Hesiod's Phoenix

[aphrodite]

Golden amber, bourbon vanilla, and sweet oudh.

 

This is gorgeous and perfect. It smells like House of Unquenchable Fire atmo spray with a bit more vanilla. The vanilla is dark and rich, not at all the kind that goes plasticky or cakey. Absolutely lovely and if you love HOUF you should get this.

[fiddlehead]

I love this. At first, it's all amber all the time but the longer it's on the more the vanilla comes out. The oude adds a note I can never describe but love. Sort of cool and airy. Awesome. If you like amber perfumes this is a no-brainer.

 

For what it's worth, this isn't a bit like Tricksy on me.

[yakiguri]

This shouldn't have worked on me. The Lab's oudh note for some reason has never worked on me, teasing me with its depth and beauty before quickly turning into band aids and latex gloves. But when I saw someone mention Hesiod's Phoenix being a dead ringer for Serge Lutens' Ambre Sultan I was compelled to buy a bottle blind.

 

I was I had bought more than just 1! This is definitely akin to Ambre Sultan with its sweet, almost gingerbread-esque amber. But where AS has a slight mustiness thanks to the spices, HP has none of that. HP also translates as slightly sweeter and deeper on my skin thanks to the oudh, which is mercifully behaving. If it's like this now this will crazy amazing with age.

 

I think I need about elebenty bottles of this.

Edited December 28, 2013 by thatbrownelf

[Teaotter]

Wet: Implacable Beautiful Tyrant. I can't shake the idea that this smells EXACTLY like the hair gloss.

 

Drydown: That lovely, gorgeous golden amber dominates, with the vanilla creeping up from behind. Once it settles, the notes blend together seamlessly for me. I can usually pick out the oudh in perfumes more than this, but I can't really here. It's just part of the luscious sweet warmth of the scent.

 

The throw is mild on me, with moments where I think it's gone and then intermittent puffs of glorious scent.

 

eta: Finally remembered what else this reminds me of: Aelopile (Glowing amber and citrus, labdanum, verbena, cedar, and oud) One of my absolute favorites in the GC!

Edited December 30, 2013 by TeaOtter

[abejita]

This is stunning. This is THE resin blend I have been looking for, since I discovered BPAL in 2006. It's three of my all-time favorite notes (and, to be honest, more than half of my collection is vanilla-centered), so the moment I saw it listed, I knew I'd have to have it. It exceeded my hopes.

 

There is something understated about it. When I sniff directly at my wrist, it's deceptively light (though somehow deep, at the same time). It's one of those scents that, throughout the day, will have you asking, "What smells so amazing?" only to realize after a moment that it's you. Even after I think it's faded away on my wrists, I still catch tantalizing hints of it when I move.

 

It's the perfection of all three listed notes. The vanilla is dark, the amber is rich without crossing that line into powdery or gourmand, and the oudh is, indeed, sweet. It's a warm, velvety blanket on bare skin.

 

I feel like I've found my new default, the blend that's the most me of all of them. Since I've been amassing BPAL for almost eight years now, I don't really DO backup bottles. But this is the exception. I so wish it were GC.

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: This is the Anniversary blend I was most looking forward to. I love vanilla of all types and amber generally plays nice on my skin, but oudh can sometimes go wonky.

 

Wet: Oh yeah this is pretty. Pretty amber (slightly dry) with a sweet backbone of vanilla. Lovely.

 

Dry down: The vanilla warms up the amber and I'm not getting a lot of oudh. This is reminding me of a much more sophisticated and wearable O, and I like this a lot better.

 

Dry: Turns much sweeter on the far dry down, beautiful combination.

 

Final thoughts: This is a winner! It's the amber-vanilla combination I've been searching for. To die for beautiful, and I'm so happy to have this one in my collection!

 

Verdict: Keeping

[London]

This smells a lot like Lyonesse to me (and on me), a softer sweeter version. More subtle and less perfumey, but it's defintly in the same scent family.

 

Very pretty scent.

[skyelyric]

This is stunningly beautiful, and on me it's also a dead ringer for Implacable Tyrant hair gloss. It's a very sweet scent, it reminds me a bit of The Lion but without the spices, just that pure comforting sweetness. On me there's minimal throw but incredible staying power. I wear my oils in the crooks of my elbows, and all day I will get light wafts of scent when I straighten or move my arms.

 

Backup bottle, here I come.

[Lani]

I saw on the BPAL tumblr that this had been listed as one of the favorite scents of 2013, so I immediately went to my decants and tested it. It really is a beautiful scent--rich, silky, sweet (but not cloying). I agree with everyone who says this will age gorgeously. Lovely, lovely scent!

[Sakura Tsukikage]

Now, I'm not really a vanilla, amber, resins, or oudh sort of person--I like sweet resins in blends and vanilla just fine, but it's not something I seek out, really. But I really do love this blend! In the vial I get a deep, rich, almost vanilla extract vanilla with something woody and almost spicy supporting it that I know is the oudh. I don't really smell the amber in the vial as much as I do on my skin, where it comes out very warm and rich and golden when first applied, almost thick, with the vanilla and oudh supporting it. There really is a thick, rich bourbon-ness to the vanilla, and the oudh is sweet, the amber deepening the whole blend. I agree with the comparisons to marshmallow, a sweet cloud of amber and vanilla with a tinge of almost spicy sweet oudh, but also that there is something sparkling and light about it, something that gives it lift and almost a brightness as well as warmth. I think that's the quality that makes me love it so much. Warm but almost dark vanilla, rich golden amber, and spicy sparkly oudh. It does smell both sweet and sophisticated, and is a lovely warm, sweet, but grown-up sort of scent. It's pretty gorgeous!

 

It has very nice throw on me for the first four hours or so, but even now, nine hours later, I can still smell it on my wrists and as I move my arms.

[MCS4096]

With such similar notes to La Lugubre Gondola I hoped this blend would smell similar, but stronger, as I found the other to be nearly invisible on my skin-- I knew it would be wonderful if only I could smell it! And yes, this is very similar. It's exactly the same amber and oudh, but with a sweeter touch from the vanilla, whereas La Lugubre Gondola was dry dry dry. I still find it to be quite light, but definitely more noticeable and longer wearing thankfully. It's still a mystery how something with such resinous notes could be so light, but this stuff is divine so I'll slather away!

 

Edited to add: I think it smells somewhat similar to Hope and Fear Set Free, especially when wet-- kinda sharp, kinda sweet.

Edited January 14, 2014 by MCS4096

[thekittenkat]

In the bottle: The powder of the amber is tempered by the oudh and vanilla.

 

Wet: Much as when sniffed, though the scent notes are blending nicely.

 

The dry-down: Just too powdery from the amber. I love the oudh and vanilla notes, but they could not over-ride the amber. Perhaps aging will help.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received an imp in a decant circle.

 

IN THE IMP: Sweet wood.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: Bourbon vanilla is predominant but running neck and neck with the oudh within seconds. Not so sweet that I can't stomach it. The oudh definitely balances the boozy vanilla and the amber rounds it all out.

 

DRYDOWN: Almost no trace of amber at this point. Just vanilla-bourbon soaked wood.

 

OVERALL: Not bad but not a keeper. Smells sort of artificial to me but that tends to be the case with most vanilla blends.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 3.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - A thick vanilla with a peppery undertone (the oudh I think)

 

Wet on me - A warm waxy almost coconutty vanilla

 

Dry on me - It disappeared very quickly on me

 

Overall - I wanted to live this, but it just got eaten by my skin

[joyfulgirl]

wow, i'm reviewing this because i finally got my bottles. i initially had a decant from FragranceLush and i BLAZED through it - it was so amazing and gorgeous and perfect for everyday but still sexy...all the notes played together perfectly and it lasted forever. i figured it was my new HG scent.

 

so i ordered three bottles and let them rest overnight. none of them smell anything like the description or the decant that i have. they smell like alcohol and chemicals. i put some on thinking that maybe it would blossom on my skin...no. nothing. just powder and chemicals. i'm so sad.

 

smelling the bottles next to the decant - they smell NOTHING alike.

 

i'll give them a week to calm down from their traveling and see if they open up at all...maybe open one up to let it "age" a bit (i've had ok luck doing that with snake oil and cleric).

 

but overall, i am pretty shocked - i've never smelled batch variation to this degree.

 

eta: i decanted one of my bottles into vials and compared them side-by-side with my original decant. the oil from the bottles is a similar color, but clouded and heavy with sediment. i did another skin test and the chemical powder smell persists. i am absolutely heartbroken. testing the bottle oil and decant oil side-by-side on my skin is just depressing. what happened to that beautiful scent from my decant that everyone is talking about above?

Edited February 9, 2014 by joyfulgirl

[Aviatrix]

I am not sure what oudh actually smells like, except that it is a resin, so I apologize for that in advance.

 

In the bottle and wet on the skin I get a warm blast of resins, but not much in the way of vanilla yet. But I LOVE resins, so I am happy.

 

Upon dry down, the blend sweetens up quite a bit (must be the vanilla), and all the notes settle in perfectly on my skin, enveloping me in a cloud of sweet incense.

 

It is not unlike Hope and Fear Set Free, but also not quite as sharp (on me, at least, frankincense goes sharper than amber). So if you enjoyed that one, you will also love Hesiod's Phoenix!

 

Overall, I am very happy for my bottle and look forward to wearing this great, smoky blend some more in the future! It would be perfect for a day when you need a bit of resinous comfort, or just when you want an air of mystery about yourself.

[milo]

This is a pretty amber vanilla, but nothing really spectacular, or is knocking my socks off. Just a pretty blend that fades rather quickly. Maybe I'm just getting picky in my old age:) It kind of reminds me of the Harp blend, a few years back. I love amber, but this is really kind of blah. I'll retest later. Maybe I'm just in a weird non amber mood today.

 

OK, a couple of months later, and this is quite spectacular. I don't even want to use it to fear it will be gone too soon! Warm amber and vanilla, kind of sweet. Nothing like the Harp now. Full bodied, sexy amber. I bet this would be amazing layered with Snake Oil...

Edited November 26, 2014 by milo

[Lorelai1945]

When I first put this on my skin, it is very strong and medicinal smelling. (I am assuming that's the oudh?) The oil itself is dark in color- kind of a reddish brown. I'm not a fan of the wet stage since it is so strong, but as this dries down, it warms a great deal and sweetens as well. A woody-ness comes to the forefront that puts me very much in mind of the wood feel I get from Tombstone. In fact, this scent puts me very much in mind of a mix of Tombstone and Snake Oil, yet a bit less spicy and sweet and a bit more masculine. I am happy that my skin doesn't suck all the sweetness out of this, but the vanilla could still be a bit more present for my taste. It really is a very rich and interesting scent, but I'm still trying to figure out if it suits me. On me this has quite a bit of both throw and staying power, which is interesting since so many other reviews mention the opposite. I will definitely hold on to this to see how aging affects it.

[Sateki]

On me the amber is strongest, with a hint of oudh. Not getting any Vanilla.

 

Wet, the amber is strongest, and I can't really smell anything else.

 

Dry, the oudh has come out a bit and balanced it out. A few hours later, I sometimes get the tiniest hint of vanilla if I sniff really hard. It smells a lot like Hope and Fear Set Free.

 

It is a really warm scent. Amber and sweet wood, but lacking vanilla. Because of its similarity to Hope and Fear Set Free, it's not quite bottle worthy for me.

[Deliciousness]

In the bottle: Sweet, slightly powdery amber

Wet on skinL Amber with a whisper of wood (oudh?)

Drydown: The same amber/wood scent but with barely a hint of vanilla in the background.

 

This is a very pretty scent and reminds me of La Gondola, from the Mistakonic Philharmonic series. It's warm and snuggly, without too much powder from the amber. But in all honesty, I was kind of hoping that the vanilla would be more prominent and the throw stronger. I know it sounds picky, but there it is. I do think it is very wearable and I don't have a bottle of anything similar, so this is a keeper thus far. Plus, I'm interested to see how this ages, maybe more of the oudh and vanilla will come forward ... we'll see!

[nefta]

Finally officially tried this after getting this before the New Year!

 

Color of oil: Copper color.

 

In bottle: Vanilla sweet and some sharp woodsy scent

 

Wet on skin: Vanilla and incense?

 

Dried on skin: Woodsy-incense scent, warm. I would like to believe there is a hint of vanilla somewhere, but my boyfriend said it smells like wood with a hint of spiciness, seems to be the oudh.

 

Amazing this is that after taking a shower, the scent got more vanilla-ish and faint.

 

I really like this! So glad I bought a blind bottle of this.

[Lady_Fire]

This smells a lot like Lyonesse to me (and on me), a softer sweeter version. More subtle and less perfumey, but it's defintly in the same scent family.

 

Very pretty scent.

 

This was my thought too. I actually put one on each wrist to compare. This, to me, is a much softer, less aquatic version of Lyonesse. Its very pretty. Starts off as a soft, pretty amber but the longer I wear it the more the vanilla comes out. Glad I got this in a bottle.

[Balame]

Thank goodness I ended up being ambivalent about this one considering how many people love it.

 

It's just... okay. In fact, I'd say on the lower end of neutral for me.

 

When wet the oudh + bourbon vanilla is really astringent and alcoholic, which was a huge turnoff.

A while later the amber pops out but it's very subtle and powdery. I much prefer strong, bright amber like that in Jacob's Ladder.

The softer side of the vanilla is very faint and doesn't really doesn't make itself known.

 

In the end it's still sharp and medicinal, and the sweeter amber just sort of muddles around the edges.

Not a hit for me.

[theseagrows]

this starts out with just amber then i can smell a hint of oudh and then vanilla is added to the mix which kind rounds it out and makes it even richer. it becomes much more strong and then this becomes primarily vanilla with amber, but the oudh is subtle because i can only sense it slightly. this is quite warm and beautiful and luckily this vanilla works pretty well with my skin chemistry, yay.

 

ETA: after about 40 mins this is OMGGORGEOUS on me. i really love it so much, it reminds me of some high end perfumes i've tried. need a bottle of this and oh i'm sure that's going to be a bit difficult.

Edited September 6, 2014 by theseagrows

[Greenwoodtree]

If you normally can't wear the Lab's amber, try this one!

I'm glad I did.

 

FINALLY a BPAL amber that doesn't turn to powder on me, but becomes that warm, rich scent I know and love from my essential oil blends.

 

The scent does start sweet...but it warms up and changes to a rich, warm, spicy scent, first incense then spicier.

 

I love this. I wish I had a bottle.