Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab • Ravenous • Fragrances

Where To Buy?

*TOP REVIEWER* thespacecowgirl on 12/19/2008 3:17:00 AM more reviews by thespacecowgirl

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I thought this smelled like baby powder right after applying, which led to an unfortunate thought process about being ravenous for babies. That quickly went away, though, because this stuff BURNS. Ouch. No matter how great the scent was, I would never use or buy this again because it seriously felt caustic behind my ears and in my belly button, and even now the inside of my wrist is itchy. As to what it smells like, don't ask me, because I scrubbed it off ASAP to stop the stinging. Imp packaging is the worst ever. US$19.50/6 imps and 2 freebies.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

no1knows on 9/28/2006 4:28:00 PM more reviews by no1knows

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Blue    

I admit it, I pretty much only bought this one because of the name. After the order, I looked at the actual description and got a bit worried about the patchouli. Turns out I was half right. It is really warm and heavy and vaguely sweet [the orange, I think] whilst also boozy [also the orange, possibly]. It lasted a long time, but I just don't do boozy. So it wasn't the incense, which was actually tolerable, but the alcohol smell that mucked this one up for me--I just don't care to smell like alcohol. Or orangey medicine. It was like someone locked me up in rehab for alcoholism for a period of 8 hours, gave me some unknown orange candy-like medicine to make my stomach feel better and failed at doing so. Oops. Maybe I'll take a lesson away from this.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

metaldog32 on 3/30/2005 7:05:00 PM more reviews by metaldog32

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Again..I received an imp of this from a generous Ebay/BPAL forumite..and although I would have never picked Ravenous to try on my own, I am glad I got the chance to through the generosity of someone else.

Anyways...I have never really been a fan of patchouli..so taking a whiff of it I was pleasantly surprised...it seems a bit heavy but in a warm way..I don't think I am explaining this very well.

On the skin..smells warm and a bit intense..but not in a whomp in your face aggressiveness..however it is a noticeable fragrance. The patchouli doesn't seem headache inducing at all..and yes..the orange smells good..I sort of get the children's aspirin vibe many hours close to my skin...but I don't find it offensive at all.

Surprisingly..I actually like this fragrance..but I dont love it...at least not YET..so it is not bottle worthy for me..but I so enjoyed wearing it today..it has AMAZING staying power..10+ hours and I am still enjoying it...

Bottom Line-IMHO..a late summer to late fall fragrance..for people who like patchouli you will go WILD for this..and for people who normally don't give patchouli a second thought, myself included, Ravenous gives us the opportunity to stop and consider the patchouli possiblities!!!

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* dreamstorm on 12/17/2004 3:46:00 AM more reviews by dreamstorm

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Ravenous has a really quite pleasant soft orange liquor accord , but there is some powdery note (maybe a variety of amber) and incensey patchoulli dragging it down. A pity. Still, I think I'll hang on to my sample.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* oubliette on 11/9/2004 12:16:00 AM more reviews by oubliette

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

A very generic smelling incensey scent. Not terribly offensive, but it smells simply like a pale shadow of Snake Oil.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

buleria on 5/25/2004 10:28:00 AM more reviews by buleria

Age: Unknown   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

A kind MUA generously sent me a sample vial of Ravenous as a swap extra and I must say, I’m very glad she did! I find this scent captivating and sexy. The BPAL people indicate only notes of red patchouli and orange blossom, but my nose picks up full-out orange fruit and I swear there's amber in there (and my husband thought there was musk in there somewhere, too, although I’m not so sure). As a reviewer below has pointed out, there is a faint resemblance to Karma, but I would say the resemblance stops with the orange/patchouli combination. Whereas the dominant aspect of Karma is herbal, Ravenous is lushly warm and sensuous. On me it starts out strongly orange, patchouli, and ambery, goes briefly through a “medicinal” phase; then the orange tones down and the amber-like quality emerges emphatically. Ravenous warms as it dries down and sweetens over the course of hours. And I mean hours—this stuff lasts forever! Be aware, this fragrance is not for the shy. I could smell it while the vial was still sealed; and applied lightly(!), it’s more than capable of tendriling down stairs and around corners.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* twistygirl on 3/10/2004 4:59:00 AM more reviews by twistygirl

Age: 44-55   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

Oh, god, this smelled DEADLY on me when I first put it on... I could smell neither orange nor patchouli, I smelled like metallic dead meat or something. But now it is a very lovely smell, I can detect the orange more than the patchouli... it does remind me of Lush's Karma's sexy older sister, although I think I'd prefer a bit less orange and a bit more patchouli... or something like musk or amber to quiet the orange down a bit. I'm funny with orange. In some blends it smells wonderful on me, in some blends it's not bad but not quite great... I'd put this somewhere in the middle.

Wait! I just got a whiff of baby aspirin! That can NEVER be a bad thing! I think I'm liking this more than I had thought just a few minutes ago (I've had it on about an hour).

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

hvirgin on 3/5/2004 12:22:00 PM more reviews by hvirgin

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Green    

This is my official "wear when I need to feel sexy" perfume. It starts out as orange liqueur, but the sharpness seems to be less on my skin – not softened, but swallowed up in something warm and velvet-soft. Slinky and gorgeous.

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* JJ_J on 2/20/2004 11:17:00 PM more reviews by JJ_J

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Dry, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Orange, but just barely. More of a creamsicle kind of orange, which I would detest if the red sandalwood didn't grab the reins and pull it back into the blend pretty quickly.

The two combine and even out pretty well, but this isn't something I'd wear

    Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No