Purple Phoenix

[lilirose]

Porphyrogenitus, indeed; we worked for it! Not simply the color of royalty, purple is also the color of sorrow and mourning, reconciliation and forgiveness. A regal, majestic, and somber blend of myrrh, plum blossom, African violet, cognac, fig, orris, lilac, wisteria, black plum, and Burgundy wine grapes.

Oooooh so purpley. Unbelievable. My favourite colour, bottled!

In the bottle I don't smell much but faint, sweet grapes...almost grape Kool-Aid but not quite.

On skin, it's lovely purple flowers. I mostly get lilac, wisteria, and grape. It smells so purple that it makes me see purple, practically. On first application it was a bit faint so I slathered on more- I rather wish I hadn't as it's very heady, but lesson learned- I'll apply this with a light touch in future.

4/5, and glad I got my hands on a 5ml. Lovely stuff.

edited to add lab description Edited October 22, 2007 by lilirose

[aleciarivas]

Nice, deep scent. It almost vibrates purple!! The violet, fig, and wisteria stand out the most to me, but as a blend not as single notes. I've tried this twice now and both times it smelled completely different- so I think I may keep trying this one over the next month to track it!!! Fruity without being too fruity, and floral without being too floral.

[brownbear]

At first this was juicy wet. It was fruit. And yes, it was purple. After a bit the grapes took dominance. Then it was less juicy and more floral, but dark. Overall, I do like it, but I might layer it with some clove or something to take the grape down a bit.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Yay purple! It’s definitely a regal and majestic purple, rather than a playful silly color. I get mostly wine and dark fruit from the vial.

 

Wearing: Dark fruit and blanket-warmth. Very cozy.

[Hikaru]

I just wanted to say this is still one of my absolute favorites!

It is so much fun to smell like delicious ripe purple grapes in the middle of winter!

It just automatically lifts my mood, puts a big smile on my face.

[hkhm]

bottle: grapes and plums and myrrh. nom nom nom nom nom.

 

wet: this reminds me of a sweeter, less boozy version of bordello. it's all grapes and plums and a hint of fig on me.

 

dry: soft grapes and plums. this smells like a more fruity version of midwinter's ever when dry.

[CrazyPretzel]

Juicy, nose-tickling grapes, smelling like rich red fresh-pressed grape juice and not at all synthetic. Rich and delightful.

[Czarina]

In the imp: grape.

Wet: grape, plum, and aldehydes.

Drydown: grape, wine, plum, wisteria, lilac. I can't pick out the African violet note at all, but then my mother grew them for years and I never noticed that they had a smell at all.

 

I don't find this scent "somber" at all, but lively and fun.

[corglacier7]

Got a 5 mL from mandragora (thanks!).

 

In bottle: ZOMG GRAPE.

 

@ application: Quick fade to a blend of grape, lilac, and a touch of plum.

 

@ 5 min: A twist of red wine, still lilac, and the plum is becoming a bit stronger.

 

@ 30 min and on: Fully a nice fruity/flowery blend. Nothing really stands out as a strong note, but the overall effect is great.

 

Deep and complex. Not sweet and cloying like a lot of fruit/flower blends. I don't run around smelling like a tropical drink. This one's...I guess "rich and dignified" are good words for it. I wouldn't call it "somber" since I don't think that's the right tone. A very nice blend, and it really is purple in a bottle.

Edited February 11, 2008 by corglacier7

[scarletgenesis]

As others have noted, this smells purple. At first, all I get is luscious plum and wine. After a few minutes dry, the flowers start to emerge. This is interesting. It's complex and full, but not heavy. It's actually light, but still sexy and not too sweet or frivolous. I didn't originally order this because I was worried about all the florals, but as I'm discovering, florals can be gorgeous in the right blend. I am glad that I traded for this, because it is definitely 'me'.

[windbourne]

This scent gives me happy shivers just thinking about it; it was everything I wanted it to be and then some. I can't really pick out individual notes as it all blends into a beautiful purply cacophony of lovely on my skin. I have a hard time even identifying it as a scent, it provokes such a strong color visual response in me.

 

It starts a very bright, clear violet color, then drums up into black grape, then down into imperial violet, then to blue-violet, then mellows to parma violet, then to lavender, then dusty lavender, and finally settles into a myrrh-y haze of pale lavender gray.

 

It lasts for about an hour with a moderate throw, and after that all I get are subtle whiffs until I apply it again. I could keep going like that for hours with my nose pressed to my wrist, so this is one I'm only going to pull out on special occasions until I can find a bottle. And I will find a bottle.

 

Wonderful (and heady!) stuff.

[djsiberia]

this is fruity and purple candy smelling...no, maybe it's some grape juice or koolaid. i'm afraid to even try this, it smells entirely too sweet for me.

[rconklin]

My favorite color. This was actually one of the first BPAL bottles that I purchased (second hand, on the forum)--About time I reviewed it.

 

This scent is purple--sniffing it, I suddenly understand what synesthesia must be like. In the bottle the grape is a gorgeous backdrop for the cognac, sharp violet, resin, and other fruits. The floral notes are mostly a wafting overtone for me.

 

Wet on, it is quite lush--a ripe scent, which rounds out into something more resinously floral as it dries (though still very much a grape scent). It is a very dominant perfume--regal in fact. In the end, it generally smells like a drier version of the bottle--dried fruits and flowers--not as aggressive as the liquid version and a bit more elegant.

 

The throw is not fantastic on me, though the wear length is pretty good--and on my skin it tends to turn to powder eventually (sometimes it does it right away, sometimes I can have it on for hours before it goes a bit powdery). However, I really love this scent and will now be wearing it in a scent locket to avoid the powder phenomenon.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

Ew! Cherry-flavoured kids' cough syrup. Gross.

 

On Me

Wow: this changes, and quickly. Initially smelling this, I was thinking, "Why the hell did I want to try this in the first place?", upon application it morphs. In place of the cherry cough syrup, there's this dark sophisticated, and extremely well-blended perfume which falls together so beautifully and effortlessly that it's really hard to pick the notes. This smells high-end and decadent, darkly intense and lovely-- but it's taking me ages to work out wtf is in it.

 

At a guess, I'm going to go with purples, hence the name. I'm sure there's some variety of violet lurking around, and possibly lilac. There's sage, there's a fruitiness, and some variant of amber. Perhaps, keeping with the purple theme, there are berries of some variety-- but they're not your regular sweet ones-- there's a sharpness there, too. And damn, it's nice.

 

It lasts a long time, too. The throw is quiet, but it's one of those lovely sniff-your-wrist-for-a-pick-me-up scents, and was a nice choice for a fairly dull night at work because I had ample opportunities to do the wrist-sniff without anyone thinking I was nuts. (Ahhh, night shift!)

 

 

I now want a bottle of this. I can see myself wearing this to formal occasions and when I want to feel sophisticated and gorgeous!

Edited June 16, 2008 by LadyLuckDoubt

[jentifer]

Purple in the extreme. Like if purple had a scent, Beth's totally captured it. The outside of purple candy and gumballs smell like this. Especially if you're holding a purple bouquet of mixed flowers. Anyone who is infatuated with purple must LOVE this. (I'm partial to it myself )

[Dark Alice]

This smells like alexander the grape candy from wet to drydown.

[voodoocatwoman]

Purple Phoenix is just gorgeous. It smells purple. I get grape and plum and purple flowers. It lasts for days and is one of my favorites now.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is very purpley. I get more plum than grape in this blend, but really, it's a fun plum/grape combination of flowers. It kinda reminds me to Morgause, minus the incense.

[Coldfire]

Bottle: If purple has a scent this is it! Can’t define anything singly yet

Wet on Me: I am starting to get grape…and plum…a whisper of wisteria

Drying Down: Lovely deep purple (cue Smoke on the Water ) sweet like grape candy, but then deep with the plum and wisteria. So far so good that I have not amped the lilac.

Dry: Purple grape sweet but not sticky smelling. This is awesome. Then I want to rock my royal purple this will be the scent I wear. So glad I got a bottle of this.

[msbcozad]

Purple Phoenix

 

This bottle's existance in my collection is a mystery. I don't remember purchasing it, I don't remember receiving it as a gift or a trade. I have no idea why I have it. Plus, it's been languishing in my collection for a long time because I never liked the smell of it in the bottle. Today, though, I felt brave and gave Purple Phoenix a test.

 

Oh. My. Goodness. It's fruity and floral and playfully feminine. It's working as an autum perfume, but I bet it'll be just as yummy in the spring, too. Plus, it has staying power: six hours since application and I still catch whiffs of the Purple Phoenix as I move about.

 

I can't believe I was tempted to toss this bottle in the go-away pile. I don't know what it smelled like brand new, but it's a gorgeous and glorious two-year old.

Edited November 20, 2008 by MelanieSuzanne

[hellomoonglow]

Love this blend! I've had this imp for ever, and never tried it. I really enjoy the grape and plum, which makes me thrilled because I just ordered from the new update a blend that has plum! I think I'm going to love it! Back to Purple Phoenix: watery grapes. Lovely! Sigh.... now I have to go hunt up a bottle.

[jencallisto]

In the imp: Candyish floral.

Fresh on the skin: This just makes me think "ick." It's sweet and sort of rotting -- I have a theory that I'm not too fond of violets. It's _almost_ nice, but instead kind of sickly.

30 minutes later: Yeah. Ick. I have no idea why, and I can totally see why others might like this, but I think violet just isn't for me.

 

Verdict: Nooooooooooooooooo.

 

One word: Violet!

[Lyrical]

In vial: I can pick out plum, but the other notes are tightly blended. It's dark and rich and mysterious.

 

Wet on skin: sweet, dark, fruity and sophisticated. "Regal, majestic, and somber" describes it well. It goes through a phase that reminds me of jasmine - I'm not sure what that note is, but I don't like it much. The richness of the fruit and myrrh are balanced by light floral notes.

 

Dry on skin: it softens into a rich, fruity-floral myrrh blend, with a decent throw. I like this phase. Close to the skin it still has this jasmine-y thing going, but the throw is much nicer - a veil of purple, fruity myrrh that just gets better and better!

[Bluestocking]

In the bottle: "Regal, majestic and somber" about covers it, but I'd also add that this smells purple, ripe and fruity, both complex and subtle. The first sniff brings me myrrh and plum with some wine grapes, but I can also smell the lilac and plum blossoms, with a faint whiff of booziness from the cognac. These are sweet, rich fruits, marinated in cognac. Surprisingly, I'm not getting much violet from this, but possibly that's because this has been aged.

On, wet: The orris, lilac, wisteria and violet come out in a big way, backed by the purple fruit. The plum blossom is fainter, but still adding to the blend, and the cognac and myrrh are grounding this. This is all woman, but not in a frilly or sexy way—this is a confident and mature femininity, sort of queenly.

On, dry: Amazing! It's a subtle, heady bouquet of candied purple blooms, rounded out with the plums and grapes and enriched with the cognac. The myrrh is what makes the whole thing work together, providing a slightly ominous base for the scent. It keeps the sweetness in check and makes this a very deep, dark sort of purple—think heavy purple velvet drapes. It's a profound, wise scent.

Later: Lighter, much drier, but still a sweet purple scent. It's mostly the florals now, but they're so well blended that it's impossible to pick them out individually, and there's still a boozy/fruity tinge from the mixture of plums, cognac and wine grapes—it's a bit like plum wine. (Everybody talks about the grapes here, but it's the plums that really stand out most for me.)

Overall: How happy am I to have two aged bottles of this? It's magnificent. Fruity and floral, boozy and ripe, but never too much of any one element. Maybe it's the aging, but I find it to be really mellow and well balanced—there's a lot going on here, but in a subtle way. It is very majestic and regal, but not at all cold, even with the myrrh giving it some darkness—it's just elegant and womanly and purple and gorgeous.

 

 

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Golden oil. Sweet and fruity with a hint of lurking darkness. Grape, PLUM, and a bit of myrrh. Suggestion of velvety florals.

 

Wet: Still very grape/plum candy-fruit, but a dark, bitter edge from the myrrh, and the flowers have more force. I can foresee the powder of doom...the violet note is lovely though, and the fig is the sexy/earthy/deep kind.

 

Dry: Greatly faded, especially in the fruit department. Less sweet; tart grape is now the most distinctive fruit. Soft powder from the florals makes me think of grape pez.

 

Summary: Soft, lightly sweet-fruity, feminine. The florals are very well behaved and velvety, the fruit is candyish but not overly, and there's a dark myrrh/fig edge to keep this grounded. Good throw, poor longevity.

 

One of the few times I don't have to wash off wisteria, and it does feel purple indeed, but it's not really my thing, and I'm not crazy about the grape Pez effect.