The Black Tower

[Extispex]

A sepulchral, desolate scent. Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine.

Black Tower is in danger of becoming one of my favorites. In the imp, wow, all leather and ozone. Burnt leather, the forlorn scent of the saddle of a riderless horse, galloping through a storm.

On my skin, wet, its more green, smoky. The fallen rider of the horse crawls over a grassy plain, toward some distant fortress that rises up like doom against a lightening-streaked sky.

Dry, it warms up a bit, the wine asserts itself, the leather becomes more welcoming. An interior, drinking herbed wine before a fire, leatherbound book in hand while the storm rages outside; awaiting the sound of a footstep upon the stair, a sound that will dispel the lonely melancholy of this tempestuous night.

Black Tower is truly unusual, and beautifully so. And I really really think I need a bottle of this one.

[theseagrows]

wow this is a strange scent. in the imp it smells like herbal wine, but on my skin it smells like a powdery aquatic?? for the first half, anyway. once it's much more faded it's a soft myrrh, sandalwood and slightly leathery scent. i don't think this is realy me, but i may try it once more just to make sure.

[Shahmeran]

In the imp: Herbal cough syrup. Not an unpleasant smell, but it reminds me of having to drink the stuff, which was not so nice... Anyhow, everything smells weird to me in the imp, I think smelling something so concentrated must overload my nose or something, so... on to the skin!

 

On me, wet: I don't know what I'm smelling. I can't pick out any of the notes, but it's very strong and masculine.

 

Dry: I can smell wine, leather and wood, all infused with men's cologne and overlaid with a sense of emptiness. There's definitely something burnt at the bottom of the scent if I get a really good whiff of it. Very evocative. A lone stranger in a leather trenchcoat (and expensive cologne?) wanders through a desolate, burnt landscape. For some reason he has long, black hair and is wearing a brown leather hat, but I don't know how I got that out of the scent. It's a bit too masculine for me, but I think it could smell fabulous on the right man. (Or the wrong man for that matter )

 

Side note: this reminds me of Death on a Pale Horse after a while. So perhaps if you like one you may like the other.

[porcelina]

i can't figure out what this smells like, but it reminds me strongly of another bpal. tintagel maybe? as usual my skin amps the wine like CRAZY. it is a little too masculine for me to want to wear it regularly. i think i might like it on a boy, though.

[CiCi]

My first impression was a very burnt smell of something-I couldn't quite place what it was. I hoped that it was going to change into a little more appealing scent. After half an hour I could smell a little musk and the leather was becoming very noticable. I can even smell smokiness there that really adds to the overall yumminess of this scent. I can imagine Paul Revere wearing this as he he is riding through the town on his horse. This is a strong scent but not too strong for a woman!

[harmonyfb]

In the imp: Surprisingly fruity.

 

Wet: Sour fruit.

 

Dry: leatherLeatherLEATHER...and sour fruit. And STINKY FRUITY SOUR LEATHER. With a LOT of throw. ::gags:: ::rushes to wash it off::

 

Well, rats.

[underline2]

BLACK TOWER

 

First Sniff:

Warm, sweet and somewhat woody wine with some underlying sharpness (the ivy maybe?).

 

Initial Reaction:

It stays true to what I smelled in the imp, but the ozone and sandalwood come out in the background.

 

After 15 Minutes:

The wine has faded a bit, but still gives some sweetness throughout the entire thing. A bit of the ivy and night time coolness is hinting through. Sandalwood base has gotten slightly stronger. SOMETHING is behind it all, but I can't sniff deep enough to tell what it is. Possibly burnt grass with a tinge of wine left. What an idyllic humid, Victorian night would smell like.

 

After Time:

Stays close to the skin, but the wine resurfaces and balances the sandalwood and ozone. I can't exactly make out individual notes, but my wrist has been glued to my nose for the past hour. There is also something distinctly cold, in all senses of the word, behind it all that gives it a more masculine feel. I think this would be fantastic on a guy (meaning, I would jump him in the street).

 

Overall:

Sophisticated and complex, yet subtle. An entire late summer Victorian night: A seductive, fancy dinner with a good vintage wine and someone who is probably hiding a deep, dark secret. A walk around the streets late into night when the heat wears off a bit and the seduction recommences in full force.

 

Season:

Late summer nights, autumn

 

Rating (out of 5): 4.5

Edited June 28, 2007 by Shollin

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Warm and woody and slightly incensey

 

On Skin: Incensey, with a hint of wood and red wine

 

On Drydown: Incense is still the strongest note, I get sometimes whiffs of wood, ivy and something almost metallic.

 

Verdict: Very true to the concept but I don't think this works for me. It kinda reminds me to Tintagel and I remember that the hubby wasn't too crazy about that one either.

[funkmoppet]

Wet to dry, Black Tower is unique and fantastic.

 

I can't begin to pick out many individual scents, as it's complex and comes together so wonderfully as a whole. It definitely says "majestic" to me. Not so much the empty tower, this blend is too warm. The woods are dominant, the ozone lightly in the background. It's spicy and leathery - masculine without being anything approaching a standard masculine scent (nor would I call the blend masculine, as it's too unusual to be anything but unisex). But this is definitely evocative of armoured men in a great hall.

 

The red wine peaks on the dry down, then falls back again to the spicy warmth, with sandalwood finally a little more noticable.

 

Absolutely stunning. The morphing is all wonderful, never hitting a "bad patch", and I think I definitely need a bottle.

 

[luna65]

Thanks to lorajc for the imp.

 

Imp: The sweetness of red wine and the resins.

 

Skin: The smokyness of certain elements combined with the ozone and leather, which I love, that mixture of leather and fresh/cold air.

 

Drydown: I do get the sense of desolation, of emptiness and ruin. It's sort of like the tragic version of Tezcatipoca. This is an unexpected enjoyment for me, even though the ozone is a little overpowering and I wish some of the other notes were noticable to me. Still, I'm destined to like anything Beth makes with leather in it.

Edited July 13, 2007 by luna65

[darlingarmadillo]

Fresh on, this smelled like juicy blackcurrant and rich coffee. It's dried down to warm fruit, a dry heat, and a slightly burnt smell. It makes me think of late summer, somehow, and orange light.

 

It's light, for all that, and it isn't an overpowering scent. It seems to be lasting pretty well.

 

It was a frimp in my Red Moon order, and I'd never heard of it before. It's surprisingly nice, and while I don't think I'll be getting a bottle, it might be enough to change my mind about leather notes. I've never found a scent with leather that works on me.

[dydan]

Black Tower, oh how I love thee....

 

Its dark, its sexy, its spicy. Its one of those scents I just cant stop sniffing my wrist in public. On me its yummy but on my boyfriend its positively intoxicating! I definitely need to add this to my Big Bottle List. I think I may need TWO bottles so I dont have to share with the boy!

[PurpleHeather]

In the bottle: Leather, very strongly leather.

Wet: The leather has changed into a sort of liquorice scent, with a background of aniseed.

Later: Slightly spicier, but still aniseed liquorice. Nice enough, but not for me*. Good throw though.

 

*I'm vegan and this was my attempt to see if I'd like a scent listed as being leathery. I guess not.

[dragonrain]

In the imp, this was very fruity and I could pick out the red wine easily enough. On my skin, it just didn't work. I couldn't tell what exactly I was smelling, but it wasn't pleasant and it vaguely reminded me of something burning. After a couple of hours it's faded to powdery florals. I'm afraid I won't be keeping this one.

[KassiK]

I know this is a gender neutral scent, but the leather and sandalwood combo makes it more masculine.

 

In imp: sweet + leather

 

wet on skin: Leather in a clearing in the middle of the woods.

 

drydown: More chaotic than wet, but the same imagery, only each note comes in waves, including the wine.

 

Final Conclusion: Will keep around, but not a big bottle purchase. It definitely has a haunting feel to it. The color of the scent is burgandy and there's nothing "black" or "tower" about it, at least in the imagery it congers up for me.

[bookofblues]

I grabbed this one in an auction to give to my husband. It sounded perfect for him.

In the bottle: All wine. Uh oh.

Freshly on my wrist: Spices are coming out, almost piney with a bit of bitter resin too. Wine still predominates.

Dry and warm: Much more cold, with a medicinal quality. There's something in here that reminds me of Medicine Show. Definitely a masculine scent. I sadly don't pick up the ivy or burnt grasses that I was so excited about.

Fading: a little craft store candle-y. Still nice though.

 

On my husband ..... well, he thinks it smells like Robitussin.

I'll probably send this one to the swaps.

[filigree_shadow]

This is an excellent scent for a man, and whenever I get a frimp of this one I pass it over to my husband right away. It smells good on both of us, but it suits him a lot better than it suits me.

 

Mostly it seems like a warm leather and wood scent, and it's fairly rugged. I wouldn't say it's "gentlemanly," but it's not like a cowboy either. The ebony and teak are brilliant in this one. They smell fantastic and they make the scent seem sophisticated than the usual leather scent. I could have sworn there was a little drop of vanilla in here -- there's something in it that's a bit sweet.

 

All in all this is a fabulous scent, and I love it when my husband wears this one.

[Analise]

I wanted to like this one, I love the description.

 

I ended up getting out of it dry, generic potpourri. Not at all what I wanted to smell like, alas.

[Ilex]

Well, this is a different scent. On first application my initial response was "burnt toast and floral?" Then the leather poked out. And then there was ozone over the "fresh floral" which I assume is the English Ivy. But sadly, the wine in this is a deal breaker, as it goes grape crush on me, just as the lovely ambergris makes itself known, and plays nice with the ozone. Phooey. On a guy/gal where the wine (whine!) note didn't go foul sicky sweet grapes and the English Ivy didn't get over sweet to boot, it'd be a really interesting blend. Not for me though.

[aClearInferno]

The Black Tower.

 

.First Impression

Ack! <gag> Something like chocolate grape. Rancid grape. And rot. Sharp, vinegar-y, super-unpleasant.

.Laters

Nasty grape-ish note slowly fading, wooded/incense notes underneath. Quiet. Warm, spicy, smoky, and woody, like the heated boards in a sauna.

.Last

Much much better dry, actually one of my old favorites. Soothing for a long day that starts out bad.

Edited October 30, 2007 by aClearInferno

[The_Merf]

This one really doesn't do that much on my skin--it's just a really light leather with the dryness of sandalwood (it's almost dry like orris). I could definitely pick up the ambergris while the scent was wet, but the middle (and longest) stage is light leather and sandalwood. It reminds me of a lighter Les Infortunes, with the ivy, wood and redwine adding character in the same way that orange and florals add a kick to the other. I don't get any ozone from this blend at all--it's a light but absolutely complex perfume blend and very lovely in its balance.

[xeraei]

So, after much exhaustive researching, I chose Fae, and my husband chose Black Tower. Well, Fae was a hit, but we are still out to lunch on Black Tower. Here's what I thought:

 

Bottled: Slightly sweet whiffs of burgundy, then a desolate smell of crushed plants and wet rock

 

Wet: Hubbies first comment after putting it on? "Wow, this makes me smell like a lush" His skin amplified the wine, throwing it ten feet in every direction. You couldn't smell the other notes at all.

 

Dry-Down: The " Went Diving in a Bottle of Syrah" smell is still there, but the ozone and rust have come out, making it smell sort of like Don Quixote got struck by lightning.

 

Hours Later: Now it smells wonderful, but the first two hours we agreed were near unbearable. After four hours, the ozone lurks in the background and the scent of ivy, damp rocks, and woodsmoke comes forward. If only the booze was not so strong to start off. This might be a swapper just because my husbands skin seems determined to make it smell like five winos in a cardboard refrigerator box. SAD!

 

Oh well.

[Veresti]

The Black Tower

 

In the Bottle:

I'm not getting any sweet scent others are describing - none of that red wine, which is sad. Another note I am disappointed is absent is the leather with ebony. The teak, ambergris and burnt grass is very strong,

 

On the Skin:

Very strong teak, and burnt grass. The ambergris isn't as solid as it was. I can smell the blackened steel extremely well - it is almost stronger than the teak. Still no sign of leather with ebony or red wine. I can just barely smell the English ivy and white sandalwood, but it is very weak.

 

Two Hours Later:

The blackened steel, teak and burnt grass has faded a bit, but it is still a solid presense. I'm getting a thicker whiff of the white sandelwood, which is good. The English ivy is blending nicely with the white sandelwood. I really wish the teak wasn't present with that mixture - it doesn't seem to combine well with the other notes.

 

Four Hours Later:

The blackened steele and teak still slaps me upside the head, but probably just because I'm expecting the pain of sinus pressure and migraines that accompanied it previously. The English ivy is mellowly present with the white sandelwood, so it wouldn't be terribly bad

 

Verdict:

Not a fan of at all, which is really sad because I was looking forward to it. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

[Pendragon]

In the imp: this brings to mind a very olden style setting of a king and comrades at a big stone table, drinking red wine. The table is laid out in fruit - grapes, berries, melons. The fireplace has just had fresh-cut wood added to it, and there is a touch of scent from the ivy creeping up the walls that you wouldn't notice if you were around it every day.

 

Wet: it starts very sweet and begins to dry, leaving a fruity, smoky trail wafting up from my wrist.

 

Dry: The stone table has now morphed into a wooden bench and I can smell the leather. Sweet smoke is drifting out from the magicians quarters where he is burning sandalwood and herbs.

 

Verdict: All in all - YuM! I think this would be fantastic on my other half, as it dries down to be distinctly gender neutral. The wet stage is a bit bright and sweet however.

[fireweaver]

My skin really likes to make sure everyone around me knows that I'm wearing Sandalwood. It's like Daffy duck,

"Look at me, Look, look, don't I smell nice? See I'm here!" with the other notes trying to poke their heads out only to get bashed in the head and pushed away. I did gets bits of leather, and maybe a hint of something slightly sweet that gets whacked way too quick for me to identify.

Don't get me wrong, I love sandalwood, but I'm sad that a scent with that many *other* notes in it doesn't get a chance to show them off. This would be fantastic on someone else I'm sure!

 

Ok, I'm editing this because I gave it another try, and what a difference! Sandalwood stayed hidden for hours, and the leather, oooh the leather... YUM!

Edited December 30, 2007 by fireweaver