Black Widow

[velvet]

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.

this smells like artifical grapes out of the bottle
and i couldnt even bring myself to put it on i hate that smell
off to swap you went!!

Edited January 11, 2017 by velvet

[Unseelie]

i'd gotten an imp of this in decant version as part of a lot in fall 2004, so it came a few months after the scent had been discontinued. i really.. can't recommend chasing any around at this late date. in my decant the jasmine has risen to eat the rose, giving it a very nasty bite and very little that distinguishes it from "rose smelling jasmine". judging from other reviews.. grape? are you kidding? hm.. well if you're planning to pick this up from someone ask them specific questions about what *theirs* in hand smells like, it's quite likely that by now different batches of the oil can have gone in wildly different directions.

 

i'm not going to inflict the rest of my imp on anyone; it's just gone nasty and has that bitter nose-burning strength of a delightfully mature jasmine-uber-alles.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Ooh, cherries. I usually hate cherries, but for some reason I'm drawn to this. I like it. There are no cherries in it. I'm confused.

 

First on: Wine & rose. I really like this one, and I'm going to cry that they discontinued it almost a year ago, so no one probably has a bottle for sale.

 

Drydown: Florals blend together, with the wine on top. Mmmm.... this is like the floral version of Lady Macbeth.

 

I saw one bottle on ebay a bit ago, but it just got too expensive for me.

[shelldoo]

in the vial, i wasn't impressed, it was a bit *too* earthy, but a weird earthy smell, not fresh dirt like zombi, this is stronger, older smelling.

 

wearily aply: wet: yeah um earthy w/ the red wine slithering in the twisted earthy smell.

 

as it dries it becomes much nicer the general dank earthiness is replaced by a definite patchouli scent which is the one standing out foremost on me. then the rose and myrrh. the red wine is barely detectable, but i get a whiff of it occasionally. thank goodness the jasmine is mia on me.

 

i am glad i waited for it to dry, i like it very much after drydown

[Shollin]

Got this decant from the lovely blackrayne.

 

First sniff: A dark, ominous floral.

 

Wearing: Rosey and deep – the aura is just beautiful, rich and enveloping.

 

I’m very glad The Coveted Black Widow works on me, 'cause florals are usually a toss-up.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Hmm, there is a bit of sweetness, and some sharpness to this one.

 

Just On: My, the sweetness is just barely there, and this sort of smells like what I might imagine a black widow spider to smell like.

 

An hour or two later: Not so sweet now, it drew me in, and now it has a little nip to it.

 

Around 6 hours: A dry rather spidery scent. Quite evocative of the name.

 

12 hours: Okay, now it's a bit sweet again. This is an awesome scent.

 

Overall: I really like this one.

 

After reading other reviews: Wow, all those notes, and not a one of them stood out in this blend for me. I like it though.

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression:

I got the Red Wine, & Pathouli first... then came the "grape" scent, which I am not sure if it comes from the jasmine or the roses but in agreement with earlier reviews..it was there. Overall it is an interesting blend, but I am not sure that I would wear it often enough to own it...

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Rose.

 

In the imp/bottle: Strong, heavy red wine, rose, and patchouli.

 

On skin, wet: Lush dark rose, red wine, heavy patchouli and myrrh.

 

On skin, dry: Rose. Deep, dark rose, and nothing else. Rose usually overpowers a scent on my skin, so I'm not surprised.

 

Conclusion: A very dark, heavy, feminine rose scent. I'm not a rose fan, so this isn't something I care for. Quite heart-breaking, too: I was nearly positive I'd fall in love with this.

Edited December 17, 2005 by Aredhel

[Lilithlefay]

I'm so sad this has been discontinued because I love it so!!! Wine with jasmine and rose, but as it starts to wear down I can smell the patchouli and myrrh. This has nice throw too. Very strong scent, a drop is all you need. I need to get my hands on a bottle!! Narcotic and commanding.

[QueenFae]

This is a dark, wicked, creeping scent, perfect to embody the Black Widow. It has a musky, spicy base, which I guess would be the patchouli and red sandalwood. The red wine creeps in for a little bit of a berry kick, and the jasmine softens up the overall effect. It conjours images of dark, spooky forests, damp places, and evil creatures. It's a wonderful scent, complex and sexy, definitely has the evil bite of the spider. I love it, I will hoarde and cherish my bottle.

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Quite fruity - that's how the wine notes usually smell to me. I'm not picking anything else up, but this smells promising.

 

On: Oh phooey, I should have known better. The rosiness amps itself up (attar of rose is a dry, powdery rose scent on me), and the jasmine kicks into high gear with the dusty, polleny funk I get from most jasmine blends.

 

This one's a sneezer. I feel like I'm covered in pollen.

 

Not for me obviously!

[Em-]

Tried as part of the Discontinued Scent Circle.

 

This is one of those scents that I am glad that I've had a chance to try, just because I love the name and the concept (says the woman with a black widow tattoo). However, I've not been actively seeking it because of the fear that the jasmine would overwhelm the blend for me.

 

I actually love the scent of this blend - it is dark and alluring and just twisted enough to perfectly capture the essense of a black widow. Unfortunately, between the jasmine and the red wine, 15 minutes in and I just cannot wear it, as much as I like it. So I guess my chemistry is saving me from having to hunt down something painfully elusive.

[Little Bird]

Spiders scare the crap out of me. If I see one, I scream like a ninny, break out in a sweat, and get the shakes. Serious phobia.

 

I've had a wee imp of Black Widow for a long while, and it took me that long while to work up the nerve to try it on. I didn't have high hopes for something that was inspired by a creature that completely unnerves me, especially if it has jasmine in the mix.

 

I love myrrh and patchouli, often enjoy rose and sandalwood, and tend to hate jasmine and wine notes. Unfortunately, the jasmine and red wine are primarily what I get from Black Widow.

 

This is hyper-sweet jasmine, thick grape fruit juice, and something strangely sour on me. I get a burst of earthy patchouli for a few minutes, and then it is completely swallowed by jasmine. I can't pick out any myrrh or sandalwood at all, and the rose is barely noticeable underneath the jasmine.

 

The spiders and I do not get along.

[edenssixthday]

Black Widow is sweet, spicy goodness in the vial. On my skin, it loses the sweetness and the spiciness mellows and becomes warm and arid. This scent has my #1 favorite note (rose), my #1 least favorite note (jasmine), and 4 other notes that rarely work on me (myrrh, patchouli, sandalwood, wine); yet, somehow, it works on me. In BPAL-land, I don’t think anything stranger has happened. I can’t get over how nice this scent smells on me and how well that odd combo of scents works so phenomenally with my chemistry. There is not much throw, and the scent is subtle and stays close to my skin, but it lasts for hours (must be the sandalwood and rose keeping it from disappearing). I’m just flabbergasted at how much I like this scent, considering so many of my least-favorite notes are in it! But it works! And I’m sad that it’s discontinued. Oh, and one last thing – I imagine this scent would smell really sexy on a man. Oh yeah!

[scourgeotheseas]

Black Widow - from the DC imp swap.

This one is a combo of good (rose, myrrh) and bad (sandalwood, patchouli) so we'll see whether the forces of good or evil win out.

 

In the imp: Red wine and roses. Not bad.

 

On me/wet: Kind of spicy, without any proper form or scent. When I'm not sniffing closely, the red wine just hangs around in the air. Now that I'm near my arm, roses are coming to the forefront. No hint of sandalwood, and the patchouli is confining itself to providing a full background note instead of jumping to the dirty hippie front!

 

Whoa nellie! This one is strong!!

 

Drydown: Red wine and roses, with a hint of spicy background. I haven't tried on Wanda or Spellbound in a while, but I have a feeling the similarities would be strong on my skin. This dried down quite beautifully.

Edited August 1, 2006 by scourgeotheseas

[cranberry]

In the imp: wine, fruit, flowers

 

On the skin: roses. Strong roses. Maybe a touch of jasmine. This is a dark scent, bringing to mind blood red lipstick and dark nights. The rose is slightly powdery on me. There’s a slight bitter tinge to this scent, it might be the patchouli. Now, after it’s been on a while, I get what smells like neroli; that would account for the bitterness. There’s still the scent of roses, but resins too. It’s taking on an incensy tone and is quite lovely. I won’t be hunting this one down but I’m glad that I got to try it.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Sweet floral and resin

 

On Skin: This scent is amazing. I am completely in love. The thick jasmine counteracts the tart and bitter rose. The myrrh and sandalwood give a gorgeous resinous and deep wood romp. The wine has a dark red and sexy feel, and lastly the patchouli gives a smoky but subtle wickedness. I normally don’t like patchouli but it works in this scent. I have to say, the description fits the scent perfectly. Alluring with a capital A. After a bit the rose becomes a little stronger (darn it!) but still is quite beautiful. So feminine and powerful. This is a rose scent I would actually wear… and beware me when I do because it gives me the feeling of complete power. I think this has to be one of the scents that I put into the “strong women only” category. Light to medium throw, average wearlength.

[sofiaviolet]

I swear I smell something like dragon's blood in here. I definitely smell rose and jasmine. The patchouli is not very prominent, yay! Nor is myrrh, which is usually too heavy for me. I love this. It's very sensual.

[theseagrows]

eeww this smells horrid with my skin chemistry. i smell like a dirty sweaty hippie. i smell the rose and some woodiness, and at first the wine is quite strong. there is a bad musky smell but it isnt musk because musk works on me. i am off to wash this one off :/

[PurringPulsar]

Black Widow

 

In the imp: mmm, an intoxicating wine and roses scent with a hint of incense and jasmine.

Wet on skin: now I smell the patchouli and jasmine a little more amongst the sweet wine and rose.

Dry on skin: whoa, the jasmine has amped a great deal now, but isn't turning bitter like it can do. This is quite nice-it's like Glasya, but not as animalistic. The rose, jasmine and sweet juicy wine are dominant, but patchouli, sandalwood and myrrh add an intriguing incense like base to the scent, dry and a little bit smoky, the myrrh in here seems to be the 'light' variety which smells a little burnt. It also reminds me of Lilith, and I wonder if there's a hidden ylang note.

After a while: I love the incense-y, almost nag champa like, slightly spiced scent of the sandalwood here. Despite this the myrrh, a note I normally adore, smells a bit burnt in here, this could be because of the jasmine as well. I smell a hint of rose, but it's much drier in scent, I don't smell the sweet juicy wine that came before. It smells a bit more charred as well, almost like a rose incense stick burning, actually. It becomes less floral-boozy and turns to charred myrrh and sandalwood joss sticks. It's not bad but I'm not too keen on the burnt bitterness I get.

Verdict: I like this one, but more at the start. At first I get a wonderful burst of juicy wine spilling over roses and jasmine blossoms, with an undertone of exotic dry sandalwood incense sticks gently burning. I love the rich sweet juiciness of the wine here and the fact that the jasmine in here works nicely. I also love the spicy, incense-like feel of the sandalwood and patchouli. But then it develops an odd burnt scent, not a nice burnt/smoky scent, but a thin, charred, bitter scent that I'm not crazy about. The scent loses the juicy rich floral scent and turns oddly flat and bitter, but then becomes incense-y again. I like this, but oddly it's not as spectacular as I hoped it would be. I do love a lot of the notes in here, but it's not wowing me. There are similar scents to this that work better on me. Ultimately it's more of a scent that I like than one I dislike, but I think I'll swap this off. At least it's not a rarity I will lust for more of!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? not really. There are others in this genre I prefer.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Many thanks to Shollin for letting me sniff hers! I've been curious about Black Widow forever, mainly because of the name. It struck me as an upscale "perfumey" scent, due to the florals. However, it also had very definite black-cherry overtones, which surprised me. It was a dark red scent, if that makes sense. I'd buy at least an imp if it ever came back, but now that my curiosity is satisfied I won't be overly heartbroken if it's gone for good.

[hlinspjalda]

I was frimped a tester of this, to my great joy.

 

In the vial: Rich red wine and myrrh, then a hint of rose. This smells very sexy, almost vampirish to me.

 

Wet: Sweeter and warmer right away, almost as if cinnamon were involved. The tang of the wine has disappeared, leaving only the grapey sweetness. Oh, I am loving this. If it winds up smelling better than its descendant The Obsidian Widow on me, I'm going to be very unhappy, because I don't have nearly enough of this to feed the habit that would develop!

 

Hour and a half: This is quite delicious, and the red wine note is behaving beautifully. The red sandalwood hasn't even soured on me the way it usually does, although it is a little more woody than I recall The Obsidian Widow being. Overall it's a slightly woody floral with fruity notes. I don't really get any of the patchouli, but the myrrh is down there at the base anchoring the scent.

 

Three hours: Still delicious, and definitely a sandalwood-first scent on me although it is extremely well balanced with the floral and grapey notes. I really love this one.

 

Four and a half hours: A gentle sandalwood-patchouli-floral now.

[zankoku_zen]

Black Widow doesn't work for me because of the jasmine. On wet, I get a splash of red wine but it is quicky overpowered by cat pee jasmine. Holy crap, does this sucker have throw!

 

When it dries down, after about three hours, it is a soft sandalwood, again with the red wine and a hint of rose.

 

I can't handle the three hours it takes to get there, but if your skin chemistry can handle jasmine, this could be a killer femme fatale scent.

[filigree_shadow]

I had given up ever being able to try Black Widow, but one of my friends is exceedingly awesome, and she let me try it.

 

I wanted to try this because patchouli, sandalwood, and myrrh are all great notes on me. Wasn't sure about the jasmine and wine, but people kept describing it as a dark floral and I thought that sounded great.

 

Unfortunately, though, it didn't work on me. It was a little pungent and discordant. I think the jasmine pretty much messed it up for me. What a pity. This is one of those disappointing cases in which I love the name, should have loved the notes, waited forever to try it, and... BUST. This is not the first time that diabolical jasmine has done this to me, and it won't be the last.

[Pixie-elf]

I never reviewed this I guess?

Wet: It smells sour. Kind of icky. I'm assuming that's the wine. This is something I would NOT want to put on my skin if I just went by what it smells like in the Imp!

On my skin: It starts out as wine, on me. Then the Rose and Jasmine kind of peek out. I get a little of the myrrh but not much. It's not very strong on me, and doesn't have a lot of throw. It's a nice oriental, but it's just nice.

It eventually does gain a bit of a fruity note... But it's still not a strong scent. That might be cause it's like 10 years old though.

 

It dries down to a beautiful Jasmine powder skin scent. I kind of love it like this.

I think for this kind of scent I much prefer Nyx. I feel like Black Widow is her little sister, who is trying to be like Nyx.

Edited April 19, 2017 by Pixie-elf