Description
A living work of liquid art, our first cult classic was launched as BLACKBIRD in 2012. Named “SEXIEST SCENT” at the International Artisan Fragrance Awards, TOP MEN’S FRAGRANCE by Men’s Journal Magazine and BEST OF THE WEST by Sunset Magazine, this worldly and penetrating perfume contains hundreds of exotic natural essences and a living spirit of it’s own.
Black No. 1 has evolved in it’s identity while retaining all of her original magnificence; only the name of this perfume has evolved; the formulation is exactly the same. Renaming a top selling fragrance is an unprecedented act in the fragrance “business”, however Black No. 1 captivates the wearer to a deep and enchanting mystique as it whispers “anything is possible”. The nose behind this fragrance is Christi Meshell.
 House of Matriarch){kind=link}
AlexQ – :
The name matching a Type O Negative song is no accident… This smells like wild rock n roll nights, mayhem and elegant decadence.
Sure, the notes listed are all there so no need for redundancy. Well, all notes except happiness.
Дарт Вейдер – :
oud in the top then lots of leather and some balsam fir, very dry like a rubbery, smokey leather scent but smooth and rounded with no edges, almost soft for harsh notes
_Penek_ – :
Whoever voted this to be similar to Bois D’ascese needs to get his/her nose checked, actually might as well need an operation. Just saying.
yliana1986 – :
Its a good leather fragrance, but I feel that I have smelled this many, many times before. It reminds me of a classic man fragrance from the 80’s. It has that vibe. More particulary Bel Ami from Hermees, and therefore also M by Pure distance. Its like when I was testing my dad’s fragrances as a child. Its something old school about black no 1 and it smell good, but not 330 us dollars good. I cannot recommend it, but I really wanted to like this. If you want a good leather in the same style as this, a bit macho, try Duro by Nasomatto. It has the wow factor and its cheaper (duro costs aprox 6,16 per ml/ black no 1 costs 6,60 per ml) and its a bit modern interpretation of leather. Wearing Duro feels like wearing an armour. It projects the energy of invincibility when you walks down the street. Magic juice.
Edit:
Just sprayed this and my girlfriend got nausea and had to leave the room. She thought it was “nasty”. So be careful with this juice as it could be offending.
ahb694Unlogrere – :
I received an ebay sample of this today. Really big leather hit with some resin and a bit peppery, slight burst of Amber after spraying. Seems a bit flat and raw to be honest after a few mins. Starting to doubt the authenticity of this sample…
Video above states its a nearly black perfume in colour, my sample is a light caramel colour… is that right and proper?
Thanks!
FrexxxxEx – :
Black No. 1 is the fragrance that supposedly has around 300 ingredients. It is a beautiful mix of leather, oud, fir and some cannabis. Interestingly enough, I get some berry/fruity tone on the side in this fragrance (reminiscent of The Vagabond Prince Land of Warriors), might be some pommegranate. Though the oud and cannabis mix reminds me of Black Afgano by Nasomatto. So I get this sweet, fruity leather mix with dark oud + green notes. Undeniably beautiful, however the projection is modest at best and it lasts on my skin for about 5-6 hours. Due to the factor of it’s price and not smelling very unique (at least to my nose, it’s still very unique in comparison to many designer scents), I cannot recommend it. This could be a great expensive gift for a fragrance lover’s birthday (if you have deep enough pockets, I know I don’t). I feel like all of my reviews regarding this house will end up with the same note, they’re all great scents, but definitely not worth it. I see that HoM have some sales going on from time to time. This time it’s 40% off as of 06/06/2017 with the code SUMMERSUN. So if they can just do a flash sale like that, selling any fragrance for almost half the price, you can definitely see that their regular prices are inflated to the maximum. Almost feels like a scam…
Ivan94 – :
Blackbird is an amalgamation of everything primal…and all at once. It is not an elegant fragrance, but it is intensely intriguing, with each minute on the skin showing a new path. There’s a lot of love and magic in this…
The cannabis is straight up your nostrils right away, along with the leather, I get amber and a subtle sweetness on my skin after about 20 minutes. As the fragrance stews with the body oils (bonus if you’re bundled up for a brisk walk), the waft of oud and musk envelope you…it is a most comforting scent to me. I have literally sat and just inhaled it as I work on the computer, it’s like bringing the outdoors inside. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so it does provoke memories for me of mossy, drizzly days hiking, playing in the dirt and looking out across Puget Sound; if you want grounding and earthiness, this is for you.
Projection is great on me and I’ve had people comment favorably, I do not personally think it’s so overtly masculine as to not be unisex. I am all woman, and I love this earthy bad boy, Black #1.
78lelik78 – :
Black No1 by Matriarch (15ml spray)
Black No.1 is a piney sea-green & leather scent that adheres to Matriarch’s vision of natural perfumery. Prismatic, as many nuances of notes dance upon the Matriarch stage and as the embodiment of the Seattle, Oregon, No.Cal aesthetic. Natural, updated, luxurious, quirky, sexy-clean with a conscience. No1 morphs with your skin creating a custom scent that enhances you.
No1 is loaded with 33% essential oils. Id venture to call it a super extrait. Black No1 is as close to maximum quality you can infuse in a bottle, so its price/quality ratio makes this affordable. Its 33% essential oil formula is apparent when one goes to sniff No1. It can collect in the back of your mouth and eventually taste it. I wouldnt advise burying your nose in your arm with Black No.1.
Silage is only noticed when one is close to the body, about arms length maximum. Understated sexy in its presentation to others. Duration of the scent lasted about 6 hours.
Is it Masculine? Feminine? Unisex?
Its for urban male hipsters that like a fougere minus the floral notes. No.1 resonated better on male skin. Primarily because their inherent manly hormones lends to what Black No1 needs to be a sexy stunner. Musk, animalics or something dirty in the base to balance the cleanliness.
Females that love an overdose of leather & adventuresome green aspects would resonate with Black No1. It could be for the sophisticated artisan that dons her finest leather jacket and lives near the Puget Sound. Its forest notes are counterbalanced by the sea notes creating a neutral balance for both sexes to wear.
I appreciate the natural ingredients used, as I am very allergic to modern aroma-chemical formulations. I look forward to discovering Matriarch’s other offerings. No.1 has all the technology & wisdom of perfumery from Meshell’s fingertips.
Merqq460Diobtetty – :
Had to come back to this one and try again after giving my sample to my teenaged son, who wasn’t wearing it. And now, I plan to steal it back. Yes, it’s complex. Today, I can smell the sweetness — maybe the oud? Today I love it.
It can layer well with something sweeter. Maybe it’s the colder weather, maybe a changed mood — glad I didn’t give up.
(Ds wears Brut — but hey, he’s sixteen so I have hope that he’ll grow out of it:))
mle061elipseskism – :
I feel like I have to try to visualize these somehow and give them a vibe because they are just so much money I think if you cant put yourself into a vibe or a mindset its probably really hard to justify… Anyway while wearing this I kinda struggled as to what is sexy about this… as a matter of fact, I thought it was pretty… clean smelling and fresh. Maybe im having some skin chemistry issues with these im not sure.. But to visualize id say….
You just took a shower, using a lot of herbal shampoo, conditioner and what not, you open the windows to get that fresh spring air, you sit down on your new leather chair, you kick back, breath in and close your eyes and relax. And with every gust of wind outside you smell some of the outdoors, the trees, the grass, you smell the herbal shampoo that you just put in your hair, and you smell that faint leather smell of the chair you are relaxing in…..
Anyway obviously not synthetic at all, and its nice and clean smelling, but im not sure where the sexyness is supposed to come from…. Guess my nose isnt picking up those elements. Maybe next time I try ill get more of a sexy leather smell mixed with the woods but in my first wearing~
owen – :
I really, really like this one – for a manly fragrance, this is one I could easily wear again and again. The most prominent thing in this on me is the agarwood – a big fragrant blast, touched with leather, quickly followed by the pine and a sharp green note, which is probably the cannabis (it’s been many moons since I’ve smelled a green, unburnt leaf ;)). It’s fresh and spicy, but not too spicy. Maybe it’s the agarwood, but after a couple of hours wear, I get an almost spiced caramel smell that is quite lovely and rather addictive. I can’t help thinking of a log cabin, nestled in the middle of an old pine forest, with a nice, warm fire burning in a big old stone fireplace with all of the smells you might expect after you’d spent the day exploring the forest: wood smoke from the fire, crushed pine needles, warm leather, with a touch of sweetness and something cool thrown in. Six notes, beautifully blended in just the right amounts. Thanks to purecaramel for the sample – it’s lovely!
erurlertyr – :
So this is pretty much rock and roll in a bottle, I get a lot of black leather.. some pines and resins, some spice, it’s very herbaceous, you get a sense of dark greens, slightly smokey, woods, oud and leather.. it’s pretty bad ass.
One of my all time favourite leather scents, I really love this one!
I get a good 8 hours on skin with good projection, love how aromatic it is!
One thing that’s missing from the above, is it’s an All Natural fragrance, there’s no synthetics… just 300 natural raw ingredients, that’s impressive in anyones book!
Leon444777 – :
Without much thought beyond the knowledge that I was wearing all black this evening I put a small amount of this on before heading out for dinner. As per usual, I was mildly troubled by the intensely chemical opening and worried that I was being inconsiderate to my fellow diners. Thankfully, the scent mellowed quickly and I shrugged it off. Later, as I shifted my nose between the earthy and slightly rude scent of freshly grated truffle and a heavy, oily NZ chardonnay, the most resinous and woodiest notes of this fragrance came bellowing up between the two. I couldn’t have been happier that I’d thrown Blackbird on and discovered this fleeting trinity of aromas and flavours.
barsilona_77 – :
My understanding is that this has been renamed Black No.1.
That is what I am tasting.
This has a Conifer accord reminiscent of Olympic Orchids “Woodcut”. I am not able to pickup the Seaweed or Cannibis note, however the Leather note is dry in flavour, dark black in colour and linear in delivery. Any Oud is in the background and used with whisper to provide a little lift from the linearity.
None of the florals of CDR or Knize.
This is an outstanding Masculine, Straight up Rugged Leather Delight.
No “Lonestar” jackboots
here though. This is closer to buffed Cordovans.
I have, from a trusted nose, that this is closely related to the original Blackbird and is a little different architectural.
If it differs, it still remains a worthy buy.
Prepare to bruise your Credit rating though.
I am off to frolic with “Orca” from this same house. Initial whiff from a Scent Bell was positive. Let’s sea about the skin test!
korschikov.evgeny – :
Nice smell but at its current price tag in Nordstrom (300$), not worth buying. There are other alternatives in the market. The dry down reminds me of Penhaligon’s Sawira but much smoother and refined. Stays on your skin for hours but for a $300 frag, you expect better projection. Not for me.
simon4eg – :
At first it smells like a smoother/calmer Sex Magic, but then the leather comes out and the fragrance warms up. The dry down is definitely the star of the show; much more distinctive than the opening and lasts 18 hrs!
CrimeaBest – :
Now available at select Nordstroms (and Nordstrom dot com) as Black No.1 in the beautiful cobalt blue flaçon with repurposed antique copper overlay and new HoM branding complete with sacred geometry…
Also available at Nordies with new packaging and already in the Fragrantica database, showing older custom colored bottles (the other 13 ultra-naturals and older creations still available, for now, by request from Matriarch, while supplies last):
SexMagic (formerly Achtung! collection)
Coco Blanc (formerly UltraNatural line, still 100% natural BTW)
Devotion (formerly Achtung! collection)
Forbidden: (ultra natural line, same formulation)
NEW MATRIARCH titles released 11/21/15 full formal launch 1/16/16-
Madrona: fantasy fougére
Trillium: teas, floral notes, sake
Orca: marine Amber
Albatross: aquatic leather, cork, creosote
Click on link to brand at Matriarch’s Fragrantica page to go to the new site and see the videos for the New Nine.
Smell swell & be well…
ralf2555 – :
Well this opens with a very green smoky pine aroma which is followed by leather, oud and a cannabis note all mixed in together.
If you can imagine a woodsman camping in a forest who is tending a fire and smoking a joint then you will close to what this smells like. It is very smoky in a green coniferous way.
I have to say the ingredients are top quality and it does smell good. Though it would be challenging to wear this to work as you would be turning heads, though not in a good way.
A good casual fragrance best worn outdoors.
DuecegesFum – :
My review is based on a courtesy sample given to me by HoM.
Blackbird is good, although I feel it may appeal to a limited audience.
To me, it’s ash and incense and I get mostly ash, with a hint of leather. When it first goes on, it almost has an effect that smells slightly like plastic but then fades away. In a lot of ways, the ash quality in Blackbird reminds me a bit of Perris Monte Carlo Oud Imperial, if you’re familiar with that one.
The bottom line is that while I see Blackbird as a good fragrance, it doesn’t stand out enough for me to buy a bottle.
polkovnik03 – :
Smells intensely of a log cabin for the first while; pine trees, soil and wood shavings. It then slowly morphs into a rich, black leather. There’s also something slightly camphorous, like herbal medicine, or some sort of tincture drifting in the background. All the while the seaweed breathes a cool, lucid freshness that lifts the weight of the woods and keeps things alive.
I had prepared myself for a dirty oud note to appear somewhere, but thankfully “Blackbird” never visited that territory; It smelled surprisingly clean. I felt a tarry richness that I would attribute to oud, but none of the awful fecal qualities I have experienced with the pure stuff. This does make me wonder if it really is 100% natural as they claim.
If you can imagine a less sweet, more woody and ‘rough around the edges’ version of “Tom of Finland”, then you will have a good idea of what to expect.
It’s also more potent than I had anticipated, since being disappointed with the performance and longevity of some of the other titles from this house.
I might recommend “Blackbird” to anyone who likes perfume to evoke a natural landscape, and then probably only to men, just because of the ‘logger’ aspect. With that said, I can’t imagine wearing it to work, or any kind of event. It’s more a scent to be worn alone, for nostalgic contemplation IMO.
There’s also the question of the crazy price. Charging highly to account for “natural” ingredients doesn’t sound so reasonable when there are high quality synthetics that are actually more expensive than the real thing. It also lacks the kind of structure you expect from a high grade perfume; There’s no top-middle-base, rather it all just kind of stews together.
Ultimately, I like the smell, but I wouldn’t pay that kind of money for something that is linear and not suited to regular wear.
travin500000 – :
this opens up with a coal black leather note and some oudh and pine and smells like wet wood in a forest, mixed with leather. after a bit the pine seems to disappear somewhat and the cannabis and seaweed become more noticeable. this reminds me of a perfume i had by aroma sanctum called russian leather, but that was slightly sweeter and more boozy. on the drydown this makes me think of guys in leather jackets in a forest. i like this quite a bit.
ETA: we FINALLY got a cold winter after 3 years of warmth and now i see how blackbird can really shine. beautiful foresty leather. i love it especially in cold weather.
Alhimik – :
When it first opens, Blackbird smells like chemically treated, oily leather. There’s almost a searing quality to it, as if some kind of toxic chemical was used to tan the hide and it hasn’t completely dried yet. It’s odd, but it smells good, and is restrained enough as to avoid an overbearing presence. It’s black, and hardcore, the color of crude oil. Then, this really peculiar, salty seaweed accord creeps in and blends with the leather. It’s a kind of a cold, marine, coastal smell and you can almost feel the salty moisture in the air. This is a really cool phase of the fragrance, and I’ve never experienced, or expected to experience leather and seaweed together. But here they are, in a quirky, symbiotic relationship creating something new and previously unheard of. It’s worth mentioning that this is also the most realistic ‘sea salt’ note I’ve encountered. The cannabis in Blackbird plays the edges, and gives a nice “Kinski-esque” accent to the composition. And there’s a dark green, piney forest element that lives in Blackbird as well. It provides some familiarity in an otherwise strange and unusual scent. Finally, Blackbird settles into its base with a natural, high quality oud that is resinous, a bit animalic, and a little dirty. This is real oud, as it appears in expensive oud oils and attars, and its unmistakable. There is a similar oud in the base of Vikt (by Slumberhouse), but other than that, I’ve rarely experienced this in mainstream niche perfumery. Hats off to House of Matriarch for including real oud instead of the industry-standard synthetic, as there’s an enormous difference between the two. With wear, other little facets of Blackbird blossom, appear, and disappear. While it maintains the basic structure described above, subtle shifts pop up throughout its duration. It’s also important to note that the leather settles into a more personable role as the fragrance develops, and finds some comfort after its industrial and rugged beginning.
I was surprised by how wearable and pleasant I find Blackbird. I was expecting something big, foreboding, and nuclear. But it’s not. It’s much more compressed than I had expected, less expansive, and not intrusive at all. It projects about a foot and leaves a light, though firmly present sillage. I like this about it, and it makes the wholly odd and interesting composition easier to digest and enjoy. And in some ways, without analyzing it up close and in depth and thinking about it so much, this is just a very enjoyable masculine leather fragrance. I received a few comments on it and basically they could be summed up as, “Oh, that smells nice.” So it’s not like you’re going to go around freaking people out when you wear this. But it will maintain your interest, and you certainly don’t own anything else like it. Longevity is very good.
юра11 – :
من اول رشة سيشدك العطر ،
مكوناته تتراقص وتتفاعل امامك ولكن حتما هنالك راقصون سيجذبونك انهم الجلد والعود هؤلاء هم من ستلحظهم بداية فرائحة الجلد هنا مميزه وتشعرك فعلا فعلا بالفخامه طعمت تلك الفخامه بالعود لتزيد فخامة وملكية تجد ذلك العنصرين تشاركهك رائحة عشبية حتما انها الحشيش والاعشاب الاخرى لا تتعجب
فالحشيش يستخرج منه زيت عطري وليست الرائحة المخدرة فلا تقلق، اشعر بان هناك تواجد للعنبر النباتي ولكن غريبة اني لم اجده هنا من ضمن المكونات على اية حال العطر س
العطر مكوناته طبيعية كما يذكر الموقع واصلا مجال الشركة العطور الطبيعية
العطر لا اجد كثيرا قريب من بلاك افغانوا الا في رائحة الاعشاب بل اجده قريبة من عطر تشامبر نوار من
العطر اغوائي جلدي عودي عشبي سموكي مميز مميز ارجوك ان تجرب عينه قبل الشراء. وانصحك ان تشامبر نوار ايضا رائع .
gonurigl – :
The company has very very expensive perfume if 12 1ml tester cost around $88.00 without the shippment. It is kinda super expensive as I used to getting my testers for free in shops when buying any perfume.
marko.69 – :
whys this so expensive???
kolish – :
Absolute Masterpiece for me. My favorite perfume.
Good longevity. Not a projection monster but wafts in and out to let you know it’s still there.
Such a unique blend of seaweed, leather, oud, pine, and MANY MANY other notes that could turn this into a mess but somehow she pulls it off. Despite price, find it on sale and try it!
90af – :
Opens with a green resinous hippy shack vibe. There is a combination of notes that I can only associate with 80’s pink school bathroom soap – but in a good way. (if you know the stuff you’ll know what I mean) .
It them warms into a sort of Play Doh vibe and softens up and opens out as white musks are introduced. I don’t get any skank from this one. There is quite a bit of shifting at this stage but after the initial blast it stays quite to the skin. In the heart/drydown I get a little soft leather and a balmy aromatic herbal accord. While later in the drydown the incense /headshop accord returns. Late drydown, and the costsus/animal fixative that I experienced in the Maj is apparent.
A very interesting scent, heavy, dense, not cloying though. Perhaps as the notes are very compressed I do not get major imagery from this, but now in reflection, a hippy shack in the middle of a coniferous forest at dusk, seems to fit just about right.
As others mentioned it falls back to a skin scent after a short period (I was expecting tis to be more of a monster), but if you warm up it tends to blast a little projection/sillage just to let you know it’s still hanging around. (I was vigorously cleaning kitchen last night, built up a little steam – and BOOM it came back with a bang)
sirius52 – :
Blackbird is a brooding, complex, swirling, wall-of-scent kaleidoscope of a perfume which, given its notes and general dark aesthetic, is surprisingly warm and encompassing.
As a perfume created to “honor the mysterious essence of Seattle style makers and artists,” Blackbird cements its lineage to the Pacific Northwest, but also to the notion of perfumery as collaborative art, as Meshell’s creation nods to the history collectives, community, and the ways in which a locale or a specific moment can be captured and rendered as a representational aesthetic experience.
Upon application, there’s an unmistakable head shop corollary that’s invoked—a semi-sweet scent of unburned incense that serves to introduce the scent but quickly steps aside to reveal facets of leather, woods, and a light salty algae-type accord. Yet, through the sweet and slightly floral opening, what becomes most clearly discernible is a leather note that’s merged with the cannabis to invoke a smokey, heady impression. And this carries with it a paraesthetic effect in that you can almost physically feel yourself smelling it in a manner that’s similar to the “furry” aspect of PG’s L’Ombre Fauve or even Kiehl’s Musk. It should be noted here that Blackbird has a hell of a lot going on—literally hundreds of absolutes and natural materials are deployed, bolstered by a handful of synthetic fixatives to create an overwhelming extravagant affair, one that’s stands on its own and swirls and changes from moment to moment.
Following the initial sweetness of the opening, the leather and cannabis notes are joined by a biting and “furry” animalic musk that forms the main structure of the scent—one that lasts an astoundingly long time. It’s here that Blackbird shines as it settles onto the skin to create a field of heady, intoxicating richness. This stage pulls back on the projection of the opening and instead focuses on extreme sillage—this stuff leaves serious trails! Not only that, but it wafts in and out for a considerable stretch of time after the application, triggered by the most minimal increases in body temperature. And the trails that it leaves are just beautiful as much of the leather drops to the background, and what remains is the “furry” musk, subtle oud and resinous notes, and the headiness of the cannabis.
Blackbird’s not going to be for everyone—especially those who favor clinical, chemical precision in their fragrance; in fact, the amount of natural materials in this scent alone sends you into an olfactory tailspin. Yet it’s clearly articulated with great care and its fuzzy edges are kept in line to prevent the scent from simply exploding into a big mess. It’s dark and moody, but doesn’t bum you out. instead, it envelopes you in heady richness. Blackbird’s highly ambitious and probably breaks all the “rules” of scent composition, yet it does so with self-assurance by keeping its somewhat grandiose head firmly planted upon its shoulders. For fans of dark, rich, heady fragrances, this one’s for you.
Ruccatmutty – :
This is one that I love, but its not for me. It is a very simple linear composition which primarily comes down to being a leather scent.
The Cannabis is there at the very top but subtle, it lends a menthol quality to the leather, the pine is way in the back which gives it a masculine edge.
And the Leather sits atop a light wearable soft/round oud, not the sharp balsamic kind that I have in other oud’s.
Longevity is great, its a very subtle fragrance in a good way, you can actually smell this at arms length in whafts and when you are in close proximity to others, they will smell it on you, but it will be very soft, its kind of unique in this way, it projects, but in a subtle way, which is truly perfect for a fragrance like this.
Again, at the end of the day, this is leather
nosovpg – :
I am fortunate to live in the Seattle area and discovered this while out shopping back in January. I love it! It is a very deep, rich scent. There are so many ingredients it is hard to pinpoint them all, woodsy, spicy, oud, amber, and cannabis are ones more easily detected. They melt together in a warm, wonderful scent. I purchased two other fragrances from House of Matriarch (Alpha and Coco Blanc)but Blackbird is my favorite and I have been wearing it almost every day. Love it!