AidennQueen

I've tried quite a few fragrances by now, including several with the word "Noir" or "Black" or even "Soir" or "Nuit" in the name (I'm thinking of "Guilty Black," "My Burberry Black," "Eau du Soir," "Nuit d'Orchidee," "La Nuit Tresor," "Obsession Night," etc.... but most of the time, it was a bit of a thematic miss for me, even though I still like most of these scents). Not so with Crystal Noir. Usually, I see other colors in my mind's eye with most fragrances, but with this one, the black combined with the darkened old rose of the bottle fits perfectly.

With Crystal Noir, after the first spray, I immediately think of alcohol... but not the typical perfume alcohol that initially overshadows the scent itself, rather a dark, strong alcoholic drink (that's probably why some previous reviewers mentioned "sippable"), and the pepper comes to the forefront for me right away.

Pretty quickly, it becomes very smoky, but not in a sweaty-stale way (please don't stone me) like with Shalimar (I admit, I still hate it), but more like the aroma in a bar from the 40s, where guests smoke shisha and cigars.

Now let's set this in a black-and-white film... And then the smoke dissipates, the curtain rises, and a femme fatale in a sequined dress appears on stage, singing "Why don't you do right," and the men drop their jaws. That would be the moment when the subtle floral sweetness takes the initiative for me, and then slowly glides into the discreet coconut base note (for whatever reason I smell coconut, even though it doesn't seem to be in there...) This lingers on me, or rather on my clothing, for quite a long time.

So - thumbs up from me for "Crystal Noir." After I found "Bright Crystal" (which was my first own perfume - and I now realize it has gone off :( ) rather boring, I didn't expect much from this, but I was mistaken.
It's not a "cozy" scent or one that I would confuse with another. No, Crystal Noir stays in my memory (and not in a "yuck-ugh" sense like, for example, "Angel"), and that already gives it a leg up with me.
I admit, it's certainly not the perfectly composed masterpiece for long-time fragrance lovers, but I value the associations a scent evokes in me more than a perfect orchestration.

Oh yes, about the bottle. In principle, I would like the crystal cap, but.... does it really have to be SOOOO oversized that it's larger than the bottle itself? A bit exaggerated...

Ah yes, Obsession... the name is fitting for me.

I stumbled upon this perfume by chance in a second-hand store (where I currently work), where it was supposed to be thrown away (during clear-outs, we often come across things that we are not allowed to sell, so they get discarded or employees just grab them :D).

Well, what can I say... my first impression was "good heavens, this is terrible." But I’m glad I gave Obsession a chance anyway. I actually find the top note awful, such a green-orange sour mishmash, but luckily it dissipates after a few minutes and makes way for the spicy heart note.

And I must say, I have absolutely fallen in love with it. I smell coriander, sandalwood, and cedar, also a bit of jasmine and orange blossom, but hardly any rose. But that doesn't matter at all, because even so, it is a perfect warm winter scent for me.

When the spices fade after a while and the dark sweet amber-incense base note emerges, I just want to bury myself in my scarf. I’ve been perfuming it all winter long. By the way, Obsession lasts almost a week in it. (which was very practical on some days against foul-smelling individuals on the tram).

I’m also very satisfied with the longevity on my skin. I can’t say much about the sillage, except that I can perceive it even with movement, without having to sniff it closely. So it seems to be quite potent, this little potion.

I also tested it on a warm day and completely forgot how terrible I found the top note half a year ago. Again, sheer horror and I wanted to wash it off immediately... but after a few minutes of perseverance, I remembered why I love it so much.

However, the warmth doesn’t do it any favors; in winter it smells better to me, as the sourness completely recedes in favor of the spices and incense. I’m already looking forward to the cold season again. This perfume has dethroned my previous winter favorite Alien :D

I don’t have much to say about the bottle; it’s quite inconspicuous and thus doesn’t bother in any cabinet. I am indeed a fan of more eye-catching bottles, but with this one, the motto is clearly "substance over style." That doesn’t bother me at all with a perfume that I like to use... for the eye, I still have pure collector's items (it would bother me more that I unfortunately received the bottle without a cap).

tl;dr

All in all, a beautifully spicy oriental that only deserves its tiny deduction for the few minutes of chaotic top note and hopefully will accompany me through many lovely wintry hours.

Well, no wonder I once found this fragrance under the Christmas tree... as someone who always dresses in black (at least that's how I seem to my family...) with the name Jasmine, nothing could be more fitting :D

So, what can be said about this scent? Principally, it’s exactly my style, this Oriental-heavy... but I find it difficult to find a suitable occasion to wear this perfume.

For the usual going out, I find it too elegant and serious... and for serious posh parties, I'm just not that type at all. I'd rather go with Poison to a Gothic party... (or Midnight Poison, if I ever get my hands on it).

But well, maybe it's quite practical that I have it, in case such an occasion does come up someday. Outside of winter or at most autumn, and in the evening/night, I can hardly imagine wearing it.

Oh yes, I can understand why this perfume was removed from the collection, even though it really smells amazing.

But what good is the best scent if you have to sniff your wrist after 15 minutes just to catch the last nuances of it? Compared to the longevity of my other favorites like Poison, Hypnotic Poison, Obsession, etc., the exquisite Belle d'Opium simply fades into nothing in no time.

I’m the kind of person who likes to be able to smell the perfume they are wearing... even though I've been told that, even if I don’t notice it myself, it spreads around me in the room and can still be perceived. Good to know, but what good does that do me? I want to be able to smell it too!

This perfume is my personal nostalgia scent, simply because it was the first perfume I can remember. My mother had it in the cupboard back then, and it was only when I happened to see the bottle again some time ago that memories came rushing back. I ordered it out of pure nostalgia, and the more I smell it, the more details come back to me :D

The scent itself is very floral, which seems logical to me given the name. At first, it is also quite soapy, but that fades over time. Personally, I tend to prefer oriental scents, so I feel like it's missing something to become a favorite... but in principle, I do like the scent quite a bit. Unfortunately, it doesn't make a name for itself in terms of sillage or longevity... but I know much worse cases (Belle d'Opium???).

A major point of criticism for me is that the bottle doesn't have a spray nozzle; I generally don't like that at all in perfumes. I guess I'll have to decant a bit.