The Obsidian Widow

[meredevachon]

Pinot noir, dark myrrh, red sandalwood, black patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and attar of rose.

As much as I love the name and the idea of an obsidian widow, this wasn't a scent I was going to pick out for myself. I like jasmine in moderation, but rose scents don't really feel like me, and as much as I would LOVE to find a BPAL with a red wine note that works on me, so far it hasn't happened.

But I got this as a frimp, so that was the perfect time to try it out.

In the imp: An almost languid sense of wine and incense with a just hint of florals. If it stayed like this, I could like it.

Wet: ROSE! Lots of it. And nothing else.

Dry down: As it started to dry I began getting whiffs of grape Bubble Yum, same as I've gotten with everything I've tried with a red wine component.

Dry: Grape Bubble Yum mixed with rose air freshener, both way to strong to notice any deeper notes in the fragrance. Plasticky and chemically-fake smelling, unfortunately. Why can't my skin like red wine?

Lots of throw, but completely wrong for my personality and skin chemistry. But I'm sure there's someone else it'll be perfect for.

[khazakant]

Oh, Lord, I have no idea what I did to this poor scent. On me, it smells exactly like ... well, I'm not sure how many southerners we have here, but Van Van oil. Which smells like the world's worst citronella candle. After I put it on my dad started making faces and asking, "What smells like bug spray?"

 

What a damn disaster. How the hell did that happen?

[Gwydion]

In bottle: The rose and incense are inextricably bond together here. It’s simulteniously churchlike and a touch corrupt. I think the wine is corrupting the rose directly.. I’m not skin testing due to rose content.

[Zombie_Doll]

This is the first imp ear I have ever received, and this is my first review, but let's give it a go,

 

This scent has a definite floral smell, but with a complex undercurrent, most likely the myrrh and wine. On me, it smelled wonderful, like incense, but light and not too overpowering. I found myself sniffing my wrists a bit, and the arm warmers I wear most often start to take on the scent.

 

I love this scent, and will likely be buying a 5ml.

[whisperstilled]

I'm a big fan of wine scents and so far I've liked pretty much everything I've tried from this set, so I've got high hopes for this one.

 

In Imp: Myrrh and a strange, sour wine note. Not necessarily bad, but odd. Incensey, with maybe a touch of the oils that seem to underpin this entire set. I definitely get patchouli as well, which I was hoping wouldn't rear its ugly head too much.

 

Wet: How odd. All of a sudden the sandalwood and jasmine come to the fore along with the myrrh, effectively killing most of the patchouli. The wine has also faded almost immediately.

 

Dry: How bizarre! I expected a wine heavy scent and I ended up with a strong floral instead, but that is the way of rose, I suppose. I get rose, some sandalwood and myrrh, and not much else. What a bummer! Not a bad scent per se, but not what I was looking for. 2/5

[jizatt]

I shouldnt like this one really. While I do like some wine scents, I dont tend to like myrrh, jasmine, or rose. Somehow ... this is magic. This is dark and velvety and mysterious and dangerous. I see the Widow as being an evening scent.

 

another fine reminder that bpal is more than the sum of its parts =)

Edited October 23, 2010 by CaudaPavonis

[voodoobaby]

Contrary to popular opinion, I really like this one.

 

It starts out with a touch of that motor oil-esque scent that a lot of the more steampunkish scents have (Kroenen, Galvanic Goggles, etc.). It's not unpleasant here, though, and it fades quickly. I'm left with a sexy berry/wine scent. It's fruity and dark and mysterious.

 

This is totally what I was expecting it to be. It's very pretty in a quite dark way, and is vaguely reminiscent of sort of a less funky/strange-smelling Horreur Sympathique. Maybe it doesn't smell a lot like it, but it has that same "feel" to it. Definitely keeping the imp.

[Invidiana]

Unfortunately this spider bit me with a vengeance. Most all BPAL jasmine does not agree wtih my skin, so anything else was basically destroyed by strong sour cat pee overtones. What a shame, because I could tell there was something potentially dark and beautiful going on with the wine, myrrh, sandalwood and patchouli but the jasmine amped to infinity and ruined it.

[Mad Hattie]

This was an imp included in a present to me.

 

In the bottle - Aged roses, an almost cold forest-y pine kind of smell. I thought this was an unusual combination but not unpleasant.

 

On the skin - much the same but the roses and the pine seems to mute and I started smelling a little bit if a dusty/musty as if there were cobwebs in this forest.

 

Dry - I had the impression I was in an abandoned victorian room with dead roses, old tea, and cobwebs in the corners. The Rose seems like it is trying to hard as it was a bit too sweet but it reminds me of that rose soap my grandmother always uses.

 

Overall, not a bad flowery scent but a bit too simple and straightforward for my taste.

[Indigoash]

Very strong when I first put it on, the jasmine, wine, and an almost metallic,not like 'ew' metallic, smell hit my brain like a box of rocks. I actually only popped the bottle open and rubbed what got on the tips of my fingers on my wrists and rubbed them together for it to be enough. That was like 15 minutes ago. It's thankfully dried into a very nice, not sweet, but a definite smokey floral smell. I have to totally agree with the above about the 'grandma's vanity', but it's a grandma smell like it would bring back memories not disgust you into scrubbing it off. I actually really love this one. I think it'd be a perfect spring/summer scent.

[inurbanus]

I'm always looking for more sexy scents and stumbled upon this one. All the notes (well, except the jasmine) sounded great and I love the artwork. My first impression was a little shaky, as the jasmine came out fast and furious, but it calmed down quickly and the scent easily came together on my skin. I can smell the individual components, especially the juicy wine and rose (I attar of rose!) but the overall effect is wonderfully smooth, almost velvety because of the powderiness of the myrrh. It reminds me a lot of Athens but without the honey and I think I like The Obsidian Widow - there was something in Athens that didn't really "click" with me that's not a problem here. I will definitely consider adding this to my "bottles to buy" list but I wish I found this one earlier so I could enjoy it in the fall. The wine note would be perfect in cold weather.

 

Rating: 4/5

[fashionfaerie]

The universe stepped in when I got an imp of this at the last Will Call, because with its pinot noir note, I wouldn't have thought the Widow would like me. But, as others have mentioned, the wine note is different from the one used in some of the other scents. To my nose, it's less tart fruit and more mellow and dry. When I was a kid, my mom had a witchy friend who made sachets stuffed with dried roses, patchouli, sage, eucalyptus, and who knows what else. On skin, that's what this scent reminds me of in the best way - dried roses with warm, earthy greenery. These are the notes of a classic perfume, there's nothing odd about it, though as blended by BPAL, it's thankfully free of the aldehydes that usually keep me from getting along with traditional commercial perfumes. I'm happy to have found a rose I can love.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Deep red wine with a touch of lighter jasmine.

 

On skin: Red wine dominates The Obsidian Widow: deep, rich, a bit nose-tinglingly acidic (exactly the way wine is!). The other notes, while discreet and blended, temper the wine and deepen the scent. I can pick out jasmine hovering above, adding its characteristic sweet, floral brightness to what is otherwise a full-bodied, rich blend. The scent opens up after drydown: the high wine notes become higher, but the full base notes become deeper and more grounded. The myrrh and perhaps sandalwood are starting to peek out now. Colour impression is the deep black-red of blood, or wine.

 

Verdict: The Obsidian Widow is full-bodied, darkly luxurious, definitively "Gothic". Quite distinctive -- I'm amazed at how Beth can capture the character of wine in a perfume! But I don't see myself wearing it often, sadly...

[strahlend]

Smells like strong red wine in the imp, but I've noticed that most wine sorts of boozy blends change dramatically on my skin.

Here goes!

On my skin it's like faded red wine that spilled on a wood table that had spices on it – and a vase of jasmine flowers. There's something distinctly spiced about this. Red sandalwood must be a lot heavier and WOODlike than the other sandalwoods I've smelled. I think I'm more familiar with lighter, more soapy incarnations of sandalwood - red sandalwood is so much nicer. It blends with the jasmine beautifully. I'm not getting the patchouli standing out, but I'm sure it's there and the attar of rose isn't knocking me over, but I think it's doing something with the jasmine, giving it a little bit more of an edge than jasmine usually has.

Into the dry down now and I'm getting the feeling that the rose is creeping up on me. It is. Oh man. This started off so wonderful. The other good stuff is still there, but the rose is kind of taking over.

Nope. The rose totally overwhelmed everything else this blend had going on.

This is a no for me, which is really a bummer because I was really loving the hell out of the sandalwood, patchouli, and jasmine. This was a good learning experience though, I'm off to search for more red sandalwood blends!

Edited June 16, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[elinox]

First Sniff: A whiff of orange peel and honey.

 

Wet: Flowery and feminine. As it starts to dry, I can smell the jasmine.

 

Dry: As it dried it was very light and powdery on my skin. Once it dried completely I could smell light sandalwood coming through which makes it less flowery, but it’s still very girly and light.

 

My Reaction: I was hoping that this arachnid would have some staying power and be a bit heavier than a light romp through spring gardens. But there wasn’t anything in this that makes me think ‘steampunk’ which is disappointing.

 

Rating 1-5: 1.5

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: The oil is a clear amber. Wow, very strong. Sweet with a sharp metallic tang (perhaps from the jasmine?) Wine, lots of it. This is the first BPAL I've tried that I thought really did smell like wine. Definitely a dark scent.

 

On me, wet: On my skin, it is distinctly less sweet, there's even some bitterness. The wine is still the dominant note. I'm not getting any rose at at all. I can pick out the jasmine, but overall this isn't a particularly flowery scent.

 

On me, drydown: As strong as this perfume was in the imp, I'm startled at how it has evaporated into thin air in just a few minutes. The metallic sharpness has completely gone, and so has the wine. My skin is a lush, it just chugged down all that wine in seconds! What's left has morphed into a floral. There's just a soft whiff of powdery jasmine now. And it's not at all dark anymore, more like a sweet old grandmother wrapped in a white shawl. I'm waiting to see if the incense notes show up with the passage of time.

 

After 45 minutes: Yes, they do. Now I can detect all 3 of the base notes, especially the sandalwood. The scent is now about half incense and half floral, which is no longer specifically jasmine, but a more general floral. It is a darker fragrance again, rather Oriental now, with a mysterious spiciness.

 

This is a real morpher, which makes it fun. It would be a good one for a scent locket, to preserve the top notes, especially the unique wine scent. (Maybe not if you are going to work!)

 

 

My rating: 4 stars

[arielteacup]

I bought a bottle unsniffed and I am enamored!

In the bottle: Wine and...rose?

Wet: A hint of wine, rose and something darkly spicy, perhaps the myrrh?

Dry: The rose, myrrh and jasmine have come out to play, leaving pinot noir inside.

 

An overall enchanting scent. I've had it on for about 4 hours now and it's still going strong.

Definitely buying a few more bottles!

[Alia Kaitan]

This has done some crazy morphing on me.

 

Bought a bottle unsniffed here on the forums, so not sure exactly how old it is.

 

In the bottle it's all wine with a touch of rose and dust to my nose.

 

Wet, it stays sweet and the wine is really dominating.

 

Somewhere between wet and dry it goes: baby powder. then plastic. then super jasmine. then dusty. It really had me worried!

 

Now that it is completely dry, the wine has returned! yay! And rose is making an appearance, but not super rosy rose... a spicy, almost tart rose. I can't really pick out any of the other notes, which I think is a good thing, as they are making for a lovely deep backdrop to the wine and rose.

 

Love this one, and glad I have a bottle! 4 stars.

[OctoberGwen]

In my short time being a BPAL fan, I have learned that one should never, ever judge an oil without applying it to the skin. Only rarely does a scent smell the way it does in the imp once you've put it on; I find that frequently there is no resemblance at all between the two.

 

Case in point: Obsidian Widow. Huffing the imp, all I got was sour wine. Once on my wrist, though, it bloomed into a gorgeous, deeply seductive and slightly sinister beauty. Normally jasmine and rose tend to be VERY strong on me, but this blends together seamlessly. (I'm actually kind of shocked that there is jasmine here.) The myrrh lends a lovely incensey quality to the whole thing without overpowering the other elements.

 

I do wish it lasted a bit longer, so I may hunt down a bottle for slathering's sake. Well, more properly: for reapplying...this scent is very strong while it lasts so slathering may result in discomfort for those in proximity!

 

Overall, the Widow is a sophisticated blend with wonderful depth, and I'm very happy that it works with my chemistry.

Edited January 18, 2012 by OctoberGwen

[MadameFaye84]

Quite like this blend. Was worried this would be to incensey (so not a word, but had to use it ), but all the notes blend so well together to create such a beautiful perfume. Didn't think I would like this all that much, but it can grow on me. Will keep it for now.

[symphonyinsilence]

I have been on the never-ending hunt for a scent that might emulate the darkness of Opeth's Black Rose Immortal. Unfortunately, I did not find it in this scent. Pity, as I really love Pinot Noir, sandalwood and patchouli. Must be the damned jasmine...reminds me of this really old and musty mall here that houses helper agencies, sex shops and gothic clothing. Not in a good way. Smells like rose incense sticks from a chamber-pot! Must be my horrid skin chemistry!

[becca_s]

Obsidian Widow does not get off to a good start on my skin - it starts out as a bitter pinot noir, as it dries it becomes nicer. It turns into roses and wine, but there is still something bitter in the background. I think that it must be myrrh. It's quite nice, and definately a dark, sophisticated scent. Perfect to wear at night. The rose in this is really lovely and doesn't steal the show. Overall, I like it, but probably wont wear it that often because I can sometimes detect the bitter myrrh and how it combines with the wine in the background - but only if I put my nose up to my wrist, from a distance it smells like incense and roses.

[elfnwitch]

I initially got an Imp of this on name and description alone. Wet, it smelled like fresh-cut tobacco to me, with none of the other notes apparent. The tobacco dried off quickly to reveal the rose. But it wasn't overpowering, just a rich smell. After about 20 min. or so, the patchouli and myrrh kicked in with the rose so that it smelled like a warm, rosey incense that is nicely balanced and not acidic at all.

 

Most rose blends I've sniffed over the years have been a disappointment, until The Obsidian Widow. I absolutely adore it! It is spicy enough to be multi-seasonal, and floral enough to withstand the summer. Mmmmmm! If this is ever to be discontinued, please give enough warning so I can buy enough for a lifetime!

[Lady Midnight]

In the bottle The Obsidian Widow, well, to put it bluntly, it stank like the cheap "inpired by" spray colognes they sell at 99c stores. It wasn't much better on my skin for the first couple of minutes. Then all I could smell was the overpowering scent of roses. I guess if you like the smell of roses, that'd be a good thing, but I'm discovering that anything with attar of roses smells horrible on me. I skin-tested it again the following day and I had the same impression. Ah, well, on the next scent...

[stellamaris]

Just tried my imp of this, along with another BPAL pal and we both loved it. For me the wine note is very strong, like the one that I think is in Wanda. This is delicious, and mysterious, and it's going on the top of the Big Bottle list.