Black Rose

[Rock Geisha]

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

 

In the bottle: Rose with a bit of amber.

Wet: ROSE!

Drydown: This dries down to a powdery rose scent that I actually like a lot. However, that takes hours. Before that, it's an intensely cloying rose scent, like that of a decorative soap. Pass!

Edited January 30, 2006 by Rock Geisha

[astridclaire]

This rose variant smells like a deep velvety rose to me. A wise grown-up rose..... the crone of roses wearing a black velvet cape at midnight.

 

I love it!

 

I don't smell much of the amber, but I can tell it's warming up the rose a bit, and the musk just lurks in the background.

 

For a rose scent, I give it 4/5.

[mudtusk]

I'd like to be objective about this - but I can't

I don't do Rose scents. So this obviously isn't going to be for me. But, it's fallen into my hands and so I will review it.

 

For a Rose smell, it's actually very nice, it reminds me of Kashmiri Rose incense. Not as 'Turkish Delight' as a lot of rose scents can be.

It doesn't change.

I washed it off a day ago and I can still smell it on me.

 

If you like Rose you'll adore this.

 

Not for me though.

 

I Score It: 1/10

[Naamah_Darling]

In the bottle, dark roses with a hint of musk.

 

On, the smell blooms pinkly, bottomed out with the musk which quickly asserts itself. The scent comes on strong, and the throw is very sugary and cloying. Up close, though, it's a thicker, throaty smell; the amber gives it some much-needed depth. The rose scent darkens slowly as it dries. It goes through a powdery phase, which most rose scents thankfully don't, and then, a couple of hours later, I can finally smell the amber and musk really clearly, though not as clearly as I would have liked.

 

I like rose scents, I like musk, I like amber, but my skin apparently latches onto anything rose-scented. It takes a hell of a blend to get past the wall of roses smell, and this one doesn't quite have the guts to do it. I'm just going to have to stick with Zombi for my roses, because this, while dark, isn't quite dark enough. I need more depth to my scent and on me this is almost a single-note without any subtlety or darkness at all.

[tereshkova2001]

Heavy and dark, all right. The musk is most apparent, with just a shade of amber to warm it. The rose only emerges after several minutes, dark and dusty. Funereal indeed, and not something I'm likely to wear. A precise interpretation of the description.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Black Rose was one of my original 6 imps, and I still have the almost-empty imp for posterity. That was back before I starting reviewing, so I'm filling in some of those gaps now. It's similar to Spellbound (which I actually wear more often), but just a little sharper. Black Rose was exactly what I hoped for--strong rose with a deep, dark edge to it. I always want to pass imps out to the Goth girls at Hot Topic so they will quit wearing whatever crap it is they wear and embrace the true Gothic Beauty.

Edited March 28, 2006 by Laurel the Woodfairy

[PirateMaggie]

This is a very dark, deep, spicy, seductive rose rose. It's far rosier than my beloved Spellbound with whom it shares ingredients--the amber and musk are definitely there, but whereas in Spellbound they seem fairly balanced, Black Rose is very definitely mostly rose. This isn't a bad thing since it's is not a sweet rose or a bright rose, and there is not a hint of the soap or powder that some rose blends morph into on drydown. It's pretty strong, with a lot of staying power and throw. I'd order a big bottle if I didn't already have a 5ml of Spellbound, and when I run out of Spellbound I might spring for more Black Rose just to switch things up a bit. Definitely one of the truest rose perfumes I've smelled, and one of the most interesting.

[Selah]

I read the description and really hoped Black Rose would like me. Rose notes usually smell lovely on me while, amber notes go kinda funky on me.^^;;

 

So took the risk and got an imp of it....

 

In the bottle: Very strong rose, almost spicy. I think that's the amber.

 

Wet on skin: Very strong and the only thing I can smell is amber, it's not a bad smell per say but it's different.

 

Couple minutes later: Let me take it back, the amber is now making me smell like plastic for some reason. I'm not sure if it's suppose to make me smell like that or what. Either way it's going to the sell pile. *sigh*

[Torrilin]

I've been letting this settle for over a month. When it arrived, Black Rose was piercingly sharp, and reliably gave me a headache if I sniffed the imp. The headache inducing quality has calmed down since then, and it's no longer ferociously sharp. I still can't wear this tho, and it makes me sad . I like amber, I like rose, and I like many musks. I'm not sure which note in this doesn't like me, but I suspect the musk (don't know for sure as it's just plain "musk", and Arabian, black and some white musks have liked me in the past). When I put it on, instead of smoothing out and sweetening up the way Whip and Maiden do, it gets sharper and more disjointed .

 

No spice, no round rich rose, just thin rose and sharp sharp musk *sigh*. My skin chemistry must hate this something fierce.

 

Kalli

[iriedanym]

This was included as a frimp from the Lab. I found that the mix of amber, musk, and rose is indeed dark, although I wouldn't call it heavy. Sniffing it, I couldn't help but think of the Victorian Age and the Romantics. I could see Mary Shelly wearing a scent like this. Very sophisticated.

[TheStormCellar]

I'm so sad. This started off as an amazingly dark full rose scent, and the roses faded so quickly that all that's left is the amber and musk. Normally, this would be fantastic, because I love both amber and musk, but in this it kind of smells faintly like a rotted flower compost heap. Yuk.

[Obesa_Cantavit]

This is not at all like I expected but lovely none the less. On my skin it's a very warm spicy rose with only the slightest hint of musk, it's very potent with a lot of throw and real staying power (roughly 14 hrs) and just seems to get more lush and decadent throughout the day. This is definitely going to become a staple for me as I can see my self wearing it often.

[ajcj213499]

Black Rose was really heavy and blah on me. It seems with my skin roses+anything else=ick. ...sigh...

[Elrianra]

In the bottle: A rather soapy blend of roses and amber - which I have learned smells like honey to me. The musk is there but it's sitting in the background brooding away.

 

On me wet: Musky roses, no signs of the amber whatsoever. Very dark and heavy, almost a warm scent but in the fleshy sort of way - not spicy at all. It actually is very soft and sullen.

 

On me drying: As it dries, the amber takes a step into the foreground, leaving me lightheaded because of the sudden honey-sweet of the roses as they dance along on top of the deeper notes of musk which seems to be sulking about and letting the rose and amber have their way with it.

 

On me dry: Once it begins to dry, the musk grows a backbone and sits on top of the roses, letting the amber on a short reign but keeping them all very tightly bound. It's still got that warm fleshy note to it, because the musk is on top now but it's obviously feminine with the amber and roses softening the otherwise moody musk.

 

Final conclusion:

1 Hour Later - The musk has tamed out and the amber has picked up the bruised roses and is mixing with them nicely, leaving a sweet rose-honey scent, like a faintly rose flavored candle. Very subtle and gentle, not sweet but composed and softly aware.

3 Hours Later - Over the last few hours, the musk has faded out almost entirely, along with the roses, leaving a very faint floral but primarily amber scent. Apparently, my skin loves to play with amber.

 

 

Finale:

Unlike Black Lotus, I find that Black Rose has next to no throw when it dries, hovering close to me and leaving me with a faint honey and roses aura. When wet it's strong and incredibly serious, but it lightens to a somber and quiet scent as it dries. I never experienced a soapy period with this, partially because of the amber, I think. Though rose rarely goes soapy on me anyway. Basically, it's a keeper.

 

I had bought a 5ml of this off the bat and was SO happy that it worked well on me, I love this scent!!!

Edited May 22, 2006 by Elri

[neuilly]

In the bottle: Rich rose...something slightly dark in the background but I can't quite pick it out.

 

Wet: Definitely an adult rose. Almost the smell of dried roses, red ones. There's also something else I can't quite place...it's almost got that high ting that white florals do but it doesn't smell like white floral. Gives the scent a small kick (but not a spice).

 

Dry: Damp rose petals. A rather lovely scent, not too girly. Like it but don't love it.

[juniperus]

Bottle: rose and darkness, deep darkness.

Wet: heady rose and that dark undertone is showing itself as very dark amber.

Dry: the musk bottom is clearer, now. a very somber, dark blend - there is nothing spring-y about these roses.

Later: musky dark, with a hint of red gold. 3 of my favorite notes together - smashing!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

in the imp: dried roses.

 

initial drydown: smells like perm solution (or like bath/body/works "moonlit path" [i think that's the name? yesno?] which one of my old office managers wore and something about it just smelled overly chemically -- permy)

 

wierd skin chemistry.

whew! that i'm-in-a-mall-salon smell went away after about half an hour

 

and everything changed into a lovely bouquet of wild roses.

 

 

** i must also add that i've had an extremely stressful week and started new medication a few days ago - -so my chemistry is uberwierd right now.

 

ADDED 11/28/07:

 

having tried quite a few of the Lab's rose blends, i can say they're very hit-and-miss. either i love it (2 5 & 7, Rose Cross) or really just don't much care either way.

 

impsniff: stale/old rose potpourri

skinned: same stale potpourri but now with an unwashed-funk-musk and perm solution twang.

 

end verdict: oh hayull no... time to go scrub this off.

Edited November 30, 2007 by Shollin

[olympia301]

 

Sad to say that Black Rose and I did not get along. I may have found my one true rose scent in London, and everything else is "not London". Black Rose was indeed heavy, very rosey and too frontal to my nose to really be a favorite blend in my lineup. It could be the way I perceive it, too. I reminded me of Libertine, but I liked Libertine better so I guess I will just let Black Rose try to beguile someone else.

 

I got the impression that this was one of Beth's older blends, and when I took a look at when this review thread was started, I was right. I do think that Beth has really taken a great turn in her blends somewhere around 2005 and I don't know what it is but it's the difference between good and great. Not to say that there are no blends before 2005 which are knock-your-socks-off good, because there are loads of them (e.g. Snake Oil, Velvet, Severin for instance) but this one...

 

Once again I am glad I got to try it in any case.

[LadyMedb]

My new favourite (well, this week)! This is a deep, incensy rose - the amber notes make it reminiscent of Stella McCartney's fragrance, but it is darker still than that. It stays warm and soft without being too sweet - there is a light, trace powderyness to it that one acknowledges with each sniff as quickly as it disappears on a breath of incense, and then the deepened rose takes over again. I'm really in love with this one - actually, I'm kind of addicted. I've never gone through an imp this fast, and I can't stop smelling myself!

Edited July 8, 2006 by LadyMedb

[edenssixthday]

Black Rose is one of the BPAL roses that I don’t care much for. I think it must have something to do with the musk notes, as most musks don’t appeal much to me. The oil has a moderate amount of throw and good staying power and I can catch whiffs of it as I go about my daily business, but because there are other BPAL roses I enjoy so much more, I find I would probably never wear Black Rose again.

[bridey]

In the bottle: This is a what I imagine a midnight rose garden to smell like in New Orleans. Humid & heady rose petals galore!

 

Wet: Roses heated by humid air. It's intoxicating and heavy with the richness of amber in the background. This rose is filled with memories. Not the sort of rose you'd give to a lover, more like the sort of crimson rose rich with scent, but beginning to wilt around the edges of it's petals. This is the red rose resting upon a grave that's been untended.

 

Dry down: The combination of roses & amber is completely amazing smelling! It almost has a sad & longing feeling to it. The roses are sweet, but still warm & covered in humid dew.. the amber adds depth and the musk is almost a little too much, but I'm hoping it burns off some. I'm liking it, although I'm generally not much for rose scents.

 

30 minutes: Dark heavy roses still and the amber is complimenting them so well. Fortunately for me the musk has mellowed quite a bit. This is one I'd have to apply sparsely. I can see it being cloying and totally too much if bathed in it.

 

Conclusion: Dark, mysterious, intoxicating. This is a beautiful heady rose that speaks of another time long since forgotten. It's full of melancholy rememberance & although it comes on strong initially it mellows to a sweet somber rose rich with amber kissed petals.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin, this is a 4.5 .

[The_Merf]

In the imp: I smell the roses, and the musk.

 

Wet: For a few seconds this is very rosey, and I fear that the other notes will not support it. However, the amber soon emerges.

 

Drydown and wear: This remains a very pretty amber and rose combination. I love what the amber is doing here--most of the amber blends I've been trying lately were missing, but this one is lovely. I'm quite glad to have a bottle.

[goth_hobbit]

In the bottle: Lush, wet rose with a hint of bitter undertone.

 

Wet: Instant rose garden bloom. Wet rose garden, at that; one with several dozen different varieties, each of which has its own take on the fragrance “rose” -- after a huge storm that has bruised the flowers and foliage. Just to add some variety, there’s an overgrown gardenia bush nearby, adding its slightly bitter note to the mix.

 

Dry-down: Deep rose -- I almost want to say damask and china roses are combined in this one, with one of the “mystery” varieties. I don’t know where that gardenia note would be coming from otherwise. There’s an almost oaky bitterness underneath; like old leaves and mulch. Has to be the musk doing something strange. The amber is undetectable.

 

Mature: More of a bitter bottom note is creeping in, but not enough to throw the fragrance off. Besides which, I like bitter florals; I’m oddly perverse that way. The oak / gardenia / musk / whatever is keeping the rose from climbing my arms and launching an attack on innocent bystanders. And is that the amber finally making an appearance? Maybe; if so, it's coming through like a muted sunbeam through a storm cloud.

 

The bottom line: Beth should maybe subtitle this one “Leu Gardens Concentrate”, after a park in Orlando that used to be the Leu Estate. It contains a huge collection of camellias, lilies, and an amazing rose that has an entire section devoted wholly to antique and “mystery” rose varieties. That’s what this smells like. Don’t do what I did and slather yourself in this if you amp rose or anything that has a gardenia-like fragrance, or it might go too bitter. On the other hand, it certainly kept people from smelling leftover fresh haircolor smell. Me likes, even if it doesn’t last more than three hours.

[Taniwha]

Odd experience, this one. I wanted a rich, deep profound rose, which the notes certainly foretell, but on me it was dirty and disturbing. It was really my first visceral reaction to a new oil - I recoiled from it, not because it smelled so bad, but because it felt wrong, scary, almost.

 

Mine is not to question why, mine is to set it aside for a later try.

[septima_pica]

Awww. Balls. Well, it's no worse than I expected.

 

This one was a gamble on the dark roses, given that amber and musk usually both dislike me violently. And so they did, although it wasn't the disaster of sour body-odour and baby powder that it could have been; somehow the blend held it together. No, it was just a bit too *not me* for me. I'll stick with Zombi for my roses, I guess.