Nirvana Black

The store that I work at sells a good amount of perfume and cologne at discounted prices. During the holiday rush, we get an influx of stock due to increased demand during that busy shopping period. I noticed some perfume on the shelf that I'd never heard of before, Elizabeth and James. I went about my daily rountine during my shifts and just ignored their existance. We had two, 50 ml. bottles, Nirvana Black and Nirvana White. The later had eventually sold but other sat there on the shelf day after day. I admit that the "violet, sandalwood, vanilla" description on the box intrigued me, especially the vanilla because I love it so. However, in the past I haven't had much luck finding a pleasing fragrance that is heavy on the vanilla. I decided to research this enigma and discovered that this was actually a celebrity perfume by the Olsen twins, Mary-Kate and Ashley. In my mind, I wrote it off but as I started to read different reviews, my interest was peaked. This lone bottle never did sell and was marked down on clearance. So for 44 dollars plus my 10 percent off, I decided to give it a go so I bit the bullet and did a blind buy (even though I was nervous!) I've been burnt on blind buys many times in the past! (Havent we all?!) The following day I showered, spritzed it on, got dressed and left for work. At first I panicked because I was indifferent about the initial violet note (a little sharp) but it fades quickly and leaves behind a soft sandalwood/vanilla scent that I found myself really enjoying as the day unfolded. Low and behold, I was impressed! This perfume is nothing like your typical celebrity scent offering. I find it to be a step-up. If I hadn't have known before smelling it that it was a celebrity fragrance, I wouldn't have believed it. It smells "expensive" and the bottle itself is modern and streamlined, making it lovely and classy looking. Most vanilla scents I've tried have been suffucating and choking but this is quieter and more understated. Unfortunately, I find that it sits extremely close to the skin and doesn't project very well. It's lasting power is also below average. I, however, don't care because I enjoy wearing it anyway, even if it's just for my own pleasure. A vanilla scent that I can finally call successful on my skin. Overall, it puts me in mind of some other scents I've tried over the years. "Boyfriend" (Kate Walsh), "Success is a Job in New York" (Bond No. 9), "Addict" (Dior), "Ambre" (L'Occitane) and "Organza Indecence" (Givenchy.) By no means am I saying that these perfumes smell like Nirvana Black but something about wearing them puts me in the same mind set. If only it lasted and projected more. It would be near perfection for me. I am still going to wear it, regardless and will enjoy the intimacy of it.

I just received my first bottle of this (and the formula) and my goodness... This is soooo amazing!! I'm getting mostly Vanilla and Sandalwood from this and that is just the bees knees!! But then there's the lightest air of the Violet in this that makes you do a double-take...triple-take...like WHAT!?!?! This has GOT to be one of the most lusciously simple-but-complex fragrances that I have ever encountered!! It feels thick...but light at the same time...and yet...airy? I can't fully...correctly...express how this frag makes me feel on this first wear. So far, the initial spray and the mid are just flooring me...I did NOT expect such a well balanced and actually vanillic-tone to be present in this fragrance. I honestly expected it to be like my bottle of "Ajmal - Violet Musc", but no...this fragrance is more woods and vanilla with just enough Violet to make it powdery on the drydown and to give it a floral brightness that otherwise would not exist. Simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I'm going to wear this to run errands tomorrow and I can't wait to see how it does with full coverage spraying!! I cannot WAIT to make a bottle of this! I'll be ordering components all weekend because I HAVE to drown myself in this multiple times a week from a 6oz spray bottle!! (UPDATE) Building this frag worked out well, but its a little light in the pants. I may increase the concentration so that it's stronger and longer lasting. Sillage and projection don't seem to be a problem...just longevity. I've gotten plenty of compliments on my build from people during my travels...but I wind up reapplying after about 4 hours. The OG bottle lasts a little over 5...still unsure how to match the original creations performance. I will figure out what they did...it's just a matter of time and chemicals....

To me Nirvana Black reinforces the idea that perfume is such a personal experience. I’m not sure what it is about this fragrance in particular but combined with my skin chemistry this never fails to garner compliments. People always stop to ask what I’m wearing and why I just smell so *good*. I’ve worn it at the height of an Australian summer while on holiday and on foggy, cold rainy days. Because this fragrance isn’t a powerhouse when it comes to longevity and sillage, I don’t feel that it ever gets overwhelming even on hot, sticky, and humid days. I spray this once in the morning and can smell it for most of the day, though by the end of the day while it’s still there it’s definitely sitting close to the skin. This might be something to consider, but for me it adds to the appeal and sexiness of the fragrance, seeing as someone would have to get close enough to get a whiff of it in the first place. This fragrance is deceptively complex, despite consisting of only 3 notes. They all blend so beautifully to create this intoxicating fragrance. Nirvana Black is wads of cash, a hint of recently smoked cigarettes, good sex, and smudged lipstick. It’s edgy and mysterious and not giving a fuck. It’s the girl who doesn’t try too hard and is somehow just so effortlessly alluring. It’s leaning into your masculine side, while unmistakably embodying the raw essence of femininity. It’s that tension, between masculine and feminine, between pushing you away and drawing you close, it’s a polarity and conflict between two extremes. It’s sexy without trying to be. All in all I think this is a beautiful fragrance, and while I’m sad they’ve discontinued it, I’ll continue to repurchase this for as long as I can get my hands on it.

I got this fragrance as a gift after falling in love with a few other scents from this line. It stayed in the back of my collection for months, maybe even a year, before I decided to break it out this autumn and wear it. I've fallen in love with this fragrance. There's only three listed notes but it smells so complex and unique. It's got a creaminess from the sandalwood and a sweetness from the vanilla. It smells like a rootbeer float and then there's there's this woodiness underneath. The feeling this fragrance gives me is like running your fingers across pure silk. The creamy vanilla smells a bit milk like at times, and almost reminds me of the smell of the milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl. But in the least revolting way possible. It's absolutely gorgeous and this is something that I would consider a sexy fragrance. I would find this smell attractive on anyone, a man or a woman, but I can see how it might be a bit too sweet for those who are used to fresh and sporty fragrances. The sillage is potent but not offensive. The longevity is average of 4-6 hours, but it lasts longer on clothes. I've heard rumors that this fragrance is discontinued, and if that is true it is a real shame. I must buy backups and I also would like to try to find the other products in this fragrance (oil, hair mist, etc) and possibly even try layering this with other scents from the Elizabeth and James lineup, before they are gone for good. This isn't probably considered a "hidden gem" but it was to me for overlooking it for so long. If you haven't tried this scent and are thinking about it I highly recommend doing so it deserves all the recognition and praise it gets, and then some.

My first perfume. I refused to revisit it for years because I have such immature associations with Nirvana Black. That anxious buzz as I grabbed the box off the bottom shelf of Sephora’s perfume section. Waving off the saleswoman, pretending like I knew all about everything I’ve ever wanted, especially this perfume. Bought it without testing, and thank god it was so safe. $70 or so is a lot of money for an unemployed teen. Birthday money, or something. NB is utilitarian. It rises to the occasion, whatever the occasion may be; night at a cocktail lounge, or running errands in a slouchy, slightly stained Olsen-inspired getup. Projects lightly enough for you to smell it once in awhile, and for anyone else who gets close enough too. It’s an intimate, unfussy scent. Creamy woods and the persistent memory of BBW’s Warm Vanilla Sugar lotion on your mother’s skin 20 years ago. Wear it if you want something like the ubiquitous Glossier number, but are too principled and stuck-in-your-ways to buy a bottle of You. Wear it if you smoke cigarettes. Wear it if you’re 25 now but still dreaming about being an Olsen Twin. Or a Blair Waldorf. It’s an everyday, lived in kind of sexy. Shabby. Newly nostalgic enough to charm. (And don’t forget to pick up a bottle and of Nirvana White to layer it with during the summer, girlies!)

I bought a bottle of this to resell, but I just can't let it go. So, I'm keeping it to decant. I never gave this one much thought when smelling it at Sephora, but I always smelled this after smelling 10 other things and never really smelled much. I never thought it was as masculine as others say either. Smelling it today with a fresh nose, I have to say, this is amazing! It's smoky in the most delightful way and wears very masculine on my skin. So, now I have 3 from the Elizabeth and James Nirvana collection: Bourbon, Amethyst, and Black. E&J Nirvana is one of my favorite designer houses on the "women's" side, although I find all of the Olsen twins' scents easy to wear and perfectly unisex, for the most part at least, aside from Nirvana White. (And even that, I can picture anyone wearing if they have the proper demeanor for such a white floral scent) My one qualm wearing this today, is that I'm still quite anosmic to this scent personally. I don't know why, but there's something very strong in this scent that I personally can't smell. No idea what it is, but it seems to draw compliments at least. :) I do love the portion I can smell, smoky sandalwood, mostly. PS - My mom smelled this on me and demanded a decant for herself. :) Sandalwood lovers should really like this smoky scent.

This is quite addictive for me. It sometimes has this powdery quality that feels so light and airy that it makes my skin feel freshly clean and powdered. It's one of those perfumes that I can NEVER stop smelling my arm once it's on my skin. Admittedly, I bought a second bottle already. One reviewer wrote that it doesn't scream any gender to them - I have to agree here. The scent of violets in fragrance isn't something that can be extracted from nature and I don't even smell anything perceptibly floral so I am not sure if I'm anosmic to whatever it is or if it is just not there - the inclusion of "violet" as a note feels a little gimmicky to me in that small regard. This is all creamy, vanillic sandalwood and light powder for me. Bottle shape is thin, purse-ready, and great. I find myself wanting to casually hold and play with the bottle and take off the cap just to get a whiff of the nozzle. Practical considerations: Sillage and longevity are less than ideal on me (could just be my chemistry) and I find myself spraying more than I want. I am excited to see how this plays out in the winter though. I will test and update. Edit: I also bought this as a dry shampoo which I am really loving! ISO: Anyone who actually smells violets in this. I'm so curious if anyone is perceiving this.

Initially I was browsing Sephora when I saw the intriguing shape of the roller-ball bottles. I haden't intended to buy perfume on that trip but I couldn't resist sampling the amethyst and black versions of Nirvana by Elizabeth and James because of the almost minimalist design. I took two strips of paper and sprayed both versions on the paper. Took a sniff of the bourbon version but decided it was very much not for me. i went home and allowed the papers to sit for a while while I went about my life. Weeks later, I decided to go back and pick up both. There's just something so intriguing about the amethyst and black versions. I see them as almost a good/bad opposition. The amethyst is decidedly feminine to me with a sweet woody twinkle of honeysuckle. At the same time it is belying a spicy bed of tobacco and mystery.Amethyst is sweet and charming. Nirvana black truly has my heart. I think both men and women find this scent oh so fascinating. The sandalwood and smoke are so beguiling, it's hard not to fall for its charm. Like a mysterious stranger, it hides its violet accords behind a unisex cover. This scent made my dad say "Woah, I like that a lot" and that to me made me smile. He said it smelled expensive and I couldn't agree more. A scent for sophisticated people.

I slept on this and missed it, and was never able to score a reasonably priced bottle! So two years ago I broke down and found a roller ball. And it arrived I tired it and NOTHING ..so i tossed it in my bowl that holds my decant and oils etc.and here I am bored on a Saturday night, wanting something woody vanilla and I try it again (so in all I probably tried this five times in two yrs to see if I smelled anything and it did finally smell of something? But for two mins) and holy moly it finally worked!! I guess it just needed two years of “maceration” 🤦♀️ no. Ha. Anyway why can’t I find something like this!?? I love this because I do smell sandalwood and (NO pickles) then the violet and vanilla a touch of sweet over the wood. It’s unlike anything in my collection! It’s two hrs after, and it’s gotten a bit sweeter! This smells so unique and classy. Honestly The Row, would be smart to release this again!! It is so classy. It will be a bedtime scent! And I’m off now to find more roller balls! The search never ends in fragrance land..for scents that dumb people discontinued! It’s all about making money and flankers..new stuff. I buy the things I love yearly...I don’t need a new scent every two months ehh

This was a FB blind buy at a discount. Bought this along with Nirvana White. Based on the notes and the reviews I was less confident in this purchase than the Nirvana White simply because I thought I'd like Nirvana White more and this was more experimental (historically powder and sandalwood notes have read as baby powder, talc, or dill-y on my skin). Still, I wanted to give it a try and complete my E&J collection. I was pleasantly surprised by it. It's got a creaminess and warmth to it from that sandalwood and violet that I love and somehow work together, then sweetened by vanilla. Yes, I do get powdery notes, but it's not aged nor infantile. It's so smooth and cozy and almost boozy. The girl wearing this is at ease, dancing lazily in the afternoon, draped in a loose maxi dress, and bathed in a sun-drenched day dream. She's relaxed and carefree. I'm so into it. Nirvana Amethyst has a similar vibe and if you like Nirvana Amethyst you'd like Nirvana Black. Ranking: 1) Nirvana Black 2) Nirvana Amethyst 3) Nirvana French Gray 4) Nirvana White

I now own the entire Nirvana line. Black was the first one of the line that I tried years ago, and found it so sickening then that I could not wait to wash it off. I remember it seeming entirely too masculine and woody and sticky at the time. However, several years later, I have found myself loving Black so much that I managed to justify a small bottle...and then, not much later, the largest one (!!!), despite my behemoth-sized perfume collection. It could be that my sense of smell changed, that my body chemistry changed, or simply that they altered the perfume's composition slightly over the years, but Nirvana Black is my newest best friend! Black is a simple prominently woody and sweet scent with a very generous powdering of violets. It still smells odd to me, but odd in the best way possible and not at all masculine. It reminds me of a fancy underwear drawer filled with fancy French soap, and I'm not entirely sure why that appeals to me so much, but it does! It is very comforting and I can't stop wearing it!

Finally got my rollerball mini sampler today with Black, White, Bourbon and Rose. It's been sitting somewhere in the ether, unscanned by the good ole USPS for almost a month. Anyway, I get home from work and immediately crack open all the bottles and roll them on different parts of both arms. I end up liking them to varying degrees all but, hold up! About 20 minutes later, which one has the soft beautiful bewitching aroma that I keep getting whiffs of? It's Black, of course. I think I'm in love. Powdery, lightly sweet violety sandalwood heaven! The scent is a misty periwinkle/lavender grey if it was a color, I think. Tomorrow is payday and this one has bumped it's way to the top of the full bottle list. I must spray this liberally all over my person immediately. LOVE LOVE LOVE. *Well, it's been an hour and I can't smell this on myself for the life of me. Am I nose blind (violets to blame?) or is there zero longevity? Boo hoo!

Hello fragrance fans! Elizabeth & James is a brand that the famous "full-house" siblings Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen had started in 2007. In 2013 they launched a line of high quality fragrances that were largely sold at Sephora until the full discontinuation of the fragrance line in 2018. Black EDP is an amazing woody-oriental fragrance and has developed a cult following for that reason. It contains listed notes of violet, sandalwood, and vanilla. Upon first spray, it opens with a slightly powdery, floral sweetness that quickly transitions into a dark sugary sandalwood heart. I would consider it 100% unisex, with similarity's to other fragrances like 1998's Bvlgari black or Midnight in Paris by Van Cleef & Arpels. * USA, visit our web store VintageDecants If you'd like to sample this fragrance in it's vintage formulation, along with hundreds of other discontinued and rare fragrances to choose from. :)

This perfume is a testament for how your tastes change as you age!! I remember when this first came out I was in my early 20s, and I hated it! Hated the masculine, musky heavy notes and totally preferred the bland Nirvana White. Now after almost a decade has passed, I randomly saw a mini of this on sale and purchased it impulsively (I had completely forgotten how it smelled and thought I'd give it a second chance after all these years). Smelling it now, it's such a bold and edgy yet sophisticated scent. Very heavy on the sandalwood but it's a soft, dreamy kind of sandalwood thanks to the powdery violet and the warm vanilla. The sandalwood is not sharp and spicy. I regret not getting a bottle of this back when it was being discontinued and was super cheap everywhere!! If anyone knows of a fragrance that smells like this pleaseee let me know.

Just 3 Notes (like TM's Alien and MK's Sexy Amber) for this scent but they are done very well. I am addicted to this the first time that I got anosmic for quite awhile I have to stop wearing it (add to the fact that it has poor longevity, as most will attest, so you have to reapply often). But it is so addictive, it was like my narcotic. I picture this as a Gothic scent, dark and mysterious. Woodsiness is present and is creamy and nutty, the vanilla makes it cozy and enveloping and the violet lends sweetness to this wonderful creation. I cannot smell any floral note but I did layered this with Nirvana White for floral kick and it does work but you have to "calibrate" how many spritz of each will work for you. I have the Nirvana White and Nirvana French Grey too and like them equally but Nirvana Black I love.

A masterful combination of notes that succeeds in smelling more like you're just a good smelling person than smelling like you sprayed something onto you to smell good ...which is entirely the fantasy amiright? With just the addition of violet, it gives the creamy vanilla and sandalwood a freshness and unisex quality. I was in full denial that I needed this for so long, and bought several of the fragrances that are listed here that supposedly smell like it...for whatever reason.. probably unconsciously... to satisfy what I smelt in my little sample of this that I had rolling around. I even purchased the body oil to layer with other scents .. but alas that fresh violet was missing... finally bit the bullet. My life would not be complete without both this and Bourbon in it in some form or fashion.

I don't believe this scent is very masculine. It doesn't 'scream any gender'. To me , if anyone knows how an old train track smells like -this perfume reminds of it. And I don't mean it in a negative way. This is definitely my every-day signature scent. It is complex yet simple, I can attach the words clean, modern,strong and powerful yet soft. The perfume has strong hold, is slightly warm, velvety. It is a fall/winter perfume. Has something in common with This Is Her by Zadig Voltaire. I would recommend this to someone who wants to have something new, different and wants to make a statement. But it can be described as calm and muted. I see someone powerful, with a sense of individuality, mystery and 'rock' image wearing this. Bold style. Leather jacket with boots. 1000/10. Perfection.

I LOVE this perfume. It would be my signature scent if I didn't live in a place where summers got so hot, because the idea of wearing this in that sort of heat sounds wildly unappealing. I don't recall why I wanted this, but I picked it up as a blind buy rollerball set with Nirvana Bourbon and Nirvana Amethyst in 2018 and it was love at first sniff. It's warm and sultry and dark. I wear it during Christmas time and now it invokes memories of going to parties and baking cookies. I was crushed when I found out it was discontinued and I saw how little was left in my rollerball so I picked up a 1.7oz on a discount fragrance site. I probably overpaid, but I couldn't find it locally and honestly it's worth it to me. This is definitely a signature winter scent and I will cherish this bottle.

This is one of my favorite perfumes. It's a strong, musky and complex fragrance that has a slightly masculine quality, but to me, definitely leans feminine. I'm a woman who enjoys taking on some of my masculine energy sometimes, and this perfume embodies that energy, while still being subtly sexy and feminine. While there's a floral note to it, it's not a soft, airy floral perfume. The dark sandalwood note comes through strongly and adds a musky quality but is blended well with the violet and muted vanilla. I prefer to wear this in the fall/winter because it can be a bit strong, and the heat just increases that sillage. My complaint is that the Nirvana perfumes don't last long enough and need to be reapplied sooner than some of my other perfumes. Too bad it's been discontinued.

This is the first perfume I fell head over heels for. I was in Sephora and saw this little number. I believe there was only the White and Black Nirvana at the time. It was just debuting. I smelled this and it was over. This is and always will be the sexiest perfume on the planet to me. It was creamy, seductive and edgy. Like magic. I was too cheap to spend $60 on a bottle though. My husband and girls got me this perfume and the oil for my birthday. I still have it, along with a back up. I also have the dry shampoo and solid perfume. I don’t know why this is so seductive, but it is. This is a little black dress fragrance. Perfect for dates and social events. I’m sad that they didn’t keep this line going. It was definitely a niche fragrance amongst designer houses.