Villain

[Hallows_Eve]

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

Got this as an Imp in my last order. Decided to try it on today since I felt like being more villainous.

In the bottle: Actually, I could barely smell it in the imp- nor when I first put it on.

On me (wet)- At first, I barely picked up anything at all, just a bit of the citrus. I think it was because my children use lavender shampoo and so it was a bit diffused in this manner. However, the more I wore it, the stronger the smell, and then it seemed really strong, and then it was a lot like my husbands aftershave. In fact, he asked me if I had used it.

On me (dry)- I smell musk and a powdery note, which is probably the lavender since it drys soft on me- no citrus now. The aftershave smell is not very strong now either, not that it was bad to begin with- just too masculine. However, with softer and powdery feel its very appealing in this stage. VERY Appealing.

I thought for sure that this was going to be too masculine for me, but in its dry stage, I found it rather feminine-but not too feminine and definately not something that screams "FLOOOOOR-AAAALS!!!". Its the musk that lasts on me.

I think I could get a larger bottle of this. But I am going to have to remember that wet stage before going out in public so that I don't knock people over.

[Dark Seraphim]

Bottle: Speariment and lavender is what I smelt. Very yummy and clearly masculine. Not so much "bear" masculine, but rather swashbuckler or "rake"-like.

 

Worn: It basically vanished as soon as I applied it. I could barely smell anything at all, except for an Irish Spring-like scent.

 

Clearly, it doesn't work well on me at all. But, I think I think it would make a fine burn scent. Wouldn't get a bigger bottle, but an imp would do just fine. 7/10.

 

ETA: Sure enough, it's a great burn scent. When I tried again a second time(I couldn't bear to swap it), it did much better on my skin, but still not as strong or long lasting as others. On the burner, it's considerably stronger.

 

I guess some scents need time to get used to. This is one of them.

Edited August 11, 2005 by Dark Seraphim

[zankoku_zen]

In the Bottle: Floral but manly.

 

On Skin: Oh wow. This spells out M-A-N. There's something fresh and musky and yet the floral hints make it so very appealing to my nose.

On Drydown: Definitely masculine. A little like Irish Spring perhaps but with more oomph.

 

Verdict: Put it on the boy. I like the results. He likes the results. Oh yes.

[isyche]

Villain is much more subtle than I was expecting... less cologne-y than Vicomte de Valmont, and softer than Whitechapel. On me it's a light, silky lavender skin scent that's a tiny bit sweet, and smells traditionally elegant.

I agree that it's very Victorian -- it doesn't scream sex to me, it feels more proper and buttoned-up, although it might be different on a guy's skin. I like it, though, and I think it would be a good everyday man's scent.

Edited July 2, 2005 by isyche

[Abbie]

In the imp: This is very well-blended... it's hard to make out any particular note. There's lavender, and, well, other stuff. To me it doesn't smell villainous at all: this is James Bond's cologne. It's very fresh and springlike.

 

First on: The muskiness comes through and takes it down a notch, bringing up a vague sweet floral which I suspect would be the lilac. Still makes me think of James Bond. I can just picture this scent walking up to me in a bar and saying in a british accent "Might I buy you a drink?" and then I would try to shoot it with a gun which I have tucked into my garter belt. Not that I'm free-associating or anything.

 

Dry: This is getting more and more masculine and musky the longer I wear it. Still not picking up the lime.

 

Overall: Nice but a bit butch for my taste. And I like my bf in lighter scents, so I don't think this one will be a keeper.

[OdetteOdile]

Villain

 

A very, very powdery, masculine scent with an interesting herbal note under it. It reminds me of a Crabtree and Evelyn set of English men's colognes that I got years ago.

There's also a medicinal eucalyptus-type note in this that cleared my sinuses - I'm not sure which ingredient that comes from (maybe the lavender?)

Eventually the powdery quality got much too strong for me & I couldn't smell anything else. It's an interesting scent, but I prefer my powdery scents to be softer & gentler, with the powder part more of a hint than the dominant note.

This might be good on a guy, but he'd have to apply it very sparingly (especially in summer).

It's a great scent for the name - a victorian era villain would smell like this.

[QueenFae]

It's funny, I didn't realize this was supposed to be a men's cologne until I read the description! That's why my man likes it so much! I lovely scent, a perfect blend of Lavender, lilac, lime and citrus. I can smell each of the four notes, but they complimet eachother so exquisitely. This is definitely not too masculine for women; I will surely be using this imp as much as my man does!

[Lycanthrope]

Arr! I'm evil! I'm a villain! Arrrr!... wait... that's pirate. Uh. Review, right.

 

Mood: Uncaring

Element: Air, but troubled.

 

In the Bottle or Imp:

Lavender! Definitely strong lavender. I also get a twist of lemon or grapefruit, actually. It's like a sweeter citrus aroma.

Wet, on Skin:

Oh. That was the musk playing with the lime to make it sweeter than I thought. Wow, lavender. Lavender's pretty prominent in men's blends, but usually it's so overblended and strangled with musk that it smells so different! This is unique. It's like the lavender is all innocent, but there's a sweet and sharp undercurrent.

Drying Down:

Uh oh. Powder. Where's that coming from? I now have a baby powder, lavender and citrussy cologne emanating from my wrist.

Over Time/Longterm:

The powder has settled, and it's mostly a subtle lavender with a kick.

Final Verdict?

Nice, but I don't see myself ordering more.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Men’s cologne, with a lovely subtle freshness.

 

Wearing: I generally feel slightly out of place wearing these sorts of scents, as if I should be wearing a suit and tie. There’s an odd whiff that smells almost like chlorine if I sniff my wrist, but for the most part it’s very nice.

[ashtonrose]

So, I'm no tthe only one that thinks of royalty when smelling this one on their man. The lavendar isn't that feminine scent for sashes. It is the fresh picked strong scents of lavendar that royalty would surround themselves with. The musk (not a dark one) is the undertone with the citrus scents kind of lingering in the air.

 

A manly scent for a gentleman.

[olympia301]

Very masculine. I would be loathe to wear this because of it...a woman just wouldn't.

 

It is powerful, yes a true lavender fougere (fern) and quite Victorian; you can smell the lavender just fine and the ferny-ness of it all. I can also smell a menthol or volatile component here, too, but that may be lavender playing tricks on my nose.

 

Villain is somewhat like a "store bought" scent and that isn't a criticism of it, I think it's great. It could be overpowering, so you might want to not put on a great deal at first. If used with a judicious hand, Villain could be your gateway to paradise, men.

[inkstone]

A freebie the Lab! I didn't even check its description prior to testing it so I had no expectations at all.

 

In the imp: Sharp florals.

 

Wet: Lavendar. I think there's some musk in this too? It's a lighter musk, not one of the heavier, darker ones.

 

Drydown: Lavendar and lime. It's okay. I think this is meant to be a guy's cologne?

 

Final thoughts: Now that I'm posting my review here, I see that this is indeed supposed to be a guy's cologne. I think it'd work well on a guy and this is one of those moments where I wish I had one readily available so I could smear it on him. LOL!

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Lavender and a dark musk. Also the bitterness of a lime's peel.

 

On me: My boyfriend wrinkled his nose and pulled away from this, unwilling to wear it. Well, so be it - I'm brave, I'll give it a shot.

 

Or perhaps not. It's vanishing on me and I can barely detect it. Lime has always had a rapidly vanishing quality, but I would think the other notes might stick around! The little that remains is lilac, tripped up by green lavender (which doesn't even work, does it?) and clinging to a somewhat Dial soap afternote.

[Eros]

In the imp, tickled my nose, smells really soapy. Hubby thought the same thing and wasn't too keen on trying it on so...He didn't.

Dabbed a little on myself and immediately got a headache. Didn't get any of the yumminess others have mentioned, unfortunately.

Edited July 29, 2005 by Eros

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Aftershave.

 

In the imp/bottle: Lilac and lime aftershave.

 

On skin, wet: Cool, aquatic aftershave. Very masculine and upscale.

 

On skin, dry: Equal parts lime and lilac. For once, the lime isn't crushing everything else into oblivion.

 

Conclusion: Aftershave. A very expensive, high-end aftershave, but aftershave nonetheless. This hits me as "Aftershave for CEOs" for some reason. That said, not something for me, as I don't care to smell of aftershave.

Edited December 17, 2005 by Aredhel

[slugbait]

In the imp this is VERY masculine, and I can detect some citrus blended with lavender and some musk. It smells familiar, but I can't place what it is that Villain reminds me of. I can't bring myself to wear this, it definately is not unisex. Off to the boy it goes!

 

Fortunately, he loves this and it smells great on him. Very clean, but still has an element that seems reminiscent of aftershave or deodorant. I like this on him a lot. This is definately a scent that would get a guy noticed.

 

A few days ago, my 16 yr. old brother walked by me, and I could have sworn he had used fiance's Villain.

 

Me: *sniff-sniff* What are you wearing? *sniff-sniff*

Bro: Uh, Axe?

Me: Oh, are you sure it isn't Jon's stuff?

Bro: No Jess, it's just Axe Kilo.

 

So that's what it reminded me of, Axe Kilo. An evil, better version of it, complete with being tackled by girls in a supermarket. Heh heh.

 

My fiance is now a proud owner of a 5 ml bottle of Villain. w00t!

[Brianne]

In bottle:

Strong citron

 

On me:

At first, I kinda thought "eh" about this. It was nice enough, but sort of a generic cologne smell. THe citrus smell was much stronger when I first put it on, but eventually settled down into something more subtle and well blended. After wearing this a while though, I like it a lot more. It makes me think of when you take an orange and spike it with cloves, and let it sit in your window. Not the first smell, when it's really clovey - but that smell it gets after sitting in the window for a while, and it's sort of faded - there is a vague spiciness about it, and the citrus smell is deeper and the floral and greenery smells have somewhat clung to the orange from sitting in the window. That's what this smells like to me. It's a little warm, a little sweet, a little citrusy - and very nice. Definitely a blend that I think would work on most men.

 

Final note:

If I was going to give a gift of BPAL to a man in my life, and I didn't really know what his tastes were, I would give this I think

[Firewaver]

I feel kind of silly even bothering to post a review here, but ah well.

 

Here it is... Villain faded on me in record time. I applied it, and in about...30 seconds it was gone without even sticking a gentlemanly victorian boot in the door and saying hello.

 

I thought perhaps that my imp consisted of water and water alone because I applied without first sniffing the bottle... but I do smell a villain lurking in my imp! He's there, but he refuses to get close to the likes of me.

 

 

HEAVY SLATHER=slight hint of manly scent but then it's off to the races. No villain in sight. So weird!

[brownbear]

Wet and drying down: musk, for sure, with a bit of herbs (must be the lavender), and a tiny bit of citrus. It smelled like a sexy man. I kept getting wafts of it over the next couple hours and every time I'd think, "mmm sexy man." In the next couple hours though when I'd get a waft, I'd think, "this is stupid a guy should be wearing this, not me." So unless I find a man to put this on, it's off to swaps.

[carolinachiquita]

Want want want - no - Need need need - a big bottle of this - It is gorgeous - the lavender and citrus really come through on me. This is soooooo nice and elegant and I bet it would smell great on my fella as well (he runs away when if I ask can I put bpal on him so I'll have to do it sneakily!!) I just wished it lasted a bit longer - oh well! Want!

[aidenraine]

Wow, this is a delicious smell, one that would probably smell good on my husband, but even better, smells great on me.

 

The lavender really jumps out when wet, as does the lime. It's a really citrus/lavender mix, absolutely delicious. This is positively delectable. A little bit sweet and spicy, with that great lavender-lime combination.

 

As it dries it becomes almost like a salty margarita. I smell the lime and something tangy that's the margarita-dupe. It's a smell I want to snuggle close to.

 

I usually prefer men's scents on me than on men, but this one is unique in that I really want to be seduced by someone wearing it, male or female.

 

It's a suave, naughty scent. Mmmm the lavender is back, subtly again.

[sarahj]

Villain

 

received in a swap

 

in vial: lavender, lime, and musk...very masculine

 

wet: musk, with a hint of lavender and lime

 

dry: same

 

verdict: fades in less than 2 hours...I passed this along to my husband...it smells great on him, but also fades quickly

[LushNatty]

In the bottle: smells like a generic men's cologne at the department store counter.

On me (a female): smells like a VERY STRONG generic men's cologne at the department store counter. I don't really detect any citrus (maybe a wee bit while in the bottle) and I can see how this is supposed to be lavender, but I honestly cannot smell anything but "Men's Cologne! Men's Cologne!" Kind of like the guys in middle school smelled who started to bathe in their dad's cologne the second they started sprouting a few buds of facial hair.

Cannot wait hours to see how the scent morphs; I have to get this smell off of me right now. I feel nauseated. I definitely wouldn't be able to make out with a guy who smelled like this.

A few washings later: Cannot get it totally off and the smell is still really strong.

Eight hours later: I still have a cloud of cologne around me. I smell like a cheap hooker.

On scale of 1 to 5: 1.

[Little Bird]

Villain is actually a very light cologne on me. I liked it a lot when I first applied it. It was sweet, musky citrus... reminded me a bit of the way lemon Italian ice smells. In the drydown, the lavender really comes out and ruins this for me though. It's like a blend of very powdery lavender, powdery musk, and baby powder. Only lasted about 3 hours on my skin.

 

I usually like BPAL's masculine blends... but this one just goes way too powdery on me.

[Scarlettfish]

This is definitely a men's cologne scent - which is not a bad thing, at all. The predominant note in this for me is lavender, but lilac and citrus are definitely there as well. It has a distinct musky smell to it. This is very, very masculine, despite the flowers...a little bit naughty, too (befitting the name). Too masculine for me, but really, really good on a man.