Velvet

[tsarina]

Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.

The first whiff is sweet, cocoa and vanilla and something else that just smells like the magical alchemy of baking to me. It’s like hovering in the kitchen after I’ve just thrown a cake in the oven, with the smell of batter lingering and the first heat browning the ingredients.

As it dries down it becomes intensely sandalwood, dusky and dry. The cocoa lingers but the sweetness vanishes. It’s lovely. I want to bathe in this now. It lingers for quite a few hours on my skin and makes me a very happy girl indeed.

[faifai]

This is mostly cocoa and something that my nose thinks is mint. Yeah, don't know how that happened. I like it. Eventually it turns into cocoa-sandalwood and I enjoy it enough to use up the imp. It lasts for awhile too--I can still catch whiffs of it hours later.

[Caltha]

Velvet

 

I got this in a swap with sacred_poetry.

 

When I first put Velvet on I was thrilled because I could actually feel the cocoa powder clearly. Sadly, it vanished within five minutes and left a sharp, dry, bitter scent. When wet it was kind of woody, the dry, spicy smell of a wooden box, but it dried to an unidentifiable bitter and unpleasant scent, much like Queen of Sheba did (but while QoS was almond/marzipan-bitter Velvet was woody-bitter). What is it with those supposedly sweet and creamy scents that makes them all bitter and repulsive on my skin? I must investigate common notes...

 

I will wear Velvet once more just to make sure but it will most likely be swapped.

 

Edited a couple of hours later: I just went for a long run in the lovely early autumn evening filled with the sound of praying mantises, and before I went into the shower I sniffed my wrists to see if there was any Velvet left. NOW I get the creamy sweetness, the vanilla/chocolate has finally appeared and replaced the dry, bitter woods (but still grounded by some nice behaving wood) but it's also very faint and just not worth it. There was this sickly note in Jezebel too, perhaps sandalwood hates me and I hate it back? Or it could be the honey in CoS and Jezebel that hates me, but then it must be something else in Velvet. Myrrh, perhaps? But how could honey possibly turn bitter? I guess it's the sandalwood in Velvet and Jezebel and the almonds in QoS...

 

Edited again: I retried it and when I put it on my chest rather than my wrists it went less woody and sharp but still bitter and dry, like cocoa powder without sugar or cream. I like the IDEA of smelling like cocoa powder, but I just don't like the dry and bitter scent and I'm afraid I'm imagining the cocoa since I know it's there.... Off to swaps!

Edited September 6, 2005 by Caltha

[Kittyflop]

I’ve worn this twice, and each time was different. The first time I caught a slight whiff of chocolate-mint, but the mint faded and I was left with a lovely cocoa-sandalwood aroma – very comforting. The second time, thought, it was all Andes Mint Chocolates, from beginning to end. It wasn’t bad, but not something I’d wear much. I’ll give it one more try (hoping it was a chemistry thing) but then will probably move on to another chocolate scent on my list.

 

It did last a very long time though – I put it on in the evening, and could still smell it very faintly in the morning.

[fragrantgrasse]

Velvet...... well, maybe I didn't put enough on, so I am adding a dottle more on each wrist from the 5 ml. bottle I ordered.... without imp-testing first.

 

Over-all I smell chocolate-scented pencil shavings. The myrrh adds a tinge of astringency which is not really helpful on my skin chemistry and the sandalwood, which I had high hopes for has gone AWOL.

 

This is the third time I have tried Velvet and I kept hoping it would warm and soften on my skin but so far it is still too harsh, despite it's evocative name. Nutz.

 

Off to the Swamp pile!

 

[aedes]

Velvet came highly recommended to me, but I had my doubts. I don't like foody scents because they sort of overwhelm my senses and I can only smell the food. And I'm not a chocolate lover, either.

 

But this really impressed me! Wet, cocoa, cocoa, cocoa! Expensive, fine cocoa, but cocoa.

 

As it dried, the sandalwood and myrrh really took the show, like it did for other folks. Great for me because I really like sandalwood and my skin just LERRRVES myrrh, but turns it into this creamy, golden, amber-y smell with little or no bitterness (strange!). It's a good smell, I must say.

 

There's still a little bit of cocoa in there, but it's definitely second-fiddle. There's almost a positive/negative space thing going on here. Is it cocoa with incense, or incense with cocoa? I also definitely concur with the rich brown with gold color comments.

 

After awhile, I almost get an impression of Nag Champa.

 

I'm undecided about it in the end. I don't know if I want to wear it work for fear that the ladies I work with will want to bite off my head like a chocolate Easter bunny, or that I'll curl up in my chair and take a little cat nap. But this would be great for snuggling. Ooh! Or maybe for making a body powder with a silky, plush brown powder puff! That would just be di-VINE.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Beth's Bliss with sandalwood added

 

Wet: Astringent sandalwood with a hint of chocolate. But more of a dusty, dry cocoa than a creamy chocolate. No worries, the sandalwood mellows to warm instead of astringent. This is a wonderful way to make chocolate less foody.

 

Drying: There is less cocoa, now. This is very earthy, and I think mostly sandalwood, but I'm not really picking out specific notes in general--it's well blended and just complex and lovely. It's warm and slightly sweet. I am also feeling like I'm getting some vanilla.

Unfortunately, the throw is nil--45min-1.5 hrs on me and its nearly gone unless you're close up. Its sticks around in this ultra faint phase for a total of 9 hours, but I get just a hint of sweet vanilla sandalwood if I put my nose ON my wrist.

 

Overall: Hmmmm, the staying power is good, but the throw is small. I love this blend. I'm not letting it go quite yet….we will see what the future brings for me and velvet. I think that this has great combination potential!

Edited January 1, 2006 by jewelbug

[brownbear]

oooooh yum

 

This is very chocolatey, but not super sweet. It reminds me of bath and body works' cocoa simplicity stuff.

As it dried more of the incensy sandalwood and myrrh came out.

The dog likes it and she keeps trying to lick my wrist. Now I'll have to try some of the other chocolate ones.

[Monster]

Uhhh! I LOVE this! Out of the bottle it smelled very strongly of chocolate mint icecream to me. I didn't know waht the notes were as i was trying this (tested it as soon as I got it in the mail today).

 

On my skin wet it had an almost bitter chocolate smell to it. I decided at this point, I wasn't going to like this...then came the sandalwood on the dry down. And such a beautiful sandalwood it is! Mmmm this smells beautiful on me.

 

Must buy large bottle

[LyndaM]

I luuurve Velvet. I don't catch any of the myrrh note and just barely get any sandalwood; on me this is a dry, bittersweet chocolate scent with an inexplicable touch of mint. It's dry and rich at the same time, if that makes any sense; with layers, and it seems almost three dimensional.

 

It also makes a very good room fragrance, with lots of throw and staying power. My daughters love it, too. I'm ordering a 10ml to make into light cologne sprays and lotions for them.

 

 

Update: My love for Velvet grows and grows. After sampling dozens of imps, I can now pick out the myrhh and sandalwood, and they are perfectly blended components of Velvet. I luxuriate in the deliciously long, slow drydown. I would bathe in straight Velvet, if I could afford to! It's my second favorite BPAL scent, and often dukes it out with Perversion for first place.

Edited October 3, 2005 by LyndaM

[darkwitch]

In the imp minty chocolate, not quite a peppermint patty but close. On my skin this smells like the hot cocoa I make in the winters, while sitting in front of the fireplace. Hersher's syrup, warm cream and a dollop of Baileys Irish. This is going onto my big bottle list, yummie!!!!!

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression:

This is lovely chocolate and sandalwood. An interesting combination that I would not reccomend as a daytime scent. However, it certainly has what it takes to spice up a nice summer night. My scale of 1-5.... 3.5

[DarkMouse]

In the bottle: (5ml) thick dark chocolate cake with a hint of smoke.

(I have an imp that smells of mint chocolate chip ice cream)

 

On my skin: (5ml)Chocolate incense (is there such a thing?) Its definitely chocolate.. but its so much more rich and dark than Bliss - there is also a musty smell in the background (sandalwood) that makes it so much more than a "foody" smell. It really does make me think of thick dark velvet fabric.

(imp) starts out a minty chocolate and drys down to a thick chocolate cake smell with the musty incense in the background.

 

Verdict: I love Velvet and will definitely be buying another 5ml once I use this one up. I love the smell of the imp from the lab better than the bottle I have because the mint is much more up front.. but I just layer the two together to achieve the same scent. This is much more of a chocolate "perfume" than a foody scent.. its a more sophisticated chocolate. I wear it when I don't want the blatent foodiness of Bliss but still want to smell sweet and warm.

[cranberry]

Velvet is just beautiful! This is from a slightly aged imp, fyi (ordered in March).

 

In the Imp: rich, good quality, expensive cocoa powder. woods.

 

On the Skin: the cocoa smell is quite intense at first. The cocoa blast fades and sandalwood emerges - sweet, creamy sandalwood. It's incencsy and delectable. It's quite strong on me, just a little goes a long way. It has good staying power on me. It reminds me of a more gourmand version of Tushnamatay - it's the same sandalwood, but instead of carnation it's cocoa. Plus it's stronger.

Overall: I like it a lot. Don't know if I'd reach for it enough to warrant a bottle, but I'd like to have an imp on hand. But I have a feeling that this could become addictive. And maybe help curb the odd chocolate craving ... hmmmm, maybe I do need a bottle...?

 

edited due to crappy spelling

Edited October 2, 2005 by cranberry

[inbigtrouble]

A new-found love!

 

I have to admit that I was worried after reading many of the reviews that described a chocolate mixed with pencil shavings scent. But, I am so glad that I ordered an imp of this to smell for myself.

 

I didn't get any pencil shaving effect from the sandalwood at all. In fact, the myrrh didn't really appear, either. What I did get was rich, lucious cocoa. I like this even more than Bliss. I guess it smells richer and more deep to me without the milkiness that Bliss has.

 

This is high quality, unabashed chocolate! I will be ordering a big bottle in the future, for sure.

[Firewaver]

Huh!

This smells specifically of peppermint patties on me... though i'm fairly certain that this isn't supposed to have any mint in it? Yes, it almost makes my nose tingle!

 

It's very nice... a sweet cocoa, a bit richer than Bliss.. it doesn't have the same powdery feel to it that Bliss develops when it dries. I really like the sandalwood, it adds something that is lacking in Bliss. Dont get me wrong, I have a 10ml of Bliss, and I love it, but this might be a nice alternative.

 

Though... I have to guiltily admit that when I sniffed this, the first thing I thought about would be how my 10ml might smell if I poured this imp of Velvet in... hmm. I may have to ponder the possibilities.

 

All in all, I like this, but not necessarily as a replacement for Bliss... more like a variation on a theme.

Edited October 4, 2005 by Firewaver

[Blood onmy hands]

Yay for frimps.

 

Velvet is one that I haven't tried yet for some odd reason. I usually happily grab up anything with the mention of 'cocoa' in it, so I'm not sure what has taken me so long to give Velvet a chance. When I first dabbed some on my wrists I was overwhelmed with the delicious smell of hot chocolate and a sweet buttery vanilla. I keep thinking of hot cocoa with little mini marshmallows in it.

 

15 minutes later, the sandalwood and myrrh are making their presences known. A lovely warm/spicy woods note coming in under the chocolate and vanilla. This is such a warm and cozy scent. The same sort of cozy you find snuggled up in front of a fire in a log cabin, cradling a cup of hot chocolate and a favorite partner.

 

After about 6 hours this has left a gorgeous buttery vanilla smell on my skin. I love it in every stage.

 

I'll be getting a big bottle of this one to slather myself in when the winter chills start getting to me

[Julilla Regina]

I can't believe I never reviewed this, it's one of my faves! This is an amazing blend of delicious chocolate and sandalwood. It somehow manages to be innocent and sultry at the same time. As it warms up on my skin, the sandalwood comes out more and the chocolate becomes a rich undertone. It has good throw, lasts a long while and as the day wears on, the chocolate and sandalwood seem to play tag with each other. I think this is masterful.

[slugbait]

This smells like a chocolate truffle or a bittersweet chocolate. I was worried that the sandalwood would turn into pencil shavings on my skin. But this is a nice, not-overly-sweet-or-foody cocoa scent.

 

As this dries, more vanilla come out and mingles with the cocoa and sandalwood. I think the myrrh adds a layer of depth and warmth that is just exquisite. Velvet isn’t very strong, but it lasts all day and I catch whiffs of it through out the day. It’s a very comforting scent. The more I wear it the more I like it.

 

I’m considering purchasing a bottle of this for the winter.

[Undine]

Very rich chocolate. A bit like being doused in chocolate syrup, if that syrup was made with very expensive cocoa. I also get mintiness, although it's not really strong. And some light spices, a bit like Mexican cocoa in that regard (though much lighter).

 

Throw is OK but the scent fades very quickly. The dab I put on disappeared in under an hour. My skin does eat scents, but I can barely smell it even when I put my nose right up to it.

 

I did want to lick this scent when I first put it on, but this is just waaaaay too foody for me. It smells good, but I don't like smelling like foods, just eating them.

 

On my scale, 2 out of 5.

[harmonyfb]

I love this scent!

 

In the bottle, it smells all dark and chocolatey, and wet on my skin it smells like smooth velvety chocolate. I keep sniffing my wrist, over and over. When it dries, a bit of powder-smell creeps in, but it still has the nice foody overtones I love.

 

My only objection to this is that it goes away too quickly - I'll have to reapply through the day. I'll wear this a bit more, but at the moment, I'm thinking this is my new large bottle perfume.

 

ETA: As it dries down, the sandalwood wafts up - I smell wonderful. Definitely a keeper.

Edited October 12, 2005 by harmonyfb

[Wench457]

In the imp this is a delicious chocolate mint. On, the mint gets sharper for a bit, then the chocolate moves back to the starring role. Only now its stale chocolate, like that Halloween stash you forgot about for two months. Eventually, it was all about chocolate scented plastic. I shall have to seek my chocolate scent elsewhere, it seems.

[parrot_suspect]

This is like Girl Scout Thin Mints with an undertone of nuts. The description sounded perfect -- I was hoping for a smooth blend of cocoa and sandalwood, but it doesn't come across that way on me. It's foody, but not in a good way. Definitely a disappointment.

[SeaMonkey]

In the vial its all chocolate. On my skin, Chocolate and sandalwood. There's something in here that is turning a little mint on my skin and I'm not sure I like the mint/sandalwood combination along with the cocoa.

[Fefferbella]

Velvet is absolutely decadent!

 

In the vial, the richness of the cocoa is almost overpowering; but there is hint of something spicey underneath.

On my skin the sandalwood and vanilla notes come out and mix perfectly. Such a warm and comforting scent.

 

After 30 min, the scent is purely sandalwood and myrrh with an underlying sweetness.

 

Deffinately a keeper.