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vshrcby – :
Purchased this today for 9 bucks at Bealls outlet.
First initial spray was alcohol, then it quickly dissipated to a lovely honey, oak moss, patchouli and sandalwood; that’s really all I smell.
The dry down is beautiful. Reminds me of my mother’s D’jer Kiss Powder she used years ago but a bit stronger.
What a beautiful powdery scent! I can see myself wearing this snuggling up close in my husband’s arms.
To me it’s a beautiful powdery and romantic scent.
gesha77 – :
Growing up I had a best friend whose mother sold Avon and drank. She saved the liquor bottles, dripped candle wax down their sides, and stuck candles in their necks…these bottles were all over their house like trophies. She wore some strong vintage Avon from the seventies (well, it WAS the 70s), not sure what but it was soapy and mossy, and its smell melded with the booze and smoke around her in an amalgamation of seventies womansmells: smoke, moss, incense, candle wax, and something weakly floral.
That’s how Basic Black smells, pure nostalgia. Perfume-scented perfume with a boozy smokey complex sadness like a drunk divorcee with a bin full of empty bottles on a rainy Sunday morning, the smell of decomposing hope.
I really love this.
vazgen1111 – :
This is amazing. Let me say, “I hate oakmoss” but I love this and the main note is OAKMOSS but it’s so amazingly balanced with other herbal and balsamic notes that it works. In the top it is all oakmoss, carnation with a hint of lime. In the middle there is a hint, a tiny hint of violet, tuberose, rose and coriander. Then, the base takes over. There is no honey in this. No sweetness. No civet at all. I don’t know what people think they smell. There are underpinnings of benzoin and sandalwood but full-force oakmoss, smokey vetiver, patchouli and styrax. This is not a sweet fruity scent. It is dry and herbal. But in a good way!
wiktorgai – :
Earthy dirt soap that works. Haha. Hippies and soap usually don’t go together!
I cheaply blind bought from notes, reviews, and comparison to Magie Noir. I had a sample of MN and liked it, but a cheap bottle never crossed my path (I’m an impulsive buyer). I can’t remember MN exactly, but I knew I liked it.
Basic Black is earthy, woody, spicy and yet soapy. It works. The current cologne version isn’t super strong but you can spray heavily. I get aldehydes but they aren’t listed. I get civet too. A deep inhale finds the honey and florals, incense, oakmoss/patchouli, and earth. Dark and interesting. I dig it!
It’s almost like a super dirty mossy Diva.
cnr566JeomiWogkig – :
I see the civit note is #2. Can someone describe what this note smells like please?
cheeky.cherry – :
Bought it for my wife. Smells like a deep dark incense !
Great for a tough woman who has personality!!
Actually the top smells like a much better version of Van Cleef and Arpels Pour Homme !
wku761Negeltzex – :
This is truly beautiful. It was a gift from my husband, and I’d not known of it at all before; I jumped straight in and sprayed it on immediately, and……Beautiful!!! My goodness, what a lovely surprise.
It has everything I love in a perfume – citrus, flowers, spices, a touch of fruit; patchouli, oakmoss and vetiver. Love vetiver! Lovely flowers, and the gorgeous honey, the benzoin – even the civet, which is a dodgy one for me.
It’s all so well done, and I LOVE it!
game_Racer – :
Going back through my notes and reviewing some of the many fragrances I’ve owned and tested.
I was excited to get a really good price on this highly acclaimed scent at Marshall’s. I cracked open the bottle and gave a light spray on my hand and headed home. The overwhelming stink of something trying to be a fragrance, filled my nostrils. I desperately searched for a place where I could rid myself of the offensive stink.
When I returned home, I promptly re-checked the reviews and my bottle to make sure it was the same. Sure enough, my $4.99 “bargain” was supposed to be this masterpiece of perfumery. I unhappily clicked the “unlike” ranking and put it up for swap. But no takers . . . interestingly for a fragrance so highly acclaimed!
I tried it again a month or two later. Gave it time to develop, and went in slowly to sniff. Again. All I got was synthetic plasticy choking smell. There’s a faint perfume, but to get to it, I have to take the slowest of inhalations in order to get past the plastic. I simply don’t understand if I got a bad bottle, or if my nose is just “broken,” but this is not pretty to me at all.
hravn22 – :
Delicious! A little known scent. My perfume buff friends had never heard of it. Great longevity and a profusion of spicy flowers. A delight!
Besenok – :
I just can find Eau de Cologne kind… do you confirm there also are EDP end EDT versions of this?
pharmacy – :
FRAGRANCE REVIEW FOR BASIC BLACK BY BILL BLASS
Top notes: Carnation, plum, mandarin orange, peach, ylang-ylang, bergamot cardamom
Middle notes: Honey, coriander, carnation, tuberose, violet, jasmine, ylang-ylang rose
Base notes: sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk, benzoin, coconut, civet, oakmoss, vetiver styrax
Where do I start? I was looking for a fragrance that was somewhat similar to Diva by Ungaro. This turned out to be a cross between Femme by Rochas and Diva by Ungaro using up some of the best qualities of both fragrances. It’s not as much a chypre as Femme and it’s less powdery than Diva. It’s aromatic, elegant, sophisticated and very beautiful. Unfortunately it’s like a beautifully dressed lady that you see from a distance walking among crowds then disappears into the crowd. This scent is not a bad one but it turned flat very quickly and it has a tragic short life. I don’t think it was on me any longer than 2 and a half hours. The fragrance opens with fruity notes of distinctive peach, the chemical recreation of the scentless plum and citrus notes. The freshness of citrus is what first shows up and then the “plum” and peach combo. The fruits fade away and the fragrance reveals it’s flowery innards. It contains a lot of tuberose, roses, jasmine carnation and violet. The bouquet is well done and I could mostly smell tuberose and carnation. These are powerful flowers that can take over a fragrance but on here it’s well balanced and supported by both the top and base notes. In the dry down the most pronounced note is the musk and styrax. I prefer styrax when it comes to fragrances like this because I find that the musk and in this case the civet, is off putting. It sort of rears it’s ugly head at the end of all the beautiful notes. It ends with civet bottom. I wish it had a stronger patchouli note and oak moss. But really it’s not that bad. Definitely unisex and guys can rock this one too. In fact the name Basic Black an the packaging/bottle is clearly not meant to be either for male or female wearers but either one. The bottle is exquisite with metal and glass. This smells vintage and old fashioned but yet it’s very wearable a fragrance of today. I loved it but wish it had lasted longer and I wish there had been no musk or civet. But if you like the progression I’m describing here: fruity-floral-civet/musk, this is for you. It’s really quite nice and the price is very affordable on sites like Amazon.com and Fragrance X.
atredy – :
Yowza!
This is not at all what I was expecting. I was thinking warm spicy woods but what I got was civet, civet, civet!
I really wanted to love this but on my skin, sadly, it is not meant to be.
Full bottle with only a couple spritzes up for swap to anyone in the States. 😉
Shdsatofog – :
Out of many perfumes, high, low, etc. This stands out as an overlooked beauty. The reviews puzzle me because they are all over the place. I smell incense from start to finish, mixed in with warm ambers, civet, woods, peaches, plums, rose, ylang-ylang and spice. To me it’s a warm, woodsy, incense, sultry sexy smell, not “office friendly. ” It is incredibly inexpensive for what you get. This one fills in on days where I want to save my expensive luxe perfumes like Guerlain’s ensens mythique. If you are sick of fruit bombs and “clean smells” try this one. I have the red which is okay, and sold the nude. This one is a keeper.
sorri – :
Wow! This is heaven on my skin. Ethereal with a hit. It keeps on coming in waves of carnation, amber and peachy softness. A sexy teaser.
AIDEPESEASE – :
Love the bottle. Metal and glass. Not plastic. At first wasn’t sure if would end up really caring for Basic Black. The good ones take time to appreciate. You find yourself going to them again. This is another ‘smart’ perfume for me. It does it all without being too much. Civet gives it some growl but not aggressively. It is full and complex but within a harmony (guess you call it accord?). This, to me, is how perfume was meant to smell. Not watery or clean. Doesn’t leave me feeling like I just took a shower. Feel like I just sprayed on some elegant fragrance. Longevity may not be as much as some would like but for the price point Basic Black delivers and can be resprayed. I got a big bottle and shall enjoy it very much.
Averre – :
Very nice perfume: warm, bit spicy, but lasts from 30 min to an hour on me. Darn!!!!! Bought it at TJmaxx for $3.99 a 50 ml bottle.
PyncInoff – :
Basic Black is a very underrated gem. It is not loud, glamorous or trendy, but it is very sensual and feminine without being sickly sweet. However, do NOT judge this perfume by the opening because it’s the least impressive part of BB. Give it good 15 minutes, the sourness will fade into woody and slightly spicy honey. Very warm and comforting smell for colder days.
mircitataticrim – :
GORGOUS, GORGOUS,GORGOUS PERFUME!!!! Just divine on my skin and Ive fallen MADLY in love again. Nice dark perfume along the lines of Courreges perfume. I love dark perfumes they are just so rich and elegant.
sanyakruch – :
Hmmm. Will have to take her for a few more test drives. At first spray, I thought I might have touched something with traces bit of raw onion, so I washed it off and re-applied. I am now wondering if the slightly spicy odour of onion is not coming from my fragrance. I might be very wrong. This is definitely a complex, warm and multi-layered fragrance. Will report back.
EDIT: I dedect no onion. May have been my cooking interfering with my perfume 🙂 This is a bit of a bitter one. Reminiscent of Gres Cabochard but softer and easier to stomach for lack of a better description. I wish I could isolate the ingredient that reminds me so much of Cabochard. Oakmoss? Vetiver? Any clues?
egorec – :
Complex and multi layered. Very Sexy…
If this perfume was a lady, she would have long fingernails, a dozen little black dresses in her closet and drive a big black car. She is intelligent, quick, intense and doesn’t apologize for anything above. LOL. She also rides horses, calls her mom everyday and loves a poet or a poor artist. I like her…
This perfume has a huge opening and all thru the day at unexpected times you can hear/smell the animal in it “roar”. Tamed only by the spice and warmth.
I think it smells like heat and even hints of leather as it relaxes. But I always smell the honey and vanilla coming thru. As it calms down and gradually thru out the day it develops a warm smoky muskiness on my skin.
Like I said, so many layers and notes.
Very long lasting and awesome silage, depending on how you apply it. I get a lot of compliments about this perfume.
vom845Bessinepome – :
When first sprayed, automatically I think of the Muppets Animal character shouting “Animal! Animal!” The civet really is terrifying at first. Then it settles down to a dull roar and that animal runs through a field of flowers in the late summer. Nice and deep but staying close to the skin. Very sexy yet very appropriate and classy. I have a 1.7 size bottle and just ordered a 3.4 oz. I believe that I will be wearing this for quite awhile. I have never ordered a backup before in my life.
lounsespoinue – :
Does anyone have this and wouldn’t mind doing a decant for me? I’d love to try it but can’t seem to find a sample anywhere.
jps867Negeltzex – :
I find that the scent lasts much longer if I spray it onto my clothes. Clean, fresh and soapy. I really enjoy this fragrance for days that I just want to smell fresh and clean rather than floral or spicy.
svetlana_ssv – :
This is a review for the current formulation of Basic Black:
While there is practically no sillage on my skin, this beautifully blended and subtle chypre could otherwise become seriously addictive. I gave my gorgeous little bottle to my sister, on whom it shines a bit brighter. The sillage is still light, however, and she is inclined to consider it a “skin scent” chypre. No matter. This is the comforting and dependable jewel to whip out on days when quiet confidence is required. Just like that little black dress – aptly named!
I see little resemblance to Cassini, which I’ve recently ( happily! ) sampled. Cassini has a good deal more “oomph” and could even be said to be strikingly vulgar by comparison. So much so that I may eventually have to obtain a bottle of my own. 🙂
You would be hard pressed to find a more chic chypre than Basic Black. Airy, well blended, and perfectly balanced. What more can I say?!
lazycat888 – :
Wow! This is just very old fashioned classic – not in a grandma way. It wasn’t what I was expecting (another blind buy) and I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first but once I let it settle I really like it. I know incense isn’t listed but it’s very much like the smell of a New Age store (which I know well as I worked in one for a few years). A definate “like” for this one but just short of “love”.
mihazz – :
I bought a bottle of Basic Black eau de parfum from Ebay, presumably a couple of years old at least. When first sprayed, the most pronounced note is the honey, which dominates a swirl of floral and balmy and gently animalic notes. I find that the honey scent remains the most noticeable element throughout wearing. Overall, I like it; it reminds me a bit of Absolue Pour le Soir, but without the light incense component (and at a much lower price, thought it’s not an equal quality, to be sure). Contrary to other reviewers’experiences, it wears rather lightly on me. I bought it hoping for a “sillage bomb”, but definitely don’t see that happening on me. Duration is fine, though not extraordinary, and in fact I am pleasantly surprised a couple of hours into wearing by a gentle waft of jasmine and honey every so often. But strong or heavy it isn’t…I re-spray generously several times per day so that it has more oomph. Those who notice it seem to respond favorably, and as I said, I quite like it. I’ll probably tear though that 3.4 ounce bottle over this summer. Better than many current offerings in the general category…
saniatoporko – :
Very complex, very spicy, very sexy and not for the faint of heart. This stuff is timeless, classic and down right fabulous. I would try to describe it better if I could but there are so many notes going on that they just blend together in a harmonious way! I am so glad I blind bought this after loving Nude so much. Now I am curious as to how Hot smells.
dilmodachop – :
WOW! This is unique! I love the way it smells. I just can’t put my finger on what makes it so good. It is very “French” to me. This is not for a light weight. I prefer really strong smells. I will get back to you if I can come up with anything.
Happy Perfuming~♥
пролеска – :
Bought the new version. Not a bad fragrance but the musk is so prominent it covers almost everything else.
Gustpskc – :
Received it today. Have to say, this is so nice and smooth. It can be worn anytime and anyplace, dress it up or dress it down. This to me is like that favorite piece of clothing that you go for all the time and always travels with you. Oddly, I have a black cardigan that is like my “Basic Black” for dressy, casual, or dressy casual and this scent is just like that. A must have and my new BFF or should I say BBBFF!
polochan – :
Similar to Cassini. Better in my opinion. Where Cassini is a powerhouse, this configuration shares a lot of the same notes but does not leave such a thick cloud feeling. It is softer and more for everyday. I am ordering ASAP. I tried on yesterday and will be purchasing. Basic Black is a Basic Beauty.
mzhukov1 – :
This is not a review but a recommendation – if the new version of Basic Black has not yet been issued, I suggest that you go to Ebay and purchase a bottle of the old stuff ASAP. Not all of the “old” ingredients will be permitted in a new version, a reformulation will be required and the new won’t be “the same”. I took a chance based on your positive reviews here and just purchased one for myself. I hope hope hope that it truly is the old version–I love civet! There are also bottles of “Nude” and “Hot” available on Ebay as well.
and97354243 – :
I have tried this scent and I love it. It has a magical opening, citric and flowers and Honey! But not too sweet, it is almost like a whisper that doesn’t leave, I love it very much. The peach also gives its note but then all is like flowers and honey, very special, feminine, I know I am going to use this perfume during the night, and why not when i go to bed, it’s calm and yet happy. Probably the civet has its second of “what is this i feel too much scent here” after about four or five minutes, then it melts with other scents, the base notes, very lastly, especially amber and patchouli. Well, I would say that the honey is completely melted here with the base notes, like a diffusion of first becoming second and then ONE. Because all the notes are there at the same time, and the sweet scent doesn’t leave me. I would say use it with care, it really is strong although being a chypre it is not the typical strong oriental. It also smells clean, I cannot say it is like Cassini, because I have not tried this one yet. But probably even if the notes are similar the concentration varies from note to note and then the magic creates a different scent! I don’t know. That’s another part of the magic of perfumes. It also has this “je ne sais quoi” that takes me back in time. I will use this perfume with caution, it is wonderful and I know it’s going to last for a long time.
sheikh – :
It seems to have A LOT of notes in common with Cassini! Is it just like Cassini, does anyone know?
Mcdon – :
Black is back!
Will be reissued with Hot and Nude.
Perfect, I’m very curious about it.
DrZoltsberg – :
I still have an almost full original bottle of this from like when it first came out!! And guess what it still smells the same. I guess I should wear it up but it reminds me of my “wild days” and I just love sniffing it lol. I got it for my birthday from my sister maybe thats why I don’t use it up? Great unique scent with powerful silliage and lasting strength.
mesk1995 – :
Its a shame this is discontinued – its one of the sexiest fragrances I own. Very complex, with heady floral notes as well as woody and spicy notes, its a very dark scent as the name “basic black” implies. I’d consider it a very mature scent, and not for teens at all.