Black Pearl

[Freyja Lux]

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

Hmm, I love a good coconut scent in the summer, which is when I tried it, but something just wasn't right. It could have just gone rotten on my skin, because it smelled nice enough from the bottle. Warm, sweet... too sweet. Something else clashed. Maybe the hazelnut with the coconut? It smelled... confusing to me.

Poop. I wanted a good coconut blend!

[Khaman]

Just smelling this bad boy in the imp made me think of Johnny Depp, sprawled out naked, dripping with dark, rich, oily scent. I see I wasn't the only one who thought that or something similar. Lovely rich coconut in the imp, plus something darker.

 

Once I'd put it on, it definitely kicked up a sweet toasted coconut smell. There was always something a bit darker and heavier in the background, but even during the whole drydown, that coconut note made damn sure to keep kicking. This is one of the longest lasting scents I've worn, too, and the throw was like a major league pitcher during the playoffs.

 

I really, really like this one. I may have to do a bottle down the road.

[maewitch]

OMG. The coconut...it's...it's...GOOD!

 

I still can't believe this. I'm marking this day on the calender as the day I tried a coconut-heavy scent and it immediately smelled fantastic on me. No plastic, no weirdness - just immediate goodness.

 

This is super-creamy, light, sweet musk.

[Undine]

Often coconut smells can be so fake, but this one isn't. I think the iris especially helps give the coconut a very green, fresh smell. The white musk and hazelnut are both very light and delicate, and I would never be able to pick them out if I didn't know they were there.

 

Overall this is a very, very light scent on me. Due to being a cold person and not normally having much staying power/throw at all, I put this on with moisturizer, and while this normally greatly increases staying power and throw, I could still barely smell this scent. Even smelling my wrist, an hour or two later, it's barely there.

 

I've never been much of a coconut fiend--I like it to eat, but on me it mostly reminds me of suntan lotion. However, this is quite a nice evocation of palms, islands, and warm breezes. (Today is a rainy, miserable, cold autumn day, so that was part of my motivation in trying this scent today!) However it's not so different that I feel compelled to wear a lot more of it and it does feel a little "wrong" on a cold wet day like today! I could see myself using more of this imp in summer, though.

 

On my scale, a 3 out of 5.

[angharad]

Black Pearl is making me feel nostalgic. My uncle used to live in Key West, Florida, and when I was little, I would stand in the middle of his garden and smell the ocean. This scent reminds me so much of that. The coconut and hazelnut are primary notes on my skin, with a tiny bit of iris (my favorite flower, coincidentally the same flower that dominated my uncle's garden) and musk supporting them. This is utterly feminine, wistful, and softly sweet. I'm in love.

 

ETA: Two hours later, I can't smell this anymore. Black Pearl, where did you go?!

Edited October 15, 2005 by angharad

[fragrantgrasse]

Being a big coconut fan how could I not love Black Pearl? This is so light and and lovely, I can imagine standing outside the airport in Honolulu with the trade winds blowing and the wiki wikis trundling around and the air sweet and heavy.

Ah what a vision.

 

The iris is lying low in the background, and over time it steps forward but just a bit. It is a rhizome with significant scent characteristics, but I can't quite make it out here and I have to stretch a bit to reach for it's earthy scent.

 

All in all Black Pearl is very wearable for me everyday and makes me happy!

 

A 5 ml. for sure.

 

[emzebel]

I really expected to be blown away by Black Pearl.

 

And it is not that I don't like it. It is a lovely little imp. Really, it is. But it is one of those blends. You know. Those blends. The kind you think are going to be big bottle blends that ar really just kind of nice.

 

It is a nice sophisticated coconut, not a boozy, Elegba, come and get plastered with me kind of coconut, but a nice straightlaced, coconut battered shrimp on a lovely platter kind of coconut.

 

I don't really get much out of this at all, to be honest, unless I really look for it, not the hazlenut, or the musk or the iris. Just a little bunch of coconuts.

[TrinitySydney]

I loved this so much when I smelled my friend's imp of it, and I immediately made a swap to get a bottle, but once I owned it things changed slightly. I still love the smell yes, but for some reason it just disappears entirely once it hits my skin! Seriously, my skin is the best camouflage in the WORLD for this wonderful perfume. I'm sorely disappointed, but I found a home for my bottle with one of my best friends, and she adores it, so I don't feel the loss as much.

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: Coconut creme soda, sweet fresh coconut, other sweet kind of nutty smell

Wet: Sweet, fresh, watery coconut! It's BEAUTIFUL... like sipping a coconut rum and coke in the middle of a tropical garden.

Dry: Becomes a darker coconut as the day progresses and the super-sweet top note fades quite a bit.

Overall: Malibu and coke = good; smelling like it = great! I was very impressed by this scent with how the coconut smelled real and that I could actual get a little hazelnut out of the mixture. It lasted relatively long and was beautiful after working out for an hour or so. Would like to have more.

[wingedcorset]

My notes just say:

 

Boozy round coconuts.

 

As I recall (I tested this a few days ago) this was a gorgeous comforting scent. I can't do foodie scents and I totally loved this.

[Babylon]

I would never have ordered this on my own. Coconut is one of my least favorite things to eat, right up there with beets and shrimp. Fortunately the Lab included this scent as a freebie in a recent order, so I got the chance to give it a try. I was fearing the worst, because well, coconut = yuck. But Black Pearl smells GREAT! I really dig this scent. It's so well blended; never smells like "COCONUT!" to me. Instead, it's like the scent of the Caribbean stuck in a bottle.

 

Wet on my skin, it reminded me of rum and vanilla, without really smelling like alcohol itself.

Now that it's dried, it's very evocative of the Caribbean and a warm inviting beach. I don't care that it's November in Wisconsin and 30 outside. I feel like putting on a bathing suit and lying on some warm sand under the sun, sipping a drink with a little umbrella in it, or at the very least a Rum and Coke. Every time I turn my head, I get the most wonderful nuttyvanillacoconuttropical smell without a hint of fruit or flowers (on me, at least. The flower just makes this scent a little softer around the edges).

This is a very well-done scent that completely surprised me. I really don't like coconut, but love Black Pearl and would recommend it to others.

 

Now I'm going to go put this on my Want-A-Bottle-Of list and try to resist the urge to put on a bathing suit.

[Rhowan]

Black Pearl : This is luscious and almost lascivious! A great scent if you are planning a seduction!

 

 

In the imp: Yum! This smells really sweet. It's blended so well there is no definite scent of coconut or musk that I was kind of fearing.

 

On my wrist: still very sweet. Almost a rummy vanilla coconut drink - It's kind of boozy but not in a way that's icky.

 

On the dry down: This scent rocks! I cannot smell the coconut or the rum. It's mellowed to a sweet woody scent. I think the hazelnut must mellow the coconut to make it just a nice warm background to the iris and musk.

 

Like I said up at the top, this is very well blended, sweet woody scent. This was a hard one to review since everything blended so well! Perfect for an intimate evening!

[notagoth]

unggg. this is RICH. it is like eating the most expensive dessert on the menu when you'd rather just be dripping it all over your date. I LOVE THIS.

[herbhealer]

I love the notes in Black Pearl - coconut, iris, musk and hazelnut. On my skin it dried to a cocnut-musky scent, the hazelnut never really came out. I wonder if aging will srtengthen the hazelnut, I have some aged Vice and 13 where the hazelnut has bloomed into a sweet, mellow bouquet. I'm keeping this, but I wish it did last longer on me.

[Wench457]

I bought a 5ml of this unsniffed because it sounded Soooooo perfect for me. Alas, I've tried it twice now, and Black Pearl just doesn't love me. I wind up smelling exactly like a Thai curry. Gaeng Panang to be precise. And while that is a smell I adore, and wearing Black Pearl makes me crave Thai food, that's not exactly the effect I was going for.

 

Off to get my coconut fix from my beloved Spooky.

Edited November 23, 2005 by Wench457

[mockturtle]

Softy fragrant, and dry for a scent from the sea.

 

I smell a lot of the iris (which reminds me of the oris root in Dragon's Bone), but the creamy sweet coconut is fighting for attention. Whew, think I put on a bit too much. Opalescent is a good descriptor for this scent overall -- creamy and white with subtle hints of color.

 

Not for me, so I'll pass this one along.

[britton522]

Arrgggh! It be a pirate-y smell mates! Was definitely thinking of Pirates of the Caribbean when I bought this one.

 

In Bottle: It's a pirates life for me. Coconut!

 

Wet: Getting a boozy scent. Drink up me hearties, yo ho?

 

Dry Down: Lots of coconut. Where'd my pirates go?

 

Staying Power: Zip. Within an hour, this was gone, and I had to resort to pushing my nose up against my wrist.

 

The pirates ran away to plunder after an hour. Would need large amounts of this to keep me satisfied. Wish the oil stayed better on my wrist.

[melrose]

``Do you like Pina Coladas? Getting caught in the rain?''

 

Ahem. Excuse me - I was having a moment.

 

Gotta love something that transports me the way Black Pearl does. It's not what I expected, though - all I get is coconut and hazelnut. I really wanted the iris and musk. It's lovely, nevertheless.

[SeaMonkey]

I mostly get white musk and iris with a touch of coconut. I was hoping for more coconut and hazelnut, but this is pretty. I'm going to try it again at a different time of the month and see what happens

[sophia_helix]

I avoided this because for a long time I thought I didn't like orris, and I thought orris = iris.

 

Now? Iris = HEAVEN.

 

I loved Florence, and this has got that same richness. Instead of the woody amber tempering it, it's deliciously sweet, with the coconut and hazelnut, and the musk is playing very quietly in a corner, the way I like it. It's almost foody in its yumminess, but not quite. I forsee myself wearing this quite a bit in the future!

[wanderingredhead]

Black Pearl is Delicious.

On me it's a yummy coconut with an earthy backdrop that's just sweet enough. I do feel that it stays close to the skin, which I like, and which means it can be a pleasant everyday scent for me.

 

It joined my top five the first time I tried it.

[ktesedale]

Shoot, I didn't review this when I last wore this, and now my notes are too vague. Hmm.

 

Overall, this was a nice scent, very coconut and musk on me. However, it had a slight harsh note that didn't quite agree with me - possibly the iris. Additionally, this scent just isn't 'me' - it's too... smooth? Not geeky enough? I'm not sure. I passed it on to someone else who loves it, though, so I'm happy I got it.

[Silverstrike]

I was hoping I'd like this one, and I do! I can really only definitely pick out the coconut note--everything else kind of blends together to me, but other than that, it just smells yummy. I wasn't sure whether this would work since it has a musk in it (generally, musk (black, white, whatever) doesn't work well on me, but this hasn't turned on my skin, so I'm happy. Normally with musk, I have a nice period and then a yucky stinky period, but with Black Pearl, even the drydown is pretty.

 

I'd rate this a 4 out of 5.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is creamy and sweet, with a touch of coconut as flavoring. It's more subtle than I expected, actually, because I dabbed a little more than usual on, and the throw is still minimal.

 

The scent stays essentially the same, though over time I'm able to discern a little musk, and a bit of a hazelnut liqueur, as well. This is warm and delicious, but it's a little too gentle for me.

[LittleGreyKitten]

Oh man, if only this lasted longer than an hour I'd be absolutely head over heels for it. Sadly, I applied it before work and by the time we had the store open- barely an hour- nada. Zip. Gone.

 

Wahh! It smelled so very yum before it went poof. The coconut was a bare hint on me- I mostly got a soft, gentle, slightly dark smell that was deep and sort of iridescent feeling. A lot like a black pearl in fact.

 

I'd give it a 4 out of 5 despite it's disappearing act because it was so very very good before it went away.