VioletChaos

In The Bottle: A sweet, almost 'earthy' scent. I get something that reminds me of prunes, which I'm betting is the rich/sweet of the pecan note. Also something that's like autumnal pie spices. Wet On Skin: Much the same, but the prune is morphing into more of the nuttiness one would expect from...nuts. Dry Down: Shoo-Fly-Pie!!! A sweet, rich pie with spices to round it out and a touch of flaky crust. In All: Another winner in the pie category!

By popular demand, as well as the urgency of the cause (funding the Humane Society of Ventura County's wildfire rescue efforts) we have decided to make our WHITE LARRY perfume available to one and all. Featuring art by Drew Rausch, this blend was inspired by jokes about an apocryphal relative of Black Phillip's -- an embarrassing, not-quite-Satanic cousin. "Every family has got one; that one relative that just isn’t quite diabolical enough, the one that makes Sabbats just kinda awkward." His scent? Goat’s milk, buttermilk, and butter. Lots of butter. [Please note: this perfume is not vegan, as it contains butter CO2 extract.] Thanks to one and all who share and support this fundraiser! May the blank, completely non-threatening gaze of White Larry look kindly upon you. In The Bottle: Mostly I'm getting the softness of the buttermilk, which is nice to have out in front. There's usually a bit of a 'tang' to the goats milk note, and I'm not getting any of that, nor do I smell butter at this stage. Wet On Skin: The butter is starting to peek out but honestly, this is still mostly buttermilk. It's slightly sweet without being foodie, and that "soft" aspect remains. Dry Down: The goats milk finally shows up, but it much much more faint than I'm used to experiencing with this note. It's definitely in a supportive role. The butter is now co-host with the buttermilk making this a lovely skin scent for all ages. In All: This is comforting and yummy without being overbearing. Low throw and a good 'gateway' scent for those that are normally wary of foodie or gourmand scents. As a butter note fan, I am especially excited to see how this ages!

These scents possess sensual, languid bases, including amber, benzoin, tonka, balsams, and dark, warm vanillas. This Series appears to have no numbers. I got two bottles of Oriental, so I'll just post separately for the two different bottles. This is the first. In the Bottle: I get a strong Balsam of Peru- a rich scent, almost vanilla-like, but more resin than food. Wet On Skin: This scent is warm and sweet, but there's a faint, sharp contrast underneath. It's not jarring, it's just adding something with a little bite. Dry Down: It's like amber (petrified tree sap, not whale vomit) and Balsam of Peru had a love child in a dense wood in the middle of summer. In A Word: Glorious!

In June, Lilith was cast as the Mad Hatter in her theater school’s production of Alice in Wonderland. Typecast much? Lilith says that the Mad Hatter should smell like tea (“EARL GREY!”) with honey and cream and lots and lots of cookies. In The Bottle: Cream and cookies! Very light cream and cookies! Wet On Skin: The cookies are showing up a bit more now, they seem to be butter cookies, like the kinds that come in those big blue tins. Nomnomnom! Dry Down: Sadly, I get no tea from this, certainly not Earl Grey, which I'd been hoping for. On the other hand, having a light scent that makes me smell like butter cookies and also cream is NOT a problem in my universe. In All: very low throw- prepare to slather! A light, lovely scent good for blustery fall days and, yes, thinking ahead, I can see wearing this on Christmas morning as presents are being opened. Just a sweet, joyous scent. Love!

Oh. My. Goddess. started out by doing a timid test and about 30 minutes in went for a full slather because it just wasn't enough. Wet, I concur it's quite bold and rather cologne-y, though not in an unpleasant dude-bro-wearing-Axe kinda way. It quickly settles out of that phase upon dry-down and becomes this gorgeous beast that, in all my vast years of BPAL collecting, is frankly unlike any other scent I've ever experienced. It's deep and spicy without being especially resinous. Based on the notes I was expecting resins and a shot of heady patchouli but it's not any of those things. This is essentially one of those scents that makes one realize just how much of a genius Beth is when it comes to the sheer artistry of perfumery. The blend on this is exceptional, and I find it hard to pick out individual notes as it all just comes together in one fine piece of music. It truly lives up to its name, as this is some serious witchcraft in a bottle. I am grateful to hav had the fore site to purchase two bottles as I will want this on hand for the rest of my days. ❤️

A holiday season imp assault: cacao, blazing chili pepper, clove husk, bourbon vanilla, pistachio, and hazelnut. In The Bottle: I get the cacao right out of the gate, with a bite of the chili pepper coming in at the end. YUM! Wet On Skin: The clove and the vanilla are coming into play now, making this smell very much like spicy Mexican hot chocolate- a trend that I very much hope continues through to drying down! Dry Down: Yup, all spicy cacao, clllllll the time! This is precisely what I had hoped for! The cacao is very much the same nice, dry one found in my most beloved Cacao Pod, and is paired here with a lovely, rich deep array of spicy goodness. It's basically Cacao Pod plus Mexican hot chocolate spices, and I am FULLY onboard! ❤️

I. Love. This. Scent. I am of a certain age that I have childhood memories -fond childhood memories- of a certain fast-food restaurant having a special breakfast menu which included the most delicate cheese danish the world has ever known. It was light yet rich, sweet but not sugary. It was a perfect breakfast bakery confection. That is what Syrnyk smells like: a delicately light, baked good with some creamy sweet cheese nestled inside. I am part Ukranian, and that sweet cheese note is SO particular as well- I loved having it especially in blintzes when I was small. In short, this scent is a nostalgia-pack of delicious memory wrapped and placed into a small amber bottle. I suspect this will become very popular, indeed. ❤️

I knew this would need to be an insta-purchase and my hunch has paid off. I know some of y'all haven't had a chance yet to get some OG Snake Oil because of the on-going component nightmare, but this should soothe your ache until that can be corrected. I think the above-mentioned sweetened condensed milk analogy is on the money, for sure. I am one of those that doesn't actually like fresh SO- I am the old curmudgeonly crone that prefers the Snek to be aged, like, ten years. But even I can appreciate this straight from the mailbox, and yes, I WILL be buying a backup to age properly as well! In All: If you enjoy any of the creamy SO variants, like Cream Soda or Scream Inside Your Snake Oil, you will 100% want to bathe in this. ❤️

In The Bottle: SWEET MARZIPAN, BATMAN! For those familiar with Mystical Aphorisms, the almond in this scent, at least at this stage, is very reminiscent of that, so if you're a fan (and I AM), then it looks like good news lies ahead. ? Wet On Skin: Oh wow. This was entirely unexpected. But before full dry-down even happens, the scent morphs dramatically, and the afore-mentioned marzipan-almond has pretty much left the next altogether. But try not to fret, because what's left is the cream petals and almond blossoms, and that is actually stunningly beautiful all on their own. Dry Down, the scent has stayed true. I'm totally baffled as to why the almonds disappeared so completely, especially since it was SUCH a powerful note initially, but that's okay. In All: VERY low throw- this will require a bit of slathering, even if your skin isn't thirsty. Delicate, spring-like, close-to-the-skin. This is a good choice for those normally averse to florals OR foodie scents, and those that have wanted a skin scent that isn't musk-based. It defies true categorization. I would expect this is going to be something a great many people will want to hoard, in the vein of The Girl. ?

In The Bottle: Cardamom is definitely front and center, but softened around the edges by the dots and cream. Wet On Skin: The vanilla comes into the mix, but just slightly, adding a bit of depth to the light sweet-and-spice that was the initial impression. Upon Drydown, I'm starting to get touches of honey. The cardamom has mellowed considerable, making this less of a HAI CARDAMON scent and more of a light spice scent. In All: low and medium throw, so feel feel to load up if your skin eats oils. This is a nice, light daytime scent. Delicate, mildly gourmand without being overtly foodie. If you like delicately sweet scents, this will definitely be one for your collection.

In The Bottle: The vanilla marshmallow is front and center, but that banana is coming up as a close second. I happen to love the Lab's banana note(s) generally, so the inclusion here was a big reason why I grabbed a bottle- so far, so good! Wet On Skin: The sugar cane enters the fray, and it pulls the banana into taffy territory (see what I did there?). Fortunately, unlike some candy notes, these two elements together are at present NOT going plastic on me. I am keeping my fingers crossed! Dry Down: THERE'S the frankincense. I was starting to wonder if it would show up at all. Sometimes frank can become way too sharp and aggressive on me. That's not happening here, and I suspect that white frankincense is somehow a more gentle version. That's the good news. The sadder news is that the banana appears to have vanished entirely upon full drydown. ? In All: Low throw on this- slather to your heart's content. If you were a fan of scents like the long-gone Pink Plastic Flamingo, you will be delighted with this lightly sweet confection. I really was in this for the banana, so I'll let it age a time and re-test, but if the fruit doesn't come back for me, alas, I shall have to send 'er off to the swap pile...

Time’s Infliction of Eternity: A sanguine blend of Dragon’s Blood sedum and black tea. I must confess that I have a predisposition to adoring this scent. BPAL's Dragon's Blood is my favorite of all Dragon's Bloods and how can I NOT like mixing that with Black Tea?! It's all speculation, but here's hoping... In The Bottle: That sweet, bloody, almost-lilac of pure Dragon's Blood and something sweet under it. I'd read somewhere that Red Musk was a note in this blend, though it's not listed in the official description. However, the sweetness matches the red musk note of Smut, so maaaay-beeeee Wet On Skin: The slightly lemon-y black tea note of Dorian is making itself known rather strongly! Dragon's Blood, at this point, is still on board, but has taken a surprising back seat to the tea note. Curiouser and curiouser, indeed! Dry Down: Balance achieved- the black tea has settled a bit leaving room for the DB to come back a bit more to the fore- not as strongly as it had been in the bottle, but certainly an equal presence to the tea, which is now more moderate. And yes, there is, almost as afterthought, a sexy edge of that red musk peeking through. Whether a hidden note or my imagination, who can say- but I sure do like it! In All: Many of my favorite Black Phoenix scents bare the mark of Beth's complex hand at work- oh, how that woman can take a million notes and create a fine thing from them!- but every now and then, there comes along a scent that is stripped down and yet still complex on it's own merit. Time's Infliction is certainly one of those scents. Medium throw (go easy with first application- save the slather for *after* sufficient testing!) it's accessible enough for occasional daytime usage and yet heady enough for an intimate evening out when flirtation is on the menu. And with the resin playing a prominent part, you can bet this is sure to become ever more compelling with age. Lovely love.

In The Bottle: Soft, powdery rose. The scent reminds me a little of the unreleased proto of Victorian Rose Milk, actually. Wet On Skin: It's still that soft, powdery rose. I think the powder might be coming from the orris, as that tends to have a kind of powdery quality to it as well. Dry Down: As it settles into the skin, I'm getting hints of some of the other notes, notably sandalwood, always a nice companion to rose. Any bits of the other notes are really just whispers- this scent remains largely a rose scent, through and through. It resonates for sure as a faithful interpretation to the heart-affiliated quartz for which it is named. In All: Medium to heavy throw- definitely apply with a light touch, a little goes a long way! If you're a fan of natural rose scents (more like the flower, less like a perfume interpretation) then you will absolutely want to add this to your collection! ?

Chocolate and caramel with flecks of cacao bean and toasted tonka. Of the three I ordered, this was the one I was most anxious to get, in case I need a backup bottle! In The Bottle: Oh my YES- delicious cacao (similar to my beloved Cacao Pod! YAY!), a touch of the caramel and some of the tonka acting as a nice balance. Wet On Skin: There's a nice "Dryness" emerging, more like the straight cacao bean, less like refined chocolate. I like it, and hope it keeps going in that direction, because even as a chocolate, it seems to be heading less toward foodie and more toward a sweet dry scent, something that can maybe be layered with sandalwood, for instance. Dry Down: This is WONDERFUL. It's all dry cacao and toasted tonic bean, which here is reading as sort of a dry, rich vanilla bean. It's a "grownup" kind of food scent. Sweet without being sugary or cloying and extremely wearable. I've been favoring chocolate scents lately and this is a fantastic addition. Definitely going to need that backup bottle!

My little witch, my little lilt of laughter: this scent is for the sorceress you are and the sorceress you will grow to be. 7-year aged patchouli, red musk, and bourbon vanilla with sweet oudh, hazelnut, amber chypre, leather. In The Bottle: Leather, oudh and a touch of the hazelnut. This is heady, rich. Wet On Skin: The patchouli comes into the room, but not in the dominant way one might expect. In fact, so far, NONE of the powerful notes are dominating. It's really unusual! Dry Down: I cannot believe how well-blended this is already, without needing to sit and age. Normally leather can be a deal-breaker, but the other notes were all so compelling, I decided to take a chance. And I'm glad I did, because this is really quite beautiful. There's an ease between the heavier notes, like the patch and the leather, and they are balanced by the hazelnut and the musk and the vanilla. I can catch glimmers of all those elements, but they blend so seamlessly, that this is really it's own little dream. Beautiful, haunting, and perfect as we go into Autumn.

In The Bottle: This scent is reminding me of something sweet without being sugary, soft without being powdery. It seems so so familiar, but I cannot for the life of me place it. It's driving me a little bonkers, if I'm being totally honest- that's how familiar it is. ?? Wet On Skin: As it warms on my skin, the pumpkin is separating itself out and becoming more distinct- not buttery like some pumpkin notes, and not pumpkin spice, either: this is just fresh, big round orange pumpkin, with a sweet, amber-ish, dusky base that I can only assume is the sandalwood starting to bring up the rear. Dry Down: huh. There is something vaguely boozy about this scent, though there's nothing in the description to indicate that should be a thing. I feel like after all these years, this thing, which sounds deceptively simple -sandalwood and pumpkin- is in fact surprisingly complex. It's unlike any version of either of those notes I've ever experienced, and it's very, very compelling. There's definitely some sexiness in the mix and history has proven that any scent from the Lab with sexy potential only grows said potential as time goes on. In All: Delighted to have a bottle, excited to see how she ages!

In The Bottle: Mostly leaves. There is a kind of "dead leaf" note that the Lab does, and if you are a fan of that note, it's here for you right out of the gate! Wet On Skin: More the the leaves, with the wool starting to make an appearance, making the leaves seem more expansive somehow. This is NOT the same as the sweater note or the cashmere note- this is honestly making me think of wool army blankets! By that I mean something that's dense, with felted aspects, that will keep you surprisingly warm... Dry Down: Upon dry down, the amber and the black tea finally start to emerge! I was a little worried that I might not see them, but here they are! The amber is really warming the scent up, making it sweeter, the sunlight that warms you on a blustery autumnal day. And at the end, there's the black tea, a light bit brighter, playing nicely with the leaves, adding a tiny afterthought of mildly sweet astringency. In All: Low to medium throw, a fine addition for those that are into the Dead Leaf series, like a special bonus leaf! Unfortunately for me, it's not really my cup of tea: I need mine a little warmer with lots more cream (pun intended!)

Pumpkin candyfloss with sugared lemon peel and a squeeze of lemon juice. In The Bottle: Sugared lemon and a touch of fresh pumpkin (no spice). Wet On Skin: The pumpkin wasn't very strong to begin with, and now it's already taking even more of a backseat to the lemon sugar. Dry Down: Oh, SO lovely. The lemon juice finally comes out as a distinct note against the sugar. It's the perfect sweet/tart combination and the pumpkin is merely adding a touch of freshness to the background. Frankly, I'm pleased that the pumpkin's role is so minute-I was really hoping this would largely be a sugared lemon scent, and I appear to have gotten my wish! In All: Low to medium throw, I honestly consider lemon notes more of a warm-weather thing, so I'm not sure how much love this bottle will get over the next 6 months. However, it will get ALL the love next spring and summer! <3

[No additional description provided.] In The Bottle: Mostly gingerbread, with a little of that extra-lemony aspect that fresh ginger frequently has. Wet On Skin: The gingerbread is, like, REAL gingerbread. I'm getting the lemon, the cake, the spice, the sharpness. It's really different than my previous experiences of the gingerbread single note (like, say, in Gingerbread Snake Oil). I'm liking it- but I also hope that the coffee and vanilla come out to play soon! Dry Down: Astoundingly, I am getting ZERO coffee from this. Which is odd, because coffee notes usually sit well on my skin -they don't amp, but they are *very* present. The vanilla has finally made an appearance, but I'm not getting the smoked aspect, either- this is more like gingerbread with a little dollop of vanilla cream plooped right on top. It's delicious, and I'm betting will get better with age, but it's not the scent that I thought it was going to be. If you're hoping for a coffee-heavy scent, check out some of the other 2018 Yule offerings, cause you might be sad about that with this one.

In 2015, it was our overwhelming honor to interpret Legendary Pictures Crimson Peak through scent. The entire process was thrilling, from the first moment we saw concept sketches before production on the film even began, through the crafting of the scents, attending the screening, and finally seeing our Crimson Peak scents and jewelry go out into the world. It was an incredible project that I will never forget. After many long years of labor, the sideshow was back! Carnaval Diabolique returned to town with breathtaking artwork by Julie Dillon, and Black Phoenix made its first sojourn to 221B Baker Street. Inspired by the Supreme Courts Sick Burn Champion and his blistering command of the English language, we created a fragrance set the Collected Poetic Works of Antonin Scalia whose proceeds benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Trevor Project, and the National Center for Transgender Equality. In the same year, we created Palmyra, a charity scent benefiting the UNHCR. This year, we joined forces with our beloved friend, Audra, at Loved to Death in San Francisco. A cursed carnival camped in the foothills beneath a haunted estate: a curl of fortune tellers incense and spun sugar drifting past a crumbling manor. In the Bottle: A very, very faint, sweet, light, wispy scent. It's so light and wispy, that I cannot, at this stage, pick out any notes! All I can say is that it smells "clean" and faintly sweet, but not foody. Wet On Skin: There's a faint lemon aspect that has entered the picture, like a memory of lemon sugar, would be the best way to describe it. I also am getting a hint of a stone note, which I haven't encountered in a very long time! I assume this is the "crumbling manor" aspect that I'm picking up on. So far, this scent is very wistful- it's probably not a coincidence that this is for the Lace year, because there's already a nostalgic quality that puts this firmly in the camp of the Lab's "Lace" scents. Dry Down: Oh. My. Goddess. This is just...heartbreakingly beautiful. The curl of incense is now showing itself. I anticipated it was going to be a sort of heavy, church-y incense like many of the Lab's incense notes of the past. But this, this is something else. It's become like a light, powdered (NOT powder-y) blue lotus incense I had many years ago. It's sweet and soft and nostalgic and just GORGEOUS. In All: Hoard-worthy. I am going to need SEVERAL more bottles of this.

With vanilla bean scrapings. In The Bottle: The light, sweet buttery pumpkin note from the Lab we all know and adore. Wet On Skin: A little bit of spice comes out- a touch of ginger here, a dab of nutmeg there... Dry Down: Pumpkin, autumnal spice, and vanilla bean. I don't get a custard thing like some might expect from a Brûlée, but it's a really lovely autumnal gourmand scent just the same. It's a good daytime scent, and I could see layering it with something a little richer to either heighten the food aspect or a deeper one to make it a bit more of an evening scent. For pumpkin scent lovers, this is a pure win- don't miss out!

"...You run into Mithras yet? Red cap. Nice kid." "No, I don't think so." "Well . . . I've never seen Mithras around here. He was an army brat. Maybe he's back in the Middle East, taking it easy, but I expect he's probably gone by now. It happens. One day every soldier in the empire has to shower in the blood of your sacrificial bull. The next they don't even remember your birthday." Oblations of milk, oil, honey, and blood. In The Bottle: LOADS of honey and some milk to cut through the sweetness. Wet On Skin: Although incense isn't directly named as a note, offerings can be made with them and this is beginning to smell very much like incense to me. Like honey-milk-blood incense to be exact. And I *really* hope it stays this way. Dry Down: Yup. This is a gorgeous honey, milk, blood incense and I am totally smitten. I suspect that this secret will eventually get out- better stock up now.

With cinnamon, nutmeg, browned butter, and cream cheese icing. In The Bottle: yummy! Pumpkin spice and cookie! Nomnomnom Wet On Skin: I'm getting a "frosting" thing here, though I can't say for sure I believe it to be cream cheese. It's a little more like a sugar icing. But it works quite well. Dry Down: it reminds me of iced ginger snap cookies! In All: a cute, spicy foodie scent that can worn well into winter, this cheerful perfume is perfect for pumpkin picking right through to holiday morning gift giving. Adorable and yummy!

I was afraid of the champaca in this since I amp anything with even vague whispers of champa and co. to high heavens, but I finally took the plunge and I'm really glad I did. As the last post mentioned, the scent's name translates to "The Wheel of Misfortune". Coupled with the illustration os Mme Moriarty, as well as a list of the notes, I suspected that this is intended as something of a companion piece to Mme Moriarty's scent- and it is a PERFECT companion for her! The oudh is definitely a dominant note here- not a problem for me as I tend to love oudh. Here it's not the dread 'dirty body' variety that tends to freak alot of people out. It's rich and deep and mixes beautifully with all those other rich, deep, dark notes, to create something that reads as incense-y and sensuously sinister. Like many folks round these parts, I use HG both in my hair and also sometimes as a skin scent. In my hair, this is a fine stand-alone, surprisingly subtle and with low throw. But when it's on my skin, it definitely feels like it needs a companion- and Mme Moriarty (or her cousin Snake Charmer) will definitely fit the bill! I'm delighted to have made this purchase, and I suspect this will get even better with age!

In the bottle and wet on my skin, the hay comes across as a green, grassy (but not lawn-like) scent, with the honey acting as a grounding base. Once it warms on my skin, the amber comes out, rounding the scent out and giving it some depth. After about an hour, the honey remains strongest and sadly, the hay pretty much vanishes, making this mostly a honey SN with a vague background of something else. It's gorgeous, I just wish it lasted longer on me!