Only Lovers Left Alive is a vampire movie from 2013 directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab recently released a limited-edition series of scents based on the film--there are five scents based on the characters in the film, seven based on songs from the soundtrack, and eleven based on specific plot points in the movie. Only 350 bottles of each perfume were created, and when they're gone, they're gone. I picked up decants of a few of these, and the one I'm reviewing today, Hal, is a soundtrack perfume based on the song by the same title by Yasmine Hamdan, a haunting, sultry love song sung in Arabic.
Price: $30 for a 5 mL amber glass bottle of perfume oil with polyseal cap.
Samples: Not available for this scent.
(More details about price and shipping can be found in our Company Overview post about Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.)
Description from the website: "Saffron-infused bourbon vanilla, blackened honey, Kashmir wood, Atlas cedar, ambrette seed, hay, and Egyptian jasmine absolute."
The description of this scent tripped all my triggers. Vanilla, saffron, cedar, hay, jasmine? Yes, please. I was on the fence about the rest of the scents, but had to at least try a decant of this one. I'm considering a full bottle, as this is one of the loveliest perfumes I've tried in the last year or so.
Wet on the skin, it has an almost fruity, juicy sweetness brightening a dry, musky cedarwood base. It smells like honeyed sandalwood incense, with intoxicating jasmine blossoms crowding up from below as it warms on the skin. And this is one of the most beautiful jasmine scents I've tried--not too stinky or huge.
I love hay notes, and the one here is pretty strong, melting with the woods and honey to contribute to the impression of dim golden light and swirling clouds of incense. The ambrette seed (a vegetable-based musk note) and vanilla hang close to the skin, giving the scent a soft, warm texture. The throw of the perfume is close-to-moderate, and it doesn't last a hugely long time, but less is probably more when it comes to scents like this that could easily become overwhelming.
As it dries down, I continue to get an impression of dark fruits from the fragrance, though none are listed and it's subtle... something about it reminds me of Hermes Ambre Narguile, which smelled like raisins and honey to me. Vague notions of fruit and honey aside, though, the jasmine is really the star of the show in this fragrance. It's framed and buoyed by the other notes, and it's done right, in my opinion: heady rather than headache-inducing, soft, lush, smoky, and sexy.
For a review of Hal and other scents in the Only Lovers Left Alive collection, you can also check out Gothic Charm School.
Note: this scent is vegan.
If I was able I would to buy it for the name, vampire names are always welcome, but the smell it is something I would love to smell.
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