Darkness

[juniperus]

Bottled gloom; the essence of oblivion. Blackest opium and narcissus deepened by myrrh.

This was a Lab frimp. for which I am grateful.
Bottle: narcissus with myrrh following. slightly sweet in a sinister way.
Wet: narcissus picking up steam, opium coming up behind (yes, it's a little note derby!)
Dry: the opium and narcissus are on the sweet side, but not headachy-sweet, the myrrh is there, but farther back than I would like.
Later:It's still all opium and narcissus on me with barely a hint of myrrh left..like Asphodel, it's interesting and not at all unpleasant, but I'm uncertain it's really me. I think it'll take another go before I make a decision on it.

[brownbear]

Bottled gloom is right. The name really fits this scent. I like myrrh, but the opium is too heavy for me. It gets more floral as it dries on me. I probably wouldn't wear this much just because it isn't really my style.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: definitely a dark, languorous scent.

on: floral and dark. very dark.

1 hour later: earthy and dirty, but not in a good way.

2 hours later: just generally dark and a bit floral.

3 hours later: quietly floral.

overall: i think this suits the name very well, but it didn't really work for me.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Woah for a second there I got a urine smell X_X But mostly just sort of a bitter incense smell

 

On me:

Ugh there it is again. Something is going very urine like on me. Underneath that though is a warm incense smell - which must be the opium because I always think of incense when I smell that. I'm not really getting anything too specific otherwise... not sure why but nothing in this blend really stands out to me too much. Just generally warm and incensey with an odd spice that seems to want to smell like urine on me.

 

Final note:

Note to self: Figure out what that spice is and AVOID IT.

[edenssixthday]

Darkness - Wet in the vial, all I can smell is myrrh, which I don’t care for. When initially applied, I’m almost overcome by the sweetness in the scent, which I’m assuming is from the opium. The overwhelming sweetness fades over the first few minutes. What is then left is a powdery-soft, slightly sweet scent of opium that has the dark and slightly caustic touch of myrrh. This is quite possibly my favorite opium blend. It has moderate throw and good staying power. It’s very sexy and too powdery to be called “dark”, but it’s definitely not “light”! This is a nighttime scent for the woman who wants to be mysterious, sexy, seductive, and feminine, with a streak of naughtiness.

[catrinella]

Imp: Dark heavy floral. Not my style, but we'll see.

 

Wet: Smells almost exactly like Yves St. Laurent Opium, which wasn't something I ever wore but is oddly comforting nonetheless.

 

Drydown: Bright wafts of narcissus cut through the opium fog. A heady floral that's got a heck of a throw.

 

1 hour: Oh. Wow. The myrrh is out, giving a warm resiny undertone to the opium and narcissus. I was on the phone at this point and said "You know, I'm not sure I'm allowed to smell this sensual." Absolutely amazingly sexy.

 

90 minutes: Hey, where'd my sexy go? And why do I smell like polite society-lady perfume - it's almost Youth Dew, ick? Drat. Youth Dew is so not the sexy.

 

Verdict: 20 minutes of glory. With more myrrh and staying power, it'd be the surefire sexy scent, but as is? It's too reminiscent of commercial perfumes on me. I'll try it a couple more times but am unlikely to buy a bottle.

[Eunice]

Lovely lovely opium and narcissus. The myrrh gives this a wonderful resiny/powdery scent. Deep, dark and mysterious. Darkness is really incredible. I feel like I say that a lot but it can't be helped. I don't write even remotely as well as Beth blends perfumes but I do know this is another incredible blend.

[kuanyin]

Oh, dear...this is the first one I've tried that turned soapy on me. I was almost excited about it! Then my stomach turned, ugghh. But I may keep my imp as I discovered a wonderful purpose for it. I had put it on and was a little icky with it when Mr. G Spot decided he had to have Dairy Queen. I'm on a diet. Usually this would be torturous, but the whole ride I kept smelling this oil on me and I was not in the slightest bit even tempted!

[AliBabble]

this was a frimp from the lovely and generous lab. it's got a leaky cap on it, so it's been leaking all over my apt. it makes the apt. smell very good, but on me: nope. this doesn't work. i mostly smell the opium, with a touch of the narcissus, i guess, not so much myrrh. opium sometimes smells "old-lady-perfume" on me, as is the case here. it does capture the darkness...a little dusty, musty, but somthing tickles my sinuses. i don't think is is a good one for me.

[m13]

Smells swell in the bottle, but turns to baby powder on me shortly after meeting my skin. Penitence does the exact same thing. I'm beginning to suspect that Myrrh and me are not destined to be.

[whitecrow0]

In the bottle: I was terribly worried, after my nose-wrinkling reaction to Anathema, that opium was not as nice a scent as I remembered; the last time I used it was in candles some years ago. However, Darkness is thick and sweet and good. Heady, almost mind-altering in its lusciousness. I think I am finally learning to pick out the myrrh, and if that's the case, I quite like myrrh. This smells floral - I suppose that's the narcissus - but with a rich, heavy tang that's almost bitter. That sounds perhaps unpleasant, but my nose is very satisfied with the balance. I'm a bit fascinated with sniffing the imp bottle.

 

Wet: Strong, tangy, not quite musky. There's a definite bite to Darkness that I really, really like. I am so pleased so far! Little of the bottle's floral note is coming out on my skin, and that suits me very well, as I'm generally not a fan of florals.

 

Drying: A sweet smokiness. It's softening, mellowing and blending on my skin. No! Come back! I want that seductively bitter bite! Not that I'm complaining that much. This is nice. I'm getting the "pulse point vibration" I get when I really like a scent.

 

Afternotes: Fades all too quickly into something subtle and dusty. Still delicious, but my chemistry makes the "RAWR!" of it fade into a languorous purr, and I really preferred the "RAWR!". It is, somehow, a very clean scent, touched with mystery. I wore it around the house this afternoon, and it didn't quite seem to fit with making tuna sandwiches and watching Family Feud in the light and sunny living room. However, it made me stop in front of my large fireplace. The scent of Darkness wound around the lingering woodsmoke and ash that always faintly permeates the area in the heat of summer. It is a scent for candlelight and ultraviolet, a scent for winter's crisp, sharp edges.

 

Scott-sniff: "Mmm! That's nice!"

 

Verdict: Keep imp.

Edited July 19, 2006 by Shollin

[theseagrows]

hm. at first i didn't like this at all, i got a strong powdery scent from it. possibly the opium, as i often dont like scents with opium. now that it's dry it reminds me a LOT of gypsy queen or love in the asylum when faded. since i like both of those scents in the wet stage, i think i'll just stick with my bottles of those.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Dark and dank, like a Victorian church yard on a foggy morning.

 

Wet on me - Sweet and hot (it almost seems as if I can feel the heat rising from my skin). The heavy opium is lightened by the fizziness of the myrrh.

 

Dry on me - Slightly sweetened myrrh, dark, rich and dry.

 

Overall - Once it dried it was totally myrrh, which is pleasent, but not something I would wear.

[lookingglass]

Darkness is quite like Hunger, without the orange (PLUS!). This is a great summer resin for me. I love narcissus; it is such a sexy, soft, round, sophisticated floral...almost edible. If you really want the narcissus to shine on her own, with a little smoky backup, give Darkness a sniffie. This one is a sleeper-I just don't know why there is not more to-do about her on the boards. She is so feminine and dark...vampy...so a la BPAL! Embrace the Darkness...divine submission.

Edited August 13, 2009 by lookingglass

[Miseraya]

Caveat: I try not to read the lab description or the other reviews before I review a scent, and apparently, I sniffed this one all wrong...

 

In the imp: There is an expensive perfume that smells similar to this and I cannot figure out what it is....

 

On the wrist, wet: Jasmine? Lilac? Something in this is turning powdery almost immediately on my skin, the only note I know that does that is lilac. I get hints of something spicy... carnation? No too creamy...

 

On the wrist, dry: Something sweet and warm struggling to come through.

 

Final Analysis: This is a dark scent, but it sits lightly, it doesn't feel heavy like most florals on me. However, all in all, I am not a floral girl and this is very much a floral, so off to the swaps it goes.

[copyshopclerk]

In the imp: A strong, spicy floral

 

Wet: Powdery sweetness, spicy. Something like incense. And something.. almost like leather? Strange since there's no leather in this.

 

Dry: This isn't right for me. It smells like this herbal tea blend my acupuncturist prescribed to me (which smells okay but tastes awful), and the association is unfortunately ruining the scent for me.

[Eros]

In the imp it's a strong, perfumy floral and it has almost a bit of a jasmine thing going on.

 

On skin, again, *very* strong, spicy floral perfume and there's still that close-but-not-quite jasmine scent. After a few minutes it calms down and there's a subtle sweetness emerging that's quite lovely. As strong as it was in the beginning, it ends up going to the opposite end, very light. A light, spicy aquatic floral with a hint of sweetness.

[sofiaviolet]

I think the myrrh was too dark for my skin. It smelled too heavy, and the floral note was cloying. Darkness was really icky for me.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i think narcissus winds up smelling almost like jasmine on me... and i don't care for jasmine.

the myrrh is lovely, and the opium adds intrigue and depth....

but i just can't get past the almost-jasmine.

 

byebye bottle, hopefully you'll find a better home!

[storme]

In the imp: whoa, powdery narcissus over feisty myrrh/opium smokiness.

 

On me, wet: the narcissus flares up immediately, but is swiftly overrun by the opium and spicy myrrh. It's all a bit powdery and stale-smelling, though.

 

On me, dry: urgh, soapy stale narcissus swamping the warm myrrh and opium - I can just about detect them at the edge of the throw, but they're losing this fight.

 

Verdict: Alas, no - if the narcissus had been less powerful then this would have been delightful.

[vihanei]

I got this as a frimp with a decant circle, after it'd been on my wishlist for a while. Immediate response: Whoo! That's a floral with *kick*!

 

Goes on very floral, but almost immediately calms down; I presume that's the opium underneath, lending the hint of spice. I get a slight tinge of that soapy quality that some reviewers have noted, but it's not much, just hovering around the edges of the scent. Very, very dark for a floral.

 

Sadly, I am 100% not a florals girl; this imp is for the swaps. Darkness would be lovely on the right person, but the right person would have to be someone who doesn't feel like an idiot when they smell like a flower.

[Carolyn]

I put this on and thought, "Oh, good ole Languor!" It smells almost exactly the same to me. Must be the opium and narcissus that they both share. I have a bottle of Languor so I won't need a bottle of this. Still, it seems to be the perfect summer evening scent--sweet, lush, deep and floral.

[PilotKitten]

All I'm getting from this blend is dusty opium and twisted, amped up myrrh. Neither I like, this blend just isn't for me.

[swilde]

Hot candle wax and opium- this is in my top 5.

 

Compared side by side, Languor is more feminine and less smoky.

[supremegoddessofall]

Surprisingly, I'm getting more narcissus than opium. Opium is usually, for me anyway, one of those "champion" notes that beats up every other note to come out on top, but here it's a subtle base and narcissus has risen to the occasion. It does, however, have a very resinous feel to it and is fairly heavy.