Purple Phoenix

[LiberAmoris]

PURPLE PHOENIX

Porphyrogenitus, indeed; we worked[/i] for it! Not simply the color of royalty, purple is also the color of sorrow and mourning, reconciliation and forgiveness. A regal, majestic, and somber blend of myrrh, plum blossom, African violet, cognac, fig, orris, lilac, wisteria, black plum, and Burgundy wine grapes.

Purple Phoenix is deep purpley happiness in a bottle. It's like every blue and purple note I love, all rolled together with a depth and reach that's simply wonderful. This is definitely my fave of the Phoenixes, for sure. I'm not even that much of a grape fan, but it's so well tempered here by the other notes that it wins me over.

The smell of this reminds me of the second stanza of Keats' Ode to a Nightingale:

...With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
And purple-stainèd mouth;
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim...

Purple Phoenix has the same sensual, soporific feel to me, like an opiate. Lovely.

[The_Merf]

In the bottle: Whee! This does smell purple and regal, like very fresh grapes.

 

Wet: At first, I smell the grapes and something fruity (probably the plum), but almost immediately, something smells foul on my skin. Really foul. I'm going to guess it is the cognac.

 

Drydown and wear: The smell does not go away--this smells spoiled on my skin until about the 45 minute mark, and by that time, I can barely detect the scent at all. Sadly, I'm going to have to swap this one, which sucks because it smells great in the bottle and has a nice purple label.

[Alchemy21599]

In the bottle: plum and grapes!

 

Wet: oh, dear. Grape cough syrup.

 

Dry: This is delightful once the violet note comes out. There is another floral note, methinks the lilac that does not want to play nicely, but it went away after about 20 minutes. I am happy that I have a bottle.

[arabella]

First Impression: A softly sweet floral.

 

Dries down to: A sweet and muddy floral, that gets muddier with time.

 

Additional Comments: This is okay but far from what I'd been hoping for. I guess I expected it to be my holy grail scent and it just doesn't measure up. I think it's the myrrh that's killing it for me; or, maybe, there's just a touch too much fruitiness. I would have preferred more lilac, wisteria and African violet to come through. I like the undertone of the Burgundy wine grapes but can't detect the cognac at all. The combination just doesn't come together well for me but I'm hoping aging will help.

 

Lasted: An hour or so.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

[theseagrows]

at first the grapey-plum scent is a bit strong and plasticky (as they often are on me) but as it fades, the violet and myrrh temper it some and bring a warmth to the back of the florals and fruits, almost a bit like musk, but less animalistic...i think that's the myrrh. i dont get a strong violet or fig scent either, and a lot of notes are hard for me to pick out in this one. it's blended beautifully. this is one of the few fruity-florals i think i can enjoy! this one will be a keeper.

Edited August 6, 2014 by theseagrows

[Lunaratu]

Wet: Very grape but good grape. Juicy. I like it but I’m waiting to see how this will settle.

 

Initial Drydown: ok, this isn’t settling so well. I smell this wonderful combination of the myrrh with the juicy elements which make me really want to like this but the orris is coming out all icy and slightly metallic funking with the scent a bit but I have a good feeling this might fade away.

 

Hour later: mmm, I was right. Right now I feel very sensually powerful—like I should curl my hair slightly, wear wine colored lipstick and dig out my v-neck black velvet top to wear to work. Given that it’s cold out that would probably be a bad idea. But, wow, something in this keeps settling so nicely into my skin. It’s got a whispery sensual feel that keeps brushing against my nose as if it were gently seducing my senses yet it’s also got a slight juiciness and sweetness to it that I find irresistible. I’m really trying to keep from constantly sniffing myself (since I’m at work) but damn do I find that I keep doing it anyway.

 

Much later: ok, this soaked into my skin quite quickly but somehow it’s still there—hours later. I turn my head and I get a whiff of it as I’m working which makes for a very nice surprise. It’s relaxing and I’m really glad to have it on.

Final Verdict: mm, in love definitely. However, I have a feeling that as this oil ages that the metallic tang from the orris, or at least something in this, will fade out so that the scent remains velvety throughout. I’m definitely hoarding this and I’m very tempted to pick up a second bottle before it goes away because I have a hunch that I might quickly become addicted to this and use it in everything. I would love it even more if the florals were even a tad bit lighter to emphasize the myrrh and the purple fruit and cognac making it even juicier and still warmly dusty at the same time. Just..yum!

 

Throw: Fine. It manages to walk that line of hovering very close like a second skin but at the same time having just enough throw that if I lean in to a guy he’ll get a nice delightful whiff of it to tempt him. Rawr. ::pounce:: did I mention this scent makes me feel sensual and powerful?

 

Rating: 4.5/5

 

ETA: ok this has become my favorite scent. I find myself wearing it all the time and when my sheets started to smell like it too after a few days I couldn't help but smile. I keep reapplying when it becomes weaker because it is so beautiful. It's comforting and warm but at the same time sensual. I'm totally in love and kicking myself for not buying many more bottles of this. so totally hoarding!

Edited October 7, 2007 by Lunaratu

[SmileCat]

Purple! I would have been very disappointed if something went horribly wrong with PP on my skin. I love purple; it's my favorite color.

 

This went from very wine-y in the bottle to on-skin progression of florals and wine, candied flowers, to smelling something like fruity SweetTarts. I like all stages of Purple Phoenix.

[thecaitycat]

In the bottle: It smells like violets and grape and iris. Very "purple".

 

Wet on skin: Uh oh... It's starting to get vaguely medicinal on me. I still smell fruits and flowers, but this is starting to smell like kids' cold medicine.

 

Dry on skin: More medicinal. It smells like grape dimetapp by the time it dries on my skin.

 

Verdict: I wanted so, so much to like this! I mean come on, PURPLE PHOENIX! Purple is my favorite color! Alas, it was not to be. Can't win 'em all, I guess.

[jasmine]

Upon application, this instantly smells like purple grapes. Given a moment, the plum shows up, but the grape keeps it wet and lush instead of fading into the unpleasantness that plum seems to do on my skin. In an interesting effect, there is something alcoholic about this scent, but it distinctly isn’t the grape -- it’s like grapes with plum wine. Odd.

 

Determining the various notes is basically impossible. In sum, this is a strong, deep purple scent with a distinct grapiness about it... for about half an hour. It faded away into subtlety within that period of time. I am seriously puzzled -- this is the second time I’ve worn this scent (once for fun, and now this time for reviewing) and I could swear it didn’t do this the first time around.

 

Now that the grape has faded, the florals are coming out. It hasn’t gone all the way to soapy, but it is a surprisingly clean scent. Given additional time, the purple fruit seeps back in underneath, but it's a low purple muddle that never regains the same force of presence possessed by the initial blast of grape. It's not bad in this state -- but that initial grape was much better.

 

And now it’s started to go smoky. I don’t know what’s causing it, but smelling like smoke really isn’t my thing. Darn.

[aimeceleste]

In the bottle, I get plums and an unidentified flower.

 

On my skin, I get plums and spice, which is just wonderful. As it drys down, it becomes sweeter and headier. It's absolutely delicious!

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: sweet, fruity (plum) with a little bit of booze (but it's not cloying).

 

On my skin: still very sweet but the florals show themselves. I don't really recognize violet so far.

 

After a couple of hours: boy does it fade fast, there's hardly anything left.

 

Verdict: it's very purple indeed but I'm afraid it's not for me. Too sweet.

[azhure]

In the bottle: I can smell the wine grapes above everything else. It's *very* purple.

 

Wet: The wine grapes amp very briefly, giving me a flash of that "OMG PURPLE" scent. This fades quickly (at which I am quite pleased, I don't think I could stand having that around me for too long). The scent fades quickly into a melange of the plum blossom and other florals, with the myrrh playing in the background and softening it all.

 

Drydown: This dries down to quite a faint skin scent on me. I wish it was stronger and had more throw, because it's quite lovely.

[phedre]

In the vial: Whoa. Hello there grape! I assume this is the burgundy wine grape, but it doesn't smell burgundy-esque to me. Rather, it's candy grape, like good quality grape hard lollipops that will turn your mouth purple.

 

On my skin: The grape candy disappears almost immediately, leaving behind something lovely and not too sweet. The florals come to the front and the plum disappears. I don't get cognac in this at all, but definitely myrrh to round things out. There's more of a wine note to it now as opposed to grape juice. What a morpher!

 

I like this. Not sure if I like it enough for an entire bottle, but I may change my mind as time goes on.

[Aevalin]

Oh my. This is PURPLE. That's the only way I could describe it to my hubby. Sadly - purple and I have had an off again, on again relationship. I went through a period where it was my absolute favourite colour -and then it went out of favour.

 

A brief note on me - I have this funky form of synaesthesia where I can smell something and taste something else totally unrelated to it. (like I smell Pine Sol, I taste onions) Back in jr. high school there was this boy I liked. One day the boy noticed me during play practise and we snuck outside. He leaned over to kiss me and he had this wad of grape bubble gum in his mouth. I nearly gagged -it tasted/smelled like rotten dirt - it was so grapey. Sooooo as a result, not a huge fan of grapes. And that's mostly what I got with Purple Phoenix. Not enough that it was a grape Hubba Bubba moment, but it was pretty darned close.

 

I'm sorry Purple Phoenix, I'll have to set you free...

[PurringPulsar]

Purple Phoenix

 

In the bottle: grape bubblegum. This smells like those grape-flavoured sweets, but with a hint of plum…and Calpol-or is it Tixilyx? One of those brands of children's cold medicine that I loved when I was a kid.

Wet on skin: out of the fruity base, flowers spring to life, like lilac, wisteria and violet.

Dry on skin: what the? There's a sharp, screaming note here that I'm not keen on at all. It's probably the same lilac-wisteria-violet combination that disagreed with me in White Moon. It's piercing and loud, like a screech of scent. Around this almost metallic razor sharp scent, is a base of boozy fruits, grape flavoured sweets (or cough syrup) and a hint of the paler notes of orris and plum blossom. I don't think this is agreeing with me much.

After a while: finally, that scary sharp metallic scream of scent tones down a lot. The scent I now get is of dried lilacs, soft powdery orris and violet, plum blossom and fig. There's still a hint of something medicine-like about it, like cough syrup, that bitter aftertaste. I like the initial lilac-orris-plum scent but I'm not keen on the undertone this scent has, reminiscent of (clean) public toilets. I get none of the myrrh. But it's not as bad as the just-dry stage.

There are times when this smells like pure violet, with hints of lilac and cognac. Other times it smells of plum fruit and blossom with orris and wine/cognac. I quite like those moments, but there's still a hint of the medicinal-metallic scent I'm not keen on.

The drydown is much more acceptable after a few hours-a soft plum with cognac, violet and orris, a pale, powdery purple.

Verdict: this one makes me sad. I was taking a gamble with this scent anyway since half the notes there don't work on me but I was hoping for the nicer notes to redeem this scent. But it wasn't so. The purple bird doesn't like my skin…especially at the beginning, where this phoenix's scented song comes about as a dissonant screech of metallic sharp floral notes, probably the lilac and wisteria misbehaving on my skin, with undertones of cough medicine and bathroom cleaner. There are some stages of this scent, especially at the late drydown, which are quite pleasant, nice plum and violet moments, little hints of cognac and orris, but even they weren't enough for me to like this scent enough to keep it, this blend fluctuates from 'ok' to 'yeesh, get it off!' quite a lot. I think I'll be passing it on to someone else.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Probably not. if I want purple plummy goodness, I'll stick to Bordello/Blood Countess.

If you like this, try: Bordello, Horreur Sympathique, Blood Countess, White Moon

[Little Bird]

In the bottle... very floral. It does bring to mind a very deep, rich purple. These are very haughty, strong florals with a hint of soap creeping underneath them. I was afraid to try this on my skin.

 

The second that I tried this on, I sniffed my wrists and said, "Nuh-uh." This is very much a not-for-Tania blend. When I go to try on perfumes at department stores, the florals all take on the same smell to me. A sharp, acrid, chemical, 'perfume' smell rather than the actual smell of flowers. That's what Purple Phoenix does on me.

 

This isn't even as pretty or purple on me as it is in the bottle. It's just sharp and unpleasant florals. Almost metallic and chemical-smelling like cheap hairspray. I don't get any fruits or resin or anything but chemical, cheap florals.

 

Purple Phoenix is awful on me

[NanookPurple]

Wet, Purple Phoenix was disappointing. It was pure grape soda and sickly sweet candy.

 

As it dried, the bitter myrrh emerged, tempering the candy smell somewhat, but in a very forceful way.

 

Once dry and settled into my skin, the boozy florals have had a chance to come out. And it's lovely indeed, deeply womanly and regal. A scent fit for a haughty queen.

[maribouquet]

imp: grape cordial

wet: slightly 'musky', plummy wine

dry: the lilac comes out to play and is very pretty, but is quickly squashed by whatever is turning icky on me -- j'accuse, cognac! J'accuse!

 

A very interesting, and yes - purple! - blend, but sadly not for me.

[indicolite]

It is floral, and it is booze, but, strangely enough, the two things work together pretty well. My mother loved that scent when I wore it in the locket. So, I am keeping it for now.

[euterpe414]

Grapey, grapey!

 

and then...soapy grapey. and then violety grapey.

 

This is an indecisive blend on my skin. It maintains the grape throughout, but the other notes constantly change their strength on my skin. I am glad though that this blend finally settles doan to something remeniscent of Lady Macbeth but with a bit less greenery. that soapy grape stage was not so good, but thank god it is brief!

 

All in all this blend can be scary at first but it is worth waiting a bit for it to settle down into a nice regal grape scent.

[jessu]

Very grown-up, and very regal. I feel like this is what you would get if you crossed Kindly Moon with Bordello. I was getting worried about the relationship between my skin and violet, but they behave themselves here, and I'm loving it. I get mostly fruit, wrapped in a flowery cloud.

 

I should have bought a bottle and not a decant.

[cameroncrazed]

In the bottle: purple! Grapes, mostly. It just screams "I'm purple, love me!"

 

Wet on skin: grape and plum.

 

Dry on skin: Oddly enough, this smells different on me depending on where it is. Wrists - it's the fantabulous plum softened with iris and violet. Very sweet and mellow. Elbow - myrrh and plums dipped in wine. More resinous than sweet.

 

Overall: 15/10. I love this scent! I adore plums anyhow, and this is just superb. However, I think I'll stick with just dabbing on my wrists rather than wrists and elbows - I like that sweet plumminess best. Doh, should have bought more than one bottle.

[storme]

In the imp: violets and thick boozy grapes.

 

On me, wet: powdery musky wine. I can really sense the orris here, too, lurking menacingly beneath the wine - this has a dry dustiness beneath the booze.

 

On me, dry: talcum-powdery alcoholic meh. I can just about still detect the florals, but everything else has become subsumed into the talcum powder.

 

Verdict: I took a risk, since several of these notes are dealbreakers for me. But the violets and orris were not going to change their usual habits on my skin, so.

[LadyMedb]

Regal, sensual, powerful: all these words work for Purple Phoenix. I feared grape jelly in the bottle, but on my skin it turned into something absolutely beautiful - this must have been the myrrh kicking in.

 

This is maybe not an everyday kind of scent for me, but it's drop dead gorgeous on the days I want to wear it - an attention-grabbing, diva fruity blend rather than a giggling girly one. I really love it.

 

Purple Phoenix gets positive comments from my friends, too, who tend to use the word "sensual" to describe it as well. It must be written somewhere in the formula.

Edited December 19, 2006 by LadyMedb

[lady_pandora]

Right out of the bottle this is straight grape kool-aid, with violet following shortly on its heels. Over the next few minutes, the grape calms down to a more realistic, natural grapey scent. It never gets "winey" in the way that, say, Lilith or Black Tower does. It's definitely still grapes!

 

As it dries, the impression I get is of the violet and the grape rolling over and over each other. It feels like the good fairies from Sleeping Beauty are standing over my arm saying, "Make it grape!" "Make it violet!"

 

I wish I'd gotten some myrrh out of Purple Phoenix, but I do like this scent. The grape adds a juiciness to the violet, which can often seem dry to me. The blend works very well and I agree with the reviewers who have called it sensual.

 

I get the mental picture of a regal woman lounging on an elegant sofa, dressed in purple satin PJs and enjoying a glass of wine and a good book.

 

ETA: This is another one of those that seems more complex a few days later, when my "Squee! I have new BPAL" mood wears off and I'm not trying to test 10 scents at once. Wore it all by itself for the first time yesterday, and it's even better than I'd thought it was. And yes, Virginia, there is myrrh!

 

The dominant notes at first *are* the grape and violet notes, with myrrh underneath and surfacing more as time passes, until about six hours later myrrh is dominant with the other two notes hanging around in the background. This is definitely regal. I'm thinking of ancient queens--Cleopatra, Dido, Semiramis. This is lovely.

Edited December 24, 2006 by lady_pandora