II

When I first tried this perfume, I just thought "ugh, too sweet"... and switched to Black IV, trying this, also very luscious smell... but somehow not what I wanted, without being able to pinpoint, why not. This process went on for several days (people in the store already knew me when I came in AGAIN without buying anything... ;)), until one day I sat on train during my daily commute and found myself sniffing at my hand with Black II during the whole travel (40 minutes), while listening to a song ("Once upon a dream" / Lana del Rey) and watching a pink sunset with a fire red sun.... next day I bought it. The scent has a mysterious quality which makes it difficult to describe for me... it opens with juicy mouthwatering plums, even a little syrupy and boozy... paired with something very warm and comforting, I guess this could already be the Sandalwood emerging... I DON'T get any sharp citrus at all, but the plums might be interlaced masterfully with the mandarin and the vanilla as mentioned in the notes. It's not candy-floss sweet like Lâncome's "La vie est belle" or the new "Tenue de Soirée" by Annick Goutal, which is a little similar to Black II but dries down to strong powder (which I don't like). Mysterious indeed, I can't really distinguish those single notes in Black II, it rather evokes feelings. The strength of Black II is that it doesn't transform much from Top to Heart to Base Notes. You get an incredibly pleasant scent which just gets weaker and weaker and melts into your skin to a comforting shell of scent. It's a dreamlike mixture with moderate sillage but enormous longevity, composed by perfumer Jean-Claude Astier into a masterpiece I searched for during the last decades. The most interesting phenomenon for me is that after wearing it for weeks, I finally read the perfume description and it just made so much sense: "Black II sings a song of allure, an Arabian Sweet Seduction. Fresh and energizing, it’s a walk through a secret garden; guarded by a wall of memories. It is a safe haven created for endless exploration and poetry." I always feel protected, consoled and confident while I'm wearing it, especially when I have a hard and difficult office day before me... when I get hints of it wafting around me... with its sweetness, its softness and sensuality, reminding me of the beauty of life and that everything will be alright, even if times get rough and work is just so exhausting with all of its fights every day. It has such a comforting, sensual, alluring quality which transports you immediately to a happier place. This perfume is indeed a safe haven for the sweet and comforting things in life - and the belief that all roads lead home. I'm totally in love with this masterpiece and deeply thankful for its creation. P.S.: Even though I'm wearing it in office, I wouldn't describe this perfume as "office-safe". It's full and deep, so be careful applying it, don't nauseate people around you. I just spritz several times onto a cotton ball and dab with it where I want to smell it

I purchased WIDIAN "Black II" and several 5ml decants of various smoky incensed plum perfumes. "Black II" turned out to be a nice surprise. Black II opens with an extremely powdery-dusty-dry note, in which I definitely detect an orange and plum accord. The opening is not aldehydic, or spritzy-fruity in any way, shape, or form. I enjoy how the opening is very powdery and dry, yet a bit floral and fruity at the same time. Black II is dense but not thick. It's heady but not cloying. Despite its notes, the perfume wears in an ethereal and ephemeral way. The florals. Soon after applying to skin, the perfume unfolds with a lovely, musky, woody rose. The rose isn't juicy, lush, or big...just perfectly dusty. The rose smells like peonies to me, a fragrance I adore. The base presents some vanilla, along with a bit of dry oak moss. Black II definitely screams "Middle Eastern perfume," a genre I love (Amouage, I'm looking at you). I cannot see Black II appealing to a younger demographic. But I'm old and I really like the perfume a lot.

In love again. I'm so pleased with this fragrance. No, what am I saying? Pleased? Uff, pleased is too polite. I'm in rapture - I can't stop smelling my wrists. This smells like plums, raisins and orange marmalade, weighted with sandalwood, vanilla and a hint of musk. An orange marmalade wearing heels. And perhaps a big floppy hat. With nude lipstick. And long long long dark brown hair. There. What I must have been meaning to say is that it's so incredibly pleasant and beautiful; if I could wear one fragrance for the rest of my life, this would probably be it.

Beautiful fragrance - sweet, creamy, and very smooth, in line with the remaining fragrances from the "Black" collection. This one is more feminine than the others, and it is exceptional. II was my first purchase from the house based on reviews alone, and I was pleased. I didn't originally see fragrantica reviews because the fragrance is listed under the new name "Widian" but continues to be marketed under "AJ Arabia". I tried searching that latter name and figured there was no entry for it. Glad I eventually found it. I can't to try the Gold collection.

True appreciation is shown repetitively, when you love something, you don't just love it once, you love it over and over again. So for me to purchase a fragrance a second time, like I just did with Black II,, says more than what words can about how I feel towards this magnificent blend. I will keep my review simple, and I will assign you with a homework to try this jewel out for yourself. But to conclude, if you want to experience one of the sexiest vanilla plum combinations on the planet, get your hands on Black II and you can thank me later.