Bastet

[Monster]

... Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus.

In the imp: Warm spicy almond

Wet: Oh Bastet! Why have I waited this long to try you?! The musk in this reminds me of "The Ifrit". It's giving me images of hot sand dunes at sunset. The amber is spiced and reminds me a bit of "The Lion"...this smells like the love-child between the two (The Ifrit and The Lion).

Dry: Good lordy laawwwddd this is heavenly! This dries down to one of the most beautiful things I have ever sniffed. The almond has backed down a bit leaving a warmed musk with amber on my skin. No powder either, just awesomeness. Oh yes.

Overall: This is a summer scent to me. My skin is warm and golden brown right now from being outside and the Bastet lifting off smells oh so lovely and sunny. Mut...have...5ml.... Edited October 10, 2009 by Shollin

[pugmom]

a favorite GC once it dries down.

 

When wet I get a lot of spice from the cardamon which I don't really care for, but once it dries it is more balanced. I am left with an almondy amber with a little spice. The myrrh stays in check and doesn't go to powder on me this time.

 

I consider this a cooler weather scent, warm and enveloping.

[March]

Smells warm and snuggly, though a little overbearing. Apart from the 'feel' of amber, I can't pick out any notes. It dries down to something that seems to be 'co-operating' with my own skin more than overwhelming it, and this stage is rather nice. On the whole, I think this is not really me, though.

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Fizzy feeling amber and almond

 

Wet: Warm musk, almond, and something very golden. This could be good

 

Drydown: Soft, spicy, and golden.

 

Overall: Very nice! Lotus really works with the rest of the notes here rather than overpowering them with bubblegum.

[sirensea]

The amber takes over completely, but I'm not complaining! This is warm and soft and sexy, like your favorite sweater that clings to all the right curves. Very slinky, in a way... I could wear this just as easily with a little black dress than a tight sweater.

[kerikeri]

On first application, it's a strong, creamy almond, but it dries down to a very light, subtle scent, just a touch of mingled almond, spice and amber. Mostly the amber's in the forefront once it dries, so it's not very foody overall, but now and then the almond peeks out.

 

I like it, but I don't think I love it. It's very faint, so much that mostly I can't even tell I'm wearing it, and I like my scents with a bit of throw. And I'd rather have more almond and less amber, like it was on initial application. I'll still use up my imp, though.

 

Edit: I wore this to class one day on a whim and it completely changed my mind-- now Bastet is one of my absolute favorites and I definitely plan to get a bottle. All day I was surrounded by the most wonderful cloud of warm, sweet, golden scent. It's equal parts alluring and comforting, and just completely gorgeous. Definitely in my top 5.

Edited September 21, 2009 by kerikeri

[topazphoenix]

Wet, pure almond. Dry, a sweet honeyed incense-amber. It's like a more elegant Sed Non Satiata.

[jennythereader]

Date First Tried: 7/1/09

 

In Imp: Fruity spicy, maybe a hint of incense

 

At Application: Less fruity, but still a rich sweet spicy scent

 

When Dry: Fades to a sweet blandness.

 

Rating: 2 (Use up, but don't replace; tradeable for something amazing)

[siren6]

Bastet was a wonderful, unexpected find!

 

All soft creamy warmth, I never got the reported "cherry blast" at the beginning and I'm not sure I got the lotus anywhere at all. The amber, saffron, myrrh, almond, and cardamom wove a dry but warm golden skin scent. I found it very soft and well blended from the application through dry down. I adore cardamom and my body chemistry loves almond, this seemed to soak right in and I smelled like "me," but better!

 

This was so much like a second skin on me I had to keep re-applying to make sure I was catching it right... which leads to my only complaint, really: Bastet has a very limited throw and a relatively fast fade on me. The scent is so worthy though, I don't mind re-applying it!

 

 

 

[undream]

I had high hopes for this one simply because I have such an affinity for Bast, but alas. While I still love the goddess, I can't say that the namesake oil very much loves me.

 

It's a nice enough scent, very full, incensey & sensual, but something went a little too nauseatingly foody on me. It's really unfortunate, but oh well. Off to swaps it is!

[totheo]

I really love Bastet but there's some note in it, I'm not sure what... it just doesn't work for me. I don't think it's the amber, I'm a pretty big fan of amber. Could be the almond.

 

This is an absolutely gorgeous scent, I think every BPAL-er should try it but there's just something.... I wish I could find a few similar blends and eke out what's wrong for me. I wish I could love Bastet, I wish!!!

[Banyangirl]

Bastet may well become my signature blend. It's warm, sexy and comforting, but it also says, "Hey, don't worry, I've got it, I'm in control." The almonds and honey and amber come out to say hello most prominently on me. The lab-fresh bottle I picked up has a good deal less throw to it than the tester bottle I tried on. It's more of a skin scent, more personal, quieter. This isn't a blend that says, "Come and sex me up." This is a blend that says, "Hey. I smell good. Don't I smell good? Don't you want to come closer? Bit closer, still, lad. Right there."

[Ankica]

Cherry Cherry baby

 

Like dry Cherries... left on the grass...

[angelicruin]

Almond, myrrh, and cardamom are the prevalent notes on my skin. The almond, though strong, is tempered enough not to overwhelm me.

 

I will hang onto the imp, but will probably hold off on purchasing a bottle.

[DaniFae]

Can we say dramatic changes, in the imp it was cherries, once it dried down, it was warm, spicy, incensey and wonderful, after about 5 hours, I start catching an odd smell one I haven't smelled in years, I take another sniff, I smell like play-doh.

 

I like it, even when it wears down to the very odd play-doh sent, it's almost like perfume based regression, it starts out smelling like my early adulthood/late teen years, and then fades into the joyful childhood smell of play-doh. Strange, but kind of fun.

[Dominique]

There's almond. It's . . . not trying to kill me and this is a very pleasant change from usual. I smell almond, though it's not the primary note. There's a kind of incense that's likely the myrrh. I'm not certain what the saffron would smell like, but the amber and musk give Bastet a nice roundness. I don't smell the lotus much, but it might come out to play later on, when it dries more.

 

Considering how badly almond usually sits on my skin, Bastet is well-behaved. It's not going to steal a place on my favorite's list, but I don't have the mad urge to run over to a sink and start scrubbing.

Edited August 2, 2011 by Dominique

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting the almond with a sweet sort of floral scent. It's the same on my skin; a beautiful little scent, and incredibly sweet.

 

This is going to be a definite bottle, just even while it's drying down; a sweet, tangy, delicate scent, a distant cousin to the Girl, but they've probably met on the street once or twice.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Venneh

[Altaira]

I ordered this because Egyptian Musk is a long time favorite scent of mine and this was one of the few oils that mentioned it as a note. I want to love it, I really do. Amber, musk, saffron, myrrh, almond, cardamom - all things I love. However, my nose is very sensitive (in a bad way) to florals and the lotus is almost all I can smell unless I press my wrist right up to my nose.

 

I'll hold onto it for a while. It is very sexy, maybe I'll try it on a "date night." But first I need to find out if lotus type water lilies are included in my hubby's lily allergy...

[distracts]

Initially on me that smells like those candies that look like tootsie rolls except are fruity (I don't know what they're called!).

 

That sweetness really quickly goes away though as it dries, and it gets a bit powdery for a while, and then I can distinctly start to smell the musk and almond. If I'm going to get poetic about it, it smells like a lazy sunny day. Beautiful!

[Violaine]

...WAT??

 

You cannot be serious. The amber, the musk, and the cardamom IMMEDIATELY tell me that I cannot wear this scent. That it will be horrible, awful, powdery old lady perfume on me. But, as I make myself do with every single BPAL oil I am frimped, I tried it on.

 

This is an absolute gem of a GC. At first, wet, it's almond. Then as it starts to dry, this creamy, almost vanilla backdrop starts to form and everything starts to gently meld together. It's fast and I simply can't tell the notes apart. There's faint spice, faint powder, but in a brilliant and warm sort of way. This is a skin scent, something you could easily smell like on the hottest day of summer... exotic, comforting, and delicious.

 

I can't believe I'm pulling this off. It will be all I can do not to slather my entire imp gone before I can order a bottle. Don't let the notes scare you off, even if you're sure you can't wear one, or even two! Try it. God, it's gorgeous.

[Stormslegacy]

In the imp: Stomach-turningly sweet, with maracschino cherries.

 

Wet: sickly sweet almond and cherry, with a hint of greenery or spices underneath. Can't say this is love.

 

Drydown: the almond backs off after an initial strong burst revealing spices underneath. Intruiging. Very yellowy and as time goes on

 

Dry: Surprisingly the amber is playing nice on my skin, and I'm impressed because it's stuck around even through rattie cage cleaning. It's definitely a warm spice tempered by amber's sweetness. Just-outta-the-bath-and-naked kind of sexy. Unfortunately, though it's behaving better than in other blends the amber is just too much for me.

 

Conclusion: I like it a lot more than I was expecting, but this is not love. The beginning is cloying and I don't like the smell of amber very much. I think it's off to swap.

[Invidiana]

This is sexy, golden and fierce. The combination of amber and musk is just a win-win all around, which probably accounts for most of the reason why this is so sensual. The additional fierceness is probably the saffron, which I've never actually smelled on its own, and the undercurrent of sweetness is the almond and lotus talking. I get just a hint of cardamom, which is a lovely complement. Bastet really is fit for an Egyptian goddess!

Edited November 28, 2009 by Invidiana

[Balame]

In the Imp: Strong cherry/almond smell.

 

Wet: I can smell the spice of the saffron and an almost medicinal, but vaguely smoky scent which I take to be the cardamom. The lotus, which is usually too syrupy sweet for me, isn't horribly overwhelming and instead provides a good "base" for the other notes to play on. This is certainly feminine to me, and delicate - though it also seems to have a quiet strength about it.

 

Dry: This got considerably fainter on me and yet getting close to it again the notes seem to have morphed into a deeper, fuller combination. The myrrh has gotten stronger, but oddly enough I haven't once noticed amber's presence since I put this on, and it's what I was looking forward to the most.

 

Verdict: This is pretty and well done, but it's another case of "I would like it on someone else" syndrome. Decidedly feminine scents aren't normally my preference, and I think despite the notes being "nice", they're still too sweet overall for my taste.

 

Rating: 2/5

[jamethiel]

In the bottle: almond, but sweet almond with a bit of spice.

Wet, almond, but quickly loses it as it dries down.

Sensual warm spices but after about half an hour it turns sweet. I think that's the lotus completely drowning everything else.

 

If it stayed in the warm spice stage, I would be happy with this, but as it is I think this is destined for the swap pile.

[Amoraexcena]

Imp: phew, that’s a lot of spice- saffron and others. It somehow reminds me of allspice.

Wet on Skin: licorice... and spices. Some amber is showing up too, and something sweet- almond?

Drydown: Still a lot of heavy spices. I have a feeling it will age really well so I’ll keep the imp for a while I guess. Quite a bit later into drydown it turns sweeter, quite similar to Al-Azif.