Black Opal

[UltraViolet]

 

A play of geological darkness and jagged brilliance. Soft and luminescent with flashes of black fire.

 

In the bottle

soft musk floral

It's an absolutely clear colored blend.

 

On

It's so good. It's sexy, just as sexy and incensey and darkly mysterious as you'd imagine. It's powdery soft and warmly sensual with musk and vanilla and something alsmot citrussy (but not) .

 

30 minutes

As it dries it has this incredible throw that wafts up a powdery musky and brighter fragrance at you. It is luminiscent in a deeper manner (does that even make sense?) It is definitely brighter than when wet but it still manages to be warm and sensual.

 

Throw:

Incredible

 

Scent category:

Animalistic/Foody

 

Summary

It is warmly luminous, it's alive with deep comforting sensuality. It's feminine and it makes you give a gutteral "Mmmm" when you smell it.

 

Purchase again?

Yes! a 10ml. Definitely a 10ml

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

5

[AliBabble]

oh yeah. black opal is very special. i guess it is musky...i think i have a hard time identifying musk, but perhaps that's what it is. because it is sen-su-al. yes. it's warm, it's spicy, it's vanilla-y, maybe. actually i don't have the faintest idea what's in it, but it's very soft and sexy, with great throw, as mentioned above. a bit peppery and effervescent, yet smooooth. love it. it's dark, but welcoming.

[darkwitch]

In the imp nothing, once it hits my skin WOW, it imbodies the scent of nothingness, if that makes any sense!!! It's the darkness of the void where nothing exists.

As time goes by this actually gets stronger on me, there's musky vanilla now. A must buy bigger bottle.

[Andromedii]

Got my long-anticipated Black Opal bottle today!!

 

In the bottle, it's a sexy vanilla, dark, smooth and elegant. The kind of scent that belongs at night in a funky, black-walled bistro like a fat lit vanilla candle flickering between a gorgeous woman and her handsome tuxedoed date.

 

On me as soon as applied, the sexy vanilla is taken over by what I would swear is a gorgeous golden amber that sparked within the vanilla, and that sparking lasted quite a few minutes. It then mellowed down to a different, darker, smoky-edged, yet creamy, ambered vanilla.

 

Now it's just now a sexy vanilla, wrapped in a smoky veil. The amber is muted, like it was a loving whisper between the couple.

 

I love this so much. As has been mentioned before, it's Antique Lace's darker twin. But I love this more than AL because it's got a depth AL didn't own (not that I didn't enjoy AL for it's own merits).

 

I will get another 10 ml. No question.

[Northernminx]

Faintly coconuty or vanilla I think I was surprised at the lightness of this. Soft, sweet, and a touch tropical. This was pretty but didn’t work as well on me as black pearl or some of the other soft scents. Nice but not nice enough to horde with my skin since the amber and musk just sort of drift away.

[violetblue]

Sadly, the musk in this one morphed into something funky on me - it really made my nose crinkle. But I can see it smelling lovely on someone else - shame, as I had high hopes for this one.

[loveandprozak]

Wet: White Musk, vanilla, and an aquatic note. I can't quite figure out what the aquatic note is, though... I know I've smelled it before somewhere. I'll have to work it out in my mind and see if I can place it.

 

10 minutes: Not too much of a change. This is a soft, mysterious sort of scent. I wouldn't go so far as to say exotic, but there's definitely a hint of the unusual in here thanks to the aquatic (very very slightly green) note.

 

40 minutes - Drydown: My skin chemistry starts to amp up the vanilla, and suddenly this smells just like a vanilla milkshake plus musk. I actually rather enjoy it. Verry nice.

 

ETA: Teakwood!! I KNEW if I just stopped thinking about this so hard I'd figure out what the sublime note that mixes with the vanilla and white musk was. Teak!!!!

Edited October 13, 2005 by loveandprozak

[ephemera]

Oh man, this is heavenly. The name alone drew me to this, and I wasn't sorry I ordered the imp! (In fact, now my mom wants it too, so I'm going to try to get her to split a 5mL or 10mL with me. *grin*)

 

In the bottle this makes me think fleetinly of Morocco, which is a good thing. Spices underneath vanilla & a light musk.

 

On me it stays about the same, aside from deepening and getting a teeny bit more vanilla-y. It's sweet and complicated and makes me feel confident and sensual. This is very much a lazing about the house dressed in lingerie kind of scent to me. Not necessarily with anyone about, just being decandent. Ooh, like eating choclate covered strawberries on satin sheets decandent, that's it!

[joseybird]

I swear by all that's orange that the musk dominating Black Opal is the same that dominates Buck Moon--Egyptian perhaps? Velvety without being as plush and deep as Buck Moon. Honestly, when I first smelled this my mind screamed "Antique Lace, back from the dead!!", but I'm not very sure whether this is the same musk that's in Antique Lace, and Black Opal doesn't have the powdery carnation or the creamy vanilla that characterizes that dearly departed scent. Black Opal is vanillic, but the vanilla is more of a whisper, and is only really noticable because Black Opal is a relatively vanilla-musk composition (if there are florals in here--and I smell none--than they must be of the powdery variety that blends very smoothly with pale musks).

 

I would reccommend this to all who love Antique Lace and Buck Moon, as Black Opal smells to me like a less creamy lovechild of the too. I can see why so many people love this pretty skin scent

[LiberAmoris]

Mmmm....upon uncorking Black Opal, my first sniff was a happy one. I detect some of the luscious florals from Xiuhtecuhtli, a creamy musk that seems similar to the one in Chaste Moon, and the spices from Morocco. I don't get any vanilla, surprisingly, but loads of creamy soft musk.

 

I do get the mineral note that others have been mentioning, as well as a slight watery tinge. Opals are water stones, after all, so it does seem appropriate.

 

Black Opal just gets better and better the longer it wears on my skin. It really is a skin scent, and one that manages to be both subtle and alluring. I have a 10ml of this on the way.

[Scylla]

Black Opal has rocketed to my Top 10 List after just two wearings.

 

It's a gorgeous, feminine combination of vanilla and musk that reminds me of Antique Lace and Morocco, and it also reminds me of Pink Sugar. My daughter LOVES Pink Sugar, and I asked her to smell my wrist and tell me what perfume she thought I was wearing. She thought it was Pink Sugar!

 

But Black Opal is not a dupe of Pink Sugar--it's an IMPROVEMENT on Pink Sugar! If you love Pink Sugar, you MUST give Black Opal a try.

 

I put on some Black Opal the other day and a little while later was eating and licked my finger. It tasted like vanilla, and I couldn't figure out why. It was the Black Opal!

[allidavie]

Antique Lace gets it on with O and is changed forever, shedding her virginal ways for something a bit naughtier.

 

Seriously, this stuff is just as good as it's been talked up to be. I've been an absolute buying BPAL moratorium as I've got enough to last me and say, 10 of my closest friends, through several lifetimes of scentitude. But this one's so good I'm going to be placing an order. For a 10 ml, no less.

[aidenraine]

Oh dear Black Opal, how I wanted to love thee.

 

 

Wet : Do I smell Teen Spirit deoderant? This has that powdery sort of sweet/herbal smell that I associate with certain deoderants. Not a bad smell, but very "powder".

 

 

Sitting for a bit - Uh-oh, I have now the scent of plastic doll hair. You know how some dolls are scented for little girls? This smells like that. It's plastic-y violets and powder now, and growing sweeter. A very synthetic smell on my arm.

 

Dry : Very sweet, like violets and angel food cake. It's still kinda fake though, and I don't like the sugary air about it.

 

 

Verdict? Imp up for swap!

[korshka]

Wonderfully Beautiful!

 

Overall there is a smooth, soft, sweet, vanilla scent - but under it is something. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it is a dark, mysterious spark that hides under the surface.

 

This is everything that I would want from something named "Black Opal". I love opals, and irregardless of the description, I would have gotten it for the name alone. It has a smooth glassy surface with flashes inside. I have to get a bottle of this in my next order. It is a soft scent, but it, on me, it lasted quite a while. I like it that was .

[empi girl]

I've been trying to figure out what to write about this one. When I first tried it, I wasn't too sold...it was nice, but...

 

I have since worn it several times, and this is what I think:

 

Soft vanilla with an odd note-perhaps coconut. Not so much that I'd call it plasticy, just something not vnailla or coconut. It seems minty/cool without actually being minty. Strange, nice, but... Then it becomes very perfumy, sort of a soft musky scent that has a sharpness and throw to it that I associate with musk and white florals. But not jasmine. And then this ends, and it becomes a lovely vanilla. Really pretty, soft, vanilla that lasts. And I like this stage a lot!

 

So, the jury is out on if I love it or just like it. It's hard to say at this point, guess I'll have to try it more to find out!

 

edit: It has now become a favorite, in my top 7. I can wear this anytime. Definite keeper, I'm glad I got the 5 ml right off the bat, and held onto it!

Edited October 20, 2005 by empi girl

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Ritzy.

 

In the imp: Something that may be vanilla, musk, something powdery and... stone? I swear, I smell something vaguely like a dry, but clean, stone. Odd.

 

On skin, wet: What may or may not be vanilla is intriguing me. Combined with the musk, the vanilla-esque scent is very... dry. I'm not sure that's the best word to describe it, but it's not a bad thing.

 

On skin, dry: Earthy, dark, and very sexy. It's very musky, and warm, and deep, and very rich. It's kind of... classy. Ritzy.

 

Conclusion: Black Opal, to me, was an acquired taste, so to speak. I didn't like it much at first, but the more I sniffed and tested, the more I've come to like, appreciate, and eventually love it. It's beautiful, but in its own, very unique way.

Edited December 26, 2005 by Aredhel

[Splendid Molerat]

I like Black Opal.

 

It has the compelling flinty-stoney note I seem to recall from Pluto, backed by a dark and musky vanilla that clings to the skin.

 

Black Opal does promote frequent sniffing -- don't test drive this by wearing it anyplace where you'd get odd looks for nose-wrist contact.

[ChupaChup]

Black Opal is just one of those scents you are going to have to try for yourself . Despite all the reviews here (and it turns out they are all correct), I still was not prepared for what this was going to smell like, it's just so different. I'll repeat what others have said though I doubt it will make much difference - it's a clean musk, some light note that might be vanilla and a mineral smell. It smells like pure talc, not baby powder per se. Very clean and pretty. If it had more body and throw, I would consider keeping it but I've passed it on.

[emmacrew]

Sort of sweet, sort of but not quite plastic, and familiar from childhood, and had me racking my brains until I came up with...

 

Wax lips.

 

Wax lips in the imp, wax lips and a hint of something clean on me.

 

Waaaaax liiiiiiiips. So sad.

[ebonykawai]

This smells exactly like talcum powder to me. I don't get any vanilla, musk, no real stand-out florals. It's exactly talcum powder.

Edited October 3, 2005 by ebonykawai

[Little Bird]

Mmm. I love Black Opal. I can definitely see the comparisons to Pink Sugar when I first put it on, but it's lighter and softer than Aquolina's version. It smells more like Skindazzles' dupe than the original Pink Sugar.

 

This almost reminds me of Numb in the sense that it is powdery and cool smelling. But there's a lovely vanilla sweetness here. For me, Black Opal is a cross between Pink Sugar, Numb, and Snow White. It's a musk that actually isn't giving me a headache. Yay!

 

Possibly a 5 ml purchase. Definitely keeping my imp.

[hangingfire]

In the imp: A very soft, sweet vanilla.

 

On, wet: ...eh? I can barely smell anything.

 

Drydown: Okay, there we go. The vanilla warms up and blossoms prettily, and there's something faintly musky or sandalwood-y in it as well. It's subtle but sweet.

 

And goddamn, I need a bottle, stat.

[tempete]

When I first applied Black Opal, I had a strange experience so I posted about it on the Lush forum:

Black Opal is doing something weird on me: on my left wrist, it really smells like a rock, whereas on my right wrist, there is a faint vanilla aroma. It seems to be gaining strength as it dries down (or maybe I'm just mashing my nose against my wrist harder). In any case, I definitely see the comparisons to Antique Lace because the vanilla notes seem to be very similar, if not identical.

This reminded ivyandpeony of Charlie Brown getting rocks for Halloween... but that's another story.

 

I'm wearing Black Opal right now for the third time, and can chart the evolution of the scent a little more accurately since I'm not wearing five scents at once.... It starts out with a distinct soapy mineral smell. As it dries down, the soapiness dissipates and vanilla-like and light musk notes gradually gain in strength, with the mineral aspect in the background. I can't say that I'm in lust with this scent, but I might've been if the vanilla and musk were stronger and the minerally note weren't so prominent (but then Black Opal would be a misnomer, I know).

[Beatrice33]

In the three times I've tried this, it's gone from a possible swap to LOVE IT. Others have said it takes getting used to, and I guess that was the case with me. Somehow at first the disparate elements of the soft vanilla and musk and that mineral smell didn't seem to go together and were off-putting. But the third time I wore it for a whole day on a whim and wow, I loved the soft smell wafting up at me all day. Very comforting and as someone else said, classy. It's a wonderful mix of sophistication and comfort, and it really is a skin scent -- never overpowering, but a lovely background presence all day. It did last on me most of the day. I had already ordered a 5 ml unsniffed, and now I'm so glad!

[katalia]

This scent is very strange to me. It's soft and warm. It's creamy with a bit of vanilla. Vanilla is the only note I can place, the rest of it is just... nice. This really is a great scent. It's very pretty, but it's not really strong or so unusual that I would feel funny wearing it in some situations (because sometimes smelly like strawberry or clove just isn't cool). Lovely. I'll be ordering a 5 mL of this.