About a year ago, a friend sent me a link to Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, knowing my love for all smells New Age, Samhain, and pumpkin. Considering this friend of mine lives in Australia and she could pin my penchant for sexy scents from half a world away, I knew I was in for something incredible. She said they make perfume oils that remind you of walking into a shop of magic, sex, and other such tawdry and delicious and sinful things.
So of course I checked it out. ;)
BPAL touts scents ranging "the aesthetic gamut of magickal, pagan and mythological blends, Renaissance, Medieval and Victorian formulas, and horror/Gothic-themed scents." They're fragrance oils (15-80% perfume oil) rather than eau de toilettes or that ilk, making them far more heady and captivating than most. As such, I was advised to handle with care.
The obsession started off with a bottle of Pumpkin Spice Everything, a single-note oil that boasted a "cheeky interpretation of the iconic scents of the season." They couldn't have gotten it more right: Straight out the bottle, pumpkin spice mix practically slaps you in the face. On me, it dried more like a pumpkin pie than something I would associate with Samhain, and while it was nice, it's not one I pull out often.
It did come with a few sample imp's ears, though -- this is how they get you, they include 1/32oz samples of other titillating scents you just have to have next. My absolute favorite is Vixen, and after six months of making that baby last, I finally bought a full bottle.
Know why I love this stuff so much? Because it smells (and makes me feel) like a straight-up bombshell, y'all. With its orange blossom, ginger, and patchouli, the last of which sticks with me the longest, I smell like a New Age shop and its decadent incenses and oils. Applying a bit to my pulse points is sure to raise my blood pressure.
What I've been truly waiting for, though, is a fragrance oil called O, which I swear was inspired by Story of O, a French novel of female submission with a gorgeous Parisian and sexual slavery. This ain't your 50 Shades. While I've yet to read it (I admit, the thought of doing so scares me a bit!), I've heard enough about it to wonder whether the oil nods to the book, and with that thought in my head, I just had to have it.
That may be why it scared me upon opening, too. Is that... powder? Yikes. Not what I anticipated With a mix of amber, honey, and vanilla, I was hoping for something more sensual right out the gate; someone described making an "ohh" face when she first tried it, a face I found myself making more out of confusion than bliss. But I bought it, so I should try it, right?
On the skin, it spoke heavily of honey, another thing that concerned me. It was initially too sweet! After about 20 minutes, though, it dried and slipped into a warm, decadent scent -- warm vanilla over a strong amber base and a hint of honey -- that, yes... mellowed into musk and... oh, how to describe it. I'm wearing it now and can't help but writhe a bit whenever I catch a whiff. It's like waking up the next morning thinking, "Fuck yeah, that was incredible."
You know what I'm talking about.
Is this something I'll wear on a regular basis? Alternating with my beloved Vixen, probably, but only if I sought to get into some good trouble before the end of the day. ;)
