Black Lotus

[gingersnapp]

Born in the shadows of a Temple to Set, this corrupted Egyptian scent evokes images of black pyramids, river demons, and bleak, deadly desert sands. Black lotus flower, amber, myrrh and sandalwood.

This started out bubblegum sweet like other lotus blends, but the sandalwood and myrrh have tempered it quite a bit and now it's softly spicy as well. I hope the amber comes out a bit more but I've been wearing this for about two hours now and I don't see any sign of it. This is vaguely soapy, and not really for me.

[tinyvulture]

i wasn’t sure what lotus smelled like, but apparently it’s very fruity and sweet. the strong strawberry/cherry scent may be cloying to some. this is not a delicate scent – it’s quite rich and strong. i wait for it to become more resiny and dark. but, sadly, the sandalwood is only noticeable for a minute, and my beloved myrrh and amber never make an appearance. too fruity for me, but i’m still going to try blood lotus and see if i like it better.

[Loligo]

Ah, *now* I see why people are always comparing lotus to bubblegum! I do see the resemblence, but on me, this is like the most sexy and sophisticated bubblegum ever. It has sort of incense and caramel edges to it. I love it! (And many thanks to Nineveh for the frimp!)

[joseybird]

To me, Black Lotus smells strangely like civet bubblegum there's a little bit of resinous undertones here, but for the large part, I can't stand this Which is a pity, because I love the concept and the name!

[vyvyan]

Black Lotus goes on like bubblegum, but as it dries it calms down and the spices come out. This is definitely a wet, lush spice - nothing dry about this blend! The word "heady" could describe it, fo' sho'. It doesn't last long on me – couple hours, maybe. It's very nice, but not amazing, and a little *much* for me.

[sophia_helix]

My reactions were pretty much the same as everyone else -- soapy/bubblegum lotus at first, drying down eventually into something more resinous, with the sandalwood and myrrh coming to the fore. It's kind of interesting to have aquatic/floral mixed with spicy/incensual.

 

It's still just a little sickeningly sweet, so I don't think I'll be hanging onto this, but at least the drydown was better than expected.

[slugbait]

This is really sweet smelling in the imp. On my skin, just like everyone else, this turns into bubblegum. As it dries, it gets a bit smoky/incensy. Dry, this is still sweet, but has a bit of a wood element to me on. I think I like the dry down alot more than the initial wet sage. Completly dry the sandalwood balances it out and it isn't as sweet. I'm not sure if this is something I would wear all the time, but I think I will hang onto it for awhile.

[oceangirl]

In the bottle - Oddly sweet. A bit of dark flowers here and there, but mostly an odd sweetness I can't place.

 

Wet - Incense and flowers. I smell like a temple to the dark gods back in prehistory.

 

Dry - Still smoky. I'm getting a whiff of cinnamon every now and then, too. The sweetness came back, but it's not overpowering. It's a nice scent, but it's not for me.

 

Verdict? If you like dark, mysterious scents, this is the one for you.

[LunaDragonGirl]

In the imp and on me: Overpowering, sickly sweet, cloying fruity scent...like black cherry syrup that has been reduced to the consistancy of molasses...very heavy and overpowering. I can't detect any of the more incensey notes at all, and I'm a big fan of amber. I'm getting a headache.

 

After almost a half an hour, the overpowering sweetness finally disapppears and...nothing. The scent has just faded away to nothing but a slight, tiny hint of baby powder.

 

I wanted to love this, I really did. The imagery in the description, the concept...all wonderful. The scent on me however...no worky!

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression:

Ok faintest of Lotus, fruit from somewhere. I also detect a dark sensual undertone to this ...amber and myrrh definitely dominate in this one.

Upon drydown I finally get the sandalwood note. A bit disappointed on the lack of Lotus therein as the name implied. However, I find it a sultry and tremendously sexy scent. My impression on a scale of 1-5...4

[QueenFae]

This is quite a bit like Blood Lotus, but definitely darker. It has an almost fruity quality to it,but it's debauched by a dark, sinister floral. The amber and sandalwood come together to soften up the undertones, and they give it that scrumptious quality that I always detect in amber blends. It's undeniably sexy, and conjours images of dark sorceresses, mysterious places, and evil spells. I love it, another masterpiece.

[Blood onmy hands]

I actually like lotus when it smells like powdery bubblegum, so I was happy when Black Lotus had that smell. It's very sweet and pleasant to me.

 

I didn't think that I would like the combination of bubblegum, spicy woods, and goldeny myrrh, but I do. The lotus just adds an edible sweetness to the spiciness of the blend.

 

After three hours or so, this is very powdery and faint. I rather like it though, and I am pondering the purchase of a full bottle.

[Thorne]

Holy perfumey bubblegum, Batman! The myrrh and amber do make a faint appearance after drydown, which I quite like, but I can't take the wet stage of this perfume.

[SeaMonkey]

the myrrh and lotus mixed for this great great dusty sweet type of smell. I was really getting into sniffing myself, and then it went away.

 

 

I've learned that my body eats lotus flower

[Fefferbella]

Yah! A floral I can wear!

 

Black lotus is spicey and dark enough to actually carry on me! \

 

 

Lovely SEXY scent!

[Finny]

Rich resinuos myrrh, and lotus. Do I have any doubts that I will love this? Now to hope the amber behaves.

 

Mmm, spicy, sweet, lightly floral... then powder. But a richly scented spiced powder.

 

Well, amber has once again decided to turn a scent into a powder version of the components. Sometimes this good, sometimes not so good, sometimes heart breaking.

 

This one is heart breaking as I have now sneezed 15 times in a row.

[little_miss_gogo]

In the bottle: sweeet! fruity and flowery and suuuugary.

on the skin: It starts out sweet and fake-candy-fruity just like in the bottle, but as it dries it starts to tame down into more of a still very sweet, but spicy floral.

30 minutes later it has pretty much dissappeared.

When i sniff the spot where I tested it, i am getting a strange faint apples-and-cinnamon-yankee-candle type scent, but the original scent is pretty much gone.

That was weird...

[Thaleia]

In the vial: A herbal/floral/fruity tea scent, sweetened. I would have said last night that it smelled like those old-fashioned candy buttons that come on the pieces of paper, but it smells different today.

 

Wet: Ooh, candied fruit! It still smells a bit like that loose floral tea my mom used to buy when I was younger.

 

Drydown: The amber lends warmth to the scent and makes it less candy-sweet than on initial application. It's also getting duskier from the sandalwood and myrrh, but retains the candy-sweet floral note on top.

 

Dry: About the same as on the drydown. There's not much throw to this one on me; I can't smell it from arm's length, but it's pretty strong when I sniff my wrist.

 

I'm still a relative newcomer to BPAL scents, so I haven't gotten around to looking into the Rappaccini's Garden selections for ones I'd like to try ... so this is why I'm so glad the Lab sends frimps. This particular one was nice to try, and I think I'll keep the imp for those really cold winter days (like the ones we're getting now) when you need a warm scent, a flavoured hot chocolate, and the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition with cast commentary.

 

Rating: 3

Edited December 23, 2005 by Shollin

[AngellicMystique]

Apparently lotus = aquatic on me because this is what I expected from R’lyeh. This started out mildly fruity and dark and quickly turned to the brooding, near rancid dark water aroma I pictured as the home of C'Thulhu.

 

I can't wear it because the ick-factor is STRONG, but I like it.

[walkingundine]

I've only worn Black Lotus a couple of times, because every time I reach for the imp I have to screw my courage to the sticking-point (or is it place? I always misquote that line.)

 

Anyway.

 

In the imp: The person several pages ago had it right. This is Robitussin, Cough Syrup Extraordinaire, elixir of my youth. I went through so much of this stuff when I was a kid, you would not believe. It's not the cough syrup smell that worries me, though.

 

Wet: The bit that worries me is actually lotus, which for the first half-hour or so of wear is BUBBLEGUM. <---This is the face I make.

 

It's worth persevering, though.

 

Drydown: The bubblegum backs off and does its impersonation of a nice lush floral, and something dark and somewhat woodsy/spicy/incensey comes out.

 

Throw: Pretty heavy-duty.

 

Staying power: Many moons, I tell you. Many bloody moons.

 

In summation: I've had a lot less trouble with Black Lotus since I started layering it with Haunted. It's a lovely scent if you get along with lotus.

[Thursdae]

I wanted to love Black Lotus because of its name. I’m sad that it smelled weird on me; I got no fruity, no sweetie, no gummy, no cherry, just a twisted darkness pouring out of a dry and splintered sarcophagus, all its precious contents looted and scattered on the sands.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: Clearly the folks at the Lab have psychic powers...as I was looking at upcoming Moon oils, I said to myself, "Gee, I wish I could have a go at something with a lotus note, because I don't know what that's like." Sure enough, I was generously gifted this imp with my last purchase. I can certainly see where the "bubblegum" reputation comes from, though compared to some of the other scents I tested, this one is not nearly as sweet. Perhaps I'm looking extra hard for the lotus note, but it dominates in the imp.

 

Wet: Yes, the bubblegum is strongest at this stage. It is still not as overpowering as I would have expected it to be, given the reviews. I'll bet this is because my skin amps myrrh and sandalwood like nobody's business! However, I don't smell either of those notes distinctly.

 

Dry-down and wear: This is another perfume that really fits its description. After the initial stage of dry-down, I can really start to smell the myrrh (and I may detect a hint of the sandalwood). I quite like this; I will definitely use up the imp, and proceed from there.

[melrose]

In imp and on, wet: Metallic, candied pineapple (now there's a phrase I never thought I'd use).

 

Near drydown: Powdery, spicy, sweet - yum

 

30 minutes later: Sigh. Gone, all gone.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Sickly sweet lotus, oh dear. It's funny, it smells like a fruit rather than like a flower.

 

Wet: the amber and myrrh appear over the sweetness, adding a rich spiciness to the otherwise sickly lotus. It still smells very much like candy.

 

Drydown: Myrrh and lotus that attempt to blend. My skin doesn't seem to be very cooperative, either the myrrh is too strong, or the lotus is. Then the sandalwood comes through and adds a woody sweetness to the fruity sweetness of the lotus. It ends up very very sweet with dark edges, and... an aquatic note. Oh, I didn't think it could get worse, but it has. Now I can hardly smell anything, it's smothered in aquatics and my sinuses hurt.

 

Overall: This was a frimp from a generous donator, but unfortunately it's absolutely not me. I love myrrh, but I hated lotus in "Forbidden Fruit", and this one confirms that my skin and my nose hate it. The sandalwood is also not really my friend. On me this is really sickly, smoky, and unpleasantly aquatic. It gets to my throat, too. Funnily, though, people say it smells good on me, like a very heady expensive perfume... still, ick!

[niter]

Imp

This is all lotus hand dipped in thick, oozy syrup. It is almost repugnantly cloying in the imp yet has a dark, sweet mystery about it egging me to try it. I am eager for the notes and I love lotus on me.

 

Wet

Right out of the gates this is strong lotus seeped in a resiny cherry "generic berry" cough syrup. The lotus soon, thanks to my skin chemistry, comes to the front and my wrist screams "LOTUS!!!" While I love lotus tremendously, so does my skin, so I hope this mellow a touch to afford sharing the stage with the myrrh and sandalwood.

 

Dry

Lotus. Nuff said. I LOVE lotus, but I was hoping for more of a blend and less of a single note. Damn skin chemistry!