Velvet

[YoakeNoKami]

Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.

Imp: Bitter cocoa; some sort of dark musk

On/wet: Sandalwood? and slightly more mellow cocoa

Drydown: Myrrh. Myrrh and bitter cocoa. More Myrrh. Augh, it's all bitter and musky on me.

[TPOD]

This was the first imp I tried out of my last order, because it just smelled so terrific in the imp. I'm happy to say that it worked very well for me - of course food scents and woods and resins like me. I'm not sure exactly what myrrh smells like, but I could detect a spiciness with the cocoa and the sandalwood that I'm pretty sure was myrrh. It didn't really transform itself as so many other BPAL scents do, it stayed nicely balanced.

 

I had to reapply at mid-day and the throw was light to moderate. I could smell it, but nobody told me I smelled like any thing in particular today. (So far in my BPAL journey, I have been told I smell like: a bookstore, incense, cherry ice cream, a hippie, an old lady, vanilla, a candle and a "stench" )

 

You guys are not going to believe this, but I've never smelled Snake Oil because the description just never really tripped my trigger and I'm just not a huge vanilla fan. Today I kept thinking maybe Velvet is like a chocolatey version of Snake Oil??? Perhaps I will try it.

 

I'm currently working my way through several cocoa scents, I hope they're all this nice.

[Northernskygal]

So.. I learned something today when I applied Velvet.. I discovered that I am just as snobby about my chocolate in my scents.. as I am about my chocolate in my food

I am so dearly a foody.. and this.. this is just.. a workshop.. where people do maybe woodworking or.. ceramics.. or.. I got cocoa out of it for all of about.. 2 seconds and then the sandalwood ate it.. not that I can blame the sandalwood but still.. sadly not for me

[JenM]

In the imp: fuzzy cocoa, and a touch of the exotic.

 

On the wrist: the sandalwood comes straight out, masking the cocoa. I get the myrrh, too. In fact, on the wrist, it’s exactly the two scents I *didn’t* get in the imp.

 

Half an hour: mostly sandalwood, with just the hint of cocoa. I tend to amp sandalwood, so perhaps this is not unexpected.

 

One hour: More cocoa. How pleasant a morph that is, foody that I am. Alas, it fades all to quickly. Both wrists agree on this. More of a sandalwood SN in the end.

[Dracoo9]

Velvet reminds me a lot of Eat Me in that the vanilla is so creamy and delicious smelling. The cocoa scent is faint with the myrth a bit stronger. Its a scent that is very warm and soothing, just a scent that makes you feel warm and fuzzy like wrapping up in a warm blanket. I'd give velvet a 4/5

[MaeKitty]

Bottle: Chocolate!

On Me: After a few minutes, the chocolate dies down and the sandalwood and myrr comes out, giving the scent more depth. The whole scent is very mellow and deep, perfect for its name. It's soft, warm and lush, and very relaxing. Perfect for a night of jazz and conversation. My only issue with it is that it doesn't have much throw on me at all. I have to really take a good whiff of myself, even after just a few minutes to catch it. That said, every so often I get a surprise subtle smell of the cocoa.

[akiko]

Imp: Cocoa. Smells good.

 

Wet: Cocoa. Smells like Bliss. Please don't be just like Bliss, I don't need 2 cocoa SNs.

 

Dry: Sandalwood and chocolate. I'm not sure whether to keep it filed in chocolates or move it to woody. It reminds me a lot of Tombstone, but I like it better than that.

[coldandsleepy]

In the imp: smells like cocoa. Delicious, but all i'm getting here is chocolate.

 

On me, wet: oh, wow. This is so delicious now. It's unfolded into three distinct parts, cocoa, cream, and sandalwood. The cocoa and the cream are sort of tangled up, and i keep getting a visual of pouring cream into hot chocolate when i close my eyes and sniff. Right now the sandalwood forms a sort of base that's distinctly underneath the cocoa/cream layer.

 

On me, dry: the sandalwood kept growing on me for like an hour. I guess i amp it. (Hey, there are worse things to amp than sandalwood.) Unfortunately, it kinda takes over the scent and the delicious creamy cocoa is almost all gone. However, i still get a hint of the cocoa, and it's still pretty delicious.

 

Throw and duration: throw is decent, not overwhelming, which i'm glad for. Duration's very good; i dabbed it on at about 11 a.m. and it's still going at 6:30 p.m.

 

Overall: This is my first really "foody" scent, and i wasn't sure i'd like it. But it's really awesomely good during the foody part, and i kinda wish it stayed foody on me.

 

If this would stay in the on me, wet phase, i would probably have instantly bought one or more bottles of it. As is, i really like the sandalwood scent it settles into when dry, but i think i want to try some more sandalwood scents before i get a bottle of this one. And i'll definitely be trying more cocoa scents in the future.

[strangemodegirl]

OMG! This is sandalwood dipped in chocolate.

Somehow Beth took my favorite scent and my favorite food and made the most perfectly yummy and comforting scent ever.

 

I have to buy many, many more bottles because I am dying to see how this one ages!

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle:

Sandalwood cocoa, yum!!!

 

Wet on skin:

Same. Pretty much a 50-50 blend for me.

 

Dry on skin:

The sandalwood has taken over a bit, with some rich hints of cocoa vanilla. Maybe I can get away with wearing this (ie, without the boyfriend holding his nose because I smell like food.)

[maribouquet]

imp: flaky cocoa

wet: sandalwood

 

I like sandalwood and I still have no idea about myrrh, and the chocolate in this is gorgeous, but the 'worst' parts of the notes come out on me and makes this too alkaline-smelling. Booo, I'm blaming the myrrh.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Warm, gently spiced chocolate.

 

Immediately on skin: This is creamy chocolate, but it’s not completely foody; it’s slightly toned down by the light warmth of the sandalwood. There’s also a soft kick of vanilla, which is nice.

 

After a little while: This changed from chocolate to almost a coconut fragrance… interesting. The cocoa is still there, but it’s a very light undertone to the scent. The sandalwood and vanilla plus a bit of myrrh are what are creating the soft coconut-like fragrance I’m smelling now. It’s not very sweet, and is actually sort of dry and has a very light dirt smell to it. It’s not unpleasant, but I miss the chocolate note I got at first.

 

Overall Impressions: This fragrance is so yummy at first… it’s creamy chocolate, but the sandalwood tones down the foody quality to it. Unfortunately it morphed so much on me I can barely smell the cocoa anymore. I hope others have more luck with that note staying. As for me, this is definitely a contender if I get a scent locket.

[djsiberia]

in the imp: choco & vanilla!

wet : sweet sandalwoody choco!

dry: still mostly chocolate and hey, i think some sandalwood is popping out and maybe the myrrh.

later; still chocolate with some spice to it. i think i kinda like it, might have to give it another spin

[NatCatz]

Wet/imp: Cocoa

Drying: Slightly spicy chocolate, reminds me of El dia de reyes

Dry: The sandalwood comes out, making a creamy spicy chocolate with sandalwood undertones. Its really nice.

[Sushi-n-Sake]

In imp: Sandalwood, chocolate, and a bit of spice

Wet: Sandalwood and milk chocolate with a hint of myrrh lingering at the edges.

Dry: This stage reminds me of coconut husks, oddly enough.

 

Verdict: Although this isn't strong, it lingers, and I like both woody scents and chocolate scents. I am getting a bottle to use with my scent lockets.

[savage_rose]

Chocolate, cologne, and pencil shavings? Not bad, but the chocolate is drowned out by the wood note (I don't THINK it's sandalwood). It dries to kind of a chocolate powder scent...okay, but definitely lackluster. Sigh.

[evanescence]

Velvet is gorgeous. I now understand why George Costanza wanted to be naked and wrapped in velvet! It's so smooth and soft right from the start, and actually deepens in the drydown to a lovely vanilla sandlewood. Very luxurious blend on me.

[Scanmike]

This is a beautiful scent. I usually have trouble finding BPALS I like, so this was a treasured gift. I received it as a frimp with my last purchase of Boomslang. I have to say it's similar in that the dark chocolate isn't foody but soft. Velvet dries to sexy but bit powdery scent that lasts and lasts. It gets sweeter after time. Yes, there is a nice mingle of sandlewood but I don't get any pencil shavings. And after 2 hours of so the sandlewood mellows to a soft vanilla mixed in. I put it on last night and it lasted close to 9 hours. Given a choice of Velvet or Boomslang, I think I would choose velvet, but I haven't worn Boomslang all day yet.

 

Edit: After wearing this 3 times now, I am thinking the sandlewood is getting to me. I like tht it isn't all chocolate at all, but my husband said it smelled like baby powder. Still not sure about it. A little too overwhelming sandlewood.

Edited May 11, 2008 by DeniseScan

[inurbanus]

Velvet smells like...velvet. But it's a dusty, musty velvet at the beginning. There's a muskiness that thankfully goes away after a while (I think that's the chocolate). After that, smooth sandalwood and myrrh stick around. I wasn't really expecting the chocolate to work on me, so I'm not disappointed by its disappearance. The remaining sandalwood scent is nice, but not me.

 

2.5/5

[greenranger]

In the imp, chocolate and sandalwood.

 

On me, the sandalwood comes forward more, and the chocolate merely sweetens it. A warm and toasty scent. I'm not getting the vanilla, but, since vanilla has been kind of hit and miss with me so far, I don't mind. I got the scent because of the chocolate, anyways. The myrrh may be present as part of the warm spicyness.

 

The whole scent is fading pretty fast.

 

 

The next morning...

 

The sandalwood came back up. I had thought that the scent had faded, and went to bed, but, this morning the scent is back on my wrist and elbow...not as much on the back of my hand. I can only smell it close to the skin. What is still hanging on is a slightly sweet, very slightly spicy sandalwood. It's nice, and there is hope that I might wear this one, especially on a day when I can't wear a scent with much throw for whatever reason.

 

It isn't a chocolate scent on me, though. For chocolate I still have Bliss.

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I'm back a few months later to edit this, and I am laughing. I don't know whether the scent just needed to settle or what, but, Velvet has become one of my favorite scents.

You'd never guess from my original review, would you?

 

I tried Velvet when I was new to the scents and notes, and I hadn't yet figured out that woods, myrrh, vanilla and chocolate all love my skin for some reason. It's a well blended mix of the sandalwood, myrrh, vanilla and cocoa. The sandalwood is only slightly the dominant scent, and the whole effect is warm, soft and inviting. Velvet lasts about 8 to 9 hours on my skin, has moderate throw, doesn't change much over time, and is good for almost any occasion. It isn't too foody, too sweet, or too woody. It is the scent equivalent of the perfect pair of pants that can be dressed up or down, and is too comfortable to be believed.

 

If I could only keep ONE scent, this might just be it. I know it would be hard to give up.

 

This opinion is subject to change according to mood and new scents becoming available.

Edited August 6, 2008 by Aerinha

[ladyver]

at first there was cocoa and then.. oh my goodness... as a number of others have said it really does smell just like velvet - not inspired by velvet - but actually like the fabric - that's amazing, i like it

[Lamia]

This smelled like some fancy coffee creamer that was about to go off while in the bottle. On skin, there was a jolt of chocolate, and that went away almost immediately. Something about BPAL vanilla turns to Play-Do on my skin LOL it does smell furry, but in a round, doughy sort of way. Sandalwood and myrrh always smell nice on me, but the cocoa vanilla totally overwhelms them, so another one for the trade bag.

[mybrainhurts]

I didn't get much of the cocoa vanilla when I wore Velvet but dusty velvet is a pretty good description of this scent. It doesn't stick around for very long on me, good for around 4 hours before it's faded so much that I have to really sniff the skin pretty hard to get any of it.

 

Still, I like the scent and am glad to have a 5ml bottle of it.

 

::::Edited later the same day::::

 

You know, it just figures. I wrote this and then wore Velvet to work today. The cocoa note was all but reaching out and slapping me upside the head all day.

Edited May 24, 2008 by mybrainhurts

[gchris]

In Vial: smells like cookies

 

Wet: Foody-chocolate gingerbread cookies

[kittycatpurr]

In the imp: Um, okay. I'm getting the cocoa, but not understanding the overall concept.

Wet: Peanut butter. Forget it. (Hurriedly canceling my date with Boomslang.)