Black Opal

[sestina]

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

I received my latest order of impage last night and the very first thing I dug through the box to find was Black Opal. I've been wanting to try this for months, mostly because I remembered someone here mentioning that it favored Shalimar. I really don't agree on the Shalimar comparison - Shalimar is, on me, spicier and slightly more erotic. Black Opal is, though, unlike anything else I have. Maybe the closest thing I smell in there is Pink Sugar, but even that is not a good comparison. To me, Black Opal is luminescent and soft and a creamy cloud of contentment. My husband smelled it and immediately decided that there are "exploding" scents and "imploding" scents and that this one is definitely "imploding" - he went on to describe this as dark and close. Completely different from the way I experienced it. But he was delighted (and vindicated) when I told him the name.

In general, I'll try this several more times before really deciding if it's a keeper, but my inclination is to say it's one of the prettiest (and I do mean pretty) scents I've gotten from BPAL.

[juniperus]

Bottle: vanilla, primarily.

Wet: a hint of darkness with the vanilla.

Dry: still very vanilla, but it always does that on me. I just can't make out what that dark note is behind the in-your-face vanilla ampage.

Later: this has softened considerably - it's a vanilla I might be able to wear (or in this case, borrow. heh.), a rare entity, indeed.

 

This is Emma's implet, but she's letting me review it. She likes it, has pronounced it 'pretty'.

[smallvoice]

I got this as a frimp from SevenSins!

 

I hadn't read up on this scent, so I didn't know what to expect. It's lovely! My 11-year old cousin remarked immediately that I smelled like vanilla, but that wasn't my first impression. It has the sweetness of vanilla, to be sure. There's a soft ambery powder to it and it's really very subtle. Long lasting, too! I think it's been a full 24 hours since I applied it, and I can still sniff it on my wrist- and I don't slather. This one wasn't high on my radar of things to try, but I'm really glad I've had a chance now!

[melrose]

This one taught me to wait for the drydown!

 

In imp, and on, wet: Vanilla/coconut/amber goodness.

 

Near drydown: The v/c/a note is pushed to the background by a godawful blend of play-doh and ozone. Almost gag-inducing.

 

Far drydown: Magic, I tell you. I can't stop burying my nose in my elbow - not that I need to, as this has plenty of throw and lasting power - but to try to get a grasp of that elusive scent - I don't think I can describe this, except to say it's creamy, sweet, but with an edge of something that keeps it from being too sweet and adds depth.

 

Bottle-worthy.

 

One small whine: it drives me up a wall when the notes aren't listed!

[maijasu]

Oh, this is so pretty and girly! I does have a hint of vanilla and perhaps amber, but beyond that, I'm not quite sure. It's subtle and stays close to the skin, so it would be great for those days when the really foody and spicy blend would be just too much. I love it!

 

[copyshopclerk]

Frimp from the lab! (thanks ! )

 

In the imp: Vanilla, primarily

 

Wet: Vanilla and amber, with an almost spicy dark quality to it. It's similar to Haunted if you were to add vanilla to it, or Snake Oil minus the incense (just as a note - Snake Oil to me was tons of incense and a smidge of vanilla) - I like this much more than either of those!

 

Dry: It's a cool vanilla, which sounds odd but it's the best way I can put it - there's definitely soemthing here that reminds me of the dark musk in Haunted. I've heard comparisons to Antique Lace and I can kind of see that, but whereas that's a very warm scent to me, this one is very cool. Something in it also reminds me of Lush's American Cream - I think that has sage.. perhaps that's what I can smell in here? I wish I knew what the notes were I do get that stony quality that other people have mentioned. It's a fascinating scent.

 

Love it, will be getting a bottle

[Eleri]

ITI: sweet, not cloying, hint of vanilla and something spicier

 

Wet on Skin: definate vanilla, with an edge. Maybe some coconut?

 

Dry: soft, sweet, a hint of floral and coconut. If the coconut was stronger, this might devolve into smelling like suntan oil, but the other notes keep it light.

 

This goes in with my faves.

[Miss Lynx]

Hmmm... Interesting scent. It's an odd combination of vanilla and something decidedly not-sweet. There's something cold in it, but not a stereotypical minty coldness. It's almost metallic, or at least stony. Appropriately enough given the name.

 

That mineral edge at times almost approaches the graveyard dirt note that I so dislike, but it's much softer. It's a touch reminiscent of the cold snowy note in Talvikuu as well, and one of the notes in Jezirat al Tennyn. Whatever it is, it balances the vanilla in an interesting way, and keeps it from being too sweet or stereotypically girly.

 

Unfortunately, the vanilla note in it seems to be doing the Play-Doh thing that vanilla so often does on my skin, and that ultimately keeps it from really working on me. But it would be a really lovely and interesting blend on anyone whose skin didn't react to vanilla that way, and I can see why it's become so popular. But alas, it's not really for me.

 

Grade: B-

[arcticwolf]

Black Opal:

 

In the Bottle: something earthy, and a hint of creamy vanilla. It really reminds me of polished stone...not opals, but granite. Very light smelling.

 

Wet: Vanilla, and something darker. So far, so good. Smells gorgeous, and I'm not really into vanilla. Oh, and I think there is a hint of coconut. But just a hint.

 

Dry: The vanilla has softened a little and I smell something spicy lurking in the background now. No more coconut, thankfully.

 

10 mins later: Oh look...minty goodness is showing through. I was hoping that would pop up, like some people said. This is so light, I'm worried I'm going to have to reapply every hour or so, but it will be worth it because it is delicious.

 

2 hrs later: Didn't fade as fast as I thought it was going to. Deceptive, but a good thing.

 

This one is just gorgeous. I love it. I can't stop smelling myself. I might be *slightly* influenced by the description, but I swear it smells like opals in my mind. Creamy, dark and smooth, but with little hints here and there of something brighter.

[supremegoddessofall]

I like it a lot, but I have no flippin' clue what to call the notes in it. Pretty floral baby powder?

 

Score: 5 out of 5

[forspecial_plate]

There haven't been very many bpal scents that have struck me as mostly feminine, but this is one of them. It reminds me of a posh, elegant woman's perfume. I do like the sweetness of coconut and/or vanilla, whichever or both. I guess I'm not that much of an amber fan, though. Just not a scent for me!

[jarvenpa]

I ordered an imp of Black Opal based on recommendations (I like vanilla, and I think that was why folks were saying "you must try this")

 

Pure fantastic surprise, because as I slashed a bit on my wrists it was all: Shalimar!!--a perfume both my mother (long since dead) and I wore for a time.

Nostalgia.

 

It doesn't (because of course Beth's blends are far more complex than the commercial perfumes) stay at pure Shalimar, but wafts off into its own world, in which there is sunlight, and there are...oddly, warmed rocks by a pool of water.

 

It is ambery and sort of vanilla, yes, but with a bit of steel resolve beneath that sweetness.

 

Yeah, I do like it. Lots.

[Shannihilation]

In the imp this seems to be a very soft vanilla. And it's just a little bit powdery...

 

On my skin it stays a very soft, slightly powdery vanilla. And maybe some coconut or a light skin musk...

 

This is so beautiful. It's very soft and feminine and has an almost innocent sexiness. I may have to get a bottle of this. It's so gorgeous!

[Naamah_Darling]

This is soft and pleasant with just a hint of slick, cool hardness. It's got vanilla in it, and musk, and something faintly floral. Once I put it on, it goes very light, soft, and powdery, a barely-there scent like a body mist. It all but vanishes, the whiffs of it I'm getting are soft and sexy, yet somehow artificial, like a Victoria's Secret model decked out in those fake angel wings and a push-up bra. It's sexy and feminine as hell, but it's very light. This is stretching on clean sheets, thinking about the sex you had yesterday or will have tomorrow. This is a dark ballroom with lights glittering above and the sounds of a crooning nightclub diva twisting through it all. This is perfumed stationery fresh from her fingers.

 

It fades fast, then enters into a second phase of clean, light powder. This isn't the nasty baby-powder smell, but a soft, fresh scent like warm linen. Delightful. And ironically, in this phase, it keeps getting stronger for about an hour, before it wears down normally.

 

Very nice, very light; clean, slightly vanilla-spicy, slightly earthy. Recommended.

[steffanina]

Black Opal-

 

In Bottle: Subtle and sugar-powdery.

 

Wet: This smells so much like Jovan's White Musk! I remember the first time I smelled White Musk. I was sniffing around the person and asked, "What is that? It smells like a wonderful laundry detergent." It's all fresh and cottony/lineny/washday.

 

Dry: This lasts a nice long time, and I'm so happy to have something that smells like Jovan's White Musk that doesn't make me sneeze. Did I mention that's what happened when I tried to wear it myself? So, yeah. Fresh like the best of laundry detergent scents.

 

Overall: I am full of nostalgia. I love.

[buzz23666]

wet - very heady and Shalimar-esque. Lots of strong vanilla and what I think is amber

 

dry - this fades quite a bit from the almost haze inducing wet cloud. It loses the Shalimar feel as well. It's still vanilla and amber. Too bad the vanilla and amber can't swap places. If this leaned toward the amber I would really like it. But since it can't seem to keep the vanilla at bay - off to the swaps it goes.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: wonderful vanilla, delicately sugared. Heavenly!

 

On my skin: vanilla, pure vanilla (I don't get anything geological or earthy). It makes me think of Antique Lace a lot, but it's not as strong and therefore, it's better for me. I love Antique Lace, but sometimes it's so powerful it can give me headaches.

 

After a couple of hours: it's so wonderful soft and feminine. Long thrash on me.

 

Verdict: I adore Black Opal!

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: amber, musk and white floral.

 

Wet: This scent reminds me of Chanel #22.

 

Dry: Still Chanel #22. Pretty, but a bit too powdery for me.

[SeaLady]

This is looovely Unfortunately there seems to have been an imp malfunction in the mail, so it's only around a 1/4 of the way full ;.;

But that's ok, because I'll probably end up ordering a bottle at some point ^^

 

In the bottle: There's something very bitey about the way it smells in the bottle - plantlike and sharp. Also, a little vanilla.

 

On me: Oooh, sweet delight When I smell my wrists directly I get vanilla and amber, but when I'm caught unawares and doing other things, there are little flashes of the sharpness - balanced out still by the amber and vanilla. Ooh, lovely. I keep making my friends smell me, hehe. They don't seem to mind.

 

On a scale of one to wonderful, this gets a wonderful

[sterlingspider]

in bottle: musk, aquatic/ozone, something soft and vanilla like, maybe tonka, perhaps some amber. Smells REALLY pretty, but knowing my chemistry it'll make me want to gag within 10 minutes

 

wet: wow do I know my chemistry or what. Overwhelming vanilla powder. Way too 9 year old girl perfume for me.

 

I amped this perfume so hard I actually had to open the window, wash my entire forearm, and change my shirt... and it's still making me sneeze. If you don't play well with musk or amber I'd stay well away from Black Opal.

 

In the bottle 4/5, but on me, a -2

[cybra111]

Black Opal

 

In the vial: Barely there, sweet but fresh

 

On me: I wanted to try this for the vanilla. I don't get vanilla at all. Just a soft powdery fresh scent. Medium throw.

[phedre]

I'd heard this was similar to snake oil, so I looked forward to it with great anticipation. Well, it's not like snake oil at all on me, but I do like it. This is all soft creamy vanilla, with a bit of spice and amber thrown in for good measure. Definitely a keeper!

[em_h]

It took me a long time to get hold of this, but it's very nice. On me, it's a smooth vanilla and coconut, with a tinge of something cool and almost aquatic. I don't usually come up with scenarios for scents, but this really did make me think of sitting by the ocean in the summer wearing some kind of coconut sun lotion. Which is no bad thing to think of in December.

 

Soft and very pretty. I don't get any of the spiciness that some people have mentioned, just creamy sweetness.

[nancybridget]

Fragrant vanilla orchid with a drop of lady-like perfume.

 

Black Opal reminds me a bit of Antique Lace.

 

It's a pretty scent.

[Deiicide]

There's vanilla in here? There's coconut? Black Opal is strange because I can't seem to smell anything when I put it on. There is a flash of something smooth and vanilla with a hint of cremey florals but it disappears in just a few minutes. How odd!