Velvet

[Miss*J]

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

I so wanted to love this.

It smelled all cocoa-y and spicey in the vial, but within seconds of hitting my skin...
I smelled like a head shop.
No chocolate to be found, just sandalwood and myrrh.

Blecch. Not for me.

Oh,vial of Candy Butcher yet to arrive in my mailbox,you're my only hope... Edited October 24, 2006 by Shollin

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Smells like chocolate.

 

On Skin: Chocolate Graham Cookie?

 

On Drydown: Graham Cookie. Not a bad smell but not one of my favorite.

 

After a few hours, it smells spicier and the cookie smell is gone. I suppose its either the sandalwood or the myrrh or a combination of the both. This stage is quite pleasant but it takes like four hours of smelling like a graham cookie.

 

Verdict: I wanted to like this. I have tried Beth's chocolate scents... but so far only Lump of Coal likes me! It's sad. I guess I'll go back to hoarding LoC and cross my fingers that an inquisition comes back...

[PilotKitten]

Chocolate wood... lol. That's all I really get from this. There's a faint hint of the myrrh but it's pretty stamped out by the sandalwood.

[supremegoddessofall]

Lots of coca, but it's not foody. The sandalwood and myrrh are turning this into something very warm and inviting. It's a strange combination, though.

[fridythirteen]

This was a frimp that the magnificent silverlilac tossed into my order - thanks!

 

So, I am a very lucky girl, because I've got a guy who is happy to have me slather him with whatever scent my heart desires After the stunning success we had with Casanova, I thought maybe we could tip a little Velvet on him to see what happened.

In the Imp: I smell chocolate spice cake and incense. It's an odd combination, but intriguing.

Wet: Still chocolate spice cake. On him, there is very little morphing of the scent. He smells like a chocolate spice cake in an incensy Turkish tea room. It's an odd combo, and BF keeps saying, "I smell like a cookie!" Nevertheless, I can't stop burying my face into his neck and huffing deeply. This may be growing on me.

Dry: I like this scent best of all about two hours after application, when there's just a bare hint of it on his skin. He smells kind of like a sexy bakery. At this point, I start calling him my Man-Cookie and furiously attack his neck with my nose. BF says he doesn't mind smelling like a cookie from time to time, if it'll get him this sort of attention. It's definitely not an everyday scent, or a date-night scent...but on a cold evening, snuggled in blankets, drinking cocoa and playing Scrabble? OH YEAH.

 

As an added bonus, I got some on my hands when I opened the imp, so I got to see what it smelled like on a markedly different skin chemistry (mine.) On me, the sandalwood and incense notes fight valiently for dominance, making me smell like a stale oreo cookie that's been buried in the cedar chips at the playground. Periodically, I get a strong whiff of pencil shavings. The overall impression is of Christmastime Cafeteria; most decidedly NOT delicious. But the imp stays, so that I can slather it on the boy from time to time and call him Man-Cookie.

[Holly]

Oooh man. On me, this is like the Holy Grail of perfume...yes there's cocoa, but it's more of a raw, just shaven off of the block type of smell than anything foody. As soon as it dries it melts into the sandalwood and becomes this beautifully warm, purple and golden scent. I'm not doing it justice, but trust me, Velvet is just...PURRR.

[sterlingspider]

bottle: burnt nutty dutch cocoa cookies

 

wet: very dry cocoa predominating though a gritty woodsy note is slowly insinuating itself into the cocoa scent. There's something oddly animalistic to this but not unpleasant... oddly enough it makes me think of lying in the sun with my childhood dog, sort of dusty and comforting, but still kind of like dog. I know that sounds kinda freaky but I'm finding it oddly pleasant.

 

Dry: Uh oh, playdoh time.

 

At least it smells like expensive exotic playdoh *shrugs*

[aestien]

Bottle: dark rich chocolate with a hint of myrrh

Wet: the myrrh and sandalwood move forward to blend with the dark chocolate, and the vanilla adds a sweetness

Dry: this scent becomes rich, sweet, almost incensey on me

 

Myrrh loves my skin chemistry and I love the scent of dark chocolate, so it's no surprise that I love this scent. Inviting, warm, comforting, a little mysterious, and perfect for autumn.

[sophia_helix]

I'm another who got chocolate-mint cookies from this. It's a pretty watery mint, though, kind of reminding me of toothpaste. Eventually it fades into a nondescript woody, bitter chocolate. It's not nearly as bad as most chocolate scents on me (Bliss, etc.), but it's not particularly good either. I think this just isn't meant for my chemistry, too bad.

[em_h]

Very nice on me; the sandalwood is quite strong, but sort of wrapped in a soft, not very sweet, cocoa note. I'm not sure I can really pick out the myrrh, but myrrh is sometimes just a subtle grounding note on me, which makes a blend work without calling much attention to itself. Not a showy scent, but warm and inviting.

[evilbee]

In the bottle: Chocolate and vanilla, but not overly foody.

 

On me: The cocoa and vanilla is ultra smooth, and the myrrh just makes it furry. I’m going to have a love affair with my wrist now.

[jesvet]

Wow, I wish I had found this sooner. The notes are very similar to the new 13- cocoa, vanilla, and sandalwood- and I was so sad when 13 didn't work. THIS is what I wanted it to be. Yummy smooth chocolate mellowing to a lovely soft sandalwood. Love it.

[Iceblink]

This turned into sour chocolate milk on me at first...and then I happened across the imp yesterday and thought I'd try it again, because I love cocoa, sandalwood, and myrrh...and it really works on me now. It's a few months old so I guess this is one that needs to age a bit. I smell the chocolate and the sandalwood, and it reminds me of Cocoa Puffs, of all things. It's also a bit reminiscent of Comptoir sud Pacifique's Amour de Cacao. I put some on before bed last night and kept getting whiffs of it whenever I woke up in the night...and this morning I could still smell it! Beautiful.

[Musamea]

wet: All chocolate, all the time, then the sandalwood begins to make itself known... it smells like cold cocoa spilled over cold wood, not quite the warm, foody scent I was imagining and expecting.

 

drydown: All sandalwood, all the time. Damn, I was so hoping the vanilla or the myrrh would be what my skin grabbed onto. Instead, I smell like a headshop.

 

dry: the sandalwood calms down a bit and the scent turns warmer, with the cocoa sweetening things up.

 

overall: interesting scent, and the sweet cocoa-sandalwood mix that it ends up as is actually quite comforting. But I really can't see enduring the 30 minutes of in-your-face sandalwood to get to that final stage... luckily, I have other Lab comfort scents, so this one's off to the swaps pile.

[cameroncrazed]

In the imp: Sandalwood with a thin coat of chocolate candy coating

 

Wet on skin: Like sniffing a stick of sandalwood that had been used to blend vanilla into a cup of hot chocolate. Nice smooth blend of all three.

 

Dry on skin: Ok, what? Why am I getting a strong mint smell now? The scent is waffling between thin mints and mint toothpaste. Occasionally, I get a whiff of vanilla-ed sandalwood. I'm just a tad bit baffled.

 

Overall: Still baffled by the mint. I cannot figure out where that's coming from, but I feel a bit better since other people smell mint too. At first I thought I'd drunk so much mint tea lately that it was coming out of my pores, but I'm guessing that's not the case. As much as I like smelling like thin mints, that's what Spooky is for. Here's hoping that next time I wear it, I get that sandalwood, vanilla, and hot cocoa mix again.

[PirateMaggie]

I had really high hopes for Velvet, as cocoa, sandalwood, and myrrh all usually play very nicely on my skin, but this just smelled...odd. Wet, it was mostly cocoa, but it was unpleasantly sharp and earthy, which was the myrrh fighting its way to the forefront. Dry, the smell was tempered somewhat by the sandalwood, but the myrrh and cocoa contined to clash, fighting each other with the olfactory equivalent of broken bottles and rusty knives.

[Jenesis]

In the bottle: Chocolate with a slight woody smell.

 

Wet: Chocolate. Chocolate chocolate chocolate. Seriously, I found myself checking to see if I'd managed to smush some melted chocolate somewhere on me this smells EXACTLY like those "seashell" praline chocolates. No other notes at all.

 

Drydown: The woods come out a bit more and mellow the "Woah!" sweetness of the chocolate. The myrrh starts to surface and complements the other notes nicely.

 

Dry: After a couple of hours it hasn't changed much from the drydown - this really doesn't morph on me at all. A nice, sweet scent, a little heady for everyday wear but great when you're cuddled up on the sofa with a duvet and a cup of tea! Upon reading the rest of this thread, I think I'll let my Imp age for a bit before I try it again. Mine was fresh from the Lab, so maybe after a month or so it'll be a bit less heady. Just a thought!

Edited January 25, 2007 by Jenesis

[filigree_shadow]

One thing to note: My imp is one of the ones with the old style white paper labels (the one that has Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab across the top of the back of the label) -- I'm not exactly sure how aged it is, but it's probably at least 8 months.

 

Velvet is a lot of sandalwood and myrrh with just a smidge of cocoa. The myrrh is much stronger in this than it usually is. I wouldn't have guessed there was anything like vanilla in this -- it smells mosty like dark sandalwood. The cocoa makes it smell a bit dry but gives it some warmth too.

 

This is a great scent. Why don't I have a bottle of this yet?

[Browneyes]

Mmmm now this is good

 

Imp and wet: cocoa. But "real" cocoa in my mind, and not the funky choc. note that I get in Vice and Intrigue.

Dry: The soft vanilla and sandalwood notes come out, blending in with the cocoa. This is lovely. Really smooth and yummy.

 

The foodiness level of this is somewhat close to Miskatonic University. Not that they smell alike, but the foodiness level is alike if that makes sense.

If Boomslang is Velvet + Snake Oil I can't wait to order my bottle!

[juniperus]

Bottle: wonderful, rich cocoa..not sweet like drinking chocolate, this is like a fine dusting confectionary bittersweet

Wet: Cocoa and sandalwood..initially sweet to the nose, then growing non-foody and complex as my nose adjusts

Dry: oh lovely myrrh coming up behind, a resinous grounding..still slightly sweet, and I can almost discern a hint of vanilla - but this isn't cakey vanilla, this is the real-extract stuff that stands up on its own.

Later: the vanilla has gained a little strength, but still plays noce. this is love and complex, deep and slightly sweet...it reminds me of (and not the scent, but the multilayeredness) of Watkins rootbeer syrup. That doesn't make sense to anyone, most likely, but it's deep, sweet, and..I dunno... Timeless.

[lightgatherer]

I wasn't sure about this one at first, but after an hour or so on my skin, it developed into something beautiful. The cocoa and vanilla make it sweet and slightly chocolately, while the myrrh deepense it, and the sandalwood keeps it subtle. I couldn't stop sniffing my wrist while I wore this. This is subtle enough to be worn anywhere, and it's quite comforting too. I love it.

[Miladygrey]

There are ghosts of sandalwood and myrrh in here, lovely and wistful and sweet, but what I'm mainly getting is the cocoa. First, rather aghast response--"I smell like a peanut butter cup!". But it's not unpleasant. The name "Velvet" is perfectly apropos; it's a soft, warm, slightly dusty scent that's rather comforting. I'll enjoy my imp.

[TheIceMaiden]

I find Velvet to be a very soothing, relaxing scent. It smells neither foody nor incens-y to me - in fact, I couldn't catagorize it at all. Its an unusual combination of notes, yet it works and I really like it. From wet to dry, its sandalwood and myrrh with a hint of cocoa when wet and a hint of vanilla when dry.

[ankhfangirl72]

Velvet on me smells like warm cocoa and .....pencil shavings??? It's not foody at all and the cocoa fades pretty fast so i'm left with the pencil shavings smell, which I presume is the sandalwood coming out. It's such a warm, comforting scent, I think I'll save it till autumn/ winter as it's not really what I'd want to wear in warmer weather.

Edited May 20, 2008 by *Dani*

[sophrosyne]

I don't know what possessed me to get Velvet, since I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to want to wear anything chocolatey - I just liked the sound of the name, I think. Bad choice.

 

Wet: It's cheap nasty chocolate on me.

 

Dry: Chocolate-scented candles. It doesn't like me, and I like it even less.