Velvet

[DahliaHayashi]

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

This was a frimpy from the lab with my last order. I had never picked out this scent because while I enjoy eating some good chocolate I dont want to smell of it. I also just revealed amber as my arc enemy since it goes sweaty on my skin. However this is quite a morpher on my skin and I am super impressed!

In the bottle: Chocolat incense (if that makes any sense)

On my skin wet: uh oh this is sharp and spicy. kind of good but nearly as spicy that it makes me sneeze.

On my skin dry: still spicy but the sandalwood comes out to play. uhhh i totally forgot that i liked sandalwood a lot in my childhood especially around this time of the year. but on myself...well I dont know

After about 15 min: Spicy sandalwood

After about 2 hours: It became soft and powdery cocoa on my skin. kind of opening a new bag of cocoa powder but there is more to it. Its like sophisticated cocoa.

Staying power: 7 hours on my skin and still going strong

Verdict: I like this far more than I though I would. Its spicy and beautiful but I cant see myself wearing this all the time. Just occasionally since I have to go through a phase of pure spices and wood to get the last beautiful stage.
I will cherish my frimpy until its empty and see how it goes from there ;P

[puellacaerulea]

In the imp, Velvet is cocoa-y deliciousness. I'm having a hard time picking out the sandalwood and myrrh behind all the cocoa. Not that I have a problem with this, because it smells kind of delectable.

Almost immediately after I put it on, however, the cocoa starts to disappear and I start amping spicy, resinous sandalwood and myrrh. So far, not having the straight-to-powder problem I sometimes have with sandalwood blends.

After a couple hours, the cocoa is almost entirely gone, leaving me with resinous myrrh with a bit of sandalwood in the background. This isn't necessarily a problem, as I've grown to really like incense/resin notes, but I miss the cocoa note.

It's worth noting that Velvet has some serious staying power. It's been about 14 hours since I first put it on, and I can still smell it on my wrists.

Overall, while I'm disappointed that my skin apparently devours the cocoa note, the myrrh/sandalwood blend I end up getting is still quite pleasant -- spicy/resin notes that aren't overpowering. I may have to try this one in a locket and see how it works there before I decide whether or not this merits a 5ml purchase.

[Nicnivin]

The most gorgeous perfume I have ever worn. Granted, sandalwood has always been a favourite of mine, but I found that the rich cocoa notes took precedence here, and I smell like I've been wrapped in a velvety (ha!) blanket of cocoa and bark. To me, the scent reminds me of an antiquarian bookshop somewhere, in which the owner is partial to dark, rich hot chocolate. It's cozy and warm and not at all dessert-ish.

 

Absolutely gorgeous.

[MadameGorgon]

I would just like to add my love song to Velvet.

 

In the vial: It is superrich cocoa. Like maybe melted bittersweet chocolate maybe? Only not so sweet.

 

On the skin: Sexy dark chocolate, raspy sandalwood, and a bedrock of solid incense to hold it all together. There's a post somewhere on this forum where the poster made a batch of brownies flavored with Velvet. Um, yeah. Don't think I would take it that far because incense doesn't taste very good, but I do want Husband to wear it so I can nuzzle up next to him and bury my nose in his skin.

 

Drydown: whoosh, WET cocoa settles into the background a bit and the sandalwoode grittiness comes forward, but it stays pretty true. I can't tell you anything about throw because I could take a bath in this stuff and not get enough. But my kids tell me that I smell like spicy chocolate.

 

This is a 5/5 for me. Sheer perfection. I never thought I would find something that I loved as much as Boomslang, but I did and its GC.

 

Please don't ever discontinue this because I want to smell like this even when I am an old lady.

[evekrieg]

I was so excited to try Velvet as it would be my first BPAL with any chocolatey notes in it. In the bottle it smells chocolatey and soft and delicious. On my skin the cocoa disappears almost right away. It went kind kind of rancid on me from the get-go. I get a sweaty sort of sandalwood, reminiscent of pencil shavings. There's very little sweetness, mostly just wood. It's a little disappointing, but I'm going to set it aside and see if it gets better with time.

 

Edit for time: I've given it a couple more hours. The sandalwood has mellowed out, and I'm smelling the cocoa again. Really pretty.

Edited February 8, 2012 by evekrieg

[whataboutprom]

I initially tried a well aged imp of Velvet, in which the oil was golden and syrupy. The smell was intriguing at first, but quickly became overwhelming and cloying, and I had to wash it off.

 

When I received a fresh imp from the lab, I set it aside for a couple of months, not wanting to give it another try. On a whim, I did try it though, and surprisingly Velvet has shot up into my top ten, maybe top five. Every time I try to put on another oil, I can't help but apply Velvet instead. The chocolate is made absolutely non-foodie by the gorgeous, dry sandalwood and myrrh. This is a sensual fragrance, but not so over the top sexy that I can't wear it to work. I've been applying it to my wrists every night, so I can inhale Velvet while falling asleep. Just ordered a big bottle.

[detritius]

I think this has to be my favorite BPAL chocolate blend (at least, that I've tried so far). Bliss is nice too, but I really love the smokiness and depth that Velvet has, probably from the sandalwood and myrrh, and the vanilla gives it a beautiful roundness and warmth. It also doesn't go too sweet on me the way Vice did, which is a huge relief. On me, it has a decent throw that gets more subtle as the day goes on, and it lasts a fairly long time, which is great, because I can't imagine getting tired of this scent.

[Soniadevi]

Velvet is SO BEAUTIFUL! What an utterly divine way of balancing out chocolate: by adding sandalwood vanilla and myrrh. Lush, woody, resiny cocoa. This is not a foodie scent to me: it showcases the cocoa in a way that could make you feel that cocoa was a scent first, and a food second, and not the other way around!

 

Seriously, I could not be without this scent. I am not a fan of chocolate (eating or smelling) in general, but this is FANTASTIC! It's so utterly elegant, it makes me feel wonderfully grown up and cosy all at the same time. Also really nice for perfuming my hair...

[Maartje]

When I first got a whiff from the bottle, it smelled very sweet and heavy. I thought I would like the smell of cocoa! On my skin, it's a little better, and gives me cravings for chocolate all day

 

I'm not sure whether I like it. To my nose it smells a bit garish, overly indulgent and cloying. I'll try it again later and see if I change my mind... it's a shame, I wanted to like this one.

[Gateau]

I really like this in the imp and wet, with the rich cocoa softening the sandalwood along with the myrrh. But once dry, the sandalwood amps and sharpens and loses that velvety chocolatey softness and I'm left with perfumey sandalwood, not a favorite.

[lizardqueen]

Oh! Ohhhh...

 

Velvet is my new best friend. Velvet knew I had a rough day and brought me a fancy fleur du sel cupcake from the gourmet place. Velvet remembered to water my plant way before it started getting wilty (which is about when I remember). Velvet folded all my laundry. Velvet made me an awesome mix CD full of new songs by my favorite artists.

 

I ordered an imp of Velvet more or less on a whim, then discovered that I also had a frimp of it, from about 6 months ago (minimum). I can't tell much difference between the two imps. I kind of get the sawdust scent that other people have mentioned from the sandalwood, but on me it works, somehow. The sandalwoody scent stays fairly close to the skin, and then I get occasional wafts of the vanilla-cocoa-myrrh when I move around. My only complaint is that it doesn't last all that long on me, so I kind of want to drench myself in it, Flashdance-style.

 

Yeah, I think it's safe to say I'm probably gonna need a bottle of this at some point.

[brilliantcat]

Chocolatey sandalwood. That sounds like it wouldn't smell very good but it's divine! It's a dry, sort of spicy chocolate when wet. Spicy, incense-y, woodsy chocolate. This is definitely not foodie and I love it!

 

ETA: Hours later I noticed a delicious smell coming from the vicinity of my arm. As I've tested a number of scents today, I sniffed each spot to figure out which one was making me woozy with happy. Turns out it was Velvet! It's rich, spicy vanilla and bittersweet cocoa grounded with sandalwood. I NEED a bottle NOW

Edited June 23, 2012 by brilliantcat

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Veeery dark chocolate and sandalwood. Brings patchouli to mind.

Wet: Still quite dark chocolate, but the sweetness and spices are kicking up a bit.

Dry: A nice enough mix of chocolate, woods and spices. A bit intense for me, though it did mellow nicely after a few hours.

[BuxomM]

This is strong sandalwood with the barest dusting of cocoa. I was hoping for a lot of cocoa, but for the most part I don't get any. I was hoping for foodie goodness not fresh carved sandalwood.

[Balame]

Wooow, this is almost EXACTLY Atlas - which has pretty much skyrocketed to being my favorite scent this past year. Good to know there's an extremely similar GC available if I ever can't get ahold of more (goodness forbid).

 

There are no notes shared between the two, but the effect ends up the same. Atlas' mallow has always read as a soft vanilla to me, and Velvet has just that. The sandalwood in Velvet is clean but sensual and woodsy, a similar vibe to what hinoki wood and oak bring. And finally, the myrhh and cocoa make for subtle smokiness and cuddliness, which Atlas' khus and coffee bean mirror.

 

Don't need a bottle since I have its twin, but will most definitely keep this lovely in mind...

Edited April 10, 2014 by Balame

[NorthenLight36]

I expected to hate this. I'm not a fan of myrrh and tend to smell it overwhelmingly in any blend, bringing back uncomfortable childhood memories of being non-catholic in a catholic school.

 

In this however, I get a rich chocolate/wood scent that is warm and comforting and makes me want to experiment with layering it with my beloved Rogue. I used to have a chocolate scented stuffed rabbit that smelt exactly like this, a mix of chocolate and soft, silky toy fur. I'll be buying a bottle of this and the lab has my thanks for the imp.

[lisalovesbpal]

Very nice. I get pretty much only two really strong notes - cocoa and sandalwood. No changes from the bottle to wet application to dry down. It's a very incensey blend, but I like it.

 

I've been seeking out chocolate scents, so this probably won't do it for me as far as that goes (I'm testing some chocolately imps, and so far, Bliss is the front runner), but I may get a bottle of this anyway - it's just really so exotic!

Edited December 18, 2012 by lisalovesbpal

[captnklaus]

Got this as a frimp with a recent lab order. Finally, a scent with chocolate that doesn't smell super artificial or plastic-like on me!

 

In the imp and wet on my skin I get a blast of dark cocoa, but its not foodie. Which is great as I'm discovering that its mostly the foodie chocolate scents that just don't work out.

 

As soon as it starts to dry though the sandalwood comes out. While it does come to the front, it never kicks the cocoa to the back. Instead they share the front seats and the vanilla and myrrh enjoy comfortable supporting seats behind them and helps to balance this scent out. Its dry, spicy, woody dark chocolate and just oh so good. As it dries down it sticks closer to the skin and requires reapplying every so often, but I don't really mind too much.

 

Overall, I really like this! Whether or not there will be a 5 mL in my future has yet to be seen, but for now I will enjoy my imp.

[kashmira]

I got this as an imp about 2 years ago. When I tried it then, I hated it(too much sandalwood) and swapped it away.

 

Flash forward to today when I got an aged bottle(circa 2005ish)and oh my lord, what an amazing difference!

 

It ages beautifully and becomes a wonderful, incense-like scent where the cocoa and sandalwood and myrrh simply sing in harmony together. While I normally amp sandalwood to high heaven, this is very restrained in its scent.

 

It smells like something a sophisticated yet savvy woman might wear for a night out with a tall handsome gentleman. I simply love it.

[heygraycatbird]

I tried Velvet as part of my continuing quest to test BPAL's cocoa blends. I received it as a frimp, so I'm not sure of the age.

 

This is the first one I've tried that really reminds me of chocolate. It must be the fact that it's "cocoa vanilla" because the chocolate scent is similar to that of Alkemia's Patchouli Cacao (which has cacao + bourbon vanilla and is my current go-to chocolate scent).

 

On my skin though the sandalwood takes over in a weird way. Chocolate pencils. It's like the chocolate sister of Tombstone (which was all vanilla pencils on me).

 

Throw was not huge, though it lasted a good few hours. Just too much pencil unfortunately.

[elinox]

First Sniff: Milk chocolate with creamy vanilla, yummy!

 

Initial Wet Application: The scent I’m coming to identify as ‘leather’. (After reading the description, I’m assuming its sandalwood.) But where’d the delicious chocolate go?

 

Beginning Dry Down (first 15 minutes) & Dry: After a m5nute or two from first application, this is almost all gone! It comes back a little after about 14 minutes, but it’s powdery soft with no hint of chocolate, vanilla or really even the sandalwood. I’m going to have to check my other failed scents to see if myrrh is the culprit. *shakes fist*

 

My Reaction: It’s a nice, soft, feminine scent, but I already have a lot of oils from the lap that do this on my skin (soft, flowery, powder). Am I doing something wrong?!? Why do so many of these delightfully descriptive scents, with notes I want to like, go wussy floral/powdery on me? The first sniff had potential though, oh well.

 

Rating: 1.5

[vthesiren]

Lab-fresh imp.

 

In the imp: Vanilla-chocolate with a woodsy undertone.

 

On my skin: For a few seconds, I thought "hey, is that almond?" Then, it became THE FUNKIEST FUNK TO EVER FUNK. Like a mixture of sweat, pencil shavings, and plastic. Vanilla peeks out and tries saying "o ha --" and then gets PUMMELED INTO OBLIVION by the atrocity that is this sandalwood note on my skin. It is like this both where I swiped the imp wand and where a bit of oil splashed on my fingers.

 

What on earth happened here? No, just... no. I am lucky enough to have The Other Hot Chocolate for my cocoa needs, thus: TO THE SWAP PILE WITH YOU.

 

Since everything I tested that day went terribly, which I thought was strange, I wound up retesting this the following day. Turns out that yeah, I just had an awful skin chemistry day, because this was MUCH better upon retesting - it was still a bit too heavy on the sandalwood for my liking, but it didn't amp and take over everything. The cocoa-vanilla came out really well and actually made it smell fantastic. I'll still rely on Other Hot Chocolate for my cocoa needs, but I'll keep this one around because it's nice.

Edited November 24, 2013 by vthesiren

[october]

When I initially received my Velvet imp a few months ago, the fragrance didn't last, and the cocoa and vanilla smelled almost unnatural.

 

However, allowing it to settle and age slightly has brought out the sandalwood and myrrh and warmed up the cocoa and vanilla. Velvet is now one of my favorite fragrances. It is deep and luxurious, yet the "foodie" fragrance of the cocoa and vanilla give it warmth.

 

I've heard you have to let fragrances age and settle before using them, but I didn't listen. I will certainly do this from now on.

[Deliciousness]

In the imp Warm and slightly sweet sandalwood, with a nice backdrop of cocoa.

 

Wet on skin: Oh no, I smell sandalwood. - oh, please let it stay in the background. Sandalwood always amps on my skin. But this is okay. I'm getting a little bit of sweetness from the myrrh and vanilla. Yum!

 

Drydown: Count me surprised, the sandalwood has stayed in check and I'm getting a gloriously resinous, slightly sweet cocoa. It's gourmet, without being too food-y.

 

I really love this blend! It envelops you in it's soft velvety embrace. If you like cocoa, sandalwood or "warm" feeling scents, I'd say give this one a try.

[Magycmyste]

Mmmm...... this was one of my wishlist scents to try! Yay! Here goes...

 

In the imp: Cocoa (like the powder), vanilla, and the softest hint of wood.

 

Wet on skin: Mostly cocoa powder, though it's cut through with the vanilla to give it extra softness - sort of like baby powder (though it doesn't smell like that - more like if someone made a baby powder, with that softness, that smelled like cocoa powder).

 

Dried down: Mmmm..... This is a dreamy, creamy cocoa vanilla on me. I keep trying to get whiffs of the sandalwood and myrrh, but I only get whiffs if I try really hard

 

Throw: I'm testing several different perfumesright now, so it's hard to say, but I think some of that cocoa vanilla is cutting through the older scents a bit.

 

Verdict: I was hoping to get just a smidge more of sandalwood and myrrh, but it's lovely as it is, too. Definitely a keeper, and I think worth a second test to determine whether I'd like a full bottle's worth.