Bastet

[Nicnivin]

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

 

I got a free imp of this with my Yule order, and in the bottle, it smelled like absolute heaven: somewhere between marzipan and amaretto.

 

On my skin, those notes disappeared almost instantly and were replaced with the strong amber that always goes rancid on me. I had really hoped that the myrrh, almond, lotus, and musk would overpower that amber note, but alas, my skin amps it like crazy.

 

Adding this one to the gifting frimp pile, unfortunately.

[Sue Dribben-Dickson]

I received an imp and immediately purchased a bottle.

 

I thought musks didn't work on me prior to finding BPAL I used to think musks were wild animal urine and sweaty feral pheromones . I've learned/am learning so much about what is appealing to my palette & works with my chemistry. The Egyptian musk is beuautiful! It doesn't smell like cat spray at all.

 

The almond is seductive; with the saffron and cardamom it's mouthwatering.

 

In the past I shied away from florals, but the golden lotus does not amp or overpower. If I didn't read it was in there, I'd be blissfully naive.

 

I worship my kitties and the cat Queen Bastet!

Edited January 24, 2016 by GossamerWings

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Sweet, ambery lotus.

 

Wet on my skin: This is mostly amber, lotus, and saffron when wet. It's really lovely at this stage!

 

Dry: Soft, warm, golden, and a little spicy. This is a beautiful scent, soft and a bit understated, and there's something a bit honey-like about it on my skin. The primary notes on my skin are amber, lotus, myrrh, and saffron, in that order. The musk, cardamom, and almond give it a sweet, fuzzy softness, and I swear this scent's colour (in my mind) looks like the fur of an Abyssinian cat. It doesn't have a whole lot of throw once dry, but is still beautiful close to the skin. I suspect it'd have a lot more throw if slathered, but it might be overpoweringly sweet if I did that. May have to test that theory. Either way, this is actually a very pretty scent, and one of my favourites of the GCs I have tried as of late.

[Casablanca]

Bottle: From most to least, amaretto, amber and saffron. I don't know lotus, but I've read it smells like bubblegum. When I look for that, I find it, too. Then I can't stop finding it...

Wet: Amaretto, lotus, amber, and a soft touch of saffron and cardamom. Love all these notes, except the lotus. But the bubblegum winks out on me even before this dries.

Dry: As this dries, the Egyptian musk comes forward and it's lovely. Dried, this becomes an ever-so-slightly spicy and ambery musk that wears close to my skin. Very close: I need to touch nose to skin to smell it. When I do, it reminds me of blowing golden sands.

I like this but would rather it have a little more throw after drying (and maybe less lotus so I can fully enjoy the wet stage).

Edited April 7, 2016 by Casablanca

[joopjoop]

First on this smells amazing to me - yummy almond with cardamom and warm musk - sexy and spicy and delicious.

 

But after an hour or so the myrrh and the lotus really up the ante on the sweetness, and the amber makes everything just a little bit powdery. I start to worry that this will go cloyingly sweet-y terrible on me like some of BPAL's spice blends do on me.

 

But then later, after another hour, when I haven’t been paying attention, I find it has changed again - everything has calmed down and it has settled into a lovely warm musk and spice scent - with just the slightest hint of sweetness from the lotus and amber. I can see why this is such a favorite. To me there are a lot of similarities to Queen of Sheba, although with that one the almond lasts longer and with Bastet the Egyptian musk is the center of the scent.

 

Still later: the longer I wear this, the more I like it. After about 3 hours it is a close-to-the-skin scent and I can't really pick out notes, it just smells spicy and pretty. I'm glad I gave this one time to unfold. I think I'm going to be wearing this one quite a bit.

Edited May 28, 2016 by joopjoop

[roseus]

An incredibly rich, warm blend. Resinous, musky, perfectly spiced, and sweetened beautifully by the lotus. At first the cherry-like almond came on a little strong, but it quickly calmed down. I feel like I'll definitely need this for summer.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

Bastet is all cherry-vanilla sweetness right on application. Then musk takes over for like 15 minutes and I really understand what people mean when they say it smells like a pet sitting in the sun. The musk soon mellows when the amber makes an appearance to sweeten it a bit. It has pretty good throw. I'm reminded of Blood Kiss plus musk, mostly. May test further. Hmm, I don't know if I'm like, a crazy musk fan. I think I'm kinda indifferent to it.

 

Trying again, this is sooo much better this time. Not sure if it was the time of month I tried it or what, but I'm getting all the complexity now! The saffron, almond, cardamom, and especially the amber. It's cherry-sweet and yet dry and warm with the musk. I really like the cardamom and saffron, they're unusual notes that I haven't tried before. This is beautiful and I'm surprised my first impression was so blah. It has a good bit distinguishing it from Blood Kiss. The color feeling is golden and sun-drenched, a black cat lying in a sunspot.

[Coldfire]

Imp: musk and amber and almond
Wet on Me: that cherry almond note with the amber hiding in the wings
Drying Down: creamy now. less of that dratted almond note and more of the cardamom and saffron warming up the amber and musk
Dry: creamy and sweet but not sugar sweet. like a chai sweet. the amber and musk keep it from going too sweet. just warm and sunny and creamy.

[GlowJob]

This is a musky dry version of liquid marzipan on me and I could not be happier about that. The almond note mellows out with wear and that's my only qualm with it because I LOOOOVE me some bitter almond. Medium throw and lasting power. I've been buying BPAL for 11 years and somehow I've been missing out on this GC wonder. Don't be like me.

[overthecounterculture]

In the imp: like a sexy Bakewell tart

 

Wet: the musk threatens to overwhelm the cherry and amaretto

 

Dry: yum, it's settled into a lovely creamy amber with cherry wafting subtly underneath

 

I think this would be the perfect scent to wear for a date or even just on a day where you want to feel that little bit more confident. As much as I loved the scent in the imp, I was a bit worried about it being too overwhelming for casual wear. As other people have said, Bastet wears close to the skin which could definitely work to your advantage in the right situation! All in all, I will definitely be purchasing a bottle and would highly recommend Bastet to anyone looking for a gorgeous foody scent.

[lizabelle]

This starts off like a cherry liqueur and slowly develops into a sharp almond/resin blend with a lot of powder. Unfortunately I think something (maybe the saffron and amber?) is blending to be a very baby powder-esque smell on me, which happens to be one of my least favorite things to smell like. Again, amber does not seem to be for me at all, and even my beloved almonds can't change that. I'll be scrubbing it off.

[Spaztic]

whoa the almond does something gnarly on me skin with this one

It's smells like a sweet almond exact (the cherry smelling kind) scented play-doh

[Melani Robison]

So not too long ago I had a panicked stricken evening where I thought my cat had gotten into my perfume. Thanks to my hormone enhanced sense of smell (something I realized only AFTER the panic) she smelled sweet, nutty, and faintly perfumey but I couldn't quite identify exactly what smell it is that she had gotten into. After much googleing I realized that cats have that scent naturally and I'd just never really noticed it before (aren't hormones weird, you go your whole life with them playing with your body and they STILL come up with ways to surprise you-like oh hay a brand new advanced sense of smell).

 

ANYWAY, Bastet smells like a stronger version of that. Faintly perfumey, slightly nutty, sweet but not foody. I really adore it. It goes on fairly strong with the almond, but that fades as it dries and then I just smell like my cat.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Jackalope

[Kay Torres]

Bastet is the first time that I've ever experienced the almond as cherry thing that I've seen people mention on here. This is the oddest thing... Very spicy with cherry cola syrup. I'm not certain how I feel about smelling like curry and a fountain drink.

[achildoftime]

In the imp it's beautifully sweet amber. It starts at all almond when it's applied, though. It does relent after about five minutes and the amber I can smell in the imp. When it dries it does manage to balance itself between amber, almond, and myrrh. It's sweet resins all the way, maybe a touch powdery. It's a warm scent for sure. I'm not usually fond of almond, but I find this to work for me.

[Bassmastadroog]

The almondy myrrh and spices are beautiful in the imp!

 

Once on, I feel Bastet instantly warms to a soft and lightly spicy amber. I'm not sure I can sense any lotus flower, it just becomes very warm and soft.

 

I feel like I tried Bastet late in my BPAL game. It just doesn't have much throw on me, and what was impressively and exotic saffron/almond/myrrh/amber in the imp dried down quickly to a nondescript warm scent.

 

It's nice, but I could do with it being stronger. I've put on more than I usually do for an imp, maybe I'll try more next time- it might just be one that requires heavier application.

Edited March 19, 2017 by Bassmastadroog

[Lucchesa]

I knew this would be good, with the listed notes. The only one I worried about was myrrh, which can ruin things for me, but I was hoping that soft myrrh would stay in line, and it did. It's not transcendent, but it's very nice. Like Bassmastadroog, I wish it were stronger, but my skin eats up most scent, so I wish that a lot. But it's the kind of thing you could wear to a job interview where you wanted to feel warm and glowing and powerful without broadcasting to the whole room I'M WEARING PERFUME...

 

ETA Put some Bastet on about 2.5 hours ago, super long wear time for my sponge-like skin, and it is still going strong. Love it!

Edited July 16, 2017 by Lucchesa

[VioletChaos]

In The Bottle: A warm almond scent, with a slight backdrop of indiscernible spices.

 

Wet On Skin: The almond disappears entirely, which I'm sad about. The warmth of the scent continues, and as it warms on my skin, I'm able to pick out strands of lotus, amber and saffron. The myrrh, to my relief, seems to be behaving- a rarity, as it usually amps and turns to terrible baby powder on me. So far, so good!

Dry Down: This...wow. I can't believe I went ten years of BPAL without this. I feel like Bastet is a cousin to Morocco. Both scents share that warm, spiced, sultry aspect, and considering both are influenced by a related culture and continent, its no wonder. The more she settles into my skin, the more enamored I become. This scent is heady, though sticks surprisingly close to the skin. (I wouldn't start out by altering this, though- definitely see how she does with you before diving into the eep end of the pool, as it were.)

In All: I was interested in obtaining a bottle of this because I've been doing some workings with Bast lately and it seemed appropriate. And she is! I will certainly wear this scent, and also anoint candles meant for her with this scent as well.

I can't wait to see how this ages!

[Juliamon]

I was intending on reviewing something else today, but Bastet was feeling impatient and splashed me when I opened the imp for a curious sniff. Who am I to deny a divine sign like that?

 

In the imp: Uh-oh, that's a lot of almond. I had a bad experience with almond in another blend recently. Hopefully some of the other elements will take over.

 

Wet: Almond almond almond and some lotus. There are hints of resins but they're drowning in almond. Blargh.

 

Dry: Ahhh, the myrrh and amber overtake the almond about 30 minutes in. Now it's quite dreamy, almost buttery, with the saffron and cardamom adding an interesting spice edge. The musk is barely there, and I blame my skin favoring the resins. I'm having a strange urge to give my sister's cat a cuddle. It does smell like burying your nose in a cat's fur!

 

Not a lot of throw, but I didn't slather because of the almond. Seems to last decently long though, and that beautiful drydown makes me understand why this is a best-seller. I think I'm a fan? I don't know. That almond never fully goes away, but everything else is SO good...

[InaraRedCloak]

From the Lab, arrived April 2018

In the vial: A little spice, sweet and resinous. I'm getting a lot of florals. This is a warm and comforting scent.

Wet on Skin: Almost a citrusy musk and amber. The amber is already a major player in this blend. After re-reading the notes, it must be the almond giving Bastet her sweetness. Instinct is telling me to wash this off before the amber gives me a migraine.
Oh well, it started nice.

[Teamama]

Amber, almond kitty musk with a hint of sweet golden lotus on me. A favorite. My skin renders the myrrh so soft that it's almost subliminal. The saffron is pretty soft, too. Cardamom is shy and doesn't show up until well into the dry down.

 

Wet, the almond-amber-lotus combo is pretty overwhelming. The first 3 minutes are a maraschino cherry amaretto musk.

 

The dry down swiftly changes the blend to something wonderful. I agree that Bastet is related to Morocco. It's also a cousin to Coyote. If you love either of those, give Bastet a whirl.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Almond! Strong almond.

 

Dry: Still lots of almond, but the spices(saffron and cardamom) and amber have come out. I'm not getting any kind of lotus scent.

 

This was a surprise love, and I can't believe it took me so long to try this. This is almost like(do I dare say...) a Snake Oil Lite. (It obviously doesn't smell like Snake Oil, but it's giving me a similar vibe. Like Snake Oil's lighter, younger cousin, with a kick of almond.)

[fizzbangdangcharade]

In the bottle: So much almond! It smells amazing, like marzipan and eastern spices.

 

On me: as soon as this mixed with my skin oils, the almond took a sharp turn into Play-doh land. It overpowered all the other nice scents as well. I tried a couple of times, at different times of the month, and still - Play-doh. My chemistry does not work well with almond at all (a pity, as I freakin love almond everything.)

 

I do really like this one in the bottle. I've been holding onto it with the vague plan to find a scent locket or something I can put it in so it can warm but not actually go weird because of my chemistry.

[neuilly]

Wet: Very almond/amaretto.

 

On my skin there's an in-between stage that's almost bitter? I'm not sure what it is but it's not very pleasant.

 

Dry: Softer with no bitterness left. Still an amaretto/almond note but more subdued. There's some warmth to it which is mostly the amber but I have trouble picking out the other notes.

[Sugarvenom]

I was so nervous when I smelled this in the bottle. I've discarded scents based on bottle smell before (thankfully I know better now).

 

In the imp it's cherry almond. Strong, strong cherry almond, and nothing else. Bleck. I do not like cherry. Or almond.

 

Then the instant it hits the skin that disappears, and starts to evolve. It becomes this beautiful thing that honestly reminds me of Snake Oil a little bit. It's the warm, gentle spices that do it I think. But where Snake Oil's powerful underlying scent is like vanilla, and those spices are almost edible, here they're lifted gently by what I think is lotus, and possibly amber. I think I can smell a hint of the almond too, or at least a hint of a nutty note that's pleasant and not foody at all.

 

Where Snake Oil makes me torn between eating and ravishing myself, Bastet is a long stretched out purr in the sun. I feel warm and beautiful, maybe a bit sexy.

 

I love love love it. I want a bottle. But then, I also want a bottle of Snake Oil, and they're quite similar to me. Hmm! I guess it's a competition to see which imp empties the fastest!