Virgo

[Little Bird]

Virgo, from Celestials - Astrological Oils:

 

apple / white musk / rose

narcissus / oakmoss

patchouli

 

I am so happy to have finally gotten my hands on a wee half imp of Virgo... I am not a Virgo myself, but I love patchouli something fierce.

 

First on... this is all earthy, slightly spicy patchouli and dark green, woodsy oakmoss. I'm getting something that almost smells like cedarwood here as well, but it's not overpowering or off as cedarwood often smells on me.

 

After 15 minutes, this is a lighter earthy scent with subtle throw. It's clinging close to my skin. I'm not really getting any rose or apple, but I am getting a clean and slightly perfumey scent that I think is the white musk, underneath the woods and patchouli.

 

Earthy patchouli and oakmoss, a hint of something wood-like, and a smattering of clean, creamy white musk.

 

I could barely smell this after an hour, but I did enjoy it while it lasted. I might get a full bottle if the opportunity ever arose.

[eviltemptressdq]

being an uber-Virgo, I of course had to obsess over finding this scent... and I was lucky enough to get one via swaps!

 

The smell is very incense-y, which isn't normal "my thing"... but there is something delicious about this particular incense smell... spicy, but with enough of something sweet to keep it "tame", and not burn my nostrils...

 

Oh, and it smells JUST like shopping in this store on South Street (in Philly), Garland of Letters. JUST like it.

 

yum!

[edenssixthday]

Virgo - Oh wow, I never thought I'd like an earthy scent so much. I also didn't think I'd like this because I once dated a guy who was a Virgo and who was constantly reminding the world he was a Virgo (as an excuse, I suppose) that I had unpleasant connotations with this particular oil. However, it's really beautiful! It's incredibly earthy, woody, mossy, slightly sweet and floral. While narcissus doesn't work on me on its own, it's absolutely gorgeous in so many blends, and I really smell the narcissus coming through in this one, tempering the earthy wood and moss notes with its floral softness. Apple usually turns rancid on me almost instantly, but in this blend, it adds just a touch of juicy sweetness to keep this blend interesting. I don't know that I would wear this scent myself as it doesn't really suit my personality, style, or scent preferences, but damn if I wouldn't love to smell my husband in it (and no, he's not a Virgo, either). It's fairly masculine on me, but a really sexy scent overall. The throw is moderate and sadly, the staying power is poor, which surprises me for a scent with patchouli in it. It's very hard to smell after drydown and completely gone within the first 45-60 minutes.

[xoe]

Of course my imp is quite old, so the scent has probably changed over time. Wet and on me, Virgo smells like some makeup from the 70s. Maybe the white musk or the oakmoss or something has morphed into something else entirely, or maybe this just doesn't agree with my skin chemistry.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Medium, golden-chestnut brown coloured oil. Sharp! Incensey, earthy. Dark, rooty patchouli, bitter narcissus, and sour rose. Hint of softer oakmoss. No apple - it probably evaporated years ago, with how ephemeral apple notes generally are.

 

Wet: Very similar, perhaps a bit softer and less biting. Still very earthy. The rose is most likely white, and it's stronger now, and more rosy-floral instead of sour. The white musk jumps out now, the patchoul is more earthy, less rooty, and the oakmoss is clearer.

 

Dry: The narcissus is still too sharp and the rose too sour, but the patchouli and oakmoss amp further and keep the scent grounded. I like the white musk in this - it's sexy, and not too piercing - but it doesn't blend well with the deep patchouli - they're too disparate to harmonize.

 

Later: This is so dual-layered and it never coalesces. The top layer is sharp-sour-white, narcissus and rose and musk, and then below it the dirty and earthy and hippieish patchouli and oakmoss. It'd be like if Paris Hilton got dreads and started wearing hemp pants.

 

Summary: After a few hours, the shrillness of the top floral/sharp musk layer fades a bit, leaving behind what is mostly a dark, somewhat sexy patchouli- and rose-tinged oakmoss-musk base. Very earthy at every stage, appropriately, but this the blend never truly achieves any sort of harmony. Unisex. Strong throw and good lasting power.

 

Sigh, apparently none of the old or new astrological oils will work for me. And oh how I swapped for this little bit of oil that so didn't love my skin. /whine

[ivyandpeony]

I've owned this one for ages - I was lucky enough to acquire a bottle from RedWitche, who hasn't been on the forum in some time, but who shares a sign and birth year with me

 

I love that this has that very old-school BPAL vibe that incites nostalgia in me, as some of the earthier blends from the early days of the catalog do. But where so many astrologically inspired perfumes are just the eathiest things that the perfumer could think of, dumped in a bottle, this version of Virgo has many more facets. The earthy patchouli and oakmoss are there, of course, but the narcissus is somehow earthy, sweet and floral at the same time; the rose adds more sweet and floral tones. I get a bit of brightness from the apple and musk, but this bottle has had a lot of time to age and mellow and it's more thick and heady than bright (which suits me fine). I would guess my bottle is from late 2003 or early 2004, it's one of those squatty bottles with a hand-lettered label in block letters and a reducer top, although I believe this one was around until late October of 2004.

 

Now that Beth has yet another Virgo in her life, perhaps she'll revisit Virgo again and again - I believe that The Gladdener of All Hearts had a good bit of Virgo inspiration, since the money was on baby L. arriving towards the end of August or later (would there have been a frenizied reformulation if she'd decided to pop out prior to August 22? Maybe! Babies are unpredictable, especially first babies!) Anyway, I will happily make room for any future interpretations as well. I really cherish this one and the 2007 version turned the concept on its ear again.

[zankoku_zen]

I agree with the dual layer bit, especially when you first wear it. I get this sharp musk/top rose floral and I can definitely smell the patchouli as the base. After about an hour, I can smell the oakmoss which has mixed with the rose, so it's this sexy sensual sort of scent on top of the patchouli. I like it better at this stage, but I get the same effect from the oakmoss in Ebisu, and with the bonus of peach instead of rose.

 

So, yeah. Pass.