Undine

Mmm, what an interesting scent. I expected this to be like Baghdad (which I love), but it's not nearly as ambery or resinous for me. Nor do I really smell much in the way of florals. Instead I get a whole passel of spices--cinnamon (a high note), and although it is so well blended that anything else is a sheer guess, perhaps cardamom, pepper, saffron, nutmeg, sandalwood? I suppose I wouldn't be surprised if it included a little rose. There is something sweet under everything, but it is overwhelmed by the spices (well, I think my skin amps up cinnamon). For me this is dry, spicy, a little woody, very gourmand: not chai exactly, but chai-ish, or like a packet of herbal tea. A very good representation of its name. Whoever said it is gender-neutral is quite correct--it would be equally excellent for either men or women. I also think it might layer nicely with Baghdad or, hmm, Cathedral? I will have to try this. It doesn't have tons of throw, and it fades faster than some scents--but it's not too bad in either regard. This is one of those BPAL scents that is very different and special, something I don't think I'd find anywhere else. Myself, I wish it had just a tad less cinnamon, but overall it's very nicely balanced and delicious. I'm not sure if I'm going to get a bottle or not, but I think I may. So on my scale, it's a 4.5 out of 5.

I almost really like this but instead there is something that is slightly off-putting for me. I think it's whatever makes up the Romany incense or candle smoke, because it's a strong, sweet, smoky smell. It's utterly true that this is a heavy-lidded perfume, and this note is just a bit too much. What's strange is that it almost turns my stomach, even though I don't think it's that bad a smell at all. Sometimes people say food is too rich for them, and I always roll my eyes at that. Ditto scents, I like the resinous ambers and the like. But this, too much. Maybe a little too dry and woody. I can catch the bergamot and neroli if I think about it, possibly even the rose and amber. I have to say this is a wonderfully balanced scent, with each scent coming back and forth each time I sniff. It's a fantastic scent. Just not quite for me. 4.5 out of 5 on my scale, with that caveat.

Ooh, yum. It's not quite what I expected, but I love it. To me this smells herbal and aquatic, but NOT ozone-aquatic--ozone comes up very strong and nose-irritating on me, and this is just wet, like dew on the grass. I have never, never, never found a scent that was "wet" without turning to soap or ozone on me. The whole impression is light and lovely, with the high note of green herbs--and possibly something citrusy--gentle and sweet, and the background of musk equally clear, yet low-key. I would call it springy, not so much summery, yet I could certainly see myself wearing this cool and liquid scent on a hot day. This scent also morphs a lot--every time I smell it, I feel that a different note comes out, which to me means that it's perfectly balanced. I have to admit I ordered quite a lot of this and lordy, am I thankful that I did. It's already a favorite of mine. This one really blows me away and has shot right into my top ten. Brava, Beth! On my scale, a 5 out of 5. Later: I wanted to edit to say that the only downside is that the scent dissipates fairly quickly on my skin, after a couple hours. But it's still a surprise every time I put it on because it's so different, and special.

I never got a response from the lab regarding the whole deal I talked about above. I want to email them again--but what's the appropriate email address to use to reach them? Is it answers@blackphoenixalchemylab.com??

The rotting leaves/decay smell might be well represented by Graveyard Dirt. I don't know--to me it smelled like horrible mushrooms, but many people speak of potting soil, wet earth, that sort of thing. So--although I don't know that there are trees/forest in there per se, you might find that Graveyard Dirt evokes at least one of the sensations you're looking for?

Interesting. At very first I couldn't pick up much besides vague florals. After a few moments I realize it's got a sort of dry, peppery scent, but there's sweetness and greenness backing it up. Unfortunately it's pretty soapy, which may either be from the midnight flowers or the jasmine. Dries down to a somewhat powdery muskier, deeper, dryer scent, kind of a bit woody or resin-y. I wish I could be more specific about some of this, but I have yet to learn what cereus or primrose smell like and am just learning iris. Overall, out of 5, it's about a 2 on my scale. It could be quite nice on the right person, a mix of nocturnal florals and woodier spices, very subtle and rich, but on me it doesn't work.

This is the scent that made me realize that I do indeed have an issue with lily. Like many other people, it turns to soap on me. Too bad, because I really liked this scent: high, pure, clean, yet with a depth from the sandalwood and frankincense. But my husband sniffed around and said, "Smells like bathroom hand soap," so I could not remain in denial. A pity: otherwise it's a really nice mix of florals and resins with a very "white" feel. So, for me, a 2 out of 5. (Edited because "industrial hand soap" was his comment about a different scent. He's not so much into the perfumes.)

The three primary notes are saffron (high), cedar (medium), and sandalwood (low). Oddly, the saffron in combination with the depth of the sandalwood, and the light woody cedar scent takes on an acidic, citrusy, sweet note that I first described as "Coca-Cola" (husband said Dr. Pepper). Other posters are right--there's a little mintiness, which at very first reminds me of toothpaste. (Mint is also a component of root beer, which explains the soda sensation.) The cedar is very background to me, only noticeable on its own as a slight woodiness, and similarly the saffron blends in very well with the other notes. I didn't know what lotus was like, but now that I've read it's sweet, I can detect it as a fourth major component of this combination. As Kathmandu dries down, the saffron wears off and mostly the sandalwood comes through, with a shade more cedar and woodiness--now I wonder if the cedar is the source of the "minty" smell, or cedar in combination with lotus anyway. (I'm thinking Himalayan cedar probably differs from American cedars, so maybe it's a little minty.) There's a slight hint of other exotic items (the bark and spices) but I cannot pick them out. I liked how different and exotic this smelled, completely unlike anything else. On the other hand, I'm sort of ambivalent about that odd exotic cedary toothpasty note, which wears off fairly quickly and then is less exciting (more just plain sandalwood at the end); it doesn't have much throw/scent after the first hour or two. I think I will use it occasionally, and it may grow on me. On my scale, 3.5 out of 5.

Oh, I totally would be interested. I sometimes get frustrated by too many tabs and cutting and pasting and so I thought about trying to make something similar myself, but I am not exceedlingly skilled in making Access all spiffy. If there is any way I could help make such things happen, like data entry, just let me know! ~AmusedMuse~, I am not sure about what's in MS works, but I think Access is in Office? Do you have Powerpoint, or Word, or Excel, or any of that stuff? If you can't get your hands on MS Access, I think it would probably be difficult to find any other way to use it (exporting etc.).

Ah, Seduction. I put this on with my husband in the room. A moment later he wrinkles his nose and says, "What is that?" "You don't like my new perfume?" I inquire. "It smells like industrial hand soap!" Sigh. I wasn't sure what ylang ylang smelled like, but I did know this smell and so I guess this is it. It does have a citrusy overtone or perhaps other florals, but it is STRONG. It reminded me a little bit of bug spray, I have to say. Sharp and clean, with an undertone that I can only describe as "funny"; as someone else said, it smelled kind of off. I know that's exactly how the oil is supposed to smell, it just isn't right for me. Mr. U. did make googly eyes at me later, it is true. So the oil may have worked, and I know it's about aromatherapy and not necessarily how you feel about the scent, but man. It didn't make me feel particularly sexy, and it hurt my sinuses. I washed it off and put on O later, and that made me think that small amounts of seduction might layer well with other perfumes--Seduction + O could be really powerful! But Mr. U fell asleep, so I guess I'm not finding out tonight, heh.

I just received a bottle of this via the forums and once I sniffed it, I had to try it on. To me, this is man-sex in a bottle. If my husband were to wear it, I would devour him (in a nice way). Wet, it's sharp and clean, and I get the musk overlain by florals and herbs. As it dries down, it becomes much smokier and soften, though still some florals/herbs lending it a sharp, clean finish. To me this muskiness is very, very masculine. I really like it, but I don't know that I would wear it. Especially since I think I would make myself horny all day sniffing it! Too bad my husband is averse to scents. I am not kidding with this one ... yowza.

Putting this on I smell mostly cherries. However, I can smell the dryness of the sandalwood and the sharp note of the anise as well--usually I can't get such clarity. I find the cherries kind of sickly sweet, though from further away the sharper/richer notes come out more nicely. A hint of soap, sigh. Overall, I liked it otherwise, but the cherries were way too sweet and artificial for me. On my scale, 1.5 out of 5.

To me this mostly smells like pine, with a resinous undertone. Reviews mention lemon, and I can begin to notice that as it dries down. Maybe something woody. Reviews also mention it doesn't last long, and that's the case for me: first time lasted maybe an hour to an hour and a half. When testing, I reapplied with more. On drydown it mellows out and the resinous smells are also more apparent: it becomes much less astringent, more incense-y or mellow, sweeter. But by the time it gets to this point, it's almost gone and there is little to no throw. It is a very fresh and wakeful scent. I applied this at night once and it kept me awake for quite a while! It's a little too simple and sharp for me to enjoy wearing, but I like the scent. I might use it as a room scent if the diffusion softened it some. A 2.5 out of 5 for me.

When I put this on I got a noticeable woody scent that I didn't really expect: this must be the vetiver(t). It's overlain by a tangy, almost citrusy smell. And, er, sort of an impression of Band-Aids in the back, or calamine. I really don't get wetness as the primary sensation. Eh. As it dries down the florals or higher notes become more prominent and the vetivert is more resin-y, less woody, but I still don't find it to match its name. Still sort of band-aid-y. Not bad, but not particularly interesting. And not wet. On my scale, it is a 2 out of 5.

This also smells "barfy" in the bottle to me--perhaps that's the scent of smoke, or of patchouli--but I really like it on. Herbal and fir-y with smoke: the smoke is stronger, but not too strong. Incense for sure. A little sweetness, but not too much. I think there is a lot of other stuff here that I don't recognize. Plus, somehow I think of this as a powerful scent. And it has throw! Some reviewers mention honey, so maybe that's in there and is one reason why I like it so. ... Although I do find it green and get the forest smell, it's really delicate, a whole different world from Mistletoe or Hemlock. One of my favorites so far. As others have remarked, it is a lot like Samhain, and I like Samhain a little better--but I wouldn't complain if I suddenly found a 5 ml of Hexennacht!

On application: flowers, light ozone, something sweet. Perhaps some citrus? As it dries down, the sweetness comes out more. But the ozone is still there and hurts my nose when I take a closer sniff. On further drydown, becomes soapy. I think I would enjoy this if I didn't react so poorly to ozone, but I do, and can't smell anything else, so... sigh. No go.

Everyone else said it, and I'll repeat it: this sure does smell pink! To me it smells of strawberries in combination with florals that I can't pick out individually, over a very sugary smell that has a creamy or caramel ("brown sugar") dimension. The first couple times I tried it, the pink sweetness was very strong and then other scents came out on drydown. Right now, it's the other way around: initially the lunar oils (a more peppery or herbal scent) come on strong initially and then on drydown it's more pink sweetness like in the bottle. I think the change may just have to do with the aging of the oil (I haven't worn it for a month or so). Or it might be my skin chemistry today. I do notice that these lunar oils tickle my sinuses a tad, but not too much. There are some sweet scents that I really don't like. This isn't bad, but it's not really me either. I think it's fascinating, though, that a scent can be so freakin' pink!

Occasionally some scents will smell, well, barfy in the bottle. I think this comes from smoky scents, especially if there are sweet scents paired up with them. I get it from Hexennacht, for instance. This doesn't necessarily mean anything about how the scent will act when I put it on. This was one of those scents. Then I accidentally put quite a bit on. Despite putting so much on, it did't smell like a whole lot to me if I didn’t sniff up close. The barfiness resolved into smoke quite quickly. I could smell the fruits underneath, but the smoke overwhelmed them. Reviews talk about 'butteriness' and while I guess I could sense it there, to me this had a kind of er, moldery or ashy smell that does not at all remind me of food. No fruit like Mabon. As it dried down, more flowers and spice come up, but still very ashy/smoky and in a way I didn't really like. Upon further drydown, much less smoke, more cider and fruit. At this point I liked it much better but it was very faint. My husband couldn't smell it unless I put it right up to him. Took maybe 2 hours for all that oil to fade, if that. The horrible moldery smell was too much to put up with, regardless. One of the less pleasant oils I've tested. I even briefly wondered if whatever had contributed the "buttery" note had gone rancid as the oil aged, but I don't really think that's the case; it's just me. And I see other people had similar reactions.

The description is very accurate: this is a dazzling and golden scent. When applying, I mostly smell honey, but the scent is definitely spicier than the pure sweetness I get from the bottle.. As it dries down, the patchouli and clove become stronger; they then die down and the honey comes out again, with an underlying deeper scent that I think must be the ylang ylang. I like this very much. Mostly honey, with accompanying spiciness, and it makes me feel sexy and golden. It also has good throw initially, though it wears off after a couple hours. This is one of my current favorites.

Going on this has a very "high" note which is the primary one I notice. Geranium rose is described as "green", so that's probably the lily. Unfortunately, this takes over and goes very soapy. This scent is actually rather aquatic in nature. It might be very nice otherwise, but with the lily, it's hard to tell. I find it hard to smell the frankincense. Oddly, I seem to sometimes catch a sweet scent floating around me, but when I sniff my wrist, soap-o-matic. As another reviewer said, though, it's not the worst soap. I do notice the greenness. And it lasts much better than many other scents.

Applying this, the obvious comparison is Hemlock, but Mistletoe doesn't have that sweet/rich undertone and probably not the citrus either. Does it have ozone? There's a woody or cedary smell underneath. Maybe a light overtone of white sugar. This is more nose-tingling than Hemlock. Perhaps it's just a different evergreen oil: juniper instead of pine. There must be ozone, because it makes me feel a little headachey. It does stay very true, but due to the ozone-ness I cannot wear it--sigh. Still, a very refreshing scent. I love the natural scents.

Wet: chocolate overlain with cherries, backed by woods. Warm, sort of unsettling, much like the Red Queen herself I suppose. Interesting, but I don't really like it. … As it dries down, just cherries. Yuck. Not for me.

This scent is indeed dark and complex. What must be the black orchid smells almost chocolatey. Subtle, a little sweet. Then the florals begin to come up a little more, a little sharper. Rich, and makes me think of nighttime. Heady. I visited Key West last year and smelling this recalls the lovely tropical night, walking down roads of shuttered conch houses, the gardens of palms and other tropical plants rustling in the wind. But it doesn't last long and I think it "went soapy" on me. A lot of sweetness, not much of that dry sandalwood underneath ever, or the jasmine--which is a pity. Eventually took it off. I don't seem to do well with florals, unfortunately, so I need more resins or other strong scents paired with them.

My first review! Put on, Xiuhtecuhtli smells primarily of orange backed by something chocolatey or smokier. It becomes a lot sharper and more citrusy than in the bottle. As it dries down, the florals come out a bit more, as well as a spicier scent and the incense. Then it becomes muskier, with the orange backing off. Maybe some clove, coconut?? When I looked up the description of copal (supposed to smell like a combination of pine, amber, and vanilla) I realized that scent was what was coming out more and more. Over time that piney note really comes out, and the orange comes on and off. At that point my husband said it smelled like baby powder--sigh. A very complex and interesting scent, and very evocative. I would like to try other scents that use copal. Overall, I liked it a lot, but it wasn't quite right for me.

I'm a moron... I just made my first Paypal order, but I made it through CCNow instead of directly to the lab. I trout myself I kind of did it on a whim and only realized afterward that I did things incorrectly. What do I do now? I don't think I can cancel/re-do the order. Do I just drop the lab a line and say "Oops, I'm sorry, I'll do it right next time"??