Bruised Violet Compound

[Leopard403]

Promotes vigor in undeath, and relieves the discomforts and complaints so common to incorporeal spirits!
The learned and eminent scholar Alessandro Cagliostro once remarked, “Long experience has taught me to prize Doctor Constantine’s Compounds above all others!”
Crushed violets, red currant, patchouli root, and Spanish moss.

A rooty, earthy scent, this is not your typical light, sugary violet. It is dark and seductive. The patchouli root acts as an herbal base note, and I'm not sure my nose likes it. I will have to wear this a while and report back.

[hellomoonglow]

I don't know what it is, but several oils have a lingering undertone of dill on me. This is one of 'em. Luckily, the dill fades rather quickly, like a half hour, but still. Dill! Weird! I like this overall, it's dusty and violety and wet. Me likeys!

[lmaunu]

This is a much darker, deeper violet than the violet notes in Violet Ray and Le Serpent Qui Danse. I think it's the other notes that give it that richer tone, and it really does feel . . . bruised! It feels dark and velvety . . . like crushed velvet violets.

 

I was expecting this scent to be light and Violet Ray to be dark, but each one has the opposite feel to me of what I originally expected. I thought this would be a lighter, more summery scent, but it's very dark, sexy, and mysterious. I really, really like it!

[rosebud]

Mostly patchouli and violets on my skin. Very dirty, almost masculine at first. After a few hours the violet is dominating and has become a bit powdery (still dirty, though -- like Leopard403 said, definitely not light and sugared).

 

I love violets, and this is really beautiful and different from anything else I've tried

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Patchouli root - very dirty and dark and well, rooty, sorta sweetly so - and dusty moss. A hint of tart currant. Barely any violet, oddly.

 

Wet: Rootier, less incensey, in terms of the patchouli, which still dominates. Dust moss remains. Red currant AMPS, thankfully, bringing tart, juicy fruit and some brightness to this otherwise very dank, musty blend. The violet too is coming out a bit, though it's still the weakest note - it's like tiny wild wood violets - delicate, creeping.

 

Dry: Patchouli loses some of that sickly sweet rootiness, but is still quite dirty and soil-like. Dusty, dusty moss. The currant, which barely cuts through those two strongest notes, is quite citrusy-tart, but much less juicy-fruity, and barely identifiable. Violets have amped a bit, and are a bit woody and powdery; they do feel bruised, trampled beneath everything else.

 

Summary: The violets finally struggle into prominence, and while not powdery, they have that classic, soft depth. Together with the sweetly dirty patchouli and dusty, dank moss, the blend is incredibly musty, like a damp basement that's crumbling and rotting and plants are growing between the cracks. If I strain, a faint glimmer of bright, tart currant sometimes flits through. Low throw but it lasts and lasts.

 

I was happy to wash this one off, I have to say.

Edited May 4, 2008 by fairnymph

[quigza]

In the bottle: Masculine fragrance. It is much with the patchouli. Slightly violet, a little juicey & sweet, but earthy, & rooty & almost sweaty

 

Wet: Violets & patchouli are fighting a surprisingly invigorating battle on my skin. The juicey sweetness is a little stronger & there's some greeny/earth still there.

 

Dry down: Dark violets in a louisiana cellar. Seriously, it smells like an old root cellar with violets. Lots of heavenly violets. That odd juicey note is still there as well, but it blends in with the rest of the "cellar"

 

Now, while I admit this isn't something everyone would like to smell like, this works wonderfully for me & on me. It manages to bring out the violets in a strong, almost masculine way, but still enough unisex that my natural skin chemistry makes it a sexy, sexy womanly blend.

 

Edit: 2018 New imp, My skin chemistry has changed & I'm going around this again.

 

freshly applied, it smells like when I pull potatoes from the ground rooty & green, but not with the "cellar" vibe it used to have. Also, violet candies in the background- Somewhere between 'Faith' from Carnivale Diabolique and a violet candy cigarette.

 

after the drydown, mmm oakmoss. Still a violet candy vibe creeping around. But, it's like a little kid tossing candies while darting around hiding.

 

...one of my cats just jumping in my lap, huffed my wrist, licked it, then bounced away. WTH?!?!

 

 

In the end, this doesn't have the sexiness it did on me a decade ago. I'm going to age it a year or so & try again. But, it's most likely my age, not the brew's age, that's the problem.

Edited June 19, 2018 by Lemonlife

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is violets and patchouli...intoxicating!!

 

as i love dark scents this is a true beauty and i just had to order a big bottle...amen!!

[Brianne]

As already stated, this is a very dark, earthy violet scent. The patchouli root is very dense and dirty smelling (not in a bad way!) and the violets are dark purple in scent. That moss adds a touch of warmth and a hint of spice to it - making this a very deep but wearable scent.

[hipslike___cinderella]

Bruised Violet Compound is something else. I can't believe how good this is. It isn't even one note in particular. It's as if the whole perfume struck a pitch-perfect chord in me. Putting this on my skin I immediately feel sexual, forward, and bold. It's also one of those strangely familiar oils to me. It instantly reminded me of different blends but I kept changing my mind. Frederic, yet warm and red? No... The Clod and the Pebble, without cedar? Not quite. After a few long minutes I realize it's Madini Oil's "Chipre" scent that I'm trying to pinpoint. This blend is unmistakably woodsy. The violet is only a supporting note, and at least on myself, it's not that obvious. The red currant provides a sexual, throbbing pulse. Patchouli root is by far the main note here. Completely stunning.

I love sophisticated patchouli blends, and I'm not exactly sure of the scent difference between standard "patchouli" (assuming the leaf) and "patchouli root", but if this is anything to set by example, I need more!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Lots of patchouli and a little bit of violets.

 

Immediately on skin: Wow, lots of patchouli… but it’s very smooth and doesn’t smell to gritty. A very light amount of violet is sort of wafting about, and so is a subtle hint of moss. This seems very masculine on me at the moment.

 

After a little while: This has dried down to a very strong patchouli scent (though smooth… not dirty patchouli) with a hint of violets and moss. Very dry and not sweet at all.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent is such a disappointment. I get hardly any violet from it and no currant at all… this is all patchouli with the barest hint of violet and moss. I hope others have better luck with it than I did.

[iiinterstate]

patchouli.

patchouli.

patchouli.

currantcurrantcurrant

patchouli.

violet?

[alicia_stardust]

This is much more earthy than I expected it to be, but it has a nice depth to it that I like. This is mostly patchouli from start to finish, but the violets add a bit of softness and duskiness and there's a short stage where I can smell a bit of the currants. There's even a hint of sweetness from the violets that peeks in around the edges of the earthy patchouli root.

[strangemodegirl]

Strike two for me on the Pharmacopoeia scents.

 

I am ok with patchouli in some blends, but this one didn't work. I hate to say it, but it almost made me gag and I had to wash it off immediately.

 

Even after scrubbing and wiping my arm with rubbing alcohol, washing again, and then using witch hazel, the smell lingered on.

This is some super potent stuff!

[Josh]

Bruised Violet Compound is something else. I can't believe how good this is. It isn't even one note in particular. It's as if the whole perfume struck a pitch-perfect chord in me.

 

I agree with this 100%

 

I'm not big on florals and wasn't expecting to like this one all that much but it is such an original scent. The entire Pharmacopoeia line has surprised me but none more than Bruised Violet Compound. The currants mixed with (good/deep/non-sandbox) patchouli, moss and violet all create a very well blended scent.. on the darker/earthier side of things.

[pamplemousse]

Oh, I'm so sad -- this is all patchouli and moss on me, with no violet at all.

 

Off to the swap pile...

[savage_rose]

Okay...violet and I don't always get along, but I try everything. And...on my skin, the violet is turning into this shrill floral sweetness that's making me feel a bit nauseous. But in the imp, it's quite nice. Let's see if it improves.

 

Then it calms down and turns into...what an amethyst would smell like, I think. Purple like a jewel, sparkling, rich and deep. The moss and patchouli spice up the floral a bit. This isn't something I would wear often, but it's a really lovely violet.

[Jilara]

So immaterial it's almost like wearing nothing at all...

 

I had such hopes, and this was a vast disappointment. My skin apparently just eats this stuff.

 

Wet, I get a hint of currant, and a vague waft of something that might be violet.

 

Then it all disappears into dust. I am left with the smell of old dust, and nothing more. Not even interesting dust, just sort of that quality like an old attic that never contained much of anything to begin with. Waah, it sounded so promising I bought a bottle, and now it has forsaken me! It's not fair!

[portalkat]

Oh, this is a wonderful twist on a violet perfume. I love any kind of violet, but this is so different with the patchouli and the moss, both which give it a wonderful earthiness. The violet is sweet and rides over everything and that red currant rounds out the sweetness.I find this patchouli to be on the drier, woodier end of the spectrum. To me, this is a very understated and regal blend.

Edited May 10, 2008 by portalkat

[AliBabble]

i really, really like this one. it's not what i was expecting - it's rather bracing, and a bit fruity - sort of effervescent and uplifting, weirdly enough, it's almost lemony on me! it strikes me as light, fresh, and gender-neutral, like an old-fashioned after shave lotion, not really as strong as a cologne. i can't say i smell much violet, nor do i smell patchouli. the strongest note i get is actually the moss, and it's lovely. i have to say this is a very unusual blend, a very clean scent with a nice richness. it's almost ozone-y, actually.

 

eta: trying it again today, and it's not working as well...it has the smell of perm solution/hair dye...what is that?! i get it some time w/ some of the oils, and can never figure out what's causing it...drat.

Edited May 12, 2008 by AliBabble

[Iceblink]

Mmm, earthy. This is like violets in dirt with sweet patchouli (I think the currant is adding that sweetness?) mixed in. Kind of hippie-like and not a delicate violet at all, but nice.

[ElinaMakropulos]

I wanted to love this but it smelled of body odor and rotting vegetation when I put it on. The scent is very deep, dank and green...I got no violet from this.

[Reaver]

Three of my favourite notes, and one that's not so favoured. Thankfully, the currants are kicked to the back by the moss. It's bright and watery, the violets are sweet and... BRUISED! How DOES he do that? It's a very green scent but the violets temper it without becoming too floral. Violets are not often in the foreground of fragrances on me, but this one is different.

 

The patchouli is sweet in this blend. Not too violent on me, but still obvious. I wouldn't recommend it unless you love, or at least like patchouli.

 

I can't think of anything too similar to this that I've tested before. Usually violets are accompanied by something ick-floral or altogether different so I'm so glad I got this bottle. Impulse buying FTW!

 

Conclusion - All year interesting green joy.

9/10. The violets still fade back. It's probably me.

[Kippy]

The cruelest of all BPAL moments is when you find something that really, really works on you, is an expression of your personality in scent, eureka, you've found it, I must have 10 bottles......and then your skin just eats it.

 

I mean, this has patchouli in it, it should stay on my skin for days! 20 minutes. I shall try again and hope I'm having a fluke day, but I fear I'm going to be bitterly disappointed.

 

The patchouli is prominent but not hippyish, and the violet and moss lend a sophistication to this. The violet isn't as prominent as I had expected, but that's ok.

[Pika]

Wow, I'm questioning whether I got the right oil in my imp!

 

I'm getting *citrus*. Wet on my skin, I'm getting something similar to grapefruit. And a little bit of violets. It's very bright, not dusky and violetty, like it smells in the vial.

 

Drying, I can tell there's patchouli in there, but it's not the overpowering, dark kind. It's rather pleasant. The violets are gone, however, and I'm getting lemon pledge. No currants at all!

 

Drydown, fading into lemony pledge. Sweeter patchouli lingers afterward, but nothing near what I expected.

 

Seriously. What is up with my chemistry?? I know that I amp lemon terribly, but I've never amped it in a blend where it isn't even mentioned! And currants are hit or miss, and occasionally turn into jolly rancher. But they never just don't show up! This is bizarre enough I will like try again another day and come back and see if I need to change this entry. *does 50 double-takes on her imp label to make sure it says "Bruised Violet Compound"... which it does 50 times... shrug*

[lostluckkitten]

Dark purple, crushed violet petals, letting out the aroma of the flower. This has been turned in earth containing patchouli root and moss, giving it a grounded, darker edge. The patch isn't dirty, really... it's earthy. Fresh and growing. The moss adds to this. I don't detect dirt, but it definitely gives me the feeling of something pulled up out of the earth. The violet is deep and plant-like, as opposed to sweet and sugared. I don't detect the red currant alone, other than perhaps adding to the overall feel of the blend.

 

Nice.