alicia_stardust

The embodiment of Victorian funereal elegance. A delicate sugar-spun vanilla cream cotton, stained by tobacco and incense, Indian musk, and drops of cognac. Black Lace is divine! It has a border of elegance and refinement that surrounds it. It starts out as a strong, edgy vanilla with a touch of cotton spurring it on. This gives it a feminine, funereal quality. There is a hint of creaminess and the cotton casts a wide but diffuse aura around the other notes. The cotton aspect remains ever-present even as the other notes shift and settle into my skin. As time passes, Black Lace softens up into more of a dusky, smoky vanilla scent with the barest hints of tobacco and cognac. There is a slight sharpness. The cotton is still there, but softer. The best part about Black Lace for me? It's the Indian musk! It brings the sultry to the scene and sullies the polished Victorian edge. The musk really, really completes the picture. Overall I get the sense of a dark, aged and worn tinge to a ladylike treasure. This is gorgeous and heady, with a strong throw and long wear length. Love!!

Terrae (Massage Oil) In alchemy, the archetype of earth represents practicality, the manifestation of thought and will, and material creation. Our blend of patchouli, myrrh, spikenard, oakmoss, and clary sage grants a sense of stability, and will help keep you grounded. Almond oil, refined rice bran oil, fractionated coconut, rosehip seed oil, evening primrose, vitamin E, Pogostemon patchouli, Commiphora myrrha, Salvia sclarea, Nardostachys jatamansi, Evernia prunastri, and our Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab oil blend. Terrae is in an 8oz. plastic amber-colored bottle with the most gorgeous little label that has a parchment-like background texture in an olive brown color. The color/texture graduates from light at the top to dark at the bottom. The CD Phoenix brands this and sits, along with the oil's name, in the center of a detailed black border. This is the most perfect earth scent I have ever experienced. Patchouli and myrrh! Spikenard gives this a warm, aromatic, woody scent with a resinous tinge to it. Sage, are you there? That one tricks me but it is there along with an almost mossy tone. The overall scent of Terrae puts Aveda's earthly scents to shame. (I am a huge Aveda salon/spa girl, and this won me over bigtime.) I should note that I normally struggle a bit with earth scents but this one is absolute perfection. I cannot express just how lovely this is. The aromas in this oil are calming, healing, grounding. It gives off a sense of stability. Permanence. I venture a guess that careful thought was also put into the base oils. The massage oil is not too heavy and it was easy to work into the skin. It sunk in quickly so I didn't have to worry about where or what I was leaving smudges on. Want. More.

Angeronalia, also called Divalia, is a Roman festival that takes place at the Winter Solstice. This celebration honors the Goddess Angerona. The Lady of Silence and Secrets is also She Who Stands As the Protector of Rome, and she is represented with her mouth bound, or with her index finger held over her mouth, commanding silence. On this day, the Goddess was implored to grant her children strength and protection. And, as it was believed that Angerona and Voluptia, the Goddess of Joy and Pleasure, were one and the same, sacrifices were made at the temple to Voluptia in order to drive sorrow, regret, and pain from the hearts of the people. Strength, passion, and the cleansing fire of joy: olive blossom, white nectarine, vibrant blood orange, honey absolute, lemongrass, elemi, sensual patchouli, and the quiet purity of gardenia. WET: I can smell olive blossom, light nectarine, and a touch of gardenia. DRY: This is a morpher. As soon as it hits my skin I get a shot of nectarine and honey absolute. Within 30 seconds the nectarine peaks and then suddenly, the patchouli and blood orange are there for a few minutes before returning to the background. From there I spend a few minutes smelling something slightly swarthy and fennel-like alongside the honey absolute; I believe it must be the elemi which is the only thing I am unfamiliar with here. After that point this scent sort of settles down and for the remaining wear-length becomes a beautiful medley of scent. The olive blossom lends an exotic feel while the gardenia is soft and gentle. Those two florals sort of envelop the rest of the notes as they mingle and fade in and out. Angeronalia has a festive, bright, sensual, joyous, and very warm feeling to it.

In alchemy, the archetype of air represents the movement of spirit and thought. Aeris uses a combination of lemon, verbena, orange blossom, cypress, sweetgrass, white grapefruit, and lavender to help stimulate mental acuity and inspire creativity. Almond oil, refined rice bran oil, fractionated coconut, rosehip seed oil, evening primrose, vitamin E, Citrus limomum, Cypressus sempervirens, Lavendula angustifolia, verbena, orange blossom absolute, sweetgrass and our Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume blend. Aeris is presented in a plastic amber-colored bottle with the most gorgeous little label that has a parchment-like background texture in a tawny to blue-green gradient. This is an amazing massage oil that captures the essence of the air element perfectly. I am in complete awe at how well Beth was able to capture the archetype of each of these elements, and Aeris is another stunning offering. I am able to capture the scent of nearly all of the listed notes, but the ones that sit the strongest for me are the sweetgrass and orange blossom, followed by white grapefruit, followed by cypress. The lavender is ever so subtle in this. Overall the "color" of this scent is a wash of pale yellow, lavender, and blue. The aromas in this oil are uplifting, vibrant, energizing, and seem to clear my head and leave it quiet yet open after a long and stressful day. It gives off a sense of being lightweight, carefree, floating. The massage oil base is not too heavy and it was easy to work into the skin. It sinks in quickly so I don't have to worry about where or what I leave smudges on.

It is the just doom of laziness and gluttony to be inactive without ease and drowsy without tranquility. — Samuel Johnson Cocoa absolute, sugar cane, honey, black currant, vanilla, and caramel. Shea oil, olive oil, mineral oil, apricot kernel oil, fractionated coconut oil, rosehip seed, evening primrose oil, vitamin E, cocoa absolute, Absolue Cire d'Abeille, isopropyl myristate, glycereth-7-cocoate (derived from coconut), oleth 3, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume blends. Wow! I have to start this review by saying that I do not consider myself a "foody lover" where fragrances are concerned. I enjoy them and I have some favorites, but they are not the ones that attract me the most. Especially not the heavier food scents. With that said... I LOVE Gula! In the bottle it smells very strongly of cocoa absolute. It smells very dessert-like and rich. In the bath the cocoa absolute remains the strongest note, but I can individually pick out the black currant, vanilla, and caramel as supporting notes. It makes for a very decadent bath! The oil itself is nice and moisturizing, it doesn't cause me to break out (I waited a few days to write this review), and it sinks into my skin rapidly once I have rinsed off and left the bath. A little oil goes a long way in terms of fragrance while in the bath, and using a minimal amount keeps my bath from turning into an oil slick. The fragrance of this sticks around for a while afterward, but it isn't strong enough or long-lasting enough to interfere too much with other fragrances I may want to wear that day. As for my bathroom, the whole thing smells like chocolate afterward. I think that gourmand/foody lovers with go ga-ga over this scent, and I venture to guess that even the non-foodies (like me) will end up really enjoying Gula.

A nineteenth century Southern bordello: magnolia, jasmine, honey musk, tobacco, vanilla bean, bourbon vanilla, and Spanish moss. I was interested in all of the atmosphere sprays but this one had to be my first purchase. It's in a beautiful amber bottle with a quality sprayer. I don't foresee this getting clogged or failing to mist well. The label is similar in style to the massage oils and bath oils, and the color of this one ranges from red violet, to red, to a smoky gray. When I first read the description of Cathouse these were the exact colors that popped into my head. Cathouse comes across as a bourbon vanilla floral with a touch of musk and honey and tobacco. Sensual is the first word that comes to mind. It smells red and sultry but not too heavy or dark that it can't be used in a variety of rooms and such. The fragrance itself is strong and well worth the cost; a little goes a long way. The scent lingers for quite a while after I've sprayed it into the air. It sticks around even longer on linens. =) I am definitely getting more of these, and I hope even more will be released. This exciting enough that it's like getting a present! I'm so glad the Trading Post offers these now.

Bruise-tinted hellebore blossoms pushing through snowdrifts. WET: I smell a light effervescence. DRY: I am unfamiliar with the scent of a hellebore blossom. What I do know is that this a beautifully gentle floral scent with a dusky, almost musty effervescent bite to it and an uplifting, bright sweetness that sits on top of everything else. It smells mostly white and cold, but there is an element of pale yellow light to this as well, and it sits over the darkness of winter. There is a familiarity to this scent that I can't quite place. After a couple of hours, I get an almost violet-snow sort of scent just before it disappears. Despite my lack of experience with the scent of hellebores, I have always been aware of many stories about hellebore and most of them involve tears. In Greece, Melampos of Pylos used hellebore to save the daughters of king Argos from a Dionysian madness that had set them running about the city. There is another old tale that says the Christmas Rose sprouted where a little girl who had no gift for the Christ Child wept into the snow. One thing that this scent successfully pinned is my own personal understanding of the flower. It is said that the hellebore bloom can be frozen solid in the deepest winter snows, but when the ice melts away, dripping from the petals like tears, the flower beneath is still alive. It remains supple through its trials. It is strong and patient, yet gentle. This creation of Beth's is an amazing representation of that.

Muscle ache relief. The combination of arnica, rosehip, evening primrose, almond oil, and apricot kernel oil is high in vitamin C and gamma-linolenic acid, and coupled with analgesic eucalyptus, invigorating orange, and refreshing rosemary, this blend is said to help heal bruises, reduce swelling, and soothe strained muscles and aching tendons. Almond oil, apricot kernel oil, refined rice bran oil, arnica infusion, rosehip, evening primrose, vitamin E, Eucalyptus globules, Citrus sinensis, Rosemary officinalis, Mentha piperita, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab oil blends. I was certain I had already reviewed this but apparently my review was part of the chatter in the BPTP area of the forum. I have been using arnica in various forms for many years because I stay very active in dance class and it often results in sore and aching muscles. I was thrilled to see the arnica listed in UGH Massage Oil. The massage oil itself is the same stellar consistency and glide that the other BPTP massage oils have. It sinks into my skin quickly and leaves very little worry of greasy smudges and stains. The fragrance of UGH is potent, but I do find it soothing. The eucalyptus steals the show initially but as it mellows the orange builds and builds. The fragrance is, strangely enough, relaxing to me and I find that the combined act of working the oil into my muscles, the effects of the oil itself, and the fragrance all lead me toward a nice state of relief. This is lovely stuff, peeps, and if you are active or often find yourself debilitated by aches and pains you need to try this!!

No scent description. This is a very light metal and ozone blend. It's cool and gleaming, with perhaps a tiny hint of grease, but if so, then it's the cleanest grease I've ever smelled. There's just something about it that reminds me of a feminine version of Mechanical Phoenix with a hint of a sweet airy floral. In terms of the general scent family and vibe, Construct could be loosely grouped with Mechanical Phoenix as well as the likes of Kataniya, Torture Queen, and Door 13.

This is beautiful. I get a strong herbal and grass note in there, but this isn't the dark or earthy quality that I expected to find. Instead, there is a lightness and freshness to it, a touch of humidity, and the occasional little waft of melon and light floral that slithers in and out of all the greenery.

White, for acting in good conscience and doing our best to give back to the community. Frangipani, magnolia, cotton flower, osmanthus, crystal musk, ambrette, white orchid, sugar cane, davana, white sandalwood, petitgrain, lavender, and lotus root. White Phoenix is a gentle scent, which is different than being faint. It has a medium throw and average wear-length. The frangipani is the strongest part of this blend. It is exotic, hypnotizing, sweet, and almost spicy. I think it presents differently than it does in other blends as a result of the interplay with the other notes. It is less dominant than I expected, and has a lower pitch. (Yes, I sometimes hear tones. ) I can detect a very light grit of sandalwood and an uncharacteristically mellow lavender in the background. The combination of white florals and cotton flower with the resins and crystal musk are gorgeous. They sort of play off of each other and swirl into an uplifting, soothing, benevolent scent that is almost powdery, almost spicy, almost warm.

Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess. -- Oscar Wilde Wild lettuce, white tea, cucumber, and cherry blossom. Shea oil, olive oil, mineral oil, apricot kernel oil, fractionated coconut oil, rosehip seed, evening primrose oil, vitamin E, isopropyl myristate, glycereth-7-cocoate (derived from coconut), oleth 3, and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab perfume blends. Frenum is a gentle, clean scent. It is dominated by the cool green cucumber and the white tea. I find it soothing, calming, and refreshing. The lettuce and sakura remain subdued to my nose, but they are definitely there in a supporting role. The oil itself is nice and moisturizing, it doesn't cause me to break out (I waited a few days to write this review), and it sinks into my skin rapidly once I have rinsed off and left the bath. A little oil goes a long way in terms of fragrance while in the bath, and using a minimal amount keeps my bath from turning into an oil slick. The fragrance of this sticks around for a while afterward, but it isn't strong enough or long-lasting enough to interfere too much with other fragrances I may want to wear that day. As for my bathroom, the scent lingers. A lot. I find this lovely for a bath, and I am especially keeping it in mind for the warm summer months when a cool, soothing cucumber bath is just the thing I am in the mood for.

Lately an increasing amount of time has been spent dealing with image size violations. Please remember the following whenever your post includes any image or photo: Forum guidelines state that images wider than 480 pixels should be either resized or posted as a link rather than an image. You can quickly tell if your image is too large by looking at the top edge of the image in a post or preview. If it has a gray bar that says 'Resized to x%' then it is too large to be posted. Thanks, Alicia

VISHUDDHA: THE THROAT The Joy of Sarasvati, The Akashic EssenceThe Sixteen-Petaled Lotus. Creativity, self-expression, communication, sound, vibration, and the wisdom to know right from wrong. Vishuddha confers the gift of speech, and thereby the ability to determine and pursue your desires and aspirations. The activity of this chakra also confers the ability to understand how to learn from life's pain, suffering and hardship, and with work, grants the knowledge and strength to transform our trials into growth. When Vishuddha is closed, we suffer from spiritual entropy. When it is open and utilized, our sorrow blossoms into wisdom. In the bottle: I definitely get some sort of soft lemon. Not sharp and tangy, though! Slight herbals in the background, maybe? Just applied: This starts out the same as it smelled in the vial, then it sort of spreads out and softens a bit. I definitely get some florals in the background. It's slightly sweet, too. And strangely, despite the lemony quality I probably wouldn't call this a "yellow" scent. It's different. Also, lemon haters don't be turned off until you try this! It's much different than a lot of the lemon blends I've tried. After 30 minutes: Wow, this really turns very creamy. It's a soft, creamy lemon floral that's very stabilizing, calming, and comforting. It's amazing! Rating: For chakra work I rate this 5 out of 5. For scent alone, I rate this 4 out of 5 stars. Great job, Beth!

Green, for growth, expansion, prosperity, and stability. Sage, white mint, grey amber, papaya pulp, crushed grass, cucumber, green musk, green tea, and lime rind. In the bottle this is faint. I detect a touch of sage and papaya, and the barest hint of white mint. On my skin it is no longer faint, but it is soft. It has a pale "green" fragrance to it without being considered an earthy scent. The papaya is fresh and bright but not overly fruity. Instead it lends itself to supporting the other notes and it gives off an almost spring- or summer-like vibe. The mint is fleeting but I can smell the sage and amber. The most distinctive part of Green Phoenix is, for me, the grass and cucumber. They are so stabilizing and grounding to me. While distinctive, they also mingle well with all the other notes and create an extremely gorgeous and very green phoenix scent. I really love this one and I can't think of any other BPAL scent that is quite like it.

In the dread circle hemmed by glaciers, Pallid waste where no radiant fathomers, Columbuses or Gamas, ever pass, In realms of dingy gloom and deep crevasse Seized from creation by nonentity, Beyond ice floe and berg and ice-bound sea, Deep in the fog that quenches every ray, In stone waves and rock waters, far from day, Amid the gloom, there, on the pole, stands black Archangel Winter, darkness on his back And trumpet at his lips; nor does he cast One flash of eye, or blow one clarion-blast; He never even dreams, being sheer snow; The winged winds, captives of that age-old foe Silence, are in his hand-birds in a snare; His sightless eyes horribly watch the air; Hoarfrost is in his bones and on his head, And he is swathed in ever-petrified dread; He terrifies the Vast, he seems so wild; He is harsh, dismal, ice-that is, exiled; The earth beneath his feet, in its dark cape, Is dumb; he is the mute white stony shape Set on that tomb in the eternal night; Never does any motion, sound, or light Brush the lone giant in that somber pall. But when, on the timepieces that we call Stars, the last day, endless and centerless, Will sound, then the Lord's face will luminesce And melt the spirit; his mouth will distend Suddenly, in a savage, dreadful bend, And the worlds-skiffs rudderless, rolling on -- Will hear the storm-blast of his clarion. Crystalline, glassy ice whipped by a snowstorm. Piercing ozone, winter darkness. WET: In the bottle Archangel Winter has a cool, sweet, lilting quality to it. It's light. It is cold but not snowy. DRY: On my skin this becomes a glassy, icy cold ozone scent. It calls to mind a vast winterscape of ice and the desolation that winter brings. Everything is blinding blue-white and all sound is muted into silence. To me, this scent is the charged energy that comes just before and after a winter storm. There is an undercurrent of darkness to this scent but it is pierced through by the frozen ozone and sharp, icy crystals. As a background to the darkness and ozone, I get a soft, almost powdery floral base. It's light and sweet and melds into the rest of the scent almost seamlessly. Archangel Winter has an average throw and an average wear-length even though it smells very light in the bottle. It is a cold ozone but there is a softness and a dark, grounding quality to it. The ozone does not turn soapy on my skin, nor does it become so sharp that it hurts my sinuses, and this smells very different than the classic BPAL "snow" scent. While I can't pinpoint specific notes, I do know that it is a beautiful, cold winter scent that evokes powerful images, memories, colors, and yes, even a tone. I can hear it in my head each time I smell this. It's breath-taking!

This is a coffee house, alright! I freaking love the smell of coffee, and this is perfect. This is very evocative. It's like walking into a coffee house on a slightly damp, drizzly gray day. It's warm inside with just a hint of condensation on the bottom rim of the windows. The walls are darkly paneled. There's a deeply aromatic menagerie of coffee blends on the air; mostly dark and dry coffees, but there's a little hint here and there of something creamy. A small dribble of chocolate syrup occasionally makes itself known through the heady coffee.

I agree with the others that the rose is not dominant. It's soft, on the edges. It mostly comes across as a gentle lavender with a hint of vanilla. I can't get enough of it for bedtime!

As beautiful and cold as a December storm. Crystalline musk, winter lily, bergamot, plum, and frozen pine boughs. Ice Prince is the most amazing winter bath experience I could have imagined. My concerns that the pine would be too strong or prominent were unfounded. While it has its own personality in terms of fragrance, you will love this if you love any of the fragrances in the family of Snow Moon, Skadi, Snow Bunny, Snow Storm... This has a clear, crystalline bell tone of white musk. It is chilly and ethereal. The bergamot has a warming, bright quality to it and the plum adds depth and "color" to the otherwise frosty, cool aspects. The characteristic ice/snow fragrance surrounds the pine boughs and brings a truly magical winter quality to this bath oil. A little goes a long way in the bath and it sinks into my skin quickly after I have rinsed off and left the bath. Ice Prince is my favorite of all the bath oils.

No scent description. Pediophobia is a fear of dolls or children. On first sniff, this is all perfume with those semi-sharp florals of department store perfumes. HOWEVER. A minute or two on my skin opens up an entirely different scent picture and it's worth exploring. There is a depth beneath this that brings to mind sugar and bubble gum, a hint of peach doll plastic, bright shades of makeup crookedly drawn onto a doll by a young child, girly frills and lace, and florals. Concept-wise, this is dead on. Amazing!

No scent description. This is the most perfect red musk blend, with just the right amount of patchouli to temper it and darken it, yet it's not too swarthy or strong of a patchouli. This seems a little less floral than the released version of Lust, but without doing a side by side comparison I can't be certain. One thing is sure: this is SEXY! And I love it more than the released version.

No scent description. Just the name alone almost scared me off of this. I gingerly handled the tester bottle and nearly put it back down without even sniffing it. But then curiosity got the better of me and I gave it a whiff. It's surprisingly light and fresh on the surface, almost like a smooth aquatic blended with a floral tea. But just under the surface there's a hint of something more sinister. On my skin it has a light smoky quality, not like brimstone and vetiver, but more like the smoky quality in blends like Pumpkin Smash and Hand of Glory. There's almost a waxy quality underneath the smoke. It's really interesting to behold, and not at all the horror that I expected. This is a more subtle sort of putrefication. It's like zombies with a cloud of air freshener sprayed around them. (A novelty, too, is that the label is spelled Putrefincation.)

THE VORTEX When used in conjunction with the oils that correspond to the four basic chakras [Muladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura and Anahata] the Vortex helps one to reconcile, conquer and break free of the circular patterns of consciousness without knowledge that are associated with that chakra. In the bottle: All I get is lemongrass. I can't detect any other notes but I know they're in there. Just applied: Shortly after it dried on my skin, I started to get a more mellow version of the lemongrass. It was once sharp, and now it's "wider" and softer. There's a slight spiciness in this as well, but it's subtle. After 30 minutes: Whoah, I am getting more of a soft, creamy tone the longer I wear this. It's not like vanilla, but almost. There's just something creamy or milky that's tempering the lemongrass. I love it! And then after about an hour, I also started to get some soft, white florals in the background. Overall, though, the lemongrass rules this blend. Rating: For effectiveness, I'd give this a 5 out of 5 stars. For scent alone, I give this a 3 out of 5 stars. It's nice, but I obviously view this as a working blend in much the same way as the TAL oils.

SWADHISTHANA: SACRAL The Glory of Vishnu, The House of Varuna, One's Own AbodeThe Six-Petaled Lotus. The unconscious, the sweetness of life, desire, pleasure, sexuality, procreation, emotion. Swadhisthana is the manifestation of passion, the reconciliation, balance and union of the masculine and feminine within ourselves. In Swadhisthana, we learn to give and receive pleasure. It is the stimulation of the life force, the basis for life itself, and our force on the physical plane. In this chakra, our samskaras are cloistered, and in this chakra they find expression. Because of the highly sexual identification of this chakra, many find its temptations and trials very difficult to overcome. In the bottle: This is very bright and golden. I do get the color orange from it, but it's a brighter more vivid orange. As far as scent, I mostly detect something that's bright and golden without it being citrus or amber. If that makes any sense at all? Just applied: Wow, this is very nice. I detect something medicinal in there, and something that could possibly be a light amout of patchouli. I am also curious about the peppery quality that comes out in this. It's like white pepper, but I doubt it's actually white pepper. I'm thinking it's more likely jasmine, because my skin turns jasmine to a strange peppery scent (Ew!). The jasmine might also explain the fruitiness I'm detecting. After 30 minutes: The peppery quality fades, and at this point it's just a very light, bright, warm, and golden scent. It's also very sensual at this point. I can't detect any notes better than that! I do have one thought about the chakra blends. I could be wrong, but I'm starting to wonder if these Chakra blends all have a common blend in them much like some of the Lunar oils are said to have. I just seem to get a certain smell that's underneath everything else that reminds me of the other Chakra scents I've tested. Hmm. Rating: For Chakra working purposes, I give this 5 out of 5 stars. For scent alone, I give this 3 out of 5 stars.

SAHASRARA: THE CROWN The Glory of ShivaThe Thousand-Petaled Lotus. Inspiration, consciousness, thought, understanding, transcendence, consciousness beyond reason, bliss. Spiritual, emotional, mental and physical perfection. Sahasrara grants us a glimpse of our greater Self, our destiny, and our real responsibilities in this lifetime. This is the pursuit and realization of truth. This is the quest for Samadhi. In the bottle: Bright menagerie of fruits, very subtle herbal background. Just applied: Again, bright fruits. Maybe it's even lotus because I can see how someone might get bubblegum from it. So perhaps it's lotus and fruits, but I don't detect any citrus fruits in it at all. This has a pretty good amount of throw, more than average I think. After 30 minutes: Whoah! This doesn't morph all that much, but it mellows out a lot. It's very complex yet it all seems to meld together so well that I still can only say "fruits". I also get multiple colors when I think of the color of this blend, rather than just one. And after an hour or more, the fruits mellow and I do get some florals. I also like this scent best after an hour or more just because of how it develops. Rating: For chakra work I rate this 5 out of 5 stars. For scent alone I rate this 3 out of 5 stars.