Night

[zankoku_zen]

Where we're going, or what we're leaving behind: raw cacao, bourbon vetiver, red benzoin, opoponax, tobacco absolute, queen of the night, tuberose, and inky musk.

[VioletChaos]

In The Bottle: A mix of the vetiver and inky musk, with a touch of the cacao to smooth things over.

Wet On Skin: The vetiver becomes a bit stronger now, definitely the lead note at this stage- something I hope continues because I *really* love vetiver. 

Dry Down: It's amazing. Part of what makes it amazing is that the combination of the opoponax, vetiver and musk combine to create something akin to leather. The reason that's amazing is 1. it's NOT leather, but something reminiscent and 2. I can't wear leather, because it always amps on my skin. This scent takes the best aspects of a leather note- its rich, earthy element- and mixes it with wisps of the cacao, queen of the night and tuberose, to create something that is deep, decadent and full of mystery.

I anticipate this aging gorgeously, but right now, in its current state, it's perfect for the beginning transition from summer into autumn. ❤️ 

[Dancing Raven]

This one is interesting because it smells so different than what I expected based on the notes.

Wet: The cacao and vetiver are blending to create what smells to me like patchouli of the chocolatey/herbal type. It smells like a hippie dark chocolate bar in a good way.

Drydown: The above poster is correct. It smells like leather (non chemical, but raw) along with the minty patchouli scent. About 20 minutes in, I get an impression of honey or amber. That must be the tobacco coming through. 

40 minutes in: The queen of the night smells like slightly spicy carnation. I think I am getting some black musk. Leather remains the dominant note. At some point, the queen of the night equals the strength of the leather. 

3 hours later: It's now slightly woody, and there is definitely black musk in the base. It's a little sweet from the benzoin, but not powdery.  I didn't smell any tuberose or opoponax (which has a cola like scent on me usually). Throw is low, and within a couple of hours it's a skin scent on me, but my skin eats perfume. I would say it's gender neutral for the most part, leaning masculine (ish) in the base. Wear time is about 8 hours. I did just get this in the mail yesterday. I think with aging the notes will blend together more, and this will be fantastic. Definitely one to get if you like leather scents, despite the lack of it in the notes. Fortunately, I do.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

[Teaotter]

I was worried that the tuberose and Queen of the Night might dominate this scent, but I love the other notes too much not to try it. And I'm glad I did!

 

It's hard for me to pick out individual notes, no particular one seems to dominate.  Overall, this is a sweet woody incense with some soft floral notes floating over it, and I adore it.

[theseagrows]

this starts with cacao, vetiver, opoonax and some musk. it's earthy and slightly animalic. awhile later i think i get a hint of queen of the night, and the cacao has died down a bit. it ends up a kind of damp vetiver for while, then turns into a vetiver-cacao combination with a hint of florals, which is kind of intriguing. on me. i wasn't sure about this one at first but am liking the drydown quite a bit. i'll have to try it again.

Edited October 1, 2020 by theseagrows

[puellacaerulea]

This is very well-blended, and so it's tough to pick out individual notes. But: It starts out with a combo of cacao and deep earthy notes -- almost like patchouli, but that's not in the notes. I think the combo of the cacao, bourbon vetiver, and tobacco is giving me that impression, along with the musk. As it wears, the florals start to amp up, giving a subtle sweetness to the scent. I agree with reviewers above that the overall combination is sort of like BPAL's raw leather note, but also more than that. It's deep, musky, a little earthy, and definitely evocative of the name. I bet this one would do great with aging.

[zankoku_zen]

Tuberose, cacao, earth notes, and musk. This smells like a cacao-tobacco musk base with a whiff of tuberose on dry. Good throw and wear length.

[roseus]

This smells like velvet. Earthy but in a much different way than I am used to, it's like Fancy Earth. Normally vetiver doesn't play too well on my skin. It often goes very smoky (almost bbq meat sometimes). Here it is rather gentle, and melds with the cacao and the musk. It's a decadent perfumed dark chocolate, with the creamy, heady white florals dancing over the top. 

[biggnerd]

This starts off with the bitter, earthy cacao, smoky bourbon vetiver, and tobacco. All the notes start to swirl and meld together. The main note is the tobacco, but it goes through many different permutations. It's sometimes a slightly floral tobacco (not flowery, just a little white tinge), sometimes it's chewy, sometimes it's smoky, sometimes it's a little green.  In the background, the vetiver is sweet and a little smoky, the cacao is offetring some warm, velvety earthiness, and the benzoin adds a kiss of sweetness. They support the tobacco in all its moods. This is a comforting, cozy scent that lasts all day.  

[wordortwo]

In the bottle, Night smells like a dark chocolate liqueur. The oil separates rather quickly, with what I am assuming is cacao settling at the bottom of the bottle. I recommend spending some time mixing this before applying.

 

On the skin, there is no chocolate here - it is bitter, earthy cacao with a swirl of smoke. It truly does feel like an enveloping darkness, but in the sense of stepping outside in the middle of the night. A light sweetness rises, which I interpret as tobacco and resin, and it's run through with a cool floral. It settles into the skin as rich, earthy cacao with a hint of smoke. As others have said, it is velvety, lightly floral, and just sweet enough.

 

Night is strong and incredibly long-lasting - I can smell it on clothes for days. (I also have a tendency to slather it on, so take that with a grain of salt). One of my favorite BPAL fragrances.

[feyofthefellwood]

This somehow smells like the way black velvet feels. Very dark, but not burnt; scratchy, but soft. It's difficult for me to pick out individual notes here, but I think the cacao, vetiver, and tobacco are what give this such a deep, almost earthy scent. The florals are very well-blended; they seem subdued but I'm sure they're adding to the overall atmosphere. As others have noted, this is a really strong scent; it can linger on my skin and clothes for days. This isn't the type of scent in my usual wheelhouse, but I really like to wear it to help me sleep. It's like a dark, soporific cocoon. Of course, I made the mistake of wearing it today to formulate my thoughts on it better, and now I'm sleepy . . .

[Minh Scent]

This is a most beautiful blend that I think of as "traditional BPAL" because it is so rich, dark and intoxicating.  I feel it would not have been out of place in the OLLA or Crimson Peak Collections.  As others said, it is very well blended, although to my nose the vetiver is the star of the show and what a rich, velvety  vetiver it is!  This is definitely not a floral-centric perfume, so if you were anxious about the queen of the night or tuberose, they are more grace notes.  I can at times pick out the cocoa and tobacco.  If you like Beth's dark, rich sexy blends, don't pass this one up!

 

ETA  More to add after more wears and longer dry down.  At some point in the dry down I SWEAR  I smell hemp or marijuana.  This stage is not very long, but has now happened on four wears, so I am smelling something that reminds me of this; perhaps late stage vetiver.  The final stage is male -cologne like and I cannot for the life of me think of what notes are doing this.  It is pretty enough, but a pale comparison to the first heady hour or so when I am snorting my wrist uncontrollably!  I feel like I have two different perfumes in same bottle!

Edited April 3, 2021 by Minh Scent

[Lucchesa]

I received this from a very generous forumite in a blind bottle swap.  It is all my beloveds — and tuberose. Tuberose and I do not get along. I knew there was a reason I hadn’t sought out a decant. But I couldn’t and still can’t find the tuberose in Night. Nor do I specifically find the cacao.  It’s all inky vetiver and tobacco and dark velvet resins, with the florals kind of non-specifically floating around. It does have great throw, which may be the fault of the tuberose — notes I’m uncomfortable with often have huge throw on me. But it smells terrific. 

[MamaMoth]

this goes on with a discordant jumble of raspy vetiver, bitter cacao, tobacco, and some florals. then it resolves into this smooooooth cashmere-like vetiver thats earthy, resinous, and tobacco-sweet.

some of these notes have the potential to be harsh or overbearing, but this is so very velvety and soft.  total earth mama.  she could be fiercely roused if the need arose, but right now she's just gently cradling you to her breast.

Edited June 12, 2022 by MamaMoth