The Obsidian Widow

[mymymai]

Pinot noir, dark myrrh, red sandalwood, black patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and attar of rose.

 

In the Imp (ITI): Wow, the wine is so strong here, but it’s an overly sweet pinot. IT smells like raisins with a little bit of spice, but I can’t find much else.

Wet: The fruity aspect of pinot noir comes out first, followed closely by patchouli and rose attar. At this point, the scent is a bit unsettling – very reminiscent of a black widow.

Dry: More powdery version ofthe wet cent – light wine and rose, but not much else aside from that.

[Innocuousmold]

Wow, I'm so on the fence about this one, bordering between moving on and buying a bottle, lol.

 

All of the notes are win for me in this one, my only qualm being that the jasmine is a bit too strong. The concept is so beautiful, though, and really it is quite an evocative scent. I think that this would be a great, dramatic evening perfume. I think that what would make it perfect (for me) is if there were a little less jasmine, or perhaps something to temper it a bit. The wine note on this is pretty strong as well, but after drydown it's much better.

 

It does go a bit powdery at the end, which actually might be the deal breaker for me.

[Wren12]

This intrigued me for the pinot noir, since it's not used often, but has 2 death notes and one iffy note, specifically rose, jasmine and sandalwood, respectively...

 

In the imp...Woo...floral.

 

On wet...Rose rose rose ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE

 

On dry...ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE myrrh, jasmine ROSE ROSE ROSE

 

Yup, not for me, probably amazing for someone who likes florals, because it is a nice rose, but...ROSE ROSE.

[yakiguri]

Yup, can't do wine notes. This starts off acidic and sour, and stays that way all the way down until nothing's left but a whiff of jasmine.

[Evilynn]

Woah, this is not going to end well! It's overwhelmingly pinot noir in the imp and stays so when wet and upon drydown I get roses, which really isn't a good note on me. I really wish I could pull perfumes like these off, all dark and womanly and mysterious, but instead it's Headache Central, and this is really difficult to wash of too!

[bellumed]

In the imp: very sweet, honeyed wine and florals.

On me: OH HEY JASMINE NICE OF YOU TO COME, and rose, hello to you too.

Add in some sandalwood for extra blech and no, not good, not for me at all.

Edited March 31, 2013 by bellumed

[Xue_Bai]

Imp: Wine, red and dark, but floral. Really strong, lightly sour.

 

Wet: ROSE! So much ROSE....can't smell anything else, though I can smell the rose easily at arms' length.

 

Dry: Luckily the rose calmed down as it dried. Now it's a mix of rose, jasmine, and some wine, with the other scents playing lightly in the background. It's dark, but very sensual. There's a nice bite to it that keeps it from being too floral.

 

Later: As time goes on, the rose calms even more, playing more evenly with the jasmine, with a spicy, woodsy, dark undertone.

 

Even later: It went a bit powdery, but not overly so...the spice of the wine still plays through nicely. There's also now a nice metallic feel to it.

 

And work stopped me from recording the other morph notes, though I know it changed some more before fading. So many morphs to it!

 

When I looked into my first BPAL order (this imp was part of it), I looked at all the perfumes I owned in the past, looked up the notes, and found a lot of jasmine and a wide range of sandalwoods...this scent made the short list because of this and I'm glad it did. However, it's maybe a bit too dark and heavy for everyday summer wear...I'll put off getting a bottle until the weather turns cold.

[milo]

I'm getting strong incense, kind of like poppy. This blend reminds me kind of Arachnina from the CD, only there is rose. After a bit, the rose dominates, so it's an incensey, resinous rose with the sandalwood poking it's head out. The whole effect is kind of reigns on soapy territory, though an expensive soap. It is kind of sensuous, but it's just a bit too soapy for me.

Edited August 15, 2013 by milo

[RunnerInPink]

It's definitely a smack in the face.

 

Wet: Perfumey. Floral perfume. Don't get the wine at all.

 

Drydown: Still very heavy floral. Reminds me of my grandmother so I guess that's nice.

[stillalive]

Initially, I keep thinking "whoa, is that Blood Kiss???" but then I sniff my arm and nope, it smells nothing like Blood Kiss. But from a distance, there's something very similar about the two. From far away, there's some sort of red note, like wine or blood and maybe a musk, that must be shared between the two. It also smells a bit spicy from a distance. But up close, musty florals and some sort of leather(?) dominate. It still reminds me of Blood Kiss a little, but much less sweet and perhaps with a bit less throw.

 

ETA: I just looked up Blood Kiss, and dang, I've gotten good at identifying notes! No wonder I keep thinking I smell Blood Kiss.

Edited September 6, 2013 by systemaurora

[Mechanical Death]

Woah, jasmine! D:

I'm glad I opted to imp it first.

 

Wet it smells of a woody dry wine, with some anise lingering. On the skin it turns all jasmine and stays jasmine T-T

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Well, I definitely get the pinot noir. I think there might be some other notes in there (I'm getting the barest hint of incense), but they're pretty much being overpowered by the pinot.

 

Wet on skin: Mmmmm.... the wine made me a little nervous,, but now I'm getting a soft, dark rose and incense (not sure if it's the myrrh or patchouli), with a bit of sandalwood on the edge of the rose. I'm not sure I love it, but I'm liking this a lot more than expected.

 

Dried down: Honestly, I probably waited a bit too long to do my wet review, but it's about the same dry. I'm not entirely certain what attar of rose is, but it smells like rosewater to me. If I sniff my wrists, I get a drop of wine swirling through the rose. The incense is actually fading pretty quickly this time

 

Throw: There is some definite throw to this. I'm getting the attar of rose edged with wine.

 

Verdict: **** I don't really mind not picking up the jasmine in this - i'm pretty pleased with the other notes. I don't know if this is a scent I'll be reaching for often, but it pleasantly surprised me - I think because the wine is there, but it didn't take over everything. I might get a bottle of this in the future, but in the meantime, I'll definitely keep the imp.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received a frimp as part of a purchase.

 

IN THE IMP: Nicenessness. I am not getting the wine right away but a vague incensey note that I like a lot.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: The wine kicks up as soon as it hits my skin but it's not awful (I love wine but NOT as a note on me). I also get spices and something sweet like honey. It's kind of meh and perplexing when wet.

 

DRYDOWN: Once it dries and the wine dissipates, there's a great period on early drydown where it's strictly sandalwood and myrrh, and GOOD myrrh, spicy powder myrrh, rather than the "stinky sweat socks" myrrh drydown note I get in the crook of my arms sometimes. But, in the end, the wine remains just enough to keep this from being a scent I love, and just remains a perfectly nice scent I like.

 

OVERALL: I wouldn't wash this off but I wouldn't wear it again because of the wine note. So it goes off into the swap box to make someone else happy.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a strong 3 but not for me.

[Amber Tears]

I'm love the Lab's red wine note, it's the perfect fruit scent for me. It's dark, sultry, not artificial-smelling and I'm grateful that my skin chemistry loves it too. I was excited to try a scent with both wine and jasmine.

 

In the imp, it's a fruity wine. On my skin it bloomed into a really complex wine + floral. Rose is forefront, but the jasmine is just barely there. I don't detect much sandalwood or patchouli; I'm positive the Sandalwood, Patch and Myrrh merge for an incense vibe. Not incense smoke, but like high-end, unlit incense. And all that is splashed with Pinot Noir.

 

As first it's strongly ROSE. As time elapses the rose calms down some, but she's still very much in the spotlight.

 

It is reminiscent of a powdery, womanly perfume. But even then, Obsidian Widow has a niche in my collection. For occasions I have to smell more 'mature' at weddings and fancy restaurants, Widow is my go to BPAL.

[quickdrawkiddo]

Couldn't agree more with Amber Tears above -- this starts out very wine-y for me and dries down to a complex, womanly floral that's dominated by rose. Rose is iffy for me -- it works if it's combined with something else to take it out of powdery old-lady territory, which I think it is here. And now that it's been several hours, all I can smell now a faint whiff of sandalwood which is OK by me It's not my favorite of the Steamworks scents by a long shot (Aelopile and Robotic Scarab are tied for first ), but as far as mature, expensive-smelling florals go, this is a very good one. It felt 100% appropriate with the black dress I wore today!

[batsy]

In the vial: white wine, jasmine, and rose. Very sweet and kind of sparkling.

 

On the skin: Dirt. Okay that's the patchouli, with a faint sweetness. Like being in a pasture. I think the attar of rose is deepening the patchouli to invoke that in my brain. Really, all I can think is 'barnyard'. Which is probably not what Beth was going for with this.

 

Off to the swaps pile.

[Tal Shachar]

Frimp from the Lab, and I like this a lot more than I expected! The wine note is not shy, but maybe my skin chemistry is changing as I become ancient and withered, because the wine only takes a few minutes to calm down--anything with wine used to be instant Welch's Grape Juice on me. Instead this turns into dark sexy jasmine and myrrh with rose. I could see myself with a bottle of this, as if I need more bottles.

[boomtownrat]

The layers and complexity of Obsidian Widow are beautiful to admire. First there's the pinot noir, which reminds me of the wine note I remember from Horreur Sympathique. It gradually makes room for a blooming dark rose. Many types of rose are dominant and a little bit soapy on my skin, but attar of rose is less so. Night-blooming jasmine shows up next and threatens to become cat pee, but fortunately that's short-lived. As the scent dries the sandalwood and myrrh emerge to smooth out the other notes. There's no obvious sign of patchouli, but I can feel more than smell the way it's anchoring everything.

 

That's how I experience this when I huff my wrist. At a distance of a foot or two, I get wafts of rose and wine. It's perfumey but it doesn't sicken me the way most commercial perfumes do.

 

I picture a long, whip-thin, ivory-skinned woman with silky black hair piled loosely on her head to reveal her delicate neck. She's Morticia as Modigliani would have painted her, decked out in a floor-length, black velvet, off-the-shoulder dress with a slit up to there. Her graceful arms trace a deadly web of seduction as she glides across a dance floor to the sexiest sad song you ever heard.

 

As gorgeous as Obsidian Widow will be on the right person, that person is not me. She's threatening to give me a headache. I think she might be perfect for a friend of mine.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Sweet red wine and roses!

 

Wet on my skin: ...This smells like For Each Ecstatic Instant had a baby with Lilith. INSTANT WIN.

 

Dry: This like a lighter, sweeter version of the above-mentioned scent. It's largely rose and patchouli on my skin, with the rest of the notes present enough to give it a sexy, sensual feel. There's just enough sweet wine in this to lighten it, but then the jasmine darkens it again as it dries and warms on my skin. It's absolutely gorgeous on me, but I suspected it would be since it shares several important notes with two of my other favourites. The wine is a lovely touch, and really rounds out the overall feel of this scent, which is a luscious, deep red with black swirls.

[Teamama]

Just ordered the 5 ml bottle, which HAS to arrive before my imp runs out!

 

This is a great blend, and the notes combine in a really satisfying way.

 

In the imp, the pinot noir note is way too overpowering for me. It took me a while to try it on, because that wine-y, grapey impression seemed like a bad risk. Wrong! Once on, the pinot noir quickly becomes a well-blended and subtle part of the whole. The dark myrrh, red sandalwood, black patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and attar of rose are all in there, but they're dancing together. None of them take over. I love this one as much as Has No Hanna.

[Marla Moreau]

In the imp: wine and jasmine... uh oh, jasmine - this is gonna amp.

 

Wet on skin: almost instantly jasmine and rose amp... I can't smell anything but jasmine and rose. I smell like old lady perfume, which I guess is somewhat fitting for the name. I can see an older widow wearing this and sitting on a rocking chair gazing out of a window at night and thinking about her dead spouse. No wine at all, just flowers.

 

Dry down: I'm already getting a headache from the jasmine and rose... gross. The jasmine dominates the rose so it's just overwhelming jasmine - which smells nice in a garden, but not crazy amping on my skin. Nothing but jasmine. Then nothing but rose. Rose is my ampy death note, nothing with rose ends up smelling like anything but rose.

 

Adding to my growing "to frimp" imp pile. I think I'm gonna stop ordering anything with rose listed as a note, even when reviews say it doesn't dominate and etc. Lesson learned after 5 of these incidents.

Edited August 8, 2015 by MarlaMoreau

[ccelaya]

Definitely not what I expected. The dusty rose overpowers everything.

 

At times I could smell Jasmine.

 

Either way, these are two scents that do not work on me.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: I'm getting the pinot noir, dark myrrh (I can tell its a dark one, and not a soft one, like in Bastet), jasmine, and rose.

 

Wet: The myrrh note dominates the scent, which is really sharp to my nose. I can also smell the wine, jasmine, and rose, but the jasmine note is really strong on me, so I'm getting more myrrh and jasmine than anything else.

 

Dry: The myrrh remains as the dominant note, and the jasmine in this is still pretty song. The wine note is rather faint now, but I can smell more rose during the dry phase than the wet stage. The patchouli is present now, but it's not nearly as prominent as the myrrh and the floral notes. I'm not really getting the sandalwood at all from this, probably because the myrrh is so strong on me.

 

Verdict: I'm not a fan of this particular myrrh note, and I don't like the combination of myrrh + jasmine, so this one is not for me.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

Hi! This is my first review I've been wanting to try BPAL for forever now and finally got to when I got an Oriental Floral imp pack as a gift! This is the first scent I tried from it, so here goes...

 

It smells really good right away, I mostly get the rose and red wine at first, and they stay the dominant notes on me for pretty much the entire time I wear it. The sandalwood I think warms it up a bit and gives it an almost vanilla-ish but only slightly sweet vibe at first that gradually becomes dryer and less sweet. This is kind of along the lines of what I would hope for from an oil from the oriental floral category. It's a darker, heavier floral on me (which i like!).

I don't have that practiced of a nose yet lol so I don't know if I quite pick out the jasmine but i think i smell a bit of a floral other than rose. I also don't quite pick out the myrrh at first but i think it's giving it some of the darker heavier vibe i mentioned, and towards the end the resinous smell comes out a bit more. It smells a bit spicier closer to the wrist but from far it smells more floral/wine. I think the throw is great, I had a couple people tell me they liked my perfume, and when i'm moving around i catch the scent pretty often. It stays on the whole day on me, I can still smell it pretty well by the end of the night.

Overall the scent to me seems like a deep velvet burgundy color if i was going to associate a color with it. I was actually surprised by how much I loved the rose in this, I've never really gone for rose perfumes before. This is one of my favorites out of the few I've tried so far!

 

Yay! First review done!

 

Update: having tried a couple more wine scents, just want to point out that the wine here is a very sweet wine scent. Some of the others I've tried have been more dry, but this one is definitely a sweet wine!

Edited August 29, 2016 by Mermaid-on-Land

[VetchVesper]

BPAL's wine notes tend to go sweet, bubble-gummy grape on me, hence, when I tried Lilith, instead of dark, sinister, and seductive, I got bright, syrupy roses. Boo.

 

But to my delight, Pinot Noir agrees with me! This is what I wanted from Lilith. This has the dark, rich robustness of a wine deep in flavor and rich in tanins. In the imp I smell wine, rose, sharp sandalwood w/a dash of jasmine floating on top. As it dries, the wine settles, the sandalwood softens, and I get a resinous, slightly powdery rose, with a dash of dark juiciness. Think femme fatale with a black dress, burgundy wine, and a bottle of poison in her purse. I would strongly recommend this for lovers of scents in the vein of Lucille Sharpe, Nefertiti, and Spellbound..

 

Edited to add Nyx to the list of similar scents, except OW is a little darker and juicier.

Edited May 7, 2016 by VetchVesper