The Black Rider

[femmefatale]

THE BLACK RIDER
As she stood there a third man on horseback came galloping up. His face was black, he was dressed all in black, and the horse he rode was coal-black. He galloped up to the gate of the hut and disappeared there as if he had sunk through the ground and at that moment the night came and the forest grew dark.

But it was not dark on the green lawn, for instantly the eyes of all the skulls on the wall were lighted up and shone till the place was as bright as day. When she saw this Vasilissa trembled so with fear that she could not run away.

Black leather, oppoponax, tobacco, and black amber.

Oh my. Ohhhhhh...this is wonderful! The leather is smoother than I expected and the amber is just GORGEOUS. Amber is usually iffy on me, but it's a darker, richer amber that doesn't go perfumey or powdery. There is also something slightly sweet, perhaps from the oppoponax? I'm not sure whether or not I'm picking up the tobacco, but there does seem to be something else here adding to the depth.

Overall, this is just an awesome blend, though not for the faint of heart. It's an empowering scent and somehow unisex. I really like this and can't wait to try it on dh.

[greenranger]

This has quite a bit of throw. It starts off Leather, with no messing around with that cologney smell I sometimes get at the start of many many MANY leather blends. The oppoponax and the tobacco do eventually get through. Amber takes a good bit of aging before it really is noticable on me, so I'll expect it to show up next spring.

 

Even though resins love my skin, this is a LEATHER scent.

 

I wore this today to work, and got a compliment from someone who knows my perfume habit. She sniffed the air and said, "I like that one!"

 

It does have some throw.

[penemuel]

Wet, this started out as something frighteningly unpleasant. It was the leather scent but with something very sharp and somewhat rotten smelling that I just didn't expect.

 

However, when it started to dry down and warm up, the amber & oppoponax came forward and sweetened up, making it a rich, warm, dark leather blend. I don't really smell any of the tobacco. Hmn. I wonder if it was the tobacco I got at first that was so jarring. It could be...

 

I don't think I'm going to get a bottle, but I'm not decided against it yet. Would not be averse to getting frimps with other orders, though

[Little Bird]

I've gotten imps of this where the opoponax was sweet and overwhelming, but the last few frimps I've gotten of this have been more well balanced and reminiscent of De Sade and Brom Bones' dark, slightly smoky leather. In the 'good imps' I have, it's like dark leather and smoky vetiver sweetened with resins. Very dark and intense, but it doesn't have a lot of throw and staying power on me when the opoponax isn't super strong.

Edited July 31, 2012 by Little Bird

[crebbsgirl]

Unfortunately I amped the heck out of the leather in this blend. Which was too bad because at the start this was really awesome and dark. Smoky and evocative, I really liked it but during the drydown the leather came out and took over.

[Tracelina]

This is beautiful--to me, it's the lovechild of Buggre Alle This Bible and Oblivion. Which is strange because there's no musk in this...maybe that's the "blackness" of the leather? Black Rider is a heady scent--not the headache-inducing leather in Western Diamondback, or the deep note in Bensiabel, but a woody dark note that doesn't say leather so much as it cocks an eyebrow and smirks suggestively.

 

I could see this being a unisex scent; that said, I definitely think this is one that folks will be trying on their male significant others.

 

 

[gingiemay]

This is a dark, sweet leather scent. The tobacco and black amber create a darkly sweet background to the sexy black leather note. I love this scent! I can't stop huffing my wrist!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Sweet amber, tobacco and leather

 

On Application

Rich and sweet amber with tobacco. No leather

Dry Down

This reminds me of a more musk-centric Brom Bones. I love it. The leather doesn't really feature until later in the dry down and there is a slight sweatiness to it. Will age beautifully.

 

Rating (0-5)

5

Edited November 11, 2009 by Shollin

[Schmoozy]

 

This is all rich, thick, black leather sweetened by oppoponax and amber. I can detect small whiffs of tobacco, but it mainly adds depth, toughness, and smoke to the leather. Black Amber is heady, dark, sultry and extremely sexy.

So while this is all smoke and leather at first makes me think I should try this on hubby, however once the amber and resins appear this is one freaking sexy dark scent.

 

Immediately bottle worthy.

[ralenth]

I rarely buy bottles unsniffed, but I was pretty sure this sleek devil would sweep me off my feet.

 

Bottle: Sweet, dark and deliciously masculine.

 

Wet: Darkly sweet amber, wrapped in oiled leather.

 

Drydown: As TBR dries, his smokiness comes forth (kind of like the way it did with Liz, but with amber instead of vanilla). He's got a very rugged muskiness about him.

 

Dry: I can see the comparison to Brom Bones, but The Black Rider is far more sophisticated. Dry, the leather is a little more understated, but still present under the broody ambery musk.

 

Overall: Fantastic addition to my leather collection.

Edited November 20, 2009 by ralenth

[jizatt]

The black rider must be the sexy one This is one gorgeous, take me (I was going to write take me out somewhere nice, but settled for take me!) scent.

 

Its harder for me to pick out notes on this one, but I think I can smell the sweet of the opoponax, and mebbe a hint of tobacco. No one note stands out for me here, not even the leather, but to me thats a good thing. I dont smell amber identifiably, but Im sure its what is under the entire thing. I'm looking forward to sniffing this all day as it dries and changes!

[zankoku_zen]

Agreed. The leather in this one isn't chemically - combined with everything, it is a soft, musky kind of leather. It kinda reminds me to Quincy Morris, in that it was a softer/more subtle leather than some of the other leather blends that come out from the Lab. This one was like well worn kinda leather. I actually liked it alot.

[milo]

This one is a morpher. Black Rider starts out very resiny and dark, not surprise here. It actually reminds me a lot of Raven Moon at this stage. Soon the leather starts to amp, and it is a very warm comforting soft, dark leather. Gradually the leather disappears, and were left with fungus. Yes, a dirty, mushroom note is coming out. There are a few blends that do this to me, and I'd really like to know what note it is so that I can avoid it in the future. Ah Well.

[megank4]

this smells really great. Like a mix between Bow&Crown of Conquest, coconut, and tobacco.

Winner!

[mineralgirl]

Are you a fan of Supernatural? Well.. this smells like Dean Winchester in a bottle!

 

It smells like a very hot and sexy man wearing a subtle mens cologne while wearing a heavy leather jacket. It's divine. I got an imp of this for my husbands stocking and I hope it smells this amazing on him .. I'm getting a bottle anyway tho... cuz I love me some Dean Winchester.

 

He is coming home on the 16th after being out of state for 18 days... I may give this to him early.

[hkhm]

imp: leather and amber.

 

wet: this is mostly tobacco and amber on my skin with a teensy hint of oppoponax and leather way far away in the distance.

 

dry: this is stronger amber as it dries (i tend to amp amber so no surprise there), the other notes are all backdrops but in the best way possible.

[theseagrows]

this is nice. i think i'm getting mostly black amber, which turns a bit powdery, with tobacco. there's a soft leather is backing it up, blending nicely. this is warm and really pretty and smells 'high end.' also, i'd really like to smell this on my boyfriend as well. 

Edited July 31, 2020 by theseagrows

[Iceblink]

Surprisingly good on me for a leather blend--the amber is dominant here, and it's soft and powdery. I can smell the oppoponax and leather but they're blended in so well that the leather doesn't go nuts here like it usually does. This is somewhat masculine but the sweetness of the amber and tobacco keep it from being OMGMANLY. I'll try this again for sure.

[voorishsign]

My very first of the Riders! I'm thinking of trying all of them but this one called to me more than the other two; I love leather, tobacco and amber, so this sounds like a good oil from the get-go.

 

In the imp - leather and sweet tobacco. Promising!

 

On wet - leather. Mmm, delightful!

 

Drydown - this remains quite close to the skin but no less delicious. Leather remains the prominent note but the amber and tobacco underline it nicely.

 

Haven't yet decided whether or not it's bottleworthy - I will try it a few times and see. But I'm definitely considering it.

[Dymphna]

IN THE IMP: Black leather (yum!), plus something that smells clean and sweet in an almost snowy way. Looking at the listed notes, I can't think what that could be, but it's really nice.

 

WET: Maybe it's the opoponax, which is sweet myrrh, that's giving this that sweetness. It's not so snowy-clean now, it's got more of an herbal/resinous sweetness. Something in this is reminding me of Anubis, which I liked but didn't love when I first tried it (and the imp leaked so I never got to give it a second try).

 

DRY: This turned out to be such a soft, comforting blend. Totally not what I expected, but the black leather and opoponax, two notes I absolutely LOVE, dried down to something soft and warm and so comforting. The tobacco didn't amp to high heaven, the amber didn't turn to powder (I'm starting to wonder if maybe black amber is okay on me), and the leather kept the opoponax from turning *too* sweet, as it does when teamed with sweeter, less forceful notes. I'm so, so happy that the Labbies sent this along as a frimp as I've been longing to try it and it exceeded my hopes!

[naeelah]

All of the notes of this scent come together to suggest black musk, to my nose. This is a little bit more like a men's cologne than I'd hoped, but that isn't too say it's too masculine for girls. I think it's definitely unisex.

 

Wet, I smell leather primarily, with a hint of something earthy. On skin, it immediately rounds out. The black amber is very strong and syrupy, the tobacco is rich and earthy, almost like patchouli, and the oppoponax lends a mild smokiness. The first time I tried this (last week), I felt like it was almost a leather single note, but this time, it's much richer.

 

Leather remains the strongest note, but it's well supported by the other notes. Totally dry, the tobacco feels less dirty and the amber seems to be blending better. Its sweetness is a good counter to the coolness of the leather. The oppoponax is very smoky and works well to smooth out and bind the other components.

 

So in a sentence, I might describe this as, "Rich, lightly smoky, quasi-musky black leather."

 

Something about this reminds me of Count Dracula. If you like this, try: Count Dracula, Black Temple Burlesque, Nanny Asthoreth, among other things...

[angelicruin]

It's masculine, yet very wearable on a woman. It's this perfect balanced combination of black amber, tobacco, and leather on my skin. Dark and sexy.

[septima_pica]

Powder bomb, waaagh!

 

Serves me right for trying a black musk scent un-aged. I'll try this again in a year and see if it's become palatable.

[Invidiana]

This is wow, just...wow. It was everything I'd been hoping De Sade, which turned out to be butch manly leather on me, would be (then again I held out hope because I love De Sade's twisted writings). Black Rider is actually very evocative of the decadence of the work of De Sade (and similar French Victorian writers who explored decadence as a theme, such as Baudelaire, Huysmans, Mallarmé...anyway I'll axe the book nerd talk for now) without being glaringly manly. The leather behaves and allows itself to be tempered by the dark, slightly sweet oppoponax and amber, shrouded in just a hint of tobacco smoke which isn't at all overwhelming but adds the perfect mysterious touch. It's just darkly and gorgeously sensual, and definitely my black leather scent.

Edited March 15, 2010 by Invidiana

[eugmyers]

Just got a brand new imp of this from the lab and tried it almost immediately. It is coming off very powder-y right now, though I can detect the leather under the powder - like it is trying to come out. I think I will try this again later on - after it ages a bit, perhaps.