Black Death

[yeahbutnobut]

East African patchouli, bay, tobacco, golden amber, blackened sandalwood, orange peel, lemon verbena, clove, and a touch of lime.

Black Death

In the imp: citrus and tobacco. Very heavy and dry smoky tobacco with an almost vetiver-y scent.
Wet on skin: lime, orange, clove and sweet tobacco. A drier take on Mr Nancy.
Dry on skin: this is quite nice. A bit too tobacco-y for my tastes, but for now it’s nicely balanced. I love the citrus, clove and bay mix here. The lime sparkles, and the verbena doesn’t go crazy, it plays very nicely with the orange and lime. The bay is pleasantly herbal without smelling very savoury on me. The clove adds a dark spicy depth. The amber is gorgeous as ever, adding warmth and sweetness and a golden gleam. But the main notes, other than citrus, are tobacco and sandalwood. The sandalwood is really lovely, very dry sandalwood that has a hint of incense and smoke to it but doesn’t smell charred. The tobacco is very strong but this may just be the type of tobacco I agree with-a dry, crisp kind as opposed to an ashy, heavily smoky kind.
After a while: the bay then turns a tiny bit savoury and there are moments when this smells a bit like curry (what the?) and the citrus notes fade, and then the scent goes faint. But I’m pleasantly surprised, the tobacco is not turning to ashtrays on me like it can do, not devouring the other notes, I still smell loads of spicy sandalwood. The patchouli is subtle but adds a darker undertone.
Verdict: neither black nor deathly on me (though it does smell smoky and deep at times), this is actually really nice! It’s a crisp, smart scent that is unisex and sophisticated yet complex and full of layers-brilliant citrus notes that are nice and strong (though they do fade at drydown), a gorgeous amber and sandalwood middle, a bit of spice and a very agreeable dry tobacco leaf note and patchouli. The scent becomes a little savoury at the end thanks to the bay, and the sweetness of the amber isn’t strong enough to counter that, and I preferred the just applied stage when the citrus was strongest, but overall this is good. I probably won’t keep it because there are other scents I prefer but this is a lot nicer than Mr Nancy to me (the sugar note in there got too caramelised). Out of the Black scents, this one is the one I like most-Lace was too smoky, Heart was too sweet, but this strikes a good balance.
Emoticon rating:
Is it a keeper? I have a small sniffie on the way which I will keep.
If you like this, try: Mr Nancy, Lilith and the Jarocho, Knucklebones, Velvet Tiger

[Beckiemort]

In the Bottle: Smells like vicks vapor rub...its weird but a really nice version of the scent

 

On Skin: Starts off smelling nice and earthy quickly losing most of the vicks type scent, which I guess is my nose identifying the bay. Its definitely a 'dirty' scent. I can smell the patchoulli in the background and pick up a very spicy wood quality from what I assume to be the blackened sandalwood and the clove. This is very spicy and beautiful. However I am getting an almost vetiver quality (not a bad thing just unexpected) out of it at points and the amber warms and sweetens up the blend beautifully. I am amping the clove as the blend is very spicy but in combination with the other notes the blend isn't foody just absolutely lovely.

 

I love this blend, and layered with Black Lace it is AMAZING, there's a little vanilla and booze with spice and a little bit of a 'dirty' feel. They are great both separately and together.

[fairnymph]

Light peach coloured oil. Dry, warm, woody, earthy, herbal, and a little spicy and sweet. I definitely get the patchouli, bay, tobacco, amber and sandalwood most strongly - I have to seek out the citrus, verbena, and clove. I think it's the lime that's adding the hint of sweetness to this blend. The patchouli is the rooty sort, the bay's a bit bitter, and I don't get a 'blackened' feel from the sandalwood. Definitely a masculine blend IMO.

 

More citrus, yay! Also much more tobacco. The combo reminds me vaguely of Mr. Nancy, though this is much less sweet and not nearly as foody - but the tobacco is the same note. The lime is not, I don't think - I'm not sure I know this particular lime note - it's sweet, but not really tart or juicy, oddly. The orange peel is similar - a little sweet, and a little bitter the way peel is, but pleasantly - but I don't get any tartness. And the verbena is behaving itself and barely present at all, yay! I do get more clove, but I think it's the bitter clove note from The Blood Garden, which is nice on me. The sandalwood is very smooth now, almsot creamy, and quite musky, while the amber is warm and golden without being at all powdery. Overall, this is shockingly better on my skin than expected.

 

Becoming more and more lovely! Definitely the same rich, delicious tobacco from Mr. Nancy, which I find has a gourmand quality, and almost vanillic-chocolately tone to it. The bay has softened a bit and faded, but I rather enjoy its slightly sharp bitterness here, and it truly smells very much like actual bay leaves, which are strongly associated with good food in my mind. It is a tad dry, but that's my only complaint about the bay note.This has become even more musky on me - fantastic sandalwood note. And the amber is warm and truly golden, but soft and still not at all powdery or perfumey. The lime has amped on me and become a little juicier, though mostly it reminds me of a less-sweet green Skittle. Verbena is just gone, and the patchouli has faded as well as turned more earthy rather than rooty, yay! I love the overall complexity of this scent and how quickly it has harmonised into a seamless blend.

 

Not much morphing after the initial drydown, other than the scent becoming more and more seamless, the patchouli amping a bit, and the freshness of the lime fading. Most of the sweetness seems to come from the tobacco at this point. The bay has completely smoothed out and is no longer at all bitter. This feels warmer, so perhaps the amber is a little stronger? My roommate says it smells 'potpourri-ish' and it does, sort of - I think that the effect of the orange peel and clove together. But I'm pretty happy because this is one of the few clove notes I can wear, though I still don't really like it on myself.

 

Warm amber, rich sweet tobacco, spicy clove, rooty-earthy patchouli, slightly dry musky sandalwood, and some sweet orange peel and lime. This one reminds me quite a bit of Torture King. Definitely masculine but some women could pull this off, though it's not my style personally. I think it's a beautiful scent nonetheless and I can see this layering very well with both Black Lace and/or Black Heart. Good throw and fantastic longevity.

 

[doublehelix]

in the bottle: very earthy and herbal, but sweet

 

wet on skin: earthy with patchouli in the background! there's a hint of citrus and it smells a little smokey, guessing that's the tobacco.

 

dry on skin: dries down nicely, not as strong as it was initially. I think this is a very unisex sort of scent, mysterious and sexy. I want my boyfriend to give this a try!

[crebbsgirl]

This reminded me of Voodoo crossed with German Expressionist Horror or Schwarzer Mond or something. It was dark and deep and rich, with a decidedly masculine (on my skin) overtone to it. There is a sweetness as well. Overall this is predominantly patchouli and smoky sandalwood, with a hint of clove and lime underneath. It does go a little powdery on me though. Hmmm... I like it, but I'm not in love with it.

[beachbabealways]

I love the original version!! It was dry and a bit spicy (kinda a lighter version of Velvet Bandito) ... I have a decant of this.

 

Soooo I bought a bottle THINKING it would be the same but the 2nd run of Black Death is NOTHING like the original and I do mean NOTHING. I opened the bottle and it was like woah APPLE!!!! I'm not a big apple fan. There are others out there that also get this same note and compared it to Fearful Pleasure/Lamb's Wool/apple cider/spiced apples and I said it smells like the apple note in Agape. How can there be such a HUGE difference?? Hell apple isn't even one of the notes but that's all I keep hearing from others as well.

 

I want the ORIGINAL Black Death damn-it. I'm heartbroken.

 

 

[starfish327]

decant bought on the forums in a hunt to replace torture king:

 

in the imp: masculine, sort of generically masculine. similar to tk but doesn't have the high citrus kick to it.

 

wet: i can see where the comparisons are made- lots of leather and light masculine style musk.

 

dry: this is the same family as tk, but not nearly as powerful. the amber lightens it up too much and i do get a slight apple vibe. i'm getting frankencense from this as well. this actually reminds me more of faunalia than tk- it has the same resiny, clean, almost cool masculine feel to it.

 

i may try layering this with doc constantine just for kicks, but this doesn't bode well for this decant. it's a lot cleaner and preppier than what i generally wear for masculine style oils, and my skin seems to eat it.

[stellans]

I'm not sure what I expected of this blend but after reading the listed notes, my experience was very unexpected. This reminds me very much of stepping into a local landmark called "The Old Country Store" at the Casey Jones Memorial. Old wood, fresh citrus, and lots of merchandise both old and new are what come to mind upon sniffing this.

 

Basically, this is much lighter and sweeter than I would have thought. I get no patchouli whatsoever, and must admit this is a grave disappointment. It's not that I don't like this blend (it's very pleasant), but it is definitely not what I was expecting nor wanting.

Edited June 16, 2011 by stellans

[wl552]

Hmmm. I don't know, but to my uneducated nose, without looking at the notes, I would've sworn this had some sort of cinnamon in it. It's very masculine for quite some time - it smells like I've been snuggling with a really great smelling guy, in fact.

 

Not until much, much later does that masculine feel start to fade and turn into this lovely sweet, warm scent. The only bad thing about it is that it faded down so close to the skin that I have to snort my own arm to smell it.

 

I like more throw and I can't reapply to get it, because the wet and early dry stages are so different than the later dry stage.

[rayvn1]

I could have sworn there was apple in here! There's something juicy and crisp in here, not quite floral and a little more fruity..Maybe the verbena, orange, and lime together? This was bound to be a favorite with all the patchouli and tobacco that I tend to love. Thank goodness the clove and amber don't dominate, just add interesting touches in the background. It's a dark, night time scent for me. Luxurious and beautiful. Really gotta get me a bottle for that beautiful artwork as well!

[kikithepirate]

Dark and the tiniest bit masculine, with a strong citrus component. I really didn't think this would be my thing, but I actually love it! The clove doesn't take over offensively, which is pretty awesome, and neither does the patchouli. Black Lace is still my favorite of the trio, but I honestly wouldn't mind a bottle of this.

[kattharia]

I almost passed on this, the notes just didn't sound like me! But for the last year, My tastes have been morphing and I now find I'm loving the darker side! I can smell the Patchouli, but It's so well blended that It's not sour on me. I get alot of citrus, but the peel, not a sweet juice! The clove plays around the edges and lures me in closer. I can't wait til my hubs. is well and can smell again! Definately verry sexy! May have to get a back up before this goes away!

[midnight_aeval]

I'm revisiting DD scents while I plot an order

 

Black Death is very, very DARK and sinister on my skin. I prefer to keep my dark/sinister scents light-hearted, with a bit of sweetness mixed in. This East African Patchouli is strong stuff. At first it's almost got a wood/pencil shavings scent to it, but as it mellows on the dry down it's more earthy and much more my flavor of patchouli. I do get that hint of lime. Reminds me of those 'hint of lime' chips lol not to mean it smells like tortilla chips...

 

I recall first trying this last January and I almost wrote it off. I'm glad I hung onto the bottle because it's aged very well.

[calivianya]

Oh wow. This is a stunner.

 

I held off on trying this for a long time because I'm generally a fan of scents with more sweetness in them, but I caved when I saw a good deal on a partial on the forum. I am so glad I did. I do smell the hint of lime, but I mostly get a dry, dusty, woodsy smell from the sandalwood, patchouli, tobacco, and clove combination. Initially, I could have sworn there was cedar in this blend because it reminded me strongly of An Altar to Cold, Rigid, Dreadful Death, though they share no notes in common. The cedar-ish smell disappears on the drydown and I smell the sandalwood and clove most clearly, with a sweet citrus smell barely present, but still noticeable. This is a definite keeper and I'm glad I sprang for a partial.

[blu°]

Like other reviewers, I much prefer the aged version of Black Death. I've had it for about a year, too, and actually just got it out of my swap box to test again. I remember it being dark, resinous and somewhat blunt/flat in total, without the depth or layers that I love in scents like this. Now that it's had time to mature, it feels much more rounded. There's a very smooth background. Kinda like a glossy sweet but hard caramel candy. Not very sweet, just lightly. I mostly have that glossy, sticky-to-the-bite, hard surface of the candy in mind, and the colour maybe.

 

I really can smell the orange peel this time. I had forgotten that there were fruit notes in here, and thought I was going crazy because I kept wondering where that smell of freshly peeled oranges came from. You know, the way your hands smell after you've been peeling them?

 

Realizing this does sound as if this was very foody, let me adjust: Black Death is dark, and woody-herbal and has this thing going on, that makes me think of resins, even though none are listed. Not frankincense or myrrh, but maybe labdanum or other less throw-y resins.

 

This comes out of the swap box for now.

[Wwindy]

Apples and the barest whiff of cologne -- that's it. Clearly this is the apple-y revised version and not the original. Very, very disappointing.

[porcelina]

ooh. this is a very dark patchouli-based blend. the african patchouli is gorgeous, the tobacco is sweet and dark, and the the citrus is more like dried orange peel as a spice than fresh juicy spice. it's dark, malicious and sweet (i agree with one other reviewer who compared it to the GC blend voodoo). mm.

[stellamaris]

Absolutely Vile. With a capital V. Smells like apple cider to me. Could not get this out of my house fast enough.

[Mellifluous]

An amazing slightly sweet patch scent. Very hippy shop smelling, but in a good way. Like Banshee Beat, but with amber and slight citrus instead of vanilla. The patch isnt terribly dark like in the lucha scent or OWS. Deff a sweeter milder one. Very happy with this purchase.

[bellumed]

In the vial I get dark orange and sandalwood, yummy! On my skin the orange remains prominent but the woodiness is replaced by a well-blended "spice" scent that's hard for me to pick apart. It starts off a bit sharp and cologne-ish, but fades to something more unisex over time. I'm surprised by how much I like each stage, as I usually avoid masculine scents. Maybe I'll have to experiment more with them.

 

An unexpected favorite! This is a blend that reminds me how new I am and how little I can predict what I'll like.

[ami226]

On the skin: Patchouli and tobacco with some orange. This is actually pretty good! The orange is lovely, the patchouli isn't extremely dirty, and the tobacco isn't sickly sweet or dirty. Really, each of these notes is exactly the way I like them and they blend beautifully.

 

I definitely like it better as it dries. The orange becomes a whiff of sweetness over the dark blend of the other notes.

 

I think I'll keep my partial bottle for a bit, but I definitely don't need more of this scent.

[Innocuousmold]

This is a really beautiful, sultry blend. I've been having bad luck with patchouli lately, but this is a wonderfully subtle blend that is slightly sweet. I do get a bit of citrus, but it fades and I mostly get the sandalwood, amber and a little bit of clove.

 

I really like the spiciness in this one, it's very wearable.

[Caper]

so glad I came to read the reviews! I swapped a decant from someone and it is fruity with a lot of amber and a hint of patch, and I love it. so I bought a bottle. and it is whoa patch with a little bit of fruit and I love it.

 

I wasn't sure if the decant was something else I should try and track down. two versions makes a lot of sense. maybe I'll layer them.

[filigree_shadow]

I like patchouli, a lot. I'm not sure about the orange, lemon, and lime with it, but the other stuff should have been good. I think, though, that the citrusy notes make the darker notes smell a little sour, and that's not really my favorite thing of all time. So I think I'll pass on this one.

[ImpImpImp]

I was very kindly frimped this from a generous and lovely forumite. The year isn't labeled.

 

This is much nicer than I expected: a dark core of clove and tobacco and amber, with a wafting sweetness from blood orange, lime and bay. Death can't be too fearsome if it smells as enticing as this does! I could see myself wearing this often, but as it's likely near-impossible to find, I'll pass on the hunt for more. Love that I got to try it though!