Velvet Clown

[Tramp]

 

Rum-soaked cotton candy, boot-stomped licorice whips and circus peanuts, scorched marshmallows, a dribble of corn whiskey, cigar smoke, and greasepaint.

 

woosh! In the bottle and wet on it is a whiskey cherry bottle of booze but it quickly dries off and it smells strongly of the sugar from Sugar Skull. A very toasted/caramel sugar scent with a tartness behind it. There is almost a metallic tinge in the background but this is mostly yummy sugar on me

[angelicruin]

This was the Velvet blend that had me the most excited to try....

 

Sniffing straight from the bottle, it's licorice and marshmallows.

 

Wet on the skin, it's still predominantly licorice...and being the licorice freak I am, that's just fine. I agree with Tramp that it does have a faint metallic tang in the scent as well, but it's such a sugary scent, I think that helps keep it from becoming sickeningly sweet. As it settles a bit on my skin, I can pick up the rum & whiskey notes.

 

Dry on my skin, it's a faintly boozy marshmallow & licorice scent with a smoky note which on my skin is more of a caramelized sugar scent, rather than straight-up cigar smoke.

 

I love this blend! And of the 4 Velvet blends I have tested today, it's definitely my favorite so far.

[hkhm]

bottle: booze. sweet boozy booze.

 

wet: the booze really smells like whiskey, i mean really smells like whiskey! there is a slight licorice scent as well but this is really sweet and boozy overall.

 

dry: this dries to pure whiskey on my skin.

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle: Sugar scent similar to Sugar Skull. Red licorice. Rum.

 

On the skin: Rum and Whiskey. Reminds me a little of John Barleycorn.

 

Not what I was expecting at all! This one is fairly masculine imo.

 

As it dries, I can actually smell the greasepaint and smoke. I can almost smell the peanuts and corn.

Edited April 12, 2009 by TwilightEyes

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Really, the notes listed and artwork are both kind of scary.

 

This is a combination of John Barleycorn, L'Heure Verte and...... Mitzvah..... and..... somekind of Steampunk/Industrial vibe.... (Smokestack ?)

 

It is the most cacophonous blend from BPAL I've ever smelled. It's the most crazy-mixed up bunch of perfume notes I've ever smelled anywhere.

 

Amazingly it works.

 

Alcohol and sweet often works on me, though. And there's enough in this to make the dirt and grease smell delicious

 

Totally a novelty scent that I am pleased to welcome into my collection!

 

Edit- okay, the closest thing to a weird and wild note-combo in the BPAL lexicon I can think of is Drink Me. Which was HIDEOUS on me.

Not that this smells like that in any way. But it's the same over-the-top smushing together of unexpected stuff.

Edited May 3, 2009 by Heavenlyrabbit

[CiCi]

Velvet Clown. I didn't think I would like it at first, I thought it would be too sweet and artificial, but it is not! At first I smell a caramelly, whiskey note and a slight whiff of the greasepaint which quickly fades. My daughter is an artist so I am familiar with the paint smells and do adore them as it reminds me of her. I can see where some are comparing it BPTP baseball scent but this is not as strong as that and so much better with the whiskey making it's presence known (I do not smell licorice at all). All in all, this is another winner with it being a soft lasting blend that is not too sweet, and calls out to people, "hey, come smell me".

[AmandaArcana]

Another really good one in my book! In the bottle I smell just about everything in the description except the grease paint (no loss there). On me I really get the boozed up circus peanuts and cotton candy but no licoirce. When it dries down I still smell the candy but I get that really nice campfire smell that I got off Dark Chocolate and Pepper-Smoked Carmel. Overall it's super boozy with campfire smoke. It also has good staying power, I put it on last night and I could still smell it when I got up this morning.

[sfsassy]

I have each of the velvets on my arms now. This one is in my top 4. It's really nice.

I get more of a red licorice vibe than black. A little peanut and little salt and sugar. YUMMMMM

To me it does not really smell like Midway. The notes are more individual.

The only thing I do not like is the clown himself (fear since childhood) but I am going to fight it and still get a bottle or two!!

 

 

[Brianne]

Why I got this: Licorice and cigar smoke are right up my alley and tempted me to try this blend

 

Why I was concerned: BPAL's candy scents have rarely worked with my chemistry. Add to that the ominous sounding "greasepaint" note and the "scorched marshmallows" and it seemed like a big gamble.

 

What it ended up being: I had every right to be concerned, as licorice is a no show on me and the cigar smoke is faint and fleeting (like the whiskey note). The end result is burnt sugar and an odd fruity scent that's not quite fruit and not quite sweet.

 

What it reminds me of: It's VERY VERY similar to Sugar Skull on me so take that for what it's worth. If you loved Sugar Skull, this may be for you. If you hated Sugar Skull you might find yourself with the same reaction as me!

[scrappy]

On my skin: A licorice-y sugar skull with some underlying smoke. I'd like this if the smoke note wasn't so strong.

[ami226]

I have no idea what I think about this one. Smells a bit sugary yet the drydown is a saltiness that might be peanuts and something else that reminds me of... smoke and something else that I can't explain. I don't think this blend likes me though....

[Dark Alice]

This smells like sweet corn whiskey and burnt sugar....like a marshmallow that has been burnt on the stove.......not a fan...I must go wash this off.

 

Dried down completely, this smelled exactly like a fresh bag of circus peanuts candy. Amazing....

Edited April 18, 2009 by Dark Alice

[tinyvulture]

This starts off as a boozy cherry scent, like a children’s cough syrup. It reminds me of The Red Queen without the wood note. The licorice note must be red licorice, since I don’t smell any black licorice at all. The initial strong whiskey note starts to fade after a couple minutes, and now I’m smelling burnt sugar and cherry, as well as the greasepaint. For me it evokes Halloweens of my childhood -- the various candy scents that rise from a pillowcase full of goodies, and the scent of the face paint we used to complete our disguises. This is how I hoped Sticky Pillowcase would sell. It’s not something I will wear everyday. I have to be in the mood for it. I’ll probably start wearing it a lot in the fall. Definitely a bottle to hang onto.

[hespera4523]

First off, a word about clowns.

Clowns is scary. And this one is no exception. The picture....eeeeccch. *shudder* Beautifully done, as is all the artwork, but still, with the fluffy red hair and the slightly evil leer, he reminds me of Pennywise's drunken cousin. And that book gave me nightmares through most of junior high anyway.

 

That said, on to the perfume.

 

First sniff: Hello, booze. Mmmm...booze. Boozy booze booze. This is one hell of an alkie clown, no doubt about it. Nothing but whiskey right now, maybe I should take another sniff, just to be sure...

 

Second sniff: Mmmm, now it smells a little like cotton candy and marshmallows. And booze. Lovely booshe...hic...ok, just one more...

 

Third sniff: Thish ish gettin' better and better. Can't even schmell da boosh anymores...now is all fluffy cotton candy and red licorish whippies, with shom marshme...mars...mello...those white thingsh. And the clown is akshually kinda cute...oh, another schnif, mishter clown? Why, thankee...

 

Fourth sniff: Whooo...I lurvesh me dis clown! *FLOMP*

 

(Srsly. Clown is good. Love the clown. Boozy scents are my kinda thing, though.)

 

[SensationalGrendel]

In the bottle, this smells like straight whiskey. Not a hint of sweetness at all! It literally smells like you cracked open a bottle of liquor.

 

On me, the whiskey started mellowing out. Perhaps the cigar smoke coming out? The cotton candy note is the only other one I get. By the end, this smells like an odd combination of Hellcat and bubblegum on me. I love Hellcat, but bubblegum not so much.

 

Extremely clown-like, but not for me!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Red liquorice with a bit of smoke and a lot of booziness.

 

Immediately on skin: Booze. And candy. Candy and booze. Yeah. This really does smell like rum poured over a whole lot of red licorice, cotton candy and circus peanuts with marshmallows being roasted somewhere close. This is a thick, sticky, sweet and boozy scent with a bit of smoke in the background.

 

After a little while: This dries down into a slightly less thick boozy candy scent… I think now it’s more about the corn whiskey than it is the rum. I still smell the red licorice and circus peanuts, as well as a charred scent from the scorched marshmallows. Underneath that is a very thick scent which is probably the greasepaint.

 

Overall Impressions: This is like happy childhood memories gone wrong, which I guess is what it is supposed to be. There’s a lot of candy in this including a lot of red licorice and those orange circus peanuts, as well as hints of sticky cotton candy and marshmallows. Mixed into that though is a lot of rich booze (especially at first), a smokey, scorched scent from the marshmallows, and this thick undertone of greasepaint. Very interesting and complex, this scent is like being lost at night in the deep recesses of a circus.

 

[femmefatale]

At first this smells just like the cherry cough drops we get at the health food store.

 

After it begins drying...I have no idea. This is just so odd. I really have no idea what it smells like, but it reminds me of this strange lip gloss I had as a kid that came in these pieces of fake jewelry. hmm.

 

After a while it becomes a bit smokier and now smells like cherry (where am I getting cherry???) incense or cherry pipe tobacco. Maybe with a shot of whiskey on the side. This is starting to remind me a little of Hearth '04 (?). On me it seems to be in the same family.

I am so glad I'm not getting the peanuts. I am getting something just a touch spicy. WTH is going on here?

 

I am very...confused by this scent. I didn't like it at first, but it started growing on me once the smokiness came out. It's not at all what I expected but I'm strangely drawn to it.

Edited April 25, 2009 by Femme_Fatale

[mparker]

So wonderfully odd!

 

In the bottle, this is strong, boozy red licorice. The Boyfriend's immediate comment "That's stripper perfume!". I'm still not entirely sure what this comment means, but I can totally agree with it. It's like being slapped in the face with a pair of edible undies. By a clown. Um...I might be a little scared now.

 

I put this on my skin and Immediately there is a strong flush of BEER AND WHISKY AND BOOOOOOZE HELLOOO! The strange edible-undies-flinging clown has just grabbed me up in a whirling hug! There's beer and whiskey with some sort of sugary, fruity chaser. This should be one horrifying, stinky, alcoholic bum of a clown, but by garsh it works, and I am charmed by him! Especially since the beery scent burns off within minutes, leaving a still-whiskified licorice (black this time, weird). And I loves me some licorice! Especially with booze in! Mmmmmm.

 

Where was I?

 

So after several minutes of drydown, and this clown is finished whirling me around the fairgrounds, the fragrance starts to actually become civil. Maybe our clown's sugar-rush is fading? Now he's taken out a cigarette, something hand-rolled and unique, and I'm finding he's not as scary as I first thought. He's kind of cuddly, and appealing. The scent is a sweet, almost cherrylike caramelized sugar tobacco, still whisky-edged, but far more sophisticated than expected.

 

I think this is the one I really, really need a bottle of. Which at first sniff was the last thing I'd have expected.

Edited April 24, 2009 by mparker

[papermaker]

on first sniff I get licorice and rum.

Wet it is cigar smoke and alcohol still.

Dry I get cotton candy smoke and whiskey.

It really is like the circus. I like it. But the clown on the bottle is freaky to me

[milo]

In the imp, and for the first little bit on, this is like Juicy Fruit gum went on a bender (probably the licorice!). I kind of like boozy scents, so this doesn't really bother me. Gradually it changes to a fruity, smoky, tobacco, which would be really really good if the fruit wasn't strawberry-like. Strawberry and I don't get along most of the time, but if this were say, a plum I'd be in heaven. I don't get any peanuts or greasepaint, thankfully. If you like strawberry cotton candy scents, you'd probably like this one.

[steffanina]

Velvet Clown-

 

In Bottle: Straight Circus peanuts. Wow, that's fascinating.

 

Wet: Circus peanuts with a hint of something acetone. The acetone recedes quickly and I get a little burnt fruity sugar.

 

Dry: Pink bubblegum, and frooooty sugar. And is there a hint of the oily smell that is greasepaint? I'm thinking that's what it is. What a morpher! I will have to give this one another try.

 

Overall: I'm not sure if this one is just novel or if I do want to wear it.

 

 

[Irukandji]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. My initial reaction to this was simply, "wat?"

Wet in the bottle, this is cherry and banana shisha tobacco. I'd smoke it if it weren't liquid. As soon as it hits my skin, though, it turns into... umm, burnt banana-liquorice-scented shisha tobacco rests? Or those soft bagged foam banana sweets (I imagine they'd smell like this after being burnt)? Liquorice Allsorts? No idea where I'm getting the banana from, but as I'm typing this, it's already saying goodbye again and making room for something I have definitely smelled before, but which seems impossible to describe. Something sugary, fruity, smoky. I'd still smoke it. I like this, although it's bloody weird.

Edited April 27, 2009 by Irukandji

[zankoku_zen]

Oh lord, this smells like a carny! Seriously... this has to be the best small town encapsulate of a carnival ever. I definitely get the corn booze (it actually smells more like beer) and then the explosion of sweetness from cotton candy and the marshmallow + smokiness (probably from the tobacco) and something slightly waxy.

 

To my husband the waxiness makes this smell like a candle. To me, it lends a certain 'incensey'/'burning' vibe to it.

 

Erm... yeah. Woo for summer small town carnivals?

[catattack]

Imp: Rum soaked cotton candy

Wet: Candy and smoke

Drydown: This is sweet and sharp. I have to agree with others who said that this scent reminded them of John Barleycorn. I can smell the booze, candy peanuts, cotton candy, and smoke. There's something in this that reminds me of Sticky Pillowcase. It's the slightly bitter/burnt sugar. Some have said it reminds them of Sugar Skull. Luckily, it doesn't smell similar at all (I don't like Sugar Skull).

Overall: This has really great throw on me. The wafts smell like tangy, fruity candy. Yum! I wasn't sure about this one initially, but once I put it on, I knew it was a keeper!

[Schmoozy]

 

An oddball combination of notes that really leaves you feeling speechless. For some reason they meld together seamlessly. I can smell the various candy and peanuts and I get whiffs of the rum. To me the rum along with scorched marsmallows brings scent memories of sugar skull and sticky pillowcase to mind. Cigar smoke and greasepaint are prevalent, but to be honest the smokiness of the candy overpowers everything else. Not sure I'll need a bottle, a decant will be enough.