WHAT I SMELL: Black Magic casts a spell with an initial big blast of tonka that is sweetened with a green blackberry and jammy rose. One spritz is all that is needed as Black Magic has some incredible projection. Very quickly, the perfume warms with the addition of a light amber. The perfume is a buzz with a mix of fruity florals that when combined smell a bit like grape jelly. At this point, the perfume is all fruit…with grape and blackberry front and center and in combination are juicy without being too thick. After some time, a woody note and light leather start to appear which pulls back the overt sweetness. But as soon as I mentioned this, the fruit comes back full force. Here the perfume remains for a long time…full, rich and full of juice. Finally, in the end, the perfume turns to more of a sweetened patchouli, topped with a grassy vetiver. Spell cast.
From the Sebastiane website:
Top notes are tonka bean, vanilla and amber; middle notes are jasmine, rose, blackberry and frangipani; base notes are patchouli, leather, grass and vetiver.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A grape cocktail.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BLACK MAGIC: big, bountiful, juicy
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BLACK MAGIC: None to be found except for the comments on Fragrantica.
BOTTOM LINE: Black Magic is full on fruit, make no bones about it. As such, don’t expect a perfume that’s quiet and demure…it’s big, fun and not shy in the least.
- Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Oriental
- Nose: Robert Elder
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $85 for 60 ml eau de parfum available from the Sebastiane website and other retailers.