Bat of Virtue

[sighanne]

There will be five scents exclusive to Bats Day, representing the Wufu: the Five Bats of Happiness.

BAT OF VIRTUE
Huckleberry, frankincense, rose, strawberry, violet, and star anise

Oh dear, not only is this the first review for Bat of Virtue, it's my first review. I sincerely apologize...

This one is all strawberries and frankincense! I literally cannot smell any other notes in there. I got to test Strawberry Moon at the Dark Delicacies Trunk Show, but it sold out before I was able to buy a bottle. I was heartbroken! Enter Bat of Virtue. I was afraid of the plastic strawberry smell, and I have to say that it did manifest but...I still love it! It reminds me of my Strawberry Shortcake doll I had when I was little. I think the frankincense stops the strawberry from being overly sweet; it's a more grown-up scent than Strawberry Moon. Though I admit that I only tried it that one time, I think all devotees of Strawberry Moon should get themselves at least a decant of this one. It's simply delicious. Edited May 7, 2009 by sighanne

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Thank you so much to LiquidDakini for her incredible kindness in picking me up a bottle of this from Bat's Day! I'm ecstatic to have this bottle and absolutely bowled over by the beauty of this blend. Bat of Virtue is a heavenly berry blend - tangy huckleberries and sweet strawberries with a background of ecclesiastical incense and a barely detectable undercurrent of soft floral notes. The strawberry note is far more understated than in a lot of other strawberry-centric BPAL blends I've tried, probably because it is tempered by the tangy huckleberry and hazy incense. This is very innocent smelling, and conjures memories for me of peaceful times spent in the park during the summertime when I was a child, after a really hot day maybe an hour or two before the sun goes down, and surrounded by bramble bushes and ripened berries. The anise in this blend is extremely subdued...I have to concentrate to pick it out, and the violet and roses are also present but well folded into the entirety of the blend and stay in their supporting roles.

 

This is going to be in heavy rotation all this summer for me, for sure! Gorgeous!

[msbcozad]

Bat of Virtue

 

Bottle: grenadine and nail polish. Thankfully, I have learned not to trust the bottle.

 

Freshly applied: grenadine and nail polish. Damnit.

 

Five minutes: STRAWBERRIES. The real deal, too. Not strawberry jam, not strawberry preserves. Freshly picked off the vine STRAWBERRIES.

 

Ten minutes: STRAWBERRIES and incense and oh-dear-god-no rose.

 

Fifteen minutes: STRAWBERRIES and a little bit of floral. Thank goodness the rose fell back.

 

And so it continues. Oh yeah, excellent summer scent.

 

[The_Witching_Hour]

Bat of Virtue:

 

I have to say first off that I was a little nervous about the rose in this. In my experience with bpal in the last 5-6 years, there are a few rose blends that "sing" to me and some where the rose just takes over. Thankfully and due to the type of rose or what other notes it was mixed with, the rose adds just a subtle floral aspect to the overall effect.

 

This is another Bat blend that didn't change much for me in the way of sniffing from the bottle, application and to drydown.

 

Quite simply, this smells to me of walking in a field of strawberries. The anise gives the blend the feel of "stems and greens" for me; the rose lends the blend that feeling of strawberry blossoms. To top it off, this is the freshest smelling strawberry note to date I've smelled in a bpal blend!

 

Truly beautilful! I hope once the cooler weather comes back around that this blend will last just a bit longer on me as it has a "lighter" feel to it.

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle berry, but dark and a little bit resinous, very sticky smelling

wet on skin this smells like blackberry to me, not like BPAL's blackberry leaf note, but actual blackberry jam. i don't even get a whiff or hint of strawberry here, in contrast to other reviewers.

dry on skin now i'm getting some complexity through the sweet, syrupy berry, which is stubbornly staying blackberry on me. there's a hint of sourness from the rose that works really well with the sweetness of the berry. i should mention that rose and i can absolutely not coexist, but it's very faint here; i really have to sniff and sniff and wrap my olfactory tendrils around that thread of sourness in the way background to find it.

 

this is actually what i expected glasgow to smell like, years ago when i first smelled glasgow, but was disappointed. there's also something about this that is suggesting grape bubblegum over a breath of incense. i think the berry, violet, and anise are melding in a way that's prodding my brain in the grape bubblegum region.

 

very sweet, quite dark, and undeniably fun, a little girly.

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle: Strawberries! And rose. Sad that I can't smell the huckleberries. I have lived in the Huckleberry capitol forever (we have huckleberry EVERYTHING -- soap, ice cream, jam, jelly, pies, etc.) I go huckleberry picking often. So I am very familiar with their scent, and it is not here to my sad nose. :/

 

Wet on skin: The frankincense is coming out a little, making it more dark and smoky. The anise is making a bit of an appearance and the violet is also becoming apparent. The strawberry and rose are still there, but everyone is blending together now.

 

Dry on skin: Darker and deeper than the sniff from the bottle. So far everyone is playing equally. Love!

Edited May 13, 2009 by TwilightEyes

[edenssixthday]

Bat of Virtue - I've been crossing my fingers for a huckleberry scent for years and the only other one (that I'm aware of) was wonderful, but just a bit too green for me. THIS is the huckleberry scent I've been waiting for! It's gorgeous! The top note is definitely the huckleberry, and it's fruity-sweet and absolutely delicious. The frankincense backs up the fruitiness with a nice layer of husky smokiness that deepens and darkens the huckleberry, keeping it from being over-the-top sweet. The other notes are very subtle, and while I catch the occasional fleeting waft of rose and violet, I can't pin them down. I love this blend and will be cherishing my bottle of it.

[stellans]

Bright strawberry immediately makes me smile when I open the bottle, and that alone makes me glad I have this particular Bat. Even when applied, the strawberry continues, only now the slightly smoky incense note of frankincense comes out to play, and it is even better than just the plain strawberry note. Unfortunately, though the throw is moderately good the staying power is totally nil. As in, it doesn't last beyond the first 30 minutes of application on me. Darn it.

Edited July 22, 2011 by stellans

[Suu4LC]

Interesting in the imp...seems like an herby huckleberry to me...with a bit of strawberry and incense.

 

The violet comes out way more on my skin-very sweet. A good mix of the notes-rose haters, no worries, it is barely noticeable here. It's hard to describe because it really is a combination of all the notes...a little bit of everything.

 

On full dyrown, its is a soft sweet earthy strawberry/huckleberry scent with a bit of incense and flowers but it kind of loses any uniqueness. Mostly just soft and and sweet. Nice, but I won't need a bottle. I think on the right person this could really be stunning.

 

 

 

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Strawberry, whoa! Very realistic strawberry, too. A little bit of huckleberry and rose too, but they're definitely second stage to STRAWBERRY. If I really strain, maybe some star anise - not getting violet or frankincense.

 

Wet: A little darker - much more huckleberry, yay! More of a dark fruit vs red fruit feel. Very much 'wild' fruit; the wildness of the huckleberry, and a wild strawberry note. Rose is still light, but star anise is more prominent - it reminds me very much of the note in V. Panther.

 

Dry: Getting a bit of frankincense now - which is more smoky wood than sweet resin, at this point, and still light. More a suggestion than full presence. Much of the strawberry has faded, to be on par with the huckleberry. Star anise a little spicier, but still not truly 'spicy' - more exotic.

 

Later: Darn. The berries are definitely fading more and more on my skin, and the frankincense and star anise are amping. More spice and incense, for sure. Rose - where did you go? I think I'm only imagining you at this point. I AM getting more violet, albeit a very sutble, velvety (not powdery) note. Still, this is pretty berrylicious....

 

Everything is really BLENDING at this stage; picking out notes is difficult. It's dark, slightly spicy, berries galore. It feels very smooth and velvety and sort of - elegant. It's definitely not the typical thing I go for - but I ended up loving Penumbra, too. This has that same 'sexy purple' feel. Although having read the 'strawberry shortcake doll' comment, I also totally get that. In a good way.

 

Summary: Huckleberry and strawberry shortcake doll with a hint of dark star anise and smooth violet. Fades to nothing after a few hours and is low in throw to begin with, but through all stages the fruit holds and remains fun and feminine. It does go a bit plastic on me over time, but not in a bad way.

 

Definitely my favourite Bat, though I'm going to retest - I'm still not sure it works for me. I really hope it does, though, because I LOVE the Bat label art.

 

 

[Lamia]

The throw on this is exquisite, but sniffing my skin is (shrug)

 

In the bottle, it's pleasant enough, but I also got a tang of that polish remover that MelanieSuzanne caught. On skin, this smelled remarkably like ass.

 

OH NO, I thought, Just the word "Virtue" and my skin rebels? I don't want to smell like ass

 

Thank goodness, in under a minute this started smelling more and more like berries. I don't detect specificailly strawberries, but they're red and juicy, whatever they are.

 

Drydown turns the juice to dust. So it's dusty red berries. At least it's not ass YAY!

Edited May 18, 2009 by Lamia

[GardenCat]

ok - very fruity on the initial application, then it dries down a bit. I was interested because of the frankincense & rose - the rose came out next, but it didn't play well with the strawberry. Now I'm on the dry down and all I get is old lady rose & dust. Maybe it will dry down better on a non-RMW day. *hopeful*

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the bottle, it's roses and strawberries.

 

Wet on my skin, huckleberry, strawberry, and rose.

 

Dry I am getting the frankincense, rose, huckleberry, violet, and strawberry note becomes very subdued.

 

I'm curious to see how this one ages...

[Blood onmy hands]

In the vial, this smells like strawberry jam and a hint of rose.

 

On my skin, I'm surprised at how little throw this has. Bat of Virtue clings very closely to my skin, and it's very sweet. I'm also surprised that I don't amp up the rose in this more. I'm getting a very sweet, strawberry jam scent with a hint of rose and perhaps some powdery violet in the background. As it dries down, it starts to turn more and more powdery. This might be too sweet & powdery for me if it were stronger, but it's very soft and fades quickly on me.

 

All in all, I don't really dislike this, but it's not amazing or all that unique on me. There are many strawberry & sugared floral scents that I like a lot more (Possets' Walter scent is my ultimate in roses + red jam and cakey goodness, lol).

[DangerInRed]

Whee, thanks to a kind soul, I am trying Bat of Virtue!

 

This is a rose-y berry, not as sweet as I thought it would be. The rose adds an air of perfumeyness, which keeps the berries from getting too I-just-spilled-smoothie-on-my-arm. The throw is pretty light, but I applied it light, so I'm not taking that as any indication.

[ljaylh]

 

Sniffing this in the bottle is like an explosion of strawberry and anise! Bright, rich and very berry!!

 

On my skin, at first it's very much strawberry and rose but about 10 minutes later those have settled down and now there's a deeper berry (which I assume is huckleberry, never having actually smelled it), and the frankincense is soft and woody here - it's all very rich and lush right now. But then 30 minutes later I can still smell the rose, and the strawberry is still there too but it's developed a 'fake' kinda strawberry tone to it.. that's a shame, it was more rich and sweet when it first went on. No sign of the anise now either

 

One hour in - the strawberry's still there but now I can also smell the violet, which to be honest I wish had stayed away because it's making the whole thing a bit sickly.

 

My final verdict? Hmm.. undecided - I wish it had stayed the way it was at about the 10 minute point. I think I'll try this another day and see whether I get a different result.. I'd like less of the sweet and more of the frankincense and anise,

 

 

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Mouth-watering berry, rose, strawberry. Deliciously fruity.

 

Wet: Violet and berry, with a touch of rose over a rich frankincense base.

 

45 minutes: This has gone rather astringent, smelling of violets (a troublesome note for me) and fruit rinds. The frankincense and rose are fighting to bring everything back into line, but they're losing the battle.

 

Two hours: Violet still, with a tinge of the star anise. There's also rose and some of the fruit, but this is principally a violet scent on me.

 

Four hours: Now I'm getting a fruit note rather like the one in Crawdad Dream, but still the tartness of violets comes first. The frankincense, which will last several more hours on me, is coming through stronger now.

 

Seven hours: This one has stayed very true to itself from about two hours in; it's just gotten consistently lighter. A very pleasant blend, but the violet is not quite friendly enough for me. I may trade this, depending on whether I find someone who really loves it.

 

[Phaedra]

Wet this is strawberry, rose and a hint of sharpness. When first on this is very faint overall and is a mix of strawberry and frankincense. After a few seconds a rose note develops. After a couple hours this is a soft rose and strawberry blend. This doesn't really change much more on me. I really like this but wish it was longer lasting and stronger.

[zankoku_zen]

This blend was very much a fruity + juicy floral on wet. I got the berries and a hint of rose + violet. As it dries however, the berries recede and I get more of the rose + star anise.

 

It ends up as a spicy rose blend that is just a teensy bit powdery. I blame the violet for that.

 

GRRR.

[boxinghelena]

For some reason, my skin chemistry only likes one or two components.

 

This is just berry on me. Not strawberry, so the huckleberry then? Either way, it's very nice on me.

[Schmoozy]

 

Wow. Right from the start, this is all strawberry, huckleberry and just the slightest whisper of violet. As Bat of Virtue dries down, the juiciness of strawberry and huckleberry die down and violet and frankincense prevail. I barely detect the star anise, but it does add a hint of spice in the background.

I love how this morphs. At first this is a juicy ripe berry, that turns into a muted floral resin. Beautiful.

[batsy]

In the bottle: Strawberries. It reminds me a little of the My Little Ponies that were "fruit scented". It's got a tinge of plastic-ness to it, but it's not terrible. Just overwhelmingly strawberry. (Irony for someone who is woefully allergic to fresh strawberries.)

 

On the skin: To be honest, it smells like delicious strawberry freezer jam, the kind my dad's sister made when I was a kid. It's deeper then straight strawberry, and I'm pretty sure that's because of the rose/huckleberry. It has a similar rose component to The Unheavenly City, which I love. The dry down brings out the frankincense but overall it morphs into such a lovely scent. A very beautiful little bat!

[moon_lemming]

Who knew that virtuousness smelled like strawberries? Bat of Virtue is a sort of floral strawberry scent, mostly full of the strawberries, in the vial and wet.

 

As it dries I can pick out the rose and I think I can smell the violet. I wish I could find the star anise -- I love that note -- but no luck. Although the other notes come out to play on my skin, the star of this oil is the strawberry note, which turns to a sort of perfume-y powdery strawberry that reminds me of Strawberry Shortcake (the doll, not the food).

 

The powder (maybe it was the frankincense?) backs off as this Bat dries, leaving a syrupy strawberry/floral blend behind. It's very pretty and sweet, although not really a MUST-FIND oil for me because it's almost TOO sweet on my skin. It'd be a winner for people who love the Lab's berry stuff.

[milo]

Many thanks to the lovely forumite who frimped me this! You know who you are!

I love most berry blends (except strawberry and blueberry) and LOVE frankinscence, so I was really looking forward to trying this. Unfortuneately, the strawberry dominates, I was kind of hoping for the hucklyberry, but it was not to be. This is like extremely sweet strawberry, nothing much else. I will say that it's not fake.

[Invidiana]

This is an absolutley lovely beryy suitable for any time of year. Anyone afraid of rose, I didn't really get any in this blend--maybe because my skin amps sweeter notes and the rose is on the low end of sweet in this instance considering the note list--but even if it's there it just melds smoothly into everything else. It's just a lovely pinkish-purplish mix of wild huckleberry and strawberry warmed up by the frankincense and just a whisper of anise. Juicy and delicious

Edited November 24, 2009 by Invidiana