The Phoenix

[Josh]

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

This smells like a mix of Port Royal, Jolly Roger and a freshly cut lime.

Brighter than Port Royal or Plunder, sharper and more salt/lime than Jolly Roger or Black Pearl.

I'm a little sad that I'm not picking up any Snake Oil as that is a personal favorite of mine, but I've had a great time exploring the pirate/sea scents lately and this is one of the best of that variety.

[CrazyPretzel]

Wet: Pure sea air and a little bit of lime. Very crisp and refreshing!

 

A bit of woodsiness on the drydown - but still predominantly a cool, salty marine scent.

 

I think t3andcrumpets is right - this is a cold scent, and it will be simply *awesome* to wear in the very hot Florida summer time.

[Mamacat]

The first time I tested this scent it seemed very swampy and quite terrible on my skin.

 

I tried it again today and now I'm really getting that salty fresh air and lime. It's quite lovely and I am so glad I was gifted this decant (thank you, schmoozy). I might even try and swap for a bottle.

[Katherynne]

I absolutely adore this one. The blend comes out very sweet and crisp on me, for some reason, with the hint of lime being one of my favourite parts about it. As it dries down it becomes more salt/fresh air smell, which is also really nice -- the only thing I don't like about it is that it only lasts.... haha, 5 hours. Well, okay. That's not too bad!

[kakiphony]

In the imp: All I smell are the aquatics. It's a watery, acquatic, and a bit ozoney men's cologne.

 

Wet on skin: My skin immediately amps the aquatics and ozone. I am sneeze-central. I'm really hoping they tame themselves, because the other notes should work.

 

Early dry down (10 minues): This is still very aquatic/ozone (I know they're different, but my nose tends to sense them exactly the same way: fresh cologny=sneeze!). The lime has risen up a bit and I'm getting a citrus tang with my sneeze. The woods and snake oil have not yet made themselves known.

 

Half hour mark: Sometimes, perseverence pays off! I tend to wash off aquatics and ozone very quickly because of the histamine reaction they give me upon application, but when I do struggle through it they tend to fade fairly quickly. After twenty minutes, those aquatics/ozone top notes have begun to retreat and my friends the woods are coming out to play. This is turning into a light, bright lime and wood scent. It makes me think less of pirate ships than of a day spent in the middle of Lake Erie on my uncle's bass boat drinking (completely illegal) Corona with lime, and baking in the blue dazzle of sky and water.

 

One hour mark: This has settled into a very subtle (little to no throw) citrus tinged wood with a just a hint of musk at the base. The snake oil is present only as the faint, sweet musk on me. I have never sensed either the gun powder or the blood notes in the blend - they are so subtle that they simply contribute to sweetness and brightness of the base. This is a much fresher scent than I usually wear, yet it is pleasant. Lime is one of my favorite citruses as it is both bright and a bit spicy on me, without the cleaning product associations that plague lemon and (more infrequently) orange scents. It combines with the snake oil/musk base and the woods to produce a light cologne that is grounded, yet sparkles.

 

On another note entirely, why do I always want to stick a 'c' in aquatic (so it would be spelled acquatic)? Is it phonetic? A left-over from other language I once knew?

Edited June 10, 2008 by kakiphony

[SarahScent44]

In the bottle, I get a breath of sea air and lime - refreshing!

 

On my skin, the coppery tang of the blood comes out, but in a good way - still mainly salt, lime, and blood.

 

Whe it's dry, it calms down to a salty, woodsy blend - really amazing!

[filigree_shadow]

I guess when gunpowder and ozone-y notes combine, they smell sharp like an herby scent on my skin. I can smell a little bit of lime and wood, but no blood and barely any Snake Oil. Mostly just an odd sharpish scent. It does seem slightly salty, and I like that part of it, but I think the gunpowder + sea air is a no go for me.

[tehriaz]

my skin's mostly pulling out the wood and spice, for once! oh this is marvelous. it's dry, strong chai type spices over a mellow hint of snake oil, bobbing merrily over turquoise waters. I'm so glad I chanced a bottle unsniffed. providing this doesn't take a sharp turn to something gross, or last all of ten minutes on my skin like most bpal, I think I may have found a new favorite. delicious!

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: Hmmmmmm. Sea air = ozone = not the best idea for me, HOWEVER I'm rather intrigued by the idea of a decent gunpowder/salt/wood/blood combination. And that dribble of Snake Oil is tempting - I hated Snake Oil with a passion but eventually concluded that if it wasn't like being punched in the sinuses it would potentially be somewhat pleasant. A heavily toned down version might be just the ticket.

 

In the bottle: Soapy, salty ozone and lime.

 

On the wrist, wet: More of same, with maybe some of the wood coming forward. I'm definately getting the salt and the lime, and to be fair, the soapyness of the ozone is fairly low key. This smells like, well, a tallship.

 

Twenty minutes later: It's all ozone on me - maybe a little lime, a little wood, but I'm not an ozone person, alas.

 

Verdict: Swap.

 

Tl;Dr: A brisk, sea breeze over the deck of a tallship; ozone, salt, lime and wood.

[jentifer]

Immediately I get the blood, lime and sea air. There's an ozone-y sensation that tickles the back of my nose, just above the soft palate. It stays very clean and fresh on me.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: sea air, lime and men's cologne

 

wet on skin: same, with a heavy aqua note coming into the mix

 

dry down: very aquatic. it reminds me of the Calypso perfume, Marine. sea salt and aqua notes abound.

 

in all: normally i really dislike anything that has an aquatic note in it, but i really like this. it reminds me of spending the day at the beach. a good summertime scent, i will love this imp for all it's worth.

 

 

 

[the_cat_goddess]

In the bottle: Masculine, salty aquatic with a sweetness underneath, pleasant

 

On initially: Really pretty but sneezing starts immediately after sniffing. Something metallic, but soft, like Bed of Nails

 

Changes to: Stays pretty true. The scent is so true to the picture on the bottle.

 

Overall: I like it. Nice throw and lasts a good while. Probably not going to keep it, though, since it's not really the type of scent I would often reach for.

[Dark Alice]

This starts out very metal to me. I don't really smell the sea-air, or the wood or the lime. But I smell metal. Kind of like old pennies or nickels.

 

Very masculine.

 

And then it goes to something very pretty. Gray in color. Definitely more for my lawyer days even though I have a smidge. It will last me a long time.

 

ADDED Oct. 18:

 

the cold sea air, bitter metal, and Lime!!! I love this. I am so glad I got it in a swap and I can't wait to wear it on days when I don't feel like being F%$@!d with!

[femmefatale]

In the bottle: Wow, this is masculine. It seems like a more complex Jolly Roger. I'm not sure I'll be able to pull this off.

 

Wet: This sweetens out a lot. It's salt air, a little wood, and something that reminds me of a note in Thalassa. I have no idea what my skin is doing, but I like it.

 

As it dries I don't seem to be getting much of the lime or gunpowder, which I'm fine with. This is just a beautiful scent and I'm going to have to track down another bottle or 2!

I'm also going to have hubby try it because I'm very curious as to how it turns out on him.

[rayvn1]

I picked up this bottle during my quest to find something aquatic and close to Calico Jack (my love affair gone wrong). It is a delightful fresh slap in the face with salty, tangy sea air. The ozone is very present for a few hours on me and then it settles into a lovely water smell. There was even a moment where the holy grail of scents for this Washingtonian turned up - the smell immediately after the rain when all is right with the world. That phase didn't last long but boy was it good! I woke up this morning and Phoenix was still there when I snuffled my wrist. Huzzah BPAL!

[iiinterstate]

oh man, instant favorite.

 

When first applied, this smells shockingly green to my nose. I don't know how else to describe it. But that stage doesn't last long. It starts to smell salty almost immediately, and has an unmistakable aquatic feel to it. However, it doesn't affect the throw.

 

The gunpowder made me a tad nervous, as I only like it in small amounts, but I don't pick it up at all in this blend. The lime is very very faint, like someone squished a lime on the deck of a ship a long long time ago.

 

After about 15 minutes, this settles into a woody aquatic with..well... it can only be described as a dribble of Snake Oil. The blood resin sweetens things up a little bit, but not too much. I can see this also working on a man.

 

I love it! I might even have to track down more...

[stillalive]

I adore it. I really, utterly adore it! A little bit cologne-y, a little bit citrusy, a lot deep.

 

This is the perfect scent for my Hellsing Rip Van Winkle cosplay... Salty ocean and her tears as Alucard comes after her, a hint of cologne from the crew (and maybe her? wouldn't surprise me), "limeys", gunpowder from her musket which "punishes all without distinction", blood from the crew...

 

Oh yes. This works. *saves*

[gchris]

In Vial: Whoa! this is really stout in a green way.

 

Wet: Green and perfumey. Such a nice pretty green. Strong but not harsh and bitter

 

Dry: This still smells green, still smells strong. Too strong for me!

 

ADDED Nov. 30:

 

in vial: kind of harsh, green, slightly bitter

 

wet: smells like men's cologne with green herbs and a bit of sweetness.

 

dry: lighter, still masculine, getting sweeter.

[Coldfire]

Bottle: Total Sea air…with that crispness of line, with out the tang.

Wet on Me: still sea air…and the salt crusted woods are peeping up.

Drying Down: ooooo Me likey this. The lime is more the leaves. Crisp and adds to the aquatic feel of this without getting all tangy

Dry: The snake oil starts to show up a bit now. A tiny whisper of it beneath the currents of the sea air and the aquatic-y lime and wood. Oh this is the LURVE!

[vegasblueblood]

This one is definitely interesting. It's very realistic and evocative of being afloat a giant old pirate ship somewhere in the middle of the salty sea. After several hours of wear, I begin to get that hint of Snake Oil, which I wish was more prevalent in the blend. It's always amazing to me how Beth can capture ideas, concepts and stories inside these little bottles with such accuracy. Very aquatic and damp. I can almost hear the wood creaking and feel that rocking of the ship!

[tinyvulture]

The salty, aquatic air, sweet lime, and Snake Oil make a fine combination. Fresh and crisp, yet sweet. Normally I can’t do aquatics, and citrus doesn’t like me either -- but there’s something about this that I really like! I guess it shows that I should never say never with BPAL and try every single one of them, even the ones I’m sure won’t work on me! I can’t smell the more violent elements – the gunpowder and blood! Nor are the woods making much of an appearance. I don’t know what else to say, I’m just really surprised by this one. Saltwater and lime, on me, who would have thought? Snake Oil, it truly is miraculous.

[WidgetAlley]

I got this for my man for Valentine's Day, because he loves sea scents.

 

Bottle: Sweet rum, bright line, sharp pepper (I think pepper is the main ingredient in the gunpowder note), bright sea air, and something sort of... floral? Wood, too, dry and splintery. It's very reminiscent of Jolly Roger, but spicier, and the tang of lime is very welcome.

 

Wet: Lovely sweet-round men's cologne, much like Jolly Roger on me. I like the citrus aspect of the lime, and there's a sweet-spicy Snake Oil underneath. Very, very jangly-bright and masculine. Salty, too. There's more Snake Oil as it dries a little, leading to a green-sweet-round-spicy-woody smell, although that's not much of a description.

 

Dry: Jolly Roger + lime + a very, very subtle base of Snake Oil = The Phoenix. An unusual combination, and far too masculine for me, but it smells incredibly good (and sexy!) on my boyfriend. Great throw, decent lasting power (must be the SO.) A winner! Buy this for your seafarin' man, you won't regret it!

[donnatron]

Imp: Gunpowder. So... dill. Dill and vinegar.

 

Wet: The gunpowder dries down pretty quickly, actually. I get a hint of my beloved blood accord before the aquatics take over.

 

Dry: General aquatic/lime/slight gunpowder. It sounds like it should be completely unique and commanding but the Phoenix falls flat on my chemistry. Sort of a clean, light citrus astringency. It's fine but I have many other BPAL scents that are droolworthy so "fine" does not cut it, sir! I get the faintest hint of the Snake Oil and it says a lot about this blend on my skin that I catch the Snake Oil and sniff madly trying to discern it and it alone.

 

Throw: Strong and clean.

 

Overall: I want to like it. Blood and woods and Snake Oil sound, well, delightful actually. But they get overpowered by the other elements and don't really work out as intended. I'm glad to have the decant but I'm not hankering after any more.

[stellans]

Aquatic/ozone notes are not always kind to me, as they mostly end up smelling like men's aftershave. There are a few exceptions, and I'm very happy that The Phoenix is evidently one. The salt water, lime, blood, wood and Snake Oil (gunpowder is a no-show on me) add up to something which smells amazing on me. It's fresh, slightly citrus-y, and just a little sinister. Yum! Bring me Johnny Depp and make it snappy!

 

ETA: Sadly, with the change in medication, like so many other once-favorite blends this one no longer works for me. Now it's all aftershave, all the time. And when it dries? It's dry aftershave. Hold the Johnny Depp. No, never mind: let him console me!

Edited August 2, 2010 by stellans

[jewelbug]

Bottle: woodsy, slightly spicy, almost creamy, and overall a masculine scent.

 

Wet: I smell woods, lime and a creamy spice. Still very masculine to my nose. It smells like a very sexy, salty pirate man. I would describe this as a "cologney" scent, though its a damn nice cologne.

 

Dry: masculine cologne--woodsy, salty, limey, lightly spicy, very nice. I enjoy this scent quite a bit, but its not something I can pull off. I would like it on a man, but its not my man's type of scent, either. So I'll pass this onto a better home.

Edited July 2, 2009 by jewelbug