Darkness

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

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

It amazes me how different scents can smell on/for different people.

I had to post because I find it completely hilarious (if a bit disappointing)that a fragrance called "Darkness" winds up smelling exactly like Johnson & Johnson baby lotion on me! I'm hoping it's the narcissus, because I've got some Event Horizon coming, and if opium is doing this, that imp will probably be a total loss.

[Naphthylamine]

I totally agree with the Johnson&Johnson comment above. I had great expectations from this one, but it was a huge disappointment.

It started out really incensy and soapy on my skin while wet. As it dried out, the incensy smell faded and left a sour floral smell. Which is excatly like foul smelling baby cologne or half-dried baby wipes.

[rhubarb3point14]

Darkness is quite sharp when it is wet, and it comes on very strong as it is drying down. The throw on it is fairly epic -- it's easy for me to feel I have put on too much.

 

But hours later, when it has had a chance to blend with my body chemistry? Oh, oh, oh. It's one of those fragrances that makes me huff my arm. I can't stop sniffing myself. I smell SO BEAUTIFUL. "Blown-out candle" is an apt descriptor. So is "Victorian opium den." It's romantic and mysterious and very sexy.

 

Darkness in its dry phase reminds me very much of YSL Opium. It's not a twin, but it's definitely a sibling. And since that's one of my favorite fragrances of all time... well, let's just say I like Darkness very, very much.

Edited November 12, 2011 by rhubarb3point14

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Mmmmmm, opium

 

Drydown: Powdery opium w/ a shadowy note lurking behind it. It grows warmer. It reminds me of a fire that has just gone out.

 

Dry: This is a primal and fearless opium. It evokes a night sky full of possibilities. It reminds me of a bonfire on a cold night - not so much the smell, but the feeling.

 

Verdict: Me like. This scent is badass yet incredible comforting. I can see myself putting this on right before bed or wearing it when I'm in a take-no-prisoners mood. It'd work equally well for both situations. I will be wearing this again many many times for sure.

[Dark Angel]

My imp is quite aged--I believe I got it with one of my first orders, back in...2005? Well, let's say 2006, which still makes it six years old. It doesn't seem to have changed all that much, to my memory. It's very dark, dark opium, sweet, smooth, sophisticated, and did I mention dark? It's also very strong--just a little dab is almost too much for me (this is why I still have that original imp). And it lasts--ten hours later I can still smell it. Not for the faint of heart--these are black dark florals that take no prisoners. The scent of a dangerous woman, one who wears a weapon and can kick your butt with or without it.

[karykeion]

I'm not really a Dark And Elegant kind of person, but there's no harm in smelling like a spooky formal occasion every once in a while. Looking forward to this a lot!

 

In the imp: Huh. Extremely sweet with a note of what reminds me of incense or a blown-out candle. It's not bad, but it's not really what I was expecting at all.

 

On me, wet: Wow, that's really sweet, and isn't really getting any less sweet as time goes on, although the smokey and incensey notes do come out and mix with it better. It's just like sweet smoke, which is really nice, but not what I expected darkness to smell like.

 

On me, dry: Kind of sweet incense. I'm not sure whether I like this or not. The more I smell it, the more I like it--it's kind of a powerful scent, and I think I'd need to wear it to something like a convention or a club in order to determine whether I like it, if that makes any sense. I'll definitely hold onto the imp, though.

[sabrebabe]

In the bottle: astringent, sharp. Reminds me of my grandfather’s aftershave. Not horrible.

Wet: Ah, now there’s a slight sweet flower coming through. The sharp, astringent note is mellowing very quickly. Still, it smells like my grandparent’s bathroom. Clean, but that peculiar after-shave smell. With a hint of flowers. Grandma wore rose, but his is something different. More delicate. And something slightly medicinal. Like Watkin’s brown salve.

Dry: It’s gone very powdery and flowery. Very dainty. Very grandmother-y. Nice and comforting, but not something I’d wear. Trade pile.

[Dani87]

I'm not sure what any of the notes in this smell like, so I will just say what it seemed like to me.

Imp and wet: this smelled like cheap cologne. Not in a bad way though, like the kind your highschool crush, or boyfriend would wear. So it's nice, and kind of sexy.

Dry: I was a major stoner in highschool. Once this drys it still smells like highschool boys, but it also smells like the inscents, we would burn after we smoked to try, and make the room smell less like weed. So this reminds me of sitting in a dark room, with a few friends, some cute guys, music playing, and all of us fried out of our minds. I think I love this one, for the memories it brings back.

[milo]

On first sniff, this is indeed dark! I'm really getting the narcissus at first, a heady note that I don't mind too much, but it is made dark by the resins. I kind of like these kind of blends, but something is smelling rubbery here, like a tryst in the office with the smell of a condom. Maybe it will settle down, these rubbery annoyances sometimes do, but for now, it's a no go.

[ReallyZeb]

Overwhelming floral when wet, I presume that's the narcissus - if it stayed like this I'd hate it.

 

When it dries it reminds me of old, cold stone, somewhere dark and cool - sort of what I was expecting from Kandari Kandam's description - not a moldering, slimy lichen-covered stone but something very old, very secure and solid. I'm surprised to like it but I do.

[mymymai]

ITI: Super sweet, almost foody. It's like myrrh, cherry syrup, and hairspray. It certainly is dark, but I'm confused by the sweetness.

 

Wet: When I first put the scent on my wrist, I was struck by how sweet it was. I was hoping it would shift on my skin - more floral or otherwise.

 

Dry: After it dries, the sweetness dissipates some. I can finally pick out the narcissus and myrrh, which is nice, but a little cold.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received this as a frimp in my most recent order, which was awesome because it had been on my longer GC wish list but was pushed back to a "next time" status. I keep thinking I must have tried it in the past at some point but I never reviewed it if I did.

 

IN THE IMP: It must be my week to keep thinking I smell almond when it's not there (did the same thing yesterday with Chimera) but the first note out of the imp was, to my nose, almond. It was followed closely, though, by the rich lush flora. I know this has a lot of promise as long as the notes do not combine to be too heavily floral and "in your face" (in my face).

 

Applied to wrist and into crook of arm.

 

WET: This is one of the most interesting blends I've tried in awhile, especially for something that is so simple, with three distinct notes. Those three combine in the most fabulous way, though ... to me I am getting a very balanced mix of medicinal, sweet (myrrh, for sure) and floral.

 

DRYDOWN: The early drydown continues to delight with a very clean yet somehow not SOAPY floral. Fine line that it straddles beautifully. It's also intoxicating and deep and rich. Finally, there is a resiny throw that is ever so slightly fruity ... it reminds me a bit of the drydown of my beloved Nemesis.

 

OVERALL: This is an absolutely lovely, sexy, intoxicating scent. I don't think I need more of it since I do have similarly-crafted big bottles (Nemesis, Nephilim, etc.) but I will definitely use up this lovely imp.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 4.5

[Xue_Bai]

Imp: Lush floral with a bite.

 

Wet: The same as the imp.

 

Dry: Okay, I've tested this twice and both times I've gotten the same results. On one wrist it's a smokey lush floral, mixed with opium, and it's lovely. On the other wrist....J&J baby lotion/wipes But the weirdest part is as time passes, which wrist smells like what changes back and forth. It's the weirdest thing.

 

So, I love it when it's a floral, dislike when it's baby lotion. Overall, it doesn't work for me, but makes me want to find a similar scent that does.

[KakashiMorph]

In the bottle: Johnson's and Johnson's indeed! Someone is not playing nice and I'm guessing it's the narcissus.

On my skin: Mmmmm the opium comes up in a rush to catch up with bad baby wipes. I can't smell the myrrh right now and I think there is a hint of vetiver? Or is that just the opium playing tricks on me? Probably the opium. In a couple of minutes I can't smell the stupid baby wipes anymore, so I am waiting to see how it unfolds and if I'll get to smell any of my beloved myrrh as well.

Another couple of minutes later however, the baby wipes are back. This makes me sad.

It's been about... half an hour now? The scent attempts to morph from baby wipes to something cloyingly sweet but it can't get there quite yet. I hope it will.

One hour later or so, I have managed to get rid of the wipes completely. I can finally smell pure, dark opium, like in event horizon, although it is also darkened by something else. I can't smell narcissus or myrrh, so I don't know what. There is a hint of smokiness which is, I believe, the lingering myrrh that I didn't get to otherwise notice at all.

Drydown: Faint opium, but what a ride it was to get there.

[lady_pandora]

Darkness has several really distinct stages. I was out and about for a lot of the day and didn't really time any of this, so any times are estimated.

 

When it first goes on, it's Johnson's Baby Lotion, not the powder but specifically the lotion. Incredibly so. I would not have known I remembered what that lotion smelled like until Darkness brought it back. I think this note is the narcissus, because in the next phase, the narcissus takes center stage and I can smell kind of a continuity between the two, like it goes from baby lotion to a lush, almost drinkable floral that also still kind of smells like baby lotion. But adult baby lotion. Somehow. In this phase, it reminded me of some of the Conjure Bag oils for love, in that like them, it's the kind of perfume a woman might have worn to be sexy 100-150 years ago when synthetic ingredients hadn't been invented yet.

 

Opium gets its star turn next. On me, sometimes opium smells like hairspray and sometimes more like a powdery incense. In Darkness, it kind of does both at once. And it's not unpleasant. A little more hairspray than I'd like, giving it kind of a 1980s vibe, but not bad. I can still pick up the lotion/narcissus in the background at this point.

 

At about 6 hours, narcissus is gone and myrrh comes out to play. There's still a dusting of opium hanging around too. And then myrrh is the last note left, unsurprisingly as it's a resin, and I can still smell a little of it the morning after.

 

What I was going to say about Darkness was that I like it, but it's kind of Event Horizon's little sister--I feel like the Lab was aiming at the same thing with both oils, and that EH is darker, richer, and more perfected. And I still think that, but, um, I also had a really good time last night , and so I kind of want to praise Darkness's smexy powers. I'll have to try it again sometime. For Science!

[hammy]

In the imp - Yikes. Dark and resiny.

 

Wet - It smells very wet and oh-so-artificial. This is darkness, but it’s the darkness of a dank, moist basement.

 

Drydown - Ugh. Can’t stand opium. Thankfully the narcissus is there to cut the blackness of it all. This review is difficult to write because it’s hard to force myself to keep sniffing my arm.

 

Verdict - Definitely darkness, and definitely not for me.

[Allumina]

I had to psych myself up to put this on being it had myrrh in it and from the review threads it wasn't kind to those with a myrrh-adverse chemistry. I guess I was hoping for a miracle, but alas it was not to be- if your chemistry destroys myrrh, this probably won't be an exception. I got a strong blast of a sharp floral wet (which I can see reading as hairspray), that proceeded to expand hugely in throw before warming up and getting slightly spicy. It could theoretically be pretty if I liked that kind of darker floral, but unfortunately for me, myrrh is along for the ride casting the scent of powdery dirty baby wipes over everything and giving me a headache, which I guess is slightly better than the whiff of diaper it had on application.

[LizziesLuck]

I likely would have needed to try this based on the name along. Add Myrrh into the mix, and it went straight on the wishlist.

 

Wet - Lighter, sweeter and more floral than I was expecting. I'm getting mostly the narcissus. It's very light, I'm having to slather on more to get a proper test. As I add more, I'm getting more of the opium. Only the faintest whiffs of Myrrh, which makes me sad.

 

Dry, this is a dark, faint floral. Not what I had anticipated. It's not really doing much for me. It's not bad, by any means, just not exciting.

[cassier]

~12/20/15 I have renamed this Granny's Fanny. This smells like a nursing home. Like adult diapers. Like piss. Git it off me!!!!

[brettashley]

Lab frimp. Initially, I'm hit with a blast of a kind of sharp funk (I think that's the wet floral) - calms down quickly to a powdery lotion. I'm getting the "adult baby lotion" that a lot of other people are getting, but I think it's just a smooth, blended, powdery floral. There's something a little old fashioned about this, which reminds me of a blend I'd pick up in an old perfume shop in New Orleans. I like it well enough, but I don't absolutely need to have more.

[Jenjin]

Bottle straight from the lab. The name and the components enticed me.

IN THE BOTTLE:

Fresh, pretty. I can detect the sweet opium and narcissus.

WET:

Flowery and powdery. Oh, I'm hoping this gets some deepness to it.

DRY:

Decayed flower smell with a brick of grey powder.

NOTES:

There are times while I'm out and about, when I catch wiffs of older ladies around me. Sometimes it smells very similar-like they are all dipping into the same powder box while dressing. It reminds me of the artificial perfume they pump into diapers, sanitary napkins and incontinence products. I worry that someday in the near future, I will smell like this to-like I'm fighting to push down the scent of decay with fresh flowers and powder. Darkness takes me to this dying flower place. If I slather myself with it, I become that old woman, pushing a walker who hopes she smells pretty. Maybe this is the Darkness--the corners of the blackest place is always lurking, ready to blanket us with wilted blossoms and dust. This might work on someone younger than me, but at my age it takes me into dangerous territory.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Jenjin

[agirlnamedfury]

Oof. I almost didn't want to skin-test this, as it smelled so bitter and horrible in the vial. But, we all know sometimes that changes once a scent is applied...

 

It doesn't seem to be changing much, though. :/ Bitter, dark, rotting flowers, as far as I'm concerned.

[Sio Bhan]

Ahh, the description....again I was lured by that lavish prose and I was not disappointed!! The initial sniff was quite sour, a classic myrrh with something sort of stale underneath. In the bottle this does not smell very good, but on the skin it is potent and changes. Someone said to me it smelt like asparagus..... It isn't sweet. It is quite gloomy and sour, as i said. Darkness is definitely an apt title for this disturbing wee number. It is perfect for a "Don't f**k with me" vibe at work without knocking people over. It is witchy, ghoulish and just a little creepy......like you've been lurking around in the cemetery at night

[Mermaid-on-Land]

A candle that was just blown out is a very apt description, as mentioned in a ton of previous reviews! It somehow has a cavernously hollow feeling though, like you're in a dark room that echoes and you know it's cavernous, vs being tiny and claustrophobic. The smell somehow has a hollowness to it, I'm not sure how to explain better. The narcissus (I think) is reminding me of something I just can't place. It's sweet, smoky without being resiny or cigarette like. Color is translucent gauzy smoky black with a grey-brown undertone, with gilded edges. It's hard to explain. I think it's in the oriental floral category? With a dark barely floral feel and resinous myrrh and opium.

On a side note, my mom loved the smell of this on me, but then when she went to test it herself she had to immediately scrub it off lol said it smelled awful on her so apparently it doesn't work for everyone. This one is strong and long lasting. Myrrh works pretty well for me, it's quickly becoming a favorite base note of mine! I love scents that are resinous, sweet, and sort of heavy, and this falls right into that category.

Edited November 24, 2016 by Mermaid-on-Land

[whisperstilled]

One of those GCs I can't believe I haven't tried yet, it's a who's who of favorite notes for me!

 

Wet: Opium and spicy myrhh, with narcissus in the background.

 

Dry: Strong myrhh and narcissus with a breath of opium. Interesting, but a little on the damp side.