Van Van

[poisons_sanity]

A venerable voodoo blend, used for purification of the spirit and to amplify positive personal power.

This smells like lemon, vanilla, and sugar. Foody, but not overly so. It has a very short lifespan, though, and only lasted for a couple minutes on my skin and turned really weird on me. I don't even know how to explain it. But I was frightened.

However, I do have it in a scent locket, and it's still going strong all day. I like it, but I won't be wearing it too often, as I don't love it.

As for the voodoo qualities, I haven't noticed too much of a difference, but my day does seem to be a little less stressful.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very sweet citrus or green scent with something smooth and creamy underneath.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells a little nutty, bitter, and powdery on my skin. The citrus note is still there but it’s very light. This smells almost like powdered rubber gloves on me.

 

After a few minutes: This smells mostly powdery now, with some nutty wood note in it. It’s not a sweet scent at all, and it almost smells medicine-y. Something in it is bugging me for sure.

 

Later on: This is just very powdery right now. That nutty scent is still there in the background and the scent has stayed pretty strong. It’s too bad I don’t like it at all.

 

As for how I feel when I use it... I don't feel more "powerful" since the scent really turns me off.

[aquazoo]

Caramel/butterscotch. It's a very warm, cozy smell. I can definitely see it being powerful and positive.

[Brianne]

Goes on very citrusy (orange or lemon? I'm honestly not sure in this case, possibly both) and dries into a vaguely fruit loopy smell. That fruit loop smell is a little odd on me though, there is something a little "off" underneath it on me.

[Catmint]

I put this on my wishlist before I realized that patchouli hates me with a vengence, but I tried it anyway hoping for the lovely citrus/herbal/vanilla notes others were getting from Van Van. Unfortunately, on me this is baby powder combined with an awful antiseptic smell. I closed my eyes and took a deep whiff of my arm and instantly pictured myself in the changing room of a public pool I went to years ago. Damp chlorinated air, antiseptic cleaner, and powdery spray deodorant. Gah.

 

ETA: I asked my husband to close his eyes and smell my arm, to see if he would perceive it the same way. He sniffed and said "Babies and hospitals. Eww."

Edited October 2, 2007 by Catmint

[dragonrain]

When I first tried this it reminded me strangely of opium. Now it's almost purely baby powder, swirling with lemon and something green. It's comforting. I'm surprised I like this as much as I do.

[erraticprophet]

I have to say straight off that I'm addicted to voodoo oils whether they smell great or not. Luckily, this one does!

 

Initial Impression: lemon

 

On Wet: pound cake (lemon, almond, and vanilla)

 

On Dry: more almond and vanilla, less lemon. Still delicious!

 

Final Impression: Smells yummy! I wanted to nibble on myself. I don't know about feeling more powerful, but I did feel comforted. Maybe it was the association with pound cake?

 

Rating (on a scale of 1-5): 4.5

[The_Merf]

There is definitely lemon here, and maybe some sort of sharp or "bright" musk? I suggest that because this blend goes very, very, very wrong on my skin and lemon usually does not do that, but lighter musks can from time to time. I really can't comment further because this is truly unpleasant on my skin--a definite swapper!

[rien]

Erm, I wore this when I woke up one morning knowing it was going to be a trying day at work ... and a couple hours after application, it made me puke. I don't know why, it doesn't smell horrible, it just triggered something bad in my brain.

 

Maybe I'll try it again another time - kind of like getting sick off a particular drink, though, it'll be awhile before I can separate that initial experience from the oil enough to give it another chance. =/

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

there's an eensy bit of Voodoo history in my family tree...and this blend must contain much that is similar to something that was given to me when i was teenytiny, because this smells so familiar, so safe... if "home" had a smell, this might be it.

sniff: almost butter-toffee -- Callard and Bowser type, not as sweet as werther's original...but with a bit of something almost citrus.

skin: the citrus blossoms and becomes almost floral (something like magnolia or mimosa, but not), the sweetness is still there, but not as obvious. as it wears, something sultry/smoky comes out to play.

 

overall: LOVE.

[filigree_shadow]

I would not wear this as perfume, personally. On my skin it smells like a bug candle plus powder. It pretty much stays that way, except the powder part of it gets stronger as it dries. Apparently my skin hates this ferociously, and since I don't intend to use the oil in any ritual, I probably don't need to hang on to the imp.

[purplemoonshoes]

Opium and medicinal in the imp, smoky lemon on my skin. Not bad, not great. Good staying power, and okay throw. Not sure where to wear this though.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: heavy vetiver.

 

wet on skin: the vetiver dies down *slightly* and a hint of citrus comes in. i get little whifs of the nut some folks mentioned, but only in passing.

 

dry down: the vetiver returns. everything else vanishes.

 

in all: if you like vetiver-based blends, you'll love this. as for 'power', i can't say i feel anything except slight dizziness (which may be because i'm hungry )

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle:

Lemony sugar. Powdery bottom.

 

Wet on skin:

Lemony sweet top note still, something darker lurking underneath. I can't tell what it is. Still smells good.

 

Dry on skin:

Wow, this one has a ton of throw for me and lasts forever. I could still smell it in everything that touched my neck or hands (scarf, jacket, wrist warmers, etc.) DAYS later. Very nice scent, uplifting and energizing.

 

I think this might be one that smells different on my neck as opposed to my hands or changes drastically during different times of the month. On my hand it is totally retaining the lemon sugar scent with a slightly dark undertone. On my neck it becomes less sweet and the dark comes out to play.

[mzhell]

i purchased i full size bottle of Van Van at christmas time after carefully deliberating for days on which voodoo oil to get.

the spirits must have guided my hand, because this is the one bpal oil i cannot live without.

 

in the bottle it smells exotic yet familiar.

the lemony smell others have described comes out in a very herbal sort of way to me.

my sister has a bottle of lodestone oil she let me wear once, and this comes very close to that sweet vanilla liquor smell with a hint of something powerfully magical underneath.

 

on me it becomes more of a musky vervain/vanilla.

so far Van Van lasts longer than most of the other oils i have tried, combining with my own scent on the drydown to linger most of the day on clothes and underarms as a sweet yet slightly seductive scent.

 

i have found that, magickally speaking, this oil becomes what i need it to.

on tough work days just catching a whiff helps me relax and focus on clients, but if i intend for it to entice my man it seems to morph into some sort of crazy pheremone booster!

 

this oil makes things happen, for sure!

[MaeKitty]

In the Bottle: A musky dirty vanilla with resin.

On me: Sweet grass, vanilla, maybe some sandalwood. Very comforting and warm, a little resin-ey. Maybe there's some benzoine or amber in here? Not sure, but I like it.

"Results": So far, I have found that I feel a lot lighter and happier today. More forgiving and willing to move forward. Definitely what I needed.

 

I wear this to bed when upset or when I want a comfortable and restful sleep.

[indybear]

After reading the reviews, I really had hopes for this. Sadly, it hated me and I intensely disliked it right back. It's very strong on my skin and turned into this very wrong chemically powder. It may have mellowed after a while, but I couldn't wait to find out. I scrubbed this one off - the first time I've done that.

 

I need to figure out what note in this my chemistry despises, because I really need to avoid it.

[gchris]

In Vial: lemon and vanilla

 

Wet: Smells yummy but getting powdery

 

Dry: This hs gone completely baby powder on me.

[LyndaM]

Sweet, smoky...lemon cake? If this is indeed lemon, it is the only lemon note I have ever liked in the entire catalogue. I can't even deal with Dorian; too lemony.

 

This is fascinating and unusual and I really like it. I can't speak for its' effectiveness as a voodoo oil, but it sure gives me a lift!

[innocent]

I received a frimp of Van Van in my lab order (<3 the lab!). The first few times I wore it I loved it, couldn't get enough of its creamy vanilla-lemon smell and decided I was going to buy a 5ml for my birthfay. But then... disaster! I went out of town for a weekend and when I got back Van Van was horrible on me. It turned into a harsh herbal/soap smell that actually hurts my nose and eyes. A few reviews have guessed that this might have vetiver in it, if so that might be my problem (some vetivers hate me and some don't). I'm holding onto my imp for now and giving it occasional tries - I'd love for this to smell the way it did the first few times I wore it.

[zankoku_zen]

Despite whatever beneficial effects this blend might have, the scent doesn't work for me. At the beginning, its an herbally lemon almond kind of scent. But as I wore it, I got distinctive whiffs of powder.

Now its just a lemony powder. Like talc, but with lemon juice mixed into it.

I think its more distracting that anything else. I really don't fancy smelling 'puffs' of talcum powder out of nowhere. And then realizing, it's me!

 

ETA: 2015
So I managed to swap for a bottle of Van Van and am thinking of using it along more the lines of TALs as opposed to just a perfumey BPAL. It still smells almond/powdery to me, but I find it much more bearable. I think of it more along the lines of a "gunk be free!" sort of blend.

Edited April 10, 2015 by zankoku_zen

[AthenaRose]

This one is pretty complex, and i still can't figure it out. The mystery adds to it's appeal though.

 

Here's what i seem to be smelling from it though. I don't have a very experienced nose, so i'm probably way off.

 

In the IMP: Heavy boozy fruitcake.

 

Wet on my skin: Sharp bitter lemon and black licorice. I probably wouldn't like it if it stayed like this, but it doesn't stay like this very long before it starts to change into something really nice.

 

Drydown: Soft powdery velvety floral with a hint of wood. Smells like carnation or some sort of wild rose? I don't know my flowers very well, but this is nice and it's definately a floral i can wear.

 

After a few hours: Cedar/wood with the softness of that floral scent. As time passes, eventually all i can smell is the wood/cedar smell. I asked a co-worker to smell me and tell me what she thought i smelled like, and she instantly said 'cedar'. Then she wanted to sniff me again. She said the smell made her feel grounded.

 

Overall impression: This one made me happy. It put me in a good mood all day at work on a busy day. I also felt calm and confident. I'm going to give it a 4/5. My fiancé thought it was okay, but nothing special. He said it smelled like a fancy soap or scented candle.

 

Edit: after reading the other reviews, i think that the 'floral' scent i was trying to figure out was palmarosa. My skin must really amp the palmarosa, although the wood smell (possibly vetivert grass?) seems to linger longer after the palmarosa fades (about 4 hrs later).

Edited July 13, 2008 by AthenaRose

[dorothy humbird]

Citrusy talcum powder, but with a darker patchouli edge. It's alright for a while, and then turns into powdered sweet tarts. Not something I'll be holding on to, much less reaching for.

[Tilby]

Looove it! I am in love with the smell, not sure yet how it works in it's special fashion, I will have to test it oust soon. It's dirty but bright, a little lemonish on me, then it changes...Odd scent on my skin, but I think I need more.

[kawaiiferreto]

Let the crazy morphing begin!

 

This is one wacky scent... I never was able to directly pinpoint any of the notes at either stage.

 

Wet it was creamy, sweet, warm, and inviting. I could see where the vanilla comparisons come from.

 

Dry it was citronella candle/ bug spray . . . Eww.

 

If it stayed the way it did at first I might consider testing it for it's other uses, but I think I'll have to pass.