Black Hellebore

[Dinerdulcinea]

... Hellebore resembles the wild rose, but does not belong to their family. The scent is a pale green herbal, darkly rooty, with a faint rose and peony-like overtone.

imp: woody and green with a hint of floral. Throw from 1-10 is about 5

wet: a very pale floral. Mysterious and beguiling but very faint. Throw from 1-10 is about 4

Dry: This is very faint, but it has turned too classically "floral" on me for me to really like it. And it is the kind of floral I don't like...that watery kind of floral I associate with a kind of pale blue with a hint of green. I love to look at/wear that COLOR, but I don't want to smell like that color. Does that make sense?

It reminds me a little bit of a commercial perfume I once tried. I really liked it at first sniff, like this, but then it turned kinda unappealing on me, like this...was it L'EAU D'ISSEY? (I think that is the one it reminds me of.) I think they must have similar floral and wood notes. Throw at this stage from 1-10 is about 7. This is my least favorite stage.

Later: It has finally arrived at a nice, rounded, pale, powdery scent---very light. It is pleasant, but not one I think I will want to wear myself. This one is not for me. Throw at this stage is about a 4 or a 3.

summary: not a keeper for my tastes.

[metaldog32]

Black Hellebore...I had to buy a bottle outright just because of the little girl whose tears spilled onto the snow because she had no gift for the Christ child..that sold me.... ..sucker that I am. Can't help it.

 

I wasn't too sure though...about the whole "darkly rooty" component...since I am not really a fan of anything that screams "earthy"...dirt-like notes usually don't sing on my skin..but I figured I had nothing to lose. Actually..my sister figured I had nothing to lose..as she was the one who decided that this fragrance would be one that I might like..thanks sis!!!

 

Anyway..onto the review:

 

Initial sniff from the bottle:Closing my eyes and taking a big whiff..I get florals...perfume-like florals but not super heavy..there seems to be a freshness to it..definitely rose and peony...very pretty. Not exactly what I was expecting..and it's a nice surprise. I was expecting green, stem-like, rooty with maybe a touch of floral.

 

Applied wet on skin:It's all still about the florals..but when I sniff deeply I get on the back end the "root" type note..and it isn't aggresive..it actually works quite nicely. The rose isn't screaming in this blend either...I guess the peony tempers it a bit..and the whole vibe I am getting is a pretty and fresh floral.

 

Couple of minutes on skin:It's all the same players folks...this is a bit linear on me..but you know what??? It works.

 

Drying on skin:Fresh floral...delicate but not invisible...the "root" note nowhere to be found.

 

Drydown: Rose and peony..the rose again isn't a haughty in-your-face type..it's a fresh delicate rose..and with the peony it really is just a pretty spring-like representation. Very soft throw.

 

Staying power was about 3-4 hours.

 

Bottome Line: Black Hellebore is a perfect fragrance for the office. The delicate rose/peony notes along with the freshness of the blend..although a bit demure is actually quite pretty. I like it. Nicely done.

[kraken]

In the Imp: I get a lovely sharp green scent, like a freshly trimmed and watered hedge.

 

Initial Wet: Flowers! It must be the peony, or if it's roses, it's not my beloved London roses. It reminds me of some floral commercial perfume that I tried once, but I don't know the name of. I don't get any of the green anymore, just flowers.

 

Initial Dry: It has the most powerful throw that I've smelled. When I get my nose right up to my wrist, I can smell the lovely greens that I smelled in the imp, but as soon as I move away, it's a very strong floral.

 

Drier Dry: ---

 

The floral was so overpowering that it began to give me a headache and make me nauseous, so I had to wash it off. It always makes me sad to have to wash off a BPAL scent.

Edited September 20, 2006 by kraken

[supremegoddessofall]

I definitely smell the flowers, and there is an earthy quality to it. It reminds me a bit of something I used to wear years ago, but I can't remember what exactly. Definitely pleasant, but also seems to be fading more quickly than some of the other ones. Now I'm remembering what it smells like - it smells like some of the more upscale sari and jewelry shops in India.

 

Score: 3 out of 5

[PilotKitten]

This is a dark rooty blend. It still manages to stay a light and pale floral though... weird. Not sure I like this one. It's okay I suppose, just not for me.

[SeaLady]

When I deliberately sniff my wrists with this on, it's muuuch too strong of a floral for me.

 

But oh, the wafts I get from wearing it. Warm and floral and creamy. I just can't put my nose on my wrists while I'm wearing it ^^ I like it a lot.

[halcyon_flight]

To me this smelled like dry crumbling earth and, oddly enough, peonies. Lots of peonies. This is a very dark scent and it's very floral. If you like peonies, you'll probably like it. I, however, do not. *Runs away from the imp*

[The_Merf]

In the imp: You know, this smells quite pretty, on account of the rose and peony, I imagine. I'd been wanting to try this, since it is the plant associated with the fixed star Algol, which is conjunct my Sun.

 

Wet: Very floral (peony, not rose), with just a faint trace of green. This is a very pink scent when it is wet, and I don't mind it (a sentence that I did not think I'd ever type).

 

Drydown and wear: I'm not sure about this on the drydown; I'll have to try it again. It goes very green and clean on me, and actually smells a bit soapy/men's cologne-y. However, given its association, I want to give it another chance.

Edited December 16, 2006 by The_Merf

[slave1]

BLACK HELLEBORE

 

In Bottle: Sweet earthy floral

 

On Skin: Not what I was expecting… it does have the rose note but there is also a sweet earthy note that darkens the scent and gives it weight. It’s also a bit fruity,,, hmm… green in feel… I love it! It’s actually quite hard to pin down what I’m smelling. I do still smell the slightly sour rose. The roots earthy scent is moist and not dusty dirt at all. The fruity note also has a kind of vegtable feel to it, maybe like sweet cucumber? Seriously, this scent is really confusing my nose. I smell the lily from Black Lily, that almost vanilla milky sweetness. It has an average thorw and short to average wearlength.

[filigree_shadow]

Pink and soft. This is quite pretty -- I don't get much of a rooty or earthy scent at all. Just softly floral. Not overwhelming, not powdery, not heady. It almost seems a little bit velvety to me, it's so soft.

 

I don't usually like florals, but this is one of the few that I would wear. (I do like peonies, by the way.) This is understated and feminine.

[sh1mm3r]

I don't get a lot of rose from this, mainly peony. And I never thought you could have a root note, but there it is. It's the distinct scent of working in a garden, not the dirt but just the freshness of everything - the verdant life around you as you weed or water.

[Lunaratu]

Ok, this starts out rather acrid on me which i'm guessing is the "herbal" part. I should know by now that things that supposedly are green and herbal severally dislike me at first and smell like sharp alcohol cleaner.

 

However, after the first initial blast of yuckiness this settles down into a very fragile floral bouquet. It reminds me a little bit of dove or oil of olay soap without the actual soap quality. Just that very light pretty floral scent.

 

and then it does turn into light soap. as if I just washed with a floral scented soap bar. not really my thing. I'll stick with carnation and jasmine as my florals thusfar.

 

Throw: almost non existent--it really gets sucked into my skin.

Rating: 2.5/5

Edited October 9, 2007 by Lunaratu

[phedre]

In vial: dirt and green herbs.

 

Wet: fresh roots in topsoil, green herbs and a touch of florals.

 

Drydown: The soil smell has disappeared, and this is now very floral, like a light orchid.

 

Later: This has gone oddly perfumey. The earthiness is gone completely, and it's just too orchid-like for me now.

[bizarrogirl]

I am not into florals, generally. I got this as a frimp, and tried it, knowing absolutely nothing about it.

 

Here's the funny thing: I don't really like the scent very much. Too flowery, albeit in a dark green, musty way. Yet, each time I've tested it, it makes me smile -- the whole time I'm wearing it. My nose doesn't like it, but my brain does. So I came to look it up to see what it's supposed to be like and read:

 

Sovereign plants to purge the veins

Of melancholy, and cheer the heart

Of those black fumes which make it smart.

 

It works! For me, anyway. I better get a bottle.

[steffanina]

Black Hellebore-

 

In Bottle: Very sweet and green! A whiff like Irish spring.

 

Wet: Sweet grasses, very clean and green.

 

Dry: A sweet scent, not really soapy but clean. The littlest bit of fruit. Nice, though not one I'm likely to turn to a lot.

 

Overall: Nice.

[bristlecone]

Wow... this is like Penny Dreadful Lite to me. I can appreciate that, because as much as I love Penny Dreadful, sometimes it's a bit much. I would say that PD is better for cooler days, and BH for warmer weather.

 

I get light florals (esp. the peony, not so much the rose) and a dusty, slightly powdery greenness at first. It is earthy, but lightly so. After half an hour or so, it turns pleasantly spicy. The final drydown is where I catch resemblances to Penny Dreadful... something sort of lily-like (I'm guessing?) and perfumey. I guess they share at least one note.

 

I like! I'm glad I got this frimp.

Edited June 25, 2007 by bristlecone

[PurpleHeather]

In the bottle: Sweet, and slightly green, with a citrus edge.

Wet: Very similar to Velvet and Strangler Fig, with an upfront sweetness (though not&nbspchocolatey), and a fant sandalwoody background

Later: Has mellowed down to a deep sandalwood. While I like it, it doesn't beat Strangler Fig & Velvet in my book, so a 7/10, but probable swapper.

Edited July 16, 2007 by PurpleHeather

[aquazoo]

Smells like a cleaning product. Luckily it dries down better. Still, kind of a generic soap/perfume/magazine insert.

[JenM]

In the imp: subtle, green and floral, with a tang.

 

On the wrist: Green and slightly bitter, with rose floating over the top. Good throw from the florals, with the herbs only coming through close up.

 

After an hour, the herbs have faded completely, leaving the very pleasant floral. Something’s supporting the rose and keeping it from going powdery, which is a good thing.

 

Three hours: gone but for the faintest whiff of summer flowers. May keep, may swap.

[ClareN]

I think I bought this as one of my first purchases from a forumite, when I first got into BPAL. I just got around to testing it now, and I didn't remember, before testing it, what the notes were supposed to be. Somehow I expected a dark bitter herbal scent, with maybe some earth and vetiver.

 

Not at all. I put it on and without rereading the notes, I thought "fruity bubblegum" straight away - I wouldn't be surprised if this has a bit of lotus, since lotus is supposed to smell like bubblegum. I don't really like fruit or bubblegum scents. Black Hellebore soon reveals an aquatic side, which is another scent family I don't like at all. I didn't perceive the pink, fruity scent as rose or peony until I reread the notes; it's really a rather generic sweet pink scent, slightly soapy. Nothing about this excites me; sorry I can't say much about it. However, if you do like sweet, fruity, watery scents, I imagine you might enjoy this.

Edited September 7, 2007 by ClareN

[DifferentDances]

Imp: Powerful floral, almost gag-inducing, very grandmother-like.

Wet: Softer, but still grandmother-like.

Drydown: And it's gone, but for the faintest, faintest genteel perfume. Less grandmotherly and more tea with the Duchess.

Dry: Same as the drydown --a faint, classy floral.

 

My rating: 2/5. It's a beautiful scent, make no mistake about it, but if I'm going to reach for a subtle, classy scent, I'm more likely to reach for a tea-based scent or my beloved Rose Red than Black Hellebore.

[MaidenGenevive]

Black Hellebore

 

Very green! I love that. Green and herbal, with airy light florals in the background. Refreshing and feminine. This very much feels like a fistful of fresh cut flowers, picked wild on a crisp Spring day.

 

[4 - Really Like] Fresh and vibrant, that's how I like my florals.

[Indefatigable]

In the vial: mmm, peony. Darker and cooler than a peony out in a summer garden.

 

Wet on me: Powdery. Man, I hope it isn't rose that's going all powdery on me. That would suck. I can smell the rose a little bit.

 

Drydown: I think the rose is fading, and it's going back to uninteresting powder. I'd love to be able to use this as a room scent or something, because it smells so good in the vial, but it just doesn't work on my skin.

[Northernskygal]

So.. how about I put this on, not knowing what category it is in, what notes are in it.. nothing.. except the name.. which scared me..

Black Hellebore.. I thought this was gonna be dark and scary and.. shortly after putting it on, I caught a whiff of this beautiful floral.. then upon looking it up realized why. This is so super pretty, not full on rose, not quite peony.. this is a subtle floral, most likely because it is more herbal and less floral, if that makes sense. Which is not to say it smells like an herb garden, as it really doesn't have any of that going on either. This would make the most perfect spring scent, it is pretty and feminine and.. strangley addictive...

[agnusdei]

Wet and freshly applied, Black Hellebore is a floral that is both sharp and sweet at once. I can smell an earthy green that conjures up images of roots twisting through fresh soil, accented by a herbal bitterness. The peony/rose scent is there, but it's deep and wet and a bit unfamiliar.

 

Once given time to dry, the florals take over and this blend seems softer and more inviting. The peony becomes the strongest note, morphing Black Hellebore into something sweet and almost perfume-y while still holding that earthy edge from the wet stage. My skin might as well be made of roses considering how much I usually amp them, but surprisingly in this blend the 'rose-ness' takes on a supporting role. After a while everything went rather soapy on me, but it was a lovely kind of soapy that I actually didn't mind smelling like.