Black Violet Haul and Review

So this was my first time purchasing from Black Violet, and I did it because they were discontinuing some scents with notes that really appealed to me, so I jumped at the chance and got a whole sample set and a full size of Snow White Tea, since it was no longer available as a sample size. The samples are much bigger than the ones most companies offer, at a whole dram (I think?), and so are pricier, but the quality of scents from this company are known to be very high.

Customer Service
I ordered on the 18th of July, and my order was shipped on the 29th of July. They have a TAT of 10-14 business days, so that was well within the range. I was so surprised when I opened the package to find this wrapping!


The boyf thought it was a purse

CANDY.

The samples arrived in a little drawstring cloth bag with their logo stamped on it, and each sample bottle was glass with a screw top lid and a pretty label. The full size came in a dark blue glass bottle with a rollerball. I also received two pieces of Chinese candy nom nom nom and two freebies! And a sweet note from Leilani.

Ice queen sample and Red Lotus body butter sample




Ringmaster
Ladies and Gentlemen! I present to you...spun sugar clouds of fluff with a sharp whip of Russian leather under the big top. Be intrigued by the unexpected...Ringmaster may have the first leather note that fits like a glove.
Me: In the bottle: Vanilla, rubbing alcohol, and woodsy. On my skin: Vanilla and cream and sunflower seed shells, with the shells as the more prominent note. After drydown, the sunflower shells turn to a more smokey and woodsy scent. I put this on rather late at night, and it lasted through a shower and is still faintly present this morning, though it has all but faded to a comfortable, slightly masculine wood skin scent as most scents are wont to do. It was okay, though it's obvious that the bf and roommate were not fond of it at all. A well crafted and obviously refined scent. Lasted 6+ hours on my skin.
Bf: In the bottle: It smells sweet. Like how those grapes I just ate taste. On my skin: Smells like when you get your car detailed. Car wax. Like something new and expensive you just bought. Ohhhh! It smells like when you put water in a super soaker for the first time. Like, that plasticky water smell.
RM: In the bottle: Mmmm.... poopy. Smells like Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. But like, the booger flavor. Or earwax. Creamy and earwax. On my skin: Just vanilla now. But still Bertie Botts.

Lilikoi
Fantasy is witnessing the unique blooming phases of a Hawaiian passion fruit flower. As the striking flower closes, it transforms into a sweet lilikoi fruit- creating a fragrance beyond imagination.
Me: In the bottle: Bf's right, it reminds me intensely of some kind of candy, though I can't place the finger on it. Sweet and juicy, but also with an edge that's slightly cloying. On skin: starts off smelling exactly like it does in the bottle, but eventually calms down to a sweet, fruity sunscreen scent. Hours later, the sunscreen scent also dissipates and its light, sweet, and pleasantly fruity. Lasted 6+ hours on my skin.
Bf: In the bottle: Smells like some type of candy. Candy that I've, like, ate before, but ate reluctantly. They're not amazing, but they are sweet. Like jellybeans. No one likes jellybeans. On skin: (after the sunscreen scent went away) Wow! I like.
RM: Grapefruit!

Yuzu Cookies
For hundreds of years, yuzu has been placed in Japanese baths, releasing a grapefruit and mandarin orange-like aroma. The citrus fruit is found in many exquisite dishes & drinks. Enjoy it paired with butter cookies! This is the q.
Me: In bottle: Lemon cookies! Yaaasss, it's rich and buttery and slightly amazing, honestly. My brain is like, "Can I eat dis?" On skin: More zesty! Which is good, because I was hoping that the citrus would amp up more. Still buttery though. It's not a very warm scent-- for some reason I always feel like lemon cookies have that "cold" smell, like they've been sitting in the refrigerator some. Of course, a hot-out-of-the-oven lemon cookie probably won't have that, but these are not hot lemon cookies. Lasted 4 hours on my skin.
Bf: In bottle: Butter. Lemony? On skin: Ohhhh lemon cookies. It smells like... gingerbread. Yum.
RM: In bottle: *sniff* Cinnamon. *sniff* Butter. *sniff* Pumpkin pie?

Sea Goddess (discontinued)
Tropical waters, trade winds & ti leaves braided with orange blossoms.
Me: In the bottle: Sunscreen. Ocean. I'm not kidding, it's like a more floral version of that Neutrogena sunscreen you can get at Costco in a family pack. On my skin: The sunscreen takes a backseat (though still present) and the floral and blue aquatic smell emerge. After a couple of hours, the floral fades a lot, leaving the blue aquatic and sunscreen. In a way, it smells like a day at the beach! The blue aquatic gives way to a sandy ocean scent by the end. Wish there wasn't so much sunscreen though. Lasted 6+ hours on my skin.
Bf: In bottle: Ehhhh it's alright. Oranges. *makes face* Oranges that give me a headache. Ugh, I have a headache now. *Tina groan from Bob's Burgers*

Red Lotus
With vermillion red beauty & hairlike spines, rambutans are unforgettable fruits from Southeast Asia which bring a tart aroma. Exotic lychee radiates a sweet note thru red rooibos tea. Red Lotus is complete with floating lilies and wild geranium. 
Me: In bottle: Smells incredibly similar to those little lychee jellies you can get from Ranch 99 in the big plastic containers. There's also another fruit in it that's toning it down, though I can't tell what. Mangoes? Passionfruit? Very juicy. ....So I just spilled a third of my dram on my desk and I realized that it smells like lychees and that Murphy's oil polish that my pops uses for the hardwood floors back home. Thankfully, I rather like that smell, and the lychees take away the pine edge of it. On my skin: lychees and a bit of citrus. There's something zesty about it now. After a couple of hours, it smells like grapefruit with a bit of the lychee. It's pretty nice. Lasted 5 hours on my skin.
Bf: In bottle: Lychees. Did they put lychee "tones" in it? On my skin: Grapefruits.

My beautiful letdown.

Snow White Tea (discontinued)
Chilled white tea kissed by juicy, red apples.
Me: In bottle: Lemony. I just saw someone post a review about it on /r/indiemakeupandmore saying that they thought it smelled like apple jacks, and it does! The glass bottle and the label are incredibly professional looking and would be great for gifting, btw. On my skin: When wet, it smells like lemonheads and apple jacks. Please let it develop into apple and tea. I'm so sad; I never got my apples and tea, unfortunately. It was pretty much lemonheads all the way through. I bought a whole size of this blind because the scent descriptions sounded so lovely and it was being discontinued. Is there any chance that I can just let it sit for a couple months, and maybe it will get better? Lasted 5+ hours on my skin.
Bf: In bottle: Lemon drops. Lemonheads. On my skin: Lemonheads!

On the whole, I'd have to say that these scents are all very well made. When I got the package, the boyf gave a sniff and declared that he had much higher hopes for these scents than the previous ones. Of course, he changed his mind when he actually smelled them on me, but the boyf if a picky beast. Out of all of them, I think I enjoyed Red Lotus the best! I really really REALLY wanted to love Snow White Tea based on its notes and the reviews I've seen, but my skin bashed it over the head. If it still doesn't work in a couple of months, it'll have to find a new home. I enjoyed trying these scents and I am definitely looking forward to trying more products by Black Lotus. 

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