Sunbird

[Tramp]

They were all so hungry the following morning. Zebediah T. Crawcrustle had a comedic apron on, with the words KISS THE COOK written upon it in violently green letters. He had already sprinkled the brandy-soaked raisins and grain beneath the stunted avocado tree behind the house, and he was arranging the scented woods, the herbs, and the spices on the bed of charcoal. Mustapha Stroheim and his family had gone to visit relatives on the other side of Cairo.

"Does anybody have a match?" Crawcrustle asked.

Jackie Newhouse pulled out a Zippo lighter, and passed it to Crawcrustle, who lit the dried cinnamon leaves and dried laurel leaves beneath the charcoal. The smoke drifted up into the noon air.

"The cinnamon and sandalwood smoke will bring the Sunbird," said Crawcrustle.

"Bring it from where?" asked Augustus TwoFeathers.

"Why, where it always is, third lane after the old market in the Suntown district, just before you reach the old drainage ditch that was once an irrigation canal, and if you find yourself outside One-eye Khayam's carpet shop you have gone too far, "began Crawcrustle. "But I see by the expressions of irritation upon your faces that you were expecting a less succinct, less accurate description. Very well. It is in Suntown, and Suntown is in Cairo, in Egypt, where it always is, or almost always."


Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab is thrilled to present a numbered, limited edition chapbook of Neil Gaiman's acclaimed short story, Sunbird, beautifully illustrated by Julie Dillon. Each package includes a 5ml bottle of perfume, created by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, that was inspired by the tale. In Neil's words, "'Sunbird' smells like resin and deserts and the phoenix." This set is a limited run of 1000. 250 were sold by CBLDF at San Diego Comic Con 2009, and the remainder are available through the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab web site. Sunbird will be available on the BPAL site as long as supplies last. This is a charitable, not-for-profit venture: proceeds from every single set go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which works to preserve and protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community.

A million thanks and all our love to Neil, and to Charles Brownstein and his staff at the CBLDF!

So I was totally blessed to recieve this from Beth and the lab and all I can say is "wow". I about peed my pants waiting for Snow. Glass. Apples. and I have to say, I like Sunbird even better. This is one of those super well blended scents that is really hard to pin down. It is unisex. It is sort of carnation spicy in a dark way. If I really try I can trick my brain into thinking there is smoke but truely I don't get any. Something resinous seems to be in the mix as well as something evergreenish in the drydown. It is just gorgeous.

[evanescence]

I also get something golden and warm from it, kinda smoldering but not smoky. It's the "simmering hot day" vibe I get from other "sun" blends. I'm detecting something a bit herbal, like dandelion... it's very subtle but contributes to that sunwarmed impression.

 

This is just so gorgeous, it's frustrating to not be able to really identify any particular note but I'll not complain.

[Eutectic]

First up I get dandelion and sun warmed herbs. It is sunny without being HOT, more of an autumnal sun with grasses and greens and the late flowers of the season. In dry down it is more masculine, just a bit, and there is something heavier that grounds the notes so they blend perfectly with your skin for a closer scent, not a lot of throw which is fine. Just lovely and warm and balanced. Another winner!!

[Lycanthrope]

What fun!

 

This was very familiar to my current Ash-Smoke-Herbs fave, The Norns' Farmhouse. It has the most marvelous myrrh undercurrent throughout, and a fiery, very warm sensation lifting above. The scent is mildly savory, and makes the back of my throat feel as if I am sucking in warm air. Quite interesting. I kinda want a bottle like nao.

[Ina Garten Davita]

Sunbird is an instant favorite, I will hoard this when it's released. HOARD greedily!

 

Liquid sunshine, happiness in a bottle, Sunbird is creamy, sunny, drenched with the joys of summer. There is something in here that reminds of the original Leo that I adore so much, heliotrope, perhaps. Sun-warmed florals and herbs, summer field rather than summer garden. The creaminess is reminiscent of benzoin rather than vanilla or cream, this is not in any way shape or form a foody scent.

 

Sunbird is this...

 

plus this...

 

[bheansidhe]

Sunbird has some of the smoky-myrrh smoulder of Priala, but it's brighter and, well, sunnier. I didn't get any citrus or verbena notes, though there's some herbal note in the background. Warm, glowing yellow. Lovely.

[parrot_suspect]

As the name might suggest, Sunbird is warm, spicy and golden. I don't know the notes, but a line from the story might give us a clue:

 

Virginia Boote returned with a filled shopping basket. "Here," she said. "Red sandalwood and patchouli, vanilla beans, lavender twigs and sage and cinnamon leaves, whole nutmegs, garlic bulbs, cloves, and rosemary: everything you wanted and more."

The fragrance starts out as a warm herbal sort of scent and slowly "heats up" as the cinnamon and clove come out. The mid-stage of Sunbird is spectacular, with spices intermingled with herbal and woodsy notes, all over a dark vanilla. In the end the drydown, on me, is all spices. I think I detect cardamom and clove, and definitely some patchouli. Thankfully, there is no garlic!

 

If you like warm and spicy blends such as The Lion, you'll love Sunbird.

 

 

[The_Witching_Hour]

WOW. This one is hard to piece together and uber-faceted, to boot.

 

It starts out with a sunflower vibe. If you've smelled the Salon release of "Sunflower", its similar but thankfully lacks the punch in the face of SUNFLOWER.....I'M HERE!!

 

Its just a golden feel, a mix of sandalwood and a dash of myrrh. Then the stage opens up to what smells like smoking sage. Very cool! How does she do this???

 

Its a smoldering sensation without the smoke or fire (Priala- I'm looking at you and can't wear you because of that), warm without being hot (I can't wear most cinnamon and cassia blends, either) and finally dries down to a golden herb smell with the smoldering still lingering.

 

Very wearable, very evocative.

[thekittenkat]

I tested this at the SEWC, very late in the day, so my nose wasn't picking up everything. Alas, I didn't get the lovely notes that others have mentioned in previous reviews. I hope to be able to try this again in the future, but all I got was smoke and vetiver from sniffing the wand to letting it dry a little on my skin. But then, this could be about right for a phoenix?

[stormcloude]

I got sweet wood and smoke from this (cedar? teak?). I know Mr. Gaiman mentioned raisins, and I tried to sniff out that note, but couldn't pick it out. It's very well blended and pleasant.

[edenssixthday]

Sunbird - This is wonderful! It's predominantly a husky-myrrh scent with some other unidentifiable notes, perhaps resins and woods, and maybe a bit of sand-type notes. It kind of reminds me of a cross between Priala the Human Phoenix, The Ifrit, and Kubla Kahn. It's really delicious. I tried it at the DD Trunk Show, and didn't have much untested skin left on my arms, so I put some on my shoulder and kept sniffing my shoulder all night. I know I looked ridiculous, but who cares -- I smelled amazing! I really liked the husky, smoky, resinous, warm, golden qualities of Sunbird and need to get my grabby little paws on a bottle of it.

[alhbooks]

This was the one scent I was determined to pick up at Comic-Con and I had to open my booth late to do it, but it was so worth it. spicy, warm, with hints of dark gingerbread, raisins, sandalwood, shaved cinnamon sticks, all sweet smokiness, perfect for a hot or cold day. the book is pretty gorgeous too....

[freneticfloetry]

In the bottle: Wow, does this smell like another blend that I can't put my finger on. Intriguing and smoky and spicy-sweet and beautiful and none of it matters because...

 

Wet: Wood.

 

Drydown: Wood.

 

Dry: Whatdya know? Wood. Pretty, sweet wood, but all wood.

 

I hate you, skin chemistry.

 

ETA: Apparently Sunbird hates the right side of my body, but loooooves the left. On my left arm, it's warm and herbal and gorgeous. Yipee!!!

Edited August 1, 2009 by freneticfloetry

[wintersmelody]

I got excited the moment this was first announced since Sunbird is my absolute favorite short story by Neil. Then an awesome friend gave me a tester to last til my set arrives!

 

This really is reminding me of something that I can't put my nose on.. Like others have mentioned it's warm and herbal without being overpowering. Summer sunshine in a bottle. And absolutely gorgeous! I'm uber excited for my bottle now!

 

If you're worried about it being smokey or OMGVETIVER you're in luck I get neither smokey or vetiver, which is great since the later is 99.9% dewm on me.

[lacyjae]

My friend eyeska actually lent me various Neil Gaiman compilations and I really, really enjoyed Sunbird, so when I found out it was becoming a BPAL scent, I was super excited I was lucky enough that Eyeska's friend went to Comic Con and picked us up our Sunbird sets :D SO yesterday I finally got around to snagging mine - and all I can say is WOW.

 

Automatic love.

 

Not only is the book just simply beautiful and I *love* the artwork, her style is just amazing and totally win...

 

But the perfume? oh gods. So pretty. In the bottle it seems like a bunch of herbs over resinous coals, more like a ritual fire than a cooking fire. I can't really pick out any notes, but the familiarity of various herbs is there, reminding me of when I used to be much more into naturopathy and making poultices and such, reminding me of feeling better, spiritually and physically. There's.. I want to say spruce but I'm not sure if that's right, but some kind of fragrant pine-ish tree, and something the slightest bit foody, and a hint of mint but not spearmint or peppermint... It seems like everything is on the tip of my tongue, teasing me by being so close and familiar but just out of reach. I think that's rather fitting, to be honest.

 

On my skin, the tree and mint are strongest at first, and remind me of those soothing essential oil mixes you can get for sickness and sore muscles, not quite eucalyptus but that *sort* of smell. Natural and healing. It's much deeper though and better, with hints of all the herbs I smell in the bottle. I get smoke at the very end of my inhalation, as if the fire isn't quite smoking but just hinting at it.

 

I don't feel I'm doing it justice. It seems much more to evoke feelings and memories of being healthy and happy and working with herbs and natural medicines, than to specifically smell like anything in particular. It's very warm, though, definitely not a green scent.

 

Honestly, I think it's perfect, an ideal representation of the cooking sunbird. I am not really a fan of the minty scents usually (other than in my tea!) but this is so... powerfully memorable to me, I guess, and not really minty, not really piney, not really.... I don't know. I don't know how to explain it. But it's warm, and healing, and wonderful, and I am so very very glad to have a bottle.

 

 

Edit to add:

Dry, I get more smokey resinous goodness. AWESOME. Glee.

Edited August 2, 2009 by LacyJae

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle golden, spicy, very unguent-y

wet on skin this is so deep and fantastic. it's still so golden, but shot with red now. heavy, heavy on the smoothest sandalwood known to mankind with a deep base of oily spiciness

dry on skin it flattens out a bit on dry-down and becomes primarily a sun-kissed sandalwood, much drier. it smells hot, scorchingly hot, but not spicy, just the smell of hot sun on dry, clean skin that has been liberally rubbed with precious oils, a scent that evokes a seraglio

[sfsassy]

Got my bottle today. I must admit, I was not even going to buy this one because I was unsure of the notes. But I got all excited and got it anyway.

 

I am so happy I did. It's a very wearable scent. to me it smells like herbs and cinnamon and fire (without the smoke). Well blended and interesting. It does not really remind me of anything else.

 

Keeper!

[ralenth]

Source: Lab

 

Bottle: Warm, and resiny, like sensual liquid sunshine. It smells bright and warm, but a bit naughty too.

 

Wet: Cinnamony and softly herbal.

 

Drydown: A sexy romp at the apothecary? For some reason, I have the mental image of rolling around over herbs. Hee!

 

Dry: Woodsy and herbal, with a tinge of something softly smoky and myrrh. Occasionally, I catch a bit of sweetness too.

 

Overall: Sunbird is gorgeous. I don't even think I can communicate how stunned I am by it.

[rayvn1]

It's here! ok...

 

Smelling the oil in the bottle, it's very spicy with prominent sandalwood, I think. There's a sweet note in there too.

 

On my skin it's herbal, clear, and cool - kind of a burnished metal smell to it.

 

Then....chocolate? I get cocoa - like a milk chocolate bar just out of the foil with herbs, cinnamon, and spices mixed in. I may be having a strange chemistry day (or a strange nose day) but this is really unexpected! Yummy and light, but satisfying at the same time. Still surprised at the lack of burning or warmth I expected, but this cooling, vaguely foody scent is really complex and I wouldn't doubt it if it morphed in the next few hours.

[iiinterstate]

I will be the first to admit that I get all caught up in bottle-excitement and sometimes *love* things that I don't actually love just because it is new and special.

 

However, I love Sunbird with the purest of BPAL loves.

 

Wet on my skin, it is very resiny, spicy, and smoky. I get the same brimstone-y feeling from Sunbird as I do from Hellhound On My Trail. It gives the blend a kick but does not overpower. And, it smells hot, like hot sand, like in the Ifrit only more so.

 

As it dries down there is a little sweetness to it.. an herbal sweetness, which is appropriate. So the end result is hot sweet resiny smoke. Occasionally, I get a little bit of a metallic edge when I sniff my wrist, but not a lot. The throw is mainly smoke and spice.

 

This is a gorgeous blend, and if there is any left for sale when I get paid again, I will probably buy another bottle. I have nothing quite like Sunbird in my collection, and I cannot WAIT to see what this is like in a year. (if I don't use it up first!)

 

Overall, a scent I will wear when I feel sultry and smoldering.

[dawndie]

In bottle: sand baking in the sun

 

On skin: Snake Charmeresque musk and a little spice

 

Half-hour later: the spice has barely strengthened, like slivers of mellow, brittle cinnamon bark floating over the musk

 

In conclusion: here is the classic Madame Moriarty-Snake Charmer musky base, dark and luscious. This blend teeters on the edge of the Spice Cliff -- any more spice and I'm not going to like it, but it stays tantalizingly close. Golden and warm.

[GreenSpine]

I'd swear this has both cinnamon and clove - neither of which work on me at all. For the first minute or so, it's overwhelming candy red-hots and clove. Thankfully, it doesn't irritate my skin the way cinnamon blends usually do. Possibly it isn't actually cinnamon?

 

That phase passes very quickly. What's left behind is warm and herbal musk, resins and spices. It's on the verge of being too spicy without crossing the line, although there's a faint edge of sweetness I'd rather wasn't there (probably due to skin chemistry).

 

The longer it wears, more lovely it is. On complete drydown, the throw is a lot lighter than I would've expected, more like feeling the sun than consciously picking up a scent.

 

My roommate said it reminded her of incense in an occult bookshop.

 

Interestingly, the bottle arrived just after I'd applied Silas Ruthyn for the day. I skin tested Sunbird on the back of my hand - and the combined throw of the two was to die for.

 

ETA: After aging, the cinnamon (which I guess is cinnamon leaf?) and clove has happily mellowed down completely. The sweetness I used to get has also disappeared, and this scent is gorgeous. I find myself reaching for it often.

Edited December 13, 2009 by GreenSpine

[morganacat]

My first review!

 

In the bottle: Very subtle, had to really get my nose in there to smell anything, and even then I couldn't identify it - a sharply herbal, almost rancid smell - not that impressive from the first bottle sniff and NOTHING like it smells on the skin.

 

Wet: Warm resins, something pine-like but not necessarily pine, pleasant sandalwood (ahh, that's why it was hard to smell in the bottle), maybe a citrus note but not sure? Wow, very lovely and complex. I can see why Neil said it smells like the desert. (I live in the desert - in Phoenix no less!) It is dry, warming, sunny. Even when I first apply it, it makes my skin feel warm, much like Masabakes does. Myrrh could be one of the resins, but if so it's subtle.

 

Drydown: Sandalwood is really the most prominent, but I'm getting whiffs of orange blossom occasionally, which is nice! Kind of like the orange blossom that I wish would stick around in Masquerade but never ever does. There are other undertones under all that sandalwood that make it stand out, but I can't put my finger on them.

 

I don't get any cinnamon or food-like impressions. I think this is a very outdoorsy scent. I think it would be very sexy on a guy because of the sandalwood notes, but just as nice on a woman.

 

Overall, very happy with this one and glad I have a bottle!

[Xaila]

Wow. This is very well blended and I can't seem to pick out what the notes are.

 

To me this is sun-scorched herbs and grasses. Maybe a little sandalwood too. It feels dry and warm without being 'burnt'. If you like herbal or spicy blends, I'd say give this one a try! Definitely a good summer and autumn scent, and smells very unisex to me.

[hkhm]

bottle: rich, sweet myrrh.

 

wet: myrrh and clove. this is like a lighter version of mort de caesar on my skin. there is absolutely no hint of cinnamon here to burn me or even make me a teensy bit pink. (whew!)

 

dry: this dries to an intense and beautiful sandalwood and myrrh scent. i am so happy i took a chance on this scent!