard wood scents already. Reminds me very much of They Lie Thus Chambered and Cold to the Moon. I dont get the warmth of the tobacco or the cognac I had hoped for, they are elements not the main stage on me.
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With the Wand createth He. With the Cup preserveth He. With the Dagger destroyeth He. With the Coin redeemeth He. – Liber B vel Magi sub Figura I Clary sage and patchouli for Earth, lavender and yarrow for Air, tobacco and Dracaena cinnabari for Fire, lotus root and myrrh for Water. Magicians Tools is very men's cologne a whiff of tobacco? Does nothing for me. Masculine but not deep/dark. The clary sage is there up front. I don’t get much patch on the wet. I think it’s like the water element softening the impact of the darker elements. Dry down this morphs a bit and the lavender and yarrow come out, but the integration of these elements while magical make it too masculine cologne-y for me. I could see someone else adoring it.
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The Carnival King, the embodiment of the liminal space that exists between the death and resurrection of Christ: pomegranate and Lebanese cedar, the martyr’s red rose, and an aspergillum of wine-soaked hyssop. Wowza. I’m a pom-lover and I’m going to need a bottle of this one. It is my fav of the Magician series. On my first try it reminded me of roasted lamb with pomegranate seeds - slightly stinky warm sticky pomegranate. On the 2nd more settled round the pom is brighter but with that meaty-herbal thing. Yeah i could roll in this one, it's a keeper def. Dry down, its got that green herb thing, maybe its the cedar+pom = lamb. The wine soaked hyssop must be the green herb. Love it.
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Her scroll is sealed, her book is closed, and she is silent: the wisdom that she grants is that which cannot be put into words, that which cannot be recorded but must be experienced. Honeyed myrrh with a drop of Ceylon cinnamon. Beth continues to evolve as an artist. This collection is unique, and beautiful, complex, and stunning. Two problematic notes for my chemistry, honey, and cinnamon, and my skin is not having it. Myrrh is typically great for me, but unfortunately she's nowhere to be found. Honey and spice lovers are going to have so much fun with this one.
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The Divine Comedian, the Eternal Jester, instructing through pranks and buffoonery: vetiver-steeped raspberry and red currant. Tart and sweet raspberry juice supported by... peanut butter! It's not actually as foody as that sounds, but something in here is playing games with my nose. Must be the vetiver. Thankfully this effect burns off pretty quickly. For those who don't usually get along with that note, it's very calm here and lacks much smokiness. This is pretty nice as it settles into its final stage despite my initial experience being akin to a kid making a mess of the kitchen pantry. It's a pleasantly dry raspberry, almost wine-like minus the booze, paired with a softly musky/herbal grass from the vetiver. The currant adds a bit of jamminess. A bubbly yet mature fruity/herbal scent. Reminds me of Bewitched.
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The master of sleight-of-hand and trickery: dexterous, clever, and roguish. He is the mischief-maker whose tricks propel men to action, or dupe the foolish into traps of their own creation. Peru balsam, tobacco absolute, leather, white sage, and blackberry juice. Big whiff of Peru balsam at first. Smells like vanilla and cinnamon, which makes me think of Christmas cookies. The tobacco is right behind it, and it's very much BPAL's chewy/citrusy French Tobacco. Mmph. I'm not able to find the blackberry or leather, but I do get a bit of a powdery herbal addition from the sage. Still balsam/tobacco dominant. I would say that if you like a bit of spice and enjoy French Tobacco and/or missed out on the single note, this would be a good one to grab.
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The Sorcerer, the Cunning-Man, the Sage. He is the Kerux, Initiator and Psychopomp, the Divine Messenger who leads neophytes on their paths through the Mysteries and shepherds the souls to the underworld. Honey absolute, Oman frankincense, and asphodel. Lots of honey, with a floral note I'd probably guess was dandelion if I didn't know better -- my nose really isn't familiar with asphodel. The frankincense is just a gentle woodiness under the other notes. This stayed true on me through the whole wearing. Fairly mild throw, good longevity. Straight-forward and very pretty.
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The Hustler, the Scoundrel, the Grifter, using the magic of misdirection, charm, and subtlety to swindle his way through this world, and through all worlds, seen and unseen. Eloquent and glib, he is the quintessential knave. He is the Guardian of Gamblers and the Protector of Con-Men. A confidence trick: leather, sweet balsam, white sandalwood, thieves’ rosin, and dusty lavender. This is a lovely lavender, with sweet balsam, and thieves' rosin. I love it. Need a bottle. Stat!
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The Magician’s right hand bears the wand of Will aloft, while his left hand points earthward. This is the descent of grace, the act of drawing Divine light and inspiration to the material, mortal realm. Sweet myrrh, calamus, ambrette seed, and Ceylon cinnamon. On wet: Sweet myrrh and juniper mainly. The Ceylon cinnamon keeps the juniper from getting to strong. I am not the biggest fan of this one. I am glad I got the decant, I won't need a bottle. The final dry down is sweet myrrh with hints of cinnamon and juniper. Pass.
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The Raconteur, the Town Gossip, and the first character to appear on the stage in the first act. He is the Minstrel of the Heavens, the Devil’s Messenger, spinning morality tales, singing songs of loss, laughter, and triumph, and murmuring prophecies to all. Beeswax, leather, hearth wood, and campfire smoke. The Storyteller is amazing. The beeswax gives the scent a sweetness, but the leather, wood and especially the campfire smoke make it so SEXY. I haven't huffed my wrist like this for a scent since I can't remember. It's unique but not bizarre, and that's a fine line for someone like me, who is not a huge scent groundbreaker. This is bottle-essential. Nice wear length, decent throw.
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Energy, will, and the manifested Word of the Magus. It is the generative process, the act of creation: ash, rowan, oak, and elder wood, polished with sweet resins but handworn, glowing with inner fire. From wet to dry, this a lighter version of Antkythera Mechanism, with a lighter wood. I imagine the mop with Mickey smells like this!