Clement I’s Phoenix

[Atrous]

Let us consider the strange sign which takes place in the East, that is in the districts near Arabia. There is a bird which is called the Phoenix. This is the only one of its kind, and lives 500 years; and when the time of its dissolution in death is at hand, it makes itself a sepulchre of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, and when the time is fulfilled it enters into it and dies. Now, from the corruption of its flesh there springs a worm, which is nourished by the juices of the dead bird, and puts forth wings. Then, when it has become strong, it takes up that sepulchre, in which are the bones of its predecessor, and carries them from the country of Arabia as far as Egypt until it reaches the city called Heliopolis, and in the daylight in the sight of all it flies to the altar of the Sun, places them there, and then starts back to its former home. Then the priests inspect the registers of dates, and they find that it has come at the fulfilment of the 500th year.

A sepulchre of frankincense and caramelized myrrh.

This is pretty much as advertised - Frankincense and Myrrh overlaid with a caramelized sweetness.
The sweetness keeps the resins from going into church territory and keeps them from being overpowering.

I like this scent but I don't know if I would ever reach for it. All the notes are on the same level, if that makes sense, and that makes this scent a bit bland. I feel that something, one of the notes, has to stand out more than the others to make this special. Haven't given up hope though. I believe it will age well so I'll tuck it away for testing at a later date.

[mystery213]

Wow, this starts out on a strong butterscotch note- seriously similar to butterscotch snaps liquor. It quickly fades down like most frankincense and myrrh blends do for me though, into a fairly non-descript powdery note. I also think this will probably age beautifully, and will be very nice for those who do not have the skin chemistry that just morphs it into powder...

[d0gbones]

The caramelised myrrh is pretty much the same as the honeyed myrrh in Little Egypt (my #1 snuggly comfort scent), the two are very similar but this lacks the spicy kick. The frankincense is the more prominent note later on, very light and similar to Midnight Mass. I've worn this for 3 days straight now, so it's a definite keeper.

[Little Bird]

The note list for this is simple and perfectly accurate. It's exactly what I was hoping for - a creamy, golden, thickly sweet frankincense and myrrh combo. The frankincense takes on an almost lemony brightness in the drydown that makes me think of a sweet lemon curd dessert all soaked in caramel and resins. Almost vanilla-like. Rich, sweet resins at their best.
This is exactly how I like my frankincense and myrrh blends - uncomplicated and so sweet & smooth that they're almost a gourmand fragrance.
Clement I and Aelian's Phoenix are hoard-worthy for me.

[JazzieCazzie]

Wasn't sure how this would play out on me ... frankincense and myrrh as a combo are one of my favorite blends (especially in my always DISO bath oil) but the tendency of myrrh to sometimes go TOO sweet on me, combined with caramelization (something I love in my dessert but tends not to work on me as a perfume) made me curious but not optimistic.

 

IMP: Pretty much exactly what it says: frankincense and myrrh with caramel lurking in the background.

 

WET: The frankincense and myrrh is exquisite. Transcendent. But right behind that is the caramel and ... again, it's a scent I love in real life but ON ME it just goes a little queasy and salty-sweet and odd. Like a distraction.

 

DRY: Sadly, the caramel just keeps rising like a tidal wave until it is actually overpowering the F&M.

 

OVERALL: I couldn't wear this as a perfume but, at the risk of sounding like a broken record here in my Phoenix reviews, this would be an AMAZING bath oil.

[LizziesLuck]

Anything with the words "caramelized" and "Myrrh" together in the same sentences has gotta be tried by this gal....

 

 

Wet: Oh wow. That's so good. You know when you sniff your wrist and literally make an "ommfffgg" sound cuz it's so good? Ya, that good. It sure is caramelized. The Myrrh and Frank are pretty well balanced, thick and chewy. I was worried this would be too similar to Penitence to warrant me needing a bottle, but they are really different to my nose. This is sweeter, smoother, rounder. Uh oh. This is trying to turn to plastic. That is not usual for me, these notes should be totally fine. But it's not fine, it's turning weird. My skin is ruining this! Do you ever want to yell at your skin? "Don't you ruin this for us! This is why we can't have nice things!!!" Ya, I wanna yell that at my skin right now, cuz this was so good. I keep thinking it's making a comeback, then I'm wrong.

 

 

Dry: This eventually settles down, but when it looses the plastic notes, it also seems to lose the other things that were originally making it magic....now it's just Frank and Myrrh. Lovely, but not "OMG need more right now!!!".

[Dark Alice]

A sweetened version of Little Egypt minus the sweet flag. I have sweet caramel! I do love the frankincense/myrrh/caramel combo. But this will be a one in a while scent and I need to track down a partial...but no more.

[zankoku_zen]

Butterscotch and myrrh. Maybe a whiff of frankincense. This is butterscotch overlayed on some resins. It's foodier than I expected and pushes the resin into a gourmand blend. Good throw, good wearlength.

 

Butterscotch and resins.

[Ethaisa]

A very sticky, sweet myrrh, with just a hint of frankincense (mostly on the long dry down). This was soo sweet (too much caramel, and I like caramel!) when I first got it, but it's mellowed down into a lovely brightness that I wasn't expecting. This will be lovely resin scent that'll stand up to a bright sunny day but be equally suited to a warm, sultry summer night.

[lucycat]

On one hand, this is just what it says on the tin: frankincense and myrrh. I wore some of my now two-year-old Midnight Mass very recently, and Clement I’s Phoenix is very similar. In much the same way that the honey in Womb Furie, one of my favorite blends, makes it smell like already-aged Snake Oil, the caramelized myrrh makes Clement I’s Phoenix smell like aged Midnight Mass. It counters the sharpness of the frankincense.

This is heavenly.