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snollockasy – :
Smoky black wood, like an antique cabinet. Love this one
Eteclilemsfem – :
9 – It immediately reminds me of…something. Strong, only two sprays and it wasn’t kidding around
12:40 – Reapplied, still can’t figure out what this reminds me of. Some fragrance somebody in my childhood wore, but that’s as far as I’m getting.
It smells exactly like the notes listed, a spicy birch incense with that “perfumey” smell added. The first go round was fairly unisex, but the refresher pushed it into masculine territory.
Going to sit on this a few months and try it again come winter.
kap_lun – :
I ordered a sample of Hinoki, and got a free sample of this.
Play Black is much better. Very unique incense, with a smoky Birchwood, some fresh peppers.
The violet is not making it very floral, but just giving it some fresh softness, so it doesn’t get dry and borring.
It’s a note combo that really works well.
realist78 – :
Yeah, this is awesome.
I just wrote a review of the delicate, lovely Epice Marine. If that one is a watercolor, this is acrylic, if not spray paint. But it’s a super good idea. Incense and black pepper, in equal doses. The notes conflict and vibrate — they shouldn’t associate in nature, but here they do. Church and body odor. Hunger and dinner. Darkness and darkness. It’s very sexy — so wrong, but so right.
It’s a strong smell, but it’s a thoughtful pairing akin to Eau de Néroli d’Oré’s can’t-be blend of saffron and orange blossoms, dialed up to 11. I think I will age out of this scent at some point because it’s so strong and, to me, overtly sexual — this fragrance gets *noticed* — but if you’re in your 20s and 30s (or 40s or 50s), I would definitely consider this one. I get comments and, frankly, followed by both men and women sometimes when I wear this.
To appreciate how good this one is, compare it to CdG’s Blackpepper or Incense Avignon… both okay standalone fragrances, but this is what happens when you put the two together. Your chocolate’s in my peanut butter.
Rawr.
Nesty500 – :
@ NickZee
“And that’s what Black is, a perfume that thumbs its nose at perfumery and caters to hipsters.”
I am compelled to re-post a comment I made on another perfume:
Opinions about any art (and I believe perfume is art) are subjective and coloured by our previous experiences; what I love may be detested by someone else. And they have a right to their opinion – and a right to express it – whether I happen to agree with them or not.
However, there is NEVER a reason to be obnoxious, dismissive or rude about a perfume (or any other art for that matter), even if you find it physically repellent. You don’t like it? Fine. Explain what it is that bothers you; that is constructive criticism and is helpful to others.
Making obnoxious comments about that art (or perfume) is highly disrespectful to the person who loves it and you are – effectively – telling them they’re an idiot with poor taste.
Scorpionoleg – :
..the last line of “NickZee” ‘s review….IS ONE OF THE REASONS I HAVE A NEARLY SICK LOVE OF COMME DES GARÇONS FRAGRANCE…and if he’d bother to look past eBay listings from Hong Kong, he’d know that CdG’s offerings go WAY beyond “t-shirts”. While I wholly appreciate frankness, please, do a little homework before you pigeonhole a brand/designer/house, or anything or anyone, really, particularly if you’re going to out your ignorance online for all to peruse.
As for me, I’d die happy owning every scent they’ve ever created, and being buried in even a single piece of their couture collections, no matter how many seasons past its prime it is. I feel like Rei Kawakubo should be given a title…Duchess, perhaps. I’m occasionally moved nearly to tears by her contemporary aesthetic that somehow NEVER feels, looks or smells dated, and trust me, “NickZee”, I’m no “hipster”, and I detest that label, as it seems to only be unsheathed by people who are insecure, lacking in creativity or soul, and are hopelessly BEIGE!
It’s the very notion that “perfumery” has to involve flowers, musks, and herbs and maybe a dot of synthetic woods, “safe” smells, and that it MUST appeal to the brown-trousered, sensible-shod, practical-haired and clothed masses in order to be considered viable, that we of the counter-cultured noses out here on the fringe, have suffered, dog-paddling the seas of Eternity, Daisy, Million, CK One, Drakkar, Cool Water, etc etc etc, gasping for something, ANYTHING just a little different. I’m not dissing the previous scents, AT ALL, they just don’t appeal to me, and they certainly aren’t closing up shop due to not getting my pennies.
Now. I don’t consider myself to be anything or anyone particularly fascinating, unique, “hip”, cool or edgy. Is 99% of the “niche” industry a bit po-faced? Yep. Gimmicky? Uh-huh. Outrageously priced? Indeed. Are we still flocking, even if it’s for smells of asphalt instead of jasmine? Totally, and we can be real snobs, too, but we simply may have a preference for the unusual, and that’s what keeps things fresh and new and interesting. I don’t “get” the appeal of about 95% of our current culture, and as much as I try to avoid such plagues as the Kardashians, there they are! so, I choose to simply ignore them, not seek them out to criticise them, although it wouldn’t be difficult and most would agree with me. I hope.
I don’t think I could get through it all without some of my most beloved scents; they are so precious to me, and work so well at staving off the massive depression I’ve battled (literally. wounded and all.) my entire life, that my appreciation, my GRATITUDE of and for them gets personal. I feel like the scent lovers who write the reviews that make me laugh and have those “aha!” moments, the people who pop up time and time again, loving the same scents that I do, are like a bit of home online, and I’m a bit less alone, even in my little black heart, or my babbling-mad head, when we come together in our crazy admiration for the small journies that the smell of something from a little bottle takes us on.
“I love you guys, man!” wipes tear from cheek….just don’t slam my CdG! haha! Sorry for the rant, I’ll review this if and when I try it, I only landed on it while searching for my much-loved “Black”…what I will state is, it seems like those of you who like Play Black, but are craving “more” from it, would appreciate Black…it’s bloody gorgeous. xo
___(VASYAN)___ – :
Fizzy, green, leathery… very much up my alley. Dry, smoky, rubbery, with serene wood/incense notes underneath. This is a very clean and refined leather/smoke fragrance, very Japanese modern aesthetic. A paradox: while there’s clearly smoke, and it’s quite dry, there’s still the translucency that’s characteristic of the house. As with other CdG fragrances this is a quiet fragrance – you’ll probably be the only person who notices what you’re wearing – but since they don’t make your typical scents it’s probably for the best. Personally, I love this reserved, slightly dark, but still charming fragrance. Will definitely be adding to my collection.
alexey-1234567 – :
The cult following for CdG puzzles me to no end. Here we have a company that predominantly sells t-shirts with a side-business of perfume which would suit a post apocalypse world where all gentle notes have been wiped out. In this age Perfumer’s can only work with pepper, woods, harsh citruses and various other abrasive spices. And that’s what Black is, a perfume that thumbs its nose at perfumery and caters to hipsters.
Пушкин1982 – :
Spicy smoky pepper, like a very strong cleaning product that singes your skin and nose hairs. Goes perfect with your PVC cleaning gloves.
ник – :
burnt paper plus pepper overload mixed in a batch of stale tea. still, there is something intriguing about this offputting mix. black plays on my innate human curiosity, like the trainwreck i cannot tear myself away from. it’s pungent but something keeps me there.
небосклон – :
I get a whole lot of stand alone THYME from this, and the other notes seem to just play supporting roles.
paskskymn – :
The opening isn’t exactly what I’d call a winner in my opinion. Something about it smelled like I was cleaning my counters with 409 or a comparable product after cooking a breakfast seasoned with way too much pepper. After the questionable opening it definitely opens up and gets better but it never quite made it to something I would wear.
Given ten or twenty minutes to air off, my first impression is that this pepper smells like the pepper from a shaker rather than a ground pepercorn.(My fellow chefs will understand.) Disappointing for a ‘pepper’ fragrance. As time goes on a distinct floral note creeps in. The tea note is noticeable but it doesn’t seem to work as well as it should here for some reason. If I nose-squint I get the thyme, maybe that’s what’s putting a strange spin on the tea? All in all it’s wearable, barely, but it doesn’t smell upscale.
Sillage is good for the first hour but overall lasting power isn’t impressive. Not something I’m running out to buy.
PussKat – :
I’m confused by this one. Doesn’t last as long as one would want it to. More importantly though, one does not know when to wear it. Too dark for summer and daytime. Too fresh and light for dark and winter. Sits awkwardly on the fence for me. I normally wear CdG scents proudly and naturally. I feel comfortable with their more outlandish perfumes, but somehow I’m unable to understand this one or how to wear it.
severodvinsk – :
Great casual scent! Very woody and dark with some tones of incense and tea. My favorite of the PLAY series by far. It is quite masculine, but I am sure some female wearers could pull this off. Good projection and great longevity. If you are looking for a dry, dark fragrance, definitely give this one a try!
intenze – :
Rather disappointing perfume. I was hoping for smokey-incensy fragrance, but what I get is rather boring spicy water. At first I can smell mostly spicy and juicy pink and red pepper with a little bit of tea and possibly oak moss what add some green freshness to the mixture. After a few minutes a dry, salty black pepper note overwhelm everything else. And that’s all, no drydown detected. Yet another proof that dominant pepper is what makes a perfume unpleasant to me. Luckily sillage isn’t impressive, longevity is decent though.
sergey878 – :
First time you spray it, it’s like a fire on your skin. Stay as you are, too much makes this scent intolerable. For Japanese modern fashion lovers.