Velvet Panther

[fairnymph]

Dark musk, star anise, agarwood, styrax, vetiver, gaiacwood, King mandarin, violet leaf, and black vanilla.

Sniffed: Golden oil. Creamsicle-like: creamy vanilla, mandarin, musk and a little bit of anise make this pretty foody, but pleasantly. Dark, cool, slightly astringent woods below. On the whole, surprisingly light.

Wet: Much more anise, almost to the point of spiciness and this is less sweetly foody, though the vanilla is still rich and creamy. As usual, mandarin is woefully light . The musk is still delicious and the woods are still soft, although I now get some masculine (but not bitter or harsh) vetiver which deepens the blend.

Dry: The musk has amped loads, and I do think it's black musk, which is very intense and appropriately rich/dark on my skin. A bit sweet and super sexy, too. It goes well with the rich vanilla and vetiver. Amazingly, the mandarin hasn't faded that much - I can still smell some!

Later: Violet now, soft, almost a little powdery. Gaiac (oud) has emerged fully and is citrusy-green, while agarwood's more softly piney-smoky, The woods and vetiver on the whole have a amped a fair deal, making this solidly masculine in my book, especially with the spicy edge of anise.

Summary: This goes so much to woody spice; it's just how clove dries down on me. So I'd guess there is clove here, too, in addition to a strong star anise note. Dark, spicy, masculine woods, rich, sweet musk and vanilla in the end, with a smoky edge. Low throw. Edited October 12, 2009 by Shollin

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Ok.. here's what I don't understand - the vetiver in this is completely non-existent to my nose.. but in Velvet Tiger it was all I could smell. I just don't understand how vetiver works, but in this instance I'm not complaining! The most prominent notes on my skin are the musk, anise, mandarin and black vanilla. This is a good thing!!

 

They're very well blended though, I'm having trouble distinguishing them individually. As a result, I get a *nice* fragrance from this.. a kind of vanilla-ish mandarin-ish musky thing, but I'm not sure it's anything too remarkable. I'll be happy with just my one bottle, thankfully I won't be needing to hoard this one

 

 

 

edited to fix double posting

Edited May 1, 2009 by sunshinedaisybliss

[Iceblink]

Now this one is just lovely--nothing really leaps out at you here; it's very well-blended. I do get a lot of the vanilla and musk with a hint of anise but overall it's just a really pretty dark musky-sweet incense with a hint of spice. Very nice! A little heavy for springtime but also smells like it'll age well and be fantastic come autumn.

[catattack]

Imp: Sweet orange syrup

Wet: Sweet orange syrup and faint smoke (the good kind, like wood burning, not "liquid smoke")

Drydown: I'm starting to smell the woods, and the vetiver. Okay, now it's starting to smell like fish oil. WTF? Okay, that was quick...Now it's like Crowley, but it's not going all vanilla. It's a nice murky, musky, smoky scent.

Overall: I think the fish oil thing was my mind playing tricks on me. It hasn't happened again. I really like this one, but as some other posters said, it might be a tad heavy for summer. This, I think, will age nicely.

[edenssixthday]

Velvet Panther - This scent sounded absolutely amazing, with the exception of the very scary dark musk, which can ruin just about any scent on my skin. When I apply this, it smells dark and woody and leafy, but also slightly sweet, and then...WHAM!!! The dark musk kicks in and turns the whole thing in on itself and begins to smell like really terrible, cheap, men's cologne on me. The scent is really bad on me, but the level of throw is quite nice and the staying power is about average.

 

[steffanina]

Velvet Panther-

 

In Bottle: Makes me look around for the man standing behind me, exuding his cologne. I can't pick out individual notes.

 

Wet: Now the man behind me has turned out to be a pastry chef! The scent is still masculine cologne but with a creamy-sweet note. It's rather nice, but if I sniff too closely I cough.

 

Dry: Powdery-cherry-sweet with with the nicest hint of spicy musk.

 

Overall: From the bottle I didn't think I could wear it, but I do like it. Probably not one I'll wear much but it's got a cool dry-down.

[iiinterstate]

I'm kind of afraid of vetiver, so I'm also kind of afraid of Velvet Panther.

 

In bottle: Very cologne-like. That's a shock.

 

On me: Vetiver, something...resiny, oranges and a tid bit of violets. I hope the vanilla comes out for me.

 

After a few minutes: The dreaded Vetiver is hanging on, but I sense that it is weakening under the power of something awesome hidden underneath. Also, anise says hello.

 

Later: I went to go review a scent on my other wrist and the Panther transformed. The throw is gorgeous black vanilla with a hint of mandarin and anise. When I sniff closely, I still smell the vetiver, but it's not overpowering the other lovely notes. Velvet Panther is a winner. I can't wait to see how it ages.

 

 

edit: After letting Velvet Panther sit for about 10 days, the vetiver has calmed a lot. I need at least one more bottle of this

Edited May 15, 2009 by iiinterstate

[lainevierge]

Mmm, I remember being unimpressed by this the first time I tried it. It was all anise and mandarin, which are not my favorites.

 

So I waited a week or so and ooh, I'm glad I did! The vanilla and musk are now the dominant notes and the mandarin is hovering in the background. I still get some anise too, but not enough to make a difference. Basically, everything is so well blended that it smells like a cozy, faintly spicy mix.

 

It makes me so happy because I'm always refering to my cat as a velvet panther. I kind of want to douse her in this and then snuggle her all day.

[Saya]

When I first put this on it's really terrible. It's bitter, spicy and woodsy all at the same time. After about an hour it really morphs! The vanilla comes out to play and there is just a hint of violet which smells lovely. There's this odd bitter note that keeps popping in every now and again, but after I got past the initial application I really enjoyed this one.

 

I'll keep the imp to retest, but at this point I'll pass on a bottle.

 

ETA: I retested this and I'm in love! Letting the imp settle for a bit really helped out. It's now a rich, deep vanilla with violet that's tempered by a wood scent.

 

I only got one bottle and now I'm worried that won't be enough!

Edited June 11, 2009 by Saya

[Champagne]

This is the winner form the Velvets, for every note of it. It`s deep smoky vanilla dipped in mandarin sauce with some incence lingering in the air and a tip of flowers. It`s sexy and my friends really like it when I put it on, and I put a lot recently. It`s so good that evey vanilla lover should try without fear for the vetiver. In three words, Conforting, sexy and elegant

[Jenesis]

Not sure I like this, which is a shame as it's the first LE I've tried in ages! The anise and vetiver go POW when I first put it on, they stay strong and sharp for about 5 minutes, and then... it goes. Totally gone. Not even a whiff of scent.

 

How strange...

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle - I get the king mandarin, black vanilla, a hint of vetiver and some star anise. I don't get any musk at all.

 

Wet on skin - Mandarin is booming out. It is overpowering almost everything else except for a tiny bit of vanilla.

 

Dry on skin - The dark musk is finally out and proud. It does smell like men's cologne, as some reviewers have mentioned, but I do get the vanilla and the mandarin. I want to let this sit a little before rejecting.

[miri]

I noted that this was a powdery, ambery, sweet citrus at first, but after a while, I ended up with soap. And it didn't stay around that long...

 

The amber must have been the dark vanilla and musk conspiring to trick me

 

I don't know if this might need to settle for a little while longer before re-testing it, or if I should keep my imp for my scent locket... Or both

[spiresinthesnow]

Wheres the vetiver? This smells awesome! I can see how it can be considered a masculine scent but that won't stop me. Dark and sleek vanilla musk with a glistening mandarin in its center spiced with star anise. Velvet Panther has a very faint woodsy bitter aura which must be the agarwood, styrax, gaiacwood, and vetiver. Deliciously sleek and dark. Second favorite Velvet Painting after Velvet Unicorn. Possibly multiple bottle worthy too. :heart:

[Reedsong]

FROOT LOOPS!

 

I am not exactly sure how this happened, but it started as a faintly sweet, complex resin/citrus in the imp. It smelled sophisticated, intriguing, piqued my interest in a fun and flirty way...

 

...and then dried down to Froot Loops. Seriously. I want to layer this with Milk Moon and a spoon.

 

First Deimos smells like Fig Newtons, and now this?? What's next, Wonky Skin Chemistry? Will you convert some other oil to Velvet Pop Tarts? Or Petit Four Moon? This is getting ridiculous.

 

Ah well. I'll send this sniffy on to a more appreciative BPAL-er. Darn.

[unlaced]

*drool*

 

Vanilla woods with the loveliest hint of citrus. But somehow dark and mysterious and sexy...

 

I'm in love.

[VioletChaos]

for me, Velvet Panther started out as a full-blown nightmare. in the bottle i couldn't pick out any notes, but as soon as it touched my skin, it became the black licorice horror of NyQuil.

 

but then, within a minute or two, a miraculous thing happened.

 

the NyQuil vanished entirely and a gorgeous and sexy blend of dark vanilla and musk with a touch of rootiness all bloomed on my skin in a mad rush.

 

it's amazing.

 

i'm really, really glad that i have a bottle with this, because my feeling is that it's only going to get better with age.

 

 

 

 

[PurringPulsar]

Velvet Panther

 

In the imp: mandarin cologne. This is sharp and snappy but has a darkly sweet undertone.

Wet on skin: citrus, cologne, anise, musky vanilla, vetiver.

Dry on skin: this one is intriguing. I can smell liquorice, from the anise note. Combined with the dark musk and vanilla I get a liquorice laces note, the kind of scent I wanted from Humbug. I also smell the mandarin, wonderfully strong. Something in here reminds me of manly cologne, but in here I quite like it. I also smell a hint of violet. Overall this brings to mind a glossy black, with hints of silvery violet and bright orange, and a growling undertone of vetiver (which is subtle but I sense its presence). Though oddly this reminds me of something from Lush as well, but I can’t say what.

After a while: this moves through stages of sweet sexy purring cologne with a masculine edge but then dries down as violet and musk, and then at the end the vetiver comes out. It’s not as strong as the Tiger’s vetiver, but it’s a little too much and it seems to take over the more delicate violet note. even so, the scent isn’t wowing me as much as it did when it started. It’s too masculine by then and also smells a little flat?

Verdict: of the two Velvet big cats, this is my preferred scent. It smells sleek and dark and warm, and I really like the beginning when I smell the sexy black musk mixing with anise and vanilla and citrus, it’s very appealing and the sort of scent I want to snuggle up to. It’s not as nice to me at the end though when the vetiver gets a tiny bit stronger (though not as strong as Velvet Tiger) and the violet comes out a little, and the musk becomes a little more manly, the vanilla also fades away too and it’s the vanilla that I found nicest in this scent. but ultimately it’s not one of those ‘must have more’ scents even though it’s one of the nicest vetiver scents.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? not really.

If you like this, try: Mad Meg, Silas Ruthyn, The Great He Goat

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Beautifully blended, musky and deeply sweet I can pick out the juicy tartness of the mandarin and the sweetness of the violet, but everything else is really well melded.

 

Wet on skin: This reminds me very much of On Darkness at this point due to its deep purple florals and unusual combination of notes. There's a little bit of an extra kick from the mandarin, a bit of anise in the background, and a grounding of musk and vetiver instead of incense.

 

Dry on skin: Yup, the Panther has the same purple complexity as On Darkness (one of my all-time favorite BPALs). This is very sexy and sophisticated on me (and I am neither sophisticated nor particularly sexy, so I love that I can wear a scent that at least makes me smell like a siren).

 

I adore this and am trying desperately to talk myself out of a bottle.

[theseagrows]

ooooh this is a beautiful scent! it's a warm vanilla-musk with subtle hints of mandarin and woods. voluptuous and beautiful! i am definitely getting a bottle of this

 

 

[surlygurl]

From the bottle, I don't really smell anytjing. maybe a bit of something, but not much.

 

On my skin, I get powdery dark musk and a certain sweetness, a fruityness. I don't get mandarin, and I get no obvious woods. I think there's a touch of anise that quickly melds into the overall scent. Nothing but the powdery musk stands out.

 

As it dries, I get 3 things - musk, powder & fruit. It's a very close scent, very personal. Very pretty. It reminds me less of a panther and more of dusky skies turning blue/purple before nightfall.

 

It's lovely when first applied, and then I forget about it because it's so soft & close. This is an interesting scent. This could be worn by both an elderly woman and a teenaged girl and smell beautiful on both - there is no "age appropriate" category for this. I'm glad I have a bottle.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

Decant: mandarin, vanilla and vetiver

Wet on Me: more vanilla and mardarin now..like a creamsicle

Drying Down: Creamsicle is gone, musk now coming out in its place. Slight touches of vanilla can be detected.

Dry: sweet and spice and faint. So hard to detect. You really have to sniff and sniff at it. It made like a panther alrighty....instead of blending into the jungle it blended into my skin!

 

[sirensea]

To me, this smells like a very dark, fruity vanilla. It is mouthwatering and bright in the bottle, but when it dries, it has a more acrid, musky scent.

[stellans]

The dark musk and vetiver in this blend are magnificent, and combined with the other notes make a perfume oil that is a must-have for those who love Smut, Schwarzer Mond, and other resin-heavy sexy blends. I feel like stretching and going on the prowl... rawr!

 

When sniffed from the bottle, the vanilla seems uppermost; this worried me a bit, because vanilla is often far too sweet on me. However, when applied, it is evident from the beginning that vanilla is only a part of this blend, and it is kept under control very nicely by the musk and vetiver. The other notes (star anise, agarwood, styrax, gaiacwood, violet leaf, King Mandarin) are so skillfully blended that I don't get a sense of them separately at all: it's the Vetiver Show, co-starring Dark Musk! Luckily for me, I love vetiver in most blends, and Velvet Panther is no exception -- the deep sexy goodness of this blend just keeps going... and going... and going...

Edited August 25, 2010 by stellans

[Eemia]

I wasn't the teeniest bit interested in this when I saw the notes. It figures, because this ended up being the only Velvet I loved. I can't place my finger on it, but I could swear I know this scent. Or something is so familiar about it at least. I went into craving overdrive when I put this on...almost went through an entire imp in my first slather. And for the record, I'm a dabber. Full slathered imp=true love.

 

Love the sensual, masculine quality. Makes me feel like I'm wearing my boyfriend's expensive cologne (only better). I love all the stages this goes through, but the best is after it dries down. That swarthy vanilla is just dreamy.

 

Love the bottle art too--that's one slinky panther!