Black Moths

[savage_rose]

Back home we only have black moths. Formidable creatures. They thrive on the dark and cold.

 

...What do they feed on?

 

Butterflies, I’m afraid.

 

A flutter in the darkness: wild plum and blackcurrant with aged black patchouli, vetiver, red rose petal, tonka absolute, and opoponax.

The prototype was a very dark vetiver. An imp of the final scent smells mesquite-like, dark and burning, like fluttering darkness burning through walls. Very foreboding scent, and although it's quite dark and imposing on its own, I can see it layering well with other scents.

[annemathematics]

[from the prototype at loved to death]

 

in the bottle, this was VETIVER with a splash of boozy fruit.

on me, black moths was a dark and gritty vetiver/patchouli blend with an undercurrent of dark purple fruit. the rose wasn't noticible to me. it has a good throw and lasted 6+ hours. bruised purple scratchy velvet

[zankoku_zen]

From a lab labelled imp on card stock, so assuming a certain level of finality.

 

Vetiver, plum, patchouli and a whiff of red roses. This is such a dark, sultry blend. In some ways, it reminds me to the Obsidian Widow. Just dark and deadly.

 

Heady, womanly, dark.

[OctoberGwen]

I'm getting smoothed-out black patch and vetiver with a hint of rich red rose, and it's divine.

 

This is dark, deadly, and dangerous - in the most feminine way possible. I don't get tonka, plum, or blackcurrant per se, but surely they are lending that sweetish, smoooooooth quality to the blend.

 

This is not for every day; it's the scent to bring out when you want to be the most fatale of the femme fatales in the room.

 

 

ETA: The more I wear this, the more I realize that I really need a bottle. The rose becomes more prominent in the drydown, and if there's one thing I love, it's a dark incensey/rose scent.

 

I love every stage of this scent: the initial strong blast of smoky vetiver; when the patch comes into play; the rose/patch/vetiver; and the far drydown, which is all incense/rose. It's gorgeous, fairly unique in its category, and long-wearing. And I would put this into heavy rotation, after all. I really love it.

Edited November 17, 2015 by OctoberGwen

[Catcircus]

Straight smokey vetiver and dark patch. It's very smooth and while it's dark and intense it's not reaching across the room to smack folks in the face. I was hoping for more fruit for sweetness, but I get just a touch of rose.

[stellamaris]

Just absolutely gorgeous. Dark incense lovers, get it. Now.

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: VETIVERRRRRRRRR.

 

Wet on my skin: ...Holy smokes it's gorgeous. Ughhhhhh yes. Yessss. Rich, smoky vetiver and patchouli on the skin, but the throw has this gorgeous spicy rose-tonka sweetness.

 

Dry: SO GOOD I WANT TO BATHE IN IT. Seriously. I was looking forward to this from the moment I heard the name, and not only does it live up to expectations, but it exceeds them. This is definitely a scent for those who love smoky vetiver and patchouli! As when wet, it's smoky vetiver and patchouli closer to the skin, with just a hint of dark and sweet plum. The throw, however, is a mix of the smoky vetiver and incensey rose-tonka. Absolutely breathtaking. It's dark, dark, dark - soft, slightly shimmery black velvet with hints of deep burgundy, to my synaesthesia. May need second bottle before it sells out (and it WILL sell out, smelling like this).

[lady_pandora]

In the bottle, I smell vetiver and rose. Once I put it on, the vetiver morphs into woodsmoke, though this is a strangely (beautifully) soft woodsmoke; this isn't Djinn, it's not acrid at all. Over that is a haze of plum and incense. I can't pick out the patchouli individually, and I can't pick out the opoponax or tonka individually either, though I think they're what's rounding out the vetiver's edges and making it so wearable, and creating the incensey feel. Like OctoberGwen, I get the incensey rose late in the scent's evolution, it's like evil!Spellbound. This is gorgeous. It was the longest shot of all my CPs, and I bought it in the hopes of finding the gothy scent I was dreaming of for fall, and Black Moths nails it. This. This is what I wanted.

[suki]

In The Bottle: sweet plum and black currant and dark, dark smoky vetiver.

 

Wet On Skin: wow. This vetiver is SERIOUS. But although its dominant, the sweetness lingers in the background, making it rich and interesting. This is no one trick pony.

 

Dry Down: I'm not getting any rose, really. But this an incredible smoky, dark scent with sweet notes to round it out- it's like the scent equivalent of what it's like to eat blackstrap molasses. I can't wait to see how it ages!

[absinthetics]

Dark, smokey vetiver that is tempered by fruits. The rose fits in here so perfectly that all it does is make this feel slightly like a floral even though it doesn't really smell like one.

[Blood onmy hands]

Black Moths actually isn't very smoky on me, and I get more patchouli than vetiver from it. I was worried about all of the other reviews mentioning woodsmoke and heavy vetiver, but I don't really get that at all, and vetiver is usually strong on me.

I was worried when I first applied this scent, because it goes on as a really sour, watery, mushy smelling plum. Thankfully, the plum fades away after a couple minutes and the drydown is magical.
I love patchouli, and that's mainly what I'm getting here. It's a dark and earthy patchouli, but very soft on my skin (like feathers and dusty moth wings), and the fruit and florals are rather nondescript, but remind me of black currant and black orchid with a little hint of red rose.
Overall, Black Moths is like a really dark and gothic fruity-floral laying on a bed of very soft, almost creamy smelling patchouli. Really wonderful on my skin. And I love this one layered with Lucille Sharpe.

[LizziesLuck]

This is a real morpher on me. I almost have a hard time tracking all the changes, it's changing so quickly.

 

It starts off really smoky and woody. The fruit quickly comes out. It's dark and sweet, but the smoky woodiness is still there in the background. It's amazing. I only tested a tiny bit. Not getting a ton of throw, but it's good and strong with my nose to skin. I can't wait to do a full day/full slather test of this.

 

The patchouli is gentle and soft in this, on me. The fruit is the dominant note, the plum and currant have blended together and are indistinguishable from one another. I'm not getting any rose, which is a bit odd, as I tend to amp it.

 

This is beautiful and dark, and does call to mind the rustle of broken wings.

[Diana Rect]

(decant from forum circle)

 

This is lovely! In the bottle and on the skin I get mostly fruit and rose petal, with a hint of something else in the background. The opoponax, I think, but mostly because I know less about how that smells than the others, and it doesn't smell like the rest of the notes usually do to me. (confused yet?)

 

I'm not getting any patchouli or vetiver, which might usually disappoint me as I love those notes - but the notes I am getting play so well together I like it just as it is!

[shibagast]

I only get patchouli. ): I thought the vetiver would carry over like Lucille, but alas, it's too sharp and bitter for me. I'll be selling this.

Edited November 27, 2015 by shibagast

[kscha2017]

Dark, dusty, evil. A foreboding scent. Predatory. Becomes moreso with each passing day, so far.

[meadow_fabulous]

I love this when it's wet!

No but really, I get a complex scent of florals, plum, and musky, smoky wood and vetiver.

Unfortunately on drydown it becomes a little powdery and almost pure dark smoke. It's almost too powerful, and I would rarely be able to wear it appropriately. I might sell this bottle. Bummed.

[RayneofCastamere]

In bottle: Dust on plums, something rotting. In a good way. An excellent haunted house scent.

 

Wet: A bit of the same, only much smokier. Even though it smells much differently than Blood Kiss, I'm getting that same "vibe." You know, darkly sensual with a hint of danger. My skin's really bringing out the smoke in this one. I smell like an evil high priestess who's spent a little too much time around the fires of her human sacrifices. Nice.

 

Dry: This has softened down a lot into a smoky incense with a hint of floral to soften it. The rose is just barely there to soften the edges a bit. Very lovely. Very dark. Like the revenant of a once glamorous grand dame has been woken from her slumber, shaking off the dust of decades, by some soon-to-be-hunted fool.

Edited December 15, 2015 by RayneofCastamere

[topazphoenix]

Black Moths must make me admit that I haven't found a plum/vetiver combo that I enjoy on my skin (also, tobacco). I had a Our Lady Of Pain atmo at once point and this also calls to make mind the Tumultuous Virtues of Stern Passion. The plum/vetiver/tobacco combo just kind of sits on top of my skin, alas.

[Kaye_Sera_Sera]

Oh man, Black Moths is not what I ever expected and out of all of the decants I purchased, it's the one that I like the least. it actually feels like it's stinging my nostrils when I smell it. This one was a solid nope for me.

[BrittleJuggaloBones]

Woo! I just got this scent today after three weeks of anticipation and a little bit of worry since this is my first BPAL purchase. It turns out that I'm a big fan. I started off with putting on a little bit of Lucille Sharpe, and then layering over with Black Moths. Since I'm a big dummy who has giant hands and cannot properly handle tiny bottles, I splashed WAY too much of it all over me. At least it smells really good! I don't know if it's Black Moths or Lucille that softened out to become almost sweet on my skin, but it smells super amazing.

From the bottle, Black Moths smells vaguely medicinal-- nowhere near your normal "perfume". It's definitely an interesting smell, but I could see it being too strong for someone. In my case, I was looking for a scent that wasn't the typical floral, woodsy or citrus scent. I wanted something unique with a bit of a dark/Gothic edge, and I think I found it here! On my skin originally it smelled a bit harsh and moth ball-esque but that faded pretty quickly. I can still smell that sharp original edge, however--- which is a good thing. My nose is very unsophisticated and I've been feeling like I'm going to sneeze since this morning, but I will attempt to identify some of the notes I detected in Black Moths.

 

Bottle: Strong liquor, wood, dampness, old and very astringent medicine, tiny bit of incense?

On skin, first hour: All of the above with a hint more incense. A little headache inducing (but then again, I did splash on a whole lot accidentally)

On skin after two/3 hours: Woody, but sweet (not floral or candy sweet, it's definitely something darker and grimmer than that which I like!)

 

I definitely feel sort of a Victorian edge coming from it. I really, really like it--- I'm just hoping I don't use up all of the oil in that tiny bottle. My skin tends to eat up scents!

[LiberAmoris]

Yes, Black Moths will do nicely. Although the vetiver makes this smell a bit prickly to my nose when wet, once this dries down it's a patchouli, rose, plum, and blackcurrant blend on me, with tonka and opoponax rounding things out and the vetiver falling over the top like a thin, translucent, green veil. It adds an aura of decay that seems just about right here, but doesn't dim the roses a bit.

 

I agree that this is reminiscent of The Tumultuous Virtues of Stern Passion—on me, it's a bit like if Vultures and For Each Ecstatic Instant got together. I love both of those blends, so it's a true compliment.

 

One of the things I love about Black Moths is that after a half hour or so, there's almost a tea-stained linen note that comes forward. It's so perfect for a Crimson Peak perfume, and it really makes this unique and haunting.

[porcelina]

this is a very complex, dark purple scent. the vetiver does not dominate, which is a pleasant surprise. it just sort of burns vaguely in the background. the dark fruit notes blend well with the patchouli, tonka and opoponax to create a delicious resinous sweetness. i get almost no rose, which is a relief. really nice!

[Poenari]

I'm a fan of vetiver in most scents where it is found, and that's the note I initially detected upon application to my wrist. However, it doesn't take long for the vetiver to recede and the plum to come forward. This is another dark purple scent, beautiful with the way the other notes interact. I don't get rose at all, but a dark slightly fruity floral incense. A floriental, as it were. Very gothic and perfect for a Crimson Peak scent.

I had not really expected to upgrade my decant to a bottle, as I can't afford bottles of all the CP scents I've fallen in love with. But I feel like my collection needs this as well as A Shadow in the Elevator and I had my heart set on ordering Shadow next. Aagghhh I want them both!

Edited for grammar fail.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Poenari

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i don't have my notes handy but i remember when i sniffed/tried the prototype we had of this at the DSLE that it was super strong on the vetiver. this one, and Beware, were my least favourites by a huge margin.

 

as scented as that room becomes, i try to not judge things too harshly in that environment because until i get them home and can test them properly, i can't always tell if the good ones are really that amazing, or if the middle-of-the-road ones might be nice, or best left alone.

 

anyway, while i have them here i'm working on testing and reviewing. so tonight i tested this.

 

sniffed from the bottle, it smells brown. and a prickly sort of fuzzy. like the "flocked" stickers from the early-to-mid 80s. not soft by any means, not plush, but an interesting texture. i'd have described it as a warm light brown (a hue like coffee-with-a-lot-of-cream - no coffee in the scent, just using that as a colour reference, mind!) musk. and just a little bit of that almost vanillabean that is Tonka.

 

i tested a tiny drop, and was afraid of the vetiver. but instead it got warmer and browner and was kinda nice for a little while.

 

after an hour, though, it started morphing and became way more masculine smelling... and here after nearly three hours it is making my teeth hurt, and giving me a sick headache. that creamy light brown musk has become something else, like it wants to be Drakkar Noir when it grows up (and no smell gives me a migraine faster than that stuff!)

 

and now i must go scrub my arm.

[sarandipitee]

Very plummy/currant black patch sweetened by the rose and opoponax. The vetiver is very smooth and not overly detectable to my nose (I amp patchouli). Overall this is a dark, fruity floral blend and it's completely gorgeous. Feels like it could be a dark cousin to the Lace family. I'm going to be so broke if all my CP decants are as lovely as this one!