Stardust

You’ve found Stardust! I’ve recently become addicted to the perfume oils of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, and I thought, what the hell, might as well create a blog so I can review the scents as I try them (and squee about what I’m ordering or want to order).

You can call me AutumnQueen (though I’m known as Eiluned elsewhere). I’m in my mid-twenties, and I’m currently working on my BA in Literature. I hope to get my Ph.D. before too long, and I’d like to teach at the university level. I’m a sucker for fantasy fiction and I’m a huge movie buff.

I became a fan of perfume oils a few years ago, when I bought a dram of a Scorpio blend at a local Renaissance Faire. I’ve bought several blends from that particular vendor, and their amber scents are to die for. A friend of mine tossed in four BPAL imps when she sent me some CDs (De Sade, Lear, Marquise de Merteuile, and Rakshasa), and I was hooked.

I tend to favor more “masculine” scents, whatever that means. I’m not a big fan of florals (there are very few that don’t smell hideously cloying on my skin); I prefer woodsy, resinous scents like sandalwood and amber.

My favorite BPAL blends so far are Black Forest and Rakshasa.

Kathmandu
(Wanderlust)

From the Lab:
The scent of sacred incense swirling up the steep slopes to Swayambhunath Stupa. Saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices.

In the Bottle: It’s resinous and bittersweet, and faintly floral.

Wet on: Wow, very bittersweet. There’s something in it that makes me wrinkle my nose a little.

Dry on: I think it must be the saffron that’s making me wrinkle up. The cedar is faintly camphorous on my skin, but the sandalwood helps mellow that out a bit. The lotus is nicely faint.

Overall: I like the way this one smells on me after a few hours of wear. Initially, it reminds me of Indian restaurants, and I’m not sure I want to go around smelling like a nice curry. I do like it after it’s worn down a bit, but I don’t think I’ll be wearing this one too often.

Scarecrow
(Bewitching Brews)

From the Lab:
An agricultural gargoyle. Though he is the Guardian of the Crops and Keeper of the Fields, his visage is still the stuff of nightmares. The scent of a hot wind blowing through desolate, scorched, barren fields.

In the Bottle: A very dry, grassy, herbal scent. Not quite pleasant, but not unpleasant either.

Wet on: Very grassy, and almost soapy. Uh-oh…

Dry on: Whew, it’s very soapy at first, almost intolerably so, but it’s mellowing down quickly to a perfumey, grassy scent. After about ten minutes, the soap scent is almost gone and it’s very nice. It reminds me of a men’s cologne I’ve smelled (can’t remember which one, though), but it’s sweeter.

Overall: I think Scarecrow will be an occasional wear for me. It’s nice, but it’s not one that I’ll wear all that often.

Bloodlust
(Diabolus)

From the Lab:
A fiery Martial blend that embodies primal rage, lust for conquest, and all-encompassing desire. Dragon’s blood essence, heavy red musk, Indonesian patchouli and swarthy vetiver with a drop of cinnamon.

In the Bottle: Mmm. It’s deep and pungent. Very strong dragon’s blood and musk.

Wet on: Powerful dragon’s blood, with a surprisingly strong cinnamon note. It’s almost foody, it’s so cinnamony, but there’s something sweet underneath it. It’s very strong.

Dry on: Ohhh. I like this. It’s animalistic and sexy. The dragon’s blood has calmed down a bit, and it’s very musky and sweet. The vetiver adds a nice, smoky note to the blend.

Overall: This is definitely a keeper. It’s still strong on my wrists a good five hours after I applied it, and it still smells luscious. I feel very sexy with this scent on, like I could eat men alive.

Lear
(Illyria)

From the Lab:
A regal, commanding scent, but poignant. White cedarwood, blue sage and bay leaf.

In the Bottle: Very cedary. It reminds me of the pastures behind my parents’ house.

On wet: Whoa. Cedar. I’m also picking up hints of sage. Not sure if I’m going to like this one.

On dry: Very cedary, and the bay leaf is starting to come out. The sage is still there, and… hrm.

Overall: I don’t think I like this one very much. It’s too cedary for my skin (cedar only works well on me if it’s blended with other, stronger notes), and the sage and bay leave an odd smell; it reminds me of cooking meat, and I really don’t want cooked meat smell on my wrists. It also faded pretty quickly. Meh.

Rakshasa
(Bewitching Brews)

According to the Lab:
This haunting, exotic scent is named in honor of the shapeshifting demons from Hindu mythology. Sandalwood with rose and patchouli.

In the bottle: Sweet, sweet sandalwood.

Wet on: Strong sandalwood still, but the patchouli is making an appearance, and the rose is a sweet undertone.

Dry on: The patchouli has mellowed out and the rose has gotten stronger. I’m not usually a fan of strong rose, but it blends perfectly with the sandalwood.

Overall: I love this oil. It stays on my skin for hours and smells delicious. Like I said, I’m not usually a fan of rose, but rose & sandalwood blend well, and they blend exceptionally well in this oil.

De Sade (Sin & Salvation)

According to the Lab
The essence of pleasure heightened by pain: the raw scent of leather.

In the bottle: It’s very leather, very heady and masculine, the kind of scent that makes certain parts of my body tingle. [cough]

Wet on: Strong leather. Almost too strong for my taste.

Dry on: Ooh, good. It dried down nicely, and now it just smells leathery and sexy. It stayed on pretty well for several hours, and now (about eight hours after application) I can still catch a whiff of leather.

Overall: My roomie put it best: “It smells like sexy, sweaty man.” I’d LOVE to smell this scent on a man, but after the first wear, I’m not entirely certain that I want to wear it very often. It’s like the Lab description says: raw leather. It makes me think of sex, and honestly, thinking about sex all the time at work is probably not a great idea.

Black Forest (Bewitching Brews)

According to the Lab: This is the captured scent of a cold, moonless night, lost deep within the darkest wood. Haunting and desolate, this scent evokes images of fairy tale tragedy and half-remembered nightmares. Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress.

In the bottle: Very strong pine, with an almost camphorous note.

Wet on: Piney, but not quite as strong. The cypress and juniper have popped out, too.

Dry on: Ooh. Sweeter than I expected it to be (must be the ambergris), but not cloying. The musk is also coming through. The evergreen scents are very light, and I almost wish the pine had stayed around a little stronger, but this is delicious.

Overall: It reminds me of the forest around the apartments I lived in while in Germany. It would rain often, especially in autumn, and when I would walk out into the woods, I could smell the pine and decaying leaves. This is what Black Forest smells like to me (which is fitting, considering I lived very near the real Black Forest).

(Updated 24 September 2005)

BPAL Have List

House of Mirrors (2.5mL) - (LE: Carnaval Noir) Antique amber frames a series of distorted, eternally warping clear crystal and glass notes.

Imps
Aeval - (Bewitching Brews) A raven-haired Fairy Queen of Ireland. One of her eternal duties dictates that she must hold a midnight court every season and hear the pleas of married Irishwomen. The court serves only to determine whether or not husbands are adequately serving their wife’s sexual needs. A judicious yet powerfully sensual blend, a mingling of justice and sexuality: sage, sweet pea, bold pale musk and warm tonka.
Anne Bonny - (Bewitching Brews) Named in honor of the most notorious female pirate to ever set sail. Wicked, cruel, beautiful, intelligent, resourceful and dangerous: a true role model. A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense.
Beltane 2005 - (LE) One of the holiest days in the Pagan calendar, Beltane [May Day, Cetsamhain, Floralia and Roodmas… also, Beltaine, Bealtaine, Bealtuinn, Beletene, La Bheltine] is the Day of Baal’s Fire, and marks the midpoint of Sol’s path between the Vernal Equinox and Summer Solstice. In Druidic tradition, need-fires were set atop hills in a symbolic gesture of bringing the Sun’s light down to Earth. Celebrants danced around the fires in harmony with the Sun’s seeming movement through the sky, and passed eadar dà theine Bhealltuinn, between the Fires of Beltane, to purify themselves. In Scotland, all hearth fires were extinguished, and the flames from the need-fires were used to rekindle their flames, bringing blessings and good fortune into the household. It doesn’t matter where your faith lies, Beltane is sacred to us simply because we’re human. It is a celebration of new growth, rebirth, of the fertility of our land, our spirits and our bodies, and is a reminder of the joy in simply being alive. Celebrate life! Wind some flowers into your hair, dab a little oil behind each ear, toss the first petals of springtime onto your yard, and bless your garden the old fashioned way!
Black Forest - (Bewitching Brews) This is the captured scent of a cold, moonless night, lost deep within the darkest wood. Haunting and desolate, this scent evokes images of fairy tale tragedy and half-remembered nightmares. Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress.
Blood Amber - (Bewitching Brews) Slivers of warm, pulsating blood forever crystallized in golden amber resin. (Gender neutral)
Brisingamen - x2 (Love Potions) The amber necklace of Freyja, Norse Goddess of Love, Sex, Attraction and Fruitfulness. Her magnificent necklace was bough from four Dwarves [Alfrik, Berling, Dvalin and Grer] at the price of four nights of her passion. When Brisingamen graces your throat, no man can resist your charms. A glittering mantle of rich golden notes: five ambers, soft myrtle and apple blossom, myrtle, and carnation.
Cairo - (Wanderlust) The essence of holy Kyphi, beloved incense of the Egyptian Gods.
Crossroads - (Wanderlust) The forks of the road: an in-between place, sacred and tangibly magickal in innumerable cultures and faiths. This scent is dark with mystery, taut with power. A chill twilit garden of blooms over dry earth and mosses, heavily laden with incense and offertory herbs.
De Sade - (Sin & Salvation) The essence of pleasure heightened by pain: the raw scent of leather.
Gypsy Queen - (LE: Carnaval Noir) A heavy-lidded perfume, the quintessence of beauty and power shrouded in mystery, swathed in a deep, velvet-clad cloak of dark omens: Romany incense and candle smoke mingling with an alluring, body-warmed whiff of bergamot, neroli, Bulgar rose, carnation, and amber musk.
Hamadryad - (Bewitching Brews) Nature spirits and protectors of the world’s groves and forests that appear as breathtakingly stunning women. Hamadryads are born into a tree that serves as both a home and an anchor for the creature’s soul. They are sometimes tricksters, sometimes seducers, sometimes helpful and benign, but they are always fierce and furious protectors of the natural world. Seven dry woods with mossy lichen and a gentle breeze of forest flowers.
Haunted - (Funereal Oils) A mournful, poignant scent, thick with foreboding. Soft golden amber darkened with a touch of murky black musk.
Hecate - (Excolo) Magnificent three-faced Goddess of Magic, the Dark Moon and the Crossroads. She is the Mother of Witches, and the midnight baying of hounds is her paean. Her compassion is evidenced in her role as Psychopomp for Persephone, and her wrath manifests as Medea’s revenge. Deep, buttery almond layered over myrrh and dark musk.
The Hesperides - (Bewitching Brews) The Hesperides are the Nymphs of the Evening who dwell in a verdant garden located in the Arcadian Mountains, guarded by the terrible three-headed dragon, Ladon. Within their garden lives the tree that bears Hera’s sacred Golden Apples. Their perfume is that of sturdy oak bark, dew-kissed leaves, twilight mist and crisp apple.
Hexennacht - (LE) The Night of the Witches. In the Teutonic calendar, April 30, not October 31, was the night that the witches congregated to celebrate their Work through ecstatic dance, wild music and revelry. The witches fêted with spirits, fairies, and a bevy of otherworldy creatures atop Brockenberg peak in the Harz region of Germany, where they lit an enormous bonfire and cavorted naked until midnight… at which point they donned their robes, boarded their brooms, flying rams and sacred goats, scooped up their cat familiars, and sped off into the night. In later days, it was believed that on this night the witches conjured the devil, who would then select one of them for his bride. This perfume is the scent of the witches’ revel: German fir and forest herbs, incense and bonfire smoke, and the wet, glimmering scent of skin warmed by dance.
Incantation - (Bewitching Brews) A profound and entrancing potion, deep, wispy, and unfathomably dark scent: vetiver, dark woods, crumbling and burnt black sandalwood and a drop of lemon rind.
Jack - (Bewitching Brews) The scent of warm, glowing jack o’lanterns on a warm autumn night: true Halloween pumpkin, spiced with nutmeg, glowing peach and murky clove.
Kathmandu - (Wanderlust) The scent of sacred incense swirling up the steep slopes to Swayambhunath Stupa. Saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices.
La Belle Dame Sans Merci - (Bewitching Brews) The name translates to “the beautiful woman without mercy”, and is the title of an old French court poem that was later revamped by John Keats. A bewitching, seductive scent, rife with mystery and foreboding.
Lear - (Illyria) A regal scent, but poignant. White cedarwood, blue sage and bay leaf.
The Living Flame - (LE) A luminescent red scent: breathless with passion, flickering with desire, and glowing with ardent and reverential love.
Loup Garou - (Diabolus) The wild, untamed essence of lycanthropy. Primeval in its raw power and insatiable hunger: juniper, cypress and galangal with the barest touch of eucalyptus.
Loviatar - (Excolo) The Finnish Goddess of Agony, Torment and the joy found in inflicting pain on others. The Mistress of Torture, she has transformed in the modern era into the patron Goddess of Dominatrixes. The slap of slick, hot leather punctuates the warm, sensual embrace of black amber, red musk and dark, lascivious myrrh.
Magus - (Bewitching Brews) An ancient blend, swollen with arcane power: galangal, high john essence, frankincense, cedar, and sandalwood.
Marquise de Merteuil - (Diabolus) Stately, bold, aristocratic and cruel. Opulent galbanum and amber, glistening peach, and a bouquet of French florals, with a merciless undertone of jonquil and heartless vetiver.
Midnight - (Funereal Oils) An ethereal bouquet of night-blooming flowers. Evening primrose, ruellia, flowering nicotiana, wild petunia, panani-o-kai, night phlox, night gladiolus, moonflower and the elusive scent of Nottingham Catchfly.
Midwinter’s Eve - (LE) A melancholy, deep scent, poignant and brimming with nostalgia. The perfume of sugared plums over a breeze of winter flowers.
Morgause - (Bewitching Brews) Earth sorceress and mother of Mordred, she is, in essence, the harbinger of King Arthur’s doom and the downfall of Camelot. She is a sister, or sister-self, to Morgan Le Fay. A bouquet of five night-blooming flowers deepened by dusky violet, purple fruits and the barest breath of medieval incenses.
Namaste - (Bewitching Brews) A Sanskrit blessing and word of greeting that bears a powerful symbolism. It represents the Oneness of all of existence, the union of matter and spirit, perfect wholeness. It is accompanied by a gesture: Anjali — hands pressed together, fingertips heavenward, pressed together over the heart’s chakra. This oil blend is a serene, soothing Indian blend, created to bring calm and joy to the heart and peace to the spirit. Sandalwood, jasmine, rose, patchouli, cedarwood and lemongrass.
Othello - (Illyria) Arabian musk with two roses and a bevy of Middle Eastern and Indian spices.
Paris - (Wanderlust) Sensual, decadent, and enigmatic. Lavender, softly underscored by lotus and spice.
Phantom Queen - (Excolo) An epithet of the Morrigan, crow-winged Celtic goddess of war, strife and fertility. Adoration of this Goddess is expressed both through the ecstasy of battle lust and the ecstasy of sexual regeneration. Black orchid, apple blossom, meadowsweet, and rue over Irish moss, hawthorn and red clover.
Queen Mab - (Excolo) Warrior, Trickster and Goddess of Magic and Poets, she is one of the Tuatha De Danaan and the Queen of the Faeries. A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk.
Rakshasa - (Bewitching Brews) This haunting, exotic scent is named in honor of the shapeshifting demons from Hindu mythology. Sandalwood with rose and patchouli.
Saint-Germain - (Bewitching Brews) “A man who knows everything and who never dies.” Said to have lived for centuries, the Comte de Saint-Germain is truly a man of legend and mystery. He was an aristocrat, master alchemist, adventurer, magician, artist, and seer with a lust for exquisite jewels, and was reputed to have attained knowledge of the Elixer of Life. His knowledge was so vast and all-encompassing that his claim to have lived hundreds of years - he allegedly knew Jesus and was present at the Council of Nicea - was widely accepted as true. He is a Hermetic Magician’s hero for the ages, and his scent is an elegant, timeless, truly refined cologne, bold yet classic: gilded amber, hypnotic lavender, brash carnation and deep mosses.
Samhain 2004 - (LE) Revisited! Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.
Scarecrow - (Bewitching Brews) An agricultural gargoyle. Though he is the Guardian of the Crops and Keeper of the Fields, his visage is still the stuff of nightmares. The scent of a hot wind blowing through desolate, scorched, barren fields.
Seraglio - (Love Potions) In long-ago Arabia, harem girls rubbed an herbal poultice formed from a blend of sensual, luxuriant herbs and oils onto their bodies to prepare themselves for the Sultan’s pleasure. This lush, indulgent perfume is based on that ancient formula. Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel.
Silk Road - (Wanderlust) A panoply of cultural treasures, spanning the herbs, flowers, oils and balms of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Mediterranean, the Levant, Northern China, Eastern Europe, Iran, the Bulgar-Kypchak, Mesopotamia, the Crimean Peninsula, Anatolia, Antioch, and North Africa.
Sin - (Sin & Salvation) Thouroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon.
Snake Oil - (Love Potions) By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla.
Snow White - (LE) A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.
Spooky - (LE) A maddeningly festive blend of warm, buttery rum, cocoa, coconut, vanilla and a jolt of peppermint. It’s a sweet, decadent, slightly silly scent, reminicent of rum-laced holiday cookies.
Tamora - (Illyria) Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean.
Tintagel - (Wanderlust) According to legend, the birthplace of King Arthur. The scent of a castle’s great hall in the midst of joyous feasting. Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon’s blood resin.
Tzadikim Nistarim - (Sin & Salvation) The scent is one of unadulterated spiritual purity: frankincense, olive, spikenard, hyssop and galangal.
Velvet - (Bewitching Brews) Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.
Zorya - (The Zorya) Spices of the Orient mingle with crystalline musk, midnight flowers and cereus, jasmine, primrose and vesper iris.

On the way:
Faustus - (Sin & Salvation) An infusion of incalculable power and irresistible temptation. Truly an exercise in megalomania and self-gratification: frankincense and cinnamon, darkened by violet.
Viola - (Illyria) Gentle tea rose, lilac, Calla Lily, and Somalian Rose layered over golden Peruvian amber, Spanish moss, red sandalwood, rosewood, and myrrh, with the lightest touch of Mandarin.
Morocco - (Wanderlust) The intoxicating perfume of exotic incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia.

Wishlist:
Limited Editions
Mabon 2005 - Blackberry wine and apple cider with hops, apple blossom, English ivy, hazel, sage, oak bark and myrrh.
Samhain 2005 - Revisited! All the depth, beauty and darkness of All Hallows Eve. Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.
Devil’s Night - This is the scent of autumn night, fires in the distance, with a touch of boozy swoon, playful sugar and thuggish musk.
The Pumpkin Patch - Imps of Pumpkin with apple cider and mulling spice and Pumpkin with sandalwood and orris.

Wanderlust
Baghdad - Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood.
Bengal - A sultry and unruly blend that emulates the ambient scent of the markets in ancient Bengal: skin musk with honey, peppers, clove, cinnamon bark and ginger.
Dublin - The scent of misty forests, damp alder leaf, and the gentlest touch of white rose.
Sri Lanka - Indian sandalwood and cedar, and the dry incense smoke of olibanum, gum mastic, patchouli and myrrh.

Bewitching Blends
Dee - Soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods.
Jolly Roger - Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods.
Mantus - Crushed herbs and sweet amber resin with a streak of patchouli, neroli and golden musk.
Scherezade - Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk.
Yggdrasil - Nine woods, nine leaves, and three herbs each for Ratatosk and Vidofnir, with three final herbs to placate Nidhogg.

Love Potions
Libertine - Rosewood and chamomile with bergamot, violet, red sandalwood, primrose and Arabian musk.
Spellbound - blend of three roses, radiant amber, and sensual red musk.

Excolo
Old Scratch - a lavender fougere with tonka, amber, rosewood and a whiff of diabolical patchouli.
Thanatos - Dry white sandalwood and soft Siamese benzoin over a lugubrious blend of myrrh, Moroccan rose, mastic, tomb moss and a thin whiff of Greek incense.

Mad Tea Party
The Lion - A golden, spiced amber, proud, regal and ferocious.

Illyria
Iago - sinuous black musk, wet leather and vetiver.
Titus Andronicus - Dark musk and black amber with frankincense, red sandalwood, neroli and bergamot.

Diabolus
Fenris Wolf - Rosewood, amber, red musk and a dribble of red sandalwood
Nocnitsa - Her scent is that of a lightless fir wood, nighttime air, wet forest mosses and upturned earth.