The Carnival has come to town!
The Carnaval Diabolique update has gone live at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. It just kept scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. It's hard to decide on a "best part." It's maybe that this is only parts 1 & 2 of 7. It's maybe that all the scents will be up through next year, so I don't have to worry about being poor, and I can read reviews before ordering. It's maybe that the art is absolutely gorgeous. Oh, and it just happened to come with a slew of general catelogue updates and a forum-only scent as well.
This was a text-laden update, and while I'm only going to list notes here for the CD blends, go read all the official descriptions. The Diabolique ones tell a story. :)
The breakdown::
Carnival Diabolique, Acts 1 & 2:: The Prologue and Fiat Nox.
CARNAVAL DIABOLIQUE:: Opium smoke, lemon flower, heliotrope, tuberose, black musk, vanilla, coconut, apricot flower.
Hmm. Nothing is really jumping out at me here. It makes me think that this would be a slightly more floral Haunted or somesuch, but with this jumble of notes, I'm not really sure.
MIDNIGHT ON THE MIDWAY:: Sugared incense and night-blooming flowers.
I don't usually do flowers, particularly if I don't know the particular flowers. That said, my spider-sense tells me that this is going to be wonderful. If anything, I'll get a decant of this.
THE PHANTOM CALLIOPE:: Black cherry, patchouli, cassis, cardamom and verbena.
Eugh. Black cherry is my own personal kiss of death. This, with my skin chemisty, would likely smell like a lollipop dropped in the dirt.
THE CANDY BUTCHER:: Dark chocolate with a heavy cream undertone.
Most cocoa/chocolate scents make me sneeze. That said, this got a thumbs up from the folks who smelled it at will-call. Perhaps too sweet for me, but a definite decant.
MME. MORIARTY, MISFORTUNE TELLER:: Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum.
Beth's scent! Definitely in the Snake Oil / Snake Charmer / Smut family, from the looks of it. I can't wait to try this one.
THE ORGAN GRINDER:: Almond milk, sarsaparilla, tobacco smoke, black patchouli and white pine bark.
Pass.
PULCINELLA & TERESINA:: Labdanum, cedar, teak and red rose.
Sounds like it would smell like the inside of a very expensive jewelry box.
MELISANDE, THE PUPPET MISTRESS:: Jasmine sambac, dark musk, violet water, vanilla bean and mimosa.
I don't know what sambac is, but while I like jasmine in my bath products, it tends to be aggressive, head-achey old lady on me. Mimosa is also not a favorite note.
DOC CONSTANTINE:: Sheer musk, cedar smoke, fir needle, black amber and leather.
This sounds like a definite recipe for "find the nearest attractive male, slather him in scent, and hump until satisfied." In other words, yes.
XANTHE, THE WEEPING CLOWN:: Guava, orange peel, white pepper, spun sugar and apple blossom.
ACK. The art for this one is terrifying. This sounds like it might be fruity but also candyish, like the devil's lollipop.
GENNIVRE, L'ARTISTE du DIABLE:: Hyson tea leaf, pale mint, sugar cane, orange blossom, lemongrass, and honey.
Macha said she wanted her scent to smell like Moroccan Mint Tea. I'm so there.
THEODOSIUS, THE LEGERDEMAIN:: Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean.
I'm guessing this is the second coming of Dorian, but perhaps a little more refined.
ANTONINO, THE CARNY TALKER:: White musk, wild plum, vetiver, black coconut, verbena, fig, and lavender.
Meh. Vetiver has this habit of turning good masculine scents into "generic guy smell."
Forum-only scent.
F5:: A refreshing scent! GET IT?! Aloe, white musk, lime peel, fresh mint, seaspray, verbena and green tea.
Sounds like what would happen if The Star and Embalming Fluid mated. I'm indecisive about whether or not to get a decant or a bottle.
General Catelogue.
Bewitching Brews.
I DIED FOR BEAUTY:: The Venusian splendor of ylang ylang and violet stirred by hyssop, frankincense, and grave loam.
Too floral, likely.
THE JERSEY DEVIL:: It was about three feet and half high, with a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse's hooves. It walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws on them. It didn't use the front legs at all while we were watching. My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the window and say, 'Shoo', and it turned around barked at me, and flew away. The scent of the wild, hauntingly beautiful Pine Barrens of New Jersey! Pitch pine with blackberry leaf, cranberry, cedar wood and tomato leaf.
It sounds like it'll be really evocative. I just don't know if I'd want to wear it, you know?
THE TAVERN OF HELL:: White gardenia, ambergris bouquet, lavender fougere, orange blossom, melissa, tobacco flower, coriander, ebony wood, ylang ylang, absinthe and aged whiskey.
The description was very long, so I cut it, but... a Monmartre scent! Moulin Rouge fans, rejoice-- this one is no doubt based on historical research. Though likely too boozy-floral for me.
Love Potions.
LES BIJOUX:: Skin musk and honey, blood-red rose, orange blossom, white peach, red apple, frankincense and myrrh.
YES. If this isn't too heavy on the orange blossom, it will no doubt be absolutely gorgeous.
Illyria.
CALIBAN:: The scent of the salty seas, bittersweet wine, palm and tropical ferns.
Doesn't really stick out to me.
Ars Draconis.
LADON:: The hundred-headed dragon that guards the garden of the Hesperides: dragon’s blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth.
Man, I wish I liked dragon's blood more, because this sounds great otherwise.
TANIN'IVER:: Lilith’s monstrous dragon steed: dragon’s blood resin, patchouli, pomegranate, myrrh, mimosa, cassia, blood musk and smoke.
Again, dragon's blood.
Wanderlust.
MAG MELL:: The Plane of Joy, eternal reward for a lifetime of valor and glory. A place of eternal youth and beauty, strength and honor, music and revelry. The warmth of amber, the puissance of white ginger and the clarity of verbena, with fresh green grass, lush sage and cleansing droplets of summer rain.
YES. A world of YES. There is not one element here that I don't looooooove. I sense a hit.
MANHATTAN:: Sexuality, power, confidence. A meeting of modern, sleek elegance and rich, passionate history: sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid.
Amber and leather are a go. I'd be interested in hearing reviews first, though.
PONTARLIER:: The legendary birthplace of the Green Fairy. Swiss ferns, lilac, blackcurrant, Gallic rose and lavender with a dollop of sugar and absinthe.
Sounds pretty.
PORT ROYAL:: The Sodom of the New World! -- touted as the richest and wickedest city in all creation! Port Royal was the center of 17th century Caribbean commerce, a notorious safe harbor for pirates, and the site of our third flagship store, which was, sadly, destroyed in the earthquake of 1692. Spiced rum and ship’s wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute’s perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down.
Heh. I love the lab's descriptions. This sounds like it could be Eau d'Yancy. :)
URUK:: A city of mystery, wonder and majesty, said to have been built by order of Gilgamesh. Thick bitter almond and heady night-blooming jasmine with saffron, cinnamon leaf, red patchouli, river lilies, bergamot, fig leaf and the sacred incense of Inanna.
Goddamn jasmine. Grr arrgh almond. I like everything else so much that I might be tempted to try it anyway.
Wanderlust: Phantom Islands.
COCKAIGNE:: The weather is always mild, the wine flows freely, sex is readily available, and all people enjoy eternal youth. The Land of Plenty, also called Luilekkerland – the Lazy, Luscious Land: milk and honey, sweet cakes and wine.
Edible. Mmm.
THE ISLES OF DEMONS:: Twin islands near Newfoundland, now lost, that were believed to be gateways to Hell. The scent is of wet, dark greenery, carnivorous flowers, volcanic gas, and the hot black musk of the demons and wild beasts that populated the islands.
Erm. Interesting, but pass.
JEZIRAT AI TENYN:: The Dragon’s Isle: smoke and fire, earth and wind. The rage of the elements blasting over a primordial paradise.
I have no clue.
KUMARI KANDAM:: The hollow scent of a vast antediluvian civilization, now frozen and buried, smothered by a thick sheet of ice and trapped deep beneath the ocean. Thick incense, clay, stone, and hothouse blooms with a spike of frost, a hint of decay, and heavy, dolorous aquatic notes.
Clay and stone, huh? I'll be interested to hear the reviews.
LYONESSE:: "Then rose the King and moved his host by night / And ever pushed Sir Mordred, league by league, / Back to the sunset bound of Lyonesse -- / A land of old upheaven from the abyss / By fire, to sink into the abyss again; / Where fragments of forgotten peoples dwelt, / And the long mountains ended in a coast / Of ever-shifting sand, and far away / The phantom circle of a moaning sea." Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.
Yay, more Arthurian scents! When comes Avalon, yo? Okay, well-- this sounds very pretty, if it doesn't go soapy.
Panacea: The Elixirs.
ELIXIR VIII: BITCH:: Snappy-quick PMS relief.
Not generally needed, but heh. "You smell nice. What is it?" "BITCH."
ELIXIR IX:: TKO:: "Many things-- such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly-- are done worst when we try hardest to do them." Sleep, sleep, and more sleep.
Somnus is my go-to scent for sleep, but this might be nice, too.
The Salon.
CLOISTER GRAVEYARD IN THE SNOW:: Three white musks, ozone, frankincense, mint.
Sounds very atmospheric. Probably not very me, but something I'd like as a room scent.
DEATH OF THE GRAVE DIGGER:: Snow, soil, opoponax and myrrh.
I like BPAL's snow note. This will go on my wishlist, but not urgently.
THE FOX-WOMAN KUZUNOHA LEAVING HER CHILD:: White tea, cherry blossom, wisteria, star jasmine, and teak.
Cherry blossom. Mmmm. Sounds pretty.
THE PENITENT MAGDALEN:: Immortelle, lily of the valley, gaiac, amber, honey, white sandalwood, almond flower, blonde musk, and hyssop.
Likely to go to soap on me, but maybe not.
SILENCE:: White sandalwood, iris, blue musk, lotus root, moonflower, plum blossom, green tea, white mint and white peach.
I don't know why, but this is really speaking to me. A decant, for sure.
THREE BRIDES:: Moroccan rose, king mandarin, red sandalwood, Egyptian amber, orchid, carnation, benzoin, tonka, calla lily, vanilla flower.
Sounds very sensual. Mmm.
Also? As we head into August, we approach the revisiting of a venerable Black Phoenix tradition: the Halloween LE extravaganza. Keep an eye out for it later this month.
I did a dance! I'm wearing Devil's Night today because I'm so excited. Devil's Night was initially pretty "meh" on me, but over the last year, it's aged beautifully. It's a delicious vanilla musk now with a smoky note that's to die for. I am so glad I didn't sell it right off.
In other BPAL news, thoughts on already-released scents. I got my auction win bottle of Blood Moon. In the bottle, it smelled much more grain-y than my lost bottle, but it's that same warm red musk on my skin. Mmmm. Worth every penny. Now, if I could only find my AWOL bottle of The Hesperides... Hungry Ghost Moon is a surprise hit with me. I only bought it because of the ginger note, and when all the reviews came in citrus-y, I thought for sure I'd have to swap it. Not so-- it's a light melon and grapefruit scent, with a vanilla musk drydown. It's like a pale gren, ethereal cloud, and every now and again, I'd smell deep, fragrant wood. You will pry this bottle from my cold, dead hands. Also, add Hymn to Proserpine to my bottle list. It's passed the multiple-wear test and is just delicious.
This was a text-laden update, and while I'm only going to list notes here for the CD blends, go read all the official descriptions. The Diabolique ones tell a story. :)
The breakdown::
Carnival Diabolique, Acts 1 & 2:: The Prologue and Fiat Nox.
CARNAVAL DIABOLIQUE:: Opium smoke, lemon flower, heliotrope, tuberose, black musk, vanilla, coconut, apricot flower.
Hmm. Nothing is really jumping out at me here. It makes me think that this would be a slightly more floral Haunted or somesuch, but with this jumble of notes, I'm not really sure.
MIDNIGHT ON THE MIDWAY:: Sugared incense and night-blooming flowers.
I don't usually do flowers, particularly if I don't know the particular flowers. That said, my spider-sense tells me that this is going to be wonderful. If anything, I'll get a decant of this.
THE PHANTOM CALLIOPE:: Black cherry, patchouli, cassis, cardamom and verbena.
Eugh. Black cherry is my own personal kiss of death. This, with my skin chemisty, would likely smell like a lollipop dropped in the dirt.
THE CANDY BUTCHER:: Dark chocolate with a heavy cream undertone.
Most cocoa/chocolate scents make me sneeze. That said, this got a thumbs up from the folks who smelled it at will-call. Perhaps too sweet for me, but a definite decant.
MME. MORIARTY, MISFORTUNE TELLER:: Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum.
Beth's scent! Definitely in the Snake Oil / Snake Charmer / Smut family, from the looks of it. I can't wait to try this one.
THE ORGAN GRINDER:: Almond milk, sarsaparilla, tobacco smoke, black patchouli and white pine bark.
Pass.
PULCINELLA & TERESINA:: Labdanum, cedar, teak and red rose.
Sounds like it would smell like the inside of a very expensive jewelry box.
MELISANDE, THE PUPPET MISTRESS:: Jasmine sambac, dark musk, violet water, vanilla bean and mimosa.
I don't know what sambac is, but while I like jasmine in my bath products, it tends to be aggressive, head-achey old lady on me. Mimosa is also not a favorite note.
DOC CONSTANTINE:: Sheer musk, cedar smoke, fir needle, black amber and leather.
This sounds like a definite recipe for "find the nearest attractive male, slather him in scent, and hump until satisfied." In other words, yes.
XANTHE, THE WEEPING CLOWN:: Guava, orange peel, white pepper, spun sugar and apple blossom.
ACK. The art for this one is terrifying. This sounds like it might be fruity but also candyish, like the devil's lollipop.
GENNIVRE, L'ARTISTE du DIABLE:: Hyson tea leaf, pale mint, sugar cane, orange blossom, lemongrass, and honey.
Macha said she wanted her scent to smell like Moroccan Mint Tea. I'm so there.
THEODOSIUS, THE LEGERDEMAIN:: Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean.
I'm guessing this is the second coming of Dorian, but perhaps a little more refined.
ANTONINO, THE CARNY TALKER:: White musk, wild plum, vetiver, black coconut, verbena, fig, and lavender.
Meh. Vetiver has this habit of turning good masculine scents into "generic guy smell."
Forum-only scent.
F5:: A refreshing scent! GET IT?! Aloe, white musk, lime peel, fresh mint, seaspray, verbena and green tea.
Sounds like what would happen if The Star and Embalming Fluid mated. I'm indecisive about whether or not to get a decant or a bottle.
General Catelogue.
Bewitching Brews.
I DIED FOR BEAUTY:: The Venusian splendor of ylang ylang and violet stirred by hyssop, frankincense, and grave loam.
Too floral, likely.
THE JERSEY DEVIL:: It was about three feet and half high, with a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse's hooves. It walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws on them. It didn't use the front legs at all while we were watching. My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the window and say, 'Shoo', and it turned around barked at me, and flew away. The scent of the wild, hauntingly beautiful Pine Barrens of New Jersey! Pitch pine with blackberry leaf, cranberry, cedar wood and tomato leaf.
It sounds like it'll be really evocative. I just don't know if I'd want to wear it, you know?
THE TAVERN OF HELL:: White gardenia, ambergris bouquet, lavender fougere, orange blossom, melissa, tobacco flower, coriander, ebony wood, ylang ylang, absinthe and aged whiskey.
The description was very long, so I cut it, but... a Monmartre scent! Moulin Rouge fans, rejoice-- this one is no doubt based on historical research. Though likely too boozy-floral for me.
Love Potions.
LES BIJOUX:: Skin musk and honey, blood-red rose, orange blossom, white peach, red apple, frankincense and myrrh.
YES. If this isn't too heavy on the orange blossom, it will no doubt be absolutely gorgeous.
Illyria.
CALIBAN:: The scent of the salty seas, bittersweet wine, palm and tropical ferns.
Doesn't really stick out to me.
Ars Draconis.
LADON:: The hundred-headed dragon that guards the garden of the Hesperides: dragon’s blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth.
Man, I wish I liked dragon's blood more, because this sounds great otherwise.
TANIN'IVER:: Lilith’s monstrous dragon steed: dragon’s blood resin, patchouli, pomegranate, myrrh, mimosa, cassia, blood musk and smoke.
Again, dragon's blood.
Wanderlust.
MAG MELL:: The Plane of Joy, eternal reward for a lifetime of valor and glory. A place of eternal youth and beauty, strength and honor, music and revelry. The warmth of amber, the puissance of white ginger and the clarity of verbena, with fresh green grass, lush sage and cleansing droplets of summer rain.
YES. A world of YES. There is not one element here that I don't looooooove. I sense a hit.
MANHATTAN:: Sexuality, power, confidence. A meeting of modern, sleek elegance and rich, passionate history: sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid.
Amber and leather are a go. I'd be interested in hearing reviews first, though.
PONTARLIER:: The legendary birthplace of the Green Fairy. Swiss ferns, lilac, blackcurrant, Gallic rose and lavender with a dollop of sugar and absinthe.
Sounds pretty.
PORT ROYAL:: The Sodom of the New World! -- touted as the richest and wickedest city in all creation! Port Royal was the center of 17th century Caribbean commerce, a notorious safe harbor for pirates, and the site of our third flagship store, which was, sadly, destroyed in the earthquake of 1692. Spiced rum and ship’s wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute’s perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down.
Heh. I love the lab's descriptions. This sounds like it could be Eau d'Yancy. :)
URUK:: A city of mystery, wonder and majesty, said to have been built by order of Gilgamesh. Thick bitter almond and heady night-blooming jasmine with saffron, cinnamon leaf, red patchouli, river lilies, bergamot, fig leaf and the sacred incense of Inanna.
Goddamn jasmine. Grr arrgh almond. I like everything else so much that I might be tempted to try it anyway.
Wanderlust: Phantom Islands.
COCKAIGNE:: The weather is always mild, the wine flows freely, sex is readily available, and all people enjoy eternal youth. The Land of Plenty, also called Luilekkerland – the Lazy, Luscious Land: milk and honey, sweet cakes and wine.
Edible. Mmm.
THE ISLES OF DEMONS:: Twin islands near Newfoundland, now lost, that were believed to be gateways to Hell. The scent is of wet, dark greenery, carnivorous flowers, volcanic gas, and the hot black musk of the demons and wild beasts that populated the islands.
Erm. Interesting, but pass.
JEZIRAT AI TENYN:: The Dragon’s Isle: smoke and fire, earth and wind. The rage of the elements blasting over a primordial paradise.
I have no clue.
KUMARI KANDAM:: The hollow scent of a vast antediluvian civilization, now frozen and buried, smothered by a thick sheet of ice and trapped deep beneath the ocean. Thick incense, clay, stone, and hothouse blooms with a spike of frost, a hint of decay, and heavy, dolorous aquatic notes.
Clay and stone, huh? I'll be interested to hear the reviews.
LYONESSE:: "Then rose the King and moved his host by night / And ever pushed Sir Mordred, league by league, / Back to the sunset bound of Lyonesse -- / A land of old upheaven from the abyss / By fire, to sink into the abyss again; / Where fragments of forgotten peoples dwelt, / And the long mountains ended in a coast / Of ever-shifting sand, and far away / The phantom circle of a moaning sea." Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.
Yay, more Arthurian scents! When comes Avalon, yo? Okay, well-- this sounds very pretty, if it doesn't go soapy.
Panacea: The Elixirs.
ELIXIR VIII: BITCH:: Snappy-quick PMS relief.
Not generally needed, but heh. "You smell nice. What is it?" "BITCH."
ELIXIR IX:: TKO:: "Many things-- such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly-- are done worst when we try hardest to do them." Sleep, sleep, and more sleep.
Somnus is my go-to scent for sleep, but this might be nice, too.
The Salon.
CLOISTER GRAVEYARD IN THE SNOW:: Three white musks, ozone, frankincense, mint.
Sounds very atmospheric. Probably not very me, but something I'd like as a room scent.
DEATH OF THE GRAVE DIGGER:: Snow, soil, opoponax and myrrh.
I like BPAL's snow note. This will go on my wishlist, but not urgently.
THE FOX-WOMAN KUZUNOHA LEAVING HER CHILD:: White tea, cherry blossom, wisteria, star jasmine, and teak.
Cherry blossom. Mmmm. Sounds pretty.
THE PENITENT MAGDALEN:: Immortelle, lily of the valley, gaiac, amber, honey, white sandalwood, almond flower, blonde musk, and hyssop.
Likely to go to soap on me, but maybe not.
SILENCE:: White sandalwood, iris, blue musk, lotus root, moonflower, plum blossom, green tea, white mint and white peach.
I don't know why, but this is really speaking to me. A decant, for sure.
THREE BRIDES:: Moroccan rose, king mandarin, red sandalwood, Egyptian amber, orchid, carnation, benzoin, tonka, calla lily, vanilla flower.
Sounds very sensual. Mmm.
Also? As we head into August, we approach the revisiting of a venerable Black Phoenix tradition: the Halloween LE extravaganza. Keep an eye out for it later this month.
I did a dance! I'm wearing Devil's Night today because I'm so excited. Devil's Night was initially pretty "meh" on me, but over the last year, it's aged beautifully. It's a delicious vanilla musk now with a smoky note that's to die for. I am so glad I didn't sell it right off.
In other BPAL news, thoughts on already-released scents. I got my auction win bottle of Blood Moon. In the bottle, it smelled much more grain-y than my lost bottle, but it's that same warm red musk on my skin. Mmmm. Worth every penny. Now, if I could only find my AWOL bottle of The Hesperides... Hungry Ghost Moon is a surprise hit with me. I only bought it because of the ginger note, and when all the reviews came in citrus-y, I thought for sure I'd have to swap it. Not so-- it's a light melon and grapefruit scent, with a vanilla musk drydown. It's like a pale gren, ethereal cloud, and every now and again, I'd smell deep, fragrant wood. You will pry this bottle from my cold, dead hands. Also, add Hymn to Proserpine to my bottle list. It's passed the multiple-wear test and is just delicious.