Pliny's Phoenix

[stellamaris]

PLINY’S PHOENIX
The phoenix, of which there is only one in the world, is the size of an eagle. It is gold around the neck, its body is purple, and its tail is blue with some rose-colored feathers. It has a feathered crest on its head. No one has ever seen the Phoenix feeding. In Arabia it is sacred to the sun god. It lives 540 years; when it is old it builds a nest from wild cinnamon and frankincense, fills the nest with scents, and lies down on it until it dies. From the bones and marrow of the dead phoenix there grows a sort of maggot, which grows into a bird the size of a chicken. This bird performs funeral rites for its predecessor, then carries the whole nest to the City of the Sun near Panchaia and places it on an altar there.
- Pliny, Natural History

Wild cinnamon and frankincense.

Well, you had me at Wild Cinnamon, but all I can smell right now is the frankincense, which is just fine by me.
After snoofing my other Pheonix decants, I know why this was the first must have bottle, this is the clear winner to me. The frankincense is so deep, sometimes I just suck frankincense right up and it's so sad (Midnight Mass, I'm looking at you) but this must be some other super powered one...trying to fight the urge to hoard...

[MuskWitch]

OH, this is gorgeous! Warm, sweet cinnamon, and glowing frankincense. It just gets better and better as it dries down. This is bottle and back-up bottle worthy! A must-have Holiday Scent if you like cinnamon and frankincense, and probably even if you don't!

[zankoku_zen]

Warm, dusted cinnamon on frankincense.

 

Frankincense lovers take note! This one is deep, warm, resinous and comforting. The cinnamon adds to it, making it a golden, comforting blend.

 

Warm, golden, cinnamon.

[RiverPoet]

This ends up being a frankincense single-note on me. While I would have loved some cinnamon, this is a lovely, smooth, mellow frankincense that just wants to hang out and see what's up, rather than dominate the day.

[SophieCedar]

Ooh! Non-burny cinnamon! 1st YAY! Deep frankincense and its the predominant note. 2nd YAY! the cinnamon is dry and woody, not the overly sweet baking type. 3rd YAY! I'll be getting a bottle.

[Ethaisa]

Frankincense usually evokes brightness for me, but this is so rich I get a dark glow, like embers. The cinnamon is more woody than spicy, and not at all foody. Not quite what I was expecting, but I love it - I may need to hoard.

[Caper]

This is likely going to be the sixth phoenix I buy in a bottle.

 

The frankincense is just really good, and the cinnamon is spicy, but not sweet, so yay for everything except my wallet! The cinnamon in here is like a cinnamon stick, not so stong and dominant as it can be ( red-hots, it isn't!) and I think it tempers the frankincense.my only hesitation is that Midnight Mass is already an awesome frank blend, and I have two bottles (2005 and 2006) that are just amazing. I might cut this one if finances are too tight, but you all should buy it! Because it really is that good!

Edited February 21, 2014 by Caper

[SultryWolf]

I tried to talk myself out of a bottle by comparing it to other similar scents, but there's nothing truly the same! It's a simple blend but so beautiful. Neither none dominates; rather they meld into a warm, comforting, and uplifting whole

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: A little sharp and spicy - like the bite of Bengay (mind you, I don't dislike the smell of Bengay - just saying that's what the sharpness reminds me of) or eucalyptus. I do smell the cinnamon and frankincense - they blend well together.

 

Wet on skin: This is an interesting scent, and very pretty. Both the cinnamon and the frankincense are very clear, but they still blend together nicely. I think frankincense is becoming one of my favorite notes, although this one is softer than I would have expected.

 

Dried down: Dried down, I'm getting almost pure frankincense over the cinnamon. It softens quickly, which I like. There's an almost floral baby powder edge to it.

 

Throw: I'm not getting a whole lot of throw as I type. I have to get fairly close to my wrists to get the frankincense.

 

Verdict: **** I actually like this a whole lot, but I think I'll be skipping on getting a bottle this time, if only because there's SO MUCH right now, and I've already got a huge order. Definitely keeping the decant, though.

[Teaotter]

Wet: The frankincense is doing that almost-rubber thing that it does sometimes on me when it's strong. There's an intense sense of coolness to this smell, not what I was expecting.

 

Drydown: Mostly frankincense. There is also that coolness, I don't even know how to describe it except it smells like I'm sniffing cold air. The cinnamon is a hint of spiciness in the back of my throat more than something I can smell. But the throw is all frankincense.

 

This one has hella throw on me, even if it is all frankincense. Lovely, but I was expecting more warmth.

[JazzieCazzie]

Actually bought a full 5 ML unsniffed and several imps through a decant circle, that's how sure I was I'd love this.

 

IN THE IMP: Sharp and acrid. Not really getting frankincense OR cinnamon. Odd.

 

Dabbed on my wrist and in the crook of my arm.

 

WET: This is not what I expected or hoped for at all and I'm not sure why. The overwhelming scent to me is ... well, maybe it's got some cinnamon to it, but I guess this is the "wild" part of it. It's like the soft brown bitter cinnamon powder that has no spice or sweetness or burn to it. And whatever it is is completely overpowering any frankincense. It's not churchy, it's not spicy ...

 

DRYDOWN: As it dries, I do get some of the frankincense starting to appear. No burn, no cinnamon as I identify cinnamon in the BPAL cinnamon blends. It doesn't have that va-va-voom cinnamon or that heavenly comforting frankincense. It is something else entirely. Oddly, clean and outdoorsy.

 

OVERALL: Undecided. To me, it's neither a cinnamon nor frankincense scent in the long run. It's nice but it's not what I had been imagining, I guess. I definitely don't need a bottle and a half of it but I'll probably keep an imp or two.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 3.8

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Proper deep incensy churchy frankincense

 

Wet on me - Again very churchy although veering slightly into furniture polish

 

Dry on me - It disappeared surprisingly quickly on my skin

 

Overall - It never really developed beyond the wet stages

[milo]

Maybe wild cinnamon is a milder form of cinnamon, cause I sure don't smell anything like it here. Maybe a bit of spice and a whole lot of frankincense. After a bit, less resins, more mild cinnamon, but it has faded quite a bit by now. Not bad, but no need to upgrade.

[Blood onmy hands]

Smooth, golden, resinous, slightly woody frankincense and a hint of warm cinnamon sugar. Reminds me of Cathedral with a little bit of spice or Faustus with less spice, lol. Soft and fades quickly on me, but that might be because of its age.

[Lucchesa]

Obviously my Pliny's Phoenix decant is well-aged. It's a beautiful, long-lasting, warm frankincense on me, practically a single-note frank with just the tiniest hint of cinnamon. Absolutely lovely, and something to warm up a wintry season.