Velvet

[strangemusic]

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

This is the first "foody" scent I have ever tested in my life, aside from smelling like food I've actually prepared. I am very, very dubious about this. Upon uncapping, I get a snootful of the darkest, highest quality bittersweet chocolate on top, with something lightly sour/sweet underneath it... the 'taste' is of too much sugar, or too much of two differing kinds of sweetness, such that one's tongue becomes flat and sour-tasting. Only palate cleansing and water can help this.

Wet: Sharply cocoa for about fifteen minutes, then the 'too-much' rushes up to horn in.

Dry: Chocolate Play-Doh. Nay, I say. Nay.

Originally posted to my LiveJournal 22 May 2006. From the description, I can now guess that the 'too-much' effect was generated by the myrrh/vanilla mixture, with heavy emphasis on the myrrh. I'd actually liked that sharp chocolate (reminded me of 70% dark choc), and could have gone with this scent, at least the imp, had the chocolate lasted longer. Edited September 29, 2007 by Shollin

[provocateur]

this, all around, from sniffing it in the bottle to three hours after application stayed a chocolate brownie batter. No myrrh, no sandalwood, no coco-vanilla.

 

so, rather than eating my own arm, i made a batch of brownies and put this in the sale/swap pile. 0/5

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Cocoa & vanilla.

 

On me: It's amazing how the sandalwood comes out when it hits my skin! This is now all sandalwood followed by cocoa, then very sweet vanilla, and finally myrrh, but I really don't notice it. It comes out a bit more as it dries, but it still hides out in the background. The sandalwood really calms down the cocoa and vanilla after a while, too, making it smell less like food and more like fragrance. Haha.

 

Verdict: I like this a lot. At first I didn't think I could use up a bottle, but now that the sandalwood has almost completely calmed down the cocoa and vanilla, I think it would actually make an awesome, comforting scent for the wintertime!

 

Rating: 5/5

[Melantha]

All I really get is chocolate, and not the good quality stuff, either. I'm sad, because this sounded divine.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: Aaah! Very sharp, bitter chocolate (it smells like Lindt bitter chocolate to me) and that vanilla note that always strikes me as this side of stale. The combination is almost nutty, and I can't smell the sandalwood.

 

Wet: Wow--very strong clash between vanilla and chocolate.

 

Drydown and wear: After reading the reviews of this scent, the only reason I kept it on my wishlist was the sandalwood. <Red Stripe guy>Hooray Sandalwood!</Red Stripe guy> As the scent dries, the sandalwood becomes more prominent and blends beautifully with the cocoa scent. The end result is buttery (though this is fading fast on me) and would work real well either in the dead of winter or on certain summer days (when it's warm, but not too warm) where you want to enjoy the heat (with appropriate sunscreen protection, natch). I will definitely keep the imp.

[RavenVelith]

In the bottle: Smells like this chocolate bar I ate one time. Kinda spicy chocolate but not so spicy...I dunno. But it's soooooooooooooo chocolate. <3

 

Wet: ...what the...is my nose WEIRD?!? ::.rereads the description a million times.:: Why do I smell...mint...? It almost smells like a chocolate mint candy on a piece of wood. O.o;

 

Dry: ....ew...I don't like how this turned out...I smell no chocolate anymore. Smells like...dusty...dark...gross. At least my sister liked it.

[gypsybaby1]

Love, love and ah, did I mention LOVE?

 

I bought this sweet little imp earlier this week off of a forumite and to my surprise it arrived in the mail today.

 

At first whiff in the imp, it smelled ilke hot chocolate and something else - can't describe what, but it wasn't unpleasant. There's a very mellow feeling.

 

On... I was very wary of developing a headache, as I could still smell my perfume from the morning, but one whiff of this and the other scent went scurrying away! The drying took longer than I'd wanted (I'm impatient!) and as I drove, I sniffed one hand, then the other: and what I got was something warm, soft and rich smelling. What the individual scents were, I can't pick out, but I know I like it.

 

Two hours later, I inhale softness, a gentle warmth with a bit of a powdery edge... like homemade hot chocolate - out of cocoa powder and cream, with a slight spiced bite.

 

Definitely a keeper - must have a 10ml before they're done away with!

 

ETA: I kept catching whiffs of this last night as I was trying to get to sleep... and I kept smelling toasted nuts, warm fresh from the oven toasted nuts mixed in a thick chocolate yet to be sweetened.

 

Heavenly, just heavenly!

Edited July 14, 2006 by Gypsybaby

[alasindocs]

I have the strangest chemistry in the world I am beginning to suspect.

 

This was a frimp that I finally got around to trying..

 

This smells like chocolate in the bottle..straight up chocolate.

 

On me it morphs into something with a very deep tobacco-y note.

 

I cannot place the individual notes, but it really smells good on me, my ex husband was here picking up our son and said "God that smells great"

 

"Sort of like a smoking jacket looks"

 

Huh...whattya know it sure does, it smells..like a velvet smoking jacket looks.

 

Rich and smoky..and dark.

 

Anyway..suprise suprise..

 

Gonna have to get me a bottle of this..

[Summerpixy]

Chocolate and something dark and rich, must be the myrrh. Suprisingly this scent doesn't last long on me considering how nice it wears. While Bliss is brownie batter, this is walking into a room scented with dark chocolate and spices, yum.

[Taniwha]

I laughed so hard when I first put this on. Although my brain knew exactly what I was sniffing, all I could smell was warm Nutter Butters. I had to actually close my eyes, and concentrate on sandalwood, which I know so well, to tell myself that's what it was underneath. After a few minutes, the cookie went away, and I was left with the most luxurious, deep sandalwood, with just the faintes touch of the cocoa and vanilla. This is an exquisite scent - very long lasting and deep. It made me feel very calm and still.

[Elrianra]

3 Musketeers may be a better name for this one in the bottle, it reminds me strongly of a nouget and peanuts in chocolate concoction. Wet, the cocoa smoothes slightly leaving a bitter myrhh blend. Where'd the peanuts go? As it dries, the sandalwood takes a subtle prominence. Oxymoron anybody? This is playful and interesting but there's nothing classy or "velvet" about this to me. It is just too candy for me. (What is with the Bewitching Brews going candy on me these days?) I think I'm going to have to say no thank you to this little impy. But thanks for playing.

[portalkat]

I read the description, loved all of the notes, so on with the show.

 

Wet - strong cocoa without any sweetness and it does not seem at all appealing. After about 2 minutes, I begin to smell the sandalwood mingling with the cocoa. The wood adds the sweetness and the cocoa starts to smell more like milk chocolate, however it disappears just after the vanilla arrives. Now it smells more like vanilla/sandalwood incense because the myrrh shows up to join the party. I wish that the chocolate had hung around longer, but since I have been on a quest for a BPAL blend that smells like incense, I am loving this. Anything with vanilla smells good to me and anything that smells like incense gets a nod of approval, add them both together and that is a bottle order for me.

[fairy]

In the bottle this is amazing. Once on it took on the smell of a pipe (tobacco). I'm not tossing this one into the swap pile just yet, as I do get sniffs of yummy chocolate...if only the smoke smell wasn't there. After a bit the tobacco smell does disappear...so this is a keeper, just not an upgrade to a bottle one

[Lanet]

First this was all sandalwood. Then there was a slight chocolate smell, but as others have mentioned it's not Bliss chocolate - it's more cocoa. And now that it's dry it smells very smoky and "something". I don't know what myrrh smells like so maybe that's the "something".

 

Overall I'm not very impressed.

 

eta: I just stuck my wrist in my husband's face and asked what he thought without giving my opinion. He said he liked it a lot. Different strokes for different folks...

Edited August 13, 2006 by Lanet

[steffanina]

Velvet-

 

In Bottle: Chocolate! Chocolate and mint.

 

Wet: Now it's less like mint and more like...there's something woodsy under the chocolate. Like pine trees. I really don't smell the sandalwood at all, not in the way I'm used to thinking of sandalwood. Yum! That piney undertone really sets off the chocolate smell. I feel like a wood nymph who's been left a gift of cocoa beans.

 

Dry: That piney scent is starting to smell more like sandalwood now and the chocolate is less evident. I really like how this is reacting on my skin.

 

Overall: I like! Maybe even love.

[BronteJD]

Got a frimp of this from an ebay auction.

 

In the bottle: Dark, spicy chocolate.

 

Wet: Same. Instant falling in love reaction, must have a bottlenowplease. Just rich complex chocolate - not Hersheys chocolate, but something darker and more sophisticated.

 

Drydown: Hmmm....sandalwood and myrrh REALLY take over. The chocolate fades into the background and the woodsy smell is borderline overpowering.

 

Overall: I think I need to test this again. I absolutely loved it at first, to the point that I walked over to the computer to set up a new order, but the woodsy smell made me take a step back. It's a delicious scent, but I'm not sure if it's what I want.

 

EDIT: Wore this to work today. LOVED it. Maybe it was a time of day thing, but this time I put it on the AM before leaving, and it smelled absolutely divine all day...the chocolate and sandalwood balanced out perfectly. Also, it LASTED most of the day, which is odd, as most of the BPAL scents have a tendency to fade on me. But yes, will be ordering a bottle post haste.

Edited August 23, 2006 by BronteJD

[indicolite]

Cocoa, vanilla, myrrh, sandalwood - what's not to like?

 

Plenty, it seems. I guess I am just not a foody person. The cocoa echoes the Centzon Totochtin (which is on my other wrist) and it smells like drak, spicy chocolate indeed.

 

But I am not dark spicy chocolate, no matter how much I loved myrrh in Masabakes and Lust.

 

I think there are plenty of women who would love Velvet. But I am not one of them.

[Scrangie]

In the bottle: Chocolate and dust.

 

On my skin: Chocolate and pencil shavings.

 

Now, despite the unflattering impressions, I really do love Velvet. It's like Bliss, but with a more sophisticated edge. Something to make it not just plain chocolate.

 

Fades really, really fast though.

[dawna]

In the vial: OMG chocolate love!! Eeeeeeeeeeee There is a slight milkiness to this which is the vanilla I would guess. The chocolate is much different from Bliss or any of the other chocolates that I have tested.

 

Wet on the skin: Holy sandalwood and chocolate batman! I've lost all of the vanilla for some reason and it is all sandalwood and chocolate. It is a really nice combination though. This kind of reminds me of the Choxie Aztec Thin bar that I adore that has Ancho Chilis in it.

 

On drydown: Oh wow, this didn't turn icky. I've had a bad run of luck with the chocolate blends going icky on me with the exception of Bliss which I adore. This is all sandalwood and chocolate with a faintest hint of myrrh which I love. This is a really exotic scent to me. I really do love this.

[kryshki]

At first it smells good and chocolatey with just a small vanilla hint.

 

After drydown it goes terribly wrong though, and just keeps getting worse. Like pencil shavings/bad creme de menthe on a dirty mummy.

[akabob]

This works well on my skin, I guess. It IS very sandalwoody, but I think the myrrh keeps it from going the way of the hippy. I DO agree with some of the other reviews...If only there was a touch more of the cocoa scent in there for a bit longer. It smells insanely beautiful at first, and then tapers off into a pretty but less stunning scent. I really like it...it reminds me of Catholic churches for some reason. Maybe the incense from my childhood church was myrrh.

 

Not 5ml bottle material...unless I can find a cocoa scent to mix with it....mweeheeheee

[Trish]

In the imp: Chocolate covered perfume

 

Wet: Chocolate vanilla covered sandalwood. Very foody.

 

Drydown: The chocolate's turning bitter, not in a bad way but more like dark chocolate. It's a little incensey too, due to the sandalwood and myrrh and isn't nearly as foody now. As it dries a little more the sandalwood and myrrh start to compete with the cocoa for the title of most dominant note. I hope sandalwood wins.

 

Dry: It hasn't changed a lot at all. It's sandalwood, myrrh, cocoa and a touch of vanilla in that order, and has medium throw (but I didn't put much on). I am so close to loving this, and yet... *sigh*. I was hoping the cocoa wouldn't be as strong as this. I love sandalwood and it's lovely and strong in this, with the myrrh adding some extra incense and almost spice and it's a combination I love. It does remind me a bit of pencil shavings, but I happen to love that smell. But the cocoa just doesn't do it for me. I just don't like smelling of anything foody unless it's spice or alcohol. I do however like it a lot more than the first time I tested it when it turned to overpowering myrrh. Then again, I was hungover.

 

 

Despite my mixed feelings I'm keeping the imp, because I think it might grow on me plus I want to see what aging will do for it.

 

 

EDIT

 

Well I did keep it, and forgot all about it until I tested Intrigue and fell for it. So I dragged out Velvet and retested it. Now I don't know if aging has changed it or my nose is far more Bpal educated now (probably both since the myrrh does seem smoother), but I really like this a lot more now. Not enough to get a bottle, but enough to wear it to work!

Edited March 7, 2007 by Trishek

[sofiaviolet]

This is cocoa and spice. The cocoa is overwhelmed by everything else. I was hoping to like this, but I really really don't. I'm going to have to wash it off.

[jasmine]

This smell is angry at me. Woodsy and spicy, but in a sharp, tangled sort of way. I think it’s probably the myrrh that is confusing me so badly. Something sweet is in there, but it’s all odd.

 

As it dries, it commences mellowing, I think. There is distinctly a chocolately flavor here. It’s a dark scent, and I had been saying that I wanted to try a scent with more substance, so I can hardly complain about that... but it’s not as smooth as I expected. I think it’s the myrrh I don’t like. Distinctly dark brown, if I were assigning it a color. I’m going to allow it time and see what it is like when it dries all the way, but... whatever smells smoky isn’t thrilling me. Now it smells like sharp smoke, which may be exactly what it is supposed to smell like, but I’m not happy with it if it is. I'm afraid my mental image is of ash trays.

 

After an hour, I suspect that I don’t like myrrh. I like the cocoa tinge of this scent, but there’s something about this that just smells smoky in a way that I don’t want to smell. It may be the sandalwood instead of the myrrh, but I don’t think so -- my nose for sandalwood isn’t much, but I don’t think it ever manifested on me. The scent has faded quietly into my skin, which is good, since it still strikes me as unpleasantly smoky. At this point, it is detectable only about four inches from application.

 

Later, I checked in with one of my roommates to see if the weird smell might be myrrh. He said it wasn’t, but that it reminded him a bit of the cologne English Leather. Fair enough -- I could see that this scent might be good on the right man. I am not he.

[maijasu]

Velvet started with a chocolate bang, but that was, unfortunately, short-lived.

 

Once the chocolate disappears, all I can smell is the myrrh, as my skin eats sandalwood right up. It's kind of sweet and incensey, but definitely not the chocolate scent I was hoping for.