Black Lotus

[FandF]

Born in the shadows of a Temple to Set, this corrupted Egyptian scent evokes images of black pyramids, river demons, and bleak, deadly desert sands. Black lotus flower, amber, myrrh and sandalwood.

First on the skin: Bubblegum with an even higher sweetness to it.
Dry down: Eau de Charmin...maybe with a hint of Pampers. ugh.

[CrazyPretzel]

Makes me think of a Japanese apple gummy candy: intensely sticky-sweet and fruity. After a few minutes I can smell some kind of sharp spice to this as well.

[voodoocatwoman]

In the imp: Bubble gum, the kind that is loaded with sugar and will rot your teeth in no time.

 

Wet: Very sweet.

 

Dry: Wow. The amber and sandalwood are warm and inviting. I love this! I need multiple bottles. How many bottles equal a vat? Can I buy it by the gallon?

[tziporra]

Thanks to Shollin for enabling this very geeky sniff. I believe her exact words were, "If you can't own a $2000 Magic card, at least you can smell like one."

 

Hee.

 

The first scent from BPAL that made my husband sit up and ask in a delighted tone, "what is THAT you are wearing."

 

I wouldn't have thought Lotus all by myself, probably because of a long-held dishsoap association, but it turns out that lotus works on my skin. And amber is always delicious on me, and myrrh serves to balance everything out. So, yeah. I'll be buying a bottle of this. Partially because I like it a lot. Partially because my husband adores it and I want to wear it for him. And partially because I need something to wear for playing Magic

 

Best,

 

Tzi

[alianthe]

In the bottle: sweet and resiny-spicy, with a hint of sharpness and a warm round behind. A quite complex blend.

 

On me, drydown phase: It starts with a bit of a clamour, and definitely takes its time to calm down. The myrrh is warring with my skin's predeliction for turning heady florals into rampaging slavering flower monsters. Amazingly, the floral seems to have been shouted down (thank goodness) by strident myrrh and surprisingly uncompromising sandalwood. I'm thinking argument between priestesses in a twilit temple, for some reason. The amber seems to be looking on in amusement, unseen in the background.

I am a big fan of amber, what can I say? Other than O, which I am aging in the hope that it improves, I haven't met an amber blend I didn't like. I'm not sure of the age of this imp, but I'm amazed at how little the amber character seems to be coming out, given my skin's normal temperment. In fact, I can hardly tell it's there at all. If it weren't for earlier argument, I probably wouldn't pick it out at all. Instead, the amber seems to be embracing and supporting the other notes. Nothing floral appears to be in attendance, amazingly. The resiny spice of myrrh is the focal singer in this blend, but it is supported by the sandalwood and the two are embraced and backed by the amber. The priestesses are now in a state of civility, if not complete and smooth accord. The result is harmonious, very spicy, and has sort of a... violet flecked with gold... forward, rich, and brash... velvety texture.

 

On me, dry: Eventually, the amber embraces and cushions and slooooowly softens the harsh spiciness of this blend. At finish, it is rich and complex, and complete. Harmonious in the manner of a group of people who have their tensions and differences, but through time and experience have tempered themselves into a smoothly working team. At this point, the individual notes are indistinguishable within the whole, but each clearly lends its character to the blend.

Mysterious, warm, rich, complex, resinously spicy, delicious.

 

Conclusions: Oh, lovely! I think it gets beat out by The Lion when it comes to favorite quite power blends, but it's definitely a keeper imp.

 

ETA: The more I sniff it on me, the more I like it.

Edited February 27, 2008 by alianthe

[Ajila]

In the bottle – The bubble gum of the lotus with a harshness that I presume is the myrrh

 

Wet on me – Bubble gum with a hint of sherbet. It’s very ‘my first perfume’ to the extent that it seems a little fake, if that makes sense.

 

Dry on me – For the most part the lotus reigns supreme although you get dirty hints of myrrh. The final dry down is a sweetened dry musk

 

Overall – I like it more than I thought I would, but I think Glitter and Aunt Caroline’s Joy Mojo give me the out and out joyful sweetness which this seems to be leaning towards

[donnatron]

Imp: Floral gum? Definitely some form of Trident.

 

Wet: The lotus goes sort of tangy/sour on me and the sandalwood comes roaring up to the front. This could go either way.

 

Dry: Mysterious. Sour candies and dry wood. It's just such a juxtaposition since the wood... is so dry whereas the tanginess of the lotus seems very lush and moist in concept.

 

Throw: Not noticeable.

 

Overall: Not for me, sadly. My skin just amped the sandalwood up and then tempered it with the lotus just leading to a very weird scent on me. I don't know what I'll use it for, since it's too heavy for the bath and too gum-like in the imp to make a good room scent. Hopefully it works on one of my friends.

[galleywest]

This one was unusual.

 

Wet, in the imp: a very round, heavy, sweet scent. Too sweet for me! Kind of a grape/floral.

 

Wet, on my skin: Sweet, artificial grape smell. The florals are still there and are also very sweet.

 

Dry, on my skin: it smells exactly like grape Laffy Taffy. I'm not kidding. It took me a while to place the scent, but that's what it is!

 

Swaps!

[LunaClaire]

The responses are so varied, I didn't know what to expect!

 

Bottle - Very sweet, like a sweet liqueur.

 

Wet - Still very sweet, the lotus is strong, and different from the pink lotus essential oil I know and love. Within a few minutes, the amber, myrrh and sandalwood emerge, giving the lotus sweetness the desert base this perfume refers to. However, for me, it is NOT demonic, or bleak, or the like. It evokes the feeling of forever - the endless desert night under a star-studded sky.

 

Dry - Unfortunately, this beautiful scent doesn't have much throw. And it fades fast - my skin just sucks it up. So what remains are spicy desert embers with a hint sweetness. But one must get very close to detect it.

[iiinterstate]

Eesh. Bubblegum with a bitter note to it. At least I know I don't care for lotus now.

[Christine Daae]

In the imp and wet on my skin: bubblegum!

 

As this dries, it stays pretty true to that bubblegum-esque lotus scent - lotus nearly always turns straight to bubblegum on me. I don't get much amber, I don't get any myrrh, and I don't get any sandalwood yet.

 

This is pretty much straight up lotus on me forever and ever. There's considerable throw, which is kind of too bad because I'm not terribly fond of this one.

[djsiberia]

wet: very strong and berry like

dry: headache and black lotus flower and still berry for some reason.

 

i wish i could smell some of the other notes in this...all i get is strong lotus

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: like grape candy.

 

wet on skin: same!

 

dry down: average throw, sweet and dark, this is goth candy in a nutshell. it's playful but has a serious element too.

 

in all: for the goth in your life, this is a good one.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Very sweet, strong on the lotus and myrrh. No desire to try this one on my skin.

[ladyver]

In bottle and wet on skin: floral, but something confectionary about this (like apple flavoured lollies) - this is totally not what I expected!!!!!!! (i didn't read the reviews before i tested this frimp). Something almost peppery in the background.

Later: floral with something sweet and something peppery. Its so different to anything I've tried before, I can see people could have a love/hate relationship with this one. I would normally avoid trying something people had described as having a bubblegum/confectionary scent - but i think i really like this, so i'm really glad i got a frimp of it to try!!!!! i will definitely keep and use the frimp and contemplate whether i want a bottle as i could see myself wearing this one to work.

[Lamia]

In the bottle, light and fruity. Open bottle, fresh pack of Juicyfruit gum. On skin, it smells like I'm at the dentist; a touch of sour breath, a cloyingly sweet-to-disguise-the-chemical smell of some paste or goo. Sandalwood dances in the background, hiding behind a screen.

 

I don't have much luck with amber scents, and yet I keep trying and trying... *laughs*

 

LATER:

 

Man, this is some potent shit. Less flowery now, and the sandalwood is coming through now, but it seems filtered, I think by the amber. You know, that scent that is so yummilicious on everyone else's flesh but mine... ah well. Into the trade bag unless it changes dramatically soon. Did I mention that it was potent? *PHEW*

 

ADDED Sept. 30:

 

The ingredients sound so magnificent, so delectable!

 

If only.

 

This starts pleasantly enough, flowers and amber, but it rapidly turns waxy. Like an old lipstick, a waxy perfumed scent. Like the kiddie lipstick that came with your "dress-up" tiara and bracelets and wee plastic heels when you were a little girl. Trade bag.

[Indigo78]

A whiff of the imp had my hopes sky-high for this scent. Bright Lotus jumps out first, and I'm in love. Lately I've had a thing for the girly-girl ones that are touched with incense notes, and this one's first impression definitely places it in that category.

 

Wet. Not the bittery stuff! Something might be going on with my chemistry and/or nosse right now - at first contact with my skin Myrrh smells like ass on me. And it's not good ass.

 

The dry down lets the bitter scent fade, and it's replaced with a languid candy-like floral and smoke. There's a prowling quality to it that makes me think of a slinky Mau cat in a night-blooming garden. Not too long of a wear length, considerable throw.

Edited May 31, 2008 by Indig0

[lilirose]

In the imp: sweet and strong. Not too sure about it, but will give it a shot.

 

On skin, wet: Some sort of fruit-flavoured candy. I almost have trouble believing that this has so many incensey notes that are listed in the description. It's just...candy.

 

On skin, dry: Changes totally. I mean totally. It's still sweet, but also rich and deep. The myrrh and amber (both favourites) save this blend and make it luxurious as well as sugary.

 

Verdict: I think I might eventually add this to my 5ml wishlist, because it's so very different to anything else I own. I'm usually not into sweet scents but this one is...different. Better. I like it.

[milo]

Very sweet, florally, reminds me of honeysuckle, which is not my thing. It did dry down to something wearable, but not enough to want to try again. For those of you who like sweet florals, it does have great staying power, and I still smell it after 12 hours. Off to swaps pile.

[DARKBEAUTY28]

Wet this scent is strong and astringent. It gets more floral as it develops. It's a pretty scent and I find myself sniffing where I applied it often. The dry down is great! It is the same dry down that I have experienced in one of the other scents but I forgot which one it is. The drydown is a powder-y, candy-ish note that I love...I just wish I knew what note it is!

[stillalive]

It smells kind of fruity wet then dries to.... something more floral? Fades to nothing too quickly for me to formulate a further opinion.

[jiggahava]

Nummy bubblegum. This is sweet, but not TOO sweet. I feel like a little girl wearing this. The throw is moderate, but it fades after a few hours, even when I slather. I definitley think it's worth keeping. It would even work great as a layering scent. Especially with other foody notes.

[thelaurenator]

Oh my god, this is LOVE. At first it's kinda too sweet, but it dries down to a spicy, resiny, vanilla lotus smell. AMAZINGGGG.

[Ohmaude]

Sandlewood incense and dark, pulpy, pulverized lotus flowers dripping with Myrhh. Despite the Amber and myrhh, it's vaguely aquatic, but river-aquatic, no ocean in this scent. I think of traveling in a canoe loaded down with incense, or walking into a damp headshop in a town along the Mississippi after the flood waters have receded.

 

It gets more of the sandlewood-dominant as it dries down, but retains that pulpy fruit quality.

Edited August 1, 2008 by Ohmaude

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Thick, deep lotus.

 

Immediately on skin: This scent is very dark. Lotus usually has this overly sweet twisted fruitiness to it on me, but this one has a deep, syrupy sweetness instead. It has that slightly “twisted” feel to my nose that regular lotus does, but it’s much more toned down here. Then there’s the other notes: the amber and sandalwood give this a nice warmth, while the myrrh adds a resinous, smooth tone.

 

After a little while: This gets almost tart on my skin as I wear it, though it still feels much darker than regular lotus. The sandalwood has gotten stronger and the amber has become very subtle, but still adds a nice warmth. The myrrh has faded to a slightly resinous background note.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent is so dark and deep… nothing like regular lotus. This is slighty fruity, but resinous and warm at the same time. This is still a sweeter blend though and very floral.