Veritas

[distracts]

The essence of honesty, integrity, and veracity: frankincense, white carnation, angelica, chamomile, and heliotrope.

Originally smelled to me, without looking at the notes, like woods and chamomile. Looking at the notes, I guess it must the frankincense and carnation that are making me think it smells like wood. Something has a slight sour bite at the beginning - the carnation or heliotrope, I think. It reminds me of a scent I got a LOT of in Copper Phoenix, except it's (thankfully) extraordinarily faint here. That disappears as it dries and a more floral note comes out, and starts to battle with the woody scent for dominance.

It's definitely a resiny, herbal scent, as others have said. It smells more masculine or unisex than feminine. It doesn't feel at all "white" to me, as other reviewers have mentioned. It's warm and maybe powdery, but not powdery in a bad way. It smells like what I always THINK amber will smell like, before I actually get a hold of amber blends. It's very different from most other scents I own, but I don't think it will be a bottle purchase, though I'll be open to more imps. I see this as a scent I'll wear more when I'm into the concept than just because I want to smell like it.

[whitsunweddings]

In the bottle: Sweet and spicy. Frankincense dominant.

Wet: Carnations, chamomile and frankincense. Lovely.

Dry: A gorgeous spicy frankincense blend.

[alyelle]

Freebie from the lab that arrived with my Box of Chocolates stuff earlier this year.

 

In the imp: Pure, absolute frankincense. Nothing else.

 

Wet: Frankincense, sweeter rather than its usual spicy incarnation, and a hint of soapiness from the heliotrope.

 

Dry (10 mins): Spicier frankincense now, closer to what I'd normally expect from it, a tangy herbal top note (the angelica?) and a powdery, soft floral scent. There's also a very light undertone of something that smells like the coconut fragrance tanning lotion gives off, which is nice but odd.

 

Dry (2 hrs): More of the same, just less intense.

 

This fades entirely by the 4hr mark, and while it's not an unpleasant fragrance, it's not one I'd pick for me. 2/5, going in the swap pile.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Shiny frankincense and spicy carnation. There’s a smokiness to it that reminds me of myrrh.

 

Drydown: Fresh heliotrope brings out the glittery aspects of the frankincense. The carnation and frankincense create a somewhat heady cloud of spicy incense, while the heliotrope and chamomile give off a cooler, fresher vibe beneath it.

 

Dry: Spicy floral incense. The chamomile comes out a bit later in the day taking it in a slightly more masculine direction, but overall it’s a pretty straightforward incense blend.

 

 

 

 

6 out of 10 bones

Edited July 11, 2013 by BoneBone24

[ClareN]

My imp of Veritas is now aged about 9 months, and it's beautiful. I get mostly chamomile, carnation, and frankincense. I'm not entirely sure what heliotrope or angelica smell like, but I'll assume they're responsible for the other sweet non-powdery yellow floral notes in the background. The carnation reminds me a lot of Maiden, one of the prettiest BPAL florals, but Maiden turns flat on me in the drydown, while this is staying nice. The chamomile is sweet, and the carnation and frankincense combine to create a spicy-incense effect.

 

It's like drinking honeyed chamomile tea in an old wooden temple. Lovely.

 

Try if you like: Maiden, Morocco, Libertine, Ephemera, floral-incense or floral-wood scents in general

[JazzieCazzie]

Purchased an imp of this during a February "impapalooza" spree from the Lab based on the notes listed and was, shortly thereafter, lagniapped an imp in a swap or purchase as well. Not positive which one this was tested from since the lagniappe was in pristine shape.

 

IN THE IMP: Holy sweet frankincense. This could be single note. And that would be fine with me.

 

Dabbed generously on wrist and in crook of arm because, well, it's fabulous right away.

 

WET: OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. The joy of a "new to me" scent being so absolutely perfect right away is just fantastic. Lovely, lovely frankincense (I am a bad Jew, I guess, to love this churchy incense as passionately as I do!) very predominant, with a few background notes (my nose wanted to say cocoa or chocolate even though that's not in the blend) that complement it perfectly. I definitely get the spicy carnation and the lush heliotrope but they're not "in your face" at all.

 

DRYDOWN: This is divine. The calm soothing vibe I always get from frankincense remains true and the spicy carnation gives it just enough oomph to make it complex and vibrant. I was afraid that the chamomile and/or angelica would give it a potentially soapy floral drydown but that was not a problem at all. Instead, the florals gave it a lovely soft bed to lie in.

 

EDITING Just to add ... maybe it's a skin chemistry on a given day thing but the second time I wore this, it went much more heavily carnation on me on the drydown. I happen to love both frankincense AND carnation so that is not a problem for me at all ... simply want to point out to carnation lovers that this might be very much up your alley, especially if you couldn't get your hands on the Spanish Carnation SN!

 

OVERALL: This is absolutely an addition to the short list of GC big bottles I must have.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 5 for sure.

Edited May 1, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[filigree_shadow]

I love heliotrope, but the carnation in this is making it too spicy-floral for me, and the frankincense is making it a rather high-pitched spiciness, which isn't actually a plus. But! If you are a carnation lover, give this a whirl. It smells good, I'm just not a carnation gal.

[milo]

Defineately a frank heavy blend here..not getting much else. Basically a woody resin, not really sweet, and not really me. Not getting any carnation or heliotrope, notes that I love.

[hiddentwilight]

From reading the other reviews it seems that this scent varies a lot based on body chemistry. Unfortunately for me, my chemistry does not seem to like this combination. I'm not sure what it is that I'm smelling exactly (based on other comments, perhaps a combination of the frankincense and carnation), but it smells very sharp, bitter, and medicinal on my skin. If I focus hard I can smell some florals in the background, but I don't think I would like to wait to see if they come out in a few hours. Definitely not for me .

[Aviatrix]

In the bottle, this is a very light and faint floral that I can't quite pick out.

On my skin - call me crazy, but I get this extremely peppery note that I have no idea what is! Or almost like dark leather. SOMEthing. It's very strange, but it's basically all I get from it.

 

I can't really comment on the blend, since I obviously get something entirely different upon application, but the pepper thing is not really to my liking.

[quickdrawkiddo]

This goes on all woodsy-resiny on me and doesn't morph much at all. As it dries down I get just a whiff of the floral notes, but they stay very much in the background, which is fine with me as florals and I are iffy. I can definitely see how this wouldn't be for everyone, but I adore it as an everyday scent. The incense makes it very warm and inviting and calming -- I have a ton of client meetings today and as soon as I saw this in my imp box, I went "Oh yes, that's the one."

[agirlnamedfury]

This is very woody on me, I guess that's the frankincense? As it dries, I get a lot more florals. Unfortunately, florals aren't really my thing!

 

I haven't been having great luck with my frimps lately, I've got to say... at least it's fun to try all these new things and I'm grateful to the lab and swappers for being so generous!

[lookingglass]

This scent is all light, sweet incense on me...a perfect resin blend for the warmer months. I am surprised there are no wood notes listed because I get a creamy, tanginess that seems like sandalwood. It reminds me a bit of Morocco, but not as dense...kind of like Caron's Bellodgia (carnation with clove and airiness) but so much better and BPALish. It's all flushed, plump flesh on the drydown, slightly spicy and clean. This was a frimp from the Lab, and I think I need a bottle!

Edited March 28, 2015 by lookingglass

[Veronica]

Creamy, sweet incense. Strangely likable and less floral than expected, still not something I would wear on the average day.

Edited April 10, 2015 by delighted

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: The main thing I'm getting here is SPICE! I know it's the carnation, but it almost makes me want to re-check the list of notes for cinnamon and/or clove. There's also a floral sweetness and just a little incense at the base, but overall, I would call this a sweet (albeit non-foody), spicy scent.

 

Wet: Now this is an odd little duck. The carnation steps way back and the frankincense comes forward, but now it's an herbal/floral blend that's almost soapy. The weird thing is, the frankincense is definitely there, but the scent has no "grip" to it. I like my perfumes to have a little something at the base to anchor fresh/floral/sweet/herbal/etc. notes to stop them drifting away, if you know what I mean. So while incense in general does a great job of anchoring scents for me, I don't get the impression that frankincense is doing that here.

 

Dry: Everything but the frankincense burns off, so I'm left with the "sour incense" smell that I usually get from incense and/or resin blends. It's not necessarily bad, just...interesting. Faint whiffs of the carnation and/or chamomile may still be hanging around, complicating things.

[theseagrows]

all i smell is frankincense and chamomile, which on my skin, translate to pencil shavings and dusty flowers. a little later i get a hint of other florals, which helps, but not enough. this is just too much frankincense for me.

[d0gbones]

In the imp: Cedar, oh no.

Wet: Same.

Dry: Frankincense! I think I can pick out some chamomile too. I have no idea what was throwing me off and making me think it was cedar, even after reading the listed notes. I actually love this, I just don't think it's particularly wearable. Maybe better as a room spray.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: The frankincense is really sweet in this, golden, and almost woody. This is a sweet, warm scent. It's really interesting. Different than any other frankincense I have smelled, or at least the combination of the other notes is making is seem that way. I can just barely pick out some carnation, but none of the other notes stand out, they just lend a sweetness and warmth to the frank. This is quite nice.

 

 

Dry: Warm frankincense. Sweet, and still sort of woody smelling. I like it. It's not my favourite, but it's very different from other frankincense scents that I have smelled, and it's quite interesting. Glad to have tried it!

[Casablanca]

I just shrugged and blind-bottled this, to be honest. I love these notes, and already knew I love them together.

Veritas smells as I imagined it would, and when I got an oil diffuser for the car, it seemed just the thing. When the diffuser ran out, I refilled it with Veritas again. No urge yet to change to something else.

This is one of those golden meadow blends -- at least that's where chamomile takes my brain, especially when it comes with frank, angelica, and certain flowers. I smell chamomile and feel like I'm smelling pollen and sun in the air, without the sneezes or skin burns. I'm a sun lover, and pretty happy with this.

Chamo and frank are strongest on me, with a light-handed, colorful sweetness from the flowers, and a bit of wood and rootiness from angelica. This lasts around three hours on me, a common length for my skin.

[Coldfire]

Imp: floral incense
Wet on me: more floral. mostly carnation less incense.
Drying Down: getting some hints of herbs starting to mingle with the floral. The incense seems to be hiding right now.
Dry: mostly a powder-y floral with slight herbal hints. It was nice to try but probably something I won't keep or get a full bottle of.

[Soupy Twist]

I could wish for more vino and less ligna in this Veritas. Frankincense and wood and I'm so done.

[freyasfae]

This one is pretty potent on me - it's a sort of spicy floral, but not a powdery spicy floral like carnation on me. Instead it's sharper in an herbal way - like the truth itself. It's very, very interesting - I don't particularly like it, yet I keep sniffing it, trying to figure it out, which I think shows just what a work of art this is.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Frankincense! And a little carnation.

 

Wet on my skin: Something about this combination of notes makes me think of both a fresh-cut and polished wood, and oil paints on wood-handled brushes. Oddly nostalgic, somehow.

 

Dry: This is a very frankincense-forward scent on me, which is totally okay because frankincense is one of my favourite notes. Frankincense with a bit of spicy carnation and ritual herbs. It's pleasant and unobtrusive, a bit ecclesiastical in nature, and I think I'll keep the imp. Don't need a bottle, but I think I'd like to try layering this with The Light of Men's Lives, which is on the other arm and smells pretty great when I put them side by side so I get both in my nose.

[ramblingrambler]

Mostly frankincense and heliotrope throughout its wear for me. Wet, I'm hit with a woody herbal scent. As it dries, it opens to more floral notes with angelica prominently on display. As it moves toward drydown, I'm smelling more carnation, but then, just as suddenly, everything fades. Like I said, frankincense and heliotrope are there throughout, but they move toward the background as other notes come out. It doesn't last very long, but it's a tame, low-throw, close-to-skin scent, suitable for days you're just hanging out around the house doing chores (okay, that's me projecting; this is precisely what I'm doing today!).

[Teamama]

Oh, this is lovely! Different than my other beloved frankincense blends, very calming & centering.

 

The frankincense & heliotrope take center stage at first. It's the delicate, dry frankincense that I love from Tzadikim Nistarim. The carnation is present, but I can't identify chamomile or angelica.

 

***

 

This is where my review ceases to be useful, unless you share my clove-amping problem. My skin can make even the tiniest amount of BPAL carnation or clove overwhelm all other notes in a blend.

 

Veritas was a strong candidate for my bottle list. Alas, after about 10 minutes the carnation started to turn into single-note clove. Predictable, but still disappointing. Not for me, worse luck.