Undomiel Regina (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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smellsgood2014-04-01 06:03 pm
undomielregina) wrote in smellsgood2014-04-01 06:03 pm
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Black Baccara Perfumery Reviews
A couple notes before I start: I don't have the best nose for this sort of thing. I can rarely smell more than one or two notes at a time. I also have really weird skin chemistry, so scents sometimes behave very oddly on me, especially florals.
Alice's Tea Party
Listed notes: green tea, wild cherry, orange, pomegranate, honey, marshmallow, vanilla, baking bread.
In the vial: Honey and cherry. The cherry is a bit artificial and the whole thing smells like twizzlers.
Wet: Twizzlers on first application, pretty overwhelmingly. Thankfully, this seems to fade out really quickly in favor of honey and marshmallow.
Drydown: The fruit notes start coming back, which is a good thing. I start being able to smell the pomegranate for the first time. The scent is getting more balanced as a whole, and is increasingly complex. There's less of a sense of only a couple notes dominating. It's still very sweet, but without being cloying or shading toward cough syrup. Toward the very end, it's shifted to being pretty much all fruit, which isn't surprising since I tend to amp fruit scents very strongly.
Overall, I'm firmly neutral on this one. I don't dislike it, but it doesn't really have anything that leaves me dying to wear it again, either. It's also not particularly long-lasting, and seems to fade out in a few hours even if I apply it heavily, with even the basenote barely detectible after about four hours.
Black Cat
Listed notes: cardamom, black pepper, cloves, frankincense, myrrh, and cedarwood
In the vial: Cardamom mixed with something sweet.
Wet: Cardamom, with maybe a hint of clove and incense. The clove strengthens pretty quickly after the initial application.
Drydown: Still mostly cardamom, but softened by the other notes, none of which come through with enough distinctiveness that I can identify them. The cedarwood seems to be absent entirely, which isn't surprising since I tend to drown woods.
I love this one. Cardamom is one of those things I'd happily smell like forever. I'll definitely be ordering a full-size of this.
Cabaret
Listed notes: vintage perfumes, merlot, cigar smoke, sandalwood
In the vial: Wine and whatever floral is in the vintage perfume with just a hint of smoke riding on top.
Wet: Very soft and classic. Not very floral, which is excellent.
Drydown: Soap. Bah.
Well, it goes to soap. Expensive soap, to be fair, but in a kind of generic way that smells like those little soaps molded into seashells. Might be okay for layering, but not really a keeper.
Love Spell
Listed notes: wild cherry, pomegranate, orange, strawberry, cinnamon, clove, marshmallow, vanilla
In the vial: Cough drops with cinnamon on top.
Wet: The cinnamon's dominant now, with the fake cherry running just underneath.
Drydown: The fake cherry fades out almost immediately, leaving a sweet cinnamon scent that is thankfully not reminiscent of cinnamon gum. The clove comes forward, but the fruit isn't really detectable at all. It does seem to be lurking just behind the more assertive spices, though. This smells a little like winter potpourri.
I like it in small doses, but it seems like the kind of thing will leave you smelling like a candle store during the run up to Christmas if you overdo it.
Magick Man
Listed notes: bay rum, olibanum, sandalwood, cedarwood, Madagascar vanilla, cyclamen, clove, oud
In the vial: bay rum and cedar.
Wet: Cedar briefly, then soap.
Drydown: More soap with no interesting nuances.
Comparing the notes on this and Cabaret, I'm beginning to suspect an adverse response to the sandalwood they use.
Marquis de Sade
Listed notes: leather, tobacco, merlot, dragonsbreath, bay rum, clove, opopanax, and oakmoss
In the vial: definitely getting the leather, and possibly the tobacco or oakmoss. It smells funky in a very good way, with hints of something a bit sharper around the edges.
Wet: Dry leather, like the bindings of books
Drydown: Oakmoss, maybe, and wine.
I like the smell, so this is a keeper for days when I want to wear something assertively masculine. Probably not worth a full bottle, though.
Mummy
Listed notes: clove, tobacco, cinnamon, amber, soil, wine, and cardamom
In the vial: There's a wine tang overlaid with dirt and tobacco
Wet: Wine, clove, and a hint of cinnamon, with something heavy blanketing the whole thing lightly.
Drydown: Clove more than cinnamon, which is surprising since I tend to amp cinnamon more strongly. Still with little hints of something tangy peering around the edges to keep this from smelling like holiday candles. I might even be getting some of the tobacco woven through it, but I'm not sure. The end result is sort of like clove tea.
This is another one I really like. I'm an eternal sucker for spices, and the brighter notes really help keep the whole effect from becoming cloying.
Raven
Listed notes: licorice root, vanilla, cloves and agarswood
In the vial: agarswood, with some hints of spices
Wet: Agarswood
Drydown: Deep and very rich. There isn't a lot of licorice, which I expected to come through more strongly, but that might be because it isn't a sweet scent at all. I'm almost getting hints of coffee or cacao floating on top. I honestly have no idea what I'm smelling mostly, though, except that it's definitely neither vanilla nor clove.
I may be baffled, but it's a good bafflement. This is a fascinating and very pleasant scent.
Snake Charmer
Listed notes: plum, apple, cinnamon, green tea, musk, and cedarwood
In the vial: something fruity and sweet, in an almost artificial way, but not strong or chemical. Nothing I can put my finger on, except to rule out apple.
Wet: Still sweet fruit, with less artificiality, thankfully.
Drydown: The cinnamon is starts to come forward, with more tea in the background than fruit.
I actually quite like this, especially on the drydown. The combination of dry background scent with rich foreground is pleasant, and unusual compared to other perfumes I own.
Wilde
Listed notes: bay rum, cardamom, clove, smoke, and leather
In the vial: Astringent, almost piney, with bright elements that might come from the bay rum.
Wet: Much less sharp, thankfully, but I'm still utterly unable to pick out individual notes.
Drydown: Bay rum, maybe some clove?
I really like bay rum fortunately, so I'm happy with how this ages, and I found the early application fascinating.
And I received one freebie with my sample set,
Aphrodite
Listed notes: muscadine grape, peach blossoms, pear, lemon, green tea, and almond
In the vial: Cherry lifesavers.
Wet: Still cherry candy
Drydown: Less sugar, but still artificial, like the red or blue marker in those sets that are scented by color. I think the problem is actually the almond, oddly enough.
Not exactly a keeper, which is a pity. I wanted so much to like it, but I don't particularly enjoy smelling like a five-year-old who scribbled on herself.
Black Baccara is closing down April 21st, so if any of these sound good, orders should probably be made asap. There should still be time to buy sample vials and get a full-size order in after testing.
Alice's Tea Party
Listed notes: green tea, wild cherry, orange, pomegranate, honey, marshmallow, vanilla, baking bread.
In the vial: Honey and cherry. The cherry is a bit artificial and the whole thing smells like twizzlers.
Wet: Twizzlers on first application, pretty overwhelmingly. Thankfully, this seems to fade out really quickly in favor of honey and marshmallow.
Drydown: The fruit notes start coming back, which is a good thing. I start being able to smell the pomegranate for the first time. The scent is getting more balanced as a whole, and is increasingly complex. There's less of a sense of only a couple notes dominating. It's still very sweet, but without being cloying or shading toward cough syrup. Toward the very end, it's shifted to being pretty much all fruit, which isn't surprising since I tend to amp fruit scents very strongly.
Overall, I'm firmly neutral on this one. I don't dislike it, but it doesn't really have anything that leaves me dying to wear it again, either. It's also not particularly long-lasting, and seems to fade out in a few hours even if I apply it heavily, with even the basenote barely detectible after about four hours.
Black Cat
Listed notes: cardamom, black pepper, cloves, frankincense, myrrh, and cedarwood
In the vial: Cardamom mixed with something sweet.
Wet: Cardamom, with maybe a hint of clove and incense. The clove strengthens pretty quickly after the initial application.
Drydown: Still mostly cardamom, but softened by the other notes, none of which come through with enough distinctiveness that I can identify them. The cedarwood seems to be absent entirely, which isn't surprising since I tend to drown woods.
I love this one. Cardamom is one of those things I'd happily smell like forever. I'll definitely be ordering a full-size of this.
Cabaret
Listed notes: vintage perfumes, merlot, cigar smoke, sandalwood
In the vial: Wine and whatever floral is in the vintage perfume with just a hint of smoke riding on top.
Wet: Very soft and classic. Not very floral, which is excellent.
Drydown: Soap. Bah.
Well, it goes to soap. Expensive soap, to be fair, but in a kind of generic way that smells like those little soaps molded into seashells. Might be okay for layering, but not really a keeper.
Love Spell
Listed notes: wild cherry, pomegranate, orange, strawberry, cinnamon, clove, marshmallow, vanilla
In the vial: Cough drops with cinnamon on top.
Wet: The cinnamon's dominant now, with the fake cherry running just underneath.
Drydown: The fake cherry fades out almost immediately, leaving a sweet cinnamon scent that is thankfully not reminiscent of cinnamon gum. The clove comes forward, but the fruit isn't really detectable at all. It does seem to be lurking just behind the more assertive spices, though. This smells a little like winter potpourri.
I like it in small doses, but it seems like the kind of thing will leave you smelling like a candle store during the run up to Christmas if you overdo it.
Magick Man
Listed notes: bay rum, olibanum, sandalwood, cedarwood, Madagascar vanilla, cyclamen, clove, oud
In the vial: bay rum and cedar.
Wet: Cedar briefly, then soap.
Drydown: More soap with no interesting nuances.
Comparing the notes on this and Cabaret, I'm beginning to suspect an adverse response to the sandalwood they use.
Marquis de Sade
Listed notes: leather, tobacco, merlot, dragonsbreath, bay rum, clove, opopanax, and oakmoss
In the vial: definitely getting the leather, and possibly the tobacco or oakmoss. It smells funky in a very good way, with hints of something a bit sharper around the edges.
Wet: Dry leather, like the bindings of books
Drydown: Oakmoss, maybe, and wine.
I like the smell, so this is a keeper for days when I want to wear something assertively masculine. Probably not worth a full bottle, though.
Mummy
Listed notes: clove, tobacco, cinnamon, amber, soil, wine, and cardamom
In the vial: There's a wine tang overlaid with dirt and tobacco
Wet: Wine, clove, and a hint of cinnamon, with something heavy blanketing the whole thing lightly.
Drydown: Clove more than cinnamon, which is surprising since I tend to amp cinnamon more strongly. Still with little hints of something tangy peering around the edges to keep this from smelling like holiday candles. I might even be getting some of the tobacco woven through it, but I'm not sure. The end result is sort of like clove tea.
This is another one I really like. I'm an eternal sucker for spices, and the brighter notes really help keep the whole effect from becoming cloying.
Raven
Listed notes: licorice root, vanilla, cloves and agarswood
In the vial: agarswood, with some hints of spices
Wet: Agarswood
Drydown: Deep and very rich. There isn't a lot of licorice, which I expected to come through more strongly, but that might be because it isn't a sweet scent at all. I'm almost getting hints of coffee or cacao floating on top. I honestly have no idea what I'm smelling mostly, though, except that it's definitely neither vanilla nor clove.
I may be baffled, but it's a good bafflement. This is a fascinating and very pleasant scent.
Snake Charmer
Listed notes: plum, apple, cinnamon, green tea, musk, and cedarwood
In the vial: something fruity and sweet, in an almost artificial way, but not strong or chemical. Nothing I can put my finger on, except to rule out apple.
Wet: Still sweet fruit, with less artificiality, thankfully.
Drydown: The cinnamon is starts to come forward, with more tea in the background than fruit.
I actually quite like this, especially on the drydown. The combination of dry background scent with rich foreground is pleasant, and unusual compared to other perfumes I own.
Wilde
Listed notes: bay rum, cardamom, clove, smoke, and leather
In the vial: Astringent, almost piney, with bright elements that might come from the bay rum.
Wet: Much less sharp, thankfully, but I'm still utterly unable to pick out individual notes.
Drydown: Bay rum, maybe some clove?
I really like bay rum fortunately, so I'm happy with how this ages, and I found the early application fascinating.
And I received one freebie with my sample set,
Aphrodite
Listed notes: muscadine grape, peach blossoms, pear, lemon, green tea, and almond
In the vial: Cherry lifesavers.
Wet: Still cherry candy
Drydown: Less sugar, but still artificial, like the red or blue marker in those sets that are scented by color. I think the problem is actually the almond, oddly enough.
Not exactly a keeper, which is a pity. I wanted so much to like it, but I don't particularly enjoy smelling like a five-year-old who scribbled on herself.
Black Baccara is closing down April 21st, so if any of these sound good, orders should probably be made asap. There should still be time to buy sample vials and get a full-size order in after testing.
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