Earth Phoenix

[nekogrrl]

Hard work, patience, and harmony: Chinese musk, dark musk, and moist soil with black cherry, opoponax, night-blooming jasmine, plum, woodland tobacco, snakeweed, and cypress.

In imp: Oh.. what a lovely dirt note.

Wet on skin: Sweet loamy dirt.

Dry on skin: The florals are coming out more.. it smells like someone planted a garden on my skin.

10 minutes later: The lovely dirt has come back, and it mixes well with the plum, musks and cherry. The jasmine, snakeweed and cypress I don't really pick up much.

Out of all five elements, this is the one I like the most. (but then, I /am/ an Earth sign, and heavily so) Definitely getting a bottle of this.

[nellieburger]

In the decant: Sweet, dampened soil. Black cherry REALLY prominent!

 

Wet on skin: Cherries still REALLY prominent! Even more so now!

 

Dry on skin: Back to a sweet, dampened soil smell with a hint of florals. It’s very different from scents I’m usually drawn to and wear, but I like it! It’s a bit "darker", but "grounded". I may consider purchasing a bottle.

Edited January 11, 2009 by nellieburger

[lothien]

I guess I amp dirt. Of all things.

This is the third earthy fragrance I've tried that turns to all dirt all the time. (Zombi and Badger were the others.)

It ends up drowning out everything else, again. No cherries, no musk or tobacco.

Maybe one of the other Phoenixes will like me better.

[Reedsong]

Earth Phoenix is an interesting fragrance; in the imp, I can smell the various notes distinctly, but on my skin, it dries down to moist soil and a faint cherry in the background. It's something like Queen of Clubs with a little Graveyard Dirt mixed in - not bad, but for my "sweet/earth" scent I prefer QoC.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

Decant: Soil and cypress almost astringent like

Wet on Me: very much soil first then musk, tobacco and hints of jasmine and cypress now.

Drying Down: still soil first. Altho I like gardening not sure I want soil to be the first note that grabs me in a scent. Mostly the soil over a faint musk now.

Dry: mostly soil over musk. The soil note is soooooo sharp it overpowers everything else on me. I was hoping to love this a lot more…I thought it might resonate with the Earth Mother in me. Alas no. But I have the decant and it’s all good.

 

[lostluckkitten]

… dirt. Fresh potting dirt, but pretty much a dirt SN. Slightly fruity, but just a hint. Actually very likable, but... dirt.

[jencallisto]

In the imp: Sweet in a dark cherry way, a little woodsy.

Fresh on the skin: Oh, definitely cherry, a little dark wood, a little incensey. Rather perfumey and a little astringent for some reason, but nice overall.

5 minutes later: Oh, I definitely get both the cherry and the plum, thought there's something about the rest of it that just doesn't quite sit well with me.

20 minutes later: It's gained a little powder, and it's still a little perfumey/cosmetics-y for me, and yet I kind of like it.

1 hour later: It's kind of like this is a particularly nice-smelling baby powder or something, a little spicy, quite a bit sweet.

1.5 hours later: I just put I Fell In Love With A Floating Brain on the other wrist, and compared to its loud sugar this is gorgeous and subtle and really lovely.

3 hours later: Bubblegummy powder, but still a bit complex. Nice!

6 hours later: Faded almost-laundry, reasonably nice still.

14 hours later: Light laundry.

 

Verdict: I like this, but I don't love it. Though I think I may have to try again to know for sure.

 

One phrase: sweet, complex powder.

[savage_rose]

Because of this, I discovered that one of my husband's favorite notes is the BPAL "dirt" note...this smells like a much more mellow, balanced version of Graveyard Dirt...earthy, a little woodsy, with just a hint of the metallic tang of a first rain.

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle earth? really? i'm getting sticky wet fruit and resinous tobacco

wet on skin EP+skin=dirt; yep, this is dirt. dirty dirt dirt. not like graveyard dirt, a "single note" if you will, but the vetiver is strong with this one. in fact, i seem to have lost most of the other notes....

dry on skin the drydown is the triumph of this blend, when the cherry, the tobacco, the dirt, the plum, and the jasmine (yes, the horrendous and disgustable jasmine) all sit harmoniously together and hum. i think the jasmine is maybe too obvious for EP to ever be a real, confirmed favourite, but this is highly wearable and i will enjoy my bottle.

[milo]

Wet, this is a dirt and floral mix. I'm not fond of "dirt" notes, but I just have to try all of the new phoenix's. This fades quite fast, and we're left with just a faint floral, quite pleasant actually, but I won't be hunting down a bottle.

[Argentwolf]

Of all the anniversary Phoenixes, this one was my favorite. There is a strong, sort of astringent note right at the beginning, almost like the sharp tang of *very* fresh barkmulch. Thankfully, this lasts but a moment, and soon there is just a lush blooming of green plantlife. 'Earthy' is an easy word to apply here, but it's very apt; they are just deep, green-brown, earthy notes. I get cypress, maybe some tobacco leaf, and just a teensy hint of cherry lurking underneath there. It lasts all day and as just enough throw to keep constantly reminding me of how lovely it is. Very nice!

[MisterShrapnel]

This one caught my eye first of all this year's Phoenixes, the sheep in me (my Chinese zodiac sign) demanded it.

Gorgeous dirt and sticky black cherries, yesyesyes. The soil doesn't stay prominent for very long... gives way to a general "earthiness": Dark, deep, calming, rather planty or woody with musks (LOVE) and teeny bit of the soil peeking out from below. I actually do get a breath of the jasmine, which is what I was worried about, but I never find it unpleasant/all that strong. Still trying to find the tobacco; I'm hoping it will come out soon, or on another day, as it's one of my favorite notes.

I'm soo glad I have this! Combination of everything awesome, embodies the element and suits me well. I'm annoyed that I probably can't understand this well enough, being a n00b and all, so I'd probably have to study it longer. Very wearable for my tastes! I'm worried about it growing on me since I won't be able to get any more.

[Lamia]

I am not getting any of the dark, earthy, or fruity notes.

 

When first applied this smelled like thin earth. It started to smell like watery mud, but that (thankfully) went away. Now my left wrist smells like bamboo shoots, and my right wrist smells like flowers LOL I will keep it, but it's not a winner.

[papermaker]

Apparently dirt is not my friend. When I first sniff it in the imp it is cherries and dirt.... when I put it on the first hour or so is all dirt or mud. But it seems as if the cherries and plum and jasmine were in the corner plotting a sneak attack, because as I was sitting at work I later went Hey, whose perfume smells so good. Only to realize it was me. It turned into a beautiful blend of jasmine and fruit with a touch of musk and dirt. I will have to try in my locket to see if it morphs faster.

[Bluestocking]

As an Earth Sheep, I just HAD to try this one, even though the mention of dirt scared me.

 

In the bottle: Wow, there's a lot to sniff. Right off the bat, I get cherry and then wet earth—not really a harsh dirt smell, as I feared, but something that smells cool and moist and pleasantly mineral to me—almost a bit like ozone. Beyond that, there's lovely deep musk, and then it's complex—spicy, fruity, sweet and yet not, with an unexpected freshness that makes me think of the aftermath of rain (again, that ozone quality). This is a very complex and sophisticated scent.

On, wet: More of that damp earth, and then the juicy black cherry—definitely black cherry, because this is dark and almost wine-like, not a bright red, candied note. Underneath is more of the dark musk and some green cypress… and oh yeah, there's some smoky-sweet tobacco piping up, though not overpowering. In the background, I get tiny hints of the sweet jasmine and plum, but right now the earthy, darker scents are the focus.

On, dry: YUM. Oh, yummy yum wow. One of the reviews noted that the sweeter elements bloom out of the soil note on this scent, and that's a perfect description. The jasmine and plum are rising up (though not out of control) and blending with the black cherry and tobacco, while the warm musks and that rich, damp soil note ground everything (heh) and keep the sweetness from being overwhelming. It's dark, sensual and earthy, and I love love love it. Then again, I'm not a Jasmine-hater.

Later: Hard to pick out individual notes now—the black cherry, jasmine, plum, tobacco and opopponax have blended into one harmonious, sweet perfume, firmly rooted (heh again) in the deep black soil and sensual musks.

Overall: I can't believe I love a soil-based scent this much! I'm so glad that I took a chance on this one, despite my fears about the dirt note, because it's quickly becoming a favorite. What a lovely, complex scent, and it perfectly demonstrates the virtues of Earth: grounded and supportive, exceptionally well balanced, deeply dark and sensual, capable of nurturing great beauty and sweetness.

 

 

[crebbsgirl]

Wet there was a WHOLE lotta soil here. The dirt note was most predominant in that stage. As it started to dry, the musk came out more, as did the jasmine. There was a very brief period where the jasmine knocked everything out of the way, but that only lasted a couple minutes before it settled into the background. The opoponax really adds to the resinous feel here, but it's a little hollow and cavernous feeling to me. This is a very deep and dark scent. The plum is really only a hint, and I'm not getting any cherry at all. I'm going to age this for a little bit.

[tajana]

I got to try this as a frimp. I never sought this out on my own because even though it has lots of note I like (dark musk, soil, black cherry, opoponax, tobacco) the night-blooming jasmine made me uneasy. My instincts were right! On me, Earth Phoenix is musky fruit (cherry with a relatively subdued plum) with just a bit of black dirt and rain-fresh wood. As it dries down I get just a whiff of tobacco, and the jasmine arrives... and, well, suffice it to say that jasmine and I rarely get along. This is no exception. It eventually fades down to a general sweetness, which, when I bring my wrist right up to my nose, turns out to be a syrupy fruity-floral, sweet plum and cherry backed by jasmine and a trace of musk.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – I though I was going mad, because all I got form this was a hit of muddy cherry/almond, then I saw the black cherry in the description

 

Wet on me – Sweet cherries and the loam of the moist soil

 

Dry on me – The dark musk becomes animalistic and combined with the mustiness of the dirt scent it’s quite unpleasant for a time. The final dry down is a warm, almost inviting musk, which I can only assume is the Chinese musk

 

Overall – I guess on me the notes that didn’t work outweighed the ones that did

 

[rayvn1]

Peony overload! Lots of pink peony and jasmine. If you like those flowers, this one is for you Not my cup of tea, though it is light, pretty, pink and feminine.

[ShadowsDance]

It's all earth in the imp!

Hmm.. wet on my skin it's earth and cherry. As it dries down the scent softens a bit.. it's mainly soil, but I can catch hints of cherry and musk at times. I like it enough to use the imp, but I don't see myself hunting down a bottle of it.

[tragedy]

This is beautiful! I cant stop sniffing my wrist!

I get the most beautiful tobacco/earth/cherry blend. The dirt amps enough to be foremost on my skin, which I love, but not to overpowering that the other notes dont shine through. Very well blended.

This is now amoung my favorites!

[ephemera]

I was gifted the bottle of this with a tiny bit of testable oil left in it. I hadn't really jumped on any of the Phoenix scents when they were out. This one was very dark, almost masculine on my skin. It never got down to individual notes, but it became a mish-mash of grundy scents on my skin that I wound up having to wash off quickly.

[jewelbug]

Imp: Lots of wet soil and some florals and cherry. I do get a hint of jasmine (my nemesis), but I decide to swipe it on anyway...

 

Wet: Initially, this is lots of moist bpal dirt (god, I love bpal dirt) with a hefty dose of floral. Its jasminey, yes, but something keeps this one from going straight to cat-pee on me (which happens in ~90% of jasmine blends for me). I also get a pretty discernable note of citrus--lemony, almost.

 

Drying: It takes 30 min or so, but then the super dirt floral (very reminicent of Jazz Funeral) starts to give way to something much more complex. The cherry/plum makes an appearance and strengthens over the florals, so that I get slightly dirty fruits in a nice balance with rich woodsy/smoky/sweet incense notes. There's a hint of jasmine/florals, but its not the horrid kind.

 

Overall: I wrote this off because of the jasmine, but its so complex and beautiful. I will keep the imp around at least a while longer to see how it ages, but its not something I need a bottle of.

 

[claudia6913]

Pine, pine, pine, and just a bit more pine. Underneath that, I catch a sweet/dirty smell. Must be the cherries and moist soil. I get very little floral scent from this until way past dry down. I must be amping the cypress from here to kingdom come. It nearly drowns everything out, but that's okay. I really, really like forest-like scents and this is definitely something I like.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Dark cherry, fruity, a little dirt, and something with a snap.

 

Wet: Cherry-musk. This one needs to develop, there are lots of enticing notes in it.

 

Twenty minutes: Dirt, cherries, resin, and something else (floral?). I don't think it's finished developing yet. But so far it's rich, earthy, strong; I like it.

 

One hour: Many of the edges have been knocked off this scent now. That lovely distinctive dirt note has mellowed a lot, and the fruits have ramped down. Mostly it's a very pleasant, warm, woody, earthy blend with no major notes obtruding. I think I'm even beginning to notice the plum and jasmine. I like this and hope it stays this pleasant.

 

Two hours: Suddenly this seems very gentle. I can barely make it out, and all the notes are very smoothly blended. What happened?

 

Three hours: It's amazing how light this scent has gone on me, and with all those notes that really work on me too!

 

Five hours: Almost imperceptible. That's amazing.

 

Six hours: A single note still there. Not fruit, not floral, but something familiar. Maybe opoponax? It's a little bitter.

 

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed, sure it would be terrific on me. My decant proved otherwise, sadly. Someone else will have to love that bottle.