Tags
agarwood, Amber, angelica, Atlas Cedarwood, balsam, Balsam Fir accord, balsam of peru, Bastet's musk, benzoin, Black Amber accord, black myrrh, Cedar, cedarwood, fir, galbanum, labdanum, lily, limited edition, mallow, moss, moss accord, Musk, musk flower, myrrh, NAVA, pepper, pine, Pine Forest accord, Pine infused Agarwood, pink pepper, red pine, Siam wood, tuberose, unreleased scents, vanilla, vanilla absolute, white lily, wood
Scent Name: The Black Forest
Manufacturer: Nocturne Alchemy – Unreleased Scents: Anubis Garden
Scent Description and Notes: “Balsam Fir accord, Pine Forest accord, Red Pine, Pine infused Agarwood, Siam Wood, Galbanum, Balsam of Peru, Labdanum, Black Amber accord, Black Myrrh, Pink Pepper, Benzoin, Atlas Cedarwood, Moss accord,a drop of Vanilla Absolute and Bastet’s Musk Absolute.” -https://nocturnealchemy.com/collections/limited-collection/products/new-valentine-limited-2024
*Bastet’s Musk Absolute: Tuberose, Mallow, Angelica, Musk Flower, and White Lily.
Oil Color: A cloudy pasta-colored oil.
Bottle Design and Artwork: This is a 2ml vial from Nocturne Alchemy. The label features the name of the company above the scent name in a larger version of the same bold white block font set against a black text field. All of this is above the company’s sigil in navy, while the company’s acronym is at the top in navy as well. The label itself is framed in berry shades of filigree. The 2ml vial appears as follows.
Scent:
- ITI: Pine-y, pitchy delight, shadows deepening against cedarwood and fir, needles ruffled with thin whispers of tuberose and vanilla with the most exquisite exhalation of sweet, gummy resins far in the background. For a second there, I thought The Black Forest was similar to Andrea Maack’s Coven, but the pine and fir are stronger in comparison to Coven’s almost papery green galbanum and moss flecked with woody, whiskey spice. NAVA’s is sweeter with just a touch of something wonderfully bracing right behind the welcome sweetness. Could they exist in a similar storyline? Yes? Do I need a bottle? Also yes.
- Wet: On the skin, it’s much the dame with deliciously true fir and pine elements over balsam, green galbanum, and a slivers of cedarwood. There’s a vaguely dark sweetness behind these from the labdanum with just the faintest suggestions of a floral or almost fruity-pinked vanilla far, far in the back. I do so enjoy the layers here.
- Dry: This has great throw for about 2-3 hours, but at the 4 hour mark, I’m surprised by how soft this has become, a more mossy amber mallow touched with just an inkling of pepper, pine, and fir musk. After 13 hours, not much is left save for a vaguely ambery (here, warm but not powdery) fir musk
Other Impressions: [Wet] “Manly Christmas tree.” -Tony