Phoenix Steamworks

[topazphoenix]

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

I like the sage and herbal-ish quality, but there's that distinct hot metal note in here that rather bothers me. Pass.

edited to add lab description. Edited November 2, 2009 by Shollin

[Aldercy]

How is it even possible that this smells like Giant Vulva to me? It's really sophisticated, wispy traditional perfume. WHAAA?

 

Okay, as it dries I'm getting a little more of the sheer metallic notes and sage (yay fuzzy sage), and it's not so much like GV anymore. Metal notes usually smell "true" on me (not ozoney or weird) but the problem is that I just don't always like it. The metals of Phoenix Steamworks, however, are really nice-- not very heavy, but still rich and shiny (glazed in beeswax?).

 

Big success here. It retains that elegant, feminine quality it had at first, but on the drydown it's spiked with herbs and warm, soft metallics that take it out of the realm of the usual.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Herbs! And hot metal.

 

Wet: Oh! Incense and herbs, with a faint metallic zing.

 

Dry: Incense and metal. Something similar to copper but not quite. Definitely a warm metal.

 

A while later: Oh! This ones sticks around quite well. And I smell like metal! Bronze, I smell like my mom's old brass bedframe. But with something organic and wispy as well. And it smells nice! Very crisp and clear , but with that soft (herbal?) edge. I think this is being added to my "I need a bottle" list.

[RockyChristine]

In the bottle: Not sure at first whether I was going to like it. It took me a few minutes to really smell it and notice the sage and herbs.

 

Wearing it: Very nice. Not smelling a lot of metal, but lots of sage, a scent I rather love. This is definitely a keeper- it lasts and it's really nice. Going in the list of "need a bottle."

[milo]

I agree with Aldercy in that this smells like Giant Vulva. Only this one is more "honey-like" and warm to me. Almost like there is beeswax in here somewhere. I really don't get any sage or incense which is somewhat of a disappointment. The warmth and sweetness of this blend is nice, but I don't need a bottle of it.

[Invidiana]

There is something honey-ish about this blend, which I really like; there must be honey in the 'burnished gold' note. The incense as a smoky and sweet support base for the honey, and the sage can be a little sharp initially but fades on me in the drydown. Definitely not as sharp-metallic as I expected something like this to smell; a pleasant surprise.

After this, I'm definitely looking forward to Gold Phoenix even more!

Edited November 28, 2009 by Invidiana

[fiddledragon]

In vial: sage and incense and something metallic.

 

On me: Sage and resins...I'm amused by the number of above reviews that get a feminine scent from this, because on me, this is extremely masculine. Lots of sage and sweet, amber incense (I don't think there's actually *amber* in this; it just smells that "color" to me). It's saying "leather" as well, but there isn't actually a leather note; that may be how I'm interpreting the bronze.

 

This is a sexy artificer scent...not a mad scientist, quite; he's not that manic or potentially-evil. But this is a steampunk scholar with his sleeves rolled up, adjusting the hydraulics of some project, sage burning in the background. He rifles through old tomes while sketching diagrams on every available surface. But when he sees you at the door to the workshop, he is more than happy to throw aside the leather apron to ravish you across his workbench. But only if he's quite sure you had the same thing in mind; he is, after all, a gentleman.

 

It's so sad that sage overpowers everything on my boyfriend and thus this will probably just make him smell like kitchen. Because otherwise I'd never let him out of bed.

[surf-tormented]

At first, this really smells good on me. It's a strong metallic mint. But then the myrrh from the Abramelin oil turns it into total myrrh, then soap on me. I have even had it on for 15 minutes and it's soapy hairspray, which is what myrrh does on me more times than not.

 

I wish I could have kept the metallic mint scent. I would buy a bottle if the myrrh didn't make a truly loud and destructive appearance.

[voorishsign]

Continuing my excursions in the Steamworks line

 

In the imp - pale yellow oil, metallic and resinous, but a lot lighter than I expected.

 

On wet - Golden, balsamic notes, sage, and metallics.

 

Drydown - the metallics stand out, as does the sage. Slight resins still. A very pretty and unassuming oil. Not the best I've ever tried, but I'm keeping the imp It reminds me a lot of Cathedral, which I like a lot.

[CitizenBree]

I bought this imp for my husband to try. In the imp, is all sage with a hint of sharp, hot metal. But mostly sage. On him, it's a sage-y cologne, like others have said.

 

It's definitely a sexy masculine scent. Probably a bottle for him.

[impolight]

:::PHOENIX STEAMWORKS:::

 

Though the ingredients Of Phoenix Steamworks are, at present, inaccessible from where this review is currently being composed, there is little that they could convey about the fragrance itsself... One might as well unravel the mysteries of lunar soil through eukelele lessons...

Phoenix Steamworks has to be breathed to be believed. An extraordinary sensation awaits whomever fancies a bit of a foray into the territory of Steampunk fragrances.

Phoenix Steamworks smells like an introspective stroll through an Alpine trail; an admiration of the bountiful earth...

 

A somewhat ominous storm appears to be gathering, yet just before you conclude that it's a pretty good idea to head back, you notice a church across a clearing, and feel a childlike, irresistable urge to explore.

This is unlike any church you have ever laid eyes on; the stonework is heartbreakingly intricate and beyond the scope of traditional architecture. The stone looks scrubbed and polished. The great front doors have are plated with Copper that has oxidized green from the region's weather.

The wooden floors are agleam with a recent cleaning. The stained glass windows sparkle. There is the slightest revenant of incense aloft, harmonizing with the the surrounding freshness of the meadow.

Everything is so immaculate, so pristine... Yet there is no one here. The church feels cold and abandoned. There are to roads leading to or from the church. What has happened? How can this be so? Meanwhile, distant thunder is grinding his teeth in his sleep.

 

Phoenix Steamworks really is splendid. Whenever an exhertion took place, a great boom of the fragrance would waft out and make everything seem so much more... ideal.

This is one of the better formula's encountered.

5/5.

A great day for sending your soul on vacation.

Metallic erotica.

A must have.

Close to the top!

[fairestrocza]

This was one of the worst skin chemistry FAILs I have experienced.

... or possibly a nose fail... or both.

This was a lab-fresh frimp. I sniffed it, gagged, and set it aside for a few months.

I worked up the nerve to skin test it today...

 

In the Imp:

cat urine

Wet on Skin:

cat urine

and air freshener

While Drying: used, scented cat litter, slowly drying

After a Little While: more alcohol and less ammonia; it is becoming less offensive over time, but I can't see myself ever putting this on intentionally… and the urine is coming back, so this is getting scrubbed off

Phoenix Steamworks earns a whopping 0/5 on my skin.

[sunlitgarden]

Phoenix Steamworks

 

In the imp and wet, the main impression is minty, herbal. I can smell the sage and incense as it begins to dry. This is a fairly masculine scent. I like it a lot! It's herbal and refreshing. I don't really get metal from it. It gets sweeter as it dries.

[angelicruin]

Sharp, SHARP, SHARP metal and something else....actually, this smells like urine on my skin. Need to wash this off NOW.

[proserpine]

At first, I get the same electricity note from Cathode. Like other reviewers have posted, there is a sweet metallic (does that make sense) note here.

 

Now I'm getting florals too? Strange....

 

After ten minutes, I get light floral and talc. It has almost completely vanished on my skin.

[mymymai]

According to my husband. "What is this? Did you finally poison me? *sniff* OMG, you really did! It smells like a freaking fart from a Christmas tree." Me: Well, let's see if it changes on you. *sniff* Him "Great, so it now smells like a Christmas tree fart with a rose in it."

 

In the imp: Sage and pine with a little metallic underscent. I don't find it nearly as repulsive as my hubby.

Wet: Camphor and sage, very little metallic scent and some sweetness following it.

Dry: All the metallics has vanished, and I'm left with honeyed sage, although it is more sweet than anything else.

Edited October 10, 2010 by mymymai

[StevenBoatman]

Bleh! I bought this unsniffed, because the notes sounded awesomely AWESOME. But once I put it on, I smell like a walking nursing home! Bleh, bleh, bleh! NOT doing that again. I may see if my friend wants it.

[melrose]

In imp, and on, wet: deep, complex metal. Love this stage.

 

Within 15 minutes: settles into a soft, slightly sweet skin scent. Then, 30 minutes later: all gone.

[Mamma Badger]

For the first 30min. or so I,t was a light incense with that sharper metal Scent I love. Unfortunately I started amping the incense and it overwhelmed all the other more complex notes.

I had planned on trying it on my husband because I suspect he would smell fantastic in it, however he started sneezing the minute I got near him with the imp. *sigh*

[terminallyCapricious]

In the vial: sage and sharp... something? I can definitely see metallic.

Wet: Oh lovely... I smell as if I've just handled a fist full of pennies. Very coppery and I can't say it's a good thing. Very novel though.

Dry-down: a little more cologne-ish, but still very metallic. If I make any male friends in the steampunk dressing hobby, this is going straight to him. It's as if you were wearing a light cologne and went down into the shop for some welding. Very lightly citrus-y.

[PixieMoondust]

This smells gorgeous and unusual. Like incense burning on an altar, in a burnished gold/metal ash-catcher on a summer's evening. The metal's warmed by the heat of the day and the scent blends beuatifully with the incense used.

 

Definitely a keeper, for skin wear, and I think I may try it as a room scent/altar scent.

 

Pixie

[cheetah_pita]

I'm a newbie, so forgive the untrained nose!

 

In the Imp: incense and something sharp (I thought it was ginger, but it's probably the sage)

Wet: floral, with the sharp scent

Dry: baby powder. ugh.

 

Lasts a while, at least 4 hours strong, then starts to fade til it disappears around 8 hours. Kind of a fail with me, though it did smell nice in the vial.

[lolcat]

Phoenix Steamworks is the second Black Phoenix scent I've tried. It came as a bonus sample along with a bottle of Vasilissa I had ordered blindly, based on its description as sweet and feminine.

 

I assume that Phoenix Steamworks was thrown in with my order because it bears some relation to Vasilissa, which I haven't tried yet. It smelled spicy-sweet to me in the bottle and Leanan Sidhe, my other sample, smelled sweet when I put it on, so this may be the common denominator.

 

Phoenix Steamworks is a chameleon. The sage came out in the bottle and for the first half hour it was on. I worried that I'd made a mistake and applied what seemed at first to be an obviously masculine scent-- too sweet to land squarely in the he-man category, but not feminine enough for me. In fact, I tried to imagine what kind of woman would wear such a scent, in which a voluptuous feminine sweetness arm wrestled with a heavy, masculine woodsiness. There was something in the bouquet that I liked very much but couldn't identify and would like to have as more of a top note in another perfume. I'm not sure who could carry this scent off, but darker complected, "exotic" strong women came to mind. Although at this stage I thought it would be better suited to an open-minded man.

 

Then, after about an hour, the cologne quality dissipated and I was left with a scent like incense and syrup that made me think of the color orange (so much so that it influenced my wardrobe choice). It seemed decidedly feminine, down to earth. Great silage-- I put it on eleven hours ago and I can still smell a faint sweet trace of it. I've never smelled anything like this before. It's quite lovely, although hardly appropriate for a spring day like today. I will try this one again in the autumn.

[Quanta]

Ordered this because of the steamworks and the sage.

 

In vial: A bit spicy-incense, a bit sharp.

 

Wet on skin: Awesome sharp incensey oiled-metal goodness.

 

Drydown: Oh sloblock, its going all weird and sour and powdery.

 

Dry: Gross.

 

I need to invest in a scent locket, because I like how this smells in the imp, but it's terrible on me. Might give this a second shot at a different time of month, but right now, it's going to the bottom of the BPAL box.

[hexnut]

PHOENIX STEAMWORKS

 

 

In Vitro Resiny, sweet, slightly sharp.

 

Wet Warm, sweet, incense-y. Not much throw.

 

Drying Softer than pure incense. Sophisticated and very pleasant. This mellowed and blended as it faded over the next two hours, developing a bit of sillage.

 

I have given up trying to detect sage in BPAL blends, and neither can I pick out the gold or bronze, but something kept the resins under control. The "sharpness" had a different quality from my unloved frankincense - maybe it's all the other esoteric stuff in the Abramelin formula. This is a good perfume on me and isn't on my bottle list only because it pales in comparison to No. 93 Engine. I'll definitely use up the imp though.

 

 

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