Black Lotus

[anguissette]

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.

I tried two imps of this. One judging by the color was older. I really liked that one. It was rich, deep, dark, complex. I woke up the next day still smelling like lotus, with no trace of powder. The fresher imp, or the imp that was lighter in color, just turned cloyingly sweet and then yucky powdery. I don't know if it was age or different batches or just my own hormones but I definitely had wildly different experiences with this one.

[AEris]

The lotus is gorgeous for the first 10 seconds, and then it completely disappears as myrrh overpowers even the sandalwood and amber.

 

Seriously, it's single-note myrrh here.

 

I must note that my imp is at least a few years old because of the label style, so I bet this is one of those BPALs that is much nicer fresh (florals sometimes go that way).

 

As I've experienced it, I'd give it a 3 out of 5, although it would likely score higher brand new.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Sweet and tangy. Smells much more fruity than floral. I would never have guessed there was myrrh or sandalwood in this one.

 

Wet: An instant of Juicyfruit Gum, then the floral came up, followed not 30 seconds later by the amber. There's the promise of something more bitter beneath, perhaps the myrrh.

 

Ten minutes: Well, this is definitely another amber-floral on me, but the sandalwood makes it into something different from the others. I don't often have a lot of luck with sandalwood, but this one might work out pretty well.

 

Half an hour: Agreeably complex. The amber has been folded back into the sandalwood, and the floral is much less strong than before. There's a dryness that might be the myrrh. Nothing dominates, but it smells pretty nice, less intense and more sneaky than most.

 

Four and a half hours: I enjoyed sniffing this all morning, especially while I was tapestry weaving. Now it's dried off and the myrrh is dominating a bit of amber and a hint of floral. The sandalwood that makes this one something special on me has dissipated, for the most part.

[heathercaley]

Mmm flowerish bubblegum! There's a bit of darkness that hovers in the background, but all I am getting is incense flavored bubble gum.

 

As it dries down, I'm getting more incense and less bubblegum (yay for chemistry!) But something sharp is poking through. If I barely sniff.. it's sweet saccharin and myrrh..if I huff it's super duper sharp.

 

Oh look!! Amber! Hiyah! Very nice...

 

Such a roller coaster this one is! Sometimes it's soft amber, and other times it's sharp florals.

 

Overall it's a pleasent blend. Bravo again Beth!

[zankoku_zen]

This is a flowery bubblegum, the myrrh makes the bubblegum almost dirty.

[mooncityminx]

In the vial: A bowl of sweet fruits in syrup sitting next to a pile of spicy incense

 

Wet: Fruity! I understand the bubblegum comparison. Kind of spicy too. This is wonderful! Just the right kind of spicy too. Yum!

 

Dry down: Oh, this is so wearable. It has turned into a spicy "oriental" fragrance. It is just very slightly powdery, but not in a bad way, plus some exotic spices. It has the same mood as Samsara which I used to wear a lot before I discovered bpal. I hope to find more bpals like this one. The fruit is almost entirely gone now and it's only been a few minutes.

[Iceblink]

Serious lotus! There's something dry undernearth the candy smell I always get from lotus--sandalwood?--but mostly it's just lotus lotus lotus. Good when you're in the mood for lotus, I suppose.

[EauQue]

OK this is the first time that myrrh did not send me running. Perhaps there is just not that much of it.

 

Anyhoo.... this was lotus from start to finish, in varying degrees. When wet, the flower note is intense and sharp. And completely dried down, its there but in a muted powdery form. Will I wear this Imp out? No, I'll share with others but it is a lovely scent.

[grifyn_whiffs]

Something I've learned from BPAL: Lotus scents = bubble gum.

 

Well, to START, anyway. The bubble gum phase of this one was over within the first five minutes. From there, it was slightly sharp and spicy for a moment and then... frighteningly soapy on my skin (Amber, I see what you did there).

 

The soapy amber goes away, though, and for a blissful hour, I got a gorgeous waft of smooth silky lotus every time I shifted or put my hand through my hair. Really, really pretty. Even now I get the faintest trace of it on my skin. Not long lasting on me, but really pretty.

[tacey]

Dark and juicy! I'm not familiar with lotus, so I can't say how much it's normal lotus and how much it's black lotus, but it's quite intense. Surprisingly, it fades faster than average.

[jencallisto]

In the imp: bright pink bubblegum, but with a lurking evil complexity underneath, sharp and kind of ammonia-y, like industrial-strength cleanser.

Fresh on the skin: Whoa, that cleanser smell really comes to the forefront, sharp and astringent. There's sugar-sweetness blooming around the edges, cloying. I'm a little afraid this is going to give me a headache.

10 minutes later: Pretty impressive throw, which is problematic as that headache I could feel almost forming (which Baku, the scent I tried this morning, had helped soothe) is starting to spread across my forebrain.

20 minutes later: There's a strong baby powder aspect to this. Baby powder is not one of my favorite smells, and while this is definitely not all baby powder, it's still sort of problematic.

30 minutes later: This is like a thick bubblegum icepick to my sinuses, and not in a good way. If I get really close I can smell all sorts of interesting other stuff underneath, but the aura of cloying bubblegum masks it.

1 hour later: Okay, it's calmed down a lot and is relatively pretty -- now it's sort of a spiced-up, slightly incensey bubblegum.

2 hours later: Warm, soft, spiced bubblegum, light and sweet. I don't hate it, anyway. I do kind of think it's undone most of Baku's work -- my shoulders are all tightened up now, after Baku had relaxed them.

3 hours later: It's gained a little creamy vanilla-ness. Now it's sort of like a fluffy white cake with bubble-gum-flavored sprinkles mixed in, fresh out of the oven. Nice.

6 hours later: Light bubblegum-vanilla, faded and a bit powdery. Fine, if unexciting.

7 hours later: This is basically gone, having faded all the way down to a generic vanilla-y smell.

 

Verdict: I feel profoundly enh about the whole thing. The later stages are reasonably pleasant, but I'm not sure how I feel about the aggressive start. I've never been a fan of bubblegum perky, you know? And the underlying evil, at least for me, feels less like complex, seductive darkness and more like a shallow, backstabbing high school cheerleader. And well, I was pretty much a loud, proud, nonconformist geek in high school, so you can guess how I feel about that. I'll probably give it another shot sometime, because I didn't actually hate it, and maybe a different mood and a bit of aging will do it a world of good.

[themerrybaker]

Black Lotus is nice and smoky-sweet having both amber and lotus contributing. I wish it had a bit more throw, though.

[Juushika]

In the vial: Sharp sugary pink floral—that's lotus all right, with anything to tame it.

 

On me: Gross cloying bubblegum, a rise of bitter companion notes, but within half an hour they both calm down. The drydown, is unexpectedly fruity: fruit by the way of lotus, similar to dragon's blood resin. A reddish-pink tone with a kick of sharp and sweet, not a real identifiable fruit but no longer a floral. The resins mute and darken the color of the scent, providing a smooth, warm, slightly smoky base.

 

Verdict: I had great hopes for and fears of this blend, but it's managed to fall somewhere between. This is an unexpectedly fruity scent, reddish, sweet, shadowed—but not particularly complex. The lotus is palatable, but the notes which temper it strip away its defining brightness without adding complexity or character, creating a moderate scent which is nice but unremarkable. I'll retest this once more, but I expect to trade it away. Hopefully someone else will have better luck with my imp.

[rayvn1]

Running away! This is not good at all on me. I can't even handle letting it sit to see if this awful cloying bubblegum, pink pepto bismol smells goes away. Yikes! Sounds like the aged version of this would go over better. Eek.

[Bamels]

I got this as a frimp, but judging by the myrrh I was figured I was on to a winner.

 

In the bottle I smell as very sweet and fruity smell, much like fruity bubblegum as others have mentioned! I can't make out any single notes. I've never smelled lotus flower before so can't tell what that would be like!

 

When wet it smells much the same as in the bottle, still very sweet but a slight sharp note to it which is possibly the amber on me.

 

When dry it's a sweet ever so slightly incensey smell on me (I amp incense like nobody's business!). I'm not too keen on it, however it may improve with age so I will keep hold of it. I also noticed it's longevity. I put it on before I went to bed and by morning I was greeted by a beautiful smell around me! Granted, the OH wasn't there, but I'm sure that didn't have much to do with it

[tajana]

The first few seconds smell like pure juicy fruit gum! I've liked all the other scents involving lotus that I've tried so far, but when it's the centerpiece it's a little overwhelming. The bubblegumminess gets a little more flower-like as the scent dries down, and the scent turns more incensey. Myrrh and amber for sure, but I'm not getting any sandalwood unless I huff my wrist. It seems familiar and reminds me of something, but I can't put my finger on it... it makes this scent strangely compelling. But it's, well, weird. "Corrupted" indeed... despite its sweetness it smells sinister.

 

I was waffling over whether or not I want to keep this imp so I gave it a go in a scent locket. It stays bubblegummy lotus sans noticeable dark notes for a longer while, and then it's the same story as on my skin, with the sandalwood marginally more noticeable. After hours and hours and hours in the locket, it's got much less strength but smells better because the myrrh/amber/sandalwood are sweetened beautifully instead of overpowered by candy. I have a strange fondness for Black Lotus but at the end of the day I don't think I want to smell like incensey bubblegum.

[Argentwolf]

I concur with the flowery bubblegum consensus! It's very, very sweet -- and pretty, in its own way. I pretty much get just damp, juicy lotus, and that's it. Maybe a powdery hint of myrrh as it starts to dry, but it's mostly a floral, on me.

[asciident]

Wet: Strong floral.

 

First on: Nail polish remover?

 

Dry: Candy and acetone, yuck.

[othelloperrello]

Fruity cinnamon. The perfect combo, but has a kind of overbearing saccharine quality to its background that I can’t bear.

 

[Violet74]

Out of my latest imps, Black Lotus is definitely a winner! Ok, I'm not that familiar with what lotus should smell like. Here I get a very juicy full-bodied, sweet berry scent ... maybe cherry/strawberry. In the early stages, yes it is a bit bubblegummy, now I'll add I hate the smell of bubblegum - but the scent here is not offputting at all to me, it's just very fruity in a purple juicy way! The drydown is a nice ambery-musk. I love it .... sexy, gorgeous and a little dark. I'm thinking this could be wearable for all occasions. A bottle of this is going to be next on my list.

[mhickle]

Fruity and a little bubble-gummy in the imp, but it becomes more "sophisticated" and dark on my skin. The sandalwood starts to emerge, and this tempers the initial sweetness. I can't really identify any of the other notes - maybe the softness of amber, but I do really like this blend. It's pretty light on me, but smells oh so good up close. The kind of scent that is almost a secret, reserved for lovers and my own deep wrist-sniffing.

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Lotus bubblegum and something really dark. Almost like licorice

 

Wet: Cherry bubblegum

 

Drydown: That's an awful lot like blood lotus. Bubblegum with a bit of licorice like darkness. Eh

[gypsyjolie]

This is my first sniff of lotus - WOAH bubblegum.

Black Lotus is bubblegum and sandalwood at first, and dries with a darker scent as the myrrh comes out and makes incense with the sandalwood. The sweetness fades to something more floral than the candy-like scent it starts as, and I like this a lot - as long as the myrrh behaves itself.

 

this is rich and exotic and velvety.

[AMaskedMistress]

This was my first ever BPAL scent to try, and I ordered this particular scent because I'm OBSESSED with Ancient Egypt right now... It was definately not what I expected! It actually smells quite... hippie... to me. In a good way, like the incense that my best friend used to burn... For some reason, the Sandalwood note wore the longest on me, athough now, 8 hours after first application, it's a very nice, soft powdery floral. All in all, I really like this scent!

[revinn]

Sexy candy. Very syrupy sweet, but with something darker grounding it. It doesn't feel like "me," but I like it anyway. I'll find someone it suits better, but I'll enjoy sniffing my imp in the meantime.

 

Out of 10: 7