BPAL: Miscellenia

[gwydion]

The Frimps:

BLACK LOTUS (Rappaccini’s Garden): (Company says: Black lotus flower, amber, myrrh and sandalwood.)

In Bottle: Cleverly blended. The Amber beautifully compliments the dominant lotus. The myrrh and the sandalwood softly flesh out the amber. Wet: Still strongly lotus dominant. The amber is gentler and more powdery on the skin. The Myrrh is slightly more assertive, pulling slightly ahead of the sandalwood to hold third, but really this is all about the lotus. Dry: The lotus softens until it’s all about the Amber.

THE COILED SERPENT (Bewitching Brew): (Company says: A potent yogic oil that stimulates the kundalini, provokes spiritual awakening, and releases the energy seated in your root chakra.)

In Bottle: Chalky roots with maybe a touch of incense, which makes sense for what it’s meant to be. I’m suspecting there is orris among the roots, so I’m not skin testing.

CONICAL BEAST 2012 (LE, Pickman Gallery: Feverish Fancies): (Company says: Black cherry pulp, aged patchouli, wild fruit gums, pine sap, night-blooming jasmine, and vetiver.

In bottle: This is extremely well designed. Seriously, I’m someone who hates vetiver and who can’t wear two other notes in here and I think this is beautiful. The balance of this is brilliant. Patchouli, pine sap, and vetiver form a dark faction in which each is distinct, yet cooperative with the others. This is balanced by a sweeter, juicier faction formed by cherry, jasmine, and fruit gums, in which all are also distinct yet beautifully consonant. The balance is perfect and each element shines. I wouldn’t have guessed this would work from the description, but oh, was I wrong.

HIGHWAYMAN (Bewitching Brew): (Company says: Stand and deliver! Vetiver with gardenia, blood red rose, night-blooming jasmine, a dash of cinnamon and a faint hint of leather.)

In Bottle: Way too much rose for my tastes with strong gardenia and jasmine support, infiltrated by a dangerous leather and vetiver combination, with a cinnamon kick. This is alarming and rather confusing to my nose. It’s fascinating like a cobra swaying is fascinating. No skin test for rose and vetiver.

Ordered:
ALL HALLOWS’ APPLE 2013 (LE, Halloweenie, All Hallow’s Read): (Company says: Fallen apples, grave moss, autumn leaves, and upturned earth).

In Bottle: Fresh crisp sliced apples are strongly dominant. Autumn leaves and grave moss blend to make a beautiful bed for the display of the apples, with the earth note in support. This is gorgeous and perfectly autumnal in a sharp but pleasant way. Wet: The apple is gentler and more like fallen apples on the skin, the edges fading right into the moss and leaves, with the damp earth smoothing things together. It is not quite as lovely on my skin as it was in the bottle, though still quite interesting. It is water color rather than the crisp lines in the bottle. Dry: Mostly Autumn Leaves and moss.

HESIOD’S PHOENIX 2013 (LE, Lunacy): (Company says: Golden amber, bourbon vanilla, and sweet oudh.)

In bottle: Sweet and smooth. Very sexy. The amber, oudh, and vanilla complement each other so beautifully that it’s hard to say where one ends and the other begins. It’s slightly amber dominant. Wet: The Oudh really sings on the skin, and I’d now call it oudh dominant, with amber second and vanilla accents. They still go beautifully together, but my skin chemistry switches up the balance. I liked it in the bottle, but love it on the skin. I admit, I’d like a bit more vanilla, but aging should solve that. I think this is going to be a classic. Dry: Mostly Amber kissed by oudh.

MOON OF THE TERRIBLE 2013 (LE, Lunacy): (Company says: Desolation at the last moment in the gloaming on New Year’s Day: winter snow with white lavender, benzoin, lychee, white resins, and a cluster of melancholy, lachrymose lunar herbs.)

In bottle: The snow note it extremely dominant, but it’s the non-peppermint mint version which I can usually wear, with strong support from benzoin, lavender, and herbs. The herbs go particularly well with snow and lavender in this blend. The Lychee provides a sweet6 counterpoint with resins in support. It’s really interesting, but might be to heady for wearing. Wet: The lavender steps into dominance of the skin with snow in strong support with the herbs complicating them. The benzoin smoothes transition with the lychee and resins. As it warms, the snow moves back into dominance with the herbs in strong support. It’s quite the morpher. It also has big throw. Dry: Mostly snow kissed with lavender, and nard.

OVID’S PHOENIX 2013 (LE, Lunacy): (Company says: Fitful dreams of the cradle and sepulchre: honey, cassia bark, sweet spikenard, cinnamon, and yellow myrrh.)

In bottle: Strongly honey dominant with Spikenard in second. The myrrh gently darkens it, while the cassia and cinnamon spice it up. The effect is similar to honey and carnation. It’s quite pretty. Wet: The spikenard strengthens on the skin, so that it’s more spiknard sweetened with honey. The spices are gorgeous here and the myrrh is understated and well blended with the other elements. Dry: Mostly honey kissed with nard and cassia.

SLEIPNIR 2009 (LE, Yule): (Company says: Confections spun of hazelnuts, honey, elderberries, and bilberries with a dusting of hay and a bit of carrot.)

In Bottle: Hazelnut dominant. I will be honest that I have no idea what bilberries smell like and am vague on elderberries, not being found of gin, so I can not tell you which is which here. I’m just going to refer to them collectively as berries. The berries are second strongest, with carrot and honey support and blend in a lovely and interesting fashion with hazelnuts. The hay is a soft canvass that shows off the stronger elements to advantage. I was skeptical of this blend when I read the description, but it came in a swap and I am now pleasantly surprised. Wet: Oh man, this is rich and unusual. I admit that these are not the berries I’d have picked for this. (I’m blaming the elderberries as I’m pretty sure they are the issue, though grain of salt here. One of the berries is a little too ginlike, while the other pleases my nose). The slightly off edge is not enough to put me off and they are a beautiful dominant note complimented by the carrot and honey support and the more delicate hazelnut, which is doing a lovely dance with the more delicate hay. This is gorgeous and unusual and a clever way of expressing the concept. Dry: Delicious what I think are bilberries and honey.

TOTENTANZ 2013 (LE, MISKATONIC VALLEY PHILHARMONIC, Finale): (Company says: Shadow musk and blood musk with opoponax, aged patchouli, leather accord, black pepper, and bitter clove).

In bottle: I’d call this blood musk dominant, with shadow musk and opoponax support. Patchouli is as strong second, with soft leather support. Pepper and clove give it a spicy edge. Wet: Mildly patchouli dominant, with strong musk seconds. The shadow musk does a lovely job tying the patchouli, leather, and blood musk together. Of the musk/opoponax complex, the blood musk is still strongest. The clove is stronger on the skin and lovely with the leather musk, and patchouli. This is a touch more patchouli and musk than I like, but the scent is so beautifully designed and blended that I don’t think it matters. Dry: Nuanced musks mostly.



Winners: Hesiod’s Phoenix
Runners Up: All Hallow’s Apple, Ovid’s Phoenix