Akurarei

The Phoenix at Dusk In the Bottle: Smells very similar to one of the metal phoenix blends from a couple of years ago...maybe the Quicksilver Phoenix bottle. On my Skin, Wet: a very brilliant burst of bright floral and dripping wet fruits - to me it seems like I'm looking at the setting sun through a slice of a peach after a rainstorm while standing amongst wildflowers. It smells like peaches, gardenias & water in this stage. On my Skin, Dry: A powdery element appears - this has got to be the wisteria (it always turns to powder on me) so it's now wet peaches, powder and a faint background of wildflowers. There is also just a hint of sage too - this lends a cool, crisp feeling to the scent. Verdict: This is lovely - and quite summery! I love that this has such a strong layer of wet peaches on me. and the touch of sage is just delightful. This is a gorgeous Phoenix!

Leather Phoenix I'm going to do my best at actually identifying notes, hence the list: matcha tea, wild frankincense, champaca, petitgrain, star anise, aged oudh, rose taifi, narcissus, Himalayan cedar, 11-year aged patchouli, and black leather accord. In the Bottle: Old leather & stinky, thick patchouli. I don't detect anything else in this stage, just old & dirty. On my Skin, Wet: A blast of the leather & patchouli. after a minute or so, the leather & patchouli die down, and I start to pick up the cedar note. I am also picking up on the champaca & star anise, only faintly. On my Skin, Dry: I think the leather & cedar notes have done some kind of merger - it's a peculiar smell that is definitely NOT floral in nature. the star anise is still there, just barely detectable. the patchouli note comes & goes....I would rather that it left & stayed gone, as this is the version of patchouli that I really dislike. I don't smell any of the following notes right now: Matcha Tea, Wild Frankincense, Petitgrain, Rose Taifi, or Narcissus. ETA: OK, after a couple of hours more, I am getting hints of the tea & the florals. this is turning more interesting, but I'm still not really sure that the tea & florals will overtake the leather, patchouli & cedar. I guess time will tell.... Verdict: I was really hoping that Leather Phoenix would have a nice feminine & masculine balance. The patchouli isn't quite "in your face" but I would describe it as prominent. Black leather is the hard, slick variety, and is probably the biggest reason that the patchouli can't just completely overpower everything else. Cedar amps on me like crazy, so that's why I get such a distinct cedar note. and really, that's pretty much my experience on this one. I would love for other, softer notes to make an appearance in the future. Sadly Leather Phoenix disappoints me, but I still think that it was very lovely of Beth & her Labbies to create something so special for us to enjoy. Thank you Beth for sharing your creation with us!

Winter Heavens In the Bottle: clear & cold smelling - but not overwhelmingly strong like other 'cold' scents On my Skin, Wet: 'Black crystalline' is the best way to describe this one. it's like looking through a heavy crystal vase in a deep dark forest at midnight. On my Skin, Dry: Not as cold now, but still pretty dark & clear. I don't really detect any one note - just the final product, the vision as a whole. it's an atmospheric perfume, not foody or spicy or floral or resiny. Verdict: I really like this one - it's dark but not moody I really like the clear quality of this one, and it's especially nice to have such a clear perfume without the heavy cold aspect. lovely!

Yellow Snowballs This reminds me of Archangel Winter - which is an awesome thing! Cold, snowy citrus goodness. this is just a little bit lighter & creamier though. only a little bit though

Nightmare In the Bottle: Dark & very dry - with a bitter quality to it On my Skin, Wet: The bitterness amps for about 10 minutes. it must be the 'blackened fruit gums' after the 10 minute mark the bitterness goes away and the resin and lavender make an appearance On my Skin, Dry: Evil bedsheets with sleep inducing lavender. hmmm, interesting Verdict: not at all pleasant during the wet stage, and the dry stage is so strangely unique that I don't really know what to make of this one.

On Darkness 2009 In the Bottle: I detect the lavendar & some dark resins/incense On my Skin, Wet: A burst of blackness. It's like everything is covered in soot without smelling like smoke. On my Skin, Dry: Ok, this is better. I get the lavendar again, and the dark incense It does have a slightly smoky touch to it, but it's just a hint. Every now and then I get a whiff of the rose geranium, which adds a dark floral tone to this scent. Verdict: Very unique. It's an interesting mix of dark resins with a dark floral.

White Rabbit In the Frimp: Strong black tea & spicy pepper On my Skin, Wet: Fermented note, pepper & something spicy. I assume that's the ginger On my Skin, Dry: Black tea, cream, & faint traces of either the pepper or ginger...it's just a teeny bit spicy. I get a note of the linen every now & then. Verdict: I didn't like the initial application or the immediate dry-down. the fully dry, several-hours-later version is nice, but nothing special for me. meh. I am glad that I got to try it, I know that most people really like this one. Sadly I am not one of them.

I haven't tried this one personally, but it sounds lovely. no jasmine in sight HERMIA How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak; How low am I? I am not yet so low But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes. Pink pepper, golden amber, honeysuckle, and passion flower.

As advertised - a gorgeous lavendar honey cheesecake! it's about equal parts of each listed item - with a distinct buttery graham cracker crust, but this element just re-inforces that cheesecake vibe.

On me, this is a very dark musk with some soft, mildly sweet resins peeking out. Every so often I get a whiff of something fresh & green. I like it overall, but it's not something I'll reach for very often.

La Mort: mon ironie depasse toutes les autres! This is a lovely rose & spicy pomegranate. and that's all - nothing more, nothing less.

The Green Apple of Venus In the Bottle: green apple & carnation On my Skin, Wet: A blast of green apple & pink carnation - I think I detect the pomegranate too - it's very subtle. On my Skin, Dry: The carnation becomes more noticeable, and the green apple almost completely disappears. I don't notice anything else about this blend now. Verdict: it's very pretty in the wet phase, but it's not all that great dried down. this is going for a test run in a scent locket to see if the wet phase lasts. ETA: silly nose, carnation isn't even listed in this blend!

Autumn Cider Yowza! this is heavy on the 'fermented' note! it's very dominant on the apple note & cinnamon note - but holy cow is that fermentation strong. I'm not sure I'll be able to wear this anywhere but outside.

The Vampire Bride In the Bottle: Musk and a crystalline note - note sure what that is On my Skin, Wet: A burst of violet! interesting! This burst lingers for a bit, then the red musk starts to make an appearance. On my Skin, Dry: There's that crystalline note again! it's very soft and low to the skin, that allows wiffs of violet and hints of red musk. Verdict: I was expecting this to be a stronger scent based on the notes listed, but this scent is delicate and ethereal. it's very soft and sweet with a gentle bite to it

Sonnet D'Automne In the Bottle: Meh. Not much to detect On my Skin, Wet: THIS IS AMAZING! I get the dried leaves right away, swiftly followed by a vanilla-y, sugary cocoa. On my Skin, Dry: The leaves fade to the background, and I'm getting a soft creamy white chocolate now as the dominant note. There is also a hint of vanilla that I'm picking up. Verdict: excellent! unique! this is definitely a contender for a backup bottle!

The initial wear was a sugary pumpkin that had an spicy undercurrent. After a couple of hours, the spice was overwhelmingly strong & drowned out a lot of the pumpkin & obliterated the sugars. This may need to age - hopefully the spice calms down

I agree with Violetblue. smells wonderous in the jar, but just didn't perform in water. I didn't get many bubbles either but I didn't know how much to use, so maybe round 2 will be the rest of the jar

Creepy 2009 In the Bottle: Red Apples & sugary booze On my Skin, Wet: Red Juicy Sliced Apples, followed closely by a dollop of sugary caramel then some booze. On my Skin, Dry: Whole apples, sugar, and booze. Verdict: aging has done great things for this blend - before it was just a boozy mess, but now it's a couple of years old and FABULOUS! I would get this blend again if it's ever offered again.

Used this one last night! equal parts vanilla & mint for me - the vanilla is like a raw vanilla with a pinch of sugar & the mint is a strange, "warm yet crisp" variety. I love the simplicity of this one!

Muilearteach In the Bottle: Lots of musk - mostly red On my Skin, Wet: A burst of red musk, and a little bit of black musk. these settle down with an icy background developing. On my Skin, Dry: Red musk, icicles (which smell a little like wet ozone, but it's definitely 'cold'), and a very faint vanilla spice undertone Verdict: I was intrigued by this one while it was available, then the musk was too much when it was fresh. after a year of aging - this is GORGEOUS! the musks aren't as overpowering as they once were, I love the cold element, and the weird apparition of the vanilla spice is just glorious! I love this Trick!

IO At first, this blend was just a sweet mess - just a pile of sugar with maybe a single berry intermixed. after a few months of aging, this is one of the more interesting BPALs in my collection In the Bottle: Mango & herbs On my Skin, Wet: A huge burst of juicy & sweet mangoes - I pick up the thyme too On my Skin, Dry: Mango is replaced by Poms & Cranberries. I'm not sure if I can distinguish the blackberry or the red musk, but I think they are lending themselves to deepening the overall impression Verdict: aging was well worth the wait! I love the Mango/Thyme combo, and it's certainly unique in my collection.

Revenge smells like a orange with some white florals does not last long, which is disappointing since it does smell quite lovely

Buttery autumnal nuts. Heavy on the butter in the first spray - then it becomes a lovely, dry celebration of bitter acorns, sugary pecans, & raw walnuts (for my nose, anyway) not the longest lasting, but does hang around for a couple of hours

Berry Moon 2011 In the Bottle: as advertised; "a deep berry bouquet" On my Skin, Wet: A burst of alcoholic berries, red & deep plum in color On my Skin, Dry: I detect the brandy. The berry bouquet is very seamless, I don't smell any individual fruits. Verdict: I have the previous version of Berry Moon & they don't smell remotely similar, which I was afraid of. I like the 2011 version better, I think the brandy is a better choice for my chemistry than the musk from previous release.

Schwarzer Mond 2011 In the Bottle: Musty Patchouli On my Skin, Wet: Musty Patchouli with some dark resins and a hint of what smells like smoke. On my Skin, Dry: Still musty, but the patchouli has subsided. the smokey dark resins are taking the forefront - nice but a little heavy on the smoke factor on me. Verdict: undecided - it's an interesting blend, but it's so outside my usual fare that I don't really know if I find it pleasing or if I'm just tolerating it for novelty's sake. ETA: OK, it took 3.5 hours, but this is now truly a deep dark gorgeous resin scent. I really do like it in this stage, but the smokey, musty pacthouli phase is a little off-putting.