Bastet

[irishelf]

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

OMG, my first review!

In the bottle: almondy-cherry-flavored candy.

Wet: Turns to musk and a blossomy, almost minty smell. Yum.

Dry: There’s the cardamom, but this smell goes very faint on me. There’s still a bit of almond, though it smells more like almond husks to me than the candied flavor in the bottle itself. Or maybe I’ve been smelling it too hard.

In summary, if it didn’t fade so much on me, it’d be more intriguing, and I can’t identify this weird icy-hot thing going on when I smell it.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Candied cherries and almonds. A little myrrh too.

 

Wet: Candied cherries and cardamom. The myrrh is still there too.

 

Dry: Cardamom, saffron and myrrh. Spicy and golden with a sweet edge. Very nice.

 

Many hours later: *chuckles* Well, at first I thought that dinner was interfering in the smell on my wrist, but then I remembered the saffron in this blend. It smells warm and slightly spicy with a slightly higher pitched sparkle of myrrh.

[loubric]

The description made me very nervous. Luckily it wasn't as bad as I feared. It smells like cherry flavoured marzipan!!

A hint of cherry medicine and sickly sweetness. Spicy cherry candy goodness.

 

Much nicer than expected... just shows that decriptions can be very deceiving!!

[lilwhiterabbit]

In the bottle its very almond with a hint of musk. On me this is a delicious blend of almond, musk and warm spices. I can't smell the lotus at all, but I love almond blends, and this one is especially yummy. I don't really get a hint of the cherry smell other people are talking about, but I've heard that some people think BPAL's almond notes smell like cherries, so maybe that's where they're getting it? To me, almond smells like almond, though the almond in this blend is slightly less sweet than some others.

 

Overall I really like this scent and would consider a big bottle if it didn't fade so quickly on me. I'm going to try another application and really slather it on to see if it will last longer/smell stronger.

[Caerphilly]

In the imp: Sweet almonds (marzipan) and medicinal candy (cherry cough syrup). I've been getting a lot of these cough syrup scents lately!

 

Wet: Almonds and flowers. Can;t really put my finger on anything. The cherry medicine scent is gone, but smells strange. Really smells as if I layered several BPAL scents and they're all fighting to win. Just strange.

 

Dry: There's a floral in here that I love! Smells like Enchanted Wood Florist. With marzipan, or even irish cream and caramel(?!?!). And musky fruit.

 

Overall: I don't really like the scent initially. Not a fan of almond, but it works in this blend. Very strange. Not sure if my nose is off today, or if it's just an interesting and strange blend.

[heatherovka]

Bastet, I luuuuuv you.

 

Spicy, warm, warm, sunny warm, almond-y sweetness. Delicious. Feminine. Sexy. Something truly a bit feline about it. Slinky cat curled up in the hot sun? Really, really good yummy smell. I think I'm gonna absolutely have to have a bottle.

 

I've noticed many of the scents people describe as 'sexy' are a bit heavy, overwhelming, or foody to me, but this, to me, is veeeeery nice, sexy nice. Sweet without being cloying, nauseating, overwhelming. Bastet makes me smell soooo goooood. I got my first *wow you smell good* compliment while wearing this one.

 

I haven't tried many yet, but this is definitely on my bottle list!

[SueTigger]

I received Bastet as a frimp from a swap (thank you, Emu_nymph!) I wore it yesterday and really loved it. I can't put my finger on exactly what I liked about it, but really... just loved it. It's going on my "Purchase a Bottle" list.

[Saya]

The almond is the dominant note here followed by amber and musk. The way these notes combine is really lovely and creates a complex, rich scent. One of my favorite GC blends.

[Dharklady]

In bottle: A warm golden scent, soft and luxurious. The amber and almond are most prominent.

 

Wet: Sweeter then I expected, the amber and almond are grounded by the musk. Soft and sensual.

 

Dry: The sweet almond recedes before the musk, myrrh, and spices to reveal a more sultry and fierce scent. The softness remains in the background, balancing nicely.

 

Notes: Morphing from the warm sweet and almost fuzzy scent to the more leonine musk and spice combination, I read that this one fits a variety of skin types who like musk and that held true for me as well. Highly recommended for a starter!

 

[fictiontragedy]

I've actually avoided ordering this because amber does really bizarre things on my skin chemistry. By bizarre I don't mean the turning to baby powder like it does on most peoples skin, no it likes to amp into some weird headache inducing monster that is both too sweet and too strong to want any where near my nose. This phenomena isn't exclusive to bpal, it's pretty much anything with amber ever. What is worse is I often receive perfumes and lotions with amber in it because it happens to be my namesake. It's actually quite saddening because I know it's supposed to be a pretty note but I've never been able to wear it however I broke down and ordered Bastet because everything else in it sounded so lovely that I had to give it a go. I am so glad I did because for the first time in my life I know what amber is supposed to smell like, and it smells amazing.

 

In the imp: The only note I can really detect is the almond, which immediately reminded me of Dana O'Shee

 

Wet: Really sweet, almond and amber but tempered by something else which I assume is the musk that keeps it from going too sweet into the cloying category.

 

Dry: Whoa that changed quickly. It seemed as if the almond wanted to make a big appearance at the beginning but quickly lost all it's energy and disappeared completely. Instead I'm left with this sweet, slightly spicy, and incensey. I think the prominent notes now would be the amber, the musk, and the myrrh but it's hard to tell because this scent is incredibly well blended and balanced.

 

Overall: The sent was vaguely familiar to me and it took me a second to realize this is exactly what Nuit would smell like on me with out the florals which is odd because I don't think the notes listed are all that similar and the only real connection that I can make is that they're both Egyptian deities. I actually happen to like it quite a bit better then I do Nuit since I don't always love wearing florals. This is what I've been wanting to smell like all along with out even knowing it. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this.

 

This is the most rambling review I've ever posted so I apologize.

Edited May 7, 2010 by fiction tragedy

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Got this as a frimp from the Lab and it's first on my list for a big bottle. I found the Holy Grail amber scent. I never smelled saffron before and I decided I love it. This is a sexy, warm, feline scent. My black cat loved it too. I kept having to smell myself.

[SophieCedar]

This has promise at the beginning but fades very quickly.

 

The notes are exactly as described. Lovely warm, tan golden and sweet but a 1 minute later I can't really smell much and it needs to be reapplied.

[Roogna]

oh wow I love this! Immediately going on the 'must have a bottle' list

 

warm, almost yummy in a way (not foody), just awesome

I don't want to stop sniffing my wrist

it's soft with musk, myrrh, and floral playing very well together.

if I got any hint of saffron at the beginning it faded fast on me and I'm not sure I can pinpoint almond or amber, but they're there.

[Sabir]

I think this is one of my favorite scents!

 

As it says in the description, Bastet is luxuriant and warm, soft but with a fiercely protective undercurrent. It's sexy, yet comfortably so in it's own way. It's regal, golden and feminine.

 

On me this is mostly amber, warmed with saffron and rounded out with musk. Sometimes I can pick out a hint of the golden lotus. When the myrrh comes out, it blends into the background adding to the richness of the scent. I don't really get almond out of this blend at all, and I'm really surprised to see some people saying they get a cherry note out of this. I find Bastet doesn't have any foody qualities at all, though I can kind of understand describing it as "sweet" for some reason.

[plainjean]

This is just..wow. It's spectacular. This scent has been on my wishlist since I first got into BPAL, and I'm so happy I finally acquired an imp. On me, it's powdery but not in a bad way. Spicy, smooth, warm, languid, delicious but not in a foodie way. The amber isn't going bad on me, which makes me happy, and the almond isn't attacking either. I think the saffron is the bit of spice I'm getting, and I absolutely love it. I think I might need to seek out other blends with saffron, if it's this good. I envision a golden cat, relaxing in the golden afternoon sun. This scent, as a whole, is very golden. Not shiny, happy golden..but confident, regal golden. Wow, this review is all over the place, haha.

 

Overall, everything is just so well-blended, and it results in something truly magical.

[NaiadOreiad]

WET: At first Batset is a little marzipan almond with warm spices

 

Dry: OMG awesome. the almond has mellowed, the saffron and musk are blending beautifully. Ths spices make this very very cat like. this is incredible!!!

 

LOVE

[DeltaCat]

I smell cherries (almond?). Kind of like a cherry almond scent. Not terrible, this just smells very department store-esque to me.

[Incendiare]

One of the first imps I ordered! I love almond, amber, and cardamom, so I imagined this to be a pleasantly warm spicy almond, and it pretty much is, particularly in the vial. Once applied to my skin, it momentarily turns cherry almond. I cannot pick out the cardamom or myrrh, but there is a slightly muskiness hiding behind the almonds and general spiciness. The amber gently wafts and grounds Bastet. Beautiful and I will definitely use up this imp.

[calivianya]

I hadn't looked at the description in Bastet for a while before retesting and I was very pleased when I immediately thought 'Lotus!' and wrinkled my nose. At least I'm learning to pick out scents.

 

Lotus is a death-note for me, so Bastet did not have a chance to be beautiful. From the very first sniff, I could feel the lotus in the back of my nose, a sort of achy-headache feeling. I had to go wash it off immediately. I wish Bastet worked on me, all of the other notes are notes I like.

[Rhian]

Although it smells like pure almond in the bottle, when worn on skin this is an incredibly beautiful amber with hints of musk and spice. It's a dry kind of sweetness; it's not overpowering, heady or foody, but steadily intense. There's a dusky quality to it, probably from the musk. I think I can almost detect the almond and lotus when I take a really deep sniff, but Bastet is so well blended that nothing is really predominant apart from the amber, and perhaps the spice. The throw is good (but not excessive) and I can still smell it quite strongly after several hours.

 

This is possibly my favourite scent of the moment - I'm constantly sniffing my wrist to get just one more hit of its divinely golden aroma. It's just my style of perfume, and I'm so glad I have a big bottle!

[bonny]

this is a nice, spicy buttery ambery almond instead of the sharp cherry that I usually get from almond. aged bastet is truy marvelous, it doesn't last long on me fresh but give it eight months or so and yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. a very warm golden scent. LOVE this.

[impolight]

:::BASTET:::

 

Bastet arrived as a Frimp with the latest order to much happy dancing.

This is one of those formulas that has been eyed for quite some time, but others dazzled just enough more that it had been passed over.

One of the original Cats that had been born back in the glory days of early apartment living was named Ubasti. Thus began a long standing love affair Felines of all shapes, sizes, and colours. This one's for you, Ubasti! Rest In Peace...

From the Imp: Almighty Almond! Almond dominates by far.

With the Amber bolstering it, the two give a very strong impression of Dr. Pepper; this Imp practically begs to be sipped!

Cardamom only furthers this impression, and the Lotus adds a nice, exotic twist.

This is much sweeter than expected.

A very happy and capricious scent!

On the Skin: The morphing here is extraordinary. Amber takes prominence.

As the other notes demure, the Myrrh, Saffron, and Egyptian Musk readily assemble to give Bastet a much more incensey feel.

This is top-shelf incense.

This is the incense one could expect to find visiting a temple somewhere in the Holy Land; an incense that magnifies silence and alludes to a sacredness that predates Western notions of spirituality.

Bastet is regal, golden, warm, exotic, and pure.

The longer that Bastet sits on the skin, the richer it gets; adopting the bafflingly ecstatic momentum of a whirling dervish.

Even though a mere microdot has been applied to the skin, Bastet has bloomed exponentially; filling up the entire room in an otherworldly haze of divine sweetness.

Bastet works wonderfully as a unisex fragrance. It is difficult to imagine precisely where the differentiation would come into play.

Bastet would, if anything, blur if not outright remove the lines between genders; empowering BOTH Him and Her with sacred roles that exist only to serve and compliment one another.

Spectrally, Bastet is gold, umber, burnt sienna, bronze, saffron, honey, and cream.

Bastet is a 5 out of 5.

[cfrancesca]

The lotus completely ruins this scent for me, it turns the blend sharp and almost sickly sweet. It's a shame because I love the all the other notes in here, without the lotus it would've been wonderful for me.

[MadameGorgon]

I got this as a frimp from the lab and HOLY SHIT!!! GORGEOUSNESS & GORGEOUSITY

 

This would have been so far down on my wishlist, because many of the notes just don't sound all that appealing to me. Almond? Myrrh? meh. Golden Lotus? Particularly problematic because I often associate lotus scents with Avon. bleh. Saffron got me at least interested enough to try it.

 

First Sniff: SHOYEIDO INCENSE - I used to work for Shoyeido Incense in Boulder, Colorado. It's a 200+ year old Japanese incense company where I learned that incense doesn't always give me a headache and that natural is just plain better to my nose. This smells like the first moment you walk in the door. I can't believe this doesn't have Oud or Agarwood or Aloeswood or Jing-koh or whatever you might choose to call it because it has a very similar sour/rich woodsy resinous smell. So beautiful I would have swooned if I was the type to swoon.

 

Then.... I added O.

 

O! MY! GOD! I couldn't stop smelling myself. The amber in O mixed with the amber in Bastet and it got sweeter and richer and um, let's just say that the rest of the night was not fit for polite conversation.

 

I never would have expected to have such an intense reaction to a fragrance, but there it is. I feel sexy and powerful and enigmatic and royal and irresistible. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it.

 

 

5 out of 5 stars. I hope it never ever goes away.

[AmandaArcana]

By all means this should work on me. I love Egyptian musk, but sadly this turns to old, powdery soap on me.