Black Powder

There are clearly a ton of people in the comments who have never smelled cocaine before (which isn’t a bad thing) but seeing as it literally goes into your nose I am a bit confused as to why you are leaving a review for an olfactive experience. It DOES however have that resinous, sweet, and ring of slight vinegar (though more in spirit than an actual vinegary accord) that is reminiscent of the inspiration of the name. This is not a mass appealing scent. It is not an easy wear. But as far as the actual meaning behind this statement goes, this truly is a modern niche MASTERPIECE. It is a work of art, a song of sorry written by Jusbox and performed by Julien RASQUINET. It starts with the opening rush, a kick with the pimento and a wave of euphoria in the juicy black currant and crisp green apple reminiscent of Cobain’s ingenious creativity. It flows into the olfactory system and begins to mellow in the heart as the leather accord of the suede and dried tobacco leafs swirls with the resinous olibanum. As it fades into the dry down the tonka, patchouli, and sandalwood bring out an earthiness, an almost ashy nature to the dried tobacco leaves that is reminiscent of a coffee and cigarette Kurt would frequent in the come down. The euphoria settles as it brings you back down to earth for the remainder of the wear, yet there is still a hint of hope from that crisp apple that somehow lingers far after it should have faded. This is as niche and artisanal as modern perfumes gets. It tells a story from start to finish and is a scent that is absolutely loaded with emotion. You can feel the duality of happiness mixed with sorrow, the pleasure mixed with pain, and the euphoria mixed with fleeting hope experienced by so many who suffer through what this fragrance represents. It is absolutely beautiful. Perspective is key, as scent is such a subjective experience that is different for everyone. But on an objective note you are getting great performance and longevity. The presentation is immaculate, not just in the heavy, beautiful bottle and vinyl cap, but even the juice is art in its blackish brown, mud water color as if it was blended on a spoon and registered into the bottle. For me, I call this the “hot shot of fragrance” ready to be injected into the jugular of the olfactory system and experienced from start to finish. There is true beauty in this fragrance beyond the smell and I hope people can appreciate it as an accurate story they represent the pain and suffering that so many wonderful people have gone through, and so few make it out of. A statement that while those people might be struggling and dirty from the outside, there is still a beauty underneath that pain, lost but not a lost cause, a plea for understanding and empathy for the help to get out from that dark place. Kindness, compassion, and understanding go a long way, and this fragrance tells a sad but beautiful story. (There is a way out)

Out of the scents I have tried so far, from the sample kit from Jusbox, Black Powder appears to be the most unique and truly a niche fragrance. Again, I am half through the sample set, not tried them all, but this scent smells awesome. Strong, nuanced suede with a warm spicy, syrupy sweetness from fruits and an incense, sandalwood, patchouli, tonka beans base. On the more masculine side but not heavily masculine leaning, I would wear Black Powder if I would have a bottle. Has an intense presence and it is moderately mass appealing (I mean by that that’s not a challenging perfume that’s too far gone on the niche side) even though it doesn’t remind me of anything from my collection. To put it in a context, Black Powder feels more like an elevated version of a designer perfume. Don’t know how to put it exactly in words but I am really loving what I am smelling. Rich, dark, intense, bit of sweetness, bit of fruitiness, bit of tobacco, bit of vanilla, bit of patchouli. It’s a great one for sure!! Great longevity and moderate to strong sillage. Fall and winter season only! Impressed with how well done Black Powder is! It’s one of those scents that flies under the radar from the brand..

I recently bought a sample set from Jusbox and I liked a lot of them! But my teenage son fell in love with this one. He is a musician and he felt this one really suited his personality. I absolutely do not think this is a “young” scent that would appeal to most teens. In fact when I asked my son what he liked about it, he said that it’s unique, he hasn’t smelled anything like it (thank god for that now that I’m seeing people say it smells like cocaine) and he said no other kids at highschool are wearing anything like it. He said it’s dark and edgy and kind of Rock n Roll. He likes the sweet leather edge and the slightly dirty undertone we both detect (the smell of dirt, not the smell of a dirty person). I also really like the way the fragrance smells on my son, but I would probably not wear it myself because it was a bit too heavy for me. My son enjoys wearing cologne, but this is the first time I have ever seen him get really excited and into a fragrance and see it more then just a way to smell good, but as an extension of his personality and as a way to express himself. I am going to save for a bottle to surprise him with.

OK ok what. I actually like this and I'm shocked. Usually I go for stuff more geared towards like black opium, Moschino bubblegum, replica Whispers in the Library, kayali musk... but wow. I got this as a free sample in an order, I'm shook lol I had even looked at this brands perfumes and reading the notes on this one I passed thinking I'd hate it. It has an interesting cooling scent (think like eucalyptus mint I guess) with some suede-y leathery powdery smell. Reminded me of Madly in Love by Kilian. I dont get apple or black currant but everything else is there. Might lean a little more on the masculine side buuuuut I'm still gonna wear it hahaha. I would consider a full bottle even. I can't stop smelling my wrist. Dang perfumes man...you just never know what you're gonna like til you smell it, I'm so happy they threw this in there. Note I went into this brand not knowing about the concept of the line and I think that helped me keep a better open mind to the fragrance too.

Super dark, super sexy, leather and tobacco perfume. While it’s definitely a heavier nighttime fragrance, the notes here are blended so well that it’s not too dirty or overpowering. There’s a delicious smokiness from the suede, grounded by an earthiness from the tobacco and patchouli, and then lightened by some sweetness from the apple and black currant. Julien Rasquinet did one of my favourite perfumes, Tabac Rose by BDK, and you can see some of the sophistication of that frag here (although this, if course, has no rose in it). The performance on this one is also incredibly good, I can still smell it very prominently after 5-6 hours. I think it’s unisex although would smell particularly sexy on a man. I’ve been working my way through the Jusbox sample set and I’m honestly baffled by why they consistently score in the 3s on Fragrantica - there are some really unique well executed perfumes by this house, made by some great perfumers.