Cacao, Black Amber & Black Copal

[zankoku_zen]

No additional scent description.

[Casablanca]

Black cacao pa-pow.

 

In the bottle, I smell cacao and amber, but on my skin, this is all cacao and copal at first. For both inhales, it's really Cacao and Darkness: the first more perfumey, the second more woody, but still Darkness. 

 

Copal begins by sharing a seat with cacao, but gradually takes it over during the wet phase. I've amped copal before, and that may be happening here, because this woody/spicy/incensey dark note that is copal mostly nudges cacao out. I'm not picking up amber at all through this.

 

After this dries, it develops some sweetness. I think that's the amber's sole contribution as this plays out on my skin, but I like the blend.

[Threemoons]

In the bottle--chocolate soap if that is even a thing? Dark cacao and strong fresh...soap. On, wet: As it warms up, the soapy note calms down a little bit and a teeny bit of the amber starts to pop up over the cacao. Drydown: This becomes a dry, soft cacao thing with wisps of the soapiness--I guess that is the copal?--and a hint of sweetness from the amber. Not what I expected but glad I got it! This would layer phenomenally with anything rose or citrus or vanilla.

[marared]

Chocolate soap, yep. Well, more like chocolate cleaning fluid rather than *soap* - it's not powdery, but it's high-pitched and unnatural and it smells like a very strange cookie. The amber is barely even noticeable and I typically amp amber a lot.

 

I tried this after two weeks to see if it was just travel shock, and it has not improved for me. I can't even let it sit on my skin more than ten minutes.

[ltrittipoe]

Turpentine.  
 

 

That’s it   

 

Hopefully this will change as it ages. 

[VetchVesper]

Huh.  Waayle... I expected to be gaga for this one since I'm a huge fan of all three notes, but this isn't at all what I expected.  The copal in this smells like the one in Coffee Beans & Copal, which also didn't work for me for some reason.  Normally, I get an earthy, metallic tang from the note, almost like the way money smells, but here I'm getting lemony cola.  I know others have mentioned copal smelling like cola, but it usually doesn't for me.  I'm not really digg'n it.  I get a little cocoa in the imp, sort of a chocolate cake mix smell, but nada on my skin.  Just copal and a bit of dusty amber.  Perhaps this needs some aging to come into it's own.  (I'm testing this fresh from the mail.)  As is though, I'm glad I didn't splurge on a bottle.  If Coffee Beans & Copal was your jam, you'll probably like this, but I'm a bit disappointed.  😕

 

I might have to play with this before I give up on it.  It might smell nice added to other things.  I'll report back if there are any positive changes.   

Edited September 17, 2020 by VetchVesper

[Dancing Raven]

I'm surprised there isn't more love for this.

Wet: Cacao - smooth milk chocolate and some fizzy copal. It's just a touch bitter, but just enough to add some texture to the sweetness.

Drydown: Copal overtakes the scent, but cacao is still keeping it just a bit chocolatey. 

30 minutes in: I am getting something lotus like alongside the copal and cacao. It sounds strange, but it's actually pretty.

About 3 hours after application: Dark chocolate and a nonpowdery amber warms everything up. It's a little foody, but not overwhelmingly sweet. I think this one is very nice! Throw is moderate for the first few hours, then becomes a skin scent. Wear time is several hours. I already am digging this, and I think it's just going to keep getting better.

5 out of 5 stars.

[zankoku_zen]

Smoky cocoa and a whiff of amber. It's slightly ambery, slightly sweet, and a whiff of chocolate. More wearable than I anticipated. 

[puellacaerulea]

This one starts out with a big blast of Lemon Pledge copal, but it settles down fast, letting the amber and cacao speak up. I wasn't sure what to expect with this combo of notes, but when the copal's just a faint background player, the cacao and amber play well together. This is primarily amber with a chocolate-y undertone -- the cacao warms and softens the amber, but doesn't overtake it. Over time, the cacao slowly amps up more. It's a warm, sweet-ish, surprisingly cozy scent.

[Kittymittens]

Literally Juicy Fruit Gum. In the bottle, on my skin - not what I was expecting. 😭

[feyofthefellwood]

Something in this one turns weird on me, unfortunately. I like the resiny incense smell I get from it at first, but then it turns kind of sweet yet sour ish? I am not sure which note is causing it, since I enjoy cacao, amber, and copal in other blends. I'll have to try it again after it rests a bit more and see if my skin/nose likes it better. 

[Little Bird]

The first time that I wore this, I thought that it smelled like a chocolate orange candy.  Now I'm getting more of a bright, lemony scent from it, closer to the scent of Lemon Pledge furniture polish (which I actually enjoy, but not so much mixed with chocolate).  Chocolate bars + Lemon Pledge isn't quite mixing for me, I think, and I don't ever really pick up on the amber.  A very strong fragrance that leaves sort of a scratchy feeling in my throat.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

I was really excited about this one, because it’s got globules! Cacoa globules! And black amber.. love it. 
 

But unfortunately the copal ruined everything. I don’t even know how to describe this.. vomit-scented furniture polish is what comes to mind. Not nice on me at all, and now I have a very large disappoint. Copal is a bastard. 

[DiZZysTARdust]

so this is a funny scent. in the bottle it’s a cloyingly sweet chocolate with an almost cola like background. copal doesn’t come out strong for me but tends to add a cola like fizziness to things so this checks. on this is like so strong and weirdly flat, def puts the wow in cacao, like a thick syrupy chocolate coke. it’s kind of a turn off because of the flatness and over sweetness. i put it on and forgot about it, but it’s there in the background cause good throw, so at some point in the drydown i’m like wait what’s that. most of the cocoa burns off, leaving an almost vanillic resins lightly sweetened with a cocoa edge. GORGEOUS. i only have an imp so i’ll def treasure this

[groovyrooby]

YUM. This vibe is a combo I seek out in the catalog. It's one of my favorite things they do. 13 (November 2020) and No Man is an Island are two of my faves for this earthy sweet cocoa effect - and this is right in there. Warm, dark, rich, and dry.

 

This cocoa still suggests sweet, even without the supporting notes in those other blends. Maybe it's the resin from the incense? Then again, the copal & palo santo lend the bitter curls wafting up from the swinging vespers. Gorgeous. I really should try all these cocoas if this is how they're gonna do.