Villain

[FireInCairo]

A classic Victorian men's cologne: a lavender fougere, with hints of lilac, lime, and citrus musk.

This is very much a gentleman's blend in my opinion. It's very citrusy. It actually reminds me of the Miller Harris perfume "Citron Citron" in a way. It also has a leathery smell.

[shelldoo]

In the bottle: Nothing. hmmm (snow white did this too)

 

wet: hmmm nice clean scent

 

dry: OOOOOHHHHH Love it I am wearing it and G is alseep on the couch....gonna sneak over and drop some on him so I can "snuggle" him big bottle for sure!

[Cats]

In the bottle: Mmmm! Strong, but the lavender and lime smell SO GOOD!

 

On my boy: The lavender was overwelming at first, then it settled down and the lime popped out, and a little musk.

 

SO yummy! We both really like it.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Ah! I just sent the cap shooting off the imp like a rocket and now my work station smells of this. Thnakfully, we did not have another Embalming Fluid incident so I'm not covered in it but still. I'm getting bad at opening these. Oh no, lavender. Lavender hated me in Twilight. I can smell all the nice citrus notes as well as the musk. But lavender. *worries*

 

Wet: Lavender. Put this on my skin and tha's the only thing I smell. It was so nice and masculine in the vial and now that it's on me it's just floral. A nice green kind of floral but still floral.

 

Dry down: There's a bit of the nice citrus peeking out around the lavender. I can't pick out the specific notes in it at all. Also, i think the lilac is making the lavender more tame. Um, hi Mr. Lime. I love you, too, but how about we play with the other scents. Now I smell like lime juice. Everything else is fading away behind the lovely lime. Only...it smells kinda funky. Not like the crisp lime in Whitechapel, but a kind of boozey, margarita lime. Or...medicine. Lavender and I are not friends.

 

Dry: Chalky lime scented medicine. No, really. I'm not kidding. Tums. This smells the way Tums taste. Chalky and artifical fruity. Evil skin. Evil lavender. Ugh. I just hope this smells better on the boy than it does on me. I think it's about to make me ill. My skin must really hate lavender notes because all the other kinds in this blend have never given me problems.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Deep lavender. Not the "old lady" kind.

 

Second Impression: The lavender fades away nicely, which is good as it's not one of my favorite scents. But Villain just might become one. There is something familiar about this, something from childhood, so it is very comforting, I'm not getting a lot of lilac so I know it's not that. It is hard to describe, the musk is clean and sweet. The citrus isn't over powering. Refined is the word that keeps springing to mind.

 

Final Analysis: Clean, refined and comforting. A soft, clean shaven cheek of a man who is very much adored. I can't stop smelling my wrist. I actually prefer this to Whitechapel, which surprises me. This has just replaced Whitechapel on the big bottle list.

[Aurelius]

oh holy hell, this smells good. I had to apply some after reading the name alone (just got it as a "gimp") and mmm mmm mmm. It IS masculine, and I'm not sure if I'd wear this myself, but good god, find me a man to slather this on. Whoo boy, it smells good. Sadly, I cannot explain HOW it smells, just that it does smell like a men's cologne, and in the very best of ways.

 

[phaedrine]

More echoing of the other reviews here...

 

Villian is clean, fresh and masculine. I think it'd be wonderful on a guy, not in a "mrowr, come here!" way, but in a "hey, you smell good" way.

 

It's a sweet musk, with the astringent bits of lavender and lime, and does smell VERY Victorian. It made me want to wear a suit and carry a walking stick!

 

I think this will be a great scent in the warmer weather, for those days when I don't want to go all-out spicy, but don't want to smell all girly, either.

[Surioara]

Another blend I would have passed over had it not been included as a freebie. As I've mentioned in other reviews, I'm the poster child for spiced-up musks. But I've gotta admit I'm most taken by this cirtusy-floral, even though it's considered to be a masculine blend. Being ex-Army and having completed BCT with a broken back, I think I'm "man" enough for this scent! ::wry grin::

 

In the bottle, the only discernable note is lavender. It's a nice, dusty lavender, so I happily applied some to the inside of my elbow.

 

Wet, it's still predominately lavender, but there's some musk mingling with the floral, much to my delight. Very Victorian, very elegant. I need to wear my granny boots and corsets with this one.

 

Drydown: A bit of the lime has poked through and has blended seamlessly with the musky lavender. I never would have imagined that lime and lavender would compliment each other, but this really is a brilliant union. I haven't noticed too much lilac, but this really is a spectacular blend. ::flounces off to blend a few drops with the sachets tucked into my velvet and lace skirts::

[Witch's Dagger]

Villain

 

Preconceived notions: Dashing!

 

In the vial: lavender, citrus, and musk - lovely.

 

On me: Oh, this is lovely, enchanting, dignified, snobbish, and utterly charming. Forget the specific notes, the effect is aristocracy at its finest, most aloof, and most seductive. Truly, "dashing" is the word.

 

Over time: It mellows and softens, and the gentler musks come out (at least, it reminds me of the thing I thought was vanilla but was musk in another scent). It's very soft and sweet in the drydown. Plus, I had a very strange dream afterwards (see in the "Dreams of BPAL" thread...)

[Morgan]

This is a review of how I smelled it on my BF.

 

First Sniff: I smell mostly the lime and the musk

 

On HIS skin: Initially the musk and lime are still very predominant.

 

After 1 hour: This reminds me of old fashioned shaving cream, that's a good thing. It smells very sexy and masculine, without screaming for attention like so many mens colognes do.

 

Final verdict: This is my absolute favorite for my BF.

[Wren]

In The Imp: Soft and simple. Gentle flowers and something lingering underneath. Vaguely fruity.

 

Wet On Skin: Definitely got the lavender/lilac and lime/citrus. As it dries down, the fruit tones down and musk and lavender come through. Every once in a while, I get hints of lilac.

 

Dried: Puts me in mind of good manners, steaming tea in China cups, and white gloves. A very well-behaved, old fashioned soap scent. Clean and genteel.

 

Overall Opinion: I like it. It's good for those occasions when something soft and delicate is called for. It's restrained romance and chaste kisses against a gloved hand.

 

Randomness: Since I don't have a guy in the wings, this is just for lonely ole me *giggle* But I'd love to find some handsome devil and dab a little of this on him...just for a purely scientific analysis of course ^_~

[Redon]

This is a sophisticated lavender, like a very expensive lavender aftershave. I've had bad luck with the masculine scents on me but this is remarkably attractive. There's a bit of soapiness in there, but not cloying, just mellowing. The lime and lavender are a spectacular combo.

[mobilejessie]

I bought an imp for myself and instantly fell in love. I love more masculine scents on me (I even wear men's deodorant) so this was definitelty a winner. I shared it with my fiancé, and it smelled even better on him! Onto the details:

 

In the bottle

Very sharp and strong. Almost too strong to pick out any of the individual notes.

 

On me

WHOA. I love love love this. At first the lime and lavendar stand out like crazy. I love both, so this is a great thing. They fade over time, blending into this very green, crisp smell that's hard to pick apart. Definitely masculine, but in a very refined way... while the time period isn't quite right, I get a strong visual of Mr. Darcy as played by Colin Firth in the BBC version of Pride and Predjudice. The phrase "only a real man can wear ruffles" comes to mind.

 

On him

..... less talk. More naked. While my fiancé isn't really a ruffles kind of guy, it still has that dignified, well-dressed man effect. His body chemistry brings out more of the muskiness and lavendar than mine - when we both have it on we smell very different. We need a 10ml of this one because I think we might fight for the remainder of this imp...

 

Overall, this is a very sexy scent. We both love it.

Edited March 8, 2005 by mobilejessie

[mmcfa2]

citrus lavender and musk! This smells like a refined sexy MAN! it reminds me of a commercial mens fragrance British Sterling, my seven year old nabbed that one

[kmasden]

I was at Black Broom trying scents and the lovely Forest recommended Villian. I didn't care for it in the bottle but gave it a swipe. After about 20 minutes of looking around I kept sniffing my arm - drat, can't remember what I had in that spot. Forest smelled it and said that it was Villian.

 

OH MY GAWWWDDDD!

 

I hate lavender, I hate citrus. I AM IN LOVE WITH VILLIAN. I had no idea before I read these reviews that it was masculine or lavender or lime. All I know is it is this soft, powdery, sex and snuggle up time in a bottle.

 

I have slathered myself in it now for a couple of nights. Don't know if I could wear it in the day because it is sooo relaxing for me. It is truly beautiful.

 

I can't imagine a man smelling like this although I can kinda remember maybe some scents for men that have a similiar feel. But I always have liked mens scents.

 

I'm going to be now, me and my Villian...I am blown away by how much I love this.

[cormeretrix]

well, i can definitely see where this is a manly scent. it kind of reminds me of aftershave, actually. my grandfather's aftershave, to be precise. and i didn't like him very much, so i'm afraid that i may actually be prejudiced against villain because of that.

 

but he was most certainly a villian, so maybe it's an accurate scent after all.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF - lavender & citrus

 

WEARING IT - i gave this a try before slathering my boyfriend with it and boy am i glad i did! it is SO nice. it's a bit salty yet the lavender, lime and citrusy bits blend so well together. very sophisticated, clean and gentleman like.

 

VERDICT - i really liked this, i just hope kevin likes it as much!

[tsarina]

This is a beautiful scent. I think I'm going to replace my husband's cologne with a bottle of Villain.

 

The lavender is dark, and strong. It's not all really the soft flowery sort of scent I associate with lavender. I think it has something to do with the lime, which is pretty strong in here. The lime note makes it divine.

[Ajila]

When I first put this on it was so sharp it made me sneeze, fortunately it fades quite quickly to a point where it is predominantly musk with soft lavender and spikes of lime floating around in the background. To me this is a very male scent, but I like it all the same.

 

The most suprising thing about this oil was the imagery that sprung into my head as soon as I smelt it. A Victorian gentleman, yes, but a Victorian gentleman on a shooting weekend at a country house. Striding about on platforms, freshly laid by servants, to stop his highly polished boots getting muddy, shooting game startled by the beaters and stopping now and then for a glass of wine. Never doing enough to work up a sweat, but at the same time impressing the daughters of the house with his manliness. The image came complete with locals doffing their caps .

[zholitus]

First Impression: I've smelled this before. Lavender and lilac.

 

First Application: Lavender (of course), but with a country club feel. Very warm scent. The lavender takes the leading edge of the scent. Once one is desensitized to the lavender, the liliac slowly peeks through. There is a slightly sharp dimension to this scent if over used. A drop is more than enough for a day.

 

After a few hours later: A classic gentleman's cologne. The lavender is still there, but there's a spiciness to the scent (like cinnamon; could be my body chemistry). The lilac has almost broken down and its presence is (very much) an afterthought.

 

After a month, I realized where I smelled this fragrance. There's this soap that my grandparents bought in India called Yardley's English Lavendar soap. The orignial company's been around for 235 years and some of the older generations (esp. those who remember colonial India) used it to smell like the Brits. I know that there are many reasonable facimilies and the Yardley company has either reformed or rebranded themselves (new recipes, etc.; commercialized, chemically synthesized junk). However, Villian smells exactly like the old bars from the 50s-60s. I'm glad my grandparents have bulk buying habits and a small penchant for storing things like pack rats.

Edited May 19, 2005 by zholitus

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Lavender, but it is soft, not overly astringent. There is also citrus - again, soft instead of sharp. Very smooth.

 

Wearing: This starts off very nicely as a soft, smooth lavender/citrus scent. As it dries, it becomes more of a moist towelette smell. Wet-nap. Baby wipe. Those pre-moistened facial towels. It does fade quickly.

 

Final Impressions: Not for me!

[quikslvr]

Very old-man's fragrance. Very powerful lilac at first, then pure lavender. Then grandfather-smell. Not me, but very evocative of its intent. Goes very nice and soft when dry, but still masculine-edged.

[stardreamer]

Okay, I had to go look up "fougere"...

 

From the French for "Fern." Fougere fragrances use the fern/forest-like notes of oakmoss combined with herbal notes such as lavender and coumarin. Coined after Houbigant's "Fougere Royale" a century ago. Very popular structure for men's fragrances. eg Paco Rabanne pour Homme -- as found on perfumersworld.com

 

In the bottle: Whoa, is that EVER masculine! I'm not sure I can wear this. Picked it up and put it back down a couple of times before I actually managed to put any on.

 

Fresh on: Yes, very masculine -- or at least, it's a scent to which I have very strong masculine associations. There's something in there that I can't quite identify that just screams "male" at me.

 

Drydown: Placed it. "Shaving cream, shaving cream, shave every day and you'll always look keen!" This smells like the aftermath of a good men's shaving cream. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, nor is it unpleasant -- but it's not something I want to smell like.

 

Several hours later: Not much change. I still smell like a guy who's just showered and shaved. The association is strong enough that it's creating a certain amount of cognitive dissonance!

 

Final assessment: Not for me, thanks. If R. liked scents, I might try it on him, but he doesn't. This one will be re-swapped.

[joseybird]

This is absolutely gorgeous.

 

Having tried the somnium blends, I'm used to lavender being strong, sharp, and medicinal. This lavender is nothing of the sort. This is lavender silk with a hint of floral and light, smooth, creamy musk.

 

This is THE best smelling masculine scent I have ever smelled. Hands down.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Fresh, with a hint of spice.

 

Just On: A little more spice, but still fresh too.

 

An hour or two later: This gets much more men's cologne-like as it morphs on my skin. I can actually see me wearing this, especially if I want to give the impression that I've recently been *very* close to a man. <wg>

 

Around 6 hours: It's smelling like what would be left after hugging a guy, and having some of the scent cling to me.

 

12 hours: Still smells about the same, but much more faded.

 

Overall: I really need to try this out on The Mate. It might make him irresistible to me, not that he isn't anyway. It's a classic masculine scent, and I'm tempted to just buy him some, and make it into a spray or something..

 

After reading other reviews: I think I may just need to buy more of this. The Mate is notably resistant to my oils, but this might be a good one for him. If not, the youngster might like it.