Black Pearl

[Eldritch]

Evocative of the sea's unplumbed mysteries. Gentle and lovely, but menacing and profound. Coconut, Florentine iris, hazelnut and opalescent white musk.

Black Pearl has become my every day work scent. It's yummy and light and clean and CREAMY, which, after being seduced by the beauty that is Snow White, is my new buzz word my BPAL flavors, CREAMY. The coconut note in this blend is just so lovely and perfect. I love coconut scents, but dislike all the "tropical" bouquets that so often go with them. Having pure coconut with the rounded edges of iris and musk is just lovely.

I have noticed, in the bottle, it becomes almost a little sour as it ages (just means I have to use it up that much faster). Not quite as fresh coconutty, but it still dries the same. V. lovely and light enough for teaching, where I get lots of physical contact and always worry about being one of "those" teachers who knocks students over with her perfume. ;D

[Cats]

In the bottle: barely a hint of coconut, very strong floral (the iris?).

 

On me: instantly headachey, overwelming floral and musk, no coconut at all.

 

I'd like a new skin chemistry, please!

Edited February 2, 2005 by Cats

[darkling]

In the bottle: Black Pearl was pure coconut and strongly reminded me of my Hawaiian Tropic suntan lotion.

 

On my skin: The coconut is deepened by a hint of iris and an undertone of hazelnut. The coconut remains predominant.

 

Drydown: An unpleasant musky scent begins to seep into the blend offsetting the delicious coconut and making the iris stronger. Usually, white musk and I get along but this has a distinctly unpleasant quality that I get with the darker musks.

 

I love the coconut but the musk ruined this scent for me

Edited February 4, 2005 by darkling

[strangeling]

I love it! I ordered a 10ml bottle of this one last night after trying the imp.

 

Yum! I am a big fan of coconut, and this is perfect. It is a nutty, creamy coconut - not a sweet artificial coconut. It reminds me more of actual fresh coconuts, or coconut milk - almost like Thai Coconut Rice, lol.

 

The hazelnut is definitely there too - kind of a toasted hazelnut, emphasizing the creaminess and nuttiness.

 

Strangely enough though, I wouldn't classify this as a foody scent, nor a particularly sweet scent. Almost salty!

 

It's even better on my skin, and it really stays with me - it's got more staying power than almost any of the others I've tried so far - I could still get wafts of it when I went to bed, having had it on a good 12 hours. It stays very "true" throughout as well - the notes stay pretty much the same after wearing.

 

Love it love it love it!

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Tropical and sweet and, oddly, lovely. I usually dislike tropical, but...mmm. It's mostly a robust, authentic coconut, but there really is a slightly dark tone to it.

 

Wearing: Smells vaguely alcoholic now, but not in a bad way at all. I think this is due to the hazelnut. It's buttery and thick and, thankfully, not floral at all.

 

Later: Well, it's gone even sweeter and a bit generic now, but I really don't care. This is the only tropical blend I've liked so far, and I think I can deal with the weird after scent to get that very nice, almost dark scent to begin with.

 

Overall: I hated coconut, among other things, before I found BPAL. On top of my love for Perversion, I think this will restore my faith in the scent. A keeper.

[Splendid Molerat]

Black Pearl is a gleaming, purple-brown fragrance.

 

Clean iris, sweet coconut, earthy hazelnut. It clings gently for hours of wear, and has a mellowing effect on me.

 

I'll need more at some point...

[tempete]

I have two imps of Black Pearl, one received in a swap from northern and the other gifted to me by The_Witching_Hour (thanks to both of these lovely ladies). They are completely different scents on me, so I'll review each version.

 

Imp #1 (swap from northern):

Astarte, Northernminx and nevermore's reviews closely echo my experience with this imp, which is not very foody on me: the coconut note is very muted and the hazelnut note is non-existent (yay! I hate nuts!). Interestingly, the iris note hits me strongest in the wet stage and then fades to an undercurrent during the drydown. I sometimes get a plasticky note (I think that this is the white musk) and other times a sharp green note (iris?) The iris note does remind me of the violets in Ultraviolet, and unlike some reviewers, I wish that it would come out more on me. The final drydown is a warm, creamy scent with a hint of floral.

 

Imp #2 (gift from The_Witching_Hour):

Ah, now I see why shriekingviolet's review made a reference to Frangelico. A swipe from this imp gives me a big blast of nauseatingly sweet hazelnut (yuck!) which fortunately dies away quickly. The iris comes out more strongly on the drydown than it did in Imp #1, and the white musk and coconut play supporting roles, although I have to inhale deeply to detect any coconut. The final drydown for Imp #2 is sharper than that for Imp #1, and reminds me somewhat of a creamier version of Ultraviolet without the sharpness of eucalyptus and mint.

 

Final thoughts:

Overall I'm a bit torn as to which version I prefer. Imp #1 is a great skin scent (though I could do without the weird side notes) for when I want something that is isn't brash and pushy and explicit, but still there, if you know what I mean. Imp #2 is more overtly feminine and present, though I do wish it scored higher on the creaminess quotient. Some questions: If I order a big bottle, which version will I get? Or is Imp #1 an aged version of Imp #2?

 

An aside on layering:

Imp #1 layers nicely with Ultraviolet (you probably saw that one coming!) - it lends Ultraviolet a touch of creaminess without taking away too much of the lovely eucalyptic/minty bite. I have severe reservations about layering Imp #2 with Ultraviolet because the combination of eucalyptus and mint versus hella sweet hazelnut might cause my olfactory bulb to explode

Edited February 12, 2005 by tempete

[Nutterfly]

One of the first few imps I sniffed. I love it

 

In the bottle: Well, not really in the bottle, I got some on my finger in the process of unstopping the imp. This divine!!! Coconut-y, a lot like suntan lotion, but without the fear of sunburn!

 

Wet: Lovely still... there is a really odd hint of spice and are I say, celery! That or I've got my nose on backwards. It also tastes nice too - I got it on my finger for the second time! I think I might get a bigger bottle of this.

 

An hour later: This scent stays true on me. Its divine. I am really loving it. The question is, which do I like more, this or embalming fluid? I'm of the opinion that this is a lovely scent, but not a signature scent for me, still undecided on a bigger bottle or not.

What I do love about this is that it’s strong but at the same time not strong. I get lovely whiff of it, and its lovely, but its not too empowering at the same time.

Mmm, suntan lotion.

[scourgeotheseas]

Black Pearl

 

In the bottle: Suntan lotion. Overwhelming coconut.

 

On me/wet: Overpowering coconut, which before long turns into overwhelming coconut with somewhat strong hazelnut. Obviously I put too much on! I love coconut, but am not real happy about smelling like suntan lotion with a hint of Frangelico.

 

Drydown: Ah, here's where the magic happens. After I given up on this one, it began to morph into a really fantastic scent. The coconut and hazelnut were gradually balanced by the iris, and although I can't really smell the musk, I think it's the note that is rounding out the whole scent. It turns into a lush, beautiful floral with a hint of coconut.

 

This one really redeemed itself for me! Next time I'll go lighter on the application. Maybe that'll hasten the floral stage...

[Theravada]

Now that Black Pearl has safely established itself as a favorite, I can admit that it totally reminded me of Mr. Bubbles bubble bath. I really didn't like this one. I never got coconut or anything yummy from this. It just smelled mildly soapy and blah.

[Miggins]

I am still wondering how I managed to overlook Black Pearl for so long...

 

Black Pearl, on me, is the summer partner of Snow White. I get a lovely a nutty vanillary coconut that smells like coconut biscuits, with a hint of a blue-tinged musk (as opposed to the red-tinge of Morocco or Dorian), which balances it nicely.

 

Definitely a keeper. Definitely hankering after a big bottle. Simply gorgeous.

[ashtonrose]

I know some smells pretty good, but Black Pearl threw me off balance. I smelled the coconut and hazelnut as soon as I opened it. It wasn't as strong on me though. It has just dried to a soft sensual musk. Warm summer night on the beach. That's all I can think of when smelling this.

[Fyre_in_Winter]

As I was marking Black Pearl off as swapped on my spreadsheet, I noticed I had never posted a review of it, which I shall rectify now.

 

My experience mirrors darkling's closely... It smelled gorgeously of coconut in the vial, with a touch of nuttiness. Normally I'm not a hazelnut fan, but whatever Beth uses is richly decadent and wonderful. However, the iris and white musk ruined it all for me. As I'm discovering, my skin amps up white musk in an unpleasant and soapy way, and the iris became cloying. All of this drowned out the beautiful coconut and hazelnut combo.

 

So off to a new home it goes, but my samplying of the hazelnut has prompted me to give Gluttony a try at some point.

[enantiomorph]

I think my sense of smell has absolutely no imagination whatsoever, because to me, black pearl is a ringer for malibu rum and coconut sunscreen. it gets more interesting (less booze & lotion) when I'm on my period, more soft, warm, and musky. I like black pearl, so I'm going to keep my imp - I just don't see myself going around smelling like malibu rum all the time. no bottle for me.

 

also, this may sound strange, but while on my period, black pearl is like a more daring, sultry version of pele. a more enduring version too.

Edited February 23, 2005 by enantiomorph

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Coconut.

 

After 10 minutes- Wow, this really does conjure up visions of pirates! This smells exactly like the Ocean and coconuts! To me this smells just like a day at the beach wearing that coconut smelling sun block. (Coppertone I think). I can almost taste the salt at the back of my throat.

 

After 30 minutes- Now something sweeter is coming out making this smell like a tropical drink.

 

Summery- Black Pearl is the perfect beach scent. Seeing that I am not fond of the beach or coconut I don't think I will buy a big bottle of this. I did have fun smelling it though!

Edited February 25, 2005 by requieminblack

[warmfuzzies]

floral, flowers & more flowers. this has almost nothing else to it. if i inhale reaaally deeply, i can barely detect suntan lotion. beware, if you don't like florals, as i don't, it is a screaming floral nightmare. i actually ordered this, thinking it was, as most stated, hazelnut & coconut. <<<<now, to me, that sounds like a little slice o' heaven. sure stinks to wait 2 months for something that doesn't work out.

[kmasden]

This is in my top 5 for sure. I love this soo much. I had decided that scents with hazelnut were not for me, but black pearl is so soft and sexy and slightly tropical and oooohhhhh. I feel like creamy, sexy goodness! The coconut is definately there, blended so well with the florals. I don't get much hazelnut, I think it just deepens it a bit on me. Ohhh, this is soooo good!

[Cat]

At first I get coconut and white musk. It isn't a combination that seems to work to me.

 

Then, I get coconut and iris, with the musk moving back, but still there. I don't like this much.

 

However, next, the more it dries and has time to warm on my skin, I get creamy coconut and I can smell the hazelnut behind it giving it a really nice roundness. However, the mix of white musk and iris make my nose a bit itchy. If this was just coconut and hazelnut I think I would be in heaven. As it is, it is too perfumey for me. I will be interested to layer it with chocolate scents though, to see if that helps bring forward the hazelnut at all.

 

It is nice, but too perfumey. The perfumey-ness is powdery. I don't much like powdery. Boo.

[laochodia]

Add this to the list of perfumes i did not expect to like but ended up loving. wow.

in the bottle- Coconut and -sniffs- flowers?

wet- coconut and hazelnut and a little bit of musk

dry- this turns into pure decadence rolling off my skin in waves that get stronger.

I feel like I am wearing something worthy of a sea queen. Yum.

[blaqpearl]

When I first encountered bpal, I didnt realize they had an oil called Black Pearl. When I saw it I didnt really rush to try it either. So about three weeks ago, someone said I should really try it and so I got my hands on it. And I so happened to get three imps of it at the same time from different people.

 

Oh my.....I am in love with my namesake. I thought how am I going to live with out this one. I dont want to wait two months. So I found a bottle on ebay. And when I got it all I wanted to do is sniff the bottle. Better yet, apply some near my nose.

 

I feel like I am laying on Boca Chica Beach in Santo Domingo. Sun is hot and the suntan oil is shiny and sizzling. A local passes by with Coconut water to drink, spiked with coconut rum. So glad to be home.

 

I will have to get a 10ml of this on my next order. I can tell the 5ml wont last long. Only thing about this oil is that I wished it last longer. But that is okay...I love the light scent it leaves on my skin, hours after the strength of it disappears. I guess I will have to keep an imp in desk at work and handbag for retouches.

 

So now we need more scents with coconut. I am so diggin that note.

[PennyPretty]

I really wanted to love this. The description makes it sound exotic and sexy. Sadly on me it was iris all the way - no coconut, hazelnut or musk Florals and I do not get along, I had a headache in less then 30 minutes of applying. I passed it on to my sister, hopefully she has better luck.

[cricketshay]

I fell in love with this blend at first sniff. In the vial, coconut is the note that stands out. It reminded me of tanning oil, my favorite summer smell. I couldn't wait to try it on my skin.

 

Wet-Smells lovely. The coconut is coming through just like in the vial. Black Pearl loves my chemistry. (I haven't always been this lucky) It's a very light fragrance. Not overpowering like some blends I've tried.(Spellbound comes to mind here)

 

Dry-The coconut is fading and the white musk is coming through. Very nice. I think this is going to be one of my everyday scents.

 

Black Pearl lasted all day on my skin. I still smelled yummy after eight hours of wear. I'm glad I was able to snag a bottle of this on the forums. Definitely a keeper.

[LupaWulf]

Very sweet and good... I can smell the yummy coconut.

 

I enjoy having a sweet smell that isn't overpoweringly sweet. There's some sort of outside-ish fresh air in the background of it as well. It's allmost as if the background is a sea breeze on my skin. Very nice effect.

 

For the record, this one has great effects on people around me. I kept getting sniffed since it smelled tasty. =) That was just fun.

[FireInCairo]

Black Pearl...mmmmm mmmm good. This is a very tropical scent. It is truly the perfect summer scent. The coconut is just so damn sexy in this!!! I am in love..

[girlmadasbirds]

i couldn't wait to get my hands on this scent!

in the bottle: creamy, coconut, hint of iris

on skin, wet: it smells just like it did in the bottle.

on skin, dry: the musk is coming out a little more, but i can still smell that wonderful creamy coconut.

final thoughts: this is a sensual, comforting scent. it reminds me of precious memories near the sea. gotta have the big bottle!