In the bottle: Really worried about this turning into powder on me. Mainly because...I can really smell the baby powder in it, haha. I'm hoping since that's an actual intended ingredient though that it won't be astringent or nasty. But yes, baby powder, the milk and honey lightly.
Wet on the skin: Honey and milk are coming out more loudly than the baby powder, which is pleasant. I amp honey though, I'm pretty sure, so that's probably why. It's a very gentle scent, not in that it's hard to smell, but just that if you could feel it you know it would be soft.
Dry: The powder's coming back. I'm really unsure on this scent.
An hour later: Powder, but not in a bad way. I smell like clean baby skin.
After awhile: Baby powder. Maybe a touch of the milk. Also I was just at a kid's birthday party, so I don't know if that's enhancing me feeling like I smell like children or not, haha.
Overall: It was pleasant and calming, but not really my thing. I'd wear it on a very lazy white day.
Forum review: Here.
Shimmering offerings of gold scattered through life-giving, fertile waters.
In the bottle: Beauuutiful. Smells like a perfume I used to own and forget the name of but loved. Maybe it was the Cool Water for women scent. Love it. Aquatic and green.
Wet on the skin: More of the same, but stronger, a little bit more of a bite to it.
Dry: The sharpness is getting stronger, hoping this isn't turning into soap. Metal and water now is what it smells like -- haha which works, since those are the notes!
An hour later: Not soap! Just an aquatic metal. Very regal.
After awhile: Fading, but the same.
Overall: Very pleasant, I'll definitely be wearing this as one of my default scents when I don't want to risk dabbing on something new before running out the door.
Forum review: Here.
The wild duck and the drake
From the tall and the tufted reeds
Of the drear Hart Lake.
And he saw how the reeds grew dark
At the coming of night-tide,
And dreamed of the long dim hair
Of Bridget his bride.
He heard while he sang and dreamed
A piper piping away,
And never was piping so sad,
And never was piping so gay.
And he saw young men and young girls
Who danced on a level place,
And Bridget his bride among them,
With a sad and a gay face.
The dancers crowded about him
And many a sweet thing said,
And a young man brought him red wine
And a young girl white bread.
But Bridget drew him by the sleeve
Away from the merry bands,
To old men playing at cards
With a twinkling of ancient hands.
The bread and the wine had a doom,
For these were the host of the air;
He sat and played in a dream
Of her long dim hair.
He played with the merry old men
And thought not of evil chance,
Until one bore Bridget his bride
Away from the merry dance.
He bore her away in his arms,
The handsomest young man there,
And his neck and his breast and his arms
Were drowned in her long dim hair.
O'Driscoll scattered the cards
And out of his dream awoke:
Old men and young men and young girls
Were gone like a drifting smoke;
But he heard high up in the air
A piper piping away,
And never was piping so sad,
And never was piping so gay.
- WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
Peat and rolling grass-covered hills, with wine-dappled heather, white clover, cloudberry, juniper berry, bluebell, dandelion, and cross-leaved heath.
In the bottle: Mmm. A very green scent, but not crisp or biting. The peat and grass and clover and dandelion are all coming out strongly. Not so much the berries or flowers.
Wet on the skin: Stronger and the same. Grass and heather and wonderful summer fields.
Dry: Those scents are just kind of exploding all over me. It smells like the most beautiful day ever.
An hour later: An amazingly lush, green field -- with soap sitting in the middle of it :/.
After awhile: Not quite soap, and very pretty.
Overall: I really like this one. The soap fades in and out and isn't heavy at all, and it's really a nice, green spring/summer scent.
Forum review: Here.
In the bottle: Mmm I like this. Something about it makes me think of my mother, but not in a matronly way. It's like a perfume or something that she used a long time ago. There's something warm to it and just this side of being tart. Hints of sweetness in the background.
Wet on the skin: That tartness is coming out more, I'm guessing the musk amping up? There's a dark sort of sweet to the background, not a little-girl sweet. Not burned suger either, though.
Dry: The tart is predominant so far, but not in a bad way. It's more like skin musk and grapefruit on me than sugar cane.
An hour later: It'd be awesome if I wasn't getting soapy-powder in the background :/.
After awhile: Soapy :/.
Overall: Well, I liked it a lot when it wasn't soap? My mom loves it too, I knew it. She thinks it smells like Oscar by Oscar DLR.
Forum review: Here.
A night or two ago,
And now she turns her perfect face
Upon the world below.
Her forehead is of amplest blond;
Her cheek like beryl stone;
Her eye unto the summer dew
The likest I have known.
Her lips of amber never part;
But what must be the smile
Upon her friend she could bestow
Were such her silver will!
And what a privilege to be
But the remotest star!
For certainly her way might pass
Beside your twinkling door.
Her bonnet is the firmament,
The universe her shoe,
The stars the trinkets at her belt,
Her dimities of blue.
Golden mead, fermented with gruit, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger root, sweet-briar, rosemary, and lemon.
In the bottle: Warm and almost-dark, but not quite. Definitely makes me think of mead. There's an allllmost buttery scent to it without being buttery. Getting all of those ingredients in small, well-blended amounts.
Wet on the skin: That buttery smell is coming out more. I think I'm getting a lot of the mead, clove, and ginger. There's something strong to it that stops it from being foody.
Dry: Interesting. Warm mead, clove, nutmeg, ginger. Not really getting any of the herbs or lemon to it, but everything else blends in together and works well. A warm scent that would work on a cold day.
An hour later: Turning into powder :(. Sweet, nice powder, but powder all the same.
After awhile: Same.
Overall: It had a nice smell to start out with? Sigh. Oh well, I hear this one sells for an increased price.
Forum review: Here.
In the bottle: Bubblegum-esque sugar (but lighter than in some of the heavier mixes) and lemon. Maybe the sparkling peach in the background? Something sparkly, without being too hard on my nose. Not getting the tea yet, but that's not really surprising.
Wet on the skin: Pink and bubblegum and peach! Very sweet and youthful and nice.
Dry: I think the lemon's coming in to ground it and make it less about just sweetness and light. It's really elbowing out some of the other scents. It's interesting, very spring-y.
An hour later: Lemony and sweet. Very youthful. I think I can smell a bit of the tea in the background.
After awhile: Pretty lemon sugar.
Overall: Another little-girl scent. But I like those! It makes me want to go have a tea party or something.
Forum review: Here.
In the bottle: Yummy. Slightly dark, with an almost cinnamony drift to it. Looking at the ingredients, I'm able to pick out a few -- I think mainly I'm getting the jasmine, plum, and soil right now. There's something slightly crisp and clear at the edges. Maybe the cypress?
Wet on the skin: Something sharp and bright but not soapy is out. It's almost effervescent, in a sense, but in a dark way. Like a really really really dark Coke. I think part of it might be the cherry.
Dry: That's there, along with a wet dirt scent, and I think I might be getting the dreaded diaper smell, UH OH. I think it might just be the soil + tobacco, though.
An hour later: It's gone very soft on me. Smells like dirt and cherries (but in a nice way), and I'm not sure if I'm smelling powder or musk in the background, but it's not obtrusive.
After awhile: The same, although a bit more of the powder. I don't really mind it though.
Overall: Interesting and nice, but probably not a me-scent for normal usage.
Forum review: Here.
Sandy shores and sweet fresh water, lichen, green algae, and whitestem pondweed, with benzoin, cyclamen, moonlit musk, cucumber, blue poppy, and agave.
In the bottle: Soooo pretty. It makes me think of some of the other sea scents like Windward Passage and such that're more than just the ozone scent. It's a perfect level of sweetness mixed with green; I think I can smell hints of the musk, cucumber, poppy, and agave too. YUM. Now watch it turn to soap.
Wet on the skin: The musk is out a bit more, it's turning a little more masculine; it's still keeping hints of that sweet freshness though.
Dry: Definitely gearing towards sharper (I'm assuming from the musk), but not into soap territory yet. I think the algae and pondweed are coming out more too.
An hour later: Mmm. It's gone lighter, and it's sweet-salty-wet-green. Lovely.
After awhile: I feel like there might be a little powder to it? But I'm more than willing to ignore it because of how pretty the rest of it is.
Overall: God, I love scents like this.
Forum review: Here.
In the bottle: Very foody and sweet. I'm not really in the mood for a foody scent, so we'll see how this goes. Mainly I'm getting the vanilla cream, and I think the guava. Maybe a bit of the sugar cane.
Wet on the skin: Fruit coming out -- passionfruit's hitting, and the apple too. The guava's still there, and the cream is holding them all together.
Dry: It's....interesting. Really a blend of the flowers and the fruits, but it's hard to figure out how, exactly. The vanilla cream faded into a basenote so that it's not very foody anymore, which I like. There's something bright to the flowers, and the fruit is all very fresh. ....This is actually really intriguing, I keep trying to get more whiffs of it.
An hour later: It's gone slightly soft on me, and is very nice. The vanilla is light, the sweet pea's floating around, and I think the guava's still what's the most fruity on me. There's nothing tart enough for apple or passionfruit.
After awhile: It's faded into a really soft, pretty vanilla.
Overall: I liked this a lot more than I was expecting! It went subtle on me after a few hours, but it still smelled good pretty much the entire time.
Forum review: Here.
In the bottle: Mmm this smells so good. And I usually can't stand foody scents. But this is just the right amount of butter and cinnamon, and really really smells like a familiar pastry but I can't think of which one. Definitely getting the brown sugar, nutmeg, and ginger. I want to eat it.
Wet on the skin: The same, but even more.
Dry: The ginger's coming out a bit more to make it slightly sharper, but mainly I'm still smelling brown sugar and nutmeg. There's...something almost light in the back? I'm not really sure what.
An hour later: Warm spices. It's vaguely subdued on me, which is also good, because that way I can enjoy it and not worry about it giving me a headache. I think I'm finally smelling a bit of the chocolate, but mainly it's gingerbready spices for me.
After awhile: Still warm and brown and lovely. The spiciness has faded a bit, and no soap has come in yet to ruin it (but I tend to do well with foody types of things so that probably makes sense).
Overall: This smelled really, really good. And was a really comforting scent. I feel like it's more of a Christmasy smell rather than a spring one, but I did love it a lot.
Forum review: Here.
Antiqued amber, frankincense, pomegranate, myrrh, rose absolute, and bois de rose.
(for this picture -- note, NSFW)
In the bottle: Smells almost soapy, but not in a sharp way. More like a bubble bath smell. It's the incenses that I'm getting, none of the fruit or flowers.
Wet on the skin: Some of the rose is coming out, but the incense smells still make it feel a lot older than it would otherwise.
Dry: More of the rose is starting to peek out a bit. It's kind of a calm, older scent to me. Almost musty in a way.
An hour later: It's gone to powdery soap, I'm about to go wash it off.
After awhile: N/A.
Overall: :(.
Forum review: Here.
Description: Laughter loving.
Peach wine, carnation, lemon peel, osmanthus, blood orange, wood violet, and tuberose.
(for this picture -- note, NSFW)
In the bottle: Oh man, peach. Gorgeous peach. I think I'm getting a bit of the blood orange and something in too, but this is mostly delicious, mind-blowing peach. Very full-bodied, I'm assuming thanks to the wine notes.
Wet on the skin: Peach and...bubble gum???
Dry: Wow, I really smell like peaches and pink bubble-gum. It's not grossly sweet, persay, but a lot of sugar came in -- I think I must amp sugar notes a lot. As it dries more there's something allllmost tart, and full-bodied in the background. The wine again, I think, grounding it.
An hour later: Something sharp in this. If it's soap or powder then the wine is crushing the note mostly. Strange. This is a very grown-up scent on me. Peaches in heavy wine, some wood violet and maybe a bit of citrus. Very sultry.
After awhile: I'm smelling wine and peaches mainly, but my mother says it smells like flowers and candy? MAKE OF THAT WHAT YOU WILL.
Overall: I like it, it's...interesting. I'm not sure what situation I'd wear it in, maybe some twilight summer cocktail party? It's calm, sweet peaches for me now, with a hint of booze.
Forum review: Here.
Smushed candy corn, rock candy dust, marshmallow gunk, strawberry goo, spun blue sugar, globs of salt water taffy, and lint.
In the bottle: Candy. Real candy, not just sugar smells. It really does smell like someone just upended a lot of opened candy onto my desk. Strongest I think are the rock candy, strawberry goo, spun blue sugar, and salt water taffy. Definitely a tang in with the sweet.
Wet on the skin: BAM hello strawberry! Smells like strawberry goo and salt water taffy on me. Like opening a package of Strawberry Sour Punch Straws.
Dry: This is going really strawberry on me. A lot of the sugar, and even the tartness is fading away. I just smell like strawberries. Nom.
An hour later: Strawburryyyy. It reminds me of those Strawberry Shortcake dolls that actually smelled like stuff. Except not plastic. But like strawberries for little girls. I think there's maybe some kind of candy hinting in the background? But I'm not sure which. Maybe the candy corn or the rock candy.
After awhile: Strawberry candy, still! Nice staying power.
Overall: Mmm. I really liked this, will definitely wear it again when I'm feeling sweet.
Forum review: Here.
Description: A tribute to a somewhat nefarious and truly notorious ingredient in New Orleans spellcrafting. It is employed in hoodoo rootwork for various reasons, primarily in spells of protection, "tricking" your enemies, binding, and even love magick. The graves are chosen based on the type of working, and are determined by the type of spirit that lies there and the manner of their demise. Payment is always required in the form of offerings to the deceased. This is the scent of pure graveyard dust, spattered with grave loam and dusted lightly with tombstone moss.
In the bottle: Dirt!
Wet on the skin: Dirt!
Dry: Dirt!
An hour later: Dirt!
After awhile: Still dirt!
Overall: Seriously, forget hints of flowers/herbs/etc. This is straight up wet potting soil. Which I loved, I won't even lie. It's not a heavy scent or overpowering at all, but it has a lot of lasting power. I took two showers between when I put it on and yesterday, and yesterday I could still smell hints of it despite having another oil on as well. Also my little brother agreed and said "yeah that really does smell like dirt o.O". Woo!
Forum review: Here.
Description: Do not smirk as a hearse goes by,
For you may be the next to die.
They wrap you up in a big white sheet
And throw you down six feet deep.
They put you in a big black box,
And cover you up with dirt and rocks.
All goes well for a week or two,
Then things start changing; all is new.
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out,
The worms play pinochle on your snout.
A big green worm with rolling eyes,
Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes.
Til your blood turns mossy green
And oozes out like Devonshire cream.
Worm Moon marks the season of rains, when the worms scuttle forth, aerating the earth with their movements and enriching the soil by digesting waste in organic material, which creates organic fertilizer.
Since April is Black Phoenix's Month of Absurdity, we present a melding of Victorian Grotesquery and springtime fecundity: mold-crusted dirt, decomposing organic matter, coffin wood, drooping funeral flowers, congealed blood, gloomy lunar oils, cuckoo flower, and a gruesome burst of overripe red fruits.
In the bottle: Mmm, I love dirt-related scents. Graveyard Dirt, Zombi, etc. And this definitely follows in that vein (as though it weren't obvious by the name and description). Definitely smelling the dirt, along with something almost watery. There's something giving it a very vaguely sweet touch rather than a sharp one, which I'm assuming is the flowers. Can't smell any fruit yet, maybe smelling a touch of wood?
Wet on the skin: Much less strong on my skin than in the bottle. It's more sweet, old, dark, decomposing dirt and water right now than anything else.
Dry: There it goes, much stronger now. The dirt really jumps out, and I'm actually getting some of the fruit scent now. I wish my whole place smelled like this, with a really cold, crisp breeze. I want the fallll.
An hour later: Starting to get a bit of soap in with it :/.
After awhile: Hmm. It went sweet on me, but not soapy. Like the flowers and fruit, not really much dirt there. It's very light, though.
Overall: Mmm dirt.
Forum review: Here.
Description: Diese Tage, die leer dir scheinen
und wertlos für das All,
haben Wurzeln zwischen den Steinen
und trinken dort überall.
. . .
But nothing's lost. Or else: all is translation
And every bit of us is lost in it
(Or found—I wander through the ruin of S
Now and then, wondering at the peacefulness)
And in that loss a self-effacing tree,
Color of context, imperceptibly
Rustling with its angel, turns the waste
To shade and fiber, milk and memory.
The scent of a Cosmopolitan cocktail.
In the bottle: Like a Cosmo, but a little more fruity than the ones that I've had before. The citrus is almost an orange instead of lime and cranberry. Interesting, though, with a definite splash of alcohol to it.
Wet on the skin: This...actually smells very much like a screwdriver on me. A delicious screwdriver, but a screwdriver nonetheless. Why am I turning it to oranges? Weird!
Dry: Okay, now more of the cranberry is coming in, and it's softening the orange scent a lot. I want to get dressed up and drink my wrist.
An hour later: Alcohol. Citrus. Girly. :D.
After awhile: Fades nicely; now I just vaguely smell like alcohol with a touch of fruit.
Overall: Okay, well, I don't know how often I'll crave smelling like a Cosmo (or a screwdriver), but this was a nice interpretation, and weirdly accurate to the smell of cocktails.
Forum review: Here.
"What are you doing away from your room?"
"I'm hungry," she said, like any child.
It was winter, when fresh food is a dream of warmth and sunlight; but I had strings of whole apples, cored and dried, hanging from the beams of my chamber, and I pulled an apple down for her.
"Here."
Autumn is the time of drying, of preserving, a time of picking apples, of rendering the goose fat. Winter is the time of hunger, of snow, and of death; and it is the time of the midwinter feast, when we rub the goose-fat into the skin of a whole pig, stuffed with that autumn's apples, then we roast it or spit it, and we prepare to feast upon the crackling.
She took the dried apple from me and began to chew it with her sharp yellow teeth.
"Is it good?"
She nodded. I had always been scared of the little princess, but at that moment I warmed to her and, with my fingers, gently, I stroked her cheek. She looked at me and smiled -- she smiled but rarely -- then she sank her teeth into the base of my thumb, the Mound of Venus, and she drew blood.
I began to shriek, from pain and from surprise; but she looked at me and I fell silent.
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is thrilled to present a numbered, limited edition chapbook of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed short story, Snow, Glass, Apples, beautifully illustrated by Julie Dillon. Each package includes a 5ml bottle of perfume, created by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, that was inspired by the tale. In Neil's words, 'It smells like green apples and like sex and vampires, all at the same time. (Actually, it smells like sexy vampire apples.)' This set is a limited run of 1000. 250 were sold by CBLDF at San Diego Comic Con 2008, and the remainder are available through the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab web site. Snow, Glass, Apples will be available on the BPAL site as long as supplies last. This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture: proceeds from every single set go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which works to preserve and protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community.
A million thanks and all our love to Neil, and to Charles Brownstein and his staff at the CBLDF!
In the bottle: High-noted, ethereal green apples. I think I'm smelling mint in there, to give it that high note, but I'm not positive. Tart and cold. Sexy vampire apples indeed, Mr. Gaiman.
Wet on the skin: The mint is more pronounced, and fighting with the apple. It's like biting into a frozen Granny Smith, almost.
Dry: Something almost sweet is trailing at the back, now. The apple scent has exploded out beautifully; it's a very strong scent. The mint is in the background as well, giving it that coldness without smelling like menthol.
An hour later: Oh no no no! Go away powder! Go away!
After awhile: Like gorgeously tart, aquatic apples. Sitting next to a bowl of powder.
Overall: Very, very pretty. I lament the powdery-ness, but my mom said she couldn't smell it. Hmm. Maybe my nose is just broken.
Forum review: Here.
Dewy grass, summer breezes, and dandelion clocks.
In the bottle: Green, green, green. In the bottle this smells exactly like the description says; dewy grass, warm summer breezes, and dandelions floating everywhere. It smells like a summer day in a park or maybe by a lake. I'm already in love.
Wet on the skin: The green from the grass and dandelion is more pronounced now. Not exactly like freshly cut grass, but like when the air is heavy and thick enough to really bring those weedy scents out.
Dry: The same. Maybe a hint masculine, because of that heaviness? It makes me want to go outside and listen to the cicadas.
An hour later: It's staying masculine, but delicious. It's hard to pin down in words exactly what it's like, but I'm loving it. Grasses and dandelions everywhere.
After awhile: This stayed the same all the way through, and had a pretty nice staying power on me.
Overall: Very interesting. It came off as a guy's scent on me, but in that I'd want to smell it on a guy, not that it wouldn't also work on a female. I'll definitely be wearing this sometimes, and burning it as a room oil.
Forum review: Here.
Description: Unleash the bawdy, unrestrained passion of the satyr! A ferociously masculine scent: sexual, vigorous, and truly wild.
In the bottle: Incense. Dark, thick, musty, excellent incense.
Wet on the skin: Incense and something sweet, like Coke. It's got that same almost effervescent quality too, that makes your nose crinkle up some from it. Fizzy smell.
Dry: Incense and sweetness. It's like walking into some dark, old New Age shop.
An hour later: The sweetness has a sharp edge to it, and that patchouli-ish incense is still the strongest. These reviews are short lately, hmm.
After awhile: Sweet and soft on me.
Overall: So from what I understand, this is supposed to be a masculine blend, but it was just incense, libraries, and sweetness for me. I actually liked it a lot.
Forum review: Here.
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