Ultraviolet

[Saliekat]

Electrifying, mechanized and chilly -- the scent of crushed blooms strewn on cold metal. Lush violet and neroli spiked hard with eucalyptus and a sliver of mint.

In the imp -
Sharp. I can smell the eucalyptus - there's a hint of Olbas Oil about this! But not at all in a repellant way. The eucalyptus is chased with the violet and sweetened. I like it a lot - it's chilly and very...out there


Wet on the skin -
Very eucalyptus, with a hint of mint and a wisp of violet.


Dry -
Sharp violets. This is a cold, crisp violet, like the flower frosted on a winter's night. The floral really comes out after a few minutes, but it doesn't get the chance to become too sweet because of the eucalyptus, although I can't really distinguish that now. I really like it. It almost chills my nose when I sniff it.


Le boyf says -
"In the imp, urinal block. On the skin, urinal block. It's horrible. In fact, urinal block smells better, after it's been used, in a public toilet, by tramps. 0 out of 10."
(ooo, scathing!)


I have the Raven on one wrist and Ultraviolet on the other - of the 2, I think I like Ultraviolet more, it's more interesting, although less violetty. I'd wear the Ultraviolet more (at least when I'm not going out with le boyf ) Edited December 30, 2005 by Shollin

[Charitie]

Okay...time for my very first review

 

 

Got this as a free imp from Brienze (thank you!).

 

Wet : Whoa!! Serious floral/violet smell just smacked my poor nose…but not in a bad way….

 

Drying: Mm, tones down a bit, gets a more spicy note to it…smells really neat.

 

Dry: Turns old-lady on my skin. But will work great in my incense burner…because away from my skin it's a LOVELY smell. Rich and deep and exotic.

 

 

Edit:: Yes..in my burner it smells simply divine. My room smells like some kind of exotic greenhouse now.

 

Edit2:: After letting it settle for over an hour, the old-lady part of it has faded, and now there's just this very soft, feminine floral...wonderful for those days I just wanna be a 'girlie' type.

Edited December 22, 2005 by BranwynCharities

[LadyWilde]

Fresh, minty, icy-cold. . .then powdery old-lady violet that lingered for hours and hours. I should have known better; violet hates me and the feeling is entirely mutual.

[faifai]

Minty mint at first. Then something my nose doesn't register as anything specific--just "hey, that's familiar...and not in a good way." The violets turn on me into something very unsettling and powdery. Maybe it stirred up a bad memory. Who knows, all I know is that Ultraviolet is my first minty-scent disappointment.

[SeaMonkey]

Floral, but minty. It kind of reminds me of a more pleasant smelling migra-stick. I just put some on my temples as I have a migraine. Its icy and cold. I guess this is what I imagined Numb should smell like.

[arabella]

First Impression: Very strong violet scent with a hint of necrotizing fasceitis (or at least what I think rotting flesh would smell like. This must be the eucalyptus, which I usually like but have to be prepared for).

 

Dries down to: Very shortly after, the rotting flesh smell disappears and is replaced by a jolt of ozone. Then, it settles down to primarily violet with a hint of mint. The final stage, which arrives after about 1/2 an hour, is just lovely, sweet violets with a wisp of neroli.

 

Additional Comments: The early stages really hit me between the eyes. Thankfully, they change quite rapidly and the end result is gorgeous and well worth waiting for. I have to be in the mood for violets, but when I am - this is the blend I'll go for.

 

Lasted: A couple of hours.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Would have been higher except for the early stages and the fact that it doesn't last that long on me.)

[Rhowan]

*-* ULTRAVIOLET *-*

 

 

In the bottle: Whoa! Eucalyptus city!! That hurt just smelling it! Hope it gets better!

 

Wet on skin: Overpowering eucalyptus with a bold mint and just a whisper of violet - I can barely catch the sweetness of it!

 

Dry Down: As this warms on my skin, the eucalyptus and mint mellow way out and the neroli and violet come out stronger. After about 3minutes on my skin, I am smelling a sweeter but cool violet. Later - no hint of mint or eucalyptus, I am left with a very outgoing violet!

 

Conclusion: This isn't your shy wallflower violet, this is a revved up, bold in your face "ultraviolet" violet! If you are shy, meek, and an introvert, this is not for you. Great throw, good staying power. This is for people who want to be noticed! The longer I wear it, the more I want a bottle - a far cry from my first reaction to it in the imp.

[teaketcha]

imp fresh from lab

 

wet: my brain associates this scent with fresh, minty cat litter.

 

dry: unfortunately, we will get no further with this scent.

[pekeana]

Ultraviolet to me is all violet. I get the barest hint of mint and eucalyptus and what may be neroli at the very beginning, then BOOM, "Violet, you're turning violet, violet!"

 

Similar to Numb and City in the Sea.

[WidgetAlley]

Frimp from a swap with the lovely cal_steph. Let me just preface by saying, I'm reviewing this one by memory only. And hooboy, was it a weird experience when I wore it last night.

 

In the Imp: Oooh. Mmmmm. A refrigerated blast of violet, accompanied by mint and eucalyptus, and just a tiny hint of orangey neroli, softening the whole thing. Very bitchy, powerful, and coolly in control. (Or so I thought.) Like Numb, but less clean and more frigid. Seriously, in the Imp, I loved this, it was all rigid ice and one raised eyebrow.

 

Wet: Regal violets, powdery and haughty, with clarion mint and eucalyptus. Very simple, very powerful... would make a perfect office scent. Conjures up images of dark-haired beauties with perfectly groomed eyebrows and power suits. Kind of sexy, in a "I look good and I know it... but you'd better pretend not to notice or I'll dock your wages" way. A woman you want and know you can't have.

 

Dry: Wait-- wait--- are you ready for this? The ultimate proof of how wacky my skin is? Yeah? You think you can handle it? Okay, get ready, 'cause....

 

Carrots. WTF!? Seriously! This goes irredeemably carroty on me! Something to do with the coldness of the mint and eucalyptus accenting the orangey smell of the neroli (which finally came out to play).... it's not identical, and I can pick out all the individual notes if I concentrate, but the overall impression is so much of those little sticks of beta-carotine, I just can't get past it. Too bad, I really liked this at first.

 

I'd like to give a big old shout-out to my body chemistry, which takes the nicest things and turns them into #$%@!!! vegetables.

[MistressTera]

I wonder how many others choose Ultraviolet as their BPAL first? Hmm...

 

As this is my first review, it'll probably be a little shoddy, but bear with me. Also, I've not given it a full hour, but I might not be here in an hour, so I'll just have to update it.

 

Fresh From The Imp: Wow. That's a lot of eucalyptus. Really.

 

Wet On My Flesh: Now I'm getting a hint of mint, too. Interesting. I can't stop sniffing myself...

 

Drying Down: I've stopped sniffing long enough for it to dry a bit. The eucalyptus has died off almost completely, leaving mint and a hint of violet underneath. I'm really starting to enjoy this.

 

Hour To Integrate: It's died down to being mostly violet, which isn't *bad*, but isn't exactly what I was expecting. I really liked it when there was more mint to it.

 

End Of Day/Final Report: I'll probably keep it around for a second testing, as I'm still somewhat undecided as to how much I like it. It'll depend on how many wearable imps I've got out of these nine I just received.

 

BONUS! Kitten's Opinion: She sniffed my wrist, then laid her head upon it. As she usually doesn't care much for mint (in a violent, head-jerking type manner), I'm taking this as a good sign.

Edited February 9, 2006 by Mistress Tera

[valentina]

In the imp, Ultraviolet isn't at all what I expected -- it's a lot sharper and more pungent than anticipated. On my skin, the violet is simply overpowered by the mint and eucalyptus. It's not bad, but it's a little too intensely herbal on my skin, and it doesn't calm down. I probably anticipated more violet than I should have.

 

I put it on my DH and it smells great -- very clean, bracing, not-too-sweet, not-too-herbal, with a vague undertow of sweet violet. It's a very unisex scent, IMHO -- if a man wanted something that wasn't all musk, civet, tobacco and vetivert, this would be a nice, clean-smelling alternative. The imp is going to the DH to use, and this might be under consideration for his spring/summer 5 ml bottle order.

 

valentina

[sarada]

This was an early one that I tried and I remember kind of shying away from it at the time because it was so strong in the eucalyptus department. It's not a scent that I mind myself but my bf is allergic to it so I can't wear it much.

 

I came across some again and retried it hoping for a good clean winter scent. It did deliver in being minty cold -- vividly neon green and purple -- the violets add a touch of powder and the mint is, well, like toothpaste, but that eucalyptus is just too much for me.

 

It's an interesting scent experiment but I can't see wearing it as a perfume. I have so many other wintry scents now that I don't think I'd need to play around with it...Nuclear Winter was much more appropriate for me and I didn't even wind up keeping that because: most mint = toothpaste on me.

 

This is a great example of scent as a way to evoke imagery or to embody a particular concept but it's hard to wear except as an experiment, for me.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Minty violet.

 

In the imp: Oh. Um. Not good. Instantly reminds me of the back of a pet store, for some reason.

 

On skin, wet: Really, really not digging this. At all. I don't know what the problem notes are, but this reeks of hampster cages.

 

On skin, dry: After a few minutes the "WASHOFFNOW!" thing starts to ebb away and it becomes more of a minty violet. I do love mint, but violet's really not my thing, so I'm not becoming a fan of this.

 

Conclusion: Even if I fell in love with the drydown, I don't think I (or my stomach) could handle the first 5-10 minutes. Thankfully, the violet is too strong in this for me to even consider falling in love, so it's not something I need worry about.

[mandragora]

In the imp: Sharp, metallic scent. Predominantly eucalyptus.

 

Wet on me: Aah, there's the violet. Not really a big fan of it though.

 

Drydown: Lab description is right on the money. Electrifying violet this is.

 

Much later: Wintry smelling, like frozen moonless night inside a pine forest. Violet very faint.

 

Verdict: As lovely as this scent is, I'm not really a fan. I don't think I would want to wear this. Off to the swaps with ye.

[storme]

In the bottle: wow, my nose doesn't know what to think. Sweet violets or cold mint? It's an overpowering scent, but it can't seem to make up its mind. I'm not sure I like this.

 

On my skin: it still can't decide at first, but both scents get rapidly sweeter as it dries and the violets do that explosion thing they do on me. Parma violets and mint chewing gum, mixed together.

 

I wish I'd been able to smell the metallic scent, but alas, it ended up smelling like a very limited sweet-shop. So sweet it made my teeth ache. I had to go and scrub this off my wrists.

[themerrybaker]

I like the scent after the minty dry-down; it reminds me of sugary candied violets. My only beef is that there is little throw and the scent is not long lasting. It may be a function of the violet (you can't detect violet for a while after you've smelled it) but I think you would almost have to slather this one.

[tajana]

I never would have thought to get this on my own- I'm so glad I got this as a frimp. It's amazing. It's striking, it's metallic, it's pure. Frozen mint and eucalyptus are the main characters, shifting between visions of a desolate winter (totally a powerful "ice queen" sort of scent) and a chrome-colored, futuristic dystopia. The eucalyptus fades fast, leaving behind the cold mint and the purple gloss of violets. The neroli rounds out the scent delicately. After Ultraviolet rests on the skin for a while, the mint fades out more, and I'm left with slightly chilly sugared violets.

 

A lot of perfumes are "warm", but few are this striking and unabashedly cold. It's a work of art, to be sure. It sticks in your memory and stands out. I can see why not everyone would like this, but I love it and unless I'm sick, it behaves well with my chemistry.

 

My boyfriend also, who seems to go "meh" at all the super-vanilla forum favorites, says this is one of his favorites on me. He thinks it smells clean and refreshing, yet also like purple lollipops. I'm thrilled that he picked up on the color!

 

Since I first tried this scent in 2006 I've almost always had an imp in rotation. I get sidetracked by shiny new scents, but whenever I go back to Ultraviolet I'm charmed all over again. Before 2009 ends, I think I'm finally going to commit to a bottle. I don't want to run out of this, it's a classic.

Edited November 28, 2009 by tajana

[lizardling]

In the bottle: Woo. Violets and neroli with mint. It's like licking something candied (hard and rough sugared outside) only to encounter the softer and tangy inside, stab of mint through to give it interest.

 

On the skin: Splished a bit on my fingers when opening and closing the bottle second time around. Violets and mint with eucalyptus.

 

5 minutes: The scent is sweetening, mint disappears and eucalyptus is way mild. More neroli shows up.

 

Overall: First test gets a 3.5 out of 5.0 -- after about an hour, my sinuses started aching, so I had to wash it off first time around. I'll try again a different day to see if it's just me sniffing three or four vials in a row before dabbing some on my wrist. I can still smell it after two vigorous scrubbings, though.

 

ETA:

Tried it again with a dab on my wrists, and after it dried down, the violet pretty much knocked me over like a huge lavender-colored pillow filled with solid orthopedic foam smacking me in the face. Ow. No go on this one, folks. Apparently, my skin finds the violet and amps it to 11. Pity; I loved the description on the website.

 

Mental note to self -- run away from violet notes very fast.

 

Score: 1 out of 5. (can you tell I'm bitter about the violet? )

[Victory]

At first, Ultraviolet is all eucalyptus, which is very not good. After about a half hour, it dies down and the neroli picks up, whic is better, and much later the violet peeks out, decides it's too scary, and hides again. Honestly, Ultraviolet is a little scary!

[bookishgrrl]

Ultraviolet was one of my initial 6 imp selections from my first BPAL order. I wasn't sure about it, but having noticed my other selections were very warm and incense-y/spicy, I wanted to throw something in that seemed cooler from the description...

 

In the Imp: Girl Scout Thin Mints? I'm terrible at sniffing things out of the imp, it never is the same as when I put it on, so on we go...

 

Initial Wet: Er... Girl Scout Thin Mints! Very sweet mix of peppermint is my initial impression. Odd, I expected it to be an earthier eucalyptus sort of mint... but it's not bad! I do notice a very cool sensation on my wrists and collarbone where I've swiped the wand... that must be the eucalyptus oil? What a neat effect... cool skin without smelling like mentholated product.

 

Initial Dry: The mint almost immediately becomes much much receded, and now an herbal-y violet smell is coming forth in a major way. Still feels cooling on my skin! I like the smell of this more and more.

 

Later: This has developed into a sweet and spicy violet scent. It's familiar... hmm... AHA! I'm smelling like those old-fashioned C Howard's (Choward's) Violet Mints taste! I LOVE those things, and practically o.d.'d on them the last time I bought some (while visiting New Orleans). Mmmmm....

 

Final Verdict: The spicy-sweet violet stage of Ultraviolet settled in quickly. It had a mild to medium throw on me and stayed a few hours. The 'cooling' sensation on my skin also lasted quite a while. I don't see this as my signature scent BUT I'm totally going to try making it a body spray using the info here for what I hope will be a cooling hot-day/summer/after-workout scent spritz.

Edited April 5, 2006 by bookishgrrl

[Nekomata]

Wet this is pure eucalyptus and mint. As it dries it gets more of a floral scent, with peppermint candycane undertones. The violet is very nice, but the peppermint combo is a bit too much.

[Eleri]

imp: Woah, violet with a 2x4! Way too strong for me.

 

initial skin: Very strong, but not as eye burning.

 

half hour: Wow. it's faded to a very delicate violet scent. Not that musty violet smell that some violet things have, but a nice scent.

 

hour: light and airy, subtle. I like it.

[Amberfishy]

I love love love Ultraviolet! I was always curious about this scent because the colour is so harsh and I was curious to see what scent would come out of it. In the bottle, it’s a sharp scent, mostly the eucalyptus and mint playing on each other with a little something else. Once applied on the skin the violet and neroli comes out to sweeten things up. This perfume is unique in that it gives a clean sharpness that is friendly- as in no headaches- with the beautiful sweetness of the violet to round things off. It’s so purple and pretty much kick ass. I can’t really describe it in any other way than just picture a bowl of violets under ultraviolet light. It’s electric and interesting so high ratings from me for uniqueness factor. Me loves.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

minty and sweet (floral sweet not foody sweet) oh my can't wait to see how this one morphs!

 

wet:

eucalyptus and mint! Just a little sweetness behind it.

 

dry:

now the violet comes out to play too - I don't know what neroli smells like. But wow - what a great blend! Reminds me of an evil old witch in a fairy tale, seems all innocent and helpless to lure in her victims, but you can sense the evil lurking….

overall:

Like it but I have to be in the mood for it, I'm not so crazy about the violets, especially towards the end.

 

rating: 6/10

Edited May 8, 2006 by HennaFairy