Black Forest

[sideviewhotel]

This is the captured scent of a cold, moonless night, lost deep within the darkest wood. Haunting and desolate, this scent evokes images of fairy tale tragedy and half-remembered nightmares. Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress.

Ugh. This is all ambergris & black musk on me. Ick. No. ;_;

edited for the lab's descript. Edited September 30, 2007 by Shollin

[bites_the_sun]

Review x-posted from my journal:

 

Catalogue Description:This is the captured scent of a cold, moonless night, lost deep within the darkest wood. Haunting and desolate, this scent evokes images of fairy tale tragedy and half-remembered nightmares. Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress.

 

In the vial: A blast of pine and cypress shot through with something sharper - the juniper, perhaps?

 

Wet: Immediately less overwhelmingly piney on the skin.

 

Dry down: Not desolate - nice. The cool breath of pine, come-hither sweetness of ambergris and the sharp hint of the juniper together produce a surprisingly gentle, subtle and frankly uplifting aroma that has me constantly sniffing my wrists.

 

Verdict: A light yet complex scent redolent of sweetly-scented night air with the crush of pine needles and bloom of damp earth underfoot. This is not a scent that to my mind suggests foresty nightmares and desolation. If this scent was a fairy tale, it would be one where the forest is oddly enchanted and strange, fey creatures who lead you astray for kicks and giggles, rather than one strewn with things that'll eat your face and then gnaw on your entrails for dessert. Definitely rather more of a sweet, civilised and feminine scent than its description would suggest. I'll definitely be picking up a bottle of this when my imp runs out.

[cameroncrazed]

Thank you lab for this frimp

 

In the imp: Hmm... clean, reminds me of my father's cologne.

Wet on skin: Pine, juniper, and black musk. Definitely clean and forest-y, cold and green.

Dry on skin: Pine and something I can't identify - quite possibly the cypress. While it's not as masculine as it was in the imp, this isn't me.

 

Overall: 7/10. While this isn't a good scent for me, I think I've found something to enable my father with. This definitely smells like a scent he'd love. My skin tends to amp up the "I am tree, hear me... um, roar's probably not the right word - hear me shake my leaves" notes. I'm afraid this one will always be in my mind as a "Boy! I smell a boy! Or, oooh, maybe it's a man!" scent.

[juniperus]

Bottle: very piney, like the smell the house takes on after a freshly-cut xmas tree come in, to be honest.

Wet: the pine steps back some and I can smell the musk more. Woodsy and wet - like walking through a pine forest after a rain, when all of the scents leap up with every footfall.

Dry: strong juniper coming through, pine retreating some, ambergris moving forward.

Later: more of the cypress and the musk has really become a strong foundation - they aren't fighting for the lead scent, it's a very mellow mixing. I love pine, woodsy scents, musk so this is a Happy Thing for me - these are all scents I find calming, so it's almost aromatherapy on the wrist..I used to do meditation work and burn pine resin I had collected myself, or little rocks of myrrh, instead of commercial fakey incenses (which more often than not give me screaming headaches, especially anything fruity..uugh) so I associate being very, very grounded and calm with the scent of pine. I can wear these heavier scents well, too, so that helps. As Weezy would say, "Loooooove it!"

Edited April 24, 2006 by Juniperus Intrepidus

[gwyllgi]

This is a scent I would probably never have ordered on my own; I received it as a frimp. It once again proves how great frimps are, as this is perhaps the first pine scent I've ever liked.

 

This is just absolutely perfect in its embodiment of its namesake; it's woodsy and sharp, mysterious in its under-notes. It also, for some reason, smells like a Christmas tree to me, laden with popcorn and cranberries and with a pickle tucked somewhere in its branches. It's a heavy scent, not quite masculine, but probably better suited to winter, when it would also make a marvelous room scent.

[cranberry]

Tried courtesy of the General Catalog swap.

 

I’ve been wanting to try this one for a long time.

In the Imp: pine, juniper

 

On the Skin, wet: On wet, it smells just like it smelled in the imp, predominantly pine and juniper.

 

On the Skin, dry: As it dries, the black musk appears and turns a bit powdery. The juniper and pine hang around in the background. The longer it wears the more powdery it turns. I’m glad that I didn’t order this one. After a couple hours, the powder is still with me, but that’s it, only powder.

 

Overall impression: The Black Forest is not for me. It turns way too powdery. I like the initial notes but there’s other pine – juniper scents out there that work with my chemistry.

[edenssixthday]

Black Forest is most definitely the scent of evergreen forests, and is crisp and cool. When wearing it, I don't feel like I should be hanging from the rearview mirror of a car, like I do with most pine blends. This one is really pretty and the musk in it makes it almost "creamy", if that makes sense. It's quite possibly my favorite of BPAL pine scents, but still not a favorite overall. It sticks fairly close to my skin and lasts for about 3 hours before fading into oblivion.

[trins-ravengirl]

Mmmm.

 

Pine, and Juniper. Tree scents that actually like me (unlike that damned cedar!)

Underneath that smell is something almost mossy, i'm going to say that it is the musk.

 

It actually reminds me of this trail in the woods back at home during the fall time. Odd.

 

*puts Black Forest into keeper pile*

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Cypress, pine, earth

 

On me: This is a very sharp, musky, dark green scent. The cypress is extremely recognizable, as is the pine, which starts amping up considerably after a few minutes and smells kind of Christmas-tree-like. I can also smell the juniper and what must be ambergris. This scent is strong, but it smells awesome on me. A definite for the winter/fall months.

 

Verdict: Keeper. Probably don't need a bottle, though.

 

Rating: 5/5

[The_Merf]

In the imp: Pine, pine, pine. I like the pine in Geek, but it is really strong here, and there's no cedar for balance.

 

Wet: The sharp pine continues.

 

Drydown and wear: Now I smell the cypress, but this is mostly pine, with black musk very much in the background. I must say that this scent does an amazing job of fitting its name and description; I think that I would have come up with something like "black forest" if I were asked to sniff this blend without knowing what it was. There is a cold creep to this scent--the black forest in winter--that is very compelling. However, it stays too sharp throughout its tenure for my skin, so even though I think it's an amazing blend in its own right, I'm going to have to swap it.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Cypress, sweetened with pine and ambergris.

 

Wet: Like in the bottle, a sweet, resinous pine/cypress mix with hints of dark musk and ambergris. The dreaded bitter-acid juniper starts coming out, too.

 

Drydown: I mostly get pine and juniper now, duking it out for dominance. They end up mixing together and the result isn't really unpleasant, it's a sort of spicy, skightly bitter evergreen scent. I think the black musk is responsible for the lovely spicy sweetness that makes the whole blend so pleasant.

 

Overall: Even though I hate juniper with a passion, this is actually a blend that can make it work. The musk and pine counterbalance its tart smell, which ends up disappearing quite fast on me, too. The scent if deep with musk and resin, sweet, piney without being violently sharp. I really like it.

[Caltha]

Black Forest

How come BPAL's forest blends are so sweet? I guess it's some pine or fir note they use... Black Forest is somewhere in between the dry, powdery pine sweetness of Dublin and the minty evergreen hard candy sweetness of Talvikuu and Nocnitsa. It's greener, wetter and cooler than Dublin, more like fir. A sugared fir, that is. Black forest? Maybe the dark scary forest in a Nintendo game...

It's not unpleasant, in fact, I like it almost as much as Dublin, but in the end I find the generic evergreen note and the sweetness offputting. I prefer sweet blends to be dry and hot rather than damp and cool, sweetness in the latter kind seems so off and artificial. I can accept the sweetness in Dublin as "natural" if I'm thinking of a dry pine forest bathing in sunshine, with treesap and berries and flowers giving off their sweet aroma in the sun. If I concentrate I can think of Black forest in that way too, as dry and yellowish/brownish rather than damp and green, but something in it reminds me of that evergreen hard candy again...

Perhaps it's not so far from Dublin, which a lot of people find moist and green too, perhaps my taste has just evolved and I'm finding the evergreen note dull. Too close to air fresheners and Holiday theme stuff and to far from actual forests.

[sofiaviolet]

In the imp: Pine. Thick, resinous pine.

 

On me, wet: Still mostly pine, but it's not too sharp. There's a bit of musk, and a wee smidge of Vicks Vap-o-rub.

 

On me, dry: Mostly mentolated vapors, with a bit of pine.

 

Verdict: I'm keeping it around for when I get congested! I'm not sure I would just wear it, though.

[mountainwitch]

At first this is all powerful, powerful pine. There's also a lovely golden amber-like note (the ambergris, I'm assuming), and the juniper and cypress are pleasantly woodsy. I like this one; it’s cool and woodsy, and it (can't describe this without pun!) just grows on me.

[luna65]

Thanks to clover for the frimp.

 

Imp: The pine is a sharp note, but it's immediately tempered by the juniper, which becomes sweeter in a blend, in my experience.

 

Skin: The greens are all there, with an undercurrent of the ambergris (which is normally sweeter on me than musk is). The musk emerges eventually, with hints of pine remaining.

 

Drydown: This is very evocative: a scent memory of the deep woods. I also think it would be wonderful on a male, because it's okay for guys to smell like pine. But I will use it to assist me with twisted fairy tale conjuration.

Edited August 1, 2006 by luna65

[forspecial_plate]

Such a lovely description, I wish this had worked for me....in the bottle, I like how it smells. On me though...right away, I caught the same note from Golden Priapus that I couldn't stand. At least now I know a little more what to avoid. I don't know if it's the pine, juniper, or both of them together but on me it turns into this shrill almost-sweet note that I needed to wash off right away. It was much worse in Golden Priapus, here in Black Forest it's a little less cloying but still not working at all. Oh, how I wanted to wander through the Black Forest! : (

[Bagfish]

This starts off very evergreen, it really reminded me of Yew Trees in the wet stage. I tried this on, thought it was a bit piney and meh and too like Yew Trees.

 

So about 40 minutes later I get this amazing waft of a creamy amber/musk sort of smell. Black Forest is so different on drydown to when it is wet, its almost a different scent. One that I thought would be for swap is now definitely staying in my for keeps imp drawer.

[deleahrium]

In the bottle: pine, just pine, lots of pine

 

Drydown: Wow, it's a smooth creamy pine, almost with something sweet behind it! The musk makes it so WARM, whereas pine smells always strike me as cold. This is great, really intricate. Absolutely the scent of a dense, creepy, evergreen forest. Emphasis on creepy.

[arcticwolf]

ITB: Pines! This smells like the forest back home, after a nice rain. Wet, and piney.

 

Wet: Pine and juniper. I just love this smell. It reminds me so much of home, it's actually making me feel really nostalgic.

 

Dry: The pine is starting to fade a little, so it isn't as noticeable (but definitely still there). The juniper is adding some lovely spiciness, and the musk is there, but not overpowering. There's a note that I am guessing is the cypress, but I have no idea. Whatever it is, it is amazing.

 

This scent evokes the strongest imagery in me, probably because I come from a forested place. But smells like a forest after a nice rain, when everything is calm, and every footfall releases scent. This is absolutely relaxing.

[supremegoddessofall]

Definitely tree heavy and very green, but it's softened by the musk and ambergris. I actually like this a lot more than most of the evergreen scents. I think this would smell good on my girlfriend.

[anowyn]

IN THE BOTTLE: It has a very clean, piney scent, like fresh broken fir needles. It makes me think of St. Edwards Park here in Seattle, near Bastyr, on a cloudy day. Lots of shade, but you're surrounded by these huge, tall, protective trees with the cool air carrying that clean pine scent.

 

WET/DRYING: It smells kind of powdery on me, almost like pine-resin baby powder (could this be the musk, or ambergris? No clue what ambergris typically smells like). That works well, because I just got out of the shower.

 

FURTHER DRYING: Starting to smell the wood notes and more pine needles again...

 

And now I'm smelling something almost floral? It kind of reminds me of very dry wood, and resin. There's some aging, mossy smell I'm picking up too. The baby-powder smell is going away. It smells much better dried on me, than when it was wet - but it still smells best in the bottle!

 

DRY: The musk and wood smells are coming out the most on my skin. The wood is starting to smell like that of a fallen, rotting tree, where the wood is so soft and ripe that when you touch it it breaks apart like wet sawdust. I really like that smell. Other than that, it's pretty musky on me.

 

It's growing on me Overally it is definately a nostalgic, clean, and protective scent on me. I like the feeling of huge, ancient trees towering over me, and that is the feeling I get from this. However, it also makes me think that it's starting to get dark in the forest, which is no fun to get lost in.

 

I should add this smelled WONDERFUL, sharp, clean and piney, on my boyfriend, and on him the scent lasted a long time and wafted through the whole room even though he only used a few drops. I'm leaning towards saying it's a more masculine scent, but for girls out there that like foresty, piney scents it would work well, too.

Edited December 7, 2006 by ☆ a n o w y n ☆

[talula_fairie]

This is a really great scent. I smelled it THROUGH the closed imp and had to put it on immediately. I wasn't even going to try it, becuase I hate pine, but I do like this scent. The pine is more of a background note and the scent is softened by the black musk and ambergris. Very nice, and a bit Christmas-y too. Not sure it will become a regular perfume, but perhaps will be used as a room scent.

 

ETA: I had my husband try this since I thought perhaps it would smell lovely on a man. OH BUT NO. Well, not on him anyhow. It turned to pine-sol on his skin. Ew. Although he said he thought he smelled like a Christmas candle

Edited December 17, 2006 by talula_fairie

[Voleuse]

This strikes me as a bit "cologne" on first sniff--dark pine, sweet and wild, but it's reminding me of some other cologne. Hm. Maybe it's the strong musk note that's causing it.

 

As it dries, the musk fades, and already I like the blend a lot better. The musk acts as a nice grounding note, but the evergreen scents shine through instead. Cold and green and sharp. I like this.

[dreago]

Black Forest:

 

I never want to smell like pine. So I put it on the boy. The boy is blessed with excellent skin chemistry because on him, the oil blend smells exactly the way it should: pine forest and soil, with a whiff of musk riding the cold air. The hubby doesn't really have a sense of smell (chronic sinusitis), so he couldn't comment either way, except about a half hour later he was like, "do you smell that? Is that cleaning solution?" Because like me, he associates pine with pine sol, not Christmas trees. I wonder if this means we need to do a better job about celebrating Christmas.

Edited January 3, 2007 by Shollin

[filigree_shadow]

I have some trouble telling apart blends that have both cold/snowy notes and forest/woodsy notes. They all kind of smell the same to me. I guess my skin amps that cold note because pretty much all I smell is that nose-tingling coldness.

 

I think maybe Black Forest is a little bit different because of the black musk and ambergis (it has a slightly powdery aspect to it), but it mostly just smells like coldness and pine trees.

 

I'll see if my husband wants to try this... he has The Best Skin Chemistry in the World, and maybe this will smell good on him.