Velvet

[voorishsign]

Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.

I swear, the Labbies are psychic! This has been on my wishlist forever and I was wondering whether or not to try this, and voila! A frimp arrives

I expect this to be similar to Wulric in scent, but I might of course be completely off.

In the imp - sweet, dry cocoa and a shot of vanilla.

On wet -more of the same with the dustiness of sandalwood. Tasty, but not as deep as Wulric so far.

Drydown - this is astonishing. Wasn't a fan of it in the wet phase but a few minutes later and wow - myrrh and sandalwood with a dusting of dry cocoa, only faintly sensed as something sweetening the resins, and the creaminess of vanilla. This is getting a full day test. Am utterly transfixed. Yes please!

[damonkitty]

I am not a fan of sandalwood usually, but the touch of cocoa really helps to smooth out the harshness of the sandalwood to me. They are well blended together. I can wear this without wanting to run and wash it off which is what sandalwood seems to do to me. The cocoa helps to create a sweet and sexy scent. I would wear this as a scent to go out on the town in. Not sure if I could sport this at work since I am in the medical field and it might be too overwhelming. It may be whole bottle worthy in the end

[meredevachon]

Frimp from the Lab, and one I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise as the cocoa didn't really seem like something I wanted to wear as a scent.

 

In the imp: Incense and dutch-process cocoa.

 

Wet: Dark, bittersweet chocolate with some kind of roasted nuts.

 

Drydown: This is very dry smelling. Hints of sandalwood peeking out, but still mostly bitter-dark chocolate.

 

Dry: After a while it goes back to almost exactly how it smelled in the imp. It's a lot less foody that I would've expected for something with cocoa notes, but it's still not me.

[Vega]

In imp: Chocolate! Warm, nutty cocoa.

 

On skin: The cocoa vanilla is the dominant note; whatever sandalwood or myrrh there is, is barely discernable. Overall a light chocolate, warm, nutty, and dry. Also crumbly/grainy in a pleasant way, probably from the vanilla note. A pleasant, light, foody/chocolate scent, but it's quite flat, without any depth or body, and remains much the same all through. Not exciting.

 

Verdict: Alas, Velvet was one-dimensional and ultimately uninteresting. I'm disappointed at the lack of myrrh and sandalwood, which I think would've given it more depth. But now I have to find more cocoa/vanilla, as I really like this note.

 

 

May 2011 Update:

My nose has gotten better at picking out notes, and I've had a chance to test Velvet again. Now I smell the sandalwood darkening the cocoa, with a bit of sugary vanilla sweetening the blend. Over time the sandalwood becomes more prominent. Velvet is like a woody, darker version of Gelt, and it's also surprisingly similar to Tombstone -- they must have the same vanilla, and the sarsaparilla/leather is probably duping the cocoa. Now I appreciate Velvet more than initially, but it's still quite simple and a bit flattened to me.

Edited May 20, 2011 by Vega

[xscpx]

In the imp: I smell mostly the myrrh and vanilla.

 

On skin: Wow. At first the cocoa was powerful (in a good way) and in a few minutes it faded a bit and the sandalwood really began to shine. It settled to this beautiful creamy sandalwoody/myrrh awesomeness. I actually was walking in a store about 20 mins ago and thought "What smells so good?" just to realize I did! This may be the first scent I buy a full size bottle of. Really beautiful.

[Edeniade]

I got this imp from someone who was selling a whole box of goodies that they had forgotten about, so it has aged about 2 years.

 

In the bottle: Ooh it smells like vanilla hot cocoa. It is as if it's been warmed up and in a mug ready to drink! I close my eyes and I can imagine myself all wrapped in a scarf and blanket all cozy.

 

First swipe: Smells just like it did in the bottle. So warm, so comforting, and giving me a real hankering for hot cocoa. Actually now I can smell the distinct tang of myrrh come through but it blends well with the vanilla and the cocoa. I get whiffs of sandalwood I think, but it's masked behind the vanilla.

 

Drydown: NOW I can smell the sandalwood (I seem to amp it a lot), and the scent overall is starting to smell like a chocolaty, less rugged Tombstone. The throw isn't great on me but the scent is delicious. This would be perfect for a winter night when I want to feel particularly luxurious!

[mysteryflavored]

In the imp, this smelled like dry cocoa and something rotting. I held off on trying it for a little while, but know well enough not to trust what that little wand tells me.

 

Wet was a chocolate overload. I believe the sandalwood also held a position up top. Too heavy of a scent for my usual tastes.

 

Dry, this got so delicious. Pure, unsweetened cocoa with myrrh (vanilla? are you there? no? okay whatever). I'm reminded heavily of the signature Ojon scent, although this is smoother and softer. My skin was hogging this, too... I can only smell it if my nose is touching my wrist. I like it that way -- this isn't a scent I'd like to advertise, but rather keep as a nummy little secret.

[Bamels]

This really should have worked on me, the notes work well on me, but I suppose not in this combination. It smelled like a lovely spicy, bitter chocolate in the imp. When on it smelled of dusty chocolate and incense. As it dried the incense started to take over and by the time it was dry the chocolate had disappeared and all that remained was generic candle incense. Very odd and will be going in the swap pile.

[ianastar]

Out of the bottle and wet on the skin this was pure Coca/Chocolate heaven. The drydown started to remind me a bit of Gelt, but where as Gelt has the amber which really comes out and sometimes dominates the chocolate notes, this has something else.

 

Drydown and finish, more of the mryhh and sandalwood come out, but are cut with a softness by the chocolate. All around I think this is fabulous as I love Chocolate and Sandalwood notes and these a wonderful blend of the two.

[Suu4LC]

You know, this has been on my list of gcs to try forever-I can't believe I am just getting to it now!

 

In the imp this is a cocoa + sandalwood, though I definitely get that dark myrrh underneath. I love the sweet, soft cocoa note, but I think the sandalwood and myrrh may overpower it for me. Woods especially tend to amp on my skin.

 

Mmm, I really do adore that cocoa note-it smells lovely on my skin-however, almost instantly it gets swallowed up by the sandalwood The beautiful cocoa is struggling to peek out, but is just totally suffocated by ZOMG WOOD. I can see how on some people the mix of cocoa and sandalwood would be absolutely beautiful, but meh, I'm just not a huge woods fan and this just feels a bit too amped to me...but I am going to see how it settles.

 

Overall, this really was too sandalwood heavy for me. I adored the cocoa note, but the sandalwood/myrrh got in the way. I can see this being gorgeous on others though.

[Incendiare]

Wow, from the imp, I get the darkest of chocolate with something more mysteriously dark lurking behind the cocoa. Wet, the sandalwood takes the spotlight and stays there. The cocoa complements it beautifully. This is definitely a dry blend. Velvet is very straight to the point and in your face. It doesn't morph on you and have a lot of notes going on at once. A bit simplistic, but I appreciate this one a lot. I keep sniffing my wrist. The myrrh kind of tags along with the sandalwood, which ultimately overshadows it anyway. Don't think it is bottle worthy, but Velvet is still nonetheless a beautiful blend.

[Amaranthus]

Velvet is warm and comforting. I am slow to use up a whole bottle of anything, so I have had one bottle of Velvet for years. When the bottle was new it was a perfect blend of creamy chocolate, sandalwood, and myrrh. On the skin, the myrrh was the last thing to stick around and it left me feeling warm and cozy.

 

As the bottle aged, the creaminess of the chocolate toned down, so it was more of a dry cocoa scent, but still lovely and warm.

 

These days, the chocolate is still there but it is dusty chocolate powder scent. Sandalwood is the strongest note. I still wear Velvet on occasion, but it's not as nice on me as when the chocolate was more prominent. Something about the scent makes me think of hazelnut.

 

My favorite use for aged Velvet is on my oil diffuser. As a room scent this smells amazing. I love to burn it in my coat closet so my winter jackets have that beautiful gourmand sandalwood smell.

 

I have enjoyed this bottle of Velvet. I may buy more this Winter.

[isis33]

I didn't much care for this one wet. The cocoa from BPAL has never worked on me, but as I try every imp that comes my way by principle, I tried this one anyway. After all, the other components works on me. At first I could just smell the cocoa and though it didn't smell bad, it still wasn't a smell I'd like to wear.

 

But dry... During the day I constantly got this wonderful scent wafting around me and evetually realized that is was me! Not a trace of cocoa left but something vanilly-warm. I can't say that I can pick out the sandalwood and myrrh, it just blur with the vanilla into something delicious. Sexy and comforting at the same time. I have fallen in love with this scent completely and need to get a full bottle fast, as my imp is almost gone.

[calivianya]

Velvet smells like straight up cocoa and vanilla in the bottle. Wet on my skin, the sandalwood starts to peek out. As it dries, the sandalwood becomes the most prominent note, though I can still smell the cocoa and vanilla distinctly. I can't pick out the myrrh in this blend. It's pretty, but it's just a touch too foody for my tastes.

[VipKim]

Starts smoky, a little dirty, dark sandalwood and cocoa. And it's definitely cocoa rather than chocolate, so on me it's not at all foody. The sandalwood sweetens it up some, countering the sharpness of the cocoa. The more I try it, the more I get a dusty note - maybe that's the myrrh - which reminds me somehow of items that have been stored in an attic for a long time. Still undecided - do I love it, or is just too dusty?

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Very myrrh-centric, but also some toasty sandalwood and the sort of cocoa that I also got from Love-Lies-Bleeding, the sort that smells woody at first, rather than foody. It's pretty, but very different and unusual. It does have a warm sense about it—I can see it being deep and velvety once on.

On, wet: The cocoa vanilla is much more apparent on the skin, sort of soaring to the top, sweetening and smoothing everything out. But the myrrh is right beneath, making it more complicated and keeping it from being a foody scent. The sandalwood isn't very apparent right now, and probably won't be until later (sandalwood is a subtle note on my skin), but there's a still a mild woodiness to it. It's very soft and smooth and comforting, but strangely enough, it doesn't feel heavy or cloying.

On, dry: Cocoa-vanilla-sandalwood goodness, with a sheer veil of myrrh over the top. It's very well-blended now, and honestly… kind of gorgeous. Wow. I didn't expect to love this one, but the combination of notes is really working for me, just the right amount of sweet and woody and incesensy, and yet still light enough that I would wear this in warm weather, too. It's an instant pick-me-up!

Later: I can only describe this as choco-vanilla incense. I'm still getting all the notes, and they're all working together very well. The throw isn't massive, but I'm glad for that—this works well as the sort of skin scent that you wear to please yourself. Something about it reminds me of a particular favorite kind of incense that I used to burn in college.

Overall: I'm indifferent to myrrh, and I've never found a cocoa note that I've really loved (aside from Tezcatlipoca, which is a very, very different sort of cocoa), so I wasn't expecting much from Velvet. But it has completely won me over! It's delicious and addictive, what with the cocoa vanilla component, but yet the overall scent doesn't strike me as foody, and it's not at all heavy or cloying. (It probably helps that the throw is relatively low, but even so, it's a sheer, soft sort of scent that doesn't overwhelm.) By turns, it's sweet, woody and incense-like, and the overall effect is warm and beautiful, even sensual. As I said, this perfume is comforting , and I think it's definitely going into my winter rotation. I'll wear it whenever the grey skies and cold air are threatening to dent my mood, and just bliss out instead.

[Teaotter]

In the imp: Dusty chocolate.

 

Wet: Wood and choclate, like a wooden box filled with cocoa powder. Very, very dry. Drier than that, even.

 

Dry: Dry sandalwood and cocoa, with a hint of myrrh underneath. No surprises, at any rate.

 

Later: Quite good throw. This lasted for about five hours before, then faded into myrrh just at the skin.

[Gael]

In the imp: Dusty chocolate.

 

Wet: Wood and choclate, like a wooden box filled with cocoa powder. Very, very dry. Drier than that, even.

 

Dry: Dry sandalwood and cocoa, with a hint of myrrh underneath. No surprises, at any rate.

 

Later: Quite good throw. This lasted for about five hours before, then faded into myrrh just at the skin.

 

Lasted for five hours? It's absolutely delightful, right up my alley with it's sweet and mystical nature . But throw? Only if you keep your nose plastered to your skin and just come up for air occasionally. Granted, there are a limited number of BPAL oils that truly last with my chemistry, but this one is a whisper. Big shame too.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

IMP: Powdered hot chocolate

WET: Funky, dusty chocolate

DRY: Same.

 

This was very boring on my skin. I tried it in my hair on a whim and I can smell a cedar note. The more it dried, the chocolate faded and it turned into a dry sandalwood incense.

[invisible iris]

In imp: Plasticky chocolate

 

On skin: Plasticky chocolate and vanilla.

 

Dry: The plastic faded completely. Now I smell true sandalwood, not like incense but like the woody dusty sandalwood that you get if you smell an old wooden box from India, made enticing and smooth with deep cocoa. Like smooth polished sandalwood dusted with dry dark cocoa. Very elegant, now that the wood has come out. Not foody, not sweet. Meditative, simple, rich, warm, dusky, velvety, matte, tantric. Amazingly, an everyday scent. Restrained, understated. Love it. Top 5.

[ziggystardust13]

Revised:

 

Initially I didn't care for Velvet. But I recently received an imp from a forum member and I love it. I doubt its something I'd wear out but its definitely something I'd wear on lazy days when I need something comforting. I can also see wearing this before bed.

Edited October 4, 2011 by ziggystardust13

[Honey]

Ohhh, can't wait to find out how this one turns out dry on my skin.. I love the idea of notes after all!

 

 

Imp: Very strong sandalwood: spicy, dusty, wooden-sweet. Reminds me very much of the sandalwood incense of mine. Chocolate and vanilla are both equally strong yet hang in the background and get pushed at the edge of the frame by the sandalwood.

 

Wet: Strong chocolate and vanilla, medium sandalwood. Faint scent allover.

 

Dry: Smells a bit.. salty. But, yeah, I can see why this reminds people of pencil shavings with smudged milk chocolate. I can detect the chocolate and the vanilla alright, but I just don't like that specific sandalwood in there.

[KittyHawk]

Velvet is Tombstone's chocolate cousin. I :love!: the dustiness of Tombstone's vanilla, but woody cocoa strikes fear into my heart. I really wanted to love this, as the complexity of this foody-but-not-really scent is something to behold, but dusty chocolate is a decidedly bad scent for me.

[Amoraexcena]

Wet: The sandalwood threatens to overpower for a minute or two, then leans back and lets cocoa and vanilla take centre stage though, almost as an afterthought, it sticks around to ground the scent and keeps it from becoming a foodie blend.

 

Dry: Beth's description, as usual, is dead on: warmed on the skin, this scent gives a soft, gentle, sensual embrace. The throw is quite close but it lasts a decent length, 3-5 hours on my skin. It's a cousin of Boomslang but without that rice milk that goes funky on me. The slightly bitter cocoa is also reminiscent of Black Temple Burlesque Troupe, but it's much more of a caress compared to the punch of BTBT. Velvet is a seriously beautiful gourmand, and I love it. Bottle purchase soon!

[rhubarb3point14]

This smells of chocolate and vanilla in the vial, but not on my arm! As soon as it dries, practically all I get is sandalwood and myrrh, more of the former than the latter. Lots and lots and lots of sandalwood... which is a nice smell, but not my personal style.

Edited October 30, 2011 by rhubarb3point14