Priala, the Human Phoenix (2006)

[Trish]

Three deep, dark myrrhs, smoke, and cinnamon bark.

I got my bottle of this yesterday and decided to put some on just before I went to bed as I wasn't worried about any of the notes turning on me. So I put a generous amount on my wrists and throat - not quite slathering but not too far off!

Immediately this wonderful smokey dry cinnamon enveloped me and I was in love. 15 minutes later I had to put down the book I was reading so I could close my eyes and just concentrate on the most wonderful smokey spicy myrrh that was surrounding me. And taking over the bedroom apparently judging by the "Fuck that's STRONG" from my partner when he walked in. He also let the dog in who came up to me and then promptly started sneezing! This morning when I got up it was a wonderfully smooth rich myrrh that was still quite strong on my wrists.

So I wore it to work, although this time I only put a dab on each wrist, my throat and cleavage (and this doesn't burn straight after a shower either - yay!). But I could still smell it wafting around my nose for about 8 hours, especially when I bent over, and even now 11 hours after I put it on I can still smell it lingering on my wrists. This stuff has great last and incredible throw.

The cinnamon is far from red hots or foodie, rather it's warm and dry and smooth, but like all cinnamon (bar Chimera) it doesn't last all that long on my cinnamon eating skin. I was hoping Priala would be the dry cinnamon scent (as opposed to the sticky sweet Chimera) I've been searching for but it isn't. Rather it's the perfect smooth rich incense scent that I've dreamt of but never expected to find. The myrrh is *swoon*. So smooth and slightly sweet and not in the least bit bitter. Forget top 10, this is top 5. Edited April 7, 2008 by Shollin

[500ml]

I'm in lust I adore every single note in this, especially the cinnamon, but the myrrhs are just fantastic and the hint of smoke is always present. It turns a bit sweeter a few hours later, but that just adds to the charm. Glorious blend!

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Predominantly the cinnamon with a resinous back drop

 

Wet on me – Dark, dirty myrrhs kick in leaving just a hint of cinnamon bark

 

Dry on me – Warm lightly spiced with a layer of thick myrrh

 

Overall – Considering that I’m not big on myrrh, I was impressed by this blend, however, I doubt that I’ll keep it

[furygrrl]

In the imp: Cinnamon-scented bonfire - wooo!

 

On wet: Sweet, earthy cinnamon. It's making my skin tingle, too! Weird!

 

Drydown: Myrrh. Burning myrrh. Sweet n' spicy myrrh. I am pleased...except when I catch faint whiffs of something vaguely play-doh-y. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, my nose can't help but wrinkle. I am also reminded - much to my dismay - of a carpet treatment powder my grandmother used to use years and years ago. It smelled really good, too, but I never felt the urge to dab a little behind my ears, if ya know what I mean.

 

Overall: Big disappointment for me, this one. In addition to loving warm, spicy myrrh blends, I'm a HUGE Phoenix fan (the mythology, the gorgeous art that goes along with it, the X-Men character - hell, even the city!), so I fully expected to add another firebird to my well-stocked stable of Phoenixy scents. Instead, I get grama's carpet cleaner, and another imp for the swap pile. 2/5

[Pottersville]

OMG, I LOVE Priala!! I've been having a devil of a time finding scents that don't go all sweet on me and Priala is it. In fact, it smells better on me than in a scent locket! I was a bit nervous about all the myrrhs, but they truly do seem to be "deep and dark" and don' have a cloying throw on me. I don't get cinnamon from this as much as I get a warm woody/spicey scent. I must have a bottle (bottles?)!

[cranberry]

mmmm. Wet, this is all myrrh and spice. As it dries, the cinnamon becomes stronger. I can smell the smoke too – this is a wonderful scent and I’m kicking myself to taking so long to try this scent. The cinnamon is spicy but doesn’t turn to cinnamon candy on me. It blends well with the myrrh. This scent is lightly sweet and because of that, this would work as well on a man as on a woman. It’s dark, spicy, resinous. Yummy in a word. When I sniff my wrist all I can think is how good this smells.

[hackess]

Imp: A very bright smoky blend. It's like looking through a golden haze.

 

Wet: Creamy spicy orange blossom. I have no idea where the orange is coming from. Priala's cinnamon is very much like that in a good cinnamon candy - red and spicy, but not plasticky or fake.

 

Dry: It's so incredibly warm. The cinnamon and smoke are really prevalent, but the myrrh keeps them from being too hot or dry.

After 10 minutes, my nose is burning because I keep pressing it to my wrist to inhale deeply. Must stop that. :stick:

After 15 minutes, it's a rich, deep resiny smoke. The spice and flame disappear and it's more of a smolder.

 

This might be one of my favorite cinnamon blends yet and I'll have to get a bottle before CD disappears.

[modernsaints]

IT'S A MIRACLE. Cinnamon bark beats the three myrrhs down! Yes!

 

Myrrh tends to amp all to hell on me, but the cinnamon here comes through strong and solid, very distinctly "cinnamon bark" as opposed to "cinnamon". There's something dry and woody here, and it's surprisingly nice; the smoke isn't heavy, and the myrrhs hang in the background. I can see myself wearing this more often once winter rolls around. Not sure I need a full 5ml, and I'll most likely end up decanting some out for others, but I'm not upset with the purchase.

[mspixieears]

What a deep, dark, deliciously chocolatey myrrh! The smoke and cinnamon actually remind me of The Phantom Calliope. As it begins to dry the cinnamon dominates and makes it smell like Red Hots or cinnamon Jelly Belly jellybeans. The smoke deepens a little too. I wish it stayed how it was when first applied – I really enjoyed it then. I think the cinnamon is also making me itchy, alas.

[darkblade]

Bottle: Smokey myrrh

 

Wet: Smokey myrrh. Apparently I have walked into the middle of the act! Ooo, ok, there's the bit of cinnamon.

 

Dry: There's the sweet cinnamon, and the smoke is fading.

 

Later dry: Woah, the myrrh DOES come back! Softer though, new..

 

Verdict: Keeping! And sending some to a friend to share. I picked this up as a partial off of someone, I may have to get an entire bottle.

[Morrea]

In bottle: WHOA myrrh! It is raw and pungent, and it reminds me of vetiver.

 

Wet on skin: Very, very myrrh, with cinnamon and smoke giving it a bite at the tail end

 

Drydown: the cinnamon initially dominates the dry phase, with the myrrh playing only a supporting role. Over time it morphs, with the cinnamon withdrawing and the myrrh coming more into focus.

 

This definitely needs time to settle down and age; it comes across as very sharp and raw. I like cinnamon, and I don't tend to amp it, but this is way too cinnamon-y at first. Once it settles down into all its myrrh glory, it is fabulous: rich, warm, round, a scent that you could almost bite down on. I am looking forward to seeing what this does with a few months to mellow.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

so i've had this decant for ages, and thought i ought to at least try a teensy little dribble of it before i pass it on to a better home.

 

impsniff: burning. heat-warm and cinnamon incense smoke.

 

to note: i don't care for myrrh or smoke-scents. and i have a migraine (yeah, i know, bad timing on my part)

 

myrrh smells too much like a vetiver-jasmine mix to me, and instead of smoke i get a charred/burned animal-fat type smell. overall it makes my tummy hurt and the tiny bit of cinnamon-roll type cinnamon i get isn't enough to make up for the overall *no*.

 

i must add, though, that i think this is probably a very accurate smell, if the Phoenix is a bird that dissolves into flame... there would be a smoky-burning-charred-fat smell, wouldn't there?

[Ravenclaw79]

On first whiff, this one made me nervous, 'cause I instantly picked up the same note that's in Death of Autumn and Devil's Claw, the nasty one that makes me want to gag. But somehow, whatever it is mixes well with cinnamon, 'cause the cinnamon jumped out quickly and tamed this one on my skin, so it's actually interestingly spicy and not gross at all. Kudos for a complex, intriguing sort of blend. I don't know if I'll wear it often, but I'll definitely keep the imp around.

[SarahScent44]

In imp, Priala is smoky cinnamon for me.

 

On my skin, the myrrh is a little bit more noticeable, but the cinnamon and smoke are the stars of the show.

 

When it dries, there's more cinnamon, less smoke. I think cinnamon is one of those things my skin really amps, because I always get a lot of it. I think this is an excellent execution of the concept, and a great scent, but ultimately not for me.

[black_and_bloom]

I was hoping for some serious cinnamon here, and the first few minutes didn't disappoint. Burn baby burn! And it did - burning itself out and then morphing into powdery myrrh. WAH! Not the powder!

 

I love cinnamon so much I can live with the powder, but that still leaves me searching for my perfect cinnamon scent. Priala, I had such high hopes for you...

 

(Love the label art, though!)

[Sushi-n-Sake]

I've been wanting to order Priala for awhile, but just got her today.

 

Bottle: Must be myrrh, but I could swear that was vetiver I smell. No trace of the cinnamon yet.

Wet: Smoke and Big Red gum. Weird!

Dry: The cinnamon becomes more bark than Big Red, and the myrrh lends a nice dark background note. It's very nice now. Sadly, it fades pretty fast.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: WHOA, hellloooo cinnamon!

 

Dry: If you love cinnamon, you need this. This is smokey, dark cinnamon. It didn't turn into red hots on me, thank goodness! The throw on this is intense; a little goes a long way! It seems to last for quite some time, too. I wonder what this can layer well with?

 

 

 

On a scale of 1-5, I'd give this a 3.5.

I'm glad I have a bottle, but I won't be needing more!

[lainevierge]

I wanted to like Priala so much. Smoke and cinnamon sound so great together. However, I'm getting something really bitter off of this. I thought it was just because I was ragingly premenstrual when I tried it for the first time, but the bitterness comes out even when I sniff the imp.

 

What a letdown!

[metaldog32]

Priala appealed to me because of the myrrhs and smoke. Cinnamon has been more miss than hit but I had a small bud of hope that cinnamon bark might behave more grown-up instead of candy-like.

 

I pretty much wore this all last week; solo..and then layered over my L’Artisan fragrance.

 

Initial sniff from bottle: Heavy on the myrrh..smells a little smoky..and I swear…I almost get a sniff of…like some other reviewers have described…slightly roasted meat??? Interesting.

 

Applied wet on skin: Thick rich myrrh; the cinnamon bark lends a nice dark bite..no Red Hots here..and yes..there is a subtle current of smoke..but it works well with the other notes. Strong throw…I am caught off guard with how good this is.

 

Six minutes on skin: Swooning…this is really wonderful. I love the way the myrrh and cinnamon bark interplay off of eachother…giving me this wonderful waft of spicy resin..again with the undercurrent of a smoke element..nothing too overt..but it’s there.

 

Fifteen minutes later: Dry spicy and resin sweetness…it’s dead sexy like many have commented upon. Love it.

 

45 minutes later: Softened up a bit…but it’s still very much present.

 

Drydown: Slightly smoky spicy resin.

 

Lasting power is truly formidable 8+hours with throw average to strong.

 

Bottom Line: Priala The Human Phoenix is indeed a smoldering lady; she is exalted through the cleansing fire. This fragrance embodies the concept beautifully; an amazing myrrh scent that works well in the winter. It’s one of the best of the CD series that I have tried…bottle worthy indeed.

[CrazyPretzel]

Mmm. Ohhh. Ahhh. Guh.

 

Sexy stuff, this.

 

The blend of myrrhs is incredibly thick and sweet and gives this a very womanly feeling. The cinnamon seems light and dry to me, and it's not burning my skin at all (bonus!). And hanging over it all is a smoky haze that makes me think of bonfires. I absolutely adore this blend.

[Verilita]

First off I'm just gonna say I'M IN LOVE!

 

In imp: it's like liquid cinnamon! I can't really smell anything else. It reminds me vaguely of Silk road but less biting

 

Wet: Oh I am loving this already! The cinnamon is smooth, it reminds me of something edible, but I can't think of what it is.

 

drydown: the myrrhs really come out now blending just wonderfully with the cinnamon which has by now mellowed out

 

dry: I keep sniffing my wrist in my lecture class, this is delicious!!! It's got a great throw and lasted all day something which is pretty rare for perfume and I.

[NatCatz]

OOOOHHHHH! I'm totally in love with this!

 

Its deep sexy myrrh with dark cinnamon spices. It smells like sexy church *giggle*

 

I'm totally getting a bottle.. Or more!

[gchris]

In Vial: Dark, smoky, with a hint of sweetness

 

On skin: So this is what myrrh smells like. Deep and rich. There is also the hint of smokiness. This one definately conveys an atmosphere. I do smell a hint of cinnamon but not the dark bitterness that the bark usually yields.

 

Later: Now I am getting a tiny bit of bitterness from the cinnamon bark, but it only serves to add depth to this scent. This blend is very incensy. The myrrh is the strongest. After drying the other notes are fading and I am left with only myrrh.

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle erm... it's saw-scaled viper. almost exactly. *scratches head*

wet on skin okay, it's not saw-scaled. it's fascinating, though! it has the same dry, hot cinnamon of saw-scaled, but not the funk that sort of bothers me. but, and here's the fascinating part, it smells like gunpowder and smoke, too. combine the smoke and the faint acridity of sulfur with the cinnamon and you get a conflagration! NEAT!

dry on skin the smoky, firey bits ease off and what's left is an ashy myrhh that's interesting, but not very pretty. this is one of those art BPALs that don't do much for me as a wearable scent, but blow my puny freaking mind conceptually.

[septima_pica]

Fsck. There's red or black musk in here somewhere, isn't there.

::weeps, curses::

And it was so good other than that. Maybe I'll try it with a bit of Death Cap over the top -- that usually damps down unwanted diapery-powderiness for some reason.