Black Phoenix

[Dandelion]

Our signature oil. A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won’t stop kissing mirrors for a month.

 

Oh, I loooooove the cherry in this. Yummmmm. In the imp, cherry and spice. Smells like Dr Pepper/Mr Pibb. On the skin, more spice, less cherry. Still smells like Dr Pepper. I'm not sure I want to smell exactly like Dr Pepper, but it is still a great scent.

rating: 3/5

Edited August 8, 2006 by Dandelion

[birdiefu]

I wanted to like Black Phoenix, I should have liked it, but it didn't like me .

 

Bottle- I hardly got any smell from the imp. A slight bit of sweet darkness.

 

Wet- My first impression was cherries, a whole ton of sweet cherries. After the brief surge of extreme cherryness, it was mega almond. Sweet, sweet almonds with a touch of cherry.

 

Dry- My skin wants to eat Black Phoenix up, this doesn't last very long at all. The scent that I can capture while dry (~10 minutes after applying) is more complex than while wet. The almond is barley detectable, the cherries are gone, and I can catch that deeper bit coming out. It's warm, spicey, and a little astrigent, yet oh-so-slightly sweet. Something resiney, a touch of myrrh and oh- is that my beloved dragon's blood? Ah, but the notes are so fleeting it's hard to identify them.

 

Overall- Not a fan of the wet smell, this definitely improves over time. However, it's completely gone from my skin within 30 minutes .

 

 

ETA: on drydown there is something in there that reminds me of Laudanum.

Edited August 8, 2006 by birdiefu

[edenssixthday]

Black Phoenix - I am in absolute heaven wearing this! It is the second almond scent I’ve tried that turned to pure sexy deliciousness on my skin. In the vial and after first applying it, it’s incredibly sweet and smells almost entirely of almonds, but with a touch of something else that’s also very, very sweet, but I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe something fruity? It’s so hard to say. Upon dry-down, the sweet fruit scent completely disappears and while the almond is still present, it’s very faint. At this point, the notes that are the strongest are something very sharp and red-hot spicy, along with the faint sweetness of opium, and the slightest smoky touch of frankincense, grounded by a ribbon of dark musk that runs in between and throughout the other notes. This is an absolutely gorgeous blend. While it’s got powerful throw when wet, when it’s dry, it sticks very close to my skin. Still, this is such a beautifully complex blend that is simultaneously comforting and sexy, I’m going to keep on wearing it! I’m hoping that it will last longer in a scent locket or in my hair. If I can figure out a way to get a little more throw from it, this will definitely be a blend that makes a statement wherever I go.

[Caltha]

Black Phoenix

Black Phoenix is a real morpher. It starts out slightly medicinal and spicy like cinnamon and bitter almond, much like Chimera. After only a few minutes it turns sharp ans soapy though, like some soapy floral, dragon's blood maybe. I get this spicy soapiness from a lot of BPAL blends but I'm not sure what's causing it. In the drydown I get a hint of sweetening vanilla too but still too sharp and soapy and flat.

[Melantha]

When I put it on, almond came screaming up, and I was disappointed. However, within a couple of minutes, it sank back, and now a complex blend sits in its place, spicy and smoky, daring me to pick out its notes. I can't. But I do like it! A lot.

[salamandrina]

Laginappe from the lab.

 

In the imp, this was lovely cherries and almonds.

 

On my skin, though, it turned straight to soap, with an undertone of something unpleasant.

 

I'm going to have to give this another try at a different point in my cycle, though....it should, by all rights, work on me.

 

If not, it's off to swaps.

[sofaking6]

I got an imp of this from eBay. I am loving it. Wet it is total Black Cherry Dr. Pepper, but right away the ...?amber?musk?myrrh? shows up and as it dries, it takes over but still retains that cherry sweetness in back. This loves me as much as I love it! I only pick up a slight almond in the imp but on me there is no nuttiness at all. It gives over to powder only after several hours and right before fading completely.

[Loligo]

When I first apply it, it smells like cheap men's aftershave, with that same plasticky "band-aid" note that I get from Laudanum. It takes about an hour to get to the beautiful smell that wafts up from the imp even when it's closed: a smoky, aromatic sweetness with hints of cherry/almond.

[maijasu]

In the imp, this smells like a powdery cherry almond. On my skin, though, it turns absolutely rancid smelling. I can't even describe it, other than just smelling "not right." This could be a lovely scent on the right person, but it's not one that agrees with my skin chemistry at all.

[bizarrogirl]

This is my first review. Eep.

 

I'm a BPAL newbie. Out of the approximately 12 scents I've tried so far, this one was my First True Love, in BPAL terms. I can't stop wearing it. Every time I reach for my box of scents, I am helpless; I have to put this one on. I'm in trouble when it runs out.

 

Anyway. In the bottle, it smells like one of those newfangled sodas, you know, like Black Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. And just like that, I love it. When I put it on, it immediately changes, and becomes deeper, less sweet, more incense, more almond and a little spicy. I absolutely love it and can't stop sniffing myself when I'm wearing it.

 

Unfortunately, I seem to soak this one right up and a few hours later, I can't smell it much anymore. I see big bottles, lots of big bottles, in my future.

[Melantha]

I put off reviewing this, since the dominant note in the imp was almond, and I'm not an almond fan. But today I tried it.

 

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. The almond fades away within five minutes, and I'm left with this amazing smoky, dark, herby blend, with perhaps some cinnamon. I'm in love with it. It's long lasting, and has quite a bit of throw, too. I just wish I had a boy to try this out on.

[kwelge]

Frimp from lab! Hooray! Was too timid to order it myself.

 

In the imp, it's a strong cherry-almond.

 

Wet: More cherry-almond.

 

Drydown: Oooooooh. I'm definitely getting fruit -- berries? But it's a dark, languid blend, there's something toning it down. Not sure if that's smoke or incense. Maybe some sweet spices too? Not too sweet overall, I really like the balance between darkness and sweetness.

 

Verdict: Intriguing blend, sorry I can't identify it any better. This is definitely an OMG blend. Sticks around for quite a while too, with medium throw.

 

I just hope the boy likes it, 'cause I think I'm in love. On the bottle list.

[kunoichi]

In the vial, this is a pure, strong almond scent – yet it may have something hidden underneath the almonds. On my skin, the almond scent disappears and it becomes an ever so slightly smoky scent that has a touch of sweetness to it; it reminds me of something I can’t place, something possibly edible, dark and sticky - possibly like a fruit cake or plum pudding ... with musk. After a couple of hours this is much more like a dark, spicy musk and is quite nice.

[supremegoddessofall]

Roses. Definitely got a lot of roses in there, but there's some spicy undertone, too. Some musk. Mama like.

 

Score: 4 out of 5

[The Dark Lady]

Upon initial application, this oil offers up a lovely, rich cherry-almond fragrance. Within a few seconds, the almond dissipates completely, leaving a powdery, slightly musky, rose scent, reminiscent of my great-grandmother's powder room.

 

Evocative? Yes. Wearable? Sadly, no.

Edited September 28, 2006 by The Dark Lady

[steffanina]

Black Phoenix-

 

(Signature scent, huh? Here goes.)

 

In Bottle: Smells exactly like the Jergens' lotion standard cherry-almond scent!

 

Wet: Yup, cherry almond.

 

Dry: This didn't linger long. Oh, well!

 

Overall: Quick fader, too bad.

[blackfelicula]

In the bottle: Black Phoenix in the imp smells like cherry cola. There is a resinous and slightly soap-like undertone to the scent.

 

Wet: The cherry scent is still prominent. There is a heady note that seems familiar from walking past department store perfume counters. Something sharply herbal is rising to the surface now. Granted, I was up late last night, but my eyelids are feeling suddenly heavy.

 

Drying down: The resinous scent is reminding me heartily of myrrh. Something in here is reminding me of Van Van, perhaps lemongrass or sweetgrass? There’s a flower in here that’s tickling my nose and soaping up the mix. It may be rose, it reminds me of the tea rose oil I have from another company. These are just guesses. My nose is not good enough to know for sure.

 

Dry: There is an undertone that is like play-doh. The resin is still holding its own, though the scent that reminded me of Van Van has faded. The flower is quiet now, and the soapiness has quieted with it. What is left reminds me of what the result would be if someone found Schwarzer Mond beaten to unconsciousness: silent, defeated, its secrets stolen by force.

 

Later: The play-doh scent is gone, as is what smelled like Van Van. The floral is now nonexistent, as is the soapiness. Another scent has welled up. I cannot quite place it. Ambergris perhaps? Whatever it is, it has turned it into something sexy. There is still a resemblance to Schwarzer Mond, but this time the Schwarzer Mond is primping for a date with Tombstone. I think it is worth the wait to get to this point.

[Christine Daae]

Frimp from the Lab!

 

In the imp: Cherry-almondy! And it is leaking everywhere, so my hands smell of sugary almondy cherries.

 

Wet: Still sticky-sweet cherry-almondy smell. Very sugary and yummy.

 

Drydown: This gets less sticky-sweet (aww...) and more herbal and dark. It's still very lovely, though. I can't even begin to guess what's in this. I'm not getting anything floral, just something dark and...not quite musky.

 

Verdict: I wish I got the reactions that other people are getting (sexy! sophisticated! yummy!) but I just sort-of long for that sticky-sweet almond-cherry smell. It's still slightly sweet, but mostly dusty and dry. It must be my chemistry. And it's too bad, because this one is leaking all over the place!

[buzz23666]

Bummer. I really wanted to like this one.

 

Wet - almond, and a raging almond at that.

 

Dry - something went wonky on me with this. It turned to soap and cinnamon.

[ND¢]

When I sniff it from the imp and first apply it, it's the cherry/almond (Dr.Pepper-alike) smell everyone else is mentioning. It does immediately manifest something like cinnamon underneath, and the cherry/almond fades to a dark, near-medicinal cinnamon haze. Not bad, but not exactly attractive on me. I sort of see the 'band-aid' comparison, actually.

[Monster]

Right out of the imp I get a sweet almond. On my skin this is ALL almond with just a touch of light musk.

 

As this dries down the almond completley dissapears (almond never stays on my skin on the drydown) and morphs into a sweet musk mixed with a vetier (??) and something resiny and smoky. This is a rich, dark, mysterious and elegant smelling perfume, much like the Phoenix!

 

Very pretty, but not for me

[PilotKitten]

Well, there's no notes listed so I'm not sure what's in this one. I'm pretty sure I'm getting dragon's blood though. This scent has surprised me. I honestly expected it to be a spicy musk and instead, on me at least, it's a sweet, slightly darker version of Dragon's Milk. O_o... strange. Not bad though. I may keep this imp around for a bit.

[jasmine]

Sour cherry and almond in the bottle... something else under it (musk?) Not a sweet cherry in the slightest.

 

After being applied to my wrist, it almost smells moldy. I expect cherry to have a sweetness and roundness to it that this doesn’t have.

 

The moldy smell is settling away (thank goodness!) and the scent has backed off entirely. Whatever is here doesn’t strike me as particularly complex... it’s a dark, rich middle note. I’m not sure what became of the almond smell; it seems to have faded out. In fact, the entire thing seems to be fading unexpectedly into my wrist. I can pick it up at a distance, but only by concentrating.

 

Ah, this is getting better. It’s turned into... I’m not sure what. The darkness is ebbing a bit, leaving a reddish scent behind that I don’t at all mind. (I sound like I have synethesia when I write these reviews. The English language just doesn’t handle scents correctly.) It is developing a bit more presence as well, but it doesn’t seem like a presence that I particularly want to exhibit. The sourness and mold are gone, but now it smells like unsweetened cherry with a distinct “perfuminess” about it.

 

This scent faded slowly and gradually into a reddish-purple scent, but it took three hours or so to hit a point where I felt happy about it. It lasted for almost ten hours before giving up the ghost. Nice on the right person, I am sure... but it needs the right person.

[miss_mimic]

In the bottle: Almonds!! Smells like marzipan, yum!

 

On skin, wet: Almonds and something else spicy… still smells yum

 

On skin, dry: Once the almond settles down something sweet emerges… and rose. Mum says carnation too, but I'm not sure about that.

 

Drydown: Lots of roses… everywhere! At least, thats what I get! Not sure if roses are me, I’ll have to think about that. There’s a hint of cherry in there too. This is a gorgeous scent.

 

Conclusion: Lovely… not sure its me, but it is gorgeous. I’m going to wear it a couple more times and decide.

[thecaitycat]

In the bottle: Cherries. Very strong cherries. I can't smell anything else immediately.

 

Wet on skin: I wouldn't say that this mellows out at all, but it does become more complex. It's very dark, still with the cherries, coconut, and something vaguely floral/incensey. I can't really tell.

 

Dry on skin: This is not a sweet smell at ALL. I can't call it refreshing, really, but it's a nice change from the sweet scents I'm usually attracted to. I can't stop smelling my wrists.

 

Verdict: I really, really like this. It certainly lives up to being dark and languid and self-love inducing. It's almost smoky.