Black Opal

[noirisnoir]

A play of geological darkness and jagged brilliance. Soft and luminescent with flashes of black fire.

This smells like my skin when I was in high school right after I would use one of those medicated face pads.

[greenranger]

Wet, I get a whoosh of heady florals.

 

Drying, the florals vanish and I get...a pale scent...not quite aquatic? Mineral, I suppose. Not quite salty. It also isn't very interesting except as an experiment, at least not on my skin.

[milo]

This scent reminds me of Antique Lace and Morocco. I like AL, and don't like Morocco, and this falls somewhere in between. I like vanilla, but this really amps it up on me, and I something reminds me that this is a more "mature" fragrance. I don't get any spice, just a faint hint of floral and whole lot of vanilla. It may layer good with something dark and sexy, though.

[stillalive]

oh yum! This is what I imagine Bliss and Velvet must smell like! Really sweet, like vanilla. Reminds me of Dragon's Milk in a less-smoky way. The smoky is replaced by a kind of spicy firey scent... not smoky though. Wow. Definitely a keeper.

[smokey188]

in the bottle: vanilla and something else.

on skin:Musk it's vanilla musk well this wasn't the firey black opal i thought it would be but i love it. it's more of white opal or even a pearl. it's got such a delicate sweetly divine scent this is a skin scent for me and definitely a big bottle required!

[Suu4LC]

This was described to me as "vanilla rocks"-sounds very odd but it was well loved, so I had to try it.

 

Ok, in the imp...it's weird...it really is like vanilla syrup poured over earthy gray rocks. Not sure how this is gonna smell on my skin...

 

On my skin, I really like the vanilla note, but I just don't love the "rocks" note. It's kind of sour and dirty. This is kind of a cool blend, but there are so many other vanilla bpal blends I love more, I know I would never wear this.

[Lamia]

This is curious. Unidentifiable in the bottle. Wet on skin I smell cedar...? and creamy vanilla/amber? This takes about an hour to settle down and become pleasant, but after about 2.5 hours it's almost gone. Ah well.

[Peaches 2]

Oooooooo. Lovely. Creamy. I don't get vanilla, but that's probably because I expect vanilla to be sweet, and this isn't. On me it has an aquatic edge; this is the rocky side of the beach, silicate and shells, the warmth of the sun and the cool of the sea. Luminescent and subtle, as if mother of pearl had a scent.

[OhioSky]

This smelled like absolutely nothing on me.

 

it smells like strong, cheap floral perfume in the imp, and then even that disappeared after putting it on.

[rusty]

EXACTLY like...stone. it smells like.... stone. I didn't even know rock had a smell! a vanilla-y, slightly creamy...stone. its a piece of rock with vanilla extract spilled over it. I don't know how else to put it! its surprisingly pleasant and very unusual.

 

clean, pure, kind of faint, warm and sweet....very interesting, not a everyday wearable scent for me...definitely a standout special kind of scent.

Edited August 27, 2008 by rusty

[tacey]

Black Opal

 

Vanilla. Subtle variations from dry vanilla, to sweet vanilla, to spicy vanilla, but always vanilla. Faded quickly but lingered at that no-throw stage.

[zankoku_zen]

Haha. I have to say that I see the Antique Lace comparisons and the 'vanilla rocks' comment. This is pretty much a soft, slightly 'rocky' vanilla. It's pretty soft, and has almost no throw for me.

 

Yup. Not for me.

[jizatt]

I originally tried this and wasn't bowled over, and recently tried it again to give it a better shot.

 

Firstly: it strikes me as a colder Lyonesse. The vanilla base here smells exactly the same to my nose.

 

Secondly: there's a pure powder stage on my skin. I didn't make it past this point previously.

 

Lastly: there is a cold, almost wet (guessing this is the stony part) to this that is very very intriguing.

 

Overall: It shifts between almost entirely vanilla powder and this cold almost wet vanilla that is truly lovely. I'm just not sure I can put up with the powder. Incidentally, I have the same problem with Lyonesse, but something else in there anchors it to my skin better.

[Seismogenic]

The description says "geological." What further impetus did I need to get this one and try it? Since today is my first day of geophysics grad school, I figured that was an extremely appropriate occasion for testing Black Opal out.

 

In the imp: A very cool vanilla - it actually feels like the air I'm inhaling has been chilled - with a faint mineral edge.

 

Wet on skin: Dry/not-very-sweet vanilla over something that is indeed smooth and stony. Woah.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry is pretty much the same as wet. Something smooth and dusty and mineral (this is definitely sedimentary, whereas Moai was clearly igneous), with vanilla on top/nearby. There's something a little bit sharper showing up now, though I couldn't tell you what it actually is; it's not a very strong sharp thing. After an hour or so, the sharpness has smoothed out, and the vanilla has sweetened a little. The mineral note is maybe less prominent.

 

Five hours later: The vanilla has faded enough that it balances with the rocks better now. It's something slightly creamy and vaguely sweet over something cool and dusty.

 

End of the day: Faint smooth cool rocks.

 

Overall: For most of the day, vanilla was more prominent than rocks, and I have to say that I really wish it'd been the other way around. I think my nose was kind of confused by Black Opal, since it was definitely picking up rocks, but not without a healthy helping of vanilla, which never occurs with rocks in the field. (Moai, on the other hand, was glaringly unapologetically geological. If Moai was OMG ROCKS!!, Black Opal is more like WTF ROCKS?!) At times, it was almost hard to differentiate the mineral scent as actually being rocks in particular, even though it was always something distinct from the vanilla. The geologist part of my brain also had a hard time letting my nose just plain smell this without trying to isolate the rock, but in those few moments when the nose triumphed over the brain, it decided that Black Opal is a very unusual (in a good way) and pretty scent. It is cool and soft and shaded like something in grayscale. I do like it, though I'm hoping wearing it a few more times will resolve some of the residual nose/brain confusion.

Edited September 26, 2008 by Seismogenic

[Iceblink]

Now this is an odd one. Vanilla, yes, a musky, powdery vanilla, warm and inviting--and then there's this, well, ROCK smell. It's weird, but it's good. Very classically perfumey despite the mineral/rock note.

[Dark Alice]

I can't believe I never reviewed this!!!!! In the bottle, sweet vanilla and mineral....esque scent. Drydown on skin: light, powdery vanilla rock. I love it, I keep slathering it every few hours just to refresh it on my skin. I love it, I am so glad I have it, and I will always want more!!!!!

[crebbsgirl]

Well this is the only scent so far that BF has gone so far as to ask for it's name. Up until now, his favourite has been O. This is a really intriguing scent. It has a smoky vanilla tone to it and I cannot identify any other notes. I can definitely see the similarity to Lyonesse as CaudaPavonis stated. It is a fairly dark scent but I can see the occasional flash of fire interpreted as a brighter/golden note that occasionally comes through. Overall this blend is really enigmatic, and I think I like it!

[acidrica]

Vanilla stone is the only way I can describe this, and it lives up to it's description. Sadly, it just isn't me at all, though I'm grateful I got to try it! I know there are some florals here, but I can't identify them. I'll have to ask my mom to inhale my hand once she gets home.

[hkhm]

imp: soft something or other. it's so faint i can't describe it.

 

wet: this smells like a faint aquatic with a mineraly touch. it is extremely light, i need my nose right against my skin to smell it at all.

 

dry: luckily, this doesn't fade quickly at all, but it's still so faint i have to huff my wrist. it's still aquatic minerals, unusual but nice.

[isis33]

I get vanilla here and nothing else. But it's a very creamy vanilla and not at all sweet, so the other notes must work in the background and alter the vanilla. It's very subtle and has little throw on me, which makes it a good perfume for work.

[ifinena]

Vanilla and black stone(?)

The vanilla from Antique Lace, really nice and soft here and then that feel of stone and rock (as others mentioned upthread).

That "black" note smells faintly the way tyres smell when you break abruptly from driving at high speed.

Now I know how it is to be sad when chemistry ruins a wonderful blend.

[Argentwolf]

Vanilla baby-powder -- that's pretty much what I get from this. And...I suppose that's what an opal *would* smell like, if it had an odor (though I get a lot more of the white, fiery opal vibe from this).

 

It has a decent amount of tenacity and throw -- I'd rate it a 3 out of 5, on that scale. More of a feminine, demure scent.

[pinkstardust420]

oh my. antique lace, ye favorite perfume from bpal...MOVE OVER! BLACK OPAL is my new favorite! this is gorgeous and oozes sexyyyyyyyyyy. this is a gorgeous scent that I'd wear on a night out on the town. vanilla musk, with an extra brightness that i can't even explain. simply beautiful, simply amazing. a new favorite of mine. just bought this in a 5ml!

 

 

[ami226]

Wow! I just got this one as a frimp from the lab and I am loving it!

 

In the imp: Vanilla and something slightly dark. Some type of booze maybe? Not really sure.

 

Wet: Oh, that vanilla is good! I think my boy will like smelling this one. Reminds me a bit of White Rose.

 

Dry: Very soft vanilla with something slightly earthy. This one doesn't seem to last more than an hour on my skin, but it is very lovely while it is there.

 

I think I am happy with an imp, but wouldn't get a bottle. It isn't "in your face" enough for me. Haven't done the boy test yet...

[ChloeKEvil]

A play of geological darkness and jagged brilliance. Soft and luminescent with flashes of black fire.

*puts on mining helmet* Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go...

Oh, you didn't know about the Black Phoenix Vanilla Mines? They're the finest source of rock vanilla on the whole continent, scenting the area around them with a very appealing scent, a crystalline vanilla. They export it to all sorts of places- it has a different feel, less food and more perfumey...

Oi. Right, got lost in my imagination. Anyways, I love this one. Gorgeous! The vanilla is sweet but there really is a rocky, glittery feel to it. It's very different from, say, Antique Lace, which I tried just before it and seemed thicker. This is a clear scent and not at all overpowering.