Black Opal

[ChloeKEvil]

A play of geological darkness and jagged brilliance. Soft and luminescent with flashes of black fire.

*puts on mining helmet* Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go...

Oh, you didn't know about the Black Phoenix Vanilla Mines? They're the finest source of rock vanilla on the whole continent, scenting the area around them with a very appealing scent, a crystalline vanilla. They export it to all sorts of places- it has a different feel, less food and more perfumey...

Oi. Right, got lost in my imagination. Anyways, I love this one. Gorgeous! The vanilla is sweet but there really is a rocky, glittery feel to it. It's very different from, say, Antique Lace, which I tried just before it and seemed thicker. This is a clear scent and not at all overpowering.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

I can't decide if this is too traditionally "perfume-y" for me or not...One sniff methinks so, and the next sniff I think no. This is most definitely smoky, and dark...I get a black vanilla vibe here, but yeah, decidedly too traditional for me. I still might hang onto it for days when I'm wearing all black frilly things and heavy eyeliner and want to round out my outfit. This would be perfect for that...more perfect, I think, than even Black Lace.

Edited February 26, 2009 by TheOneTheyCallLuna

[tajana]

I had to try this because, well, rocks! I'm an aspiring earth scientist. There is a quality that's strangely reminiscent of dusty stone here, which I really got a kick out of. But that is probably only because I'm thinking of the name as I sniff it. It's a soft vanilla, hardened, the top layers crushed to dusty powder and a hint of vague, delicate and pale florals. After a while I'm thinking of vanilla body spray and baby powder, not of minerals.

[msbcozad]

Black Opal

 

This is a grown-up, "traditional" perfume scent. I have no idea what notes I'm smelling and as I read through the reviews, I would think to myself "Oh, yeah, I smell what that person smells. And that person. And that note!" So yeah, dusty vanilla and hints of other things.

 

Sadly, this is fading after only an hour. I have to press my wrist against my nose to even get a whiff. Mmm. More slathering!

[GardenCat]

Such a sparkly vanilla! Very smooth and not too sweet - Glad I have a few imps of it!

[vanillaskwirl]

I got this scent as a frimp from Robin (Thanks again! ) and while I eventually get the vanilla, the first thing I smell is amber and some kind of musk. I like both, but then it goes powdery on me for hours. Not a *bad* powder, per se, but like expensive dusting powder in a box with a frilly pink pouf. Four hours later I finally get the vanilla and while nice, it's only as the scent is fading that I can smell it. It's quite lovely, but not really my style. A bit more *girly* than what I normally wear. I'll probably keep the imp and see how it ages, but it's not something to take over Mouse's L&ST as an everyday scent for me.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

Imp: soft – yes, vanilla - yes, powdery – yes

Wet on Me: sweet and soft but not too sugar sweet.

Drying Down: definitely getting flashes of something

other than a sweet powder scent.

Dry: sweet powder. Nice but I think that re-homing it

might be better

 

[emilynicole]

My first review

 

This is not one I would have picked out on my own, but the lab threw TWO imps of it into my last order. Oh, they made a good choice!

 

All at once this conjures images of the sparkle of a glimmering streak of mineral in a stone, a gauzy, cream colored veil, and a soft, soft piece of cashmere. Black Opal is sweet, but non-foody vanilla caressed up with a gentle musk and something that whispers of stone.

 

The scent stays close to my skin but does not fade away for several hours. This will be great for work since it is lighter and inoffensive and will be ideal for those days I want to wear a scent but cannot quite decide which one. At the same time, though, Black Opal seems like it would work when I want to feel sultry and sexy, but don't want my scent to scream out to all who surround me. It is very "me" in many ways: somewhat understated, yet still complex, comforting, and a touch sexy. I can see myself turning to this often.

 

 

 

[cinderfallen]

Cool vanilla mineral, upscale and elegant. Polished stones.

[copagirl]

In the imp, this first reminded me of a men's cologne, with some vanilla poking through. When I put it on, all I smelled was vanilla, a soft powdery vanilla. This is very faint on me, but it's very nice even hours later.

[aquazoo]

Starts soft and pretty. Maybe a little vanilla. Definite keeper!

[magikalbrownies]

i dont know why i keep smelling potatoes..

 

SUE ME...

 

vanilla and potatoes...like when you just cut them and they have that starchy root scent?

 

maybe its some sort of root scent that makes up the vanilla rock thing going on here...because i smell POTATOES.

 

tyvm. end transmission.

[WidgetAlley]

Black opals are my favorite precious stone.

 

Imp: A sweetly soft, powdery vanilla. Like magickalbrownies, I get something sort of starchy in here too, but it reminds me of corn starch instead of potatoes. Still, I can see how that would translate into rock flour (ha! Who knew that I would ever actually use a term from my geology class in a BPAL review?) Where Snake Oil's vanilla is a lovely cream or even brown color, this is bridal, virginal white, and reminds me of an even milder form of Morocco.

 

Wet: A faint, soft, inoffensive "perfume" vanilla, rather than a bakery or spice vanilla. Very, very light, very shimmery, very pleasant but not at all distinctive. Girly and elegant but oh-so-mild and refined. I can see myself wearing this to work and meetings for when I don't want to distract people with my scent, and for layering. I do also get the rock or stone aspect everyone else has been mentioning.

 

Dry: This fades quickly away to a sugary powdery nothing, but I have to say, I quite like it while it's around. It's nothing at all like I usually wear, but I'm strangely fascinated by it. I will definitely keep the imp for work and other such purposes.

[bubblefish]

Soft is a great term for this. It is such a light and barely noticeable scent. I could barely smell anything when I opened the imp and it was only after it had been on my skin about 10 minutes that I could detect just the slightest hint of a scent.

[donnatron]

Bottle: Light. I can smell a very faint vanilla.

 

Wet: Holy mackerel! This smells like rocks! Like those soft, crumbly (slate?) rocks you often encounter when hiking in the backwoods. Combined with vanilla! This is so weird.

 

Dry On the drydown this acquires a soft, buttery quality. Maybe a musk of some sort? I definitely still smell that crumbly, dry rock note but it's more integrated into the overall vanilla quality of the scent.

 

Throw: Minimal. I have to slather to get a skin scent out of this one.

 

Overall: I like it. It's a very quiet, still sort of scent and very evocative without being overpowering. Will probably have to turn it into body lotion or oil for any real throw but that's not exactly the worst thing that could happen. Definitely try it if you're into light, interesting but unobtrusive vanillas.

[voodoocatwoman]

I think Black Opal is going up there in the top 5. It reminds me of Antique Lace (which is up there too) but deeply musky. It is warm and sexy and simply gorgeous. I put some on at 6 this morning and after 10pm, I can STILL detect the vanilla musk.

 

Super thanks to Seismogenic for the gift of this imp!!

[Saya]

I can see why people are comparing this to Antique Lace. It seems to have a similar vanilla scent to it, but the feel is different. Black Opal has a cooler tone to it and is much more understated than Antique Lace. I really like this scent, but since Antique Lace is so similar and I already have a bottle of that, I don't think I'll pick up a bottle of Black Opal.

[kunoichi]

The scent from the vial is of a smoothly rounded spice with a hint of sweetness to it. On my skin, the scent becomes slightly sweeter, almost creamy, and the spice softens. Unfortunately I couldn't smell the bright flashes in a dark opal - it was more like a white opal on me! Eventually it fades down to a very subtle scent, and fades to become just a hint of sweet spice.

[EmpressPixie]

In the imp, I thought this was a little bit floral and sweet with an earthy undertone.

 

On me, dry however it's all powdery, sweet vanilla.

 

It's a pretty big change -- big enough to make me wonder if my nose was getting confused when I wrote down my first impressions (I was going through quite a few imps that my sister sent me). Lovely when dry, though.

[EdenIris]

This smells like granite in the sun and very fine flour. Also, sadly for me, like baby powder. I was intrigued by the prospect of flashes of brilliance, but none are forthcoming on my skin.

[Scarah]

In imp: I smell almost nothing. Strangely, this also happened when I smelled someone's Antique Lace imp. Am I missing a brain sector? Possibly.

 

Wet: Oh my, it's heartbreakingly gorgeous. Vanilla tempered by the slight bit of... stone? Whatever it is, it's wonderful. But sadly, that's only when my nose is actually touching my arm.

 

Dry: It has gone!

 

In conclusion, I blame myself somehow, not the perfume. I know that the other reviewers can smell this fine. I must have a missing smell spot or something? I'd blame my skin for drinking it, but I couldn't really smell the imp either, and the same thing with AL which is said to be similar. For the brief time I can smell it, it's just amazing. But I don't think it's for me, because how frustrating not to hardly smell it, haha.

[jencallisto]

In the imp: a sort of creamy fruity citrus vanilla.

Fresh on the skin: faded cream silk vanilla.

5 minutes later: faded dusty vanilla, more linen than silk actually, but still a bit creamy.

15 minutes later: warm not-sweet vanilla, light and fresh and lovely.

30 minutes later: light, dew in the air but dry, a bit powdery, sweet but not too sweet. lovely.

1.5 hours later: starting to go laundryish. kind of making me sick to my stomach.

5 hours later: yup, laundryish. mrph. might be nice in a scent locket, though.

7 hours later: basically gone, just a tiny patch of warm laundry.

17 hours later: horrible laundryish waft lingering on my skin. DNW!

 

Verdict: Good, quite pretty. And then... not good. Really not good. :(

 

One phrase: Vanilla laundry.

 

[het4377]

Wet: rock candy creamy vanilla. very little throw.

Drydown: taking on a clean almost minty quality now

Further observations: A very mineral-y vanilla. Superb scent!

Overall: really a pretty nice take on the vanilla/mint combo (even though mint isn't listed as a note). One of my favorite of the Lab's vanilla blends

 

[Ishtar]

I can hardly think of a more enticing description than that of Black Opal... so intriguing and promising! Add to that the fact that I'm a big fan of Black Pearl, Black Phoenix and other "Black" BPAL blends, and you'll get a faint idea of how I was excited about this scent.

 

Well, it hated me. Sadness.

 

In the imp, sweet vanilla and a cool undertone made for a very interesting contrast. But as soon as it touched my skin, Black Opal turned dusty and soapy at once (strange, I know!) Not the kind of soapiness that you sometimes get from white florals, mind you - more like a high-pitched mineral note that pierces through the powderiness.

 

Verdict after several tries: No way this is going to work on me. Too bad, it sounded so interesting!

[MCS4096]

I ordered an imp of this the day after Antique Lace was DCed because I read it was a cousin. It is SORTA... but not really. On the other hand I love it enough I'm going to buy a bottle It has the same vanilla as AL, but its a slightly cooler scent with yes.. the smell of heated stones.

 

Simple but interesting. I actually get quite a throw from this one as well.