The Phantom Calliope

[storme]

Ghostly, glowing, sweet and dark: black cherry, patchouli, cassis, cardamom and verbena.

In the imp: cherry-almond like crazy, and not much else.

On me, wet: oh, verbena, you make this into lemon-flavoured marzipan. This is sugary and sweet and dark and over-rich on me.

On me, dry: I can smell the cardamom being delicious and wonderful with the soft spicy blend, but the verbena is going mad over it all on my skin. Everything is overshadowed by over-sweetened cheap lemonade.

Verdict: Yeah, this I don't even need an imp of - but grr, one of these days, cardamom is going to turn up in a blend I will be able to wear, I really hope.

[Malista]

In the bottle and on my skin all I smell is cardamom. Raspy, dry and overwhelming, just as happened with Alone. Given the usual rambunctiousness of the other notes, that is just plain bizarre, but there you have it. If I hadn't had the same problem with Alone I'd almost say that whoever mixed this batch reached for the cassis and picked up the cassia by mistake, because this is just pungent dry spice overwhelm, here.

 

I'll let it mix and marry for a bit and see if any of the other notes come out, but my experience with Alone, again, suggests that once cardamom has taken over a blend it doesn't let go or mellow with age. Apparently I am one of those people who need blends with only the barest amount of cardamom, or it's all I can smell.

 

[hologhost]

I love that this is a different cherry than Beth normally uses - dark and sweet. In the bottle, this is a richer version of Blood with that strong spice note. On me the cassia scent kicks in and tries to take over. Then the lemon - Wow! I had a scent fight on my skin and the cherry lost.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was really looking forward to this Carnaval blend, just because I love black cherry and patchouli... and fruit + patchouli tends to work out insanely well on my skin. The cassia in this worries me though. My skin really amps up the sweet spices.

 

In the bottle... luscious, dark cherry, sweet cassia, and hints of earthy patchouli.

 

Phantom Calliope is a deep and rich scent on me. It's dark and none of the notes are really overpowering each other. This smells sort of manly on me, surprisingly.

 

The black cherry here actually begins to smell a bit like black licorice on me. Anise plus cherries, wrapped up in a velvety dark cloak. The hint of lemon paired with the black cherry makes this a really delicious fruity blend, and makes the fruits seem somehow juicy on me. And there's just enough earthy patchouli in the background and hints of spice layered over the fruits to make this completely unique and complex.

 

This isn't too fruity, too citrussy, too earthy, or too spicy... just a perfect mix of everything. I'd love to dab some of this one on my boy, as it's such a dark scent that it strikes me as one that would be really sexy on a man

[QueenFae]

Yummmm, dark, spooky, fizzy black cherry! It's fruity and evervescent and delicious. I can smell a little of the patchouli, but it's not a prominant note in the blend. There is a sweet, lovely floralish undertone which I'm assuming is the verbena note. This reminds me of drinking a black cherry ice cream soda in a hippie's kitchen. I like it very much, and I will certainly enjoy using my 5 ml.

[absinthetics]

Cherry-almond, marzipan... is the best description I've heard of this one.

 

There is also something very woody about it. It is definitely a keeper if for only how unique it is.

[Shug]

CHERRY!!! i love cherries but why is this NOT just screaming plain cherry goodness to me? it's screaming CHERRY ROBITUSSIN. to make things worse it dries to a plain mix of spices and scent where no note is distinguishable. even the cherry cough syrup is gone. stupid body chemistry!

 

i'm still waiting for the perfect cherry scent.

out of the five CD scents i've tried this is the only one that didn't work out so it's not too terrible a loss!

Edited September 25, 2006 by Shug

[midnight_aeval]

This was like the perfume equivalent of sweet and sour sauce. It's super spicey (like hot spice, not exotic spice), but also cherry sweet. What the heck? This one wasn't doing anything for me. It was odd on me and I don't think I will be trying this one out again!

[SultryWolf]

In the decant: Cardamom and a bit of fruity sweetness.

On: At first, it doesn't grab me. Smells nice, yes, but nothing special. But before long I am getting wafts of "OMG! What smells so good?" It's sort of a gentle sweet incense, though that doesn't really describe it at all. Actually reminds me of another BPAL scent, but so vaguely that I'll never be able to place it.

 

Lasts for several hours with a faint throw.

This is my favorite scent name from Acts I and II, so I'm glad to find that I love it. I'll be getting a bottle (or two!) before the Carnaval leaves town.

 

ADDED Feb. 22:

 

Loved this one in the decant I received, so I bought a bottle. Sadly, the cardamom was much stronger in the bottle (while the decant realized more of the cherry note), and I am not fond of cardamom.

In the bottle: Cardamomy and sweet.

On: The sugar-incense of Midnight on the Midway is here, and a sweetness from the cherry, all with the warm spice of cardamom.

[batsy]

In the bottle: black cherry patchouli with cardamom.

 

On the skin: Whoa! I don't know if it's the cherries or the cardamom or even the verbena but dang! My sinuses are awake now! Eep! Similar to Tokoyo for me; cherry scents and I just don't usually mix. Very very strong on me. Almost an aquatic for some reason.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Almond cherries and spice

 

On Skin: Yum! Very sweet! The dark cherry also has an almond essence to it, very nice. The cassis gives a soft spice that actually works on me for once. YAY!! This scent smells so sweet and tempting for a child, but it has a evil, dark deceptive side to it, I love that. The patchouli is balanced by the sweetness so it doesn’t become dirt on me like it normally does, it just gives a dark, smoky note in the background. This scent screams red and gives a very warm feel. I actually feel my face starting to flush. I can smell the verbena so lightly in the background, it’s almost non-existant, but since it’s been in a bunch of scents I’ve reviewed lately, I notice it and am able to give it a nod hello. But it’s hiding, because the cherry and spices own this scent. This is one of the first spict scents I’ve liked. I don’t think I need a bottle, but I will keep my half imp. Strong throw at first but fades to medium throw. Long wearlength.

[fiddlehead]

Oooh. This starts with a blast of cherry. Then it calms down and the black currant, cardamom and verbena come out and blend in.

 

This does remind me of Alone because of the cardamom. And now, after a minute or two the fruit seems to have almost disappeared and I'm left with the cardamom and verbena. Nice, but I was hoping the fruit would last.

 

If the fruit had stuck around a bit more this would have been a winner. I'll have to try it a few more times and see how it goes. I do love cardamom, though.

Edited September 29, 2006 by fiddlehead

[wolfie13]

My review is nearly identical to the one above!

 

In the bottle: Delicious dark cherry! (must be the cherry and cassis (black currant) combo)

 

Wearing: Oh no! The cherry never really disappears but definitely fades to the background and this becomes a sharp scent - all verbena and cardamom on me!

 

And disappointing! I had high hopes for this one - hopes involving the dark, rich, spicy cherry that others seem to get.

 

(PS - I get the reddened skin reaction - which i had with Whippoorwill also - from the cardamom)

[sarada]

Wow -- bright, spicy cherry, sparkling with lemon and shot through with spicy cardamom. Lots of cardamom. A bit like Alone, with the cardamom grounded in patchouli, but -- this is Alone wandering through a psychedelic red and yellow carnival arcade, with flashing golden lights and bright cherry-red clown noses flashing.

 

Cherry gummies, red hots, lemon drops, dusted with cinnamon sugar -- all shining against a dark backdrop. Or perhaps it's a candy castle in the dark woods at night.

 

It's lovely, even though it's not my typical thing to wear. I get all the cardamom I need from Alone, and I only like that when I layer it with Geek. Cherry reminds me too much of almond, and lemon just isn't a good scent on me. So while I appreciate the imagery I get from this -- a lot! -- it's going to be a sniffer but not a keeper.

[juniperus]

Bottle: maraschino, but not that odd sweet-maraschino-cherry that almond can take at first.. and verbeeeeena.

Wet: cardamom, wow that's awesome. right past that cherry, tempering it.

Dry: spicy and almost too-sweet but still grounded. complex, very interesting...I have to sniff and sniff again - like there is so much going on I'm afraid I might miss something.

Later: later it's the same, just softer. It's still a little food-y, but not overbearingly so. Another reminds-me-of-Grandpa decant selection. He always loved calliopes, I still have clear images of riding and passing him, off to the side, pipe in hand, as we rode round, and round, and round. I hear their tiny cymbals crash and that pipe music now, even the fake stuff, and I tear up.

[Miss Lynx]

In the imp, and when first applied, this is very bright and sharp -- an aggressively lemon-cherry scent, somewhere between sour fruit candy and a Celestial Seasonings herbal tea, but with a hint of something deeper behind it. It's a bit fearsome at this stage, but I know from past experience that while cherry and verbena may come on strong, they don't have much staying power on my skin.

 

And indeed, as it settles in, the sharp top notes drop off, letting the other notes peek out a bit more. The spiciness of the cardamom, the earthiness of the patchouli, the darker sweetness of the cassis (which is not the same thing as cassia, people -- it's French for blackcurrant!). This phase of it I am finding more likable. The patchouli-cardamom blend is actually a bit like what I'd expected Alone, from the DimV collection, to be like, if the patchouli hadn't completely dominated that one.

 

Following that, it all seems to fade down a lot. It's fairly pleasant still, but very faint -- I have to press my nose right to my arm to smell it, and it's only been about an hour. Oh well.

 

Overall -- nice enough, but not outstanding. I'll probably keep the imp, but won't need more than that.

 

Grade: B

[abejita]

Edited because my Calliope decant and Xanthe decants had been mislabeled. No wonder I was confused!

 

Much better now. The patchouli is rich, the cherry and cassis are bursting with deep burgundy goodness. I always love cardamom, too. The scent is very, very dark. The cherry of Queen of Hearts was awful on me, but this cherry is much nicer. The Phantom Calliope doesn't come across as foody to me whatsoever. I think I will pick up a bottle before the Carnaval disappears into the night.

Edited October 2, 2006 by abejita

[sookster]

straight sniff from the bottle is thick, dark cherry swirled with cassis...

 

once applied this amps up into hayooooooooooogely fruity goodness

that's the verbena intermingling...after 10 to 15 minutes i get more of the cassis

and some wafts of the patchouli but not overly abundant...

 

this is my kind of scent and i will be sure to enjoy it each and every time i wear it

[aimeceleste]

Strongly cherry at first! Then verbena, then it gets less definite. Like a lot of the other C.D. scents, I wouldn't wear this normally.

 

I get the same idea (though not the same smells) from a lot of the carnaval diabolique scents, I think that they're really beautifully crafted scents, but they're often so challenging, I don't find they would be a daily wear kind of smell.

[tinyvulture]

my skin always amps up citrus, so anything with verbena is usually out of the question. when i first apply this, it smells very strongly of cherry and lemon. as i feared, the lemony scent is WAY too strong. after it dries, it turns into a light cherry/cinnamon/vanilla potpourri-type scent. the lemon’s gone away, but now it’s so faint that i’d have to apply more to get anything out of it. and i don’t want to go through that initial verbena phase again. going to have to swap this one.

[silver_dollar]

First on, it smells like clove and... peanut butter? That's the only way to describe it, really. Then the peanut butter smell goes away and I'm left with soft cherry and clove. But mostly clove. Well, there's no clove in the description, so actually, I have no idea what it is, just that I'm not crazy about it. Damn, and this blend sounded like it had so much potential... I guess you can't win 'em all.

[Deiicide]

In the bottle: Dark and Sweet. Cassia, Pathcoulli and Black Cherry.

Upon the arm: The verbena is just all swallowed up. What Cardamom is I can't smell it. It's just the same, Dark and sweet. Patchoulli and Black Cherry.

5 minutes later: Spicy Cherries is a really good description because that's all it is.

20 minutes later: Cassia and Pathcouli. Really spicy and dark. I don't know if it'll wear it often but I'll definately treasure the bottle. It makes me feel like a bad girl but not one that someone could spot in leather and heels. One that is like the calliope that this is named after, upon the edge and closer then you think.

 

ADDED 2/18/10:

 

I was hoping to amp the dark cherry when I got the bottle of this, but like everything else that involves cassis and cardamon, they team up and overpower the scent until I smell like a spicy headcase. poo

[pkthunder]

I don't get a lot of cherry from this. It's the first BPAL oil to sting and turn my skin a little pink. I like the overall spiciness on the drydown, but I don't think this is going to work for me in the long run.

[space girl lost]

oh i wanted to like this one. i really really did. i'm searching forever for a nice dark cherry scent. unfortunately... this isn't it.

 

the cherry is there, but the spices drag it into dr pepper territory and ... i really dislike that soda. however, i can also smell the verbena which, for me, just kills it. it's NICE together, don't get me wrong. it's real balanced and i think the verbena should be there. it's just not what i was looking for.

 

also, my skin is BRIGHT RED and on fire. and it hurts a whole bunch.

 

sorry, calliope. i cannot justify keeping you if you're going to burn me.

[amberlox]

Phantom Calliope -

 

Reminds me strongly of *Nanshe. Very much incense-ish. I think I prefer Nanshe.

 

 

*description for "Nanshe" -Nanshe is part of BPAL's Somnium collection, created to aid and abet sleep and dreams. Nanshe "opens up psychic sensitivity during sleep and aids in the understanding and correct interpretation of portents and symbols."