Benitoite Phoenix

[zankoku_zen]

California’s state gem! Precious and rare, formed under pressure in liminal spaces: a deep, clear musk as blue as the night sky cascading over the Pacific.

[abejita]

This is one of those blends that just lends itself to synesthesia. It's cool and starry, but not chill or minty. It has a distinct nighttime feel. Something about it reminds me of Kushiel's Dart, when Hyacinthe addresses Melisande, "O Star of the Evening." It's a clean musk, rather than a dirty one. I tend to prefer the dirty or skin type musks, but this is a very nice change from my usual. I'd like to pair it with Zorya P or one of my cooler vanillas.

[roseus]

This was very confusing to my nose at first. I agree it has this cool but not quite minty feel, but there was something minerally/chemically/camphorous to my nose at first that made my throat dry like getting a whiff of kerosene. On my skin it gets more distinctly musky, but with a softer mineral/dirt note alongside. There is the distinct 'clean' feel I often get from blue musk after it has been on awhile. 

[Follow My Nose]

First impression out of the decant: a beautiful deep blue musk, soft, clean, and cool, but not chilly
As it dries, a subtle, pretty white floral note pops up, and something tickling in the background that reminds me of a sweet oud, maybe?, but not strong; then a sheer powdery overlay mists around the edges
Overall impression: just as the description says, a clean, sweet, musk that reads as a pure deep blue

A perfectly lovely representation of this rare and gorgeous blue gemstone! (seriously, look up some pictures of this stone)

[Casablanca]

Benitoite reads as a quirky musk blend to me: hard to pin down, like its inspiration sky.

I get a cool, aquatic, blue-green musk. It smells "almost" a lot of things — almost camphorous, almost minty, almost like a conifer.

 

Then, as it begins to dry, it goes super salty, and I wonder if it has a salty something-or-other in it from Halite. Benitoite in this phase smells like salty ambergris and strange cool musk on my skin.

 

I really amp whatever the salty ambergris-type thing is. I tend to amp salt, and it pretty much takes over for me.

 

 

[zankoku_zen]

White floral, blue musk, whiff of camphor and salt. This one is a very deep, contemplative blend. Cool, blue, musky.  Good throw and wear length.

[fenharel]

idk how else to describe this except headshop musk. it's definitely an oriental musk. it's not heavy or incensey but it is rich, deep, and complex. it conjures up so many memories for me and makes me feel fantastic. musk lovers need this - i got a decant and then a bottle

[Jenjin]

Funky, sweet musk, Benitoite has a sexy vibe, the "blue" almost like skin under pressure and rubs. A sultry, cool scent with a deepness very much like earth or sand inside a tide pool. It reminds me of being in the clay studio mixing earth on the pugmill, wet, grinding earth and sparkling pebbles turning and crushing with the water. The salty, creamy vanilla-like musk makes it animalistic in the beginning, like a sweaty, golem beast rolling down damp, coastal shores: "MY LIGHT FORM". It dries down into a cool and unusual vanilla on me, I would compare to Pediophobia. Over the years I have been pleasantly surprised by many of the anniversary scents, Benitointe included. 

Edited February 12, 2020 by Jenjin

[galahad]

In the Bottle:
A deep musk with a herbal edge

 

On the Skin:
intensely musky, bit it's a round edged musk with no sharp edges.  There a a slightly foody element to this adding creaminess and a berry note (?).

 

On the Drydown:
Indigo musk with dark flowers.  Complex and beautiful, a little unsettling as well

[forspecial_plate]

My experience with this was a lot like Follow My Nose's review above.  I would add that in the first couple minutes, this really reminds me of Mad Hatter.  But that changes.  Like others mentioned, I get an impression of some kind of floral peeking out, maybe white floral, but not specific.  And I might be the only one but I could almost swear I smell sandalwood for a while, but then that backs off.  And I think someone mentioned vanilla?  I get a little of that too.  This is a morpher and I would suggest it needs to be tried on the skin.  It's really interesting and I'm really glad I took a chance on it!

 

Edit: I tried this again today and it's intense perfumey buttery musk, almost like those butter mint candies - but very "grownup" also.  It's so weird, I'm not getting anything floral this time.  This could almost be a Halloweenie scent. 

Edited July 14, 2020 by forspecial_plate