The Velvets

[ami226]

THE VELVETS
Five almost identically dressed, pale young women walked past him. They wore long dresses made of velvet, each dress as dark as night, one each of dark green, dark chocolate, royal blue, dark blood, and pure black. Each woman had black hair and wore silver jewelry; each was perfectly coifed, perfectly made up. They moved silently: Richard was only aware of a swish of heavy velvet as they went past, a swish that sounded almost like a sigh.

Smooth inky musk, cathedral incense, ylang ylang, violet leaf, rose-infused amber, red sandalwood, and iris.

On the skin: The musk here kinda reminds me a bit of Black Temple Burlesque Troupe. Black musk? Then some incense and a sweetness that I think is the amber and ylang ylang. Still have trouble actually picking ylang ylang out in a blend. Definitely a black musk with a hint of incense and a sweetness that turns ever so slightly soapy on my skin. Must be the florals? Not bad though!

-ETA- Oh, my! The further this dries, the more amazing it gets! Now it is an amazingly smooth sweet scent! Not much throw on me, but is so nice and comforting the more it dries! Edited April 28, 2010 by Shollin

[whisperstilled]

The last of the scents I picked up as samples. What awesome bottle art the Neverwhere scents have!

 

Imp: Rose, floral, with incense and musk. This one's pretty well-blended. I'm having difficulty picking out individual notes. It's a really intriguing scent, actually, sort of tangy and odd. The incense gives it a steady background note and grounds it, keeps it from being too light.

 

Wet: Wow, there's that incense coming off me like a tidal wave. The florals are the background now. It's gone a bit plasticky though, unfortunately, so I'll let it dry down.

 

Dry: The plastic has gone away, but so have all the things I liked about this one in the imp--the tangy floral and ylang ylang and violet leaf. It's gone pretty straightforward incense on my skin, and while I do like incense, I wish there was a little more going on. Still, that's my skin chemistry's fault, not the scent's.

 

A really nice scent. Not a rave rave rave need a bottle type scent, but quite nice. 3/5

[papermaker]

At first this is musky and floral. There is definaltely ylang ylang at first(it's a little sharp).As it sweetens there is definately a violet stage. Then It's all rosey incense. I rather enjoy this one.

[angelicruin]

Sweet light rose amber & incense. Goes a bit powdery on the dry down, but I still really love it.

[PersephonesChild]

I found this to be something of a morpher-- both to its credit and its ultimate doom.

In the vial (I picked up a sample at C2E2) it smelled like your generic amber/incense blend, with maybe a touch of iris. None of those are really my thing, but I try to work myself up to skin-testing anything, so I tried it.

 

On my skin, the amber and resin very quickly backed down, and I smelled the rose, the iris, and the crisp violet leaf-- the blend softened and took on a floral tone. In this stage, it was absolutely lovely. I thought to myself how I glad I was that I'd worked up the courage to try this on. What was I so scared of?

 

I walked over and had my boyfriend smell it-- "Smells kinda powdery," he said. And I sniffed again, and thought, "Oh yeah, that's why I avoid amber." It had gone straight to baby powder in the time it took me to walk across the room, and was getting worse by the second. I couldn't scrub it off fast enough.

 

The worst part is, since I don't like it in the vial, only when I first put it on my skin, I don't think putting it in a scent locket will help.

[ellebelle]

This is absolutely stunning. The Velvets didn't make my short list of scents that I desperately wanted to try, but a sample from C2E2 mysteriously made it into my package from my witch! When this first goes out, there is a serious citrus edge to it - kind of lemony and it burned my nostrils a bit when I inhaled deeply. (I amp lemon like crazy.) Almost immediately that backed down into a seriously well blended scent. I get the musk, the amber, the violet leaf, the sweetness from the incense + ylang ylang. It's a sultry scent, one I would pair with a black dress for going out. Totally beautiful and absolutely bottle-worthy.

[Geminirubyshoes]

The label art on this bottle is so awsome! The Velvets look like a clique of popular 80's chicks in high school (kinda think Heathers!)

When I sniff it from the bottle it has the same kind of bite that Black Temple Burlesque Troop does, only softer. I am guessing it is a similar dark musk note.

When I put this on, its soft dark musk and powder. The violet is apparent and I think its the amber that gives it the powdery note. The Velvets is both comforting and yet unnerving at the same time, true to the characters in my opinion. Elegant yet evil!

If you like I died for Beauty and/or Black Temple Burlesque Troop, seek out some of this to try. I am stoked to add this to my Gaiman scents on my dresser its great in the locket as well.

[Ryvre]

I hate violet. I hate it with a passion that I normally reserve for people who drive under the speed limit when I'm in a hurry. But I picked this up at C2E2, and I decided to give it a try and hope the other notes would win out.

 

No such luck.

 

From the moment it touched my skin to a few hours later when I scrubbed it off, I was enveloped in a cloud of pungent violet.

[LunaLovegood]

I used to like different blends, but then I became strictly a foody person. Those seemed to work best on my skin chemistry and were the most comforting scents I found... In fact, I would have never touched a blend that had incence if my life depended on it. Until a lovely forumite sent me an imp of The Velvets. Oh. My. Word!

 

This blend is absolutetly gorgeous. I really cant pick it apart, I never can with any blend, but this one is a gorgeous incence thats a bit sweet. Its absolutetly beautiful and full of mystery and silence. Like a person thats staring at you intensely, but you cant tell if its a good thing or a bad thing... except with this blend is a good thing. Absolutetly a winner for me. Bottle worthy without a doubt.

[edenssixthday]

The Velvets - This scent is a perfect example of why I continue to try BPAL scents that don't sound like I'd like them: because sometimes those I think I'll dislike based on notes that never work on me, end up smelling absolutely amazing. I can never wear dark or black musk. I mean NEVER. Ylang ylang is another that rarely works on me. And red sandalwood is rarely impressive. Incense scents tend to be about a 50/50 chance on me. Well, throw them all in a bottle with a few other nice notes that I do like, and WHOA MAMA!!!! Damn, I'm IMPRESSED!!! I understand now why some people love black musk. For the first time ever, I am wearing it and not just tolerating it, but I'm going positively gaga over it. It's so smooth and musky and velvety. The incense blends with that musk and the gorgeous earthy violet scent and the rose-amber and irisd... and it's just to die for. I really, really love this fragrance. The only thing wrong with it is that after about 60 minutes, it fades significantly. I can smell it on my clothes at the end of the day, but I can't smell it on my skin for longer than approximately one hour. Still, it's worth slathering. It's really fun to wear a scent that I shouldn't love and to experience all the wonderfulness of a note that's usually awful on me.

[Dark Alice]

Dark/Black Slinky musk with soft goregous white flowers. (I think) There is also a sweetness to this...but it is ever so light. Glad I got a chance to gry this....it truly is lovely...but I think a decant will do me.

[cinnamonster]

Wet this is Palmolive Shaving Foam, the original kind they had back in the seventies/early eighties in the UK. I'll get back to you when it's dried.

ETA-Just realised I never came back! It did pretty much stay the same...but I started to really like it in a nostalgic sort of way:)

Edited October 23, 2010 by cinnamonmel

[obsidienne]

I'm going on memory, as I was lucky enough to test this a couple weeks ago when I visited Ellebelle!

 

The Velvets, with that notes list, ought to have been perfection on my skin. I love all of those notes, and have a great track record with them. So I wish I knew why it smelled like rotting musk on my skin. Just stinky. Bad. Unpleasant. None of the notes listed showed up, just a faint stench. I do not understand it, and I never will.

 

I'm sure I will be tempted to snag a decant and retry it in a year or two, but I'm relieved I didn't buy a bottle as I originally planned to when it went live -- I'd have been pissed!

Edited May 23, 2010 by obsidienne

[saralaughs]

If you like I died for Beauty and/or Black Temple Burlesque Troop, seek out some of this to try. I am stoked to add this to my Gaiman scents on my dresser its great in the locket as well.

 

Yes!

 

It is the same black musk (or one so similiar that it really doesn't matter) that is in BTBT, which worked beautifully on me.

 

Applied this goes powdery from the musk. Usually powder is a no-go for me but this is a beautiful powder. Almost like baby powder smell but more grown up, if that makes sense. It's deeper and more mature some how. Anyway, the goodness ends there. The sandalwood is a bit prominent in this on me and gives it this weird dryness that I really can't stand.

 

I'm sure it will be appreciated by others though.

 

[tailoredshirt]

Wet, this is definitely musk first, with a big cloud of incense in the background.

 

Dry, something sweet and floral comes out - the amber and the violet leaf, although I could be getting some of the other florals as well. A bit of dry sandalwood. Overall, it's definitely a dry scent.

 

This is nice, but it's not really doing much for me. I think I'll pass this on for someone else to try.

Edited May 27, 2010 by tailoredshirt

[OpheliasVengeance]

This scent is like it was made just for my skin chemistry. I've never tried a black musk scent before, but the musk, the incense, and sandalwood balance out the iris and ylang-ylang (which my chemistry would normally amp the nth degree). This combination creates a perfect scent that screams to be worn when sauntering out at night.

[rawgirl75]

EWW. Just eew.

 

Based on the notes, this should have been gorgeous on me. I'd nearly bought a bottle of it unsniffed when it came out, but am sure glad I didn't. We got here several baby-powder-causing notes (black musk, violet, amber, sandalwood, iris), which on their own my skin would have easily transformed into a win, but all at once? They didn't.

 

Wet: Cheap department store perfume. Black talcum powder with smelly dust.

Dry: Amps powder powder powder.

 

Rating: 2 out of 5 (Don't Like). Heading for sales post asap.

 

 

[rayvn1]

I was sure that this would be doomed to amber dust and floral on me since some blends with those notes have gone down that rather unhappy path. Straight up incense! A real surprise but nice. Very Midnight Mass-ish. Lovely, dusty and rich.

[hhg]

Well, based on prior encounters with the notes that are in The Velvets I expected this to go to powder on me -- and that's just what it did.

 

If I was an infant with a penchant for the dark side, this would be the perfect scent. (sighs, and stashes decant away in the wild hope that a couple of months in the BPAL "troubled scents time out box" will make a difference.)

[countessmouse]

This one is a morpher that finally redeemed itself. It began as a strict floral, then the musk tried to pop without much success. Shortly thereafter, it went all bathroom air freshener on me, and I was seriously thinking I'd have to wash this off when I got to the office. Now the musk and sandalwood have finally made an appearance, perhaps with a hint of the incense. Good thing I find this scent pleasant now, because the throw on this one is really strong.

[Blood onmy hands]

This smells like it might be good in the bottle, where it's smooth, cool, golden incense (reminds me of Midnight Mass) and a hint of girly, sweet rose. On my skin, however, this turns to powdery doom. I love amber from pretty much every company but bpal... bpal's amber turns to baby powder on me, and I get tons of baby powder from this, with a bit of cloying, perfumey floral behind it. Not good times.

Edited January 29, 2012 by Little Bird

[veronicafranco]

really? no one else so far gets snake family from this scent? skin chemistry is so interesting. on me, this is definitely a soft, smoky, warmer, powdery-er snake oil cousin. when very dry, i get a bit of the violet/ylang ylang in the form of a lighter floral edge. i enjoy it, but it's not the grail i thought it would be (which is ok!)

[Iceblink]

Oh HAI sexy Velvets...I love this. Lots of musk and rosy amber with violet and iris wafting on top. Ylang-ylang tends to amp on me but I don't really smell it at all here. Dry sandalwood is the grounding base. Absolutely gorgeous!

[MCS4096]

Same musk as in BTBT.. as well as Haunted (if you're looking for a GC relative). First on it's got a musty quality I'm really digging-- exactly like velvet thats slightly dank. But then it goes a tad floral and a tad blah and it's no longer as interesting/unique as when wet and frankly I like BTBT and Haunted better. If only it stayed like it's wet self!

[reynardine]

Got a few samples of this from C2E2, and although there were some death notes in it (incense, sandalwood, I’m looking at YOU), in the interest of science, I thought I’d at least try a bit. Whoa, mistake. The incense is very strong (frankincense, maybe?) and my eyes started burning at once. Honestly, I couldn’t pick up anything else past the incense. It smelled like the Cathedral I attend after a funeral. Trade pile.