Elf v4

[ami226]

I couldn't find a thread for this one, so I think it is time to make one! Thanks so much to my secret angel!! I you!!

 

In the bottle: Smells to me like a light vanilla. Reminds me of XCDL13 and Antique Lace a bit, but at the moment all I can really smell is a nice, light almost floral vanilla with no alcohol.

 

On the skin: This one is beautiful! I get more vanilla on my skin, but it is definitely a floral vanilla rather than a foody vanilla, but I still wouldn't quite classify this scent as floral. It is such a light, airy scent that I could definitely associate with elves!

 

Such a beautiful, light scent that really feels comforting to me.

 

You will have to pry this bottle from my cold, dead fingers!

 

-ETA- From application to dry down, this scent does not morph on me at all! It smells exactly on me as it does in the bottle and the floral vanilla wafts nicely from my skin. Wow, this scent is just..... pretty!

Edited March 20, 2011 by Catseyes

[saralaughs]

OMYJEEZUS.

 

I have died and gone to scent heaven.

 

I love Antique Lace. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. I wept bitterly when it became 'unavailable' again.

 

This? This is better. It's like XCDL13 without the alcohol note that I get. It's Antique Lace, only better.

 

Warm vanilla (or vanilla bean) that you get in Antique Lace, only no linen or cotton. A slight hint of a floral maybe? But nothing that screams 'I'M FLORAL!!' with musk. This is like the golden glow I get from Shadowy and Sublime wrapped in a vanilla blanket.

 

All I gots to say is ALL YOUR ELF v4 ARE BELONG TO ME.

 

ETA: Medium throw, long wear length.

Edited March 22, 2011 by saralaughs

[beachbabealways]

Lovely, just lovely!! I this one. I'm not getting the Antique Lace vibe from it like the other reviews. What I get is Tonka. It really reminds me of a cross between Liz (not as harsh) and CC Female.

Very soft and very beautiful. Nothing foody about it.

 

ETA: Thanks Scrappy for the tester.

 

ETA2: OK almost 4 hours on the skin and this is still going strong. It has not changed one bit from application. I did fail in sayin this can be worn by a man because it leans to the male side (maybe that's why it's called Elf). After wearing CC Female on the other arm I can tell them apart. CCF is more girly so I'm back to Liz. It has to do with the tonka that's for sure. Liz was way too perfumy on me where as Elf is soft. Anyway I'm still in love with it.

Edited March 25, 2011 by beachbabealways

[Dark Alice]

The wonderful Marsmomma was gracious enough to send some to me to test!

 

Wet: This vanilla has got to be the same as the floral, Madagascar vanilla in Celeste. Light, floral, classy.

 

Drydown: This a floral vanilla. Not foodie at all. And most definitely reminds me of the vanilla from antique lace. I can see why some others would say this reminds of this on their skin. On me it's slightly Antique Lacish...but more floral. I am so thankful to be able to try this so I can NOW eliminate from my list of things that I need to have!

[Wench457]

This reminds me very strongly of Dorian. So much so, that I had to check to see that I hadn't actually put on Dorian. On me, Dorian is almost completely a rich, earthy vanilla, and that's what I'm getting here. I think perhaps it's not as complicated as Dorian though, which makes sense if the RPG scents are intended to be layered. I need to do a side-by-side comparison at some point, to see what the differences are.

 

Edit to reflect a re-test after five years of aging.

 

This is an oil that definitely benefits from aging. When I put it on now, it smells exactly like Antique Lace does on me. Maybe just a wee bit less floral, but breathtakingly beautiful.

 

Ten minutes later and it's all gone. If I put my nose directly onto my skin and inhale really deeply, I can barely make it out.

 

Farewell Elf v4. It's not you, it's me. Oh how I wish it weren't. But a bare 10 minutes of ZOMG!! does not a relationship make.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Wench457

[tarotgirl99]

I was sure I would love this scent beyond all others. I am a devout XCDL13 lover...and I had high hopes that this would be akin.

 

It's not. It has a floral note with the vanilla that makes the vanilla go kind of plastic-y on me. Amazing throw, medium lasting-ness, but not for me.

 

Super-thankful that I didn't sell my first born (I don't have one) to get it. Even more thankful to the generous person who sent me an imp.

[Little Bird]

Elf v4 is like sweet vanilla (reminds me of Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener). There's something cool and reminiscent of night-time underneath the sweet vanilla for me at first(a sparkly, crystalline musk? a hint of lavender or some cool, creamy floral?). And the scent is creamy and a little clean linen-esque, but mostly a glorious vanilla. It's sweet, but also cool and breezy, the sort of vanilla that you could wear even in the sticky summer heat. The drydown smells a bit like golden amber on me, but not powdery the way bpal's ambers usually are.

 

ETA:

Wearing this scent again, I realized what it reminds me of - bpal's Berenice (notes of stargazer lily, white musk, clear aloe, blonde amber and winding-cloth linen).

Elf v4 is like creamy, cool, sweet lily with clean musk/linen, hints of warm amber, and a good dose of sweet vanilla. Like a SSS's vanilla meets the floral and musk part of Berenice on my skin.

 

ETAA:

I don't like the way this has aged (which is going to save me a lot of time and money in tracking down more, thank God, lol). It still smells like white floral and sweet vanilla, but it turns soapy on me now and gives me a headache after a while. I actually prefer Lyonesse for a similar scent.

Edited April 15, 2013 by Little Bird

[alyssinwonderland]

I honestly don't have too much I can say about this one. I slathered some on and it smells exactly like CC: Female on my skin just minus the lavender. It's lovely, breezy and a sweet floral (without being too sweet or too floral..yeah figure that one out ) I could feel this being compared to an elf...or even a nymph...very elusive and ethereal.

 

Thanks to kattharia for letting me test this one out!

[Invidiana]

This is absolutely beautiful. I get a smooth creamy Madagascar vanilla, vanilla orchid (think Opuhi) and white musk, in that order. There may be some other light florals hiding in there as well. It's all vanilla wet, and as it dries down the white musk and floral aspects emerge. It makes me think of Tolkien's glittering white Elven city of Gondolin captured forever in a bottle.

[GypsyRoseRed]

I can see the comparisons to Antique Lace, but to me, this is a much more floral vanilla - Madagascar vanilla - with white musk and a jot of sugar. It doesn't have a lot of throw, and has medium wear length but it's very pretty and feminine.

[Lorelai1945]

Mmmm...This is lovely! This scent falls somewhere in the family of Antique Lace with its vintage feel and soft vanilla, but it's not quite like it. AL is a lot more powdery to me, whereas this is..ethereal? To me, it is most comparable to Celeste, but without the strong alcohol tinge that ruined Celeste for me. Definitely a soft, floral hint of musky vanilla on my wrist. I don't get much in the way of vanilla (my skin likes to eat it), but I get enough to satisfy me. I don't get a ton of throw or wear time, but seeing as this scent begs to be sniffed up close, I'm okay with that.

[midnight_aeval]

This is most definitely dominant in the Madagascar Vanilla - it's similar to Celeste from the BPTP's Courtesan series. But whereas Celeste has this slightly alcoholic (ala Vanilla Extract) edge, Elf v4 has a delicate white musk and a sugary side.

 

I like this fragrance better than Antique Lace (which my husband hates anyways) and XCDL13 - it's definitely a gem!

[Venneh]

...Why helo thar holy grail. Nice to meet you.

 

In the bottle, this comes off as the crystallineness in the Girl. On my skin, it's a combination of that crystalineness and the madagascar vanilla in Celeste, blooming into probably the most amazing scent I've ever smelled. MINE.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Elf v4 is like Dorian-lite, and more feminine. It's a creamy vanilla and lemony skin musk, with a floral note that makes me picture a field of white daisies on a hazy day. The vanilla note is beautiful, and it seems to be the same vanilla as Celeste and XCDL13. (ETA 4/19: There is a bit of a white chocolate note that I didn't notice before.)

 

The throw is alright, but it doesn't last very long. I'm still lucky to have found a bottle and will cherish it.

Edited April 20, 2011 by mxtine

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Testable sniffy from a generous forumite.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I actually tried Elf v4 before reading the reviews, so I didn't really go into it expecting anything in particular, other than my own mental image of what an elf would smell like. And what would an elf smell like, you ask? Ethereal and delicate. Vanilla, soft musk (probably skin musk), maybe some gentle blonde woods and/or light florals, possibly even some amber. And while that's not my usual style, it sounded awesome in my head.

 

First sniff:

 

Similar to Antique Lace, but with stronger vanilla. Yes, I know, it seems like every vanilla proto there is gets compared to Antique Lace, but this really is in the same vein.

 

Wet on skin:

 

No change at all. A soft, smooth vanilla. It's not foody, particularly, but it is sweet. There seems to be some sort of super gentle skin musk here, too. This is basically what I imagined Celeste to be based on the initial reviews of the prototype (only vanilla instead of cotton candy). This is so pretty; definitely ethereal and elfin.

 

Dry down:

 

Elf v4 is no morpher, that's for sure. Very linear. Once it dries, I get a little wafting cloud of soft, airy vanilla (I don't know enough about vanilla to differentiate between types, so I'll leave that to the other reviewers) and skin musk. Simple and pretty.

 

I think I would have been a little worried about the fact that most other reviewers are mentioning florals if I'd read the reviews before testing this, but it wouldn't have needed to, because I don't get any florals at all from this. That doesn't mean that they're not there. They could be, but they must be extremely well-blended and light if they're in here.

 

The bottom line:

 

Elf v4 is a thing of beauty. I can see why this was the standout of the trunk show protos. This is one of those scents that manage to lure me away from my love of dark woods, resins, dirt and patchouli for a little tryst with something more feminine and delicate.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

So.. as a card-carrying member of the Vanilla Lovers Association, I was desperate to get my hands on some Elf v4. When I read the reviews talking about it being like XCDL13 and Antique Lace - two of my most beloved BPALs - I thought this was going to be it.. The One..

 

Alas, it is not. On my skin, the vanilla in Elf v4 does exactly the same as the one in Celeste - it puts out a chemical/alcohol tone that really turns me off. Where Celeste had pink tones, Elf v4 has white ones.. and again, that's problematic for my skin - there's a musk of some sort in here (my guess is white musk or skin musk) but not the kind of musk that works nicely for me. I'm not picking up any particular floral elements, maaaaaaaaaybe some orchid if I try really hard to find it, but it does have a forest/floral kinda vibe about it - not in a 'green' forest sense.. it's more a feel than a smell.

 

When I can get my nose to put aside the bits that it doesn't like, I can see why this is so nice on other people.. it has a beautiful clean feel, a lovely softness, and a smooth sweetness without being obviously sweet as such. It's pretty, and kind of ethereal - it's shiny in a white light kind of way. And it's not horrible on me, it's just really not all that nice and I wouldn't choose it over either XCDL13 or Antique Lace - to me, it's not in the same category at all as either of those. If you held me down and tickled me, I would probably eventually admit that it has slight similarities to Antique Lace.. but I don't think I would ever say it is anything like XCDL13, no matter how unbearable your tickling became. Because.. it just isn't.

 

Obviously, going by the other reviews before me, I am in the minority here.. but vanilla is a fickle beast and not all types work well for me. Sadly, Elf v4 just has the wrong type of vanilla for my skin

[zankoku_zen]

Well, damn. I didn't actually expect to like this. I wasn't crazy for either Antique Lace or XCDL13.

 

HELL.

 

So yes, to echo everyone this is the floral, Madagascar vanilla. With an extra jolt of sugar.

 

Damn, I wish that the released Elf was THIS good. Sadly however, medium to no throw on me and absolutely no wear length.

 

Because if it did stick around, I think I'd have to organize a bank heist or something. Feloniously good.

[milo]

So happy to get to try this!! At first, this is a dry, slightly sweet musky vanilla. This is quite reminiscent of Haloes, to me, though not as strong a wood base. It also reminds me of Celeste, though not as sweet. Kind of a combination of Haloes and Celeste, though Elf v4 doesn't last near as long as either of them. I'm wondering if this one didn't make the cut because of the fade factor. I really like this, it is a borderline vanilla foody, with a bit of musk, but it fizzles out pretty quickly on me. I'd definitely get some if it became available, but I won't sell my kidney for it.

[angelamaria]

In tester: wow. Antique Lace...is that you?! Vanilla! Creamy! Maybe a bit of floral, but even less floral than Antique Lace. It's also deeper and darker, but that's only in comparison to Antique Lace.

 

Wet on skin: a bit "stronger" than Antique Lace, as well--this one is a bit more "present", I understand why some reviewers get more tonka from this than vanilla. Oh, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL OMG. The lab has to release something like this again!!! Why did this not become the release version of the RPG Elf? ...well, okay, I know why. Elves do seem to be more suited to the more nature-y blend that the released version is. Nevertheless, this would have been a win, that the released version was not.

 

Dry: does not morph on my skin. Definitely amazing! Creamier and smoother than Antique Lace at this stage, also slightly "darker" in tone, and without the floral notes. This is more similar to single-note than anything else, I think.

 

Verdict: somehow, I will have to find a bottle of this. I don't know how. It's way past the budget I set myself at with BPAL, and I can't let myself go over that for fear that I'd just keep upping and upping it, which I can't allow myself to. But it is absolutely beautiful, smooth and creamy and nommy.

 

See my three-way deathmatch between Antique Lace, Elf v4, and XCDL13 here: http://www.bpal.org/topic/65148-death-matchin/page__view__findpost__p__2050792

[calivianya]

I agree with all of the above - this is a sweet, dusty vanilla. I don't get much florals from my tester, but florals are somewhat hit and miss on me anyway. I'm really glad I got to try this, but fortunately I don't need any more. I can barely smell it on my skin at all - it's doing a pretty amazing disappearing act. Sayonara, Elf v4! I'm glad I got to meet you.

[Numanoid]

Pretty much what was said above! I got a small frimp of this and yes...on, it is a nice beautiful vanilla with a hint of some sort of floral to it. I am so NOT any kind of floral fan because most of the foral notes are just too stong on me, but this is very nice. It is a mature scent, but not overpowering. Best way to describe it. Stays very consistent from application to hours later...and it lasts!! I have yet to smell Antique Lace, so I can't compare to that one.

[littlebeky]

Received a small amount to test thanks to a lovely forumite. Wish I hadn't! Have not smelled Antique Lace so I cannot compare. It is a beautiful creamy, yet light, vanilla. A hint of something clean or floraly smelly but just barely. I absolutely hate florals but this is beautiful. It's a clean yet creamy beautiful vanilla scent that, like others have said, is a mature scent.

 

I need more! D:

[inhumation]

I was generously gifted with a tester of Elf v4. I'm pleased to report that it is good, but not good enough to become a holy grail for me. I get the same perfumey vanilla note that I get in Ava.

[LizziesLuck]

A lovely forumite gave me a tester of this, knowing how much I love vanilla, and I am so grateful!

 

Wet, I get a beautiful vanilla cream note. There's something else there too, but I am having a hard time placing it. It's lovely. It makes me happy. Not a ton of throw on me, it sits quite close to the skin.

 

 

Dry: There's still this note I can't quite pick out - maybe almost a linen or clean type note? It's so lovely, and remains mostly vanilla cream on me, which is one of my absolute favourite notes from the lab. So glad to have gotten to try this, and will for sure snag a bottle if ever I get the chance!

[Ordo_ad_Chao]

I've skin tested this several times trying to figure out why it smells so familiar to me. It isn't exactly a "me" scent, but is so so pretty. I did side by side testing with xkcdl13, with antique lace, with Celeste.

 

It is un-lavendered TKO on me. Vanilla TKO. Sweet and pillowy and soothing, in a vanilla version. TKO on the other arm agrees.