Venustas

[Atrous]

Sometimes when I look at my daughter, I feel like I can see the woman that she’ll become someday. This is a perfume for that woman, forever my daughter: frankincense, sweet myrrh, bourbon vanilla, and a hint of willowy, pale fougere.

OMG, this is so lovely! A feminine Fougere. Something I've been longing for.
Soft, sweet florals with Frankincense and Myrrh playing supporting roles, rounding out the fougere.
A creamy sheen of Vanilla touching everything. I'd describe this scent as innocent.
I cannot stop sniffing at my wrist while debating a backup.

[dementia_divine]

In the bottle: The fougere jumps out at me the most, but I smell the resins as well. I am not really getting any vanilla from the bottle.

Wet: The fougere note is the dominant note, and it remains that way throughout the wet stage. The resins have decided to take background roles. I thought this would be somewhat like Hope and Fear Set Free with a hint of fougere, but it isn't like that at all. However, this isn't a bad thing. I enjoy fougere! I believe this fougere contains lavender and bergamot. At least, there is definitely a floral/citrus combination going on here (but I'm pretty confident about the presence of a bergamot note, because I was reminded of Earl Grey at one point).

Dry: The fougere is still the most prominent note. There is a breath of vanilla that is helping to sweeten up the blend, but it is lingering in the background.

Verdict: Like, but not love. I will be keeping my bottle, and I am looking forward to seeing how this one ages.

[SadariEvenstar]

This is reminding me of Daddy, but with more staying power. (I hope I never have to type that sentence again. O_o) It must be the fougere. I like it a lot!

[OctoberGwen]

I didn't think I would like this at all, despite the fact that the description moved me to tears. Frankincense often overwhelms, bourbon vanilla hates my guts, and I dislike the masculine fougeres I'd tried so far. At the NYCC booth, I dutifully dabbed some of this on for review purposes and I am so, so glad I did. This is absolutely beautiful, people. Beautiful. No notes stand out to my nose. It is a soft, sophisticated, haunting blend. The fougere adds a gauzy, dreamy cast over the classic-smelling frankincense/myrrh/vanilla combo, giving them a character that feels entirely unique here. I really can't describe it any better than that.

 

I bought a bottle.

[Zii]

This was a blind buy that I then tested at NYCC and I am so happy I got it.

 

ITB: Of all things, this smells kind of like lemon zest cookies in the bottle. Not really foody, but clearly the citrus in the fougere and the vanilla are really playing with each other here.

 

Wet: This is really hard to pin down, though I love it. The vanilla and the incenses are probably the most noticeable if I had to pick from the notes, but the fougere is turning them into practically unrecognizable versions of themselves, in a great way.

 

Drying: So most fougeres contain oakmoss and I can very much smell the greenness in this perfume as it starts to dry. There is also an odd citrus thing that occasionally smells a little odd to me, but it tames itself quite quickly as this starts to get creamy and soft on my skin.

 

Dry: I'm really not sure quite what I feel about this. It morphs a lot on me as I wear it, and some stages are amazing and others not so much. The dry stage is utterly amazing, though. It's much more what I thought this was going to smell like based on the notes. The incenses are much more recognizable, and the vanilla has backed off to add just a hint of sweetness that clashes a lot less with the green and citrus of the fougere than it did during the middle stages.

 

This is a perfume that I can tell is going to be served well by aging. Both frankincense and myrrh really round out scent wise with age, and vanilla gets a lot less chemical, though I don't have a huge issue with it in this blend the way I can. Right now this is about a 6, and I think it could be something really stunning in a month or two.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Zii

[Aviatrix]

It starts out smelling somewhat like lemony tea! Pleasant enough, but definitely not what I expected

The tea sinks to the background and makes room for the fougere fairly quickly. All in all this feels reminiscent of Dorian, but lighter. I get very little resin, but some vanilla, too.

It's rather faint on me, and I really hope it gets a bit stronger with age, as what I'm smelling is really quite lovely, it's just kind of well-hidden because of the faintness.

 

It's a light, but definitely grown-up scent, feminine, but with an edge. I really like it!

[Lunasariel]

Turns to pure soap on me. NOOOOOOOOO!!! There was so much about this I wanted to love! A vanilla-y incense melded with ethereal, intriguing fougere sounds like everything I've ever dreamed of in a perfume, but this went straight to Dove bar soap on me, and stayed there for a good four hours.

 

It eventually dried down to a ghost of the vanilla-y-, incense-y goodness I had imagined, but it was too little, too late. I'll age this one for a little while and see if that helps, but I don't plan on wearing this one again anytime soon.

[biocarolyn]

I agree with the comparisons to Dorian... there is something that reads citrus on me. Not cleaning fluid lemon, much softer than that. But as it dries, the bourbon vanilla becomes more prominent, and I feel like it's tempering the fougere to make it feel sweeter. The resins are in the background on my skin. This is pretty, understated, and classic smelling. A real, womanly perfume.

 

I just sniffed my wrist again and I've had a crazy epiphany... the lemon fougere and the vanilla with resins make this smell like... echoes of Dorian and Snake Oil. A much gauzier version of both, but it's there. Not in your face directly, just hints. It suggests the combination. That's... that's just amazing.

[spectrum-in]

I get the soap-smell too...hopefully it ages well?

[ClockworkMoM]

Venustas is just beautiful. It is soft , sweet and perfumey. Evocative of sweet femininity, without being heavy or too strong.

 

On me, the vanilla, fougere and frankincense seem to dominate. Lovely!

[Dark Alice]

This perfect. Light, vanilla and lavender with a touch of frankincense. This is not a day scent. I tried it...it didn't feel right to wear it during the day. I love wearing it at night. I see an order for a few more bottles before this comes down.

[Myria Jean]

Light fougere, something citrusy, frankincense and just a tiny bit of myrrh. It has decent throw and staying power without being overwhelming.

 

This is GORGEOUS. I usually stick to gender neutral scents, but I need multiple bottles of this to be my one undeniably feminine perfume. It's not too girlish, but also doesn't say anything I don't want it to say (most feminine scents smell just wrong on me). It is strong, beautiful, and contemplative.

[EphemeralFey]

Purchase: Imp from a decant circle

 

In the imp: A feminized men’s cologne. It’s a little sweet, a little floral and I am detecting a small hint of citrus as well. Very pretty so far!

 

Test Area: Arm

 

Wet: No change from the imp, but I have to get really close to my arm to smell anything.

 

Dry down: Its gotten a little sweeter, and the citrus is more pronounced, nothing else has changed. Scent is still sticking very close to my skin

 

1 hour later: It’s mostly faded now, but I’m getting vanilla and something resiny. Seems like it would be pretty if it lasted.

 

Thoughts: This one will have to either go to the swap box, or see if it works better on my BF.

[doublehelix]

As I opened up my package, this is what my mailer smelled of. I sniffed it for quite a bit, and wondered which one it was going to be It's beautifu! Fougere is one of my favourite notes, and when you compare this to some of the other popular ones, this is definitely very feminine. It does remind me of Dorian femmed up. It's delicate, and vey lovely.... I knew this would be my favourite of the lilliths, and it is!

[zankoku_zen]

Venustas, you make me so torn.

 

It starts out as a very femme fougere. It's practically all fougere, all the time. And as it dries, I get more of the vanilla and myrrh and it ends up fully dry, as a slightly powdery, slightly rosey skin musk. It has very low throw at this point.

 

But what I do smell is a deeply feminine, deeply comforting, skin musk perfume. It has such a deep feminine energy to it, and love. You can tell how much love when into crafting this blend. There is a gauzy dreaminess in this blend about the woman that is yet to be. So beautifully nuanced and complex.

 

I find Venustas to be a deeply evocative blend. Perhaps because I am a parent that I find it to be so resonant, but this is may be by far my favorite Lilith blend.

[sqwook]

Welp this is lovely. I love it. It is brighter than I'd thought, while still being mellow and soft and beautiful, and, ack, I really love it.

I have a real fondness for Mag Mell, and while they are not the same, and not even really the same feeling, I love how they both balance a brightness with soft-sweet-calm. AAAGGHHH. It's great.

[schneagl]

In the bottle: Bright, zesty, a bit of lime? Not picking up any of the other notes yet.

Wet on my skin: Similar but sharper, not quite a cologne - I'm still learning fougeres, so I don't have the best vocabulary for it, but I'd say it smells a bit like grapefruit + bright green leaves + a deeper base - that's the first hint of the resins that I get. It's not spicy or incensey, though; before I reread the description I wondered if it was cedar or sandalwood for that base. I was surprised to be reminded that it has both frankincense and myrrh, notes I usually love and can pick out.

Drydown: The citrus and sharper notes die way down and the woody/resin notes come out more. This is all very pretty and great, until…

10 minutes into it, it's gone. From both my skin and my hair. This is a Mr. Ibis-level disappearing act! It comes back a bit in the later burndown, but it has such a disappointingly low throw on me I can't say much about duration. So strange to have it morph from a strong initial scent cloud to just a few wisps, and all of notes that I like I'll retest and see if I get better results, or try a scent locket if that doesn't work. Lovely scent if you can get it to stick around!

[theseagrows]

this starts off with a bit of a sweet fougere scent and dries down to the most gorgeous vanilla-myrrh, this on me at least, is reminiscent of guerlain scents! it's warm and enveloping and i definitely need a bottle.

[samarablackcat]

Well, count me in the lemon tea group. Was hoping for more of the other ingredients, with the fougere in the background, but it was not meant to be.

[Jangzonrice]

In imp: feminine fougere with frankincense and myrrh

 

Will update when I get to try it on

[lucycat]

In the bottle: Fougere.

 

Wet: Lemony tea. It’s very like Dorian (which I love,) without the vanilla. I know bourbon vanilla is a note in Venustas, but I don’t smell it at this stage.

 

Dry: I do get a bit of the Lemon Pledge vibe that others have mentioned, but it’s subtle, and I almost always enjoy citrus notes, so that doesn’t bother me. That aspect fades after about half an hour.

 

Venustas fades fairly quickly: after three or four hours, it’s faint, and it has completely vanished by the end of the day.

 

Feminine and sophisticated.

Edited November 11, 2014 by lucycat

[riddel]

Oh, this is gorgeous! It's like a lighter, citrus-y A Moment in Time with a touch of resins. Seeing as how A Moment in Time is my favorite Lilith scent -- and, quite truthfully, it's in my top three BPAL scents of all-time -- I'm more than happy to have something else in my collection that reminds me of it.

 

Insert lots of hearts here.

[Scylla]

I see, er, smell, the comparisons to Dorian, also. On me, it smells like a cross between Dorian and Lilith Victoria with lemony tea. I got imps of all of the Lilith's Birthday scents, and this is my favorite so far.

[Teaker]

A light, delicate fougere, with a hint of lime. There is also something vegetal, which I think is some element of the fougere and that I hope will disappear with some aging. The vegetal element burns off quickly and I'm left with lovely myrrh, with a green, bright edge from the limey fougere. I would never have put those notes together, but it works so well and is so alluring and different! I can pick up just a touch of sweetness as it dries, more from the myrrh than the vanilla I think. Very unusual. I'm definitely looking forward to trying this again in a few weeks once it has settled more. My overall impression is of a soft and refined scent, with both warmth and coolness to it.

Edited December 5, 2014 by Teaker

[LiberAmoris]

Venustas is really lovely—my favorite of this year's Liliths. I do get a bit of citrus, but only at the very beginning. Then it's a dead match between the pale, mossy fougere and the incensey, churchy frankincense and myrrh. It does remind me a bit of Dorian, but it's lighter, wispier, and more resiny. After an hour or so, it does smell a bit soapy, but I like it—it smells clean and subtle and calming.