Black V
Widian (2016)

My goodness! I really like the start of this exotic outing from AJ Arabia / Widian!

Black V begins with a fancy fruit mix that smells of ripe peach, a touch of lemon, and cinnamon stick bark (not bright, just barely peppery). Perceptibly, it's like a tangy Sweetart candy! Tuberose is a nice choice of flower here, adding its own sweet creaminess. I was constantly sniffing this dreamy potion after applying and found it to have a dark, edible quality with more goodies tucked within.

Vanilla comes slowly out, smelling like what is freshly scraped from the bean and adding a damp sweetness. Caramel is not candy-like, rather what emerges when sugar and cream have turned a rich brown in the heated pan. The theme with Black V is definitely, in a word, "dark" when it comes to the sum of the individual notes within.

I seem to be the only one on Basenotes liking this fragrance lol. :-) That's cool, to each his or her own. But IMO, Black V is a relaxing, friendly potion that I highly recommend sampling in decant form first (as I did). You can then judge for yourself how Widian's gourmand Black V fragrance comes across to YOU.

AJ Arabia Black V (nothing seriously black with this sunny-peachy creation) is another creamy/resinous tuberose-rendition. Peach, orangy tuberose and cinnamon are definitely dominant, the oudh's rendition is kind of "volatile" a la Agarwood Heeley or Maria Lux Deeply, there is a peachy delicate soapiness exaling from my skin, something quite spicy and balmy. Almost zero evolution, the aroma (initially humid and fruity) just tends to turn gradually out a tad drier and soapier (the resinous/wet feel tends to progressively calm down towards a slightly drier consistency). Dry down is creamy/vanillic and honeyed, just a step before the gourmandish-boundaries (caramel utterly enhances the "creamy-yummy" general vibe). Unisex. A super captivating kind of "edible" juice. Poor structure, excellent duration, good projection. Nothing seriously compelling under the sun.

After a fairly rubbery start (tuberose-orange blossom can sometimes go in that direction) this settles into a pretty relaxed white floral. The starring tuberose is by no means exceptional, but it has the requisite creaminess and light nuances of coconut which are positives. Fortunately the added sweets – caramel and a sugary version of vanilla – are kept subordinate to the florals. Nice enough, as the tuberose doesn't swell to unmanageable giddiness, but if a calm evocation of this bloom is what I'm after, I'll take MFK's splendid Le Beau Parfum first any day.