Showing posts with label wisteria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wisteria. Show all posts

Monday, August 5, 2013

The Shadowy and the Sublime - Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab



Details: 
The Shadowy and The Sublime
Gothic Literature Vol 1
Halloweenie 2010
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Notes: 
A sudden and shocking insight into the vast, ineffable, overwhelming power of Nature, stirred by a vision or experience of perfected beauty and perfected terror, that changes the soul irretrievably. An epiphany: Moroccan amber, wisteria, ambergris accord, white rose, magnolia, white mint, angelica, bergamot, and myrrh.

When I first got this, I adored it. This is what I wrote about it back then. 
Anything that includes wisteria, white rose, magnolia... I'm there. It doesn't disappoint either. This is a gorgeous creamy white floral with no really dominant notes that I could distinguish. It's beautifully blended, with a medium throw and reasonable staying power. I wish BPAL would do more of these gentle florals, because they're obviously really good at it.  

Unfortunately, once this perfume had aged a year or so, the amber became really prominent and pretty much took over the 'gentle floral' entirely, and I'm a bit devo because it was so, so beautiful before. Although I can still smell the floral notes, it's mostly just amber, and a really heady kind that makes me feel a bit headachy and nauseated after a while. It's been a long time since I last wore it, but I pulled it out to compare with Estella, hoping that further ageing had mellowed it somewhat. Not to be. This perfume has very high sillage and lasts for ages - I put a teeny amount on my wrist in the morning and when I woke the following day I could still smell traces of it. It's a clinger. I loved you once, lady, but you got old. :-(

Rating: 
2/5

Day 216! 

Friday, March 1, 2013

Garden Gate - Solstice Scents



Details: 
Garden Gate
Spring Collection 2011
Solstice Scents

Notes: 
Voluptuous Lilac blossoms in the foreground combine with faint traces of cascading wisteria and subtle, fresh, green grass notes. Contains a blend of fragrance oils and African Bluegrass EO to creat a sweet, creamy and gorgeous floral. The dry down is an intensely beautiful and very wearable floral that smells true to the light purple flowers that inspired it.

This perfume is similar to several other 'cottage garden' ones I have, which is why I never bothered buying a full size. The lilac is most prominent on first sniff - that's pretty much all I get. It doesn't really change any until the dry down, and that's when the wisteria and the 'green' show up. It's lovely if you like garden florals (and I do very much). There's really not a lot more to say about it. Sillage and longevity are both on the low-ish side. I could still smell it after 3 hours, but it was extremely faint. 

Rating: 
3/5

Day 58!