Violet Ray

[waternight]

White mint, purple musk, violet, lilac, ylang ylang, lavender moss, and sandalwood.

In the imp: Violet, lilac, and sandalwood. Soft and fuzzy.
Wet: Same as in the imp. Soft and muted, not electric like I was expecting. After a few minutes, a gentle soft sweetness come from the ylang ylang, and a headiness that prevents this from being ALL floral. This is a homey, comforting, relaxing scent. The sandalwood lends a slightly powdery creaminess. There's the faintest hint of a light musk.
Dry: Pretty much the same as wet.

[Summerpixy]

I'm normally not a violet person, but when I applied this I was impressed by how soft and tempered the violet was. It's a very subtle blend, but also carries a nice chill from the mint. The sandalwood balances the blend perfectly. I'm glad I ordered the imp. This was all I wanted Numb to be but simply wasn't.

 

I can't see myself reaching for this often as it's simply not as striking as some of my other blends but it's perfect to wear to work on warm days or like today hot and sweltering.

[innocent]

I love love love this one. I tried it out of a friend's imp order, and will have to get my own. I didn't know, but I'm apparently a violet fan (I loved both this and Ultraviolet). I can't smell the mint in this, and its sweeter than Ultraviolet. After a few hours this dies down into a lovely skin scent, the musk emerges, and I want to make out with my own arm.

 

I'm sure getting 5mls of this and Ultraviolet wouldn't be excessive, right?

 

ETA: This is the first BPAL I've tried where I've thought, "I can't wait until the next lunacy. I have to order this NOW."

Edited June 26, 2008 by innocent

[Tilby]

I loved this one! A soft powdery and very violet smelling with the lavender and lilac. I think this one could become a daily favorite. It smells feminine and very pretty, rather old-fashioned but it really works on my skin chemistry. The mint and sandalwood, all heaven in an imp!

[sprocket21]

In the imp: Musky and purple. Quite pretty.

 

This smells similar to Faith on me, but a bit less sweet and a bit more powdery. It's quite delicate, and VERY purple. It's quite floral, and I can't really smell the mint, but I think it's adding a hint of sharpness to the scent. Quite pretty, and perfect for those who love "purple" scents.

[Anita]

Violet Ray was, quite unexpected. A surprisingly light floral smell, I was thinking it would have a bigger bang to it. Not that this is a bad thing, but I get so caught up in the fantabulous descriptions, and thought this scent would be weightier. A very innocent mix, if you will.

[grashopper8]

My first impression is that the ylang-ylang jumps right out at me!

 

After that, I can smell the powdery musk, lavender, and lilac. There's also a note in here that reminds me of Singing Moon, so I'm assuming that it's Beth's moss note (that I'm finally becoming able to recognize as such). I can't pick up on mint at any stage, and the sandalwood is a background note. Most notably, I can't for the life of me pick violet out from the bouquet!

 

Overall, Violet Ray is a powdery floral on me. It's a little over the top, a little high-pitched to my nose. I'm not sure it's right for me.

 

2.8 out of 5

[taramarie]

Wet on my skin, Violet Ray is violet, lilac, and ylang ylang over musk. It's absolutely gorgeous, even though the violet is on the powdery side. Dry, it's just violet and musk, but still good. I'm hoping age will make the notes present in the wet stage last longer.

[filigree_shadow]

I don't seem to be able to smell any mint in this, which is perfectly okay with me. It seems to smell more like lilacs than violets, to me -- but it's certainly not just lilac. I can smell more than that in this scent.

 

The sandalwood is quite nice with that lazy-smelling lilac. It's just slightly musky, and very pretty. The floral notes are much more gentle than I was expecting.

 

I like this one. It seems comfy and and soft to me.

[Blood onmy hands]

Violet Ray goes rather powdery on me, but I still kind of like it. It smells sort of like violet dusting powder with a rich muskiness (though the musk is a bit too sharp and overpowering on me at times) and a grounding, powdery sandalwood holding it all together. This is a light and subtle scent on my skin. I was intrigued by the lavender moss, but all I can pick out is the musk, violet, and sandalwood, and perhaps a metallic sharpness from the ylang ylang every once in a while. I'll probably keep my imp for days when I want a light, powdery, musky violet, but I doubt I'll need to upgrade to a full bottle.

Edited July 20, 2008 by Tania

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

Violets, with a soft white floral twist and something a bit astringent.

 

On Me

Violets dominate, but there's something else almost dirty-fungal there-- no idea what it is, and I'm not picking up other florals, aside from a possible lily.

 

A few hours later-- just violets. And, hey, I love violets, so this makes me happy. Thankfully the mint hasn't jumped out and dominated as it tends to on me-- this is sweet, feminine, soft violet all the way.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Musky violet and lilac

 

On Application

As above but with some ylang ylang

 

Dry Down

This is surprisingly deep. I was expecting something thin and sharp. Throughout the drydown the violet stays strong, which I am happy about, and the ylang ylang is kept in check, which I am doubly happy about. The mint doesn't make an obvious appearance but it does keep the blend coolish although this is definitely not a cold scent. I like it but don't love it.

 

Rating (0-5)

3.5

[Greensleeves]

In the bottle: Intense yellow oil. Violet, lavender and mint, and heavy commercial tang - must be musk.

 

Wet: Heavy commercialness (musk) and violet. Strong, almost nauseating floral.

 

After a few minutes on skin: Violet and lilac, the commercial heaviness of the musk is dying down to a more manageable level.

 

After first hour: Violet and lilac and a sort of leathery smell that I think might be coming from the musk. The scent is still quite strong and doesn't make me very happy.

 

After two and a half hours: Sweet lilac and violet, blending very well together. The musk has died down and the result is now quite nice. Not really what I want in a perfume, not really something that makes me happy every time I smell it, but I can still appreciate it as a nice scent, it's quite pretty.

After 5 hours: Soft, powdery lilac and violet.

 

Final Verdict: This blend has improved my opinion of violet as a note in perfumes, and it did finish off rather pleasantly, but this isn't a scent I would personally want to wear.

[mhickle]

A couple of people have compared this to Faith, and yes, it does share that lovely violet. I do think Violet Ray is different, however. It's not as sugary sweet as Faith, and there is a whisper of cooling mint.

 

In the imp, I thought I smelled something a little rusty, a little cool metallic - maybe the musk and mint playing together? That fades when it hits the skin, and it is most definitely violet, clearly, at the forefront. The mint, as I said before, is more of a whisper, cooling the blend and giving it a little something special.

 

ETA: I'm not sure, but it *might* be making me sneeze.

Edited August 15, 2008 by ViolaVanWilde

[Hayet]

This one is simply lovely, all sugary violet. It does remind me of Faith, but more light and powdery, and much longer-lasting. And it does last forever on me! Another favorite in the Steamworks category.

[PersephonesChild]

Today I decided to wear Violet Ray, which I've barely worn and haven't smelled in a while. I'm also thinking of trying to enable a friend with it, so I decided to remind myself of the notes, so I'd be able to tell her about them. I was amazed to rediscover this scent and it's exquisite balance-- it's violet that isn't piercing, but instead, lightly humming. This blend contains mint! And sandalwood! And I never would have guessed either one, but when I think about it, they're there, but so well placed in the blend as a whole that they become part of the overall atmosphere! Finally, lavender moss? Lavender usually jumps straight out of a blend, up my nose, and into my brain, where a series of neuronal reactions makes me go "Blech!" and put the scent down. But here? I suppose it's part of the purple air of this blend, I suppose it adds to the misty, herby feel but it certainly isn't center stage, and it certainly isn't ruining this gem for me! In summary, what I find most incredible about this blend is that it encompasses multiple heavy, stage-hogging notes, and yet they don't fight, nor do they even take turns stealing the spotlight-- they manage to work as a brilliant ensemble cast.

[Kimbernunk]

This is one of the first scents I've put on that makes me think "purple" in about six different shades. The musk note definitely has a purple quality to it, the florals are well-blended but not powdery (which is blowing my mind), the lavender moss has a very mossy, earthy, but still clean and lavender scent to it, and the sandalwood provides a wonderful base for the other notes to play on. The mint makes it slightly brighter than it might be otherwise. I really, really like this blend and am considering a bottle.

 

Also, the imp leaked a bit, which made me sad. So I stuck it upright in the bathroom, and the whole bathroom now has a faintly violet/lilac/lavender smell to it, which makes me very happy.

[aquazoo]

Oooh, now that's a sweeeet violet! I can definitely tell there are interesting undertones. It's a little bit fruity.

[milo]

This is a very "crisp" violet to me. I am a BIG violet fan and love it when a bpal violet works on me. This to me, as other reviewers put it, very much like Faith to me. The only difference is that the mint (I'm guessing) is making it a cleaner, crisper violet, and it is also not as sweet as Faith. It also starts out strong, but fades quite quickly, within a few hours, whereas Faith lasts all day for me. Still, this is a great violet. I'll probably go to this once my beloved Faith runs out.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is dewy fruit and sandalwood. When first on this is sandalwood and a hint of powdery violets and mint. After a couple of minutes this is similar to Ultraviolet but with a sandalwood twist. At times I get a whiff of the oud which reminds me of Danse Macabre. This is a nice violet blend. It's a little less sweet than Ultraviolet probably because of the woody notes. It does have that minty bite that Ultraviolet has too. Nice.

[lookingglass]

I cannot even belive that I love a scent with MINT!

 

This is a lovely scent...truly...it is like sitting at an open window in Springtime, lilacs blooming in wet, fresh earth...I have just bathed in lavender water, dusted with violet powder, and have but on a crisp white nightgown. I blow bubbles lazily out the open window and watch them float into the dusky evening. Ahhhhhh....She is Ouiji's violet sister. Dried out this is very much like Guerlain's Apres L'Ondee, which is very expensive and difficult to find, in it's fluffy, sweet purpleness, but has a deeper edge. I just love it and must have a big bottle!

Edited January 9, 2009 by lookingglass

[isisonearth]

Imp: ZOMG...violet candies with just a touch of musk.

 

Wet: Still those amazing Chopard's violet mints. The sweetness of lilac just peeking out.

 

Dry: Just a perfect expression of purpleness. Mint tickles the back of my throat when I breathe in. Violet and lilac mingle in a soft bed of musk. Sandalwood makes a perfect creamy base. Occasional fleeting glimpses of hyper-feminine ylang ylang...you almost aren't sure it is there. The moss I can't out my finger on.

 

Overall: So soft and feminine but in an unexpected way that is a bit old fashioned, a bit off kilter.

[Suu4LC]

Ooo! This is yummy! Mint and violet! A bright, minty, purple scent!

 

I love bpal mints and this is no exception. A nice violet/purple floral take on mint! Gorgeous!!! Unfortunately, the mint faded really fast, so this ended up as a much less interesting violet scent. A nice sweet violet, but it doesn't have the WOW factor that would lead me to need a bottle of this.

[stillalive]

oh, it's quite lovely on my skin. In the bottle it really wasn't my thing, and the floral notes still give me a massive headache, but I can tell it's quite lovely.

[anastasia]

Well I think this works as therapy. It seems to be kind of an emotional 'reset' kind of smell. It reminds me of spring and early summer. Like when I was younger and would have been too self absorbed with no clarity for days and then there was a day to get up and put on a clean, worn, cotton dress and go explore the world with new clear eyes. It is a little bit green smelling to me but not anything I think of as floral-y. It has kind of a neutral undertone like clean cotton or uncooked rice. And then a little freshness or sparkle on top but it seems very gentle to me. I am recovering from a cold and possibly from suffering from being trapped in the small picture and this is just perfect for me today. Summertime is very hard for me and I could see this being really therapeutic for me this year when it gets too hot for me. It also seems like it could be good on a day when you have a hangover. I feel like I am making it sound less pretty by making it sound therapeutic but it is really fresh, gently bright, sparkly and nice!