Black Phoenix

[Antaria]

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

 

I so wanted this to work ...

 

Cherry + Almond are some of my favorite scents. Kissing the mirror sounds good - well ... wet this is beautiful! Cherry, Almond + some cake, really nice. But after about 1 minute it starts to turn a bit sharp, salty and soapy. And it gets worst. After 45 minutes it was some cheap almondsoap, really disgusting and it gave me a headache. I had to wash it of A shame that the labs signature oil does not work on me at all.

Edited March 15, 2007 by Antaria

[metaldog32]

Okay…so my sister has a bottle of this and she absolutely LOVES it. My gf who I enabled to BPAL also owns a bottle and LOVES it. I have a frimp compliments of the Labbies and I should be pretty shocked if I don’t love it too!!! Without further ado:

 

Initial sniff from frimp: Hehehehehehe..it’s almonds…almost almonds and amaretto and a touch of something fruity in the back..is it cherry??? Smells good..maybe there is some spice in here too??? Nothing too overt..but something nonetheless???

 

Applied wet on skin: Ohhh..it’s almonds with some sort of wet cherry. This kind of reminds me a bit of Bastet in feel….and I like Bastet very much..so right now I am enjoying the Black Phonenix.

 

Couple of minutes on skin:Cherries have died down and it’s more just almond/spice…a bit sticky sweet..with some sort of note that kind of reminds me like a skin musk..maybe it’s just me??? I don’t know..I usually don’t get this so early in a fragrance..but who knows??? Another reviewer had stated that this sort of reminded them of Blood Kiss..I have to agree with that..it’s kind of like Bastet and Blood Kiss on me.

 

Ten minutes later:Hmph…almond cherry duo have left the building..and what I have left on me is something akin to a musky/touch smoky/tad herbal mélange. At some point I thought I smelled something a smidgen soap-like but that has disappeared…and what I am left is this waft that sort of reminds me of resins..maybe myrhh??? It’s a touch sweet, a touch powdery, a touch smoky…interesting.

 

Drydown: faint waft of powdery/spicy sweetness.

Lasting power 6+ hours. I went outside this afternoon and shoveled wet snow and ice for about 2 hours and it was still on..the throw started out a bit strong in the wet phase but settled down to close to the skin in about an hour.

 

Bottom Line: Black Phoenix is a very pleasant fragrance..had my sister not claimed it for her own I might very well consider a bottle myself; it has a great combination of spice/sweetness/fruit/resin and a touch of powder that all together just works. I think it is a great fragrance to wear for fall and winter..and I am glad my sister…who normally doesn’t wear such a fragrance fell in love with Black Phoenix. I will keep my imp though..it could be useful for layering.

[Browneyes]

The almond/amaretto/cherry note just isn't my cup of tea. That said, I'm sure this would be a lovely sexy-sweet almost skin-like fragrance on someone whom it suits and who likes almond/amaretto/cherry

Edited March 25, 2007 by Browneyes

[Victoria]

I received this as a freebie with a pack of imps I ordered.

To me this smells exactly like Vidal Sasoon shampoo. The next best description I have would be amaretto liqueur. Not something I would wear all the time, but still kinda yummy.

 

update: turned soapy on me after an hour. but i put it safely on the back of my cat's neck last night (where he can't reach) and he still smells great the next morning.

Edited April 4, 2007 by Tragic Thalia

[moon_lemming]

Mmmmmm, this is glorious. I'd expect no less from BPAL's signature scent, but sometimes "glorious" translates to "SCRUB IT OFF FAST" on my skin.

 

In the imp, I smell ... cherries? Almonds? At first I think it's almonds doing their wolf-in-cherry-clothing thing, but it might actually be both. I'm not Super Nose enough yet to tell, sadly.

 

It stays wonderful wet on my skin, with a nice creamy undertone that is pure LOVE. I really would go around kissing mirrors if it stayed like this, but sadly it turns a bit sharp and powdery ten minutes later. On the sort-of-plus side, it also fades liek woah, so it doesn't stick around long enough to get any worse.

 

I think this would be a FANTASTIC locket scent.

[lady_pandora]

I don't like this, and it's not Beth's fault.

 

A few years ago I had severely dry skin and I had a cherry/almond lotion that I used all the time. The lotion didn't work very well, and I also got sick of the scent after a while. This smells exactly like it. I think I just don't like the combination of cherry and almond and that it will always smell kind of medicinal to me and bring back memories of irritated skin rather than anything hedonistic.

[sfo4]

Oh, WOW. I *love* this. I got this as a frimp and though it smelled very strong in the bottle, it has a glorious drydown. Then again, my skin loves cherries.

 

Wet: Plump, juicy, dark cherries and musk.

Dry: The cherries become less "ripe" and become background for the wonderfully complex, smoky musk. The musk is a *wonderful* tobacco, swirling fruity smoke musk. Oh, *yum*. I get none of the amaretto/boozy scent nor the strong almond scent nor the cherry cola that others have described. If I place my nose a few inches away from my wrist and inhale, I actually get a creamy, dry, buttery scent. This is so wonderfully complex and smoky and musky, with just a slight twist of buttered, burnt cherries in the background.

 

In a nutshell: this is wonderful!

 

An hour later: I'm lovestruck, smitten, and can't detach my nose from my wrist. Oh man, this is just so delicious and smokey and creamy-tobacco-y (I didn't know it was possible for smoke/tobacco to be *creamy*, but it is here) and cherry-fruity and burnt-buttery I want to eat my arm.

Edited April 9, 2007 by lianri

[blu°]

Ok, this hasn't been a new one for me. I've had this imp for at least 1 and a half year. It had been stuck into my imp box, one of the eternal imps that I'd be forever undecided about. I eventually forgot about it, and one day it had even made it into the little pile of used imps that I'm frimping out in swaps.

 

However, it fell into my hands yesterday, and I thoroughly enjoyed wearing it throughout the whole day. I kept getting these amazing, uplifting spicy wafts from it, and then immediately put it back with the imps I'm planning to convert into bottles sooner or later.

 

I remembered it being a kind of close-to-the-skin, flat and bitter scent. Strong almond, maybe a bit of narcissus, and dark.

 

Yesterday I noticed for the first time how spicy it is. I'm not quite sure if that's cinnamon or maybe bay rum. It made me think of Port-au-Prince or Baron Samedi a lot. And I think the spiciness has become stronger within the run of the last 1 and a half years, because I didn't notice it earlier.

 

At no point - not even when I first tested this - did I get cherry from it. The dominant note always appeared to be a strong bitter almond with a poisonous feel.

 

The aged oil is that poisonous almond with some spice to it and some depth that migth be due to musks or some kind of resin.

 

I don't notice anything akin to narcissus anymore, though I still suspect it to be in here. However, that spiciness is taking over aged Black Phoenix on my skin pretty soon and that's how it stays until it vanishes a good 8 to 9 hours later.

 

I really love this now and it'll probably be part of my next lab order.

[angharad]

I have no luck with almond or cherry notes. Almond overpowers everything else, making me gag, and cherry tends to become cloying. I didn't remember what was in this when I ordered it. When I first sniffed it in the imp, my brain started screaming, "RED ALERT!"

 

I tried it on anyway, and surprisingly, I didn't get any overbearing almond. The cherry was very cloying on my skin, though, and reminded me of cherry cough syrup. After half an hour or so, it turned powdery. The throw was very strong while in the cherry cough syrup stage but was much softer once it turned powdery. It lasted for several hours in that stage.

 

Basically this wasn't what I expected -- being both not as good as I'd hoped for BPAL's "signature scent," and not as bad as I'd feared once I first smelled that cherry note. But that's all just my own personal preference and skin chemistry.

[le fey]

In the bottle:

blast of cherry and almonds - smells just like Dr. Pepper!

 

Wet:

A lot more acrid on my arm - the cherry/almond scent is nearly burning my nostrils up close. Lost much of the Dr. Pepper sweetness. None of this is keeping me from breathing it in, though.

I can't decide if I love or hate this.

 

Dry (15 min):

Scary - there was a brief moment there where it went to Windex but then it morphed - and I don't get this - into bright red roses. Not real roses, but that red rose scent of the Little Kiddle doll I had when I was six. Getting spicier/incensey, and I'm smelling neither almond or cherry anymore. I don't know what to make of this at all. It's all very evocative and stirring up all sorts of scent memories but I'm not sure that translates into liking it much.

 

Later (45 min):

Incense, a bit harsh at first, but settling in now, and suddenly I'm noticing the almonds again. This has faded in intensity quite a bit over just the last few minutes. This soft scent is more pleasant than what came before but I'm still not sure if I like it.

 

Wind Down (2 hours):

very faint, powdery incense.

 

Verdict:

I never got to the point where I fell in love with this, but I remained intrigued by it none the less. I'm still not sure what I think. I'm putting this in a pile of things to try again. I am not ready to give up on it yet.

[Jheya]

I think Black Pheonix and I are not going to be friends.

 

In the imp: almond/marzipan.

 

Wet on skin: I get overpowering marzipan almond...and nothing else. Thank goodness I only used a tiny dab to test or else I might have been quite overwhelmed by it.

 

But then it dries, and changes completely. Not a single whiff of almond remains. Instead it morphs into something I don't quite know how to describe, let alone identify. Medicinal, herby, and bitter is the best I can come up with.

 

I'm not keen on the almond extreme, and the drydown isn't for me, either. Interesting to have tried BPAL's signature scent, but it simply doesn't work on my skin. I think it's off to the swap box for my imp.

[porcelina]

bottle: all i get is almond.

wet: ...yeah, almond.

dry: oof. almond with something dusty and bitter that makes me sneeze.

overall: really, this is just all right.

[DifferentDances]

This starts out almost cherry and vanilla, then morphs into vanilla with spices or pepper. Strange. I'm undecided as to whether I really like this scent or if it just tickles my occasional fancy.

[Mia M]

In the bottle, first impression = YUM! Black cherry almond liqeur (if there is such a thing!) Very dark and decadent.

 

BUT!

 

My skin chemistry does something really, really weird to this one. When I was a little girl in Japan, I used to own a Rhinoceros beetle (these giant, black, shiny, scarab beetles with a ginormous horn on top of its head) as a pet. It sort of smells like the way my rhino beetle's cage smelled! On one hand, I sort of like it, because I adored that beetle and it's all nostalgic and everything but on the other hand, I'm not sure if I want to smell like him! I'm not sure if this review is very helpful because I don't know if that many people here knows what a japanese rhinoceros beetle cage smells like, but... yeah.

[Naamah_Darling]

Warm almond with a hint of candy and a brisk, citrus floral. Warm and liquid-smelling, delightful.

 

On, it warms up and darkens. There is definitely sandalwood or an incense in this, though the main note is a grassy almond. There's a definite flush of rose as well, a very pink and wet rose that goes nicely with the almond.

 

As it dries, the rose comes to the forefront along with whatever that incense note is, making it a truly unique scent. The fruitiness is gone, and what is left is a dry and curious scent that begs to be more closely investigated. The throw on this, though heady at first, rapidly settles down, and tame, it's quite pettable.

 

On weardown, a citrus note comes out, but it's a very restrained one; bergamot perhaps. There is a return at last of the fruitiness that it had in the bottle.

 

This is an unusual scent, and not at all typically perfume-y. There's a wisp of the dry and ancient about this – a sort of cracked wood, empty-room smell, but there's also something so warm and enveloping about it. A ratty old tapestry used as a blanket. It's sexy, a little smirking, but entirely too low-key to be considered aggressive.

 

It reminds me a great deal of Snake Oil, minus the elements I did not like in that blend.

[ouch!]

Whoa this is a morpher! This goes from sweet to sexy very very quickly! As everyone else has said this starts out Almond/Cherry for definate, I'm not really too fond of Almond on my skin but it goes away quite quickly.

 

Once it starts to dry, it changes completley on me almost immediatley. I think this has got violet in it, because violets to me smell like trampled on muddy petals, and I'm definately getting that vibe. There's also definately some kind of wood in here, Sandalwood most probably. Possibly rose but that's not for definate.

 

It's very sultry, and kind of powdery but with a floral/wood edge. I wish I knew what was in here! Grr!

 

The more it dries, the softer and more rounded the whole thing becomes...still a teensy whiff of the almond back there but only ever so slightly....

 

I don't know if I'd get a bottle of this but I can think of a few people that would like it for sure.

 

ETA: I'm convinced there's grass in this blend!

Edited May 22, 2007 by ouch!

[sabina_k]

So, without knowing any of the notes in this before I tried it, my overall impression was:

 

Grape soda. (Over either dark amber or musk.)

 

Oh well.

[LadyCrow]

I don't know what disturbing synchronicity has led me to test so many oils lately that contain the almond/amaretto note, either backed with cherry or by itself! Very heady, almost intoxicating, when wet; strangely, what lasts longest on me is the powdery drydown, with the incense-like notes others have mentioned, but that's also a stage with unusual oomph for what it is. I also got the bay rum note I'd heard was sometimes in this -- really, initially, it smelled almost salty and aquatic behind the cherry/almond, the way Baron Samedi does, but that toned down nicely as the drydown progressed.

 

Interesting, but I find myself among those who are sadly not in love with the signature scent; it's nothing that makes me want to jump up and go chase a bottle -- that's not to say it isn't pretty or interesting, but there are other bottles I'm chasing!

[luna65]

Thanks to lorajc for the imp.

 

Imp: Very rich almond-cherry scent, on the order of a liqueur.

 

Skin: The oil retains the same characteristic when I apply it, with the cherry becoming more prevalent; a nice impression of black cherry.

 

Drydown: Turns completely to powder within 15 minutes.

[themerrybaker]

I must have some pretty strange chemistry because Black Phoenix becomes Organic Chem Lab II on me. It takes me back to the days of synthesizing aldehydes and ketones which we irreverantly referred to as "making banana smell".

This is also a very strong and assertive perfume that I'm glad I got to try.

[Narya]

Black phoenix dissapointed me greatly

for a signature scent i expected something way more unique. this just turned cheap perfume + cleaning solution on me. i felt like a poor old cleaning lady with no future. very depressing and not in the least what i want my scents to induce.

luckily not all bpal's scents are like this as-if signature one

[mrsveteran]

In the imp: Oooh, sweet almond!

 

Wet on skin: Lovely -- sweet almond with a hint of softness.

 

Drydown: no, no, no, no, NO! It's turning to baby powder!

 

1 hour later: This is just pure baby powder, with maybe a teensy hint of musk. It smells a bit like the old Avon scent Pavi Elle. I used to like Pavi Elle when I was 16, but now ... not so much.

 

Throw: Strong enough that I can smell it while typing, and so that I can smell it from my hand when walking, but not so strong as to knock out passersby.

 

Verdict: This is NOT for me. I just don't care for baby powder anymore. I don't mind it on others, but not on myself. Grr.

[crazyredhead17]

In the imp, all I got was spicy mysterious things.

 

Wet, it was fruit fruit fruit and a bit of spice (and a teeny hint of peanuts, which is how vetiver smells on my skin when it's freshly wet). The fruitiness dies down as it dries, and for about twenty minutes or so it's spicy baby powder.

 

The powder passes, and I smell warm almonds with a hint of fruit (the cherry, I think) with spices in the back. These aren't foody spices.. they're dark, sexy spices, and overall it's a sexy, sexy scent on me.

 

My hubby appears to like it too. This shall require more testing.

[modernsaints]

There is rose in this.

 

I can tell because it is unholy disgusting sour baby powder, as has not been seen since I tried Blood Kiss (I AM STILL MOURNING THAT.)

 

In the imp, though, it's wonderful sweet bright cherry-almond. AGH. It is tormenting me and I want to cry! CURSE YOU, ROSE.

[Bagfish]

In the imp and on initially: fake cherry-almond, as usual, my skin turns BPAL almond into something horrible. Very quickly, this dries down to a stale smelling babypowder and then to generic soap. Not. For. Me.