Black XS Potion for Her

Black XS Potion is a really interesting one! It's a perfume that has an actual smell version of a texture, and is liquid, elixir-like. Smell-wise, it's quite close to Black XS Be a Legend: Debbie Harry, but where that one is powdery with a touch of soft leather, Potion is fluid like liqueur so, although the smells favorably compare, the effects are completely different. Potion comes off as a dark, sweet, warm, delicious (but inedible) potion, playing peekaboo with my nose, shimmering in and out of perception, throughout the day. Oddly, while I know it's strong -- because I asked someone else if she could smell my perfume -- there were times when I couldn't smell it and it never comes off as heavy; it shimmers, alternately present, fading, and present again. And boy, does it stick to clothes and persist, but in the warmest, loveliest way. The shirt I wore, now ready to go to the dry cleaners, is positively redolent! Definitely an interesting, different kind of perfume experience than what I'm used to -- dare I say, magical...!

I hadn’t tried this on in some time. Today felt like the day...I’m on a more secluded section of a lake, and today was first snowfall & quite a bit came down but the earth is still too warm for it to last. Only the branches of the old growth trees are loaded, heavy with wet snow. The little gap through the birch across the lake really stands out, the scene looks like a B&W picture of itself, & a little wild...you could easily imagine a mysterious magical figure gliding down to the edge of the blackened lake...leaving this smooth, magnetic trail behind... A scent to daydream the day away:) Most aptly name fragrance, potion indeed xo So cozy on my softest sweater the next day. Wish I would have found this sooner, and any time of year this works for me, it just seems to magically flow.

Oh, it's such an underestimate and unmarked perfume. Different, memorable, I really feel like a little sweet witch in a nice way. Something like Harry Potter's Hermione Jane Granger. Totally magical and totally sweet. But not in a vanilla way, but in a woody resin. I love this perfume Paco Rabanne and I hope to be able to get another bottle of it before it disappears from the market.

I am so interested in Black XS and It's flankers. I have them all .. But hopefully this one have the quality of (L'exces) not the latest flanker (L'Aphrodisiaque) which lasts less than 1 hour ! I love Paco Rabanne Black XS Line for both Men/Women, creative with Gothic/young Hype ..

Dark syrupy Roses with hints of spice and wood. Deep and sexy.

@MOONSPACE CAN YOU REVIEW IT PLEASE ?

I expected it to be much more concentrated and deeper, more gothic and dark but the smell couldn't be more feminine and sexy; not in the mainstream way, though. Actually, it reminded me to discontinued Belle d'Opium by Yves Saint Laurent; I am sniffing both right now and I can't detect a f*cking single difference. Well, to be frank there's one: in the drydown Belle d'Opium turns out a little bit peachy, while Potion keeps stronger woods and amber that reminds to Madonna's Truth or Dare Naked. Anyway, Belle d'Opium and Potion share that sweet dark fruit and floral body. As they are so similar, I should highlight the fact that Belle d'Opium is considered the sexiest perfume in my wardrobe for most of my friends, so the concept of Black XS as a love potion fits well. What my friends like about Belle d'Opium is the femme fatale and mysterious touch, with mature and complex ingredients such as tobacco, incense, pepper and woods inside a sweet, floral and elegant composition. I'd swear Potion also contains these ingredients blurred with a stream of red wine. The human heart-shaped and total opacity of the black bottle could hide blood in the inside and the suggestive label, reminds me to the imaginary of Patrick Süskind's novel "Perfume", somewhat vampiric or anything the Snow-White's witch could have made herself. I just hope that well known Oliver's savoir faire has polished his creation by introducing some secret ingredient fitting the name :P

Given how gorgeous the bottle I'll share my note on the fragrance. I am having a different impression every time I wear it. Sometimes I nearly dislike it, sometimes I nearly love it, I rarely wear it. This November wrist test from my bottle - milder, less masculine than my first try, with more juice and space and feminity. Did it mature this well? I remember it harsher and more masculine. Pretty but nearly naughty, naked and brash. I was disappointed in how androgenous, simplistic I found it at first. General feel now: Abstract flowers with fruity tinge, soapy finish. Powdery aspects, but far far away. Subtle to a certain extend. Amber dominated, not grapefruit like before. Woody as the second strength, rosy background in her soapy-cosmetical aspect. An ambery rose. With grapefruit peel. Plus a flower I dont know? Is it you helleborus rose? Today I don't understand how I could once state that it is grapefruit dominated. Maybe during hot months? It is a restrained fragrance. I think both sexes can wear it, too. Not too flashy, not too complex, not too sweet, not too dry, not too boring, not too straightforward. Ambivalent. The bottle conveys the message that it is a hidden treasure, a secret, perhaps even a dark one.. This is the reality of the scent.

Potion is a much more intense, daring and bold version of the original Black XS. The two share many similarities – both are the same sort of spicy-sweet compositions, with dark fruity undertones. Potion is basically everything Black XS is, but much more intensified. Every note is stronger and more apparent – the scent is spicier, heavier, slightly less sweet; and the warm, woodsy accords are much more pronounced, particularly in the drydown. This version feels a lot more 'hardcore', if that makes any sense; I think it's also more difficult to wear. The hellebore flower is definitely a very interesting note, and not something that I have ever encountered before. It smells quite dark and powdery, and, alongside the bitter grapefruit and the dry woods, it forms a unique, intoxicating composition. This is a very unique and interesting scent, and definitely a nice alternative to the usual fruity florals offered on the fragrance market. If you enjoy the original Black XS, you are likely to love Potion, too. However, I find it too similar to the original Black XS (which I already own) to justify buying it. ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Smells like my boyfriend When He doesn't shower and puts on clean clothes. Mix of his fabric softener, deo spray and body odor (grapefruit) Great sillage and exceptional longevity as it clings on skin for dear life. It appealed to me at first because there is a peppery and woodsy vibe to it. Sadly it lasts only two hours and then fades to complete fabric softener. Such a bummer, I was looking for a winter frag and this is more of a spring kind of perfume. It's overall clean and floral. Might look for it again in five months or so. I also find it has like a manly edge to it (like a tinge of aftershave or mint - weird) ETA: 24 + hours after spraying it's still there and radiates over some inches. I consider getting this since it's proven to be of rather good quality to be a flanker. I'm impressed *claps *

This is incredible! I sprayed it on my wrist yesterday, and today after two(!) showers i can still smell it. To me it smells like fruity wood - nice dry sweet wood saturated with fruit juice..Imagine a wooden spoon which was used for eating jam - just like that (probably sandalwood/amber/citrus combo). There is also an equal amount of powder notes (I'm pretty sure it comes from rose)..like a grown-up version of baby powder.. It literally smells woody/fruity/powdery..Lovely and very well blended stuff!! The name/bottle are really appropriate IMO, it does smell like a dark potent juice which a bottle like that would contain.

This is great. I do find it fairly sweet but not overly so. Floral with amber and a little citrus with the woods coming through after about half an hour. I do not find this masculine at all as some reviewers have found. There is something a little spicy there too but i'm not sure what. The black and red very simple bottle fits with the scent I think! There is something here that reminds me of Kenzo Jungle Elephant but I don't mean it smells like it, more like in the same line. It has great longevity and sillage.

Black XS Potion screams high-end to me. It is a make-up scent that progresses from citrus freshness to sweet amber and powdery rose. It's not for timid girls, though. I smell this and I picture a super powerful feminine woman, or a younger version of Miranda Priestly. She's got her shit together and knows what she's doing. She's wearing a white pantsuit, big shades and red lipstick. Great everyday scent. Office-friendly, confidence boosting, and power-to-me kind of juice! Moderate silage and great longevity.

Extraordinary winter perfume with depth and wonder. Less sweet from the other Black XS edt/edp in the same vibe of Boss intense edp. Long lasting and aromatic. The bottle is lovely black and heavy and there is some kind of gothic style about it. Best for winter and fall and it will be highly appreciated to those who wear and love Boudoir/John Galliano edp/Deep red/Boss intense edp. I am very happy adding this to my collection. "rich perfume".

A really nice floral, but spicy fragrance. It's less sweet than the original Black XS, but just as pleasant. Sandalwood and amber have a big part in it. I like how there is nothing sharp or overwhelming about it. It is possible for perfume to be strong and smooth at the same time and in that case it is turned out perfectly. A great love potion!

I blind bought this and another flanker because I got Pure XS awhile back, really liked it, already went through a FB and bought my 2nd. I figured this flanker must be somewhat reminiscent of Pure XS. It is not, really. Pure XS is a work of art by Quentin Bisch, which I didn’t even realize until about a month ago, and I really love a bunch of his scents so it’s no wonder that one appeals to me so much. This and the others I’ve tried from this line are done by different perfumers and it really shows. They have very different overall feels. I resold my bottle of this fragrance awhile ago after trying once, I just knew it wasn’t my style and had no urge to try to make it work. It isn’t a complicated scent. Its lighter than I prefer. Had a bit of a “watered down” feel to it compared to many of the richer scents I prefer. The scent isn’t bad at all, it just didn’t work with my chemistry at all. It felt too light, overly blended, fast fading, and never “developed” on my skin to radiate nice smelling notes or an addictive smelling base or anything like that. I just got a lightly sweet fruity common blend with some florals. Nothing stood out so much that I can say I remember a dominant note. Just sweet, fruity, with a simple basic rose that isn’t the complex photorealistic rose fans of scents like Delina seek after. Has a little bit of that vintage rose soap vibe. Leans a bit bitter at times. Isn’t too sweet. To be fair, I like scents that I can still smell on myself the next morning, with rich and strong notes that stand out. I typically like slightly sweeter scents and have never been a big grapefruit fan in terms of smell or taste. The sandalwood+rose felt not as rich as many rose+oud combos I typically like. This felt like something any girl could wear anywhere she goes, in a mass-appealing light and fresh body spray type way. She can be a teen shopping at the mall, a college girl going to class, a 20 something at her first real job, a 30 something who wants a simple girly scent to energize her as she runs household errands, and so on. It just isn’t the go-to scent for *this* quirky artsy weirdo who dresses in funky vintage clothing and tries on different perfumes like I’m trying on different personalities.

I was very pleased to be able to try this one today. As someone who adores the original Black XS I had high expectations for Potion, but was sadly disappointed. It lacks the complexity, originality and edginess of Black XS and to me just smells very uninteresting. The original is more feminine, sweeter, more complex and far sexier in my opinion. Potion is more unisex and really nothing special at all.

Not sure what I was expecting with this. I love the original Black XS for Her and while I wasn't expecting "more of the same", this just came across thick (not heavy) and somewhat plastic on my skin. I couldn't discern the notes and honestly I'm just a bit confused because I got nothing really to talk about. No fruit, no floral, no amber (to speak of). Very underwhelming for me.

Not too bad at all! It starts as a sexy chypre, one hour later she sharpness is mellowed and now it's turning into oriental. A sexy, yummy oriental. Worth paying attention to.

Excited to try this one, just hope it's available in the UK, as I've been unable to find L'Aphrodisiaque anywhere...

I tested this in town and was in two minds about it. I think I was partly seduced by the name and bottle but really, the juice does not match either. Tested it again yesterday to avoid a potentially silly blind buy at £26 as I just missed the Debenhams reduction to £15, and I just can't get away from the big red FRUIT in XS Potion. The only fruit note listed is grapefruit but I detect something much redder, stronger and more synthetic/generic. That blended with an awful cheap aftershave note, which to me is reminiscent of a very watered down YSL Kouros (bleurgh). The intriguing and lovely 'edge' that I could smell on the first testing day was just not there at all at any point on the 2nd day when I gave the frag a full and proper wearing so I swerved it, resisted the 'gothy' bottle and saved my money. Overall, Potion XS smells very cheap and generic to me - like a million other (usually 'celebrity') fragrances out there at the minute, and I can't believe the price of the stuff - even at the higher price I mentioned which is also meant to be a substantial reduction from what you can buy it for. Disappointing.

I'm getting citric cleaning products, hairspray, some kind of masculine edge, old-fashioned and woodsy soap... It's a contradiction in smells to me - like a teenager's bathroom when the grandparents have come to visit. I wonder if (for those who've seen 16 candles) that's what Sam's bathroom smelled like the morning of her sister's wedding? There is definitely something of the 80s in this; it's got that same edginess. I'm not sure what to make of this scent, really. I'll need to spend more time testing it, as it's just too puzzling to me to make a judgment after one wear. I will say, however, that silage on this release is good. It projects well and will even saturate the nose if you spray enough of it. Edit: Black XS Potion needs quite a bit of time to dry down, at least an hour, possibly two. NOW I see what previous reviews are talking about. Yes, soft floral woods, slightly citric, reminiscent of the original. Now I get it. I'm not sure I want to wait that long to get here though.

I obviously can't smell what everybody else is smelling. I was really looking forward to experience that "ethnic minority" santal and burnt woods. This is crazy: I get no sandalwood whatsoever, and I was really looking for it. And it usually stands out from my skin. Not here, though. What I got was deep red rose! Spicy, dark rose. Something very close to Midnight Poison! Unfortunately, I don't have that sample anymore to compare, and I know it will disappear from the "reminds me of" bar, in a matter of seconds. I don't even get the incense like in Galliano, for example, the drydown here is rather fruity. So even though this is a dark rose, it is rather jammy, not smoky.

By far one of my favourites, perfect for date night or special occasions. When I first discovered black potion at the store I didn't even know the notes. I just grabbed it! Later when I found the notes online, I was surprised. Of course it's the unexpected combination of rose and grapefruit which makes it so hard to figure. The sourness of grapefruit balances out the sweetness of rose. And then the sandalwood and amber base makes it sexier than ever. But sexy in a sophisticated way. Everytime I wear this, guys can't stop smelling it. And it lasts forever as it is very strong. In one word: unique

Finally opened the bottle I had lying around. So it is like l'exces (which smells of laundry detergent) was mixed with a big amount of something rose-smelling + something woody. As a result you have a woody, sometimes soapy, sometimes dusty rose which faintly reminds of Arab perfumes. I can see how this may remind people of Midnight Poison - I don't have it, but I have regular Poison and yes, I would imagine that if you added some rose to this, it would smell similar to Potion.

i agree with Musky, what's the point in outing all these flankers/elixirs if they are unfindable everywhere??? Where is the Aphrodisiaque! I can find XS everywhere in my country, but the latest versions are really unfindable and if I ask the shop assistants (whom in my country usually don't even know if they're selling perfumes or cakes...)they look at me and try to saddle me with the regular xs... so annoying!!!

I have an 80ml/2.7 oz that I've sprayed about 3x max. Brand new from Fragnet that arrived last week, I'd love to swap for another version like Debbie Harry, the EDP, Los Angeles, etc... (I have the orig EDT) I love dirty, gothic, animalistic, sweet, gourmand, musty/dusty, powdery-- I have very strange tastes, but this is just no.... chemical goth on my skin, and I can't do it. :(

The original Black XS was way too sweet for me, but Potion has everything to lure me in! It starts off as sweet oriental on my skin, you can really get the sandalwood and then it turns in to this delicious warm, sexy scent, I can only describe it as subtle warm oriental with a hint of masculinity- just the way I like my perfumes!

Wonderful melancholic potion! Dusty rose, dry woods and leaves, amber, incence?! yes, I'm getting that and a touch of grapefruit. Not too sweet, not fresh-rosy, more like rose powder. Beautiful for cold weather. I feel like wearing a black leather coat with a bloody-red scarf, wind whispering through the autumn leaves...

Pure genious. The packaging. Nothing refined.. but what a impact! The line of this bottle has finally found its best in this edition. Look like a modern version of Joy de Jean Patou (the chinese ancient extract). In a good juice we hope. Actually sound like good.

I am a hairstylist and a man gave me so many compliments while I was cutting his hair today and had to know what I was wearing. It's such a pretty and unique scent. Excellent projection and sillage but I always overspray:)

I'm so sorry i don't feel the same way about this one as the rest. No matter how many flankers and special editions, i still only like the original XS; to me, this smells like a candle...

The best stuff is always limited edition, why can't they just keep this in the regular line? if it's a love potion I want to have it all the time!:)

I just bought this today at the perfume shop (UK) and love it! I was looking forward to trying laphrodisiack but it wasn't released over here :-(