Anemone

Anemone opens with an invigorating astringent almost medicinal lavender (except there is no lavender listed in the notes so something else is doing it). The perfume is saying "Wake up! I'm here!". It is brief, then morphs into a wreath of mixed florals. I can best describe it with a word-picture. Imagine a ballet where the chorus is dancing together in a circle. A dancer steps out of line to do a few solo steps, then returns to the circle. The next dancer steps out, and so on down the line, but eventually coming back to the first dancer. Repeat. Those are the florals in anemone. I am thinking, is that violet, before its temporary turn is already done, and then I think, wait no that is rose, no wait it is ..... [there isn't any violet or rose listed either, but I get whiffs that smell like that]. This has low to medium projection. Only you and anyone within a few feet are likely to smell it. Longevity is good. I continued to get slightly stronger flashes throughout the day, as if the perfume is saying 'hey, I am still here'.

Mead on the coast of Greece. The year is 1925. You and your fellow travelers have found yourself on the coast of Greece. You pop a champagne toast and light your pipes to the beautiful hues of the sunset. The smell of the sea and various flowers the hotel have planted mix together and waft into the deck. After the toast, your comrades and you start to drink, “The Nectar of the Gods”, also known as mead. This particular batch made with some of the finest honey there is as it has a light and creamy aroma. The sunset taking the place of the Amber as it encompasses the whole scene in a warm and sweet aroma that gives it the feeling of peering off into a long lost memory. A hearty cheers good night as the scene fades to the encompassing cocoon that it was originally in. This is such beautiful duality between this light and sweet honeyed tobacco, pink florals, and oceanic ambergris; to this dark and sweet amber that resonates with it. It’s definitely a sweeter scent but I truly think anyone can pull this off. Cheers.

Yes! I am inlove with this perfume!!! Yay Blackbird! their fragrances are genius in my humble opinion. Overall Anemone smells very natural and refined at the same time. It smells juicy like honey, dried fruit and wet oak wine barrels. But also smells slightly briney and floral. I have reviewed this on Blackbird saying it reminded me of what you might experience if you opened an old treasure chest in an abandoned pirate ship. But recently I just pinned down that it also reminds me of the smell I have experienced when walking into the wine cellar of a vinter where there are many oak barrels, filled with wine, all around - must, wood and fermented fruit. The dry down is dominent in amber, brine and plum. Definitely worth the money and more. This fragrance has been dancing on my mind for at least 5 years. It has major personality, very unique, but also leaves you thinking "Why have I never smelled this before in a fragrance? It seems so obvious, so natural"

This is awesome. Best purchase of 2016 for me. It opens with a noticeable seaweed note - think of the ocean, right after a storm - the unique smell of the debris floating on top of the water. Unmistakable. Quickly you get the pink pepper? or some kind of sweetness that pushes out from beneath. These two notes together make something extremely unique. To me, this is unisex. The seaweed note keeps it from leaning feminine. I also noticed that this is the kind of scent that comes and goes - think eccentric molecules (although I think you can smell this more often than not!) - performance is great. projection stays close, but it stays. Love this house - love this fragrance. This was labeled as a limited edition, so you may want to try it sooner than later. 8/10

I am in love with this fragrance. Anemone is such a peculiar scent, but also somehow evokes a strange familiarity. I get almost a hint of cherry cola - probably from the mix of plum and tobacco. I can't put it in words, but I love it so so so much. Right out of the bottle this is a mouth-watering scent, but it tends to hide on your skin very quickly. Throughout the day you'll receive bursts of fragrance to constantly remind you that you smell a-maz-ing. I'm really in love with Blackbird Ballard fragrances. Each one is so unique and so complex. Nicole Miller really has a strong talent for blending fragrances. What she does is truly an art.

Imagine a mix of Baileys, Martini Rosso, rosehip tincture and sparkling rosé. Not the headache from it, just the taste and smell. And then there's a graceful and playful short-haired animal, maybe a panther or a leopard, bathing in it. And then some whiffs of menthol cigarettes. Or just imagine having sex and eating a creamy cake at the same time, but no champagne, because it was hot and it has evaporated. Very expensive and beautiful, alluring scent. There's also something tribal in it due to its medicinal and fleshly facets and because of how natural it smells. I don't know if it's dark. I hope people around think it is!

It smells like the color periwinkle for me. It reminds me of dusk on an overcast day in autumn. The plum is pronounced, but tempered with a tobacco and spice-box subtlety. It smells very mid-purple.

Smells sooo gooood, but the longevity and sillage is just weak, and that's why I don't buy a bottle.. ok, just changed my mind, I will buy a bottle

This fragrance is very hard to pin down as far as the actual notes. I do agree with others that there is a somewhat medicinal opening to this. I get fruit -- plum?...and sort of a cola thing happening. Very unusual, yet not unpleasant. It has a coolness and a sexiness that defies description for me. As I become more 'scent literate', perhaps I'll be able to tease out the notes...or maybe not. Maybe it's one of those scents where the sum of the parts/notes, becomes something completely independent of it's constituents. Very very interesting scent.

This smells—and this might sound odd—very specifically of Mott's apple juice to me. It's sweet, almost salty, very honey-forward, but I really do love it especially in warm weather, but can really make a fall day. I find it incredibly unique and difficult to describe. The kickoff is minty, oddly, and then it becomes honey-sweet but not cloying. It's interesting and, to me, lasts quite some time, especially on clothes. Try before you buy, but it's really unique.

Steer clear of this one if you’re not a fan of overly sweet scents. Even though for me this is pure headache and nausea fuel, I can understand how this could be a very enjoyable scent for some.

a rich, jammy, honeyed plum scent for a hot older woman who owns her own yacht. it's very sweet and mellow, with a bit of champagne that definitely gives this a mead-like quality. there's a subtle, dusty tobacco smell in the background as well. the opening has a medicinal tang to it, i think it's something about the honey mixing with the metallic, aquatic aspects of the ambergris that reminds me of cough syrup, but it's not actually unpleasant and fades away quickly sexy and interesting, but too sweet for me personally

On paper this smells a lot like Purezero color care shampoo from Whole Foods, which I actually bought some years ago just for the smell. On my skin there’s a little more depth. I get the tobacco and plum and a little bit of floral. I feel like there’s an apple cinnamon note that creeps in and kind of smells like apple cinnamon air freshener. It’s an interesting fragrance, but overall kinda reminds me of an assisted living facility.

Candyfloss litchi is my initial impression of the opening. Mid notes are more tobacco and okay... now I can see where the perfumer was going. It's candyfloss tobacco, with a bit of saltiness and some honey. Develops in the salty direction but it never stops being that maltitol kind of sugar water sweet. Anemone reminds me of Sensuous Noir, but more high pitched sweetness and as a skin scent. Why is it that no one else is talking about how searingly sugary this is? Well, maybe this is one to come back to in the winter, perhaps it's the summer heat and humidity.

Jam mixed in the blender with Vicks Vap-o-rub. Like a messy, sick toddler.

I think the decant I got went bad. I get red ginseng that went bad. It probably means it’s been a victim of oxidation with degraded base materials.

Just tried this on my boyfriend. The intro seemed almost minty to him. Perhaps the champagne? Styrax? I was able to smell the plum, It is a nice fruity scent that smells realistic and not at all candy-like. When it settles I agree that it has a seaweed scent. The salt from the ambergris is pronounced. The honeyed tobacco scent is subtle but also clearly present -- a Swisher Sweets tobacco. This is a skin scent the whole time. On my skin it was a little more linear with a strong plum scent, something that smelled like oud (but could be styrax) a pronounced honey sweetness and an unlit cigar.

I also get the minty, medicinal opening (Probably the ambroxan/ambergris). For the first minute, it smells identical to something I've smelled before, but I can't remember if it's a food of some kind, or an antiseptic salve, or what it is. Then the plum appears and it's no longer unpleasant. I don't detect an undersea vibe; instead it's earthy and dirty. I can't really identify the other notes. Sillage is very small. Skin scent. I'm on the fence on this one.

Amazing juicy jammy honeyed plum. Very natural and well done! I need a bottle! Very unique and definitely worth a try if you like these notes. My favorite from the Blackbird discovery set.