Black Widow

[shriekingviolet]

Category: Diabolus

 

Site Description:

Terminally alluring. A deep, wickedly passionate scent, compelling and commanding in it's feminine allure: attar of rose, jasmine, myrrh, red sandalwood, red wine, and East African black patchouli.

 

Initial Impression:

A very twisted oriental floral. And I can definitely smell the red wine. Very complex and well blended.

 

After Wearing It:

A good floral, one I might actually wear which is praise I don't give to florals often. When I first put it on, the first word that came to mind was "tart." You could smell the earthy notes and the flowers, but there was this twisted and slightly sour overtone that made it so interesting and appealing. Pretty sure it was the red wine. Later, when I was at work, my coworker asked me if I was wearing jasmine which called my attention to the fact that the scent had morphed. The floral notes were more apparent, but it still had that tart edge to it. He liked it and I liked it too. A keeper.

 

Final Thoughts:

I wore this a second time the other day, and while I still like it, I'm not smitten with it. I'll use up my sample but I doubt I'll ever buy a bottle. Not my usual fare.

[Nadirah]

This is another one that out of the bottle I did not like, but when I put it on my skin it became a fleshy multifarious scent that I couldnt get enough of. I love how it smells like roses but has that patchouli and wine hidden under the petals. I have been thinking of buying abottle...

[antimony]

Too much rose, too much jasmine...

 

The thing is, that I smell it and it smells good in that way that if someone else smelled like this, I'd say they smell good, but it's just not my style. I'm not a very floral kind of girl.

 

But I still have to give it a big reccomendation for anyone who *does* like very rosy scents.

 

My description when I first tried it:

 

Yet another one that smells glorious in the tube... then I put it on and it started out really heavy and mysterious... and then dried down to smelling like soap.

 

My wrists currently smell like a spicy version of Dial.

[eleventhousand]

This reminds me of my favorite- Namaste, oddly enough...though not as bright and sour and wonderful.

 

In the vial it smells so sweet, that I almost didn't even try it on my skin...

 

I don't really smell the wine.

 

A lovely one!

[twistygirl]

Wet, this smelled like nothing but sour wine on me, I hated it. As it has dried, though, it has morphed into a very lovely, spicy rose blend. This is definitely one of Elizabeth's Sexy Rose oils, I love the way the myrrh, sandalwood, and patchouli waft through the rose. I can't pick up much of the jasmine on me and the wine has completely disappeared, much to my relief (I love to drink wine but I can't get used to the smell of it on me - it turns sour on my skin immediately). This is one I will definitely wear again.

[Lady_Ell]

Unfortunately, I had to wash this off after 10 minutes. I have the unfortunate chemistry where any kind of jasmine or rose just screams out of me and overpowers anything else in the blend. Black Widow unfortunately has both, even though the other things in the blend are things I love (sandalwood, myrrh, etc.) This gave me a pretty bad headache and eventually nausea. On someone else, though, it would be very pretty.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: There's the wine. Reminds me of Lilith.

 

Second Impression: A dark and seductive floral with the red wine notes making all the more intoxicating.

 

Final Analysis: Beautiful, dark, heady. I prefer Lilith, but I could wear this often and be quite happy.

[Effluvia]

In the bottle: Ooohhh, no thank you. This is not good times...that's a grape lollipop that eats puppies. There's something VERY wrong about this one.

 

Wet, on my skin: Once again, my miraculous body chemistry has regained power. This is obscenely delicious on my skin. It's glittering greens (chartreuse and olive, mostly) and glittering violets, all on a black background. This is dark, hedonistic evil. This is early Bauhaus concerts. This is everything attractive about evil. This girl buys ridiculous expensive, custom made goth finery and grew up with David Bowie posters on her wall. This is *SO* how I'd imagine Black Widow to be. Beth is frightening me with her genius.

 

Dry: This one has amazing staying power. It dries to a slightly subtler version of what I just described. Good GOD, this is delicious.

[allamanda]

Very first sniff sweet, then wine, rose and jasmine in rapid succession. Underneath I can detect what I think is patchouli, very dark, an enticing trap.

 

As this dries the myrrh brings a scorched effect to the foreground (myrrh and jasmine tend to amplify with my skin-chemistry), but the sweetness of the jasmine balances it with good effect. I can just detect the sandalwood at this point.

 

After a while this is completely dominated by the sandalwood. I can just about detect the florals in the background. The weirdest thing though (and I’m serious), this reminded me of the smell you get in old houses where the best rooms are kept closed unless there are visitors, this is the smell you get when you enter those rooms. The ancient pot pourri, the sheet shrouded furniture, definitely a parlour.

[la-roja]

Since this oil is about to be discontinued and I just got an imp in my order of doom I figured I would review it first.

 

Wet and on the dry down this is sweet dark patchouli over laced with florals and touch of wine. Dark and elegant.

 

Dry this morphs into something slightly sharp that hurts my frontal sinuses and has a soapy undercurrent.

 

This scent is obviously not for me but it would be fabulous on someone with a different chemistry.

 

~Roja

[MissAnthropy]

Same here... just got an imp of 'Black Widow' and as much as I was hoping to have good things to say about it, I'm seeing others feel pretty much the same I do. Mayhaps this was just not a good mix. It happens.

 

First whiff: Erm... you know, I'm at a loss for descriptive words. All I can say is... I smell, uh... a moth bally type smell. The jasmine smells like it's clashing with one of the other hints.

 

On: Woah... no, no, no. REALLY moth bally smell now. Almost... old ladyish. Heavy, bitterly weird. Is it just me, or does this scent smell almost, musty?

 

Final impression: NOT a scent for me. Too weird, and unbalanced. That's all I can figure - something just didn't work with something else in this blend.

 

 

-Leslie

[Reinaluna]

Black Widow is the Rosiest one I have so far. I can smell the red wine real good too after a minute. This is also one that I have had a good while. Another one of BP great aroma's.

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: ugh, not keen - smells like an incense shop in there, very patchouli!

 

Wet: woody and spicy, a really hot/dry flavour - possibly the red wine aspect?

 

Dry: VERY patchouli, with rose and jasmine layers coming through as it dries off. An hour in, and only a strong spicy jasmine remains. It’s setting off my hayfever!

 

Verdict: I'm not sure how often I'd wear this - the dark jasmine scent is way too strong for my taste.

[cuervosueno]

I got this in my first order, before I had a sense of what notes I like.

What I discovered was I really do not like florals at all. I had thought perhaps the sandalwood and myhrr (to favorite notes of mine) would counteract the florals, but it didn't.

In the bottle I found it too heavy on the pachouli, but decided to try it anyway, hoping I'd like it better on my skin.

I didn't.

I was overwhelmed by the jasmine in particular at first. This did dry down a bit so I was able to smell the red wine notes later, but I mostly noted pachouli and jasmine.

My overall feeling was that of walking into a shop that reeked of floral incense....

interesting that on me, the sandalwood never showed up at all.

On my second try, I ended up washing it off.

But I definately am not a floral note person....most the scents I like best are the more "masculine" ones....

[Mandarin]

I ordered this, thinking "Jasmine, I like jasmine! And sandalwood! I like sandalwood."

 

When I opened the bottle, I was assaulted by the most piercing sweetness..something strange and strong, and almost queasy-making to me. It was a strangely unsettling smell, very heady and almost narcotic. I definitely did not want to put it on. However I figured that I'd bought it, I might as well try it on properly.

 

I dabbed just a little bit on my hand, near the webbing between thumb and first finger. It was convenient to do it there, and I wouldn't be always sniffing my wrist. I was a bit surprised by the rush of warmth I felt when I put it on my skin but I thought perhaps it was just psychology, since I was still without power from the hurricane, and stress was a tad high.

 

The dry down was slow..that queasy, piercing sweetness was tenacious. However, the sandalwood was starting to show up, and things were gentling down. Not much, but they were losing that jittery, manic edge. I noticed then that the warmth was a patch of reddened skin that was slowly swelling, so I went and washed.

 

The Black Widow is strong enough that I could still smell it. The jasmine was becoming more pleasant and that strange skittery schizo feeling was gone. The Widow wasn't tamed but she was submitting, albeit none too gracefully.

 

This is one of those perfumes that I imagine a *really* interesting, if mental villainess to wear. Cruella de Ville. Poison Ivy. Someone beautiful in a rather shellacked way, slender and dangerous and seductive, in a way that grates just a little. But there was precious little softness in the Widow, and little vulnerability. I'll have to sell or swap this, but it was well worth the effort and expense to try it.

[heartbeast]

The whole journey leading to the scent now on my skin is fraught with weirdness.

 

First off, Black Widow wasn't even on my wish list until I read Effluvia's kick ass review. Even then, it was pretty low on the list, and I wouldn't have gotten around to ordering an imp for some time had it not been for the scent being discontinued. But discontinued it was, so I took the plunge and ordered a 5 ml.

 

Now, when I get a new box of BPAL, I plan out how I'm going to wear one each day until I get through them all, depending upon my plans over the next few days, the phase of the moon, etc. I wasn't going to try Black Widow until the 31st. However, this morning I went back up to my room to get something--wasn't going to put on perfume until after I had my shower--and This Scent was filling my room. It reminded me very much of my beloved Triple Hecate oil from the Magical Child occult shop in the Haight. Uh-oh, I thought, something's leaking. Nope, nothing was leaking, but as I sniffed all the bottles of scent on the shelf, it was clear that This Scent was coming from the Black Widow. Well, thinks I, she's just going to have to wait; it's Tzadikim Nistarim's turn today. And I went back downstairs.

 

That Scent hovered all around me. I hadn't even opened the bottle! I went and washed my hands, and That Scent continued to hover all around me! Finally, I took my shower and gave in and opened up the bottle--and smelled a very faint, caramelly root beer with a slight tart overtone. What the? That's the smell that was throwing her weight around? Maybe something else got smeared on the outside of the bottle at the lab--Gah, now I have to figure out what it is, because I love it. I put the Black Widow on anyway--and smelled *nothing*. I slathered more on. Faint, faint caramelly root beer. This is just bizarre!

 

I went back to my computer and sat down, smelling like nothing. Within a half an hour, maybe 45 minutes, I was surrounded in a cloud of rosy patchouli mystical dark-yet-nurturing goodness. The myrrh and the wine were there too, but it's hard to pick out notes; it's another scent that blends beautifully. Almost 12 hours later, it's still there. And yes, this is the scent that was haunting me this morning.

 

She was tired of waiting for me, and made her true nature known before I even put her on. Another favorite. Thank goodness I have 5 ml! I will savor every bit until she's gone.

[Witch's Dagger]

I got this as a swap from xoe - Thanks!

 

Preconceived notions:

Originally, I didn't bother putting it on my wishlist, since it was discontinued. Nor did I even read the reviews, though I was curious about both it and Noir, as well as the old Limited Editions (well, ones that were no longer available). Then I read the reviews, and thought I might like it. Seeing that it was discontinued, and that I *couldn't* simply wait for my next order or even several orders down the line, I began watching for it on the swaps (again, along with Noir and a couple of Limited Editions). I admit, I didn't memorize anything, and when I tried it, I didn't go back to look at the reviews. I also tried it twice - the first time, I was just trying it for me, the second time, I was paying attention so I could review it (the second time being now):

 

Trying it:

First time, in the vial: Ylang ylang, but dark and evil entrapment - Yes. This is what I'd think of for Black Widow. It's perfect.

 

Second time, in the vial: Oh, wow. I'm getting the same sharp, intoxicating sweetness that Mandarin talked about. In fact, I'm going to quote her: "When I opened the bottle, I was assaulted by the most piercing sweetness..something strange and strong, and almost queasy-making to me. It was a strangely unsettling smell, very heady and almost narcotic." I'm not noticing the ylang ylang as much as I did the first time, and I'm definitely getting something super sweet, like honey. Is there wine in here? There's also something spicy in the background (NOW, after reading the reviews - maybe the patchouli?)

 

On me (both times): At first, it keeps the ylang ylang sweetness, but it's a smoky, spicy ylang ylang. There's a bitter note as well, and I'm getting a little rose.

 

After 10 minutes or less: Rose. That's it.

 

Final impressions: I like rose, but I now have three scents that all smell just like different kinds of rose. I'd rather have different kinds of scents in general. I do like all of the rose scents I have, it's just, well, the beginning of this one was so complex, interesting, and evil-smelling, and rose is just rose. Ah well - I'll definitely keep the imp, and maybe I'll use it for room scenting, or for when I want a rose that has a really wonderful and interesting introduction.

 

Edited to add: I tried this again, and it was worse - a very loud, ugly rose on me, though the scent in the vial is still absolutely amazing and wonderful. Also, this time, it didn't have the wonderful opening and went straight to rose as soon as it hit my skin.

Edited October 25, 2004 by Witch's Dagger

[Fulltiltredhead]

This one is ALIVE. She wants out of the bottle right NOW. And once she's got hold of you, she won't let go.

 

Just a drop on my wrists was too strong for me, so after about an hour, I washed her off with pump soap applied straight to my wrists and rubbed in well, then water applied, latered, rinsed ... she laughed in my face ... a couple hours later, I took a shower ... and put on another perfume ... and it's almost 4 a.m., and still, all I smell is Black Widow.

 

And my wrists are itching and burning.

 

But oh, she's sooo narcotic.

 

I'll try her again, diluted. At this strength, the imp I was given could last a very long time.

[Belladonnastrap]

First sniff

A really really dark floral wow. It's very commanding and sweet...maybe a darker Queen Mab.

 

When wet

Sweet and a bit blah actually...the rose and wine just don't mesh well for me for some reason. The addition of patchouli makes it a bit offputting as well which is odd since normally I love BPAL patchouli. It's also making me really uncomfortable for some reason.

 

 

Drydown

Ugh. This totally went bad and smells like stale garbage on me.

 

Aftermath

Up for swap, this is not for me.

[AnnetteL]

In the vial, and wet on my skin, this is an incense store smell. As it dries down it quickly changes to almost pure sandalwood, with just a hint of rose and a touch of spiciness. I really don't smell any jasmine, patchouli, myrhh, wine, or any of the other notes from the description.

 

Sandalwood on me is a bit of a love/hate thing, in that there are some specific versions of it that work really well and others that I find quite unpleasant. Unfortunately this particular one isn't "good sandalwood" on me, so I'm not that fond of the blend as a whole.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: It reminds me a bit of cough syrup – which I think is the red wine – but spicy and rosy. It's quite sweet.

 

On me: I got this because of the rose & jasmine, and I've found that rose sometimes goes funny on me and jasmine nearly ALWAYS goes funny on me. Amazing what we learn after a few months at BPAL. As it dries I'm surprised that at this moment, I like it. It almost smells like there are red currents as the base note, with the florals floating over that scent. It's a fruity spicy floral, very complicated. Mmmm...

Oh, there's the patchouli and the jasmine and the sandalwood. The rose and the wine have been overpowered. Dried, the jasmine and the rose have done their funny bit and this no longer smells lovely, just a complicated mess of ick.

[ebonykawai]

I am in love with this scent and just snatched up another 5mL from dear Lorajc. Hmmm, how to review it...?

 

In the bottle: definitely not something I think I want to wear. It's been said before that the wet scent is akin to evil grape cough syrup and, with that, I do concur. But I've learned long ago to never ever trust the wet scent. Thank the gods I didn't in this case.

 

On the skin, fresh: dark, musky wine, heady and slightly intoxicating. A bit overpowering for the first 5 minutes. The cough syrup smell disappears almost immediately.

 

On the skin, over time: this morphs on me into the most gorgeous spiced wine. I get no rose at all, or if it's there, it's hidden behind the wine. I'm not big on rose, and I honestly don't smell any in here. There is also a bit of a bite to it, an edge that makes me feel like it's saying "Hey! I'm not just a pretty face. I can tear you apart if the need be." I wear this one when I need a boost of in-your-face courage, like while fencing or if stupid crap is going on at work.

 

I think that, for me, Black Widow was an acquired taste. It took wearing it a few times before I finally and fully appreciated what an amazing and complicated scent it is. Now it's in my top 5. Thank goodness I just got another 5mL!!

[NoirRosaleen]

I am bad at reviewing scents. I*ll try to do a better job later, but all I can say now is:

 

Black Widow, my love, why did you have to be discontinued before I even found BPAL? You would have been my first 5ml, I swear! *cries*

[Penance]

I got an imp of this from Red_Hot_Mama.

 

First sniff:

 

My first impression is something along the lines of: "Whoa, this smells like Formula 54!" Something about this blend - most likely the red wine - reminds me of the cognac note in F54 which smells like cherries in the bottle. The two aren't identical by any stretch of the imagination, but Black Widow reminds me very strongly of what F54 smells like in the bottle at first.

 

The more I smell it, the less strong the resemblance becomes as my nose starts picking up the attar of rose and jasmine and losing the red wine note. Once my nose adjusts, Black Widow begins to smell like a combination of rose, sandalwood and jasmine and less wine-like. While I actually prefer my first impression, the second impression is lovely, too.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Once again, my first impression is that this smells similar to F54, but that fades quickly as the sandalwood, rose and patchouli make a reappearance. This isn't an earthy or resiny blend in spite of the notes involved, it's more of a powdery rose scent with a hint of dry earthiness in the background. If I inhale deeply enough, I can smell the red wine in the background, but it's very faint.

 

Dry down:

 

Powdery rose and jasmine with a hint of sandalwood and red wine. I don't particularly care for how powdery Black Widow is on me, but it's still quite lovely. For some reason, it reminds me of my grandmother who died right after my second birthday. I used to play with her old clothes that my mom stored in our basement after her death and Black Widow smells like the scent of her left on her clothing.

 

The bottom line:

 

Not my usual type of scent, but it has too many good memories attached to it not to like it.

[jj_j]

Out of the bottle, Black Widow is sweet red wine and roses. They seem almost too sweet together for the first couple of minutes, but luckily the red wine backs off a bit. If the old-style bottle and label on this scent didn't give it away, the fact that the wine note doesn't turn sour on my skin is a sure sign it's Beth's original wine note, rather than the new one.

 

When the red wine backs off, it doesn't disappear. It gives a very lush, fruity feel to the rose in Black Widow, and keeps the jasmine at bay. Oh, this is heady stuff - I can't discern the sandalwood or patchouli as individual notes, but they must be what give this rose scent such texture and richness beyond the florals.

It really is a riot of half-opened blooms.

 

Black Widow is really lovely, and my skin brought out the rose note more than anything. I'm absolutely delighted with Whip, though, and don't wear rose scents often enough to justify multiple bottles. This was my rose scent before Whip, though, and if you can get your hands on some, it's well worth a try.