The Phoenix At Dawn

[toku]

Ecstatic bird songs pound
the hollow vastness of the sky
with metallic clinkings–
beating color up into it
at a far edge,–beating it, beating it
with rising, triumphant ardor,–
stirring it into warmth,
quickening in it a spreading change,–
bursting wildly against it as
dividing the horizon, a heavy sun
lifts himself–is lifted–
bit by bit above the edge
of things,–runs free at last
out into the open–!lumbering
glorified in full release upward–
songs cease.

The pearly, opalescent flames of the morning: pink rose, apricot, orange blossom, carnation, red sandalwood, lemon blossom, rose musk, Madagascar vanilla, white wine grape, pink grapefruit, and white patchouli. This Phoenix embodies liberty, renewal, vitality, and creativity.

This really is a vital, bright, energetic blend on me. The fizziness of the fruits is really apparent throughout the wet stage and into the first hour after application. I don't think it will last very long (bright blends never seem to do so), but I am certainly enjoying it while it sticks around.

IMO similar blends on me are: Spinning Multicolor Metallic Pinwheel, Harlequin, Schrodinger's Cat, and Copper Phoenix is a teensy bit similar; I'm guessing the grapefruit/white grape and possibly apricot are the notes that stand out on me.

With the way my chemistry works, I won't be surprised if the vanilla, sandalwood, and patchouli show up later. In fact I think the vanilla is starting to make an appearance around the 2-hour mark, smoothing out the fizziness just a bit.


edit: because I can't spell or construct sentences

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Perky, bright without being blinding or hot. A touch youthful without being infantile or girly. I think this is because the Vanilla is restrained and the White Patchouli gives it a more earthy base.

 

So far, after many years of not doing well w/ Anniversary blends, I'm getting lots of lovely successes.

Edited December 21, 2011 by Heavenlyrabbit

[Morsigne925]

My first LE scent!

In the bottle: Very citrus-y and bright, and sweet (though not too sweet); it smells a bit like the taste of those orange-wedge shaped hard candies you sometimes get at Italian restaurants

Wet: A very lovely bright, lightly sweet citrus scent; at this point it smells predominantly of citrus (orange/lemon/grapefruit to me), with a hint of other notes behind it, possibly the florals

Drying (1 hour): Still very much a citrusy scent, but the other notes balance it out much more now - I can pick up more of the floral smells, the apricot and possibly the vanilla. I love this perfume! It is light and clean and very pretty/feminine to me

End of the day: This is proving to be shorter-lived than some other BPAL scents on me, but I still love it - after a few hours the tangy citrus scent has mostly died down, giving way to a lovely, lightly orange-flowery sweetness. 5 stars in my book

 

Revisit AUG 2014:

 

Bottle/Wet: Smarties. Exactly the way smarties taste, or most candies that have citric acid

 

I feel like I got overly excited in most of my old reviews - I do still like this scent, but I don't think I'd give it quite a 5. I think it is a perfect summer scent - bright and VERY orange citrusy. Florals come out a bit as time goes on but it remains very sweet and bright. I'll say 4.5 because it's just a BIT sweet for my nose every few sniffs, but I still like it.

Edited August 24, 2014 by Morsigne925

[angelicruin]

Fizzy citrus and floral on my skin. It's nice, but I am not sure it's going to work for me. Strongest notes on me are the grapefruit & orange blossom. Just a hint of rose and carnation on me.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I must have been blinded by the carnation, because looking at the notes again I have to wonder what I was thinking. Red sandalwood is known to amp on me. I steer away from apricot after a very bad experience with Mad Hatter/March Hare (whichever one has the apricot in it). Rose can be a problem on me. Perhaps the purpose of vitality and creativity influenced me as I could use a little more of both these days.

 

In the Bottle: A fruity citrus impression on a bed of gentle florals with a hint of spiciness. It does have a feel of the coming of the day to it: a chilliness that promises warmth later when the sun rises.

 

Wet: The citrus note comes out first with a hint of the vanilla, but there's something lurking deep down that reminds me of the bad apricot experience. It also seems to be making my skin itch.

 

Drydown: I think I'm getting a lot of grapefruit and grape now with just a little carnation. The lurking nastiness seems to have gone away and the sandalwood isn't taking over. It's sweet without being cloying and has warmed up a bit. I'm still itching just a little, but it's not enough to cause pain.

 

Verdict: It's not nearly as vanilla and floral as I would have liked, but the problem notes aren't being a problem, either. I might play with this one a little before deciding whether to let it go.

[Ondine]

Very sweet and candy-like on me--this is actually what I expected Candy Phoenix to smell like! It's sort of orange-y on me, much like Orange Phoenix and PL176. If you like those kinds of oranges, you might like this

[Amalthea]

This is really pretty, effervescent and full of hope. A lot like dawn, actually! I get the sweet citrus notes at the beginning but totally get a sweet, slightly creamy vanilla at the end. I really love this one.

[cinnamonster]

First sniff, this is fizzy, like 7-up, which gives way to a rose reminiscent of the kind of fancy rosewater soaps people give at Christmas, underscored with a sweet grape, definitely a white grape.

 

It's not what I was expecting really, but it could be my skin chemistry. I hoped for a carnation-apricot spectacular. It's a fast morpher though, vanilla is peeking through now, but I still mainly smell like expensive soap, I want my fizz back!

[stellamaris]

I surely do get the fizzy quality here. My son tried this one tonight, he said it smelled like the markers he used to have as a child. I thougth it smelled very creamsicle on him, very nice, he liked it and ended up with it. It really isn't for me, it is not something I would reach for. Fantastic on him though.

[edenssixthday]

The Phoenix At Dawn - This scent is bright and lightly effervescent. It's definitely a fruity-floral blend, with the dominant notes being rose, apricot, grapefruit, and grape. It's sweet and fruity, with a soft floral edge. It's incredibly gorgeous, but as soon as it dries down, it disappears from my skin, which is such a shame because while I can smell it, it's very, very pretty.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Sugary and pink. Not so much fizzy to me, but crisp and bright.

 

Wet: This is a dead ringer for lemon scented sticky bat. It smells like a lemon drop hard candy, dusted with a layer of powdery sugar. It's tart and sweet at the same time. There's a strong citrus note and some sourness which I think is the wine grape.

 

Dry: Still very sugary on me, but now I detect a faint, almost soapy trace of carnation and rose. The best way I can describe this is a sweet and sour lemon musk. Pretty but a little too bright for me.

[Monster]

Phoenix at Dawn is a sparkling pink scent. It could almost pass as another member of the Atomic Luau Lounge

This is a fizzy, grapefruit soda on my skin with hints of floral notes.

It dries into the softest, palest citrus blend with a kiss of sugar.

 

Really pretty but not something I would wear.

[Dark Alice]

This scent is sparkly, orange, with strong ginger. Most things in life start strong and bright...and that is what the citrus and apricot in this represent. Too bad the orange blossom takes over and ruins this for me. Because initially this starts out beautifully.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, The Phoenix at Dawn reminds me of bpal's Champagne blends, sort of like cleaning fluid mixed with fizzy booze. On my skin at first, this is like dry citrus candy and a shot of fizz with a creamy floral note to it. I liked it for a bit, but then it started to get sharper in the drydown, more like sharp rose perfume and sour lemons thrown into a mess of old champagne. This one is also really light on me, and only lasts on my skin for about an hour.

 

I get mostly perfumey rose and sharp citrus from this one, with an undertone of booziness. I wish it had more of the creamy orange blossom and vanilla.

[Floria]

The base of this reminds me of Belle Epoque, oddly enough, with the upper layer smelling like some hybrid of Polynesian Pop and Schrodinger's Cat. It's very bright and citrusy, a bit tingly, and does evoke sherbety yellow and pink based colors.

 

Oddly, right after it was applied the fizzy citrus brightness was kind of subdued and it smelled a bit more traditionally perfumy, but it got closer to its smell in the bottle after a minute or so.

 

This should be a wonderful scent for warm weather.

[zankoku_zen]

Fruity, fizzy, effervescent sweet scent. Its got tinges of citrus, rose, and touches of sandalwood. Reminds me to Spinning Multicolor Metallic Pinwheel and Harlequin.

 

The joy of the dawn.

[windbourne]

Sweet, fizzy, joyous. I like this one quite a bit--it has things in common with L'Ecole des Filles (orange blossom very heavy at the start, definite rose note later), and, as several have said, Spinning Multicolored Pinwheel, though this is much less multicolored and softer. Copper Phoenix also has some similarities, but that one is much deeper and a bit sharper.

 

What it -really- reminds me of is the Lush scent Champagne Snow Showers (citrussy floral, orange blossom and champagne). It's a little sturdier than that one, with the sandalwood undertones rising up as it dries, but otherwise very similar.

 

If you like that one, go buy this. I find this Phoenix to be lovely, but carnation always eventually just smells weird on me. So I'm going to drop my decant with someone who will love it more.

[milo]

Hmm, not very rosy at first, which is a pleasant surprise. I'm getting sparkly white grapefruit and something crisp like a juicy orange in the background. I hope it stays like this as I love me a good citrus blend. It does remind me of Champagne Snow Showers, as Windbourne noted aboveand if I'm not mistaken, Lush did a perfume a couple of years back. I find some of Lush's perfumes fade quickly, so if you're a fan of that one, give this a whirl. Upgrade a possiblity depending on the next few hours.

 

eta: Fades extremely quickly, and gets an odd dusty note after about an hour. This is really very pretty for the first bit though.

Edited January 14, 2012 by milo

[angelamaria]

In decant: soapy florals and citruses. I didn't expect it to be this strong, although I think I should have expected it.

 

Wet on skin: soapy, almost grandmothery florals and citruses. The citrus should have given it a bright edge, but while it does peek out, the florals are definitely going to town here. Slightly boozy, with an old fashioned feel.

 

Dry: soapy florals--more "white" than anything else, but this isn't your delicate or dainty white--this is a bold sort of white. And a heavy touch of almost-boozy fruit feel to it for me, and definitely soapy.

 

Verdict: I expected this to be the most promising of the anniversaries, but oh well! Definitely not for me.

[lilyliza]

In the imp: Fizzy, playful fruit and a touch of soft white florals in the background. I'm liking the buoyancy of this scent already.

 

Wet, on my skin: It blends so beautifully, way more than it does in the imp. There's a surprisingly deep and warm base in the background (I'm guessing from the sandalwood and white patchouli), and now there's more flowers than citrus, but both are far more subdued and held together and smoothed out by the vanilla. So pretty.

 

Drydown: The citrus comes out a little more, and now it's a bright but complex scent, retaining its buoyancy. It just makes me feel happy.

 

Dry: Soft and warm with just a hint of playfulness.

 

I like this one a lot. It's a bright but grounded, optimistic scent.

[Invidiana]

I agree with the others that there is a fizzy quality to this scent, almost like one of the Atomic Luau Lounge blends but softer. It is a rather lively grapefruit-based floral with the floral elements playing nicely. I do wish there was more vanilla, apricot and white patchouli evident as I could just barely smell them--mostly the grapefruit with a bloral backdrop. This does embody the renewal of dawn, but I really think Dusk and Midnight are more my speed personally.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Phoenix at Dawn

 

In the imp: smells a bit like lemonade or Sprite. The champagne note reminds me of the WC exclusive scents.

Wet on skin: fizzy! This smells like a citrus soft drink, and the bubbles going up your nose.

Dry on skin: now it smells like Lush! yes, really! It smells like that lemony, rosy, ‘bath bomb dust’ smell you get in a Lush shop. There’s a carbonated scent there (thanks to the champagne). There’s a floral note now, lots of rose and orange blossom, as well as effervescent grape and lemonade, a hint of bitter grapefruit peel and a tiny bit of vanilla musk to soften it all up. I swear I smell lime too even though it’s not listed. It’s a very happy scent, very optimistic. It reminds me a bit of Sol Invictus but with a lot more citrus and with rose instead of resins.

After a while: the grapefruit sticks around for a lot longer than expected, and it smells a little too bitter for me. It’s not like the grapefruit from Schrodinger’s Cat which is more of a juicy smell, this reminds me of grapefruit peel. Now that the lemon and orange and rose have calmed a little, I smell more of the champagne, and I’m not sure if I’m crazy about it. It has that weird fizzy yet oddly metallic gin-like scent that I wasn’t so keen about in the will call champagne scents.

Verdict: you can’t help but smile when you smell this, it’s so ebullient. It’s the antithesis of me in the morning-instead of hitting the snooze button for the millionth time; this phoenix is raring to go as soon as the sun is up, full of optimism for a new day. And it probably started by taking a bath with an assortment of Lush bath bombs instead of a shower, because that’s what this really smells like to me in the just-dry stage. It’s very chirpy and joyful with its fizzing citrus and roses and vanilla and I like it, but the drydown is flat champagne (and juniper?) and bitter grapefruit, I’m not so keen on that, especially because the rose, vanilla and orange blossom seem to disappear by then. Seems this phoenix eventually got burnt out after getting up so early. Shame, because I really liked the Lush-like scent I get in the first hour of wear.

Is it a keeper? probably not.

If you like this, try: Sol Invictus, Bess, Catherine, Changing the Shadows, Bijoux Yha’nthlei, Ra, La Vita Nuova, Champagne and Roses

Edited January 29, 2012 by yeahbutnobut

[Ghost of a Rose]

My imp is a decant from the generous Fright.

 

In the imp: The oil is clear and a light bright yellow color. The fragrance is fruity (especially grape) with bit of vanilla.

 

On me, wet: On me, it's hardly fruity at all, but a much more unusual and indescribable scent, kind of spicy. Strangely, it reminds me of curry more than anything. Underlying that are hints of carnation, grapefruit, and lemon. So far I'm not getting either of the rose notes, which disappoints me. But I am intrigued by how unique this is.

 

After 10 minutes: Still that spicy curry smell, with a grapefruit note that is surprisingly sharp and not at all sweet, close behind. The curry note is teasing me with memories of a specific and uncommon spice that is found is some curries. Maybe fenugreek? Or coriander?

 

After 20 minutes: The curry spice is still the main note, and the grapefruit has faded but still present. If I try really hard, I can now detect the faintest whisper of rose. It's so subtle that I'd never notice it if I didn't already know it was there. It's odd how this doesn't smell anything like most of its ingredients, but like something completely different. And also odd how totally different it smells on me than it did in the imp. I'll be curious to read the other reviews and see if this happened to anyone else or if it's just a weird fluke of my skin chemistry. I've had notes that go "off" on my skin, and blends that feature different notes on my skin than in the bottle. But I've never had a fragrance change so completely when I put it on.

 

After 30 minutes: The rose is increasing, which I like, but it is still a subtle nuance behind the curry and grapefruit.

 

After 1 hour: Curry, with rose and a little musk.

 

After 2 hours: It's finally losing the curry scent, and is now flowers and fruits (too faded to identify specific ones) with a bit of musk and sandalwood.

 

Verdict: I enjoy sniffing the fragrance on my wrist (I love curry.) But I wouldn't want to go around smelling like cooking odors all day. I might wear this at home just for fun, but I wouldn't wear it out in public.

 

 

I tested this in the perfume locket as well, in case there was something going on with my skin:

 

At first: The first thing I smell is pink grapefruit and apricots, with a hint of unidentifiable flowers.

 

After 10 minutes, it's pretty much the same except that I notice the grape as well. There's a trace of spiciness, but it's the incensey spiciness of sandalwood and patchouli, rather than curry!

 

After 2 hours: I can recognize a whispered echo of the curry note that I got on my skin, just enough to sort of tell where it came from. It seems to be the combination of the grapefruit with the slight spiciness of sandalwood, patchouli, and carnation. But in the locket, it doesn't smell anything like curry - just itself, an unusual fragrance. The fruits are a much stronger presence than they were on my skin.

 

After 6 hours: The rose has become a significant player, together with the grapefruit and spiciness. All three aspects are fairly equally balanced at this point.

 

After 24 hours: A gorgeous blend of rose and sandalwood.

 

Final verdict: So much better in the scent locket that I do want a bottle after all! I'll wear it in the locket rather than on my skin.

 

My rating: On my skin - 3 stars

In the scent locket - 4 stars

Edited February 7, 2012 by Ghost of a Rose

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Well-blended! Florals more than fruit, certainly.

 

Wet: Roses, carnation, and some citrus.

 

The dry-down: Should have known better. Citrus (but not a sparkly high and bright grapefruit) is trying to stomp out all the other scents. The red sandalwood and the carnation may be fighting with it. I had high hopes of this, since there are so many notes made of win, but I was a bit worried that some would not work together so well and that's what's going on. Two months of aging isn't enough. I'll revisit this in May.

[Gin]

The Phoenix at Dawn is fizzy fruits at first but as it dries, it goes quiet and kind of waxy; the rose is emerging and it smells a bit like Amandopondo from Lush.