Herbert West
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Well, I've finally taken the plunge. I've been staring at this Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab website for the past year, and decided to pull the trigger. Being a good New Englander and a lifetime fan of H.P. Lovecraft, I decided to start with some samples (Imp's Ears - grin) from their "A Picnic In Arkham" series. Black Phoenix says that Herbert West smells of 'Aftershave, embalming fluid, and splatterings from a panoply of reanimation reagents.' A pretty turn of phrase to be sure, but do I really want to be wearing this stuff? :) Well, I'm happy to report that it smells pretty good. The initial application is similar to a lime-infused version of... Mugler's Cologne???!! Hmmm, not bad. I will confess that in the middle notes, there is something a little strange. Not bad, but strange. A bit sharp, makes you want to smell more just to figure out what it is. Maybe this is the embalming fluid note? But for me, the coolest part is the drydown. It stays very close to the skin and is reminiscent of skin after a swim in salty ocean water on a hot summer day. Thumbs up for being a slightly crazed, but good-smelling and fairly mild-mannered scent that wouldn't be out of place in an office setting. Hmmm... Kind of like Jeffrey Combs playing the mad Doctor Herbert West in the "Reanimator" movie. My only critique: the juice should be phosphorescent green instead of a pale yellow color.