Bruised Violet Compound

[galahad]

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

In The Bottle
Red Currant and patchouli when I was expecting violet

On Application
Strange. Thin oil and odd dustiness

Dry Down
I don't know what to say about this one other than it is a complete surprise. I stayed away from this one initially becasue I thought it would be VIOLET now I am definitely staying away from it because it is odd and funky

Rating (0-5)
0

[Argentwolf]

I don't really get a 'dirty' vibe from this...it's more of a *sweet* violet, perhaps one that has been squished to make, well, bruised violet compound. It's a pretty straightforward violet scent, IMHO. Has a wee bit of throw once it dries (and it is especially lovely once it does), and has good staying power.

[theseagrows]

like a previous poster, i get a dill-like scent from this-very herbal. the violet isn't your typical sweet, powdery violet...it's more like violet + stems. it's not powdery at all-this is much more an earthy/herbal scent on my skin. i don't seem to get much currant-i think i just get the patchouli root and spanish moss. i feel like i am in a greenhouse or garden when i smell this-interesting!

 

 

[superpopkid]

Oh, this one was a roller-coaster ride of morphing! In the vial, this gave me pause because it reminded me strongly of Saturnalia, heretofore known as "stinkiest BPAL ever." Saturnalia is mostly violet and vetivert, and I'll be honest, I barely gave it a skin test before booting it out the door. BVC in the vial was less unpleasant, but had a similar dirty pungency. Wet, I got a few moments of strong violet and phantom vetivert. The violet seemed to fade suddenly, and I was worried that anosmia was kicking in. Fortunately, it came back into focus in a minute or two, mingled with a rich green smell. I wish I could be more specific - it wasn't vetivert, as I originally thought, but what must be a really well-blended mixture of the violet, currants, patch and moss. None of the latter three stand out for me at all (I was worried about the moss amping into bug-spray as it did with Violet Ray, but it did not!) BVC dried down to a breeze of rich, dark-greenish purple herbal deliciousness. It feels cool and vibrant. Throw starts off strong and gets steadily lighter, and it kissed me goodbye in under three hours.

[CitizenBree]

I love violets so of course this one was on my list to try. I might have tried reading the reviews first.

 

It is a very masculine scent. It smells very cologne-y to me. I guess that's mostly because I get patchouli and moss from this. I wore it on a rainy day so it's almost fitting for that. Smells a little like the rain...damp and dark.

 

There are no violets to be found on me.

[claudia6913]

I ordered a full 5ml of this unsniffed and I am very pleasently surprised by the outcome. I really like it.

 

In the bottle it's a strong violet, almost bordering on too sweet.

 

Wet on skin this is violet, but tempered some by the patchouli root and moss.

 

Dry this is a bit dusty, probably from the patchouli root, but I like it a lot. I'm not getting a lot of currant out of it. The moss gives it a kind of greenish tinge, not overpowering, but definitely there. The violet is sweet and floating over top of everything.

 

I like this so much fresh I'm almost afraid to let it age any. ;p

 

The throw on this is crazy strong. It's been about 20 minutes since I put it on and it's like I'm holding the cap to my nose still. I hope it calms down just a little, otherwise it might cause a headache soon.

Edited May 18, 2010 by claudia6913

[London]

This one was amazingly good. The Violet was soft and almost powdery at first and then it became this ghost like scent that occasionally wafted up, while the red currents spiked the oil with a sweet tartness.

 

Neither the root or the moss really showed up on me.

[Monster]

In the imp this is light patchouli with the sharpness of moss. Very earthy and slightly medicinal.

 

On my skin the violet blossoms. This is a sharp violet blended with the sweet earthiness of ptchouli.

 

The sharpness of the moss is making this unwearable for me, it's giving me a headache. I would have liked this better if it were just violet, patchouli and currant. Oh well...off to swaps

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Sniff from imp: Stinky violet perfume. I recognized the violet because it smells like the orris in my Blood Pearl.

 

On skin: Violets, currant and patchouli. I thought this smelled a lot like Lolita Lempicka because of the violet note so I did a side-by-side comparison. BVC smells a lot like LL on the drydown, only LL is sweeter. Eventually the moss note comes to ruin the whole blend.

 

This didn't last long at all, and now I smell like violet soap.

[ModderRhu]

i like patchouli, but this version is a little thin. it's like watered-down patchouli. it's alright, but not for me.

[Caerphilly]

Very watery and sweet violets. I get no patchouli from this. Reminds me of Brusqu Violet without the mint. Very faint scent that fades quiqukly. Not the usual sickly sweet floral, but watered down.

[grrrlennyl]

Bruised Violet Compound

 

On: Soapy flowers

Half an hour in: Moss and soapy flowers.

1.5 hours in: A bit sweeter. A bit woody and still mossy.

3 hours in: Powdery. A bit sweet. Mossy.

4 hours in: Sweet and powdery violet.

Overall: I love violet, but this isn't really for me.

[lahdeedah]

Stupid moss! My nemesis strikes again and turns what might otherwise be an interesting scent into straight up cheap aftershave. ICK. This was a scrubber for me.

[VioletChaos]

In the bottle: Deep spanish moss and equally dark violet.

 

Wet On Skin: ok, I'm getting a little worried- the moss is threatening to turn this into old-lady perfume. C'mon violet, c'mon patchouli- pull through!

 

Dry Down: Whew! Saved! the spanish moss takes a back seat and is now lending itself to the darkness of this very, very dark violet scent. As my name might imply, violet is unsurprisingly my favorite floral note, and, as much I love, say Ultrviolet or Faith, I was yearning for a violet scent that would have a sinister aspect, a violet with some teeth. With Bruised Villet, i think I've found that!

 

In all: Definitely a morpher, don't write this scent off in the first few minutes of application. It needs a bit of time to blossom on the skin, but to those with the patience to ride it out, ye shall be justly rewarded with a violet scent that is dark, brooding and dangerous- perfect for a Goth Girl like me.

[LightLikeKnives]

Viole(n)t Overdose is what this should be named. The first four hours it smells like violets, violets, and violets. As others have noted, it's not a powdery kind of violet, but a fresh, earthen, kind of rain-sodden, pulled-from-the-earth kind of smell. After the four hour mark (that's one heck of a drydown period), it smells sweeter, faintly musky, and kind of soapy. I enjoyed this smell, but the loud onset was just too much for me.

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: violets rarely smell good to me, so I don't exactly have high hopes for this one. it smells ok in the bottle, like violets (which I like until they get on my skin) and moss. I can't really catch the patchouli, for which I'm thankful; I smelled a little too much of it when I was living in Santa Cruz, CA. it smells a little like dirt though, which is puzzling.

 

On my skin: the moss turns rotting, the violets turn sour and plasticky, and the patchouli shows up. my skin's a curse, I swear! it's highly unpleasant, like old ladies with bad perfume and a very soapy bathroom cleaner. no sign of the currants, just the patchouli (especially after I let it sit for a bit).

 

Last thoughts: I should've known better than to even bother with violets. I'm sure it smells good on someone, it's just that that someone definitely isn't me. I like the moss element just fine, but it just doesn't come through enough to save it from the rest of the scents.

[countessmouse]

I love the smell of violets, but I rarely get the scent in any BPAL oil that contains it. However, this time, it was "whoa violets!" on application. Kind of overpowering at first but it seemed to settle down into a very violety niceness. Unfortunately, it kept settling and went soapy, then to dusty green stems, and finally ended with a floral perfumy tone. Not unpleasant, but not what I had hoped for.

 

It's been an interesting scent ride, but I can't place it among my favorites.

[ferocissima]

I got this as a frimp and it has become one of my absolute favorites.

 

On application, a heady combination of patchouli and wet violet. My partner remarked on the sweetness and light floral quality from a foot or two away, but liked it infinitely better when he smelled it against my skin. I tend to agree, finding my skin amping the violet into soapy floral at a distance but preserving the spicy, dark quality of the patchouli behind the ear and at the elbow. There is definitely a risk of old-lady scent in this blend, but I pair it with my favorite punk rock outfits for a head-turning combo that doesn't scream "PERFUME!!!" in humid Southern summers.

 

The moss in this to me almost evokes bergamot. I second the reviews that call it gender neutral or classic; it smells a little like good linen should, and I sometimes I wear it to bed when I'm having trouble sleeping. If this blend were a scene, it would be a rainy Louisiana afternoon tea in a dark, rambling Victorian.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I wouldn't have picked this one on my own. I love patchouli and Spanish moss, but red currant is "meh" at best and I hate florals. But I always try the scents the Lab throws in with my other goodies, because you never know when something is going to be an unexpected winner.

 

First sniff:

 

Earthy, mossy and very slightly floral. It smells like violets against a backdrop of moss and dirt. I happen to love the smell of dirt and moss, so that's fine by me. The violet is definitely there, but it's not obnoxiously floral. In fact, it's barely floral at all. It smells more like violet candy than actual violets.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I have to admit...I like this. It's not my usual style, but it's working for now. I'm getting some patchouli action now that it's on me and it's gone from dirt to musty, earthy patchouli instead. The moss is still putting in a noticeable appearance. The violets are here, too, but they're slightly more subtle than in the bottle.

 

Dry down:

 

As this dries, the violets start getting more and more intense. I seem to amp florals (although I find it hard to say whether I'm genuinely amping them or if I'm just so sensitive to florals that I can pick out even small amounts), so that could be what's going on here. The end result is still surprisingly appealing to my nose, in spite of it being noticeably floral at this point. I think the key here is that violets are such a unique floral that they don't even really smell like flowers to me. Instead, they're powdery and sweet.

 

In the end, Bruised Violet Compound is decidedly feminine, but in a strange way. It makes me think of Victorian boudoirs and scented talcum powder (the violet), but also of a forest floor in late summer. It's got a sort of mossy earthiness lurking in the background that keeps the sweet, powdery violet from pulling this squarely into Victorian boudoir territory. It's oddly comforting and makes me think of motherly or grandmotherly love and affection, although it's not an "old lady perfume" scent.

 

The bottom line:

 

I like this. I don't love it, but I like it. It's a strange scent and definitely not my usual style, but it works. I don't know that I'll ever need a bottle of it (although I have been known to end up with bottles of any and all scents that I see myself wearing more than once in a blue moon), but I'll definitely be keeping my imp. I think my mom would really like this in spite of being a diehard anti-patchouli person. I'll have to let her try it out some time and see what she thinks.

[stardreamer]

In the imp and fresh on: Is there actually a scent there? Most of what I'm getting is a faint sharpness.

 

Drydown: Okay, it's coming up a bit more strongly now. Seems to be mostly moss. Oh, there's the patchouli root -- it's not as strong as regular patchouli, for a mercy. Currant? What currant?

 

Long-term: Everything but the patchouli root drops out after a few hours. Never got anything even vaguely resembling violets. Staying power is pretty low for everything except the patchouli, which (like anything else incense-y on my skin) lasts for a very long time at low intensity.

 

Bottom line: Swap pile.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Violet dominant with red currant a strong second. Moss and patchouli provide an earthy background. Wet: Lots and lots of violets. The red currant and patchouli blend beautifully and ground the violet well. The moss is understated, but sharp. It’s way too much violet for my skin chemistry. Dry: Dried medicinal herbs in affect. Mostly patchouli and moss with a hint of the others.

[karykeion]

In the imp: Sharp, herby, dark, and a little bit of fruitiness that I assume is coming from the redcurrant. I like it, it sort of reminds me of Arkham.

 

On me, wet: Oh wow, that's really unique! I'm mostly getting a sharp herbal quality and a kind of dark floral that I'm assuming is the violet, as I've never actually stopped to smell one before. It really does smell like moss, too; this is the first time I've ever been able to pick that note out, and I quite like it even if it's not really a thing I'd buy a bunch of blends with. And now the redcurrant is coming out to play, and it's balancing out the herbaliness of the moss with this really nice kind of dark fruity-floral quality. As it dries, I think it gets kind of soapy, which is a shame because I really love this moss note. It legit smells like the rivers where my family and I go fishing. How did I miss this in Phoenix at Dusk? For shame!

 

On me, dry: ...Why does this smell aquatic to me? Other than that, it's a little powdery, I think, but that moss note I adore is still there so it's somewhere between "so powdery I can't stand it", "dark and mysterious", and..."fishing"? I think it's the moss, but this smells just like a river to me.

 

I'm going to test drive this fully another time, as I'm not sure whether it's "eh" or I absolutely love it, it could go either way.

[Pynki]

I got a bottle from a friend who's husband thought it smelled like cat pee when she wore it!

 

NUH! UH! I love this. It's EXACTLY! The violet I was looking for. Not sweet or new, but damp and dark, and well... like a bruised violet.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Soapy violets and some Spanish moss. While I'm generally not a fan of soapy, this might turn out to be a wearable scent.

 

Wet: At least on my skin, the scent is no longer soapy. It's violet, moss, and the faintest hint of patchouli.

 

Dry: Lemony violet, red currant, and faintly powdery patchouli. The lemony violet is rather overpowering, though.

[ajansuz]

This was a frimp from the lab, and when I saw it I was excited, my first chance to try any of the Doc Constantine's and starting out with one of my favorite florals, violets. In the imp it smells like exactly what it says, bruised violets, not just the petals but stems, leaves, and roots, too. It's sharper and greener than I expected but nice.

 

Wet the violet amps along with an herbal sharpness that was unfortunately headache inducing. Crazy strong throw, much more perfumey than I was expecting, and very tart.

 

On the dry down it went through a violet soap old lady phase that didn't last very long. It wasn't until close to four hours in that the headache inducing quality started fading, and the moss started coming through. I have enough BPAL violet scents that I like that I don't think I'll be turning to this one. It's a shame, too, because it does have a very true to violet quality. Maybe it was the red currant that threw it into headache territory for me. I've never had a problem with the other listed notes.