Wednesday 19 August 2015

BLACK PHOENIX ALCHEMY LABS PERFUME OILS, HAUL & FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Today I'm sharing a really exciting post - my first impressions of some Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs perfume oils that I ordered earlier this month! I've been wanting to try out BPAL perfumes for ages, as they are a cruelty free company who do some really unique and darkly inspired scents. Join me in unboxing my haul and sharing my first impressions!


Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs specialise in scent blends with a dark, romantic, Gothic tone; and many of their fragrances are inspired by mythology, fairytales, horror, the Victorian period, magic, steampunk, films and other literature. I've had my eye on their fragrances for a while now (as soon as I saw they had Labyrinth and The Last Unicorn themed perfumes) so I was super excited to finally be able to order some for myself!


I ordered from BPAL earlier in the month, and I was expecting my package to take about a month seeing as it had to travel from the USA to UK. But it only took a little over a week from ordering to receiving, which was really impressive (In fact it even got here quicker than another order I made at the same time from within the UK)! International shipping comes at a flat rate of $25, which equates to around £16 and is quite reasonable - but I would suggest that you make your order worthwhile, and order a few things at a time. Everything came well protected and bubble wrapped, along with a really nice printed business card.

I ordered thirteen things from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs: eleven of their 'imp' sized perfumes, which are little sample sized bottles costing $4, and two of their full sized 5ml apothecary vials (which vary in price depending on the collection). Most of BPAL's general collection fragrances do have imp options, but the special collections don't, so it was from these that I got my full sized ones (bit risky as I have no idea what they smell like, but I hope for the best!). Here's what I ordered:

 The Lights of Men's Lives
"The wax and smoke of millions of candles illuminating the walls of Death’s shadowy cave: some tall, straight and strong, blazing with the fire of life, others dim and guttering"

▸ Euphrosyne
"Mirth. Gardenia, tea rose, vanilla and jasmine."

▸ Tezcatlipoca
"Lord of the Smoking Mirror, god of sorcery, nighttime, darkness, beauty, war, heroic men, beautiful women, and all material concerns. Tezcatlipoca is the Master Magician, a trickster god and shapeshifter, governing all worldly matters, and is also the Great Tempter, seducing men into evil acts and subsequently punishing them for their transgressions. Deep cocoa laced with patchouli, leather amour, ritual incense and a touch of Xochiquetzal’s flowers."

▸ Santa Eularia Des Riu
"Piquant citrus tempered by jasmine, soft Mediterranean herbs, lavender, and orange blossom."

▸ Shanghai
"The crisp, clean scent of green tea touched with lemon verbena and honeysuckle."

▸ Dormouse
"A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony."

▸ Alice
"Curiouser and curiouser. Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot."

▸ Rogue
"Soft, well-worn black leather, hemp and rosin."

▸ Elf
"Pale golden musk, honeycomb, amber, parma violet, hawthorn bark, aspen leaf, forest lily, life everlasting, white moss, and a hint of wild berry."

▸ Mary Read
"Salt air, ocean mist, aged patchouli, sarsaparilla, watered down rum, leather-tinged musk and a spray of gunpowder"

▸ Bewitched
"Deep, luscious green and berry scents that evoke images of woodland witchcraft and the raw power of nature: blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and musk."

▸ Fairy Bites (5ml vial)
"“It bit me!”
“What did you expect fairies to do?”
“I thought they did nice things.
Like – like granting wishes.”
“Shows what you know, don’t it?”
Osmanthus and raw honey with lavender, chamomile, white peppermint, raspberry, honeysuckle, thyme, bergamot and Dracula orchid. From the Labyrinth collection."

▸ Sarah, the Mother Bear (5ml vial)
"Practical scents – warm, nurturing, wise and strong: tonka bean, soft brown leather, myrrh, white sage, gurjum balsam, Ceylon cinnamon bark, red sandalwood, sweet tobacco, and a touch of gunsmoke. From the Pretty Deadly collection."

As well as these fragrances that I actually ordered, they also sent some free imp sized fragrances, which they endearingly call 'frimps'. I received:

▸ Black Forest
"This is the captured scent of a cold, moonless night, lost deep within the darkest wood. Haunting and desolate, this scent evokes images of fairytale tragedy and half-remembered nightmares. Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress."

▸ Gomorrah
"One of the Biblical Cities on the Plan, destroyed by God with fire and brimstone because of its people’s pride, prosperous ease, deceit, hedonism and indolence, and their callous, uncharitable hearts.A gritty, sordid and languid scent: ripe fig, date and currant with black herbs."

▸ Aizen-Myoo
"A bright, bittersweet scent honouring the Japanese Deity of Love and Passion. Aizen-Myoo is one of the vidyarjas, the Shingon’s Radiant Kings of Wisdom. Though Aizen-Myoo possesses the lust, grace and passion of both genders, he most often appears to his followers as male. His face is screwed into a fearsome demonic mask, but this is only the wrathful, fierce countenance he places over himself to guide and empower his children. Aizen-Myoo is the patron of prostitutes, of joyous, unbridled sexuality and of all forms of erotic love and is worshiped by all those in the sex industry, musicians and – oddly – landlords. Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea."

▸ Dodo
"Red musk, lemon peel, sugar cane, white sandalwood, mago and agarwood."

▸ Has No Hanna
"Brings a rush of good luck, lifts the spirits, and helps alleviate depression."

▸ Druid
"A woollen robe infused with the scent of a vast, primordial forest: ancient trees, fertile soil, wild herbs, spring grasses, and burgundy pitch incense."


I was really pleased with all of the perfumes I'd picked out, and pleasantly surprised by some of the frimps too. They're all so unique - you won't smell anything like these in your local department store! - and I'm definitely going to be making another order soon!

To see my first impressions of all of these scents, check out my video above!


Do you have any BPAL scents? If you don't, has this post inspired you to go check them out and find your own unique scent? What would you pick? Let me know below!


PS |  To read more about the cruelty free status of BPAL click here.

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