Van Van

[Countrymouse]

A venerable voodoo blend, used for purification of the spirit and to amplify positive personal power.

In the bottle it did smell faintly lemony, but once it touced my skin it instantly became baby powder, and not in a nice way. Cloyingly sweet and overpowering. Oh well, this one just wasn't meant for me.

[UltraViolet]

Wet

Smells fruity and bright and in seconds the brightness disappears and it turns to a citrussy sweet smell with something underneath that is odd. I can't tell if it's just different, truly yukky or just odd. Sometimes it's even familar.

Now it's almost antiseptic smelling. Remember Chloroseptic spray? It's kind of like that but much lighter and there's a powdery on top of it.

10 minutes

I just cannot decide if I'm liking it or if I really don't like it.

There's almost too many things going on with this blend and my chemistry doesn't quite get along with it.

It would be so lemony chiffon pretty if that one note wasn't there, then again maybe it's not supposed to be lemon chiffon pretty.

20 minutes

Nope. Can't do this one.

[Macha]

I received this an unexpected and very welcome gift from the lab. I've broken my review into two parts, the perfume review and what I've found out about Van Van as an occult oil.

 

In the vial: I open the vial and am hit with the loveliest burst of sweet lemongrass and ginger. It's just gorgeous. Although I ended up not wearing Van Van for several days after receiving the imp, it may well have been one of the oils I was most excited about wearing.

 

Wet, on skin: There is something slightly off about this as it hits my skin. The lightness of the lemon is cut with...something darker and little oily (which sounds odd since this is a perfume, but the only way I can discribe it.) It's almost like there's kerosene in this.

 

Dry, on skin: It dries down to the most deliciously wonderful light fluffy lemon you can imagine. It's powdery, but a lemon powder, a fluffy airy concoction rather than baby powder. This is extremely pleasant. It has great throw, and the power of it lasted all day long.

 

Conclusion: This is really lovely, and quite soothing. I think I need to order it in a 5ml size, because it's gorgeous.

____________

 

Notes on Van Van oil as a voodoo oil:

I will preface this with my standard disclaimer of BPAL's Voodoo oils, which is I know nothing at all about hoodoo or voodoo, but every indication has been that the lab DOES. I have read a little bit on-line, and basically discovered enough to make a few basic assumptions on these oils. 1) Many of these oils are traditional, and thus you often encounter oils of the same name being sold all over, 2) the recipes for these oils are handed down from teacher to student, often orally, and can suffer all the "drift" you might therefore expect, 3) recipes for blends are often considered trade secrets. So am I likely to ever know exactly what Beth puts in Van Van oil? No, probably not. Van Van Oil seems to be one of the most basic of hoodoo/voodoo oils, very often used as a base for other oils blends. (It would not surprise me at all to discover the mysterious base oils that many people smell in Beth's voodoo blends are in fact Van Van oil.) It's supposed to purify, and like many voodoo oils, bring good luck and personal power. Van Van oil is the oil usually used to dress lucky mojo bags, and during the early part of the 20th century there was apparently a thriving business selling Van Van oil hair and beauty products to the African-American community of the South.

 

I have found a few recipes for Van Van oil on-line, and in one case the ingredients listed are five grasses: Lemongrass, Citronella, Palmarosa, Vetivert (Khus Khus), and Gingergrass. And honestly, I think that may be very close to what I smell with this oil.

[cuervosueno]

Finally adding my two cents about Van Van which I like quite a bit. It makes me happy smelling it, and made me sit up straighter to type this review I can see the personal power thing.

Thanks to Macha for noting its traditional uses/ingredients.

What I get is vanilla for sure, over a grass....maybe lemon grass, although it is as sharp as lemongrass to me, and I'm guessing not vetiver because while I like that, it is quite distinctively green on me in a way this isn't--this is golden. I wondered about the heliotrope that someone mentioned--this does have a lemon-that-isn't-lemon note that I associated with heliotrope, as in The Sun and eclipse...and yes, there is the baby powder scent which I like a lot.....and I associate with musks as they go powdery on me right away....

who knows? But it has a lovely dry grass, golden day in warm, not hot sun feel to it, and I really like it.

[mmcfa2]

fresh out of the bottle, baby powder, lemon verbena and sweetgrass. This is brighter than any of the other voodoo blends I have tried. The baby powder smell is like that of love me or all night long, but the grass and verbena scents lift it considerably. It also has a warm creamy base, I think it is the palmarosa? So far, like the other voodoo scents, this is NOT the smell I would seek for perfume but if it fits it's intent i could quite comfortably wear it on days that I need an extra push

 

I still wish I could identify the baby powder note.... I would now hazard a guess that some voodoo proiestess somewhere is laughing and saying, why do you think we scent baby powder with voodoo oils??? To protect the bebe!! Funny spin for me on commercial smells and their possible origin....

 

I will likely swap this one.

[aritei]

lemon ginger. . . i think this smells like a hot drink i used to have whenever i had a sore throat or cold. in a good way, of course!

[olympia301]

This is a voodoo blend that actually smells great! You are supposed to use it to amplify positive personal power, and it's a "venerable voodoo blend". I found that Has No Hanna worked very well for me (regarding good luck), I hope that Van Van has a good effect too. I cannot pick out the components of this blend, it's done so well and blended so prettily that you just can't say. I suspect there is basil in here, perhaps tonka bean, because I smell vanilla which has been toasted and the ring of what I interpret as basil. But who knows, not me.

 

This is an indescribable and great perfume and it has depth. I wish I could say it more clearly and give you a fuller picture of what Van Van is like, but words fail me on this one. You will just have to try it for yourself. I am in favor of getting a 5ml bottle of Van Van, just based on the way it smells. Yummy, but not in a foody way. I suppose I will be amping my positive personal power while smelling good, too!

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Fresh and spicy.

 

Just On: Yeah, fresh and spicy. It's interesting.

 

An hour or two later: This is very well blended, and I can't really pick out any notes. I just get foresty fresh (not trees or pine, but somehow I get forest), and some spice from it.

 

Around 6 hours: I'm getting a tiny bit of fresh spices, and not much else.

 

12 hours: It's all gone.

 

Overall: I like it, but it's not quite in my top twenty or anything.

 

After reading other reviews: Okay, the pepper is nice in this, so that makes me happy. The ginger is probably the freshness. The frankincense is probably the freshness, although I see some folks thought patchouli and /or sandalwood, which could be it as well.

[emz83]

At first, on me, it's very beautiful and fresh, citrus with a sweet edge, but the throw has a dark edge that turns my stomach...reading the reviews above I think it might be the vetivert 'cause I usually (tho not always) have that reaction to scents listing that note.

[fragrantgrasse]

I read some of the previous reviews and I, too, also notice what I imagine is sweetgrass as well as citrus-grassy-type notes......The five grasses Macha mentioned in her review: "Lemongrass, Citronella, Palmarosa, Vetivert (Khus Khus), and Gingergrass. And honestly, I think that may be very close to what I smell with this oil"

 

Ditto with me.

 

At first I didn't think I could detect the vetiver - but as it dries on my wrist I note that very familiar sweet, rosey-ness note that a diluted vetiver has. So I am going with the five grasses. To me this is a green scent and ultimately, on my skin, very light and pleasant. I am not noticing any heaviness of vanilla, amber or patchouli either. Van Van stays light on me and I really like it.

 

As far as the voodoo aspect of it - well, I know absolutely zip about voodoo (altho I would like to know more), but I am "sensitive" and aware of energy changes. Van Van feels "good" to me, I have only had it on for about 20 minutes but I feel positive!

Edited September 16, 2005 by fragrantgrasse

[cindyrella]

Wet: Powdery roses. It reminds me a bit of Lush’s Amandopondo. It has that same clean powdery note, and it’s a bit fresh too.

 

Dry: I can understand this is meant for purification, because this is a clean scent. It’s not laundry clean, because it has a light herbal note to it and it becomes more sweet now and the roses have gone to the background. It’s not so flowery anymore, it’s soft and sweet with a hint of herbs but I’m not good at detecting any notes. It smells a bit soapy now.

 

I’m not sure about this one. I love roses, but these turn to soap on me, although it is a nice sweet soap.

I don’t think I’ll be buying a bottle of this for the scent, and I’m not into voodoo, but I'm keeping the imp. It's an interesting scent, and I need some purification and positivity every now and then .

[sookster]

upon application this comes off as a wet, lemony incense .... omg

 

after a bit of dry down i get a touch of rosey baby powder.....

 

 

this is some seriously heavenly stuff here.....after even more lingering i get a huge boost of nag champa.....

 

that's it...going on my in need of and big bottle list...this scent is pure delight....

 

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Ooo, thank you for your research, Macha! Very interesting. This was a frimp from the Labbies, who obviously realize I could use some empowerment. Er...I also just saw The Skeleton Key and must now get all negative superstitious ideas about Voodoo out of my head. I hashed out my ethical issues in a different thread ages ago and have long since decided that the self-directed oils are consistent with my spiritual practice. Anyway, on we go:

 

Oh. Yum. A lovely lemon topnote floating over a warm bakery note with a touch of fresh, green ginger. It's similar to the calm, happy lemon note in Water of Notre Dame, but *not* powdery on me like Follow Me Boy. There is a depth to the base notes that's quite rich--it may be patchouli, but I do not think there is heliotrope, as my skin can't stand that. This is a reassuring hug from your grandma when she's in the kitchen baking lemon cookies. I keep thinking of the Oracle in The Matrix. A blend that is no less powerful for being homespun in feeling.

[slugbait]

A freebie from the lab. I think they knew I needed this .

 

Slight almond/citrus/herbal. Very light and powdery smelling. Reminds me of Voodoo without the pine note.

 

Completely dry, this turns into baby powder. I can’t say it amplified my positive personal power, but I’m glad I got to try it out. Up for swaps you go!

[LiberAmoris]

I am in dear need of some amplification of positive personal power, so Van Van has been a god(s)send. I've taken to putting a few drops in a bath because it's so powerful that a few drops is really all I need, as it's so concentrated.

 

To me, Van Van smells like citronella candles with just a touch of vetiver. The vetiver does not overpower here, as it does in other blends for me. It's very herbal, astringent, and fresh.

 

As to its efficacy in terms of amplification of personal power, I have noticed that I feel stronger emotionally when I use it. I am coming off of two years of incessant working, and have just recently been able to turn my attention back to a manuscript I started several years ago. Amid doubt, trepidation, and fear that I may not be able to pick up where I left off, Van Van has definitely given me clarity and strength. I feel very 'awake' when I wear it, in every sense of the word.

 

It also keeps mosquitoes away. We've been sleeping with the windows open lately, and I was getting bitten at night while sleeping. A couple of drops of Van Van in the windowsills and I am now bite-free.

[subbes]

Citronella, lemongrass, and something else. This starts off almost bitingly sharp, then mellows into a powdery softness, a pale yellow scent. There's a hit on something aquatic at the beginning, and for a moment I had thoughts of Off! bug spray because of the citronella and the biting sharpness, but that faded rather soon.

 

I can definitely smell the citronella, and, like LiberAmoris, am going to keep a hold on this in case of insects.

 

Effects: I had a terrible, horrible day. After applying the Van Van. Perhaps my personal power is negativity, or something, or I wasn't in the right frame of mind to appreciate/empower/charge it.

 

Verdict: I'll be keeping my imp (like I keep all Voodoo imps) and almost definitely trying it again -- if only for the citronella aspect. I hope the next time I wear it, my 'personal power' will co-operate in a positive manner.

[Monster]

I can't figure this one out...unfortunatly I can't even put this on my skin, the smell is overwhelming and gives me an immediate headache.

[Little Bird]

Van Van is one of the BPAL blends that I've tried recently that really surprised me. I wasn't expecting to like this at all. I closed my eyes and randomly picked an imp... luckily, it was Van Van.

 

This smells like herbal tea and a type of citrus on me at first. The citrus isn't harsh like it often is on me though, it smells like creamy lemongrass. There's a strong vanilla here that, I think, is making it smell creamy to me. Like a vanilla milkshake.

 

I hate the smell of baby powder, but the powdery smell in Van Van is in the background and sort of sweetens up and polishes the fragrance. It gets more powdery after hours of wear, but the vanilla smell keeps it fairly grounded.

 

This is strong and has a lot of throw. I like it. I'm plotting to get a 5 ml of it now.

[urraca]

A lab frimp. Straight off the bat I get lemon --- it could be lemongrass; it is not lemon balm --- and amber (I think Penance is right). Then the scent goes through a stage that I found kind of odd and made me faintly uncomfortable. I can't describe it better than that, but I have had this sensation from the other voodoo blends. This may be the distinctive "voodoo oil" base. At this point I couldn't wait to swap it, but *then* I started kicking butt all over the place, almost without meaning it. Wow, this personal power thing works! At this point I start to get a very strong vetiver scent. It isn't so strong when I sniff my wrist but it wafts up to me very powerfully. This is usually the way vetiver works on me.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Reviews of the voodoo blends don’t seem to stick in my head, for whatever reason, so I had no idea what to expect from Van Van… and I definitely wasn’t expecting bright happy bouncy citrus. It’s lovely and uplifting. Might be one to wear when the world is driving me nuts.

 

Wearing: Well, blarg. Instant baby powder. I re-sniffed the vial to make sure I wasn’t nuts before, but no… it’s definitely bright citrus in the imp, and then goes all baby-powder floral on my skin. Stupid chemistry!

[darkitysnark]

Van Van

 

Woo. I'll have to get back to you on the Voodoo qualities of the oil, though I am striking out with more confidence at work today.

 

In the bottle:

Green, but not bitterly so. Bright and lemony without being Pledge.

 

Wet/drydown:

I was in a rush during this phase, but I think it went straight to baby powder on me.

 

The throw on this blend is amazing. I kept wafting myself on the bus all the way to work (about 45 minutes). I can still smell myself now almost four hours later. So...

 

Later:

Yes, this is a strong one with great throw. Unfortunately, what's getting thrown about is pure baby powder on me. There's a harshness in the back of my throat that I also get with Crossroads during the drydown phase.

 

If I sniff deeply, I do get a darker layer of ... something, under the powder. The vetivert other people have picked up, maybe?

 

Off to swaps!

Edited September 19, 2005 by darkitysnark

[roesmoker]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed Van Van yet!!

 

What can I say, I love this oil to death. Not only does it smell fabulous - on me it starts out lightly lemony and quickly goes into a swoony, delicious vanilla powder/cake, like a lemon pound cake fresh from the oven, that lasts and lasts all day long - but it makes me feel great. Happy and tough, like I can withstand anything and not put up with any bullshit doing it, either.

 

I don't know if the ingredient that smells like vanilla really is or not, because vanilla in other blends is hit-or-miss on me, so anyone who's scared to try it because their skin doesn't play well with vanilla should check VV out.

 

I bought a 10ml for myself and an enabling 5ml for my sister and/or my friend (depending on who I think deserves it more!), both of whom fell in love with it at first sniff.

Edited September 30, 2005 by roesmoker

[herongale]

preconceived notion: None, really. This is the first of four free imps the Lab included with my first offical order that I will be reviewing. However, I'm not much of a magical person and so the Voodoo, Tarot, and Sephiroth lines hold less attraction for me than they might for others. Although I believe that scent can have spiritual effects, in my mind those effects are mediated primarily by the mind and memory and NOT through any supernatural properties that the oils themselves possess. Thus, I disclaim: this review comes from someone with an 'unbeliever' perspective on magic. Therefore, please take my words with a grain of salt if it occurs to you to be inclined to believe in magic.

 

in the bottle: the colour is a rich yellow urea. First whiff clears out my sinuses, therefore I think there is something rather astringent in here. It's very like witch hazel, actually, but there is also the smell of bruised apples and... ink. Fading in and out of the blend is an elusive citrus note that is hard to read, but also there is something like watermelon candies which have been sucked on a little and then spat out, and are not melting on a tar pitch under the direct sunlight of early August. Overall the effect is disturbing; I get the sense of outdoors rituals that involve the spilling of blood and the raping of virgins. It's an elemental, pagan scent that is profoundly attached to the earth, and suggests peace and tranquility purchased through obscene sacrifice.

 

wet: swiping this out, the citrus scent opens up and becomes more obvious, and the sense of death no longer lingers. Instead there is a warm green spicy that reminds me of the darkest center of the forest, a place that does not see direct light ever and which therefore has mushrooms and moss all over, with fallen leaves from many years decomposing into dirt. The sunlight shines through green leaves but little comes directly through.

 

drydown: In one of George Macdonald's books (Phantasies, I think, or perhaps Lilith), there was a rose castle that was beautiful during the day... but even more beautiful at night, when it was haunted by the ghosts of dead aristocrats, who danced in funereal waltzes in a wistful parody of life. This scent is that of death, but a kind of death that mimics life. I find myself both attracted and repelled to this scent. It does not seem strong from far away, but when my wrist is at my nose it comes off as extremely sharp. With time, the greenness fades and something powdery erupts... but all that does is add to the sense of cobwebs over time. This is what Arachne SHOULD have smelled like, IMHO.

 

verdict: I don't know. This scent makes me uneasy. And yet, it is indisputably beautiful. Strange.

 

post-conceived notion: I still do not believe in voodoo, but I cannot deny that this scent creeps me out. The connection of this scent to ancient, wild spiritual functions seems undeniable.

[Eros]

In the imp it's tangy lemon w/a hint of vanilla. Once on, vanilla with a touch of lemon & spice. As a perfume, lovely.

As far as efficacy, had a bad headache when I first put it on and it went away(headache) within minutes. Definitely calming, as well.

 

Keeper!

[LushNatty]

In the bottle: smells like it’s going to be some kind of fruity men’s cologne. (The cologne being fruity, not the guy—necessarily—although why not?)

Initial application: a bit of citrus (lime, I think) and a bit of chlorophyll. There’s also some faint floral smell that I can’t quite identify in the background. Makes me think that this is what a leaf off a lime tree would smell like if it was cracked open to smell the green stuff inside (not that I have ever in my life been around citrus trees.)

Drying: Gets powdery, with the citrus cutting through underneath. I can’t really identify the main note in this blend, but it’s interesting. Not entirely sure if I like it or not—it’s one of those that I think I might not like, but I’m not totally sure and maybe I like it. I don’t know.

I will keep the imp, but I definitely don’t need a big bottle. I'm mainly going to keep the imp because this might be something that I grow to like more.

On a scale of 1 to 5: 3 (extra point for being very original!)