May 3, 2021 · 8:52 pm
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BLACK ROSE by ILLUMINUM (2011)

I see this underrated house has a big sale on right now. Any thoughts ?

Carpets; tapestries: RAJA MUSK and BLACK ROSE by ILLUMINUM (2011)

26 Comments

Filed under Flowers

26 responses to “BLACK ROSE by ILLUMINUM (2011)”

  1. Bibi Maizoon
    May 3, 2021 at 10:18 pm

    Ooooo… I want their White Gardenia Petals BAD.

    Reply
  2. Dubaiscents
    May 4, 2021 at 12:14 am

    Wow! That is quite the sale. Are they going out of business? I have never been that impressed with any of these from trying them over in the UAE but, I would be more tempted at these prices. Doesn’t seem like they will ship to the US though 😦 I would love a good Tomato Leaf scent but, reviews don’t seem that promising.

    Reply
  3. Robin
    May 4, 2021 at 7:25 am

    Hard to go wrong with those prices. You make Black Rose seem desirable but I’d have to go another online route for foolproof shipment to Canada and pay $135 CAD. I love a dark rose with an edge but I’m wondering if this smells like the kind of quality I’d go for. I’ve got a lot of very good dark and/or woody/spicy roses already and Ric’s not crazy about any of them, so I don’t get a chance to wear them much. Unfortunately.

    Reply
    • ginzaintherain
      May 4, 2021 at 9:09 am

      For all I know it has been reformulated since my original review, but I know I wouldn’t have written such a glowing review if there was harshness : it was gloriously hippy dippy and rounded

      Reply
      • Robin
        May 4, 2021 at 1:12 pm

        Wow, sounds fantastic. Sometimes you’re so kind, generous and downright tactful when you review an indie fragrance that I’m not always certain that I needn’t try and read between the lines. I might just break down and blind buy it. Gloriously hippy dippy and rounded: perfection, particularly if rose is involved. Thanks, m’dear!

      • ginzaintherain
        May 4, 2021 at 1:58 pm

        But this was an old review…I worry it might not be the same now!

      • Robin
        May 4, 2021 at 1:21 pm

        Ordered. I’m excited, N.

      • Robin
        May 4, 2021 at 2:36 pm

        That’s okay, Neil. No guarantees that it will be the same (there never are), but I’ll take my chances. It was 12,000 yen with shipping. Still half the price of getting it from LuckyScent. And they’re sold out.

        The risk-to-reward ratio was attractive. I had a few extra dollars kicking around. But do wish me luck anyway.

  4. Robin
    May 4, 2021 at 7:31 am

    P.S. I’ve been reading that it’s very close to the cheap Ab Spirit Millionaire Black Rose that I bought blind because of great reviews. I should have known better. Tossed it immediately. I think the saffron synthetic accord can really problematic for me, becoming harsh and medicinal and overshadowing everything. Anyway, I loved your original review and hope you grab some bargains from Illuminum.

    Reply
  5. Robin
    May 4, 2021 at 1:17 pm

    By the way, The Raj sounds like perfection as well. We had a few places similar. You describe it vividly, and I love that era. The vinyl on the turntable, click click ing away . . . I think it must be a sign of having a fair number of decades under our — my? — belt to begin to feel nostalgic about more and more things.

    Reply
  6. Iuno Feronia
    May 6, 2021 at 4:42 pm

    I am not sure if I should thank you for this info or not – I bought really lot of scents I always had on my wishlist. I am not sure how the import from UK to the EU will work, this is new to me and I am not sure, how much taxes and duties will be added ;-(( But the perfumes will compensate for everything.

    Reply
  7. brielle87
    May 7, 2021 at 2:33 am

    Your review made the rose scent sound desirable, but I hate to blind buy anything at this point. Especially when for the same amount of money I could buy 2-3 vintage fragrances I know I love and that will round out my collection.

    Reply
    • ginzaintherain
      May 7, 2021 at 12:05 pm

      I feel the same. Unless it is a proper bargain in which case a rich Indian rose can be quite appealing. As I have written here, I don’t know if the version on sale is the one in this old review but I did like it at the time!

      Reply
  8. Robin
    May 22, 2021 at 8:15 am

    Black Rose just came in the mail. Opened it. Sprayed it. I was initially worried. Oudh bomb that will have Ric recoil? That was the initial blast. A blastlette, really. It disappeared fast, or went quite underground anyway. Now it’s everything you said it was. Gloriously hippy dipped and rounded. It’s nothing like its supposed dupe, Ab Spirit Millionaire Black Rose. That stuff smelled so cheap and synthetic and had that horrible chemical thickness and sweetness. The Illuminum Black Rose doesn’t have any of that aromachemical BS going on.

    It’s very, very, very good. Thanks for the recommendation, dear Neil. I’m going to really enjoy wearing this one. Bring on the fringed vest and headband.

    Reply
    • ginzaintherain
      May 22, 2021 at 12:53 pm

      YES!!!!

      So glad it hasn’t been changed drastically and has kept the intrinsic warmth I was trying to capture in the London cafe review.

      Delighted .

      Reply
      • Robin
        May 23, 2021 at 8:11 am

        Now it’s had a chance to dry down I can say that it never went through any awkward phases: no synthetic harshness (not that I mind synthetics — we need them; they add great breadth and depth to the perfumer’s palette. It’s the harshness that can’t be gotten around), no wimpiness or dullness at the end. Maybe I’ll spray some on again an hour or so before I head over to Ric’s and, without saying anything to alert him to a potential threat to his sensibilities, see if it flies safely under the radar. That would be a bonus. Otherwise, a very good scent to wear alone at bedtime for coziness.

        Just so you know, dearest Neil, if it had been a failure, I would never hold it against you. These things are . . . well, there are just so many elements that are unpredictable, it’s always a bit of a gamble. But it paid off, and I have a really pleasurable new, truly dark — yet soft — rose that’s unlike anything else I own. So thanks again, my friend.

      • ginzaintherain
        May 23, 2021 at 1:55 pm

        Perfume is so subjective, obviously, like everything else. But when I put the review up, as I am sure you realized, I was thinking of you specifically, so it is fantastic that you actually ended up with a bottle of it and are enjoying it so much. I only ever had one sample which I used up at the time, but I do remember the apothecary richness of the thing. Good for absorbing sadness on skeletal days.

      • Robin
        May 24, 2021 at 4:23 am

        No, I didn’t know you’d thought of me with that review, never would have crossed my mind (maybe now I’ll be more attuned), but I’m chuffed that you did.

        Went to Ric’s, sat with him on the couch and gave him a kiss, letting Black Rose waft past his nostrils. Asked my usual: So, what do you think of THIS?

        “It’s not my absolute favourite, but . . .”

        But . . .?

        “I don’t mind it at all, really. Yeah, it’s not too bad, actually.” Kisses my forehead. Pause. Then, the crucial two-and-a-half words: “It’ll work.”

        Neil, as you know, that’s a four out of five stars. So now I can wear it with impunity. I mentioned on another of your threads that it reminded me of Rooh Afza in the best possible way. Rose, herbs, carrot (!) notes in syrup. Almost edible, without being particularly sweet. *Runs to squirt on some more Black Rose*

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