S

[journal]

SAMHAIN 2008
limited editions
halloweenies 

Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.

It comes on a little sharp and I get a lot of patchouli here. The fir is also present but not in a bad way. I kinda like it here.

As it dries, the apple comes to the foregroud and I smell honey. The fir is gone now, and the patchouli is just keeping it from being too sweet. It's gorgeous.  

 

SAW-SCALED VIPER
carneval diabolique
snake pit 

Snake Oil with cinnamon, cassia, and red ginger. 

ah now I know what red ginger smells like. It's the apple note from WAR.

This one has the red ginger in the absolute forefront, closely followed by the cinnamon/cassia, which makes it much less sweet than I thought it would be. It's there though, lurking in the background, and i'm thinking it has to settle before I can get much out of this one. Maybe age a little too, so the snake oil can get to its round, creamy, deep stage. 

A couple of weeks and it's much sweeter and creamier already, and the ginger/apple note has moved more into the background and mellowed out quite a bit, like it has in WAR too. It has become the scent I was looking forward to testing and loving now, so the layering with snake oil I thought I would try to sweeten it up a little won't be necessary anymore. I get the snake oil right away, wrapped in cinnamon. Yay! Gorgeous!!  

 

SCHEREZADE

A master storyteller who possessed unfailing courage and compassion, a sharp, quick wit, and a true understanding of human nature. Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk. 

Red musk is my favorite single note and here it is accompanied by saffron and spice. This is made of win for me. One of the best fragrances i've ever had the pleasure of smelling.

And it gets better with age, deeper, sweeter and thicker. It doesn't get better than this.  

 

SCHWARZER MOND 2008:
BRIAN'S CREATION
a little lunacy

The keeper of secrets: opoponax, Tunisian black amber, night musk, antique patchouli, zdravetz, terebinth, myrrh, and Pimenta racemosa.  

It hasn't had time to rest but hm, licorice? Not much but just a hint. And something else comes forth that I have smelled before but don't know where. Aah I know, it's pepper!

My heart sinks a little because pepper ruined THE IFRIT for me. But it's not as loud in this one, fortunately.

Oh there's myrrh. I can sense the black amber way back there, like a growl, but no patchouli whatsoever.

It dries down to bay rum and black amber, with a faint hint of pepper in the back. I've been sniffing and sniffing to see if I can live with it on my skin, other than a little dab on the back of my hand and the jury's still out. This phase is pretty good though.

Okay first impressions don't always stick. From the second try this one has soared into my top, uh, five. It's so heavenly gorgeous I don't even have the words. I wore it during the actual eclipse and it was so dark, so fitting, so perfect. It's not peppery any more at all, just dark and sweet and resin-y. The amber is dark, the musk is dark. The patchouli isn't prominent still, but I guess I can sense it way back there, just stabilizing the blend, making sure it doesn't get too sickingly sweet.

It's gorgeous. It really is. I wish I knew in time for when the next time money comes in but it's too late already. I can see myself getting into a fist fight on ebay over a bottle in the future though.

 

SCORPIO 07
limited editions 

Fixed Water: the essence of passion.
Dark musk, wormwood, basil, dragon's blood resin, galangal, and opoponax.  

At first it doesn't make much of itself. All I get is a smoky kind of stone feel. It doesn't take long for it to get really gorgeous though. I only did a test test (…) so I will have to do it again but I think I can say this is one I will cherish.

Second testing and again it starts out with this dry, smoky stone feel, not very intrusive. I have to work a little to catch it. And then, as time passes, it sweetens up and I can recognize the SCHWARZER MOND components. As it starts to really become one with my skin I put my nose to my wrist and there is this hyper sexy smell that I know I recognize from somewhere. And then it hits me. RED PHOENIX. This wonderful gorgeous amazing blend is the love child of my two favorites. How lucky am I? And how very Scorpio to morph around like this and end up in pure lust? Oh man this is a work of art, and a very wearable one too. I hit ebay for a back up almost immediately. And won. :)  

SEMIRAMIS
limited editions
trading post inquisition
warrior queens

A legendary Assyrian queen, often identified with Sammu-Ramat, the wife of Shamshi-Adad V, she was believed to be the daughter of the goddess Atargatis. Her youth was filled with mythic adventure, and her otherworldly beauty and voluptuous sexuality ensured her two advantageous marriages. When she took the reins of power of Empress of Assyria, she expanded her kingdom by conquering much of Mesopotamia and Asia. She beautified and revitalized Babylon, and implemented improvements in Nineveh that helped to moderate the flow of the Tigris. She was renowned for her military and political prowess, as well as her ferocious and merciless sexual appetite.

HER PERFUME
Red musk, pomegranate, orange blossom, and melon.

Fruity and red-musky all the way with a whiff of orange flower. I don't get melon but i'm thinking it blends into the pomegranate and is a part of the fruit. Man this is gorgeous. It's regal and not too heavy. I love her!

And the strange thing is that the last month or so i've been craving this exact scent. I had no idea I had it coming but yay here she is. :)

HER BATH
Red musk, pomegranate, red cherry, myrrh, and blood orange.

Ah! this is exactly like I hoped it would be. I put it on my body in the shower and red musk comes through with the cherry in a way that reminds me a little of BLACK PHOENIX only a quiet version. Mm gorgeus! This is one of my all time faves and it breaks my heart that I only have one back up because I use it almost every day.

 

SILAS RUTHYN
Opium smoke, opium tar, mandarin, dark musk, patchouli, tonka, vetiver, and frankincense.  

Vetiver right away as always when it's part of the scenario, but it doesn't take long for the other elements to peak through. First a slight sweetness I'm pretty sure is the frankincense, followed by citrus, but only a hint. It's very well blended. The opium is making it's presence known as a dry, hard note, very hard to describe but I know that's what it is because i've tried it once and I recognize it. I can't really get a hold of the patchouli if that's not the menthol-ish layer on top. It falls nicely in with my latest fave DEATH ADDER, only without the SNAKE OIL. Gorgeous. Dark and dangerous, just the way I like it. Long after drydown, when I woke up in the morning, I had this really creepy mix of sexual musk and men's cologne wafting around me on my way to the bathroom. At first I thought the cats had been playing around with my bottle of BLACK LACE and broken it but then (after running around the house making sure all my precious were intact) I realized it was uncle SILAS who had glued himself to me and wouldn't let me go. Oh wow, that's art! I'm impressed! I have to make sure I take a shower before bed when I wear it but man, that was a good addition to the story.

SILK ROAD
wanderlust 

Lab description:A panoply of cultural treasures, spanning the herbs, flowers, oils and balms of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Mediterranean, the Levant, Northern China, Eastern Europe, Iran, the Bulgar-Kypchak, Mesopotamia, the Crimean Peninsula, Anatolia, Antioch, and North Africa.  

i swapped this one with ziza. it went bad on her but is just nice, warm and spicy on me, although a little dry.

I love it. it lasts for quite a while too. a bottle in the future is not unthinkable.
actually i have a bottle and i have a rollerbottle too, which is why i put it in storage. ;)

 

SIN

Lab description: "Thouroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon."

i put it on when we were getting the camera because it feels almost sinful to spend that much money on a toy. a useful toy but still. it reminds me of SCHEREZADE only stronger and more powerful, and a lot more dry.
  

SMUT 2008
Smut! Smut! Smut! Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. 

This one is very very nice. It's exactly what it says in the description, musky, sugary and boozy. The booze dies down a little and the musk comes to the forefront once it comes on the skin. I can see why this one will be good layered with something else too because it's so humble in all it's sultry sexyness.the throw is very good. I shake my head and go to sugary musky heaven.

Two things though: it does go a little stale on my wrist and it fades pretty fast. 

Actually, after wearing it and layering it with other things for a while i'm finding that it stays for a long time on me, probably depending a little on what i'm layering it with. It also doesn't go stale on me when I don't eat garlic any more so that had something to say.
It layers well with most things i've tried. I have ordered a back-up bottle. 

 

SNAKE CHARMER: RESURRECTED
limited edition
anniversary 08 

Sensual, sibilant, sexual and hypnotic: Arabian musk and exotic spices slinking through Egyptian amber, enticing vanilla, and a serpentine blend of black plum, labdanum, ambrette, benzoin and black coconut.  

Oh man, oh crap, this is amazing stuff. It's every bit as wonderful as they say. It's a slinky, sexy thing that stays close to your skin. It's not a loud one, but it stays lovingly on my skin for hours and hours. Oh man I think I need a back up... I can only imagine what this will be with a little ageing.

When I put some on in the evening I kinda changed my mind though. It's good but it's a little strong late in the day. Maybe one bottle is enough. The dollar is expensive these days and I need to think really hard about every bottle I get. Uh no I ordered a back up. It gets better with every application. 

 

SNAKE OIL

By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla. 

i put this one on as soon as i got it and it's heavenly. not so intrusive but very very sweet.

It's rich and sweet vanilla and probably red musk even if no one says so.

Aged this one is so gorgeous it brings tears to my eyes.  

 

SPAWN OF THE SHE-DEMON  

Diabolical red and black musk with rooibos and mango tea.

I should have learned not to put on perfume and especially not something with red musk when I have a migraine so the first encounter was a little more powerful than it had to be.

That said I think i'm gonna like this later, when I don't get nauseous by just about anything... 

 

SPELLBOUND
love potions 

Perfectly enchanting! An irresistibly sexual, utterly rapturous blend of three roses, radiant amber, and sensual red musk.  

I tried on a little bit and the amber was very prominent on me, plus it smells a little old. Not as in old perfume but as in something past. It's good though, very good. But it's not very shy.

It has things in common with SCHEREZADE only it has roses. Oh man I love it. Yeah. Instant love.

Light brown in spite of the roses but I think we have a permanent member of the fave box here.
 

STICKY PILLOWCASE
limited editions
halloweenies 08

Terminal sugar rush. A little goblin's candy bag, upended.
Smushed candy corn, rock candy dust, marshmallow gunk, strawberry goo, spun blue sugar, globs of salt water taffy, and lint.

I thought it would be sweeter than it actually is. It's not very loud and not as sugary as SUGAR SCULL but it's sweet and a little fruity. I obviously have to test it more -and I will because I like it.

STRAWBERRY MOON 2009
a little lunacy

Strawberries that in gardens grow
Are plump and juicy fine,
But sweeter far as wise men know
Spring from the woodland vine.

No need for bowl or silver spoon,
Sugar or spice or cream,
Has the wild berry plucked in June
Beside the trickling stream.

One such to melt at the tongue's root,
Confounding taste with scent,
Beats a full peck of garden fruit:
Which points my argument.

May sudden justice overtake
And snap the froward pen,
That old and palsied poets shake
Against the minds of men.

Blasphemers trusting to hold caught
In far-flung webs of ink,
The utmost ends of human thought
Till nothing's left to think.

But may the gift of heavenly peace
And glory for all time
Keep the boy Tom who tending geese
First made the nursery rhyme.

Wild strawberries, strawberry flower, vanilla-infused sugar, early summer grasses, and milky dandelion sap.

I was worried it would be bad on me like VELVET UNICORN but it stays true to my skin. It's good and not too sweet. Yeah. I can wear this.

SUCK IT
limited editions
halloweenies

A companion to Bite Me. Layers well with Lick It. Hee!
Sexy and suckable: black cherry brandy.

Not almond and not sweet when wet. Bite me has more cherry than this.
But let's wait and see.
It morphs into sweeter and smoother. It really is a good companion to BITE ME, I have one on each wrist.

SUGAR COOKIE 2008
limited editions
yules 

Affectionately nicknamed 'The Devil's Bake Sale'.  

It's sweet and buttery and it smells heavenly in the bottle and while very wet on my skin. Unfortunately my skin turns it into plastic during drydown. I'm not sure what to do with it yet because I really really don't want to part with it but it could be that I give it away for yule. We'll see. It's good layered with BUTTER RUM COOKIE though, but I don't need a whole bottle for that. Maybe Linn.  

 

SUGAR MOON
No way to see him
on this moonless night ---
I lie awake longing, burning,
breasts racing fire,
heart in flames.

Sugar cane, blue musk, mahogany, black orchid, black currant, violet, blackberry leaf, teak, strawberry, and dusky rose.

From the pre-test I couldn't help doing on the back of my arm it's absolutely gorgeous so i'm looking forward to the real testing.

Sugary-boozy in the bottle, but once it gets on my skin it smells like ...wait...celery? I missed that stage in the pre-test.

It doesn't stay in that stage for long though, soon it sweetens and the sugar comes out, with a little whiff of violet waaay in the back, more like a gentle cool coloring than anything else. It goes through a couple more subtle incarnations before it settles on strawberry without being sweet or heavy. I absolutely love it! It's gorgeous on me and it lasts for a very long time.

 

SUGAR SKULL 2008
limited editions
halloweenies 08

Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits. 

It's very like the 2007 version, actually I can't tell the difference. But I haven't put them side by side either, so until I do, I can't say.

That said, it's very sugary, in a slightly burnt, smoky way. I get sugar more than fruits. But it's pure candy with maybe a musky edge waaay in the back there.

SUNBIRD
limited edition set
neil gaiman

They were all so hungry the following morning. Zebediah T. Crawcrustle had a comedic apron on, with the words KISS THE COOK written upon it in violently green letters. He had already sprinkled the brandy-soaked raisins and grain beneath the stunted avocado tree behind the house, and he was arranging the scented woods, the herbs, and the spices on the bed of charcoal. Mustapha Stroheim and his family had gone to visit relatives on the other side of Cairo.

"Does anybody have a match?" Crawcrustle asked.

Jackie Newhouse pulled out a Zippo lighter, and passed it to Crawcrustle, who lit the dried cinnamon leaves and dried laurel leaves beneath the charcoal. The smoke drifted up into the noon air.

"The cinnamon and sandalwood smoke will bring the Sunbird," said Crawcrustle.

"Bring it from where?" asked Augustus TwoFeathers.

"Why, where it always is, third lane after the old market in the Suntown district, just before you reach the old drainage ditch that was once an irrigation canal, and if you find yourself outside One-eye Khayam's carpet shop you have gone too far, "began Crawcrustle. "But I see by the expressions of irritation upon your faces that you were expecting a less succinct, less accurate description. Very well. It is in Suntown, and Suntown is in Cairo, in Egypt, where it always is, or almost always."

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is thrilled to present a numbered, limited edition chapbook of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed short story, Sunbird, 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, "'Sunbird' smells like resin and deserts and the phoenix." This set is a limited run of 1000. 250 were sold by CBLDF at San Diego Comic Con 2009, and the remainder are available through the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab web site. Sunbird 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!

Sharp at first and I'm thinking eucalyptus, but realize it was probably cedar. It goes through a couple of rapid changes, I get spices and woods. Sandalwood and cedar are at the foreground for a little while and cinnamon comes out to play. And then it settles in a warm, smooth, mouth-watering and spicy red musk. I love love love love.