Black Pearl

[supremegoddessofall]

Evocative of the sea's unplumbed mysteries. Gentle and lovely, but menacing and profound. Coconut, Florentine iris, hazelnut and opalescent white musk.

Interesting! I'm getting mostly the iris and the musk. The coconut is lurking underneath, but it's staying fairly subtle. Edited September 30, 2007 by Shollin

[AliBabble]

a frimp from the lab, and one i've been curious to try...it's very coconutty...and at first, i think i almost smell a bit of rum too. this goes slightly waxy on my skin, smelling a bit like a crayola crayon, but this phase doesn't last...the iris comes out quite nicely. i get only a touch of the hazelnut (reminds me a little of a mounds candy bar -yum!) and not much musk, which is too bad, 'cause that would make this scent more interesting. it's rather light, for some reason - i'm noticing coconut is sort of "shy" on my skin. this doesn't "wow" me, but i do like it, and will definitely use this imp now and again.

[columbus]

In the bottle, this is coconut milk! Delicious!

 

Once it’s on, this Pearl is extremely sweet, almost sickly sweet. Coconut and hazelnut are the strongest notes by far. It’s creamy and rich and very strong.

 

After the drydown, at first I thought I could catch a hint of rum, mostly because this smells like a coconut rum I used to get, but I’m pretty sure that it’s actually the iris playing tricks on my olfactory memory.

 

I think I’d like this a bit more if I could smell more of the musk (this is so sweet that it could use another note to bring it down a little), but all in all, I like it! And I definitely think this would be great for layering. (Black Pearl and Bliss, anyone?)

[PilotKitten]

Musky coconut shavings with a slightly chocolate-y nutty overtone. Too much musk for me and I'm not too fond of the coconut either.

[jasmine]

Fresh out of the vial, this smells like sunblock. Not coconut sunblock -- just sunblock. In honest fact, I can’t pick up a single note from the list. There might be a faint trace of hazelnut, but only if I concentrate very hard, and then I might be imagining it.

 

As it settles, it gains a faint aura that sunblock usually doesn’t have -- it’s a slightly prettier smell, but only slightly. I’m picking up the coconut, but I wanted coconut to be a dominant note in this blend, and it obviously isn’t going to be.

 

Black Pearl blossoms over time, and over time, I start to pick up the musk and the iris. This becomes a soft summer scent that cries out for the beach. It’s artfully done, but I can’t escape the feeling that I could be just as happy with a good dollop of Coppertone.

[cinderfallen]

This went complete plastic on my skin, and it was very sad. In the bottle, it smelled delicious, and I wish I'd kept it longer to try and use it for other things.

[mtlaise]

I'm not typically a big fan of coconut, but I got this as a frimp, and was glad to try it out. Although it's not one I'll buy, I'll probably keep and use the imp.

 

Wet, this was a slightly flowery, slightly musky coconut scent. As it dried, it kept the same balance of notes, but softened a bit. After about an hour, it also gained a slightly powdery scent. To be honest, I don't usually like when a scent goes powdery, but this is the stage I liked best with this scent; it seemed to blend in well, and toned down the coconut nicely. This also had a decent throw.

[kinopela]

from my first set of imps. i really like this! in the bottle it's kind of perfume-y, but on my skin all i can smell is the hazelnut.

 

after the drydown the coconut starts coming through - this is a very foody smell to me. i enjoy coconut and hazelnut, but the iris is a little too sweet. i'll have to wait a few hours to make a final verdict.

 

ETA: yea, i can already tell this is going to be too sweet for me. pity! i really liked the description. oh well.

Edited November 21, 2006 by kinopela

[The_Merf]

In the imp: I can smell the musk--which I don't like--and the orris/coconut--which I do.

 

Wet: Orris and coconut, so far, so good. Orris is a miracle note on my skin.

 

Drydown and wear: While orris is amazing, freaking iris vanishes...I mean, just disappears and takes everything with it. This was a promising blend, and then it disappeared! The same freaking thing happened with Florence. Sigh.

[phedre]

Sweet, soft, and lovely. Definitely lots of iris and coconut, but it never goes foody on me at all. It's very well blended and has very little throw (which I like); stays close to my skin. The white musk really comes into the forefront and ties everything together. I don't get any hazelnut at all from it though, perhaps due to the imp being a bit older. I'm a bit hesitant to order another imp or bottle as I'm afraid it wouldn't be quite the same as my imp!

[Luhtarian]

Oh, this is delicious! Creamy musk and coconut. I can smell the hazelnut too, but it doesn't take over, thank God. I love it!

Edited December 8, 2006 by Luhtarian

[dragonrain]

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was expecting something completely different. The musk is most noticeable on me, with the iris and coconut creeping through. I don't smell hazelnut, sadly. If I continue sniffing myself I worry I may get tipsy. It makes me think of sipping drinks on the beach or on deck during a cruise. Mmmm.

[rivki8699]

In the imp: Coconut with a flowery overtone.

 

Wet: All coconut, mmmm reminds me of the beach - which is nice because it's about 50 degrees and raining here.

 

Dry: It's still a flowery coconut. I'm not getting any of the musk. It's a pleasant scent, light, sweet and with a great association. It's definitely a like, but not a love.

[anowyn]

In the bottle, it smelled like coconut and hazelnut. It was good.

 

On my skin, first applied and dry, it smelled just like hazelnuts. I really don't like hazelnuts! I got it for the coconut and iris. It smelled so strongly of JUST hazelnuts that it gave me the feeling that I ate them and I started to feel icky.

 

Ah, well. This one didn't work for me.

[femmefatale]

Ooooh, I like this one.

The coconut and musk were stronger when I first applied it, but then they faded and I catch a hint of the hazelnut and iris. I still smell the musk in the background, I just wish the coconut lasted longer.

I'm glad I got a bottle and can't wait to see what it's like once the weather warms up.

[Bangles]

Wet, I mostly get the hazelnut and the musk on my skin. Love that hazelnut! For a while as it faded it started to smell kind of soapy, but that didn't last long, rounded out to this creamy musky scent - which does indeed remind me of the sea, good job BPAL - and every once in a while during the drydown I'm surprised by wafts of pure coconut.

 

Verdict: I like it, it's pleasant, but it doesn't wow me; this is a scent I'd like in a candle, not on myself.

[GoldenRubee]

This was one of the first 5ml I purchased. I love all the scents combined, the coconut is very subtle while the hazelnut and musk blend very well together. I like spicy scents, not floral, so this was perfect for me. I tried a 6 pack of imps and this was my husband's favorite.

[cranberry]

In the imp: mostly iris

 

On the skin: Iris, a touch of coconut. This is a light, beautiful scent. I really like iris and a smidge of coconut is a wonderful compliment to the iris. The white musk provides a sexy base to the iris. It reminds me of my memory of Morella – iris and musk similarities, but I think this one is a bit sweeter, but I can’t swear to that. I’m not getting any hazelnut, which is ok with me as I’m not a huge fan.

 

As it wears, the iris remains strong and takes on that powdery note that iris often gets. This is just a wonderful scent – very soothing, refined, soft, sweet and pretty.

 

I’m wondering how old this imp is (it’s part of the GC swap) – looking over the reviews it’s interesting how there’s a clear split, either coconut and hazelnut, or iris and musk. I really like this version so it's cool with me!

[Jilara]

Wet, it's all coconut. On drydown, it becomes rounded and tropical, coconut with a nutty and floral background that's very delicate. I can't pick up musk at all. When I first put it on, it was HI, I'M COCONUT, but on drydown, it becomes almost etherial, like a warm tropical breeze off islands, distinctly subtle and well-rounded.

[sofaking6]

I get almost all coconut from this, with a little hazelnut that I can only faintly detect. It's my first blend with coconut and I have to say...it reminds me just too much of suntan lotion. I'm sure that's a personal problem. I was definitely hoping to be one of the orris/musk people!

[modernsaints]

Absolutely no hazelnut here, and only the faintest tint of musk. Mostly what I'm guessing is the iris comes out, with a lovely fresh coconut tinge to it.

 

However, it smells almost artificial on me, and it's awkward to wear - it's very aggressively not-me and I wouldn't be happy wearing it. It's not BAD, mind you, just at odds with me. Off to the swaps. ):

[captainoats]

I didn't have the notes in front of me when I tested this, so all I was looking for was coconut. I decided to test it again today and add more info to my test notes. today's added notes are in purple.

 

In the imp: Coconut, but not a wamr coconut like I expected - definitely cool temperature-wise. I can smell some white musk today, but no hazlenut.

Wet: Nice, but less coconut than I expected and again, cooler. The bf says cucumber - I don't smell that at all. Coconut and a bit of hazlenut, now. Better than yesterday's test. Something kind of powdery is happening - either the musk or the florals. Stupid chemistry turns everything to powder on me.

 

Drying: Loosing the coconut, darnit. The coconut faded a bit, but it's still there chillaxing with the hazlenut.

 

Final verdict: I'll use the imp, but I was looking for something warmer and more tropical. I'll definitely try it again after it ages a bit to see if anything changes. My crazy BF says it smells like a "really fancy Mounds bar," which I actually understand.

[JennyGardener]

I didn't expect Black Pearl. I didn't order it, and I had no idea that sometimes BPAL surprises people with free imps. I just considered myself very lucky and like I'd gotten away with something...

 

The entire package smelled like Black Pearl (I didn't know it was Black Pearl at the time, but I think it was fate). So I put all my imps out to air off and try separately.

 

Black Pearl. Something drew me to it.

 

I opened the bottle and began to drool and get happy. This was the BPAL experience I'd been hoping for! Delicious.

 

Then, I put it on.

 

And it was me! I didn't smell perfume, I smelled myself - only more so! Perhaps it is the scent of my soul. I couldn't help feeling happy all the rest of the day. I kept sniffing at my wrists and leaning back with a languid smile on my face. I was hoping perhaps BPAL could help me find a signature scent, but I wasn't expecting it out of the first bottle!

 

The only drawback to Black Pearl was finding the other (still wonderful) scents a letdown! After slipping into something that smelled like, well, me, nothing else could quite compare.

 

Now, how did BPAL know????!!!

 

ADDED June 22:

 

(a Faerygirl review)

 

Smells too nutty on me. I don't like it.

[Jenesis]

Bottle: Chanel No. 5. And not in a good way.

 

Wet: I actually recoiled from my wrist when I smelt this. Strong, sickly, rotting flowers and sickeningly sweet coconut.

 

Drydown: Doesn't change much from wet - still awfully strong coconut. I usually like coconut, but this is just too much.

 

Dry: Smells *exactly* like the old lady next to you on the bus who must bathe in her cheap, shop-bought perfume.

 

Final Verdict: I'm sorry, Lab, this one is actually nauseating on me. It would be lovely on the right person though

 

Rating: 1/5

[storme]

In the imp: coconut and hazelnut - it's very suntan-lotion-y.

 

On me, wet: suntan lotion! The coconut is very creamy and there's a slightly chemical tinge to this.

 

On me, dry: sun-warmed suntan lotion. It's lovely, but it's suntan lotion.

 

Verdict: nice as this is, I feel I'm better off with actual suntan lotion when I want the smell.