Black Tourmaline (2007)
by Olivier Durbano

Black Tourmaline by Olivier Durbano - Upon application, one experiences a wonderfully smoky leather accord and a burst of lively pepper, with its smooth, almost woody presence. A wondrous, campfire smell majestically ebbs and flows as well. This captivating opening meanders to the awating middle. Transitioning to the heart, heaps of heavenly sweet and orangey frankincense as well as medicinal and musty oud crest the potent, smoky wave, and are joined with a herbal pas de trois of fresh and slightly bitter cardamom, nutty and spicy coriander as well as a smattering of dirty and sweaty cumin. A halo of flavorful and dry woods caps the remarkable melange, and wends to the waiting base. An alluring blend of warm and fur-like musk, velvety and slightly sweet amber, bitter and foresty moss as well as a hint of dark and earthy patchouli, highlights the robust base and leads to an evocative drydown. This superbly mysterious and intense composition has average projection and longevity.

13rd January, 2012.

This is marketed as feminine? What? This is as manly as it gets.

Strong woods/herbal/pepper concoction. Dark but not insufferable, just on the edge. Very Lutenesque imo, as it is original, high quality and difficult to wear for most people. Probably the type of fragrance you admire, but you never get around to wear much.

14th August, 2011.

This is magnific, a great scent! Here's what I mean when I say I like weird scents. Black Tourmaline has a pretty common notes list but it is so brilliantly crafted and calibrated that the effect is totally distinctive and original. Smoky, dark, deep woods (mainly oud) and leather with a tar hint somewhere and incense that makes of it a very modern composition. At the same time Black Tourmaline has definitely the potential to become a classic, something that will leave a trace. Absolutely addictive. I rated it 4 out of 5 just because I've a few reservations as it is not easily wearable. A masterpiece, anyway.

6th March, 2011. (Last Edited: 13rd December, 2011.)

Superb arid and severe churchy scent, contemplative and spiritual, the dead fragrance, as said. An orthodox isolated, sinister, woody cathedral comes to mind as well as a burnt woody shack somewhere abandoned in the desolate farm. It exudes whiffs of burnt woods, resin of pine, frankincense, moss, leather, spices and aoud.  The opening is spicy, leathery and balsamic. It reminds to me a bit the green Polo and is a bit mentholated because of resin of pine and a touch of eucalyptol. This status turns soon in something less modern, decidedly decadent, holy, not easily wearable and gothic. Any trace of flowers, vanilla or tasty elements. The juice is balsamic, dark, tarry, dusty, earthy and acrid. I detect some touch of bilberry in the dry down. The aromatic woodsy feel lasts throughout the trip. This is an assertive, sombre and shadowy fragrance, a vision of high, appalling Transylvanian old castle in a cold, windy and cloudy late afternoon. Sometimes i layer it with another masterpiece, the sumptuous Patchouli Noir by Il Profumo, the outcome is a decadent, otherworldly, aristocratic, holy blend.

2nd December, 2010. (Last Edited: 2nd January, 2012.)

This is such a masterpiece that it seems it makes the entire Olivier Durbano stand out. To me it is simply terpentine, pine resin and smoke. I can't say I get the leather that's why to it is a very inorganic, dark, dead, black, gothic, difficult to wear fragrnace. I bought this in the summer so I am looking forward to winter to really appreciate it. The violently realistic smoke accord brings to mind Le Labo Patchouli 24.

11th July, 2010.

An un-fragrance. Nothing prettied up, no interpretive fragrance fiction about black. It is quite literal in its dark, smokey, tar-yness Once it settles, Black Tourmaline becomes the smell that would linger on your clothes after driving from your Malibu beach house to the studio on a scorching hot summer day in your new Porsche. Leather. High octane exhaust. Asphalt. All filtered through a premium air conditioning unit. Love it. The scent of alpha success.

My complaint: As striking as this is, you can't really wear Black Tourmaline as an "everyday" scent. The profile is too distinct. Unfortunately, this fragrance is only marketed in the "everyday scent" volume of 100ml. If I were to wear this every single weekend, it would take nearly 3 years to work through a bottle. And I am not wearing the same scent every weekend for 3 years. I would only consider ponying up the rich $2/ml price for a smaller, more reasonable quantity of 30 or 50ml. Any more than that would go to waste.

10th May, 2010.