Violet Ray

[MCS4096]

White mint, purple musk, violet, lilac, ylang ylang, lavender moss, and sandalwood.

In the Imp: Definitely violet and mint, very subtle mint.. so it certainly reminds me of violet breath freshners, as someone above said I think. Also a little musk in there. I totally got this one on a whim, since I usually hate minty stuff, but this is delightful. It's feminine but unusual and edgy.

Wet: I'm smelling the ylang ylang more, and I think the sandalwood is adding a creaminess, and the mint is very very subtle, you barely notice it.. it just adds a coolness. I also recognize the mossy note way down deep.

Dry: Mmmm.. it cools the nose slightly, but it's sweet and flowery. Really different, and really good. It's going a tad powdery, but I actually like that, and the mint adds enough of a tingle to keep it interesting. I think I might add this to my bottle list

ETA: This has become a favorite of mine. On me the throw is one of the greatest I've experienced... it lasts and lasts and is really strong. It's sweet and powdery, but retains a nice cool edge. I hate mint-- mint gum, mint toothpaste, mint anything. But this is fantastic stuff! Edited January 6, 2009 by MCS4096

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i don't like violet, but i was intrigued by a purple musk.

but on me, this is candied violets, with a drydown of mint (which makes me feel ill). i knew this wouldn't work, but i had to try it anyway.

[Ravenclaw79]

Faint. Faint, and sort of like the undertone of soap, an almost sterile smell, but floral, violet-y. Too bad it's so darn faint.

[Seadreamer]

This scent gave me the weirdest experience I've ever had with perfume. For some really odd reason, my nose does NOT recognize Violet Ray. I can't smell it at all. I practically stuck the imp up my nose, and... nothing. That's not the strangest part. I put some on the back of my hand. and still I smell absolutely nothing. BUT!!! I dropped my hand down by my dog's face and she RAN. I kid you not. She sniffed my hand, scrambled up out of my lap and ran to the other side of the room. WTF, people? I literally sat there with my mouth hanging open. I coaxed her back to my lap and slipped my perfumed hand by her nose again, and she left again. At that point I got up and washed it off. If that's not the oddest esperience anyone's ever had with scent, I'll.... Um... be surprised. Yeah. I'll be really surprised. I'm still left with the overwhelming sense of WTF???

[FallDaze]

Maybe this will be the violet scent that Bruised Violet Compound wasn't for me.

 

Imp-> The sandalwood and lavender moss are the prevalent notes that I pick up here. No violet or mint though..

 

Wet-> This seems to be faintly darker than B.V.C. to my nose. The violet is there now though, as is the lilac, and the sandalwood has calmed down a whole lot. Still no mint that I'm able to pick out though.

 

After a while-> The lavender moss has made quite a comeback to my nose, and the violet has faded greatly. Overall it's a very faint, faint scent that I'm getting from this.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: I get sweet violet and some lilac, but the mint freshens and opens it up, making it crisp and chilly. I don't so much smell the mint per se as I smell what it does to the other components.

On, wet: Lots of ylang ylang and violet… also the moss and especially the musk (smells lightly sweaty and sexy, in a genteel, lady-like sort of way). On the one hand, it's a somewhat sweet, Victorian floral (not biddy-ish at all, though—rather young and innocent) but the mint and moss add something cool, unusual and electric to it, while the musk gives a very sensual undertone.

On, dry: Violet has soared to the top here: sweet, just a tiny bit powdery, but still chilled by the mint and darkened by the musk, which keeps it from being either too sweet or too cold. The sandalwood grounds everything very nicely. It reminds me of violet pastilles, but much subtler—less sugary, more complex and quite sophisticated.

Later: Sandalwood, violet and musk, in that order. Not much else has changed—it's just blended, mellower, more sensual and spicy. This is a particularly gorgeous stage, though—one of those where you'd walk around just sniffing yourself all the time, if it were socially acceptable.

Overall: It's a lovely, profoundly purple blend—very pretty and feminine and sensual—and it's ultra long-lasting, too. It won't appeal to you if you don't care for violets, but on the other hand, it might be a good choice for those who sometimes find sandalwood too dry. It feels like a prim, innocent Victorian maiden who's nonetheless wearing a very racy corset under her frills, and for me, it totally captures the twin Victorian fascinations of virtuous femininity and illicit sex. Love it!

 

 

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Lilac, with just a hint of the violets

 

Wet on me – Violets and what I assume is the purple musk- it’s certainly making my nose twitch

 

Dry on me – A cool, clean musk scent

 

Overall – I’ve never smelt anything like this before and I’m sure that there are those raving about it but it’s not really me.

 

[Dracoo9]

This is a sweet violet in the bottle and on me. Its really nice when it hangs around, which isnt for more than about 3 hours so you need to make more applications My SO wore it the other day and it was nice having the scent float around the car..only I had to resist moving closer to him to sniff it some more If you rather have a deep violet scent I would spring for Nocturne instead. I actually bought a bottle of Violet Ray before getting frimped Nocturne. Of the two...Nocturne wins hands down because the violet is stronger and it lasts longer than Violet Ray but Violet Ray has a preatty picture. Decisions decisions....

[meatcake]

Oooh, purple musk. I was excited to try this one.

 

in imp: floral, violet, powdery

 

on skin wet: violet and slightly musky

 

dry down: very faint violet musk. minimal throw.

 

This is pretty, but not my favorite, so I'll just use up my frimp

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Minty, musky purpleness

 

Wet: Bright violets with a cool minty edge

 

Drydown: It's bright and cheerful and purple alright.

 

Overall: It's a great violet scent, but I can't see it doing something for me that Melisande doesn't already cover. Musky and sweet and worth a try, I just don't need a bottle.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

 

Hmm.. mixed feelings about this - I was really keen to try it, because of the purple musk and sandalwood, but unfortunately I'm not getting a lot of that coming through here.. it's mostly the mint, violet and moss that I can smell.

 

It's not sweet, and not really floral.. so I think the musk and sandalwood are doing their job, but there's nothing really spectacular here for me - it's a *nice* scent, but too much of the violet and lilac to suit my skin. Bummer, my search for the perfect purple musk continues..

 

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, it's violets and light mint.

 

On my skin, it's a lovely purple scent. It's floral based, but sweet enough not to be overpowering. I really adore this scent.

[batsy]

In the vial: Violets and lilac. Very purple.

 

On the skin: Still very purple. It's a light scent on my skin so it's hard to get a hold on the notes. It actually invokes images of a real violet ray, at least what I remember about them. Very pretty in a sci-fi, fringe science way. It's just musky/floral enough, a nice balance.

[hkhm]

imp: soft violet, lilac and musk.

 

wet: an added herbal note (perhaps the moss) makes this more green feeling. i don't get a mint scent, but more a minty coolness.

 

dry: soft, soft violet and lavender. a very victorian scent.

[topaz]

Well, I have let my daughter take over my bottle of Faith and was frimped some Violet Ray by the psychic labbies. I tried this one on and bought a bottle with my next order. The violets are sweet and just a bit powdery on my skin with a minty top note. I can just make out the sandalwood if I try very hard. This one is not as chilly as Ultraviolet, nor sugary like Faith. This has some great throw and lasts for hours-- a bonus for me as my skin sucks up scents way too fast.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Pale yellow oil. Fresh, light, gently herbal and surprisingly sweet. I can smell each note distinctly. It's floral, but not quite too strongly so. The sweet/violet combo reminds me of Faith.

 

Wet: Still that sugared violet note, though the mint, lavender and sandalwood cut the sweetness a bit. Actually less floral on my skin - I was afraid it would be heady, but it remains light. Very clean, with a soapy edge.

 

Dry: Dries quickly. This really does remind me STRONGLY of Faith before the vanilla-sugar turns sickly sweet and cloying. It's sugared violets, with a lightly soapy lilac haze hovering above. Faint ylang-ylang and no more lavender.

 

Later: The florals fade to virtually nothing along with the mint, and the vanilla-sugar settles beautifully. Surprisingly lovely, and quite an evolution. I do wish I got some musk - but purple musk doesn't ever seem to show up on my skin.

 

Summary: Soft, creamy sandalwood with slightly powdery sugared violets. Delicate and feminine. Low throw and fades quickly. I'm not sure if I need a bottle, but I will definitely keep my imp for now.

Edited May 7, 2009 by fairnymph

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

Imp: very very light. Very pale purple. Light light mint with light light violet and ylangyalng

Wet on me: This almost disappears from the get go. Very light…when I close my eyes and inhale I get the palest of purple scent vibes.

Drying Down: disappears very quickly. Faint sweet mint. Pretty.

Dry: this is a ghost scent. I could have sworn I put it on…just disappeared to a ghost of a violet mint.

 

[donnatron]

Bottle: CURRANTS! Followed by mint! Then a tinge of violet.

 

Wet: CURRANTS AND MINT! SO MUCH MINT! Tiny, tiny bit of violet and then a touch of moss. The moss is really needed in this (not something I usually say) because it grounds it and keeps it from getting grotesquely sweet).

 

Dry: Sweet minty violet currants. A hint of the lilac has come out. Maybe a bit of the sandalwood. Trace of sweetness that is probably the purple musk and the lingering traces of the moss. Need the moss. Kind of loving the moss. Unnerved by my moss lovin'. It's still very, very sweet but kind of adult in a way. Not particularly sexy to me, which is odd considering the inspiration, but still definitely a grown up sort of thing.

 

Throw: Mild.

 

Overall: I like it. It's actually calmed down quite a bit from when I first acquired it and I will definitely be reaching for it more often. Digging the currant/violet combo.

[Diva Urd]

In the imp, this primarily smells of violets and mint.

 

On me, fresh, it's also just that. Violet and mint. Upon drydown, it goes a slight bit powdery, but it's still violet and mint. It has very light throw and doesn't have a lot of oomph even when holding my nose directly to it.

 

It lasts quite a while in that stage - 4 hours later, what strength it had left after dry-down still remains in full force, as does the mint/violet combination.

 

It's not bad, but I'm not in love with it, so I don't think I'll need more.

[Gin]

Violet Ray - I'm no fan of ylang ylang, but I love mint, so I took a chance on this. It's mostly violet and mint on me, and it's very faint. It's pretty, but I like oils that are a bit less floral and have more throw.

[jennythereader]

First Worn On: 7/16/09

 

In Imp: Floral with a zing to it.

 

At Application: I'm not sure what the "zing" is, but it becomes dominant on my skin. The floral element is pretty faint. (Looking back, I suspect that the "zing" is the mint and maybe the sandalwood.)

 

When Dry: Goes soapy. Not "I washed my hands 10 minutes ago," but "I started to wash my hands, but forgot to rinse the soap off."

 

Rating: 1 (Get rid of it.)

 

I love mint, and I love violets. I really wanted this one to work for me.

[tajana]

This starts off great, like a gentler, less bracing cousin of Ultraviolet. Where Ultraviolet smells frozen, metallic, and futuristic, Violet Ray smells like gently glowing frost-rimed violets. Soft purple violets, glowing with a soft sweet musk, chilled with lilac, and frosted with gentle mint. However, my skin chemistry kills it for me. Ylang-ylang is the kiss of death for me. It swells up and takes over the scent, turning it from something pretty and purple to a mess of acrid, sour soap.

[Venneh]

I'm not entirely sure what it is I'm getting in the imp. I think it's musk and lilac, can't quite be sure, frankly. And it's the same sort of thing on my skin. It's some sort of scent, but I'm not entirely sure what it's doing, and this is with a fair amount of slathering. I think I might be getting some lilac and violet? It's just this vague nothingness on me at the moment, and I think I'm going to retest after I get back from Door County this weekend.

Edited October 16, 2009 by Venneh

[Mountaingrrl00]

I wouldn't have thought I'd like this from the description -- seemed too chilly with the mint, and ylang and I generally don't get along -- but I fell in love with it when I got a whiff at a Meet & Sniff. In the bottle, it's pure violet to me. On wet, it's mossy, musky violet. The other flowers blend in so well I can't pick them out. On dry-down, the sandalwood comes out, and everything else recedes except for a bit of the musk. It doesn't seem to have a lot of throw, and has medium wear.

[superpopkid]

Violet Ray goes on wet as cool sugary violets. As it dries, the herbal elements come out more, and at this stage, this blend could be Cathode's violet scented cousin. (I haven't tried Ultraviolet.) It must be the combination of mint and moss. Cathode and I get along just fine, except I keep trying to ignore this one note which amps slowly into a bitter bug spray. Violet Ray does the same thing, but the sweetness of the floral seems to counteract the bitterness. I never got overt musk or sandalwood, but they may have been blending in to make the violet seem deeper. I really liked how this smelled an hour in - sleek, femme, and a little dangerous, like a TV counterintelligence agent with a British accent. The moss or mint or whatever is the DEET-note culprit will prevent me from enjoying this forever, but overall, this is a great scent for those who want a cool summer floral. It had decent throw. The mint was the most persistent; I could still smell it on my wrist the next day.