2011: Pottery Phoenix

[boomtownrat]

One of the most challenging projects that I’ve ever undertaken has been our RPG series. In order to execute the series correctly, every possible combination of classes, races, and ephemera had to work together. Years of research and experimenting went into the RPGs, and it was worth it to see a childhood dream come to fruition.

Our beloved Courtney brought Vermont Lunacy to (un)life, and our first scents for Pretty Indulgent were introduced. We love you, Courtney and Maggie!

We hosted a Klimt-inspired benefit for RAINN, and fundraisers to help send food, water, and basic necessities to Occupy Wall Street protesters.

In August of 2011, it was our honor to host a signing for Peter S. Beagle and a screening of the Last Unicorn.

 

Soft brown sandalwood, galbanum, and myrrh.

This represents 2011, the year I got into BPAL. I got the bottle yesterday and let it rest until tonight before giving it a skin test, but I did smell it yesterday and it has settled down quite a bit since then.

There's something in Pottery Phoenix that I smell in all of the other anniversaries I have. I looked up all the others and there's no listed note that they all have in common, which leads me to think that either I'm just interpreting them all in a similar way or there's a common unlisted note in there somewhere.

Pottery Phoenix is a warm, sweet skin scent. It's blended well, so no one note dominates. I see myself wearing this more in the colder, darker months because it's the scent equivalent of a fuzzy blanket and my favorite spot on the couch.

Blends with fewer notes usually work best for me and this is no different.

[zankoku_zen]

Soft sandalwood and myrrh. Honestly, this codes to me as straight out of a Shunga/Lupercalia update. It's got the soft sexy skin scent vibe going. Low throw, good wear length.

[ramblingrambler]

Very much a Luper/Shunga as mentioned above–sexy, close to the skin, and very much a scene out of Ghost. There's a fuzzy warmth to it, almost musky, like some of the "fur" scents have to them... but this isn't that alone. There's a touch of sweetness to it somehow, at least on me, that makes it complex and forces me to keep sniffing to figure out just what is going on here. Lovely!

[LiberAmoris]

The galbanum gives the wet phase of Pottery Phoenix a green, tangy, slightly bitter, resinous edge that quickly loses its sharpness to reveal a soft, incensey sandalwood and myrrh scent. An hour after application, this is a fuzzy skin scent, very cozy and warm.

[Deceitfuldescender]

Agree with Liber, green before dry down, but once dry a soft, warm fuzzy sort of skin scent. Kind of cozy. Well blended, just sort of a nonoffensive incensey blend that wet I woulda have passed on but dry... may be a keeper. Bet aging might deepen it.

[surlygurl]

This scent is familiar, somehow. Resiny, browns with greens and a bit of purple. Kind of cozy but also cool and distant, tho not terribly complex. It reminds me of the Stations of the Sun scents from way back. Olfactory flashback for sure!

Edited January 2, 2018 by surlygurl

[annemathematics]

I love galbanum, but it always amps on me like crazy, taking over and drowning other notes out. but...not here!

 

there's just a whisper of it in the opening. then it dries down to soft resins behaving, well, kinda like clay. having done ceramics for years, I'm shocked at how much this reminds me of dusty dry clay at the bisque-fired stage. it's so evocative and comforting, with a cozy dry warmth. this is a 2017 top ten for me. bravo, beth!

[Little Bird]

Simple, soft, low throw and only lasts a couple hours on my skin, but it's a pleasant sandalwood & myrrh where the sandalwood doesn't turn to pure baby powder on my skin. The sandalwood is a warm, toasty, and dry wood note, and the myrrh gives it a dark, rich sweetness. It's one of those fragrances that feels like a warm glow on the skin. A little bit of a dusty, dry, incensey note in the drydown.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Warm sandalwood and hints of resins. It smells damp, also. Like the woods on a warm but wet day. It's quite atmospheric, and I like it so far, though it's not instant love.

 

 

Dry: This is an interesting one! The sandalwood smells green and damp, rather than dry, to me. I do quite like it, but I just can't imagine myself wearing it. I bet it ages really well though.

[Lucchesa]

Wet, the galbanum hijacks Pottery Phoenix on me. It's the unfamiliar note to me in this trio, and I wish I could describe it because it does connect with a scent memory playing around the edges of my consciousness, but I can't pin it down. I've even googled it and am getting impressions like "very fresh, vegetal and sharp," but it's not helping me be any more specific. It settles down in 30 minutes or so and then the sandalwood and myrrh come through; the drydown is very nice but less distinctive (I have other sandalwood and myrrh scents I prefer).