Skip to main content

Bigelow Black Elixir #1581

Agarwood, Tonka Bean, Amber, Musk, Vanilla.

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.

A muskiness begins to transition after about 10 minutes or longer. This smells like a different version of musk than I'm accustomed to, but it also could be the way the agarwood is affecting it. Regardless, it's very good and adds a touch of sensuality to Black Elixir.

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.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood. I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared. I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile. This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movemen...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme

I am reviewing the original Paco Rabanne Pour Homme ( circa 1973 ) thanks to a generous basenoter who sent it to me recently in a swap. He also sent me the current formulation in order for me to do a side by side comparison. The side by side resulted in what I had already imagined would be the case. Not that the newer formula is terrible by any means. The original version simply is better by being deeper and a bit more masculine. No......you shouldn't go to ebay searching for the vintage formula and paying stupid prices. It's simply a notch or two better than the current and noticeable by comparing the two in real time. Rabanne Pour Homme opens with a slight shimmer in conjunction with lavender, spices and a subtle woodiness. It's an old school introduction, however a good one. The lavender takes about 5 minutes to raise its volume and evolve into a soapy rendition. I dislike when a boatload of soapy lavender takes over a composition, but here it doesn't go over t...