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Sweetness, and rich loam. It's quite dark, and it smells like I could dig my fingers through the dirt. I'm not so familiar with orchids note, but the floral note is very pretty--as the blend dries, it gets softer, more sophisticated. And there's something in this blend that reminds me, just a little bit, of very fancy cake. Which might be my odd scent associations, but still. Overall, a lovely blend.

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First off, thanks so much to eviltemptressdq for the sniffie of this one!

 

This is a gorgeous, feminine, perfumey scent. Not for the faint of heart, for sure. I don't get so much of a dirt note as I do a dark incensey note settled just beneath the orchid. There is not a lot of throw for me, I definitely have to press my nose up to my wrist to smell this one (however I did not get to slather since it was only a sniffie, so maybe if I applied more there would be throw). Basically this reminds me exactly of Black Rose but with orchid (trite, I know, but it's the only way for me to describe the "black" part of this fragrance).

 

I am not sure that I like this one personally, although I can't deny that this is a great sent. It seems that if I wore this one for too long or put too much on, I might get a really bad headache. Still, I am really glad that I got to try it to satiate my curiosity!

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Thanks to twistygirl, I have a 5ml of this fabulous oil. I am not getting loam, dirt, or anything remotely dark or "black." Perhaps its aged to where this bottle of Black Orchid smells like a brighter (yes, brighter) version of Queen of Diamonds, also a favorite of mine. It has tons of throw and staying power, and mellows only slightly to have a bit of a "soft hush" in the background... and perhaps a hint of exotic tea?

 

If this is what it ages to, Black Orchid is one of the most exquisite scents I have tried, closely rivaling my beloved Darkling Thrush, Queen of Diamonds, and Blue Moon.

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Black Orchid is flowers and dirt. There's a depth to this. It's very dusky, as I find most orchid scents to be, but this one is much darker. I can't tell if it is "earth" that is adding to the weight of this, or if it's a musk of some sort. Either way, that sits beneath the orchid note. The orchid is so deep and sultry, dusty and dusky, and very purple in my mind's eye. It sits close to the skin. I really wish I had more of this.

 

:P

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Definitely very floral - alas, I cannot actually pick out the scent of orchid from other heavy florals. What distinguishes this for me is the very rich undertone, almost a red fruity sort of scent. This is a really gorgeous floral perfume - not my usual scent, but very nice.

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"Black Orchid" is not a misnomer--this is the darkest orchid I have ever smelled (and I've tried most of the notable orchid blends from BPAL). It also has the distinction of being the only BPAL to ever make me sneeze. When I first smelled my decant, I didn't recognize the floral at first, but when I applied it, I was able to get the orchid spice from among all the other notes. I sense some sort of dirt note--perhaps an extremely clean patchouli (perhaps resembling the one used in Geek?) and perhaps some pepper (why I sneeze?). There's something that is really obscuring the whole orchid from coming forward--I think it's a resin, but I'm not sure which type (tbh, there's the slightest hint of the citrus that came out in Riding the Goat, and someone attributed that to frankincense). It's a fascinating blend, but I am going to have to swap my decant because of the sneezes. My loss is your gain!

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A dear Forum friend sent me a decant with other Yule goodies. I'm so excited to try this one! :P Mmm, Black Orchid is clearly recognizable as a sister to Shadow Witch Orchid. It also reminds me of the narcissus note in Pride--dark, faintly astringent, and detached, if that makes any sense--it will never be a scent that blends into your skin, but it will perch elegantly on you and surround you with an aura of expensive haughtiness. A good Big Night Out sort of scent! I hope it's released "for real" at some point.

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I went and played in jewelbug's box of schtuff, and tried this puppy on.

 

I have to say that the orchid is positively peppery on me. It's dark and dirty, and for the first hour or so, it was very peppery on me. Now it's dirt and orchids.

 

Unless this goes through a severe reformulation, this is not for me. *sigh of relief*

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In reference to the version from Clearing Out the Cobwebs: Dark Delicacies Trunk Show, 2/8/09.

 

Dear Black Orchid, Where have you been all my life?

 

*This* is the scent that I love so much in the Dark Delicacies fragrance! Dark, sweet, earthy in a patchouli fashion but not a dirt smell.

 

:thud: :wub2:

Edited by TwilightEyes

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straight sniff from imp is dark patchouli orchid...smoldering....

once applied this is indeed earthy orchid...lots of sillage...quite beautiful and

i am so pleased to have an imp to cherish and age ;)

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v5

 

Sniffed: Pale amber/dark golden oil. Sweet, dark, floral. A bit - mature? Sophisticated? I get an incensey, ambery sort of feel - it's definitely sort of dark, and almost smoky, but still light and surprisingly fresh. A little soapy.

 

Wet: Same, perhaps a little more astringent, almost sour and a little like some rose or jasmine notes. Definitely a soapy edge, and this continues to smell like something an older woman would wear.

 

Dry: Not really any morphing. I find this pretty simplistic, and I can see why it's not been released.

Edited by fairnymph

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This is a review of the original Unreleased Black Orchid first, and then the more recent Cobwebs Trunk Show v5 version.

 

Original Unreleased:

I wish I could say this is a rare I don't mind missing, but it wouldn't be true. I love the scent of this, even though I get no patchouli at all; :cry2: this is a very delicate aquatic floral, and it's gorgeous on my skin. :cry2: I had more than the measly 1/2 decant I have now, but in a fit of good will I sold it to a forumite who wanted to wear it for her wedding. C'est le vie!

 

Black Orchid v3:

watery, and vaguely powdery, but still lovely. Not my favorite though.

 

Black Orchid v5:

This has the lovely, earthy patchouli I was looking for! :wub2: This is my favorite of all 3 types.

Edited by stellans

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Original Black Lily proto, from the forum raffle.

 

This time its much more creamy and benign. No pepper. Just cream, dark orchid with a hint of dirt. Pretty, simple, sophisticated. Sort of like the little black dress. In fact, that would work with the LBD and pearls.

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I have now tried all three of the lab's Black Orchid prototypes! The unreleased one does smell like v5, only lighter and more watery. I slathered and I get little to no patchouli in the unreleased version whereas the patchouli is a present and grounding note in v5. Unreleased fades to a generic soap-y smell on me whereas v5 remains more robust, with longer through and more staying power. v5 is my favorite of the three protos!

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This is a review for Black Orchid Prototype 5 - unreleased version.

 

In the bottle: a nice, mild, earthy scent with orchid, not too floral/overwhelming. I like it, though the orchid dominates the earthiness.

 

Wet on skin: ugh, orchid amps right away, earthiness is gone gone gone... it's giving me a bit of a headache. Too much floral. I was hoping for more soil/earth/patchouli, but all I'm getting is headache inducing florals. Waiting to see if it morphs. It's been about 20 minutes, trying to stick through it, hoping the earthy scent amps.

 

Dry down: not for me. bought in a lot on ebay along with a bottle of Nahemoth, which I love... this is way way too flowery and gives me a headache. There is a soapy aspect as well. It does mellow out eventually, but then it just ends up smelling like sugary flower candy with astringent and not as overwhelmingly floral, but am still not a fan. A couple hours later and I can smell the patchouli and I like it, very close to the skin, no throw. I like it a lot at this stage, don't love it, but it's finally where I thought it would be and acceptable - like orchids with dirt in the background - this lasts very briefly and then it's a powdery perfumey floral again, no thanks.

 

I really was hoping the earthiness would be the more prominent note, but it's not. Smelling my wrists is still giving me a mild headache. Going to have to sell/trade this bottle.

 

Edit: When looking at review pre purchase, I believe I thought what I was buying was v5 versus the unreleased v5. Live and learn... I wanted deep earthy patchouli. Unreleased v5 is, indeed, very watery and extremely floral dominated.

Edited by MarlaMoreau

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I have a bottle of Black Orchid v5, so I was super curious of this version. 

 

In the imp: RICH orchid with a slightly dirty note backing it.

 

On my skin: Hot house orchid, with earthy/dirty undertone. v5 has a lot of patchouli/vetivier in it, this is definately a dirt note. But I'm kinda digging it. We have a Conservatory near where I live, and in their tropical dome there are a LOT of orchids. This smells like what sitting on one of the benches surrounded by the orchids is like. That place is one of my favorite, special spots, and because of the pandemic it's had extremely limited visitors. This waxes very nostalgic of happier times.

 

Another orchid win for me. It's different enough from both v5, and Great Vampire Bat to stand alone.

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This is for the original unreleased version.
 

I have had a decant of this for years, but never tried it because florals are not my friend. 
 

Well, that was a big mistake. BIG. 

 

This is.. amazing. It’s black velvet, snuggly and sexy. Yes it’s floral, but it really isn’t- there’s a beautiful dustiness to it that brings to mind dried flowers, but the orchid itself is dark and seductive. I really love this, completely unexpectedly. 
 

Edited by sunshinedaisybliss

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