Blackbird fragrance notes
Head
- himalayan blackberry fruit, dry grass, leaves
Heart
- elemi, cedarwood, resin, amber
Base
- fir balsam absolute, musk
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Latest Reviews of Blackbird

But, I wish I could triple the fir and cedar in this. They are just the background, and the berry remains the star throughout. Though unique, Blackbird ultimately feels a bit too docile, too sweet and one-dimensional. It's a nice fragrance, but I want more from it.

This goes from incredible projection for the first hour to something much more subdued during hours 2-5. Unfortunately, I'm still not picking up much else during the drydown either. It doesn't have as much longevity as others that I've tried from the Olympic Orchids brand.
6/10
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Going by the price per ml, it turns out to be pretty expensive. It's sort of on the style with Jubilation XXV, but not as much depth. Very homemade smelling, and very cozy.

According to the Olympic Orchids blurb, This fragrance celebrates the dry season and the warm, peaceful days of summer in the Pacific Northwest, …
The powerful scent of tawny dry grass, fir and cedar trees baking in the sun, releasing their sharp, incense-like resins, and juicy ripe blackberries with their jammy, musky sweetness…a juxtaposition of dry ambery-woody notes with just a touch of juicy fruit.
Blackbird was a finalist for the 2014 Art and Olfaction Awards.
Released 2013. Notes 8: Himalayan blackberry fruit, dry grass and leaves, elemi, cedar wood and resin, woody-amber accord, fir balsam absolute, musk.
My first impression is that of yet another Angel flanker. The berry note comes on strong, as does an acrid oud-like note that is off-putting. The resins and woods are harsh, not warm and inviting. Happily, they fade to the background pretty quickly and one is left with a rich, jammy, blackberry gourmand that remains pretty constantly dead center.
An unusual combination of scents, since picking blackberries in conifer forests is not a past time common to most people. I am not a big fan of gourmand scents, as I believe that food belongs on the table, not smeared over one's body, but I must admit the quality of the oils used by Olympic Orchids has been consistently high, and this is no exception, being a strong rendition of the given note combination.
It is the bitter, acrid supporting note that makes this unpleasant for me, so I can only give it a neutral rating.


However, do I like this combination? No. In my opinion, the fruity note dominates, to the detriment of the forest notes. The fruit is foreground, the forest is background. I would prefer the reverse. The fruit note lingers well into the dry-down. I wish it would clear away, because those forest notes are quite good. Those are in the Slumberhouse or O'Driu style.
Assessing this sort of scent really depends on how much you like the combination, or at least a rich berry note.