Black

On first sniff I was instantly transported to a late 90s SoHo art party - the kind you heard about from a friend of a friend, only for those in the know, and you had to brave your way down an abandoned NYC alley in the days before Google Maps to find it, wondering the whole time if you were in the right place or if you'd get jumped, only to ride a freight elevator up to an antiseptic loft where a dominatrix had a gimp locked in a vacuum bed for an S&M performance art piece. A DJ spun Techno Animal and Scorn, and you're pretty sure that was Genesis P-Orridge you saw on the other side of the room chain-smoking and drinking vodka tonics. You stand by an open window and smell the tar and gasoline of the street wafting in. Lean like concrete but hiding complexity underneath. There's leather for sure, but also latex, PVC, rubber, and perhaps an animalistic coppery note... blood? Incredibly sensual in a totally atypical, industrial way. It's not for everyone, but for those who "get it" it'll be sexy as all get out.

First, the vials are among the most beautiful I've ever seen. Second, this fragrance instantly makes it into the top 3 of my personal pantheon for men. A cypriol/sauge/vetiver of rarely equaled subtlety. The true niche version of Encre Noire, just a little more resinous and floral. Even more sensual, darker too; more beautiful, much better-holding, clearly a true beauty. Big fan.

I really loved this perfume when I first got it, but over time my opinion has changed and I think it's a pretty typical masculine woodsy scent. It's almost a little harsh to me now. For context, I transitioned from female to male in the time that I've owned it and I found it complex and delightful when I presented as a woman and now find it a little harsh and boring as a man.