Gelt

[Gold Dust Kitten]

A bounty of chocolate coins! Dry cocoa and golden amber!

2010 version
Imp: Dusty cocoa
Wet: Cocoa and amber. Smells a bit like the chocolate note in Boomslang.
Dry: It's getting powdery or like a stale chocolate butter cookie.

I love the powderiness of amber in a lot of blends, but I don't think it works in this foodie perfume.

[Vega]

Reviewing the 2010 version.

 

Sniffed: Dry cocoa brightened by amber.

 

On skin: Gelt is delicious when I first put it on my skin: sweet, dusty cocoa brightened by equally dusty amber. I skin-tested this alongside Velvet, and Gelt is the same cocoa note but lighter and non-woody. Most unfortunately, it turns... funky after drydown. The only association I could think of is "dog" -- a clean one, but doggy nonetheless. This olfactory link completely ruins the scent for me.

 

Verdict: How disappointing! And Gelt began so promisingly! It's cold comfort to know that I'm not the only reviewer who made the same scent association... I guess I'll have to look for the 2008 version now.

[TulaMontage]

2010 version is all sultry powdery chocolate in the imp, but once on its all sweetness and bright! Why has this gone, dare I say it, FLORAL?! I mean don't get me wrong, I actually love this dry on my skin (and I really dislike florals) but what happened to the chocolate? This is such a strange scent, and I actually LOVE it! Must try the 08 version now...

[hollowsprite]

Gelt 2011 was well worth the wait! Its scent is that of pure hot chocolate thru and thru, lovely throw and lasting power. In love.

[stellamaris]

Gelt 2011 is All Milk Chocolate All the Time, just like real Gelt.

And then I mixed it with Lick it Discreetly and learned the meaning of True Love.

As an aside, Gelt lasts forever, it was still discernible many hours after application.

 

Oh, and as another aside, on me it's all chocolate all the time, but on my BF it turns into some warm sweet deep delicious I don't know what but really darn good.

Edited December 29, 2011 by stellamaris

[Gael]

I love this! In the bottle it smells like a mild cocoa liqueor. On my skin, it's just beautiful, powdery cocoa. I was a bit concerned about it morphing after being on my skin for awhile, but all it does is tune down to cocoa powder.

 

You and me both. I am now mad for this seasonal triumph and will probably order another bottle to prevent withdrawal symtpoms once this one is gone. I find it a cocoa confection with an admirable restraint which comes off a bit incensy and atmospheric. What a perfect scent for this time of year. it's like Christmas joy and comfort in a bottle. Bravo!

[Gael]

This is to die for and a must have for foodies. I nearly bit my own arm off. What is interesting is the cocoa combines so brilliantly with the amber and creates an almost incensy chocolate symphony. Perfect for Christmas and winter. I will have to reorder another bottle.

[ami226]

2011 Version

 

Definitely an ambery chocolate. For some odd reason I am getting a bit of an herbal feel from this one... Chocolate amber herbal scent? Makes me think of tea for some reason...

 

Not for me.

[MCS4096]

This blend continues to confound me.

 

Last time it was offered I bought a decant and it was SO evocative of such a WEIRD thing I thought I was going nuts. It smelled like..... an animal that's been to the vet for surgery

 

Well, this year it must be ever so slightly different because I'm not getting that.. but it's still not really doing it for me. I swear.. amber and chocolate sounds AMAZING! but what I get from Gelt is dry, dusty old chocolate. I amp amber like crazy so I dunno how I do such bad things to it here. Really disappointing.

[calivianya]

I am not a huge fan of chocolate in perfumes, but I feel like I had to give this a try.

 

This is the 2011 version.

 

Wet on my skin: whoa! Cocoa overload! It is definitely cocoa as opposed to chocolate - it has that dry, dusty feel to it that cocoa powder does. The cocoa in Gelt is all, 'I am cocoa, hear me roar!' As it dries, the amber comes out more and just adds to that dry feeling for me. It is a yellow, resinous cocoa powder, like cocoa powder dusted with gold flakes. Unfortunately, on the drydown, the amber/cocoa combination goes almost bitter. This is a little too dusty for my skin chemistry, I think.

[dreamingjune]

*This is the 2011 version*

 

In bottle: Ooh, reminds me a bit of the cocoa in Velvet, only with a bit of amber. A bit dryer and more cocoa that the previous years I have tried.

 

Wet: Really fabulous cocoa with a fresh, light amber to keep it from getting too foody. This really isn't overwhelmingly sweet, which is nice.

 

Dry: I am soooo relieved that this does not turn into the powdery ick that the 2008 Gelt did, and it doesn't get the funky dirty cat butt scent that the 2010 had. Instead I get a fabulous ambery, less resinous version of my beloved Velvet that dries down to a soft balsamy amber. There is something about this after about an hour that reminds me of the drydown of Succor.

 

Overall: For me this is a major hit among the 2011 Yules. This has a tiny bit of throw, but is certainly not overpowering. It fades to a very comforting antiquey balsam amber sort of thing and it quite comforting. If you like the softer cocoa blends like Velvet, this should be a winner.

[Helas]

Gelt is flawless, almost single-note cocoa. It's sweet and powdery and a little bitter, without the stomach-churning buttery richness of the Lab's milk chocolate note. The amber remains firmly in the background, imbuing the cocoa with a warm glow. Sweet, comforting, uncomplicated.

[Incendiare]

2011: Mmm, Gelt. I always compare this one to Velvet because instead of sandalwood, it has golden amber, which, in my opinion, is a better match-up with the rich cocoa. 2011 isn't as cocoa-y as 2010's, though. This year's goes on a bit strangely. This is definitely heavier on the amber, and something about this reminds me of Indian stores in the area filled with a mixture of resins, soaps, and solid perfumes. The cocoa is so incredibly faint. This year's is actually very unique but personally, not bottle-worthy.

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2011 version.

 

In the decant: Cocoa powder with a touch of vanilla.

 

Wet: Not so much cocoa now. Amber may be damping down the sweetness.

 

The dry-down: And the cocoa powder is now like a milk chocolate version (from which comes the vanilla). Just a hint of the golden amber to keep this from getting too sweet. I like this much better than previous versions. And not as sweet as the coins in the little bag, but still nice.

[bpalscentsual]

Gelt 2011

 

Very, very powdery and soft. My goodness. I know what cocoa powder smells like, so the resiny-powdery-nearlyfloral-golden note in there must be the amber, and I am in love.

 

At first, earlier in the day, I thought it was doing some funky stuff -- then realized it was because I a) was eating semi-sweet baking chips, thus distorting the chocolate in Gelt, and 2) didn't shake the bottle before applying. I'm sure there's delicious cocoa that settled in the bottom that would bloom on my skin even more.

 

During this application, I would say it was 2/3 amber to 1/3 cocoa, but if I mixed it a little better, I'm sure it would even out.

 

Backup bottle of this it is! The amber in here makes me feel feminine, and cocoa is a comforting scent for me.

[stellamaris]

This is just heaven. I love this smell, and when I layer it with Lick it Discreetly, I get to be Peppermint Bark, my favorite candy. Ever.

[Maleficium]

This has effectively satisfied my chocolate craving. I don't necessarily retract my statements about Boomslang, but I like this one much much better. It is long lasting, has a stronger throw (but not too strong) and is even more the essence of delectable chocolate powder. A warm, vanilla-y, golden amber infused with oodles of chocolate powder.

 

It smells the same in the imp as it does on my skin hours later.

 

I am in love! I will be very sad when my imp runs out.

[milo]

Yummy Belgian chocolate, and warm amber. I really like Gelt, but swapped away my 08. Though I love the smell of it, it really doesn't seem like a 'perfume' to wear. I'd like to see it layered with something Black musky, like Haunted. Off to try...

[chimera87]

Upon opening the bottle, I nearly had a nosegasm. It smells that good in the bottle! It smells like fancy, rich, milk chocolate. Then you smell the amber, which makes it smell even more decadent. It smells exactly like the description when I first applied it. Hubby didn't smell the amber on me well, but said I smelt like "chocolate biscuits". Unfortunately, within 5 minutes of applying I started getting some baby powder. 10 minutes on and it was STRONG baby powder, and no more chocolate I am confizzled as amber (even BPAL ambers) play well with my skin. I am hoping this is hormonal and I am going to try again once I am a bit less hormonal. I really hope this doesn't have to go to swaps for me as initially it smells so damn good! Baby powder doesn't smell badly of course, but I don't get BPAL for people to think I have covered myself in baby powder After several hours of wear (and this wears for a REALLY long time, I put it on last night and this morning I still have some light throw!) it is closer to the way it was when originally applied, with the baby powder notes kicked down and it's a soft, slightly powdery amber with a bit of chocolate. Only a bit though. So, like I said, I will keep trying with this one, but I have no doubt that many other people will find success with this one and I would still insist on at least trying it, if the description sounds nice to you. Obviously many people have found success with this one, or else there would not be so many glowing reviews and an annual return

[whataboutprom]

2011 Version:

 

Gelt is the BPAL amber I've always wanted! Many amber blends go powdery on me, and while some of them are beautiful enough to pull that off, in general I am not a huge fan of powder. Gelt 2011 is like a gorgeous chunk of golden amber incense. At first it is blended with a similar chocolate to Velvet, but after a while it's almost like a single note amber on my skin.

 

I've actually made my own amber paste from plant oils and resins, and this is similar, except it has so much more lasting power than my homemade version. I love it, and I'm so glad that I have a full bottle!

[Withjoy]

I'm so sad. I had bright hopes for this one, and I keep trying to find a chocolate note that my skin doesn't hate. Gelt is not it. It smells just terrible on me. Kind of cocoa, but also kind of rancid? I'm not sure what the problem is, but there is one! Oh well, off to the swap box for you, little decant.

[lady_pandora]

This one takes about an hour to settle down on me--at first it seems like the amber and cocoa are at war with each other. The cocoa is too sharp during this stage and the amber is doing its usual amp-to-the-heavens thing that it does on me.

 

Dry, this is actually really nice. There's a definite sense of dry-cocoa about it; it smells a lot like sniffing the powder hot chocolate is made from. And the amber hangs around being soft and golden and keeping the blend from seeming too dry.

 

This works better on me than most chocolate BPALs do. It's not quite me, but it's not bad and it has a soft, comforting vibe.

 

ETA: The following morning? Smells like Cocoa Puffs!

Edited December 16, 2012 by lady_pandora

[fairestrocza]

Gelt starts out with a strong, powdery cocoa note. The chocolate starts to deepen and get less powdery as it dries.

... and then a weird funk develops. I can't quite place the funky scent, but the images it brings to mind are a musty cellar or damp socks.

Ah well. At least I finally got to try Gelt. I think I'll be sticking with El Dia de los Reyes for my hot cocoa needs.

(eta: someone upthread mentioned an herbal note, and I can see where they could go with that interpretation of my funky background note).

Edited December 18, 2012 by Rocza

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I decided to try Gelt 2012 because I am out of Velvet and love the combo of cocoa and other warm notes. It does remind me of Velvet, but it's less...sophisticated? On me, Gelt smiles exactly like powdered hot chocolate mix, with the barest hint of amber underneath. It's yummy and foody but in a childish fun way instead of the grown-up cocoa I associate with Velvet or Thierry Mugler's Angel. So, I like it for the holidays but wouldn't really say it's a replacement for Velvet, at least on me.

[Floria]

I should probably preface this by saying that my skin tends to eat chocolate.

 

In the imp: reminds me of Glee by Possets, but not as sweet.

On skin: takes some time to settle down, which may be because I've been going outdoors a lot today and the skin on my wrists is cold. Eventually develops into a fuzzy, slightly powdery spiced amber. Not gingerbread-spicy or curry-spicy, but the cocoa registers more as some exotic spice than like brownie batter.