Geisha Noire Eau de Parfum

My initial impression was that of a light amber with not a lot of depth. But hour after hour, I kept smelling something gorgeous and addictive drifting up to my nose. I had written off Noire as a light fragrance, so I assumed that the marvelous scent was some other perfume on my jacket from the last time I wore it. After a few hours, I smelled the spot on my skin with Noire on it, and I had to eat my words big time [sheepish look on my face]! It was a breathtakingly dense, balsamic incense; an intensely deep, precious amber; just barely sweet. I wasn't certain, but I thought there could be a little frankincense in it. Geisha Noire is NOT an Avignon-style Catholic church perfume. It is, however, one word: Crack. It will cause those embarrassing situations where you get caught sniffing yourself in public, at a red light, in a meeting with an important client, and so on. While it contains vanilla, make no mistake about it, this is a perfume based on resins. It's a dark amber and walks a tight line between feeling cold and medieval and warm and soothing. So it's a little of both at the same time. It is not churchy whatsoever, yet still feels very sacred. Out of the several perfumes I have sampled from Aroma M, I would say that this is Ms. McElroy's masterpiece. A sublime, distinctive amber, the likes of which I have never encountered. (Note: I own the oil. I have never liked Shalimar, after trying every concentration and from modern to vintage. The oil does not resemble Shalimar AT ALL. There is no citrus, nothing smoky or leathery, vanilla is not a dominant note, and there is absolutely no powder. I did not sample the EdP, so can not compare. It sounds like they are quite different.)

Geisha Noire does immediately call Shalimar to mind, but it's softer, without the intense bergamot and powerful birch tar note that Shalimar opens with. It opens with delicious woods and spices, with underlying vanilla that becomes more prominent into drydown. But the vanilla never ends up simple or synthetic as other vanillas often do. It's an absolute treat for the nose, paired to perfection with a salty sweet, animalic ambergris, smooth tonka and touch of smoke. The touch of ambergris and rich golden amber reminds me a little of Cuir Fetiche's sensual dry down too It may be sacrilege to say this, but I find it more publicly wearable than the classic EDP Shalimar, which has a heavier powder. (Which is one of the reasons why I think there are so many flankers of Shalimar now - from the more vanillic to more citric). Geisha Noire is indeed very relaxing, as the Aroma M site mentions. It's tactile and sensual, like rough velvet and cat fur, smooth with little tufts to give texture and definition, so it's not just a smooth sweet amber/vanilla. This is my second perfume love from Aroma M, the first was Geisha Green (not on the database here) Geisha Noire's sillage is soft to moderate depending on application (I'm wearing the perfumed oil, so the EDP will have more projection). Longevity excellent, many many hours of lovely dry down. Perfect for winter/Autumn days and cooler evenings year round,date nights and just for your own personal, comforting velvety scent If you love Midnight in Paris, Bulgari Black, Shalimar's dry down and Cuir Fetiche, you'll love this (Oh yes, and no Iso E, big synthetics and the like, very easy on the nose!)

I'd heard interesting things about Aroma M oils in general, and Geisha Noire in particular, from a few perfume-oriented friends, so I ordered their sampler pack. While I have mixed feelings about a few of the vials they sent me, Noire was a winner. I brought the sampler pack along with me on a long romantic weekend away for my anniversary, and Noire is the one I chose to wear out on the night of, so I'll admit, there's might be some sentimental clouding--but really, it's rather lovely. The smokiness reminded me a little of Shalimar at first, and I was afraid it would suffer in comparison as it does not truly manage to capture Shalimar's elegance, but at heart it is its' own fragrance. As it dries down, it becomes tastier and more complex, still spicy and smoky but also rich with glowing woods and vanilla. This perfume is like polished smoky quartz: cloudy, smoky, dark but not quite opaque, a bit somber, but content and understatedly refined. The oil is so thick and the scent is so strong that the tiny sample vial will last for repeated, multiple applications--good thing, as I've grown a bit addicted. I will almost certainly be springing for the rollerball as soon as I run out. A great scent for fall and winter.

A beautiful fragrance, a really nice blend and good performance. It should be a unisex fragrance, men can certainly wear this one. During the opening I sense woody notes with some soft sweetness subdued in the background. The scent itself is powdery when sniffed close to the skin, from a distance I get a creamy vanilla scent. It is not particularly amber heavy, the ambergris is there but not overly powerful or salty. I have the roll-on oil version and a few tiny dabs last for hours, due to the fragrance being light I'm not entirely sure that this one projects very far. I don't get the smoky aspects of the fragrance as others have pointed out, to me this is more a woody amber fragrance. The closest I can think of is Amber Oud by Kilian, Geisha Noire is a little sweeter maybe due to the Tonka note. Either way it's not sickly sweet. I love amber fragrances like Amber Absolute, Ambre Loup, Grand Soir etc Geisha Noire has impressed me a great deal and I really enjoy wearing it. Overall this is approaching masterpiece territory, the more I wear it the more I like it. 9/10

I am sampling the oil version. Firstly, this stuff is THICK. Whatever residue is on the sample applicator applied to the wrists is enough for me, so proceed with caution when applying. Geisha Noire starts out heavy on what I perceive to be the black amber. It's full of leathery, powdery, smokey sweetness, somewhat reminiscent of Shalimar without the citrus. This facet of the fragrance fades somewhat to become a dark, lovely vanilla-sandalwood that melds beautifully with the skin. I know the term "noire" has essentially lost all meaning in perfumery, but this one actually seems up to snuff. Very reasonably priced for niche, especially considering how little product it takes per application. Worth sampling!

This evening I tried my sample of Geisha Noire EdP. This is an absolutely gorgeous, extraordinarily powdery fragrance full of vanilla, tonka, sandalwood, and something a little bit animalic, especially in the beginning. I could swear I smelled a whiff of castoreum in there. It’s strong without being overpowering. It’s pretty, refined and ladylike on the outside and primitive and sexy inside the silk kimono. There’s lots of sillage, but I still can’t stop smelling my wrists. I love it! In fact, I was so taken with it that I sent off for a sample set of all 9 of the Aroma M fragrance oils so that I can have a Geisha sampling fest.

You know when that iconic sexy that doesn't work for you at all? Well let me name mine: Coco, Shalimar, and Opium. Each one has a jarring note that never quite works. Coco and Opium remain pepper spray on me and Shalimar retains a gasoline note throughout never becoming that smoky vanilla goodness that others get. Geisha Noire is that sexy iconic scent for me. It is intense, lusty, and obviously for the night out. On me it is a spicy sandalwood heavily laced with amber and vanilla that retains an earthy very sexy evocative quality, what all those iconic scents are to others this one is to me. This review is based on the oil.

What a dream this scent is! I do not find it as strong as others users have, I think it is the perfect fall fragrance, however, here I am in late April rocking it. I ended up getting a full bottle because I just love the way it makes me feel and yes, the EDP does remind me of Shalimar, which I also own and has been my signature for some time. I find Geisha a more modern and lighter version of it. Geisha Noire and Shalimar have each a purpose in my wardrobe and there's definitely room for both. I adore Geisha Noire and it will be part of my wardrobe for a long time to come.

My favorite of the Geishas. I have the oil and prefer the oil in all the ones I tried. Similar structure to Shalimar but much denser to me. I love the sharp aromatic opening which smells mostly of lavender and maybe some bergamot or petitgrain. It slowly settles to a divine powdery ambery vanilla but retains some of the other notes. There may be a hint of rose in there too. There's something really sexy about this scent and I've gotten a couple of compliments on it. Though they don't really smell alike, I'd put it in the same category as MFK Absolue pour Le Soir.

I've become a bit obsessed with this scent. It perfectly captures the soul of what I love about amber-based scents. It's dark and mysterious. It's like wandering into a very old occult book store or a mysterious unmarked nightclub for the first time -- and instantly feeling like you belong there, like you've just found home for the first time. Normally, I'm fickle when it comes to perfume, but I find myself reaching for this bottle everyday. It might just end up as my signature fragrance in spite of the fact that I'm not really looking for one.

Oh this is totally delicious!! Yum!!! Gorgeous perfume!! Amazing and unique - it's incredible! Rich, strong, dark, seductive, sensual and warm - like Nuppu (the first reviewer here) says, 'like your own glowing fireplace'. Beauuutiful! Smoky and sweet, and woody. I love it, love it. Hhhhmmmmm!!!.......it's so amazing I'm speechless!! And it lasts................forever.......strongly!!! It's such a fabulous perfume!!!! Fabulous!!! I feel so thrilled with happiness when I wear it! It smells soooo so good!!!!

The EDP of Geish Noir is for me what you want to find in an oriental fragrance. Dark, powerful and rich without being too sweet (you may have gathered that I do not like sweet fragrances). Sometimes it reminds me of Shalimar but then again it is not as sweet and the sandalwood comes out more. Also, I do like the fact that Maria Mcelroy used Tonka more than vanilla... The ideal winter fragrance. In the summer it is too heavy for me.

All of the scent notes are there and well balanced, but where is the smokiness coming from? It's like the sandalwood is slightly charred. I was worried this scent would be too much of a statement, or too sweet, but it is beautiful and sexy for a night out. I like the sample I have, can bring it with for a touch up because it doesn't last long on me.

You said it, missk!!! I love the Goutal orientals, so for me this is perfect. I have nothing to add - Doc Elly, Sherapop (sans pain) and MissK have covered anything that I might have said. I haven't stopped sniffing my wrist for the last hour or more. Wish that I could afford more than just this decant.

I absolutely adore this! I have the roll on oil and a little does go a long way. I always get compliments when I wear it and one man said it reminded him of Shalimar.

Perfume oils are very interesting indeed. A little drop goes a long way, Geisha Noire is a powerful, strong and oh so heavy oil. And as Nuppu wrote, lastingpower is amazing... Put it on in the morning and you smell the best at evening! Wich can cause some problems, I do prefer longlasting perfumes/scents but this is so longlasting it kind of comes around and bite me in my neck. Usually you put on a perfume for a party right before going from home, well that approach is pointless with Geisha Noire. You will smell amazing, but not until next morning! :) It is smoky, ambery, some creamy vanilla and also herbal notes, the drydown is the most beautiful part and worth waiting for, even tough I would prefer a little shorter duration. I guess a small bottle of it would last for ages and then your kids can have it! :)

this is a strong dark amber when first applied. it's pretty pungent on me. after awhile i get a bit of a baby powdery thing, probably from tonka (?) but that soon passes and i'm left with a soft but rich amber. i have mixed feelings on this. for one thing, it feels a bit too much for me, but on the other hand, once it softens it's quite beautiful and i am trying this on a warm day, but i think i'd personally get better mileage on a cooler day. so yes, i do really like this. it's a very "me" scent but i think i need to re-try in winter and put a little less on my skin next time!

The first time I tried this, I was blown away because it smelled just how Luckyscent described it--as a dark fragrance fit for a femme fatale. I kept feeling that nothing I had in my closet was sexy and vampish enough to wear along with this fragrance. As the fragrance progressed, the patchouli crept into the forefront with its drum circle getting louder and louder, and thus this oil made the most unfortunate transition from Barbara Stanwyck badass territory to simple, synthetic patchouli. EDIT: Sometimes this works really great with my chemistry in the oil form.

A soft simplified shalimar, closer to initial actually. No citrus and its a lot less animalic Its powdery/woody and smooth, not overly sweet but creamy in a skanky way. Its perfect for me since I always loved the smell of shalimar initial on my mum, but it never smelt nice on my skin. Not strong in sillage but wafts up around you beautifully.

I basically smell sandalwood in this one with just a little bit of amber. As it dries down the sandalwood overpowers all other notes. It's oriental, it's velvety and creamy, it has sillage and lasting power, but in the end after 2-3 hours, it basically smells like those incense sticks that are sold by Indian vendors. Not what I'm looking for.