Faiza, the Black Mamba (2006)

[Heretic]

Upon the next stage, a primitive cage has been erected. It is made of heavy, dark sticks bound with strips of deep brown leather. The stage is as dark as pitch, and from the shadows, you hear soft hissing, spitting, and an ominous chorus of weird rattling sounds. You approach with some trepidation, and peer between the bars. Your attention is seized by writhing forms on the straw bottom of the cage. As your eyes adjust to the gloom, you realize that the floor is seething with serpents, dark and colorful, languid and large, swift and small. You hear a sultry chuckle, and you see bright, unblinking emerald eyes staring at you from the corner of the cage. A woman crawls through the snakes, her scaled body as sinuous and lissome as the creatures that share her home. She reaches towards you languorously with her sharp-clawed hands and sighs.

A sensual blend of twisting, exotic, serpentine oils: black amber, caraway, oakmoss, green sandalwood, bergamot, jasmine sambac, gardenia, orange pulp, vanilla, blackberry, black musk, white honey, ti leaf, and ginger.

In the bottle: Dark, damp green. It slithers, somehow.
On my wrist, wet: Oh ho ho. This is dark. The caraway pokes out of a deep green base, the sandalwood providing the main note.
After 20 minutes: A dark, jungly bouquet. Imagine deeps greens punctuated with a waxy white flower and a spicy orange splash here and there. The ginger sets a little fire beneath the floral topnotes, while the honey and vanilla keep the sharpness at bay.
After 40 minutes: The ginger has settled down a bit and now everything is more subdued and more blended together as a single scent. This is quite a morpher and one of the most complex blends I've encountered. I was able to detect every note listed in the description at some point during the wet and initial drydown stages. From start to finish, I could visualize this scent rise up out of the bottle, slither across my arm displaying all of its notes and finally coil into a fragrant ball. This scent is one to wear when you're feeling predatory. Fantastic!

[crimsonmoon1985]

This scent is absolutely delicious! There is no other way for me to explain it. Dark, delicious, and exotic

[maribouquet]

I'm so sorry, guys. I want to give you a thorough review of Faiza, so that you'll decide to try it for yourself, but I can't form a coherent thought. I can't even pick out the notes (blame me, not Faiza!), partly because they are indeed a serpentine mass of teeming, dark sensuality. Perfectly blended.

 

A lithe, dark bouquet, soft and cool, yet hissing with undertones of a powerful, mesmerizing charm.

 

I'm hopelessly in love.

 

Boys and ladies who love boy-like scents, I think you could easily wear this, too. It feels feminine to me but is not overly floral and has a shadowed green edge that would suit a more masculine palate.

 

Fellow jasmine victims, don't be afraid! I can say with the utmost shock and delight that the jasmine in this is mellow, both in strength and in its willingness to stay calm and not turn into burnt rubber.

[Little Bird]

I admit that I just bought this blend for the "orange pulp, vanilla, blackberry" bit. This is moreso one of those blends that you can't pick a note out of though, very complex and a result of the blend more than one or two notes.

 

Opening the bottle, this has a dark and airy quality... but is also very wet and woodsy. It made me think of peering into a dark cave and being hit with a gust of cold wind, carrying the scent of chilled water and something green and piny. There's something cold, dark, and very clean about this.

 

On me... almost dryersheet clean, but not that bad or that simple. More like the clean, wet, airy notes of blends like Buck Moon. Only Faiza is much darker and deeper than Buck Moon.

 

In the drydown, this still has a dark and damp feel, but now with an added slightly powdery woods and hints of something like a sharp man's cologne. It's almost like a sharp floral perfume, which I would normally hate... but something about it is manly and so sharp that it suddenly ceases to be sharp (erm, I'm not on drugs, really).

 

After a half hour, this has calmed down and lightened considerably. Powdery woods, a slight sweetness and spice from the ginger, and still with that dark feel of sharp, heavy men's cologne. It's beginning to give me a headache at this point as it turns a bit more powdery on me and my brain is registering some of the sharper aspects of the scent.

 

I agree with the previous reviewer... this is unisex, but leaning more towards being masculine for me. I won't keep my bottle of this one, but it was interesting and one of those scents that I'll remember trying.

[rhubarbbear]

i agree- airy, clean, almost damp, and somewhat unisex. VERY pretty. incredibly seemless in the blending, i couldn't really detect any particular notes wc was probably a good thing as blackberry tends to turn to cat pee on me. not in faiza, tho! it stays clean and smooth, dark, and almost slippery.

[tamburlaine]

I purchased Faiza because I'm obsessed with snakes. I like reading about them, playing with them, owning them, dancing with them, and the one time I was bitten by a rattlesnake, I didn't mind it too much either. I also like smelling like them -- well no, I don't like smelling like them, per se, but I like smelling like Beth's renditions of them. It seems pretty clear Miss Elizabeth is as enamoured of serpents as I am.

 

Of course, if you like snakes, you must bow to the black mamba. Dendroaspis polylepis is a marvel of a creature, and it simultaneously proves the power and existence of evolution and a higher being. It merges rationale with mysticism.

 

So, I bought Faiza, the Black Mamba, because I like black mambas (duh) and because I thought Macha's painting was glorious, and because I'm a big fan of amber, sandalwood, bergamot, black musk, honey, and ginger notes. I knew, however, going into this adventure, that it wouldn't be the best scent for me, because it would undoubtedly be slightly aquatic -- and I hate aquatics -- and maybe a little bit too floral for my tastes.

 

In the bottle: I smell grass. Something green and fresh is wafting from the bottle. I'm guessing that's the ti leaf, caraway, maybe the green sandalwood and jasmine sambac there also to lend a woodsy/floral, almost smoldering quality to Faiza.

 

On the skin: I can smell the unmistakable burnt floral of the jasmine sambac, also a smattering of white floral and earth: The gardenia, honey, oakmoss, and more of the sandalwood.

 

Drydown: The orange pulp and bergamot make this green blend sweet and sour -- much like the dual nature of the black mamba itself. The black musk arrives in the drydown too and, though I like it sometimes, makes Faiza a little too sour, powdery, and dark. The black mamba has bitten me, it seems. As it finishes its run, I get hints of fruity blackberry among the cautious bitter notes.

 

I guess you could say I was a little disappointed with Faiza since she will probably be swapped away as soon as I can decant some of her to keep in my collection. But that doesn't mean she is a bad blend. The green sandalwood component is great, but the blend on the whole could use a little more vanilla or amber to add to the sexuality I know belongs there.

I will say that I don't think she is a good portrayal of the black mamba. Black mambas live in savannah land, where it's dry and rocky, not lush and green. Their skin color is not black as in the visual portrayal of Faiza, but a rather boring olive or grey. Only when the serpent opens its mouth to threaten you do you see the face of death; its mouth is the color of pitch, of the grave.

Beth's interpretation of the black mamba is inspired and the resultant blend is lovely, but not lovely enough for me. As I said, I knew it wouldn't be perfect for me, so at least I wasn't grievously upset with what I purchased.

Edited January 30, 2007 by tamburlaine

[phedre]

As soon as I saw the description of this, I knew I had to have it. My huge order of bottles arrived last night and this was the first one I whipped out to try.

 

In the bottle: some florals, definitely a green note. Some blackberry too. This smells a little sharp from the greenery.

 

Wet on skin: Immediately, the green sharp note disappears. The blackberry comes out, and the florals amp up a bit. Bergamot, definitely bergamot and orange.

 

Drydown: Oh so lovely. There are so many notes here I can't pick out one! This reminds me somewhat of Mum Moon, but doesn't take that turn for the nasty on my skin that Mum Moon did. It's definitely sensual with lots of deep, dark notes. It's in perfect balance, not too floral, not too musky, not too spicy. I really like this.

[ajcj213499]

I expected this to be a lot more fruity...

 

The main note I got from this was the green sandalwood, which was interesting because I've only tried regular sandalwood before... Unfortunately Faiza dried down kind of powdery on me. She's nice, but I don't love her enough to hold on to my bottle.

[Medici]

I was hoping for something dark, lush and tropical, with the "dark" dominating and only hints of the "tropical."

 

(The reality is something akin to smex bottled, but I'm not splitting hairs.)

 

In the bottle: Amber, wet leaves, and a stab of sandalwood.

 

Wet: Eden? Is that you? Why do you smell like fig leaf? It's fig leafy! (Note to everyone else: I just knocked myself in the nose, and the ginger's burning my upper lip. No reaction on the arm, though, which is odd since its applied on a rather sensitive patch of flesh.)

 

Drydown: The amber comes out, warming up the blend completely. On whole, it's a lightly spiced, subtly jungle-y concoction of smells that are very difficult to pick out as individual elements. The impression I have is that of something hiding just beyond the peripheral vision. Whatever that something is, it's damned dangerous and it's smirking at your back even while you struggle to catch a glimpse of it.

 

Faiza's definitely deserving of a second bottle for my collection.

 

5/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

[nineveh]

I got this for my mom, but I couldn't resist sneaking a little test drop before I gave it to her. I don't really like scents with that many florals and fruits (especially not jasmine, gardenia, or blackberry), but I know she likes spicy and fruity blends, so this sounded good for her.

 

At first, it smells very much like Chrysanthemum Moon without the red musk, so I'm guessing that's ginger at the forefront. There's also a dark but hollow green scent here, which is intriguing.

 

After a while, the ginger receeds and the honey comes out. Usually I have problems with honey going sour, but this one stayed true.

 

That's basically how it ended for me: warm, golden honey with a hint of spices. It's so well-blended that I can't pick out anything else, but it's certainly more complex than just honey.

 

This one turned out to be surprisingly nice. I probably would have kept it myself if it weren't a gift!

[zenvodunista]

In the bottle, this is dank and mysterious.

 

On my skin, it's a sweet innocent Alice-like scent, strangely enough. All white florals and a hint of green beneath everything.

 

I thought it smelled nice, if not very me. The Boy thought I smelled like Mom's Potpourri.

 

*sigh*

 

N.

[edenssixthday]

Faiza, The Black Mamba - Oh wow, this is sooo pretty! It's predominantly a honey blend on me, and thankfully, it's white honey, which is the only honey note that works on my skin. It's a really difficult blend to describe, but it's sweet, slightly fruity, very clean, fresh, and simultaneously sultry. I can't stop smelling my wrist! I don't smell the jasmine, bergamot, or gardenia at all (which makes me very happy!) I love this blend. I just wish it threw a little stronger, and had better staying power. Still, I'll wear it and very much enjoy it.

[Em-]

Mmm...dark green snake, slithering through honey...this is delish.

 

This is actually a little lighter than I expected, but I definitely get a green herbal feel, but a dark, herbally, slightly spicy-woody thin honey is the dominant note.

 

I am in heaven.

[QueenFae]

Oh , how darkly delicious!! This is indeed a very dark blend, but has a lighter side as well. The top notes on me are honey, black amber and jasmine. There is a fruity under current as well; which is probably the blackberry poking his head out. This is beautiful!! I can also detect a hint of the ginger, which gives it a little kick, and a citrusey undertone from the orange note. I don't know if the "white" honey note is different from the lab's usual honey note, but the white honey in this is divine!!! Sooo smooth and sexy.

 

On the dry down: Primarily honey and blackberry. Ooh la la, how can you go wrong with all these wonderful notes??

 

This has medium throw and medium sticking power. I LOVE this one, this may be my favorite CD scent from Act III. I will definitely be purchasing a 5 ml.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Dark green and wet - strong oakmoss

 

On me:

I'm one of the people that purchased Faiza because of the notes like vanilla, blackberry, orange, etc. This is totally not what I expected based on the notes alone.

 

When it goes on wet, it actually smells strikingly similar to another CD scent, and one of my favorites - Gennivre. The ti leaf, honey, and oakmoss end up smelling just like Gennivre. That doesn't last long though.

 

The throw on this scent is - well, punch yourself in the nostrils and you'll have some idea of the kind of throw I'm talking about. I sniffed my skin too closely with this one and I actually *tasted* it in my throat for about 10 minutes afterwards. I had to literally "hide" my arm from myself so that the scent would not assault me while I was trying to drink my tea lol. It is very rare on me for a BPAL scent to have that kind of throw - I usually get moderate throw but this one is just wafting all over the place!

 

When Faiza dries, it's a dark green, foresty/outdoorsy scent. It's very mossy and green and crisp. A few people mentioned that it smells "clean" and "unisex" and I would have to agree with that. There is something generally "perfumey" or commercial smelling to me about this scent. I don't mean that in a bad way, but it definitely makes me think of something I'd smell in a department store. I see this as something that would be popular with people who enjoy scents like Embalming Fluid or Wilde. Clean, crisp, green - all words I would associate with this scent.

 

Final note:

This is not really me and not quite what I was expecting. I don't see myself wearing this and yet I am debating about whether or not I should hold onto it for about 6 months to a year. I don't think I will, but I'll be curious to know how much this scent will change if aged that long. I could see this getting spicier and deeper if aged.

[euterpe414]

I ordered this one simply because I had NO idea what it would smell like with all those notes. So this one was definitely a gamble. At first on my skin, it was a sharp, crip tea scent. I could really detect the bergamot in action. Honestly, I was a little turned off by this phase since it was *so* sharp and acidic (like when you oversteep tea), but I was willing to wait it out.

 

Later, as it dried, the blend darkened a lot. The honey, amber, sandalwood and musk become a base for the original sharp tea-ness of the scent. It basically stayed this way, and lasted for hours, which a medium amount of throw.

 

I was not sure about this at first, but the drydown is so gorgeous and dark that I feel like I can put up with the beginning screechiness. Definitely a slithery, predatory scent indeed. I also agree with others about the "dark green" and "mossy" feel to this. It is definitely a "jungle-y" type scent.

 

Fabulous! Glad I took a chance...

[LiberAmoris]

Faiza is one that I'm glad I tried a few times, because the first time it just didn't strike me as something I needed to hang on to. But I wore it again yesterday and holy hell, this is beautiful stuff. As others have said, the gazillion notes are seamlessly blended and roll elegantly into each other like the muscles on a snake as it moves. It's just gorgeous.

 

This is the kind of blend that I could see myself wearing with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt or a slinky dress. It's feminine without being prissy or uptight, it's sensual and warm, and I think I absolutely need to put it on my bottle list.

[shelldoo]

shelldoo, reviewing incognito...undercover reviewer hiding from the jasmine aka satan's flower of doom

in the bottle: sandalwood, musk, honey, floral

 

wet: awesome, gorgeous, musky, honey, slightly green and clean yet sultry and sexy at the same time. more floral then i expected. but thank goodness the jasmine isn't aware that it is *me* wearing it, or all hell would break loose...

 

as it dries the amber settles this, and it becomes so incredible. very feminine. uber sexy. vanilla, musk, honey, ginger...these are the stars of the show, but the amber and florals are the supporting cast, smooth and slinky. i can't stop sniffing this...and even the jasmine lets me have fun w/ this one. one of the stand outs of this act imho

[savage_rose]

Sweet, green, dark, aquatic. It smells very wet, but in a green "stuff growing in the dark" way (mossy, lichen-like, not mildew. Ew!). It does seem to slither, undulating between the bright green water and a darker, sensual depths. Very, very seductive. I need to buy myself dinner, snag some champagne and strawberries, and get myself alone now.

[myoubi]

Hmm-mm-mm. I'm not quite sure what to think of this one.

 

Two things stand out: 1) it's very well-blended; and 2) it's quite a morpher. In the bottle and at first application, I couldn't stand it -- it smelled horribly "perfumey", too strong, tooo dark. Like someone trying too hard to be vampy and sexy. After about 20 minutes, though, it settled down into something I could stand and actually kind of liked -- green without being acidic, floral without being overpowering, dark without being bitter or super-sweet. I left it and went about my business.

 

Four hours later it's dried down to a marvellous sexy blend with a base of white honey. I wish the white honey came out much more prominently earlier (and I might just try layering it with O to see if that helps...) and I don't like the beginning stages at all; but now it's this delicately swirling, very sexy scent that's dark without being heavy (!!!!) and that hugs close to my skin without being invisible. I love the dry-drydown. I just loathe the beginning.

 

We'll see. I'll have to live with this one for a bit. But as far as the eventual outcome goes. Faiza is yummmmy.

[Athenae]

My skin amps the bergamot and jasmine up to OMGGETITOFF levels, unfortunately, because it's lovely in the imp. It dries down to something powdery and indistinct. Off to the swap pile it goes to look for someone to love it well.

 

A.

[maijasu]

This does smell very green and slithery. None of the notes are jumping out at me; it's just a kind of wet, dank, gloomy scent. Not for me.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

With this many notes, I have no idea what to expect! In the bottle, Faiza smells...clean, slightly green, like expensive dryer sheets. On me, though, she becomes MUCH more interesting! I can smell the Mum Moom ginger (although I love Mum Moon more) with a smoky, musk + green background. An androgynous scent; I don't get any floral and can see this on a guy just fine. It is indeed a slithery sort of scent, though not as sexy on me as Snake Oil or Snake Charmer. I like it, but it's just a little astringently green for me to wear often.

[forspecial_plate]

Faiza is deliciously dark and sultry. Actually there seems to be one note in here that's disagreeing with me just a little bit, but not enough to put me off the scent as a whole. Maybe the caraway or ti leaf? I'm not sure.

 

She is a dark, green and black, slithery scent....rich and humid. It could be the moss that makes it humid, but I don't worry about individual notes when I wear this so much as just enjoying the whole scent. It's more fruity than floral to me, and a little herbal and spicy. Faiza could be Antonino's sultry, dangerous cousin. I bet this will get better and better with some aging. And I love the idea of wearing something with green sandalwood in it, even if I can't really pick out the sandalwood. How I would love to sniff that on its own!

[gingersnapp]

Wow, I don't really know what I'm smelling, but I like it!

 

This is green and somewhat floral, but spicy and woody. Of course, the oakmoss is a major component because my skin chemistry loves it like whoa. I don't get (m)any of the fruits that are listed as notes, but perhaps after this has worn a while longer on my skin or aged in the bottle. I do really like this. It's very sexy and slinky.