Iron Phoenix

[fairnymph]

Dragon's blood and dark, dense metal, black pepper, clove, red ginger, basil, and myrrh.

Golden-yellow oil. Very herbal in a savoury-foody way, kind of like some sort of curry? The basil and spices in combo are doubtless the cause. I get a lot of ginger and clove especially, then the basil, then the dusty-smoky-dark myrrh, then black pepper. Not really getting any metal, and I do get dragon's blood but it's overwhelmed here by everything else.

Still very much basil-spicy curry, still oddly foody. Unpleasantly. The red ginger though is a little sweet (and the sweetness clashes with everything else badly), and it's a really note on its own, I can tell - fresh, bright, invigorating without being 'hot' or at all powdery. The clove is stronger on me - clearly the sharp type that I amp, and I get a weird sweet soapiness that is the air freshener DB. I get the metal now quite strongly - it has that nutmeg tone as iron does on me, but it's different from other iron notes I've smelled, more metallic. This is actually tangy and it really does smell like dark, dense iron. I get a little rust, even. Not a bad metallic note at all, much nicer than the other iron note, such as the one in the Iron Phoenix prototype.

Wtf, this is making my skin burn & itch & redden. This seems to be happening a lot with BPAL lately so I think it's my skin, but geez - annoying. And it's not even dry yet - this is very slow to dry, and it has super strong throw. The iron continues to amp on my skin, as does the delicious red ginger - woot! Unfortunately, the dragon's blood has amped a little too and turned on me predictably, and it's making the rosacea on my face itch badly. I get more black pepper too, formerly a light note, and the clove has surprisingly not amped more. The amping of the red ginger and DB have made this much less like a savoury curry. The myrrh is a bit stronger, and dustier and more incensey, blech.

This is all about the ginger (which goes nicely sweet/musky) in the later stages, and to a slightly lesser extent, the iron metal. The ginger is the same note from Loaded Gun, which I adore, but the presence of the still-too-strong sharp-plastic clove, dusty black pepper and incense/myrhh, as well as the odd savoury hint of basil and sneeze-inducing DB-air freshener make this unwearable for me. Also the skin reaction. But it is less horrible than I expected. Definitely masculine. Strong throw and great longevity. Edited March 13, 2010 by Shollin

[crebbsgirl]

And again, I liked this much better than I thought I would. Dragon's Blood and I have an interesting relationship in that I can't always wear it, but when it works on me, it's really nice! This has a hint of similarity to German Expressionist Horror on my skin, that same kind of sweet dark and dangerous scent. The basil doesn't come out for me much, and instead it stays predominantly myrrh, spices and DB. I like it, but I don't know if it's bottle worthy.

[Argentwolf]

To me, this is a smokey scent -- like smokey musk. There is a bit of herbalness...the sweet basil lurking just beneath -- but for the most part I seem to get black pepper, smoke, and dust, and if the dragon's blood is there it's acting like incense for once, instead of being ultra-sweet as it usually manifests for me. This is a manly scent, but one that I don't mind wearing...I think I can decently rock it. Smoke, stone, and iron -- very fitting for this phoenix! My favorite of the Anniversary scents.

[Tinose]

I love this so much. It's dark and spicy and metallic and warm and just yummy. Technically, it's probably slightly more a guy's scent, but any guy who wants it can pry it out of my COLD DEAD FINGERS.

[yamiko]

In Bottle: Oh geez. I usually like spicy smells, but this is so overwhelming. It smells like a deep blood red or black.

 

Wet on Skin: Dark, heavy spices. It's very peppery.

 

Drydown (3 minutes): I think I can start to smell other things, like the clove and the ginger. It's starting to get a little metallic now, too.

 

Drydown (5 minutes): It's pretty clove-y now, with the pepper and metal taking the background, but still having a presence.

 

Overall Impression: This is a scent I would point someone to if they were looking for something masculine. It's a very Martial scent, with a fairly good throw. It also kinda smells like a spice rub for a steak. I do like how it smells once it's settled on my skin, but overall, it's really not for me.

[PurringPulsar]

Iron Phoenix

 

In the imp: spicy metal! It smells of ginger and clove and rust (yes, rust!)

Wet on skin: ginger, clove, pepper and shiny steel. It’s like metallic chai!

Dry on skin: this is very, very different to the Iron Phoenix prototype, and a lot nicer. This smells predominantly of red spices. Ginger is strongest, but though red ginger can be problematic, in here it works fantastically. It is a dry, gritty ginger, hot and biting. I also smell a beautiful rounded clove note, and hints of pepper. The dragon’s blood is there, but it is subtle, and isn’t reacting badly. In fact, it smells more like dragon’s blood incense here. There’s a hint of myrrh too. The metal note smells more like rust-I also smell iron proper, but that too is subtle. This brings to mind a visual image of deserts or even the surface of Mars. It reminds me of Kinnabari, though not as mineral/clay-like. This is what I wanted Aries 07 to smell like.

After a while: the drydown is still as spicy and red as before, but it’s a lot smoother and sweeter, and even nicer than before! The clove swaps places with ginger and becomes the most prominent spice note. Surprisingly, even though this has dragon’s blood and it is contributing to the overall red scent, it’s not amping or turning to mutant lilac or burnt red pencils on me like usual. The iron note is also really nice here-not a sharp, cold, shiny steel but more of a worn and oxidised metal, a mix of glinting grey and spicy rust. I also smell a lot of myrrh, the sweet, almost ambery version, and I think that’s what’s making this whole scent smell really lovely on my skin.

Verdict: this is my favourite of the iron/Mars themed scents. It’s as spicy as Mars, Aries and Wrath, but without the really intense red dragon’s blood. It also reminds me of the Bloody Sword but not as metallic. This is a nice middle ground, but with a lot more emphasis on the spice. Ginger and clove are the main players here, but the pepper supports them nicely. I particularly like how gingery this is at first. Everything works so well here, even the problem notes work with the spices and the wonderful sweet myrrh to make this a red, rusty, warm, pleasantly dry spice blend which really excites my Aries side

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? definitely-I have a half bottle.

If you like this, try: Aries 07, Mars, Wrath, Saw Scaled Viper, Bloody Sword, Phoenix Steamworks

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Myrrh with ginger and pepper.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells very bitter to me. The ginger and resin are the main notes I smell, with little nips of pepper and clove. The dragon’s blood is an overtone to the whole scent, and blends very well into the myrrh and spiced notes.

 

After a little while: This is all myrrh—lots and lots of myrrh—with little hints of other notes. It’s very resinous with just a little spice from the ginger and clove, though I can’t smell the black pepper any longer. The dragon’s blood has also faded away.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a great blend if you like resins, especially with a hint of spice. It mellows out from its initial spiciness into a very myrrh-dominated blend, but I guess it may behave better on other people. Interesting, but not my kind of blend.

[grrrlennyl]

Iron Phoenix

 

Note: Red ginger and I are NOT friends. At all. Ever. Myrrh and I only get along from time to time. I'm not holding out a ton of hope for this, but I'm willing to be surprised.

On: Red ginger like whoa. By that, I don't mean to make it seem like this is an incredibly strong, in-your-face blend, because it isn't. It's staying pretty close to my skin. I just can't really smell past it.

Half an hour later: This is pretty bad. I'm getting a tiny bit of nice, powdery sweetness (probably from he dragon's blood), but it's just a lot of notes that don't smell good on me...the darker metals, clove, myrrh, red ginger. This just smells bad on me. Well, bad with black pepper on top. Ha.

1 hour: Blech.

Overall: I knew that my old nemesis (red ginger) would kill this. It obviously wasn't a scent for me.

[Ishtar]

This is lovely in the imp and wet on the skin: fresh, bright, unisex. There is indeed a metallic edge to it, but nothing overwhelming. I can detect the basil note quite clearly and I am enjoying it very much.

 

Iron Phoenix turns spicier and more masculine as it dries, but it remains very wearable for a woman, as it retains a certain sophistication and freshness throughout drydown. Had I not read the notes, I would never have guessed there was any dragon's blood in here - strange considering that dragon's blood is usually a pretty assertive note.

 

I can't say Iron Phoenix will become a staple as I think I'd have to be in a specific mood to wear it, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys spicy, masculine scents.

[Vega]

Sniffed: A bold "red" scent, spicy and peppery.

 

On skin: All the Alchemical Phoenixes I've tried (with the exception of Copper Phoenix) have been odd scents, and Iron Phoenix is no different. The first note I notice is the pepper, the strongest I've ever smelled. It's quickly followed by deep, sweet resin -- probably myrrh and dragon's blood -- shot through with a biting ginger edge. The pepper and ginger mellow out upon drydown, and all the notes blend and become something spicy-resinous. This would be a warm scent if not for the cold and very burnished metallic note that flows underneath the lighter notes and drags it downwards. It also morphs quite a bit: now the resonant heavy metal is the centrepiece, now the pepper and ginger bare their teeth, all over the constant backdrop of the red resins.

Iron Phoenix exudes a stern, aggressive, hard vibe; while it's not off-putting, it's not an inviting scent either. Quite an overtly masculine blend. Colour impression is dark rust red.

 

I must not have noticed this on previous skin tests, but today, Iron Phoenix stings my skin. Not enough to be uncomfortable, and the sting disappears with drydown, but that has never happened to me before, not even with cinnamon blends. It must be an exceptional amount of black pepper!

 

Verdict: Iron Phoenix definitely captures the hard, heavy, powerful character of its element. I appreciate the scent artistry, but I prefer friendlier, more feminine blends, so this won't be staying. However, I think this would smell great on a man!

[filigree_shadow]

This smells like what red ginger oil would smell like on someone who just got out of a chlorinated swimming pool. Eugh. Really not great on my skin. Something has gone awry.

[virusq]

BOTTLE: I was really excited to get this imp in the mail. I love the spicy notes of pepper, clove and ginger. I love basil. I love metal. It's ... well, it has the recipe for awesomeness. In the bottle, it smells dark and hidden. I can't make out any of the smells, but the clove definitely sticks to the tongue. It's ... alluring.

 

WET: On my skin, it's much more present. It's still dark and slick, which I think may be the metal, but all I can smell is clove and ginger. It's not bad. I definitely like how it leaves a flavor in my mouth.

 

DRY: It turned to baby powder within the hour. There's a hint of myrrh if I'm looking for it, but it's all baby powder.

 

LATER: It's allllll baby powder. There's not even a hint of myrrh anymore. It's a shame. I love the scent of Iron Phoenix. I'll have to look into a scent locket for it.

[Monster]

I have officially learned my lesson tonight. Do NOT judge a scent by one note you dislike. OMFG! This is amazing! Normally, I stay far away from anything with Dragon's Blood and I am SO sad I missed the boat on this one due to my aversion of that one, terrible note. I'm not detecting any Dragon's Blood in this at all...instead this is a spicy scent that reminds me a bit of Masala by Villaness. It's sort of like chai spiced tea.

The throw is very mild for me, I really need to get in close to smell it. Iron Phoenix makes for a sexy, spicy skin scent.

 

Beautiful! And you know, as it dries, I'm not sure I need to hunt down a bottle just yet. I'll have to test my decant a little longer before I decide. My only reservation about this is the throw. I like to enjoy the way I smell without having to constantly sniff my own wrists. I bet this would make a great scent for warmer weather though.

 

Lovely!

[Magycmyste]

In the bottle: Hmmm.... I'm getting a sweet scent off of this - the dragon's blood, maybe? I mean, that's the only note in there I would associate as sweet.

 

Wet on skin: Still sweet, and a little herbal, I think I'm getting the basil and myrrh now, though.

 

Dried down: I guess I an get a hint of metal if I really, really try. It's not really morphing, though. It's mostly sweet herbs on me. It's still really pretty, just not what I expected. I didn't really get the metal, or the ginger or black pepper. There might have been a bit of clove in there, but I think it blended into the myrrh if it was there.

 

Throw: Yeah, I got nothing. I'm wondering if I may have put too little on to test - my skin ate this right up.

 

Verdict: **** Not at all what I expected, but I think it's still a keeper for me. I like this scent. I do think I need to try it again, and compare, to see if I get more of these notes when my body chemistry is a bit different, but at this point, I like it.

[Indigo78]

When I first got Iron Phoenix (circa… more than a decade ago?😯)  something in the blend was salad-y. Basil?

It was a fleeting, unexpected top note, and the only thing close to sweetness that I remember from this blend. I don’t smell *any* salad now, probably because the component has faded with age. The remaining notes have become a chorus of smoky resin, all present but none dominating. It’s richer and denser than I remember, with the same great throw and wearlength. This Phoenix is fr immortal and I’m glad to have it.

Incidentally pairs like a dream with SO💕

Edited August 29, 2022 by Indigo78