Silver Phoenix

[greenranger]

SILVER PHOENIX
Lustrous, pliable, delicate, and malleable, silver is as mysterious and radiant as the moon. Silver requires darkness in order to react, and receives light passively.

Opalescent orris shimmering through a blend of mallow, moonflower, wild pear, iris, starwort, juniper, and mugwort.

Sweet, sweet, sweet. This is a fruity sweet scent that is reminding me of something from very very long ago that I have forgotten. It's so familiar...and yet not. Maybe I only encountered it in a dream?

It's a white, sweet, rounded scent. It's full, and luminous, and It's reminding me of a place my parents took me on vacation during summertime when I was about eight?

It's also vanishing really fast on my skin.

On a piece of paper, it lasts longer. It's also less fruity sweet, and more...elegant...? Smoother, more grown up. I'll have to wear this in a locket. It vanishes too fast on my skin, and I prefer the version I get without my skin chemistry playing havoc with it.

It's still familiar from somewhere....

[Lycanthrope]

This is really beautiful.

 

It smells a little like a Chowards Violet mint from the bottle, which endears me to it immediately. On my skin, it's got the same sort of dry, soft, powdery violet-esque aroma without the sharp topnote of violet (if that makes sense)... more like the subtle earthy rootiness and a soft sugary note blended together. On me, this is like a hybrid lovechild of Faith, Midnight on the Midway, and something insanely beautiful. A little Sybaris.

 

Jeez, I need how many bottles?

[pinkstardust420]

Holy shit. Love, Love, LOVE! Gorgeous, sexy, shiny, sensuous, sweet. Give this a try!! It kinda reminds me of a more herbal version of ....Black Opal? Maybe? I dont know, but man, this scent is awesome.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I am all about silver. One of my favorite colors, my favorite metal, symbol of my favorite planet, etc. and so on. So when I saw no notes that shouted "Danger, Will Robinson!" I had to try it.

 

In the Bottle: Most definitely cool silver. Herbal notes overlaying fruit as if the pear were coated in a thin sheen of glassy silver.

 

Wet: On my skin, this is much more an herby floral than a herby fruit. The herbals are softer and sweeter than the usual sharp medicine-y or spicy notes I associate with "herbal" notes. The dominant impression is still cool and silvery, like a full-moon night setting the garden aglow.

 

Drydown: The herbals finally sharpen somewhat, giving a metallic tinge to a scent that has no metals listed. It's also irritating my skin where I tested it and I don't know if that's me reacting to a note or just the cold dry weather here (a couple other oils have made my skin itch and burn a little this week).

 

Verdict: I think I will try this again in a few days and see if it behaves any better.

[Invidiana]

I love this one; it reminds me of anise biscotti and candied violets!

[musichappens]

After hearing all the great reviews on this scent, I knew I had to try this sniffie first. I'm so glad that I did because its absolutely GORGEOUS! I definitely get the 'violet' feel from it like others have, but its not really that profound on my skin. It's a sweet powdery floral with just a hint of that sexiness that amber usually turns into on me. The more this one dries, the sweeter is becomes ... definitely going to be getting a bottle of this!

Edited March 10, 2010 by musichappens

[hlinspjalda]

Of all the alchemical phoenix offerings this year, this is the one I feared most. It has two of my (generally) death notes in it!

 

In the bottle: Ethereal pear over floral.

 

Wet: This is very unusual. It is light, definitely silvery-white in impression. Normally I get headaches from this kind of scent, but this one isn't bothering me yet. The pear note is exquisite, floral rather than juicy. There's also something rich and substantial in there that isn't accounted for by the notes listing, something resinous maybe.

 

Half an hour: Oh, delicious! I feared for the orris in this one, but I'm getting very little of that. Instead, I'm getting a gorgeous floral pear note and some grassy base. I was so afraid this would be mega-fail on me, I'm thrilled it's working out this well!

 

One hour: Wow, this is unexpected. A death note and a trouble note have still not managed to keep me from loving this one! I don't get any juniper, no recognizable mugwort, or for that matter any recognizable note save the pear. It's just floral-ish pear over a complex of herbal notes, light, a bit grassy, beautiful.

 

Two hours: There is definitely a violet-like aura to it now, I suppose from the orris. It's sharpened everything up a bit more than I expected for a scent that I'm already two hours into. But it's not turning the scent into something I can't wear, and the pear note is still beautiful.

 

Three hours: More violet still, and suddenly there's a sugary note, as if the violets were candied. But it still reads as light and silvery, and the pear note is hanging in there. Usually the pear note, while lovely, is fugitive on me. I'm thrilled with the behavior of this one!

 

Four and a half hours: Still gentle sweet violet and floral pear. Very light, but still quite true to itself, not tired or morphing.

 

This one was the big surprise for me; usually I can't wear silvery scents at all because of the high floral notes. I'm really impressed by this one!

 

[Leopard403]

Why is this so violet-y good when there's no violet in there?!?

 

This is another Phoenix in which I can't discern separate notes, but the overall tone is soft and powdery, and makes me think of the color lilac and dainty fairies and spiderwebs wet with dew. (Insert eyeroll here; I know how that sounds! )

 

As ethereal as this feels on my skin, it lasts a ridiculously long time. As in: I put it on last night before dinner, and when I woke up this morning and rolled over, I could still catch a whiff in the hair that had been tucked behind my ears. Quite nice, and potentially bottle-worthy.

[ralenth]

Initially, Silver Phoenix is sweet and ephemeral. She's clearly the pretty, pretty princess Phoenix. Thirty seconds later, something scary and vegetal rises from goodness knows wear. Swamp Thing Phoenix eats the shiny tiara and everything delicate goes out the window. I'm really hoping this is a strange hormone reaction and that a retest will prove positive. However, I'm still a wee bit terrified.

[ellebelle]

in the bottle: it smells like soap.

 

wet: The initial wet stage is very, very soapy for me, which scared me a little. The soap goes away rather quickly though, and is replaced with a luminous floral scent. This is a lush, darkly floral scent, and I like it.

 

dry down: Goes a bit powdery, but retains its character. The throw is super low - it sticks very close to the skin.

 

Verdict: Truthfully, this reminds me a powdery version of The Girl. And since I love The Girl and have two bottles, I can't imagine myself buying a bottle of this I will hold onto my decant though.

 

The boyfriend said it smelled like, "Cherry 7-up". I told him to smell again and he smelled and looked thoughtful and said, "Cherry 7-up layered with trees."

 

Sigh.

 

ETA: After 2 hours, goes back to soapy. Boo.

Edited December 25, 2009 by Ellebelle

[strahlend]

In the decant and upon initial application to my wrist I got a very soapy vibe. Nice powdery floral soap, but still soap. I was hoping the wild pear would be more pronounced.

After an hour or so of wear it's a nice floral aquatic with a hint of warmth to it. Kind of soft and powdery, but nice.

This is a pretty gentle blend that sticks close, mellows out quickly and stays unassuming. It doesn't knock my socks off, but I don't dislike it either. I can see how it would fit the bill nicely for people who need a scent that doesn't overwhelm or attract attention.

[angelicruin]

I have to agree that there is definitely a violet-like note in this scent. Very reminiscent of Faith with a little pear mixed in.

 

It does border on being "soapy" as it begins to dry down, but fortunately never quite reaches that point on my skin.

 

Another one, I wouldn't mind having more than my decant of.

[MeiLin]

In the decant: Orris and very sweet pear.

 

Wet: The juniper comes out but it's still mostly orris and pear. No, make that mostly pear.

 

Dry: The pear fades. I'm smelling the mugwort, and I don't really care for mugwort. It is shimmery, silvery, luminescent--very good interpretation of the theme--but on me, a little too old.

[Dark Alice]

Most jewelry I wear is silver or white gold. And this oil truly reminds me of silver. the mugworth comes through...no pear in sight...but there is definite hint of softness and sweetness to this. I truly do enjoy this and I will have to track down a bottle.

[blu°]

This is very pretty, and that's despite the fact that I don't wear orris all that well.

Very soft and sparkly, very girly. Powdery in a good way. A bright shiny soft silver like an elven broche right out of Middle Earth, not the darkened antique sort.

 

Really nice. Not a me-scent, but very attractive. Will have to make up my mind about a bottle.

[edenssixthday]

Silver Phoenix - I expected this to be an unpleasant floral, so I didn't even get myself a decant from the group I ran. Fortunately, I had a little left over because this turned out to be, for me, the surprise hit of the anniversary update. It's stunningly gorgeous. The orris is the dominant note, but orris tends to be dry on me, but in this blend, the other notes -- the mallow in particular -- serve to sweeten it up and make the orris really stunning. The juniper adds a bit of an unexpected edge to the scent, keeping it from being too floral-sweet. I don't smell the pear at all. This is a beautifully blended scent that's slightly powdery and sweet and very ethereal and luminous. Just stunning. I'm ordering a full bottle!

[astarinel]

I didn't really have much in the way of expectations for this one -- the note list made me think sweetish floral, but this is actually really pretty and unique, and I am generally a floral-hater.

 

The pear is very evident, which keeps it sweet and a little juicy, but the other floral notes blend together to make this soft haze behind the pear. The florals are a touch powdery in a way that reminds me of violets (as mentioned upthread), and relatively unobtrusive. It's gentle and feminine, and even someone like me who avoids floral scents as a general rule finds this reasonably wearable. It's nice.

 

[Venneh]

I've never tested any of this note prior to this, but this definitely nails the concept of silver; shimmery and delicate. On my skin, this is really beautiful; again, can't pin down the notes, but it's really delicate and shimmery, almost opalescent. Barring any sudden turns, this may be a bottle. It's a beautiful blend, and still staying strong. Getting a bottle of this.

Edited January 4, 2010 by Venneh

[Schmoozy]

 

Oh Wow. Silver Phoenix has really blindsided me. It is a light effervescent blend. Moonflower, juniper, wild pear, and orris really stand out, while the others linger quietly in the background. While mostly sweet, luminous florals, the juniper adds a touch of spice and just a bit of woods to grpund it all.

[surlygurl]

This is a really pretty luminescent blend. But silver? Try 'frosty violet', because that's what I get. Choward's Violet candies and some sort of powder. The florals keep it from being straight violet (does orris=violet?). This scent glimmers & shimmers in a demure sort of way. It's really quite pretty; it's just not a 'me' scent.

[veronicafranco]

i'm glad i retested this decant. the first time i tried it (which was the day it came out of my cold, cold mailbox) i was going to post the following extensive review of the scent:

 

blërg!

 

but i've started going back through and retesting all the phoenixes this week, and retried this one as well.

 

i love the initial hit of pear + juniper. beth has really come up with some unusual and beautiful combinations of notes this time around (plum + cypress, lavender + cinnabar). anyway, i seem to like her juniper note/s whenever i come across it, and although i want to be a dark and mysterious scent sort of girl, the fruity bpals tend to smell nicest on me.

 

as it starts to dry is when i again get the blërg phase. it's bitter on me in the way that some musks can turn dark and bitter. i wonder if there is a stealth-note musk in there somewhere? or maybe my batch of silver is just tarnished?

 

either way, this time it's just a phase, and after 10-15 yucky minutes, i get what others describe - pale, crystalline, sparkly. kind of like what i thought cristina would smell like, if the chestnut hadn't been so powerful. or the girl, if the birch had worked for me. a winter bride kind of fragrance. not a me scent really, but it's very pretty and i'm enjoying wearing these anniversary blends as each one expresses such a different "personality"! i will keep the decant.

 

eta: my 100th review? whoa....

Edited January 9, 2010 by veronicafranco

[milo]

Like other's have noted, this is a very ethereal, crystal, silvery blend. It reminds me of ice and icicles, and a white chrstmas tree decorated with silver ornaments and irridescent glass balls. There is a touch of floral and spice, but other than that, I'm having a hard time discerning notes here. It's very well blended, and everything seems to meld perfectly. That being said, a note here is not sitting well with me, I think it's the moonflower, and it's just personal taste that I just don't like it that particular floral. If you love silver blends (and moonflower!), I think you'll like this. Not for me, but I predict that this will be quite popular.

 

eta: ack! After a few hours, this really has turned lovely, as the moonflower faded away on me. Just a beautiful silver-y blend. I guess I'm hooped, as I've had 3 Phoeni wins, and two more to test.

Edited January 9, 2010 by milo

[nekogrrl]

Mmmm, another definite like for me.

 

I was a little leery of this one because 'white' florals usually amp like crazy on me. These florals were kept in check by the juniper and pear. I definitely get the 'silver' idea, and love this perfume more than I thought.

[ElectraV]

I got decants of all the phoenixes, but this one, Tin and Copper seem from the description the ones I'll like most.

 

In the imp: Violet. I'm not sure where that came from, but looks like I'm not the only person smelling it. Could it be the orris? I don't know what that smells like.

 

Wet: Still violet, but it seems to be warmer and richer than in the imp.

 

Dry: Violet- powdery and sweet like parma violet sweets- and mallow

 

I liked it. Not quite what I expected, and not my usual style, but a beautiful scent. Not sure it's worth a bottle as I think I prefer the more foody violet in White Chocolate and Sugared Violets, but I'll definitely be keeping and using the decant.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smells like violet, but a very cool, pale, soft, juicy, sweet sort of violet. It makes me think of a single violet bathed in silvery moonlight next to a pond.

 

On my skin, this doesn't change much. It's a pretty, pale violet. Violet can sometimes go soapy on me, but it's sweet here (perhaps the sweetness of the pear). As this dries down, I can smell the moonflower and it starts to remind me of Evening Star. The moonflower goes slightly powdery on me, but it's not a baby powder smell, more like a cool vanilla powder.

 

Silver Phoenix smells like cool vanilla powder, creamy moonflower, and sweet violets on me. It's very pretty. I don't normally like florals, but I like this. It's a cool, ethereal, night-time scent...