Bast

[AColeman]

A desert wind alight with myrrh and golden amber, cardamom and honey, bourbon vanilla and cacao.

 

I recently acquired this bottle in a swap, and I can say I am pleased. I was a little unsure since most scents with any type of chocolate and I don't seem to get along. When I sniffed the bottle upon arrival, of course that was the first note that hit my nose and I was immediately going "Uh oh". But, I let this girl rest for a number of days before deciding it was time to try her out. I appreciate the sweetness of this scent though it isn't my typical gourmand sweet. This is a dark and sensual, last nibble before bed, sweet... Bast might be a bit dangerous in a wonderful way. I'm going to set this bottle aside for a while to see if perhaps with time she might gather a little more bite to her, but overall I am happy to have at least tried her.

[agirlnamedfury]

Amber doesn't always agree with me, but this is all warm spicy woodiness while wet. Definitely smells like an exotic desert.

 

Unfortunately an hour later it's turned all sharp and sour on me. :/ I wish the wet stage just lasted because I loved that!

[sarandipitee]

I don't get much chocolate or vanilla but I'm loving the myrrh/amber/cardamom/honey combo. This will age gloriously I bet.

As it dries the cocoa peeks out a bit and it stays close to the skin which surprises me, considering these notes all amp on me. I'm definitely keeping my partial and will try it again to see if I can get more cocoa and vanilla.

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: This smells so wonderful. I'm getting the cardamom and cocoa over the myrrh and amber. It's very cozy, and it is in the same family as Morocco, Bastet, and OLLA Eve.

 

Wet: On my skin, the honey is the most prominent note, followed by the cardamom, amber, and myrrh. After a few minutes, the bourbon vanilla note emerges. The cacao seems to be adding more warmth to the scent as opposed to making it chocolate-y, which is fine by me! I have too many chocolate scents as it is, but I don't have enough sweet resins in my collection.

 

Dry: Warm and cuddly. This is cardamom-dominant on me, backed by the sweetened resin notes (with the amber being stronger than the myrrh on me during this phase).

 

Verdict: This is like Morocco and Bastet, but with more oomph. I am loving the combination of the cardamom, resins, and the sweet notes. I need more of this in my life. Thank you so much for the tester, Lucchesa!

 

*edit* I did end up getting a bottle of this, which I had to destash. With over a year of aging, I still only got HONEY from my bottle.  

Edited May 12, 2020 by doomsday_disco

[Lucchesa]

How did I never review Bast? It is rarely out of my ever-shifting top ten. Amber, honey, cardamom, myrrh: Bast is golden, like the last rays of the setting sun. The cacao is dry, adding depth and richness, and the bourbon vanilla is snuggly, but this is not a chocolate or a foodie blend. It's an aureole of sensual warmth and radiant light.

 

Bast is the rare blend I can wear all year round for any occasion. I can wear it in Sacramento in the summer when it's 103 degrees; I can wear it to heat up a dreary Seattle February. I wear it when I want to feel ridiculously sexy; I wear it to feel effective and confident at work. Bastet is grown-up, powerful, secure in her own skin. She's, well, a lion goddess. Wear it and channel her.

[goblingrin]

Wet and dry, on my skin cardamom is the strongest note, with amber and cacao adding warmth. It smells golden and confident. Unfortunately, the throw is weak, and the scent doesn't last long on me. I've tested it twice now and both times after hours I can barely get a hint of it left.

[Shadowdawn]

I was really, really looking forward to this one. However, for how powerful, and truly I cannot describe it as anything less than that, this is, it has a very sad, short lifespan on me. It's completely gone upon the first rinse with water, and fades to almost nothing on its own within an hour or two (even when I slather). 

On me, this blend is entirely myrrh resin and honey. I don't get any cardamom, vanilla, or cocoa, for which I am very sad (until the last, breathy stage of drydown). It smells like expensive, mature perfume, although in a way that is not too cloying--which is good. And it's absolutely not foody at all in any way (thank heavens). Bast also sticks as close to the skin as possible, with minimal throw. For some reason... I get the very, very mild hint of expensive Parisian soap (but only when it's fresh, before settling), and florals? I think it's the myrrh that's coming across as vaguely floral (or maybe it's just a very floral honey note, I'm not sure). That is a tad disappointing for me. Thankfully there is nothing here I completely dislike, but I'm not as over the moon about it as I'd hope to be. I was hoping for more spice, creaminess, and an incense like quality... and less straight up antique perfume. 

She's here one minute, swishing through the room in confidant silks with gold, gleaming skin, and gone the very next. 

 

Edit to Add: I can definitely see the similarities to Morocco that have been mentioned about Bast-- for me, I only pick up one or two strongly similar notes in the drydown, but Bast is definitely less creamy, and a bit less spicy, than Morocco. 

Edited March 12, 2019 by Shadowdawn

[VetchVesper]

Lux.  Slinky.  Resinous.  The perfume version of that little black dress, in velvet.  This improved vastly with aging.  When I originally got my decant, this was pleasant but forgettable.  2-3 years later I'm getting a smooth, rich myrrh and amber with a deep vanilla undertone.  I can get the cocoa if I look for it, but this one's not chocolatey.  Also, the oil separates, so shake shake shake!    Cardamom -- again, I think I can catch it if I'm looking, but it blends with the amber pretty seamlessly.  This is all about that myrrh and amber combo, with the other notes just taking things up a notch.  If you love those two notes, definitely give this one a go.  I'm probably going to have to pick up a bottle at some point. 

Edited May 12, 2020 by VetchVesper

[melandie]

I purchased this in honour of a friend's kitten, who upon her first night after being adopted, removed the vent covering and disappeared into the house's HVAC system. I was in the middle of putting together my Luper order and knew I needed a cat scent in honour of that kitty, who is fine now but caused a harrowing 30 hours in which she just wouldn't come out. In the time between placing and receiving my order, I lost my own senior kitty, and I wear this in his honour as well - it just makes me feel connected to feline energy (and we've since adopted 2 kittens, who are wonderful tiny terrors).

 

Anyway on to the perfume! It's warm, dry from the desert wind and dusty cacao, sweetened up with the vanilla and honey. I was a touch worried the amber would go powdery, but it doesn't, and sits there grounding the whole thing, while the cardamom adds a slightly spicy brightness. Overall, this is lovely and think it'll develop beautifully. 

[LavenderCoffee]

In the bottle I definitely get the desert wind, which lasts for a short time while wet on my skin. May need to locket this one and see if I can wear that  aspect of the scent, it's a lovely spiced amber.

As it warms and begins to dry, the myrrh and honey become very heady. When I first got this bottle it was too much and I couldn't hang through the drydown - I learned from Mead Moon 2020 that sometimes honey needs to rest awhile in order to work for me, and I'm starting to get that payoff now with Bast. Not getting much cacao from this, but it makes sense as an anchor alongside myrrh, and there is just a suggestion of vanilla.

Dry, it is a delightfully complex perfumed honey scent, and remains very close to the skin.

[lakeplacidskater]

On 6/24/2017 at 4:23 AM, miss_rynn said:

Bast is a tricksy scent. It reminds me of what I wanted Bilquis to be, way back in the day. Something about the myrrh and amber comes across as a heady lily. It's that oddly floral note that only thick and rich resins can. The cacao is a warm, throaty base, but it's hard for me to get beyond the resin/floral heart. It's probably the mix of the myrrh and the honey that does it.

 

If you're after a deep, thick, unapologetic sweet resin, this is for you.

 

This is the best way to describe the mix of Amber and Myrrh. I really wanted to love this one. I expected the cardamom and honey to be sweeter, but on me at least it's a really strong pseudo-floral.  I can see why people love it, but it is so strong and sharp (on me) that it almost veers into cologne territory. And it's aged for a few years, so I'm not sure if the sweetness will improve. Oh well. 

Edited April 5, 2022 by lakeplacidskater

[theredkilt]

Bast on my skin reads as a brown colored version of Morocco. By brown colored i mean that it takes a more gourmand facet, but ultimately dries down to more a meatier version of Morocco.

[rhonorv]

Powdery cardamom, and oddly reminiscent of Coyote (must be the desert note + amber?). I don't get much honey, vanilla, or cacao -- it's warm desert incense. It's pretty. I do prefer the sere musk of Coyote, but that's been out of stock for a bit, and Bast does fill the same niche.

[RoseThornAndOak]

Okay, I see why this is popular now and I'm not sure why I slept on it.

 

On the opening, a little powdery in the way resins or Morocco can be, but holy hell does this deepen and sexy up. Basically Morocco spices, darkened with cocoa, no bandaid or plastic. Honey doesn't really stick out to me. I see the Coyote similarity rhonorv mentioned, that warm soft dry desert incense description is very apt. theredkilt basically nails this too, a browner, slightly more gourmand version of Morocco.

 

I maybe really possibly perhaps like this like a lot. It's a cousin to Inez as well which has been a long time favorite, so they'll be buddies and sit next to each other. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by RoseThornAndOak

[marared]

I've had this bottle of Bast for four years, and it is FINALLY aged enough to be wearable.  I don't quite know what the deal was - something always turned sharp and weird on my skin after only a few minutes. But after sitting on my wall mostly untouched except being tested once a year or so, it's become something really nice. It is bone-dry myrrh and amber - shockingly not powdery - with just a touch of sweetness from the honey underneath. The vanilla blends with the honey, and the cacao and cardamom aren't even detectable. After about ten minutes, the honey comes forward, but still dominated by myrrh. And just now I got a tiny whiff of the cacao and cardamom, but just barely. I was afraid I was going to have to sell this, but I'm glad that it finally works on me!