Red Phoenix

[Eunice]

A celebration of three years of decadence, determination, death and rebirth. Red musk, tonka, Chinese cassia, mandarin, patchouli, benzoin, wild plum and tobacco.

Red Phoenix is spicy but the cinnamon has a more earthy, woody scent. The musk and patchouli keep this from being a foody spice. No mandarin or plum at all for me. This gets a bit smoky on drydown which plays well. Another winner!!

[themerrybaker]

Red Phoenix is really puzzling. It starts out with a blast of cinnamon/cassia, mellows out into a spicy scent that blends into my skin, and ends up maybe a little musky vanilla. I don't think I ever detected the citrus or benzoin - but who nose.

 

 

 

All in all I like it and would likely have kept it had I originally ordered it, but I don't need to hunt down a whole bottle now that it is history. ]

[indicolite]

This is not just my first eBay purchase from BPAL, but my first purchase on eBay, period, but I decided to grab something from the lab's moving sale, and on impulse chose this one to concentrate on. It did not disappoint; I love love love it and have to figure out how to decant my bottle, because I want to carry this around with me.

 

The cinnamon-like note that dominates at first is, I believe, cassia, and I am getting hints of the musk and patchouli as well, and the faintest edge of plum. Also a rather clear note that may be benzoin or tonka, as I do not yet know exactly what those smell like. But it is well-balanced now, without any annoying edge, and it is one great scent, so much so that even with 5 mL I fear it going away.

 

Anyhow, love love love love love. Thanks lab for sending this to me on 6/6/6!

[midnight_aeval]

Now, I have no idea what the notes in this are supposed to smell like, and this is a bit of a complex fragrance for my 4th BPAL sniff, but it's pretty nice!

 

I feel a little drunk or dizzy sniffing it.. is this a good thing??? It's a hot, sexy oil.

 

ETA: It turned funky that first time I tested it on my skin. I tried it again before it went on my swaplist and I loved it. It was warm, comforting, like something familiar, but distant. Ack- need a bottle!

Edited July 8, 2006 by Midnight Aeval

[Shollin]

First sniff: Red spice and ripe heavy fruit. It’s way cinnamon (cassia, whatever) in the bottle… I’m a little afraid of what my skin will do to it.

 

Wearing: The wrist-scent is a lot brighter than I expected, very red and still mostly spice. Sadly, all the other wonderful stuff never really showed up, so I pretty much smelled like cinnamon gum all day. Verdict: Reluctant swappage. No luck yet with the two Phoenixes I’ve tried – maybe the Pink will like me more.

[edenssixthday]

Red Phoenix - I didn't buy a bottle of this because it just didn't sound like it was up my alley, but I got a decant, and I really like it! It's sweet and spicy, and has a pinch of fruitiness. It doesn't have much throw and stays very close to the skin but seems to have moderate staying power.

[ViciousBleu]

Started off on me smelling like I made an oil from crushed 'Fireballs' and 'Red Hearts' and various other cinnamon candies and I was happy.

 

Then it gets fake smelling like a 'Christmas' scented candle and I was sad.

 

Then it turns back into candy with a tarty background. I really like this one. Another eBay success!

[purrbox]

i'm coming to the realization that cassia is the devil. in this, as in monster bait: underbed, it's literally ALL i can smell. wet, dry, it doesn't matter, it's cassia, period. it's got a profoundly chemical 'after smell' (you know, like after taste? heh) that makes my head spin. it dwarfs all other notes, and it makes me physically nauseaus. i can't handle it, had to wash it off immediately. i've learned my lesson, i'll never buy anything with cassia/cinnamon in it again.

[provocateur]

In bottle: Dirty, spicy plum.

 

On skin, wet: Patchouli and plum. Oh, bliss!

 

On skin, dry: Tonka, benzoin, plum and patchouli.

 

Conclusion: I really don't care if there were other notes in this, because just as it is, is divine.

 

Rating: 5/5

[McKay]

I tried this when it first arrived, and I liked it, but I didn't love it. Still, I put it on the shelf with the few bottles and multitudinous imps that I like enough to wear rather than swap, and I let it sit for a while, mostly because I had other new scents to try and partly because I didn't remember being all that "wow" about it.

 

I'm not sure if my skin chemistry was different, or I wasn't remembering it right, or if it just seemed ho-hum in the midst of a new scent smelling frenzy, but the next time I put it on, I loved it. It's warm and lightly spicy, and thank goodness the tobacco doesn't come out strong on me. Sometimes, tobacco notes and I don't get along, but in this case, the cassia cinnamon and plum mix well and become the dominant scents on me. It's not heavy; it's just warm and comforting.

 

Even better is that every time I wear this around my mother, she remarks on how good it smells, so this one is definitely a keeper, fast becoming my "signature scent".

[gaai]

Although I like this......it's mostly cassia, cassia, cassia........cassia.....and a little musk.......

And if I sniff really, really close, I get just a tiny bit of tobacco and patchouli......but just a little......

Has a bit more throw than usual on me ( scents tend to stay close to my skin ) and it lasts longer too.

It's a nice enough scent, just not for every day...

[luna65]

Thanks to maewitch for the decant.

 

Vial: The plum is very strong in the vial, it's such a luscious note! Underneath I can sense the mandarin lending a certain juiciness to the blend.

 

Skin: As with most blends containing cassia, it's very loud on me to begin with, although it doesn't take over completely. I get a floriental feel from the initial application, spicy-sweet.

 

Drydown: And also as with most blends, the musk meshes everything together. In the drydown I'd say that the musk and the tobacco are the most prevalent, there is a powdery quality in the end. This is a very mature blend, which I think is entirely fitting with the theme: as a phoenix is reborn, so does this perfume evolve from a seemingly unassuming gaiety to a more dramatic resolution.

[Caltha]

Red Phoenix

Red Phoenix is a very sweet and comforting scent and yes, very red. I'd say something like red musk with strawberries or other sweet berries, or berry-scented incense. It reminds me of The Caterpillar I think, but, well, redder. It's quite powdery and perhaps boozy. I enjoy it, but it is a little on the sweet side and since it's a LE I think I'd rather make someone else happy with it than keep it just in case I'd ever reach for it.

[dierne]

In the bottle - Strong dark spices. There's heat in here.

 

Wet on skin - More green notes now, softening with exotic woods.

 

Dry on skin - Spices are making themselves, I'm sure I found cinnamon and possibly pepper.

 

Later - Becoming wam and musky with a supporting cast of spice. I like it but as ever my skin is eating it and making it very subtle ... not wanting it to fade away

[Ryvre]

By all rights, this scent should have been perfect for me. I adore tonka, red musk, patchouli, and tobacco, and I really love plum! This should have been my holy grail, but alas, the scent gods are a cruel lot.

 

In the bottle: All I smell is plastic... I can't figure out where all those wonderful notes are.

 

Wet: Burnt plastic. My boyfriend loves it. He says it smells like cinnamon, but all I smell is burnt platic.

 

Dry: Still burnt plastic, with a whiff of tobacco and patchoulli. Where's my plum? My boyfriend still says it smells like cinnamon.

 

Conclusion: Is there something wrong with my nose? Or my skin chemistry? I think this bottle is headed for the swap pile.

[nancybridget]

WOW! Major spiciness factor going on here! My skin is amping the cassia.

 

Together the combo is not what I expected, though I appreciate most of the notes.

 

The tobacco is coffe grounds to me, and the other aromas are making my mouth water. The notes together are something I would appreciate more in my teas than on my body.

[Dinerdulcinea]

Someone very generous sent this decant as a frimp in my last forum order (thanks!).

 

Sadly, though, on me...Big Red Gum all the way.

 

It smelled FAB (warm and rich) on my sister in law, however, so I gave it to her.

 

Her very first BPAL imp and her very first BPAl test....ahhhhh, let the enabling begin!!!

[storme]

In the imp: oh, my. Dark swirling rich sexy yumminess. Tonka and patchouli and tobacco being the main things I can smell.

 

On me, wet: Ah, there's that red musk kick on my skin. There's something very dry in this, though - I think it's the chinese cassia, since it's a powdery cassia sort of feel.

 

On me, dry: The cassia's backed off a bit - this is now mostly a dry-ish red musk scent with a dusting of cassia and a waft of tobacco and tonka adding earthiness to it. And there's pepper, too, making my top lip sting as I sniff.

 

Verdict: Mrf. I think Blood Moon is a better red musk on me - this is just that bit too earthy and dry for me. Swap pile, I guess.

[lady_pandora]

In the bottle: Cinnamon madness!

 

Wet: Red Hots, or Big Red gum. 100% cinnamon.

 

Drydown: The cinnamon remained strong, but the musk note began to gradually rise to the surface.

 

Dry: Musk and cinnamon, and they blended pretty well. My friend M. said it smelled great on me; I insisted it smelled like my grandmother. It's a weird quirk of some musk notes; they interact with my skin chemistry and smell just like my grandmother's perfume, which contained a lot of musk. M. insisted that it smelled good, but alas, smelling like my grandmother just doesn't make me feel sexy. I mean, she was a wonderful lady, but it doesn't mean I want to smell like her.

 

I ought to get over this; it stands to reason that she and I would have similar body chemistry, seeing as we were related and I take after her a great deal. *sigh*

[Loligo]

I was expecting something similar to Snake Charmer, but this turns out to be much dryer and simpler. Tobacco and cassia (smells like a very dry, woodsy version of cinnamon) are the main notes on me. There is a sweetness to it, but it's sweet like pipe smoke, as opposed to the more syrupy sweetness in the background of Snake Charmer.

[sarahj]

Red Phoenix

 

in bottle: plum, tonka, and cassia

 

wet: the patchouli begins to take over

 

dry: plum, patchouli, and musk

 

verdict: goes on my favorites list

[steffanina]

Red Phoenix-

 

In Bottle: Cinnamon and something resinous.

 

Wet: Cinnamon with something to temper it, mellow it underneath. Is it musk? I'm not sure.

 

Dry: This is a yummy scent on the dry-down, all musk-spice-warm. I really don't get the benzoin except maybe as the merest hint, and it works well with this scent.

 

Overall: Nice!

[euterpe414]

I wasn't around for the last BPAL-iversary, and I was really wanting to try this after reading the description. So finally, now, I got around to purchasing the bottle from the forum.

 

I am so sad, because this absolutely doesn't work on me and I don't know what note is doing it. I suspect the cassia, though. There is spice, and it is lovely, but in the background exists this sharp soapy smell that is ruining all the lovely spice

 

I waited a while for it to die down, hopeing that maybe the blend would open up on my skin, but no. same, same same. drat!

[biernaise]

Red Phoenix:

 

Initially, I get Red Hots (cassia) with a complex underbelly of tobacco and musky resins.

The drydown gives way to the appealing curves of the plummy musk!

There is something more here too- almost floral but faintly reminds me of citronella.

 

Nice throw too. Semi masculine scent that I want to schmear on hubby when he's sleeping (a hater of "fancy shit" like scented oils on himself)

[mmmitchell]

I got this with my very first order of BPAL, last January. Alas, I got involved with some other scents (heavily involved, I guess....... ) and by the time I got around to trying this on, the weather was starting to warm up a bit (OK, that happens in early March here on the glorious Gulf Coast) and it felt too Fall/Winter to wear. This scent seems VERY season-appropriate to me right now, and I'm really loving wearing it.

 

I know. Sounds weird. But onward.....

 

In the bottle: I love ALL these notes. In the bottle, I get mostly the musk and patchouli, who are then combining with what smells like cassia, as opposed to cinnamon. Oooooo, but there's a yummy plummy aroma just beneath that, waiting to bloom.

 

Wet: Initially, this has a "sharp" note to it, sort of an edge of brassiness to the scent's otherwise red/gold combo. Tonka? Benzoin? Maybe....I'm not sure I know those scents well enough to say. It may even be the first notes of the plum. But that begins to fade as the plummy ripeness begins to bloom, which adds a definite juciness to the dryness of the patchouli/musk/cassia trio. I don't ever seem to get any mandarin (I assume mandarin orange?) from this blend. If there's a tobacco note here, it's blending so well with the Big Three that I don't pick it up individually.

 

Dry: Beautifully well blended in drydown on me. This is a sexed-up, juicy version of Blood Moon, and I reallyreally like it a lot. Like many of the oils, this sits close to my skin, though it has more throw than most. I usually mix it with perfumer's alcohol and spritz away to my heart's content.