Bruised Violet Compound

[slave1]

Crushed violets, red currant, patchouli root, and Spanish moss.

BRUISED VIOLET COMPOUND

In Bottle: Dirt and violets

On Skin: This scent is very dark and dirt based. I normally love violets but here they are overwhelmed by patchouli which is a note that doesn’t love me all that well. The currant is not fruity, just red in tone. The moss adds to the dirt and earthy feel of the patchouli. If violets are normally too innocent for you, check this scent out. It’s violets that have been corrupted by the dark side. Very unique and quite interesting, but not a scent for me. And eek!!! After about 20 minutes I get a "pee" note! No!! Currant does not like me in the slightest... Average throw and average to long wearlength on me. Edited June 3, 2008 by Shollin

[Dracoo9]

First off, I was terrified of the Patchouli ingredient because often it becomes a dirt beast on me. This time it behaved quite well. I smell the violet faintly, infact it is faint in general despite how much I put on. After a while this just becomes a faint....scent. It doesnt smell of anything dishtinguishable but there is a scent close to the skin. I didnt mind it but I didnt love it. Off it'll go. 3/5

[tasty]

Is my nose broken?

 

I don't get anything dirty and certainly no patchouli from this blend. It smells on me like watered down violets, a bit of some greenery and a touch of sweetness.

 

It's a nice scent. I love violet, so I was hoping for a more powerful, potent violet blend. Maybe I need to check out Violet Ray next.

[scarletgenesis]

Incredibly smooth patchouli is the dominant note at first. It's not at all head-shoppy, much more dark and herbal.

I get a tiny amount of violet later, but no sweetness that I'd usually associate with violets or currant for that matter.

 

After a few hours, this is primarilly the smell I'd associate with a deep, dark, wet forest. I definitely also get the moss and the patchouli root is still giving this incredibly smooth and complex forest-herb smell.

 

I like it better as I wear it! It's not remotely what I expected, but it is pretty great just the same.

[GypsyRoseRed]

In the vial, it's hard to detect anything except smooth, mellow patchouli and a hint of violet. On my skin, ten minutes in it develops into the perfect African violet plant scent, without sweetness or the 'dirt' note that makes me think of rotting things. Very botanical, but completely wearable.

 

ADDED Oct. 15:

 

In the bottle, this smells wonderful - dark purple-blue violets with the rich tang of earth. On my wrist.. violets and pee. My body chemistry has been playing cruel tricks on me lately, so I'll probably try this again in the future.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Something dark and peppery. I can only assume that it’s the Spanish moss

 

Wet on me – After a spike of patchouli, it becomes a soapy sort of violet

 

Dry on me – Mostly soap with a very slight hint of violets

 

Overall – I wanted to love this blend by the soap killed it

[agnusdei]

Bruised Violet Compound is a darker, paler violet than the other violet scents I've tried. It still has that classic violet feel, that sweet softness that almost seems dusty or powdery but isn't, but this violet seems more worn and rough. Aside from the violet, this scent is a bit peppery and herbal to me at first, with the patch and moss adding a gritty, grounded background. After a few minutes the herbalness fades away and I get more of a loamy, earthy feel. It doesn't exactly smell like dirt, but it brings to mind that kind of imagery while still being something wearable to me. I never really get much of a distinct currant note, but I can tell it's there, mingling with the violet to create lovely red & purple bruises. Bruised Violet Compound ultimately ends up as a soft whisper of a scent on me, a fragile violet cloaked in earth. It's different from my usual warm-spicy-creamy scent preferences, but I rather like it.

[euterpe414]

Funny it's the last note listed, because from the moment I sniffed the bottle all my nose seemed to register was MOSS. Lots of dark, earthy moss. Thankfully that is a smell that I love from other earthy BPAL blends, so I happily proceeded to test this scent. On my skin it becomes much more balanced. I still smell a lot of moss, but also patchouli and fresh violets. I do not get the currant bit at all, even throughout the dry-down. This scent strongly reminds me of trudging through a damp, dimly lit wooded area, only to stumble upon a ray of light with a flower growing up from the dark earth. The violet adds such a lovely twist to this earthy blend, and is completely unique amongst BPAL's other violet masterpieces. I am glad I bought a bottle of this unsniffed, it's going to get a lot of love from me in the future!

[zankoku_zen]

This one started out as a delicate violet blend and went straight into dirty hippie patchouli.

 

 

Oh patchouli, why must you try to monopolize my attentions? Why?

[Mamacat]

When I very first tried this blend I thought I didn't like it. I was sooooooooo wrong.

 

In the imp this blend smells a bit sharp but once I get it on my skin it is a green, mossy violet with a hint of patchouli. It wears so gorgeously on my skin. My husband loves it and so do I. It's the greener, less candy violet that I've always wanted. Thank you, Brian!!

[filigree_shadow]

At first the violets in this are fairly strong, but as it dries it gets quite mossy and earthy with the patchouli root. But the violets and red currant keep it sweet. It never descends strictly into mossy/rooty territory. It retains a bright twinkle, but it seems like moss is the most dominant note. Not that that's bad! It's great in this.

 

The moss and patchouli root combination smells fairly masculine to me, and although I like this scent quite a lot, it seems like it might be more at home on my husband. He's trying it on right now to see if he likes it.

[sprocket21]

In the imp: Sweet patchouli

 

On me: Dang, people weren't kidding when they said this scent was Dirty Violets. I was hoping for Slightly Sullied Violets, or even Just a Smidge Darkened Violets. But I'd go so far as to call this scent Slightly Violet-y Patchouli.

[taramarie]

On me, Bruised Violet Compound is mostly Spanish moss and patchouli root, with a violet base. This is nice, though I was expecting more violets. It's a cousin to Crypt Queen. I'll definitely keep it around.

[Myrrha]

Wet: A masculine scent. Deep, dry, herbaceous.

 

As it dries: The violet comes out, it is a dark dry violet. The red current seems to be what really brings the scent to life. It adds a sweeter juicy note. (I’m not sure I could recognize it as red current if I didn’t know) I do not like patchouli but this only smells a little like patchouli. It is a cooler and rootier smell, almost like a mushroom. I’m not sure what “moss” notes in perfumery smell like but maybe that is what I’m smelling here.

 

Drydown: OK, now it smells more like patchouli. Not as awful as most patchouli, somehow it is cooler and more like a wood than patchouli is usually. It is also more expensive smelling than the usual patchouli. The violets are still there. It adds up to a very sophisticated and distinctive scent.. The dry astringent quality is refreshing and I could see having cravings for this scent. It would be a useful one for scent emergencies and I may keep the imp to put drops on paper to smell for refreshment rather than using it as a perfume. It is not the kind of scent I like to wear as a perfume and would probably work better on a man. I washed it off after three hours because it was not fading away.

[trollgirl]

In the imp: This actually smells like bruised violets! And it's medicinal. I can totally imagine this being some sort of liniment. I'm a little disappointed that the oil isn't actually a bright violet colour though I'm not sure why I was expecting this.

 

On me: This is very earthy to me. While wet the violets smell just a little soapy, but the moss and patchouli stop them from getting too floral. It smells like dried violets trampled into the dirt. And then a hot breeze picks up the violet-dirt mixture and is tossing it about in a huge dusty cloud of violet. I also smell something that really reminds me of turmeric--a powdery, slightly acrid scent. I get absolutely no red currant or anything remotely fresh or fruity. Alas.

 

Overall: Interesting. I was definitely hoping for a lot more floral sweetness and a lot less dust and dirt. It strikes me as being rather unisex as well. I love the light mossy scent it leaves after a few hours.

 

I tried this on my boyfriend and it smelled really amazing on him. Mossy and woody, and just a little salty. Like good, clean sweat. Very sexy.

[AEris]

Dirty!

 

This is an earthy, mossy blend. The Spanish Moss and Patchouli completely prevent the other notes from reaching my scent receptors.

 

This smells like dirt. It's interesting, but I just don't like it. I want it off.

 

2 out of 5

[Phaedra]

Wet this is clean and soapy violets and a hint of citrus, maybe lemon. When first on this is very light and clean with the faintest hint of violets. There's also a round, creamy feeling undertone. This stays mainly a light herbal violet blend. It has a nice hint of sweetness and also a clean feeling to it. This feels like an elegant, upscale gentleman's fragrance but I think it's herbal enough to work as a unisex fragrance too. Very nice!

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is all moss and violets.

 

On my skin, the violets definitely lead - the other three notes make up a very dense-yet-light background to the violets, and add a little darkness.

 

When it dries, the violet is true and strong - but this one's not for me.

[gaai]

I was very much prepared to dislike this........but I think I've finally found my perfect violet scent!!

 

Most violet scents are either too flowery or too sweet/candy-ish.......this one, for me, comes very close to how I perceive the scent of real violets. It has that fresh, earthyness of the surrounding garden and despite patchouli often being labeled as 'dirty', I find this very clean smelling.

 

This might very well be my first violet-blend-full-bottle-purchase!! *yay*

[milo]

In the imp, I definitely get the violets, maybe a touch of patchouli and pickle juice! Yep, this probably ruined it for me, I just can't get the pickle smell out of my head now. *Sigh* I guess I haven't found my perfect violet scent yet.

[Tilby]

This to me smells like violets crushed in dirt that are then set in a wash of patchouli. It is very earthy, and very strong. I really wanted to love it but I am not sure I can get past the grit of patchouli. It is very masculine, and while I like the actual smell of it, I don't think I can wear it as a perfume. Maybe I will try it again soon to see if my chemistry was the problem with it.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

A faint hint of violets, but lots of gorgeous patchouli and even more lush moss!

 

First on:

It's far more violet-y on my skin, and I get a bit of red currant too, but just a touch of it.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it's a gentle violet scent, with raw patchouli and something... else. And then it fades to nothingness.

 

Finally:

Wow, this wasn't a fan of my skin chemistry. Poor imp, you held so much promise. Swapping...

Edited August 13, 2008 by Nimthiriel

[TooMuchTemptation]

I've recently taken a liking to violets, and so I added this to my wishlist. Someone sweet sent me an imp with a swap. I didn't know what to expect from this scent at all.

 

Wet in the imp, I smell the violet right away, and right behind it is a tangy sharpness that I'm going to say is red currant. It's not fruity per se, but it's sharp and juicy like a broken stem. Then I smell patchouli and the dirt note. Patchouli doesn't smell like dirt to me, but something in this blend smells like clean dirt.

 

Wet on my skin I still get the tangy broken stems and sweet violets, but now I'm also getting an herbal whiff before patchouli and the dirt. Also, this is getting very dry, almost dusty. I like it though. It's not like anything I've smelled recently.

 

As it dries out the sweet violet blooms on me, and the scent dries considerably. What's interesting to me about this is how it can be so dry, and at the same time refreshing. The currant, violet and patchouli are tangy-bittersweet, but in a good way like tonic water and lime. It doesn't smell like tonic and lime, but it's a reminder that bittersweet can be good. I'd love to have some soap or shampoo that smelled like this. It's dry clean and refreshing. That said, I think this is too heavy for summer wear, at least for me. I think I might have a hankering for it as the cooler weather sets in though.

 

I'm going to keep sniffing, because I'm not sure if this imp is enough, or if come winter I'll want a bottle. It's really a work of art though.

[Czarina]

In the bottle: not violets. <sighs> Oh, I suppose I should be more specific than this. It smells like the inside of a box of Russell Stover candy, if that makes any sense. Sweet and paper.

 

Wet: patchouli, neroli (I think that's actually the red currant, but my nose "reads" it as neroli), just a little hint of violets. More sweetness (though not like Sugar Skull).

 

Drydown: Currants. Just a hint of violet. Not even any patchouli. Moss.

 

This was a big disappointment to me. I am always looking for more violet scents. This one barely smells of violet to me at all. It is--dare I say it?--too subtle for me. If you want, like me, hit-you-over-the-head violets, try Faith. This is more like Saturnalia, which was also too subtle for me.

 

ETA: I discovered that after half an hour, this went through a phase of actually smelling a lot like violets for about an hour. Yeah! But then vanished completely.

Edited August 27, 2008 by Czarina

[lunaticana]

I like this more then the other violets I know from BPAL!

one of the things tha makes it so nice is the mint I guess..

I love to use my imp in the daytime when it's hot