PHOENIX STEAMWORKS
& RESEARCH FACILITY
Vulgar silver and gold are dead,
while those of the Philosophers are full of life.
Illustrations by the phenomenal Mlle. Julie Dillon.
PERFUME OIL BLENDS
Presented in an amber apothecary vial.
No. 93 Engine Perfume Oil
$5.75 – $23.00
No. 93 Engine Perfume Oil
$5.75 – $23.00
Beeswax candles reflect flickering light onto a brass-coated boiler engraved with the words “Solve Et Coagula”. The gargantuan boiler sends torrents of steam into rigid pipes that exert force onto innumerable pistons and turbine blades. The motion is harnessed to propel energy into gargantuan cogs and gears that move liquid metals, herbs, and resins into a series of alembics.
Balm of Gilead, benzoin, frankincense, balsam of peru, beeswax, saffron, galbanum, calamus, hyssop, mastic, lemon balm, and white sage.
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The Emily –
My absolute favorite and yearning for the restock!
vsyverson –
I have a bottle of this that’s been aging since 2008 and so I thought it might be useful to report. It’s very smooth, slightly more metallic than it was new, and dries down to something surprisingly reminiscent of Laudanum but with additional notes of beeswax and balsam of Peru. Not sure why it’s similar to Laudanum despite having no reported notes in common ; rather confusing. Still, this is on my short list of favorites.
VetchVespers –
No 93 Engine was one of my first BPAL loves and one of my first bottle buys. It’s an unusual fragrance and is hard to categorize.
There is a dark, metallic tang in the scent’s opening that is reminiscent of something industrial. It’s easy to imagine a drop or two of gear lubricant within this distillation, though I hypothesize this effect has to do with the acrid bite of sage. I also get a distinct impression of sassafras (though it isn’t a listed note) that isn’t confectionary, but spiced, woody, and dark, like the home hooch brews one might expect to find fermenting in a hillbilly’s cellar. Sometimes I catch whiffs of bitter vetiver, and sometimes something sweet and vanillic (from the benzoin). I never get anything lemony or lemon “balmish”. Nor do I get a distinct impression of incense, though several of the listed notes are found in incense. Rather, they produce a grounding warmth and weight to the whole. I am usually ambivalent towards beeswax, but here it’s used to lovely effect, adding a soft sweetness and glow that tie the brasher notes together.
No 93 Engine is both elegant and avant-garde, delightfully unisex, warm, spicy, and unique. It still ranks in my top favorites of the many BPAL blends I have tried.
dragonragdoll –
This is the scent (gifted from a close friend) that led me to start buying from BPAL.
This is a tarnished, earthy scent for the person who can’t typically pull them off. It’s very fresh, almost sweet.
Gloame –
Spicy and resin-y. A nice heated scent for those who enjoy woody/leathery/spicy blends. Smells hot and exotic.
Unisex, woody, spiced.
jessecake –
First applied, No. 93 Engine smells like a dark mildewy basement.
On the dry down it smells like a freshly emptied bottle of Vanilla Coke.
It isn’t bad when it dries but not something I would wear.
Grenouille –
Knocking off a “star” (or a bar, I suppose) only because this scent didn’t send me into a helpless, eye-fluttering rapture. Otherwise, it’s as close to a peculiar kind of perfection as I’ve experienced from BPAL (barring Iago, which actually has led me to eye-fluttering rapture).
While the site lists a great number of ingredients for this scent, by far-and-away the strongest were beeswax and frankincense, at least on me. Leaning in to take a fresh whiff on my arm, I was first hit by a dark, oddly mirthless and foodie-free honey note that had a rich, gummy middle-eastern incense so hard on its heels it was all but impossible to distinguish between the two. The instant I pulled away from my arm and started taking in fresh air, my nose was tickled by the slightest waft of something faintly effervescent and bright. I’ve since come to the conclusion that this was just a hint of the lemon and sage, which has more of a palate-cleansing quality, rather than acting as a high-note in its own right.
No. 93 would be a perfect scent for the sort of person that wants to spend an evening chatting about the finer points of The Picatrix in a dark, high-end bar in the UAE, curled around a hookah, with a post-modern answer to Abdul Alhazred.
Be warned, however; this scent, wonderful as it is, doesn’t have a lot of throw. It would be best used for one’s own pleasure, or under comparatively intimate conditions.
bonebone24 –
Wet: Bright and sweet, like an old-timey tonic.
Drydown: A spicy metallic with bright lemon and grounding sage over a sweet and creamy base of benzoin and beeswax. Woodsy balsam and sexy frankincense round it out. The throw smells a bit like cinnamon.
Dry: More of the same. Brilliant coppers and oiled brass. Deliciously spicy resins with smoky beeswax and herb-spiked lemon. It’s like all of my favorite things rolled into one. To quote Nine, it’s “Fantastic!”