Van Van

[Clementine]

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

Oh yuck, this isn't for me. It was a freebie generously included with my imp order, but whatever's in this (vetiver?) is very off-putting. It's so unpleasantly herbal and medicinal, and it heightens my senses in a bad, bad way.

[porcelain72]

In bottle: lemon, which I usually don't like, but this isn't sharp to me, there's a soft edge to it.

 

Initial application: someone else described Van Van as smelling like a lemon bar with powdered sugar, and that's exactly correct. It's a sweet, comforting smell, and the lemon is creamy and unintrusive. I don't know that it makes me feel powerful, but it does give me a vague sense of familiarity.

 

Drydown: it fades faster than I'd like, but without really changing its scent. It layers wonderfully with Burt's Bees Milk & Honey body lotion, giving it more of a "foody" feel. I got this as a trade, and I'm very happy with it.

[sofiaviolet]

This is a decaying sort of scent. It gets a bit spicy upon application. I don't like it, but I'm keeping my imp anyway, for non-perfume use.

[blackfelicula]

I purchased this imp second hand, so it is likely aged.

 

I’ve been wanting to do this review for several days, ever since I accidentally got a little on my fingers during a brief sniff of the imp. At that time I found Van Van entrancing. Yes, a general whiff of it smells exactly like the Johnson & Johnson baby powder I grew up familiar with, but there’s so much more to it than that. I could not stop smelling my fingers the rest of the day, despite the scent I had on my wrists at the time. If it tells you anything, I don’t even remember which scent was on my wrists! This is the first I’ve tried of the Voodoo Blends.

 

In the bottle: I smell something medicinal and resin-y. There’s a smoothness to it, though also something lemony. I would believe that lemongrass is in there. The descriptions some have made likening Van Van to lemon bars come to mind. There’s also a complexity to it that make me want to smell it over and over again.

 

Wet: I’m getting a whiff of lemon and citronella. There’s something softer and sweeter in there too. It reminds me of an herbalist shop, only less of a mix.

 

Drying down: Some of the complexity of Van Van makes me wonder if there’s galangal in there. It’s too bad that I don’t have any on hand to compare with. Another candidate was copal, but when I smelled mine it wasn’t a match. It’s a bright scent, but also an earthy one.

 

Dry: This is a complex lemon sweetness with a resemblance to baby powder that’s only on the surface. Just below the surface is a surge of power and focus. I can’t stop sniffing this. I love it! I wanted a bottle just from getting it on my fingers. Putting it on has only solidified my opinion. This is not the blend for people who cannot abide resembling baby powder.

 

Later: This is long lasting stuff. It fades some, but not far. There is so much more to this than just the surface impression of baby powder. The notes hum, they sing, they chant, and they dance. It’s as if the powder scent is a façade with a door. Behind that door is an occult shop where people are engaging in ritual. I’m feeling less fatigued than I’ve felt in weeks. I can certainly feel the amplification of personal energy! Cleansing and purifying too. I still want more of this, for certain. I wish I didn’t already have a number of pending orders, or I’d go order some right now. I still might…

[neuilly]

Hard to pinpoint this exactly. Lemongrass? Creamy note...and some wood. I don't wear wood notes, and this one is fairly strong. But this is a nice scent and woudl be perfect for those who can wear wood but would like something more than just a forest scent.

[UploadedLobster]

Creamy, resinous vanilla, straight from bottle to drydown. Might be amber, might be benzoin, hard to tell. A little cedar. No morph at all, as far as I can tell, and that's FAWKING MARVELOUS. And it lasts for hours.

 

If there's any lemon, lemongrass, anything tart at all in here, I can't find it. Nothing but righteous resiny vanilla, forever. Got it as a frimp and it's going straight onto the "WILL BATHE IN" list. Wish the Lab still had 10mls, I'd get two or three of them for Van Van. It's that good.

 

Lobster Rating

Better than: baby chickens

Edited September 7, 2006 by Uploaded Lobster

[Precis]

In the imp, Van Van smells like -- what? I sniff once and it's something unsweet but foody like rosemary and the second time, I get something from a bakery and every time I try to pin down a note, I get something else entirely. Once I apply it to the skin, I get EXACTLY the sort of sugary sour citrus scent that you get from those hard candies that come in little tins (if anyone knows what I'm talking about). As nice as "resinous vanilla" sounds, I get no resin or vanilla at all. I will have to revisit this scent at a later date to see if it's the weather or this oil that makes me sneeze.

 

EDIT: additional impressions: fresh squeezed lemonade and something beachy feeling. This scent just keeps on changing!

Edited September 25, 2006 by Precis

[supremegoddessofall]

Furniture polish. Somewhat citrus-y, but just generally furniture polish.

[mmmitchell]

I have been wanting to write this review for a while, but keep changing my mind as how to describe Van Van.

 

I find the scent to be compelling in a weird way. I'm with the "lemon" crowd, that's the predominant note for me. But it's not foodie, and it's not furniture polish, and it's not exactly a creamy scent. There is an undertone to it that almost, but not quite, seems somewhat rank, dark and unpleasant to me. But then sometimes it does seem drier, more powdery, more like lemongrass baking in the sun in a ditch by the side of a dusty road.

 

I realize none of those descritions really sound all that attractive. So, go figure......I can't stop sniffing. It's that compelling.

 

I suspect what I am mostly smelling is vetiver. Apparently it does feature heavily in all the traditional Van Van blends, so I suspect it does here, too. And, I've discovered that on me, all the scent blends that I've tried with vetiver don't agree with me much, at least so far. If there's any vetiver, I end up smelling mostly just that. And I'm not sure I want to smell like vetiver.

 

But as I've said, I find the scent compelling, and have used (diluted with some jojoba oil) in my oil burner. Specifically, I did this the night before my spouse (he's an attorney) had an important mediation. I spread out a drop on all my fingers, and gave him a nice scalp and head massage. He had a great result the next day. I think it's very empowering. I know the scent really makes me feel both relaxed and grounded, which is partly why I must find it so compelling.

 

I can also see using a few drops of this blend in the tub.....it would make a nice bath soak both before or after rough days. I may be reaching for this often during the upcoming holiday with my extended family.......

[sofaking6]

Yep, this is NICE.

 

I get big-time lemon bars on first application. A very sweet, bakery lemon scent. I feel like maybe there is some vetiver, maybe some light musk, but it's hard for my untrained nose to pick out much besides the brightness of the lemon. It stays very true on drydown, has good throw and staying power.

 

I really can't tell what's in it but from a foot away or so the blend is more complex than just the lemon, but still very fresh and engaging. I would almost say there is lily or maybe lotus, some very light, dewy floral.

 

I also have to say this is the first of the voodoo blends that has had an impact on me as far as its voodoo purpose goes. Right away when I put this on I felt focused and strong, and got a little "it's good to be me" feeling going.

[for_the_nonce]

grass + powdered sugar. so far, its lasted for 5 hours and is still going pretty strong. it gets a little musky as it dries down.

 

when i first put this on, i liked the scent, but didn't think it was something i really wanted to wear as perfume. however, by the end of the night, i had decided that i needed a bottle.

 

as for the efficacy, well, it seemed to make me feel a bit calmer, but i would wear this just for its scent. its... comforting more than calming, i guess, in much the same way as sudha segara. sweet, but not foody.

[nikkoblue]

I'm not going to write an in depth review because I just can't describe this scent; it goes from obnoxious to calming in about 15 minutes......but the one thing that realllllly strikes me about it is that it smells exactly like this Greek sweet sugary cream that came in a jar that was mostly vanilla, slightly minty, and had a touch of herbal to it that's undefineable......

 

I don't know if I love it but it's definitely intriguing.......

[theseagrows]

this is an herbal-vanilla-powder scent. i am getting the cotton blossom sort of note that is in enraged bunny musk, but it's much stronger and there is no white musk. this might be ok if it were softer, but i am not a big fan of powdery scents, and i think my skin amps this one into headacheland

[dronzeka]

I tested this for the first time today and I, too, get a kind of herbal vanilla-minty scent. It has the distinctive Voodoo Blend herbiness, and then some kind of sweetness and freshness. It was like this for quite a while, but now that it's been on for a few hours, it's morphed into - well - something pungent and BO-like?? Though only if I really huff my wrist (it was a very quite scent overall, not a great deal of throw). Not quite sure what to make of it, so I'll have to try it again sometime.

 

(I can't comment on the effects, because I've been alone in my apartment all day!)

[storme]

In the imp: sugary ginger and lemon - like a soothing drink for sore throats.

 

On me, wet: ooof, citronella and lemongrass and powdery ginger. Now it's like a soothing drink for sore throats before the water's been added.

 

On me, dry: strong citroness and lemongrass and ginger and something herbal beneath. Still powdery to me.

 

Verdict: Well, this has some throw, but it's really not to my taste. Alas. I was hoping for the sweetgrass that other people described.

[brit_brat100]

Imp: herbal citrus...very soothing.

 

Wet: citrus, lemon, and...herbs, maybe something grassy.

 

Dry: herbal powder, but with less of the citrus coming through.

 

Final Thoughts: not what I had hoped for, but still nice. I didn't feel any more powerful with it on, but I didn't regret putting it on either. I don't think it's my style, but I'll just wait and see on this one.

[Spring Snow]

I keep changing my mind with this one... I catch a whiff and love it, and catch another whiff and think "hmm not so much."

I put this on today because I definitely need some positive personal energy to keep things up. The scent has so far stayed very true through wet and dry stages. It smells a lot like walking through a big outdoor nursery, with fresh green plants, flowers, fruits, herbs, and earth mixing together. Sometimes it is very sharp and earthy, sometimes this very rich creamy quality rises up and overpowers everything.

Although I feel iffy on the smell, the effect is immediate and very positive. It's much better than a cup of coffee, and I bet it could duke it out with Moxie in terms of alert and concentration-inducing-ness (is that even a word?). This is going to be a keeper, great to wear when I need a jolt, and probably good to put on objects when I need to settle down and concentrate on doing something, but keep wanting to get up and wander around.

[steffanina]

Van Van-

 

In Bottle: Spicy; the teensiest suggestion of orange and maybe lavender. I kind of like it even though I don't always like lavender.

 

Wet: Spicy, a little empowering feeling, if that makes any sense. This is the most promising voodoo blend I've smelled on me yet.

 

Dry: Okay, of all the voodoo blends, this is the most pleasing. Unfortunately, that does not mean I actively like it on me. The spicy-orange-lavender is interesting and not at all noxious, but none of the voodoo blends seem to be ones that I would want to wear for a day at the expense of scents I do like. I think I'll keep it to sniff and to see if I change my mind, though.

 

Overall: Very conditional.

[windzswept]

Lemon. Just like I squeezed an entire lemon over my wrist, or I'd been cooking and accidentally squirted myself whilst I was juicing and not washed it off.

 

It also stays. Stays for a long time (it was still there the following morning after I'd put it on at 4pm the day before).

 

Not for me at all. I don't get any other smells or scents from it - the lemon just overpowers everything else.

[WidgetAlley]

I've actually had this one for a while now, but never got 'round to testing and/or writing a review for it. I'm super-stressed from a crazy day at work, though, and am hoping this will help to reground and recenter me. Note for the reader: I got this in a swap and have had it for at least four months, so it's quite aged.

 

In the Imp: I smell green vetiver, that quintessential kitchen-spice voodoo smell, something that reminds me a good deal of citronella candles, and something in the very back that might be either vanilla or tonka. The citronella smell might be a combination of lemon and mint-- it has a citrussy brightness but quite a nice nose tingle as well. At the moment, this smells slightly bug-spray-ish and very... strong. I don't dislike it, but I don't love it, either.

 

Wet: Citronella, right down to the waxiness, with a powdery sweet note behind it. Is that what other people are pegging as lemongrass? It's less harsh than the other lemongrasses I've smelled-- this one doesn't make me sick, for a start. This is a very firm, earthy scent-- not, perhaps, something I would wear as a personal perfume, but not at all offensive, either. Let's see how it works. I'm going to go read for a while.

 

Dry: The same, but softer. It's a little bit more vanilla-ish, but still with that strong citronella and vetiver overtone. This isn't necessarily something I'd want to wear to smell, although it's far from bad, but it did help me feel grounded, so it's nice to know I can use it for aromatherapy purposes and not worry about making myself smell funny!

[waternight]

In the imp: Generic sweet

Wet/Drydown: Starts out sweet spices, but quickly goes talc on me.

Dry: Pure, strong talc. ICK. No thanks.

 

Helloooo, SN talc!

[Nia]

I have used TAL Block Buster every day for the last week or so, and this is weird because it smells a lot like that. Really a lot, only sweeter: the honey-patchouli-mint impression I get from Block Buster has less mint, more vanilla.

 

I only have half an imp and I wouldn't like to use this as a perfume (because of the smell and because of the significance), so I might use it for ritual purposes on the Solstice this weekend, or wait for a similar occasion.

Edited June 20, 2007 by Nia

[t_for_tau]

Van-Van is the supernatural nature-defying lovechild of Nyarlathotep and Baron Samedi.

 

Seriously. It has Nyarlathotep's Very Clean Lemons, and the Baron's bay rum. And something a touch alcoholic, like the two of them went on a bar crawl together.

 

I'm not sure whether I like this or if I'm very, very afraid.

[jasmine]

Van Van is strange. It’s a light, intensely spicy blend with something like mingled citrus and vanilla underneath. It smells nice, though -- a bit like Snickerdoodles, if someone made an orange-spiked Snickerdoodle. Strange and good are not incompatible. This is growing on me rapidly.

 

When I smell this, I want to smile. It’s a very friendly scent, heavy on the vanilla. It isn’t what I thought a “purification” scent would be (I anticipated soap, mint, or incense), but it is very positive and makes me feel good when I smell it. I like it far more than I expected to. (I’m not big on soap, mint, or incense.)

 

This isn’t all the way to foody... I don’t feel like I’m gaining calories just by smelling it, and it doesn’t make me feel like I’m being smothered in icing... but it does remind me of cookies, and I really like it. It’s not a sensual scent at all; I would be totally happy wearing this to work. And I’m going to wear it to work. This is way nifty.

[lilirose]

Van Van: another one to add to the list of "scents I like".

 

Wet, I could have sworn I was smelling sharp, overwhelming lavender (this just goes to show how bad I am at picking out notes!). It gave me no hint of its true scent until fully dry.

 

A much mellower smell rose up during drydown. First I thought it was honeysuckle, then sugar. My husband said "butter and sugar, like when you walk into a bakery and they've been making fondant icing."

 

Fully dry, I'm still smelling sugar, along with a very edible (not sharp) lemon. I also get vetiver, definitely.

 

Excellent staying power on this one- five hours after applying, it's still going strong, and only has the faintest powdery note.

Edited January 3, 2008 by lilirose