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.
$6.25 – $25.00
Pinpoints of red light beaming from its eyes scan the room, and in a flutter of leather wings, it scuttles across the wooden floorboards.
Polished metallic notes, glossy leather, frankincense, star anise, and thin lubricating oils.
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.
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My well-beloved was stripped. Knowing my whim,
She wore her tinkling gems, but naught besides:
And showed such pride as, while her luck betides,
A sultan’s favored slave may show to him.
When it lets off its lively, crackling sound,
This blazing blend of metal crossed with stone
Gives me an ecstasy I’ve only known
Where league of sound and lustre can be found.
She let herself be loved: then, drowsy-eyed,
Smiled down from her high couch in languid ease.
My love was deep and gentle as the seas
And rose to her as to a cliff the tide.
My own approval of each dreamy pose,
Like a tamed tiger, cunningly she sighted:
And candour, with lubricity united,
Gave piquancy to every one she chose.
Her limbs and hips, burnished with changing lustres
Before my eyes, clairvoyant and serene,
Swanned themselves, undulating in their sheen;
Her breasts and belly, of my vine the clusters,
Like evil angels rose, my fancy twitting,
To kill the peace which over me she’d thrown,
And to disturb her from the crystal throne
Where, calm and solitary, she was sitting.
So swerved her pelvis that, in one design,
Antiope’s white rump it seemed to graft
To a boy’s torso, merging fore and aft.
The talc on her brown tan seemed half-divine.
The lamp resigned its dying flame. Within,
The hearth alone lit up the darkened air,
And every time it sighed a crimson flare
It drowned in blood that amber-coloured skin.
Skin musk and honey, blood-red rose, orange blossom, white peach, red apple, frankincense and myrrh.
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.
An ancient blend, swollen with arcane power: galangal, high john essence, frankincense, cedar, and sandalwood.
Also called the Lamed Vev, two letters in the Hebrew alphabet that translate to the number thirty-six. In this violent, ugly, strife-riddled world of ours there are thirty-six men, the Hidden Just Men or Hidden Saints, who bear on their shoulders the burden of all our pain, sorrows and sins. The Tzadikim Nistarim move in obscurity, and are usually found among the poor, the downtrodden and the meekest among us, and are chosen for this task because of their righteousness, stalwart sense of genuine justice, and the true goodness of their souls. When one of these men dies, God chooses another to take his place. It is for their sake and for love of them that God does not destroy His imperfect creation. As long as the Lamed Vav serves humanity, the world will continue to plod on, but once one of them dies and God cannot find another worthy to take his place, the world will be destroyed. In Qabala, the thirty-six men of the Tzadikim Nistarim together combine to symbolize the seventy-two bridges, corresponding to the seventy-two names of God, that connect the concealed and revealed worlds of our universe.
The scent is one of unadulterated spiritual purity, with a taste of the world’s eternal pathos, and the joy of suffering with grace: frankincense, olive, spikenard, hyssop and galangal.
David –
Very minimal leather for myself, although the wonderful spiced amber with a touch of metal I do get is just delightful.
companda.art –
I originally intended to buy this for my husband, and I’m sure most would agree it’s a more masculine scent, but I adore it on my skin as a woman. Fresh on, it’s very strong, but mellows quickly- yet has great staying power. I can even smell it on my skin after bathing.
Abstractly, it reminds me of being in an old tin barn during a spring downpour. Bored, and waiting for the rain to stop, idly sorting through the greasy tools in the shop. Sitting on the ancient taped up chair, the one that wraps you up like an old leather jacket, you detect the lingering thick scent the machine oils leave behind. It’s nostalgic, mixing with the distinctly sharp smell of rusty wet metal siding. Watching the rain through the open door you’re struck by the sweet, rich, almost spicy smell of fruit tree blossoms on the wind, and time melts away.
It’s a very personal experience, but maybe one that resonates. The metallic tone is distinct, cold, and lovely. It’s wrapped all in warm leather, and the sweet spiced smell of the anise comes through over any licorice- which I feel is there, but merged with the metallic scents.
werewolfgal –
Wet: Gorgeous light oils and the star anise shines giving it a very exotic Egyptian feel.
Drying: Barely there metallics gloss over the frankincense and star anise. I love this. Highly polished leather adds all the more to this scentscape.
Dry: The oils are still there and the star anise shines with just a bit more metallic bite.
A very nice exotic, masculine scent.
Absolutely perfect.
luxdancer –
I’m not sure what to make of this one, to be honest. There’s the frankincense, but also this dry, bitter note that makes this perfume come off as cool – I guess, metallic.
Once it hits my skin, though, it completely vanishes. I don’t smell anything, really, but I do feel a cool menthol at the back of my throat (where your nasal passage meets the throat). It’s very strange.
I might see what it does on my guy’s skin, but I’m going to pass on this one. I love the bronze colour though!
satyrcynic –
I was considering trying the Antikyythera Mechanism but got this instead as I thought it would be more masculine. Out of the bottle, leather dominates and when freshly applied the metallic notes become noticeable with the tobacco hiding gently in the background, adding a subtle sweetness. It’s a good blend, the only problem is that without a close examination it blends out into a generic mens cologne scent and could be mistaken for something much less intricate. Would rate higher if the leather was less overpowering.
satyrcynic –
I was considering trying the Antikyythera Mechanism but got this instead as I thought it would be more masculine. Out of the bottle, leather dominates and when freshly applied the metallic notes become noticeable with the tobacco hiding gently in the background, adding a subtle sweetness. It’s a good blend, the only problem is that without a close examination it blends out into a generic mens cologne scent and could be mistaken for something much less intricate. Would rate higher if the leather was less overpowering.
woodenmango –
Out of the vial, so good! Frankincense for certain and sharp metallic notes with just the faintest hint of star anise. Smells almost the same on me but with the anise warming up more and the leather starting to reveal itself. Very strong, just the tiniest dab on the inside of my elbow and I can smell it. More of a masculine scent for sure but I would still wear it again.