Black Ebony Bella Bellissima for women and men

I bought this bottle back in November 2011 and used it a few times during the cold winter months. It is a very pronounced and heavy parfum, that on the first spray, can be somewhat overwhelming to some. The first thing I get is a sharp burst of dark woods and oriental spices - the kind that is extremely earthy and almost cloying.

Straight away your nose picks up oud wood - as oud is effectively fungus infected hardwood, the strong smell is vibrant and very earthy. The musky 10 minutes after, along with a hint of tea rose kills off the almost offensive spicy oud.

The thing about the oud is that it matures and lingers throughout the whole life of the perfume, from start to finish, softening to an almost chocolate-like essence. The sweetness comes from the rose and papyrus maturing in the base - since it's a parfum the whole scent is very creamy and substantive.

Very complex scent that can leave your sense ringing in mercy if over-applied. I have many times over-sprayed to the point where it is noticeably offensive - even I got sick of it a couple of hours into the day!

Sillage is extremely strong, longevity is extremely long (5-10 hours)

Overall a very distinctive perfume, with a great Arabian twang in the scent. Use with caution.