Black Lily

[tarotgirl99]

Breathtaking darkness, a vision of grace in shadow.

For me, Black Lily was a surprise--I didn't want to talk about how beautiful it was until it became GC...no need to start a run on a favorite unreleased scent.

Very feminine, for me major league throw and longevity. I love Cobra Lily, too (I'm a lily fan in general), but there is a too-waxy sweetness in CL that BL doesn't have...it's creamier, softer and darker.

Sometimes when I have it on, I forget what I'm wearing, get a whiff, and say, "What am I wearing that smells so great? I need more of that!" and then I remember: Black Lily.

I'm so glad that it's readily available now.

[Teggy]

Wow...I don't care for florals, but this is just lovely. Fresh, dark, femenine. It doesn't get soapy or cloying. This is definately a "dignified lady" kind of scent to be worn on a special occasion. It teeters on the edge of being an "old lady" scent, but doesn't quite go over it.

 

The only downside to it is that it fades on my skin very quickly and becomes rather muted. I'd have to call it, "High class and elegant rather than sexy."

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is an outstanding floral

 

once applied this is a dark and

creamy almost vanilla scent with that ultra feminine flowery

note...really incredible...so glad i took a chance to try this one...

lovely

[GypsyRoseRed]

I am so, so happy that the Lab decided to release this as GC! Black Lily isn't really what you'd expect given the name - instead, this is a soft, rich and creamy lily without a hint of anything dark to it at all. For me, it's the ultimate lily blend, and one I'll be wearing a lot of.

[faifai]

Got my imp order today and was glad I remembered to throw in Black Lily. I've loved the smell of lilies for quite some time, but they always go too green on me. Cobra Lily was a success because it was a less leafy/stem lily and smelled "orange" or "red", but it wasn't quite a lily scent either. Tiger Lily was lovely but a bit too honeyed for me.

 

Black Lily certainly is the best lily scent I've tried so far. It's smooth, creamy, and floral. Seems like it'd be perfect for any occasion, whether it's going to a date, having a night in, attending a white-tie ball or a funeral. It's not too loud, not too soft, and isn't too clean, too musky, too foody, or too floral. It's not registering as particularly "dark" to me, either; it's more black in the sense that it's like a little black dress, it'll go with everything. It's just amazing, and ranks up there in my top 10 for sure.

Edited November 11, 2006 by faifai

[Loligo]

Wow! Like everyone says, this is a rich, creamy lily scent -- simple, gorgeous, and multi-purpose. There are very few GC scents that tempt me to buy bottles, and this is now one of them.

[LiberAmoris]

Black Lily is such a glamorous lily---it’s like a slow pan in on a lily in film noir, set at the edge of a foyer table with a sunburst wallpaper behind it. Impeccably simple, yet complex enough to bedevil those who make the mistake of getting too close.

 

I bought a bottle of this for one of my supervisors at work who loves lily, and she adores it.

[Thaleia]

I was really impressed by the near-universal accolades for this scent, and that definitely helped me to decide to get a bottle once it was made GC. It smells gorgeous ITB – so far I wasn’t disappointed. When I tried it on, though, I was disappointed to find that it smelled fake and plasticky and weird. It could be any of the following: a. hormones, b. I had scented lotion on, or c. I’m one of the very few unlucky people for whom this scent does not work at all.

 

I washed my hands, tried it on again, then put it on as my scent for the day, and NOW I’m getting what everyone else has been talking about.

 

This is a dusky, shadowed lily, stately and elegant, who knows she’s better than you, but feminine and sexy at the same time. I'm probably one of the few who's getting the hint of darkness, and after a few seconds I get a bit of the creamy vanilla that other people have mentioned. It's mostly lilies until the drydown, when the vanilla comes out and sweetens the whole blend. It takes a while for the sharp floral scent of lily to calm down and for the vanilla to come out, but when it does, it’s totally worth the wait.

 

I wonder if aging this would make the notes blend together better. Regan, for example, is another vanilla floral that gets better with age. I hope it's the same for Black Lily, because it's good now, but I'd imagine that it'll be great later.

 

Yes, I'm definitely enjoying it now.

[euterpe414]

Oh my, this is simply stunning! Now I see what all the fuss was about when it was merely a prototype. I am not a floral girl predominantly, but there are quite a few flowers that I like, and Lily is one of them. This is so creamy and smooth, a velvet lily, per say. I really wanted Tiger Lily to smell/feel like this, but it turned out to be soapy. I am glad after all that I can have the lily scent that I have dreamed of. This will definitely make me feel glamorous and beautiful on even my most drab days.

[sofaking6]

Black Lily IS lily.

 

Very fresh, almost dewy lily. Triggering memories of fresh-from-my-garden lillies laying on my nightstand.

 

There is almost nothing distracting from the floral here. It's a true dedication to one of my favorite flowers. It smells like lily in the bottle, on wet and for hours after.

 

Many Many thanks to the lab for this one.

[Katinka]

If Black Lily is too soapy for you at first, give it a chance to dry down, because it soon becomes the equivalent of a silk blouse and a string of pearls in a bottle.

 

Seriously, this is the smooth, "white-gold" scent I have been wanting for some time now. Elegant, refined, and confidant, without the obtrusiveness that some floral scents have. Just lovely.

[maijasu]

This is a plain, uncomplicated, and very beautiful lily scent. I'm not getting anything "black" from it, and I get none of the vanilla that others have mentioned. I could see myself wearing this a lot in the spring and will definitely keep my imp.

[Mountaingrrl00]

Something about Black Lily reminds me of Queen Mab. I think there may be a similar sandalwood smoothing out and grounding the floral. I'm guessing that's the source of the sweetness and creaminess others have mentioned. Whatever it is, it works to make this a very attractive scent. This is definitely lily - a little green, a little sweet, very springlike. Minimal throw, little staying power, at least on my winter skin, which seems to be eating all but the strongest scents. It's nice enough that I will hang on to the partial frimp I got in a swap, and see if this works betterwhen the weather gets warmer.

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Cold florals.

 

On me: Turning a bit medicinal. It's still floral, but there's something underneath that has a lurky quality of medicine or antiseptic stuff. Uh oh. Now it's turning into cat pee. Ugh. Alas, cat pee is not for me.

[shellyshells]

Black Lily is a dark, velvety, lily scent. I don't normally like lily as the dominant note in a blend but whatever tempers it, makes this a truly wearable blend for me.

 

Overall, the throw is average and the floral is smoooooth. Definitely a keeper!

[PirateMaggie]

Black Lily brings to mind fresh lilies at twilight. I'm not sure how Beth managed to make a lily scent dark, but she did it with absolutely wonderful results. Two of my favourites which are in heavy every-day rotation are Tiger Lily and Prague. Black Lily uses the same wonderful, pure, non-cloying lily, but this blend is different enough from the other lily scents to make it worth trying.

 

I too noted a vanilla hint, of a similar light non-foody variety to the vanilla note in Regan (another everyday fave), but it's the lily that really shines. Throw is medium, and surprisingly long-lasting; ten hours later it's somewhat faded, but I can still smell it at my pulse points. I'm detecting something slightly resinous or woody, but I can't quite put my nose on it: myrrh, maybe, with red sandalwood? Whatever it is, it works. Black Lily is refined, elegant, almost austere, yet soft and comforting at the same time. As others have mentioned, this scent is absolutely velvety--good silk velvet with a deep pile, at that.

 

I bought a bottle of this, untried, because I love BPAL lilies that much, and I am very glad I did.

[alliekat13]

Black Lily is a sweet, dark lily, a little spicy and covered in powdery pollen. I'm not registering any of the vanilla scent that others mentioned...just the flowery sweet lily. It's pretty much the same on my skin as it is in the bottle, but after a few hours there is an afterscent that I'm not too fond of, kind of like a rusty smell. But overall I like this, I would like it alot more though without the wierd funky smell that comes out later on.

[theseagrows]

oh wow i love this one. different kinds of lilies seem to work on me and others not. black lily is the best lily i've come across. it's creamy and reminds me of orchid a bit for some reason. the color that comes to mind is purplish-black. i think i'll have to get a bottle of this.

Edited January 28, 2007 by theseagrows

[zenvodunista]

Wow. I'm shocked.

 

I like this! I can't believe it!

 

Lily in perfume (less so in the true flower) tend to go to soap on my skin almost instantly. I don't even bother anymore.

 

I got this in a recent batch of frimps and just sort of decided to try it randomly tonight.

 

This is a gorgeous lily, without a trace of soap. Just lily and sun warmed skin.

 

I may get a bottle. We'll see if I keep going back to the imp.

 

Throw is really excellent too.

 

N.

[femmefatale]

I have found that most florals do not love me. For example, I had expected to love roses and hate lillies but I've found it's just the opposite.

 

This is just a beautiful scent. I would say that it strikes me more of an elegant scent, but thankfully, not an old lady one.

At first it seems to be a fresher lily, but as it dries it becomes a creamier, more complex lily scent.

 

I really like it. I'm going to try it a few more times, but it might end up on my bottle list.

[eleventhousand]

Hot-buttered vanilla lily.

[Roses Ablaze]

At first I was like, "aaaah it has the same quality as ylang-ylang that I hate, whatever that is", but that quality faded on my skin when I accidentally splashed some on and it turned nice and light and sweet. Will edit this post later when I try in on properly.

 

I must say though, it definitely does not remind me of darkness. Although, I don't know what would remind me of darkness, so...eh...

[steffanina]

Black Lily-

 

In Bottle: A lovely, soapy-light flower scent.

 

Wet: Mmm, what a lovely floral. Soapy-honeysuckle-y.

 

Dry: This is one of the loveliest florals I've ever smelled. It's big and fruity and juicy and yet unmistakably floral, all clean and rain-fresh and seductive. Wonderful.

 

Overall: I love. One of my very favorite florals, just like that.

[themerrybaker]

Maybe my nose is being wonky, but Black Lily reminds me of the smell of animal crackers. (A summer bouquet of animal cracker - not a bouquet of funeral animal crackers).

It's light and subtle and soft. I think this actually smells better than Oriental Lilies. Glad I got to try it - this one lives up to its legend.

Edited March 17, 2007 by themerrybaker

[Electra]

This is just plain lily on me. It's fine, but it's kind of boring (as are most lily scents, both BPAL and commercial, on my skin), and nothing to write home about. I don't get the lovely-sounding nuances that some of the previous reviewers did.

 

It's not offensive, but I'd never reach for it.