Phoenix Steamworks

[alhbooks]

Burnished gold and oiled bronze notes with Abramelin incense and sage.

On first application, pleasant but not very exciting. Soft incense to begin with, rather sweet. After about a hour just at the wrists though, the scent has sneakily wound itself into my consciousness as a wonderful, subtle blend that must be applied to neck, cleavage, earlobes. Not heavily, but luxuriously. The sage has crept in and balanced out the sweetness (and probably those gold and bronze notes are coming to the fore, but I can’t quite pick out any single note). I think this one is just going to get better as it mellows.

[edenssixthday]

Phoenix Steamworks - This starts off as very metallic, very cologney, and slightly oily. As it dries on my skin, the oiliness fades completely, and something very bright and golden comes to the forefront - I'm tempted to say it's mandarin, but none of the other reviewers noted anything about an orange, citrus, or fruit scent. However, on my skin, this is very much a metal & citrus scent with the slightest hint of incense. It's still cologney, but not in a bad way. I probably won't be in the mood for this scent all the time, but there will definitely be times when I want to wear it a lot. It seems like more of an autumnal scent to me and so it's going to be set aside for the next few months while I wear my spring and summer scents, but it will get pulled out again in the fall. The throw is below average and the staying power is about average.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Astoundingly fitting. Bright and strongly herbal, very SHINY, in a sort of slick, golden, oiled way. These are not the silvery, cool, cologney metals of Mechanical Phoenix, but much more unisex and warmer. The sage note hits first, then the oiled metallic notes, and lastly some soft, sweet incense.

 

Wet: The sage softens, becoming less astringent, and more freshly green. Virtually all of those bright metallic notes instantly dissipate, revealing sweet, almost honeyed resin and incense, even a little spice. It's so beautifully melded I find it difficult to pick out individual components.

 

Dry: This amps in sweetness, and must contain either honey or storax/styrax - I'm guessing it's the latter, as it's a resiny sort of honey note. It dominates, with a very soft, mild and pleasant herbal sage below. This reminds me somewhat of Les Bijoux, which makes me think there might be an apple note here. Oddly, the metallic notes seem to have returned, but they flit in and out of the fragrance, giving a sensation of motion.

 

Summary: What a morpher. This is now honeyed resin and very light incense, not dusty or dark, but golden bright. I suspect some myrrh, and exotic, deeply sexy musk. The spice is even fainter (only distinct within an inch or so), and very difficult to pinpoint; my best guess is allspice. The sage has almost disappeared, but the metallic notes remain subtly present. A shining, golden-warm, mildly sweet, faintly herbal-resiny feminine scent. Smooth and complex; layered but harmonious. Lower throw, fades quickly.

 

In opposition slave1, I find this to be the feminine counterpart to the sharper cologne of Mechanical Phoenix. Surprising as more often than not I find our views align.

 

It's an incredibly beautiful and evocative scent; an absolute wrist-sniffer. It's not my style, but I almost want to hang onto it anyway, and use it for ritual or as a room scent. It's soothing, energetic, optimistic.

 

ETA: Perhaps the orange/fruit note that edensixthday observed registered as that apple note to me?

Edited May 5, 2008 by fairnymph

[naeelah]

Wow, this is amazing. It smells exactly like I imagined it would.

 

Wet, it's like a sharp, metallic cologne. I found this stage pretty unpleasant. Luckily, it burns off within 5 minutes, and when dry, a COMPLETELY different scent emerges.

 

A faint sweetness develops, and the sharp, metallic quality fades to the background. It smells like metallic amber, if that makes sense. I usually hate most metallic notes -- way too sharp and ozone-y -- but this is very well balanced and unique. The sage doesn't stand out, just adds a very soft fuzzy quality, along with the incense. The incense quality gets a wee bit stronger little by little, over the hours.

 

This is polished and gold, a warm glow under a soft, smoky haze. The throw is relatively light.

 

 

Try this: if you want to try a metallic steamworks scent but don't usually have good luck with metallics.

[Coldfire]

I'll preface my review with this:

 

Long ago and far away there was this men's cologne from Aramis called "Devin" It was teh Adore! My bf at the time wore it and I loved how it smelled on me. It was an LDR thing and so I got bottles of Devin to put on my pillow and wear on jeans and t-shirt days.

 

Fast Forward....on becoming dry....THIS is Devin. OMGSSS!!! This is teh Fabulous!

 

 

Review:

 

In Imp: This smells very much like the pagan store I go to for my Tradition of the Witches Circle classes. Which to me is a warm and bright happy place. This scent is not at all overpowering in the bottle.

 

Wet on me: Ozone and mettalic. Now changing to a masculine scent. YAY!

 

Drying down: Spicy a lil bit, but not heavy spices. Light bright airy masculine spices.

 

Dry: DEVIN! See above. Totally FAB U LOUS! Masculine yet, I feel feminine wearing it. So not girly. My nose is now permanently attached to my wrist. OMGS this is the forever scent.

 

Throw: Who can tell since my wrist is now melded to my nose! Actually the throw is my personal space so it works.

 

Ratings: TOTALLY bottle Worthy. I may have to order a bottle with each order I make. All your Bottles are belong to ME!

 

 

Coldie I need a swoon emoticon!

Edited May 7, 2008 by Coldfire

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: This actually does smell like bright, shiny metal and a bit of dry sage.

 

Immediately on skin: This is bright and golden, in a crisp but smooth and cologne-y sort of way. The gold and oil notes smell like light citrus and warm metal, while the sage lends an herbal tone to the blend. I don’t really get any incense in this.

 

After a little while: The citrus (or maybe it’s very crisp ozone) has gotten even louder in this, and blends with the warm metal and sage to create a scent that is warm, clean, slightly herbal, and metallic.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent is really unique. On me it’s unisex edging into masculine, but I could see how a woman could rock this. It’s a strong scent, with nice warm metallic notes, sage, and a very bright ozone/lemon note. This just smells bright and shiny, with a nice depth to it. Very nice, though personally it’s just not something I would wear.

[hipslike___cinderella]

Phoenix Steamworks is quite the interesting one and gets an A+ for uniqueness.

 

This is really good in the bottle. Like, OMG-kind of good. An arcane incense with sage that tickles my nostrils and metallic tang, sharp like a new copper penny. I have high hopes already. On my skin: ...WOW. Medicinal. Like an entire medicine cabinet summed up in one note. Specifically, muscle rub or itch cream or something. This sounds awful but it's not all that bad. I let this baby dry down a bit.

 

The medicinal aspect does fade and I'm left with a warm, spicy incense blend. The metallic tang is now a haze, but it's there, and it makes this blend a little unsettling, like a smooth operating machine that rattles and gives you a jolt every few minutes. Not entirely sure I'd wear it much, but I'm keeping my imp because it's such an unique blend.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Mechanical

 

Wet: Exactly like I thought Mechanical Phoenix would be, but better.

 

Drydown: This is so complex, because there's a cold twang, but it's such a warm scent. This is fabulous and I want to have a love affair with this scent.

Especially on my husband, rawr! Definitely a double bottle!

4.0 outta 5

[yeahbutnobut]

Phoenix Steamworks

 

In the bottle: a strange, oddly sweaty metal scent. like Mechanical Phoenix, but dirtier.

Wet on skin: mmm, this is much nicer. Now I smell a soft sweet powder mingling with the metals and sage, possibly some resins too.

Dry on skin: wow, this is really lovely! It really does smell like metal but not like that generic cologne scent I get from most metal scents. I think this is the first metallic scent (other than the blood accord scents) that I really love. It smells slightly ozone-y and a little bit like perfume, but with a definite metal bite to it. But I think it’s the incense that makes me love this. A gentle powdery scent like the ashes of burnt incense, mixed with warm spicy resins, and a hint of fuzzy, balmy sage. I also smell something a bit fruity, like wine? And there’s something oily to it as well, and something musky and grimy. This reminds me a lot of the Bloody Sword but I prefer this a lot more.

After a while: this then seems to go into that dirty-sweaty scent I wasn’t crazy about, but it’s not too long before this improves once more. It now smells like a sweeter metal with incense and dirt. Slightly white and floral now, I think there’s an ozone note here, but it’s a nice ozone. The scent is a strange but pleasant contrast of very clean with oily and dirty. It’s a very intriguing scent, I can’t say if I love it, but it sure does smell unusual. I also smell something smoky here at this point.

Then it gets really metallic. Very harshly metallic-but so realistic. It’s the olfactory version of biting metal, tasting it at the back of your throat. It really does smell like bronze or steel, and there’s now something electric about it, sparks dashing up and down the shiny surface. The scent gets sharper and loses that soft incense scent and the metal dominates.

Then, another morph. Wow, this is a real morpher of a scent. now it smells like metal and deep dark smoke, that’s probably the incense returning, now smelling like it is burning. The sweet floral-powdery scent also makes a comeback. The smoke is really lovely but then the sour metal comes back again.

Verdict: this is a really interesting scent! I prefer it to Mechanical Phoenix and the metal note in here is spot on. Previously I’ve been a bit disappointed that metal notes turned to men’s perfume on me but this one, even though there’s a hint of perfumey freshness, is uncannily metallic, I can almost feel it. there is something in here that I’m not sure about, a dirty, sweaty kind of scent, and there are times when the metal note is just too metallic to bear, but the moments when the incense really shines through, which I love. It’s a real morpher of a scent, moving from incense to oily bronze/brass to shiny steel to powdery ashes. Fascinating and incredibly unique, not my kind of scent but I love the artistry of it and I can’t wait to smell what the other Steamworks scents are like after trying this.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I’ll keep an imp’s worth because I love the conceptual, unusual nature of this scent.

If you like this, try: Mechanical Phoenix, Bloody Sword, Philosopher in Meditation, Dee, Macbeth and the Witches, Black Tower

[sarahmarie]

This is a pretty awesome, extremely distinctive scent. It's not something I expected to like, since metallic, ozone-y things generally wear very sharply on me and bother my headaches...but I'm really glad I tried it, because Steamworks really didn't have that effect. It's metallic, but in a bright way, not a sharp way. It's also beautifully blended with notes that make it warm and bright and interesting rather than cold, sharp, and piercing, which is how similar scents have made me feel in the past. It's perfumey, but not in the way I don't like. I think it can be interpreted as feminine or masculine, and works very well either way.

 

This scent is unlike anything else I've tried. Even if you've never liked a metallic scent before, I suggest you give this one a try - it's really quite something!

[Blood onmy hands]

I was hopeful for Phoenix Steamworks because I've liked quite a few of bpal's metal/glass themed scents (Mechanical Phoenix was a recent love for me), but something about this doesn't work on me. Some incense/resin blends go sharp, warm, and perfumey-musky on my skin, so I'm wondering if that's the case here. I get a sharp, musky, hairspray smell that dries down to sharpness with something like warm baby powder and a touch of something dusty/dirty in the mix. This is one of those scents that just goes to baby powder in the worst way on me... not a keeper.

[maribouquet]

If you'll allow me the comparison, Steamworks reminds me very much of Arcana's Alhambra. Only with sage instead of rosemary, and I smell a similar sort of herbs/beeswax duo when wet. I like this very much - it does smell the way I'd expect gold and bronze to smell - bright, with a bit of a haloed tang. The sage is lovely and reminds me of being in Greece. Very nice!

[SeaLady]

This is the first metallic BPAL blend that I've tried, and I'm surprised how accurate it is!

 

It's stunning and weird, because it's not something I would usually wear but I will make an exception for this. It's smokey and metallic and oily and perfumey all at the same time. For a while it smelled like very hot metal and perfume, and it's calmed down and blended more now that I have been wearing it for a couple of hours. It's just perfect for the theme, and so evocative that I had to change my clothes to be more appropriate! Surprisingly it strikes me somehow as being very sexy, and I'm not usually attracted to machines >.>

[tereshkova2001]

zomg love. This is warm and beautiful, strongly amber and with a clear metallic scent. The sage is sometimes noticeable, mostly about halfway through the drydown. The main note wanders between gold/bronze and amber. I can't seem to find a consensus on the notes of Abramelin incense, so it may or may not be distinguishable. This was, indeed, a good scent to wear to see Indiana Jones.

[Katiedid717]

When I first put this scent on, the metallic tang of it made my mouth water. Not in an "Mmm, I want to eat that!" kind of way...more like the reaction you get when you put a metal fork in your mouth after it scraped against the side of a pot. An involuntary not-quite pleasant feeling.

 

However, when I woke up in the morning, it had mellowed out into an almost floral scent on me, which was absolutely lovely.

 

I'll have to try this again - maybe it will work better in my locket than against my skin?

[Kippy]

I'm not a fan of this. It was excellent in the bottle, but when on got very jangely on my skin, like all of the notes were there, but just not melding into a single perfume. There's metallic and spice and men's cologne, all feeling incongrous and clashing.

 

When I got into a car with my friend, she asked if I had been smoking clove cigarettes. I like the smell of clove smoke on my jacket, and I would say this wasn't really that smell, but not totally unlike it either.

[waternight]

In the imp: Huh, this does smell metallic and sagey.

Wet: Metal eucalyptus! Seriously - eucalyptus and camphor, but with an unexpected warmth. It really does smell polished, oiled, glowing... Wow. This is amazing. The incense is behaving (it can go wonky on me), the sage isn't really there... This is mainly warm, oiled metal with eucalyptus. Vastly addictive.

Dry: LOVE. Musky and masculine and metallic... So unbelievably sexy. YUM.

[Miss Lynx]

Wasn't sure about this one, as I don't much like the idea of metallic notes, but the sage and incense sounded really nice. Thankfully, as it turns out, it's not really very metallic at all. There's a faint touch of that, but the incense and herbal elements are by far more prominent, which is a very good thing as far as I'm concerned.

 

It's actually got a slightly similar feel to No. 93 Engine, but it's a little less sweet and more masculine-feeling. Not quite to the extent of those scent that practically jump up and shout "Hi! I'm a MEN'S scent!", but it does have a little bit of that aspect to it. Maybe that's partly the slight metallic edge.

 

Later on in its development, it picks up a slightly unpleasant wax-crayon-like note - not sure where that's coming from! I've noticed it before in a few scents that contain fig, but this one hasn't got any of that that I know of.

 

All in all, not a bad scent, but not a great one. It's like a lesser version of No. 93 Engine, or maybe a rough draft of it. It might be better on someone male than on me...

 

Grade: B

[SarahScent44]

In the bottle, I get metallics and sage.

 

On my skin, I get the shine of the metallics under the herbacity of the sage, and the warm spiciness of the incense - surprisingly light and warm.

 

When it dries, it's much more metallic, much darker - I'm not getting any of the incense or the sage.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

Metallics-- brassy-like metallics, and a hint of lemon verbana.

 

On Me

Initially it smells pretty much the same-- it's reminding me of Kataniya to a level-- I'm getting the almost garagey grease-smell combined with the metals. Underneath, there's soft citrussy ozone, but it's hard to place exactly what's in it.

 

It's got a decent life to it, though, and good throw-- Thursday night is my "going out for drinks with friends" night, and just about everyone commented on it!

[Indigo78]

In the imp - KAPOW Sage! It smells like Pine cleaner, and I don't realize it is Sage until I look at the notes.

 

Wet on my skin its Vapo Rub and Pine, with something kind of sweet just beneath those. I can smell the oiled metals, bright and in full working order. I like this one quite a bit. Its unconventional and makes me think of a sexy mechanic's shop.

Edited December 15, 2008 by Indig0

[filigree_shadow]

This smells like VapoRub on me at first. It even makes my nose tingle when I sniff it.

 

As it dries, it loses that menthol-like characteristic and warms up. It does smell quite metallic -- like oily metal and metal cleaner. I think I can smell a little bit of incense. Not enough for my liking, though.

 

I don't think this one is going to work for me, sadly.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Definitely metallic and sage.

 

On Application

Dusty sage.

 

Dry Down

This is so elusive on my skin that it is had to quantify. The sage seems to have faded into the background and the incense has come to the front. While the insence and sage are warm and spicy, the overall effect is quite cool and slick. Actually quite amazing. Wll need to try a slather test.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

[starwild]

I've been wanting to try this for the longest time!

 

Imp: Whoo, metallic note with a swirl of coldness.

 

Wet: This is a very cool scent, with the metallic note quite strong and the sage almost menthol-like. It'll clear your sinuses.

 

Dry: I get that incense coming out quite strongly now, wafting through the metal and sage. This is a bit more biting and intense than Robotic Scarab, more like an entire factory than a single tiny mechanism. I get that pine-menthol note if I huff my wrist.

 

This isn't enough to knock off Robotic Scarab as my favorite of the Steamworks collection, but it's lovely! Will definitely be wearing it, it's perfect for hot summertime.

[greenranger]

It starts off really yummy with incense and spicyness and metal.

 

Unfortunately, as it is in contact with my skin, the sage wakes up. It will be a lovely scent up until the point where the sage takes over and obliterates everything else.