Priala, The Human Phoenix (2016)

[Blood onmy hands]

As you come to the final stage, you see a spotlight focused upon a large pile of pitch-black ashes on the center of the floor. A parchment scroll has been tacked to the foot of the stage. It reads:

Now I will believe
That there are unicorns; that in Arabia
There is one tree, the phoenix’ throne; one phoenix
At this hour reigning there.

You catch a whiff of burnt cinnamon, and a whirlwind begins to form within the center of the cold pyre. The ashes rise, condense, and coalesce into the dusky form of a woman. She shakes her body gently, tossing her hair, and the ashes fall from her skin. She is perfect, radiant: not a single cinder mars the flawlessness of her countenance. Her body seems to cast a shadow shaped like a triumphant bird, wings outstretched, onto the blank taupe canvas behind her. Her eyes are closed, and her head is bowed; her expressionless face is enigmatic. Her dark eyes begin to glow, and her mouth turns up in a secretive, intimate smile. She throws back her head and extends her arms, and suddenly the scent of smoldering myrrh assails you. Within moments, the woman explodes into flame, and you see that her face is now a vision of passionate ecstasy. The turbulence of the conflagration whips around her violently, and gouts of flame burst from her body, igniting the canvas behind her. She raises her arms in exultation, and through the flames, you see both the outline of her scorched black skeleton and the shadow of the phoenix triumphant.

Three deep, dark myrrhs, smoke, cassia, and cinnamon bark.

The original Priala went through two bottle variations for me. The first couple bottles that I purchased when it was first released were warm, sultry spices and sweet myrrh, and the couple bottles that I purchased near the end of the Carnaval's initial run were harsh, smoky, charred vetiver that I didn't care for at all.

 

First on, this reminds me of the first few bottles I went through of Priala, but sharper and spicier, thanks to the added cassia. I am sensitive to spicy blends and they can give me a headache when they smell too much like a cheap holiday candle or aggressive & sharp like red hots cinnamon candies. Priala 2016 ventures into that red hots cinnamon candy territory, but I do enjoy the sweet, rich myrrh and the woody qualities that cassia and cinnamon bark have. The drydown starts to become smoky on me, but it's kept in check under the spices and myrrh, and the spices are a bit sharp.

I will probably wind up rehoming this bottle. I don't love the ashy vetiver/woodsmoke hint in the drydown, and the spice is a bit too sharp and strong (it does start to make me feel headachey and queasy after a while)... but I do really love myrrh, and this reminds me of my very first bottle of Priala, with the spices amped up.

 

I want to love this for the myrrh and woody edge in the spices, but it's probably too much spice for me.

[LizziesLuck]

In the imp, this smells very strongly of vetiver (the smoke) and cinnamon. Knowing my skin, it is likely to swallow the vetiver whole (I do the opposite of amping it) and then amp the cinnamon. Hoping the Myrrh can balance the cinnamon. I love cinnamon and spice scents, but I don't want to smell of red hots.

 

 

Wet: The vetiver does bloom on my skin for a moment, and mixed with the cinnamon, and some sweetness from the Myrrh, it's really something. Then the cinnamon amps right up and takes everything over, and for a moment it's way too much. Cinnamon single note. But it actually settles a bit, growing sweeter and more rounded, and some of the smoky vetiver comes back out, Currently it smells sort of like what I would imagine cinnamon bark tossed onto an open fire would smell like - pretty magical. The Myrrh is only a vague presence, but it's enough to keep it grounded and provide sweetness.

 

Dry: Wow. This is such a morpher on me! It dries down to the most amazing Myrrh with hints of smoke and spice. It might be the Myrrh blend I have been searching for! I love Myrrh, but I always seem to either amp it to single note (which is nice, but I want more complexity) or it gets totally swallowed on my skin. The cinnamon though, is so beautiful with the Myrrh, and that faint hint of smoke keeps this far out of foodie territory. This is such a warm, glowing, comforting scent. I will likely do a second test, but if it dries down this well again, I will be getting a bottle. I know the Myrrh in this will age really nicely, my only fear is that the cinnamon will grow stronger and stronger with age, as it has done in a few of my other blends. I think it's worth the risk though. Gorgeous.

[zankoku_zen]

Myrrh, cassia and cinnamon. For all you cinnamon and myrrh lovers out there, this one is for you. Good throw and wear length.

[Casablanca]

Wand: Resin, resin, a little more resin, and cinnamon.

Wet: Myrrh resin, possibly including opoponax, with a little smoky vetiver and cinnamon. This is an uncomplicated myrrh lover's blend, but having different myrrhs seems to bring some depth, which increases as this warms on my skin. The spices are mild at first on me, but increase as this dries. Cassia and cinnamon bark together give some depth to the cinnamon, too.

Dry: This wears very close to the skin for me once it dries: I can no longer detect it more than an inch or two away. The elements are all still there, still pretty, just quieted.

I could wish for some woodsmoke in this to go with the vetiver, but I like it. Bottle, pleasey!

[Convallaria]

On me, this is one of scents that has two phases that don't feel very connected: first phase, straightforward dry myrrh; second phase, cinnamon bark. There's some incense lurking behind the spice if you sniff close, but it's still too much cinnamon for my taste. I'm just not a fan of the note when it's dominant, I guess - probably thanks to over-saturation in various other scented products.

Edited September 12, 2016 by Convallaria

[Micaela Gullick]

Quite a bit more cinnamon than I was expecting. Also, it caused some irritation when I applied it to my skin which I think was from the cinnamon. However, it went away after about 15 minutes. As it dries down, the cinnamon fades and takes the back seat allowing the myrrh and smoke. The myrrh and smoke with just a hint of cinnamon makes for a great, spicy autumnal fragrance. I really like it, but when it's wet I find the cinnamon too strong for my tastes. It wears really close to the skin when it dries down though.

[Moranna_Morgaine]

This scent was really amazing for me! My hubby and I love campfires and the remaining smoke scent that lingers after being around one, Priala captures that note really well. I have asthma so some scents with a "smoke" note make me sick and set off the coughing fits but this was just bonfire and cinnamon goodness. I will agree with Ink work that sensitive skin may be aggravated by the cinnamon but I mixed it with coconut oil to create a buffer and it worked okay.

[stellamaris]

Having adored the original, I was eager to try this one and it does not disappoint. Easily as beautiful as the original. I don't get a strong cinnamon note, and the smokey aspect is very nicely blended with the other things. This is a darker heavier scent, absolutely a must have for me.

[lizabelle]

This is one that's caught my eye at least a dozen times, but something stopped me tracking down any to try until I was offered a bottle in a swap. I like it so much more than I expected--this is the fire scent for those who think the others in the GC are too much. I love Djinn, for example, but would probably never wear it because of how strongly it smells of smoke at the beginning.

 

In this one the smoke is strong at the beginning, to the point that I'm mistaking it for vetiver, but it sweetens up quickly thanks to the cassia, cinnamon, and likely the myrrhs themselves. I love myrrh and this is a beautiful example of it: rich, sweet, and earthy, with just a touch of spice that's clearly not cinnamon. The cinnamon in this is subtle and doesn't overpower at all. The drydown is lightly spicy, sweet, and warm, and has a gentle throw. This is one that's fascinating to smell as it morphs, and it helps that I like all its stages! Will definitely be keeping this bottle.