Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab: Fire Phoenix

purchased and reviewed by ThoraSTooth 

BPAL Scent of the Day:  Fire Phoenix (Anniversary 2008) -- Enterprise, adventure, restlessness, impulsiveness, and dynamism: Chinese musk and red musk with hyacinth, cactus flower, cubeb berry, galangal, tobacco, pink pepper, and sarsaparilla.

Fire Phoenix gave me a "yikes, keep away from this one" vibe when I first read the list of notes.  But of that entire Anniversary update, named for the five Chinese elements (plus Candy Phoenix), it's Fire Phoenix that made me fall in love with it.  Late last night I suddenly smelled this scent when I was nowhere near my perfume box.  I took that as a sign to wear it today.

In the vial this announces its Chinese musk, like many of the scents in that particular anniversary release.  But there's also a spicy-sweet floral and an effervescent, foody vibe that is more exciting than cloying.  On my skin, it briefly smells like a lot of things it isn't:  lemon, carnation, fruit.  On drydown it's spicy-hot sweet warmth with a citrusy tartness over musk. 

The Chinese musk is immediately recognizable and reminds me of the Siberian Musk single note; it overtakes the red musk to the point that I don't even notice any red musk.  I don't ever get anything I can identify as tobacco or hyacinth from this scent, either.  I wouldn't recognize cactus flower if I sniffed it.  The spices and roots don't smell like themselves in this scent either.  In short, it's fairly impossible for me to pick out the actual notes that comprise the scent I experience.  I just know it by its qualities.  There is an artless, youthful energy about it although it doesn't smell like a youth scent. 

Fire Phoenix doesn't last as long as some scents on my skin.  When I travel I carry a little roller bottle of it so I can reapply it as needed during the day.

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