Black Rose

[ambrosia]

Exquisitely melancholy. The background scent to an ancient exequies. Heavy, dark and floral: a blend of roses, with a touch of amber and musk.

Black Rose is what I have always wanted dried red roses to smell like....and then I go to smell the dead flowers and they smell like dust.

Therefore, this is what I shall be scenting my dried roses with. I received an Imp's Ear of Black Rose. It came off too sweet and powdery on me - powdery in the way that amber can be powdery. Although I really like the rose notes, it's just a bit too sweet. When Black Rose mixed with my own pH, the overall scent kind of gave me a headache.

But I love what I smell in the bottle. My roses will be very happy.

[Red_Hot_Mama]

Although I really enjoy wearing Black Rose as a perfume, it's true place in my home is as an add in my TIGI shampoo & conditioner.

 

OMG, is this ever fantastic!

 

My hair is significantly softer & shinier.

 

I'm a natural readhead who must now color my hair to keep it from going so very light that people ask me "Where did your daughter get her red hair?"

 

Anyway, this works great with my naturally coarse & not-so-naturally processed hair.

 

I ordered a 5ml bottle & I'll always keep it around. A little goes a long way, so use a light hand. You can always add more, right?

[PookasCrayon]

Hubby got this imp for me. And I SO wanted to like it.

 

Bottle: Wow, that is really sweet, with a sharp green edge underneath. Unsure already. The green was nearly medicinal, and clashed hard with the sweet rose.

 

On, wet: Even more green, less of the sweet rose.

 

Later: Almost starting to like it. There's more green to it now, reminding me of an old herbal shampoo I used to adore. No hint of rose.

 

Drydown: NO NO NO. It has gone "old lady drowning in rose perfume" sweet on me, and is horrible with my body chemistry. Gaggingly rose. And it would NOT come off my skin. I scrubbed and tried, and it stuck with me.

 

This one is going in a swap, or to a friend that it actually worked on. Definitely not for me, but it smelled wonderful on Tessa. Darnit.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: An exquisite beauty with a dark, dark secret.

 

Second Impression: It immediately called to mind the excellently dark song Possum Kingdom by the Toadies (edited for length)

 

Make up your mind

Decide to walk with me

Around the lake tonight

By my side

I'm not gonna lie

I'll not be a gentleman

Behind the boathouse

I'll show you my dark secret

 

I'm not gonna lie

I want you for mine

My blushing bride

My lover, be my lover, yeah...

 

Don't be afraid

I didn't mean to scare you

So help me, Jesus

 

I can promise you

You'll stay as beautiful

With dark hair

And soft skin...forever

Forever

 

Make up your mind

And I'll promise you

I will treat you well

My sweet angel

So help me, Jesus

 

Give it up to me

Do you wanna be

My angel?

So help me!

 

Be my angel

Do you wanna die?

I promise you

I will treat you well

My sweet angel

So help me, Jesus

 

Final Analysis: Masterfully blended, the combination speaks to me, haunts me. The amber and musk do wonders to keep the roses from being sweet, girly or old lady-ish. I can't stop smelling it or get the images in evokes out of my head.

[Effluvia]

Whoa. This is a Joel Peter Witkin rose. I think that's a pretty all-encompassing statement.

 

For those of you out there who don't dig rose scents, don't worry, because Beth's rose scents are not the rose scents you know. None of the powdery ickyness of mainstream rose scents can be found here. It's all smooth and velvety and real; what you always wished rose scents would smell like. This particular rose is dark, evil, mysterious and shockingly beautiful. It smells glorious, and it DEMANDS you break out your Sisters vinyls and dance around like an evil hippie.

 

This is definitely a keeper...definitely a 5ml for me!

[tart]

Out of the bottle: Whoa, this smells like a hotel soap. I don't know if I want to smell like soap.

Wet: A burst of roses! Whatever soapy smell I detected is no longer present.

Dry: I don't smell the musk or amber at all, just rose.

Six hours later: The rose has faded entirely and I'm left with a baby powder scent...unfortunately, this is my least favorite scent ever.

Overall: I really loved Black Rose in its early stages. If you like a powdery scent, this is good. It's soft, not green at all like some flowers smell. I'm sure I'll wear this again, but maybe mixed with something that stays sharper after a few hours of wear.

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: it's a really intense and strong musky incense-y rose.

 

Wet: a very fragrant old rose scent, reminding me a lot of rose incense.

 

Dry: quite strong, drying to a scent of slightly spicy dried roses

 

Verdict: it's grown on me during the day, but it's just a little too much like pot pourri for me to really love it. Nevertheless, I’ll wear it again.

Edited August 5, 2004 by octopusgrrl

[Alice Aforethought]

First on, it's absolutely exquisite - a heady, strong, warm and slightly spicy (in a carnation, rather than cinnamon way) rose. Comforting and melancholy at the same time.

 

As it dries, however, it quickly turns very sweet and light. There's still that carnationy edge to it, but a bit too sweet for me. It's lovely layered with other rose scents such as Zombi to tone down the sweetness, but still retain its quality.

[Belladonnastrap]

I've had this imp of Black Rose for a while but I'm just now getting around to wearing it. Go figure...it's been on my wishlist too!

 

First sniff

I don't know whether it's because of the fact that it's been in the imp pile so long or if that's just the way it naturally is but Black Rose smells a bit like that generic bpal smell your imps get after awhile tinged with rose. I can't explain it.

 

When wet

A dirty rose. A really dirty corrupted twisted rose. It smells like a rose normally would but...there's something DARKER. Anime analogy alert! For those of you who have seen Shoujo Kakumei Utena (Revolutionary Girl Utena) this is what the Black Roses would smell like...Mikage and whathisface. Mamiya I think? Something like that. Yeah it's definitely a corrupted rose...it's very strong and heady as well. The musk pops out a bit as well.

 

Drydown

Glad I didn't let the inital sniff wear me down because this turned into something else entirely. A very melancholy rose now...the musk is non existant but the amber is hanging on...my body does so love amber. It's so subtle now I get the barest whiff of it.

 

Aftermath

I'm really glad I stuck with this even though I wanted to wash it off as soon as I put it on. I seriously doubt I'll ever buy a 5 ml of it but I will definitely use up the imp as it's a good scent for when I get into one of my moods.

[bigeyedgirl]

I was curious about this one as I love rose scents.

 

Wet, it's pure rose. Those big red roses with the really dark petals. There's a little green in there too, which makes me think of hot house roses.

 

Dry...the amber pops up in the back and the rose becomes a dried sweet rose scent instead of the fresh scent. It reminds me of the room I used to dry flowers in.

 

It's really quite lovely, but apparently, like everything else I've tried lately I can't wear this until the weather cools down, it's just too heavy.

[hadaverde]

It most assuredly starts off rosy, but it is not the almost-overly-sweet tea rose so often associated with perfumery. And there is a note of something else here, as well, something darker and muskier...

 

Yep, still rosy. A little more sweet/flowery than when wet, but still not in an overpowering sort of way. The musk and amber notes seem to have taken a backseat for the time being. After an hour or so, the rose notes are still going strong, but the musk has served to mute and deepen them in a most agreeable fashion.

[raven]

I just got an imp of this and I've been wearing it for about an hour now. It sounded interesting, but I know most rose scents smell like the perfume you would get along with girl toys, if you know what I mean? But this is just awesome. I definitely smell the rose, but it's a darker rose, sorta an incense smell with it and dusty smelling. It the bottle it smells sorta green, but on me I don't smell that at all. I'm gonna ask my fiance what he thinks of it when he gets home, but I love it and hope to get a bigger bottle of it!

[grrrlennyl]

black rose

 

at first: roses, roses, roses. also, a dark touch of musk. this may be a bit too rosy for me, though.

on: just roses. not one rose, a bunch of roses. i feel incredibly feminine in this. there's also something deeper, with a bit of green.

1 hour later: still a green rose. nice, but not as interesting as before.

1.5 hours later: much lighter, but still just as rosey. nice.

3 hours later: very nice. sweeter, but powdery and a bit green.

overall: this is a fabulous, simple rose blend. i probably wouldn't buy this again, but it will be nice from time to time.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF: green stems

 

WEARING IT: this is such a true rose smell with a deep, dark hint of musk. i have a black rose in my room currently and if i could amplify its smell i'm sure this is what it would smell like! i'm not that much of a rose smelling person, i look for other notes in my perfumes usually - but this is really true and unique.

 

VERDICT: pretty, but not for me.

[Sushwa]

Wet: It's rose with a hint of sweetness that makes it smell lush & decadent. Certainly not your granny's tea rose!

 

Drying: It mellows.

 

The scent fades fairly quickly on me; but I can tell it's still there, like the ghost of some old sin.

 

It's a lovely rose with an intriguing hint of darkness. I'll be using up the imp & probably ordering more.

[Penance]

Got this as a freebie from the Lab in my last order.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, wow, this smells like a rose garden at midnight. I can't think of any other way to describe it. I don't normally care for rose scents, but this is beautiful...it smells like roses in the peak of their bloom mixed with a sort of heady musk and deep amber which is actually really beautiful in spite of my less than receptive attitude toward rose scents.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Black Rose smells gorgeous on me for about three seconds before morphing into the spoiled milk smell that I've come to learn is almost inevitable when amber comes into contact with my skin. I had a feeling it was going to happen, but it still upsets me because this one could have been gorgeous if it weren't for the sour milk smell. *Sigh*

 

Dry down:

 

All I can smell is sour milk now. On my skin, amber morphs and then overpowers everything else and Black Rose is its most recent victim. This one could have been gorgeous if it weren't for my bad skin chemistry, which makes me very sad. I might end up giving this one to my mom, since she loves rose scents, but I don't know if she'll want it because of the musk and amber.

 

The bottom line:

 

Black Rose could have been gorgeous if it weren't for my skin's notorious and maddening reaction to amber. This one's a case of skin chemistry gone wrong and nothing more.

[rainbow]

Very rosey and definitely dark, this is almost like dried roses on me. In fact, the rose I'm imagining here is definitely not a live black rose but a dried pink rose, possibly left behind in an old musty room. This scent remains fairly constant on me, and doesn't really shift or change, much as a dried rose would remain constant too. The scent is not overly heavy; it's pleasant and a bit sweet. It has an almost melancholy feel to it. Not really sad, just more of a bittersweet-tinged, wistful longing. Overall I like BPAL rose scents and I like this one.

[surf-tormented]

This was recommended to me by another Bpal'er that knows I don't like rose oils. I thought I would give it a shot.

 

It smells in the vial like typical rose oil.

 

On, it has a scent just like roses that are starting to droop and dry out. With a little bit of spice and formaldehyde underneath. Those quickly faded into a regular rose scent, which is a pity, I was hoping it would get spicer and deeper.

 

That being said, I don't really enjoy rose blends. I have a Hearts of Rose AIRS oil it has taken me years to make a dent in. If I wanted to wear a rose based oil, I would rather wear Lucy's Kiss or Les Fleurs Du Mal.

 

I will keep this unless someone wants to trade me for something less rosy.

[ashtonrose]

This was a freebie for me and I am still at odds with it. It is a very heavy rose. I love roses and it doesn't smell bad on me, just a little dark.

 

I am saving this one for a club night. I will know more after then. If it holds up, I will be a definite fan. I don't have many scents that will hold up to club night.

[shelldoo]

I was hesitant to try this one. Florals are not my thing. Well I thoght they weren't. In the bottle rose definitely rose but not a fake light rose smell. It smelled like a rose petal if you pluck it off and place it up againts your nose and inhale.

 

wet: Still very rosey it wafts up around me wrapping me in a rose petal cacoon.

 

dry down: I am really liking this scent which frankly surprises me. The "throw" is roses, but if I sniff my wrist i smell amber i don't get a lot of the musky smell which is good as I am not much of a musk kinda girl. This oil is masterfully blended and a gorgeous gorgeous scent.

[synaesthesia]

I received an imp of Black Rose as a freebie in an order, which really was the only way I would have tried this blend -- I had considered rose to be too traditionally girly for the likes of me! -- and once again I'm amazed at Beth's psychic giftimp-choosing powers because I fell deeply and unquestionably in love with this one.

 

It's rose all right, but it's not "pretty" nor delicate: Black Rose is dark and heavy and sexy. Think plump and fertile blossoms blooming on a hot, moist night and you're close. This is the scent of rose at its prime, full and direct in scent. It's past the strained scent of first bloom yet has not turned to the overripe decay of a dying blossom... I find this to be a somewhat "mature" and powerful scent. I cannot stop sniffing my wrists when I am wearing this one.

[tempete]

In the wet phase of Black Rose, I smell the musk note most strongly, along with a somewhat sharp green note in the background. As it dries down, the roses slowly take over and the scent becomes more and more powdery. In the final drydown, I can detect a trace of amber in the background, but it's not enough to make me like my imp of Black Rose enough to keep it. Spellbound remains my preferred rose/musk/amber blend, probably because the roses are in the background

[sarada]

Given the description, I thought this would be too similar to Spellbound for me to tell the difference -- I love Spellbound but didn't want to get something that would be just like it, since I have enough trouble telling apart similar scents.

 

Black Rose is, in fact, significantly different from Spellbound! They must be using completely different roses, ambers and musk in these two. The rose is really in the forefront here of course, the comparisons to dried black roses are very apt! It reminds me of the rose in Old London but not quite so cold and dusty. The musk comes out immediately on my skin and it's much more animalistic than musks usually are on my skin, oddly enough -- very sweaty and musky for a moment and then it dies down. I never really get a sense of the amber, like I do in Spellbound (I love amber, at least the way BPAL does it!), it's mostly roses that go through a number of transitions throughout the course of wearing this. At times they are dusty and powdery and then they go right back to having that freshly-picked green rose smell...and then to an age-darkened dried rose.

 

I think that Spellbound will remain my favorite so far in the rose/musk/amber category but if I ever want to just smell like ROSES, loud and clear, I will use this. Perhaps for Valentine's Day? Yeah, I just might! And I'm definitely making note of what Red_Hot_Mama said about using it in a shampoo/conditioner...this would probably make a great lotion, too.

 

ETA: Have a full bottle of this now and the roses are striking me as very sweet...a musky, dark, sweet rose. I might put this into rotation for the spring and summer months since roses, when they don't give me a headache, are pretty good to me.

Edited May 10, 2005 by sarada

[Gin]

Black Rose, indeed. The rose is dominant, but there's something decidedly dark underneath.

[Nutterfly]

I bought this as a 5ml for a friend. I don't really like rose, nor do I like dark/earthy scents. Glad it was for a friend