Bastet

[crebbsgirl]

... Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus.

Let me preface this review by stating that almond and I rarely get along. On my skin, 99% of the time it turns into a shrieking amaretto note that makes me and almost everyone in the immediate area ill. Having said that, in the bottle, there is a pretty strong almond note and it stays for about 1/2 a second when it hits my skin. But then the scent blossoms into wonderfulness. The almond fades lightly to the background and the saffron and cardamom combination blend seamlessly with the myrrh and musk. The golden lotus comes out about 1/2 hour to an hour in, and sweetens the blend up. On my skin, golden lotus tends to smell like a light honey. This is a very golden and warm blend. Overall it's a beautiful skin scent, lovely and glowing. Edited December 5, 2008 by crebbsgirl

[MCS4096]

This was the bottle I was most excited about from my first BPAL order, so I've chosen to review it last, so I've had time to think about it

 

In the Bottle: I can seriously recognize every note.. it can be generalized as an amaretto scent, as others have said, but that is coming from the almonds blended perfectly with the creaminess of amber, Egyptian musk (personally my favorite musk) and myrrh. Those are the deep notes, and the cardamon and saffron (SO excited to be able to smell this in there!) add a subtle spice, with the lotus only serving to moisten the blend and keep it from being too resinous. The combo of creaminess and saffron reminds me of rice pudding with saffron in.. so yummy.

 

Wet: Very sweet, and more floral as the lotus amps.. but then the amber and myrrh take their turn, giving it a woody moment-- spicy wood left in the warm rain.. Then the lotus is back in full force-- wet wet wet florals and musk.

 

Dry: This fades to a slightly spicy sweet musk. Every stage is different with this one.. and it is a shorter wearing scent on me. I'd say towards the end (after about 4 hrs) the musk is the base note remaining, with only hints of sweet myrrh and spices. No almond here.

 

I really love this one.. although I think it's a little too sweet of a blend to represent the kick ass Bastet I still love the idea.. Each time I apply this I say a little prayer to Bastet, and to the cats I've known.. and wonder if I was an Egyptian in another life.. shaving my eyebrows in mourning when a cat died to show Bastet respect.

[ephemera]

Reading the list of scents for Bastet, I was sure I was going to love this scent. I adore amber and cardamom, I like almond, and certain musks work very well on my skin. I have to assume that the golden lotus is what disagrees with my skin, because on it gets a little... thick-smelling on me. I can't quite describe it. It's like underneath I can smell the amber and the cardamom and it seems like it would smell nice, but there's this one discordant note and it's the dominant one.

 

About an hour after putting it on I layered a little Body Shop Africa Spa lotion over it, and it is starting to morph a bit into something rather pleasant, but I don't think I'll be wearing this again. I know a lot of people do like it, so it can be a swap.

 

Actually, now that I've thought about it I think the almond may be that discordant note.

[toomuch]

Oooh, another favorite! This is a deliciously sweet golden scent. It's warm but light as opposed to dark and deep. The spices are very light. If this proves to have good staying power, I'll be buying a bottle.

[acidrica]

My first thought when I smelled this was butter. Then it turned into something akin to....gold. If gold had a scent. It's very beautiful, but fades extremely quickly on me.

[gingiemay]

Wet in imp - Almond, lotus, myrrh and cardamom. Sweet and mysterious.

 

Wet on skin - Almond with some more of the spices coming through, particularly cardamom. A tiny hint of lotus. No amber yer, thankfully.

 

Dry on skin - This has mellowed to a wonderfully musky vanilla spicy scent. Similar to Morocco, with the spices and vanilla, but more cardamom and saffron almond. Delicious! A full bottle for sure.

[kjirstiben]

This scent smells like honeyed almonds, sweet, when I first put it on. The sweetness is lotus, probably with myrrh giving it some roundness and depth. There's an almost-buttery scent to this right at first.

 

The lotus kind of takes over after a while--while it's pretty, the scent is almost too sweet to enjoy after a few hours.

 

Continuing through the day, it's the lotus-only show (I'm starting to suspect I may amp lotus). By the end of the day, while it's pretty much a lotus single-note, it's fainter than it was for a while, and thus more bearable. While I do like lotus, I think I like it in moderation--tempered by other notes.

 

What's odd is that when I first got this--it's from my first BPAL order--I remember liking it quite well. I wonder if my nose has changed, or if the lotus takes over as it ages?

 

Recaplet: A promising beginning hijacked by single-note lotus. Very, very sweet.

My rating: 2 of 5 (Meh.)

Color Impression: Water-lily pink.

[rayvn1]

I really amp almond, so I was a little afraid of Bastet. I can't resist an amber or musk blend, though... This was surprisingly pleasant! The almond comes through, but it's swirled with a creamy, thick smell that is almost foody Charming!

 

Edit for grammar

Edited January 25, 2009 by rayvn1

[mgrazulis]

The scent notes at a glance are right up my nose's alley, except for the almond which can amplify to the 5th power on my skin at times. I adore Egyptian musk and cardamom--both heavenly in the imp. But this little trip to the Nile was not meant for me. The almond asp has reared its ugly head and taken over my skin, far too sweet and sending a wave of nausea thruout. The myrrh, musk, and spices....let alone the lotus left to drown in the the almond Nile.

[Suu4LC]

Yummy!!! Sweet almond and musk! Also a touch of saffron! Deepened a bit by myrrh! Oh this is lovely! I get a little bit worried about the amber-it tends to go super powdery on me, but damn, this smells good in the imp!

 

Mmm...I do love the lab's almond note! It smells almost the same on me as it did in the imp, though it is going a little powdery already, and the lotus is starting to come out, which is not a note I am a huge fan of...I am going to see how this dries down...if the almond/saffron/cardamom win or the powdery amber/lotus wins.

 

Overall, this was very nice-still a bit powdery, but not in an offputting way-sweet almond/cardamom and saffron over myrrh and musk, with the hint of lotus fading on full drydown. This faded rather fast on me, and there are other sweet almond bpal blends I prefer, but if the notes in this sound intriguing to you and you do well with amber, you have to check this out!

[vegasblueblood]

Starts off as a gorgeous almond with the spicy Egyptian musk floating behind. Then the sweetness of the amber and lotus begin to take over. I am not a huge fan of either amber or lotus but the almond, musk and spices keep them from becoming overly sweet or cloying. This is very warm and soft, very feminine and almost motherly. The amber is definitely making it powdery but not enough for me to think it a problem. This doesn't last long. I've only had it on less than an hour and it's already faded signifcantly.

[awesomeoverlord]

For some unknown reason the spices never quite show themselves in this one once it hits my skin -- I get the almond note for the first couple of minutes, to the point where it overpowers everything else. The must and amber are demurely hanging around in the background and the lotus is beginning to rear its head.

 

I should say that lotus tends to thrive on my skin, so it was no surprise when it started emerging in earnest about 20 minutes into drydown.

 

Overall, this ends up being a golden honey-sweet skin scent -- very very luxurious and pretty -- the light floral of the lotus makes me think of spring. I wish my skin hadn't eaten up the spices, though

[archaeopteryx]

In the imp, I smell cherry, almonds, spice, and musk. I was having trouble at first picking out the individual notes, but after trying it a couple of times I can pick them out more easily. It smells like a spicy, sexy blend in the imp, and when I put it on it doesn't change. It reminds me a little of Black Phoenix, one of my favorite blends.

 

This one has a lot of staying power. Several hours later I'm still catching the scent here and there, even without smelling my wrist. I find it to be a beautiful scent and will be getting a bottle of it.

[amanderinorange]

 

In the imp: I smell almonds first, which is not a good thing normally as almond (though I love the actual nut) normally turns my stomach. I don't know what it is about the scent, but we do not get along. That being said, this is not an overwhelming almond scent i.e. overly sweet, but rather subdued. Behind it is a bit of light musk and something spicy.

 

On me: the almond has almost disapperead! The musk now has a chance to come forward along with the amber and I think the cardamom, but I'm not entirely sure. It's a great scent, but really soft. Quite unexpectated as a scent called Bastet tends to make me think of something a little more fierce, maybe with more musk.

 

Overall: A very pretty scent that unfortunately only lasts for about half an hour. I'm unsure whether I will get a bottle of this or not, but I'm glad that I have the imp.

[magikalbrownies]

im weak in the knees for anything lotus and with almond -- this stuff is like MY JUICE.

 

the musk just deepens it on the skin.

 

love this scent and now going to be a daily wear.

[kbrighton]

Oh, how I LOVE this scent. It's golden, warm and furry, like the coat of a cat who has been basking in the sun. The almond is sweet and adds to the comfort of Bastet.

 

My cat died last night, and I picked Bastet at "random" from my imp box this morning. Bastet was the perfect scent to wear today, and I am singing Her praises as both a scent, and a work of magic. It truly does invoke the goddess Bastet.

[Magpie]

In imp: Almost unpleasantly sharp, almondy, slightly floral, with a bit of a nail-polishy smell, possibly due to the saffron. There's definitely the fruity/floral scent that's a bit like cherry and a bit like peach as well.

 

On: Less strident, the lotus and amber come out a bit more gently and the almond and saffron fade into the back a little. Bastet becomes sweeter and more sultry. This is actually becoming really lovely, deep and exotic. As it warms up on my skin, it becomes incredibly beautiful, with swelling lotus and the background of spice. Mmmm mmm. This is definitely one I'll wear fairly often, though I have other ones I want bottles of more. It's certainly on the list of 5mls (and it's a pretty long list...) I can definitely see where the 'peach' and 'cherry' comparisons are coming from: it's sweet and swelling with ripeness. Sexy, delicious and luxurious.

 

After a while, it calms down a bit and becomes a drier, more powdery, but still lovely scent, but for a while there it was delicious and juicy, evocative of exotic markets and cool palaces.

[catattack]

Imp: Cherry, lotus, and a teeny bit of almond.

Wet: Creamy, sweet, golden scent. Almost foody. Something reminds me of graham crackers.

Drydown: It's not as creamy as it was when wet. It's bright and golden, sweet, but there's a tinge of tartness. This might be an amber that doesn't work on me. It's morphing into a raw honey scent. Lotus stays strong.

Overall: This is nice, but not sure if I need a bottle. Very little throw.

[BuxomM]

Wet it smells like almond, cherry and lotus. Dry it smells like amber with some sweetness, golden. Amber tends to amp like crazy and smell foul on me but this one doesn't. Not for foody me but still very nice.

[fireflower]

In the imp, this smells so creamy and golden. And it stays like that for a while on my skin. Amber, Egyptian musk, myrrh, saffron, and cardamom are always good on my skin. So I'm thinking maybe the lotus or almond or the combination of the two has something to do with the way this one dries down. It's almost peppery and sort of dull when it's been on my skin for a while... like certain brands of sun block. Which is a shame, because it starts out so nice. I think I'll keep my imp at least until I know if this will work in a scent locket.

[copagirl]

I really like this one alot! It's all cherry almond on me, with some soft spices, very very nice. However, soon the cherry smell goes and it starts to smell a little "perfumey". Then, POOF, it's gone... Oh well, I will still wear it, I will have to keep slathering!

[donnatron]

Imp: Amber and almond. Is this a problematic amber?

 

Wet: The second Bastet touches my skin I can no longer smell individual notes. Just sweetness. This is very syrupy. Like golden syrup but not necessarily golden corn syrup.

 

Dry: I don't know. I can smell a very faint cardamom/myrrh combo and then some... saffron? Most Bastet is just sweet, warm, possibly amber and some spice swirling around my skin. It's pretty and sweet and I can't tell if I like it or not. It's almost like... I don't know. I have gone through almost an entire imp of Bastet just applying to my wrist, smelling the drydown and then trying to write a review. I think I like it. I think it smells really nice on my skin. THERE ARE JUST NO WORDS FOR IT!!!

 

Throw: Skin close.

 

Overall: I am confused.

[unlaced]

In the imp: almond, almond and more almond.

 

Wet: more of the same.

 

Drying/Dry:Spicy, sweet, warm and golden... A teensy bit of almond still lurking in the background. This is total love. It fades away and comes back when I'm least expecting it. A new comfort scent for me.

[coraline]

I amp cardamom, apparently, as that's the dominant note I get here. It's backed by a little amber, almond, and lotus. Overall, the spice gives Bastet a hot feel, quite appropriate for an Egyptian goddess.

[Wwindy]

This starts out all honeyed musky almonds. Over time, the amber comes out, but I'm not really getting much of the other notes.

 

This blend does a weird thing on my skin -- for about five to ten minutes, it has virtually no presence or throw. I kept layering more on after my initial application, and now (two hours later) I still get almost nothing when I put my nose close to my skin, but I can tell I have a perceptible scent aura floating around me. Huh!

 

I like this, but am not sure it's bottle-worthy due to the throw issue.