The Phantom Calliope

[zillah37]

Ghostly, glowing, sweet and dark: black cherry, patchouli, cassis, cardamom and verbena.

In the bottle: Cherry! Cherry and cassis and cardamom. *swoons* This is gorgeous and dark and thick. It reminds me a little of Red Phoenix in the bottle, but much, much sweeter because of the cherry.

On my skin: Cherry and cardamom hit me first with just a slight undertone of the patchouli. The strong cherry pretty much overpowers the patchouli and is making it behave. Yay! The longer it's on my skin, the less sweet it gets and the more smoky and spicy it becomes. I'm not getting the verbena, but the spices are gorgeous and sexy. It's not a subtle scent, but it's a very sexy feminine scent at the same time.

Final verdict: This is a powerful feminine scent. It says I know what I want and I will kick your ass to get it. But at the same time it's full of sex appeal. I really like this a lot. It has a light throw, but I didn't apply much at all. Hopefully it will increase when I put on a full amount.

ETA 9/3: Wore this one today and while I still love it muchly, I had a horrible reaction when I put it on my neck. Woe! Will this stop me from wearing it? Heck no! But I think I'll be sticking to wearing it on my wrists or in my hair. *g*

[blackheartedangel]

I was accidentally shipped this instead of Midnight on the Midway, so I may as well review

Out of the bottle CHERRY! That scares me a bit, but I want to try it anyway. As soon as the drydown begins, the cardamom makes a strong appearance. The patchouli is definatly there, but it's not overwhelming. I don't know the smell of cassis, just that it's a berry. I think my nose is probably combining it with the smell of cherry. Overall this is definatly a very strong, spicy, slightly sweet blend. Not for the weak at heart!

[Magda]

In the bottle: cherries

 

Wet on skin: cherry cola

 

After ten minutes or so, it becomes darker, spicy and slightly smoky. The patchouli comes out and the cherry moves into the background. The cardamom and cassis dominate at this stage.

 

After about an hour, the cassis and cardamom calm down and all the scents are nicely intermingled. It smells, in a way, like a cherry spice candle, but a very expensive cherry spice candle--the kind you'd pay $80 for in a boutique, not the kind you'd get at a craft store. It's a fantastic fall scent, a Thanksgiving sort of scent, fruit and spice in equal amounts. It makes me want to wrap myself up in a warm sweater and sit by the fire drinking hot tea.

 

Unfortunately, it's 100 degrees in Tucson right now, but when the mercury drops down to 85, I'm totally going to wear this all the time.

[ivyandpeony]

This one is beautiful - I will start by saying that you absolutely must try this on your skin. In the bottle, and wet, you will get the impression that it is nothing but cherry. Cherry in giant neon letters... cherry turned up to eleven... but there's so much more to The Phantom Calliope.

 

Within minutes, the cherry begins to back off and the patchouli and spices start to emerge and oh my! You end up with a rich, gorgeous scent of spiced fruit, nicely balanced and with the cherry behaving itself like a proper lady. It has me dreaming of autumn and the holidays, with the scent of fruit and spices in the air as you're baking goodies for your family or making a fruit compote to accompany Thanksgiving dinner.

 

If you are a fan of Blood Moon or Alone, the cardamom here is reminiscent of the cardamom in that blend, warm and smooth. And I can't compare the cherry to any that I have experienced in other BPAL blends - it seems darker and richer than the cherry that I love in The Queen of Hearts, for example. But it isn't overly cloying and sweet either, maybe because of the verbena.

 

If you were passing on this one simply because of the cherry, I implore you, don't let it pass you by! It's such a dark, lovely scent.

[savage_rose]

In the bottle: Cherry. Delicious, juicy, having to remember not to drink the bottle cherry.

 

Wet: Sigh, there goes cherry. I love cherry blends for smelling and for scent lockets, but my skin sucks up cherry like nobody's business. Boo!

 

Dry: Spiciness (cassis? Cardamom?) and fire, with a hint of earthy Patchouli on it's best behavior, and the sweet air of verbena. Very fiery on my skin, not unlike Tanin'iver, but a more relaxed, warm blend. Warm, not fiery. I like this a lot, and I feel like I have 2 scents in 1: the delicious cherry spice in the bottle, and the warm spice on my skin. Mmmm

[Diana]

In the bottle: dark cherry. It's a bit murky smelling.

 

Wet: Dirty cherries! (not meaning that in a bad way). The cherry is strongest, and there's a slight warm spice coming from the oil as well. It's a little earthy smelling from the patchouli.

 

Drydown: Spicy cherries! The cinnamon/cassia duo is coming out in full force now. It's like a softer version of Alone with a hint of fruit. Or if you made Wrath have babies with cherries and patchouli. It burns, and I didn't put it on a sensitive part of my arm. (Ow.)

 

The patchouli isn't very strong in this one. I'd say it was more of a cinnamon blend with just a bit of cherry. To me = yum. I love cherry notes, so this one is a definite keeper.

[LiberAmoris]

The Phantom Calliope is dark spiced cherries in the bottle, cherries so ripe they're nearly black. I'm not even a cherry note kind of girl, but this smells gooood. Like a topping that might be spooned on top of a dessert at a fancy restaurant.

 

Once on, the verbena puts a greenish yellow spike through the heart of the blend, like an exclamation point. It is such a strange combination, and yet it really works. The patchouli, cassis and cardamom are indeed reminiscent of Blood Moon, Alone, and Red Phoenix. It's also similar to the spices in Bengal.

 

As it dries, the cherry note holds and it's almost like brandied cherries on my skin. Spicy and dark, with an almost raisin-y note that's rich like figs. It's truly unusual and will be great in the fall and winter when I reach for the spicy blends.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: cherry cassia and patchouli

 

wet: woah baby, is it cherry, cassia and patchouli. patchouli jumps out as the front runner

 

as it dries a bit the cardamom joins in no verbena thank goodness. it is a bit too lemony for my tastes usually. i am not usually a cherry gal either, but this is indeed a dark cherry, and it is sexy as hell. i love the depth of this and will wear it often

[lorajc]

Wow........I knew I'd like this from the notes in it....love cherry, patchouli, cassis, cardamom....so it was a no brainer........but I fell in love with this immediately. It's sexy, sweet and spicy while no one note takes the lead. As I find with most of the Carnivale blends (and BPAL oils for that matter), this is an extremely balanced blend. It is indeed, mysterious, sweet, dark and spicy. Love at first sniff. I'll be wearing this A LOT.

Edited September 4, 2006 by lorajc

[blueroses]

In the bottle: very cherry.

 

On: When it's still wet, it does smell something like soda. It reminds me of Island Rose Long Island iced tea, if you've tried it. When it dries, the cherry goes away and I'm left with cardamom and cassis. There's something vaguely medicinal about this. As it wears, it gets spicier - it sort of reminds me of Three Witches. It smells like Red-Hots.

 

Verdict: I really don't know. I don't like the cherry cola stage, but I do like the spicy cassis drydown. Hmm.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Black Cherry!

 

On me:

When this first goes on, I am immediately reminded of black cherry cola. It's got that syrupy cherry note but also a sweet and spicy note that smells like cola, no kidding. I am surprised I didn't see anyone mention that, because I swear that's exactly what it smells like wet!

 

As it dries down, it becomes spicier - a husky, dry and exotic spice. The patchouli lends a sort of woodsy darkness to it, but that cherry and spice really go well with it. This is one of the more unusual blends from Beth I think (all of her blends are interesting, but this one stands out as being unusual - as I felt about Kabuki). I find myself rather captivated by this scent. It's not that I necessarily adore the notes, but somehow it's just alluring. I cannot stop smelling it!!

 

Final note:

There is something about this blend that I really love. I think I might actually need a second bottle of this, I can imagine this aging beautiful as well! So unique!

[Tramp]

Wet this is cherry - but only for about 3 seconds! Then it immediately goes into a spicy cassia/cinammon phase. I'm not getting a lot of patcholi from this, and can't pick out the verbena at all. Dry it doesn't morph and stays that sexy cassia and spices. Much darker than I imagined, no cherry to speak of on drydown which is sort of sad as it really is a yummy cherry in the bottle.

 

I should also add that I am usually really sensitive to blends with cassia - make me itch - and this one I only got the slightest tingle from. Definately one of the mildest reactions I have ever had to cassia, which is a good thing!

[Kittyflop]

I'm very surprised - I get very little cherry from this, if any. The first hit, wet on the skin, is cinnamon. Cinnamon chewing gum, specifically. I'm confused.

 

As it dries, it mellows out considerably. After about 30 minutes I'm starting to detect a very light waft of sweetness, which might me considered cherry-scented. It's fading quickly, but I used very little.

 

Yes, an hour later, cherry is definitely making itself known. But it never gets overly sweet or sticky. The spiciness recedes. I think this is becoming quite gorgeous. Must slather tomorrow for a retest.

[maijasu]

I almost didn't even try this one because of the patchouli, but wow, am I ever glad that I did!

 

In the imp, it's almost all cherry, but as others have noted, the spices really bloom once it's on the skin. It smells like fruity cinnamon red hots. But these are expensive red hots! The patchouli behaves itself very nicely, just adding some depth to the scent. Oh dear, I think I'm going to need a bottle.

 

[zenvodunista]

This is the perfume that made it Official:

 

Cherry and cardomom *HATE* me.

 

I don't know why! They are two of my favorite things to eat!

 

Maybe that's why.

 

Cough medicine and B/O.

 

Stupid skin chemistry.

 

*kicks a rock*

 

n.

[Gale]

This is incredible.

 

Wet: It burns us, preciouss, take it off! Cassis, cinnamon, so spicy I can barely stand it. No cherry here for me.

 

Dry: Wait a second. Yeah, it is really spicy, but in a really nice way...

 

After half an hour onward: This is so beautiful the word "beautiful" doesn't do it justice! I need a thesaurus. It is a very spicy blend, but not painful. Normally, I don't like to suffer through scary wet phases, but this is so totally worth it!!!

Edited September 10, 2006 by Gale

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I got decants of all the CD scents to help me decide on bottles, and Phantom Calliope was the randomly-drawn empty bottle included with my decants. I'm so delighted--I'm really carried away with the concept of ghostly music in the carny air, and I LOVE the artwork on the bottle. So, here goes my first CD review! *sniffs the bottle* Oh, the spices in this one are so rich; I can smell them already!

 

*dumps decant imp into bottle and slathers* Oh, this is fantastic! I want to eat my arm. There's never been a cherry scent that I liked, but I barely smell the cherry here except as a rich touch of sweetness; definitely *black* cherry. The wonderful cassis from Monsterbait: Underbed dominates the blend, and that note always brings cocoa powder to mind for me--a dry but *rich* note. Cardomom is, of course, the spice in chai that gives it that special chai kick, and it combines brilliantly with the cassis. I only register the patchouli as a general depth to the scent...a Samhain undertone.

 

Overall: The Calliope is beautifully blended, sexy and autumnal--it makes me imagine buying a spicy drink from a vendor at Carnaval Diabolique, then sipping it as I walk through drifts of fall leaves...haunting music floats through the air...Wow. Love it.

[PurringPulsar]

The Phantom Calliope

 

In the imp: spiced almond like cherry, heavy on the cardamom, which is a good thing.

Wet on skin: spicy cherry!

Dry on skin: wow, the cardamom in this scent kicks ass! It's so strong, so gorgeous, so warm and delicious, and it's wonderful with the cherry note which has lost it's almond like edge and now smells like sour black cherry sauce, which is lovely. I think the patchouli deepens it too. It's like spicy cherry-I think cassis (blackcurrant) may be what's adding even more tangy fruitiness to the scent, and I smell the lemony verbena here and there.

After a while: the verbena has faded, and what I get is a fruity version of Alone. It has that same patchouli-cardamom scent to it, but less earthy and with the addition of warm cherry and cassis (I'm sure it's cassis, not cassia, since I don't get cinnamon on my skin, just full on yummy cardamom.) The scent is lovely but it doesn't seem to smell very strong on my skin, which is surprising for something with a patchouli base. This lightness the scent has does add to the 'ghostly' feel the scent conveys. It does fade to a lingering cardamom note-barely there, but what's left is very pleasant.

Verdict: another lovely CD scent, but this one's a lot more subtle on me. It's a fruity cherry-currant with a huge hit of wonderful warm cardamom and a touch of patchouli, a delicious, warm, slightly autumnal scent. The only disappointment? It's not strong enough on me. It's very similar to Alone but not as complex, and it goes faint quite quickly. I might get a bottle just for that amazing cardamom note though…it's worth it just for that, and I think this may strengthen with age.

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: Red Phoenix, Alone

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Bagfish]

Sweet cherry candy, ripe red and black fruits. I get no cardamom or patchouli from this unfortunately. TPC reminds me somewhat of Kyoto, but without the anise - its got the same light cherry fragrance, but is a little more zingy, which is possibly the verbena showing itsself.

 

The Phantom Calliope doesn't do much for me, I'm not generally a fruity scent lover, so I think this one is a swap pile definite.

[Lorencita]

This is all Cassis with a slight bit of cherry on me. I am not a huge fan of Cassis, so this might go to another home I had high hopes for this one too!

[Melantha]

Verbena doesn't like me, and this is no exception. I got a full set of decants to try, and I'm glad, but the verbena overpowers everything else on me, and I just don't like it.

[theshapeshifter]

Woe. Based on the ingredient list, I was sure I'd love this one, but...

 

Clearly, my skin decided to amp the verbena, because this became (and stayed, till I gave up and washed it off) cherry bug spray on me. Oh well, I've had such good luck with the other CD's so far, I suppose there had to be one that my skin would rebel against!

[Julilla Regina]

For me this didn't work out so well. I'm very bummed, because I loooove cherries, too! But there was something in this that really caused a burning sensation on my wrists. I'm not sensitive to very much at all and wear cinnamon blends without a problem, so I'm not sure what was going on.

[Alchemy21599]

This was one of the blends that had me on the fence about ordering Ala-Ga-Zaam!

Je n'aime pas les cerises, but I hoped that the other delightful elements of this fragrance might over-power the dreaded cherry.

 

In the vial: dark cherry ice cream.

 

Wet: Les cerises! Bah!

 

Dry: The verbena starts to come through, but not enough to overwhelm the scary cherry.

 

Off to swaps with ye!

[LittleGreyKitten]

Cherry cola! Cassia continues to hate me though- instant pain on wrists when applied. Interesting smell, like no other BPAL. It keeps stinging my skin something awful and I had to wash it off ASAP. Blasted cassia.