Black Lily

[ipb]

Breathtaking darkness, a vision of grace in shadow.

Since it's on the raffle, I thought I'd tease y'all a bit with my thoughts on one or two of the prototypes


Black Lily... if you love the scent of lily - not necessarily the scent of lily on you, but the scent of the flower - this is a great scent. I don't think I've tried a scent that was as true to the lily smell as this. Lily tends to get funky on me, but this one doesn't - it still smells like a lily.

Sadly, though, I'm not really a huge fan of the smell of lilies, so the fact that it doesn't do that lily thang isn't necessarily a good thing for me. But, for those of you who DO adore the smell of lily and get disappointed when it gets funky on your skin, this may just be a lily that works for you!

[Shollin]

I can confirm that. Lily blends always, always, always go soapy on me. (The single notes don't seem to, and I still can't figure that out, but...) But this one is glorious. Here's my official review:

 

First sniff: I’ve never seen a black lily. I don’t know if such things are possible. But if there is one, this is exactly what it smells like. It’s fresh, soft, slightly sweet – and shadowed. This isn’t a big showy flower in the sun – it’s quiet and mysterious.

 

Wearing: Lily usually goes straight to soap on my skin, but not this one. I think this might be the first floral skin-scent I’ve tried. I can’t pinpoint it, but I know I smell awesome. It’s soft, and still a little bit sweet, and there’s a richness to it that makes me think of vanilla.

[Ina Garten Davita]

Lily lovers the world over will be clamoring to get their hot little hands on this one. It's smooth and creamy and perfectly lily-like. It's much softer than the name implies. I'd like to put this next to a traditional lily single note to compare. I quite like this one.

[shelldoo]

this is indeed a true lily scent, it smells like the stamens in an easter lily, or spring lily. and i am not a lily friend, it goes way over pwoerful on me usually. that said this one stays true to the bottle, it is a true lily non soapy, not freak out omg there is lily scent. it is a gentle spring flower (lily) and stays that way so even a lily non-lover like me questions buying a big bottle

[VenusFlyTrap]

Ah, lillies!

 

This lily is different from any of the other lily scents in the BPAL family.

 

It's soft and gentle though still retaining the Lily signature.

 

Hinting of soft vanilla intermingled with lily. Nothing like Cobra Lily! In fact, subtle and deceivingly demure.

 

Black Lily...definitely on my list for a big bottle!

 

Thanks, Beth!

 

[zillah37]

In the vial: This smells like fresh lilies, just cut. There's something very similar to the freshness of Rose Red about it. But underneath all of that, there's a creaminess to it. It's beautiful in the vial.

 

On the skin: Whoa. That's strong. It's definitely lilies, but there's something dark to it. I keep sniffing it because it really reminds me of something. Not something entirely pleasant either. But nothing terrible. The creaminess that I sniffed in the vial is starting to show up the longer it's on my skin. The longer I wear it, the more beautiful it becomes.

 

The verdict: This is a really beautiful scent and I'm surprised by how much I like it. I'm not a really flowery girl most of the time, but maybe once in awhile I'd like to smell like beautiful, creamy lilies. I would definitely snag a bottle of this when it shows up for sale. The longer this is on, the more I like it. I want this. Lots of this.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Um… lily.

 

On Skin: I love lillies, they’re one of my favorite flowers. And Black Lily, well I knew it would be perfection. It is very strong and heady, wow. Feminine to an extreme, this screams “I am woman hear me roar!” I love how although it is a lily, it is dark, not the bright white I normally get from lily scents. It has a creamy note as well as a slightly tart note. Sweet and sour, I love it. I would LOVE a bottle of this, it really is that pretty. So elegant yet evil as well, quite a contrast. I think it would really intrigue people if they smell it on you. Not for a shy woman at all.

[sarada]

A lovely powdery lily steeped in ... possibly amber and a dark musk? Sweet and fresh -- when I say "powdery" I mean it in the best possible sense: shimmering, natural pollen.

 

Unlike a lot of floral blends that contain lily, it does not give me a headache. Basically, if you subbed out the Lotus in Black Lotus for Lily, you might get something like this.

 

I agree that it is slightly tart, and I'd say has an almost silky powdery quality.

 

I don't think I'd use it very often but I like having an imp. I tend to think of Snow White as a lily scent and it would be my go-to choice for a succulent, crisp lily but I'm glad to have a sneak peek of this one!

[LittleGreyKitten]

Wow, this is a gorgeous lily. It is very creamy on me- this wonderful lily aroma floating all around with a cream base. It definitely is dark though, and doesn't go powdery on me.

 

Oh man, beautiful. Hopefully Beth releases this beast soon, I'm definitely in line for a bottle. It smells purple-black to me.

 

5 out of 5.

[elspeth]

When I got this imp I was really excited although lily has never really worked for me. When I put it on though I was bowled over. It is such a creamy delicious scent. It just curled around me and stayed very fresh. It never went to powder like most lillies do. Hope this is released very soon. I need about 5 bottles because this would definitely be my scent!!

[solcita]

I won a bottle of this in the raffle. I wasn't so sure about it when I saw the name, because I'm really not a floral kinda girl. I'm a foodie, particularly a sweet foodie... so I was dubious.

 

I'm always willing to try new things, though, so when it arrived today I pulled out a toothpick and tried it out.

 

I've let it settle for about 20 minutes now, and I'm truly, surprisingly over it. I'll echo the previous posters and say it's a lovely, dark, creamy lily. Not overpowering. I'll definitely be wearing this one regularly.

[Medici]

I lilies!

 

In the imp Black Lily is very much a soft, dusted lily.

 

Wet it's much the same: subdued, slightly sweet, and very gentle.

 

To me, this blend is shadowed (and I hope that makes sense.) It's been kissed with a touch of shade, and on me, that's a great thing.

 

I hope this gets released soon, I want a bottle!

[emzebel]

Wow. I have recently discovered that I absolutely adore the scent of lilies in Beth's perfumes, and this is no exception.

 

Black Lily lives up to its name - wet is is a very true, polleny floral lily, which on my skin, just blossoms into a rich, womanly, sultry perfume. If you like lilies, this is a definite winner, and I suspect that this will win some converts to the lily valley as well.

[muselette]

Wet this scent is bright, floral lily. I wasn't sure I'd be able to wear it without getting a headache from the heavy floral overdose, but once on my skin it softens and carmelizes. It's a bit hard to describe because it's not really "lily plus X"- it's more like the scent change a flower goes through in the garden- sharp and green, then a bit more floral, then right before the bloom starts to wither it reaches a deep, polleny creaminess.

I can't really imagine this flower as being dark (I've tried to visualize it as one of those deep maroon asiatic lilies)- the picture in my mind is of a large white lily on a sultry night, when the rising sun in the morning is going to cause the bloom to drop off the stalk. Very rich, heady, and sweet, just on the cusp of powdery decay. It's quite lovely.

[yeahbutnobut]

Black Lily

 

In the imp: Nosegasm alert! Holy shit wow. A beautiful, rich, sweet floral, lily with jasmine overtones. Ohhh…

Wet on skin: stunning! This is a wonderful, rich floral scent and it stays true on the skin.

Dry: mmm, this is gorgeous! This is like no other lily I’ve smelt before-this is an otherworldly lily, a scent so captivating and bewitching, sweet, rich, heady and beautiful. It has almost jasmine and orchid like tones to it and there’s a touch of sweet nectar in there too, and a hint of dew, and I can almost smell a hint of green from the leaves. This lily isn’t waxy or soapy-it has tones of stargazer and white lily to it but it’s also very different from those, but yet doesn’t also smell ‘black’ though it is dark and dusky.

After a while: a slightly cold, almost metallic tone starts to creep into the scent, reminiscent of Black Orchid, but so far, it doesn’t detract from the loveliness of the scent-it just adds an interesting ‘bite’ to it. I get a hint of the reddish-white lily from Cobra Lily at this point, but without that blend’s fruity sweetness.

This cold note backs away shortly after it appears (but still hangs around to add that sinister edge to the scent), and then the scent becomes wonderfully creamy in feel. The lily isn’t black in scent now, it’s more like a red-pink-white mix, and quite smooth.

But after a few hours, it doesn’t smell as nice. It loses that heady floral scent and becomes an oddly metallic, almost chemical, coldly medicinal smell. Hints of lily remain but it doesn’t have the ‘wow’ factor it had before.

But when it fades from my skin, it gains that lily scent once more before leaving, switching from lily to that weird scent every now and then before saying farewell.

Verdict: this switches from absolutely fabulously beautiful to ‘huh?’ on my skin quite a lot. When I first smelt this scent I had a nosegasm. This is no ordinary lily-it may have elements of other lily scents, but this flower is a different entity altogether. Rich, womanly and exotic with an intoxicating, voluptuous aroma, yet it’s also fresh and with touches of nectar and dew. I was besotted! But then, after an hour or so, it became oddly metallic on my skin, a bit chemical, not the bewitching lily scent that came before. Seems this wicked little flower has a sinister bite to it. Then it became wonderfully creamy, but after that it went back to that strange metallic/medicinal stage. I love the first stage enough to keep the imp, but I’m now not sure whether I’ll get more of this.

Emoticon rating: ranges from to

[ChupaChup]

The lovely Sunnie gifted me with an imp of Black Lily in a recent swap. It's really gorgeous. I like almost all of Beth's lily blends and am amazed at how they all can smell like lily but still be so different. Black Lily has the typical creamy quality but there is some other note that registers dark green with me (as opposed to black), like fresh cut stems and leaves. That note also makes the lily last quite a bit longer on me than it usually does. I would snap this up in a heartbeat if it made the GC!

[filigree_shadow]

The lovely Sunnie also sent me an imp of Black Lily in a swap! It's not what I expected, although to be honest I'm not sure what I expected. Wet it smelled a little too green on me, and then it went through a heady floral stage, but when it's dry it smells creamy and rich. It's not a little-girl innocent floral, it's a womanly floral. Not overtly sweet or powdery. Stays true to that scent for a long time, too.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a nice, green lily scent.

 

on: lilly, but greener than a lot of the ones i've run across. faintly sweet, too.

 

1.5 hours later: this is reminiscent of tiger lily on me, but isn't quite as sweet. there's a bit of sharpness to this, too, but i'm hoping that goes away.

 

4 hours later: a bit soapy and sharp.

 

6.5 hours later: soft, slightly powdery lilies.

 

7.5 hours later: a faint lily scent, but still fresh.

 

overall: aside from a bit of soapiness, this is very pretty. i love lily.

[edenssixthday]

Black Lily - This scent was a big let-down. From the reviews I’ve read, it sounded like a scent I could fall in love with. Rather, it was pretty much a “meh” kind of scent on me – neither good nor bad. Just one that was unimpressive. It’s a nice floral that has only the tiniest hint of floral sweetness, and it’s very creamy, as if there may be the thinnest ribbon of vanilla running through it. It sticks very close to my skin, and I can barely detect the scent on my skin after an hour. All in all, the scent really isn’t anything to write home about. I’m glad I got to try it, but it’ll be going in my swap pile.

[absinthetics]

demure, and a little playful, but dark.. and refreshing lily... I have to update later with just what it is like on... like throw and duration.. but I was impressed with how delicate this was... but with just enough sneakyness to warrant the 'black' title.

[Blood onmy hands]

ETA:

Ordered two bottles of this recently, and figured I should edit my review, because the two bottles smell nothing alike (and I bought them at the same time and they came in the same box together :/). Most of my imps and bottles of Black Lily are very pale yellow, almost clear, and smell like a vanilla-y, dark lily with hint of green stems. Somehow dark, spring-like and a perfectly wearable floral with just enough sweetness for me. When I got my recent lab order with two new bottles of Black Lily, one of them was clear and smelled as usual, and the other one is orange and smells *completely* different (honey, soapy red rose, berries and warm spices?). The orange colored version gives me a headache.

Edited March 7, 2012 by Little Bird

[Kittyflop]

A very dark, sultry, sophisticated lily. Creamy, not too sweet, just perfect. Cocktail-hour lily. Candlelight dinner lily. Strength and femininity. It's got medium through and lasts a very long time on my skin.

[brownbear]

This is a creamy, sweet lily. I don't find it especially dark though. In fact, it seems cheerier, like yellow or pink. Anyway, if you like sweet lilies, you will probably like this.

[sofiaviolet]

This is a really light, pure lily scent. Pretty as anything. I'd keep it if my lily needs weren't so adequately fulfilled by Chuparosa.

[Reedsong]

This is a dark, wet lily, perfume-y and languorously sweet. It's like someone took a regular lily and coated the petals with despair and angst.

 

Oddly enough, though, it lasts for about ten minutes on my skin before getting eaten. I can only surmise that Black Lily has osmosed into my bloodstream and is now transporting fragrance through my entire body. Cool.