Bigelow Black Elixir #1581
Many folks state that this particular fragrance is barbershop. Hell, even my barber does. He has it in his shop. He's also recognized it on me during one cutting session. I wore it deliberately that day and he immediately knew I was wearing Black Elixir.
Hmmmmm. I never have correlated #1581 to barbershops. I have others that give me that impression. Black Elixir smells too rich and substantial, yet is extremely economical, so most shops can afford to lavish it on whom they will.
To me, Black Elixir is still not barbershop and I will go against popular opinion in making that statement. I find it nice that my barber keeps it on hand because I truly like it and have gone through enough of it to prove it.
The rendition of agarwood here is really scaled down, but it contrasts well against the quiet oriental notes. Black Elixir opens with an alcoholic agar that's heady and gives the impression of dark. I find that the bottle and name are fitting and although this isn't a "black" scent, it's swarthy and substantial for a cologne. There's something about Black Elixir that has me continually smelling the skin where I applied it. It's very masculine, stark and borderline sweet.
This accord lasts for an extreme amount of time before allowing any change to occur. When the drydown is finally noticeable, the oriental notes aren't exactly eager to take hold of Black Elixir and bring it to the finish. They're extremely low key on me and that goes especially for the tonka. Even until the very end, the dark, woody musk persists. It's simply a softer version of what it once was.
Sillage is good and longevity for a cologne is terrific. Black Elixir lasts 4 hours on my skin and then evolves into a skin scent. Big thumbs up from Aromi for the Barbershop fragrance that I still deny is a barbershop fragrance.
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