Bayou
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Official blurb & notes:
"A lazy, warm deep green scent with a thick aquatic undertone: Spanish moss, evergreen and cypress with watery blue-green notes and an eddy of hothouse flowers and swamp blooms."

This smells so evocative and the name fits: it's green, damp and darkly alluring. To me it does not feel aquatic at all; more damp like the forest floor in the swampy area. An interesting one.

No, no, mamma now devil done do-si-do
Two young boys lyin' dead by the side of the road
The coins in their eyes represent the money they owed
No judge or jury ever gonna hear their story told
Down by the bayou...

Jambalaya! Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the Bayou. Well, this is it, I guess. I've never been to the bayous but I imagine that they would smell pretty much like this: Moist, aquatic, mossy, vegetal, with tropical flowers. They are all here. It opens with grapefruit – not exactly bayou material but it does give kind of an aquatic feel, and the green notes help in the interpretation. This opening note borders on dark. The opening even manages to have the feel of hot, humid air. The moss and the florals show up together to my nose, and it's a good moss note – green (a bit sharp) rather than that musty dusty feel that often shows up with moss notes. The florals are more in the background than the foreground and they do have a little of the tropical feel to them, but they are not really the main element of the heart notes… the mossy, coniferous green form the main intent. I think that I like the base the best of all because it has that earthy feel to it that is always present in swampy places on hot days. I love that earthy smell and it is nicely supported by a woody accord. The base is quite soft, though – not a sillage monster. All things considered, I think Bayou is more feminine than not – I know I wouldn't be comfortable wearing it, but it's a very interesting and, I would guess, a wearable scent.

Smashing! Has a southern goth feel to the opening, after that the tropical white flowers add a little lushness & warmth.. they blend in & fade a bit into the dydown. I love the balance the drydown has of deep dark green/wood with a delicate vein of powdery floral. It's beautiful and unique, and it's what I was hoping for in scents I've tried like Passage d'Enfer, Heure Exquise, L'Heure Bleu.. it's soothing & peaceful but with depth & substance.