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What's the darkest scent that you know? And with dark I mean SUPER-DARK!!! - Page 2

post #61 of 225
2/10/13 at 8:04pm
I don't find anything dark about encre noir. It's very light, sweet and vetivery to me.

Narciso Rodriguez for Him is a scent I could imagine would be the signature scent of some dark brooding comic book character
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post #62 of 225
2/10/13 at 10:09pm
Van Cleef & Arpels pH
Salvador Dali pH
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post #63 of 225
2/10/13 at 11:48pm
Another vote for Van Cleef and Arpels Pour Homme.

And I'll add Czech and Speake 88.
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post #64 of 225
2/11/13 at 1:01am
Salvador Dali Pour Homme
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post #65 of 225
2/11/13 at 1:31am
Thread Starter 
My goodness, so many posts!!! Thank you very much! So far Salvador Dali is mentioned very often, I have to try this one!

A lot of people mentioned Encre Noire, but it's not really dark to me. Oud 27, Pure Oud, everything tried and not dark at all.

From all the posts I think iivanita has the best understanding of what I am looking for! Like she does I also think of perfumes as colours. The perfume that I am looking for should be matt black with a rough structure on it that is also black. The drydown of Oud has already some of these qualities.
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post #66 of 225
2/11/13 at 1:37am
If you can sample this try Perfume O by blood concept, it smells like metallic blood. The closest thing to a vampire signature scent.
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post #67 of 225
2/11/13 at 2:15am
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Tom Ford's Black Orchid IMHO
Maybe even C&S No.88
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post #68 of 225
2/11/13 at 3:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LucasKane View Post

Dark aoud by Montale

I also love Dark Aoud...perhaps Aoud d'Arabie as well? Sometimes I layer the two for a really evil smell...
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post #69 of 225
2/11/13 at 3:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoschhti View Post

The perfume should not have even the tiniest hint of sweetness, it should be extremely dry and maybe smoky.

Salvador Dali's base is sweet ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by chopwet View Post

I find it strange how so few posters take the time to read the OP:

+ agreed !

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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoschhti View Post

So far Salvador Dali is mentioned very often, I have to try this one!

A lot of people mentioned Encre Noire, but it's not really dark to me

Prepare yourself for a major letdown if EN aint dark enough ...
SDPH has Vanilla in its base notes & I tell you this ... " Try before you Buy"
because they were heavy handed blending the vanilla in its base !!
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post #70 of 225
2/11/13 at 5:05am
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Narciso Rodriguez For Him EDT
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post #71 of 225
2/11/13 at 5:42am
The reformulation of no 88 has lost its gothic darkness and become a bit tame imo.
I would add Querelle to the list . Very dark and some what creepy.
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post #72 of 225
2/11/13 at 6:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by voodoodanny View Post

Dior's Eau Noire is pure evil. Try it to believe it!


Hm, I own it and love it. But evil? No...

And encre noire pour femme? Wtf? Not dark in the slightest...

Maybe duro by nasomatto?
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post #73 of 225
2/11/13 at 6:06am
Van Cleef and Arpels Pour Homme is dark??? All I can smell from it is soap soap soap! Funny...
Eau des Iles (Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier) is the only one that comes to my mind. To me it's dark/dry in the introspective, mysterious way, not morbid.
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post #74 of 225
2/11/13 at 8:22am
CDG Tea is pretty dark and tar filled. Whenever I want to darken up almost any other fragrance I spritz a bit of Tea over the top of it and it usually really makes it darker.

LeLabo Patchouli is kind of dark too.
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post #75 of 225
2/11/13 at 8:56am

by Kilian - Incense Oud
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post #76 of 225
2/11/13 at 9:08am
Geo F Trumper Eucris
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post #77 of 225
2/11/13 at 9:30am
Thread Starter 
I was thinking a little bit and if Norne would be mixed with real Oud the result could be what I am looking for, maybe!
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post #78 of 225
2/11/13 at 9:48am
Black Amber by Agonist. A pretty new niche house from Sweden.
This is the darkest scent I've ever put my nose on!
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post #79 of 225
2/11/13 at 12:41pm
Don't overlook Or Black - especially the vintage juice.
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post #80 of 225
2/11/13 at 12:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OctaVariuM View Post

Most things from Slumberhouse, surprised you were not impressed by Norne. Never smelled anything as dark.

I agree, Norne is one of the darkest scents ever.
Jacomo de Jacomo is also extremely dark.
M. Micallef's Sashka Black is even darker.

If for dark you mean gothic, then Ungaro III with its dark, dirty rose gets my vote.
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post #81 of 225
2/11/13 at 12:47pm
+1 on Serge Noire, Black Afghano, and Norne.

You might also try Mona di Orio's Cuir. It's not "dark" like the other stuff that's popping up in this thread, but it's got sharp teeth, it's unforgiving, carnal. I love reading negative reviews on my favorite frags, this one is no exception. Other have commented that it smells like cigarette smoke, gunpowder, shoe polish, burnt charcoal, or even "emphysema and abject loneliness!"

Good luck with your search OP. Cool thread btw thanks all for contributing.
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post #82 of 225
2/11/13 at 1:10pm
V&A PH +
SD PH +
M7 (original) YSL +
Black Afgano and Duro Nasomatto +
since you want it to be "evil" and not sweet, but smoky: Bvlgari Black.
Happy hunting!
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post #83 of 225
2/11/13 at 1:11pm
I consider Zino Davidoff to be dark. Not sure if it is the dark you are talking about though.

- - - Updated - - -

I consider Zino Davidoff to be dark. Not sure if it is the dark you are talking about though.
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post #84 of 225
2/11/13 at 1:17pm
YSL M7, I don't have the vintage but this is very dark and lasts forever!
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post #85 of 225
2/11/13 at 1:37pm
Haven't seen MPG - Route du Vetiver yet. Vintage, if you can. Not dry, but earthy as hell.

+ Lui
+ Dali
+ villoresi patchouli

If these don't work, perhaps a good, earthy patchouli and/or vetiver essential oil, or a 'dirt' or 'potting soil' fragrance oil. Hell, you could mix 'em all together and call it your own.
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post #86 of 225
2/11/13 at 5:33pm
I agree with Demitrios that Salvador Dali does have some sweetness, but it is still darkest fragrance I know of. I wore it all day today, and it doesn't scream sweet to me. It smells like something that Sweeny Todd would put on you after he shaved you.
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post #87 of 225
2/11/13 at 6:07pm
Bois d'Ascèse
Naomi Goodsir
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post #88 of 225
2/11/13 at 7:21pm
Secretions Magnifiques - may the darkness be with you
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post #89 of 225
2/11/13 at 7:39pm
I think I need to go through this thread more carefully and make a little sample list; "dark and dry" is my favourite kind of fragrance, too, although I don't care so much about the melancholic hint of bones... that said, I wouldn't call Slumberhouse that kind of dark, not to me. Too much of the woods, the outside; Slumberhouse is dim forest floors, the smells of fires and aromatic somethings in a dry field in an autumn dark, the squeak of perhaps a tiny animal somewhere in the underbrush. A deep burnished brown or a shadowed green.

Anyway, my suggestion is to track down some of Norma Kamali's Incense, particularly if you wandered around the Avignon and Messe de Minuit corridors and found them disappointing. That's dark, and dry. (Messe de Minuit, by comparison, is a sunny Paris bathroom in a romantic comedy. I don't know about the earlier formulations, but my sample was a big disappointment to me.)

And then, like me, perhaps, you will mourn bitterly at the realisation that the stupid stuff is absolutely unobtainable. It's my current Holy Grail, and the only thing I hope the Perfume Fairy will bring me this year is a nearly-full bottle from someone who will ship to Canada....
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post #90 of 225
2/11/13 at 7:51pm
Here are my favs:

Or Black
Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme
Kolnisch Juchten by Parfums Regeance
Avignon by CDG
Cardinal by Heeley
Mazzolari Patchouli
Breath of God by Lush
CDG 2 Man
Gucci I Pour Homme
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post #91 of 225
2/12/13 at 12:17am
Krizia Uomo & Pino Silvestre are way way dry & darker than Salvador Dali PH ....
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post #92 of 225
2/12/13 at 2:14am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by CompassRose View Post

I think I need to go through this thread more carefully and make a little sample list; "dark and dry" is my favourite kind of fragrance, too, although I don't care so much about the melancholic hint of bones... that said, I wouldn't call Slumberhouse that kind of dark, not to me. Too much of the woods, the outside; Slumberhouse is dim forest floors, the smells of fires and aromatic somethings in a dry field in an autumn dark, the squeak of perhaps a tiny animal somewhere in the underbrush. A deep burnished brown or a shadowed green.

Anyway, my suggestion is to track down some of Norma Kamali's Incense, particularly if you wandered around the Avignon and Messe de Minuit corridors and found them disappointing. That's dark, and dry. (Messe de Minuit, by comparison, is a sunny Paris bathroom in a romantic comedy. I don't know about the earlier formulations, but my sample was a big disappointment to me.)

And then, like me, perhaps, you will mourn bitterly at the realisation that the stupid stuff is absolutely unobtainable. It's my current Holy Grail, and the only thing I hope the Perfume Fairy will bring me this year is a nearly-full bottle from someone who will ship to Canada....


Hello CompassRose,

it's funny that girls seem to have a better understanding for what I am looking for! After iivanita you are the the second female person who does so!

I have already a sample of Norma Kamali's Incense and yes I like it. It's very dry, exactly how I want it to be and it even has something metallic in it that I also like. Only the base is a bit too sweet (labdanum?), it has a brown colour where it should be black. Avignon and Messe de Minuit are indeed big disappointments for me! Avignon is like a parody of church-incense and the current version of Messe de Minuit is a bad joke (I wrote a negative review some time ago)!

It may sound funny but Eau de gentiane blanche from Hermes has some of the qualities that I am looking for! Of course it's not black in colour, more grey, but it's bone-dry, has absolutely no sweetness and has a kind of isolated and sad/melancholic feeling!

Okay, I am coming closer to my desired scent: I have to mix NK Incense with real Oud, with a bit of Norne and some Eau de gentiane blanche! Too bad I have not samples from all of them right now, maybe it would really work!

Maybe some people are interested in music: The aural equivalent to my perfume is the album "Black Earth" from Bohren & Der Club of Gore!
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post #93 of 225
2/12/13 at 2:44am
Comme Des Garcons 2 EDP
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post #94 of 225
2/12/13 at 6:06am
i love this thread ! becasue it would be so nice people talk more about colours when talking about perfumes..for someone who has never tried certain perfume this can be really helpful thing like atmosphere of it...
but somehow i think that if anything there would give me super dark association may not be wearable

Slumberhouse is dark....but even more deep woods and massive, like massive wood, i would compare it to the furniture....table with full big wooden legs.....but its so masive so masculine to my nose, i can not pull it off, but very natural, dense.

and if i may use this opportunity to ask
if someone can say Or Black...how it would compare to everything else becasue i imagined this may be one dark masculine perfume....and if its not dark what colour would be suitable for it?

and Amouage Tribute...if someone could comment where on scale of darkness this would come...

also Onda is one of the most bitter perfumes i have tried it is though dark brown colour that turns into light brownish, but would win the contest of rthe most bitter perfume i know


thank you for any input on the above 2 i asked
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post #95 of 225
2/12/13 at 6:28am
Thread Starter 
I had a sample of Tribute once and it is certainly darker than Homage, I would compare it to Mecca Balsam, although Tribute is a bit less sweet and a bit more smoky in a cigarette kind of way, but very pleasant. I hope my memory is correct because I also thought that Tawaf smells a bit like Homage.
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post #96 of 225
2/12/13 at 6:38am
hehehe thank you very much Hoschhti!! this is helpful!....was just thinking becasue so many guys like it that its maybe not suitable for girls...
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post #97 of 225
2/12/13 at 7:05am
My only frag that "scares" me is Athunis by Sigilli. Makes the Salvador Dali smell like a Dandy's floral.
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post #98 of 225
2/12/13 at 8:03am
Bvlgari Black. The burning rubber note makes it dark even though it has a sweetness to it.
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post #99 of 225
2/12/13 at 8:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by iivanita View Post

and if i may use this opportunity to ask
if someone can say Or Black...how it would compare to everything else becasue i imagined this may be one dark masculine perfume....and if its not dark what colour would be suitable for it?

I would say the vintage stuff is a very dark lilac / violett (cistus, sage, amber, incense) and a super-rich dark brown (representing the creamy, strong leather accord) - some may see that as black too since it's based on birchtar. It kind of morphs into something lighter later on. It then reminds me of something fleeting, yet complex like gasoline but I can't really assign that to a colour anymore.

For the first half imagine Colt Sievers turned into Dracula - or Garth Marenghi.

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post #100 of 225
2/12/13 at 9:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Primrose View Post

Tom Ford Black Orchid. Rich and without light florals or citrus.

Elegant. Like a tuxedo.

...+1
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post #101 of 225
2/12/13 at 10:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonyprince View Post

Jacomo de Jacomo
Salvatore Dali PH

This.
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post #102 of 225
2/12/13 at 10:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cannotavoidtrite View Post

Bvlgari Black. The burning rubber note makes it dark even though it has a sweetness to it.

I don't like it! Too mainstream, too synthetic, too sweet!

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Quote:
Originally Posted by mumsy View Post

Which sort of Oudh was it that came close?

I must admit that I am not the biggest Oud-expert, but it was from Agaraura and was called Minyak Merauke. I also liked his mukhallat Bushi No Kaori. I like the smell of Oud after a day or so, when all the other notes are gone and this really dark and smoky base remains.
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post #103 of 225
2/12/13 at 11:47am
+3 to Avignon CdG. Really mean and dark.
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post #104 of 225
2/12/13 at 11:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoschhti View Post

Maybe some people are interested in music: The aural equivalent to my perfume is the album "Black Earth" from Bohren & Der Club of Gore!

Ah, yeah, I can see why Norma Kamali isn't quite right. Too thick. Your darkness would seem to be at once black and piercing, hm, urban. I wouldn't exactly say industrial, but the existence of machines is a given. NK is more primeval.

I haven't had much luck (so far) in finding the dryness you speak of, except in Paper Passion, which is otherwise altogether not what you're looking for. Though I think I am more drawn to the primeval dark myself, and scents that are, or seem to be, closer to natural sources.
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post #105 of 225
2/12/13 at 12:06pm
Boys , I tried Salvador Dali pour homme and Dirty English side-by-side.
oh boys, Salvador Dali has only 1/10 of "darkness" in comparison to Dirty English....
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post #106 of 225
2/12/13 at 1:15pm
Depends how you like your dark.. sexy dark, bitter dark, there-is-so-much-patchouly-in-this-my-senses-are-going-numb dark but Amouage Memoir, Mazzolari Lui, Dior Leather Oud & Oud Ispahan, and MFK Lumiere Noire come to mind. Then there are CdG Incense series.
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post #107 of 225
2/13/13 at 1:39am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by CompassRose View Post

Ah, yeah, I can see why Norma Kamali isn't quite right. Too thick. Your darkness would seem to be at once black and piercing, hm, urban. I wouldn't exactly say industrial, but the existence of machines is a given. NK is more primeval.

I haven't had much luck (so far) in finding the dryness you speak of, except in Paper Passion, which is otherwise altogether not what you're looking for. Though I think I am more drawn to the primeval dark myself, and scents that are, or seem to be, closer to natural sources.

I tested some "industrial" fragrances like Lonestar Memories, SMN Nostalgia, Bulgari Black, but I disliked or even hated all of them! I am a big fan of natural perfumery. Scents that smell too synthetic are disqualified already in the beginning.

NK Incense goes already in the right direction, I just wished it would be darker and stricter (not so fat) in the base, replacing the Labdanum(?) with Oud. I also like the primeval kind of darkness like a beast lurking in a dark cave, I think that's why I like Oud. I also like a spiritual "churchy" and smoky vibe like monks with hooded robes in a medieval monastery. So NK Incense goes in the right direction, it's just not black enough.

What I like about the music is that the sound is totally black, even the saxophone has no colour, the whole music shows just different shades of black, no other colour!
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post #108 of 225
2/13/13 at 1:55am
dare I say..

TSAR by VC&A
Bois Noir by Piguet
SL MKK
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post #109 of 225
2/13/13 at 3:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoschhti View Post

I am a big fan of natural perfumery. Scents that smell too synthetic are disqualified already in the beginning.

when it comes to "dark + natural" there's really NOTHING like O'Driù. I strongly suggest you to explore this line...
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post #110 of 225
2/13/13 at 3:16am
Alfarom, is there anyone who sells O'Driu samples who ships to Canada? This line is already high on my list of things to try.
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post #111 of 225
2/13/13 at 3:17am
Dark doesn't mean much to me when it comes to scents. Maybe I associate dry and earthy scents as being dark, but then why not use those concepts rather than ambiguous "dark"?

It's funny how fragrances with word black in their name and the ones with black bottle are perceived as dark. Sometimes it's about the scent, but probably more often about the expectations and context that the name and the bottle sets.
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post #112 of 225
2/13/13 at 3:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CompassRose View Post

Alfarom, is there anyone who sells O'Driu samples who ships to Canada? This line is already high on my list of things to try.

The only way to get samples is contacting them via their website. Consider that all of their fragrances are released in extremely limited batches so they're not always available...
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post #113 of 225
2/13/13 at 5:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by alfarom View Post

when it comes to "dark + natural" there's really NOTHING like O'Driù. I strongly suggest you to explore this line...

Thanks for the tip!
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post #114 of 225
2/13/13 at 6:45am
Or Black by Pascal Morabito
Narciso Rodriguez for him
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post #115 of 225
2/13/13 at 9:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by alfarom View Post

The only way to get samples is contacting them via their website. Consider that all of their fragrances are released in extremely limited batches so they're not always available...

I contacted them and they sent me an order form, but what is strange is that they want my VAT Number or National Insurance Number! Why?
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post #116 of 225
2/13/13 at 9:58am
Guerlain Djedi
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post #117 of 225
2/13/13 at 10:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nasenmann View Post

I would say the vintage stuff is a very dark lilac / violett (cistus, sage, amber, incense) and a super-rich dark brown (representing the creamy, strong leather accord) - some may see that as black too since it's based on birchtar. It kind of morphs into something lighter later on. It then reminds me of something fleeting, yet complex like gasoline but I can't really assign that to a colour anymore.

For the first half imagine Colt Sievers turned into Dracula - or Garth Marenghi.


Skipper the Eye child!!!!
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post #118 of 225
2/13/13 at 10:45am
I'll chime in on these that have already been suggested as dark;

Amouage - Memoir Man
Mazzolari - Lui
Le Labo - Oud 27
Montale - Black Aoud
Montale - Dark Aoud
Histoires de Parfums - Petroleum

I'll also add Tom Ford's Noir de Noir. Maybe I'm alone on this one, which is why no one else has mentioned it, but this one just screams dark to me, almost to the point where I would call it the olfactory epitome of it.
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post #119 of 225
2/13/13 at 11:02am
To scents you might wanna try.

Brosse by Slumberhouse
Ambra Nera by Farmacia SS. Annunziata
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post #120 of 225
2/13/13 at 11:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoschhti View Post

I contacted them and they sent me an order form, but what is strange is that they want my VAT Number or National Insurance Number! Why?

I don't know, I'm not affiliated so I'm no expert when it comes to account related type of stuff but I guess it has something to do with shipping commercial stuff oustide of Italy (????)

Anyway, a lot of Basenoters have successfully purchased both samples and/or full bottles from O'Driù.
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