Black Pearl

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

Evocative of the sea's unplumbed mysteries. Gentle and lovely, but menacing and profound. Coconut, Florentine iris, hazelnut and opalescent white musk.

when you were little (or not so little, i had one a couple weeks ago) and the ice cream truck or slushy truck came by, didja ever get a slushy/sno cone in the "rainbow" flavour -- or whatever y'all call the flavour that consists of a little bit of everything where you're from.

that's what this smells like to me.

that being said, i always ask the guy to give me a rainbow, but no coconut. so if i could lose that, this would be delicious.

[mirutai]

This starts of as a rich, deep, nutty coconut... and then dries down to powder on me. I suspect the iris is the culprit here. Oh well! Smelling like coconut isn't really my thing anyway.

 

I suspect foody/nutty fans will eat this one up, though (er, not literally)!

[Dandelion]

Yummmmmmm...

 

In the imp I smell coconut, SEA SALT (?), white musk on backup, very nice iris, and a twinge of hazlenut.

 

The iris disappeared on my skin immediately. Also, in the imp and on my skin before it dried completely it had a salty note that kept it smelling like the sea - but in about ten minutes that burned off. Then it was pure coconut and hazlenut, pure baked good. The iris comes back and plays peekaboo. Now you smell it, now you don't, and it keeps the scent from being too cakelike.

 

So, I like baked goods. And I'm not sure whether I'm a foodie fan yet, but this is definitely delicious. It's gentle and lovely for sure. I don't really get any of the meanacing and profound after the top note burns off. Then it's all coconut nutty sweetness just out of the oven. Think of a sweet old lady who loves to bake living on the beach...

[edenssixthday]

Black Pearl is a really pretty semi-tropical scent. I say “semi” because it’s got a strong tropical scent from the coconut, but the iris, hazelnut, and musk keep it from being fully tropical. It’s a beautiful scent and I was surprised at how much I like it, considering that I can’t usually wear iris and strongly dislike hazelnut in fragrances. However, this blend is very pretty and calming. It reminds me of a walking along a beach at night. Sadly, it has virtually no throw, and is so light that I can only smell it when I press my nose against my skin. Perhaps it’ll work better in a scent locket. After 2.5 hours, the scent is almost entirely indiscernible, and at the 3 hour point, it’s faded entirely.

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Coconut and hazelnut

 

On me: This is mostly coconut and hazelnut on me. White musk hovers in the background.

 

Verdict: I like this scent, I think. It reminds me of being on a cruise in the Caribbean. I'll have to give it a try when I take my cruise this summer!

 

Rating: 3/5

[luna65]

Thanks to Blood onmy hands for the imp.

 

Imp: I get a sweet-salty-smoky vibe from this, and even though there's no specific aquatic note I'm thinking it's the iris' doing.

 

Skin: The coconut and hazelnut become more prominent, and the smokiness is accentuated, so the coconut on me is more of a dry woody note, I'm assuming. But it reminds me of being in a harbor, any harbor; that melange of odors that tells one they're not far from the sea.

 

Drydown: The musk almost completely takes over once dry and gives the oil a very complex and sophisticated body, again like a classic perfume of the old school. I enjoyed how evocative this became once on my skin, which is one of the hallmarks of BPAL, of course; the olfactory journey we take with each scent.

Edited October 4, 2006 by luna65

[CelestialNM]

Um, first review. ^^;;

 

In the bottle: Yummy! This smells soooo amazingly exotic-- the iris and the coconut come out very strong.

 

Now, I tried this twice

 

1st time on skin: Smelled great for the first 5 minutes, then all I got was the musk, I think-- it kept reminding me of sandalwood.

 

2nd time on skin: Much better! I get a hint of the coconut, and the iris comes back-- sort of plays peek-a-boo. Apparently the perfume takes to my skin much better after I've showed in the past hour or so.

 

This is definitely a fav-- will be wearing it a lot. Only sad thing is that I have to reapply every 3 hours or so.

[abejita]

I got this as a freebie from a lovely forumite and was excited to see it in the package. I so wanted to like it. I love coconut, hazelnut, and musk of any kind. However, I now know that I dislike Florentine iris intensely. When I inhale, I get a scent that just smells like perfumey perfume to me, with a naggingly delicious undertone of rich coconut-hazel. Take out the iris and I'd love it.

 

Ah, well. I'm glad I got to try it. I will be looking forward to Storm Pearl, when it comes out.

[Neely]

In the bottle: yummy scrumptous vanilla and a figgy pudding, dribbled with rum.

 

Wet: vanill cream covered figgy pudding with rum. I am salivating wearing this.

 

Dry down: vanilla, fig, cream and booze.

 

30 minutes: same, doesn't change much. This is lovely.

 

Conclusion: vanilla ceream, fig, and booze. his doesn't have a lot of throw and sticks close to my skin. Despite it reminding me of food, it really isn't foody so much as sophisticated. This is what I thought Snake Charmer would smell like on me. I think more of this is in order.

 

Rating 1-5 on my skin, this is a 4.5.

[QueenFae]

This is such a wonderful scent, I can't believe I haven't bought a 5 ml yet! It's a coconut lover's dream; rich, creamy, buttery and decadent. There is a beautiful butter rum undertone that gives it a truly pirate-y feel, and my skin really pulls out this note. It's sort of like Werther's candies smeared over coconut flavored rum. Just lovely, I'm sure this must be one of the lab's most popular scents.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Suntan lotion, booze. Definitely a lazy evening on a tropical beach.

 

On the wrist, wet: Suntan oil. A little bit of booze and a lot of coconut.

 

On the wrist, dry: This is a sticky, creamy tropical drink on a warm beach, with soft breezes wafting the scent of your suntan oil and the flowers at the edge of the beach.

 

Final Analysis: Gorgeous evocative scent, but it doesn't suit me. Off to the swaps it goes.

[Bard]

Directly from the bottle, Black Pearl evokes hot summer days on the beach or at the pool. The coconut is prevalent in this and the association to sunscreen is, to my nose, unavoidable. The presence of the white musk, hazelnut, and Iris give this a deeper, more complex scent than any UV protective lotion could hope to produce. Nevertheless, if this reacts to you as it does with me, you shall probably hear friends and coworkers say, "I smell coconut... is someone wearing sunscreen?" Sadly, coconut has become so prominent in skin care products that it doesn't necessarily register as a "perfume" scent.

 

This is a shame, because Black Pearl is lovely. It is playful and a sensual without being overly flirty. There is, as others have noted, a slight boozy note to this. Whether it is an unlisted ingredient or simply the combination of the fragrances darker elements, I'm not quite sure, but it lends an air of decadence and nonchalance. And of course, I adore virtually anything Beth creates that features white musk as a note, and this is certainly no exception.

 

Anyone who adores the scent of coconut must try this, and anyone who wishes to be reminded of a sultry tropical evening ought to try this as well. Just remember, should anyone ask you if you're wearing sunscreen, simply reply, "No, Mate, that's the Pearl."

 

 

Black Pearl Haiku,

"Just how strong is this

Sunscreen, Captain Jack Sparrow?"

"Forty-five proof, Love..."

[Teggy]

Ladies and gentlemen...we have a winner!

 

I'm soooo happy this didn't go funky on me. In the imp and wet, there is definately coconut and I think it was the Iris that gave it a twist of sharpness. After a while, it settled down into a very soft, nutty, slightly musky coconut. I love the fact that the musk doesn't overpower this scent. It's just light enough for daily wear.

 

It has a similar, creamy softness to Black Opal, but isn't quite as dark and overpowering. I'd wear Black Pearl for day, and Black Opal for night. The one really odd thing is that I can't smell it in my scent locket at all. I might have blotted off too much...but still that's odd. I shall have to experiment.

 

Lasting time: 4 hours tops.

 

Verdict: Definately buying a full bottle.

[cybra111]

Black Pearl

 

In the bottle: Watery floral

 

On me: At first a bit of hazelnut, but then, funky powder. I am not finding any coconut. I am also not a floral lover, so the iris might throw me off. Not what I expected.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: juicy floral

 

Wet: candy floral and sheer musk

 

Dry: candy floral and sheer musk. I didn't smell coconut in this at all I am finding that my skin really amps some iris notes. Black Pearl is a pretty scent, but not the coconut goodness for which I'd hoped.

[charmingdetails]

Dark, sweet, and intoxicating. A rich nutty scent with light florals that mellows to an even richer dark sweetness, losing the floral entirely as it fades. I usually like lighter sweetness, but this one feels... cozy. A cuddle scent, or a scent to relax with. It doesn't evoke anything about the sea, for me, but I like it very much.

[Tess]

I don't think I've ever tried a coconut scent, but I know the musk works on me, so I'm hoping the rest falls in line. Let's see how the iris works on the skin, too.

 

In the vial - Holy gods, iris! I am getting little other than iris.

 

Wet - Huh, this is a very faint scent. The iris went "poof" and the very tiniest bit of musk came out.

 

Drying - Damn, the iris is stomping back in and making me sneeze like mad. WHY does my skin amp the icky notes and ignore the good ones? There's a bare hint of hazelnut in the background so far, but that's about it. Other than iris. Lots of sneezing and sniffling with this one.

 

Dry (45 minutes) - Freaking iris. I can just catch a hint of the musky hazelnut. The iris is covering it up like mad with its intensity.

 

Overall - Why is it that there is ALWAYS a note that ruins these scents for me? And why is it almost always some floral that makes me sneeze and wheeze? Poo.

[steffanina]

Black Pearl-

 

In Bottle: Sweet. And the hazelnut is there.

 

Wet: Oh, what a delicious bloom of that hazelnut. It's like ever hazelnut coffee that's ever brewed in a coffeehouse. And that sweetness magnifies too; I think it's more of a pineapple-coconut smell to me rather than just coconut... Still very sweet. Could be cloying if not worn sparingly. I see why everyone says "creamy" about this; it is cream-rich.

 

Dry: After this has been on for a while, I start to smell the more interesting undertones to it. Of course the name of the scent has a lot to do with it, but after a while the blend has the whiff of rum and tobacco on it, like the South Seas, like the pirate ship on which I've stowed away. Mmm.

 

Overall: I really like!

[porcelain72]

In the bottle: rich, almost vanilla-edged coconut.

 

Initial application: I don't usually like coconut, but this is different, almost smoky, but still creamy as well.

 

Drydown: well, lookee here, there's some flowers growing here! That would be the iris, I'm guessing. This is the first time I've worn an oil that starts out smelling like one thing and turns completely to something else. The weird thing is that I can still smell the rich, dark coconut around me, but when I sniff my wrist I get nothing but flowers, with a very light note of sandalwood behind it. Excellent!

 

Smiley rating:

[aimeceleste]

Very pleasant, overall. I get a lot of hazelnut at the beginning, sweetly floral in the middle, musky over time, but still sweet.

 

This is definitely one of my favorite oils - sweet and sexy.

[kayte]

I get warmth from Black Pearl, but not sun. To me it is a darker, toasted coconut and hazelnut, a "brown" smell that I want to wear when it rains. I don't get much of the Iris or the musk.

 

It's a sketchy oil for me. Sometimes I put it on and really like it, sometimes I put it on and wish I hadn't. I have no strong feelings about it. It's not in the swap pile yet, but if some other scents come along that blow it out of the water it could potentially end up there.

[blackfelicula]

In the bottle: In Black Pearl, I smell sweet coconut and flowers. In other blends I have not gotten along well with coconut, so I am a little leary.

 

Wet: It is nuttier now and less coconut. There is still a touch of floral scent, which must be the iris. It is a warm yet slightly damp smell.

 

Drying down: The musk is coming out more, as is the iris. The coconut and hazelnut work together to take the brightness out of the iris. It is rich and beautiful.

 

Dry: I find this blend interesting. The combination of notes is unexpected, yet blends well into smooth, creamy, dark beauty. The downside: my husband smells only coconut, and he is not fond of coconut.

 

Later: This faded during a couple hours worth of errands. It was fun while it lasted, softening and sweetening a touch on me before fading.

[indicolite]

This is actually rather lovely and fairly yummy, coconutty and hazelnutty.

 

I do not know if this is me, since it is making me rather hungry too... but it is nice.

[Bagfish]

On me, Black Pearl is a sweet bakery sort of scent. I get some coconut and an amber-ish sort of smell (even though amber is not listed). I can't smell the hazlenut, but the scent definitely dries down to an iris-powdery smell, but its still sweet enough to be pleasant.

 

One odd thing is that where I got Black Pearl on my sleeve, it smells incredibly like Death Cap, and is very different to the smell on my wrist. Don't know what is causing this and I really don't know whether the two oils share any ingredients.

 

Mr Bagfish excelled himself with this one and on sniffing said "it smells like a beach with coconut suntan lotion". I'm impressed!

Edited October 14, 2006 by Bagfish

[Ohmaude]

Mmm. Black Pearl.

 

In the bottle, this is Iris (I think) and coconut.

 

On my skin, Dark, Yummy, Smoky Coconut. It makes me think of being on a beach in Hawaii at night with a bonfire. The hazlenut comes out and it gets this rich, sultry smoky coconut. It is warm and dark.

 

I love it.