The Obsidian Widow

[carrickfergus]

Pinot noir, dark myrrh, red sandalwood, black patchouli, night-blooming jasmine, and attar of rose.

It's... very fruity. It would remind me of Fortunato except it doesn't make me want to throw up. Fruit, fruit, and more fruit, but subtler and ALMOST pleasant. Almost. Not for me.

[Indigo78]

In the imp this is Wine and Roses - Sharp and herbal.

 

Wet on my skin the first note to pop out is Attar of Rose, followed by Myrrh's blackness draped over everything else. This is superbly blended: I have to concentrate to untangle the notes in here. Jasmine is turned into an unfamiliar scent for me here. I can smell it, but she''s totally different than in most other blends. This is a perfect manifestation of the dark, glittering, mechanical arachnoid...many will enjoy this one.

[septima_pica]

Kalirren: There's got to be civet in this. Civet and patchouli (both of which don't work on me) are the most notable thing here, unfortunately. The other notes weave in and out -- now they're here, now they're gone -- jasmine, rose, and wine. The wine is light and sour in comparison to the wine in Lilith. We expected this to be a lot more like Lilith, but it's completely different despite the similarity in listed notes.

 

Octopod: A flash of the same light wine from Nosferatu as it dries down. Then, it's civet and jasmine, with maybe some lurking patchouli somewhere in there. An hour later -- civet and jasmine. It's not my standard Screaming Jasmine Doom though; is "night-blooming" a different species, I wonder? I realize that "civet and jasmine" is pretty much most people's nightmare scent, but this is actually good in this case.

 

Amazing the number of different ways this turns out on people's skin, from reading these reviews...

[trollgirl]

In the imp: Ooh, fruity. Whiff of delicious red wine with the myrrh and patchouli keeping it from getting too juicy. I think I might like this one. It smells dark and glossy and rich.

 

Wet: Oh, so yummy, wine and myrrh and...oh wait, what's that? Is that you again, jasmine? Jasmine is like all over my skin. I'm watching TV and not even moving and and Jasmine is jumping up and wafting at me going "Hi! Hi hihi!" I sniff the wrist and I can smell the wine and roses and myrrh lurking in the background and they are so absolutely gorgeous and elegant. Jasmine is being kind of obnoxious, but strangely enough, I don't really dislike her as much as I usually do. She's... kinda growing on me.

 

Dry: And now it smells absolutely stunning. Jasmine has settled down and is playing nicely, and the rose is quite gentle. The wine is to die for. It smells like an amazing incense, just enough sweetness balanced with bitterness. After a couple hours it's pretty much all just sandalwood, but wow, what a really fun journey getting there.

 

Much adoration.

[filigree_shadow]

I’ve tried this one a couple of times – the first time I got mostly wine out of it and it wasn’t really my fave. I wasn’t willing to totally give up on it, though, so I’m trying it again now. This time I do still smell the wine scent (most strongly in the first 20 minutes), but after a while I can start to smell other notes as well. It’s difficult for me to distinguish what they are, but it’s not solely a wine scent. Possibly a wee bit of jasmine and some dark unidentifiable resins. I can only smell them when I sniff my wrist up close, though. From a distance all I can smell is wine. This is usually the problem I have with wine scents, but I still keep trying them hoping for one that breaks the rules. I guess this one isn’t the break-the-rules one, though. *sigh*

[medvssa]

faded musty floral. it's interesting -- old, floral, slightly decayed, reminds me of my grandma's vanity.

Ditto. I couldn't smell wine, only stale, old fashioned perfume. The rose and the jasmine were gritty and pungent, and they normally work for me. Myrrh, sandalwood and patchouli I like a lot, but I didn't even get a whiff of them.

Even though I didn't smell the wine, I think it is the culprit this does not work on me at all. Wine spoils any blend for me, although it rarely smells of wine at all. Weird.

[butcherbaby]

i received this one as a frimp. i wouldn't have picked it myself just because of the wine note- they tend to go very sour on me. but, it smelled lovely in the imp so i figured i'd give it a try.

at first it was just what i expected....rancid sour fruitiness, with some floral, accented by pungent rose. ugh! but then it starts to warm up, and blend....and i get a GORGEOUS throw of rich ripe red fruit and incense. it's INCREDIBLY lovely! what was i thinking?

then, right as i am loving it to death, it completely disappears. i mean, all gone, nicht, nein, nada- no scent at all, not a trace to be sniffed even up close. in slightly less than an hour it's as if i hadn't put on anything at all. WTF?

i've already swapped this one to a better home, but now i am second thinking that. i might get another imp and try again. *sigh*

[edenssixthday]

The Obsidian Widow - When I first sniffed this, my first thought is that it’s a more complicated version of Wicked. I looked up Wicked and sure enough, these two scents share three common notes: myrrh, jasmine, and rose. As The Obsidian Widow dried down on my skin, I was impressed with how the scent became dark and deep without ever becoming a menacing type of scent. I have worn this only once, but it lasted all day and all night and I could smell it still the next morning. It has some of the best staying power I’ve encountered in a BPAL. The last 12-14 hours of wear, however, it lost a lot of it’s complicated nature and smelled exactly like Wicked (again) to me.

[anguissette]

At first it smelled like really strong typical perfume-y perfume. Then the rose came out and it was very pretty. Unfortunately it faded very fast on my skin, so I'll be sending it off to a new home.

[skepticism]

I think this is a great scent for jasmine lovers.

 

In the vial it smelled like a delicious, sleek floral with a touch of sourness/ferment left by the pinot noir. Upon wet it was just rose rose rose, with what smelled like fermented jasmine. Mmmmmmm! I likened the fermented note with the honey wine in Delphi, which is another blend I like. What I found really odd was how I didn't pick up any of the myrrh, sandalwood or patchouli, even when dry. I found that odd because sandalwood and patchouli are notes that are notorious for barging into the foreground with my particular skin chemistry.

 

I really like this scent, but I actually already have a few other favorites with beautiful jasmine notes. It looks like I'll have to take all those jasmine blends and put them into Round 2 Testing to cut it down to the 1-2 I like most.

[Hayet]

I'm not a jasmine fan, but my husband glomped my imp of this one and demanded a bottle. And I think it's the first BPAL jasmine that doesn't smell like rotting flowers to me- it's simply lovely. Especially on my hubby. Mrowwow!

[LauraB]

I can smell the rose (good) and I can sort of smell the myrrh, but my skin either amps wine or turns it sour and there is a lot of wine coming out of this. I get enough to know that it would be great on someone else, but something just isn't right on me (it's either the wine or the jasmine or possibly both). Off to swaps!

[donnatron]

Bottle: I've been waffling on Obsidian Widow for a while now. When I got into BPAL I was lucky enough to get a decant of the original Black Widow and it was gorgeous. So I've had the bottle and I've opened it and then put it back and sort of toyed with rather than really worn it. It's decidedly different from Black Widow, but it's also quite fresh and all the elements are more distinct. I get a strong heady whiff of wine and rose with a base of spicy sandalwood touched with patchouli.

 

Wet: This is STRONG. I put it on and it takes no prisoners. The wine amps up to an almost ungodly level, the patchouli charges over everything in its path and the rose and jasmine are just sitting there like "What just happened?"

 

Dry: It takes a while to burn down. But when it does, it leaves a beautiful, soft, deep scent. The rose and jasmine mingle to create a perfect floral blend--thankfully neither stomps on the other. The wine lends a soft red sweetness and the pathouli blends with the sandalwood and myrrh to create a gorgeous smokey-woody base. It's very heady and womanly and sensual on my skin. I can see how this would work on a man or how it would be an exercise in skin chemistry. I feel a little femme fatale and sultry. This is definitely a heartbreaker's perfume.

 

Throw: Everywhere. After it burns down a bit it's more manageable, but I feel like a bit of a jerk for wearing it to the office today.

 

Overall: This is a beautiful evening or special occasion scent. It can work for daytime and definitely has a nice floral edge that makes it acceptable, but it's just so strong that I feel a bit uncomfortable being so like, "HI DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I SMELL LIKE?" at the office. Overall it's a deeply beautiful and evocative scent. Is it a perfect replication of Black Widow? No. But it is its own perfume and it's beautiful in its own way. It will be an exceptional ager and I can't wait to see what my bottle will smell like come the first anniversary of the Steampunk scents. I'm so happy to have this be part of the general catalogue.

[mochi227]

I wanted to love this. But this is probably the BPAL I like least since I started my BPAL addiction over a year ago.

 

I was lured by the description (Pinot Noir? sandalwood? myrrh?!) and ordered an imp. It had been sitting in my BPAL bowl for a couple of months and this morning I dug it out and decided to give it a run.

 

Upon opening the imp, I thought "hmmm, strong" but couldn't really pick out any note in particular. Then I applied it and was immediately grossed out. I smelled like PUKEY BATHROOM. I wish I were kidding but this is exactly what Obsidian Widow reminded me of. I finished getting dressed, left my apartment, and walked to the subway. The entire time, I'm thinking "WTH?! I smell like a bathroom that's been cleaned with industrial strength cleaner after a bunch of ditzy girls have been puking in there." I prayed it would settle down.

 

By the time I got to work, one thing lead to another and I got busy and distracted and forgot about my plan to wash it off. But I'd keep getting these tendrils of scent wafting up to me that made my nose crinkle and brought back the memory of embracing the porcelin goddess after one too many.

 

When I came to do my review and saw that the notes were Pinot Noir, Jasmine, and attar of Rose, I realized my pukey industrially-cleaned bathroom accord was not far off, at all. On me, this will just not do. As much as I wanted to love Obsidian Widow, she goes completely rank and fermented on me. It's such an accurate scent portrait for me that I actually felt myself getting nauseous. Luckily she settled down after about 2 hours and the fermented pukey note is more or less gone and only the florals and a berry note from the pinot remain.

 

So sorry for the graphic imagery Lab, but this one just didn't work with my chemistry. Hopefully I'll swap it to someone who can use it.

 

0/5.

[auburnette]

The Obsidian Widow

 

Wet, in imp: Rich and metallic. Almost a bit winey.

 

Wet, on skin: Definitely winey, and I can smell rose. Looking at the notes, there's rose and pinot noir. I did think there was a metallic tang to this when I first put it on, which was very appropriate but kind of unnerving.

 

Dry, on skin: Rose comes stampeding through, dragging jasmine along by the arm. The other notes are left in a confused sad heap; the rose and the jasmine have drunk all the pinot noir and are now rampaging around trailing the scent of cold metal. The jasmine starts to whimper that it's time to go home. Unacceptable, says the rose, chopping the jasmine up with a big axe. The scent that's left is a dark, bloody rose with shreds of jasmine.

 

Yikes!

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Patchouli first, followed by myrrh. Then the jasmine develops.

 

Wet: Patchouli, something fruity, then rose. The myrrh and jasmine bond, providing an ethereal top note. This is very strong, and a little bitter, but it has potential.

 

Twenty minutes: Initially, a breath of fruitiness; then the bite of myrrh, then rose. Jasmine is there too, but not immediately noticeable. Right now it's odd, a little off my beaten track, but it's very interesting. I think it's that tinge of fruitiness; otherwise it would be another myrrh-floral, but the grape-yness makes it unusual.

 

One hour: Fruity myrrh, with jasmine.

 

Two and a half hours: Much better balance now. I noticed about 45 minutes ago it smelled really nice, so it's been that way for a while. Jasmine, patchouli, and rose seem to have agreed on a power-sharing arrangement; how nice! The fruit is gone, but the myrrh and sandalwood have melded very nicely into a warm base. The trade-off is that it's a much less intense scent than before, more subtle. But still complex and delicious.

 

Several hours later: Once this got itself into balance, it stayed nice for quite a while.

 

That night-blooming jasmine note is a real keeper for me.

[blu°]

This smelled so dark, sharp, bitter and heady from the imp that it took me a while to gather the strength to test it.

 

From the imp I get a very dark and bitter wine note and some headiness. It smells like something the witch stepmother of snow white or some character along those lines would wear. Very feminine and very 'evil'. I'm quite sure it's not a scent I would feel comfortable with, but am nevertheless intrigued as it's quite unique and seems to nail the concept.

 

Once on my skin, the thick bitter wine begins to breathe and loses some of its density. I get some purplish notes now, yet the overall scent remains an ashy dark one. No weight here, no juiciness. It's thin and smoky, yet heady, and I can really make out the night-blooming jas now, a note that always goes soapy and sharp on me.

 

When I sniff it close, that sharp soapiness overpowers and threatens to trigger a headache. The throw is a lot less aggressive, even gives off an illusion of sweetness.

 

Mostly, the wine and jasmine are held in check by the sandalwood, patchouli and myrrh here. The attar of rose is bitter and slightly sour and adds to the bitter nature of the wine note.

 

So, this is totally not a scent for me, but I really think it matches the concept of a gem black widow figure. It's got none of the fluffy hair I felt in Smiling Spider, and no liveliness.

[Urchin]

Obsidian Widow - I just put this one on for the first time. When I opened the bottle, I was worries, because the wine scent was not only strong, but almost like vinegar or turned wined. I'm glad I didn't stop right then. Once on my skin, the wine smell dissipated quickly (though a faint cast of it remains in the fabric of my turtleneck). What's left is a deep floral smell, but not a sweet, typical floral. It's a slightly savory floral, which is very complex and interesting. The myrrh is very strong, but not too bitter (as myrrh can be), and the rose is present without being overly rosey (sweet, clear, and girlish are what I think of as "overly rosey"). The patchouli plays a very minor role, or at least is so well blended that I have trouble picking it out. The jasmine gives its gentle sharpness to the scent, and the sandalwood (as always) ties things together beautifully. It's hard to pick out the notes in their entirety because they work together so well. Even the wine is still just barely there, but you can't identify it as wine. It adds a faint sour/savory cast, making the scent puzzling. This is a very complex scent. I'm very impressed. High recommendations for this one!

[thewondersmith]

 

In the imp: Mm, sweet wine with a haze of jasmine. I'm really hoping the jasmine isn't going to amp like it usually does, because I adore BPAL's wine notes and the pinot noir element of this sounds delicious.

 

Wet: Waah! Jasmine! Jasmine jasmine and MORE jasmine. Damn. Not getting any wine whatsoever, and the patchouli is near non-existant on me.

 

Drydown: That's odd- after about ten or fifteen minutes, the jasmine morphs into a rather nice turkish-delight sort of scent, which I suppose is the rose. It's rather nice but only sticks around for a few minutes before morphing back into the jasmine! I don't get any wine or sandalwood, which is surprising since my skin amps sandalwood like crazy. I think I would have liked the Obsidian Widow more if the sandalwood -had- been amped, rather than the jasmine. Ah well, I think I'll hang on to this one and see how it ages, just in case.

[theseagrows]

ew. this just does not work on me, at all. in the imp i smell the sandalwood and wine mostly, with maybe a touch of rose. sort of winey-earthy. however, on my skin, the rose turns sour, the wine smells old and there is something that smells like a public bathroom, which i think is the combination of patchouli and jasmine. this just doesn't work with my skin chemistry at all, which sucks because i love the imagery of the scent...

[Phaedra]

Wet this is myrrh, honey and red wine in the background. When first on this is very different than the wet stage. It's woody and dewy, not sweet at all. After several minutes this smells like jasmine and red wine. After a few hours this is a blend of myrrh, wine and flowers. It's similar to Athens but not as sharp. On the dry down this is a soft, powdery blend of myrrh, rose, florals and red wine. This is really nice but I prefer Athens. This is a good one to try for fans of myrrh and red wine notes.

[Little Bird]

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed, just because I liked the description of "tinkling tiny feet." I'm horribly afraid of spiders, but something about this one seems so cute, lol. I generally hate bpal's jasmine and wine notes, and amp up rose, but I couldn't resist the tiny feet. Then again, my tastes have been changing lately, and I've been having better luck with dark florals and wines.

 

In the bottle, this smells like sour roses drowning in sour red wine. It's a very wet, very red, very intense fragrance. It's sexy and scary at the same time.

 

On me, this becomes very hard to describe. It loses all of the sour qualities as soon as it touches my skin, but it's warm and red and still very intense. Something about this smells incensey in a sweet, earthy way (maybe the mix of sandalwood, myrrh, and patchouli). The wine makes this scent so red and sexy. The rose adds a romantic touch that's actually not amping up and overwhelming the other notes.

 

As this dries down, it reminds me a bit of Follow Me Boy (an old favorite and one of the few florals I've loved over the years). Follow Me Boy smells like hot, sticky sweet jasmine on me, and I get that same feeling here. It's like Follow Me Boy swimming in wine, holding on to a rose, and dusted in an earthy-resinous mix of myrrh & black patch. I love the black patchouli note, and the hint of it here is just perfect.

 

This feels like such a heated, sexy scent. I love it.

-------------

ETA: Recently got a frimp of this scent from the lab and it smells nothing like the scent that I reviewed above. I've been noticing a lot of differences in scents that I loved years ago versus how they smell now. I'm glad that I got a bottle of this when I did, because my recent frimp (direct from the lab) smells like candied fruit, powdery rose, and a touch of potpourri spice. Smells totally different when compared to my original bottle.

Edited January 12, 2012 by Little Bird

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Goldenrod-coloured oil. Dark, slightly sour from the wine, a bit bitter from the myrrh, some dirty patchouli, rich rose, and heady, slightly soapy jasmine. Not my thing at all. Definitely for those who like 'darker' feminine scents.

[lothien]

I got this as a frimp. Bless the frimpies - I have such good luck with random choices!

 

In the catalog, Steamworks was the first category I looked at, and I loved the name of this one, it scared me. I love rose, but not all. Jasmine of any kind is entirely a crapshoot (acetone). There are a lot of notes that could be really awful on me, and what happens if they all go bad together??! ^^

 

In the imp I get wine, and it's not as boozy as I expected. It's a really yummy nice red wine scent, like the waft you might get from your glass at dinner.

Unfortunately, and this is the only thing that knocks a star off of this one, is that once applied, the top notes go through a horsey phase at the beginning that literally only lasts a couple of minutes, but it's horsey.

Then it settles down and I get a lovely night-blooming jasmine, and rose. It is thick and resiny and the wine note is very faint but doesn't disappear.

It does seem more appropriate for fancy dress, which I don't do often anymore (the nightlife is a long way from here, unless you're talking about coyotes and raccoons...). I don't need a bottle of this but I really like that it feels more fancy and I may keep it for that.

So I am not 100% sold on it - it's one of those I may or may not want to smell at a given time since it's not really a background scent and I would need to be in the right mood to pull it off. ;D

As always, I need to try it later when it's not fresh out of the mailbox, too. But it is all around 100% better than I expected it to be on me, so yay!

 

It's also been educational - keep trying jasmine, keep trying wine, keep trying patchouli, keep trying Steamworks. I should add some more to my wishlist.

[catattack]

Imp: Pinot Noir, jasmine, sharp woods.

Wet: Softer woods, mild jasmine, sweet dark incense.

Drydown: Damn! The rose and jasmine have taken over.

Overall: This ends up all heady florals on me. Boo.