The Perfect Lavender

[cupide430]

I'd try some Quietude or Safari as they're pretty straight up lavendar.

[elfmaiden]

My Casanova is VERY VERY lavander, it has some more masculine notes definitely lavander is predominate. (At least to me straight up from the imp)

 

Jenn

[minilux]

I second Quietude and Safari which are pretty much straight lavender. They don't have very good lasting power on skin in my experience, so I couldn't begin to guess how much you might need to properly scent the lotion. You may be better off using lavender essential oil.

[Torrilin]

Of the GC lavender blends I've tried, Baku is the best. Fresh from the lab, the anise note is quite strong, but it does seem to tone down and blend in with age. If your friend truly loves lavender, go through all the lavender blends and look for the ones with the most reviews complaining about sharp, nasty and overwhelming lavender. The more bad reviews in this case, the better! The average reviewer seems to dislike lavender intensely, so if the reviews are positive, chances are the lavender is undetectable. It's too bad, since lavender is a lovely soft and spicy floral once it dries down.

 

Casanova is well... not lavendery on me at all. Neither is Saint-Germain, that's all about the moss. Gaueko is mostly about nag champa and wood. I have a sample of Death on a Pale Horse which smells promising, but I haven't tested it yet as I just got it yesterday. Most of the Somnium blends look like they're worth a try, but I haven't tried them all yet.

 

Kalli

[Thursdae]

Temple of Dreams and Sophia are both beautiful lavender blends. To my nose, Baku is a bit more sharp than I'd want in a lotion.

 

Another idea is to order Pastilles lotion from Propaganda Bath and Beauty. They have very fast shipping, and I can't say enough about the Pastilles lotion: fabulous texture, scented with lavender and a touch of vanilla. I'm halfway through my second jar already.

[judas_kiss]

I use Baku on my two eldest children (a little drop in some unscented lotion) before they go to bed at night. It's lovely cut with lotion. The anise chills out with no problems, leaving behind a bit of candy-like sweetness to the lavender. It's very soothing.

 

I will second the Sleepy Moon, if you like "floral-y" lavenders. I get a very strong poppy note in this blend and I adore it, but some peeps aren't too keen on it. However, my body chemistry amps most florals up up up, so take that with a grain of salt if you want.

[jewelbug]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Seems like a general consensus that I should go try the somnus blends. Baku sounds the most interesting to me--anise and lavender? Is it like a pastille candy?

Edited July 16, 2006 by jewelbug

[moonarcana]

I made lotion today and I had considered scenting it with Whitechapel because I had a couple of extra imps of that onhand...I ended up going a different route (mixing Opium Poppy and Malice...yum!) but I'm definitely going to try Whitechapel lotion sometime in the future. On me that scent is very lavender with a twist of lemon...which I find so funny because there's no lavender listed in the notes. But no matter which way the scent wafts, it's really quite nice.

Edited July 16, 2006 by moonarcana

[ivyandpeony]

Hi jewelbug!

 

There's a discussion of some lavender recommendations here that you might want to skim through, too.

 

(That doesn't make yours a duplicate topic - my philosophy is, everyone should be free to start a thread in here to ask for specific recommendations when they need help with a decision! I just reserve the right to archive outdated ones and/or merge topics that relate to other ones of general interest to everyone. Just in case anyone was wondering how things work in here. )

 

Good luck with your project!

[jewelbug]

There's a discussion of some lavender recommendations here that you might want to skim through, too.

Awesome, thanks ivy. I think I just realized why I didn't find that when I searched. I always tend to spell it "lavendar" unless i look back. In other words, i spell it wrong, and constantly so.

 

That thread is really useful, though, and a lot of the rec's are similar. Now to decide what to get (and quickly) so i can get the gift to her in a timely fashion...

[Torrilin]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Seems like a general consensus that I should go try the somnus blends. Baku sounds the most interesting to me--anise and lavender? Is it like a pastille candy?

 

The aged stuff that I tried at Black Broom was a slightly spicier version of lavender. But lavender EO is a sharply herbal topnote, and a soft, spicy, slightly floral midnote. Telling the difference between aged Baku and pure lavender EO is quite difficult. The fresh from the Lab stuff I have now is still lovely, but the anise is much more prominent. Rather than adding richness to the scent, you end up with a prominent lavender topnote, a strong anise midnote, and then (finally) a brief base where the two notes come into balance. There is a strong licorice candy impression while the anise holds sway, which is rather offputting since I dislike licorice candy.

 

Keep in mind I'm a big lavender fan . I *like* that herbal blast from the topnote, and I adore its drydown. Anything that richens the drydown, or accentuates the elements I like is a big plus in my book, and anything that interferes makes me sad.

 

Kalli

[Mrs.Black]

I love the smell of Burt's Bees Repair Serum, which is a mixture of lavender oil and attar of rose (with lavender being the prominent note). So far I haven't found a BPAL lavender that worked for me. I don't keep detailed records of the scents I try, but I do remember that Oneiroi, Temple of Dreams and Psyche were far too sharp and pungent, both in the bottle and on me. I was particularly broken-hearted over Psyche, as I love the goddess herself and the idea of a lavender-rose blend.

Should I try Nanshe? What are your recommendations for a BPAL soft lavender? So far the only BPAL I tried that approximated what I have in mind is the discontinued Bruja, which didn't have lavender listed in the description but somehow smelled like it to me.

[kakiphony]

I love the smell of Burt's Bees Repair Serum, which is a mixture of lavender oil and attar of rose (with lavender being the prominent note). So far I haven't found a BPAL lavender that worked for me. I don't keep detailed records of the scents I try, but I do remember that Oneiroi, Temple of Dreams and Psyche were far too sharp and pungent, both in the bottle and on me. I was particularly broken-hearted over Psyche, as I love the goddess herself and the idea of a lavender-rose blend.

Should I try Nanshe? What are your recommendations for a BPAL soft lavender? So far the only BPAL I tried that approximated what I have in mind is the discontinued Bruja, which didn't have lavender listed in the description but somehow smelled like it to me.

 

It was one of the Elementals (and hence kind of an LE), but Sylph isw gorgeous soft lavender.

[Electra]

Have you tried any of the Panaceas?

 

Quietude is a soft somewhat powdery lavender with some citrus to it (smells like lemon balm to me). It's gorgeous in my burner. I prefer Safari on my skin, but that's a more robust, woodsy lavender. Still very round and smooth, though. Not at all harsh.

 

TKO is a *very* soft lavender under a sugary note. It smells like herbal poundcake to me.

[olympia301]

Dee and Old Scratch are both great lavenders.

[Mountaingrrl00]

Are you interested in a TAL sleep blend? Because TAL Nocturne sounds close to what you describe. To me it's more rose, and there's a touch of geranium, but most reviewers smelled lavender. And it's definitely soft, natural, soothing and beautiful.

[klavierbarrette]

twilight is nothing but soft lavender on me

[clover]

I would suggest Sophia & Paris. Both are lavenders whose sharpness is tempered nicely by soft florals and spices. They're both great!

[fiddledragon]

I'd suggest Somnus (and definitely *not* Nanshe; it was very sharp and herbal to my nose), Twilight -- which to me was like Somnus but quite as sleep-inducing -- and Sophia, particularly if you like soft musk. I remember Gaukeo being almost entirely lavender on me, but I do odd things to lavender sometimes, so that's a recommendation to take witha grain of salt.

 

If you can find a soft rose that you like, and a soft non-rosy lavender, this may be the time to get a few empty imps/bottles and do some alchemy of your own :-)

[Mrs.Black]

Thanks for all the recs! They have refreshed my memory about all the lavender scents that I have tried. I have tried Somnus, Twilight, Sophia, Paris, Dee and Old Scratch -- sadly none worked for me. However, I had totally overlooked the Panaceas! And I'll have to delve into TAL one day soon as well.

[skye]

Baku is a nice soft lavender.

[minnalavender]

Thanks for all the recs! They have refreshed my memory about all the lavender scents that I have tried. I have tried Somnus, Twilight, Sophia, Paris, Dee and Old Scratch -- sadly none worked for me. However, I had totally overlooked the Panaceas! And I'll have to delve into TAL one day soon as well.

 

All the suggestions have been spot-on, but I'd add Panacea VII: Safari to the list. It is purest, softest lavender to my nose. MMmmmmmmm...

[midnight_aeval]

TKO.. love it. It's a sweet lavender, almost along the lines of a lavender/vanilla

[eoifemacbeth]

I'm surprised no one's recommended Pain yet---the pennyroyal blends so fantastically in with the lavender you can barely smell it at all, it just gives a little depth and loveliness. I wear it to bed and it works like a charm.

 

ETA: I love lavender too, so I've lately been on a BPAL lavender binge, trying all the blends I can find. Paris was all ugly cloying lotus on me (and refused to wash off for almost a day), and Twilight was all honeysuckle. I've yet to try Safari and TKO, and I'm looking into trying the Somnium blends, but from what people say I'm thinking that's your---and my---best bet.

Edited November 14, 2006 by Eoife Macbeth

[Electra]

I'm surprised no one's recommended Pain yet---the pennyroyal blends so fantastically in with the lavender you can barely smell it at all, it just gives a little depth and loveliness. I wear it to bed and it works like a charm.

 

I think there may be batch variation, then, or people's noses may interpret Pain differently, because the pennyroyal is so strong in my bottle that it knocks me on my ass! I use it for migraines. It's great for that. But I can't really smell the lavender in it at all.