Bastet

[Freyja Lux]

Bast, Ubasti, Ailuros, Ba-en-Aset. Represented as both a domestic cat and a fierce lioness, she truly evidences traits of both. She is the Mother of All Cats, Goddess of Sensuality, Fertility, and a guardian and protector of women. She is also one of the Eyes of Ra, and in that aspect is an Avenging Goddess, seeking retribution and punishing enemies of her people. Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus.

I love the Goddess Bastet and looked forward to this one as I did Brisingamen (Thanks sophia_helix!). I love amber, musk, saffron... pretty much every ingredient. And yep, it delivers. Such a sexy blend! Its a great evening-out-with-a-hottie kind of perfume, and will undoubtably make you feel seductive. Double bonus for us Leo girls! Rowwwrrrr!!

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Sugar, almonds and buttercream.

 

Dry: Mmmm a lot of almond, and it has a yummy spice note... cinnamon? The buttercream thankfully recedes and the sugar is juuuust enough to add sweetness. nice!

[Chantarelle]

I had such high hopes for this because of the cardamom, but unfortunately it's gone baby powder on me -- sweet baby powder, but baby powder nonetheless. I'm starting to think that amber and I aren't a good combination. So sad!

[Chrysantza]

In the bottle: Spicy cherry marzipan.

 

When first applied: This goes through a VERY brief OMGWTF? stage when it smells like an almond sugar cookie which has been doused in Triaminic cherry cough syrup. Luckily, this calms down within one or two minutes and I smell a warm sweet blend of almond, myrrh, amber and saffron.

 

Dries down to: My skin chemistry gives resins the courage to Be All They Can Be, so Bastet dries down to a strongly amber scent with touches of musk and myrrh. The almond, saffron, lotus and cardamom are there but as more of a background note.

 

This is a very solar, leonine, feline scent that makes me think of cats lying in the warm sun. The sun that Bastet invokes is not the hot summer drenched-in-milk sun but more of an autumn or springtime sun where she is gentle and warm and caressing.

 

Bastet is a favorite of mine - I got an imp as a giftie and then was inspired to order a bottle with my very first BPAL order.

[klowey]

Incredibly, I think this might be a lotus scent that I can wear.

 

It's a little sweet, but there is also a warmth from the amber and musk and an incensey smell from the myrrh and spices that keeps it in place.

 

Not something I'll be ordering in a big bottle, but it might be worth the imp for when I'm feeling especially girly.

 

In unrelated news, the cat's been especially cuddly this evening...

[LushNatty]

In the bottle: Yummy! Honey and vanilla!

Initial application: Honey and vanilla, then the initial scent fades within a couple of minutes to suntan oil. Oooh! I’m wearing Banana Boat. Luckily, I love the smell of suntan oil, although I never wear it because I detest tanning.

As it dries down, it smells a little less suntan oily and a bit more just sweet (and powdery!) coconut.

Light to medium throw, depending on application (if you hit a good spot, it can have a bit more impact.) Don’t wear it if you don’t like a powdery finish (I do!). All things considered, probably an extremely apt smell for an Egyptian goddess. I will like to have an imp of this on hand for those moments I am wishing I was on a faraway beach, but probably won’t wear it enough for a whole bottle purchase…but who knows? This one may grow on me.

On a scale of 1 to 5: 3.5. (Because of the growth potential!)

ETA: just goes to show how I continue to identify scents that aren't technically there...but I swear that this smells like suntan lotion on me.

Edited October 24, 2005 by LushNatty

[Nightgaunt]

Bastet is a golden brown scent, soft as cat fur and very sexy. It suits the deity it was named after perfectly.

[darkitysnark]

Bastet

 

Received in a barter with Rhubarbbear.

 

Cats? Amber? Cardamom? Saffron? Oh hells yeah.

 

Lotus?

 

But apparently golden lotus + me = sweet, not bubblegum! Huzzah!

 

In the bottle: sharp sweet cherry almonds and a little aftertaste of spice

 

Wet/drydown: a flare of the sharp, pugnacious almond/cherry, then almost immediately golden sweetness. Very round, very full, very nice.

 

Later: this hasn't morphed much since it calmed down after application. It's been consistently sweet and golden. I am wearing a scarf today that I apparently wore last year along with Morrocco. The assessment on page one that Bastet = Morrocco + Queen of Sheba is very much the case! I'm not getting QoS's slightly green herbally milkiness, but the golden "sweet skin" is there, and the lovely spices of Morrocco are also here.

 

This is not an everyday scent for me. The sweetness is on a level with Jezebel. This doesn't have the crazy throw of Jezzie either--it's more of a close-to-skin scent.

 

But I will reach for this when I want to be worshipped even if it's just a congregation of one. I'll wear this when I want to be wrapped up in gold.

Edited November 2, 2005 by darkitysnark

[Fefferbella]

I think I found my scent... Bastet smells gorgeous.

It's so clean, light and feminine. The egyptian musk is heavenly and the amber is such a warm, comforting smell.

 

I need to get a big bottle now.

[hangingfire]

Got a nearly-used imp as a freebie sample from a forum swap. Think I'm going to have to get a bottle of my own now.

 

In the imp: Spicy, cherrylike. That would be the almonds talking, I guess.

 

On, wet: Resiny, spicy, musky. It reminded me of Magus, and so I put a dab of that on the other wrist for comparison. Turns out, while Bastet certainly shares some of the resiny, musky character of Magus, Bastet is softer, more feminine, and a little fruitier and sweeter.

 

Drydown: Ooooh. The amber blends really nicely with all the different spices. Gorgeous.

[SeaMonkey]

This is all amber, almond, and saffron on me. I immediately ordered a bottle of it. I've noticed on certain days, like when I'm pms'ing, it can go a little too perfumy on me, but otherwise, its such a warm scent. It does start out being a little strong, but warms up immediately when it started to dry.

[alicia_stardust]

This is perfect all around. It gave me warm shivers and much delight.

 

I love the amber and almond combination, and the myrrh rounds it out nicely. It makes me think of magical things, love, warmth, glowing, and of course, Egypt.

 

This got my rare 5 out of 5 stars (less than 3% of my tested oils get this high, most are 4 or below) and I want a bottle!

[herdivineshadow]

This starts off as a very cherry smelling scent, which I didn't like at all. After a while it then morphs into a more warm, dry amber scent with no cherry at all. I'm not too sure about this one on the whole, as the initial cherry note does put me off a bit.

[brownbear]

mmmm I like this. At first it was cherry and almond. Then it mellowed out and became more ambery. I keep getting nice wafts of amber and musk and pale incense. I'm keeping it.

[13bodies]

I ordered an imp of this because I liked the name, but I figured the lotus would go all bubblegummy on me as lotus is wont to do.

 

Was I wrong.

 

Bastet has become one of my new favorites. It's a very warm, golden brown, slightly spicy scent--my-skin-but-better with a touch of spice. And not a trace of bubblegum.

 

I keep sticking my head down my shirt to smell myself when I wear this.

 

It lasts all day and morphs very little. I love, love, love, LOVE this.

[QueenFae]

I am in love again! This is a gorgeous scent! Smooth amber and floral on top, blended so beautifully with the soft musk and the almond. The combination of amber and almond is outstanding, enought to make anyone swoon. This is going immediately onto my 5 ml wishlist, I'm so glad I finally tried it. Bound to be one of my new favorites. Another masterpiece by Beth!!!

[mockturtle]

A very warm and creamy scent first applied. Vanilla-y almond stands out to me. I also I detect a warmer version of the scent that made its presence known to me in Forbidden Fruit, so I'm pretty sure that's due in part to the lotus.

 

As it dries, the scent smells a bit more spicy to me. Like jars of precious embalming oils and herbs resting in sunlit sands. Nice.

 

After another 15 min or so, it's mellowed to sunny almondy goodness, lightly spiced! Not bad, but since I can still detect a bit of the lotus (of which I'm not a fan), I'll pass this one on to a new home.

[_jen_]

This started off smelling rather sharp and medicinal, but soon morphed into a bold spicy mix that my untrained nose can't seperate. Given a few hours, it settled down into a warm, comforting skin-type scent that I quite like.

One of my first imps, and I'm seriously contemplating a 5ml.

[herongale]

preconceived notion: kittens! You know, I don't get off on all this "cats as goddesses" stuff. But I love cats and kittens and am a giant advocate of kitty cuddling. I should mention that my cats do not care for BPAL. The oils are pretty strong, so if I hold one of the wands up before them they sniff at it with tightly closed eyes and an expression of disdain.

 

in the imp: sweet and warm, this scent is so well-blended that I cannot pick out any of the individual notes (is that a cop out? I think that is a cop out). I find this to be a little like a rich, plummy cake, or maybe a tiramisu... it's rich and has that flavour of liquor with the alcohol baked off.

 

wet: aww, this is spicy and friendly and really pretty.

 

drydown: Okay, now I get the impression of roasted chestnuts and almonds scattered over a holiday torte (the kind that has a cream cheese icing and gooey chocolate inside and which is layered with cherries). It's very friendly and gorgeously comfortable, and wears like a snug.

 

verdict: highly recommended. I want more of this, I think.

 

post-conceived notion: after this dries, my cat T.K. made a serious attempt to clean it off of my arm. So apparently it is not so off putting that she wouldn't lick it. (I won't let her and had to wash it off so she couldn't sneak up on me while sleeping and give me a covert kitty-bath).

[Katinka]

Warm gorgeousness in a bottle. It seems to just seep into my skin...mmmm! I get mostly amber, with soft spices wafting in the background, bringing to mind lions sunning themselves in the savanna. For whatever reason, it also reminds me of Tiger Lily. Definitely a keeper!

[try_infrared]

When I first discovered BPAL, this was the one scent I absolutely fixated on. I have always had a healthy obsession with all things egyptian, and my absolute favourite note is egyptian musk. So, I made this my 'must try' scent, and quickly went about getting an imp.

I like this scent, but though I hate to say it, I am slightly disappointed in how it smells on me.

 

In the bottle, all I can smell is sweet almonds (marzipan anyone?) and creamy amber. Not bad, but a little strong.

 

Wet on my skin, the almond fades pretty quickly, leaving the amber and an emerging spiciness. Reminds me of a sweet smelling incense I used to burn. This is nice, but I'm really waiting for some nice musk to emerge, and I never quite get it.

 

On drydown, all I can smell is straight up amber (which I find a bit cloying in this blend) and a powderiness that I didn't expect to find. I agree with some others that Bastet is a bit perfumey, and 'old lady' on me, though I am definitely going to try applying a much smaller amount to see if that will help alleviate the problem.

 

This was a total heartbreaker for me, because I was SO SURE I would love this scent. I would probably wear it, but it's going to require some tinkering, maybe layering, and it's definitely not love at first sniff

Edited January 4, 2006 by try_infrared

[Kittyflop]

Wet: The almond is strong first, although I think my nose is particularly susceptible to almond. As it dries, the other notes come forward and blend well. I adore cardamom and wish it were a bit more prominent, but it is there. This is a scent of strength. Very grounded, very confident. Good strong throw and lasts 6-8 hours.

[Amberfishy]

I was especially intrigued by this scent as I have always been a bit of a cat worshipper and by the reviews here I thought Bastet could very well be something that I could identify with and wear often and always!!

 

In the bottle Bastet is sugar sweet with the familiar marzipan goodness that I don't mind. However as soon as I apply it to skin it transforms. It reminds me of a warm spring day luxuriating on the sandy hot pavement with my fluffy belly facing outwards and paws outstretched.

 

It's sexy, spicy, warm, golden and friendly. I've ordered a 5mL and Bastet. Me loves!

[UploadedLobster]

The scent description of Bastet stoked me grandly; I LOVE amber and almond, and every single other note in it. This was the first one I hoiked open after my order arrived. <3 I was completely undisappointed and had to sit there for a few minutes huffing it. Delicious.

 

In the bottle: ZLOMG sweet almond sex. Mostly almond, honey, amber, and something that's probably lotus in the background. I don't get any of the spice notes.

 

Wet on me: smells exactly the same as in the bottle, only warmer. Maybe more almond.

 

Dry on me: The amber's coming out a little more, and I THINK maybe that saffron and cardamom are lurking around in the background, very faint.

 

30 minutes later: WAUGH! Where the hell did it go? My skin ate it! I can barely detect a little amber resin, but the rest of it is GONE! Damn damn DAMN. To swap for something that doesn't disappear, or to use in a bath or something? Obviously it's not meant for me to wear.

 

 

 

Lobster Rating

Better than: Tom's of Maine fennel toothpaste

Edited January 27, 2006 by Uploaded Lobster

[sookster]

starts off all vanilla and almond but quickly morphs into a

warm and spicy blend....then the amber comes through....softly....

yes this is quite lovely......i am glad i was able to try an imp

of this little beauty