Velvet

[AmberBreathing]

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

....Wow. The first time I smelled Velvet my eyes rolled back into my head and I may have moaned, delicious; in a non food way. On my skin the sandalwood is the predominant scent, warm and inviting. The Myrrh adds wonderful depth and complexity without being heavy or cloying in any way. The cocoa is “mmm” without being food-y, I know it’s there but it doesn’t speak up much. Vanilla rounds everything out wonderfully, making it sexy and womanly. I end as I started: WOW!

I just knew my sister and I (la-roja) would fall for the same scent!(which is kind of amazing, we have hugely different ideas of what is a good perfume)

[AnimeKitten]

In the bottle: Chocolate and nuts. Mmm.

 

One: first, the same chocolate an nuts smell. Quickly drys down into a uniform dark bitter/sweet scent. The nutty smell has proven to be a combination of sadalwood aand something else- possibly the Myyrh?

 

I smell foody, without being TOO foody. In fact- I'm making myself hungry.

It's sexy as well- like warm, good quality chocolate, dripping onto the body of someone youve lusted after for years.

Seems to fade fairly quickly...I think I'll put a bit more on. On my neck pehaps. I'm going to meet my man and I think he'll like to take a bite...

 

In short- this makes you smell edible. Not for the shy.

[MissAnthropy]

First whiff: The cocoa vanilla smacked me right in the face! WOW! Talk about making me drool. Foody-yummy-sweet goodness. The hints of sandalwood and myrrh aren't nearly as loud as the cocoa vanilla, which quite honestly, makes me very happy. The more I sniffed it, the more I am reminded of this old "Candy Kitchen" that used to be out here. In fact, it smells almost EXACTLY like the place. And that's good... because the place was beautiful, and had the most amazing concoctions ever. When it closed, we were all very sad.

 

On: Ahh. ha! NOW the sandalwood has taken the front seat. The cocoa vanilla has faded into the background VERY much so, and the myrrh is there, but a very light hint of it. Now it smells more like the local "Ten Thousand Villages" store. And, I'm still very pleased, though I wish the vanilla would have stuck around a little longer.

 

An hour later: Sadly... the scent has really worn down. I don't know if maybe it's because I was really active today, or because I didn't put enough on to start with. But regardless, it faded away to almost nothing. I had to re-apply 2 more times. This 5ml is going to go FAST. And I think it's going to become a scent locket oil more than a skin oil for me.

 

I love this scent, I really, really do... but, my goodness! Where did it go! I miss it. Come back!

 

-Leslie

Edited November 3, 2005 by Shollin

[Tesseljoan]

The first moments on my skin this smells like straightforward chocolate. after half an hour or so the scent becomes a very dry chocolate, more like sandy cocoa powder. I don't really care for this phase of the scent. Even later, it becomes a sweet, vanilla-cocoa incense, which is pretty nice.

[friendthegirl]

This smelled really chocolately when I first put it on, but it's settled down now to a smooth, rich and smoky scent. And I mean smoky in the best sense of the word.

 

Like the fabric, this scent would be best in Autumn and Winter.

[velvet]

i was just about to swap this...

then i had to sudden urge to try it before my bath today again (its been about 3 months)... i sniffed... and sniffed

as soon as i got out of the bathroom i ran to my room to put more on

i really dont care for the smell of it wet, but after wearing it for the first minute or too it started to grow on me

 

i smell a lot of myrrh which ... is a turn off to me, and why i didnt origninally like it

now i can smell a lot of sandlewood, which i love, and why i am keeping it

if it continues to grow on me.. i'll have to buy the 5ml

i really dont smell much chocolate in it still... but it doesnt matter, i like it anyway

 

and i agree what some other people have said... it does remind me of old dusty velvet

 

but in a good and comforting way (not a want to sneeze way)

[summer]

Well, this is the first BPAL fragrance I've tried that is a big uh-uh, no way.

 

Wet, it smelled like dark chocolate and pipe tobacco -- not a scent I'd usually choose to wear, but not entirely unpleasant. Very warm and masculine.

 

However, I've worn it all day, and the more I get to know it, the more I dislike it. It has dried down into a very powdery, bitter, old incensey smell that is just not for me. In fact, I usually use fragrance to cover up smells like this when I encounter them in old attics!

 

I've also used it as a room fragrance today, which, surprisingly, was much nicer. I won't rule it out for that purpose, but I won't wear it again as a perfume.

[ViolentKitten]

Definite chocolate hazelnut in the bottle. Just like dipping your fingers into a jar of Nutella, taking a mouthwatering sniff, then licking your fingers clean. On my skin, at turns it's smoky dark cooking chocolate with a touch of soft hazelnut, then it’s thick crunchy peanut butter. Mmmm, it’s good. And intriguing, because it manages to be foody yet not foody. Especially, after a couple of hours when the soft sandalwood and sweet and slightly bitter myrrh come to the fore and it’s like fresh pencil shavings mixed with the darkest chocolate slivers with a touch of nuttiness in the background. Not one I wear often, but a velvety scent indeed, which I keep getting soft hints of as it lazily drifts up to my nostrils throughout the day.

[Donnababe]

First Sniff

 

Nutty chocolate. I've only sniffed Bliss so far but Velvet seems very similar.

 

Drydown

 

Mellow vanilla 'wood shavings' with a hint of cocoa. Lovely. Even hubby is impressed!

 

 

After a While

 

Virtually no change five plus hours later.

 

 

Final Verdict

 

This stuff has amazing staying power. I have to sniff my wrists now to get the cocoa but it's 13 hours on and Velvet is still around! For anyone who is nervous about foody scents, I don't find this foody at all.

 

I'll be getting more imps for sure - testing Bliss might help me decide whether I buy Velvet in larger quantities.

[miss apple]

Velvet, simply put, is delicious. It the vial it is all chocolate but doesn't come across as a food-like smell, more the essence and depth of high quality melted cocoa. When I first put it on I can smell other things but they are on the fringe and I still get the rich chocolate scent. Drydown the sandalwood mingles with the myrrh and adds a layer that compliments the chocolate very well and creates a more complex perfume that is divine. Velvet lasts for hours on me and is one of my favorites. I originally ordered an imp of this scent and, after wearing it once or twice, I had to purchase a bottle - it's just that good.

[GothicMissManners]

Velvet has become my favorite BPAL scent. There is something so subtle and luscious about it that it really does evoke the feel of good-quality silk velvet to me. I've been wearing it a *lot* lately, because it's been too bloody hot here in Seattle to wear clothing made of velvet.

 

I only wish it lasted longer on me. After a few hours, only the faintest breath of it is still around.

 

I suspect that when the seasons change and the weather will permit velvet clothing extravagances again, I will adore this scent even more.

 

-Jilli

[Nepthys]

This smells just beautiful in the bottle - a rich soft intoxicating cocoa scent. Then I put it on and almost immediately it dries down into something almost cedarish, like the smell of pencils. Then the cocoa note comes back and blends perfectly with the myrrh and sandalwood, and it all adds up to something luxurious and old-fashioned and gorgeous. This is a strangely comforting scent and I find myself wearing it when I'm nervous or traveling. It also lasts a good while on me. Velvet reminds me of childhood, of hot chocolate and the smell of sharpened pencils.

[LiberAmoris]

Velvet manages to be jaw-droppingly sexy, comforting, and delicious all at once. I can detect both the sandalwood and the vanilla, but they’re so well-blended that they seem less like individual notes and more like one note drawn from some heretofore undiscovered tree in Elysium. There’s a drop of cocoa but it’s more fabulous than foody, like chocolate with a case of cognitive dissonance.

 

I wore this today as I was running errands up and down NYC’s Broadway, and even amidst the various and overpowering scents of the city, I could still smell a halo of Velvet around me whenever I stopped walking for a moment to wait for the light to change.

 

If Velvet had a soundtrack, it would definitely include Björk’s Hidden Place from her Vespertine album.

 

This is big bottle material.

[JazzieCazzie]

I probably don't have anything much to add that hasn't been said before me but I did want to chime in on this one because it's become, much to my surprise, one of my favorite BPAL scents.

 

I don't think I ever would have thought to order it on my own based on description, but Summer (see above) sent it to me in a little gifty-swap and I'm in love ...

 

Wet, it is very hazelnutty/chocolate/vanilla. But it dries down to almost pure sandalwood, which I have found to be one of my favorite BPAL notes.

 

Here is the one thing I would add, and I'm also going to post this in the thread that is devoted to this ... if you are a Lushie, I think this would go really well with Gentle Lentil -- that same kind of "chocolate and vanilla at the same time creaminess.

 

REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED APRIL 2013:

 

Working my way through all of my BPAL and am almost done as I finish up the Vs tonight. After trying Velvet I bought a 10 ML bottle and it is from a decanted imp from that bottle that I am reviewing now ... so this is obviously a well-aged scent.

 

IN THE IMP: The absolutely perfect marriage of chocolate and vanilla. Just a moment after that first sniff, the sandalwood also escapes from the imp and waves hello.

 

Dabbed lavishly on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: I no longer get any hazelnut from this (which is good because I've discovered I'm not a big fan of the nutty notes). I think my original observation that this is not unlike Lush's Gentle Lentil is still accurate, a blend of cocoa and vanilla with the soft resin of the sandalwood to round it off and keep it from being a truly foody scent.

 

DRYDOWN: This has great legs and throw, with the sandalwood becoming the most prevalent note as time passes but with that cocoa blend still floating in the background.

 

OVERALL: This is my favorite of the BPAL chocolate/cocoa scents (and I am a fan of them). It ages absolutely magnificently.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 5.

Edited April 21, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[sarahj]

Velvet

 

My first review!

 

In the vial: lovely high-quality cocoa, with a hint of vanilla. I could sniff this all day long!

 

Wet: now the sandalwood and myrrh are peeking out, and as it dries the cocoa gradually disappears.

 

Drydown: the cocoa is completely gone and the sandalwood has taken over, highlighted with a hint of myrrh.

 

Four hours later: I smell only sandalwood, very faintly.

 

Verdict: a nice scent, but probably not for me. I wish the cocoa had stayed! I will hold on to this and try it at least once more before deciding to swap. I may also try it as a room scent.

 

ETA: I tried this again with very similar results. The vanilla stayed more prominent this time and mellowed the sandalwood, but I don't think this is the scent for me, so this will be the first imp to go in my swap pile.

Edited September 13, 2004 by sarahj

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Chocolate! Deep chocolate with an almost hazlenut tinge to it. When my nose lifts from the vial I can smell the thick, creamy vanilla in my nose. Oh...oh my. Is it possible that you can be swept away by a scent?

 

On Me: Now the sandalwood begins to come out, but the chocolate and vanilla blend together with it perfectly. With my nose to my wrist, I smell sandalwood, but take it away and all I can smell is a decadent chocolate and vanilla swirl. Oh...this is divine. It reminds me that I have three balls of chocolate/hazlenut in the hotel room to eat later.

 

Yum.

 

I'd bathe in this stuff. This is a BIG BOTTLE coming soon.

[xoe]

Very first impression: WHOA! A Hershey bar with almonds.

 

After it's on about 10 minutes: A deliciously incensey fragrance. I used to have this incense called "Ethiopian Rocks" (Yeah, great name.) It smells just like that incense. And I really loved that incense.

[Spanglemaker]

Oh my...this is fabulous!

 

Chocolate, but not like a candy bar. A dark, bittersweet cocoa with a smoky quality.

Like melting chocolate over a campfire. And yet, it's not really a foody scent!

 

The other notes are there but they are mingling beautifully with the dark smoky cocoa smell.

 

I have got to get more of this!

[tempete]

I was completely prepared to love Velvet. I adore myrrh and cocoa vanilla, so I figured that a scent which featured both would be a surefire hit for me. What I didn't count on was the sandalwood notes. I have sadly discovered that my skin loves to amp up woody notes, especially sandalwood.

 

So I smelled like damp pencil shavings right after I applied Velvet. Eventually I smelled like a piece of wood that someone had smeared a minute amount of chocolate on, as the cocoa vanilla bravely tried to make its appearance. However, my screwed up body chemistry helped the sandalwood to bludgeon the cocoa vanilla and myrrh into submission (I never did smell any myrrh).

 

I may have to buy single notes of myrrh and vanilla to get what I would have liked Velvet to be.

[kimberlygem]

No cocoa for me sadly. I bet sandlewood and something like fig. I want to love it but it just isn't working for me. I tried it three times and I left it on all day(lasting power is good) but my chemistry is making this very cedar/woody smelling on me. Darn it.

 

 

 

 

Kimberly

[ChupaChup]

I ordered Velvet based on all the rave reviews, even though I was worried about the sandalwood. That rarely, if ever, works on me. Wet, Velvet is heavenly, all I hoped it would be. Like milk chocolate and nuts, Nutella as someone above mentioned. But within five minutes the sandalwood takes over and all I get is pencil shavings. I may try it layered with something like O or Dana O'shee to see if I can keep that intial aroma a little longer because I really do love it.

Edited October 13, 2004 by ChupaChup

[champignon]

My take:

First it smells quite chocolatey and warm, out of the vial and newly on the skin

 

Then it changes into a spicy smoky scent, one that made me crave lapsang souchong tea and campfires.

 

Then it changes into a what I described as "a chocolate ritual." The sandalwood and myrrh emerge prominently (the first group I did ritual with would burn these two together on a censer as part of ritual.) The cocoa grounds them in the background, but it's more like a bitter chocolate grounding base to the airy spiciness of the sandalwood and myrrh. It is not a cloying sweet smell.

 

After a couple of hours, it changes to kind of a spicy bay scent, but at this point it is subtle and mild.

 

That remained for a couple more hours, and then it was gone.

 

Lovely. A new favorite.

[Northernminx]

Chocolatey and smooth in the vial, this ends up being chocolatey but with a more earthy, vanilla twist to it than some of the other chocolate scents. This isn't a hershy bar chocolate, more the faint smell outside of a Godiva store, more smooth and creamy than anything else. The myrrh keeps a nice undertone but this ends up a bit similar to O on me so I'll send it off to swaps.

[Longstofly]

Velvet is so gorgeous.

 

In the bottle it smells almost like a chocolate hazelnut combo. I don't smell anything else. On me, there is chocolate and sandalwood and it is just amazing.

 

Very sexy scent. I love to wear it in my hair.

 

I will definitely be getting a bigger bottle of this. My imp is already almost empty!

[omly]

Velvet was exactly what it should be: warm, rich, dusty and soft. It smells not just of chocolate but the almost bitter cocoa powder. The myrrh is very subtle, and even I (who can usually not wear myrrh) am enthralled by the added bitterness. The vanilla rounds this out and makes it almost edible. I really like this one for the first hour and a half, especially as a comfort scent. Afterwards the chocolate dies back to a more powdery smell.

 

Although similar to Vice this one has a little more rich bitterness, like really expensive dark chocolate. I love them both but wouldn't in any way consider them interchangable.