B

[journal]

BAGHDAD
wanderlust

Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood.

oh man this one is good!!

in the bottle it's woody and sharp but once it gets on the skin it smooths down and i can smell a hint of rose coming through, but without taking over. On me this one is a rose scent and a spice scent at he same time. i don't get any mandarin though, no citrus at all, only warmth and femininity. i love it! a definite bottle here, actually already on its way. i could wear this one a lot. it's one of my very faves so far.

B-HORROR FROM BLACK PHOENIX ALCHEMY LABS

On May 23rd, Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs presents B-HORROR: "B-Movie" initially referred to the second half of a double feature, usually a film that was lower in budget than the feature film, and weakly publicized. The expression has morphed over the years to encompass movies whose runtimes were under 70 minutes, low-budget films in general, an inartistic, cheaply produced genre movies, or high-budget exploitation style films. Examples: I Drink Your Blood, Horror of Party Beach, Attack of the Crab Monsters, It Conquered the World. This scent is a celebration of B-grade sci fi and horror from the 50s, 60s, and 70s: a glowing glob of radioactive waste mixed with a mishmash of ingredients from assorted recipes for fake blood -- chocolate syrup, corn syrup, grenadine, and peanut butter.(5 ml. bottle).

It's a version of VELVET CLOWN, chocolate and corn syrup and it dries down to rubber toy. That said, it's not all that bad for a DD scent. Layered with VELVET it gets downright gorgeous even if the toy wins in the end.

 

BEAVER'VERSARY
limited edition
anniversary 08

Cheesecake and cupcakes, yo! This is Beaver Moon 2005 resurrected! 

I'm not sure I get the hype, but I guess everyone has different faves. It's all about cake even if it has a dark sugary flair to it in the bottle. I get the cheesecake, but once again I have to admit that cake scents don't really work on my skin even if it's not awful and even kind of good. It reminds me of LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY. And unfortunately it goes a little sour milk on me.
 

BIEN LOIN D'ICI
love potions 

Lab description:This is the house, the sacred box, Where, always draped in languorous frocks, And always at home if someone knocks, One elbow into the pillow pressed, She lies, and lazily fans her breast, While fountains weep their soulfullest: This is the chamber of Dorothy. — Fountain and breeze for her alone Sob in that soothing undertone. Was ever so spoiled a harlot known? With odorous oils and rosemary, Benzoin and every unguent grown, Her skin is rubbed most delicately. — The flowers are faint with ecstasy. The Scarlet Woman, aglow with sensual indolence: red musk, benzoin, caramel accord, golden honey, and spiced Moroccan unguents.  

wet it reminds me of urd, it has the same headshop-feeling that urd does (and i love that -always have). when it dries it doesn't go sweeter as most scents do on me. this one is very strange and very interesting. if i smell it from a little distance it's pure caramel, but the closer to the wrist i put my nose, the more it reminds me of vetiver but that's not quite it either. it must be the spices. i'm not really getting honey, unless that's what adds a certain smoothness to it.

this one is nothing less that gorgeous. we're looking at a bottle. and this one goes into me new brown spice category box tower. the middle one i think.

BITE ME
limited editions
halloweenies

Croquembouche with almond silk and a drizzle of caramel.

Almond the first tenth of a second and then something a little boozy and a little cakey but not really any of them. I'm not getting caramel but that could change. I think I like. It's more cherry than I thought it would be, in a BLACK PHOENIX kind of way, with a touch of caramel. Yes it came out.

 

BLACK LACE x 2
retail exclusive oils 

The embodiment of Victorian funereal elegance. A delicate sugar-spun vanilla cream cotton, stained by tobacco and incense, Indian musk, and drops of cognac.
 

oh crap this one is gorgeous!! at first i wonder if it's chocolate in there but maybe it's just the vanilla playing tricks on me. because this isn't the usual vanilla, it's a dirty one with a lot of depth. the tobacco holds the sweet back a little and adds a certain kind of dignity. it's not really boozy but the drop of cognac gives it sophistication. i have two bottles of this goodness and no, i'm not sharing.

Added later: oh I needed a third one. I can't risk running out. It's the best perfume i've ever experienced.

BLACK PHOENIX

Our signature oil. A dark, languid scent. Promotes hedonistic tendencies and extreme self-love. You won't stop kissing mirrors for a month.

i can smell the almonds when it's wet, but it dries quickly and turns into smoky rose, but not a soft and comforting rose, it's haunting and sharp, though beautiful. sweet but not too sweet. sharp but not too sharp. i can sense incense or spice in there somewhere, and i think amber. wow. i don't know what i expected but this wasn't it.

i'm not disappointed, i'm pleasantly surprised.

this is soft pink. my favorite shade of pink, but with a twist.

oh yeah. i'm definitely licking the mirror. this one isn't kidding around. a 5ml order is already on its way. this one is in my definite top five.
 

BLOOD PHOENIX
anniversary blend

lab description: Blood: expressing passion, will, and a sensual aesthetic. Dragon’s blood resin, helichrysum, burgundy wine grape, red musk, opoponax, red poppy, myrrh, carnation, tonka, almond, mimosa, jonquil, and neroli.

Oh wow! At first sniff it was kind of hard to detect the notes. I had a whiff of almond and a little whiff of grape. Something has happened to my wrists lately because everything kinda goes stale after a little while. So I applied it on the back of my hand instead and whoa it's BLACK PHOENIX's little brother. Yeah not sister. It's not that feminine on me. I get the cherries only not dirty pink like in BLACK PHOENIX, this is red. Blood red. And gorgeous!

 

BOADICEA
limited editions
trading post inquisition
warrior queens

Rebel Queen of the Iceni, she led an uprising of the tribes against the Roman Empire. After Claudius’ conquest of the area, the Iceni voluntarily allied themselves to Rome, though Rome was not a gentle parent state. The Romans conquered much of Brittania, desecrated the sacred groves at Mona, and slaughtered the druids. When Boadicea’s husband, Prasutagus, died, his will was ignored and his massive financial debt to Rome was called in forcefully. Iceni was annexed as though it was a conquered territory, property and estates were seized, both tribal nobility and the common folk were enslaved. When Boadicea objected to the treatment of her lands and her people, she was flogged, and her children were grievously injured.

Boadicea took her vengeance.

Under the leadership of Boadicea, the Iceni and Trinovantes united with their neighbors and the surviving druids of Mona to instigate a rebellion. They cut a swath of furious destruction. Her warriors slaughtered Legionary forces, and destroyed Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium -- so scorching the earth beneath Londinium that the scar is still visible beneath modern London.

HER PERFUME
Amber, fig, vanilla flower, oak, patchouli, vetiver, dragon’s blood resin, leather, and neroli.

She goes on as mostly leather and stays that way for a couple of hours before she sweetens into vanilla and amber. She's absolutely gorgeous and the leather note is just as wonderful as the one in WANDA, without the roses and the wine of course. I'm so happy I went ahead and ordered her.

HER BATH
Fig, neroli, amber, vanilla, patchouli, pine needle, and vetiver.

The pine and vetiver hardly shows up at all exept maybe for grounding the oil. This is mostly fig and amber and a tiny whiff of vanilla on me. Absolutely gorgeous of course. The oil had leaked and is cloudy and light in the bottle. Maybe it's supposed to be like that. I asked in the forum and someone else observed the same thing.
 

BOOMSLANG
Carnival Diabolique
snake pit

Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk. 

Oh maaan...

yeah I get the hype on this one. It's on me and I'm drooling. It's basicallylike aged SNAKE OIL though, sweeter and deeper and in all that I also get the chocolate. Mmm. I smell a new favorite.
 

BRISINGAMEN
love potions

Lab description: The amber necklace of Freyja, Norse Goddess of Love, Sex, Attraction and Fruitfulness. Her magnificent necklace was bough from four Dwarves [Alfrik, Berling, Dvalin and Grer] at the price of four nights of her passion. When Brisingamen graces your throat, no man can resist your charms. A glittering mantle of rich golden notes: five ambers, soft myrtle and apple blossom, myrtle, and carnation.

this one was the first one i ever tried and the one that got me hooked on BPAL in the first place.

absolutely divine on me. i feel like a sensual woman. must have a 5ml of this one. it has a strong floral scent at first but when i calms down it gets sweet and warm, which is the amber settling on my skin.
 

BUTTER RUM COOKIE
limited editions
yules

A boozy addition to the devil's bake sale! Rum-soaked butter cookies, crusted with sugar, soaked in almond and garnished with orange rind.  

Now this is a cookie. I get the rum at first, and when it dries down spices og yule emerge and they put me right into the seasonal mood. I get a little cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamum, but they're all very well blended, so much so that i'm not sure I picked the right ones. Mmm. This I like.