Black Bar

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An obfuscating scent, blocking a sharp, startling burst of fragrance: smoky patchouli, opoponax, ebony musk, and clove layered over King mandarin, pink grapefruit, Damascan plum, and cardamom.

I had to wear this one two days in a row to get a good feel for it. It goes on wet with a gritty patchouli blackness- the "dark and dirty" I associate with #occupywallstreet. That fades fairly quickly, leaving a black shadowy darkness. As soon as it starts drying, what shows up?

Juicy pink and red, plump and rich and full. It is lush and shining almost - or would be if the darkness weren't layered on top.

As the pink unfolds to a deep ruddy juicy- blackness sits right on top. So all day I would catch just little flashes of that, hiding behind the steady, sweet shadow that hangs on the skin. Medium throw although I wore it light, lasted about 9 hours for me.

This is very definitely appropriate to the name: the black bar covering up the juicy naughty bits!


Verdict from me: A darker, more contrasted and nuanced relative of Phantom Calliope. And I think I just might love it.

[zankoku_zen]

Black Bar reminds me to Black Supermoon, with some Phantom Calliope thrown in.

 

On wet, its all smoky patchouli, ebony musk and a whiff of cardamom. It's dark and inky. As it dries, some of the fruit starts to pop up like mandarin, plum, and a trace of grapefruit.

 

This is dark shadows over some dark purple citrus. If you loved Black Supermoon, and enjoy dark smoky blends, give this a whirl.

[sarandipitee]

This is a dark, sweetened and smokey patch. Sweet for me because I associate Opoponax with cola. The clove is very present, as is the musk (and it's the musk that can be a little headachey for me). I don't get any fruit at all (even on drydown) but the musk calms itself down so it's more wearable.

 

I still think I'll have to swap this one out though. It's gorgeous if love you smokey, musky patch blends.

[Blood onmy hands]

I wish that I could kick the citrus notes out of this scent. It starts off all plush, resinous, slightly powdery, thick black musk sweetened with the syrupy, resinous opoponax. The patchouli adds a lovely, dark earthiness that's like burning patchouli incense. And then a weird, sour grapefruit comes in and adds a sharp, sour pulse to the whole thing. I want it to stay dark and thick and sweet, but the bright citrus ruins it for me and makes it feel discordant.