Black Rose

[ajansuz]

Exquisitely melancholy. The background scent to an ancient exequies. Heavy, dark and floral: a blend of roses, with a touch of amber and musk.

This was a frimp from the lab. I love rose scents, so I was excited when I saw it. In the imp, I smelled wet, lush rose with something dark and a tad smoky curled beneath it. Uh oh. Is that my nemesis, black musk?

Wet the rose amped beautifully with amber, but I know the note of doom lurking beneath.

Dry down. Black musk did the same thing to me it <b>always</b> does. It took a lovely, complex blend and turned it into baby powder. Dammit! Had that not happened, this would've been my favorite rose from BPAL so far. As it is, I'll have to reserve it for a clothing scent or a scent locket.

[sunlitgarden]

Black Rose

 

MYRRH! And.... cucumber? This is weird. o_O It doesn't smell like rose up close, but I am getting whiffs of rose as I sit here. Unfortunately, this reminds me of some kind of cleaning solution.... chemistry and/or nose fail. Bleh.

[donnatron]

Bottle: Strong, strong rose with a buttery background. Amber but a lighter amber than I find in Haunted or the Lion.

 

Wet: Strong, soapy rose petals. It smells more like dried rose than fresh rose. This is a very, very mature scent.

 

Dry: The musk is a darker musk. Maybe not true black musk but it's also not red musk or a lighter, crisper musk. Also not a civet-esque musk. Somewhere between an Indian and a black musk. The rose is the strongest note. It's very strong and velvety and brings to mind red roses in a vase. There is a very tiny green note to this--the stem. The amber is there but it's just kind of chillin' in the background happy to add a base note but not freaky or anything.

 

Throw: Strong.

 

Overall: It took this bottle a hella long time to grow on me. In fact, I bought it unsniffed when I first got into BPAL because it was rose and I LOVE rose. Then I was meh on it because it seemed way too old for me. Then I gave it to a friend who loves rose even more than I do. THEN she gave it back to me because she thought it was too matronly and this is a girl who prides herself on being matronly. Then it kind of sat in my swap box for awhile and I forgot to put it on my swaps page. Then I tried it today and wound up slathering it on (as much as one can slather a scent as strong as this one). It is something that an older woman could easily wear but to me it's a scent that is both severe and elegant. It takes no prisoners. I smell like a wicked queen and that is kind of awesome.

[yamiko]

Mmmmmm.

 

Dark roses and musk at first, then the amber comes out more as it dries. It smells like a lovely incense.

[Incendiare]

So glad the lab frimped me with this one because as much as I like rose, I wouldn't have bothered ordering it since I already have so many rose blends. It's primarily rose on me in the beginning, but as time goes on, it becomes more resiny. What I absolutely love about it is how it smells on my clothes several hours after. I applied it before going to bed one night and when I woke up, I kept on sniffing around for this glorious incense smell I was detecting, only to discover it was Black Rose on my t-shirt. It smells like the most wonderful floral incense. I wish it would smell like this throughout all of its stages.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Definitely floral, but I only get a bit of rose and more of the vague heaviness of musk.

 

Wet: Kind of a granny's rose perfume, unfortunately. It's on the heady and cloying side, with just a bit of the rose's freshness peeking out of a swathe of dark smog.

 

Dry: I'm really bummed I never got any amber from this. Just a weighed down rose, so much that it loses its appeal to me in this.

 

Overall: Not so great. Baby powder and mustiness with dead roses.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: All 3 scents are identifiable, and beautifully balanced with the amber/musk slightly dominating the rose, which makes for a very elegant floral.

 

On me, wet: Now the amber and musk are considerably stronger than the rose, but the rose is still there. Even wet, this is more subtle than most rose fragrances.

 

On me, drydown: The scents are coming back into balance, with the rose now equal to the darker notes. A more complex rose scent - for grown-ups rather than young girls or old ladies. Sophisticated, but in a feminine way rather than an edgy way.

 

After 1 hour: It's now more like a classic rose scent but still with a spiciness of incense.

 

After 2 hours: Mostly the spicy incense of the amber and musk, with just the faintest hint of rose.

 

After 3 hours: The scent is still pretty much all incense, but has now grown very faint.

 

Verdict: The description is right on the nail. This is a formal and elegant perfume that would be perfect for special occasions. But it could also be an option for work, because the throw is more discreet and it is less in-your-face flowery than most rose-based fragrances. It also would be a great candidate for a perfume locket, in order to preserve the beautiful balance that this blend has in the bottle. And for someone who doesn't normally like rose scent but wants to experiment, this might be a good one to try.

 

My rating: 5

[Maleficium]

imp: strong, musky, dark petals. this really does conjure images of black roses.

 

wet: wow yeah, definitely getting some cucumber from this.

 

dry: spicy and musky.

 

I normally hate rose, but I'm keeping this for now. It's really smoky and dark just how I like without being overwhelmingly floral.

[Kayah]

I got a sniffie from the most wonderful Ralenth...

 

I open the imp.. and it smells like rose petals.. not a tea rose - this is the velvety soft smell of perfumed dark rose petals. I swipe it onto my skin.

 

So.. there I am, in this dark place. There's someone there with me - I don't know who, they're in a black cloak, with a black hat - a lady's hat.. but it's all dark. I don't see this person and there is not much light going on.. it's all mysterious and smells like a rose garden at night.

But then.. what? no, light doesn't come on, but I can see better now..

 

This lady - it is a lady.. she's... she's.. powdering her hair. Her hat has fallen to the floor and she's just putting powder on her hair..

 

With WHITE powder, onto her beautiful dark raven black hair!.. There's giant clouds of powder puffing up - and she doesn't stop! She just keeps on putting it on her hair, and it goes all over her beautiful cloak, and her hat on the floor is now just white with this powder, and all I can smell is her perfume.. that of dark roses.. masked completely by billows and billows of talc...

[gniwle]

Rose and butter. Seriously. But they're gorgeous roses, and it's gorgeous butter! I agree that this is a "mature" scent, but at the same time it's sexy and in control. I love it. *_*

[OctoberGwen]

I'm not the biggest rose fan, but with the musky darkness plus the warm amber this is really quite fabulous. It's not my 'thing' as a perfume, but I will most definitely use it in my infuser. Rich, sweet, dark, and sexy. Very nice.

[DeadlyNightshade]

My first review!

 

I totally love this perfume!

It smells like sweet rose incense on me (not burning incense, but it smells like when it't still in the wrapper).

Unfortunately it didn't last a very long time on me, it becomes a lot less noticeable after an hour or 2 (but it's still nice!).

 

I think i need a big bottle of this!

[Rho]

I totally enjoy rose, so my impressions on Black Rose will reflect that. I also don't think I could ever have enough good variations on a rose themed perfume. My current favorite BPAL rose is Whip; can Black Rose compete?

 

In the imp: Surprisingly bright rose, greenery, and a light hint of musk.

 

Wet: Green rose! Very fresh; very sweet. Even as I sniff it, I can tell it's spreading its roots and getting deeper. This is a pleasant fragrance during this phase; it's uplifting.

 

Dry: This is just shockingly cheerful, given the name. The rose maintains its fresh, sweetness, and there is a lovely rumbling of incensey amber just peeking out from between all the rose petals. It's undeniable that this is rose's show though; it's totally front and center.

 

Overall: Wow. With a name like Black Rose, I was totally expecting something heavier or more serious. Instead, I'm getting this happy rose note, and some slight amber. Don't get me wrong; the combination is pleasing, just not expected.

 

I'm starting to wonder if, in spite of my love for rose, it might warp on my skin. This is not the first rose blend that struck me as unexpectedly bright and joyful when I was expecting something darker. Even my beloved Whip smells more gleeful than other reviews make it sound. Oh well. If it is my chemistry, I guess I can live with that. These things still smell good.

 

Keywords for Black Rose: Feminine, strongly floral, medium throw, happy.

 

3/5 A little too simple on me, but well worth smelling.

[mimieux]

I love rose, so was happy to receive an imp of this from Mineralgirl. It's definitely one of the darker, heavier rose blends that I've sniffed thus far from Bpal and the name is very fitting. It reminds me a bit of really good quality rose incense. It's got a really rich, kind of creamy dry down that I like a lot, but is still really intense ROSE. Very nice.

[symphonyinsilence]

For some reason, this is darker than The Obsidian Widow - might be the black musk and amber combo. No jasmine either, yay. I'm glad it's working on me. I'm not a rose lover, but this is pretty awesome.

 

This one comes pretty darn close in my quest for Black Rose Immortal.

 

I'll keep my eyes open anyway, just in case there's a better scent.

Edited February 9, 2012 by symphonyinsilence

[Viridian]

Tested out this lab frimp without much in the way of expectations, because while I like rose, I've started to drift away from liking rose on me because of the way I amp almost anything with rose into single-note rose.

 

Wet, I can pick out the lab's black musk, similar to the musk in Darkness, which is the first bottle I ever purchased and my first favorite - also, sadly, one I don't enjoy as much any more because I don't love floral musks the way I used to. Still, this is nice, and once upon a time I might've made this my go-to rose. The dark musk and amber deepen and ground the rose so it's not a sharp piercing loud rose at all, and it wears much closer to the skin so I don't feel like I'm walking around in a cloud of rose all day.

 

It stays fairly true through the drydown, with the amber and musk remaining in the very late drydown stages once the rose has faded off.

[boomtownrat]

In high school I sometimes wore a tea rose fragrance (I think it was just called Tea Rose), but that was before migraines became a problem for me. I've been afraid of trying the Lab's rose scents due to my fairly recent experiences with several florals triggering migraines. A couple of months ago, the Lab frimped me some Black Rose and I tentatively dabbed a bit onto one wrist one night before taking my bath, knowing that I'd be washing it off if it was too much for me to take.

 

Fresh from the lab and when I was premenstrual, Black Rose was too much and I felt a telltale twinge on one side of my head, so I washed it off within minutes. I stuck it in my imp box to give it some time. The Lab frimped me some Seance on a more recent purchase, which I tentatively dabbed on and ended up loving. I decided to revisit Black Rose.

 

Today, about two months later, this is the perfume version of heavy black eyeliner, rat's nest hair, and old Clan of Xymox and Bauhaus records! Rose is the predominant note in the imp and when it's wet on my skin, but within ten minutes the musk and amber turn it mysterious and nostalgic. After about 45 minutes it's all blended into a slightly powdery dark rose scent. There's most likely some black musk, but I'm not experienced enough at this to say for sure... I see others have said the same. I love the black musk in Playful Wooden Mallets too, so I think I've discovered a new favourite note.

 

I love Black Rose and had to stop myself putting on more. After all, I'm not wearing eyeliner and I'm in my pajamas (to say nothing of the migraine threat). This isn't something I'll wear daily, but it'll be one of my main scents for goth nights and possibly Renaissance Festival. It might be too heavy for summer and I think I'll refrain from wearing it during hormonal times.

 

Letting the imp age a couple of months must have been all it needed, and it seems if I wear it sparingly and don't huff my wrists it plays well enough with my migraine brain. Now I feel sad that I was too scared to try a decant of any Yule rose scents. Maybe I'll find some floating around eBay or the sale forum.

Edited April 7, 2012 by boomtownrat

[EricthoDesalamander]

I got this as an imp with my second order, and just the name alone was intriguing.

 

In the vial, it definitely smell like rose, a rich resinous rose in full bloom. I was really disappointed that this didn't work on me, because as soon as I applied it the scent became too sharp and powdery - it bascially morophed into a bathroom cleander scent on my skin.

I can definitely see this working on the right chemistry, but just not with mine.

 

I may use it to scent other things, such as some nice silk roses that I have sitting up, or one of my rosaries made of real roses.

[KakashiMorph]

This imp was graciously gifted to me, so I am unsure of it's age.

In the bottle: Dark, sweet rose.

On my skin: Dark rose. This sweetness isn't innocent but rather enchanting. I am wearing this with gothy attire and so far it is a perfect fit.

Drydown: My black rose morphed to a red one although the transforming process was quite pleasant.

[Mechanical Death]

My first thought upon applying this was "meh". However as it dried it transformed into a gorgeous deep rose scent with a lot of richness. It's hard to describe other than rose, but it's dark and haunting. It reminds me a bit of 13 hours, but less stone, more grittiness and deep rose.

[yakiguri]

I don't know if it's the amber or the musk (maybe the musk since it's black musk), but Black Rose starts off like a typical rose blend...and then quickly morphs to baby powder and disappears completely from my skin. I'll try again in a few months as black musk can behave itself on my skin with a little aging but I'm not holding my breath.

[claudia6913]

Dark, heady .... baby powder. Oh rose. It is flipping between baby powder and rose so maybe all is not lost!

[FriedaLove]

This started off as pure rose but then quickly morphed into soap, soap, soap I wanted to love it, but I just don't.

[vthesiren]

Started off as a very powerful rose scent with a hint of darkness. Sweet, very feminine, something that a strong, confident woman would probably wear.

 

After an hour and a powdery phase, it's pure incense. All the rose is gone. How strange.

[marraskave]

I have little to add about the scent itself. It's deep, heavy and intoxicating. A natural, velvety, DARK rose. The musk balances the sweetness of rose out. Sharp in a sense, and even though I love this I found myself wondering if I can actually pull a scent like this off. It's sensual and sophisticated, but I find this commanding at the same time too. (Somehow I associate this to the sound of violin, hmm!)

 

However... I purchased this at the end of the year 2012. I got a shipping notification on 1.12.2012. That's less than 9 months ago. I have kept this in a cool (and obviously dark) closet all the time. Today as I sniffed this, the scent had changed already? It's a slight but very noticeable transformation. It's not as "fresh" and sharp anymore, but it just smells like something in it has just started to spoil. Should I have had expected this? I thought that I would notice aging (in a negative sense) when I would have had a perfume oil around 1,5 years...

Edited August 20, 2013 by marraskave