Van Van

[jennnina]

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

this smells nice in the imp, kind of herbally. however, on my skin it is patchouli, baby powder and rubbing alcohol. i'm super bummed. where is the vanilla/green scent that most other people got. )=

[Venneh]

Hm. I could use positive personal power atm, and purification sounds good. Let's give it a try (yay frimpage)!

 

In the frimp, this smells like either Blood Kiss or Voodoo, not sure which, which makes me antsy. And it's the same on my skin wet, too, at first; but now, it's starting to dry down, and I'm getting what's either patchouli or some kind of spice, with a faint hint of green.

 

EDIT: And then it goes to doctor's waiting room, like with Blood Kiss. Augh. I think it's pretty clear that the Voodoos are not working on me. Though, my heart is feeling lighter than it has in quite some time.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Venneh
Removed Lab description --Shollin

[donnatron]

Imp: Even if I didn't already know the ingredients for Van Van I would know that thar be vetiver and lemongrass here. They are pretty strong and I get a faint citronella-like scent.

 

Wet: Vetiver. Same vetiver as in Queen. Sort of a dry, grassy, golden sort of vetiver. Also lemongrass and a general golden, grassy feel. Strong.

 

Dry: As a scent, I don't think I like it. It dries down to pretty much a single note grassy vetiver. There's a hint of smoke in here too so it's too uncomfortably like fall grass fires. Also a bit like... unwashed skin. Just when you get all up close and personal but there is definitely a funky element to this. It's a shame because Van Van is like the Get out of Jail Free card of Voodoo oils.

 

Throw: Uncomfortably strong.

 

Overall: I can deal with stinking something fierce if it works.

[Ishtar]

I tried Van Van for the first time back in '04 or '05, but never got around to reviewing it. I took the new imp added to my most recent order as a sign that I was time to write a review!

 

Funny, I remembered Van Van as one of those lemony, vaguely aquatic Voodoo blends, but there is nothing watery (and certainly nothing vague!) about this. It's in-your-face vetiver with a grassy undertone - but we're talking brown grass here, as if it had been exposed to a scorching summer sun.

 

Ah, the lemon / lemongrass is coming out now. This is getting more similar to the Van Van I remember (good to know that I'm not losing my mind!) but it is still quite strong.

 

Although it's not my type of scent at all, it is strangely appealing to me, especially once the raging vetiver calms down and the citrussy / herbal notes show up.

 

After it dries down completely, the combination of notes does smell like strong, earthy patchouli. It is brown / green in feel and it is rather appeasing indeed. Not something that I would wear as a perfume though, and when it comes to other uses, I have some TALs whose scents I much prefer to this.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Acrid smoke and... herbs? Something resin-y.

 

Wet: Rich smoke. Kind of like burning cocoa? And citrus... Almost like a chocolate orange that is smouldering.

 

Dry: Smokey. And lemon-y. And herby. This has the potential to be vastly unpleasant, but is staying just this side of it.

 

A while later: Only a slight smokiness lingers. This is herbal and sweet and kind of sexy. It smells almost like wildflowers and honey in a patch of herbs.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: Vanilla?

 

Wet on Skin: I know that smell… what is it? It goes on spicier than it is in the imp.

 

While Drying: Weird, almost chocolatey, but not chocolate

 

After a Little While: vanilla & baby powder - fitting - I tested it on a day when I was dealing with a very cranky teething baby; vanilla note is reminiscent of Vixen

 

Later: This lasts and lasts. A little goes a long way.

 

Final Thoughts: POWERFUL throw, especially at first.

Van Van earns a 3/5 on my skin.

[rayvn1]

Smells like roots, smoky herbs, a pinch of vanilla, and a tiny bit of orange when I first put it on. Dried to a smoky, root-flavored blend. Very grounding!

[loubric]

Spicy dirty chocolate & vanilla. Slightly waxy with smokiness edged in.

Not for me.

 

EDIT: has major staying power, will not go away even when washed off ...

Edited January 27, 2010 by Lilly

[moon_lemming]

Damn, I can't pick out much in this one. I'm going to have to go with other reviews to figure out what's in Van Van. Okay, I get the vetiver and the patch. There's an earthy spiciness in here, and something herbal. Definitely something citrussy. And I agree, it has shades of vanilla. A bunch of stuff. Anyway, I like the scent in the imp, and there are very few blends that are this smoky that I even LIKE.

 

Interesting. As it dries, the citrus -- which is clinging to the vanilla in a strange way -- pops and everything else except the vetiver kind of fades back. It's still there but the main stars are the citrus/vanilla blend and the vetiver. This is such a weird blend. It sounds weird, right? It is so strange I can't even actively dislike it, I'm just sitting here with an eyebrow cocked as I sniff it. Smoky lemon cake, I don't know. It makes me think of the color brown.

 

The main point of the Conjure Bag for me is DOES IT WORK. I haven't worn it long enough to really tell yet, so I will edit this review later. It's worth the odd scent if it does.

 

eta: I think YES. Yes, it works. As always, I am open to the notion that it could be a placebo effect. I feel like it's giving me a much-needed little shove, sort of a confidence in myself and an affirmation that what happens will happen and that's okay. That doesn't make much sense but I don't want to get too longcat about it. It's sort of an active peace/calm confidence. If that's not what I'm supposed to get from it, don't tell me, because I like this.

 

I will keep Van Van around, I think it's a good tool to have. I won't get a bottle like I did with High John, but an imp or two, definitely.

Edited May 21, 2010 by karen

[damonkitty]

Is this vetiver? Not sure what that note is, but I am assuming vetiver. It is a smoky vetiver with a manly side to it. As much as I get a man's scent in the beginning it drys down to a woman's soft powdery blend in the end with a touch of vetiver in the background. It is sort of confusing . I am not sure if I like this, but I can not say I don't like it. It has a quality of both feminine and masculine all in one blend. I wrote down sandalwood for some reason, but that may be because when something hits my nose wrong I assume it has sandalwood in it. I now think it is really vetiver though (which sometimes gets the same reaction as sandalwood from me). Still confused

[INFJ4w3]

At first sniff, there was that awful rancid peanut butter/old rotting celery combination: VETIVER . I just can't stand BPAL vetiver. Thank God/dess, the vetiver dies down quickly after application. There's a soapy note (citronella), a pleasant grassy note (???), a tiny bit of lemon (lemongrass), a vanilla powder note (huh? Does anyone know what that is?) and a spicy, dark, incensey note (ginger, possibly lemongrass as well). One moment it's a subtle skin scent; another moment, it suddenly has powerful throw. Then, back to almost nothing. It morphs a lot.Very different. It doesn't smell like perfume. It smells like someone who's been working in an herb garden and doing food prep work at an exotically spicy restaurant. (And maybe on their break, dusted themselves very lightly with baby powder?) I do feel relaxed yet ready for anything while wearing this. I've been layering this with a bit of lemony/herby Baba Yaga. I can also see it combining well with Water of Notre Dame (other voodoo blend for purification and peace) or lily scents like Peitho.I think I like it. 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 out of 5 stars.

Edited June 24, 2010 by INFJ4w3

[Rhian]

I put on a tiny amount of Van Van - and wow, I'm glad I did, because it's powerful stuff! At first it was strong, sweet lemon - like a really tangy lemon cake - and then it started to smell more herbal, like lemongrass. I think I caught a whiff of something gingery in there too. After a few minutes the lemon became stronger and sharper, while retaining its sweetness and the undercurrant of green grass.

 

It's a lovely, fresh, strident scent, but I think it'll be better in my oil burner than on me. It's just not something I would wear - it felt like it was wearing me, in fact.

[tdgnika]

In the imp, fruit and some sort of musty, rotting undercurrent. I'm rather horrible at identifying scents that fall into this fruit family.

 

Wet on the skin, the musty undercurrent comes out and smells more woody and plastic-like? It smells very familiar but I can't place it. In the first few minutes, it's throwing that smell, and it's getting my throat.

 

Really throws baby powder within a few minutes. Within a few minutes, I had to try washing it off – it REEKS of baby powder.

[Diva Urd]

A friend gifted me with an imp of this, since it really wasn't for her.

 

In the imp: Phew, vetiver, plus greenery... a bit intimidating.

 

On: Vetiver with powder... and I don't hate it. Not at all. In fact, the powdery note, whatever it is, turns the vetiver into something manageable - it's like putting a cute, frilly pink tutu on Cthulhu, and the result is, well, unique

 

I might like this enough for a bottle.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: I’m not skin testing, as I know from the bottle, I will react badly. It’s sort of bone dust and dealy mushrooms. With something sweet and hard to classify let alone identify.

[Honey]

Instant love.

 

 

Imp: Strong, acrid, medicinal. Like tea tree oil, vetiver and the deepest patchouli.

 

Wet: Still medicinal but with a more grassy note. Herbal and strong.

 

Dry: Light vetiver (that smells like sweet basil or dill) with dried sweet grass or hay. Coumarin is very strong in this one! Therefore, there might also be tonka bean and vanilla grass in there. This scent is just lovely! Herbal, sweet and sexy. You really feel more confident and secure when having Van Van in your nose. I just love it. I might need a bottle of this.

[aleciarivas]

Unfortunately, this scent turned to complete powder on me and I despise powder. So.... not for me!

[iamzuul]

In the imp: This has a lovely citrus scent to it - I vacillate between grapefruit and lemon. There's a touch of sweetness to mellow it out, so that it smells more like - like many have mentioned before me - lemon sugar cookies or a citrus glaze for cookies or cakes. Invigorating but calming at the same time, like it takes you back to a happy place. Like how smelling apple pie can take you back to grandma's kitchen, that sort of thing.

 

On application: More of the bitterness of citrus rind or lemongrass came out immediately after I rubbed my wrists together and smelled them. Not entirely unpleasant, but not the same as lemon sugar cookies. The green-ness that others have mentioned starts to poke its head out here, but only barely. Further from the skin, though, the throw does still smell like lemon cookies - it just gets a little odd the closer you get.

 

After the first half hour: The odd green rind/grass scent fades to a lovely lemony powder. I am quite fond of this.

 

Final impression: Though it does have a moment of 'I'm not really sure I like this after all', the scent eventually settles into a lemony powder that slowly fades as time passes. It's lovely. I'll be adding this to my favorites. :3

[Rho]

If there's vetiver in this, it isn't assaulting my senses like it usually does.

 

I totally get lemon cake from Van Van. A touch of vanilla, a touch of sugary glaze; neither enough to become cloying. Something earthy is mingling with the "baked goods" vibe.

 

Van Van is pleasant enough. I don't mind wearing it. As for its intended use, I could see this being mood brightening, and probably solidifying. Certainly not a bad way to go for when a little light is needed.

[Dani87]

I didn't get a chance to try out my imp because my 3 y/o got into my stash, and dumped this one all over herself. From the tiny amount left, and all of it on her, this smelled like pure baby powder. VERY STRONG. Even the tiny bit I.did get to try was overwelming. I will not get this again.

[HerbGirl]

So...for the first 15 minutes or so Van Van smells just like Lemon Scented Sticky bat with extra cream and lemongrass added...which is AWESOME. Then...oh then...Vetiver. And there wasn't a gradual change either...it just went WHAM Vetiver. I don't know if I will use this, but I know I can't stand the smell of the dry down. I wish I got some Patch like others have, or Sweetgrass...but nope. Vetiver rarely works on my skin, and when it doesnt it actually makes me a bit sick to my stomach. This started off so promising...and I won't write it off until I test it a few more times for it's intended purpose.

 

Vetiver =

[Cattastroficka]

In the vial: Patchy babe-ay, where you been, man? This is a mellow nice leather. Catching a hint of something green too. Like a dandylion. Sunflower seeds too. Maybe a sunflower smell. Nice.

 

10 minutes: getting more leathery. The greeness is stronger also. Maybe a touch of sweetness? It reminds me of a new leather handbag that's made of rough leather that hasn't been processed too much into an unsmelling super soft piece of nothing.

 

 

 

30 minutes: wow it's getting greener! Possible floral coming on? This is how a cowboy should smell. Green, leathery and cologney. A splash of cologne in the morning, then riding all days bringing in the cattle or mustangs, mending fences, baling the hay....then coming in to eat, and giving a kiss before he goes to wash his hands. Ahhhh! Is this what Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman experiences every day! DAYUM! This is thigh slappin good!

[aphrodite]

I get ginger from this at first. Effervescent ginger ale. Then it morphed into a thankfully brief citronella phase, during which I was ironically bit on the face by a mosquito that wanted out of my car. Then back to ginger. A lot of ginger smells dirty on me, but this one only toed that line, and now a sort of vanilla-honey sweetness has tempered the dirtiness away. I like. I don't yet know whether it's bottle worthy, but I like.

[Tiada]

Of all the options, I chose this one to help me battle cancer. I don't know if that's really the best choice, but it called to me best. I was really REALLY worried about what it would smell like, because The Conjure Bag hasn't worked previously. I'm also really not very good at determining what I'm smelling, but I'll attempt anyways.

 

Imp: Strong! There's something woodsy and musty (kind of dusty). Very dark.

Wet: The "woodsy" smell gets stronger, and I think it's a bit like cedar and dry grass. Also, something is making this spicy underneath. I want to say there's also a dry sandalwood, but it's not.

Dry: This softens so much! It brings it to something much simpler and almost sweeter! This was not what I was expecting from the beginning. It has very almost a creamy, softer element that has made this completely different.

 

I may not adore it, but I'm keeping it, and wearing it when I really feel like I need the help!

[milo]

Smells like a utility blend alright, kind of herbal, a touch of sourness (maybe rose?) with powder. I don't mind the smell of this, there was only a teeny drop in an aged imp, though it's not something I'd seek out for a scent. I'll report back on any effects!