Black Opal

[grrrlennyl]

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

at first: vanilla and...rocks? oddly lovely.
on: this smells like hot rocks and vanilla. amazing.
45 minutes later: this is getting sweeter, but those hot rocks are still there, too.
1.5 hours later: still the same!
overall: i absolutely adore this. i'm so glad i have 5ml of it. i have the feeling i'll be reaching for this one a lot.

[Julilla Regina]

A lot of us trying to figure out what is in this, it seems. On me, it's vanilla, musk, and I could honestly swear to a molecule or two of coconut. There's a smell, not "green" exactly, but maybe the scent of raindrops caught in a leaf. This is just gorgeous. It seems like a more traditional perfume, almost commercial without all the alcohol and other chemicals. It is another tour de force!

[arabella]

First Impression: Creamy vanilla very lightly dusted with icing sugar.

 

Dries down to: The same with a hint of - I want to say coconut but it's not - maybe, macadamia nut or even caramel. I'm also guessing there's amber in it (there's usually amber in my favorite BPAL oils).

 

Additional Comments: This could be my new favorite scent. I wish I could pinpoint the notes. There's something in here that keeps the vanilla from becoming cloying, which it can do on my skin - maybe white musk?

 

Lasted: Several Hours.

 

Rating: 5 out of 5

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Sweet and smokey yay!

 

On me:

OH BLACK OPAL YOU ARE HEAVEN! Man, I wish I had trusted my instincts and purchased a bottle of this right off the bat, rather than ordering an imp first. This is so wonderful, and I know I love it, but I'm having a hard time thinking of how to describe it! It has a slight familiarity to it and that's because the "smokey" note in this is the same one as in Xiutehcuhtli. This is a sweet and smokey scent smelling of vanilla - but a deep vanilla so perhaps it's tonka but I can't tell. There is a slight edge to this scent, which I think is what people are describing as "minty" though I wouldn't really call it minty. It's just a slight camphorous edge that compliments the sweetness of this very well.

 

Final note:

I could BATHE in this it's so good. I positively adore it, it's definitely in my top 10!

[Gin]

Black Opal

 

Hmmm. Faintly medicinal at first, Black Opal morphs into an unusual sweetness. It's somehow vanillaish and aquatic at the same time. How does Beth DO that? When trying to think of what it smells like, the only thing I could think of is powdered sugar. Powdered sugar covered rocks? It's very pretty.

[Eros]

Hard one to describe...

In the imp, syrupy sweet vanilla, I think.. On, it retains the sweetness although it does lighten up a bit and there's an added smokiness to it. As the minutes go by, it lightens even more, hard to detect at all.

Quite lovely, though

 

eta: In the few minutes since posting my review this has strengthened, although it remains soft...Like a breath of air stirred by a beautiful, haunting dead thing, as it floats by and gives you chills. Empty, and seductively sweet decay.

It's not the perfume that's causing me to quickly find this blend so amazing(although it remains ever so lovely), but rather, the feeling it evokes.

Edited October 21, 2005 by Eros

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Sweet and powdery

Wet on me - Aaargh a note seems to have have turned on my skin for a few seconds it was green grass and then it became disinfectant .

Dry on me - Thankfully the disinfectant smell didn't last too long, it became colder and more stonelike and then it faded completely leaving a warm slightly spiced vanilla, and occassional coconut. This phase is very nice, but probably not nice enough for me to want to go through the wet stage very often.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Olympia the enabler compared Black Opal to Pink Sugar-Crack, so of course I squeed myself getting hold of a decant (thank you, Pranashakti!)

 

I would say...both yes and no. I can see where she's coming from; Black Opal does indeed have a powder-musk base, very delicate and reminiscent of the Crack. However, at least on me, there is very little sweetness--certainly not candy-fluff level of sweetness. I would have to layer with Midway for that, and that would be pointless, since Black Opal's delicacy would be ruined. Opal is much more sophisticated than the Crack, and therefore suits a very different mood--grownup instead of girly. I do like it, though--it's an unexpected scent that would be appropriate pretty much anywhere.

[quikslvr]

The first stage of this is gorgeous wondrousness of vanilla (or tonka) and earth, with a tinge of white musk. The earth (mineral?) tones are just a tad spicy, but in a flat way, not an exotic way. The powdery notes are very similar to cracked rocks. Limestone, by memory, back from my geology major days. Spot-on, though. Early on, there's also a fleeting aquatic note.

 

Unfortunately, it dries down fast to mostly the earthy tones, not the vanilla/tonka. I wish the vanilla/tonka had decided to stick around longer. It's soft, sticks tight to the skin, mostly. And it's changeable (much like opal)--on one sniff, it's mostly earthy, on another you get the tonka tones.

[PrettyPenny]

In the imp: I'm worried this won't work for me. It smells nice, but a little old lady-ish.

 

Wet: This smells exactly like I would imagine an opal to smell. The base is very smooth and creamy, but there's something almost sharp peaking out whenever I catch a whiff. This sharpness is almost like the points of light deep within the opal.

 

Dry Down: The sharpness has mellowed into the creamy background; however I still get a sense of it when I sniff my wrist close up.

 

Verdict: This is a lovely scent. Very ladylike and pure. I can't say that I would wear this every day, but it is perfect for a nice occasion when I want to feel feminine without a lot of florals.

[bristlecone]

I ordered an imp of this simply because the name and description intrigued me- I had no idea at the time what the notes were. I'm not usually a vanilla person, and unfortunately, this scent did not make a convert out of me. The vanilla part is actually pretty nice- cool and non-foody. But there's something else in there that smells just like a plastic toy to me, and it refuses to go away. I'll hang onto the imp anyway, because I think there's an endless array of layering opportunities here, but I'm just not loving it by itself.

[parrot_suspect]

This is a lovely soft, slightly "dark" vanilla musk with a powdery, sweet drydown. Unfortunately the scent itself is so light, has almost zero sillage and disappears on me within an hour. If it had better staying power, I'd definitely buy a big bottle.

[carolinachiquita]

This is a really really gorgeous scent - I knew I would like it from the description (I don't know why it just called to me!) so I was really happy to get a frimp. It is a really musky/creamy and soft vanilla scent, it is a dark scent but it flashes bits of light through it. I want no need a bottle of this

[Donnababe]

I tend to avoid vanillas because they have a tendancy to go all custard-like on me. On initial application this is very sweet but soon settles down and does not become cloying at all. This will sound very odd, but I get the impression of a salt smell from time to time.

 

Very pretty, very ethereal. Not completely me, but I am seriously considering a bottle for layering purposes.

[malanna]

I wasn't going to post a review, since I've only worn this for half an hour, but I had to say Oh My Gahhh! I was trying to figure out what this smells like, because it smells so familiar and comforting (well, it would be if I had applied super sparingly--Black Opal is really strong), and then I realized that it smells like this scent Bath and Body Works had about six years ago, called Moonlight Path (or maybe it was something else, or they reformulated Moonlight Path). I had the lotion in this round stand-up tube, and it was a light purple (almost lavender). I would apply the lotion every day when I was 13. Most memorably, I wore it to camp. I remember feeling so comforted every time I wore it after the camp, because it smelled like memories and snuggling into my bed so I wasn't cold anymore and the calm excitement of sitting next to the guy I liked, talking to him, and wondering if something would happen in the next few moments. And it smells so wonderful, because it smells like what I used to smell like and what I used to smell like actually smelled good (this other BBW lotion I wore was/is so strong, it gives me a mini-headache). Black Opal has vanilla, which I love, the white musk that makes it so smooth, and the slight baby powder smell that made that BBW lotion so comforting and awesome to wear to bed. I so have got to lotionify this.

 

I may come back and edit this later when I'm more coherent.

 

ETA: It's been several months since I've tried this. I still like it, but at times I find this to be a bit overwhelmingly musty (and musky) and sweet. I enjoyed it while I had it, but I think it's time this baby found a new owner.

Edited April 3, 2006 by malanna

[Emu Nymph]

In the bottle is sweet soft and creamy. On my skin it takes a darker and woody scent, along with the soft sweet scent. I'll have to wait a little and see what I really think of this. But so far I do like it.

[isyche]

On me, Black Opal goes strongly baby powder-like – the mineral smell reminds me of talc – with a teeny bit of vanilla...or maybe baby powder mixed with powdered sugar. Whatever it is, it's very powdery. It smells more interesting in the vial, so I think my skin is killing it. The result's not bad, but not really me either.

Edited November 17, 2005 by isyche

[Sheila]

Four words to describe Black Opal: vanilla posh perfumey rocks.

 

Oh, OK, one more word: Gaaaaaah! (That's me fainting in pleasure.)

 

In the bottle, this smells almost exactly like Antique Lace to me--I think the vanilla is the same in both of these. However, on my skin, Black Opal morphs into a posh perfume, with a side of...wet, metallic rocks. It sounds strange, but it's very lovely. And unique. I also get a touch of melon. When it dries down, it smells like...well, something I can't describe, except that it's soft and pretty and powdery and innocent.

 

This is a soft scent, but every time I think it's gone, it'll rise up again. This is wonderful--thanks for this scent, Beth and the lab!

Edited December 16, 2005 by Sheila

[Fefferbella]

Black Opal is my favorite vanilla blend! A subtle smokey note keeps the sweetness of the vanilla from turning foody on my skin.

 

This is a sparkling, light vanilla that reminds me of my grandmother's opal ring. Mysterious and lovely.

 

Sadly it fades too quick for my taste, but despite that I still love it.

[shayelea]

So I work for an importer of natural stone - marble, granite, etc. Awhile back we had a slab of white onyx break, and I got to haul home a big chunk for use as a bathroom vanity. Except it was heavy and I had nowhere to put it until I could find someone to cut it down for me, so I ended up hauling it around it my car for the whole weekend.

 

I was very surprised to learn that onyx - which is just a rock, after all - has a very definite smell to it. Delicate, soft, sweet. (Way too cloying to have that much of it in my car, but that's another story!)

 

I really do think that Black Opal has a little of that smell in it - or if it's not derived from onyx itself, it's certainly a good approximation.

 

To me this is slightly vanilla-ish, with a bit of that "onyx" scent (the mineral scent some are picking up?) and a good dose of light musk. (I think the musk is similar to that in Dorian.) The vanilla is stronger in the bottle but the rest comes out very soon after it's applied and stays through drydown, which is proving to be nicely long indeed. This is definitely going on my list of bottles to buy. It's great because it's such a soft, sophisticated scent; I think it'll be great for work.

Edited November 20, 2005 by shayelea

[emzebel]

When this first came out, I was not particularly drawn to it, and probably would never had ordered it, had it not started getting such rave conversational reviews. And strictly speaking, I've still not ordered it, as Olympia301 was kind enough to gift me with a decant. But I will order it, oh yes I will.

 

My first impression of Black Opal, other than "oh my god, yum!" was of coconut musk. Not that that is a specific unified note, per se, but that was my impression of the scent. When I tried it, sitting in the airport waiting to fly home at the end of my day, I could smell more on my skin...the mineral sort of scent that others have mentioned, and a definite creamyness rounding out the coconut.

 

But at the end of the day, I think that Black Opal will always, for me, be coconut musk. And I am fine with that, as I am very happy to have found a non-foody, non-alcoholic sophisticated coconut scent.

 

Yea for coconut musk.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is warm and almost a vanilla note, a bit powdery. When first on this is a very faint vanilla and smells a bit like frosting! Yum! It’s hard to pick out notes but it’s very soft and pretty. A bit foody which isn’t what I expected. After about 20 minutes it develops a lovely floral note- pansy? This is quite lovely but fades after about two hours. I’ll enjoy using the imp though.

[yeahbutnobut]

Black Opal

 

In the imp: a light vanilla musk with a strangely dusty or mineral scent to it.

Wet on skin: blimey, this really does smell geological! Like a soft musky rock scent, slightly earthy and wet, reminds me of caves.

Dry: wow. I don’t know how she does it. You know about the phrase ‘squeezing blood from a stone’? Well it seems Beth has squeezed scent from rock! This is a very unusual scent-it’s almost ozone, almost aquatic, but most of all-it’s mineral, like damp rocks and caves, glistening polished gems…with a sweet, clear musk scent and vanilla. It’s ever so soft, but so mesmerising and unique. It’s almost a second skin scent.

After a while: I think I’ve worked out what this smells like…Egyptian musk. The musk note in here has a certain clarity, a subtlety, a slight freshness or sharpness and a second skin quality that reminds so much of other Egyptian musk scents that I’m pretty sure that is what the musk is in this scent. Anyway, the scent is stronger now, has more throw, and the vanilla note is stronger and sweeter. And it still has that mineral scent to it. This is like Antique Lace, only more mysterious and beguiling, with a dark and seductive smokiness about it.

Verdict: this is one of those wonderful, unique and different scents that Beth does so well, and it’s also a scent that really grows on you. The uniqueness of this fragrance lies in it’s mineral, rocky scent-I’ve never had something like that in perfume before, but it really works! Then there’s the musk-which I’m sure is of the Egyptian variety-which at first seems to be barely there but then warms up and becomes a delightful skin scent…and the vanilla note which rounds off and sweetens the scent. Black Opal is the darker and more intriguing sister of Antique Lace, she lures you into a dark cavern of fragrance, a scent that swirls and teases, spellbinds and leads you into it’s mystery until you cannot resist it…this is a true gem (ha ha!) of a scent, another example of the vanilla-musk scents that are the classics of BPAL, and one I will need to get a bottle of soon!

[Wench457]

ITB: vanilla-sweet florals. Smells promising!

 

On: Where'd it go? Huh. If I get right close up to my wrists, they DO smell like a rock. How weird is that? Very faint though, and no throw whatsoever.

 

Dry: A very, very faint vanilla throw. Metallic rocks up close. Not a winner on me, I'm afraid.

[QueenFae]

Very, very light on scent. i actually have to hold my wrist further away from my nose and catch the scent as it rises, rather than sniffing the skin directly. It's definitely a vanilla scent, but there is a musky underneath tone to it that complimented by an almost herbal note. It's intriguing, very lovely and feminine, but also dark and seductive. I will enjoy my imp, but it doesn't have enough throw for a 5 ml.