Venus Victrix

[LiberAmoris]

VENUS VICTRIX

Venus the Victorious

Peru balsam and aged patchouli with white sandalwood, red musk, red roses, and wood moss.

Venus Victrix is much softer than she sounds—on me this is patchouli and peru balsam right out of the gates, with the red musk and red roses coming forward on the drydown. The wood moss and sandalwood keep things grounded. After about 20 minutes, it's still mostly a resiny and woody blend, but the red roses give it a rosy, lush roundness.

From the note list, I thought this might be a strong blend, but it's very soft with little throw. Definitely an intimate scent—the victory here is personal.

[zankoku_zen]

Red musk, white sandalwood, hint of roses and wood moss. I get a ton of red musk and sandalwood straight off, and then the roses and wood moss come in. This is a sandalwoody musky blend, with the roses giving that soft floral component. Decent throw, decent wear length.

 

Sandalwood, musk, roses.

[quickdrawkiddo]

This is all red musk and patchouli straight out of the gate, and then it softens almost immediately to a balanced woody-resiny-musky blend with just a hint of roses. I adore red musk but I also amp it like crazy so I usually have to go easy on red musk blends. But the sandalwood in this keeps it balanced and gives it a calmer feeling than I usually associate with red musk. As it dries the woods become almost cedar-y. The throw is very light, and the overall feeling is one of calmness and strength.

 

I have a ton of woodsy red musk blends already but I don't care -- this is gorgeous and immensely wearable, so I'll need a bottle post-haste

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Earthy, rich wood and musk.

 

Wet on my skin: Lots of sandalwood and balsam, patchouli, and musky moss.

 

Dry: On me, this is very much a wood scent with an almost medicinal quality to it. It's almost all sandalwood and balsam, with the musk, patchouli, and moss deepening it just enough that I don't smell like the lumber department of a hardware store. The rose is almost imperceptible here, only a faint hint of it beneath everything else. This is a soft but oddly masculine scent on me, and thankfully I'm A-Okay with that. This is the sort of scent I might wear when I need inspiration to push myself. Maybe good for workouts. I'll have to test that idea!

[Greenwoodtree]

Aaack!

 

The balsam and patchouli amp and in an unpleasant way! Sawdust...fresh, dirty sawdust - with maybe a touch of sandlewood, and the faintest tinge of rose somewhere.

 

I'm not getting anything pleasant out of this.

[milo]

I get the balsam right away. After a bit the red musk comes out to play, so its a more gender neutral red musk blend. A little goes a long way here, only a teeny bit from the sniffie lasted all evening. I like a more feminine red musk, so more is not needed.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: The sandalwood and the patch jump right to the forefront!

Wet: Now, with even more spiciness!

The dry-down: As it dries, there's hints of the roses and the musk, and something sweet which must be the balsam. Sadly, those lovely notes never seem to meld w/the spices. It fades away as a soft sandalwood. Nice but not needed, and I had hoped for so much more, since I like all the notes.

[alyelle]

Imp: Deep, earthy woods and a throbbing patchouli core.

 

Wet: Strong on the patchouli and balsam, but more like a pure resin than the usual incense/smoke scent I typically get from BPAL's patchouli. I'm already crossing my fingers for a dry-down like Eve.

 

Dry: Very little morph, and much balsam throughout!

 

I really like this, but it will be an early autumn/late spring blend, I think. The more extreme seasons won't do it justice. Reasonable life span (about 8 hours) with a mid-strong throw.

 

Stars: ★★★★