Dove's Heart

[Silverstrike]

A gentle, healing love blend, often used to help mend a broken heart. Brings peace of mind, soothes the sting of loss, and aids in finding closure.

I tried this on before I looked up what it was, and when I found out it was one of the Voodoo Blends, I was surprised, because it didn't *seem* like a Voodoo Blend to me. Anyhow, Dove's Heart went kind of soft and floral (don't know which florals) on me, but then it goes kind of soapy. It was pretty but I'll be passing it along. Edited February 4, 2006 by Shollin

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Rating (efficacy): N/A

Summarised in a word or two: Dryer sheets.

 

In the imp: Soft, unasuming jasmine and lavender, and maybe just a bit of light rose.

 

On skin, wet: Lavender and jasmine, and something soft and smooth like vanilla, but without that distinct vanilla/tonka smell. Nice enough, but lavender and I have never really gotten along.

 

On skin, dry: When it first begins to try, it's tricky. One moment, I'll sniff smooth, creamy jasmine and find it beautiful, and the next I'll get rose and lavender, and decide it's not my bag. As it continues to dry, it finally decides to become soft and overly floral and distinctly dryer sheet-y.

 

Conclusion: I love-love-love the smooth jasmine bit I get fleetingly during the early drydown, but I don't dig smelling like a dryer sheet. As I'm not currently suffering from a broken heart (or anything remotely similar), I haven't given its Voodoo properties a whirl. I'll probably keep the imp, however, in case I ever do want to try that aspect of the blend out.

[faifai]

Smells very very soft and delicate. All I seem to get is lavender + random soft florals/something sweet. My skin seems to eat it up, too--I dabbed a whole lot on and less than five minutes later I can't smell anything there.

 

Curious! But a lovely calming scent, and the only thing I find sad about it is its lack of throw/lasting power.

[Colère]

A cheap lemon meringue pie (with florescent yellow filling that borders on being just a touch sour) sitting on a sweaty ass white and red checkered plastic tablecloth (which may, or may not be outside). That sourness I mentioned? It goes all BO in the matter of seconds (hooray!).

 

If I inhale REALLY deeply I get not-so-fond memories of dank Ukrainian basements scented with decaying cat shit and broken mason jars filled with homemade sauerkraut - all of which I ignored because, dude, THERE WERE POOL TABLES IN THE BASEMENTS (talk about SWISH)! And beneath all of that - yes! there's more! - a cold, sharp hit of something that smells like high proof booze.

 

Once I'm past sour pies, bad personal hygiene, Ukie basements, cat shit, kapusta, and moonshine I find myself in FORGOTTEN, OLD BATH PRODUCTS REDUCED TO SYRUP territory. You know what I'm talking about, right? In this case it's an ancient bottle of honeysuckle bubble bath buried beneath an explosion of tampons, a few bottles of untouched rubbing alcohol, and a shower cap growing weapons of mass (biological) destruction.

 

And when finally rediscovering this bottle of yellow honeysuckle bubble bath you find that some of the liquid managed to ooze out from beneath the cap staining the label so the container's sort've oily and sticky at once, and, at the same time, there's residue the consistency of BBQ sauce looping the bottle's neck, and when you touch it you've got tar like stains on your hands but GODDAMN IT STILL SMELLS NICE because the AWOL bath gel has been reduced to fuck so it's all pure concentration and you wonder HOW THE FUCK DID YOU MANAGED TO LOSE THE BUBBLE BATH IN THE FIRST PLACE while wiping your hands on a clean towel leaving marks you'll have to blame on someone else and...uhm...heh.

 

I mean...'laundry detergent for baby clothing and then soap', *whistles innocently*.

[Phaedra]

This was a freebie from the Lab in one of my recent orders. They must have known I'd been needing this one. This is a very soft rose and lavender blend. It's calming and comforting but also uplifting and protective at the same time. A loved one of mine recently passed away and wearing Dove's Heart has helped me feel like "everything is going to be okay". Whether it's the power of suggestion or the properties of the oil, it does work. I will keep this one around for the times when I need some comfort. Many heartfelt thanks to the Lab for this.

[Rhowan]

Dove's Heart - oh me oh my.... I put this on and automatically amped rose with a bit oflavender and jasmine. No vanilla here for me unfortunately. After a few minutes the rosiness fades and I get lanvender and jasmine - and then! It goes all soapy, powdery on me

[feline.by.design]

I'm always a bit reticent to try out Voodoo Blends, as many of them have been too cloying with me, often due to what I think may be a common note being gardenia.

 

Dove's Heart starts out lovely as a lavender blend, however once it hit my skin, the oil became stronger and a bit sweeter. I don't know if there is gardenia in this, as I don't get this knee-jerk reaction of wanting to sever my arm off, but I do smell a sort of "rose sweat" I've encountered in other BPAL fragrances: a powdery rose that seems to be mingled with human sweat. The smell of lavender is overpowered by this rose sweat smell, and although not as unappealing as gardenia, it's still not something to my liking. Yet, I can see how some other people might find this calming. It kind of smells like rose soap.

 

Dove's Heart isn't for me, but I'm glad that I did try it, as I'm thinking the ratio of Voodoo Blends with gardenia may not be as high as I'd originally thought.

 

-doreen

[Victory]

I put on Dove's Heart not because I've had a breakup, but because I've been having a hard time with a neighbor and the very thought of it made me want to cry, so it's not the prescribed usage, but... Dove's Heart is very comforting. I wish I knew what it is that I smell. It's right on the tip of my brain, but I can't grab it. Whatever it is, it's floral, and it's settling something in me. Instead of freaking out and being weepy, I'm all right. I like this very much.

[Elrianra]

In the bottle, this one smells like the dry laundry detergent my mother used when I was a child. I cannot stress enough how non-soothing this smelled. Still, I tried it on. Mistake. This smells like soap, it's medicinal and cold and sterile. There's absolutely nothing floral or soothing in this blend. Within minutes, I can't stand it anymore and it has got to go.

[ladymissspyder]

In imp: floral (in a generic perfumey way) and lavender-y. This reminds me of the dream blends.

 

Wet: lavender and violets. As it dries down, the lavender seems to amp up a bit.

 

Dry: wow, the lavender has a lot of throw. The violets give it a powdery-sweet undertone that I can only pick up if I sniff my skin closely.

 

Middle notes: lavender and that generic perfumey note again.

 

Base notes: generic perfumey note and violets.

 

As a working blend: well, since this is part of a circular swap, I didn't want to use this ritually. It does seem to have a calming aromatherapuetic effect, though.

[sophia_helix]

A Lab frimp, since I haven't had a breakup recently.

 

At first this is almost exactly like Somnus, due to the strong, strong lavender. After a little while, some florals creep in, of the very sweet, white, waxy type like gardenia, lily, or jasmine (I'm rotten at differentiating before those). It's pretty, a wee bit soapy, but still rather comforting and soothing. I think I'd like to try this in an oil burner, just to see how it makes the room smell.

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Fresh and astringent, a bit of pine with lavender.

 

First on: LAVENDER!!!!!!!!

 

After a bit: Weird, it's making my arm tingle and my tongue slightly numb when I sniff it. Lavender, soap and.. talc.

 

A bit more: Man this sucker is strong and should be used with caution. It reminds me of the lavender Umbra bubble bath, with something slightly herbal lurking in there.

[noumenon]

Dove's Heart is...magnificent. Others have picked up violets or jasmine when they first put it on, but I smelled strong, sweet gardenias. Maybe, if there really is any Voodoo in this potion, the first scent we get from it will be the one we need to chase our sadness away. After an hour, the gardenias withdraw, and warm, rich vanilla overtakes me. Like Heartbreak itself, the scent is both sweet and achingly sad.

 

I happen to have the kind of broken heart this perfume is made to treat, though after all this time my heart is more of a dessicated, moldering thing. Dove's Heart is more than a scent; it's an empathic and soothing presense. After a few hours, it fades, and takes a little bit of my sadness with it.

[Summerpixy]

Strong lavender directly from the imp, which settles down into a peaceful powdery scent. I can see this as being very comforting to someone who had recently broken up with someone very special to them. Eventually you have to calm down enough to sleep and try to move on. This would've been useful in my last breakup.

[edenssixthday]

Dove’s Heart is a strange fragrance. It opens up with a distinctly gamey scent that surprised me, and almost nauseated me. But after the initial dry-down, it turned into a soft, melancholy scent full of lavender and white florals. It reminds me a lot of BPAL's Somnus. I have a 10 ml bottle of Somnus, and won't be needing anything this similar to it, so I won't be repurchasing.

[couscous]

I've gotten dove's heart as a frimp three times since my breakup in October. Someone at the lab is looking out for me.

 

I got a lavender-jasmine blend, grounded by something slightly animalistic, actually. There's a bit of musk in this, I'd be willing to bet. Something strong and primal to balance the "SOOTHE THYSELF" command it gives off immediately upon wear.

 

Since I'm a bit afraid of jasmine, let me try and put minds at ease: if you have stayed away in the past because you've discounted jasmine as ultra-heady, don't run from this one. Dove's Heart is NOT screamingly womanly perfumey jasmine- I'd liken it more to a slight, but noticeable, hint of Nuit-like floral- very starry, very crystalline.

 

You do need to like lavender, though, and you can do a test run of how you might react to Dove's heart if you've tried and liked some of the lighter dream blends such as Somnus and temple of dreams.

 

Still, you know...whether you want to bathe in Dove's Heart or can barely stand to put a drop on, I suspect that the people who buy this blend are doing so because they are broken-hearted, and, in that respect, i can safely say that this blend is an excellent example of comfort, nurturing, and strength. I have worn it on my skin and used it on a white candle, and I can say without hesitation that it helped me think about what I'd lost and put it into better perspective.

 

I love it, and will be ordering a bottle very, very soon. To me, this is as indispensable as some of the TAL blends.

[fairy]

I was dying to try this one. Who doesn't need peace and healing in their lives? I had to try this on and wear it a few times before I felt comfortable writing a review just because I wanted to make sure before I wrote anything.

 

Unfortunately, Dove's Heart doesn't work on me. It's straight up Lavender, which is OK...but one me it sometimes times on a baby's diaper smell, which it has here.

 

I think I smell rose in there too...which counters the lavender a tad.

 

But overall this isn't the best for me. I'm still keeping the imp to wear for spiritual/healing purposes only. But as a scent, it's a no

[Diana]

wet: odd florals, almost plastic smelling, possibly rose

 

dry: this is an odd blend; it smells almost like artificial rose potpourri room spray. Not something I'd personally ever wear as a perfume, though I may invest in some at some point for the magical purposes.

[akabob]

I got this as a freebie in my recent order of lab goodies. Smelling it first in the imp, I knew I would have a hard time loving it because my skin makes reallly floral scents go all wonky..I am more compatible with sticky sweet scents. But, I gave it a shot because the smell was very sweet and gentle and familiar.

 

It is floral for sure...not sure what, though. I want to say something like violets or gardenias is in the scent...it is a wistful floral, not a happy one. Very soothing in the way that it smells like grandmas should...cuddly, warm grandmas. It proceeded to go all gardenia smelling on me, which isn't something my nose loves, but I knew my mom would like it, so off it went to her. She smelled it an immediately went "ooooh! beautiful and gentle!"

 

She also loved black opal, which has that similar kind of back end to the smell that is sweet and clear.

 

Not for me, but very pretty.

[dierne]

In the imp - lightly floral and slightly sweet with a hint of scary jasmine in the background.

 

Wet on skin - I'm getting a dry jasmine but the way the flowers smell as opposed to the icky soap I usually get from jasmine on my skin. With something warm and faintly green underneath.

 

Dry on skin - Not entirely sure how to describe this ... jasmine is there in the background, or something very like it but it's also got a warm bread and honey feel to it. I'm not hating this one ...

 

Later - Something woody ( maybe lavender?) coming through now and adding balance to the sweet warmth. I do believe I like this one too. It does help you find peace.

[urbanruralferal]

They've played this tune before. It's called

"White Floral Breakdown," and it ain't for me!

[urraca]

Jasmine and then SOAP. Takes "wash that man right out of my hair" a mite too literally, I think. Not a hint of rose or lavender.

[juniperus]

Soft floral, esp lilies. Gentle and spring-feeling. If a spring bloom could offer a soft kiss, this would be it.

[Christine Daae]

In the bottle: The herbally quality most of the Voodoo blends that I've tried is there, softened by...florals?

 

Wet: This is very pretty! I think this and Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo are the two I've liked the best so far. It could be because I love florals, and this is just so lovely and peaceful-smelling.

 

Drydown: This is very quietly floral. Very unassuming, not particularly old-ladyish or anything like that. I like it!

 

While wearing: There's little to no throw, I have to press my nose up against my wrist to smell it, but I definitely like it. Herbal floral (there must be lavender in here). The first time I tried this blend, I was not suffering a broken heart, but was having a terrible time getting over something a friend had done, and this helped me calm my tears and fall asleep. So I suppose it works for me that way, too!

[lizardling]

This was a frimp that got decapitated and leaked over a couple of other imps in my latest Lab order. So I had plenty of opportunity to smell it as I searched for the culprit.

 

To my nose, it's soapy to high heaven, even when it's not on my skin. And when it is, the jasmine takes over the scent to the degree that even though I only had a tiny bit on my fingertips from picking up the imp to examine, I went running for the sink.

 

Jasmine, get thee behind me and begone. It even squashed any trace of violets, another note that I normally amp as well.