The Black Swan

[GypsyRoseRed]

 

Water lily, peony, seaweed absolute, lotus, Spanish moss, violet leaf, and marine accord.

 

I initially passed on this one because I'm not a fan of 'marine accord' generally. The Black Swan reminded me that with BPAL, you can't always make a judgement on a scent just because of the list of notes - you have to try it first! This didn't smell like I thought it would at all; I was expecting something much milder and insipid. The notes that stand out for me are the peony, Spanish moss and violet leaf, and the overall scent is a *dark* marine scent.. it's what I thought Black Moon would smell like, and didn't. I imagine it as a dark, rich green. Though I don't like aquatics, this almost won me over because it's sophisticated and smelled more botanical than I expected. If you're open to those types of scent, definitely try a dab of The Black Swan.

[Wench457]

In the bottle this is extremely green - like freshly chopped green bell peppers. Also definitely an aquatic note, must be that marine accord.

 

On, this initially smells like dirt next to the water, like standing on the bank of a pond, where the soil is moist and crumbly, but not muddy. As it warms up, it smells strongly of roses, but never goes sour, as roses do on me. Checking the notes, this is obviously the peony, which I find smells like roses, but works on me. Lovely!

 

The ultimate drydown is peonies, with a hint of greenery and water. Very nice indeed.

[sookster]

firstly, this took me quite by surprise noticing the notes and what i actually smelled...

 

straight sniff from imp reminds me straight away of rat king...a hot,peppery & green blend...

 

once applied the water lily and violet leaf become apparent...omG...if you are a violet

fiend as i am, this is for you...the violet becomes quite intense and combined

with the seaweed and moss notes...

 

phenomenal!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very strong lily and salty water.

 

Immediately on skin: The lily is the strongest note in this, followed by some other sweet floral… the peony, probably. The whole blend has a salty aquatic feel to it, but it’s very sharp and green as well. It’s reminding me a bit of a scent you’d find in women’s deodorants.

 

After a few minutes: The lily is still the dominant note, but the blend is much sweeter now. Unfortunately it is still sharp and very floral. It has a clean, crisp feel that reminds me of soap, but it doesn’t smell like soap really… It’s just very clean feeling. There’s a salty tang throughout the whole blend which would probably great for summer or warm weather wear. The violet leaf is lurking in the background and doesn’t scream out “VIOLET!” but it is a nice sweet and green floral note.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a fresh, crisp, salty aquatic floral scent. Some people may love it, but I found it rather sharp. It’s quite perfume-y, so if you like those sorts of blends, you might want to try it.

[slave1]

THE BLACK SWAN

 

In Bottle: Wet and planty

 

On Skin: This scent has quite a bit of ozone to it. Very aquatic, and murky. It reminds me of Zombi slightly but without the rose. Clean and crisp. I smell the violet leaf, sweet yet herbal. The florals are very watery and a bit diluted. I love the imagery it creates, a Black Swan swimming on a murky pond… pretty yet dark and slightly scary. A good floral for someone who likes a clean flowery perfume over a sweet or sharp one. It has a pretty good throw and long staying power.

[The_Witching_Hour]

From the imp and in the first 30 minutes the Water Lily springs to the surface and fights against anything else in it to remain at the top.

 

I need to just admit that most types of Lily just don't work with my skin chemistry so I won't be so disappointed when a blend sounds so romantic (to me).

 

On the dry-down and in the end its all Water-Lily and Peony for me, baby! No moss or greenery whatsoever.

[alhbooks]

In the bottle, I get the strongest whiff of seaweed and damp vegetation, but I like it. Once on, the violet and lily get stronger, and this is not a drifty, Elaine-the-Lily-Maid wimpy scent. It's got throw and power, which I didn't expect. But it's definitely worth the partial bottle, especially for the gorgeous label.

 

After 10-15 minutes it backs down from the aggressive beginning and settles in, assured of its welcome, letting more of the greenery in.

[n3m3sis42]

In the bottle:

A strong, dark scent, similar to some of the "dying leaves" blends from this year's autumn scents.

 

Wet:

The same strong scent (which I'm guessing is the oakmoss note?) with a hint of greenery. This becomes much sweeter and almost aquatic (marine accord?) within a minute or two of hitting my skin. It's now becoming rather floral, but they are gentle florals balanced by the other notes so far.

 

Dry:

This dries down to a sweet, slightly aquatic floral. Based on that description, I should hate it because I'm not a fan of aquatics or a lot of florals, but it's actually very pretty.

[zankoku_zen]

At the beginning, it had a wet green plant smell. And now, after an hour, the marine accord dominates. Very ozoney. I was hoping for more of the peony and waterlily.

[theseagrows]

i like this better than i thought i would, but it's a bit perfumy on me as well. mostly i get peony, spanish moss, violet leaf and marine accord. this is aquatic but dark, as others have said. it makes me think of a dark pond in the middle of nowhere on a completely silent night-it really evokes the artwork fabulously. i'm not sure if i would wear this, but it is pretty and very evocative.

Edited December 11, 2007 by theseagrows

[Tulliver]

I've changed my mind on this.

 

My first reaction on trying it on my skin was not exactly positive. I have no problem with moss, or with the slightly "muddy" notes in some scents. For some reason, however, in this one it didn't seem good. So I washed it off.

 

Then I sniffed the bottle again and - well, it smells a lot cleaner in the bottle. There's an almost sharp note in there which I hadn't noticed before when I'd tried it. I thought I'd give it a second go.

 

I'm SO glad I did. After that one false start, this actually smells wonderful on me. It's still mossy and slightly "muddy", but for some reason it's now the GOOD sort. As it dries, the florals come through, but I can't separate one from the other - not even the bubblegummy note of the lotus which is usually extremely loud on me for a t least a while. It's a wonderful blend of them all.

 

It's NOT a light scent. This has already been mentioned in most of the previous reviews. Even with the florals softening the edges a little, it remains fairly dark and deep. The throw isn't immense, but it lasts for a LONG time. I'm liking this and I'm SO glad I tried it a second time rather than sending it to swaps and sales.

[alicia_stardust]

The Black Swan starts out as a very pungent aquatic floral with a green, peppery bite to it. However, once it is on my skin it is a haunting peony fragrance with violet leaf, water lily, and moss not far behind. There is a tinge of murkiness to the otherwise cool florals. This casts a wide net of fragrance around me and has amazing staying power. I'd classify this as a dark aquatic floral, but it is truly a unique and gracefully haunting fragrance.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Black Swan

 

In the imp: herbs? This smells very herbal, a little mossy, a bit violet-y and aquatic.

Wet on skin: now this reminds me of ponds (in a good way-not stinky stagnant water), and also smells a bit like Undine.

Dry: now I smell cologne, or a kind of ‘manly perfume’, but it’s not a bad one. In fact, this now reminds me strongly of Shanghai Tunnel. It’s got the same mossy-salty-wet feel to it, less of the mineral quality, more of a herbal, floral, earthy scent. It actually brings to mind a lily-filled pond, maybe by the sea, bordered by trees that have dropped their leaves into the water, there’s a decaying leaf scent to it as well. I also smell the violet (violet leaf, in here, is much more of an earthy, woodsy take on violet) and a gorgeous water lily note. Waterlily (and it’s variants-river lily, bog lily etc) isn’t a note I see often but it is so beautiful.

After a while: the scent gets a little bit sour now, a little bit salty, now I can smell the seaweed and I’m not sure it likes me…it now smells a little bit like decaying seaweed. I still smell the lily but now the peony, which is a tiny bit sweet and soapy, is more prominent. The marine note is also stronger, as is the violet, which smells like a more masculine violet in here. it’s a lot dirtier and murkier, now the watery feel of the scent is a little bit stagnant, not disgustingly so, but it’s not as nice as the just-dry stage. It gets more and more like wilted violets in stagnant water over time.

Verdict: to me, this is at first very much like a more floral version of Shanghai Tunnel, and an easier to acquire version of that scent. it smells like violets and waterlilies in a pond by the sea, with a hint of something earthy. It’s a very pleasant floral-aquatic and one where the marine notes don’t turn to soap on me! But I’m not as keen on the drydown, when it turns a little sour, wilted and stagnant. Not like vase water, but a little too much like decaying plants floating in a pond for me, and with a hint of masculine perfume. It’s not bad and I like the way it smells almost like, or rather evokes, a kind of pond I’d expect to see swans in.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Not sure. I love the first half hour of wear, not sure about the drydown.

If you like this, try: Undine, Roux Ga Roux, Bayou, Dunwich, Ulalume

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this smells like clear, salty, reedy water - I'm definitely getting the seaweed and marine accord.

 

On my skin, it's very interesting - it smells a little like I applied seawater mixed with violet to my wrist.

 

When it dries, it sort of reminds me of The Phoenix, only flower-y where that was wood-y. I can see this being amazing on someone else, but it doesn't Wow me, so I'll send it to greener pastures.

[Eemia]

This is an unusual combination on my skin. Salty, wet greens and powdery violet. It's a very dark aquatic, but the florals are prominent as well.

 

There's a green quality that borders on herbal. It's slightly bitter and pungent with a salty overtone. It's fresh too, like it's been soaking in water. It's very reminiscent of the ocean. The violet is extremely strong and appears right from the start. I love violet. It has a soft, dark edge to it and it dries into a barely perceptible powdery note. The other floral notes are pale and heady. It smells like thicker florals, but nothing cloying or obnoxious.

 

I wore this all day yesterday and only had to apply it once in the morning. I could still smell the lingering violet when I woke up this morning. Even that rolling aquatic scent was still noticeable. That's amazing staying power. I really like this.

[Dymphna]

In the imp: I keep opening this and sniffing and capping it back up again. I can't help it, it's got something that smells a lot like orange blossom and I can't stand orange blossom. It's not quite as bad as orange blossom, just a very sharp, green scent that hits me right in the nose. I didn't really expect this to work on me, being an aquatic, but it's inspired by a painting that I love so I really wanted to at least try it.

 

Wet: Still sharp and green, but not quite as sharp, and not acrid the way orange blossom smells. Just a sort of hazy green, almost grassy scent. The sharpness has been softened by a sweet quatic that reminds me of Selkie. (Selkie, to me, smelled more like sweet water than salt.) It also reminds me somewhat of Singing Moon, that same "wet green" smell.

 

Dry: This is so much nicer once it's dry. It wasn't awful before, but it wasn't something I'd really want to wear. Now, it's a sort of soft yet dark aquatic. I can rarely wear aquatics. They always end up smelling like air freshener or shampoo or deodorant soap or something--things that are supposed to smell like water, but don't. This smells a lot like real water, like a body of water, maybe a big pond or small lake, that's clear around the edges but dark in the middle. And it still reminds me of Singing Moon. I really do like it and can see myself wearing it more once the weather warms up. I don't think I'll need a whole bottle, but I'm definitely keeping the decant. And about an hour later, this is starting to smell a bit salty, too. Oh, definitely keeping the decant and maybe, if I wear it often enough, getting a bottle. What a nice surprise!

[dorothy humbird]

The Black Swan smells a lot like cucumber to me just in the vial, and freshly applied to my wrist. I imagine this is the work of water lily + violet leaf + seaweed accord, but that is just a guess.

 

This comes off on me as a very light scent for the first stages, and when it dries is is nicely clean-smelling, but with a sturdy foundation of Spanish moss to keep it from being high-pitched and headachy (as some clean smells tend to be for me). It's definitely aquatic... but since I have so little experience with this family of scents, tending to prefer oriental notes, I can't qualify it much further. There is a sweet, sort of candy-ish note that I suspect might be the lotus (possibly also the violet), based on others' description of a bubblegumish smell that lotus tends to contribute. It's really faint, though, and just adds an interesting facet to this blend's makeup - altogether I'd say this is really well-blended. The color-feel of this blend definitely reflects the painting for me: watery, saturated blue-green.

 

I'm wearing it today while cleaning the kitchen to keep a harmonious theme going.

[forspecial_plate]

At first I got a little rush of what I thought was rose, but someone else said that might be peony so maybe that's what I smelled. I really loved this scent for the first 10 minutes or so. Then, it starts to become soapy, which I was afraid of....I have a bit of history with some lily notes....but this isn't the sharp unbearable soap that some lily brings. I think what I'm smelling mostly is violet leaf and some of the lily, but the moss is valiantly holding its own. It's a wonderful and evocative scent, just not my kind of thing. Something is reminding me of Ostara a lot, I guess the violet leaf. I'm glad I got to try this!

 

Edit: Credit where credit is due...I wanted to say what I DID like about the scent. In the opening stage it's crisp and aquatic, with as I said a rose-like floral element that's airy and ethereal, although there is some darkness here like others said. There's an overall mysterious quality, much like the painting depicts. I also love how so many people amped on different aspects of the scent, judging from the other reviews.

Edited February 1, 2008 by Forspecial Plate

[edenssixthday]

The Black Swan - This is one of the retail-only scents that I was most excited about after reading the scent descriptions. When I first apply it, something sharp and strong (water lily, perhaps?) opens up and is almost biting in its bitterness. After about 10 minutes on my skin, it starts to mellow and soften and become something truly and astoundingly gorgeous. It's a soft aquatic floral that reminds me somewhat of Bayou, but without the dank, dirt-type note in it. When I look at the painting that is the inspiration for this scent, and then when I smell its gorgeousness on my skin, I completely understand how Beth turned that painting into this scent. I can smell every note listed as a unique aspect of this blend, yet they all blend together in perfect harmony to create a gorgeous, soft, floral-aquatic that is truly a winner. The throw and wear length are both well above average - a little goes a very long way.

[Blood onmy hands]

The Black Swan starts off green and vegetal smelling with a smush of sweet floral and a sort of sharp, cold aquatic bite. In the drydown, this is intensely soapy floral. Sweet floral and cheap, overwhelming soap. Perhaps I cannot handle the lab's 'seaweed' note, because The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife also went crazy-soapy on my skin

[savage_rose]

This is a very wet, earthy scent, but very floral also. It's gorgeous, and I put some on in the store and could not stop smelling myself and muttering "I smell so good!" Hey, I seemed crazy, but really nicely scented. I have priorities.

[persianmouse]

I’m slightly disappointed that this oil wasn’t black. Cause that would be awesome. But this smells exactly how a Black Swan should smell, and not how swans actually smell (like swamp muck and crap). Very aquatic, heavy on the lily very wet and dark, but not in a scary ‘I’m stuck in an underground cave and I’m gonna die’ way, but in a nice sexy ‘Skinny Dipping at Night with Johnny Depp’ way.

[copyshopclerk]

In the decant: The dampness I associate with oakmoss, and, oddly enough, the inside of a bell pepper

 

On: It's a somewhat sweet but dark aquatic. Nothing is super-prominent but I can get whiffs of the violet leaf. Not very strong on me though.

 

Dry: Hmm, this goes a bit unpleasant on me as it dries. It's too perfumy for my preferences, an almost-but-not-quite rose and something almost peppery/spicy? Aquatics are one of my favorite groups but the flowers in this are heavier than I usually go for.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Salty-aquatic, astringent-herbal, fresh, a little floral and a little sweet.

 

Wet: Gentler, less astringent, and more floral. A little soapy. Not sweet.

 

Dry: Faint; fades quickly. A somewhat traditional, slightly herbal floral aquatic. I find it soothing, and there's an almost waxy honey scent underlying.

 

Summary: Incredibly faint; almost no throw or lasting power. Clean, slightly soapy floral aquatic. It's nice, but not amazing enough to justify its lack of potency.

[inurbanus]

This is AMAZING. It's one of those blends that is so intricate and well-blended that I'm afraid to review it, because I don't think anything I say about it will do it justice.

 

As strange as it sounds, the really appealing thing about The Black Swan is that it's pond wanter. Well, not really. It's a gorgeous interpretation of pond water. But it's deep and heady and you really get the sense that there are all kinds of things happening in the background of this. When I first smelled this in the bottle, I just went "Whoa!", because it's one of the most intense BPAL scents I've ever smelled. It's a very strong floral, with the marine and seaweed accords having disappeared after the first fifteen minutes. The flowers here are almost indescribable, but they're unlike any BPAL floral I've ever smelled. They're sinister, but in a beautiful, deeply seductive way. The eeriness of the painting really comes out, I think.

 

I'm not well acquainted with the Salon scents, but if they all have this level of complexity, I definitely need to try some more!

 

5/5