Noir

[Invidiana]

So I finally get to try the holy of holies. Funny I should phrase it that way because guess what I turn it into: church incense. Church incense and bunches of flowers. Bastardized by my skin chemistry Noir ends up smelling like the Easter vigil, and when you have to put up with an Easter vigil of--counts on fingers--four hours in the Orthodox church, most all except a few precious minutes spent standing up, it isn't exactly something you want hanging around as perfume. It's that same incense smoke from the censer mingling with the scent of the lilies and carnations they put out in vases by the altar every year. I really can't pick out what combination of what notes is doing this on me. Perhaps it's the oppoponax/myrrh/clove? Jasmine/oppoponax/myrrh? Jasmine/myrrh/Lily of the Valley? It could be all or none of those. I barely get any plum or rose at all, maybe a hint of rose on the drydown but something ate the plum. As it dries down it becomes a bit sweeter, though I must note that I tend to amp the sweetness in virtually anything that has even a hint of it. Something of a powdery quality also begins to set in, possibly from the rose and resins, though the church-incense-and-flowers vibe is still prominent. It doesn't end up entirely unpleasant in an objective sense, but the memory associations of being ten years old and feeling my feet helplessly blister only halfway through that epic service are just too strong. I will leave the rest of the Noir that exists in the world to those whose skin really does turn it to magic.

[bpalscentsual]

Opoponax, myrrh, clove, and plum (maybe another earthy fruit, I can't tell, I only have a tester with a very small amount of oil left). This is dark, smoky, and sweet, but not sugary or syrupy. A perfect evocation of the detective noir genre, in my opinion, and a shame that it's not still in the general catalogue.

[hlinspjalda]

A very special forumite made me the precious gift of a tester of Noir a few years ago. Today, the last day before the Mayan Apocalypse, I'm letting myself do a full wearing of it. That made me realize I'd never reviewed it.

 

In the vial: Sharp powdery jasmine.

 

Wet: Straight-up dry jasmine for a few seconds, then warming generously. Lots of resin, rose, and I can get a bit of plum too. I tell you: the vial scared me, but this smells gorgeous!

 

Half an hour: Where did it go? Woe alas! This has gone almost invisible on me! There's only a faint impression of dry resin.

 

One hour: This smelt like nothing on me, so I hit it with a drop of jojoba oil. That brought the scent up much better. It's surprisingly subdued, but a beautiful blend of resin, rose, plum, and a tiny touch of jasmine. I'm also getting something sharpish that's almost like evergreen, possibly the clove.

 

Two hours: Guh. This is the lover you can't forget, the cool collected remote one who drove you mad but always stayed apart, alone. I would dash myself to pieces on the rock that is this scent, just to get nearer to it. It is so well blended, the myrrh not bitter, the florals not jammering, the plum not dripping with juice. It is maddeningly sophisticated, dark but not scary, velvety but not soft.

 

Three hours: It's an odd scent, getting stronger as the hours pass rather than weaker. It's still taunting me with its remoteness, but when I put my nose right up to my wrist it's ecstasy.

 

Four hours: Still yum. There's a distinct impression of sandalwood about it, one that reminds me somewhat, and very pleasantly, of Black Widow.

 

Five and a half hours: No doubt about it. Noir is the One Who Got Away.