The Black Knight

The dry leather and vetiver notes are nicely balanced against the honey and the subtle orris, which rounds the fragrance out, warms it up, and stops it from being too sharp, green and cold. As such it is a really nice formulation. It is rugged and unique, for sure. In my personal taste, though, the dry and sharp vetiver and leather notes still end up dominating the overall impression a bit too much. I would have wished for something a bit softer, warmer, smoother. So while I am impressed with this, I'm gonna have to pass. I'm just not a huge fan of vetiver.

All I can smell is leather and vetiver and they are actively beating my ass off the jump. It hits like a punch to the face. Definitely not the usual dime a dozen leather and there must be an audience for it but that audience is not me. Maybe (probably) it is better on skin but the first spray on a blotter scared me away from testing that hypothesis.

wow! such a unique perfumes from Francesca! I was not expecting to absolutely fall in love with this. warm and yet not sweet, soft and musky but not funky. extremely layered and energetic and yet natural. instant love!

Smells like you took a bath in honey jack. 10/10

A stable among honeysuckles. Sweet reek of honey and flowers and smoke clinging to leather.

Alr this is interesting This is mainly a honey leather fragrance, it opens up very strong, with like a smoky edge, idk how to explain it, but it was a bit rough to get into. As it dries down it gets smoother I have some confusions abt this fragrance lmao, cuz it is pretty unique and i havent rlly smelled anything quite like it. It is strong, pretty strong, and it has this, well, "middle eastern" type of feeling due to the honey, only a little bit tho. As if who suits this, i rlly cant think of a woman wearing this, and i'm the type of person to think anyone can wear whatever fragrance they should, but this is just so damn masculine, and i think it suits that type of person, someone rugged, someone tough, maybe like a biker type of guy. It probably doesn't necessarily "smell good" to an average person, but it def has a personality to it, so I would recommend someone who wants to give off a certain rough vibe instead of wanting compliments. If i were to envision this scent as a person, it'll probably be a big guy in a leather jacket with a full beard

Not for me, but someone else could love this so I feel bad rating it poorly... definitely not a blind buy! In the bottle it smells beautiful, very much like leather by a campfire to me, super woody and smokey and complex. Gives you the imagery of a knight resting and sharpening tools by firelight. All of that dies on my skin, and what takes over is a completely overpowering single note ash and gunpowder smell that doesn't wash off and stings your nose :( That's almost certainly the fault of my own chemistry and not the perfume lol, but be warned that could happen!

Sipping smoky whiskey amidst a swift vetiver-storm, we set forth in quest of the Black Knight. The clashing of arms, the snarling snort of warhorses in the howling gale; upon the fresh, verdant meadow, their muscles tense, and their hooves tear up clods of mossy earth. We can nigh feel the steaming breath of the wild stallions, their froth scattering in the wind, the sweat-soaked brown saddle-leather vaporizing, while in the distance, the remnants of a great bonfire smolder. Upon the crest of the gusts, powdery remnants of roses drift like red snowflakes, and torn fragments of scent from the skin of the wilderness lovers lie scattered about. Meanwhile, we rest by the sea, sitting around a campfire, reclining upon the damp earth. We dry our grimy leather jackets, anointing their cracked surfaces with the nourishing, thick, nigh-creamy substance of beeswax. The moon sways ever more erratically in the heavens; as the sun rises, it unfurls the black shroud of night, seeking light within the folds of the dawning sky to drape it over nature. The frosty dawn air, pumped into the fullness of our lungs, burns the inside of our nostrils, while as we journey on, the scent of dusty rose, enveloped in breathtaking layers of orris butter, marks the path against a backdrop of leather and softly yielding blankets of moss. The overall effect is more than striking, the heavenly accord of the ingredients rising ever higher: within the simmering cauldrons of resins infused with smoky honey, naked bodies, tumbled in butter and shrouded in patchouli, lie scattered, embedded in succulent layers of moss. Meanwhile, the fragrance of daffodils wafts up, mingled with smoky hay and sticky honey derived from the nectar of medicinal herbs, sharp and mineral-tinged, evoking an unceasing yearning. An unnameable, dream-enchanted stupor envelops our hitherto alert senses, as the profound impulses of meditation and passion alternate in this rich, gothic drydown, woven from vegetal fibers, wallowing in earthy hues, and shimmering in honeyed light. The beast, but a moment ago raging, now idly basks.

Fantastic juice. The beeswax note reminds me of Bortnikoff's Lao Oud--slightly sweet, earthy and waxy. In the drydown, the leather becomes ashy enough--thanks to the vetiver--to keep the fragrance unisex. Wish I had a larger sample.

WOW I was surprised by this one. Definitely get the honey notes, not in a sweet way but an earthy, raw way. Strong, smoky, deeply masculine. Not something I’d usually reach for but if you like leather notes, I would highly recommend this.

This is art. I love the house of FB, they always have a slightly nostalgic smell to me, like the Black Knight. It opens very powdery, with the dominant leather that is always there. As it dries down, the honey note comes out in the back that brings the whole fragrance together. Its very dark, smoky and mysterious. It is absolutely beast mode, however I find it very hard to wear. But this fragrance is a 9.5/10

To kick off, I don’t think that Bianchi and I are a match. I’ve got the discovery set and I’ve not found a love in it. The opening blast of each perfume is overwhelming. This though. This. While it’s not for me, it’s a glorious leather masterpiece. Dark, smoky, moody, rough around the edges, but also floral. Deeply masculine, but I will wear the sample for myself. The performance is outstanding. What a scent.

Incredibly strong leathery scent, it smells cold and dusty and damp to me, theres an old shop in Covent garden in london that sells puppets and old victoriana toys that always gave me the creeps and it smells exactly like that shop, couldn't bring myself to do a skin test, the strip was more than enough

If you like rough, smoky leather then it’s hard to overstate how good this is. What makes this one special, and in my opinion, heads and shoulders above most scents that attempt this is that it’s not a pure leather scent. This is a multidimensional, full course meal of a perfume that offers a very interesting wear experience. Don’t get me wrong, this is still dominated by a raw, smoky, almost bloody leather in a similar fashion to something like Cuoium but it’s nowhere near as rough or as invasive, it’s softened by Francesca’s signature orris butter accord, you get a bit of florals somewhere in the back, and the smoky earthiness of the vetiver which blends almost seamlessly with the leather. It’s bone dry and very dusty, but it somehow feels oily at the same time. The end result is something that feels very tough and gritty but a lot more elegant and voluptuous than it has any right to be. It’s brilliant.

so far everything i've tried from bianchi has the similar waxy / plastic base, and i am not a fun.

i don't know where to start off, to be quite honest. it's just incredible. reading the reviews of this i expected to be slapped across the face by an unforgiving, car interior-type leather scent so insecure in its own masculinity it turns flat and monotone. but what can i say? it's just stunning. it is smooth, incredibly smooth, powdery, intense, and medieval. around the hour-hour and a half mark i start picking up on the vetiver and it gets more medicinal - i like to think that it is like a salve a knight would put on an injury. incredibly gorgeous, strong, and evocative scent. a girl told me i smell like a church, and another like fairy dust. someone also told me the scent wafting off of me is so heavy that they thought someone had lit an incense stick, and yet that it wasn't overwhelming or annoying. this is why it's so good. it's strong ( which i do consider to be value for money, diptyque take notes ), but it doesn't have a note that's intense, penetrative, jarring - just a smooth and beautiful profile, rife with honeyed leather and orris butter. i like this with combat boots on and a trench coat.

One of the best fragrances in the market if you like strong leather, animalic, dark profiles... it opens strong and is like the fragrance expands to other parts of the skin even though you spray it in a specific place. Is really well blended, in my opinion. A combination of sweet, wood, leather, tiny aromatic-earthy shifts. (On my skin). Is not a blind buy. Try it first. The dry down became powdery but with that sweet leather smell that reminds me of a horse saddle with a delicius dirty note and incredible sensual. Is a piece that deserves a place in any dark profile lover. I'm a woman and this has become a must have in my collection.

The Black Knight is brooding, vintage, and somewhat dark; although recent, I feel like this fragrance could have existed in a time before the television set--for some reason, it summons a colourless 1930s detective or a kind of Bill and Ted style time travel debacle--a medieval knight living in the now. Only darker without the comedy. A lot of people have mentioned smoke, alas all I get is powder over smoke. A lot of powder, which is why this is a no for me personally (I'll be testing Dark Side next). Don't get me wrong, I love The Black Knight and when I wear it, I feel consumed by a thick unpenetrable cloud of dark musk, rich worn leather...which is actually what I like from a fragrance...I've been going back and forth, but what I can say is: this was a love at first spray, induces smiles, and I'll be testing till the tester's no more. This is a handsome scent, niche perfection. Goes well with a suit, leathers, funerals, weddings, dates, duels, but most of all: sitting at a bar alone being a mysterious protagonist-main-character-type maybe writing poetry or doing the dagger between the finger thing or some other clichéd trope. Ok with all the movie talk, I'm actually going to match this parfum to Antonio Banderas in Desperado, or maybe Aragorn in Lord of the Rings. Anyway whatever. Done. Great. Edit: yeah so I couldn't stop thinking about The Black Knight, so I bought it. Good times. Also, it /is/ smokey, it's a smokey cloud of coolness.

Glossy vintage warm brown leather chair with very luxurious expensive atmosphere. Its not going to break or rupture and you know it will be there for next decade at least, as it was handcrafted by masters in the field. It remembers all quality cigars that were smoked in its vicinity but didnt get tainted by them, still warm as this young lady just stood up from there going to get her skirt back... No bulgarian rose, no honey, no boozy syrupy sweetness but its also not entirely dry and alcohol-free. High society clubs were mentioned where a lot of things take place in darker part of night, same as lots of things going on in this perfume. For the time being best of Francesca if you seek bold sultry sensual fitted for perfection and applicable for night out.

Dark, leathery, smoky, sexy. Not for boys.

This is what niche perfumery should be like. The Black Knight doesn't want to disguise itself as something easily wearable, it is unapologetic, kicks you in the teeth with the heavily boozy opening. The first 30 mins is almost only a huge blast of single malt Scotch aged in a charred oak barrel. It's boozy, it's woody, very warm and daring. Then after like an hour it starts settling down and that's when the true magic happens. The sweet tobacco notes come forward with such a wonderful leather accord that feels like a leather armchair well worn-in with pipe tobacco lingering around, and there is also a dry, powdery feel to it in drydown that is somewhat of a signature of Francesca Bianchi. It's not the leather of a new car's interior, it's much more animalic and aged. And the sweetness is very faint, just enough to make it cozy. You're instantly transported back to a lounge where people of the highest class held their parties for a century and the room is soaked in that smell of debauchery done classy. This fragrance is heavy, dense, waxy, lasts a very long time, easily 12 hours on my skin, and as it's an extrait concentration, you gotta be careful with spraying. It's not a people pleaser for those who don't dare looking beyond the designer realm, so I don't recommend blind buying. I'm not that influencer-level collector with 1000+ bottles but as far as my collection goes, the 3 fragrances from the house are at the absolute top of my niche axis and one of the most complex and wonderful scents I've ever had the chance to smell.

More masc leaning anamalic powder

Nose Note #874 I'll have to sort of copy from my review of The Dark Side, because I've bought the two together and they go hand in hand in my mind. I wasn't expecting much as I was totally new to the brand, but I didn't expect to be THAT blown away. Man, this is just like nothing else that I've had. It's expensive, but one of the few times like with Amouage and Xerjoff I can say - it's worth it. Such a beautiful, oily, silky leather note with this beautiful, beautiful touch of iris. I said that The Dark Side smells slightly barnyardy, like sheep, but this one literally smells like sheep!!! Or, again, the super fat skin cream that they make from sheep fat or whatever. Wow, what a unique thing. It's super niche, but 4.12 is completely justified. Just smells like something from a hall of fame, which it rightly enters in my domain. Just like The Dark Side it's SUPER strong, even STRONGER than Dark Side. Super long-lasting, just what I look for. And it's so strange in the best sense and and the same time it's so down to earth and belonging to the real world. It also has a very very minor Coca-Cola vibe. I'd call this "The Black Sheep" and the other one "The Dark Bee". This and The Dark Side. What a discovery! Bianchi is a master of perfumery. Definately looking forward to sampling more of the masculine stuff from her brand. I'm taking 0.5 off as with Dark Side just because you cannot wear this daily, it's too strong and doesn't fit all occasions. My wife doesn't like the two very much. She did find them amusing, but didn't appreciate them. 9.5/10, another entry to the hall of fame, one of the most curious

More syrupy version of Opus XIV – Royal Tobacco Amouage that turns into a dry slightly green leather, and it really does smell like a knight. Perfkrmance as it goes with francesca is really good.

I’ll be honest — very few fragrances impress me anymore. Unfortunately, I’m rather blasé, having known so many of them. But The Dark Knight truly surprised me. It feels like going back to the very beginnings of discovering scents — to that moment when they first started to fascinate me. Deep, smooth, yet rough at the same time. Woody, earthy — the wood is wet, dirty with mud, but noble mud, the kind you find in a forest, sandy-clayey, with a very fresh nuance. This has nothing to do with urban mud — dirty, sewage-like. There are also subtle hints of honeyed roughness, which make the fragrance feel as if it were coated with another scent — sweeter, fluffy, and buttery. Truly something incredible. One of the best compositions I have ever encountered in my life. And it works perfectly for Friday the 13th — the day before Valentine’s Day. Perfection.

I thought I reviewed this already but I haven’t and I understand why. This thing just doesn’t know what it wants to be and for that I adore it. Every single time I’ve worn it a different note takes the lead it’s so fascinating. Today was the vetiver but it was a really buttery orris the last time I wore it and a burnt leather the time before that. Regardless of who plays the main character though I can always count on this scent blowing me away. There are days where I just don’t want to be seen so much as felt and so I wear this and it speaks for me. My coworker that’s like the matriarch of the building I love her soooo much but she smelt it and said it made her kitty kat tingly lol those were her words and I’m not at all surprised

Sharp, warm, spicy LEATHER

@Bobchan I’ve been collecting her fragrances from different retailers since June, and all of them have the same plain sticker on the bottle. I even emailed her about this redesign but never received a response. Anyway, I assume it’s just a simpler redesign to reduce costs. after all, no fake smells this good.

I've recently bought the small 30ml bottle, and it doesn't have the helmet icon on the sticker, nor the on the box. The sticker is not a square but a vertically placed rectangle. Does anyone know if this is a re-design of the brand packaging, or I just got a fake? Smell is phenomenal and potent tho. Tar leather and bonfire, amazing stuff.

The opening is almost explosive with dark leather, dust, tobacco, a tad of spiciness. Others have mentioned gasoline and while I wouldn't necessarily point to a direct gasoline note, this scent does seem to have something gasoline-y about it at the beginning. The drydown is still dark and intense but with a more pronounced overall herbal aroma on my skin. It's like this violent explosion of the beginning now rests on a bed of charred patchouli and vetiver. Performance and sillage outstanding as with all FB perfumes. All in all, this gives off vibes of a medieval warrior monk but I guess Black Knight is a better name choice from a marketing perspective ;)