Black Opal

[girlcalledmoment]

I don't know how it is possible, but I can actually see that this smells like Black Opal. You know - that clinical, cold exterior stone has, with bolts of luminescent colour beneath - in this case, pearly lime green. At first I thought this was a floral blend, but it's a lightly creamy citrus on sparkling vanilla. There is an additional bandage scent to this. You know - like when you stand next to the bandage section in the chemist's? Only it's not at all unpleasant. It's kind of beguiling. I mean, I'm not sure bandages soaked in in vanilla and lime could ever come across as sexy, but I can't stop sniffing.

The only issue with this is how fleeting it is. I'm almost exhausting my imp in the one wear.

3.3/5

[Larinessa]

Another purchase from about 3 years ago, been buried in the 50 or so bottles I own *laugh*. This is a sweet creamy scent, like vanilla or soft coconut in the bottle. On me its just an overall creamy scent on me. Soft, and long wearing.

[Pynki]

I definitely get vanilla or maybe Tonka. And creamy coconut. with.. some floral smell. And a rock smell like... marble. Something sparkley. Then an occassional whiff of clean dirt? Like if you were out in your flower bed gardening. Damp, but not wet dirt, but it's only occassionally that smell drifts up.

 

It's a little perfume-y, but I really like it. We'll see how the husband likes it later.

 

ETA:

That perfume everyone thinks it reminds them of? I think it may be Chanel No. 5. It reminds me of my grandma and that was one of her "going out" perfumes. I think that might be why one of the other reviews said she could see it on an older woman.

Edited April 1, 2011 by Pynki

[Vega]

Sniffed: Sweet, sugary vanilla with a fascinating stone-like coolness.

 

On skin: An intriguing blend of vanilla and a cool, pleasant, inorganic note. What would be dry, powdery-sugary vanilla is smoothened and cooled by dark stone. A simple scent: pleasant and girly, but a bit mysterious and unconventional. Unfortunately my skin drinks it up, and it fades very quickly!

 

Verdict: I really like BPAL's stone note, and Black Opal is a perfect harmonizing of two very disparate notes. Unfortunately, it is in the same sugar-vanilla family as Antique Lace and Tombstone -- and this vanilla variant is simply too sweet and sugary for me. I simply have other vanilla blends I like more, so I don't see myself wearing this much. Nevertheless, it's gorgeous, and if you like Antique Lace you should try out Black Opal!

[Helas]

Black Opal is one of the worst BPAL experiences that I've had so far, which is a disappointment since it sounded so appealing from the description. In the vial, I got a faint, nondescript, vaguely sweet scent. On me, it morphed into a cloyingly sweet baking vanilla with a chemical, rubbery plastic note. I have never had this kind of an experience with vanilla scents before and I suspect the mineral note other people mention in their reviews may be the culprit. This is one of the few scents I had to wash off - the combination of foody vanilla with plastic made me nauseous. I do have one thing to say in Black Opal's favour: it was faint and washed off easily.

 

Oh well, they can't all be winners. One out of five stars.

[ajansuz]

This was a generous frimp from the lab.

 

In the imp: Wow, such a very faint scent. I had to hold it really close and sniff a while to catch anything at all. Soft coconut and vanilla.

 

Wet: It started out faint and grew pretty quickly, coconut, vanilla, and kind of a creamy citrus note. A very beachy, summery scent, like tanning oil.

 

Dry down: It always stayed skin close and didn't morph much from the wet phase. It's a very soft, creamy coconut vanilla scent, very reminiscent of those coconut tanning oils without being quite so strong on the coconut. Pleasant, but not something I've gotta have. I'll use it and enjoy it this summer. Also not at all long lasting. Within about three hours it was gone.

 

Edit: On second thought, maybe I do need a bottle if the husband's reaction to it is any indication.

Edited May 26, 2011 by DarkSinestra

[imaginepageant]

In the Vial: This reminds me a bit of Snake Oil. It's dark and musky with sweet vanilla and a touch of ginger. I keep thinking I'm smelling a bit of vetiver, but no one else has mentioned it, so it must just the earthy note everyone else is getting. Whatever that note is, it's a bit sharp.

 

Wet: Holds strong for a minute, but then starts to morph. First it gets sharper and sour, and then turns to rubber. Like a tire. Oh, or bandages, like someone else mentioned. The hell?

 

Dry: This is weird - I just went outside for a couple of minutes, and all I could smell was Black Opal wafting up from my hand in almost overwhelming waves. But inside my house, I don't notice it nearly as much. Maybe the sun warming it up caused it to have such a strong throw? Anyway. The sweetness has come back, and the earth note is stronger, but it still smells like rubber.

 

An Hour Later: All of the sweetness has gone, leaving a very earthy and rubbery smell. Yet, there's something human about it, too, like a man's natural musk.

 

Overall: This is... uh, interesting. Yes. So interesting, I believe I'll pass it on to someone else so they can see how interesting it is. Mmmhmm.

[Antoinette]

I've been wanting to try this for quite some time now and it was worth the wait (thanks for the frimp, Lab!).

 

This is lovely. I only dabbed a drop on one wrist but could smell this for hours. Best way to describe it is as a soft, fuzzy vanilla. Not sure if I'm picking up on any coconut, although there is an underlying creaminess to this that could be it?

 

I can forsee wanting to wear this on cold days because it gives off a fuzzy, cozy warmth. Beautiful.

[Soniadevi]

Black Opal how I love you! This is definitely my new favorite scent by BPAL so far! It's just gorgeous, the most perfect soft vanilla scent, with something else, something deep and enduring, but soft and beautiful. It lasts all day and I want all my clothes to smell of it! I'm going to need more bottles... It's vanilla, soft, creamy, lovely, deep, romantic, luminous, and I don't know what else is in it but I love love love it!

[Monday]

Heady vanilla+Coconut= instant headache. This is a very generic scent, I get why people like it but I had hoped it would be more unique.

[Victory]

I find Black Opal to be a very unique perfume, because I don't know that I have smelled the mineral note before. On my skin, I smell a faint vanilla, the mineral note, and what I can only describe as a skin musk. Skin musks very often go wrong on me, but for whatever reason, it works in Black Opal. I like the mineral note- I'm not sure how to describe it other than to say, you smell it and think "mineral," and I think it works well with the vanilla. Black Opal isn't a strong scent by any means- I would say it is on par with Sudha Segara in strength.

[invisible iris]

Black Opal is a lightly sweet, cool vanilla, with a tinge of coconut, and a bit of something mineral?

 

It’s difficult to descrbe that mineral note, but I agree there’s a dark feel here, although only inasmuch as something utterly transparent can appear dark. The throw (slathered) is potent but strangely invisible, intangible, and as if it defies gravity or lacks a bottom, it occurs to my nose as if out of nowhere, as if the scent doesn't come from my skin at all. It’s like the opposite of a skin scent: it's ethereal and clear and metaphysical-seeming while still sweet and lightly vanillic. (When I smell my wrist up close I might get a hint of musk, but it doesn’t seem warm enough to be skin musk, maybe instead a misty white or crystal musk? But just a hint of it, and it doesn't appear in the throw.)

 

It’s really pretty, especially for someone who likes light and sweet blends. But the interest is very subtle, and I can see how it might read as generic, or boring, especially if you hear "darkness" and expect to get "earth." This darkness is clearer than earth, it's more like ether. It lasted maybe 5 hours on me.

[Honey]

So much better than I had expected!

 

 

Imp: Very light, soft and creamy. Like baby powder. Could actually be talc! I detect tonka (could also be a type of vanilla that's more subtle) and fresh light coconut. Yes, and there is the faintest hint of violet in there!

 

Wet: That's what I imagine Antique Lace to smell like! Vanilla baby powder!

 

Dry: Wow, like vanilla ice cream. But the GOOD vanilla.. not the plastic cheap vanilla. Faintest hint of floral/coconut. And quite possibly white chocolate. Huh, and something like smoked honey appears after a while.

 

I was thinking about parting with this, but the tonka/vanilla plus baby powder notes really appeal to me. And the coconut is not too strong (which is good since coconut only works on me when rather light and fresh).

I also think there is something like.. caramelized/burned sugar or white chocolate in there.. it has this quality, I don't know. But I like it!

Edited July 18, 2011 by Honey

[biocarolyn]

There is no way to review this scent without boggling for a moment. How does this happen, stone in a scent?

 

Anyway, I get mostly vanilla. And air. Not ozone or anything that you would normally call air like in a scent, but...I don't know how to describe it. Just try it, it is incredible!

[Gateau]

In the imp -- vanilla and something aquatic or green, that indefinable "mineral" note that so many have mentioned.

 

Wet -- vanilla, musk, sharpness.

 

Dry -- something lotiony is pulling the vanilla in a direction that doesn't appeal to me. This sometimes happens to me with musks.

 

I love the vanilla softness this dries to, but there are enough elements pulling against it that I don't really care for that I'll add to the swap pile.

[killersandliars]

How on Earth can I possibly add anything worthwhile to the awesome reviews that are already here? Black Opal paints a very vivid picture in my head. Lounging around the house in a big, comfy sweater in late autumn waiting to be ravished by the man/woman/person/etc. of your dreams. I'll say it: Black Opal is just straight up dead sexy. I guess it's the vanillayness of it, as vanilla is reported to be a scent that men especially are attracted to. I don't smell any coconut, which is a good thing, as I find coconut in general to be gross and it would be a major libido killer. Black Opal is the scent of a woman who isn't afraid of her sensuality, in my opinion at least. It's not too in-your-face, but it has a lot of allure to it. This is a great date night scent for the woman who knows exactly what she wants.

[stellamaris]

TKO V3.

It's a fluffy pink marshmallow. Not like that's a bad thing.

[Viridian]

This is gorgeoussssss!

 

It's almost powdery on me, but in a good way. There's almost a cotton-y note to it. It's soft and comforting with a hint of coolness. I don't really get vanilla at all; there's something reminiscent of Haunted in that it's the same kind of soft skin scent, so maybe amber in there somewhere?

 

In any event it's totally bottle-worthy. I want to put it on every night before I sleep and every day that I'm having a remotely bad day. I just want to cuddle up to this scent like a blankie. Not sure I get "Black Opal" out of it at all in the sense of stone, but it's definitely soft and luminescent.

[damonkitty]

I am so sad to see this one is discontinued . I had it on my full bottle list and never got to purchase it. I have a half dram bottle thankfully so I can at least test it out every now and then. I get the stone/mineral note mixed with what I thought was a really good vanilla. I am told that it is tonka and not vanilla I am smelling. It is sort of powdery, but in a good way. I find it to be a comforting scent with a lighter throw on the skin. I would have worn this to work often since it is not overbearing. I hope Beth can find a way to bring this one back someday.

[BoneBone24]

wet: a light, non-foodie vanilla

 

drydown: ooh, the white musk is coming out a bit, or perhaps it's crystal musk?

 

dry: this is reminiscent of burnt marshmallows - something ash-like paired with sweet & creamy goodness, but much quieter than that image. at times it goes a bit powdery and at other times it goes a lot powdery, then back to the subtle burnt marshmallow niceness.

 

 

I was excited to actually get vanilla from a BPAL because usually it disappears on my skin. This is a really pleasant, nuetral-type scent. It's incredibly light on me, so I see myself using this to layer with something that needs to be subdued a bit. I thinks it's perhaps too light to become a favorite on its own, but I can imagine really loving it if my skin chemistry amped vanilla instead of swallowing it up.

 

 

 

 

6.5 out of 10 bones

 

 

(Edited for spelling fail)

Edited June 21, 2013 by BoneBone24

[unlaced]

In the bottle: cool vanilla with a bit of some minty note that I can't identify.

 

Wet: Pretty much the same as the bottle scent. Creamy vanilla with a bit of something minty. This scent is really weak. I don't know if that's the scent itself, or if I didn't apply enough, or because I'm testing another scent on my other hand and it's overpowering the Black Opal or the other scent is stuck in my nose so the more delicate Black Opal isn't really coming through.

 

Drydown: Melty vanilla ice cream in a cold glass bowl. That's the image that comes to mind when I smell the dry/almost dry version. I know we already have a melty vanilla ice cream scent but this smells nothing like Detestable Putrescence. (DP went to plastic on me I wanted to love it but it didn't agree with me.)

 

Dry/long wear: Ahh, okay, the vanilla shows up in force now. It reminds me of the vanilla in Antique Lace but with A minty layer where Antique Lace has a linen/dried flowers layer.

 

 

I think I need to do another test of this one, A full test, before I decide whether to keep this bottle

[Balame]

Had a really strange experience testing this. I've had blends smell differently when they've "settled" after travel, but it's rarely to such a large extent.

When I first tried Black Opal it was a gorgeous, slightly gritty and cool vanilla bean. Dreamy and similar to (but softer than) Antique Lace.

It was wonderful and very much like I imagined it would be from the description.

 

Now I'm smelling it again and all I get is plastic and hairspray. Ick. Certain vanillas can do that to me but I thought I'd managed to find a winner here.

It's probably for the best considering Opal is dc'ed and hard to find now. Still grateful I finally got to try it; I'll have to pass it on to someone with more compatible skin chemistry than me!

[LizziesLuck]

I had totally forgotten I had this imp tucked away for "re-testing"

 

Wet, it's sweet creamy vanilla, with just a hint of nuttiness.

 

Dry, it gets that "sour milk" smell that some creamy Bpal scents get on me. Swap! (Actually I am somewhat relieved I did not fall madly in love with it and then have to try to track more down....)

[doomsday_disco]

When I was new to BPAL, I attended a meet and sniff where I was told to take any imps that I wanted. There was an imp of Black Opal in the pile, but I didn't take it, because I knew that it was discontinued and beloved. After that, I thought I would never get to try it!

 

Well, I found a half-bottle (it's a cobalt!) for sale recently and jumped at the chance to buy it, knowing I may not have another chance to try it again!

 

I can see why this one is sought-after. It features a cool (but not chilly or minty), mineral-y vanilla (or something vanilla-like, like tonka?), possibly a touch of coconut, and I think what may be a silvery musk. There's definitely some kind of musk at play here. At first, I thought it reminded me of Pediophobia from 2016's Yules, with its vanilla and porcelain, but that one is sweeter and not as mineral-y. It did go through a phase of being very sharp and perfume-y, almost hairspray-like, as Balame mentioned. Fortunately, it managed to mostly veer out of that phase and return to the scent I described.

 

I really enjoy the mineral note and the vanilla, although the sharp, perfume-y stage was kind of alarming. Maybe it just needs more time to settle? I will let it rest and come back to it in a few weeks. I think it's really pretty and unique, but I hope that the sharp, perfume-y stage was just a fluke because it traveled across the ocean or because of hormones.

Edited February 13, 2019 by doomsday_disco

[VioletChaos]

This has been a "white whale" scent for me that I've waited *literally* years to try, so when an almost-full 10mL cobalt bottle was being offered (!!!) I HAD to jump at the chance.

I'm so glad I did. 

I get that "mineral" / "hairspray" (specifically pink-can Aquanet, the ole goth standby) when first applied, but that settled out within a minute of touching my skin. Now that it's full settled and warmed into drydown, what it mostly reminds me of, is a magical Egyptian musk I was gifted nearly 2 decades ago. But it's not JUST an Egyptian musk. I do also get the "coolness" that I concur is a coconut note, similar to what I encountered years ago when I was new to BPAL and first tried Obatala. The coconut, then as now, is NOT the sunscreen or food variety, but a nice, dry husk. Very understated and supporting. Same is true for the vanilla, definitely more of a vanilla bean than anything foodie or gourmand in any way.

The old searches don't always work out, but every now and then- BLISS!