Dark Chocolate

[fairnymph]

Single note, so scent description is self-explanatory, I think! My first time starting a topic in Reviews, too - what better occasion. This scent was available exclusively at the NY Comic Con in imp form.

 

In the imp: Smooth, rich, dark chocolate. Sweet, but lightly. Not cloying. Not the least bit artificial. It's definitely that same note from Kali. The oil itself is a medium honey colour, or perhaps a very pale amber.

 

Wet: AMPED! Holy moly, you can smell this from across the room (so could the wonderful fellow who enabled me)! My skin is skyrocketing this one. It's a tad sweeter, but still bearably for me. I would say there are suggestions of vanilla and spice, as in actual dark chocolate. There's a creaminess, too. But it's all still very natural, and it smells and feels like a single note scent.

 

Dry: Takes an EON to dry. 30 minutes and my arm is still wet. Truly amazing. This is a foody scent, undeniably, but being-single note, and not excessively sweet, it's almost something I would wear - and I'm a hardcore foody hater! It's like high quality chocolate mousse with darkest ganache swirled through it; creamy, deep, complex, and stunningly rich.

 

Summary: 45 minutes and my arm is STILL WET. This is a record. Both I and my apartment smell as if we were dipped in luxurious chocolate fondue. In addition to the wonderful dark cocoa note which is entirely smooth and that sweet but not cloying creamy hint of vanilla, there's a faintly boozy, like Godiva liqueur, sort of note. Incredible throw - beyond anything I've ever worn - and good lasting power too.

 

Funny story:

 

My cat, who is not a perfume cat or a chocolate cat, ran up to me when I had a bit smudged on my fingers (which btw feels like the ULTIMATE DECADENCE), sniffed them eagerly, and begin licking! I have about 10 types of chocolate on hand at all times, and my cat has never shown the slightest interest in it, or my 3 dozen bottles of BPAL or hundreds of imps - but she'd probably lick my skin raw.

Edited April 27, 2008 by fairnymph

[HennaFairy]

Note - I wrote only one review for the set. But since there are two entries (as it should be, I think! sorry I didn't do it earlier) I'm duplicating my entire review here.

 

No description. This scent was available to VIP guests at a special reception with Neil Gaiman at the NYC Comic Con 2008 as a fundraiser for the CBLDF. After the VIP meet&greet, he read for the general admission crowd a selection of pieces including an unreleased short story titled "Orange". This scent set was create to go with the story.

 

 

 

Orange is actually a set. An orange burlap bag contained a 5 ml of Orange, and an imp of Dark Chocolate.

 

Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/k8et/2424691042/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/k8et/2424690102/

 

 

The imp label reads: "Inspired by Neil Gaiman's short story "Orange". Use this to feed your perfume. (Inedible for humans, please use only to feed supernatural orange lifeforms!)"

 

(I'm not going to give away the story. It's one of those that you have to read or hear to fully experience. I'm sure youtube will have tonight's reading at some point!)

 

Orange: Not surprisingly, it smells like orange! But it's a soft orange, more like orange sherbet. In fact I almost think it's creamy, especially in the drydown, and reminds me of an orange creamsicle. No obvious cream notes that I can tell, it's just soft and not a harsh citrus at all.

 

Dark Chocolate: This is that magic ingredient in Wulric and Boomslang. Like those, the dark part separates out - I can't tell how much is the dark oil because the label covers the imp, but it seems more like Boomslang in color once it's mixed up and put on. Not bitter chocolate, just a dark creamy cocoa, it's wonderful.

 

Together: Should I lie and say it's horrible? You know it's not true. It's the perfect blend of orange and chocolate. sweet but not candylike. soft and refreshing.

 

It's a fairly straight forward scent meaning that you probably know if you like orange, and chocolate, and I doubt this would change your existing opinions on it either way. But it is beautifully executed, especially how the orange is soft and refreshing at the same time.

 

 

I tried both on together before Neil got around to me at the reception. I told him I put both on together, and he sniffed my wrist then he said another girl had only tried the orange, and he made her come over and sniff too!

 

Hours later, I got in my car after taking the ferry home and taking photos of the NY skyline with an almost full moon. My wrist was faint (I tested sparingly) but just wonderfully soft, barely orange as you usually know it, but leaving the impression of orange as a concept, with a hint of dark chocolate.

 

 

 

Love Neil, love "Orange", it was a fabulous night!

 

(More photos will be posted to my flickr account and a report of the whole evening in my blog. If not tonight, early next week.)

 

ETA: it's possible there's a subtle floral in here, maybe orange blossom? I have no idea. But I'm not huge on strong florals, and it's not strong floral... I hope more discerning noses can help me later...

[sunshinedaisybliss]

First up, big love goes to the very special person who sent me this as a surprise in a swap package! Thank you, Sue

 

Alright.. so this is, as expected, completely decadent. It's a true dark chocolate - rich and creamy. The cocoa is very much like Candy Butcher, and (as mentioned in a previous review) Boomslang, but where both of those blends have other notes this seems to be 99% chocolate - I do detect a hint of vanilla and spices in there, which gives it a slightly liqueur-like feel. Deep, rich and ridiculously delicious.

 

I wish I still had my decant of Orange now, so that I could layer the two together as originally intended, but alas I do not. So I shall enjoy this all on its own.. which is not a bad thing!

 

 

 

 

[zankoku_zen]

Thanks to the superduperultrakind bpaler who loaned me a tester of this. You know who you are.

 

I can, but echo, the feelings of those that have come before me.

 

Dark Chocolate is dark, rich smooth cocoa/chocolate. Big throw, takes an EON to dry, the oil is very thick, and has a very large throw. It smells pretty tasty. The chocolate is more the baker's chocolate type, the kind that comes in a brick and you have to melt. But better.

 

Testing this was ultradecadent. There's no other way to describe the experience.

 

(In my dreams, this is what Thomas Keller's chocolate desserts smell like).

[edenssixthday]

Dark Chocolate - I was so excited to get to try this because I have had a love/hate relationship with BPAL's chocolate note for five years now. I wanted to try this since it didn't seem to be blended with any musks or woods or resins or any other notes that could affect how it comes across on my skin. Sniffing it in the vial was heavenly. It smelled like dark, thick, heavy, chocolate fudge. The chocolate separates, so I warmed the vial against my skin for quite some time, at which point, I was able to easily mix the chocolate with the rest of the oil and apply it to my skin. It instantly took on this weird plasticky scent that quickly turned into the not-so-sweet scent of baby poo. It was ghastly, and I sat on my couch, sniffing my wrists and giggling away that this scent is so coveted. And then it dried down, mellowed out, and became... well, not quite "heavenly", but pretty darn close. You should smell it on my wrists right now. Yum! You know those molten lava cakes that have a melted chocolate center? That's what this smells like -- the melted chocolate center. It smells so good! I know now that BPAL's dark chocolate note is not the culprit of bad smells, as I was beginning to suspect... the culprit of stinkiness is BPAL's dark chocolate note only when blended with something else like black musk or patchouli or whatever other notes can be "iffy" on me. On its own, it's delicious and decadent.