Vicomte de Valmont

[melrose]

Rake, scoundrel, demon in a frock coat. Devilishly seductive, ultimately tragic; a villain undone and redeemed by love. Based on an 18th century gentlemen’s cologne: ambergris, white musk, white sandalwood, Spanish Moss, orange blossom, three mints, jasmine, rose geranium and a spike of rosemary.

Overwhelmingly pine at first; dries down to sharp pine with a bit of sandalwood and sweetness underneath. This stage is yummy, but very faint. Not bottle-worthy, but definitely imp-worthy.

[FathomBelow]

Gah, just managed to spill half the imp on my wrist.

Wet on skin: Let's see...I can smell the mint and a bit of the rosemary, as well as some unknown components...the Spanish moss, perhaps? It smells clean and manly, which eliminates Valmont from bottle-worthy status for one of my rather feminine tastes. But I would enjoy smelling this on someone else - it projects strength and confidence. Oddly, this doesn't smell romantically appealing as others have noted...it's more of a father-figure scent, to me.

As it dries: Gets deeper and muskier - the ambergris and white musk coming out to play, maybe. The rosemary and (maybe) Spanish moss are as strong as ever, although the mint is diminishing. Thankfully, the white musk has not yet turned nasty as it does sometimes with Whitechapel on me.

 

I like it and may just keep it around although I won't use it. It's a pity I don't know any guys who are into scent.

[angelicruin]

Sharp. Smells like cologne. Very masculine. And, fortunately, cannot smell jasmine note. This might smell awesome on my hubby. But not so much for me.

[starfish327]

i've been putting off trying this imp for awhile, putting it back in the test bag every time i pull it out. i sort of see why now- perhaps the bpal gods were trying to tell me something.

 

it's very soapy on my skin, a screamingly high soap. periodically i get whiffs of orange blossom but that's the only note that i can identify right now. it's tolerable right now because it's so humid and warm in my room but i don't see this working at any other point of the year- it almost registers as a snow note on me, and snow notes rarely work (snow bunny is the only blend that snow isn't painful to my sinuses).

[ianastar]

Out of the bottle this was so tangy and offensive.

 

Wet and drying down it's more of a old man's aftershave, a typical men's fragrance kind of scent.

 

After it settled on me, it became more soapy like.

 

Overall, I'm not a fan, but think I might give it to the hubby and let him wear it. It might be wonderful on him, but just not for me.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

I didn't try this one on myself, as it's way too masculine for me, but my BF willingly obliged.

 

I don't really smell any distinct notes, it just smells like really yummy dude cologne on him. Fresh and bracing. I like it, he likes it - I just have to go easy because it can overpower.

[yakiguri]

Worn on my husband, as it's a bit too manly for me.

 

I have to echo others in saying that no distinct notes really jump at me (but the mint, which my husband amps), but Valmont is the smell of clean man. Definitely needs to be on a strong, confident male, not a sissy, but I don't get "rakish lady-killer" from Valmont either; it smells too "safe" for that. I agree that it teeters too close to mainstream cologne/Axe/Dad/brother. The scent of it my husband leaves behind on the pillows when he leaves for the night shift is comforting and protective rather than "damn that man!". Not intense and seductive, just the good clean scent of a good clean man. Decent throw and great lasting power.

 

Comparing Valmont to the other male scents I've tried, Casanova's your friend-with-benefits, Byronic Antihero's your one-night-stand, and Valmont's who you marry.

[milo]

Oh, this is very manly one! I'm getting bright citrussy musk with coconut, or something sweet here. After a bit, it is more subdued, not as bright, and the sweetness is gone. Reminds me of a guy right out of the shower, with a manly shower gel scent wafting out of the bathroom. There's a bit of cologney aftershave wafting from him. This would be nice on a guy, but not for me.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: leather slaps my face straight from the imp...wait.. no leather. I didn't know whale barf could be leathery. The spanish moss is amping on me as well. this is a very fragrant cologne. Not dark and brooding, just classic springy summery aftershave. I can detect orange blossom and the mints but bummed that I can't smell the jasmine. Confusing well-blended scent.

 

Drydown: ambergris and orange blossom. The rest are in the background, mixing, melding, confusing. I feel like I'm back in Jr high raiding my dad's cologne stash. (Yes,that was a popular thing gals did when I was that age)

Edited February 10, 2011 by SophieCedar

[Marina]

As many others have said, this smells like a regular department-store men's cologne when sniffing the imp and when wet. But after about an hour, it starts to assert its individuality. It still smells like a cologne, but a deeper and more complex scent that the usual drugstore fare. I'd snuggle up to a guy who smelled like this any day, and would feel safe and loved. But that's how it smells on me. I put some on my sweetie, and it ended up smelling like a Hells Angel after working on his bike--a tang of metal and motor oil. Which isn't a bad thing, but was surprisingly masculine compared to how it smells on me. I don't think I would buy a bottle, but I will definitely use up the imp.

[birthdaycake]

This is so fucking sexy.

 

ETA: I wouldn't wear this on myself. On a man, however...

Edited June 3, 2011 by birthdaycake

[Lysandre]

I was really excited about getting this scent, as I heard it got great reviews.

 

From the Bottle: Very sharp. To me a mix of aftershave lotion, wood scents, and tobacco.

 

On: OMG so SEXY. This reminds me of my Boyfriend. Smells exactly like him. I haven't been able to stop smelling my wrist all day.

 

Overall: I'd definatly recommend this scent for men, or as a gift to a man. Keep in mind, it might be dangerous for those around them.

 

:love!:

[tailoredshirt]

I'm testing this from an aged imp, and unfortunately I'm getting the impression that this is probably best when it's fresh.

 

This smells like men's aftershave to me. I'm definitely getting musk and mint, along with some florals, aquatic, and rosemary. Ambergris doesn't age very well, so I'm assuming it's already faded away as I don't really get any here. The whole blend sweetens and quiets down a little bit as it dries.

 

I'm not a huge fan, but I'd be interested in testing a fresh imp to see if it's any different.

[KindKit]

Much more floral than I was expecting. The jasmine and geranium seem to overpower the orange blossom and mint, which I only get hints of. After an hour and a half or so much of the floral wears off and I'm left with a fairly sweet musk with a bit of woodsiness.

 

I don't hate it but I don't love it either. Too floral and too, well, ladylike for me, since I prefer masculine scents. The description says this is based on an 18th century men's cologne; maybe tastes have changed since then.

[maoric]

In the vial: Light floral cologne.

 

Freshly applied: Musky, warm, aquatic, dark floral cologne. I was worried the flowers would make it sweet, but this is anything but. One of the first reviews says not to mistake this as a feminine scent even though it has the flowers, and I'd have to say they're right.

 

Drying: Vanishes at the start like a lot of scents do on me, and returns as a faint-but-there warm cologne.

 

Later: Not a lot of throw, and the scent seems to come and go. It's close to the skin, but still smells like a warm cologne. After a few hours I can faintly pick up some sandalwood, but normally the notes blend so well in this that no single notes can be easily picked up.

 

All in all this scent is really good. If it were stronger/had more throw it would probably be a bottle contender for me easily. It's very much a traditional cologne-esque smell, but unlike Herbert West (another traditional cologne scent that I've tried and liked), it's much smoother around the edges. Herbert West is crisp, fresh and loud, Vicomte is definitely quiet, warm, and smooth.

 

I don't know if it's just the preconception everyone's descriptions gave me, but while smelling this I kept thinking about being with my girlfriend. Not that it reminds me of how she smells or anything, but I just kept thinking of some of our more amorous moments and wanting to be with her. At least that's a better mental image than I would normally think from something based on the Vicomte de Valmont

[rhubarb3point14]

Vicomte de Valmonte goes on very crisp, herbal, and elegant, and it only gets better from there. It's minty and orange-blossomy, but also increasingly musky and warm and sexy as it dries. It makes me feel LIKE A MILLION BUCKS. It’s empowering, even exhilarating. It makes the hair stand up on my arms. It makes me feel… almost a little reckless.

 

This is a unisex fragrance, to me. And also completely unlike anything else I've worn.

 

Ooh, yeah. I would wear this for a job interview, or to try to sell something, or to gamble. It has a can’t-lose feel about it.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: Oil is clear and colorless. It smells exactly like men's cologne - so much so that I can't distinguish any individual notes. Men's colognes haven't changed much in the past 300 years, apparently!

 

On me, wet: Pretty much the same, but I am getting a sense of fresh herbal greenness and orange blossom, maybe a bit of musk. Just slightly less sharp than department store men's colognes (which is a good thing in my book.) Basically a typical, generic, men's cologne.

 

On me, just dried: Now a definite green note is evident - rosemary and moss. Some geranium, but no hint of rose to it. Just a little mint, but it's mostly providing sharpness rather than an actual minty fragrance.

 

After 10 minutes: The same, a little softer.

After 30 minutes: No change.

After 1 hour: Still men's cologne, but most of the sharpness is gone.

After 2 hours: Same as above.

After 3 hours: Almost gone.

 

Verdict: This all men's cologne, all of the way: too men's cologne-ish for me to actually wear. But I will keep the imp for its historical interest. I think my sons would like it, too, and I'll share it with them. It's very much like the fragrances that one of them favors.

 

My rating: 3 stars

[GoddesShel]

Oh.My.god. I am in SO MUCH trouble. I got this as a Lab frimp. So I'm doodling around the site trying to find the review and the first thing I see is "Drakkar, only better."

 

Y'all know those email memes that used to go around asking what your favorites were? Well, my favorite smell was always listed as "Chris on Saturday". Which means shower, and crisp shirt, and Drakkar and well, Chris! So when I saw that review, I tried the imp. They were SO right. To my nose, at least, this is Chris on Saturday amped to the millionth power (in a good way). Let's put it this way: If he was here, wearing this, I wouldn't be typing right now!

 

I can't wear it - it's too male for me (I got some on my thumb opening the imp and left it, because it just smells so "CHRIS".) But yummmmm... I cannot WAIT for him to get home and try this. If it does on him what I'm sure it's going to, there will be a bottle in his future.

 

ETA: I just got him to try this. I'm huffing his arm, LOL!! He says he gets the Drakkar on steroids part of it, but he's not sure it needed to be amped that much. My nose tells me differently, because if he hadn't just walked out the door on the way to Walmart I would have been steering him toward ... well, you get the idea. OMG wait, I let him go out in PUBLIC smelling like that??? The poor man will be molested before he returns to me!!

Edited December 24, 2011 by GoddesShel

[romarin]

On my and the spouse both, it's pleasant in a floral/herbal, no very definite notes way. It starts a lot like Cologne water and dries to something a lot like the herbal shampoos of our youth. It's ok, but there are other BPAL scents I like better.

[curlsandpearls]

Bottle: Whoo boy, that’s sharp! Smells like a perfume counter at a department store. Yeah, I can definitely see how this is based on an old school men’s cologne. The orange (I think) it’s twisting the white musk and white sandalwood base in a “meh” way, and the ambergris is there with all the grit and grime, so I’m going to try this and… we’ll see. *is a little hesitant

 

Wet: I only had to put a little on my wrist to get the wow, in-your-face power. Ambergris, white sandalwood, and orange with a little mint is what I can smell off of this right now. It’s a very, very sharp scent on me. It’s odd—I’m testing Tree of Life on my other wrist, and the orange is so soft it’s almost indistinguishable in that blend. This, on the other hand, is all grit and grime and citrus.

 

Dry: Ooh, jasmine, hello, you were in cahoots with the orange! Yeah, this isn’t gonna work. I’m increasingly of a mind that ambergris is not something I can do (which is weird, since vetiver is kind of my BFFL), and the jasmine and orange notes are amping on my skin like no other, so… yeah.

 

Later: Almost soap-like. Really expensive soap in a really expensive department store cosmetics/perfumes section. Swap pile.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Good lord that's manly. Possibly getting some orange blossom and mint.

Wet: The orange is lovely, and I'm getting some herbal notes too.

Dry: A nice mix orange blosson, herby notes, and INTENSE MASCULINITY. Far, far too manly for me, but would be amazing on the right dude.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Deep green with a woodsy spiciness. Warm and complex. Quite manly.

 

Drydown/Dry: This smells exactly like my husband! Well, his deodorant actually - or him wearing his deodorant to be precise. I’d like to wax poetic about the notes, but all I can think about is resting my head on my husband’s shoulder. Ugh this is distracting (at work and shouldn’t be thinking of shirtless cuddle time)! Needless to say, I really really enjoy this, but I’ll probably be handing the imp off to the hubby.

 

 

 

 

7.5 out of 10 bones

Edited July 2, 2013 by BoneBone24

[miishanyan]

I was lucky enough to score this one as a frimp with a recent order, and tried it for the first time today. Oh my goodness me

 

In the bottle, it smells like that familiar 'man smell' sort of thing, a cologne, and a nice one at that. It reminds me a lot of my dad!

I always used to love wearing his cologne, so I slathered this on a bit.

It's lovely on. It stays quite masculine, but I don't mind that at all. I think my girly will like it on me! It's got this lovely floral backdrop to it, and is such a nicely blended scent. I'm not really able to pick out any one note in particular.

Love it, and am honestly considering a bottle for those days when I want to smell more masculine.

[shirohane]

This reminds me of Drakkar Noir. It's very masculine scent. And very long lasting too! I spilled a drop on the back of my hand and I could still smell it after 6 hours despite washing my hands a good number of times that night.

 

Smells very mossy and woody with a hint of sexy jasmine on the boyfriend.

[Miss Despair]

Got an imp for the boy to try, and we both liked it. I'm not good with notes in general, and with this one it was even tougher- I couldn't recognize anything but the sandalwood. Mostly, it smells like a nice cologne. After drydown, it gets a hint of something a little soapy, but not enough to be overpowering or off-putting.

 

I actually only added this to my order because it kept coming up in the masculine/gender-neutral thread, not really expecting him to go for it, but surprisingly, he liked it a lot. Which is lucky, 'cause I like it too!

Edited December 6, 2013 by Miss Despair