The Phoenix in Autumn

[Redillon]

THE PHOENIX IN AUTUMN
Through swirling winds, the Phoenix restlessly wanders: dry leaves, Indonesian patchouli, coffee bean, twining ivy, teak, hyssop, and tonka.

I generally fond of the phoenix scents and I LOVE autumn so it was made to be? Wrong.

In the bottle it's a soft, woody, scent that gave a hint of spice! So far so good. Once on my skin something just doesn't play nice. Not the frontal wedgie!! AH! It turns slightly sour on me. Nooooooooooo. Not the BO smell! Anything but that!!! Why??? Why don't you play nice with me???

45 minutes later it softens a bit but it still won't give me my ball back. It taunts me. I don't think I'll be playing with Autumn Phoenix any more. I just wanted a new friend.......*sniff, sniff*

[greenranger]

The patchouli in this is very sharp right now, but, I bet in three months or so this will be awesome. To me, this smells like potential.

 

Behind the patchouli, I smell the leaves and the tonka. I think I even caught a whiff of the ivy for a moment.

 

Actually, it seems to be settling down now. The crunchy sharp edges are softening and smoothing out. It's rich, warm, and complicated.

[angelicruin]

On my skin, my best description is woodsy patchouli. It's actually not too bad on me, but also not really something I see myself wearing, so this decant is off to the swaps/sale pile.

[crebbsgirl]

On me, the patchouli and the teak are definite forerunners. This starts off a little sharp, but quickly rounds out during wear. The dry leaves come out a bit more, as does the ivy, as it dries. The tonka adds a bit of sweetness, but not too much. Normally, I'm not one for coffee in a scent, but there's just a hint of it here that really adds to everything.

[Gryphon]

Yikes! If you'd asked me to identify the notes in this (without cheating and looking at the Lab's description), I don't believe I would have picked a single correct one! The Phoenix in Autumn is awfully floral to my nose and has an aggressive, perfumey throw. Sadly, it also has a bit of a Raid-like (yes, as in bug spray) pungency that makes my nose crinkle when it gets too close to my wrist. It is definitely a complex, and well-blended scent. I just don't think it's a complex, and well-blended scent for me, which totally surpised me since all the notes are "win" notes for me usually!

[meatcake]

Very strong on the patchouli and teak with a slightly sweet undertone. The throw is quite intense. I like this, but it could probably use some aging.

 

Edit: I think is WAY too strong for me and gave me a headache. Grr

Edited January 7, 2011 by meatcake

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smells just like dark green ivy poking up out of a bed of dry leaves. On my skin, it's much the same, but the coffee and patchouli blend together in a way that's slightly foodie-spicy-earthy. The coffee/tonka (I think, I can't really pick out coffee or tonka for sure as a note, just a vague sweetness) and patch add an exotic and sweeter feel to the dry leaf scent. I get a sweetness that sort of reminds me of hazelnut more than coffee or tonka, actually.

 

I was a little worried about the Indonesian patchouli, but it's well-behaved here and just smells like a nice, dry, sweet patchouli (I normally love patchouli, but the Indonesian/red sometimes turns to bo and cedar shavings on my skin :/ but it's not doing that here, thankfully).

 

As this dries down, it's mostly patchouli & dry leaves with that hazelnut-ish sweetness. It's a very dark, pleasant scent that feels like slipping into something cozy and expensive.

 

All in all, I really like this, though I'm not sure I'll reach for it over Falling Leaf Moon, which is my perfect fall leaf scent. I do love this blend on my husband as well, so I think I'll be giving the bottle over to him.

[filigree_shadow]

I like all the notes in this except ivy (and I don't know what hyssop smells like), so I expected to like this. I didn't expect to like it quite this much. The patchouli is stronger than I thought it would be, and for me that's a good thing. It smells dry but rich at the same time. The dryness of it reminds me of Chrysanthemum Moon or Crypt Queen -- other fall favorite of mine. And it really does smell autumnal, for sure.

 

Very nice. It needs a little while to age, but I already like it a lot.

[surlygurl]

There is a definite progression here. I have Summer on one wrist and Autumn on the other. This is summer without the ozone or the heat. On my skin I can smell leaves, patchouli and teak. The teak I know from Glowing Vulva and the leaves from many bpal fall blends. I don't get ivy or hyssop (that I'm aware of). No coffee either.

 

This is a pleasant fall scent. Coming from me - who fails at weenies & autumn scent in general - that's a big compliment!

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: warm teak

 

Wet: teak dominates, followed by patchouli, and something burnt in the background

 

Dry: teak and patchouli, a combination I didn't think would work, but actually does! I can't detect any plant notes, but I believe their subtle presence is what gives this scent a dry smoky warmth. This reminds me of indian summer in the Appalachian mountains. A beautiful blend and I agree that it should age wonderfully.

[Iceblink]

Lots and lots of patchouli and leaves with an underlying sweetness that I think must be the tonka, and teak. No coffee or green notes. Reminds me a bit of Falling Leaf Moon but this is not as complex and it's much sweeter. I know teak ages wonderfully so I may retry this in a couple of months and see if I like it better.

[reynardine]

I picked up decants of all the Phoenix scents because even if they don’t sound promising, I do like to try them. (I should amend that statement to “unless they have an allergic note in them.) I wasn’t sure if Phoenix in Autumn would be something that was my style, but you never know. I used to not like foody scents, either.

 

It starts off with the teak and tonka being way too strong. Some folks may like teak and tonka, but I don’t much care for them. I don’t care either way about patchouli (military family, not a lot of hippies where I grew up, so no associations in that direction). Picking up just a touch of ivy, but the bitterness of the coffee doesn’t let much of it through. What surprises me is how the coffee and patchouli work well together. Anyway, it was an interesting scent to try, but I just don’t care for that wood element in there. Not for me.

[het4377]

Phoenix anniversary blend test #4 - Phoenix in Autumn. Ok, I admit it, I save what I hope to be the best for last!

 

Wet on skin: oooooh, lovely! The dry leaves and patchouli in this blend really remind me of Falling Leaf Moon, which is high praise! The tonka adds a sweeter base though, which is so awesome and there's also the woody note close to the base.

 

After a while: not morphing too much, just getting deeper and a little more smokey.

 

Final Verdict: so much love

This is just gorgeous, and though very similar to Falling Leaf Moon and Autumn, it's a scent category that I love enough that I don't mind having a collection based on variations of a theme.

 

Rating: 4.5/5

 

If you like this, try: Falling Leaf Moon, Autumn (retail only blend), To Autumn, Hay Moon, Samhain, Harvest Moon '08

 

Using a slightly altered yeahbutnobut review formatting, because it is the epitome of awesome and helpful.

[strahlend]

Love at first sniff

I could run through the streets like a mad woman and shout to the world how much I love Phoenix in Autumn.

I really, really love it.

What does it smell like? Well, let's see.

I'm getting a really beautiful balance of ivy and the patchouli - and the patchouli is blending so nicely with the teak that it's like the three notes are having a love fest together. This isn't overwhelming dirty hippy patchouli, it's more just a feeling of depth and a hint of warmth. I would say that the leaf/ivy notes are the stars in this blend.

I usually don't get the feeling of leaves in blends that include mention of them, but the feeling does come across here.

What I'm not detecting in this blend is any sense of coffee at all and I'm not getting tonka as an independent note, although I suppose it's in there somewhere sweetening things up a bit.

Mainly though, ivy-patchouli-teak. My new holy trinity.

I'm going to need several bottles of Phoenix in Autumn!

 

I can see at a point in the drydown a similarity to Samhain (which I also love), but I would probably call them cousins. Since others have mentioned Falling Leaf Moon I'm trying to track down a bottle - even though Lunacies don't usually agree with me. That's how much I love this scent.

ETA: I would definitely put Phoenix in Autumn in a similar category as Falling Leaf Moon and Samhain. I think I've found a scent family I particularly love.

Edited January 16, 2011 by strahlend

[GhillieDhu]

Disclaimer: This was tested from an exceedingly cold bottle, as my lovely postperson decided the box wouldn't go through my mail slot EVEN THOUGH THE LAST HALF DOZEN FIT JUST FINE. I may have to edit my impressions once the oil's settled - hope not, though!

 

Ooh, Phoenix in Autumn is lovely. I wasn't quite sure about it wet, as the notes didn't quite seem to meld right, but it's getting nicer and nicer.

 

Wet: Fresh-cut teak , smooth sweet patchouli, and bitter green ivy.

Drying: The ivy fades into the background and the teak smooths out. Tonka is just starting to make an appearance. Smells like expensive teak furniture with a whisper of patchouli and crumbled leaves.

Dry: This would be great on a man, but it's not so masculine that I feel uncomfortable wearing it. The notes blend so seamlessly now that it's hard to pick out individual scents, but this Phoenix is mostly a teak and tonka bean show with musty dry leaves underneath and a hint of green sweetness around the edges. Surprised the patchouli isn't more prominent on my skin, but I think it's just adding a harmonious middle note to the teak-and-tonka chord. Never did get any coffee.

 

I like this, and I'm betting it will only get better with age. 4/5

 

Try if you liked: The Antikythera Mechanism, Falling Leaf Moon, Samhainophobia.

[milo]

This is quite dry on me, kind of like leaves and wood. I also get a strong patchouli vibe here. This blend really intrigues me, and I love the dryness of this oil, but it really is a bit too perfumey on me. I'll have to report back in a few hours, but I think it's the kind of scent that will smell amazing given a bit of time on, and ultimately age. This kind of reminds me of Fledgling Raptor Moon, only stronger on the dryness. I'd bet this would smell great on a guy.

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: Leaves, very storng patch, certainly the ivy.

 

Wet: More of the dry leaves--very crisp, almost cracking.

 

The dry-down: The tonka is not a sweet note per se, but serves to give this a depth and a roundness. This is a scent that certainly evokes the season. I shall enjoy wearing it next autumn. I must admit that I was afreai of the coffee bean note, as I amp coffee notes usually, but this note is just part of how all the notes combine into the blend. There's the leaves, the patch, the coffee bean, the ivy, the teak, in a marvelous scent. This is my fave of this year's phoenix blends, but mind you, I am always most partial to the autumn scents.

 

The label art is beautiful. The phoenix is golden in colouring with various shadings of orange for high-lights. The background is ivory, with a few falling leaves.

[HerbGirl]

Yes - this is a gorgeous blend, and I would also say if you enjoyed Antikythera Mechanism and Samhainophobia, I think you would enjoy this.

 

On my skin I smell mostly Ivy, Teak and Patchouli - with a bit of spicy Hyssop underneath. After about an hour, the coffee bean shows up and the tonka provides a nice bed... this is simply gorgeous. 4/5

Edited February 25, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[stellans]

Given the listed notes for this blend, this is a very LIGHT scent which doesn't stick around very long. However, I do like what I smell: the coffee bean is barely there, but the dry leaves (reminiscent of To Autumn, October, etc.) is lovely. Hardly any patchouli, which isn't how I'd hoped this would go, and the tonka is also very sparse. All in all, all these potentially heavy notes are somehow made less than their norm in this blend. I think I'd prefer their usual pronounced presence, actually. Except for the coffee bean. 2 of 5 stars.

Edited June 12, 2011 by stellans

[zankoku_zen]

Patchouli, teak and dry leaves. It sort of reminds me to Death of Autumn, and its a slightly masculine autumn blend.

 

I have to say that the combination does appeal to me.

[ofthegood]

This blend made me say GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF and run for the soap and alcohol. Alas, it hung around even after I scrubbed and scrubbed.

 

Patchouli and feral animal urine. If I force myself to get past that, I can definitely smell the leaves and the coffee. But... yeah. Urine.

[boxinghelena]

Note to self: Never buy another blend with any type of wood. It just doesn't go with my skin chemistry ever. I thought I would give The Phoenix in Autumn a chance thinking the teak won't kill it for me. I was wrong. It turns into a cheap cologne type-of-smell. Big fat disappointment.

~

[msbcozad]

I am slowly being turned into a patchouli-wearing hippie. Okay, so I'm only wearing the patchouli scents and not going full-out hippie...

 

Phoenix in Autumn? This is an amazing and glorious scent. It's not as dry and bonfire-y as October. It's not as cloying as Samhain. It's close to Falling Leaf Moon, but without the lunar oils. It's perfectly evocative of autumn and I am going to treasure the heck out of this bottle.

[porcelina]

i get mostly sharp patchouli and dry leaves with thick greenery. i am really disappointed in the distinct lack of coffee! i wish i could pick up on that note.

 

the woody, kinda dirty patchouli reminds me of greed, although this blend smells more raw. as it dries down, it's getting kind of BO-ish on me. i will keep it to see how it ages, but i won't be wearing the phoenix in autumn anytime soon!

[Invidiana]

Delicious smoldering wood and leaves. This really does remind me of standing outside on a brisk autumn day with curls of woodsmoke in the air, just enough to add that characteristic autumnal smokiness to it but not enough to take it out of perfume territory. I think the addition of the coffee bean really adds something unique to the leaves and woods and patchouli, and the tonka balances it out with a hint of vanillic sweetness on the finish. It really is autumn in a bottle and I love it!