Phantom Time Hypothesis

[Invidiana]

PHANTOM TIME HYPOTHESIS
Charlemagne? Fiction.
What is the date anyway?
Three-hundred year lie.

All archaeological evidence that the years AD 614-911 took place is fabricated, and these years were added to our contemporary version of history due to the deliberate falsification of documents and manufactured artifacts.

This year is, in actuality, AD 1713.

A traditional Medieval perfume that never existed: balm, benzoin, damask rose, gumdragon, lignum aloes, orange water, ambergris, and vegetal musk.

I had high hopes for this, especially because of the benzoin which has come to the rescue for me before in many other blends. Unfortunately it couldn't in this one. Initially I get a bracing menthol rush of what I actually jotted down as an almost metallic "time machine air" in my notebook and as it dries down I realize this is the dastardly work of the balm and aloe with the damask rose possibly being an accomplice. Despite vainly hoping it will turn into something amazing after a couple minutes, it ends up a predominantly medicinal old-fashioned ointment with VapoRub-type aloe (which is probably what gave me the "time machine air" impression), and the blending of the rose with these two already highly herbal and menthol scents only succeeds in making them sharper. There is a very slight sweet undercurrent, which must be the benzoin trying to break through, but it's too suppressed by the medieval medicine. Instead of taking me back in time, what my skin chemistry does with this just reminds me of being in bed with a nasty cold. Edited April 22, 2010 by Shollin

[MCS4096]

The note I believe I smell first and foremost is ambergris. I always associate it with an "old fashioned" feel, and this does remind me of times I've smelled very old perfume oils that have sat on a vanity for years. On my skin I get a lot of the orange water coming out, which is really nice.. and with the ambergris the result is kind of coppery-- deep but with a high pitched shine too (I'm reminded of Khyrsee). Aside from the two notes I've already mentioned, I can't really pick the rest out (probably because I'm not familiar with them all). The good news for some may be that I don't really get much rose from this. It fades fairly quick, which is kinda good because it is pretty strong at first, and becomes an ambery, musky whisper.

 

It's nice, and I was surprised at how unique it is in all the BPAL I've sniffed thus far. I'm not sure a bottle is for me, but I am interested in testing it some more.

Edited April 28, 2010 by MCS4096

[reynardine]

I do get very light floral with a balm upon first application. No, too much balm and ambergris. Don’t work at all with my skin, pass.

[angelicruin]

I get rose immediately upon application....with ambergris and aloe. As it dries, I think I pick up a bit of the orange water, but other than that it stays pretty true to initial application. I like it, but not sure if it's worth an entire bottle. Probably not.

[edenssixthday]

Phantom Time Hypothesis - Now I understand when people say a perfume went 100% to baby powder. That's exactly what this one does on my skin from beginning to end -- rosey baby powder. Really overwhelming and cloyingly sweet rosey baby powder with more baby powder in the background, and all of it standing on a solid foundation of baby powder. Baby powder, baby powder, baby powder. So sad, I had hopes for this one.

[thekittenkat]

Beautiful. If you are looking for an old-fashioned rose perfume, one that could have existed in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, this may be the scent for you. The damask rose is kept tamed by all the other notes. I tend to amp rose, and with this scent, I did not. Just lovely and bottle-worthy.

[dreamcatcher]

This is just beautiful on me! My skin amps up the orange blossom for the first 30 minutes or so, rose is there, but in the back. Then, an ethereal kind of damp green (almost incense) like scent wafts up every once in a while. It is just gorgeous and I will get back ups!

[MeiLin]

Baby powder. A nice baby powder, but jeebus.

[countessmouse]

Menthol in the imp, then industrial bathroom cleanser on my skin. Blech.

[Jenn2D2]

This sort of blend is a "nose fooler" for me. In the imp, the scent was harsh and off-putting, with sharp 'chemical' notes. On - it blooms into a gorgeous perfume blend with a character that changes throughout the day. For me, it starts out primarily rose with some benzoin and balm, and a bit of green aloe. After a while, the balm and rose blend together, and I get a bit of the orange water. The ambergris and musk seem to 'ground' the scent for me, and don't really come to the fore, but provide a nice background.

 

When initially testing, I wasn't sure if I would even want to keep the decant, but after wearing the perfume all day, I might be getting a bottle.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smells like warm, musky, slightly masculine ambergris with sweet, resinous benzoin and a hint of spicy red rose. It has an overall soapy men's aftershave quality to it. On my skin, this instantly morphs and settles into smelling like the soapy shaving cream that my dad used when I was little, with a layer of rose scented baby powder over it. The drydown is creamy and lotion-y smelling. It's a very fresh-from-the-shower with baby-soft-skin scent. Clean and soft, and it reminds me of Shadowless like Silence a bit.

 

ETA: This is one of the better scents from the Black Helicopters series, I think. The spicy-musky ambergris has gotten stronger with age, and it's less soapy now. It's mostly a rich, red rose with ambergris and a baby powdery finish. It turns a bit too powdery for me in the drydown, and fades quicker than I would like, but I do love the lab's ambergris note...

Edited February 24, 2012 by Little Bird

[musichappens]

Slightly sweetened baby powder ... le sigh.

[zankoku_zen]

Rose and orange water. I really get the rose and orange water on wet, and I think the aquaticness at this point is being backed up by the ambergris.

 

There's something that smells almost sour and chemically on me though, so ... *sigh*

 

I really like the orange water though......

[Iceblink]

I get almost all soft, powdery rose with some ambergris from this--it's not as complex as I was expecting, but I love it! It's lovely and old-fashioned. I'll retest in a couple of weeks to see if I get anything out of it besides the rose with some aging.

[PersephonesChild]

It's mostly the historical aspect of this blend that I found appealing, though honestly, most of the historical blends don't suit me. Still, I was encouraged by how this smelled in the imp-- I got a strong mix of rose and ambergris, and vegetal musk which I found to be kind of greenish.

My enthusiasm was short-lived-- this became powdery mish-mash on my skin. I have to say, it wasn't the worst smelling powder out there, so I let it hang around a while to see if it got any better, and eventually gave up and washed it off. I think the ambergris may actually have been the culprit, that and those vegetal musks.

 

(Interestingly, the residue left after I tried washing it off actually smelled quite nice! I guess it blended well with my soap...)

[fairnymph]

Sweet, perfumey, musky, floral - it really does remind me of older perfumes. I get lot of orange water and ambergris and benzoin, the soft rose that's fresh and demure, and some dark wood that is maybe the lignum? This has the orange water and rose as light top notes but there's a bunch sweet and musky resin below.

 

Orange blossom water galore. Fortunately, unlike orange blossom itself, this is a scent that plays well on my skin. It's very refreshing, a little masculine (with that bitterness one gets from chewing an orange seed accidentally), and a little exotic bc I associate it with baklava and Balkan/Middle Eastern sweets. The very honeyed benzoin, which amps too, only adds to this association. The rose is stronger, as expected, on my skin, but it's still behaving - it's by no means stealing the show. I think this fits the concept very well - I can see a Medieval minor royalty wearing this, lounging about maybe in Spain or Portugal - I think it's the musky, strong ambergris that recalls maritime cultures.

 

Whoa. Apparently Reptoid Dominion is not the only scent from this line that I amp. Bc this orange water is powerfully amping on me. Again, it's a scent that I like, but it's not a scent that I would wear myself and it feels very masculine, as well as very - well, it smells like a Medieval cologne, but for me that conjures up the reasons why colognes became popular - to cover up the stench of premodern life. And, this also seems - simplistic, generic - this is not what a king would wear, but some minor lord who can't afford a scent more complex and unique. The lemon balm is coming through a bit now, but faintly, while the rose and benzoin hold. The ambergris, meanwhile, has softened and become much more rounded and pleasant, perhaps it's melding with the 'vegetal musk' which I certainly can't pick out. Regardless, this is still heavily ORANGE WATER.

 

Yeah, after the initial drying and amping this doesn't morph on me. It's 80% orange blossom water, slightly bitter, slightly floral, and quite masculine, 5% honeyed, golden benzoin, 5% classic, slightly dried (like crumbled petals) rose, 5% masculine, deeply musky, slightly salty-oceanic ambergris, and the rest a faint, oddly powdery blend of wood and herbs and maybe other resins and musks - it's a haze I can't decipher into its component parts. Overall, other than the strong orange blossom dominance which may be my skin chemistry, it's a pretty well-balanced and blended scent, with no particular flaws but no particular appeal, either. As with most of this line...meh. Strong throw and longevity.

[milo]

Ugh, rose soap, then turns into powdery sour rose, and not much else. I so wanted the orange water, grrr. Most of the time, rose doesn't like me, I'm afraid...

[aquazoo]

Starts a bit soapy. I get that mix of flowers with some interesting notes. Just can't get past the soap part of it on me.

 

[sunshinedaisybliss]

 

 

This started off quite nicely, however it ultimately ended up being nothing but rose on my skin.

 

Where's the orange water? Not there! BOO! Where's the benzoin? Not there! BOO! And musk? What musk? BOO! All I can smell is rose! It's a pretty rose and all, but.. rose!

 

This is the story of rose and I. We cannot be friends.

[azurephoenix]

Fresh clean slightly sweet shampoo smell. I can't tell you what shampoo, but it smells like shampoo. It's a nice scent but not something I would wear. I didn't get much rose and the orange water is faintly there. No idea what vegetal musk is... but it must be one of the lighter types because I wouldn't have guessed that there was musk in this.

[impolight]

:::PHANTOM TIME HYPOTHESIS:::

 

 

Hooooo, Dayumn!

This formula's a scorcher!

The formula is remniscent of, both, Lilac Vegetal from Pinaud, and 4711!

Both are classics, dating back well over a century and a half ago, and both, likely inspired from traditional recipes dating back centuries before that! Crazy!

The effect of Phantom Time Hypothesis is immediate; Great, big, goobersome grinning...

Anyone remember the episode of, "Tom and Jerry" when Tom, whenever receiving a sharp blow to his head, thinks he is and behaves, shrilly like a mouse? Yeah, well...

The Lilac Vegetal is the most obvious in this one... A much, much beloved element from a classic, barbershop theme... Ah, Lilacs... The incorruptible fragrance of the saints! Mmmmmm! Good stuff! The Lab has yet to disappoint with any formula containing Lilac's essence. It always induces a state of the most profound well-being and good fortune.

Gumdragon isn't anything familiar in the slightest, so identifying it is going to be implausible at best. Before stumbling across Phantom Time Hypothesis, awareness of Gumdragon's existence was nil from personal experience, but putting money on its being absolutely out of this world would explain alot!

The Aloe in this gives a very refreshing impression and adds a shower-fresh element to the barbering aspect of the Vegetal.

Phantom Time Hypothesis is good enough to make your nasal passages shiver and cramp. It's hard to conceive of how they can get things to smell so incedibly effin' good at the Lab!

Enchantments? Alchemy! You bet'cha!

There is something in Phantom Time Hypothesis (the Damask Rose working in tandem with Balm or Ambergris, perhaps?) that behaves very much like a golden Incense sort of note.

The Orange Water is ludicrously delicious... This makes Phantom Time Hypothesis gorgeous enough to have it's own display case reserved at the Smithsonian!

This has formidable throw and staying power alike.

A relatively modest application lasts and lasts; bringing formidable verve and dazzle with it.

Phantom Time Hypothesis could actually be seamlessly incorporated into the Phoenix Steamworks line.

This could be depicted as ocean-blue armor with a preposterously large aquamarine set in it's helmet that absorbs solar radiation and gives the wearer the ability to... Time travel.

Spectrally, Phantom Time Hypothesis is electrified cerulean, chrome, mint, and fluorescent creamsicle.

While this formula is fresh enough for a unisex application, it has all the hallmarks of being a dashing, elegant

and classy fragrance for Him.

Undiluted divinity!

5.9 out of 5!

[ami226]

On the skin: Something herbally that reminds me of bug spray with a hint of orange.

 

I am afraid this doesn't change for me on the dry down.

 

Definitely not for me.

[Voleuse]

To be honest, I was more intrigued by the concept of this blend than the actual scent. However, I do like the almost-incense of this, a blend that does bring stone walls and thick tapestries to mind. The floral note is muted underneath the ambergris and benzoin (I think that's the resiny almost-incense I'm smelling), and the musk isn't super-musky. I don't get any orange water, as others have mentioned, but this also gets only vaguely soapy on me, rather than full-out baby powder.

 

I really like this. It's very evocative, even if the blend itself isn't quite my thing.

[pandorasmuse]

In the decant: I don’t really get any strong impressions from this one. It’s not unpleasant, but I’m having trouble picking stuff out.

 

Wet: Lots of woods, with a little baby powder thrown in.

 

Drydown: Potpourri and baby powder. Sort of reminds me of a relative’s guest bathroom.

 

Later: Still too potpourri-like. It’s pleasant, but not for me.

[crebbsgirl]

This started out very benzoin and musky on me. The musk went a little powdery as it dried. The rose didn't amp like I was afraid it was going to. This blend kind of surprised me with its softness. Very light. As it wears, it gets more powdery, but I don't necessarily mind it. It's quite pleasant, but not something I see myself reaching for.